2. The Early Birds
Slightly after ten o’clock, Canterlot came into view. Usually, the train would be much faster, but this wasn't the express, so it had to make a number of additional stops on the way. Lyra woke up about ten minutes later. Taking her portable computer from the suitcase, she logged onto her site to check for new posts. There were a few, though nothing important. Most posts were from PrinceEric, who apparently had already spent a day in Canterlot and insisted everypony see how cool it was. Lyra could only chuckle at his enthusiasm.
"Anything from RRBB?" Dinky asked, stirring from her bench on the neighboring row.
"Dinks, did I wake you up?" Lyra asked with a touch of guilt, then opened her aether scrollbox to check for new messages. There were none. The last from RRBB was half a day old, expressing her doubts she'd go to the meet-up. "Go back to snoozing. I'll wake you when we reach Canterlot."
"Nah." The filly stretched. Opposite her, Amethyst was snoring, hugging onto a small travel cushion. "So any messages?"
"Nope." Lyra put the device away. "She's probably traveling and can't chat right now." An outright lie. If anything Diamond Tiara had the best aethernet subscription, allowing her to connect anywhere. "I'm sure we'll see her when we get there." Dinky's expression looked anything but happy. "Say, you want to make your own account on the site? I know you read it any chance you get."
"Sure." Dinky shrugged, then looked out of the window. "I can't see Ponyville from here. The town sure is small."
"Well, yes." Lyra's horn flashed as she input the commands. "I miss the bustle of Canterlot, but Ponyville is nice. You can't find any peace and quiet in Canterlot these days. Even the gardens are full of chaos."
"Argh!" Dinky cringed, her ears turning away from Lyra. "Worst joke ever!"
"Maybe, but you're still laughing," Lyra chuckled. "So, what username do you want?"
"Lyra, I can make my own account," Dinky protested. "I'm not a kid anymore. Thanks, but let's leave that for later."
"Sure, but that won't stop you from worrying." I have an idea what you're going through, kiddo. Been there, done that, bought the saddle. "Short and Hoofy?"
"Please, Lyra." Dinky crossed her forelegs. "And that nick is stupid."
"Whatever you say." Lyra skimmed through a few more threads. A few new users had posted stories, though none of them had joined the site discussions. Lyra made a comment, then put the device away. As much as she didn't like seeing Dinky sad, there was a time and place for everything and right now the filly needed her space.
A food cart pony entered the passenger car, announcing they'd be in Canterlot in fifteen minutes. The food on sale was extremely overpriced, yet Lyra still spent some bits to buy Dinky an ice cream. Not like I'll be spending that much anyway. I'm broke, she thought, looking out of the window. She would have liked to buy some of PaintDrop's art. Maybe next time the circumstances would be better.
The train arrived at ten thirty on the dot. Lyra took her suitcase, helped Dinky wake up Amethyst, then led the group onto the platform. The moment they did they were greeted by the bustle of the big city. Though far less noisy than Manehattan, the train station could fit half the population of Ponyville inside. Everywhere ponies trotted about, in calm elegant fashion discussing the latest gossip.
"Is anypony here to greet us?" Amethyst yawned. Based on her dopey movements, she could have used a few hours more of sleep. "Or do we find the hotel on our own?"
"CEO said he'd be here." Lyra looked around. "Code as well, if she's not asleep." She didn't see it suitable to add that CodeFilly had spent most of the night chatting with her coltfriend through aethernet. In fact, they had still been going on when Lyra started packing her luggage at three in the morning.
"Do you think Tavi will show up?" Amethyst adjusted her saddlebags. "I sent her a few messages when we'd be here, but she mentioned something about a rehearsal. How come she's so busy and you're not? Do you suck that much at music?"
"Wow, Amethyst, just wow!" Lyra shouted in mock anger. "I bust my flank to run a site that keeps you entertained and you betray me like that?!"
"I'm just saying..."
"Banned! I'm deleting your account first chance I get!" Lyra stuck her tongue out. A few steps away, Dinky facehooved. It was obvious she was embarrassed by their behavior. "And yeah, she said something about trying to pop by. SweetStuff impressed her quite a bit with that song...which, by the way, I've heard and can say it's great!"
"Madam, you are a tease and a flirt!" Amethyst raised her chin in false indignation. "A flirt, I say! And if you think for one moment, that I—"
"Lyra, Lyra!" a voice broke the rhubarb of the crowd. "Hey!" A blue colt older than Dinky waved his wings eagerly from the bench of a fast food restaurant. His mane was brown and short, granting him a stylish look.
"That's CEOWitch?" Amethyst whispered, the blood drained from her face. "I thought she was a Wonderbolt."
"Don't be stupid," Lyra laughed, waving back to the colt. The thought of playing along just to mess with Amethyst crossed her mind. Knowing how gullible her friend was, Lyra might even get away with it. Then again, the day was young. There would be time for similar antics later.
Moving her suitcase closer, Lyra pushed her way through the crowd to join the colt at his table. Amethyst and Dinky followed close behind.
"Lyra, you're here!" The colt jumped to hug her the moment she was within reach. "I can't believe it! You look just like I imagined you would! Well, maybe a bit more minty."
"That's the first time anypony's described me like that," Lyra giggled.
"I'm PrinceEric," the colt said proudly. "Pone, it's been so wild! And the meet-up's just getting started!"
You're PrinceEric? Lyra wondered. Strangely enough, he was exactly what he claimed to be on the forum, yet for some reason she imagined him way different. Not going into stereotypes, his behavior was more suited for a nerd, or the funny plump foal that every school class had and admired. Instead, he was the spitting image of a heartbreaker. No wonder the fillies wanted to impress him.
"You're PrinceEric?" Amethyst asked, giving him a skeptical look. "I thought you'd be wearing braces."
"That—" Lyra took a seat at the colt's table "—brute, as you might have guessed, is MixaMax."
"Amethyst Star." The unicorn ruffled his mane. "And sister." Almost immediately a groan came from behind. "Though we sometimes call her Dinky."
"Chip Mint," PrinceEric introduced himself. Instead of hugging Dinky, however, he went to her and brushed a kiss on each cheek.
Somepony has a Prench upbringing, Lyra thought, amused, as she watched Dinky's face turn pink. Uncertain how to react, the filly muttered an unintelligible greeting, then made an excuse to step away.
"So, how are the Wonderbolts treating you?" Lyra asked, as she levitated a menu from the neighboring table. Five hours without food had taken their toll. "I hope CEO wasn't a complete ass."
"No way! He was totally cool! Gave me a tour of the barracks, got me to hang with Fleetfoot—"
"He?" Amethyst blinked, while her sister sat on the edge of the bench, as far away as possible from Chip. "No way CEOWitch is a he!" Lyra arched a brow at her. "Seriously! The posts, the private messages. Trust me, I'd know if..." Her words trailed off. A short distance away, none other than Soarin, second lieutenant of the Wonderbolts, was looking at her, amused expression on face.
Oh, why aren't there any photographers here? Lyra stifled a chuckle. What she wouldn’t give for a photo of her friend's face. The expression was just golden. Taking full advantage of the situation, Lyra pointed at Amethyst, then whispered, "she thought you were a mare," distinctly enough for Soarin to be able to make out her lip movements.
"I officially hate you!" Amethyst whispered through gritted teeth. "Hey, CEO," she said, offering a half-hearted wave.
"You're losing your touch, Max." Soaring approached. "How was your trip, girls? Moderately fine, I hope?"
"Was okay." Amethyst shrugged. "If some maniac hadn't woken us up at four in the morning!"
"Shush!" Lyra shoved her friend. "It was fine. We slept most of the way. Are we the first to arrive?"
"Pretty much. Luna's here of course," Saorin said casually, causing several ears at the table to perk up and turn his direction. "CodeFilly went to bed an hour ago. She probably won't wake up till three when MightyDragon and Jade arrive from the Crystal Empire. Candle should be here in fourteen minutes. Everypony else will arrive round noon give or take." The pegasus grabbed Lyra's menu with his wing and put it face down on the table.
"Hey! I was about to order!" Lyra protested.
"Not on my watch." The Wonderbolt winked. "While you're here I'll be covering your food. If you have any complaints, pick it up with Fleetfoot."
Lyra swallowed. Her stomach was twisting with hunger, but she didn't want to appear ungrateful, especially since she'd just been offered free food for the duration of the meetup. Curving her lips in a smile, she nodded.
"Glad you didn't waste your appetite on fast food. Now let's get you all to see Luna."
"Woah! So large!" Chip said in awe.
Lyra chuckled. She was used to seeing the insides of the palace, yet even she had to admit that she was impressed by it. The sheer size was enough to make anypony feel like they were under a second sky. Far more impressive, though, was the ease with which Soarin managed to whisk them in past the guards: a wave, a few words, and bam! They were in the grand hall.
They probably think we're a bunch of weirdos, Lyra thought, glancing at the armor clad pegasi as her small group walked past. Or maybe it was just her imagination? One of the guards whispered something to the other. A moment later both of them chuckled. Nope, not my imagination.
As they reached the middle of the hall, Soarin turned to the right. This was both surprising and alarming. From what Lyra could remember, from her unfortunate experience of being one of Princess Cadence's bridesmaids during the Changeling invasion, the left section of the palace was reserved for Princess Luna, while the right belonged to Celestia herself.
"Soarin?" Lyra moved beside him. "Are you sure we didn't take a wrong turn?"
"Chill." The pegasus laughed as he lead them down a corridor. "This isn't my first time in the palace, you know."
"I know. I just..." Lyra stopped. There was nothing she could possibly add to the conversation. Her stomach growled in the most inappropriate fashion, reminding her it didn't appreciate being treated the way it was.
"Must be mega cool to live in a palace!" Chip said. "Just imagine having all this? Flying from one end to the other would be enough for your morning stroll."
"I guess." Dinky shrugged beside him. She seemed a bit calmer since the incident at the station, though the traitorous flicking of her left ear made it obvious how nervous she really was.
This is way awkward! Lyra thought. Her teacher was a Nightling? If it was anypony else, Lyra would shrug it away, adding that she had seen weirder. In this case there was no weirder! Plus, there were all the messages they had exchanged. Finding "Luna's" comments hilarious, Lyra had started a private discussion about the difference between human and pony dreams, on a few occasions venturing into not safe for work territory. At least it can't be as bad as the Blueblood incident.
"But yes, it is dreadfully tedious." Prince Blueblued put his hoof on his head with enough drama to put a Shakesmarian actor to shame. "You would not believe the things I have to endure on a daily basis."
A pair of countesses tee-heed in their hoofkerchiefs, as was deemed proper etiquette. Lyra felt she wanted to vomit. Even from across the street she was was suffocating under the stench of falsehoods and pretenses. Apparently, it was a staple of Canterlot—everypony from the country bumpkin to the city elite was infected to some degree. As Lyra had been recently reminded, her own parents were no exception. Worse, she was forced to play the game as well.
"Your Highness, you're a sapphire!" one of the snobs chortled.
"My dear, I think I'm a diamond," the Prince remarked, causing a new series of tee-hees.
Why can't Mistmount Castle be real? Everything would be so much better then. Ponies would be nice and caring, they'd be honest, help each other out when in need, and never make absurd ultimatums. Feeling her legs start to shake, Lyra closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Yes, I heard that rumor as well." Prince Blueblood's voice kept on drilling into her skull. "Not that I believe in it, of course. Furthermore, I have it on excellent authority that Fancy Pants earned his inheritance. Don't tell anypony, but they say that his mother wanted a filly, this was one step away from disowning Fancy at the slightest excuse."
Lyra's eyes shot open. Every single of Blueblood's utterances were garbage, but his idiolect reminded her of something—the same idiolect she had slavishly followed through four volumes.
My strings, he really does resemble Bellucio! Maybe it was because the topic had come up on her site, but the more Lyra looked at the prince the more she could see the connections. He was, despite what was said about his character, extremely attractive and very refined, when it suited him. Any other day, Lyra would note the resemblance and walk on to work. This morning, however, she chose not to.
"Fuck consequences," Lyra whispered under her breath, as she trotted straight towards Blueblood. "My life is messed up as it is." Passing by the snobbish mares, Lyra stopped a step away from the prince. "Good morning, Bellucio."
The experience was exuberating. Yet while Lyra's rebel streak yelled in victory, her voice of reason let her know what an idiot she had shown herself to be. A number of ponies were staring at her, including two snobs who glared at her with enough intensity to set ice on fire.
Well, that happened. Lyra took a step back. Might as well go to work and—
"Excuse me?" Prince Blueblood said, sending chills down her spine. "Did you just call me Bellucio?" Lyra froze. Stars take me now! "At least it isn't Omni."
"Wha?" Did I hear right? "You've heard of—"
"Of course I've heard of it!" Blueblood cut her short. "Do you take me for an idiot?"
"No, I—"
"You just thought I wouldn't catch the reference?" He smirked. "Aren't you hip? What's next? Aethernet memes? Forum jokes?"
"I—"
"Well? Is that all you have to say?" Blueblood snorted, hardly giving her a chance to finish a sentence. "You trot here, interrupt my conversation, make a smug reference, then shut up? Please tell me you have something to add."
"Err, join my Nightling fan site, please?" The words popped out of her Lyra's mouth. Nooo! There were a hundred things she could have said and that wasn't one of them.
Blueblood's ears perked up. He narrowed his eyes, as if trying to figure how to react to such a statement. Lyra herself was wondering the very same thing. If her legs hadn't stopped obeying her she'd be galloping away faster than a hyperactive pegasus.
"Why not." Blueblood shrugged. "I've nothing better to do." He waved a hoof dismissively at Lyra. "Trot off, now. I'm sure you have others to annoy."
"Here we are." Soarin stopped in front of a gold-encrusted double door. "Remember to behave. Luna's nice and all, but she can be a bit temperamental now and then."
She's just a pony, Lyra told herself as her heart was beating at twice the normal rate. Just a pony I've been chatting with for weeks. Subconsciously, she passed an aetherbrush through her mane. For some reason she felt just like on her first day of college, with the exception that this time there weren't rows of other ponies to hide behind.
With barely a knock, Soarin opened both wings of the door and stepped aside. The moment of truth had come. Lyra took a deep breath, counted to three, then walked in. A white, spacious office extended before her, packed full of filing cabinets and scroll racks. There was probably more writing material in this room than in the top ten fan fiction sites combined. An enormous wooden desk—the only other piece of furniture in the entire room—loomed in the far end.
"Your H-h-highness," Lyra stuttered, her head half bowed as she scanned the room. "I am d-deeply honored that—"
"As you should be!" a high pitched voice announced. "Psych!" A pony jumped out from behind the desk.
As Lyra's glance fell upon her, she could tell two things with extremely determination: Princess Celestia was undoubtedly the most frightening troll in all of Equestria, and this was not her.
"Those expressions are just priceless!" The new pony laughed. White coat, brown mane, glasses, red tie—there was only one pony in Equestria that fit that description.
"Raven?" Lyra gasped. "Raven Inkwell?"
"At least I'm not the only one to get things wrong," Amethyst noted with pleased smugness.
"Oh, come on, you didn't seriously think I was Celestia, did you?" Raven shoved Lyra in the flank. "Don't get me wrong, it's not that she wouldn't pull a prank like this, but she's just doesn't have the time. Trust me, I know," she added with a fraction of a grumble. "Anyway, how are you? So glad to see you. With everything going on I was afraid you might not make it, and that would be a shame."
"Everything going on?" Lyra's ears flicked.
"Sorry, professional impulse." Raven laughed it off. "Guess I need a break from all the paperwork. Anyway, I hope you haven't eaten. I have snacks ready in the dining room. We must be full of energy if we want to make it through the next three days, am I right?" She turned towards the foals. Raven smiled at the colt. "You're PrinceEric." She then looked at Dinky. "And you are?"
"Dinky, my sister." Amethyst stepped in. "Guess now I know why I've been getting the special treatment, huh? I wondered why you began adding personal notes in all documents to Ponyville last month."
"Well, I could hardly tell you who I was." Raven chuckled. "Though I really hoped you'd connect the dots, being so good at analyzing Mistmount. Tell me, do you still think Everhere will be a flop?"
"I never said that!" Amethyst snapped. "I said it might be a flop. Huge difference! And can you blame me? With all the rumors going on I had every reason to be concerned. The 'grand nine'? The new 'titan spawn female character'?"
"Both true and in print."
"Well maybe, but—"
"Girls, girls, maybe continue this in the dining hall?" Soarin interrupted. "We all know you can go at it for hours. Besides, any longer and Lyra will collapse out of hunger."
"Hey!" Lyra blushed. "Banned forever!"
"You can't ban me," Soarin laughed. "I still need to be reachable on the site if somepony gets lost."
"After the meet-up, then!"
"Yeah, yeah." Soarin trotted into the corridor. "Let's just go before I have to carry you."
The dining hall was in the opposite side of the palace. Most of the tables were full of palace guards enjoying their break. Seeing the group they turned in their direction, then went back to their conversations. One guard in particular caught Lyra's attention—a slightly grayish unicorn who, unlike the rest, was looking straight at her. The moment their eyes met he tapped the side of his muzzle twice.
Would you look at that. Lyra smiled back. The tap was one of the more emblematic elements of volume 4: Having lost a bet, Omni—the partygoer of the main cast—had to slap his face each time he said something stupid. Originally, this behavior should have ended five chapters in, but it had given rise to so many early memes that the publishers had to keep it. In fan circles this was an indication that somepony was a closet Nightling.
"Here we are." Raven lead them to one of the side room, where a table covered in food was waiting. "This is just a quick snack, mind you. I'll show you the really impressive stuff once Candle, RRBB and company arrive. You won't believe what we did to the place."
"I don't even want to know how many RGT-51 forms you filled out for that," Amethyst snickered.
"51? Please." Raven waved a hoof. "52C."
"Oooh! Somepony's being fancy."
"Not difficult after what you girls did during the Crystal Empire crisis. I know you think it's no big deal, but your help did a lot of good. I'd tell you the numbers, but it’ll probably bore you to sleep."
"It's fine." Lyra moved along the table, taking the seat furthest away from the entrance. "Soarin did all the actual work. We just spread a bit of awareness. Oh, and let me tell you, Soarin, you better get ready. RRBB and PaintDrop adore you."
"I think you're cool too," Dinky added quietly from between her sister and Chip Mint.
"And talking about them—" Soarin sighed flicking through his hoofheld "—seems the party will be delayed for a few hours. Paint's brother did something to make them late. They'll be here with the two o'clock train. SweetStuff will arrive an hour later, as will MightyDragon and..." Soarin paused. His lips curved into a wicked smile as he looked at Amethyst. "And Jade. Pone, I'd love to see you two in real life. My bits are on Jade, so you know."
"Bleh!" Amethyst grabbed the nearest bowl of orange juice. "It’ll be a short fight. Jade is probably some schoolfilly with braces, glasses, and a whole lot of acne, who imagines herself an aethernet monster."
"Says the mare who thought CEOWitch was a mare," Lyra whispered.
"Well, if Soarin would act like a normal decent being, maybe we wouldn't have come to the wrong conclusions," Amethyst grumbled. "Seriously, what's with the act? Are you worried that mares will hit on you?"
"You mean other than Brush and you?" Soarin arched a brow. "And yes it has happened before. I've been on fan sites which are hunting grounds. If ponies didn't know we were joking around they'd think MC was a dating site."
"You'd be surprised." Two couples formed thanks to it, three if Fluttershy has her way, Lyra thought. "But, yes. To put things in perspective such things happen. That's why whatever happens on the site stays on the site."
"Well, you got to admit that we have a high stallion ratio," Chip said. There was a moment's silence. All heads in the room turned his direction. "What? It's true! I’ve only been to a few other sites, but from what I saw for every stallion there are ten mares."
"How many stallions do we have on our site?" Dinky asked, leaning onto the edge of the table. "You and Soarin make two."
"MightyDragon is another for sure," Amethyst said between sips. "Tech, DannyFan potentially—"
"Lurkling, MasterOfThisAstra, Jade, and perhaps DarkSparkle," Lyra continued. "Not that much, to be honest."
"I don't think Jade and Dark are." Amethyst scratched her ear. "Don't know about TheRealLuna and PPI."
"Come on!" Soarin laughed. "PPI is Pinkie Pie. Even you must get that."
"Oh? And Luna is Princess Luna?" Amethyst kept sticking to her arguments. "Or is that TheRealLuna?"
"Max, there's stupid, then there's you! Just read PPI's posts! They scream Pinkie Pie! Also, she got in touch for the reservation, so I know for a fact."
"Well, sure. It's easy once they tell you who they are! For all we know PPI might have been—"
"As you can see, I was painfully correct to suspect they were here." A new voice interrupted; a male voice—clear, regal, used to being the constant center. Lyra didn't need to look to tell who the owner of this voice was, yet she did anyway. "Raven, you could be heard from the other wing." Prince Blueblood trotted forward. "Hey, Soarin," he said, giving the pegasus a nod.
"Your Highness." Raven jumped to her hooves. "It's unexpected for—"
"Raven, please." Blueblood rolled his eyes. "This isn't some official visit. We're all fans here."
"Oh." Raven ears relaxed. "Well how was I supposed to know? One day it's Blue, the next it's Your Royal Highness. I'm starting to lose track."
"You really need to get out more." Blueblood smirked. "Anyway, I was just bringing—" he stopped abruptly, glancing at the food. His muzzle wrinkled as he pulled his head back with as much disgust as if there was a pile of manure on the table. "Did you try to get more disgusting food? This stuff reeks! This is supposed to be the first Everhere convention and you serve them this?!"
A few hooves away, Dinky and Chip were staring starry-eyed at the prince. Beside them, Amethyst stopped chewing and cast a discrete magic spell to brush her mane into order.
"Get rid of this trash! I'll be taking care of the food from now on," Blueblood demanded, getting an annoyed look from Raven.
Soarin shrugged. "I don't know, Blue, looks good to me."
"And you would know, mister three-pies-a-day." Blueblood narrowed his eyes. "How you don't gain weight is beyond me. Anyway, I found somepony who belongs here." He turned around. "Come on, sweetie, no need to be afraid."
On cue, a light-beige mare appeared. Four sets of saddlebags covered her sides, and a large hat hid her magnificent cyan mane. One could easily mistake her for a tourist, yet Lyra knew better—the mare was not comfortable being associated with a human story series aimed at young colts. The fact that she had decided to come to the meetup was a huge step, as Lyra only knew too well.
"Umm, hello?" the mare said, breaking the newly-formed silence. "I'm Coco Pommel." Nopony reacted. "Umm, you might know me as Candle."
"Candle?" Amethyst glanced at her from head to hoof. "Wow, just look at you! You're exactly how I imagined!"
"Poor thing came to me asking for instructions." Blueblood placed a hoof on Coco's shoulder. "Thought I was a guard." He laughed, oblivious of the what-have-I-gotten-myself-into smile on her face. "Don't worry, Coco, I've gotten used to it. I remember Lyra here called me Bellucio once. To my face!" Laughter erupted. "And, and, and then went on to plug her site. In retrospect it was hilarious."
We're with you, Candle, Lyra thought. Coming out isn't easy. Trust me, I've been there.
"Lyra? Lyra!"
Lyra looked up. It took her a few moments to focus on her surroundings. Crystal tables, marble benches, the unmistakable shape of the Crystal Palace rising in the background. She had traveled thousands of miles to get here, yet that had done so little to escape her problems.
"Lyra, snap out of it." Moondancer said across her. "Deep breaths. Focus on my glasses."
Focus. That was the last thing that Lyra wanted right now. Glancing back down, she saw she was holding an empty glass. Had she finished her drink? She couldn't even remember ordering it.
"Don't worry, I'll get Sunburst to fetch you another."
"I really don't—" Lyra began.
"Oligosaccharide, get another kiwi-lemon for Lyra, will you?" Moondancer shouted to an orange stallion standing in line. "And maybe a bowl of crystal cherries?"
"Sure thing, my thaco," the stallion shouted back. "Any pineapple flakes?"
"No, no, cherries are fine. Thank you." Moondancer smiled for a few seconds, then turned around. Lyra felt the glass being teleported out of her hooves and onto her friend's side of the table. "You really should stop reliving it," she gently added. "You're not solving anything."
"You can say that again," Lyra sighed. Right now she felt someone had torn the sun out of her world, leaving her to wither in darkness. Months of concessions, compromises, and for what? She hadn't won anypony to her side. Instead, she had lost what she had.
"Hey, they'll come round. They are your parents." Moondancer said. "And it's not like it was a total secret. You spend one semester dating Vinyl. That had to raise some warning flags."
"One would think." Lyra tapped on the table with her forehooves. After weeks of deliberation and delaying, she had finally told the truth to her parents—that she wasn't into stallions and never would be. While suspected, it was as hard for them to hear as it was hard for her to say, yet she could never have expected their reaction. Being disowned would have been nicer.
"Here we are, ladies." Sunburst arrived with a large tray. "Kiwi-lemon, sweet and sour grape—" he levitated the drinks in front of Lyra and Moondancer "—a sparkling water for me, and a bowl of crystal cherries." He sat down next to Moondancer, who didn't waste a second to straighten his mane with a hoof.
You two. Lyra looked at them with a melancholic smile. Two of the biggest antisocial geeks in the S.G.U., they were competing for the forever alone title. Now they were a few months from getting married.
"I..." Lyra began. The words were stuck in her throat. She took a drink. It tasted nice, but didn't help in the least. "I think I broke up with BonBon." She could feel tears form in the corners of her eyes.
"Lyra?" Moondancer grabbed hold of Sunburst's hoof.
"I thought by appeasing my parents they would start to accept her. To accept me. So I moved back to Canterlot, stopped seeing her as much, stopped talking to her." Teardrops fell onto the table. "She tried to talk to me a few times, but I was so worried what my parents would think that I... I think I lost her."
"Lyra, if there's one thing I know it's that she loves you. Did you try talking to her?"
"I've been leaving it for later." Always leaving it for later. "I'm not sure it isn't too late. Why is coming out so difficult?"
"Lyra, I don't have any answers for you. Neither of us do. I just know that if I hadn't decided to try and get back in touch with our class I'd still be a grumpy recluse, waiting to live out my days all alone. I've no idea what will happen when you let others know about you, but give it a chance. Maybe it will work out for the better."
Maybe. My parents won't forgive me, though. Not after what I said to them. Lyra looked at her glass. It was empty again.
"Here, take mine." Sunburst pushed his glass towards her. "Not a healing potion, but still worth five HP."
Despite herself, Lyra cracked a smile. Geek humor. There were so many things it was good for. This wasn't one for them, but it was a welcome distraction from her darker thoughts.
"Talk to BonBon, compliment her buns—" Sunburst received a sharp slap on the back of the head. Seconds later, Moondancer instincts covered her face both in shock of his words and his reaction. "Wow! Talk about a murky subconscious. Anyway, compliment her, tell her what you told us and things will work out."
"Sorry, oligosaccharide," Moondancer whispered gently rubbing the spot she had just hit Sunburst.
"Yeah. You're probably right." Lyra took a gulp from his glass. The water wasn't as nice as her drink. "I'll come out to Equestria, tell BonBon how I feel, and fuck the consequences."
"Good plan." Sunburst carefully grabbed the hooves of his fiancée, ensuring she wouldn't be able to keep touching his sore spot. "And if that fails let me know. I'll talk to Cadence."
Another smack on the head followed, then a new series of apologies from Moondancer.
Talk to Cadence, Lyra thought. If only things were that simple.
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I think Sunburst is MightDragon, it makes a little sense, but I don't know.
And I don't know what is the Prince Blueblood user. Is it PPI?
7978773 Moondancer called Sunburst "oligosaccharide", just like CodeFilly called MightyDragon. And Sunburst made a DnD reference ("thaco") just like MightyDragon did. Pretty strong evidence, I think.
No table flipping, but many double face hooves. Soarin'?! Sigh. I should have known, when you could never get a straight answer about his gender ("Do I look like a stallion?" does not count as a straight answer).
Blue Blood and Raven didn't give their usernames yet, but they each represent wrong guesses (unless they're lurkers). Don't care. It's worth getting one wrong just to see Raven in a story.
Yay! So points for me for guessing CodeFilly and CEOWitch! Good point made by 7978773 . We still don't know what is Bluebloods username. TheRealLuna could actually be Luna. I mean, Princesses would probably be more careful about ponies being able to track them on aethernet and Luna(Raven) was successfully tracked to be in the Palace while TheRealLuna was said to be untraceable.
Also, I really like PrinceEric. I hope he gets more screen time
7979046 Ummm, Raven's username is Luna
7979050 Ooops! Found it, Soarin' said a couple of times he was taking them to Luna.
Celestia's secretary using her boss' sister's name as a username. Sneaky mare.
I would not be surprised if a lot of residents of the Crystal Empire use 'dragon' as part of their user name, in honor of their greatest hero. Just like many of them also likely use 'crystal', 'heart'', 'love', and 'shield' in honor of the ponies and artifact that keeps them safe.
7970169 :) Well some answers are there already :) More tonight... I hope.
RRBB: it will be revealed :)
7970814 The sequel indication is automatic :( Fim adds that if I link a story to another story
7973827 *baps* :)
7973969 relatably.com/m/img/reaction-guys-meme-generator/8021180.jpg
7977444 :D True. I wish I could update faster...
I'll be honest; pony naming conventions being what they are, I thought MightyDragon's real name actually was Oligosaccharide for a moment.
In any case, it does make for a cute pairing, though I always worry that those tow will be so wrapped up in each other and their reading that neither will remember to eat for days. I suppose the long-distance relationship helps prevent that... though that may just mean they spend all their time sweet-talking one another via PM.
In any case, I nailed CEOWitch and got CodeFilly with little time to spare. Dragon I didn't even guess, and PrinceEric... I want to say that using obscure background ponies is cheating, but really, I'm impressed by just how obscure you went. I had to check Derpibooru to make sure he wasn't an OC. And Luna? Never even guessed.
Very interesting to get further background on thisi nstance of Lyra. Definitely looking forward to more past and present.
It occurs to me that Blue Blood not giving a userername might not mean a wrong guess. Not all guests were uers, some were pros.
Could Prince Blue Blood be S. Childs?
7982018 Prince Blueblood. Just two words.
Sunburst will have some explaining to do if Starlight shows up. (DarkSparkle is either Starlight or Twilight. Waiting to find out which, unless I'm totally off).
If Brush is Fluttershy, I'm not sure if I'm more amused or horrified by her hitting on a teen like chip mint.
At last, an answer to the elusive question: "How do ponies type?"
Except... this solution only applies to unicorns. Pegasi could use their wingtips on a touchscreen maybe, (Soarin does have a 'hoofheld' device), but that still leaves the Earth ponies. How do they type? Speech-to-text spell? Then how do they do emoticons?
Oh wait, actually plausible idea: Suppose they can write normally with a quill on a special enchanted piece of parchment, which then translates and uploads their words as aethernet text. No need for a keyboard at all.
Reading this paragraph, especially the first sentence, feels like looking into a mirror back at our own fandom. It feels weird.
Dinky X Chip Ship!
Blueblood with Amethyst??
Soarin [?]
?
If Darksparkle somehow doesn't turn out to be Twilight, I will be a sad pone.
This is exactly what I wanted to hear!!
The what?!