Shellstrings

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Les Triplettes de Canterville

Canterlot – Downtown – Memorial Courtyard

At long last, Lyra's strings came to a meandering end. A gentle melody hung in the air, tickling the hairs of her fuzzy ears. The unicorn let out a sigh, leaning against the back of a marble bench as she hugged the musical instrument to her tummy.

There were smiles...

"Oh, dear. That was quite... quite beautiful."

Lyra Heartstrings' amber eyes fluttered open.

Three figures came into focus. Lyra found herself gazing at three gray shapes. As her eyes readjusted to the light, she made out a trio of old mares standing directly in front of her. Each bore a wrinkled grin.

"Oh. Don't stop just because of us, darling."

"I... h-had just reached the end of my last current suite, actually." Lyra gulped... brushing back a loose bang of silver-streaked mane hair. "Please forgive me. I hope I wasn't disturbing anypony."

"Not at all, dear!" One of the mares shook her head. "We were quite in awe of the performance, actually."

Lyra couldn't help but sport a dumb grin. "You mean you liked it? For real?"

"We just came by to pay respects and place down some flowers as we usually do each week," another mare said. "Little did we know that we'd be treated to a little symphony!"

"I always knew the acoustics of this place were perfect for string music," murmured another. "What you're doing just adds a little bit more beauty to the setting."

"Wow... heh..." Lyra leaned back, exhaling softly. "And here I thought that Canterlot was full of stuffy jerkfaces." She instantly grimaced. "Erm... no offence."

"Hah! You kidding?" One mare slapped her knee with a chuckle. She readjusted her silk gown before continuing: "This place positively mimics Manehattan on some days!"

"Gets ruder and ruder as the ponies get younger and younger," agreed another.

"I heard that!"

"Hmmm..." Lyra gulped. "I guess I never got a chance to observe that myself."

"You're from around here, darling?"

"I was born here," Lyra said. "Even went to school locally as a little foal, all before the f—" Lyra grimaced... cleared her throat... and exhaled: "Before I moved to the country."

"Ah. So no wonder you've come back to serenade these old haunts."

"Heheh... yeah, I guess." Lyra glanced over her shoulder at the memorial. "To tell the truth, I was actually here in Canterlot on the day of... well... you know."

"Ah. So you also share in Canterlot's grief."

"Well, it's very courageous of you to come back, dear. If I may ask..." A wrinkly hoof pointed at the stone obelisks. "Do you know any of the names listed?"

"We'll say a prayer or two for them if you wish."

"Oh. No. It's okay. I was... uh... fortunate enough to not lose anypony I knew... at least not on that day." Lyra gulped, glancing aside. "Though, my name almost made it on the engravings. Same as my friend's."

"Oh?"

"I see that providence won out in the end."

"You could say that, yeah." Lyra smiled rosily into the distance. "We were lost beneath the mountain's crust... deep in the old crystalline caverns. There were once open, gaping fissures—you know—right beneath where the four of us are standing. My friends and I... uh... we h-had been bewitched by the changeling Queen. And... and we were lost down in those caves. We could have starved or suffocated for all we know." She sighed dreamily. "And then he came."

"Hmmm? Who?"

Lyra stared and stared... until her smile faded. "Oh! Uhm... just a guard. Y'know... a strong, valiant soldier of the Royal Guard. But... still..." She hugged her lyre tighter. "I'll never forget the look on his face... or h-how relieved I felt when he carried me in his strong hooves towards safety."

A raspy chuckle. "I bet he was handsome."

"Yeahhhhhhh—er... no. I mean. Yes. Uh... m-maybe?" Lyra coughed. "Doen't matter, really. Besides, I never did get his name. I'm sure that—whoever he is—he would have done the same for anypony else in Canterlot... besides just me and my friends, that is." She brushed her mane back for the umpteenth time. "But that one act of heroism—however brief and flippant—was enough to turn my whole world upside down." A pause. She chuckled. "But life affords many heroes. And while I may never know the identity of my knight in shining armor..." She rolled her eyes with a giggle. "...I do have a very good friend... the absolute best friend... and while some random stranger may have saved my life, the most important pony I know keeps on giving me a reason to live. So... y'know... we can't ever lose sight of the things in this world that keep us going. Cuz... like... the music's never gonna write itself." She gulped, then broke into fitful giggles. "I'm rambling now, aren't I? I'm so sorry. This is how I get when ponies compliment my music."

"It's quite alright, dear."

"Yes." The mares nodded. "It's good to know that while so much darkness flooded our beloved city a year ago, there's still plenty of light to be kindled from within."

"Hey! A regular poet!" Lyra winked. "Maybe I should get you to write lyrics for my masterpiece someday."

"Heehee! Maybe! But I think your friend at home can help you with that."

"Might want to get a move on, dear! Before it gets too cold! Wouldn't want to ruin your lovely complexion."

"Wait... what?" Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! Only that... uhm... I've been reading in The Monthly Spinster that prolonged exposure to cold mountain air will ruin the shine of a young mare's coat and—"

"No no no no not that." Lyra stood up, wobbling. "What time is it?"

"Oh. Last time I checked... ermmm... about half past six—"

"Half past six?!?" Lyra sputtered. Bug-eyed, she spun west. The sun was sinking into the plains beyond Ponyville. "Shit! Shit Goddess! The train!" Gnashing her teeth, Lyra shoved her lyre into her saddlebags and sped off through the memorial. "Shit! Ass! Fart! Peeved! Boogers!"

The three elder mares spun about, blinking at her vulgar exit.

"Huh... that's a strange turn," murmured one.

"I know." Another blinked. "If I was three decades younger, I'd be turned on right now."

"Damn straight."

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Note.

When losing time waiting for the train, make sure to set an alarm to not only warn you when the train is going, but also give you time to realise the alarm is going of, what the alarm is for, to get your stuff together and make it to the train before it leaves the platform.

[Doctorfoxwolf]

"I know." Another blinked. "If I was three decades younger, I'd be turned on right now."

i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/173/576/Wat8.jpg?1315930535

"Damn straight."

Apparently not.

[FloydienSlip]

about half past six—"

"Half past five?!?"

Well, it definitely is also half past five...

[Skeeter The Lurker]

Run, Lyra, run!

~Skeeter The Lurker

[crossed]

"Shit! Ass! Fart! Peeved! Boogers!"

There you have it folks. Peeved is now canonically a swear word.

"I know." Another blinked. "If I was three decades younger, I'd be turned on right now."

"Damn straight."

lol

[Razzy]

Well, at least she caught a break in the humiliation conga.

[Lightning Bearer]

Monthly Spinster could only be a hoot.

[Zero Moment]

A reference to Les Triplettes de Belleville? Don't see that every day.

[FanOfMostEverything]

7368149
The question is, do they make popcorn out of frog eggs?

[zaponator]

Very intemeresting. If Lyra starts taking an interest in Flash Sentry, then it'll be the second dailyfic where he throws a wrench into a crush between two best friends.

[QueenMoriarty]

That was a nice break.

[Bubbler]

I hope this fiction doesn't lose anyone with the possibility of Flash being important.

[Hap]

Peeved! Boogers!

snerk

[Kryssi]

Bug-eyed, she spun west.

I know what you did there.

And I’m glad Lyra finally finds a place where her lyre playing is appreciated. Don’t know how much more humiliation she can handle.

[High_Fidelity]

7469671 *snerks in symphony*