Chapter 4: Meeting New Ponies

Outside was just like normal. Well, it was slightly different, in the way that all the houses were hay-thatched roofs, and sort of medieval looking. And instead of cars driving past, ponies like them were walking in the streets and making way for pony-pulled carts. In other words, it was completely different. Edd walked in, holding the now open can between his teeth. He'd managed to find a straw somewhere, and when he set down the can, he wasted no time in drinking it. After he'd downed half the can, he looked outside. The straw fell from his mouth, and he stood to get a better view.

"No… Way…" Tom was taking the best out of the three. He just stared, bored, and reached for his flask without thinking. Taking a swig, he didn't even notice that he's using his hoof as a hand. Edd glanced over at Tom, and stared, openmouthed. Tom frowned.

"I don't remember putting apple cider in here. Who did it?" He growled.

"Tom…?!" Edd couldn't stop staring at Tom's hoof.

"What?" Tom said flatly, then realized what he was doing.

"Oh. That's new." Matt, glad that he didn't have to use the green glow again for Edd, inched away and silently went to his room unnoticed. There, he stayed and tried to calm down by admiring himself. But when he went to look at his pictures, all of them showed him as his current form! Discouraged, he huddled under his covers for a while, mulling over how he'd get his pretty, pretty face back. Meanwhile, Tom and Edd were discussing if they should go outside.

"Tom, we can't just walk out there! You're drunk, and have a hangover, AND- wait, where's Matt?"

"Probably went outside or something. After all, he probably wanted ponies to admire him."

"Um, Tom?"

"Yeah."

"You just said 'ponies' instead of 'people.'" Tom blinked, then shrugged.

"Slip of the tongue." Edd looked at him strangely, but let it drop. He sighed and started to walk towards the door.

"Come on, we have to find Matt before he gets into trouble." Tom grunted and stumbled after Edd.

From inside his room, Matt was unaware of his colleagues leaving him; he was too wrapped in misery. I need my old self back! Maybe somepony can help. He didn't seem to know that he used 'somepony' instead of 'someone.' He trotted out of the house, and shut the door behind him with his teeth. He didn't know where to start. After walking for a few minutes, he was hopelessly lost. Turning around, he saw a pink pony with balloons on her flank approaching him.

"Um, excuse me, could you-" The pony gasped, her eyes bulging, and raced away. Matt stood there, stunned.

"Is this form really THAT ugly?"


Edd and Tom were still walking when they came across the same pony Matt had. She did the same thing; gasp, stare, and run. Tom and Edd shared a confused glance, before shrugging and continuing on.

Matt soon came upon a boutique. He still hadn't had a chance to see fully what he looked like now, and he was concerned about how the pink pony had reacted. Walking up, he tried to use his magic to open the door. It worked! A little too well. The door opened and slammed into Matt's face, which was just in range. Scowling he rubbed his sore cheek and stepped in. Inside was paradise. Mirrors were everywhere, and every magnificent cloth imaginable was stored neatly. His breath stopped, and he turned around slowly to take it all in.

"Oh, hello! My name is Rarity. How can I help?" Matt spun to see a soft white unicorn with a curly purple mane. She had three blueish diamonds on her flank. Matt was so flabbergasted that he couldn't speak; he just opened and shut his mouth like a gaping fish.

"Um, well, you see…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm new around here, and-"

"Say no more! Oh, I can just see an outfit for you that would totally blow away that boring old hoodie and overcoat! Come! I need to take measurements!" Rarity couldn't hide her excitement as she dragged Matt to a measuring station by his tail with her magic.

"You already look handsome, but with this new design, you will look absolutely FABULOUS!" Matt, completely unused to being called handsome by anyone other than himself, swelled with pride. He caught sight of himself in a nearby mirror, and couldn't help thinking Rarity was right. The two started talking, and seemed like they would never stop.


Edd and Tom soon found their way to a small hut, slightly out of the way. As they watched, a pink maned, yellow pegasus with three pink butterflies on her flank came walking out. She shut the door with her hoof, like how Tom had picked up his flask. She turned again to continue down the road towards them, but stopped, staring at them in shock. With a small squeak, she dived off the road and into the bushes. Edd walked up to the trembling bush and lifted some branches so he could see inside. The mare was curled up, shaking. Confused, he motioned for Tom to come over. With another sip from his flask, he did.

"Excuse me, but, um, we're looking for a purple unicorn, with a ginger mane and tail. Have you seen him?" The only reply was another squeak, and she curled up tighter. Edd shrugged and let the branches resume their normal position.

Tom wasn't having any of it. He lifted the branches again, and the mare peeped out at him. From her perspective, Tom was a scary looking pony with freaky eyes, who didn't look like was a kind soul. In fact, it didn't look like he even HAD a soul.

"Have you or have you not seen him? It's kind of important! That idiot can do a lot of damage when left alone, and we don't want to be the ones responsible for any of it!" With that, he rattled the bush angrily before stalking a bit of a ways away to drink. Edd gently lifted the branches again, trying to not startle the poor, traumatized pony.

"Sorry about him. It's been a rough day. Please, can you help us?" She shook her head cautiously, still shaking. Edd sighed.

"Alright. Thanks anyway." He carefully let the branches take their places, and walked over to Tom.

"No luck." Just then, a shadow passed overhead. A loud thump was heard as something landed behind Edd. He turned around slowly, and came face to face with an angry, light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane.

"Just WHAT do you think you're doing?! You better not have hurt Fluttershy or I'll kick your sorry behinds!"

"I-it's ok, Rainbow Dash…" Said the soft voice of the yellow pegasus as she emerged from her bush.

"I'm fine…" Rainbow turned quickly and started to inspect her for injuries, while Tom took another swig. Edd, trying to ease the tension, cleared his throat.

"You wouldn't happen to know a purple unicorn, do you?" Rainbow Dash spun around again.

"Yeah…" She said cautiously.

"Why?"

"Could you take us to them?" Minutes later, they arrived at the library. The boys were confused, seeing only a tree with a few house-like modifications. Rainbow knocked on the door, then walked in.

"Twilight! These two have been asking around for a purple unicorn! Do you know them?" The unicorn called Twilight turned around from where she was shelving books.

"No, I've never seen them before. Are you new in town? Have you met Pinkie? Who'm I kidding, you almost certainly have; she's PINKIE! Anyway, why're you looking for me?" Edd, completely caught off guard by getting the wrong unicorn, tried to speak.

"Um, well, you see… Wrong unicorn. I guess we weren't specific enough… Purple unicorn, yes, with a spiky ginger mane and tail. Seen him?" Twilight shook her head.

"You'll have to ask Pinkie. She knows everypony in Ponyville." At this, Tom and Edd couldn't hold back their snickers. The girls watched them, confused. After the laughter died down, they noticed the strange looks they were getting. Twilight shook her head and muttered something about a doctor or something, and hooves. Then she lifted her head again, as well as one eyebrow.

"You're not from around here." She stated, now sure of her previous speculation. All doubt the girls had were erased when the boys nodded. Tom took another swig, and cursed again.

"I keep forgetting this thing's filled with apple cider! What happened to my alcohol?!" Growling, he recapped the flask after another mouthful. Twilight stared at them funny for a moment.

"Does the word 'human' mean anything to you…?" Tom spewed the cider, and Edd sat down, stunned. Twilight and Rainbow wiped cider off their faces. Fluttershy had hidden behind them the moment Tom moved.

"I'll… Take that as a yes. Let's go see Pinkie. But first, we need to see Lyra." At this, Rainbow flew straight up and hovered above the ground.

"WHAT?! You seriously believe Lyra was right about that mythology?! And that THESE TWO are related to it?!" Twilight nodded firmly. Rainbow sighed.

"Well, no matter how weird it gets, I'm here for you. And so's Fluttershy, right?" The yellow pegasus was quick to nod. Twilight got right down to business.

"Come on, we need to go talk to Pinkie. Once we get your friend back, we'll head straight to Lyra. I hope she can shed some light on this confusing situation." The group nodded and turned, walking out the door.


Matt and Rarity were still talking when an orange pony walked in. They were in the middle of discussing what light makes your hair look better when the new pony cleared her throat. She was blond, with three red apples on her flank.

"Oh, Applejack! How nice of you to join us! This fine stallion here is Matt, and he has simply the most WONDERFUL fashion taste!" Applejack regarded him for a moment before turning back to Rarity.

"Fluttershy was supposed to come with Rainbow to help with the rabbit problem, but they never arrived! I checked Twilight's, but there was nopony home. Have you seen them today? I'm awful worried."

"Oh, Applejack, relax! They probably just went to Sugarcube Corner for a snack or something, nothing to worry about. Speaking of which, I'm dreadfully hungry. Shall we go grab a snack while we look?" Rarity glanced at AJ and Matt. They both nodded, hungry as well. Matt walked ahead and opened the door with his magic, which pleased him immensely that he'd gotten it under control, and bowing low to the mares. This put Rarity in a fit of giggles, and she curtsied as she stepped out. AJ just smiled and nodded thankfully, and Matt followed them out, shutting the door behind them.


As a matter of fact, the three mares, Edd, and Tom, were in fact heading to Sugarcube corner. As they opened the door, the pink party pony exploded up in a cloud of confetti, right in front of their faces. Tom didn't even seem fazed, and just stared, bored, straight ahead. Edd, however, wasn't drunk and mellow like Tom. He stumbled back and sat, startled at the flash of color.

"SURPRISE!" The pink pony started to hop and talk a mile a minute.

"IsawyouearlierintownandIneversawyoubeforesoIknewy oumustbenewandIthought:'Ishouldthrowthemapartytowe lcomethem!'SoIdidandhereweareandisn'titstarngehowy outwocameonthesamedayastheotherponydid?I'dneverkno wnanotherpurpleunicornexceptTwilight!I'dneverseenh imbeforesonowIneedothrowapartyforhimtooandILOOOOVE parties!And-" The rambling was stopped mid-exhale by a deep breath. Twilight shoved her hoof in the pony's mouth to stop her.

"Pinkie, did you say something about another pony, another purple unicorn? Did he have a ginger mane and tail?" Pinkie nodded as best she could.

"Mmmhmm!"

"Where?" Pinkie spat out Twilight's hoof.

"He was headed towards Rarity's boutique, I think! OH! That rhymes! Hey, want a cupcake? Here you go!" Edd found a chocolate cupcake shoved into his mouth without warning. Tom allowed a smile. Edd glared at him, until he started to taste the cupcake itself. In pure bliss, he chewed and swallowed with his eyes closed, savoring every moment. He licked the icing off his lips and stood again.

"Oh, here he comes now! With Rarity and Applejack, too!" Pinkie bounced past them to the approaching three. Edd and Tom locked gazes with Matt as he walked up.

"So. How's your day been so far?" Matt asked in a casual tone. Then he noticed Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. He seemed delighted to have found another purple unicorn, though he didn't know why it mattered so much. It was just the fact that- PURPLEUNICORNS! After introducing themselves, the nine seemed at a loss of words. Well, eight of them were. Pinkie was enjoying the party, and trying to make Tom smile. It was driving her insane (insane-ER) that he just stood there looking bored the whole time. Finally, Edd tried to ease the awkwardness.

"So… Weren't we going to see Lyra?" This was the wrong thing to say. Rarity immediately seemed suspicious.

"What do you want with her? She's all into boring old stuff, like mythology and whatnot." Edd and Matt seemed reluctant to explain why they were looking for her, but Tom wasn't. He was opening his mouth to spill the beans when a grey pegasus with a blond mane, and bubbles on her flank. Tom was about to yell at her, but then he saw her eyes. He stopped, confused.

"Oops! Sorry, mister!" Tom couldn't reply. He'd never seen anything like it; the mare's eyes seemed to be crooked or something. One pointed slightly higher than the other, and were crossed. When she tilted her head as she was apologizing, her eyes switched positions. Matt and Edd couldn't help staring, too, but Rainbow Dash smacked them both for being rude. Nopony dared smack Tom, though. He finally found his words.

"O-oh, um, yeah, it's fine…" The mare seemed relieved, and nodded her thanks as she stumbled off. Tom stared after her. Watching him, Matt and Edd couldn't help but look in awe. The mighty, drunk Tom, at a loss of words because of a mare with an eye problem. They had never really figured Tom would love anything other than Suzan, his bass guitar. Shaking his head, he snapped out of it.

"What are you looking at?" He growled at them. They whistled innocently, looking anywhere but at him.

"I know what you're thinking. No, I don't like her. It's just… Have you ever seen eyes like that? It was so… Cool! I almost wish I had eyes so I could do that! Almost." The boys had to agree, it was pretty cool. They let Tom off the hook. For now. Twilight cleared her throat.

"Ahem. So. Lyra usually hangs out at her house, where she studies books she's borrowed from me, or holds meetings with other believers. It's around lunchtime, so she'll probably be out eating or visiting. Why don't we stay and enjoy the party until lunch is over, then meet at the door?" Nopony had any objections, so they set off on their own separate ways. Rarity went straight to a group of well-dressed ponies, and started talking about the latest fashions. Matt found the nearest mirror and admired himself. Applejack headed right to the food tables, and piled a plate with whatever apple delicacies she could. Fluttershy scurried off to a quiet spot where she felt safe, and Tom went up to the DJs, Vinyl Scratch and Neon (as proclaimed by the giant banner above the equipment). That left Twilight and Edd, who didn't go to parties much and had no idea what to do. They shuffled their hooves for a while, and kind of just drifted their own ways. Edd caught sight of Tom, now near the punch bowl and talking with a light magenta pony with a bunch of purple grapes and and a strawberry on her flank. They were both very obviously drunk, and leaning on each other for support, hiccuping. Just then, Vinyl's voice was broadcasted over the speakers.

"Aaaaaattention ponies! It's time for EPIC WUBS! Let me hear you say 'YEAH!'" The crowd cheered and stomped.

"YEAH!" Vinyl and Neon shared a glance as they both adjusted their equipment. Edd had barely enough time to glance around and catch a glimpse of the worried mares heading his way, before the whole building shook with the force of the wubs. He felt he was most certainly deaf now, and could only hear a loud ringing in his ears, with the dim sound of the actual wubs. He could certainly FEEL it, though. With difficulty, he made his way over to Tom, and ragged him over to Matt. dragging them both by their tails, he headed for the door, where the mares were waiting. They hurried out of danger distance, to try and stop the loud ringing in each of their ears. After a few minutes, they could hear again, but everything still sounded quiet-ish. Tom, Edd, and Matt followed behind as Twilight took the lead, walking to Lyra's house. It didn't look any different from the others, but Twilight seemed sure it was the right one. She knocked, and the door was opened by a mint green unicorn, with a lighter green mane and tail. Her mane and tail also had white stripes in it, though she didn't look old; it was just the coloring. On her flank was a golden lyre. But the strangest thing was that she was standing on two legs, like a human would. She blinked, confused.

"Oh, hey Twilight. Are you here for my books? Sorry, I thought I still had two more weeks left before I had to return them."

"No, that's fine. We're here because of them." Gestures to the boys. Lyra raised an eyebrow, and Twilight quickly explained.

"They used to be humans." Lyra could obviously not know what to think. Confusion came first, then doubt, then hope, then curiosity. Finally, after a long moment's silence, she stepped back to let them in.

"I need to hear this. From the beginning."