Lyra nodded at her patients. For once, they were outside of the small office, instead on a grassy clearing on a nice and sunny day. The schedule said it'd be clear all day long, and Lyra had arranged for the two to come meet her with a nice basket full of various snacks. She reached into the basket and pulled out little pies, putting one before either of them. "Glad you could make it. It's nice to spend some time with friends."
“I... suppose.” Amanda fidgeted in her simple dress, sometimes glancing at the pegasus next to her. “I mean... I don’t know if we qualify as friends, but... I mean, you are a good person, I guess? I’m sorry, I’m not saying this right, I’m still a little...” She shook her head.
Beside Amanda, Amour Ardour lay on her side, propping up her upper body with her forelegs. The lavender pegasus disliked squatting on her haunches to sit, it looked inexcusable to her in a public place. She had brought a chequered rug to save her dress from grass stains, and occasionally smoothed out a crumple in the fabric with a gentle nudge of her hoof. It was pointless fussing, keeping her mind off more troubling matters.
“I am delighted to meet you again so soon, madam Heartstrings,” Amour interjected smoothly, a warm smile masking her worries. “A perfect day for an outing, I must say, yet I am a stranger to our present company. If you would be so kind as to introduce us?”
Lyra nods at Amour before waving a hoof at Amanda. "Amanda, meet Amour Ardour. Amour, meet Amanda. I'd like to think you two could become friends, but no pressure, just a relaxing day." She produced a pitcher from the depths of the basket and set it aside before a few cups were placed beside it, ready to be filled with the drink of choice, whatever it is Lyra brought along.
“I... It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss Ardour.” Amanda held out a hoof in greeting. “I do apologize if I seem a little, well, nervous, I’m just... well, I’ve been through a lot recently and I’m still coming to terms with it...”
Lyra shook her head a little. "It's perfectly understandable. You've both been through a lot. That's exactly why today nothing will be too stressful." Dangerous words in the magical land of Equestria, which listens all too keenly to its residents for opportunities to prove them wrong.
“I sympathise, madam, I truly do,” Amour said, inclining her head. She was in the uncomfortable position of not knowing Amanda’s last name. She preferred to keep a distant, polite form of address, despite Mme. Heartstrings’ insistence that they were becoming fast friends. “I myself have taken up flight lessons, and I can imagine little more stressful.”
“I would have thought...” Amanda began, trailing off as she looked Amour’s dress over. “Oh. I... see. Ah....”
She glanced at her own simple gown for a moment.
“So... Amour Ardour? I’ll... admit I’m not as well studied in French as I could be, but doesn’t that mean ‘Lovely Love’?”
Amour tilted her head, trying to hide her vexation that the conversation had turned to language. It wasn’t so bad speaking so much English with the calm, understanding Mme. Heartstrings, but the pegasus flight instructor she had been referred to insisted on speaking at a mile a minute as the Englishmen used to say. “Ardour is not a common word for you in English, madam? I think a better translation is… passionate. But the name is just a name, yes?”
Amanda let her eyes trail along the green length of her leg. “‘That which we would call a rose...’ I don’t know. I mean, I remember hearing somewhere that names have histories, that they’re words from other languages that have shifted and grown to become... identities, but here--well, the most name-like name I’ve found here is Lyra. Everyone else seems to be a direct noun, an actual verb, maybe an adjective or two...” She sighed. “I suppose it makes it easier when you hear ‘Bulk Biceps’ and just know that he’s going to be a musclebound wall of meat, but it’s... also kind of less. Um, no offense,” she added quickly to both the other ponies.
Lyra gave a light-hearted snort at the conversation. "Neither of you are wrong. A lot of ponies are named fairly obviously. If you've ever been around Rainbow Dash a moment, she lives up to both sides of that title." She wobbled a hoof a little. "I'm not sure I'm a heartstrings, but I like to think I can have an effect. The effect for today is welcomed." She pulled out an actual nutritional part of the meal in the form of a large bowl of already-tossed salad, ready to go.
“Indeed, a moment is all I needed with her,” Amour replied. She realised that she had been leaving poor Mme. Heartstrings’ picnic untouched, partly thanks to her self-consciousness about eating without a full set of cutlery. However, refusing to eat at all would be the greater of the two evils. “Oh, forgive me for going on so. Did you prepare the salad yourself? It looks delectable, madam.”
Amanda nodded in agreement, starting to reach out. Then she stopped herself and frowned at her hoof. “I... hope you brought plates for all of us,” she half joked, pulling it back awkwardly. “I mean... ah...”
The conversation stalled for a moment, her ears falling back as she rubbed the back of her mane.
“...Is... I’m a little, um... This is kind of embarrassing to ask, but, do we just...?” She gestured from her muzzle downward in an arc.
Lyra nudged a plate forward before drawing several others with her magic, setting them neatly before herself and her guests. "Go ahead and eat. If you're worried about getting yourself messy, I brought napkins." She reached for a pie and lifted it up, taking a clean bite right out of it, somehow without splattering it all over her snout in the process.
Amanda frowned at her for the briefest of moments, but she quickly schooled her face into polite neutrality. “Ah, thank you.” She leaned down, delicately gripping the plate between her teeth, and began to slide it under the assemblage of leaves and vegetables that formed the salad. A small grunt escaped her lips as she tilted it up, letting the plant matter roll toward the center of the dish before she quickly retracted it and set it in front of herself.
Lyra subtly leaned to the side, trying to steal a peek and see if things were healing properly. Unfortunately, Amanda’s garb didn’t really permit much of her flank to be seen. "I'm so glad you were both able to make it today. For some reason you two reminded me of each other."
“In what manner, may I ask, apart from our cautious eating habits?” Amour asked, delicately raising her little pie with both hooves. She found the trick was to avoid scrunching up her face as if in deep concentration, and to take only the tiniest of ladylike bites so as not to knock the pie off-balance.
Summoned by the arcane ritual of saying it would be a peaceful and relaxing day, a soft rumble shook the ground, barely giving time enough to look around before something cleared the tree-line. Huge and towering, the dragon stormed ahead, though it wasn't looking at the ponies in its way, as if they were just in its path as a consequence of random chance.
“WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS THAT THING?!” Amanda shrieked, scrambling up and trying to coordinate four legs into running out of the way as quickly as she could.
The pie slipped from Amour’s hooves, and by the time it landed upside-down on her rug, its owner had fainted clean away. The sight of what appeared to be an actual demon coming to drag her to some fiery pit was simply too much for her to take. The pegasus collapsed with a sigh.
Lyra's first instinct was to flee immediately, but seeing Amour collapse made her thoughts take a new track, slipping out of flight and into fight. She spun around, putting herself between her patient and the dragon, trembling even as she shouted, "Stop right there!"
Her little glowing horn was not much impediment or cause for delay for the lumbering purple dragon, who approached the two like a steamroller, unknowing and uncaring of the damage that may be caused. "I mean it, stop!"
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Amanda shouted, trying to spin around. Unfortunately she just kicked her hooves out from under her and ended up falling. “Unf! JUST PICK HER UP AND RUN!”
Pick her up and run, right. That's a good idea! Lyra turned her magic on Amour, barely getting her off the ground when she was flattened under a claw. To her credit, her horn did prod the dragon in its foot, and it recoiled with an 'Ow!', leaving a squished but intact Lyra behind.
“Ohgodohgodohgodshe’sdeadthey’redeadohgodohgod--”
Amanda’s eyes darted toward the scenic sight of Ponyville. She stood up, shaking nervously. “Okay. Okay, this is... probably going to be the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.” It took most of her willpower to force her breath back to something resembling regularity. “‘Nay, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil....’”
Clenching her eyes shut, she charged at the dragon’s ankle.
“‘...BECAUSE THE LORD MY GOD IS WITH ME!’”
Lyra did very little, her vision swam in a pained swirl as she tried to gather herself back together just in front of the dragon. The dragon looked down at what it had stepped on just to hear another pony performing a mighty war cry. He shifted his gaze to see a green mare clutching at his ankle and tearing at his scales with her teeth. A claw scratched at his head and he blinked in dull confusion; this was not how ponies usually acted.
Amanda, for her part, continued her desperate assault on the demonspawn.
“...Ma chandelle est morte,
Je n’ai plus de feu.
Ouvre-moi ta porte,
Pour l’amour de Dieu…”
Amour hummed the next verse, unwilling to open her eyes. She could feel the sun on her face. The memory of the picnic with her new friends was coming back to her. She could hear shouting, and wondered what all the commotion was about. Then, she remembered the demon.
“Lyra!” Amour screamed, her head jerking up and her eyes blinking furiously to adjust to the light. She felt something sticky on her cheek, and she realised she must have fainted onto the pie. She squinted, catching sight of something impossibly large moving before her. She had only ever been as terrified once before in her life, but this time she did not have the composure to keep her thoughts to herself. The choice phrase she uttered would have made her blush, if she didn’t know that she was the only one who understood it.
The dragon reached down with two claws, aiming to grab the pony with a pluck as anyone would grab a petal from a flower. "Cut that out. You're really cheesing me off!" He seemed more irritated than outright infuriated, likely to the pony's benefit. Lyra was still out for the count, wobbling a bit and making some noise, but quite unaware of what was actually going on around her.
Amanda saw the slow-moving claw and instantly recalled something from... far back in her youth. Some video game or other, she couldn’t recall what in the heat of the moment, but there was enough of an idea in her head. Just as it swooped at her, she leaned back and jumped, gripping at the scaly digit with all four of her hooves. “BEGONE, SPAWN OF SATAN! THE POWER OF GOD COMPELS YOU!” Her gaze fell downward, and she clutched at the claw tightly. “Oh God, what am I even thinking--stay focused, Amanda, the ponies need you...”
Amour got to her hooves. She had died once before, on her knees, and did not intend to experience that again so soon. She caught sight of poor Lyra, who had been so looking forward to a peaceful outing with her. She stumbled towards the green unicorn, and not knowing what else to do, stretched out her wing to brush against her friend’s shoulder. “Lyra? Lyra, can you hear me?”
Lyra's brain managed to reach the point where she could sling words in no particular order, and she swayed as she sang out, "I'm not ready for school today, I ran out of aardvarks for the tunafish!"
The dragon's full attention was on the pony now hanging from one of his fingers. This was certainly not what he had in mind. He frowned delicately then started to move on, carrying Amanda right along for the ride as he stomped with a loud grumbling as it moved past Ponyville, going along its periphery.
Amanda took a breath and carefully looked about, watching where the dragon’s gait swing the hand she was hanging on. Her eyes widened as she saw the spines on his back. “Okay. Okay, just... just have to think, this is--right. Alright, time it, time it, time it now OhGodOhGodOhGod--!”
The breath was knocked out of her as she landed on the massive beast’s back, and she scrabbled quickly to hook a hoof around one of the spines. “Oh God. Oh God. This is insane. I’m insane.” She let out a panicked giggle. “Amanda Worthington, demonslayer, who’d have thunk it...?!” Her eyes darted upward, and she began to climb.
“Amanda?” Amour hadn’t seen the nervous pony since she had woken. She thought Amanda had run off, and was close to doing so herself, if not for the sake of Lyra. However, the booming voice of the dragon turned her gaze upwards, and that is when she caught sight of her newest friend clambering over the demon’s spines. Amour stood motionless for a moment, her brain working to catch up with her. “Lyra? I don’t think Amanda will be joining us for tea…”
The dragon paused again, noticing its pony passenger suddenly vanished. Where did she go? He lifted one arm, then the other, peeking under them as if she had just gotten lost in an armpit or somewhere similar. With a soft quizzical grunt of a sound, he shrugged with confusion before proceeding along, looking just a little happier for being rid of the pony.
That was, right up until Amanda’s hoof pressed into the webbed flesh connecting one of his wings to his body. The dragon felt it, but had no idea what it was. Did something just land on him? He fluttered the wing with some agitation, hoping to dislodge whatever it was. Amanda, for her part, clung onto the nearby spine for dear life.
Lyra shook her head quickly, coming around. "What? Where? Are you alright?" Her vision focused on Amour and she let out a sigh of relief on seeing she appeared intact. "Where's Ama--" She didn't finish, spotting her other patient scaling a terrifying dragon and putting her hooves to her cheeks. "Dear Celestia! Amanda!" Not that her shouts had much chance of reaching across the distance.
“She has lost her mind, now pray let us do something before she loses her head!” Amour shrieked, before clapping a hoof over her mouth. She was on the verge of a fit of hysteria, she could feel it. Her wings spread out in panic.
“Stop with the wing, stop with the wing!” Amanda clutched at her anchor, tears of fright running down her cheeks. “Oh God, if you can hear me, please let this be one of those video game bosses with a brightly glowing weak spot...” She looked up. “Or at least unarmored eyes?” And with a terrified sob, she reached out again.
The dragon didn't pause that time. Nothing would stop him. Nothing! He broke into a sudden gallop, falling to all fours to close the distance all the faster, heedless of his passenger in favor reaching his destination, a little cottage on the outskirts of town.
Lyra looked around in a wild panic a moment before she pointed at Amour's wings. "Can you fly? Go get her off of there, quickly!"
“I… I…” Amour’s pupils shrank as she wildly looked about for any other pegasus that would qualify as a better candidate. “I-I’m not a flier! I can take off, b-but they still have to hold me steady to land… and… and…”
Amanda blinked, realizing the dragon’s back was now flat. “Huh....ha! Hahaha! IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” She hurtled across the spines, leapt down to the beast’s skull, and bucked him in the eye without a moment’s hesitation.
“Oh Marie, mère de Dieu, I’m coming, Amanda!” Amour took a galloping start, furiously flapping her wings. Her take-off was ungainly, and almost immediately she started to drift with the breeze. She could hear her whimpering in between panting breaths, and feel her wings started to seize up from her sudden exertions. She could barely focus her vision on the giant purple blob that loomed closer and closer.
The purple dragon screeched in indignant pain and a claw flew up over its face as it reared up and back in surprise. What hit it?! What madness occupies this part of Equestria?! His words were little more than inarticulate roars of utter fury and shock as it tossed its head back and forth wildly.
Amanda was flung from his face, flailing in midair for a few seconds before she managed to bite down on the dragon’s earfin. An involuntary whimper of terror escaped through her clenched teeth. Lyra went pale at the sight, before she looked back towards the town. She couldn't think of anypony she could reach in time to help, and she started charging towards the dragon boldly, not that she had any idea what she'd do when she got closer, but she was going to try… whatever that may turn out to be.
Amour had no plan, other than a vague determination to get Amanda, and herself, as far away from the demon as her wings would carry them. Unfortunately that would not prove to be far enough, especially with her dress weighing her down and restricting her wing-flapping. Praying to her God and her beloved mother for forgiveness, she hooked her hoof under the fabric and pulled with all her strength. The dress tore with a noise that made the poor pegasus wince. A few good kicks, and the gaudy cloth was sent fluttering away on the breeze.
Unburdened by the ungainly load, Amour turned her attention on her rapidly approaching target. She tried to visualise ahead like her flight instructor had said, but the demon’s head was thrashing about far too fiercely for a controlled landing. Amour flapped to gain an advantageous height. She would swoop down and get ahold of Amanda before the monster knew it--
One massive swing of the dragon’s head, and Amanda’s toothy grip broke. She arced through the air, her eyes clenched shut as she curled up. “OurFatherWhoArtInHeavenHallowedBeThyName,” she breathed out, “ThyKingdomComeThyWillBeDoneOnEarthAsItIsIn--”
Amour didn’t think in those few seconds. She folded her wings, gaze fixed on the pony tumbling through the air. She dropped down, forelegs outstretched. The path of Amanda’s flight curved down towards the ground. Amour matched her speed, and as neatly as catching a ball, scooped the pony into her embrace.
Amanda felt a jolt. Her eyes opened suddenly. “...Heh...Heaven?”
“Hah! How’s that! I caught-- erkk!” Amour’s breath caught as suddenly she realised she had a load to carry. She pumped her wings with all her strength, trying to keep them both airborne for a few seconds more. The treeline on the outskirts of town was fast approaching. Amour banked hard, and caught the reflection of sunlight in her eyes. “Oh, the stream. Parfait…”
Sploosh.
Lyra drew up to a slow stop as the situation changed. She hopped up and down in place, eyes set on Amour. It wasn't a gentle landing, but it was a landing, and they weren't eaten by a dragon. "Woohoo! You go mare!"
Somehow, despite all the activity beside it, Lyra's little cheer caught the attention of the dragon, who turned to face her, freezing her with fear. He glared at her as if daring her to say a single additional word, and they kept their eyes locked for an uncomfortably long moment before the dragon turned away with an angry snort. "The things I do… Last time I do a favor for that guy…"
----
Amanda’s head burst from the river with a gasp, the water matting her dress against her body as her mane dripped down her neck. “That... that was Amour.” Her eyes widened. “That was Amour! She’s alive!” She reached next to her and pulled the pegasus out of the water, hugging her tightly. “YOU’RE ALIVE!”
The water had shot up Amour’s nose on landing, and in shock she had let go of her last few precious breaths of air. She kicked uselessly, her wing muscles burning as she tried to flap sluggishly in the water. Not a moment too soon, she felt Amanda pull her from the water, and nearly crush her ribs in a tight embrace. The large portion of the river she had swallowed flowed out much the same way it had come in, giving Amour the appearance of a very lifelike water fountain. Bewildered, Amour sputtered and shook her head, clearing the matted wet locks of her cyan mane from her eyes.
“A-Amanda? We survived!” For the first time in a long while, Amour beamed with sincere delight. She began to laugh, feeling the thrill of her first solo flight catch up with her.
“I th-thought that monster had squashed you,” Amanda laughed while sobbing. “You and Lyra--Oh God. Lyra. Po--poor Lyra, she, she was just trying to help--”
“She is unharmed!” Amour explained quickly, lest Amanda think for a moment longer that they had lost their friend. “And, in faith, was in far less danger. I hope you shall not come to rely on me as your guardian angel, Amanda, I don’t think I could do that twice!”
Amanda sniffled. “I was just--that thing was headed toward Ponyville--” She leaned back suddenly, wild eyes staring into Amour’s. “Oh God, PONYVILLE! We’ve got to warn them!”
Lyra approached as if summoned, having escaped from the attention of the dragon. "Hey! Hey!" She waved a hoof frantically as she hobbled along on the other three quickly. "Is everypony alright? I'm so sorry! This isn't how today was supposed to go at all."
“Lyra--! That demon, what happened?!” Amanda demanded in a panic. “We’ve got to get it away from the town!”
Lyra shook her head a little. "Dragon, not demon. That thing wasn't from Tartarus, just the mountains, er, not that it wasn't dangerous." She rubbed behind her head. "Aw sheesh, this… Sorry again, I really wanted a relaxing day." She flopped onto her haunches and looked over the two, checking for injuries. "You were… very brave though. I was very, mmm, proud, and scared."
“...D...Dragon.” Amanda raised a shaky hoof and pointed. “Th...that was a dragon.” She turned to Amour. “They have dragons.”
“I fail to see much distinction.” Amour trod up the riverbank, extending her soaked feathers to dry them in the sun. “Is it… dead? Did somepony slay it?”
“Amanda Worthington, dragonslayer...” The green mare giggled and wavered as she followed after her, but let out a small hiss once she was out of the river. “Ow...”
“Amanda! You’re injured?” Amour trotted back to her friend, ears pinned back. She had made the landing, and that meant Amanda getting hurt was her fault.
“It’s nothing. It’s just my burns, all that running must have opened them up again.” Amanda weakly tried to ward the pegasus off with a hoof, putting on what she thought was a reassuring smile. “The dragon is... gone, right Lyra?”
Lyra bobbed her head quickly. "He moved along as soon as… you scared it off with your heroics." Not exactly the truth, but close enough for Lyra. She flashed a bright smile. "You really shouldn't make a habit of that. Dragons are tough critters, and if you didn't catch it by surprise, it might have had you for lunch or something, uh, though most dragons prefer the taste of jewels over ponies." She frowned a little at Amanda. "Come on, let's get that looked at."
“You were very brave,” Amour concurred, giving Amanda a light nudge with an outstretched wing. “I know it’s not the introduction we expected, but I should be honoured if you consider us friends henceforth.”
“Oh, I’d like that. You and I, best of friends, no homo, not that you aren’t pretty, I just don’t swing that way, and we’re horses now...” Amanda smiled faintly. “You know what, I think I’m just going to shut up.”
Her eyes rolled up and she collapsed on the ground. Amour knelt down by her side, then looked up at Lyra.
“The poor dear needs rest, and it won’t do to nap in the mud. I carried her this far, Lyra. I must oblige you to take her hence.”
Lyra put her magic to work, gently lifting the unconscious pony up and turning back to town. "I'll make sure she's taken care of, promise. Thank you for being amazing today. Maybe we can try again, some other time? Maybe somewhere closer to Ponyville."
“That would be lovely,” Amour agreed with a smile. She rose to her hooves, and the two ponies began to walk back to town.