“You’re late,” said Lyra as Bonbon sat down. The earth pony sighed tiredly in response as she rested her head in her forelegs.
“This is the busiest I think I’ve ever been,” she murmured, “The orders just keep coming. I can’t wait for the Cakes to get back.” Lyra gave her friend a supportive pat on the back.
“They’re supposed to be back tomorrow,” said the unicorn, “And I mean hey, the income’s been good, right?” Bonbon let her head fall to the table with a soft thud.
“Screw the income,” she muttered, “I need some rest.”
“Tell ya what,” said Lyra, “I’ll buy lunch today.” Bonbon looked at the mint-green unicorn flatly.
“You never have any money.”
“I do today,” Lyra said with a grin, “I got a nice big paycheck for my work at the Gala last month.” Bonbon lifted her head from the table and sighed.
“As long as you can afford it. I don’t want to have to loan you another hundred bits.” Lyra shrugged defensively.
“I had a slow month. Do you know how hard it is to even convince a pony that playing the lyre is possible?” Bonbon had to give her argument some credit, as very few ponies would even touch a stringed instrument.
“Alright,” she said, “I’ll have the usual.” Nodded and raised her foreleg to call over a waiter.
A loud chime suddenly echoed throughout the town as the clock tower struck noon. Normally this was an everyday noise, and the citizens would continue to go about their day as usual. But something was different today. With each tolling of the brass bells, the market square began to grow quiet. Voices winked out as quickly as candle flames, until the tower reached its twelfth chime. An eerie silence had settled about the town, as if it had been noiseless for ages.
The soundlessness was caused by strange sight that had come walking down main street, right down the center of the cobblestone road. Lyra was among the townsfolk who had locked eyes upon this figure, her mouth open in awe. Quietly striding through the crowds was a young, dark gray stallion, his lank form balanced atop his hind-legs.
Lyra was immediately fascinated by this aspect of the newcomer. Her obsession over the creatures known as humans led her to try and mimic their bipedal gait dozens of times, but she had only ever managed to last a minute on her back-legs. Yet this pony walked as if he were naturally inclined to travel in such a manner. Lyra was quick to realize that he must have been. There was something about the placement of his forelegs that just didn’t seem quite right, as if they were useless for walking on.
The strange pony never looked at anypony. His eyes were hidden beneath what looked to Lyra to be a hat from another time. Its broad, weathered brim shielded his face so much that the unicorn had to wonder how he could see at all.
“Lyra…” whispered Bonbon, “Are you seeing this?” Lyra nodded, never looking away from the stranger. She watched as he began to turn the corner. The unicorn didn’t even know she was rising from her seat until she was standing.
“Lyra!” rasped Bonbon, “Where--” The earth pony’s eyes grew wide with realization. “Lyra, don’t you dare go after him!” But it were as though her friend was unable to hear her. Lyra began to weave in-between the stunned market-goers, making a beeline for the lane where the pony had turned. She was aware of Bonbon calling her name amid the silent street. But she never looked back.
Lyra’s world became darker as she darted down the empty street, the sun partially blocked by the line of houses and shops. Her eyes adjusted, and she saw the lone pony quietly trotting ahead.
“Wait!…” cried the unicorn, “Who are you?” The pony quickly glanced back at her with the eyes she couldn’t see. The street was suddenly filled with quick hoof beats as he began to race ahead. Lyra followed undeterred, her quick jog turning into a full gallop. Her eyes narrowed in determination as the figure disappeared down an alleyway. The unicorn’s head raced with questions she wanted to ask the pony. Who was he? How did he walk upright? Why had he come to Ponyville?
She chased him down the alleyway, catching a glimpse of him as he turned onto Elm Street. Lyra pushed forward after the stallion, and came into Elm Street only to see him vanish down another alley. The mare bared her teeth in frustration as she dodged down the cracked cobblestone. They went on like this for what seemed to be an eternity, with her managing to arrive just in time to see him dart down another roadway.
But at last, she saw him begin to tire. His trotting was no longer as fast as it had been before, and with each route he took he was slowing down. Lyra knew from her own experiences of walking upright that speed was not one of the advantages. Bonbon once explained to her something about height and air resistance, but Lyra never really paid that much attention. Soon the mare found herself only a few yards behind the upright stallion.
“I just want to talk to you!” she cried as she forced herself to move faster, “Please, stop!” The Stallion did stop, but only because he tripped over a loose cobblestone. Lyra yelped as he tumbled to the street. His hat flew off his head, landing right before the unicorn. The mint-green mare managed to stop herself before she trampled it. Lyra looked back to see the stallion slowly rising to his hooves.
“I’m…sorry!” she sputtered as she picked up his hat, “I never meant to--” The unicorn froze as she looked up to his face.
Two flickering lights illuminated the alleyway. They emanated from the stallion’s eyes, which shone with a yellow glow. Once Lyra was over the initial shock, she saw that the eyes were set in the most mournful face she had ever seen. Though young, the look on the stallion’s face was that of somepony who had seen centuries worth of despair and tragedy, and knew he would see centuries more. Lyra stood frozen to the spot as the face moved closer, not out of fear, but of sorrow.
“What…what are you?” she managed to choke. The creature stood and stared silently at her as it replied in the most heartbreaking voice imaginable; a quiet, trodden voice that sounded as though it hardly ever spoke. It said only one word.
“Grant…”
The creature reached out with its hooves and grasped its battered hat. The lights disappeared beneath its brim as it was set back onto his head. Lyra could still see the despairing face of the creature even after it turned and left her. Somehow she knew that it would haunt her recollection for years to come. Every time she blinked she saw the two blaring lights in the dark alley, staring at her.
Lyra was halfway back to the town square when she noticed the plume of thick, black smoke rising into the air. She stood still for a moment, just watching it billow in the breeze. The long wail of a siren sounded off in the air, breaking her out of her trance. The unicorn saw a team of fire-stallions hauling their cart through the intersection ahead, heading down Treat Street. Lyra’s eyes suddenly widened with horror.
“No!” she cried, breaking off into another run, “No! Please, NO!” She turned the corner and followed the cart until it began to slow down. Her yellow eyes became tearful as her mouth opened in a miserable grimace. Behind a ring of onlookers was a building that was completely engulfed in flames. Its identity was known to Lyra, as was its owner. It was Bonbon’s sweetshop.
Lyra slowly trotted up to the inferno, never once looking away even as the heat made her face uncomfortably warm. Amid the mass of familiar voices, one reached her ears that drew her attention. The unicorn’s head turned to look where it had come from. A distraught earth pony with pink and blue hair had her head in her hooves, bawling her eyes out. Before Lyra knew what was happening, she had run forward and embraced her friend in a hug.
“Bonbon!” she cried, “Bonbon, what happened?! Are you hurt?!”
“I left it on!” sobbed the earth pony as she rested her head on her shoulder, “I left the oven on!” She said more, but Lyra couldn’t understand her. She looked back over at the shop as it continued to wither and crumble under the heat of the fire.
“Bonbon…” breathed the unicorn, “It’s going to be okay.” Despite the crushing amount of tragedy imposed by the situation, she somehow believed herself.
Something caught Lyra’s attention as she led Bonbon away from the fire. She saw an upright figure walking away from the crowd, holding his hat in his hooves. Nopony seemed to notice him in all the excitement. Her eyes met with his shining lights, which were now filled with tears. The two lights vanished as his hat was placed back on his head. Lyra watched as the melancholy figure slowly turned and headed out of town.