//------------------------------//
// 57 - The Awkward Trip Home Part 2 
// Story: Raison D'être 
// by mechafone 
//------------------------------//

The walk was long, and awkward. While Orea did not detect the sour mood between the other five, the silence between them all was thick. Bon Bon kept her eyes on the distance between Emerald and Lyra, and had eventually moved to walk between them. Lyra hadn't noticed Bon Bon's jealousy, and seemed to be the only one in the group not really paying attention to the tension that was laid thick between everypony.

Meanwhile, Orea was sensing the hostility through Spark, though she didn't understand it. She hopped up onto his back again and nuzzled her face into his mane to thoroughly get his attention before reaching out to him in a telepathic question: Why are they all so tense, daddy? It's almost like they want to attack each other.

Spark winced as he heard Orea's voice inside his head. It had been a while since she'd done that, but he figured her tact was appropriate. I wish I knew, sweetheart. Sometimes, ponies get confused and angry. He glanced towards Emerald and Lyra, who had begun a casual conversation over Bon Bon's back, giving Spark cause for a frown. Of course, some ponies know exactly what they're doing, but don't know that they're causing other ponies pain.

Orea didn't have a response to this. She merely settled atop of Spark's head and watched through a spectrum visible only to her as Bon Bon's body grew steadily louder, a cacophony of unpleasant sensations. Just as the earth pony mare was about to explode, Anorax turned and stopped the group in their tracks. "Hey, guys, I've got an idea: The ratio of pegasus to non-flyers is in favor of getting to Canterlot faster by air, whaddya say?"

Lyra, Emerald and Orea all jumped and shouted in agreement. Even Spark liked the idea, but it could easily explode into...well, there it went. Lyra and Emerald took off into the air, Lyra positioned comfortably on his back, both whooping and cheering as they took off into the air. It seemed they were just waiting to jump at a chance like this.

Spark heaved a heavy sigh and planted a hoof on his face, then dragged it down until he was glaring at Anorax. The Halfling winced and stepped away as Bon Bon's anger grew, now directed at him. He could sense her inner turmoil as easily as Orea could. Finally the earth pony turned to Spark and marched towards him.

Spark backed away, his eyes full of panic. "Wh-wait a second, Bon Bon! Why don't you go with -" he hardly had time to finish before Bon Bon jumped around him and up on to his back. She gripped him with both sets of legs, and even though Spark could tell that she didn't enjoy their proximity, she was trying her hardest to make sure he was enjoying it. "Bon Bon...seriously, if you're going to use me to make Lyra jealous, you should at least make sure she's watching...not that I'm condoning your behavior..."

Bon Bon brought her hind hooves together against Spark's hips twice. "Enough talk, they're getting too far awaaaaay!" The earth mare screamed as she was air-lifted away from Spark as the shadow of a massive wingspan passed over them. Spark looked up in shock as he saw Sohl carrying Bon Bon off in one of her massive talons.

"Sohl! What do you think you're doing?!" Spark shouted as he took off at a run and started climbing the trees to gain altitude.

"I'm fixing your problem! It's bad enough I have to listen to that crap in my head thanks to Orea, but it's even worse when you don't have the balls to fix this yourself!" Spark groaned as he heard Bon Bon screaming in terror as the harpy bore her away.



Bon Bon tried to keep her panic down. This was one of Spark Storm's friends, right? She squirmed, trying to turn around in the massive talon's grasp. "H...Hey! Where are you taking me?!" she shouted as the trees flew by underneath her.

The harpy looked down at Bon Bon, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'm taking you to catch up with your girlfriend. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have the both of your feelings inside my head?"

Bon Bon, still hyperventilating a little bit, was confused. "I don't understand! How do you-"

"Orea," the harpy responded. "She did something to me a while back that let's me see and hear everything she does. And she's an animal! She has all different kinds of senses and instincts and they're all in my head. I can honestly say it's situations like these that make me glad I don't socialize!"

Bon Bon scowled up at Sohl. She took offence to being spoken to in such a manner. Before she could complain, though, she felt herself being lifted in one of the harpy's powerful legs until she was inches from the harpy. Sohl's steel pink eyes lightly fluttered, and Bon Bon felt one of Sohl's talons brushing through her mane. "You know, if you wanted to make your girlfriend jealous, you'd have better luck messing around with another female, don't you think?"

Bon Bon's body couldn't decide if she was turned on or terrified. On the one hoof, this was a terrifying creature that could easily kill her and would probably just as soon eat her. Then again, Bon Bon knew how interested Lyra was in getting to know Sohl. Getting freaky with this harpy would be much more effective in getting Lyra's attention than it would with Spark.

"Uh, I-don't..." she stammered. Sohl smirked as she flew through the air, her movements flawless and unburdened even with Bon Bon in her grasp.

"What, are you afraid of getting close to a monster? So afraid that you'd prefer using Spark Storm to make your little girlfriend jealous?"

Bon Bon looked away from the harpy in shame. It was true; she hadn't any qualms about using Spark for her own ends. Why would using Sohl be any different? The earth pony turned away, or tried to, hoping to catch Emerald and Lyra flying together.

"Or, you know, you could just talk to her and avoid all of this drama crap," the earth pony heard Sohl say. She wriggled around in the claw until she was facing the harpy, a hard look in her eyes.

"I'm sure this situation is completely amusing to you, but this is serious business! I've got to teach Lyra to respect me and to stop -" Bon Bon couldn't speak any more, not with Sohl's long talons squeezing her middle.

"You know what, you can forget about messing around. Spark might be lacking the balls to break up the little party and tell you all how he feels, but at least he doesn't get himself into stupid situations like this!" After a moment, Bon Bon could breathe again. She kept silent the rest of the trip, merely reflecting on her stupid situation.



It was another two hours before Canterlot came into view. While for somepony like Spark Storm it took only an hour or two to get to Ponyville from the castle, it was a much longer trip going back. The uphill climb made Spark work as he had to take detours through the trees. This time, however, he had Anorax to help him. The white pegasus held Spark's forelegs in his as he flew the two of them up over the castle walls and into the Royal Gardens.

Spent from hauling the heavier pegasus so far, Anorax released Spark to the ground and promptly landed next to Orea's ash tree. He was about to sit down and relax when Orea bounded up onto his back, then his head, then ran up the tree at a perfectly vertical position until she came to her favorite nook. "Mommy, I'm home!" she called, nuzzling happily against the bark of her mother's tree.

Anorax stared up at the little nymph, then turned to Spark with an amused look on his face. "So, you and the tree...?"

"Shut up, Anorax." Spark retorted, rolling his eyes with good-natured amusement. The two shared a laugh that rang out in the gardens. It wasn't long before they were graced with the presence of the Princess, flanked on either side by her royal guards.

Spark stepped up beside Anorax, and as one they bowed. Celestia smiled warmly at this gesture, and raising a folded foreleg, gestured for them to rise. "My little ponies, it's good to see you both," as she spoke, Spark detected a strained tone in her voice, and he had a pretty good idea what it was about. "Spark, I must ask that you keep a tighter watch on our harpy "friend"," Spark could practically taste the disdain in the Princess' term of friend.

"Of course, Princess. I'm terribly sorry. Is Bon Bon alright?"

Celestia made a sound that was full of mirth, a hoof covering her mouth. "Oh, she'll live, I'm sure. She seems rather upset about something, she's at the entrance to the garden, alone." the princess said. She cast her glance down at Anorax, a curious look in her eyes. Anorax smiled up at her, a shared look between the two.

"He knows, your majesty," he said, gesturing with a wing to Spark Storm. "He was perfectly accepting once Lyra and I explained everything."

"That's wonderful, Anorax!" Celestia said with a genuinely happy smile. "I'm so happy that you can share your secret with another close friend. Now, Anorax, I'm sure you want to get situated and tell Spark your plan."

Spark blinked in confusion as Celestia turned to leave. He turned to Anorax with a question in his eyes, which Anorax answered by laughing at him. "Dude! You totally forgot why I came, didn't you?" Spark had indeed forgotten. Sohl's kidnapping of Bon Bon had taken precedence in the dark pegasi's mind.

"Oh! The birth-" Spark was cut off as Anorax clamped a hoof over his mouth. He turned muffled a demanding explanation. He got his answer as Sapphire Snow herself landed right in front of the two.

"A birthday? Oh, whose?" she asked exuberantly. Anorax froze for just an instant, and Spark's eyes widened as he glared at Anorax, whose hoof had not removed itself from over his mouth.

"Uhhh Spark's?" Spark rolled his eyes and groaned, a muffled sound.

"Spark's birthday is in March," Sapphire said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Anorax. "Sorry, who are you?"

Tired of waiting for Anorax to let go of him, Spark's right wing snapped out to the side, catching Anorax in the chest and sending him tumbling to the side. Spark grinned at Sapphire and gestured with a hoof, "That's Anorax. He's an old friend from Ponyville. He's here to hang out and catch up for a couple weeks."

"Oh, ok!" Sapphire replied with a big smile, seeming to accept Spark's word. "But...what are you guys talking about? Whose birthday?" The cogs in Spark's mind began to turn. He couldn't tell her the truth, he'd have to come up with a convenient lie. Lie, lie, lie...he thought, sounding out the word. Suddenly, it came to him.

"Lyra's birthday! She-uh, her birthday is in a couple weeks. That's why she's here." he nodded, affirming his statement. Sapphire looked excited and started bouncing on her hooves. "Lyra's here?! Why didn't you say so?!" Sapphire hopped close and kissed Spark passionately for a brief moment then took off to look for her old friend, leaving Spark pleasantly dazed.

"Well played, buddy," Anorax said as he hobbled up next to Spark. "Next time, give a guy a warning before you use those things, they're dangerous!" The pegasus lightly rubbed his shoulder where Spark had hit him with his wings. "C'mon, I need to show you something."



Having left the girls to get reacquainted, Spark and Anorax made their way to the castle. The two tread quietly through the grand halls until they came to the ballroom, large, spacious, empty. Except for a single white unicorn mare with a blue mane. She looked to be around their age, maybe a little older. She was working in the far corner, setting up some machinery.

"Hey, Vinyl!" Anorax called, then gestured for Spark to follow. The mare looked up from what she was doing to reveal pretty rose eyes.

"Oh hey, cuz, what's buzzin'?"

"I wanted to introduce you to 'the generator'. His name is Spark Storm. Spark, say hello to my cousin Vinyl Scratch. She's a technical and musical genius, and she'll be heading the surprise party we've got set up for you and Sapphire."

Spark tilted his head at the term 'generator'. He shrugged and held out a hoof. "Hey there. I didn't even know Anorax had family outside of Ponyville."

Vinyl looked down at Spark's hoof, then at Anorax, then spread her hooves open wide. "'Eyyyy!" she exclaimed, and went in for a big, crushing hug, dragging both stallions into her forelegs. She grinned and patted them both on the shoulders. "I can't tell you how excited I am, dudes! This is gonna be the biggest project ever!" After a moment of silence from Spark, she gave Anorax a light punch on the arm. "Did you even tell him what we have planned? I bet you didn't."

Anorax chuckled nervously and rubbed his shoulder where his cousin hit him. "Ya didn't," she said, giving Anorax a glare. With an overly dramatic sigh, she reached over and pulled Spark over towards the machinery she was setting up. "All right, bro, listen up, this is what's gonna go down..."



Yeah, you're gonna have to wait, heheh. The count-down to the end of Raison Detre has begun! I'll try to wrap this up in the next few chapters, but it might be more than five chapters. We're so close! Stay tuned!