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// 21 - A Little Note 
// Story: It's OK to Be a Pony 
// by David Silver 
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Lyra looked across at her small patient curiously. Was this a damaged foal, or perhaps one like Lucy? Would they adjust as well? These questions all ran through her mind before she softly pushed them back and decided to just accept this little unicorn as his own special case, who should be treated fairly and well.

"I'm sure you're a little nervous," she began as she produced her notepad and quill for note taking, "But you have nothing to be worried about. I'm Lyra Heartstrings, and I'm here to help. Now I'm told you don't think you're a pony, so, let's start there, and with an introduction. Tell me about you, and don't worry about being right or wrong." With a bit of magic, her lyre appeared. "If it helps you relax, I can make a little music for us."


"M-my name is Cyrus Smith. I-I like music. I like to pre-perform. I-I not actually good at describing myself. Sorry." The currently young pony managed to get out. He was finding it hard to talk about himself, and looked as though he was trying to hide inside himself. 

Lyra gave a gentle smile, rolling a hoof. "Don't worry, you're not being tested here. What do you perform?"

"I-I liked to act. I re-remember that it he-helped with my stutter before. I liked to sing also, bu-but I haven't tried recen-recently. A-at least not since I sh-showed up here." Cyrus actually came out of himself a bit at this, though he still looked ready to disappear if he could.

"That sounds lovely." Lyra leaned forward a little. "I'd love to hear that, when you're more settled in. How old were you, before you came here? Tell me more about the you before pony."

"I-I was twenty. I lived in a-a town that revolved around its college. I th-think I was walking through the woods. I was never that in-interesting." With this he lost what bit of confidence he had managed to regain.

Lyra shook her head. "I disagree. You're the most interesting pony in this room." She smiled gently. "You're a traveler from another world. How cool is that? Now, uh, twenty? Is that… young for a human?"

"I-it would de-depend on who you ask. The average age of maturity varied from eighteen to twenty-five depending on what you believed. And since most people lived until they were in their eighties it really varies." Factual knowledge he could handle. He even began to stand straighter than he had been before. "I-is twe-twenty young for a p-p-pony?" Once more the small pony was building up a wall around himself.

Lyra made a quick note. "Like you said, it can vary a bit, like on if they have a cutie mark or not, and if they're still in school or apprenticeship or they've set out on their own career already." She looked up a moment. "I was pretty young when I started playing my lyre, but then I turned it around and started helping ponies here. Maybe I was too young? No matter." She waved a hoof lightly. "So you were pretty young, but you're definitely younger than that now." She hmmed. "You should look at it like a gift. You just got free years of life."

Cyrus looked over his new body. Though he wouldn't admit it he could feel a small smile as he looked over himself. He did actually like his light blue fur and his new hair. However, his happiness faded somewhat as the realities of a second childhood set in. "M-maybe, b-but I was so close to being done with school. I-isn't there some way for m-me to s-skip it. I-I mean the hi-history of a relatively new world could be int-interesting. B-but I-i. I guess I just don't know what I-I go-going to do now. I d-don't even know w-where to start." What happiness he had remaining was once again gone.

Lyra put a hoof to her chin. "Well, you could go with the flow and attend the local school here in town, or… One of your fellow once-humans was a teacher, and she's just as little as you are. She could teach you, and I think it'd make her very happy, as long as you took it seriously?"

The very thought of not taking school seriously offended him. "O-of course I would take it seriously! Even if I don't want to start school all over again education is serious business and should be taken seriously! Do you know what she used to teach?!" Cyrus didn't even notice that he was standing up and speaking with more confidence than he had shown the entire time he had been in Lyra's office.

Lyra blinked at the obvious question that had eluded her to that point. "I never asked! Uh… We'll have to find out… But right now, it's all about learning about Equestria. You know your math and writing, right?"

"Yeah, though I haven't really studied either in a few years. I managed to test out of them back h-home."  The homesickness he had managed to ignore suddenly came back into focus. He quickly deflated into himself again.

Lyra came to an answer and clopped her hooves together. "Alright. I'm no teacher, so here's what I think. We'll get Miss Cheerilee and Lucy, that's our local teacher and the once-human, together and they'll measure where you stand and where we should go. Uh, Cheerilee's not really up on the once-human thing, so be gentle with her."

Though he had never been nervous about meeting a teacher before; the fact that she didn't know abou the humans upped his already spiked nerves. "O-ok, wh-when can we se-set that u-up." The talk of Miss Cheerilee's lack of knowledge regarding humanity reminded Cyrus of the main reason he had even been sent here. "Ad-addi-additionally, I-I th-think that I h-have put an u-unne-unnecessary amount o-of stress on the fo-foster system. S-so i-is th-there m-maybe s-somewhere I co-could st-stay?"

Lyra grew curious, perking an ear at the small one. "What happened? And yes, we have a home for once-humans to stay until they get their hooves under them, then they get their own house. For now, I'm keeping all the foals there, adjusted or not. We can't have foals just wandering around, smart or not."

Being aware of a home for himself did nothing to quell the growing panic in his eyes as struggled to look anywhere but at Lyra. "I-I m-may have wo-woke up h-here in Manha-Manehatten a-and I might have be-been pla-placed in a f-foster h-house and I might have ran away and accidentally hid in a theatre an then I got stuck in the rafters down andalmosthurtmyselfwhenIwasgettingdownbutIwascaughtbyapassingpegasusandthensomeonefinallylistenedtomesayIdidn'tusetobeaponyandamIramblingagainI'msorrybutIcan'tseemtostopbutIthinkthatcoversitandI'mpanicingagainaren'tI.I'msorry."  Cyrus found himself on the verge of tears from his panic attack, and he found himself unable to stop hyperventilating.  

Lyra reached to pat the foal on the shoulder, and found herself thinking of the little thing as a foal for a moment before she reminded herself of the odd truth of the matter. "Take a soft breath, it'll be OK. I trust you won't be climbing any rafters here in Ponyville, right?" She quietly thanked the fates that there weren't too many places for a foal to get lost in the once-human house.

Lyra's presence was surprisingly calming to Cyrus and he found himself calming. "R-right. I really didn't me-mean to get st-stuck there. It's j-just, theatres calm me and it was unlocked and I was just exploring and the door up there closed behind me and locked itself and I am starting to panic again so I'm just going to stop now." In order to stop himself from panicking again; the now foalish human was physically holding his mouth closed with his front hooves. His embarrassment was easily evident on his face.

Lyra shook her head. "It's alright. We're just two ponies, talking. I'm not here to judge you, and you were confused, so it's OK." She pulled a chocolate from her pouch and offered it to him. "Try this, my Bon Bon made it for me."

His hooves quickly fell from his face as his eyes focused on the chocolate. "I really shouldn't, but if you insist." Cyrus reached a hoof out to grab it before he realized what he was doing. He knew that it would most likely just fall if he tried. Disappointment was obvious on his face. "Though, h-how am I s-supposed to g-grab it. I-I h-haven't figured out how to d-do that myself yet."

Lyra lifted the chocolate within reach of that little snout. "Don't worry, champ. We'll get you a tutor for that horn of yours. There's no escaping class for that, I'm afraid, but you'll have fun with it. Thomas did, and now he's a crazy good chef, slashing things up with his knives like you'd never believe."

There  was no embarrassment to be had as Cyrus ate the piece of chocolate whole."That was that best chocolate I have ever had." It was true, he was even tempted to do the classic childhood tactic of pouting for more. That thought was quickly smashed before it could fully take hold. He was still an adult even if he didn't look like one. "T-thank you. I gu-guess I sh-should head over t-to that h-house you mentioned."

Lyra opened the door for him. "I'll show you there. I know the whole world probably feels really large, but you're not alone. You'll be alright. Welcome to Equestria."