The bus door opens and the three of you climb aboard. Up ahead, you hear the bus driver talking to Diamond Tiara.
“You two again?“ He sounds annoyed, “I hope you know I left a message at your school’s office. They’ll be telling your parents about you skipping school like this.“ “And when my daddy finds out you’ve been harassing us, he’ll make sure you’re out of a job. Now, drive this hunk-of-junk like a good boy and I might forget this insult.“ The driver mutters something under his breath and the two bullies head back and find a seat. Feeling uneasy, you climb up to the driver and he stares you down, “Come on, ma’am. Pass or fare.“ Diamond Tiara stands up in her seat, “She’s a student like us! Just let her through!“ The driver tilts his head toward Diamond Tiara, then back toward you, “I don’t recognize you. I either need to see a bus pass or you have to pay the fifty cent fare.“
Fifty cents?! If cents and bits are interchangeable here like they are in Equestria, that’s an astronomical sum! You ask if you can trade something instead. He drops his head into his hand and sighs, “I don’t get paid enough for this…“ You search through your bag and, after pulling aside your bloodied cloths, find that all you really have left are a few bottles of water and a wash cloth. He reaches his hand out, “Fine. I’ll take the water. Just go sit down, please.“ You hand over the water bottles and sit down across from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. You hear the metallic click of the door locking and the bus begins to move.
Aunt Bon-Bon said she trusted you. That means she trusts you to make the right decision. And right now, the right decision is to find Lyra. You nod to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in acceptance.
Diamond Tiara leans forward, hands on her hips, “Finished hiding behind the coattails of whatever adult you can find? Good.” She turns and begins walking toward the street, “That’s the filly I took a risk on.“ Silver Spoon doesn’t seem quite so eager to accept you, but seems happy to move on regardless.
The pair lead you along the sidewalk. You watch with fascination as automated carriages wiz by at speeds far faster than any vehicle you’ve ever seen! Well, any ground vehicle anyway. Eventually they lead you to a sign beside a covered bench; a bus stop.
“If you think Manehattan is wild, you haven’t see anything yet.“ Diamond Tiara warns. “There are cars, everywhere!“ Silver Spoon insists. ”That’s what they call those horseless carriages.“ “And the noise!“ “And the zoo! The zoo was amazing! They had these huge ponies with these long necks.“ Silver Spoon stretches her arms up, “Like, super long!“ Diamond Tiara covers her mouth and laughs to herself as a large “car” stops next to the bus stop.
“Leaving already?“ You hear a familiar voice taunt. “Just pitiful.“ Another voice adds.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon round either side of the statue, arms crossed, with smug, judgmental glares pointed at you.
“Have you even seen anything other than this boring old school?“ Diamond Tiara asks with a flick of her wrist. Silver Spoon spreads her arms out and slowly spins in a circle, “This world is amazing! And you’d throw away this opportunity, just like that?“ She crosses her arms again and shakes her head at you.
You tell them you found who you came here for. Now you just want to go home.
“Did you?“ Diamond Tiara turns her head and looks at you from one eye. “Did you really?“ Silver Spoon glances toward Diamond Tiara, “Didn’t she come here looking for two ponies?“ “Did you think that too?” Diamond Tiara begins to circle around behind you, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but that’s what I thought as well.“ Silver Spoon laughs, but somehow it doesn’t seem as mean-spirited as normal. “Quitting is for commoners, Little Liza. It doesn’t suit you. And it doesn’t reflect well on your traveling partners either.“ “Especially after they went through so much trouble-” “Sneaking away from that stick-in-the-mud you dragged along-” “Hiking into town.“ “Finding Lyra all on our own.“ Your eyes widen and they both smile. “Oh, so you do remember?“ Diamond Tiara stops next to Silver Spoon and puts her arm on her shoulder, “Well? We can take you to her. It’s not far.“
You promised Bon-Bon, but…
You kneel down and wrap your arms around Aunt Bon-Bon. You don’t fully understand what’s happening here, but it hurts you to see her in so much pain. You tell her it’s okay and give her time to calm down.
After she stops crying you both stand back up and talk about what to do next. Bon-Bon asks you about the ponies you came here with and, after describing her, says she’s seen Blossomforth. She hasn’t seen the Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon you came with, but says not to worry.
“I’ll find everypony you came here with one at a time if I have to. But Liza…“ She puts her hand on your cheek, “This world is a lot more dangerous than ours. And you’ve already gotten hurt once.” She reaches out to the statue and puts her hand into it. You see an image of her hand turned back into a hoof before she pulls it back out. “I want you to go home. Tell Princess Twilight. I’ll suffer whatever punishment I’m due.“
You argue with her. Lyra was the one that went through first. She should be the one that’s punished when everypony gets back!
Bon-Bon looks away, “… I don’t think Lyra is coming back… But don’t worry. She’ll be okay. I promise. For now, I’d feel a lot better if you went home. Will you trust me?“ You nod instinctively. “Then I’ll trust you to go back on your own. Stay safe, and I’ll see you soon.“
Aunt Bon-Bon gives you a tight hug, turns around and races off back toward the school. You watch her until she disappears from view. Then you turn toward the statue and stare. Your hand reaches out toward the statue, and…
The two of you reach the statue in front of the school as you get to the part where you found Bon-Bon and Lyra. You weren’t really paying attention to her while you were talking. You take another good look at Aunt Bon-Bon’s face. She… looks like she’s in so much pain. Her face is red and twisted. You ask her if she’s alright. She looks over at you and smiles through the pain. Then drops to her knees and puts her hands on your shoulders.
“I’m… so sorry, Liza.“ She sobs and shakes her head. “I never… I only meant to come here, find Lyra, and bring her back. But…” She swallows. “At first I was angry. Then confused. Then…“ Bon-Bon’s eyes glaze over and she stares out into the distance, “She’s just like her. She’s funny. And sweet. And smart. And she cares… so much.“ Bon-Bon looks deep into your eyes, like she’s trying to see if you understand. “It was like a dream,“ she whispers. “Here… It was everything I ever wanted. It was like a dream… and I didn’t want to wake up.“ Her eyes go wide and she covers her mouth, like she said something she didn’t mean to. She breaks eye contact and sobs quietly into her hand.
Bon-Bon stands up and grabs you by the hand, “Come on. We need to get home.“ Then turns to Lyra, “I have to go.“ Lyra takes a step back, “What?” She glances at the school, “Now?“ “It’s an emergency.“ “A-alright. Sure.“ She hesitates, “Sh-should I-?“ “No. You go ahead to class. We’ll be fine.“ “Okay.“ Lyra answers slowly. Bon-Bon starts to lead you away when you hear Lyra speak up behind you, “I’ll see you later, right?“ Bon-Bon stops and closes her eyes, “Sure. I’ll see you soon.“ “Alright.“ Lyra’s voice still sounds uneasy, “Bye.“ Bon-Bon never replies. She just continues to lead you away.
You look back as you round the corner and see Lyra still just standing there. That didn’t seem like something Aunt Bon-Bon would do. You start to say something, but when you look over to her face, you see tears crawling down her cheeks. She wipes them away and asks you how you got here. You begin to tell her the whole story, beginning with when you got home from school yesterday.
…
…
…
”HEY!”
The voice sounds foreign. You’re not sure where it came from, but the pair
are both staring at you now. You’re out in the open and your hands are
clinched into fists so tight it hurts. Your entire body is trembling.
The world begins to blur, but you blink back the tears. All you can do
now is stand there.
Bon-Bon’s smile is gone. Her jaw is slack and
the color fades from her cheeks. Her hands fall to her side. Her eyes
are wide with horror. With recognition. She mouths the word “Liza“.
“Isn’t that your niece?“ You hear Lyra ask.
Bon-Bon
turns to look at Lyra, then rushes toward you. Her run is off-balanced
and she almost trips once. When she reaches you, she drops to her knees.
“Liza,
are you alright? I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” She pushes your hair
away from your bandage, “What happened to you? Are you alright?“ She
keeps repeating herself. Lyra catches up to her and bends down to
you, “Hey! Eh Tootsie, right? That’s a nasty bump you got there.” Why is
she acting like she doesn’t know you? “What are you doing here?“ Her
head is tilted to one side and she has a soft, kind smile across her
lips. Why is she acting like she doesn’t know you?
You take another look. They’re holding hands and talking. You try to find some kind of fault- some way to disprove them. The way Lyra is standing? Her weight is on one leg with her other leg spaced out behind her. Her body is tilted forward and her head is curved down. You try to picture your Lyra standing that way. Proud, but humble… it matches up perfectly. Both on four legs and on two.
But Aunt Bon-Bon is always busy. She always looks like she has something else on her mind. She’ll hardly ever look directly at you when she’s talking. You’ve watched her eyes shift down and to the left and right countless times. And sometimes she’ll pause mid-sentence when she does it too! You don’t know anypony else that does that the way she does!
You stare into this Bon-Bon’s eyes and watch her mouth. Sure enough, you catch her mouth hanging open and her eyes dart down and to the side.
They… look like Aunt Bon-Bon and Lyra. The only Bon-Bon and Lyra you’ve ever known. Smiling. Laughing. They look happy here. Happy away from Ponyville. Happy without you…
You’re not comfortable watching them kiss! Not because it’s kissing, but because it’s them kissing! It’s just so… wrong! Kissing is for when you love somepony. But all Aunt Bon-Bon and Lyra do anymore is fight! They don’t sit together. They don’t play together. They don’t even hug!
You’re frustrated and confused and angry and… scared?
You expected them to be in trouble. You thought you were going to be the hero. But now it’s like you’re watching something you can’t understand- impatiently waiting for somepony to come along and explain what’s going on. Only… nopony is coming. You feel helpless. Like a foal. Like a baby.
Why is this happening? Was this a mistake? Was it a mistake to look for them? Should you just… go?
What should you do?
Minus Princess Twilight? Okay… Well let’s see… There was Rainbow Dash. And… Um… Roseluck? Was Aunt Bon-Bon an Element of Harmony? She always seems to be busy.
As you approach the pair you quickly realize exactly why they seem so noteworthy. That mix of pink and blue next to that blend of minty green and white. That’s Aunt Bon-Bon and Lyra! You found them! Although, you still have no idea why they’re here, what they’re doing, or why they left in the first place.
You’d run over to them as fast as you could if your stupid, backward legs would let you! As you get closer you get a good look at their faces. They’re not pony faces, obviously, but it has to be them! You can see it in their eyes! There can be no doubt!
They slowly turn away from you. Fearing they might walk off you get ready to call out to them. But just before you do, Aunt Bon-Bon leans close to Lyra. Is she whispering? Telling a secret? You expect Lyra to turn her head so she can hear, but instead she copies Aunt Bon-Bon. Is this a game? Are they playing mirror?
…
You practically fall behind a column to hide yourself. You try to make sense of what you just saw, but how can you? Nothing makes sense anymore!
Yesterday you were a pony. Today you’re some kind of minotaur-dragon… thing. But this…? This is too much even for fantasy!
Aunt Bon-Bon and Lyra… kissing?
You quietly slide your pack over your shoulders and walk out of the clinic. A few steps down one hallway and a few steps down another places an exit right in front of you. You almost expect an alarm to go off when you push the door open, but everything seems clear! That was easy! Now, the hard part will probably be leaving the school’s grounds. And even if you do, where do you go from here?
That might be a little more difficult. Clothes still cost money, right?
As you step away from the building someone walks past you and heads inside. It startles you, but they barely give you a backward glance. There are other people outside, too. Probably students. You try to hide at first, but a few of them look right at you. They don’t seem to care, though. You must not look out-of-place to them.
There’s about four different groups sitting, standing, or leaning against the building. They’re talking and laughing and everyone genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves. Is this what recess looks like for big kids?
In the distance, there are two students far away from the other groups, standing very close. Something about the way the colors of their hair, skin, and clothes blend together sticks out in your mind. You head toward them.
The nurse slips behind the curtain and out of sight. You can’t hear what she’s doing, so she probably can’t hear you. You take this opportunity to stand up and practice walking back and forth. It’s… not so hard. Kind of like balancing on your forelegs if your forelegs were your hindlegs. Running is still out of the question, though.
You start to hear the nurse talking quietly and curiosity gets the better of you. One quiet step after another, you slowly sneak up to the wall next to the curtain and listen.
“If I knew that I wouldn’t have called.“ There’s a pause. “She won’t give me a phone number and she won’t tell me anything about her parents.“ Another pause. “It’s not terrible, but it could have been self-inflicted, or she was-.“ This is starting to sound bad. “I didn’t know who else to call! She’s not a student here and legally she’s not allowed on campus!“ This is starting to sound really bad. “It was either Social Services or the police. I didn’t think I’d get much out of the latter.“
Social Services?! The whole reason you started this crazy adventure was to avoid anypony getting in trouble! You can’t seem to catch a break here!
“The story isn’t consistent either. I think she’s withholding information.“
Okay, it sounds like it’s time to go. There’s a map by the door. It shows a side exit not far from where you are. Best to slip out now while she’s still busy.
You hear a bell ring just before the pair lead you into what must be the clinic. There’s a desk, a few chairs and a few of those uncomfortable school beds. The lady at the desk looks up as you enter and stands up right away.
“Goodness! What happened here?!“ Her voice and appearance reminds you of Nurse Redheart back in Ponyville. She points to one of the beds and the pair set you down on it. “She had a bit of a fall and she can’t walk on her own,“ the boy says. With a flick of her wrist, the nurse gestures for the two to back away and begins examining your bandage, “What’s her name?“ “Her name’s Tootsie, but she doesn’t go here.” The girl replies, “She said she’s Bon-Bon’s niece.“
The nurse turns her head back to look at the girl, but you could swear you saw her eyes flash in that angry way that adults do when you say something they didn’t want to hear. When she turns back to you, it’s gone, “I’ll handle this in a moment, let’s get you two back to class.“
The three of them step into the hallway. You can’t hear much of what they’re saying, but you definitely pick out, “-can’t be here. Not allowed.“ They’re out there for a while, and only the nurse comes back. She gets some things out of her desk and brings them over to you.
She talks to you while she re-bandages your cut, “Tootsie is your name, and you’re Bon-Bon’s niece. You got chased all the way here? Where are you staying?“ Uh… “Where are your parents? What’s their cell number?“ Um… “Can’t tell me that either, huh?“ She finishes with a sigh and walks over to a separation curtain, “Well, don’t worry about it right now. I need to check something; I might be a few minutes. You just relax and try to get some rest. Everything will be alright.“
The wrong Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? Is that a thing that can happen here? No one said that was a thing that can happen here. They were wearing the same clothes. Looking back maybe they were a bit… cleaner than you remember. But who knows how long you were asleep and what they could have done in that time. They work fast.
You haven’t seen Blossomforth again, yet. No one you’ve asked even recognizes the name.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon race down the hall on their hindlegs while you’re helped along in the opposite direction on yours. When you get a chance, you need to try walking on your own. You haven’t taken a single step by yourself since you got here.
As Blossomforth said before, there are posters all along the walls. There’s no ponies, or griffins, or cattle, or donkeys; they’re all the same thing. The thing you are. They’re all wearing clothes and standing or sitting in poses that look a little too happy for whatever the setting of the picture is.
“So what grade are you in?“ The boy suddenly asks. Distracted by the posters, you answer “third” without thinking. “Third year? You must be home-schooled.“ The girl rolls her eyes, “I think she meant third year of junior high.“
How old do they think you are? You can’t help but ask.
“Hmm…” The girl looks you in the eye when she answers, “Fourteen?“ The boy nods, “Yeah. Fourteen/fifteen.“
Holy crap they think you’re almost twice as old are you are! You do some math in your head as fast as you can. Fourteen to fifteen would put you in either eighth or ninth grade. That means you could pass off as a freshman! You can’t resist daydreaming for a moment about all the cool stuff you could do if you were that old.
The boy kneels down close to you, “I think… Maybe you hit your head a little harder when you tripped than you thought. Maybe you’ve seen those two before and just though you knew them?“
He pauses to check your reaction. You don’t know what to say. Looking at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon… If they are just acting like they don’t know you, it’s an award-winning performance.
“I think we need to take you to the nurse right now. Is there anyone else you might know? Anyone you could call?“
You agree to go see the nurse and mention Bon-Bon and Lyra. While the boy helps you to your feet, the girl asks how you know them. At this point if what you say isn’t true they’ll just think you’re nuts. You tell her that Bon-Bon is your aunt and her eyes go wide.
“Bon-Bon’s mentioned a niece before!“ She clasp her hands together and points to you, “Tootsie, right?“ Your expression must have given away your excitement because she smiles, “We’ll get you to the nurse and get this sorted out. Don’t you worry!“ “Can we go then?“ Diamond Tiara asks, pointing to the door, “We’re gonna to be late for class.“ The girl cringes, “Shoot! Class! Right! You two hurry along!“ She looks back to you again and helps the boy shoulder your weight while the three of you walk together, “We’ll get you to the clinic anyway. The nurse will handle the rest. She’s nice! You’ll like her!“
