Say Goodnight.

Chapter 3: The Quiet, And The Not So Quiet.

Okay, I can admit it. I'm lost. Maybe I'll just go in the general direction where I believe I came from. So, I do. It doesn't take me long until I find my way out of the monopoly of carnage and rubble. Returning to the triage is not an option for me, I refuse to go back, and I must know more about Ponyville, Nightmare Moon, and the one they call Celestia.

My energy is soon depleted and now I'm relying on my will to carry me on. They found me once, maybe they can do it again, but I'm not willing to take the chance. A faint light comes into view, as if a sprite were mocking me in the distance, letting me know of its existence but not its form. I lower my head and continue on, stumbling here and there. As I get closer, the dark silhouette of a light orange-lit tent comes faded in from black.

I'm finally 10 feet away from the tent when a head pops out and calls to me but is blocked out from the howling wind. A hoof comes out from within the tent and motions for me to come in quickly. I use whatever energy I have left to trot to safety and warmth. When I'm 3 feet away, the tent entrance is brought apart. I jump into the tent, landing just on the other side, and take deep breathes, gasping for air. I would have passed out right there on the floor if I wasn't being helped up.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” I repeat over and over in vague whispers in between breathes.

“You're welcome,” a female voice whispers in my ear.

I feel my body become lighter as I realize she started helping me out of my suit. First I take off my goggles and then my helmet, setting them carefully on the floor next to the jacket she had helped me out of me.

“How do you feel?” she asks me.

Turning my head to her, I see the first joyful thing since I've been here. A light cream colored pony stares at me with huge blue eyes and a generous smile.

“Oh, I'm fine,” I say when I break out of my mini trance. “Just, fine.”

“Oh, that's good. I'm glad you're okay. I'm also glad you came, I was feeling sorta lonely since Lyra left.” she tells me, rubbing off the snow in my hair with her hoof.

“Lyra?” I ask.

“Don't worry about it right now, she'll be back, and when she arrived, I'll introduce you.”

“Eh. . . Okay, I guess.”

“So are you new here?” she asks, skipping happily over to a brown couch made for three, possibly four. The tent was larger than I expected from seeing just the front view. Next to the couch sat a book shelf with plenty of books, and next to that, a wooden desk with stacks of paper and quills. It looked like they lived there, as if they moved everything from their home into that tent.

“Yeah, I'm new,” I reply.

“Well, I'm Bon Bon, come take a seat,” she says – smiling – and pats the seat next to her.

To me it was obvious she was french, she did have velvet hair with a pink french curl. Not that I knew about womens hair styles and what not. Slowly I walked to the couch, turns around, pushes off the ground with my forearm and found myself falling back onto the couch. I instantly felt comfortable, more comfortable on this couch then the hospital bed. Typical.

The comfort and warmth I felt distracted me from answering her.

“Oh, Sun Shower is, apparently, what I'm called.”

“Ooooh. I really like that name. I feel I've met you before, but I couldn't have, you're obviously knew. I really am happy you came, although it may have been awful for you to be out there alone like that. I feel terrible that I didn't see you sooner. I also feel hungry, I wonder when Lyra will be back. Are you hungry?” she blabbered on, keeping her hooves in her lap, and smiling at me the whole time.

Silence falls between us for a second before I realize she stopped talking.

“-Yeah, I am,” I answer.

“Good. I think Lyra should be back soon with food. We can always give you some. Are you okay? I feel like you're confused. I mean, that's okay if you are. You look like you were out there for awhile. Where are you from by the way? I swear I feel like I've met you before. Oh, and what's your special talent?” she stopped, looking at my cutie mark. I'm kind of annoyed at this point. All she talked about was how she felt and asked me questions that I don't even know.

I try to play off her questions by pointing at her cutie mark. “Candy?”

“Bon Bon's.” She says, “french for 'candy'.”

Real original I guess.

“Hey, you never answered my question! You're trying to hide something, I can feel it,” she says suspiciously, looking at me like I've stolen something.

“I-”

I'm interrupted by the sounds of foot steps and the crunching of snow.

“Here she is.” Bon Bon says as she turns her head to the opening.

A new pony comes in. Bags float mid-air, shrouded by a light blue glow. The bags are set down upon the desk and the pony undresses. It's a light blue female with a – harp? - cutie mark. A horn-like feature jutted out from her light blue spiked hair.

The pony; Lyra, smiles at Bon Bon then the smile fades into a death glare to me. As if I had no business being here, which I probably didn't.

“Lyra, meet Sun Shower. Sun Shower, meet Lyra Heartstrings.” she says, switching her glance to both of us.

“Uh, hi?” I say.

She doesn't reply and just nods to me, showing me no real sign of recognition as a person. Lyra turns away. The blue glow appears over her head and around the bags. She then scavenges through them, taking out apples and hay.

“She's a quiet one, she is,” Bon Bon giggles and whispers to me. “I'm glad you're back Lyra. I missed you a lot. I hope you're trip went well.”

Lyra looks to her, smiles, and nods. She takes out a place, placing an apple and hay on it, sending it over to Bon Bon with the magical blue glow.

“How is she doing that?” I ask, realizing how stupid of a question that must sound.

“She's a unicorn, silly. She can use magic,” she says.

Well that makes more sense. I know what a unicorn is, but it never occurred to me until now.

“Oh, yeah,” I say, rubbing the back of my head.

Bon Bon picks up her plate and munches on the hay.

“Hey, may I have some?” I ask, looking at Lyra, who completely ignores me. My irritation is brought back by how rude that is.

“Lyra, be a dear and give our guest something to eat?” Bon Bon mumbles with food in her mouth.

Lyra quickly and lazily throws together a quick meal of an apple and hay, floating it over to me, and letting it fall onto my lap.

“Yeah. . .Thanks. . .” I say. My eyes narrowed as my irritation grew. I hear snicker and then glare back at me.

“Why you-”

“So how do you feel?” Bon Bon interrupts me just before I burst with annoyance.

I turn my head to her. “Like I said before, I'm fine.”

“No, I meant; how do you feel in general.”

“I, Uh. Kinda confused I suppose.”

“About what? I feel confused a lot, I don't know why. Then again, the only time you're ever confused is when you think about things that don't make sense, then my head starts to hurt. Anyway, just tell me how you feel. About why you're confused, and anything else you can think of.”

Is she some kind of psychiatrist? She is really, really annoying me at this point.

“I'm just, lost, Okay? Nothing more to it.” I grumble.

“Oh, come on. Be honest with your feelings. You can tell me anything. I feel like we can be really close friends,” she continues.

My arms tense as I try to relax. I feel like I'm being examined is what I feel.

“You don't trust me, do you?” she asks.

I can't take it anymore. She won't stop talking!

“Look! I've only been here for at least an hour and a half and I'm confused, annoyed, and cold. I don't know what's going on, I don't know anyone here, I don't even know who I am, as a pony. I just wanna go back where I came from for good- and no I'm not talking about anywhere in this country, So don't bother asking. I mean really, you've been blabbing on and on ever since I got here. You wanna know how I feel? I feel angry and confused! Simple as that,” I say, crossing my arms and leaning back into the couch. I can sense the hate emanating from Lyra from what I just said to Bon Bon.

I hear a giggle, something I didn't expect coming from Bon Bon.

“I'm glad you shared that. I won't ask you where you're from but please, if you have any questions, just ask.” she says, smiling at me, happy with the fact she got me to open up.

Are you kidding me. . . I sigh, relax, and sit back up.

“Okay. . . I have a few. Who's Nightmare Moon? Who's Princess Celestia? Who's Doctor Whooves? And what happened specifically to the ponies on that statue in town?”

Her smile fades as her lead lowers. She rubs her hooves together and takes a deep breathe.

“A month ago, we were welcoming Princess Celestia to Ponyville. Princess Celestia is – was – our princess. She raised the sun and ruled over Equestria. At least until she went missing a month ago at the festival. When Celestia was supposed to be introduced, she never showed up. Instead, Nightmare Moon appeared, but none of us knew who she was except for Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle and the other five ponies on the statue supposedly ventured off to stop Nightmare Moon. Oh, Nightmare Moon, she used to be the princess that raised the moon, but apparently she didn't like how things were and Celestia sent her to the moon,” Bon Bon shrugged. Lyra stands facing us, munching on an apple and listening to the story. “Her name was Princess Luna. Anyway. Nightmare Moon swore to bring darkness to Equestria forever. The six ponies tried to stop her, but failed.”

“So are they. . . you know. . . dead?” I ask.

“Unfortunately, yes. No one knows how they were killed. Their bodies were found in some sort of temple where the Elements of Harmony were supposedly hidden. They failed to stop Nightmare Moon, and now we live in darkness. Everyone is suffering from the cold, even the Pegasi. Even though they live above the mess, they still have the cold to deal with. The Unicorns are too busy up in Canterlot to give much thought to us. We're mostly Earth ponies, but there are a few Pegasi and Unicorns here and there who decided to stay. And Doctor Whooves, I'm not sure. He's just another resident.” She finishes. “I feel bad for spike though. . .” she whispers.

“Whose spike?” I ask.

“Twilight's assistant. He's a baby dragon. I don't know what happened to him, I think he went back to Canterlot.” she says.

“Oh. . . I see. That sucks for him.”

“Yeah. . .” she says, then looks at me and smiles.

“I'm glad I was able to help you out though and I'm glad I met you.”

That statement amazes me more than anything. She finds things to appreciate even after all of this, and on top of that, she isn't afraid to share her feelings, even with a complete stranger. I feel like she has no regrets about any of this, like living in this tent with Lyra and meeting me is everything to her now and nothing in the past matters. Just like me.

“Yeah, thanks.” I say.

I look at Lyra and nod. “Thanks for the meal as well.”

Lyra just shrugs and finishes her apple. She picks up the empty plate on Bon Bon's lap and shoves it into a plastic bag filled with other trash. Either she's rude, or Bon Bon's slave. Maybe Both.

“So. . . “ I think of something to say. “How do you both sleep here if you only have a couch?”

Bon Bon giggles and blushes. “Well, you know. When you only have one couch and the only way to keep warm is huddle together. . .”

“- I don't wanna know.” I interrupt.