Lyra Heartstrings grinned at the mirror, and her reflection’s bedazzling smile shone back at her. Stepping back, she inspected every aspect of her body. The results, she was proud to say, were nothing short of spectacular.
Her coat shimmered in the sunlight that poured in through the open window and felt as soft as it looked. She flicked her freshly brushed tail and adjusted her bangs so they did nothing to hide her brilliant golden eyes. Besides her cutie mark, they were her favourite thing about herself. To test its effect, she put on her best coquettish grin. It needed to fall somewhere between confident and easygoing with just a touch of nervousness.
Normally, the nervousness wouldn’t be faked, but today was different. Today was special. Today, she had to make sure to force the feeling of butterflies for that perfect smile any mare would fall for. Or, in her case, one mare in particular.
Weeks of flirting, sashaying her hips, batting her eyes, and everything else had gotten her nowhere. Today, though, was the one day that anything and everything could happen because today was the most important day in the Heartstrings family calendar.
Today was Saint Paddy Wagon’s Day.
And today Lyra was going to get Bon Bon to go out with her.
Lyra stared down her reflection. Even though it was all but guaranteed they’d be dating by the end of the day, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure everything was perfect. Just in case. A small frown tugged at her lips and she tried parting her mane to the left over her horn. Deciding she liked it the way it was, she reached for her brush once more.
After a few minutes of experimenting, she sighed. She was stalling. She looked back up at the mirror and flashed a smile. Stunning.
“Okay,” she said, letting out a breath. “You can do this.”
Nodding to herself, she set down her brush and walked out the bathroom to the door, pausing only to fix a four-leaf clover behind her ear before she started making her way through the streets of Ponyville. A little extra luck never hurt.
A spring snuck into her step as she weaved through town square. Everypony around her was wearing green. Green scarves, earrings, and hats decorated roaming townsfolk. Those fortunate enough to be born with green coats or green in their manes held glints in their eyes and shared knowing smiles.
It was a good day to be Neighlic. It felt like she was charged with energy—the luck of the Neighlic, as her grandma used to say. For the Heartstrings family, it made anything possible.
Bon Bon’s confectionary came into view as Lyra rounded a corner and some of that energy fizzled away. Butterflies took wing in her stomach as she neared the door. Maybe that touch of nervousness wouldn’t be so hard to put on after all.
A bell chimed overhead as she pulled the door open and was drawn in by the most delectable sugary sweet aromas. Candies, chocolates, taffies, gummies, and lollipops of all kinds lined the shelf walls. Customers ambled by, scooping up goodies into bags while foals begged for a taste of everything.
And there, standing at the register, was the mare of Lyra’s dreams. A picture-perfect but genuine smile rested over her face as she rang a customer through. Even in the store’s lighting her beige coat seemed to glow, and Lyra knew it came from doing what made her happiest. Blue and pink curls bobbed as she lifted her head to see who had just walked in.
Bright blue eyes met gold and the smile on Bon Bon’s face faltered for barely a second. Lyra’s heart skipped a beat and a dozen more butterflies joined the ones in her stomach.
Keep it cool, she told herself as she moved her hooves closer to the counter. As the smells of the confectionary washed over her, she felt the fluttering in her stomach ease up. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting the calming feeling spread through her chest. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of the register.
Bon Bon tapped her hooves on the counter and glanced to the side. Lyra tried not to let her confidence waver when she saw her ears fold back. “Hey, Lyra.”
The weeks of flirting had been awkward for both parties. Lyra knew she needed to open with something strong—something to grab Bon Bon’s attention. “Hello, beautiful. Or can I just call you Bon Bon?”
Bon Bon groaned and rubbed her cheeks. To Lyra’s delight, they were the faintest shade of pink. “Do we have to go through this again?”
A wide, toothy smile bloomed over Lyra’s face. “Until you go out with me, you can bet your cute little flank that we do!”
“Lyra!” Bon Bon hissed, leaning over the counter. Lyra was more than happy to return the gesture, bringing them closer together. “There are foals present! With their parents, I might add!”
“Aww, but Bonnie . . .” Lyra pouted. “You get so adorable when you’re all flustered.”
Grumbling, Bon Bon moved back behind the register. “Is there something I can help you with? Maybe related to candy?”
“Can’t I visit my favourite mare on my favourite holiday?” Lyra asked, weaving innocence into her voice.
“Holiday? What holi—Oh.” Bon Bon blinked, staring at the four-leaf clover tucked into Lyra’s mane. Lyra wiggled her ears and grinned. “Huh. Happy Saint Paddy Wagon’s Day. I guess that explains why everypony’s wearing green.”
Lyra’s smile trembled with the effort of keeping her laughter in check. “Most ponies, Bonnie. Some ponies, like me, are just naturally green. Others, like a certain mare I know, happened to forget.” She waggled her eyebrows and her horn glowed in a golden aura. “And you know what happens to ponies who don’t wear green on Saint Paddy’s day, don’t you?”
A wrinkle formed in Bon Bon’s brow as it furrowed. Then, her eyes widened and her face flushed from her neck to the tips of her ears. “L-Lyra Heartstrings!” she squeaked, eyeing Lyra’s horn and covering her flank with her tail. “Don’t you dare!”
“You know you want to,” Lyra sang. “Come on, Bonnie. You’re not wearing green, so you owe me one little pinch wherever I want!”
Somehow, Bon Bon’s face turned even redder and she hugged her tail protectively over her flank. “Don’t!”
With a wry grin, Lyra cut the magic flowing to her horn. “All right, but you’ve got to do something for me. I don’t let go of my Saint Paddy’s Day pinches lightly.”
That seemed enough to convince Bon Bon as she lowered her tail. Caution reflected in her eyes, though, and her shoulders were squared and tense. “What do you want?”
“Well, let’s just put it this way,” Lyra started, leaning across the counter. She took her time looking over Bon Bon’s frame and licked her lips. “You look like you’re magically delicious, and I happen to be a cereal lovemaker.”
Bon Bon blinked. A lapse of silence fell between them, the sounds of other ponies in the store fading away.
Lyra donned a toothy grin and winked. Perfect.
Bon Bon blinked again. Her jaw opened and closed, but no sound came out save for a strangled noise in the back of her throat. Her face flushed a cherry red before she finally managed to sputter out, “E-excuse me?!”
Lyra’s grin faltered. That wasn’t the reaction she was going for. Blushing? Yes. Adorably flustered and unable to speak? Absolutely. Wide eyes filled with shock bleeding away to what she really hoped wasn’t anger? Definitely not. “Um,” she said, clearing her throat and throwing her grin back on, “I said you look like you’re—”
“‘Magically delicious?’” Bon Bon shook her head. “I can’t believe you sometimes, Lyra.” Her voice softened, and Lyra’s ears perked up to better catch her next words. “When are you going to learn that these stupid lines aren’t going to work?”
At that, Lyra’s smile returned in full force. “Never!” she cheered, propping herself up on the counter to meet the eyes she’d been daydreaming about for weeks. “Know why? Because you totally love them and you’re just too stubborn to admit it!”
“Or maybe you’re too stubborn to see that they won’t work.” Bon Bon sighed and rubbed her temple. “Is there anything I can actually do for you or are you just here to give me a headache?”
“Oh, it’s not about what you can do for me.” Lyra hopped up onto the counter and leaned on the register. A line had formed behind her and ponies directed varying degrees of irritated looks her way. Not that it mattered—she always loved an audience. “It’s all about what I can do for you.”
“Like getting out of my store before I file for a restraining order?” Bon Bon arched her brow. “The legal office is just down the street.”
“Please, if you wanted to do that you would’ve already. You dig me, I dig you, and all these ponies are going to watch me prove it.” Waggling her ears, Lyra leaned down to bring her nose to nose with her soon-to-be girlfriend. She sniffed and her heart did a little conga in her chest. Bon Bon always smelled of something sweet—a smell that kept on dragging Lyra back for more. “Want to know how?”
Bon Bon’s eyes flicked from Lyra to the queue of ponies on the other side of the counter. She rolled her eyes and snorted. “How are you going to prove it, Lyra?”
Choosing to ignore the flatness of her voice, Lyra lidded her eyes. “I told you that this is all about what I can do for you. It looks to me like you could use a little luck,” she said, lowering her voice to a husky whisper. “And it just so happens that my lips are like the Blarney Stone. Give ‘em a kiss for good luck.”
Somepony behind her groaned.
Bon Bon followed suit. “You’re kidding.”
“Only one way to find out,” Lyra purred. On some level, she just knew that Bon Bon must have been forcing herself to keep from trembling. Her smolder was perfect. Even its reflection made Lyra a little weak in the knees.
“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, her voice strained, “I’m going to have to ask you to buy something or get out.”
It was an admirable performance, but Lyra saw weakness in the other mare’s armor. “How about I buy you a nice dinner instead?” She waggled her ear with the four-leafed clover tucked in beside it. “We’ll see where things go from there. I’m feeling pretty lucky today, though. Fair warning.”
“Might I recommend the candied rose petals?” Bon Bon asked, squaring her shoulders and scrunching her muzzle up in defiance.
There was an opportunity and Lyra took it. “Why would I want those when I’ve got my eyes on the sweetest thing in the store?”
A streak of red blossomed over Bon Bon’s face. “I-I—You—” Something between a whine and a frustrated groan escaped from her throat and she stomped her hoof. “No! No, no, no! Take your ridiculous pick-up lines and get out of my store!”
“Come on!” Lyra slid off the counter, but kept her eyes fixed on Bon Bon’s adorably blushing face. “Just one little dinner. You, me, some pasta, and a couple bottles of red wine. I’ll make it worth your while.” She winked. “That’s a Neighlic promise!”
“Out!” Bon Bon barked, pointing at the door.
Lyra opened her mouth, another quip ready on the tip of her tongue, when an impatient cough turned her head. The queue of shoppers had grown and so had the irritation she felt coming off of them in waves. “Fine,” she said, stepping away from the register to let the next pony in line move forward. “But this isn’t over! I’m not giving up until you agree to go on a date with me!”
“Of course you’re not.” Bon Bon sighed as she started ringing the pony through.
“Mark my words! By the end of the day we’ll be having the most romantic dinner of your life!” Lyra announced, working her way backwards to the store entrance. She waved her hoof in a wide arc and said, “All of you bear witness to these last few hours of Bon Bon’s single life!”
“Consider them marked, Lyra,” Bon Bon said in a bored tone. The smallest of smiles made her lips twitch. “That comes to eight bits even, Noteworthy.”
“Oh, they best be!” Lyra beamed, swinging the door open. “Because it’s Saint Paddy’s Day, and I’m going to shamrock your world!”
A chorus of groans and Bon Bon’s yelp of protest followed her exit. She immediately set out through town square if only to give her hooves something to do while her mind and heart raced. While not exactly according to plan, it was a start. She held the image of a flustered, blushing, and squeaking Bon Bon in her mind’s eye and found that her legs had carried her from a canter to a skipping trot of their own accord.
All she needed to do was provide one last little push and the prettiest mare in Ponyville would be putty in her hooves. Lucky for her, she had plenty more to deliver and an entire day in which to make good on her promise.
Lyra’s hooves danced across the harp she held in the golden aura of her magic. Usually she’d be playing her lyre, but given the holiday, her grandmother’s old harp seemed more fitting. The instrument sung as notes rang out with each pluck of the strings. She closed her eyes, focusing on the movement of her hooves and letting herself fall into the melody.
An easy smile spread over her lips. Music always had a way of clearing her head and easing her nerves. Not that she was nervous. There was still plenty of time. Granted, the last few attempts at Bon Bon’s store were not exactly successful, but they weren’t outright failures, either. She got the hint that she should avoid the store for the time being, though, when Bon Bon threw a handful of sugar-coated flower petals at her the last time.
It wasn’t all bad. A few free, sugary treats were nothing to scoff at. And, she learned to avoid the particularly risque lines. In her books, that was a win. Marginally.
All things considered, returning to the shop now would likely be met with more of the angry Bon Bon and less of the flustered Bon Bon she adored. All she had to do was wait for her prey to leave the shop, and then she would pounce.
When she stopped her playing to adjust herself on the park bench, she was surprised to be greeted with a polite stomping. A few ponies had stopped to listen to her and she made sure to smile and wave at them as they moved along now that the impromptu performance had ended.
Letting out a breath, she leaned back against the bench and set her harp down next to her. The clock tower chimed, filling the quiet left in the wake of her practice, and the muscles around her shoulders and back tightened up.
One o’clock.
Lyra sat up, her eyes opening wide. Already? she thought, swallowing a lump in her throat. Her head turned to the end of the street, where Bon Bon’s shop sat among a row of other stores. Any minute now, the owner would walk out of the door, turn the sign to closed, and walk down the street to her favourite diner where she had lunch every day.
It would also bring her right past Lyra.
Movement behind the door caught her eye, and Lyra rolled her shoulders and picked up her harp. She started a simple song, humming along with the tune as she sorted through which line she should try next.
Just as she settled on one, a voice interrupted her playing. “Lyra?”
A giddy bubble of energy tingled down her spine and Lyra smiled widely. So much for nerves. “Heya, Bon Bon,” she said casually, stringing her hooves along the harp.
If anything would give her that final push, it would be the deftness of her hooves over the instrument. And, when everything would go according to plan, she’d using her magical hooves to make something else sing entirely.
Bon Bon quirked her head to the side and arched a brow. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a little break.” Lyra’s hooves danced once more over the strings as she brought the song to an end. “Thought I’d get a little practice in. What do you think? I could play something a little more . . . atmospheric. Just for you.”
The flat stare Bon Bon shot at her didn’t phase her in the slightest. “Taking a break from what? Pestering me all day?”
Lyra’s eyes sparkled. This was almost too easy. “Nah,” she said with a shrug. “Looking for leprechauns.”
Bon Bon blinked and gaped at her in an apparent loss for words. A few seconds later, she collected her wits and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but . . . leprechauns?”
“Where? Did you see one?” Lyra twisted around, cupping her hooves around her eyes as she looked around. She kept her back to Bon Bon, lest her toothy grin give her away.
“I . . . have you gone crazy on me?”
Lyra couldn’t resist. She turned around and almost fell over as a rush of laughter rushed up her throat at the look on Bon Bon’s face, looking at Lyra as if she had grown a second head. With great effort, she contained her laughter and lowered back down in the bench. “Just crazy for you.”
Though she rolled her eyes, Lyra saw what she hoped would become a familiar light pink tone colouring her cheeks. “Don’t tell me this is going to lead me into another one of your terrible pick-up lines.”
“What ever would give you that idea?” Lyra asked, batting her eyes. “Seriously, though, you want to help a mare out? Leprechauns are tricky.”
Bon Bon took a small step backwards. “You’re joking.”
“Nope!” Lyra cheered, hopping off the bench to bump flanks with Bon Bon. She looped a foreleg around her shoulders before she could skitter away. “Whaddya say? You and me, hunting those dastardly munchkins?” She flashed a dazzling smile and lowered her voice to a heated purr. “Maybe we’ll find one and get lucky.”
Making a noise of disgust, Bon Bon shrugged off Lyra’s hoof and stomped down the street. “I can’t believe you!”
Without missing a beat, Lyra fell in line with her. “Aw, please? If you don’t date me, then the leprechauns have already won!”
“Good!” Bon Bon snorted. “I welcome our new overlords. Anything’s better than this.”
“You don’t mean that,” Lyra said, skipping a step or two ahead to hide her grimace. She turned and faced Bon Bon, walking backwards as they neared the diner until her flank bumped into the patio railing. “I can read ponies, and I can tell that you like me! So, I’m not going to stop until we’re cuddled up on the sofa in the middle of a snowstorm.”
“As nice as that sounds,” Bon Bon started, walking past Lyra, “it isn’t going to happen if you keep this up.” She pulled the diner door open and shot a look over her shoulder. “Give up with these awful games of yours, Lyra.”
The door swung shut with a sound slam as Bon Bon disappeared inside, making Lyra wince. Plan, meet window. Wave as you go flying out. With her ears folded back, Lyra turned around and walked away from the diner, defeat swelling in her chest and making her head feel heavy. Her eyebrows tried to meet as she frowned. It wasn’t adding up. The glare Bon Bon gave her was not at all compatible with the same blushing, flustered heap of a mare she left in her store a few hours ago.
Then, Lyra blinked. “As nice as that sounds,” she mouthed, eyes flicking back to the diner window, where she saw Bon Bon’s head snap down behind a menu the moment Lyra turned her head.
A smirk pulled at the corner of the lyricist's lips. Those words had sounded genuine to her ears. As Bon Bon peeked over the edge of her menu only to duck back down behind it again, she laughed. “Playing hard to get, huh?” she shouted back at the diner, drawing a few glances from nearby ponies. “So be it! It’ll only make the victory all the sweeter!”
It didn’t matter if Bon Bon could hear her or not. All that mattered was that she still had over ten hours before the day was over. Ten hours before her Neighlish luck would wear off.
More than enough time.
A few of her precious hours later, Lyra found herself creeping down the aisles of the Worn Word, Ponyville’s secondhand book store. The owner, a middle-aged, yellow-coated stallion with specks of grey peppering his auburn mane, nodded at her from over his newspaper as she entered on the heels of Bon Bon.
After retreating from another not-quite-success at the diner, Lyra had elected to give Bon Bon some space and revise her approach. Distance made the heart grow fonder, or something like that. To the unicorn’s surprise and luck, Bon Bon chose to close early. No longer could she hide behind the excuse of Lyra ‘disturbing her customers.’ From the moment she turned the sign to closed, she was fair game.
Besides, old book stores were romantic. Or, that’s what Lyra’s old Canterlot friend Twinkleshine kept on telling her. Either way, it was time for another swing at her sugary sweet crush.
“Sorry,” she whispered to an earth pony mare, disrupted from browsing the shelves by Lyra bumping into her. She glared through the curly cerise locks of her mane before muttering under her breath and looking away. Lyra would have to make a note to apologize better to the mare—Berry Punch?—later. For now, she focused on the hooves walking further down the other side of the aisles.
Glancing at the titles on her side told her she was somewhere in the self-help section. To her best guess, the other side was the cooking and confectionary section. She strained her ears, listening to the voice of the hooves’ owner mumble to herself, reading the titles of books aloud. When the hooves stopped, so did Lyra.
The bookshelves were not solid at the back, which made it all the more easy to follow by catching glimpses of a cream-coloured coat from between the stacks. So, when Bon Bon on the other side of the shelves stopped, Lyra traced the path of her forehooves and lifted a small row of books off of the shelf.
As soon as a book on the other side was pulled away, Lyra smiled. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Bon Bon shrieked, jumping back and dropping the book she pulled off of the shelf. A gaggle of giggles sprung from Lyra at the sight. “Lyra?” Bon Bon asked, holding a hoof over her chest and staring wide-eyed through the gap in the shelf.
“The one and only. You shop here, too?” Lyra waggled her ears, feigning innocence into her words as she said, “What a lucky coincidence.”
“Lucky my left hoof,” Bon Bon whispered, shrinking under the looks no doubt turned towards her following her shriek. She inched closer to the shelf so that Lyra could only see her bright blue eyes through the gap. “You followed me in here, didn’t you?”
It took a few seconds for Lyra to respond, lost as she was in those eyes. She shook her head, and put on her practiced smile once more. Her cheeks only strained a little from the effort. “Maybe, or maybe I like to read from time to time. Like, uh . . .” Lighting her horn, she reached for the first book in the pile she dragged off of the shelf. “When Somepony Tries to Block, Show Them that You Rock, by Iron Will. Definitely picking this up. It’s a page-turner. I can tell.”
“I hope you enjoy it,” Bon Bon said, replacing the book on the shelf and moving further down the aisle.
Lyra scurried down in time with her, leaving the pile of books on the floor. Somepony else would put them back. Other, more important things required her attention. Namely, this included ducking down into the next row of shelves with Bon Bon.
Before she could open her mouth, Bon Bon sighed and ran her hoof along a number of books. “Get it over with,” she said without looking at Lyra.
“Get what over with?” Lyra craned her neck, reading the names of the books over Bon Bon’s shoulder. She smirked when Bon Bon’s hoof stopped over a green-covered book with glittering golden letters. “Clover the Clever, huh? If you thought she was clever, just wait and see what tricks I have up my sleeves.”
Bon Bon sighed and shook her head. “And there it is.”
“There what is?”
Bon Bon frowned and looked at Lyra with equal parts disappointment and irritation.
Lyra’s smile felt strained as she took a self-conscious step back. “I-I’m not hearing a no,” she said, her words coming out scratchier and feebler than she would have liked.
“No.” The tone of Bon Bon’s voice brokered little argument.
“Oh.”
A hoof found its way to her shoulder. Lyra followed it to its owner, whose eyes had softened somewhat. “This isn’t going to work, Lyra. I’m sorry, but it just won’t.”
Lyra’s eyes dropped to the floor at the finality of those words. Her ear flicked as Bon Bon walked away, towards the front. The stallion behind the register grunted a thanks as she gave him a few bits in exchange for a thin book with a worn blue cover. She spared an almost pitying glance before she left the shop, and Lyra watched her go.
As soon as the door shut, she sank to her haunches. Her shoulders rolled as she sighed, letting her eyes roam over the collection of books in front of her without taking in any of the titles or authors.
It didn’t add up. She could do anything on Saint Paddy Wagon’s Day. She got a role as a soloist in the Royal Canterlot tour of Antigone on Saint Paddy’s Day last year. When she first moved to Ponyville, she haggled a kindly mare moving to Manehattan down to selling her house for next to nothing. When she was younger, she scheduled her audition to the Canterlot Conservatory on Saint Paddy’s Day. She was accepted with a full-year scholarship.
Some might say that it was because she was just talented, but a stubborn, immovable part of her sensed that there was something more to it. The luck of the Neighlish was real as far as she was concerned. Grandma Heartstrings never lied to her.
So why was it failing her now?
Screwing her face up into an expression of defiance, Lyra rose to her hooves. There was still time, and she would not give up until she had wrung every last second out of the day. Maybe her luck, like Bon Bon, just needed a little push.
She turned and marched out of the little shop, feverish determination fueling her every step as she revisited her mental chalkboard. There was plenty of time to come up with a Plan D.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The smile Lyra gave Bon Bon was definitely strained. Plan D was another not-quite-a-success, and Plans E through G were similarly not so successful. She might even go as far as to say that Plan H was a failure.
All of it brought her to the Silver Saddle, where Bon Bon had met up with two of her friends—Golden Harvest and Amethyst Star—for dinner. Given the clock ticking down, she only felt moderately bad for intruding when Golden excused herself to the washroom.
“Nope, I’m the genuine article.” Lyra tucked herself into Golden’s seat, her smile plastered over her face. The corner of her lips twitched at the unamused look given in return.
“Lyra, there’s a time and a place. I told you to give up with this childish game.” Bon Bon gestured to her other friend, Amethyst Star, who looked between the two of them in apparent confusion. “Can’t you see I’m with my friends? It’s one thing to bug me at work and another to follow me around town, but this is going too far.”
“And I’m not giving up on you!” Lyra’s tail flicked behind her and she leaned forward over the table. “You can play hard to get all you want, it won’t stop me!”
“Um,” Amethyst said, eyes bouncing back and forth between them as if she were watching a tennis match. “Maybe I should let you two talk?”
“It’s fine, Amy,” Bon Bon said without looking away from Lyra. A good part of Lyra hoped she wouldn’t. “Lyra will be going in just a second, won’t she?”
“Yeah, it’s all good, Amethyst,” Lyra said, ignoring the second half of what she heard. She broke away from Bon Bon’s gaze to glance at the light purple unicorn. “Good to see you, by the way. I totally meant to get in touch so we could catch up after your welcome party last week, but you know how life is.”
“Oh, uh, don’t worry about it.” Amethyst squirmed in her seat, her eyes flicking to the bathroom door. “I didn’t even know you moved here. We should do lunch sometime.”
“Sounds like fun!” Lidding her eyes, Lyra propped herself up on her elbows, something that was starting to feel disturbingly routine. “Speaking of fun . . .”
Bon Bon snorted through her nose. “Oh, stop.”
“Alright, but first, I have a question for you.”
“And I have a feeling that you’re going to ask it anyways.” A pained look passed over Bon Bon’s face. “Lyra, please—”
Heedless of any protest, Lyra asked, “Is that a shillelagh in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
Bon Bon groaned and rubbed her temples while Amethyst giggled. Now if only Lyra could get Bon Bon to giggle like that . . .
“I don’t have any pockets,” she said evenly.
Lyra smiled as widely as she could. If Amethyst thought it was funny, then there must be hope. “Well,” she said, brushing her hoof against her chest. “Then I guess you’re just happy to see me.”
That prompted another wave of giggles from Amethyst and a stare from Bon Bon that could have curdled milk. It did just about as good for Lyra’s smile. Picking up on the less-than-amused vibe rolling off of her friend in waves, Amethyst covered up the last of her laughter by clearing her throat.
“O-okay, well,” Lyra fidgeted with the napkin in front of her and dropped her gaze to the tablecloth. Her mouth was moving on autopilot and before she realized what was happening, she was saying, “I may not be a four-leafed clover, but if you kiss me—”
“No.”
The frigidity of that one word was enough to stop Lyra cold.
“What I miss?” a new voice asked from behind Bon Bon. An earth pony mare with a pale yellow coat and a curly orange mane appeared at their table, looking between its occupants. Golden Harvest quirked her head to the side. “Lyra? What are you doing here?”
“Nothing.” Lyra slid out of the chair. “I-I was just leaving. Have a good dinner, everypony.” As she turned to walk out of the restaurant, she felt the three pairs of eyes watching her every move. She looked back to see Golden and Amethyst glancing at her and talking in hushed tones to Bon Bon, whose unwavering gaze followed Lyra out the door and through the window.
There may have been a semblance of pity or compassion in her eyes. Lyra didn’t know. All she knew was that time was running out, and she was getting nowhere.
The sun had set and the moon hung high in the sky by the time Lyra found herself standing outside of Bon Bon’s front door. Her home, like all homes in Ponyville, sat squatly among a row of houses. Two planters hung from the gutters and a small garden filled the space beneath the first floor windows. Even from outside, Lyra could smell the faint aroma of baked sweets that encircled the property—no doubt the result of any number of confectionary-related experiments.
With only a few hours left before midnight, Lyra knew that this would likely be her last chance to win over Bon Bon’s heart. Judging from how the rest of the day had gone, interrupting the candy maker’s sleep would probably win her fairly few points.
Which left her on Bon Bon’s doorstep. A cool breeze blew down the road, making her shiver and adjust the clover in her mane.
“Here goes nothing.” Lyra swallowed and knocked three times.
Several agonizing seconds passed before she heard the shuffling of hooves. The door opened, and Bon Bon paused mid-greeting. She composed her face into a neutral mask. It didn’t extend to her voice, however, as she said, “What is it, Lyra?”
“H-hey, Bon Bon.” Lyra cleared her throat and worked a smile onto her face. It felt plastic. “I was just in the neighbourhood when I thought I would come over and ask if . . . if, uh . . .” The rest of the line died on her lips at the withering stare Bon Bon leveled her with.
“Yes?”
An image of Bon Bon from earlier this morning flashed before her eyes. Her expression was irritated, but not without some small smile pulling at her lips or the faintest of rosy hues lighting her cheeks. Then, she was annoyed, but still amused. On some level, Lyra could tell that she enjoyed the attention.
Now, that amusement was gone. In its place was something colder and more unyielding. All this time, Lyra had been trying to push Bon Bon enough to agree to a date and now it was beginning to dawn on her that she may have pushed too hard.
“I . . . I . . .” Lyra’s mouth worked uselessly. Shifting her weight from hoof to hoof, she scrambled mentally. There had to be some way to fix this—to reverse the damage.
“Lyra?” Bon Bon tilted her head to the side. “Are you okay?”
“Fine! I’m good, I’m fine. I’m—I just—I just wanted to say—” Her thoughts racing, Lyra blurted out the first thing that came to mind. To her own horror, she heard herself say in a weak and scratchy voice, “Kiss me, I’m Neighlish?”
Bad mouth. Bad, stupid mouth.
Bon Bon stared.
A heavy silence stretched out and Lyra felt her brittle, plastic smile fall to pieces. Her ears drooped in time with her head. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” She sighed. “I’ll just—I’ll go.”
Bon Bon continued to say nothing. Her face was impassive while Lyra collected her dignity.
“I get it. No means no.” Lyra scuffed the doormat and looked at Bon Bon’s hooves, unable to meet her eyes. “Message received. I-it won’t happen again, filly’s honour.” She reached back to scratch her scalp when her hoof brushed against something in her mane. “Oh, right.” Using her magic, she plucked the four-leafed clover from behind her ear and, after a second’s hesitation, offered it to Bon Bon. “Here.”
The neutral mask over Bon Bon’s face slipped as the clover fell into her hooves. She blinked and looked from it to Lyra. “Huh?”
“They’re supposed to give better luck if you give them to somepony else.” Lyra shrugged. “Maybe it’ll work out better for you.”
“Lyra . . .”
But Lyra had already turned around. The sooner she started walking, the sooner she could move on. “I’ll see you later? I promise I’ll just be in your shop for the sweets next time.”
“Lyra, wait.”
Steeling herself, Lyra looked over her shoulder and flashed a false grin. “It’s all good,” she lied. Bon Bon wore a frown on her face and concern shined in her eyes. Earlier today, it would have been enough to make Lyra turn back around and try again, but no meant no. “See you on the flipside.”
Without waiting for her response, Lyra took off at a brisk trot.
One of Ponyville’s few faults was the lack of a proper Neighlish pub. In such a small town, bars were few and far between. The Golden Tankard was one of them.
And though Bon Bon may have shot her down, Lyra knew that she could always count on Guinness. Guinness would never say no to her. Well, the bartender Guinness might eventually say no, but the pint held in her hooves wouldn’t.
Lyra sighed and took a long drink. Smacking her lips, she reached for the bowl of pretzels sitting conveniently within hoof’s reach on the bar counter. Guinness refilled her glass on his way to another customer with a silent nod and flickering smile. She nodded in thanks at the golden-brown stallion before letting her head drop to the counter. The varnished wood was cool to the touch and smelled faintly of alcohol.
Sitting with her back to the front and with her head facing the far wall, she didn’t see whoever opened the door, but she heard them walk across the floor and climb into the stool next to her.
“Hey, Lyra.”
Lyra tensed, every hair on the back of her neck standing on end. With wide eyes, she slowly and mechanically pushed herself up and turned around. There, sitting just a couple feet away from her, was Bon Bon. The candy maker sat stiffly in the stool. The smile she wore was stilted and awkward, looking for all intents and purposes like she’d rather be anywhere but here.
But the concern that shone in her eyes was enough to melt Lyra’s heart.
And, tucked behind her ear, was the four-leafed clover Lyra had given her.
“Um,” Lyra said, her mouth suddenly dry. She reached blindly for her pint, her eyes trained on the mare in front of her. “Hey, Bon Bon. What—what are you doing here?”
“I was worried about you,” Bon Bon said, looking away long enough to catch Guinness’ attention. “You just seemed so . . . not you when you left. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh.” A surge of heat spread across Lyra’s muzzle, and she hid it by downing another gulp of beer. She swiveled around to the bar counter but felt Bon Bon’s eyes still on her. “Thanks.”
“Are you okay?”
Lyra tried for a crooked smile as she swirled the contents of her pint in her magic. “Nothing a few more of these won’t fix.”
“Lyra.” The aforementioned unicorn ducked her head at the warning edge to Bon Bon’s voice. Then, in a gentler voice, she asked again, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lyra said more to the counter than to the mare next to her. Her ears twitched as Bon Bon’s stool squeaked. She glanced to the side and found that Bon Bon had turned so that she was giving Lyra her full attention. She sipped at her drink to wet her dry lips. “I’m just getting over it. Getting over you. I need some time is all.”
A wrinkle appeared over Bon Bon’s face as she frowned. Lyra tried not to pay attention to how adorable it was.
“So . . . then what?” Bon Bon swiveled back to the bar. “You’ll get over me, and everything goes back to normal?”
Lyra shrugged. “That’s how these things go, right? I flirt with you, you kinda flirt with me, I try asking you out a bunch and make you mad instead of all swoony.” She stared at the wall and sighed, her ears folding back against her mane. “Then I get all kinds of drunk and get over it. Life goes on, except for the flirting.”
“You don’t sound too happy about it,” Bon Bon mused.
“Of course I’m not happy. I blew it!” With a groan, she flopped her head on the counter. “I was so close to getting you to say yes—I could see it! But then I had to go and push it too far.” She folded her forehooves under her head. “I wanted you to say yes so bad.”
They were both silent for a long moment. Out of the corner of her eye, Lyra watched Bon Bon stare at the shelf of bottles on the wall behind the bar. Sighing, Lyra joined her.
Then, Bon Bon cleared her throat. Lyra looked over and saw her chewing her lip. Curious, she lifted her head enough from her hooves so that her voice wouldn’t be muffled. “Bon Bon?”
“Why?”
Lyra arched a brow. “Uh, why what?”
“Why were you so . . . fixated on asking me out?” Bon Bon asked slowly, as if chewing over the words.
The other eyebrow joined its partner. “Because I like you?”
“But why me?” Bon Bon straightened, her expression puzzled. As she studied Lyra, some of that puzzlement gave way to frustration and she snorted. “You could have any mare you wanted, or stallion,” she said, narrowing her eyes. Lyra coughed and felt a streak of heat light her face as Bon Bon’s gaze roamed over her. “You’re pretty, funny, talented, and persistent, but why do you want me? Most other ponies would have said yes and you’d be happily cuddled up to them by now!”
The streak of heat burned into a steady fire under the fur of Lyra’s cheeks. Bon Bon thought she was talented? She thought she was funny?
More importantly, she thought she was pretty?
It was only after Bon Bon said her name again did she realize that she hadn’t answered. Draining the last of her pint to buy some time, Lyra did her best to order her thoughts. Why did she want Bon Bon?
In answer to that question, a slurry of memories frothed to the surface. Memories that brought warmth to her chest as she plunged into them and made the next part easy. “Why wouldn’t I want you?”
That made Bon Bon blink. “Huh?”
A small, genuine smile spread over Lyra’s lips and she met Bon Bon’s gaze without hesitation. “Bonnie, I’ve never met anypony like you. You’re sweet and kind and you make the best candy this side of Equestria. I’ve seen you make it and try out new recipes, too. The love you put into it and the look on your face when somepony smiles from eating your candy . . .” she trailed off, looking back into the dregs of her pint. “And I don’t care what anypony else says, you’ve got the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
They were again silent for a long moment. A glance to her right showed Lyra the stunned look on Bon Bon’s face as she sat ramrod still. The only signs that she was still conscious were the rising and falling of her chest and the blooming patches of red on her face.
Maybe you should have thought of saying that stuff earlier, dummy.
“Oh,” Bon Bon breathed after a time. She turned back to the bar, her movements slow and measured. “I’ve got pretty eyes?”
“Mmm.” Lyra nodded, sagging her shoulders as she slumped back down to the counter. A good effort, but the game was over. No point in holding anything back. “The prettiest. I kinda get lost in them sometimes.”
“Oh,” Bon Bon echoed.
Another lapse of silence fell, and another sigh pushed past Lyra’s lips.
Just as she raised her hoof to wave Guinness over, Bon Bon spoke. “You look like a likely lass,” she said, a hint of a smile pulling at her lips. “Want to take a craic at me?”
Lyra’s hoof froze and hung in midair and she stared at Bon Bon, who stared at the wall, her face cherry red.
There’s no way I just heard her say that.
Bon Bon whined and buried her face in her forehooves. “There’s no way I just said that!”
“Bon Bon?” Lyra gaped. “I . . . what?”
“A craic.” Bon Bon groaned from under her hooves. She curled up and made herself as small as she could, looking like she wanted to melt into the floor. “You know, a Neighlish word for gossip and fun conversations and stuff.”
“I know what a craic is,” Lyra said, lowering her hoof. Her eyes had not left Bon Bon and she tried not to let a sparking surge of hope overwhelm her. “But . . . what was that?”
Reluctantly, Bon Bon peeked her head out from her hooves enough for Lyra to see that she was chewing her lip. She also noticed that Bon Bon seemed even more reluctant to meet her eyes. “A really, really terrible Saint Paddy Wagon’s Day pick-up line?”
“I—Yeah.” Lyra swallowed as her heart performed cartwheels. “But . . . why?”
Bon Bon twiddled her hooves and her tail flicked back and forth. “Because I’m hoping you’ll still want to go out with me? There’s this really nice coffee place open late a few blocks from here.” Her tail curled up over her flank. “They have good brownies and croissants.”
Lyra just stared. Judging from how her brain scrambled to process what was happening, she was likely suffering from emotional whiplash. The voice singing somewhere deep in her chest told her not to care.
She was inclined to agree.
“I-if you don’t want to, that’s totally fine,” Bon Bon said, pawing at her tail. “I know I was a little harsh on you, but—”
“Yes!” Lyra cut in, reaching out to grab Bon Bon’s shoulder. She tried to keep her foreleg from shaking too badly. “I mean—Yes, oh my gosh, yes!” She squealed. She just couldn’t help it.
It was happening. It was finally happening.
At the same time, a nagging thought wormed its way through her mind and stilled her trembling. “But . . . wait,” she said, withdrawing her hoof. The worried look on Bon Bon’s face made her wince and she pressed on. “What happened to ‘no’? I thought you weren’t interested?”
“It’s . . . it’s not that I wasn’t interested,” Bon Bon said, her ears splaying back as a look of worn hurt settled over the contours of her face. It was a look Lyra didn’t like to see on her. “Because I was! I just . . . wasn’t sure if you were serious.”
Lyra cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“The pick-up lines.” Bon Bon waved a hoof, gesturing to nothing in particular. “The jokes. The innuendos. I’ve had bad girlfriends before, Lyra, and I’ve had flings that I thought were something more and . . .”
Lyra reached out and squeezed Bon Bon’s shoulder. A flush of warmth erupted in her chest when Bon Bon’s hoof fell over hers and returned the squeeze. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I guess I needed to hear you say it without it coming out like—”
“Like a corny line you’d hear in a place like this?” Lyra asked with a small smile. At a sour look from Guinness, she added, “No offense.”
Bon Bon’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re not mad?”
“No, not really. I get it; I should’ve said something like that earlier. I think I’m more relieved than anything.” Lyra’s smile grew into a full grin. It didn’t feel plastic anymore. “And completely on cloud nine right now, by the way.”
A snortful of giggles bounded free of Bon Bon’s mouth and she slipped off of the bar stool. Lyra could feel the warmth of her coat with how close she was. “Anything I can do to bring you back down to Equestria?”
Lyra could barely contain her excitement as she hopped off to join her. “Coffee. Coffee and brownies.” Picking up her saddlebags in her magic, she remembered to drop a few coins on the counter by her pint. “Oh, and maybe you. No . . . definitely you.”
“I think that can be arranged.” Bon Bon smiled and leading her out. As they reached the door, she stopped, turned around, and kissed Lyra on the corner of her lips. A jolt of electricity traveled the length of Lyra’s spine and she froze mid-step. “That,” the blushing earth pony said, “was for earlier, for giving you the cold shoulder.”
Lyra was suddenly many things, but cold was not one of them. A second later, she scrambled after Bon Bon and fell in line with her as they trotted down the street, their sides pressed together and Lyra’s heart singing a beautiful melody.
Her grandma was right. Today was indeed a magical day.
