Lyra and Bon Bon trotted down the compressed dirt path through the estate sector of PonyVille. It was the more quite part of town. The cottages were small and cozy, and the houses were large but few. Fillies and colts never really play out here. They'd normally have a few bits from pocket money and hang about the market district or just play with friends around town centre or the park.
It was nearing sunset and the last rays of light over Canterlot blazed. It made the capital look like a safe-haven, protected by the god-princesses and home to the snooty. Well, there was Minuette and the girls.
'Hmm, haven't heard much of Moondancer lately. I wonder how she's doing?' Lyra thought to nopony particular. It was silent and the evening breeze felt cool and relaxing.
"Some wedding, huh?" Bon Bon said, breaking the silence,
"Yep. I just feel bad for the unlucky pony who sat behind the princesses!" Lyra laughed, broken from her musings. Bon Bon joined in too, thinking how irritating it would be to have that magic hair in the way of a wedding.
The rest of the short journey was in silence. Both ponies just enjoying the darkening sky. It was a short trip though as the cozy little cottage of Bon Bon's -which Lyra has been a lodger in for years- was just a short ways down the road from them. Lyra, opened the unlocked door as was common in a small town with a low crime rate,
"Ladies first, Sweetie Drops," she said with a smirk. Bon Bon didn't take this lightly though,
"Not in public," the secretive pony said through her teeth, grinding one of her hooves into the ground, her back hunched. The mint-leaf green laughed, "Oh, it's just a pet-name. Don't be such a nun!" she retorted, slamming the door with her rear and locking the door with her magic. Instantly she changed. Her features grew dark and her face was a grimace. Her tail clung tightly to her plot and her head was hunched low.
"Bon Bon?" she asked, pain in her tone.
"Lyra?" she asked putting her hoof around the green mare, "What is it?" she continued.
"W-well… we've been telling each other our secrets lately. Well, you're an ex-agent, and I are your imported oats…" the mare trailed off. Bon Bon looked puzzled at her significant other,
"Sure, best friends tell each other their deepest, darkest secrets. We don't have to hide anything, you know?" The yellow mare said, trying to calm the mare down.
"Well… I have another secret," Lyra Heartstrings broke eye-contact, more content with looking at the carpet, "I-I… well there's this thing I've…" the mare stopped, sounding too pained to continue. Whatever she wanted to say must be a serious issue.
"There, there," Sweetie Drops comforted the unicorn, "everything's okay. You can tell me everything. We've been friends before even Twilight moved to town." The mare continued, making Lyra hold back a tear.
"T-thanks," Lyra said with more confidence in her tone, looking into the other mare's eyes, "ever since I could remember. I've been different," the unicorn started, "I've always been different from the other colts and fillies," she continued.
"Lyra, I know your bi," The yellow mare started, "there's nothing to-" she tried to say as a hoof was pressed to her lips.
"No… I know that. But… I've always been different, p-physically" she almost broke down then. She'd always been different and hardly anypony knew the real her.
"Sit down" She whimpered to her best friend. When the mare sat, she looked with sorrow at Lyra. The mare continued, "I…" she took in a deep breath, "I-I… ha- I… I have a penis!" she blurted out, cheeks red.
Bon Bon looked wide-eyed at the mare, trying to piece together everything she's been told.
"You have a-"
"penis, yes." Lyra butted in, "I'm a hermaphrodite,"
"You're a what?"
"Hermaphrodite, that's what I call me. Doctors call me intersex. F-family call me a herm. I-I'm scared ponies… they-" the normally chill pony broke down, she laid on the floor, her face buried in her hooves. Bon Bon jumped from her seat and layed a hoof on the mint mare's back and ran it down her spine,
"Shh, don't worry. I'm here," Bon Bon tried to comfort her, "it's okay. What did these bullies call you?" she asked in a quite, friendly tone. Lyra looked up and wiped her muzzle with her hoof, "Y-you don't hate me?" she replied teary-eyed. The rather shocked Sweetie Drops looked dumbfounded at the mare, "No!" she nearly shouted, "I'd never hate you? Why would I?" she continued, laying down besides her best friend.
"Wh-whenever I told somepony, or… or somepony found out. They hated me," she cried, never breaking eye-contact, "The fillies called me t-terrible names." she wailed on.
"Lyra, what harsh names would anypony ever call a beautiful mare like you?" Bon Bon slipped, covering her mouth with a hoof. Lyra looked taken back by the compliment,
"You think I'm beautiful?" she asked, clearing her eyes.
Bon Bon looked deeply into Lyra's eyes, thinking carefully on what to say,
"More than anything," she stammered out wrapping her hooves around Lyra, embracing her in a hug. Lyra buried her head in Bon Bon's shoulders, feeling genuinely happy.
"Thank you," she whispered into Sweety's ear, "thank you so much." she continued. Bon Bon was at a loss of words, her eyes tearing up as well,
"I love you Lyra,"
"I-" the green mare just nodded back
Bon Bon stood up and used her hoof to help Lyra up onto her hooves,
"Come on, let's go to bed," The yellow mare said walking to the stairs, "also, forget your rent, you're moving in with me fully." She finished, looking at her marefriend's gleeful expression.
"Hmm, maybe you'd like to see how big it is!" Lyra joked, nudging her parter in her foreleg,
"Eww, gross!" Bon Bon laughed, shoving Lyra slightly before going her newly-shared bed.