Lyra is a Motherby Paton PendengChaptersLyra is an InsomniacLyra is an InventorLyra is an InnovatorLyra is a Widow-MakerLyra is an InsomniacPonyville was a quiet town, aside from the random disaster and/or world-ending catastrophe. From the softly rolling hills, to the quaint little homes in the town square. It was just relaxing enough to visit, but not so much to move out of cities like Manehatten or Canterlot. To the residents living there though, everything was just a little off-center of normality. However, there were moments that seemed to take one's breath away. One such moment took place during the lull between dusk and dawn. On the nights when not a single cloud is in the sky, and the wind is at rest, is the time when all seems to be completely at ease and at rest. Nothing stirs besides those few who are either tinkering and scheming, or those who simply cannot sleep. In Ponyville, only one mare could fit one or both of those descriptions. Lyra settled into her custom fit chair, sitting as she normally would, which to any other is unnatural, and levitated a sci-fi novel from off the bookshelf. She smiled to herself, gazing at the quiet house around her. She sat in a somewhat small living-room, adjacent to a slightly large kitchen. Personally, she couldn't cook without accidently creating mustard gas, or napalm and counted herself lucky for finding such a good marefriend. From there, a smallish staircase lead up to the master bedroom, where her marefirend in question lay. Lyra felt a little bad for leaving her to sleep alone this late at night, but on the contrary, Bon-Bon complained often about her reading and fidgeting in bed. After one night of sleepless shifting and squirming, Lyra was sent to a doctor and diagnosed with insomnia. The doctor recommended a sleep tablet that should only be taken once per week, and for Lyra to listen to her body. The mint green unicorn was about to tell the doctor to take the large pills and shove them where Celestia's sun does not shine, but Bon-Bon reassured her that the pills were not a part of some government conspiracy. Thus, Lyra listened, and, although she was getting more sleep than usual, she sometimes found herself awake and full of energy. It was these nights that she found herself either tinkering with her Finger 1.1 in the cellar, or reading the next Sci-fi novel in her library. Bon-Bon couldn't really complain so long as Lyra was being quiet. Although, now that Lyra was thinking about her marefriend, things were beginning to tumble downhill. Their relationship was strange, and often caused Bon-Bon to reflect on her life's choices. She was a candy maker and a darned good one too. SugarCube corner wishes that they had Bon-Bon on their staff. "If only she wasn't so... humble," Lyra thought to herself while cracking open the latest issue of Proffessor When. Bon-Bon wasn't one to be blamed completely though. Most of it rested on Lyra. Being a harpist had its own problems and so did Lyra. Finding a job or gig was slim and funding Lyra's hobbies was not exactly economical. Then there were some instances when Lyra had been perfectly rational but still had to take the short end of the stick. She bit that pony out of pure scientific reasoning. It had nothing to do with the fact that she called Lyra crazy for singing about humans. Still, she didn't have to bite her... or the guard... or accidently raise a riot and getting them kicked out of the concert. Bon-Bon was still sore about that last one... Money was tight, and forces beyond their control were against them... The only thing they had was each other. It sounded like the beginning of a sappy romance Bon-Bon kept in the folds of the bed. There were moments that were exactly like that though. During a meteor shower, the two mares laid close to each other on a grassy knoll, watching the stream of lights steak across the sky. They were warm in each other's embrace, and not one word was spoken between them. (A gift that Bon-Bon accepted as an early birthday present.) Then, the earth-pony turned to her. "Lyra," she began in a low and soft voice. "Let's make a wish on the last one that falls, okay?" Lyra anxiously agreed, and, as that last meteor burned up in the atmosphere, the two mares made their wishes. "So... what'd you wish for?" the mint green pony asked anxiously. "Well..." Bon-Bon began in apprehension to which Lyra didn't notice. "I don't think I should say..." "Oh, come on..." Lyra begged playfully. "I'll tell you my wish." "Let me guess..." the other mare chuckled. "A human, right?" "Yeah!" Lyra responded with vigor. "Now...?" "Well... I do suppose I could...." Bon-Bon turned to look into the other's eyes. "Lyra, I wished for a... a little bundle of joy that we could take care of on our own..." Lyra sat in her chair, deep in her recollection when there was a sudden knock on the door. She was brought out of her thoughts immediately, almost having forgotten the memory entirely. She looked around the silent room, until she spotted a clock on the wall. It was 12 o'clock. Midnight... "Who would be up this late at night- er... morning?" Lyra got up from her chair and treaded across the floor quietly. She held her book within her magic and slowly twisted the knob on the door. She eased it open as quietly as she could and looked trough the small opening she made. She saw nothing in the doorway and gradually opend the door the rest of the way. She took a few steps out into the night air, and called out, "Hello? Bighoof? Is that you?" She was not answered. "Look, if it is you," Lyra began. "Can you tell the gnomes to stay out of my Snipe nesting grounds?" Suddenly, her hoof brushed against a soft surface. She looked down and gasped causing her to drop the novel onto her own head. She didn't feel the pain over the utter shock and disbelief that filled with her chest. "Bon-Bon..." a hushed whisper called through the quiet of the bedroom. "...Bon-Bon..." The mare in question was currently lying on one half of the queen-sized mattress. She had covered herself in the comforter and blankets, and had wore a sleeping mask over her eyes. She woke up rather roughly to the sound of annoying whispers. Hopefully they went away soon. "Bon-Bon..." They weren't going away. Why is it that they never go away? "Is the kitchen on fire?" the cream colored mare asked. "No..." the voice whispered back. "Is the house on fire?" "No..." "Is there a giant black hole outside sucking the house, and us, into it?" There was a brief pause as the sound of tip-toeing hooves pittere back and forth across the floor. "No..." the voice whispered again. "Then there isn't anything that could rouse me from this bed, Lyra," Bon-Bon stated flatly while trying bury herself into the covers. "There might..." Lyra whispered. "There might be... Bon-Bon... Bon-bon... wake up... Bon-Bon..." Bon-Bon suddenly sat up in the bed and took a deep breath. "Lyra, when I take this mask off, you'd better be on fire..." Bon-Bon removed her mask, revealing a very stern glare to Lyra. "And what do you know? Nothing is on fire." "Yeah, but you've gotta come look!" Lyra exclaimed. "Bonnie, please..." "Don't you, "Bonnie, please!" me, Lyra Heartstrings," Bon-Bon reprimanded. "There is no reason why you should be waking me up in the dead of night, so-" "There's a baby on our couch!" Lyra interrupted. "... what?" "Yeah, and she's all cute and sleeping-" "Woah, woah, woah..." Bon-Bon interrupted. "You're telling me that there is a baby on our loveseat?" "Yes," Lyra responded with an irritated tone. "Not a really small bug or anything like that?" "Yes, Bonnie." "Lyra..." Bon-Bon sighed while getting off the mattress to place a hoof on her marefriend's shoulder. "You're not foal-napping again, are you?" "Oh, come on!" Lyra exclaimed, now thoughly annoyed. "Look, you're coming with me now!" Lyra then lifted the earth pony up in her magic and downstairs to the living room. "See!" Lyra gestured in a whisper once more. There was a baby on the couch, but not a foal... Bon-Bon saw what Lyra had described to her thousands of times in a smaller, squishier looking form. What lay and slept on their loveseat was an actually real-life human bundled up in a soft pink blanket. Author's Note IDK where this one came from. Yeah... I hope to make this a good fic. I went through and edited what I could, but for those who are Grammar Nazis, KORRIGIERE N MEINE ARBEIT UND HABEN SIE EINEN SCHÖNEN TAG!!! Lyra is an InventorBon-Bon stood silently with her mouth agape. Shock couldn't begin to describe her right now. She couldn't exactly explain what she felt. On one hoof, she was very terrified for a multitude of reasons, one of which being a simple regret of not really paying attention to Lyra when she went on about these... creatures. On the other hoof, she was completely dumbstruck. No matter how her mind tried approaching this situation, it could not begin to wrap her head around the fact that a human foal was here in her house, sleeping as peacefully as she was not a moment ago. She looked over to her marefriend who had a smile that Pinkie Pie would approve of. The questions bombarded her relentlessly and seemed to battle for the right to escape her mouth. Bon-Bon looked back to the baby as if to make sure it was there. When she looked back to her marefriend, the smile only seemed to grow bigger. Her eyes switched back to the baby to check again that the baby was there. If there was any doubt in her mind that it wasn't real and she was dreaming, it was shattered as the foal coughed, breaking the awkward silence. The sudden disturbance caused Bon-Bon to jump a little and switch her attention back to Lyra whose grin was too big for her face. "Lyra-" "Shh..." the mint green mare silenced with a gesture. "She's asleep." "How do you know that it's a she?" Bon-Bo whispered exasperatively. "Um, hello?" Lyra whispered with a low voice. She leaned down towards the bundle and pointed to her head. "Look at those eyelashes!" "Lyra!" Bon-Bon shouted in a concerned whisper. "Don't touch it! It could be diseased!" "Bonnie..." Lyra sighed. "She's not gonna jump up and suck out your brains or anything." Bon-Bon responded with a raised eyebrow. "Look, do you want to just throw her out?" Lyra asked rhetorically. " 'Cause I won't do it." The cream colored mare looked down at the bundle with a scrutinous gaze that began to soften. Lyra chose to make her move. "Isn't this what you wanted? I mean, think about it," Lyra began with confidence. "We both wished on that star and now it's come true!" Bon-Bon's gaze had softened into a look of cautious uncertainty. Lyra was right. She still wanted to have a baby and start a nice family, but she have this kind of baby in mind. "Well..." the earth pony thought to herself. "She does know more about humans than anypony else in town..." Her eyes met the green mare's own. She could always see the good in Lyra's intentions, even if they were crazy. She could see the good in those eyes that anypony else would've called crazy. A smile crept over her lips, as well as a small tear that was wiped away quickly. "... alright..." Bon-Bon sighed. "Woohoo!" Lyra cheered quietly. Before her happy dance could continue, Bon-Bon's gaze recomposed itself into a serious look. "However," the cream colored mare spoke with authority. "You're going to commit to this child one-hundred percent. She's not going to be your pet. We're going to raise her and love her." "Yeah, of course!" "She's also not gonna be like your pet goldfish you won at the fair a year ago," Bon-Bon continued. "You're not going to be all excited after one week and then forget about her the next. She's our child and we need to treat as such, so I really need you to focus and really absorb my words." "Okay," Lyra nodded. "I got it. I'll be totally focused! Anything else?" "Y-yes..." the cream colored earth pony hesitated as her authoritive look wavered. "Now... Babies cost a lot to take care of, Lyra. More than you or I can possibly afford... so, we're going to need to-" "Work harder?" Lyra interjected. "Don't worry. I pluck those strings 'til my hooves bleed." "I know you will, hon, but..." Bon-Bon began. This caught the unicorn's attention. Whenever she called her hon, something was wrong. "You're... You're going to have to get rid of it." "Get rid of what?" Lyra asked with confusion. "The..." Bon-bon bit her lip in preperation for the insanity that was about to come. "The... The Finger..." A heavy silence penetrated the room. Lyra's expression was unreadable. This was the calm before the storm, and Bon-Bon waited for the inevitable explosion. "Okay," Lyra said in a seemingly indifferent voice. "I mean, we do need some intial cash for her, so..." "Wh-what?" Bon-Bon gasped. "You mean to tell me that you're going to give it up that easily?" "Yeah, well..." the mint green mare looked down to the floorboards. "I still have all my notes and original blueprints, so I could rebuild it later." "You're serious. You're actually serious," Bon-Bon said to herself with a small shake of her head. "Of course I am," Lyra answered with an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. "You just told me to be serious." Bon-Bon opened her mouth to say something but it seemed to get stuck in the process. "I should probably get to disassembling it," Lyra mused with a hoof under her chin. "I should also get the cart too. Would you mind taking the first watch?" Lyra's magic enveloped the small child and floated it over to the cream colored mare. "I'm gonna have to start tonight if I'm gonna finish anytime soon." Bon-Bon looked at the bundle before her and careful reached out to cradle the child in her arm. She saw something in this little babe, much like she did in Lyra. Whatever the cause or reason, she now held something that she had wanted for a long, long time. She smiled softly, which was all the answer Lyra needed to see. The mint green unicorn left out the door. Upon its close, Bon-Bon was brought out of her daze with a few blinks. With a careful step, she conducted herself to bed. Lyra walked briskly to the other side of the small home. She passed her snipe nesting ground and approached the doors to the cellar. Her magic threw them open and she trotted down with a purpose. Once there, she quickly clicked on a gas powered lamp and grabbed a pair of goggles which she put on deftly. She then turned toward a cloaked object sitting upon a large workbench. With a dramatic tug, she revealed a large contraption. It was a sleeve of copper, wire, hinges, pulleys, rotors, and pylons. She gazed upon it with a certain nostalgia. She remembered how much time and effort she had put into this dream of hers. She was a pretty decent harpist, as far as unicorns went. However, the instrument itself was inteded to be used by gryphons. With their opposable claws, they could execute more dexterous pieces of music. Magic could only become so precise, and when her position a world-class symphony was replaced by a pegasus who could strum her feathers meticuoulously over the delicate strings in such a way that no magic could imitate, she went a little crazy even by her own standards. However, after hitting absolute rock bottom and breaking, Lyra found herself being slowly pieced together by Bon-Bon. She found her confidence, some semblance of self-respect and a determination to get back to her spot in that symphony... or at least that was the plan originally. She had decided to create a device that would mimic a gryphon's talons. She began passionate research as well as practice, slowly building this construct from out of thin air. As time went on however, she found herself practicing her harp less and more time researching... She soon stumbled across her would be obsession in a World Mythology book. She soon began to emulate their mannerisms. Her plan of returning to her place of honor fell apart into settling down with a marefriend who helped up from the deepest despair. This Finger 1.1 was perhaps the cause for most of her happiness, and it wasn't even finished. She levitated a screwdriver over and, with a deep breath, began to deconstruct the the mighty machine. The next morning, Lyra entered the abode with a smile. Her mood seemed no less chipper than the night before. Bon-Bonstood in the kitchen boiling a pot of coffee. She seemed a little worse for wear. "Morning, Bonnie," Lyra said as she kissed her marefriend's cheek. "Coffee?" she offered without looking up from the pot. "Nah. I'm good," Lyra said as she obtained a banana. She peeled the skin of of it and began to eat. "How are you holding up?" "I'm on the second pot of coffee," Bon-Bon replied with a sigh. "She's upstairs. Still asleep. She woke me up once, but I calmed her down." The coffee makers percolator bubbled and Bon-Bon quickly poured a large cup of the stuff and took quick sips. "Aww..." Lyra cooed. "I'm sorry." "It's fine," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "So... what now? You've torn it up, right?" "Y-yeah..." Lyra said sheepishly. "I've got it loaded into the cart and I have an idea of who might want it." "That's amazing," the cream colored mare replied while perking up. "You're one of a kind, Lyra. Tearing apart something that took you so many years to build..." "Eh... it's not that important," Lyra said nonchalantly. "So who are you selling it to?" "Nopony important," Lyra replied. "Just the librarian." Author's Note New chapter. Not much happens, but... More to come. Don't worry about that. Lyra is an InnovatorLyra tugged the cart along through town. The mid-morning sun was warming the day, and the dew from the grass had long since evaporated. The mint-green unicorn took in all of the little things like the dew upon the grass, or even the budding rose bushes along the walkways. It was the little things in life that Lyra really appreciated. Anypony could be famous, and be remembered for all the great advancements they had made. It wasn't generous of them to share their story with the world. In fact, it was generally thought to be a requirement. After all, history is what drives the world forward to do better. Every pony else who wasn't famous or made advances- the ordinary ponies who were very little compared to the great and famous, and still are; Those ponies were thieves of the little things that happened in between the world changing events. They never told any pony about how great the smell of roses were in spring, or how beautiful the chorus sounded in the relaxing chill of winter. No pony would ever know about these little things in the future. The thought made Lyra wonder what she saw in being a part of a world reknown symphony in the first place. She held a smile of contentment as she walked. Her pace was somewhat slowed by the cart, but not by much. She was stronger for living in Ponyville than her old home... Where ever it was. Remembering anything before Bon-Bon... It was hardly pleasant... not that she could remember... Her train of thought was interrupted by a rather odd quiet. She was walking through the marketplace. Normally, it would be filled with voices, had gone eerily quiet. Lyra took a cautionary glance around. She could see ponies looking at her strangely, and whispering. She could even see some ponies pointing. Where most ponies would find themselves completely uncomfortable, Lyra looked unperturbed. She knew that there was a bunch of scrap that used to be her finger lying in her cart. Ponies would gossip about anything strange, and couldn't really help it. Lyra kept walking to the princess' castle. That was something that Lyra forgot about. Twilight had become a princess seemingly overnight. Bon-Bon had to explain it to her before she left, and even then did the earth pony voice her doubts. The mint-green mare still did not understand it very well. Apparently, the librarian received a journal from Celestia and casted a history or destiny changing spell or something. The spell changed everything in the present, or rather the spell changed the cutie marks of her friends. Then, all of a sudden, she magicked the problem away and everything went back to normal. It didn't make sense to how she was able to "fix" the problem. If the spell changed history, Twilight wouldn't know if her friends are who they are. The destiny spell would make sense if it weren't for the fact a lack of destiny. A cutie mark, although indicating what a pony is good at, is not a fixed point. If it were, then a pony with an acorn for a cutie mark could not learn how to design grand architecture. If anything, the ponies who were affected should not have changed their daily lives at all. The unicorn shook her head, and attempted to focus. Selling this scrap to a librarian would be pretty easy, but selling it to a princess would be a whole different ball game. The crystalline castle which has not been properly named quickly came into view, making the unicorn's panic steadily increased. Her plan was simple. Offer the scrap to the librarian princess, talk it up a bit, don't take no for an answer, and finally don't screw up. Despite the simplicity, the mint green mare felt uncertain about the chances of success for her ploy. She began her approach to the entrance of the castle-yet-to-be-named. The doors were fairly large. They were wide and tall enough for a cart like hers to fit through, which was good. Standing on either side of the door were a pair of guards in violet armor. Their gazes stared straight ahead stoically until Lyra was quite literally on the castle's doorstep. "Hey fellas," Lyra greeted nervously. "Do you think you could hold the doors for me? I kinda need to see the princess..." The two guards glanced at one another with skeptical expressions. "Do you have an appointment?" One guard asked, looking to Lyra. "Well, no..." Lyra said looking away. "Then you cannot see the princess," the other said gruffly. "What?" Lyra gaped. "But, like, when... when she ws a librarian, I could just walk in a see her at anytime." "That was then," the first guard stated. "And this is now," the other finished. "Don't live in the past." "Look towards tomorrow." "Live for the present." "One does not simply approach the princess." "She has a tight schedule." "All engagements must be set in stone." "No one likes being interrupted from their work." "Messes with their focus." "Don't like it?" "Get used to it." Lyra began to feel as though she were watching a tennis match. Just as she was about to protest, a voice shouted from behind her cart, "Excuse me. Could somepony move their cart from the door?" Suddenly, Lyra found herself being pulled backward as the two stallions manually pushed the cart backward. She then saw a certain young dragon walking right up to the front door. "So sorry about that, Spike," one guard apologized. "Didn't know you were back there," the other chimed in. Both walked up to the door with the dragon and quickly took up their posts. Meanwhile, the drake had his arms full of parchment, quills, and assorted comic books. The stack was so high, she wondered how he could manage to see where he was going. "Could you get the doors, guys?" the dragon asked simply. "Certainly," they said in unison. Both stallions then pushed open their doors and held them open as the drake stepped through. "Thanks guys," Spike stated before the doors finally shut. The mint green unicorn stared on in disbelief. Her mind could not seem to function, or comprehend what she just witnessed. In a turn of luck, Lyra heard a familiar voice from off to the side. She turned to see the princess herself, adorned with a simple tiara and little else. She seemed to be talking to two others that she didn't recognize. Seeing an opportunity, Lyra leapt out of her halter and began running straight for the princess. "Princess!" she called out to her. "I don't know, though," Twilight said to a pair of stallions while looking up at the giant crystalline castle. One stallion had a cutie mark of a marble pillar while the other had one of a wreath surrounding an acorn. "I want it to naturally blend into Ponyville and adjust to it, and not the other way around. You know what I-" "Princesss Twilight!" Lyra interrupted. The group looked over to the unicorn mare galloping over to them. Twilight's expression became curious. "Okay, so, do you think we could put a pin in this for now?" "No problem your 'ighness," one spoke with a thick accent. "We'll spitball ideas and get back to you," the other eloquently put it. With that, the two trotted away just as Lyra slid to a stop before the violet alicorn. "Lyra," Twilight drawled. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?" "Oh, you know..." Lyra gasped. She definitely wasn't a very athletic pony. "I was just... just in the neighborhood, and thought I'd stop by... but I'm glad I found you..." "Um..." Twilight began with worry as she observed the wheezing mare. "Do you need a glass of water?" "Nah, nah... give me a second..." Lyra replied as she took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, and turned to address the princess. "So, I'm really glad I found you. Could you come a check something out with me?" "I'm sorry..." Twilight said with a shake of her head. "Were you... looking for me?" "Yeah, well, you know..." Lyra said, realizing her mistake of words. "I was looking around the neighborhood for you." Lyra couldn't stop herself from saying, and mentally face-hoofed. "Okay... well.. What can I help you with?" the violet mare asked politely. "I... brought something for you to... look at..." Lyra said sheepishly, her cheeks flaring up in embarrassment. "It's in the back of my cart. Follow me..." Without making herself look like more of an idiot, she lead Twilight over to her cart. "So... what is..." Twilight began, truly at a loss for words. "... all this?" "It's my, uh..." Lyra scoured her brain to find a good explanation for what it was. "You know how gryphons and dragons have those opposable digits at the ends of their arms?" "Yes..." Twilight drawled while taking a glance at Lyra. "Well, this is a machine-- well, was a machine that was designed to mimic the prehensile movements of those creatures," Lyra explained, hoping the princess knew what she was talking about. A short nod confirmed that she did know what she was speaking of. "Why build it?" Twilight asked after a moment of thought. "Vengence," Lyra's mouth spoke before consulting her mind. Realizing what she said, and seeing the look Twilight gave her, which looked like a mixture of shock and disgust. "N-not vengeance in the 'I'll kill you for stealing my treasure' but more like 'Long, drawn out planning to ruin someone else's life!' Wait! No, that came out wrong, I..." With a sigh, Lyra stopped back tracking and covered her face with a hoof. Twilight now was staring at Lyra with confusion plastered on her face. "Can we start over?" Lyra asked through her hoof. "Only if you need too..." Twilight answered diplomatically. "Okay," Lyra sighed. She straightened herself with a deep breath. "This is a machine designed to help me play the harp and lyre more efficiently. Yes, it was conceived out of jealousy, but I swear to you that I felt completely justified in making it. After a while though, the anger and envy died out and this became more of a hobby for me. I came her hoping that you would have enough interest in it to buy it from me." "Why me?" Twilight asked after Lyra finished. "Why come to me of all the ponies in Equestria?" "Well..." Lyra took a very deep breath. "I knew this mare who knew this mare who this mare who knew this mare and her roommate who this mare who knew this mare who knew this mare who knew this mare, who knew this mare's cousin who said that you like science-y... stuff." Twilight looked over the pile of dismantled Finger parts. "You said, it used to be a machine. Does it not work anymore?" "No, but..." Lyra began, twiddling her hooves together. "I... sorta took it apart, thinking that you would have more use of spare parts than an entire machine made to pluck strings, and... I couldn't get it out of my basement in one piece." "Hmm..." Twilight said, rubbing a hoof underneath her chin. She held a scrutinizing gaze that Lyra could not read, not that she was good at reading situations to begin with... "Why sell it?" Twilight asked, much to Lyra's surprise. Her mind raced. Should she tell her the truth? Lyra ran the scenarios in her head. One ended with her daughter being dissected upon a cold laboratory table as doctors pulled various organs and muscle tissue, and even worse, Bon-Bon being executed for getting in the government's way. "Something... came up," Lyra said with a hoof rubbing the back of her head. "Bonnie and I have... reached a new chapter in our relationship." "Oh no," Twilight with sympathy. "Don't tell me you've broken up!" "No! No, no, no," Lyra laugh sheepishly. "As if she could survive without me." Twilight simply smiled and looked away, not wanting to address the metaphorical elephant standing in the metaphorical room. "Let's just say..." Lyra said while mentally choosing her words carefully. "That we have new responsibilities and challenges being placed on the both of us that requires a few sacrifices here and there." "I see..." Twilight said as she began to think deeply. "So... will you make me an offer?" Lyra asked with worry. "You're like a sphinx. I'm having troubles reading you." A few seconds ticked by. Twilight's gaze shifted from the pile of scrap to the green unicorn before her. "... Alright," Twilight said with a shrug. "What...?" "I'll take it," the princess clarified. Her horn lit up for a moment causing a piece of parchment and pen to appear. The pen scrawled on the parchment leaving Lyra to become baffled. "You mean... just like that?" Lyra asked with confusion. "Just like that." Twilight answered nonchalantly. "Yeah," Twilight said while presenting the parchment to the unicorn. "It's going to be a fun puzzle for me." "Oh... huh," Lyra said as the wires in her brain began to connect. She took the paper into her own magic and stared at it. "... What's this?" "Take it to the bank, and show to one of the tellers. They'll do the rest from there." Lyra looked over the paper once more, before her eyes widened in absolute shock. A very large gasp escaped her lips. "But, this, it's! Wha-how? I don- wha-"" Lyra babbled incoherently. "Go on, shoo," Twilight stated playfully while positioning Lyra to face the town. "The bank will close in only a couple of hours." Lyra blinked only once, and then suddenly, there was no Lyra. The only trace of her was a faint outline of where she once stood. Citizens of Ponyville who wandered the streets would probably get a glimpse of a white and green blur speeding through town. Twilight chuckled to herself before turning to look at the front door. Her smile fell into a frown as she saw the two stallions standing either side of the entrance. "... who are you ponies?" she asked. The stallions looked at one another for a single minute before, speeding away in opposite directions. Twilight let out a sigh. Just another day in Ponyville. Her gaze looked back at the pile of parts. Being an inventing hobbyist, she could tell that this had a lot of thought going into this. Only meticulous planning and countless experiments could get such an invention to this stage. Twilight could practically feel the pride and dedication pouring off the invention, and it wasn't even fully built. This brought up a single question in Twilight's mind: What could possibly have come up to want to sell such a piece of innovative technology? Author's Note New chapter!!!! May need editing, but I did all that I could!! Lyra is a Widow-MakerBon-Bon watched as her crazy marefriend depart. As much as she loved her, that unicorn was something else entirely. How could she not at all remember or recall that day when Twilight was announced to be a princess? That was almost as bad as Lyra having no recollection of being a bridesmaid during the changeling invasion, and she was dressed for it when she came home! With a worried sigh, she washed the coffee pot and began plotting her day out. No candy orders for today. The house needs a decent cleaning. Groceries- Bon-Bon paused. She would need to get food for the baby. What do baby humans eat? She hoped to Faust that it wasn't meat. It was legal to buy meat in Equestria, but to use meat in the house was a bad omen. She turned to look at the small home she and Lyra lived in. It was small, but not too small. It was a perfect home for a couple like them. A nice little love shack. She shook her head of the slightly disturbing thoughts and concentrated. Groceries. She needed them for dinner tonight. She decided to opt for an all green meal. Green beans, spinach leaves, green apples, asparagus- Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud cry from upstairs. With a sigh, she consigned to write it down later, and strolled up to the bedroom. What she saw melted her heart. "Aww... poor baby..." She quickly approached the young human who writhed around on the bed. The blanket she was swaddled in was kicked off and askew. Bon-Bon, seeing the sad and adorable scene, scooped up the little human and gently held her to her chest. "Shh... It's going to be alright... Shh..." The little bundle in her hooves began to calm down as she listened to the heartbeat of the mare. Then, Bon-Bon, began to gently set the child down on the bed. Needless to say, the baby began to cry again. Bon-Bon sighed and held the baby again until it calmed. She knew a pattern when she saw one. The earth pony still needed to go and get groceries. How could she do that if- The mare paused in her thought processes. She couldn't just leave the baby at home! "Lyra, your crazy is getting contagious," she murmured. Her gaze looked around the room before falling upon a pillow... specifically a pillowcase. "Very, very contagious..." Bon-Bon walked through town as if walking on glass. Each step felt slow and gentle, and she bit her lip in preparation for the eventual sharp piece. Her eyebrows were creased in worry as she scanned the crowd, hoping she wouldn't be spotted. She felt a great deal of regret for actually leaving the house... with the baby. The baby was thankfully swaddled and hidden to prying eyes, but any pony could seethe bundle hanging from her neck. Being a crafty mare, she fashioned a papoose from the pillow case. She could now shop and carry the baby hooves free, which was good. Being seen with said baby so suddenly in public... well... She quickly approached the closest stall, and bought the greens at current price... before being stopped by the mare. "For moms, it's half price," she said in a deep manehatten accent. There was a small smile on her face. "Oh, uh..." Bon-Bon stuttered while sliding her change into her saddlebag. "Thank you..." She creased her brow in worry and pleasant surprise. "No thanks needed, ma'am," the stall mare said with a wave as Bon-Bon left. Bon-Bon let out a sigh of relief once she was out of earshot. She glanced around quickly and approached the next stall. "Ok, listen... I need asparagus, cucumbers, and-" "Bon-Bon!" a familiar voice called. The cream colored mare froze in place as her eyes widened to the size of plates. Her head glanced to her side where not one, but three mares trotted down the way. She knew each and every one of them. Rose Luck, Lily Valley, and Daisy. On any other day, she'd relish the moments she could spend time with them if not for the simple idle gossip. They'd share a laugh or two, and swap rumors. She tried to steer clear of pony-watching with them. That was something she saved for Lyra and herself... Today, however, was a special case. She had a papoose swaddled around her neck with a baby that wasn't there yesterday or the day before. She simply threw the bits for the cucumbers and asparagus onto the stall counter before taking the produce and running. Thinking quickly she ducked down an alley in the market and began to walk normally as to not attract attention. She could hear her friends calling out to her, and hoped that they assumed she was in a rush or something. She also hoped that they didn't see the bundle. Last thing she needed were for some gossipy mares poking their noses into her business. Her small, secret, adorable and possibly dangerous business. "Just get the rest of the groceries and go..." she told herself. Just then, over the roar of the crowd, she heard a small noise. Bon-Bon was a mare who many in Ponyville considered very level-headed. In many ponies' opinion, she needed to be the most level-headed mare in town if she was living there and dating Lyra. In summary, the disasters that happen on a semi-regular basis added to Lyra's behavior have left her almost as stone-faced as a granite boulder. However, there were few things that could rattle her. Sometimes she would jump several feet into the air if she so much as felt a leisurely breeze blow gently up her spine. At this very moment, as the small, near inaudible sound floated into her ear, she seemed to seize up. All other sounds in the market seemed to just drop off. Her ears flattened and tried to pick up the sound she heard. It came a lot louder than before. It was near deafening to Bon-Bon, and could just let everyone in town make up their own stories. Ponies knowing what she had was one thing, but leaving it to the incredibly panicky, gossipy and strange minds of those ponies was surprisingly more terrifying. The baby was getting fussy. Bon-Bon tried to calm the child right away and took a moment to sit and try to do so. However, the loud, and noisy ponies at the market talked, laughed, argued and shouted. The area colored mare scanned the area to find secluded area to pacify her child. She found only one option, and it was perhaps not the greatest idea. With only a moment's hesitation, she galloped towards Sugar Cube Corner. Author's Note New chapter... back with updates... I have ovarian cancer everyone. It's partially why I'm not updating as much as I should be. Just please spread the word so people here know what's up.
Lyra is an InsomniacPonyville was a quiet town, aside from the random disaster and/or world-ending catastrophe. From the softly rolling hills, to the quaint little homes in the town square. It was just relaxing enough to visit, but not so much to move out of cities like Manehatten or Canterlot. To the residents living there though, everything was just a little off-center of normality. However, there were moments that seemed to take one's breath away. One such moment took place during the lull between dusk and dawn. On the nights when not a single cloud is in the sky, and the wind is at rest, is the time when all seems to be completely at ease and at rest. Nothing stirs besides those few who are either tinkering and scheming, or those who simply cannot sleep. In Ponyville, only one mare could fit one or both of those descriptions. Lyra settled into her custom fit chair, sitting as she normally would, which to any other is unnatural, and levitated a sci-fi novel from off the bookshelf. She smiled to herself, gazing at the quiet house around her. She sat in a somewhat small living-room, adjacent to a slightly large kitchen. Personally, she couldn't cook without accidently creating mustard gas, or napalm and counted herself lucky for finding such a good marefriend. From there, a smallish staircase lead up to the master bedroom, where her marefirend in question lay. Lyra felt a little bad for leaving her to sleep alone this late at night, but on the contrary, Bon-Bon complained often about her reading and fidgeting in bed. After one night of sleepless shifting and squirming, Lyra was sent to a doctor and diagnosed with insomnia. The doctor recommended a sleep tablet that should only be taken once per week, and for Lyra to listen to her body. The mint green unicorn was about to tell the doctor to take the large pills and shove them where Celestia's sun does not shine, but Bon-Bon reassured her that the pills were not a part of some government conspiracy. Thus, Lyra listened, and, although she was getting more sleep than usual, she sometimes found herself awake and full of energy. It was these nights that she found herself either tinkering with her Finger 1.1 in the cellar, or reading the next Sci-fi novel in her library. Bon-Bon couldn't really complain so long as Lyra was being quiet. Although, now that Lyra was thinking about her marefriend, things were beginning to tumble downhill. Their relationship was strange, and often caused Bon-Bon to reflect on her life's choices. She was a candy maker and a darned good one too. SugarCube corner wishes that they had Bon-Bon on their staff. "If only she wasn't so... humble," Lyra thought to herself while cracking open the latest issue of Proffessor When. Bon-Bon wasn't one to be blamed completely though. Most of it rested on Lyra. Being a harpist had its own problems and so did Lyra. Finding a job or gig was slim and funding Lyra's hobbies was not exactly economical. Then there were some instances when Lyra had been perfectly rational but still had to take the short end of the stick. She bit that pony out of pure scientific reasoning. It had nothing to do with the fact that she called Lyra crazy for singing about humans. Still, she didn't have to bite her... or the guard... or accidently raise a riot and getting them kicked out of the concert. Bon-Bon was still sore about that last one... Money was tight, and forces beyond their control were against them... The only thing they had was each other. It sounded like the beginning of a sappy romance Bon-Bon kept in the folds of the bed. There were moments that were exactly like that though. During a meteor shower, the two mares laid close to each other on a grassy knoll, watching the stream of lights steak across the sky. They were warm in each other's embrace, and not one word was spoken between them. (A gift that Bon-Bon accepted as an early birthday present.) Then, the earth-pony turned to her. "Lyra," she began in a low and soft voice. "Let's make a wish on the last one that falls, okay?" Lyra anxiously agreed, and, as that last meteor burned up in the atmosphere, the two mares made their wishes. "So... what'd you wish for?" the mint green pony asked anxiously. "Well..." Bon-Bon began in apprehension to which Lyra didn't notice. "I don't think I should say..." "Oh, come on..." Lyra begged playfully. "I'll tell you my wish." "Let me guess..." the other mare chuckled. "A human, right?" "Yeah!" Lyra responded with vigor. "Now...?" "Well... I do suppose I could...." Bon-Bon turned to look into the other's eyes. "Lyra, I wished for a... a little bundle of joy that we could take care of on our own..." Lyra sat in her chair, deep in her recollection when there was a sudden knock on the door. She was brought out of her thoughts immediately, almost having forgotten the memory entirely. She looked around the silent room, until she spotted a clock on the wall. It was 12 o'clock. Midnight... "Who would be up this late at night- er... morning?" Lyra got up from her chair and treaded across the floor quietly. She held her book within her magic and slowly twisted the knob on the door. She eased it open as quietly as she could and looked trough the small opening she made. She saw nothing in the doorway and gradually opend the door the rest of the way. She took a few steps out into the night air, and called out, "Hello? Bighoof? Is that you?" She was not answered. "Look, if it is you," Lyra began. "Can you tell the gnomes to stay out of my Snipe nesting grounds?" Suddenly, her hoof brushed against a soft surface. She looked down and gasped causing her to drop the novel onto her own head. She didn't feel the pain over the utter shock and disbelief that filled with her chest. "Bon-Bon..." a hushed whisper called through the quiet of the bedroom. "...Bon-Bon..." The mare in question was currently lying on one half of the queen-sized mattress. She had covered herself in the comforter and blankets, and had wore a sleeping mask over her eyes. She woke up rather roughly to the sound of annoying whispers. Hopefully they went away soon. "Bon-Bon..." They weren't going away. Why is it that they never go away? "Is the kitchen on fire?" the cream colored mare asked. "No..." the voice whispered back. "Is the house on fire?" "No..." "Is there a giant black hole outside sucking the house, and us, into it?" There was a brief pause as the sound of tip-toeing hooves pittere back and forth across the floor. "No..." the voice whispered again. "Then there isn't anything that could rouse me from this bed, Lyra," Bon-Bon stated flatly while trying bury herself into the covers. "There might..." Lyra whispered. "There might be... Bon-Bon... Bon-bon... wake up... Bon-Bon..." Bon-Bon suddenly sat up in the bed and took a deep breath. "Lyra, when I take this mask off, you'd better be on fire..." Bon-Bon removed her mask, revealing a very stern glare to Lyra. "And what do you know? Nothing is on fire." "Yeah, but you've gotta come look!" Lyra exclaimed. "Bonnie, please..." "Don't you, "Bonnie, please!" me, Lyra Heartstrings," Bon-Bon reprimanded. "There is no reason why you should be waking me up in the dead of night, so-" "There's a baby on our couch!" Lyra interrupted. "... what?" "Yeah, and she's all cute and sleeping-" "Woah, woah, woah..." Bon-Bon interrupted. "You're telling me that there is a baby on our loveseat?" "Yes," Lyra responded with an irritated tone. "Not a really small bug or anything like that?" "Yes, Bonnie." "Lyra..." Bon-Bon sighed while getting off the mattress to place a hoof on her marefriend's shoulder. "You're not foal-napping again, are you?" "Oh, come on!" Lyra exclaimed, now thoughly annoyed. "Look, you're coming with me now!" Lyra then lifted the earth pony up in her magic and downstairs to the living room. "See!" Lyra gestured in a whisper once more. There was a baby on the couch, but not a foal... Bon-Bon saw what Lyra had described to her thousands of times in a smaller, squishier looking form. What lay and slept on their loveseat was an actually real-life human bundled up in a soft pink blanket. Author's Note IDK where this one came from. Yeah... I hope to make this a good fic. I went through and edited what I could, but for those who are Grammar Nazis, KORRIGIERE N MEINE ARBEIT UND HABEN SIE EINEN SCHÖNEN TAG!!!
Lyra is an InventorBon-Bon stood silently with her mouth agape. Shock couldn't begin to describe her right now. She couldn't exactly explain what she felt. On one hoof, she was very terrified for a multitude of reasons, one of which being a simple regret of not really paying attention to Lyra when she went on about these... creatures. On the other hoof, she was completely dumbstruck. No matter how her mind tried approaching this situation, it could not begin to wrap her head around the fact that a human foal was here in her house, sleeping as peacefully as she was not a moment ago. She looked over to her marefriend who had a smile that Pinkie Pie would approve of. The questions bombarded her relentlessly and seemed to battle for the right to escape her mouth. Bon-Bon looked back to the baby as if to make sure it was there. When she looked back to her marefriend, the smile only seemed to grow bigger. Her eyes switched back to the baby to check again that the baby was there. If there was any doubt in her mind that it wasn't real and she was dreaming, it was shattered as the foal coughed, breaking the awkward silence. The sudden disturbance caused Bon-Bon to jump a little and switch her attention back to Lyra whose grin was too big for her face. "Lyra-" "Shh..." the mint green mare silenced with a gesture. "She's asleep." "How do you know that it's a she?" Bon-Bo whispered exasperatively. "Um, hello?" Lyra whispered with a low voice. She leaned down towards the bundle and pointed to her head. "Look at those eyelashes!" "Lyra!" Bon-Bon shouted in a concerned whisper. "Don't touch it! It could be diseased!" "Bonnie..." Lyra sighed. "She's not gonna jump up and suck out your brains or anything." Bon-Bon responded with a raised eyebrow. "Look, do you want to just throw her out?" Lyra asked rhetorically. " 'Cause I won't do it." The cream colored mare looked down at the bundle with a scrutinous gaze that began to soften. Lyra chose to make her move. "Isn't this what you wanted? I mean, think about it," Lyra began with confidence. "We both wished on that star and now it's come true!" Bon-Bon's gaze had softened into a look of cautious uncertainty. Lyra was right. She still wanted to have a baby and start a nice family, but she have this kind of baby in mind. "Well..." the earth pony thought to herself. "She does know more about humans than anypony else in town..." Her eyes met the green mare's own. She could always see the good in Lyra's intentions, even if they were crazy. She could see the good in those eyes that anypony else would've called crazy. A smile crept over her lips, as well as a small tear that was wiped away quickly. "... alright..." Bon-Bon sighed. "Woohoo!" Lyra cheered quietly. Before her happy dance could continue, Bon-Bon's gaze recomposed itself into a serious look. "However," the cream colored mare spoke with authority. "You're going to commit to this child one-hundred percent. She's not going to be your pet. We're going to raise her and love her." "Yeah, of course!" "She's also not gonna be like your pet goldfish you won at the fair a year ago," Bon-Bon continued. "You're not going to be all excited after one week and then forget about her the next. She's our child and we need to treat as such, so I really need you to focus and really absorb my words." "Okay," Lyra nodded. "I got it. I'll be totally focused! Anything else?" "Y-yes..." the cream colored earth pony hesitated as her authoritive look wavered. "Now... Babies cost a lot to take care of, Lyra. More than you or I can possibly afford... so, we're going to need to-" "Work harder?" Lyra interjected. "Don't worry. I pluck those strings 'til my hooves bleed." "I know you will, hon, but..." Bon-Bon began. This caught the unicorn's attention. Whenever she called her hon, something was wrong. "You're... You're going to have to get rid of it." "Get rid of what?" Lyra asked with confusion. "The..." Bon-bon bit her lip in preperation for the insanity that was about to come. "The... The Finger..." A heavy silence penetrated the room. Lyra's expression was unreadable. This was the calm before the storm, and Bon-Bon waited for the inevitable explosion. "Okay," Lyra said in a seemingly indifferent voice. "I mean, we do need some intial cash for her, so..." "Wh-what?" Bon-Bon gasped. "You mean to tell me that you're going to give it up that easily?" "Yeah, well..." the mint green mare looked down to the floorboards. "I still have all my notes and original blueprints, so I could rebuild it later." "You're serious. You're actually serious," Bon-Bon said to herself with a small shake of her head. "Of course I am," Lyra answered with an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone. "You just told me to be serious." Bon-Bon opened her mouth to say something but it seemed to get stuck in the process. "I should probably get to disassembling it," Lyra mused with a hoof under her chin. "I should also get the cart too. Would you mind taking the first watch?" Lyra's magic enveloped the small child and floated it over to the cream colored mare. "I'm gonna have to start tonight if I'm gonna finish anytime soon." Bon-Bon looked at the bundle before her and careful reached out to cradle the child in her arm. She saw something in this little babe, much like she did in Lyra. Whatever the cause or reason, she now held something that she had wanted for a long, long time. She smiled softly, which was all the answer Lyra needed to see. The mint green unicorn left out the door. Upon its close, Bon-Bon was brought out of her daze with a few blinks. With a careful step, she conducted herself to bed. Lyra walked briskly to the other side of the small home. She passed her snipe nesting ground and approached the doors to the cellar. Her magic threw them open and she trotted down with a purpose. Once there, she quickly clicked on a gas powered lamp and grabbed a pair of goggles which she put on deftly. She then turned toward a cloaked object sitting upon a large workbench. With a dramatic tug, she revealed a large contraption. It was a sleeve of copper, wire, hinges, pulleys, rotors, and pylons. She gazed upon it with a certain nostalgia. She remembered how much time and effort she had put into this dream of hers. She was a pretty decent harpist, as far as unicorns went. However, the instrument itself was inteded to be used by gryphons. With their opposable claws, they could execute more dexterous pieces of music. Magic could only become so precise, and when her position a world-class symphony was replaced by a pegasus who could strum her feathers meticuoulously over the delicate strings in such a way that no magic could imitate, she went a little crazy even by her own standards. However, after hitting absolute rock bottom and breaking, Lyra found herself being slowly pieced together by Bon-Bon. She found her confidence, some semblance of self-respect and a determination to get back to her spot in that symphony... or at least that was the plan originally. She had decided to create a device that would mimic a gryphon's talons. She began passionate research as well as practice, slowly building this construct from out of thin air. As time went on however, she found herself practicing her harp less and more time researching... She soon stumbled across her would be obsession in a World Mythology book. She soon began to emulate their mannerisms. Her plan of returning to her place of honor fell apart into settling down with a marefriend who helped up from the deepest despair. This Finger 1.1 was perhaps the cause for most of her happiness, and it wasn't even finished. She levitated a screwdriver over and, with a deep breath, began to deconstruct the the mighty machine. The next morning, Lyra entered the abode with a smile. Her mood seemed no less chipper than the night before. Bon-Bonstood in the kitchen boiling a pot of coffee. She seemed a little worse for wear. "Morning, Bonnie," Lyra said as she kissed her marefriend's cheek. "Coffee?" she offered without looking up from the pot. "Nah. I'm good," Lyra said as she obtained a banana. She peeled the skin of of it and began to eat. "How are you holding up?" "I'm on the second pot of coffee," Bon-Bon replied with a sigh. "She's upstairs. Still asleep. She woke me up once, but I calmed her down." The coffee makers percolator bubbled and Bon-Bon quickly poured a large cup of the stuff and took quick sips. "Aww..." Lyra cooed. "I'm sorry." "It's fine," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "So... what now? You've torn it up, right?" "Y-yeah..." Lyra said sheepishly. "I've got it loaded into the cart and I have an idea of who might want it." "That's amazing," the cream colored mare replied while perking up. "You're one of a kind, Lyra. Tearing apart something that took you so many years to build..." "Eh... it's not that important," Lyra said nonchalantly. "So who are you selling it to?" "Nopony important," Lyra replied. "Just the librarian." Author's Note New chapter. Not much happens, but... More to come. Don't worry about that.
Lyra is an InnovatorLyra tugged the cart along through town. The mid-morning sun was warming the day, and the dew from the grass had long since evaporated. The mint-green unicorn took in all of the little things like the dew upon the grass, or even the budding rose bushes along the walkways. It was the little things in life that Lyra really appreciated. Anypony could be famous, and be remembered for all the great advancements they had made. It wasn't generous of them to share their story with the world. In fact, it was generally thought to be a requirement. After all, history is what drives the world forward to do better. Every pony else who wasn't famous or made advances- the ordinary ponies who were very little compared to the great and famous, and still are; Those ponies were thieves of the little things that happened in between the world changing events. They never told any pony about how great the smell of roses were in spring, or how beautiful the chorus sounded in the relaxing chill of winter. No pony would ever know about these little things in the future. The thought made Lyra wonder what she saw in being a part of a world reknown symphony in the first place. She held a smile of contentment as she walked. Her pace was somewhat slowed by the cart, but not by much. She was stronger for living in Ponyville than her old home... Where ever it was. Remembering anything before Bon-Bon... It was hardly pleasant... not that she could remember... Her train of thought was interrupted by a rather odd quiet. She was walking through the marketplace. Normally, it would be filled with voices, had gone eerily quiet. Lyra took a cautionary glance around. She could see ponies looking at her strangely, and whispering. She could even see some ponies pointing. Where most ponies would find themselves completely uncomfortable, Lyra looked unperturbed. She knew that there was a bunch of scrap that used to be her finger lying in her cart. Ponies would gossip about anything strange, and couldn't really help it. Lyra kept walking to the princess' castle. That was something that Lyra forgot about. Twilight had become a princess seemingly overnight. Bon-Bon had to explain it to her before she left, and even then did the earth pony voice her doubts. The mint-green mare still did not understand it very well. Apparently, the librarian received a journal from Celestia and casted a history or destiny changing spell or something. The spell changed everything in the present, or rather the spell changed the cutie marks of her friends. Then, all of a sudden, she magicked the problem away and everything went back to normal. It didn't make sense to how she was able to "fix" the problem. If the spell changed history, Twilight wouldn't know if her friends are who they are. The destiny spell would make sense if it weren't for the fact a lack of destiny. A cutie mark, although indicating what a pony is good at, is not a fixed point. If it were, then a pony with an acorn for a cutie mark could not learn how to design grand architecture. If anything, the ponies who were affected should not have changed their daily lives at all. The unicorn shook her head, and attempted to focus. Selling this scrap to a librarian would be pretty easy, but selling it to a princess would be a whole different ball game. The crystalline castle which has not been properly named quickly came into view, making the unicorn's panic steadily increased. Her plan was simple. Offer the scrap to the librarian princess, talk it up a bit, don't take no for an answer, and finally don't screw up. Despite the simplicity, the mint green mare felt uncertain about the chances of success for her ploy. She began her approach to the entrance of the castle-yet-to-be-named. The doors were fairly large. They were wide and tall enough for a cart like hers to fit through, which was good. Standing on either side of the door were a pair of guards in violet armor. Their gazes stared straight ahead stoically until Lyra was quite literally on the castle's doorstep. "Hey fellas," Lyra greeted nervously. "Do you think you could hold the doors for me? I kinda need to see the princess..." The two guards glanced at one another with skeptical expressions. "Do you have an appointment?" One guard asked, looking to Lyra. "Well, no..." Lyra said looking away. "Then you cannot see the princess," the other said gruffly. "What?" Lyra gaped. "But, like, when... when she ws a librarian, I could just walk in a see her at anytime." "That was then," the first guard stated. "And this is now," the other finished. "Don't live in the past." "Look towards tomorrow." "Live for the present." "One does not simply approach the princess." "She has a tight schedule." "All engagements must be set in stone." "No one likes being interrupted from their work." "Messes with their focus." "Don't like it?" "Get used to it." Lyra began to feel as though she were watching a tennis match. Just as she was about to protest, a voice shouted from behind her cart, "Excuse me. Could somepony move their cart from the door?" Suddenly, Lyra found herself being pulled backward as the two stallions manually pushed the cart backward. She then saw a certain young dragon walking right up to the front door. "So sorry about that, Spike," one guard apologized. "Didn't know you were back there," the other chimed in. Both walked up to the door with the dragon and quickly took up their posts. Meanwhile, the drake had his arms full of parchment, quills, and assorted comic books. The stack was so high, she wondered how he could manage to see where he was going. "Could you get the doors, guys?" the dragon asked simply. "Certainly," they said in unison. Both stallions then pushed open their doors and held them open as the drake stepped through. "Thanks guys," Spike stated before the doors finally shut. The mint green unicorn stared on in disbelief. Her mind could not seem to function, or comprehend what she just witnessed. In a turn of luck, Lyra heard a familiar voice from off to the side. She turned to see the princess herself, adorned with a simple tiara and little else. She seemed to be talking to two others that she didn't recognize. Seeing an opportunity, Lyra leapt out of her halter and began running straight for the princess. "Princess!" she called out to her. "I don't know, though," Twilight said to a pair of stallions while looking up at the giant crystalline castle. One stallion had a cutie mark of a marble pillar while the other had one of a wreath surrounding an acorn. "I want it to naturally blend into Ponyville and adjust to it, and not the other way around. You know what I-" "Princesss Twilight!" Lyra interrupted. The group looked over to the unicorn mare galloping over to them. Twilight's expression became curious. "Okay, so, do you think we could put a pin in this for now?" "No problem your 'ighness," one spoke with a thick accent. "We'll spitball ideas and get back to you," the other eloquently put it. With that, the two trotted away just as Lyra slid to a stop before the violet alicorn. "Lyra," Twilight drawled. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?" "Oh, you know..." Lyra gasped. She definitely wasn't a very athletic pony. "I was just... just in the neighborhood, and thought I'd stop by... but I'm glad I found you..." "Um..." Twilight began with worry as she observed the wheezing mare. "Do you need a glass of water?" "Nah, nah... give me a second..." Lyra replied as she took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, and turned to address the princess. "So, I'm really glad I found you. Could you come a check something out with me?" "I'm sorry..." Twilight said with a shake of her head. "Were you... looking for me?" "Yeah, well, you know..." Lyra said, realizing her mistake of words. "I was looking around the neighborhood for you." Lyra couldn't stop herself from saying, and mentally face-hoofed. "Okay... well.. What can I help you with?" the violet mare asked politely. "I... brought something for you to... look at..." Lyra said sheepishly, her cheeks flaring up in embarrassment. "It's in the back of my cart. Follow me..." Without making herself look like more of an idiot, she lead Twilight over to her cart. "So... what is..." Twilight began, truly at a loss for words. "... all this?" "It's my, uh..." Lyra scoured her brain to find a good explanation for what it was. "You know how gryphons and dragons have those opposable digits at the ends of their arms?" "Yes..." Twilight drawled while taking a glance at Lyra. "Well, this is a machine-- well, was a machine that was designed to mimic the prehensile movements of those creatures," Lyra explained, hoping the princess knew what she was talking about. A short nod confirmed that she did know what she was speaking of. "Why build it?" Twilight asked after a moment of thought. "Vengence," Lyra's mouth spoke before consulting her mind. Realizing what she said, and seeing the look Twilight gave her, which looked like a mixture of shock and disgust. "N-not vengeance in the 'I'll kill you for stealing my treasure' but more like 'Long, drawn out planning to ruin someone else's life!' Wait! No, that came out wrong, I..." With a sigh, Lyra stopped back tracking and covered her face with a hoof. Twilight now was staring at Lyra with confusion plastered on her face. "Can we start over?" Lyra asked through her hoof. "Only if you need too..." Twilight answered diplomatically. "Okay," Lyra sighed. She straightened herself with a deep breath. "This is a machine designed to help me play the harp and lyre more efficiently. Yes, it was conceived out of jealousy, but I swear to you that I felt completely justified in making it. After a while though, the anger and envy died out and this became more of a hobby for me. I came her hoping that you would have enough interest in it to buy it from me." "Why me?" Twilight asked after Lyra finished. "Why come to me of all the ponies in Equestria?" "Well..." Lyra took a very deep breath. "I knew this mare who knew this mare who this mare who knew this mare and her roommate who this mare who knew this mare who knew this mare who knew this mare, who knew this mare's cousin who said that you like science-y... stuff." Twilight looked over the pile of dismantled Finger parts. "You said, it used to be a machine. Does it not work anymore?" "No, but..." Lyra began, twiddling her hooves together. "I... sorta took it apart, thinking that you would have more use of spare parts than an entire machine made to pluck strings, and... I couldn't get it out of my basement in one piece." "Hmm..." Twilight said, rubbing a hoof underneath her chin. She held a scrutinizing gaze that Lyra could not read, not that she was good at reading situations to begin with... "Why sell it?" Twilight asked, much to Lyra's surprise. Her mind raced. Should she tell her the truth? Lyra ran the scenarios in her head. One ended with her daughter being dissected upon a cold laboratory table as doctors pulled various organs and muscle tissue, and even worse, Bon-Bon being executed for getting in the government's way. "Something... came up," Lyra said with a hoof rubbing the back of her head. "Bonnie and I have... reached a new chapter in our relationship." "Oh no," Twilight with sympathy. "Don't tell me you've broken up!" "No! No, no, no," Lyra laugh sheepishly. "As if she could survive without me." Twilight simply smiled and looked away, not wanting to address the metaphorical elephant standing in the metaphorical room. "Let's just say..." Lyra said while mentally choosing her words carefully. "That we have new responsibilities and challenges being placed on the both of us that requires a few sacrifices here and there." "I see..." Twilight said as she began to think deeply. "So... will you make me an offer?" Lyra asked with worry. "You're like a sphinx. I'm having troubles reading you." A few seconds ticked by. Twilight's gaze shifted from the pile of scrap to the green unicorn before her. "... Alright," Twilight said with a shrug. "What...?" "I'll take it," the princess clarified. Her horn lit up for a moment causing a piece of parchment and pen to appear. The pen scrawled on the parchment leaving Lyra to become baffled. "You mean... just like that?" Lyra asked with confusion. "Just like that." Twilight answered nonchalantly. "Yeah," Twilight said while presenting the parchment to the unicorn. "It's going to be a fun puzzle for me." "Oh... huh," Lyra said as the wires in her brain began to connect. She took the paper into her own magic and stared at it. "... What's this?" "Take it to the bank, and show to one of the tellers. They'll do the rest from there." Lyra looked over the paper once more, before her eyes widened in absolute shock. A very large gasp escaped her lips. "But, this, it's! Wha-how? I don- wha-"" Lyra babbled incoherently. "Go on, shoo," Twilight stated playfully while positioning Lyra to face the town. "The bank will close in only a couple of hours." Lyra blinked only once, and then suddenly, there was no Lyra. The only trace of her was a faint outline of where she once stood. Citizens of Ponyville who wandered the streets would probably get a glimpse of a white and green blur speeding through town. Twilight chuckled to herself before turning to look at the front door. Her smile fell into a frown as she saw the two stallions standing either side of the entrance. "... who are you ponies?" she asked. The stallions looked at one another for a single minute before, speeding away in opposite directions. Twilight let out a sigh. Just another day in Ponyville. Her gaze looked back at the pile of parts. Being an inventing hobbyist, she could tell that this had a lot of thought going into this. Only meticulous planning and countless experiments could get such an invention to this stage. Twilight could practically feel the pride and dedication pouring off the invention, and it wasn't even fully built. This brought up a single question in Twilight's mind: What could possibly have come up to want to sell such a piece of innovative technology? Author's Note New chapter!!!! May need editing, but I did all that I could!!
Lyra is a Widow-MakerBon-Bon watched as her crazy marefriend depart. As much as she loved her, that unicorn was something else entirely. How could she not at all remember or recall that day when Twilight was announced to be a princess? That was almost as bad as Lyra having no recollection of being a bridesmaid during the changeling invasion, and she was dressed for it when she came home! With a worried sigh, she washed the coffee pot and began plotting her day out. No candy orders for today. The house needs a decent cleaning. Groceries- Bon-Bon paused. She would need to get food for the baby. What do baby humans eat? She hoped to Faust that it wasn't meat. It was legal to buy meat in Equestria, but to use meat in the house was a bad omen. She turned to look at the small home she and Lyra lived in. It was small, but not too small. It was a perfect home for a couple like them. A nice little love shack. She shook her head of the slightly disturbing thoughts and concentrated. Groceries. She needed them for dinner tonight. She decided to opt for an all green meal. Green beans, spinach leaves, green apples, asparagus- Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud cry from upstairs. With a sigh, she consigned to write it down later, and strolled up to the bedroom. What she saw melted her heart. "Aww... poor baby..." She quickly approached the young human who writhed around on the bed. The blanket she was swaddled in was kicked off and askew. Bon-Bon, seeing the sad and adorable scene, scooped up the little human and gently held her to her chest. "Shh... It's going to be alright... Shh..." The little bundle in her hooves began to calm down as she listened to the heartbeat of the mare. Then, Bon-Bon, began to gently set the child down on the bed. Needless to say, the baby began to cry again. Bon-Bon sighed and held the baby again until it calmed. She knew a pattern when she saw one. The earth pony still needed to go and get groceries. How could she do that if- The mare paused in her thought processes. She couldn't just leave the baby at home! "Lyra, your crazy is getting contagious," she murmured. Her gaze looked around the room before falling upon a pillow... specifically a pillowcase. "Very, very contagious..." Bon-Bon walked through town as if walking on glass. Each step felt slow and gentle, and she bit her lip in preparation for the eventual sharp piece. Her eyebrows were creased in worry as she scanned the crowd, hoping she wouldn't be spotted. She felt a great deal of regret for actually leaving the house... with the baby. The baby was thankfully swaddled and hidden to prying eyes, but any pony could seethe bundle hanging from her neck. Being a crafty mare, she fashioned a papoose from the pillow case. She could now shop and carry the baby hooves free, which was good. Being seen with said baby so suddenly in public... well... She quickly approached the closest stall, and bought the greens at current price... before being stopped by the mare. "For moms, it's half price," she said in a deep manehatten accent. There was a small smile on her face. "Oh, uh..." Bon-Bon stuttered while sliding her change into her saddlebag. "Thank you..." She creased her brow in worry and pleasant surprise. "No thanks needed, ma'am," the stall mare said with a wave as Bon-Bon left. Bon-Bon let out a sigh of relief once she was out of earshot. She glanced around quickly and approached the next stall. "Ok, listen... I need asparagus, cucumbers, and-" "Bon-Bon!" a familiar voice called. The cream colored mare froze in place as her eyes widened to the size of plates. Her head glanced to her side where not one, but three mares trotted down the way. She knew each and every one of them. Rose Luck, Lily Valley, and Daisy. On any other day, she'd relish the moments she could spend time with them if not for the simple idle gossip. They'd share a laugh or two, and swap rumors. She tried to steer clear of pony-watching with them. That was something she saved for Lyra and herself... Today, however, was a special case. She had a papoose swaddled around her neck with a baby that wasn't there yesterday or the day before. She simply threw the bits for the cucumbers and asparagus onto the stall counter before taking the produce and running. Thinking quickly she ducked down an alley in the market and began to walk normally as to not attract attention. She could hear her friends calling out to her, and hoped that they assumed she was in a rush or something. She also hoped that they didn't see the bundle. Last thing she needed were for some gossipy mares poking their noses into her business. Her small, secret, adorable and possibly dangerous business. "Just get the rest of the groceries and go..." she told herself. Just then, over the roar of the crowd, she heard a small noise. Bon-Bon was a mare who many in Ponyville considered very level-headed. In many ponies' opinion, she needed to be the most level-headed mare in town if she was living there and dating Lyra. In summary, the disasters that happen on a semi-regular basis added to Lyra's behavior have left her almost as stone-faced as a granite boulder. However, there were few things that could rattle her. Sometimes she would jump several feet into the air if she so much as felt a leisurely breeze blow gently up her spine. At this very moment, as the small, near inaudible sound floated into her ear, she seemed to seize up. All other sounds in the market seemed to just drop off. Her ears flattened and tried to pick up the sound she heard. It came a lot louder than before. It was near deafening to Bon-Bon, and could just let everyone in town make up their own stories. Ponies knowing what she had was one thing, but leaving it to the incredibly panicky, gossipy and strange minds of those ponies was surprisingly more terrifying. The baby was getting fussy. Bon-Bon tried to calm the child right away and took a moment to sit and try to do so. However, the loud, and noisy ponies at the market talked, laughed, argued and shouted. The area colored mare scanned the area to find secluded area to pacify her child. She found only one option, and it was perhaps not the greatest idea. With only a moment's hesitation, she galloped towards Sugar Cube Corner. Author's Note New chapter... back with updates... I have ovarian cancer everyone. It's partially why I'm not updating as much as I should be. Just please spread the word so people here know what's up.
