Reality is a Lovely Place
But I wouldn't want to live there
One hundred-fifteen and one half. That was the total number of benches in the small farming town of Ponyville. The one half resulting from the epic fight between the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, and Lord Tirek (which seemed so long ago; years, almost). One would think that one hundred-fifteen and one half benches would be one half too many, and perhaps it was for such a small town.
But for the Unicorn Lyra Heartstrings, one hundred-fifteen and one half couldn't possibly be all that there was.
"This is the last bench, Bon Bon." It was a simple statement. Lyra's voice, however, spoke it with such a heavy, disheartened tone that her cream-coated partner couldn't help but cast a look at her.
"Oh, you kept count?" Bon Bon (who was actually a government agent named Sweetie Drops) prompted.
Lyra nodded. She was sitting up on her hindquarters, back rested into the bench while her hind legs dangled off the edge. Bon Bon always thought it looked painful and awkward, but Lyra insisted on sitting like that.
"This is the last one."
"Are you sure?" Bon Bon rubbed her chin. "I feel like we've been here before." The particular bench the ponies rested on this evening was a plain wooden one, overlooking a stream that stretched across a grassy field.
"Yup," Lyra pointed a hoof. "We were sitting on the bench opposite of the bridge over there way back when we heard about the dragon. And in that park is where we had our first date."
"I know, I remember it clearly. We sat on a bench and ate sandwiches." Bon Bon light-heartedly nudged Lyra with her muzzle.
"Good times," Lyra smiled. "So. What next?"
Bon Bon cocked her head to look at Lyra. The Unicorn gazed at the sunset, face laden with serious contemplation. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... this is the last bench, Bon Bon," Lyra repeated with a note of urgency. "This was kind of our thing. But now, we don’t have any more benches to sit on."
Bon Bon raised her eyebrows, biting her tongue to avoid giggling. "So? We don't have to just sit on benches. We can do whatever we want." Lyra pursed her lips, eyes wandering in thought. "...You're not afraid of trying something new, are you?"
"Hmm... what? No," Lyra shrugged. "It just doesn't feel the same. Not having any more benches."
"It's not the end of the world."
"No, I know." Lyra sighed.
It was silly, and Lyra knew it. The world didn't revolve around the pair of them and the benches they sat on. But Lyra couldn't help but feel like now that they've sat on the last bench, they would lose a little bit of that special spark. They didn't have to sit on every bench anymore. It was the closest thing Lyra ever had to a journey with Bon Bon. And now it was over.
Bon Bon, sensing that there was more activity than usual going on in Lyra's head, shifted to angle her upper body closer to her.
"Hey. You okay?"
Lyra half-smiled. "I suppose. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things."
"You know," Bon Bon said as she nuzzled Lyra. "We can still go out together. Read, go for walks, or do something really crazy, like sit on a couch."
Lyra considered this. "Hmm... well, couches are like indoor benches. But I don't think we can get away with busting into ponies' homes just to sit on their couch," Rolling her eyes, Bon Bon nodded in agreement. "And I don't have a couch of my own."
"That's okay. I do."
That's okay. I do. Why did those words make Lyra feel so... happy? Her golden eyes glowed with warm joy as she leaned to hug Bon Bon. The recipient struggled to return it in her prone state, but something gave her pause.
"Are you crying?"
"Mmm, maybe." She was. She definitely was. Lyra's voice was muffled by Bon Bon's mane, given that she buried her muzzle in it (which also happened to hide her smile). Bon Bon sat up, feeling somewhat alarmed.
"Hey, hey. Are you sure you're okay?"
Lyra sighed dreamily. "No. Catch me."
With that, Lyra's body went limp as she allowed herself to slide right off the bench. Bon Bon, hooves still around Lyra, yelped as she was dragged down with her. The two mares landed on the dry grass with a crackle. Lyra groaned.
"You didn't catch me."
"Oops," Bon Bon batted at Lyra's left ear. "On the bright side, you make a great cushion."
Lyra grinned, rolling over to face Bon Bon. For a while, they just laid there, breathing softly in the silence. Then Bon Bon began to hum. Lyra closed her eyes. It was the tune her mother used to sing to her to bed. The one she always tried to replicate with her harp. Lyra exhaled lightly as she felt a hoof stroking her mane and ears, briefly releasing her from the reverie.
"Oh, now you're just teasing me." Lyra moaned helplessly.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No. Not really."
So Bon Bon resumed, allowing Lyra to lay back and enjoy it. The sweetness of Bon Bon's voice pouring into her ears was so relaxing. Bon Bon actually wondered if she had accidentally sent the Unicorn to the realm of dreams.
"Hey," Bon Bon gently prodded Lyra, brushing dead leaves from her aquamarine coat. "Come on, let's get up."
"I don't want to." Lyra pouted.
"I know," Bon Bon giggled. "But we haven't eaten since lunch. What do you say we go back to my house? I can fix us up some stew or something."
Lyra sighed, mumbling in agreement as she stood up. Bon Bon shouldered her playfully as she swished her tail at Lyra.
"Besides, I bet my couch is a lot comfier."
