Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto

Raw

"Any movement yet?" Lyra asked.

"None," Bon Bon replied. She'd started leaning against the wall, resting a bit. She was still standing, in case she needed to move quickly, but most of her weight wasn't held up by her legs at that moment.

Lyra was still sitting with her back to the wall, looking at the sky between glances towards the other end of the alley. "Is this what it was like for you, back with S.M.I.L.E.?"

"What do you mean?" Bon Bon bent her head back a little, but not completely, still keeping an eye on the space in front of her.

"This feeling," Lyra replied. "Knowing you could die at any moment. Knowing the one you're with could die at any moment. Knowing you're stuck with the situation and the only way out of it is to see things through." She looked at Bon Bon. "Was it like this all the time?"

Bon Bon didn't immediately answer. She chewed air for a bit, looking straight ahead. When she finally spoke her tone was measured, slightly artificial. "It wasn't like this all the time. Most missions weren't this level of dangerous, Equestria never really went to war after all. But sometimes it was close."

"So you're used to this, then." Lyra looked the other way, again checking to make sure no one was coming.

"I was. At some point." Bon Bon sighed. "There's a reason I quit. There's a reason I joined in the first place, too, and not just because I was qualified and it paid well. Back then I didn't really have much to lose. The connections I had were all part of the job, so that was that. It all came with its set of specifics, and I was used to it." She was silent for a moment as she squinted, trying to see if something was moving between two buildings. "Then things changed. Then I had something that wasn't part of S.M.I.L.E., and it getting hurt was a risk, not a possibility I had to live with. They understood when they let me go, I don't think any of them were bothered."

"But you immediately offered your help to Twilight here."

"Yeah. And I'd like to think any other pony in my position would have done the same, provided they had my kind of experience and qualifications. Sometimes it's about doing the right thing." She peeked out slightly, then slowly drew back. "Besides, you stuck around with me."

"Of course I did." Lyra chuckled. It was dry, brief, tired, and it made her notice the slight hurt in her throat. She swallowed before speaking again. "I wasn't going to let you here on your own." She looked to the sky again. "I don't wanna see you die. I don't think I need to say that. But I don't think I'd forgive myself if I wasn't there when you did, if I'd had a chance to."

"You wouldn't forgive yourself even if you were there," Bon Bon said. "You'd probably think there was something more you could have done. I'm not sure you'd ever accept it." She had another look around, then turned. "Would you have stopped me if you'd known we were getting into this?"

Lyra didn't answer immediately. She looked to the side again, checking to make sure no one was coming. "Sometimes it's about doing the right thing," she finally said.

Comments

[Skywalker215]

This story never ends.

[Speckle]

Romance amid the battlefield!