Lyra’s new job · 9:13pm Aug 23rd, 2019
I don’t have anywhere else to put this snippet of narrative, but here’s something that happened around this time in Lyra and Bon Bon’s life together.
At their kitchen table, Lyra was helping taste-test Bon Bon’s most recent experiment.
“I still think there’s at least a small market for chocolate milk that can be kept for a long time,” Bon Bon said. “For families who have to go long distances without an icebox or for any traveler who wants a sweet drink.” She looked at the whey-based beverage on her table. “But this isn’t it.”
“No,” Lyra agreed. She took another sip from her glass and involuntarily made a face. “But you’ll figure it out. This is already really close.” She thought for a moment. “Which is why it’s weird that something so close to the real thing feels so… off-putting.”
“Yeah… if it was further from actual chocolate milk, it wouldn’t be so unsettling. Counterintuitively. This, though, is so similar that my brain is repulsed by the fact it isn’t just real. Hmm… it seems like there should be a term for that effect.”
Before Lyra could respond, there was a knock at the front door. As she got up from the table to answer it, Bon Bon poured the rest of her glass down the sink. She had just exited from the kitchen into the living room as Lyra turned the knob.
“Twilight!” Lyra said warmly while she was still opening the door. Sure enough, the unmistakable alicorn form of the resident princess was standing at their doorstep. “Come on in!”
As Twilight Sparkle entered their living room, Bon Bon stopped and instinctively bowed. Lyra stepped back and nudged her to get up. Lyra may have been the princess’s friend back during her school days, and the princess herself may have told Bon Bon in the past that bowing wasn’t necessary, but she still felt like she was obligated to do it.
“What brings you by?” Lyra asked.
“Can we get you anything to drink or eat, your highness?” Bon Bon quickly added.
“Thank you, but I’m afraid I can only stop by for a quick moment,” Twilight said. “I have a gift-for-slash-favor-to-ask-of Lyra.”
“Whatever you need,” Lyra said, walking back over to close the door. “What is it?”
Twilight teleported a book in front of her and levitated it over to Lyra, who accepted it in her magic. She stepped over toward Bon Bon, who joined her in examining it.
The cover depicted three symbols. The largest symbol, centered near the top, was unmistakably Lyra’s cutie mark. There were also two slightly smaller symbols in the lower corners. On the left was a silhouette of a horseshoe print. On the right was a symbol that Lyra immediately recognized: A silhouette of a handprint.
With no words printed on the book’s cover, Lyra opened it only to see that the first page was blank. She began to flip through the pages and discovered that they were all blank. She looked up to Twilight.
“This is regarding the portal to the human world,” Twilight explained. Lyra looked down toward the floor, no longer able to meet the princess’s gaze. Twilight had long ago forgiven her for her unauthorized trip to the other dimension, but it wasn’t something they had ever talked about again.
“It’s all right,” Twilight said. “I think you’ll like this.”
Lyra looked back up as the princess continued. “Sunset Shimmer and I have been working to regulate the bridge between our two worlds, and we think we’re almost there. However, between all the labor necessary to stabilize the connection and the occasional distraction with Equestrian magic run amok on the other side, we haven’t had any time for Sunset to teach me about all of the human customs I’ve yet to learn during my visits. And she certainly doesn’t have time to teach the humans about what it’s like to be a pony. Therefore, I’d like to put you in charge of ‘writing the book,’ so to speak, for both species: To let ponies know what it’s like to be a human and to let humans know what it’s like to be a pony. That way, once we do get the link stabilized, visitors from both sides can be given a manual on what to expect and do.”
For a few seconds, Lyra was dumbstruck. Eventually, she was able to say, “I… I’d be honored. But that was years ago, and only for a couple of days. There’s a lot that I don’t know.”
“That’s what the book is for,” Twilight said. “That isn’t an ordinary journal. It’s the same interdimensional method of communication that Sunset and I use. I just returned from the human world, where I gave the human Lyra Heartstrings a book identical to yours. When you write in your book, the words appear in the same positions on the same page in hers. And you’ll be able to see what she writes back. I can’t let you visit the human world right now, but I thought that this would be the next best thing.”
In an instant, Lyra let the book fall from her magic, leaving Bon Bon to catch it in a foreleg. In another instant, Lyra had both of her forelegs around Twilight, enveloping her in a hug that rivaled one of Pinkie Pie’s.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…” she said.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome,” Twilight said.
“…thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…” Lyra continued.
“Yes, you’re welcome.”
That went on for the next fifteen seconds. Twilight started glancing toward the door. Lyra kept thanking her.
Bon Bon set the book down on the nearest end table and stepped over to her wife. “Lyra,” she said, trying to pry a hoof under one of Lyra’s forelegs, “hug me instead. I think the princess has other things she needs to do.”
Lyra transferred her embrace over to Bon Bon. Bon Bon stood with all four hooves pressed firmly to the floor in order to brace against the hug as Lyra rocked back and forth, making quiet, happy squealing sounds.
“You know,” Twilight said, “that was human Lyra’s reaction, too. I really should have expected it to happen again.”
Once Lyra quieted down (although she didn’t stop hugging Bon Bon), Twilight listed some examples of subject matter to be covered in the journal. She also encouraged Lyra to write about any other subjects she felt were important – the goal was to explore all facets of everyday life in both worlds. Twilight reminded her not to include anything private that she didn’t want other ponies to read, then said that if the two Bon Bons wanted to use the book to discuss earth pony magic, to feel free. (Preparing humans to understand even the basics of pegasus flight was a problem that Twilight was addressing separately.) Because Lyra was still in a happy daze, Bon Bon assured the princess that she’d fill her wife in on any instructions she hadn’t fully comprehended.
Just before Twilight left, Bon Bon said, “Will it be easy for you to make another one of those?”
“Oh, yes,” Twilight said. “If the Lyras do manage to fill it up, just let me know.”
“Okay. We’ll probably be by in a couple of days.”
“A couple of days?”
“Princess, this is the only thing she’s going to be doing for the next week. I’ll be lucky if I can get her to sleep.”
Very nice, I think it's a good project for her, and having a connection with her human counterpart should help a lot.