Forever and Always Together

Chapter 2

Strange Surroundings

Lyra slowly opened her eyes and was a little confused to find herself laying on a mattress with clean sheets. Since she was just waking up she couldn’t immediately remember how she arrived here in this bed. But after having the best sleep she had in weeks she couldn’t bring herself to get up just yet.

After enjoying the comfy mattress a little while longer she finally sat up and studied her surroundings. Lyra didn’t recognize the room or any of its belongings, at first. It took her a moment to remember that this was Bon Bon’s house, and it was then that she remembered everything.

Last night Bon Bon proved a very generous host, despite their rough start. After Lyra bathed for the first time in days Bon Bon prepared a delicious meal and then offered her bed for Lyra to sleep in. The unicorn must have fallen asleep quickly because it was all pretty vague in her memory. In that instant, Lyra because curious where Bon Bon was and tossed aside her covers to get up and find out.

She opened the bedroom door which stepped out onto a flight of stairs that she descended. Arriving in the living room, she began to remember the very colorful decor of Bon Bon’s house she saw last evening. Bon Bon seemed to have a good eye for simple complimentary colors that made her house warm but not too showy.

Lyra thought it was very nice. But after checking around the living room and inside the kitchen she was surprised Bon Bon was nowhere to be seen. She was just not home.

“Bon Bon!” she called.

It was strange being alone in somepony else’s house. It made Lyra feel like an intruder. After turning around, she found the grandfather clock and was alarmed when she saw the time.

“Oh my gosh, I slept straight through till eleven in the morning!” she exclaimed. Turning around, she suddenly found a note she didn’t notice before on the table and picked it up with her magic. All her questions were finally answered when she read it.

“Dear Lyra, You’re certainly a heavy sleeper. Since you’ll probably be asleep for a little while longer I’ve decided to head out and open my candy shop. Help yourself to anything if you’re hungry, and please lock up if you head out. Bon Bon.”

Lyra didn’t know what to think when she reached the end of the note. Having this nice house all to herself for the whole day felt awkward. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel thankful somepony was generous enough to trust her with it and let her stay here alone.

Lyra put the note down and noticed a few pictures sitting on the table before her. They were pictures of a happy family that included Bon Bon a couple of times. Lyra saw her roommate’s mother, father, aunts, uncles and cousins, but Bon Bon looked uncomfortable having her picture taken with them. The unicorn finally found a picture of Bon Bon alone with only the slightest hint of a grin, but it was hardly the pearly white smile she remembered from yesterday.

With dreamy eyes, Lyra bent down and couldn’t resist looked at the beautiful mare. “Bon Bon, you are the nicest pony I’ve met since coming to Ponyville,” she smiled.

Bon Bon rolled a gum ball across the counter as she minded her candy store. Business was slow for the past two hours since she opened, but the earth pony didn’t complain. It would have been nice if business could pick up soon, but all her thoughts were focused on the same thing.

“Lyra Heartstrings,” she mumbled to herself. “Beautiful name. I wonder how I happened to meet a mare such a her.”

Suddenly, the bell over the door jingled and Bon Bon snapped out of her dreamy trance just in time to see a customer stepping inside. It was an earth pony, the same as herself; an orange mare with a yellow mane and a cowboy hat.

It was Applejack, a country talking pony who didn’t look to be in a friendly mood as she came storming up to the counter. “It’s Bon Bon, ain’t it?” she asked.

Bon Bon wasn’t immediately sure how to react. “Uh... yes it is,” she answered. “Welcome to my emporium. Anything I can help you with?”

“I have a bone to pick with you!” Applejack interrupted. “I want to talk to you about the way you were to Apple Bloom when she was visitin’ your shop yesterday!”

It took Bon Bon a moment to realize what Applejack was talking about. After she did, the candy pony suddenly felt cross. “She and her friends made a complete mess out of my store!” she responded. “How do you expect me to react when three fillies come in here and wreck everything?”

“They’re just youngens!” Applejack stated. “They make a mess out of my farm at least once every other week when the Crusaders are trying to earn their cuties marks! It’s one thing to get mad at them but it’s another to scream your lungs out at them! Apple Bloom needed some real cheerin’ up to keep her from endin’ the club all together.”

Bon Bon tried to think back on the way she must have yelled at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Business was stressful, whether she had no customers or was forced to put up with their incompetence. The last thing she wanted were three fillies trying to earn their cutie marks in candy making.

“I hope yall are proud of the way you hurt my little sister’s feelings,” Applejack said aloud.

Bon Bon took a moment before she raised her head and spoke. “I’m sorry,” she responded.

Upon hearing that, Applejack almost couldn’t believe her ears. She was almost convinced she didn’t hear Bon Bon correctly. “Pardon my askin’, but what did you just say?”

“I said I was sorry,” Bon Bon said again, growing impatient.

Applejack still had trouble digesting this. “Forgive me for mentionin’ it, but I’ve never heard you apologize for anythin’ in your life Bon Bon. What’s this here all about?”

Bon Bon lowered her head to the counter and sighed deeply. The thought of what happened yesterday seriously bothered her. “I wasn’t quite myself,” she eventually said. “Business was slow and three fillies asking to help me in the kitchen was the last thing I needed to make my day even worse. But I suppose I was maybe too hard on them. It’s not entirely their fault that they want their cutie marks so badly.”

Applejack nodded. Her sister and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had tried for so long that they were resorting to desperate measures to get their cutie marks and it was worrying the apple farmer they would get into some very bad trouble one of these days.

Still, Applejack wasn’t quite satisfied with Bon Bon’s apology. “What brought this feelin’ of forgiveness on so suddenly?” she asked. “The town gossipers don’t speak very favorably about your temper Ms. Bon Bon.”

Bon Bon didn’t like the sound of those words but went ahead and answered anyway. “Maybe they’re right,” she said. “I normally keep to myself but I found this special somepony yesterday who I feel very excited about.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “No kiddin’,” she smiled. “Is he handsome?”

Bon Bon was starting to feel really awkward getting down to the specifics. Nervous of what Applejack might think, she tried steering away from that question. “I found this somepony at the park yesterday evening. Since that pony had no home I invited them to my house for the night and decided they could stay.”

Applejack couldn’t help notice something strange in the way Bon Bon was wording her sentences, but something even more serious gave her reason for concern. “You saying this somepony had no place to live?” she asked.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Bon Bon answered.

Applejack hesitated. “You best be careful!” she exclaimed. “Inviting homeless ponies to your house like that... you might want to be cautious of them stealing your things.”

Bon Bon was surprised. The thought never occurred to her. Now that she thought about it, she hardly knew anything about Lyra. When they met just yesterday Bon Bon was simply taken by how much she liked her, and there weren’t very many ponies Bon Bon liked.

Applejack could tell by Bon Bon’s expression that the thought worried her. Feeling a little awkward to get back on subject at the time like this, she quickly said the last thing she wanted to get across. “Bon Bon, I’m going to send Apple Bloom over to your shop later so she can hear the apology straight from you. She needs to know you’re sincere. Can I count on you?”

Bon Bon was a little afraid from her unattended house, but nodded her head in response to Applejack’s question. “She can come any time,” she agreed. “I promise I won’t get mad at her the same as before.”

“That’s good,” Applejack said. Making her way towards the door she was about to step out before turning and looking at Bon Bon one last time. “I noticed your attitude seems mighty improved since you found this special somepony. Hope he’s everything you look for in a good stallion.”

Bon Bon grinned, a little nervous of the truth, but happy for the compliment all the same. When the door closed, Bon Bon stood there feeling awkward. She rested an elbow against the counter and couldn’t help but doubt her own feelings as she pondered.

“Lyra couldn’t be my special somepony,” she mumbled. “She probably isn’t that kind of mare anyways. It’s stupid of me to think so.”

Bon Bon couldn’t help but think of the loneliness in her past that had always made her appear distant to other ponies who never got to know her. That was before she came to Ponyville, but even the neighbors and townsfolk preferred to avoid her before even getting to know her. Her short temper was so apparent that she stopped caring to make friends after a while. Only after she met Lyra did Bon Bon realize these problems she had with other ponies.

But her antisocial flaws became the least of her problems when Bon Bon began picturing how Lyra might be stealing her possessions and leaving with them right now. The first mare she ever got along with... it was too easy to believe that it might actually be happening.

After the possibility became too realistic for her, Bon Bon hurried from behind the counter and put the ‘back in 5 minutes’ sign on the door as she ran out. Galloping down the streets of Ponyville, she hoped she wasn’t too late to catch Lyra. It was quite a gallop across town from her shop to her house, but she rounded every turn and cut every corner without slowing down until she arrived her street. When she came into view of her house Bon Bon came just in time to see Lyra stepping outside.

The minty green unicorn didn’t looked like she had anything valuable on her, but Bon Bon noticed she was carrying a letter that made her concerned. When Bon Bon came galloping towards her, Lyra noticed the cream colored pony just as she reached the mailbox. When Bon Bon came to a halt Lyra was happy to see her.

“Oh, hi Bon Bon,” she smiled. “I didn’t expect you back so early.”

Bon Bon was a little short of breath when she finally caught up with her. “I just needed a break from the shop for a while,” she lied. “I just thought I’d pay a visit to my new friend... you know... to see how you’re settling in.”

Lyra chuckled. “I’m settling in very well,” she smiled. “Thank you very much for lending me your bed. It’s the first time I slept on one in a while.”

Bon Bon nodded. She tried thinking of a reason to believe Lyra was up to no good, but the always easy-going pony seemed too cheerful to be suspected of anything suspicious. Lyra seemed happy-as-could-be and not alarmed at all by Bon Bon’s return. It wasn’t long before the mare took note of the letter Lyra was holding with her magic and became curious of it.

“What’s that you were mailing?” she asked.

“Oh, this?” Lyra said. “This is a letter I was writing to my Mom in Canterlot. I send her a letter every few days or so. I... have to confess, I haven’t been completely honest about some of the details. I don’t want her to worry, of course. But, I’m excited to report this time that I have nothing but good news to tell her. Care to listen?”

In all honestly, Bon Bon didn’t really care to know at the minute, but decided it couldn’t hurt. As long as Lyra proved she wasn’t up to anything it was fine with her. After nodding her head, Lyra opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Clearing her throat, the unicorn started at the beginning and read aloud. “Dear Mom, Thank you very much for answering all my letters and telling me how you're doing. My time in Ponyville has been totally awesome and I’m very happy to be here. Just yesterday, I met the nicest pony, Bon Bon. We had a bit of a run in, but when I apologized for an accident I caused she became the most wonderful pony you could possibly imagine. Anyways, since my old landlord was getting very fussy, Bon Bon invited me to stay at her place so we could be like roommates and I already enjoy it very much. She is very sweet and also a terrific decorator and a great cook. But she also seems misunderstood because nopony else cares to be friends with her. Not me. I think she’s a wonderful friend to have. I hope I’ll be just as good a friend in return, but who can say? Anyways, I just want you to know that I love it here in Ponyville and I hope you’ll write back to me as soon as you can. Love, your loving daughter, Lyra.”

After the letter was read, Bon Bon almost didn’t know what to say. Her eyes began to water and her heart was overwhelmed by the kind words Lyra said about her. They were hardly words of poetry but they were more than anypony else had ever written about her before.

Lyra seemed oblivious to Bon Bon’s silent gaze as she awaited her friend’s critique. “So, what do you think?” she asked. “Does it seem a little sappy? Should I rewrite it?”

“No! Go ahead... please. I think it’s perfect,” Bon Bon smiled. “I’m sure your parents will love it immensely.”

Lyra shrugged and put the letter back in its envelope. As she put it into the mailbox Bon Bon actually found herself leaning closer to make sure it was safe. After the door was closed shut Lyra looked up at Bon Bon with her always cheerful smile. “By the way, thanks again,” she said. “I really mean it. It means a lot to me; you letting me stay the night and everything.”

“No, don’t mention it,” Bon Bon answered, holding back a tear. “Stay as long as you like.”