Lyra and Bon Bon Visit Wales
Admiral Biscuit
An instant later, they reappeared at the edge of a steeply sloping dune. Lyra faltered but kept her balance; Bon Bon wasn't so lucky. She instinctively took a step forward, catching the end of the blanket underfoot. She fell gracelessly to the sand, and struggled against the cocooning blanket, much to Lyra's amusement.
"Well, it looks like the spell worked," Lyra announced cheerfully. She carefully set the picnic basket and wine down and reached out a hand to help Bon Bon, who was hampered in her attempt to rise by the blanket.
“I would have been happier not landing face-down in sand,” Bon Bon informed her, before looking over at the swath of marram grass and boardwalk bracketing their landing point. “On the other hoof, I suppose there were worse places to land.”
"Hand," Lyra reminded her. "On the other hand."
Bon Bon rolled her eyes. She pushed herself into a kneeling position, further entangling herself in the blanket. Finally, she cursed under her breath and yanked it off, successfully managing to stand. She reached down and picked up her new nemesis, muttering a few choice words about the fate of blankets that get underhoof.
The sun was behind them, and although the air was still somewhat chilly; the sunlight on her back kept it from being unpleasant. She tossed the blanket over her left shoulder and looked around. The area where they had arrived was largely deserted; they were midway down a path between the dunes. To the west lay the beach and ocean.
Bon Bon looked down at the sandy expanse. She’d once gone to Baltimare and spent a day on the ocean; this looked pretty much the same. Except, of course, there weren’t any ponies, only people.
The sun was well above the horizon, and although the beach was sparsely populated, there were still a few dozen souls down near the water. Nobody was in the water just yet, nor were there—as far as she could observe—any whales.
“How come it’s so much later here?” Bon Bon asked. When they’d left, it hadn’t been any more than an hour past sunrise; here the sun was near its apex.
“Their world and ours aren’t on the same timeline,” Lyra explained. “It might not even be Sunday here.”
“Whatever day it is, some of your ‘people’ are down there. Are you going to meet them?”
Lyra lowered her head.. “Maybe in a little bit. Right now, let’s stay up here and observe for a while. See what their customs are."
“I would have thought you'd be eager to get a look at these people," Bon Bon teased, poking her in the ribs. “Or are you getting cold hooves?”
"Cold hands," Lyra corrected absently. She reached down and picked up the picnic basket. "We've got all day to observe them; I don't want to rush into a situation without observing carefully first, and maybe—" She slapped a hand to her forehead. “Oh, that’s what I forgot!” She rummaged around in the picnic basket. “Damn. I should have brought our camera.”
"You could have packed that while I was sleeping in," Bon Bon chided. "Maybe you should start making lists like Twilight does." She bent down and picked up the wine bottle. “Do you want to stay here, or move closer?”
Lyra considered this carefully. From their spot on the dune, they had a commanding view of the beach, but they were pretty far away from the water—and therefore, the people—and it would be difficult to observe them closely from this distance. Finally she shrugged. “How about we go halfway? We’ll be able to see them better and watch them interact, but still be far enough away that they probably won’t come up to us. Unless they’re very friendly, which would be okay.”
“Sounds good to me. I see a nice sunny spot just over there.” Bon Bon was already warming to the idea of stretching out on the blanket and letting the sun bake her, then splashing around in the waves later to cool back down.
She took a few steps before her foot came down on something sharp. With a yelp, she yanked it back, and glared down at the offending rock. “How do humans handle having such soft feet anyway?”
“I think they normally wear some kind of shoes,” Lyra informed her. “Twilight said when she was in the mirror world she had boots that she wore most of the time.”
Bon Bon looked up and down the beach. There were a few windbreaks set up beside sunbathers, but no shops or stalls selling anything, and a quick glance back at her bare body reminded her that she wasn't wearing her saddlebags, so even if there had been a stand selling shoes, she'd have no way to purchase them.
“Well, I don’t see where we’re going to get some here,” Bon Bon muttered. "You probably should have asked Twilight for more details about the human world before using the spell. Maybe you could have found a way to get shoes that would fit." She sat down on the sand and grabbed her foot, twisting it around so she could check the bottom side for damage. Fortunately, there was none.
She stood and wiped loose sand off her bottom. “I guess that’s one good thing about not having a tail or coat—the sand brushes off easier.”
As the duo continued their trek down the beach, they both made sure to pay attention where they were placing their feet, which slowed their progress considerably. They finally arrived at a good spot, and Bon Bon spread the blanket over the sand before stretching out across it, searching for a comfortable position. Lyra set down the basket and glanced down the beach, eager to observe how the other humans were behaving.
Normally, when resting on a blanket, Bon Bon would have either rolled onto her side or lay on her belly with her legs under her, but neither of those positions were comfortable in her new form. She finally found a tolerable position on her belly, with her legs stretched out behind her and her arms folded under her chin. Lyra watched her struggles with a small smirk on her face.
"My neck's too short," she grumbled. "I can't see what's in front of me. Plus, my boobs are pushing into my ribs. You should be glad you don’t have that problem.”
"You could scoop out pits in the sand,” Lyra suggested. “That might help.”
“I’d lie on my back, but then I couldn’t see what the people are doing.” Bon Bon yawned. “Well, the sun feels nice. Maybe I'll just take a nap.”
“And miss out on the people-watching?” Lyra bopped her in the shoulder. “Whatever. I’m just happy we’re here.” She stretched out on the blanket beside Bon Bon, mimicking her marefriend's posture, and looked up and down the beach. Some of the sunbathers had brought chairs, while others were on their backs or stomachs. Bon Bon was right—it was uncomfortable on the neck. Finally, she spotted a man next to a net on poles who had a more upright position. Lyra sat up and regarded him carefully, before stretching her legs out in front of her, putting her arms behind her back, and leaning onto her palms. “Huh. This actually feels pretty comfortable. I think I could sit like this for a pretty long time. She looked over at Bon Bon, who now had her head down, and smiled. A nap in the sun would be nice, and if she’d been on a beach back in Equestria, that’s exactly what she’d do. But here—here was a chance to observe a whole new species, one she’d been studying since before anypony knew they were real.
She’d always been convinced that the legends were based on something, and while some ponies had believed that they were just misinformed observations of minotaurs or juvenile dragons, Lyra was sure that there was something more. After all, there was no longer any reason to believe that Equestria was the only inhabited planet in the multiverse.
Once Twilight had gone through the mirror to the weird not-Equestria, she’d known that there must be countless other worlds out there, and had begun to pester the librarian to do more research. Unsurprisingly, it hadn’t been all that difficult to convince Twilight to do exactly that, and she’d been able to reverse engineer and improve the spell on the mirror portal, and—well, here they were. They hadn't even had to go to the Crystal Empire; Twilight's improved spell took out the frills, and theoretically they could return every few weeks—as long as Lyra had the strength to cast the spell—although the downside was they couldn't stay long. Not even one full day.
As Bon Bon slept, Lyra kept vigil on the beach, watching how the people interacted with each other, or how they behaved on their own. She began imagining what kind of relationship a pair of humans sharing a blanket might have, or if the slender boy letting the waves wash over him was perhaps the child of the heavyset woman who was watching him from a lounge chair, and she occasionally looked farther out in the ocean in the hopes of seeing a whale.
During a lull in the beach activity, she looked down at her bare stomach. Twilight had mentioned the lack of a coat in the mirror world, but it was one thing to be told about it, and another to feel it. Her skin felt weird under her hand, and she couldn’t discern any reason for why there might be some small patches of hair here and there, while the rest of her skin was tender and nearly bald. Especially since down near the water there was a stallion—no, a man; they were called ‘man’ here—who had a discernable coat of dark hair all over his body.
He was with a woman, and they were walking side-by-side in the damp sand where the waves occasionally reached. The two of them were conversing, although with her new immobile ears, she couldn’t focus well enough to hear what they were saying. They would occasionally wave at other beach-goers, and once the woman moved away from the man and spoke with another female sunbather.
Lyra watched it all with fascination—it was interesting to see how a new species interacted. She pushed off the blanket, shifting her weight forward, and balanced herself upright, her palms lightly resting on the coarse wool. She glanced over at Bon Bon's pale back, and debated with herself for a moment before resting her hand gently between Bon Bon's shoulderblades. She traced her hand across Bon Bon's shoulder and down her right arm before letting it fall back to the blanket.
The wind was picking up a little bit, making the marram grass sway and occasionally blowing sand into her side. Now I know why some of them set up windbreaks, she thought.
She saw the man looking in her direction, and she waved at him. He waved back. We do blend in, Lyra thought. They don’t know we’re from a whole different world! The thought of it sent a rush of adrenaline through her, and she was grinning like a fool.
She leaned over and prodded Bon Bon in the back. “Hey, Bons, wake up!”
“Huh? Whazzat?” Bon Bon turned her head slightly, before rolling onto her side. She struggled for a few seconds before remembering that she wasn't a pony any more, and finally twisted her head so she could see Lyra.
“People wave to each other!” She pointed down the beach.
“You woke me up for that? Ponies wave, too, you know.”
“I know, but doesn’t it seem . . . odd, that we have the same body language?”
“I guess.” Bon Bon rolled over onto her back. “That’s a little more comfortable. Now my boobs are only pulling on my breastbone.” She tilted her head back for an upside-down view of the oceanfront and watched the couple that Lyra had been observing as they made their rounds. “How come he’s got a coat, and I don’t?”
“I don’t know. He seems to be the only one. Maybe coats vary, like boobs." Lyra squinted down at the beach. "I think you have the biggest, though. It's hard to tell from here."
“None of them have cutie marks,” Bon Bon observed. “Well, that mare does, but it’s across her back, right above her butt. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to mean.”
“Women,” Lyra corrected absently. “They’re called ‘women,’ because they have a womb.” She tapped her fist against her leg. “Maybe people don’t usually get cutie marks. Odd, you’d think that would be something Twilight would have mentioned.”
“Maybe Twilight didn’t notice.”
“How could she not? They’re pretty obvious.” Lyra playfully traced her finger across Bon Bon’s hip.
“Tickles,” she groused. “Stop it.”
“I don’t want to ask about cutie marks,” Lyra said quietly. “That would give away that we’re outsiders for sure. I suppose most of the people on the beach could be juveniles; maybe they just don’t have theirs yet. I’m honestly not entirely sure how to tell. What if the full-grown humans are bigger?”
“Why don’t you go ask one how old it is?”
Lyra looked up and down the beach. During the time she’d been observing, there had been a small trickle of people coming down the path onto the beach. Now besides sunbathers and walkers, there were a few dozen playing in the tidal pools on the beach, and several brave souls splashing in the ocean breakers. “Well . . . I’d hate to look a foal. I think I want to watch them just a little bit longer. Now that there are more people, it might be easier to see a pattern.”
“You’re starting to sound like Twilight, Do all unicorns learn to talk like that in magic school?”
“Oh, hush.” Lyra looked over at the picnic basket. “Maybe I’ll have something to eat—just a little snack—and see who looks approachable.” She glanced over at the picnic basket and lowered her head.
Bon Bon snickered. “Forget something?” She tapped a hand against her forehead.
“I . . . oh, that’s right. No horn.” Lyra scooted over towards the basket, reached a hand in, and pulled out a sandwich. “Alfalfa and dandelion. You want one?”
“Sure.”
Lyra handed one over to her, and Bon Bon unwrapped it eagerly. She loved alfalfa and dandelion, and sandwiches were one thing Lyra could prepare, since there was no cooking involved. She bit into the sandwich as Lyra struggled to pour them glasses of wine—like most unicorns, she’d become dependant on her horn for the most mundane tasks, so even with her new dexterous hands, she was still spilling.
The sandwich tasted off, somehow. It wasn’t spoiled, but the alfalfa was tough and nearly flavorless, while the dandelion leaves were bitter. Bon Bon raised it to her nose and took a sniff—it still smelled okay. Should I stop eating it and risk offending Lyra, or just carry on like nothing’s the matter?
She grabbed the glass of wine out of Lyra’s hand and gulped some down. It was sweet—maybe a little too sweet—but it softened the alfalfa and dulled the dandelion. Lyra was struggling with her sandwich as well, and Bon Bon tilted her head towards Lyra’s cup.
The two ate in silence, interrupted only by another beachgoer. He came from the south, skirting the very edge of the dunes, and almost tripped over his own feet when he saw them. Lyra set down her sandwich and waved enthusiastically; he responded with a more subdued greeting. Bon Bon ignored Lyra’s antics, and focused on finishing her sandwich. Even if it didn’t taste very good, she got grumpy when she was hungry.
“Look, he’s putting out his blanket near us,” Lyra commented. “He’s facing us. He’s got a bag . . . he’s reaching into it—”
Bon Bon swallowed. “You sound like Pinkie narrating the Running of the Leaves.”
“It’s interesting! It’s human stuff.” Lyra picked her sandwich back up and took a bite. “He’s got a book,” she mumbled around a mouthful of food. “And he’s reading it.”
Bon Bon glanced over at him, figuring if his attention was taken by a book, he wouldn’t notice her staring. “Harri Potter a Maen yr Athronydd. Sounds like a book about magic.” She wiped some crumbs off her chest. “You know, I think that the spell changed our sense of taste, too—or was it just me?”
“No, it wasn’t just you.” Lyra made a face. “I think you’re right about the sense of taste. I’m not sure how much of the rest of this food is going to be edible. At least the wine still tasted good; I needed it to cleanse my palette.”
“I still don’t see any whales,” Bon Bon mumbled.
“Me, either. Maybe they'll come along later. I don’t really know that much about whales.” She looked down at the beach and watched the waves rolling in for a minute. “I have to pee.”
“We've only been here a couple of hours,” Bon Bon reminded her. “Are people bladders that small?” She considered this for a moment—she felt no particular urge—and looked at Lyra. “Or, did you forget to go before we left this morning?”
“I forgot! There were so many other things to think about.”
“Well, your mare parts still look mostly the same,” Bon Bon informed her. “And you won't have to worry about getting your tail wet.”
“That's not what I'm worried about. I just—where do you go?” She looked at Bon Bon. “Twilight said something about there being some kind of basin, and some other vertical trough that you could use while standing, but I never asked her for more details. Who wants to know about people bathrooms?”
Bon Bon chuckled. “You do, apparently.” She took a deliberately slow drink of her wine.
“I don't know what I should do. I doubt I can hold it until we get back to Equestria, but what if I use the wrong thing?”
“I don't see any fixtures, so you won't have to worry about that.”
“Oh.” Lyra looked around. The beach was devoid of any type of structure, save what beachgoers had brought and assembled in situ. “Good point.”
“Just go over there,” Bon Bon suggested, pointing towards a patch of marram grass. “I haven't seen anypony sitting in the grass, so it'll be all right. Besides, the grass will thank you.”
Lyra looked at the grass dubiously. “I don't—“
“Do you think we came in from the fields when I was a filly? It's called 'making water' for a reason.”
“Good point.” Lyra stood up and looked at the slope, screwing up her courage. Finally, she stepped off the blanket and walked towards the upslope of the dunes, until she was a few dozen feet away from their blanket and near the center of a low patch of marram grass.
Bon Bon watched her closely—if Lyra accidentally peed all over her leg, at least Bon Bon would have an example of how not to do it.
Lyra moved around, considering her position and the wind direction, before she committed herself. She finally settled on standing with her legs apart, straddling the driest-looking clump of grass, and began.
When she was done, she practically skipped back to the blanket. “I did it! And I didn't get any on myself! Just like a human!”
“You're as proud as a filly using the toilet for the first time,” Bon Bon said dryly. “Should I give you a cookie?”
“When you pee down your leg, I'll laugh and laugh and laugh. . . .”
“I had the foresight to go before we left,” Bon Bon reminded her.
“Spoilsport.” Lyra sat down on the blanket and surveyed the beach. The man who was sunbathing near them was ostensibly reading a book, but she noticed that he kept looking at them before returning to his book.
“I was wondering how Twilight knew anything about this place,” Bon Bon remarked. “The mirror portal took her to a different world than this, didn't it?”
“She used a seeker spell,” Lyra told her. “Probably set on an object, like a come-to-life spell. It would just sit there and observe until it was stopped, then she could watch it at her leisure.”
“Well, that’s pretty useful. Can you cast seeker spells?”
“Yes; we learned them my senior year.”
“And they can be cast on anything?”
“Pretty much, although it gets tricky if there are already other enchantments on the object.”
“And then you can just watch it later?”
“Yup.”
“Over and over again, like a film?”
“Well, it’s not that simple, but basically, yes.”
Bon Bon looked at her suspiciously. "Have you ever—”
Lyra pointed down the beach. “Look, that man’s looking at us again. I think I’ll go over and talk to him, find out some . . . stuff.”
As Lyra stood, Bon Bon smacked her in the butt. “I want to watch it too.”
“Wh—” Lyra’s cheeks colored. ‘Ah—”
“There’s more than one, isn’t there?”
“We’ll talk about it when we’re back home.”
Bon Bon crossed her arms and glared daggers at Lyra, who tried and failed to return an innocent look.
“I should have told you. I’m sorry.” She glanced back down at the nearby sunbather. “Are you coming with me?”
“I’ll just stay here and watch. You’d better not hit on him.”
“Aw come on, Bons, don’t you want to try and make it with another species?”
“Nope.”
“Whatever.” Lyra stuck out her tongue.
Bon Bon ignored her and took a drink of wine.
Lyra was halfway between their blanket and the man before he noticed her approach. She'd planned on getting close before saying anything, but he'd happened to look up from his book and spotted her. His eyes stayed on her as she closed the distance between them; when he realized she was headed his way, he sat up straight and grinned.
“Bore da,” he said as she got close.
“Bore da,” Lyra replied. “Sut wyt ti?”
“Im 'yn gwneud yn dda, diolch i chi. A ydych yn lleol?” He seemed to be having trouble looking up at her face, so she sat on the blanket next to him.