This night, that night
Flames of warm, smoky comfort found themselves in the stone fireplace, licking and curving around the edges like an animal trying to break free. But no, the safe, clear glass shield kept them back with the bravery of a soldier against the lapping flames. But for all the danger that they offered if the glass were to renegade, they offered only immense comfort for the mint colored unicorn who sat near them. She kept a watchful golden eye on the fire as she sighed quietly. Almost.. without purpose.
Lyra hadn't exactly felt purpose since Bon Bon over away two years ago. It was Bon Bon's choice, no one was forcing her to leave, but she left. She had told Lyra that she seemed a world new and exiting. But wasn't the world that her best friend resided in good enough for her? When they were fillies, they were inseparable. Even as teenagers, you would rarely see them apart… but now, Lyra felt like she didn't even know Bon Bon. In fact, she didn't. They hadn't even talked since that day. Hadn't even exchanged letters. And Lyra was absolutely sure that Bon Bon had forgotten all about the mare she once called a best friend forever.
"Heh. Forever doesn't last that long." Lyra smirked sadly and slowly raised herself off the floor. She could hear the mournful wind howling to itself outside, the sound off bells in the night as stagecoaches pulled to their final stops in their snug houses. And she especially noticed, as she passed the window, the flurry of beautiful snow that piled on the lawn and pretty much everywhere around it, covering Ponyville in a soft layer of powdery white. For a moment, Lyra was tempted to go outside. She knew it was a stupid idea. As gorgeous and welcoming as the snow looked, it was sharp and bitter, and almost deadly. Lyra sniffed as she continued to gaze outside, looking fro the welcoming flames to the dangerous snow covered town, and ultimately realized that she literally had nothing to loose.
Thats it. She would go outside. Thats what she needed, some excitement. An occasion that, without Lyra, came few and far between. So, grabbing her fuzziest scarf in a flurry of golden sparks, she curled it around her neck like a python and began walking towards the door to the outside world. She took a deep breath as the door clicked open and her hooves found her outside, moving as if in a dream. Everything was so perfect, so surreal, and for once, it felt good to be her. Just… Lyra. The way she was. She gazed at the sky filled with flurries of sky sugar and hopped about like a kangaroo, kicking up sprays of snow. It felt so good to be alive, out here in the bitter cold.
And that was when she heard it. A moaning sound, barely noticeable to the untrained ear. But Lyra had gotten used to the silence of an empty house, and so even above the howling of the wind, the sad sound was heard. Lyra pricked her ears and jerked her head up. What could that sound be? Where was it coming from? Lyra felt herself filling with questions. Really, she had missed being this curious. But she agreed to let her curiosity get the better of her as she crept over to the flower hedge where the sound appeared to originate from. It was quite a nice plant, and Lyra had almost forgotten about it. But the figure she found inside the hedge was even more to Lyra's interest. For there, a small filly sat in the cold. Her big, blue eyes shone like stars, her dusty white fur as cold as the ice. Her mane was a tangled mess of blue and red, and over her back was a thin blue blanket soaked through with snow.
Lyra did a double take. This filly was like a miniature Bon Bon! Both of their eyes grew large and the filly began to cry piteous tears. Lyra looked around frantically for someone who might help, but she remembered that she was the only one near crazy enough to be out here in this weather. So she breathed a sigh and her horn was incased in an amber glow as the filly was lifted off the ground with a small squeak. Lyra blinked and began walking back towards her house. She didn't question where the foal came from. She was determined to take care of it. She didn't know why, maybe it reminded her so much of her best friend that she wanted a replacement for Bon Bon. Maybe it was because she just looked so piteous, so lost…
"I think I'll call you Taffy drops."
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Lyra smiled and nuzzled Taffy, whom was now wrapped in a much more sufficient blanket of cotton. The fire burned with the same restlessness of the time before Lyra's expedition into the cold, still trying to break free of its cage. But the glass remained firm. Lyra curled her tail around the Taffy, giggling as the fillies eyes widened and narrowed at the leaping of the circus-like fire.
"You see, the fire burns like that because theres a lost spirit trapped in it. She's very restless, and she just wants to be loved. No one wants to love something that could easily burn down acres of forest in one lick, so she keeps trying to be noticed. And we are the only ones who notice her. Keep her company." Taffy stared in wonder at the fire as it flung itself against the glass. "But if she gets too angry, she will cause lots of harm. So we put more wood in her flames as a signal that we care about her." Lyra chuckled as the filly stood up shakily and walked over to the enclosed fire, staring at it as if it were the most interesting thing in the entire world. She attempted to pick up one of the sticks from the nearby pile of emergency kindling, but soon figured out that she was too tired. A yawn escaped her muzzle and she half lowered herself, half dropped to the ground as her eyelids became heavy and closed. Lyra snickered and, raising Taffy onto her back, set off to the warm mattress where Taffy would be staying.
"You learn fast. Just wait until I tell you about the humans!"