The Symphony of a Winning Lyrist

by JaketheGinger

The Pony Who Acts First, Thinks Later

Never in the history of ponykind had a mare stepped out of a library feeling so despondent.

That it was then. A chord of finality pierced through my own heart. Twilight had clearly forgotten about my entire existence—I simply wasn’t a good enough friend to be considered worth remembering. Not only did I have to deal with my dreams of musical stardom being in jeopardy, I also had the crushing weight of the loss of a friend on my shoulders. I didn’t look back as I walked away from the library. How could I? It would’ve just hurt more, brought more sad memories and feelings to my mind.

Were it not for one voice, I would’ve started galloping away.

“Lyra!”

I blinked and turned to see not a pony running towards me, but a dragon. “Spike!” I cried, beaming.

“That’s the name,” he said, sticking a claw to his chest.

My smile quickly faltered when I realized the reason why he had run after me. “You probably overheard everything in there, right?”

“Er, yeah…” He shuffled in place, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry.”

I sighed but put on a brave face for him. Even if it’d been awhile since we last saw each other, Spike was still a baby dragon. There wasn’t any reason for him to get caught up in the sadness crossfire. “It’s not your fault. Twilight’s just—”

“A total bookworm?” he finished for me.

I smirked a little. For a young dragon, he packed a lot of snark. Something he probably picked up off Twilight. “That works.”

“So what brings you around here? I’ve seen you all the time in Ponyville but you haven’t stopped by to say hi.” He frowned a little, folding his arms. “Not even once.”

Oof, that was a little pinprick to the gut. I’d been so wrapped up in getting Twilight to help me out I’d completely forgotten about the little guy. He deserved better than that. If Twilight had forgotten to build a bridge with me, at least Spike was extending his out to my side. The least I could do was the same to him.

Thinking along those lines hardened my resolve. Twilight could wait. With my tail, I gestured to my back. He may have been mad but he didn’t decline my invitation, hopping onto me.

“I’m sorry, Spike. My life’s just been…” A mess? Total chaos? A waste of a few years? “Complicated. Been like that for a long time now. I’ve only recently woken up to it.”

“That sucks.” Bit of an understatement, although I’d let it slide since he was a kid. “Are things getting any better?”

“Slowly. I’m definitely trying.” I trudged along, heading for nowhere in particular. “This is just a bit of a blow.”

“Well you still got good ol’ Spike with you,” he said.

“I appreciate it. With the coolest dragon around at my side, there’s no way things can get any worse!” Hopefully I hadn’t jinxed myself there.

Whatever the case, it seemed to raise Spike’s spirits. “Exactly!”

I looked back at the whelp on my back. “Wanna get some ice cream?” A satisfied lick on the lips was the only answer I got. “Alright, alright,” I giggled, “ice cream it is.”

“So how’s the music going?” Spike asked, as we went on our way.

My cheeks suddenly flushed. “It… goes. Just suffered a setback, actually.”

“Pfft, don’t see how that’s possible,” he said. “You were always the best lyrist I’ve ever heard!”

“Oh, you’re just saying that,” I replied, waving a hoof.

“I mean it!” He adjusted himself, standing on his two legs. “I’ve been dragged to a lot of concerts and orchestras and the lyrists there were never as good as you.”

I smirked. “How could you pick apart a lyrist in a whole orchestra?”

Ah, the intricacies of music and performance. Solo musicians often shone because they poured their heart into their work and their instrument. Since they’re the only pony on stage an audience can see, the audience can more easily connect with the musician’s feelings through their music.

With an orchestra, that personal touch is lost, in exchange for a bigger ‘oomph’ in the music, as well as complexity. It’s why stage shows typically use orchestras. The audience doesn’t need to connect with an orchestra but they will do with the characters and every musician does their part to make that emotion much more vivid.

“Let’s just call it dragon’s intuition,” he said, tapping my head.

I’d forgotten how much the little guy could make me laugh. “If you say so.” With the topic of my musical career floating about, my mind floated back to Twilight. Thanks to Spike though, I wasn’t nearly as glum. “I needed Twilight’s help.”

“With what? Your music?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I was hoping she’d be my patron so I could get recognised and taken seriously in the musical world.”

There was a short pause from Spike. “So … you only visited so you could get Twilight to help you with your career?”

I stopped. The realization clung to me like a bad odor—that was exactly what I had done, merely using my friendship to Twilight as an excuse to get fame.

I sat down, Spike jumping off my back. He was frowning at me now, those reptilian eyes of his making the glare even more uncomfortable to look at.

“Yeah. That’s pretty much it,” I admitted. Spike deserved that much.

“Lyra, that’s a really jerkish thing to do,” he said, looking at me with something akin to parental disappointment. I wondered if Twilight got this treatment on a regular basis.

“I know that now!” I cried, rubbing my mane. “I’ve just been so caught up in improving my life lately that I didn’t think. That’s me.” I wrapped my tail around myself. “Silly Lyra, never stopping to actually think for once.”

“I always thought you were silly,” Spike stated, which grabbed my attention immediately. Thankfully, he continued, “In a goofy way, not a dumb way. Look, you actually want to be friends with us, right?”

“Yes!” I blurted out, nodding so fast my neck hurt. “That fiasco in the library was like a shock to the sense. It reminded me of how much I’ve missed you two! It’s been way too long!”

Years, in fact. I hadn’t seen Twilight since I dropped out of my studies and moved to Ponyville. Minuette and the others visited—often too—but Twilight remained locked in her studies. Not that I can blame her; she was doing something with her life, after all.

“Then we’ll start catching up with that ice cream you promised me,” Spike said, sticking a thumbs up at me.

I nodded, standing up. “Right! I’d still like to progress my musical career though—let me finish!” I cried, in response to a suspicious eyebrow from Spike. “The Octavia and Vinyl Scratch want me to get into the music business with them, so they’re kinda expecting results.”

“Oh yeah, I saw you perform with them onstage here in Ponyville!” Spike said, grinning. “Dug the swell solo you pulled off at the end.”

I let out a stifled laugh. “Yep, that was a thing.” Note to self: do not get that invested in a performance next time. “So now I’m involved with two of the most famous musicians in Canterlot. No pressure there!”

“Hm, alright. I’ll help you out. I can’t let such good talent go to waste, after all.” He pointed a claw at me. “But you’re getting me a triple scoop!”

“Thanks, Spike.” I smiled at him, then made for Sugarcube Corner. I felt him jump onto my back again, but I didn’t mind. “Any ideas to refresh Twilight’s memories of me?”

“Eh, I’ll think of something. If she’s not out and about being busy, she’s always studying.” Well, that wasn’t encouraging. “In the meantime, you can always ask her parents about that patron thing.”

“That might work.” Thankfully Spike couldn’t see my delightfully awkward grin. Playing catch-up with a friend is one thing; doing it with their parents is a whole different matter. What if they didn’t approve of me anymore? Would they judge me for being a dropout? Too many difficult questions that I did not want to answer right then.

Ice cream was always the better option. “What flavor ice cream did you want, Spike?”

“Gee, that’s a toughie. Let’s see…” Spike relaxed against my back, going through all the many flavors of ice cream he liked. For the time being, it served as a sufficient distraction.

---

“We’re not telling Twilight about this,” I told Spike from across the table.

“About what?”

“The ice cream. It’s almost bigger than your head!”

Spike leaned to the side, allowing me to get a look at him, and eyed up his sickly sweet treat. It was every flavor you could imagine, stacked up on top of each other, coupled with sprinkles and even a cherry on top.

Spike just shrugged, taking his spoon and dipping it into the ice cream. “Dragons have a big appetite.”

“But if you get stomachache, Twilight’s going to kill me!” I said in a loud whisper. I was pretty sure letting Spike get sick was about the opposite of the new, responsible me I was trying to create.

Clearly I wasn’t quiet enough, for the next thing I knew a Pinkie Pie dove from under the table and right into my face. “I hope there isn’t an illegal ice cream incident initiating itself inside here, is there?”

“Bwah!!” I fell back onto my chair, flopping onto the floor. It wasn’t a graceful thing, involving my flailing legs and a few seconds of wobble time.

“Hey Pinkie,” Spike said, ice cream now covering his lips. “We’re fine. Lyra just bought me this.”

I’m pretty sure Pinkie can control time, since before I even blinked she was suddenly standing next to Spike, eyeing him like a cop. “Are you sure you’re allowed all that?”

Spike put on a childishly innocent look. “Well… Twilight never said I wasn’t allowed these specific scoops sitting in front of me right now.”

“Does she know you’re out right now?” Pinkie asked as I collected myself up from the floor.

“Uh-huh, told her I was heading out,” Spike said. “I’d already done most of my chores and she wasn’t really in the mood to argue.” I cringed at that, sitting back down. “I’ve got a curfew anyway, so I’m fine as long as I’m back before dark.”

“Okey dokey lokey…” Pinkie sinisterly, dramatically slipping back under the table and vanishing to the realm from whence she came.

I scooted my chair closing to the table, adjusting my mane a little. “How do you not get phased by that?”

“Twilight once had a mini-meltdown over trying to ‘science’ Pinkie Pie. We quickly learned not to question her.” He gave me a serious, almost traumatized look. “Ever.”

“Alright then.” I quickly shifted topics. What better one than catching up? “So how’s life been, Spike?”

Spike looked at me with an eager grin. “Crazy.”

“I’m hardly surprised,” I admitted, leaning forward. “Is living here better than Canterlot?”

Spike briefly paused. “Gonna say yeah. Twilight does a lot more than just studying these days, and her friends are all really great ponies. That’s not even mentioning the crazy shenanigans we get up to.”

My heart felt a little prick to it. A pang of regret. “That must be fun.”

Those little ear tufts of Spike’s flattened against the side of his head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you feel left out.” He gingerly pushed the ice cream towards me. “You can have some, if you want.” Honestly, it’s amazing how both mature and innocent one child can be.

I pushed it back with my magic, smiling. “It’s yours, Spike. I bought for you. And it’s not your fault, either. I’d rather have Twilight and the Elements be out saving the world than the alternative.”

Spike pointed his spoon at me, accidentally launching a bit of ice cream onto the table. “Right!”

He went back to scoffing down his treat while I began to get all deep. The conversation begged a big ‘What if?’ scenario. Had I stayed in touch with Twilight, could I have been one of the Elements? Which one would I be? Laughter? No, I didn’t think I was a comedian. Loyalty had a nice ring to it though…

As exciting as the possibilities may have been, it was starting to leave blots of regret on my mind. I rubbed my face and cast such thoughts out of mind. Thinking of roads never taken was what got me into my messes in the first place. My focus first and foremost should be on the present.

Therefore, it was time to ask another question. “So what do you think of Ponyville?”

Spike gulped down some more ice cream before answering. “It’s pretty nice. Friendly enough for Twilight to let me wander about on my own sometimes.”

“Ponyville’s pretty safe like that.”

“Except for all the monsters,” Spike interjected.

“Well, monster attacks really spiked up since you got here,” I shot back, grinning.

“Twilight would just tell you that correlation does not equal causation.” Spike chanted the phrase almost like a mantra. It’d probably been drilled into his head a hundred times over. He was likely right, too, but still something to consider.

“Yeah, guess you’re right. So, how’s Cadance?” Maybe that was a weird question to ask for most but not so for a Heartstrings like myself.

My parents knew about Cadance’s babysitting services for Twilight, back in the day. Little surprise, they hired her for the exact same reason: my parents’ careers were a lot busier back in the day, which would’ve meant for a very lonely childhood, had it not been for Cadance. It was through Cadance that I became friends with Twilight, when she introduced us to each other at school. In return for her services, my parents gave her guidance on matters of the heart; she was always very interested in love, to the point where you could call it her scholarly pursuit.

Unsurprisingly, much like Twilight, I hadn’t seen her in a while. Thankfully, I didn’t feel as bad as that since it wasn’t entirely my fault. Being a princess and all, she had her royal duties… whatever the hay they were. Additionally, she still visited my parents from time to time but these visits were often unplanned and spontaneous—basically whenever she had the time—so I never got advance notice to come up to Canterlot and see her.

“She’s doing alright,” Spike said. “Haven’t seen her lately though.” See? I’m not the only one.

I grinned, resting my head on my hooves. “Is she still with Shining Armor?”

Oh, Mr. Armor, as I used to call him when I was small. If there was a stallion attractive enough to flip me over and turn me straight, he was it. Even when I was a kid, I was very interested Cadance’s relationship with him. Look, I thought it was cute! Childish things like cooties never bothered me, so while other fillies would’ve retched at the thought of lovey dovey stuff, I’d always ask perfectly innocent questions about it.

“You bet,” Spike said, as he tore through more ice cream. “They’ve been together since ... I dunno, forever. I don’t think anything could ever tear them apart.”

“You think they’ll get married soon?” I asked. Spike just looked at me, his face stuffed with ice cream. I shrugged and continued, “I think they should.”

Maybe they wanted to, but politics were getting in the way. That wouldn’t surprise me. There’s been many stories of courtiers attempting to woo the Princesses but nothing ever came out of it. Dad told me that Cadance was a different class compared to Princess to Celestia or Luna, though. Sort of a ‘beta Princess,’ he told me. Granted, I am talking about the stallion that claims that you’ll get nightmares if you eat cheese before you sleep because Luna hates cheese, on account of it being all she had to eat on the moon. So take what he says with a pinch of salt.

“Not my problem,” Spike said with a wave of his claw.

“That’s a smart move. Don’t deal with love until you’re older, Spike,” I advised.

Spike looked at the table, placing down his spoon. “Um … yeah, sure.”

My love detector suddenly went on the blink. “Something up, Spike?”

“No, I’m good.” He didn’t sound it.

“Aw, c’mon. I’m a Mistress of Love,” I proclaimed, scuffing my chest. “I can deal with any love-related issue. I’m so good at it, I’d be the Princess of Love if I was an alicorn!” Was I exaggerating? A bit. But some kids need heroes to look up to, someone they can feel confident in, before they’ll confide in them.

“Well, it’s just…” He motioned for me to come closer. I did and he dropped to a whisper. “I think I’m in love with Rarity.”

Oh. Well, no biggie. Who didn’t have a crush on Rarity? She was the sexiest unicorn in all of Equestria. Bon Bon was, of course, the sexiest pony in all of Equestria.

“You ‘think’ you’re in love with her, or are you actually in love with her?” I asked. An important distinction, even if I already knew the answer. Childhood crushes are perfectly natural and something that should be explored. I should know; I went through several throughout my childhood and they helped me figure out my sexual identity. So as cruel as it sounds, it wasn’t going to burst Spike’s bubble. It was important he learn from this experience, even if the lesson of rejection was one of the harshest of all.

Spike stalled with his answer a little, until he finally came out with a lackluster, “I dunno.”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll appreciate how much you like her,” I answered, unable to suppress my smile.

“No!” he cried out, his eyes darting around nervously afterward. When he next spoke, his voice was much quieter. “I can’t tell her all this.”

Oh Spike, she already knows. Children are far from subtle. “Why’s that?”

“Because it’s embarrassing?”

“Nah, I think it’s cute.”

“It’s not cute!” He fumed, scooping up a big blob of ice cream. “Forget I said anything…”

I held back a giggle. Childlike innocence never failed to be endearing. “Alrighty then.”

“So, about your music and stuff…” Spike began, likely eager to change the subject.

“Yeah?”

“Did Vinyl and Octavia really just ask you to get into the business after you played with them?” he asked. “The Vinyl Scratch and Octavia?”

I stared up at the ceiling, recollecting the strange events. “Pretty much. I suppose they just saw something in me.” Shrugging, I looked back at Spike. “Not sure what, but like true artists I guess the thought of me not getting out there and playing seemed sad to them.”

“Do you want to join them and be a big musical hotshot?”

The question he posed, as obvious as the answer might have seemed, actually struck a chord with me. Sure I wanted to be successful, but I actually hadn’t considered the effects that would create. I’d be a heck of a lot busier, for one thing, and I’d be to and fro between Ponyville and Canterlot, maybe staying in the capital for days or even weeks at a time.

Which meant less of seeing my Bon Bon…

Spike snapped his claws, a very sharp sound to be sure. “Lyra?”

I blinked and snapped back to reality. “Yeah, of course! It was my fillyhood dream after all.” Besides, Bon Bon was my partner. My happiness was her happiness, and vice versa. She wanted me to pursue a career and this was the best option. Separation anxiety is just merely one small issue an evolving relationship has to deal with.

“Then I know you’ll get there eventually,” he replied, giving me a stylish point.

“Thanks, Spike.” I smiled at him, then ate up a scoop of my ice cream. It was starting to get warmer now and much more runny. “We should really finish up before we’re drinking the rest of this stuff.”

Spike flashed an eager, childish grin. “Right!”

I lost the inevitable ice cream eating race.

---

Judging from the pained groans I heard behind me, I wasn’t exactly premiere parent material. Spike was sprawled out on my back, staring up at the sky and I had to do my best to walk carefully so he didn’t drop off.

“Why did it have to taste so gooood…?” Spike moaned, letting out an admittedly impressive belch. The scent wafted into my nostrils, unpleasant, like sniffing burned garlic.

“Because it’s ice cream,” I said. “And ice cream demands you pace yourself. Take the time to savor it.”

“You said we had to finish it quickly!”

“Not ‘I’m going to eat it straight from the bowl like a parasprite’ quickly!” I frowned, cursing my lack of forward thinking. It had been impressive at the time to watch him just go go go, but…

I heard a slap sound. Presumably Spike was covering his face with a claw. “I’m going to be in so much trouble…”

My heart twisted a beat. “You’re going to be in trouble?! Imagine what Twilight will do to me when she finds out about all this!” Suddenly my hoof felt really good to nibble on right then. “I’m doomed. Utterly dreadfully doomed.”

“Huh.” Spike paused. “Guess you’re right.”

“Not what I wanted to hear, Spike!” I cried, flicking a foreleg out. My body wanted to do more, to just shake, roll on the floor, whatever. I had my sick passenger though, and I wasn’t going to damage him further by throwing him off.

“I’ve got a real bad tummy ache here!” Spike said, shuffling his position. “You’re a creative genius, you think of something!”

Creative? Yes. Intelligent? Not really. At the time though, I couldn’t help but feel he had a point. So I thought, and thought hard about a solution to all our problems and in the matrix of my imaginative mind, my soul and brain worked in harmony to come up with the most creative plan ever.

We went back to Bon Bon.

Hey, bringing in others to help you is creative. It’s thinking outside the box. Plus, it’s not being stubborn either. It’s humble—admirable, even.

I banged hard on her door, peeking my head around erratically. Twilight could’ve been out there, looking for Spike. And if she saw me, I could kiss goodbye to any rekindling of friendships.

Bon Bon’s hoof stopped mine before I could accidentally smack her in the face. She gently put it down and gave me a smile. “Hey, love.”

“In! In in!” I cried, shuffling in and urging her inside further.

“What—” She stumbled, then blinked at my new passenger. “Is that Spike?!”

“We’re friends,” I said, shutting the door behind me and peeking through the peephole. No lavender unicorns out there.

“You’re friends? Just now? Today?” Bonnie asked, following me as I took Spike to the couch.

Carefully, I put Spike down, laying his head on a pillow. “No, for years. But we’ve been distant until today.”

He gave Bon Bon a small wave. “Uh, hi.”

Bon Bon looked at me, her brow furrowed irregularly. “You never told me you were friends.”

I shot her a grin. “Guess we all have our little secrets, huh?”

“You have no idea,” Strumming said, walking into the room. Of course, the sight of Spike made her come to a stop. “Is that … a baby dragon on your couch?” He didn’t bother giving her a proper greeting, just waving at her.

“Not just any baby dragon. Twilight Sparkle’s baby dragon,” Bon Bon ‘helpfully’ clarified.

I snorted, but nodded anyway. Really, she should’ve let me explain myself. Now the whole thing looked far worse on my part. Even if it was my fault, I could’ve handled some damage control.

“We’re friends who go way back!” I gazed over at Spike. “Isn’t that right?”

“She’s not lying,” he replied. I turned back to Bon Bon and Strumming and smirked.

“Well, I knew you were friends with Twilight back in Canterlot. I’d just never seen the little guy before,” Strumming said.

Not surprising, really. Strumming had been busy with her work for nearly as long as I’d known her. The times when she was most free were when I was much younger, and back then Spike was even younger than he is now. Like, a baby baby dragon, pacifier in mouth and everything.

“Lyra, none of that explains why he’s here and why he looks ill.” Bon Bon gave me the classic Lyraaaaa look. The one where she tilts her head to the side and looks all disappointed at me.

“We went out for ice cream and he had too much,” I said. “That’s all.”

“That still doesn’t account for why you wanted to hide him away here,” Bon Bon replied, frowning.

I sighed, my tail dropping in between my legs. “Talking with Twilight didn’t go so hot.” I hung my head, the room suddenly feeling just a little colder. “She barely remembers who I am.”

“But the dragon does?” Strumming asked.

“Spike, yeah. So I thought we could do some catching up today and it went really well, but…” I plastered my face on the door’s window and peered outside. “If Twilight finds out he got ill, she’s never going to want be my friend ever again!”

“I’ll probably get in trouble too…” Spike mumbled.

“Yeah, that too.” I turned back to Bon Bon. “You see my dilemma now?!”

She rubbed her chin, considering it briefly. “It’s awkward … but not the end of the world. She might be annoyed at you for a bit, but I know you, Lyra.” She stepped forward and nuzzled my cheek. The scent of sweet candy danced around me and it smelled good, smelled like security, smelled like a dream come real. “You’re an outgoing, friendly, lovely mare. You’ll patch things up eventually, I just know it.”

A surge of warmth swelled within me and I smiled at her. “Thanks, Bonnie.” I winked at her. “If I’m as persistent with her as I’m with you, then I’ll have her beat in no time.”

Strumming had approached Spike on the couch, probably fascinated at seeing an actual dragon. I had no idea if she had seen one close up like this but as far as I knew, Freeport was no dragon town. “So, Twilight knows you’re out, right?”

“Yeah, I made up an excuse to head outside,” he answered.

A faint smirk gradually grew to a smile on my cousin’s face. “We could sneak you in…”

I blinked and went over to her, although not before kissing my dear Bon Bon on her muzzle. “Sneak him in? That’s crazy, how would that ever work?”

Strumming shrugged and looked over at Bons. “I think we could pull it off. It’s worth a shot, right?”

“And if we get caught?” I threw up a hoof. “And that’s not to mention Twilight’s going to wonder where the heck Spike appeared from!”

Strumming was about to reply, but a much younger voice broke the silence first. “Actually…” We all turned to Spike. “Twilight’s got her head so buried in books, sometimes she doesn’t even notice when someone enters the library. If she asks, I’ll just tell her I came in earlier.”

Twilight was definitely … into books, almost obsessively. In fact, during school, one of our favorite pranks was to see just how much silly stuff we could get away with next to Twilight while she was face deep in a book. Pinning silly notes on her back, shaping her mane into… unique styles. The works.

Still, this plan seemed stupid even by my standards. “She’s still going to hear us take you in, Spike.”

“Oh silly Strumhorn. Really, this is child’s play.” Strumming patted my head like I was some bratty child. “All we need is someone to distract Twilight while you smuggle Spike inside. Easy.”

I blinked. On second thought, this was beginning to sound like an actual, feasible plan. Sure, it was silly but Bon Bon loves my silliness. Speaking of, I turned to her and smiled. “You’re a great conversationalist, Bonnie. You could distract Twilight easily.”

She looked at me, then to Strumming behind me, just for a moment. “Well I suppose I could…”

“It’d be easier if I do it,” Strumming interrupted. I whirled around, shooting her a perked brow. “I’m new here, so she’s never met me before. Therefore, I can be much more engaging to talk to—especially if I needed help finding my way around town, or looking for a book I heard is only kept at the Ponyville library.”

Another good point by my cousin. It was frustrating how good she was at this … but then again, being sneaky was her thing. Also being snacky. The sneaker snacker, Strumming Heartstrings. Still, I wasn’t entirely happy just yet. I looked over at Bon Bon, examined that beautiful form of hers. She was perfect in almost every way, molded like a classical sculpture but… she never struck me as particularly sneaky. Especially when taking into her account her build…

I’ll say it right here in the open: the Bonbutt was big.

Even with my reservations, I wasn’t going to shut her out completely. And Bonnie knew herself almost as well as I did. “What do you think?” I asked her.

She smiled and nodded. “Let’s do it.”

I blinked and stepped closer. “Are you sure? Really sure? Super sure?”

She smirked, flicking her tail. “What did I just say?”

“Er, okay then…” I fell to my rump, two smiling mares staring down at me. “Guess we have our plan, then.”

---

It’s really hard to stay quiet when you have twigs sticking in your sides. Who would’ve guessed that bushes were not comfy places for ponies to be?

“How are you not writhing in discomfort?” I asked Spike.

He slowly lolled his head over to me, pointedly gesturing to his stomach. “I am.”

“Oh, right.” I laughed halfheartedly, rubbing the back of my head.

“Dragon scales are pretty tough though, so these branches aren’t affecting me at all,” he explained.

Made sense. In the time I had known Spike, as well as seeing him around Ponyville, he did seem to be a magnet for… physical accidents. He was never seriously hurt by them though.

“Focus you two,” Bon Bon whispered to us, although she stared through the library’s window.

Now, I’m not going to deny the fact that out of the two of us, Bonnie was the level-headed, grounded one. But… “Er, I don’t think wearing shades is going to help you see better in there,” I pointed out, gesturing to the pair of sunglasses Bon Bon was wearing.

I caught a glimpse of her eyes blinking. “Er, well, you see—” Suddenly she tensed up and almost pressed her muzzle against the window. “Strumming’s coming in now. Get ready.”

“Right…” I got myself up, incurring more scratches and cuts against the branches. I let out ‘ooo’s ‘aaah’s as well as the occasional hiss when I did.

Bon Bon picked up Spike, put him on her back, then nudged open the window very carefully.

I rolled my eyes. “Lucky she doesn’t lock these things.”

Spike seemed to share my sarcastic wit. “Yeah, Twilight’s always been a scatterbrain.”

“Focus,” Bon Bon said. No, it was more of a command—a single word enough to send a shiver down my spine that wasn’t unwelcome. She kept opening the window slowly, then crept in with a sneakiness that defied her luxurious rear. The whole thing looked so easy, she made it look like something she’d done every other day.

I knew I wouldn’t be so inherently stealthy as Bonnie but I did have one advantage she lacked. My horn glowed and those reliable digits of mine appeared around my hooves. I touched the window sill and my hands’ grip made the whole climb in a lot more stable. I landed inside without so much as a scuff.

Sure enough, Strumming was talking to Twilight, whose back was to us. I could see her eyes though, ogling my cousin. Strumming excited her alright, but that was only because she was a new pony to study. “You’re from Freeport? That’s fascinating! I’ve always wanted to go there. Could you tell me a few things about it?”

Spike just rolled his eyes at me, and for my part I had to bite my hoof to prevent a snicker. I shook my head, then followed Bon Bon’s lead as she took him up the stairs to the next room.

Our movements were swift yet controlled and the steps under our hooves were solid; no risk of creaking there.We loosened up a little once we hit the room proper and Bonnie carefully let Spike down. He held his stomach, but got off himself, standing before us. “Thanks for smuggling me in,” he whispered.

Bon Bon gave him a firm salute, which I didn’t comment on, since I was far more interested in his claws. They tapped against each other erratically.

I smiled at him, lowering myself to his level. “I’m sure you must feel a little bad for going behind Twilight’s back but it’s for the greater good, honestly. We can confess later, when I’ve patched things up with her, alright?”

He nodded, then blinked. “I’m not sure I want to get punished either…”

I snickered behind my hoof. “Don’t worry too much about it. Just focus on sleeping off that tummy ache.” I reached forward and gave the little guy an affectionate pat. “Was great talking to you again at least. Thanks for being such a good friend, Spike.”

He smiled at me, claws no longer fidgeting with themselves. “I don’t think I could ever forget you and your mintiness.”

I laughed again, giving him a friendly wave, while Bonnie just settled for a single motion of her hoof. We turned to go and prepared to enter stealth mode once more.

“One last thing.”

We froze.

“You’ll see Twi’s parents, right?” he asked. “About the music thing?”

I looked back at him and smiled, all while suppressing the urge to hide my tail in between my legs. “Sure thing, Spike. It’s a good move as any.”

“Then go for it!” He gave me a thumbs-up … which drifted to his stomach. He groaned, then wandered off to the side of the room and rested against the wall. “As for me, I’m taking a break…”

I nodded at him, then Bon Bon gestured for us to go, so I followed her back down the stairs. Strumming was still occupying Twilight,a few books now floating around her. I gave my cousin a sly smirk; she had no idea what she had just gotten herself into.

Still, Twilight could’ve turned around at any moment and spotted us, which kept my heart pounding through the whole ordeal. Our fates were in the grasp of Lady Luck right there.

Thankfully, the good Lady was kind to us as we slipped out of the window. Bon Bon landed with grace and I … tumbled head first into the bush. Bonnie muttered to herself, likely about me being silly, then closed the window shut.

I took a couple of seconds to process events. Then I spat out a branch. I continued processing some more. We did it. We actually pulled off this goofy idea. My heart was still pounding but now I was smiling too; if I could do this, then surely that was a sign of things to come.

“Well Bonnie,” I began, sorting out my mane, “looks like we—”

And then the love of my life surged forward and met me on the lips.

The world melted away from me, Bonnie’s warmth overpowering any prickly sensation from the bush. Her strong yet delicate hooves wrapped around me and I couldn’t protest. I closed my eyes and took everything in. Her touch, her smell, the very feeling of closeness we shared.

We were like that for some time, not sure how long, before Bon Bon pulled away. Her cheeks were red and she grinned at me. It was a very sexy grin, I’ll say. Wish I could say I was pulling off the same demeanor. My eyes were wide and my whole face was flushed red. “Uh… wow.”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“What was that for?” I asked, trying not to sound accusing. It was just… I was typically the one to be so forward, at least out in public like this.

Bonnie took off her shades and folded them up, gazing at them briefly. “Caught in the moment, I suppose.” She met my eyes and I could see the smile in hers. “That was pretty exciting, don’t you agree?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded along with her, smiling.

“So…” She traced a hoof alongside my inner thigh. I shivered. “How about we…?”

She didn’t need to ask me twice. Still, there was one loose end. “What about Strumming?”

Bon Bon snorted, looking into the window briefly. “She’ll be tied up for Twilight for a while. Plenty of time for us to have some fun.”

I grinned and prepared to respond, but apparently my reaction was enough. Bon Bon suddenly grabbed my hoof and dragged me out of the bush.

Need I say what happened next? It was too beautiful to put into words anyway.

Author's Note:

As they say, it's about damn time.

Huge props to my small but comfy pre-reading/editor team. May you never fall into life's potholes Lyra finds herself tripping in.

Comments

[pahnazd]

She’ll be tied up for Twilight for a while.

I'd replace the emphasized word with with.
Or maybe I'm wrong and I should stop working because it makes me unable to brain.

Besides that that small nitpick, the chapter was very enjoyable. Lyra's sneak level just went up.
But hey, trust Spike to point out the obvious flaws. Silly Lyra, you should have stayed more and catch up before just leaving Twi like that in the last chapter.
Spike to the rescue. And then reverse rescue

[Peachy Keen]

Great chapter! Good on Spike for calling Lyra out on using Twilight, but was still understanding and a good friend! You write him very well by the way, I imagined his voice saying those lines very easily.

[621Chopsuey]

May you never fall into life's potholes Lyra finds herself tripping in.

Too late Nah, I'm kidding. Excellent chapter. That was one intense stealth op distraction, I felt like I was tailing Agent Zero again.

[Talon and Thorn]

Loyalty had a nice ring to it though…

Well maybe in another universe

[Aurora Dimmet]

I know Strum's got some sort of history with her as Sweetie Drops, but wow. It seems like every mare who comes into their combined life is trying to pull Bons away from Lyra, and poor Lyra's too dumb to even consider that as a possibility. She may dislike stallions for being protective, but if you don't defend something you cherish there's always the greater chance you won't have it anymore.

[Dorath]

Granted, I am talking about the stallion that claims that you’ll get nightmares if you eat cheese before you sleep because Luna hates cheese, on account of it being all she had to eat on the moon. So take what he says with a pinch of salt.

[JediWyrm]

Especially when taking into her account her build…

That should be either "Taking her build into account" or "Taking into account her build"

Also, I figured Spike would remember Lyra. I wonder if Strumming will say anything about Freeport's Magus, either purposefully or accidentally.

[Aotrs Commander]

(Very belated catching up...!)

Hmm. Bonbon's apparent stealth abilites do make one ask a few questions...

And Spike to the rescue: good job, that dragon!

[Xerzes]

So, are we done here, like the Rarity and Cheerilee ones?