Ponyville wasn’t a big town by any standards. In fact, if Lyra Heartstrings had been asked to describe it in two words or less, the one single word she would have used to describe it would have been small.
The second word would have been perfect, but it was a bit of a stretch to describe why it was perfect so she decided that small was the best adjective for the situation.
The mint and cream unicorn made her way slowly up the street, her horn glowing with a gentle gold aura that surrounded two items that floated near her: a large suitcase that hovered close to her right side, and a slip of paper that floated near her face so that her golden eyes could dart from the buildings around her to the paper and back again with little to no effort. After all, it was only her second time in Ponyville and it would make a terrible impression with her soon-to-be peers if she wound up getting horribly lost on her very first day living here.
I suppose I could have taken a extra day or two to visit the town again before moving here, she thought as she moved down the row of neat little houses, her hooves clopping dully against the packed dirt of the road, but that would have meant a few extra days in Canterlot, and… The mare’s eyes darted to the suitcase next to her, and after a moment she moved it a little closer to her side with a twitch of her horn. And that would have been too long.
She sighed gently and turned her eyes back to the road and the paper before her, her head buzzing with the same shocking net of excitement that had encased it over the past three days. She and her friend Twinkleshine had come in from Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration four days ago, and it had been an exciting, terrifying adventure to say the least. Nightmare Moon of all ponies had showed up, babbling something about eternal night and how Celestia was gone forever before vanishing in a puff of smoke. This had, naturally, led to a good deal of panic in the little town, a panic in which Lyra and Twinkleshine had willingly participated; after all, the return of a storybook villain and a declaration that life as they knew it was over was certainly cause enough to panic in Lyra’s book. They’d milled about the Celebration’s crowd for a while, muttering worried platitudes with complete strangers while trying their best to figure out what they could possibly do in a world filled with nighttime.
It had been a frightening and upsetting day for everypony involved, but despite the horrifying trauma and ingrained psychological damage that witnessing the end of the world would stick into anypony’s brain, Lyra knew that she would never be able to look back on that day with anything but joy…
…because it was on that day that she had come into Lyra’s life again.
Lyra bit her lip gently as she continued down the street, her eyes unfocused as visions of the mare of her dreams floated into her mind. Her soft, touchable coat; her beautiful multi-hued mane; her sharp, eager eyes… everything about her leaped out at the unicorn as she slowly lost her focus on what she was supposed to be doing.
She’s so beautiful… I can’t believe that fate has brought us together like this again, she thought wistfully, her steps becoming less purposeful and more fanciful as she meandered down the street. The note that floated in front of her slowly drifted down and to her left as her eyes stared into her memories instead of at her directions, her expression melting into a soft, blissful smile topped with glazed, lovesick eyes.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, she thought. I mean, it’s what I want more than anything, but still… it’s hard to believe that I’m really DOING it! A chuckle rose in her throat, a soft horse noise that made her smile even brighter. Oh sweet Celestia this is such a bad idea... but I can’t be away from her for even another day! Her hoofsteps became lighter, almost dance-like as she floated her way down the street, the piece of paper flapping in the breeze as Lyra executed a quick, graceful spin that swung her suitcase in an arc wide enough that it almost whacked a mailbox. The unicorn squeaked and yanked the suitcase closer to her with her magic, her hooves faltering and skittering awkwardly as she struggled to keep her footing.
After a few rapid, tense heartbeats Lyra found her center and planted all four of her hooves firmly onto the ground once more, the suitcase stuck firmly against her side and the note impaled onto her horn, still glowing with the magic that held it there. Oh my Celestia that was really close… she thought to herself as she shuffled her hooves back to normal standing positions. She allowed the suitcase to float a bit farther away from her side as she tugged the note gently off of her horn with her magic, and in spite of the narrowly averted disaster with the suitcase she felt her shoulders sag as she peered through the hole that had removed half of the address she was searching for.
“Oh pony feathers,” she muttered, her ears drooping to her mane.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun was slowly beginning to set in the sky before Lyra managed to find the house she was looking for, and in spite of her weariness the unicorn managed to find a smile as she approached. It felt like I had to ask everypony in town but I finally found it, she reflected as she half-walked, half-dragged herself to the front door. She pulled her suitcase close to her side and stared through the note at the number next to the door, her exhaustion quickly fading away as the unbearable excitement that she’d felt earlier in the day came surging back into her.
This is really it, she thought, her ears twitching as she bit her lip. The planning was complicated, the timeframe was inexcusably fast and I may never be able to speak to my parents again, but everything has finally come together! Lyra’s lips spread into a wide smile and before she could have even a moment to second-guess herself she raised her hoof and rapped it smartly on the wooden door of the cottage; to her surprise it sounded much louder than it should have, and Lyra winced at its volume. Whoa, calm down Lyra – everything’s going just fine and there’s no reason to think that this isn’t going to work out just fine… just be calm and be cool… She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, doing her best to calm the wriggling feelings of excitement and nervousness that squirmed about in her chest. Just take it easy and things will go perfectly fine, she reminded herself, and after a moment her suitcase bumped against her side, its straps brushing against her coat in a reassuring fashion.
Several moments passed with no reaction from the cottage, and Lyra was just beginning to think that she should knock again when she finally heard movement on the other side: a soft clopping sound that grew louder as the other pony approached, then a rustling noise as the unseen other party unlocked the door, and finally a click of the knob and a squeak of the hinges as the door to Lyra’s future swung open… and standing on the other side of the door was the very mare that Lyra Heartstrings had gone through so much to meet again.
Lyra’s eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the other mare, and once more Lyra could not help but think how attractive she was: her soft cream coat, her magnificently curled pink and blue mane, her earnest, honest teal eyes that seemed to stare directly into Lyra’s very soul…
Lyra swallowed inaudibly and pulled her suitcase even tighter against herself. …oh pony feathers…
“Hello again, Lyra,” said the mare in the doorway, her voice as gentle as butterscotch and as smooth as warm caramel. “I was wondering if you were having problems finding my house – if you hadn’t shown up by nightfall, I was going to send out a search party!” The mare giggled lightly as her eyes found the hole in the note hovering next to Lyra. “Although I can see why you might have had problems… it seems a horn isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?”
Lyra blushed deeply, and after a moment she managed to find her voice. “U-uh… yeah, I had to try and remember your address after the… incident… and I couldn’t seem to recall it correctly…” Her ears perked up slightly and she managed to smile sheepishly. “But everypony in Ponyville was so nice to me! They helped me find your house, even if it did take me a lot longer than I’d hoped…” Her smile shrank and her ears drooped once more. “Sorry it took me so long, Bonbon…”
The earth pony shook her head, her lustrous mane bouncing around her shoulders as she did. “Oh don’t you worry about it,” she said with a bright smile, “I’m just glad you found me! Come on in!” Bonbon turned and hurried back inside the cottage and Lyra followed closely behind her, her magic nudging the door gently closed as soon as she was beyond it.
Bonbon’s home was, to Lyra’s sensibilities, the perfect picture of cozy village life: it had a fireplace in the living room, warm lighting that filled it to the rafters, light-colored furniture so brilliantly polished that it practically glowed, and a lovely kitchen just beyond the living area that looked like it belonged on the cover of “Equestrian Housekeeping” magazine. The unicorn’s eyes slowly grew wider and wider as Bonbon gave her the grand tour, her city-bred concepts of what life in Ponyville was going to be like slowly growing fainter and fainter as she saw more and more that she loved about the quaint little house. It’s like something right out of a folk story, she thought weakly as Bonbon led her to the stairs. My mother told me that I’d be practically camping out here in Ponyville, but this is absolutely gorgeous! She pulled her suitcase close to her chest with her magic, her golden eyes glowing with happiness and possibilities. It’s more than I could have ever hoped for!
“And this is the upstairs,” the earth pony said as the pair crested the second floor, “where the bathroom and the bedrooms are!” Bonbon pointed to the left side of the hallway, where the first door from the stairs was situated. “That’s going to be your room, Lyra – right near the stairs and next to the bathroom!” She pointed down the wall to the next door. “That’s the bathroom, naturally, and the next one…” Her hoof jumped sides of the hallway and pointed to a door very near the end of the hall. “That one at the end is mine!”
Lyra stared eagerly at the door that stood between her and her new room, her hooves itching to dart forward and examine the place she’d be living from now on, and after a moment she heard Bonbon giggle.
“Go ahead, Lyra! Go check it out – I wanna know if you like it!” The unicorn’s gaze darted to the earth pony, who gave her a smile and a wink that made Lyra blush all over again.
“Th-thank you!” she managed to stutter, her excitement bubbling up in her chest as she hurried around the other mare and practically leaped to the door. Her magic flashed, twisting the knob and pushing the door open in one perfect movement and allowing Lyra to enter her very own rustic village world.
The first thing that she noticed was that the room was small compared to her room back in her parent’s home, but before that thought could have any effect on her mood a squeal of excitement filled her throat and blasted every shred of her negativity away. The room that was now hers had a window that looked out into the darkening street in front of the little house, a beautiful bed clearly made for a single pony and a small reading desk set against the wall with the window; it was trussed up in the same rustic style as the rest of the home, and the realization that she was going to be allowed to live here filled Lyra with glee that she was having trouble containing.
“Oh my gosh this is so gorgeous!” she gushed, her hooves dancing in place as her eyes tried to take in everything at once. “Just look at the wood of the bed! And the cute little curtains on the window!” She let out a girlish squeal once more before turning back to Bonbon, who was watching her with an equally excited expression.
“I know, right?! I absolutely love the country aesthetic, and even though I could have gone with any style for this house I really wanted it to scream-,”
“’Equestrian Housekeeping’?” Lyra finished for her, and the earth pony’s eyes widened almost as much as her smile did.
“YES! Exactly!” Bonbon’s smile lit up the whole room, and Lyra felt her heart skip a beat as the earth pony’s full, luxurious tail swished behind her in excitement. “It’s like you read my mind, Lyra!”
“Oh, stop it, you,” muttered Lyra with a wave of her hoof. “I can’t read minds!” Although if I could then things in my life would be a whole lot easier, she admitted silently. She shifted the hovering suitcase down to her right side, the golden aura shimmering in the soft light of the cozy room.
To her delight Bonbon laughed at her comment, the other mare’s mirth flowing like sparkling magic of her own through the entire room. The sound caressed Lyra’s coat and made her smile broadly as excitement welled up inside of her. Even her laugh is nice… it really makes me feel like I’m welcome… like this is home.
“Oh Lyra, I don’t actually think you can read minds! I don’t think anypony should have that kind of ability!” Bonbon gave her head a shake that made her beautiful dual-toned mane bounce before she turned her eyes back to the unicorn, the depths of her soft teal eyes sparkling as she pointed to Lyra’s suitcase. “You should totally stash that away so we can go back downstairs. I’d like to start making dinner soon, and since it’s going to be your very first dinner here with me…” She trailed off into a bright grin, and Lyra’s eyes went wide as she gasped.
“…you’re going to let me help you MAKE DINNER?!” she shrieked.
“YES!” confirmed Bonbon just as loudly.
Lyra heart swelled until she thought it would burst, and before she could stop herself the unicorn stepped backwards into the room and spun in a circle, just like she’d done outside. I honestly can’t believe this is happening to me, she thought as the stepped into the spin. I really get to stay here in Ponyville… here, with the mare that I love… Her tail whirled behind her as her magic pulled her suitcase along with her, its weight lifting it into a horizontal flight pattern as centrifugal force took effect. This is literally a dream come true!
Lyra squeezed her eyes shut, savoring this moment as she had very few others because she knew very well that, not only were perfect moments in life few and far between, they also didn’t tend to last very long.
And true to form, her perfect moment in Bonbon’s home lasted exactly one spin of the mint unicorn’s suitcase.
The piece of luggage whirled around Lyra and bashed itself into the footboard of the quaint little bed, fulfilling the mission that it had attempted with the mailbox in the street. Lyra jumped in surprise and opened her eyes at the loud crack that filled the room… and as she watched the latches on her very old suitcase pop open, every ounce of sunshine inside of her turned into the blackest night that she could imagine.
Her magic held the suitcase and kept it from flying into the air, but as it burst open it sprayed its contents out towards her – contents that fluttered into the air like a thousand angry birds, determined to take flight and reach the sky once more. The sound of photographs scraping together filled the room and quickly floated down from the air, covering the floor and part of Lyra’s back with pictures that varied greatly in shape and size… but the fact that Bonbon could see that her suitcase was full of photographs wasn’t what caused Lyra’s stomach to clench into an icy ball of fear.
The fact that Bonbon could clearly see that each and every one of the hundreds of photographs was of one specific pony… that made her want to throw up.
She found herself unable to move as the explosion of pictures finally settled and cast the room into a silence so thick that Lyra was almost certain that the silence itself was holding her in place. Her eyes stared straight ahead, where one of the pictures was stuck in the half of her suitcase that now lay open on the edge of the bed. The photo was of a purple unicorn, her tri-colored mane cut into a series of severe yet becoming lines as she stared into a book so intensely it looked as if her life depended on its contents. That’s one of my favorites… thought Lyra weakly. Her eyes darted to the floor, where the majority of her pictures had congregated, and slowly she turned towards the door where Bonbon was still standing, her eyes wider than they had been all evening.
As soon as Lyra’s gaze met the earth pony’s she released her magic from her suitcase and let it clatter to the floor as she turned to face Bonbon, her chest tightening as she held out a hoof towards the other mare.
“Bonbon, I- I can explain,” she started, desperation filling her voice as it filled her entire being. “This isn’t what it looks like… I…” The myriad of explanations that she’d built up for just such an occasion threw themselves at her mouth, begging her to simply choose one and use it to allay the fears of this mare who had so graciously opened her home… but as Bonbon held her gaze, Lyra felt the words die on her tongue.
The earth pony’s hoof shifted on the floor and, as Lyra watched in horror, she picked up a photo of the purple unicorn and turned her gaze to it. She stared at it for several eternal seconds before turning it towards Lyra, who saw that it was a picture that depicted the subject with a bath towel wrapped around her body… and from the window frame in the picture it was painfully obvious that the purple unicorn had not been aware that the picture was being taken.
“What… what is this, Lyra..?” whispered Bonbon incredulously, her eyes rising to meet Lyra’s gaze once more. The unicorn flinched, and a wave of horrible self-loathing rose into her chest as she struggled to find words, any words to say in her defense.
“Well… it’s, um…”
“Is this that new pony in town? The one who stopped Nightmare Moon?” Bonbon’s brow furrowed. “What was her name… Spotlight..?”
“Twilight Sparkle,” corrected Lyra, and the taste of the name on her lips brought a bittersweet clarity to her situation. I’m so sorry, my love… I didn’t mean for it to come out like this… “These pictures are all of her… of Twilight Sparkle… the pony I love.”
Bonbon’s disbelieving gaze darted to the picture in her hoof then back to Lyra once more… and then, to Lyra’s absolute horror, the earth pony dropped the photo, turned, and darted from the room so fast that Lyra barely had time to register what had happened before she was gone, her beautifully curled tail zipping out of sight beyond the door frame.
“Oh horse apples!” Lyra cursed. Her horn lit up once again, and with a single burst of magic she parted the photograph sea around her so that she had a clear path to the hallway. “BONBON! WAIT!” she shouted, her hooves clopping loudly as she hurried from her room. “I CAN EXPLAIN!!”
She skidded out into the hall just in time to see Bonbon’s tail vanish through the door on the end – into her own room. Lyra swore under her breath and hurried down the hall, her heart pounding in her ears as every emotion imaginable swirled together inside her: anger, disgust, horror, dismay, everything added a distinct flavor to her moment of despair, and no matter what she was shouting at the mare who had been so kind to her she knew that there could be no explanation… at least, not one that a sane pony would accept and understand.
She slid to a halt outside the earth pony’s door, and to her surprise she found it standing wide open, the gaping portal allowing a single beam of light to enter the otherwise pitch-black room… and at the end of that beam sat Bonbon, her back facing the door.
“Bonbon,” Lyra gasped, her chest aching as her heart pounded furiously against her ribs. “I swear… I can explain…” That lie again… She swallowed audibly. But what else do I have to say..?
“Oh can you, now?” Lyra’s ears twitched and she felt a cool burst of surprise in her head as the other mare spoke. She doesn’t sound angry at all… “Can you really explain why you have two hundred and seventy three pictures of just one purple unicorn, all stuffed into the sole piece of luggage that you brought with you from Canterlot?”
“I…” Lyra frowned. “How in Equestria do you know how many pictures I have..?” she asked slowly. “You saw them for maybe thirty seconds… there’s no way that-,”
“That I could have counted them all?” Bonbon turned around in the beam of light, her dual-toned mane and tail shimmering in the half-darkness of her room as she gave Lyra a smile that the unicorn could only describe as smug. “Well, I didn’t count every one of them… but I saw enough to extrapolate and come to a reasonable conclusion.” Her eyes, so warm and welcoming before, now looked at Lyra with cool calculation as she sat onto her rump once more, her tail curling around her hooves like a giant house cat’s. “And even if I hadn’t guessed precisely the correct number, you still would have been impressed that I got close,” she finished with a smirk.
“Well… you’re not wrong, I suppose…” Lyra shook her head and frowned deeply at the other mare. “Wait… why are you talking to me like this? You sound really different from the way you did before…”
To Lyra’s surprise, Bonbon’s smirk grew into a full grin. “Oh, that? That’s how I normally am. I’ve been told that I’m a very lovely pony to be around, and I’m certain that you’ll be very happy here with me…” She shook her head slowly, her gaze holding Lyra fast. “…but you’re lucky, Lyra… you and that crumby old suitcase of yours… because YOU get the whole enchilada.”
The earth pony reached out into the darkness with a hoof, and after a moment there was a click and light flooded the room.
Lyra’s eyes widened, and any feelings that she had bouncing around inside of her – fear, shame, self-loathing, defeat – they all numbed into shock as her golden gaze was assaulted by a sea of orange and yellow. Pictures of all shapes and sizes plastered Bonbon’s walls, each depicting a single orange earth pony with a long, flowing blonde mane. In most of the pictures the blonde pony wore a cowboy hat, but in a few – including one that had clearly been taken through a bush – she did not, and in those few her emerald green eyes were the forefront of the composition.
“Wha… who is…” were the only words that Lyra could find to squeak out.
“THIS, my dear Lyra,” said Bonbon wistfully, “Is Applejack… and she is without peer the most amazing, most gorgeous, and most beautiful pony in all of Equestria…” She took a step towards Lyra, her grin growing. “And this,” she said, waving at the pictures with her right hoof, “is why you and I are going to get along very, very well.” She placed her hoof back to the floor, and after several moments Lyra’s brain managed to kick-start itself into action.
“But… but why?” she stammered. “Why show me all of this?! I… I’ve tried so hard to keep this…” she winced, “…this obsession a secret… why just show me this on my first night here?!”
Bonbon chuckled softly and crossed the remaining distance between them, her mane bobbing perkily as she did so. “As I recall… didn’t your purple pony get Applejack’s help at the Summer Sun Celebration?” She sat down in front of Lyra and brought a hoof to her chin, her lips pursing thoughtfully. “And then Princess Celestia said that your purple pony-,”
“Twilight Sparkle,” hissed Lyra without thinking, and Bonbon grinned again.
“Yes, her… she said that Twilight Sparkle is going to remain here in Ponyville. So…” She gestured to the pictures of the orange pony on her walls, her eyes never leaving Lyra’s. “…we can infer that these two are going to be spending time together. Probably a lot of time together. Like parties… lunches…” She swallowed audibly, and Lyra noticed a soft blush creep into her cheeks. “…Sleepovers…”
Lyra’s eyes widened. “So you’re saying that… the pony that I love…”
Bonbon nodded. “…is going to be spending time with the pony that I love.” She reached out and gently poked Lyra’s horn, her eyes sparkling just as eagerly as they had earlier that night. “I bet it’s pretty handy having magic to manipulate a camera with,” she said softly.
“And I bet it’s really easy to figure out where ponies are going with your deductive skills,” muttered Lyra, the wheels in her head spinning wildly… but no matter where they seemed to land, everything was coming up Twilight inside her mind. The mint unicorn brought her gaze back to Bonbon’s, and her lips curved into the brightest smile she’d ever had. “Bonbon?”
“Yes, Lyra dear?”
“… I think we’re going to be best friends forever.”
Author's Note
And there it is: the creepiest thing I've ever written, barring some super-possessive boyfriend journals from King Sombra in one of my wife's stories. XD This was an idea that we came up with after watching season 1 again and noticing that, seriously, Lyra was ALWAYS there with Twilight and Bonbon was ALWAYS there with Applejack... just... yeah, it kinda writes itself at that point.
