Forever
Written by: Etch Feather
It was a very sullen looking day in Ponyville. The sky was originally scheduled to be clear, with the sun shining down strongly, but after a recent event, the pegasi in Cloudsdale felt it was better to provide the citizens of Ponyville with shade, instead of glaring light for the outside gathering. Many different ponies were there, all for different reasons. Alot of them had a personal reason for being there, but several were simply there to be respectful. The only pony however, who couldn't look upon the object placed in the centre of the crowd, was Lyra.
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“I appreciate you coming to me for help, but my speciality is really for small animals...” Fluttershy quietly said to Lyra as she eyed the pony lying down on the couch, who appeared very tired and weary.
“I know, but you seem to be the best pony for these kinds of things.” Lyra told her with slight worry in her voice.
“Well... I guess I'll see what I can do...” Fluttershy nodded to Lyra and smiled, doing her best to keep her in a good mood as she approached the other mare.
Carefully, Fluttershy walked over to her side, lifting up her front hoof and putting it to her head as she inspected her temperature. It was certainly alot higher than normal, but Fluttershy felt it wasn't too serious. When she tried to look into her patients eyes to check on the colouration, the other pony cringed and looked away, acting as if she didn't want to be seen.
“Please, just look this way for a few seconds, alright?” Fluttershy smiled and carefully turned her head to face her, as the mare slowly opened up her eyes. The calming light blue colour seemed to mask the worry that Fluttershy knew was there. The rest of the eye was bloodshot, a faded pink creeping towards her iris from the edges of the white. The skin around it seemed darker than the rest of her cream coloured mane, it looked as if the body itself was sad.
“So? What do you think?” Lyra walked over beside the two nervously. Her voice seemed to crack as she finished the question.
“W-well...” Fluttershy stuttered, causing Lyra's eye's to widen in panic. “It seems to me that all she needs is some extra sleep and a couple warm meals.”
Lyra sighed in relief as she hugged the yellow coloured mare. “Thank you so much for checking up on her on such short notice.”
“It's my pleasure, really...” Fluttershy whispered quietly and blushed from the sudden affection. She drew back from the embrace and smiled at Lyra warmly. “Now don't forget, she needs lots of rest!”
Lyra nodded back at her as the pegasus turned away and walked out the door, gently pulling it closed behind her. The room seemed so quiet now that she was gone. Looking around at the decorations of the house for a moment, Lyra noticed the picture of her at her wedding, both her and her wife with joy in their eyes. That day had been the best day of her life.
Gently, she snuck over to the mare's side and cuddled up close to her. “See? All you need is sleep and you'll be fine.” Lyra leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. “So let's get some rest, Bon Bon.”
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Lyra sat away near the edge of the depleting crowd, staring at the cold ground as others walked by and looked down on her. A few of them uttered phrases of condolence, while most of them simply held their tounge and picked up their speed. Lyra took a glance to her right, noticing that most of the guests had begun to leave. They had been standing out here for only two hours, but to Lyra, it felt as if it was forever. Another pony trotted by her, this time an amethyst coloured filly with a light green mane and wonderful sky blue eyes. She caught herself staring at the small filly; Those eyes seemed so familiar to her, but the image seemed so blurred.
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“Lyra... I'm sure that I can go there by myself.” Bon Bon reassured her mare as she let out a slight cough.
“But you can't even talk without seeming sick!” Lyra argued with her as she tried to convince Bon Bon to let her tag along.
“Lyra. Don't worry, all right?” Bon Bon walked over and kissed Lyra gently. “I'll only be gone for an hour. If anything, you could make me some delicious hay-soup for when I get back.”
Lyra opened her mouth to protest again, but figured it was useless. Defeated, she nodded and smiled at her partner. “I'll be sure to make your favourite kind.”
“Wonderful!” Bon Bon perked as she turned towards the door, letting out another, more severe cough.
“Bon Bon!-” Lyra worriedly exclaimed as she heard the cough, but stopped when she saw the confident smile Bon Bon was giving her. “...be careful.”
“Of course!” Bon Bon nodded and walked through the doorway, shutting it and leaving Lyra to herself.
The walk through Ponyville that morning was shining and wonderful. Bon Bon could here the birds chirping all around her, and the footsteps of other ponies walking by as they casually went about their day. There was the slightest cloud layer above them, just barely allowing light to get through, so the light wouldn't be too bright or too dark. The scenery around her seemed almost perfect.
She trotted through the roadway, greeting a few of her other friends as they walked by her. Bon Bon felt much better than she did last night. She wasn't sure if it was the day itself, or the fact that Lyra was up all night gently serenading her with a love song she had made herself. She smiled at the memory of first hearing Lyra sing. Combined with her amazing ability to play music, it was as if she was being sang to by an angel herself.
“Hi there Bon Bon!” A pink pony jumped out from beside her in a remarkably happy tone, causing Bon Bon to jump to the side and shriek. Several ponies around her giggled and snickerd, but the cause of the disruption was still smiling bright.
“H-hello Pinkie Pie!” Bon Bon happily responded as she tried tor regain her breath.
“What are you up to today, Bon? Oh, wait! I bet you're buying Lyra cupcakes! If you want, I could make you some!” Pinkie jumped up and down with joy and pulled out a small bag of flour which she hung from her mouth. “Thereyd beh rehlleh tastehy!” Pinkie nodded in confirmation.
Bon Bon couldn't help but giggle at the silly party pony's joy. “No thanks Pinkie, no cupcakes today, but in a few days from now, I'd love some!”
“Great!” Pinkie hopped in circles. “Stop by this afternoon and we'll order you some! After all, if they're not ordered, then you won't get any, and if you don't get any, then you can't eat them!” Pinkie brought her hooves to the sides of her face and breathed in a theatrical sigh. “And that would be terrible if you couldn't enjoy cupcakes!”
“I agree, Pinkie!” Bon Bon gave her a final smile. “Now, I really must get going.” She turned away from the pink mare and continued down her path.
“Oh, okay! Don't forget to stop by!” Pinkie yelled after her and bounced off in a different direction.
Bon Bon was nearly on the other side of town by now, so she knew she was getting close to her destination. For some reason, her heart hadn't stopped it's rapid beating from when Pinkie had surprised her. Not only that, but it felt as if her legs were becoming weaker. She shook her head and looked up, the building she was looking for was just ahead.
As Bon Bon walked into the hospital, she noticed several other ponies sitting down, waiting for a check up. One was a filly who seemed to have the same coloured eyes that she had. It was odd seeing another pony with her identical eye colour. She smiled at the small pony as she walked over and sat down on one of the waiting benches. Usually it took a while before a patient would be seen, but she had called in earlier for a reservation, and she was right on time.
“Miss Bon Bon?” A white pony with a red mane called out as she walked into the waiting area. “We're ready for your check up now!”
A few of the other ponies looked at her, a fit of unfairness on their faces. Bon Bon couldn't help but wonder how long they had been waiting, only to have her get called in a few minutes.
“So, how are you feeling today?” The mare kindly asked as she led Bon Bon down the hall.
“Much better, Nurse Redheart.” Bon Bon smiled. “Lyra and Fluttershy both seemed to think I was-” Suddenly, Bon Bon let out another cough, one that seemed to claw at her throat. She used her hoof to cover up her mouth, and waited for the fit to subside. The coughing attack stopped suddenly, just as it had began, but it left Bon Bon gasping for breath, and her chest weak from the struggle of her lungs. When Bon Bon took her hoof off her mouth, she looked down to it in horror. Blood was covering it. “P-perfectly fine...”
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There were only a few ponies left for the ceremony by this point. Most of them were Lyra's close friends, and others who were simply near the back of the crowd who were curios to get a better look. Lyra finally managed to pull herself up, tears once again streaming from her face. She walked ever so slowly to the main attraction of the evening, a small picture frame atop it. The two ponies were smiling so happily, a permanent joy on both their faces. Lyra let a pathetic smile cross her face for just a moment, before again bursting into tears over the wooden structure. Seeing them together in their wedding picture was too much for her to handle.
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Lyra heard the door open again, quiet footsteps following before it closed behind her. “Bon Bon?” She yelled from the couch, her lyre falling as her concentration broke.
“Y-yes... it's me, Lyra.” Bon Bon walked slowly over to where she was seated. As promised, a bowl of her favourite soup was sitting on the table in the middle of the room, along with a second one for Lyra, both untouched. Bon Bon sat down next to Lyra and eyed her curiously. “You didn't eat?”
“I was waiting for you!” Lyra looked at Bon Bon with a face of pure worry. “What took you so long? It's been 4 hours!”
“You know how long those line-ups at the hospital can be.” Bon Bon smiled at Lyra.
“It doesn't take that long. No matter what...” Lyra sighed, not wanting to get into an argument. She reached for a spoonful of the soup, and unsurprisingly, it had gone cold. She looked back up at Bon Bon, who Lyra could tell, was masking something behind a smile. “Are you... alright?” She set her front hoof on Bon Bon's, urging her to tell her anything she could.
“I just started to cough some more is all.” Bon Bon told her confidently. “It's nothing to worry about...” Her voice trailed off, as she lost her smile for just a second. Taking notice of this, Lyra pulled Bon Bon to face her.
“Bon Bon, please, if there is anything wrong, anything at all, please tell me!” Lyra weakly shook her shoulders as she started to shutter, fearing for her partner. Tears started to well up In Lyra's eyes; She knew something was wrong, why couldn't Bon Bon tell her?
Taking note of the intense fear and worry, Bon Bon pulled Lyra into a tight hug. “Lyra, I'll be alright. All I need is sleep, I need to rest. I promise I’ll tell you everything in the morning.”
Still shaking, Lyra pulled back and nodded silently, picking up her lyre with her still shaking hooves. Bon Bon nuzzled her, trying to assure her that her promise would be kept. Silently, the two walked down the hall into their bedroom. Lyra sat on her side of the the bed as she always did, trying hard to regain enough composure to practise with her lyre. Bon Bon lied down on the bed, turning away from Lyra. Eventually, the unicorn gained enough concentration to pick up the lyre with her magic, plucking a few practise notes before beginning her real songs.
Bon Bon felt tiredness truly grab a hold of her as her eyes started to shut and her imagination of the music started to flow. It was always so wonderful to have someone who would play to her every night. Just as she was sure she would fall asleep, a soft voice accompanied a familiar tune, as the gentle song from the night before rang out once more.
If the valleys never ended
And the winds had never blown
If the flowers never bloomed
And the sun had never shown
It wouldn't matter where you are
I would always find my way
You would never be alone
I'll be with you night and day
The calming song stopped as the last note rang out around the room, the trance of the notes finally ending. Lyra gently placed down her lyre, staring off into the night sky that started to peak through the horizon. Slowly, she took her eyes away from the window, crawling into the bed next to Bon Bon. She cuddled up next to her, appreciating the warmth of her wife as she closed her eyes to let her dreams control her night.
“I love you, Bon Bon.” Lyra whispered gently into the ponies' ear. There was a short silence, followed by a very faint cough.
“I'll love you forever, Lyra.” Bon Bon whispered out to her as she silenced her sobs, not letting the tears running from her eyes become known.
The sun was shining through the window, the angle basking the two ponies in it's warmth. Lyra woke up, feeling the heat of the sun on her back. She smiled at the feeling of waking up to another great morning. The warmth felt great, however, the front of her was cold. Deathly cold.
“Bon Bon?” Lyra brought herself up and shook the shoulder of her love, but there was no response. Panicked, Lyra shot out of bed and ran around to the other side. She looked at Bon Bon's face, her eyes empty and soulless.
Her eyes seemed so blurry.
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Ever so carefully, Lyra used her magic to take her lyre out of the small bag she was wearing. She looked it over, noticing every little detail of it. She had had it since she was a little filly, and could remember the first time she ever played in front of somepony else. That pony was her very first friend, and that had been Bon Bon. She played it at all their birthday's, at their first sleep over, on their first date, and even during their wedding. It just didn't feel right to play it at her funeral. She placed it beside Bon Bon's figure, which was lying in the wooden coffin. Terrified, Lyra looked over at her. She seemed so peaceful, so content. She even seemed to be smiling. Gently, Lyra placed one more kiss on the cheek of her only love, before saying one final goodbye. She glanced at the photo once again. She would give anything simply to see her smile like that again.
It was a terrible walk home. She had wanted to spend this special day with Bon Bon, to walk by her side and cuddle with her on a sunny hill. Instead, she walked home in an unnatural chill, despite it being warm out. She was alone. More alone than she had ever been before. The few ponies that were left on the near deserted street looked at her in pity as Lyra dragged her hooves along the cold bricks. When she finally arrived back at her house, she noticed a colourful box sitting outside the door. She carefully picked it up with her magic and looked it over. At first, she didn't think something like this could be for her on a day like today, but the tag clearly stated her name. Curiosity getting the best of her, she used her magic to place the strange present on the table, beside the bowls of soup Lyra still hadn't worked up the strength to clean up.
Carefully pulling the strings apart, Lyra unwrapped the box and lifted up the lid. Inside of it sat two very different cupcakes. One was a chocolate cupcakes with vanilla cream and sprinkles that matched the colour of Bon Bon's mane, while the other was a lime cupcake that resembled the pony looking at it. As different as they were, they looked perfect together. Lyra started to drip tears again, wondering whether or not somepony was trying to help her feel better. As she flipped the lid all the way open, she saw a paper taped inside, with a bit of writing. In shock and sorrow, Lyra slowly read what was written, sending her into confused tears once again.
If the valleys never ended
And the winds had never blown
I would always be happy
Knowing you're my own
I'll love you forever, Lyra.
Happy Anniversary.
~Bon Bon
