//------------------------------// // Unexpected Company And Outcomes // Story: Lyra's Secret // by Senyu //------------------------------// “Hello Mr. Fiddlesticks,” Bon Bon greeted. “Oh! Hello there Bon Bon, how are you today?” the elder pony behind a fence said with a wheeze. “I’m doing just fine thank you,” Bon Bon replied happily. “Did you enjoy the last batch of soft taffy I made for you?” Fiddlesticks wrinkled eyes brightened as he look up in reminisce. “Ah, they were absolutely delightful. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget their sweet taste. Truly, a tasty treat to remember for all time.” “That’s what you say every time,” Bon Bon said, her smile still holding. She occasionally brought her goods to the senior pony due to his avid sweet tooth and his request to be the first to try any new recipes that she may consider. Regardless of what she gave him, he always treated it like it was the candy to end all candies, a rare sweet that would be met with applause from Manehatten to Vanhoover. Though Bon Bon knew he was over praising them, he was still a sweet stallion and she enjoyed his company. And the small ego boost she would get always helped pick up her day. “Well, I’ll make sure you bring you another batch,” Bon Bon said. “But I stopped by today to ask you if you had seen Lyra lately.” “Lyra?” Fiddlesticks asked. “Your roommate right?” “Yes, a mint unicorn with a lyre for a cutie mark,” Bon Bon said as cheerfully as she could. Not only did Fiddlesticks repeat how amazing her treats were, she would always have to re-explain who Lyra was to him, despite how many times she had asked in him about her before. Whether he was indeed senile or if he simply enjoyed pretending to be old, Bon Bon tried to keep conversation a minimum with him when it was not on topic of her treats. “Hmmm, yes I think I remember her,” Fiddlesticks said. “Have you happened see where she’s been going these past few days? I know she comes down this road but I can’t figure out where or what she has been doing. To be honest, I’ve become a little worried about her, and more than the usual.” “Well, let’s see… “ Fiddlesticks said as he scratched his flank idly. “She has been coming by the house more recently. Hmmm, I think if I had to guess, she’s been visiting White Tail Woods.” “White Tail Woods? Are you sure?” “There isn’t much reason for ponies to come down this street besides that,” Fiddlesticks said with a chuckle. Bon Bon remained quiet for a few moments in thought, wondering exactly what reason her eccentric roommate would have to visit the forest. “Okay… thank you very much Mr. Fiddlesticks. I’ll be sure to stop by later next week.” Bon Bon gave a small wave to him before continuing down the road. “Take care!” Fiddlesticks called as she departed the front of his house. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bon Bon had traveled the trails of White Tail Woods for the better part of an hour, scanning the forest about her for any sign or indication of Lyra or something that might have demanded her attention as of late. She couldn’t imagine what would keep the unicorn so busy in the woods, but knowing her roommate, she figured that she would know it once she saw it. The way Bon Bon saw it, looking after Lyra was the least she could do considering the two of them were childhood friends; and one of the few Lyra had in her entire life. And she promised to Lyra’s mother that she would take care of her the best she could. After all, a pony like Lyra needed all the help she could get. Come on Bon Bon, don’t think like that, she mentally scolded herself. You know how Lyra grew up. The poor girl has had it hard. Bon Bon flared her nostrils at the thoughts she had of her roommate, reminding herself of the promise that she wouldn’t go over such a touchy subject, even if it was in her own head. Still, that doesn’t mean that when I do find her I can’t give her a nice hoof smack to the head for abandoning a gig she had lined up. Bon Bon would not treat Lyra as the unicorns mom had done. Even if she had been just a filly at the time, she didn’t agree that such methods would work. Bon Bon remembered the times she nearly had to force herself into Lyra’s house just to convince her parents that it would be alright to let her come play outside. Besides weird tactics like holding a filly inside, Bon Bon felt no sorrow at giving Lyra some tough love when she needed it. Her mind could bounce around a hundred subjects at the drop of the hat, and Bon Bon would often yell at her for losing focus or forgetting about something simple. But no matter how angry Bon Bon got, or how many sorry’s Lyra would give with her half smile, Bon Bon felt that the unicorn secretly enjoyed the way she was treated. It was how a pony should act to another, and it helped her feel normal. Thinking over her past with the unusual unicorn, Bon Bon suddenly came to a halt as a familiar tune reached her ears through the dense woods. It was a mare humming a sweet tune, the same melody she had heard Lyra practicing the week before; the same song she was supposed to play at her performance last night. Bon Bon opened her mouth to call out for her, but then decided against it. She wasn’t entirely sure why she chose to instead jump into the nearby bushes and look outwardly while hidden in the tall ferns. It might have been a simple whim, or perhaps a faint memory spurring her actions, such as the one of the two of them playing hide and seek in woods similar to these. But it may have been with the fact that Lyra was good at keeping secrets when she wanted to, and it was harder than pulling teeth to get her to spill whatever project she was working on. While Bon Bon normally did not bother herself with the small details of Lyra’s life, feeling that unicorn old enough to handle things on her own, Bon Bon had a sneaking suspicion this wasn’t one of her normal fascinations. That instead, it was somehow connected to her delusional obsession of those things. Ever since she thought she saw one as a filly, they have been at the fore front of her mind for the better part of her life. And the reason why Lyra had been acting oddly a few days ago when Bon Bon had thought it might be because of a crush, she recalled that Lyra gave the same defensive look whenever the topic of them came up. And Bon Bon was not going to be able to get anything out of her or help in any way if Lyra chose to refuse. Thus when she suddenly saw Lyra hop onto the trail some distance away, out of nowhere from the surrounding foliage, Bon Bon’s suspicions only sunk deeper. Thankfully for Bon Bon, Lyra had appeared down the trail, and headed off towards Ponyville instead of where Bon Bon was concealed. Waiting until she could no longer hear the melody Lyra hummed, Bon Bon stepped out of the ferns, and headed to the spot she saw Lyra appear from. When she reached it and traveled in a few feet, she spotted a well-worn path between the ferns, a sure sign that the unicorn had been travelling through her frequently the past few days. With a reluctant sigh at not wanting to but feeling obliged to check it out, Bon Bon proceeded along the path and deeper into the woods. It wasn’t too long before a more developed trail suddenly appeared before her, one she had never travelled on. While it was overgrown in moss on some parts, a sign that it hadn’t been used in a long time, it still held the familiar wide form beaten down dirt of ponies walking over it. To her further surprise, she spotted a distant cabin nestled in the woods down the trail; its appearance had only been visible once she had exited the overgrowth. Figuring that the old structure was the place Lyra had been spending her time at, Bon Bon trotted down the path, curious as to what might be inside. As she approached, she winced at the fact that it looked much more pleasant from a distance. The wood almost appeared to be rotted, the roof tiles had mushrooms and moss growing on top of it, and one of the windows near the door looked completely smashed as if something had been thrown through it. Shaking her head at why Lyra found this place of all things to be the source of her attention, Bon Bon opened the door while touching it as little as possible, and stepped inside. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Thanks again for the apples!” Lyra said with a waving as she left the Apple Families market stand. She was thankful that Big Mac had been attending it today, and that she wouldn’t have to explain to Applejack how she had already needed another basket of apples. Even though Lyra felt bad that apples were practically the only thing she was feeding him, John had been insistent that was all he craved. Reminds me of when I was a filly. Apples were just about the only thing I would eat for a time. Shrugging her shoulders thinking that it may just be a phase, Lyra headed off in the direction tools & supply store. She needed to find a window pane that might fit in the frame, and she needed to fix the doorknob of the bedroom door. Hay, at this point, I might as well just put in a new door, she thought with some reluctance. But the idea of working on fitting in a new door while John watched brightened her spirit on the task. Maybe if he seems me working for his best interests, he will be more willing to work with me. I mean after all, who wants a broken door? As Lyra walked into the store, eliciting a soft jingle from the bell above, her head immediately turned to the dark glass like material set on a shelf in front of her. “Hey Mister,” Lyra said without turning away to the clerk stallion at the counter. “What kind of windows are these?” “I see you noticed our newest items,” he replied cheerfully. “Their tinted windows, but they have some magic worked in them so one side is perfectly visible, while the other is so dark you can’t see through it. They are best when you want to look outside but desire the extra privacy.” “How much are they?” Lyra asked eagerly. “Thirty bits apiece.” “What?” Lyra said, finally breaking her gaze of the glass and looking at the clerk with a shocked look. “That’s way to expensive!” “Sorry,” the clerk pony shrugged, “but that’s what they cost.” Lyra scowled at stallion before moving off to get the few items she did need before walking in. Ponyfeathers, I’ll just have to play a few gigs to save up for them. Her sour mood however quickly changed as she thought about buying the glass. But still, I can only imagine how happy he will be at being able to remove the curtain and look outside. And if I keep saving up, maybe I can renovate the entire cabin all together! I bet he would even help me with it! Lyra wore a silly smile at fantasizing about working on the roof with him, watching his hands grip the hammer and swing down with his arms. Just the thought of seeing him work with his hands at all made her pause in a happy daydream. All I need to do is save up a little more and… The words ‘save up’ and ‘gigs’ echoed in her mind. While she froze in mid grin, Lyra’s mind was running a mile a minute. She needed to save up, which meant that she needed to perform, which reminded her of her scheduled performance last night, which in the end, made her think of how mad Bon Bon would be. “Ponyfeathers…” Lyra mumbled beneath her breath before tearing out of the store. The store clerk had watched in confusion of how the mare had gone from wonderment at seeing the glass, to anger at hearing the price, to weird smiles again as she shopped, then the sudden horrified expression like she had seen a timber wolf itself before running out the door. “That one… is crazy,” he said aloud. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I hope Bon Bon isn’t to mad at me when I do finally see her,” Lyra said as she walked along the forest trail, her head hanging down and a basket of apples balancing on her back. She had rushed back to the house immediately to apologize to Bon Bon, knowing full well she would be upset with her missing a performance and not making money to help with the rent. That, and Bon Bon always seem to end up as the pony everypony else goes to whenever Lyra messes up. She didn’t know why, but everypony wanted to complain to Bon Bon first who in turned passed onto Lyra; and she could tell that it had begun to wear on the candy makers nerves. But Bon Bon was nowhere to be found. She wasn’t making something in the kitchen, nor was she in the various shops she liked to visit. Bon Bon was a pony of routine, and it baffled Lyra why she couldn’t seem to find her. In the end she figured that she would run into her eventually, and decided to head back to the cabin. Even if she had not gotten anything else on her list, she still had apples and was set on getting them there tonight. As she left the makeshift trail between the main one and the cabin, Lyra turned up the little path and looked upon it, feeling her mood brighten at just the sight of it. Even now she could picture how it would eventually look like. The roof clean of debris, the walls stained in a bright color, the walk redone with new cobble stones, and perhaps even a small flower garden in the front. It would be the perfect dream home, one she could come back to every evening. She could also picture John standing at the open door, waving her back home from a long day at of playing her lyre. The only person in the world who would understand her and that she could open up to. The only person who… The words ‘opened door’ rang across her mind in a gut sinking realization that the door to the old cabin, was open. “Oh no…” Forgetting about the basket that fell from her back, Lyra rushed up the path and barged into the house, her eyes in a wide panic as she looked about frantically. She paused only a moment to take in the front room but dashing into the next, barely registering the fact that even with the approaching evening, she could see light through the doorway of the next room. As Lyra rushed in, her breath became caught in her throat at the sight before her. The curtains had indeed been taken down, Bon Bon was standing nearby with a startled expression from Lyra’s sudden entrance, and the bed was empty. John, was nowhere to be seen. “Lyra!? By Celestia don’t scare me like that!” Bon Bon commented as she brought a hoof to her chest. “B-Bon Bon?” Lyra asked with a high tone. “W-what are you doing here?” “I was worried about you so I came to see what had been demanding your attention so much that you missed a performance,” Bon Bon said. “Honestly, do you know how long the restaurant owner talked to me about how his customers failed to have any music to serenade them during dinner?” “I-I’m sorry,” Lyra said, her eyes still bouncing back and forth between the bed and Bon Bon. Where is he? Did she see him? Did he disappear before she got here? Or did she let him go? She’s not acting any different. But what if she did? Where is he!? “Lyra?” “Hmm!?” Lyra replied, snapping out of her thoughts. “Is… there something about that bed?” “What do you mean?” “It’s just, well… you keep looking at it. And you’re acting stranger. Stranger than normal. Why are you so tense? It’s like you’ve seen a ghost.” “I…I… “ Lyra stammered. “I-it’s just… have you seen… anybo- I mean… anypony here when you came in?” Bon Bon blinked a few times as she gauged Lyra, trying to figure out just what she may be getting at. “No, the place was empty when I came in. But seriously, fixing this place up made you miss a performance? I’m glad you found a hobby, and I wish you could have taken a more… desirable place to work on your woodcraft, but this what’s been taking your time?” Lyra remained motionless, barely registering any of the words Bon Bon had said to her. She didn’t see him. That’s good, but that means he somehow figured how to get out and is probably wandering the woods. Oh no! What if somepony sees him? I’m not anywhere ready and he is in no condition move about like that! He can’t even recognize the fact that I’m a friend, what will he do to another pony? “Lyra?” Bon Bon said again, clearly becoming annoyed at Lyra spacing out while she spoke to her. Bon Bon waited a few moments for her to respond, but instead got a sudden goodbye as Lyra turned out and ran back out the door. “I gotta go!” “LYRA!” Bon Bon called out to her, following behind and standing at the edge of the front doorway, watching the unicorn tear off into the woods. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING BUT WHEN YOU GET BACK WE ARE GOING TO FINISH THIS DISCUSSION!” Flaring her nostrils at the retreating unicorn, Bon Bon slowly made her way down the path and back home. “Honestly, where does she think she’s going? It’s going to be dark soon and were in the middle of the woods. And what was that about seeing a pony?” Bon Bon thought over the small mention if she had seen anyone else, causing her to wonder just who might be out here with Lyra in such an abandon building, tools everywhere as if she was going to fix the place up to live in. Maybe… there is a pony she has a crush on, Bon Bon thought. Wondering who the stallion that could get past Lyra's strange qualities might be, she made her way back onto the makeshift trail and towards the main path that would take her home.