Through Sean's Eyes...

When I finish recounting my tale to both Lyra and Bon-Bon, they both look at me with mixed expressions. Lyra seems less sadder than she was before, while Bon-Bon seems a lot more concerned.

"So, yeah... turns out, I'm not entirely human. I'm mostly just a construct of one, with memories filled into my head that aren't even my own." I conclude.

Bon-Bon places a hoof on my hand, standing next to me. "That's... that's horrible! To think that an entire species went extinct... only for you to wake up, and learn that not only are you the last of them, but also that your memories of that aren't even yours to begin with!"

I smile weakly at her and shake my head. "To be honest... it's not the worst fate I could imagine. I mean... at least I don't have to worry about returning to my family, now... mostly because they weren't my family to begin with."

Lyra places a hoof weakly onto my other hand, catching my attention. I look over to her, and she starts to weakly smile back at me, almost matching my own. "Hey... a-at least now you do have a family with you..."

It takes a moment for me to catch her meaning, when it dawns at me. I then chuckle and nod my head, then brush the back of her ear with the hand she was grasping onto. "Yeah... I guess you both are my family now, huh?"

Then the three of us decide to hug it out - minding Lyra's injuries, of course. When we break from the hug, Lyra looks over at Bon-Bon and smiles. "S-so, Bonnie! How did you and Sean manage to get up here, anyways?"

And so Bon-Bon recounts the short journey she and I went through, up until this point. She tells her about how both Princess Celestia and Luna figured things out, how they wish to speak with us whenever things are cleared up, and what the plans are moving forward.

She also brings up the Timberwolf we found, and how I helped it out of the trap. While Bon-Bon looks back at me with a deadpan, Lyra seems to be regaining her goofy smile.

"H-heh... guess that means we'll have to think of a name for it!" she says, to which Bon-Bon quickly dismisses in just two simple words.

"Absolutely not!"

This wins a bit of laughter from Lyra and I.

Eventually, though, we decide to give Lyra her space. She'll need to rest for the next few hours, before we can check and see if she can be transported to Ponyville again.

And so Bon-Bon and I return to our seats, while Zecora continues to brew some kind of potion in the background.

Another few hours pass by us like a blur. There's the occasional muttering between Zecora and Lyra, as the zebra asks the unicorn how she's doing, how she's feeling, and what parts of her body still hurts.

Naturally, Lyra would respond with a hint of mirth, but that mirth would be quickly dismissed when pressure gets applied to certain parts of her body, such as her ribs, her stomach, and a few key joints on her legs.

Zecora makes it clear that we'll probably have to wait a few days before she can return to Ponyville.

Bon-Bon doesn't miss a beat, and lets her know fully well that she'll be here with her friend, no matter what. I'm quick to agree with her, as well, and Zecora would nod her head.

And so, we all relax and enjoy the silence even more.

Then, something occurs to me. I look over at Bon-Bon and ask, "So Bon-Bon. How exactly do you know so much about survival, anyways?"

Bon-Bon shrugs her shoulders, as she relaxes on a loveseat closest to the couch Lyra's lying on. "My dad taught me all kinds of things."

You can't help but shake the feeling that she's hiding something. "That's all?"

She simply nods. "Yep."

Yeah, you definitely know she's hiding something, now... but you decide not to press on it, and instead change the subject.

"So what was your dad like, anyways?" you ask her.

She shrugs again. "Hard, but fair. He expected the best from me, so I gave him the best in return."

It's pretty clear she doesn't want to talk right now, so you opt instead to focus more on Lyra, now. "And how about you, Lyra?"

Lyra opens her eyes and looks over at you, curious. "Hmm?"

Before I can ask her, however, Bon-Bon cuts us off. "Look, Sean. We're glad that Lyra's still alive, and I'm sure we can talk about all kinds of stuff later, but... right now she needs her rest. We shouldn't have her talking much, at least until she's been able to recover more."

I close my mouth and nod my head. She's right, of course. Lyra's lucky to even be alive, now... she needs to spend as much time not talking as she can.

"Yeah, you're right... sorry." I say, to which Bon-Bon brushes it off.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm... actually mustering up as much willpower as I can not talking to her, either."

I smile and cross my arms over my shoulders. "Guess she's just got that effect on people, huh?"

She smirks, nodding her head as she looks back over to Lyra, who's once again sleeping away her pain. "Yeah... I guess she does."

And so, we get back to relaxing in our corners, while Zecora heads out.

I raise a curious eyebrow. I swear I didn't see the big cauldron in the living room before... unless I did, but didn't notice it right off the bat?

I'm about to ask about it, when Zecora beats me to the punch.

"Poison Joke is within bloom. I must prepare remedies for it soon." she tells me.

I nod my head in semi-understanding. While I'm not sure what this 'Poison Joke' thing is, I doubt if I should question the wisdom of the shaman lady that's lived here for Maker-knows-how-long.

She seems to catch my confusion, however, and smiles, before reaching into her saddle bag and pulling out a small picture. Then she offers said picture to me, which I take with a grateful nod.

I observe the picture, and find that it's more of a drawing of a flower with a bunch of blue leaves on it.

Tapping on the picture, I ask, "Is this Poison Joke?"

She nods her head, and I pass her back the picture. She then trots over to her shelves and sorts through various herbs and spices.

"The leaves of blue of Poison Joke... can be quite a burden for many folk. But a bit of Aloe and a special Spice is sure to make the effects more nice."

She sighs, as she continues sorting through whatever she can find.

"But sadly, it seems my shelf is quite bare - helping poor Lyra has left me with no more herbs to spare. To find more, I will have to search farther than the Everfree... but for now, helping your friend is more important to me." she concludes, closing the shelf after grabbing a few more herbs.

I rub my chin in thought. "I see... well I would help if I could, but I don't know what I can do at the moment."

She smiles at me, shaking her head. "Your company is more welcome than you see. As you've no doubt noticed... no creatures dare approach me."

This makes me raise an eyebrow. "Why is that, exactly? You seem too nice to be out here all alone."

She sighs, as she slips a few herbs and spices into the cauldron. "To be honest, even that is something I do not understand. The ponies of Ponyville fear me, and the situation gets out of hand."

I frown a bit at that statement. "That seems a bit harsh. How do things get out of hand?"

She begins to stir the pot. "They board their homes in, and refuse to come out. Only when I'm gone do they then go about."

I sigh, shaking my head. "Jeez... I'm sorry that you have to go through that."

Bon-Bon seems to be looking over at her as well. "How come you haven't tried visiting other towns?" she asks her.

Zecora looks over at her and frowns. "I have. And Ponyville is quite tame to compare. I'm usually attacked when I go elsewhere."

Bon-Bon's eyes shoot open, and I blink surprisedly at the revelation. "Wait... attacked?! As in, like, physically?!" she asks.

Zecora nods her head again. "Or chased away by a torch and a fork raised. Sometimes I'm even unaware, and find myself grazed."

Bon-Bon stomps her hoof on the ground. "Well that's not gonna happen in Ponyville. Of that, I can assure you!"

We're all cut off when the feint sound of knocking on the front door can be heard. I look over at Bon-Bon, who shushes me quickly and motions for me to get behind her... which I do quickly.

Zecora, however, approaches the door curiously and cracks it open. While I'm not able to see who it is on the other side, I can definitely hear the voice of... a child? A girl with a bit of a strange accent, to be more exact.

"U-umm... h-howdy, Miss Zecora." she stutters.

Zecora looks a bit taken aback by the filly's sudden greeting. However, she composes herself and clears her throat. "A filly approaches me on her own? Little one, why have you come alone?"

I can hear the filly gulp, before she responds, "I'm not afraid or nothin'. I just wanted to know what you needed from Ponyville, is all."

Bon-Bon soon approaches the door as well. "Wait... Apple Bloom? Is that you?" she asks.

Apple Bloom looks over at her, and gasps. "Miss Bon-Bon! Howdy! What brings y'all over here?"

Bon-Bon scratches the back of her neck uneasily. "Well... it's Lyra. She's gotten herself hurt, so we're here for her to get help."

"Wait, Miss Lyra's been hurt?! Is she gonna be alright?!" Apple Bloom asks, now sounding worried.

Bon-Bon nods her head and waves her hooves quickly. "Oh, yeah! She's doing better now, thanks to Zecora's help! We were actually just about to head back to Ponyville when she can walk again, so that she can go to a doctor for further treatment, but... well, for now she just needs to rest, first."

Apple Bloom hums before asking, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Bon-Bon ponders what to do for a moment, before I clear my throat and approach them. "Maybe she can find you some medicine in Ponyville?"

Zecora opens the door a bit wider and, now, I'm able to see Apple Bloom up close.

She's a little filly with a yellow coat, a bright red mane and tail, bright orange eyes, and a pink red bow on the back of her hair.

I'm unsure of why everyone's gone silent, but Apple Bloom's staring starts to make me feel a tiny bit uneasy... until realization dawns upon me.

Aside from Lyra, Bon-Bon, the princesses, and Zecora, nobody knows about me.

I mentally facepalm, as Apple Bloom stares me up and down, before finally speaking up.

"Wow, mister! Are y'all some kinda Minotaur?"

And then, I actually facepalm.

Author's Note

Its dead jim

It's alive, Pit.