28 - Rescue from the Uncanny Valley
Sam had had just about all the creepiness he could handle for one day. He made a pitstop by the food court and grabbed a burger and fries without any difficulty. He sat down to enjoy his meal when a girl with pink skin sat down across from him. "Hiya! You look lonely and kinda sad and I don't recognize you. Are you new in town? My name's Pinkie Pie!"
Sam had encountered Pinkie Pie as a pony, and this human looked just like her, just... human. Also sounded like her, and acted like her. "Aren't I a little old for you?"
Pinkie tilted her head. "You're never too old to be a friend! Gosh, that's a crazy idea. I'd hate to be so old I stopped making friends." She waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, you're not that old yet, 'cause I'm right here and ready to be your friend. So what's your name?"
"My name is 'I'm Hungry so Leave me Alone'."
Pinkie Pie scowled in a perplexed way. "There's no way that can be your name. I know, you look kinda like a... Long Shot? Or a Gus! No wait, Sam! Definately Sam."
Sam shuddered. Was he wearing a name tag or something? How did these brightly colored people guess his name so easily? "Look, Pinkie? I'm just trying to relax. Leave me alone."
Pinkie shook her head. "No can do! I turn frowns upside down. It's what I do! Say, have you tried the triple-rainbow icecream blast? It's super amazing! I'll go get you a bowl." she hopped to her feet and skipped towards the counters.
Sam accepted this as a hint to get out of dodge, and scrambled to his feet, hurrying away from the food court. At least he had the sense to take his food with him. The hamburger wasn't bad at all, whatever else in the world was messed up.
Lyra arrived at the Ponyville terminal and stepped off the train, walking into the town with a soft sigh. She oriented herself for the once-human house, deciding venturing to the almost-human world would be a lot easier with somepony at her side that knew the lay of the land. A soft knocking produced little Lucy, who smiled up at her before it turned to a concerned frown.
"You look upset. What's wrong?"
Lyra felt her mouth tug into a smile. "You're getting better at spotting that kind of thing. I'm visiting the almost-human world, where Sam is. We need to get him back, just for a little while. We'll let him go afterwards, if that's what he wants, but the Princesses really need to talk to him."
Lucy's ears went erect as she sat on her haunches. "Do you promise? It's bad enough when we have to be here, forcing him to be here isn't something I'd want to be part of."
Lyra set a hoof over her chest. "Promise. I'll even do one of those crazy Pinkie Pie Promises if you want?"
Lucy tilted her head. "What? Nevermind. I don't need a fancy promise. The regular kind's fine by me. From what people, uh, ponies, have said about that place, I'll be a little girl there."
Lyra nodded. "Will that be a problem?"
Lucy tapped her chin. "Not if you pretend you're either my mother or my older sister."
Lyra reached for Lucy, pulling her close. "I always wanted a little sister."
Lucy burst into giggles and squirmed away. "Alright then. When do we go?"
Lyra glanced up at the afternoon sky. "Now is as fine as any time? I really want to get this over with. I can't do much else with it floating over my head."
Lucy nodded. "Give me a moment. I'll tell the others I'll be with you for a while." She slipped into the house and closed the door, only to return a few minutes later. "Let's go find Sam."
They soon arrived at Twilight's castle. Twilight was ready for them, guiding them downstairs towards the machine that could get them to Canterlot High. "Celestia sent word that you'd need to travel soon. You're a brave pony, but who's this little filly?" she looked down at Lucy curiously.
Lucy wrinkled her smooth snout lightly. "We've met before, Twilight."
Twilight nodded lightly. "We have, but why are you here? This is a potentially dangerous mission to an alien world."
Lucy pointed at herself. "An alien world that works a lot like the one I came from. This!" She tapped the ground beneath herself. "This world is more alien. And stop looking at me like I'm a filly. You should know better."
Lyra smiled a little. "Well you really are a filly, even if you have more years in you than you should. Thank you again, Lucy, for acting as a guide for me."
Lucy smiled at Lyra, about to say she's welcome when Twilight butted in, "Woah there! You're taking a filly with you? As a guide?"
Lyra frowned a little at Twilight. "I know you're... a princess now, but really, Twilight. You know both of us. She's crazy smart, and she has the mind of an adult."
Twilight looked displeased, snorting as she looked over the both of them. "Smart or not, my parents wouldn't let me do this when I was her age."
Lucy moved beside Lyra and pressed against her lower legs. "Good thing my guardian says it's alright."
Twilight blinked in shock, tilting her head. "What? I mean... I didn't know... I guess if Lyra's your guardian and she says it's alright..." She stiffly walked away with a confused expression.
As soon as she was out of hearing range, Lyra looked down at Lucy. "Since when was I your guardian?"
Lucy shrugged. "Since we wanted Twilight to stop overthinking this and send us on our way?"
Lyra chuckled softly. "Clever... but she's not going to forget that."
Lucy tilted her head up at Lyra. "So make it real? You're already my guardian in almost every way but title anyway. I don't really need a 'parent', but a guardian I could probably live with, especially you, since you understand my situation. If I had Twilight for a foster parent, I might die."
Lyra giggled a little at that. "Don't be mean. Twilight's a perfectly nice unicorn." She reached for Lucy, gently hugging her. "It would be an honor. Uh, wait, does this mean you want to move in?"
Lucy shook her head. "I'm fine in the once-human house for now. I think I'm making great progress with some of them... Maybe after they're gone, if Sweetie Drops wouldn't mind me?"
Lyra bobbed her head. "I'll ask her."
Twilight returned with a smile, her composure restored. "I'm ready when you two are. Just step through when it lights up and try to be back before a day passes."
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Isnt Twilight an alicorn?
6062724 Yes she is.
6062724 Perhaps it was a not so great and powerful error?
6062724 I thought she was a sphinx?
D'awwww I love Lucy!
Lyra running home and letting Sweetie know she sorta adopted a child.
6062724
First impressions and all that. She was the crazy eccentric Unicorn archetype that Lyra referred to in the very first chapter. She's only barely calmed down since then.
6062973 I suppose but you would think that she would use the word pony when she makes a comment like that. Im pretty sure Rainbow Dash wouldnt like someone calling her an earth pony or Applejack an unicorn.
Unless this is something thats going to play a role in the future I just find weird in a nitpicky way.
6063031 Sure, but Applejack doesn't have a horn, and Rainbow Dash doesn't have whatever vague element makes an earth pony that seems to change by the week.
6063031
But in your examples they never were those types in the past.
Twilight Sparkle was once a Unicorn, and still acts like one. She certainly isn't embracing flying or Earth Pony stuff, though she technical can.
Yeah... presumably that's the reason why it's cool for you to take Spike to the Crystal Empire, even though he's just a child, too. And Spike's a real child, with all the lack of years of age you'd expect a child to have.
Lyra becoming Lucy's guardian? Now there's a clever and really sweet idea
And Twilight really in character here I'd say.
Good stuff.
6063049 When I read that part I tought it was an author´s mistake but if it isnt so I will just take it as a weird nonimportant Lyra thing.
6063061 Nah, he's her bondservant.
Doesn't go to school, works all the time, does everything he's told and doesn't get paid for it. Just take Lucy out of school and make her your unpaid household staff and the Princess should be satisfied
6063135
Bondservant? Where have I heard Spike referred to as that...
And who wrote it?
I guess you're right... but Lucy's just a filly! That would be foal abuse. Spike's not a filly, or even a foal, therefore he cannot be a target of foal abuse.
Flawless logic.
Hmm. At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if the entire humanoid dimension isn't some kind of single awareness. There's something of a hivemindedness about the place, a pod-personable air. And it's going into overdrive with the new foreign element.
Meanwhile, I'd think Twilight would have a better appreciation for precocity. I guess time around the Crusaders has taught her to worry when foals start making plans...
6062859
"Really, she adopted us."
"That doesn't make it any better, Lyra."
6063306
You should consider a career in politics.
But now you mention it, I think there is indeed a story out there describing Spike in this way. Something with Luna and the old ways? I believe I read a story description that'd fit. Anyway. Lucy & Lyra. Me like!
time to hunt Sam good luck Lyra.
6062364
Hey come on, I didn't comment on every single chapter I read!
...I'm not weird.
6063672 It's OK. We're all ponies here.
6062761
No it was..... A TYPO!!! lol
Twilight seemed really odd in this chapter. I find myself hoping she was replaced by a changeling or something, so it makes sense in retrospect. Otherwise her dialog just has a weird ring to it. Like the uncanny valley of Twilight dialog.
6064631 That fits the tenor of the chapter, but I'm curious what you think is off?
6064652
her reactions just sounded like somepony who hadn't heard anything about the former humans at all, not somepony that had been a major part of the conversations at least, and kept in the loop. Her acknowledgement of having met Lucy was only when told explicitly that she had, and contradicted both her initial question and her subsequent dialog (or at least it seemed as if she knew nothing of what Lucy was, including what Lyra said in that conversation seconds before Twilight's reactions). It even felt like she was disregarding what Lyra was actively telling her, which makes more sense for an outsider who doesn’t grok the situation at all, and is trying to muddle through the conversation.
It was particularly noticeable because your dialog rarely has that sort of issues in my experience. If it was a changeling or the like, great job at subtle hinting, otherwise I guess just a bit of an off day. :/ It's okay for not every chapter to be your best. Or maybe it's all in my head.
6063430
I like Spike quite a bit, so I was parodying a comment that might uh... be argued why the implication that Spike is a servant is okay. By tha hataz. But really it's a pretty flimsy argument. A man of straw, used in jest, really. I'd expect to see a troll use that kind of argument as a deflection from the issue of "is Spike's life ideal/happy" by asserting something so ridiculous it either ends the conversation or forces someone to explain the basics of "equal rights."
And about the story: Oh, you weren't taking the idea from the story? I was being coy because I wrote it, and it's a little surreal (and a little awesome) to see someone apparently quote your own story back to you... Really I probably shouldn't have brought it up, it's rude to talk about your own stories in someone else's story, but now I'm here and I feel like I need to finish the conversation that I started. Sorry about that.
Hey Pinkie Pie is the LEAST creepy human pony amazingly enough. Sam shouldn't give her the cold shoulder.
6065064
Wouldn't you be a tad creeped by a pink human with crazy hairstyle that talks as much as her and guesses your name just looking at you? You have to admit that Pinkie isn't exactly a paragon of normality
6064787 Hey no worries, I got that it was parody, I just answered in kind... I wouldn't insinuate that you'd actually think like that!
Well, the internet is the best place to create a misunderstanding.
And you're the author of that story in question?
Cool, I just checked it out. Me like! Have an upvote. Comments section is cool too.
Anyway, with 70000+ stories on the site there have to be repetitions... although almost verbatim is really strange.
Hasn't Twilight already met Lucy?
I'm confused on why Twilight is acting like she doesn't know her.