Lyra: Um… Hi girls. Sprint: Holy crap. It really is you. Tamale: Lyra! Hey!
Dollface: Oh. You’re here for real. Your letter was so last-minute I… Well look, we’re doing a paid tour this year and we actually got a few ponies to sign up- Raindrops: You’re exploiting our suffering for money? Dollface: Funding. For the book. No thanks to you, Ms.Got-Out-Early Wonderbolt. Raindrops: And what’s that supposed to mean? Dollface: Oh my, I had no idea the Wonderbolt’s lengthy list of exclusive benefits included a spine implant.
Tamale: Come on, girls. Not already. Sprint: Nah. Let ‘em go at it. I wanna see Rain finally snap and rearrange Doll’s face. Dollface: Thanks for the vote of confidence. Sprint: Shoot. Rain here could have broke you in half before she became a big shot. You just stick to pushin’ pencils for us, pencil pusher.
Raindrops: I take it that means you’re still in favor… Tamale: Sorry, Rain. If history repeats itself out of ignorance, our sacrifices will have been for nothing. Raindrops: I’m sure that’d look real nice on a T-shirt… Sprint: T-Shirts. Now there’s an idea. Are you writing this down, pencil pusher? Dollface: I don’t know. Tamale, are you? Tamale: Oh! Right!
Lyra: This isn’t everypony, is it? Raindrops: We used to have a better turnout, but somepony ran them all off. Dollface: Once this book gets published, you can take your reunion and shove it for all I care. The truth is getting out, whether you like it or not.
[Pause]
Bon-Bon: And I thought my reunions had some tension…
Bon-Bon: I know it’s sort of late to ask, since we’re already on the train, but are you sure it’s alright for me to be here? Lyra: No.
Bon-Bon: Gee, thanks… Lyra: What do you want me to do, lie? I don’t even know if it’s alright for me to be going! Raindrops: Don’t you worry, Lyra. No pony’s gonna turn you away while I’m around. Lyra: I appreciate that, Raindrops, but that’s not what I’m worried about…
Bon-Bon: Have you ever gone to one of these reunions before? Lyra: Eh… Once. Raindrops: Yeah… That one could have gone better… Hey wait. Lyra! That’s not why we stopped talking, was it? Lyra: It was kind of embarrassing… Bon-Bon: What happened-? Raindrops: You listen up, Lyra. You are a strong pony. And just because you’re a strong pony, doesn’t mean you won’t break down. But I want you to know that no matter what, I’m with you! E-even though I can’t physically follow you if you run off, because I have to stay with the group. [Pause] Oh! Plus… you’ve got Bon-Bon! I mean, who else could a pony ask for?
Bon-Bon: Thank you, Raindrops. Raindrops: Do you feel any better, Lyra? Lyra: A little. Raindrops: Good… ‘cause I really don’t like talking so much…
[Long Pause]
Bon-Bon: No one is forcing you to do this, Lyra. Lyra: Yes they are… I’m forcing me to do this…
Lyra: You go every year, right Raindrops? Raindrops: Oh sure! They can’t keep me away. I’m the oldest active member. They can’t tell me I can’t go.
Lyra: Uh…
Raindrops: Sorry. I know I’m a little quiet, but I have strong political beliefs. Lyra: About what?
Raindrops: Oh! I don’t guess you’d know much about that… See, ponies like us… you know, the survivors? We’re kind of divided. The younger ponies want to tell the world about all the bad stuff that happened in Canterlot. Publish a book and everything. But older ponies like me? We know that’s not going to help. It’s just going to put bad ideas in pony’s heads. You know, copycat crimes? You’re actually sort of an oddball for being on our side since you’re younger.
Lyra: I… had no idea there was a movement to publish the truth.
Raindrops: Yeah… The younger ponies have all but chased all the older ones off. But they’ll never get rid of me! And I’ll keep speaking out against them! Protecting ponykind from themselves! It’s what Princess Celestia would want, I’m sure.
Bon-Bon: You look like you slept well.As usual. Lyra: Uh-huhuhu… Hey. This is kinda stupid, but you haven’t seen…? You know, that letter I get every year…? The one about the reunion. [Pause] Where are you going?
[Pause] [Drawer opening]
Bon-Bon: Here.
Lyra: W-… What in Tartarus, Bon-Bon?! How long have you had this?! The reunion is… next week! Bon-Bon: And? What does it matter? You never go. You get upset every time the letter arrives. Why bother giving it to you?
Lyra: Are… Are they all in there…? Bon-Bon: The first one was tear-stained and torn up. Thankfully you’ve toned it down in the years since. Lyra: But… why? W-why would you keep these?
Bon-Bon: Because for some strange reason I always thought one day you’d want them. That you’d go back- to Canterlot, and really face your past. Connect with ponies that went through the same things you did. Maybe get a bigger picture of what happened. Maybe make a difference in somepony’s life. Honestly? When you started hanging out with Raindrops more I thought it was imminent. Then last year I realized just how much time had passed. So this year I figured “might as well skip it“. Couldn’t bring myself to throw it a way, though.
[Long Pause]
Lyra: Where’s your stationary set? Bon-Bon: Why? Do you plan on going? Lyra: I… I don’t know…
Lyra: Princess Luna? Princess Luna: Hello Lyra. Lyra: Where am I? And why do you sound different? Princess Luna: You are asleep, and because I am communicating directly into your mind.
Princess Luna: Lyra, here in the dreamscape I may bring clarity where there was doubt. I may bring hope where there was despair. But I cannot change the past. Nothing will.
Lyra: It’s not fair… Princess Luna: You are not wrong. But your waking mind avoids what haunts you, so your dreams are plagued with endless nightmares. It is a cycle. One cannot end until the other.
Lyra: Y-you’ve seen-? Princess Luna: I have. Lyra: I-I’m s-s-so- Princess Luna: Do not apologize. Instead, reflect upon this. Your past has constructed who you are. Can you use your past to construct your future?
Lyra: No… Yes? Princess Luna: Tis not my decision to make. But I see a window of opportunity. And I see friends that will support you. You need only act. I wish you well, Lyra. Lyra: Wait! Princess Luna: You may not think yourself deserving of redemption, but I can tell you from experience that nothing good will come of torturing yourself. Now…
Wake up.
I am a good pone. They said it. And good pones get treats.
Give to me treats. I am sitting like a good pone and I await treats.
I am not yet receiving treats and no one is moving. Getting anxious.
Are they paying attention to me? Looking around.
They are not paying attention to me. Getting anxious.
Shifting. Want attention. Want treats. Said good. Good get treats.
Anxious.
Maybe something wrong? Maybe need listen. Protec for treat?
Tootsie: I don’t think this is helping… Lyra: It’s not a switch, Liza. It’s gonna take a while. Tootsie: I guess…
[Pause]
Lyra: How long had you been sneaking out? [Pause] What? You think you’re gonna get in more trouble? Tootsie: A few months… Lyra: So those students you were with, they weren’t just random ponies. They were your friends? [Pause] Liza. Tootsie: Yes. Alright? And now I can’t see them anymore because they’re in class all day and I’m in Manehattan on the weekends.
[Pause]
Lyra: You know… If you were to do something undeniably benevolent that left you tired in the evenings, you could go to bed earlier without any question. I mean, Bon-Bon? Ninty-nine times out of one hundred she’s so tired at the end of the day she can’t even think. Her head hits the pillow and she’s out. And… if you still woke up at night, regardless of why… Well, the only reason we knew you were sneaking out at all was because Princess Luna told us.
[Long Pause]
Tootsie: Nurse Redheart? How would I go about volunteering to help out here at the hospital?
Tootsie: It was fine. I’m just tired. Lyra: In a mad bid for filly-of-the-year, Liza has decided to volunteer at the hospital. Bon-Bon: Really? Are you sure about that, Liza? Tootsie: Yeah. But I’m going to go to sleep. Good night. Bon-Bon: Oh? But it’s still a little… early…
Lyra: She’s exhausted. Heck, I’m pretty tired. We must have crossed that hospital nine-times-over. Bon-Bon: How’d she do? Lyra: Well, she never passed out. [Pause] It’s a process. One trip was never going to cure anything.
Bon-Bon: What about you? Lyra: What about me? Bon-Bon: For somepony that jumped at the opportunity to help Liza, you sure have neglected to help yourself.
Lyra: Blood is unavoidable. The things I’ve seen no pony should ever experience again. So it doesn’t matter. Bon-Bon: Is that what Doctor
Reification
said? [Pause] No comment then? [Pause] Well Lyra, you can ignore me until I walk away. But your own problems? They’ll outlast you.
Lyra: Hey, Liza. Tootsie: Go away… [Sniff] Lyra: I know you’re upset, but I need to talk to you about something. It’s not related to the whole sneaking-out thing. Tootsie: What do you want?
Lyra: Bon-Bon told me about the blood dream. We spoke to Princess Luna about it. Tootsie: Princess Luna? Great. Now you can’t even stay out of my mind. Lyra: She said you’re subconsciously fixating on it when you sleep. Is that translating into daydreams? Tootsie: What do you care? Lyra: I’ve had similar problems in the past. I’ve seen faces twisted in agony, or heard tormented screams. It’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s pretty serious stuff. Do you ever feel afraid, but you’re not sure why? [Pause] How about guilty, but you did nothing wrong? [Pause] Was sneaking out at night affecting your sleep, or did you start sneaking out because you couldn’t sleep?
Tootsie: Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can see it… dripping. I don’t know where it’s coming from… but it’s pooling. Sometimes there’s other pools. Sometimes it’s on shapes. Sometimes it’s on me… Why is this happening? Lyra: PTSD comes from some kind of stimulant or event. Video games? Tootsie: That doesn’t sound right… Lyra: Movies? Books? Tootsie: It can come from books? Lyra: Anything that affects you deeply enough. It might not even start right away. It can fester inside you for a long time.
Tootsie: Is there a way to make it stop? Lyra: Maybe. There’s this thing called Exposure Therapy. We could visit a hospital. Reinforce in your mind that blood is just a thing. [Pause] Unless you- Tootsie: Anything to make it stop… Lyra: Come on, then. The sooner we start the sooner it might end.
Bon-Bon: Are they drinking alcohol? Lyra: Nah, it’s just soda. Bon-Bon: Are they eating drugs?! Lyra: Are they eating drugs… Is the line you just subjected me to. Bon-Bon: Lyra! Lyra: No, Bon-Bon. It’s just junk food. Like, not even the super-bad-for-you kind. Bon-Bon: So?
Lyra: So they’re just… sitting outside. Liza is sneaking out at night to go hang with some older students. That’s it… I don’t know how to feel about this. Bon-Bon: This is still really bad! Lyra: I mean… it’s bad. But in my mind I was prepared for so much worse. They’re not even that much older than her. If she took a nap after school she wouldn’t even be losing any sleep. Bon-Bon: That’s not any better! That’d ruin her sleep schedule! Lyra: Yeah… I know…
Bon-Bon: You do understand we still have to punish her, right? Lyra: Yeah… It’s just… If this was the worst thing I did when I was her age? I would have expected a marching band to come out and sing about what a well-behaved filly I was. Bon-Bon: Marching bands don’t typically sing… Lyra: See? You learned about marching bands while I was learning how to pick locks. And I’m the musical one! I know, I know. What she did was wrong. I just… wish it wasn’t…
??? 2: And my sister is tripping over farm equipment and the “snake’s” still attached to her hoof and the farmer is swinging the axe yellin’ “If you don’t stop I can’t get ‘em!“
Tootsie: You guys save me a drink? ??? 2: You got the chips? Tootsie: Yee-ah! ??? 2: Yee-!
??? 3: Pass me some-ah dat dried carrot goodness! ??? 2: Blam! ??? 3: Ah! Mah brand! You really do care.
Tootsie: Neh. So what’d I miss?
??? 1: Misty Rose was just starting to tell us about that one time with her sister and Golden Harvest’s farm.
??? 2: No I wasn’t…? Oh! Well, the first thing you need to know about my sister is that she is deathly afraid of… snakes. Like, end of the world, salvation lies across this bridge, but there’s a snake in the way? “Eh. I’m good.“
[Laughter]
??? 2: “It was- It was getting too hot here anyway. Just… bring on that heat-death of the universe!”
[Laughter]
Bon-Bon: I hate that we’re stalking her. Why didn’t I just ground her again? Lyra: Because once we confront Liza, she’s gonna lie. The only way to know for certain what she’s been up to is if we see it ourselves.
Bon-Bon: What if she’s endangering herself? We’re already outside of town. Lyra: Well, she’s nearing the fork. Either Liza’s sneaking into Twilight’s Castle to go to the human world, or possibly mack on Spike… which’d mean I’d have to kill him… Or else she’s sneaking into the Friendship School… for some reason. Bon-Bon: PleaseBeTheFriendshipSchoolPleaseBeTheFriendshipSchool- Lyra: There’s no way its the Friendship School. Bon-Bon: Shut up! PleeeeeaseBeTheFriendshipSchool!
[Long Pause]
Lyra: What the hay. Bon-Bon: Why is she sneaking into the Friendship School?! Lyra: I thought that’s what you wanted! Bon-Bon: Shut! Up! I’m putting a stop to this! Lyra: Nooooononononononononono no no no no. No. No. We can’t give her any opportunity to act like this is a misunderstanding or the first time. We see this through. Then we ground the snot out of her.
the kinnies are going to dismantle this website board by board
Bon-Bon: Thank you for seeing us, your highness. And on such short notice.
Princess Luna: Consider it no inconvenience. One of our duties is to hold court, there is just… rarely a need.
Lyra: I’m… sorry?
Princess Luna: Do not concern yourself. Tis but a consequence of our work ethic. And to be frank, we prefer it that way. But you are here regarding Liza Doolots, are you not? Bon-Bon: Yes! Y-Your majesty
Princess Luna: Investigation of her dreams continue. Alas, the trail has grown quite cold. My perception begins and ends with her own. If she cannot create a clear vision, there is little I can resolve, save to dispel the sight.
Lyra: So she is seeing blood!
Princess Luna: That certainly appears to be the case. However, the context is absent. And to that end, her psychological reaction is… extreme.
Bon-Bon: Seeing blood isn’t supposed to be extreme?
Princess Luna: Throughout the night you will witness countless images devoid of context. While some invoke stronger reactions than others, tis not until you begin associating these that you truly dream. Liza often fixates on the color red. And that red often takes on a liquid form of varying consistency. Most would have only a mild reaction to such a vision, but Liza is quite disturbed by it. The cause of her fixation and why she is bothered are unclear. And yet, rarely do true dreams manifest from these visions. We do not presently consider them a cause for concern. Many ponies have strong fixations- Lyra: Wait! It’s not affecting her sleeping? Then why isn’t she sleeping well?
Princess Luna: Oh… She’s sneaking out at night. Bon-Bon: WHAT?!
Bon-Bon: No backward comment. No sideways remarks. Lyra: No!
Bon-Bon: Nothing that could be interpreted or lead somepony to start imagining-? Lyra: No! I don’t want Liza to know she was adopted! I never wanted to know I was adopted!
[Pause]
Bon-Bon: I’m wondering if maybe she should know, before- Lyra: Absolutely not. All it does is lead to a lifetime of insecurity. Trust me, I know. [Pause] Ribbon was right. Liza looks enough like her and Champagne that she should never question it. [Pause] She has said something to you, hasn’t she?
Bon-Bon: I was thinking back… and I remember a few months ago she mentioned something about a nightmare. Said there was a lot of red, and she thought it might be blood, but that she wasn’t sure. And… I’ve been noticing bags under her eyes on and off lately. I questioned it- she’s obviously not sleeping well, but she just shrugged it off. Maybe it’s reoccurring?
Lyra: Do we know anything about what happened to Liza’s real parents?
Bon-Bon: If Ribbon knows, she’s never brought it up.
