Tomato Soup

by 221BBakerStreet

Rating: everyone
Tags: Lyra, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Bon-Bon, Tragedy, Adventure, Zecora, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 1843

There is a new disease in Ponyville, so bad that Ponyville is Quarentined form the rest of Equestria. The disease has no known cure, and the only way to know if somepony has it, is the unnatural craving for canned tomato soup.

Oh, great, another peculiar and perilous pony plague! This time, the outbreak in Ponyville is so bad that it was quarantined from the rest of Equestria. Nopony knows what this mysterious disease is, or how to cure it. The only thing that anypony knows is A) There is no known cure. B) It is extremely contagious. C) If you come down with it, you will die within five days. D) The only way to spot it is an unnatural craving for canned tomato soup. E) It is spread by a single touch.
When Twilight's friend Lyra comes down with the disease, the race is on to find a cure, before Lyra spreads the disease to anypony else.

(Cover art by BurritoMilk)

Published 2013-08-06 13:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-10 23:19:42 UTC

To Zecora's

The mint green mare galloped down the market, straight to the canned goods section. She levitated as many cans of tomato soup as she could, and stuffed as many into her saddle bags as possible. She galloped to the counter and threw down some bits to pay for the many cans of soup.
The mare behind the counter gave Lyra a suspicious look that made Lyra uncomfortable.
"It's not what you think!" she blurted out. She didn't want to be avoided, or shoved into a hospital, or into a chamber, or thrown into the Everfree Forest, or worse! "My... friend," she needed an excuse, fast, "Her dog was... sprayed by a skunk! Yes, that's it." She gave an awkward smile, and the salespony narrowed her eyes at her, but took the bits anyways.

Lyra galloped as fast as she could, all the way home, and slammed the door behind her. In the safety of her own home, she opened a can, and drank it's contents, red soup dripping from the sides of her mouth and down her chest, sticking to her fur. She wiped her face with her hoof and put down her saddlebags by the door. She would stash them in her room later. Bonbon was at work, so she wouldn't be home for another hour or so. Lyra had plenty of time to gorge herself on soup before her roommate got home.
She walked into the living room, and slumped down on the couch with a book about hands. She read for about five minutes, but couldn't concentrate. How could she; she would be dead in a week, and she knew it! Tears welled in her eyes, and streamed down her face. Her buddy, Amethyst Star, had passed two days ago with the same disease. It must've been her who passed the sickness on.
Lyra slammed the book down on the side table, and stood up. She knew who could help. The unicorn emptied her saddlebags onto her bed, but put back one can of soup for good measure. She had to visit Twilight. Surely she would know how to cure this!

Two minutes later, Lyra stepped onto the library's front lawn. She gingerly tapped on the wooden door. There was a crash and yelp, Twilight must've been studying and was startled by the sudden noise, and a purple alicorn soon arrived at thew door.
Twilight's eyes lit up when she saw Lyra. "Lyra!" she exclaimed. "How good to see you, is everything alright?" she asked.
Lyra hung her head, and levitated up the can of soup so Twilight could see it. Tears started streaming down her face.
"Oh, my Celestia!" Twilight gasped. She put a hoof over her mouth. "Come in. I'm sure we can find a cure." Twilight was 99% sure that there was no cure, and the spread of disease wouldn't stop until everypony in Ponyville was dead, but she wanted to attempt to cheer up her friend.
Twilight started looking through every book she had about equine diseases, but, as she suspected, there was nothing fitting the description of this outbreak.

Lyra stood in a corner, trying not to touch anything. "Nothing?" she squeaked. "Do you know... how this disease kills?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not apart from the fact that all internal organs abruptly stop functioning."
This horrified Lyra, and her eyes grew to the size of saucers. "And... it varies?" She started shivering, and crying again.
"Yes," Twilight looked to her friend. "Between two and five days after the craving come, from what I've observed." Twilight looked down, then to the shelves, to find her book of herbal remedies. Could there be anything in that book?
Twilight skimmed through it, finding nothing and slamming it shut. "I know who can help!" she excitedly yelled. The princess started jumping up and down and singing. "We're going to Zecora's! We're going to Zecora's!"

Lyra wasn't listening to the princess's excited, filly-like squeals. Instead, she was curled up, sobbing. She wasn't listening. She didn't know that they were going to the Everfree Forest. She didn't know that this zebra might help. She didn't know if what she was seeing or hearing was accurate. She didn't know if reality was real. Could this disease play mind tricks? Did it cause hallucinations, or cause somepony to hear things that weren't there? Lyra started sobbing harder.
The princess paused her jumping, and looked at Lyra. She resisted the urge put a hoof on the unicorn to comfort her. She stood up tall. "Lyra?" she said firmly, getting the mare's attention. The minty pony looked up at her, shaking, and tears streaming down her face, waiting for the princess's next words. "We're going to Zecora's."
Twilight used her magic to put Lyra's saddlebags on her back, then her on her own back.
"Spike!" she called. The green and purple dragon appeared from his bed. "We're going to Zecora's, make sure that nothing goes wrong! I don't know how long we'll be gone."

The two ponies ventured into the Everfree Forest, and to Zecora's hut.
Twilight pounded on the door. "Zecora!" she yelled. "We need your help!"
Zecora opened to door just in time to see Lyra opening her can of tomato soup.
"Get away!" Zecora shouted. "Get away, or my life will not stay!" The zebra backed up quickly into her hut. She shut the door in the ponies' faces.
Twilight sighed. "Zecora, we need you help. Do you know anything that could cure it? Anything in any of you books?"
Zecora poked her head out of a window. "No," Zecora stated. "Now, go." Zecora puller her head in and slammed the window.
Twilight shifted her weight. "Well.. Could you help us find a cure?" Twilight asked. She couldn't let anypony else die. What if Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, or Fluttershy died? Then, the Elements of Harmony wouldn't work, and Equestria would be without it's most trusted defense system.
Twilight hung her head and walked away, but Lyra was not following her. "Come on, Lyra," she groaned.
"Sorry," Lyra said. "That plant looked interesting." Lyra was looking at a vine, it was a deep green color, and had bright pink flower. "It just caught my attention." Lyra pulled off a part of the vine, and put it in her saddlebag.
"We should get going back. Zecora can't help." Twilight felt defeated. There was nothing that she couldn't handle! Nothing, that is, except this.

They had only been gone an hour when they reached the library. Bonbon was sitting on the lawn, tapping her hoof impatiently, a can of tomato soup next to her. When she saw Lyra, she stood up.
Lyra sipped her soup.
"What is THIS!?" Bonbon screamed at Lyra. "I found this and seventeen others on YOUR bed!" Bonbon stamped her hooves, and chucked the can at Lyra, who caught it with her magic.
"I'm sorry," Lyra whispered. "I didn't want to scare you."
Twilight piped up, "Lyra's going to be staying with me for a few day. Maybe.. I can find a cure."
The two other mares looked at her in confusion.
Twilight looked to Lyra. "It's your best shot at survival," she said calmly.
"Okay," Lyra hoarsely whispered.

Author's Note

My keyboard is getting old, so it sticks! If I make any typos (mainly left out or extra letters) please forgive me, and maybe point them out so I can fix them? Thank you for your understanding. :3

Lyra's Interests

Lyra awoke suddenly. Where was she? What happened? Wait... was she at... Twilight's library?
Memories suddenly flooded her mind. The soup, the flower and vine, Zecora's, Twilight trying to help her. Lyra sat up straight. Her stomach rumbled. She rubbed her eyes, and levitated an open can of soup to her lips. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the tangy tomato taste. She sighed and set the can back down after finishing it off.
A beautiful blue butterfly danced in front of her eyes. It then turned to her, seeming to be looking in her eyes, and grew into a giant dragon that then spewed fire all around the library. Nothing seemed to be catching fire, though. Except for around her. Lyra screamed.
"LYRA!" She heard Twilight's voice. "What's wrong?"
The dragon was gone.The flames were gone. There was no butterfly.
"I- I-..." she stuttered. "...I don't know." Lyra looked around. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Except for the knocked over empty can of soup. Lyra looked to into Twilight's eyes. "Do you have any books on... Timberwolves?" she asked.
Twilight was taken aback. Of course she did, but Lyra didn't seem like herself. Twilight felt as if something was speaking through Lyra. Like she no longer had a free will. Her eyes seemed glazed, trance-y, if you will. She didn't even know that Lyra knew about Timberwolves.
"Of course," Twilight answered. "Why do you want to know about Timberwolves?"
Lyra blinked awkwardly, like she was still in a trance. "They just seem... interesting." She said this so calmly and blandly that Twilight was almost afraid to give her a book. But, as a librarian, she couldn't keep a book from her friend.
Twilight walked over to a shelf, scanned to books for about two seconds, then pulled a fat blue book from the shelf.
"Everything you need to know about Timberwolves," she sighed and handed the book to Lyra, who then took the book happily, and only muttered an excited "Thanks." She seemed to snap out of the trance like state after taking the book.

Two silent hours of reading later, Lyra finished the book.
Twilight jumped and gasped when Lyra slammed the book shut. How could Lyra finish a book of that size so fast? At that rate, Lyra should've been reading eighteen pages a minute!
That wasn't possible! Or was it?
"Done!" Lyra shouted, thirsty for more information. "Do you have any more?" she asked.
"No," Twilight answered. "Little is known about Timberwolves. I can't help you there."
Lyra blinked at Twilight's reply. "Oh. Well what about this?" Lyra pulled the green vine with the pink flower from her saddlebag. The sweet, cotton candy scent from the flower instantly filled the library.
"I don't know about that, but this book might help you." Twilight pushed a ladder up against a bookshelf, and pulled a big leather book titled The Everfree Forest, and tossed it towards Lyra. She wasn't a good enough flyer to fly up to get the book.
Lyra caught the book, and instantly turned around to start reading.
"Lyra is acting really weird," Twilight thought. She then sat down with her book, and Lyra escaped her mind, until they heard a knock on the door.

Author's Note

Okay, I seriously need a new keyboard. Please forgive any mistakes, and if you find any please point them out so I can fix them! I will try to get a new keyboard, but I might not be able to. Until then, bear with me!