I heard @hoofclid wrote an eight verse song about #sweetie belle ?????
Confirm or Deny?
EqG Lyra: So… You’re the me from this dimension?
Lyra: Yep.
EqG Lyra: Wow. I’m guessing you already knew about me.
Lyra: I saw you a few times while I was in your world, but I kept my distance.
EqG Lyra: While you were-…? This Equestrian magic stuff is wild.
Lyra: Y’all got some cool stuff too. That cellular reception is what’s up.
EqG Lyra: Oh! Is there a Bon-Bon here too?
Lyra: Yeah… But she’s working right now. I’m sure you’ll be gone before she gets off.
EqG Lyra: Darn… Say, are you two…?
Lyra: For a few months now.
EqG Lyra: Oh cool!
Lyra: How about you? Are you two still…?
EqG Lyra: Yeah! We’ve been dating for 2 years now!
Lyra: Only two? Time must pass differently in your world.
EqG Lyra: Oh, it sounds like we’re leaving. It was nice meeting you! You’re so lucky!
Lyra: Equestria has its share of problems too. Your world is still cool.
EqG Lyra: Oh, not that. I meant because your Bon-Bon is such a good kisser! Bye!
[Pause]
Lyra: Great. Now I hate myself. Other dimension self. Alternate… Whatever…
Lyra: I love you. And I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to catch up. But if you’re willing to give me a chance-
Bon-Bon: Y-y-you’re not proposing are you?
Lyra: What?! N-no! I was just asking you to be my girlfriend! [Pause] D… do you… want me to-?
Bon-Bon: Gosh no! We can’t go from best friends/sisterly-whatever to engaged- that’s insane!
Lyra: Y-yeah, I-I kinda thought so!
Bon-Bon: Well, that was my target heart rate for the day! Gosh, I’m shaking!
Lyra: You… um… You never answered.
Bon-Bon: I didn’t. [Pause] “Just keep your eyes on me.”
[Long Pause]
Lyra: You’re waiting for me to say something so you can-
Bon-Bon: “Shut up and dance with me.”
Lyra: Oh~ well if you insist. [Pause] So, uh… what song are we listening to?
Bon-Bon: Hmm… Ahem. “Only yesterday, they told me you were gone. All these normal people, will I find another one?“
Lyra: Hey! You do listen to human music!
Bon-Bon: Well you blare it all through the house, how couldn’t I?
Lyra: Ahem. “And I awoke to fi~nd the burden lifted from your heart and soul. And I~ praise the light. I praise the light.”
Bon-Bon: Little off key but not bad. Um… Ahem. “So stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it’s all crashing down.“
Lyra: Your range is ridiculous! How are you so much better at singing than me?
Bon-Bon: Lyra, I was in a four-mare choir.
Lyra: Whaaat? When?
Bon-Bon: Back in Manehattan. For almost five years. Has that never come up?
Lyra: No! [Pause] Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.
Bon-Bon: Oh? “Stand through the pain, you won’t dro-wn. And one day what’s lost can be- found…“
Bon-Bon: Lyra and Vega Heartstrings… These were your parents…
Lyra: Yeah…
Bon-Bon: Th-this proves your surname! You are Heartstrings!
Lyra: Yeah… But I’m not really interested in that anymore…
Bon-Bon: Huh?!
Lyra: Mom, Dad. You’re probably expecting to hear about me, but… I’m not really very interesting. I actually came here to tell you about somepony else.
Bon-Bon: Lyra?
Lyra: This is Bonnie Bohun, or Bon-Bon for short. Great surname, right? And look! Her mane is almost as cool as mine! She’s my best friend and roommate. She’s also a successful business pony! She’s the owner of Ponyville’s very own Sweetie Drops! Sweet to the last drop! Hahaha! She thought of that on her own!
Bon-Bon: Eh heh heh…
Lyra: But Bon-Bon’s great! She goes out of her way to support local small businesses. She loves reading! Her favorite author writes about miracles and the ponies they happened to during pre-Equestria. Her favorite music is gospel, which I think suits her perfectly because she’s very spiritual. She’s wicked smart, and super talented… and don’t tell anypony but she’s also a multi-time-savior-of-Equestria secret agent. Shh~!
Bon-Bon: Lyra, what are you-?
Lyra: But she’s so much more than any of that. And I’ve always been so preoccupied with my own hangups that I never realized… See, I’ve always had this idea in my head that I’m straight. I’m not gay. I’m not bi. I’m straight and that has to be the way things are. But… I wonder now if any of those labels matter…
Bon-Bon: What are you saying?
Lyra: “Best friends… for as long as it lasts.” I heard you say it again. You always think I’m going somewhere. That one day I’ll leave and never come back. Well I want to prove you wrong.
Bon-Bon: I must say… When I woke up this morning I certainly didn’t expect to be walking through a graveyard.
Lyra: Sorry. I’ve never really done this before. Usually when somepony is gone I just always tried to… not think about it.
Bon-Bon: Like B? [Pause] You never once mentioned it, but I haven’t seen or heard him in over a year.
Lyra: One day I realized it had been while. I don’t even know when we last spoke… That’s always how it was going to end though. It’s kind of hard to notify somepony of your passing when you’re not supposed to exist. [Pause] I always had this crazy idea, that one day I’d find his family and they could all reunite. He’d protest, of course, but they’d all be so happy to see him that everything would work out. [Pause] I guess that can’t happen now…
Bon-Bon: That is very you, Lyra. It was a nice thought. [Pause] So… how much further?
Lyra: I’m not sure. I’ve never been here. B and York found out where they were buried, but I could never bring myself to make the trip.
Bon-Bon: They? I thought we were visiting that guard that saved you.
Lyra: No. They shipped his body back to Trottingham, where he was from. His widow moved there too.
Bon-Bon: Then who are we here to-…
Lyra: [Sigh] This is it.
Bon-Bon: [Gasp] H-Heartstrings…?
Lyra: Hi Mom… Hi Dad…
Bon-Bon: Well, now what?
Lyra: I guess you go…
Bon-Bon: I meant do we stay for the rest of this “reunion” or go home?
Lyra: W… What?
Bon-Bon: What? Did you think this was the end? I’m angry, Lyra. Intentional or not you’ve basically played with my heart for nearly a decade. I’m angry, and sad, and still a little confused about a few things. But… you were right. Something had been missing from my life before you showed up. And I don’t want to lose that just because I’m upset. When you smile, I smile. You are still the light in my life. And you said I mean something to you. I do, don’t I?
Lyra: Of course. You’re the most important pony in my life.
Bon-Bon: Well… there you go. [Pause] I now know for certain that there is nothing to pursue between us. And yet I still can’t see myself with anypony else. So… I guess we have to settle for “friends”. And that also makes me angry. But if best friends is as far as we can ever go… Then I’m thankful to at least have that, for as long as it lasts.
[Pause]
Lyra: You are more amazing then I could have ever imagined. More amazing than anypony-
Bon-Bon: Don’t talk like that. I’ve turned my back to hundreds of ponies that talked to me like that. Talk to me like you’re not carefully choosing your words. Talk to me like you’re sincere. Talk to me like you’re you.
[Pause]
Lyra: Thank you… I don’t see any reason for us to stay here. There is something I’d like to do before we go, but I don’t know if I can do it alone. Can you help me?
Lyra: I was your fillyhood crush…
Bon-Bon: I’m not done yet. After that we were friends for a few years- from the rest of primary into junior high. Then I had to move to Manehattan. I was upset. I didn’t want to go. Didn’t matter. It was all about money. More money to be made in Manehattan. My sister didn’t care but I never forgave my mother for making us move. From then on I was a horse’s patoot to her until I moved out and came to Ponyville. It would never be about the money with me. I wouldn’t allow it. [Pause] But before any of that could happen, as the carriage pulled up after my last day of school to wisk me away to a paradise of noise. I had one last pony to say goodbye to… You. [Pause] Anything? I always wondered if all those bad memories you repress also repressed the good ones.
[Pause]
Lyra: I didn’t want you to go.
Bon-Bon: Heh… you sure didn’t. Because you grabbed my hoof and we ran. Halfway around the school, then we rounded a corner and slid into the gym- out of sight. And I thought, “This is it. Running away from home. New life. Together with the filly I love.” [Pause] Then you stopped. In the middle of the gymnasium, nowhere to hide. And you grabbed my hoof. And we started to sway, back and forth. We weren’t going to run away and start a new life together. You were just taking me back to the night we met.
Lyra: I couldn’t take you with me.
Bon-Bon: And I understood. I hated it, but I understood. Yours was a dangerous world. And no matter what I said, you would never place that burden on me. But that moment could have lasted a lifetime and it wouldn’t have been enough.
You were a mysterious, benevolent filly that cared enough about me to not put me in harm’s way. You captured my imagination, and my heart. [Pause] Then my parents flung the doors open. You ran. And I never saw you again. [Pause] Until I did. Because you chose me. Except you didn’t.
Lyra: I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere. Not even with you. But you always acted like I belonged. Like I had been missing from your life. I wanted to believe that eventually I’d feel that too. But knowing our relationship was built on a lie, I never could. And the last thing you deserved was me taking that feeling away… I don’t know why you ever liked me…
[Pause]
Bon-Bon: You really don’t remember, do you?
Lyra: What did I do?
Bon-Bon: [Sigh] Back in Canterlot we had one of those dumb, primary school dances in a gymnasium. You know, the ones where most of the fillies and colts stand on opposite sides of the room? And the music’s awful, and some of the girls might dance together, but it’s all very awkward. I didn’t have a date- none of my friends did. I didn’t even know I was gay yet. You, however, did have a date. And he must have made you furious, because you punched him right in the face. Is any of this ringing a bell?
Lyra: Maybe? [Pause] Okay, yes. I remember a colt grabbing my butt and I punched him in the face and got in trouble.
Bon-Bon: Do you remember what happened between that? The adults didn’t see what happened, but I was standing right there. The colt started crying but you had already dragged me- we had never spoke, to the middle of the gymnasium. I guess you were trying to act like you weren’t involved, because you lifted my hoof and said…? “Just keep your eyes on me.“ And we started to sway, back and forth. I tried to say something- I don’t know what. But you stopped me when you said…?
Lyra: “Shut up and dance with me.” [Pause] And you did.
Bon-Bon: Until you got in trouble. And that was the night we met. And the night I found out I was gay.
Bon-Bon: When you moved to Ponyville, you came to me. You remembered me from when we were fillies. You asked to stay with me. That always meant something, Lyra. [Pause] I eventually realized that you were jealously following Twilight, so you didn’t come without reason. But in the end you chose me. [Pause] Except you didn’t. You were following, Tootsie. You knew Tootsie was staying with me- I don’t know how. I don’t even know how you still knew who she was. [Pause] And you were moving here because of Twilight anyway. So why not spy on both? Out of everything imaginable, I was the coincidence. You lied to me. [Pause] Now tell me I’m wrong. Please. Tell me anything I just said is wrong.
[Pause]
Lyra: I’m…
Bon-Bon: Did you even remember who I was? Did I mean anything to you? Do I mean anything to you now?
Lyra: Yes!
Bon-Bon: Oh really?
Lyra: Yes!
Bon-Bon: And why should I believe that?!
Lyra: I don’t know! [Sniff] Yes, I knew who Tootsie was. I’ve always known. After I recovered, I was still broken over what happened. Princess Celestia let me keep track of Tootsie, so I could see she was fine. When I was moving to Ponyville I knew you were Ribbon’s sister. Being away from Canterlot I wanted a way to still keep track of Tootsie, so yes, I figured moving in with you was the best way. But I only expected to hear about Tootsie. I didn’t know she went to school in Ponyville. I get here and suddenly… this thing is staring me in the face. This filly who’s life I ruined. I-I wanted to fix what I made wrong. But she didn’t need me. She was fine. I was the only thing wrong in her life. So I backed off and focused on Twilight. Then she became a princess and I… didn’t have a reason to be here anymore. But I didn’t want to leave.
Lyra: Just… Say something… Please…
[Pause]
Bon-Bon: I felt my heart sink when they mentioned a warehouse… We don’t know anything about Tootsie’s parents, we just know where she was found. But I figured, it’s gotta be a coincidence. But then they mentioned a colt… [Pause] Do you know, Lyra? Do you know that even Champagne doesn’t know that Tootsie was born a colt? My sister says she never intended to keep it a secret from him- it’s just never come up. [Pause] But that doesn’t surprise you. By the time you met Tootsie the scars from the surgery were practically invisible, but you already knew. You knew before you ever met her. [Pause] Now you say something.
Lyra: I’m… sorry…
Bon-Bon: It’s true then? I hoped maybe they were jumping to conclusions… It always ate me up inside, Lyra. What, in all of creation, could justify changing the sex of a baby? [Pause] Oh. They probably wanted to mask her identity. Make sure there was no way of linking her to something so horrifying… No wonder she dreams about blood. Did she see you do it?
Lyra: Yes…
Bon-Bon: You… killed Tootsie’s father… in front of her…? I can’t even fathom how, when you were mortally wounded… No one… Nothing is beyond redemption. That’s supposed to be what separates Equestria from the rest of the world. You can’t get a second chance if you’re dead, Lyra. [Pause] Well, this is just one more thing I can’t tell my own family about. At this rate either Liza’s going to develop a complex or I am… Hah… I just realized… Tootsie was adopted when she was around 6 months. I always thought she was found the day she was born. They must have shipped her to Manehattan immediately.
Bon-Bon: This is upsetting, Lyra. I’m shaken by this. But it’s not why I’m angry.
Dollface: Fillies and Gentlecolts, I feel like we’ve gone a little off track. How about a short recess? You can all head back to the hotel and get yourselves some lunch- our treat of course! We’ll pick things back up in, lets say an hour?
??? 3: If I can even eat anything after that…
[Long Pause]
Sprint: What warehouse? Dolores! What warehouse?
Dollface: It was going to be our last stop tomorrow… The next day, after the attack in this alley… Twelve stallions, seven of which had criminal records, were found murdered in a warehouse near the skydocks.
Tamale: Murdered?
Dollface: Yeah… When they arrived they found one half-dead mare, identity withheld… and one crying, blood-soaked, 6-month-old colt.
Bon-Bon: [Gasp]
Raindrops: Stop. Stop writing!
Tamale: Ah-! Doll! Catch!
Raindrops: Stop it!
Sprint: You better back up, Rain!
Raindrops: You can’t publish this! If the public finds out Lyra committed murder Princess Celestia will be forced to banish her forever! Doll! [Pause] Doll!
Dollface: You’re right… Tamale. Purge: Code Red. We need this done fast. Sprint, you get us a bucket. Rain, secure a location. Toss the ashes off the edge of Canterlot… Hey! I want this spread so wide even magic can’t restore it, you hear? [Pause] In the mean time, I gotta find some way to smooth things over with those rich ponies… And we definitely can’t go to that warehouse… I’ll tell you this much, Lyra. I don’t know how you did it, but I wish I’d been there to stop you… I wouldn’t have left twelve bodies for them to find.
Lyra: Two came from the front…
Dollface: There’s nothing in the report about-
Lyra: One more came up from behind… It was planned.
Dollface: Tamale… Write down everything.
Lyra: One more came flying down from the roof… From the roof.
[Pause]
Bon-Bon: Lyra…?
Lyra: Why? W-… what did they think I going to do? Fly away?
??? 1: Is this part of the tour?
Lyra: The unicorn from behind had a knife… I charged him. Knocked it away, but the other two were right behind me… I ducked a bat and pushed one over into the other, but the pegasus grabbed me by the hair and… just started pulling me straight up… I was on my hindlegs, screaming, flailing at him… Then… the unicorn got the knife back…
Raindrops: Lyra don’t.
Lyra: He held me still and dug the knife into me… here. Then he dragged the blade down…
??? 3: Good gracious!
??? 1: Is this real?! I-Is that scar real?!
Lyra: I… fell… I couldn’t feel anything. Everything was disappearing… I thought I was dead, but I wasn’t afraid… I wasn’t.
Bon-Bon: It’s alright, Lyra. Y-you’re okay now.
Dollface: Then what happened?
Sprint: Doll! For God’s sake!
Dollface: What. Happened?
Lyra: I… I woke up chained to a wall… Locked in a cage, inside of a-
Dollface: Warehouse?
??? 1: So what’s so special about this particular alleyway?
Dollface: This, according to records released to the public, is the location of the last known predatory attack in Canterlot linked to gang activity.
??? 1: Who was-?
Dollface: As with the other locations, no public records reveal the identities of any party involved in the attack.
??? 1: Aww…
??? 2: That’s a shame.
Sprint: Celes…
Raindrops: Still think information has no bias?
Dollface: Ahem. According to this diagram the bulk of the attack was roughly here… Leaving a bloodstain… in about… this shape. The report indicates there was blood along the walls, blood spray on the ground, and a trail of blood leading around that corner before disappearing. The nature of the attack and the fate of the victim is either unknown or unlisted.
??? 3: Can you draw a chalk outline for the other blood markings?
Dollface: Um… For time’s sake, I’ll leave that to your imagination. Let me check my notes and we’ll move on in just a moment.
Hot Tamale: Doll, I’m having like second and third thoughts about this…
Dollface: I know. I know. Insensitive rich pricks… They only signed up for this because it was something exclusive to lord over others… But this information isn’t for them. Remember, we’re doing this for the public.
Lyra: This isn’t right…
Raindrops: You’re darn right, it isn’t.
Lyra: This dumpster was moved. It used to be bolted down here, across from the other one.
Raindrops: Well… That’s not really what I-
Lyra: That would have made the attack here.
Dollface: Hmm?
I realize this probably isn’t the best time, but I have a story to tell.
Turn the clock back to 2011. I was fresh to the MLP fandom, checking EQD every day to see what new wonderous things bronies made today. In the Nightly Roundups, I started seeing a list of ‘Tumblr pony blogs’. On a whim, I opened it up, and soon every day was accompanied with an EQD visit and a check on each of the blogs to see if they’d updated. This was very early Tumblrpon, before the boom, so there were only a few big players. All I remember were a Pinkie Pie drawblog (that’ll be important later), Ask Surprise and Erthilio’s Ask Octavia. Veeerrrry early.
Holy crap, dude! You were the Blanks RP blog? That’s wild!
But there were so many other good ones from before that grimdark Pinkie Pie blog severed the community in half. Things were never the same after that.
Oh well. The sun is always setting, but it’s also always rising. There’s still work to do.
Lyra: Everypony? This is Bon-Bon. Bon-Bon? This is Sparkle Sprint.
Sprint: Hey. Don’t mind the hoof; it still gets the job done.
Bon-Bon: Nice to meet you.
Lyra: Hot Tamale.
Tamale: Hello, and be sure to let me know if you need anything. Maybe lunch?
Bon-Bon: Oh. Um-
Tamale: She’s not spoken for, is she?
Lyra: Nah, but you’re gonna need some celestia luck for that, sister.
Tamale: Some risks are with taking.
Lyra: And I guess this is Dollface, but she used to be a lot more chill.
Dollface: She used to not have so many responsibilities, either. You don’t have any editor or publishing connections, do you?
Bon-Bon: Oh… Sorry.
Dollface: Yeah… Me too… I take it you’re a non-paying guest.
Bon-Bon: Not necessari-
Lyra: We’re not in the best financial situation right now.
Dollface: Yeah? Join the club. Evidently we’ll have T-shirts soon. Speaking of which- Lyra, it is nice to see you again. But as we’ll have some paying guests along the way this time, a certain level of professionalism is necessary. So if you start to feel… upset, I’d appreciate it if you took your wailing a few blocks over- so as not to make anypony uncomfortable.
Raindrops: Right… We wouldn’t want anypony feeling like they didn’t get their moneys worth…
Dollface: Oh ho ho. I haven’t forgotten about you. This is an officially sanctioned tour. That means the guard is going to be watching out for us. So just in case you’re feeling a little outburst-y…? Well, it’d look awful funny for a big hero like yourself to be dragged off by armed soldiers.
[Long Pause]
Raindrops: I really hate her.