//------------------------------//
// Lyra's Secret Spell 
// Story: Demons Are Forever 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//

	"Whoa!  Look alive, Bons!"

Bon-Bon was jerked out of her trance by a force preventing her from moving her foot.  She soon discovered that it was Lyra's magic preventing her from stepping on a bit of loose rock and slipping.  She quickly shook herself and tapped her forehead smartly.

"S-sorry," she muttered, stepping around the hazardous stones and continuing her pace. "I-I should probably be more careful.  Are we getting close?"

"According to our changeling guide, we are," said Minuette. "Isn't that right, pal?"

The changeling swallowed. "Um, funny you should say that.  Because, this is about as far as I can take you."

Bon-Bon stepped forward and raised an eyebrow.  The changeling was gesturing to the mouth of a pitch black cave.  Fleur glared at the changeling.

"This is not what we agreed to," she snarled. "You said you would take us to the Lesser Key."

"Look, if the Ars Goetia find out I'm helping you guys, I'm going to get in trouble," the changeling said with a shrug.

"Last I checked, that wasn't our problem," Fleur stated bluntly.

The changeling scoffed. "So, you're just going to throw me to the wolves, is that it?  Pah, typical pony mentality.  No respect for anyone but your own kind.  The archdrone was right about you lot."

"Just so you know, I would not recommend playing the victim card in your situation," said Moondancer frankly. "Considering that you and the rest of the Ars Goetia's allies tried to kill us just over an hour ago, you really have no leg to stand on."

"Exactly.  The Ars Goetia already know you're here," said the changeling haughtily. "Meaning if you let me go, I have no reason to alert them of your presence."

"Those bluffs aren't going to work, insect," Fleur spat. "Now lead us to the Lesser Key like you promised, or I'm going to give you a few extra holes."

"Alright, alright.  Sheesh, for a supposedly peaceful race, you ponies sure are violent," the changeling griped. "Listen, I say what I mean and I mean what I say.  This is the farthest I can take you if I want to keep my abdomen.  But, I can tell you how to navigate the caves and find what you're looking for.  Keep heading north and east until you find torches.  There will be a door in that corridor, which will lead you to the Ars Goetia's reading room.  From there, you're on your own.  Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Just a moment," said Moondancer, gripping the changeling with her magic. "It wouldn't be wise to let you go.  Especially since we may have a few more questions you could answer for us."

"Questions like what?"

"The archdrone," said Bon-Bon, walking over to the changeling. "You said that it was spying on us, and it gave you orders to change into the bugbear.  Who is this archdrone?"

The changeling gulped. "S-see, I would answer your question, but it might not like that."

"So what?  I was under the impression that the Ars Goetia loved sharing knowledge," said Minuette with a shrug. "Why would your archdrone impose a gag order if it also followed their teachings?"

"I-I don't know.  It's not my place to question the archdrone," the changeling whimpered.

"It wasn't your place to question Queen Chrysalis, either," said Bon-Bon, arching an eyebrow. "But you said you rejected that mentality."

"I-I rejected the Queen's authority," the changeling clarified. "The archdrone makes informed decisions based on the Ars Goetia and their host.  Its logic must be right because the Ars Goetia are right."

"Um, out of curiosity, what makes the Ars Goetia right about anything?" asked Lyra.

The changeling gasped in horror before shooting Lyra a dark glare. "Oh, you did not just question the Ars Goetia.  That kind of closed-mindedness is a blight upon this world that must be purged!  Death to the ignorant!"

In a flash, the changeling shifted into the form of a yeti and let out a powerful roar.  Before it could strike, Fleur fired a beam into its chest.  With a roar of pain, the changeling collapsed and reverted to its original state, its thorax seared and smoking from Fleur's attack.  Fleur snorted and gave Lyra a dirty look.

"You just can't resist provoking everyone today, can you?" she scolded.

"Hey, it was just an innocent question!" Lyra protested. "How was I supposed to know it would go nuts like that?!"

"Maybe if you kept your dumb mouth shut and stood out of the way, the rest of us could get something done around here!"

"Right, and I'm sure beating it within an inch of its life was going to solve all our problems."

"I've fought against these cockroaches for my entire career as a keeper of the peace!  I think I know what I'm doing!"

Moondancer cleared her throat. "Um, girls?"

"What?!" Lyra and Fleur yelled, turning to Moondancer.

Moondancer squeaked and flinched, nearly dropping her glasses. "Uh, I believe I mentioned something before about these petty arguments not getting us anywhere."

"Well, she started it," Lyra grumbled.

"I don't care who started it; I'm finishing it," Moondancer said firmly. "We're all working together here, aren't we?  We shouldn't be at each other's throats."

"Plus, I distinctly remember you two promising not to get on each other's nerves anymore," Minuette added. "Do I have to force you two to do the Pinkie Promise?"

Fleur huffed. "I never promised anything.  I'm simply reacting to this peon's incompetence."

"Look, let's just drop it and keep moving," said Bon-Bon, massaging her temples. "The changeling gave us a direction to go, so let's follow its advice and see where it leads us."

Lyra sighed. "Fine, sure.  Lead the way."  She then gave Fleur a sideways glare. "Bigoted skank," she muttered under her breath.

"Immature dolt," Fleur muttered back.

Minuette knitted her brow. "Lyra, how about you give Bon-Bon some light so she can see her compass?  Moondancer, Fleur, and I will bring up the rear."

"Gladly," said Lyra smugly.  She illuminated her horn and followed Bon-Bon into the darkness, with the other three ponies right at her heels.  Fleur let out a muted groan.

"I knew having her along was a bad idea," she complained.

"Perhaps it would be wise to look at things from her point of view, Lady de Lis," said Minuette. "I mean, she wants to help somepony she cares about.  Is that really so wrong?"

"I-I never said I doubted her intentions," said Fleur, clearing her throat. "I'm sure she's a very nice pony who means well.  But let's be honest here, Dr. Colgate.  Ms. Heartstrings has been nothing but a nuisance for the entirety of the mission.  Even you have to admit that she's making things far more difficult than they need to be.  She can't even fight, for Pete's sake."

"Maybe not, but it's not like she's completely helpless," said Minuette, giving Fleur a small smile. "Trust me, Lady de Lis.  I've known Lyra ever since I was a little filly.  There was no way to convince her to stay behind.  Not while Bon-Bon's well-being was on the line."

Fleur deadpanned. "That doesn't change the fact that she's a liability, Dr. Colgate."

"And how exactly do you know that?"

"What do you mean how do I know that?  It should be bloody obvious!"

Minuette raised an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like you're not exactly giving her a chance."

"She was trying to defeat a changeling with snowballs, Dr. Colgate."

"If I may interject, how exactly does that discount Lyra as a fighter?" asked Moondancer, adjusting her glasses. "If anything, I think it speaks volumes about her ingenuity."

"Moondancer's right," said Minuette with a nod. "You have to understand, Lady de Lis.  Lyra has always been a thinker, not a fighter.  Heck, Moondancer and I are the same way.  The only reason Moondancer can fight is because she spent several moons of her life studying every subject under the sun, and the only reason I can fight is because my abilities are so awesome."

Fleur let out a frustrated huff. "If that's the case, why haven't I seen her use an ounce of brainpower?"

"Because you're not giving her a chance," Minuette answered. "Lyra wouldn't have come with us if she didn't think she could help out in some way."

"Alright then, I'll nibble.  How exactly is she helping?" inquired Fleur.

Minuette sighed and shook her head. "C'mon, Fleur.  You can't be this dense.  Don't you see how much Bon-Bon's hurting right now?  She told you outright that she wanted to put this life behind her, but you insisted on digging it up again."

Fleur hung her head. "I-I wasn't trying to hurt her, though.  I-I just thought it was our duty to see this through."

"I know that, Lady de Lis.  But Lyra doesn't," said Minuette somberly. "All she knows is that this mission is hurting her best friend, and she wants to be there to support her."

Fleur bit her lip. "Out of curiosity, how close are Sweetie Drops and Ms. Heartstrings?"

"Really close.  Like you and Fancy Pants levels of close."

Fleur's eyes went wide as she did a double take. "Surely you jest."

Minuette shrugged her shoulders. "They weren't exactly being subtle about it.  Heck, Moondancer managed to see it, and she hasn't spoken to Lyra in ages."

"It's true," Moondancer said with a nod. "Although I always knew Lyra preferred mares, I was unaware that she found a special somepony until today."

Fleur took a moment to process this new information. "Oh, wow.  That, suddenly explains a lot."  She quickly shook herself. "Regardless, I still don't see how she can contribute to the mission beyond supporting Sweetie Drops."

"You'd be surprised," said Minuette, flashing Fleur a coy smile.

"Hey, girls.  I think we found it."

Fleur looked up and realized that the catacombs were more well-lit.

"This must be what that changeling was talking about," Moondancer mused. "We're getting close."

"Right.  And that means we have to be ready for anything," said Bon-Bon firmly. "Stay close."

The five ponies continued walking through the illuminated corridors.  The walls were adorned with carvings of various creatures.  There were owls, crows, dogs, serpents, leopards, stingrays, dragons, sea ponies, and many more besides.  Some were even bizarre creatures, such as a bipedal horse with hands where its front hooves should be, or a griffon with the head of a bull instead of a bird of prey.  Some of them were even holding weapons such as swords or pitchforks.

"Fascinating," said Moondancer, observing the stone carvings. "These bear an uncanny resemblance to artist renditions of the Ars Goetia I've read about in my studies."

"If that isn't a sign that the Ars Goetia have some measure of influence here, I don't know what is," said Minuette, furrowing her brow. "Now, let's see what we can do about finding this secret pass—"

"Whoa.  Check this out."

Minuette's thought was interrupted by Lyra pointing at a sturdy wooden door.  Minuette let out a small giggle.

"Well, that didn't take long," she said. "This must be the secret passage leading into that library."

Bon-Bon walked up to the door and gave it a once-over. "There doesn't seem to be a locking mechanism here.  Maybe it's locked from the other side."

"Can't you break it down?" said Lyra.

"That's probably not a good idea," Fleur stated, knitting her brow. "We can't draw attention to ourselves."

"Perhaps a spell would work," suggested Moondancer, powering up her horn.

"Before you do that, let me check something," said Minuette.  Her eyes became blank pupils for a moment as a golden shockwave emanated from her own horn.  When her eyes returned to normal, she shook her head. "Yeah, that's a no-go.  Chances are that door is protected against enchantments."

Fleur snorted angrily. "Blast.  That stupid changeling led us to a dead end.  We'd be better off looking for the library itself rather than mucking about with this impenetrable secret passage."

Lyra tapped her chin and looked at the door for a time.  After a pause, a sly smirk crossed her face.

"Relax, everypony.  I got this," she said.

Fleur whipped around and did a double take. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I got this," Lyra repeated. "I know how to open that door."

Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow. "You do?  How?"

"Just trust me, Bons.  This is my time to shine."

Fleur frowned. "I don't know about this, Dr. Colgate."

"Hey, you said you'd give her a chance," said Minuette.

"I-I never agreed to—  Ugh, fine."  Fleur sputtered and turned up her nose in disgust.

Lyra looked up at the door and pounded her hooves. "Alrighty then.  Let's do this."

She then trotted up to the door and gave it a series of taps.  Fleur's eyes went wide.

"Are you completely braindead?!" she shrieked. "We're trying not to get caught, you imbecile!"

"Chill out, Your Snootiness.  I have everything under control," said Lyra nonchalantly.

Bon-Bon gulped. "Um, Lyra?  Are you sure about this?"

Lyra nodded and winked. "Don't worry, Bons.  I know what I'm doing."

"I somehow doubt that," Fleur growled through gritted teeth.

Lyra ignored Fleur and knocked again.  This time, there was a slight rumbling noise.  Fleur arched her back and narrowed her eyes, ready to charge in at a moment's notice.  The door receded into the wall before sliding up into the ceiling.  A pair of changelings stood at the other end.  Before they could say or do anything, Lyra charged in.

"Candygram, motherbucker."

She then cold-cocked the guards with a swift one-two punch.  Once they were both unconscious, she dusted herself off, turned to the others, and bowed. "After you."

Fleur's jaw dropped in astonishment while Minuette struggled to contain her laughter.  Bon-Bon gave Lyra a blank stare before breathing out a laugh of her own.

"W-wow.  I will admit, that was pretty amazing," she said. "Good work, Lyra."

"Indeed, masterfully done," said Moondancer with a small smirk of her own. "I would say this truly speaks to Lyra's ingenuity.  Don't you agree, Lady de Lis?"

"I-I don't understand," Fleur stammered, completely flabbergasted. "H-how did you do that?"

Lyra shrugged. "I knocked on the door; the bad guys answered the door; I punched the bad guys in the face.  What about this is so hard to understand?"

"Just so you know, this is why Lyra always dominated our tabletop sessions," said Minuette. "I told you she was a thinker."

Fleur took a moment to regain her composure and noisily cleared her throat. "Y-yes, quite.  G-good work, Ms. Heartstrings."

Lyra gave Fleur a smug grin. "See?  I told you I had everything under control.  What was all that about me not being able to take care of myself?"

Fleur groaned. "Alright, fine.  I concede that you have a role to play in all this, and I'll try my best not to get on your case about every little thing.  Are you happy now?"

"Very.  Thank you," said Lyra with a bow. "There.  That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Don't push it, Ms. Heartstrings.  It's very unladylike to gloat," Fleur grumbled.

"Okay, Lyra.  I think you've made your point," said Bon-Bon, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah.  You're right," said Lyra sheepishly. "Let's just get moving."

"Agreed," said Fleur, letting out a defeated sigh.

With the banter out of the way, the five ponies slipped through the secret passage, and the scenery around them changed almost immediately.  Instead of a dark stone cavern, they found themselves in a spacious study with a golden desk, an extinguished candle sitting on the desk, an ornate wooden chair with a lace pillow, and mountains of books covering the walls.

"If I were to guess, this is probably the basement," Minuette mused. "The Lesser Key doesn't seem to be here.  We should make our way upstairs."

Just then, Bon-Bon caught the shape of a changeling in her peripheral vision.  When she turned to see it, she found something oddly familiar about it.  Before she could pinpoint what it was, the changeling darted upstairs and disappeared.

"We're not alone in here," she said sternly. "Let's stick together and keep our eyes open."

"That should go without saying," said Minuette with a nod. "I'll take point this time."

As the five made their way upstairs, Bon-Bon couldn't shake the mental image of the familiar changeling from her mind.  She wracked her brain, trying to remember where she saw such a changeling before.  As a clear picture began to take shape, her thoughts drifted back to the past once again...