“Lyra?”
“Yes, Bonnie?”
The cream-colored earth pony set her book aside and looked down at the unicorn laying beside her. “I think you need to get a job.”
Lyra, who had just closed her eyes for the express purpose of drifting off to sleep, forced herself to open one eyelid. “I already have a job.”
“You help me out around the candy store.” Bon Bon set to work fluffing her pillows. “I don’t even pay you.”
“You could start.”
Bon Bon’s muzzle scrunched up as she suppressed a laugh. No, she had to be serious. She’d been planning this talk all week. “I just think that you’re a very talented unicorn. I don’t see why you couldn’t use some of those talents to bring in a few extra bits.”
Lyra realized that sleep would not be coming until after this conversation was over so she reluctantly opened her eyes all the way. “But then who would help you in the candy store?”
Bon Bon looked down at her wife dryly. “Twist. My actual employee.”
“I could be an actual employee too if you started paying me.”
“Lyra, we’re married. If you worked for me and I paid you, where would those bits end up?”
Lyra opened her mouth, really thought about it, and then closed it again to concede the point.
“Exactly.” She sighed and lay back on her pillows. She rolled to her side so she was face to face with her beloved. “There’s a lot of really good opportunities in Ponyville right now. I heard that Filthy Rich just commissioned a new manor house for some prince and his wife. I’m sure they could use the help.”
Lyra scoffed. “Construction? Please.” She rubbed her chin with a hoof. “I could start playing events again…”
This time it was Bon Bon who scoffed. “Honey, you know I love your music. But Ponyville’s not really a big enough town for musicians to make money in. Even Octavia and Vinyl have to go to Canterlot or Manehatten for most of their bookings.” She also rubbed her chin in thought. “I’m sure some of the shops are hiring.”
“Ugh, retail?”
Bon Bon narrowed her eyes. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Let’s just say there’s a reason I do most of my helping out in the kitchen. Y'know, away from the customers.”
Bon Bon sighed as she thought about other options. “I heard they were looking for unicorns to boost the security in Tartarus.”
Lyra poked out her bottom lip. “A prison guard, huh?” She grinned. “That’s not a bad idea. I mean, could you see me messing with the monsters all day?” She made a silly face and waggled her tongue. “Just do this against the glass my entire shift…”
“Alright, maybe not the best idea.” Bon Bon closed her eyes in thought. “Maybe…”
“Bonnie?”
Bon Bon opened her eyes to see the concerned look on her wife’s face. “What?”
“What’s this really about?”
Bon Bon took a deep breath, took Lyra’s hoof, and kissed it. “Do you remember what we talked about last month?”
“We talked about a lot of things last month.” Lyra giggled. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“About us starting a family.”
Lyra’s laughter stopped cold. “Oh. That.”
Bon Bon pulled herself against the mint unicorn and snuggled her face into the fur on her chest. “I’ve been looking into our options… and none of them are cheap.”
“How ‘not cheap’ are we talking?”
“Well, from what I’ve seen, most mares like us usually use one of three options. Option one is a very complicated spell that would temporarily turn one of us into a stallion.”
Lyra smirked as she inhaled the scent of her wife’s mane. “That sounds kinda fun.”
“It’s also kinda expensive. And also kinda dangerous. There’s only a few unicorns in Equestria who can pull the spell off without a hitch and they have waiting lists that last for years.”
“So what’s the second option?”
“We find a donor.”
“...Kinky.”
“Lyra.” Bon Bon playfully punched her. “The selection process is very intricate. Even after we found a stallion one of us was comfortable with, we’d need to make sure that his biological history checks out.”
“Right. Don’t want a foal with gills, do we?”
This time Bon Bon did laugh. “No, we don’t. Which leaves the last option on the table.”
“Adoption?” Lyra attempted.
“Very good. It’s the easiest path for us to take but it’s also the most expensive. Plus there’s all sorts of tests and we have to go through a probationary period and… ugh.” She rolled away and covered her eyes with her hooves. “It’s all so complicated and costly.”
“But worth it?”
Bon Bon slowly nodded and looked at her wife. “I want to be a mom, Lyra.”
“So do I.” Lyra kissed the end of Bon Bon’s snout.
“No, want is the wrong word. I need to be a mom. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, ever since I can remember. I used to play with my dolls and I would cradle them and dress them and sing them lullabies…” Bon Bon smiled wistfully as she made a cradle with her forelegs like she’d once done with her dolls. “And I’d rock them to sleep and whisper sleep tight. Your mommy’s got you.” She looked up from her recollection to find Lyra smiling at her. “What?”
“Nothing.” Lyra quickly wiped at her eyes. “That’s just all I want to see now; you with a little one, rocking them to sleep.” She sighed and nodded her head. “I’ll get a job. A real one.”
“You will?!” Bon Bon lunged for her wife’s face and peppered her with kisses. “That’s so great! We can start saving and before you know it, we’ll be able to afford one of the options. Oh, Lyra! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Lyra laughed under her wife’s sweet assault and pulled her closer for a longer, deeper kiss. “I even know what job I’m going for.” She whispered when they parted.
“What’s that?” Bon Bon asked, planting one last kiss on Lyra’s lips, like a signature.
Lyra grinned. “I’m gonna run for mayor!”
A very pregnant pause passed between them.
“LYRA!” Bon Bon shoved her cackling wife off the bed and rolled over to turn out the light. “What am I going to do with you?” She snorted irritably.
Lyra clambered back onto the bed and used her magic to pull the blankets over them both. “Well, now that you mention it, I can think of a few things…”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes but still smiled when she felt her wife’s lips on the back of her neck. “You’re going job hunting tomorrow.”
“Deal. But what about tonight?”
Bon Bon smirked as she clicked off the light. “Tonight… you’ve got some other work to do.”
Author's Note
This takes place the same week as 'the Changelings Have a King' for those curious.
Happy New Year!
