Chapter 4
Being a ninja is all about stealth. It’s about remaining unseen and unheard as you complete some objective without detection.
If you’re a less-than-perfect ninja, there’s a chance you might mess up and draw attention, which is why you always carry throwing stars.
Why, oh why did I not bring my throwing stars?
Because I didn’t have any. Right…
That brought me to a much better question: Why didn’t I have any throwing stars?
Because I kept forgetting to buy some. Horseapples. Well, it was too late now, anyway.
I ran from rooftop to rooftop, the thatched surfaces playing tartarus with my hooves. How did I get to the roofs? I walljumped like a freaking badflank.
Though, the failed first attempt did leave a nasty bruise…
That wasn’t the point, though. The point was that I was going out as a ninja without any throwing stars. That limited me to sneaking and eavesdropping. I could work with that.
Now to actually re-locate Bon Bon…
Ah, there she was, in the market. She was talking to the local apple farmer. Applesmack, I think her name was. Question was, what was she doing talking to a farmer if she were going to Twilight?
She purchased a couple apples and continued down the road in the direction of the library. Of course! It was all an act. Ponies were less likely to suspect her if she looked like she were just making a shopping run, instead of heading directly to a specific destination.
I followed her for another block or two before I noticed a major problem.
I had to cross a street.
I glanced back at Bon Bon. I was going to lose her if I didn’t find a way across soon. Even though I knew her ultimate destination, who was to say she wouldn’t see anypony else along the way? For that matter, who was to say she was actually going to the library? Spies are sneaky, you know.
I panicked. She was about to walk out of my line of sight. Thinking and acting quickly, I jumped down to a nearby tent cover, using it as a sort of makeshift trampoline to lessen my downward momentum by the time I hit the ground.
Ignoring the shouts and legal threats directed at me by the stall’s owner, I dashed into the alleyway on the other side of the road. I briefly considered returning to the rooftops before the bruise on my face decided to remind me of its presence.
Yeah, I wasn’t doing that again.
The alley wasn’t perfect, but at least I could somewhat keep an eye on my target from a distance. We continued on like this for a while, her faking a blissful trot in the afternoon sun, me dashing from cover to cover in a so-far-succeeding attempt at staying hidden. I thanked the mask for that. Ninjas were awesome.
So were pirates. I started to wonder which group would win in a battle between the two when a knocking sound snapped me out of my thoughts. I pushed the notion aside for later and looked to see Bon Bon at the door of the library.
It wasn’t until I saw the two mares side-by-side that a small, nagging thought I had previously decided to hit me full force. I had Twilight promise not to tell the princess anything. I knew she would stay true to her word, but what I hadn’t done was have her promise not to tell Bon Bon.
It all came crashing down around me. Twilight could easily tell Bon Bon about my latest human plan, and then Bon Bon would tell the princess, herself! Twilight didn’t have to break her promise! She could tell the princess by proxy!
They started talking. This was bad.
I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying from this distance, but I saw Bon Bon follow Twilight back into the library. That just wouldn’t do.
After the door had completely shut, I dashed to a bush beside the library that was also under a window. Opening the window a sliver with my magic, I perked my ear upwards to listen in.
“…you have anything in mind?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know, yet. I just really want her to scream when she sees it, you know?”
A half-million scenarios (most of them bad for me) flooded my head. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, though, so I listened a bit more.
“I think I might have an idea,” Twilight trailed a bit, “Follow me.”
I heard four pairs of hooves get fainter as they presumably walked to the back area of the library. I bet that Vinyl would’ve liked the beat it made.
Aware that I wasn’t getting any more information, I pulled my head down and tried to process this new information.
Bon Bon was gonna try something, that much was obvious. The part about wanting me to scream had dire implications, though. Did it have something to do with me wanting to make a human?
At first, I dismissed the idea. Even if she had sent the letter yesterday, it would’ve only gotten there today, and the response would get here tomorrow at the earliest.
That’s when I remembered Spike. Bon Bon could’ve easily brought the letter with her, and had the little dragon send it, bypassing the post and arriving right in front of the princess’s face. Then, they could easily get a reply containing instructions within a matter of minutes.
Oh, dear.
What if Celestia caught wind of my plans? What would her response be? Would she want me killed, or imprisoned? My eyes widened a bit at the next question. How was Bon Bon going to go about it?
Suddenly, it clicked. She wanted me to scream, all right. Scream in agony, or maybe fear. She was going to try to put me down, I could tell, and any hesitation she would’ve had was most likely wiped away due to what happened at lunch. I could almost imagine it.
I sat in the living room, with a jumble of sketches scattered around me. They all more or less resembled the pictures in the books I had borrowed, some better than others.
Most of them were based on the most interesting part of the human: the hand. It was so simple, yet the possibilities were staggering – and that was only the ones I could theorize! Even with nothing but theories and sketches, I could tell a number of Equestrian inventions would be easier to use with them. Shovels and doorknobs, for example.
I was preparing to make yet another sketch when the front door suddenly burst open. I looked up from my books and saw that the wall behind the door had cracked from the impact. That didn’t scare me as much as what I saw in the door, though.
My heart skipped a beat. Inside the doorframe was my roomie, Bon Bon. I would’ve welcomed her if it weren’t for the fact that one eye was severely dilated, and the other was twitching feverently. Behind her, standing on the welcome mat, was a full-size guillotine. The angle of the blade caused the sun to shine right into my eyes with a clarity that only comes from hours of diligent polishing. I did what any self-respecting mare would do in that situation.
I freaked.
I leapt off the couch and ran through the kitchen, towards the set of stairs to the loft that was furthest from Bon Bon, and, coincidentally, closest to my bedroom door, screaming the entire way. During that time, Bon Bon had managed to pull the guillotine through the doorframe, as well as some of the wall above it. I cursed Celestia for giving earth ponies so much natural strength.
Part of me took solace in the fact that Bon Bon would have to pay for the damages, in the end, but the rest of me was too scared to really care.
I made it to my room and shut the door behind me, magically shoving my bedframe up against it for stability. They say ponies can find a sudden strength when put in life-threatening situations. Unfortunately, I had the opportunity to realize this was true. I shoved a few more pieces of furniture up against the impromptu barricade before leaning against it myself, trying to control my breathing.
As silence prevailed over my room, my heart was stuck in a vice grip as the steady THUMP… THUMP… THUMP... of Bon Bon’s murder instrument colliding with the stairs on its way up served as a countdown to my death.
To my dismay, Bon Bon eventually ran out of stairs and gently knocked on the door, calling out in an eerily calm voice tainted with mania.
“Oh, Lyra~…Can you come out for a minute? I just wanna talk…” Her emphasis on that last word sent a chill down my spine as she waited for my response.
Right. Like I was that stupid.
“Lyra, if you don’t come on out, I’ll have to force the door open. You know that, right?” In her current state of mind, I wouldn’t put it past her to make good on that threat. Realizing that that would send almost 200 pounds of furniture my way when it happened, I abandoned my spot at the front of the barricade and positioned myself perpendicular to Bon Bon’s line of fire, closer to the closet.
Again, I remained silent.
“Alriiiight…three…”
I heard her turning around.
“Two…”
A bit of shuffling as she steadied herself on her front legs.
“One!”
The door and all my furniture (my poor bedframe!) was reduced to splinters. Again, I cursed Celestia for Earth Ponies’ natural strength. Bon Bon’s head poked around the new opening, and her cheshire grin did nothing to help my panic.
Nor my bladder, I’m embarrassed to admit.
I screamed for all I was worth as Bon Bon ruined yet another doorframe with her accursed guillotine. Not once did she take her eyes off me.
“You know, Lyra, I actually tried to save you all this time. Each repeated instance of me telling you to stop pursuing the whole ‘Human’ thing was me trying to protect your sorry flank. Celestia’s finally decided you’re starting to become dangerous with what you know, and unfortunately, it falls to me to fix that. It was nice knowing you, Lyra. I always did kinda like you.”
In my panic, I forgot all about my horn and magic capacity as she grabbed my head and threaded it through the hole on her murder weapon. I choked on my tears as I looked up at her, pleading.
“Bon Bon, please, don’t do this…”
“Sorry, Lyra. Rest in pieces.”
She pulled the cord.
Black.
So apparently I could imagine it. Quite vividly, in fact. I took that as a sign that it was more likely to happen.
I shook my head as I returned to reality. How long was I out for? How much time did I have left?
The time for games was over, whether Bon Bon knew it or not. I was going to have to fight for my life against whatever plan Bon Bon managed to come up with. With the backing of a princess, who knew what she could conjure up?
A counter-plan started forming in my head, and I started making a mental list of supplies I would need. Even in the early stages, I could tell it would get extensive. Already, I knew I was going to need plastic spoons and a marshmallow gun.
And eggs. Lots and lots of eggs.
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Man, I feel like I'm totally botching the pacing with this.
I know where I want the story to go, but every time I think about writing more, my brain locks up.
Also, sorry about the wait and please point out any errors.
Thanks!
1113117
Actually, that sounds like a fun premise. Maybe after my next story.
You know what? It pains me to see amazing fics like these not get the attention they deserve. I absolutely love the way you've characterized Lyra, with her over-active imagination and slight paranoia that Bon Bon is a spy. Plus, the first-person POV really helps flesh out her character, and makes Forgery that much funnier. I can't wait for more! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_dealwithit.png
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Thanks, I hadn't gotten my ego-stroking for this chapter until now.
Seriously, though, thanks. Every bit of praise and critique helps. I'm glad you like it.
I wonder if this is EqD material...
Hm...
Why are these emoticons so fun!? Why can't I use them else where?
Have you ever concidered writing grimdark?
*Bon-Bon smashes through the door*
"Here's Bonnie!"
