"Lyra, take off your costume already. I would like to go to bed before Celestia brings the sun up." Bon Bon had already put her own costume away, showered and was headed for bed when she noticed Lyra, still in full wardrobe, along with a small bowl of candies from the night's spoils tucked in one foreleg.
Lyra was munching happily despite herself, leaning up against the bed’s backboard. "Aww, come on, Bonnie," she started, mouth half full of sugary delights. "It's Nightmare Night! Let me sleep with it on, pleeease? I'll let you call me Spidermane and we can pretend I just saved you from the evil clutches of Dr. Octo-pony!" She finished speaking with one foreleg stretched-out wide and a suggestive smirk on her muzzle.
Bon Bon studied her marefriend and the ridiculous, extra tight costume for a second, then sighed. "No, Lyra, bed. I’m beat and that’s final. If you're so intent on wearing that thing all night then you can sleep on the couch.” She huffed, looking at the floor and away from the eyebrow wiggling her partner was giving her from under that mask. “By the way, did you ever even bother putting the jack-o-lanterns out like I asked you?" She peeked up.
Lyra blinked in surprise at the question, then smiled sheepishly. "Uhm, no, not yet, but-"
"March." Bon Bon looked up and cut her off sternly while she climbed slowly onto the bed’s top. "And either take off your Spider-whatever outfit or don't come back to the bedroom tonight."
Lyra groaned in misery, still sprawled out somewhat. She placed her candy on the nightstand, then trotted out the bedroom door. “Alright, I’m going… Keep my spot warm for me.”
Bon Bon hummed acknowledgement to the other pony, already busy finding comfort beneath her sheets.
Lyra stepped quickly out towards the front of the house and the jack o’ lanterns outside. All of the lights were out for the night, but she flicked on the one for the entrance with a hoof. The semi-hallway was bathed in a crisp glow.
All the while, Lyra grumbled over being forced to be responsible. I’m an adult, on my own, and I still can’t have fun. Her horn lit up quickly amidst her internal squabbling, and flicked the porch light switch.
Nothing happened.
“What the-” Lyra frowned and flicked it a few more times, watching through the door’s glass pane for the light that was supposed to turn on. Great, one really did burn out. She sighed in exasperation and began to open the door, but stopped. Something strange had caught her attention and made her ears to twitch.
Lyra blinked in the warm lamplight of her home and listened.
On the other side of the front door, she could hear a faint, scratching noise. It went on for a few moments, stopping and starting again. She stared until the scratching finally stopped.
“Huh.” Lyra straightened, then cantered a couple steps up to the door. Though closer, she couldn't make out any more sound. Must have been a raccoon. Probably wants my candy... Her eyes narrowed. Come on, Lyra. What’s the matter? Are Fluttershy’s pals scaring you?
Lyra still listened intently, and realized that her whole house was unnervingly quiet. She hesitated from approaching the door further, however, and instead stretched out her neck. With her ear mere inches from the door, she cautiously gripped the door handle in her magic. The knob slowly turned, and the door began to creak open.
"Lyra! Are you coming back or not?" Bon Bon called from their bedroom.
With a shrill squeak, Lyra jumped in surprise as her magic ripped the door open in one fierce motion. She would have screamed, but her breath had caught. Instead, she stood there, chest heaving, while staring at the empty doorway.
There appeared to be nothing beyond the porch but the empty night, and the fog that had rolled in after the sun first set.
“Phew…” Lyra exhaled and swept a hoof across her brow. She stepped outside, looking left and right at the farmland and woods that surrounded Ponyville. She let out another sigh of relief and stepped outside entirely onto the porch.
Sitting on the few, short wooden steps were a pair of jack o’ lanterns. Inside both were a pair of brightly burning candles. They were lightly enchanted, and would go for a long time, or until blown out.
Lyra lifted each pumpkin-top, doing just that. She felt a tempting desire to smash the pumpkins, too, but she knew Bon Bon would make her clean them up if she did. Her job done, she waltzed back inside, closing and locking the door behind her.
"I’m coming, Bonners!" Lyra called back, normalcy returned. "I was just... having some trouble with my costume! I'll just be another minute!" While hurrying to the bathroom, she began disrobing as quickly as possible. Her magic opened the hall closet and she threw her balled up costume inside.
The door to their bedroom was still open, and Lyra could see the stand lamp still glowing inside. “Coming!” she cheered.
Lyra charged into their shared bedroom, feeling a little anxious and lept under the covers, much to Bon Bon's voiced chagrin.
Bon Bon bounced in the bed several times, glaring out across the bedroom at the far wall as she did so. She had completely lost her comfortable position. A quiet exhale of breath later, and she asked, "Lyra, was that really necessary?"
Lyra took a moment to regain her composure before pulling out from under the covers and giving her marefriend a wide, cocky smile. "Aww, sorry about that, Bon Bon! Just thought you’d missed me."
Bon Bon harrumphed but returned a smirk to the other, far more boisterous mare. "I guess I did,” she answered, then rolled over and poked Lyra with a hoof. “All right then, you. Turn out the light and let's-” A yawn cracked her jaw without warning. “Get some sleep..."
Lyra snickered, but did as she was told and settled into bed. Her horn lit for a brief moment simply to turn off the last light.
The two ponies laid there for a few minutes, exhausted from the wild time they had enjoyed with each other and their friends. The peaceful quiet and darkness was only disturbed slightly by the sound of their own breathing and one another’s presence. That is, until Lyra's ears twitched again.
Lyra listened to the sound, thinking it was the wind or something mundane. Still mostly awake, though, she realized quickly it was the same sort of claws-on-wood sound as earlier. First, her eyes cracked open, then she raised her head slowly. Her ears twitched more, and pointed to the hallway. She had left the door to their room open and could hear the scratches from the front door clearly.
"What is that, Lyra?" Bon Bon was also leaning up in bed and facing their open door. Slight concern played in her voice and on her face. She could hear a noise now, too.
Lyra blinked, her night time vision making out nothing strange. "I'm not sure. An animal?” She really hoped they wouldn’t have to check it out. “Should we check it out?" she asked anyway.
Bon Bon shifted beside the other mare, thinking. "Hmm..."
The noise stopped all of a sudden, and both ponies listened intently.
"Looks like we won't have to." Bon Bon looked over at Lyra, then relaxed back onto the mattress. “It’s probably just a squirrel. If they make a fuss we can give them some of the candy corn.”
“Yeah…” Lyra stared a bit longer out of their bedroom door. “Hey, no way, the corn’s mine.”
“Go to sleep, Lyra,” Bon Bon all but growled from under her pillow.
Lyra giggled, then began to lie down again.
Only a few seconds had passed before the scratching returned again, louder and decidedly more persistent. It was less a scratch and more of a harsh, scraping.
Bon Bon was the first out of bed, making her way out of the room. “Alright, this is ridiculous.” She wore a look of determination.
Lyra called out to her before she reached the door. "Hey, wait!"
Bon Bon paused and looked back at her marefriend.
A few more seconds of what sounded like a hoof getting dragged over wood passed before Lyra spoke up again. "I'll go with you," she said, eyes darting towards the direction of the front door.
Bon Bon smiled and waited for Lyra as she crawled out of bed and caught up to her. “Are you alright? It’s just a pesky critter, Lyra.”
Lyra laughed, but not the whimsical, happy way she had all day. “Yeah… pesky.”
Bon Bon scrutinized Lyra a moment. “Alright you big scaredy cat, come on.” The two of them crept down the hall, keeping silent and listening intently as they approached. The scratching seemed furious, growing louder as they came closer and closer.
“Alright! Knock it off, would you?” Bon Bon yelled. Her left hoof kicked up the hall light switch without looking. The light came on as the two continued their approach.
No sooner had the two ponies trotted up to the door, than the scratching stopped again.
They both looked at each other in confusion and listened for a moment; nothing happening. Each expected to hear chittering or noisy animals making a fuss or maybe giggling, but it was quiet, instead.
Bon Bon broke eye contact with Lyra and crept in close, placing her ear to the door. She listened for a little while.
Her ear still to the door, Bon Bon began to speak. "It's okay, I guess. I think-"
The scratching returned again, as obnoxious and harsh as ever.
Bon Bon ugghed and tossed her head back. Her hoof came up to grab the handle, before a golden glow stopped it. She looked over at the unicorn exercising her magic. “Lyra?”
Lyra was biting her lip. “You know, the scratching isn’t so bad.” She grinned, and let out a few, pitiful laughs.
Bon Bon stared at the other pony, her head shaking in mild disbelief. “Lyra, I want to go to sleep. Are you really that scared?”
Lyra coughed, then shuffled her hooves in answer. Her eyes darted from meeting Bon Bon's and the floor
“The Everfree is on the opposite side of town, Lyra. There is nothing to be afraid of here.” Bon Bon heaved a sigh, but saw no change in her partner. The scratching, also persisted. “Hey! Knock it off!” She shouted, to no effect on the sound. “Come on, let’s just get this over with.”
Bon Bon moved to open the door, nudging Lyra aside.
Bon Bon gripped the knob in her hoof and turned her head back towards Lyra. “Look, I’ll even count down, okay?” she said with a confident look. After getting one back from Lyra, along with a nod, she proceeded. “Alright. Three... Two…” On one, she opened the door fast and wide.
The porch was empty. There wasn't anything on the other side of the front door but fog.
Lyra sighed in relief immediately and tried to flick on the porch light. Surprisingly, it blinked on, working properly unlike earlier. Phew, dodged that bullet, she thought in relief.
"What do you suppose that was all about?" Bon Bon asked, staring down their dirt path leading to the main road.
Lyra shrugged and trotted outside, a little curious. She absently studied the surrounding landscape "I honestly don't-" She stopped short. Her breath left her after catching sight of something in the White Tail Woods.
“Lyra?” Bon Bon called out from the doorway.
In the treeline, a little obscured by the fog, were two things, glowing in the dark. A strong wind blew past and Lyra's eyes were forced shut. She stopped long enough to rub them with her fetlocks. When she opened her eyes again and looked for the red dots, they were gone.
Am I seeing things? she thought to herself, confusion replacing worry. "Uhm. Bon Bon, do you see anything?"
"See what, Lyra?" Bon Bon asked, trotting up to Lyra's side on the porch.
Lyra searched the treeline again, scanning it for any indication of what she had seen moments ago. "I don't know, Bon Bon." She scrunched her face up in frustration. Well, what the hay was that?
Bon Bon stepped down one of their porch stairs. “Hey, it’s past midnight! Go away and let me sleep!” she yelled towards the woods. She snorted derisively, then turned and collected her Lyra. “Come on, dear, let's get back inside now.”
Lyra hesitated slightly, still looking with worried face, but let herself be dragged along.
The two mares sauntered back up the porch steps and into their home in silence. Neither one of them wanted to really talk or discuss what had just happened, but both of them wanted to go to bed. They shut off the porch light after locking the front door, hopefully for the last time that evening. The house was quiet once more; the restored silence was some small comfort to their tired eyes.
Lyra stopped at their bedroom door and ushered in her lover. She presented as much of an endearing smile as she could manage, despite her anxiety. After reaching the bed, Lyra stopped short on her side. She watched her marefriend crawl under the covers on the opposite end of the bed. “Night, Bon Bon.”
Bon Bon peered through the darkness, hoping her warm smile could reach the mare across from her. “Good night, Lyra.” She turned over and faced the far wall away from her lover. She heard the door shut, followed by the bed and covers shifting as a warm presence filled the spot behind her. A plaintive sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes.
A few minutes past by in relative quiet. There was no more scratching, though both mares were waiting somewhat for it to happen again.
Bon Bon murmured sleepily aloud one last time, then began to drift off, her thoughts disappearing for the night. A little later, and she felt the light sensation of a hoof creep up and slide across her withers. She giggled lightly and fidgeted. “Come on now, Lyra, it’s time for sleep.” She squirmed a little, but didn’t open her eyes or look back. No cute words or unhappy complaints came from her lover, but the tickling did stop.
Bon Bon hummed and snuggled into her pillow, setting off once again for dream land.
Annoyingly enough, the sensation from Lyra returned.
This time, the tickling was at her stomach; it began lightly flitting across her fur. Bon Bon started to giggle once more, squirming underneath the sheets. She wanted to be stern and tell Lyra to knock it off, but nothing except giggles escaped her lips. As if taking this as approval for their actions, the tickling spread over her in two places at once. Slightly more force was applied as it swept up and down her body, never staying in one place long enough for Bon Bon to catch it with her hoof. Her giggles rose to full fledged laughter and her squirming evolved nearly to thrashing as she fought against her attacking tickle monster.
“Lyra-” Bon Bon choked out her lover’s name between her breaths and snorting. “Lyra!” she finally had to shout.
Despite herself, Bon Bon managed to turn over in bed to face where she was certain she would find her mischievous marefriend staring back. She cracked open her teary eyes to find… nopony laying beside her. The tickling finally stopped, but she could still feel two pressures on her body; one below her neck, while the other rested against her cutie mark. “LYRA!” she shrieked.
Bon Bon tore the covers away and lept from her bed. She moved to have her back against the wall, staring at her bed with a look of horror. Just then, the bedroom door burst open. Lyra was in the doorway, her horn alight and casting a golden glow into the room. “What’s going on? Bonnie!?”
Bon Bon’s gaze darted between Lyra and her bed. “H-How long have you been gone?” Bon Bon’s face was completely aghast, with fear etched clearly across it.
Lyra trotted up to Bon Bon, and was immediately wrapped up in a fierce hug. “Pretty much since we got back to the room. I said I needed to use the bathroom, remember?”
“No I… I don’t recall you mentioning that. I’m sorry.” Bon Bon blinked away a couple tears that had formed.
“What’s the matter Bonnie?” Lyra held Bon Bon back out at leg’s length. “Did something happen? Why did you scream my name?”
“Oh, no everything is just… fine.” Bon Bon swallowed, then looked at the bed again. She really didn’t think she was that ticklish. “I, err- needed a glass of water is all.”
Lyra tilted her head; she didn't really believe Bon Bon. “You seem a little shaken up, Bonnie. Let me go get that water for-”
“No, it’s okay!” Bon Bon reassured.
Lyra blinked in surprise. “Are you sure?”
Bon Bon took a deep breath and continued gently. “I mean, no, that's fine, we’re both already up. I can go and get it myself.” She gave her most award winning, fake smile and trotted out of the room before Lyra could interject.
She was halfway down the hall when the grandfather clock in the living room began it’s chime, echoing throughout the house in the otherwise eerie silence. It was midnight. She noticed she had stopped in the hallway and listened to the chime until it had finished, plunging the house back into silence. She continued on.
“Come on now, BB. It’s just nerves… nothing to be-” Bon Bon stopped in front of the staircase on her way to the kitchen. Her ears swiveled toward the upstairs. It was faint, but she could barely make out the sound of… whispers, she thought. No, that can’t be right. Lyra and I are the only ones here. It’s the wind, yes. It is very windy outside. She turned her head to peer up the stairs and the whispers stopped. Just the wind... she repeated to herself.
Still, Bon Bon watched the staircase to the next floor for what seemed like hours, while only mere seconds passed by. Reluctantly, she pulled her gaze from the stairs and stepped slowly towards the kitchen door. I shouldn't have eaten all of that pie...
Bon Bon’s hooves clopped loudly on the kitchen tiles after she walked in. Her hoof flipped the nearby switch around the corner.
The light failed to turn on.
Bon Bon heaved an impatient breath. This is why I tell Lyra to turn off the lights when she leaves a room! She blew out the bulb…
Sighing the whole way, Bon Bon navigated the room with only the moonlight filtering in through a window above the sink. She successfully avoided the breakfast table and found the dishes cabinet, then pulled out a small glass with her teeth. The glass clinked down on the bottom of the sink, and she turned on the faucet, quickly filling it with cool water.
Bon Bon stared out at the cloud obscured moonlight through her window while her glass filled. “What a night…” she murmured, recalling the various events. She thought of how the party had been as crazy as it ever was, and how much fun games in town had been. Her remaining thoughts touched on the strange things she had heard, and felt… but only briefly.
Once full, Bon Bon took the cup in her hooves. Sitting on her haunches, she began chugging the glass. Her head tipped back and her eyes kept closed until she felt every last drop pour down her throat. Releasing a sigh of satisfaction, she brought her head back down to look back at the moon.
Bon Bon dropped her glass; it shattered against the kitchen floor.
A pair of glowing shapes were looking in through the window, which was in turned black as pitch. The shapes were red, and perfectly round. They didn’t look like eyes, at first. Bon Bon stared at them, and could slowly make out pupils behind their glow. They were only inches from the window.
The shadow obscuring the moon shifted. It wasn’t just a shadow, she realized.
The eyes belonged to that of a wolf, hulking and hunched sharply at its back. The creature looked unnatural to her, with a black coat and amber highlights throughout. They shifted in time with the twitching the eyes did, giving the appearance that the fur was smoldering or even on fire.
Bon Bon couldn’t look away; she was paralyzed.
At first, it seemed content with just staring back. At some point, it started to smile. A wicked sneer swept across its maw. As if in response, the window began to crack. The thin lines spread further and further like a spiderweb, moving from a point between its eyes until there were so many that Bon Bon couldn’t even make out the face any longer.
She finally found her breath, but all she could manage to do was scream bloody murder.
Turning to run, and still screaming, Bon Bon tripped over her own hooves. Her head hit the floor with a thud, and her body slid across the wood paneling from her left-over momentum.
The room became pitch black. Bon Bon could find no lights, sounds, or smells; only the blackness that surrounded her.
A bright light flickered on in the distance, followed by an echoey voice that was calling her name.
Bon Bon panted, her breath felt heavy and hard to claim. She had to will herself to move closer to the light, until she felt a pair of hooves on her cheeks.
“Bon Bon! Speak to me!” Lyra cried out again. She was cradling Bon Bon’s head in her hooves; a couple tears had dampened the fur around her eyes slightly.
Past Lyra’s head, Bon Bon could see the bright glow of the kitchen’s overhead light.
“What- Lyra, why are you crying?” Bon Bon felt confused, she remembered coming to the kitchen for some water, and then…
“You screamed,” Lyra exclaimed, still a little frantic. “I thought something had happened to you, and I found you passed out on the floor in the dark.” The panic in her eyes had left, but she still appeared very much concerned for her partner’s well being.
“Well of course it’s dark. You burned out the...” Bon Bon trailed off and stared up to the bulb hanging from the kitchen ceiling, bathing the room in magic. “...The light.”
Lyra looked up as well. “Really?” She paused, thinking about earlier. “Well, it looks like it’s working fine. Are you sure you pressed the switch down all the way? Or maybe they’re defective...” She turned back to meet her marefriend’s annoyed gaze.
“Yes, Lyra!” she snapped. “Of course I pressed the switch all the way, but I-” Bon Bon’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as the full order of events returned to her at once. “The wolf!”
Lyra tilted her head to one side slightly. “The wha-” She began, but was cut off by her lover’s panicked rambling.
“The wolf, Lyra!” Bon Bon all but shouted at this point. She shot up to her hooves and turned to completely face the other mare. “It was big! Huge!"
Lyra stared for a split second, then snickered and hid a small grin behind a hoof. "That's what she said-"
Before she could finish, Bon Bon shocked expression shifted to a scowl and one of her own hooves batted away her's lover's "I'm serious, Lyra. It was burning! It had red, evil eyes, and I think it was smiling at me!" Her own eyes became frightened again and she paused to look at the floor. "And- and-”
Lyra took a step back when Bon Bon turned and looked at her suddenly. “Bon Bon-”
Bon Bon took a moment to take a firm hold of Lyra’s shoulders in her grip and brought the other pony closer until their muzzles nearly touched; staring into Lyra’s eyes wildly, she punctuated each of her next words with a firm shake. “It. Broke. Our. Window. Just by looking at it!” The rant finished itself off with her pulling one hoof away to point towards the sink. She kept her gaze with Lyra in an attempt to convey her panic.
Lyra’s ears had laid themselves back, but one came up from confusion after hearing the claim. “Wait,” she said. “Red eyes?”
From what Bon Bon could tell, her message had gotten across loud and clear. The mention of red eyes lit Lyra’s face up in what she was sure was recognition, suggesting that she knew something, too.
That is, until Lyra peered behind her to the broken window in question and started to chuckle. It was a relieved sort of laughter, though, not mean or condescending.
Bon Bon scrunched her face up in confusion, unamused and still very much terrified. Whatever look she was giving her marefriend for her sudden outburst, it was working.
Lyra put a hoof to her mouth and stopped long enough to speak. “Sorry… Bonners, you do mean that window, right?” She pointed a hoof behind Bon Bon.
“Yes, Lyra, that window-” Bon Bon’s breath stopped short after she turned around; her eyes falling upon the window above the sink. She could see the moon’s glow and the dark clouds obscuring it quite well through the unharmed glass pane. “But- It nearly shattered right in front of me.” She whipped her head back around to her marefriend. “There was a wolf, Lyra…” she stuttered, her previous conviction falling flat.
Lyra gave Bon Bon a consoling, worried look. She got up and trotted over to the sink to inspect the window for herself. There was a light crunch as one of her hooves stepped on a broken, ceramic cup. Backing away, she turned back and questioned her lover in a calm reassuring tone. “Are you sure you didn’t just slip and bump your head, Bonners?” she asked, a gentle smile on her face rather than a sarcastic one as her tone might have suggested. “The window seems totally fine to me.”
Bon Bon stared blankly at Lyra. She put her hoof to the side of her own head; a dull throbbing made its presence known. It was probably from where she thought her head had hit the floor. She held it there for a moment while her marefriend trotted back to her side.
“Are you sure you didn’t imagine it? I mean...” Lyra was studying Bon Bon’s features, carefully trying not to upset her partner again. “Come on, lets go back to bed. We can worry about the glass when we aren’t so exhausted.”
Bon Bon only nodded dumbly for a moment, her eyes staring off into space. After she processed Lyra’s request, she blinked and looked up to her. “Y-yes. You’re right, Lyra. I probably dreamed the whole thing up. I would love to get back to bed.” She presented a small smile before motioning for her lover to lead the way.
Lyra gave her a consolingly look, then gave a nod strong enough to flip her mane. She turned about and trotted back.
Bon Bon sighed, but smiled as she followed the ridiculous mare and object of her affections.
Unable to help it, she came to a stop in the doorway. Her hooves hesitated from taking another step, and she bit her lip while looking back into the bedroom. She stared at the pale evening moonlight before turning to the wall switch, and turning out the light.
Lyra was already under the covers, and eyed Bon Bon, who seemed hesitant to get back into bed at all.
Bon Bon continued to look over the covers strewn awkwardly on her side of the bed; she occasionally glanced at Lyra, and then back to the bed.
Lyra spoke up after several moments of this, feeling confused by her marefriend’s indecisiveness. “I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna bite you, Bonnie.”
Bon Bon Looked up with a start. Her tail twitched a few times before, finally, she sighed and drooped her head. “No, I guess it won’t,” she replied, more to convince herself than respond to Lyra’s remark. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers neatly over herself, this time rolling to make sure her eyes never had to leave her lover's form. “Good night, Lyra,” she called softly. The first genuine smile she had worn in more than an hour crept across her muzzle.
“Night, night, Bon.” replied the the green unicorn, who rolled over to face the wall; already half-asleep at this point. She ended with a yawn, and was softly snoring in under a minute.
Bon Bon watched her lover’s steady breathing for a time; listening as she inhaled and exhaled. The sound was beautiful to her tired ears, and she felt a wave of calm envelope her. She closed her eyes, still a little hesitant to sleep, but eventually drifted off.
A persistent knocking began echoing through the bedroom door; coming from the front door of the tall house.
Bon Bon stirred first. She jabbed her sleeping marefriend with a hoof several times before calling to her in an almost drunken slur. “‘Lya… Lyra. ‘Ake the door be quiet.” She punctuated her command with a yawn before rolling over and pulling a pillow over her ears.
Lyra was awake after the third jab and moving out of bed when her Bon Bon began to yawn. Her hooves slid onto the cold wooden floor with a soft clunk.
“Alright, Bon BonBonBon Bon Bon…” she mumbled in reply, moving across the floor with her eyes still half closed. There was a thud and then a whump as Lyra walked face first into the partially closed door, then fell back on her haunches.
Lyra was fully awake now, and rubbing her sore nose with one front hoof. She put on a look of irritation, now noticing the noise that was responsible for taking away her silent slumber. After willing the door open the rest of the way with her magic, she trotted into the hall and towards the source of the racket.
What they hay now- What time is it? Lyra was already drawing conclusions. The most likely seemed that she was being pranked for Nightmare Night after all. The second she opened the door, there would be nothing there, while around the corner or up in the air would be a pile of giggling colts that had sneaked out.
Lyra stopped at the entryway, spotting the house’s old cuckoo-cuckoo clock. It was two in the morning. I love pranking as much as the next girl, but two A.M. is where I draw the line… A crisp image of the thing she had seen earlier crossed her mind, as well as her lover’s own incident. I’m gonna yell at these stupid foals so hard…
The knocks continued in a seemingly random assault. It sounded as though the knocker had a hoof the size of a stump.
Lyra had just reached the door and flipped on the entryway light, while her thoughts continued over possible reasons why anypony would be knocking on her door so late at night. Her mind stopped on one alicorn in particular as well as her parting words: “In fact, I will endeavor to speak with thee of comics again soon, Miss Lyra. Take care!"
All of the night’s oddities suddenly melted down to a clever prank by a certain Princess of the Night. Lyra smirked at the door. You are so busted, Princess.
“Hey, Luna! Great prank but the party’s over! We can’t all be nocturnal!” Lyra’s words floated for a moment as the knocking stopped. She eyed the door curiously, as if knowing it wasn’t over.
Sharp wracks began to assault the door in an old, cliched rhythm.
Thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk.
Oh, for the love of Celestia. Before the final piece to the song could make its beat against the wood, Lyra ripped open the door in an attempt to capture the would-be prankster red-hoofed.
A powerful gale of wind flew in from the door and knocked the unicorn back onto her flank. The light above her went out as the sound of a door slamming shut rung from somewhere in the house behind her.
Lyra sat there, shivering from both fear and shock. Her widened eyes stared out into the night, seeing nothing but thick fog and her empty porch.
Lyra gulped, then spoke. “Luna? Are… you there?”
When no answer came, she stood up and quickly, but softly, closed the door with her magic; the lock latched itself secure quickly after that with another twist of her magic.
Okay. Have it your way. Stay the master prankster, princess. Lyra turned to inspect the wall mounted light switch. The hallway was pitch black now that the door was shut. her hoof flipped it a few times experimentally; revealing that the light had indeed gone out on its own somehow. Alright. It’s official. I’m scared now. She turned to the hall and began trotting to her room; the whole time her face remained expressionless.
Lyra waited until she had safely made it back to her bedroom sanctuary before calling out to Bon Bon. “Bon Bon, can we watch a movie or something? I don’t like this.”
The bedroom door shut behind her; somehow, even just leaving that open felt unnerving.
Lyra waited, expecting the cream earth pony to at least respond with a grumble. Nothing came however. Peering through the darkness of their room, she could make out a bulge on her lover’s side of the bed where she was lying. It was too dark to tell just how asleep she was.
Cantering over to Bon Bon’s side of the bed, Lyra placed a hoof on the bulge. The lyricist hoped to feel the warmth of her favorite earth pony beneath the covers; but, instead, felt her heart sink as the bulge deflated against the bed.
“Bon Bon?” Lyra said, calling out to the empty bedroom. “Bon Bon!” she tried again when no response came the first time. “Bon Bon where are you!?” The last call was directed more to herself than anypony else. Lyra’s lover was missing, and now she was ready to panic.
Bon Bon was vaguely aware that she was no longer in her comfortable bed and began to stir from sleep. Her legs stretched out and she felt a rough wood floor now beneath her. “Lyra…?” she called out to her marefriend.
Her eyes opened just in time to see a shape flit past somewhere in the shadows.
Bon Bon sucked in a quick breath and hurriedly took stock of her surroundings. She leaned up, eyes darting.
The room around her was nearly pitch black, save the thin beam of moonlight coming from a shuttered window. The walls were red brick, and a little familiar. The window letting in the scarce light was high up on the wall, and strangely narrow.
Bon Bon’s breathing quickened. Where am I? Why aren’t I in bed? she thought quickly.
Against the walls, Bon Bon could just make out shelves and bookcases, filled with familiar varying bags of sugar, flour and general baking goods. A music stand covered with papers stood in one corner, while stairs rose up to the ground floor opposite of it.
Bon Bon recognized these things. Wha- Am I in the basement…? She frowned, her brow furrowing. Her hooves thumped against the floor as she sat up, confused, and a little angry. She realized the window was narrow because it came level with the ground outside.
“How in Celestia’s name did I get down here?” The question hung in the air after she had stood up on all four hooves. She determined she was, in fact, in the center of her farm home’s basement. She slowly cantered in a circle at the room’s center. “Well, okay, strange.” The more she thought about the confusing surroundings, the more a bit of worry crept up on her.
Bon Bon brushed her mane back with a hoof and started for the stairs. Her entire body was beginning to feel tense and anxious.
The room was plunged into darkness for a split second. Bon Bon had just barely seen a shadow pass in front the window. The filtering light cut off for a brief moment.
When the light returned, the first thing Bon Bon noticed was that the room was now empty. A panicked, strangled gasp escaped her. Confusion alone kept her from calling out. She looked left, right and all around. The room where all of her shelves and supplies once sat was barren.
“Stop it,” Bon Bon said aloud. Her hooves began backing her up across the room, her eyes stuck to staring around herself. “Lyra, this is not funny.”
It was not as if they had never been there, lines of dust were present and disturbed from where all of the basement’s belongings once sat.
Bon Bon turned and wandered to one side of the room; next to the staircase. She placed a hoof on the brick wall, leaning against it for support while rearing to her hind legs. Her breath was getting raspy, simply from fear. Troubled, events from the night played out before her, trying to explain things. Her eyes darted around the room again in search of an answer to her unasked question.
Where Bon Bon looked, a piece of paper fluttered down from the ceiling. It passed through the beam of moonlight long enough for Bon Bon to make out a line full of eighth notes and quarter notes. Sheet music? Her head tilted slightly at the sight.
The mare slowly looked up.
On the ceiling, dog-piled in an array that defied all known laws of physics, was every object previously decorating the basement floor. Almost directly above where she stood. A screech of metal from one of the shelves made her ears twitch in alarm.
Bon Bon barely had time to push off the wall and leap away as the pile of furniture and supplies overhead came crashing down into the room. She screamed, loud and frantically. The clammer from the household refuse drowned her out. She hit the floor and kept her head down. Her hooves covered her eyes on reflex as a mixture of dust, powdered sugar, and flour kicked up into a cloud and filled the room.
Bon Bon coughed and did her best to avoid breathing in the concoction as best she could.
Once the last sounds of falling objects vanished, Bon Bon dared to peek out from the safety of her legs. She had felt a couple things certainly hit her, but didn’t feel too much pain. “Lyra!?” she cried immediately, but didn't get an answer. Once the cloud settled to the floor, she stood back up and began to shake her coat, mane, and tail free of a majority of the invasive substances on reflex. Eager to leave, she took a step towards the stairs as she had before.
Before she moved too far, something caught her attention.
Despite the mayhem, a shape lay directly in the moonbeam from the window, by itself.
Lightly coated in white, sat an old doll from her filly years. It was a stuffed, pink pegasus mare with a clouded sun for a cutie mark. Oddly, none of the cupboards or other items had landed with it at the center of the room.
Assuming it had just fallen from a pile, Bon Bon began to reach for it. A movement from beside the pile caught her eye as a hill of spilled flower began to shift and spread out; another small shape climbed out, little cloth limbs reaching into the open air.
Bon Bon’s mouth ran dry and she back peddled towards the wall. “Lyra…” This time, her voice was little more than a strangled, pitiful squeak.
The tiny shape, pony like in nature, began making its way out of the flour. It shook itself, then cantered toward the candy-maker as if it were perfectly normal. There was a gash in one of it’s back legs, spilling out its precious cotton in a trail. As a result, the limb was dragged behind the other three. It limped forward for what seemed like forever until finally coming to a stop in the moon beam alongside the other doll, where flopped down on its side.
In the direct light, Bon Bon could make out more of its features. The mane and tail were a swirl of blue and pink. Through the heavily white dusted coat, she could spot patches of cream. Finally, three small, individually wrapped pieces of candy adorned its flank. She recognized the patterns, but could summon no memory of Lyra ever mentioning owning a doll made in her likeness, and never had got one herself. The doll laid there for a moment and then peered up to her, lifting its head ever so slightly for its button eyes to meet her own.
A strong sense of longing washed over Bon Bon as she stared at the poor thing. She felt the desperate urge to take it in her hooves. To hold it tight to her chest. To tell it that everything would be okay. Tell it nothing would ever harm it again. That she would love and cherish it forever. She looked at the doll with a measure of motherly affection.
Giving in to the desires, Bon Bon moved forward and reached out with a hoof extended towards the tiny Bon Bon. A voice spoke as she began to come closer. Bon Bon halted.
The sound was coming from the other doll, her old pegasus. It had the crackled sound of an old, magic recording. It said in its pitiful voice, “Leeet’s playyy…”
The thing’s sound was old and warped, just like it was. Truthfully, the voice had creeped her out as a filly, but she held onto it as a keepsake despite that; left to collect dust in the basement.
What Bon Bon wasn’t expecting, was the moment her old toy began to shudder, then stood up at the doll of her had. It trotted, straight backed, over to the tiny plush version of herself.
The pegasus plushy looked at Bon Bon, and then at smaller Bon Bon. A rip formed along its muzzle and revealed a row of unnerving fangs. The newly formed mouth moved in tandem to the disturbing voice in its chest. “Leeet’s Playyy…!”
Accounting for as warped as Bon Bon could remember the doll’s voice being, it was decidedly different now. The sound it made sound wrong; it echoed and scraped with frightening harshness.
Up to this point, Bon Bon had been torn in her expressions between fear and anxiety. But what happened next pushed her right into absolute terror. The fanged doll leaped upon the small Bon Bon; its teeth began tearing it limb from limb, shaking its head back and forth with unnatural speed. Stuffing flew out of the plush candy-maker and its head was flew from the body.
The massacre before Bon Bon lasted for only seconds before there wasn’t much left of the tiny her she could recognize.
The once beloved fillyhood toy trotted over to stop just a stride from away from Bon Bon. It held a leg in its mouth, a patch of cloth hanging off the end. Her cutie mark was sewn into the limp piece of cloth.
The doll’s teeth opened and dropped the limb on the wood floor. Its button eyes fell from its head and revealed two new red beady ones.
“Play… with me?” it asked quietly.
Bon Bon began crying. Despite this and her overwhelming fear, she didn’t move yet. Instead, she was busy convincing herself she was dreaming. Her efforts offered little comfort. Her eyes darted to the stairwell beside herself.
The doll took another step forward, getting Bon Bon’s attention again. For the first time in minutes, a breath made it into her lungs. “G-go away. Shoo,” were her words of choice. One hoof gestured shakily at the toy, while the rest of her took a wobbly step towards the stairs.
The doll’s head recoiled slightly, the toothy mouth opening slightly. The basement was silent a moment, before the stuffed toy broke it with a piercing scream reverberated off the walls. The doll’s teeth gnashed, and Bon Bon screamed in return to the toy.
The mare leaped away from the tiny demon and climbed over a junk pile to reach the staircase. Her hooves tripped over themselves again and again, fueling her panic. “Lyra, Lyraaa!” she cried.
Bon Bon had her hoof on the basement door before she dared look back at the abomination behind her. Her hoof was jiggling the knob, trying desperately to open the door. It wouldn’t budge. She spotted the doll; it was still sitting in its spot on the floor, facing where she had been cowering in fear.
“Lyra. Lyra!” Her voice was strangled again, lacking enough oxygen to raise above a whisper.
The doll seemed to sense Bon Bon’s gaze. The small head snapped to face her direction, accentuated by a loud rip forming across its neck. By the time its head turned far enough for their eyes to meet, it was completely decapitated. The head rolled off onto the floor while its body fell to one side.
Bon Bon, wracked by sobs, decided she had seen enough. She threw herself against the door as hard as she could, desperate to force it open. Tears blurred her vision alongside the ragged breaths that filled her throat.
The door crashed open and Bon Bon leaped through. She was in the hallway. Not waiting, she slammed the door behind her. The entire time she screamed like a filly a fraction her age.
