Kisses and Crinkles

Chapters

Friday
Saturday
Sunday - fall
Sunday - dirge
Sunday - strife
Sunday - scrap
Sunday - glint
Sunday - blaze
Sunday - rise
Sunday - live
Sunday - soar

Friday

The clattering of metal rang sharply against the tiles of the kitchen walls as Bon Bon flinched back from the spray of water. Grumbling, she bent back into the cauldron, lifting one of her hind legs to be able to reach the hose that was now spraying its water along the bottom. Rising back out of the metal pot, she lifted the shower head to her mouth and turned the little rotary valve with her teeth. The last drops of the cold water that issued from the hose ran over her hoof, making her shiver.

Bon Bon sighed as the water escaped the large metal vessel through the drain at the bottom, leaving single drops twinkling golden against the brushed metal in the light of the sunset. No matter how exhausted she felt, it had still been a good week. Their faces were so happy as everypony munched on the new variations she had produced, her drive to find out what she was capable of doing with the usually soft and sweet taffies creating new and exciting tastes never heard of before. She hadn’t really noticed at times, hunkered down at the table between her cauldrons, staring at the local fruit and exotic spices sprawled out before her, her brain operating at full stretch analyzing and combining the ingredients and their effects and chemical properties. But whenever Bon Bon stepped out of her kitchen, entering the other half of the building that was the salesroom, the sight of the space filled to the brim with ponies of all colors, chatting excitedly about how they loved the lemon-ginger flavour, or how weird the vegetables one tasted, left her speechless. Little fillies and colts laughed freely as they watched Bon Bon’s wife energetically fill paper bags with the wondrous sweets, the little shovel floating around frantically, retrieving a multi-colored mixture of variations from all corners of the rapidly emptying display table.

When Lyra turned around from the counter, seeing Bon Bon holding the overfull strainer with the next batch of taffies in her mouth, looking zoned out, she gave her a reassuring smile, catching her eyes with a look of affection that could only occur between two true lovers. “You’re doing so great, honey,” she said as she took the strainer in her magical grasp. When Bon Bon’s mouth was free, Lyra bent forward and planted a vigorous kiss square on her muzzle. The kiss couldn’t ever have lasted long enough. As Bon Bon watched her wife pour the sweets onto the slanted display table, the ponies who were closest broke from grinning at their public display of affection to be the first to try out the new and unknown taste that was rolling down the slanted trays towards them. At this moment, Bon Bon was reaffirmed that she would rather be nowhere else but right here.

The dish towel, that usually shone a chipper blue, was almost completely black in the golden light flooding the room from the row of windows around the back entrance as Bon Bon lifted it away from her face. While she usually used the towel to quickly dry off freshly washed cooking utensils, right now she had elected to just sit down and wipe the aftermath of the cleanup off herself. She breathed deeply as she pushed erratic strands of hair out of her vision and behind her ears to rejoin the rest of her curly mane.

The towel landed in a basket after she stood up. Bon Bon was finished. While not everything had been cleaned completely, her muscles ached, and the most important parts had been done so it wouldn’t hurt to leave the rest for next week. She had sent Lyra home early, against her insistence to continue helping out at the shop, asking her to tidy up the house and prepare some dinner instead. Bon Bon wanted nothing more right now than to go home and spend time with her beloved wife.
The saddlebag was light as she pulled the strap fastened with her teeth, only containing notes and scribbles she didn’t want to throw out. She felt the stress starting to melt away as she basked in the stillness of her empty shop after she closed the door to the kitchen. The display cases, racks and sitting tables were almost empty, preparing to rest unmovingly over the weekend. The last jingle rang as Bon Bon opened the front door and stepped out into the cool breeze of the late afternoon, letting the door fall shut with a click behind her.

The clip-clop of her hooves resounded against the cobblestone as Bon Bon navigated along the Ponyville plaza, long familiar stone and brick buildings standing firm, as if to reassure her the silent motionless giants would keep the world intact until tomorrow. Lily was waving her hoof from the garden centre as she watered the supple screen of ornamental plants that covered the store’s front with the little watering can in her mouth. She congratulated Bon Bon for the successful event, both her and the florists had seen so many more customers interested in getting plants and flowers for their homes over the week. It had to have something to do with Bon Bon’s sweets, they made ponies crave for a fresh breath of colorful and juicy plants around their houses. As she happily chattered on, Lily indicated down the alley, towards the town’s glass house complex shimmering brightly in the golden glow, where the two florists were busying themselves around a cart, waving at Bon Bon as they heard the voices of their conversation.

After exchanging laughs, wishing each other good weekends and reminding each other of the rainfall on Sunday, Bon Bon turned to canter past beautiful flower beds surrounding the luscious green patches of grass that formed the park. The fountain murmured gently at the ponies passing by, their heads low from exhaustion, their hooves carrying them to their homes to spend some days refreshing themselves for the adventures that awaited them next week.

The familiar trek through the alleyway past the antique store took Bon Bon at least twice as long as she kept a comfortably slow pace. The craftspony district, during the day busy and bustling from wares, customers and traders, gave way to a more spacious and peaceful collection of houses, lush gardens caressing the various cozy buildings that ponies and families called their homes, as Bon Bon left the town center. Her hooves carried her along the cobblestone road as she passed houses wide and tall, balconies and cellars, freshly painted shingles and grubby old walls. She waved to all the ponies on the way as she considered them all her neighbours, fillies and colts cheerfully playing around a swing set, stallions happily chatting on the porch and raising their cups of ale in greeting to her passing, the big and old cherry tree doing its best to supply her with spotty shadow as she passed underneath, North Wind being enraptured in another book as she sat on the edge of her cloud home that was gently floating above, her hooves dangling in the breeze.

Warmth filled her heart as the houses grew more sparse and gave way to Bon Bon’s home, their little two-story cottage standing peacefully next to the shivering old oak, the only tree that made it this far out from the forest bordering on the town. She savoured the view of their house, the chimney issuing forth small billows of white smoke that brightly caught the sunlight, long vines hanging from the balcony above the entrance, framing the glossy polished wooden door as it guarded the portal into their own little world inside the building made of sturdy, heavy old wood. All that they had been through, all that they had to prove, all the intimacies that they shared, all the work that had went into this house, Bon Bon reveled in the absolute certainty that she wanted to live here with nopony else than her friend, her love, her wife, Lyra. She patiently wiped the dust off her hooves against the bristles of the doormat before she finally pushed open the door.

“Hey, Lyra!” Bon Bon’s voice came out weaker than she had hoped. Nonetheless, a commotion sounded from the end of the hallway, the end of the kitchen counter visible through the open door, as metal cutlery clattered against wood. Ample illumination came as golden light from the sun shining through the common room to her right and the calming white of the magelights that hung above the door behind her and in the dining room to her left. Through the doorway, Lyra’s head popped up above the polished dining table in the passageway to the kitchen, regarding Bon Bon excitedly.

“Are you finished?”, Lyra asked excitedly.

“Yeah, the shop is closed,” Bon Bon answered and sighed, “I think I’m really ready to relax right now.”

“Oh that’s so cool,” Lyra exclaimed, “don’t worry honey, we’re gonna relax all weekend. You’re gonna be so relaxed you won’t even-- hey wait!”

Bon Bon froze mid-movement, having bowed her head down to unfasten her saddlebags. Lyra immediately jumped into the dining room and trotted around the table toward Bon Bon, her horn aglow as she grabbed something outside of her view. As Lyra stepped into the hallway, Bon Bon’s suspicion as to what got her so excited was only confirmed as her flank came into her view, the lyre cutie mark half covered by the foalish article of clothing, the sight of which made Bon Bon’s heart flutter in delight.

Lyra stepped up to Bon Bon and said in a mock authoritative tone, “I decree that the relaxing begins right now!” She bent forward and locked lips with Bon Bon, pressing her muzzle against her wife’s in an affectionate smooch. After pulling back, she said more gently, “You deserve it, Bon Bon.”

“Thank you so much, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, feeling her eyes well up at her wife’s unimpeded kindness. “You were such a help, you know. At the shop. You stayed with me the entire week.”

“Hey, it was a team effort,” Lyra replied, “I couldn’t just leave you there alone while you had the time of your life. Besides, one hoof washes the other, right?” To underline her question, Lyra happily wiggled her hindquarters, eliciting the familiar crinkle that evoked so many pleasant emotions inside Bon Bon.

Her giggle came out much louder than Bon Bon had planned, her elation amplified by the excitement she felt at what was about to happen. “The time of my life,” Bon Bon said, “is every time I am with you.” She gave a quick peck to Lyra’s muzzle.

“Aaaaawwwwww…” Lyra felt her cheeks grow hot, “that’s so charming. We really need to get started before you swoon me off my hooves. Come on, Bon Bon!” With that, she floated the item she had held in her telekinesis in front of Bon Bon’s face.

Bon Bon immediately recognized the plain pink pacifier that floated tantalizingly in front of her. It was just like a foal’s, only way larger, intended for use by a fully grown pony. They had gotten a set of them from Healing Herb, who had procured them from the hospital stores. Something about the ongoing plastic overproduction, but since she had been familiar with Lyra and Bon Bon’s intimate habits, she had offered the items to them, knowing that barely anypony else would have much interest. Of course they had bought a large portion of the pacifiers without hesitation.

Bon Bon’s heart beat faster as she regarded the ocher rubber nipple, its shape practically begging for it to be suckled and chewed upon. No matter how often they had done this together in the past, the anticipation was still as overwhelming as the first time they had discovered each other. Bon Bon was trembling as she slowly opened her mouth, her wife’s golden eyes staring at her, her cute little muzzle smiling in pure encouragement and affection. Bon Bon was so happy to have her. She leaned forward and bit down on the pacifier, the rubber nipple offering the most gentle resistance against her teeth as it comfortably rested against her tongue. She closed her lips around the soft nipple and gave her first foalish suckle, the pink plastic plate pushing against her mouth as the pacifier snugly filled the better part of her muzzle.

Adult Bon Bon took the back seat as she let foal Bon Bon take over. Lyra knew exactly what was going on as the goofy smile spread across her lover’s face, her eyes glinting with innocent excitement as the worries of the world slipped away. Her heart was filled with an elating warmth at seeing Bon Bon relax like this.

“Who’s my cute little filly?” Lyra asked playfully as she nuzzled Bon Bon’s pacifier, “You are!!” Bon Bon couldn’t resist giggling at the sight of Lyra’s face and the sound of her voice so close to herself. She broke into all-out laughter as Lyra bent down to undo her saddlebags.

“Let’s just get this thing off you … “, Lyra said. Bon Bon didn’t know why this was so funny. “And done!” Lyra said as the saddlebags, enveloped in Lyra’s yellow aura, slid off the back of the guffawing big filly and landed at the foot of the coat hanger. She couldn’t help but to chuckle along herself at Bon Bon’s carefree happiness before she stepped back.

“Wanna have one of these bad boys?” Lyra asked, lifting her hind leg with a crinkle, showing off the diaper that hugged her hindquarters.

Bon Bon’s eyes grew wide. “Yes. Yes please!” Bon Bon said excitedly around her pacifier, “I wanna have one too…”

“Well then come on,” Lyra said grinning as she trotted into the common room, “let’s get you diapered, Bon Bon, like every foal should be.”

The floorboards creaked as Bon Bon jumped after Lyra at that statement. She stayed close behind her, trembling with giddiness, the vigorous suckling of her pacifier almost happening instinctively already. As they made their way to the top of the stairs along the inner wall, Lyra was swishing her tail eagerly in excitement. Her diaper was already a little bloated between her hind legs, the slight discoloration indicating that she had already relieved herself in it before. That made Bon Bon consider as they reached the upper floor, her hooves falling on the plush carpet.

“Lyra, I uh, maybe I should, uhm … before w-we …. I have to… “, she stammered around her pacifier.

“What do you have to?” Lyra asked as she made her way straight towards the bedroom door along the wall opposite to the stairs. The sun shone in a steep angle through the windows along the walkway to their right, the long hall connecting the glass wall that opened to the front balcony to the door that led to the back balcony. Bon Bon looked at the little coffee table to their left, standing before the balcony and next to their little bookshelf, sitting at which they had spent entire evenings before. Past the table went another short hallway, permitting access to the door leading to their washroom, the place Bon Bon was trying to get Lyra to think about.

“Um, I have t-to go potty…”, Bon Bon said meekly.

Lyra barely even looked at her. “Great! I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy it!” She happily pushed open the door to their bedroom. Since the room had no windows on the west side, it was lit by the small crystal on the ceiling emitting a gentle magelight as soon as Lyra touched her hoof against the little control box on the wall next to the door. The light illuminated their messy bed and the cabinets and wardrobes, but most importantly right now, Lyra’s obvious destination, the oversized foal changing table.

Bon Bon ducked into the room behind her, still in amazement of how Lyra treated the realization of her most intimate secret desires so naturally without effort or hesitation. She only caught up to Lyra as she stood before her, tapping the plastic cover over the foam mattress on top of the changing table while looking at her expectantly. Bon Bon couldn’t resist showing her gratitude once more by kissing Lyra on the cheek, but instead she foalishly pressed the plastic plate in front of her muzzle into Lyra’s face and kissed her pacifier.

Lyra could only chuckle in delight at her little filly’s antics and gave her a smooch on her cheek in turn, before she said, “Come on, Bon Bon, up you go!”

Bon Bon eyed the white plastic of the diapers stacked in the tray below, particularly the top one of which she knew it would be embracing her soon, before she put her forelegs on top of the changing table and clambered up, careful not to disturb the little shelves with the supplies under the table or the metal waste bin with the push-down lid right next to it, which they had designated their official diaper pail long ago. Lyra could plainly see that Bon Bon had already unveiled herself, having no control over who could see her privates, just like the foal she was.

Bon Bon sat down in the middle of the plastic mat, sinking slightly into the soft foam beneath, and took a moment to inhale deeply before laying back on top of her tail. She spread her hind legs far apart, fully exposing her intimate parts to Lyra, before she looked at her expectantly, the pink pacifier softly moving in her mouth.

Lyra nuzzled her once against the cheek, eliciting a cute giggle from Bon Bon, as she unscrewed the skin cream under the table. She could have tried doing this by magic, but why miss out on all the fun? Bon Bon moaned a little as Lyra’s hoof pushed the glob of skin cream into her crotch. She had her eyes closed, obviously enjoying the moment to its fullest. Lyra noticed how very warm Bon Bon’s mare parts already had become in excitement, as she gently covered her coat with the cream. Not wanting to bar her love from her ultimate fantasy any longer than needed, she quickly grasped both Bon Bon’s hind hooves in her free foreleg and leaned in, pushing them towards her chest. Bon Bon’s hindquarters lifted up from the changing table, naturally spreading her butt cheeks apart. Lyra gently placed her other hoof against Bon Bon, smoothly spreading the rest of the skin cream across the exposed soft pink flesh. She wiped her hooves clean of the cream on the fur on Bon Bon’s butt as she floated the most important piece of the ritual up from under the table.

Bon Bon giggled amusedly as Lyra had to sway her head back and forth to shake the diaper open in her magical grasp and fluff it out. Soon, the diaper presented its interior to the mares, its hourglass shape with the notch on the bigger end leaving no question as to where it was supposed to go. Lyra felt satisfied at being able to do this for her, as the diaper finally slid under Bon Bon, the base of her tail fitting perfectly into the little opening, before she lowered her body back down onto the soft fluff. Bon Bon sighed deeply, feeling the firm kiss of the diaper against her nether lips as Lyra pulled it up between her hind legs. After she flattened the diaper front against Bon Bon’s belly, the unmistakable ripping sound that accompanied every foal change rang out in the room before Lyra rubbed the tape stuck along her waist. Another rip, another crinkle, and the other side of the diaper was fastened securely against Bon Bon’s hips.

Bon Bon felt that Lyra was already breathing heavily too as she leaned in for a hug, placing her head against her shoulder. Bon Bon let herself be pulled upright as Lyra stood straight again whispering into her ear, “you’re such a cute little foal, Bon Bon, you know that? Such a little cutie baby foal.” Bon Bon snuggled Lyra as hard as she could as she felt her hooves around the base of her tail. The final rip issued, Lyra pulled the diaper tight around Bon Bon’s tail and firmly pressed the tape stuck above her dock.

It was done. The diaper change was complete and Bon Bon was now finally properly diapered, just like her best friend. Still, the two didn’t stir as they held each other, the sides of their heads pressed together as an intimate warmth built up between them, Bon Bon chewing softly on her pacifier while Lyra breathed deeply with a wide smile gracing her muzzle.

It had all come down to this. Their past had chased the two intimidated and confused mares like a foaming beast, ready to tear into their fears and insecurities the moment they let their guard down. The skeptical glares of disapproving family. The surreptitious gatherings of a forbidden love. The panicked fear of intimate secrets exposed.
Lyra held on tighter as Bon Bon scooted forward, crinkling loudly as she slipped off the smooth top of the changing table, coming to rest on her hind legs in the graceful balance that could occur only between two true lovers leaning into each other.

It was the shadow of their past that made the light of their victory shine all the brighter. Their families had come to see their love to be as genuine as it really was. They had found a home where they were at liberty to be their true selves. They had realized that they could give each other so much more than anypony else. At that instant in time, Lyra and Bon Bon both knew that they wanted to be nowhere else than right there, in Ponyville, in their own home, holding each other while pretending to be foals. And most importantly, they were there together, joined by the sacred bond of pure love and affection that was theirs alone.

“I love you so much, Bon Bon”, said Lyra, her voice dreamy while her forehooves delicately caressed the familiar landscape of Bon Bon’s back.

“And I will always love you back, Lyra”, replied Bon Bon, tenderly stroking the chaotic mint-and-white mane that she could never get enough of.

An intimate moment passed in silence before the muted thumps of hooves against plush carpet announced their breaking. The smell of the food was overwhelming, a good incentive for Lyra to hurry and go turn off the stove.

“I made a creamy stew, extra creamy, just the way you like it, right?” Lyra asked, looking back from the stairs through the bedroom door.

“Yaaay! I love extra creamy!” Bon Bon didn’t know she could get this excited about food. Lyra giggled affectionately at her big filly before she vanished down the stairs. Bon Bon remained still for a moment, reveling in the satisfaction that having the big foal pacifier in her mouth gave her. It felt so right to suckle on it, pushing it up against her lips, the rubber nipple slipping back to its natural position when she relaxed again, leaving the front of her muzzle moist with the spittle that had escaped her mouth and covered the inside of the plastic guard. She lifted a hind leg and pressed it against the other, relishing the distinct presence of the diaper against her intimate parts, before she pulled it away and stood with her hind legs spread far apart, amazed at how the diaper never wavered in its firm grasp against her, reassuring her that it would always be ready and waiting to do its job whenever she needed it to.

Bon Bon tread softly, taking time to enjoy all the subtle movements and sounds of her favourite article of clothing, as she followed in Lyra’s hoofsteps. She listened to the homely tapping of hooves against the linoleum in the kitchen as the hearth caught her attention. The striking red glow of the charred wood barely managed to illuminate the common room.

Bon Bon stepped off the stairs and turned around to canter behind the staircase. In the small space under the stairs, the golden frame of Lyra’s lyre glinted beautifully in the glow coming from the hearth in the opposite wall. It rested neatly on a small stack of books, left behind from the last time they had spent time together on the pillows lined up along the wall, their comfortable little sitting space around the fire.

She stood on the warm stone pedestal in front of the fireplace. Everypony knew to just grab a log and fling it into the glow to renew the flames using their teeth. Instead, Bon Bon sat down on the comfortable cushion secured against her hindquarters and leaned forward to pull a piece of firewood off the stack with a hoof. She awkwardly tried to balance it between her forelegs, the firewood threatening to fall from her grasp more than once, before she found out to just hold it up from below with both hooves. She couldn’t help but smile in delight at her little discovery before she gave a shove and let the wood fall into the fireplace. The big foal gasped at the mesmerizing show of the embers scattering, their swirling patterns twinkling in the air as beautifully as the first of Luna’s stars that started becoming visible through the windows. Bon Bon sat and watched the flames lapping at their new fuel before the clattering of cutlery beckoned her to get up again.

She trotted out of the common room and stepped into the bright kitchen through the hallway entrance. The sky blue kitchen counter was littered with kitchen utensils, in the middle of which was Lyra, propped up on the stove with her forehooves, watching the ladle float in front of her, her stew dripping everywhere as she transferred it into the two bowls on the countertop. She only noticed Bon Bon when she broke broke out into an amused giggle at the sight.

“Hey! Don’t laugh,” Lyra said good-naturedly, “you would do even worse with that pacifier of yours in your mouth.”

“But I like my paci,” Bon Bon retorted as she stepped up to Lyra.

“I know you do,” Lyra said, leaning down to plant a quick peck on the pacifier’s plastic guard, a blotch of the greenish stew landing on the counter. “And look at you chew on that thing. You must be famished from working all day!” Bon Bon only now noticed the movement of her jaw, how much she had been enjoying chomping down on her pacifier and rolling it around between her teeth, without even being aware of it. She didn’t stop.

“Mmmmmhhh… it tastes so good”, Bon Bon said while making a show of sloppily munching on the pacifier, “maybe you want one too?”

“Later, sweetie,” Lyra said as the second bowl was filled up, “we gotta eat first. I’ve got a nice big portion of juicy and healthy stew for you right here.” Her pacifier became more slippery as Bon Bon’s mouth watered. Even if she hadn’t been all that hungry, she really loved Lyra’s stew.

Lyra turned off the stove, the enchanted ruby encased in the metal plate immediately ceasing its heat emitting magic, before she floated the lid back onto the pot. She picked up one of the bowls with her mouth, with Bon Bon chuckling as she saw the spoon inside slide against Lyra’s muzzle, the other bowl with her magic and carefully lowered herself back onto the kitchen floor with gentle taps from her hooves and soft rustling from her diaper.

Bon Bon smelled the food as the bowl passed by her. She really wanted to eat and eagerly turned to follow Lyra into the dining room. However, the messy assortment of kitchen towels presenting itself on the shelf next to the passage between rooms reminded her how foals needed special attire for eating too. Bereft of the use of her mouth, Bon Bon instead walked up to the shelf and pushed her nose into one of the towels hanging off the edge. It didn’t take much for the cloth to slip off and drape itself over her muzzle and half her face. Thusly equipped, she navigated into the dining room, where Lyra was setting the bowls down at two seats right next to each other on the large, smoothly polished table that took up most of the room.

Lyra was about to say something as she turned around, but instead broke out howling in laughter as her eyes fell on Bon Bon’s visage, only her bouncing pacifier sticking out from under the white cloth. Her convulsing stomach was aflutter with warm fondness at seeing her big foal being so fantastically cute. Still laughing, Lyra was quick to throw herself around Bon Bon’s neck, vigorously rubbing her face against hers in an overenthusiastic attempt at a nuzzle. Little tears stood at the corners of Lyra’s eyes as she planted smooches all over Bon Bon.

“Bon Bon, you are the absolutely cutest little filly possible, you know that?” she exclaimed as a yellow light lifted the kitchen towel to reveal Bon Bon’s grinning face.

After she had approximately composed herself, Lyra stood back, towel in front of her, and said, “I guess this means you would like me to feed you?”

Bon Bon ducked her head a little in embarrassment at the blatant mention of her request, but without hesitation said what was on her mind. “Yes, please.”

“Very good choice, madame,” Lyra said, pulling back the wooden chair in front of the steaming bowl, “please, have a seat.”

Bon Bon sat down, having always preferred bringing her own cushion for the plain wooden chairs, especially when that cushion was thick and fluffy enough for her to barely even feel the solid wood. She was enraptured by a deep seated, primal feeling of satisfaction as she listened to Lyra crinkle beside her, anticipating the upcoming one of many foalish rituals that never failed to inspire happiness and excitement in her. It was so perfect, the bowl of warm food in front of her, the carefree ease with which her beloved big foal playmate had handled everything, the little giggles of contentment she just couldn’t stop from escaping her mouth. Everything was so perfect for a foal like her, because that’s what Bon Bon was. A foal. A little foal who was waiting to be fed both for nourishment and for being intimately close with the one she loved. A little foal who didn’t know any better and had to wear diapers. A little foal who excitedly lifted her head as she saw the kitchen towel approaching.

“... aaaand there we go!” Lyra said as she pulled her hooves back, Bon Bon’s pink and blue locks falling back into place over the cloth that was now tied loosely around her neck. It covered her chest down to her bellybutton, giving Lyra some ease of mind, mostly not because she was protected from any mess, but because she had enough cloth to rub around Bon Bon’s gentle features the way she enjoyed doing so much.

“Thank you Lyra!”, Bon Bon announced in a cheery little sing-song.

“Whoa, don’t thank me yet,” Lyra retorted, “I’ll have to separate you from your little friend here first.” The pacifier glistened in saliva, even on the plastic guard, as it settled on the table. “Now we’re ready.”

Lyra ate a spoonful of her own food using her telekinesis before she lifted Bon Bon’s spoon with a hoof, holding it up to her big foal. She grew a warm smile as Bon Bon, her hooves on the table like a good filly and her butt crinkling pronouncedly, giddily leaned forward and slurped the stew off the spoon.

Wheat crunched between Bon Bon’s teeth, their bitter essence perfectly complementing the sweet and sour tastes of the season’s roots and vegetables. The culinary symphony tickled her senses as creamy liquid dispersed in her mouth and soft chunks melted on her tongue.

“Mmmmmmhh…” she made, “Mmmmmm! Mmh! Oh sweet Celestia, this is so good!”

“I’m quite partial to it myself,” Lyra said chewing on her next spoonful. She lifted the towel from Bon Bon’s belly and dabbed her mouth and cheeks with it. There wasn’t really anything there, she just wanted to see Bon Bon squirm with with the pleasure she so poorly disguised as embarrassment.

“Open up!” Lyra said as she held the next spoonful up to Bon Bon’s muzzle.

“This is really good though, Lyra,” Bon Bon said with a full mouth, “better than paid for. What did you put in here?” She swallowed and smacked her mouth. “Wait, is this pumpkin? Did you use the old pumpkin in the basement?”

“Ehmm...” Lyra swallowed her food, ducking her head in embarrassment, “yeah I kinda did. Didn’t think you’d taste it though. It barely tasted of anything anymore.”

“Eeeeewwww…” Bon Bon said, eyeing the next portion of food offered to her suspiciously, “that pumpkin was all dried out and wrinkly. And wasn’t like half of it moldy?”

“Yeah, I cut the mold away,” Lyra said holding the spoon closer to Bon Bon, before mumbling loudly, “well most of it…”

Bon Bon’s eyes widened in an onset of shock before she saw the huge mischievous grin on Lyra’s face. She broke out into a fit of giggles and ate her food off the spoon. Lyra couldn’t help laughing along as she savoured her victory. Her joke would have at best elicited a chuckle from adult Bon Bon, but the diaperfilly in front of her was tittering as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

After the next spoon, the still excited foal had little blotches of food smeared around her mouth. Bon Bon closed her eyes, enjoying the soft brushing of the cloth towel as Lyra’s gentle hoof guided it across her muzzle. After she felt it settle back on her tummy, a tingling pleasure radiated through Bon Bon as she saw the big food stain that now rested prominently on her makeshift bib. It was amazing how it was okay for her to not be immaculate with her eating, and that she had special clothing to take care of her foalish needs. Everything was in order though, because that was what she was. Bon Bon was a foal right now.

Lyra smiled reassuringly as Bon Bon looked back up. “Go on,” she said, grinning as Bon Bon accepted the next portion of food without second thought, “good girl! Eating your meal like that, you’re going to be a strong and healthy filly!”

The foal-talk only continued to fuel the enjoyment burning deep inside Bon Bon. She never felt like this when she wasn’t around Lyra. All the foalish things, her infantile mannerisms, her clothes and toys and diapers - those were all worldly pleasures Bon Bon happened to share with another pony. But only her wife understood to bond with her deep down on a fundamental level, bringing comfort to the very essence of her soul in a way that could not exist anywhere else. Lyra was an enlightened pony. She had a brilliant eye for the little details and radiated an unadulterated Lebenslust that was so unfailingly infectious to Bon Bon. She liked to pretend to be a foal, but only Lyra could make her feel that it was okay for her to be a foal, even that it was expected of her, and to reward her for fulfilling her role as an infant. Bon Bon should have only felt sensual pleasure. She felt exaltation.

“Come on, Bon Bon, my hoof’s gonna fall of,” Lyra whined as Bon Bon realized her lips had been prodded for a while. She quickly took the stew in her mouth before Lyra proceeded to feed herself. “You’re such a silly filly sometimes.”

It was because of Lyra’s nature that, despite the infantile situation she enjoyed so much, despite the foal-talk and the little touches and cuddles, despite her diaper constantly pestering her for sensuous attention, Bon Bon still found herself at a clear mind. She explored and relished the sensations of the world as if born anew, and right then she felt nothing but affection and desire for the pony she loved so much.

When Lyra’s face appeared behind the cloth that had been vigorously rubbing her snout, Bon Bon took the chance to quickly close in and plant a sloppy kiss on Lyra’s cheek. Lyra shrieked and giggled in excitement before she found all the explanation she needed in Bon Bon’s happy, carefree grin.

As Bon Bon was fed the next spoonful, she felt a blotch of the stew drizzle down her chin and land on her bib. It was okay though. She’d rather concentrate on the distant taste of something sour she had been chasing with her senses.

“Lyra,” Bon Bon paused in concentration, indicating her mouth, “is that sorrel?”

“Yeah it is. Nice catch!” Lyra said while eagerly continuing to feed Bon Bon, “I thought it would be perfect for the stew, but I think the taste got drowned out too much.”

“No, I like it the way it is,” Bon Bon said before swallowing, “but where did you get it? I haven’t seen sorrel grow around here in a while.”

“Oh I actually found it the other day when you sent me over to Sweet Apple Acres,” Lyra recounted in a chipper tone, “there were so many ponies outside, so I took the road around town, the one that goes past the lake. You remember the place with the huge thornberry bushes? There’s a little hill between those and the lake…”

Lyra continued to feed and clean Bon Bon’s face as shared her story and answered questions. She had found the sorrel on the far side of a hill that lay not far from a road leading from their neighbourhood around the outskirts of Ponyville. They hadn’t usually gone there because a large tree had fallen somewhere near that hill earlier - apparently nopony had really noticed because of the amassment of thornberry bushes near the road and their rich yield of fruit distracting them. The nourishment provided by the rotting tree had quickly caused the more predatory plants, namely thick ferns and their dense following of parasitic tendrils and thorny weeds, to overtake the hill and make it impassable to ponies. In their wake, other plant life had had enough time to settle in, including the abundant sorrel that secured itself a large expanse of humid soil in the direction of the lake. Lyra had spotted the dark green leaves and red bloom from the road, sticking out of the underbrush in the distance. She had returned later with a bag and the machete they had lying around, which obviously had been a great idea to get repaired, to chop her way through the curtain of weeds across the hill. The other side of the hill ended in a slightly rocky depression leading into the forest, and the farmlands could be seen beyond a stretch of wild terrain. Lyra had made sure that she had collected enough of the juicy leaves for themselves before she had told their friends of the spot.

It wasn’t all that interesting of a story, but Bon Bon found herself repeatedly prompting Lyra to say more only to be able to bask in her calming voice. Eventually however, the increasing volume of food filling her up had created enough internal pressure for her to take notice. Her belly was weighing down on her, bringing to her attention the intensifying urge she hadn’t acknowledged before.

Lyra had an immediate understanding of what was happening. The way Bon Bon grew silent, the unfocused look of concentration on her face and the way she leaned forward to accommodate her body to what it needed to do. Lyra leaned back into her chair, munching on her food and making herself comfortable for the intimate show she had been waiting to see.

Bon Bon needed to relieve herself, and she recalled the things she had to do. First, she leaned forward, bracing herself against the table. That lifted her butt off the chair, making sure that the seat didn’t press against her body and held it shut. Next, she lifted her tail, dragging the long curly pink and purple hair over the edge of the chair, to give Lyra a good view of her diaper. Finally, she relaxed her lower muscles to allow her pee to come out. Was there anything else? Nope, Bon Bon was pretty sure that was all she had to do whenever she felt the need to go. She swished around the stew that she still had in her mouth as she felt the first droplets trickle out.

Lyra was amazed at the sight of the dark spot appearing on the surface of the otherwise pristine white diaper between Bon Bon’s hind legs. Scenes from a forgotten past came to her mind, when the mare beside her hadn’t found peace with herself yet, painfully holding it back in fear of the diaper leaking out under her ashamed relaxation. It was a stark pride that filled Lyra’s heart at how far they had come together as she watched Bon Bon comfortably do her foalish deed without even the slightest hesitation. No matter how often they had gone through this, it was still awesome how Bon Bon enjoyed this so much, and how she even let her see! Despite her state as a foal, having let go of everything but her most primordial views and actions, Bon Bon still always thought about Lyra, taking care of her like of herself. In their regression, it was revealed how infinitely deep-seated the two mares’ relationship actually was.

Lyra was only broken from her reverie when she noticed that the dark yellowish stain had almost reached the base Bon Bon’s tail, leaving her once-white diaper thoroughly soaked across its entire back side. A trembling pleasure emanated from her lower body as Lyra realized that the diaper probably was even fuller in its front portion. Wow, Bon Bon could really pee a lot!

Bon Bon was grinning into the room with her eyes closed. Each wave of relief that washed over her even more intense than the last as she felt her bladder gradually empty, the once-pressing urge quickly leaving her body along with her waste. She felt the unambiguous presence of clothing enveloping her, but didn’t even think of stopping the stream of hot liquid from passing between her lower lips. Bouts of pleasure radiated through her whenever it splashed back against her, covering her front and backside in its warm wetness and continuously soaking more and more of her coat as her diaper became fuller. Since Bon Bon was a foal though, it was normal for her to use her diaper, and having to make her butt and her mare parts dripping wet with her own urine was simply part of the deal. As it pulled sagging on her hips and her tail, she knew her diaper worked hard to make sure she was fine. That was what she was wearing her diaper for.

“Aaahhhhhhhhhh…”, Bon Bon sighed deeply as the tickling sensation of peeing ceased and she was left with a satisfying feeling of emptiness. Still hunched over the table, her grin spread even wider as she looked over to Lyra only to catch her hastily pull her hoof away from between her hind legs. Bon Bon realized that she had been hearing a diaper crinkle, and the hoofprint that remained in the bloated front of Lyra’s diaper was pretty unmistakable.

Lyra quickly stammered to change the subject before Bon Bon could bring it up. “W-was it good?”

Without missing a beat, Bon Bon noisily wiggled her butt and said, “You bet it was! I had no idea I had to go so much.” She sat back down into her drenched diaper, pressing back out the warm urine that it hadn’t been able to fully absorb yet, feeling it soak into her fur. “Oooooo..”, she made, eyeing the amazingly sodden bulk of her diaper front resting heavily on the wooden seat in front of her crotch. Regardless of how much work she had imposed upon her diaper, the surface of her chair was still spotlessly dry, giving her the calming reassurance that her trust in it hadn’t been misplaced. The softest rustling sounds signified the gradual swelling of her diaper as it continued to fulfill its purpose, wicking the urine out of Bon Bon’s coat and away from her skin and securing it across its absorbent resources.

As enthralling as it was watching Bon Bon hunched over and staring at her diaper like it was Celestia’s miracle, Lyra still wanted to finish off the bit of stew left in their bowls before it got cold. Bon Bon had been enchanted by her spreading and closing her hind legs as Lyra poked her with a hoof, making her sit up straight at the sight of the spoon floating in front of her. After taking in the food, she explained herself with a full mouth, “I guess I got a little carried away there.”

“It’s fine,” Lyra said, “I know how these things can be. I bet that felt really funny, wiggling around like that, huh?”

Bon Bon giggled. “Yeah,” she slid her hindquarters around on the chair a bit, “it’s a little strange but it also feels good!”

“Oh I’m sure it feels good,” Lyra said, aware of her own used diaper she was comfortably resting on. Excitement prickled inside Bon Bon at how she was foalishly eating while sitting in her own waste, being spoon fed the mushy stew nonetheless. It was only a little more food that they slurped down before their spoons clattered in the empty bowls. Lyra realized how tired the big filly had to be when Bon Bon, against her usual self, didn’t seem too enthusiastic to get up from the chair. She reached behind Bon Bon to untie her bib and thoroughly rubbed off her entire face with it.

“We really need to get us a bunch of real bibs,” Lyra said before she pulled the cloth towel away from Bon Bon’s face.

Bon Bon knew what she meant. “If you say so …” she said as they got off their chairs and stood of their hooves.

“Come on, Bon Bon! You know Rarity’s still waiting for us to come back, right?” Lyra said. The makeshift bib landed in one of the empty bowls.

“I know she said that, Lyra!” Bon Bon said, ”I really want to go get some stuff too. I just don’t want to bother her with it.”

Lyra took the one bowl she could in her magic and grabbed the other one with her teeth, continuing to talk as she trotted into the kitchen. “You remember what else she said? If we needed anything, anything at all, she would gladly make it for us. And you know what I think, Bon Bon? I think she actually enjoyed making our hoofie sleepers.”

That was news to Bon Bon. “You think so?” Wasn’t Rarity always so courteous to all her customers out of politeness?

The kitchenware clattered in the metal sink. “Yeah,” Lyra said, “Think about it. The ponies that come to her usually wanna dress in style or need some kind of functional clothes. She was glad about the chance to make something cute and silly for a change. You’ve seen how neatly she stitched the big heart on your sleeper.”

It was probably true. They had paid her normal prices and the quality of the sleepers was as immaculate as expected, even though it had been Hearth’s Warming season when they had gone to get them, and she probably had had lots of work. “But,” Bon Bon said meekly, “she thought it was just a normal silly thing. She didn’t know what we do in them …”

Lyra dropped the spoon she was washing into the water and turned back from the kitchen sink to give Bon Bon a flat look. “Bon Bon. Rarity repeatedly told you to your face not to be embarrassed about it when you couldn’t get out how you wanted yours to look. She even made you tea for Celestia’s sake!” Lyra went back to doing the dishes. “She knows everything. She’s simply okay with it.”

Bon Bon let things go through her head for a little while before the realization sunk in that Lyra was likely speaking the truth. “You know what, Lyra?” she said in an increasingly lighter tone of voice, “you’re probably right. And I would really enjoy going to get some more things.”

Lyra was happy to have freed Bon Bon from her worry. While placing the kitchenware on the drying rack, she said, “That’s what I wanted to hear! And first we’re going to get a nice large bib with your cutie mark on it. And one with mine. And one with a star and one with a sun so we can tell them apart.”

Bon Bon giggled at her wife’s enthusiasm, still standing in the dining room as she watched Lyra move around the kitchen through the connecting archway. “But we have to go together,” Bon Bon said.

“Well, I’m not going there alone either,” Lyra said with an embarrassed smile, her confidence revealed not being as solid as she acted. “But just think about all the awesome things we could get…” she trailed off as she carried the pot with the rest of the stew to the refrigerator.

Bon Bon stepped into the hallway to meet Lyra coming out the kitchen door after having turned off the lights. The darkness enveloping them was only broken by the warm glow coming from the hearth through the open common room door. Bon Bon lifted a hind leg again, amazed at how much her diaper had swollen up. Its wet fluff was now firmly pressed against her lower body as the three strained diaper tapes worked to hold the plastic cover around her as tightly as possible. The insides of her thighs were warm from the distinct contact of her sagging diaper front.

Lyra crinkled past her and stepped onto the common room’s wooden floor. The soft light of the fire was barely brighter than the illumination provided by Luna’s beautiful starscape that presented itself through the windows. Bon Bon enjoyed how her ability to move her hind legs was impeded by her swollen diaper as she trotted after Lyra, and how the moist fluff pleasantly rubbed against her with every little motion.

Bon Bon couldn’t help a little tail-wag as Lyra gestured invitingly towards the large linen pillows resting at the wall facing the fireplace. Upon seeing her enthusiasm, Lyra was quick to throw herself back-first into the cushion, wiggling a comfortable crater into the mass of down before spreading her limbs and letting the heat from the fire wash over her front side. She was adorable when she presented her diaper like that, something she had always enjoyed doing. Bon Bon lowered herself onto the pillow and sidled up to the big filly, making herself comfortable as she draped a foreleg across Lyra’s chest. Without missing a beat Lyra wrapped her hoof around Bon Bon’s back and pulled her close to her side, kissing a spot of pink mane on her head as she nuzzled her neck.

Neither of them had any words to say, nor did they want to. The serenity that fulfilled them was beyond description as they basked in the intimate presence of their soul mate each. The relaxing warmth from the softly burning remains of the firewood stood in contrast to the inspiring heat that built up between their bodies.

Bon Bon was entranced by the small flames dancing in the hearth as she looked on across the expanse of Lyra’s belly from her position on her shoulder. The mint-green coat was perfectly the way Bon Bon liked it, slightly ruffled from the lack of brushing, but never messy, her body’s smooth form only broken by the little depression around Lyra’s belly button before it vanished under the ruffled plastic edge of her diaper. The diaper’s thin plastic shone in a milky white from the light passing through, gradually gaining a yellow tint the lower it went between Lyra’s thighs. The edge of the smooth plastic was standing away from Lyra’s body, revealing the fine layer of nonwoven fabric that held the absorbent material and its contents inside the diaper. Bon Bon only needed to angle her head a little lower to be able to look under the plastic rim. She could see some of the absorbent pulp deeper inside Lyra’s diaper, glowing white and yellow in the backlight as it lay lazily on her body. Bon Bon’s hoof was still playing with Lyra’s belly button before it started moving lower, the diaper exercising an irresistible, almost hypnotic pull. She could feel Lyra’s intimate heat as her hoof drew closer. Almost there …

Lyra’s stomach tingled from the feathery soft touch of Bon Bon’s hoof. She was holding her close, rubbing her cheek against her big foal’s mane, breathing in deeply the familiar sweet scent. She held Bon Bon close to her side, snuggling her vigorously as she felt her warm breath on her chest. Lyra’s own hoof had trespassed over Bon Bon’s back side and had come to rest under her dock. Even this close to her tail, Bon Bon’s diaper was so sodden that Lyra was barely able to feel the form of her butt under its bloated mass. She was playing with the long strands of Bon Bon’s tail, amazed at her unrestrained foalishness, when a hoof poked the ticklish spot under her navel and sent a jolt through her body.

Lyra shrieked and jerked, reflexively pulling on the tail she had been holding. That caused Bon Bon to jump and shriek as well, a moment before both mares broke out into filly-like giggling at the sudden excitement.

“What were you doing down there anyway?” Lyra asked as they settled back down next to each other, ”You know that ticklish spot. In fact, you know all my ticklish spots.”

Bon Bon’s face grew hot as she realized where her hoof had wanted to go. “I guess I forgot,” she said.

“... Forgot, huh? Well, you must be really sleepy,” Lyra said. She felt like doing what they sometimes did here as she grabbed her lyre from the heap of books nearby. “Want me to play you a little lullaby then?”

“Oh yes please!” Bon Bon said. Lyra had to sit up, leaving Bon Bon leaning against her stomach, before the lyre floated over and she could place its golden frame before her on the pillow. Crinkling, she closed her knees around the lyre to hold it fast so she could release her magic grip. Then she reached out and formed the spell she needed to make the sounds she wanted.

Bon Bon was familiar with the technique Lyra employed as she watched the green hooves move above her head, plucking the instrument’s sturdy strings. Using her hooves, Lyra could only play much slower and simpler tunes than with the flexibility of her telekinesis. However, freeing up her magical capabilities allowed her to use another magic to alter material properties. The strings sparkled in Lyra’s faint yellow aura as she selected portions of the metal cords with the density spell. She continuously let impressions of pulling and pushing flow into the pattern of her spell, increasing and decreasing the density of the metal twine and changing its acoustic properties.

The strings, set into vibration by Lyra’s hoof, resonated with themselves and their neighbours. Before long, sounds unseen started joining the simple tunes, meticulously controlled by Lyra’s precise effort to keep them in harmony with her notes. Her music was soon overtaken by a much grander display of overtones and harmonic configurations, painting a soundscape that played dreamily on top of her elementary foundation.

The ghastly tones were ever-changing as Lyra commanded them to work themselves in the direction she wanted. The uplifting staccato of a bird’s twittering choir gave way to nature’s unstoppable forces as deep thunder rumbled across the gloomy room. Somepony less intimate with Lyra than Bon Bon wouldn’t have known that she was improvising, perfectly transitioning from the rhythmic tunes of factory machines to the hundred voices of a crowded marketplace, letting the majestic presence of Celestia’s setting sun fade into the ever present subtle melody of Luna’s moon.

Bon Bon had already been dozing when she woke from the painful silence.

“Why’d you stop?” she said, “that was beautiful.”

Bon Bon’s expectant eyes prompted a reply from Lyra sitting in quiet concentration. “Just hold on a sec… gotta pee…”

A loud laugh escaped from Bon Bon’s muzzle before she could do anything about it. “Lyra!” she said in mock-exasperation, “that is so unromantic!”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Lyra said, “we can’t all have an iron bladder like you. And we just ate too, you should be happy I could hold it this long.” Half an hour at most. “Besides,” Lyra added with a sultry grin, “don’t act like you don’t find it romantic.”

Bon Bon huffed, starting to push the lyre out of the way, “Well, then at least let me watch.”

Lyra was way too eager to float the instrument back to its place on the book heap and stretch out her hind legs into a comfortable position. Bon Bon could easily guess why though, her diaper’s comforting presence under her way more sumptuous than usual as she sat up.

Her horn hadn’t even fully disengaged the telekinesis magic before Lyra felt the first trickle of pee come out past her utterly uncaring pelvic floor muscles. It was much easier for her to go when she needed to, she didn’t even pay much attention half the time. Not like Bon Bon, who was currently enraptured with her crotch, observing intensely the dark stain spreading quickly over the surface of Lyra’s already soggy diaper, visible only to her dark-adjusted eyes in the weak glow of the coals. The big foal was normally easily capable of holding it in, she just didn’t like using the potty at all. Lyra often had to discreetly put their play on a brief silent hiatus or even hold her upright in an embrace so that Bon Bon could comfortably and undisturbedly relieve herself, requiring care not to interrupt the sacred act.

Thankfully, Bon Bon had no such reservations as she blatantly shoved her hoof right into Lyra’s diaper with an excited grin.

“Wow! Lyra, your diaper is so wet!” Bon Bon said. Though she felt her big filly briefly tense at the touch, she was pleased to feel that the unmistakable vibrations of her peeing hadn’t ceased. Good. They had been practicing this a lot. Bon Bon knew how much Lyra privately enjoyed pretending to be incontinent, but it gratified her immensely to be able to make her feel like that was actually the case. Bon Bon blabbered on while slowly rubbing the diaper against Lyra, relishing the feeling as Lyra continued to lazily urinate on her hoof.

“How long have you been wearing it?” Bon Bon said.

“Oh ... o-only this afternoon, when you sent me home,” Lyra couldn’t help stammering a little.

“I guess you got padded up right away, huh?” Bon Bon said with a knowing grin.

Lyra scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin. “Ah ... sorry I didn’t wait for you,” she said.

“You know I don’t mind,” Bon Bon reassured her. She lifted her hoof, leaving a hoofprint in Lyra’s now thoroughly soaked diaper, only for it to return for a few soft pats. “Besides, it’s better than you running around and dribbling everywhere.” Bon Bon busied herself with Lyra’s stomach again, tracing a gentle path with the tip of a hoof around her ticklish spot, past her bellybutton and towards her heaving chest. “I think you need your diapers all the time anyway.”

The prickling heat inside Lyra was only fueled by Bon Bon’s words. She pushed herself away from the pillow, drawing closer to her foal’s satisfied grin. “You’re the one to talk,” she said softly, “with the loads that you regularly have in your pants, we’re lucky we can get diapers so thick.”

Bon Bon could feel Lyra’s warm breath on her muzzle. “I suppose we both need a change before bed then,” she whispered, “lest we wake up in a puddle.”

A brief moment of silence allowed pleasant images to go through the mares’ heads before they leaned forward, solidly pressing their lips together.

Bon Bon lost herself in the kiss as she let it fulfill the primal craving she felt deep inside her. Lyra’s lips were warm and soft, forming a not-so-tight seal against her own as she felt her tongue explore the inside of her muzzle. Benumbing bliss overtook her awareness, the intimate contact made her want nothing more than to press her mouth harder against Lyra’s to seize more of her delicious taste. They kissed vigorously, their muzzles of one as the two mares couldn’t get enough of each other.

They had to break the kiss only briefly for Bon Bon to be able to lay down into Lyra’s hug before their muzzles met again. The enjoyment from the kissing radiating through Bon Bon only intensified as their bodies moved against each other in a comfortable cuddle. She felt Lyra’s warm breath in her mouth whenever they paused to breathe before she could feel those sensuous lips again. Bon Bon’s diaper crinkled under her tail instinctively wagging energetically, mixed in with the muted rustling of Lyra’s own diaper whenever their hips moved against each other.

Their passionate kissing soon died down to a more relaxed smooching and snuggling. Bon Bon’s lips now sloppily caressed Lyra’s entire face, who tried to return the favor, but mostly got only to her chin. Instead, Lyra held her tight and cuddled her, letting the heat build up between them as one of her forehooves had vanished in Bon Bon’s mane and the other found itself on her diapered butt again. Bon Bon enjoyed being held securely like that, and she let Lyra know by letting her kisses wander from her cute snout, over her sweaty forehead, finally kissing her faintly glowing horn. Lyra giggled out loud at the intimate touch before drawing Bon Bon in closer and proceeding to nuzzle into her neck.

Bon Bon’s hips had already instinctively fallen into the constant rhythm of grinding her diapered crotch back and forth against Lyra’s before a shiver ran through her as a spot on her back was left uncovered. Lyra felt the shiver and the mares looked up. The fire had already gone out and the dark room was starting to grow cold as the heat escaped to the upper floor.

It took a moment for them to catch their breath before Lyra said, “We should really go upstairs, shouldn’t we?”

Bon Bon nodded in assent, hoping Lyra had at least felt it as she realized there was practically no light, before she tried to stand up. As she let Lyra out from under her, Bon Bon stretched her butt out into the room, her soggy diaper tensing around her hindquarters and pushing itself firmly into her sensitive parts, sending a paralyzing jolt of pleasure coursing through her body.

Lyra’s silhouette against the starlit windows turned around when she didn’t hear Bon Bon crinkling.

“What’s up?” she said, “You coming?”

“I-i’m ri-right behind…” Bon Bon stammered.

“Come on, baby, we practiced how to walk. Remember? One hoofie in front of the other!” Lyra encouraged her in an infantile manner.

Lyra was right. She could do this. It was just a matter not tripping over your hooves, and Bon Bon had done it often enough. It wasn’t that hard. She carefully placed her hooves on the wooden floor as she moved forward, her heart beating faster every time she moved a hind leg and her diaper gave her an intimate squeeze against her sensitive regions.

“There we go,” Lyra praised, “and now up the stairs we go.”

It was only the stairs. She had went up them countless times before. There was even light coming from the bedroom door they had left open. Bon Bon reassured herself how easy it was to go up, even as her diaper imposed itself upon her in entirely different and much more intense ways whenever she took a step with her hind leg.

She was breathing hard when she reached the top of the stairs. Lyra was already waiting at the changing table, beckoning her through the doorway by invitingly patting its plastic covered top.

“Don’t be shy, Bon Bon. You need a diaper change before bed,” Lyra said. She saw her words had the intended effect as Bon Bon stumbled her way over.

Bon Bon was almost relieved when she reached the changing table. Her face was burning hot and her diaper was rubbing her in all the right ways. She put her forelegs on the mattress, its plastic cover rustling not unlike her own diaper, and pulled her upper body onto the decadently soft surface. Lifting one hind leg up on the table was as far as she got. The motion pushed the soaked fluff so tightly up against between her hind legs, there was no movement she could make anymore without the excitement overtaking her trembling body.

Lyra just wanted to help her foal up the changing table as she leaned against her diapered hindquarters with her forehooves and gave a push. Bon Bon didn’t know why it was so hard, since the situation was so simple. She only had to climb up on the changing table to get her diaper changed by her beloved one, who was only trying to help her get up. It was a normal, everyday thing for a foal. There was nothing to make such a fuss, really.

With new resolve, Bon Bon sat into Lyra’s pushing hooves and lifted her other hind leg on the table. Her muscles locked up as the lust exploded in her body.

Lyra had already known what would happen when she had felt Bon Bon’s intimate parts desperately quivering beneath the diaper in her hooves. She had started gently rubbing her hoof up and down between Bon Bon’s hind legs before she was fully on the table. “It’s okay, baby,” Lyra said gingerly, “just let it happen. That’s what you’re wearing diapers for.”

Bon Bon shook violently as her body was overtaken by a powerful orgasm. Saliva dripped from her mouth as she panted hard, completely lost in the waves of intense pleasure washing over her. Every detail she took in, her soiled diaper, the foalish little motives on the changing table, the way Lyra was rubbing her, only caused the bouts of lust to return with renewed vigor. There was nothing else in the world.

Lyra couldn’t help grinning. Bon Bon was so cute when she came. Even her orgasm was incredibly filly-like, as if she was nervously exploring herself for the first time. Bon Bon was kneeling on the diaper changing table, holding herself still apart from the intense trembling and panting she couldn’t restrain, her tail raised and her diaper pressed firmly into Lyra’s hooves, relying completely on Lyra’s gentle rubbing to make her feel good. Lyra knew Bon Bon’s favourite touches, massaging her convulsing mare parts through the diaper in familiar ways until she was able to calm down.

Bon Bon breathed deeply when the mollifying comfort of the afterglow finally came over her. Lyra had said something, but she hadn’t really heard. She felt her diaper sag down her hindquarters as the tail tape ripped open. Lyra’s hooves gently guided her into a lying position on her back and pushed against her inner thighs to spread her hind legs. Bon Bon only had eyes for that beautiful mare as she opened the diaper tapes around her waist, the soiled garment heavily sliding over her body as she pulled the diaper flat. There was that delicious scent of Lyra’s mane again, her head drawing close to her own when she leaned in to lift her butt and pull out the diaper. The chilling touch of the foal wipes served to cool her nether regions down again, made clear thoughts return to her. The worldly enjoyment that had burned in her body was gradually replaced by the empathic longing she felt towards the mare that was currently seeing to her being protected by the skin cream so thoroughly. It was plain desire. Bon Bon desired Lyra.

The cloudy fluff of the fresh diaper felt unfamiliarly thin when Bon Bon was lowered down into it. She signified her enjoyment with a little giggle as her new diaper was pulled up between her hind legs tightly, bringing an affectionate smile to Lyra’s face. There had been no question in her demeanor, no second thought. Lyra had been unconditionally benevolent towards her. Right then, Bon Bon desired Lyra more than anything.

Lyra embraced Bon Bon in a big hug and pulled her upright, sticking the final tape around Bon Bon’s tail closed, snugly securing her fresh diaper for the night. Without thinking, Bon Bon planted a kiss on the side of Lyra’s muzzle. Lyra was fast to start breathing hard again as she turned turned towards Bon Bon, returning her kiss eagerly.

Bon Bon pulled back and patted the changing table she was still sitting on, before she said, “your turn.”

Lyra scampered onto the table and sat on the changing spot, Bon Bon making room for her by settling in a kneeling position on the opposite end. Lyra sat facing her, panting with expectant eyes, her soaking wet diaper hanging heavily over her crotch. Bon Bon could only take so much of Lyra’s hot breath on her shoulder, as she reached behind her to undo the tail tape, before she just had to quickly kiss her again, pulling back from her muzzle only to lean forward again and kiss her one more time.

She pushed Lyra flat on her back before the distraction got too strong. There was still a diaper change to be completed. The sodden diaper lay in front of Bon Bon, waiting to be removed from Lyra’s lower body.

Her hooves trembled as they searched for the diaper tapes around Lyra’s waist. A pulling motion ripped them away from the plastic cover, the flaps of the diaper’s back part falling away to either side of Lyra’s hips. Bon Bon was transfixed by the sight of the bloated diaper front heavily lying on top and in front of Lyra’s crotch, by how she was laying still like a good filly, hind legs spread and forehooves on her chest, waiting to be properly cleaned and changed the way she needed it.

The way she needed her to do it. She needed Bon Bon as much as Bon Bon needed her. The diaper front slid off and fell away from Lyra almost of its own accord as Bon Bon guided it with one hoof.

The soggy diaper pulp stood in small mountains when the diaper settled on the changing table, its yellow color and volume increasing the closer it went to Lyra’s body. She lay on top of the soiled diaper naked, unmoving, presenting herself, waiting to be changed. Lyra’s genitals were glistening with urine, her skin tingling from the touch of the open air. Bon Bon had no semblance of control.

“What are …” Lyra started to say when she felt Bon Bon’s breath tickling her sensitive parts, but she could only inhale sharply when Bon Bon’s lips met hers.

Bon Bon felt Lyra’s nether lips hot against her muzzle as she kissed her between the legs. Lyra had instantly tensed up, undaring to move until Bon Bon lifted her muzzle away.

The salty taste quickly gave way to Lyra’s intense aroma as Bon Bon licked her lips. Lyra’s taste was uniquely hers, and she loved it, it inspired her, intoxicated her. She yearned for more, and she was determined to get it as she pushed her muzzle back into Lyra’s folds.

Lyra arched her back and gasped, feeling herself grow hot as her heart beat faster, her body trying to manage the overwhelming sense of pleasure that exploded forward from between her hind legs as Bon Bon was making out with her mare parts. Bon Bon had soon felt her muzzle grow wet from Lyra’s juices, the taste of which prompted her to increasingly use her tongue to lick it up until she was practically lapping at Lyra’s genitals, trying to get more of that taste. Lyra tried to lift a hoof towards Bon Bon’s head, her face in determined concentration at her work, but could only touch an errant lock before another bout of pleasure sent her moaning back into the changing table’s soft mattress. She couldn’t help it. There was no way she could sit up, and she couldn’t move her hind legs since she was still in the middle of a diaper change. The only thing Lyra could do was to raise her hips from the table and press herself into Bon Bon’s face in hopes of making it easier for her.

Bon Bon could taste Lyra’s orgasm. Her juices became richer in taste and gained a sharp quality. She was already sucking hard on Lyra’s slit when she came, the quivering and convulsing of her muscles accompanied by loud moans. Every movement of her tongue and lips sent Lyra trembling in a new wave of ecstasy as she held her mouth sloppily locked against Lyra’s body. Bon Bon savoured the taste of the final gushes of Lyra juice on her tastebuds while she let her big filly calm down. Lyra panted deeply as she relaxed on the changing table, her expression of bliss eliciting a satisfied grin from Bon Bon.

It was obvious that Lyra wouldn’t be very responsive when Bon Bon crinkled her way off the changing table. She grabbed a foal wipe from the box under the table and wiped her muzzle clean before she got started on Lyra. She held herself against the changing table and gently navigated it across Lyra’s body, expertly cleaning her privates from all the urine, spit and mare juice. The fresh diaper rustled when Bon Bon fluffed it out and placed it on the table with the skin cream. Lyra apparently could already giggle again when Bon Bon pushed her knees towards her chest to clean her hindquarters and replace the used diaper with the new one.

“Enjoying yourself?” Bon Bon said as her hoof massaged the skin cream into Lyra’s soft buttock.

Lyra was already engaged in a full laughing fit before she managed to get out, “Bon Bon, that was amazing.”

“You’re amazing,” Bon Bon said and kissed Lyra’s leg.

Lyra felt her face flush. “Aw, come on,” she said, “don’t be so sappy with me.”

“Don’t act like you don’t find it romantic,” Bon Bon said, winking at Lyra as she lowered her hind legs.

Lyra couldn’t help giggling as she relished the feeling of the fresh diaper being pulled up between her hind legs and flattened against her stomach, the typical ripping and crinkling sounds accompanying the diaper being fastened around her sides. She snuggled Bon Bon tightly when she came to pull her upright, not letting go even after the third tape was fastened securely around the base of her tail.

An intimate moment passed silently as they held each other, before Lyra moved to slip off the changing table and land on her hooves. She lifted her hind legs and wiggled her butt before she turned to Bon Bon, “Perfect as always. Thanks.”

Bon Bon presented her own flank and said, “Same here.”

It wasn’t long before the two found their muzzles locked again, only briefly pausing to turn off the light before they resumed making out, moving as one as they followed the call of their soft bed. Lyra realized they had forgotten the pacifier downstairs, and grabbed another two from the stuff strewn across the floor. She bit down on the plain blue one while Bon Bon greedily took the pink one with the little handle that floated to her in her muzzle. The linens' soft touch tickled as they crawled under the blanket, giggling all the way while trying to grab ahold of each other, before the two mares popped out from under the blanket in a tight embrace and laid down on their pillows, cuddling vigorously.

They talked a little, about the day, about what they had to next week, about how they were going to enjoy the sunshine tomorrow before the rain. Gradually, the talking subsided as the two big foals contented themselves with cuddling and nuzzling while gently suckling on their pacifiers.

Luna’s night was peaceful and silent as they rested comfortably, refreshing themselves for the coming dawn.

Saturday

The black cloud cover was broken in sharp angles, dark puffs being forcefully pressed through a strainer of cold light. It smoothly advanced across the endless heavenly dome like an infinite tablecloth pulled by a giant. There was no wind, yet still the floating mountains of water raced forth at daunting speeds, looming above the tiny world as if intending to crush it. The blue light provided barely any illumination, and the air was buzzing with electricity, warm and heavy with premonition.

Bon Bon was bewildered by the unexpected alteration. The dream should usually make her upset, but she momentarily found comfort in the presence of the familiar meadows, the familiar sunny skies eerily absent. There was the big maple tree, its crisp summer leaves giving resounding applause in an unfelt breeze. The fertile field was dotted with weeds and bushes leading up into the forest rising impenetrable at an infinite distance, standing guard around the wide clearing and permitting view only of the bell tower’s faint image that indicated the direction of home.

All the families had come out again, to enjoy the nice late summer weather that was nowhere to be found. Bon Bon felt numb as the view shifted painfully slowly. There were the carpenter families, an uncommon sight to see the kin of the siblings responsible for the village’s iconic commerce all assembled. A brash colt floated past mid-trot, the pleasant sensation of homeliness surfacing at the sight of Bon Bon’s childhood friend. He was on his way to rejoin his parents, familiar faces with whom she would later spend years learning the bakery trade.

They were engaged in mute conversation with the mayor, who lounged in the grass surrounded by his family. The sensation of annoyance wrapped itself around Bon Bon like a wet blanket, drawing her away in an attempt to block out the memory, but failing to shield her from the debilitating ache of her heart that beat down on her like a hammer. The mayor and his wife were infamous for their large family, always taking their descendants of all ages along on their ventures, young ponies, colts, fillies and foals coming into view. The shrill whine of irritation pressed down on Bon Bon as the emotion warred with her budding embarrassment in anticipation of what would happen next. Why did they have to sit so close? Bon Bon had never played with the younglings, yet they were always around. The mere thought of being near the foals always made her hooves shake, and she couldn’t stand the way her heart raced when she forced herself to look away from the tiny beings whenever they met. Even worse, she could never resist sneaking a peek into the carriage when she was certain nopony was looking.

Bon Bon came into view, and her dull uneasiness flared into full-blown distress. Even though she knew that little filly in the grass was her, she could see herself from outside. Her curly locks were way too big for her little body as she sat between her towering parents. Bon Bon struggled to warn the filly, to spare her from the pain that was to come, but they both weren’t even from the same reality. Although the sky was now almost black, her parent’s aged faces shone with merciless detail.

The years had distorted the memory to their likeness. The soft lines of her parents’ faces spoke of kindness and their calm eyes had an air of experience. Still, like they had always been, they were detached, uncaring, unable to protect, and the world was restless. The filly would walk into the trap, and it was inevitable.

An orange foal was lying on her back in the grass, her stubby little horn bobbing between her redwood mane as she laughed to her heart’s content. It was the mayor’s youngest. Her mother was smiling down at her, her large blue muzzle only a fraction distant from the tiny body, the foal’s hairs moving in the mare’s breath as she hummed a tune. The aspects and gestures were universal, unquestionable. Even without knowing the family, it was evident that this mare was the foal’s mother. The effort and grace with which she touched and held her child had Bon Bon amazed. The uncertain filly sat mesmerized by the sight, the guilt-fueled urge to look away suppressed by an anguished craving of unbearable intensity.

The foal was getting changed. Her twittering giggles vibrated as her little chest was vigorously rubbed down with a pearl-white hoof towel. For the foal, there was nothing more fascinating than her own quivering voice, and the little face that stuck out of the brightly glowing mound of fluff might as well have been the happiest one in existence. Her divine elation fundamentally carried over to her mother, who had interrupted the routine to merely nuzzle her child, basking in the explicit comfort of the contact. Their unconditional love was immutable, the bond between them was divine. The desperate jealousy that tore at Bon Bon’s heart was a sacrilege.

Bon Bon desired to be at that foal’s place, and it made her so ashamed. Why did it fascinate her so? She had her own family, who gave her praise for her accomplishments and let her know the intimacy of a parent’s hug. She was supposed to be content with all that she had. Beyond the fields and the forest and the village, out there beneath the rumbling sky, the world was ready for her to explore, bearing a host of mysteries and challenges to appeal to her adventuring spirit. Then why did she want to turn her back and become so engrossed in the small and insignificant? Those aspects were fiercely opposed, weren’t they?

The foal gave a long and loud yawn, laden with the contentment of being in her mother’s care. It prompted a myriad of coos and compliments from the bystanders, all hungry to catch a glimpse of the unblemished sanctity that emanated from the tiny being. Bon Bon wanted too to inspire so much positivity simply by being herself, wanted to be able to bless her loved ones with fulfilling happiness merely by existing.

The foal cooed as her mother kissed her on the brow, a simple statement of affection that was only one of many past and many forthcoming, intended to strengthen her and empower her to face the challenges that lay in her future. Bon Bon wanted to be nurtured like that too. Her parents looked out for her safety and her health and her education, they gave her praise and supported her in her ventures, but who was there to take care of her emotionally like that, unconditionally, just for the reason that they could? She yearned for her parents’ small touches and infantile gestures that the years had taken away from her. Bon Bon was fed up with longing after her mother’s lost affection.

The foal looked on in joyous wonder as her lower body was wrapped up in a diaper. Bon Bon wanted to have a diaper too. Why? She didn’t know. She wanted to know what it felt like to be changed, what it felt like when her mother held her upright to fasten the diaper around her tail. She wanted to experience the comfort of having such a mesmerizingly thick pillow between her hind legs. She wanted to be corporeally cared for, to be handled with fragility, to be touched softly and made relaxed. It didn’t make any sense at all. Bon Bon just wanted to have a break from feeling tired and confused all the time.

Why could the foal have these things and she herself couldn’t? She enjoyed doing her chores and brought home only the best grades in school. She always did what her parents asked her to. She was looking out for her future. She had tried learning carpentry and didn’t like it, but still they had supported her. She was learning with the bakers now, and her parents praised her for it, encouraging her to jump forward and grasp the future that is hers to take. Didn’t she deserve to be satisfied same as that foal, who hadn’t secured any achievements in her short life and was unable to toil for the good of the community with her little body?

Bon Bon’s embarrassment at her strange notions was consumed by a fiery blaze of anger. How could she even think like that? The foal had no blame in this matter, and deserved all the comforts presented. Bon Bon was a big filly, it was meant for her to work for her blessings and to be content with what she received. She was ashamed at her train of thought, and her irritation grew. Nopony should have to be angry at herself, but she felt powerless to resist it.

Bon Bon struggled to shout a warning as the cream filly with the oversized bouncy mane turned to her mother in cautious curiosity, but no sound came forth. The dark sky was pummeling the ground and the world leaned inwards toward her menacingly. Her mommy had always stood by her side when she had needed help. The amaranth-colored mare rose high above, sitting beside her in the grass, engaged in some hypothetical conversation with another pony. Hadn’t her mommy always understood when Bon Bon tried to explain something? Hadn’t she said to her daughter that she could come to her whenever she had a problem? Mommy, can I ask you a question? Mommy, that foal looks so happy. Mommy, can you hold me like a foal? Mommy, I’m scared and confused. Mommy, can I sleep in my old crib? Mommy, can I have a diaper too? Mommy, I want to know what it’s like being a foal. Mommy, can you help me?

The exact wording had been lost over the years, but the pain of rejection still stung deeply in Bon Bon’s heart. The filly had jumped back at her mother’s energetic reaction, eyes wide in fear. The big mare’s visage was frighteningly unfamiliar, distorted by indignant shock and confusion. The filly had stammered, but had never managed to fully formulate a justification for her request. Why was she asking something like that? She couldn’t explain when she didn’t know the answer herself. What had she been thinking? It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t her place to desire such a thing. She couldn’t fault her mother for looking back and forth, making certain nopony had overheard the weird conversation. I’m sorry, mommy, I didn’t mean to sound queer. I never wanted to unsettle you. I appreciate how you take care of me, and all the chances I receive. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m sorry, mommy. I know it’s not normal. I won’t ask again.

A profound sadness took Bon Bon into a stranglehold as the frail and defeated little filly hung her head in shame. Something irreplaceable had been lost that day. The ponies closest to her, encouraging and infallible, had disappointed her expectations. They had made her understand that she was beyond help. Her desires couldn’t exist. She was imagining things. Protest was outside of the realm of possibility. The notion had been dismissed at the flick of a tail. In that moment, for the first time in her little life, the filly was truly left alone.

The only thing Bon Bon truly remembered from that day at crystal clarity were the words that had left the deepest wound, festering in time and leaving her growing soul weak and brittle.

You’re too old for those things.

Age didn’t go backwards. She was too old. Her younger years could not return. It would be impossible for her to experience that which she sought. The shame would never leave. She could only go forward. It was simple fact that her desires would remain perpetually unfulfilled. Until the end. The leaves mockingly applauded her as the filly took the scolding.

It was almost cruel how such a mundane statement had the power to crush a budding young spirit with such a monumental force. Pruned of its strange curiosity, it was cast into a mould of conformity which would never fit, with a frame too small, angles too sharp and edges too rugged.

Bon Bon couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She turned her head to look away.

“Bon Bon.” As she turned her head, her snout brushed against soft linens. Up and down coalesced into existence again, and she was breathing the cool air unevenly.

Right, the dream had concluded. It had been an unwelcome companion to her a long time ago and, as always when it departed, it had left behind a clutter of rotten emotions. What had made the entire situation even worse was the fact that she had never found anypony to blame for what had gone wrong. She couldn’t blame the foal, for being the most unblemished gift of life made her deserving of all her natural blessings. She couldn’t blame herself for her uninvited cravings, or she would have lost all strength to carry on. And as much as her naivety had made her want to, she couldn’t blame her parents, because even they were just ponies, prone to mistakes, always learning and growing wiser. They had their own goals, their beliefs, hopes and aspirations, their expectations and opinions of normalcy. Didn’t they have the right to defend them when they thought them undermined? Bon Bon herself had gained perspective too. What would she have said in that moment, if her own child had posed that strange request? Was there even such a thing as an appropriate answer?

Bon Bon had never had the time to think about it. They had fought so much. She liked to pretend that the episode hadn’t been a precursor to all that had followed. The pointless conflict that had torn their family asunder. The endless screaming and arguing. The separation of their formerly strong unity and a felt eternity of isolation. All that because they couldn’t understand why she wasn’t with a stallion, and Bon Bon had tried to convince herself that was the only reason. Narrow horizons and hollow traditions had given birth to apathetic rejection and petty demands.

But her parents were still good ponies in their cores, and the break had done them well. In the end, they had come around and given their blessings for her marriage. They talked again, and the years had eroded the cautious distance between them that nopony had really desired in the first place. After all that had happened, they could finally appreciate how much she had struggled, how much Lyra and her had accomplished together. Lyra had unquestioningly stood by her side to resolve a bad situation that wasn’t really anypony’s fault.

“Bon Bon.” Lyra. There had been nopony that had wished Bon Bon ill, and still she considered Lyra her savior. They hadn’t merely found salvation in each other, but they had built it through hard work, with their own hooves over many long years, one step at a time. Lyra had come into her life vulnerable, without possessions or experience, lacking the insight to even fully grasp the significance of the hurdles in their way. There had never been any fanfare, no big show with a marching band, no grand adventure or historic discovery between them. With small steps, cautious actions, questions, uncertainty and many mistakes and learning experiences along the way, they had started down the path of life together, and worked hard to overcome any obstacle that imposed itself upon them on their way. Bon Bon had grown alongside Lyra, and they had grown together, stood by each other’s side and supported each other until they arrived to find themselves within the immutable, absolute bond of their partnership. But still already in times long past, Lyra had helped her in ways so subtle and complex that Bon Bon kept continuously discovering new revelations even today.

Bon Bon looked into the night through half-open eyes. The large curl of a dark lock covered most of her vision. It was her own. The subtle illumination provided by the moon only most gently revealed the lean contours of Lyra’s face, still puffy from sleep and beset with the hard lines of tiredness.

The view was dominated by those stunning golden eyes, radiating with the purity to match a goddess’ crown jewels. They burned with the holy blaze of a resplendent spirit, fierce and sublime, primed and ready to bend the very reality to its own will should the need arise.

“Bon Bon!” Bon Bon snapped awake. How many times had Lyra been calling her?

“You kicked me,” Lyra said quietly, bags under her reddened eyes. Bon Bon felt numb, barely registering the contact of the bedsheets against her body. Her throat was dry. She was lying on her back, staring at Lyra against the fuzzy white rectangle of the moon caught in the closed curtains. A tiny movement tickled her cheek to life.

“Hey,” Lyra said more lively, “what’s the matter?” Bon Bon blinked and her vision grew less blurry. The tear that had rolled down her face vanished in the pillow. Was she really crying? Lyra shifted under the covers, scooting closer to Bon Bon, and propped herself up on an elbow, concern written on her face. She pulled her free hoof out and gently lowered it towards Bon Bon’s brow, brushing the errant lock of hair back behind her ear.

At the absence of any indication otherwise, Lyra leaned in close and said, “Did you have a bad dream?” Her breath was warm. Bon Bon nodded, feeling the resistance of her stiff neck muscles.

“Shh, don’t cry, Bon Bon, it was just a dream,” Lyra said. Her hoof had found Bon Bon’s cheek and she brushed away the trail of the tear, erasing the dark trail on her beloved’s pristine cream-colored coat. “It’s over. I’m here now.”

The words were as soothing to Bon Bon as the gentle contact. Her breath evened out as she felt her reservations drop away and her fears from ages forgotten turning to depart back into irrelevance. She closed her dry mouth - which was conspicuously empty. With Lyra’s face almost touching her own, Bon Bon’s eyes had soon fallen on the blue pacifier shield in front of the mint-colored muzzle, its white plastic handle bobbing effortlessly along with each of Lyra’s words. Not only was Lyra’s speech barely impeded by the pacifier that parted her jaw ever so slightly, but she didn’t seem to take notice of it at all, so much had she grown accustomed to the rubbery comfort. Bon Bon felt a need rise in her, not a distant and formless desire ever taunting her just out of reach, but a concrete and tangible want with an immediately apparent solution. A tingling heaviness raced across the back of her head, over her scalp and down her forehead, bringing tears to her eyes and excess fluid into her nose.

Bon Bon gave a quivering snuffle, and whimpered, “I want my paci, please …”

“Your paci!” Lyra exclaimed. The glinting in Bon Bon’s sapphire eyes gave the humble request a degree of urgency, and Lyra leaned forward to look around on the pillow. “Where is that darn thing,” she said as she proceeded to stuff her hoof under the pillow and reach around under the blanket in an attempt to find it. Bon Bon blinked against the tears in her eyes and hiccupped with her chest heaving, sniffling to ease the stinging in her nostrils. It felt so good to cry.

“It’s okay, Bon Bon. Shh. We’ll find your paci. It’s all right, Bon Bon, you’re fine,” Lyra said in a slow sing-song as she searched, soothing the crying foal with her voice. Bon Bon basked in the presence of the warm and low tune, letting herself be carried by the gentle vibration. There was a silent understanding between them that Lyra never intended to prevent her from crying. She just wanted Bon Bon to know that she would be there for her, to hold her and calm her down during the fact.

It was a liberating experience for Bon Bon to cry. She had claimed for herself the freedom to cry, the right to be sad, to let go and express her feelings unrestrained. Being able to cry, not because of an abstract fear or state of depression, but for something as utterly mundane and palpable as her pacifier, meant true liberty to her, freedom from all the pointless insecurities that fell away in the haze of the tears, freedom to surrender herself to the gingerly comforting of the pony she loved, freedom from the suppressed impressions of days past that came to light in a cleansing blaze. Her spirit was burning like the tears in her eyes.

In search for the pacifier, Lyra had laid down next to Bon Bon, draped a foreleg above her head and pulled her cheek close to her chest. She gave Bon Bon some time, gently stroking her mane, waiting patiently for her to calm down. It felt so right to comfort the crying foal. Lyra held her head tight, reassuring Bon Bon with her presence for a few tranquil moments, until the sniffling had dwindled into quiet whimpers.

“Sorry, but the paci’s gone, I can’t find it. Here,” Lyra said, reaching up and pulling her own pacifier out of her mouth, “I can give you mine. How’s that sound?” Bon Bon fell quiet and stared up at the proffered item. In the weak moonlight that came in through the fuzzy curtains, a glinting strand of drool hung between the rubber nipple and Lyra’s lower lip. Every emotion felt so intense to her, and new tears threatened to overwhelm Bon Bon, not born of sadness but because she was so touched by Lyra’s generosity of giving up something so personal, only to make her feel better. However, before she could form any words of protest, Bon Bon’s lips had already parted and made a move toward the appetizing soft soother. Lyra couldn’t help smiling at the infantile gesture and surrendered the pacifier to its new owner.

The pacifier slid smoothly between Bon Bon’s lips, and the soft rubber filling out her mouth instantly made her feel whole again. She swallowed the excess spittle that had been pushed into her muzzle, and a primal calm descended upon her like a warm envelope. After crying away the strange feelings left behind by the dream, Bon Bon felt pleasantly exhausted, and she indulged in the immense comfort of giving herself up to her infantile tendencies. The pacifier was already bobbing in her muzzle as she had unconsciously started suckling, and, cradled against Lyra’s warm body, feeling a gentle hoof stroking her mane and listening to quiet coos meant only for her, she felt secure, peaceful, held fast in unfailingly safe hooves.

Bon Bon inhaled deeply, stretching her chest with a lungful of fresh air, and gave a deep sigh. Lyra felt her own muzzle drawn toward her big filly, affectionately nuzzling into Bon Bon’s mane at the precious sight, giving it a series of little smooches before drawing back. It felt so good to hold Bon Bon like that, allowing her a little peace of mind through such a simple gesture. She was only a foal right now, which meant she needed to feel the touch of their bodies and her little kisses, and to hear the tone of her voice. She was Lyra’s own little Bon Bon, relying on Lyra to make her comfortable and to hold her gently when she needed it, to strengthen her. To strengthen them both. They both needed the little contacts, sometimes one of them more than the other. And Lyra relished the fact that whenever one of them needed to be a little foal for a while, the other would be there for her without question, as assuredly as the sun rose in the morning.

Lyra made a brief commotion in the sheets, wiggling herself back under the blanket and aligning her own body with Bon Bon’s. She laid her head down next to her foal’s and let her muzzle rest against the soft little cheek. “Mhhhh…” Bon Bon sighed at the contact. Lyra had begun smooching at her face, both from the instinctive reaction to the absence of her own pacifier and in an attempt to provide Bon Bon with her affection while already half-succumbed to sleep . While Lyra’s one hoof was still tousled in Bon Bon’s mane, her other had crept across her midsection under the blanket and began massaging her belly.

Bon Bon was filled with joy at being held so gracefully and nurtured with such utmost care. Overcome by the urge to stretch her sleepy body to life, she arched her back and contracted the muscles in her limbs. She was lying on her back, her hind legs naturally spread far apart due to the puffy bulk of her diaper between them - one of her legs had been well within kicking range of Lyra, she realized. Lyra mumbled as the blanket was pulled back slightly, Bon Bon lifting the soft sheet with her knees as she drew her hind legs in toward her body, gleefully stretching the muscles in her thighs. With the movement of her legs, Bon Bon’s plastic underwear was pulled up around her hips, its soft, fluffy padding tightened against her sensitive skin. Her diaper’s presence was reassuring, it would be there for her to do its duty even while she slept soundly. And with her body waking up from the numbness, a familiar firmness made itself apparent in Bon Bon’s lower stomach.

In its venture across Bon Bon’s belly, Lyra’s hoof had happened upon her tense abdominal wall. Her eye fluttered open and she spoke into Bon Bon’s cheek, “Wow! No wonder you were having nightmares, Bon Bon,” she gave a few tentative prods to the unyielding surface, “your tummy’s awfully full. Must’ve been all that soup from yesterday.” Lyra closed her eye and relaxed again with a sigh, snuggling her big filly, the solution to the problem already formulated in her mind. “I know what you need,” Lyra murmured close to Bon Bon’s ear, “how about you go tinkle for me, hm? Wouldn’t that be nice? I promise you’ll feel much better afterwards.” It would also reinforce Bon Bon’s infantile position, and of course, with a yawn tugging at the corners of her lips, Lyra appreciated how it didn’t mean any extra work for her.

Bon Bon found it amazing how effortlessly Lyra had realized the source of her discomfort, her brimming tummy stinging under under the curious pokes. She always wanted to show Lyra what a good filly she was, and she was already unconsciously preparing to fulfill her request without hesitation the moment it had been spoken. Bon Bon was too little to know any other way to deal with her urge, and therefore there wasn’t much else she could do anyway. She found that Lyra’s words made perfect sense.

Bon Bon stretched for a final time before she went limp with a contented sigh. She allowed the weakness to spread throughout her entire form, her limbs sinking heavily into the mattress, and her tense muscles relaxing as she permitted her body to do its work to relieve itself. She had barely realized her situation until that point, and her stomach fluttered in anticipation of what was to come. It wasn’t the exciting, lively kind of electric sensation that Lyra and her often felt when they were foals together. This time around, it was the all-encompassing, soothing comfort of utter immersion into her infantile role with her entire being. She was a foal, and when a foal had to go while lying in bed, she didn’t know any better than to piddle into her linens. It was expected of her, and for that reason Bon Bon had been wrapped up securely in a diaper, so that she wouldn’t get any onto the sheets or onto Lyra.

A quiet giggle escaped around Bon Bon’s pacifier as she felt the first trickle come out and splutter over herself. She immediately noticed that, against her expectations, it didn’t feel as hot as it usually did since it was already quite warm under the blanket in the first place. What remained was tickling sensation of her pee splashing against the diaper and back over her body, leaving her skin tingling. Lyra’s hoof had come to rest a while ago, and Bon Bon took it into a hold with both of her forehooves, squeezing it tightly against her chest. She was careful to keep the muscles of her stomach relaxed during her movement, so as not to disturb herself in doing her business. By the sound of her flat breathing, each exhale neatly brushing Bon Bon’s cheek, Lyra had already fallen back into a snooze.

Bon Bon relished the intimacy and held on to Lyra’s hoof as a shiver ran down her spine. There was nothing left for her to do other than to patiently wait until she was finished and enjoy the pleasant sensations in the meantime. Her discomfort had been flushed out by a growing wave of relief that washed over her, a primordial reward from her body for looking after its requirements. It felt so good being able to just go without worry or restraint, her body letting the pee come out without the slightest resistance even though she was lying comfortably within Lyra’s hug under the bedsheets. An impression caught her interest after the fluff of Bon Bon’s diaper was saturated in its middle between her legs. The liquid found its way into the still absorbent parts of her diaper, which was, since she was lying on her back, in the direction of her behind. This was unusual, since she usually stood upright during the day and it would flow toward her front. Even as Bon Bon became empty and the last of her urine dribbled out of her, it was a fascinating feeling how her butt cheeks were coated in the warm moistness that gradually soaked into her fur.

Finally done, Bon Bon reveled in the comfort of her relief. She let a brief moment pass quietly, enjoying the sensation before turning over in their bed, her diaper swollen and soggy between her thighs. Its inside was slick with the not yet absorbed liquid and slid smoothly against her skin as Bon Bon wiggled her back into Lyra’s stomach. She lifted her tail out from under herself and draped the long hairs across Lyra’s hind legs. Bon Bon was pulled in by the hoof that she still held against her chest and she was squeezed against the warm body behind her. The gesture was amazing: even in unconsciousness, her beautiful lover and foalish playmate still cared about her and wanted to hold her tight.

Bon Bon tried to hold on to as many sensations as she could. Lyra’s gentle breath in her mane, her chest rising and falling against her back, being held in a comforting embrace, Bon Bon’s diaper almost unnoticably expanding as it sucked the pee out of her fur, their hind legs touching as they lay lined up against each other. Just like a foal in her mother’s hold, she tried to stay awake as long as she could to enjoy all of her little blessings as much as possible, for even though Lyra would be always there for her, and an infinity of situations like these lied in Bon Bon’s future, she still relished every single one of them as if it were her last. Bon Bon felt fulfilled, and only her Lyra knew how stimulate her emotionally the unique way that she did.

Naturally, nopony can stay awake forever, and, in the stillness of the night and the comfort of her sleeping place, Bon Bon never noticed the as point in time passed when her consciousness slipped away. But she slept a blissful and dreamless sleep that refreshed her and empowered her for all the adventures that were yet to come.

===

When Bon Bon woke up the next day, she was pleased to find that she felt the way she was supposed to feel after a good night’s sleep. She felt vital, energized, and her eyes took in the sight of their bedroom wall with a calm strength after she had opened them. It usually was a nice clean wall, but it bore dark spots of dirt where Lyra and her had bumped and brushed against it during their play. This corner between the wall and the bed was the perfect place to store their dolls and toys when they felt the need to liberate the bedroom floor of its clutter. It was the only room where they stashed their childish keepsakes, and as such, it saw its fair share of use. It was no issue that the stuff was only shoved into a messy pile, since it would all find its way back across the floor before long anyway. It really was a nice wall, maybe Bon Bon should clean it some time. She felt eager to get out of bed and jump into the day.

A stirring behind her made her turn around. Lyra was sitting upright, within a mound of fluffy blanket, her eyes closed. She turned her head around the room, pausing in several directions with her chest heaving as she sniffed the air. The window permitted bright, warming sunlight to flood the room, illuminating the mint green pony in a soft, shadowless glow. Her light blue mane with the white strand tried to keep up with her movement, the long hair clinging to her back and outlining her shoulders. Her mane really was way too straight and orderly considering how seldom she took care of it. Muffled by the walls, nature proclaimed its daily business through the lively twittering and buzzing and shuffling of its inhabitants.

The fluffy blanket still around her, Lyra relaxed and sagged into herself, holding herself upright with her forehooves. She inhaled deeply and held her breath, and then sat quietly with her eyes closed, her body unmoving. As if it wasn’t obvious enough what she was doing, the blanket’s folds behind Lyra’s back fell away as she lifted her tail up high in an instinctive gesture that was completely and utterly superfluous in her current situation. Bon Bon’s cheeks grew hot as she watched a goofy smile grow on Lyra’s muzzle. Surely it wasn’t the first time Lyra did her morning business in bed, not by a long shot, but the way she did it was so obscenely blatant that Bon Bon found herself drawn to the sight more than she should. Naturally, such a display was well within Lyra’s range of preferences, and Bon Bon decided not to disturb her indulgence, remaining politely quiet and waiting until Lyra’s previously suspended breathing resumed, with a relieved exhale marking the end of her endeavour. At least Bon Bon told herself she kept still only from politeness.

When Lyra turned around to get up, Bon Bon stirred to make herself known.

“Hi there!” Lyra exclaimed, her smile beaming in the gentle daylight, “Good morning, cutie.” She leaned down and, since Bon Bon’s lips were still occupied with the pacifier, kissed her on the side of the muzzle. Technically it was a proper kiss, since Lyra had touched the corner of her lips just behind the plate of the pacifier, but Bon Bon basked in the maternal type of affection emanating from her lover nonetheless. “Did you sleep better now? No more bad dreams?” Lyra said.

“I slept fine, Lyra, thanks,” Bon Bon said, before giving a little cough to wake up her raspy voice, and smiled up at Lyra, “thanks to you.”

Lyra kept grinning down at Bon Bon, momentarily mystifying her with the unexplained gaiety before she said, “Do you smell it?”

“Smell what?” Bon Bon inquired.

“Aww,” Lyra said with slight disappointment, “too bad. Your little nose is probably already used to the smell.” She leaned down to plant a little peck just on the point of Bon Bon’s nose, eliciting a tiny giggle from the big filly that made Lyra’s heart melt with its genuineness. “Come on you silly filly,” Lyra said, beckoning with a hoof, “get up and I’ll show you.”

Lyra turned around and got out of bed. She had such a strikingly dynamic way of doing that, always shoving the sheets aside in her vigor as she pushed herself off the mattress sideways, bracing herself on two of her legs, and using the momentum to pull her other half behind, swivel around and come to a walking start, all in one habitually elegant movement. She was always eager to get moving, to get things done, and it clearly reflected in the stature of her body.

Despite having a bafflingly small amount of concern for diet and exercise, Lyra’s body was lean and almost athletic. She was both slimmer and taller than Bon Bon, courtesy of a lineage which would not surprise Bon Bon to contain a giraffe at some point and Lyra being almost recklessly impulsive, a trait which caused a number of awkward situations in the past, and a trait which Bon Bon wouldn’t want to miss in her life, as she had grown to realize. Lyra also had longer hind legs, her pleasantly elongated hooves supporting her tall and robust cannons, the muscles in her powerful thighs always bulging when she walked, with a pleasant conclusion to be found in that shapely flank that Bon Bon felt lucky to be in contact with so much. Bon Bon loved that behind, its form captivated her, and even now she found herself almost hypnotically drawn to it.

It didn’t help that the rump was enclosed in a nice and thick diaper. Typically a chore disdained by parents of foals of a more ordinary age, Bon Bon found that she actually quite enjoyed changing Lyra’s diapers. Not only meant the frequent ritual a moment of sensuous physical contact between the two partners, but Bon Bon also liked being able to grant Lyra a relaxing bit of homely comfort through such a menial activity, and always savored the happiness lighting up the unicorn’s eyes in her minute of pleasurable fun. It wasn’t all games however, as Bon Bon was aware that Lyra actually needed her when she was little, relying on her to clean her up when it was necessary in a display of dependency that was otherwise quite rare for her.

Lyra would need a diaper change soon too, by the looks of it. The infantile garment, usually gleaming white in the bright light of the sun, had taken on a yellow tint almost uniformly across Lyra’s rump, obviously having been held to its promise of absorbency over the course of the night. As the long hairs of Lyra’s tail moved aside in her step, the diaper was also revealed to sport a large, dark stain right between her hind legs, a testament to its more recent use. With the added weight, the diaper’s bloated pulp had formed a fat clump under Lyra’s tail that sagged heavily against her hindquarters. Even so, it came as no surprise that Lyra’s gait was still unimpeded and natural despite the voluminous padding around her body. It just fit Lyra’s obstinacy that she wouldn’t let her movement be hindered by her clothing, her hind legs squishing and kneading the poor diaper’s sodden stuffing as she walked. Bon Bon wondered what it felt like. Was it still warm or had it cooled off already? Had the pulp clumped hard or had it already been ground into a homogeneous soft mass again? If she could feel Lyra’s body through the bloated cushioning?

Bon Bon was broken out of her reverie by the shrill sound of the wooden rings being dragged against the polished rail as Lyra pulled aside the curtain. Bon Bon rubbed her eyes with the back of her hooves, trying to clear her head. They had just gotten up, it was way too early for that kind of thought. And she felt hungry too, she realized as her stomach noisily protested against its emptiness with an audible gurgle.

“Ha, I knew it!” Lyra merrily exclaimed as she looked back with a grin, “betcha don’t know why you have such an appetite, huh?” She pulled back the lock of the window, which was already teasing with a view of outside’s colorful radiance. “Look out the window and see for yourself,” Lyra said and the window’s sides creaked open under the push of her hoof.

Now genuinely curious, Bon Bon shuffled out from under the sheets and got off the bed - leading with her behind and then letting herself fall on her forehooves like any normal pony. Well, ‘normal’ ignoring the diaper that accompanied every move of hers with a crinkle, its moist inside still holding snugly onto her form. Bon Bon walked over, braced herself against the windowsill and leaned out next to Lyra, and it immediately became obvious to her as the breeze played around her snout.

“Wow, this smells absolutely amazing,” Bon Bon said, the pacifier already growing increasingly slick in her mouth with with an increasing volume of drool. The meadow behind the house was ripe with life, and a gentle southward wind carried the aroma of juicy grasses and colorful flowers past their noses and through the cracks of their walls. Their house was the closest to the forest that lay west of Ponyville, and Bon Bon could clearly sense the earthen smell of plump roots and spicy fungi in the pleasurable mix, bolstering it with an exotic note. The old oak was shivering next to the house, currently right in front of them, as though it was cold, but Bon Bon found the late summer air comfortably warm, causing a lightheartedness that further fuelled her appetite, and the multitude of golden stalks standing out of the vegetation below seemed to agree as they swayed in the wind, nodding their heads.

The meadow behind their yard was healthily overgrown. The area was filled with a lush jumble of the most varied fauna, the result of the plants’ fierce competition against each other for a modicum of the existential sunlight leaving behind a carpet of vegetation that shone in a multitude of delicious greens, yellows, browns, olives, lime and mint tones and everything inbetween. Where dark leaves and ferns didn’t sprout to steal the sunlight with their large surfaces, the plant cover was speckled with gleaming little blooms of all colors of the rainbow, meaning to appear appetizing to the mass of insects that constantly buzzed to and fro, but having a very similar effect on two decidedly non-insectoid, but still very hungry little ponies.

The field itself was evenly fuzzy with small plants, as large bushes and small trees avoided the open sunlight in favor of growing past Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s cottage, along Ponyville’s cooler roads on the one side, and seeking the soothing shade under the edge of the forest on the other side. The underbrush formed a connection between the two locales at the point where they were the closest, with a thicket that even the green-hooved Bon Bon couldn’t name all membering plants of growing behind the garden on the other side of their house. The forest touched against Ponyville in that direction, running alongside the town and encircling it up until the lake. Breaking off before running into the fertile wetlands that fed off the water, the forest then ran further north, growing a long distance in the direction of the mountainous Rocky Ranges that could be seen from Canterlot on a particularly clear day.

As it was, Canterlot itself and the surrounding lands weren’t visible from this side of the forest, but off in the distance, on the far side of the meadow, it grew thin enough to permit view of the rolling hills that led into the Howling Highlands. In fact, a road that passed Ponyville further south ran along the treeline just on the other side of the forest, forming an important trade route between the little town and the bustling cities of the west. It was also the direction of the big sea, which meant that the sky was often bustling with activity of the Weather Team pegasi harvesting cloud material and re-routing temperature and humidity flows above their heads.

Of course, Bon Bon knew her way around their end of the forest. Lyra and her had gone foraging countless times before, picking from the ample supply of fresh mushrooms, roots and berries when the season came. Which, Bon Bon realized, would be again soon with autumn drawing near. Though the impending absence of the warm summer days would usually put her in a thoughtful mood, all the thinking about food had instead only made her more hungry.

As if reading her mind, Lyra piped up beside her. “So, can we have breakfast outside?” she asked hopefully, “Well technically it’s more of a lunch, but…”

“Sure,” Bon Bon said, “that sounds great. I’m actually famished. You’re probably right, my nose must have picked up on these smells, and it smells delicious.”

“Awesome,” Lyra said, “I knew you’d be on my side.”

“Yeah,” Bon Bon smiled briefly, but then raised a questioning brow, “wait. What do you mean ‘on your side’?”

Lyra faltered, smiling apologetically as she said, “Ah, I just meant because you don’t always like grazing outside. You know, like when we’re in town, you won’t touch the stuff, and you kinda looked away the last time I had a snack.”

“Lyra,” Bon Bon explained, “I just don’t like eating other ponies’ grass. And on public property, really? What if it belongs to somepony? Besides, you can’t know what that grass has been through with all the ponies running around.”

“What should they have done with it?”, Lyra asked incredulously, “Do you think they pee on it?”

“Um, you never know?” Bon Bon said, sounding silly to herself now, “That’s why I looked away the last time. I couldn’t stand the suspense when you bit off from it. What if somepony actually had peed on it?”

Lyra raised her nose smugly into the air and said, “Well, if they had peed on it, then I couldn’t taste it, and therefore I don’t care.”

“Ew,” Bon Bon said, unable to hold back her giggling, “Lyra, you’re so gross.”

“Better gross than hungry,” Lyra said, sealing her victory with a grin. “Speaking of which …” she continued.

“Yeah, let’s -- wait.” As she was turning to leave the windowsill, Bon Bon stopped and turned back. Slowly, she shook her head. There was a slight pulling sensation in a way that she usually wouldn’t feel unless something was amiss. It was like the skin in the pits of her forelegs, a dormant sense, which she would only become aware how sensitive it was when something actively brushed over it. “Lyra,” she said, “do you feel that magic?”

“Hmm,” Lyra said, casting her gaze into the landscape, “what magic?”

“I don’t know,” Bon Bon said, ”it’s kind of weak, I guess. I just notice it now because I didn’t notice it before.”

“You sure it’s not just the light?” Lyra said. They turned around to look at the ceiling. The diamond hung from the ceiling in its little holder, translucent like glass in its dormancy, ready to awaken at the flip of a switch to release its imbued magelight spell. Bon Bon was used to its magical aura, having many of the gemstones around the house.

“I know what the light feels like,” Bon Bon said, “and besides, it’s turned off. Even I can tell that,” she added at Lyra’s snickering.

“Maybe it’s the fly ward,” Lyra offered. They looked down as Bon Bon lifted a hoof from the windowsill, revealing the rune carving that served as a ward against insects, a crucial little helper for life in the countryside. It comprised of the common spiral shape seen in all basic runes, but, being such a simple spell, it was broken up by only two small symbols. However, where wards usually shone with the shimmering reflectivity of a healthy enchantment, theirs was already faded, barely darker than the wood it was carved into.

“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “I don’t think even the flies can feel this ward, and they’re not even magical. Um, also, maybe we should get this re-enchanted at some point.”

“Yeah,” Lyra agreed, “and we’d better do it before next summer. I really don’t wanna deal with having flies in the house.” She scrunched up her snout at the unpleasant thought. Aside from that, Bon Bon didn’t even want to think about having a craftspony come up into this room.

“Anyway,” Bon Bon said, “it feels more distant than that, kind of unfocused. I don’t really know how to put it.”

“So it’s probably not me then,” Lyra said before she reached out with a magical grip and tugged on Bon Bon’s ear.

“Hey,” Bon Bon complained, “wow, no, now that you mention it, I didn’t feel your horn at all.”

“That’s because you’re accustomed to it,” Lyra said, “and you would feel it only in some cases anyway. Because you’re an earth pony, you’re only supposed to have passive magics and all that. I wonder why you felt that thing outside in the first place, and I don’t. It must be really weak or far away or something.”

Bon Bon had suspected as much. In her experience, unicorns could sense magic the best when it was immediate and active. She imagined it was like the sun and the moon: Unicorns were standing in the bright sunlight, able to look at magical configurations and manipulate them with fine detail, but the sun’s glare was strenuous on their senses, and could also blind them with its power. Non-unicorns on the other hoof were like the moon at night with their magic, not as actual and obvious as the sun, but subtle and effortless, always reliable and sometimes even used unconsciously. The two looked into the landscape for a moment, but their interest in solving the riddle quickly waned at the absence of food.

Bon Bon hopped away from the windowsill and stood behind Lyra. “Lyra, you really wet the bed a lot tonight. Just look at all this,” she exclaimed.

Lyra was quick to respond to the playful hint. “Really, I did?” she feigned surprise, turning her head to look back at her hindquarters.

“You did. I think this diaper is pretty much at its limit,” Bon Bon said, raising a hoof to lift the soggy clump that hung between Lyra’s hind legs, affirming that it was as heavy as it looked. So it was still warm, too.

Lyra ducked her head, trying to fake embarrassment, but her unflinching body and the heat between her legs told a different story. “Ah. All that soup from yesterday must have wanted to come out again,” she said.

“Yup,” Bon Bon said amusedly, pleased that she could get Lyra to slip into her role as a diaper-dependent filly so easily, “And that means we’d better change you into a new diaper, so we’re all set when more comes out.” Lyra nodded her head in agreement, grinning broadly. It was that unmistakable excited playfulness in her behavior that Bon Bon had been looking for all along.

Their changing table was only a step away from the window, and a little heat crept into Bon Bon’s cheeks as they discovered a memento of yesterday’s fun.

“Ew, it’s smelly,” Lyra said, pointing at the used diaper they had forgotten on the changing mat yesterday in the heat of the moment, along with the foal wipes and the tub of skin cream.

“Don’t be so fussy,” Bon Bon said as she stepped past. She gathered the cold diaper in a hoof and let it drop through the swinging lid of their metal trashcan-turned-diaper pail. “Your butt smells like that too right now,” she said.

“Really, it does?” Lyra asked, already halfway up the changing table, her behind smelling similarly of stale old diaper as she hefted it past Bon Bon’s face onto the top.

“At least until I’m finished with it,” Bon Bon said, helping Lyra with a push and pulling open her tail tape as the opportunity arose. It was so cute how effortlessly, almost instinctively, the mint filly gave herself up into Bon Bon’s care, folding her forehooves behind her head and laying relaxed on her back with her hind legs spread, waiting to be cleaned up. Even as her diaper untightened, two loud rips resounding in the air as Bon Bon opened the diaper tapes and pulled the sodden garment away, Lyra barely moved and only looked at Bon Bon wondrously. Her yellowed diaper and her naked mare parts were covered in a glistening layer of moisture, and her fur was tousled where it was soaked between her legs. Bon Bon pulled out a foal wipe and pressed it against Lyra to wipe her clean.

“So, Bon Bon,” Lyra spoke up cautiously, “you had a bad dream tonight?”

“Mhm,” Bon Bon made in agreement. She didn’t really want to think about it, but talking about it would make her feel better. Using the edge of her hoof to guide the moist kerchief along her charge’s hard to reach folds, she made sure to thoroughly clean all the parts of Lyra’s body that required cleaning after using a diaper. Lyra’s skin was so soft, like a foal’s. Was it always like this, or was it a result of all the diapers and foal cream?

“I remembered that stupid situation from when I was little,” Bon Bon continued at length, “you know the one, when I asked my mother about … well, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lyra said, “you told me that story. You asked if you could have a diaper and your folks didn’t take it very well.”

Bon Bon took a diaper from the dwindling stack in the tray under the table and opened it with a shake, before she pushed Lyra’s knees towards her chest, lifting her backside into the air to get started on her hindquarters.

“Yes, that one,” Bon Bon said, “that memory was in my dream. I was with my parents in our old village, and it kind of played out again. I didn’t mean to hurt them, but I was so scared when my mother said all these degrading things. I keep thinking I could have said something in return, but it was just so humiliating. It just made me sad, you know? Not as bad in the dream as back then, but still a little bit.”

Bon Bon pulled the old diaper with the used wipes out from under Lyra and let it drop into the diaper pail. Then she slid the new diaper in place, slotting the base of Lyra’s tail into the notch at the diaper’s back, and scooped out a glob of skin cream, massaging it into Lyra’s exposed butt.

“But you aren’t ashamed of it anymore, right?” Lyra asked.

“No, I’m not ashamed,” Bon Bon said, “never again. You helped me make sure of that, remember? I always hated feeling bad about myself, and you helped me out of that slump. I’m over it for good. I like what we are now, Lyra, and I’m not giving that up. Besides, how could I ever be ashamed of something as cute as this?” She booped Lyra on the snout with a sweet smelling hoof, eliciting a happy little giggle, before lowering Lyra’s hind legs again, depositing the cute tush on the fluffy fresh diaper and proceeding to gently spread the cream around the rest of Lyra’s diaper area.

“But you’re still afraid of other ponies finding out,” Lyra offered tentatively.

“I don’t think it’s about them finding out,” Bon Bon said. She pulled up the crisp diaper between Lyra’s hind legs, making sure to position it properly in the middle and flattening it snugly against the mint colored stomach. She was satisfied with her work when the ruffled edge of the white plastic terminated just beneath Lyra’s cute little belly button. “But I guess I am afraid,” she continued, “you’re right in that. In the dream, and somehow still now, I’m afraid what ponies will think. How will they react, seeing something like this? I can’t even explain it myself, so how could I make them understand?” She ripped the tapes open and squeezed them tight against the plastic around Lyra’s hips. “I guess I’m afraid of the risk. I just don’t want to be so scared again, like back then,” she finally stated.

Bon Bon took Lyra into a gentle embrace and pulled her upright into a sitting position. This was Bon Bon’s favourite moment of a diaper change, since it meant a moment of intimate bodily contact with the big filly, holding her close in safe hooves to ensure she always remained secure while Bon Bon fastened the back part of the diaper. The moment didn’t pass too quickly either as Lyra wrapped her own hooves around Bon Bon, returning the hug tightly, some time slipping by quietly as the pair just held each other, pressing their cheeks together. Bon Bon felt light from the warm joy of having Lyra close to herself, having Lyra in her life at all. Lyra would be there for her, supporting her without question and sometimes even without words, reassuring her merely with something as fleeting as a simple hug. It felt so good to just let go, stop struggling for control all the time and let somepony else take the reins. Her best friend was there for her and made sure that she didn’t have to press on alone.

They broke after a few heartbeats, and the plastic of Lyra’s fresh diaper squeaked against the polymer surface of the changing mat as she slipped off the table. No words were needed between the two as they traded places. Bon Bon clambered onto the table top, the soft surface with the childish motives rustling under her weight as she sat in its middle. Lyra adored the big foal with her bouncy pink and cobalt mane, the blue pacifier bobbing in front of her muzzle under her intuitive suckling, sitting there in a discolored and soggy diaper and waiting patiently to be cleaned up, her deep sapphire eyes speaking only of boundless love and the guiltless delight she took in her voluntary dependence. Lyra couldn’t help kissing her on the cheek once more before she reached around to rip open the tail tape, and gently pushed Bon Bon onto her back into a bed of her own curly tail hairs. Lyra was charmed by how Bon Bon had already spread her hind legs far apart without thinking, instinctively wanting to do her part in helping Lyra with her task.

“You look really good in your diaper,” Lyra said.

Bon Bon lifted a brow. “Um, thanks?” she said.

“Not like that, silly,” Lyra said. She pulled the tapes around Bon Bon’s hips open with another two loud rips, making it the three in total that let it be clear to everypony within earshot there was a foal having her diaper changed, and that foal was Bon Bon. “Okay, like that too,” Lyra continued, “but what I mean is that the diaper looks really good on you. It just sits right and, um.” It wasn’t easy to describe what she meant. “Well, it just looks so natural on you, you know? Like the diaper’s in its proper place. Like you’re meant to be in a diaper, Bon Bon. I find it really hard to imagine you without a diaper, relaxing at home when we’re together. Heck, I don’t think I even could find any peace if you didn’t have your diaper on around here. It feels kinda wrong to me that this should make you somehow feel bad or feel afraid.”

Lyra pulled the diaper’s front away. The fresh air was a delight as it played gently across Bon Bon’s moist skin. “I always knew it, you know?” Lyra said, “Even back when we got this house and we dragged the furniture inside. Do you remember when the idea came up to get a big changing table?” She patted its surface beside Bon Bon. “It was just a little fantasy of mine. But you! You already had drawn up plans ready, for something so silly as a changing table for adult sized foals! Who would think of such a thing? You didn’t even protest, we just set to work straight away. It was amazing!”

Bon Bon smiled in amusement at the priceless image of Lyra sitting on the floor of their then-empty basement, tools strewn around her, cursing loudly because the sandpaper kept falling out of her hooves when she tried to smoothen the planks Bon Bon had given her. “I had to make something useful out of the little carpentry that I know,” Bon Bon said.

“My point is,” Lyra continued, “I knew right then that part of you is a genuine, real foal. Not just ‘sometimes pretend’, or ‘when you have time’, but the actual, real deal. You’re part grown mare and part little foal, both parts equally important, but each part taking the back seat to the other from time to time. Being little is just a part of you, Bon Bon, I guess that’s what I wanted to say, and you should just not even think about it. You shouldn’t be nervous or afraid because of it or anything. What’s the point? It’s not like you can really do anything about it anyway. Just roll with it. I don’t want you feel bad when other ponies find out and I don’t want you to wake up from nightmares in the middle of the night and stuff.”

“Besides,” Lyra added with a grin, “I know for a fact you really enjoy being a foal too, and there’s no shame in enjoying something you like.”

“Lyra, there was -- oooohhh... “ Bon Bon wanted to say, but she was numbed by a buzzing sensation flaring out through her body from between her legs as Lyra started rubbing her sensitive area down with a foal wipe. “I know you like this, baby,” Lyra said, “and that’s fine. I need to change your diaper either way, so why not enjoy it? No harm done.”

It was true. Bon Bon was a foal, and foals had to use their diapers. It was normal for her to get herself dirty in the process, and she had to be cleaned afterwards. She was thankful that Lyra was so thorough in making sure that Bon Bon’s fur was squeaky clean, and she understood that the process included having to rub down her sensitive mare parts with a moist wipe. It was normal that this would happen, and there was no way around it. Lyra’s words made perfect sense once again. It was obvious that Bon Bon enjoyed it anyway, so why not embrace it? It brought her happiness. Wasn’t that what all foals were supposed to be? To be happy?

Lyra wiped Bon Bon’s diaper area thoroughly, but she still took longer than strictly necessary, courtesy of the cute little ‘mhhh’s and ‘ahhh’s that she prompted from her big foal, and the fact that the foal wipe had grown warm unusually quickly with the temperature of her quivering body, Bon Bon just smiling behind her pacifier with her eyes closed.

Lyra was right. Being a foal was undeniably a part of herself, and Bon Bon shouldn’t let it make her feel bad. It was almost perverse that something that was supposed to be carefree and innocent, something that made her so happy, could cause such horrible memories and old feelings to resurface. It never hurt anypony or caused any damage, but they could derive so much peace and love from it. What they had was something special, something pure, and Bon Bon could not allow it to be sullied by dreadful whispers from the past.

It wasn’t only for her own sake, but for Lyra’s, too. She envied how painlessly Lyra handled her own desires. Lyra didn’t look around for spying eyes when she went out of the house into the yard diapered. Lyra wasn’t afraid to talk to the shopkeeper when they went to replenish their supplies. Even if Lyra wasn’t letting it on, Bon Bon sensed that she had to be be suffering on her behalf, if not from all the little insecurities and hesitations that inevitably overcame her whenever their tiny little hooves left huge hoofprints on the path of life, then simply because she had to be concerned about Bon Bon being obviously uncomfortable.

Bon Bon was aware that she could never be as outgoing and headstrong as her wife, to drop all her concerns once and for all and lead an indifferent life. And that was fine. That was what they had each other for. But Bon Bon’s deeply-rooted fears concerning her infantile desires were truly pointless, obsolete, no longer relevant, born from a past that was never to return. They only caused damage to her, to both of them. And they had to go. She owed that much to Lyra.

Bon Bon found her speech returning as Lyra lifted her hind legs and got started on her hindquarters, and the tingling in her belly burned on low flame. “There was something off about the memory in my dream”, Bon Bon said eventually, “everything was dark, and it seemed kind of brooding. I couldn’t really remember it all clearly anymore, like I knew something was different and I had forgotten other parts. It felt like something was going to happen. Something was going to change.”

The old diaper slid out from under Bon Bon to take its place next to Lyra’s inside the diaper pail, and Bon Bon felt as clean and crisp as the fresh diaper that was pushed into place against the base of her tail. “I want things to change, Lyra,” Bon Bon continued, “I don’t want to feel bad about myself anymore, even if only in my dreams. I’m not going to be nervous anymore about other ponies finding out. It doesn’t matter anyway, right? And I’m sorry if I dragged you down with me and my stupid problems. I don’t want you to hurt because of me.”

Lyra lowered Bon Bon onto the new diaper, and the soft dry fluff felt wonderful on her behind. “Don’t be sorry, silly, I don’t hurt because of you,” Lyra said, but Bon Bon didn’t quite believe it. “I’m just concerned about you. All I want is for you to get better. I don’t want you to wake up in the middle of the night crying, and I don’t want you to flinch whenever I mention our little trip to Carousel Boutique. I don’t like seeing you nervous and afraid. And you don’t have to force yourself to do anything. You can take all the time you need, and I’ll be there for you. You can rely on me, Bon Bon, whatever may come up. We’ll stick through it together. Just enjoy yourself and don’t be scared anymore.”

“I’ll do my best. I promise,” Bon Bon said, resolve in her eyes.

“I know you will, baby. You never let me down,” Lyra said softly. After the cream was sufficiently smeared around Bon Bon’s diaper area, Lyra leaned down and planted a big, sloppy kiss her big filly’s soft tummy. Bon Bon had been fidgeting in a mixture of eagerness to prove herself and trepidation from the possible consequences, but it all melted away as the intimate contact sent warm happiness coursing through her in a wave of relaxation. Her worries had time for later, she was busy being a foal now, and all the love coming forth from Lyra wouldn’t absorb itself. Her decision was only reinforced when the fluffy diaper was pulled tight against her sensitive nethers and wrapped snugly around her lower body. The crinkling, rustling and ripping of diaper tapes was music to her ears, because it wasn’t just any diaper, but only her own diaper being changed, and she wouldn’t want to give this up for anything. The sentiment was underlined by the final act of being pulled upright by Lyra in a warm embrace, and the fastening of her tail tape sealing her butt securely into the absorbent cushion, the way it was supposed to be for all foals.

Their bodies still close, Bon Bon took the plastic handle of her pacifier in a hoof and pulled the rubber nipple out of her mouth. She immediately felt the absence of its volume in her muzzle, but the discomfort paled into nothingness when the two big fillies, both with clean and fresh diapers under their hindquarters, pressed their lips together in an earnest kiss. The kiss wasn’t particularly long or complicated, but it was a worldly statement of affection between two lovers that no words could express. I really love you, Lyra. I love you too, Bon Bon. The kiss bore a unique kind of elegance that made it flutter through the air on its own without thought or effort. They broke after a comfortable moment, and Lyra giggled as Bon Bon almost immediately replaced the pacifier in her mouth with an embarrassed smile.

Lyra had already made for the stairs when Bon Bon slid off the changing table. She stayed behind to close the window, not having too much faith in the fly ward to do its job. The new diaper felt wonderful on her behind. It was fresh and soft, and Bon Bon thoroughly enjoyed it in its own unique way. She loved being nice and properly clean, no less than she loved all the other joys that came with the infantile attire that she had to wear, including the simmering knowledge in the back of her head that she would be using it for its intended purpose too before the day was over.

Bon Bon paused in the doorway. She was facing the bathroom door, their little reading corner to its left and next to the stairs. Past the bookshelf, the glass door to the front balcony desperately needed cleaning once again. The corridor to her left that lead to the back balcony was always pleasantly lit up with the light from outside. The ponies who built this had been really really clever to align the house with the path that the sun described across the sky, so that there would always be enough light inside during the day.

This was their house. This was their home, for Celestia’s sake! Everypony had the freedom to do whatever they liked in their home. How could she have doubted that? How could she have dared deny that right to Lyra? This was their sanctum, the place where they were allowed to be themselves without any interference from outside. Even if Bon Bon hadn’t meant to cause any harm at all, merely the way she had held herself in a phase of her habitual nervousness could have had an unsettling effect on Lyra. Such a thing had no place within their home. Though it wasn’t really Bon Bon’s fault, the drive to make amends was almost overwhelming. She wanted to prove herself. Should the runecrafter come upstairs! See if she cared! She wouldn’t cover up the furniture this time.

With a determined step, Bon Bon trotted down the stairs to the sound of the running faucet. Turning around the corner of the paneled common room wall, she stepped into the kitchen to find Lyra filling the glass jug, only one of many items perpetually cluttering the counter. The clear water sparkled in the light that came through the kitchen window as it splashed around in the translucent container, the edges of the glass breaking the radiance up into intense little rainbows. Upon Lyra’s request, Bon Bon went back through the common room, past the fireplace, and stepped into the pantry at the far end, digging around between baskets and bags for some of the ever elusive lemons. The musty air was almost suffocating compared to the fresh smells outside, and her frustration grew as she couldn’t find any, like so many times before. Eventually, Bon Bon’s hoof connected with her forehead when she discovered the lemons hanging in a net above her head. Grumbling, she placed a few into an empty basket and carried them back to the kitchen. Lyra cut up the fruit and let Bon Bon squeeze them into the water. Her previous frustrations forgotten, the big filly jovially set to the task, using both forehooves to hold the lemon halves above the jug and press out the juice, and her relentless tittering indicated that she had way more fun with the straightforward activity than she ought to. Bon Bon found herself elated by both the prospect of a delicious drink and being able to help Lyra in the kitchen. The cloudy lemon juice spread in the clear water like smoke, and Lyra felt her cheeks lift in a fond smile as her adorable filly’s breath fogged the glass while she sat transfixed by the spectacle.

Eventually, Lyra went into the adjacent room. “Ah, that’s much better,” she said, breaking Bon Bon out of her trance. Lyra was standing in the dining room, grinning around the white pacifier in her mouth that had been forgotten yesterday on the dining table. “I’m not letting go of this one, seeing how you are so comfy with yours,” Lyra said. Bon Bon suckled in agreement.

“How about this,” Lyra continued, “I’ll take the lemonade and you open the door for me. Deal?” Bon Bon trotted off with a nod and Lyra’s yellow light reflected off the crystalline surface in weird angles as she picked up the jug in her magical grasp and deposited it with a clank on the metal tray that held all of their drinking glasses. Then she took the tray onto her back and followed Bon Bon to the front door.

Bon Bon stood momentarily bedazzled before the door. How did this work again?

“You remember how it goes, Bon Bon,” Lyra said cheerfully from behind, “you put your hoofsies on the handle and push down.”

Of course. She had known that all along, she wasn’t that little. Even as Bon Bon tried to convince herself of that, she found herself already following Lyra’s advice, propping herself up onto the door handle and awaiting the result with a smidge of curiosity. Amazingly, the door really swung open in front of her and she fell outside onto her hooves.

The world was bright and colorful in Princess Celestia’s tranquil radiance. Bon Bon stepped out from under the shade of the balcony, and her body was immediately suffused by the sun’s all-encompassing warmth. The essence of growth shone onto them directly from the heavens, bestowing pure vitality upon everything within its reach equitably, granting every being an equal chance at life in this world. Insects bustled all around, crawling and buzzing excitedly in their quest to answer the call of the supple green grasses and colorful flowers beneath Bon Bon’s hooves. A fluttering flock of birds passed by overhead, only one of many crowding the sky as far as the eye could see, circling above hungrily in hopes of snatching a morsel from the ample supply in the meadows. The sky was pale blue and bright, streaked with foggy white wisps that told of the humidity in the air, an indication that the Weather Team’s preparations for the rain were well underway. The sentiment was underlined by the fact that a pleasant late-summer wind already blew, gently dancing across Bon Bon’s snout, past her brow and through her mane, playing with her coat along her sides and swaying the hairs of her tail. The only part of her that was conspicuously left alone by the breeze was her rump, which was completely protected by the warm and comfortable embrace of her diaper.

She looked to her left, thick leaves and vines hanging with abandon over the fence of their garden, tantalizing with an ample harvest that was yet to come. The rain would do great for the plants, plus, Bon Bon noted with satisfaction, it meant she wouldn’t have to water them for a few days. Past the garden, a trampled path led into the dense shrubbery that separated them from the forest. Nopony really walked that way except for the locals, who were thankful to have this little shortcut through an airy part of the plant life that led to the road towards the big lake. Particularly thankful were they on a hot summer day.

Straight ahead of Bon Bon was their neighbourhood, the collection of houses branching off the main road that led into the rising shapes of Ponyville in the distance. Well, there really was only one house that was close enough that she considered it within their immediate vicinity. It was some distance away, lying in the inside of the bend where the main road turned southwards, running to Bon Bon’s right towards the water tower further down, and where the little path split off that connected their own home to the town’s road network. Bon Bon scanned their neighbouring house, whose stone wall was luckily its backside, and the surrounding property for activity, but fortunately all was quiet, and she wouldn’t have to stay out of sight to hide her --

No. Stupid! Hadn’t she just promised not to do this anymore? She had to pull herself together. She wouldn’t break her promise. She didn’t care who saw her like this, and it didn’t matter if anypony did. Bon Bon decidedly made a point of not looking up to check the cloud home of their upwards neighbour as she followed Lyra past the oak tree and around the corner of the house.

It was pointless to pretend her secret was still only her own anyway, and a clear reminder presented itself before them in the shed. It wasn’t really a shed, Bon Bon would always have to explain, it was just a awning hanging away from the wall above a patch of dirt. No idea why they called it a shed, probably because of all the junk they stored under it. Other than the overhanging wooden canopy, this side of the house’s heavy log wall was featureless, only broken up by two rows of windows. The window right next to the shed permitted view into the kitchen, and Bon Bon imagined she could clamber inside in case of an emergency, but the need hadn’t arisen so far. Also, it seemed like fun. She should try it some time.

In the shed, they stored a large, orderly pile of firewood and a smaller, unorderly pile of rubbish, cracked plates, rotten pieces of furniture and broken magical appliances. All this stuff they had to take to the junkyard before it piled on and became too much, since none of it belonged into the dumpsters. Bon Bon was always proud to have the same colorful assortment of hard plastic refuse containers that all the other proper households in Ponyville had. Each container was meant for a different type of waste to facilitate efficient recycling. Most ponies leading a household in Ponyville had internalized the schedule of monthly garbage collection and were happy to perform the logical task of separating their trash, doubly so Bon Bon because she knew it helped enable their style of life.

Recycling was brutally efficient in Equestria. Since times long past, there was a neverending advancement in the engineering and magical sciences, leading to a wealth of more or less sensible corporeal and ethereal application in the practical world. Nowadays, some households functioned by an arrangement of gadgets and electricity, some by enchantment, mana and magic, and most homes, including Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s, simply by a mixture of both. This trend did not restrict itself on private homes though. Life in Equestria was a sublime affair, clockwork and alchemy to be found at every turn of a corner, working in tandem with brilliant layline machines and grandiose airships combining what had been strictly separate fields a thousand years ago. Entire industries revolved around being creative with the sciences and trying out the brash and the bold. Complex machinery augmented with elemental unicorn magic allowed ponies to dismantle, decompose, debase, rebase and re-assemble products and materials in a steadily widening horizon of possibilities. A consequence of this progress, one that had been rightfully deemed necessary a long time ago in light of the increasing demands in resources, was Equestria’s waste recycling apparatus. Today, it was refined enough to be able to reclaim practically all of the components that made up a common product. Only some obscure commodities and special materials were beyond its grasp, but the wonders of magic and the inventive spirit of ponykind made it possible that life in a regular household was effectively waste-free.

The resulting surplus of raw materials was ultimately the reason for the rubber in Bon Bon’s muzzle and the plastic on her butt. She was happy that things had gone their way, and she had no problem with doing her duty and separating their waste into the plastic containers that stood in their shed. The green one was for generic refuse, the black one was for metals, the grey one was for glass, and the blue one usually only larger families had. It was for diapers, and it was intended for households that went through enough diapers to warrant an extra container. Bon Bon remembered how excited she had been when they had requested one from Ponyville, because it meant that they would count among those households now.

Naturally, always in the back of her head was how much of a public statement it was, too. Everypony in Ponyville knew Bon Bon and Lyra, knew that they were married and living together in their log house on the far edge of the town. Both being mares, it was reasonable to conclude that they wouldn’t have any foals of their own. The fact that they had a diaper container didn’t make certain suspicions seem otherworldly. Bon Bon snorted at how hard she had tried to hide it at times. As Lyra had said, it really was pointless. Maybe she should just assume that everypony knew anyway.

The back yard still looked the same as the last time she had been here, meaning that Lyra hadn’t left the garden gate open again, letting critters past the fence into the garden that extended further down on the other side of the house. The yard itself was basically just a patch of cut grass within the meadow. Well, cut-ish. It didn’t make much difference to trim the lawn anyway, since most of it was dominated by a large circular patch of brown earth. It was the result of multiple efforts to do something with the space, including the construction of a large flowerbed and digging out a swimming pool. Nothing had really come to fruition yet, but Bon Bon didn’t mind. She kind of liked the earth, it had a rich dark color and a soft texture under her hooves.

With a clink, Lyra set the tray down on their little garden table adjacent to the house wall, and then leaned over the chairs to spit out her pacifier next to it onto the weathered metal surface. The little sitting place was fully exposed to the day’s heat, the back balcony unable to provide any shade in the afternoon when the sun shone under it as it set in the west. Still, the balcony at least protected it from the rain, as it did protect the adjacent stairs down into the basement and the heap of gardening tools next to it.

Bon Bon followed Lyra’s example and let her pacifier slide out from between her lips, making it two big foal soothers on the table glistening in the sunlight. Lyra had started trotting away, but a surge of panic briefly rose within Bon Bon when Lyra suddenly kicked up dirt in a mad dash into the field, giggling all the way. A little foal’s proper place was by the side of the other fillies, she couldn’t be anywhere alone, and Bon Bon discovered her hooves were already instinctively carrying her close to her playmate.

The two were a whooping and laughing heap when they impacted with the high grass. It was an amazing sight how the wall of green parted before Bon Bon, bending to her will as she plowed through. Her entire body tickled all over as bushels of high leaves caressed her belly when she walked over them and long golden grass stalks dragged their fuzzy tips along her sides as she moved past. Like a christmas sparkler, waves upon waves of bouncy little grasshoppers shot away from her as she pushed forward, sailing high through the air to vanish within the plant life hopefully far away from the possible danger. Under her hooves was a soft carpet of budding young plants, bearing the promise of a delicious and crunchy meal beyond only what she could see. Bon Bon navigated through the vast botanical variety, avoiding the thick leaves of a rhubarb plant, stepping over a clearing sprinkled with a thousand tiny clovers, diving into a wall of wild wheat.

When the thicket rose up to her neck, the delicious smells were almost overbearing. Bon Bon stopped by a particularly large and old grass bushel. She bent down, nosing the dark and dry stalks aside, and gathered a mouthful of the intense green young leaves that grew at the center using her lips and teeth. Grass was a staple food for ponies, and it tasted like it even at its best. The young leaves were very juicy as they crunched in Bon Bon’s mouth, filling it with their intense hearty taste that left her hungering for something more exotic. She ate a few of the older grass leaves and a bloom too, representing woody and honey-like variations on the same taste. However, grass always felt unexpectedly voluminous when she swallowed it, and it quickly satiated her hunger, satiating the worst of it with a satisfying wholeness.

Bon Bon smacked her lips, lusting for more. She buried her head deep in the plant life and walked forward. Relying mainly on her nose, she pushed aside the thicket and navigated through a world of aromas. It smelled of earth mostly, since most regular plants didn’t really smell any different from it, and there weren’t any magical plants in their meadow - those grew only on the other side of the forest, toward Canterlot. After a few moments Bon Bon found something that caught her interest. A group of dandelions stood huddled together, hoping to stand a chance against the merciless grass that towered around them if they pressed their jagged leaves close together to secure some space for their radiant yellow blooms. Of course, that worked about as well as it protected them against the cream-colored pony that was grinning down at them. Bon Bon blew onto the plants to disperse any insects and gathered some of the leaves and blossoms with her tongue before she pulled them off with her teeth. The characteristic bitterness immediately shot through Bon Bon’s jaw when she started chewing, making her wrinkle her lips. As opposed to Lyra, Bon Bon loved this taste, and she liked to mix dandelions into their salads whenever she got the chance.

She continued to dine on the bitter flowers while occasionally eating one of the dry golden stalks of wheat to take the edge off with a taste not unlike bread. The remarkably different textures of the leaves and the various fresh juices eventually started to mingle in Bon Bon’s mouth as she slowly build up a mass of food that she kept continuously chewing on, swallowing only the softest parts before she supplied the next fresh piece of vegetation. Each new plant she discovered contributed its own unique aroma to the mix. Before long, a patch of daisies laid on some variety with their bittersweet aroma that wasn’t unlike vanilla. A large circular green leaf with a red rim she ate only partially, the cress spicing things up with its sharpness even in such a small amount. The pale green hairy leaves of a nettle provided some of their oily juice to carry the other tastes to a smooth finish. And a few steps further, through another wall of grass, Bon Bon found her favourite thing that was green: Lyra.

Lyra had taken on an entirely different mode of eating. She was sitting square on her butt, in the middle of a large patch of flattened vegetation that marked her zone of activity. Her entire hind legs were brown with earth, as was her diapered crotch and the underside of her tail. She was happily crawling around, ripping out the plants with her hooves and stuffing them into her mouth to chew on them contentedly while the sun shone down on her head. It didn’t even seem to occur to her that she had a horn.

“Lyra, that’s not proper table manners!” Bon Bon exclaimed.

“Neither is speaking with a full mouth,” Lyra said with a full mouth.

Bon Bon snorted and had to hold a hoof to her own mouth to prevent any more of her food-mass from escaping, causing them both to dissolve into a fit of giggles. She walked over to Lyra and, when the mirth had subsided, gingerly touched the tips of their snouts together. Lyra’s eyes were playful and her breath tickled on Bon Bon’s skin, and neither of the mares prevented the little contact from evolving into an intimate kiss. Tiny bits of food and varied tastes were exchanged as their tongues brushed against each other. They didn’t even need to look as both raised a forehoof and accurately tapped them together with a clop. Bon Bon felt herself melt in Lyra’s hooves, her sensitive lips tingling as Lyra skillfully worked them over. Lyra was such a good kisser. The smooching went on for a comfortable while before they broke.

Bon Bon licked her lips, feeling refreshed like after brushing her teeth. Actually, she realized, that was a taste. “Mmmh,” she made, “that tastes really good. What is that?”

“Here,” Lyra said, “have some.” She held up a bushel of yarrow in her hoof. Bon Bon gingerly pulled one of the long lanky stalks out by its umbel and started chewing on it, continuously sucking it in like a noodle. A milky juice came out of the plant as Bon Bon crushed the fibers with her teeth, tasting faintly sweet with a delayed sour sharpness setting in, reminding her of the minty toothpaste that had the same color as Lyra’s coat. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant in the first place, and Bon Bon found herself liking the chewy dessert as a conclusion to a fine meal.

That, and Lyra kept casually feeding her some of what she herself ate, seeming barely aware of the fact as she scoured the ground for more treats. Bon Bon was rewarded with the juicy sour of the little clovers that were revealed between the flattened larger plants, and the dry bitterness of patch of sage that quickly vanished between them. She was too little to eat on her own yet. Sure she had managed just now, but it must have been by the barest threads of luck since the task was really complicated, and so much could go wrong. How would she even get the food into her mouth if Lyra didn’t put it there? How could she know what tasted good and what didn’t, if she didn’t ask Lyra? Bon Bon was relieved that Lyra was there to feed her, and she graciously accepted every hoofful of plants offered to her. It was quite difficult to remember keeping her mouth closed too, and more than once a glistening trail of drool remained on Lyra’s mint green hoof when she drew it back.

“Yuck,” Lyra said, wiping her hoof off in the grass, “aren’t you a messy little foal. Which reminds me.” Bon Bon enjoyed the contact for what it was when Lyra took her into an embrace, and held still when she felt a hoof move down towards her tail. Bon Bon instinctively lifted her tail and felt her heart beat faster. Why was she getting so excited? She had to be checked like all foals, and there wasn’t really any other way for Lyra to find out. Still, Bon Bon quivered slightly as Lyra’s hoof brushed past the tail tape and gently traced the shape of her buttocks through her diaper, curiously poking the sensitive spot in between.

“Nope, all clean back there,” Lyra said.

“Um, why wouldn’t I be?” Bon Bon said curiously.

Lyra had a satisfied grin on her face as if asked the easiest question in the world. “Because,” she said, “foals often go during a meal. Everypony knows that. But if you’re feeling in control of your potty needs right now, you can tell me if you’re wet.”

Bon Bon could only think of one logical way to find that out. She stuffed her forehoof between her hind legs and pressed it into her crotch. On the outside, her diaper still felt fluffy and light, and the inside of the diaper, pressed up against her sensitive skin, was bone-dry.

“I’m dry,” Bon Bon happily reported, before she blinked, “how about you?”

Instead of answering directly, Lyra leaned back and propped herself up on her forehooves, her leg muscles tightening beneath her skin as she spread her hind legs apart, presenting her earth-speckled diaper. Any trace of embarrassment that may have appeared Lyra’s face was replaced by an anticipating smile as Bon Bon immediately stepped forward and touched her diaper.

“Oh my goodness,” Bon Bon said, recognizing the firmness of diaper fluff that had absorbed a small amount of liquid, “you’re already damp! I changed you not an hour ago.”

“Heh, yeah,” Lyra said, scratching her head, “I can’t hold it back so well when I get excited.”

Bon Bon’s face grew hot at the realization of what that meant. “You mean,” she said incredulously, “you peed while we kissed?”

Lyra only grinned broadly in response. Bon Bon wasn’t quite sure why the thought thrilled her so, since Lyra was supposed to be more or less without control right now, and she was only living up to the premise. Still, Bon Bon was suddenly intensely aware just how thick and soft the padding between her hind legs actually was, and how it rubbed her with every movement as she sidled up to Lyra. Her forehoof left Lyra’s diaper and wandered onto her stomach, drawing idle circles as the two lovers looked into each other’s eyes. Even though they didn’t move any closer, the intimacy between them seemed to grow hotter with every passing moment. Lyra still had that charming smile on her face, the comfortably familiar sight mesmerizing with its homeliness. Bon Bon was sitting with her mouth hanging open, unmoving apart from the locks of her mane and tail both bouncing in the breeze. She wished that the moment would last forever, that the tension between them would erupt in an emotional flame, but nothing like that happened and it lasted way too short.

Bon Bon’s eyes shot open as she looked past Lyra. She gasped and immediately fell into a prone position, nervously muttering something. Lyra turned around to see what’s going on.

“Oh please,” Lyra said, “come on, Bon Bon.” There, on the horizon, on the other side of the meadow, a pair of ponies were prancing through the grass, jumping and playing as they made their way toward the forest. Through the rustling of the leaves and the singing of the birds, their ringing laughter could be heard faintly over the distance. They seemed unaware of Lyra’s and Bon Bon’s presence, instead preoccupied with bumping against each other and picking their way through the field. They were just close enough to make out that neither of them had a horn or wings, but the fact that they were two lovebirds would be plain obvious at any distance. The wood-colored stallion, presumably he was the stallion since he was larger, couldn’t seem to break away from his flame, as if their heads were joined by an invisible rubber band. The slim gray mare tried to keep up with her lover’s antics, careful not to drop the picnic basket on her back. Steadily, the two proceeded through the meadow in harmony, their graceful movements complementary, their attentions trained to catch each other should they fall. It reminded Lyra of herself with Bon Bon.

“Look, Bon Bon,” Lyra said to the form cowering beside her, “they are probably heading into the forest for a nice picnic in the shade of the trees. Isn’t that cute?”

The urge to follow Lyra’s prompt to look already rising within her, Bon Bon realized that she shouldn’t be so embarrassed in front of strangers, especially with Lyra by her side. A weird voice inside her head told her to crawl under a rock and hide, to seek the stagnating safety of secrecy that she was so accustomed to, but it just didn’t feel right. She couldn’t really remember any logical reason to hide herself. Why had she even thought of it in the first place? She knew there was something, but it couldn’t be that important right now. In fact, the actual desire to show herself became apparent as determination welled up inside Bon Bon. She wanted to show off what a prim and proper filly she was, how clean and tidy she was being kept under Lyra’s care. That was something nice, something to be proud of, not something she should be hiding while standing behind their own home!

Like a wound spring, Bon Bon jumped upright so violently that even Lyra drew back. Lyra! Where had she gone? Bon Bon crouched down below the grass again. No! Stand up! Bon Bon stood high, only to fall prone again. This time, the habitual reaction that had influenced her behavior was completely gone, the little voice in her head silent, and all that remained was the infantile desire to hide behind the legs of somepony more mature than herself. Bon Bon crawled behind Lyra and sat upright on her haunches to look over her shoulder.

“Aww, don’t be shy!” Lyra laughed, “I’m sure they’re nice ponies. Here, watch this.”

Lyra reared up to stand tall on her hind legs. She waved extensively with both her forehooves while shouting, “Yoohoo! Hello! Hey, over here!” Bon Bon moved out of the way of her excitedly wagging tail. There was no way the other ponies couldn’t see the white triangular shape of Lyra’s bulky underwear in front of her lower belly, which meant there would be hardly any attention left for Bon Bon. With the renewed confidence inspired by Lyra’s shenanigans, Bon Bon also lifted a forehoof and waved with a friendly smile.

The two other ponies stopped and looked around for a moment before they spotted the source of the calling. They both lifted a hoof to wave while yelling greetings in return. Then they trotted off together, proceeding on their way toward their private fun. Just like that, the confrontation was over. Bon Bon didn’t know what she had expected, and the relief she felt seemed superfluous.

“I’ve never seen those two before,” she said to change the topic, “who were they?”

“Probably tourists,” Lyra said, “maybe from Canterlot, or Manehattan. You know how they like to come out here to enjoy some of the rural life. They don’t have nature like this in the city, it must be a real treat for them. They’re probably out for some fun in the trees, too,” she added with a grin.

“I think the grass is fun enough. I don’t know why they packed their own … ooohh,” Bon Bon’s eyes went wide as she caught on.

Lyra snickered. Their own sensuality from the previous moment was gone, and all that remained were more immediate urges. “I’m thirsty,” Lyra said, “let’s go back and drink some lemonade.” Under the rustling of leaves and the crinkling of two diapers, they made their way out of their little clearing of flattened plants.

Getting back to the house wasn’t very cumbersome as the two big fillies only had to retrace the path of destruction that was left in their wake. Bon Bon stepped out of the field behind Lyra, crossed the yard over the patch of dirt and stopped to admire the back wall of the house. It was bathed in the intense golden glow of the early afternoon sun, each little furrow on the surface of the massive logs standing out like a tiny landscape. The house radiated with the warmth of late summer, and she half expected their home to store enough heat to last through any bad weather. The balcony stood out with the complex shadow of its wooden railing. The wooden bench that stood atop was darkened and withered, striking were the signs of the passage of time. When had she last cleaned that thing? The last time they had sat on it and just watched the sky together was so long ago. But they should do it again some time. She was able to do that now. No more hiding from the pegasi overhead. Why had she done that in the first place? It didn’t matter, even attempting to remember the reason seemed to blemish the perfect moment.

Blemished was also the garden, Bon Bon noticed. Between the supple leaves that would soon be home to a rich harvest of vegetables and the juicy blooms of their food flowers, unwelcome weeds reared their ugly heads. Dull green and unpleasant to look at, crooked bushels broke out of the otherwise orderly earth, taking all the nourishment from the ground for their own dry leaves and woody stems, and stealing sun and air from the garden’s inhabitants with constricting vines.

“Lyra,” Bon Bon called, “we have to pull the weeds before the rain or they’ll grow like wild. It’s getting kind of dense here.”

“Pull the weeds. Got it. Here, drink.” Lyra said. She was standing next to the table, one of the glasses floating in front of her, filled with liquid refreshment. Bon Bon wouldn’t even have seen the glow of Lyra’s magical grip over the intense radiance of the sun if it hadn’t twinkled in the glass like little yellow stars. She walked over and planted her behind on the ground, sitting down into her personal pillow, before accepting the proffered item with both her forehooves. Lyra made it seem so easy as she lifted her own glass to her mouth and drank with pleasure and without trouble. All the while, her own glass still wobbled in Bon Bon’s hooves. Whenever she lifted it on one side to keep it from falling over, the liquid would slosh onto the other side and unbalance the whole thing again. Eventually though, the smooth rim found its way against Bon Bon’s lips, and she lifted her hooves to drink deep.

The cool liquid washed down her throat and immediately Bon Bon noticed how hot she had been. With the sun barreling down on them, the lemonade was a welcome refreshment that she could only really appreciate once she actually drank it. The sweet and sour taste of the lemons suffused her and made her sweat, promptly cooling down the surface of her skin. Her ears splayed against her head in an instinctive reaction to a cold that was entirely deliberate, and her tail flagged as her body comfortably tightened with the chill. Only when the glass was almost empty did Bon Bon sense the volume of liquid that sloshed around in her belly, pleasantly filling her and keeping her cool, reassuring her that she would be able to continue playing outside.

Lyra sighed when she was finished and set her glass back among the others with a clank. Bon Bon had already done so and was staring at her intently. Her foal’s sapphire eyes beseeching her curiously wasn’t an uncommon sight. Bon Bon wanted to know what they’d do next, waiting for Lyra to tell her since she was too little to decide for herself.

“I was thinking,” Lyra said, “let’s pick some stuff from the field while we’re here. You know, some flowers or something, before the rain comes. It would be a shame to let the fresh blooms go to waste, and we could dry them for the winter. Maybe we’ll even find some berries.”

“Maybe we’ll find some nuts,” Bon Bon interjected, “there were some back there.” She pointed toward the bushwork close to the garden, a patch of forest they knew to contain some walnut trees, and sure enough, the foliage was speckled with tiny green and brown nuggets.

“Yeah, nuts will be great. Nice catch, filly,” Lyra said, Bon Bon’s face lighting up at the praise, “now we just need a basket or something --”

“Oh! I know! I know!” Bon Bon said excitedly, “I left the basket for the lemons in the kitchen. Let me get it! Please!”

“Alright,” Lyra said with an amused laugh at the childish enthusiasm. Bon Bon shot off back around the shed, and Lyra followed to find out why she was being so giddy. Around the bend, Lyra found her standing in front of the kitchen window, looking on dejectedly.

“It’s locked,” Bon Bon whined, “Lyra, can you open it, please?”

“What, you wanna crawl through?” Lyra asked in jest, but realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. Bon Bon nodded enthusiastically, and Lyra couldn’t stifle a snort. “You’re such a silly filly, you know that?” Lyra said, ruffling Bon Bon’s mane. Her glowing horn clinked against the window that barred their way, but her magical reach wasn’t completely blocked. She had to fish around on the other side of the glass for a moment before she could sense the lock, and then fiddle around with the hook using her inaccurate grasp for another moment. Eventually though, Lyra managed to bump the hook out of the latch and the window groaned open before them.

Lyra’s stomach grew fuzzy on the inside at the adorable sight of Bon Bon trying to clamber up into the window. She was holding on to the windowsill with her forelegs, her tail held high as her hind legs scrambled for purchase. She wouldn’t hurt herself if she fell since the drop wasn’t any longer than her own legs, plus she would land softly on her big padded butt that was crinkling like mad in her struggle. Lyra allowed herself to enjoy the cuteness for a moment longer before she made a move to intervene. She bent down and grabbed one of Bon Bon’s hind hooves with her own forehoof, gently guiding it into a crease between two of the wall’s logs. Bon Bon steadied herself and shifted her weight to lift her other leg. Lyra helped to settle that leg into a ledge again, allowing Bon Bon to slowly climb the wall like a ladder.

When they had progressed until Bon Bon was draped over the windowsill, Lyra found her entire view filled out with the vast expanse of her big filly’s white diapered behind. It wasn’t even with a conscious effort that her muzzle moved forward to plant a warm kiss onto her foal’s underwear. The surface of the diaper was smooth against Lyra’s lips. The diaper had taken on Bon Bon’s body warmth, and it smelled of sweet skin cream and plastic, the unmistakable smell of an infant. It reminded her of her own diaper that sat snugly between her hind legs, comfortable to wear and even more comfortable to use. Only when Lyra pressed her head forward and sunk her muzzle into the cloudy-soft, crinkly fluff could she vaguely feel the contours of Bon Bon’s butt. Lyra wanted to knead it, feel the soft skin yield under the push of her hoof. It was the softness that she had come to think inseparable from Bon Bon. Like herself, Lyra couldn’t imagine Bon Bon to be able to last long without her diapers, and she didn’t want to either. Lyra enjoyed having the big foal in her life as much as she enjoyed having her face and her horn buried in her big diaper, and she would have let the moment go on much longer if she didn’t have to answer to Bon Bon’s complaints of “Hey!” that rung from the kitchen.

“You’re just too cute not to kiss, Bon Bon” Lyra said, drawing back. As much as she wanted to become more intimate with that butt, she decided instead to give it a push and ducked away from Bon Bon’s flailing hind legs as she pulled herself into the kitchen. Soon after, her grinning face popped up in the window. “I love ya too,” Bon Bon said merrily and touched a hoof into Lyra’s mane before trotting off.

Bon Bon found her basket on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t too large, which made it perfect because it wouldn’t be too heavy even if full. The basket was weaved of twigs, but the handle had been sanded smooth so a pony could easily carry it with her mouth. It was an ideal basket for collecting nuts. Bon Bon picked it up and headed for the front door.

“Not gonna come out the same way you got in?” Lyra said, visibly amused.

Bon Bon ducked her head in embarrassment and said, “It’s not as fun as it’s made out to be. Don’t try it.” Lyra’s laughter vanishing behind her, she left the room.

Beside the front door, under the coat hanger, still lay Bon Bon’s saddlebags that she had brought home from the shop. They were light, containing some notes she had scribbled down over the past week, ideas of harmonic configurations, impressions of new compositions of tastes and whatever she had learned during the onrush of pony folk over the course of the week. The saddlebag belonged to adult Bon Bon, and she wasn’t present at the moment. She would appreciate it though if the saddlebag were taken to her workplace in the basement.

Bon Bon nosed under the middle strap of the saddlebags. Adult Bon Bon was better at picking things up too, she noted as the basket noisily scraped over the floor. Eventually the saddlebags settled around her neck and Bon Bon proceeded out the door. The house had aired out with the door open and it felt more like a part of nature than an artificial building, the inside smelling with the same freshness as outside.

Lyra waited in the yard while Bon Bon took a quick detour into the basement. Her hooves clopped down the stone stairs and over the metal grating of the drain before she entered the room. The rectangular patch of sunlight on the floor that fell in through the entrance provided just enough illumination to see. Bon Bon was greeted by the large metal pot in the corner of the room, her private still, which was the only real working tool she kept at home to venture into the fascinating world of tastes, some of the experiments in the past proving successful, and some not so much. The rest of the bare plastered walls were lined with tables, which were filled to the brim with papers, tools and instruments, both musical and scientific, in various states of disassembly. A long time ago the workspace had been separated into an area for Lyra and Bon Bon each, but the former’s turbulent technique of work had quickly led to her clutter annexing most of the available estate. The junk included Lyra’s machete, which lay there amidst a heap of papers, the metal gleaming where she had ground the rust away and its blade blackened where the blacksmith had repaired it. It was an unsightly, crooked thing, far from an effective device for cutting and more of a heavy cross between a sword and a hatchet. Bon Bon couldn’t stand the sight of it, and she tossed the saddlebags to cover it before walking back out with satisfaction.

The wind was slightly cooler outside, and somepony had deposited a first cloud over the forest, probably to pick it up later when the storm preparations would begin in earnest. They still had enough time though since the storm was scheduled for the evening, and it was without urgency that Bon Bon took the basket and Lyra. Off they went, walking along the garden fence, through the tall grass and into the bushwork. Navigating between slim trunks and brushing stray branches out of her face, Bon Bon emerged into the intense smell of the forest, the sharp and earthen smells of festering wood and fresh humus being much more apparent here than in the field. She couldn’t feel the wind, the surrounding leaves blocking it out completely, which they announced with vigorous rustling. The forestscape itself was still a distance away, but the most courageous trees already greeted them this far from the safety of their home, and the ground beneath her hooves turned increasingly away from hard bushes and into branches and leaves the further they progressed. A moment later, they arrived at their familiar patch of walnut trees when a deafening crunch issued from under Bon Bon’s hoof, and she felt something brittle and pointy crushed under her sole.

“I found a nut!” Bon Bon exclaimed. The basket tumbled to the ground. Oops.

“Great work, Bon Bon. Put it in the basket,” Lyra said. Bon Bon’s heart jumped at the praise from Lyra, but she couldn’t resist lifting her hoof and looking at the walnut. Its shattered shell was still mostly green on the smooth outside, but the inside had already dried out and its worming folds had turned stiff and woody. Bon Bon’s curious snout pushed aside the chips to expose the nut’s brittle core. It smelled intensely bitter and the stimulation made Bon Bon’s mouth water. With her tongue she worked over the intricate husk to pluck out her prize. Against her expectations, the walnut was still juicy as she bit down on it, its nutty fluids and bitter oils creating a thoroughly fulfilling aroma that she usually associated with the winter season. She could make a delicious cake with the walnuts or try to work them into candies. That is, adult Bon Bon could.

Presently, Bon Bon busied herself with trying to help Lyra with collecting. Lyra was diligent in her work, moving back and forth gracefully, gathering from the rich harvest with her horn and floating walnuts in ones or twos into the basket every so often. She needed to pay attention to only pick up the good ones and discard the rotten ones, lest they rob a little worm of its home, and to ensure that they would only have the best ones to eat. Bon Bon on the other hoof was mostly rolling around on the ground, kicking her legs into the air and stuffing more nuts into her mouth. She really tried to help Lyra, but the nuts just tasted so good, and it was always amazing when she lifted another cluster of leaves to unearth a congregation of scurrying little pill bugs or slimy millipedes running for their lives. The tree trunks had a fascinating assortment of colorful fungi running up their sides, like intricate little rainbow cities built into the massive landscapes of the tree barks’ vast furrows. The earth wasn’t as smooth as under the clear sky, animals, plants and the weather continuously digging out little holes and hills, cliffs and channels, spilling the earth’s bowels and exposing roots and differently colored ground from times long past. The roots were mostly tasteless, but very juicy with water. Bon Bon’s joyous exploring was accompanied by the woosh of the wind through the nearby treetops and the sounds of the forest animals nearby, foxes and weasels as insistent with their calls as the woodpecker with its pecking and the owl with its whooing. More than once Bon Bon found herself jumping through a wall of leaves to be rewarded with faceful of Lyra’s tail.

“Look at this,” Lyra eventually said, floating up a basket brimming with walnuts, “it was a really good idea to come get these before the rain, or they would’ve gone to waste. We’ve got so many, I don’t even know where to put them to dry.” A lively crinkling caught Lyra’s attention, and she found Bon Bon standing before her and happily wagging her tail. It wasn’t something that she usually did at all, but it was a good indication how much she enjoyed receiving the small praises like a child. Wanting to one up her, Lyra stepped closer and gave Bon Bon a little kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for helping,” she said.

Bon Bon had butterflies in her stomach. She had a huge grin plastered over her face the entire way back to the house. In that moment, everything felt so right. Everything was in place the was it was meant to be. There was a complete absence of any form of acting or pretending between them, no premeditated dialogue or stilted rituals. Lyra and Bon Bon were home, leisurely spending time together, both as true to themselves as could be. As organic and natural as the grass rustling beneath her hooves and the sun smiling at her from above, it was precisely what Bon Bon currently was. She was undeniably and unmistakably a big little filly, carefreely relishing all the fun that life could offer her, joyously laughing together with her best friend and huge crush Lyra as they walked together. She felt safe with Lyra, strong and dependable hooves holding her tight. They could overcome anything together, and neither of them would ever forsake the other. When she was with Lyra, Bon Bon could completely let herself go and relinquish any semblance of control, because she could depend on Lyra with her life. They were at a point where Lyra could never disappoint her, both because she would never want to and because Bon Bon would never let her. They were there for each other no matter what, and Bon Bon found solace in that undisputable fact. Lyra would help her when she needed help, be it to soothe her fears when she was big, or to feed, clean and nurture her when she was little. They were meant for each other. The peace that she derived from the knowledge was pure bliss.

Bon Bon had fallen behind Lyra in their trek through the tall grass. She tried to retrace her own hoofsteps, but they were way too big. Had she really left these tracks? She was too afraid to make steps that big, instead preferring to cautiously walk through the swath that had been left in the thicket, taking at least two steps for every one she had needed in the other direction. It was better to make little steps and be safe than to fall over or lose the way. Where was Lyra anyway?

When Bon Bon rounded the garden fence, Lyra stood in the yard, looking out for her. She had set the basket down on the ground and waved at Bon Bon in a way of greeting when she saw her. Bon Bon hadn’t intended to scare Lyra! She would have to make it up with a big hug.

Bon Bon galloped through the yard, kicking up blades of grass as she headed straight for Lyra. With her eyes going wide, Lyra reared up to catch her, her stammering overtaken by laughter when she realized there was no way to avoid it. “Oof,” Lyra made when Bon Bon impacted into her, and no other sound she made when Bon Bon squeezed the air out of her in a crushing hug. Bon Bon couldn’t seem to get their bodies pressed together close enough, touching their noses together and giving in to the urge to giggle at suddenly being so close to Lyra’s face. Lyra returned the hug and lifted Bon Bon from the ground so they wouldn’t keel over from her enthusiastic snuggling, but keel over they did anyway.

They fell over backwards, Lyra landing softly on her cushioned behind before laying back flat into the grass. She came face to face with a view of Bon Bon sitting on top of her, her chest heaving with unbridled laughter. The tranquility Bon Bon had felt before had erupted into full-blown exhilaration, and every little detail had turned into its own little work of drollness. Lyra’s facial expression when she found herself Bon Bon’s captive was priceless, the way Lyra’s splayed-out tail blended in with the grass below them due to its similar color was deliciously funny, and the fact that Bon Bon was using Lyra as her own personal chair had her in tears with laughter. Eventually she didn’t even need a reason anymore, Bon Bon only laughed for the sake of laughing, free and unbound, only because she could. Lyra couldn’t long resist the mirth. The foalish squeals and giggles that issued from Bon Bon were music to her ears, and they were soon joined by her own. Just the way every foal should be happy, Bon Bon’s face was the embodiment of infantile glee, and it made Lyra thoroughly content in a fundamental way to see her own foal lost in the joy of the moment, her eyes glinting with emotion and her ears swiveling back and forth as she tried to pull herself together.

When Lyra thought the heat of the moment subsided, Bon Bon suddenly bent forward and started smothering the bridge of her snout in sloppy, wet kisses. Bon Bon felt Lyra squirm under the assault, the irresistible stream of giggles this time coming forth from her instead, giving a token amount of resistance with her forehooves against Bon Bon’s sides that wasn’t really supposed to do anything other than to coax her into continuing with the affection. Lyra’s facial fur tickled Bon Bon’s lips with its soft fluffyness, and soon the glistening trail of drool that marked the location of each of Bon Bon’s smooches had spread up the bridge of Lyra’s muzzle and across her brow. Bon Bon eventually laid down on top of Lyra, eliciting another “Oof” from as the unicorn was pushed flat into the grass, and worked her muzzle deep into Lyra’s increasingly disheveled mane. Bon Bon inhaled deeply, taking in the overwhelming aroma of concentrated Lyra, everything she had experienced during the day, every soap and shampoo she had used, her sweat, her food, her body, her essence. Bon Bon wanted it all.

Bon Bon only needed to shift slightly until she could begin nibbling on Lyra’s ear. The surprised gasp in her chest fur only spurred her on as she worked over the chewy rim with her lips, holding it tight several times against the pull of Lyra’s instinctive attempt to lay her ears back against her head. She made sure to thoroughly knead every stretch of Lyra’s ear flap before she buried her snout into the down-like ear fluff, gently pushing and massaging the sensitive inside while Lyra shivered with every one of Bon Bon’s exhales. It was an intimate gesture, one that spoke of unconditional trust between the two partners as both sides enjoyed the immense pleasure that came with the act. They were lost in each other’s affection, a perfect moment that was only possible exclusively between the two partners.

Bon Bon was aware of Princess Celestia’s gentle grace that warmed both their sides from an increasingly flat angle. And she was fine with it. Should the gods watch. She would make them proud by drinking from the well of life deeply and with abandon, honoring their creation by enjoying its pleasures to the fullest. It was with her head held high that Bon Bon called herself an inhabitant of Equestria, the realm of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and all the lesser gods that populated the planes of the body, of magic, time, emotion and other dimensions yet unnamed. Responsibilities as well as luxuries, she swore she would make the most out of everything she had been given and, snuggling the still-groaning Lyra closer to herself, she silently mouthed a thank you for all her blessings. Thank you, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, for this beautiful world, for day and night, for all the nice ponies that help us on our way, thank you for harmony and love, for letting us open our shop and move into our house, thank you for the nice weather and the rich harvest, for our good food and fine clothes, thank you for the soft pillows and lazy weekends, for books and diapers and toys. And thank you for Lyra.

For the tiniest of moments, Bon Bon could swear that the sun briefly blinked, as if giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder in response. It was all she needed to turn her attention back to her loving wife.

In the meantime, Lyra’s forelegs had found their way around Bon Bon’s body. One of them was draped across her back, pulling them closer together, while the other one had snaked its way under Bon Bon’s tail, firmly gripping her diapered behind. Lyra wasn’t just hugging her. She was cradling her, just like a parent would cradle her foal. Bon Bon couldn’t roll over or slip off, she was immobile, being held completely tight and secure in Lyra’s embrace, and there was nowhere she would rather be. She was so little, so dependent and curious, there was nowhere she could go without Lyra’s guidance anyway. She loved how their soft bellies warmed each other as they were pressed together tightly, and she loved how her diaper was pushed up against her by Lyra’s hoof. Lyra was breathing hard into her chest, and Bon Bon wanted to make her feel as good as she herself felt.

Bon Bon’s muzzle went on a voyage through Lyra’s mane, past forests of tickling hairs and rivers of sweet fragrances until it arrived at the base of her towering horn. She took the horn between her lips and gave it a long and hearty smooch. Lyra’s moans were reduced to quiet whimpers as her form quivered under Bon Bon, but the way Lyra pulled her hips hard against her own told her to continue. She extended her tongue and slowly dragged it up the entire length of Lyra’s horn from the base to the rounded tip before she settled on casually nibbling on the horn’s top half. Bon Bon was intimately familiar with the shape and size of the spiral furrow that spanned the entire horn, unique to Lyra as was every unicorn’s, and the horn played on Bon Bon’s senses with its unusual surface feel, harder than cartilage but softer than bone. It wasn’t long though before the mundane surface awakened, and Bon Bon took pleasure in beckoning forth the pulling, sparkling sensation from Lyra’s horn, somewhere between the feeling of a weak electrical current and a fizzy drink stimulating her magical sense, as Lyra built up an arcane potential raw and lacking of purpose, herself lost in the heat of the moment.

Bon Bon’s heart raced in excitement. She was being naughty, she knew that to be true if she were any bigger. But she was only a little foal and didn’t understand the concept of naughtiness yet, and nopony would fault her for curiously exploring what she could do with her own body. It was the same reason why she had been put into a nice diaper, because nopony faulted her for not knowing how to use the potty yet. Bon Bon bucked her hips and pressed her crotch into Lyra’s. Through her own still dry and relatively uncumbersome diaper Bon Bon could feel that Lyra’s diaper had developed quite a mushy volume between her legs. It wasn’t surprising, Lyra had said that she wasn’t very good at holding it back, and the diaper had only served its purpose of soaking everything up when it had dribbled out. Still, going into your diaper felt really good and Bon Bon felt a pang of envy that Lyra was having all the fun, but it was quickly replaced by bubbling excitement when she remembered all the lemonade that they had drunk. Bon Bon became aware of the distant need to pee and she was giddy to prepare doing it the foalish way. If she could just spread her hind legs a little further --

“Hi girls! It’s me!”

Intruder.

Bon Bon was deposited onto the lawn as Lyra scrambled out from under her, panting heavily as she hastily wiped the spittle off her face. That voice was familiar, lighter in pitch than Bon Bon’s but warmer in tone than Lyra’s. It belonged to their upwards neighbour, and sure enough, there was North Wind, smoothly gliding down from the direction of her cloud home in an arc so wide and subtle that it could have only been born of a pegasus’ natural reflexes.

“Hey Lyra, I read it,” North Wind called out as she landed elegantly in the yard, “I read the book you gave me, I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it was, I almost fell off my cloud yesterday when I -- oh my goodness!” The book fell out of her open mouth onto the ground as she froze. It was because Bon Bon knew North Wind had always gotten a hard time for being the only pegasus on the Weather Team who wore glasses, she was shocked at herself when she had to swallow a biting remark about her eyesight. Where had all this anger suddenly come from? At another pony, nonetheless? It wasn’t becoming for a good filly to be resentful towards other ponies, and Bon Bon wanted nothing more than to be the best filly possible, both for Lyra and herself. ‘Intruder’? What had planted that word into her mind? North Wind didn’t intrude, she was good company, and a quirky and fun pony to be around.

“You read Detective Keenscent? Isn’t he just so super cool?” Lyra said with a dreamy voice as she trotted over. With a speed that had always been both scary and impressive to Bon Bon, North Wind’s demeanor changed into bubbly excitement again, a lively grin on her face as she joined Lyra in her enthusiasm and burst forth, “He is the super coolest, no doubt about that. There is no other super hero who is as awesome as him. He’s strong and handsome, but can you believe what a soft heart he has? I almost cried with him when he thought his dog was sick. And he’s so courageous! He always catches the bad guys. I couldn’t believe it when he climbed the mountain with only a knife and a rope …“ Lyra continued, “... and when he calmly drank his coffee while holding on to the underside of the airship, and then …” They both finished together, screaming like school fillies, “... he kicked the bad guys off the moving train!” The two friends exploded in giggling laughter at that.

That’s what North Wind was, a friend. Lyra’s coat was green and North Wind’s was blue. Lyra was a unicorn and North Wind was a pegasus. North Wind’s mane was also white like Lyra’s strand, but unlike Lyra’s own mane, which always wanted to become part of her face, hers looked like it was always being blown back by an unfelt gale. It didn’t matter that North Wind wore thick, white-rimmed glasses that made her eyes look bigger, or that Lyra wore a diaper that crinkled with every of her steps. They were friends having an easy time, and none of their differences mattered. Why should they?

North Wind’s face fell as quickly as before. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she said, “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything. I just wanted to quickly come by to bring back the book, but I didn’t see that you were … well, um. You know.” She picked up the book.

Lyra waved it off with a hoof and said, “Hey, no harm done. You know you can visit any time you like. It’s no biggie, right?” The question was directed towards Bon Bon, and a shadow of worry crossed Lyra’s face. No biggie? Of course it was no biggie. It was less than a biggie, and that stupid voice in the back of Bon Bon’s head had better understand that. It was that toxic little presence within her consciousness that kept insisting something was wrong. She should be ashamed of her infantile affection toward her caretaker Lyra. But why? She was a little foal, she needed lots of love and she wanted nothing more than to love back. She should hide her embarrassing diaper, she had no reason to wear one. No reason? On the contrary, she was so little that she was still dependent on her diapers. Shouldn’t she bolt off and hide in the safety of the house? Bon Bon was starting to get annoyed with the voice in the back of her head.

“Sure,” Bon Bon said, standing up casually with her poofy butt aloof, and Lyra was visibly relieved. “Do you want some lemonade? We made a bunch.” Bon Bon offered, pointing toward the table.

“Lemonade?” North Wind said, squinting in the indicated direction, “Actually, yes, that would be nice, with the weather work coming up. But I really don’t want to intrude. If you want me gone, just say it.”

“You’re not intruding,” Lyra insisted, “like I said, you’re always welcome to visit, if you don’t mind the way we’re dressed. Besides, now I’ve got somepony to talk about Detective Keenscent with.”

“Of course I don’t mind, you can do whatever you like in your home,” North Wind said, glancing at both of their diapered behinds. To Bon Bon’s satisfaction, neither of them flinched. “Besides, there’s not really anything all that unusual about it, right?” North Wind added, sticking her tongue out in jest, before turning and making her way to the table, making the other two ponies giggle.

“Why is he called Detective Keenscent anyway?” Bon Bon asked as they walked.

“Oh, that’s because he never loses a scent once he picked up on it,” North Wind said, “and that’s both figurative and literal. He’s a good detective and manages to solve every single case they give him, but he’s also got a really good sense of smell. There was one case that was in the swamp. Lyra, do you remember that? He had to track down a bunch of crooks who had their hideout there. Can you believe he could smell their scent over all the garbage? Like I said, he never lets the bad guys get away, although it was really close in that other case, … ”

Before they were even settled down in the chairs, North Wind had already gone off on a tirade about her favourite literary hero’s amazing abilities, his book laying mundanely on the ground beside her. The relatively one-sided conversation went on without Bon Bon due to her lack of knowledge on the subject, Lyra offering sporadic comment or helping out with a forgotten detail while she poured the rest of the lemonade into three glasses and hoofed them out between them. Bon Bon busied herself with holding her glass in both hooves and slowly nipping at it, contentedly ignoring the screaming protests of the malicious sprite in her consciousness against her public display of foalishness.

However still, after Bon Bon’s glass was empty, there remained one hurdle in her way, barring her from doing much of anything aside from sitting still and observing the two mares in their dialogue. How would she continue in her role as a filly with another pony present? She wanted to snuggle herself against Lyra, or to jump up and go chase butterflies, or to suck on her hoof, or do anything that a foal was wont to do. But she couldn’t just go ahead and do it, since her behavior could alienate their good friend. Bon Bon was still a foal through and through, but it was exactly for that reason that she wanted everypony around her to be happy, and that included treating North Wind with the respect and decency she deserved despite her own desires. How would she react? Even though the world was still colorful and curious to Bon Bon, even though her hooves were still clumsy and she still needed a diaper, Bon Bon was realistically aware of the situation she was in. What she had said and done so far were all minor details that an outsider could see past, and the last thing she wanted was to get anypony hurt when she tried taking it further. How would she even approach such a topic?

Then, unbidden and unexpected like a gleaming symbol of salvation, Lyra’s recent promise came to her mind. Lyra would help her if she was stuck in a dilemma. All these questions and concerns, they didn’t have to be hers alone. Lyra had insisted again and again that Bon Bon should should come to her and let her help, but only now did it become obvious what that actually meant. It wasn’t an ephemeral promise that Bon Bon should save up until times were dire. It was a practical offer for situations like this, one that she should feel free to take up whenever there was a need. Lyra would be there for her.

As the conversation went on, Bon Bon caught Lyra’s eye. What did she think of the situation? Could she help her? Still under North Wind’s verbal assault, Lyra raised a brow at the inquisitive look. It was only a moment though before the change in Bon Bon’s demeanor made Lyra realize the nature of the request. Their two pacifiers still lay on the table beside the tray, hitherto forgotten until approached by Lyra’s forehoof. And then, amazingly, Lyra effortlessly fulfilled the promise of salvation. It wasn’t amazing that Lyra was simply being Lyra, because that was a common trait of hers. Lyra was simply amazing. She just asked.

“Hey, North Wind, just a quick question,” Lyra interjected during a pause, holding up the white pacifier by its handle, “do you mind if we continue playing while you’re here?”

North Wind eyed the pacifier before she caught on. “If I mind?” she said, “No, of course I don’t mind. Please, you can do whatever you want. I told you, it’s your home. I’d feel horrible if you had to act weird because of me. Don’t make me feel horrible.”

“Good,” Lyra said, “because Bon Bon here really likes her paci, and she sometimes gets cranky when she doesn’t have it. Open up.” Lyra held the pacifier to Bon Bon’s face, and Bon Bon followed the directive, allowing the pacifier to be pushed between her lips. Immediately a reassuring comfort descended upon her like a warm blanket as she relaxed her jaws around the rubbery softness that filled out her mouth. It was a pleasure to easily work her teeth and lips around the gentle rubber nipple, and Bon Bon felt the plastic shield bounce against her muzzle as she half-consciously started suckling, joyously basking in the satisfaction of pulling the nipple into her mouth and letting it relax again.

North Wind gasped, her eyes wide. “That is so droll!” she exclaimed, “I’ve never seen anything so cute! This pacifier is just golden.” She reached out to Bon Bon’s face with a forehoof and playfully flicked the pacifier’s little plastic handle around. It was outrageous. How dare she touch her during this sacred ritual. This was none of her business, Bon Bon should keep her shameful desires a secret. North Wind was an intruder and should see no weakness on Bon Bon’s side. What if something went wrong? What if she had been mocking her all along? Don’t you want to be safe, Bon Bon? Better keep it a secret than to be exposed and vulnerable, right? Bon Bon?

It was at that point in time that Bon Bon had had about enough of that stupid notion in her head, constantly trying to make her nervous and rob her of her happiness. She relinquished all semblance of control and gave herself up completely to her foalish instincts. With butterflies in her stomach, she let a huge grin spread around her pacifier, and a foalish squeal escaped her lips at the the feeling of a pony playing with her muzzle, petering out into the happiest infantile little giggle. Instantly, North Wind melted before her with an expression speaking of utmost delight, exclamations of “Awww!” and “That is sooo cute!” mixed into her gentle chuckling as she watched Bon Bon simply be her cute self.

Just like that, the spiteful voice in Bon Bon’s head had been snuffed out. Bon Bon had denied it the right to exist. She was in control over the matter of not having control. They were a happy family, and the voice’s teachings born of anger and fear had no place in their home. Every lingering memory of its last desperate attempts to vie for Bon Bon’s attention vanished, and in that moment, she couldn’t be bothered doing it the final honor of remembering why she had been so anxious and afraid in the first place. Bon Bon knew she wasn’t that foal in the meadow, which she had so desperately fantasized about for such a long time. She never would be, either. And that was fine. Because she was, and would forever be, so much more than that. She was Bon Bon, Lyra’s loving wife, the mare who ran the candy shop, who was sometimes friendly and sometimes reserved, but always tried to be respectful towards everypony and always tried to help anypony that asked. And she was Bon Bon, Lyra’s big little filly, who explored the world in her own way and enjoyed all of its wonders small and large with her full attention and her eyes wide open, who loved laughing and giggling and making other ponies smile, and who wanted nothing more than to bestow everypony with the same affection that she so much loved receiving. She was Bon Bon. And it felt good.

Bon Bon relished the soft contact with the other pony, and she realized she had started rubbing her nose against North Wind’s hoof. North Wind just held silent for a moment, smiling at her with all the tenderness that an infant deserved, no doubt slaking her curiosity about the adult foal in the process. But that was fine. Bon Bon enjoyed it nonetheless.

“These pacifiers are amazing,” North Wind eventually said, withdrawing her hoof, “they’re just like a foal’s, only big. I mean a little foal’s. I mean … um, you know what I mean. Where do you get them anyway? Who would make these?”

“Well,” Lyra explained, “you’re aware of the plastic overproduction that’s been in the papers for a while now, right? They sold the pacifiers a while ago at the medical supply store, by the hospital. Apparently some ponies are getting really desperate to come up with new products to sell with all the plastic they have.“

“But that’s not something you’re complaining about, right?” North Wind said with a sly grin, and they joined together in laughter. Friends having an easy time.

“I wonder if they’ll invent new foal toys too though,” North Wind said, “I mean not that it’s relevant for me. I haven’t found the right stallion for that yet, as you know. And I’m not one who can be invited to a sleepover easily, unlike some of my colleagues, if you catch my drift.” Bon Bon didn’t. But the way Lyra’s mouth slowly widened into a saucy grin, there had to be something that caught her interest. The smugness was written plainly on North Wind’s face. “You didn’t hear that from me,” she started, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper as if somepony might be listening in, “but I heard from a friend, who heard from another friend, that Flitter has her eye on a new stallion.” “Really?” Lyra gasped, “I thought she said she’d had enough of stallions for a while.” “Wait, wait, it gets even better. Word has it that he’s an earth pony!” “No way!” “Yes way! I mean, I’m not sure I’d date an earth pony myself, because, yeah sure you can get a cloudwalking enchantment done, but still, it’s such a hassle I would think. And Flitter, she loves flying. What’s up with that? I don’t think she’s the only one though. I mean you know how these new-fangled relationships are, the declarations of love always becoming more extreme. Come to think of it, word’s had it for a while now that … “

And there they went again. Bon Bon for her part was content to just relax in the sole company of her pacifier. Lyra was like a sponge for fresh gossip, which was just as well, because Bon Bon didn’t care for it much, and Lyra was more than ready to relieve her of her share. Bon Bon brushed a lock out of her face. The wind had picked up, and the sunlight was now increasingly muted by a soft filter of humid air that made the sky appear slightly bleaker in the shade of blue that it had carried earlier. The air felt somehow more alive than before, running with a kind of subtle electric charge that everypony seemed to suspect whenever there was a storm coming. It reminded Bon Bon of her dream.

Now that Bon Bon’s body had entered a state of relaxation, the need to relieve herself, that had only been an inkling previously, returned with full force. Not only that, but because she was sitting on a chair, a position that was naturally comfortable for peeing, it was fiercer than ever, and still growing at an alarming rate. Bon Bon didn’t really want to have her attention turned away from her pacifier, the rubber nipple of which currently was providing the most exquisite sensory experience to her curious tongue, and as such, she only half-paid attention to her urge. She was just a little foal right now, and somewhere in her subconscious, she already knew that it meant she would end up just wetting into her clothes until she was empty anyway. But she was safe in the knowledge that it was expected of her, and for that reason Lyra had put her into a diaper of appropriate thickness, so that the experience of peeing would be as comfortable and hassle-free as possible for her. Bon Bon remembered that she had been looking forward to it before, and she found herself looking forward to it now as well.

Her body was diligently working to relieve itself, and Bon Bon just let it happen. She knew that she had muscles to hold it back somewhere inside herself, but she didn’t even make an attempt to try to control them, in part because she knew she would fumble anyway, because foals just weren’t very good at that, and partially because she simply didn’t want to experience the discomfort associated with holding it in. She was sitting in so much of the ample, cloudy-soft fluff of her diaper that she couldn’t even feel the hard surface of her chair. It was her personal sitting pillow that accompanied her wherever she went, and, as always, it was easily more than enough to soak up whatever amount Bon Bon could possibly produce. If it couldn’t handle it immediately during the fact, the soft, frilly leak guards that ran entirely around her legs, from the inside of her thighs to the sides of her hips and back, would keep it inside the crinkly plastic underwear so the pulp could soak it up later. Either way, Bon Bon was free to let it happen in the way that was expected of a foal.

And so, Bon Bon, still munching contentedly on her pacifier, started piddling into her baby panties without any attempt at resistance in the slightest. The first trickle felt hot against her skin, but immediately vanished within the fluff under her butt, and the thick padding had no problem soaking up what came out after that for a while. Bon Bon felt the relief she enjoyed so much that always came when she let it out, and it was amplified a thousandfold only from the fact that she could let herself go into a diaper, the most comfortable and relaxing situation that she could imagine for doing her business. Slowly she felt the warm puddle spread underneath her, as expected with the amount she had to pee, dousing her sensitive skin and her buttocks in the hot liquid. Of course it was no real puddle, it just felt like it when the diaper, as thick and bulky as it was, couldn’t take it in all at once and it soaked into Bon Bon’s fur instead.

When Bon Bon shifted, she suddenly realized what had felt off the entire time. She was still sitting leaned forward. No wonder she couldn’t pee right, because, as a consequence, her body was upright and holding itself shut under its own weight. Bon Bon was quick to rectify this circumstance by leaning back against the chair and spreading her hind legs to shift her weight onto her hindquarters. Instantly, a shiver ran down her back as the relief exploded inside her with a new intensity, her body now urinating freely. It was a delicious feeling to be able to just let it come out unimpeded, and Bon Bon found her breath shaking at the enjoyable sensation. Naturally, it hadn’t been the most elegant of maneuvers, and as a result, her skin was tightened and squished together between her legs. The pee tickled as it came out of her and broke up into an uneven drizzle splattering all over, as Bon Bon was showering the inside of her diaper and her entire crotch with the warm fluid. It danced over her skin as it ran down her body on its way into her diaper’s absorbency, leaving her skin wet and her coat thoroughly soaked. But it was okay, because Bon Bon was a foal, and foals didn’t really know how to pee without making a mess of themselves. That’s why her diaper was so large, and fluffy thick even where she didn’t obviously need it, to be prepared for any eventualities of this sort. It was almost funny, actually, to see the dark yellow-ish pee stains appear at the front of her white diaper, as if she was a little colt. But she was a filly in reality! Bon Bon couldn’t suppress a silent giggle.

“So you haven’t read it?” North Wind asked. Bon Bon’s questioning look told her that she hadn’t been paying attention. “The book, I mean. Detective Keenscent.”

“No,” Bon Bon replied around her pacifier, “I haven’t read it. Lyra, can you read it to me sometime?” The other two broke out into an adoring laugh at her childish reply, and Bon Bon just grinned, relishing the feeling of being the center of attention. She could make the ponies around her so happy just by being her little self, and she would take the chance whenever possible. After receiving praise for being cute and the promise to have the book read to her, the conversation drifted away from her again.

What was doubly amazing to Bon Bon was the sensation of talking to somepony else while still freely going tinkle into her thick underpants. The act of relieving herself required so little effort from Bon Bon that she had all the leisure in the world to do other things in the meantime. She was free to talk to her friend or suckle on her pacifier while still being safe in the knowledge that everything was in order. In fact, Bon Bon only really realized that she had still been going the whole time when she noticed that she felt empty, and the last drops of pee tickled her as they ran down her skin. She marked the end of her endeavour with a little sigh, and that was that.

Her diaper now hung between her legs fat and soggy, expanding ever so slightly, with a crinkle issuing forth every few seconds at most, as it soaked all the excess urine away from Bon Bon’s skin and distributed it across the entirety of its pulp. Her personal sitting pillow was now hot and wet, but since she was too little to clean herself, it would remain fastened tightly around her hips, the sodden bulk securely caressing her butt and her intimate parts with a surface that was still comfortably soft, though now slick with her own warm pee. All that was no concern of Bon Bon’s though, for she had finished her part in the infantile deed, and everything else would be taken care of for her eventually. All she had to do now was to wait and have fun.

The others had stopped talking about either the book or the romantic escapades of the local townsfolk and had turned instead to the more mundane topic of their work. Lyra was going on about her instruments, her most recent contributions to the experimental field of arcane acoustics, and the invitations she kept getting from renowned institutions to teach her unique methods, which she only accepted sporadically because of how important lazing around at home was to her. North Wind elaborated on the responsibilities of the local weather works, and how often they needed extra help due to the hardships in effectively coordinating weather patterns with the surrounding areas, those uptight mathematicians in Canterlot only being able to deliver inadequate solutions to model the chaotic nature of the weather. Bon Bon had stuck Lyra’s empty glass over her snout, and she was alternating between sheer amazement and uncontrollable giggling at the popping sound whenever she pulled it off again. She couldn’t really muster any interest in the grown-up talk, she was too little for that right now. The reassuring presence of the strong voices having a conversation over her head was very pleasant, but they were using long and complicated words the meaning of which she couldn’t quite recall right now. The way the glass sparkled in the reddened early evening sun was absolutely captivating, and she still kept discovering new things about it. Bon Bon learned that the clink of glass against plastic meant that she had missed her face and had bumped into her pacifier instead. She also realized why the others didn’t join her in the amusing activity, the ring of wetness that had formed around her muzzle from the remains of the lemonade in the glass was really uncomfortably cold when touched by the wind.

“ … and, with all the talk about work, I think I need to be going now,” North Wind said, “we’ll be really busy here soon. And I still need to clean my flight glasses, you can’t believe how fast those things get dirty.”

“Sure,” Lyra said, “We gotta pull the weeds anyway before the storm starts. No, I haven’t forgotten, Bon Bon,” she added with a smirk. Her eyes fell on the basket of nuts that stood on the ground close to Bon Bon. “Hey, do you want some walnuts?” Lyra continued, “We got way too many anyway, our pantry is kinda full.”

“Sure, that would be nice,” North Wind said, squinting at the basket, “walnuts are always handy in a pinch.”

“All right,” Lyra said, “I’ll find a bag or something, hold on.” Lyra stood and walked into the basement, Bon Bon and North Wind observing her as she crinkled her way down the stairs.

“Must have been really intense, collecting nuts,” North Wind said with an inquisitive look, “Look at all that earth on her flank. Say, do you girls have your diapers on a lot?”

“Um, yeah … Uh, I guess?” Bon Bon stammered. The blatant question had caught her off guard, and North Wind must have realized as much, offering an apologetic smile.

“I know it’s none of my business,” she said, “I was just curious, and I thought I’d just ask because it’s not really a secret anyway, right?”

“Not a secret?” Bon Bon inquired, “What are you … ah. You’re talking about the diaper dumpster, right?”

North Wind nodded and said, “Yup. I wondered why you had one for a while. I knew you couldn’t have adopted a foal or something because I would have seen it. Or that somepony had become really sick. I just guessed around a little, and it was kinda obvious. It’s not like this kind of thing is unheard of, right?” She smiled. “But I’m really glad you let me know for real after all. Now I won’t have to catch myself daydreaming the craziest things about you two.” Her smile fell, and she furrowed her brow. “ ... or do I?”

A sly grin grew on Bon Bon’s muzzle. She was feeling bold. “Hmm,” she said, “Who knows? Say, North Wind, have you ever actually been in our basement?” North Wind was silent, looking on nervously. “Did you know that some ponies like to dabble into forbidden magics?” Bon Bon continued slowly, “And where better to store impure artifacts and strange arcana away from prying eyes than in the basement?”

North Wind jumped a little when a shuffling commotion issue from the basement. “There are some things that aren’t meant for the eyes of ponies to behold,” Bon Bon said in a low tone, “some secrets that are best never unearthed. Some things are just too dangerous for the uninitiated.” A low grumbling came from the basement that only Bon Bon recognized as Lyra’s muttered swearing. North Wind was now sitting very still, her wings half-extended and her eyes wide.

Bon Bon lowered her voice even further, leaning forward, and whispered, “Some dark rituals are performed with words spoken in strange tongues. And when the last glyph is drawn, and the stars align, themselves reveal unspeakable things from the other side of reality --”

She was interrupted by the sound of a hundred pencils clattering to the floor. Her pencils. “Lyra!? What are you doing down there?” Bon Bon called. Not a second later, Lyra’s head popped up from the basement entrance as she merrily trotted up the stairs, a cloth bag floating behind her. “I was finding an empty bag,” she explained. Bon Bon wanted to say something, but North Wind was howling with laughter beside her. Bon Bon tried to resist, but found herself giggling uncontrollably, if only at Lyra’s confused face.

“Oh boy, you got me good,” North Wind said, wiping a tear from her eye, “Dark rituals? Strange arcana? What kind of books do you read? I can’t believe I fell for it, even while you had a darn pacifier in your mouth! Lyra, your filly is crazy,” she added.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Lyra nonchalantly said while pouring some nuts into the bag.

They soon rose to make their farewells, and North Wind went to take a glance into the basement, offering a muttered comment about ‘the invention of cluttermancy’ when she came back out. She thanked them for the nuts, grabbing the bag with her mouth, and went to cross necks with Lyra, the common form of greeting between two familiar ponies. But when she stepped up to Bon Bon, she rubbed her cheek against hers instead, like one would do to an infant. Bon Bon realized it was the first time somepony other than Lyra had really treated her like a foal. It felt way more mundane than she had always imagined. Maybe the weight of the moment would settle in later, but for now, Bon Bon was content to just enjoy the little contact as they exchanged an easy smile. Off North Wind went, jumping from the ground and flapping her wings to rise in a wide spiral towards her cloud home. They watched her vanish in the altitude.

“Bon Bon, you wet your pants,” Lyra stated. Only she could look so smug while saying those words.

“Hey!” Bon Bon drew herself up in fake exasperation, “So maybe it happened. What about it? I’m sure you did too.”

“‘It happened’, huh?” Lyra countered, “If I did, at least I wasn’t a jumbling, panting mess during the fact.”

Bon Bon’s neck hair stood on end, her pretended embarrassment collapsing into reality. “It couldn’t have been that obvious! Did she notice? I mean, I’m sure I did nothing that could have indicated …” Bon Bon’s voice trailed off as Lyra tried to hide her snickering behind a hoof, but failed spectacularly at the sight Bon Bon’s glare and she snorted with laughter.

“Nah, I’m sorry, you weren’t any different from normal,” Lyra said, still trying to contain her mirth, “I guess I just noticed because you’re my foal, and I’m supposed to notice these things. I’m also noticing that you have lemonade all over your face. Let me wipe it off, come here.”

“No.” Bon Bon huffed, drawing back from the approaching hoof, “I like having lemonade on my face.”

“Don’t be silly, come on,” Lyra said, but when Bon Bon drew back even further from her hoof, she realized it was like telling water not to be wet.

She lunged for a grab, but Bon Bon ducked out from under her. “You can’t catch me!” Bon Bon squealed, and she bolted away from Lyra, her mane and tail billowing behind her as she screamed with laughter on her mad getaway. Lyra needed not a moment to chase after her, immediately taking up pursuit to catch her fleeing captive at breakneck speeds.

In reality, it wasn’t much more than a slightly hastened trot, Lyra giving Bon Bon enough time to keep up the illusion of escape as she watched the big filly with the bouncy mane adorably waddle before her with the sodden bulk against her butt. It was plain obvious to her how much Bon Bon enjoyed feeling her soaked diaper sagging between her hind legs as she moved, and Lyra simply didn’t have the heart to interrupt her delighted giggles. Thus the furious pursuit took them around the yard, along its border through the increasingly wild grass that was invading from the meadow, jumping into the field proper and bursting out again when they got bored of the progress slowing down to a crawl, through the patch of soft earth that stuck to their hooves, past the shed, to the oak tree, around the oak tree, past the shed again and to the garden gate. Bon Bon was barely panting, but she still had the time of her life, wagging her tail as she laughed towards the sky.

She was smiling, Lyra was smiling, everypony was smiling. It felt so liberating to be able to just be nonsensical for the sole reason of feeling like it. The freedom to just be foalish, not only to herself, but also to the ponies around her. They had always said the world was hers to grasp, but there was a truth much more pivotal than that, namely that she was free to do it her own way. To realize her full potential, but at her own pace. It was fine to take as much joy in the little accomplishments as the big ones. It was okay to take a break from the struggle for a normal outward presentation for a while. Nopony really cared all that much. It simply wasn’t that big of a deal. Just like Lyra had said. How could that pony keep making so much darn sense?

Bon Bon was livid, their silly little chase practically sending her bouncing on her hooves with giddiness. The fresh, increasingly cold air tasted delicious in her nose, and she found herself looking forward to the garden work now to satiate her drive. However, something entirely else came up and barred her from rushing into the coltish activity, demanding immediate attention. She was reminded of how it had been quite relieving when she had gone tinkle before, but now she became aware that there was an entirely different fashion of fullness to her stomach, one that had become obvious as her sportive games had stimulated the natural motions within her body, which in turn had worked themselves to the point where a conscious action of Bon Bon’s was required. Though the urge was familiar and innate to all ponies, it still struck Bon Bon as very raw and immediate, and it enticed her with a promise to elevate her diffuse bodily relief into a rewarding wholesome completeness should she take care of it. Everypony, no matter how big or little, had to take a moment of their time to properly fulfill the need, and Bon Bon recognized it for what it was, she knew what she had to do. She had to go number two.

She visibly deflated before Lyra, her ears flat against her head, her tail tucked tightly between her hind legs, and she turned around to face her. “Lyra,” Bon Bon whined, “I have to go potty.”

“Good,” Lyra sighed at the mention of the familiar word, “I was almost worried there for a moment. You know foals aren’t supposed to stay continent for as long as you did. I’d expected you to do it way earlier today, when we had lunch.”

Bon Bon waited for Lyra to continue her explanation or to tell her what to do, but nothing came. Why was she just staring? Bon Bon didn’t have that much time, it was a pressing topic.

“Um, Lyra?” Bon Bon said in a small voice, “Can … can you go inside with me?”

“Uh, no?” Lyra said, “I don’t wanna go inside. I’m staying here.”

Panic welled up in Bon Bon. “But I don’t want to go away from you!” she exclaimed, louder than necessary, “I want to stay with you!” She couldn’t leave Lyra’s side. She would be all alone!

“Why do you want to go inside then?” Lyra said. Bon Bon blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, and blinked again. She had to go inside to do her business, didn’t she? She had always done it like that in the past. But why had she done that again? The reason wouldn’t come to her right now. In fact, she couldn’t think of a reason at all. Where was the logic to it?

Lyra watched the confused filly fidget in front of the garden gate. She was being adorably thick right now. Lyra sat down into the grass, her spirit light with an excited warmth at Bon Bon’s display of complete dependence, and she couldn’t help smiling as she realized she would have to explain how to be a little foal to her.

“Okay, listen up,” Lyra said, “are you a big pony or are you a little filly?”

Bon Bon’s face lit up immediately. She knew the answer to that one. “A little filly,” she happily exclaimed behind her pacifier.

“Are you wearing clothes for big ponies or are you wearing diapers for little foals?” Lyra continued.

“Diapy!” Bon Bon said, wiggling her behind with a crinkle.

“Okay,” Lyra said, “so do foals have to take their diapers off when they go potty?”

Bon Bon giggled. “No, silly Lyra,” she said, “the potty goes into the diaper. Don’t take it off.”

Finally they were getting somewhere. “And does that mean foals have to go somewhere specific when they have to go…?” Lyra said, letting her voice trail off to hopefully lead Bon Bon on. She watched the gears turn in Bon Bon’s head, Bon Bon standing still concentrating before her face slowly lit up in realization.

There was a way she could have both! “Oh! I know!” Bon Bon said excitedly, “Lyra, can I stay with you and go potty here, please?”

Lyra laughed quietly, the display of infantile comprehension way more amusing than it had any right to be. “Of course you can, silly filly,” she said, “you’re just a little foal, and that means you can go potty whenever and wherever you like. You don’t even have to ask.”

Bon Bon gasped, her eyes wide. “That is soooo cool!” she breathed.

She was grateful that Lyra was always there to help her with her dilemmas, and with her problem solved, she could finally turn her attention to what she had to do. The first thing was to make herself comfortable, and Bon Bon turned her side to Lyra to face the fresh breeze head-on so it wouldn’t push her over. Listening to her primal instincts, she then let her behind drop low, arching her back as she crouched with her hind legs, to assume the ‘potty position’ that was a common sight with all infants. And for good reason too, as Bon Bon could immediately feel her inner tensions ease and the movement relaxedly picking up, her body’s efforts to empty itself greatly supported by her posture. It naturally spread apart her butt cheeks beneath her tightened diaper, exposing her sensitive skin to the soft and moist inside. She realized that she had never lifted her tail out from between her legs, and it now rested on the ground beneath her behind. There was that delicious feeling of being naughty again. Her heart beat faster as she ignored her instincts’ warnings to pull away her tail as it became very real what was about to happen.

The urge at the forefront of Bon Bon’s consciousness started giving way to a whole new dimension of burning relief when she didn’t hesitate to let herself comfortably begin pooping. She immediately became lighter in her mind, her sense of freedom empowered as not a single worry, doubt or hindrance intruded on her enjoyment of the pleasurable act. The soft volume came out of Bon Bon smoothly and evenly, and she just let it happen, goosebumps spreading on her skin, from her legs to her neck, as she quietly savored her body’s primal rewards for taking care of its needs.

Suddenly, the urge explosively intensified and all movement stopped as Bon Bon’s body met with the resistance of her clothing. This meant that it was her turn now. It was common knowledge that, as they had established before, bigger ponies and fillies didn’t wear diapers and went into the toilet or, in the case of the smaller ones, into a potty. Bon Bon, however, was too little for all that, and, like all foals, she was supposed to push it into the seat of her underwear. Unlike going pee, this usually wasn’t easier than the big ponies had it. Because her body alone wasn’t strong enough to overcome the restricting presence of her tightened diaper, it usually fell to the foal to consciously finish the deed.

Bon Bon carefully repositioned her hind legs, making sure that she kept her stomach relaxed as she shifted her limbs, to make herself stand as comfortable and undisturbed as possible. She drew in the fresh air deeply and held her breath, and then she steadily pushed into the urge. Slowly the movement picked up and Bon Bon greeted the overwhelming sensation of completely emptying herself once again. The warm mass made itself apparent on her backside as it strained against the diaper, gradually tenting it outwards, before being pushed back and flattened gently against her skin. A soft puff escaped through Bon Bon’s nose, and she paused for a moment to catch her breath, panting softly, before she took in another breath and gently tightened herself in another enduring push. She forced more of the warm mush into the seat of her baby panties, pressing the soft volume on top of what was already there and spreading it into the available space. It was very smooth against her skin as it filled out the crease between her buttocks, the warm mass snugly covering her body in a way that was not at all uncomfortable. It continued to increasingly expand its embrace on her butt as Bon Bon felt herself rapidly become empty, and it had spread close to the base of her tail when her diligent efforts finally concluded.

From Lyra’s point of view, the entire ordeal would have seemed almost disappointingly imperceptible. All that really happened was that Bon Bon took up her cute little ‘potty position’, and then she adorably scrunched up her snout as she strained, occasionally huffing and puffing with the effort. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then the contours of Bon Bon’s buttocks vanished as the seat of her diaper was filled out to a full, smooth roundness, the slightest of crinkles to be heard with the diaper’s subtle movements. With that, she was basically finished. The whole thing hadn’t even taken a minute.

For Lyra, however, the act held an entirely different, special kind of significance. It was heartwarming to see Bon Bon be so unrestrained and carefree, entirely immersed into her little world and never afraid to laugh and to giggle and to do what made her happy. Lyra cared for her best friend a lot, and that was, as she realized with a beating heart, not only in her role as a loving wife. There was something else, something more fundamental, that carried Lyra’s elation and raised it to an entirely new height of intensity, fulfilling her to the core of her being. Lyra had long ago realized that Bon Bon knew to stimulate her maternal instincts, which was especially true when she was being especially little, such as right now. Lyra felt the drive to protect, to hold and to comfort, to nurture and to empower her little Bon Bon, and it delighted her boundlessly whenever the big foal graced her with that completely depending trust that was so unique to her. Because that was who she was. Bon Bon was factually an infant at the moment, there was no doubt about that, but that was only half the truth. More importantly, Bon Bon was Lyra’s infant, her charge and her blessing, and Lyra would not trade anything in the world for her place in the role of Bon Bon’s caretaker, in the place of the mother she didn’t really have and as the loving playmate that would forever lend her company. It didn’t matter that they didn’t have many close relatives, and it didn’t matter that they wouldn’t have any offspring of their own. They were a real family, the bond that held them closely together shining so pure and unblemished that it would never be broken, and their affection so genuine that it would inspire happiness into anypony that crossed their path as they marched on with their heads held high.

It hadn’t always come so naturally though. Still images from times long past came to mind to contrast the current pleasant occasion. Bon Bon had cried a lot in their apartment when she had to distance herself from her home. The fashion in which she had subsequently always gone out of her way to resolve any conflicts and to make sure that Lyra’s life was in order had been deeply touching. Lyra had been so grateful for the help, Bon Bon always being a beacon of calm order in a sea of chaotic confusion. Unsurprising to Lyra, there had been no hesitation along the way when they had grown closer together, and a life in which they would be separated from each other had quietly slipped out of the realm of possibility over the years, to become a thing of the past, and never to return in the future. Bon Bon had struggled so much to even begin admitting her private desires. She had been shaking with embarrassment, stumbling over her words, when she had first managed to express her secret fantasy of actually using a diaper instead of just wearing it, and it had felt like a weight lifted from Lyra’s shoulders to realize she could do something to help mend the wounds that had caused so much hurt to Bon Bon’s soul. The least she could do was to vow that she would free Bon Bon of all her insecurities regarding her intimate passions, and she never stopped fulfilling that promise even to this day. It was with pride that her heart beat in her chest as she regarded Bon Bon before her, following a foalish logic to perform a foalish activity without even the most minute hesitation and with complete and utter confidence in Lyra’s ability to make her feel like everything’s alright.

That, and watching a remarkably regressed Bon Bon poop into her diapers while suckling on a pacifier like an infant out under the open sky was also simply really hot. Lyra hadn’t even noticed when her forehooves had found their way to her crotch, but she was suddenly very interested in the surface properties of her own moderately wet diaper, and she couldn’t stop kneading it just now.

“Ahhhhh…” Bon Bon made as she finally let out her breath, and skillfully caught her pacifier with her teeth before it could tumble out of her mouth. Not this time! She easily stood upright again, feeling thoroughly satisfied and light as a feather. Lyra had been right, she should have tried doing this earlier, seeing how effortlessly and comfortably she could move now with the unnecessary tension gone from her stomach. She lifted her tail out from between her hind legs and tried wagging it experimentally. Even that movement was easy as pie, though the tail tape of her diaper was pulled down with an increased weight, as was the diaper around her hips, for that matter. It was nothing she hadn’t anticipated though. Bigger ponies had to do all these annoying things when they went potty, like having to go somewhere in particular before and having to get rid of it and clean themselves after the fact. Bon Bon was more than happy to be her little self and not have to bother with any of that stuff. However, like all foals, she faced an entirely different issue now that she had relieved herself. There was a warm mass of poop being held snugly against her butt, and it made itself known with every single of her movements with its sheer volume and weight. Bon Bon would just have to deal with it the best she could, and that mostly meant just trying to ignore it. Besides, it didn’t feel all that bad. When she took a few tentative steps forward, the soft mass didn’t do much of anything at all really, apart from being lazily squished around by the movements of her diaper. Actually, it was kinda cool. Bon Bon knew that foals usually didn’t much enjoy being messy, but the tingling excitement she felt growing inside of her once again was more than enough reward when she defied that sentiment. Another few easy steps forward, and a silly little hop. Yeah, this was definitely cool.

Without any particular reason at all, Bon Bon walked a little half-circle, and came to a stop by the haphazard pile of garden tools. They had been so neatly ordered a long time ago, but the collection looked so much prettier now. Wait. The garden. They had to do something with it, but what was that again? Better ask Lyra. Where is Lyra, anyway? There she is! But why is she checking her own diaper? With both hooves, nonetheless? Lyra could be so silly sometimes.

Bon Bon bounced up to Lyra, a huge grin behind her pacifier. “Hi Lyra!” she exclaimed.

Lyra jumped, her previous activity completely forgotten as her vision was suddenly completely filled out with earth-speckled cream coat, cobalt and pink locks, and the unoccupied end of a white pacifier. “Heya Bon Bon,” she stammered.

“Wanna check my diaper too?” Bon Bon merrily asked. Before Lyra had a chance to answer, Bon Bon spun around on the spot and bowed down, raising her butt high into the air and practically shoving it into Lyra’s face. Lyra desperately tried to get her panting under control, and it was only by the barest threads of restraint that she just gave a soft slap to Bon Bon’s cutie mark, eliciting a cute little squeal.

“You want me to check your diaper?” Lyra said, “I think I already know that there’s something in there, am I right?”

Bon Bon turned her head to look back at Lyra in her half-prone position, dragging a loose blade of grass along with her chin. “I don’t know, silly,” she giggled, “that’s why you have to check!”

Lyra’s hooves had stopped shaking, and she could think more clearly again. That was good. It wouldn’t have done to end their fun just now. A sly grin played across her muzzle.

“Very well then,” she said, “I’ll get ya checked. Let’s see here.” Lyra lifted her hoof to Bon Bon’s diaper from below. The insides of her thighs were distinctly warmer than usual. Bon Bon was just unbelievable! No matter how little she was, she was still thinking about that one thing.

“Hmm… there’s quite a lot of wetness in here,” Lyra stated as she squished Bon Bon’s soggy diaper front around a bit, “in fact, it feels like you didn’t hold back even a single drop. I’m pretty sure you’ll need to be wearing diapers for a long time yet, Bon Bon.” Bon Bon squealed in delight, and Lyra could see her practically melt with the words. She was enjoying this little silliness way too much. Lyra had to extricate her hoof from the protests of Bon Bon’s now tightly pressed together legs before she could continue her game.

The crinkles of her huge diaper were barely louder than Bon Bon’s own little moans as Lyra examined the smooth bulge under the bloated, yellowed plastic surface. It easily gave under her hoof when she applied pressure, and the dent remained when she drew back. Lyra grabbed the bulge from below and pushed it upwards against Bon Bon’s behind, before she let go and it sagged down again inside the diaper. Bon Bon’s entire body shivered.

“Yup, it’s just like I suspected,” Lyra said, “you’re messy, Bon Bon. Actually, you’ve filled your diaper to the brim. I don’t think you even need to dream about using the potty like a big filly at this point. In fact, looking at this, I would be surprised if you were ever out of diapers at all.” Bon Bon shakily whimpered, and it was music to Lyra’s ears. As much as she would have liked to continue though, there were more pressing matters at hoof. “Speaking of which,” Lyra said in a more serious tone, “would you mind staying in this diaper for a little while longer? We should really get started pulling the weeds now, and I don’t have time to --”

Bon Bon immediately jumped upright and spun around, her eyes wide. “Pull the weeds!” she exclaimed with giddiness in her voice, the question completely ignored, “That’s what it was! Can I push the wheelbarrow? Please?”

Lyra was way too perplexed in the sudden change of demeanor to give something other than a small “Sure.” She needed to stop expecting anything less than the most extreme silliness from her filly when she was regressed. It really shouldn’t have surprised her so.

Bon Bon bolted off towards the clutter against the house wall to begin extracting her favourite tool. Unsurprisingly, the endeavour didn’t bear much fruit without Lyra’s guidance. Bon Bon’s way was barred by a bunch of garden rakes with varying numbers of remaining teeth that had fallen over at some point. Some made of wood and some of metal, they lay in a messy arrangement on the ground before the hallowed wheelbarrow. Bon Bon stood momentarily confused, but Lyra’s heart skipped a beat when she made to lean over the blockade and reach out to the edge of the wooden cart. Lyra’s brief panic was unfounded however, as the big foal’s interpretation of ‘leaning forward and reaching out’ turned out to consist of stretching her neck a little and flailing in the vague direction of her goal with a forehoof. Her hoof didn’t even come close to her toy, and Lyra couldn’t help snickering at the adorable image as Bon Bon fidgeted with indecision.

“Lyraaaa…” Bon Bon whined, “can you help me please?”

“I’m here, Bon Bon,” Lyra said, still chuckling under her breath, “let me handle that before you get yourself hurt. Here, I’ll prepare the wheelbarrow for you.” She grabbed the rakes on the ground with her magical grip and pushed them out of the way one by one, careful to tuck the pointy ends safely into the corner where nopony would tread. Bon Bon stomped her hooves with amusement at the funny banging noises when Lyra eased a little spade and a hedge trimmer out of the messy arrangement, sending the jumble of wood and metal clattering against itself. She tossed them into the wheelbarrow, which somehow had ended up positioned smack in the center of the junk pile, the sound of impact much softer inside the withered wooden tray. Then she grabbed the wooden bow between the handlebars with her horn and walked backwards, noisily pulling the rumbling wheelbarrow’s chipped and uneven, yet somehow still intact, wheel over what lay on the ground, and onto the smooth grass. The bow had been intended to allow a pony to pull the contraption behind her, effectively converting it into a cart that couldn’t roll away with its wooden legs. Lyra’s method wasn’t at all how it was meant to be used, but it had sufficed for the brief voyage. Finally, Lyra unclasped the bow and tossed it back into the junk pile, leaving the handlebars free for pushing. Only Celestia knew how her silly filly could derive so much fun from the hunky old thing, but it wasn’t like she was complaining. “Here you go,” she said, presenting the item to Bon Bon, “No idea why you like it so much, but knock yourself out.”

No sooner had the words been spoken than Bon Bon was already rearing up on her hind legs to brace herself against the handles. She had been ogling her prize all along and was anxious to get pushing. “Because it’s fun,” Bon Bon said by way of explanation, absentminded as she patiently waited for Lyra adjust the positions of her forehooves to ensure proper safety, “it always wobbles around and you have to make sure it doesn’t fall over. And you also have to find a good place to park it. Everypony needs the wheelbarrow to be in an optimal position.” Why did she stumble over those last two words? They weren’t that complicated to pronounce. Lyra’s close-by snickering could only mean that she agreed with the assessment.

A nudge on her back sent Bon Bon pushing, and she just couldn’t stop giggling as she sent the old wheelbarrow into creaking movement before her, rumbling and clattering with a hilariously loud ruckus over the almost completely smooth and even ground. The wheelbarrow immediately started leaning over on one side as it was navigated through the grass, causing Bon Bon to spring into action and right it with a deft shift of her weight and pull of her hooves. Surprisingly however, Bon Bon found herself swaying back and forth at least as much as the wheelbarrow, if not more, and it wasn’t only because of her efforts to compensate for the heavy thing’s movements. With her upright posture, walking on two legs, she felt her bloated diaper sag considerably under her crotch, the soft bulk constantly caressing the insides of her thighs and forcing them apart. Her body had instinctively adjusted to the voluminous hindrance between her legs by widening her stance, effectively reducing Bon Bon’s attentive stride to a careful crinkling waddle. Still, she was slowly making progress, and she redoubled her efforts as Lyra pushed open the garden gate before her, clearing the way for her to perform her vital, and complicated, task.

When Bon Bon crossed the threshold fenced area, the soft grass beneath her hind hooves gave way to the crunching sensation of dry earth. It was good that the garden would receive ample irrigation from the climate soon since Lyra and her never really watered it much more than necessary, and some of the plants listlessly hung their leaves to show their distaste with the soil that was more dusty than optimal. Still, the garden was Bon Bon’s little pride, the meticulously developed and cultivated synergy of produce laid out such that there was always some manner of delicious ripe treat ready throughout the year while the other plants were still growing. Right by the entrance, a long row of tough tomato plants stood regal parallel to the house wall, held high into the air by long wooden sticks which served as support for the plants as they held their heavy and stiff leaves protectively over the hundreds of green little pearls that would become juicy red tomatoes within weeks. This arrangement was the only real geometrical shape in the layout of the garden, for it had quickly become apparent that the plants would find their own suitable space for growing once initially planted, much to the chagrin of the two ponies, who always had to trim back the expanding vegetation to leave room for walking in between. The most space was taken by a further construction, with a more arbitrary shape, of branches and rope in the center of the space, which held dense curtains of peas and beans, with little green and yellow pods so thick they would probably be ready for harvest in days. The corners of the garden towards the street were filled out by the huge leaves of cucumbers and pumpkins, and even though they could do fine in the spot that lay in the shadow of the house most of the day, they still pushed each other through and over the fence to conquer more free space from the defenseless front lawn. The adjacent side of the fence wasn’t even visible under the dense shrubbery that were their berry bushes, grown on the side closest to the forest because they were resistant to its harsher environment of spores and insects, the thick brush offering at least a modicum of protection for the more fragile vegetation. The pointy branches of the berry bushes were mostly bare, the season for their sweet and sour fruit being more in the direction of winter and spring, the opposite of which was true for the dense carpet of woody vegetation that filled out the remaining space in an uneven patchwork of different greens. Those plants bore their harvest under the earth instead of above, roots which Bon Bon knew were already fat and juicy and ripe for eating. They were her favourites because she could grow so many of them in very little space and because she liked all of their varied tastes, from the sweet red beet over sharp radish and hearty carrots, juicy celery, spicy parsley to the sour onions and the more aromatic garlic and leeks.

It was the far end of the root vegetables where Lyra was leading her as Bon Bon diligently pushed the wheelbarrow to keep up. The flatly packed crust of earth under her hind hooves quickly broke up as she stepped away from the entrance, the dusty earth she kicked up noisily spraying against the underside of the wooden cart and creeping into Bon Bon’s coat. While the itch from the dust on her skin was more curious than outright unpleasant, she still wondered how Lyra had run around all day with her lower half basically covered in dirt. Bon Bon could have sat down and tried brushing the earth out of her coat with a hoof, but it wouldn’t be very effective, and she was terrified of the thought of having to figure out how to go and wash herself alone, so instead she quickly scurried over to the little free space by the red beets where Lyra was beckoning from.

“I’m here,” Lyra said, “you can take this patch here and I’ll take care of the beans. Come over and I’ll show you what you have to do.”

To figure out the optimal placement for her wheelbarrow, Bon Bon spent the entirety of five seconds before concluding that she had already put it in a good enough place right beside where she would be doing her work. She let go of the push handles and dropped back down on all fours before she trotted over to Lyra, who strangely enough was grinning down at her more than the otherwise relatively boring plants would justify.

“All right,” Lyra said, “first thing you gotta do is sit down here.”

Bon Bon immediately let herself fall onto her butt, barely even aware that she was following Lyra’s directives with a self-evidence as if there was no other course of action. That is, until her butt landed in a warm, squishy pile of horse apples. Bon Bon stiffened momentarily, quietly contemplating the weird sensation as she sunk into the soft mush and it adopted the shape of her body, before she received a soft and gentle awakening kiss on the cheek. It was from the snickering Lyra, and Bon Bon was happy to see her, for it made her remember that she was supposed to ignore the state of her underwear until Lyra took care of it, no matter how strange the feeling was and how the soft touch made her chest bubble with excitement.

Lyra grabbed the little spade from the wheelbarrow and floated it handle-first to Bon Bon. “Here, take this,” Lyra said, “but be careful with the pointy end.” Bon Bon was well aware that she was proficient in doing gardening work, and usually she would be the one explaining things to Lyra, but she found it kind of hard to remember at the moment and she was more than happy to follow Lyra’s reliable guidance as a little reminder. She took the spade and Lyra drew her attention to the flat and dark green patch of red beet.

“See all this stuff?” Lyra said, kicking the leaf of a spindly dandelion that was between the nice juicy roots, “You gotta get rid of it. You have to dig out all these weeds with their roots, and then toss ‘em. But just be very careful while digging, don’t hurt the red beets. Remember, we still want to eat those.” The movements came naturally to Bon Bon. Of course, she was often regarded a talented gardener, the envy of many a similarly inclined pony, always with her plants a little greener and always enough harvest to share. But all that didn’t make the slightest difference when she eased the blade into the ground and pushed it down like a lever, amazement in her eyes as the earth crumbled away from the offending dandelion, revealing its mesmerizingly intricate network of thin roots that it used to siphon away vital nutrients from their crop. It occurred to her to just eat the plant, but it didn’t actually appear very appetizing upon a second look, the stems were too thready and leaves were wrinkly and dry, it was quite a crooked thing all things considered. Plus, eating it would mean that Bon Bon would have to take her pacifier out of her mouth, and that was not something she was currently interested in. Thus she half-turned around and skillfully chucked the weed into the wheelbarrow with a well-practiced throw. At least, that was what Bon Bon pretended had happened, ignoring the faint yellow light that steered the misguided projectile into the cart proper as she let out a foalish little squeal of victory.

“Just like that, Bon Bon, you’re doing fine,” Lyra said, nuzzling the side of Bon Bon’s head, sending her shivering both from the joy of receiving praise and from the intense pleasure of the physical contact. “Now just do the same thing with the rest of the field,” Lyra continued, “and we’ll be all set for when the rain comes. If you need anything, I’ll be around with my little friend here.” Bon Bon had always been amazed by Lyra’s fascination with heavy cutting tools as her filly playmate retrieved the huge metal hedge trimmer from the wheelbarrow. With an almost murderous lust in her eyes, Lyra happily trotted forth and vigorously began her grotesque work of reducing the population of creeper vines that threatened to take their beans into a constricting stranglehold. It was evident after only a few moments that the nefarious plants stood no chance against Lyra’s mighty weapon of vegetation warfare.

Enough of that, Bon Bon had a job to do. The second dandelion was quickly found concealed under the leaf of a beet, but it was a small one, and she could scrape it out of the dirt with a hoof before tossing it approximately into the cart. The next of the weeds that she found close by wasn’t a dandelion at all, but a little fern, and it proved to be a more fickle affair to uproot the thin and flat plant without having it fall apart. She was eager to perform her duty with care and diligence, and as soon as all parts of the fern had been dispatched into the direction of the wheelbarrow, Bon Bon was already attentively seeking the next target. It was a thoroughly captivating activity, the thrill of the hunt driving her on to outsmart her prey, to read its tracks in the subtle way the earth changed in color and texture whenever there was a weed hiding nearby, and to predict its likely hiding spots by putting herself into the mindset of a plant and imagine where she would try to hide herself. Still, the grim work never got too grim as Bon Bon had amused little giggles escape around her pacifier more often than not. The thought of being a plant was just too ridiculous.

All too little time had passed when the locale around Bon Bon was free of weeds. The beets around her seemed to sigh gratefully as they stretched their leaves into the newfound freedom of their tidy lands, and Bon Bon reached out to pet one of the plants. There you go, little guy, you don’t have to be afraid of all those pesky weeds ruining your day anymore. However, the fun had only begun, and Bon Bon got up to crawl deeper into weed territory. Here, further away from the walking path, the crops grew taller and the weed menace was more numerous, but it was nothing a brave adventurer like Bon Bon couldn’t handle. The daunting task before her had her full attention, and she was prepared this time when she sat back down onto her behind, not even bothering to pay any mind to her diaper as she just let it squish its contents across her rump while she occupied herself with more important things. There was a big dandelion, smack in the middle between two carrots, boldly out in the open sky, and it took quite an amount of careful digging and leveraging before Bon Bon could edge the resisting plant out of the ground and declare herself the honorable victor of the duel.

The spade cut into the earth, innocent little insects scurried away to safety, deplorable plants were brought to justice, honest crops cheered her on and Bon Bon shuffled through the earth to keep the logistics rolling. The thought of being a plant herself soon didn’t seem all that otherworldly anymore. Bon Bon found herself increasingly talk to her subservient little vegetable friends, but she also found not only her hooves, but her entire legs progressively gain a color identical to that of the earth underneath. She had soon stopped trying to shake off the clumps of dirt that seemed to desperately cling to her coat, since they would return very soon anyway. Once she even grabbed something sneaky slithering through the dark earth only to find out that it was a dirty lock of her own tail. She also quickly abolished the notion of trying to throw the refuse into the wheelbarrow, her inability to hit accurately was only circumstantial, and instead nosed up the discarded plants and carried them to the cart in the small numbers that she could fit over her muzzle.

The area was cleaned up very efficiently, and Bon Bon was grateful that she could rely on the total security of her diaper, allowing her to divert her full attention to the task at hoof while being safe in the knowledge that everything else was taken care of, and she would be fine no matter what happened. Obviously the diaper had seen quite a bit of usage, a fact that was most palpable to Bon Bon herself, but she found that she actually didn’t mind that much. What had started as a casual disinterest towards the squishy shenanigans the diaper kept performing under her tail had soon grown into an outright enjoyment of the soft sensation. She couldn’t really do anything about it anyway since she was too little for that, so she might as well indulge. The more she walked to and fro the vegetable garden, the more she stood up and sat down, the more she stretched herself and crawled around between leaves, the more that joyful excitement she had felt in her chest coalesced into a very real electrical tingling in her belly. Suddenly, the pleasurable feelings of moving around in her own messy diaper forced itself upon her awareness with a clarity so intense that she had to stop from time to time and take a few moments to get her thoughts back on track. Though her diaper was drooping heavily towards the ground, the sodden fluff between her hind legs still sat snugly against her sensitive skin with its awesome softness, because it was bloated to such a volume that it completely filled out any available space within the plastic underwear. And though she wouldn’t have admitted it, the squishy mush on her backside actually turned out to feel so interesting, there may or may not have been an instance in time when Bon Bon just sat down and gleefully bounced around on her butt for a little while to enjoy the fascinating feeling.

As much as she tried to convince herself that she was a big brave adventurer exploring the little jungle and fighting the good fight against the weeds oppressing the native crops, the illusion of being ‘big’ faded rather quickly. She was still diligent in removing the harmful plants from the living space, but while she pretended to tread securely and roam the lands with a discriminating glare, in reality Bon Bon toddled playfully around the garden with a huge smile on her face, free of any burdens other than the spade in her hoof and the rapidly dwindling amount of space in the wheelbarrow. The garden became increasingly cleaned up as the weed infestation was all but pushed back to its last lines of defense, but the fun never seemed to stop. When Bon Bon arrived by the leeks, she had found so many more things she could be other than only a boring old explorer. Here, she carefully walked on her hooftips, a regal hawk soaring high through the skies while keeping her sharp eyes trained on the landscape below, precisely spotting any interlopers that dared invade her lands. There, she dropped down onto her stomach and shuffled around on the ground from the point of view of a little insect, the thick canopy of the tiny jungle closing in over her head as she dragged her chin through the earth, ever vigilant to keep watch on her territory for any ecological imbalance.

Lyra would have sighed at the job well done, but her jaw was locked open by the huge bunch of vines in her mouth. It didn’t stop her from stomping her hoof in satisfaction though, their plentiful vegetables now left free of any creeper ranks in the wake of her efforts, and the last of the piles of creepers cut into manageable pieces gathered into her mouth. The hedge trimmer her floating companion, she made for the wheelbarrow to dispose of her refuse. The garden was tidy and orderly, a sight that was so uncommon it was almost unsettling, and, as she approached the wheelbarrow, Lyra could see that Bon Bon’s half had undergone the cleansing transformation too, though there was no trace of the big foal herself to be seen. Lyra bent over the cart and spit her cargo into the tray, covering the impressive pile of greenery already in there with her stringy ranks. She had to stick out her tongue to spit out all of the nasty gunk that remained in her mouth, but the brief unpleasantness was worth the time she saved by not having to properly carry the stuff over in small batches. She was eager to get finished, already comfortably exhausted from the hard, but fun, work as the hedge trimmer followed the vegetation into the cart. The same was probably true for Bon Bon, judging by the furrows in the ground and how the greenery was spattered with earth. It must have been quite the adventure.

“Bon Bon?” Lyra called, “Are you here?”

As if on cue, a menacing rustle went through the root plants. The thick underbrush moved, forced apart by a dirt-speckled curly tail standing into the air, like a shark on the trail of its prey sliding smoothly and with purpose through its familiar waters. And the shark was trained straight at Lyra, heading for her with a ravenous precision that made her take a cautious step backwards. The fluffy predator didn’t relent though, and the rustling increased to an alarming volume as the movement approached the edge of the vegetable patch. Lyra steadied her hooves and braced herself for the inevitable impact as the plants before her parted to reveal her incoming doom.

With a huge commotion and roaring with laughter, out rolled the bundle of joy that was her little Bon Bon. She wasn’t a mess only because of her seemingly uncontrollable giggling that had her spasming on the ground and the corners of her eyes sticking with crumbs of dirt. As the hollering filly came to a halt lying on her back before Lyra, it became increasingly apparent that she was covered from head to hoof in an almost impressive amount of earth, her fur frazzled with grime and dust while big clumps of fresh dirt hung in her mane and tail. It was amazing that she could even move with the extra weight that hung heavily on her body. There wasn’t a single spot left on her coat that displayed her usually pristine cream color, and the shining pinks and cobalts of her mane and tail were reduced to the deep dark shades of brown and muted by the layer of dust clinging to her entire form. Bon Bon amusedly kicked the air with her legs, and her diaper exhaustedly crinkled with her movements. The fat and soggy thing was still valiantly holding onto the hyperactive foal’s rump, but it was discolored, stretched and wrinkled, and obviously so thoroughly soiled, it wouldn’t be able to endure much longer. And despite all that, regardless of all the dirt, grime and filth, Bon Bon was beaming with happiness, her huge smile practically screaming how content and peaceful she was in her little world, and the adorable sight made Lyra’s heart melt in a mollifying warmth, because it was the feeling that all foals were deserving of, and she wanted nothing less than only the very best for her little Bon Bon.

“What in… How did you…” Lyra stammered at the little angelface by her hooves, her attempts to restrain her own giggling only half-successful, “Sweet Celestia, how did you get so dirty?”

“I’m an ant!” Bon Bon exclaimed without missing a beat, and the matter-of-factness with which she gave the nonsensical answer was all it took for Lyra to completely succumb to her mirth and burst out in a laughter to match Bon Bon’s own. On the side, she took the spade out of Bon Bon’s hoof and deposited it in the wheelbarrow, barely aware that it was her maternal intuition telling her to keep the sharp edge a distance away from her infant whenever possible, before Lyra touched her nose to Bon Bon’s and they just laughed freely into each other’s faces, cheering and fuelling each other’s joviality with their display of genuine simple humor, Lyra making funny faces and Bon Bon chortling and spluttering without restraint for what felt like an eternity way too short.

Bon Bon’s eyes were starry with glee, and Lyra could feel beads of moisture standing at the corners of her own eyes, as their frivolity finally had to give way to the vital needs of thinking and breathing, and the two fillies were left panting hard for fresh air, unwaveringly admiring each other’s beautiful faces. The smooth surface of Bon Bon’s white pacifier shield gleamed bright red in the evening sunlight that came in at a steep angle, but it was nothing compared to the dazzling radiance of those breathtaking golden eyes that kept Bon Bon captivated with their infinite depth. Lyra had stepped above Bon Bon at some point, their bodies aligned as she looked down at her very own little foal’s face bathed in an expression of pure bliss, her mane splayed out on the ground underneath like spiralling fireworks, and her brow glistening with dirty sweat as she just stared back.

There was no way Lyra could have resisted the magnetic pull of her affection toward her beautiful lover. She easily lowered herself until she was lying on top of Bon Bon, and eagerly embraced her big filly with her hooves, pressing her soft body against her own and snuggling her with all that she could give, belly to belly. It was a little scratchy as their respective shares of dirt mingled between them, but that was completely drowned out by the overwhelming silkiness of Bon Bon’s cushy tummy, completely occupying Lyra’s senses as she lost herself in the world of doughy warm softness held securely in her grasp. Lyra’s face tingled all over as they rubbed their cheeks together, Bon Bon’s hot panting breath in her ear, but the way the heat was building up between the two mares, it was plain obvious that the gentle contact wasn’t enough for either of them.

“Nnnnnh,” Bon Bon complained as there was a tug on her pacifier, and, more by instinct than conscious decision, she held onto the rubber nipple with her teeth. The soft comfort had become like a natural part of her mouth, and it was unthinkable to be separated from it for any reason whatsoever. Or at least, so she thought.

“You’ll get it back soon, Bon Bon,” Lyra said, “I promise. In the meantime, I have something better for you.” Partially from the calming effect of the soothing words spoken by the most familiar voice in the world, and partially from Lyra’s pursed lips suddenly looking very inviting as she lowered her head in close, her frazzled light blue and white mane funnily standing away in several directions, Bon Bon suddenly found herself convinced to temporarily give up her pacifier after all, and very quickly at that.

The pacifier floated out of Bon Bon’s mouth, revealing the fur frizzy and moist with drool around her mouth and on her chin, but only briefly as Lyra immediately pressed her lips against Bon Bon’s in a hot kiss. A moment passed in which they only held still, quietly basking in the intimacy of their unification, before Lyra felt her heart hammering in her chest and the tingling from her face spread over her entire body. And then the two fillies started making out in earnest. Lyra pulled Bon Bon close and cuddled with her madly, unwilling to relinquish possession over even a single iota of her soft body. Her mind screamed at her to do nothing but touch, grab, poke and feel up her gorgeous wife in any way that was possible, and even though that was exactly what Lyra was doing, it never seemed to be enough. She clung to Bon Bon’s body with any limbs she managed to remember having, her hind legs clasping Bon Bon’s hips, feeling skin and soft plastic on one side and the plush mass of a tail that had somehow snuck in there on the other side, her forelegs entangled in Bon Bon’s mane as she gently held up her head and her neck, completely immersed in a queer mixture of long hairs, dry earth and blades of grass. Lyra felt Bon Bon panting around her muzzle as she kept kissing her with a fiery passion that left her numb to the world around them. The inside of Bon Bon’s mouth was slick with all the excess spittle left behind by the pacifier’s presence, which only made it all the easier for Lyra to turn her head to get a better surface area on Bon Bon’s carnal lips, and to smoothly play their tongues around each other as she tried to advance ever deeper into her muzzle.

Bon Bon slung her forelegs around Lyra, overtaken by the burning desire to return the hug and snuggle into her as closely as she could, as one of her hooves squeezed Lyra’s midsection against her own, while the other hoof grabbed Lyra’s tail close by its base and held onto it tightly as she pulled it towards herself. Lyra just shivered at the tail-pull and panted a little harder as she proceeded to have her way with Bon Bon’s muzzle. Bon Bon’s entire world was teeming with Lyra, was overflowing with Lyra, her senses utterly inadequate to handle all of the Lyra that imposed itself upon them. Bon Bon completely gave herself up and lost herself in all the impressions of Lyra that flooded her mind, the sensuous bliss as Lyra explored the hypersensitive inside of her mouth, the smell of Lyra’s mane mixed with the sweat in her coat and the earth on her hooves, the sounds of Lyra’s scorching breath as it danced over her cheeks and of the plastic covers of their diapers crinkling frantically against each other with every one of their movements, and the feeling of their bodies pressed close together, of Lyra’s heartbeat against her own chest, of Lyra’s warm belly squishing and moving against her own. Bon Bon loved rubbing tummies together, the silken texture of Lyra’s soft belly fur constantly gliding without effort up and down against her own tingling skin, spreading Lyra’s thoroughly fulfilling body warmth into her own being, shutting out the world around her and captivating her in the perfect comfort of being held tight against an all-encompassing expanse of supple softness.

At this point, Bon Bon was unable to do anything to follow the screams of her most primal instincts that blotted out everything else in her head. The excitement she had felt exploded into a blaze of full-blown lust that flared out from her underbelly, and she tensed up, pulling Lyra in even tighter as she upped the pace of the belly rubbing, arching her back and fiercely returning the kiss as she frantically looked for ways to intensify her sensory overload. Her hoof let go of Lyra’s tail and moved lower, grabbing hold of her thickly padded hindquarters. Lyra’s diaper had expanded considerably but was still mostly substantial, telling her that she had lost a moderate amount of fluid over the course of the day with her difficulties to hold it in. Bon Bon was so grateful to have somepony else who was also unable to go like a big pony and therefore had to use her pants as a potty. And that wasn’t to take away from any loneliness or embarrassment like it may have been a thousand years ago, but it was because it brought Bon Bon happiness without bounds to be able to share the mind-bogglingly awesome experience with another pony who loved it as much as she did. It was true that they had different reasons for being in diapers. Bon Bon was too afraid to go to the big pony toilet alone because she didn’t know how to use it, and she was way too little for anypony to teach her anyway, so instead she had just embraced the comfortable alternative that had been provided to her and happily pushed it all out into her big and soft diaper that would reliably act as her own personal and hassle-free potty wherever and whenever she needed it and, indeed, she desired it. Lyra on the other hoof simply couldn’t be bothered tackling the daunting, strenuous and, ultimately, utterly superfluous task of learning how to control her own body, and although she was already a little filly instead of a mere infant, she still let her rump be wrapped up in a thick and safe diaper very much like a little foal, and whatever she didn’t push into her thirsty underwear out of sheer laziness she let come out on its own accord throughout the day, readily dousing her fur in her fresh warmth no matter the occasion, whether they were eating or playing or talking to their neighbour or even kissing. But regardless of the reason, it was plain obvious in the end that both fillies immensely enjoyed wearing their diapers and all the wonderful sensations that came with it, the bulk between their legs, the fluffy soft inside against their skin, the sensation of using their diapers for their intended purpose, the intimacy of being cleaned and changed into fresh diapers, the feeling of the smooth plastic under the soft touch of a hoof.

Bon Bon was unable to resist following the spark of climactic gratification that guided her through the chaotic blaze of excitement which had taken hold of her, as she secured her hold on Lyra’s glorious butt and pulled it in close, tightly pressing their crotches together. Even though she could barely feel anything at all through the obscenely bloated mass of her diaper that completely enveloped her sensitive parts, the distant force causing a tiny movement of the soaking wet pulp against her skin was already enough to send Bon Bon shivering, a little moan escaping her lips otherwise sealed airtight by Lyra’s own. Lyra quickly picked up on what was happening, and started gently bucking her hips, humping her own diapercrotch into Bon Bon’s, who squirmed with every new crinkle of her baby panties, keenly aware of how her pee was squeezed out of the soggy diaperfluff and ran through her coat for a second time, while she freely rolled around in the mushy mess on her butt. Both ponies were lost in their own little world of blissful fulfillment, and they kept humping each other harder and harder as their bodies kept demanding more, every passing moment bringing them closer to --

“Hey girls, it’s me again! I’m so sorry, but it’s really important!”

This time, it was Lyra who was raging with annoyance at the constant interruptions, and she rolled off Bon Bon as her mouth stumbled over itself to bring out every curse she knew at once.

“Uh,” Lyra said as a result.

“Hi again North Wind!” Bon Bon happily screamed while waving with her hoof, making Lyra’s ear flick at the sudden increase in volume, “Nice wings!” Come to think of it, North Wind’s really were nice wings, muscular, perfectly preened, symmetrical and a clean sheen to them. They effortlessly held her in the air as she flapped in place next to the balcony. It wasn’t unexpected though, since she needed her wings for her work, it wouldn’t do to take anything less than perfect care of them.

“Uh, thanks?” North Wind said, adjusting her glasses, “And you, uh… you have, um. Nice earth?”

“Thanks!” Bon Bon exclaimed, turning around so energetically to send a spray of crumbling dirt from her mane into the landscape, “Did you hear that, Lyra? She likes my earth.”

“Um,” Lyra commented.

“By the way,” North Wind continued, “I brought back your bag. Thanks for the nuts. I put the bag in your basement, but I couldn’t find a free spot, so I kinda just dropped it on the floor, I hope you don’t mind. You should really think about cleaning that place up. You know what they say about ponies with a tidy basement! Wait, what was that again?” Her deliberation was cut short as another pegasus came into view high in the sky from the direction of Ponyville, and then another. “Oh shoot!” she said, “I came to tell you that the Weather Team will start working here now. Like, right now. The sky will be swarming with pegasi within minutes. And I saw you doing, uh. Things. So I thought I’d come by and tell you to take it inside. Alright, gotta go now, bye!”

“Bye!” Bon Bon said and exchanged a hoof-wave with North Wind, who then withdrew into the vast expanse of the rapidly dimming sky.

“Ugh,” Lyra concluded.

Lyra didn’t seem to have paid attention for even a single second as she immediately resumed throwing herself at Bon Bon, but Bon Bon valiantly fended her off. “No, didn’t you hear?” she said, “We have to go inside!”

“Right. Inside.” Lyra grunted, “Put the wheelbarrow back where it was, I’ll take the rest.”

Bon Bon merrily got up and pushed the wheelbarrow, which had now been degraded to second favourite toy behind Lyra’s rump, back to its old spot by the garden tools, under the relative protection of the balcony. It was funny how her diaper suddenly felt slick with fresh wetness between her hind legs even though Bon Bon remembered not going pee right now, but it didn’t really matter because her diaper would take care of it, that’s why she loved her diaper so much. She also loved Lyra’s diaper, and followed it without question as it mesmerizingly bounced before her on Lyra’s tight flank.

Lyra took Bon Bon’s pacifier and put it and the other one on the tray with the empty pitcher and glasses, then she took the tray on her back and the book in her mouth and made for the front door. Bon Bon picked up the basket of nuts and hastily followed after. She hadn’t noticed it before, but the temperature had dropped considerably over the last hour or so, and the meanwhile howling gale sent a biting chill into her bones. The pegasi didn’t seem to have many problems navigating in the strong wind, as there was an increasingly large group scampering to and fro above them in the sky, some of them even dipping lower to fly wide circles and simple formations, working their pegasus magic to manipulate the flow of temperature and humidity in the climate. Most of the rest had established a celestial logistics chain reaching out far into the east towards huge mountains of thick, black clouds that had meant to pass by a distance away, harvesting the resource and bringing the fresh cloud material over Ponyville skies. Whether the clouds were natural or manufactured Bon Bon couldn’t tell, but she didn’t stay to find out as the wind blew her mane over to one side and the sky grew increasingly gray and dark as the last of the evening sun’s weak light vanished behind the cloud canopy.

Bon Bon entered the house behind Lyra, kicking the front door shut with a satisfying click. She put her basket next to where Lyra had dumped her stuff on the dining table, and joined her favourite mint green butt as its owner closed the kitchen window, shutting out the noise of the outside world. Bon Bon hoped she wasn’t grumpy, because each heartbeat brought part of her burning excitement back to the forefront of her mind in the relative quiet of the house, and there was still a very real ache between her hind legs that she wanted Lyra to take care of.

Lyra spun around, a sultry grin trained straight at her, and Bon Bon’s worry vanished into thin air. “Okay, now that’s over with,” Lyra began. She crossed the distance between them in a single step before pressing her lips hard against Bon Bon’s again, and right back to making out they were. A mad kissing and smooching commenced, both mares frantically seeking to wrestle down the other’s tongue to gain entrance to the mouth that lay beyond first. They both soon tilted their heads to to gain a better hold on the other’s lips, and Lyra’s panting breath on her cheek told Bon Bon that she was as excited as herself, her heart again pounding in her chest, sending her body roiling with passion as the old need for relief resurfaced more immediate and intense than ever before. She didn’t know if it was because of the chilling wind outside, but Bon Bon felt Lyra’s breath way hotter than usual, Lyra’s movements more clumsy and instinctive, and it suggested that she felt the very same ache as herself, at the very same spot as herself.

Bon Bon broke the kiss, dragging some drool across Lyra’s snout as she half-leaned over her, making Lyra’s body shudder tensely under herself with a deliberate nuzzling of the neck as she stretched out a forehoof to reach behind Lyra, under her tail, and grabbed her diaper butt with a resounding crinkle. A little moan issued from Lyra as she stood paralyzed while Bon Bon squeezed and squished the bloated and soggy diaper around for a little bit, enjoying her momentary position of power, which, when things went as they usually did, wouldn’t last for very long. Lyra’s butt had her full attention now. She slowly rubbed up and down Lyra’s diaper, grabbing a hoofful of the sagging pulp and pushing it hard between Lyra’s buttocks, a little squeal of delight emanating from somewhere behind her, before she let go and it sagged away again. She then moved her hoof down under the sagging diaper, to the spot right between Lyra’s hind legs where most of the liquid would collect when she peed, and started poking and kneading, massaging every part of Lyra’s she could feel through her thick wet diaper.

“Wow, Lyra,” Bon Bon said softly into Lyra’s ear, “you’re super duper wet down here. I bet you’ve been going tinkle into this thing all day long, haven’t you? Just look at how utterly soaked it is with your pee, you’re putting every race pony to shame.”

They both knew Lyra’s diaper wasn’t all that wet, but it didn’t matter. The words were what Lyra wanted to hear, and they were driving her mad with lust. She was being outplayed by her own foal like this and there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. Her instincts took over, and Lyra’s tongue lolled out as she bucked her hips and began humping into Bon Bon’s hoof, which steadily assisted her efforts to grind herself against her own wet diaper.

No. It couldn’t end like this. And there was still something Lyra could to to regain control, her trump card that would give her the upper hoof. The very foalish intuition that Bon Bon had played to determine Lyra’s triggering actions and phrases would be her downfall. Bon Bon’s butt was off to the side, somewhere close to Lyra’s head, and while she was still unsuccessfully resisting humping into Bon Bon’s hoof, she managed to raise a shaky forehoof of her own and bring it to Bon Bon’s rump, and from there on it was a long familiar manoeuvre. Her hoof slithered under Bon Bon’s tail and found the perfect spot square in the middle of her butt before it grasped firmly. The expected result immediately set in as Bon Bon gasped and froze, no more kneading or rubbing of any kind to be felt.

“Time for a diaper check,” Lyra panted with a victorious grin.

This interaction between them had happened countless times before, and still it amazed Lyra how utterly and completely immersed Bon Bon was in her regression, following the cue without the slightest hesitation. Bon Bon lightly let go of Lyra and slid onto her own hooves, before she widened her stance a little, lifted her tail out of the way and presented her padded rump for the diaper check. She was a good filly and, like every proper filly, she should help out as much as possible when her diapers were being taken care of. Darn it! Lyra was good at this.

“But Lyra!” Bon Bon whined, “You already checked earlier and you told me I’m messyaaaaah...” Her voice trailed off in a little squeal as her knees buckled, Lyra having started to squish and mush around the mess on her butt through her diaper.

“I know,” Lyra replied, not cutting down on her ministrations in the slightest, “and don’t get me wrong, this diaper is filled to the brim, there’s no denying that. We need to get you cleaned and changed into a fresh diaper soon. But there’s a bigger problem than that. You’re filthy.” A light slap on Bon Bon’s cutie mark brought forth a plume of dust and dry earth crumbling onto the kitchen floor. “You need a bath, and I guess I could use one too. How’s that sound, a nice warm bath, just the two of us?”

It was a rhetorical question in two ways. For one, they bathed together more often than not. Not only was their water boiler too small to provide warm water for two consecutive baths, but it was also always very comfortable and sometimes very intimate. Secondly, Bon Bon was in no shape to reply anyway. Lyra just sat there for a few minutes, enjoying having her big filly in a quivering, panting mess on the kitchen floor before her, lifting her rump high desperate for the attention of Lyra’s hooves, as Lyra continued kneading, prodding and, on occasion, pushing little smiley faces into the soggy mass of the heavily used diaper, her own cheeks becoming increasingly hot at the lewd display. She didn’t go too far though, and eventually signalled Bon Bon to stand up with a firm pat on the butt.

They made their way upstairs, Lyra already arriving on the second floor and trotting off to the left while Bon Bon was still only halfway up the stairs. She found it again difficult to walk, unable to just keep up a light trot like Lyra did as she had to fully concentrate on moving each of her clumsy little hooves individually, shakily dragging them over the wood and bumping into steps as she cautiously climbed the stairs little by little. Everything was so huge, the treads, the balusters, the door at the end, everything was made for big ponies, and she always had to be very careful when she moved in the oversized world, mindful of every little detail as she attentively performed the nontrivial act of walking, lest she forget something important, as little fillies were sometimes wont to do, and hurt herself or got stuck in a place from which she needed Lyra to get out again. It was a little funny how she was also constantly distracted by her own diaper, because, as the foal that she was, Bon Bon should have been very accustomed to sitting around in used diapers all day long. But surprisingly, the diaper managed to regularly divert her attention from the task at hoof, its gratifying touches suddenly bright as a star in the forefront her mind, as it moved and tightened between her hind legs with every one of her steps, repeatedly pressing its soft wet padding soaked with her own pee up against her sensitive parts from differing angles, and squished around the impassive mess that hung heavily against her butt, working it further across her delicate soft baby skin and into her fluffy intimate fur.

Bon Bon was panting almost harder than before when she arrived upstairs. She turned to her left and walked toward the commotion in the bathroom, its entrance shining bright opposite the dark bedroom door. Stepping inside with familiar ease, ducking under the boiler hanging from the ceiling to the left and keeping a respectful distance from the big pony toilet to the right, her hooves clacked on the tiles as she joined Lyra by the bathtub that took up the entire opposing wall of the crowded little room. The toilet had always looked strikingly out of place. While the little basin next to it, and the tiles and the bathtub had all assumed a shade of dirty off-white over the years and had grime and dust sticking to the corners, the way it was perfectly normal in every family and every household where the appliances were regularly used, the toilet gleamed, in the weak light of a singular tiny diamond, with the spotless cleanliness of disuse that was so wholly inappropriate that it would easily cause a raised brow in anypony else, while making the sanitation fixture appear even more otherworldly and intimidating to Bon Bon than it had been anyway. Just looking at it made her feel uncomfortable, and she had no idea how she would approach that thing in the first place should the need ever arise. To turn her attention away, she liked to instead rivet on the last piece of furniture in the room that took up most of the scarce standing space in its center, a little wooden cabinet by the bathtub that was never intended for the bathroom in the first place, a temporary solution for the lack of space in the bedroom turned permanent as the dresser was overflowing with a messy assortment of soaps, shampoos, creams, ointments and other hygiene and cosmetic products. They had never gotten around dragging it back out of the bathroom both so as to not disturb the fragile balance of the inhabiting system and because it was simply super practical being able to reach it from the bathtub.

Bon Bon jumped as a familiar hoof started gently petting her butt. An even stream of water splashed noisily into the resounding metal bathtub from the now-open faucet, clouds of steam billowing over the rim into the noticeably chilly air, ghastly tendrils creeping over the tiles of the walls and the floor and playing around two sets of hooves. Bon Bon had tried so hard to distract herself from the permanent companion that was her diaper, sagging so blatantly between her legs under the weight of its contents, which were the result of Bon Bon’s infantile needs, which the diaper had readily taken care of regardless, but it was always clear that her efforts would be in vain. She didn’t know how to resist the intimate touch, nor had she any inclination to do so anyway, and that made her own rump officially Lyra’s property to do with as she pleased, a right that Lyra took full advantage of as she never had any reservations showing Bon Bon just what a little foal she still was. Lyra had her hoof planted firmly between Bon Bon’s hind legs and gently kneaded the plastic, knowing fully well that Bon Bon was supposed to just take it and let herself be calmed down by the pleasurable feelings that were bestowed upon her. She found that the plan worked perfectly. Lyra was easily smiling at Bon Bon and, despite a hundred little beads of moisture forming in Lyra’s dirty mane and her eyes being underlined by exhaustion, the smile was still perfect, effortless and full of affection and care, telling Bon Bon that Lyra would take care of her and wanted her to be peaceful and happy. Bon Bon found herself naturally drawn to fulfilling that sentiment, her breath coming easier and her heart beating slower, the crinkling massage on her behind calming her down in unmitigated tranquility as she let the electrifying thrill of the intimate touch break out from the point of contact and freely take hold of her entire body, as she leaned into the gratifying hoof.

“That’s a good little baby,” Lyra said softly, “I’ll have a nice warm bath ready for you soon, isn’t that great? Here, let me take off your diapy in the meantime and wipe off your messy butt.” Bon Bon’s body quivered and squirmed more with every one of the infantile words, desperately yearning for release, but her conscience was half detached as she calmly smiled back at Lyra, her face easy and relaxed as she just innocently enjoyed being so close to Lyra while taking in as many of the delightful feelings as she could. The supremely erotic sight was driving Lyra wild with the urge to instantly fall over Bon Bon and have her way with her, and it was all she could to do restrain herself as her trembling forehoof slowly moved over the smooth plastic on Bon Bon’s behind and made its way above her tail. The rip of the tail tape resounded clearly over the splashing of the water, and Bon Bon trembled for a moment, the partially released diaper sagging down her butt, before she was able to respond to the foalish cue on with an amazing naturalness as if there was no other possible course of action. Lyra was sitting on her haunches, but she might as well have been floating in space as she was completely engrossed by Bon Bon laying down before her onto the moist tiles, taking up the rest of the available space in the cramped room, and rolling onto her back, spreading her hind legs far apart to present her crotch for easy cleaning, one of the few things she actually could do to help when it concerned her potty habits.

With a shaky breath, Lyra followed the well practiced routine and got to work with the diaper change. In turn, she grabbed each of the diaper tapes on Bon Bon’s hip with her hooves and pulled them away from the crinkly plastic. While Bon Bon pretended to be lying still and waiting patiently, her instincts betrayed how she was in reality lost in an all-encompassing haze of pure bliss, as her abdomen tensed with each of the unmistakably infantile ripping sounds and her legs moved in a now useless attempt to spread further apart and pull the diaper tighter against her body. Lyra softly pulled away the crinkling front of the diaper to reveal Bon Bon in the nude, lying comfortably on top of a pile of her own horse apples. It didn’t really look as bad as it could have, Lyra had had to endure diaper changes in the past which had been way messier than this and had taken ages to clean up, but this looked quite easy to deal with. With a practiced grip, she gathered Bon Bon’s knees with a forehoof and lifted her butt into the air, revealing it to be only moderately smeared with the diaper’s contents. She pressed the utterly soaked center part of the diaper tight against Bon Bon and steadily pulled it down her entire rump, taking off most of the mess in one deft movement, before she let it fall onto the seat of the diaper and folded it closed. Then she grabbed the diaper’s front part, which was surprisingly equally as soaked, and wiped off the rest of Bon Bon’s behind with it, the extra moisture helping greatly to quickly leave her fur nice and clean. Relatively clean, that is, as the whole procedure obviously wasn’t very sanitary like with a foal wipe, but it wasn’t like Bon Bon was in a state to care about that in the slightest, and they would be bathing next anyway.

Lyra pulled the diaper out from under her and lowered Bon Bon back onto the ground, before rolling up the used diaper and taping it shut into a neat little package, finally marking the end of its service as it was now ready to be properly discarded. Bon Bon looked at the little bunch of plastic as Lyra pushed it to the side, and she gave a quick and silent thank you for making going potty so comfy and fun for her, before she put it out of her mind and sat up. She giggled at the funny sensation of being completely naked, and she felt that she was sitting on her own tail, leaving a glistening mark on the long hairs because she was still wet with her pee down there. It seems that the satisfying feeling of being naughty won’t be leaving her anytime soon.

Bon Bon focussed instead on Lyra, who in turn tensed up, hot breath on the top of Bon Bon’s head as Bon Bon confusedly pawed at Lyra’s crotch with a forehoof. Uh, why wasn’t anything happening? The diaper gave under her hoof and she was able to squish it around easily, but it was already getting cold on the underside from the chilly tiles beneath, the otherwise smooth ceramic matte with condensation, and she really wanted to get Lyra out of her diapy before it became uncomfortable. Diaper changes were way more difficult than she remembered, but at least Lyra still seemed to have her fun as she grabbed onto Bon Bon’s mane and held herself steady each time Bon Bon goofed around with her diaper, sending Lyra shaking more and more tensely and gritting her teeth ever harder than before. Wait, that’s it! Lyra! She had to do the diaper change all professional-like, the way Lyra had done it.

Completely professionally, Bon Bon wiggled past under Lyra’s forehoof, brushing her heaving chest with a cheek, before fumbling about over her tail with the crinkling protests of the diaper’s plastic and the twitching comments of Lyra’s tail. After lots of slipping and rustling, Lyra’s tail tape was finally unfastened and the seat of the diaper sagged away from her body, giving Bon Bon a good view of Lyra’s super cute tushy as it sat comfortably in the embrace of the soft, yellowed and soggy fluff that was the inside of her crinkly baby panties. Bon Bon’s hypersensitive body was tingling all over, practically screaming at her to run her hoof between those cheeks, but she had no time to indulge now, she still had a job to complete. She righted herself again, taking along a tickling curtain of Lyra’s mane with her ears, before she gently pushed at Lyra’s chest and guided her laying down onto her back, effectively reversing the positions of the previous diaper change.

Continuing her professionalism, Bon Bon ripped open the two tapes on Lyra’s hips, proud at needing almost only one attempt each, and the diaper visibly relaxed around Lyra’s soft body when the tension ceased. She grabbed Lyra’s diaper front and carefully lifted it, Lyra’s body trembling ever so slightly, probably because of the cold air going under the thick warm cushion that had been her bloated diaper. Don’t worry, Lyra’s body, we’ll have you wrapped up safe and snug again before you know it. However, when the diaper front was pulled away, revealed was Lyra’s cute little mare parts glistening in a slimy cover of her own juices, a long and thick viscous strand being pulled out as the diaper fell away, connected to another gleaming patch of clear Lyra juice on top of the yellowed diaper pulp. Bon Bon reached out with her forehoof and caught the strand before it could land on the diaper. She gathered it against Lyra’s body and gave it a good slow wipe upwards, collecting the dripping mare juice from Lyra’s scalding hot nether lips. Bon Bon observed it closely for a moment as it thickly ran down her hoof, covering it with Lyra’s burning body temperature, before she curiously stuffed the hoof into her mouth. It tasted very intensely of Lyra, a taste that was intimately familiar to Bon Bon, and as the slimy fluid dispersed in her mouth, she was happy to have gotten a sample of it because it was one of her favourite tastes, and no matter how much she managed to get a hold of, she always seemed to crave more. Besides, it usually came with entirely different fun things to do, and Lyra seemed to agree as she stared at Bon Bon with her eyes wide and breathing hard, fresh drops of her juice glinting between her legs. Bon Bon just grinned.

She was tempted to get seconds, but, despite how her own trembling body seemed to yearn for it, she restrained herself. Be professional! In a clumsy imitation of Lyra’s unwavering procedure, Bon Bon grabbed the front part of the diaper, which was still partially white and dry, and rubbed her squirming filly’s diaper area down a little. Then she touched together Lyra’s hind legs and pushed them toward her chest, pulling the diaper out from her lifted butt, before she eased them back down, Lyra scrambling to right herself onto her naked behind again as soon as she was released from the infantile care. Bon Bon fumbled around with the diaper for a little while before she was satisfied that it looked approximately like Lyra’s, and she set the jumbled bunch of plastic down beside the perfectly balled up diaper.

The sound of running water ceased and Bon Bon turned around to face Lyra’s cutie mark, as Lyra was bent over the bathtub to screw the tap closed.

“You’re nakie!” Bon Bon exclaimed happily.

Lyra slyly grinned back at her before she lifted her tail out of the way, blatantly revealing everything that Bon Bon coveted so much, her mouth watering with appetite. Before she could act, Lyra said, “So are you.”

Bon Bon looked down. It was true. “Yay!” she said.

“Hop in,” Lyra said, splashing the water with a hoof, “the water’s perfect.”

Even though the water barely filled only a third of the bathtub, it was enough because the small thing would be filled to the brim when they were inside together. In a practiced movement, they gingerly stepped over the wall, the metal meanwhile pleasantly warm from the temperature of the bath, and into the delightfully hot water that was a welcome change from the steamy cold air. They securely stood in the bathtub proper before, as one, lowering themselves into the water as it rose around them, covering their hooves, their legs, their bodies and, lastly, their necks with its all-encompassing hot presence. Bon Bon sat with her back against one side of the bathtub and Lyra against the other side, but they were still almost touching due to the small size of the crowded tub. Neither of them minded though as Bon Bon took a moment to let herself be perfused with the mollifying warmth as she half-floated in the water, light as a feather, while wiggling into a comfortable position with Lyra’s hind legs placed somewhere underneath her own. Meanwhile, Lyra covered her nose with a hoof, took a breath and leaned forward, diving face-first under the water with a small splash, the waves tickling Bon Bon’s chin. All was still for a few seconds, and Bon Bon took in the relative tranquility, amusedly watching the smooth surface of the water only broken by a mint-green horn. And then, the water exploded as Lyra reemerged, her movement sending a huge spray of water droplets noisily splashing everywhere as she sat back up and used both hooves to lift the heavy mass of her dripping mane back behind her head. She gave a long sigh and breathed deeply as she slowly tilted her head to get the water out of her ears. Lyra looked so funny with her mane completely straight like that, a sight that was wholly unfamiliar as her mane was usually airy and unkempt. Very well familiar however was the lusty grin that slowly creeped onto Lyra’s face, and the way she irresistibly pinned Bon Bon with those piercing eyes. Bon Bon was more than ready to resign herself though, every fiber of her body wholeheartedly accepting what was about to come, and she even lifted her own dripping hooves out of the water and stretched them out toward Lyra, beckoning her to come closer.

With one powerful jump, Lyra pounced Bon Bon, sending out a huge spray of water around them as she grabbed her big little filly in a squeezing embrace, as if never intending to let go. She embraced Bon Bon’s head with her forehooves and pulled her in tight, pressing their muzzles together with a ferocity that left no more room for the possibility of interruption as she finally satiated her craving. Bon Bon gave herself up completely and just relaxed her jaw, hoofing over ownership of her mouth to Lyra as she proceeded to ravage her muzzle without restraint. Lyra had no idea if she even was inside of Bon Bon’s mouth most of the time, and she just kissed everything that came to her lips, planting big sloppy smooches on Bon Bon’s nose, sucking back her lips between her own, smothering her chin and her cheeks in drool, playing around Bon Bon’s tongue as far as she could reach, and curiously exploring every nook and cranny inside her mouth. All the while the entire world around Lyra was increasingly shut out by the fierce prickling sensation that had overtaken her body, like fireworks going off inside her and lighting up her entire being in a glorious blaze. Bon Bon found herself sandwiched between the bathtub and the carnal Lyra, who weighed her down halfway into the water as she seemingly wanted to envelop Bon Bon’s muzzle with her entire body. Bon Bon barely noticed though as Lyra’s oral annihilation had all the neurons in her head firing at once, the sensitive nerves on her face and in her mouth hopelessly overloaded beyond capacity, as paralyzing jolts of pure pleasure exploded outwards from her skin and coursed through her body down to the last of her limbs, leaving her a jumbled mess unable to move or think even a single coherent thought, her entire world replaced by the incomprehensibly infinite expanse of utter bliss that left every single one of her nerves buzzing with perfect desire.

Bon Bon’s body autonomously followed the only remaining instance of control, the call of her most primal instincts, as she closed her outstretched forehooves behind Lyra’s back, taking her into a crushingly tight hug. Lyra squirmed and spasmed above, and Bon Bon desperately clung onto her and did her best to pull her in close as she arched her back and pressed her belly tightly against Lyra’s with all of the strength she could muster. Bon Bon dissolved in perfect euphoria as she finally got started rubbing tummies again. This time however, gone was all the itchy dirt and sticky grime from before, gone was the harsh wind and the preying eyes from outside, gone was even the resistance of their own coats as a slick layer of water made their movements almost ideally smooth. What remained was her own hypersensitive stomach effortlessly gliding around and across Lyra’s boundlessly smooth and soft belly, her own body slowly and ever so gingerly deformed and massaged by the copious and almost fleetingly faint amounts of pressure of the feathery expanse of Lyra’s abdomen. Bon Bon was completely immersed in her world of Lyra, humping the air and pushing herself around using any purchase she could get, just to feel her skin slide against Lyra’s own, to remain perfused with the intimate warmth that emanated from Lyra’s body, to quiver once more from the tiny bump as their belly buttons played around each other, to feel Lyra’s heart hammer in her chest at a pace similar to her own as they rang for air together and exhaled into each other’s faces. Bon Bon squirmingly held onto Lyra as if her life depended on it, and no matter how large a surface area of their tummies she managed to squish against one another, no matter how much she pushed and slid and prodded and humped and glid, Lyra’s belly still seemed to hold an insurmountable infinity of mysteries, gifting Bon Bon with pleasures more intense than all of the previous ones combined for every moment she managed to remain in intimate contact with the soft godsend.

As the two wiggled and humped like mad, sending water splashing everywhere as each of them was lost in their world of ecstasy, their bodies moved closer and their movements grew wilder as the bathwater fell away against the electrified heat between them. Their unison motions had quickly degenerated into seemingly random flailing, and as they thrust their hips forward at the same time, they bumped their crotches together, the briefest of contacts between the two intimately sensitive mounds enough to drive the two mares feral. Bon Bon immediately stiffened and whimpered pathetically as Lyra threw back her head and sucked in the air through her teeth. She flailed as she attempted to stand on her hooves, and Bon Bon was far beyond the question of consent as she let herself be pulled upright after Lyra, the water level dropping around them back down to their hooves as a thousand droplets dripped noisily from their soaking coats. With shaking hooves Lyra guided Bon Bon to turn around and brace herself against the bathtub’s wall before Bon Bon felt her soaked tail lifted out of the way and off to the side. With desperate haste, Lyra scrambled to turn around herself, almost slipping once in the process, before aligning her own rump with Bon Bon’s. She lifted her tail up high and held onto the rim of the bathtub.

Lyra pushed herself off and with a resounding slap their butts impacted. Bon Bon squealed and Lyra moaned as their soft buttocks were squished up against each other, immediately growing warm at the combined energy of the two mares’ desires, primal lust flaring out and taking control of their bodies as their sizzling hot nether lips became one in the most intimate of kisses, Lyra pushing herself hard against Bon Bon’s exposed twitching butt while Bon Bon returned the effort in kind under the weight Lyra’s dripping tail on her back. Before she even knew what was happening, Lyra had began humping like mad, rubbing herself up and down against Bon Bon’s astonishingly warm and squishy backside, each of its different parts welcoming her with its unique texture that let an entirely new kind of pleasure explode in her most sensitive parts with even the tiniest of motions, increasingly fuelling her desire to hump with abandon as her instincts commanded her to drive her thrill to ever new heights. Bon Bon desperately sought to provide some movement of her own, but everything else had fallen away other than the constantly intensifying fire of her lust. It was only by instinct that her clumsy movements stabilized into a shaky rhythm of her own as she tried to complement the ferocious motions against her behind in order to get as much surface area for her mare parts as possible, keeping her overwhelmed with a steadily increasing wealth of sensory bliss. The pace of their humping constantly built up as their butts grew slick with their hot fluids, Bon Bon feeling a voluminous dribble of their mingling mare juices flowing down the insides of her legs as it dripped into the water below with a little pitter-patter noise. The natural lubrication removed any form of physical resistance, allowing them to smoothly glide against each other without limit, their muscles screaming under the strain as they sought only to intensify their primal lust, chasing after the brightly radiating promise of the inevitable conclusion. Lyra could feel Bon Bon twitching ever more violently against herself, her whimpers having risen in volume to match Lyra’s own powerful moans, both of the mares pushing and sliding as hard as they could, an ever higher combined peak reached together with every new touch of exposed intimate skin and every bump of two soft pearls sliding against each other, as both of them gave it their all pressing for their ultimate release with unfailing voracity.

Lyra immediately knew what was happening when Bon Bon suddenly came to a standstill, tensed up and her entire body started shaking violently. She pushed herself away from the wall as hard as she could, sliding onto Bon Bon and coming halfway to sitting on top of her raised hindquarters, before she started humping for her dear life, grinding herself like an animal against her orgasming lover as she arrived at her own climax, one so intense that it drove tears into her eyes. The world exploded, her entire body was on fire. Lyra spasmed and twitched between bouts of violent humping as she came, supporting wave after wave of unmitigated pleasure with her motions that shook her entire form and elevated her spirit into a warm and squishy paradise of carnal bliss. Bon Bon below screamed and cried from pleasure, her rump exploding with an inestimable variety of pleasures at each of Lyra’s smoothly gliding movements, catapulting her into a universe of joy that was so utterly overwhelming that she lost herself in every single sensation she felt, and at the same they all obliterated her at once.

Their butts remained interlocked as the two beautiful lovers came together, a perfectly complementary harmony between them as each fulfilled the other’s fantasies and desires and pushed her to inconceivable new heights of ecstasy, each of them completely lost in her own sacred paradise of pleasure and yet still intimately joined in a blessed union. Diligently and with great care, they acted and moved in the ways they knew that both of them preferred, softly touching, bumping, pushing and gliding so as to draw out the final throes of their shared orgasms, their souls soaring through fantastic infinities together and their bodies joined in a buffet of heat, fluids and wanton energy, for as long as possible before they finally came to a rest.

Panting and sweating, and thoroughly satisfied, the two mares fell back into the corporeal world, reality collapsing into form all around them as they just stood for a moment and breathed deeply, settling down on the mellow high of post-coital bliss. Lyra softly slid off of Bon Bon, who righted herself before weakly turning back around. The water at their hooves was dirty with almost all of the filth from their coats and the remains of their copulation, and Lyra pulled the drain plug so they could empty the tub and fill it with clean water. As they waited for the water to vanish below them, Lyra turned to face Bon Bon, a face that she knew better than her own, and as one, they leaned forward and touched the tips of their noses together, brushing them back and forth against each other ever so slightly, both their expressions soft with a completely contented smile. Nothing more than this tiny gesture of affection was needed to mutually express the infinite love they felt toward each other in that moment. Their bond was unbreakable. They would never give each other up and they would never allow anything to come between them. They could depend on each other.

Lyra opened the tap to let the last of the hot water in the boiler splash into the tub, and they eventually managed to move into a sitting position again, leaning back and finally relaxing in earnest as the mollifying steaming warmth rapidly rose around them. Bon Bon closed her eyes and alternatingly concentrated on every part of her body, untightening every last of her muscles to achieve total and complete relaxation, while Lyra lazily watched her hooves float around under the surface of the perfectly clear water, basking in the pleasantly refreshing smell not unlike rain as tiny glinting droplets sprayed the walls from the splashing impact of the tap’s flow. Little bubbles drifted weightlessly across the water’s surface, breaking up the image of Bon Bon’s body into a thousand facets of the familiar creamy white, cobalt and pink, and tickling Lyra’s belly as they stuck to her wet coat without popping. The ever moving surface of the water was like a very gentle massage to her skin, glinting like a universe of little stars mostly blue and some pale red and yellow as it dissected the precise magical light emanating from the diamond overhead into a skewed rainbow. A curly strand of Bon Bon’s colors floated listlessly toward her, and Lyra relaxedly pushed it around in the water for a while before it was joined by another, and then another, as the rising water lifted Bon Bon’s mane into all directions like the strange fires of a magical explosion.

When the water reached their necks, Lyra reached out to close the tap again. The sound of running water went away, but the buzzing in her head stayed. Lyra felt light, suspended in a vast comfortable dullness as her body was suspended floating in the water almost without weight. Her senses were muted, the world was only a distant concern of hers, she was well and truly tranquil as she felt her eyelids become heavier and she had to make herself breathe deeply lest she should go through the hassle of yawning. Bon Bon had her eyes closed and was completely still, the only sign of life from her being the two little furrows repeatedly dug into the surface of the otherwise undisturbed water when she exhaled. Everything was almost quiet, and even the distant hissing of the boiler and the tiny twitches of Bon Bon’s legs soon began to drift away as Lyra dozed off.

There were so many things that they had done, so many things that they still had to do, and so many things that could go wrong. But even if that happened, they would persevere, of that there was no question. Lyra was proud of Bon Bon, of how she had conducted herself today. She had to admit, there had been the briefest of moments when Lyra had feared that the unexpected visit of their neighbour would shatter the fragile peace with herself in Bon Bon that they had worked to establish under a lot of back and forth and many questions and concerns. Only a few years ago, it hadn’t been imaginable that Bon Bon show herself to anypony but Lyra in her state, as her regression had been one with reserve and the ever-present mote of watchful caution their unwelcome companion for a long time. Even just going outside in their private get-up had only gradually become possible recently, and it bordered on a small wonder that Bon Bon hadn’t looked around worriedly when they had stepped out the front door today. Lyra didn’t even want to think about what worse things could have happened still. Bon Bon could have said something wrong, and they could have lost a lot progress that they had worked so hard to make.

But none of Lyra’s worries had come true even in the slightest. Bon Bon hadn’t even over-indulged and done something stupid, a tendency of hers that luckily hadn’t resurfaced as she had grown out of it over the years. She had acted so normally around the other pony, had been so much of herself. There had been no awkward silences, no stiff conversations, no elephant in the room and no bad feelings left behind. They had simply enjoyed a pleasant Saturday visit from a good friend, and Bon Bon had simply continued acting her little self, because that’s who she was at the time, who she wanted to be, and who she had accepted her right to be in the safe haven of her own home. North Wind had readily accepted the weird situation, and why not? Surely it was an interesting thing to be part of and it was not something that could do any harm, but most of all it was Bon Bon’s natural behaviour that left no room for queer feelings as her air of relaxation created a pleasant atmosphere for everypony involved. It had truly been a sight to behold, and Lyra was very proud of what Bon Bon was able to achieve. It proved to her that there was progress being made in huge leaps even though there had been long stretches seemingly without any results. It showed her that her own efforts in lightening Bon Bon of her load would always pay off, even when they seemed to be in vain. And most importantly of all, the fact that brought Lyra endless joy when she thought about it, Bon Bon was willing to trust her completely, even in matters that had played such large a role in her life and had left grounds for worry and hesitation that had followed even into her deepest desires. It was that unconditional trust that validated Lyra, that justified her methods and empowered her in her role at Bon Bon’s side. Of course North Wind’s visit would raise more new questions than it left old ones unanswered, and she knew there was no action without consequence. But Lyra and Bon Bon, they always had each other, and it was that trust that unfailingly bound them, the knowledge that they always could rely on each other, even encouraging each other to do so. They would tackle any issues that would come up together, because together they could not be stopped, not by societal norms, not by disapproving parents, not by life’s problems, and certainly not by their own fears that could no longer shackle them in their freedom. Because that’s what they are. They are free. The goddesses may approve.

Lyra woke from the muted howling of the wind as a particularly strong gust got caught in a gap somewhere on the other side of the house wall. Either her body had become accustomed to the heat or the water had cooled off somewhat, but it wasn’t paralyzingly hot anymore and she followed the temptation to stretch her forelegs under the surface and yawned widely. Nothing had changed from before, apart from the fact that Bon Bon’s unmoving chin was now marginally deeper in the water.

“You asleep?” Lyra said, clearing her throat at her own raspy voice.

A sapphire eye opened blearily. “Nah,” Bon Bon mumbled.

“That was pretty awesome,” Lyra said.

“Yeah,” Bon Bon replied.

“I love you,” Lyra said.

“Love ya too,” Bon Bon stated. Seeing Lyra’s posture, she sat upright too, little waves from her quivering as she stretched, sparkling lights on the strand of drool as she yawned.

Soon they decided it was time to get washed up, and Lyra watched with a horrified fascination as Bon Bon reached over the side of the bathtub toward the cabinet, and into the jumble of containers, tubs, tubes, bottles, flasks, brushes, wads of cotton, and other things she didn’t even know the name of, which threatened to fall off the limited space at the tiniest disturbance. Amazingly none of them did as Bon Bon retrieved the big sponge and a semi-fresh bar of soap and tossed them in Lyra’s direction, before clicking open a plastic bottle and pouring some of the floral shampoo that always left their coats slightly oily into the water. Lyra dispersed the stuff with some underwater waves of her sponge, and then lifted the dripping porous ball over Bon Bon’s head, who graciously accepted her world turning into a waterfall as Lyra squeezed it out.

Washing up was a leisurely approached activity as neither of the mares performed the ritual with any particular haste. Lyra relaxedly got to work lathering up Bon Bon’s head from ears to snout with the soap glowing in her magic and the sponge and her free hoof working in tandem, before carefully dunking Bon Bon into the water to rinse it all out. The procedure was repeated with the rest of Bon Bon as Lyra pulled the soap down her forelegs, squished the sponge around her neck and rib cage, gently splashed water under her armpits, diligently foamed up all the fur on her belly and rump and carefully cleaned her hind legs down to the crease of her hooves.

Bon Bon was increasingly eager to present every last spot of her body to Lyra’s care as her giggling foalish personality bubbled back to the surface. She happily dove under the water on her own a few times before helping Lyra massage the sweet smelling special care shampoo into her own mane and tail. Lyra couldn’t suppress rolling her eyes at the ‘special’ stuff, a separate one for the mane and the tail conspicuously sold by the same company, but she knew Bon Bon swore by its beautifying effects. Though grateful, Bon Bon was already a little bunch of uncontrollable giggling again when Lyra then massaged her coat conditioner into her fur, partly because she was so happy at being taken care of that she just had to express it at every opportunity, and also because it simply tickled like mad.

If splashing around in the water was fun, then splashing water onto Lyra was the pinnacle of comedy. Bon Bon was all too eager to get started with her turn at bathing, and she couldn’t help her laughter creeping higher in intensity every time she finished lathering and scrubbing one of Lyra’s body parts, because it meant that she could gather the water in her cupped hooves again and generously dump it over Lyra, rewarding both of them with uncontrollable giggles after a while. Bon Bon took her sweet time in picking out her favourite hygiene products from the wide selection, Lyra was sure that all of them were her favourite, and applied them to her with satisfaction as she didn’t complain for once that it was too ‘girly’ for her to have her mane scented like mountain flowers and to have her coat shine like that of Celestia herself. Lyra did stick out her tongue in distaste on several occasions, but she simply didn’t have the heart to say no at the huge grin Bon Bon wore from start to finish celebrating her little victory.

The water grew increasingly milky after a while from the cleansing agents continuously being washed off into it, and though the fun could have continued indefinitely for all the two fillies, by now definitely little again, cared. But the water eventually had grown cold, the sentiment only underlined by the chilling sounds of the increasingly loud wind blowing outside, and the time came when the last tail was rinsed out and the last bit of water splashed, and the bath came to an end. While Bon Bon stayed behind to pull the plug, Lyra got out first and stepped over to retrieve two large and warm towels from the ever heated boiler. She lavishly rubbed down the squirming Bon Bon, revealing a fuzzy face with a huge smile within a mound of fluff when she was done with her head, before moving over the rest of her body and toweling her off with generous movements. Bon Bon stood still, quietly enjoying the intimate care even when Lyra moved across her belly and under her tail. She wanted to be a properly clean filly, and the fastest way to achieve that was to just wait patiently until she was completely dried off. A funny quivering sensation on her lower back as Lyra vigorously rubbed out her tail with the towel between two hooves, and with that she was finished, leaving Bon Bon squeaky clean and perfectly happy.

Though Bon Bon’s efforts were sweet, Lyra would have waited there until morning for her playful attempts at getting her dry to conclude using her clumsy hooves, this time clumsy again because she was just a little foal. So Lyra increasingly took up the task of drying herself off on her own, and before long, Bon Bon went to make herself useful in other ways. She picked up the two soiled diapers onto her back and stepped out the room. The air had taken up a considerable chill even in the house, and she half expected a fog of her own breath to mix with the steam billowing from the bathroom. While she waited for her eyes to the almost complete darkness, which had come too early for the time of the evening, she listened to the first drops of rain knocking on the windows. Eventually Bon Bon trotted into the bedroom, clicking on the light to reveal their almost-nursery, and walked over to the diaper pail to dispose of their used diapers, the container filling rapidly the way it was perfectly normal for every family that had foals.

It was starting to get uncomfortable without a diaper, a weird feeling being able to close her hind legs without resistance and the absence of the warm cushion against her rump increasingly distressing, and Bon Bon was yearning to get diapered again when Lyra finally entered the room. Nonetheless, Lyra had dried them both of and therefore she got the honor of getting diapered first. Following Bon Bon’s indication, Lyra clambered onto the changing table, and, preparing the assorted foalish utensils along with a fluffy fresh diaper, Bon Bon could see how tired Lyra’s movements were. She almost felt bad for bringing up the topic, but she felt she had to say something.

“So, um,” Bon Bon eventually began, her hoof firmly between Lyra’s hind legs, massaging in the foal cream, “So I guess North Wind knows, huh?”

“Yeah, guess so,” Lyra affirmed, attempting to shrug the best she could with the changing mat rustling underneath.

“I don’t know,” Bon Bon said, “I’m just surprised she took it so well. I mean, nothing against her, but aren’t other ponies supposed to be weirded out by this? I really expected something more, I dunno, something extreme to happen. Is it just her? I always thought it would be kind of embarrassing. I mean really bad embarrassing, not exciting embarrassing. It’s like back when, well, you know.”

“I guess it’s not so strange after all, huh?” Lyra said, her voice rising in pitch as her hind legs were lifted up.

“Maybe,” Bon Bon said, “But I still can’t shake the feeling that something bad should happen. What if she tells anypony? What if she just acted --”

“Come on, what kind of friend do you think she is?” Lyra said a little too quickly, “She would never tell anypony, who would do such a thing? She’s a good pony. She hushed us inside when her colleagues showed up, didn’t she?” Lyra huffed. “Besides, even if word got out, I’m still here for you, remember? We’ll deal with it together, no matter what happens. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I know, Lyra, I’m sorry,” Bon Bon conceded, “I know she’s a good friend. It was just my imagination running wild, I would never talk ill of her. I hate it when that happens, you know? I don’t like being pointlessly afraid, and I don’t like talking bad about other ponies who don’t deserve it.” She stuck out her tongue in disgust. “I’ll do better from now on, I promise.”

“I know you will, baby. You never let me down,” Lyra said softly.

As Bon Bon wrapped the new diaper around Lyra’s lower body and taped it shut around her hips, she could feel her relax and sink into the changing mat. She didn’t know whether it was because of Bon Bon openly admitting her problem or from being securely in a diaper again, but it made her feel calm nonetheless. Lyra sat up and they exchanged a quick kiss, though short not lacking in affection in the slightest, before Bon Bon fastened the tail tape and Lyra slipped off the changing table so Bon Bon could climb up. Her own diaper change went by without words as Bon Bon let the feeling of being an infant take hold of her once again, losing herself in the pleasurable experience of a foal’s graceful care. The amazing feeling of her diaper area being smeared with protective cream never lost any of its charm no matter how often she experienced it, and there was no sensation in the world like being lifted off the changing mat only to be subsequently lowered onto that heavenly soft, cloudy, powdery, thick, clean, dry fluff of a fresh diaper. The diaper got pulled up to take its place between her legs with its massive bulk of pure reassuring comfort, guaranteeing her that it would be there for her whenever she would need it, and its tapes were ripped open and stuck tightly to the crinkling plastic around her hips, making sure that it would stay there all the way until its duty was complete. Bon Bon let herself be lifted into a sitting position without her own effort, like the real foal that she was, before Lyra fastened her tail tape, sealing her butt in the warm comfort of her perfectly tight diaper. Their favourite ritual was concluded when a distant thunder rolled ever closer until it boomed across the room, intrusively shaking Bon Bon’s chest with its massive rumbling.

“Wow, the Weather Team didn’t hold back on this one, huh?” Lyra exclaimed, looking nervously at the window.

“Makes me glad we’re not out there,” Bon Bon said and lightly kissed Lyra on the cheek, any timidity at the sudden ruckus forgotten as Lyra smiled and nuzzled back.

Soon they left the room, Lyra going back into the bathroom to mop up the floor with a used towel while Bon Bon stayed in the corridor to look out the row of windows. The dark hallway was now partially lit by the light from two open doors, and it was enough so that Bon Bon didn’t bump into any walls. The storm had fiercely picked up outside, fat and heavy raindrops hammering against the glass, obscuring the dimly lit world behind a mosaic of water. Bon Bon moved closer to peer past the veil of secrets, and it looked like an apocalyptic vision on the other side. The rain was pouring down in heavy curtains, and a wind shook the poor plants in the garden so fiercely that she was almost afraid it would snap them over. The skyline of the forest was briefly outlined in a flash of lightning before, a few seconds later, another rumbling thunder boomed through the hallway. Bon Bon shivered. It was bitingly cold in the house now, and even so the windows were fogged, meaning that it was way colder outside still. Hopefully the weather ponies had properly made sure the rain wouldn’t turn into hail.

Bon Bon looked up. The cloud cover was almost black, hanging bloated and heavy in the sky, only broken by small furrows admitting the last of the vanishing sun in sharp angles. Dark puffs being forcefully pressed through a strainer of cold light. It eerily reminded her of her dream, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that they had forgotten something.

Half of the light in the corridor vanished as Lyra closed the bathroom door and trotted up to Bon Bon with a carefree crinkle. “It’s raining like crazy out there, isn’t it?” she said by the way of greeting.

They silently watched the inverse inferno together for a while before Lyra continued, “So, what do you want for dinner? Should we eat the rest of the stew from yesterday?”

Bon Bon faced her and gave her most soul-crushingly pitiful pout. “But we had that yesterday,” Bon Bon pleaded, “Can we have something else, please?”

Lyra knew she stood no chance against the unstoppable assault of cuteness. “Alright, alright, thinking about it, the soup will hold until tomorrow,” she conceded, before allowing herself a little grin, “How about some hay pancakes then?”

Satisfyingly, her prediction turned out correct when Bon Bon gasped with her eyes wide before hopping in place and excitedly chanting “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” at the prospect of her favourite oily treat. This time it was Lyra’s victory, and how good it felt having her silly filly wrapped around her hoof once again. She wasted no time and trotted downstairs, turning on the lights as she went with the excited Bon Bon bouncing in tow. Bon Bon eagerly helped with the preparations, getting some hay from the pantry and chopping it up while Lyra stirred the batter of eggs, milk and flour super fluffy the way she knew Bon Bon preferred. Everything was mixed together and Bon Bon watched with fascination as Lyra poured the batter in perfect portions into the sunflower oil sizzling in the frying pan. Lyra had no reservations at making a show of it, flipping the pancakes in the air with ever more crazy moves, including holding the pan underhoof and standing on one hind leg, much to the enthusiasm of her hoof-stomping audience. The prepared plate quickly filled with a pile of beautifully greasy hay pancakes, prompting Bon Bon to open the fridge and retrieve her one and only seasoning for the meal, a jug of nicely soured yoghurt, pouring a generous helping into a bowl. The counter was increasingly spattered with batter that had missed its mark under Lyra’s antics, but the meal still nicely neared completion.

The question posed itself whether they should light the fireplace, but Bon Bon proudly presented her superior idea of cuddling up on the sofa to eat. She trotted back upstairs and gathered a bunch of nice soft blankets from the wardrobe in the bedroom. When she came back down, on the table by the sofa waited waited their food, and Bon Bon was happy at the absence of any boring old forks and knives, though it was clear that the kitchen towel that was present in their stead would be sorely needed. Surprised she was however at Lyra holding an entirely different item, the adventure book of Detective Keenscent that she had promised to read to her some time. It seemed that time was now, and Bon Bon graciously danced around Lyra, giddy to get started.

Their reclining arrangement looked more than weird, and it was hard to tell whether it was comfortable. Bon Bon laid down on an opened blanket with her belly, and Lyra closed the blanked above her and turned her around, rolling her up like a soft crinkly little worm, just high enough that Bon Bon could still stretch out her forehooves. After fastening the kitchen towel around her neck and covering as much of the fallout zone as possible, Lyra squeezed in behind Bon Bon, between the soft cushion of the sofa and the warm bulwark of her own foal, leaving only little purpose for the second blanked that she draped over both of them.

It was actually incredibly comfortable, and both of them could pursue their own venture in thorough relaxation. Lyra floated the book before herself and opened the first page, and Bon Bon listened in amazement as Lyra began reciting the turbulent tale of the thoroughly thrilling Detective Keenscent. Every word had Bon Bon immersed deeper into a fantastic world of mystery, intrigue and a perfectly heroic, yet completely believable, hero, who overcame any hardship the bad guys threw in his way. The exalting exploits of the champion had Bon Bon so gripped that it took the craving for a snack to become overwhelming before she remembered that dinner was actually standing ready. Stirring their warm arrangement hopefully only a little, she reached out to tear off a part of an oily pancake with her hooves and generously dunked it into the yoghurt, before hefting it over to herself and happily stuffing it into her mouth, all the dripping drops caught by Lyra’s ingeniously placed kitchen towel. The pancake was creamy in her mouth, made especially stringy like molten cheese by the extra starch from the hay, perfectly carrying the hearty flavor complemented by the sour yoghurt over her tastebuds. It was an amazing piece of cooking, ingenious in its simplicity, and Bon Bon had liked it as long as she could remember. Of course, Lyra should have some too, and so Lyra’s storytelling was briefly interrupted as she accepted another piece of the proffered yummy food, needing to wipe her own face in Bon Bon’s kitchen towel after being smeared with her greasy hooves and by her foalish inability to aim precisely. Still, both of them were more than happy with the arrangement, and so they continued eating this way while following the enthralling adventure of the Detective.

All too soon Bon Bon tried to grab food from an empty plate, but in reaction she merely retracted her hoof into her warm cocoon as the Detective got himself deeper into a bad situation, and she couldn’t wait to hear how he would get out again. Lyra was increasingly annoyed at having to pause her reading to wait for the ever louder thunder to pass by, but she found herself amazed even more when she saw Bon Bon’s eyelids drooping despite the incredible ruckus. As she read on, her pauses were caused not by thunder, but progressively by her having to focus on the next sentence as she felt the numbing presence of sleep overtake her own consciousness. It was when a soft snore came from the dozing bundle at her side when she decided to bookmark the page and lay the book aside to close her eyes for a moment, at least as long as the raging storm outside allowed.

Bon Bon was pulled back into being awake when Lyra got up and left a cold emptiness behind. Bon Bon’s groaning and stretching complaints were quickly silenced though when Lyra returned, the white pacifier in her mouth and holding out the blue one. Bon Bon, now actually awake, got up and took the bait, the pacifier immediately finding its home at its proper place in her muzzle. They slowly walked upstairs, turning off the lights along the way, before they finally arrived at their ultimate goal that had been beckoning all along, their soft and comfortably warm bed. From both sides, they wiggled under the sheets, momentarily muting the raging storm outside as they dove into a world of bedding, replacing the noise with the pleasant rustling of fabric and the crinkling of plastic. After meeting in the middle of the bed, Lyra and Bon Bon embraced each other, sharing their valuable body warmth even under the thick linens, and moved together to come to rest in a comfortable lying position, their heads on the soft pillows and covered with the blanket to get as much quiet as possible, and their limbs stretched out lazily on the vast softness of the mattress. Despite the tempest tearing at their house, the moment was relatively serene to them, putting their minds at peace. Sleep didn’t wait long to pay them a visit, and they soon drifted away into the land of dreams, cozily refreshing themselves for all the adventures that were yet to come.

===

The two little ponies would need all the sleep they could get.

The night was restless, and it reached out for them with black tendrils.

Sunday - fall

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Sunday - dirge

Drip.

A single drop of water. A flickering star of gold set in the infinite channels and furrows of the wood.

It ran down the door frame, following the gap between two panes, drawing a long glistening mark as a reminder of the strange substances and weird forces that the natural order has pitted us against.

Water. The material that defies all intuition. A configuration of chemicals that shouldn’t be a liquid to splash around, yet it is. It shouldn’t stick to every surface like glue, yet it does. All thanks to unfathomably implausible circumstance. It mingles with the elements, it carries heat, it is the stuff of life, of ponies, of gods. Any amount of water too small or too large is either useless or destructive. But in moderation it is fundamental piece in the puzzle of life. It’s subtle, it can adapt and boundless strength is hidden within.

Gravity. The unseen property of space and time that holds everything together. The sole reason why we can stand on our hooves, why a leaf dances to the ground and why a mountain stands unyielding. There is no satisfactory explanation of gravity, not by physics, not by magics, not by the divine. And yet it’s still there. That urge, that indispensable pull, pervasive and inevitable. There is always perpetual movement towards an intangible goal, always a reason to go forward. Motion unending.

Light. The fundamental unit of information in the universe. Every force and all matter is related to light. It stands for warmth, for growth and vitality, for energy and magic. For life, for progress, for castles and cities, for safety. The light at the end of the tunnel. The world appears to us under its influence. We perceive, we learn, we evolve. And just like so many cosmic rays, chemicals, atoms, molecules and particles constantly shifting, joining and parting in an infinitesimal network of light, ponies create, improve, learn, think and love, the cradle of civilization, the emergence of sovereignty, in a world blazing bright in comprehension.

Drip.

The drop of water had crossed the corner onto the floor. Where had it come from? Had somepony brushed against the door frame with their wet coat? Did the door have a crack and needed to be replaced? Inexorably the droplet launched itself forward, finding a way through a vast map of ridges and channels on its jumpy journey across the trampled floor boards. Relentlessly it expanded outward until it hesitated before its ultimate goal, the big wavering puddle around Lyra’s hooves. Her soaked tail dribbled once more, the puddle expanded outwards and swallowed the little drop. Home at last.

Who had designed this stupid raincoat anyway? Admittedly it was exceedingly light, and Lyra could move pretty well since it didn’t cover the tail. But she wondered if it was worth it. Her tail felt uncomfortably clammy, and not being able to lift the clingy wet hairs away from your hind legs was bordering on torture.

“Alright, Parting’s set, I think she’s going to be fine,” Bon Bon said, “Let’s pack up and … uh …”

Right. Getting dressed. Boots and scarf. Lyra hadn’t forgotten, she only had been momentarily distracted. They had one set of watertight boots, and Lyra would have to be the one to wear them.

Somepony had to go out there and look for the missing pony. That much had been clear from the beginning. And that pony was going to be Lyra, because she definitely wasn’t going to send Bon Bon out there into that maelstrom on her own. It was cold out there and loud, and the forest might potentially be really dangerous by the sound of it. That was no place for her little Bon Bon.

“Are you alright?” Bon Bon said.

“I’m fine, Bon Bon,” Lyra said, trying to ignore the fact that she had been dumbly staring at the wall for minutes. She had to be fine. She had to be reliable, strong and in control to resolve this situation as cleanly as possible. If not for the pony who was probably trapped and hurting deep in the forest, then for Bon Bon, to whom she had made the promise of a very special time. She could do this. There wasn’t going to be a catastrophe while she was in charge. “I was just getting dressed.”

“Please be careful, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “We don’t know what’s out there. And judging by what Parting said, something strange is going on. It could be dangerous, or you could get lost too. Promise me you’ll come back before that happens, alright? I don’t want things to get worse.”

Seeing Bon Bon scared was pure agony. “Don’t worry, Bon Bon, it’s going to be fine,” Lyra said. Her smile was forced. “I’m going to hop in there and find that guy, no big deal. Besides, I need you to be careful too, okay? You have to get help and come after us as fast as possible, or it might be too late. Uh, for him, I mean.” Lyra cringed at the slip. Bon Bon squirmed uncomfortably. That wasn’t the kind of imagery she had intended to bring up.

“But how will you find him?” Bon Bon said, “I can barely see my own hooves outside.”

One after the other, Lyra slipped her hooves into the boots until she felt their elastic bands seal them tight around her shins. The boots looked ridiculous, big clunky shoes of shiny plastic, perfectly paired to her bright yellow raincoat in appearance. But they were absolutely watertight, probably even airtight as far as she could tell. She would probably be needing that.

“Don’t worry, I’ll manage,” Lyra said, “I know my way around the forest, remember? With what Parting told us, I’ll be able to find that picnic spot of theirs. And if something goes wrong, I’ll just wing it. That’s something I’m really good at.”

Bon Bon grabbed the last boot and pulled it up, allowing Lyra’s hind leg to slip inside properly. Then she took the red scarf from the coat hanger and liberally swung it around Lyra’s neck. She held one end of the scarf with her mouth and wrapped the other end around it, before she firmly stuffed the knot down Lyra’s raincoat. Finally, she pulled the hood over Lyra’s head up to her horn, safely bagging her mane and her ears.

“I don’t like this,” Bon Bon said.

“I don’t like this either, and neither do they,” Lyra said, pointing at the third pony somewhere inside the pile of blankets off in the common room, “But we don’t have a choice. We have to do this right now, or something bad might happen to him.”

“I know! But what about you?” Bon Bon pleaded.

Lyra lifted a boot and gently caressed Bon Bon’s chin. “Don’t worry, Bon Bon, I’ll be fine,” she said as calmly as she could, “I know that there might be something out there that’s dangerous. I promise you that I’ll be careful. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

“Alright,” Bon Bon whispered, holding Lyra’s leg for a moment before letting go.

n the current situation, few things were certain. But she also knew that Bon Bon trusted her. She needed Bon Bon to trust her. She couldn’t stand seeing her distressed like that. And it hadn’t been a lie earlier, Lyra really did need Bon Bon to remain calm and composed. Even if Lyra did find the stallion in the forest, she had no way of rescuing him alone. She needed Bon Bon to come after her with help.

“Don’t you think we, um…” Bon Bon said, “we should, uh, take off our … you know …” She nodded toward her hindquarters.

“No!” Lyra said, a little more vehemently than she would have liked. That had hit the sore spot. “No, Bon Bon. This was supposed to be your special weekend. I wanted this to work out so much. I’d set everything up for it to be perfect. Everything was taken care of, there wouldn’t be any interruptions. I wanted it to be special for you, Bon Bon. A few days off, because you deserve it. I’m not going to let that go to waste just because some city ponies decided to come out here and get themselves in trouble at exactly this moment. We’re going to go out there, find that guy, come home and get right back to where we left off. Nopony’s taking anything off here. That’s final.”

It was the stupidest excuse for wearing diapers Bon Bon had ever heard. It was also the reason why she loved Lyra so much.

Before she could say anything else, Bon Bon closed the distance and pressed her lips against Lyra’s. The kiss was raw and emotional, and not without urgency. It told everything Bon Bon wanted to say to Lyra in the shortest time possible. You’re amazing, Lyra. No matter how severe the problem, there’s always a proactive solution. You keep things going forward. All of this, it’s a bad idea and I wouldn’t do this with anypony else. But with you I feel safe.

Too soon they broke. Time was up. Bon Bon pulled on the door handle and the door almost hit her in the face by the sheer force of the blowing wind. She adjusted her hood one last time, looked around to confirm the lack of an alternative route, and started straight forward.

Big, fat drops of rain splashed their payload everywhere as Lyra watched Bon Bon pass through the endless curtains of water. She seemed infinitely lost within the furious sea of black, but she didn’t buckle. She had to crouch, but she didn’t stop. Bon Bon resisted the forces of nature barreling down on her and made her way towards Ponyville, one cautious step at a time. She was almost out of vision, but she hesitated, turned around. There was something she had to say.

There were many things Bon Bon could have said. Their task was ambitious. Their way was dangerous. They had to be careful. They had to see each other again. All this was true. But none of it was what was really on Bon Bon’s amazing mind at that moment. Bon Bon was cunning, because her intuition was always perfectly sensible.

“Lyra!” Bon Bon shouted, barely audible, “The machete! It’s in the basement, under my bag!”

Lyra waved in acknowledgement and Bon Bon ran off into the night.

Close the door quickly. Heat was a valuable resource at the moment. As was information. Lyra would have never found her machete if Bon Bon hadn’t told her where it was. And there was reason to believe she would need it. Overgrown pathways? Impenetrable thicket? What was going on out there? Lyra returned to the common room to find Parting nested within a pile of blankets in front of the fireplace.

“And you,” Lyra said. Parting wasn’t sleeping yet, but she didn’t look far off as she regarded her with red eyes.

“Don’t fall asleep. Stay awake and keep the fire going, and keep the food on the stove warm,” Lyra said, ”take whatever you need, in case anything comes up. I’m heading out now and I need you to wait for us when we return.”

“I will be ready,” Parting said. She hung her head, her voice gloomy. “Please, just find Teak.” She rested her head on her forehooves. “He shouldn’t be out there. I should have stayed with him. I’m so sorry I can’t be any more help. But I just have to see him again.”

She looked miserable. She was hurt and exhausted, and she would be of no use out there. She could only resign and wait. Lyra had immediately found her and her coltfriend affable when she had seem them together in the field yesterday. They had been happy and carefree, lost in each other’s presence. Now Parting was alone, separated from her beloved by circumstance, and she craved nothing more than to bask in his presence again.

Lyra knew the feeling perfectly well.

“Hey, come on. It’ll be alright, okay?” Lyra said more gently, “You’ve come this far, right? Can’t give up now. And everything will work out in the end, you’ll see. We will return, I promise you that.”

To Lyra’s relief, Parting raised her head again. She regarded her with glossy eyes and nodded.

Lyra had nothing more to say, really. She couldn’t bear keeping Parting company any longer due to the growing pang of guilt in the back of her head. Sure, they would return, that was true. But nopony could be certain in what condition they would find Teak, suppose they could locate him in the first place. That wasn’t something she could afford to think about right now. Lyra made for the door.

She made sure to stand far back before she grabbed the handle and pulled open the door. As she stepped out, the world was swallowed in the all-encompassing warble of the water smashing against the hood of her raincoat. The heavy raindrops and tiny pellets of ice drumming about everywhere was a thoroughly unpleasant sensation. And after the brief respite inside, the cacophony of the storm was again way too loud.

Raindrops noisily smashed against solid surfaces, hail crackled against glass or metal, and water splashed into puddles and mud in droves. Even though she knew it to be futile, Lyra found herself scanning what she presumed to be the horizon in the direction of Ponyville. Of course there was no Bon Bon. She was on her way to do her part. Off into the glowing dome of the town’s street lights, refracted through a million falling droplets.

Lyra closed the door and turned away from the path. She headed past the house towards the forest.

She only got to the shed before the weather started grating on her nerves. It wasn’t just the physical sensation of the masses of water constantly splashing down on her, the perpetual prickling everywhere at once. If it just wasn’t so darned cold!

Lyra drew her head in and buried her muzzle in her warm scarf, but it didn’t help all too much. The chill was pervasive. It bit into her skin. No wonder the ground was crunchy beneath her boots, it was almost odd that it wasn’t hailing outright with temperatures so low. Lyra felt the frost sting within her exposed joints and on her side that faced the wind. The cold was becoming a problem quickly, and she could already tell that wasn’t well enough prepared. Some journey this was promising to become.

Lyra found brief shelter in the basement as she carefully navigated down the stairs. Great, they had left the door open. That wasn’t a problem during bad weather usually as any excess water would just vanish in the grating at the bottom of the stairs. But either the poor little drain couldn’t handle a storm of this magnitude, or, even worse, Ponyville’s sewers were already overflowing. In any case, there was a big puddle of water relentlessly growing in the on the concrete floor. Fortunately, everything that was up on the tables, except for some metal tools, a bunch of rubble and some pencils.

Lyra had to tread carefully not to slip. She navigated over to the large table at the wall. Quickly she located Bon Bon’s felt saddlebags, their rough texture unmistakable, and nosed them aside. Her chin brushed against steel cold like ice. There it was.

She grabbed the machete by its cloth-wrapped handle. It was a beautiful piece of work. The polished blade glinted deadly even now in the scarce errant ray of light from outside. It balanced itself in her grasp delicately and with the deadly precision to cut a blade of grass, yet so blunt and destructively heavy, promising to smash even the hardest of rocks.

It empowered Lyra to hold such a magnificent piece of craftsponyship. She was ready to accomplish anything, and her trusty tool would never fail in its duty. There was nothing that could stand in her way. Just come and try to stop her. Lyra held the machete with her horn and swung it around a bit. It moved exactly like she wanted it to. She would have heard the blade sing in the air if it had been at all possible. The blade was a perfect extension of her body. It would be all she needed. She was ready. Let’s do this. Maybe this journey wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Her metal companion in tow, Lyra walked out of the basement with new resolve. After cautiously climbing the stairs, she broke into a gallop and ploughed her way through the resistance of the forces of nature. Her heart was beating and her hooves carried her with little trouble over the muddy lawn. She felt very awake.

Her first goal was the spot where Parting and Teak had entered the forest the day previously. She was familiar with the path they had taken. It was far out on the other end of the field. The ground there rose in a gentle incline that ran in the direction perpendicular to the passing road, away from Ponyville. Trees didn’t like to settle there because the ground was soft and the earth was exposed between a flimsy layer of grass. The ground always teetered on the brink of becoming an actual trodden path since ponies liked to take walks in the swath that cut deep inside the forest. Lyra herself had been down that way plenty of times, and it was safe to assume that the two stray ponies had followed it to get away from civilization and deeper inside the forest quickly.

She didn’t have any particular trouble finding the right direction. The first few times the sky was set ablaze, the blinding flash of lightning and the following boom of thunder trampled her into the ground, scaring the life out of her. However, it sufficed to let her make out the treeline off in the distance and find the familiar landmarks of particularly large trees which she could reorient herself with. It wasn’t long before the thunder became little more than a slight squint of the eyes during the flash, and the subsequent flattening of the ears in order to soften the worst of the thunderous roar.

She had to slow down to a more realistic pace as soon as she had entered the tall grass of the meadow, but still she was making good progress. The soaked stalks clunk to her like sticky tentacles, until she learned to stick to the flat leafy plants. Similarly, her boots stopped getting stuck in the mud when she realized to walk on top of densely clustered vegetation, instead of the sparsely populated earthen areas in between.

Eventually she even got the stream of water clouding her eyes under control. She pulled her hood back a little and brushed her dripping bangs to the side, creating a small channel with her mane for the water to escape down the sides of her head. Her quest was going swimmingly. Lyra actually found herself enjoying the exertion, feeling the pull of exhaustion in her limbs, feeling the air thickly pumping through her nostrils, feeling alive, driven by the sole purpose of reaching her goal.

Eventually the meadow ended. The height of the plants around Lyra dropped drastically and she entered the wide plains sprinkled sparsely with thin trees, the depths of the forest looming at the far end. Here, her pace picked up considerably.

The ground was more solid, as the plants grew more intermingled with somewhat dry earth, leaves and branches. It wouldn’t have been all too pleasant to tread the ground bare-hooved, but her boots allowed Lyra to crunch over the ground in a gallop for a few stretches. She could lessen the burden of the ever-present rain by cleverly picking her way to stay close to the increasingly dense tree trunks. This allowed her to navigate around the pittering waterfalls in between, where several sets of leafage dumped their excess water all at once.

The rest of the plantwork must have come to a similar conclusion as Lyra. The vegetation progressively crowded around the trees, with proportionally more plants cowering closeby the more massive trees and their fatter roots, leaving the ground very soft and pleasant to walk upon. Lyra even spotted annoying vines clambering against the trunks and trying to claw their way up to safety.

Cowards. Lyra would show them. She wasn’t afraid. Though she was freezing on the outside, her body kept from the inside from the steady motion. Her constant running was accentuated by the occasional climb over some obstructing rubble or a wide step over a gap, but other than that, she was doing fine. She got used to the darkness, and her immediate surroundings revealed themselves to her in recognizable outlines. Especially the plant life, which helped Lyra immensely in not ramming her face into a tree. Even further toward the horizon, the maw of the forest proper loomed like a beast threatening to swallow her in one bite.

Lyra slowed down just a bit. The premonition was now almost tangible, weighing down on the back of her head like a cap of lead. This was almost going too well. But why shouldn’t it? Something about that forest suddenly seemed very off to her. Thinking about how she would go inside and actually seeing it first-hoof were two different things entirely. What would she find in there once she reached it?

Lyra didn’t actually have to stop, she only chose to do so to collect herself for a moment. There was a very large, old tree nearby, its leaves brittle and branches flimsy compared to the now low-hanging crowns of the surrounding trees, but the trunk was very thick. The earth around it had been eroded by time, exposing its massive roots and whatever slithered and crawled underneath.

Near the center, there was a big, dark and relatively clean hole dug into the ground with precision. Maybe a fox hole, or badgers. Lyra stopped to inspect it and, after a moment, called out in greeting. She didn’t actually expect the foxes or badgers to be able, or even willing, to help or understand her, but it couldn’t hurt to try. And if not, a little company wouldn’t do her bad. She felt that pull in her chest, that desire to see another living being.

But there was no response. The hole was devoid of any inhabitants. Or maybe they were just afraid to come out. There was a pony running around in a rainstorm swinging a large knife. Maybe she should have thought this through better. Anyway, Lyra pressed on.

She marched toward the heart of the forest more cautiously now. She didn’t know where exactly the forest’s borders were drawn on the map, but by how close the trees were, she had likely already passed the threshold. The ground underneath her hooves had ceased to be even, and Lyra had to be careful to avoid debris and jagged knolls.

She became aware of the yummy earthen smells that suffused the forest air, but they weren’t any of the nice sensations that usually came with them. Instead of being appetizing and invigorating, there was a weird sour note to the aroma that bluntly overshadowed all the conventional nuances more pleasant to the nose. The heavy moisture hanging in the air made it stuffy enough to become objectionable to breathe. And to top it off, the bitter chill gave it a sharpness that ruined any potential enjoyment.

No, this wasn’t a nice atmosphere. Lyra halted for a moment to slow down her breathing. The air was actually hard to breathe and she wouldn’t be able to keep up otherwise. Where was she going anyway? Okay, let’s think for a moment.

Lyra had now entered the forest. She had followed the familiar route through the plains. Many ponies knew that route, as it was a relatively flat and painless way in and out of the forest. There were few slopes, no climbs and no rocks to surmount. For those reasons, many ponies also liked to break away at this point and circle the forest to find a better entrance further up and down its border. If you went to the left, you could walk up the gentle incline toward the plateau on top of the hill. There were lots various foods, as well as some nice and quiet groves and clearings that were popular spots for ponies seeking recreation or beautiful landscapes to paint.

On the other side, to Lyra’s right, lay the base of the hill within the massive depression in the ground that connected the forest to the wetlands further in the north. The ground was soft down there, and it carried numerous tiny streams, making the area populated with abundant growth. This was the path most often trodden by foresters and rangers on a mission, but usually wasn’t very interesting otherwise.

Of course, Parting and Teak had probably known nothing of this and had likely wandered straight into the forest right here. It was a tiny trampled path and Lyra knew where it led. It went a little downhill for a spell and then the ground broke away to the right as the side of the hill became steeper. The path continued on following the hillside, twisting upwards ever so often towards the top of the hill, before it terminated in the deep rift on the far side. That rift was Root Channel, and Lyra knew for a fact that the two had crossed it into the territory beyond.

That was where she would be heading for next. Or at least she would have. But the path that was supposed to be here didn’t exactly look accessible. What Lyra could see of the way was utterly overgrown. Between the massive trees, there were thick bushels of severe stalks and woody leaves growing in onto the little clearing from all sides.

Whatever may have been further in Lyra couldn’t exactly tell. Even if it hadn’t been so dark, visibility wasn’t very good in this part of the forest, the trees and plants were simply too close together. She could barely see the treetops between the dense wall of tree trunks above. Under her hooves, the ground was very earthen and soft, and she could feel the bulking network of roots she was treading upon. She wouldn’t even have known that it was still raining if there hadn’t been the occasional fat drop of water crashing into the ground every so often.

Lyra looked around. Further downhill the undergrowth seemed to become even worse. She couldn’t see any way to pass at all, she wouldn’t even be able to force her way past those weird lanky vines that held on to the trees and stood deep within the thicket so much like a barrier. On the other side however, in the direction upwards, it seemed to thin out somewhat. Only a few brambles and leaves remained. If Lyra strained her eyes, she could even make out a few clearings that were open in the direction she wanted to go. That seemed like a decent path to take.

Even though something was clearly weird here, she wasn’t going to get anywhere by standing around. Slowly she set her hooves in motion and cautiously picked her way further into the forest.

“Hello?” Lyra shouted, “is anypony there?” Her voice seemed way too quiet against the rumbling of the weather.

No answer. Where were all the animals? There should have been at least a small critter crossing her path or some sign of an animal hiding from her, or the hooting of an owl or anything at all. But there was nothing, apart from a bunch of stray insects that had been annoying her all the way since she had been out of the rain. Lyra felt painfully alone. This place gave her the creeps!

The trees closed in from all sides. Lyra came around a bend and passed between another pair of trees keeping the overgrowing underwood at bay. The soft ground gave way under her front hoof, but she easily caught herself without falling. This was some really nasty terrain to walk. Cautiously, she stepped forward and climbed on the flat rock that blocked her way.

She knew this rock! It could normally be seen from the pathway below, which meant she was walking parallel to it. She was on the right track, even if she couldn’t see much right now. The way darkly continued on ahead, to her sides obtrusive vegetation. Above her, the trees lost themselves in blackness, not even the scarce light from the sky able to penetrate this deeply now.

Except for that light right there.

Wait. What the hay was that?

A queer source of light, high in the treetops, gently flickering and moving and illuminating the jagged lines, that were the trees’ trunks and branches, in a cold, distant glow. It seemed to dodge the trees as it swayed left and right, coating each of the surrounding massive trees in soft brightness one after the other.

And it continuously lost in altitude. It was coming straight at Lyra.

Lyra took a cautious step backward and tensed in anticipation, until she saw the tiny glowing apparition effortlessly floating out from between the trees. It was a sprite!

“Hey there, little guy,” Lyra said, “what are you doing out here?”

It was a teeny little sprite, and a funny looking one at that. It had a small, drop-shaped body hanging from a joint, from which four flat leaves sprouted. The little thing gently spun in the air, ever rotating around its own axis, keeping itself afloat not unlike a gyrocopter. It tilted lightly to gain horizontal momentum as it flitted to and fro, its path erratic, though still overall in the general direction of Lyra. Typical of beings entirely from the magical plane, its glow was bright and cold, very much unlike the vivid and organic glimmer of unicorns.

“Why aren’t you down in the swamp?” Lyra said, “You came to the wrong forest. There are no magical plants or animals around here.”

Of course the sprite wouldn’t answer her. It couldn’t speak. It was hardly less trivial of an organism than the insects that had been buzzing about earlier. All the sprite veritably did was to follow in the arcane wake of other magical beings. It wasn’t difficult to surmise why Lyra had attracted it. Still, it felt good to actually talk to someone, or something, for once.

Even though that thing did nothing but annoyingly rotate and swim through the air. And increasingly close to Lyra while at it. Too close for comfort.

“Alright, buddy, that’s close enough,” Lyra said, stepping back once more. She climbed off the rock and cowered behind its mossy underside, trying to get some sort of blockade between her and the little flying specter, but it was no good.

Hardly impressed by what was going on around it, the sprite continued twirling in the same direction until it almost bumped into the stone. Instead, it recoiled and slightly altered its course, repeatedly trying again to overcome the obstacle from a new angle.

Much like most insects, the various kinds of sprites weren’t of much use to ponykind, in fact they were regarded as pests and annoyances. Parasprites, twittermites, and all the other vermin that had plagued Ponyville over the years. They weren’t generally gladly received by most ponies, and Lyra felt similarly. Even now, Lyra could almost feel its disgusting touch, its vulgar pull on her ethereal senses, much like a queer prickling on her skin or an indecent tug on her horn. And the sensation quickly intensified as the glowing little orb randomly bounced over the rock and made straight for her face.

“Gyaahk,” Lyra made as she jumped back, “Get away from me!” She tried to shoo it away with a hoof, but there was no way she was touching that thing, even with her boots on.

“Stop following me!” she bellowed as she made for an opening that led downhill between some trees.

Of course the thing didn’t listen. Lyra turned and wielded her machete. That’ll teach him. Emphasizing the movement with her head, she swung the weapon with its broadside at the sprite. The blade never actually touched it since the sprite just bounced away in the gust of the movement, but the machete was still large enough to give it a kick in the opposite direction. The little orb of light uncaringly twirled on as it was flung back into the night.

“Good,” Lyra said, “and now stay there. Don’t come after me.”

She turned back and rapidly began her descent into the thicket. Stupid sprite. She had more important things to do than wasting her time with its arduousness. She had to find her way through this incredible, almost maze-like growth of plants, and she had to be quick about it, since there was still quite a way ahead of her. She wasn’t making progress as fast as she had planned. How could she have known the forest would be this overgrown? What was it with all these plants anyway? And why was she still feeling the touch of that sprite all over her body?

In a half crouch, Lyra continued her way downhill. She tried to keep her balance on the crumbling soft earth as she picked her way from one passage to the next, while staying clear of the forest’s debris. She slid down an incline, jumped over a fallen log and hopped down a ledge, and then the vegetation opened up before her and permitted her into a bigger clearing.

Lyra jumped out of the brush and thankfully found herself standing on even ground again. Beneath her lay a trodden little furrow that followed the course of the hillside. It was the path that led to Root Channel! She could breathe a little easier now that she knew she had been going in the right direction.

The comfort was only brief though as Lyra looked around and found all sides of the clearing blocked off by dense flora. She was surrounded by swathes of flat leaves which formed neat walls hanging over both sides of the road almost as if to mock her. Behind the leaves, the sickly looking vines continued to clamber up the trees with a ferocity as if to tear them down.

This was just great. Against her secret hopes, Lyra wouldn’t be following this road in either direction without difficulty. To top it off, she found herself panting so hard that she couldn’t hear much else. She hadn’t really gone all that far, and she certainly wasn’t out of shape. Why did she feel like she had just finished a marathon? She knew that the moisture on her forehead now had to be mostly sweat, and she felt ready to take a break. And to top it off, her stomach was tight as a knot at the sight of these weird plants. She had a bad feeling about them, there was clearly something amiss. Something didn’t feel the way it should.

And then Lyra realized. The prickling on her skin that had reminded her of the sprite, it had been gone as soon as she had stepped out onto the road. Was it the plants? She crossed onto the other side and stood in front of one, within the masses of plants.

Its leaves were broad and dull and strangely stiff as they hung fat and heavy to form an impenetrable wall completely barring the way. Lyra raised her hoof and lifted one of the leaves. It was very dark and barely green, with a thick bright fiber running down the middle and branching twice to the left. It felt lifeless and thoroughly unfit to perform the vital duties that plants usually required from their leaves. And worst of all, it did indeed pull on Lyra’s hoof through her boot, very much like the sprite had.

Lyra swallowed hard. Even though she was sweaty and damp under her raincoat, she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. She took a step back and tried to get her thoughts in order. Something strange was going on here. What had she gotten herself into?

Just then, a fat drop of ice cold water slammed down on her head. Lyra looked up to barely see the tree trunks vanish into the black of the night. So the rainstorm was still going on out there. At least that was something that was still normal about this whole quest. If she didn’t find anything, she could say that the bad weather had been too much of a hindrance. Not that she enjoyed the thought of returning home empty-hooved at all, but Lyra knew her limits. Right now, that seemed the only option, like it or not.

Wait.

Wait just a second.

The sky above her was midnight black. The trees were shrouded in darkness. As was the earth underneath her hooves, she could barely make out her own legs. It was only the endless masses of plants that she could see. There was no light from anywhere. And unless she had mysteriously developed night vision, there was only one explanation. Lyra blinked twice, but her fears were confirmed. The plants, they were indeed glowing.

Lyra’s heart was veritably racing now. She felt light headed, her mind was reeling. The irritation of her senses. The soft glow. These weren’t regular plants, this was some kind of magic. And wherever there was any sort of strange and potentially dangerous magic going on, that was a place where she didn’t want to be.

Driven by morbid curiosity, she stepped over to another plant. Fat, broad leaves greeted her. Way too dark except for one bright, thick fiber down the middle, branching twice to the left. And the next one. Fiber down the middle, two branches to the left. And the next one too. And the one following that. And all the ones after that.

These plants were all the same.

Enough. Get out. This place isn’t good. These horrible mockeries of nature weren’t something that Lyra could handle. She should quietly back out before she actually disturbed whatever sinister forces were responsible for this. She would get back home and report this incident and let somepony more qualified handle the situation.

She was just a normal pony after all, and nopony could expect her to know what to do here. And the consequences, well, let’s not think about that right now. She had only come in just now, and she easily could retrace her hoofsteps to get back out again. The decision wasn’t easy, but it was the only sensible course of action at the moment.

Lyra turned around, and her heart froze.

The way she had come through.

It was gone.

===

Rain was pouring down in droves onto the deserted streets. Torrents coursing down the solid walls of wood and stone, before splashing onto the roadside and joining the relentless tides tearing down alleys and walkways. The air was roiling as raindrops violently hammered onto everything that wasn’t hiding in cover, mixing the muted thumps of thatched roofs and the hollow drumming of tiles with the solid splattering of pavement and the sharp clapping of water against glass and metal when another street light flew by.

Bon Bon raced toward the town square for the second time. Her muscles were like steel as her hooves thundered over the cobblestone, splashing water every which way. Cold rain was streaming down her face in endless currents. The water was everywhere, creeping under her coat and suffusing her mane as she snorted it out of her nostrils and shook it out of her eyes.

Through gritted teeth, Bon Bon swore like nopony had ever heard her swear before. She’d had one job. One vital task upon which the lives of two ponies depended. Lyra had counted on her.

And she had screwed up.

It had seemed so simple when she had left the house behind. It had only taken a short while of cautiously feeling her way through the blackness along the trodden path until she had ran into the first of Ponyville’s street lights. From there, progress went way more smoothly. Keeping in the wind shadows of the increasingly dense buildings, Bon Bon was able to first walk, and then gallop further into town in order to hopefully find more ponies around.

She tried rapping at the first windows that weren’t pitch black. The house was familiar, Bon Bon knew the ponies who were supposed to live here, a quiet couple who did something along the lines of writing on paper and calculating with numbers. Surely they would be able to help Bon Bon out with her dilemma. Or would they?

It didn’t matter because there was no answer. Either the ponies inside were asleep with a light on, or they simply couldn’t hear her over the monumental noise swallowing up her calls. Bon Bon dropped away from the window and continued on her way. She tried another house further down. Only the fact that its door was one step above ground saved it from the streams of ice water. Bon Bon knocked, and listened to her heart thumping before she continued onward. No answer. Dark windows. She wasn’t getting anywhere with this.

But it wouldn’t have been any good anyway. They probably wouldn’t have been able to help. Who lived there anyway? Schoolfillies? Venerable storytellers? Accountants? What were they going to do, write an invoice? There had to be a better way.

A new goal came to Bon Bon’s mind, the forester’s lodge at the south end of town. Rangers, foresters and other ponies who worked the forests liked to camp out in there between shifts, and Bon Bon would surely find somepony who knew their way around the wilderness.

She had to get there without delay. Every second that ticked away meant another moment in which Lyra and Teak were stuck in whatever accursed circumstance haunted the forest. She had absolutely no time to waste trying to ask random ponies for their opinions, if they even had a clue how to handle the problem at all. No, she already knew what she needed, a capable and ready rescue team who were prepared to get started at a moment’s notice.

Every moment that passed Bon Bon grew increasingly more tense. She slipped and almost fell into the flow of water around her hooves, stumbling and righting herself before wading on. Every second was like a searing needle in the back of her head. Time was ticking, and all this took way longer than she had anticipated, but she couldn’t let herself be distracted. Just put one hoof in front of the other and follow the way.

The forester’s lodge wasn’t actually far from their house, just on the outskirts of Ponyville if she circled the town. But that path had no lights, and she couldn’t afford anything happening to herself right now. Even the side alleys were blockaded with the spindly chaos of litter and branches congregated by the torrents. There was no getting through, and the best course of action was to stick to the broad roads of town square.

Bon Bon strained against the weather. The steady drumming on her back was exhausting to the point of numbness, and she could feel the bite of cold creeping through her thick coat. She didn’t want to think about what Lyra had to be going through right now. She only had her flimsy raincoat to keep her dry, and nothing to protect her from the freeze other than that scarf.

Bon Bon prayed that nothing had happened to her. She trusted Lyra more than anypony else to be able to take care of herself even in circumstances such as this, but still, so much could go wrong. Lyra could have slipped and hurt herself, or she could have gotten lost in the forest and be frantically looking for an exit. And even then, there was a weird presence in the woods which threatened to make things even worse.

Town square came up. She recognized that arrangement of a dozen streetlights coating the world in black and gold. A bit of distraction. She didn’t want to think such horrible thoughts. But the sight of one of the familiar shops made her feel even more morose. She was reminded of her own shop, and even the worst day of sales was better than this.

At last, Bon Bon found a clear alley and was able to pass straight into the street leading south. Again, most windows were dark, but the houses were high and provided some shelter. The wind had also turned, taking it out of her face as she now ran in its direction.

With the wind in her back, Bon Bon could move much more freely. She was familiar with the houses, the crossings and the bends, the cobbles under her hooves and the facades to her sides. The last of the towering, functional buildings marked the end of Ponyville’s center, as houses transitioned into the more sprawling, familiar style of the town’s residential areas again. She even allowed herself to slow down when the junction leading to the forester’s outpost came up.

Bon Bon would actually do this. She would alarm the rugged outdoor ponies to her situation, that there were to ponies wandering around in the forest at this time, and that one of them might be hurt. She had an approximate idea where Lyra had went, and then they would form a search party and go out there. They would work their tracking magic or whatever it was that they did, and they would find her, finally restoring some peace to Bon Bon’s perpetually queasy stomach. With a bit of luck, they would even find Teak. Everything would work out. It had to.

The little range was made up of manufacturing sites related to lumber and woodwork, containing the forester’s lodge she sought. The buildings were old and weathered. They had passed the tests of weather and time, and even now provided solid stability as the storm tore at pillars and roofings. The ancient industry was an alive relic of an older Ponyville, indomitable and steadfast. Bon Bon wanted nothing more than to hold on to the purchase and claw her way out of her own personal storm.

No less so a remnant from the past was the bottleneck between two squat buildings constricting the road, which one had to pass between before entering the area. As was one of its inhabitants, a stringy old stallion who had been an esteemed local artisan for many years. Bon Bon had never managed to remember his name. Surrounded by turbulent darkness, one of the houses stood with lit windows, and a red ember glowing in the night. It was him, smoking his pipe outside the front door, enjoying the calamity.

The old stallion watched Bon Bon shoot straight for the passage. Only when he realized that she wasn’t slowing down did he casually take a step to the side and out of her way. He expertly waited until she stumbled on the slippery slope.

“Where are you headed at so late an hour, young lady?” he croaked.

“No time,” Bon Bon gasped, “I need to get to the rangers.”

“The rangers?” the stallion said, “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, young lady. There’s nopony here.”

Bon Bon’s hooves skidded to a halt, as did her thoughts. “What?” She said.

“As you’ll recall, it’s sunday,” he said, biting down on his pipe, “and even my old grandma knew not to work on a sunday.”

As calm as he had seemed before, the old geezer ducked back into the doorway when Bon Bon reared up with a scream of frustration. It was sunday! She had known that! No, no, no! How could she have forgotten. She didn’t work on sundays herself, nopony worked on sundays except on the market. The forester’s lodge was empty. There was nopony there. No help. The windows were pitch black.

Bon Bon felt the onset of panic return stronger than ever. The raging tempest pulled her back in as her hooves slipped from the purchase.

“Argh,” she grunted, stomping her hoof against the cobbles until her shins hurt, “No! This was supposed to work! Who will go to the forest with me now?” Would she be forced to go and try her luck in the forest alone? What a pathetic excuse for a rescue party that would be.

“Now calm down, young lady,” the old stallion said, “I’m sure it isn’t as bad as you … uh …” He shut up when Bon Bon looked ready to jump at his throat. “Well, how about this,” he continued, “You go visit the constable. She’s a nice pony, and she’s bound to have somepony around who can help you.”

The constabulary. There were always ponies there, and they had to be somepony around who was a proficient ranger of the wild. Yes. The prospect was the only life belt in the raging world. This had to work.

“Yes,” Bon Bon said as she turned around and started galloping. The old guy was soon swallowed by the storm again, and his red ember only hung around a little while longer before following.

The rain hammered her in the face as Bon Bon ran up the same alley again where she had come from. But she couldn’t care less. The constabulary lay past town hall, on the northern side of Ponyville, in the vicinity of some other administrative buildings. She had to get there as fast as possible, and the rainstorm wouldn’t stop her now. It was good that she had come along this way once already, because she knew exactly which turns to take when, and how to best dodge the streetlights and wagons that were placed on the sides. The familiarity was her advantage. It allowed her to waste no time to … well …

What the heck was she doing anyway? She had been wandering around town for what must have been an hour now and had turned up nothing! She had promised to gather a search party to come help Lyra in the forest, but she was still with empty hooves. She didn’t know where to find anypony that was capable of helping her, the town was deserted because it was in the middle of the night, and Bon Bon herself wasn’t more than a mere hoofnote in the grand symphony of chaos the storm was bringing down upon the lands.

And all she had to go on was the fact that somepony might be at the constabulary who may or may not be able to help her. The constable and her gang were nice ponies for sure, but Bon Bon couldn’t be sure they even possessed the skills necessary for a search party, let alone that they hadn’t taken the liberty to get drunk and hold a late-night festivity, because nopony in their right mind would get themselves into trouble at this hour anyway.

Why did this have to be so difficult? This wasn’t the point where her quest was supposed to fail. What kind of rescue mission was this if she couldn’t even get to the forest? Lyra was out there all alone, for Celestia’s sake. If something happened to Lyra due to her ineptitude, Bon Bon would never be able to forgive herself.

Bon Bon had to carry on, there was no other choice. If not for herself, then for Lyra. Lyra was the one who had gone out there to help without batting an eye, she deserved to get away from all of this unscathed the most. And Bon Bon would see to that it happened so.

If it was the torrential rain or her burgeoning tears that she tried to blink out of her eyes, Bon Bon didn’t know, but her vision wouldn’t clear. Behind the clouding veil she saw the distorted configuration of bright lights, her familiar street lamps as she came up to town square a second time. Her hooves thundered over the cobblestone, sending the water splashing every way. Her limbs hurt not only from the exertion, but even more from the biting cold that chilled her to the bone.

The rain was everywhere, it had crept under her coat and into her fur and her mane, she had to spit it out of her mouth and snort it out of her nose. But Bon Bon was beyond pain, beyond reason. Every second she left Lyra out there alone to endure these calamitous conditions only further served to fuel her anger, anger at the world and at herself, recklessly driving her on to right what seemed hopelessly lost.

Dark walls and black windows was all that greeted her when Bon Bon crossed town square. This time, she had to run right through the wide plaza to reach the alleys on the far side that would bring her into the northern parts of Ponyville.

Not long ago had this place been bustling with life, ponies working, selling, buying or simply enjoying all the sensory pleasures that were on display. Now, all that was left was the endless pittering of the rain onto barren streets and the howling of the wind between desolate trees. The patches of grass and gardens that served as recreational spots had turned to messy heaps overflowing with muddy water. The storefronts had been evacuated and sealed off in preparation of the weather.

Luckily, Bon Bon never had anything on display on the outside of her own shop. She missed her shop, craved for a bit of normalcy. But she had no time for a visit. There was way more on the line here than just herself. If Bon Bon failed Lyra now, how would she ever be able to come back to this? How would she be able to look at herself? She had always thought herself fighting the good fight against all odds, but really, had she ever had the option of giving up?

Water sprayed off one of the flat buildings at the edge of town square, and Bon Bon had to duck her head to get past it and into one of the alleys leading away. The current around her hooves had now built up noticeably as all the water was forced through the thin passages. Even worse, the water had lodged piles of debris and branches all over the place, which Bon Bon could only mount slowly and carefully without boots. She couldn’t be inattentive. One slip might mean the end of her journey.

Finally, Bon Bon emerged into the icy shower of the open sky again. Before her rumbled the river, carrying tremendous masses of water that had gathered from all over the landscape. The watermill was vacant as well, its wheel spinning freely with its mechanism unhooked, or else the raging tide would have torn it right off.

Bon Bon followed the river to the closest bridge. Though Bon Bon could hardly see the river, she could feel the stone pillars veritably vibrating from the forces of what must have been half an ocean passing between them.

Across the bridge, the road opened up. It was the wide alley, sparsely populated with patches of well tended vegetation and no less well tended buildings. Most ponies walked here regularly to get some administrative work done in one of the pretty governmental buildings located all around the spacious plaza. Or they simply went to pay the town hall a visit and have a chat with the mayor, which often wasn’t without ulterior motives, but the mayor always emphasized that she had an open ear for everypony.

Town hall was looming in the darkness, stately despite being empty as well. The large, round building stood fast against the forces of nature, the glistening water flowing down its walls. As Bon Bon ran past it, the beating of her heart drowned out everything. Her hooves were trembling, partly from exhaustions, but mostly from anxiety.

The constabulary was at the end of this road. There was no turning back now, there hadn’t been in a while. And since no better idea had presented itself, grasping at straws was all that she had. This was her last chance. Knocking on random doors was no longer an option. It was too late for that. No, she had to find help here. It was the only thing she could pray for.

And then, Bon Bon was stopped in her tracks by the spectacle that emerged from the rain.

The enormous tree had infinitely complex branches swirling elegantly into the night. It’s trunk was massive and provided the unfaltering foundation for a crown that bustled with a myriad of leaves that turned and waved, perfectly aligning themselves with the flow of the wind and the force of the rain. Every one of the tree’s limbs branched off to support another, weaving in and around each other to form a solid rampart that couldn’t be as much as touched by the fury of the storm.

The tree, it was alive, indomitably protecting itself and its inhabitants. The little door at its base, the windows along its trunk and the small balcony at the top, they were unblemished as if they couldn’t care any less. The magic of the place was so strong, Bon Bon could feel it warm her from the inside even as she merely stood and stared.

And even more importantly, all the windows were lit brightly. It was the library! Home of Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s chosen unicorn and one of Ponyville’s sharpest thinkers. Whenever something went wrong, she was there to help to the best of her abilities, which were genuinely impressive. And things usually worked out in the end whenever she was around. If there was anypony who could help Bon Bon, then it had to be Twilight.

Bon Bon had already taken a pensive step toward the library, but now was confident. The friendly tree home was brimming with knowledge and power, and it invited her to come closer and share her troubles. Bon Bon just knew she was on the right track.

Funny little plants increasingly sprinkled the ground as she walked up to the tree. Some sprouted buds in long twirly spirals that happily squeezed and bounced in the rain as if it were their favourite. Others had grown large pods which they had closed around themselves as protection against the weather, giving the lawn a look not unlike a field of clams. Even the tree house itself had developed spiraling shapes and gnarly branches around the angular outlines of the doors and windows, incorporating them robustly into its trunk. The reason for all this magic was probably to no small part one certain inhabitant of the tree house library.

Bon Bon stepped up to the door. Torch light flickered in the windows, but she could see nopony in the entry hall. She had to make sure to be heard. She sharply rapped at the door with the edge of her hoof, as hard as she could for longer than necessary, and then she rapped some more.

“Yoohoo,” came from above. Up on the balcony, under the cover of dense and heavy leaves, stood a shape, leaning over the railing. The pony shone brightly in the yellow light through the exit, her luscious curly mane forced into bundle by means of a skeletal hairdresser’s contraption. It was … Rarity?

“Bon Bon, is that you, darling?” Rarity called after a moment of recognition, “Whatever are you doing out there in that appalling weather?” She waved her hoof invitingly. “Why don’t you come inside? You must be freezing! Applejack, Twilight and I were having a sleepover, you know, for old times’ sakes, what with the storm going on and all. It’d be wonderful to have a change of pace, the others keep insisting on having these dreadful pillow fights …”

“Rarity!” Bon Bon interrupted, “I’m so glad to see you! Please, I need help. Something terrible has happened! I need Twilight! Go get her, I beg you.”

It took Rarity a moment, but her demeanor cooled quickly. Without further delay, she stepped away from the railing and went back into the house, calling out Twilight’s name.

Rarity’s fortitude was astounding. There she looked like having the time of her life, but she effortlessly regained her composure the moment the situation had demanded it. Bon Bon found herself staring at the empty balcony in awe, but she quickly shook herself out of her stupor. There would be time for silent admiration later, now she had to act.

Bon Bon had raised her dripping hoof to push open the door, but before she could even touch it, it swung open. She only just managed to recoil from Twilight Sparkle’s onrushing face, barely avoiding a collision. Twilight hardly seemed to care that she was almost standing on top of Bon Bon, as the words eagerly rushed out of her cream-covered muzzle.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Twilight said. She smelled intensely sharp and sweet, though Bon Bon couldn’t tell whether it was from the beautifying green ointment on her brow or the residue from the obviously hasty teleportation.

“Oh my, you look terrible,” Twilight observed.

“I, uh … never mind that,” Bon Bon said, “Twilight, I need your help! Lyra went out into the forest. Somepony got lost in there, and she’s looking for him. But there is also a magical monster or whatever in there, and I fear she’s in great danger! The other pony, she returned from the forest and found us, and she was the one who looked terrible! She said that the forest was overgrown with a lot of weird plants, and that she had a bad feeling when she went in there. They got lost together, her coltfriend and herself, but they got separated, and ... oh no! I should have never let Lyra go in there alone!”

“Now hold on there for a minute! Calm down,” Applejack said. Bon Bon was immediately snapped back into focus. Applejack had come down the stairs to join them. She didn’t seem to wear any beautifying artifacts of her own, though somepony had lost a cucumber slice in close proximity to her hooves. “Which forest is it that you’re talking about?”

“Whitetail woods,” Bon Bon answered effortlessly. Applejack’s words were like the blackest of coffee. Their sound was smooth, but her speech was also direct and with purpose. Applejack had worked wonders in helping Bon Bon regain her cool.

“Whitetail woods?” Rarity aid. She had followed behind Applejack into the library’s big hall, pulling complicated sticks out of her mane. “I was under the assumption there was no magical vegetation in whitetail woods, is that not right?”

“That’s correct, usually, which is all the more cause for concern,” Twilight answered over her shoulder, before turning back to Bon Bon, “It would be the best if you just told us what happened, and slowly from the beginning.”

Bon Bon nudged Twilight lightly, who took the hint and quickly ducked backwards. Bon Bon stepped inside to enjoy the sweet warmth of civilization for a brief moment, finally out of the cursed rain.

“Yesterday afternoon,” she recounted as she shook off her hood, relishing the dry air in her ears, “Lyra and I saw a couple strolling through the meadow behind our house and into the forest. We thought nothing of it at first. But in the night, we were woken by a shouting so terrible, we were able to hear it over the rainstorm. We looked outside, and it was one of the ponies we saw! Her name’s Parting Ways. She looked absolutely downtrodden, dirty and exhausted. She told us that they had gotten lost and had been wandering around the forest all the time. There were strange plants growing in the forest, and they had been able to feel some magical presence. But then they had gotten separated, and she had stumbled out of the forest alone, desperate for help to find her coltfriend. His name’s Teak. Lyra went in alone. That was maybe an hour ago. I’m supposed to find somepony capable of mounting a rescue mission to come after her.” There was a glimmer of desperate hope. “Twilight, can’t you just alert all of Ponyville’s pegasi to fly in, find them and get them out?”

“Bad idea, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “First of all, no pegasus is going to be able to fly in such weather. The rain’s way too severe, not to mention the risk of injury by hail or lightning. It just ain’t happening.”

“Good thinking, Applejack,” Twilight said, furrowing her brow, “Flying is out of the question. But we could rouse the constable, and probably the fire brigade, to organize a large-scale search. We’ll have them found pretty quickly, even if we only approximately know where they are.”

“That’s even worse, Twilight,” Applejack continued, “you can’t send that many ponies out there in these conditions. Not only does it seem dangerous, but the risk of losing even more ponies along the way, it’s way too high. The safest way of doing this is with as few skilled ponies as possible.”

“Not only that,” Rarity added, “but what about the magical threat? It could put a halt to all of our efforts if dealt with improperly. I doubt there is anypony more qualified than you, Twilight, in handling situations of this kind.”

“You are right, Rarity. Hmmm… ” Twilight made, rubbing her chin. Her gaze wandered from Rarity, who had finished extracting the styling apparatus from her mane, over Applejack, who looked like she knew what was coming next, to Bon Bon, who felt as misplaced as a wet dog with a soaking rag over her back. Twilight’s eyes soon lit up.

“You know what,” she said determinedly, “I think I do have a way we could find them if we went out into the forest. And who better to undertake this quest than us, right? Rarity, I need your magical capabilities. Will you join me?”

“I’ll always be there when you need me, Twilight, darling,” Rarity said, though not without a disappointed glance toward her freshly styled curls.

“Wonderful,” Twilight said, “Applejack, your strength and knowledge of the wild are unmatched. Are you ready?”

“You know I was born ready, Twilight,” Applejack said.

“Bon Bon,” Twilight continued, “you are the key the finding the lost ponies. With your help, I think I can get us to them quickly.”

“Anything to find Lyra,” Bon Bon said hastily.

“Excellent,” Twilight said, lifting her hoof between the other ponies, “girls, we have ourselves an adventure!”

Applejack and Rarity bumped Twilight’s hoof in a gesture of companionship. Bon Bon just stared incredulously. But before she could ask whether they were even taking this seriously, the others scattered off into the library. While Applejack and Rarity went to get their and Twilight’s boots, Twilight herself trotted into a corner and scanned the bookshelves for something in particular.

Still bootless, and almost hopeless, Bon Bon only stood in the entrance, mouth open without saying something, unsure of what to do. While waiting for the others, most of her being was concentrated on taking in as much of the fleeting warmth as possible. She wanted nothing more than to find the hearth, lay down in front of it and fall into a dragon’s sleep. But her night was far from over yet. Soon she would have to say bye bye to the library. Bye bye books, bye bye warmth, bye bye light. Bye bye funny little spiral plants. Hello hail, and wind, and thunder.

Bon Bon prayed she had chosen well.

Sunday - strife

Alright, Lyra.

Calm down now.

The coast is clear.

Nothing’s going to jump out at you and eat you up.

Nothing’s really been moving at all, actually.

You can start moving again.

It’s just the forest and these weird plant thingies.

It was just your imagination.

No monsters or wolves or dragons.

No glowing eyes surreptitiously observing you.

No ground to give away and holes to fall into.

No need to fear the tricks your mind has been playing.

What you should fear is the terrible cold.

Your breathing has become raspy.

Your bones have begun to ache.

You have to move.

Now.

Lyra kicked out her front hoof into a vigorous step. She realized she had moved her hind leg in the opposite direction, and swung her neck sideways in order not to topple over. She held her breath as she skipped with her remaining hooves, almost like a very modern interpretation of a classic dance, rhythmically bouncing on the soft, unsound forest ground, trying her best not to keel over. As soon as she sensed having at least three hooves on the ground, Lyra crouched down, clambering to the earth while the world ceased reeling. She tried to keep close to the ground, lest she do something silly like trying to walk forward again.

Well, this was off to a good start, wasn’t it.

Alright, Lyra needed to get a grip. It was her turn to act now, and it was exceedingly apparent that the situation was indeed urgent. She could feel the warmth returning to her cheeks, fending off the invading cold that has crept under her skin in heroic effort, though she sensed her struggle was doomed to fail in the end.

The clock was ticking, if only from the biting frost that was continuously assaulting her body in every bone and every joint, at every exposed patch of skin, on her hooves and in her ears. Lyra had already withdrawn her head as far as she could into the moist, but still relatively warm, wool scarf. After all this time, though she knew it to be illogical, it still seemed to linger with Bon Bon’s comforting scent.

Bon Bon. Only thinking of her made Lyra feel incredibly tired. There was still a pony out there, lost in the dark woods, but Lya barely cared about him anymore. He’d wandered inside more than half a day ago, and the forest stretched on practically endlessly into the deep dark. The chance of finding him in the first place was practically nonexistent, and short of bumping into him by miracle, blundering deeper into the forest, trying to search for him while it was too dark to see anything beyond two trees’ distance, was basically as fruitful as trying to find one needle in a million haystacks.

And suppose Lyra did happen upon him, then what? What would she find? It was crushingly cold, he was likely injured in one way or another, the lightning was greedily licking at the land’s features and masses of water flooded the terrain, and there was hardly any food or shelter on account of these deplorable plants locking down any natural resource. If Lyra didn’t find him right now, he might very well already have perished.

The sole thought made her stomach turn. Lyra had to steady herself as she swallowed back bitter bile that had risen in her throat. She hated thinking about that topic, and it certainly wasn’t something she was equipped to deal with right now. She was in way over her head, and it was pointless to even pretend being the right pony for this task. Lyra wanted to get out of here. She had to. She needed to get back and make sure Bon Bon was fine.

Bon Bon was somewhere out in the terrible rain storm, likely cold, wet and scared out of her mind. What had she been thinking! Sending her away on her own like that! She shouldn’t ever have left Bon Bon’s side in the first place. They could have tackled this problem together, gone out to find somepony with the actual capacity and skill set needed for such an undertaking. And they would have gone without putting anypony else at unnecessary risk. They would have gone as a team, the way Lyra had sworn an oath to do long ago.

She had sworn she would never abandon Bon Bon. But what else was it that she had done now? And to what end? What had Lyra even expected Bon Bon to do? Come up with some crazy daredevil rescue plan to storm the forest recklessly and get them out of there in a heroic adventure? That only worked in comic books and action stories. But this was real life.

“This is all your fault!” Lyra cried at the closest plant in particular. Her raincoat sprayed water everywhere from the sudden motion. “I could be sitting with Bon Bon in our cozy living room right now and sipping hot chocolate while being wrapped up in a thick blanket beside the warm fire. But no, you just had to decide to abduct an innocent pony on this night, of all nights, next to our house, of all houses, and if that wasn’t enough, you had to pick me, of all ponies, and stretch out your disgusting claws after me! Er, branches. Whatever! You get the point!”

Lyra turned in the direction she had been avoiding all along. The way she had come from. Beside a larger tree trunk was a clearing in the natural vegetation, that was wide enough to let one pony pass through without too much being scraped by chips and branches. Her hoofprints in the mud from earlier even lead away straight from the passage.

But no, it hadn’t been a mere hallucination. The demonic bushes were there and had blocked the way clean shut. The plain dread Lyra had felt at their sight before was now more subdued as she was beginning to get used to it, but she still had to keep herself together. Her nerves felt like an electric current, she was constantly constantly teetering on the edge of panic. She was trapped. But she couldn’t lose it now.

“Don’t worry,” Lyra said, “I know what to do.”

The plants didn’t have totally identical leaves, like she had initially assumed. Most of their leaves seemed to be similar as the plants stood together in groups, but they clearly varied across larger distances. The plants on the other end of the clearing carried the pattern of fibers branching off twice, same as their neighbours and the other plants closeby.

But following the overgrowth bordering on the clearing, the pattern evenly started to change. Three branching points instead of two popped up on the leaves, until eventually they were the dominating characteristic. And then four branching points. In the other direction, the branches receded into the main fiber until they vanished.

And that wasn’t all. Most plants appeared to have a similar number of actual limbs that were adorned with these angular, sharp-looking leaves. On the one end, the gnarly growths gathered around one fat stem, while on the other end, the stem seemed to be thinning out and the branches fell away like limbs reaching out into the open space.

This was too regular to be natural. The plant things had to be magical, monsters born of a different plane than Lyra’s own, and hopefully just that and not something worse. The ones before Lyra, blocking her former entrance, had no stem at all, and the branches were holding on to the network of vines underneath.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lyra said, “look, I’m sorry, but I am getting past you one way or another. I have to get out of here and find Bon B…” She had to get back to Bon Bon. “I have to get back to Bon Bon.”

She swung her head around to stretch her neck and flexed her horn, brandishing her machete with great satisfaction. The smooth metal gleamed in the unnatural light in the immediate vicinity, and it positively glowed in brilliant gold once Lyra brought the blade before her eyes and it reflected her own horn. Truly, this tool was her last vestige of sanity at this point. In a world where she was surrounded by magic, weird goings on that stemmed from whatever unholy power, trapped in the middle of a vast lightning storm with no way out but through, this blade was cold and simple and elegant. Pure metal wrapped in a handle of cloth, no hidden tricks or special properties, only the diligent craftsponyship born of countless eons of experience.

“Now, let’s see what you’re made of,” Lyra said and readied herself. She couldn’t deny feeling a tiny bit giddy finally applying her skills with her weapon in a real situation. She held the machete up and slid it into the bushes, choosing the spot carefully where it would hit.

There was a fat vine winding its way upward in a slope, and many branches hung off of it. The blade was long enough to reach that far into the vegetation. It was the perfect target. Lyra broadened her stance and reared up on her hind legs. She raised her weapon high into the air and tightened her grip around it. She braced her neck muscles and swung her head forward. She came down in one movement, the blade sung in the air, and …

Nothing. The blade wasn’t there anymore. Instead there was only a weird sticky sensation, like slime, pulling on Lyra’s horn. It was like she had already overflexed it, feeling like she had to tighten her hold but there was nothing to tighten it around. Lyra tensed up instinctively, but the tension never really occurred. Her efforts terminated in a counterweight that had latched onto her, perfectly opposing even the most menial magical force, negating its effect while still leaving her exhausted from the strain.

“Gah,” Lyra made as she recoiled. The machete tumbled into the dirt. She heaved and retched, and it was short of a miracle she didn’t puke right then and there.

It was a disgusting feeling. She had been touched in a way that nopony was supposed to be able to touch her, and then it had taken something away from her. Instead of the gratifying fatigue of a successful magical workout, Lyra felt like she had left something unfinished, incomplete, even though she felt the stress all over. She had to make a conscious effort not to try and do the same thing again.

The plant had molested her. It was abominable. It had tried to leech from her. “You’re gonna leech my magic?” Lyra cried, blinking away tears as she steadied herself again, her stomach recovering from its unrest and merely settling back into its perpetual knot. “I don’t think so.”

The plant was glowing visibly more than before, sitting there fat and impassive, looking down on her, mocking her. Enough is enough.

“Alright, no magic then, see how you like that,” Lyra said. She stepped over to her machete and blew the earth from the handle before she grabbed it with her teeth. “You asked for this,” she said as she secured her grip on the weapon tightly between her jaws. She clambered through the mud and got back up in the plant’s face. Leaves. Whatever.

“Oh, I’m going to make you regret the day you sprouted,” Lyra growled, targeting approximately the same spot from before, “You should know that Bon Bon does most of the gardening at home. In fact, I’m a terrible gardener. Take this!”

With that, Lyra reared up once again, tensed her muscles and hacked down on the plant as hard as she could. The blade impacted hard, and Lyra steadied the handle in her mouth with grim satisfaction.

A hit! So she wasn’t entirely defenseless against it. It could be beaten. And she wasn’t about to stop beating it. Lyra reached back and hacked down on the plant once more, and then she reared up and brought her blade down once again.

The jumble of plants shook under each impact, but the clattering of leaves and wood wasn’t there. Instead, the entire complex seemed to break under the force as one unit, accompanied by a raspy kind of groan as the rigid material lost its structural integrity. The familiar elastic resistance was missing from the plant. Instead, it seemed entirely dry and brittle, holding against her blows as one homogeneous substance. It felt unnatural to be beating it with a cutting tool, but Lyra didn’t stop.

After a couple more impacts, Lyra finally started to reveal the Vine’s insides. The cut wasn’t frayed like with normal wood, but it was weirdly smooth and angular. There had been chippings flying everywhere from from each hit, but even they were too small and light to be natural, almost like powder. The sparkly particles bounced off the surrounding plants, but they never reached the ground before vanishing. Almost like …

“Almost like when a unicorn picks something up,” Lyra said, panting hard, “telekinesis.” It only served to fuel her anger further, the thought that a revolting apparition such as this thing with a plant-like appearance should have anything to do with a real pony.

She promptly resumed her driven hacking, cold sweat collecting underneath her watertight clothing, the fire of combat pummeling on the back of head and drowning out every other thought. It was pure bliss for her. One thing she could concentrate on, no distractions, no worries.

It only took a few more moments of Lyra’s brutal treatment until her blade bounced off to the side, as the vine broke off with a hollow crack. Even though it was still hanging on by a few threads, Lyra could see the cold glow diminishing in intensity around the point of impact, and she could feel the ominous presence receding.

Another careful blow was enough, the fibres didn’t offer much more in the way of resistance. The vine broke apart. It’s came down on the thick plant life below and crumbled, big chunks dissolving quickly as they rolled down leaves and bounced off the ground. It was almost like a sand castle falling apart, except that the magical plant didn’t leave any residue. The material vanished to dust and was gone.

The distant murmuring of the rain and the wind howling through the treetops returned, as Lyra’s frenzy subsided and she remained standing for a moment gasping for air. It was almost soothingly quiet now. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears and her lungs drawing in chilly breaths, but apart from that, everything was relatively calm. The plants didn’t seem as oppressive anymore, like they had before.

When Lyra started cutting down the plant again, it wasn’t because of the chaotic rage that had gotten hold of her earlier. Instead, she was driven by an almost scientific kind of curiosity, her blows targeted with surgical precision to dig deeper into the strange vegetation’s structure. Of course, that was considerably easier now that the plant had mostly ceased putting up any resistance.

Lyra learned that the vines and the branches actually seemed to belong to the same plant, even though they behaved entirely differently. Surrounding groups of young trees sprang up in relief when Lyra severed the vines that had latched on to them, the vines’ remains wholly out of place as they dispersed into glitter.

Without the vines, the branches fell back into the plants’ main cluster, coming to lay on top of the undamaged leaves. The cut branch lost its glow, the ghastly eminence receding back down the trunk until it stabilized around the closest knot or structural branching point. After that, the dead branch disintegrated on its own. Apparently, it wasn’t very economic for the plant as a whole to keep the useless thing around.

Lyra found that she could touch the plant with her hooves and hold it in place while she chopped at it. Nothing much unusual happened, except for the sense of magic around her, and the plant pushing back somewhat stronger than a normal plant would.

As the layers of branches, leaves and vines were peeled away, revealed were a series of thicker stems at the plant’s core, which looked at least as unappealing as the rest of it had. Lyra struck it and it behaved similarly, being made of the same brittle fibers that crumbled away under her blow. There was no sweet and juicy core to this plant like it with natural ones, it only seemed to become more ugly and misshapen the deeper she got.

Lyra cut and hacked, glitter sprayed all around her almost as if she had struck sparks with her blade, vanishing into nothing before she could get a second look. Her neck needed a break, she had to bow down low to process the remains of the plant, but her jaws remained hard as steel. She was determined to get to the root of the problem, no matter what it took. Just as she was about to compliment herself for the clever choice of words, Lyra’s machete struck into dull softness and got stuck. Earth. She had hacked through the plant.

She shoveled the remains out of the way with her hooves to reveal the cause of this all. What she found was the forest ground, covered in marble-sized buds shimmering black and violet. They were definitely actual plants this time, and obviously magical ones too. Lyra could tell from the tingling pull all around her hoof, very strong even through her boot.

The tiny leaves were tightly packed at the center around a core of pitch black, but their oily surfaces began to sport an unpleasant sheen of venomous purple the further they flaked away from the middle. It didn’t seem to be very sturdy.

Lyra had crushed one under her boot, and uprooted several more of the sprouts with the machete. They had a tight knot at their base, which connected them to their tiny networks of stubby roots. The roots were an eerie sight. They were pitch black, and seemed to be covered in some kind of slime that made them glisten in the weak light, almost like tentacles. Black tendrils.

“So you are the ones responsible for this mess?” Lyra said. In her effort, she had cut into the surrounding plants, and it didn’t take much to move them out of the way. Revealed were several more of the bizarre saplings. Hundreds more. Probably thousands more in hiding.

“An infestation,” Lyra whispered as she righted herself and considered the ramifications, “this forest doesn’t have a monster problem, it has a weeds problem. Creepy, magical weeds, but still.” They wouldn’t need monster hunters to deal with this problem at all. What they needed was some kind of arcane gardener.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter,” Lyra said, raising her head defiantly, “I’m out of here.”

She shook her disheveled mane out of her face, pulled her machete out of the mud and wiped it off against some plant. Saddling up to leave, Lyra tightened her scarf and re-fastened the hood of her raincoat.

What was happening here, this was none of her business. She scaled the remains of the magic weeds and looked up the muddy incline she had stumbled down from in the first place. She had decided that she would go back to town, and that was what she was going to do.

Lyra was freezing and absolutely exhausted. There was nothing she would be able to do here anymore. She valiantly put one hoof in front of the other and started her climb up the hillside. She could be happy if she made it back to her house in one piece, right? What could she do for the other pony who was still stuck much deeper into the forest? Nothing, that’s what. She had to leave him behind. It was the logical thing to do. She couldn’t waste her time pretending that she had any capacity left to care about his fate. But if that was so, then why had she stopped dead in her tracks?

“Oh, come on,” Lyra grunted, “I’m not going back there. No way.”

She consciously lifted her hooves again and forced herself forward, but for every step she took, the ground seemed to crumble away underneath her boots and she slid back down. She had to get back, and if she needed to pull herself up on every rock and root that had been exposed by the relentless assault of the elements. As exposed as the missing pony was.

Did he have a raincoat?

Lyra cried out in frustration and stomped her hoof. Her boot got stuck in the mud and she had to wiggle it out again. The worst part wasn’t that she would have to leave him behind to save herself, oh no. That was a logical conclusion that nopony would dare question considering the circumstances. It would be the sensible thing to do, to abandon him. There was no other way.

But then, why did Lyra feel so terrible? She couldn’t even continue walking forward at this point since the tears clouded her vision faster than she could blink them away. She had made a promise. She had promised that this whole affair would blow over smoothly, that they could do this, together, as a team. Bon Bon and herself. Lyra had already abandoned Bon Bon when she had sent her into the dangerous storm alone. And then she had run away on her own, and never looked back. She had sworn an oath to take care of Bon Bon long ago, but that oath lay shattered and crumbled in the dirt. Lyra had betrayed Bon Bon. The only way to right that betrayal was to betray another pony. No, that was too wrong to be right.

Lyra hung her head. The shame alone would have been enough to plant her nose firmly in the dirt, but the lethargy of defeat made her drag her thoughts like a puppeteer’s toy. Bon Bon was all she could think about. What would happen when they rejoined once more? Would Lyra have to tell her everything? That she had failed the quest she had set out to complete because of her own incompetence and fear? Would she have to keep it a secret and never tell? Would she have to lie to Bon Bon whenever the topic came up? To live in fear of accidentally slipping out with the truth, forever?

No. Lyra had made a promise to find that stallion. Sure, there would be times when she wouldn’t be able to live up her promises. It was only natural. There is a time in each pony’s life where she has no other choice but to disappoint herself.

But Lyra will never disappoint Bon Bon. Not in a million years.

Slowly, Lyra turned around and ambled back over the corpses of the plants she had slain. Her step was sure, her resolve absolute. She knew now what to do. She was crazy. The realization was strangely liberating, since it meant she couldn’t be held accountable for what she was about to do, and she could leave her fears and shortcomings behind in the mud between her hoofprints.

Lyra stepped into the clearing and turned toward the maw of the abyss. The forest stretched on endlessly before her, and at the edge of her vision, she couldn’t even make out the treetops anymore in the darkness. Her way was barred by a solid wall of angrily glowing magic weeds, but Lyra wasn’t afraid. She would have crossed the end of the world in Bon Bon’s name.

The machete whirled through the air before Lyra stuck it straight into the ground. She reared up on her hind legs, the raincoat veiling her form like heavy armor, and balanced herself against her weapon with her forehooves. It wasn’t quite a sword, but it would have to do.

“Bon Bon,” Lyra spoke calmly, “I swore an oath to you, and I will uphold that oath until the end of time. I promised you that I will find the stallion that is in there, somewhere, and, by the sun and the moon, I will find him. I don’t know what will happen to me as I enter into uncharted dangers. Nopony can predict what will happen at this point. This is all a huge mess, and I’m the one to blame. But I just wanted you to know. I love you, Bon Bon. I love you so very, very much.”

Lyra breathed deep. It felt good to finally be able to speak clearly. Her joints tingled with eagerness, her mind felt refreshed, and she was ready for action, come what may. She was kind of disappointed that nopony was around to witness her speech. She could almost see the sky opening above her head and the heavenly light of brilliant gold shining down on her spot to bless her for the upcoming battle.

Wait. There was actually a light above her.

“You again!?” Lyra said.

The sprite impassively twirled down from above, completely oblivious to the goings on in the world. Its four leaf-like appendages rotated happily in the air, keeping it afloat as it danced in Lyra’s field of vision, never afraid to mix in a bold spin or a cheeky loop to keep things fresh. “What do you want?” Lyra said, “No, wait, let me guess. You wanna bump into me again.”

The sprite made no indication otherwise. Despite herself, Lyra considered for a moment. Looking at the general area where she had hacked down the weeds, it became apparent that the absence of the forest’s only light source, the glowing weeds themselves, had plunged the site back into pitiless darkness. It would be difficult to continue her crusade if it meant she had to destroy her only means of vision, and she wouldn’t be able to tell her own leg from a tree.

The sprite emitted enough light to illuminate the entire clearing sufficiently, and to top it off, the soft, moving golden glow wasn’t even that much different from what a pony would produce. Lyra had a hard time admitting it, but the sprite’s outward appearance was actually kind of pleasant.

“Alright, alright,” Lyra said to the sprite, “you can stick around, I guess. You might prove yourself useful after all. But don’t even think about touching my horn, capiche?” A shiver ran down her spine at the memory of the last time the sprite had tried to touch her horn.

Surprisingly, the sprite actually stopped its tumbling around at hoof’s reach away from Lyra, and attentively held the distance. Lyra was baffled. “Huh,” she made, “I see. You’re a funny guy, aren’t you?”

The forest had grown hauntingly quiet now that Lyra had regained her calm somewhat. The regular animals must have already taken flight way earlier, or maybe they are holed up somewhere, which meant they were cleverer than Lyra. It made sense, since all the ordinary critters were able to experience magic in some way or another, even though they weren’t active part of it, let alone being able to shape it on their own, like ponies could.

But animals were known to have a sixth sense for danger and were quick to run away when something was amiss. And this forest was as amiss as wearing swim trunks in the frozen north.

Lyra was probably doing the world a favor if she made sure to eradicate any weed sprouts she came across, like she had crushed the ones back on the other side of the clearing under her boots. The forest ground looked much calmer now that it had been rid of its venomous pockmarks. It was gratifying how barren the upturned mud was where Lyra’s enemies had once entrenched their crooked forms. The total serenity that had fallen upon that spot was only highlighted by the soothingly natural flickering of the sprite’s light, a healing unification of experiences that descended on the fractured land to mitigate, to relieve.

And so, Lyra’s enlightened weed crusade proceeded to run its course. She promptly pulled her machete out of the ground and twirled it around in the air to shake off the earth. Then she took its handle securely into her mouth and marched on into the dark maw of the forest with grim resolve. She was a warrior. She wouldn’t be stopped. She fought for what was right. And she proved to the sprite that she totally hadn’t been about to break down on the forest ground and bawl her eyes out like a foal just before. Totally not.

The first blockade of weeds barred her way, and Lyra made it wish it hadn’t. She barely stopped her movement when she began barreling down on it, with a ferocity that sent the magical weed stuff flying everywhere and into her face every time she ripped her blade out of another deep wound she had struck into the beast. Lyra hacked and chopped and felled, obsessed with seeing the apparition crumble away under her hooves.

She was soon standing on top of the growth, and she started stomping it with her boots as well as slashing it to pieces faster and faster, only her breathing louder than the storm raging between her eyes. It couldn’t have lasted any longer though. Eventually, Lyra had to moderate herself and slow her ministrations down, or she would have pulled a muscle within the back of her neck, which felt like it was on fire. She paused to breathe. She couldn’t tire herself out now, there was still a long way ahead of her, and she would need all the energy she could get. The weed was basically broken at this point, only a few stems remained that were in the process of crumbling away. Lyra stomped the vile little buds right in their toxic little faces and ground their remains into the dirt with the heel of her boot. Then she hopped over what was left and took off into the darkness.

There weren’t any weeds to be seen in the immediate vicinity as Lyra made her way through the forest. The ground was slanted and broken by ledges, rocks and furrows that had angrily smashed the surface of the earth untold ages ago, now mere mementos of more turbulent times decorated with lush overgrowth.

Still, the jagged form of the forest ground dominated the landscape, and it was the base for vast variety of life that had established itself here, and all the ways it had to adapt. The trees themselves seemed to be the masters of survival around here. No matter how thick or how thin, how straight or how gnarled, how bare or how lush their crowns, the trees always found a way to settle down even on the furthest tip of an outcropping in the earth, even when their roots were already hanging through on the other side.

Similarly, Lyra had to be incredibly careful. The stones were slick and the mud was sticky, as she picked her way through the blasted lands. One wrong step, and she would be history. There was no way she would have been able to do this without the sprite’s radiant guidance.

Lyra knew that the trodden path, on which she had entered the forest to begin with, had to be around here somewhere. But she couldn’t tell whether she was above or below it on the hillside. She couldn’t tell anything at all, because further than two or three trees around her, nothing existed except for the pitch black. She wished she could have sent out the sprite to scout the area, but the sprite wouldn’t budge away from dumbly bouncing around in her field of vision, no matter how much she shouted commands, declarations and pleas at it. Its only use was preventing her face from being planted into one of the many trees in her way.

It had been clever of her to take the high road. The ground fell off to Lyra’s right, and she could see the weed’s bluish glow faintly irradiating the horizon. Fog had started to creep across the ground and fill up the forest’s valleys, and the absence of wind had somewhat softened the sharpness in the air. It truly was an uncanny sight, the skeletal stems of budding trees huddled around their looming giant counterparts, only visible by their black outlines before the backdrop of the icy sheen.

The weeds seemed to grow in drawn-out lines, reaching out into the unknown coherently like greedy tentacles, instead of growing in groves like natural plants. Lyra observed one such weed front running parallel to her own path further down the hill. The infernal plants didn’t seem very steadfast in their foundation. They tried to get closer to her and further up the hill, but their dangerous approach was thwarted whenever a large rock or even just a patch of rough terrain came up, the unnatural glow receding back into darkness as the weeds avoided the unpleasant obstacle.

It made a lot of sense when Lyra thought about it though. The plants didn’t really seem dependant on the soil, but instead it was magic what they were after. They didn’t need to grow on hard terrain, since the majority of magical creatures likely preferred the fertile flat lands as well, where the weeds could grow and trap them easily. Lyra herself was the case in point. She took the strain of the high road now to avoid the mental chagrin that awaited below. She could barely keep her eyes open at this point. There was no need to make this any harder than it already was.

Lyra wasn’t spared of the weeds’ presence forever, though. Too soon, the valley rose to meet her, and the terrain flattened out. With it came the unpleasant wall of weeds, popping into existence in her path only moments before the sprite had revealed it.

Lyra stopped for a moment to catch her breath. The weeds remained a wisp at the edge of her vision. That was curious. She stepped backward cautiously, and sure enough, the night returned to pitch black. Then she walked forward with determination, and the blockade lit up like starfire. Leaves were fully outlined in their common patterns, and the vines glowed as if to lure her in. The realization sent a shiver down Lyra’s spine. The weeds were drawing from her, even now. They had probably been leeching from her all along. They sapped enough from her to make their entire frames glow.

Somehow, Lyra knew she should feel violated, but she could barely work up the nerve to care at this point. It wasn’t really a big surprise, since that was the only thing these ugly creatures seemed to be good for. Instead, Lyra almost felt grateful for the renewed vigor that came with the urge to smash something to pieces. And she knew exactly what she would smash as she brandished her machete.

Lyra stretched her legs and popped her neck before she got started on chopping down the weeds. It was a good opportunity to get warmed up again. The cold had grown crushing in intensity since she had left the clearing. Her limbs tingled as life came back to them, but her skin felt like it was being pricked with tiny icicles, and her joints stung where they were exposed below her flimsy raincoat.

Thinking about it, Lyra couldn’t even be sure whether the cold was actually there, or if it was just one more entry on the long list of malevolent arcana that seemed to spring from the vile weeds. Either way, she had to watch out and keep herself going. If she stopped, it didn’t matter whether it was the cold or the weeds’ unholy treatment that would ruin her.

The initial satisfaction of smashing the weeds had since vanished. The once enjoyable act had become a chore as Lyra continued the beating without paying it much mind. The slanted ground kept giving away under her hooves, and she had to pull herself upright again before she could make any progress.

Watching the weird behaviour her impacts caused was interesting, but Lyra’s neck started aching and her attention waned, and it made her want to move on. As soon as she had cut enough of a swath that she could fit through, she slipped between her victims’ remains and bustled her way straight ahead. She made sure that the sprite could follow her. It just seemed important at the time. However, when she emerged on the other side, she couldn’t help kicking the ground in frustration.

More weeds.

Cold sweat had collected in Lyra’s clothing by the time she had cut her way further into a part of the forest that she could at least pretend looked somewhat normal. She would have been yawning wide if she hadn’t been gasping already, the cold air burning inside her lungs and making her throat feel like ice.

Hopefully that wouldn’t turn into a nasty cold. And to top it all off, an awful headache had started throbbing right inside her forehead about two plant corpses ago. She was glad when her path became rough again and she had to climb uphill somewhat. Though, when she reached the summit of the outcropping, she knew why it was here.

Lyra was standing on a massive boulder. She faintly remembered it being here in the general area, but she hadn’t actually seen it until she stood on top of it. Before her was the edge of the natural platform, and then nothing but pitch blackness.

What Lyra also remembered was that there was some sort of way to climb around the boulder. She had done it what must have been years ago during a stroll in these parts. The earth into which the boulder was embedded went up very steeply on one side, there was no way to climb that. She also didn’t want to backtrack around the obstacle. But somewhere in between, she knew there was an opportunity to clamber down safely.

Darkness yawned wide as Lyra stepped up to the ledge. She crouched down and strained her eyes, but the sprite’s light didn’t reach far enough to be of any use. She didn’t even need that much vision, only the surface of the stone immediately below her was enough to find the spot she was looking for. She tried to reach down with a hoof, but that didn’t help much.

“Come on, dude,” Lyra said to the sprite, “be useful. Go! Get down there! Look for something, like … I dunno, just light it up. Come on!”

She frantically waved her hoof and tried to knock the sprite into the abyss. But the sprite was untouchable as it lightly bounced around in the air, its appendages rotating on happily as if it didn’t have a worry in the world. Lyra grunted. “You’re an impossible companion,” she said.

Lyra took the machete from her mouth with her horn. Maybe probing around with it would help, she could reach further with her horn than she could with her hoof. She carefully lowered the tool, trying to keep it to the surface of the rock, but her vision was promptly obstructed. The sprite had danced past her head and gleefully bumped into the blade’s handle, where Lyra was holding it. Carefully, Lyra retracted the machete toward her face and took it into her mouth, releasing her horn’s grip. The sprite disengaged and went back to dancing before Lyra’s eyes.

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Lyra jumped up, skipping a breath or two. “Magic,” she said, “you like magic! Of course! How could I have missed that.” She would have connected her hoof to her forehead, but the machete was in the way. “You’re a sprite, you are attracted by sources of magic. That’s why you keep following me around. That’s why you came astray from the swamps in the first place. Even I can feel how powerful the weeds are. And that’s why you stayed away from me when I asked you earlier.”

She was a unicorn. Her thoughts were fundamentally connected to the arcane. Lyra’s moods formulated bases of order in the otherwise amorphous magical plane, and with the increase in entropy came the attraction of surrounding arcane energy toward the focal area until the the potential, which had been held in place structurally, could disperse into the unordered equilibrium again. It was the most basic of concepts when casting spells, that energy always had to return to the magical plane from whence it had been drawn. It had been so obvious! The sprite didn’t actively decide to go anywhere, it was simply drawn toward the most complex source of magic.

Lyra crouched down to the ledge again. She pictured the spot in the darkness directly below her. How interested she was in finding out how it looked, how she would love to know what was directly underneath her, how curious she was to see the area surrounding it. And lo, the sprite promptly rotated past her head, bounced over the ledge and descended down into the darkness.

The cliff, as Lyra had imagined it, turned out to be just a drop of a few meters. She couldn’t climb down right here since the rock was too smooth, so she kept looking. But steering the sprite around was so much fun, she couldn’t miss the chance to scout out every last nook along the rock face and then some more of the surrounding forest.

Lyra was left in the dark while the sprite was away, but she wasn’t afraid, as her control improved quickly. It was actually very intuitive, you just had to feel the place where you wanted the sprite to go, and it would instantly go there. Calling the sprite back was pretty straightforward as well. Lyra would have hugged it right then and there if it actually had a physical body.

The mood didn’t last long. There was no time. Lyra had to press on. She had eventually found a spot where the rock was cracked, from which she could crawl onto a flat earthen descent. She came out on a flat path that led along the hillside. Following alongside it seemed fine, since it ran in the approximate direction she knew the campsite had to be.

Lyra would have to be careful to keep the sprite away from the weeds. They’d probably tear it to pieces if they ever got hold of it. Thinking about it, the weeds probably weren’t entirely as evil as they appeared. Sure, they were a pest and took away the breathing room of all the proper plants and animals that had settled down here long ago, but at the core of it, the weeds likely didn’t work much differently than the sprite. Magic was magic after all, no matter who you are or where you go, and the smaller manifestation of magic would always gravitate toward the bigger one.

The way was clear for running only briefly. There were weeds all around now. Lyra must have been getting really deep into the forest. But that didn’t make her falter. She dutifully readied her machete and cleared herself a way through the blockade.

The weeds did become less and less of a mystery as Lyra went along, but that didn’t make them any less dangerous. It wasn’t easy to remember not to use her horn when interacting with her surroundings. Whenever Lyra only needed to make herself some breathing room, or when she had to right her coat’s hood as it became lopsided, she would instinctively go ahead and grab it with her horn. That’s what she had always done.

It only remained an attempt however, as the sharp jolt of pain broke through the everlasting buzz in her temples and brought her dutiful purge to a screeching halt. The mistakes of negligence weren’t pleasant, but the pain was a good teacher. Lyra couldn’t afford a slip-up of this sort again when her life could possibly depend on her keeping her cool.

She kept the sprite close to her back, and out of the weeds’ greedy reach, while she proceeded to clear her way.

The path went uphill again. After yet another congregation of weeds, Lyra didn’t lose much time before moving forward. The soft ground tended to crumble away under her hooves, and she was committed to punching her boots hard into the ground every step of the way to ensure she wouldn’t fall. Her muscles were accordingly sore, begging for a break with agony, but the urgency in the air wouldn’t allow it.

The sprite was incredibly helpful with its light. Lyra used every opportunity she could get to send it out to scout ahead, and map her surroundings before she decided on the direction to proceed. More than once, Lyra just stood at attention and observed the black shadows of the tree trunks thrown outward from the origin of the light, dancing over the forest floor in an elegant composition where each dark stripe always kept to itself and never actually touched another.

The scouting paid off more often than not, as Lyra was able to avoid several clusters of weeds. The sprite’s area of illumination was way larger than the distance from which the weeds began to glow, and it was relieving to stay out of their evil influence, even just for a little while.

Eventually, Lyra even caught some weeds growing right before her eyes. Where at first there had been nothing, the vines burst out of the debris covering the forest ground and pushed themselves tirelessly upward. Soon enough, the ligneous tentacles began waving around, feeling into their surroundings only for a moment before homing in on the nearest tree or bush.

While the vines wrapped themselves around the poor plants, the greedy branches had already started clambering up along their rapidly solidifying brethren. The thicket didn’t exactly grow like any normal plant would, but the stems carried already finished leaves out of the ground until the swelling had grown dense enough to form a solid barricade. Then the weeds rested, arrogantly lying still, waiting for their next victim. Lyra briefly considered walking over and smashing them apart, but she decided to take the safe route around. The entire process had barely taken a minute, and it had happened completely soundless. It was scary. She wanted as little to do with this as possible.

Visibility kept getting worse as natural vegetation started populating her surroundings again. Lyra had entered a region of the forest that was more wild and untamed, as opposed to the forest’s borders. Real plants kept getting under her raincoat, and Lyra had to perform acrobatics to get over some more intricately interwoven shrubs. It even became so bad at one point that she had to hack off a natural branch to be able to get through. Lyra felt much less disgusted at the unnecessary violence toward the innocent than she ought to. Maybe she was getting desensitized toward the plights of vegetables.

After the real plants were through, the weeds came again. This entire thing was getting ridiculous. At least the weeds all looked and behaved the same, and Lyra could put her attention to rest while she carried out the mind-numbing task of chopping the obstacles into passages. The break didn’t do her good, like she hoped. It only made her wish for all this to end even more.

The ground was crumbling under her movement more than ever. The weeds didn’t provide any useful support for more than a few moments, her face was on fire and her legs were numb from the cold, and she had no idea how long this would continue anymore. Everything sucked.

Finally, the cluster of weeds lost its strength and vanished under Lyra’s soles. She remained for a moment to crush the disgusting sprouts with her boots and grind them into the earth with satisfaction. She climbed over the remains and oriented herself briefly before continuing on her way.

She came no three steps. More weeds. Lyra hacked. She maimed and destroyed. This was all she knew. She wanted to stop, wanted it to end, but there was no end in sight. Carnage reigned all around. There was only Lyra, her death dealer, and the invaders. It was her calling. Her purpose. She had to do what had to be done, never mind her own aches.

Just when Lyra thought she couldn’t take it anymore, a blaze of clarity suddenly irradiated the barren lands. There was something, there within the backdrop of the never ending buzz of chaos. A tiny spark of life, struggling to be heard. A soft murmur, coming right from the direction where Lyra was headed. The sharp flicking of debris and the splurging of grand rapids. It was the sound of rushing water!

Finally, a vestige of hope she could steady herself against within the avalanche of despair. The rushing water was a landmark, a point at which Lyra could reorient herself and gauge her progress, since she would likely recognize it.

The burden of lethargy lifted off Lyra’s back, and she felt her heart beating with fresh vigor as she unearthed the weeds and cleared herself a path through. It seemed to affect the sprite as well. It flitted around more erratically than Lyra had ever seen, and she had to stay focused on keeping it close to herself. A brief lapse of attention, and the sprite might well have bounced away from her right into the maw of the greedy infestation.

The sound of water grew steadily more profound every time Lyra managed to inch another few steps forward. It felt like the surrounding vegetation was closing in on her and threatened to overwhelm her, but she knew that was only the plant life becoming so thickly overgrown around the water. The plants would have toppled each other over eventually even without her intervention. Even so, weeds and natural plants became a blur, and Lyra only focused on getting through without stumbling over too many roots and getting slapped in the face by rebounding branches as few times as possible.

Not long after, a dribble landed on Lyra’s head. Another ice cold projectile splashed onto her nose, and streams of water were arcing down from the darkness, channeled by the treetops right onto the undergrowth. It was rain! Lyra had to be getting close to open sky.

Water eventually suffused the soft forest ground, turning it into slippery mud again as shimmering puddles accumulated all around. The puddles hid under the leaves like nefarious traps, and Lyra had to be careful not to stumble over a root or slip down a slope and fall into one. She had managed to keep the insides of her boots mostly dry so far, and she wasn’t about to let that change. She hated having water inside her shoes.

The vegetation grew smaller and softer, and set of branches revealed veritable curtains of rain covering the land. Lyra stepped through and finally emerged into open sky. The blackness of the forest made way to the darkest hint of illumination. Lyra was able to perceive the approximate shapes of the distant surroundings again.

The sprite led the way, flying out into the rain and diligently illuminating the path for Lyra, and Lyra followed. The sprite didn’t seem to be affected by the rain at all, its careless bouncing through the air no different than usual, as the rain seemed to pass straight through it, or maybe it had some sense of precognition to tell where the raindrops were falling. Quite the opposite was true for Lyra though, as the deafening drum of the rain onto the plastic hood over her ears drowned out her thoughts.

She reached up and pulled the hood back, turning her face to the sky for a brief moment of respite. The water came down upon her muzzle in ice cold masses, but it was a joy feeling something on her benumbed skin again. An enlivening thrill overcame her as the rain poured over her face, soaking into her muddy fur and saturating her mane. Lyra was washed clean of the cold sweat and the grime from the forest, dark streaks of water dripping off her chin, while the continuous metallic tink of droplets against metal blasted the dirt off her machete. The brief moment was almost peaceful, carried by the harmonic sounds of nature.

The distant mumbling of rushing water had built up to the unstoppable crashing of tides, and the sound came from right up ahead. The landscape was mostly flat now, and the jumble of plants that only reached Lyra’s knees was overtly absent of large trees. This was a migration area, which didn’t provide much solid foundation for ancient growths as opposed to the deep of the forest. To be precise, this area regularly saw the migration of large amounts of water when it rained, and the movement of animals that was bound to come with it. Lyra had arrived at Root Channel.

This was good. The channel was a major landmark of the forest, and was used to formally partition it among the surrounding lands and their owners. Lyra had covered quite a lot of distance into the north. But more importantly, it meant she wasn’t far from her goal anymore.

The ponies she was looking for, Parting Ways and Teak, they had come through here, crossed the channel and established their campsite somewhere on the other side, straight uphill. Lyra had a pretty good idea where that was, since there was only one hill in the immediate vicinity on the other side.

The solid earth under her hooves terminated in a ledge, which dropped down several pony heights into the raging current. Lyra hadn’t actually made the connection that the channel would be carrying so much water until now. Granted, she never had been here during a storm either.

Huge amounts of water tore through the chasm indomitably, splashing and foaming so much like the maw of a raging beast. It was incredibly loud as the stream flung massive chunks of wood and rocks around as if they were mere foals’ playthings. There was no doubt that the river carried enough force to turn Lyra into a mere ragdoll, so it seemed sensible to try not to fall into it.

The sprite’s light reached just far enough to be able to see the other side. The black forest rose immediately beyond, concluding the brief lapse of trees that had formed along the channel. The channel itself was fissure in the earth that had formed along the line where two ranges of hills met, eaten deeply into the rock by countless ages of water running through.

The forest actually stretched on far into the vast hillscapes that lay to the north and to the west, which were otherwise mostly inaccessible to ponies due to their roughness. Whenever it rained anywhere in the area, the resulting precipitation accumulated along such channels, before they gradually joined together and eventually funneled all the water to pass through here, after which, much further down in the other direction, the flow terminated in the wetlands and the water eventually fed into the swamps.

This left Lyra standing before the gap filled with an angry current, and the question of how to actually get across. Luckily, Lyra knew the answer. Somewhere in the direction to her left, there used to be a wooden walkway that served as a bridge across the channel, and it should only be about a few minutes away from her current location.

Lyra promptly set off. It felt good to walk freely once more, and thankfully her boots were watertight, because she actually had to wade through puddles of water now to make progress. Her raincoat was watertight as well, and more than once, a huge fountain of foamy water noisily shot out of the chasm to her side and doused her from head to tail. Though it was pleasant to finally have her tail freed from some of the dirt that had worked itself into it, Lyra could imagine there were better ways.

The path wasn’t smooth at all. Rocks and detritus lined the channel on both sides, and Lyra had to carefully step around them not to stumble. But as she valiantly proceeded forward, the biggest of the rocks soon rose in the distance.

It had been a huge boulder in the past, firmly lodged between two slopes in the landscape. The rock had crumbled sometime after, but earth had been carried against the remains on the other side, until the entire area was lifted to a higher elevation. What remained was sort of a natural cliff, darkly looming in the distance against the traces of light from the sky. And through a wide furrow in the center of the cliff, the water cascaded onto Lyra’s level in a massive waterfall.

Lyra realized that the lightning had stopped completely, and it was only raining in masses now. Though the painful flashes and the bone-shaking rumble of lightning were unpleasant, Lyra would have loved to be able to see the terrain, if only for a brief moment. She recognized the cliff.

The bridge had to be somewhere close, probably around the base. As it was, Lyra moved toward the cliff as quickly as possible. She didn’t want to think about it, but she also glanced down into the unruly stream at every turn, trying to spot the remains of the bridge somewhere below. She couldn’t actually make out anything useful down there with all the water splashing around, and she didn’t know whether she should be relieved or worried.

Luckily, stumbled upon the bridge. There wouldn’t have been any need to search for it so closely, because it was intact. Lyra was also worried. The so called bridge, turned out to be a bunch of planks haphazardly thrown across the chasm and stuck into the earth on either side. At least there was a railing on the upstream side, but it wouldn’t be of much use, as the supports were nailed to one of the planks instead of some feature of the landscape.

The water hadn’t ceased its splashing in the slightest, the foamy fountains hungrily licking at the construction, and it was almost a miracle the entire thing hadn’t toppled over and fallen down yet. Lyra swallowed. She’d had the bridge much larger and much more stable in her memory, and without all the water to boot, but it couldn’t be helped now.

“Alright, this is it,” Lyra said to the sprite, “we have to be very careful now. We need to get across, and this bridge seems to be our only way.” She looked down into the raging turmoil. “I won’t lie, I’m pretty scared. But just stick close to me, and I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”

The sprite continued to do nothing, in an agreeing fashion. Rain continued to pour down Lyra’s brow and dripped out of her tail in streams. The fact was that Lyra was terrified. But don’t dawdle around. Go now. If you let the fear settle in, you might as well never have come this far.

Lyra stepped up to the planks. There were tracks leading away from them on this side, so ponies had obviously been using the bridge for some time. In fact, the earth had been squeezed solid on top of the planks’ ends, lodging them into the ground solidly.

Lyra lifted a hoof and knocked on the closest board. It made a hollow sound, but the plank didn’t even as much as budge. She stepped onto it with her forehooves. The wood was mossy on top, and the green stuff was now soaked with water, making the surface of the plank slimy and slippery under her boots. But if Lyra stepped slowly and carefully enough, she could maintain enough surface tension under her soles to remain standing solidly and avoid a painful fall.

She followed up with her hind legs until she fully stood on top of the bridge. The bridge was actually broad enough that she could stand comfortably, there would be no daredevil balancing act like in the action stories. She gave a few tentative bounces, but the plank held firm. It didn’t move or become dislodged from its designated place, although it rebounded slightly under her weight. So the wood wasn’t entirely brittle and had retained some elasticity, which meant it wouldn’t suddenly crack under her weight. That was good. This might actually work!

“Here we go,” Lyra exclaimed. Her first step onto the bridge consisted of slowly shuffling her forehooves forward. When she was sure that they were firmly planted on the wooden surface, she dragged her hind hooves after. Time for the second step. She pushed her forehooves out again and shifted forward, pulling her hind legs behind. This brought her away from the ledge and fully out over the raging rapids. Progress!

Things were going pretty well. The remaining distance wasn’t so much all of a sudden. Alright, time for the third step. Lyra inched her forelegs toward the center of the bridge and carefully shifted forward until she was standing normally again. A massive fountain erupted from underneath and slapped Lyra’s hooves clean out from under her.

Lyra saw Bon Bon. Bon Bon was smiling. Bon Bon was crying. Bon Bon was shouting. Bon Bon was sleeping. Bon Bon was just there, her infinitely deep sapphire eyes sparkling in the summer sun like the sky itself. Lyra loved Bon Bon so much. It had been the biggest miracle of Lyra’s entire life that she had met Bon Bon, because without Bon Bon, there hadn’t even existed a Lyra until that point. Bon Bon’s gentle touch. Her words of encouragement. Her soft skin. Her smell. Bon Bon. Lyra just wanted to be with her.

What the hay? Why was she thinking of Bon Bon in times like this? She should be worrying about her own survival instead. Look. Open your eyes! Don’t be such a scaredy-cat. See? The bridge is right there. You might not be able to feel it right now, since it’s above you, but you can still see it. Now stretch out your hoof. See, the bridge is coming closer. You’re going to grab its edge. No, not there, there’s a bunch of water splashing onto that spot. Further below. Yeah, just like that. When you hit the ground, you’re just going to hold tight. Things will work out, you’ll see.

Lyra hit the plank with her chest, knocking the air out of her lungs. A jolt of pain erupted in her head as her chin smashed into the wood and her teeth were knocked against the machete’s handle.

But she held on for her life, her left forehoof cramping around the edge of her plank and her other hooves outstretched for stabilization. Even though she was laying completely still, the world needed a few moments to stop spinning. The vertigo would have sent her stomach into uprising if she still had any feeling left at this point. Water was pouring over her from somewhere, though she couldn’t tell if it was the rain or the remains of the huge splash.

Lyra stayed like that for quite a while before she gasped for air, finally forcing herself to draw some fresh oxygen into her burning lungs. Nothing was happening. The bridge was still there, the rain was still hammering on her head and the river was still splashing around. The sprite was also still there, floating near the wood right before Lyra’s eyes.

Momentarily, another splurge of water came bursting into the air from the stream and hit Lyra in the side. Lyra braced herself, but almost nothing happened this time. She was in such a favourable angle to the ground that the water basically just lightly rebounded off of her and splattered away on the other side. In fact, the forces affecting her body were so vanishingly weak that she could even start inching forward again.

“Oh yeah, it’s much better like this,” Lyra said to the sprite, “we should have gone like this all along.”

She was slowly sliding forward on her stomach. Gripping onto the the planks with her forelegs, and by pushing herself with her hind legs, Lyra could make progress at a fairly comfortable pace. Surely it meant that her yellow raincoat accumulated green stains as she dragged it over the moss, but it was a price worth paying for how safely she could travel this way.

Now and again, the river threw up some more water to try and knock her off the bridge, but the water mostly just washed over her and then left her in peace. Lyra didn’t have to crawl like that for very long before she reached the halfway point on the bridge. And nothing bad had happened! Lyra did deserve the brief moment of respite to calm down and catch her breath.

A roaring crash tore the tranquility to pieces as half an avalanche of rocks was sent down the waterfall to Lyra’s left, splashing into the water like cannonballs. The waterfall hitched for a brief moment. On the top of the cliff, a huge, jagged black shape had built itself up just at the edge and completely walled off the stream.

There was barely time to identify the massive jumble of huge tree trunks held together by a tight abundance of branches and other debris, before it keeled over the edge. The monstrosity came crashing down the face of the cliff, flushed out by a huge wave of water, before it all splashed into the channel and veritably exploded into several chunks. The water didn’t discriminate as it tore everything along its path, and even the biggest piece hurtled down the stream at breakneck speed. The largest chunk still had a huge shard of a tree trunk embedded in it, loosely wrapped into a messy tangle of other vegetation.

And it towered straight into the air, way higher than Lyra or the bridge, as it raced toward them.

“Oh no,” Lyra said, “no no no no no no!”

She turned toward the massive jumble and held on to the bridge with both hooves, leaning over the edge. Lyra’s eyes were burning as she tore them wide open, desperately trying to make something out within the pitch black shape that was about to annihilate them. But it was just too dark, and it was coming in too fast. She was likely to miss if she tried to grab it, but it didn’t seem like she would be getting a second chance.

“I can’t see,” Lyra screamed at the sprite, “I need light out there! Go!”

The sprite shot past her into the darkness like an arrow. When the incoming mass was lit up, it was barely in time. Right in its center were only branches and vines, but slightly off to the side towered the giant tree trunk. It would easily tear down the bridge.

Lyra braced herself and flexed her horn so strongly, it made her head hurt. She reached out and grabbed the trunk just as it came within reach, and then she pushed it away as hard as she could.

The force was unstoppable. It immediately pushed her back and threatened to fling her off the bridge. Lyra’s horn had been burning like crazy from the weight, but when her forelegs were fully stretched, the pain was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She had to hold on to the bridge for her life. She couldn’t let the trunk come any closer, but she felt like she was being torn apart.

The bridge bent under the weight until the material’s capacity for stress was reached. The only thing that stood between Lyra and oblivion now were her screaming hooves.

A disgusting crack resounded. It was the longest heartbeat of Lyra’s life.

Lyra waited for the bridge to fall away under her, but it lost its tension and bounced into straightness again instead.

The weight pushing against Lyra’s horn lessened. The tree trunk keeled over backwards and harmlessly splashed into the current. It passed underneath the bridge and was carried out of sight by the water.

Lyra didn’t waste any time righting herself. Her limbs were still complaining, but she had no time to listen. With all the haste she could muster, she crawled over the remaining stretch of the bridge, carefully pulling herself forward in order to remain safely connected with the ground, but never stopping once until she arrive at her goal.

When Lyra reached the other side and stepped onto forest ground again, she skipped away from the bridge as far as she could and immediately sank to her knees.

She could have proverbially kissed the earth in that moment, but it didn’t seem a pleasant thing to actually do. Instead, she rolled over onto her back, and began laughing like crazy. The sprite danced in front of her face, sharing the mood.

“We’re still alive,” Lyra bellowed. At that moment, it was the funniest thing in the world.

“We’re still alive!”

Sunday - scrap

Another droplet of water ran down the door. It diligently clung to the rough surface of the wood, filling out the slits and gaps that had naturally appeared over the ages. The droplet continuously became smaller as its content became stuck to the rugged texture, but it didn’t care anymore, for its goal lay just ahead.

Only a moment later, the drop finally experienced salvation. It was joined together with larger droplet running down alongside it. An entire swarm of water drops made their way downward, leaving a wet streak as a mark of their passage, away from their point of origin, the door handle.

The house had always had this problem. The handle of the entrance door was forged from solid metal and connected the world with the toasty inside of the house. Whenever it got cold, the heat would dissipate rather quickly through the metal, and the handle would take on the same temperature as outside.

With a fire burning in the hearth and heating up the entire house, and some form of cooking usually going on in the kitchen, enough condensation water would collect on the door handle to form fat drops. The peculiarity was often much to the chagrin of the previous owners of the house. Not only was it quite unpleasant to grab a door handle that was running slick with water, but the moisture also signified a considerable drop in temperatures outside, which usually means loads of additional housekeeping work.

One might claim that the previous owners of the house used to wipe off the door and clean up the puddles, as compensation for their inability to do anything about the troublesome weather. Not so the current inhabitants. They don’t care at all. The water will usually just evaporate without a trace anyway. So why bother?

The droplet sprayed away as the door was kicked open by a muddy hoof.

“Lyra, are you here?” Bon Bon shrieked, bumbling inside.

There was no answer, but something moved in the huge heap of blankets that was piled up in front of the fireplace. A cup rolled away from the blankets, leaving a trail of Lyra’s stew on the stones. Bon Bon would need all those blankets for Lyra when she brought her back, and it was good that somepony had brought them down here for easy access.

That somepony turned out to be Parting Ways, who stuck her frazzled head out from under the blankets. She looked like she had been knocked out cold.

“Huh,” she said.

“Where’s Lyra?” Bon Bon said, her voice hitching from the onset of panic.

“I don’t know,” Parting said, “she said she was going into the forest, but she hasn’t returned yet. I don’t know where she went exactly … “

“What do you mean, you don’t know!?” Bon Bon roared. But before Parting could answer, Bon Bon was out the door again.

Expecting to find Lyra here by some unspeakable miracle was nothing more than an absurd fantasy. Still, Bon Bon hadn’t been able to resist the urge to check, especially since their way led past the house anyway.

It had been a mistake. The constricting feeling of desperation robbed Bon Bon of her breath. Lyra was still out there, fully exposed to this insanity that reigned all around. Bon Bon slammed the door behind her. Her hooves left brown mud on the handle.

She rejoined the others.

“And?” Rarity said. Her normally pristine white lines shone hard and erratic, illuminated from such weird angles like this.

They were able to see thanks to Twilight’s gleaming horn, but there was also an eerie sheen coming from the projected curtain, that brushed over Bon Bon’s skin without actually touching it when she stepped through.

Twilight kept maintaining a physical shield around them, a glowing hemisphere. Bon Bon couldn’t be sure whether it made the air itself flicker like a mirage, or if it consisted of myriads of tiny glittering particles, because it always moved out of the way whenever she came close to take a better look.

It was actually a marvellous piece of sorcery. The only thing the shield affected was the rain, and it was incredibly loud. It almost sounded like a constant stream of water slapping against an upturned wine glass, except that you are the wine glass. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was sharp enough to make Bon Bon flinch. Still, it beat the alternative of no shield at all, and the opportunity was nice to give their soaked clothes a break.

“Nothing,” Bon Bon said, “Lyra’s not here. Please, we need to go. We have to find her.”

“And we will,” Rarity said, lifting a hoof in encouragement, but Bon Bon drew away.

“Right?” Rarity asked Applejack for assistance.

“You’re right we will,” Applejack said, “where do you think she went, Bon Bon?”

“She must have entered the forest down by the hills,” Bon Bon said, indicating the direction, “that’s further down the road, by the water tower. It’s the fastest way we can get into the forest proper.”

“That will be close enough,” Twilight said, “Come on, everypony, let’s go.”

They shot off together like from an unheard signal. Bon Bon had to scramble to keep up. She had already been out of breath begin with, but it was obvious that Twilight, Rarity and Applejack were much more used to running long distances than her.

And that wasn’t all. They seemed very accustomed to running together as a group. Without paying much attention to their surroundings, they kept equal distance and didn’t obstruct each other, as they gallopped down the slippery path. The three friends went as one unit. Applejack kept her eyes open at the front, Twilight was their safeguard from the rain, and Rarity made sure that Bon Bon wasn’t falling too far behind.

The thundering of hooves was a strange kind of comfort. It was instinctual, primal. Bon Bon felt sheltered in the presence of others. That must be how the three friends could run headlong into the darkness, not knowing what awaited them, without without a second’s hesitation.

It was amazing how Rarity managed to be so agile in that get up of hers anyway. Despite Twilight’s shield, Rarity was fully equipped to deal with seemingly any manner of bad weather, whether it was a light drizzle or a volcano eruption. She wore an elaborate tropical hat, adorned with swirly violet patterns no doubt of her own talented making. A high-collared heavy coat covered her up, which, despite the fact that it had ruffles and seemingly several layers of watertight fabric, was light enough to bend with her movements.

Rarity kept turning halfway back to check if Bon Bon was still keeping up, her clothing held perfectly tight. Her boots, naturally, went high up her legs and bore elegant decorations that made it look like she had stylized fiery wings on her heels. Bon Bon felt less than adequate with her bare hooves dredging through the mud.

Applejack wore heavy working boots, which emitted that dense shuffling sound with every one of her steps. She had no problem running in those boots, though that might have been because she didn’t wear much else. Apart from her hat, she carried a light jacket, with lots of pockets and buttons all over. It seemed to be stuffed with bits and tools as well, so it was likely a working vestment. Amazingly enough, it didn’t soak up any water, the jacket’s fabric glinting with many little droplets that clung to its surface. It must have been made of hemp or some other fabric that could be woven in intricate ways. Bon Bon had to ask her about it sometime.

The worst was Twilight, however. Bon Bon couldn’t even stand to look. Twilight was wearing a generic raincoat, like probably everypony had at home. It was a yellow plastic cover slung over the back and fastened with buttons, with sleeves for the forelegs and a zipper under the tail. It had a hood to cover the head and matching boots to keep the hooves, though not warm, at least dry.

It must have been identical to Lyra’s.

Lyra. Just thinking about her made Bon Bon falter. Bon Bon had failed Lyra in pretty much every responsibility that had been given to her. Lyra had taken the harder part of this venture upon her shoulders. Lyra had battled the raging weather, Lyra had overcome the nefarious presence in the forest, Lyra had set out to find a pony in a terrain so vast it was basically impossible.

And what had Bon Bon done in the meantime? Gotten lost in Ponyville, and eventually drummed up a bunch of ponies who knew about as much of the forest as herself? It was hopeless. Bon Bon’s eyes watered, and it wasn’t the rain. The constant stream of failures on her part had eaten away at Bon Bon’s resolve, the same infuriating way a ceaseless dribble of water would eat straight through a mountain, until there was nothing left but a hole.

Bon Bon could have hit herself, but then she would have fallen behind the three ponies. They had to save her from this mess. She had to keep up. She had to make up for the suffering she had caused.

Bon Bon couldn’t lose it now. Like she had lost it just before, in her own house, with Parting Ways. Why had Bon Bon screamed at her? Lyra’s disappearance certainly wasn’t Parting’s fault. Lyra could have flat out refused to help. She didn’t have to go into the forest, but she had gone anyway.

It had been Lyra’s own magnificent decision to risk her own life to help a stranger in need. If anything, Bon Bon should have praised Lyra for her valiance, and gone after her straight away without the pointless detour. But Bon Bon hadn’t been able to help it. She wanted to see Lyra again, and every glimmer of hope, no matter how desperate, was enough for her.

Bon Bon was just so very, very afraid. What would she find in the forest? Would it drive her insane? She was already going insane, wasn’t she? Bon Bon felt constricted. She panted hard, but she felt like she could barely breathe. Her chest was getting tighter by the minute. And unseen force held her back. Malicious appendages were slithering all over her form, examining and exploring with their disgusting slimy touch, probing for weaknesses, holding her back and trying to make her fall. Black tendrils.

A distraction. The water tower broke the veil of rain. The steel girders splashed water into a deep puddle spanning an entire segment of the trodden path. No problem, it was their mark to depart from the road anyway.

Twilight, Applejack and Rarity slowed down and walked along the right side of the road, scanning the adjacent shrubbery for an opening large enough. A flimsy bush that used to be there had broken off and been hurled away, the hole was good.

The three friends jumped down the embankment closely together, to stay under Twilight’s dome. They landed on an outcropping of earth in the meadow, chest deep in plants as they waited for Bon Bon to follow.

Bon Bon hadn’t been given time to prepare, but she immediately jumped anyway. Figures she’d fumble the landing and trip, painfully smashing her jaw into the mud. It hurt enough that Bon Bon needed a moment to recover. Applejack was next to her already, offering a foreleg. It was amazing how quickly Applejack had been at her side to help. Bon Bon gratefully hooked her own foreleg into Applejack’s and let herself be pulled up.

They wasted no time and promptly travelled straight away from the road. It wasn’t quite enough for a gallop, the vegetation all around was simply too dense. Still, it was progress.

Twilight’s dome interacted in fascinating ways with the meadow as they hastened through it. The force she projected outward hit the plants hard enough to bend them out of the way, and since the grasses were slick with water, it untangled them and made them spring back up in orderly rows. There was nothing shoving, pulling or tugging at Bon Bon’s hooves for a change. The walk could have almost been enjoyable under different circumstances.

Twilight and Rarity had no problems going forward either. They kept walking in Applejack’s wake, who took the very front all by her own, like a figurehead. She parted the endless vastness of grasses by her chest, unfalteringly. Right now, safe passage for her party was the most important thing to her.

Bon Bon wished she could be more like Applejack. So flexible. Applejack could adapt to anything. She adjusted to the situation, determined the best course of action, and pulled through with it. She wasn’t fazed by setbacks or when things didn’t go like planned, she just carried on. Boundless strength came from within.

And Bon Bon? Bon Bon wasn’t like that. Bon Bon needed her security. She wanted things to stay the same. She was bad at getting a hang of new stuff, she just wanted to keep doing what she did. How could she even have let herself get tagged along on this undertaking? She was so out of place, bumbling behind the heroes as it were.

More than once, Bon Bon stumbled over a knot in the ground or flinched away from an unmoving dark shadow. They had to wait up for her every time, because she was so slow. She tried to pay attention, but her thoughts were a jumble. Everything would be so much easier if it just wasn’t so stupidly hard to think. Bon Bon had to get to Lyra. She had to find the lost pony in the forest, and she had to handle the pony in her home. She had to figure out the mystery.

But she was deathly exhausted. It was just too much. It boggled her mind.

Bon Bon was no hero! She wasn’t even particularly athletic. She always placed close to last in the Running of the Leaves. And she hadn’t done more than spectate Lyra’s gymnastics course to this day. She swore she’d do more sports if they’d just get through this in one piece!

But this was no little game, this was a full blown adventure. Twilight, Applejack and Rarity - they were the heroes! They were known for routinely defusing dicey situations. They would turn things around. Bon Bon was only here to guide them where she could. She would hang back and make sure they’d reach Lyra as quickly as possible. What more could she do? She was only Bon Bon. She had no special abilities.

Lightning struck somewhere, but it was barely noticeable. What the storm lacked in noise, though, it more than made up for with rain. The water was pouring down onto them like a coherent stream. They could have as well run under a waterfall and Bon Bon wouldn’t have noticed a difference.

The darkness wasn’t a problem since they had to go straight ahead. Tall bushes grew increasingly dense around them, the rustling of leaves familiar. They bore the ruggedness that was essential for survival at the windy edge of the forest.

The long row of thicket was a natural wind barrier. It separated the forest’s harsh climate from the more cultivated environment under open sky. The four ponies wound their way through them. Unseen branches tried to snag Bon Bon’s raincoat and scratched on her skin, but she managed to surmount the small embankment in the end. She emerged into the wild plains, dotted with runaway trees, the dark mass of the forest looming in the distance.

“Alright, everypony here?” Applejack said, her chest heaving. Her gaze got stuck on Bon Bon.

Bon Bon cringed. It was true that she had continually lagged behind, but she would have preferred to keep moving anyway.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Rarity interrupted her panting to swallow, “Oh my, I had not expected it to be so difficult to cross the meadow while it is raining. I am dragging half my weight in mud with me, and I am not quite certain where we are. Wouldn’t it be a good time for a break now?”

No, they couldn’t afford a break.

“Yes, a break sounds fine,” Twilight said, indicating closeby, “let’s move under that tree. It looks big enough to keep us dry. I’ll be able to get rid of this shield, and we’ll have a chance to get our bearings.”

“Get our bearings?” Bon Bon rasped desperately, “Wait, let’s just go on. We don’t have to stop. Can’t we … just … “ But the others had already departed toward the tree. They hadn’t heard her. She should have spoken louder.

The tree was familiar. It had been standing here for a long time. A crooked thing, gnarly trunk bent at odd angles and grown into a weird shape. The entire tree must have fallen victim to some natural force from times untold. Most of the tree seemed to have been torn off, and, judging from the scarred knots near the ground, it may have been partially uprooted at some point, crippling its ability for growth considerably.

The tree was a forgotten remainder of the forest, standing solitary in the field, far away from the other stragglers. And still, amazingly enough, it had never given up. Though the trunk stood off sideways and dipped into the ground, it somehow had never lost the strength to pick itself up and grow toward the sun again.

Hovering low, and eminently skewed away from its roots, the tree sprouted a wide and flat crown, grown dense to catch all of the sunlight, or, in this case, rain, making it ideal for standing underneath for protection. Not only that, but the entire slanted tree trunk, fully exposed to water and air, had begun growing with a network of long, thin green twigs, which had eventually grown roots and leaves of their own. It was a host of exquisite plants on top of the old one.

The tree had never surrendered, no matter how weird and out of place it was, and, with time, had given rise to beauty despite its shortcomings. There was a kind of poetic grace in the story. Bon Bon wished she had more time to appreciate it.

Her adventure party was all gathered under the tree, conspicuously failing to make any progress at all. She joined them, but remained silent.

The rain couldn’t reach them here, but it was all the same to her. What could she do to make her companions get a move on? Twilight had ceased her shield and worked on providing light by horn. Applejack shook some mud off her boots, and Rarity was still busy catching her breath. What was Bon Bon to say? They seemed fairly content with the situation. Didn’t they realize the urgency?

“The Weather Team really outdid themselves this time,” Twilight said, “I don’t remember when it last rained like this. I didn’t even know Ponyville was cleared to get storms of such intensity. Maybe we should rest here for a moment? It could calm down if we wait.”

“Oh, no,” Bon Bon said, “No, it’s fine, we can go on. See? There’s no more wind! It’s warmer already. And I’m sure ponies so strong and clever as ourselves won’t be deterred by something so laughable as a little bit of rain, isn’t that right?”

“Er,” Rarity made, “Are you quite certain that you are ready to move on, Bon Bon? I don’t want to impose, but you didn’t seem to take to running the distance well. And you did have a rather nasty fall back there, on top of it.”

“What are you talking about?” Bon Bon said, “I’m fine. Look here.” She hopped in place and then reared up on her hind legs, holding out her forelegs in what she hoped was a victorious pose. “See? Perfectly healthy and fit as a twig.”

Rarity didn’t seem to know whether she should keep her mouth open or closed. It didn’t help that Bon Bon’s hooves visibly trembled from exhaustion. Curse it.

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Bon Bon said, icy water splashing from below as she dropped into a shallow puddle, “Can you just get out from under this tree and get moving?”

“I suppose we should go soon,” Applejack said cautiously, “but I’ll still need to take a look at our immediate surroundings. Mind giving me a hoof with that light of yours, Twilight?”

They turned away to look into the roiling darkness, but from the corner of her eyes, Applejack’s piercing emerald gaze never left Bon Bon.

Bon Bon let out a shuddering sigh as she hung her head. Along with the blood in her ears, reality came rushing back to her head, all the foregone conclusions that she so desperately had been trying to disregard all this time.

She was the weak link of this group. Applejack needed to keep an eye on her, because the possibility that she broke down on the spot was too real. But Bon Bon wouldn’t let it happen, of course, not as long as Lyra was still out there. How could she? Lyra was counting on her, and that made Bon Bon unbreakable until her goal was fulfilled.

Lyra was out there somewhere, lost and alone, likely suffering from cold and maybe even from injury. It must have been hours since Bon Bon had last seen her. And they hadn’t even reached the forest yet, let alone made any noteworthy progress toward saving Lyra from the fangs of the night.

Bon Bon was a colossal failure, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t matter. As long as she managed to get Lyra out of there, her purpose was realized. But how could she make the others understand? How could she explain to them this kind of relationship that could only exist between herself and Lyra?

Lyra had given her so much, made her realize so deeply what hurt her soul, when she found her alone and abandoned, countless years ago. Lyra had taught Bon Bon things she had never thought possible, had given her a purpose in life she had so desperately needed. Had given her lessons about trust and friendship, without which she would have withered and vanished into the earth instead of sprouting and blooming.

How could Bon Bon make Applejack, Twilight and Rarity understand the magnitude in all its veracity? She couldn’t. It was impossible. They couldn’t know. Only she knew. She was alone once more, like back then. Utterly, crushingly alone. This was her burden to bear, and hers only. Nothing was important. She wasn’t important. The only thing that counted was that they reached Lyra and brought her back out. Bon Bon was a means to reach the end.

When Lyra was back, Bon Bon wouldn’t be alone anymore. She’d know what to do. What to say. She would make her feel right again. Maybe she’d even forgive her. And Bon Bon’s three companions? They probably wouldn’t want anything to do with her anymore. She was but a burden on this voyage, but she needed to see this through. She only needed to get them to Lyra. Right? She was left behind, misunderstood, completely alone, but that was not important. She needed to make the impossible happen. That was all that mattered. Right?

“Bon Bon, are you crying?” Rarity said, her ivory features soft, “What ever is the matter, dear?”

“I know you mean well, Rarity,” Bon Bon said between gritted teeth, “Yet you needn’t waste your breath on me. But we have to go. Now. Lyra is out there, Celestia knows what’s happening to her right now, and we need to get her back. I don’t know what you are planning, but there is no time. Something is so wrong with this entire situation that makes me fear it’s already lost. Whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility, I don’t matter. Just, we have to go, please.”

“Now wait just a moment, Bon Bon,” Rarity said, pulling back Bon Bon’s hood too look into her eyes, “where did this come from? Don’t act as if you were any less important than anypony else That false sense of self sacrifice will get us nowhere in such serious circumstances. So, stop the nonsense. Of course you matter. If you didn’t value your own life, how could you care enough to rescue that of somepony else?”

“But, you don’t understand,” Bon Bon pleaded, “We need to do everything to get Lyra out of there. I don’t know what I’d do if we didn’t, but without Lyra, I am not. She is everything I have. I told her I would follow her with help, and I know how she is once she’s fixed her eyes on something. I can’t let anything happen to her because of my failure, I just can’t. Please, I need to make this right. Just grant me this.”

Applejack’s presence was already felt closing in from behind even before she spoke. “Alright,” she said, “I’ve had about enough of this. Bon Bon, can you stop being so angsty all the time for a moment and tell me why you’re losing your feathers like that?”

“I’m not angsty,” Bon Bon raged as she whirled to face the assailant, “I’m perfectly fine. I told you not to worry about me. Worry about Lyra instead. She’s all alone! Maybe she’s hurting! How can you tell me to stop being angsty when she could be facing danger right now? You promised me you’d retrieve her from the forest, but we’re nowhere near.”

“Which wouldn’t be an issue if we weren’t standing around arguing like frogs,” Applejack said, “What is it even that makes you think she could be in danger?”

“Well, I …” Bon Bon said, “I didn’t quite … I mean, before I came to you …” She wanted to drop the subject, but those eyes prompted her to go on. “I-I got lost, okay?” Bon Bon admitted, “I ran to the other side of Ponyville first, to the foresters’ lodge, before I realized there was nopony there. I tried to get help all over the place, but that’s easier said than done. I only came across you on the way to the constabulary. I must have wasted an hour or more.”

Applejack relaxed. “Is that all?” she said, “That’s not half bad, Bon Bon. An hour? That’s nothing. You don’t know how crafty ponies can be. It’s way more important we can do this rescue mission with a proper plan. Lyra’s a big girl, right? She can handle herself.”

Bon Bon thought she’d misheard. “You don’t believe me!?” she shrieked, “Lyra’s out there! In danger! This is my responsibility. I need to go get her, and I need you to get through. Look at this wind! Look at this dirt!” She kicked up some mud, but only sprayed it on her own chin. “Tell me she can handle herself! Tell me she stacks up against the unbridled forces of nature! Any chance she might be in danger is too much for me. We’re going! Now!”

Applejack was disappointed. Bon Bon fumed.

“I’ve had about enough of this,” Twilight said, trying to keep the light up while maintaining a safe distance from Bon Bon, “If you’re convinced we have to go, then we have to go, though I’m not too sure how well it’ll work like this. Anyway, there’s only one way to find out. I’ll need you to stand close while I cast the spell, and then hopefully it’ll lead us closer --”

“What!?” Bon Bon roared, “Lyra’s out there and you’re muddling around with your magic!? And after all, the only thing you can give me is a ‘hopefully’? I can’t believe I fell for this. That’s enough! I should --”

Applejack shoved Bon Bon in the chest. Hard.

“Hey,” Bon Bon said, “What- oof”

Applejack shoved her again, even harder.

Bon Bon recoiled. Searing pain fanned out from under her neck. She righted herself, but no words left her mouth. She couldn’t move, not while pinned down by Applejack’s piercing gaze. Those emeralds could have cut steel.

What was wrong with the mare? Had everypony completely lost their minds now? She couldn’t just waltz over and shove her. Nevermind the fact that they had much more important business to attend to. And what was up with the other two? Twilight and Rarity remained quiet and made no move to intervene. They had to help her! Bon Bon was being beaten up by a crazy pony!

Sure, Bon Bon was a little angry. It was bad to be angry, she knew that, and it didn’t solve anything. Lyra had taught her the value of friendship and cooperation, and how much could be achieved with just a little compassion. Who else could understand Bon Bon if not Lyra? It was important to listen!

Things don’t work that way. Violence solves nothing. When something goes differently than you had expected, you can’t just go feral and disregard everything else. The basic things that make sense are most important, and you have to trust that your friends know what they’re doing.

Oh.

Oh no.

She had done terribly wrong.

Bon Bon wasn’t violent.

Bon Bon was a trusting pony. Lyra had taught her how to be.

Trust. The confidence that another pony could fulfill the expectations they set for themselves. Trust was the fundamental building block of pony society. Sure, exerting control worked, and there are other ways of getting what you want. But they wouldn’t ever have gotten so far if not for the benefits of collaboration and faith.

How else could the engineer assemble a new machine that would change the lives of countless ponies for the better, if she couldn’t trust her peers to review her work and guide her efforts toward an attainable end? How else could the arcanist decompose our knowledge of the world and weave it into never seen before tools, if she couldn’t trust her instruments to show what she couldn’t see with utmost rigor and precision? How could anypony claim to be truly alive while trusting nopony else?

Trust was a foundation that carried civilizations further than imaginable. Trust empowered ponies to go way beyond what they would be capable of alone. Putting your trust in somepony just feels right, because if you truly, sincerely trust them, they will not disappoint you.

And that was what Lyra had been teaching Bon Bon all along. Lyra always trusted Bon Bon to her fullest extent. Bon Bon would never let Lyra down. But there was more. Bon Bon had to trust herself, too. She was capable. She could do things. She just had to believe it, too. Everypony else did.

Her companions wanted to trust her. Twilight and Rarity, they didn’t look down on her with disdain, but with compassion, because that was what she needed right now. And Applejack hadn’t barreled her down as retribution for her boorishness. Only concern and empathy was in her eyes. Silently, she was counting down the seconds.

The countdown crossed a threshold. “Are you alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked softly.

“Oh my gosh,” Bon Bon said, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to freak out like that! I only tried to help, but it came out all wrong. I’m so sorry for shouting at you! I didn’t want to say those terrible things.”

“We understand, Bon Bon,” Applejack said, “happens to the best of us. It can be hard to keep a clear head sometimes, especially when there’s loved ones involved.”

“It wasn’t me saying those things,” Bon Bon said. “Lyra taught me different. Lyra taught me to be kind to other ponies and to respect their opinions. Lyra always did those things! And I had come to think those as Lyra’s responsibilities instead of my own. That’s not who she wants me to be! She always says I should just relax, if I can’t do anything about it anyway. There’s no sense in trying to control something that’s impossible to control. It’ll do no good.”

“I know that Lyra can handle herself. I can too, if I just let it happen. I know that now. You have a plan of what you’re doing. How could I ever doubt you? You’re familiar with this kind of thing. If there’s anypony who can do this, it’s you. Thank you, Applejack, for knocking some sense into me.”

“We know what we are doing, darling,” Rarity corrected her, reaching out an elegant foreleg and touching it against Bon Bon’s. The sensation was akin to a small miracle. “Not only us three, but all of us. Together.”

“And there’s no need to thank me,” Applejack hollered, “hay, if I could solve all of my problems by beating somepony up, I’d be leading the easy life.”

“The power of friendship can overcome many obstacles,” Twilight said, “and it’s not just some ephemeral concept that warrants sporadic reminders. Friendship is very real and very present, nurtured and growing through our actions, every moment of every day, until we may tap into its full potential through our own devices. Friendship is there, because it lets ponies achieve more than they are capable of, even if their friends are far away. I am glad that you were able to come to this conclusion now, while surrounded by your friends who can help you make a difference, Bon Bon.”

“Wait, do you…” Bon Bon gasped, “D-do you mean we are still friends?”

“Of course we are,” Rarity said.

“Always help a friend in need,” Twilight said.

“I don’t see why not,” Applejack said.

It was unbelievable. There they were, three ponies Bon Bon hadn’t even been all too familiar with before, and they had her back, for no other reason than because she needed them to. There were no strings attached, no ifs or buts, because true friendship was unconditional. Their faces were genuine, their expressions free of second thoughts. All they wanted was for Bon Bon to be happy, and all she wanted was to accept their offer. Just stop worrying about being in control for a moment and trust in their judgement.

“I am so grateful,” Bon Bon said, “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then think of something,” Applejack said, “but do it later. We still got important stuff to do. Twilight?”

“Yes, Applejack,” Twilight said, “I believe I am ready to prepare the spell now. But, Bon Bon, I need you to trust me on this one, or else it won’t work. Can you do that for me?”

“Trust?” Bon Bon said.

“I trust Twilight,” Applejack said, “I’ve seen what she can do, and I know she’s one of the finest magicians in all of Equestria. If there’s a problem that can be solved by a spell, she’d be the first pony I’d call. I trust her with all of my being.”

“Yes! I trust her!” Bon Bon said, “I trust you, Twilight. You know how to get Lyra back. But I don’t know what I can do to help. I don’t have the first clue about magic.”

“Don’t worry, Bon Bon,” Twilight said, “You are, in fact, the centerpiece of this spell. Let me show you.”

Applejack hadn’t sold Twilight short. Twilight’s spellcasting was sublime. It didn’t look like much from the outside, she didn’t really do anything other than waving her horn around a bit, following some obscure flow of force that nopony but herself could perceive.

But the magic didn’t come from within her. She didn’t create the magic from nothing. Instead, the magic came from all around her. The wind dancing playfully through her mane, the little grasses tugging defiantly at her hooves, even the rain shuffling relentlessly the clattering leaves above their heads. And, no less importantly, themselves!

Applejack, Twilight, Rarity and Bon Bon, the amiable relationship between them was powerful and set things in motion that none of them could do alone. Magic is everywhere, and Twilight was fully a part of it, drawing from it and shaping it to her will, with the care and attention to match the finest artists. That was why it looked so easy when she did it, a mere bow of her head and the flexing of her horn. But it wasn’t easy magic, Twilight just worked with it very efficiently. Bon Bon couldn’t claim to understand even the first thing of what was happening, but there was an undeniable beauty about it that almost brought a tear to her eyes.

“This is something I haven’t tried before,” Twilight said, “Princess Cadence made me aware of this spell, though I had to look up the specifics before we left. What I’m doing is basically a navigation spell. As you might know, without some kind of target in mind, it won’t do much on its own. For this purpose, either the magnetic field or a magical focus point are commonly used, because those techniques are familiar and well researched. However, we’ll be doing something different today. It is supposed to be possible to draw magic from a strong source of love, and integrate it in the form of a focus, into the navigation spell. Needless to say, the source of love has to be strong enough to transcend large distances in space and time. The spell shouldn’t be too difficult to cast provided the love is pure enough, but we’ll need to keep the connection up constantly.”

The clearing under the tree was illuminated bright purple from Twilight’s horn. When she moved her head, a hint of ethereal wisps followed in its wake, indicating that there was indeed complex magic being worked. She moved towards Bon Bon, who didn’t dare draw away from the spectacle. Though she wasn’t being physically touched, Bon Bon immediately felt a presence all over her body, like the texture of a fine fabric being pulled over her skin, except it was another skin than the one she was used to.

“Bon Bon?” Twilight said, “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready, Twilight,” Bon Bon said, “let’s do this.”

“Alright,” Twilight said, “You will have to think of Lyra. Try to imagine what it would feel like if she was here. Do not think about her, but think of her, focus on your emotions.”

“Okay, okay,” Bon Bon said, steeling herself, “Thinking of Lyra. Think of her as if she was here. Thinking of her…” She closed her eyes. Focus now. Think of Lyra. Lyra’s face, her golden eyes, her gentle smile. Lyra’s long, slender legs, her messy and unpolished hooves. Lyra’s funny tail and her unkempt mane. Think, think, think. What if Lyra was here? That would be great. Bon Bon would love it if Lyra was here. Funny tail, slender legs.

“Anything at all?” Twilight’s voice said from closeby. Her presence was getting closer more intimate. It was looking for something but hadn’t found it yet.

“I’m trying, really,” Bon Bon said out loud, “But I’m not sure how I’m supposed to think about Lyra with all this going on.”

“Think of her, not about her,” Twilight said.

“Sorry!” Bon Bon said, “see, that’s the problem.”

“Do you love Lyra, Bon Bon?” Rarity’s voice came from the other side.

“Yes I do!” Bon Bon said, “I love her!”

“Well, then it’s easy!” Rarity said, “When was last time you two quarrelled?”

“Quarrelled?” Bon Bon said, “We don’t quarrel! Okay … maybe we do, but I don’t see how that’s relevant. As it happens, I remember the last time we quarrelled. It was because she is so stubborn! It must have been not even a few weeks ago. When it was warmer, Lyra attended a colloquium with her colleagues from the academy. They wanted to go spelunking in a cave somewhere between here and Canterlot. And Lyra, she just plain refused to wear a helmet! I told her to go buy one, but she said it wasn’t important, and it was only this one time, and we didn’t need to waste money on a helmet. But I didn’t relent, I wanted her to wear a helmet, because seriously, why take the unnecessary risk of getting injured, while doing something as silly as casual spelunking? I made her buy one and wear it. She thought I was so lame, but I just wanted her to be safe. Nothing happened of course, but Lyra can be so headstrong sometimes, even if it’s completely pointless. I swear, if I hadn’t been there … Uh …”

Bon Bon had opened her eyes to face empty darkness. The others were now standing behind her.

She had turned around during her oratory, and only become aware of it when raindrops hit her nose. She turned to the side, but promptly something felt amiss. There was an emptiness now where there had been none. Only when Bon Bon swiveled her head around and faced the same direction as before, the feeling went away and she was taken with a distant satisfaction. She was staring at the black silhouette of the forest in the distance, the maw of darkness.

“This is amazing,” Bon Bon said.

“I knew it’d work,” Rarity said satisfiedly.

“What do you feel,” Twilight said.

“I feel like we have to go in that direction,” Bon Bon said, indicating with her hoof, “Is Lyra there?”

“We can not say if she’s still there,” Twilight said, “But she certainly was there at some point recently.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Applejack said, “Everypony buckle up and let’s move out.”

While Bon Bon pulled her hood over her head again and Applejack adjusted her boots, Twilight passed the spell on to Rarity.

“It’s better if I’m free to pay attention if we’re going to venture into the unknown,” Twilight said, “Rarity? Can you take this spell from me? I configured it so it will keep itself going, you’ll just have to hold it with your horn.”

“I’m ready, Twilight,” Rarity said, “Just be careful when you— eek!”

Rarity jumped when Twilight touched their horns together. The ghastly mist clung to Rarity’s horn briefly before it vanished, but it left Rarity’s horn glowing. The illumination in the clearing changed to a colorless pure white. She’d quickly overcome her initial shock, but looked on skeptically.

“Is everything alright?” Twilight said.

“I have got it,” Rarity said, “the spell is still going. I can feel it, although I don’t think I have much control over it.”

“That’s expected,” Twilight said, “the spell will stop as soon as you relax your horn. If you keep it up for me, I can take care of the protection from the rain instead.”

“I appreciate it,” Rarity said before sidling up to Bon Bon, “Come, darling, I have a suspicion us two had better stick together.”

Rarity looked astonishing performing her magic. Her hat covered her horn from behind, the pristine glow thrown onto her mane and face. Her fur was flush in its spotless rich white while the coil of her mane bounced in deep shimmering purple. The wealth of immaculate color was a refreshing change from the dark dreariness that been the backdrop so far. Nothing was taken away from Rarity’s elegance by the fact that she kept twitching with her head and clenching her jaws. Maintaining the spell couldn’t have been as comfortable as she was trying to make it seem.

“Do you feel it too?” Bon Bon said, “It feels like we’re being drawn out there on a string. It feels amazing.”

“Not really,” Rarity said, “The only thing I feel is like I am lifting something that is slightly too heavy. It is not quite uncomfortable, but it does feel like it could slip out of my grasp any time. It is quite preoccupying.”

“You can tone it down if you want,” Bon Bon said, “There’s no sense in forcing yourself if it’s too much for you, Rarity.”

“Nonsense, darling,” Rarity said defiantly, “I agreed to go through with this and I will. Besides, I have an inkling that this is probably important, so I have no qualms with the little bit of exercise. Now hush, I think your turn is coming up. Go ahead.”

Applejack and Twilight had readied up and gotten in line behind them. Twilight raised her magical umbrella over the group again. A brief tickle ran over Bon Bon’s back before it vanished. And then they waited. For her.

“Uh,” Bon Bon said, “everypony ready?” Twilight and Rarity affirmed, Applejack nodded. They were primed, determined, ready to race off toward their destiny, but not for their own sake, but for Bon Bon’s, to support her and to help her. She couldn’t have asked for a better for a better adventure party than this. “Okay then, let’s go!”

Bon Bon moved out from under the tree in the direction she perceived as the most important, Rarity close to her side. The rain clashed against the shell of light with a deafening uproar, but the shield held impenetrable. The group pressed on, barreling against the weather’s ferocity with all their might, unyielding against its effort to push them back and hold them in place.

It was exhilarating. After everypony else had had their time in the spotlight, it was now Bon Bon’s turn to be useful. She didn’t resent the fact that she was now the center of attention, but rather she embraced it, and drew strength from it. Her thoughts had become delightfully free of distracting noise. It felt like she she could think clearly again for the first time in ages, and she would apply all her newfound abilities to lead her group to their conclusion.

But there was no need to rush it. Lyra could handle herself, wherever she was. She wasn’t stupid. That meant that Bon Bon couldn’t be stupid either. She would go slow and steady, keep her cool and make the best decisions possible. She owed that much to her friends, and to herself.

They left the crooked tree with the funny branches behind. Though it was awfully dark beyond a few strides’ distance, their immediate surroundings were now fairly well lit due to the two unicorns’ efforts working their horns. Within the roiling black sea, they were like a beacon of light, moving against the waves without faltering.

Bon Bon was the only pony not wearing shoes, and her legs chronically hurt from the cold. But at the same time, she was the only one who could actually feel how the ground beneath her hooves had become soft and muffled. The plants growing under the cover of the increasingly dense trees were soft and heavy.

Bon Bon was first to be out of breath again, her breathing hard and wet as she gasped for air, but it allowed her to get a feel for her surroundings, to taste the air filtered by cleansing water and pervasive magic. Even as the conflicting forces ripped the impurities out of atmosphere, bound tiniest particles and held them fast, Bon Bon’s senses were so trained on the impressions from the forest, the sharp freshness on her nose and the sour heartiness on her tongue.

“The forest must be coming up soon,” Bon Bon said, “I can smell it.”

She had better keep them up to date. True, she couldn't see or hear any more than them. A tree appearing right in front of them? Bon Bon warned the others though it was obvious. She sounded silly, or lame, even to herself, sometimes. But it was better to be safe than sorry. That’s what her heart told her was right, and she trusted herself.

Roots were sticking out of the ground, prompting care when stepping over them. The frequency of trees had increased considerably along the way. They were tough and flexible plants, their trunks jagged, resilient enough to withstand the relatively harsh conditions just outside the forest’s climate.

They seemed to be tethered to the ground by an increasingly packed network of crawly vines, supported by a scaffold of stringy stalks, tightly coiled around the supple trees in their hunt for purchase. The plant life seemed to prefer the company of the trees in general, likely because it was difficult to survive under the open sky for anything that was bigger than a little moss. Bon Bon could sympathize, she had come to appreciate the presence of her friends herself rather quickly.

The sky had remained almost pitch black since the lightning had stopped. Bon Bon could see her breath. The wind had calmed down, and the hazy puffs born from her body warmth merely brushed past her cheeks and vanished into the darkness. It wasn’t much, but it showed movement opposed to their own. It worked wonders in warding off the looming disorientation.

Without Bon Bon’s magnified sense of direction they would have been pretty lost. It was good that Rarity strove to keep close by. The spell became noticeably more muddled whenever they happened to part from each other, the distinct orientation in her mind becoming more of a diffuse suggestion. When it receded entirely from attention, it immediately left a burning absence in its wake.

The spell made Bon Bon feel dependent, and that wasn’t pleasant at all. But it was probably just the effects of the magic on her emotions. Bon Bon was elated whenever Rarity returned to her side and the jumble in her head was restored to focus. She would be thanking Rarity later for sticking this through with her.

“Applejack, do you feel it?” Twilight said.

“Yup,” Applejack said.

The galloping ponies slowed down to a canter in a clearing between several bulking trees and the overgrowth beneath. While Bon Bon braced herself against the ground to catch her breath, Applejack walked forward to inspect their surroundings. “I knew something was off, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. What is it?”

“Some kind of biological magic would have been my guess,” Twilight said, her shield tugging along as she turned her head, “And the fact that you can feel it leads me to believe that it’s botanical in nature.”

“Magical plants?” Applejack said, “But there aren’t supposed to be any around here. They’re all out on the other side of Ponyville, towards Canterlot.”

“Under usual circumstances,” Twilight said, “although ecological imbalances are always a possibility. It’s not even all that unusual a plant would occupy a biotope outside its usual domain. That’s especially true concerning species with magical characteristics, since they tend to have a quick energy turnover, resulting in relatively erratic patterns of habitation and short reproductive cycles. It’s possible that there has been something proliferating in this forest.”

“What, you mean like another infestation?” Applejack said, “Every time we had an infestation, it kept trying to bite our tails off, or threatened to overwhelm our crops. I don’t see anything unusual here though.” She strained her eyes against the darkness, but there was little hope beyond the little illumination provided by two horns. “Uh, I don’t think so, at least.”

“I have to question your methods, Applejack,” Rarity said, “I do not know how you can see anything whatsoever in this darkness. No offense to Bon Bon, I’m certain your navigation skills are going to lead us somewhere eventually, but I have hardly a clue where we are right now. This spell is making me light in the head and I would appreciate it if we didn’t waste any time dawdling around puzzling over some, magic mushrooms or what ever.”

Rarity stepped toward a bunch of overgrown trees just outside the shield. Bon Bon followed immediately.

“All I have been seeing is this dreadful bristled shrubbery,” Rarity said, “I have lost count of how many patches of these we’ve passed already.”

“I’m sure there’s a sensible explanation for everything, but I don’t think this has any relevance to the task at hoof. If you agree, I’d like to get on with …” Bon Bon said.

But then she actually got a look at the bush sprouting all around the tree, away from her face by just a whisker. It looked the same as the one she had seen earlier. Eerily so. Thorny spire in the middle, stark leaves all around, clambering onto the tree. Suddenly, Bon Bon felt very thankful for the shielding bubble corralling them.

“Uh, there’s something weird about these plants,” Bon Bon said, ”I’ve been here before, and I don’t remember the trees being overgrown like this. Twilight? Could you take a look?”

“I already have a suspicion,” Twilight said darkly. She didn’t leave the growth out of her eyes. “Applejack?”

“On it,” Applejack said.

She approached the curious abnormality, her face lit up oddly as she held just a hair’s breadth from the magical dome. The water continued to smash onto the shield from above and created a webwork of streams around its rounded form. It was amazing how Twilight was able to stand her ground against these forces. The shield was veritably tethered to the movements of her head, and it stood perfectly still, to the point where Applejack could hold her nose just shy of touching the magical wall, without fear of any sudden movement knocking it into her.

The shield was focussed upward, and didn’t keep out the water already on the ground. Bon Bon had to shuffle around trying to keep her bare hooves out of the muddy cold water that kept creeping in. However, even by this small movement, Bon Bon could already sense an unusual presence in the air. There was no way Applejack had missed it.

“Yup, it’s definitely around here somewhere,” Applejack said, stepping away from the bush, “This reminds me of the one time we actually did have a proper infestation at the farm. It was years ago, before you came here, Twilight. We had cleared a new patch of land along the big hill, which now connects the south side of the farm, to plant our crops.

“But the trees wouldn’t grow. The saplings came out too quick and were all crooked, and they died off soon. It took us days before we stumbled over the caches of these glowing fungus under the earth. You saw them once, in the Everfree. Apparently they had occupied the empty land in the time it took us to plant our seeds. They told us we’re lucky we’d caught them so quickly, because these things spread fast. I’d never encountered leech seed before that, but their reputation’s accurate I’d say.”

“Leech seed,” Twilight said, “It’s a blanket term for a family of many different genus of plants, or growths that appear as plants, which have in common their impact on their surroundings. Using their varying proportions of innate magical features or semi-magical tissues, they force their way into another species’ habitat, to drain, leech or sap the local magical or physical energies. They are absorbed to further the leech seeds’ growth and speed up their reproductive cycle. Leech seed appear like an infestation by nature, and while they usually target plants due to their abundance in volume, it’s often earth ponies who are affected the most because of their intrinsic connection to nature.”

“Can you believe it?” Applejack said, “Our defenseless little saplings, and these things latched onto them like leeches and drained them dry until they withered? It’s most vile a thing I’ve ever heard. At any rate, this is just like it. I know what a forest is supposed to feel like, and this ain’t right. It feels like something is missing, and there’s a constant pull on everything to fill that hole. This place is restless. I suspect it’s got something to do with these bushes, but I’m not sure. These leaves don’t look like something that’d grow in a forest. They’re way too rugged and oily.”

“Their appearance is not pleasant in the slightest,” Rarity said, “And I sincerely hope you don’t suggest we dig around in the dirt to find the root of the problem.”

“You’re right, there’s no point,” Applejack said, “We had better move on and see where the path takes us.”

Applejack walked onward, and Twilight followed her closely, as did Rarity and Bon Bon. There was no question about the direction they had to take now. The uncanny growths towered above, looming in the darkness at both sides, effectively leaving only a swath of forest ground they could move through.

The journey would have been impossible without the illumination provided by the cunning Twilight. Time and again Bon Bon managed to just about evade conglomerations of roots and rocks, that broke through the layer of muddy brown compost to strive for their ankles.

She guided Rarity around and helped her climb over the obstacles. Rarity seemed too preoccupied to pay much attention, and Bon Bon knew how much she would have hated stumbling and falling into the dirt. Of course, Bon Bon also didn’t want to lose her spell that, combined with her own intuition, would lead her to Lyra. But she had managed to recognize and shelve her own deadlocked insecurities, and she felt the most lucid in a long time. The well-being of her friend Rarity was at least as important as Bon Bon’s own personal gain.

“These leaves look the same,” Bon Bon said, “We’ve passed the same plants earlier. And even when we entered this area, the first overgrown tree we saw. It’s always the same, the same leaves with the same shape, and the same bristles on the same vines. And look, it’s not stopping. We’ve seen nothing but these bushes so far, and there’s nothing else in front of us.”

“If what you’re saying is true,” Twilight said, “I think I’m beginning to piece together what happened here. But you’re not going to like it.”

“I need to know,” Bon Bon said, “tell me.”

“If these leaves have something to do with the leech seed infestation that appears to be going on here,” Twilight said, “well, evidently there’s a lot of them. A big lot. As we know, by the laws of arcane dynamics, any concentration of magic creates a magical tension as the difference of intensity to its surroundings, a locally chaotic system, which strives to dissipate along the direction of the largest intensity gradient. That’s the path of least energy expenditure since it’s being fed by the larger source of magic. If we consider increasing number of leaves we’ve seen so far, we can assume they may have spread across some part of the forest, which would in sum provide more than enough magically capable biomass to qualify as that large source of magic. In particular, it is probably more than a pony, or even many ponies, in weight and power alone.”

“What are you trying to say?” Bon Bon said.

“I believe what she’s saying, darling,” Rarity said, “is that there might be enough leech seed out there to start leeching from us.”

“It’s even worse than that,” Twilight said, “consider what happens when they actually do sap a pony’s power. A pony is quite a significant accumulation of magical energy. If a few plants manage to absorb even a tiny portion, it would be enough to accelerate their natural conditions several fold. It could suffice to trigger a spurt of chaotic growth, which could spontaneously block off an entire pathway previously accessible.”

“You mean that these plants could have trapped Lyra in?” Bon Bon cried.

“Now slow down there,” Applejack said, “We don’t even know what these weeds look like. If it’s just a bunch of moss, I highly doubt she wouldn’t just step onto it and go her way.”

“Even if it’s just a small plant,” Twilight said, “The spontaneity could be confusing enough to disorient a pony. I wouldn’t worry about Lyra for now, she knows this terrain. But if Parting Ways and Teak really did travel as deep into the forest as it appears, and then they got taken by surprise by the storm, it’s very possible that they simply panicked and got separated. Parting managed to find a way out, but Teak might have gone a different way or still be holding out.” She narrowed her eyes at a plant. “It might even be that we’re retracing their path right now. Hence the massive growths.”

“I don’t know,” Bon Bon said, “Parting seemed really out of it. At any rate, I hope there’s not too many of the weeds ahead, and we can find a way through.”

They couldn’t. They had barely walked a few minutes before the shrubs around had grown so close, Bon Bon couldn’t help suspecting they were trying to block them in. And that was what happened, as the group of adventurers found themselves face to face with a solid wall of brush, latched onto the trees by the vine-tentacles arising from from the center of the mass. It was insurmountably dense, the inhabiting growth surrounding them on either side. The only way out seemed to be turning around and walking back the way they came.

“And that way’s likely grown shut by now,” Applejack said.

“What?” Bon Bon said.

“Where do we have to go?” Applejack said.

“Um,” Bon Bon said, turning her head to check for any change, but her sense was still pointing in the same direction. “Right through there.” Straight ahead.

“I thought you were gonna say that,” Applejack said.

“You were right, Bon Bon,” Twilight said, “these plants do look way too similar to the ones we saw earlier. This is unlikely mere coincidence, they have to be related to the leech seed infestation. If our assumptions are correct, we can’t be too far from the forest now, given the density of the overgrowth. I don’t think we can afford to turn around and walk all the way back though. I’m not a big fan of the idea, but it seems we have to get in contact with them and see if we can find some manner of passage. Applejack? Since you’re the most suitable for the task, can you try to get the plants out of the way?”

“Way ahead of you, Twi,” Applejack said, “I’ve had a hunch something like this would happen ever since we’d first come across these things, and I’m itching to test their mettle. I’ll need you to get this shield out of the way first though.”

“Careful, everypony,” Twilight said and dropped the magical shell. Rarity quickly jumped aside to avoid the masses of rain immediately smashing down upon them, seeking whatever shelter the outcroppings of the surrounding trees’ crowns provided. Bon Bon just coolly walked to Rarity’s side. She was so dirty at this point, the cleansing rain was like a little blessing.

“Alright then,” Applejack said, her gaze locking on to the offending plant with precise intent, “let’s see what you’re made of.”

With almost frightening determination, Applejack threw herself against the problem. Her body was no mere happenstance of her daily habits, and she was well aware of it. Applejack’s body was like a rigorous tool, a sophisticated apparatus forged by a lifetime of training and hard work, where every part moved in conjunction with all the others to achieve an ultimate capability of performance, that was a triumph of the pony form.

Her skin ran slick with the rain, and under the sheen of Rarity’s silver light, it became apparent just how strong Applejack was. The muscles in her thighs bulged with concentration, her vest grew tight around her chest in preparation, and she braced her neck in resolve. Reared up on her hind legs, her body worked in unison to wind itself up like a coil, until her forehooves found purchase on stems beneath the cover of haunting leaves. Then she discharged, dealing a heavy blow to the center of the botanical mass with a violent thrust.

But the plant didn’t relent. Applejack’s strike seemed to show effect at first as it bent inward under its force, but as the power of the impact proliferated into the structure’s inner workings, the plant began to push back with almost equal force. Applejack had to steady herself not to keel over backwards, but she was left leaning against the rigid structure entirely unlike any natural plant.

She blinked.

“What the …” Applejack said.

Determination mingled with curiosity as she crouched and prepared for her next attack. She wound herself up low to the ground and launched herself forward in a calculated strike, driving her hooves into the center of the mass with force. Again, the biological structure gave by a miniscule amount, but held firm, apparently remaining just as stiff as it needed to be, to resist the blow without breaking. Applejack had chosen her angle of incidence so she would be deflected upwards and she could step away comfortably before falling to her hooves.

“This isn’t one plant,” Applejack said, “this isn’t a singular of anything at all. Look at it! The green hedge alone could have never withheld my hooves. The shrubs underneath helped it stay firm, as did the brambles back there. They’re all connected! It’s like one big coherent make.”

“Oh, this is worse than I had anticipated,” Twilight said. The fleeting nervousness in her voice made Bon Bon’s heart race. Wouldn’t they be able to get through after all?

“Well I’m not about to let this bunch of weeds make a fool of me,” Applejack said with a sneer, “stand back, everypony, I’m gonna make it regret it ever budding.”

Her movement was impeccable. With calculated steps she rapidly closed the distance until she was just optimally aligned with the wall of vegetation. If her body had been a wound spring before, it was now like a taut slingshot, a consistent unit of raw power fully drawn to unload in one massive destructive outburst. With such ferocity her hooves dug into the earth, that Bon Bon ducked away in fear of the collateral. Applejack increased her momentum by drawing her hind legs in and rearing up on her forehooves, before swinging around and concentrating the entire force carried in her limbs precisely into one point within the thicket by a tremendous kick of her hind legs.

The plants creaked and groaned as even the tethered trees bent inward under the impact. Bon Bon could swear Applejack had kicked the plant out of this plane of existence as a ripple coursed through it, but it wasn’t enough. The brush recovered and sprung upright almost like a rubber band. Applejack was knocked back and danced on her forehooves, her hind legs flailing in the air for balance.

“Whoa…” Applejack made and Bon Bon was about to jump in to help, but Applejack stabilized on her own and fell back on her hooves. She pushed her hat back in place.

“Is this some kind of cruel joke,” Applejack screamed at the plant, “I will not be beaten by the likes of you. You waltz into this peaceful forest and steal and plunder like it’s nopony’s business. You trap my friends and leech on them without mercy. And now you think you can keep me away from them with these pathetic vines of yours? I’ll show you what it means if you think you can cause havoc on my turf. Nothing stands between me and my friends, you hear? Your repulsive ways have an end.”

Applejack ran to build up distance to the weeds. Every last muscle on her body worked at its peak solely for this purpose. Her hooves kicked up the earth violently. No, her hooves were the earth and the earth was her hooves.

The irregularities in the ground served to support Applejack’s hooves in her step, the soft humus in the turf sprang up to enhance the motions of her bones, the energies of the myriads of beings that lived and ever had been alive in that patch of pioneer forest converged to augment Applejack’s essence and lifted it beyond itself, as she heeded the ethereal cry of the forest for help. Rescue us from this dark menace!

The rain no longer weighed her down, but the water flowed around her form, it embraced and cooled the blazing furnace that was her body, while the wind suffused her lungs and fanned on the flames to drive her beyond her own limits. Applejack was one with the unfathomable powers of nature, and the entire world seemed to lean in on her, subsuming her as part of itself.

The display was transcendent. Never before had Bon Bon witnessed this majestic a spectacle of earth pony magic. She would have marvelled in awe hadn’t she been so afraid of it at the same time. Applejack closed the distance, reared up and swung around. Like a divine spear of justice, she drove the radiant energies of nature into the heart of evil itself with the force of an angry god.

The earth shook as obliteration was wrought upon the unjust. A massive crack resounded as the top half of the dark structure exploded into gleaming light, and the remaining half scattered into all directions as the ground itself was upturned within the reach of the annihilating consecration. Earth and pieces of vegetation sprayed in every which way, as a storming gust followed in Applejack’s wake, the reverse exchange of energy taking place as nature’s powers returned to their origins.

The plants burned up into no more than ephemeral gleaming dust, that vanished as it was carried away by the dying wind. The trees veritably breathed in relief as they sprang up to their original forms, finally free of the dark vines’ constricting stranglehold. Nature had given and nature had received. Applejack had played her part as the conduit. The primal transaction was complete.

Applejack took a few steps on her forelegs before she dropped on all fours again. She hollered contentedly. “Whew,” she said, “see, now that’s how it’s done. I know there’s not a plant that can give me a ride for my money. Now with that out of the way, we can just …” Her ears folded as she regarded the field of battle. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Behind the vanquished cluster of weeds stood another one just like it.

“I don’t suppose you can clear out that one too?” Rarity said hopefully.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Bon Bon said.

“This is even worse than bad,” Twilight said, “Thanks to Applejack’s efforts, we now know that no part of this structure seems to be mundane in nature after all. It’s entirely magical, and it’s safe to assume that this is the leech seed. The entire thing. If the plant is as widespread as it seems, that’s more than we’d been calculating by an order of magnitude.”

“But how do they do it?” Applejack said, “They look like regular plants for the most part, but they put up a resistance unlike anything I’d ever seen. That’s not normal plant behaviour if you ask me.”

“It’s not surprising,” Twilight said, “given how much energy you’ve been expending and the fact that the leech seed seems to be utilizing a fixed part of it, it figures you would be getting a proportional reaction to the interchange. The plant seems to apply its stored power to uphold a series of partial spells, likely quasi symbiotic in character seeing how they are localized on identical, or at least similar, physical manifestations. At least a telekinetic projection doubling as an anchor for a reflective discharge appears to be part of the polyfocal system, moulding it into a shape no doubt derived from its environment. It costs almost nothing to apply the process recursively, producing a live simulacrum of a plant that blends right into its current habitat, but grows more resistant the more force you apply to it.”

“What?” Applejack said.

“Look,” Twilight said, “it’s like this,” she flashed her horn with light, “were combined with this.” She flicked Applejack’s ear from the distance.

“Hey,” Applejack said indignantly, “okay, I get it. Doesn’t seem too complicated though, right? I mean, don’t we have bubbleshells around Ponyville that can do that too? And what about the fen creepers in the swamp?”

“You’re right,” Twilight said, “those plants essentially function by the same principle. However, as opposed to this one right here, they are relatively small and produce only crude individual shapes to perform immediate actions. Bubbleshells can become large, but their shells are actually very thin, so there’s not much effort involved. And fen creepers are tiny compared to this, moving such a light weight is almost trivial.”

“The peculiarity about these leech seed are the astonishingly complex and life-like structures they are able to produce. Not only is it a facsimile of a number of different plants, but they are actually strong enough to firmly latch onto their surroundings even before draining them of their energy. Such intricate magic can’t be worked by individual plants, but it can occur if a large enough volume of primitive magic works in conjunction. Seeing how they likely don’t have enough energy for large physical body anyway and don’t need any sunlight, the plants that are the root of this problem could be growing in massive amounts under the ground. The sheer quantity must be unfathomable. And that, I’m afraid, doesn’t bode well for the ponies lost in the forest. If being leeched from in dimensions like this, it would be enough to … well, to seriously weaken them. Maybe even knock them unconscious.”

Bon Bon’s heart fell. “Are you saying these plants have Lyra trapped in there and are draining her dry?” she exclaimed. The horror was gnawing at her.

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, Bon Bon,” Rarity said, “Lyra is hardly stupid. They are mere plants, they don’t possess any intelligence of their own. Do you think Lyra would be careless enough to be outwitted by a plant?”

“No … no she wouldn’t,” Bon Bon said meekly. Thankfully she could count on Rarity to keep her in line. “Lyra’s not stupid at all. She’s very clever. I know she would have turned around at the first sign of trouble, or at least she wouldn’t have carried on if she hadn’t been confident she could handle it. I’m not really too worried about her, she can handle herself. But I’m worried about the other pony in the forest. What about Teak? What happens if he really does fall unconscious?”

“Well, let’s just focus on finding him quickly, shall we?” Rarity said. The pause was morose. “We know these growths are all magical, right? Can’t you perform some manner of counterspell to get rid of them, Twilight?”

“I’m no trained eco engineer,” Twilight said, “so I won’t be able to influence the plants themselves. It’s also not feasible to try formulating a counterspell against their magic because I simply don’t have enough details about its characteristics, nor is there time to go and research one. However, as you have correctly said, these are just plants. Their ethereal mechanisms, though high in prevalence, are not particularly complex. They could likely just be negated if I apply a thorough basic disenchantment, as long as it’s strong enough.”

“Can you do that?” Bon Bon said, “I appreciate Applejack’s awesome strength and Rarity’s help navigating, but I think it would be our fastest way right now.”

Twilight cast the spell immediately, although, unlike the ones before, it wasn’t soundless or subtle in any way. Their surroundings were defined in hard shadows from the steelen light as the magic formulated before her with a harsh fizzle. Twilight’s horn was cast in glowing grey nebulous flows of energy that precisely followed its surface structure, achieving a trajectory focussing accurately further out. It looked like she was wielding an ephemeral cutlass on her head, with its blade and point frighteningly sharp.

The murky material kept trying to coalesce into glassy smooth shards of aether to reinsert themselves into the webwork of the ethereal plane, but were forced back into their utilitarian form by Twilight’s merciless control. It was raw energy, simply structured and precise, capable of rapidly adapting to and overshadowing any magical structure it came across, and reverting back to neutral state. Twilight projected the spell outward and fanned it broader, now more like a big cudgel she drove before her by its handle attached to her horn.

“Okay,” Twilight said, “a simple solution, and it should work pretty well. I’m going to be able to keep this up for a while. Try staying behind me. The spell … might feel a little unpleasant if it touched you. It should definitely be effective against the leech seed though.”

“Go ahead,” Applejack said, going out of the way, “I can’t say it wasn’t fun beating them up, but I hope we find a faster way of getting through these pests.”

Twilight directed the spell toward the newly revealed leech seed and closed in. It worked. Surprise.

There was a slight bit of resistance, but Twilight to pushed against it. Under contact with her projected touch, the magical construct disintegrated into its sparkling components before falling away into nothingness. Twilight was being scrupulous, making sure to catch all of it as she stepped through Applejack’s crater. Following behind her over the upturned earth, Bon Bon was unexpectedly relieved when the unnatural overgrowth released its stranglehold from the surrounding trees. It was amazing how good it felt to see a patch of regular forest unbearing of any monstrous craziness for a change.

“Look,” Applejack said. Twilight was careful not to swing her magical weapon around as she followed the indication.

Below them, just about breaking through the surface of the forest compost, were tiny dark beads, glistening like oil against the unicorns’ movements. And there were a lot of them. The ground was dotted as if with a hundred evil eyes watching out menacingly. The plants grew in irregular patterns, while some remained small and tightly clustered together, others were outliers and sprouted crooked leaves close to their muculent cores.

“Are these it?” Applejack said, “Are they the leech seed?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “There’s no other plant like it around, and they look like they would fit our assumptions.”

“They look positively revolting,” Rarity said.

“They look scary,” Bon Bon said.

“And they’ll look flat soon,” Applejack said, contentedly stomping around on the growths in no particular array. When she lifted her heels, the small globules had fallen apart into bits, along with a small amount of a slimy substance that stuck to her boot.

“Applejack, don’t be unsavory,” Rarity said, pointedly avoiding walking in Applejack’s track.

“I’m just being cautious,” Applejack said, “never leave weeds behind if you value your crop. First thing you learn when farming.”

Neither did Twilight relent, as she carried on clearing the way, while the others dredged on after her. Her performance was much more subtle than Applejack’s. She drove the widely spread manifestation of her power in front and trotted on at a steady pace, pushing the magical overgrowth aside. In her wake remained an immaculate swath of regular flat forest ground, through which Bon Bon and Rarity could walk, and Applejack stomp, right through the ethereal excess.

The leech seed simply gave way and vanished when Twilight arrived to trim them to size. What else should happen? They were just plants. Plants can be trimmed, moved, uprooted and cut down, and they will move out of the way to settle somewhere else if given the chance.

However unnatural their appearance might be, these plants just happened to have grown well within this part of the forest, and they just needed to be removed again. This was the realization that brought Bon Bon’s diffuse sense of alleviation into reality. It drove her on with augmented resolve. They were just plants! There was no evil monster, no nefarious force, pulling the strings from the shadows, trying to catch them in a heinous trap while conquering the realm with its corrupted minions. This was no punishment for unconfessed sins, no revenge for unpaid debts, no torture from pure villainy. There was no greater purpose to it all! They were just plants!

Plants were predictable, they could be outwitted, they could be understood. Bon Bon didn’t have to be afraid of some immeasurable, incomprehensible dark that was out for her life. That is ridiculous! Nopony wanted her harm deliberately, neither the plants, who were only following their nature, nor her friends, who had helped her in her moment of weakness. Everything’s so simple! Lyra had come to the same conclusion, that much was certain. Lyra was fine. Wherever this path would lead them, Lyra would be waiting there, holding out for their arrival.

Then why was Bon Bon’s chest getting tighter by the moment? Why couldn’t she stop thinking about Lyra, alone in a dark hole somewhere at the most desolate corner of the landscape, bruised and scared, longing to go back home? It wasn’t logical, but it was still unfair. Bon Bon was in the good company of her friends, while Lyra had to wander around alone. Bon Bon knew it made no difference, they weren’t making progress any differently whether or not she felt guilty.

She was required to focus at this time. They were practically cutting a tunnel through the overgrowth as they traversed it, and the walls didn’t look particularly inviting. Any distraction could prove fatal. She shouldn’t even waste her time with such worries while they didn’t matter. Yet still, Bon Bon couldn’t escape it. Her mind was constricted by the purpose that rose above all others. She longed to see Lyra again so much. And she kept imagining that the feeling was getting stronger by the moment.

Either that, or the feeling actually was getting stronger.

“Is it just me,” Rarity said, “or is anypony else as excited as I am? Granted, our adventure has been quite exhilarating so far, but I have been practically jumping on the tips of my hooves for the longest while now. I am getting visions of shoving Twilight aside and dashing off, which, to be frank, is quite worrisome.”

“Bon Bon?” Twilight said over her shoulder.

“Um, I didn’t think it was strange,” Bon Bon said, “But I keep thinking about her. I can’t stop thinking about Lyra!”

“Then that means we’re getting close,” Twilight said, “the spell’s working normally. Look!”

Beyond the next plant, the constricting weeds finally gave way to open space. A breath of fresh air drove away the mustiness of the botanical tunnel. Before them lay a wall of huge, rough larches and spruces, but also poplars and alder trees, their boughs interspersed to form a strong, coherent arrangement of branchwood, that actually served to guard the various colorful symbiotic fungi, mosses and other growths underneath, and to regulate passage in and out. This was the forest proper, and it made the sparse tree patches they had traversed so far pale in comparison.

The forest was much denser, much more tenacious, a flexible, self-sustaining biological system. There would be no passing through here, this position was evidently grown shut by real plants, but there was no need to either, because a structure as complex as the forest by necessity contained natural pathways and passages for navigation. This was exemplified by what lay before the forest, a broad and flat furrow in the ground, just sufficiently rough that no plants could properly strike roots as it was currently being washed out by a steady trickle of water from further uphill.

“I know this path,” Bon Bon gasped, “We always go here picking mushrooms in spring. Lyra must have come through here too, she knows this is the fastest way. It connects with a trodden path deep into the forest just over there.”

Bon Bon splashed into the furrow and trudged uphill, the vegetation finally allowing for some breathing room on either side. Her friends followed close behind. It wasn’t more than a few steps before they arrived at the top, rounding a familiar brush before they stood before the looming maw of darkness.

The broad trampled path along the hill fell off on one side, leading deep into the darkness. Even with their limited illumination, they could see the nasty vines of the leech seed trying to crawl across the road, completely blocking it off not much further down. Bon Bon swallowed.

“Something’s changed,” Rarity said, “I can’t feel the spell as intensely as before. What about you?”

“I know it makes little sense,” Bon Bon said, “But I can’t help feeling disappointed that she’s not here. It’s obvious she wouldn’t be, but still, I wish she were ... Must be the spell’s effect. I think. Lyra would sensibly be anywhere but here right now.”

“I reckon she’d agree,” Applejack said. While everypony had been too busy gawking into the dire passage, Applejack’s keen senses had immediately homed in on any abnormity that might provide hints to benefit the situation. She was pointing to some upturned earth that had some bits of composted leaves trailing down the hill. In the middle, muddy depressions with a regular curved shape. Boot prints.

“Lyra!?” Bon Bon said, “Is that Lyra? That means Lyra went through here. I know it’s her! It must be! I recognize these prints. We have to go after her!”

“Whoa, easy there,” Applejack said, moving between Bon Bon and the edge of the road before she could jump off, “It’s likely her, but look where the tracks lead. She must have veered off the path to avoid the weeds and found a way through the trees. Do you know how long it would take us if we tried to retrace her path?”

“She must have had an ulterior goal in mind,” Rarity said, “or she wouldn’t have chosen to fight through all this chaos. If she was unable to traverse the road, she seemed to at least have kept close to it. Do we have any clue about where she went?”

“You still have the spell going, right?” Twilight said, “The magical differential that has accumulated here through Lyra and Bon Bon’s love must have equalized by now. My location spell should be pointing toward the nearest concentration closeby, if there is one.”

“I know she followed the road,” Bon Bon said, “I know she did. If Lyra didn’t turn around here, then she would have taken the path of smallest effort. That’s so much like her. I don’t care if it’s the spell, I know she went in this direction!”

“We should follow her then,” Applejack said, “but it’d take too long to go around the blockade. We can go through if Twilight’s up to it.”

“Twilight! Go!” Bon Bon cried.

Twilight didn’t hesitate. She swung her blazing magical flare forward and pushed into the magical weeds immediately. The arcane infestation lost its material instance as soon as it came in contact with her disenchantment and disintegrated into nothing but glowing dust that swirled away into other planes.

Twilight shoved the arcane materia aside with the bow of her magic, and pushed through the resulting ingress at a steady pace, almost as if she were shovelling huge amounts of swirling, glittering snow. The effect was very impressive.

Since the trees were spaced far apart to block the road to begin with. But when they were swept out of the way, any remaining vines receded back into their holes quickly, leaving behind a broad avenue through which the adventurers could gallop beside one another. The road went along the largest hill in the vicinity, and it was the fastest way to reach all the neighbouring parts of the forest. Progress was going well, and Bon Bon was grateful for it. She didn’t want to waste any time right now if she could avoid it. The clock was ticking.

It was a testament to how incredibly powerful Twilight actually was. The task was not easy, that much was obvious. The muddled glistening droplets running down Twilight’s plastic raincoat weren’t rain, but beads of sweat that originated from her brow. Her hood fluttered behind her head solely by the sheer force that radiated from her horn. She was panting hard and she was plainly not used to running so much while working her horn. But despite her struggle, Twilight was a radiant beacon of magic, juggling multiple spells with ease while keenly observing the magical environment and continuously integrating the group’s observations into her analysis of their situation. And all that without a moment of faltering or hesitation. This was the kind of challenge that made her flourish. She made everypony see what this world was made of. It made them understand. It was incredible.

Bon Bon needed this, she couldn’t go fast enough. She needed Twilight, and she needed Applejack and Rarity. The smallest lifesign of Lyra had sent her thoughts back into turmoil. Lyra wasn’t just an abstract concept they were chasing after anymore, but she was real! Of course, yeah, Lyra was obviously real, but neither was she lost nor had she turned around and gone elsewhere. They had found her hoofprints! Lyra was here! In this forest! And they were closer to her than ever before! Bon Bon couldn’t her much over the sound of her heartbeats, but the presence of the navigation spell filled her with renewed intensity, and it steadily pulled them further down the road.

“We have to be getting close,” Bon Bon panted, trying to keep her shaky hooves steady on the uneven earth, “I can feel it again, it’s getting stronger. How does this work anyway? The spell had been leading us to the entrance all the time, and when we arrived, it kinda went away, and then it started guiding us in a different direction. Why is it like this?”

“No spell works independently of its environment,” Twilight said, “least of all when love magic is concerned. Love does not exist in a vacuum. It’s not unidirectional. When love’s power is invoked, there always has to be a recipient. The energy created by effectuating magic using love is attuned to the analogous portion of love that is generated on the receiving end. That means that the magical tension is relaxed back to its neutral state when the associated extrema are brought sufficiently close together. The mark is gone, but we can again find the next closest one. That’s why the spell works, because love transcends the boundaries of physical distance. Love is there, even if you aren’t. We use magic to latch onto that property and identify two fixed points in the field of love by the reverse direction of their association.”

“So … ?” Bon Bon said.

“So that spell of Twilight’s leads us to Lyra,” Applejack said, “by retracing the spots where Lyra has been thinking about you.”

Just then, the endless barricade gave way to reveal a broad clearing where the outer part of the road had broken off and rolled downward. No trees had grown here in a while because the earth was too soft, and consequently there were no leech seed, as they must have moved with the other plant life onto the plateau further downhill. Except, instead of the plateau, there was what could only have been the ruins of a battlefield

“What happened here?” Rarity said as they stepped onto the upturned ground. There were hoofprints everywhere and the vegetation had been sprayed with earth and the remains of other plants. “This area looks positively ravaged. Did somepony hold combat exercises here?”

“Whoever this was, they must have come to the same conclusion as us,” Twilight said, pulling away a bunch of torn-off leaves to reveal the scattered dull husks of crushed leech seed buds.

“Bit hefty for collateral damage,” Applejack said, righting a snapped sapling only to have it fall over again, “And there are sharp cuts all over the place and even the ground. Could this have been Lyra’s doing?”

“Yes!” Bon Bon said, “Yes, Lyra brought a knife. It was her! She must have found out about the leech seed here and cut them down to clear a path. But I don’t know why she was so fierce about it. She must have gotten really angry with them and knocked them all over. I hope she’s alright and didn’t hurt or exhaust herself too much. I can even feel her power very intensely, I feel all tingly in my hooves and on my back.”

“Means she’d gotten either very excited or very scared,” Applejack said, “But even I’d probably turned around by now.”

Lyra was unbelievable. She’d lost her nerves in the middle of a forest infested with magical plants that had no other goal but to take her captive. She’d laid waste to an entire section of forest clearing armed with nothing but her hooves and her machete. She’d defied all reason and thrown herself into obscure danger just for the sake of a pony that was possibly alive and may or may not have been lost much deeper in the forest.

All that, and Lyra still had nothing better to do than to think about Bon Bon? Had she completely lost her mind? What about the small detail of her own very survival? Or how about finding a way out of this mess and letting somepony else handle it? But no, that’s Lyra we’re talking about, of course it wasn’t even a decision. She did the noble thing. Her nature didn’t even encompass the possibility that she would give up. She would attempt to rescue the estrayed’s life. It was also in Lyra’s nature to deem Bon Bon worthy. Worthy of entrusting her life and her entire being to. Without question, without hesitation. Bon Bon was there to rely on, and that was that. Just go.

Bon Bon had to swallow hard as her throat hitched. “And?” Applejack said, “Where’d she go next?”

“Similar direction,” Bon Bon said, “We can continue following the road.” She turned away before they could see the tears. Her burning hooves had carried her up to the road without effort.

“That means she did press on,” Twilight said, trying to keep up with Bon Bon, “then we shouldn’t hesitate to do the same.”

Sunday - glint

Lyra breathed in deeply, forced herself to ignore the impending hitch, fighting the urge to break into a shallow pant. It was the best she could do to suppress a yawn and, by extension, admit defeat to the magical weeds, as she waited for the muscles in her upper legs to stop burning.

The climb uphill would have already been excruciating by itself, but the fact that the weeds had been sapping her strength increasingly more made it feel like the world was out to obliterate her in both body and mind. If she allowed herself to yawn now, it would be the end. Where there was a yawn, a comfortable stretch wasn’t far off. And where there was a stretch, a relaxing recline would soon follow. And who knew what would happen then. There was no way Lyra was falling asleep in this infested wilds. Not while she was being watched by those disgusting perverted plants.

The weeds had only shown up sparsely as of late. No wonder, they obviously preferred to take the path of less travel. Lyra knew there was a path somewhere off to the side that led to the summit rather comfortably, but she had avoided it purposely. It had been obviously overgrown with weeds when she had passed it, and she didn’t know how much more of them she could take.

A dull sting had taken hold of her neck, a clear sign that she was arriving at the end of her capacity for sword fighting, against overwhelming odds. Instead, Lyra found herself scaling the wild side of the hill, wobbly ledges of slippery rock alternating with steep stretches of rolling earth, held together only by the supporting network of confusing brambles and tangly branchwood. A few seconds’ breather was all she could spare when she had entered the comparatively supple shelter under a small spruce. But now she had to go. The urge to lie down and close her eyes was chasing after her like a wild beast, and she couldn’t let it catch her.

Lyra started off once more in the same direction as always, up the incline. Something yanked her hind hoof back and she fell. She had to hold her chin up so she wouldn’t bite on the handle of her machete. Same as always. She hardly cared about anything else anymore, as her chest took the brunt of the impact.

“Seriously?! What’s it this time?” Lyra raged, heavily sighing into the mud under her nose. The wet earth seemed so welcoming. Everything was earth and everything went back to earth. Just lie down for a second and … wait, no! “Hey, wait up, I need some light here.”

The sprite couldn’t understand her, and neither did Lyra need to speak to get it to do what she wanted. But she would go crazy if she didn’t have somepony to talk to.

It twirled carelessly through the air, bouncing toward Lyra’s leg unhindered upon unfelt winds, even though the pouring rain. The icy water did nothing to clear the encrusted mud off of Lyra’s clothing. She couldn’t even tell where her legs ended and her raincoat began under all the dark sludge, even though the sprite did a pretty good job of driving back the impenetrable shadows. She could see the knotted vines her boots had become entangled in though.

“Yarrow? In the middle of the forest?” Lyra said, “This is getting more ridiculous by the minute. I’ll show you-- Ugh, trying to drag me down …” She kicked at the plant with her free leg, and it soon broke off and released its grip on her boot as it rolled away into the darkness. Lyra spun around and got up on her legs again.

“You won’t stop me, you hear?” she howled at the trees, “I know you’re trying to keep me from reaching my goal. I’m on to you! But I am going to get up that hill, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Before she could think it any better, Lyra stormed off.

She had to focus on making progress. She had no choice. Every branch she pushed aside that snapped back at her, every incline she climbed up that threatened to give way under her hooves, every cluster of snarled brambles that scratched her exposed skin, every magic weed that she smashed with contempt, every stretch of the hill that she could master despite her legs feeling like they would fall off. Small victories. And Lyra had to celebrate each and every one of them like it was her greatest accomplishment.

It was the only way not to succumb. The entire forest did its best to prevent her from reaching the top of that hill. The very earth didn’t want her to go up there. The contagion of magical weeds didn’t want her to go up there. Damn it all! Even Lyra herself didn’t want to go up there! She knew exactly what was waiting for her! It was the last reported location of their two wayward ponies, Parting Ways and Teak. Parting had barely made it back alive, but Teak had been left behind, badly injured and severely weakened. Many hours ago. Within this hostile environment. What did Lyra think she would find up there? The land of milk and honey?

Doesn’t matter. Don’t think. Just keep moving.

Lyra’s biggest relief and her worst fears soon coalesced into reality, in a harrowing turmoil that felt like it was tearing her apart. She panted hard, but not by exhaustion, but solely to cool off as her limbs stiffened from an electrifying jolt, her eyes burning because she had wrenched them open so wide.

It was red. Muddled, darkened and covered in dirt, but it was unmistakably red.

Lyra promptly tore through the increasingly sparse vegetation before she emerged onto even ground. She recognized this clearing, they had been here before.

On the top of the hill, an open space untouched by the forest’s rough climate, the trees not daring to intrude further, as if to give the delicate environ a few paces in diameter of room to grow. It was like a tiny, soft meadow, just the most silky grass and the thinnest shamrock, the most colorful of flowers and the most frugal of mosses. Like a miniscule ecosystem, agreed upon to be left alone by all of the forest, designed just to be pleasant to the senses and to be trodden upon only by those who seek refuge in amenity.

Very romantic. Lyra could make it out well. There must have been some semblance of moonlight finally able to penetrate the cloud cover in order to gingerly caress this little paradise with its velvety touch. Though it wasn’t apparent how the light got through, since the rain still hammered down, stronger than ever before, onto the broadside of Lyra’s blade with sharp metal tinks.

Lyra dropped her machete into the grass. There was only one thing that caught her attention. The neat little woven picnic basket stashed away under the cover of the large beech that crowned this small escape with its majestic reach. The basket didn’t look much different to the one they had, the one Lyra had held in her own hooves just yesterday. It was a very sturdy basket, woven using only the best reeds, not particularly watertight but very light in return, ideal for a warm afternoon hike.

On top of the basket was a neatly folded red kerchief, properly tucked into the basket to protect whatever delicious contents from what had hopefully been just a brief autumn shower. Obviously it hadn’t worked, since the the basket and the fabric were dripping with water and had been sprayed with dirt from the weather, but still. This unexpected sign of actual civilization after such long of a trek through the complete wilderness was enough to drive a pony to her knees.

“Heeey!” Lyra called, struggling against the din of the storm, “Is anypony out there? Hellooo!”

“Hey! Say something if you can hear me!” Lyra called. And she called again.

She ran to the other side of the clearing and called into the forest. Then she ran to the third side and called out there. She wailed and hollered until her throat hurt.

She went back to the basket because she didn’t know where else to go. She called out all the way, but the answer remained the same throughout.

“Heeey! Come on! Answer me,” Lyra said, but her voice could no longer keep up, “Say something …”

But still. This was a success, and Lyra had to see it as such. She had reached her goal. She had found the spot that had been indicated to her in the beginning, and she had made it here in one piece. Nothing had been able to deter her, neither the weather, nor the forest, nor the magical plants.

Not many ponies could say they had achieved a feat like this. Maybe she could even brag about it. Not that she would, because there was something much more important to her. She had kept her promise to Bon Bon. Lyra had promised she would set out to find this guy, and that she would go as far as she could. Lyra never broke a promise to Bon Bon. She had gone as far as she could. This was her limit. There was nowhere she could proceed from here, and there was nothing more her body could give. She was at her end, but she had made it.

The sprite danced before Lyra’s head, its ethereal leaves spinning like mad. Was it sharing her excitement? They made it!

“We made it,” Lyra said. Finally she could allow herself to feel relief.

“We made it.” Lyra said. She smiled at the sprite.

“We made it!” Lyra said. She laughed.

“We made it!!” Lyra yelled. Her voice hitched.

“We made it …” Lyra said. The tears were hot pin pricks on her cheeks within the endless river of ice water.

“We … “ Lyra whispered, the world a haze, “we made it… ”

And then she screamed. “Curse it all!”

And she screamed until her throat gave out. And then she wheezed until she had to gasp for air. She threw herself onto the ground and pressed her face into the grass, and then she screamed into the grass. She screamed it all out. All the rage and frustration of her misshapen quest, how pointless it was. She screamed, and it was the first good feeling she had in what must have been ages. Lyra screamed until she could no more. And then she cried.

The fight eventually left her. The resistance all but fizzled out. Lyra turned onto her back. With the protection of her raincoat gone, the dark waters now hit her face and her limbs with brunt force. The ice pooled around the back of her head inside her hood. She didn’t care.

“It was all for nothing,” she said, “All of it. We made it, we travelled all this way, we fought and survived against the greatest odds, we overcame the violence of the storm and the menace of the magical weeds. And for what? The pony we were supposed to be looking for. Teak. He could be anywhere still. But he’s not here. There’s nopony here. We’re alone.”

“I don’t know, I thought I’d find some kind of absolution when we’d finally arrive,” Lyra said and pressed her hoof against her temple. She had a headache, somewhere far away in another galaxy. “I never should have agreed to this stupid quest. There’s nothing here for us. There never was. It was clear from the beginning we’d have a better chance of finding a needle in a haystack than finding Teak in the huge forest in the middle of the night during the fiercest storm of the year. I should have just stayed at home with Bon Bon. I should have had somepony else take care of it. Why even bother. But Bon Bon wouldn’t have let me. She would have told me not to give up on myself again. She would have had me do what I thought was right, no matter what.”

Lyra turned to the side. The rain dribbled on the smooth oily fabric over her ear while the water streamed out of her clothing under her head. There it came again. Her age old companion. The weakness, the lethargy. The doubt of self.

Lyra had been stuck in quicksand her entire life. Unable to move in the infinite sludge, her limbs weighed down by a thousand tons and a thousand more. Each hair’s breadth of progress cost her the strength to move a mountain. All she found that she was in the same place as before. Lyra couldn’t change anything. But Bon Bon could. Bon Bon had rescued her, had liberated her from her prison of impotence, had driven her on to realize a potential she hadn’t been aware of having, had shown her life like she hadn’t ever known possible. Bon Bon had pulled her out of the eternal quicksand, but Lyra had made them slip and dragged them both down into the depths.

Lyra didn’t want to think of her wife like this, but the weight was overbearing. What had she brought about for the both of them? How would she expect Bon Bon to feel after such a colossal failure? How could Lyra even look at herself in the mirror? It was way worse than she could have ever dreamed. Because it wasn’t even so much about finding the lost stallion when she set out to reach the top of this hill, as much as it was about finding herself. And Lyra did find herself, in all her true colors. A disappointment. A miscreant. A loner. Unable. Weak. Unfit.

Lyra groaned as she stood up, her hooves and her neck thankful for the brief respite. “Why do you have to believe in me so much, Bon Bon?” Lyra said, “Nopony ever believed in me. Even I don’t believe in myself. Look at me, I’m here with nothing better to do than wallowing in self pity even though I should be saving Teak’s life. But I just can’t. I don’t know what to do. I never know what to do without you, Bon Bon. If you told me where to go, I’d do it in an instant.”

Lyra finally allowed herself that yawn. The rain was a soothing remedy to her hoarse throat. She strolled around the clearing, seeing if she could find something to eat. “It can’t be helped, I suppose,” Lyra said, “I did really try, though. I tried to find him to the best of my ability. Didn’t chicken out this time, I’ll be able to say that. But I just can’t find him. He could be anywhere, and it’s been awfully long. I just can’t do it. I could backtrack from here, but I can’t pick and choose randomly and go into the unknown. I don’t know if I’ll make it. I can’t risk the folks back in Ponyville having two tragedies on their hooves instead of one. I guess I’ll just scavenge what I can find in that basket and hold out for a while. Better play it safe.”

The real tragedy was Teak, though. He would probably never have thought all this would happen when he arrived in Ponyville yesterday. All he wanted was to spend some time with his marefriend, the pony he loved, and what better place than a secluded haven of peaceful nature to spend your togetherness? He had no clue about the magical weeds growing shut behind him and sapping his life with sinister forces. He had no clue about the storm trying to tear half the landscape down throughout the frozen night. And even though his lover made it out alive, there was no way he could know that either. Was he scared for her when he had suffered from his injuries, or had he been concerned with his own survival? What had they said to each other when they had been together for the final time? Was he even still conscious or …

“No!” Lyra stomped her hoof. This fire in her chest. That was new. “Nopony should have to suffer like that. Neither Teak, nor Parting, nor anypony else. That’s what’s really wrong about all this. The right thing is all I can do, because there is no alternative. I know that’s what Bon Bon would say if she were here, and I agree. You agree too, right?” The sprite was hooked as it danced pirouettes in the air. “That’s the spirit.”

“Look, we still have one shot,” Lyra said, “And I promise I’ll only take a peek. I won’t go too far when I’m not certain I can return. We’ll just check the surroundings and then we’ll come back. I have to make sure he’s not right around the corner.” She’d rather come back here so tired she can collapse and sleep it out, than deal with these thoughts again. “We’ll have to give it our best effort, because if we go in the wrong direction, it’ll cost us the only time he has.” She’s his last lifeline. He has no chance. “We just need to think about this carefully. We have no clue where he could be, so let’s put ourselves in his position.”

Lyra knew she had entered the clearing from the south east because she had studied a map of the area some time in the past. That meant the direction from the entrance to the large tree pointed approximately to the north.

To the west lay a expansive descent that led down the hill into the broad valley, that ran all the way from here far into the adjacent lands and their own sloped geography. The valley was mostly flat and the forest was very sparse there. It was unlikely the weeds could have gained much of a foundation there.

“It would be the best if he had gone down there,” Lyra said as the sprite illuminated the gentle slope downwards, “that’s his best chance. There can’t be many weeds here as far as I can tell, and we could travel a lot further if the ground isn’t as rough. Then again, if he went down here, he could be very far. His chances of making it alone are slim, but it’s infinitely better than the alternative.”

Continuing on to the north west was a ridge that went on approximately the same level as Lyra was currently standing on. It connected the hill to the adjacent one and extended far into the north, where the terrain joined with the vast glades of Canterlot. The forest was fairly dense from here on out, and the weed infestation was apparent further in.

“Nothing we couldn’t deal with so far, right?” Lyra said, “They probably went here, since it’s the easiest way out. No climbing, no crawling, just smooth sailing. Until the weeds snap shut behind you, that is. Anyway, it’s easy to get separated here, which is probably what happened. One wrong step, one little slip, and away you are. Then she panicked and came back around, but he wasn’t so lucky. We’ll go in there, we find him, simple.”

The eastern path led to the wetlands. Completely overgrown with forest to begin with, and whatever else strange vegetation had crawled out of the swamp. That, and, as Lyra approached the passage, it was completely grown shut with weeds. The magical outgrowths blocked the way in a solid wall of those disgusting facsimiles of leaves, it made her want to hurl. Or maybe it was the exhaustion.

“Nope, not going there,” Lyra said, “If he went in there, then … well, I’m sorry, but chances are pretty much none at all. But he wouldn’t go in there, right? I mean, this must have been as overgrown when they arrived, they wouldn’t have tried to force themselves through, right?”

“The only logical thing would be to take the northern way,” Lyra said. She swallowed for must have been the fifteenth time in a few seconds. “Because the northern way leads into the same forest they had come through. If you don’t know what to do, but what you’ve been doing so far has worked out for you, then you continue doing it. Yeah, that makes sense.”

Lyra tried walking toward the northern opening, but her hooves were stuck to the ground. “Then again,” she said, “The only logical thing to do here is to take the easy way out. They must have headed to the west. They must have seen how open the space is and decided to take no chances. There’s no way that doesn’t make sense.”

Lyra’s body walked, but her spirit stagnated. “But they panicked,” Lyra conceded, “they couldn’t have made the logical decision. Nopony could have, in such a situation. What if they threw themselves toward the swamp after all … ?”

The dark pathway to the east loomed ahead. Lyra could swear she felt the swamp reaching out for her between the trees. “No!” Lyra said, “We have to believe! The western valley is our best shot. If he’s there, we’re bound to find him almost guaranteed. That’s where we’re going, because it makes so much sense!”

Wrong decision, and Parting never sees Teak again. “We’re going north!” Lyra said, “That must be it. It’s difficult to climb over the rocks, but not so difficult that we can’t manage. We can still cover quite a bit of distance because we’re such good climbers, and we’ll be able to clear him out of the weeds if he’s stuck in there. It’s the perfect balance. Please! It has to make sense!”

Wrong step, and Lyra never sees Bon Bon again. “Oh, curse it!” Lyra spat, “But they can’t have gone east. It’s suicide. It’s way too overgrown, nopony can go in there and find back out. And even if we clear a way so that we can come back, it would take us so long that we could never get very far. It’s like a shot in the dark. It’d be a miracle if we found him. And then what? Have you seen how many weeds there are? No, they would never be so careless and go in there.”

Satisfied with her explanation, Lyra turned around but whirled right back into position. “Then again, they ignored the weather warning posted at the town hall too,” she said. She couldn’t suppress a groan. The headache was becoming real. “I can’t choose right, no matter how I choose. I just don’t know. I need a hint. A clue. Anything.”

Lyra sagged down onto her haunches and sat onto the grass. The loneliness was serene in a way. There was nothing but the steady drumming of the rain and the glittering of the drops in the sprite’s subtle light. It was a very natural scene, almost inviting Lyra to give in to the urge and benumb herself on the sensoric pleasantries this place had to offer. The ground was so soft under her hind legs. The wind was so calm and smelled so fresh. The flowers were so juicy as they lay on their sides, folded up against the rain. This was a little paradise.

But Lyra had no part in it. Her body was beaten and exhausted, but her mind was still reeling. She couldn’t stop now, not before she went beyond her limits on this final excursion. If she didn’t satisfy that urge to do everything that was in her power, no matter how hopeless, it would gnaw at her for the rest of her life. And it was utterly hopeless. She didn’t even believe Teak had a chance, if she was honest.

The realization was horrifying, because it was the pure, unadulterated truth. He had no chance. Suppose the extremely unlikely scenario where Lyra actually happened upon him, after she bumbled down one of the three paths. Still, in two of three cases, Lyra would chose wrong, and that meant certain doom. The odds were stacked against her so unbelievably high, only a madpony would attribute her anything other than utter defeat.

It was clear nothing would come of this. Lyra would go out into the north, since it really was the most balanced of the three options, scout around for a bit fruitlessly, and then she would drag her already now resisting bones back under the tree and rest for a while. And that was that.

So close. She was so close to him. And it just barely wasn’t enough. A pony’s life in the balance, to be decided by such nonsense, practically a dice roll. It wasn’t fair. It shouldn’t be happening. But it couldn’t be helped. It was happening. And truth is, it couldn’t have been prevented either.

No point in crying about it.

“You have no idea how easy you have it,” Lyra said to the sprite, “You don’t care about any of this in the slightest, huh?”

The sprite didn’t make any indication otherwise. It danced around and twirled high into the air, before it decided to reach out and grab onto a subtle subtle breeze of the early morning wind. It turned and twisted elegantly, let itself be carried effortlessly by the myriads of impalpable turbulences of the atmosphere, like a leaf drifting away on the flow of a gentle river.

In the boundless turmoil of the dark abyss. A vanishing glimmer of light, barely there before it was torn out of sight again.

Lyra’s body had stiffened down to every last fiber. “Again,” she said, “What you just did, do it again.”

The sprite complied immediately. It bounced high up in the air and then it meandered down the currents of the sky. Like a leaf. On a river.

No, she hadn’t imagined it. There was something there, desperately trying to reach her. “Do it again!” Lyra bellowed.

The sprite flew into the air and drifted softly on the wind. A leaf on a river.

What was it about a river? “Again!” Lyra commanded.

The sprite moved through the air. Leaf on a river. “But there are no rivers here!” Lyra said, “There’s only Root Canal, and that’s no river! Do it again!”

Sprite. Leaf. River. Current. Water.

“Root Canal is no river …” Lyra said, “unless it rains. Then it carries all the rainfall from the surrounding hills. Then the current becomes strong enough for several rivers. The canal carries the water out of the forest, through the wetlands and then feeds into the swamp. But the stretch of land it has to cross before it gets there is pretty broad. It barely qualifies as a riverbed, you wouldn’t notice when there’s no rain. I heard this before. I know I did.”

The sprite did its dance once more, but Lyra didn’t need it anymore. She had taken hold of the light within the roiling black sludge, and it wasn’t getting away again. “Where did Parting say she came from again?” Lyra said, “She’d stumbled down the hill after they’d gotten separated, and then she said she’d forded a broad river before she’d been able to break out of the forest and come to us. I knew there was something off about that. There’s only one river she could have meant, and it’s the one that’s not really a river. She meant Root Canal.”

“We know they’d never actually reached the wetlands before they got separated, nor did they climb any of the adjacent hills. That means they must have rounded our hill on the other side, toward the only place you can cross Root Canal lower than the bridge. The junction between the forest and the wetlands. There’s no other way to reach it. Out to the east, stick to the hill side, keep to the south. And that means …”

Lyra tried to stand up, but found that she was already on her hooves and running. “That means we know exactly where Teak is,” she said to the sprite.

The sprite followed her eagerly. Its dance was pumped! The dim gloom inside Lyra’s chest had ignited into a blazing bonfire, enveloping her entire being as the night was lit up like day by her surging energy.

She picked up the machete. The handle was in her jaws like the air in her lungs. It felt right. It felt natural. Everything was clear. Don’t hesitate. Don’t think. Shine.

The trail. Above the clearing towered the massive tree, its grandiose crown one perfectly flowing crisscross of sprigs and leaves carried by a sturdy framework of rugged branches. One such branch was isolated, a limb pointing off in the direction Lyra needed to go.

She wiggled open the collar of her coat and pulled out the bulking mass of her scarf with her horn. The scarf’s warming presence was immediately absent from her chest and her neck, but it stood out magnificently in the dull of the dark. The fabric was red, but not battered and polluted like the basket, but fresh and intense, poised and ready to spring to action. A sign of life. A keepsake of Bon Bon’s.

Lyra would see it again, she was sure.

She reared up on her hind legs and stretched out as far as she could, and it was just enough to lift the scarf up to the branch. She wrapped it around, two times, and then twisted the ends into a loose knot. The way was paved. Lyra dropped back down and promptly turned toward her next obstacle.

The eastward passage loomed before her darkly, completely overgrown and scarred with magical weeds like massive tumors.

And Lyra was the cure.

She brandished her weapon and entered combat once more.

===

“Now wait just a moment, Bon Bon,” Applejack said, putting herself between her and the ledge.

Applejack was trying to keep Bon Bon away from the abyss before anypony else had been able to check it out, and it was a very clever thing to do. There was no telling what they would see down below. It was better to be prepared for any eventualities. Bon Bon didn’t care.

The tracks were all over the place. The adventurers had made pretty good ground once they had fallen into the rhythm of pushing through the leech seed and watching each other’s step on the uneven road, but all that hadn’t been much use when the road eventually broke off and they had to wade through the compacted debris of an age old landslide.

They obviously hadn’t been the first ones. It was fairly easy to get through, but the short hop had led them to the plateau. Despite being so wide and flat, it was an entirely natural formation, consisting mainly of a massive boulder’s relatively even top side. The boulder must have been here already since before the forest itself.

And the flat was covered in a bustle of muddied boot imprints, dragging dirt all over the place, but mostly toward the direction of the ledge. Beyond the precipice, the pointy crowns of a bunch of young pines grew at eye level. It was a pretty steep drop.

And the hoofprints were Lyra’s. Bon Bon knew, because this boulder had been their next destination.

“And?” Applejack said after Bon Bon had been staring over the edge wordlessly long enough.

“And what?” Bon Bon said, “Why are you all standing back there? Come closer and take a look! I’ve just been wondering how Lyra got down there. She hardly would have jumped, that much should be clear.” It wasn’t only banter to lighten the mood. Lyra could think really fast when she needed to, and there was no way she’d come to harm by this cliff.

“That’s not what I meant to imply,” Applejack said as they both looked into the depth, “it’s just …”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Bon Bon said, “better to err on the side of caution and all that. And you’re right, that’s what you should do. That’s what we all should do, there is no sense in taking unnecessary risk. But there’s nothing to worry about here. Lyra isn’t hurt. She knew what’s at stake here, and she wouldn’t even have attempted anything dangerous if she wasn’t completely certain she could handle it. She was careful and she made her way down this climb safely.”

“But how do you know that?” Applejack said, “Because we have to be sure in everything we do right now. Lyra’s a good climber and pretty athletic, but what if something’s gone wrong and we need to go look for her instead? Sure, she can handle herself, but even the fastest of minds can’t save you from the worst of luck. And to top it off, it’s dark and raining. I’m not trying to intrude, but we can’t afford making any mistakes right now.”

“No, Applejack,” Bon Bon said with finality, “I know Lyra stayed perfectly safe, because that’s what I asked her to do.”

Applejack couldn’t quite decide whether this was the sweetest or the most naive thing she’d ever heard.

“Oh, and because our next checkpoint is way further beyond those pines,” Bon Bon said, “she quite obviously made it down.”

Rarity snorted from the other side.

“You’re aware you’re not entirely on the sane side, right, Bon Bon?” Applejack said, wiping her brow, “Funny, I’d never figured you the type.”

“Everypony has their secrets, I suppose,” Bon Bon said with a wink.

“Alright,” Twilight said, “So we know there exists way down. Now we only have to find it. Everypony, please look around.”

The way was shortly found, though it hadn’t been apparent at first. At the far side of the boulder, where it met with the earth, the terrain had rolled over and engulfed the rock, but it had been eroded by the weather and washed out by the rain around the actual surface of contact.

Stepping down from the stone revealed a broad groove that was shallow enough to allow skidding down the slope without much problem. In fact, it was even somewhat fun! Bon Bon almost regretted not having sat and went down the muddy furrow like a slide. It seemed like something she should think about doing later, and it wasn’t like the dirt would have made any difference at this point.

Twilight and Applejack quickly moved out of the way when Bon Bon came to a running halt. She’d turned to her side to counteract the momentum of the slippery slope, but when Bon Bon straightened up, she was looking at empty forest. Where was everypony? Oh, they were behind her. She’d went in the wrong direction again.

Could have happened to anypony, but Bon Bon already knew it better. She felt the absence of her magical anchor much stronger as the distance between them grew. The world was floaty and directions kept changing whenever Rarity wasn’t there, which was - hopefully - the effect of the spell losing its supporting infrastructure. It made her head hurt. She needed to stay close.

Bon Bon went back to the slope just in time as Rarity came tumbling down. The dirt was slippery from the water and it didn’t provide much stability because it was so soft, and there were roots sticking out of the ground and trying to catch passing hooves everywhere, so even the most athletic pony would have had her trouble getting down that slope. However, Rarity was in much worse shape. Her step was so wobbly, it looked like she was going to fall over any second as she attempted to break her own momentum against whatever rocks and brambles she could get a hold of. Not only had her intricately designed rainwear been dirtied on their trek across the highs and lows of the terrain, but there were fat drops, presumably her own sweat, muddled by dust and earth running down Rarity’s brow in dark streaks.

It was akin to sacrilege besmirching a pristine coat like hers, but the unsightliness was nothing in comparison. Rarity looked deathly exhausted. Her head hung low, the gleaming locks of her beautiful mane a mere caricature as they framed her her swollen cheeks, her reddened eyes inset in tired tear bags and her languid jaw, mouth wide open snapping for air.

The sight was frightening, for Bon Bon had never seen Rarity like this. Rarity wasn’t given up, no matter the cost. Granted, Bon Bon had never been adventuring with her, something Rarity had a reputation for, but that sheer unrelenting, unhalting, unstoppable determination evidentially made her an outstanding adventuring partner. She was there, she was beyond stress and hardship. She was the way and the goal.

And she was always there for Bon Bon. Not the only pony giving it her all. Trying to master this insanity. Going beyond her limits.

Afraid of returning home with empty hooves.

Rarity came careening down the bottom mud slope, but she snagged a forehoof on a branch and was sent tumbling. Bon Bon was immediately by her side and bumped into her to prop her up.

“I’m fine,” Rarity said. They came to a stuttering halt together, but Rarity threatened to slip on the wet ground again without Bon Bon’s support.

“Are you alright, Rarity?” Bon Bon said, “If this is too much for you …”

“I said I’m fine,” Rarity snapped, shoving Bon Bon harshly away, “leave me alone!”

“Is everything okay over there?” Twilight called.

Bon Bon made some room and waved over to Twilight. “Everything okay, just slipped in the mud,” she answered. “Rarity … ?”

But Rarity had frozen in place. Her eyes were wide open, she didn’t dare breathe for a few moments. “Oh, Bon Bon, I’m so sorry,” she said, “I did not intend to do that!”

“It’s fine, Rarity,” Bon Bon said, “We’re all pretty stressed out.”

“No, what I mean is, I literally had no intention of doing that,” Rarity said, “I don’t know what came over me, but it did not happen of my own volition. These leech seed must really be getting into my head. Or maybe it’s the spell. I don’t know. I doubt even Twilight has a clear idea of how all of this exactly works. In either case, ever since we came this deep into the forest, I have been feeling so terribly on edge, it’s as if I’m tearing myself apart trying to dash off in every direction at once. And I’m powerless to do anything about it. It keeps making me wanting to kick something over, every time I’m overcome by this odd sense of frustration.”

“I did mean what I said, though,” Bon Bon said, “You don’t have to force yourself to do what you can’t. Without your help, we wouldn’t even gotten so far as fast as we did. You did more already than I know how to thank you for. Just don’t feel obliged to continue if you don’t want to. After all that’s happened, I can’t bear seeing you hurt as well, Rarity. These things can suck you in without you even noticing, when you keep going on and doing the same thing over and over again because you think you have to, until you arrive at something that is not possible because you’ve been going at it the wrong way. And frustration is a pretty good sign that something is going wrong.” She swallowed. “Believe me, I know frustration better than I’d care to admit.”

“I meant it too, in that I am fine, really,” Rarity said, “I know I can keep going still with the best of my knowledge and intentions, but I also know when to stop. Doing highly complex magic like this is much too dangerous for most ponies. Most ponies don’t even attempt acting on more sophisticated arcanery out of fear from the repercussions. That’s why I am grateful to share the burden with you, Bon Bon. This spell might be strange, but Twilight did estimate well when she split it up between us. I already feel more focussed just by being near you! But, as you already said.” She bit her lip. “There’s the lingering feeling of exasperation as well. And it sits deep. I’m not sure I can understand, and I don’t mean to step too close, but I just hope you’re alright, too. I don’t presume to know how you feel, but if there’s something wrong, I’m here to talk it out. We never knew each other as well I’d like to, but I would be delighted if that changed in the future.”

“I’d like nothing more, Rarity,” Bon Bon said, “I am so lucky to have you as a friend. But I am doing better than ever between Lyra and myself. Whatever happened in the past no longer holds me captive, and I am free to do what’s best for us now. I couldn’t be any more proud of this achievement, and Lyra helped me get there. Sure, not everything’s perfect, but I’m still doing very well.” The distraction was welcome. “Um, thanks for asking.”

The silent moment that passed between them was absurdly serene. No matter how beaten Rarity looked from the outside, the beauty that radiated from within could have outshone the sun itself. The dull dark brown of the forest draped in the shade of the night was pierced by the soothing fire of her cyan eyes, such was her compassion for a fellow pony that was in need of comfort.

It was not the beauty of looks, but the beauty of essence that made Rarity so outstanding. She did not bear the generosity of belongings, for it could never have contended with how extravagantly Rarity was generous of herself. Was there anything more a pony could give than her very own being? And Rarity treated the profound as if it was self-evident. She never questioned whether Bon Bon even was deserving of her attention, it sufficed that Rarity merely was in a position to help. Bon Bon hated to see that magnificent smile falter, but she was unable to stem the fresh tears.

“I just want to see Lyra again so bad,” Bon Bon said, “I can’t stop thinking about her. I keep seeing her before my eyes, as if she was standing at the end of the road, waiting for me. Her face, when she’s close. I can smell her mane and I can hear her voice. But she’s not there! I want to tell her how much I miss her, and how much I wish all this never happened. Lyra’s behind every corner but I never find her. The word frustration can’t even begin to describe it. This is pure torture. I know how stupid this sounds, but I can’t help it! I almost dare not say it, but by now I care about finding Lyra more than about finding Teak.”

“That’s not stupid,” Rarity said, “That’s only natural. You legitimately can’t help it since it’s the effects of the spell and the leech seed. And, like you said, we’ve all been under a lot of strain.”

“I know,” Bon Bon sniffed, “I just wish it would end. It’s terrifying.”

By now, it was Rarity propping up Bon Bon to support her. The sensation of contact with another living, breathing body was delightful, and a few moments went by silently to make sure it was none too short.

“Then let’s do the only thing we can do,” Rarity said, “and move on with haste. For both our sakes.”

“Yes, let’s,” Bon Bon said as they rejoined the others.

Sunday - blaze

And another one.

There was a bitter taste in Lyra’s mouth, but she couldn’t tell anymore whether it came from the sticky muck comprised of her saliva and the dusty coat of fine earth that covered her entire face by now, or whether she had ground her parched throat bloody raw with the movement of her neck.

She struck again. Another one.

Lyra pushed through the remains of the magical weed before the sparkling dust had even had a chance to dematerialize. Something scraped her side. She didn’t know if it was physical or magical. No time to care. She had to keep an eye out above as well as below. The branch of a tree hung in the way, barring her passage. Break it off. Won’t go? Hack it off.

He has to be here somewhere.

Her limbs burned like fire as she dragged them through the crumbling earth. To her one side, the ground just fell away. A steep, uneven slope into nothingness, only to be measured by the infinite maze of rugged tree trunks rising past her and vanishing into the sky. To her other side, she didn’t know. Weeds rose like a wall. And in between, Lyra, keeping close to the hillside like she had said she would.

She had made her choice. And his too, by extension.

There was no sound except the rain hammering down on every surface simultaneously and the pumping of her heart. Lyra practically grabbed the ground as she steeled her jaws and hacked another weed to pieces with her machete. As if it would have mattered. If the soft earth decided to give away under her hooves, she would slide all the way down with it, and would have to crawl all the way back up again. They really couldn’t have chosen a worse spot to get lost.

Another one. Where is he?

The sprite was going steadily as never before, keeping just the perfect distance away from Lyra’s nose with almost mechanical precision. The coldness of the light only added to the effect. Every part of Lyra’s vision was illuminated uniformly, every crease on the wood, every furrow in the ground outlined in razor sharp shadows to the most miniscule of details. But despite the sprite’s best efforts, it was difficult to see. Where there were no weeds, which all looked almost identical, there was nothing but trees vanishing into the darkness and the chaotic streams of rain. And even that Lyra couldn’t make out clearly, so blurry was her vision from her own sweat.

Almost through. Come on, I know you’re here.

A thick layer of brambles supported a cluster of weeds, eliminating any chance at vision as soon as Lyra began pushing into it. It wasn’t the first barricade she’d encountered on this path, but it might be the last. It wasn’t far to the water now. The end of her fruitless search.

She’d endured blockades of rock, sprays of earth and the fury of the storm to get here. She’d called out and searched in and around every outcropping and every hollow she had come across, but silence had been the answer throughout. The pain of exhaustion seared within her very bones, but it wouldn’t even compare against the pain of defeat. The knot in her stomach almost had her double over. Everything Lyra had feared would come true if he wasn’t here. The shame. The deprecation of self. The mistrust. The loneliness. It was more real than ever.

The sound of rushing water.

Peek through the brambles. A flattened landslide, a slanted clearing, rivers of mud being pelted by streams of rain with sharp snaps. This was fresh. Washed up plants were knocked over and dangled downhill, their roots still stuck in the earth. All, except for the weeds, anchored tightly and forming a barrier that split the path into many further ahead. It would have been impossible to traverse, after the ground had turned liquid. An angry maelstrom of water, mud and earth, piling up at the bottom against dense trees.

And it all vanished away as all of Lyra’s senses immediately homed in on their sole purpose.

A speck of gold.

A glimmer of life.

“Hey! Is somepony there?” Lyra called, “Heeey! Say something! I’m over here!” The storm swallowed her voice. But catching a glimpse through the shrubbery, past all the water and half buried under the mud, it was still obvious as day.

A body was there. On the other end of the clearing, pressed against the off side of the largest tree, curled up in an attempt to brave the masses of earth coming down the hill. Amidst the roiling raw force of the raging storm and the dull darkness of the dreary night, the sign of life stood out vibrantly, like a beacon blazing out beyond the horizon.

All the more was it painfully apparent that the body was utterly unmoving.

“Damned be,” Lyra cursed. Out of the way! The branches barring her progress merely snapped under her weight as Lyra’s trembling hooves desperately dug for purchase. There was a pony there. Not somewhere far away, not down the end of the road, but right there, just within a few steps’ reach. Why wasn’t he getting up? A pony is not supposed to be half buried under the earth like that!

It might not be looking good for him. Lyra had barely made it here with all her preparation and knowledge, so stark was the power of the calamity that had befallen the forest. But he had been suffering this insanity for goodness knows how long. The odds were almost impossible. Nopony could hold on forever. And after a pony has been brought to the brink of existence, after a pony has given it their all, has spent every resource and exhausted every possibility, chances are there is nothing left to do, and just leave it be. That would be the end.

“No! I refuse!” Lyra growled, “That’s not happening! We came all this way, you and me! I’m not going to let it be for nothing! Not today! I’m coming for you!”

Her numb hooves were like foreign objects by now. Completely out of her control. All she could do was watch herself drive her tattered boots further into the thicket with frightening hostility.

Lyra kicked the thickest stem she could find to pieces, and the entire bush became uprooted, falling over downhill and tearing half of the entangled branchwood with it. That was enough for her. She threw herself forward and brusquely clambered over the vegetation, undaring to stop even for a moment as branches slapped back at her and bristles tore at her sides. She dropped down into the landslide front-first, and immediately had to crouch in order not to slip.

Despite herself, Lyra ventured another glance at the body. It looked so unnatural, twisted oddly and turned away from her, water splashing all around. And still not a hair of movement. Lyra’s breath hitched, but she immediately sprang forward and advanced toward him. She let the machete drop, it was promptly consumed by the current. See you later, old friend.

Halfway through, Lyra slipped and fell onto her side, but she conserved her momentum and crossed the rest of the way slipping down the muddy slide. Wet earth sprayed everywhere when she bumped against the same pile of debris that shielded him from the stream. Lyra pulled herself onto it. He was bruised all over his legs and his hooves, violent black spots marring the otherwise pretty fur. His dark mane clung to his sides, but the cuts and swellings were still visible.

“Hey! Can you hear me?” Lyra shrieked, “Are you Teak? Hey! Answer me!”

No answer.

Lyra clambered over the obtrusion, grasping onto anything she could to heft herself within range of touch. The rain hammered down onto her head, as did it upon his. His ears were limp and his eyes closed, his battered profile outlined by the downpour.

“Please be alive, please be alive … ” Lyra insisted, “please be alive!”

She stretched out a hoof and touched it to the yielding softness of his limp form. Cold as frozen peas. The unnatural starkness of the sensation was frightening.

Okay. Do something, now.

Lyra bent over his body. First aid. How did that work again? Call for breathing and check for help. No, wait. Turn him over first. On his back. Or on the side? But don’t touch him on the head. Or the neck. Or the limbs. What if he’s broken something? He can’t breathe like this. Do something! What was that about breathing again? Check the heartbeat. Turn him over but don’t touch him.

Lyra attempted to free his head out from the dirt, but recoiled from the touch as she decided to stabilize his limbs instead, while she bent to the other side in an attempt to put an ear to his chest. Instead, she lost her balance and keeled over forward, shoving him harshly in the side with her hooves in an attempt to steady herself. He slid away from her, his midsection bent painfully.

Painful enough to elicit a hoarse groan.

Teak rasped and gurgled. Then he was overcome by a fit of heavy, trembling coughs, snapping for air as he regurgitated mucus and water. It sounded excruciating.

It was the most beautiful sound Lyra had ever heard. The glimmer of life was rekindled.

“Hey! Hey you! It’s alright, I’m here, I’m here,” Lyra said. She was over him in one bound and grabbed onto his shoulders, holding him steady and breathing along with him. Teak managed to get the slime out of his throat, and then he took a deep, shaking breath, forcing his lungs to take up their duty again.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re alright,” Lyra said, as much to herself as to him, “We’re fine, we’re going to make it. I’m here, don’t worry.”

Teak writhed under her grip, gasping for air, but his breath lost its wet stuffiness soon enough and stabilized, his chest rising steadily as his form regained some semblance of normalcy. Lyra had bent over him for cover, the hood of her raincoat broad enough to shield his respiring airways from the hammering rain. He was still beaten and injured, his posture crooked and his face swollen, but he was struggling to claw his way back from beyond oblivion, and Lyra wouldn’t let him go. She would help him emerge from the fight victorious.

Teak began reaching around with his limbs and squirming in the dirt to achieve a healthier pose, and Lyra prodded him on the muzzle, to remind him of pulling his nose out of the mud. Maybe she should close her own gaping mouth while she was at it.

“Teak, can you hear me?” Lyra said, “I’m here to get you out. Your marefriend made it back, she’s with us. What happened to you? How long have you been here? Can you get up?”

“Ugh …” Teak groaned and winced from some unseen pain, “Wha-- … Huh … “

And finally, he opened his eyes. The dullness of the dark and the muddy grime on every conceivable surface had enveloped them for longer than Lyra remembered. It couldn’t have contrasted more starkly with the shining purity of his eyes’ clear blue color.

The chaotic confusion had finally produced a spark of clarity, an opportunity for deliverance. Neither of defeat nor of resignation there was a trace. Those were the eyes of a fighter, a warrior, not unlike Lyra herself. All this time, he had been fighting along with her, both of them too scared and too stubborn to give up, both of them carrying on until they reached this point where the impossible was close to being done.

But they weren’t out of the woods yet. Teak looked not only tired, but utterly drained. Between him and Lyra, they had enough strength to hold on just a while longer, to ensure bare sustainment, both of them together a vestige of endurance within the magical and physical pandemonium.

It answered one of her questions, though. No, he wouldn’t be getting up on his own.

Teak’s gaze regained focus and immediately locked on to Lyra like a famished wanderer seeking out the glimmer of nourishment. His face contorted strangely as his jaw slowly opened and his lips parted, furrows appearing on his brow where there were none before. It was a smile! Brief, uncertain, but Lyra was sure she had caught a glimpse of it, even though it was way too similar to the expression of pain.

“So cold …” he wheezed.

Right. Freezing. Just next up in order after magical fatigue and before being battered by debris turned projectile. It was up to Lyra to take the brunt of the punishment, since she was only one in the position to straighten their situation at the moment, and she would need to find a way to shield Teak from the torrential downpour anyway. There weren’t many options left at this point, she had no more tools other than her wits and the clothes on her body. Guess that would have to do.

Lyra got up and pulled out the buttons of her raincoat from their stitched holes. Despite how flimsy the coat had appeared, its absence was promptly noticeable as Lyra pulled the chest piece wide open and was immediately invaded by the creeping fingers of pure ice everywhere on her body simultaneously.

Well, everywhere except for one part. Apparently Lyra was still wearing a diaper. In tatters as it was, stretched and strained the material as the fasteners barely held on, brown blotches of mud all over the outside, sagging under the weight of the clumped up inside. It was astonishing how the diaper still held on defiantly. The tapes had held on despite the odds, never failing in their purpose no matter how bleak the outlook, just like Lyra herself had. Except that Lyra would rather show herself in the open than her diaper. No time to worry about that right now though.

Pulling her coat snugly over both of them, Lyra laid down on top of Teak and pulled him into an embrace to create as much surface area between them as possible. Teak immediately lost the appearance of a block of ice, as his body began trembling violently like Lyra hadn’t even known was possible for a pony. It was his body’s natural reaction to scrounge as much warmth as it could, just like it was Lyra’s instinctual reaction to give as much of herself as the freezing pony needed. They both endured, their teeth chattering together.

Teak pulled his face away from Lyra’s chest. Surely, if there had been a tear coming out of him, it would have frozen in place.

“You came …” he managed out between gritted teeth, “you c-came for me … I’d t-thought I’d never see another p-pony again … ”

“Don’t worry, we came just for you,” Lyra said, “and you still got lots of other ponies to see.”

By now, she doubted she would be able to get up herself. All the intensity of the wild hunt had left her, and an inexorable exhaustion assumed her body that left her blinking for focus. No doubt was it also the weeds’ influence reaching them even here, but Lyra had spent the last of a strength she hadn’t had in the first place, and it was catching up to her. She couldn’t allow herself to rest just yet, but she would hold out as it was necessary, which wouldn’t be very long anyway.

“Because reinforcements are coming,” Lyra said, tucking her tail to seal them in more tightly, “I know you’re coming for me, Bon Bon.”

===

“She went over this?” Applejack said, the raging current almost too loud to hear.

“She’s on the other side,” Bon Bon said, “and there’s only one bridge.”

“I think you’re stretching the definition of the word bridge there,” Applejack said.

They flinched as the air temperature spiked rapidly, making their skins prickle. Twilight had been directing her magic forward mostly, but it could still be felt all throughout the barrier of force. It was a very superfluous kind of heat she had worked out, a mere facsimile of the real deal that stung on the surface of Bon Bon’s skin but left her bones aching for relief in unadulterated frost.

“This is the best I can do for now,” Twilight said, the sparkling shield around them moving with her head, “It should protect us from the water and take care of slippery surfaces. Do you think it’s sufficient?”

“Seems good enough,” Applejack said as the glistening moisture visibly evaporated from her outstretched boot, leaving it matte, “And those planks sure look like they can carry our weight. As long as we move carefully.”

“Then let’s go,” Twilight said, “I don’t know how long we can keep this up.”

It was obvious who she meant, as Twilight herself seemed like she would have merrily gone on casting spells of incomprehensible complexity for hours, should she feel like it.

Bon Bon had insisted that Rarity stay in front of her, if only to catch her should she waver on the flimsy wooden boards that called themselves a bridge. Rarity was obviously exhausted, her back slumped and her head hung low as she struggled to keep a steady pace. She wasn’t injured by any means, neither did she have to do something she was uncomfortable with, but she was plain tired, and probably would have preferred a nice beauty sleep to what was going on right now.

And it wasn’t ill deserved either. Rarity had made a valiant effort to uphold the navigation spell for as long as possible. And she evidently hadn’t meddled with it, the sense of direction had been unequivocally definite all throughout the journey, and had obviously led them to spots which bore Lyra’s mark.

But the spell had all but vanished by now under the undeniable presence of the leech seed’s influence. It was still there, the ephemeral glimpse of an unseen guidepost pointing straight ahead, but it was under constant assault by callous forces, feeding off the shreds of the tattered magical bond, which barely held on by its last thread.

It was lucky circumstance that the leech seed didn’t have more influence over the magic they effected other than eroding it. Just the thought of the nefarious plants commandeering their magic and mutating it, surreptitiously sending them in an entirely different direction than they needed to go.

The raging waters underneath were so incredibly loud. What would the leech seed be willing to do to protect itself if it were sentient? Entire trees and shards of shattered boulders had been torn out by the foaming current and were lodged in the rock below. Had Lyra really been able to cross this bridge? Just one false step, and …

No. Don’t even think about it. Focus on the backside of Rarity’s fancy coat with its amethyst trim. If Rarity could carefully shuffle across unharmed in her current state, then so could Lyra. Granted, Lyra didn’t have the luxury of protection by a magical guardian, and Twilight’s shield did wonders in deflecting the sprays of water as if her shield was solid glass, while the stuffy temperature ate away at the slippery wooden surface under their hooves to make it briefly walkable. But Lyra had been sharp enough to get here, and she would be careful enough to proceed. No question she had made it across and reached the designated goal. It was only left to hope they weren’t too late.

“It’s the last one,” Bon Bon said, as she hopped off the bridge after everypony else. The rain bickered on her hood when Twilight released her shield, but she had no attention left to give.

“What do you mean?” Applejack said.

“I can feel it,” Bon Bon said, pointing straight up the hill that towered in front, “we have to go up there. But the spell is barely existent anymore. I don’t know if it will be able to give us another location after this one.”

“The leech seed have become too numerous,” Twilight said, “We must be very far into their territory by now. Using exceptional magical points as focus for the navigation spell to get a directional signal won’t work properly anymore, since the spell is drawn towards too many points at once.”

“Not to mention your signal,” Applejack said, indicating Rarity, “isn’t very strong at this point. I think it’s time to cut her some slack.”

“No, really, I’m fine,” Rarity panted, looking everything but fine, “I just need a moment to breathe. You just go on and keep your eyes open, we’re bound to find somepony eventually.”

“Rarity, please,” Bon Bon said, “Without your willingness to help, we would never have gotten so far. You’ve done everything you could. But right now, it’s as Twilight said. The spell isn’t of much use anymore at this point because of all the leech seed. We need to be careful, it’s no use exhausting yourself if not necessary.”

Rarity swallowed. The unspoken truth lay on the tips of both their tongues. They had no more advantage, then.

“How do I let it go then?” Rarity said.

“Just drop it,” Twilight said, “It won’t hurt you. It’ll go away on its own.”

“Very well,” Rarity said. She crouched down to steady herself, but before Bon Bon could think to do the same, the spell had already blown up.

It didn’t look like much as Rarity’s horn simply relaxed, but Bon Bon could feel how some fragments of the former magical concentration zipped by past, or maybe through, her head, before returning to the aether. There was an immediate absence of a weight on her conscience, it felt as if something was yanked away from her, leaving the world momentarily spinning as she was exposed to the lack of premeditated alignment. But the feeling quickly vanished as a pleasant lightness took its place.

Rarity stretched her neck. “Oh, it’s such a relief having a clear head again, don’t you think?” She said “I suppose I never realized just how much it had been weighing on my mind. It feels like unraveling a staunch headscarf after hours of wearing.”

“You have been the one who was most exposed to the leech seed,” Twilight said, “and the effect is worse if it builds up slowly instead of coming out all at once. Bon Bon? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Bon Bon said, “it was just a little sudden.”

“Then let’s not wait any longer,” Applejack said, “last stretch of the road, right up the hill.” Whatever more she had wanted to say, she decided against it. They moved out.

The way up the hill wasn’t too bad. The earthen slopes and rocky ridges were held together by lanky trees that held off the rain sufficiently, as charming little trickles of water populated the otherwise dry incline. In between, a generously wound path snaked its way to the top, allowing for slow, but steady progress. Twilight led the front, shoving the leech seed obstructions, which there seemed to be no pair of trees across the road without, out of the way.

The ease with which she dispelled the nefarious apparitions into little more than glittering dust after all this time was remarkable. In fact, the task seemed to have actually gotten easier as Twilight fell into her newly acquired routine. Just don’t leave them out of your sights, reach out surely, keep going without pause, watch your step. Her sheer confidence left her three companions at ease to keep an eye out for anything unusual within their, admittedly not very far, visibility. Considering the present situation, things were going smoothly.

That wasn’t entirely true. The tension in the air was almost palpable. There was barely a word said as they carefully trudged uphill, carrying with them the burden of consternation rather than confidence.

Every journey upwards eventually arrived at the peak. Respite was only brief, whenever the way led through clearances, between pushing through the dense vegetation and getting rid of the magical scourge. Every now and there was a clear line of sight to the top, a glimpse of the dark sky layered into alien lines by the lattice of even darker trees. It was so thick with foreboding, it clogged your throat.

“I know what’s been weighing on your mind, Rarity,” Bon Bon said, “and it wasn’t the spell.”

“I apologize if it was a distraction to you,” Rarity said, “but ours has been been a very taxing undertaking. Pay me no mind if I’m rambling, since we surely have more important things to worry about. But I believe all of us have earned some time for serious recuperation after this dreadful experience. Whatever happened here is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s difficult enough going this far into the wild as is, but I feel positively slain by the oppressive nature of this blight.” They stepped around a fallen sapling that had possibly been knocked over by a leech seed. “I just wish all this would find an end.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Bon Bon said, “for we all feel the same. I can’t even remember the last time I haven’t felt so tired. I could just fall over. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t usually tour around this much by hoof, let alone in difficult environments like this. And, it seems, I forgot my shoes.” She raised her mud-clad hoof. The joke helped barely.

“But we have to acknowledge that ours is a much heavier burden to bear. We’ve been travelling all this way knowing approximately where to go, but what we will find is another question altogether. I hate to think about it, so I don’t, but there’s no guarantee for success. There’s a possibility we have to return with empty hooves after we catch up to Lyra. It’s better to talk about it than to keep it in.”

Rarity was keen on stretching her neck and scouting ahead by sight, but Bon Bon wouldn’t budge from her side. “I’ve never been in such a situation before,” Rarity said, “and I don’t believe anypony could find it enjoyable. The fact that we don’t really know where we’re going. We’re not exploring either, we are just following some arbitrary intuition that we can only hope will lead us somewhere.

“How can we know what we’re doing is correct? I hate to think that we arrive at some point and realize we’ve been wasting our time all along. I’ve never been particular about acting without clear purpose, and I always try to find sense in something that has none, but I’ve never felt it this bad as right now, especially with the spell gone.” She swallowed. “And, there’s also … it’s no secret that the girls and I happen to be involved in more immediate situations from time to time. But the outcome of those is usually pretty clear cut. I’ve never been in a position to be confronted with … well.”

“But it happens,” Bon Bon said, “Things do go wrong sometimes. Believe me, I should know. Everything kept going wrong as long as I can remember. I’ve never gotten along well with my parents, I’ve never been able to make friends anywhere, my entire life was a constant stream of failure. Or so I thought. It just eats away at you, being unable to finish anything worthwhile, and robs you of the clarity to recognize what’s really important and what’s only noise. I always believed that’s why Lyra saved me, because she helped me get out of all that and knocked some sense into me. Because she settled down in Ponyville with me and helped me get the shop. Because she helped me do things right and make progress. But that’s not at all what she’d been teaching me.”

The apex was close. Nerves were raw. “Oh, why do I always have big realizations when I can’t talk to her?” Bon Bon said, “Lyra merely taught me to help myself! Her encouragement was what made me believe in myself and do what I thought was right, with confidence. That’s the key, Rarity! Always stay true to yourself. And not only in good times, or even in decent times, but in the most dire of times. Don’t be afraid to trust your judgement.”

“I know it can be nice to focus on something just for distraction, but you can’t drown yourself out of your potential. That’s the noise! You’re the signal! If you know it’s the right thing to do, then it is. And not always is everything under your control, believe me it’s not, but it is just in those most trying times that you have to do the best you can do. Even if it’s just the tiniest step on the most monumental road, you will make a difference. Never stop working at it and things will improve. Right now, we have to stay calm and alert and take one step at a time. Think rationally and do the logical thing. No matter how this may turn out, we are moving ever forward.”

Rarity’s step had become confident enough to rival Applejack’s. “I never knew about your intricate past, Bon Bon,” she said, “You are right, I have to admit. I seem to have fallen into the trap of wanting to distract myself from what I did not want to realize. But that helps nopony, not even myself! I never had any intention of distancing myself from you like that, it just happened without me even noticing.” She had no trouble keeping up with Bon Bon now. “I promise I will see this through with you, sound of mind. Thank you, Bon Bon.”

“And thank you too, Rarity,” Bon Bon said, “And not only for coming along on this search, but just for being there. I wouldn’t have come this far without you. Still, I hope Lyra’s holding out for us on the hill top and we can just turn around and go home together right now.”

“That’s neither rational nor logical, darling,” Rarity said.

“I know,” Bon Bon said.

Had she really just done that? Had she just helped another pony out of a slump and given her some valuable advice on the way? Bon Bon had never experienced anything like this before, but still it had come so naturally, almost on its own. It was apparent that the seeds of something larger had been sown this night, something to treasure for a long time still. But that wasn’t why her heart was pounding like crazy.

This was it. The last blockade fell in Twilight’s wake, before them the final row of trees, a lattice into the unknown. The mystifying goal they had been chasing all this time, the summit was just in reach. Despite all the talk about being resolute, unwavering and never giving up, Bon Bon could barely move her legs. She was about to confirm what she she had only been able to assume. The truth was closer than ever. It couldn’t have been far enough right now.

Bon Bon was dragged along with inevitable finality. Applejack called out seeing something and stretched out to catch a glimpse. Twilight cleared away the last leech seed in the way, leaving only their natural counterparts loosely covering the ground. Something tugged at Bon Bon’s leg. Was it a ferocious beast trying to devour her? No, it was just a fern. Get off of me, I have to find Lyra!

The rain hit her fully in the face as Bon Bon jumped out into the clearing, but she didn’t care. This lush glade with the massive tree its defining monument, like a crown on top of the hill from which to command the entire surrounding lands. Bon Bon was familiar with it. They had been here at some point for whatever reason. That meant she knew the spots where Lyra could hide.

“Lyra!” Bon Bon called. The water tasted clear.

She ran to the far side of the clearing. Was Lyra hiding in these ferns? Her hooves were brushed somewhat clean as she dug around in the bushes, but she only hit emptiness. No Lyra here.

“Lyra?” Bon Bon shouted, but she could barely hear it herself.

Maybe she’s in that depression over there? That looks like something’s in there. It certainly would be a good place to hide. Nope, those are only a bunch of mushrooms. Lyra’s definitely not mushrooms.

“Lyra …” Bon Bon said.

The forest began to spin like a carousel, so long did Bon Bon run in circles to check out every side of the clearing. She could strain against the darkness as much as she wanted, but it remained impenetrable. The plants revealed none of the mysteries she had hoped for. Bushes stayed empty no matter how often she checked. Rocks didn’t care if they were upturned. The surrounding trees blocked the view rudely. Mosses persisted in being too small for Lyra to hide under.

Over by the tree were a bunch of ponies. Is that Lyra … ? One, two, three. Nope. Seems like her companions didn’t have much luck either.

“This is beautiful,” Twilight said, “This entire clearing is so gentle and full of life. Look at this remarkable meadow. You could write an entire article about the multitude of different mosses in one place. I’ve never been here before.”

“I’m sure I’ve been in this place before,” Applejack said, “but I never rightly considered it this much of a prospect. Seems like a nice spot for a picnic.”

“That has likely been their line of thought,” Rarity said, indicating the sodden abandoned picnic basket closer to the tree. It stood with more water than could drip between the braids, the swimming red kerchief hardly adequate against the masses of rain.

Bon Bon emerged from the darkness into Twilight’s light. “That means at least we found one thing,” she said, “They certainly were here.”

“Any luck?” Applejack said.

Bon Bon shook her head.

She was cold and tired. Her friends were really supportive, but it didn’t help one bit against the crushing loneliness. The whole talk about being patient and taking one step at a time was nice and all, but it was enough by now. Seeing Lyra again would be so nice. There was nothing here, and they knew it. They had always known. The missing pony could literally be anywhere. This conclusion had been inevitable the whole time.

One part of the talk still held true at least. Everything can’t be perfect. You win sometimes, you lose sometimes. They could be trying their hardest to comb the entire forest and to search high and low, but even then they probably wouldn’t have found him. He obviously hadn’t found his way back to town, which meant he had proceeded further into the forest, and that made him a practically vanished pony.

The odds were stacked simply too high. Lyra had probably come to the same conclusion. If she was here, she’d probably taken the straight path back to their house, the one she expected Bon Bon to follow her on, and arrived there by now. Bon Bon certainly didn’t like giving up, but there was nothing more they could do. They would probably search around for a bit, but if it were Bon Bon’s call, they’d turn around and go home.

Applejack obviously couldn’t take the silence any longer. “Alright, as far as I see it,” she said, “there are three paths that lead away from here. Since from where we arrived grew shut behind them, I reckon Parting and Teak took one of these exits when they were caught in the storm. It’s pretty easy to go down there, where the trees grow thinner, but you’d have to go quite the distance to get somewhere since it’s just wild land for at least a day’s march. Over here, past the tree, the ridge goes on, I’m not quite sure where, but maybe we can see more from the height. And back there’s a bunch of leech seed. We could go past them to get to the swamp, but I doubt we’d get very far.”

“Then let’s split up and search all of them,” Twilight said.

“I told you, no splitting up,” Applejack said.

“But we’re four ponies,” Twilight said, “we could go in groups of two each to search the two paths free of leech seed for a bit. We wouldn’t go very far, and we should agree to return soon, but any chance we can still find him is one we should take.”

“Twilight …” Rarity said, but Twilight’s shimmering eyes told revealed that, no, she wouldn’t face the truth just yet.

“Alright, let’s split up,” Applejack resigned, “maybe we’ll find something.”

It was basically a big dawdle. Noise. But at least it would serve to cool some heads. The inevitable conclusion had already settled in, the thought seemed natural to Bon Bon. Things would never be the same. How could you live on with an experience like this weighing on your mind? Sure, it would be possible in some way, it always is. But it would be horrible to be unable to forget this failure. To find yourself idle during the day and your mind slipping back into this grotesque memory. To look at the coat Bon Bon was wearing and be reminded of what happened this night. To be haunted by specters of irrecoverable loss in your dreams.

But the biggest injustice had befallen Teak himself. It was the most unfair form of demise imaginable. Out of your control, no way out. There wasn’t even anypony to really blame, so he couldn’t vent his anger either. It was terrible.

And Lyra, how would she take it? She shouldn’t have to live with this abhorrent memory forever. It was Bon Bon who had failed. Despite everything, she had arrived here what felt like many hours too late. Just imagine if she had gone to Twilight’s in the first place and they would have come here straight away. Maybe they could have linked up and they could have searched together? Would they have been able to find him with one more pony? Was this all Bon Bon’s fault?

It was driving Bon Bon crazy. Her head felt like it was going to explode. All she wanted to do was to throw her head in the air and cry to the gods, the demigods, or whatever universal being was listening, and scream for help.

Right above her, on the big tree’s stoutest branch, was tied Lyra’s red scarf, waving like a flag.

“Lyra!” Bon Bon shrieked.

The others were by her side in an instant.

“Get it down, get it down,” Bon Bon said as Twilight unravelled the scarf from the branch, “it’s Lyra’s! Look! It pointed in that direction! It’s her! She wants us to go there!”

“It’s the swamp,” Applejack said, her eyes sharp like diamonds once more, “She must have gone that way. And it wouldn’t be far fetched she had a good reason, too.”

“What are we waiting for,” Rarity said. Bon Bon tore the scarf out of Twilight’s grasp.

Bon Bon whirled around. “Let’s go find her,” she exclaimed. Rarity caught the scarf before it hit the ground. Twilight was already prepared to dispel.

“Everypony, follow me,” she said.

Sunday - rise

Lyra had no idea how long they had been lying here. Just there on the ground, just the two of them. Like a rock in the middle of a river of mud. The world drifted onward, with or without them, leaves, twigs, roots, bits and splinters, but they just remained. The small site of the landslide had become the backdrop for their little play of survival, the discord of the storm their orchestra.

But the storm had turned. No longer was it the rabid destroyer that tore away at everything with a furor of angry slaps and crashes, threatening to whittle away at life until it was reduced to a mere memory. It had changed its mind. The downpour had lost its ferocity. The frost had lost its bite. There was a lull in the force of nature, time for recall and recollection. It was a nudge in the right direction. The great cleansing was over, the pieces had been reset, the field was fresh. There was new earth, new water, new space. Come and get it.

There was a recurring vibration at Lyra’s chest. It wasn’t Teak’s shivering. Not to say Teak wasn’t shivering, because he certainly was, and so was Lyra too from the cold. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared of the fact she didn’t even notice anymore. But there was still reason for joy. Teak was snoring. He had actually found the strength to fall asleep. No stinging, no aching, no pain, but, amidst the ruins of destruction and on the precipice of oblivion, the most mundane and animated act a living being could perform. Does one laugh or cry in the face of such a fantastic absurdity?

Also turned had Lyra’s longing. She couldn’t wait to see Bon Bon. And she didn’t need to hope, there was no fear of being left behind because it wasn’t a chance that Bon Bon would find them. It was certainty.

As real as the rain itself. Lyra knew it in her heart. Bon Bon’s coming, and it will be awesome to see her again. Surely she would know something insightful to say, even if it took some time, because she often tended to stay quiet before speaking up. But then she would be happy if somepony acknowledged the subtlety of her thoughts. Lyra couldn’t wait to coax that smile out of her. Despite the fact that all hell will probably break loose when Bon Bon and her have to carry Teak back to safety, maybe there’s a free moment for a hug. Just a quick one. It’s been ages since Bon Bon’s curly mane had bounced against Lyra’s nose. She could really use that right now.

The serenity had something unreal. Like Lyra was removed from this world. But really, nothing could happen anymore that she couldn’t handle. The worst already lay behind her, and, despite all odds, Lyra had brought absolution into reach by the sheer force of her will. It had been a ridiculous coincidence of various circumstances that had delivered them into the abyss, but it was enough that Lyra embraced the essence of her being and the nature of her heart to claw her way back to the top.

Magic’s something really strange, thinking about it. It’s everywhere, all the time, and though nopony can see it, we can certainly feel it. It follows us wherever we go, courses through our bodies, suffuses us, and we make use of magic all the time. Whether fully aware or entirely subconscious, carrying our bags to a vacation, tending to our flowers for a nice meal or locating the sun and the moon to find our way. Living together with everypony else, working together, celebrating together. Loving together.

That’s why the fact of Bon Bon’s impending arrival was so certain. The bond of purity forged between Lyra and her was sacred, perpetual, and very, very real. Love’s not just a figment of imagination, not only a mere chemical imbalance, but love is a very concrete interaction between a pony and the world, and just like the tiniest flutter of a bird’s wing can cause a tempest, even the smallest gesture of love can set in motion occurrences of immeasurable grandeur. Everypony must adapt to the universe as much as the universe must adapt to her.

“You like all this talk about magic, don’t you?” Lyra said to the sprite.

It was practically vibrating with energy. It hadn’t come to rest in a long time, orbiting Lyra with determined twirls and mystifying bursts, its light always just where Lyra needed it beyond the dim sheen of the rising moon. Unseen currents guided the tiny arcane apparition to and from the vast complexity of the aether, with Lyra herself a well of infinitely expanding influence erupting recursive configurations like a fractal anchor into the chaotic turmoil of creation. The moment wasn’t lacking of ethereal features rising in their state of energy to settle into order, the magical plane at rest with harmony as the fixed points aligned.

“That leaves one last thing to do, old friend,” Lyra said.

She raised an uncovered hoof to the sky. The sprite had been waiting for this all along. It gently touched down on the very tip of the hoof and became patiently unmoving.

“Bon Bon,” Lyra said, “I love you so much. You have never stopped believing in me even when I’ve been at my worst. You taught me how to embrace harmony in this world. Every step forward you were there to support me, every flaw of mine you grew to complement, every failure you grasped and turned into nourishment for growth. You saved my life more times than I can count. It’s beyond question that you will be there for me, many times more, and still I treasure every moment I can spend together with you as if it was the first.”

“You are coming to save me once again. I know it. Everything I gained and everything I learned I vow to share with you, to examine and to learn from. I want to improve, so I may become the best I can be, for that is the least what you deserve that I can do. You are never further than right around the corner, and I’m always here waiting for you. Come for me, Bon Bon.”

Lyra held her hoof up, took in the vibrantly spirited air and blew the sprite into the sky.

The sprite erupted into a star, soaring high into the heavens, trailing curtains of blazing ephemeral sparks onto the forest in a brief display, breathtaking enough to rival the firmament itself.

===

The unicorns felt it first.

Bon Bon followed their gaze to determine what was going on, but the light was too painfully bright to see. Beyond the impenetrable mesh of vegetation, spanning all the way to the tree tops, a new star was born, momentarily lighting up the night as bright as day, as it carried out its transcendence into the sky.

Remaining in its searing streak were erupting veils of brightly glittering sparks that descended back towards the world, to grace the forest with their dreamlike light before vanishing.

In the middle of the forest, the depth of night, inexplicable energies, a signal of glaring light. This could only mean one thing.

“Lyra!” Bon Bon shrieked, “That’s her! She’s over there! We have to go get her!”

Applejack barely caught Bon Bon by the fold of her coat, as Bon Bon tried to storm right past Twilight and dig her way through the overgrowth. Twilight hadn’t missed a beat and had already turned to clear the way toward the signal’s origin.

The pace quickened considerably as everypony scraped past the natural obstacles, bending branches, mounting roots and pushing aside rocks to clear the way.

The first crack of moonlight shone through, and Bon Bon could no longer be held back. She shoved herself against a leech seed, and Twilight immediately tore it down. She got her leg entwined in a root, and Applejack promptly opened it up to free her. She slipped on the muddy ground, but Rarity was there to catch her and push her on. Finally, Bon Bon broke into an earthen clearing.

At the other end of the clearing, from behind a pile of earth surrounded by debris, amidst a river of mud, water and ice, a head popped up.

A head framed by a dirt-streaked shining plastic hood, a messy mane and fur soaked to the skin, a face uplifted by the most genuine smile. And those golden eyes sparkled only for her.

“Lyraaa!” Bon Bon screamed.

“Bon Bon!” Lyra returned.

Bon Bon immediately shot off like a predator. The instability of the slippery ground didn’t even seem to register as she homed in on Lyra with ferocity. Lyra had gotten up and attempted to steel herself for the impact as the fountain of muddy water shot straight toward her, but she already knew all attempts were futile.

“Oof,” Lyra made as Bon Bon impacted into her like a hammer, knocking them both over as they tumbled and slid across earthen puddles. Bon Bon only needed to disentangle her face from underwater before she began crying out.

“Lyra! Lyra!” Bon Bon wailed, mud splashing all around, “I’m so sorry! I love you so much! I’m so sorry!”

“Bon Bon! I’m so sorry!” Lyra cried in return, dripping with water, “I love you more than anything! I’m sorry!”

“Wait, what are you sorry for!” Bon bon howled.

“I’m sorry I sent you away on your own,” Lyra said, “I should have never left from your side. We should have gone together to get help. How could I ever have put you at such risk? I don’t even want to think of what could have happened. I’m sorry the first pony I thought about was myself instead of you. I wanted to take all of this on my own shoulders and I wanted to have all the glory for myself. I should have listened to you and should have stayed around. I’m sorry that you were alone and cold and scared because of me and that I wasn’t there to stand with you like I had sworn.”

Bon Bon cared not for the slippery sand between their skins, as long as she could continue to rub her face against Lyra’s neck with as much surface area as possible.

“But you have nothing to be sorry for,” Bon Bon said into Lyra’s chest, “You did everything right. I don’t love you because of who you say you can be, I love you so much for who you are. Don’t you ever try to be anypony else. It doesn’t matter what could have been because you are you, and you will always do the right thing, and I will always love you! It was me who screwed up, not you. I got lost on the way and had to circle the town once before I could get here. It took me way longer than I had any right to. You gave me such a simple task, and I disappointed you, even though your life depended on it.”

Lyra scrambled to enfold Bon Bon’s soft form as closely as possible as they writhed on the ground.

“But Bon Bon, we made it!” Lyra said, “We made it! Everything turned out alright! You didn’t screw up, you did just fine. I knew you’d be coming for me and you did not disappoint. I would never have found Teak if I didn’t have time to search for him this long. But we’d have done so faster and safer if I had gone with you, to get help first. I’m the one who screwed up!”

Bon Bon embraced Lyra’s head and pressed their foreheads together, splashing mud over the back of her hood.

“If you hadn’t sent me across town to get help,” Bon Bon said, “I wouldn’t have gotten lost and then stumbled upon Twilight, Rarity and Applejack. They helped me get here faster than anypony else could have, and their help was invaluable. You brought me to them! It wouldn’t have worked without you! But I could have done so much better. I’m the one who screwed up more!”

“No, I’m the one who screwed up more,” Lyra said.

“I screwed up more,” Bon Bon said.

“I screwed up more,” Lyra said.

“I love you,” Bon Bon said.

“I love you too,” Lyra said.

The clammy earth was soon ground thin between their cheeks and threatened to dry out against the overbearing heat. After an eternity of unfathomable profanity, Bon Bon savoured the sensation of the subtle and refined softness of Lyra’s warm skin. Not even the ice water crashing down on their sides could mar Bon Bon’s complete and utter preoccupation with Lyra’s soft fur, electrifying as it tickled gently over the side of her muzzle. Soon the tips of their noses brushed against each other, and Bon Bon relaxed into the familiar excitement of Lyra’s breath against her chin. Their faces were pretty close. Her lips were tingling. it wouldn’t take much …

“Ladies,” Rarity said from behind. Lyra rolled off of Bon Bon and got up, shaking the moisture off her coat, a luxury Bon Bon didn’t have since her overcoat hadn’t kept the water out in the first place.

“How is he?” Lyra said.

Applejack huffed as she hefted the half-consciously groaning Teak over her back.

“He’s okay for the time being,” Applejack said, “But we have to get him back somewhere warm, pronto. It’s fastest if I carry him. Back to the house?”

Twilight readied herself and gave the signal.

“Wait,” Lyra said, throwing herself into the river of mud. Her hooves rummaged around in the earth and turned rocks while masses of liquid dirty splattered onto her.

“Lyra, we have to go,” Bon Bon said.

“Just a moment,” Lyra said, “it’s gotta be here somewhere.”

Within the stream, she gathered the earth with her forehooves and pushed it in front of her while walking forward slowly. A moment later, her hooves struck smooth metal.

She pulled it out of the water and grabbed her machete firmly, before turning to leave.

“Got it,” Lyra said, “Let’s go.”

===

“Things didn’t feel natural at all, I can tell you that,” Applejack said, “like something was wrong with them. I’ve seen a few vermin in my time, believe me, but none did ever try to take everything they can with such tenacity. Did you see how empty the forest was? Quiet as a grave. It’s obvious the leech seed don’t usually belong there. Few more weeks without anypony noticing and they’d probably consumed everything.” She turned her hoof on the table. “Didn’t put up much of a fight though once I’d shown them the ropes.”

“The leech seed’s natural habitat is the swamp,” Twilight said, “Where, though relatively isolated from the surrounding climate and rich in nutrients, there are enough predators with similarly varied abilities to keep their population in check. The leech seed can not usually survive in an environment as harsh as the forest. That’s why their effects were so strongly felt, they needed to exhaust all resources available in order to stay strong. In addition, they wouldn’t have gained that much of a hold in the first place without their strength in numbers. So many leech seed being able to settle at the same time must have been a pretty big coincidence.”

Having Twilight along on the return trek had been amazing. Though she didn’t appear like it on the outside, she was an incredibly resourceful unicorn. Beyond her slow and methodical approach, her wordless brooding and her reserved presence lay a wit as sharp as a razor’s blade. And it was no surprise either considering the sheer magnitude of raw power lying dormant within her already remarkably refined abilities.

Neither the monstrous leech seed nor the difficult environment had been much of a challenge. True, Twilight tended to dawdle around when her friends were hesitant, but once it was clear how to proceed, she was on the job like a bloodhound. There had been a need to get back to the house as quickly as possible, and Twilight had already laid out the direction of travel from memory alone from the first moment. Her concern was making sure everypony stayed within the range of her shield, as magical weeds disintegrated and the natural overgrowth parted in their path downhill.

Crossing the river in the other direction had been amazing. They had come up to the stream in the flatlands, which had been the degenerated Root Canal. And though it wasn’t much more than ankle deep at this point, the other side had been hard to see because the stream had become so broad.

But Bon Bon didn’t even get a chance to warn the other ponies as Twilight simply dragged them into the water. Well, not entirely true, since Twilight cut through the water like nothing more than a flimsy cloth. Their hooves stayed dry, a great relief in particular to the only pony bare-hooved, and Bon Bon couldn’t stop gawking at the massive sprays of water sparkling over their heads as the waves crashed against Twilight’s reach.

A bit of stew splashed onto the table as Applejack slammed her cup. She was pretty content chewing on the crunchy remains.

“Is he going to be alright?” Bon Bon said, nodding toward the sofa. Teak kept trying to get up, but Parting Ways wouldn’t let him, keeping him wrapped under a mountain of blankets and feeding him hot stew unrelentingly. “From being trapped in the forest, I mean.”

“Applejack and I checked him out as best we could,” Twilight said, “and it is our opinion that Teak did not suffer any lasting injuries or impairments, neither physical nor magical, aside from the expected respiratory complaints from being in freezing weather for so long. There is some lingering fatigue from the exposure to the leech seed though, he will have an increased need for rest for some time.”

“He’ll be fine,” Applejack said, “Forest and the storm barely scraped him. Probably caught a nasty cold out there though, so he’d better try and stay warm. A few days of sleep and he’ll feel much better. Speaking of which, the same goes for you too, Lyra.”

There hadn’t been a chance to really talk until they’d arrived at the house. Up to that point, they had been too busy leading the vanguard and carrying the weakened, respectively. Rarity had commendably kept up with Applejack, and kept in steady contact with her to restore balance whenever Teak’s head or his backside keeled over and threatened to meet with the ground.

That left Bon Bon free to support Lyra at the rear end. Both of them sorely felt the aftermath of the night’s adventures as they increasingly faltered, but somehow they never fell outside of Twilight’s prickling wall of protection.

Regardless, when the hollow drumming of rain on top of sheet metal preceded the radiant allure of warmly lit windows amidst the flurry of the night, Bon Bon was the second most happy pony to finally arrive at home. She was carried by a second wind as their hooves dredged through the back yard’s ugly dirt patch. Then they ducked past the water spraying off the shed, rounded the corner and kicked open the front entrance, and crashed right into the hooves of the first most happy pony.

Parting Ways had been no less than ecstatic. She must have noticed the approaching commotion through the dining room windows, because she was already waiting with a bunch of towels over her neck on the other side of the door.

She posed a slight bit of a hindrance, with everypony bunching up in the entryway, but nopony faulted her for pushing her way through and applying all the towels on her coltfriend first. Parting could barely contain herself as she threw herself on top of Teak, huddling him tightly with her towels and keeping close contact with her face, which was almost wetter than his. Bon Bon took care to give the two reunited lovers some space, as she discreetly purloined some towels for the others.

She understood what Parting had to be feeling. It’s horrible to worry about a pony you care for in the first place, but when her life’s imminently at risk, it can thoroughly erode you down to nothing.

Lyra was getting increasingly heavy against her shoulder. Bon Bon tightened her snuggle.

“Are you going to take that off?” Applejack said.

“Uh … yeah …” Bon Bon said, “sure … in a bit. We just need to warm up first.”

And wait until you’re all gone. Bon Bon felt pretty stupid, Lyra and herself the only ones around the table still fully clothed in rain gear, not even their dripping manes rubbed dry yet. However, considering what they were both still wearing underneath, it was much preferable to be stupid rather than being basically dead.

Undressing was not an option if they wanted to avoid being brutally exposed. Bon Bon was beginning to sweat beneath her soaked coat. Whenever she moved, she caused a little squeak from Lyra’s plastic waterproof.

“In either case, that still leaves one question unanswered,” Twilight said, “how did all those creatures come to settle into the forest? They are usually native to the swamp, at least the ones we saw. For the leech seed, there must have been an opportunity to breed and flourish somewhere closeby until there were enough to get picked up by the climate and carried into the forest. But the wetlands should be fully cultivated, and I can’t think of a secluded spot with enough groundwater large enough anywhere else.”

“Whatever it is,” Applejack said, “I reckon the swamp followed after when the leech seed made themselves at home. The forest’s still going strong, that much was pretty clear, but it felt like the leech seed were becoming more than a nuisance. And who knows what else was lurking in the darkness? Wasn’t there also some magical sprite you told us about, Lyra?”

That got her attention. Lyra revealed her bleary eyes from under the bright yellow hood. “Yeah,” she said, “the sprite came floating down from up high pretty soon after I’d went into the forest and stuck with me all the way. I know we don’t have sprites like that anywhere outside the swamp, so you’re probably right. I’m lucky I didn’t have to go entirely alone, because the silence was getting pretty creepy quickly. And he provided me with light, so there’s that. I wonder if he’s going to be alright without me.”

“Well, technically he’s not a he,” Twilight said, “because the magical characteristics we know as sprites aren’t attributed with genders in the first place. Nor are they actually sentient, since they’re just quite simple arcane mechanisms, that pop up as artifacts whenever there are many appreciable sources of magic operative in parallel. That goes both for the physical and the ethereal planes, though only here are the sprites as tangible and substantial. That’s why it appeared like it was following you, when in fact it was simply the effects of your presence creating a magical tension pulling along, and in case of your signal flare, extending the reach back into … “

Rarity less than covertly cleared her throat for Twilight’s attention.

Lyra had increasingly clenched her jaw in worry of all this terminating in a very elaborate, but ultimately apathetic, no.

Which wasn’t at all what Twilight had intended to convey. “Sorry,” she said, “what I mean is, yes. Your friend is going to be fine. Maybe you’ll see him again someday.”

“Now that is much more agreeable, isn’t it?” Rarity said, “a happy end for everypony and every sprite. I doubt my poor little heart could take any more suspense tonight.” It was barely a nod she acknowledged Bon Bon’s silent thank you with.

Rarity couldn’t have been aware it so much more than just a little joke to lighten the mood, could she? Lyra practically melted into Bon Bon’s side when she finally found reason to relax again, but it was the copious contentedness radiating off of her that sent Bon Bon’s heart aflutter.

Lyra had been ailing, and every little bit Bon Bon could help to lift her spirits, came back like a thousand jubilees in return. The ease with which Lyra laid her head down on Bon Bon’s shoulder, the lack of second thought as she entrusted her whole being entirely to Bon Bon, the little smile of serenity only the both of them could see. All the accomplishments they had achieved were surely empowering, but this was something entirely different. This was home. And it was only now beginning to sink in how truly happy Bon Bon was to be here.

Metal scraped against metal as Applejack worked the ladle. The pot had stopped steaming about three refills ago, making the two dish towels underneath wholly superfluous. Whoever placed it here must have really worried about the table.

“It’s all gone already?” Applejack said, “That’s too bad.”

“I’m surprised too,” Bon Bon said, “usually when Lyra cooks, she makes way too much. I don’t think we ever managed to go through an entire portion of her stew in just one weekend.”

“I’m not surprised everypony went for it though,” Applejack said, “It’s right warm. But, let me tell you, I’ve had quite some stews in my time, and this one must be one of the best I’ve ever tasted. I don’t know how you did it, but nothing’s overcooked, even though it’s a stew. How about that!”

“Oh, Bon Bon here really likes my stew,” Lyra said, “so I got to refine my technique over the years.”

“I’ll have to get me some of it then one day,” Applejack said, “tastes really amazing too. A whole bunch of stuff you wouldn’t expect in a stew. The hearty taste, is that sorrel? Must have gone quite a ways to get that.”

“Yeah, it’s sorrel,” Lyra said, “but it wasn’t at all a problem to get it! You’d be amazed what you can find growing around here, if you just look hard enough. Not far from here grows a whole bunch of sorrel, all juicy and ripe for the taking. Okay, I had to cut it free from all the junk, but it’s still the perfect spot. It’s almost standing with water because it’s so low, there’s loads of shrubs as protection, everything grows wild! And best of all, nopony would ever come across … the place ...”

No way. The prostrate realization in the back of her head quickly came creeping into the obvious, the thrill knocking her jaw open.

Judging by the size of her eyes, the awareness hadn’t been lost on Bon Bon either.

They looked at each other.

And then they broke into howling laughter.

“What’s the matter?” Applejack said, “What’s so funny?”

There wasn’t anything strictly funny about it. In fact, the banality of the mystery’s conclusion was almost disappointing. But Lyra and Bon Bon still found themselves overtaken by fits of hilarity due to the outrageous absurdity of the explanation.

It also felt pretty good to actually laugh. Took the edge off.

“It’s the sorrel!” Bon Bon said, “No way!”

“What?” Applejack said.

“Yes way,” Lyra said, “Do you know the path past the lake when you go from here to Sweet Apple Acres? The one where you have to go along the forest and down some rough ledges. Just before you see Ponyville again, there’s this row of thornberries. Big, huge bushes.”

“Pretty sure I know the one you mean,” Applejack said, “We always go swimming in the summer.”

“You couldn’t go very far past that into the field,” Lyra said, “because some big tree had toppled over and there’s, like, junk and earth piling up behind it. Lucky me, I managed to get through with my machete because there was the sorrel growing further out. The entire thing is overgrown! You can’t even step a hoof in there without carving a way first, and it hurts like crazy if you walk into the thorns. And there were puddles of water everywhere because the whole thing’s, like this huge furrow. I didn’t go very far, but I could see it went on like forever.”

“Isn’t that fairly close to the swamp?” Twilight said.

“Yup,” Applejack said, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “seems we’ve got our culprit.”

“That’s fascinating,” Twilight said, “Just think of the biodiversity in an isolated spot like that. It’s very plausible the leech seed would flourish in such an environment if left undisturbed. I just can’t believe nopony ever noticed. You told me about the presence you felt, the day before, Bon Bon. You’re an earth pony, and you’re much more prone to the effects of natural magic. Surely, in all this time, somepony must have passed by and felt it too?”

“Twilight,” Lyra said, “do you have any idea how good thornberries are?”

“And here I’ve been wondering,” Rarity said, “if I had only imagined seeing more of those dreadful things around town this year.”

“Rarity,” Applejack said, “you just can’t appreciate a good kick. Doesn’t matter what you eat on the side, it won’t hold a candle to the taste.”

“I can appreciate an acquired taste, it’s not about that,” Rarity said, “it’s the outlandish skin of the fruit, with its wrinkled texture, and all covered in fibers. The sensation of having something hairy on your tongue, it’s positively appalling! I can’t believe you enjoy something like that.”

“I’m not the only one though, apparently,” Applejack leaned back. Sweet victory. “Guess you can’t please everypony.”

The calm felt very good.

Only the fire cracked and crackled fiercely in the other room because apparently somepony had decided to throw two, possibly more, logs of wood into it at once. A good idea, the mollifying warmth, that descended thickly onto the room, did wonders for the nerves. The bustling about over at the sofa had died down to a mere whisper, as the two travellers had obviously managed to come to an agreement in comfortable posture. What remained was the gentle tapping of the rain against the glass of a black dining room window, to lull them into a mellow tranquility.

That left only Bon Bon wanting to jump out of her skin. It hadn’t taken more than a few moments of silence for Lyra to doze off again, her weight increasingly more like a big bag of flour. But it was better that way, because she didn’t have to sit through the embarrassment of having to hold out in front of their friends completely mummified.

It was silly, really. Bon Bon shouldn’t be so self-absorbed. She wasn’t the one who had barely scraped by ruination tonight. The hour belonged to the survivors, Teak and Parting. She shouldn’t be moping around. It’s time to celebrate.

Still, Bon Bon couldn’t help wishing to be able to feel Lyra’s skin instead of that insufferable plastic coat.

“So,” Applejack said, “we’re not going to leave the forest like this, are we?”

“Of course not,” Twilight said, clapping her hooves, “I’m going to send a message to the Academy first thing in the morning. Free reigning overlap of different biotopes? An undisturbed display of botanical competition? Oh, the institute is going to love this. I expect a reply the same day.”

“On a Sunday?” Applejack said, “Are you sure somepony is going to read it when they’re all likely at home? I’d hate for Ponyville to be invaded by creepy magical plants again just because nopony’s coming to do anything about it.”

“They’re not staying at home on Sunday,” Twilight said, “trust me. It pains me to propagate ecologist stereotypes, but I know those ponies in Canterlot. We’ll be buried in scientists before we even know what happened. And at the very least, they’re going make a scientific evaluation and ensure the natural balance is restored in this area. We’ve seen that the leech seed can be driven back even with unspecialized magic, it shouldn’t be a problem for the experts to work something out.”

“Good,” Applejack said, “Glad to know things are in good hooves. Last thing I need is something happening to the crops, and I’m not exactly keen on going back in that mess myself either. Though, truth be told, it wasn’t all bad, was it? At least we got to take an exciting hike through the forest at night. When’s that ever happen? Knowing that everything’s taken care of and we all made it back in once piece, you could even say it was kinda fun.”

“I realize tastes may vary, Applejack,” Rarity said, “but most would agree that fun is something different.”

“Suit yourself,” Applejack said, “but it was decent exercise. Had me all juiced up for a while there.”

“We’re not finished yet, though,” Twilight said, “There’s yet more fun to be had. We still have to file an incident report to complete the records. I doubt there’s going to be anypony present at town hall tomorrow.” She clapped her hooves together. “Luckily, I keep printed copies of all standardized forms at the library! That means we won’t have to waste any time sitting around idly. I suggest we all get some rest and file that report first thing tomorrow morning, all right?”

Tomorrow? Cripes. Bon Bon had hoped to get some undisturbed playtime with Lyra.

“Sure,” she said.

“Great,” Twilight said, “There’s nothing better than keeping proper documentation. Believe me, I know that better than anypony. Fail to report something and you’re in a whole world of trouble. Boy, do I have some stories to tell.”

“What, you mean the one where you forgot to tell the school you were going to travel with the Princess?” Applejack said.

“How did you know?” Twilight said.

“You may have mentioned it already,” Applejack said, “Once or twice.”

“Well, it wasn’t that I forgot to notify the school,” Twilight said, “I mean, I did forget. But I told Princess Celestia after we’d left, and she said she’d send a message. But then she forgot as well. The headmistress was really annoyed when we returned.”

“I’m sure she got over it, Twilight,” Applejack said, “I agree with you though, that it’s probably best to report even minor incidents. You can never know whom else they might affect. Did I ever tell you about our ice cellar?”

“Your family has the biggest one in Ponyville, isn’t that so?” Rarity said.

“We sure do,” Applejack said, “except for the community freezer of course, but that one’s being used by everypony and we needed one of our own. Anyway, we dug the ice cellar way before Twilight came to Ponyville. I was young back then, and eager to take up most of the work on my own, hollowing out the room and reinforcing the walls. In the following season, I got way too much ice down there, but I was sure it’d keep until next winter. But no, the ice began to melt and the cellar was standing with water. Turns out, the insulation hadn’t been done properly and water was dripping in. I decided not to report the fact to Ponyville. They’d have been sure to send some inspector snooping around, fearing our neighbours would be affected, and how would this look on our building permit? I figured I’d just wait until the wall had dried out and fix the problem. But things kept getting worse as the soil began to dry out because all the groundwater was drained into the cellar … “

Bon Bon tried to pay attention. She honestly did. It was a good story, and what better to break the ice than a good story? Telling a story is a great way to make friends, and Bon Bon loves nothing more than making a new friend.

It’s the thrill of sharing some interesting anecdote, the anticipation at the other’s reaction, the prospect of many more moments yet unwitnessed shared in companionship and laughter. Truth be told, Bon Bon didn’t know Twilight and Rarity very well outside of saying hello, nor was she familiar with Applejack on account of their homes being on almost opposite ends of town. But they were thoroughly amicable ponies, a tightly knit group of friends, and Bon Bon would have loved to accept the hospitality that was so blatantly being extended toward her. Because that’s who Bon Bon really is, and, even if just for a moment, she liked pretending having the leisure of staying true to herself.

But the moment lasted way too short. Bon Bon couldn’t. Not with the dreadful inevitability hanging over her head, taunting her into making a false move and bring everything crashing down. The normalcy they had, the freedom of burden as they happily took part in a light communion, sharing warmth, food and joy.

It eluded Bon Bon. She wasn’t normal, not like them. And it had never occurred to her just how painfully unadjusted it made her feel. Or maybe she had, but she didn’t have the heart to think about it. She couldn’t just invite somepony over to her home, because her home was hers and Lyra’s sanctuary of virtue, a place to unmask and reconstitute. They didn’t have to hide their true selves here. Bon Bon couldn’t share her most heartfelt feelings either, because she found not the means to verbalize them. Nopony could relate to Bon Bon’s desires as long as they couldn’t understand. And how could she make others understand what she didn’t understand herself?

Bon Bon was practically sitting on nails. It was close to a miracle nothing embarrassing had been lying around on the lower floor. No curious pacifiers, no inexplicable foal toys and, luckily, no baffling adult diapers. At least, Bon Bon hadn’t seen any, but she was willing to take what she could get. Still, she stuck out like a sore hoof, Lyra and herself being the only ones still fully dressed in their raingear.

That was her Lyra, out like a light the moment the excitement was over. Lyra had earned the chance to sleep though, she had really gone through much tonight. Bon Bon wished she could be strong like Lyra. It was up to her to do something about the current situation, and every moment delayed didn’t exactly make things look better for her. It would be the best if she just managed to get everypony out of the house, preferably without moving too much and risking exposing the tattered and dirty diapers both of them still wore underneath their coats.

That would be certain to create some confusion and awkward moments. What is that? Why are you wearing that? Are you sick? Why didn’t you say anything? Do you need help?

And once more, Bon Bon wouldn’t be able to do anything but stutter out scraps of sentences that meant nothing. It was always the same. Frightened. Powerless. Weak. The only thing heavier than Bon Bon’s limbs hanging down her sides was her mind, stuck in the perpetual sludge that just kept piling on until there was nothing left of her.

Nopony suspected anything strange. Why should they? They’d never met anypony like her before. They’d continue doing whatever they wanted in here until they’d eventually stumble upon something they couldn’t explain. And then the questions would come.

Bon Bon could only pray it would be over quickly. Tomorrow, Lyra would wake to stories of an adventure with an awkward ending and a bunch of ponies who would avoid them for a long time.

Sorry, Lyra. I can’t handle this alone. You keep telling me about the value of friendship, but this goes way beyond. No matter everypony’s best intentions, in the end, there just is no explanation for everything. In the end, there’s just the two of us. In the end, we’re always alone.

Bon Bon felt like somepony had hit her over the head, but she couldn’t allow herself to fall.

“ … and then, he even stopped by to give me back my tools. I was glad to see him, but when I unwrapped the tools, the thermometer was missing,” Applejack said.

“What happened to the thermometer?” Twilight said, aghast.

“I asked him about it,” Applejack said, “and he just said, the desert is not a place where -- well hello there.”

Accompanied by a Parting Ways trying to get him to lay back down on the sofa, Teak shuffled through the door and made his way to the table. It was difficult to assess his state of well-being, as basically only his muzzle was visible from under the huge blanket that had been piled on top of him.

Bon Bon didn’t have the heart to tell Parting that blanket was actually an ugly rug, seeing how she fussed about him zealously, her eyes way redder than his. But Parting wore a tired smile, a relieving sign that nothing more was amiss than a lack of rest.

“Hey,” he rasped, followed by a sweet cough, “Look, I wanted to thank you … I mean … everypony who, uh … is Lyra here?”

“Shh,” Bon Bon made, indicating the pony who was, in fact, sleeping on her.

“Oh, sorry,” he said much more softly, “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to, er … say thank you for what you did. I mean, I’m not sure I’m getting things quite right just yet, but you pretty much, well, you saved my life.”

“I don’t even know how I can begin to thank you for bringing him back to me,” Parting Ways said, “I’ve never been as afraid in my life as tonight, and I pray I’ll never have to be again. Teak here should be asleep right now, considering what he must’ve been through. He’s never been able to hold the ropes down when he should. I wholeheartedly agree though, you guys deserve all the appreciation.”

“Don’t sweat it, Parting,” Applejack said, “we do this regularly.”

“She’s right,” Twilight said, “There hasn’t been any incident in Ponyville that we weren’t able to take care of in years, in no small part thanks to the town’s amazing residents, like Bon Bon and Lyra. What town would ours be if we didn’t help visitors any way we can? Everypony deserves a happy end, right?”

Things usually aren’t that simple, Twilight. Happy endings are usually a thing of fables and tales, books and stories. This isn’t a story though. This is real life.

“Yeah, right,” Bon Bon said.

“We’re going to make it up to you, on another day,” Parting said, brushing her cheek against Teak’s nose, “we are truly thankful. It’s not every day we meet remarkable ponies like you in a remarkable town like yours. Especially you, Bon Bon, and Lyra. You never even hesitated to help when I sought you out. Never scrutinized me, never demanded anything in return. You simply departed to right all wrongs. You share a very special bond between you that lets you achieve so much incredible feats. It’s truly a sight to behold.”

“Wouldn’t anypony have done that?” Bon Bon said.

“Most ponies wouldn’t even have been capable of acting like you,” Parting said, “nor would they have the wisdom to extend their sense of harmony beyond their own self. I didn’t want to say it at first, but I knew I was at the right address the instance I saw you.”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack said, “How so?”

“I notice these things, trust me. I work as marriage counsellor by trade,” Parting Ways said. The pause was perfectly studied. “Yeah, I know, I know, it’s because of my name, right? Let me tell you that I don’t take relationships lightly. It’s always better to base a marriage on fact rather than ideology. If togetherness can only be achieved by hopeless frantic strain, nopony gains anything. No relationship is better than a bad relationship, and a happy relationship is best, and there are always ways to build a happy relationship. That’s why I can safely say that Bon Bon and Lyra won’t be needing my professional services. It hardly gets any better than this.”

Bon Bon ventured a glance. Parting Ways’ cutie mark was that of a signpost, but the sign had the symbol of a heart on it. Ironic how she should be the one to get lost in the corporeal wilderness, when she claimed to be capable of navigating the world of emotions so well.

“Huh,” Applejack said, “and here I thought any marriage counselling is just a bunch of mumbo jumbo. I sure as shoots don’t need any professional telling me that a relationship needs working on. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“Applejack, please,” Rarity said, “A relationship is a delicate thing, and by applying force from the wrong angle, it may be trampled so much like a mere spring flower under a boot. That’s why we have specialists to guide our efforts onto the right places, so the union may grow and flourish. Say, Parting Ways, where do you come from, originally?”

“We hail from Dewshire,” Parting said, “Do you know it? It’s a small city when you travel past Canterlot and turn toward the sea. That’s where I currently work, and where I met my sugarbun here. He’s a carpenter by trade, and an amazing woodworker by his own right.”

“I try my best,” Teak said meekly.

“Oh, nonsense, honey,” Parting said, “you should see our apartment. He did most of the furnishing, and it’s breathtaking. Anyway, we had agreed to visit a relative of his in the warm south. But really, we just couldn’t wait to get out of the city for a change, so we decided to set off earlier and make a stop wherever we first felt like it. We travelled for a while until we reached Canterlot. But that was too urban for our taste, so we got off in Ponyville instead, locked up our suitcases, and went to get a breather out in the fresh air.”

“And that was the point where the air turned out a mite too fresh,” Applejack said, “I’ll see too it that the weather report is posted at the train station as well as town hall. I’d much prefer it if we could avoid incidents like this.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Parting said, “We didn’t see a single cloud when we arrived. I guess it must have slipped our attention.”

“Well, to be fair,” Applejack said, “It was a pretty crazy storm. Hadn’t seen one like it in a long time. Our crops might be better for it, sure, but we’ll be cleaning off debris from our roofs for days. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said the pegasi lost control over this one and are trying to make it look like it was intentional. How nuts would that be! Anyway, make sure to be more cautious, especially here in the countryside.”

“I promise we will,” Parting said, “it’s not an experience I would want to repeat either. It felt like I would never see civilization again on the endless way back here, and when I did arrive, my fears got even worse when it occurred to me I had left Teak back there. It wasn’t my proudest moment. I was so upset after Lyra and Bon Bon had left, I couldn’t seem to think straight while I tried keeping myself busy around here. I hope I didn’t break anything or cause too much disorder.”

Oh no. Where had she gotten that rug from? Hadn’t that been stashed somewhere upstairs?

“Don’t fault yourself,” Twilight said, “There’s nothing else you could have done. It’s difficult to remind yourself what the best course of action is when you’re in a panic, and you acted best as anypony could expect. Besides, things look to be in order around here. Is there anything broken that I don’t see?”

There it was. The conversation was heading in the direction she most dreaded. Everything was falling apart in her hooves.

It was a nightmare Bon Bon couldn’t awake from.

“Well, I may have made a bit of a mess at the fireplace,” Parting said, “We don’t have one at home, so I don’t know how to use one. And sorry about your special weekend, Bon Bon. I heard Lyra when she said we’d interrupted it. I didn’t mean to. I also really needed to get more towels and blankets for when you returned. So I, uh, I kinda had to look around through your stuff to find some, so … well … I had to open … I mean, um … I kinda had to go upstairs. Sorry.”

Bon Bon tried to keep still, but her hooves were trembling too hard. She couldn’t even muster the strength to hide her burning cheeks from sight. It was happening so fast. The hurt and the shame had hit her like lightning and left her paralyzed.

She had been discovered, truly and utterly exposed, her painstaking efforts to mask and conceal her true self so diligently for such a long time, ultimately for naught. The questions kept coming, and she would have to answer their call. Whatever Bon Bon did, stuttering half-baked explanations that would raise more concerns than they answered, shutting everypony out and throwing them out of the house into the rain, keeping silent and letting herself get crushed under the tears of her devastation. She would do wrong. She couldn’t win. So long had she dreaded this moment in her mind, but reality was worse than she could ever have imagined.

“Why?” Applejack said, “What’s upstairs?”

Parting stuttered. Of course she realized too late. She sought Bon Bon for help.

Bon Bon’s heart was racing like mad. The maw of the abyss had opened up and was waiting for her.

It was no use. She had no way out. Bon Bon stepped up to the precipice. It had come to pass.

There was nothing else she could do anymore. She almost couldn’t see past the tears.

She set out to speak.

But then, a miracle happened.

The missing piece of the puzzle set itself in place to complete the dawning realization.

Rarity had been wordless for some time. Pondering. Despite the splendor of the situation, her sharp mind had never ceased chasing the trail of the detail she felt had gone unnoticed. But she had found it, and her instincts had homed in on it with unfailing purpose. It was clear what had to come next. Now was her time to shine.

Within the roiling masses of anxiety, Rarity was a guiding light, radiant with a balance so resolute to help even the most astrayed fragment of a shattered whole achieve absolution. Like a valkyrie in blazing golden armor, she ascended from the confusion, a likeness of immaculate harmony gleaming in perfection, her steadfast resolve trained on no less noble of a goal than to return the scales to equilibrium.

Rarity was breathtaking. It was the way she carried herself, the barest of changes of posture, the most subtle of movements, the tonality of her voice, the briefest of moments looking into another’s eyes. Nothing more than the resolution of her will was required. With an effortless grace, she had commandeered the attention of everypony at the table. The reins were firmly in her hooves.

It was sublime.

“Alright, everypony,” Rarity said. Her voice was perfect. “I believe that is enough chit-chat for tonight. It was all terribly exciting, but we should consider settling in to rest. If you agree, I believe we should head back to the library. I’m sure we can find a room for our visitors to spend the night.”

“Good thinking, Rarity,” Applejack said, “It’s warmer there, too, and we’ll be close in case anything comes up.”

“Besides,” Rarity said, “our two heroes are deserving of some peace and quiet as well. With the most pressing matters settled, all of us should make use of tomorrow to recuperate. Everything else has time until Monday.”

“But,” Twilight said, “the report!”

“Twilight,” Rarity said. The moment she looked Twilight in the eyes was neither too long nor too short. “That has time until Monday.”

“If you say so, Rarity,” Applejack said and stood from the table, “can’t wait to get some shut-eye myself.”

Twilight knew well enough to trust Rarity when she spoke with such certainty. “Alright, see you next week then,” she said and went to retrieve her coat.

“Thanks for the food,” Applejack said, “and, good job out there. See you around.”

“Thank you again,” Parting Ways said, “We had better go and find someplace to sleep for the big guy here.”

“But I’m not --” Teak yawned, “tired.”

“Wha …” Lyra said as Bon Bon unseated herself to stare.

It was baffling. Had this really just happened? Had Rarity just stood up for her? An entire lifetime of failed attempts, struggling to do just the very same, and Rarity had merely done it on the side? And she wasn’t even aware of the ramifications of what had just transpired. How could she? Bon Bon couldn’t yet grasp it either.

Everything she had built up for Lyra and herself in this wicked world, that little ramshackle patch of dirt she could present with a semblance of ordinariness, as long as she bent backwards stepping through the craziness on the increasingly wobbly stilts she had to perch herself upon. And when it all came crashing down, she found herself floating to a pillowy soft landing. They didn’t have to be alone. There’s somepony else. A good friend makes every burden easier to bear.

And Bon Bon had made a good friend indeed.

Rarity couldn’t have known. She didn’t need to either. And that was testament to Rarity’s true powers. She hadn’t been only keeping track of the conversation when it steered in the direction of the topic, but she had embodied its ultimate turnout all along. There had never been a risk of losing control, because of Rarity’s influences, so subtle not to burden anypony’s attention in the slightest.

Of course she caught on when somepony wasn’t feeling well. Rarity wasn’t just good in social situations, she was the true master of the domain. Her empathy and her intellect are as one. Her generosity is not a mere trait, but it’s in her essence, manifesting itself in a thousand facets, each more varied and incredible than the last. And it is that mastery that allows her to snap the reins, to move mountains, to save lives. She set the direction, and her cause was true.

“Rarity … “ Bon Bon said. Everypony else had already left, but Rarity lingered in the doorway.

“Oh, I apologize for not catching on earlier, darling,” Rarity said, “myself of all ponies should have realized what it was, that kept you on edge. I do believe the two of you deserve to spend some time in private undisturbed. We really appreciate what you did tonight, averting a crisis and preventing something terrible from happening. Ponyville’s better off thanks to your intervention. It’s the least we can do for you. Who knows, maybe we’ll see each other again sometime? I remember the last time you stopped by at the boutique. I had so terribly much fun that evening.”

Quick, say it before you think it better.

“How about on Friday,” Bon Bon said, “after work? I mean, there were some, uh, things we were planning to get.”

Rarity lit up. Of course, she had planned this.

And that was fine.

“Good,” she said, smiling in satisfaction, “I will be looking forward to having you over again. You’ll see, it’s going to be exciting. Good night.”

She turned to the door and left.

The bickering rain never had a chance to make contact with her intricately styled rainwear, as Rarity could make her own umbrella with her horn. It wasn’t nearly as large or as bright as Twilight’s, but it didn’t need to. Instead of Twilight’s segment of a sphere, Rarity’s umbrella was paraboloidal in shape, and the slanted angle of incidence caused the raindrops to ricochet off the surface at high speed. She remained completely dry without much effort. Her magic was just like Rarity herself. Elegant, subtle, and very clever. The shining beacon of her horn soon vanished in the listless dark as the tired curtain of rain closed shut. They were alone.

Lyra was about to ask why Bon Bon was staring at the closed door, when Bon Bon whirled around.

“She knows!” Bon Bon said, “She knows, she knows, she knows!”

“Of course she knows,” Lyra said, “that’s what I’ve been telling you all along. It wasn’t very hard to guess back when she made us those sleepers, now was it?”

“Yeah,” Bon Bon said, “but she really knows. I don’t get it! Why? Why does she help us? It’s weird! I never explained it to her! She can’t possibly understand.”

“Silly Bon Bon,” Lyra said, “you’re thinking way too much again. Just because a pony can’t understand doesn’t mean she can’t sympathize. Besides, she said herself how much she enjoyed the last time we were around.”

Bon Bon couldn’t keep her hooves still. She never dared ask this question. “Do you …” she said, “do you think she really meant it?”

“Of course she did,” Lyra mumbled, taking in a deep yawn to stretch her tired lips, “Rarity knows what she wants, she won’t do anything she doesn’t fancy. Do you think she gets this kind of spectacle every day? It’s exciting. And we don’t have to explain anything. She’ll ask if she feels like it, and thinks we’re ready to answer.”

Lyra attempted to brace herself, but it was too late. She had to rear up to catch Bon Bon, who had immediately thrown herself at her in a huge embrace.

“That is so amazing,” Bon Bon said, her cheeks warm as daylight, “I feel like I could jump from joy.”

It really was amazing. All those things Bon Bon had taken for fact. She was abnormal, she had to be ashamed, she had to hide it from everypony else, she had to be alone. The bulwark of the reality she had been thrown into, towering above oppressively and threatening to grind her up at the slightest misstep.

It all began to crumble, bit by bit. Nothing was set in stone after all. Sure, it was just the first step of the first beginning, and some things certainly would never change. But the air felt so much lighter already. No more hiding, no more shame. It was their home. It was their sanctuary. There were so many things to try out.

Bon Bon hadn’t had butterflies in her stomach like this in a long time.

“How about we jump into bed instead?” Lyra murmured, “I’m pretty tired.”

They broke the hug, their raincoats squeaking against each other. Bon Bon drew a hoof across Lyra’s cheek and it came back muddy, the residue of what had been ground up between their skins.

“Ew, Lyra,” she said, “you’re dirty.”

“Well, too bad,” Lyra said, “because I don’t feel like washing up right now.”

Bon Bon couldn’t help a giggle. “Now you’re the silly one,” she said, “what kind of foal knows how to wash up by herself? Not the Lyra kind, that much I can tell you. You need a bath.”

“But …” Lyra said.

“No buts,” Bon Bon said, “except yours, in the bathtub. Now come on, give me your hoofsies so we can take off that coat.”

Lyra rolled her eyes and offered a hoofsie. Bon Bon undid the buttons.

Sunday - live

“And now your legs,” Bon Bon said, “come on.”

The water was long drained from the bathtub, but Lyra’s hind legs were still dripping from when Bon Bon had wrung out her tail.

She wasn’t about to make a step on her own, though. Lyra had fallen asleep on her hooves again, standing halfway over the bathtub’s edge. Bon Bon savoured the sensation of being dry for the first time in hours, and she was wanting to leave the dank bathroom air as quickly as possible, but the sight was just too adorable not to enjoy for a few moments.

She tapped Lyra on the freshly towelled flank.

“What, I’m awake,” Lyra said, blinking behind her ruffled mane.

“Out of the tub, come on,” Bon Bon said, “let’s get you in bed.”

“Finally,” Lyra said, hefting her legs over the threshold, “I was about to fall asleep here.”

“It’s good we got to cleaned up then,” Bon Bon said, rubbing Lyra’s legs with the towel, “you’ll sleep much better with all that filth off of you, just see.”

“Hey,” Lyra said, “I’m a hardworking pony. I don’t mind being a little dirty. If it were up to me, we would’ve gone straight to bed. That’s what a big pony would do, especially after a day’s worth of decent work. They get their sleep, not fuss about a bit of dirt like a prancy little filly.”

“That’s very nice, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, drawing the towel across Lyra’s outstretched hoof, “you were very busy today and you deserve a good and undisturbed night’s rest. You can go right ahead to the bedroom, I’ll be just behind you. Will you take those diapers with you to the bin?”

“Ew,” Lyra said, “they’re dirty.”

A sore spot in the middle of the otherwise proper tiles, the two tattered bundles of stained plastic lay on the ground, dripping with earth-infused fluids. Lyra shuffled over to the diapers. She made sure to keep a safe distance as she eyed them critically, her nose scrunched up in displeasure.

“That’s so gross,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” Bon Bon said, “it’s just mud. Besides, isn’t it amazing how long they held on? We wore them throughout the entire journey outside and back, and they didn’t fall off. I mean, we must have been out there for hours, with the rain and the mud and all the jumping around. I forgot I was wearing one for the most part. It was pretty weird to find it still there.”

“Yeah,” Lyra said, “that’s actually kinda cool. I guess we won’t have to worry about our diapers falling off when we’re playing.”

“That’s right,” Bon Bon said, “you can go ahead and play all you want, your diaper won’t let you down. And I’ve got something else. If you take these diapers with you, I’ll get you a nice and soft fresh one for the night. How’s that sound?”

“Well, if you put it that way …” Lyra said.

She tried appear dismissive, but it was obvious how her eyes alighted at the promise. The old diapers soon found themselves being carried away as Lyra departed into the darkness of the hallway.

Bon Bon swept up the floor with the used towels. Both of them were sufficiently dirty for a washing already, applying them to the bathroom tiles made no difference. It was a habit she’d never been able to get rid of, making sure the ground was mopped dry before exiting the bathroom. The reason was so nopony coming in after her could slip on the puddles of water. She’d learned it like that when she was little, it had counted among her chores every day. And like so many other things from that time, there had been a period when Bon Bon had tried to get rid of it, as a form of requital for what she had had to endure.

But she found that she never could. And why should she? It was a very sensible habit to have, ensuring the safety of the pony who would go in next, even if it was in the middle of the night, just Lyra and her. Granted, chances of them visiting the bathroom at night were slim, but you never know.

Kicking the habit? It was out of her control. Bon Bon had always liked being in control, and she had always avoided taking part in endeavours that had important responsibilities resting in somepony else’s hooves. It was the only way to escape the constant pains of disappointment, to ensure that nothing could go wrong as everypony involved sought their respective desires toward a common goal.

Bon Bon never was like that. She couldn’t let her desires be known beyond the superfluous level of her outward appearance. Sure, she loved her trade, and she liked having company while she ran the shop. But, in the end, hadn’t the decision to use her remarkable confectionary skills to open her own shop been another attempt to reach unabridged independence?

Her fear of exposure had driven her much of the way, to where she had ended up now. Bon Bon wasn’t in a bad spot by any means, but there always remained that annoying little thorn in her sides, that what if. What if she hadn’t kept her distance from her family? What if she had maintained normal relationships with relatives and friends? What if she didn’t hide her little secret pleasure from others? What if she stopped driving Lyra up the wall with her constant paranoia?

Lyra knew. She always had. There was one important fact Bon bon had always gotten wrong.

Something being out of her control didn’t necessarily have to be bad.

In fact, sometimes it was even good. Collaborating with somepony else brings fresh perspective and innovation. And, sometimes, not caring spares you from making bad decisions. Bon Bon would still be sitting around dreaming about having diapers, if not for Lyra.

But Lyra didn’t bother. She just waltzed right into the medical supplies store. What if the salespony inquired whether the diapers were for them? Lyra cared not and just asked for the diapers. The question never came either. It was amazing, in her brunt directness, how mature Lyra was in that regard, sophisticated even. Bon Bon was so lucky to have her.

Things would change in the future. She would ask for diapers too. That much she could promise.

Bon Bon dimmed off the light and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

The towels were in the laundry bucket. They had broken the basket when Lyra hadn’t felt like wringing out some soaked fabrics after washing. The dining table had been cleared. Most everything found itself in a heap in the kitchen sink. And the fire was snuffed out, the remaining warmth creeping to the upper floor.

Perfect, almost everything was taken care of. Bon Bon was in control, a good kind of control. A control that made sense. She was needed here, to reliably run the household and keep things tidy. And she was happy to answer the call, not only for herself.

The only thing that remained was to get her little Lyra ready for bed, and then it was off to a comfortable sleep.

Bon Bon took the few steps into the bedroom as soon as the door became visible in the moon’s pale face. On the floor beside the diaper changing table lay the two crumpled diapers in a heap. That was way closer to the diaper pail trash bin than Bon Bon had been expecting to find them.

Surprisingly, however, the actual table was empty. Lyra instead made herself known to be laying on the bed, in a crumpled state not entirely dissimilar of the discarded diapers, with her tail hanging over the edge and her hind legs flailing in the air. She had appropriated the disheveled blanket over her face and emitted groans of comfort as she pulled the gentle fabric back and forth over her skin.

Well, she seemed preoccupied enough. If she wasn’t going to come for the diaper change, the diaper change would come to her. Bon Bon collected the little tubby of foal cream from the changing table and picked up a bunch of fresh diapers from the tray underneath.

The diapers crinkled noncommittally, a soft sound, not intrusive nor forceful, but notable with humility and confidence. So many things had been quite the opposite this evening, the events forcing themselves on them like an avalanche, the loud storm, the violent rain, the crushing magics.

But not the diaper. The diaper had no interest in forcing itself on anypony. Instead, it remained reliably in the background, promising to be there when it counted, ready to bestow its plastic gentleness wherever and whenever it was needed.

Which was, for instance, right now, on Lyra’s butt.

Bon Bon set her things in place beside the bed. It was pretty obvious how Lyra had no interest in being an adult at the moment. Aside from the apparent fact that she didn’t care about rolling around on the bed stark naked, There were more subtle mannerisms that were intimately familiar to Bon Bon. For example, Lyra’s more reluctant speech or her fixation on softness, were a surefire sign that adulthood was slipping out of reach.

Oh, and there was also the fact that she had carried the muddy diapers with her mouth, as if she didn’t even have a horn. That had been pretty adorable.

Luckily, Bon Bon knew exactly how to handle little filly Lyra, and she was more than delighted to have a chance of doing so.

Bon Bon planted a little kiss on the inside of Lyra’s leg. Like a little doggy, Lyra immediately kicked out her leg, cleanly past Bon Bon’s head.

“Missed me?” Bon Bon said. Lyra pulled the bedspread against the bridge of her nose and groaned.

“I see you’ve already made friends with the blanket,” Bon Bon said, unscrewing the skin cream, “You two will have enough time to grow much closer. I’ll just need to take care that you’re wearing the proper underpants first. That sound fine?”

Lyra moaned affirmingly as Bon Bon patted her stomach with her free hoof. She squeezed a spatter of cream in her other hoof and gently brought it down below Lyra’s belly.

“Careful now,” Bon Bon said, “here comes the cream.”

Lyra didn’t seem all too engaged, though. In fact, apart from the wheeze of her breath into the blanket on her face, there was no reaction at all, as Bon Bon drew her hoof across her warm skin and worked the paste into her fur.

“Huh,” Bon Bon said, “I suppose you’re all tuckered out then? Well, suits me just fine. I don’t know if I’d still have it in me for any more super fun playtime after all this.”

Lyra wouldn’t budge. Apart from a few tired whimpers, she silently let Bon Bon work her magic. It probably was for the better, they should be sleeping now, and not goof around, no matter how invigorated Bon Bon thought she felt.

She knew it only to be the aftermath of the previous revelations, and it would make way for the inevitable exhaustion soon, but Bon Bon was pumped. Everything felt so real to her all of a sudden, the scrubby carpet under her hooves, the cooling night air playing in her locks, the pale moonlight breaking through the rain dribbling against the window. But first and foremost, Lyra’s incredibly soft skin.

It was such a stark contrast to everything they had experienced that night. They had been scratched, bruised, cut, magically groped, they had stumbled and hit their hooves as well as their heads. It had been a cold, loud and painful experience, but Bon Bon had seen it through, if only to arrive at this small piece of cushy warm paradise.

And Lyra readily offered more of it. Bon Bon merely had to gather Lyra’s hind legs and push them further from herself a bit, to be able to properly smear the creamy protection onto Lyra’s raised hindquarters. Bon Bon’s hooves tingled as she caressed Lyra’s silky smooth skin with delight, the most sensitive spots tickling her hooftips with a fluffy fuzz akin to that of a newborn. Had it always been like this? Or was Lyra really becoming more like a baby from all the foal cream and the diapers?

No doubt did Lyra enjoy the sensory indulgence of the act, but all the same was Bon Bon exhilarated to know her precious Lyra’s skin thoroughly protected for her own comfort, as was right and proper for any little filly.

Bon Bon grabbed one of the diapers and let it fall open, fluffing it out with a good shake. The alluring butterfly shape in no way betrayed the subtle beauty that Lyra deserved, and the bulging thickness was all the reassurance that Bon Bon appreciated. The diaper’s wide backside slid underneath Lyra’s, with the base of her tail firmly pushed into the allotted notch, and Bon Bon gently lowered her legs onto the bed on either side.

It just felt so right. Never mind returning home and talking things through with the others, the tension had always lingered. But this right here, pulling up the diaper against Lyra’s stomach and smoothing it down with the edge of her hoof. It made all the stress vanish away into irrelevance like nothing else. All that mattered was that she took good care of her little Lyra, and with the evidence of the big rustling fluff firmly sitting between her thighs, Bon Bon could proudly claim having done well in her purpose.

Bon Bon ripped open the tapes and stuck them onto the diaper’s front, crinkling them flat duly against Lyra’s hips. They had gone through almost all the motions, transforming the assembly of absorbent fluff and watertight plastic into a soothing and cozy piece of underwear for Lyra to sport. Only remained the part that ensured it wouldn’t slip down her backside as its weight inevitably increased.

“And now, turn around,” Bon Bon said, “gotta do up your tail tape. Don’t want your butt freezing in the night.”

Lyra didn’t react. But somewhere far off, there was a noise as if somepony was slowly rasping through a huge tree with a rusty saw. Wait a second …

“Are you serious,” Bon Bon said, and lifted the blanket away from Lyra’s face to reveal her snoring muzzle, with drool glinting at the corner of her lips. All this fuss about that super intense diaper change, and Lyra had just slept through it. Alright, she deserved it. And Bon Bon could feel the fatigue beginning to tug at her eyelids as well. Time to wrap this up.

Carefully, she climbed onto the bed and retrieved the pillow from the other end. Her hoof probed into Lyra’s mussy mane to gently lift up her head and pull out the blanket from underneath.

“Look, I got a nice pillow for you over here,” she said when Lyra stirred.

The pillow’s soft surface against her cheek was enough to coax Lyra into rolling over sideways, and accepting the pillow as her new headrest. She settled in sort of diagonally toward the other side of the bed.

Guess that’s how they would sleep then.

The motion gave Bon Bon enough of an opening to reach behind Lyra’s back and grab the diaper around her tail. The tail tape was quickly pulled tight and pressed stuck, and Lyra’s diaper sat snugly, as evidenced by a few explorative pats.

There. Another job well done. Sure, Lyra wasn’t in a state to appreciate it at the moment, but that wasn’t a problem. On the contrary, the fact that Lyra had been able to drift off into a comfortable sleep during the ongoings, was more than enough proof of Bon Bon’s abilities as a filly caretaker, and it left Bon Bon’s chest brimming with pride as she transferred the blanket onto this side of the bed and tucked in Lyra nicely.

That meant she was left to her own devices then. But that shouldn’t pose any difficulties either. Being able to take care of Lyra required a great deal of self-sufficiency and maturity, and Bon Bon had proven herself more than mature enough to be able to change her own diapers. No problem at all. Let’s see, how did this go again?

Stepping off the bed, Bon Bon took the other diaper floor and folded its rustling plastic cover open. After straightening out the back part, she placed it on the edge of the bed and stroked the gentle diaper fluff to flatten it against the mattress. Then, Bon Bon turned around and carefully sat down on the diaper, taking care that her raised tail aligned with the little opening in the middle. It was very nice and soft to sit on. Why didn’t other ponies ever enjoy this softness, just for the experience?

Making sure the skin cream was screwed shut again after taking out a glob, Bon Bon squished the paste in her hoof and proceeded to rub it in between her legs. There, that wasn’t so bad. She only had to make sure her skin was well protected in every important spot, like she had done with Lyra, and then she was pretty much good to go. Not too hard.

Thinking about it, it’s been a long time since Bon Bon had last changed her own diaper. Funny, considering that’d been her biggest dream for most of her youth. She had kept on bumbling around restlessly, trying to make her dues and appease her family while chasing as much as an elusive glimpse of a diaper out the corner of her eye. Her fixation kept haunting her, the distant reminder of a life in which comfort was unadulterated and affection was unconditional, tantalizing her like a drop of water in the desert. Bon Bon had often fantasized about having a diaper in her own possession, and the leisure of putting it on and enjoying it. It would be many years until that fantasy would be fulfilled, and some time further until Lyra had come along and made it redundant. It’s ridiculous that Bon Bon would feel nostalgia for such a time.

Bon Bon stretched the diaper’s front out straight and pulled it up between her legs, until she firmly held it against her lower stomach. The shivering chill of the night air vanished into endless comforting softness, and with the parts exposing much of her body warmth wrapped up so nice and snugly, she could feel that delightful, relaxing glow spreading as far as into her hooftips already. She was safe now, firmly protected from displeasurable trivialities, and free to be herself with confidence. Regardless of any rationalizations or explanations, there’s simply nothing more awesome than getting a fresh diaper on.

A little shuffling and crinkling around, and the diaper was pulled firm around Bon Bon’s hips before she ripped open the tape and stuck it to the front. She needed a little bend sideways to do up the other side, but the diaper tape was rubbed stuck soon enough. Only the back one was a little tricky. Bon Bon needed to feel around a bit first before she found the little flaps hanging around her tail. But once she’d grabbed hold of the plastic pieces, she could easily tug open the final tape and stick it to the other side, pulling it snug around the base of her tail as the diaper tightened around her waist, sealing her into reliable security.

Done! Bon Bon got up and stretched her legs a bit. So it does feel different when she does it!

Usually, the diaper would have jiggled a bit under its own weight when Bon Bon shook her flank, but instead it sat firmly and wouldn’t relent its touch. If Lyra had ever noticed that she put diapers on noticeably more loosely than this? Maybe it even differed from day to day, or she did it differently depending on her mood. Bon Bon would have to bring it up someday. This was highly interesting!

Right now, it was time to sleep, though. Lyra had somehow managed to recede even further into the blanket, now more of a rolling hill in the landscape of bedding than anything else. Bon Bon tried climbing onto the bed from her corner to account for their new sleeping position, but with the blanket hanging down on all sides, she found herself stepping onto it and unable to proceed.

Instead, she lifted one of the overhanging flaps and thrusted herself into the cottony darkness underneath the blanket. Like a spelunker, she crawled forward into the unknown, until she felt another hoof with her probing hoof. Getting closer, just a bit further. Hind leg, knee, haunches, plastic, belly, fore leg, shoulder, ew, drool stain. She’d reached her goal.

Bon Bon clambered past Lyra and seized the pillow that had obviously been discarded pretty quickly. After lifting the blanket just a tiny crack to let some air in, she was good to go. She sidled up to Lyra until both were fulfilled by their shared body warmth.

Finally, time for some rest. The spot was pretty comfortable too, their tiny little world under the blanket, enveloped in undisturbed warmth, and completely quiet, save for the gentle wisps of Lyra’s breath brushing over the back of Bon Bon’s hoof somewhere further down. The opportunity to relax and do nothing for a while was welcome, though Bon Bon wasn’t tired in the slightest. It wasn’t a surprise either, Lyra had been the one who had done all the hard work. The evening had been full of surprises, demanding immediate solutions to rapidly changing circumstances. Lyra was good in thinking on her hooves, no wonder she’d been able to make the most of her talent for improvisation. She deserved some sleep now.

The adventure had gone pretty good, all things considered. They had braved the dangers that had barred their way, they had worked together to achieve more than they could have on their own, everypony had returned home safe and relatively sound, and everypony had learned something new. It was pretty obvious their two damsels in distress had learned to be careful not to get lost, and probably to heed the weather report for their own safety as well. Ponyville would make the weather forecast more obvious in the future, an oversight which had been in especially dire need of amendment considering how much weather they made regularly. And finally, things had been set in motion to conduct research and learn more about the exotic ecological imbalance that had taken hold of their otherwise mundane forest, as well as to contain it and restore the forest back to its former health. That was good progress!

Everything boils down to improvisation at the end. Just look at how much everypony had been able to accomplish only because they hadn’t been afraid to thrust themselves into unforeseeable circumstances. Nopony could have known what would happen next, every decision had been made on the spot. Nopony had been in charge.

And a lack of control always means a lack of information, and a lack of information always means chaos. But chaos means change, and change is progress, and progress leads to growth. Bon Bon felt that she had become more able and more willing the very moment she had entered past the towering row of trees. It was very cold, but she couldn’t have been more livid. She knew that she could do it, she knew that it was possible, and she’d always held on.

There was always that glimpse on the horizon, like seeing a lighthouse within the roiling sea. Bon Bon stood on one hoof, carefully keeping her balance as the waves crashed against her from all sides, trying to knock her into any of the infinite different outcomes stretching out from her in every direction. And she ran away from it all, ran as fast as she could, but she didn’t move from her spot. But then she walked, slowly, confidently and with diligence, and she crossed mountains and fields in the blink of an eye. Day and night were her allies, friendship was her banner and love was her armor. Above her was the raging storm, but it crashed down onto her with caressing warmth, washing down her entire body and finally cleansing her of all the encumbrances that had clung to her all this time.

Bon Bon awoke.

She was still in her bed, of course. The storm was still with her, if only in the sound of the last raindrops dripping onto the windowsill.

They must have pulled the blanket off of their heads and down to a more normal level. The window was glowing with a hint of blue. The sun was only beginning to come up, but the rain was spent at last. Lyra was here, her forehooves on top of the blanket and her nose high in the air. Her drool seemed to be spent as well as she slept soundly, the corner of her lips crusty with dried fluids. Although her mouth was open, Lyra breathed quietly through her nose, her chest rising and falling gently. Bon Bon rolled over and gently embraced Lyra’s midsection, who honored the gesture with a grunt of her nose.

The fuzzy chest fur was so familiar in Bon Bon’s face, and yet she never seemed to get enough of it. So comfy. Bon Bon drifted back into sleep.

It was pretty obviously a dream this time around. There were only clear skies and the warm sun above, painted with the patterns of birds dancing to the symphonic combination of their songs. Bon Bon was in the friendly meadow. Everypony was there, too. Big ponies and small ponies. Everypony was so happy to be together, there wasn’t the slightest worry in the world.

Even Lyra was there, right next to Bon Bon. Hi, Lyra. What are you doing here? Same as you, Bon Bon, we’re having fun. But we’re sleeping, aren’t we? Well, who says sleeping can’t be fun? Lyra brought a ball and they tossed it around. Then they ran sweeping circles in the tall grass. Everypony was so happy to see them, and that made Bon Bon happy. She lay in the grass and watched the others. The foals played and the adults talked.

She was a foal too. Or was she? She was bigger than them, as big as the adults. Two younglings stuck their noses together in a silly game and laughed. But wasn’t that the same thing Lyra and her did? It was so funny to rub their noses together and feel Lyra’s tickling breath, before they both snorted and giggled at the silliness. Maybe the line between foal and adult wasn’t that big after all. It was a really silly distinction to make. Nopony has to choose who she is, because she already is. She is herself. Why even ask the silly question in the first place? Would knowing the answer make any difference?

Bon Bon turned around. The birds were singing. Well, at least most of them were, except for that one. It didn’t seem to be able to contain itself, chirping itself into a frenzy growing faster and faster, the high pitched trill reaching a crescendo almost like the screeching of metal before the bird abruptly stopped and flew off.

It must have been right in front of the window, basking in the incredibly bright sunlight that enveloped the world. Her cheeks were numb from all the time they’d apparently spent on the pillow, and required some massaging of her hoof to wake them up. Afterwards, Bon Bon rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and blinked until the ceiling came to be from the brightness.

The sun jovially lit up the room through the window to her … left? Oh, that’s right. They were sleeping the other way around. What a funny thing to wake up to. That meant that in front of her, beyond her hooves, was only the headrest and the wall. Turning her head upwards yielded the upside-down door. The sun was slowly crawling towards it on the floor, meaning it must have already been well past noon. Would you look at that. To her right was the other wall, and Lyra was on the opposite side.

As with most days, Lyra was the even funnier thing to wake up to. But this time around, Bon Bon didn’t know whether she should laugh at Lyra’s ridiculous sleeping posture, or smile at the sight was sweet enough to make her heart melt. Really, all that was missing were the bars guarding the sides, and Bon Bon could have sworn she was looking at an adorable infant comfortably bedded in her crib.

Lyra was lying on her back, unabashedly stretching her limbs in every which direction. Obviously, she hadn’t been quite capable of bringing her hind legs together due to the fluffy bulk of her diaper inbetween, so in her sleep she’d instead went the other way and spread her legs so far apart she looked like a still life of a little ballet dancer.

True to foal fashion, Lyra had kicked the blanket off of herself long ago, despite the fresh wind still going outside. Accordingly, she had draped one of her forehooves over her belly and held onto it, trying to cover it up as much as the circumstances would allow. Her other hoof, however, was meant to cover her chest and shoulders from the cold, but found a delightful end with the very tip of the hoof securely embedded between Lyra’s lips. Though she was just about not nibbling on it, her sleep a quiet and even one, it was still enough to make Bon Bon feel a little closer to paradise.

The sweetness caused Bon Bon’s cheeks to tingle with homely warmth, no question. But there was something more, something so rare and elusive it should only come to be in moments so intimate as this one. Bon Bon was proud, her chest swelling with the knowledge that the comfort sufficiently whole to bring another pony’s inner self out into the world, it was Bon Bon who had rendered it possible with her will.

Lyra wasn’t just playing to be a foal regardless of goings on around her. It was real, real enough for her to live out her most intimate instincts. No little foal was ever alone on her own, but was only made whole through another pony who was there to take care of her and to nurture her. And there was no better evidence for Bon Bon’s prowess to care for Lyra than what affirmation of intimacy had bloomed from the seeds of her affection.

There was a wind howling outside, as always when temperatures changed, but Lyra was so quiet and relaxed, and it made Bon Bon relaxed. Bon Bon extricated herself from the blanket, that she found in her exclusive possession, so she could adjust her position and casually shuffle closer to her little hoofsucker until she could observe the spectacle in detail. The visible part’s very top of Lyra’s hoof glistened with a tiny bit of spittle, but that was the only flaw in the otherwise pretty tightly knit symbiotic existence, between Lyra’s sealed off lips and her own appendage turned sensory extravaganza.

Lyra’s cheeks were aglow with a mollifying warmth, and Bon Bon was always amazed how their fur was soft enough against her muzzle to tickle her nostrils, but too fine to make her sneeze. She couldn’t help but follow the trail of softness, the hairs of Lyra’s typically muzzy fur growing ever softer and more intimate as Bon Bon carefully traced the contours of her radiant neck, before she arrived in the imposing wilderness that was Lyra’s chest fluff.

It was so strangely appropriate. She couldn’t imagine Lyra any other way. How unabashedly Lyra just presented her exposed tummy to the world only because it happened to be the most comfortable posture, it was the most proper thing for any little filly to do. And it was so right. Bon Bon was hypnotized by Lyra’s belly, that big soft expanse with the most lovely little bellybutton at its center.

She was drawn like a magnet, and before she knew it, Bon Bon took in a deep breath and let all the exhilarating smells waft over her. It smelled so intensely of her favourite pony, the fresh, yet familiar invigorating pleasantness that subsumed her essence and made the experience so very real. The smell was heavily laden with the sweetness of shampoo, soap and of skin lotion, as well as the crisp freshness of the linens and mixed with the note of plastic from Lyra’s diaper.

It was the perfect amalgamation of cute baby smell and adorable Lyra smell. Bon Bon couldn’t get enough. As Lyra was so obviously presenting her diaper anyway, Bon Bon went ahead and accepted the offer, carefully placing her hoof onto the bulging plastic and pushing down on the puffy fluff just a tiny bit.

There it was again, the syrupy smell of a foal’s diaper and lots of skin care tinctures, overbearing on Bon Bon’s senses, drowning them out in pleasant memories and familiar feelings. Her maternal instincts were stimulated more intensely than any biological mother could ever dream of.

Just one more time. Ah, that smell. She could have happily done nothing but enjoy it all day.

“Hey, what exactly are you doing down there,” Lyra said.

Bon Bon jumped. Drat. Totally caught red hooved. Let’s see her talk her way out of this one.

“Uh, hi Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “Um … sorry for waking you up.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Lyra said flatly.

“I just didn’t think you’d notice,” Bon Bon said.

“It’s hard to miss somepony gobbling you up and down like that,” Lyra said. There were rings under her eyes, but they were likely from too much sleep rather than too little. “Besides, if you wanted to play with my diaper, you could have just asked.”

Oh. Right. She still had her hoof in Lyra’s crotch.

“I wasn’t playing with your diaper,” Bon Bon said, “I just, uh … well, see, I just needed to check your diaper. Yeah, that’s it.”

“Check my diaper?” Lyra said, “in the middle of the night?”

“Well, as you might have noticed,” Bon Bon said, “it’s no longer night.”

“Huh,” Lyra said, blinking in the sunlight, “so you say.”

“Because you’ve been sleeping for so long,” Bon Bon said, “I thought, the least I could do was to check your diaper. You know, see if everything’s in order down there. I know you don’t go easy on your diapers most of the time.”

That did the trick. All annoyance was forgotten as the conversation shifted towards Lyra’s favourite topic. Her diapers.

“Really?” she said, eyes suddenly aglow, “What about them?”

Lyra obviously never really had been annoyed at being woken up. She didn’t even care, as evidenced by the fact that she hadn’t changed her comfortable posture in any way, and neither was she complaining about Bon Bon still grabbing onto her diaper.

Oh, and she was still happily sucking on her hoof. Had Bon Bon been baited first thing in the morning? That was a new one. In either case, she was more than happy to oblige.

“Oh, nothing out of the ordinary, really,” Bon Bon said, “You know how it’s pretty normal for all foals to be put into diapers. They can’t help it. They don’t feel it coming, and if they do, they don’t know what to do about it. And it’s so very much more difficult at night, when you’re sleeping all comfy and relaxed.”

“That’s why you also get checked on during the night, so I can make sure everything’s still proper and comfy. And that’s also why you get diapers so thick, Lyra,” she patted Lyra’s crinkling diaper in the middle, “so that when your tummy,” she ruffled the fur on Lyra’s belly, “decides that it doesn’t want to hold it back anymore, you don’t have to worry in the slightest and everything’s taken care of for you.”

Lyra had quickly turned into a squirmy bundle of giggles, observing the funny journey of Bon Bon’s hoof up her body with glee.

“And how did I do?” Lyra said around her hoof.

“You did amazing,” Bon Bon said, “everything’s still dry as a bone!”

Lyra gasped, eyes wide. It was adorable.

“That is so cool,” Lyra exclaimed, grabbing onto Bon Bon’s foreleg with a free hoof, as Bon Bon was drawn to her little hoof-sucking filly’s delighted wonder.

Of course, Lyra didn’t really wet the bed, but Bon Bon knew how much she loved pretending like she did. And there was nothing more satisfying than seeing Lyra’s excited thrill turn into genuine infantile joy.

“It sure is,” Bon Bon said, “You stayed dry, just like that! Everypony’s so jealous! All the little fillies are jealous because they wish they could stay as dry as you did. And all the big ponies are jealous because they wish they could wear diapers like you do. You’re such a cool filly! Isn’t that great?”

“It’s the greatest!” Lyra said. Bon Bon could veritably hear Lyra’s tail, wagging furiously under her crinkly underwear as she closed in on her giddy smile.

“And do you know what cool little fillies, who can keep their bed dry, get?” Bon Bon teased.

“What?” Lyra said, “What do they get?”

“They get a nice reward,” Bon Bon said.

Panic briefly flared up in Lyra’s eyes when Bon Bon pulled the hoof out of her mouth, but was promptly blown away as Bon Bon locked their lips together.

The kiss started off with a fiery moment before it quickly became rather one-sided, as Bon Bon had intended. This kiss was a gift from her to Lyra, and it was only proper Lyra would let herself be pampered for a treat as Bon Bon assumed control. She kept herself firmly pressed against Lyra’s soft muzzle, until Bon Bon could feel the tickle of Lyra’s breath against her own nostrils slow down in pace, and Lyra’s neck muscles relax back into the bedding. As Lyra gave herself up to the experience, Bon Bon upped the pace, gently brushing their lips against each other as she left a trail of soft smooches across the side of Lyra’s mouth and right onto her cheek. Bon Bon’s hooves found themselves within the tangles of Lyra’s mane as she embraced her head, smoothly running her hooftips across Lyra’s scalp while she planted ever more sloppy kisses onto the bridge of her nose.

Lyra’s horn intimately touched against Bon Bon’s forehead as she felt Lyra’s trembling breath on her neck. Bon Bon was all too familiar with Lyra’s favourite spots, and she was ready to play her trump card. Her hooves emerged from the sea of brilliant cyan and latched onto Lyra’s ears, softly dancing up and down the exceedingly ticklish inner edges, eliciting adorable little squeals of ecstasy while Bon Bon suckled on Lyra’s upper lip.

Bon Bon let her dangle for a bit, Lyra panting hard as she was tantalized by light soft prods against her nose and tiny little pecks onto her chin, before Bon Bon decided she’d teased her enough and went in for the finale, kissing Lyra squarely on the lips. She held Lyra’s head securely against her own as she proceeded to make out with her mouth, her tongue liberally playing around Lyra’s while she upheld as much surface of contact between them as possible. Little moans and squeaks had only brief opportunities to escape before Bon Bon sealed up any openings between their lips again, devouring the sensations of fur, skin and warmth that Lyra’s profound contact provided, until her own visceral satisfaction was fulfilled. Bon Bon held Lyra tightly and freely satiated herself on the overflow of Lyra’s bliss, between them a buzz akin to an electric current that grew stronger and tighter, until it culminated in harmonic equilibrium as the two lovers quenched their thirst.

When Bon Bon felt that both of them were sated, she drew back. Lyra had her eyes wide as she panted in Bon Bon’s face, her mane more mussy than usual and the fur on her muzzle frazzled and glistening with both their saliva combined. Lyra was ridiculously lovable in moments as intimately as this one. Bon Bon couldn’t help planting a final peck onto Lyra’s lips before she got off of her and began patting her mane approximately back into order.

“And?” Bon Bon said after giving Lyra time to recuperate.

“Uh …” Lyra said

“Was the reward worth it staying dry for?” Bon Bon said, “Well, as dry as when you woke up, I guess.”

“Totally,” Lyra said, blinking.

Bon Bon snuggled up to Lyra to enjoy a few more precious minutes of after wake-up coziness. She treasured these minutes every day, a brief moment to collect herself within the afterthoughts of comfortable rest before starting off into the day. She would have loved to do nothing except lazing around all day, but the wind was howling past the house and it was noticeably chilly without the blanket, so the least she would probably have to do was to start a fire or something.

Oh well, it couldn’t be helped. At least she could enjoy taking care of Lyra.

“So, how are you feeling?” Bon Bon said.

“I feel like a rock,” Lyra said, “A happy one, mind, but pretty lithic nonetheless. Boy, that must have been some party yesterday.”

“Do tell,” Bon Bon said, “you slept through the whole night and through the better part of the day as well. No wonder through, considering how long the adventure went yesterday.”

“Yeah, that was awesome, wasn’t it?” Lyra said, “We marathoned through the forest like it was nothing. Running up and down the hills and braving all the obstacles, like the best rangers in Equestria. And those stupid plant things? Please, they never even stood a chance. And then we rescued that pony and got him back home.”

“Well, you did most of the work,” Bon Bon said.

“It was a team effort,” Lyra said.

“Sure,” Bon Bon said, “but you were the one who went in first to explore the frontier, and you managed to fight your way through alone, and you never gave up until you’d reached your goal. You’re a hero, Lyra! We’re celebrating. Today, you can have anything you want.”

Lyra turned over and planted a smooch on Bon Bon’s cheek. “I already have everything I want,” she said.

A foalish squeal escaped Bon Bon before she shut herself up.

And she had been so firmly in control too. But Lyra knew exactly how weak she was to her sappy sweetness.

Lyra grinned.

“Anyway,” Bon Bon cleared her throat, “I do believe some recreation is in order today. You really exhausted yourself, and Twilight said you should rest until you feel properly back on your hooves again. So how about it? You lean back today and let me take care of stuff, and we’ll just take it nice and easy.”

“If you put it that way,” Lyra said, “how can I say no? Sounds great. I didn’t get to talk with Twilight too much. Apparently you guys had some sort of get together yesterday, but I kinda drifted off there at the end.”

“Everypony was pretty happy,” Bon Bon said, “I think Teak and Parting Ways were pretty much stunned from what happened, but everypony was so relieved that things had a good end. Twilight and Applejack said they’d be taking care of things from here on out, so I’m sure we’ll be hearing of them again.”

“And we’re going to Rarity’s again?” Lyra said.

“Yup,” Bon Bon said with no small amount of pride, “already set the date.”

“That’s so great,” Lyra said, “I always wanted to go back, but it wasn’t easy getting there. I take it things went very well between you?”

“Rarity’s amazing to be around,” Bon Bon said, “I never realized. She’s so pleasant, but always attentive and never makes you feel left out. We should have done this much earlier, but like you said. Still, I never realized what a weight this was on my shoulders. I wish we had some way to celebrate … wait …”

That was it! She could smash two windows with one stone. “Hold on, Lyra, I know what we’ll do.”

“Sure,” Lyra said.

She sat up, yawning deeply as she stretched out her hooves over her head. The rest of her body deserved a little wake-up exercise as well, not only her face.

Meanwhile, Bon Bon had slid off the bed and crinkled her way to the opposite end of the bedroom. She lit up like a blaze of creamy blues and purples as her backside entered the patch of radiance from the afternoon sun, with a gleaming crescent of pure white describing her perfectly smooth diaper at the center.

“Don’t tell me you stayed dry too?” Lyra said.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I?” came Bon Bon’s muffled voice. She had unlatched the wardrobe’s doors and delved deep into its wooden confines with her entire upper body.

“Well, it’s just something I hadn’t seen very often before,” Lyra said.

“Yeah, but,” Bon Bon said, hefting stuff aside, “what would it say about me if I used my diaper even before the baby did?”

“Hey, I’m not a baby,” Lyra said.

“I’m pretty sure how cute you were when I woke up says otherwise, my tail-wagging, spread-legged, hoofsucking little comfypants,” she said.

“Okay, okay,” Lyra said. She immediately closed her hind legs together. Her puffy diapers crinkled. “But if I’m a baby, you gotta admit I’m a pretty cool one. Right?”

“Sure, you’re pretty much the coolest foal I know,” Bon Bon said, “And do you wanna know how you can get even cooler?”

“Even cooler?” Lyra said, “How?”

Bon Bon emerged from the depths of the wardrobe, dragging two pretty big bunches of cloth out in her satisfied grin. “All you gotta do is, you gotta wear pretty cool clothes,” she said.

“Is that …” Of course it was. Lyra could feel the giddy gratification of the first time she’d held it in her hooves rise again. “Is that our pyjamas? That Rarity made for us?”

“Only the comfiest of hoofie jammies for the coolest of fillies,” Bon Bon said, “here, look.”

She placed her own sleeper on the floor and held up Lyra’s with a hoof, for her appraisal. As the material unfurled, to Lyra revealed itself the outline of a big pony body laid in fabric, with long sleeves to well enough cover each of the limbs and then some, and the hind hooves closed off with an extra layer of stuffed tweed at the soles for comfortable walking upon.

The fabric itself was fuzzy, fur fleece it was called, a type of fleece wool where the knit leaves the rough fibres open, producing a fur-like material that is downy soft to the touch like fleece, but retains the additional insulating properties of fur, to provide the most comfortable of warmth even in the coldest of circumstances. Lyra recognized the sleeper as her own by colour, most of it held in deep purple, and the fluffy collars around the neck and the forehooves accentuated with a lighter shade. But there was one big glaring stylish yellow stripe running down the middle and carrying over to the backside between the legs, flanked by two smaller stripes spanning either side from hoof to hoof.

“So? Wanna try it out?” Bon Bon said.

“Yes,” Lyra said, stars in her eyes, “yes, please, I wanna.”

Bon Bon savoured every rewarding moment as Lyra eagerly followed her movement back onto the bed, carrying her treasure aloft. With almost excruciating diligence, Bon Bon flattened the pretty fabric of the big foalish pyjamas against the bedding and rolled the material up for easier getting into.

She had to make sure everything was properly prepared for her foal, whose heart-wrenching adorableness was only the cherry on top. It felt so good to be able to do something nice for Lyra for a change, and Lyra made no secret of how much she enjoyed it, her tail crinkling up a storm behind her even before its tip became visible wagging from side to side.

“Alright, careful, you gotta stand up on your hind legs now. Come here, give me your hooves,” Bon Bon said. She had sat down on her haunches and beckoned Lyra to stand.

Lyra was pretty certain she knew how to dress herself. She just couldn’t be bothered to remember how it went with all this stuff going on. Yeah, that was it. That’s why she found herself already up on her hind legs, flailing around for balance before Bon Bon grabbed her hooves and steadied them against her shoulders.

Yup, Lyra had known all along that was what she had to do. Bon Bon had said she’d take care of things, Lyra only wanted to let her have her fun. Putting your own clothes on? Easy as pie. Awesome race pony striped body suit, here we come.

“Okay, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “now you carefully have to step into these openings with your hooves. See?”

Oh, so Bon Bon hadn’t just randomly jumbled the clothing onto the ground. It should have been obvious. Bon Bon was pretty clever when it came to things like this. Bon Bon grabbed Lyra’s leg and gently guided it into one of the two openings she had prepared within the mound of fabric. When Lyra had steadied herself, Bon Bon took her other hoof and had her put it into the other opening.

Lyra gasped. It fit precisely. Two legs, two openings. It was amazing how things sometimes worked out perfectly. Bon Bon’s snickering could only mean that she agreed.

Bon Bon grabbed the velvety clothing by the sides and pulled it up. It felt amazing. Like huge soft socks being pulled up over your legs, except that they never stopped. The delicate contact of the shifting fabric made her skin tingle all over, but every part of herself already covered by the incessantly cushy pyjamas became fully encased in an envelope of relentlessly comfortable softness and warmth.

“Hold on now, up go your pants,” Bon Bon said as she scooted forward to get a better grasp on Lyra’s excitedly jumpy form.

Soon enough, the pair of socks joined into a pair of trousers being pulled over her knees and up against her haunches. Bon Bon reaffirmed her grip onto the edges of the sleepwear and surely worked it over Lyra’s bulky round padded hindquarters in a few firm pulls.

It felt hilarious. Lyra just couldn’t stop giggling. Bon Bon was doing a whole bunch of stuff to her behind, and she barely felt a thing! There was only a diffuse sense of pressure somewhere very distantly within the excessively cloudy softness that had been fastened so securely onto all of her butt.

Bon Bon could have been doing Celestia knows what back there and she wouldn’t have been able to tell. Lyra could hear the fabric swishing against the plastic of her diaper though, and shortly thereafter, Bon Bon pulled up the middle portion of the sleeper around Lyra’s hips. Her diaper was pushed up against her firmly as Bon Bon secured a snug fit, before the fastener was pulled tight around her tail and stuck to the other side.

“Alright, that’s the first half complete,” Bon Bon said, “how does it feel?”

“Feels like a really soft and heavy pair of pants,” Lyra said, “how does it look?”

“Looks really cool on you,” Bon Bon said, “And it’s amazing how well it is made. Everything just fits without problems. And the fastener above your tail? Genius. Makes it easy to hook up the zipper. With this level of quality, it really feels like you’re wearing professional race pony gear. Well, kinda.”

“I’m gonna be the fastest race pony in all of Equestria,” Lyra said.

“Well then, quickly, let’s get the rest of your gear on,” Bon Bon said, “sit down.”

Lyra promptly plopped down onto her behind, the clothing covering her lower body not moving in the slightest. When the upper portion of the sleeper was held open for her, she didn’t hesitate and plunged both her forelegs right into the two openings, working and flailing them around in the soft fuzzy sleeves, until her wiggly hooves emerged on the other ends.

Bon Bon pulled the outfit closed around her chest and held the two parts shut behind her back, making her shiver from the thorough warm caress. Lyra couldn’t immediately tell what exactly Bon Bon was doing since the metal zipper was separated from her skin by a long flap of fabric, but she apparently got it hooked up pretty quickly as she was already zipping it up. The sleeper lost all its looseness as it grew confident in its fit, the final mark of closure set as Bon Bon finished doing up the zipper and secured it underneath a second fastener that closed the gap around the neck collar.

It felt incredible. Lyra let herself fall back and stretched out on the bed. Not only did the sleeper sit perfectly, but it didn’t even allow for the tiniest bit of cold outside air to penetrate her cocoon of comforting warmth.

There was no chilly cracks between separate pieces of clothing, no frosty openings of loose garments without collars, no uncomfortable shifting and sagging as multiple layers of clothes pushed each other around. Her entire body was subsumed by one harmonic unity of soothing tenderness, encouraging her to relax down to the very last fiber of her being and embrace the total assurance that everything whatsoever was completely taken care of for her.

Lyra wiggled her legs into the room. It was so funny! She couldn’t even feel the movement of the air, so thoroughly were her hooves covered up in the insulating numbness. Even the crinkling of her diaper was now barely more than a muffled rustling in the distance, although Lyra wasn’t any closer to making its presence any less apparent. There were now a bunch of funny lines from the folds in the taut fabric all pointing straight toward her huge bulging round crotch.

“Feel good?” Bon Bon said after warming herself with Lyra’s frolicing long enough.

“It’s awesome,” Lyra cheered, “I’m gonna be a race pony. Look at my cool racing stripes!”

She wiggled herself around onto her other side and stood upright before she began bouncing on the bed up and down. She felt so much faster already! The gear totally makes a difference.

“Whoa there,” Bon Bon said, the bed frame creaking dangerously with every jump, “I can see how acrobatic those stripes are making you. But race ponies don’t jump around, they run really really fast.”

Lyra stopped. “Yeah I can run fast too!” she said, “No problem! Here, look. Um … ”

She would just hop off the bed and show Bon Bon her fastest sprint to the front of the house and back.

Easy as that. Just get off the bed and run. Okay.

The edge of the bed was right there. She’d done this a million times. How did it go again? Oh, yeah, she always lay next to the edge and then rolled off sideways. Alright, now she was lying down. Roll off … which way was it again? This side or the other? Boy, this was starting to give her a headache. Maybe just try it with a hoof first, like Bon Bon always did. Okay, the hoof was extended, but where’s the floor … Wow, must be way further down than she’d anticipated. Hm, maybe try it with the other hoof first …

It was just too cute, watching Lyra attempt a suave departure from the bed like she was wont to do, but just not quite getting there and ending up nervously wiggling her hooves in the air instead. She wasn’t going to figure it out on her own this time around, that much was apparent.

“Need a helping hoof there, Lyra?” Bon Bon said, “It’s not easy getting down from the bed alone.”

“Sure I can get down alone,” Lyra protested, “Do you take me for a little foal? Just so you know, I’m actually pretty mature. I can handle it.”

Despite her big words, Lyra was grateful that Bon Bon ignored her and held out her hooves for support. Grabbing onto them and lowering herself carefully onto the floor was much easier when Bon Bon was there to catch her, in case anything should go awry. It was much more fun too, doing things together rather than alone, so both of them profited.

In no time at all, she was securely on the ground with all four of her hooves, her forehooves brushing against the carpet and her hind hooves standing on the plush soles of her sleeper.

“There, easy,” Lyra said, “and now for the race. Gotta try it out myself to see how much faster I am now. Just give me the signal whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay,” Bon Bon said, “three two one go.”

Hey! She couldn’t have expected that.

But before Lyra could turn around to complain, she already found herself lurching forward and throwing herself right into the race. The start may have been a little rocky, but she would show Bon Bon what she was capable of. She concentrated all her efforts on running, her spirits high as the all too familiar adrenaline of the fierce competition took hold of her. This was it. Her moment. Lyra shot off like lightning.

She kept along the outer wall of the bedroom at first. Not many obstacles there, good for getting a feel for things. It wasn’t easy navigating at such incredible speeds. Whoa, there’s the changing table. Make a bank for the left in order not to collide. Muddy diapers on the floor, gotta avoid them. Reached the other wall, so far so good. Bon Bon had begun cheering for her. The crowd cheered Lyra’s name! That got her fired up.

Next, she came across the door. She decided against going out of the bedroom after all since she didn’t feel like being away from Bon Bon. Er, that was, she didn’t feel like leaving Bon Bon alone. Yeah, that’s the one.

Don’t run too far now, or you’ll run into the wardrobe. There we go, another turn and Lyra was headed back toward the bed. Now came the tricky part. Skillfully, she avoided the heap of toys and the pacifier box. A bunch of junk that had been deposited in the far corner scattered onto the floor, but it was nothing a racer of her agility couldn’t master.

Bon Bon’s sleeper on the ground, a fresh diaper and changing supplies passed her by, and a turn later she was on the final stretch along the width of the bed, straight toward her beloved filly playmate cheering for her across the finishing line. One final furious sprint, and …

Bon Bon had been barely able to contain herself, watching Lyra toddle around the room with glee, proudly flaunting her new filly pyjamas while making whooshing and whooping sounds with her mouth in her own version of an intense competition.

But when she saw the raw joy sparkling in Lyra’s golden eyes, the uninhibited elation that uplifted the ridiculously adorable big foal that she was married to, merely from such a simple and innocent thing as being immersed in her own unblemished imagination. It was in moments like this that Bon Bon felt as one with the endless possibilities of the universe, each more fantastic than the previous but none too impossible to brave. Lyra’s sweetness was simply overbearing.

Bon Bon found herself cheering for Lyra as if she was actually racing for her life.

Lyra crossed the imagined finish line and ran straight into Bon Bon, both rearing up on their hind legs in a cheerful embrace, as they jumped around just for the sake of it, laughing to their hearts’ content.

“You did it, Lyra!” Bon Bon said, “You won! You’re the fastest filly in all of Equestria!”

Lyra broke out in a huge smile. “I told you I could do it,” she said, “but it wouldn’t be possible without the rigorous support of my fanfillies.”

“I’m totally your fanfilly,” Bon Bon said, “here’s your prize.”

She gave Lyra a big kiss on the cheek. That made her only giggle harder.

“It’s not easy being this popular,” Lyra said, “but the winner’s interview will have to wait. I’m starting to feel bad, being the only one with such an awesome suit. Maybe we should get yours on too? I saw it back on the race track. I’ll fetch it for ya, if I get to dress you up. Deal?”

“Sure, sounds good,” Bon Bon said.

Even though she rarely made it obvious, Lyra loved looking out for all of her friends, making sure they were provided for alright. Bon Bon had always theorized that it was a childhood trait of hers that she had never gotten rid of, considering how prominent it became whenever she let herself slip back, and thankfully so. Beside the point, Bon Bon was curious how the hoofie sleeper felt, and she was eager to see hers again.

Lyra gingerly picked it up, horn completely forgotten, and carried it back to Bon Bon.

Bon Bon’s sleeper was similar in make, although visibly different in circumference, accounting for her slightly broader stature compared to Lyra’s.

It only spoke of how incredibly well tailored they were, on top of being customized in terms of visual design. Bon Bon had been all over the colors and patterns as soon as it had been suggested. The design wasn’t very complicated, but it more than made up for it in its shining brilliance. Her sleeper was done up in a beautiful light blue, that was cool and comforting like clean water, while the collars, trims and soles complemented it perfectly with their impressively vibrant pink, acting as moving highlights to the sleek design. The only visual adornment was constituted by a big pink heart emblazoned right in the middle of the chest, right where Bon Bon felt the boundless spring of her love.

Granted, the design might have been a bit sappy in hindsight, but there had been no way she could have refused something so beautiful and cute.

Surprising her exactly not in the slightest, Bon Bon put on her pyjamas pretty much on her own. Lyra couldn’t be faulted, she did her best to help, but Bon Bon was simply faster. Instead, Lyra focussed on something she felt that Bon Bon lacked, namely shifting and adjusting the fit of Bon Bon’s sleeper, to make sure she wore it in a sufficiently cool and trendy fashion. Putting it on was a pretty interesting experience in itself, the fabric clothing her in a benumbing softness that permitted no immediate sensation from the outside to reach her skin.

When Bon Bon pulled it up around her hips and over her diaper, and Lyra’s basically random prodding shifted from her legs up to her belly, she became aware of just how comforting it was to lose herself in the featureless softness. It was like submerging herself in a big, soft, floaty cloud, soothing and relaxing as everything around her became coziness and warmth, except that it stuck to her unobtrusively and reliably, granting her a huge range of practicability.

It was kind of exciting, too. Bon Bon couldn’t deny that lavishly wearing little foals’ clothes for their luxurious comfort increased the temperature of her cheeks just a tiny bit.

Bon Bon only required Lyra to do up the zipper on her back, to which she gladly complied, after Bon Bon had sat down and pulled the sleeves over her forelegs. Lyra happily pulled the sleeper tight around Bon Bon’s back, about similarly as she had done, and fiddled around a bit before she managed to hook up the zipper and zip it up snugly. She parted Bon Bon’s locks to close her up to her neck, and let them fall in place again.

“You know, it’s kinda fitting that you should have a big heart painted on your chest,” Lyra said, “Wanna know why?”

“Why?” Bon Bon said.

“Because I love you with all my heart,” Lyra said, and threw her forelegs around Bon Bon and embraced her from behind.

Now that truly fueled the blaze in Bon Bon cheeks.

Lyra snuggled her as hard as she could. Cool ponies are cool because they always say what they think, right? Lyra had to be the coolest pony in town right now. She couldn’t help it either, she just felt so strangely spirited all the time. It was a weird feeling. All the warmth and energy she had generated during her morning exercise was retained, conserved and prolonged, by the insulating confidence of her hoofie sleeper. All the while, it encouraged her to relax and let all distractions fade away from her sole focus at the same time. The result was a strange mixture of harmonious vigilance, of carefree acuity, that wasn’t unpleasant in the least. It was only new and unfamiliar, but promising for some nice new experiences.

Meanwhile, Bon Bon focused on the contact between the two of them instead. Lyra and her were in the middle of a hug no doubt, but neither of them could feel the other directly. Instead, there was a widespread source of pressure and warmth softly weighing down on her from behind, like being coddled up in a big cozy blanket that somepony shifted and moved around. As their bodies shifted against each other, the movement of the fabric was more like a diffuse tingle all over Bon Bon’s skin, generating more heat in turn that kept fuelling the excitement of the novel ordeal.

She could feel Lyra’s heartbeat on her back, but she had to concentrate all her senses so intensely on making it out, that it raised the whole ordeal to an entirely new degree of intimacy. Every part of Bon Bon was solely primed on Lyra, and she loved every moment of it. This was something she could get used to.

And so they sat for a while, Lyra embracing Bon Bon from behind and Bon Bon hugging Lyra’s hooves against her chest, both of them enjoying the strange new feelings of their newfound circumstances in their own way.

For shame, they should have done this much earlier. Sure, they’d worn the sleepers once or twice after they’d gotten them, but never had the experience been as intense as this. And with the summer being as hot as it was, it’s been way too long to make good use of the coziness. Bon Bon would be these sleepers in high regard from now on. Lyra deserved it.

Caring for little filly Lyra was incredibly gratifying. The mood was highly infectious when Lyra was relieved of all her big pony authorities and responsibilities, and she let herself become a spring well of unbridled happiness that overflowed endlessly. But Bon Bon also enjoyed the primal satisfaction of making sure that everything was properly in order and Lyra would have nothing but the grandest time.

Bon Bon had the ability to provide stability and certainty for somepony so small and innocent, so completely dependent. It was enlightening. Even now, Bon Bon found herself stimulated to the highest degree, going over the traditional parameters of foal care, anticipating the next stop in the ever recurring set of basic necessities. Satisfying those necessities notoriously was little more than a mundane chore for most ponies, but it couldn’t have been a more magnificent exercise in diligence and humility for Bon Bon, that lifted her into a state of inner peace as if she were soaring among the clouds.

Let’s see, Lyra had been already bathed and cleaned yesterday, and they had rested. Now that the dressing up was taken care of, what was it that came next? Oh, right. Food.

The hug eventually came to an end.

“So how about we grab some breakfast for you, Lyra?” Bon Bon said, “Or, like, lunch. You know what I mean. I’m guessing you must be pretty hungry after all your heroic deeds. All great ponies get to eat after a job well done. How’s it sound?”

“Great ponies!” Lyra exclaimed happily and proceeded to waddle towards the door.

Guess that’s a yes, then.

Lyra didn’t require too much attention for the moment. She knew to be careful when going down the stairs, mindfully taking one step after the other only when she stood securely on the previous one. Bon Bon descended after her, merely an observer more than anything else.

They arrived in the common room and Bon Bon just let Lyra go roam freely around the house. The only thing that Lyra was prone to, was to run into something when speeding around too fast, but there wasn’t much of a chance of that happening anytime soon, as evidenced by their previous race track escapades. Her big diapers bulging from her backside reduced Lyra to no more than a broad-legged toddle, and even if she should stumble and fall onto her butt, Bon Bon highly doubted she would even be able to notice at all through the cushy thickness.

Instead, Bon Bon turned into the hallway and crossed into the kitchen. The linoleum floor was flooded by the beautiful radiance of the low-hanging sun, although the exhibition taking up most of the space wasn’t quite as beautiful.

The kitchen sink and large portions of the counter were taken up by a towering jumble of pots, cups and cutlery, the gentle but insistent reminder to clean up after the series of assemblies that had taken place here in recent history. Bon Bon didn’t feel like it at the moment though. Somepony would take care of it eventually at a more appropriate time. She’d rather spend as much time as possible with Lyra instead.

Seems they were going to experiment with the food today. That wasn’t all too different from usually, mind you, but the outcome was still a surprise most of the time.

Bon Bon opened the cooling box. With the pot containing the former rest of Lyra’s stew gone, the metal compartment looked pretty much bare. All that remained was the almost empty bowl of yoghurt, and the milk jug.

Bon Bon carefully lifted the milk out by the handle and set it down. She knew well enough to be cautious in situations like this, so it was with the utmost restraint that she raised the lid and smelled into the contents. But there was no bad surprise, the milk was still fresh. Good, that was a start.

A deep wooden plate and a wooden cooking spoon were all the clean things she could find in the immediate vicinity, so it would have to do for both of them. Bon Bon exited the kitchen and went back through the common room. She brought the plate along with her into the pantry, passing by Lyra, who was curiously spinning in circles.

In the pantry were the usual suspects, bags over bags of dried oats that had accumulated over the years and still seemed to grow more numerous with every passing harvest. Sure, why not? The plate soon emerged from the billowing dust, filled to the brim with oats. They would surely taste great with … let’s see. Lemons? No. Ginger? Nope. Coriander? Yuck. Ah, there was a lidded bowl with some leftover honey scrapings. That’ll do just fine.

Meanwhile, Lyra had set out to take survey of the house on her own. It was such an entirely new feeling, walking through the familiar place in her novel clothing. She couldn’t even feel very much, the soothing softness covering practically every part of her body.

Merely her forehooves were in direct contact with the wooden floor boards, but her hind hooves were walking on their private little cushions of her sleeper’s soles. The lack of static support under her legs made her walk slowly and with care, but that only gave her more time to enjoy the thorough comfort of the experience. It was like her entire lower body was all padded up, with her cushioned hooves and her fluffy overalls and the bulking diaper under her tail.

It made her feel secure and confident. She was completely taken care of, the air only making contact over her muzzle and through her mane as she moved. Lyra intensified the impression by spinning around in a little twirl. It was superb. Everything all covered and comfy, and she felt always ready to go.

Bon Bon had gone past her toward the pantry. That meant she had that part of the house covered, and Lyra moved toward the opposite end instead.

The hearth had remained filled with half-burned wood buried in ashes, somepony would have to clean that out. The coffee table and the sofa had been left as they were, buried underneath a big pile of towels and blankets that had formerly resided in the wardrobe. The time of their usefulness had passed yesterday, when they had been needed, but it was still good, having a big pile of softness around never hurt. In the opposing corner leaned the machete, its huge blade gleaming coldly. Sure, it was a pretty scary thing for most ponies, but there was no need to worry, Lyra was a master of the art.

Satisfied with her inspection, she crossed over into the dining room.

The table was surprisingly clear. Lyra carefully pulled back a chair and planted herself on top of it, her legs dangling onto the ground, as she scooted towards the table until she could place her hooves on it. She had been drawn by the curious sounds of Bon Bon scraping and stirring in the kitchen.

There was an otherworldly dance of some motes of dust in a ray of sunlight. Wow. These things could really dance like crazy. Lyra wondered how a dust mote party would look like.

Bon Bon stepped in from the kitchen, carrying a big wooden bowl of some sorts with a handle sticking out of it. She chose the place next to Lyra to settle down and served the bowl of …

“Oats?” Lyra said, “Ew, I hate oats!”

“Don’t be silly, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “you don’t hate oats. You eat pretty much everything.”

“But I do hate oats,” Lyra insisted, “they’re all thick and malty and they stick to your tongue when you eat them, and they taste of nothing. How can you eat that?”

“Oats are very good for you,” Bon Bon said, “they are very healthy for your digestive system, and they are pretty satiating for hungry little fillies. And they don’t taste of nothing either. Look, I put some honey and milk in them.”

Bon Bon stirred up the soggy mass with the spoon, and it remained standing where it had been piled up.

“That’s so gross,” Lyra said, “it looks like puke.”

“Nonsense,” Bon Bon said, “here, let me show you how good it tastes.”

Oh boy, here came the old, pretending to like the taste, again.

Bon Bon took a big spoonful, and the spoon was way too big, cleanly into her mouth. Instead of the usual hums of feigned satisfaction however, she became still and raised her brow. She ate down her bite and immediately took in a second spoonful.

“Wow, this tastes really good,” she said, “I’m surprised.”

Bon Bon really seemed to enjoy it. Did it really taste that good?

No! Lyra had to stay strong! She said that she hated oats, and she had to stick to it, with iron resolve, no matter that Bon Bon was sitting there and devouring the food on her own.

Lyra’s resolve lasted the entirety of the third spoonful before she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Can I also have some oats, please?” Lyra said meekly.

“Sure,” Bon Bon said, pushing the plate toward her, “look, I’ll even share the bowl with you.”

Lyra gasped. The entire bowl! That’s so amazing. Bon Bon’s awesome, she’s always so nice.

There was no time to be lost, Lyra immediately began making all her preparations so she would be ready to eat as soon as possible. That is, she opened her mouth and looked at Bon Bon expectantly.

Bon Bon didn’t miss a beat and stuck a helping of the yummy mush into Lyra’s mouth. Lyra took it in and prepared herself for the worst, but it never came. Instead of the slimy flavourless goo she had been expecting, she was surprised by a very pleasant juicy texture, almost like sweet cream, that carried with it a multitude of crunchy oat seeds, delightful to chew on.

The honey was what made most of the difference in taste, sweetening up the doughy mixture so that it tasted like a yummy juicy cake, but it was cold milk instead of warm, taking the edge off the sweetness and complementing it perfectly with a refreshing chill. The bite lasted all too short before Lyra was left with her empty mouth hanging open for more, to which Bon Bon happily obliged.

“You’re right, this tastes so good,” Lyra said, spraying oats onto the table, “I can’t believe it. How can something this tasty be healthy?”

Bon Bon giggled. “Just because something is healthy doesn’t mean it has to taste bad,” she said, “there are a lot of tasty healthy things, like yummy apples and crunchy carrots and sweet grapes. And oats just happen to be a great staple for them all. Now open up, gotta keep my filly nice and healthy.”

The meal was delightful. Lyra found herself enjoying it exceedingly much, not just because the food was good, but also because she was being spoon fed by her favourite pony in the entire world. Sure, Bon Bon was eating as well, and plenty at that, making it obvious that the food had turned out pretty good even to the more refined of tastes. But Bon Bon was so joyfully prudent when it came to feeding Lyra, always ready with the next spoonful and encouraging her to eat as soon as the last portion was gone, notably keeping the eating downtime close to zero.

Bon Bon didn’t hide at all how happy she was to be able to feed Lyra, and that made Lyra happy because she could let herself be fed to her heart’s content. She loved being spoonfed. It’s awesome. She doesn’t have to do anything at all and can still enjoy the amazing tastes and the pleasant little touches. And there wasn’t the slightest worry to keet her from enjoying it to its fullest.

As if it could ever have gotten boring, they’d begun with the little spoonfeeding games before long. First, the spoon became a train pulling into the station and unloading a cargo. Then, the spoon was a pegasus pony delivering some clouds, and Lyra was enthralled watching her path through the air before she landed right in her mouth.

After that, it was a competition. Lyra had to slurp the food off the spoon. But where was the spoon? It was only Bon Bon’s empty hoof. Surprise! The spoon had been in her other hoof all along. Lyra couldn’t stop giggling at the amazing trick as Bon Bon happily wiped the oats from her lips with a hoof.

They had to take a short break after all, because there were some dry oats stuck to the bottom of the bowl that Bon Bon needed to stir up.

Lyra had planned to use the time to relax, but in her relaxation, an entirely different issue called for her attention, and alarmingly fast at that. It was the call of nature.

See, Lyra hadn’t been entirely truthful before. Sure, she had woken up completely dry, but there had been a bit of a fullness to her tummy that she simply hadn’t felt the need to do anything about. Until now, that is, especially as she was relaxedly sitting upright and with the volume of her freshly filled belly bearing down on her.

Oh no! And just after she’d been going on to Bon Bon about how mature she was, too. She couldn’t let her know, no way. There was hardly anything less mature than making your morning pee pee in your pants while you are being spoonfed your breakfast. Lyra would never live it down.

“Alright, gotta stir it up just a little bit more, and then we’re good to go,” Bon Bon said, “are you ready for the next bite?”

Finally, more food! Lyra couldn’t wait for more of the yummy taste … No! Don’t let yourself be distracted! The urge to relieve herself grew more burningly intense by the second, but there was a much more stark realization at hoof.

It was the fact that Lyra had no idea what she was supposed to do about it. She knew there was something about holding it back, that big ponies were supposed to do. Wasn’t it supposed to slow down or something? But none of that was happening! It was growing more urgent by the second, and her body was only relaxing without! She just couldn’t remember how to coerce her muscles to show some interest in her plight!

Lyra curled her hooves as she got goosebumps from the impending relief, the urge becoming very real underneath her tummy. Why did it all have to be so complicated! She didn’t want to have to deal with all this stuff! She just wanted to eat!

The spoon bumped against Lyra’s lips. “Open up,” Bon Bon said, smiling the most comforting and relaxing smile, like only she could.

Lyra gladly obliged, taking in the food and placidly chewing on the pleasant taste.

She took the opportunity to covertly clench her jaws as she felt her body lazily begin to urinate underneath herself. A shiver ran down her spine, as the primal relief washed over her, finally able to let relaxedly come out what she hadn’t even realized she had been holding in.

Lyra was sitting slightly leaned back, so she could empty herself freely, and just concentrate on eating her yummy food and swallowing it with content, while the hot liquid splashed onto the insides of her thighs and soaked into her fur everywhere inside the diaper.

“Another one?” Bon Bon chirped, “You seem to be enjoying yourself a lot.”

Lyra nodded eagerly and took another helping into her mouth, chewing happily. The spoon tickled like a little feather as Bon Bon scraped the dripping food off her chin.

Lyra was a foal after all, she couldn’t deny it. Luckily, that meant she didn’t have to do anything other than continue to go tinkle freely into her clothing. It was expected of her. Everything had been taken care of. She didn’t have to worry in the slightest.

And why should she? Circumstances were on her side. She was all covered up in this comfortable hoofie sleeper, and that meant that Bon Bon wouldn’t be able to see the big pee pee stain on her baby panties. She was practically in the home stretch. All that was left was to make sure no little gasp or moan of satisfaction managed to escape her lips, no matter how awesomely intense the relief was that made her hooves tremble and her tail twitch, while the hot puddle she was sitting in continued to rise higher and higher.

“Thanks, Bon Bon,” Lyra said quietly, “for feeding me.”

“No need to thank me,” Bon Bon said, “all good little fillies get fed until they’re happy. And you’ve been the best and happiest little filly of them all.”

Lyra found herself rubbing her tingly muzzle at the infantile compliment.

“Thanks,” she said, “I like being a little filly.”

“I know you do, honey,” Bon Bon said, “We’re so lucky that it’s exactly who you are. A very cute and very handsome little filly. And now let’s finish things up here. Only a little bit left to eat.”

Lyra proceeded to feast on the proffered food while she finished up going potty into her diapers, wrapped around her butt and so solidly and securely. There wasn’t much more she had to do, except to wait patiently until she was empty. She didn’t even pay attention anymore as the last drops of pee dribbled out.

She couldn’t even feel them running down her skin as usual. The liquid immediately vanished within the soaked diaper fluff that was held up against her so snugly by her pyjamas. The soaked pulp sat immediately against her skin, swelling rapidly as it reliably took care of Lyra’s needs. Lyra took in a deep breath and allowed herself a sigh, relishing the funny feeling of the light emptiness and the serene fullness in her tummy at the same time.

“You really liked that, huh?” Bon Bon said while scraping out the last bits from the bowl.

Several spoonfuls later, and Lyra was properly satisfied. The size of the portion had just been perfect, although she suspected that was more of Bon Bon precisely knowing the amount of food she preferred and eating the rest herself, rather than having prepared the correct amount in the first place. But that was fine. Lyra liked the idea of somepony knowing everything about her down to her physical details, and she was more than happy of giving herself up completely to Bon Bon’s care.

“It was perfect,” Lyra said, pushing away the spoon that had come to rest on the table.

“Great,” Bon Bon said, “I think it’s time for the afternoon nap, then. Are you ready? I feel my eyelids growing heavier by the moment here.”

“A nap?” Lyra said, “But we only just got up. Can we lay down again already?”

“That’s the question a grown up pony would ask, yes,” Bon Bon said.

“Alright,” Lyra said, “nap time it is, then.”

Before she knew it, Lyra already stretched her forelegs out to her sides and arched her back in a big yawn. Wow. Was she really that tired or really that lazy? Didn’t matter, all that she could think of was lying within Bon Bon’s tight embrace.

“Okay, go ahead and wait for me on the couch then, sweetie,” Bon Bon said, “I’ll be right with you after clearing off the table.”

Lyra promptly slipped off the chair and set out towards the couch. She paced herself, taking her time to amble through the two doorways and across the common room. Moving around while being all swaddled up like this still was a curious experience to her, and she was still trying to get used to the fabric shifting and brushing against her skin all over while she walked. Her foalish intuition told her that she should be feeling the warm plastic sagging down toward her knees by now, but it wasn’t so, because the compact design of her sleeper kept everything snugly where it was supposed to be.

When she reached the couch, she crouched to the ground and felt pressure against her behind, as the sleeper’s fabric tightened under the movement. But when Lyra hopped onto the furniture and sat down, all tightness relaxed and her pyjama returned to its usual whole and languorous warmth. She leaned back and sunk into the lavish folds of her clothing. Ah, this was comfortable. She could get used to this, if she didn’t fall asleep right away.

Of course! Sleepers were made for sleeping! How didn’t this occur to her sooner? That was where the name came from, after all. Walking around in them was a little bit more taxing than usual because of all the soft material you carry around with you, but, in return, sleeping, or at least lazing around peacefully, was made so much more convenient and worthwhile by the immaculate shell of cozy warmth that kept you protected all around. That was what made her so drowsy, too. Bon Bon had the right idea after all, when she said they should take a nap.

A crash sounded from the kitchen as a tower of metal kitchenware was toppled over, followed by muttered curses, as Bon Bon appeared from the hallway.

“Whatever,” she said, “I don’t care. That’s future-me’s problem.”

Although she was clad in bright colors, wearing her stylish light blue sleeper, and obviously padded out around her rump region, Bon Bon still managed to stride with grace and dignity, as she left her former concern behind and closed in to spend time with her big little filly instead. And her big little filly, that was none other than Lyra.

Bon Bon sat down on the couch next to Lyra, stretching out her forelegs as she slumped back. Lyra didn’t miss the opportunity to let herself fall over sideways and come to rest on Bon Bon’s plush chest with her head. With great satisfaction, she felt a foreleg immediately close in around her and a hoof softly touching against her cheek.

“Hey, there,” Bon Bon’s chest rumbled, “How are you holding up? You tired yet?”

“Mmmmm …” Lyra said.

That was the extent of all the conversation Bon Bon felt was needed at the the. She held Lyra tightly against her chest, and her heart fluttered with delight when Lyra habitually snuggled her face into the soft fuzziness.

Now, Bon Bon really had Lyra where she had wanted her all along, totally relaxed down to the most intimate of her instincts, and wholly immersed into a world of boundless comfort. Getting her to this point wasn’t all too difficult, but Bon Bon knew how much she enjoyed the experience every time regardless. And Bon Bon enjoyed it too, the knowledge that Lyra would gladly accept what she had to offer and give herself up to her care without second thought.

Bon Bon was about ready to doze off, when she felt something soft nibble at the edge of her hoof. Sure enough, Lyra had surreptitiously brought Bon Bon’s hoof up to her mouth and was probing it up and down carefully with her lips.

Bon Bon giggled, making Lyra’s head vibrate.

Lyra couldn’t help it! There was this tingling desire to explore some new flavourful texture vying for attention in her mouth, and her body had almost set out on its own to bring something satisfactory against her lips. Whatever something that was closest in range, which just happened to be Bon Bon’s hoof.

“Wow, you really do need something in your mouth today, huh?” Bon Bon said, “Alright, hold on, I’ll see if I can scrounge something up.”

Bon Bon disengaged from Lyra, got up, walked back over to the other side of the room and vanished up the stairs. Where was Bon Bon going? Hopefully to get something interesting to chew on. Lyra felt like she was going to go crazy if she couldn’t get something to satisfy the incessant craving into her muzzle.

She wondered how the coffee table tasted, with the funny patterns of its wooden top ground down to a bumpy smoothness and darkened by years and years of pony use. But no matter how hard she tried, Lyra couldn’t lift the table up to herself. Tough luck, gotta try something else.

What about the sofa? It looked interesting enough, with its off-gray surface and its varied smells from a long time of being sat upon. Yuck! That didn’t taste good at all. The tightly woven fabric was all fuzzy on her tongue, and it tasted very salty, although Lyra didn’t want to think about where that came from. Okay, that were pretty much her options. The only thing that was left was her own hoof, although the familiar taste already grew stale moments after she had stuffed it into her mouth.

Luckily, Bon Bon returned to the rescue, carrying something in her mouth, a small thing gleaming in the sunlight. Could it be … ?

“Paci!” Lyra exclaimed.

“Yup,” Bon Bon said around the handle, “couldn’t find your old one from yesterday, so I just took a new one from the box. I hope you like it.”

The pacifier was definitely unfamiliar. It had a flamboyantly transparent purple plastic shield that was embedded with a bunch of colorful tiny glitters. The rubber nipple was obviously new, bouncing in front of Lyra’s face without the slightest bite mark on it. She could already feel the hypnotic pull at the back of her head before she’d even decided that, yes, she liked it.

Bon Bon’s and Lyra’s muzzles met for a moment with the plastic shield between them. Lyra got the rubber nipple slipped between her lips, and Bon Bon let go of the little white handle.

The soothing calmness immediately overcame her as the big rubbery volume took up its familiar place, comfortably filling out the inside of Lyra’s mouth. It was as if the roaring fire had been finally put to rest with a gush of alleviating fresh water. The ravenous craving was satisfied at last, as Lyra could chew and suckle upon, and play her tongue around, the rubber nipple as much as she wanted. The plastic shield caressed her lips with every movement, reassuring her that her paci would stay exactly where it was supposed to, and she could enjoy it as she desired.

Lyra was truly pampered now. There wasn’t a single part of her body that wasn’t indulgently occupied, swaddled, cherished or relieved, and it all blended together in a prickling fireworks of baby bliss. She couldn’t have had a care in the world even if she tried to, so occupied was she with all of the lavish luxuries at once.

Lyra felt herself be embraced from behind and pulled back, and she just let herself fall over, for she knew that Bon Bon was there to catch her. Bon Bon was in charge, and Bon Bon always knew what was best.

Bon Bon was truly at peace now. This was all she had wanted, some quiet rest. She had taken Lyra into a hug and lay down sideways along with her. Lyra was too far gone, that much was clear, as she suckled and munched sloppily on her rubber treasure. So it was up to Bon Bon to wiggle themselves into a comfortable position.

There wasn’t exactly any contact with Lyra due to the thickness of their pyjamas, and for the diffuse presence that Bon Bon felt in her embrace, she might as well have been holding a big bag of flour in her hooves. A big, soft, good-smelling bag of flour, whose body warmth soon joined up with her own even across the boundaries of the textiles. Bon Bon held onto her flour tightly and allowed herself to relax, watching the sparkling purple pacifier shield bobbing up and down in Lyra’s muzzle, hypnotically, up and down and up and down.

It was good. It was vindicating. These were the moments Bon Bon had always dreamed of when she was little, and she had arrived here in the end. Now she could truly say, backed by all the validation of her vast amount of experiences that had led up to this moment, all the things bad and good, all the failures and successes.

It had totally been worth it.

There was nothing left Bon Bon would wish for at the moment. This had always been one of her biggest dreams. Her own house in the quietest corner of a quaint little town, her own family, married to the pony she loved, her own decisions she could make without anypony meddling with her because she was queer or a misfit. But was she really? Could something this beautiful be queer? Could anypony begrudge her for greedily taking in all this comfort and coziness? It was so very peaceful.

From the corner of her eye, Bon Bon observed how the bobbing of Lyra’s pacifier became slower and slower, until it was replaced by a cute little rumble coming from her chest. Bon Bon’s filly had dozed off in her hooves.

Outside the dining room window, leaves and branches swirled around as the wind tore against the poor old oak. But it was good for the tree in the end, because by having the old baggage taken off of it, room was made for new and fresh life to spring when the time came around next year. It was hypnotic. The cycle of life, always repeating itself without error, and the circle in which the junk swirled in the wind, outside the window.

Maybe all those years hadn’t been wasted after all. Maybe they had been necessary steps on a path that allowed for no shortcuts. Could Bon Bon really claim that she would have been able to appreciate all that she had built up for themselves, if she had been given it when she was little? That she could uphold and maintain her status with the diligence and experience that it was due, and that she could build upon it and improve both it, and herself?

Because that’s what life is in the end, taking everything you have and constantly improving it, finding things that are lacking and fixing them with things that are surplus, ever expanding and increasing your possibilities. And, importantly, enjoying yourself along the ride. Change is inevitable, and that makes life not a thing of stagnation, but a thing of motion. Always moving forward, as sure as the sun sets and the moon rises only to trade places again, as sure as the birds sing and the bees do their busywork, as the temperatures rise and fall and bring with them howling winds and roaring rainstorms. The lands are shaken up and mixed thoroughly only to settle down and grow anew, bringing life back to where it had started.

All that counted was them. Bon Bon and Lyra. For they were only once, unique in all of existence. There was nothing like them in the entire universe. It was a circumstance to be treasured. All that counted was that they were together, and that they moved forward. All that counted was strength and warmth, progress and comfort, adventure and security, the dualities that marked the opposite ends describing a circle.

Life wouldn’t be possible without opposites. Spring and fall. Hunger and plenty. Adversity and peace. Sadness and happiness. Bad and good. And as essential for survival is the drive to rectify the things that are bad, no less important is having the leisure to enjoy what is good.

And life’s pretty good, all things considered.

Bon Bon had no idea which of her thoughts were genuinely hers, and which were more of her daydreams’ byproducts as she had kept snoozing off and on. She must have been out for a while, as the sun stood lower now and lavishly immersed the rooms in a whole slew of colors, from crystalline blue, over fiery orange, to brazen pink.

That wasn’t what had woken her up though, as the thumping noises were heard again.

There was a commotion outside the front door. Somepony was there, doing weird things. Were they jumping around? And was that somepony singing? No, nopony was singing, it was just somepony talking without much confidence.

Lyra looked at her. She heard it too. Better go investigate. Bon Bon got up from the couch, and she anticipated the knocking before it happened.

Knock, knock, knock … knock?

“Hey, uh, it’s us!” a familiar voice said. It was Teak, the pony from last night! “Um, is anypony home?”

“Of course they’re home,” Parting Ways said, “they said they would be.”

“Oh, right, um,” Teak said, “We just wanted to come by and, you know, say thanks and all. Can we come in?”

Bon Bon cleared the sleep from her throat before she called out, “Hey! Sure, come in.”

Hesitation? Fear? Nope. Bon Bon was as lucid as day. There was only one thing she wanted to do. Somepony had knocked, and Bon Bon wanted to invite them in. Simple as that.

The door opened and Bon Bon went to receive the strange but funny couple they had met only yesterday.

Wow, they looked like a total mess! Teak entered into the hallway, the otherwise smooth calmness of his amber fur and his homely stature completely thrown out the window by his messy mane that stood off in every which direction. Parting Ways was much better off in comparison, the grey mare only fighting with a few strands of her cerulean mane. Her eyes lit up when they beheld Bon Bon.

“Hi there,” Bon Bon said, “you look, uh, interesting.”

“Yeah, it seems things took more of a toll on us than I would have thought,” Parting said, “Not even to speak of Twilight’s watchfulness. You wouldn’t believe how many ways you can test a pony. Boy, I can tell you there’s not a sickness left in Equestria that we don’t have.”

“Yeah, Twilight’s known to be the most well studied pony in Ponyville,” Bon Bon said, “Seems she’s got a knack for it. I take it you still found the time for a nice long sleep regardless?”

“As did you, so it seems,” Parting said.

“Yup,” Bon Bon said, boasting with her hoofie sleeper, “there’s no more comfortable way to rest.”

Her movements were accompanied by the unmistakable muffled crinkle of plastic, if the thick outline of her hindquarters hadn’t already been obvious enough. Yes, she was wearing a diaper. Why? Because she wanted to. Oh, okay. That’s pretty much all that there’s to it.

Parting seemed to share her sentiment, as she didn’t bring any attention to the fact. But she still regarded Bon Bon with unfettered curiosity.

Meanwhile, Teak tried his hardest not to stare, and failed. When he realized he was busted, he spoke up.

“I, uh, I wanted to …” he said, “I mean, for what you did, we thought we would …”

“Is Lyra here too?” Parting finished for him, “Teak here wanted to say a few words to her, you know, for the whole saving his life business.”

“Sure,” Bon Bon called over her shoulder, “Lyra? It’s for you!”

Like a gunshot, Lyra came toddling into the hallway and stepped past Bon Bon in front of Parting and Teak, her fuzzy striped sleeper rustling and crinkling all the way. She suckled absent-mindedly on her sparkly purple transparent pacifier as she regarded them curiously.

“Hi, Lyra,” Teak heard himself say.

Lyra’s eyes opened wide and the biggest smile grew behind her pacifier. Lyra! That was her name! She giggled.

“Hi, Teak,” she said.

“Thank you,” Teak said, “For saving my life, I mean. Thank you so much. I would’ve been lost if you hadn’t come for me. I’m endlessly grateful.”

“You’re welcome,” Lyra said around her pacifier, as if it wasn’t even there. She tittered at the fluttery feeling in her stomach.

Lyra had saved this pony’s life. His essence was in this world just because of her. There was no more personal thing somepony could do for another pony, no more fundamental way to keep the balance of the universe. And why had she done it?

Who cares? She loved being praised.

“Thanks, um … right, so,” he said, “So we were thinking, um, I mean, I was thinking. None of this is Parting’s fault. But I had this idea, uh … because I wanted to thank you for what you did, and there was … from when we arrived, I mean. We were only passing through when we stopped in Ponyville. My saddlebags were still there, at the train station, where I left them. And then we left and all the stuff happened, but we were going to visit somepony originally. Visit relatives, I mean. But we have to go back home now instead, obviously. So, yeah. And they, uh … you know, they got little kids, and … uh … yeah. And then, um … Gosh, I hope this isn’t so inappropriate.”

“Just give it to her,” Parting Ways said, “I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be fine.”

“Okay, um … this is for you, Lyra,” Teak said. He turned to reach into his bag with a hoof, and out he pulled Lyra’s present.

It was beautiful. It was a figure. No, it was more like a doll, a wooden facsimile of a pony with masterfully rendered features. The timeless image of an athletic body, a long slender neck, regal ears and the noble mane and tail flowing back splendidly in an unfelt wind. The doll had this air of majestic grandeur about it, despite the featureless face, and despite the fact that it was pretty obviously a foal’s toy.

The curtly standing pony did not sport a single sharp edge or corner that could be dangerous to a foal, no doubt the product of a long time of diligent work, polishing the wooden surface to a perfectly round smoothness. But the doll was also painted in a large variety of totally clashing colors. The body was blue, the head was red, the face was yellow and the legs were four different shades of green, the mane was cyan and the tail was brown, and there were a whole bunch of accents in the different colors of the rainbow all over the thing.

Teak’s cutie mark was a wood carver. He must have been sitting forever to carve out such a neat and well shaped doll, not to mention getting it sanded so smoothly and painting it. He was obviously pretty talented, and it was a magnificent present.

It was fairly large too, big enough for Lyra to comfortably press against her chest after she’d eagerly taken the doll into her possession.

“Bon Bon, look!” Lyra said, eagerly showing it to her, “it’s so awesome!”

“It looks really nice,” Bon Bon said, “and what do we say to the pony who gave us something really nice?”

“Thank you, Teak!” Lyra said happily, grinning at him hugely, “It’s so cool!”

“You’re … uh,” Teak said, “you’re … uh … “

Lyra tried to cross necks with him like the big ponies did. But she fumbled and ended up only brushing her cheek against his. Didn’t matter, it conveyed everything she had wanted to say.

She went back to ogling her prize. Teak was beginning to melt into a goofy smile from the cuteness.

“You’re welcome,” Parting finished. She didn’t hide how much she enjoyed this display of obviously genuine foalish glee.

“Teak made it as a present for our relatives,” she said, “but the visit’s postponed now I suppose. He makes stuff like this in the workshop, and I think it turned out pretty nice. I’m glad the present is well received. It was his idea, you know? Despite how big and strong he looks, he’s very sweet like that.”

“So, do you want to come in, maybe for some tea?” Bon Bon said, “Or, like, water. There seems to be a little mess in the kitchen at the moment.”

“We’d love to, but we have to go,” Parting said, “we just got finished with the hospital check up and we have to get back to the library or Twilight will come looking for us. She’ll help us make arrangements for the night. We’ll see each other tomorrow though, right?”

“Yeah, sure, we’ll be there,” Bon Bon said, “Until tomorrow then. Have a nice evening!”

“You too,” Parting said, “although I’m sure you will.”

They turned to leave, and Bon Bon waved them goodbye before she closed the front door behind them.

And that was that. A small visit from a couple of ponies to exchange some pleasantries. How quaint. And what nice ponies they were! They came all the way out just to say thank you, and they were even nice enough to bring a gift for her little filly. That took some serious kindness. Bon Bon would really need to keep in touch with them, she looked forward to seeing them again already now.

Lyra had already vanished back into the room and was dancing around, reared up on her hind legs, holding her new dolly high into the air and making whooshing sounds with her mouth.

“Look how high she can fly,” Lyra said.

“Oh, so she’s a pegasus then,” Bon Bon said.

“No, she lives high up in a tower and she researches new magic for everypony to use,” Lyra said.

“So, she’s a unicorn,” Bon Bon said.

“No,” Lyra said, “she’s an ambassador of the realm and travels to the furthest parts of Equestria to strike peace and wealth.”

“So she’s an earth pony,” Bon Bon said.

Lyra plopped down onto her butt. “I don’t know,” she said, and suddenly gasped with determination, “we have to find out! We gotta go play, now!”

Bon Bon felt warm all over at Lyra’s foalish antics. “Alright, alright, let’s go play,” she said, “you lead the way and I’ll be right behind you.”

But Lyra only sat still and looked on in confusion. Oh, right. She couldn’t carry the doll because her mouth was already occupied. Bon Bon came to her aid and took the doll, and Lyra promptly jumped up and happily waddled off.

Alright, Lyra carefully had to climb the stairs, one step after another. She didn’t want anything to happen, that would only make Bon Bon upset, and she didn’t want to see Bon Bon upset. She gingerly put one hoof after another onto the next step, one step after another, retaining her balance as she slowly moved upwards.

It wasn’t easy climbing the stairs, what with her sleeper and her diaper and all the stuff constantly moving against her body, but Lyra kept paying close attention. If there was one thing she was really mature about, then it was the fact that she wasn’t easily distracted.

Lyra almost stumbled over the last step because, through the bedroom door, she could already see the vast, yet uncharted expanse of the toy pile on the floor. It was all right there, a heap of stuff scattered all over, just for her to explore!

As quickly as she could, Lyra toddled over into the bedroom and plopped down in front of the first of the many very interesting items that caught her eye. True, she had been stepping over and around all these pieces for days, but here presented itself the unique chance of researching each and every one of them in detail.

Lyra picked up the item. It was a foal’s rattle, and she was holding it by the milky white plastic handle and observed the bulb at the top. Lyra knew what it was, but what did it do again? She tried to taste it, but the toy just clacked against her pacifier. Right, so that option was out of the question. Let’s try something more sophisticated.

Lyra bashed it against the ground, and on contact with the carpet, the device produced a quaint little jingle. That was hilarious! She could make sounds with it! The rattle made some more noise as Lyra shook it, and she fell into her own rhythm, making a little song out of it. The beat may have been just a tad out of sync, but she was proud of it regardless.

“I see you already found a nice toy to play with,” Bon Bon said when she arrived at the scene.

Lyra bent backwards and joyously shook her rattle in Bon Bon’s face. “Look,” Lyra said, “it’s a magic wand. Isn’t it cool?”

“A magic wand?” Bon Bon said, “And what ever do you need a magic wand for?”

Lyra giggled. “It’s not for me, silly,” she said, “it’s for her!”

She was given the doll into her outstretched hoof, and then she combined it with the rattle, stuffing it between the wooden pony’s legs. The big bulb wouldn’t fit, but what if she tried the thin handle instead? And, there. It held! How cool was that! Lyra held her doll up and shook it vigorously, and the doll magically produced music with her wand.

Bon Bon chuckled all the while. Was it really that funny? Didn’t matter, hearing Lyra laugh made Bon Bon laugh too. And laughing was fun. Who didn’t like to laugh? Lyra giggled along with Bon Bon as she shook her doll in the air.

“Look, they’re all dancing,” Lyra’s said, “Look, Bon Bon! Um …”

The doll was alone. She needed friends to dance with!

The rattle tumbled off into obscurity as Lyra threw herself forward and crawled toward her treasure trove of alluring curiosities, her adorable plush baby tushy wiggling back and forth high in the air. She found her next object of interest as soon as it came into the range of her hooves. It was a fuzzy tennis ball! That was perfect. The tennis ball was already so bouncy and squishy on its own, it would make the ideal dancing partner.

“Bon Bon, look!” Lyra said, plopped back down on her hindquarters and swayed her toys back and forth in the air as her version of a smooth and courtly dance, the doll in one hoof and the tennis ball in the other. “They are dancing!”

Lyra was beyond adorable. Bon Bon could downright feel her heart dissolve in the sugary, syrupy sweetness that was her imaginative little filly, all caught up in her little filly games. She could have taken her up and snuggled her in a big bear hug, but Bon Bon found that she could barely even keep up with Lyra’s bouncy energy. Bon Bon had only just joined up, before Lyra had already been distracted from her current game by everything else that was strewn about all around her. She passed the tennis ball over to Bon Bon.

“I that for me?” Bon Bon said.

“Yeah, you have to keep it,” Lyra said.

“Why do I have to keep it?” Bon Bon said.

“Because you’re the keeper of stuff!” Lyra said, “You have to keep the stuff until we decide to un-keep it!”

Nodding with self-evidence, as if she had just explained to Bon Bon that the sky was blue, Lyra satisfiedly turned back and crinkled off toward her next toy.

So, she was the keeper of stuff. Alright, better hold on to it then.

Although, it was actually quite curious. If Bon Bon just put the ball on the ground like that, it would probably roll far away if somepony happened to knock against it. Much better would it be if she stored the ball over there, among the building blocks. There, looks much better. Bon Bon had always known having those building blocks around would be practical.

She couldn’t for the life of her remember where they had come from, but here they were.

And it turns out that foals love playing with building blocks. Lyra would adore them if she ever got to spare some attention. They were pretty nice building blocks. Smooth wood with rounded corners and painted in different pastel colors. They felt quite nice to pick up and hold, and their colors shone so brightly in the afternoon sunlight.

It was a shame that the colors clashed with each other because somepony had arranged the blocks that way. Red couldn’t be next to green. What had she been thinking? Red belonged next to orange, because they were neighbouring colors. And after orange came yellow. There, isn’t that much better? But there was something missing after yellow still. And there were so many colors left to choose from. Bon Bon had to stay vigilant.

Lyra couldn’t help giggling at the funny feeling as she stirred the clattering pile of tokens around with her hoof. All those tiny polished edges dribbling onto her hoof made it feel all funny and tingly. It was the product of at least one, and probably more than one, of board games that had been spilled onto the floor at some point.

The carton game boards themselves were around as well, but the hadn’t interested Lyra very much. There were lots of lines and symbols drawn on them, and other junk that she couldn’t make any sense of. But these game pieces were much funnier. They were small flat blocks of polished white with a bunch of little black dots drawn on them. And they were so smooth and shiny. They felt so weird!

Lyra lifted her dolly away from her chest. If she wanted to try it out too? Let’s see. Lyra stuck her wooden pony into the heap and knocked the chattering tokens around with it. Wow! Look at how much fun she’s having! Lyra knew she would like it. If you wanna have fun, the first pony you go to is always Lyra.

She would have moved on to find the next super fun activity for her little dolly, but Bon Bon suddenly appeared by her side. And that meant, Bon Bon built herself up almost on top of the giggling Lyra, looking for something.

“I need the purple one,” Bon Bon said.

Lyra had a bunch of questions on her mind, but she couldn’t decide, so she just suckled on her pacifier in a questioning fashion instead to get her point across.

“The purple block,” Bon Bon said, “it’s not there!”

Oh, the purple block. That was easy, because she’d just seen it before among the game boards. There was a small, approximately white textile kerchief that had somehow found its way there, and it lay bunched up on top of the purple block. Lyra pulled the kerchief to the side and offered the block to Bon Bon.

“Lyra, you’re a genius,” Bon Bon said, “Now I can finally finish up.”

Lyra didn’t quite know what do with the compliment, but she crawled after Bon Bon to find out what exactly it was that she was getting finished up with. When they arrived, Bon Bon set the purple block in place and made Lyra’s eyes go wide at the marvelous sight.

“Rainbow!” Lyra exclaimed.

The building blocks were arranged in a neat circle, all of them coordinated by color in order of a beautiful rainbow.

“Yup,” Bon Bon said with no small amount of pride, “you just gotta know which color comes after the next, and the rainbow practically builds up itself.”

“Wow, you’re so cool, Bon Bon,” Lyra said, “I don’t know which color comes after the next.”

Bon Bon shouldn’t be boasting. She knew she shouldn’t. This was all way too childish. But she couldn’t help it.

“And that’s why you have me,” Bon Bon said, “and don’t worry, I’m here to stay. How about you show me to more of your colored toys, and I’ll arrange them for you?”

And so, the two little filly playmates now crawled along, side by side, their fluffy baby butts wiggling in the air in unison.

Lyra and Bon Bon made their way back into the thick of the toy heap. There were a whole bunch of toys that turned out to be not of too much chromatic interest. Lyra seemed to be taken by a miniature see-saw in particular, which had probably been part of a much more complex construct at some point, but had come loose as a tiny plank fastened to a small peg that just happened to lay still in more or less the perfect balance. That was more than enough for Lyra though, as she eagerly let Bon Bon explain to her the properties of mass and weight as she weighed small objects against each other, ranging anywhere from plastic cookie cutters to game tokens.

There was also the wheel. It was just a wooden disk of sufficient roundness, the leftover part of a miniature wagon or carriage that had been lost over time, or, which was more likely, hadn’t even existed in the first place. But Lyra had so much fun sending it off and watching it roll across the room until it eventually got knocked over by something, it was enough to make Bon Bon overcome her initial scepticism as to the entertainment value of such an activity.

In fact, she found herself spending the better part of a few minutes, enthralled by the small device, making bets with Lyra whether it would fall over to the left or to the right. The competition found its spectacular conclusion as both of them erupted in howling laughter, when the wheel suddenly remained standing still without falling over at all.

That was the extent of what constituted the most interesting playthings though. Most of them were not colorful at all and only bore the familiar brown of wood, the dullness of cloth or the muted tones of colored plastic. Where were all the full, bright colors? Nowhere to be seen, that’s where they were. Bon Bon began to feel a bit of disappointment set in, as their foray into the riches of toys yielded no results for her.

That was, until she spotted the sticks.

The sticks were curious little pieces of wood, cuboid in shape and varying in length, and, most importantly, painted in lots and lots of wildly different colours. Bon Bon immediately had Lyra assist her in the excavation of the discovery.

Together, they plucked away an array of miniature kitchenware and the according miniature kitchen appliances, some bunched up pieces of paper with unintelligible symbols drawn on them, two metal spinning tops and a yoyo as well as a compass without a needle, some yarn, a small foam hammer, and they hefted a big wooden board without any apparent purpose out of the way. The archeological find yielded more and more of the sticks, every one with a new color and a different length, all of which Bon Bon eagerly shoveled away from the site and into her domain.

It soon became clear that they had hoarded all of the sticks in one place as new ones stopped turning up. Now came the question of what to do with them.

Bon Bon tried arranging them in different shapes and angles, laying them out coherently to compare their sizes and widths, and even trying to sort them by color, but there didn’t seem to be any rhyme nor reason to the exceedingly complex collection of inhomogeneous items. Lyra lent her expertise as well, skillfully banging the sticks together, but there was no insight to be gained either.

The revelation came almost accidentally. Only when Bon Bon attempted to sort the sticks by size, she happened to come into possession of two candidates for the next larger stick to a smaller one. And they happened to be the same shade of green.

That was it! They came in pairs! Bon Bon immediately instructed her assistant Lyra to help her group matching sticks together, and before long, they had established the pairwise affiliation of every single stick in their possession. Well, almost every one, but the solo sticks got discreetly tossed to the side. Cleaning up the sample.

Their purpose became clear to Bon Bon as well as she regarded the collection. She had Lyra fetch her the largest sticks of them all and then observe her creation.

The biggest ones were blue. She put them on the floor in parallel. The next ones in size were the orange ones. They got stacked on top of the blue ones in perpendicular. Then came the grey sticks. They were oriented like the blue ones for perfect stability. After those came the pink ones, then was yellow, then back to dark blue, then green, and so on. It didn’t take long until Lyra had caught on to Bon Bon’s masterful scheme.

“It’s a tower,” Lyra said, completely enthralled.

“Yeah, it’s a tower,” Bon Bon said, “that’s why they get smaller, so you know which ones belong on top of the previous ones. If you understand the architecture, you can build high rising structures with it. Wanna try it yourself? Here, I’ll help you.”

Lyra was given a stick into her hoof. She tried her best to help out, but ended up enchantedly watching as Bon Bon guided her hoof to the top of the steadily rising tower and gingerly placed the piece onto it. It was amazing.

Lyra didn’t think she’d ever seen a pony as skilled as Bon Bon in her life. Lyra was nervous at first, but Bon Bon kept encouraging her, and before long, she was carefully helping with the construction of the impressive structure under the guidance of the architectural artisan.

“Wow, it’s so big,” Lyra said, the tower terminating at the level of her nose.

“And it seems we’re done,” Bon Bon said, “that was the last piece.” At least the last of those they’d found.

“It’s such a cool tower,” Lyra fancied, “it looks over the entire land. Everypony is so impressed. Can she climb it?” She stuck out her doll.

“No,” Bon Bon warned, and Lyra immediately drew back her doll.

It wouldn’t do, Lyra needed a much more awesome reason for the tower to fall.

“No, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, ”you have to be careful. To build a tower this big is an extraordinary feat, and there are extraordinary powers at work to accomplish it.”

“Powers?” Lyra said, “Like magic?”

“Yeah,” Bon Bon said, “Big and strange magics keep this tower upright, magics that can do things you wouldn’t even imagine.”

“Things?” Lyra said, “Like scary things?”

“Very scary things,” Bon Bon said, “it’s a dark and menacing magic that built this tower, and the big bad forces still inhabit the tower, and it, um … “ She fetched the tiny see-saw and placed it at the top, across two sticks. “It stole this magical artifact that the ponies need to be happy, and it keeps it locked at the top of the tower.”

Lyra gasped. “She has to go and save the ponies,” Lyra said, presenting her doll again, “she’s an adventurer! She’ll go and defeat the tower and then the ponies will be happy again, and she’ll be the hero.”

“Your time has come, brave hero,” Bon Bon said to the doll, “go forth and conquer the tower and return to the ponies of the realm their vital artifact.”

Lyra eagerly had the wooden pony gallop to the base of the tower in the most regal and noble fashion. Now was her time. She would show the ponies what she was made of and drive the evil from the lands as a hero.

Lyra grabbed her doll and smashed it into the tower. The tower collapsed and the sticks were strewn in all directions.

The clattering of the sticks was incredibly loud. Lyra had never seen anything as funny as the destruction she wrought. She almost fell over from laughter, and when the noise subsided, she could hear that Bon Bon was laughing as well, and together the two fillies dissolved into a howling and tittering mess of mirth. It was hilarious! It was so loud, she hadn’t expected it at all! And how the sticks fell, her entire vision had been nothing but colors.

Bon Bon rubbed her eyes as she was trying to recover from laughing so hard, and that made Lyra fall into a fit of giggles again, despite the fact that her stomach already ached from the hilarity. She managed to calm down, and only grinned as Bon Bon crawled over to check up on her.

“She’s some adventurer, huh,” Bon Bon said, “I’ve never seen an adventurer overcome an adversary with such grace.”

“She’s the best adventurer,” Lyra said, “And she managed to bring the tower down and to get the artifact back. Are the ponies happy?”

“The ponies are beyond grateful,” Bon Bon said, “and they celebrate the glorious return of their adventurer. Yay adventurer!”

“Yay adventurer!” Lyra chanted, and held up her doll proudly.

The feeling was strangely similar to what Bon Bon had felt yesterday.

“She completed an adventure, just like you did, right?” she said.

“Me, an adventure?” Lyra said.

“Yeah, yesterday, you also went into the big and scary forest at night,” Bon Bon said, “and you saved somepony, and everypony was happy.”

“But she’s an adventurer,” Lyra said, pointing to the doll.

“You’re an adventurer too,” Bon Bon said.

“Oh!” Lyra said. It had been so obvious. “Well, then she’s me! Yay Lyra! Yay Lyra!”

The doll danced in the air, as high as Bon Bon found her brows raised. Lyra’s capability of that entirely flawless logic was uncanny.

“But it was different, yesterday,” Lyra said, “at least I don’t remember there being anything about a tower.”

“How was it, then?” Bon Bon said, “I never got to hear the full story, only what you told before falling asleep.”

“Well, it was, uh … let’s see,” Lyra said, “There was the forest, and I went there, but it was raining too much. Well, not in the forest, but before it. Wait, let me show you.”

She crawled back to the excavation site and placed the bunches of paper together. Then she scooped out a load of the white game tokens from their pile and scattered them over the free carpet. And then she came back to Bon Bon and presented her doll.

“So this is the field behind the meadow,” Lyra said, “after the row of trees. See, these white things are all trees. And it’s raining, so I can’t see a thing. On top of that it’s pretty dark. This is just after we leave the house. So I’m running around these trees, trying not to run into any.” She held the doll and had it gallop between the trees, skillfully evading any that lay in her path. “And I’m heading toward the forest. The stuff back there, that’s the forest. And as I approach the forest … “

“Wait, wait,” Bon Bon said, “so the doll is you?”

“Yeah,” Lyra said, “that’s me, and I’m heading toward the forest.”

“But there’s something missing then,” Bon Bon said, “hold on.”

She moved over to the spot at the side, where Lyra had first begun scavenging materials, and promptly found what she had sought. Then she took the pony doll and brought the bright kerchief up between her hind legs. The corners of the off-white cloth were quickly twisted into knots on either side of the pony’s hips. Bon Bon couldn’t quite get it to reach around the tail, but it already held onto the doll’s bottom well enough.

“There,” Bon Bon said, “now it’s you.” Her historical accuracy was something to behold.

Lyra raised a brow. The flimsy piece of cloth was obviously supposed to be a makeshift diaper, but the semblance didn’t hold up to all too much scrutiny. It was just a small bunch of fabric, barely covering her doll’s hindquarters. Lyra looked down. Between her legs was a big round bulge that strained her sleeper to a taut smoothness. Nope, Bon Bon’s image was hardly adequate, but what could she do, Bon Bon had always been pretty imaginative.

“Right,” Lyra said, taking the doll, “So, as I’m approaching the forest, I’m obviously still wearing my diaper, and that’s good too, because it’s pretty creepy. It feels pretty weird, and you can already tell that something’s off just by the way the air smells. I run straight at the forest and I eventually reach it, and then I have to go around to find a passage inside, you know the one where we go picking mushrooms.”

“I know the one,” Bon Bon said, “we went through the same path when we came after you.”

Lyra changed the scene, now throwing all the paper and a bunch more game tokens onto the carpet. Lots of trees. They were in the forest.

“So I follow the path along the hill,” Lyra said. She cleared a line between the trees with a hoof. “I think it’s a good idea to stay uphill instead of going down. But I can’t go on because there’s, uh … ” She grabbed a bunch of colorful sticks and put them in her way. “There’s these here blocking the path.”

“Oh! The leech seed!” Bon Bon said.

“Leech seed?” Lyra said.

“Yeah,” Bon Bon said, “they leech everything off of the other plants. Or ponies, I guess. That’s why they call them that.”

“Sure, that makes sense,” Lyra said.

“And this is where we cleared them out and went straight ahead,” Bon Bon said.

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that yet,” Lyra said, “so I had to climb down after all.” She cleared more trees away off to her side. “But the, leech seed, kept getting more and more.” She tossed more leech seed on top of herself until she was surrounded. “And then I kinda got stuck. The things were everywhere. I kinda thought about turning around at this point, but, well, I didn’t really want to do that either. So then I, uh, I kinda got mad and started hitting them and I began clearing them away. Lucky for me, I had my trusty machete with me. Every adventurer needs their signature weapon for their adventures! To think you wanted to throw it out!”

“I take back everything bad I ever said about your machete,” Bon Bon said. She still found the thing atrociously hideous, but she couldn’t deny its usefulness after all. As long as she didn’t have to have anything to do with it.

“Good, because I intend to keep it,” Lyra said, “so you two had better make friends.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Bon Bon said.

“So, anyway, I clear out these leech seed,” Lyra said, pushing them aside, “And it turns out they don’t grow that close together everywhere, so I can kind of find my way around the easiest path and even go and climb up the hill again.” She threw more and more leech seed into the forest and proceeded to clear a curvy line through all of it until it came close to her original line. She lifted herself higher and higher into the air.

“I’m climbing up,” Lyra said, ”and then there’s this huge flat rock. You know the one I mean? Where the ground is much softer at the bottom. I’m at the top of the rock, and I see that there’s no leech seed at the bottom, so I jump down --”

Bon Bon squeaked.

“Did you just squeak?” Lyra said.

“No, I did not squeak,” Bon Bon lied, “But it was really, really scary. The rock, I mean. It was like, super high and it was dark, so it was very scary. And I know that you most definitely did not jump down there.”

“Okay, you’re right,” Lyra said, “I did not jump down, but I slid down on the side, on the earth.” She made the motion with her doll. “So I’m pretty dirty, but hey, that’s part of the fun. I continue on, and, yeah, there’s a bunch of plants and stuff, but nothing really exciting. This part’s pretty boring to be honest. It’s quite a stretch. That is, until I arrive at the river.” Lyra dragged the wooden board right on top of the trees and separated them into two parts. “This is the river, right? You know, Root Channel, the one that’s usually just a jaggy drop into a bunch of rocks. Not this time, though. It’s chock full with water. It’s foaming. You should have seen it.”

“I did see it,” Bon Bon said, “It was pretty scary.”

“Right,” Lyra said, “So here’s the bridge.” She took the foam hammer and placed it across, “And it’s super slippery from all the water. But it never stood a chance. An adventurer like me? No problem. I made it across just fine. And then came the climb.”

Lyra got up and walked over to the bed, and then her doll clambered onto the side of the frame and slowly made her way to the top. “It was a big, huge hill out there, and I climbed it all the way to the top. And the top was a very nice clearing with a whole bunch of pretty plants and everything, barring the leech seed. Did you see it?”

“We were there too,” Bon Bon said, “it was gorgeous. I can’t wait to go back there when everything’s said and done. You did find Teak after that though, right?”

“Yeah, I found him,” Lyra said, “he was just there, after a little bit more climbing, downwards this time.” She moved her doll to the corner of the bed, and then pointed down to its base on the floor. “There, there he was. Uh, just imagine a landslide here. And then I went to him, and I got him. And then I waited for you.”

“And that’s where we came!” Bon Bon said, “We followed your path, but we could easily clear the plants thanks to Twilight.“ She pushed her hoof on the floor and cleared a way through the vegetation toward Lyra. “We followed your awesome trail, and we came to you.”

“Wait, you can’t be your hoof,” Lyra said.

“But, I don’t have anything else,” Bon Bon said.

“Let’s see,” Lyra said, and went past Bon Bon to where they had started out. She came back and gave Bon Bon herself into her hoof.

“The yellow block?” Bon Bon said, “Why do I have to be the yellow block?”

“Because we don’t have a white one,” Lyra grinned, “besides, you have no reason to complain. It’s a pretty nice looking block.”

“You think so?” Bon Bon said.

“Uh, I … guess?” Lyra said.

But Lyra couldn’t say anymore. Bon Bon took her little joke completely for serious. She had taken the yellow block from Lyra’s hooves and wielded it proficiently. She presented it to Lyra with a sultry grin, and then homed in on the doll. She bumped the block against the doll’s muzzle, joining the two toys in lovers’ union.

“You know what came next, right?” Bon Bon said.

Lyra calmed herself with her pacifier. She knew she should understand what Bon Bon was talking about, but she didn’t feel quite fast enough to catch on at the moment.

“What came next?” Lyra said.

“The reward,” Bon Bon said. The building block tumbled out of her hoof, and the doll soon followed, as Lyra found their faces only a hair’s breadth apart. “Every awesome, cool, life-saving adventurer gets a reward, even if she is also a very cute and very adorable little filly pamperbutt, who loves her nucky. Do you love your nucky?”

“I love my nucky,” Lyra said. She never knew how much being called cute could make her rump tingle.

“Do you wanna take it out of your mouth, just for a moment?” Bon Bon said.

“Um …” Lyra said.

Bon Bon pulled the pacifier out of Lyra’s mouth and kissed her firmly on the lips. Lyra immediately froze, providing all the more surface for Bon Bon’s charge as she deeply satiated her ravenous hunger, her hunger for Lyra, her crazy, insane, unique, beautiful, lovely Lyra. Bon Bon kissed and pressed herself up against Lyra, but held her fast in her embrace, because she knew Lyra was just a little filly, and she had to make sure she wouldn’t fall over.

Lyra relaxed and wound up again, and she tried to kiss back, as her brain attempted to understand what was going on, but she had no chance against the voracious appetite of Bon Bon’s facial assault. Bon Bon desired Lyra so much, and she made sure to keep her exactly where she was until her thirst was fully quenched. Lyra could do little more than whimper and moan as Bon Bon had her way with her lips, and Bon Bon kept it up without pause.

Lyra felt Bon Bon’s lips slip and slide around her own mouth, as her nose and chin was suckled upon, before Bon Bon pressed herself in even closer and had her way with her tongue. They moved against each other without resistance, thanks to the slippery film of their combined saliva that coated half of Lyra’s face by now. She was paralyzed, like under an electric current that was buzzing in her head. Every time she was about to get a grip, new parts inside her mouth, some of which she hadn’t even known existed, were awoken into burning frivolity under Bon Bon’s scrupulous examination.

Only when Bon Bon felt the fire in her slowly recede back into the diffuse craving that had been her companion all day already, did she cut Lyra some slack. She let go of her lips to kiss her lightly on the side of her mouth and on her cheeks. A final kiss on the nose signalized the ordeal as over with. Bon Bon carefully drew back and slipped the pacifier back into Lyra’s absently grinning muzzle.

“And that’s what happened,” Bon Bon said with finality.

“What happened,” Lyra echoed wetly, her muzzle dripping with drool.

“That’s right,” Bon Bon cooed, “it’s what happened. See? Everything’s fine, Lyra. You did great. You are a very adorable and very cute little filly. You are very proper, you know how to behave like a little filly and how to move, even how to think like one. You know to let yourself be dressed and be fed, and your cute little filly butt is big and round, like it’s supposed to be. You are the best and super cutest little baby filly, Lyra. There, there.”

Bon Bon pulled Lyra’s soft form toward herself and turned her around, and Lyra let herself be moved about, her entire world of fluff and fuzz and gentle caresses. She ended up limply leaning back into Bon Bon’s chest, with two forelegs around her stomach closing her in, snugly into the bulwark of warmth and softness.

“You did awesomely, Lyra,” Bon Bon said softly, “You’re an awesome adventurer. And you made lots and lots of ponies very happy. Isn’t that right? They’re all cheering for you. Yay, Lyra! Yay, Lyra!”

Lyra murmured and groaned in pleasure.

Bon Bon gave Lyra some time to cool down, not too quickly, but with enough leisure to savour it too. She stroked and kneaded Lyra’s soft, easy tummy in big, gentle circles, all the while she caressed her cheek lightly with the free hoof.

There. That’s how Bon Bon liked her Lyra. Completely calm and relaxed, and totally giving herself up to Bon Bon’s care. A very proper little baby filly, enjoying the moment to its fullest without a single care in the world, just all little fillies were supposed to do. Little fillies weren’t meant to be all serious and thoughtful, because there was already enough seriousness and thoughtfulness around in the world of big ponies. Little fillies were supposed to be happy and relaxed and let themselves be pampered from head to hoof. And Bon Bon would always be there for Lyra to ensure that was exactly what she got. And if the only way to achieve her goal was the lavish application of sensual kisses and adoring cuddles, then that was the price she was willing to pay.

Bon Bon was well aware how much it meant to Lyra to get the chance to be little for a while. It always had. Much earlier, it had been a way for her to escape, a distraction from all the stress and anxiety that had plagued her on her confused path.

The world of a toddler was so simple and so friendly, and Lyra had quickly developed a liking to setting herself free from her worries, in secret of course and whenever she had gotten the chance. But over time, together with Bon Bon, the shameful indulgence had turned into a treasured luxury. They had built up everything together and worked hard for their chances, and their baby time was one of the many fruits of their labor that had become a staple in their lives.

Leaving everything behind for a while and becoming more than a married couple, more than best friends, more than soul mates, two carefree little toddler filly playmates. They were exalted to the highest peaks of joyfulness only from being together, and all the fun they had playing and cuddling only made it better from there. It was sublime. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, and Bon Bon knew that it would never stop, because she would never stop being so madly in love with Lyra, and Lyra would never stop receiving her love, and that was all she needed to know.

And that’s why Lyra deserved some rest and relaxation. It had become all the more obvious as she had recounted her adventure from yesterday. Lyra was amazing. Sure, her story probably hadn’t been told to its fullest yet, and, to be honest, they probably won’t be talking about anything else in several days, but Bon Bon had heard enough to know how awesome Lyra was. Now was the time to be carefree fillies and the time to play.

Bon Bon freed one of her hooves from her big warm payload and took one of the bunched up pieces of paper from earlier over to herself. The pieces of paper had caught her eye all along, not only because they were bunched up, which was always a surefire sign of secret information, but also because of the mysterious lines drawn on them. And since it appeared that she wasn’t going to be able to move freely just yet, she might as well used the time to investigate.

The paper rustled as Bon Bon flattened it against the carpet. Okay, it wouldn’t exactly stay down as she worked it with one hoof, but she got it flat enough to make out the drawing on it. It was a black half circle with a wedge at the end. Strange. What might it mean? She turned it on its head and it still told her as much as before. Okay, that didn’t help.

She reached over and grabbed a second bunch of paper and then she flattened it too. It was a scribble. Totally random lines. And also black.

This was going nowhere. Bon Bon reached out to the other side and began stirring around in the toy pile they had set aside previously. There had to be a clue around here somewhere. Maybe a written text or a map, or some record to explain what it was with these symbols. There was nothing, though. Between the trinkets of plastic, wood and metal, she could find no more paper or any other sort of document. Bon Bon was getting frustrated at the lack of clarification.

But then, she stumbled over something. She was rifling around underneath one of the game boards when her hoof met with something cold and sleek. She grabbed the little stick and pulled it out. It was a crayon. And it was black! Now that’s something. At least explains part of the mystery.

Bon Bon returned her attention to her papers. The color matched. But the shapes were inexplicable. Maybe she would gain some insight if she tried to draw on top of them.

She took the half circle and put the crayon on one end of it, and then she tried completing the circle. It turned out a bit wavy and maybe not entirely circular, but at least it connected the two ends together. This was fun, but it didn’t help. So she tried to examine the scribble too, and attempted to trace a shape around the structure, but wielding a crayon as precisely as that turned out to be pretty difficult, and when she thought she was finished, it turned out she had just added more lines to the jumble.

Alright, she still had her ace card. With her analytical skills, Bon Bon could try retracing the shape to find out what the pony who had drawn them had been thinking. So she took the half circle again and turned the paper around to its blank side. Then she placed her crayon down and concentrated on completing a circle. Start off and curve, curve, curve, and keep curving until the two lines meet again. Wow! That was a nice circle! It was a bit elongated though, almost like a little animal. All it needed were four legs. One, two, three, four. There. But animals weren’t so round. Just make a bunch more lines in all directions, and there.

Now it was the sun. Bon Bon giggled. She liked the sun. It was so warm. But where there was sun, there also had to be a land for it to shine upon. So Bon Bon drew a big dome. There, it was a hill, nice and fresh. But the hill also needed a bunch of flowers. And flowers also meant there had to be trees, and trees meant there had to be a house, with smoke coming out of the chimney. But the house couldn’t be alone, it needed a village to keep it company. Oops, seems like a bunch of houses and trees ended up on top of each other. But it was fine, because Bon Bon knew they were there. So the village turned into a sprawling town, and there was a fountain, and clouds, and a wagon.

An intense suckling and munching sounded right beside Bon Bon. It signified that somepony had begun working her pacifier in notice of her creation. Lyra was regarding the piece curiously.

“Wow,” Lyra said, “what’s that?”

“It’s a drawing of Ponyville,” Bon Bon said, “There’s the forest, and that’s the bakery, and we have the fountain and the river and, uh, under the river is town hall. It wasn’t easy drawing all of this. Took quite a bit of time.”

“Whoa,” Lyra said with her eyes wide.

She couldn’t see anything other than black scribbles. But Bon Bon was the art critic here, and if she said it was good, it must have been really good. “You’re an artist, Bon Bon.”

“It’s still a work in progress,” Bon Bon said, her stomach fluttering at the compliment, “I’ll do my best to finish it.”

“Bon Bon?” Lyra said meekly, “Can I also do stuff?”

“Sure you can,” Bon Bon said. She gave Lyra an encouraging kiss on the cheek. “Look, over there. There’s still a whole bunch of toys you haven’t played with yet. Go over and pick your favourite.”

Following her directions without hesitation, Lyra immediately got up and toddled off towards her toys, her stylish purple sleeper crinkling with every step.

Bon Bon had been right. There was a huge variety of toys for Lyra to choose from. She discovered a whole cache of plastic cookie cutters close to the one she had found earlier, round ones, cornered ones, and ones in all different colors. There weren’t any left though once Lyra had thrown them all, so she had to move on.

One pile of junk turned out to be some sticks tied together with string, and Lyra was about to shake the clattering contraption when something shiny caught her eye.

It was the metal spinning top, made of gleaming tin, with a few spots of color on it where pieces of the former coating had remained. It was so perfectly round. She had to spin it.

But just beside it was something even more incredible. A transparent plastic ball, with a rubber ball inside of it. Just looking at it made Lyra’s head spin with all the possibilities the device could roll around if she gave it a knock.

She reached out to grab it, but hesitated and pulled back her hoof. She couldn’t just play with the ball, she already had promised the spinning top to spin it first. Lyra stuck her hoof out towards the top, but faltered again. Now she had given the ball some consideration, and she couldn’t just leave it out like that. But if she played with the ball now, the top would surely remain neglected. And there were the strung together sticks as well. What about them? It was a dilemma. Lyra didn’t know what to do, and she had to call for a higher power to solve it.

“Um … Bon Bon?” Lyra said.

Bon Bon looked up from her drawing to find Lyra shifting around nervously.

“What’s the matter?” Bon Bon said.

“Um, will the spinny top be sad if I play with the ball first?” Lyra said.

“No, Lyra, no toy will be sad,” Bon Bon giggled, “all the toys will be happy if you play with any of them. They want you to play with them.” Lyra visibly relaxed as she took in the explanation. “Go ahead, go play with the toys. They’re waiting for you.”

Lyra turned around, but she didn’t move. Then she turned back to Bon Bon, even more nervous than before.

“But Bon Bon!” she said, “There’s so many of them and I don’t know what to do. I can’t decide.”

“It’s alright, Lyra, you don’t have to decide,” Bon Bon said as calming in a voice as she could, “do you want a hug?”

“Yes, please,” Lyra said.

Bon Bon crawled up to her and embraced her, and Lyra gladly hugged her back. Lyra veritably relaxed in Bon Bon’s hooves. Wow, that little problem of her must have really weighed on her mind.

“Look, I have an idea,” Bon Bon said, “how about we play something together?” She wasn’t getting anywhere with her drawing anyway. That was mostly because she couldn’t make out where she had left off.

That made Lyra’s gleaming golden eyes sparkle again. “That’s great,” she said, “I love playing together. Uh, what do we play together?”

“Hmm, let’s see,” Bon Bon scratched her chin, “We need something that’s fun and that both of us can play.”

And then it hit her. It was the perfect opportunity for the game she loved. “I know, I know the best game ever. We’ll play our favourite game.”

“Yay!” Lyra cheered, “And what’s our favourite game?”

“We’ll play pretend,” Bon Bon said excitedly, “We’ll play house. Playing house is super fun and all the fillies love it. We’ll play house, and we’ll be a big family, and we’ll have a big house all of our own with a whole lot of stuff in it. And then we’ll do a bunch of big family house stuff.”

“A house with stuff?” Lyra said, “All for ourselves? Really?”

“That’s right,” Bon Bon said, “That’s why the game is so cool. But first, our roles. We are a big family. That means, uh … oh. I guess neither of us can be the baby.”

“Why not?” Lyra said.

“Because then it wouldn’t be pretend,” Bon Bon explained, “We have to pick something different. We’re a big family, so I’ll be the mommy.”

“And I’ll be the daddy!” Lyra shot back happily.

“Alright,” Bon Bon said, “and when there’s a mommy and a daddy, there’s also a foal. But who’s the foal?”

“She is!” Lyra said and presented her doll, “Look, she’s even already wearing a diaper. She’s perfect!”

“Great,” Bon Bon said, “now we’re a nice big family, the three of us. And now we need a house. Come on, let’s build it. I’ll start with the kitchen.”

She took some of the white game tokens and laid them out in an approximate line. Lyra was so engrossed with Bon Bon’s activity, and she could immediately recognize what she was creating. It was a wall!

“Oh, I know!” Lyra said, “I’ll make the bedroom.”

She also took some of the pieces and tried to make it the same as Bon Bon did. Her wall didn’t turn out quite as linear, but Lyra was having a blast.

The house ended up with many more walls, and none of them were interconnected, and the house didn’t have any walls on one side at all. But the two big fillies just couldn’t go on as they ended up giggling too much.

Lyra tried so hard to make a wall, but she just clapped and laughed whenever she managed to put two pieces on the floor. Who knew that masonry could be so much fun? Bon Bon just couldn’t hold back the giggles at the sight of her adorable filly, and when Bon Bon laughed, then Lyra laughed too.

They beheld their house with pride. With approximately two rooms, it was already marvellous.

“Okay, so what do we do first?” Lyra said.

“After all this hard work building a house, we gotta eat,” Bon Bon said, “I know we have a kitchen, uh, somewhere.”

She dug around in the pile, and Lyra joined to help her, as they unearthed their miniature kitchen furniture. Well, it was more like two small plastic bowls, a plastic fork, and a tiny figure that looked somewhat like a kitchen stove. But that was more than plenty.

They set up the kitchen and were good to go.

“Alright, honey,” Bon Bon said with her high-pitched pretend voice, “You must be all hungry from building this house with the boys. You are such hard working stallions. Here, I’ll just cook you up some soup.”

Lyra caught on to Bon Bon’s strange flailing around. It was the game, and she had to play her part.

“Oh, uh, alright,” she said, trying to make her voice sound deep like that of a stallion. What did stallions do again? “And I’ll, um, I’ll sit here and watch.”

It was fascinating how Bon Bon expertly put the bowl on the stove, and then she put all the ingredients into the soup and she stirred it with the fork. When the soup was finished, she served the two bowls, one for herself and one for Lyra.

“Oh, but you don’t have a spoon,” Bon Bon noted.

“Not a problem,” Lyra said, and brandished the foam hammer. That was good enough for Bon Bon, and they could begin eating.

“Mmm, this tastes good,” Lyra said, “uh, darling.”

“I cooked it just for you, my big, uh,” Bon Bon said, “hunk.” Close enough.

“Oh, but it was just the first dish. We still need a main course.”

“Oh, yes, I’ll cook it,” Lyra said.

She reached through the wall of the house and took some sticks from the forest, and then she dumped them between herself and Bon Bon, burying the bowls in the process. “It’s a salad!”

Bon Bon took a stick and pretended to munch on it. “Mmm, this salad is splendid,” Bon Bon said, “Wow! You’re a stallion that is so handsome and can also cook! It’s like in a dream!”

She liked it! Lyra had cooked and Bon Bon complimented her. This was an amazing game!

“And now, let’s clean up the house, honey,” Bon Bon said, “because we always keep our house clean. You do the the kitchen and I’ll take the bedroom.”

Cleaning up mostly meant that Bon Bon took the pieces of the walls that had already been scattered about and put them back into place. Meanwhile, Lyra picked up the bowls and the salads and the stove and dumped them outside. There, kitchen was clean.

Bon Bon faked a yawn. “Oh, and now we should think about going to bed, because it’s already night,” she said.

“No, we can’t go to bed, dear” Lyra said.

“Oh, why not, darling,” Bon Bon said.

“Because it is not night, but it is early in the morning, and I have to go to work, like all big strong daddies do,” Lyra said.

Right. It was probably too difficult to pretend it was night when the sun was shining right onto them through the window.

“Okay, then it’s time that I wish you a good day at your work,” Bon Bon said, “er, where do you work again?”

“I work at the coal mine,” Lyra said, “That is a very manly workplace, and I am a very strong stallion and we are all very strong stallions, me and the boys. And we get coal from the mine with our big muscles.”

This was an awesome game. Lyra waddled over to the coal mine, which, as it turned out, was her sticks on a string. She swung her tool at the ground, and all the coal just came out, ready to be extracted. She could feel her yield of coal increase more and more. She was such a good coal miner. Everypony was jealous of her because she was such a big muscular stallion and she worked so hard.

And meanwhile, Bon Bon moved her hooves up and down. She was doing the laundry, rubbing the dirty clothes and textiles against her invisible washboard, until they were clean.

Lyra came to help her. No, she wasn’t home from the coal mine yet, but a good husband always helped his wife with the laundry. And so, they both sat there and and cleaned their dirty clothes and textiles against two washboards.

Then they had to hang up the clothes to dry on the clothesline. She didn’t know why most ponies shunned the chore. Walking around on your hind legs is really fun! Lyra only stumbled once, but she barely even felt it when she fell on her butt, so she could immediately get up and continue with the game.

Then she got back to the coal mine right when it was time to go home. So she turned around and raced back to the house.

“Honey, I’m home,” Lyra exclaimed as she walked through the wall.

“Oh hello, darling, how was your day at work?” Bon Bon said.

“Very manly,” Lyra said proudly.

Bon Bon couldn’t suppress a snicker. It was so nice that Lyra enjoyed this game almost more than her.

“Oh, dear, we’ve been missing you so much, your entire family,” Bon Bon said, “come, look at the foal in the crib. Isn’t she so sweet?”

“Oh, yes, she’s the apple of my pear,” Lyra said.

The wooden doll was lying in the corner, which had been designated the crib. It hadn’t been touched since it had been deposited there, its tiny makeshift diaper barely holding on as the knots had come unravelled.

“Oh, but look,” Bon Bon said, “the baby had to go potty.”

“Baby go potty?” Lyra said. She reached out to pick up the doll, but Bon Bon gently pushed it back on the floor.

“No, babies don’t get up when they have to go potty,” Bon Bon said.

“They don’t?” Lyra said.

“No, silly,” Bon Bon explained, “They don’t because they’re too little. Babies don’t know what to do when they have to go potty, so they’re just supposed to go whenever they have to, no matter where they are. See? That’s why they wear diapers, so the potty lands in it when the baby goes.”

Oh! Everything always makes perfect sense when Bon Bon explains it.

“And now we have to change the baby,” Bon Bon said, “First we take off the dirty diaper. Here, you have to take it out.”

Lyra took the kerchief that had been pulled away from the doll’s bottom and held it in her hooves.

“And now comes some baby powder,” Bon Bon said, shaking her hoof over the naked doll and making brushing sounds with her mouth, “and now she gets a nice fresh diaper. Fresh diaper please!”

Lyra gave the piece of cloth back to Bon Bon, and Bon Bon fastened it around the doll’s backside like she had done previously.

“And, done,” Bon Bon said, “aww, look at our little baby. Look at how happy she is! Isn’t it cute?”

She was really happy. She had been cleaned up and put into a new diaper, and now the fun could begin anew. Wow! It’s really very cool to be a baby.

“She’s our little baby, and we’re such proud parents, aren’t we?” Bon Bon said, “Now it’s time for her to go to bed. But we have to give her a bottle to drink from, so she can go to sleep at peace. Do we have a bottle?”

“A bottle! Sure!” Lyra said and grabbed the foam hammer.

“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “you can’t feed a baby with a hammer.”

“But it’s not a hammer,” Lyra said, “look.”

She turned it around and presented the handle. The handle was thin enough to connect neatly with the doll’s mouth.

“Fair enough,” Bon Bon said, “our baby’s happy now. Thanks, dear, for your help, we’re the greatest family ever.”

“Do we also sleep now?” Lyra inquired.

“No,” Bon Bon said, “we don’t sleep, because we’re grownups. It’s sleep time for babies now. Grownups have to stay up and do work. I’ll stay here and feed the baby her bottle, and meanwhile, you can go out into the garden, uh, forest, and pull out the weeds. But! Be careful not to knock over any trees while you’re out there. Only remove the weeds, but leave the trees standing.”

That Bon Bon would entrust her with such an important and complex task. She must really have a lot of faith in her. Lyra would give it her best to fulfill her task to Bon Bon’s satisfaction, like it is proper for any good big strong family daddy to do.

Lyra phased through the other wall and found herself in the garden. All the little white stones had to remain where they were. Lyra could only pick up the colorful sticks in between and put them to the side.

It turned out not to be too easy an exercise. The trees were so numerous that she had no room to sit down, like she usually would have done. Instead, she had to bend down low to the ground and pick up the sticks carefully with a hoof. Only when she stood back up and ensured that all the trees were still standing could she toss them aside.

She stepped to the next weed and repeated the process. Carefully go down first, grab it, and then come back up. It was almost like a little dance! Up and down and up and down and up and down. The weeds grew less and less, and Lyra could feel her heart beating in the rhythm. Up and down and up and down. She loved dancing. This was pretty fun, and at this rate, she would have cleaned up the garden in no time.

A short while later, Lyra’s mirth had to temporarily move into the background as an entirely different matter required her consideration. Bon Bon was still sitting beside her, playing merrily, in the same fashion as they had done the entire time here in the bedroom, contributing to the distribution of their foal toys across the carpet, from the bed to the door. But the entire time, Lyra had already distantly sensed that certain kind of fullness inside of her. She hadn’t had any time to pay any attention, but the sensation became rather immediate pretty quickly as the muscles in her tummy reflexively tightened.

Lyra had to go potty, and big potty this time. And she felt so thoroughly unwound and relaxed, that she didn’t really want to do anything about it. The familiar urge grew in intensity quickly as she just let her body do what it wanted to do instinctively.

Why shouldn’t she? If she wanted to control herself going potty, it would mean that she had to remember how to do that and then actually do it, and so on. And Lyra just felt way too mellow for that. She just wanted to feel light and empty again and continue playing.

The hairs on Lyra’s neck stood on end as the anticipation of the impending relief washed over her. There was the urge of having to go, and it had built up inside her very imminently. Luckily, she didn’t have to care. She was just a foal. That’s what she was meant to do. That’s why her entire hindquarters had been lavishly wrapped up in soft, comfy diaper fluff. Her diaper was there for her, and she was expected to use it. And so, Lyra let her instincts take over.

She crouched down, her pyjamas tightening around her butt with the movement, and then she just relaxed. She preferred to let her body do all the hard work, and focus on the rubbery comfort of her pacifier instead. Her tail lifted up and there was a pleasant shiver.

“No, wait!” Bon Bon said.

Lyra held it back discomfortingly.

“What’s the matter?” she said.

“You can’t go potty in your pants,” Bon Bon said.

“I can’t? Why not?” Lyra said.

“Because you’re a grownup, silly,” Bon Bon giggled, “grownups can’t go potty in their pants.”

“And where else am I supposed to go?” Lyra said.

“You’re supposed to go in the toilet,” Bon Bon said.

Lyra reared back in shock, and the shock was very genuine.

Bon Bon immediately came over to her to placate her. She held a hoof to her muzzle and whispered loudly, “You don’t really have to go in the toilet. You only have to pretend. It’s for the game, remember? I enjoyed playing with you so much, Lyra. Do it for me, please? Pretty please?”

Bon Bon’s begging puppy dog eyes. As always, they were too much for Lyra to resist. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Unbelievable.

“The things I do for you,” Lyra said, “Alright, I’ll play along. I’ll go to the toilet. But remember! It’s only pretend. Nopony uses the toilet for real. That’s the deal. Okay?”

“Thank you! Thank you!” Bon Bon cheered, “I won’t forget it. I love this game, and it means so much to me that you play it with me. And don’t worry, I know it’s just pretend. But it’s going to be so much fun! Okay, okay. So. Alright, we’re going to the toilet now, because we’re big ponies and, uh, that’s what big ponies do.”

Lyra and Bon Bon regarded each other.

“And what now?” Lyra said.

“Um, I think … “ Bon Bon said, “Do we have to take something? No, I believe we’re good to go. Now we walk over.”

Bon Bon led they way as they walked out the door and across the hallway toward the bathroom.

It was pretty obvious how thick the padding was, that crinkled all over Bon Bon’s butt. See, that was more than thick enough to handle anything that they could come up with. Lyra couldn’t understand why they even bothered with all this toilet stuff. It obviously wasn’t necessary. But who was she to complain, Bon Bon really enjoyed their little game a lot, and Lyra was a sucker for seeing Bon Bon happy.

It was still pretty weird, though, especially since Lyra had grown so used to her own diaper. She had went in it already once, earlier today, and the diaper had eventually managed to wick all the pee out of her fur again and soak it up, as it had swollen up to its own thickness severalfold. The feeling was familiar, but still strangely funny, as Lyra moved and walked around, and the soggy diaper fluff was squished and kneaded against herself between her legs, tantalizing her for more. It was already used anyway. It didn’t really make any difference if she used it again.

“It’s so weird,” Lyra said, her hind hooves soft on the tiles because of the sleeper’s soles, “it feels so weird when you have to go, but you’re not letting yourself go. Seriously? Do grownups really do this?”

“I think so,” Bon Bon said, “maybe we’ll understand why they do it when we go through the motions.”

“Alright,” Lyra said, “so, what now?”

“Now, we, uh,” Bon Bon said, “we have to, um, approach it.”

The toilet stood impassively against the wall, opposite to the bathtub. It didn’t move. They had to move to it. It was so cold and emotionless, its smooth curves of a wholly unnatural perfection, the white color gleaming with a cruel purity in the light that came in from the living, breathing world outside the door. There was a round seat with a hole in it, on top of the dispassionate ceramic appliance, and the pipes that led to and from it were hideous tools of barbaric efficiency and callous matter-of-factness. The entire thing was pretty grotesque.

Bon Bon arrived at the device, but she spotted something that immediately made her raise her brows.

“Lyra …” she began slowly.

“What?” Lyra said, “What did I do?”

But Bon Bon only raised her hoof and placed it on the toilet seat. Then she dragged it across half the circumference. And when she lifted her hoof again, sure as sugar, there was a big fat mote of dust hanging at its tip.

“In this entire week, while I was working at the shop all day,” Bon Bon said, “did you use this toilet even once?”

Oh, curse it! Forgot to dust it off.

“Um … I, uh … well, see, ahm,” Lyra stuttered, but she failed to come up with an explanation, because there was none. “Well, yeah, well, don’t blame me! You know how much I hate this thing. I don’t like it, and it sucks. It’s so super uncomfortable, and I, um, I don’t like things that aren’t comfortable.”

Bon Bon was trying her best not to snicker, but Lyra’s cuteness was just too much. Seeing her wiggle in the trap for an excuse was a huge guilty pleasure of Bon Bon’s. But she never overdid it, it was time to set her free again.

“Don’t worry, Lyra, you won’t have to,” Bon Bon said, “here’s the deal. You just have to show me that you, theoretically, would know how to use it if you had to. And if you can, then you won’t ever have to use the toilet, ever again.”

Lyra gasped. Now that was a deal she could get behind.

“I’ll never have to use the toilet at all?” she said.

“Nope,” Bon Bon affirmed, “No more toilet. It’s nothing but super thick and super comfortable diapers on your pampered butt, Lyra.”

What was that crinkling sound? Oh, it was her tail wagging like crazy. But Lyra couldn’t be bothered bringing that under control right now. It was time to hold up her end of the bargain.

“Alright,” Lyra began, but the sight of the toiled made her just a tad nervous after all. “Um, so, what do I have to do now again.”

“Well, when you’re a big pony,” Bon Bon explained, “and you have to go to the toilet, then, first of all, you go to the toilet. Okay, we did that. Now, you have to take off your clothes, because you can’t go to the toilet in big pony clothes.”

Lyra looked onto her sleeper. It covered her entire body, and all of her limbs, completely. It had cool racing stripes, but that was pretty much all Lyra could tell about it.

“I don’t know how to take this off,” she said.

“You don’t have to really take it off,” Bon Bon said, “just pretend. Let’s say, you’re wearing a jacket and pants. Act as if you were taking them off.”

“Okay,” Lyra said, “Um, I am now taking off my clothes because I’m going to the toilet.”

She raised her forehooves and brushed them down her shoulders, as if she was taking off a jacket. Then she reared up and made the motions of pulling a pair of pants down her legs and tossing them off to the side. She crinkled back down onto all fours when she was done.

“Okay, I have taken off all of my clothes. Now I am ready to go to the toilet. Uh, I think.”

“Is the toilet seat clean?” Bon Bon said.

“A little dusty,” Lyra said.

“Is the bidet working?” Bon Bon said.

The small plastic element that caught the water upwards was there, under the edge. “Uh, I suppose it’s working,” Lyra said.

“Is there enough toilet paper?” Bon Bon said.

A thin roll of the strange paper lie on the floor to the side. “I guess so?” Lyra said.

“Is the water turned on?” Bon Bon said.

“How should I know?” Lyra said, “Look, can we skip all this? I really have to go.”

“I think that’s it anyway,” Bon Bon said, “okay, uh, we have checked all the requirements for going on the toilet, and now we are ready to use it like the, uh, the big ponies we are. Lyra, you can now sit on it.”

Lyra stepped up to the toilet seat. It was a pretty big hole, and it led down into the darkness. She grabbed the seat to either side, but she didn’t quite see how she was supposed to climb on it.

“Other way round,” Bon Bon said, “you have to put your butt on it.”

Lyra turned around and bumped her butt against the edge of the toilet seat. She reared up and grabbed the seat on either side of her again, and then she understood that she could just slide herself on top of it backwards.

“Bon Bon, I’m scared,” Lyra said.

“Don’t be scared,” Bon Bon said, “I’m here for you. Nothing can happen.”

That did actually help a lot to reassure Lyra. She gathered all the courage she could muster, and before she could think it better, she pushed herself off the floor and slid onto the toilet seat. After a brief moment of shock, it became clear that, against her expectations and against all odds, she hadn’t fallen in.

In fact, she could even move around on the seat a little bit without falling in either. Lyra scooted her butt backwards just a tiny bit until she was centered on the seat and could balance herself on the sides with her hind legs. But she still didn’t trust what she couldn’t see behind her, so she leaned forward and grabbed onto the front of the seat with her hooves, between her legs.

It turned out she didn’t actually have to hold her tail so convulsively high either. She could lower it to a comfortable height and it wouldn’t hang into the bowl. Wow! She had done it. She was sitting on the toilet, and it wasn’t too bad, at least the sitting arrangement. The coldness of the seat didn’t bother her because her pyjamas were so thick, and sitting on a hole might actually turn out advantageous because you didn’t have your own weight pressing on your behind, like when you’re sitting on the floor.

“I did it!” Lyra exclaimed, “I’m on the toilet. I climbed up there and now I’m sitting on it, just like a big pony.”

“You did great, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, “that’s so awesome! I’m so proud of you!”

“Um … was that it?” Lyra said, “Can I go now?”

“Hmm, let’s see,” Bon Bon said, “yeah, I think we covered everything so far, so we should be fine. Yeah, you can, Lyra. Go ahead and make your potty.”

Finally! Lyra had been holding it in all the while, and she was getting pretty tired of it. It had been an interesting experience, she had seen this whole ordeal of holding back her potty as an exercise in doing something unnatural and observing the results. It turns out, however, that it’s not really a pleasant feeling, and, in fact, it doesn’t seem to carry any advantages at all. So Lyra was glad that she was finally able to end it and let things run their course, as they are supposed to.

There wasn’t much preparation to be done. The posture she was sitting in was actually very pleasant as it kept her stomach in its most relaxed state, with her back arched and her hindquarters hanging down into the hole just a tad. It took a little bit of shifting around until she had managed to wiggle her butt into the caressing fluff of her diaper in just the correct, and therefore most comfortable, fashion, but when she arrived at her perfect bodily tranquility, it felt almost like before again.

All this toilet ritual had served one purpose at least, because Lyra was now very much more aware of what was actually going on. Because of how much she had dealt with the topic up to this point, she was now immediately mindful of every part inside and outside of her body that played a role in attaining her natural relief.

Her body kept encouraging her with the trembling pleasure of anticipation causing that funny tingling sensation between her ears and at the back of her head, to just relax and let it happen, as her stomach eagerly took up an instinctive pressure and worked hard to relieve itself. It was her comfy sleeper that pleasantly numbed her from the impressions of the outside world and gave her the leisure to concentrate solely on her own raw needs. And it was the the thick bulking mass of her diaper making itself known between her legs and substantially covering her entire backside from the middle of her cutie mark on either side to way above her tail, that gave Lyra the total and complete reassurance to let nature take over without hesitation, because everything was completely taken care of for her and there would be no consequence for her whatsoever.

And so, in a state of unrestricted serenity, Lyra let the anticipation culminate and turn into an intense wave of primal relief, that washed over her, and sent her entire body shivering, as the urge within her built up to its climax and she let herself relieve herself without restraint. It filled her with a very intimate satisfaction to allow her body to do its instinctive movements to empty itself, and it was her own infantile intuition that conducted her actions from this point forward, as she gave herself up to her own senses and let herself issue the most relaxed pressure in accord to the needs of her body. There was nothing else except comforting relief as she lightly pushed it out.

The sleeper’s fuzzy material was dragged across her tingling skin by a miniscule amount as Lyra’s diaper bulged out briefly under its new volume, but Lyra’s snug clothing had soon reached the limit of its strain and began pushing back, squishing the warm mass back onto her skin. Her body intensified its effort to overcome the external efforts, and Lyra relished the sensation of completely and utterly emptying herself, as the space between her buttocks was comfortably and neatly filled out with the intimately warm volume, and her diaper compactly adjusted itself to a smooth roundness. Lyra waited patiently until she felt herself finish up and her body signalled a successful fulfillment of its natural functions. She was taken by a stark impression of newfound inner order and peace. She allowed herself a big sigh to emphasize the primordial relaxation that carried her aloft, like on a cloud made of infinitely cozy comfort.

Meanwhile, Bon Bon was grinning from ear to ear. Lyra was simply too cute for words to describe. The image of her little Lyra, adorably regressed back to her little foal self, nervously sitting on the big pony toilet and holding herself steady against the edge, but unwilling to let go because she wanted to prove how she could also do like the big ponies did. And she had pulled through, keeping herself perched on the toilet seat, a reason to rejoice in her very sweet little filly fashion. But it was quite obvious that that was the extent of her self-reliance. Because of how thick the bulge between her wiggly legs was, and because of how each and every of her joyous movements was accompanied by that unquestionably baby-like crinkle, it was most apparent that that toilet wasn’t going to be actually used anytime soon.

And then came the warm, homely familiarity of the adorable baby motions. How Lyra’s face briefly contorted in her instinctual concentration, and how it promptly turned into the soft happy lines of overwhelming relief as she cutely curled her little hooves under the excess pleasure, absent-mindedly suckling on her purple transparent glitter pacifier and sitting there in her violet hoofie sleeper with the cool race stripes, a muffled crinkle issuing as her thick baby diapers grew full and heavy. Lyra happily finished making her potty right where she was, filling up her diaper in the process, exactly how she was supposed to.

And then there was the sigh of relief, and the bubbly giggles immediately returning to Lyra as she was ready to go play and have fun once more. It all was almost too much for Bon Bon. Her cheeks were burning from such joy, that she should be able to partake in this divine display of unmitigated raw emotion. And despite the profundity of the moment, the only thing that was left to do was to continue the loving filly play the way it had been, because Bon Bon knew that it was that which made Lyra truly happy, and that was the only thing that Bon Bon ever wanted.

“So? Are you finished with you potty, Lyra?” Bon Bon said.

“Yup, all done,” Lyra reported happily, “it felt really good.”

“That’s good to hear, because I have a surprise for you,” Bon Bon said, “you passed the test! You proved that you can do like a big pony, and that means you’ve earned your reward. You can have diapers all the time and always! No more toilet ever again!”

Lyra’s eyes went wide. “That’s so cool,” she cheered, energetically suckling on her pacifier, “That’s awesome! I love my diapers. They feel so good! Thanks, Bon Bon!”

Bon Bon snickered. Not only because of Lyra’s perfect happiness, but also because of her next stunt. She couldn’t resist, it just fit too well not to do it.

She had moved back to the bathroom door. “Come here, Lyra,” she called, “I believe we’re done here. Let’s leave the bathroom and go back to playing.”

Lyra eagerly slipped off the toilet seat and landed on all fours. She looked into the toilet. But of course there was nothing there, it was all hanging heavily in her pyjama bottoms.

So she turned and took a step towards Bon Bon, but she hesitated, and suckled on her pacifier in confusion. It felt funny on her butt when she walked. But then she remembered that she was only a foal and she was supposed to ignore it. Bon Bon had called, that was more important. Therefore, Lyra proceeded to happily toddle over to Bon Bon as her diaper mushed its contents all over her backside along with the movement.

When she arrived, she received a kiss on the cheek.

“That’s for being so cute,” Bon Bon commented. Lyra was just too perfect, standing there with her hind legs in a broad stance, the unmistakable characteristic of a little filly with her pants full.

“Is that all you have to do, when going to the toilet?” Lyra said.

“Well, normally there’s still a bunch of stuff left to do,” Bon Bon said, “Like, there’s still an entire part about cleaning yourself up, and then you have to put your clothes back on and you have to clean the toilet too, and so on. But I think we can skip all of that, because it’s honestly pretty boring. I think you got the gist of it. Although it doesn’t matter much, since it won’t be too relevant for you anyway.”

“That sounds awfully complicated,” Lyra said, “I don’t really see the point of going to the toilet. It’s not very fun. And I don’t like it. I like my diapers much more, and they’re more comfy too. Do grownups really do all of this every single time?”

“Pretty much,” Bon Bon said, “grownups do all this and sometimes even more things that I can’t explain either.”

“Wow,” Lyra said, “grownups are weird.”

“Yeah, they kinda are,” Bon Bon said, “come on, we had better go back and play.”

Bon Bon turned around and walked back into the bedroom. Lyra waddled after her, happily munching on her pacifier.

There were many things still left to do, and Lyra had soon found more than enough to busy herself with. She tried her best to keep Bon Bon company, but her attention span lost the valiant battle that lasted for several heroic seconds, as she got distracted by the bright and colorful and interesting things all around her. She waddled off on her own, marveling at the intriguing sights demanding her attention.

The carpet was pretty dirty, the faded remains of large stains and spots of times long forgotten dotting the otherwise fairly dull grey surface, creating an intriguing landscape of intricate patterns that was like a map to a mysterious realm of exciting adventures. Lyra had soon learned to navigate the terrain expertly, staying alert to the weird shapes of discolorations and skipping from one clean part to the next, all without stumbling even too much.

The bedroom was a glorious mess, the chaos of toys and keepsakes stretching from one corner of the room to the other by now. There were enough treasures for countless days of careful investigation and experimental evaluation, an endless trove of goodies just waiting to be discovered and played with. And Lyra was the best discoverer and player in all the lands.

Bon Bon just let Lyra go and have her fun. She didn’t have the heart to interrupt Lyra when she obviously enjoyed herself so much. The adorable little filly squeals and giggles that kept issuing from her general direction were more than enough reassurance that everything was fine and she was having a blast.

Besides, there were still a whole load of things left for Bon Bon to do on her own. Take this right here as an example. The building blocks she had placed in the correct order earlier had been left more or less untouched, but the collection hadn’t yet been integrated with the loads of colorful sticks that were scattered about. They had to be gathered up and brought into a total order, or else nopony would be able to find a specific one if she needed it. Yup, there was plenty left to do.

But despite how much she tried, Bon Bon just couldn’t help it. She tried to focus on the sticks in her hooves, but it was so difficult to concentrate. She kept catching herself stealing brief glances over to Lyra when she was certain that she wasn’t being watched, her cheeks all warm and tingly.

It was so amazing. Lyra didn’t seem to notice how much she was like a little baby as she crawled around on the floor happily and clumsily handled the toys with her pacifier bobbing in her mouth. She didn’t even care at all how her pyjamas were strained below her tail as her used diaper bulged and sagged between her widely spread legs. Being happy and having fun was all she cared about, and she held no interest for anything else.

Back to the task before her. First comes the blue building block with the blue color, and there are also sticks that are blue, so they have to go next to the block. Then there’s a teal stick that fits between the blue stick and the green block. But then, why was there that excited tremble building up in her hooves?

She had been feeling this strange sensation all day already, but it had always politely remained in the back of her mind. Then it had begun vying for Bon Bon’s attention and made her stomach feel all fluttery, especially when she had fed Lyra her breakfast, and the food had dribbled down her chin while she had giggled. Or when they had taken a cuddle nap, and Bon Bon had breathed deep the fresh smell of Lyra’s mane. Or when Bon Bon had watched over Lyra as she did her business, and then she sighed relaxedly when she was finished. Or when she thought about how it would soon be time for Lyra to be lied down on the towering changing table in the corner, and get a brief moment of respite while she was properly groomed, and a fresh diaper from the stack, gleaming in pure white in the sunlight, was snugly wrapped around her filly hindquarters, and she could go back to playing in an instant.

Enough! All those things are completely normal when taking care of a foal! There was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing should be any form of surprise at all! Bon Bon should really stop making such a big deal out of everything.

Back to work now. The orange block was placed, but there turned out to be a stick colored in light orange and one in dark orange, and then there was also one in a light wooden type of color. It wasn’t easy to bring these colors into order since they weren’t really related, but Bon Bon soon established that the wooden color was brighter than the shades of orange, and with that knowledge she could arrange the pieces properly. Next up was the nice and bright yellow, which then turned out to be contesting with different shades of yellow and even white. How would it feel to be such a little baby? What would it be like if her puffy dry diaper was instead saggy and heavy with her own pee? What did it feel like to crawl on the floor instead of walking?

Bon Bon glanced over to Lyra, and immediately tensed up when the realization hit her that Lyra had her back turned. Nopony was looking. She would try it out. She knew she shouldn’t, but the the thrilling curiosity was simply too strong.

With her heart beating and her stomach turning in anticipation, Bon Bon got up and made herself ready to walk into the room. But then she lowered herself to the carpet, and spread her hind legs far apart, like she had seen Lyra do, until they were stretched out and aligned with the floor, her weight now resting on her knees. She moved by advancing with her hooves and then pulling one hind leg in while stabilizing herself against the other and repeating the process on the other side, crawling forward like a little baby.

It was intense. That was all Bon Bon was able to say, because she was otherwise completely occupied. She had to keep up the considerable effort to move her limbs in the steady rhythm, or else she would stop moving. Crawling was more strenuous than walking, but it was much more reassuring too, because her stance was very stable and she was so low to the ground. She would need any reassurance she could get too, because the impressions on all of her senses were almost overbearing.

The movement took the coordinated effort of Bon Bon’s entire body. She felt electrified as the fuzzy soft material of her sleeper shifted and shuffled all over, making her skin tingle with its comfy caress. Her forehooves sifted through the tickly threads of the carpet, as she had to constantly make sure that her path was free of obstacles, because avoiding them seemed too difficult. And it was already difficult enough, trying her best to stay focussed as her soft diaper had been pulled up tight between her legs and was fluffed back and forth across her sensitive butt with the movement.

It wasn’t difficult to see why Lyra had chosen to prefer this mode of motion. Crawling wasn’t just a way to get from one point to another, but it was very enjoyable too, because it was so easy and stress free. And it felt a little bit naughty but also nice to behave like a little foal.

Bon Bon noticed that her breath had quickened somewhat while she had relished the thrilling experience. It made her feel all nice and warm all over, and there was that little buzz in the back of her head that kept enticing her with the promise of even more. She just had to crawl around faster. It was so much fun, so why not? She crawled forward and moved around, and it began feeling even better. And what if she crawled even further …

Bon Bon almost jumped in the air when she crawled face first into a mint and white tail. Instead, she immediately froze and assessed the situation.

It seemed she was in luck, because Lyra was still looking in the other direction and hadn’t seen Bon Bon’s embarrassing little act. In fact, Lyra hadn’t noticed at all. Past the tail, Bon Bon could see how Lyra was apparently enthralled by something, her upper body on the ground and her hindquarters held high in the air. She probably wouldn’t have cared much either if Bon Bon had ran into her, just like she didn’t care how ridiculous she looked.

Her butt was pretty big, as it bulged under her race stripe pyjamas with the gentle roundness typical of a diapered foal. And the way the diaper sagged down and bulged outward in particular, it was exceedingly obvious that the diaper was very well used, too.

Bon Bon hadn’t stopped breathing hard, and her cheeks were now more flush than ever before. With a terrifying excitement she realized that she was powerless to resist what she was about to do.

The very tip of her hoof carefully closed in right in the middle of Lyra’s butt, and when it met with the surface, she gave a little push. Lyra’s plastic underwear crinkled softly, and the little dent sagged out smoothly again when Bon Bon pulled her hoof back. It was utterly mesmerizing. Lyra hadn’t even felt it. She hadn’t felt her own butt being prodded. But of course she hadn’t, her diaper had been way too thick to begin with, and with the added thickness now that it was full, there was no chance for Lyra to feel anything from the outside world down there.

Suddenly, the tranquility exploded into crinkles and noise as Lyra jumped up from her position and chased after something small that was trying to get away from her.

It was a little transparent ball, with another small ball inside it. The smaller ball was way heavier than the outer one, and when the outer ball rolled in one direction, the inner ball was flung around and knocked the outer one’s course into a different direction. Lyra’s entire being was solely focussed on catching the wobbly contraption, but it moved so erratically, it was simply impossible for her to get her hooves on it.

Then it looked like Lyra was about to catch it. She closed in on her prey and tried to pick it up. But instead, she knocked against it with her pacifier-stuffed muzzle and it flew away. She didn’t miss a beat and immediately chased after it again.

Bon Bon couldn’t keep a chortle from escaping. She didn’t know whether the sight had been more delightful or more hilarious, but the intense affection she felt burning in her chest for her adorable and silly little filly was all the same.

Lyra giggled as she knocked the ball with her hoof and it flew against the wall, where it rebounded and came back in the other direction. It wobbled left and right as it made its way across the room, and Lyra jumped and dashed and tried to catch it, but the ball continued to describe its evasive path until it rolled to a halt right before Bon Bon.

Bon Bon picked up the ball and Lyra immediately came to a halt before her, staring at her expectantly with huge eyes. Bon Bon had the ball. Lyra needed it. She began wagging her tail furiously back and forth and drowning every other sound out with her loud crinkles as she gazed at the ball restlessly.

Bon Bon just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It was like on a silver platter.

She slowly raised the ball, Lyra practically glued it it, in the air, and then she lightly tossed the ball upwards, just about to Lyra’s height.

Lyra immediately reared up on her hind legs and tried to catch the ball, but she fumbled and the ball flew away, and Lyra fell backwards and softly plopped right onto her butt. There was a very short moment of pacifier-bobbing confusion as Lyra wondered what that funny mushy feeling was down there. But she promptly lost interest again and began giggling again because of how happy she was, her tail on its journey back and forth once more.

“What’s with the waggy tail today, Lyra?” Bon Bon said, “What are you, a little puppy doggy?”

She didn’t care how goofy her grin was. Such cuteness needed to be appreciated to its fullest.

“I’m a little puppy doggy!” Lyra exclaimed, “Wuff wuff wuff wuff wuff!” She squealed and clapped ecstatically as she adorably tried to make dog noises.

“And you’re cute,” Bon Bon said, “and you’re adorable, and I want to go and gobble you right up.”

Then she closed the distance and kissed Lyra on the cheek, then she kissed her on the jaw, and she buried her face in Lyra’s neck and threw kisses about as fast as she could.

Lyra shrieked and convulsed and dissolved in a fit of laughter as the firework of tickles exploded from her neck, and drowned out the entire world in a roaring endlessness of tickly bliss. She laughed and giggled as more drool dripped down her pacifier and made the fur on her muzzle all mussy. Bon Bon marveled at the sight that thoroughly satisfied her down to the core of her being, and she kept the joy going by applying even more strategically placed nuzzles and kisses.

Bon Bon desired Lyra so much. She moved in to grab her, but Lyra skillfully evaded her grasp, wiggling herself out of Bon Bon’s hooves.

She laughed hysterically and said, “Wuff wuff! I’m a fast doggy! You can’t catch me!” Then she made her escape, but she was laughing so hard that walking proved to be exceedingly difficult, as she stumbled and wobbled.

Lyra had no chance against Bon Bon’s incredible diaper dexterity. In one bound, Bon Bon had caught up to Lyra and grabbed her by the leg. Lyra promptly let herself fall onto her stomach, tensing up in anticipation of her impending fate.

Bon Bon held Lyra fast and, through the soft padding of the hoofie sleeper’s soles, she began prodding and kneading her hind hoof without mercy. Lyra howled as a jolt of tickles radiated out from her hoof and had her entire body convulsing with laughter. She flailed around and rolled over onto her back, and Bon Bon moved over to Lyra’s upper body and sat down next to it.

Bon Bon hovered her hoof over Lyra’s tummy, and the electrifying anticipation came rolling over Lyra despite the lack of contact whatsoever. And then, Bon Bon did it again.

But by the third time, Bon Bon really began with her assault of a hundred tiny gentle prods onto Lyra’s soft tummy, and Lyra went up in laughter and wiggled herself around as her entire being was consumed in radiant mirth. But Bon Bon knew instinctively how long Lyra liked to be tickled, and she left her to go through the final throes of her laughter in peace.

Lyra gasped for air as she slowly felt herself coalesce back into being. She had to blink the tears of laughter out of her eyes before the world emerged from the fog again, but she was left tired and satisfied, and she felt very warm and tingly all over. Her cheeks were scalding hot, and her tummy was all bubbly in excitement, and there was a deep arousal smoldering all over her body that made her want for more.

Lyra wanted to be touched by Bon Bon all over and be held by her and feel her body against hers.

But when she moved, her diaper moved against her and overbearing pleasure flared out from her tingling rump that made her feel like she was going to explode. However much she would have liked it though, the time wasn’t ripe just now. Lyra needed to hold on to her foalish intuition, because it was still needed.

She could sense that not everything was right just yet.

Bon Bon was sitting to Lyra’s side, panting hard, her sapphire eyes glazed over and the locks of her mane shimmering in rich blue and pink in the sunlight, but there was also something amiss. There was a distant hardness to her eyes, her posture was instinctively hunched, and her legs were slightly turned inward as her free hoof was wanting to press between her legs. And Lyra knew exactly what this was from her own experience.

It was the beginning of a little baby filly potty dance.

“Bon Bon?” Lyra said, “Do you have to go tinkle?”

Bon Bon was completely overwhelmed. There was no more capacity left within her jumbled thoughts to wonder how Lyra could have known that.

She needed to pee so badly. She had been holding it in all day, and she couldn’t any longer. But she didn’t know what to do. She was utterly lost. All she could do was to repeat the mantra she had been telling herself all throughout.

“I … I can’t … “ Bon Bon panted, “my pants … I can’t just go”

“But you have to, silly,” Lyra giggled, “You’re a baby, remember? You don’t know what else to do. You have to let it go when you need to! You’ll feel much better.”

“But … but,” Bon Bon stuttered, “but everything’s gonna get wet.”

“A baby doesn’t know what that means,” Lyra said, “And you are a baby. So now you have to relax your tummy and make your tinkle in your pants.”

Bon Bon tried to make sense of it, but it occurred to her that it wouldn’t make a difference. Her body was instinctively listening to Lyra, and Bon Bon was powerless to do anything about it as she felt herself unclench and relax. There was no more room for anything else to register with her in the wild chaos of emotions.

Desperate excitement burned all throughout Bon Bon as her chest heaved even harder, fuelling the heat, and the electrifying arousal, coursing from her head to her hooves, constantly kept her on the edge of exploding.

Suddenly, a jolt of intense pleasure mixed everything up, and Bon Bon could feel how she began freely peeing into her clothing. She immersed her own fur in the warm liquid as it left her body without restraint, and the splashing drops thrillingly tickled as they ran down her sensitive skin. The diaper tapes grew strained around Bon Bon’s hips as she thoroughly saturated her diaper, and she could feel the two hot lines appear on the insides of her thighs as the ruffled leak guards did their job. She was freely releasing into the absorbent diaper pulp, the watertight plastic between her legs taking on her intimate warmth.

With all the strange pleasures and stimulations, Bon Bon didn’t feel like keeping her balance anymore. She laid down and came to a comfortable rest on her back right next to Lyra, a puddle of warm pee now pooling around her butt. Her buttocks became soaked in her own urine, and Bon Bon looked at Lyra for reassurance. Lyra smiled at her, and Bon Bon knew that everything was fine.

She felt like having something in her hooves, and the only thing in her sight were her own wiggly legs, so she lifted them in the air and grabbed them. Bon Bon tried playing with her hind hooves, but she was overcome with a trembling shock of pleasure as she felt her body lewdly urinate all over herself. It was all coming out freely, and she couldn’t have done anything about it at this point, even if she had wanted to.

“Wow!” Lyra said, “you can do that?”

But it was clear that Bon Bon couldn’t answer. The total bliss in her eyes was self-evident, as she soaked her entire lower body with her own pee from front to back, her butt raised in the air. Her sleeper remained spotlessly dry all throughout, because Bon Bon’s thick baby diapers had no problem taking care of everything.

Lyra knew intuitively that Bon Bon was finished relieving herself, when she let go of her legs again and relaxed. It was also clear that Bon Bon felt the same intense desire that Lyra did.

Bon Bon kept trying to turn toward Lyra, but she tensed and trembled as the soaked diaper pulp rubbed against her. But then she bit through and turned over anyway, and Lyra turned over too, and they met in the middle.

Bon Bon embraced Lyra and pulled her close, pressing their faces together. Lyra’s cheeks were as scalding as her own, and her breath tickled hotly on Bon Bon’s ear. She kissed Lyra on the neck again, and Lyra’s breath trembled from the pleasure radiating from the sensuous soft touch.

Lyra grabbed Bon Bon around the back and brought their bellies together. She pressed herself against the big gentle softness of Bon Bon’s tummy, and then she wiggled herself against it and moved up and down, Bon Bon whimpering into her neck as the gentle sensation made her shiver in ecstasy. An intense warmth built up between them as the fluffy soft sleepers were rubbed against one another, and the generated warmth from the friction suffused both of them and drowned the world out in boundless cozyness.

Bon Bon kissed Lyra, planting big sloppy smooches all over her cheek and the bridge of her nose, while Lyra noisily kissed her pacifier and wiggled her legs about, to make her diaper heighten the intensity of her pleasure. Bon Bon ran her hooves through Lyra’s mane and gently caressed her horn as she rubbed her prickling cheek against Lyra’s, while Lyra ran her hooves up Bon Bon’s shivering back and proceeded to prod and knead the fuzzy base of her ears.

The ecstasy was becoming more intense than Bon Bon could handle, and the impression of their writhing butts crinkling loudly made her roll both of them over and climb on top of Lyra.

They were embracing each other tightly to keep in contact as much as possible, as both of them began awkwardly flailing around with their hind legs, trying to stimulate the source of their intense arousal for more.

Lyra desperately pushed her waist into the air and felt her warm and mushy diaper sag against herself, paralyzing her with steadily intensifying bolts of quivering pleasure as she was thoroughly fondled and touched by Bon Bon’s curious hooves.

Bon Bon clumsily pushed her hips down and met the resistance of Lyra’s leg, and the soaked sagging mass of her diaper had the not yet absorbed pee pressed out of it again, saturating Bon Bon’s fur and sending her trembling with erotic passion.

They wiggled around each other and felt each other up squirmingly until eventually their bulging padded crotches bumped against each other. Bon Bon was immediately overtaken by fiery lust, and she felt Lyra tense up and begin to pant hard in her grasp. She moved their diapers on top of each other and pushed again, and Lyra squeaked as Bon Bon was fuelled by pure crinkly ecstasy.

Bon Bon steadied herself and got into position as Lyra clung tightly to her, suckling firmly on her pacifier, trying to calm herself down as she waited for Bon Bon to make her feel good. Bon Bon held Lyra securely to reassure her, and Lyra relaxed. Everything was fine. This was what their diapers were there for. Their diapers didn’t care whether they made them wet, or messy, or dripping with their juices, they only cared about making sure Lyra and Bon Bon were happy and relaxed, and that they had no worries at all. Everything was completely taken care of.

Bon Bon slowly began pressing their hips together, and they trembled against each other in pure bliss. She steadily humped into Lyra at an even pace, fuelled by her burning lust as her thoroughly soaked and bloated diaper rubbed against her very sensitive nether skin. The heat was building up in her sleeper, completely enveloping her. Lyra moaned and quivered as her diaper was squished and mushed around increasingly faster and faster, and all the soggy squishy softness was pressed up against her tighter and tighter.

The two thoroughly used diapers crinkled intensely as they were pushed around each other and sagged heavily as they were lifted apart again, in a steady rhythm that kept growing more needy and more desperate, the two fuzzy pyjamas rubbing against each other and creating intense heat that mingled with the intimate warmth of the two lovers entering the sacred union together.

Between Bon Bon’s hot breath on Lyra’s neck and the mushy diaper crinkles on her rump, the different warring centres of pleasure intensified until they merged together into a cacophony of pure bliss that immersed Lyra’s being completely. Bon Bon felt Lyra tense up in her embrace and begin to shake violently and squeak and moan around her pacifier as she came hard.

Bon Bon pressed down and humped into her diaper for her life, fuelled by the roaring blaze inside her as she was elated beyond her pleasure and overtaken by an intimate orgasm that ignited every fiber of her essence at once.

The two held each other close as they shared the soaring flight of their passions together. Bon Bon intensely moved and rubbed herself against Lyra in any way possible as her soggy diaper grew more and more slick around her nethers, while she was utterly dissolved in the screaming chaos of pleasure and love that shook her to the core.

Lyra clung herself to Bon Bon tightly, humping into her crinkling full mushy diapers as hard as she could, whimpering and moaning under the utter overload of lust and delight, her own pleasure exalted beyond itself by the fact that she could share this divine moment with her favourite pony in the world.

Diapers crinkled as the two big fillies writhed and squirmed against each other, both swaddled in their comfy hoofie sleepers, as they gasped and moaned cutely. Many intimate kisses and loving nuzzles were exchanged after their thickly bulging rumps had cooled off and stopped moving against each other.

They calmed down and remained as they were, hugging each other tightly as they shared the comfortable moment of post-coital bliss. Bon Bon enjoyed the lavish softness of Lyra’s tummy against her own, and the smell of her mane as she nuzzled her ear. Lyra relished the reassuring warmth as Bon Bon coddled her tightly, while she suckled on her pacifier and let herself be soothed by its rubbery comfort.

“That was so awesome,” Lyra said softly, “I love you so much, Bon Bon.”

“And I love you right back, Lyra,” Bon Bon whispered in her ear.

And so they rested together, the friendly sun shining on them through the window.

They recuperated and gathered new strength, the love between them blazing brilliantly, their union so pure to match only the grace of the goddesses themselves.

Before too long, they had finished resting and their vigour returned.

The two fillies rose and and felt like continuing playing where they had left off. The bedroom adventure world was still theirs to explore, and their hoofie sleepers were still cozy and warm, and their diapers had easily provided total security and comfort. Everything was fine.

Lyra and Bon Bon didn’t have a single worry in the world as they crinkled and giggled and played together to their heart’s content. Everything was fine because they were together.

They were happy.

Sunday - soar

A little drop of water had accumulated on the glass. The see-through opening made up most of the door, although it wasn’t exactly see-through at the moment because of how long ago the last cleaning had been. Most of the moisture had evaporated as the sun had shone straight onto it over the balcony railing. That was, except at the edges, where the glass met with the cool wood of the door’s rails.

The drop shone brilliantly like the most precious jewel in all the possible colors, as the overflowing sunlight refracted in its smooth differentiable surface and came out split up in all its wavelengths on the other side.

The turmoil of energies radiating off of the biggest and brightest star in the world raged all around, but the tiny little raindrop was unwavering and held down its position as best as it could. As a result, it threw a magnificent rainbow onto the carpet, making the surface blaze out in a glorious band of colors, each of them more luminous and intense than the previous, spanning from the modest purples over the regal blues and the refreshing greens, to the fiery yellows and the flaring reds. It was so small, and yet so enthralling, a little wonder to captivate and stimulate the observer to new thoughts and inspirations.

A thud issued from over in the bedroom. Lyra must have been having a ball tidying up the changing table.

It was unbelievable how refreshed Bon Bon felt. Only moments before, there had been a saggy and well used diaper straining her sleeper beneath her rear. And she didn’t have to do anything other than patiently relax and trustingly present herself to Lyra’s care, so that her pyjamas could now be fluffy and dry and fresh all over again.

And the refreshment wasn’t only of a physical nature, either. Naturally, Bon Bon had returned the favor, and relished every moment of it. Changing Lyra’s diapers counted among her favourite things to do in the entire world, and she had had even more time to cherish her fondness of her pampered little filly as she had undressed and lovingly redressed her after the procedure. The passionate intimacy would still linger for a long time in the back of Bon Bon’s head, leaving her all mellow and reassured. Whatever things were to come in the future, Bon Bon and Lyra were ready, because they are as one, their love unconditional and their affection immaculate.

Lyra came crinkling from behind. Her glitter pacifier was flashing like a disco ball.

“Alright, I straightened up the bedroom a bit,” she said, “It may not be entirely tidy just yet, but at least you can walk around again without stepping on something. And thanks for tidying me up, Bon Bon.” She stretched her neck and shoulders. “I feel like a brand new pony.”

Bon Bon leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and Lyra accepted it with a smile.

“So,” Lyra said, “what now?”

The suggestive note in her tone wasn’t lost on Bon Bon. It wasn’t coincidence that they were standing in front of the door leading to the back balcony after all.

Bon Bon had dreamt of this moment for a long time. Well, it had been more like a nightmare, really. Every time she thought about what she couldn’t do, it felt like she allowed her own fears to lash out and rob Lyra of something that she was deserving to have. The world had been against Bon Bon, and her alone, and the only reason why Lyra had been caught up in her webwork of misery was because she was too stubborn to leave from Bon Bon’s side even for a single moment.

But now it was happening for real. And after everything that had happened this weekend, the debilitating anxiety and frightening worry were completely absent.

It was so strange. Bon Bon knew she should be feeling like she was breaking boundaries, but this might as well been the door to the pantry for how little she cared. The only thing that mattered was the promise, not only to Lyra, but also to herself.

“Wanna go lay down on the bench, and watch the sunset together?” Bon Bon said.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear these words,” Lyra said.

The rusty handle creaked and the little rainbow was sent racing over the carpet as Bon Bon opened the door. She stepped over the threshold and immersed herself in the impressions that nature bore for all her senses.

The wind firmly danced over Bon Bon’s nose and played through her mane as she stuck her muzzle in the air. It carried with it the pungent aromas that were so typical after a heavy rainfall, the quenching sourness of moisture mixed with the appetizing jovial freshness of growing greenery and of humid earth.

The gentle heat of the sun was intense on Bon Bon’s face and suffused her pyjama clad body in the unique languorous warmth that could only be born of the divine entity, affectionately watching over them, itself. The sun stood as a fiery red circular symbol just above the treetops, setting the mists rising from the warming lands aglow, like a magical haze that professed growth and vitality underneath its vibrant cover. The entire sky was painted in an eruption of the most vivid of pastel colors, issuing forth from the western horizon in the most blazing of oranges, reds and pinks that mixed and mingled together to create the smoothest and most beautiful gown to swathe the heavens in.

From on high up in the sky came the bustle and hubbub of ponies working together. Bon Bon tried to make out somepony familiar, but they appeared like no more than colorful specks, dancing and weaving around between the rays of sunlight as each of them fulfilled a purpose in the whole. Not all of them carried tools or wore uniforms though, so they were likely bystanders who had come to aid the Weather Team in their follow up operations after the storm.

Countless rows of white and spent clouds were broken down and dissipated. Ponies dove into the towering masses and took them apart efficiently by working together, processing the cloud from several directions at once to efficiently overcome its natural resistance, that would have made things much harder if every one of them had worked alone. Huge pillars of nebulous strands had built up, streaking across the entire sky as the excess humidity was carried away by the wind, like a ghastly white veil being pulled over the top of the world.

Other clouds, which fit certain criteria according to specifications, were either separated and carried back to storage, creating logistic lines between the weather station and the sites of extraction, that were well frequented by ponies going back and forth transporting their cargo. Or the clouds were packed together into new bigger clouds at assembly sites, and sent off at regular intervals into faraway lands where they were needed next, keeping Equestria’s ecosystems, the basis of all life and prosperity, up and running smoothly.

Pegasi flew in many different established formations and streaked their individual magics in sweeping wide curves, managing and subtly influencing the atmospherical parameters to keep temperature, air pressure, humidity and wind direction exactly within the boundaries that were optimal for their vital work. Other ponies still were simply there to spectate, just meeting friends or keeping the working ponies company, happily chattering in animated conversation or fetching refreshments to be consumed during breaks as they sat together on the uneven surface of raw clouds, keeping themselves strengthened to see the undertaking through in a timely fashion.

The cloud homes had been returned back to a comfortable altitude as well, the quaint little cloud house of their upwards neighbour back at its usual place between their house and the water tower. The mountains weren’t quite visible in the distance, but the hills were, their rugged outlines foggily looming in the distance, looking so small compared to the treeline of the much closer forest.

The meadow rippled continuously almost like water, as the wind bent the grasses and shook them out, carrying away their tiny seeds, which had been knocked loose and opened up by the forces of the rain, into distant lands, life to be created anew.

And not only in the middle of it all, but integral part of the whole, just like everything else, was Bon Bon and Lyra’s little wooden house, their home from which they built and improved their lives and influenced everything in the world just like it influenced them. And the house had a little balcony on the back, on which they stood now.

It wasn’t a particularly beautiful balcony. Truth be told, it was pretty simple, certainly not as pleasant as the one in the front that was clad in romantic vines. This one was little more than excess wooden logs, leftover materials from the construction of the house, plugged into the wall sideways and secured with braces underneath. The railing was a smooth log nailed to some planks that acted as supports, giving most of the rustic feel to the entire construction. The only decoration was a pot of mud, the remains of a failed attempt to set up some adorning plants, a proposition Bon Bon immediately felt like trying again.

The defining feature was the bench that stood against the wall next to the door, hauled up here ages ago. It had been a public bench of Ponyville, until it had been thrown out because of how old it was. It was still good though, just a little spotty and worn, like it was typical of outside furniture. The sturdy metal frame gleamed darkly in the sunlight, the squiggly decorated hoofrests to either side spotlessly free of rust. The planks that made up the seat and the back were cleverly slanted so that the rain had already dripped off and left them pleasantly dry.

The entire arrangement wasn’t particularly beautiful. But it was theirs. And that made it the most lovely spot around.

Bon Bon moved over to the bench, watching the busy goings-on of the pegasi all the way. Then she climbed onto the wooden piece of furniture and sat down on it. It creaked under the weight, but it held.

Obviously, she couldn’t really feel the surface under herself because she was so cozily swaddled up, like it was proper for all little fillies to be, but she found it to be adequately comfortable regardless.

She was almost disappointed how wholly mundane and unexciting the act had been. Her fantasies used to go wild with terrible images of having her intimate secret painfully uncovered and being violently rejected and prohibited to be her true self. But instead, nothing had happened at all. It was exactly like she had come to expect over the last few days.

She simply no longer held any interest in hiding who she was within her own home. Lyra and her had built this place to what it now was, the place for them to live and to be true to themselves for who they really were. After everything, it had become clear that this was the express purpose of having your own home, the place where love could be without bounds and spirits could soar like it wasn’t possible anywhere else in the entire world.

Bon Bon relaxed, like she had formerly only been able to hiding inside. She was proud of her hoofie pyjamas, that glowed in such a flamboyantly vibrant light blue, with the big heart of love directly on her chest. She was proud to show off the big diaper between her legs that was evidence of Lyra’s incredible mastery of the art.

As much as Bon Bon tried to be a big, clever, sensitive and respectable pony, she was also a comfy, cozy, happy and pampered little filly. And that was fine. If somepony came into their home and found out? Well, tough luck. She would take care of it as it came.

She waved Lyra over to join her.

Lyra beheld the striking sight. It was Bon Bon, relaxing on the bench out under the clear sky, and she didn’t care in the least that there were ponies around that could see her. There was no unspoken tension, no nervous glances, no clear escape routes. Lyra could sense by intuition that her wife was unmitigatedly enjoying herself. She moved with attention to savour this victory.

Lyra walked over to the bench and carefully climbed onto it, before she turned herself around and comfortably laid down with her back into Bon Bon. She lifted her hooves and waited patiently for the embrace to come.

When she was hugged around her midsection and held tightly, she wiggled herself backwards and further into Bon Bon, until she was completely snuggled up with nothing but Bon Bon’s reassuring warmth and cozy tightness. Now it was time for Lyra to let herself relax, her eyes closed and her forehooves folded neatly before her chest, as she let out a huge sigh, and willed herself to stop thinking about anything else other than Bon Bon’s gentle caress.

Bon Bon carefully brushed the strands of Lyra’s messy mint mane out of her face and slowly began stroking her head and playing her hoof around the soft base of Lyra’s ears.

Lyra expressed her appreciation by enthusiastically working her pacifier, the softest munching sounds coming from her muzzle as the glitter plastic softly bobbed about. That spoke more than a thousand words to Bon Bon. She just knew when Lyra found great joy in something. It had become a basic instinct of hers, so much did Bon Bon love Lyra.

And so, Bon Bon and Lyra enjoyed the sunset together, under the colorful sky, within the meadow, their quaint little house, on the balcony, on the bench, the utmost adoration for each other lightening the air around them.

It was good that they had finally arrived at this point. Although Bon Bon wished she could have done this earlier, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to. It was a long way down the road that they had come together, and it had taken everything they had learned so far to build up what they had now. There were many intense experiences Bon Bon could look back on, both good and bad, that made her truly understand and appreciate what she had, not least of which were the very interesting occurrences and insights that had revealed themselves over the course of this weekend. After all, don’t all the failed attempts, trials by misfire and learning experiences, make the ultimate victory all the sweeter?

It had been a pretty decent weekend, all things considered, even despite the moments of chaos that had kept the ride from being too monotonous and dull.

Bon Bon and Lyra had spent some awesome quality time together, and there’s nothing more satisfying than being able to testify to your utmost reverence and devotion to the pony you love. The games had been really fun and the two lovers had highly enjoyed the sensuous moments that had come to be, making the mini vacation into their own little world, which Lyra had promised her in the beginning, a complete success.

They had made many new friends, and Bon Bon couldn’t wait to get out there and make even more. Their upwards neighbour North Wind had come for a surprise visit, and Bon Bon had learned how awesome she could be to be around, even though none of them hid who they really were within their home.

They had met with Rarity again, and Bon Bon couldn’t wait for their date, when they would finally commission her to make some cute and fun adult foal stuff for them, and maybe even talk about the topic if there was any interest.

Then there were the cunning Twilight Sparkle and the highly empathetic Applejack, two ponies Bon Bon was sure she would be seeing more often from now on, even if there wasn’t any reason in particular.

Finally, who remained was the perplexing Parting Ways and her shy coltfriend Teak, whose unfortunate episode had luckily come to a good end. Bon Bon could already feel the energies of a budding friendship between the caring couple and themselves. A friendship with a lot of future, if she chose to pursue it further, which she saw no reason why not to.

Bon Bon would be going back to working in the shop, cleaning up the remains of her event of culinary experimentation the previous week and studying everything that she had learned, and she felt fully refreshed and eager to advance her profession.

Lyra would be taking care of the house and go out to do business in town, and maybe she would feel like following an invitation to the academy again to collaborate with students and fellow musicians, so they could be looking forward to a visit to Canterlot.

They’d have to file the report tomorrow from yesterday’s incident, and then they’d go visit Twilight and offer their help in the efforts to clean up and restore their nice forest to its natural ecological balance. Having gotten to know Twilight, it seemed obvious that she was well connected enough to take care of things, but she would probably drum up at least as much scientific interest in the affair as regulatory interest, so the ensuing turmoil will probably be an adventure of its own.

So many ponies and so many stories.

And Bon Bon was eager to get to know them all.

She felt like born anew. This was what she had always wanted. But it wasn’t the end, it was only a new beginning. There was still so much to do and so much to discover. And Lyra and her, together they would always move forward, one step at a time, because that’s the only thing a pony can do.

And that’s fine.

There remained only one question that had mystified Bon Bon all along.

“We’re weird, right?” she said.

“You can bet your flank we are,” Lyra said.

“But then why don’t they hate us?” Bon Bon said.

“Why should they?” Lyra said.

“Because it’s not normal,” Bon Bon said, “what we do. Who we are. It’s not normal at all, and we can’t even explain it if we wanted to, because we don’t know what it is either.”

“And what exactly is so bad about that?” Lyra said, “I think everypony already has a life’s share of normal. You can find normal on every corner of every street in every town. Normal is everywhere, and normal is always. There really isn’t any value in contributing more normalcy, when everypony already has enough. They’re stuffed with it! You’d better believe, even if they don’t know how to show it, that they appreciate when something comes around to break up the monotony.”

“That’s true,” Bon Bon said, “but I still thought all of this would go down differently. I always believed that my life would basically end when somepony found out what I kept trying to hide. But I find out that nopony’s been looking in the first place. I thought they’d cast me out and hate me if I told them that I like to be a little filly, and that I talk like one and play like one. But then everypony who saw me was simply curious. I always feared that I’m all alone and could never make any friends, because my home is equipped so I can be little, and I have foal toys laying around to play with, and I pretty much can’t go a few days without wearing diapers because I like them so much. It’s completely abnormal! I thought I would be seen a sad and lonely freak if I was found out.”

“That could happen,” Lyra said, “it’s true.”

“Well then why doesn’t it?” Bon Bon said.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lyra said, “Because most ponies literally couldn’t care less. And nopony cares as much as you do! It’s just not that big of a deal. They have a million things they have to care about, and this is simply not that important to them. And even if they do find out, then what? They’ll raise a brow and they’ll have a chuckle? So what? Does that change anything? You’re not a freak, and you’re not a pervert, and you’re not weird, because that’s not you. You are you.”

“You’re so much more than just that one part of you. You’re still awesome, and you still try to be good to everypony, and you listen, and you help out where you can, and you make everypony just a bit happier only by being around. You’re you! You have a good heart, and you have lots of love and friendship and good feelings to spare for everypony else. That’s what matters!”

“If you need to be your little self every now and then, then that’s fine. It’s nopony’s business, and nopony cares! If they find out, they might be curious and they might be weirded out. But that doesn’t mean much. They’ll have the decency to leave you be, just the way they would want for themselves if their weirdnesses were found out. Everypony is weird! It simply doesn’t matter.”

“The only thing that matters is that you are a good pony, and that you bring joy and peace to the world. And you are a good pony, I know that, because you always try your best and stay true to your heart. And as long as you do that, you’ll always do just fine.”

It was amazing how wise Lyra could be despite being a cute little baby filly.

Or maybe that was the reason.

“I love you,” Bon Bon said.

“I love you too,” Lyra said.

And without missing a beat, Lyra went right back to munching on her pacifier. And Bon Bon went back to stroking Lyra’s mane.

Bon Bon and Lyra sat on the bench long into the night, watching the stars.