//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 
// Story: Shattered Pentacle 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

Lyra stepped off the bus a few blocks from her apartment. The shelter of sunlight was long gone, along with the armor it might've offered against the Kindred. Their dark influence might be gathering in any shadow.
Not long ago, Lyra would've insisted on waiting for a direct ride home, rather than venture unprotected after dark. Even Bonnie's strange weapon couldn't make her feel safe enough. But since Awakening, she saw the world differently. No common vampire would ever sneak up on her again. If anyone moved in the dark without a heartbeat, the living world would tell her.
She saw none that day. Just long shadows and dark clouds, heralding the storm to come. Lucky for her familiar, there was no rain yet, though the pavement was already damp in places.
Ponyville was not some remote, impoverished little corner of the world—it had wide sidewalks, bright streetlights, and an affordable bus system. Even without magic, Lyra would have no trouble navigating her way home.
That said, there was very little activity on the streets after sundown. Only a handful of restaurants and shops remained open long after dark, and none of those were close to her home. That meant she had the sidewalks mostly to herself, while families behind glowing windows prepared for their evening meal. 
Bonnie had probably ordered a pizza or something. Her girlfriend was an excellent chef, but rarely had the time to express that talent. She was too busy saving the world.
“I trust you were learning today, student,” Capper said, pawing along ahead of her. “Many lessons. I trust you will approach transformation with the appropriate level of care. We may need to find another place to practice next time, where we won't be interrupted. We had scarcely begun your lesson.”
Lyra rolled her eyes. The more other mages and their familiars she met, the stranger Capper seemed by contrast. Even those who looked like animals were actually ancient spirits, and many had served more than one mage. But none she'd ever seen talked to their partner like they were an apprentice.
It was fine with her, so long as he kept teaching. Without Capper, she wouldn't be learning half as fast. “Do you think Starlight was right? I should try something with a bigger brain next time? Maybe a deer, like she said. They seem like they have fun. Running... eating grass... and they're graceful like you are.”
Capper laughed with his usual bitterness. “That would be easier, Lyra. It would also be easier for the aspiring athlete to replace their weights with foam. Yet would their body benefit? What is the purpose of a challenge if it does not allow you to grow? That magic is within your reach, yet it would not provide an adequate obstacle for your talents.”
She slowed as they approached the last crosswalk. Her own door wouldn't be much beyond it. Bonnie had some of the sharpest senses she'd ever known—the last thing Lyra needed was having her girlfriend overhear her talking to a cat. For better or worse, she was only speaking English. That meant whatever she said could be easily understood, if anyone was listening.
“You're saying I'm talented.”
He spun, batting at her ankles as she passed him. “Obviously. I can't cast the spells for you, Willworker. The triumphs are yours. Do not grow complacent in your victories—the understanding you have yet reached is feeble and shallow. To achieve mastery, much more is required. Study faithfully, be obedient, and you may survive long enough. I hope so. I don't want to watch another one die.”
The walk sign illuminated then in a flash of white, but Capper didn't follow. That wasn't entirely unexpected—Bonnie still didn't know the extent of their relationship. If she ever discovered Lyra was taking the cat with her, she might eventually grow suspicious. She was hunting witches after all—and Capper was the perfect stereotype of a black cat.
She found the windows of her own duplex all dark as she approached. Strange—her girlfriend's new car was in the spot. Not even feeble cracks of light emerged from inside.
Lyra hesitated on the threshold, forcing both arms to her sides. She resisted the urge to whisper more of Capper's powerful words to her spell. But that wasn't always the best idea, particularly when she was trying to keep hidden. She'd already found her girlfriend hurt in there once before.
Even without the words, it only took a moment's focus to tell her what she needed to know. Many things lived in these buildings, great and small. Importantly there was only one inside her apartment. Bonnie wasn't bleeding to death, or even lightly injured. Instead, she radiated nervous energy, moving rapidly back and forth through the apartment.
Good. Lyra took her keys, then unlocked the door. It swung only an inch or so, then caught on one of several redundant locks. Bonnie never locked those when she wasn't around!
“One sec!” a voice called from the other side. Her girlfriend darted to the door, then pulled it properly closed. Locks clicked, chains rattled, and mechanisms shifted. Only then did it finally swing open.
Despite the darkened windows, every single light blazed inside, filling the space with uncomfortably harsh white. Lyra lifted one arm to shield her eyes—only for her girlfriend to catch her by the wrist and yank her inside.
No sooner was she through the door than Bonnie slammed it closed behind her, locking each security mechanism as fast as her considerable dexterity would allow. “You're late. You didn't text.”
Lyra nodded apologetically. “Time got away from me. I thought I would make the earlier bus.” She looked around, eyes slowly adjusting to the harsh conditions.
Every window was dark because they'd been entirely covered, with a strange steel barrier over the inside. They resembled the security doors on some shops, jointed steel that swung down in a roll and locked on the bottom. Every window had one, along with little piles of sawdust and heavy cardboard boxes that they had probably shipped inside.
“Woah. You did all this after I left for work?”
She didn't really have to ask. Bonnie wore dirty overalls soaked and smeared with sweat. Grease and other things covered her skin wherever it was exposed. Despite her strength, there was a sluggishness to Bonnie's movements that was usually absent. 
“Yes. I wish I had better news, Harper. There's... been a development. Nothing good.”
She followed them into the kitchen. Sure enough, a stack of pizza boxes sat on the table, already soaked through with grease and probably cooled until they were lukewarm. Bonnie nodded towards them, almost practically. “Hungry? You should eat.”
Lyra flipped open one of the boxes—chicken alfredo pizza, her favorite. Besides, it was still warm and tasty enough to enjoy. If she had something stuffed in her mouth, then Bonnie couldn't expect her to answer any hard questions. “What happened?”
Her girlfriend circled past her, checking the metal shutters on each window in turn, then the larger one on the back door. All were secure. “Nothing yet.  It's about what will happen—tomorrow, just after sundown.”
Lyra nearly dropped the pizza from her fingers. We just planned that a few minutes ago. She can't possibly know! But Lyra didn't actually have any idea of just what her girlfriend knew. Her knowledge was at once far reaching and woefully wrong, often varying widely between the two. Whoever she worked for did not understand magic very well. But that wasn't surprising.
“I know,” Bonnie said, sympathetic. “We're not going to make the opera. I'm sorry... I know how much that performance meant to you. I'll find a way to make it up.”
She winced, looking away from Bonnie. She'd seen her distress, but that was what she thought bothered her? She finished chewing, then set the half-finished slice on the box lid. “I don't understand... if something's bad enough that you wanted to put up metal on the windows, wouldn't it be easier to just get out of town?”
Bonnie rested one hand on her shoulder, holding with her usual protective, possessive energy. “If I could be the one to take you, yes. Otherwise—no. There are forces moving, forces you can't imagine. Anyone caught out in that storm is in trouble. Local government is already stepping in—schools are closed, buses shut down. We'll get the highway in and out of Canterlot closed a few hours before sunset. FEMA's standing by, National Guard is mobilized... and I don't think it'll be enough.”
She gestured at the basement door, which stood open. Light radiated from inside. “Supplies are down there. Should be enough in case infrastructure breaks down. But it's not enough for the neighborhood. We can't save everyone, Harper.”
We're not trying to end the world, we're just charging up a key! Which meant something that should have been obvious to her—whatever Bonnie expected had nothing to do with Lyra's friends. Or if it did, it was just as unexpected to them as to her.
“Are you sure this is... all necessary?” she asked. “Bad things happen all the time. The way you look when you get home sometimes, I know there are more monsters out there. Why is this one so serious?”
Her girlfriend released her shoulder, then collapsed into the chair next to hers. “If I could tell you, I would. But knowing wouldn't help. These powers are bigger than us. All the tenacity and ingenuity in the world might not be enough.” She looked sideways towards her, eyes wide and desperate. “I have to go. Everyone is mobilized for this. I report at...” She glanced at the clock, then sagged further into her seat. “Ten.”
Not even two hours. “You're supposed to report like that? Why would you do all this?” She gestured around the house, at the walls covered with new metal shutters, the empty boxes and tools.
Bonnie looked up, expression overflowing with pain. “You have no idea how dangerous these people are, Lyre. They don't just screw with your head—they can make things change around them. Bullets don't shoot straight, vests that don't protect you, cars that stop and computers that malfunction. I had to put you somewhere...”
She reached suddenly across the table, gripping Lyra's arm. “You need to stay in here. Locked up, far away from the danger. Until you hear from me again, or you hear the go-ahead from FEMA that it's safe to go out again. I'm... sure they don't know where this is. It will protect you.”
“You might not make it back,” Lyra argued. She stood, yanking away from her girlfriend. Given her weakness, it was trivial to pry her fingers off Lyra's arm. She backed away, over to her little cupboard of teas. All from Akiko, either as gifts or as an excuse to chat over at the shop. “You're exhausted, look at you. Let me mix you something. I've got some of your favorite oolong here somewhere...”
Bonnie was too weak to protest. She leaned back in her chair, eyes half-closed. “If that helps you feel better. Sure. That's fine. I'd like some tea.” Then she stood, tossing the overalls over her shoulders. “I need to rinse this off. Have it ready when I get back?”
Lyra nodded. She leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the cheek. “Sure, Sweetie. I can do that.”
Bonnie nodded weakly, slinking out into the hallway and up the stairs.
After a few seconds, the shower kicked on. 
Lyra worked at a fever pitch, tossing the water into the microwave to get it hot enough in time. She poured it over the leaves to steep, touching the edge of her obsidian knife to the liquid. Even without Capper standing beside her, she could still cast the way he taught. She just needed to get creative with her words.
“The sun sets, but the crier's alarm pierces the night. The huntress rises to her duty. What was weary is refreshed. Her duty fills her body with purpose. Her reflexes sharpen, her eyes are alert. Her shots ring true.”
The power left her a second later, leaving a glass reverberating faintly with the coiled potential of the spell. She stuck the knife away into her skirt, seconds before boots came hammering down on the steps.
“Change of plans. When I said ten, I meant ten minutes. Transport is on its way.”
“Drink this first.” Lyra settled the glass into her hands, pushing firmly. “Something warm will help you, Sweetie. It's gonna be cold out there tonight.”
Her girlfriend was dressed for work—all in black, wearing the strange too-heavy fabric vest meant to protect her from certain kinds of supernatural attack. Or maybe just bullets.
She still took the tea, eyeing Lyra for a few seconds. “I don't deserve you, Harper. When this is over... I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll take all that leave I've been saving. Two months, anywhere you want. Any country—but I'd be happier if you picked a safe one.”
Lyra nodded eagerly. They hadn't traveled anywhere further than Canterlot for over a year now. “I'll think of somewhere. Maybe Italy—the musical history there goes back a thousand years!”
She stayed close, eyes on Bonnie until she took the first sip.
That was all it took, though the effects would come on gradually over the next few minutes. If she'd cast it right, anyway. 
“You're right, this is my favorite. Thanks, Harper.” She took a few more sips, before settling the glass half-empty onto the counter. “Now, I need you to stay here until you hear from me again. If things work out—it should be two days. Not more than three. If it’s been that long, I didn't make it.”
“You'll make it,” Lyra said, wrapping her in the tightest hug she could. “I'll be waiting for you.”