Lyra was enjoying her day off, just hanging out with Sweetie Drops and helping to make and wrap candies and not worrying about her patients for a change.
"What if..." started Bon Bon as she pulled a tray out of the oven and set it on the counter, releasing the thick cloth from her snout that let her hold the hot metal. "What if ponies are getting lost the same way?"
Lyra raised a brow. "Wouldn't somepony notice?" She used her magic to grab a pizza slicer and cut into the candy, making it into nice squares for Bon Bon to work with. "I haven't heard of anypony vanishing like that, and if it was, you know, just as frequent, somepony has to see that."
Bon Bon tapped her chin thoughtfully a moment before she got to taste testing the first square, and offering the second to Lyra. Both satisfied, she pulled over the wrappers and started wrapping them up with Lyra's help. "What if they aren't removed?"
"Come again?" Lyra asked as she tidily made each caramel chunk into a little wrapped treat. "I don't understand your idea."
Bon Bon waved at Lyra. "What if it's not moving them from place to place, but copying them instead? What if your once-humans are actually home, right now, and don't even know there's a copy of them lost here in Equestria."
Lyra's expression darkened. "That could be the worst possible answer in a lot of ways... It means they really have no home to go back to, no matter how hard we try."
Bon Bon's thoughts wouldn't be stopped. "But what if we're lost like that? Gosh, I'd hope we were together at least."
Lyra moved over to Bon Bon and hugged her tightly from the side. "I'd be alright anywhere if it was with you, Bonnie."
They went quiet a moment, staying close together as they finished wrapping up the candies. "I think you and the Princess should focus on getting their... bubble? away, before more ponies get lost back and forth. It's not good for anypony, human or not."
Lyra threw up an arm. "Yeah, of course, but... Come on, Bonnie. This is my one day off."
Bon Bon gently nuzzled her Lyra. "You're doing a very important thing. I'm very proud of you."
Lyra melted into the attention and let out a sigh. "I'll go." She leaned in and kissed Bon Bon perhaps a bit more firmly than strictly required before turning for the door and departing.
Lyra made her way swiftly to the train station, grumbling softly to herself along the way. She had really wanted to relax and forget about everything for a bit, but Bon Bon was making good points. Things could be becoming worse, and more souls cast out into the world, lost and scared.
She imagined herself become a human overnight, with no way back, in an alien world. The thought that, somewhere, her Bon Bon wouldn't even know she was lost, still snuggling up with an alternate Lyra. It was infuriating and sad, and could already be happening. Would the humans even have professional friends? Not from what she had gathered from her precious wards. They needed love as much as any species, but were a lot more timid about giving it out. She would be well and truly alone, abandoned in that awful place.
She put some bits down on the counter, buying a ticket up to Canterlot and dropping herself onto a seat to wait for the next train. "She'd better be there..." There was no assurance Luna would be available to talk to her, but she'd try. She had to...
Sam was doing well! He had fingers, and clothes, arms, legs, feet! All his parts were in order! Sure everything seemed a little too bright and the proportions were kind of off... but he was human, and everyone around him was too! With a nervous laugh, he hopped up and clicked his heels together before coming down.
A high-schooler walking past gave him a thumbs up before moving on. He returned the gesture, giddy that he could perform the simple gesture that had been denied to him in Equestria. Alright, he had to get a place to live, and somewhere to work. He guessed the second would have to come first to pay the former. Crossing his fingers, he walked down the street in search for a wanted sign.
The first one he saw rested in the window of a music store. Why not? He wandered in to find a man polishing some guitars. "Hey? I saw the sign in the window? What's the position?"
The man turned to regard Sam with a bright smile. "Oh fantastic! I need someone to help run the store. You know, clean-up, open, closing, helping customers and running the register. How's that sound?"
Sam was a little surprised. The man was a little... eager sounding, like he was the first and only person to be interested in it. "Sure, I can do all that. What's the pay?"
The shopkeep shrugged. "I confess, I thought it would be a high-schooler applying, so I've only set aside $10/hr for it. It's not quite minimum wage, but it's close to it. We really can't afford to pay much more than that. Full-time, if you want it, or part-time if you don't?"
Sam shook his head a little. He felt like the shopkeep was trying to sell him the job instead of the other way around. Is that just how this world worked? "Well... sure, let's try out full-time and see how it works from there?"
The shopkeep offered a hand. "Deal! The name's Fine Tune, by the way."
Sam accepted the hand and shook it, wondering at that very pony-sounding name. "Sam, nice to meet you. When do I start?"