Lyra’s Journey

by _Undefined_

Chapter 6: Answers

The next morning, Lyra walked onto the grounds of Canterlot High School. Unlike the night before, the area was bustling with activity, with students meeting outside or walking to class. Bon Bon was waiting for her out front.

“How do you turn off the alarm on this phone?” Lyra asked. “It keeps going off every five minutes. I had to stuff it in a drawer so her mom and dad wouldn’t notice.”

Bon Bon took the phone from Lyra and tapped the screen a couple of times. “There you go. Here, let me put it on vibrate for you. You’ll get in trouble if your phone goes off during class.”

“Thanks.” Lyra took the phone back. “All right, it’s been a while since I’ve gone to school. And I don’t know if school in your world is the same as mine. What do I do?”

“Just stick with me,” Bon Bon said. “Except for fifth period, all of our classes are together, so I can show you where to go. Just take notes and don’t call attention to yourself. Hopefully nobody will notice that you’re not the same Lyra.”

Bon Bon led Lyra inside and to their first class: History. Lyra had grown accustomed to seeing human versions of her pony friends, but this was the first time she had seen a human version of a donkey – the class was being taught by what appeared to be Cranky Doodle Donkey.

Lyra realized, though, that he probably wasn’t called “donkey” in this world. Students were still filing in, so she whispered to Bon Bon, “What’s the teacher’s name?”

“Cranky,” Bon Bon whispered back. “He lets us call him by his first name because he hates being called ‘Mr. Doodle.’”

The bell rang. Lyra took a pencil and paper out from her binder. She was going to get a lot of practice using her hand today.

Cranky stepped to the front of the class. “All right, settle down,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to cover if we want to get through the Fountain Lake Banking Scandal today, so let’s get started.”

He began a long lecture about a financial scandal that took place over a century ago, when a shipping magnate and an oil tycoon made a deal with a bank president to circumvent tax laws in exchange for stock options and insider trading information. At the beginning of the lecture, Lyra had her eyes on the chalkboard and pencil in hand, ready to take comprehensive notes. After all, it was indirectly her fault that human Lyra was trapped in Equestria – Lyra didn’t want her to fail a test because she was forced to miss school.

But fifteen minutes in, Lyra found herself struggling to stay awake, let alone understand or care about this ancient scandal. She would write down something Cranky said – for example, “qualified dividend tax rate” – and immediately have no idea what it meant. There was absolutely nothing about this subject that she found interesting. She took some solace in the fact that it was likely human Lyra would feel the same way.

Even though the class was less than an hour long, it felt to Lyra like it took forever for the bell to ring. As Bon Bon walked with her to their next class, Lyra said, “I don’t miss school.”

“History is the most boring class we have,” Bon Bon told her. “I’m not saying the others are going to be fun, but at least they’re going to be slightly less boring.”

The next class was chemistry, and Bon Bon was right – they were learning about chemical reactions, which meant Lyra got to participate in a lab. The students formed groups of four, took their places at lab tables, and put on safety goggles and protective gloves.

“Miss Bond, do I really have to wear these dreadful gloves?” Rarity asked from three tables over. “It’s just hydrogen peroxide.”

“This hydrogen peroxide is a lot more concentrated than what you can buy at the drugstore,” Miss Bond said. “It’ll burn your skin if you get any on you. Be very careful, everybody.”

Each group measured out the hydrogen peroxide into a flask, added some dish soap, and then poured in a small amount of potassium iodide. As soon as the last component was added, the liquids produced a large quantity of foam, which poured up and over the top of the flask.

“The foam contains all of the oxygen released as a result of the reaction,” Miss Bond explained. “But more importantly, look at the thermometer inside of the flask. You’ll be able to see that the reaction produces heat, as well.”

Rainbow Dash, at the same table as Rarity, was already pouring more hydrogen peroxide into a new flask and measuring out more potassium iodide. “So if I add twice as much iodine, then that means the reaction—”

“NO!!!” shouted Miss Bond.

Chemistry class ended all too quickly, which meant that it was time to go to English. At the beginning of class, Lyra turned in the essay that Bon Bon had prepared for her over the weekend. She tried to act casual even though inside, she was terrified – this was technically cheating, even if circumstances dictated that it had to be done. The last thing Lyra wanted to do was get sent to detention and put a mark on human Lyra’s record. She was pretty sure the teacher wasn’t actually paying attention to her, even if her conscience was trying to convince her otherwise.

Bon Bon, however, knew her Lyra well enough to be able to read the expression on any Lyra’s human face. “Calm down,” Bon Bon whispered to her. “So long as Mrs. Syntax doesn’t give us a pop quiz, there’s nothing for you to worry about here.”

“There might be a pop quiz?!” Lyra choked.

Fortunately for Lyra, there was no pop quiz that day – just a lecture about the characters in the novel. Lyra wasn’t sure whether this novel only existed in the human world or whether she simply hadn’t read the Equestrian equivalent, but because the class was already halfway through reading it, she had no idea what the teacher was talking about. And because the lecture was only about the action that had happened in the most recent chapters, with no context as to how it related to the rest of the novel, Lyra found it to be nearly as boring as Cranky’s lecture.

After English class, it was time for lunch. Even after she received her entrée, Lyra was still happy for the break from education. As Bon Bon looked toward the seats, Lyra looked at her tray. “No matter what nation you go to, even in a completely different dimension, cafeteria pizza is always the same,” she observed.

“I can’t think of an excuse to not sit with Amethyst Star and Shoeshine today – we always have lunch together,” Bon Bon said. “Just try to always be chewing – if they ask you something that only my Lyra would know, I’ll answer for you.”

As it turned out, Amethyst Star was more interested in talking about how she helped her older cousin’s family move into a new house over the weekend, so Lyra didn’t have to worry about raising any suspicions. However, the extra chewing was still necessary, as the pizza was extremely rubbery.

The bell rang to signify the end of lunch, which meant it was on to algebra class. For the second time in her life, Lyra learned how to divide polynomials, which she was confident she would forget within a week’s time. She also spent a lot of her time in the classroom just staring at her fingers. She wondered if you shaved a pony, whether their skin would have as many creases and patterns.

After algebra, Bon Bon and Lyra went to their locker.

“Okay, this is where I have home ec and you have music class,” Bon Bon said. “I’ll show you where to go and I’ll meet you there after the bell.”

Lyra’s expression brightened – music class! Finally, a subject she was actually interested in! Her favorite memories from her time at school in Canterlot were when her music teacher would have the class sit around with their instruments and experiment with the ways those instruments could be played and their sounds combined.

Since human Lyra’s lyre had been sitting next to her backpack, Lyra brought it with her to school that day, just in case. She grabbed it from the locker and eagerly followed Bon Bon to the music classroom, her mind racing with ideas of how she could more easily use her fingers to hit the notes she wanted.

“The passage you just listened to,” the teacher droned, “is a typical example of this composer’s use of hemiola. In this example of syncopation, the sudden feeling of there being two beats per measure instead of three beats per measure creates the sensation that the meter has shifted. Listen to the sixteen measures again and see where the hemiola begins.”

It was twenty minutes into the class, and Lyra’s eyes had glazed over. This wasn’t what she was hoping for in the slightest. Not only was the teacher sucking all of the life out of an innovative-sounding symphony, but Lyra already understood syncopation, giving her no incentive whatsoever to listen to the lecture. Lyra looked at the other students, who appeared to be similarly bored. She looked at the sheet of notebook paper in front of her, which was completely blank. She started drawing random loops on it to give the appearance of taking notes.

After the longest music class in the world (or so it felt to Lyra), the bell rang. Lyra hung out in the hallway until Bon Bon showed up. “Last class coming up, right?” Lyra asked.

“Well, normally, this is when we’d go to government class,” Bon Bon said. Lyra frowned – another subject that she didn’t pay much attention to in her day-to-day life. “But this week, they’re doing some kind of ‘enrichment showcase’ during a different period each day. So now, we’re going to the gym.” Lyra smiled a little bit – she wasn’t sure what an enrichment showcase was, but it had to be better than learning about dukes or whatever.

All of the students gathered on the bleachers in the gymnasium. On the stage at the opposite side, Lyra could see all sorts of unconventional musical instruments. She started to get her hopes up a little bit, although after what she had just experienced in music class, she didn’t get them up too much.

Once all of the students were in the gym, Celestia stepped out to address them – a sight which took Lyra by surprise.

“Welcome, students, to the first of five installments of the Canterlot High Enrichment Showcase. In order to be a truly well-rounded individual, you need more than simply books and studying.”

Lyra couldn’t quite make out what Twilight Sparkle said to her friends a few rows away.

“It is my job as principal to ensure that you are exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints and experiences to prepare you for adulthood. I ask that throughout the week, you keep an open mind and give our assorted guests the opportunity to share their perspectives with you. In doing so, I hope to broaden your horizons and provide you with new ways of looking at the world and your lives.”

That caught Lyra’s attention.

“And now, it is my pleasure to introduce a band which travels across the country to share their unique style of music. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Walks of Life!”

Seven musicians, all appearing to be in their early to mid-twenties, came out, each taking one of the instruments. The balalaika player, a woman with muted powder blue skin and wavy brown hair, addressed the students.

“Thank you for allowing us to perform for you this afternoon. My name is Melody Fusion, and we formed this band to show that people from all walks of life, no matter how different or unusual they may seem, can come together to create something amazing.

“I know that when most of you think of a band, you think of the normal instruments – guitars, drums, piano, that kind of thing. And I know that most of you aren’t familiar with the specific instruments that we’ll be playing today. Even if you do recognize some of them, I’ll bet that you’re wondering how” – each musician played a couple of notes on their instrument as it was identified – “a balalaika, a marimba, the tabla, a cornet, a sousaphone, a double bass, and a concertina could possibly work together to form one unified sound. Well, you’re about to find out.”

Lyra was figuratively on the edge of her seat. Why wasn’t music class like this?

“Before we begin, I want to extend an invitation to all of you. We believe that music is supposed to get the listener involved, to be experienced. We want you to let go and feel the music. So as we play, if you want to clap your hands, go ahead. If you want to shout, go ahead. If you want to dance, then get up and dance! We don’t want you to just watch us – we want you to be a part of the music with us. There’s no wrong way to do that – the only wrong way is to not be a part of it at all.”

With that, the band began the first song. It started with the tabla – its player set the mood by tapping on the drums with a slow, steady rhythm. The marimba player picked up his mallets and began to occasionally add notes to the rhythm, evoking a feeling of uncertainty. Next, the double bass player set bow to strings and provided a steady, relatively low hum, introducing a sense of melancholy to the atmosphere. This was intensified when the sousaphone began to softly play bass notes which complemented the double bass.

The balalaika was the next to join, plucking individual notes which accompanied the marimba in its sense of trepidation. Finally, the cornet took the lead. Starting at the lowest end of the horn’s register, it began playing a languid, mournful tune. After about a minute, some of the students began to look at one another – were they supposed to clap along to this?

But subtly, almost imperceptibly, the tempo of the tabla was beginning to increase. The pauses between the contributions of the marimba and balalaika became shorter. The double bass began to move up the scale, introducing different chords. The sousaphone started to play more punctuated notes, accompanying the marimba and balalaika as they began to convey a sense of purpose. The cornet’s tune slowly became brighter, and the concertina finally came in, joining the cornet as it cautiously projected a sense of optimism.

This gradual change continued until even the non-musically-inclined students sensed a different mood in the air. Then, abruptly, all of the instruments stopped at the same time. It felt like an awkward ending to the song – wasn’t it still building up to something? To fill the silence, the students began to lift their hands to politely applaud.

But right before they could, all of the instruments played a single, two-second exclamatory note (which the percussion instruments simulated with rolls and the balalaika simulated with tremolo picking). They then launched into a variation of the previous tune, only now it was significantly more cheerful. The cornet was confident and powerful. The concertina and balalaika took turns punctuating the cornet’s phrases. Even the sousaphone sounded peppier.

Lyra felt a chill course through her entire body. She wasn’t surprised that the strange collection of instruments was able to find a way to play in harmony, but she was awestruck by the sheer joy they were able to convey together. Without even recalling Melody’s permission to do so, she began to clap in time to the music. And now that she had broken the ice, some of the students around her joined in. Soon, the majority of the student body was clapping along to the song.

The song came to an end, but the band didn’t stop. Seamlessly, they began their next song, this one featuring the balalaika in the lead role. It too filled the gymnasium with a sense of energy and excitement. Unable to contain herself any longer, Pinkie Pie jumped off of the bleachers with a loud “Whooooo!” and began dancing on the gym floor. She found three students in the front row who appeared to be enjoying themselves and pulled them out onto the floor with her. They were hesitant at first, but her energy was infectious, so they began to dance, too.

The song was about eight minutes long, and by the end of it, roughly one-fourth of the Canterlot High School students, including Lyra and Bon Bon, were dancing while the band played.

“You guys are amazing!” Melody shouted once the song had finished. When the band played at schools, she always made the same offer for the students to join in, but usually, she had to make an effort to even get the kids to clap along. But this time, after just two songs, the performance had turned into an impromptu school dance. Micro Chips was even running over to the lighting console to turn off some of the gym’s fluorescent lights and add some colored spotlights to the makeshift dance floor.

“Let’s keep it going!” Melody yelled, both to the students and to her bandmates. The band started playing their next song, now with the concertina taking center stage. It didn’t seem possible, but this song was somehow even more energetic and lively than the first two.

When Lyra experienced this song – one of the most cheerful songs she had ever heard in her life – a sudden urge overwhelmed her. She ran off the dance floor and back to where she had been sitting in the bleachers… where the lyre sat, still inside its case. Acting purely on impulse, she took out the lyre and ran back onto the floor, past Bon Bon, and up onto the stage.

And Lyra started playing along with the band.

When the students saw what was happening, they cheered. When Lyra looked at the members of Walks of Life, they were all smiling, encouraging her to keep playing.

So Lyra played. She immediately fell in sync with the rest of the band, always complementing them, never overshadowing them. She felt the joy of the music course through her body and into her fingers, which instinctively found every note she intended to hit. For the next forty minutes, she wasn’t secretly a pony in an unfamiliar world: She was Lyra Heartstrings, musician, whose lyre transformed the joy inside of her into music that could be given to others, who could then experience it as the same joy that she felt.

The assembly came to an end much too soon. Melody Fusion thanked the students for the best response she had ever seen – by the end, nearly all of the students had spent at least some time on the dance floor. Principal Celestia dismissed the students, who began to file out of the gymnasium and head for home.

Bon Bon ran up onto the stage to meet Lyra. “I’ve never heard playing like that!” she exclaimed. “I expected you to grow pony ears and hair extensions right there on the spot!”

Lyra gave Bon Bon a startled, puzzled look. Bon Bon quietly added, “It’s something that happens here – something to do with the magic Princess Twilight brought over. Don’t worry about it.”

A few other students also complimented Lyra on her playing as they left the gymnasium. It was only then that Lyra realized she may have just made things more complicated for human Lyra once she returned.

As the crowd thinned out, Berry Punch approached the band and Lyra. “I just wanted to thank you all for this,” she said. “I’ve been having kind of a tough time lately – I don’t want to get into details, but I’ve been feeling pretty depressed. It felt a lot like that first song you played. But then, when you turned the song around, and then, when you,” she pointed to Lyra, “started playing like that… it just made me feel like things could get better. So thanks.”

Melody thanked her in return and, kneeling down on the stage so she could talk to Berry one-on-one, told her about things she thought about to improve her spirits when she was feeling down. Lyra just stood there, stunned. First by Berry Punch’s candidness, and then by the realization that that was exactly what she wanted the meaning of her life to be – to bring joy through her lyre to those who needed joy.

As Berry Punch thanked Melody and walked away, Melody stood back up and turned her attention to Lyra. “That was some amazing lyre playing,” she said.

“Oh, thanks,” Lyra replied. “It was really all of you guys. Your music was so moving – I just went along with it.”

“Don’t be so modest – you’ve got a real gift,” she said. “Everything you played made those songs better than they’ve ever sounded. I think I speak for the rest of the band when I say that we would love it if you joined us.” Four other band members who were within earshot all nodded in agreement.

“I… you want… really?” Lyra said.

“I know, you’re still in school,” Melody said, “but that’s some serious talent – there’s no doubt in my mind that this is what you were born to do. And don’t tell your principal,” she said, leaning in closer, “but half of the people in this band dropped out of high school. If you know this is what you should be doing for the rest of your life, why put it off?”

Lyra looked at Bon Bon. Which reminded her that she was supposed to be pretending to be this world’s Lyra. She couldn’t make this kind of decision on behalf of someone else.

“That’s really nice,” Lyra said. “But I can’t… decide… um…”

“I don’t want to put any pressure on you,” Melody said. She went back to her balalaika case and pulled out a card. “Here’s my contact info. If you want to join, give me a call.”

Lyra took the card. “Thanks. And thank you for an incredible show.” She and Bon Bon left the gymnasium and headed home. For the entire walk, Lyra barely spoke – she just kept playing the events of the assembly back in her head, over and over.

---

Bon Bon wanted to devote the entire day to looking for Starlight Glimmer, but when she checked in at Sugarcube Corner in the morning, Mr. Cake told her that they were running low on gumdrops and needed to order more. So instead, she spent most of the day making small batches of candy to restock the multi-flavor assortment that the bakery required.

Lyra stood around outside the house – anytime she recognized one of the passersby as the pony version of someone she knew, she casually asked them if they had seen Starlight. Neither Bon Bon nor Lyra had explained to anyone why they were looking for Twilight’s student, so Lyra still had to maintain the illusion that she was the Lyra who lived in this world.

Lyra didn’t have any success in learning Starlight Glimmer’s whereabouts, but she did earn a bit by helping an elderly mare carry her heavy bags home. After she dropped off the bags, she swung by Twilight’s castle – still nobody there.

As she was walking back home from the castle, three young ponies with identical-looking marks approached her. She thought that they resembled some freshmen from her school, although she didn’t know their names.

“Hi, Lyra!” said the one with the bow in her hair. “Have you touched any ponies’ hearts with your lyre yet?”

Lyra had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She struggled to think of a way out of the conversation without arousing suspicion. She decided to go with a vague truth.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Bon Bon lately,” she said. Technically, that response didn’t answer the question, so Lyra quickly changed the subject. “Right now, we’re looking for Starlight Glimmer, Princess Twilight’s student. Have you seen her?”

The three fillies looked at one another, each shaking their heads. “Nope,” said the one with a purple and pink mane.

“If you do happen to see her today, can you let her know that Bon Bon and I are looking for her?”

The three nodded their agreement. “Thanks!” Lyra said and cantered away, hoping that they wouldn’t follow her and ask her more questions she didn’t know the answers to. She slowed down when she overheard their voices – they were still in the same spot, arguing over whether they should knock on the door of the castle or whether Lyra had just come from the castle, making that plan a waste of time. In the time it took them to argue, they could have gone to the castle and come back already, Lyra reasoned.

When Lyra returned to the house, it was empty. After a few minutes, Bon Bon walked in.

“I delivered the gumdrops,” she said. “Any luck?”

“None,” Lyra said. “Although I did earn some money when I carried an old lady’s bags home.” She gave the bit to Bon Bon. “Consider it payment for letting me stay here and feeding me.”

Bon Bon accepted the coin. “I wouldn’t charge you to stay here,” she said. “And if I did, this wouldn’t be nearly enough.” She tousled Lyra’s mane. “But since you seem to want to eat every day,” she said with exaggerated exhaustion, “I guess I could get started on dinner.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Well, if you’re offering, you can peel the potatoes.”

After they made and ate a dinner of grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes (Lyra determined that the easiest method was to hold the peeler in her mouth and use her magic to scrape the potato across the peeler), they washed the dishes and sat in the living room.

“I guess Starlight is with the princess,” Bon Bon said. “Well, at least we’ll be able to get this straightened out tomorrow.” She sighed. “I hope Lyra doesn’t get in too much trouble.”

Lyra was casually flipping through the pages of Humans in Manehattan. She looked up. “What’s going to happen to her?”

“That’s just it – nopony has ever disobeyed Princess Twilight before, so I have no idea what kind of punishment she’ll get. I’m trying not to think about it, because worrying about it isn’t going to change anything… I need to be distracted.”

“Want me to tell you more about my world?”

“Well…” Bon Bon hesitated. She also needed to be distracted from considering the possibility that her Lyra wouldn’t ever want to leave that place. She decided that talking about individual humans was safe. And there was something that she was curious to know. “What’s your Bon Bon like?”

“Oh, she’s amazing,” Lyra said with longing in her eyes. That just made Bon Bon miss her Lyra even more. “She’s nice and clever, just like you. And patient.” Lyra thought for a moment. “I’m really lucky to have her. Your Lyra is lucky to have you, too. I don’t know if I’ve ever told my Bon Bon that, so I don’t know if she’s ever told you, but I’m sure she feels the same way.”

Bon Bon blinked to try to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes. “Okay, stop – I didn’t ask you that so you would say nice things about me.”

“Well, it’s true. You told me that your Lyra was the same as me; my Bon Bon is the same as you. It’s unbelievable how many things in your world are similar to mine. You ponies might not have computers or microwaves here, but I’m really happy to see that everybody is just as nice and caring as everyone I know. Really, all you need is for someone to invent the telephone, and there wouldn’t be any differences between our two worlds!” She gave a good-natured laugh. Bon Bon smiled calmly. On the outside.

There was a knock at the door. Bon Bon got up and opened it. There stood Starlight Glimmer, wearing a slightly confused expression.

“I just got back into town,” she said. “Everypony says you’re looking for me?”

Comments

[superfun]

7393480 That makes sense.

[Emperor]

I was honestly expecting Lyra to pony-up when she played her lyre during the musical act, just to throw some last-minute drama into the story. It's a good thing for everyone's sakes that she didn't. Plus she made it through a whole day of high school! While she wasn't a registered student like Princess Twilight was, at least she was filling in for a registered student, and doesn't that make all the difference to how legal it was?

(No it doesn't)

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

“I just got back into town,” she said. “Everypony says you’re looking for me?”

oh this isn't going to be an easy explanation and I'm going to wait your starlights going to have a twilight level freak out here