“…And after Pinkie disrupted the hypnotic field, Boulder and I led the freed shoggoths against their former master. While Nhymestl was powerful, he could not stand for long against our numbers. And thus he fled to the outer reaches, never to return.” Maud said, ending her story.
“That’s incredible!”
“Ooh, ooh! Over there!” Pinkie stopped to point at a pair of ponies shopping nearby.
“Oh, Fancy Pants? Y’know, they say he’s the only half-decent noblepony in all of Canterlot.”
“They aren’t entirely wrong, and no, I mean his wife, Fleur Dis Lee!”
Lyra looked at the lithe white unicorn, who trotted so close to her husband that they were touching flanks. “What about her?”
“She’s an Owl!” Pinkie whispered.
“She’s an Owl!?” Lyra hissed back.
“Mm-hmm! Graceful Huntress. She may not look like it, but she’s the latest in a long line of monster hunters!”
“I once watched her take down a Timberwolf Rex using only her rapier,” Maud added. “It took her less than a minute.”
“Does Fancy know?”
Pinkie giggled. “Hasn’t got a clue!” The three began walking again.
“Wow. Next you’ll be telling me Hoity Toity fights ghosts or something— He doesn’t, does he?”
Pinkie giggled. “That prissy pony? No way! All the ghosts would have to do is get a little ectoplasm in his mane, and he’d be too distracted trying to fix it to stop them!”
Lyra laughed, somewhat relieved. She had been half expecting—
“And besides, that’s Photo Finish’s job! Oh, we’re here!”
The bookshop was fairly typical in appearance; large windows, their sills packed with books both old and new, revealed an interior just as crammed with bookshelves. A wooden sign over the door read ‘Grimoire’s Grimoires’, and in a smaller font below that, ‘Books Bought and Sold’.
Pinkie pushed open the door and led them into the shop, which was crammed with bookshelves from floor to ceiling.
“Miss Grimoire! Are you here?”
“Is that Pinkie Pie I hear?” From behind the bookshelves emerged a unicorn who looked old enough to be Lyra’s grandmother. The mare’s light blue coat seemed to sag off of her frame in places, her grey-white mane was pulled back into a tight bun. A pair of dark green eyes peered out over a pair of spectacles, the kind typical of librarians and bibliophiles; despite her apparent age, those eyes held within them a sharp intelligence. “And Maud too! How are you, dearies?”
“Good, Miss Grimoire!” The two replied, Pinkie with enthusiasm and Maud in her typical monotone.
“So, what brings you girls to my shop today?” she asked, eyeing Lyra. “Business or pleasure?”
“Business! We need to use the meeting room.”
“Oh, so you don’t have anything for me today? A pity; I did so enjoy the last one you brought me. I assume she’s one of us then?”
“Yes in-deedy!”
Miss Grimoire turned to face Lyra. “Very nice to meet you, dear. Dusty Grimoire, Librarian of the Forbidden. If you ever come across any odd, dangerous, or magical tomes in your work, you can bring them to me for safekeeping.”
“Lyra Heartstrings, Truthseeker. Pleased to meet you, Miss Grimoire. And, I may have already—” Lyra cut herself short, catching the frantic gesture Pinkie was making behind Grimoire’s back. “Uhh… Never mind.”
Pinkie breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then straightened up when Miss Grimoire turned back to face her. Dusty levitated a keyring over to the pink mare. “Well, here you go; should I be expecting anypony else?”
“Just Ditzy Doo and a non-Owl named Bon Bon. They should be here in the next half-hour or so.”
“Okay, I’ll send them back when they get here.”
“Thanks, Miss Grimoire!”
The mare chuckled. “Oh, it’s no problem at all, dear, you know that.”
The three made their way through the maze of bookshelves, pushing their way into a hallway at the back of the shop. Pinkie inserted the key into the third door on the right, unlocking it and gesturing for the others to enter.
The room was small and mostly empty, apart from a few chairs and a large wooden table that took up most of the center of the space. Pinkie leapt into the chair at the head of the table; Maud climbed into the chair to her left. Lyra followed suit, sitting across from Maud so that she was facing the door.
And they waited.
-----
They didn’t have to wait very long. The door swung open, revealing Ditzy Doo, who walked into the room without saying a word. She was shortly followed by Bon Bon, who looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her curly mane and tail were disheveled, and large bags had formed under her eyes. As she stood in the doorway, her eyes swept the room; when they found Lyra, a look of relief flooded her face. Running forward, she leapt over the table and into Lyra, pulling her into a deep hug. “Oh, thank Celestia, You’re okay, I was so worried, I thought—”
Lyra reciprocated the hug, wrapping her forelegs around Bon Bon’s neck. “It’s okay Bonnie. I’m okay!”
The two held this pose for a few more moments before Bon Bon let go and took a step back.
“Look, Bonnie,” Lyra began, “I know you must have a lot of-“
Bon Bon’s hoof made a loud *SMACK* as it collided with Lyra’s face. This being Bon Bon, ex-secret agent and still-very-fit-despite-having-retired-and-become-a-candy-maker-thank-you-very-much, it hurt. A lot.
“Oww… Okay, I probably deserved that, but…” Lyra said, wincing. “Did you have to hit me so hard?”
“You… complete… IDIOT! What were you thinking?! From what Pinkie said last night, it sounds like you KNEW what was going to be out there yesterday! Why on EQUIS would you run out there knowing that those… those monsters would be out there!? Do you have no sense of self-preservation!?”
“Okay, first of all, those ‘monsters’ were eldritch abominations. Pinkie’s kind.” Lyra corrected.
“It’s true!” Pinkie interjected.
“AND YOU!” Bon Bon yelled, turning her wrath upon the pink eldrony, who visibly flinched under her gaze. “I know you’re responsible for all of this! All Ditzy would tell me on the train ride was that you would explain everything when I got here! So whatever it is you filled Lyra’s head with that made her PUT HER LIFE AT RISK last night, it’d better be good! Because so help me Celestia, I will bring you down if it is anything less than—“
“It was for YOU, BON BON!”
The candymaker fell silent, turning to look towards Lyra in shock.
“Yes, I knew what was going on. Pinkie herself specifically warned me about going outside, because of my ability. I knew exactly what was at stake if I left the house.”
“Then why—”
“And it’s because I knew that,” Lyra continued, “That I had to follow you. Because I knew what was going on, and you didn’t. I had no idea what the situation was at the time; for all I knew one of Pinkie’s cousins had decided to rampage across town. But what I did know was that neither of us could handle it.”
“But—”
“Your training wouldn’t have done any good,” Lyra interrupted, ignoring Bon Bon’s panicked look at the mention of her previous life around the others, “against a being which defies your very worldview! Pinkie and Maud, on the other hoof, have been dealing with the eldritch since they were fillies. They’re part eldritch themselves! I trust them to handle any situation involving anything that you and I can’t comprehend.”
“Then why did you follow me?”
“To protect you!” Lyra cried. “I knew what we were dealing with, so I had to stop you! Because I didn’t want to lose you if something went wrong! Because I couldn’t live with myself if I stayed behind and the next morning you came back a gibbering wreck, or worse! Even if it meant risking my own sanity!”
“But— But!“
“And—” Lyra stopped, and looked to Pinkie for confirmation. Pinkie, sensing Lyra’s intent, nodded.
She swallowed. Time to bite the bullet.
“And… It’s my job.”