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.
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!“
[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.
Bon-Bon: My sister’s gonna kill me…
Lyra: Yeah probably. [Pause] What? Ow!
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.
Bon-Bon: You look upset. Ribbon: [Sigh] Liza’s teacher assigned one of those “who do you most admire” essays…
Bon-Bon: I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. Ribbon: It was a top five! How is your own mother not in the top five? My husband was there, of course. Lyra: I wasn’t there, was I? Ribbon: Praise Celestia, no! Lyra: Oh good. I don’t have to be in this conversation then.
Ribbon: I don’t understand… Does she hate me? Bon-Bon: Have you tried talking to her about this? Ribbon: Oh sure. That’ll go over about as well as any other time I try talking to her about literally anything. To this day, she has still avoiding explaining that unsightly knot that wound up on her head a few years ago.
Lyra: It just sounds to me like teen rebellion. You’re the authority figure. Ribbon: Well I certainly never signed up for this!
[Pause]
Bon-Bon: Technically… You literally did sign up for this. Ribbon: Yes I-… You don’t suppose that…? Liza doesn’t know does she?
Bon-Bon: She’s never made any indication to me. Lyra: Me neither. Though you have to figure she’s going to piece it together eventually. Ribbon: There is literally no reason she should ever “piece it together”! Lyra: Hey! I’ve said nothing to her! I still think it’s just teen rebellion! Ribbon: Well I hope you’re right… The last thing I want is for her to start looking for answers she’s never going to accept.
Lyra: Yee! For Nightmare Night, I’m going as Lori from Night in the Woods!
Bon-Bon: I’m going as a Will-o-Wisp. Which basically just means I’m going to be wearing a plain, white dress wrapped in blue Hearth’s Warming lights on a pulse timer.
Blossomforth: What? It was good! Cocoon was there! He’s always great! Lyra: Ugh! Cocoon is the worst villain in the show. Why does everycreature like him? Blossomforth: He’s devious and sneaky and dangerous and… he looks cool! He doesn’t just fight the heroes, he tricks them!
Raindrops: The doppelgangers were pretty cool.
Lyra: The doppelgangers were pretty cool- Blossomforth: Cocoon made them! Lyra: How?! Where was this skill acquired? And why was it never used until now?! Nevermind how much of a waste it all was. That plot thread went no where! Blossomforth: He needed to find the source of the heroes’ powers! Lyra: Which never would have worked if the heroes were acting like themselves! The writers could have done anything to fill in that gap, but instead they introduced these six doubles and dumbed down even Twain and Jacob just so everything would “work out”. Just like always! Every time Cocoon shows up the heroes act like lunatics! [Pause] No offense.
Princess Luna: We shall not feign that no injury was incurred.
Lyra: Sorry…
Princess Luna: You are forgiven.
Raindrops: Did… you watch the episode, your highness?
Princess Luna: Indeed. We found the plot structure to be rather juvenile, but resigned that the objective was comedy. And in that regard, believe a moderate success was enjoyed.
Bon-Bon: Kinda weird not being the only adult in the room for a change…
Lyra: Alright, you ready?
Bon-Bon: Not… really. How are you supposed to hold this thing? Lyra: Like this!
Bon-Bon: Oh, okay.
Lyra: Alright, so these two are your attack buttons.
Bon-Bon: What’s the difference?
Lyra: This is for your basic attacks and this is for your specials. You press this one a bunch to do your basic combo, but you can press this one in the middle of a combo to do a special move. You can also just press it whenever, usually to activate some character-specific gimmick. Oh! But sometimes you have to press it a bunch too. Both by itself and in the middle of a combo. And other times you’ll press it once, and then mash the basic one. Then you press this button to dodge, but hold it to dodge and then go into a sprint. Then you have this button that activates your super special move, if you have a full meter. I usually use it to counter an enemy if- Bon-Bon: W-which meter?
Lyra: This one! But each notch represents a separate charge for use. Then you just have your secondary weapons, your spirit focus, your lock-on, and your block button, and that’s-… Where you goin’? Bon-Bon! It’s a simple button-masher, I swear! [Pause] Ugh. Alright, Liza.
Tootsie: You know my conditions.
Lyra: Bu… but I want to play as Sheik for once!
Tootsie: You can be Toon Link.
Lyra: Blugh!
Lyra: He… [Shutter] He was an undercover guard… When I turned him in, I blew his cover. There were tons of arrests, but he said he had almost traced the source… And I ruined everything…
Bon-Bon: Lyra… I…
Lyra: He was furious. Said he never loved me. That it was all part of the act. That he secretly hated me. I don’t know how much of it was true and how much was just anger, but it hurt… It… It never stopped hurting. [Pause] And I failed. I failed Princess Celestia again. Took another 6 months before they stopped the drug trade, and however many ponies died along the away. Because of me.
Bon-Bon: It… It wasn’t your…
Lyra: After that was when I got the job
working on the castle grounds… Sometimes I wondered if it was just to
keep me out of the way. Bon-Bon: Princess Celestia wouldn’t… She couldn’t have blamed you.
Lyra:
I spent all my bits getting drunk. I wanted to forget everything.
Everything that happened; everything I was- If I could… If I could
just be somepony else… It didn’t work…
Lyra: I’m still alive, but I can’t speak to her. I don’t deserve to. Any social event she’s at I make it a point to avoid her. Whenever I’m involved I just make things worse for her…
Bon-Bon: And how do you think that makes her feel? Avoiding her, I mean.
Lyra: Relieved? Bon-Bon: Relieved… Does that sound like Princess Celestia? Look, I can’t speak on behalf of the princess… but I’m gonna! Princess Celestia loves you! You may not have believed in yourself, but all those things you said to that imposter were true. I’m sorry about what happened, but I can’t believe you allowed this to stand between you two! You need to reunite. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but this… This can’t end like this. And I know she wouldn’t want it to…
Bon-Bon: Hey, Lyra.
[Pause]
Lyra: Hey, Bon-Bon.
Bon-Bon: We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.
[Pause]
Lyra: So… How was the play?
Bon-Bon: I didn’t go. I caught Raindrops after the show. She said Princess Celestia wasn’t even in it. She was behind-the-scenes working stage direction. Said it was good, though.
Lyra: I’m sorry…
Bon-Bon: Raindrops is the one you should be apologizing to. You never promised me you were going to be there. [Pause] I get it. It’s one of those “complicated things”. No use in even asking, so I won’t.
Lyra: I just… I don’t deserve to be around her…
Bon-Bon: Why? Princess Celestia raises the sun for everypony, not just you.
Lyra: It’s not the same.
Bon-Bon: Why? Without her none of us would be here. All of us owe our lives to her, not just you.
Lyra: It’s more personal than that.
Bon-Bon: Why? Because she gave you a place to stay? Your actions contributed to the eventual end of the gangs in Canterlot! You can’t seriously believe you owe anything! You spoke out and turned in your own coltfriend! [Long Pause] That was another lie… wasn’t it?
Lyra: Welp! Here it is, Drops! Raindrops: Please don’t call me that.
Lyra: Here it is, Rains!
Raindrops: Oh my. That’s disturbing.
Lyra: Yeah, definite changeling error. But thankfully it was just a reformed changeling trying to blend in. Funny enough, there was also an alicornoperating landing lights at the airport. Didn’t get a picture of that one, but another false alarm.
Raindrops: I see. Is this why you left so suddenly?
Bon-Bon/Lyra: No!
Bon-Bon: We were just- Lyra: It was a-
Lyra: Contest! Bon-Bon: Vaca- Yes! Contest!
Raindrops: Ah-kay. At first I thought maybe it was ‘cause of your birthday.
Bon-Bon: It was! Lyra: Yes! Bon-Bon: Birthday Contest! Lyra: Grand prize! Bon-Bon: All expenses paid! Lyra: Just not for very long! Bon-Bon/Lyra: Haha!
Raindrops: Oh… Ah-kay.
Bon-Bon: So then I said, “No no. Oatmeal is completely normal.“
Lyra: Uh huh.
Bon-Bon: She argued for a bit about whether or not that would make it a muffin, but once I explained that you could still put icing on it she seemed to reluctantly accept.
Lyra: Greaaat…
Lyra: Oh, say Bon-Bon.
Bon-Bon: Mmhm.
Lyra: Remember that time Rainbow Dash flew in out of nowhere and ruined our souvenir photos while screaming like a mad mare?
Bon-Bon: Well, if I ever manage to forget we have the photos to remember it by.
