A Unicorn and an Alicorn Walk Into a Library

by Damaged

Chapter 19

The meeting with Luna was interesting for Honey Glaze, but he didn't get to truly take part in it until the end. The first part was Luna venting her displeasure that the leader of the company that ran Equestria's railway was now busy with other duties, despite also admitting she understood why. The second was Lyra questioning Luna's guards.

So, Honey took notes and let Lyra ask the questions. He was so invested with the role that he realized he'd written, "Honey, do you have anything to add?" on the paper he was using. It took him a moment to scan back over all the notes he'd taken. "Mine would be more practical, I'm afraid. What size billets would you require, dietary requirements, and any other allowances for your long-term comfort in the Guard?"

"We can eat most pony food with no problems, but fresh fruit is a dietary requirement. Apples, mangoes, bananas, pears, and figs are the most enjoyed. We sleep by hanging from a pole. And, for long-term stays— Honestly, not much. Phil has been living here for years now. He's handling it fine."

"That should probably be enough that we can offer training, at least." Nodding to Honey, Lyra stretched her neck and wings out before folding the latter back into place on her back. "We have the big meeting shortly, right?"

"That's an understatement. Equestria's most powerful allies will be present there, too, as well as its senior guards. Sister can feel something big coming, and wants everyone safe—not just ponies. Griffons, dragons, yaks, and bat ponies will all be attending." Sitting up from where she'd been reading the latest reports on railway efficiency, Luna arched her wings too before folding them down. "You look better when not hiding them."

Lyra sighed and nodded to Luna. "I'm trying it out. So far no one seems to notice."

"We all noticed," everyone else in the room said at the same time, even Garawang. The ensuing laughter was so infectious that it even caught on with Luna and Lyra.

Surrendering to the inevitable, Lyra made her way to the door and then had to wait for Luna. Only when Luna was ready and led the way did they all fall-in with her. Except Garawang, of course, who was riding on Luna's back.

As they walked, Lyra pondered who the delegate from Batstralia would be. It could be a reunion of sisters if her and Garawang's sister, Robin, was present, or so Lyra mused. The thought put a spring in her step, and she was surprised when, after Luna opened the doors leading into the throne room, she saw not just her sister but Screech herself.

Luna inclined her head slightly to the room, since many important people of a similar rank to her own were present. She entered and made her way over to her sister, stopping only when she was beside Celestia and attempting to rescue her from what was a yak's very descriptive method for dealing with timber wolves. "Prince Rutherford," Luna said, her mind racing over the reports she'd read of the yak leader from Blue and Shining, "I fear I require the assistance of a yak highly experienced in smashing problems."

The entreaty froze Rutherford mid description. He blew a heated blast of breath out his nose. "You need something smashed?"

Nodding while maintaining a serious expression, Luna said, "A problem, indeed. I require a brave chaperon to introduce me to everyone and stomp any unruly interruptions."

That left Lyra to her own devices beside Celestia without anyone else around. "I thought this was a small meeting. I recognize several faces here."

Celestia had been expecting a quiet meeting, and had been proven correct in that prediction until she noticed something. "Your sister is—riding on my sister's back? You brought Gara?"

"I was foalsitting. Luna seems to have a rapport with bat ponies, and Gara seemed to recognize her. Who is the dragon delegate? Isn't Torch the current leader?" Lyra caught the eye of Robin but her sister gave her head the slightest shake and remained at Screech's side.

"That's Ember, Torch's daughter. Given her father's stature, I appreciated his thoughtfulness in sending someone who can fit through the doors. The reason I organized all this is I've felt harmony tremble these last months, and along with your particular alicornhood, I worry that something bad is coming for not only Equestria. Laying cards on the table is a show of trust to our allies, but also a promise to them that they will not be forgotten.

"You brought an aide along? Sergeant from the training regiment, correct?" Celestia asked.

"Princess Celestia, this is Staff Sergeant Honey Glaze. Honey Glaze, Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia." Lyra performed the introduction with a complete absence of any ceremony apart from titles. "Honey is the right forehoof of the commander, and has proved an amazing resource. I dragged him along so I would have an accomplice in raiding your kitchen later. Oh, also, so I could have a second set of brain cells coming up with ways to integrate non-ponies into the Guard."

"Y-Your Highness." As with every pony who was in the Guard, Honey had seen Celestia and even been watched by her as he'd run past the castle in his training days. Being introduced was entirely new, though.

Deciding she would punish Lyra in a creative manner later for dumping an extra thing on her withers, Celestia delivered her best smile to Honey. "Please don't resort to titles after the initial. A simple ma'am works. What do you think about the readiness of the Guard to begin training the less common Equestrian citizens?"

Being put on the spot, Honey felt a moment of panic before he remembered his notes. "Griffons will be the easiest. We already provide protein-rich meal options for recruits and field rations, though specialized training for their feline-focused combat will probably necessitate us hiring somegriff who has experience doing so. Bat ponies will fit in reasonably easy, too. Bedding will need to be specially constructed for them, but they should be able to be integrated if their own information on requirements are correct. We haven't analyzed yaks or dragons," he said, eyes flicking to the different species present as he spoke, "but the Guard will always adapt to whatever Equestria needs."

"That's exactly the frame of mind I like to see. I heard that you have an extra week at the helm over there, Lyra. Please get as much of the work done as you can before Twilight harangues me about stealing you back from her." Snatching a glass of water from one of the waiters' trays, Celestia levitated it to herself and drank down most of it. "Right now I'm giving everyone a little moment to acquaint themselves with each other before we get things moving."

"I'd comment," Lyra said, "on how fortuitous it always seems to be that we're both working on opposite ends of the same problem, but I gave up worrying about that years ago. Harmony is at work, or chaos, and we are just servants of Equestria." Her words earning a smile from Celesta meant a lot to Lyra. "I know about the Griffon council, and Gruff; I am also familiar with Rutherford, from our reports on him and Yakyakistan; but the young dragoness is a mystery as is that odd mare."

Accepting that Lyra was being honest regarding what information she lacked, Celestia set about filling in some blanks. "Ember is forthright but angry with her father. She, like dragons in general, will be reasonably apathetic to our cause unless we make promises to her. That odd mare you note is a new visitor to our little country and is not to be talked about outside this room. The sirens are reasonably nomadic normally, but Staccato has pulled her people together and asked for peace and the right to settle the waters near Vanhoover. I have granted them that so long as they report any uncommon events in the North Luna Ocean."

"Sirens?" Honey asked.

"Sirens were—all but these ones still are—dangerous monsters. Staccato and her school have been keeping their word to not hunt ponies and warn us of problems in her waters, and in return we aid her in fighting off others of her kind. There are two units of Royal Dragoons assisting there. I hope I don't need to remind you both that this information is not public for a reason." Waiting for a nod from the pair, though her focus was on Honey, Celestia sighed when they both did so. "Their magics are focused in three parts: transformational, though limited to themselves; aural, focused via their voices; and mental."

Blinking her eyes as she absorbed the information, Lyra took a slow breath to get her ideas in order. "They will only aid us in their own waters, I take it?"

"Exactly so. I wish I'd offered them the South Luna Ocean instead. These are troubling times, and— Ah." Stopped in her tracks by another arrival, Celestia waited for the announcement to finish and Twilight to enter the hall; Firelance at one side and Spike at the other. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I'm here! I mean, we're here. Why the rush?" Twilight looked around the room and, seeing several allies of Equestria and a few ponies present—including Lyra's sisters and an alicorn bat pony—she started to get an idea that this was an important meeting.

"It was a matter of everycreature being free at the right moment, or I would have planned this far further in advance. As I was explaining to Lyra and her aide, I want to forge tighter bonds with our allies because I see troubling times coming." In the early days of Equestria, Celestia hadn't known what to do with these feelings. She'd struggled to come to terms with having harmony or fate give her warnings, to the point where she had bottled them up until well after the events they'd warned her about. She didn't make that mistake anymore. "Everycreature," she said, lifting her voice to be heard, "I must first thank all of you for coming on such short notice. I feel it is important that we each meet our friends and allies, and acknowledge that we will each stand for a cause that's a little bigger than we are ourselves.

"Of all the skills I have made use of over the past millennia, listening to how harmony's breeze blows is perhaps the most useful. It was warned of dire, though annoyingly enigmatic, times coming. Other portents, too, have caused me to take careful note of events. Two new alicorns coming into their power within ten years is significant, but there has been another born, too. Fate rarely deals good cards in times they are not needed."

Screech, now a little more used to her body than when she'd first taken power, cleared her own throat. "My advisors tell me that Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor have had an alicorn foal." She noted Celestia's surprised look at the news with a glad but hidden joy. "And while everyone present knows of Princess Twilight Sparkle's deeds, whom is the other alicorn come into her… power."

The gasps around the room as she spread her wings weren't unexpected to Lyra. "I guess this was a better kept secret than Princess Flurry Heart's birth."

Of all the reactions in the room, none were so expressive as Robin Mango's at seeing her sister with wings. Rushing across the room, using her wings to accelerate her, she announced her hug moments before she collided with Lyra by screeching at her. "When did this happen? How did you keep this a secret? Why didn't Mum tell me?"

"I've been struggling to come to terms with it. I only started wearing my armor so my wings were out today." Able to return a wing hug with a wing hug surprised Lyra as being far more enjoyable than using her forelegs. "I think we're interrupting the princess' speech."

Celestia did her best to ignore the little chirrup of shock Robin made. "I believe it's a good time to remind all of you that many of us have kin living in each other's nations, as you've seen here between two of the least likely to recognize sisters I know of." She turned a smile to her own sister, and gave Luna a wink. "You know we have greater and greater numbers of ponies joining our E.U.P. Guard each year, in no small way thanks to Lyra, but starting with our next uptake we are throwing open our gates. Griffons, yaks, bat ponies, diamond dogs, and even sirens will be welcome to train with us, and if they wish, join our Guard."

"You are offering our people training?" Normally, Staccato would have held back and kept her own questions for a more private time, but she required clarity. "With apologies to others here, I feel I should reveal myself and end the secrecy I came here under—at least among trusted guests."

When the strange pony turned into a towering, flying, sea monster, Rutherford shifted himself to stand between Luna and the filly on her back—and Staccato. "Siren!"

"Please, Prince Rutherford, she is a guest. Her school has agreed to be an ally," Luna said, walking up beside the yak and, not for the first time, being impressed by his size, speed, and chivalry. "Sorry, Staccato, your stature is quite the sight."

Predatory instincts rose and for a fraction of a heartbeat, Staccato prepared herself to yell a blast at Rutherford so she could create space between them. She shoved that urge away and dipped her head toward him. "I apologize for the abruptness, Prince Rutherford. I meant no offense and hope—I hope we can come to a similar understanding as I have with Equestria."

Lifting his forehoof up, Rutherford cleared aside his bangs so he could look up and see Staccato bowing her head. "And what understanding is that?"

"You help us fight off other sirens and we will warn you of sirens and other threats. I can assure you, Your Highness, invading sirens are far easier to fight when their songs cannot affect you." Flashing a smile that was fangs almost from ear to ear, Staccato caught the nod from Rutherford. "Not that you'll have many threats come so far north. The ice is not comfortable for us."

Luna waited to see if the pair might need to be separated, but Rutherford nodded to Staccato and the matter seemed settled.

Screech, with her advisor once more at her side, felt it a good time to introduce herself a little more widely. "I haven't spent much time on your world, but I assure you, an ally of Equestria should not fear anything from Batstralia. We have established reliable trade and diplomatic missions here, and with your offer I will seek volunteers from my people to partake in your training."

Giving her own little nod to that, Lyra looked over at the old griffon standing on his own. Gruff wasn't a leader, as such, but all the griffons listened to him and he was chair of the Griffonstone Council.

Knowing the look Lyra was giving him, Gruff closed his eyes and reminded himself that he was only here because the other griffons of the council had bribed him to be. Walking over, even in his elderly state, he liked his odds of matching up favorably against Lyra if a fight started—it was purely instinct. "I suppose you want the same from me? I can't promise anything, but if you offer good pay, you'll find griffons willing to work."

Lyra paused for barely a moment before replying, "If we pay them, they will be registered as Equestrian citizens and receive all appropriate benefits. Are you sure that's what you wish?"

"If you don't think I can see the trap there, girly, you take me for a fool. Don't do that. Most of them are layabouts anyway. I'll find somegriff else to pay them for their time." It wasn't a lot of extra work, but Gruff had to admit that it was work she'd forced him to do. The last thing he wanted was another group of griffons following in Gavin's pawprints. Not that he could blame the younger griffons. The funds in Griffonstone were mostly tied up by the elder griffons and they were scarcely going to give it away—he wouldn't.

"I'll personally make sure you get your money's worth out of them." Lyra felt like she'd won at least a partial concession, but as she folded her wings down she noticed the old griffon narrow his eyes at her.

"You should keep those out. Shiny armor and a horn alone don't make your voice any louder than the average pony, but the wings ensure everyone will listen to you."

The advice was not exactly new, it's just that Lyra had seen Twilight get it. She had even given it to Twilight herself once or twice. "Kinda new at this alicorn stuff. I think this is Celestia's way of dumping me in the deep end and seeing if I can swim."

"Kicking fledglings out of the nest is the best way to see if they fly," Gruff said, approving of Celestia's methods. "What's being a princess pay, anyway?"

Lyra was so stunned by the question she laughed. "Pay? You're joking, right? My pay for being a member of the Guard is what I live off."

"But they do give you money for doing all this?" Gruff gestured at Lyra's wings.

"Huh. Probably. I'll have to ask. I don't really take much notice of bits and stuff. I have a nice kitchen, I have a great family, and I know a seamstress who is crazy enough to work for exposure—I guess I don't need Bits to pay for things." As she explained her circumstances, Lyra saw panic cross the features of Gruff. "Right. I get it. But, we're not so different. We can't both agree that our ways of life need protecting?"

Nodding, Gruff held out his talon to shake Lyra's hoof. "Now I can see why you're the one with the wings." Turning away from her after the shake, Gruff spotted the spread of food to one side and made his way for it, the scent of fish growing stronger with each step.

"You handled that well," Celestia said as she approached Lyra. "Gruff isn't the easiest griffon to get along with, but I heard how you challenged him and then gave him a way out of the challenge without him having to spend anything. That's a big part of being a Griffonstone griffon."

"Gavin is so much easier. He doesn't posture or want threats to get things done." Lyra all-but slumped, her wings drooping just a little. "If we ask him, he'll send me more griffons to train."

"Send you?" Celestia asked, a smile borne out in her tone. "I believe the new recruits will be arriving after you give the job back to Stiff Peaks."

"Symbolically to me. I'm getting the ball rolling, setting things up." Lyra shrugged.

"And it has nothing at all to do with you getting him so many applicants that he'll need to call in extra trainers—like you—to assist?"

"I would be available if something like that—"

"No you won't. Twilight?" Celestia had been ready for this.

Taking the three steps needed to reach the conversation she hadn't been overhearing at all, Twilight let out a little gasp. "Oh! You found my captain. Wonderful. I have so many tasks for her she couldn't possibly have any time free in the next… three weeks."

"But—"

"Three weeks starting after you're done setting things up for the training. Why, I bet you won't have a spare second after how much work I have for you to do." The big grin Twilight brandished as a shield against Lyra felt good to wear. This was what she'd promised Lyra, after all. "You are capable of setting wheels in motion for others to steer, Lyra."

". . ."

"You've had a command role for how long now, and you should be able to get used to handing off projects to others with command roles under you." Lifting her hoof up, Twilight booped Lyra on the nose to break her from her ellipsis-filled silence. "So, give Stiff Peaks a command. Spread your wings and tell him what you want him to do and let him organize how it will happen. You trust him to do the job, right?"

Lyra focused on the question and not the annoying lesson that she was being given. "Stiff does things a little different to how I would, but his system works and— I do trust him."

"Great. I'd hate to have to march in there and fire him. Okay, so you trust him and you have set up things to make his job easier and only slightly more expansive. So, you do the big work that he can't, and let Stiff do what he is best at."

"This is payback," Lyra said. "For all the times I gave you advice and helped you. This is the ultimate form of my hubris."

"Yup!" Twilight delivered another strategic boop. "And do you know what, Lyra?" When Lyra looked up at her with a defeated, beaten expression, Twilight giggled. "It feels great. To be able to pay a friend back for all her help by helping her in the same way is not something I expected to be able to do. Now, we have a lot more princess lessons to go over."

Twilight's enthusiasm, and her own desire to actually get things done, had Lyra breaking free of her defeated mood. "You have a list?"

"Not yet, but we can make one together. I think I can leave the visit to Den in your hooves, though. Diplomacy and strengthening friendships is what my guards are for, remember?" Given that Lyra had been there for her when she'd become an alicorn, Twilight was relieved to see that she could help Lyra through the same problems as she grew into her new self. "This hasn't been easy for you, but I remember somepony else it wasn't easy for."

"Sorry to intrude, but I was curious to meet you, Lyra Heartstrings." Doing her best to not stand out, now she was nearly three times the size of them, Staccato inclined her head. "I have heard you not only got word of the changelings' attack to the right ponies to defeat it, but you did so while under the mental control of the queen. Is this true?"

A little surprised at the topic, Lyra carefully nodded her head to the question. "It's true, I was under her control, but she was sloppy with her handling. Instead of giving me instructions that would make it impossible for me to resist, she loaded my head with her power and almost literally just told me to go away."

Staccato managed, only barely, to keep a straight face. "I doubt she will make that mistake a second time. Perhaps my fellow sirens and I may be able to offer assistance in training for the eventual, second attack?"

"Your mesmeric power is similar to a changeling's?" Lyra asked.

"I only assumed. It may not be, but I considered you would be the best judge of that." Staccato did her best to keep her voice level. "Long ago, a wizard developed a spell that could hold siren magics at bay. We have a scroll with the information on it." She knew this was throwing away any hope she and her school would have of escaping should the ponies turn on them, but she had seen nothing but dependable honesty from them since the pact had begun.

Lyra and Twilight both reached the implications of her giving them the scroll at the same time and they both bowed their heads in imitation of her earlier gesture.

"We will ensure it is not used against your school," Twilight said.

Lyra had wondered when Twilight had picked up so many courtly niceties, but she broke out of her contemplation when she realized that Staccato was focused on her. "I—"

"I will place it directly into your care, Lyra Heartstrings." The fact was Staccato was terrified that, upon passing it over, either another siren or a changeling would steal the scroll. She suspected that Lyra had worked on raising her resistance to such abilities, and that she was the only pony she could trust with delivering the precious relic. "We have heard much of your exploits, and will trust no other with this."

"Why didn't you bring it yourself?" Lyra asked.

"A single siren, even with my guard, is not safe."

"Then I'll be with you in a week, after I've—" Lyra stopped when she saw Twilight shaking her head. "Look at that, I've had my schedule free up."

"I'll arrange a replacement for your current position," Twilight said. "This is far more important. You can leave with Staccato and her guard."

Sparing a knowing look at Honey Glaze, Lyra said, "Then I'll be ready the moment you're ready to leave, Staccato. Will it be tonight, or…?"

"Tomorrow. Your Princess Luna kindly offered us the use of a train, and we'll be taking it to VanHoover in the evening." Used to the directness of the Guardponies that had been assigned to assist her school, Staccato was able to appreciate a new level of not needing to ask permission when dealing with princesses. Wings and a horn made all the difference, she realized, when it came to giving and taking orders. She had, though, gained a little insight into the situation, clearly Lyra was very new to the command powers of an alicorn. "Though, if you need more time, I am sure the princess would allow us a little leeway with travel."

"I'll be ready at the appointed time." Bowing her head again, Lyra could see a pair of dark shapes approaching from the side. "I believe you'll have to excuse me I—"

"Go and talk to your sister and her princess, Lyra. I'm sure I can field any more questions." Twilight had to nudge Lyra with her wing before she could divest herself of her friend. "If you don't mind, Staccato, I have so many questions for you."

Leaving Twilight and Staccato to an information exchange the likes of which she was sure Staccato would still be reeling from in the following evening, Lyra walked over to where Robin and Screech were waiting. "Your Royal Highness," Lyra said, bowing to Screech. "And, your not so royal Duchess," she bowed, faltered, and ended up dancing in place a little before reaching out with a wing to pull Robin into a hug.

"Well," Screech said, when Lyra and Robin were done with their hug, "why is it I'm unsurprised to find you with wings now? Robin has spent the last few years talking about all your adventures that you describe in your letters. How many of them are true?"

"The ones I wrote to this little nugget about? Not a single one."

Letting out a laugh, Screech nodded. She was pretty sure everything Lyra had written about was true, but it still made a good joke. "All but the wings? So, you're offering us some training?"

Sighing, Lyra hung her head. "Only in the collective sense. I've been given marching orders, so somepony else will—" Lyra stopped at the giggling from Screech.

"She really says it." Screech did her best to hold back her giggles. "I thought you were joking, Robin."

"Nope!" Turning to look at Lyra, Robin grinned at her. "Sorry, Sis, but you're going to have to repeat that for everyone."

Narrowing her eyes, Lyra glared at her sister. "Are you making fun of how I talk?" Reaching out a wing, she grabbed Robin and started ruffling her mane. "Hey, Spud, are you making fun of your big sister?"

Robin was caught between laughing and screeching, her racket sending Screech into further laughter. "Ah! Stop! Stop! I can't—Hic."

Lyra let go and tilted her head. "Did you just hiccup?"

"She does that when she gets too excited," Screech said. "She'll stop in a bit."

Poking Robin in the ribs each time she hiccuped, Lyra said, "Well, she deserved it. Everypony here says everypony when referring to everypony." She noted, with a smirk, that Robin was now caught between giggles and hiccups. "I'm surprised anypony would find that funny."

Screech was struggling to keep from laughing now, but Robin was a giggling mess of mane and wings, flailing at Lyra while trying to halt her hiccups. Only when they both calmed down, despite Lyra's repeating the words everypony and anypony over and over, could Robin finally put her mane back to some semblance of normalcy.

"Lyra, that was uncalled for," Robin said.

"You started it," Screech said, before reining in another giggle.

Robin turned to Screech, looking startled. "Actually, you did!"

"Hey," Lyra said, "there's no need to argue about who started it, so long as everypony can acknowledge that I'm better at jokes and move forward in peace and harmony."

"Lyra, we need to organize for you to visit again. A lot of politicians are getting a bit hard to deal with, and I think you'd be perfect for causing them apoplexy. Consider it an open invitation," Screech said.

Nodding, Lyra tapped her chin to think. "Make it four invitations and throw in written permission to yell at people and tell bad jokes, and you're on. Well, as soon as I get past my latest duties. Still, not all that far away."

"Four?"

Trying to retain a normal, even look, Lyra replied, "Well, you know my daughter, Scootaloo? She has a special somepony now."

At the same time, Screech and Robin both covered their mouths with both their wings and struggled not to surrender to a new bout of giggles.

Sidling up to her sister, Lyra said, "Is something wrong with how I say special somepony?" She then jumped over beside Screech and asked, "You know who her special somepony is?"

Screech, her eyes wide and lips clamped together, was doing her best not to break into laughter. She shook her head.

"It's Firelance here." Lyra gestured at Firelance with one wing as he approached. "Firelance, I was just telling my sis and her friend about you."

Firelance didn't even blink at Lyra calling a princess "her sister's friend" and instead bowed to Screech. "Your Highness," he said, then to Robin added, "Duchess Mango," and performed another, slightly shallower bow.

"You said he's spoken for by your daughter?" Robin asked Lyra.

"Yes, sis. Firelance is spoken-for. Also, he's kinda mad about Scoots too. You'll understand when you see them both together." With a lopsided grin for Firelance, Lyra shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently we've been offered a family holiday. All expenses paid trip to Batstralia, and we have diplomatic immunity against anyone who doesn't like my jokes!"

"Please don't give her that last thing. No country deserves that."

The honest plea told Screech that Firelance had already experienced far too much of Lyra's sense of humor than was probably safe. "If it helps, I can still eject somepony that has outstayed her welcome." Screech did her utmost to ignore Robin's giggles. "But, you are welcome. Between Robin and Dream's accounts of Lyra's actions, and a promise to Joyce that she and her family are welcome to visit too, I believe there might be room enough for you."

Firelance was starting to see how informal Lyra had managed to make this little group, and though it complicated things a little, he was perfectly fine with not having to maintain a strict composure. "Scootaloo has been curious to learn some bat pony tricks—uh, security wise—and having experienced Dreamtime magic myself several times, I'd be interested to learn more of it and if I might be able to learn it."

"Then you'd want to speak with Dream Thunder. If anybat could teach you about Dreamtime, it would be her." Screech had planned to make the meeting a diplomatic event, which it seemed was already the intention of it, but the invitations to Lyra and her family were bearing fruit she hadn't expected.

"You'd like Dream Thunder," Lyra said. "She has a really batty sense of humor. Like me, but worse." She wasn't sure how Firelance managed to make his face blanch, but the panicked twitching of his eyes was a great capstone. "Sorry, Screech, we got a little sidetracked. So, I won't be handling the training personally, but I have ensured ponies I trust will be undertaking it. That poor guardpony over there, that Twilight won't stop talking to, is the staff sergeant of the training regiment. He'll make sure that the acting captain will look after things. Also, the actual captain will be back shortly to take the reins again."

Tilting his head to look back at where Twilight and Honey had started talking, Firelance couldn't stop a little grin from forming. They had, apparently, completely forgotten the diplomatic nature of the event and were discussing the pros and cons of various filing methods—at least they had been when he'd left them. Knowing the princess he served reasonably well, he was pretty sure her wild gesticulations indicated the topic had either grown more exciting in and of itself or it had moved on to something more serious; like mathematics.

"Wait." Lyra noticed the direction Firelance was looking, saw Twilight looking excited while talking to Honey, and the pegasus likewise excited. "You didn't…" One look at Firelance's grin told Lyra all she needed to know. "You're a monster. Why aren't you in Cadance's guard?"

"Because you got me first." When Lyra started to turn toward Twilight and Honey, Firelance moved to stand in her way. "Let them have their fun. We can rib her about it when you're back and there's something to rib about."

Sighing, Lyra put back on her stern commander face and nodded. "I leave this in your capable hooves, sergeant."

Snapping a salute, Firelance managed to school his own serious face for several seconds before the pair of them began to giggle.

"See, Screech? This is what I had to put up with when I was young." Ruffling her wings at the memories, Robin was nonetheless smiling herself.

"Yeah. Would you be able to see if we can round up some volunteers for this training?" Screech asked her aide.

Pulling her notepad out, Robin balanced it in the crook of one wing while she held a pen in her opposite wing's claw. "Will do. There's still the trade negotiation you need to discuss."

"Any suggestions as to who would be best to approach?" Screech asked.

"Luna," Lyra said, butting in. "Luna would be the best to ask about that. She has a talented group of advisors to assist with such."

Looking around, Screech spotted Luna and she smiled at the mare. "Is your big sister one such advisor?"

"The best," Robin said.

---

Lyra had woken in her warm bed in her apartment in Canterlot. The bed beside her had been empty, though, which had put a slight dampener on her day. Not that Lyra would let a night or two without her beloved get her down. She'd donned her armor, spent the morning focusing on spells to enhance mind shielding, and headed out to locate her new charges.

The city was being given an unseasonable warm breeze from the south, so that by the time Lyra reached the castle (at a run of course) she was starting to get a bit hot. Trotting up to the entrance, she nodded to the two guards there and headed inside.

She didn't have to go far to find Staccato, the siren was sitting on the edge of a fountain with one hoof dangling in the water. Nearby was another mare who looked at Lyra with hard, appraising eyes as she approached. "Hi, uh, sorry ma'am, I am not sure of what form of address I should use." She stopped and bowed her head, breaking her line of sight with Staccato and her guard.

"Just Staccato is fine, Cap—" Pulling herself up short on using the title, when Lyra gave her an eye-raised grin, Staccato nodded her head and finished, "Lyra."

Turning her head to the guard, Lyra asked, "And you?"

"March."

Smiling, Lyra nodded her head. "March, I'm glad I will be traveling with such a capable guard."

The comment caught March off guard and she looked at Lyra with surprise.

Staccato looked up to her protector and attempted to sooth her. "March, Lyra is a high ranking officer in the Equestrian military and, from what I understand, regularly engaging in combat and training enough to be a sharp judge of prowess. What she said was a compliment."

"Exactly. That's why I bowed enough to lose sight of you and why I have no active protection except my armor. I want to show you trust, but seeing the control you have of your form and your own appraisal, I am fairly sure we would both be pushed to best the other." Lyra raised an eyebrow. "In fact, if you'd like, we could spar."

Thinking about it, March shook her head. "If we sparred, and one of us was hurt, Staccato would have less protection."

"Another time then. I'll be spending the afternoon around the castle, so if you have any needs of me, please let one of the Royal Guard know and they'll be able to contact me." Lyra paused before leaving, and it was March who stopped her with a raised hoof.

"Sorry if I ask, but you mentioned active protection. You already have spells to aid should we be ambushed by a—by another like us?" March asked.

"I don't have anything specific. I spent a little time checking over our library here for similar magics. There's nothing as powerful as the scroll you describe, but there are several spells that can ward a pony's mind from intrusive thoughts and magic. I researched and memorized the best of them last night and this morning."

"Show me."

Having spent hours memorizing the spells, it was a simple matter for Lyra to charge her horn with magic and build them quickly. One after another she flicked them out, six spells in all. "The last is a short duration one, no more than ten minutes, but it's stronger than the—" The weight of an oppressive mind crushed down on Lyra. She could see March's eyes glowing a deep green and so knew her attacker. The spells held, though, and she was able to form an impermeable but transparent bubble around the siren's face. The attack stopped less than a second later.

The reply had been a surprise, and exceptionally effective. March had dropped her attack the moment she tried to breathe and got the same air she exhaled back in. The mask popped as quickly as it formed, and she took a relieved breath. "Very— Very effective."

"I need better spells. I was only barely keeping you back." Lyra knew she'd come close to losing the little test. So much for not sparring, she thought. "How strong are you compared to others?"

Staccato cleared her throat. "March is the strongest among our school with mind magic, but she is not the strongest fish. If you can hold her attacks back, you are doing better than most sirens would be able to manage. Any enemies, however, are unlikely to come singly. A trio is the most common hunting group size among us."

"She's lying. Staccato is stronger with her mind than I am, she just doesn't like using it," March said.

Lyra's mind raced and she settled on the most likely reason. "Is it because you don't want to be seen using those powers by ponies?"

Surprise pierced Staccato at having her exact reason be called out so quickly. "Yes. If it came out that—"

"So, try me," Lyra said. "Show me what I might be facing so I can understand how much I need to grow."

Biting her lower lip, Staccato swirled the water with her hoof and looked into Lyra's eyes. "Swim," she said.

The weight of Staccato's mind was like having a mountain dropped on her. Lyra struggled, fought against the mental mass, but every time she seemed to halt one breakthrough, more of Staccato's will poured into her like seawater. She felt herself sway a little and an image of a vast ocean surrounded her, calm and warm at the same time.

Then Lyra was let go. The weight was gone and all her defenses with it. She stared at Staccato in utter shock—the siren hadn't moved a muscle. "Okay, wow."

March beamed with vindication of her opinion on Staccato now proven. "Told you. The way a siren becomes the leader is with mental challenges. If she wasn't the best, she wouldn't be in charge."

"Are you alright?" Staccato asked, watching Lyra as she seemed to be distracted.

Nodding, Lyra had to reassert herself in her own mind first, then her magic, and finally the world itself. "It's always a shock to be overwhelmed like that. I'll be okay—and thank you, Staccato, for the demonstration of humility."

All the things that could have gone wrong, that Staccato had been terrified of, seemed to ease and flow away. Only then did she realize she'd just mind-assaulted an alicorn on the royal grounds—and all the panic rushed back in. "I-I wouldn't have if you hadn't asked. I didn't mean to—"

"I asked you to, remember? Now I know where I am and where you are. If something is throwing mind magic at us, you fight it while I put it down, okay?" Giving her best please drop it smile, Lyra rolled her shoulders. "And March is right. That is good training. I know my limits. That's better than me having held off March, thinking I had it all under control, then trying to fight off someone as strong as you unprepared."

Relieved to see her hasty action wasn't causing an issue, Staccato relaxed again. "You did take a lot more to subdue than most ponies. With the spell we have, though, it's said that any unicorn can make themselves impossible to control."

"I am sure Celestia, Luna, and Twilight understand the commitment this shows. If they don't, I'll make sure they do." Trying her best to show her oft-used one-sided smile, Lyra forced herself to sit down and calm her inner worries.

Lyra might have been the newest alicorn to be revealed in Equestria, but Staccato felt no less relieved to have any alicorn spare such words of reassurance. "I admit my choice of you to be the courier had an ulterior motive." Lyra's curious expression almost stopped her from spilling it. "We had heard that your cutie mark was a musical one."

It was such a shift in topic that it caught Lyra off-guard. "My— Oh! Yes. I have a lyre as my cutie mark and prefer the guitar as my instrument, but I have played some others." It reminded her that she should get her cutie mark painted on the flanks of her armor.

"You don't sing?" March hadn't meant to sound disappointed, but all the same she did.

"I can sing, but it's nothing special. Would you like me to bring some instruments so I can give you a demonstration on the train?" Despite her instruments not being in Canterlot, Lyra had been itching to test the range on her item-retrieval spell for some time.

Both Staccato and March could feel the hurricane of magic Lyra gathered. It poured through her like an ocean passing through a pinhole, then exploded from her horn.

The spell was complicated as well as hungry. Lyra could do the math needed to target things, but the further away they were, the more careful she had to be with it. What was worse, now she was an alicorn, the difference between teleporting her guitar and didgeridoo and, for example, teleporting her house, was mostly just the radius of the origin. Narrowing the flow to somewhat less than should be required to move a house, she focused on where she left the items.

Not that she had to warn Scootaloo and Sweetie Drops, but Lyra had always put her instruments in the same place, though normally that was for far shorter teleports. Hoping to harmony that she'd gotten the right locations, she let the magic flow into the pattern and with two pomf-sounds, her instruments were sitting on a bench beside her.

"I've seen guitars before, but is that a hollow stick?" Staccato asked.

"Yeah! A very special hollow stick. I made this with my dad's help. It's a traditional instrument of his people. Not, technically, my people. It's complicated, but I try to honor them all the same." Lifting the didgeridoo with her magic, Lyra pressed the end to her mouth and focused her attention on her breathing.

Cyclic breathing wasn't easy, but once she got the rhythm of it going, she began to work the sound down the instrument. The slow thrumming tones took effort to layer, but eventually she got the tune she was aiming for working and started tapping the tune out with her hoof.

As always, she got carried away in her playing. It wasn't often she played for an audience more than her family, but the two sirens listening were enough that she wanted to make the song soar and flow—without even realizing it, she was playing a song about what it had felt like to be under Staccato's control.

The song, like her power, held no malice. It was just a song about swimming in an infinite ocean and letting the water flow and bend around her. She wasn't even sure how it would end until the rhythm petered out and she let the tapping beat fade as well.

Swaying slowly, Staccato hadn't realized when she'd closed her eyes. Even with the song ending, its tune kept pouring through her. "You would make one fine siren, Lyra Heartstrings. You bound that song to me, didn't you?"

Focusing back to normal breathing, Lyra thought about the question. "I don't think I meant to. When you overwhelmed me, you felt—you felt like an infinite and peaceful ocean. I took that feeling and made a song from it."

March couldn't help herself, she laughed at her leader. "You were the one that asked to have an alicorn bent on music to assist us. It's your fault if she snares you with her song."

"'Snares'?" Lyra was a little lost in the conversation. "What do you mean?"

"Sirens can use their music and mind to trap the unwary, but these affinities leave us vulnerable too. I asked for you specifically, hoping to learn a new song or two. Instead I show you how to defeat me utterly." Pulling her hooves from the water, Staccato stood and shook herself to attempt to banish the music that still played through her—it didn't work. "If you're ready now, we could leave early."

"You said there was extra business and—" Closing her mouth with an audible snap, Lyra made the connection. "I was the extra business. Okay, then, I'm ready when you are."

Content, now, to deal with the song that wouldn't stop echoing within her, Staccato nodded. "Yes. Lead the way please, March."

Slinging her guitar onto her back and carrying the didgeridoo with her magic, Lyra walked with Staccato, an odd little procession with two sirens and an alicorn going completely unremarked upon by the ponies around them.

When they reached the station, Lyra let Staccato lead the way to the stationmaster's office, where a well-dressed stallion gave her a nod and trotted off when she explained things. Luna and Upper Crust, Lyra had to admit, had been keeping the railway humming along nicely.

"This way, ladies." The stationmaster led them down the long platform to a cordoned off section where a locomotive and two cars sat. "Please, the rear car is prepared for our visiting guests, and the first is for princesses." He spared a little smile and a bow of his head in Lyra's direction.

"Did Luna do this?" When her question went ignored, Lyra groaned and headed for the first car while two smirking sirens made their way for the second. As she passed the coupling between the cars, Lyra saw that there were doors that linked them. Boarding the train, she saw the obviously placed scroll sitting on the dining table that dominated one end of the car and resigned herself to reading it.

Lyra,

I hope this letter finds you well. You are on official business for the crown, and despite that being your regular job, this time you need to be given a little extra pomp. Sister says there is fresh cake in the chiller and plenty of drinks and other snacks. You will also find a spear keyed to your own magical signature in the weapons cabinet—please don't use it.

When you return, we will have to discuss your learning of the remaining magics. No, I won't let that slide. I'm proud of you, Lyra. Thank you.

Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna.

"A spear." Lyra knew exactly what kind of weapon Celestia would be talking about, and she hoped she wouldn't have to use it. More important, at least in the short term, was the contents of the chiller. Destroying the scroll with her magic, Lyra approached the cabinets down one side of the car.

All the usual things were in glass fronted cabinets: plates, cutlery, bowls, cups, glasses—more delicate little dessert forks and parfait spoons than Lyra could shake a dessert cart at. She found the chiller, hidden behind large ornate doors, mostly by limiting her searching to doors without a window.

There were all manner of cakes, pies, fruit, and other treats. Luna had, apparently, ensured that such cars were well-stocked. A knock from a door at the locomotive-end of her car reminded her that this opulent room only took up one third of the car. "Come in."

A mare opened the door with a little bow and said, "We'll be departing momentarily."

"Thank you for the warning." When the mare left her alone again, Lyra closed the cabinet and took a seat in one of the larger-than-normal benches along the side of the car. When the locomotive tugged at the two cars, Lyra didn't so much as shift more than a little.

She sat there, contemplating events in the garden and musing on what her musical talent would mean to the sirens. Staccato, at least, claimed to be the strongest mentally, seemed overwhelmed by the song.

Lyra was no newbie to songs in Equestria. It seemed like every other day that she'd hear a pony singing about how well their life was going, how much they enjoyed the company of their friends, or even that they liked the color of a particular flower. To find it had a magic all its own was unsurprising to her.

Floating over her guitar, Lyra pressed a little magic into it to activate the amplifier and lifted it to her lap. She had harmony magic in spades, she was sure, but Luna's emotive was something she felt she'd require to delve more into music's magic. Nonetheless, her hooves found the strings and Lyra started to pluck and strum low notes from her bass guitar that filled an itch of need she'd felt.

It was easy to slip back into the music of her youth. Lyra began to bounce from funky tune to funky tune, slapping, strumming, plucking, and ending notes not so much in perfect mimicry of those songs, but simply according to her own ear and what felt right. She didn't notice her audience until the conductor rasped her hoof on the floor when the train jerked.

Looking up, her hooves frozen, Lyra smiled at the two sirens and conductor all equally looking guilty at having been caught. "Sorry, I got a little distracted. Comes with having a music cutie mark. Anything I can help with?"

Staccato laughed, letting her voice bubble around to mix with the echoes of the bouncing music she'd heard Lyra play. "You have surprised us a second time with music. That is a guitar unlike any we have seen or heard."

Bobbing her head, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks and her panic at having been caught, the conductor rushed forward again to slip through the door and hide.

"I tend to get distracted when playing. Was there anything you needed?" Trying her best to switch the topic, Lyra's hopes and dreams were dashed by both sirens shaking their heads. "Okay, about this guitar. I grew up listening to a group of musicians who went by the name of Primus. I know the word sounds strange, it's not a pony word."

"Was that their music you were playing?" Staccato asked.

"Not exactly. That is their style, but I was making up the tune as I went." Bringing her hooves back to the strings, Lyra punched the right ones on the neck and gave a quick strum. "Their songs were mostly nonsense, but some of them had important meanings. One of them saved me from making a huge mistake before I should have needed to make those kinds of choices."

The tune came back to Lyra. She had never told her mother about this, but the song painted such a grisly image of drug addiction that, when people who were supposed to be friends offered something to her, she'd turned them down. She strummed away, playing the bouncing tune, but without the drums accompaniment, it lacked a little for the impactful notes. "You could say my love of music saved my life."

Fighting to be able to talk over the unique music, Staccato asked, "Do you think that was why you got the cutie mark you did?"

Moving on from Lacquer Head, Lyra started on a song that, at least the title, would seem appropriate to ponies. "Maybe, maybe not. The world I grew up in had no magic. It didn't even have ponies until I was older. Then, when I was around eighteen, everything got weird. Magic flooded through a hole from Equestria. My sister, mother, everyone else too—became bat ponies. Me? I was sitting with a friend in Equestria at the time and became a unicorn."

March had picked up the tune change only because of how much heavier it sounded. There was a sense of Lyra's playing trying to pack a lot more music into each second than should be able to fit. "You weren't born a pony? But now you've become an alicorn?"

"Weird, isn't it? Life isn't about where you start or the situation you're in—it's all about where you are now, where you're headed, and what you want to see happen along that path. Was it easy? My life was never harder than I was prepared to deal with. Each new thing, I am sure, I can overcome. I might not be able to do any of it alone, but even if I am reduced to struggling forward solo, I know I can do it." Launching into the chorus of the tune, again Lyra wished she had a set of drums to give the tune its iconic thumps. Then she remembered the hardwood floor of the train car and her hooves.

Catching words sung softly under Lyra's breath, Staccato couldn't for the life of her understand them. The only thing that mattered, though, was that she did sing them. They matched the rhythm of the guitar perfectly, even if the syllables were nonsense to her. The stomped beat helped add context to the rhythm, and along with those hints of lyrics, she could pick up more of it as a song and less as one component. "What's this song about?"

Lyra blushed. "Someone told me it was about men—males… Anyway, that was wrong. I saw a show once ask the song writer. His friend was a vegetarian, that means he didn't eat meat."

"Most ponies don't eat meat," Staccato said.

"Remember," March said, not enjoying the experience of talking while such music was being performed, "she didn't grow up as a pony."

Nodding, Lyra smiled at the logic. "Exactly. His friend did like to eat some meat occasionally, and would have a burger—cooked meat between bread. He called that shaking hands with beef."

"You've eaten meat?" The gears had clicked together for March. "Not fish, I mean, but you said beef."

"Yeah. Humans, what I was before becoming a pony, are predators. Omnivores, specifically. They can eat meat and vegetables and gain energy from both. Oh, one obscure fact about them, the reason they came out on top, with a world full of things that could eat them if given half a chance?" Lyra could see she had the sirens' complete attention. "We could run for longer. Not faster, not with less energy—just longer."

"How did it feel to have that—" March looked at Staccato, worried she was overstepping herself, but her leader gave her a nod. "What was it like to change so much? Ponies can eat a little meat—we've watched the fishers from Vanhoover catch plenty—but they don't eat like griffons eat."

"My body changed and so did my appetite. My sister and mother had similar changes, but their tastes ran differently. None of us really fought against what our bodies told us they wanted. It's been a while, so it's kinda hard to remember what it was like. For every hamburger I had, that had steak in it, I've had dozens of hayburgers." Lyra snorted and laughed at that. "And I'm not even a big fan of hayburgers. I prefer to cook for myself, with friends, or with my family."

"That's not exactly what we were hoping for. We are trying to fit in with ponies, but our appetites include meat and"—Staccato broke eye contact with Lyra—"and emotions."

"Hey, cards on the table. I've told you I have eaten what—in Equestria—are thinking and talking people. I don't think anything you could say would top that." Trying to sooth the sirens further, Lyra strummed a few soft notes on her bass.

The deep, pure notes helped Staccato to continue. "We eat emotions. Some of us, in the past, have forged into Equestria specifically to force ponies to feel them. We don't do that."

Seeing her soft tune lubricating the conversation, Lyra continued without working too much to clean it up. "I'm sure somepony would have noticed if you did. What does this emotion-feeding do to the subject? Does it remove the emotion from them? Does it hurt them?"

March cut in before Staccato could, mostly because she could see the distress this caused Staccato. "It leaves them drained. The more we take, the more drained they are. Some sirens would use this until their prey couldn't move."

Wincing, Lyra nodded and forced herself to accept the honesty. "That would not be a good way to say hello to your new friends. Have you talked to the guardponies about this?"

"We couldn't!" Staccato was jolted out of her enjoyment of Lyra's tune. "They would— They would think of us as monsters."

Leaving that side of things as a topic she needed to discuss with the Royal Dragoon commander present, Lyra moved on to working with Staccato and March's dislike of even discussing the topic. "You're not monsters."

When neither spoke, Lyra continued. "It's easy enough to identify a monster, at least in my opinion. Monsters know what they are doing hurts others, feel no remorse for doing it, and will do it again without any misgivings."

March said, "But we're—"

"You're sirens. That doesn't make you monsters. I've met humans that are monsters, even a pony or two. Being a monster is more than what you are, it's who you are." Lyra grinned. "You're not monsters."

"You are a strange pony, Lyra Heartstrings," Staccato said. "We asked for you simply because of your musical talent, but this philosophy is proving far more interesting."

While they'd been discussing music and morality, the train had fled the locality of Canterlot. Down the mountain and across the long miles of track leading north it sped, unburdened by the usual load such a locomotive would be hauling, it kept up a high speed.

A knock at the cabin door of the royal car got everyone's attention and an impeccably dressed unicorn opened it when there was no challenge. "I can serve the evening meal whenever you wish. Will you be dining together?"

Turning her attention from its most recent target, the chef, to March and Staccato, Lyra got a nod from the latter and said, "We will. What is available?"

"Princess Luna sent word that a high protein diet would be preferred, so I have a selection of egg dishes, as well as fish." It was an exciting moment in any pony's life to be speaking with a new alicorn, but the unicorn managed to keep his composure as he explained. He assumed that Lyra had ascended from a pegasus, since they would more commonly require such a diet.

"I believe, if you bring us a selection of each, it would be a very welcome meal. My friends here are from a coastal town and enjoy the bounty of the sea." Lyra wasn't lying, not one bit, though she could see March trying to hold back a laugh. "And thank you."

When the chef had left, March finally let loose with her giggles. "You didn't even lie. I have never seen a pony rework the truth so well."

"I don't like lying to people. I've made peace with doing so by omission, though." Lyra sighed and gave a few quick strum-plucks of her bass. "I look forward to welcoming you in your regular fo—" She cut herself off as the chef opened the door again.

"I have an arugula salad with a lightly crumbed squid on top. Each are finished with a mild sauce." Sliding a huge platter of the appetizer onto the special table in the middle of the lounge area of the car. A pair of locking clamps secured it in place so the train wouldn't knock it free. "Would you like the entree sooner or…?"

"Please, give us half an hour," Lyra said. "I didn't catch your name…?"

"Spiral Whip, Your Highness." Bowing his head, Spiral witnessed Lyra looking uncomfortable. "Sorry, have I misspoken?"

"Please, just Lyra. I'm not a princess—" Biting the yet off the end, Lyra tried to give her most reassuring smile.

Spiral asked, "That wouldn't be proper. Would ma'am suit?" When she nodded, he felt a flood of relief. "Then I will return in thirty minutes with your next course."

"You're worse than Staccato," March said, the moment Spiral was out of the room. "The main reason I'm here with her is I'm big enough to push her along."

"Okay. I want you to try eating my emotions," Lyra said. She held up her hoof and played a deep, thrumming chord on her bass. Stopping the strings, she waited for both her companions to calm down—and when that didn't happen she explained anyway. "I want you to start with your weakest, then slowly increase until I can sense it. Then we will stop and discuss things."

"I will be filing an official complaint with Princess Celestia about your continued and excessive friendship." Picking up a piece of the calamari, Staccato popped it in her mouth. The sauce on it was tangy and perfect for the rich seafood.

Laughing at the sarcastic humor, Lyra started playing again as she wrapped some of the salad around a few pieces of squid herself.

"That was the first," Staccato said. "Did you feel it?" When Lyra shook her head and went on playing, she tried sampling a little stronger. A spicy tang met her magical palate; Lyra's emotions were a heady mix of excitement and curiosity, joy and hunger. "Now?"

"Nope. Also, can you make note of how much nutrition you get from this?" Lyra asked.

It took four more tries before Lyra's hoof paused above the strings of her bass. "I felt that one. Can you try it again, to make sure?" When Staccato obliged, Lyra nodded. "Yup. That I can definitely feel. Would that be enough you could survive on?"

"We, uh, don't need any to survive on," Staccato said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

March cleared her throat and cut in. "What my wondrous leader is trying to say is, we don't need to feed like this to survive, but we can't use our magic unless we do."

"So, how much does that fuel your magic, then?" Lyra asked.

"Not much. Perhaps three or four lots of that, a day, would keep a siren able to perform her magic duties. More if they had to battle with other sirens." It pained Staccato to admit, but her race relied on the defenselessness of others to thrive.

Fetching some more calamari to nibble, Lyra thought about the problem as she strummed a few more deep thrums from her bass. "We'll need to experiment further. Perhaps even explain things to the folks of Vanhoover so they can help. I'm not exactly the best to gauge how much that feeding takes out of a pony."

"You are very thorough." March sampled a little of the salad and found it had a nice crunch to it. "This isn't your first time examining magic?"

Snorting, Lyra shook her head. "I trained under Princess Celestia herself and, further, the E.U.P. Guard. This armor isn't for show. I spent some time revising the way magic is taught both in the Guard and younger, and have sent two of my own personal students to Celestia's school. Along with my wife, I've helped research and locate ancient artifacts of power and helped design a method for securing them. My latest assignment, under Princess Twilight Sparkle, has been to research all forms of magic—it's how I started getting these." Lyra fluffed up her wings before folding them again. "In a way, I've devoted a large chunk of my life to understanding and explaining magic."

It was a wall of qualifications that Staccato realized shouldn't have been surprising, given the ascent to alicornhood. "And now you're seeking to master mind magic?"

"No. I got invited to assist some fellow Equestrians in securing something, and thought I could help them and strengthen the bonds of friendship that already exist."

March snorted. "Staccato, I don't think she's joking."

A short knock interrupted them again, and out came Spiral once more with more of the meal. The food kept all three busy until night had fallen and, reluctantly, all of them set off for their quarters.

Lyra lifted her armor free, having unfastened it with her hooves, and rolled her shoulders as the weight of it left her itching to exercise. Looking out the window of her quarters, she sighed at her inability to go for a run. "I don't know how Bonny can do this kind of field work without having someone to snuggle with."

Climbing onto what was undoubtedly the hugest small bed she'd ever encountered, Lyra sighed and closed her eyes.

---

The sound of hooves outside her room, and the feel of the train's rhythm changing, woke Lyra from her rest. She checked the window and, seeing it still dark (though with a slight glow on the horizon), immediately felt on the defensive. With her magic tightly contained, she prepared walls both mental and magical.

Instead of the knock she expected, her bedroom door started to slowly open. She waited, building a spell carefully first in her mind as she readied herself for the first sign of magic use—which she got quickly.

It was the same kind of mental touch Lyra had allowed Staccato and March to test on her at the castle, and no sooner did she feel it than Lyra shoved as much of her mental defenses she could up while triggering her spell.

"What—?"

The voice was neither March nor Staccato. Lyra unleashed another spell, one that removes the air from a small space. She targeted the front of the disguised siren's face.

Panic set in. The siren spun around when he realized his target was behind him, but things were already becoming hazy. Dropping his disguise indoors would not help, but he did it anyway.

The return of the siren's form, markedly smaller than March, wasn't as important for Lyra as measuring how long until he was unconscious but not dead. She approached the weakly struggling siren and, as his struggles slowed further, she cast a sleeping spell over him and removed her ongoing enchantment.

Unable to restrain him further than the spell, Lyra left her quarters and headed down the small hall. Already she'd made the decision to leave the pony contingent of the train and check on their guests. Opening the rear door of her car, she saw March do the same for the rear carriage. "I was attacked!"

"Have you seen Staccato?!" March asked, eyes wild. Having woken up from a deep sleep to sense something wrong, she'd instinctively checked on Staccato's quarters beside her own. Lyra's shake of her head froze March's blood in her veins.

"This way. I have a prisoner!" Lyra backed up to let March follow her. Once the door was closed and they could talk easier, she said, "Resume your form. This is too much of an incident now to bother with stealth. They knew where we would be."

The interior was a tight fit for March, but she swam through the air after Lyra and looked into the royal sleeping chamber. "That coloration. He's from the Capriccio school—the school we fled from to come here."

"Then they have directly attacked citizens of Equestria." Lyra took a slow and deliberate breath. "We need to get more information and alert the Guard. The spell—"

"Even without Staccato, I can ensure you get it." March noticed the male siren was starting to stir and she floated above him, readying her strongest physical blast. "He's waking up."

"I don't know how effective my sleep spells will be on him." Her mind twisting to all the things she'd have to do, or might be forced to do, Lyra took a breath and cast her strongest sleep spell with as much power behind it as she could. "I need to—"

Lyra spun, events having her reactions on a razor's edge, to see the conductor entering, shaking their head and rubbing it. "Are you okay?"

"Your Highness, I must apologize. I don't know why I fell asleep, but…" Trailing off when they realized there was a siren floating in the cabin beside Lyra, the conductor froze in panic. "W-W-W—"

"This siren is a friend. We've been attacked and this—this wasn't your fault. Please go and ask the engineer how long until we reach Vanhoover." Giving them a job to do seemed like the best way to keep them out of the line of any potential fire, but the conductor didn't move.

"We'll be in Vanhoover in two minutes."

Rushing back to her room, ignoring the still siren on the floor, Lyra got dressed in her armor. She didn't care if it would take most of the two minutes to do it by hoof; she wanted to make sure it was on properly because she doubted she'd get a chance to remove it before this was all over.

Walking out of the bedroom, she fixed her eyes on the cabinet that held that spear. Part of her wanted to rush over and grab it, take it out, and defend Equestria with the power it held. It would, at least in Lyra's knowledge, be the only time one was used in direct combat.

Walking over to the cabinet, Lyra opened it to reveal the weapon. "It would be so easy." Running one hoof down the haft of the spear, Lyra used her magic to float her bass and didgeridoo over, and set both into the snug space on each side of the weapon. "Please, once we're off, return to Canterlot and ensure that only Princesses Celestia or Luna has access to that."

"Of course."

Armored and with a clear conscience regarding the weapon, Lyra smiled at March. "Now, let's take that miscreant and find the missing Equestrian citizen, then I want to make sure the Capriccio school knows never to attack Equestria again."

The weight of Lyra's armor was a great comfort, but so too was having March beside her. Even if the siren wasn't the strongest, she was a help. "March, how much magic do you have stored? Full?"

Watching Lyra heft up the unconscious body of the male siren with her magic, March waved her left hoof side to side. "I'm about half—"

"Then sip from me. I have a lot to give and I'd rather you did too. And, don't hide your form unless you feel you need to—I think this has been a secret for too long." It took a moment before Lyra felt the sensation of March drinking at her emotions. The draw was a little stronger than Staccato had used, but not unbearable by any measure.

Outside, in the noticeably cooler air, Lyra spotted four ponies (two unicorns, a pegasi, and an earth pony) that all stood too neatly and too close—with none of them talking to each other. "Our escort's here."

Whippoorwill spotted the armored pony and, knowing to look for an alicorn, made the mental effort to discern wings and a horn. Then he recognized the mare. "Well, this'll be interesting. Get ready, our VIP is here and I don't think you'll have a problem recognizing her." His eyes drifted to the siren at Lyra's side and then the second siren that was being carried behind them. "Ah horseapples."

"You recognize them?" Lyra asked March, a moment before she recognized all four of the Royal Dragoons herself. "Never mind, I know them."

March swam along quietly beside Lyra, feeling more than a little self-conscious at her conspicuously non-pony self. When all four of the Guards snapped a salute to Lyra, she felt something odd was going on.

"Your armor needs a little more polish, Razzle. Sparklebright, you keep leaving that shoulder strap loose and you'll have the whole pauldron ripped off one day. Stone Wall, nice stance, but you should always be grounding when a potential enemy approaches. Whippoorwill, nice promotion—I hope you've been keeping up with the running." Giving the group her own salute, Lyra couldn't stop a laugh. "It's good to see some friendly faces, but I have bad news: Staccato's been kidnapped."

Repeating his earlier curse, Whippoorwill asked, "What can we do to help?" while he completely ignored the elephant in the room (or the siren at the station).

"I need a rundown of all assets in town, I need to know where the nearest Research and Acquisitions group is, and I want to meet with whomever is running Vanhoover. As far as we're concerned, now, Equestria is under attack by a hostile group of sirens and they have taken one of our own." Turning her head to look at March, Lyra asked, "Would Staccato revert to her siren form?"

"Not if she had a choice. We were trying to keep a low profile." It occurred to March that a low profile was the opposite of what would be desired right now. "Though she may have realized that she needs to be visible now."

"Good, that will help." Behind Lyra, she heard the train's whistle blast and the locomotive started grinding its steel wheels on the track to get the two cars moving as fast as possible. The rhythm of the steam-driven wheels struck a chord in Lyra, and she laughed. "I know one way to find her, but I'm going to need help from as many musicians as we can find."

For a moment Whippoorwill started to ask a question, then he paused, and asked anyway, "Musicians, ma'am?"

"Yes. Ponies who have a cutie mark for music are preferred. If you can get me as many as you can in an hour, we can start to work some magic to find Staccato and, if you're amenable, teleport directly to her location and deal with this threat." It was a plan and Lyra was putting as much faith in it as she could.

Consequently, having a captain who was also an alicorn made Whippoorwill's job easier. He saluted. "Sparklebright, you have the best teleportation, stick to the captain's side and relay messages for her. Stone, Razzle, you're with me. Captain, it's good to have you here. I'll have the mayor ready to meet with you while we round up the musicians."

When the other three had marched off, Lyra turned her attention to Sparklebright. "Do you have any idea how weird it is to see you four together? Don't answer that. Okay, you have a Guard outpost here, lead the way."

"Yes, ma'am." Sparklebright nodded to the north-west. "This way. It's three blocks over."

Deciding to head-off any questions ponies might have, Lyra spread her wings and held them in the same pose she'd seen Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance use when they were signaling they were alicorns. It seemed to work, since the first block passed and not a single pony asked a question about who they were or where they were going. Looking back on it, Lyra was sure that wasn't the best, since a changeling could imitate an alicorn.

Finally, barely past the halfway mark, a pony slipped out of an alley and started trotting beside them. Lyra didn't look in the mare's direction, but asked, "Can I help you?"

"Retired Sergeant Sizzle Swizzle, ma'am. R and A." Sizzle didn't glance at the siren swimming through the air behind Lyra, or the unconscious siren floating beside her either. "Do you need anything?"

"Musicians. I have the Royal Dragoons on it already, but I need every pony that has a musical cutie mark at the Guard outpost within an hour. Also, anypony who has kept up their reserve status." Lyra waited for a nod from Sizzle and didn't question the unicorn peeling off from their procession.

"'R and A'?" Sparklebright asked.

"I wish I could say this any other way, Corporal, but that is information for higher-ups. She'll help, though, and she's trustworthy." Feeling a twitch in the siren she was carrying, Lyra did her best not to curse and cast another sleep spell over them. "How're you doing now, March?"

More surprised at Lyra by the minute, March felt for her internal reserve of magic and found it almost brimming. "Almost full. Do you really think you can find Staccato?"

Focusing back to when she'd played the song wrapped around the essence of Staccato's mind, Lyra remembered the connection she'd felt. "Yes, March. I am sure I can."

It was her tone more than anything else that made March feel lighter. A new resolve filled her—she would not let Lyra down, no matter what. It was a surprising feeling for her, given she'd never trusted anyone but another siren in such a way before. "Thank you."

---

Having secured the siren prisoner in a secure room in the Guard outpost—one Lyra put a continual sleep enchantment on, and spent a good half hour talking with the mayor about the new inhabitants and their old family problem. As the time approached one hour after arriving, Lyra found herself standing before nearly a hundred ponies.

"You're probably all wondering why you're here. It's because one of Equestria's newest residents has been attacked, and you're all uniquely gifted to help me find her. She's a siren, like March here, and they are inherently creatures of music and song." The looks the ponies gave March made Lyra proud. They weren't judging or fearful; more curious and friendly. She waited a moment and finally saw someone about to ask her a question.

"How will our performance help you find this siren?" a violinist asked.

"Sirens have their own magic wrapped in emotion and music. I was fortunate enough to share a deep connection with Staccato, the missing siren, before she was kidnapped. She's part of a group of sirens who wish to live in harmony with ponies, though she and her family here are fleeing others that are less friendly." Noticing another pony, who'd hauled in a set of kettle drums, opening his mouth, Lyra nodded toward him.

"How will you direct us? Do you sing?"

Lyra smiled and closed her eyes. She'd hoped to keep her instruments safe by sending them back to Canterlot, but feeling for the train, building a reference to it and the cabinet within, she found what she was looking for and poured power into her horn—teleporting her didgeridoo to her hoof. "Of a sort. This might not look particularly musical, but I can assure you it will resonate with Staccato—and hopefully all of you." She stretched her wings up and out, tried to ignore the little gasps as the musicians were confronted with her having done magic and having wings. "When you're all ready, we'll play until I can feel a connection with her, and then I'll teleport myself and some Guardponies to save her."

The looks of determination that met Lyra, as the ponies present started preparing and tuning, filled Lyra with pride.

"They're really going to help?" March asked Lyra.

"Of course. Helping friends is what ponies do. Also, who wouldn't want to be part of musical magic? It's the most amazing feeling to get caught up in your talent, and doing so with others increases that rush. This will be short, but the biggest concert of the year."

March was silent for a moment before she finally shook her head. "This is what Staccato has been trying to teach us. Sirens are— We normally do what we're told from our school leader. Alicorns, we know, are the leaders of pony schools, but you wouldn't force any of these ponies to perform?"

"No. Of course not. Even if this was going to fail without them. I'd deal with it and come up with another way." Lyra watched as each of the performers finished checking their instruments or warming up their voices—and every single one looked to her. She gave them a big smile. "I don't expect this will work perfectly from the get-go, but follow your hearts and join in my song, and hopefully we can reach out to a lost friend."

Lifting the didgeridoo to her chin, Lyra practiced a few cyclic breaths before she brought it to her lips and started. She measured the beat on the wood with her hoof, but breathed life into the rhythm with her own lungs.

Around her, many of the ponies gasped in surprise at the music produced, and there was some quiet conversation until one violinist picked up the tune and started weaving her own song around that rhythm.

Doubling down on her talent, Lyra focused her thoughts around Staccato's mind when they'd been linked, and she guided all the other musicians in the performance. When she felt it right, she started to channel harmony and friendship magic, giving neither form nor pattern, but letting them flow through her magic.

The room grew heavy with expectant magic. Every instrument excited it more and every cutie mark was thrumming with the creativity and heart of its owner. Something had to give as the pillar of magic grew more intense, and it was Lyra conducting the symphony. She reached out with one hoof to March, taking the siren's fin, she could already feel her singing for her lost friend.

She added the final piece of the puzzle of magic, though it wasn't one she held the source for: emotive.

Familiarity with all of Staccato's being poured into the magic. It knew the shape of her mind, her heart, and now it knew it needed to find her. The intent of the musicians finally gave it the form it desired and, slipping its power into the pattern, it reached out in two directions.

It grabbed at the powerful mare, her siren friend, and the little group of silent warriors.

It reached out to the target that matched its pattern so precisely as to be the only creature in the world it could possibly resemble.

The magic took the first group and set them down around that lost friend.

---

The wildest of teleports Lyra had ever performed, the spell strengthened their group the closer they got to Staccato—and she could definitely feel Staccato getting closer. Like some kind of giant rubber band, the magic had stretched itself out between them and the lost siren, and now both ends of the spell were growing closer—it felt like the magic was rejoicing at its impending finale.

A crescendo of power and music slammed the four Dragoons, Lyra, and March down in a ring around a surprised Staccato. She'd never heard or seen a spell like it, but it filled her with the power the others had drained from her so recently.

The first priority, so far as Lyra was concerned, was to protect Staccato. She threw up a shield around their group. "Staccato! Are you okay?"

Recognizing the four ponies that accompanied Lyra, Staccato first dove to March and wrapped her friend up with a hug. "I'm glad you're alright. You got help!" The air still vibrated with the song of her own mind. The magic was still so attuned to her that it was making her feel bloated with energy.

Positioning themselves two to each flank of Lyra, the Dragoons waited for the shield to come down before moving. The moment it was, when each of the four felt the intense magic of an alicorn spell end, they were in motion.

"Five targets." Whippoorwill was already analyzing the situation and, though he didn't like the numbers, he also knew he couldn't stop now. "Stone, I want you everywhere. Razzle, flash shields. Sparkle, move me upward."

Pride burned in Lyra almost as hot as the rush of combat. She'd been part of the training of each of the Dragoons. Whippoorwill vanished, teleported into the air faster than he could have flown, while Stone seemed to get into the faces of the sirens before any of the antagonists could have prepared for her.

Magic flashed as two of the sirens started blasting with the power they'd stolen from Staccato. The first hit Stone square, though the mare grounded it out harmlessly while the second, aimed at Sparklebright, slammed through a shield that Razzle had put up, then a second, before fizzling out on a third.

When the third shield dropped, Sparklebright returned the favor, slamming her own lance of magic into the siren's side while spinning out a teleport spell that sent herself and Razzle in different directions, splitting the targets.

Wanting to reduce the amount of foes, Lyra leveled her own magic at the least prepared of the sirens. Unprepared to deal with defense, the siren screeched as the magic overwhelmed their passive resistances and knocked them down.

Only adjusting his angle slightly, Whippoorwill changed from the target Lyra had knocked down to the next closest siren. Keeping his claws sheathed, he nonetheless slammed down hard on their head and knocked them out before another teleport spell caught him and threw him high into the air again.

The first mental blast caught Lyra prepared. She threw it back with her defenses, which she noted staggered one of the sirens. One of the remaining ones, though, didn't direct their mind attack at Lyra.

Razzle Dazzle felt the intrusion and fought against it. Like all Royal Dragoons, he'd been trained to deal with mind attacks—but his struggle was in vain as the siren's will poured around him like a tsunami. With a new set of desires and goals, he looked at Sparklebright and teleported her into the air just as he had Whippoorwill.

Staccato realized something was wrong when Sparklebright turned her attention on Stone Wall and tried to trap the earth pony in a shield. "Forte! Stop doing that!"

The leader of the siren group, Forte, spotted Staccato and cursed. Content that her two allies still conscious were dealing with Stone Wall, she directed her unicorn to turn her attention on the separatist. "Blast her! Trap her! Deal with my enemies while I—"

Two concussive blasts hit Forte. She'd thought that Staccato and March would be busy dealing with the unicorn, but the final armored pony—that she'd thought to be an earth pony with how firmly her mental probe was ejected—spread her wings and used them to deflect the horn beam.

Fully charged with magic, Staccato and March pressed their attack. Each sent beams of magic at Forte while their target struggled to deflect each one. Staccato opened her mouth wide and sent a wave attack Forte's way, which the siren dodged, but was then off-guard for March's mental strike.

Like a snapped cord, Forte's mind was cleared from Razzle Dazzle's mind. She stopped attacking Lyra and shook her head.

Recognizing the broken control, Lyra focused as much power as she could into a single cohesive beam. It was a trickle at first, just a little squirt of friendship magic. Then she poured darkness, harmony, and chaos into it. The golden beam sparked and fizzed with black swirls and confetti, while harmony magic sought to keep it bound and together. Nowhere near as powerful as the beam she'd seen Twilight unload in times of peril, it was nonetheless impressive to Lyra.

Forte tried to absorb the magic blast, but it was lacking the one kind of magic that would have given her the edge she needed to slurp it all up: emotive. As a result, it blew past her defenses and connected with her like a huge hammer.

Lyra could feel the potential of the beam—of the sources of magic that dwelled within her—seeking her to guide their effect. What she wanted, more than anything else, was to get rid of these threats.

The combined four sources of magic loved a challenge. Combining Lyra's dislike for harming with her desire to remove the sirens from her sight, it exploded a blast of magic outward, impacting the five antagonistic sirens (and scooping their compatriot from the Vanhoover lockup) it cast them far out over the North Luna Ocean.

Panting at the rush of magic ceasing, Lyra was aware that what she'd done was her first ever truly alicorn-level spell. Even though she'd channeled more magic than ever before in her life, she felt all four sources were satisfied and calm, and her body— "Ouch."

Feeling like she'd had a wash of powerful magic sweep over, mostly because that was exactly what had happened, Staccato was about to ask if everyone was okay when she heard yelling above them. Whippoorwill was struggling with Sparklebright's weight. The unicorn he was desperately trying to save was screaming in panic (and still dressed in armor).

Without a second thought, Staccato shot into the air and brought herself up and under the falling pair, angling her back so they could land on it while she took the recoil of the strike herself. They hit her hard, but with as much magic as she had coursing through her, it was not enough to harm her. "Got you!"

Snapping out of the daze of exhaustion, Lyra saw Staccato helping Sparklebright and Whippoorwill down, Stone Wall looking like she was ready to chase after the banished sirens, and focused her attention on Razzle Dazzle. "Hey. Hey, Razzle. You okay?"

The voice pulled Razzle from the dark unconsciousness. He lifted his head, regretted it, but opened his eyes anyway. He felt like he was back in training with Sergeant Lyra Heartstrings standing over him as she demonstrated some brutally effective combination of simple spells. "Did anypony see what train ran over me?"

"A drink will help." Lyra levitated a bottle of restorative from the emergency ration pack on one of her armor's hidden panniers and opened the lid. "Slow sips. Mental attacks can be tough when you're not ready for them."

Drinking a mouthful at a time, and taking it slowly, Razzle Dazzle nodded slowly. "It gets better?"

"Not particularly, but you will learn to fight it off easier. Ask March for help training that. She's good, although Staccato is better." The second of the sirens Lyra'd mentioned landed and helped her precious cargo from her back.

"How did you deflect my spell? That was— That was a full-power beam."

"Would you believe I might have figured out how to use my pegasi magic?" Lyra held out a hoof to Razzle and, when he took it, she helped him upright. "You've got nothing to feel ashamed for. That siren almost knocked me over with her first attempt."

It did sting that he'd been overcome, despite his training. Hearing Lyra confess she'd almost been upended by the siren's mind, though, helped save Razzle's ego a little. "Thanks, ma'am."

"You can call me all the titles and ma'ams you want when I get Poppy Bread to pin a medal on your armor, but until then you call me Lyra. Got it?" Lyra asked.

All the bravado and reassurance threatened to melt out of Razzle when Whippoorwill approached. He stiffened and saluted, and instead of stiff formality, he was blind-sided by Sparklebright hugging him. "Wha—?"

"I'm so glad you're alright too!" Sparklebright felt only reassurance that Razzle hadn't had worse happen to him under the control of Forte. "When you teleported me, I thought it was in response to a blindside from one of the sirens. Miss Staccato said—"

"I said that you stood no chance against a siren of Forte's power," Staccato said, floating closer. "I have a great debt earned this day, and I fear I might be working the rest of my life to pay it back. You risked everything to save me from them. Thank you." She bowed, dipping her head until she couldn't see any of the ponies.

What Lyra saw, as the Dragoons and sirens recovered from the ordeal, was a new certainty. The power she carried could not and should not be denied. She was already walking the path to, as she thought it, becoming an alicorn—but that wasn't enough. Ponies needed her and they needed her completely committed to her path.

Clearing her throat, Lyra waited until she had everyone's attention. "They risked everything for you because you have taken the first step toward harmony; yes I know you don't step, it's metaphorical." She let them have a few giggles before continuing. "You and your school are part of us now, and the members of the E.U.P. Guard will not stand to have Equestrians threatened or kidnapped. I'll also assure you that no alicorn will, either."

Lyra had never been crash-tackled by two sirens before, so the following moments were quite the experience as two aquatic equines larger than her sandwiched in from each side. She did her best to try to hug them, but both were too much for even Lyra's wingspan to get around.

"Your— Capt—" Razzle Dazzle cleared his throat and tried again. "Lyra, you might want to take a look at this."

Disentangling herself from March and Staccato, Lyra walked over to where Razzle was standing and saw immediately what he was interested in, why he hadn't touched it, and at the same time felt intense curiosity herself. "My didgeridoo…"

Not trusting her magic given the circumstances, Lyra picked up the instrument and examined the symbols arrayed around it. They blended into the original pattern, but were definitely magic-defining runes. The whole length tingled with harmony and emotive magic, and Lyra had barely a second to get used to the feel of the latter before the world started to spin and she fell over.

---

Feeling.

Lyra was warm with concern and worry, love, pride, and awe. It took her some time to figure out that they weren't her emotions, but those of people around her. She was in a dream-state, though, and couldn't identify who was there.

But, that wasn't Lyra's task and she knew it. She could feel the core of magic tentatively within her, trying to reach out. Radiating her own warmth and love, Lyra used the experience she'd gained already in bonding with sources to extend herself and pull emotive magic's source closer.

"Found it on your own, I see?" Luna said.

The shock of Luna's presence almost broke Lyra from her trance. With her wings and forelegs around the new (to her) source of magic, she grinned with faux guilt at Luna. "There was a situation with the sirens. It's dealt with, now."

"I look forward to the report. I'll let my sister know things are well in hoof. You're more confident with yourself."

Taking a deep (though metaphorical) breath, Lyra hugged the source of emotive magic a little tighter for support. "Equestria needs every alicorn it has and more. If I hadn't come here for this, Staccato and March would have been kidnapped, maybe a bunch of ponies too, and we might not even have heard about a tragedy until it was too late."

Putting one of her own wings around Lyra, Luna gave her a squeeze. "It is a harsh world we live in. Wrap things up and return once you are able, but don't rush too much. Watching Twilight serving legal writs to my sister, demanding the return of her guard, is becoming my favorite sport to watch."

"We only got here a few hours ago. With everything going to Tartarus, I decided it was time to cease the masquerade that they weren't sirens. I don't want them hiding in shadows for the rest of their lives, and the ponies here need to learn that they have new friends. If the Guardponies that were sent are any indication, it should be smooth." Lyra focused on her emotions, opening herself up to tempt the emotive source more. "Thank you for the spear."

"You didn't use it."

"Of course not, but it reminded me why I was here. In the end, I think I picked a far better weapon for the battle I had to fight." Visualizing her didgeridoo, Lyra manifested it within the dream. If anything, it was a thousand times as brilliant as what she'd expected it to look like, but that made it more curious. "I think I'll have a lot to discuss when I return."

"You certainly do. That might well be a far more potent weapon than one of my sister's spears—at least in your hooves. Harmony, emotive, and friendship is quite a potent combination, but see that you don't leave the others without an outlet. Perhaps spend some time there looking for one more?" With one last squeeze, Luna left the dream world.

Alone with her own emotions now, Lyra felt more than a little uncertainty still, that came from within herself. She rooted around for the origin of it, using emotive magic to guide her on a journey through her own motives and emotions.

Finally, it was resolved. Sweetie Drops and Scootaloo. The force of her worry slammed into her and she clung to the source of magic and let her tears flow. Her loving wife and the young mare who'd grown to be their daughter.

It hurt because she could see herself forced to leave them behind for her duty to Equestria, and in her heart Lyra knew she would make that choice. It was absolutely unbearable. This would be a wedge, a pain within her that wouldn't stop hurting until she'd ripped her family apart.

Stars flared bright.

One by one, with light that peeled back at Lyra's darkness and exposed it, the sources of magic within her swelled and buoyed her up. Lyra gasped in shock at the sensation, but even darkness was as soft and light as a warm pillow at the end of a long evening—welcoming and there explicitly for her.

Harmony and friendship went hand in hand, the power that held her aloft and connected her with others. Even chaos wouldn't leave her alone. All those sources pinned themselves to parts of her, promising her their own strength if hers would falter. She could almost believe that they would give her the power to deal with any threat that ever appeared before her.

Emotive, though, was new to her. It swelled out and permeated her every fiber. It pulsed bright as a summer laugh and poured through her being like tears in winter. Lyra lived the entire gamut of emotions in an instant, and she could see that they were all within her.

The strongest of all of them, and the reason she was tied in a knot, was love.

Lyra's love for Sweetie and Scootaloo pulled her in one direction but her love for all Equestria dragged her in another.

For one moment, an infinitesimal monad of an instant, Lyra realized that they weren't pulling in different directions—she had simply placed herself between them.

The impact of that thought bound emotive magic to her and Lyra welcomed it. She drew it up inside and found it a place to live within. Now, instead of being pulled apart, she felt a tug back toward her family that was astonishing only due to the intensity of it. "Thank you."

---

Two huge, warm bodies were curled around Lyra. It wasn't exactly how she normally slept, but she knew the two sirens well enough to know she was safe. Pressed to her stomach was her didgeridoo, the dream-wrought wood softly murmuring with the runes and power it possessed.

A slight touch deep within, and she could feel the warmth and worry of Staccato and March. Emotive magic was now part of her, and Lyra was thankful it had found a place after the way it'd helped. "I am glad I only have to go through this three more times. Sorry about that." She yawned and shifted, tucking the instrument under a wing and moving as the sirens did, standing up.

"Are you alright?" Whippoorwill was the first of the four ponies to approach Lyra. He was more than a little worried, and even though he trusted the sirens to an extent, their assurances that Lyra had been safe had become harder to trust by the minute. Seeing the commander standing, though, was a huge relief.

"Part of my growth into being an alicorn. Sorry to worry you, Whippoorwill. I'm ready to take us back to Vanhoover." The skepticism on the faces of the Guards made Lyra roll her eyes. "Wings and horn, remember? Supreme executive powah." When none of them laughed, Lyra decided to just do it and leave them out of the decision. Then it hit her that such was literally supreme executive power, and she almost fell over laughing.

With everyone staring at her as though she'd gone completely insane, Lyra swept them all up in her magic, did the maths for a point-to-point teleport, and moved everyone back to Vanhoover. She might be able to solve the equations well enough, but the point she'd chosen was off to one side of the railway platform—somewhere she'd been before. "Lieutenant," Lyra said, using the title to emphasize that they were back in public, "I believe you and your squad can serve as our retinue? We're heading back to the place Sizzle Swizzle had arranged."

The walk back through town, her didgeridoo balanced between her outstretched wings and her hooves clopping loudly on the stone road, Lyra was pleased with the looks of surprise and interest from the ponies watching them go by.

In ones and twos at first, then more and more, ponies followed Lyra's little procession down the street. When they reached the building where the musicians were still gathered, she stopped and turned. "Go in and get— Oh, never mind. They're coming out now."

The musically talented ponies, of those present, knew the significance of a second siren with the Guardponies. Several broke into cheers, were hushed, ignored the hushers, and then reluctantly quietened down when it seemed like Lyra was about to speak.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your evening, everyone," Lyra said, adjusting her initial everypony when she noticed a griffon in the audience, "but I'd like to tell you a story." The confusion in the crowd was superficial, and it was obvious to Lyra that they wanted to hear the story despite that uncertainty. "A group of very special creatures didn't like how they were being treated by their family.

"Those creatures were always struggling to show the joy they felt, the love that filled them, and the compassion that welled up within. It didn't happen all at once, but over time they sought out others with similar feelings and, together, decided to leave that family behind and seek others that felt that way too.

"They traveled far, roamed further from the home they'd always known, and finally found some who felt those emotions they'd been shunned for every bit as strongly as they did. They asked, carefully, for permission to stay there, and wise heads listened to warm hearts.

"So they hid their exteriors, only showing their new friends what was inside. They developed ties to their new friends, built friendships, and grew to become something far more than their old family would have let them become.

"Then, while one of them was honoring the wisest of their new family, they fell afoul of their old family's machinations. They'd been followed and tracked, and now were being hunted. Another begged for help." Pausing a moment, Lyra looked around the gathered ponies. "What do ponies do, when someone with a kind heart asks for help?"

The indignant murmurs grew louder. A low rumble of help them poured like an acoustic waterfall across the crowd.

"Which is what I did, with the aid of some brave Guards and amazing musicians. Everyone, this is Staccato. Her friend here is March. They are both sirens of impeccable taste in company and hearts full of friendship and music. Do you think we could make them welcome—and pretend it's the first time they've been here?" Lyra's joke hit its mark and musical laughter danced among the voices gathered.

Everyone was talking, discussing, planning, and coming up with solutions. With the sun high in the midday sky, Lyra used her magic to send out a call, entreating Staccato to reinforce the magic with her own to attract the sirens of her school.

Ponies carried out benches and food to form a potluck in the middle of the street, and one by one the other sirens arrived. Lyra could see them, picked out in bright pinpoints of radiant emotion among so many glad hearts. She waved to each, beckoned them closer, and gave them a hug one by one. As each finished, she watched them shed their pony disguises and return to their true shapes.

"E-Excuse me?"

Turning her attention from the food, which she'd been enjoying, Lyra noticed a few of the musical ponies had gathered up and one was trying to get her attention. "Hey. Thanks for the help today. You were all amazing."

Blinking a few times rapidly, the asker managed to recover his focus. "Thanks, but we were here to ask about that instrument you played." When she raised an eyebrow, and he got a few pokes in his side, he managed to let out, "S-Skysong, Your Highness."

Now Lyra noticed something—every single one of the musical ponies present had musical cutie marks pertaining to wind or air. The pegasus stallion that seemed to be their leader looked to be in his mid twenties and was a pegasus with a wing/air/notes cutie mark. "Ah! Looking to expand your repertoire?" The nods she got in reply, along with a reverent silence, was all the encouragement Lyra needed to pull out her didgeridoo and show it to them.

"This is a didgeridoo. It's an old instrument, hailing from my homelands, and is made by allowing burrowing insects to eat out the inside of a log. It gets polished and decorated, and has several ways it can be played, but all of them require cyclic breathing." With an audience who looked like they understood what she was saying, Lyra spun her instrument around and offered it to Skysong. "You need to flap your lips inside it, while sealing your mouth inside the opening."

The moment Skysong's wing had touched the instrument, his cutie mark started to hum. Not in an audible way, but it was something he always felt whenever he embraced his talent and played music. Having it from the touch of an instrument was new. Lifting it toward his snout, Skysong paused and looked to Lyra.

"Go ahead," Lyra said, trying not to laugh at how reverent he seemed to be acting.

Used to an instrument that needed a lot of air already, his tuba, Skysong had been the one shoved forward to represent the group of his friends. Even with a strong pair of lungs, though, he barely got the first breath out and then halted. "I'm doing something wrong."

"It needs a lot of air. It took my daughter months of practice to manage it." A revelation hit Lyra. "She's a pegasus too. I wonder if pegasi have a different lung capacity or altered breathing? Well, practice will help. I'm sure you can figure out how to make one?" Another pony, a unicorn mare, pushed up beside Skysong, and Lyra turned her attention to them.

"I could make one. Does it have to be eaten out by bugs or could I turn it on a lathe? Oh, uh, I'm Shimmer Haze."

"Hi, Shimmer," Lyra said. "It might not be traditional, but you should be able to turn one out like that. Don't tell my dad, though."

Seeming to notice the artwork on the instrument for the first time, Shimmer bit her lower lip before asking, "Is this a culture-specific instrument?"

"Yeah, but don't let that stop you from making some music with one. Just don't try to reproduce any of the art on here." Lyra gestured to the didgeridoo and, looking at the art she and Tufts had made, she felt her heart swell a little at how well the instrument had served her. "Nopony would mind you playing one."

Shimmer had an easier time, and could get almost a minute of play before she messed up and breathed in through her mouth. Lyra let the musicians pass the didgeridoo around, each having a little practice with it. None managed to play it perfectly their first try, but there were a few that Lyra heard come close.

After everyone finished eating, here and there, music started to flow as ponies struck up tunes and joined into groups, and a few hesitant sirens joined them to add their voices. The feeling of harmony that swirled around the city left Lyra feeling light and airy, the sources of friendship and harmony spiraling together in a joyous pattern that lifted whatever dark thoughts she could have had about her own future.

This idyllic little day would end and Lyra knew she'd have to go back to Canterlot. It would be impossible to hold back who and what she was, now.

"Lyra?" Staccato swam in place, her fins fluttering in the breeze of strong emotions that poured from every creature in the city. "I have the scroll." She held out one hoof-fin that held the spell. On it, she knew, was the power to make any unicorn immune to siren mind magic. "You know, I'd planned to give it to you, especially after you allowed me to test my power on you in Canterlot. Now—I couldn't think of a single reason to refuse you this."

The weight of the scroll didn't surprise Lyra. It was a specialized thing, so it was understandable it needed a lot of writing to describe the pattern. She didn't open it to read. "You know my own song, as I know yours?" When Staccato blushed and nodded, Lyra let out a happy laugh. "Then I promise you, if I am able, I will come when you sing that song."

"Use that scroll as you see fit, Lyra. You have the same promise from me. Call on myself and my school and we will be with you as soon as possible." When Lyra jumped toward her, Staccato let herself be captured in the offered hug. Wrapping her own forelimbs around Lyra, she let out a relieved sigh. "How long until they will be able to come back, do you think?"

"That magic was stronger than anything I've done before. I think they'll be at least a month away, and hopefully will think twice about invading Equestria again." Offering one last squeeze, Lyra started to release and felt Staccato do the same. "I'll be going the moment I can get Whippoorwill to give me his report."

"He was looking for you earlier," Staccato said, looking above the heads of the gathered Vanhoovians, trying to spot the stallion in question. "Oh, here he is now."

Having watched the two embrace, Whippoorwill had held back a little to allow the little ritual to end with a little privacy. "Lyra, I have my report and some recommendations on my command." He held out the sheaf of paperwork to Lyra.

"You didn't have to do this so quickly, but thank you. I'll be heading back to Canterlot to make my own report." Without hesitation, Lyra opened the unsealed folder and looked at the notes. "I agree with all these recommendations, and I have one more. Your talents are wasted with only one squad. Poppy Bread should have you with three squads under you and, given things here, you might well need them. There won't always be an alicorn free to assist."

"I think, with our new allies here, we should be able to hold up until our commander can send more Dragoons. Though, the way things are now, perhaps a full garrison of regular Guard would be a better choice." Whippoorwill was still buzzing at how things had gone. What made him happier still was not having to cover for the sirens living in the city. "Thanks again, Lyra."

Hugging Whippoorwill, Lyra stepped back and stiffened—saluting. His own response was lightning fast. "Lieutenant Whippoorwill, keep everyone safe."

"Yes, Captain Heartstrings." No sooner did Whippoorwill lower his hoof, as Lyra did, then she vanished. The normal soft pomf of a teleportation spell seemed amplified, and he found himself pulled forward first by the rush of air into the spot Lyra'd just vacated, then shoved back again by the return of the air. "Surely she didn't teleport all the way to Canterlot?"

Try as she might, Lyra wasn't stupid (or strong) enough to reach Canterlot in one jump. A precision, point-to-point teleport would have simply fizzled. One that used a coordinate and direction would have worked perfectly fine, but would have needed more energy to utilize that the most basic. Lyra had aimed a vector toward and above Canterlot, figured out how much power should put her above the city, and had fired the spell.

She judged herself about halfway to Canterlot. She was also in free-fall, since she hadn't intended for her spell to leave her with any forward momentum. Falling, she felt her magic refilling at a rapid pace. When she had enough for two small teleports, she fired one off and twisted her downward momentum by a hundred and thirty-five degrees and launched herself upward again.

It was far too tempting to stretch out her wings and fly. Lyra, though, valued Honey Glaze's assistance and didn't want to arrive in Canterlot as the only alicorn who had hurt her wings and couldn't fly. So, managing her magic so that she gained back enough over time to keep airborne, she kept her parabolic flight going until she was within range of Canterlot castle.

The loud pomf of a teleportation directly to the castle gates put the two Royal Guard there on edge, until they spotted who had teleported in. Wild Dash relaxed his shoulders and said, "Nice wings, Captain."

"Shouldn't that be Your Highness?" Long Shift asked, mouth pulled into a half grin.

"Nah. You see, she hasn't had a coronation yet. So, until then, the highest rank she has is still captain. Now, if we were part of the other-other-royal-guard, then we'd be calling her commander." Wild enjoyed the casual banter. While an alicorn in armor, showing up on the doorstep, would normally be news—this was Lyra. "Now, if the princesses gave her a title, that'd be something new. I think we're due a new viscount."

"Princess Luna made that mare in the Treasury a viscount yesterday. I think it's a dukedom next." Grinning as Lyra looked more and more annoyed, Long stuck his tongue out at her. "We need to get our licks in when we can. Soon you'll be too high and mighty to poke fun at."

"I've overheard you talking to Celestia the same way." Lyra had surrendered her sullen glare and smiled. "But, it doesn't matter. You can't bring me down today. I made new friends, played some excellent music, and got to show some new Equestrians how much they matter to us."

As Lyra walked away from the two Royal Guards, she heard a stray, "just like the last alicorn" from one of them, but decided to ignore it. She had to admit, a lot of Twilight's delight in making new friends had rubbed off on her, and having left Vanhoover united as it was soon had her prancing with her steps.

The hall before the throne room, on most days, had several petitioners waiting, and today was no different. Lyra could have slipped in another entrance, but she felt it was important enough to make a show of her new status and the gossiping noble and merchant classes who tended to populate the hall most days were good targets.

With no attempt to hide her wings, Lyra strode down the main hall and even gave them a ruffle as she reached the end. "Sergeant Citron, would you—?"

"Princess Luna already left word that you are to be seen as soon as you arrive." Opening the big doors, Citron gave Lyra his most droll expression. "Next time, use the side doors."

"There's a reason for this," Lyra said, stretching her wings out and giving them a fluff before settling them back at her sides. "Thank you." Advancing through the doors that had only opened wide enough to allow her through, Lyra stepped to the side as she noticed Celestia was still dealing with the previous supplicant.

"While we can't help you directly, Sir Fancy Pants, you have only to contact the Royal Treasury to see about the funding required. I'll have my purser write a letter to have the funds I described dispensed." Celestia didn't so much as glance in Lyra's direction, though she wanted to.

Maintaining the stoic pose of a Guardpony was about the closest Lyra could get to acting the part of an alicorn. Watching the Royal Guard in the room, likewise maintaining their statuesque image of might and readiness, she realized they were treating her the same as they treated Celestia when there were no other ponies around.

For a brief moment, as she consciously ignored the conversation between Celestia and Fancy, Lyra saw a future where she could never escape the gags and ribbing of Royal Guards. This, of course, meant she would have to give as good as she got. The revelation made her smile and come up with ideas of how to start right away.

"Lyra?" Celestia asked, hoping the growing, manic grin on Lyra's face wasn't because of something that would directly affect her. "Lyra?!"

Schooling her expression, Lyra looked around for comedic effect. "Huh? Oh!" Walking over to Celestia, Lyra snapped a sharp salute. "Ma'am! All sirens present and accounted for with only minimal social impact, ma'am!" Celestia's look made Lyra's face break into a grin. "Staccato was kidnapped on the train as we approached Vanhoover. I figured out a way to teleport myself, March, and the Royal Dragoons there directly to the sirens who'd taken her. They'd been using something to overwhelm Staccato, but my song broke through to her, we kicked the butts of the other sirens, and I blasted them away. Returning to Vanhoover, I introduced the town to their new friends, and we had a party."

Taking it all in, Celestia was more than happy with all elements of the report but one. "And why didn't you stay for a few days? This report could have waited."

Lyra's delivery stalled, and she closed her mouth with a snap. "But, wasn't this a mission to get the scroll from the sirens and make sure they were safe?"

"And to help you have a social life. I had hoped being Twilight's Guard captain would have let you see more ponies and relax a little, but you can't let go, even for an evening. Very well, you have returned that scroll and saved the day, hooray. Now you are confined to Ponyville for the next week. I want you to report to Pinkie Pie and offer her all the help you can to be her number one party assistant." A flick of her nose and Celestia shifted her mane from one side to the other. "You are, for the moment, banned from Canterlot. You have until evening to let everyone who needs to know, know, and then you will be taking a week off in Ponyville. Dismissed."

Lifting the scroll from her back, Lyra silently passed it over to Celestia with her magic, then turned. A whole week being forced to do nothing was panic-inducing. Rather than head for the same doors she came through, though, she instead aimed to the side exit.

The guards waiting on the other side of the door didn't crack wise the moment Lyra walked through, for which she was grateful. When the door closed behind her, though, she heard a snort. "What? Was I that bad at reading this mission?"

"Begging the captain's pardon," Bottle Rocket said, "but this was the same thing she tried to do with her former student, Twilight Sparkle."

It was another hammer-blow. "Ugh. I misread it. She sent me there to let the ponies get to know me and for me to get to know them, and I treated it like a race."

Rhodolite nodded. "You're going to be the next name that's discussed in the first figure out what your mission is actually for rather than what you think it is for talk that all new Royal Guard recruits get."

"At least you get a talk. I'm trying to make this up as I go along." Walking the halls to find Luna's room, Lyra was relieved to see two bat ponies waiting outside her door. Approaching, she asked, "Is the princess in?"

Narrowing his eyes, Phil walked closer to Lyra and reached out with a wing claw to prod one of her wings. "Does your sister and mother know?" The nod he got back from Lyra made him laugh. "You're a weird one, mate, but I can't say much on that score. Head in, she's expecting you."

When the latest alicorn opened the door, stepped past them, and closed it again, the other bat pony narrowed her eyes at Phil. "Are you fucking crazy?"

"Yeah, nah. She's all good, Pear." Ignoring the other bat pony's raised eyebrow, Phil got back in position and relaxed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Inside the muted chambers, Lyra had to wait for her eyes to adjust before she spotted Luna. "Your Highness," Lyra said and bowed her head low. "You were expecting me?"

"You sent my train back early. Why?" Luna was leaning against her writing desk, a stack of paperwork awaiting her perusal while she instead read the recent train news. Beside her was Lyra's bass guitar.

"They'd been put in enough danger already. The enemy sirens had proven they were perfectly happy to attack civilians, and by sending the train back, I could protect them—and remove temptation." The memory of the spear, its enchantment attuned to her magic, made Lyra shiver. "I have plenty of power without resorting to one of those weapons."

Nodding, understanding completely, Luna closed her eyes and sent out a rush of her second source's magic—the resonance in Lyra was immediate and welcoming. "Tia is upset because you gained emotive magic before you found a single one of hers. I hope she isn't too hard on you."

"She's upset?" The logic fit, but Lyra had never even thought that Celestia could have such an emotion as envy. "Because I have your—"

"And Discord's," Luna said.

"Right. You and Discord—and Twilight's…" Lifting a hoof up, Lyra planted it firmly in the middle of her forehead. "Do you suppose, if Cadance had a magic source of her own, I'd be stupid enough to have gotten that before spending enough time with Celestia to get hers?"

"And you were one of her special students, too."

Slumping to the floor, Lyra groaned. "I've not only been an idiot, I've been a bad student."

"What has she sentenced you to? Hard labor?"

Rolling to her back, her armor making protesting sounds at the treatment, Lyra looked up at Luna with a smile. "Hardly labor at all. I'll be spending a week helping Pinkie Pie. Organizing parties and baking aren't punishment, but she knows I'd rather be running myself ragged trying to do other things."

"It wouldn't be a punishment if you got to do what you wanted. Here's your guitar. It makes strange sounds." Levitating Lyra's bass over to her, Luna was surprised when Lyra took it and settled on the edge of the bed with her. "What are you—?"

"Emotive, harmony, friendship, and maybe even some chaos." A small bit of magic was all Lyra needed to work the amplifier in the bass, and then she started to strum. It was a simple tune at first, just a few chords with some canceled notes here and there, but as she felt out what the music wanted to be, she got some slapping and plucking too until the tune was bouncing around the room.

Luna could have melted into the song. Her ears turned sideways and she let her eyes flutter closed so she could experience the music and magic mixed together. An alicorn, musically inclined and charged with the sources of magic that fueled creative arts, was beyond the merely physical manifestations of music and existed on a level of inspiration unsurpassed. A traitorous little thought in the back of Luna's head whispered, A thousand years lost is a small price to pay to experience this.

Only when the song finished could Luna finally agree with that thought. She sighed, breaking the silence left in the room with her own exaggerated breath. "If you'd played that for Tia, she probably would have been lenient."

"Maybe I'll play for her one day, but until then, you might want to get some practice in." Hovering the guitar to Luna, Lyra smirked and stood up. "I'll be back in a week to see how you've gotten on." As she walked for the door again, Lyra stopped. "How did you get my bass back? The train won't be here for—"

"You locked it in a dark drawer. I knew exactly where it was and thought you might like it with you."

Smiling, Lyra nodded to that and felt a little relaxed that such control was something still beyond her. "Thanks, but I think it's going to take me some time to be able to listen that closely to the sources of magic."

With that, and an acknowledging nod from Luna, Lyra made her way out of the royal chambers. She looked at Phil, ignored his big grin, and walked off down the hall. A mental list took form quickly. She'd let the Guard and her parents know her "assignment," and then leave a note in her townhouse in case Scootaloo or Sweetie went there looking for her.

The ride to Ponyville, on the train, was both relaxing and annoying for Lyra. She could have easily teleported, but knowing that she'd actually upset Celestia hurt, and it stole a little of the excitement from her victory.

Author's Note:

Blueblood and Bread Basket: Congratulations! Any plans for the honeymoon?

---

"Getting—" Blue started to say.

"... and staying—" Bread added.

"... away from Canterlot and Ponyville." The pair finished together, grinning like fools and pressed together from shoulder to hip.

---

So I do this "Ask X" thing. X can be any character within the story. You can ask them anything and they will definitely, hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories, and they will answer the best question in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right character to answer. Try to keep it to one question per post!

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Comments

[Damaged]

I was going to chop this up and serve it piecemeal. Sod it. You can have 20k words to nomf on.

[Frazikar]

She could have easily teleported, but knowing that she'd actually upset Celestia hurt.

OK, that's a bit strange for an ending (something's missing, but what??)

[Damaged]

11730121 Fixed. Yeah, she was basically feeling down that she'd completely flubbed part of her mission.

[Numinos]

Amazing chapter : ) Lyra spectacularly and successfully failed her mission in style : )

[Kiper]

Now I find myself wanting a side story from Staccato's perspective on discovering friendship and leaving her former family.

[Stahlseele]

There are some typos in here.
And you may want to check on who wrote the note in the train car to Lyra

[redmar]

Hopefully spending a week assisting Pinkie Pie will allow Lyra to get a better grip on when ponies expect her to make friends. Keeping up with Pinkie Pie might be more work than Lyra assumes although that depends on how much work Pinkie wants Lyra to have during that week.

[Damaged]

11730492 Fixed the letter, thanks. I am always willing to get typos fixed if you wish to point them out. Or I could just give a link to the gdoc.

[Stahlseele]

11730515
i usually try and do just that, but i am still at work for several hours and not even supposed to read this <.<

[Advisability]

Hey, Princess Celestia, Are you alright? We've heard tell that you... find yourself a little left out, what with captain heartstrings' order of magical acquisition. Do you need someone to talk to?

[Booster Spice]

Nice group t make freinds with, maybe we might find out if Torch is old enough to remember if theres any geneological relations between the dragons and sirens?

When those guys get back theyre going to be even narkier pains. Lets ghope Lyra has dicovered some extra bits to go with teh scroll. After all, it gives Lyra the keys to play with teh mind, but her speciality is getting it to dance to her tunes.

Rolling to her back, her armor making protesting sounds at the treatment, Lyra looked up at Luna with a smile. "Hardly labor at all. I'll be spending a week helping Pinkie Pie. Organizing parties and baking aren't punishment, but she knows I'd rather be running myself ragged trying to do other things."

Lyra has knoowlege of not only those different forms of magic, but human technology as ewll, and she thinks being a non magical baker wont be hard work?

Excuse me while I laugh hysterically for a couple minutes.

Normal enough service will be resumed shortly.

Hmm.. Shortcrust.

Mango Crumble?

Pinkie should be pulling it out of the oven just as Lyra opens the door.

Lets see just how genre savvy Lyra is when faced with someone who can recite verbatm skits from everything she has ever seen, on a toally different world shes never been to.

[Damaged]

11730526 Ah. No stress, mate!

[harts fire]

wow this is not only a long chapter but dam this is a amazing chapter..

so is this the start of Lyra supper alicorn.

[cogwheelbrain]

Ok, I'm digging the sirens.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Lovely case of Lyra at her best, and getting even better… aside from missing the actual point of her mission. She really is one of Twilight’s. Celestia pronounced a fitting punishment for such silliness. Now it’s a matter of making it up to her… after Lyra’s Canterlot ban expires.

Looking forward to more, especially if some other accidental artifact joins the enchanted digeridoo.

[tsaukpaetra]

Celestia: "slow the truck down, Lyra!"
Quite funny how Lyra's upcoming week changed drastically four times in one day. 🙃
It occurs that Lyra's lyre mark never referred to a physical instrument.
Magic didgeridoo let's goooo!
Experimentation with siren and thus changeling feeding ready to commence, let's see how she cheats the system now. 😈