Lyra realized she was being held as she came back to her senses. The pony holding her smelled familiar, and was whispering sweet nothings for her. Lyra relaxed into the embrace a moment before she remembered everything. "Bon Bon!"
Bon Bon jerked back, ears going erect. "What? Are you alright, Lyra? We'll make it out of here, promise. Just stay calm. We're just... horse things. It's not... that bad."
Lyra smiled wistfully, realizing Bon Bon thought she was freaking out about becoming a pony and was putting on a brave face for her friend. "Bon Bon... I'm alright now. I need you to stay here." She pointed at the portal. "Next to that, and wait. I'll get the po--person that can fix it and get y--us back home." Lyra was pretty bad at lying, and Bon Bon looked at her skeptically. "I'll get somep--one, promise! Oh! If a little reptile thing comes in, it's harmless, just say hi."
Bon Bon shook her head slowly. "I'm coming with you, Lyra. Lead the way."
Lyra cringed, but couldn't think of a way to shake Bon Bon. "It's really not required. Just give me, like, half an hour, tops!"
Bon Bon advanced on Lyra and nudged her with a hoof. "Tell me the truth, Lyra. You're awful at lying."
Lyra sank to her haunches with a sigh. "Well alright, but don't blame me afterwards! I'm not your Lyra. I've always been a pony, except when you ran into me. This is where I belong. I'll get you back to your own Lyra as soon as I can."
Bon Bon tilted her head slowly, then reached out to brush a hoof along Lyra's snout. "Is there a pony version of me too?" Lyra nodded. "I want to meet her!"
Lyra went stiff. "No! No no no no! Meeting your twin is very bad! Please, for the love of Celestia, just stay here."
"You love the principal?" Bon Bon looked baffled. "Fine... I'll stay here and do... horse things, I guess. Please don't forget about me. If you're anything like my Lyra..."
Lyra smiled nervously. "I can't forget about my Bonnie." This got a smile out of her, and Lyra hastily retreated. Lyra scrambled out of the basement and out of the castle, spotting nopony along the way. In a wild gallop, she charged for the once-human house and the intruder that had entered it with her face.
Sam scowled at the little girl. "I don't actually start work until tomorrow."
Lucy blinked. "But you already got paid?"
Sam gestured out a window. "Everyone around here is pretty trusting. I just asked, and he gave it."
Lucy nodded a little. "Well alright, so if you ask for a few days to get your things in order, he'd probably be alright with it?"
"But would I be?" Sam raised a brow. "This place has plenty of strange things about it, but it still beats out horse land. Everyone wears clothes, and I can eat a burger in peace, and they have computers!"
Lucy rolled a hand. "And I'm not asking you to give any of that up for longer than a few days." She huffed. "It's for the good of a lot of people who, like you, don't want to end up dumped in 'horse land'. Think of someone else, just like you, being thrown there with no way out, with this place as a distant second prize if they don't get themselves killed or go crazy before they find out about it. We can't get back, but we could help some people not get into this mess in the first place."
Sam grunted and sank onto a chair, looking thoughtful enough before he looked up. "It's a test."
"Hmm?"
"A test! This whole thing, it's like... purgatory. I'm stuck part-way between the pearly gates and the brimstone. The big guy's just waiting for me to show which side I belong on," explained Sam with seemingly building confidence.
Lucy nodded slowly, uncertain of the new angle. "Does that mean you'll help?"
"Right, fine." Sam pushed his way to his feet. "I won't be damned at the last second. If horse land needs me a few days, whatever, we'll get it over with." He fished out a phone and made a quick call, quietly thankful for the return of such modern luxuries.
Lyra came up on the once-human house and pushed inside without knocking, "Don't anypony panic!"
The once-humans were gathered around a table, playing cards. An unfamiliar face was using magic to shuffle and deal cards. All of their faces looked up at Lyra with surprise at her sudden entry. The new one smiled. "Hello, Lyra. I was hoping to meet you."
Lyra perked an ear, confusion building. "Are you... the changeling?"
He nodded. "Is that what it's called? I think so."
Lyra approached the table. "Why were you... hiding as Twilight Sparkle, and me?"
He shrugged a little. "Sorry about that. I... didn't exactly know if I should trust you or not yet. I'm a once-human, like everyone else here."
A once-human? Lyra sagged against the wall. It made enough sense... "But why hide as me?"
One of the others grinned. "He tried to pretend to be you and see how we'd react around you."
He nodded. "Exactly. I wanted to see if you were really friends, or if they were your prisoners."
Sunny suddenly sailed in through an open window. "Hey! Is the game already going?" The pegasus approached an empty chair and hopped up with a grin. "Deal me!"
Lyra put a hoof over her face. "Well... they're not my prisoners. I hope that's clear now? We... need to talk, but I have to help a friend right now." She glanced over the room. "Take care of him, nicely. Show him around town." She rolled a hoof. "Be friends." She felt lame and awkward. They were already being friends. She was the only one in the room stressing out. She turned for the exit and got to trotting. "I'll be back, sorry for being out of sorts."