Lyra through the Worlds

Ten years later. Or … now.

Things still haven't become better. Well, Lyra's life seemed to be a bit better. She graduated a couple of months ago and began to study anthropology. Her cutie mark, mentioned earlier, reflected her love for music and poetry, she once shared with her mom and dad. A lyre. Over the years, she had discovered it again and funded her studies with performances in poetry clubs. She used her sadness and rage to create poems, too touching for me to go into. They were accompanied by her playing the lyre, which earned her the nickname “Heartstrings”.

She was just about to visit her “friend” Bon Bon. A cream coated earth pony, with a blue and pink colored mane. Her cutie mark, quelle surprise, 3 bon bons.

Her house is very easy to find. But you can get distracted looking for it, since it is right next to a pastry shop that looks like a gingerbread house, where her sweet goods are sold. Lyra just rushed into the store and got herself a doughnut and walked on to Bon Bon's house.

    “Bonnie, hurry up!”

    “Yeah, Yeah. Stop rushing me!”, came from within the house. The next second, the mare stood on her threshold and Lyra greeted her with a quick peck on her lips, which caused Bon Bon to blush.

    “Lyra. You know I don't like that.” She turned her head slightly out of embarrassment.

    “But you know I do. Anyways, do you have our tickets?”

    “Of course. Let's go.”

And so they walked on to the local cinema and talked about the last week. They wanted to see the evening showing of the new “Daring Do” movie: “Daring Do and the Jade Talon”. The only one to achieve an M-Rating so far.

    “I'm sorry, that I couldn't hang out with you more, this week, but the tests were really hardcore.”

    “It's okay. It gave me some time to try out new combinations for my candy. I developped six new flavors.” Bon Bon happily responded, chuckling a little. “Oh, and guess what? I finally won that auction for the “Wasp”-costume. Ponies will finally know that we're a couple when we arrive at the next costume party as Ant-Mare and Wasp.” Her voice pitched even higher out of her anticipation.

Lyra could only grunt at that comment. “I still can't figure out what your deal with cosplaying is. I want to be with you, not some comic book girl.”

This got a long “Awwwwwhhhh” and hug out of her companion.

The two continued telling about their weeks activities until the green unicorn thought she should give her accompaniment another compliment. “How did you even manage to get the tickets?”

    “What do you mean? I went to the cinema and ordered the tickets.”

    “ What I mean is , that you look too young for this movie.”

Lyra's statement caused another blush from Bon Bon. “Stop that! I look as old as your moth … oh “ There it was. The subject she shouldn't have brought up. The one that started our little adventure.

    “I'm sorry. I forgot about her.”, Bon Bon apologized.

    “It's … it's okay. I moved on. I moved out. My life is alright now.” Lyra wanted to make what she said to sound confident, but she knew her constant blinking was to keep tears out of her yellow eyes.

    “How long has it been? Y'know, since you last saw her?”

    “Dunno. Maybe five months.” She lowered her head in shame.

    “You can't be serious. Since you moved out? You may not have noticed but she is still in pain. She needs somepony to be on her side. You know what? We're going to her. We skip the dinner and we'll be back in time for the movie.”

Not really willing, more threatened, Lyra trotted with Bon Bon to the outskirts of Ponyville. Not the wasteland, where the diamond dogs pose a threat. No, they went to the other side. It was a real idyll. Luscious, green grass and some Golden Delicious trees. Behind a little gate, a the end of a path, on top of the hill, there was a “mansion”. Too little to be one, but the architecture was very impressive.

As they entered the house, a rough, female voice shouted: “Who goes 'ere?”

    “Hey mom.”

    “Well, if that's not my lil daughter. Oh, and she brought her girlfriend. How are you sweetie?” Her hair was bound together into a knot which was held together by two needles and a pair of reading glasses was on her muzzle. The scent of Apple Cider hung around everywhere and you can tell that she already had plenty of it today.

    “I'm fine. Thanks. How many bottles of cider have you already drunk, today?” Lyra  asked concerned.

    “Oh. I don't know. One, two, … five. But 'nough about me. Come on in. I'll make you s'me tea.”

    “No need to, Miss Aniara. I'll make the tea”, Bon Bon offered.

    “Now, that's a real angel. You picked the right one, Lyra.”

Bon Bon was surprised at how nice Aniara was, after what she heard about her.

    “Why is she so nice?”

    “It's the first time you've seen her drunk. Believe me. It's even worse, 'cause you don't know when she'll snap.”

    “Even so, she needs company.” They followed Lyra's mother into the kitchen and Bon Bon got quickly to the tea shelf and boiled the water.

    “So what's new with my little love birds?” Even Lyra found herself blushing, because of that question.

    “Uhm, we decided to move together ”, she replied after a few moments of thinking.

    “Oh really? When 's it going to be?”

    “Next week, Miss Aniara.”

    “Next week? Why didn't you tell me sooner. How could I have sent you the rest of your stuff, if I didn't even know where you live? Well this certainly calls for celebration. Let me get a bottle of my best cider for you.” And up she was. A little too quick for her since she obviously got dizzy from it.

    “But you won't drink of it, right?” Lyra asked in concern.

    “Oh, alright, little party pooper. But just this time.” And like that, she disappeared in the basement.

    “Well that's nice of her.”

    “Yeah.” Lyra felt something inside her. Love towards her mother. This hasn't happened for a long time. She was so happy that her mother was open again. But she couldn't shake off the fact that, as nice as she might have been, she was drunk. Meanwhile, Bon Bon finished preparing the tea. She placed the three cups on the table and sat down. So did Lyra, just now realizing that she stood the whole time, talking to her mother.

Aniara came back into the kitchen.

    “Oh, this one is from a very good year. Why? 'twas the year you were …” Nothing more. She just stood there for a few moments until she broke the spell that levitated the bottle, which shattered on the ground.

    “Why are you doing this?” Tears formed in he eyes and her voice trembled in sadness and rage. “Why do you sit like that?” Lyra looked down at her body. She didn't even notice, she sat this way. Upright. Unlike the other ponies, who … forget it I can't describe how they sit … Lyra sits like one of us. A human.

    “Don't tell me you still believe he's coming back.”

    “Why do you have to bring that up now? So what, if I do? What's the problem?”

    “The problem is, that I thought you gave that up years ago. And that you'd have to be crazy to even think that ...”, she was interrupted by her angry daughter.

    “Rather crazy than a drunk … miserable … guh“ She couldn't think of words she could wring out of her mouth and not break her heart.

    “You should go. Now!” And with those words, Lyra turned around and angrily trotted to the door. Bon Bon, who sank more and more into her seat as she watched her girlfriend fight with her mother. She took another sip from her tea to hide her discomfort.

    “Uhm … I'd better see if she's alright. It was … erm … nice to see you again”, she finally managed to form. She stood up and walked to the exit, but was stopped by a hug and sobbing.

    “Please. Look after her.”

The cream colored mare wandered the streets of Ponyville, attempting to find the winter green unicorn. She looked in the local bar, her favorite poetry club and the cinema before she decided to check her home. She heard the soft sound of a lyre coming from upstairs. She slowly/carefully opened the door to Lyra's room to find the green mare sitting in her bean bag, playing a solo on her lyre. But she stopped as she noticed Bon Bon entering the room.

    “He gave me this”, were her words to break the silence.

    “Pardon?” Bon Bon was very confused by this vague statement.

    “This lyre. My dad gave it to me shortly before he left for his mission.”

    “I'm sorry for that. This is all my fault. If I wasn't so stupid, this never would have come up and … ”

    “No. Don't say that. You're not stupid. And this is not your fault. It's just … ”, she let out a long sigh. “How did she even come up with this idea. Like I had an addiction or something.”

Bon Bon stepped further into the room. Right in front of a roll-out screen (or what those things are called).

    “Well I wouldn't call it addiction. More like -”, she rolled out the screen, “- obsession.” The screen was full of pictures of hands, newspaper articles about ape-like beings and other pieces of paper, all hinting to one subject … humans.

    “Well, I'd call it a hobby”, Lyra nearly shouted, but she calmed down as fast as she got angry. “Sorry. I didn't mean to yell.”

    “Lyra, I love you, but I have to say something now. Do you really think that he is in their world?” The unicorn took a while to respond.

    “You know? The sad thing is I don't know. Of course, it's impossible and insane and crazy and ridiculous to think that. But on the other hoof … it's the only trace I've got.”

She lowered her head and began to sob, at the thought of her father really being dead or, even worse, running off with another mare. Bon Bon sat herself next to Lyra on the bean bag and petted her head to calm her down. “I want to know. I want to know where he is. I want to know what happened.”

This continued for a couple of minutes as they were just sitting there not saying a single word. Until Bon Bon spoke up. “I might know a guy who could help you.”

Lyra jumped up from her half-laying position and stared at her in a mixture of disbelieve, hope and joy. “What?”

    “A while ago, I met this guy. I think he could find anypony.”

They walked around the town searching for this stallion.

    “Sooo, you don't even know where he lives?”

    “Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I know where he lives. However, I do not know, if it is here right now.”

    “What's that supposed to be...?” She was cut off by her girlfriend, pointing to a very unlikely object. “There it is.” Which just earned a very puzzled look from Lyra.

    “A phone box?”