Bonfire

Chapter I: Candy Maker

“Good morning hun” Bonbon said pouring Lyra a cup of coffee. “You still look tired, you sure you want to go out today?”

“Yes, I just had some nightmares last night, kinda restless from them still” she said as she downed the entire cup of coffee with one gulp.

“What were the nightmares about?”

“Oh well, Zecora is really frightening you know. Always talking in rhymes, making weird potions and living in the Everfree forest like its the safest place ever.”

“I can understand that hun but we need her help for herb hunting, this new experimental energy candy I'm developing for the Wonder Bolts is a big contract. I don’t want to lose it to sugar cube corner.”

“I guess so, we still have that voice change joke candy but sales have been faltering lately. Seems our only customers for it are Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash” Lyra said.

“Well, they are the top pranksters in this town but you can only get ponies with the same prank so many times. This new energy candy I been working on should put us back in the green again.”

Bonbon poured herself and Lyra another cup of coffee then trotted over to her recipe books and pulled out a red book with many yellow notes sticking out the side. She placed it on the front counter by Lyra and opened it to page one hundred forty five.

Reading over the notes Lyra had a puzzled expression on her face “one dragon scale, where am I going to get dragon scales?”

“Well spike should start molting in a couple days, you can ask him for a few spare scales.”

Lyra picked up a clipboard, quill and ink from underneath the register in the next room with her magic and floated it to her. As she started scribbling down the ingredients she noticed something odd as she turned the page.

“Uhh Bonbon?”

“Yes dear?”

“Some of these ingredients are really odd.”

“Oh I’m sure you will manage dear. Making prototype candy is always an adventure.”

Bonbon headed into the kitchen and started setting up a cauldron above a large wood burning furnace and started to fill it with buckets of water, sugar and other hard candy elements. Lyra walked in and stared at the large cauldron for a second before asking the question “Wait you’re doing a large batch first? How far along is this experimental candy of yours?”

“Oh it’s actually nearly complete, I just need to work the bland taste out of it.”

A ring at the front door signaled to both mares that a customer had entered shop. Lyra walked out of the kitchen and to the front desk where she left the ingredient book to find Apple Bloom leaning on counter reading Bonbon's ingredient book.

“Apple Bloom how many times do I have to tell you those are candy making secrets, not for curious little fillies to be going through.”

“I’m sorry miss Heartstrings, it’s just really exciting n all to learn new recipes.”

Lyra smiled at Apple Bloom and set the book on the left of the counter, failing to notice the book on page one hundred forty nine. Lyra glanced over the page and scratched her head with her hoof.

Oh looks like I missed a few ingredients

Lyra grabbed her clipboard and started jotting down the missing ingredients.

hearts desire, rainbow musk, estrus root, wow Bonbons going all out on this. I never even heard of estrus root.

Putting her clipboard down Lyra turned back to Apple Bloom who was busy filling her shopping basket with fire candy and mint surprise from the large displays opposite the register.

“Whoa there little filly, you sure you have enough bits to cover all those?”

Apple bloom walked up to the counter and shaked her mane over the counter top. Five, seven and then ten bits fell out onto the counter from her little pink bow. “Is this enough miss Heartstrings?”

“Can you place the basket up here on the counter Apple Bloom, I need to add up the total.”Apple Bloom set the basket full of candy on the counter and Lyra started typing up the total cost on her register while Apple Bloom waited.
“Total comes to thirteen bits and one silver shilling.” Apple Bloom leaned up on the counter and shook her head again trying to get more money to fall out off her mane bow. Only one extra shilling and three copper pence fell out.

“Oh, I guess I don’t have enough bits for em all huh?” Apple Bloom said looking up at Lyra with big sad puppy eyes.

Lyra yelled back at Bonbon asking how many bits it cost them to make the last batch of fire candy and mint surprise.
“Oh those are easy to make, mint surprise only costs two bits per three dozen and fire candy about the same” Bonbon yelled back. Lyra recounted the candy in Apple Blooms basket and came up with store cost of five bits.

“Tell ya what little one, I’ll make a deal with you. You can have that entire basket for six bits if you take those fliers advertising our new energy candy and pass them around to your friends. I’ll even throw in a dozen joke voice candy for free.”

Apple Bloom could barely contain her joy as she jumped up in the air yelling “Deal!” She quickly picked up her remaining money, set it in her bow and walked over to the door picking up a dozen fliers. As she exited the shop she tossed her dozen joke candy into her basket along with the fliers.

Turning her head as she opened the door out she smiled heartily “Thanks a lot miss Heartstrings I’ll get right on passing these around to my friends after school.”

“No problem Apple Bloom, tell your sister I said hi for me.”

Apple Bloom gave another wave before picking up her basket and heading out the door. Moments later Bonbon walked into the room beaming at Lyra.

“That was so nice of you hun. I bet he friends will drop buy after she tells them you cut her such a good deal."

“Oh, it’s much more than that, we made a profit and got free advertising. I doubt anyone can resist her puppy dog eyes.”

“She used those on you didn’t she?”

“Yep. Anyways I better get my saddlebags, don’t want to keep Zecora waiting too long, lest I get a angry rhyming rant I can’t understand.”

Bonbon gave a little giggle as Lyra levitated her green saddlebags off the hat rack by the door onto her back. Levitating her clipboard into her bags along with some bits for the ingredients she couldn’t find.

Lyra gave Bonbon a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you later today hun with the ingredients we need. You can handle shop on your own right?”

“Yes Lyra I’m sure I can handle all four ponies that come in each day” Bonbon replied sarcastically.

Lyra gave Bonbon another peck on the cheek and opened the door waving goodbye. As she left Bonbon looked at the open recipe book quizzically.

I don’t remember that step, must have been a late night addendum I forgot about

Bonbon picked up the book and carried it into the kitchen. Setting it down on the counter she got back to work stirring the cauldron for her new experimental candy.