“Lyra!”
Lyra found herself swept into a hug. Bon Bon nuzzled against her chest.
“It’s so good to see you again,” she said.
Lyra giggled. "And I’m in one piece this time, too!”
She looked up at who else had come with the beast. Winter Bell was just climbing off the back end of it; Ditzy was hovering nearby. And at the beast’s head:
“Silver?”
The stallion tipped his hat at her. “Howdy!”
Lyra extricated herself from Bon Bon and stepped over to them, Bon Bon following. “Why are you here? And how did you guys get here, anyway? And what is that?” she said, pointing at the beast.
“This is Lucille,” Ditzy said, patting the monster on the snout. “An old acquaintance of Silver’s… and the closest time machine to Ponyville.”
Lyra blinked. “That’s a time machine?”
The beast snorted, its large nostrils expanding and contracting.
“Yep!”
“Truley?” Starswirl walked up, running his eyes across the creature’s hide. “I would not have suspected such a thing to be possible… you say this creature brought you back here on an organically forming time travel mechanism?”
Ditzy nodded. “Uh-huh! It’s rare, but I’ve seen a few of them. Lucille’s is the best though! Isn’t that right, girl?” She rubbed her hoof against the back of the creature’s neck. It purred.
“And speaking of time travel mechanisms…” Ditzy said, turning her gaze on Starswirl. “Do I really have to give you the safe travel speech again?”
“In my defense,” Starswirl said, backing away, “It was an emergency, and I had no other options available to me! It was that or nothing!”
“No excuses!” Ditzy said. “Especially not around Bon Bon. She’s the one standing behind you, by the way.”
Starswirl turned around, only to be met by the full force of Bon Bon’s glare. His ears flattened against his head. “Er—”
“You’re lucky she isn’t hurt,” Bon Bon growled.
“I… Yes. I think we all are, really,” he said, turning away. “A-hem… tea?”
─────
Lucille dropped them off in the fields outside of Ponyville, far from any watching eyes. The beast’s “biological mechanism”, as Ditzy Doo had put it, had turned out to be spitting up spacetime-spanning portals like hairballs.
Silver had tipped his hat to them as he’d ridden her into a freshly-made portal, this one back to Appleoosa. Lyra had waved as he’d left.
Together, the four of them, Lyra, Bon Bon, Ditzy and Winter Bell, turned around and began heading towards the town.
“So,” Lyra said. “How were things while I was gone?”
“Hectic,” Bon Bon said. “Mostly we were just focused on getting you back.”
Lyra noticed that Bon Bon was dragging her hooves as she walked. “You know, you look like you haven’t slept since I left.”
“She hasn’t,” Ditzy said, swooping down. By contrast, the pegasus appeared to be filled with energy, and was flying wavy rings around the group.
“Aw, Bonnie…”
“I’m alright,” Bon Bon said. “Just… looking forward to spending a night in my own bed.”
With you, came a second, possibly unintentional reply.
“Me too,” Lyra said. “What about you, Ditzy? You were in pretty bad shape last time I saw you.”
“I’m fine,” Ditzy said, mid-loop. “My vision’s still being weird, though.”
“Your future vision, or your actual vision?”
“Future vision,” Ditzy said. “My eyes are their normal loopy selves, but my future sight’s coming back slowly. I’m only seeing about thirty seconds ahead right now.”
“Oh. What’s that like?”
“Weird.”
They continued their idle chit-chat as they entered town. As it happened, they crossed Ditzy’s street first.
“Well, I’d better go see if the kids burned the house down while I was gone,” Ditzy said. See ya!”
“Bye, Ditzy,” Lyra said. “And, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it!”
They moved on. Within a few minutes, they were outside the candy shop. Lyra noted that the sun was starting to go down.
“It’s getting late,” she said. “I’ll walk Winter Bell home.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Winter Bell said.
“Yeah,” Bon Bon said. “I’ll go.”
“But you’re exhausted!” Lyra said.
“And you don’t look much better. Go inside and rest. I’ll be back soon.”
Lyra sighed. “Alright, if you insist.”
She stayed outside a moment to watch Bon Bon go, and then, retrieving the spare key from inside the planter by the front, she pushed her way into the shop. She moved through the storefront—still in the same mess it had been when Lyra had left—and through the door that lead into their living room, where she flopped down onto the couch.
She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a long breath as she sank into the cushions. She let her legs fall to the sides.
Now that everything was said and done… it had been a while since she’d slept, hadn’t it?
She exhaled again, let herself relax.
Just a little nap, then. Just until Bon Bon got back. She’d definitely earned—
Lyra!
Her eyes shot open. Bon Bon?
A wave of panic swept through the link.
Bon Bon, what’s happening? Are you okay?
Lyra, she’s here!
Lyra jumped off the couch, started moving towards the door. Who? Who’s here?
The link suddenly became subdued, muffled.
Bonnie, who’s here!?
The answer came just as she was stepping through the door.
Hollyleaf!