Since they first met, Bon Bon and Lyra have been in love. But is one of them hideing a dark secret?
Bon Bon has been deeply in love with Lyra for almost as long as they have known each other. Every day is a blessing for the two lovers. But as Bon Bon starts to feel under the weather, will Lyra uncover a dark secret that will rip the two mares apart and leave only hate, sadness, and fear in it's wake?
### Note ### The story has undergone it's first ever proof-read and edit, to hopefully fix a lot of grammar and typos. Thanks goes to KiroTalon and Ivo for all their help with this.
***Author's Note*** When I posted my second attempt at a MLP fanfic, I had no idea it would become as popular as it has. I would like to thank everyone who's taken the time to read my little story, and to the two fellows who graciously offered their efforts to help proof-read the mess I had originally posted. Thank you all.
A Change of Face
by
TheDeinonychus
Part 1
Living the Lie
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? We can hurry up and just pick up what we need right now," the aquamarine unicorn said as she started to step out the open door. She looked over her shoulder, a cyan mane bouncing to the side a bit as she looked at the smiling cream earth pony. "I don't want you to just stay at home all day, Hun."
Bon Bon just gave her sweetheart a warm, thankful smile, her soft blue eyes giving a slight shimmer at how much Lyra thought about her. "I'll be just fine. I told you I wasn't feeling very well, so I'd rather you go on ahead. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to try dragging a sick pony all around town while you do the shopping."
Lyra turned away from the door, the minty mare taking a step back into the house to press the side of her muzzle against her lover's. "Aww...you know I'd always want to have you by my side, sweety. But, if you're sure you're not feeling up to it, I wont push you. Just sit tight, and I'll be back before you know it. Hey! Maybe I'll bring you back some chopped lavender. That always seems to help me feel better when I'm sick."
A small giggle from outside brought the two mares' attention out the door for a moment, a couple of young fillies passing by, noticing the two's little sweet moment. This brought an embarrassed blush to the earth pony's cheeks and a smirk to the unicorn's lips. They had gotten a reputation as the town 'filly-foolers' when their relationship had first become public, and it had caused the two of them some short, but rough times. But Ponyville was nothing but accepting, and by now the most the two ever got in the way of remarks was the occasional laugh and playful teasing. It had always embarrassed Bon Bon, which just made Lyra more incorrigible, eager to see that blush spread over her lover's cheeks.
"I'd like that, sweety. You go on now, I'll just be here waiting for you," the creamy mare said, gently nudging her sweetheart back towards the open door with a hoof and a soft smile. Lyra looked back to her, taking a moment to press a small, tender kiss to her lips with the barest of touches before she continued on her way to her planned weekly shopping.
"You take it easy, love. I'll be back soon," Lyra called back as she started down the street. Behind her, just out of earshot, Bon Bon gave a long, slow sigh. If anyone had been close enough to hear, or looking in that direction to see the earth pony, they may have thought she was sorry to see her lover go, or perhaps even longingly admiring that retreating minty flank. But the truth of that sigh was, she was relieved, a small amount of tension leaving the mare as she was finally left alone in the home she shared with the unicorn.
Closing the door, she trotted up the stairs to the bedroom, the earth pony looking a bit more worn out than she had when talking with her lover. She loved Lyra, nothing would change that, but right now she just needed some time to herself. Down the short hall and into the bedroom, she closed the door with a gentle push of a back hoof as she made her way over to the dresser, her blue eyes looking up into the mirror as she sat down on her rump in front of it. She had pushed herself a little too long this time, kept up appearances more than she really needed to. She was risking everything, and for what? Was it because of what had happened in Canterlot? Because the others were so very close now? Maybe it was just that she wished she didn't have to do this anymore. But part of her, the part she never before thought she had, just wished that she was really the pony that her beloved deserved.
With another heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping, Bon Bon lowered her eyes from the mirror to the floor in front of her, and with a sad heart let her guard down.
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The cobblestones made a slight clop under her hooves as she made her way towards the market square. Lyra looked up to see the bright sun overhead; it was already past noon. She silently scolded herself for taking so long to actually get to the shopping, but at the same time, she knew she had a good reason. She didn't like leaving Bon Bon alone when she was feeling like that. More than once, she had come home after leaving her beloved there all alone, only to find her nearly in tears. She had asked and begged for Bon Bon to tell her what was wrong, but every time, for three years now, the earth pony had just waved it off, saying she just felt so alone when the unicorn wasn't there. Lyra worried that maybe there was something her lover was not telling her, that maybe something terrible had happen to her in the past. But she trusted Bon Bon to tell her the truth when the time was right, even if it made her heart ache to see her in such a state. Planting her hooves firmly onto the cobbled road, and with a determined gleam to her eyes, she resolved to get the shopping done in record time so she could be back with her sweet candy mare.
"Alright, let's get to this. Then I can spend the rest of the day doing what's important!" she said, a slight blush creeping to her cheeks as she thought of just what the unicorn considered 'important'. How their friends would blush and gasp if they knew just what sort of things the two 'filly-foolers' got up to at night. With a barely restrained giggle, Lyra's horn glowed a soft lime as she reached back towards her saddlebags. Unlike other unicorns, her magic had a feature that made it rather unique. Whereas another unicorn's magical glow would just envelop whatever it was holding, surrounding it like a sparkling cloud, Lyra's magic would reach out delicately, little tendrils of sparkling mist picking and grasping lightly at whatever it was she had a hold of. Bon Bon had asked her about it before, and Lyra had explained, with an embarrassed blush, that it was just something she had started doing while playing her lyre, that it made it easier to pluck the strings. It was a lie. A white lie, but one that she had always felt a bit guilty saying. She may be a filly-fooler, and she shared everything with her sweet heart, but still she worried what Bon Bon might think if she knew that her lover had a 'hand complex'. Ever since she was a little filly, she had felt jealous of, well, certain creatures. Dragons, minotaurs, even griffons. They had fingers that could do things she had to practice at using her magic to do. What took concentration for her they just did naturally. She had even ended up reading about mythical creatures with hands, to the point that reading about legends and folklore had become something of a hobby of hers. She loved the idea of hands, and more than once, she had thought what it would be like to run fingers through her lover's mane, or to slowly caress a fingertip down Bon Bon's back. Or to even reach down and squeeze-
A quick shake of her head helped her push the lewd thoughts off of her mind. She had a job to do right now, and fantasizing about her dreams wasn't going to help her get it done any quicker. With her saddlebag open, her magical fingers reached in to rummage through the contents, searching for the little note pad on which she had scribbled down the list of things they needed from the market. She felt around, recognizing each item her magic touched by its shape. Quill. Coin purse. Water bottle. Screw driver. Mane clip. W-what was that doing in there? Last item aside, something was out of place. A quick scramble through the other side returned similar results. Her golden eyes widened as she realized, in her worry over Bon Bon's condition, she had run off and left her list sitting on the nightstand back home.
Stomping her hooves at how careless she was, her eyes shut tightly as she berated herself, Lyra turned sharply and galloped for home. Maybe, if she hurried, she could get the list, get the shopping done, and be back home with enough time to do what was really important to her: spending time with the love of her life.
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A shimmer seemed to pass over Bon Bon as she sat in front of the mirror, but she didn't notice. She had done this far too many times for her to care to watch. Each time she had to do it, it just reminded her of how much she had lied. How terrible she was to the one pony she loved. If she had cared to watch, she would have seen the rather disturbing sight that she had unfortunately grown used to seeing. It started slow at first, at the top of her mane. But it started to spread downwards. At the start, it could have just been a smudge on the mirror. A smudge that started to grow and consume the image of the poor earth pony. Like a fresh painting left out in the rain, Bon Bon's face seemed to melt away, the blue and pink of her mane running streaks through the cream of her face as the color seemed to slowly drain from her eyes and cerulean tears. As the earth pony seemed to disappear, something else started to emerge, like the artist had painted over something too disturbing to show. It wasn't always this slow. But her mood and the unwillingness to let it happen again conspired to turn the normally quick change into a slow, almost agonizing display. Before it all became too much to witness, with another sigh, the once pony took a sharp breath and pushed herself back into full speed. A quick burst of green magical energy, and the sweet earth pony known as Bon Bon was no more.
Slowly featureless eyes as cold as arctic ice looked up to the mirror. The once soft cream coat was replaced by a jet black that seemed to take in the dim light and send back a pale, pitiful gleam of what it had once been. Her ears, once soft and eager, were now torn and frayed. From her forehead sprouted a sharp, bladed horn, meant for stabbing rather than magic. She was devoid of any mane save for the wicked fin that sprouted down the back of her neck. The lie that was Bon Bon slowly looked up from the floor, once again seeing what she so desperately tried to hide away.
"Hello again..." the changeling said in a low, sad voice. At her side, the tattered, transparent wings buzzed slightly, like a locust trying to get comfortable in a new skin. Her solid eyes looked back down at the floor. She hated this, hated seeing what she really was. She wished she didn't have to do this, but the strain of keeping up her false image for so long had become too much for her body. Every few months, the strain forced her to become he true self again. She would feel weak, and her head hurt. Even as she slept in the same bed as that sweet unicorn, she had to keep up her disguise. If she kept it too long, the stress would go from weakness to pain, to agony. Then her body just wouldn't be able to take it any more, and she'd collapse, her true self coming out for all to see. It had almost happened the first time, she had been so caught up that she didn't realize what was going on till she couldn't stand it anymore. She was almost caught then, and she had promised to herself she would never let that happen ever again. She had been careful every time since then. Even after they had moved in together, she was careful to make sure no one ever found out, especially Lyra. But this time, after what had happened in Canterlot, with the Hive now so close, it had become harder to keep her shame hidden.
Lyra knew about Changelings now. Knew what they could do, and what they did...and what they had done to her. The last thing the unicorn needed was to be reminded of that. Or to have her love making excuses to get her out of the house, to avoid seeing her yet again. In the back of her mind, a little voice kept whispering to her what she had once promised silently to her beloved, that one day, she would tell Lyra everything, that she would try and get the unicorn to see that she truly loved her. But that would have to wait a while longer still. Lyra had just gotten over what she had gone through at the wedding, and it would be too much for the false pony to ask of her now.
Another rustle of her wings, and she stretched her legs, feeling the joints creak slightly as her strange hooves rubbed across the wooden floor. An hour or so was all the needed, all she could spare herself. Just some time to recover her strength, just to put up with this face she hated for a little while, and then she could go back to being the pony her little unicorn loved. The changeling's mind wandered, anything to keep away from the awful truth in the mirror. She loved it here, loved being a pony, being a pony loved by another pony. To think, it wasn't long ago that Lyra had even started pestering the local librarian, asking the lavender unicorn if there was a spell that would let the two of them have foals of their own. It was a sweet thought, one that the changeling could only entertain for a short while. If she could, she would love to have a family with the minty unicorn. But how could she explain what the foals would end up being? Some sort of half-pony pupa? She wasn't a queen, she was just a scout, a glorified drone. She wasn't even sure if she could have children.
She was so lost on her mental ramblings that she became oblivious to everything around her, to the sound of the front door opening, and the hooves slowly making their way up the stairs and towards the bedroom door.
Lyra had raced home, taking a moment to catch her breath before stepping inside. A quick look told her that Bon Bon had probably gone back to bed. She needed to get into the bedroom to get her shopping list, but she didn't want to disturb her lover's rest. As softly as she could she had crept up the stairs. Taking great care that each hoof fall didn't ring too loudly, she made her way to the bedroom door, finding it shut. Slowly, those magical fingers of hers reached out as her horn glowed, gingerly taking a hold of the doorknob and turning it, trying to be as quiet as possible, lest the earth pony be sleeping.
The door was cooperating, at least mostly. It opened quietly little by little, giving the unicorn a look into the darkened room, and a view of the figure sitting in the shadows in front of the dresser. As more and more light started to pour in from the hallway, the figure started to come into view. At first, Lyra had thought it was her beloved, sitting there looking at herself in the mirror. But as the light started to brighten, the door getting more open, something else filled the shadows. The dark shape, those torn wings, and curved horn. The door opened fully, giving out the pained groan it had been trying its best to hold in. The groan was followed by a loud, sharp gasp, torn from the throat of a certain unicorn.
Those deep, arctic eyes turned on her, wide with horror at what they saw. The room was filled with green light for an instant, and the black thing was replaced with an earth pony. Bon Bon's mouth hung agape as she looked at her lover, seeing the tears starting to well up in the corners of those golden eyes. A tiny whisper managed to escape her false lips, as if to make any more sound than that would just pile disaster upon disaster.
"N-no..."
Her limbs refused to work. Bon Bon had to force herself to take a step towards the door, each movement sending panic and pain through her body as she managed to raise a hoof, reaching out for the one thing she desired most in the world. The one thing she needed more than anything else. "Lyra, w-wait.."
"G-get away from me you MONSTER!"
Choked with tears, Lyra had flung those words at the false pony as if they were knives, her hooves digging into the wooden floor as she turned and launched herself back down the hallway. Down the stairs, she battered the front door aside as she raced out of the house and down the street. The blood seemed to have drained from Bon Bon's body in that moment. She felt as if each step she took was in slow motion, as if she was trying to run through taffy as she tried desperately to stop her Lyra, to prevent her whole reason for being from racing out of her grasp.
In the end, she failed, the horror-stricken pony making it to the front door only to see the unicorn's tail in the distance, shrinking from sight into a minty green speck, as if vanishing from her life for good. That was all she could take. Her eyes wide, her balance failed her as she slumped against the door frame, slowly sliding down to the floor as she just stared off into the distance, her whole world shattered in an instant. As the pain of her now broken life started to creep in on her, very real tears started to flow down the fake pony's cheeks...
Her hooves ached. She had no idea how long she had ran, or where she had run to. All Lyra knew was that she had to get away from that thing. From that house. A million things ran through her mind as she barreled onwards, not once bothering to look at where she was headed. Where had that changeling come from? How did it get into her house? But mostly, what had it done to Bon Bon?
That last thought gave the minty green unicorn pause. Just what had it done to Bon Bon? Memories of last month flooded back into her mind. Of that dark room in Canterlot, waking up inside that cocoon. The feeling of helplessness, of pain as she was slowly being drained of her joy, her love. Feeling the icy grip creep over her as she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. A shiver ran up her spine as she tried to shake the thoughts from her mind. If Bon Bon was in trouble, if that changeling had taken her, she couldn't worry about herself. She had to try and save her.
It was only now that Lyra bothered to take stock of where she was. Her panicked flight from her house had taken her clear out of town. Dark shadows loomed around her. It should have only been a little past noon, but where she had gotten herself, the warm embrace of the sun did not reach. For a moment, she was reminded of that dark room where she had awaited her fate. The twisted trees and dense undergrowth told her where she had gotten herself: the most dangerous place for a pony to be outside of the Gates of Tartarus. She was lost within the Everfree Forest.
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Her eyes hurt. Her stomach hurt. But more than anything, her heart was in agony. It was a pain she had never known before. A pain that she had felt fleeting caresses of, but every time, there had been somepony to take her away. Somepony to pull her back from the sorrow and guilt. Somepony who had fled from the sight of her. Somehow, Bon Bon had managed to pull herself up the stairs and back into the bedroom she had shared with her beloved. The room they had spent so many nights holding each other in a warm, tender embrace. The room where that had all been taken away by a moment's weakness.
She threw herself upon the bed, tears that had already stained her cheeks now soaking into the bed sheets as she laid her chest and face upon them. She had never known something could hurt this much. That a pony's heart, even a fake one, was so fragile, and would splinter so painfully. Thoughts of the life she had in this friendly little town flooded her mind. Of meeting ponies who accepted her as one of their own. Of being with friends who cared for her. Of holding close to the one pony who made her life mean something. Had it all been just a lie?
The false pony looked up, over across the bed at the mirror set above the dresser. Just a few minutes before, it had shown her her shame. The face she had hidden from everyone, even from her own self if she could afford but to forget for a while. The face that had destroyed her life. Now, the unapologetic mirror showed her something far different, but no less painful. The ruin of that once dream-like existence. The dark stains that streamed down her creamy cheeks, marking the passage of tears. The frazzled and tossed mane that had never truly been her own. The shaking eyes, blue, but those of some pony whom she had never met, some pony who she had seen die while watching in secret. She was just a shadow of that mare, a lingering image trying to go through the motions of life with no memory of who she once was, who she would have been had things gone differently. The lie had crumbled under the weight of the truth, and it had taken her happy life with it.
Was this why changelings fed off of the love of others? Could nopony ever really love a creature like her? Slowly Bon Bon pushed herself up from the bed, choking back sobs as she made her way around to the dresser and that accursed mirror. The face that looked back at her, hers but not her own, was a wreck. The pain and anguish she felt were plain to see. Back in the Hive, no one questioned, no one felt, no one cared. Before she became the lie looking back at her from the mirror, she had done what was asked, had never thought about what it was like to be hurt, to be sad. To be loved. But now, now she had known what it meant to be loved. To be happy, to be sad. And now to feel loss.
She couldn't go back. Back to being just a mindless drone. Back to living a life where she felt nothing but hunger. A life that held no meaning for her anymore.
"N-no..."
The word slipped past her fake lips, the emotion behind them slight but true. The life she lived before coming here, before becoming a pony, that wasn't the life she ever wanted to have again.
"No."
More emotion, more feeling. This was her life. This was her face. Even if it wasn't the face she was born with. Even if it was borrowed from some pony who had no use for it anymore. It was hers, the tear-rimmed eyes, stained cheeks and all.
"NO!"
The feeling burst forth from her as she brought a hoof back. It landed hard on the mirror that spoke ugly truths to her. A spider's web of cracks danced across the glass in a flash as her hoof crunched into it. Her heart was racing with emotion, but not loss, not now. It was determination. She would never go back, could never go back to the sad excuse for a life she had had in the Hive. Her life was here, in Ponyville. Even if it had been all a lie, it was hers.
Bon Bon shook her head, her blue and pink mane flying about as she tried to clear herself of all the swirling thoughts and doubts that kept nipping at the edges of her resolve. She wasn't going to let everything just end like this. Even if Lyra hated her, if she never felt love again. Even if the whole of Ponyville found out about her dark secret. Through all the lies that made up this life of hers, she knew one thing was true. One thing that could never be false. She loved Lyra, and she needed to find her now!
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The dark shadows seemed to creep in on her, inching their way closer to her hooves with every step she took. Lyra nervously glanced about her as she made her way through the forest. The energetic panic that had gripped her once she had realized where she was and that her beloved Bon Bon might be in danger had passed. All it got her was lost deeper into the dense trees, having taken off at a full gallop in a direction she had hoped would bring her out of the gloom of the forest and into the warm, welcoming sun of Ponyville. Instead she found herself now gripped by a cold, nervous panic, as if changelings lurked behind every bush, behind every tree trunk, waiting to drag her back into a waiting cocoon.
She wasn't sure how late it was getting, but the few fleeting glimpses of sky she managed to catch between the thick forest canopy told her that night hadn't set in yet. But here, down on the forest floor, it might as well be midnight. The ground here was soft and covered with patches of moss. If anything, it just told her how lost she really was. This was not the packed earth of a traveled trail through the woods. It was the soft, root-lifted dirt of the deep forest. Silently she cursed herself for never forcing herself to take those advanced magic classes in school. If only she was better at teleporting, she could maybe send herself back home in an instant. The one time she had tried to teleport herself any further than a few feet, she had reappeared upside down with a singed mane. It didn't help that she had ended up in the air above a barrel of rain water. And even if she did make it back home, what then? Confront the horrible changeling she feared was still there waiting on her? The poor unicorn didn't know if she could manage that, not after what she had been through. What if she got back only to find her beloved Bon Bon in the arms of another Lyra? A Lyra with glowing green eyes and wicked fangs?
Rearing up to her hind legs, she pressed her forehooves to the sides of her head as she screamed at the thought. The idea of one of those things having its way with her sweet candy mare! She started to feel sick, fresh panic starting to rise up in her chest. She had to get back. She had to make sure her Bon Bon was alright, that those horrible things hadn't done anything to her.
Back on all four hooves, she closed her eyes, concentrating for a moment as the tip of her horn started to glow. The minty green glow grew, getting brighter and brighter, till soon it was as bright as any lantern. The light did little to banish the creepy, intimidating appearance of the forest around her, but it did at least make her passage through the thick brush easier. Her heart still racing, and with no way to know in what direction home was, the bedraggled unicorn picked one direction and headed off, hoping against hope that she would be able to save the mare she held most dear.
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Her hooves beat soundly on the cobblestones that made up the main streets of Ponyville as the creamy earth mare raced towards the large tree that served as the town's library. Bon Bon's chest was heaving as she pushed herself to go faster, hope that she could find her beloved there fueling her onwards. She hoped that, maybe, since the town librarian had been in Canterlot when the changelings attacked a month ago, and had been one of the ponies to drive them off, that maybe Lyra would look to her for help. She knew it was a long shot, but just maybe luck was on her side for once.
As she made it up to the front door, she nearly threw herself onto it. Holding herself up with one hoof, the other rapped hard at the wood several times, loud enough for the ponies next door to hear her.
"Please be here. Please be here. Oh please, please, PLEASE be here!" she gasped to herself, panic that she had made a mistake starting to set in. She was just about to start beating on the door again when it suddenly opened. Bon Bon had to stop her hoof before it collided with the lavender forehead of the town librarian.
"Bon Bon!" Twilight said as she looked at the ragged pony on her doorstep. "Um, what brings you here?" she purple unicorn offered up a pleasant, if worried smile to the mildly shocked and frantic earth pony.
"Oh no...um, h-have you seen Lyra? Is...is she here?" Bon Bon managed to stammer out, desperately trying to rein in her panic. This pony had seen changelings before. Not only that, but she had fought with them less than a month ago. In the back of her mind, the false pony worried that her stress and panic would let the unicorn see right through her glamor and that would be the end of her. Thankfully Twilight just looked her up and down for a moment, seeming to just take in her panicked state before she spoke again.
"No...I haven't seen her for a few days," the librarian said, leaning in a bit. The look on her face calmed Bon Bon's frantic mind a bit. It wasn't anger or fear or even disgust. It was worry. "Are you alright? Is something the matter?"
"N-no, it's just...I need to find her," Bon Bon gasped out before calming herself a bit. "I need to find Lyra. Please, I've got to talk to her!"
"Ok, ok! Just calm down," Twilight responded as the earth pony nearly threw herself at her hooves. "Just tell me what's wrong. What happened?"
Bon Bon bit her lip so hard she worried green blood would start running down her chin. "It's...I...we..." she stammered, mind racing to come up with some sort of excuse, another little lie to add to her life that would hopefully save her from the horrible truth. Twilight looked at her for a moment, eyeing her nervous, panicked face.
"Did you two have some sort of fight?" she said.
"Y-yes! That's it, we...we fought. Please, Twilight. I've got to find her. I've got to talk to her!"
Twilight sighed and nodded her head slightly. A soft, comforting smile spread across her muzzle as she looked at the worried earth pony. "Alright, I'll help you find her. Don't worry, she's got to be here somewhere."
Fresh panic gripped Bon Bon as she heard that. If Twilight found her first, and Lyra told her what she had seen.
"No!" Bon Bon nearly screamed before she got a hold of herself. "P-please. That...that's alright. Please, I need to talk to her first. Please, Twilight, it's important." If her secret got out. If anyone else knew what she truly was, it would be all over for the poor false pony.
"But why-" Twilight's questioning was cut off by a hoof pressed to her lips. Those soft blue eyes trembled, pleading with the lavender mare to accept this. The unicorn's mind wandered. Just what could be so important that Bon Bon didn't want any help searching for somepony she cared so much about? After a few moments, a sigh and a gentle nod signaled her acceptance of this. "Alright, Bon Bon. I understand."
"Thank you, Twilight. I...I know we're not friends, but I've never asked you for anything before. Please, if you see her, just let me know where she is. Please?" The sadness and worry in those eyes told Twilight all she needed to know, at least for now.
"You are a friend, Bon Bon. We're maybe not as close as I am to, say, Applejack or Rarity, but we're still friends," the librarian pony said with a tender smile. Bon Bon couldn't help but feel her head calm as she listened. Twilight may not have known what she was, but still, just hearing those words gave the worried false pony a sense of comfort after all that had happened to her.
With a new sense of hope, the earth pony took a step back, a faint smile gently caressing her muzzle for the first time since this whole nightmare had started. She turned, ready to continue her search for that which was most important in her life. Just a step or two away, she looked back to the smiling librarian. "Thank you, my friend." The words were heartfelt, something the disguised changeling wouldn't have thought herself capable of before coming here to Ponyville. With a deep breath to steady herself, she took off again, hooves beating hard at the street below her as she raced off to find her beloved.
Twilight watched her go, a warm feeling in her heart at seeing the love the earth pony had for her lover. But at the same time, another feeling, somewhere under her mane at the back of her skull, itched at her mind. Something was wrong, something hidden that had deeply troubled the cream-colored mare. But that would have to wait; there were two separated lovers that had to be brought back together first. Her horn glowed a soft violet as her magic started to pull the door closed again. With a turn of her head, she called up to the loft in the library.
"Spike! Find me that book on location spells, ok?"
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The darkness kept drawing closer. Even the magical glow from Lyra's horn couldn't seem to keep it at bay. Every step she took just seemed to get her more lost in this accursed forest. In the distance, through the tangled branches and strange bushes, she could hear things moving. Every sound set her on edge, her mane standing on end at the slightest crack or rustle. What little daylight had made it to the lost unicorn was starting to falter, the sun growing heavy in the sky, its rays weaker and weaker as they tried to penetrate the thick cover of the forest.
She had been wandering for so long, her hooves still aching from her frantic flight from home. From that thing in the bedroom. Even now she could see it in her mind's eye. Those ragged wings and hideous fangs. Those cold eyes drawing her in. To think that thing could have been there impersonating Bon Bon for days. Weeks. A shiver raced up Lyra's spine at the idea of such a thing. Of what it had done. Of what she had done. Once again she started to feel sick, her knees trembling for a moment before she had to force those thoughts from her mind. A changeling couldn't have posed as Bon Bon for so long. It couldn't have said those things to her, be so warm with her. There was no way she could ever mistake such a fake for the real thing.
Fresh resolve started to fill her limbs as she thought about it. That she knew who her love was, that a changeling couldn't make her think it was the pony she held most dear. A stamp of her hoof into the mossy ground helped her hold her head up high. She would find her way out of this blasted forest. She would make it back home. She would save her sweet Bon Bon. And she would never have to look into the cold eyes of a changeling again!
A smile started to creep across her muzzle as she felt sure of herself again. Her worry and panic were replaced with a sense of purpose now that her goal, her mission, had become clear. Once again she was the unicorn who had dared to love another mare despite what others might think. She was the one who had gone to Cloudsdale to see the competition after everyone told her unicorns couldn't walk on clouds. And she was going to be the one to save her beloved Bon Bon!
That smile had spread into a wide grin as she readied herself to take on anything the dark forest could throw at her. A smile that started to turn into a confused smirk as the glow from her horn started to dim slightly, the light it cast on the trees and ground dimming a bit. She watched, puzzled, as little sparks started to shoot off from the glowing tip.
"What the b-OWW!" she yelped, there was a loud fizz and a small jolt of pain raced down her horn to the back of her skull, making her wince and stumble down to her knees with the suddenness of it. It was gone in but a moment, but it was there just long enough to take all the self confidence she had mustered and send it tumbling back into the darkness that surrounded her.
As she slowly got back up to her hooves, the glow of her horn had returned to normal, but it did little to lift her spirits up again. The Everfree Forest suddenly looked even more dangerous than it had before...
The shadows grew as the moments ticked by. Every beat of her heart meant that the sun sank lower and lower behind the mountains, and the shadows cast by the homes and businesses of Ponyville grew that much closer to enveloping the false pony in her desperate search. After leaving the library and the lavender unicorn, Bon Bon had started going from door to door, stopping ponies on the street, asking if any of them had seen Lyra. A few had said they saw her running through town earlier, but no one seemed to know where she had run off to. With every door opened, with every pony questioned, Bon Bon's heart started to sink little by little. It was maddening. Everywhere she looked, she saw ponies. Ponies of all shapes and colors except those of the one pony that mattered. The one pony she couldn't live without was nowhere to be seen.
Silently she cursed herself; this was all her fault. She had let herself fall in love. In love with somepony who should have been nothing but food to her. Changelings were never meant to feel love, only to consume it. To drain it from others like sweet nectar from a flower. But she couldn't help it! That flower had been so beautiful, so sweet. She couldn't bear the thought of it withering and wasting away as all the goodness was drained from it. Not now, not after everything they had been through, not everything they had shared. Everything that Lyra had taught her.
In her heart, as black and malformed as it was, Bon Bon had felt something. The tiny, little emerald gem that has been the love of another. Not the oily, dripping love sucked from a pony by a cocoon, but the pure, untainted love given only by somepony who asked nothing in return. Nothing was expected, but the feeling it gave, it begged to be given back in kind. That little minty emerald was the most precious thing in the world to the false pony. That is, next to the pony who had shared it with her.
Her hooves stomped on the cooling cobblestones, a heat rising in her chest as the thought about the unicorn she loved. Her hooves were starting to hurt from all the running she had done. If only she could afford to drop her disguise, to spread those accursed wings of hers, she could fly over the town and hopefully that would let her find where her beloved had run off to. But then, everything she had done, everything she had hoped to save would be lost. She had to find Lyra, had to talk with her before she could think of anything else, to hope that the terrified unicorn hadn't told anyone else about the changeling's secret.
As the shadows grew still larger, and lights started to turn on in windows all across Ponyville, Bon Bon carried her aching heart with that little emerald hidden within towards a group of ponies talking amongst each other outside a small sweet shop, hoping that one of them had seen where her beloved had run to.
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Mud splashed up over her hooves as she stepped into a puddle, the sullen unicorn slowly making her way through the oppressive darkness of the Everfree Forest. Lyra's head hung low as she trudged onward, hoping that any moment she would break through the trees and see the open fields that separated her home from this benighted wood. She had started to worry that there was some strange curse upon this place, slowly sapping away her magic, as the glow from her horn seemed unable to light more than a few feet around her now that night had truly set in. That strange magical jolt she had felt earlier sure seemed to back up the theory. But even that wasn't the worst thing that plagued her mind.
This was the Everfree Forest. Ponies feared to go into these woods for a reason. It was filled with dangers. Timber wolves prowled through the bushes, their claws like gnarled roots and teeth like sharpened branches. Hydras laid in wait at the bottoms of ponds and swamps that dotted the forest, their massive maws waiting to snatch up anything foolish enough to risk a drink of the tepid waters. Ursas slept in the bowels of dark caves, their snores rumbling the earth when they weren't waiting for a tasty meal to wander past. But far worse in the minty unicorn's mind, this was where SHE was!
After the Royal Guards had found her, saved her from that horrid cocoon, she heard what had happened, how the power unleashed by the love of two ponies had forced the changelings and their queen out of Canterlot. But where it had forced them, the unicorn feared she was now all too close. They had been flung deep into the Everfree, scattered amongst its trees and hidden dangers. Of all the creatures that roamed these woods, they may not have been the largest or most powerful, but they were the ones that gripped Lyra's heart with more fear than any other.
Had that changeling come from the Everfree for her? Had its queen wanted her back, to drain the life from her as revenge for some perceived offense back in Canterlot? Had it...had it taken Bon Bon just to tear the poor unicorn's heart in two? Lyra had to squeeze her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that now trickled from the corners of her eyes. If something had happened to Bon Bon, she would never be able to forgive herself. If she hadn't been so eager, so excited to be a bride's mare at a royal wedding. The changelings would never have known about her. Would never have known of the love she had for the sweet earth pony. Bon Bon could be ponynapped. Imprisoned, or worse! And it was all her fault.
As guilt flooded her body, it was all she could do to keep from collapsing in a sobbing heap on the mossy ground. She could feel her knees wanting to buckle, to just lay down there and let the forest take her. She couldn't imagine living her life without her sweet mare, and she didn't think she'd ever want to try. Without her, without the one thing that made her heart sing, the musician couldn't imagine ever being able to play her lyre again. She had written songs about her. They were mushy and made without an ear towards pleasing a crowd, but she hadn't cared. They were made for only one pair of ears to ever hear. The only ones that mattered, and now they may never hear the sweet, tender tones ever again.
Lyra felt like a mare broken. Her out of control imagination sapped her will to go on. Slowly, she could only manage a few more trembling steps before her limbs locked up. Her mind locked on the edge, one push and she could tumble over into the bottomless pit of sorrow, a pit lined with the sharp fangs and glowing eyes of those horrid changelings. The magical glow of her horn started to waver, the last traces of her resolve starting to ebb away, losing the concentration and focus they offered to keep that tiny light alive.
She could feel herself swaying, the edge of that pit looming closer and closer in her mind, just a few more moments and she would collapse into that cold, dark embrace, never to feel the warm love of her sweet candy mare ever again. Something broke that dark despair, ringing in her ears. Her tear-filled eyes snapped open, wide and fearful as she glanced around. A branch had broken, snapped somewhere off in the darkness. Thoughts of those horrible creatures flashed before her eyes over and over again. Something was there, something was watching her. Her heart turned into a steam engine, pumping furiously as the moments slipped by like hot coals into a boiler. With each one she could feel the pounding in her chest getting harder and louder, the rush of blood filling her ears with sound, till everything seemed to seize up at once. Her heart stopped for a moment, just long enough for another snap to ring out behind her.
That was all she could stand. Lyra reared up on her hind legs, horn once again glowing as brightly as she could force it, and with a gasp she barreled off through the bushes. She could hear something move after her, quickly but just keeping out of the short range her glowing horn could illuminate the gloom. Something was trying to catch her. As much as she almost wanted this nightmare to end in any way possible, the panic that it could truly end right then and there had been too much. She wasn't ready to let it end, not yet. Not while deep inside, jostling around inside that madly pumping heart, there was a tiny little stone. Not creamy marble, or pink ruby, or even blue sapphire. Unknown to her, it was smooth, shiny onyx with tiny flecks of purest emerald.
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The moon hung full in the sky, it silvery light illuminating the deep shadows that now covered Ponyville. She had heard it said once that the full moon was Luna's blessing to lovers everywhere. Right now, Bon Bon sorely wished that this was true. She felt she could use any blessing she could get. She felt she had ran all over the town, at least twice. Everywhere she went, every pony she questioned, there was not one trace of her sweet mint mare. She could feel tears starting to well up in her imitation blue eyes, could feel that tiny little emerald starting to turn into a heavy, cold rock deep inside her heart. She was at her wit's end. She had searched one end of Ponyville to the other; her hooves felt as if they would start bleeding at any moment if they were forced through one more step.
For a moment, she considered just letting it all go. Of just sitting there and letting her disguise melt away. Screaming in all the pain and anguish as her true self was revealed to all, just to let an angry mob form and take her away to the end of all this suffering. The idea turned over in her head for a bit, an almost giddy feeling as it started to seem more and more like the best idea. It would be a fitting end, wouldn't it? Just let the angry ponies mob the monster and drag her off to be burnt at the stake. She was a monster, that she was starting to become sure of. She had done something more monstrous than even a queen could; she had destroyed the heart of someone she loved. If that didn't make her a monster, she didn't know what did.
Tears started to roll down the false pony's cheeks, splattering softly on the cobbled road as she sat there. This town, this world, it would be better off without this one changeling, wouldn't it? Lyra would be better off with her, wouldn't she? Would she? A little voice cried in her head, begging to be heard. Just how would Lyra be? How would the other ponies see her if Bon Bon's secret was uncovered? Would they just think that the changeling had tricked her? Had fooled the unicorn into taking her in? Or would they blame her? Would they think she was helping the changelings? Working with them in some evil scheme to drain the love and life out of Ponyville? Would they suspect her of being one? Of being a monster?
Bon Bon laid down in the middle of the street, her fake hooves covering her face as she tried to deny her thoughts. Tried to come up with some happy, peaceful life for that sweet pony she wished she could hold. But her mind betrayed her, wouldn't give her a moment's peace. Every thought turned into a sad, horrible tale of pain and loneliness, all penned by her hoof. Burying her face in her forelegs, she screamed at the images racing through her mind. If she was going to let it all end, she couldn't do it here. She couldn't let the ponies know, not to protect herself, but to protect that innocent, perfect mare. Forcing her aching hooves to the ground once more, she pushed herself off, tears still streaming down her creamy cheeks as she took off at a gallop, trying to send herself as far from Ponyville as she could. Her eyes shut, she didn't care where she was going, or what was in her way.
Her plans to bring an end to her pain and heartache ended abruptly, the distraught false pony crashing headlong into something. Or rather somepony. The impact didn't seem to bother the walking roadblock much, but it sent Bon Bon bouncing back, her rump crashing to the street hard, forcing a pained yelp from her fake lips. Wincing, she slowly opened her trembling eyes to a curious sight. The pony stood in front of her, a mare by the looks of things, with some ragged, thread-bear cloak tied around her neck, it's hood pulled down deep enough so that all the disguised changeling could see was the pony's muzzle. The mare's coat was a muted purple, broken by odd orange splotches. One such splotch graced her chest in a rough, messy shape of a heart. As she sat there, gazing up at the strange mare, the pony's muzzle started to spread, lips turning up into a wide, almost insane grin. The teeth her lips uncovered weren't like any pony Bon Bon had seen, nor were they quite like a changeling. Every one of them was sharp and pointed, like the teeth of a saw. The confused mare started to feel uneasy and nervous as that grin just seemed to go on and on, but thankfully it wasn't to last forever, as it's owner turned and took off at a full gallop, her blue and orange tail, all tangles and unkempt, flitting about behind her. Tilting her head at the odd display, Bon Bon could just barely make out the mare's cutie mark. It looked to be some sort of scale, the kind one might find at a bank or merchant's shop, tilted wildly out of balance.
The oddness of it all left her in a bit of a daze, so much so she didn't think to even ask who the mare was till she had already disappeared down a dark alley between some buildings. Bon Bon wished she could say that this had been the strangest thing to happen to her all day, but sadly it wasn't. It did leave the false mare with more questions than she honestly could ever want. As she shook the strangeness from her mind, starting to get back to her hooves, the thought to continue her search for a place to end everything was suddenly pushed away by a voice calling from way off behind her.
"Bon Bon!"
There, at that moment, were only two things that could have sounded more wonderful to the poor false pony. One was the sound of lyre strings being plucked. The other would of been the voice of the one plucking those strings. But this voice, it brought fresh hope when she had thought the world had suddenly ran dry of it.
"T-twilight?" she said with a slight sniffle as she turned around, her eyes spying the lavender mare running up towards her in the distance. New strength filled her limbs, and the pain in her hooves forgotten for the moment as she ran off to meet her. By the time she got to the librarian, they were both panting slightly. "What...what is it? Did you find her? D-did you find Lyra?"
Twilight took a moment to catch her breath, a slight smile at the hopeful squeak in the earth pony's voice. "Yes, I did. But...but I'm afraid you're not going to like where she is..."
Worry started to knit over Bon Bon's face. It had become a feeling she unfortunately had grown used to over the course of the day. That little emerald in her heart seemed to pulse, reminding her that even if the news was bad, she had to know what had happened to her beloved unicorn.
"Please, Twilight. I need to know where she is."
"After you left, I started looking through my spell books. I had found one spell that's used to locate a particular unicorn by searching for their magic." The librarian explained as her horn glowed slightly; out of her mane she floated a rolled up scroll. "But it only works if that unicorn is using their magic right then. I knew it was a long shot, but it was the only thing I could think of."
At that, the purple glow around the scroll unrolled it, revealing a map of the areas around Ponyville. Bon Bon could feel her heart racing as she watched the map roll open, her eyes darting over it to find any indication of where her mint mare could be. Those eyes widened as she noticed something, a tiny little burn and singed spot on the map. The spot was deep inside the Everfree Forest.
"I'm sorry, Bon Bon. It's too far out for me to try to teleport to her, let alone teleport two ponies back to town." Twilight said, looking down at the street as she noticed the panic seeping into her friend's eyes.
"It...it's alright, Twilight," the candy mare managed to squeak out. "I know where she is now. That means I can go and find her at last!" It was the worst place her beloved could have run to. The worst place for any pony to be at night. But still, knowing that she was alive, that she was somewhere she could be found brought a small feeling of joy to the changeling's twisted heart that banished the sorrow that had threatened to consume her. Taking the scroll between her teeth, she tucked it into her mane and turned to head off for the forest. The purple unicorn called after her, worry and concern in her voice.
"W-wait! It's too dangerous for you to go alone. Especially at night!" Twilight had trotted up alongside her. "Please, let me go with you."
Bon Bon closed her eyes, her teeth gritted in frustration behind her imitation lips. Twilight was right, it was dangerous. But that wasn't what she was afraid of. Letting another pony know her secret, that was what she feared more than the lurking dangers of the forest. With a sigh, she turned to the librarian pony, looking down at the ground as she lifted her hooves, placing them on Twilight's shoulders.
"No. You can’t come with me, Twilight."
"But why?"
"I...I can’t explain. Not right now," she said as she looked up into those violet eyes. "Please, I have to do this alone. I...I want to tell you why. I honestly do...but I just can’t right now." The words shocked even herself as she spoke them. Her life, the lie, it had all become too much for her to carry by herself. "I...I'll tell you, but not right now. I don't know when, but I will. You just...please, trust me..."
Something told Twilight that she should push harder, that she had to know what the truth was. That it was really important that she knew. But it was also important to Bon Bon that the unicorn didn't know, that she let her trust push aside her curiosity and worry just for a little while longer. With a sigh, she nodded slowly, looking down at her hooves.
"Alright, Bon Bon. I trust you. Just please, be careful. And bring Lyra back safe. I don't want this to be the last time I see either of you." Twilight's heart felt heavy with worry. But at the same time, she had faith that the candy mare would do all within her power to reward the trust she was being given. Those hooves on her shoulders slipped behind her, and she was embraced in a warm, grateful hug.
"Thank you, Twilight. You really are a true friend." Bon Bon said, another tear leaving the corner of her eye. But for the first time this day, it felt warm as it left a trail of happiness down her cheek. With one last smile cast into her friend's eyes, she let go and raced off. Friendship was a wonderful thing. But love. Love was what was driving her onwards...
The dark shapes of the Everfree Forest seemed to whip past in a blur, her labored breathing coming hot and heavy with every step she took, every crash of her hooves against the dense vegetation to try to put distance between herself and whatever it was that was following her. Moments before, Lyra had been ready to just give up and let the cold darkness take her. But now, as something had closed in, as if hearing her silent, pain-filled wish, she had realized she didn't want to. Didn't want for it to end here. And so, she ran.
The magical glow from her horn did little to make things easier, barely allowing her to duck her head as branches whizzed by, or leap over tangled roots that erupted from the ground in front of her. She dared not look back, afraid of what she might see coming up to claim her as a midnight snack. Her mind's eye had conjured up all manner of foul and frightening beasts that could be bearing down on her at this very moment. Silently she cursed herself for reading those mythology books, they had provided fertile grounds for her imagination to grow horrors untold to plague her right now. Bulette and harpies. Gorgons and bandersnatches. The list of terrible monsters went on and on.
Her curiosity won out over her fear, and she risked a fleeting glance back over her shoulder. She was rewarded with simply the all consuming darkness of the forest, hiding whatever it was that pushed her onwards in this haphazard escape. Her eyes looked forward again, just in time to see a low branch come into view of the magical glow emanating from her horn. Too late to duck, her momentum sent her into it. Thankfully, the branch was small, but it felt like a whip was lashed across her face, leaves and bark biting into her brow. A sharp curse left her lips as she slowed for a moment, the stinging pain in her head giving her pause before fear took over again. She pushed onwards, gritting her teeth to bite back the pain as she felt blood trickle down between her eyes. There would be time to worry about that later. If she had a later, that was.
Her hooves made a hollow thump as they landed on a fallen log, pushing herself over it and thankfully over a small patch of blue flowers, landing in the moss just on the other side. She hoped that that would give her pursuer more trouble than it did her. But still, she couldn't stop. Not if she wanted to escape this dreadful forest. Not if she wanted to see her beloved again.
She wanted nothing more at this moment. Nothing more than to race home, to open that door and find her sweet Bon Bon in the kitchen, a tray of delicious treats held in her mouth. Those soft, soulful blue eyes. The way her mane bounced with joy at seeing the green unicorn. The tender touch of her lips. The blood from her wounded brow soon mixed with the clear tears that escaped the corners of her eyes, longing for what she had lost now more than ever. But first, she had to escape whatever it was that was even now hot on her hooves.
Maybe she could lose it in the tangle of trees. Dash away behind the bushes so whatever it was would lose sight of her and give up its quest for the terrified unicorn. As she raced away, her mind raced with her, trying to come up with some plan that would allow her to escape, to get away even if only long enough for her to rest and ease the burning pain that filled her lungs now.
Whatever plan she would have decided to go with were dashed a few moments later. Her hooves dug furrows into the soft earth as she nearly collided with a thick stand of trees. The trunks grew in a bunch, barely enough space between them to reach a hoof through. It was an impenetrable wall of living wood that stretched before her, the trees growing in a huge cluster so tightly, it was as if some great rope had pulled them all together into a bundle. Gasping for breath and choking back tears, she could do nothing but stare at the impasse with wide, trembling eyes. But worse than what her eyes showed her, is what her ears told her: the sound of something getting closer, pushing its way through branches and leaves. She frantically looked about, for any place to run to. Any place to hide. Nothing.
Swallowing the knot that had formed in her throat, she turned, pressing her back against the trees that doomed her as she awaited the sight of her fate. The sounds grew closer, anything from her frightened imagination could burst from the dark woods at any moment. But one thing chilled her spine more than that. The sound that had just now reached her ears. The frantic buzz of tattered wings.
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Her lungs heaved, her limbs burnt, but she wouldn't slow down. She couldn't. In her whole life of lies, Bon Bon knew that this one thing was true. That the pony she loved, that the only thing she loved, was now in danger. The map that Twilight had given her pointed to the dark Everfree Forest, and so that was where she must go. She didn't care if she never made it out again. All that mattered was that a certain minty green unicorn did.
She paused for only a moment, just long enough to reach back and pull that rolled up map from her mane. She held it out with her mouth, dropping it to check again where that little burnt mark showed where Lyra had been. She looked about, checking her location against the map, to make sure she was going the right way. Everything seemed to match. Across the open field, she could see the lights of Ponyville in the distance. Home to the kind and gentle ponies she had come to accept as friends. Ahead the dark gloom of the forest, a land full of danger and dread, where her beloved waited in peril. Taking a deep breath to fill her aching lungs, she rolled the map up once more and tucked it away before heading right for the treeline. A million horrors danced in her mind. Not of what dangers awaited her, but what had befallen her sweet minty mare inside. Every mental image was more horrific than the last, of Lyra broken, bleeding, torn, they were the worst things her foolish mind could bring up. But right now, they only served to push her onwards, to remind her that there was no time for her to waste.
Into the dark, into the gloom. Another pony, a real pony, would be lost, swallowed without a trace in the blackness. Gone without hope of finding their way through the ink-like murk that enveloped her. But for once, for the first time this day, she was grateful she was nothing but a fake. The green glow of her eyes drew in the darkness, sucked it up from the world around her, and left everything clear before her. Every tree, every branch, every stone she could make out in stark contrast. Her kind, as wretched and foul as she now considered them, were used to the darkness. It was home to them, lurking in dark tunnels, through twisting passage that made up their Hive. But here, she hoped it would help her find the one bright speck in her life that she had foolishly let slip through her grasp.
Onward she plunged, into the dark, and into the danger. Deft steps of her hooves, driven by desperation, carrying her onwards over roots and past branches and rocks. The mossy ground padded her steps as she left the ill-used path, the soft splash of muddy water the only sound she let give tell to her passage as she made haste, trying to keep her heading true towards the spot on the map. The forest was a tangle of branches, like some cruel trap a fiend had designed to ensnare ponies. She could feel them snag and pull at her mane and tail, leaves caught to flutter before being torn free by the wind whipping past her. She didn't even bother to stop to think about them, or the scratches they left behind under her coat. There was a wonderful weight in her chest. That little emerald of love was pulsing, giving her the strength to go on.
She raced onwards, the whole time her mind spinning with questions. What would she do once she got there? What would she say? How would she explain everything to Lyra? In the end she didn't care. Her minty mare could hate her for the rest of her life, and it wouldn't matter. All that mattered was that Lyra was alive to hate her. That she made sure her beloved could make it back to that peaceful life back in Ponyville. Her own feelings, her own desires and pains, they were nothing compared to how much that one unicorn meant to her right now.
Further she went, not even bothering to step quietly anymore. Her heart felt as if it was about to burst as she drew closer and closer to the marked spot on the map. Any pain, any torment, it would be all worth it just to set her eyes upon that tender mare again.
Minutes ticked past. Her hooves carried her further in, but still no trace of her beloved. Slowly, her pace lessened, her heart starting to fill with doubt. Had she ran past and not noticed? Had Lyra gone further into the forest, even knowing the danger? Eventually her hoof beats stopped. Her glowing eyes peered into the darkness around her, searching for any sign, any trace of that lovely teal coat.
Her heart sank. After all this, all the pain and worry. Through all the frantic searching and agony of doubt, she was still alone. Lyra, the one thing that she couldn't live without, the one thing that had given her wretched life meaning, was gone. Her head hung, eyes drifting down to the ground at her hooves, but she didn't bother seeing it. As if her gaze had fallen through the earth, into some black pit that swallowed all before it.
Something. Something wasn't right. That feeling, running up and down her spine. It had been ages since Bon Bon had felt it. A feeling she dearly wished she would never feel ever again. Her eyes went wide as she looked about. This couldn't be, not here, not now. But still, she felt it. And it made the little gem in her heart shiver.
If they were here, if she could feel them. That could mean...
"No...oh please no!"
The false pony wheeled around, that sensation getting stronger as she concentrated. Focused on it. That icy, slippery sensation that was making her fake skin crawl. It filled her with dread, but it was her last hope.
"Oh please! Celestia...Luna...Faust...anypony, please let me make it in time!"
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Those eyes. They drained the warmth from Lyra's body as they took her in. They were the first thing she could see of the horrible creature that had been chasing through this dark forest. Right now, that was all it took to freeze the poor unicorn in place. But they would not be so kind as to stay tucked away in the darkness. Soon those eyes were accompanied by a dark shape slipping from the murk on iridescent wings. The changeling drifted on those buzzing wings, floating like a wasp eyeing its latest prey before its hooves made it to the ground. Its fanged maw turned up in a wicked smirk, its sharp teeth gleaming dully in the weak light that still reached into the depths of the forest.
"Well, well...dinner is served..." The thing spoke, its voice a high pitched rasp, sounding as if there were two or three ponies all speaking at once, their different voices melting together into a grating sound. Lyra trembled under its cold, featureless gaze. It was only the one changeling; she could have a chance if she fought back, tried to fight it off and escape. But she couldn't move. Her mind flooded with memories of that room, that cocoon. Hearing the sounds of rough wings brushing against each other as a seemingly endless number of changelings had passed by. Her heart refused to beat, frozen in place by the icy chill of fear that now gripped it so tightly.
This was it! This was how it all ended for the poor, heartbroken unicorn. To once again be sucked dry. To have all the love, the warmth, the happiness drained from her, her life ebbing away soon after. Was this the same creature she had found in her bedroom? Had it followed her all this way? Each breath she took was ragged, having to force them through sobs and gasps as she tried to curl herself into as small of a ball as she could, as if she could just vanish from sight. The image of the approaching changeling became blurry, swimming about as her eyes filled with fresh tears.
She could picture her life flashing before her eyes, telling her that this was the end. But oddly, it wasn't her full life. Every thing that came to mind, every image and scene that had passed before her, they were all of one pony. The one reason she knew happiness and love. With the end stepping closer and closer, Lyra's last thoughts, last words, were of the one thing she longed for the most.
"Bon Bon..."
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"
That voice. Lyra felt as if her heart had exploded in her chest. The force of the sensation nearly lifted her off the ground. Her eyes wide in shock, she looked about, blinking back tears. There, just at the edge of the clearing. No other sight, not the majesty of Canterlot, nor the mysterious beauty of the moon, could ever compare to what she saw. That creamy coat and tousled mane, even frazzled and full of leaves as it was now, those tender blue eyes that now trembled with rage, Bon Bon was the most radiant thing the tired unicorn had ever seen.
The changeling was just as surprised, seeing another pony practically offering herself up to be made into a meal. The minty unicorn left but not yet forgotten, it turned its attention to the cream earth pony, a grin spreading over its muzzle, uncovering those sharp, dangerous teeth.
"What's this? Another pony eager to become dessert?" It sneered, but it's delight started to waver after a moment, one brow rising as it regarded Bon Bon with its cold, blue eyes. "No, not a pony at all, are you?"
Lyra's heart has swelled so full when she had seen her beloved mare appear, as if summoned by her distress. But now, it felt as if it was quickly plummeting to her stomach, cold and heavy. She watched as a flash of green power enveloped her beloved, ripping away that wonderful, beautiful pony, and leaving behind yet another, horrific changeling.
"Well, well. I must say I don't really mind sharing, but don't forget that I caught her first." The first changeling chortled, a smirk curling its lips as it regarded this new one. Bon Bon, or rather the changeling that had been Bon Bon, took one step forward. The rage had not left her eyes, their smooth, solid blue only seeming to intensify the feeling. Her teeth ground against each other as she locked her gaze upon that arrogant changeling. She hated them now. Hated what she had once been, and what she could never seem to escape.
"I won’t let you hurt her!" Nothing could have shocked the changeling or Lyra as much as that. The voice was clearly Bon Bon's, but it wasn't alone. Like the other changeling's, it was as if many others had blended with it, every one of them seething with rage and hate as she launched herself forward, forelimbs outstretched. The changeling had little time to react, barely able to buzz its wings before the other was upon it. They tumbled, turning end over end in the dirt as wings buzzed and teeth gnashed. Lyra watched, quickly losing track of which one was which as they rolled about in a frenzy. She could hear the one that had been Bon Bon speaking, crying out, yelling in rage, but she could not tell which one it was.
One changeling had managed to pin the other for a moment, trying to thrust that sharp, curved horn at the other's face. The other had managed to bring its hoof up just in time to turn the thrust, but was rewarded by sharp fangs sinking into the flesh of its foreleg. They rolled again, changing position as the rabidly biting changeling was now on the bottom, the other bringing its other hoof up to stomp violently upon its chest.
Lyra's mind whirled about in a storm of confusion and doubt. She watched the two creatures battle each other, locked in a swirling melee as they rolled and struggled. Soon the small clearing proved too small to contain them, and the pair had tumbled off into the bushes, lost from sight, though the sounds of their struggle continued to ring in the unicorn's ears. Still, she could hear the sounds of Bon Bon's voice calling out, and it did nothing but confuse her more.
One of those things had wanted to consume her, to drain her of everything that was good. The other, unless Lyra had gone insane from pain and grief, was trying to save her. The one that, not moments before, had arrived wearing the face of her beloved. She knew she should take this chance to escape, to put as much distance between herself and the battling changelings as she could. But something stopped her, kept her rooted in that clearing as the battle raged on just out of sight. That changeling was trying to save her!
How could that be true? Changelings fed on ponies, fed on love and tenderness! They don't try to save ponies, especially ponies they had tried to fool. Lyra stared at the ground, her entire world turning on its end as these thoughts and a thousand others marched an endless canter around her mind. Her body trembled with the weight of it all. If that one changeling had shown up looking like Bon Bon, then it must have been the one she had seen in her bedroom. But if it was here, then where was the real Bon Bon? The one that loved her, the one that cared so deeply for her. The one that would do anyth-
No...
That thought locked in her mind. All this time. Every word that had been said. Every moment that had been shared. It couldn't be true, could it? Had it really been? Could it ever have been? Her eyes slowly rose to look where the two changelings had disappeared into the brush. That cold feeling had returned, but not from fear or sorrow. It was a the cold of feeling the world for the first time. As if a sheet had been draped over her for so long, telling her everything was warm and soft, but now that it was pulled away, she knew the air was cold and sharp, but also real and true.
She watched, hearing the struggle go on, hearing it slowly, gradually lessen. The frantic panting and gasping getting less and less intense. The sounds of something being broken, being torn. Soon all that was left was a ragged, pained gasping. Those bushes moved, slowly starting to part aside. Lyra's heart froze up, waiting to see just who or what had survived. First a horn, and then two tired, pained blue eyes. The changeling slowly stumbled back into the clearing, looking as if it could collapse at any moment. Across its hooves, horn, and chin, thick green blood was splattered, and it bled from a dozen or more small cuts and scrapes.
Lyra's eyes trembled at the sight. She slowly tried to scoot herself back, too tired and emotionally drained to run. Was she next? Was this the same one that had wanted to drain her dry?
"S-stay back..." The unicorn could only manage a weak whisper as her eyes couldn't look away from the sight. The changeling gasped, looking up at her, its eyes shook, and in a moment, it disappeared in a green flash, replaced by an equally shocked and tired earth pony. Bon Bon was still splattered with the other changeling's blood, and her own, still green, was still slowly dripping from her wounds.
"L-Lyra! It's me, please..." she started, taking a step towards her beloved. For a moment, Lyra wanted nothing more but to leap into an embrace with that sweet, wonderful mare. But she was weighed down still, a small stone of doubt keeping her rooted in place. She could see tears starting to well up in Bon Bon's eyes, the earth pony's gaze falling to the ground. A moment later so did she, lowering herself down to lay in the mossy dirt. Finally Lyra managed to close her eyes, the world too confusing and painful to watch anymore.
"Blue eyes, so tender and sweet,
Soft eyes, why do they weep?"
The musical sound brought Lyra's eyes open again. Bon Bon was still laying in the dirt, watching as she slowly moved a hoof around in a circle in front of her. It was her sweet voice that had sung those words. The first words from a song the unicorn had written just for her. A song she had written more than a year ago.
Everything came crashing down on Lyra. All the pain, the hate, the worry. Her heart surged while her mind reeled. With a gasp and a thrust of her back legs, she had the sweet candy mare wrapped in her forelegs. Tears flowed from her eyes, soaking into the tangled mane she pressed her cheek against.
"Oh, B-Bon Bon! I...I'm so sorry..."
The false pony couldn't keep from offering up her own tears as her limbs wrapped themselves around her tender unicorn. She ached all over, bled from dozens of wounds, but it was all lost in the wonderful, sublime feeling of that minty coat pressed against her once again.
"N-no...Lyra...it was all my fault. I...I should have told you...told you the truth before this happened..."
They both sobbed together, the pain they had both felt flowing from them like water past a burst dam. At that moment, nothing could have felt better. They had both been pushed to the ends of their ropes, had ugly truths and horrible lies weighing on them. But now, in that dark forest, on that muddy, mossy ground, they could both feel it. Deep inside, they could both feel them, those tiny little stones. That little emerald and that tiny onyx. They were both shining like brilliant suns...
The silver moon hung in the sky, its slow descent towards the mountains getting along in earnest now. The crisp glow from the perfect full disc shed light on the dark landscape of rolling hills and open fields that kept the Everfree Forest a safe distance from the sleepy town of Ponyville. The roads this far out weren't lit, no lamps ensuring that weary travelers were safe. But it didn't matter to the two ponies now making their way from the dark, foreboding shadows of the forest. For them, the lights they carried in their hearts seemed ample enough to see them through to their home.
It wasn't all perfect, Bon Bon knew this. After the emotional reunion deep inside the Everfree, things had grown, well, a bit colder. Lyra had barely looked her way after they had both stopped sobbing and managed to pull out of each other's embrace. As they walked side by side down that dark road, she could tell that things still weighed heavily on the aquamarine mare. Oh, how she longed to throw her forelegs around her again. But she knew she shouldn't. She had risked so much with her foolishness already, she didn't want to risk any more with such a sudden move.
Lyra couldn't stop questions from flooding her head. So many things she was unsure of. So many things she didn't know. It all seemed too much to take in at once. In part, she hated herself for how she had acted. Her fear taking a hold of her like it had. It had almost cost her her love and her life. But now, now she knew the truth, or at least part of it. Could she really, truly, be in love with a changeling? Could a changeling really and truly love her? What Bon Bon had done, what this changeling had done, it spoke of love more loudly than any song or verse ever could.
This whole time, they had walked apart, never letting themselves get too close to the other. But slowly, ever so gradually, Lyra's steps slanted. Her direction skewed just a little. With every step, every moment, it happened. Closer, closer. After what seemed like an eternity, Bon Bon felt the press against her. She managed to choke back a gasp in her throat as she felt it, looking over to see her beloved unicorn. Lyra's head was still held low, her eyes more intent on the road than anything else. But her side was pressed close to the false pony's, her soft fur slowly rubbing warmly against her lover's.
Bon Bon had felt warmer then than she had ever been. Slowly, carefully, she let her own head drift downwards, her chin gently resting on the back of her lover's mane. It was a moment she wished could stretch on forever, that the moon would never set on this perfect, tender embrace.
"Bon Bon, I..."
"Please don't." Lyra looked up in surprise. She saw her lover's neck draped over her own, the embrace of two ponies who trusted each other more than anything else. "Please don't say it. You...you did nothing wrong"
"But I did! I...I should have..."
A nuzzle cut off her words. A sniffle made it clear that nothing more needed to be said about it. In truth, Lyra didn't think her heart could handle much more right now either. With a slow, tender sigh, she slowly, gingerly, slipped herself from that warm, soft embrace. Her eyes finally met those of her lover's. She didn't look into the cold, heartless eyes of a monster, but the warm, fragile eyes of a pony whose heart had been torn apart and then delicately stitched back together again.
"But...I still have...questions." The words came from her slowly, as if each one took way too much effort to create. Her gaze melted into her lover's, and she knew those questions would have to wait. They were both dead tired. It was taking all their strength just to keep walking back towards home. Again, she slowly leaned into her sweet candy mare's side, closing her eyes as she let Bon Bon guide her onwards. "When we get home, I'll have questions."
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The walk back into Ponyville had nearly taken the entire night. Lyra was just thankful she had the strength and presence of mind to realize they were both about to walk into town with Bon Bon covered in green blood. A moment of panic had taken hold of the disguised changeling before the minty unicorn could calm her down again. A quick stop at a nearby pond had helped hide everything, though several of Bon Bon's wounds looked pretty bad, and would continue to bleed for a bit longer. Thankfully they seemed to all be on the same side, and it was pure luck that Lyra could manage to keep them hidden, walking with herself pressed tightly to the worried Bon Bon. Neither of them really minded having to walk like that, but they both decided it would be best to get home and inside sooner rather than later.
Thankfully not many ponies were out this night, so no one stopped them to ask what had happened. Bon Bon didn't think she could handle having to come up with any more lies for now. Their house was empty, of course, the front door still hanging wide open, just as Lyra had left it when she stormed out and when Bon Bon had begun her frantic search. Lyra reached back with her magical fingers, slowly closing the door, as if she didn't want to disturb the perfect silence that now filled the house. It was dark inside, pitch black, though it mattered little to Bon Bon; she could see through the gloom well enough for the both of them.
In the darkness, there was no need to hide Bon Bon's wounds, but neither one of them seemed quite willing to let the contact end just yet. Up the steps they both pulled themselves, the exhaustion of the day starting to truly take hold as they made it up to the second floor. Lyra gave a soft sigh as the bedroom door was opened, looking up into the darkness. Light coming from a street lamp filtered in through the uncovered window, illuminating the shattered remains of the dresser’s mirror. A quick glance over to her candy mare rewarded her with a slight blush. Lyra could only smile. If there were any doubts left, the fact that she could still cause those cheeks to redden told her that this was the mare she had loved for so long.
Finally letting herself step from the contact with her lover, Lyra turned to look over Bon Bon's wounds. They weren't serious, but several still needed to be cleaned and covered. As she slipped into the bathroom, Bon Bon lifted herself up onto the bed, a grateful groan escaping her lips as she let herself collapse into the soft mattress. Lyra returned, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, some cotton balls, and bandages floating in the grasps of three magical hands next to her. In short order, she had her lover cleaned and bandaged. She silently hoped that the bandages would stay in place even if Bon Bon-
Well, one thing at a time. There were things she needed to know, and her mind wouldn't let her rest till she heard them. With a sigh she pulled herself onto the bed as well, settling down to look over her stretched out candy mare. Part of her didn't want to do it, to just lay there and enjoy the peace and warmth. But she knew that she couldn't just let it go. Not if she wanted to have things back to the way they were. Not truly.
"Bon Bon? You need to tell me."
The creamy mare just laid there for a few moments, staring out into the window as she let her reply turn over in her head for a bit.
"I had kinda hoped you wouldn't say that," she spoke quietly. For a moment, Lyra had wished she hadn't, worried that she had gone all the way back to square one. But eventually Bon Bon sighed, turning to look over at her beloved unicorn. Her muzzle slowly pulling into a soft, tender smile. "But you're right. I can’t keep it all from you. Not anymore."
Bon Bon shifted a bit atop the bed, turning to face her lover fully. This was going to be hard for her, and she had no idea how difficult it would be for her beloved unicorn to hear, but it had to be done. With a slow nod to herself, she turned her eyes up to gaze into those sweet golden orbs of Lyra's.
"Ask away."
"Why?"
This wasn't what she was expecting. Maybe to be asked for an apology. Or to explain what had happened to the 'real' Bon Bon. But just this? It took her a moment to straighten her mind out again before she could speak.
"W-why what?"
"Why me? Why here? What am I to you? Why did you come looking for me? Why did you come to Ponyville? Why did you kill that-" Lyra froze for a moment before the word could escape her lips. It was looking her in the eye. No, she was looking her in the eye. Lyra was sure of that, that this was the mare she loved. But still, to say it out loud? It made her feel guilty just to say it. "That other changeling..."
Bon Bon let her eyes drift down to the sheets. Fights between changelings weren't uncommon. Even fatal ones. She wasn't sorry about what she had done. How could she be? If she hadn't, she would have lost something more dear to her than anything. But it wasn't something that ponies did. Not if they could help it. With a deep sigh, she slowly looked up again.
"I...I guess I should just start at the beginning..."
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We...we changelings come from the north. It's cold there. So very cold. We live underground, down where the frost can’t reach. In tunnels and caverns. That's where we make our hives. There's not much else up there, so we have to search. For food, I mean.
You...you already know what we live on. What we have to do to get it. To.. To take it. And there's a lot of us. Swarms of us. We have to feed. To starve, that's the one thing we fear. So we have to search for others. Ponies, griffons, anything we can find. Sometimes, we have to go a long way to find anything. That...that's how I came here.
I didn't know what this place was like. What you ponies were like. I only knew that I had found a rich, green land, full of love that would keep the starvation away for years. Maybe even decades. I am...I was, a scout. A drone sent out by the hive to find places like this. Like Equestria. I was supposed to go out and find a place we could feed from. Someplace full of love. I was supposed to learn all I could. How best to harvest everything here. So I waited, and I watched. I kept out of sight, at least at first. And then, I saw her.
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"Wait. Wait. You feed on love, I know that. But..." Lyra interrupted her lover's story, her eyes slowly looking over Bon Bon's form for a moment. "But how?"
"I...I thought you knew." Bon Bon had a confused look about her as she tilted her head, studying her beloved’s face as she wondered what she meant.
"I mean, YOU feed on love. But, I've never seen a cocoon around here. You're clearly not starving. You...you haven't been taking it from some other pony, have you? You haven't been taking it from me?" Lyra's worry melted away as she felt two hooves take hers gently. She could see a soft blush creep over her lover's face, and a tender smile curl those lips.
"No, Lyra. I...I don't need to. Not for a long time."
"I don't get it."
"I haven't needed to take anything! You've been giving it to me. Feeding me. Every smile, every caress. Every kiss you left on my lips. They were sweet in ways you could never imagine. I've been kept alive and happy all this time, just from your love." Those blue eyes shimmered delicately in the dim light. They spoke words no ears could understand, but Lyra's heart heard them perfectly. As long as she loved her, Bon Bon would never need for anything else.
"I...I think I understand. But who was this 'her'?"
Bon Bon took a deep breath before continuing. Her hooves still kept her lover's in a tender caress.
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She was a pony. A pony I think you might have recognized had you been there. I saw her pulling a cart up the road, so I hid in a tree and watched her for a while. She had all kinds of things in her cart. Books, pans, clothes, boxes. I didn't know what she was doing, or where she was going, but I still watched her. She had made her way up to an old, small bridge over a river. The river was swollen from a thunderstorm the night before.
Maybe it was weakened by the storm. Or maybe it was just too old. Or her cart was just too heavy for it. As she was crossing the bridge collapsed under her. By...by the time I got down there, she was crushed under the wreckage. I...I pulled her body from it. She was so broken. So mangled. I...I took her body and I hid it, under the tree I had used to hide from her. Then I took her shape, her face. I went back down to the broken bridge and looked through some of her things. It looked like she was moving from Manehatten, and that her name was Bon Bon. That was all I needed to know. I...I didn't even bother to look and see if she had any friends. Any family. I...I...
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Bon Bon had started sobbing. The false pony's cheeks ran with tears as she pulled herself up and leaned into her lover's forelegs.
"I...I didn't care!" she wailed, pressing her face hard into Lyra's chest as emotions she never knew she had flooded her, making up for all those years they were never there to feel. "I should have saved her! I should have done something!"
Lyra watched this with wide eyes. Was her beloved really breaking down over something that had happened so long ago? Something she couldn't have prevented even if she had tried? The minty unicorn wrapped her forelegs around her, pulling her tightly against her as she cooed and nuzzled, trying to calm the distraught mare.
"It wasn't your fault. You didn't know the bridge was going to collapse." She slowly ran her hoof down Bon Bon's mane. It was tangled and dirty still, but its softness was still a delight. Slowly, the warm embrace and tender caresses calmed the sobbing mare down. Sniffles still tried to hold back tears as she nuzzled herself deeper into that warmth, as if it was the only thing keeping back the cold past she was reliving.
"It...it should have been her...she should have been the pony you fell in love with." The words were a whisper, spoken between tightly held teeth that still felt the pain of regret. Bon Bon was pulled up at that, a hoof slipping under her chin to tilt her head back. The eyes she looked into were tender but firm.
"Don't you ever say that! I couldn't have fallen in love with that pony. She wasn't you. Even if you have the same face, she wasn't you. She wasn't the pony I love" These words dripped with a sweet honey that Bon Bon could feel like a warm dinner. They slipped past her ears and down to her belly, filling it with such tenderness, such joy.
She spent several long minutes in that embrace, feeling the tenderness and warmth her lover's words had given. Feeling it fill her limbs with strength, and banishing doubts she had held onto for far too long. Eventually she looked up again, her face softened from the despair that had once covered it.
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I wish I had known her. Had known then what it was like to be a pony. To be loved. But I didn't. I just knew what I was told to do. What I was ordered to do. I just made sure my glamor, my disguise, was as good as I could make it. I didn't know what she sounded like, though. It took me forever to settle on a voice that sounded right. I was never very good at making voices. But I guess it didn't matter, I didn't think anyone would know her where I was going. I just took a couple things from her broken cart and continued down the road. Eventually, I made it to Ponyville.
I thought this place was perfect. So full of love. So full of life. I'd never have to feel the pain of starvation again now that I had found this place. I didn't know then that my life would change so much. That I would start to feel things I didn't know were possible. That I would be able to feel. That was almost four years ago. The rest, finally, you know...
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Bon Bon looked up into her lover's eyes. It was a lot to take in at once. What she had been like, what she had done. How everything for her had changed all because she ran into a certain mint green unicorn. Slowly she closed her eyes, just letting her cheek press against that wonderful green coat, feeling the warmth and softness envelop her like a beloved blanket. She wished she could stay like this forever.
"Bon Bon, when I came home early, why were you..." Lyra struggled with the word for a moment, trying to find the right way to say it before she just let it come out. "Well, you?"
She didn't even bother opening her eyes, the delicious feel of her eyelids covering them was too good to let slip away. "You mean, why I wasn't disguised?"
"Mmhmm."
A soft sigh escaped her lips. "I can’t do this forever. I didn't know just how long I could. I can keep my glamor up for a couple months, maybe a bit more. But then...it gets to be too much. It starts to hurt. That's why I would get terrible headaches and feel sick sometimes. I have to let it go. Let myself get some rest before I have to do it again. I...I didn't want you to find out."
Lyra couldn't help but feel a bit guilty at this. Her sweet candy mare, she had been hurting herself just to keep her happy. To keep her from knowing the truth. Slowly she let her chin hang down, nuzzling softly at the top of Bon Bon's head.
"I don't want you to do that anymore. I don't want you to hurt yourself. Not for me, not for anypony. You understand? You mean so much to me. I don't want to see you in pain. I don't want to see you cry." She could feel the slow, tired nod against her chest. It was almost morning, and neither one of them had gotten any rest at all. The entire day had been one long nightmare for both of them. All the pain, all the fear, right then they were both just glad it was all over. She could feel this wonderful pony, this wonderful changeling in her arms, slowly relax, letting sleep creep in on her. A slow smile started to spread over Lyra's lips. This was what mattered, that they were together. That they knew they loved each other. She knew, at that moment, that she couldn't let anything ever pull them apart again.
Slowly, she leaned down, her lips just tenderly brushing Bon Bon's ears as sleep finally took the false pony.
"I love you, Bon Bon. I always will."
And slowly, with her beloved cuddled safely in her arms, sleep came for Lyra as well, their hearts full with the love they knew would keep them going till the end of their days..
