Lyra Heartstrings

Lyra Heartstrings, occasionally called simply either Lyra or Heartstrings, is a female unicorn pony who frequently appears as a background character and occasionally in more prominent roles. She has a magic mint coat, brilliant cyan mane and tail with a white streak, sunglow eyes, and a cutie mark of a lyre. The word "heartstrings" refers to deep feelings of love or compassion and is commonly used in the phrase "tug at the heartstrings" which means to cause strong feelings of affection or sympathy.

Design, development, and production
Lyra Heartstrings shares her design with Amethyst Star, Diamond Mint, and Lemony Gem. Her mane style is the same as Rose's and Silverspeed's, and she shares her tail style with Royal Ribbon. Her color scheme is the same as that of "Skyra". She has the same cutie mark as other ponies from the current generation and previous My Little Pony generations. Respective examples are the Earth pony Lyrica Lilac and the G3 Earth pony Bee Bop.

Part of Lyra Heartstrings' name, Lyra, was given by fans before it was adopted officially by Hasbro. Her name first appeared in merchandising as Heartstrings in the accompanying pamphlet of a mystery pack toy released in Europe in January 2012, and was later expanded to Lyra Heartstrings in a Playful Ponies toy, a trading card, the mystery pack toy's U.S. release, another mystery pack toy, a mobile game, a board game, a dog tag checklist, and a collectible card game.

According to a layout artist on the show, background ponies are nameless, but Lyra Heartstrings was labeled "Incidental Unicorn #2" at the studio prior to being named in merchandise and other media and has still been labeled "Incidental Unicorn #2" at the studio as of May 22, 2013. The same layout artist has used Lyra for background gags, such as jumping excitedly, drinking from a cup, or sitting like a human on a bench. Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings frequently appear together, a pairing explained by the artist to be mostly coincidental and based on aesthetic considerations, as far as season one is concerned. The artist has referred to Lyra and the Earth pony variant of Lyra with moderate cerise eyes as the same pony.

Regarding the Alicorn variant of Lyra Heartstrings in the IDW comics', colorist Heather Breckel stated on July 9, 2014 "Tony drew it, I just thought it looked like her" and "I have no idea if it was intentional or not, and was in the zone when I colored it so I didn't think anything of it. I just like putting Lyras everywhere :yay:", and editor Bobby Curnow stated on July 10, 2014 "That would be a mistake!"

Concurrently with G4, a G1 version of Lyra Heartstrings has been introduced IDW Publishing's Transformers vs. G.I. Joe Issue #13.

Season one
Lyra Heartstrings' first appearance is in Friendship is Magic, part 1 in Canterlot, where she walks with Amethyst Star and waves to Twilight Sparkle. She later attends Pinkie Pie’s surprise party for Twilight in Ponyville.

Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops watch the Iron Pony Competition in Fall Weather Friends. In Swarm of the Century, the two marvel at a parasprite that hovers over their table before gobbling up their food, making Lyra cry.

Season two
Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops tussle for Smarty Pants in Lesson Zero. In Luna Eclipsed, a unicorn with her coat and eye color dresses as a mummy for Nightmare Night. In Secret of My Excess, Lyra and Sweetie Drops are surprised when Derpy pops out of a nearby well.

In The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, Lyra Heartstrings is among the crowd of ponies, beside Rainbow Dash, gazing upon Flim and Flam's Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. She also sings along during The Flim Flam Brothers.

In Hearts and Hooves Day, Lyra Heartstrings appears next to Sweetie Drops in the village shot and later in Apple Bloom's fantasy scene. In A Friend in Deed, she, Sweetie Drops, and other ponies hop on roofs during Smile Song. In the market scene of Putting Your Hoof Down, she slumps on a table. Later, she sits up, holding a drink, and talking to Sweetie Drops.

In A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1, Lyra Heartstrings, Minuette, and Twinkleshine are the unwitting bridesmaids of Queen Chrysalis, who is disguised as Princess Cadance. Lyra Heartstrings says she loves the bridesmaids' dresses that Rarity has made. They are bewitched to do Queen Chrysalis' bidding in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2, and try to stop Twilight and the real Cadance from escaping. However, Cadance distracts them with a bouquet of flowers, throwing it into the caves while the bridesmaids jump into the caves after it. They are freed from Chrysalis' control by the end of the episode.

Season three
In Magic Duel, she drinks from a cup and stands next to Sweetie Drops. The two dive for cover when Twilight zaps Pinkie. In Magical Mystery Cure, she attends Twilight's coronation. During Life in Equestria, she jumps excitedly in the crowd as Twilight and her friends pass by.

Season four
Lyra Heartstrings appears in Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 1, Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2, and Rainbow Falls. In Pinkie Pride, she appears in the present day and a filly version of her appears in a flashback. She also appears in Simple Ways, Filli Vanilli, It Ain't Easy Being Breezies, and For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils. In Leap of Faith, she appears as a judge of the synchronized swimming contest. While the other judges give Granny Smith and Apple Bloom a 10, she seemingly gives them a "01", although it turns out she was holding the score mark upside down. She appears briefly in Trade Ya! In Equestria Games, goes through a magic inhibitor that disables all unicorn magic in the Equestria Games stadium. She also appears in Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1 and Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2.

Season five
In Bloom & Gloom, Lyra appears in Apple Bloom's dream running from a swarm of twittermites. In Tanks for the Memories, Lyra participates in the Running of the Leaves. In Make New Friends but Keep Discord, Lyra attends at the Grand Galloping Gala.

Lyra has her first major speaking appearance in Slice of Life, where she and Sweetie Drops help decorate the town hall for Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda's wedding. Lyra becomes deeply upset by the revelation that Sweetie Drops, whom she had known as "Bon Bon", has a secret identity as a special agent from Canterlot. They later reconcile in time for the wedding when Lyra divulges one of her own "deepest, darkest secrets", revealing she once ate imported oats that Sweetie Drops had been saving for a special occasion.

In Princess Spike, Lyra is a delegate at the Grand Equestria Pony Summit. She also appears in Party Pooped where she and Sweetie Drops are playing ball and she receives a flower from her best friend. In Amending Fences, Spike refers to Lyra by her full name. She appears as a filly in a flashback and in a photograph with Twilight Sparkle, Lemon Hearts, Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Moon Dancer. She also appears in Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? in Ponyville's shared dream physically attached to Sweetie Drops. In Canterlot Boutique, Lyra buys a Princess Dress from Canterlot Carousel. Lyra and Sweetie Drops are seen together at the Sisterhooves Social in Brotherhooves Social, and the two are additionally seen together in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, and What About Discord? She and Sweetie Drops also appear in the final group shot during Friends Are Always There For You in The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2.

Season six
In On Your Marks, Lyra watches the performance. She sits between Sweetie Drops and Octavia Melody.

Variants
A number of background ponies have Lyra Heartstrings' design with variations on her color scheme. They are included in the appearances table below. The most common of these is an Earth Pony that looks like Lyra Heartstrings without a horn. A Lyra Heartstrings with moderate cerise eyes occasionally appears in scenes where Lyra Heartstrings runs around town, either on her own - as in Applebuck Season - or as part of a throng of other ponies, as in Boast Busters and The Ticket Master. However, “running Lyra” does not have cerise eyes in Hearts and Hooves Day, and while she has cerise eyes for most of the race in Fall Weather Friends, they are yellow at the beginning of the race. An Earth pony variant with moderate cerise eyes and a bonnet appears in Over a Barrel and Luna Eclipsed.

Appearances
Times stated below are approximate and taken from various videos.

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
In Rainbow Rocks, Lyra makes a brief cameo with Sweetie Drops during an establishing shot of Ponyville. In an alternate world, her human counterpart appears as a high school student.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Lyra Heartstrings appears on 's pages 5 and 17 and the Ghost Variant wrap cover RE back, 's Hot Topic cover and T-shirt, 's page 3 and Midtown Comics cover RE, 's page 14, 's pages 4 and 13-14 and a con cover and The Fall of Sunset Shimmer page 2, 's cover A, pages 13 and 15, and the Hot Topic cover, 's cover A in a yearbook picture and Comics World cover RE, in, on 's Phoenix Comics & Games (and Everfree Northwest) exclusive cover RE reading a publication titled 'Ponies', on pages 8, 16, and 21, on  page 1, on  pages 8, 14, 18, and 19, on  page 9, on  page 12, on  pages 7 and 18, on  page 7, on the  subscription cover, and on  pages 7, 9, and 19.

My Little Pony Micro-Series
Lyra Heartstrings appears on page 19 and  page 2.

My Little Pony: Friends Forever
Lyra Heartstrings appears on an Larry's Comics and Jetpack Comics cover RE, on  pages 3—as an Alicorn—and 22 and two Jetpack Comics covers RE, on  pages 3-5, 7, and 21, on  page 1, on  pages 13 and 20, and on  page 19.

Chapter books
In chapter 13 of Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party!, "Pinkie Takes Action!", Pinkie Pie says Lyra Heartstrings is a musician. In Rainbow Dash and the Daring Do Double Dare, Lyra Heartstrings appears in chapters 3-4. In Rarity and the Curious Case of Charity, Lyra Heartstrings appears in chapter 11. In Applejack and the Honest-to-Goodness Switcheroo, Lyra appears in chapters 1 and 14. In Fluttershy and the Fine Furry Friends Fair, Lyra appears in chapter 2. In Princess Luna and the Festival of the Winter Moon, Lyra gets chased by a Tarax Hippo in her dreams.

Lyra and Bon Bon are the focus of the chapter book Lyra and Bon Bon and the Mares from S.M.I.L.E., in which Lyra joins the spy agency of which Bon Bon is already a long-time agent.

My Little Pony (mobile game)
Lyra Heartstrings is one of the available playable characters in Gameloft's mobile game. A promotional image posted by the official Facebook page of the game on May 7, 2014 uses fanart of her, which also appears to match the game's icon of her.

My Little Pony mobile game description
This loving and compassionate unicorn has a lyre for a cutie mark and will certainly tug at anypony's heartstrings!

Merchandise
A mini-figure toy first released in January 2012 appears in the third wave of mystery packs and in a Hasbro-licensed board game, being of the same pony kind and bearing the same cutie mark, coat color, mane color, and eye color as the unnamed character on the show, though her mane is missing the white streak. Her pose and mane style are the same as the Twilight Sparkle mystery pack toy mold. The toy comes in two variations, light teal as the toy pictured to the right, and Irish green as the drawing on the card. The European mystery pack release names her Heartstrings and includes a collector card stating that she "sings all day!" The U.S. mystery pack release names her Lyra Heartstrings and includes a collector card stating that she "sings and plays all day!" The European board game release's Swedish, Danish and Finnish descriptions all name her Lyra Heartstrings as well, while its Norwegian description names her Lyra Heartstring.

A "Pony Wedding" brushable toy named Lyra Heartstrings was displayed in prototype form at the 2012 New York Toy Fair, and was released later in the same year, sometimes with a MiniDVD of Lesson Zero. This brushable toy's packaging still uses the eye design of Twilight Sparkle but uses the mane style usually seen on Minuette and Sea Swirl. According to the package, Lyra Heartstrings "loves to play! She finds a way to have fun no matter where she goes".

The fifth wave of mystery pack toys features a second mini-figure named Lyra Heartstrings, differing from the first mini-figure in that her coat is much lighter and her mane now has a white streak. The European release includes a collector card stating that she "loves to play!" The U.S. release includes a collector card that uses the same description as the previous U.S. collector card.

Upcoming toy releases displayed at the 2013 New York Toy Fair include a Toys "R" Us exclusive brushable release arriving in-store Summer 2013 and a third mini-figure with the same pose and mane style as the Rarity mini-figure toy mold.

Pop includes Lyra Heartstrings.

The designer of the Comic Con 2011 promotional poster commented in an online forum that he intentionally placed Lyra and Sweetie Drops together for the poster, even though they were only coincidentally placed together in the series.

There is a Lyra Heartstrings Funko figure. A Sweetie Drops Funko figure's online description mentions that "Sweetie Drops is an Earth pony who is identified as a background pony who lives in Lyra Heartstrings."

Lyra adorns a collectible trading card along with Golden Harvest, with the description "There's two in every crowd! Lyra Heartstrings is an excitable pony often seen bouncing and grinning at the back of the herd or lolling in the park sharing bonbons with Golden Harvest, her PFF. Golden Harvest earned the nickname Carrot Top because carrots are always on her mind. These two ponies can be found all over Equestria, enjoying various activities like jumping across rooftops, running from buffalo, and joining in musical numbers!"

In Enterplay's collectible card game, an older version of a card of Zecora, shown at BronyCon 2013, bears the title "Lyra Heartstrings & Bon Bon", and α #201 UR, a card of Lyra Heartstrings, gives her the description "Of all the ponies Twilight Sparkle told about her adventures through the magic mirror, Lyra was by far the most curious." In the game's expansion set The Crystal Games, and #ƒ18, cards of Lyra, list the quote "Bon Bon! BON BON! Over here!" In the game's expansion set Absolute Discord, #26 C, a card of Lyra, lists the quote "I don't know why I'm the only pony in Ponyville who sits like this. It's comfy!"

WeLoveFine.com carries Hasbro-licensed merchandise of fan designs of Lyra, often posed similarly to her slouch in Dragonshy. The products include T-shirts, art prints, dioramas, and others.

Quotes
"I love them."

- A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1 and Mini Pony Collector's Guide

"You're not going anywhere."

- In unison with Minuette and Twinkleshine, A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2

"I want it!"

- In unison with Minuette and Twinkleshine, A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2


 * Slice of Life
 * Bon Bon: I have to admit, when Matilda said we needed this place ready by today, I was a little nervous.
 * Lyra Heartstrings: With you by my side, I knew we'd get it done in time.
 * Bon Bon: There is nothing like a best friend, is there?
 * Lyra Heartstrings: Anything's possible when you know somepony as well as we know each other!


 * Slice of Life
 * Bon Bon: So, uh, you didn't happen to mention our earlier conversation about my [through gritted teeth] secret identity [normal] to anypony, did you?
 * Lyra Heartstrings No. I did not. And you're not the only one with a secret, y'know. You know those expensive, imported oats you were saving for a 'special occasion'? I cooked them all and ate them! All of them! Oohoo! It's sort of thrilling to reveal your deepest, darkest secrets! [laughs]

"Would you like to come have lunch with us?"

- The Fall of Sunset Shimmer

"What kind of horrible gifts were those?"

"She has a point."

- Rainbow Dash and the Daring Do Double Dare


 * Rarity and the Curious Case of Charity
 * Lyra Heartstrings: Wow, Rarity! You've really outdone yourself this time.
 * Lyra Heartstrings: I want to wear it every day!

"It was a... a... a beast! A ghost-beast!"

- Princess Luna and the Festival of the Winter Moon

"Bon Bon! BON BON! Over here!"

- Enterplay collectible card game The Crystal Games #39 R and #ƒ18 cards of Lyra

"Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have a friend like you?"

- Enterplay trading card series 3 #P13 card of Lyra

"I don't know why I'm the only pony in Ponyville who sits like this. It's comfy!"

- Enterplay collectible card game Absolute Discord #26 C card of Lyra

"Why do bowling balls have three holes in them? Pony hooves don't work that way!"

- Enterplay collectible card game Equestrian Odysseys #0 UR card of Lyra

"Where does the phrase 'two left hooves' come from, anyway? All ponies have two left hooves..."

- Enterplay collectible card game Equestrian Odysseys #38 U card of Braeburn

"Do these cards go up to 11? Because you nailed it!"

- Enterplay collectible card game Equestrian Odysseys #43 R and #Pƒ1 cards of Lyra

"Ты мне очень нравишься!"

- День влюблённых в Понивилле

"Celebrate your special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day whether it’s the one you love, or simply your best friend!"

- With Sweetie Drops, My Little Pony Facebook post

"Wow, this brings whole new meaning to the word "snow bank!"

- Enterplay Facebook post