My eyes slowly begin to drift open. I groan, as a splitting headache begins to form, making my pain only intensify.

"Ow... my head..." I grumble, only to hear the doorway to the strange hut open and close. Turning to face the visitor, I weakly smile, and wave a hoof at the source. "Oh... h-hey Zecora! Welcome home!"

She merely nods her head, and approaches me with a bag in her hoof.

"Lay down, Lyra, for you need your rest. Talking tomorrow would be for the best." she replies in her freakin' awesome rhyming thing.

"Seriously, how the hell does she come up with this stuff?! It's like she's a natural at rhyming!" I think to myself, but nod nonetheless, and lay back down on the bed splayed out for me.

She then approaches, and places a gentle hoof on my forehead.

"Hmm... a fever you still have, I think. I'll bring you more medicine to drink." she comments. I nod my head and wait, as she makes her way back over to the kitchen area.

A few minutes pass, but she returns to me, and offers a small bowl of... some sort of green liquid.

I take a sip, but have to force it down my throat.

"Ugh... it tastes like expired oat nuts dipped in skunk poop!" I groan.

Zecora lightly chuckles, and nods her head. "Though it may taste most vile, it will ease your fever in a very short while."

"Heh... thanks, Zecora." I then say, nodding my head in appreciation. "Umm... by the way... what took you so long while you were out getting the ingredients?"

And soon, Zecora begins filling me in on what happened. From an encounter with Timberwolves, to an encounter that, in MY opinion, might be a tad bit more scarier... Bonnie.

As she relays the last bit of information, I only hope and pray that she isn't too upset.

"I'm gonna fucking KILL that bitch!" I shout at the top of my lungs, while Sean simply sits there next to me, having come to about an hour ago.

He hasn't said anything to me about his encounter with Princess Luna, but he promised he'd explain it once we've gotten Lyra back.

He raises a finger up, but at the present I'm too upset to even notice, before adding another comment in.

"THEN I'm gonna fucking kill that ZEBRA BITCH FOR GETTING IN THE WAY!" I slam my hoof down on the couch.

Sean lowers his finger and winces as he hears the sound of the wood inside the couch crack.

"She... might need... uh... help?" he says slowly.

I jerk my head towards him and glare.

"Oh, she needs help, alright! SHE NEEDS ALL KINDS OF FUCKING HELP! AND I'VE ABOUT HAD IT BEING HER FUCKING BABYSITTER, AND ALWAYS GETTING THE SHITTY END OF THE STICK! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH HORSESHIT I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE OF HER?!" At this point I'm almost inches away from his face, which is contorting into a nervous smile.

"Yet... you're friends?" he asks.

This makes me actually think for a moment. Sure, I've had a ton of problems because of Lyra... heck, a ton is putting it LIGHTLY!

And yet... despite this, my better judgement starts to rear its head in. Memories begin to flow through my head. Memories of when Lyra and I were mere fillies.

I was just a little filly in Science Class. I was studying my book, when I heard somepony beside me.

"Psst!"

I rolled my eyes and ignored her the first time.

"Psst!"

I groaned and lifted my book even higher, hoping whoever this pest was could just take a hint, already!

"Pssssssssssssssssssssst!"

I guessed not, and groaned, turning to face the pony in question.

"What?!" I growled quietly so that the teacher didn't hear me... but I blinked in surprise when I found the mint green unicorn just staring back at me with a goofy, braced smile on her face, and two pencils sticking out of her nostrils.

"I'm a wawruth! Arf! Arf!" she said, making what I'd assumed were, walrus sounds.

I responded with a blank stare at first, but just the odd nature of this strange mare made a small smile begin to creep up on my lips.

I then rolled my eyes and looked back at my book. Minutes soon passed, until...

"Psst!"

I sighed and turned to face her, only to find the same pair of pencils had been removed from her nostrils... and placed on her horn, while being held together by a weak levitation spell.

"Now I'm a woonicorn! Neeeigh!" she whispered.

I smirked at her, before pointing at her horn. "Aren't you already a unicorn, though?"

She looked up at her forehead and giggled. "Oh, wight! I gueth I am!"

And yet, for some odd reason, that made my smile grow even more.

I then looked at my book once more, but my eyes trailed over to her... wondering what she was going to do this time.

Then she placed her pencils in her ears. I blinked owlishly at her, but looked towards my book once more, knowing what was going to come next.

"Psst!"

I immediately looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Now I'm a weindeeuh!" she said, while I internally translated it to "reindeer". She opened her mouth once more, before opening her eyes widely, and looking confused at me.

"Umm... what thound doeth a weindeeuh make?" she asked, to which I opened my mouth to respond.

...

But no words came out. I looked confusedly at her and replied, "You know... that's a pretty good question! I haven't the slightest idea!"

She gasped and, for the briefest moment, I saw stars form in her eyes. "Hey! Wanna go to the wibwary togethuh and wook it up?!" she asked.

I was about to decline... but then, something seemed different about this unicorn... and not just the pencils sticking out of her ears.

She seemed... desperate for attention. Like she was the kind of pony that nopony else wanted to play with during Recess... and considering her personality, at least at first glance, I could see why. She was socially awkward, and likely a special child.

Some part of me just wanted to protect her from the bullies in this school... I noticed a small bandage on her back-left knee, with little bits of dust gathered around it. A sure sign she was a target beforehoof.

And so, I smiled at her. "Umm... sure! Just, uh... let me finish studying, okay?"

She looked confusedly at me. "Studying? But we'uh doowing a tetht, dow! Unleth... you alweady did it?!"

I nodded my head, smiling triumphantly at the achievement of having completed a test before a unicorn. "That's correct!"

She gawked at me, clearly amazed. "Wow! You mutht be willy smawt! I couwd not evin find the ansooh yet!"

I stole a peek at her test and my ears drooped lowly. Rather than write down official answers, I noticed that she, instead, was doing a connect-the-dots puzzle she made herself... and the sketch was just as terrible as one might expect!

This would probably land her in the Special Needs class for sure!

"Umm... here, how about I help you right quick? You know... so that we can go to the library sooner!"

She smiled at that notion and nodded her head quickly and eagerly.

I then took to erasing the stupid puzzle and checking the answers, keeping an eye open for the teacher every step of the way.

Thankfully it went without a hitch. Before long, the school bell rang, and I was at least able to get her test sorted out in time... but I couldn't get my studies done in time, which would cost me during the following class.

But it didn't matter to me, at least. I had made a new friend... granted, my only friend, but hey, it counted!

When break time came, we gathered at the hallway, the weird green unicorn and I, and we began our trek down to the library.

"I'm gwad you came wiff me! To be honetht, I don't have inny fwendth, yet." she said, looking a bit downtrodden.

I gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, winning me a glance from her.

"Well hey! You've got one friend, now!" I told her.

She smiled even brighter than earlier, and squee'd. "Oh, my! Thankth, new fwiend! Uh... what'th yoouh name?"

I placed a hoof on my chest and replied, "My name is Swee... uh... Bon-Bon! Heh... yeah, my name's Bon-Bon! And what's your name, new friend?"

She imitated my gesture, nearly tripping on her own face, had I not caught her in time. She then went back to walking regularly. "My name'th Lywa! Lywa Heawt'thchwingth!" she practically butchered that last part. I couldn't blame her, though, because of the retainer. And so, I giggled and nodded my head, pretending to understand it.

"Got it. Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Lyra!"

She nodded her head. "And it'th nithe to meet you too, Bonnie!"

"Erm... Bon-Bon." I corrected.

She waved a dismissive hoof at me. "Pfft! Evewypony knowth that betht fwendth give nicknameth to each othuh!"

I rolled my eyes and smirked. "Well, I'll just stick with Lyra, simply because Lyly sounds like you like to tell lies. Deal?"

She nodded her head and giggled. "Deal!"

And as we took our first step into the library together, it was the first step towards a friendship the likes of which none could break.

Author's Notes:

Life's been busy, but here's to hoping this new chapter can make it up for y'all!

Sorry it's a bit short, but I'll try to get more coming in once all the holiday stuff's been dealt with!

Also, good news! My brother and mother have both been recovering from their surgeries nicely! I'm mostly free again, for the time-being, now that they're back up and walking, so that's a relief!