Truthseeker

by RB_

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

“I reckon we oughta make camp soon, ‘fore it gets too dark to see,” Silver said. “This place looks as good as any.” He turned his head to look at his passenger, who had curled up on his back. “This spot safe enough, Whizzer? Nothin’ likely to come at us while we’re sleeping?”

“No,” the oversized beetle said. “Fine.”

“Great!”

Lyra watched on as they made camp, Fleur and Silver pitching tents while Octavia gathered firewood and Scout and Bon Bon began preparing dinner. They ate by the light of the fire, everyone making chatter except Bon Bon, who remained, for the most part, silent. All told, it was about an hour before they were ready to settle in for the night.

“Just to be safe, we should keep a watch goin’,” Silver said. “I say two at a time, switch every three hours. Scout and I'll—”

Fleur stepped forward. “Bon Bon and I will be taking the first watch,” she said. “We insist.”

Bon Bon didn’t look too insistent, but Fleur seemed to be insistent enough for the both of them.

“Well, alright,” Silver said. “The rest of us’ll turn in, then.”

They did just that; soon, only Fleur and Bon Bon were left sitting by the fire.

Fleur poked at the fire’s embers with a stick. “You were sloppy,” she said.

“I’m rusty.”

“You were sloppy,” Fleur repeated. “You will not be able to protect Lyra with excuses.”

Bon Bon flinched.

“You should not have let that thing get past you. You should not have let it get away from you. You should not have let it get to Lyra. If you want to keep her safe, then you will need to become better.”

“I’ve been doing my old training regimen,” Bon Bon said.

“Then it is not good enough. You would be better off sparring with Octavia than continuing to do whatever it is your organization taught you.”

Fleur pulled a map out of one of their bags with her magic, tore off a scrap, then wrote something on it in pencil. “This is my home address in Canterlot. Come and visit me when you have time, though sooner would be better. I will help you.”

“You’d… you’d do that?” Bon Bon said as Fleur passed her the paper.

“Of course I would,” Fleur said. “You have potential; I would not let that go to waste.”

“Oh.”

“And…” Fleur hesitated briefly, “I understand how you feel. I keep the nature of these excursions a secret from Fancy for a reason.” She giggled. “Knowing him as I do, he would insist on coming along, and would then run straight into danger at the first opportunity.”

“Sounds familiar,” Bon Bon said. Fleur smiled, and off to the side Lyra giggled silently.

“But you do not have the luxury of secrecy, Bon Bon,” Fleur continued. “She is an Owl, too. It is her job to run towards danger, as it is yours and mine. And so, the safest place in Equestria for her needs to be at your side.”

Bon Bon nodded. The two said nothing for a short while, letting the dying crackles of the fire fill the void.

It was Bon Bon who broke the fragile silence. “Fleur, do you… did I do the right thing? Sending Lyra home?”

“Absolutely.”

“Really?” Bon Bon said, her face betraying her surprise.

Fleur’s eyebrows raised. “Of course. Her presence here would have been a danger to herself and to all of us. Sending her away to safety was the smart choice. If it was not, I would have said so at the time.”

“I know it was the smart choice,” Bon Bon said, her eyes wandering downwards. “But… well, you saw her face when she left. She was heartbroken.”

Fleur sighed. “Yes, this is true. You have hurt her.”

“So—”

“But she will understand,” Fleur said, looking into Bon Bon’s eyes and forcing her to do the same, “and she will forgive you. It may take time, but if she loves you as much as I can see that you love her, then she will forgive you. You know I am right.”

“Yes,” Bon Bon said after a moment. “I guess I do.”

“Good!” Fleur said, smiling. “Now, about what happened yesterday…”

A hoof tapped on Lyra’s shoulder. “Young one,” Apporoth said, “The doctors have finished, and your other companions are waiting. You should go now.”

“Yeah,” Lyra said. She wiped at one eye with her foreleg. “I think I’ve seen enough, anyway.”

─────

Lyra opened her eyes.

Then she groaned. Everything hurt. Not a lot, but just enough to be uncomfortable, a mild ache that covered most of her limbs. Still, she could feel all of them hurting, and that had to be a good sign.

She looked down at herself. Scraps of her coat were missing, some burned away, some shaved by the doctors. More than a few stitches marred the bare parts of her underbelly.

Lyra tried to sit up, but it was an uncomfortable process that was only further hampered when a pair of ponies tackled her into a tear-stained hug.

Comments

[Emil]

Ehhh, my concern about Bon Bon's competence level is still there. It seems like she's been set up with the Worf Effect, screwing things up in order to get Lyra to relevant plot points. Someone who's achieved fame in a government organization whose job is to fight monsters should really be better than this. Even if Fleur may be more naturally talented, from what we've been told Fleur really only has one family's training resources and knowledge to draw on, not an entire government's. Her treating Bon Bon as a novice strikes me as an ongoing issue.

[Darkest Dreams]

So much has happened to me since the last chapter I got confused as to why Lyra was back at camp and assumed it was typo. Needed to go read the end of the previous one to remind myself. Ah well. It was good to see Bon Bon making friends with another violent psychopath who outputs evil tendencies onto monsters that cause problems.