Lyre's Gambit

by 1FunnyFox

The Many uses of Dragon's Blood

I don't own anything all rights and characters belong to Hasbro and all associated entities.

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“Oh. Your here.” Lyra uttered with a note of disdain as she took a seat on the grass covered hill. A measured distance away sat Bon-Bon looking at the mare with clear annoyance in return for the remark. The stars were a bright and shining expanse painted across the night sky, the air cool but not uncomfortable and an awkward silence stretched across the two. Bon-Bon didn’t want to look at her any more than necessary, if the rent for the house wasn’t so high she would have kicked the mare out. Just two weeks of living with her and equicide was becoming more and more appealing. She exhaled to calm herself as she cast a brief glance at the mint colored mare. She looked deep in thought, a sort of sad expression as she stared up at the stars. Bon-Bon cursed the words of her parents, reach out a friendly hoof. Try to see where there coming from. All well and good in theory, in practice…well she might as well try she decided with a huff.

“So, Lyra. I haven’t seen you use your instrument yet. Waiting for it to be delivered?” Bon-Bon actually saw the mare cringe when she started talking. She waited for a response but it seemed the mare had no intention of replying. She tried to remain calm, to use reason and think logically about her words and chose them with care. Then she thought otherwise and decided a direct approach was more appropriate.

“Alright look. You don’t like me. I can understand that. How about trying to be at least civil! How about treating me like an individual once in a while! I mean what the hay is wrong with you! You call me mare, or you or pony. Call me BON-BON! I told you when you first showed up and don’t pretend to not listen alright. …

“Shut it! I don’t care about you! I don’t care about this town! I want to leave but I’m stuck here! So suck it up and leave me alone!” That was it, this mare was in for a flank kicking, Bon-Bon made up her mind and stood. She moved to take a swing at the mint colored misanthrope when the clouds parted, just enough for a thin ray of moonlight to hit the mare. The moisture under her eyes that she quickly wiped away with her foreleg was plain to see. Bon-Bon just grit her teeth, she could do it, one solid whack, she was in reach now to. Instead she sat down right next to her and swallowed the feeling she had before replying.

“I don’t know you Lyra. I don’t know what you’ve been through. I don’t know where you’re going and guess what, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that if you keep pushing so hard against everypony else eventually you’ll find yourself all alone when you need somepony most. I think what you want more than anything else is for somepony to be with you. One you can trust, and lean on when things are hard because I refuse to believe that all there is to you is this ball of mean-spirited misery!” Rant completed Bon-Bon looked to see the mare looking troubled, almost broken when her voice came up barely louder than a whisper.

“Why couldn’t you just leave me alone? Why do you have to keep trying to be so…reasonable?” For the first time Bon-Bon finally saw Lyra. Not some rude, condescending and arrogant mare. She saw a poor pony that was lost. Steeling herself for what was going to happen next, Bon-Bon decided she might as well go for broke. Lifting a hoof she put it down as gently as possible on top of the other mares hoof, she saw her stiffen but made no move to shake it off.

“As long as you’re in Ponyville you’re stuck with me. So you’re not really alone. Just…you don’t need to do everything by yourself. Take care Lyra.” With that Bon-Bon stood to leave and was walking back towards her home when a quiet voice reached her ears and a small smile spread across her lips.

“Goodnight… Bon-Bon.”

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Bon-Bon now stood in Twilight’s throne room surrounded by four other ponies that were well and truly famous. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, four of the six (former) elements of harmony, it made Bon-Bon’s tail twitch in a show of nerves. Twilight and Spike had gathered the girls who were available after reading the letter and now they all stood waiting for the reason they had been gathered. Well, two stood, one hovered and the other vibrated in place. With them all gathered Twilight cleared her throat to get all the attention focused onto her, before starting.

“Thank you for coming girls but we have a situation and I’d like to gather as much information as possible before committing to a course of action. You see this concerns Lyra Heartstring’s, Bon-Bon’s roommate.” Twilight gestured to Bon-Bon and it was Rarity who spoke first.

“Well I hope she’s doing alright. You have nothing to fear Bon-Bon we’ll help her any way we can, you can be sure of that.” The other girls all nodded an agreement as Bon-Bon sank lower in her stance and Twilight coughed in an awkward manner, looking more than a little conflicted.

“Actually girls…the problem is Lyra. I have reason to believe she has been using unstable and dangerous magic, as well as being in possession of an illegal and potentially dangerous substance if mixed correctly. She has somehow managed to take blood from Spike and I have no idea what she plans on doing with it, but from what I know, dragon’s blood is a dangerous alchemical ingredient. In addition she somehow managed to insert herself into Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns without drawing attention to herself. Now I need to know if any of you are aware of any strange behaviour, no matter how small that Lyra has exhibited since she’s been here.” The looks of shock were everywhere, though one face had gone slightly paler than the rest, an impressive feat for the white coated unicorn.

“Twilight, this uggh, dragon’s blood wouldn’t be slightly rust colored would it?” All eyes were on the unicorn now as Twilight nodded. Rarity seemed to be taking a deep breath before coming out and speaking.

“Well the mare came to me a little over a month ago with a strange commission. She wanted armour, I said it was outside what I normally did but she insisted and was quite agreeable on price. I admit to having more than a passing familiarity with metal work after a most heinous fashion trend in Whinnypeg so I knew how to make it. She insisted it was for a renaissance fair and that it had to be exact. She provided me with drawings and it all went well until it came time to cool the piece and she produced a jar of a red rust colored liquid. I had no idea what it was and she claimed it was a proper technique for the period and poured it in while the metal cooled. It was impressive, the color was a little bit drab but it turned out rather nicely. Now that I know however that she harmed my Spikey-wikey. She has a great deal to answer for!”

“Actually Rarity I gave it to her. She didn’t hurt me, she said she really needed it and I didn’t know it was dangerous or anything. I was just helping out a friend. Besides I don’t think she’s evil. I’ve known her for years. I trust her.” Throughout this Twilight had been quiet when a sudden look of insight shone across her face as she stamped a hoof in realization.

“She used the blood to create a layer of magically infused protection! Once it was mixed in she could have carved all sorts of runes like the ones in her study into the armour to augment the natural abilities of dragons! That’s…brilliant! If she properly attuned the spell matrix and worked it properly she…would be highly magic resistant… as well as fireproof…oh this is bad! Do you know what his means?!!” The girls all looked suitably frightened with the exception of Pinkie who instantly blurted out her best guess.

“Oh Oh! I know! It means that she can turn into a super big dragon and burninate the countryside!” An awkward silence and confused stares followed for a moment before Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“Well whatever it is we’ll fix it! Lyra’s got nothing on Rainbow Dash. We’ll kick her…uhh I mean save…talk with her? Oh man that’s totally lame! I was hoping for another awesome villain to battle not some busker.” Twilight rolled her eyes before responding.

“Dash is right. Sort of, we don’t know yet whether Lyra is actually a threat so we shouldn’t go making assumptions and jumping to conclusions. All we know is that she isn’t quite what we thought she was. But I think Bon-Bon would know her the best. So what have you noticed?” All eyes were now focused on Bon-Bon and she shrank back slightly before gathering herself and preparing, if it would help Lyra then it was an easy choice.

“Well, she came to Ponyville around the same time you did Twilight. She was…a lot less pleasant back then. But she’s a good pony, I’m certain of it! There’s not a doubt in my mind. She plays the lyre, though she didn’t own one when I met her. She never really talked about her past but…she was confused about a lot of things. Winter wrap up she had never even heard of it. She liked to sit, strangely, kind of like how Spike does. She knew spells but never really discussed them much unless a situation came up and she would use them. Actually, she was really attached to the food here. She always said it was the best she had ever had. I think that’s because she usually conjured her meals with magic though.” At that last word Twilight stopped her.

“Wait, what do you mean conjured her food? Like cast a spell to make some? I’ve never heard of magic like that before. I wonder where she learned it? Anyway I think the next step should begin a search of her house. Hopefully we can find some clues as to where she’s gone and then get some answers. If any of you are busy and can’t help I understand.” It was Rarity who let out an awkward sort of oh.

“I would like very much to help, but Sweetie Belle and the girls are staying at the boutique while Applejack is at Appleoosa. I’m very sorry but I need to keep an eye on them. I really should get back before they get up to any of there…”crusading”” With that Rarity gave a small bow to Bon-Bon with an apologetic look and left.

“Well girls it looks like it’s just the four of us with Fluttershy taking Discord to meet her parents. Sigh. Well come on Bon-Bon, Pinkie, Dash let’s get to the bottom of this.”

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Lyra’s bedroom was rather small and had a special variety of chaos about it. Some parts, like her end table were kept in immaculate condition. A small stack of books, though just simple adventure and a romance novels were perfectly aligned against the edge of the end table. The floor however was a tangle of music sheets, bed sheets and even a baking sheet. How it had traversed from the kitchen to here was anypony’s guess. On the left-hoof side of the room hung her gold leaf lyre, proudly displayed on the wall, looking freshly polished and gleaming in its warm light. Bon-Bon felt a tug at her heart realizing that wherever Lyra was she didn’t have her beloved instrument. Bon-Bon herself had bought it for her, the mint mare had cried when she gave it to her. Picturing her, Celestia knew where without it and all alone filled her with a newfound determination to figure out where she was. Pinkie took the small closet, Rainbow Dash looked at the dresser, Twilight was looking through the papers on the floor and Bon-Bon was looking under the bed when Pinkies voice called out.

“Ohhh neat-o! I didn’t know Lyra wore a hoodie?” That was funny, Bon-Bon never remembered her wearing one. Huh. She pushed the thought aside and continued looking. She could have sworn she saw something against the wall under Lyra’s bed and reached out a hoof. She met a smooth surface other than the wall. Pulling back she found a small journal cradled in her hooves. She gave a small huff when she opened it only to find more of the unicornian written word. Dash landed next to her looking over her shoulder as she spoke.

“All I found in the dresser was some writing stuff and socks. Like seriously, why would somepony need that many socks? Huh, did you find something? Heh Twi, Bon-Bon found some kinda weird book.” Twilight quickly trotted over and eyed the page before giving out a sigh and speaking.

“Unicornian again. Uhh, now I wish that I had taken that course on ancient languages back at school. Here I’ll take it and work on translating it. I haven’t found anything important yet. Just some sheet music and some (cough) interesting novels. We’ll double check the study and then head back to the castle. Maybe you should just get some rest. This must be hard for you, but don’t worry, we’ll find her and I’ll, keep an open mind.” With that Twilight gathered the girls and headed out of the room. Bon-Bon fell to her haunches as she looked around the room an ache in her heart. What could have driven her to do this? Where was she and was she ok? Bon-Bon had other plans instead of sleep, she knew exactly where things were heading and by Celestia she was going to be ready. Steel in her eyes she headed for her room.

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Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash had returned to the castle just as the sun was going down. After finding nothing new in the basement Twilight had teleported all the books that would need to be translated as well as some of the crystal samples she was unfamiliar with. Spike had joined them upon their return to the castle and was fiddling with his claws nervously until Twilight placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

“Alright girls, translation is going to take a while, and there’s no guarantee they’ll tell us where she went. Do any of you have any ideas on how to find her?” There was a brief pause before Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“Well in the fourth Dareing Do book she hired a unicorn to cast a tracking spell on Redhoof when she realized he was planning to betray her. So then she followed him back to the villains base and totally thrashed her. The villain, not Dareing Do. You got any sort of spell like that Twi?” Twilight paused in thought for a moment before shaking her head.

“Wouldn’t work, the armour would shield her presence from direct spells like that. Though…I wonder if she thought to close in the spell matrices in a loop? If she didn’t…darn still wouldn’t be possible.”

“What wouldn’t Twilight?” This time it was Spike who spoke, while Pinkie appeared to be having a staring contest with her reflection in the floor. Giving an embarrassed motion with a fore hoof she replied.

“Well, I thought for a second the armours protection might have a gap against non-offensive spells that target only the armour allowing me to cast a tracking spell on the armour itself. This way she could enchant it as she went to help her deal with problems she might encounter. But since it’s not alive and we have no piece of it that’s truly connected to the armour we would have nothing to cast a spell on. So it’s kind of a moot point.” Spike and Rainbow nodded at this though Pinkie looked up in confusion after her reflection had given up.

“What about Spike?” This caused the others to share a look of confusion before Twilight dawned a look of comprehension and shouted.

“Pinkie your Brilliant! Spike’s blood is mixed in with the armour. I mean it’s not technically alive and the spell wasn’t designed that way but…I think I can make it work. Spike just stand still, I’ll call up a map and if I’m right it should show us exactly where she is.” A lavender light encircled Spike as an ethereal map of Equestria popped into existence hovering next to him. The light continued to increase as a small point suddenly started to glitter atop the map. The three mares and dragon all shared a look of accomplishment before a voice broke them out of their thoughts.

“So you know where Lyra is? Good thing I made it just in time.” Bon-Bon stood in the room loaded down with equipment, a full to bursting hiking saddle bag, a bedroll and tucked just behind it a certain gold leaf lyre. The others shared a brief look before Twilight spoke up.

“Bon-Bon we have experience with this kind of thing. Don’t worry, we’ll have her back. Just stay here and we’ll be back before you know it.” Twilight was using the full measure of her alicorn status to try to give an inspiring presence. Bon-Bon replied without pause or even the slightest bit shaken.

“Twilight, no offense meant. But I know Lyra, she’s stubborn and if she’s doing this I don’t think you’ll be able to just talk her down. I can, or at the least I have the best chance of succeeding. I can’t just sit back and wait and hope while the best mare I’ve ever known is off all alone in…wherever she is. So I’m coming. No arguments. Uhmmm your highness.” Twilight didn’t look convinced but felt a hoof poke her wither and turned to see Rainbow Dash give a single firm nod and a strong look in her eyes. With a sigh Twilight looked to Bon-Bon and gave a single nod before speaking.

“Alright Bon-Bon, you can come just be careful. I think we should all take a note from Bon-Bon though and take a few things with us. It should be a short and easy trip, but, better to be over prepared than under. Meet back in ten minutes while I prepare a long range teleport. Based on the map it looks like were heading for…the Badlands…great.”

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The Badlands were a blighted land that lived up to their name quite well. Large stretches of barren desert and surrounded by mountains on three sides. The few plants were sparse and low and the sand swirled in the faint moonlight. Dunes rose and fell like some great frozen wave in the sand. Standing all alone in the moonlight was a most peculiar sight perched atop the largest dune nearby. A single unicorn with a mint green coat, amber eyes that almost glowed in the dark and a mane with streaks of white, a look of determination set firmly on her features. The armour she wore was a dull matte red that glowed in a few places a faint gold from the swirling runes etched with the utmost precision. It ended just above her forelegs and was lined with a snow white fleece that almost seemed to shine in the moonlight and poked out at the neck and her legs. It rested on her flank obscuring her cutie mark. Finally her horn, where once a small crack had once been, it had only spread and now spidered out taking up almost the upper third of her horn near the tip. She paid it no mind as she stared straight to the horizon, mind firmly set, breath calm, but heart focused far away and on a mare she wished was beside her. She inhaled, focused and stepped forwards, towards the horizon and all it promised, for good or ill.

Author's Note:

Well I hope you enjoyed and would love a comment. Tell me what you thought or
what you think is coming. Also who spotted the two references?