The moon and the unicorn

The white moon reflected in the black sea and a unicorn wandered alone on the beach. She was wrapped in a thick cloak. A wind passed her by, pulling her hood and screaming, quietly in her ear. A shudder passed under her skin.

“Bon-Bon, could you be out here?” Lyra asked herself while closing her eyes to the wind.

Slowly, she made her way forward. Sand grabbed by the wind smacked against her hooves. Soon the wind picked up and the gravel started reaching up to her face. A fierce gust of wind grabbed her cloak and tried to pull it off her, exposing her to the elements. A mixture of salty water and small pebbles sprayed over her body.

Lyra pulled the cloak down and put her side to the wind. She stayed on the beach and searched for shelter with only the dim moon light to light her way. After a few minutes, she found something. A cave overlooking the shore. Without much hesitation Lyra walked up to the cavern. Her horn started glowing and a glowing, golden orb lit the cave.

It was a small, grey, yet deep cavern with sand covering the floor. It was damp and moist inside. She stood at the entrance before taking a few, careful steps inside. There was no visible end to the cave in sight. Not that it mattered, she only needed it until the storm had passed. She took a firm hold of the edges of her cloak and wrapped herself in it before leaning against the wall.

Outside the wind started howling and rain had started to fall.

Lyra stared at the droops of water rushing by the opening. She reached inside her cloak and took out a letter. The envelope was sealed by a blue and yellow stripped bonbon. No name written on it. Carefully, she opened it and unfolded the paper inside.

Lyra, my sweet little pony. Before I meet you, I was a sad, lonely mare. My life was nothing but a grey and bleak trek from one day to another. Each night I cried myself to sleep and hurt myself when I couldn´t bare it anymore. I hoped and waited for it to end. There were days where I wondered why I shouldn’t just end it. But then I meet you and something happened. Something I only have you to thank for. It was the first time we made love, you might even remember it, I cried. A stream of tears that wouldn´t end. After that the days became so bright, so filled with color and smell. Each night became a peaceful drift into endless oceans. The time you gave may have been short but it was the best time of my life.

Lyra sniffed as she turned the paper.

Lyra, by the time you read this I will have gone. I´ve gone to let them take me. I will let them do what they want with me. I don´t know what will happened after that and I don´t know if will ever see each other again. I just want you to promise me one thing.

Don´t come after me and don´t try to stop me.

I know it will be hard for you not to. I know you will hate me for it. But you must try. And if you only remember one thing about me, remember this: regardless of what will happen or what you do, I will always love you.

Forever yours, Bon-Bon.

Lyra rubbed her eye. She´d lost count of how many times she´d read the letter. Gently she put it back into the envelope and looked up at the roof of the cave. She reached back into her cloak again and pulled out another letter. This one was signed Bon-Bon.

“Could she have sent this?” Lyra took out the paper inside.

I don´t know if this letter will ever reach you Lyra. I don´t even know if you´re still live here, let alone if you even remember me.
Lyra, I´m in Northbury. It´s a little port town next to the sea, close the border of the Crystal Empire. The weather out here is pretty rough and the winds will kick up like an angry mule and the salty smell of the sea is starting to get to me, but I survive.

Lyra, if you want to meet me again, I´ll be waiting by the pier overlooking the port.

“Anypony in there?” A voice asked from outside the cave.

Lyra jumped when she heard it and looked towards the cave´s entrance but saw nothing except the passing rain.

The voice asked again. “Is there anypony in the cave?”

Lyra could hear hooves walking on the hard stone outside the cave. A warm light started spread across the edge of the entrance. Before Lyra could say anything, a stallion holding a lantern on his hooves stared into the cave. His face was obscured by the hood he was wearing but Lyra could see a pair of bright cyan eyes.

“Hello.”

“Hello.” Lyra replied.

“What are you doing out here?”

Lyra hid the letter underneath her cloak. “Looking for a friend.”

“Out here?” The rain smattered against his hood but he didn´t seem to be bothered by it.

“Not here. Were I´m going.”

“Where is that?”

Now Lyra felt unsure of what to tell him. It was too dark for her to tell if he had any emblems off the ecclesiarchy, but it could have been hidden under his cloak. “In Northbury.” Lyra decided to risk it. maybe he could offer her directions or help her get there.

“You´re pretty close then.” He took a few steps inside the cave. Rain run off his cloak and dripped over the floor.

“How close?” Lyra asked eagerly.

“Not far.” He put the lantern down and pulled the hood back. He had a black mane with a blue coat. “A few miles north of here.”
Lyra smiled and released a small, quiet giggle to herself. She could leave when the storm gave in and be there by sunrise.

“You seem happy about it.” The stallion commented.

Lyra hid her expression behind a hoof. “It´s just been a long time since I meet him.” Lyra lied while staring into the cave´s throat.

“I could take you there now if you want.”

She was more than ready to go and the thought of seeing Bon-Bon made her made want to charge out into the rain and ignore whatever the storm would throw at her. But she wasn´t sure if she could trust him. And what would he do if he found out that she had lied?
“Thanks for the offer but I´ll wait here until the weather calms.”

“Okay.” He pulled up the hood and turned to the entrance of the cavern. “I´ll leave the lantern though. It can get pretty dark around here.”

“What about you?”

“I´ll be fine.” He walked out of the cave, back into the storm. At first Lyra, could hear his hooves but the howling wind and the smattering rain soon drowned it out.

Lyra leaned back on the wall and stared out into the storm. She rose to go and pick up the lantern. Behind a dirty wall of glass a little yellow flame flickered. It looked downright mesmerizing to her, the way it danced atop its little base. It brought back memories of her and Bon-Bon resting by a bonfire as they roasted bread and stared up the stars. It was one of the few times they managed to get away from the town without any pony noticing. It made her smile.

She walked back into the cave and put the lantern next to her. She pulled the cloak up on the side facing the opening to ease the cold from the wind. She took out the letter again.

Forever yours, Bon-Bon.

Lyra put the paper on her chest. She sighed and smiled. For a solid hour, she stared into the selling and held her hooves crossed over her chest. The wind howled and shrieked outside the cave. A little pool of rain formed on by the cave entrance. Soon it overflowed and a little river started running into the cave. She only noticed it when she felt the water pressing through her cloak and her flank started getting wet.

“Stupid rain.” Lyra shifted her position and let her hooves rest in the river. She hoped that the rain would stop.

But for another hour there was no end in sight. The drops of water kept falling by the opening like falling stars across the night sky.
After that it started to calm down.

It was enough for Lyra to get up and risk it. She took the lantern and walked up to the entrance. The rain was still falling but it was nowhere near as bad as before. She took the lantern and walked back to the beach.

The sea was wilder than before. The waves stretched out of the surface of the water and feel violently over at the shore.
Lyra put a hoof before her face and pressed forward. The wind pushed her and the rain smacked against the lantern´s glass. She always liked the sound of rain smattering on glass but now she could only hear the wind howling and shrieking.

Despite the winds best efforts Lyra kept walking. After an hour of slowly walking along the beachside she saw the pulsating light of a lighthouse out on the black sea. And soon after the start a gravelly road started to form beneath her hooves.

A road sign stood on the edge of the road. Lyra raised her lantern to get a better look at it.

“Northburty.” She read and smiled. There was no sign of how far she had left to go. Only an arrow pointing down the road she was on. Lyra wiped a layer of rainwater from her face and kept walking.

The beachside was soon replaced by a thin wall of trees, partially shielding her from the wind and rain. The wind shrieked as it passed through the leaves and branches. With every step she took, Lyra felt her hooves sinking into the muddy trail beneath her. It forced her to keep up a good pace in order not to get stuck. By the time she made it to solid ground Lyra had to stop to catch her breath.
She looked up and saw a little house with moss covered roof.

Lyra walked past the house and found herself looking down a stone covered road. Her hooves clopped against the hard rocks and splashed the cold rainwater away. She trotted down the alleyway, looking for the water.

A scream came from the town. It was loud and echoed between the houses.

Lyra shuddered at the noise and froze where she stood. What could have caused that sound? Suddenly Lyra felt a cold pulse passing down her spine. She brushed her wet hair out of her face. “Bon-Bon is still out there.” She told herself. “I need to find her.”

The water beneath her hooves was freezingly cold. The cold bit her to the bone. The wind still pulled her cloak and shrieked in her ears. She walked slowly forward and heard the scream again.

Now she could clearly hear that it came from the alley right next to her.

She stared into the jet-black alleyway. Instinct told her to ignore it. It told her to walk away, leave the town and head back home. But the scream was shout of pain. Could it have been Bon-Bon? Or somepony who could help her find Bon-Bon?

Lyra stared into the alley. A cold set of sharp talons gripped her heart and pressed down into the flesh. She closed her eyes.
When she opened them, she was walking forward, into the alley.

The darkness wrapped around her. If not for the light from the lantern she might has well be blind.

Something moved beyond the reach of the lantern´s light.

Lyra jumped back a small step but after a moment of pause she kept walking forward.

As she got closer the light started revealing what was hidden by the shadows. A thin, shivering, little creature laid on the ground before her with her back facing her. It had black, chrome like, shining skin and pair of blue-green wings sprouting out of its back. Its face was hidden behind a pair of black hooves. The wings buzzed with every breath it took.

Lyra wasn´t sure what to think of the creature that was lying before her. She had no idea of what it was but it seemed to resemble a pony in its size and shape.

“Hello?” She asked. “Are you alright?”

The creature turned towards her with a snap. It´s narrow eyes had a pair of glowing eyes filled to the edges with cyan light and pair of long white fangs grew from the corners of its upper jaw. It hissed and a long, thin snake like tongue stuck out towards her.
Lyra tripped backwards and the lantern slipped out of her hoof. The glass shattered on impact with the ground and the flame was quickly drowned by the pouring rain.

In an instant, the world became a black void in Lyra´s eyes.

The creature threw itself on top of her. She could fell one of its hooves pressing down on her shoulder and heard the thin wings buzzing on its back. Lyra fumbled with one hoof to reach something to hit the creature with and placed her other hoof under the creature´s jaw. Even though the creature was only half her size it managed push itself down towards, coming ever closer to Lyra´s skin. It opened its mouth a and the slithering tongue licked the center of Lyra´s chest. The taste spurred the creature. It removed Lyra´s hoof with a hard strike and pressed its nose down into her ribcage.

The cold talons that gripped Lyra´s chest before melted as a burning sensation took over. As if the flesh in her heart was slowly being replaced with black, burning ashes.

The creature opened its mouth and bit down on Lyra´s chest. The needle like teeth pierced through the skin on Lyra´s ribcage. The burning feeling in her chest intensified. In one panicked movement, Lyra took a rock of the ground and smashed into the side of the creature´s head. The force of the strike yanked the creature of her chest, taking a large chunk of her skin with it.

Lyra crawled backwards on her back and watched the creature lay on its side. Its limbs twitched and jerked as a little pool of steaming, green blood formed on the side of its head. The cyan eyes rolled over, changing to jet black like its skin.

Without a second look, Lyra turned, put her hooves to the ground. And ran. Out of the alley, back to the streets. Ice flowed through her veins and a fire burned in her lungs. She galloped, like a madmare. No aim or goal. She just kept landing with her front hooves and jumping with her back hooves. As long as nothing got in her way, she kept going.

She tripped and the ground rushed up to smack her cheek so hard that the skin broke. At first there was no pain. She just put a hoof on her face and felt the warm blood dripping from the wound. Then the ice in her veins melted and the fire in her lungs was extinguished. Suddenly Lyra felt the wound on her chest and cheek burning.

Despite every urge from her body, Lyra managed to stop herself from screaming. She put a hoof over her lips and pinched. Fast, small breaths pushed themselves through her nose.

After a few moments, Lyra managed to slow her breathing. She looked to her right, into the dark street, searching for the creature, but saw nothing. Only a black empty void. She put a hoof on her ribcage and felt the warm blood slowly running down her chest.
“Was that a…?” She asked herself and pondered for a moment on what she had seen. “It couldn´t have been. They were hunted down.” Her eyes closed and she pressed down on the wound on her chest.

“Bon-Bon.” The words passed her lips slowly. “I´ve got to find her.” Lyra told herself. “I´ll find her, and the we´ll go home.”

She pulled her hood back on and felt a small splash of water running down her neck. Lyra shuddered and created a new orb of light.

The light coming of the orb may have been dim but Lyra could hear the ocean and her eyes were starting to adjust. Things were starting to take shape. She could see the walls of the buildings and the alleys between them. Even though she had no idea where she was, the sound of the waves breaching against the shore roared from the east.

She made a note of the direction and moved towards it. She trotted down the little roads and paths. Slowly and carefully, she always kept a watchful eye to the little alleyways to her side.

The rain smattered against her cloak and rolled down into the little rivers beneath her hooves. Drops of blood dripped from her chest and chin. It mixed with the little streams on the ground and rolled down with the water. The crimson color drained quickly as the streams carried the little drops away.

The sound of the ocean grew stronger, louder. It ushered Lyra to pick up her pace. Soon she was meet by a black, endless mass of water. Breaching against the dock with waves topped by white foam.

The roars of the waves drowned out any of the noises coming from the town. Lyra stared across the dock and within a moment she found what she was looking for. The pier overlooking the port. She could see it covering the edge of the horizon, standing in line with the lighthouse at the far end.

With a smile on her face, Lyra galloped towards the pier. She ran, the pain in her chest and cheek numbed out by her heart beating with anticipation. She had to stop herself from laughing with joy.

She was standing at the base of the pier when she saw her. A pony with cream-white coat and curly mane. One half of it blue. The other pink. She stood there alone waiting.

Lyra stopped. She stood still, her hoof in front of her mouth. “Bon-Bon!” She shouted and galloped towards her. “Bon-Bon, I´m here!”

The pony at the end of the pier turned to face her. Her grey-blue eyes meet hers and now Lyra knew without a doubt that it was Bon-Bon at the end of the pier.

“Bon-Bon!”

Bon-Bon gave her a warm smile and tilted to the side. Slowly, she fell off the pier. The dark sea swallowed her in a large gulp.

Lyra felt a cold lump of ice shooting from her stomach, into her throat. She ran. Even if the sea had swallowed her, Lyra didn´t care she ran up the end of the pier and looked down into the water. She only saw her blurred, distorted reflection in the water. “No.” She said with a weak voice. “This can´t be happening.” She fell to the hard pavement. “This can´t be happening.” She repeated.

She lied still, the rain sprayed her and the waves crashed against the pier.

“It couldn´t have been her.” She told herself.

The thunderous roars of the waves started to subside as the wind slowly died down. Lyra lied on the pier, shivering, trembling as tears rolled down her cheeks.

A new sound started filling the town. The sound of wings buzzing. Lyra looked up and saw dozens of glowing cyan lights coming from the pier.