The Paradise We're Dreaming Of

by LuminousRabbit


Ermahgerd next part

A minute later, she and the polished, well-kept door made a bad aquaintance as she ignored the brass knocker and rapped upon the wood itself, as many a pony did. After some muffled yelling from inside, Lyra heard a latch being undone, and Spike the baby dragon answered the door.

'Oh. Hey, um-'
'Lyra,' Lyra finished for him.
'Hey Lyra. Do you want to see Twlight, or..?' Spike asked.
Lyra considered. She had planned to just browse, but the egghead unicorn might actually prove useful in finding information. 'Yes please,' she said, and Spike motioned for her to enter the immaculately clean library.
Twilight Sparkle was standing at her little alcove near the window, finishing off a letter to the Princess. She turned to dip the quill in her ink, and out of the corner of her eye, spotted the newcomer.

'Oh, hello Lyra. Where's Bon Bon?' after she had moved to Ponyville, she had noticed those two in each other's company quite frequently.
'Um, that's- that's why I came,' Lyra stammered, 'She's in hospital.' Twilight frowned with concern.
'That's terrible! What happened?' Lyra retold the whole tale, or as much as she had heard, at least. After she had finished, which didn't take very long considering how uninformed she was, Twilight still had a couple of questions.

'Does anypony know why Bon Bon was attacked?' she asked.
'No, no idea. I don't even know who it is.'
'Is there anything you could have done to upset a random stranger?'
'Not as far as I... Hold on, that's it! Bon Bon and I... We're intimate. And anyway, it got out, and I guess not everypony is as okay with lesbians as they should be. But to actually stab Bon Bon?!' Lyra could see Twilight's brain going into overdrive.
Using magic, she brought several books down from their shelves and flicked through the pages. As she read, she spoke. 'There have been several recorded cases of violence and discimination crimes committed against confirmed homosexual ponies over Equestria in the last twenty years...' Twilight trailed off as she read through the specifics of some cases.

'What happened to them? The ponies who were hurt?' asked Lyra eyes wide.
Twilight looked from the book to the scared unicorn before her. 'It would probably be best if you didn't know.'
Lyra knew that while this was probably the truth, her burning curiosity would not allow her to leave without the answers. 'Tell me. Please?' she asked.
Twilight sighed. 'Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you. Hmm, let's see, oh,' her face fell, 'These are really horrible, it would probably just make it worse if I told you.'
Lyra gave her the best death laser she could muster. She figured that Twilight would crack in about three seconds. One... Two... Thr- 'Okay, okay!' Twilight said.
Opening the book, she read: 'Two years ago, a colt in Las Pegasus who was accused of being gay by fellow classmates, was bullied every day. The teachers paid no attention to it, and eventually it got so bad, that - oh Celestia - he hung himself with a length of cord.' Twilight looked up, and Lyra motioned for her to go on. She just couldn't stand not knowing.
'Five, no six years ago, a stallion who regularly attended a gym in Hoofington with his friends, was cornered one evening when everyone had left, and his friends asked him if he was gay, as he had turned away a very good-looking mare that afternoon. He said that he was, and they... They beat him to death.'

'Are there any about mares?' asked Lyra stiffly.
'Yes,' said Twilight, not wanting to lie, 'But they're even worse than all of these! Trust me, you don't want to know, Lyra!'
'Tell me.'
'Wha-'
'Please. I need to know. For Bon Bon. I have to know what's out there.' Twilight bit her lip.
'I think I'll have ask you to leave,' she said.
Lyra's jaw dropped. 'Is it really that bad?!'
'Yes,' said Twilight.
'Fine,' said Lyra, 'Bon Bon and I have never been to court before. How can we win the case? I don't know who did it, but I want to see them in prison.'
'Well, I'll help you with that, I just don't want you going near this book,' the lavender unicorn said, snapping it shut and levitating it to the highest shelf in the room.
'Okay,' said Lyra, acting defeated. She didn't know how, but she'd get the book from Twilight eventually. Something inside of her just had to know.

'Hmm, said Twilight, thinking hard, and pulling some law books from the shelves, 'We need to collect some more information before we can present our case,' she said, completely changing her attitude and pulling a clipboard and checklist from nowhere, 'I need you to collect some information before we talk again,' she scribbled down some stuff, adding boxes for Lyra to check when she had gotten the information.
'You should be able to obtain most of the information at the police station. They may tell you to contact the accused's lawyer, in which case you can get them to give you the information. Legally, they have to tell you what their case is.'
'Thanks, Twilight. Hey, if it's not too much trouble - could you oversee the court case? We may need some help, Bons and I haven't done anything like this before.'
'When's the case?' Twilight asked, summoning her calender from it's place on the wall.
'Eight days away,' said Lyra.
Twilight scanned her calender. 'Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm in Canterlot that day! I'm visiting my parents and Shiny! Sorry, Lyra,' said the purple unicorn.
'Ahh, that's okay,' said Lyra, but she could feel a lump forming in her throat.

After visiting Bon Bon for one last time that night, Lyra returned home. She extracted her harp from it's case and strummed the strings, wishing Bon Bon was there to hear her music. On a normal day, she would have enjoyed watching the cream-coloured pony drift off beside her. It was one of the simple things she enjoyed, along with dreaming of humans and peanut butter-nutella sandwiches.
Oh well. Lyra continued to play the harp, simultaneously working the strings with her hooves and her magic. The magic made up for the awkwardness of hooves, balancing out the slightly clumsy chords with finely-picked harmonies. Lyra took pleasure in working the strings to shape her emotions into a real, tangible sound. Today was melancholy, but with an occasional slight upbeat.

Bon Bon would be home tomorrow, and then Lyra would get more information for the court case. It would be okay. It would all be okay. The sounds she worked from the harp gradually became more and more passionate. There wasn't a particular tune Lyra was following, she just followed her heart, like a dressmaker weaving fabrics together. She took the finest threads, the perfect colours and tones. They were ordinary on their own, but with a good hoof she crafted them into something magnificent and golden. For Bon Bon.
The melody became something more, and soon enough Lyra could not help but slip into the land where everything was a plentitude of brilliant hues and patterns. At first all Lyra saw was the purple, but beneath that was the layers of a finer work. Passionate reds and sombre blues. For a minute she was engulfed in the deep sea of blue, it swirled around her. With a sharp intake of breath, Lyra returned to the land of the living. As her hooves automatically finished the melody, she realised the quality of music she had been playing. The blues, layer upon layer of them, had been a sad tune that had consumed her, and, in raising a hoof to her face, Lyra realised that she had begun to cry.

Lyra had always made a point to be strong for herself, and for Bon Bon, but sometimes just a simple tune that was, in truth, complex beyond tangibility, was all that it took to make her cry. 'Oh Bon Bon...' said Lyra, and she cried herself to sleep.

The next day Lyra Heartstrings dried her tears and welcomed Bon Bon home to a house that, while slightly less clean than she would have liked, was no less welcoming because of it. Lyra's failed attempt at cooking had left them with nothing to eat, but still she insisted that Bon Bon remain in bed and let her do the work. After popping out to the store, Lyra presented the love of her life with grilled cheese sandwiches, the unicorn's signature dish.
Bon Bon didn't really care about the quality of the food, she was just glad to know that nothing had been set on fire (she hoped, she was in bed while Lyra had tried to cook). After eating, the two mares sat down to talk.

'So what's happening with your injuries?' asked Lyra, trying to think of a way to give Bon Bon a reassuring hug that wasn't painful. She failed.
'I'll be fine in another week or so,' said Bon Bon, who really wanted a hug right now, even though she knew it would probably hurt.
'That's good,' said Lyra.
'Yep,' said Bon Bon, her need for a hug overwhelming her sense of smell and taste.
'After the doctors worked their magic, it was mostly just a matter of painkillers. I should be able to do whatever I want if I get some more.'
Lyra perked up a bit. 'Anything for my fair maiden!' she said, adopting a knight-like voice, 'I shall return with painkillers!'
'Some that actually work,' said Bon Bon.
'Yes.'
'And not too expensive.'
'Of course,' said Lyra.
'Nooooooooww, go!' Lyra galloped to the shops in search of painkillers.

When she returned, Bon Bon was clearly in great pain, even if she didn't want to admit it. Her breaths were more like gasps, and Lyra issued her with some painkillers immediately. After that she seemed a lot better. Lyra went around the house doing her best at the household chores, all the while insisting Bon Bon stay in bed. In the evening, Lyra's failed attempt at a cooked dinner resulted in them deciding to eat out. They went to one of the finest retaraunts in town, savouring some delicious wine, and afterwards they returned home.

'How are you feeling?' asked Lyra kindly.
'I actually feel really brilliant,' said Bon Bon, 'I feel amazing. I think I'm on the path to recovery!'
'That's great! I'm going to find out some more information for the case tomorrow.' said Lyra, giving Bon Bon the hug she'd desparately been needing, and then they shared a kiss. They spent the rest of the day lounging around, Lyra playing Bon Bon some uplifting tunes on her harp. Talking, playing, hugging. Perfect.

But it was eating away at Lyra's heartstrings, the fact that Bon Bon could have died, and she wasn't even there to do anything about it. Was it really because they were lesbians? Would anypony really be that cruel because they loved each other? Lyra just didn't understand why. It didn't affect any of them in any way at all. Lyra just didn't understand homophobes, she probably never would.

The next day, Lyra inspected the list of things Twilight had told her to find out. The court case was six days away, but she didn't think she would have any trouble collecting the information before then.
[] Which gender was the attacker?
[] Who found Bon Bon after she was attacked
[] Where did Doctor Whooves leave Bon Bon?
[] Where was she stabbed?
[] Can you form some kind of time frame for the entire thing?
[] Was the attacker alone?
[] Were there any witnesses? If so, who are they and what did they see?

Lyra decided to find out the first step first. She contacted the court, and they gave her the number of Bon Bon's attacker's lawyer. She called up, and a rather sleazy voice answered the phone. But then, all lawyers sounded sleazy to some degree.
'Smarty Pants the lawyer, how may I help you?' the voice came.
'good morning. This is Lyra Heartstrings, I am Bon Bon's lawyer, overseeing the case in six days,' said Lyra, much more confidently than she felt, 'I would like to gather some information for the case.'
'What do you want to know?' said the lawyer reluctantly.
'As Bon Bon was attacked from behind, we don't know what gender the attacker was. Could you please tell us?'
'Female,' said Smarty Pants shortly.
Lyra wanted to ask for the entire case, but she stuck to Twilight's notes, saying 'Will you be calling any witnesses?'
'Yes, we will be calling one witness. Good day,' said Smarty Pants, hanging up promptly.
'Hey!' yelled Lyra into the phone. She tried calling back, but nopony picked up. Faustdamn lawyers.

Sighing loudly, Lyra kissed Bon Bon goodbye and went to talk to Doctor Whooves. She walked to the street corner and knocked on that funny blue box of his. She wondered how he fit in there, it seemed awfully small for a full-grown stallion like him. Oh well.
After a few seconds of waiting, she heard hoofsteps approach the door in a very erratic pattern. The door opened and a brown pony's head poked out at her.
'Oh, hello Lyra. How are you?'
'I'm... Okay,' she said. She tried to peek behind Doctor Whooves, and catch a glimpse of the interior of his home, but he was obscuring it quite well, and it would have been rude anyway.

'How's Bon Bon?' he asked kindly.
'That's why I came over. She's fine, but the court case is coming up, so...' Lyra trailed off.
'Do you want me to come in as a witness?' he asked.
'Well, yeah. Do you know exactly when you left her?'
'No, sorry. I wasn't really keeping track of the time. I suppose I could go back...'
'What?'
'Hmm? Nothing. It wouldn't work anyway, timelines and stuff, can't cross myself.'
'O...kay then. Do you know where you were when you last saw her?'
'Oh, yes. We were just outside the alley where she was attacked,' he said.
'Did you see anything?' The Doctor's brown face scrunched up as he thought,
'No. I heard Bon Bon scream, but I didn't see anything else. When I heard her scream, I went straight for the Mayor. Sorry, Lyra.'
'Thanks anyway. See you,' said Lyra, turning and heading down the street, back to the scene of the crime for some further investigation. When she got there, she noticed ponies staring at her. Of course they were - in a small town like Ponyville news travelled quickly - and she was usually in Bon Bon's company.

A few ponies came up to her, some concerned, others merely hungry for gossip. Lyra shook them off, assuring them that Bon Bon was fine. Directly in between her house and the markets lay the scene of the stabbing. The alley wasn't a particularly out-of-the-ordinary one. Nope, it was just your average run-of-the-mill, slightly thin street, with tall buildings casting their shadows over it. Well, usually.
It was about the middle of the day, and the sun shone directly into this crack. The sunshine perfectly illuminated the bloodstain. The one nopony had bothered to clean away. Yes, a stabbing would have bled a lot, and there was the product of the blood loss. Lyra made a mental note to buy Bon Bon some iron supplements. Pills perhaps. Or at least some cereal.

She inspected the site, not really sure what she hoped to find. Once again, she checked Twilight's checklist. There were still some things missing. Well, a lot of things, but she had tried the mysterious mare's lawyer, and that hadn't helped at all.
Forlorn, Lyra returned to her home, but just as she was about to cross the threshold, a pony tapped her on the shoulder. She looked around, and saw a caramel face staring at her. Lyra blinked. It was Caramel.

'Hello,' she said.
'Hey,' said the blue-eyed stallion.
'What... Are you doing...?' asked Lyra slowly.
'Oh, yeah. I was there, at the stabbing. Y'know, with Bon Bon. Um, I was wondering if you wanted some more information?'
Lyra's confused expression cleared and she smiled warmly. 'Yes, please come in, that'd be great.'
They entered the living room. It was a mess. With Lyra's cleaning unskills - for they were more of a hinderance than a help - and Bon Bon incapacitated, the house had been reduced to a trash heap. Caramel was obviously unhappy at being caught in such unclean conditions, but he was polite and didn't say anything.

The two were distracted from the messiness of the lounge area by a pained moan from Bon Bon's bedroom. Lyra's eyes widened, and they rushed in, to find a red-faced, sweat coated Bon Bon, with glazed eyes and a pained expression.