Devotion

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Flashback: Lyra
Chapter 3 - Flashback: Lyra and Bon Bon
Chapter 4 - The Unexpected
Chapter 5 - Please Say Something
Chapter 6 - The Only Thing She Can Do
Chapter 7 - Lyra’s Heartstrings
Chapter 8 - Bon Bon’s Family
Chapter 9 - A Love That Will Always Endure
Chapter 2 - Flashback: Bon Bon

Chapter 1 - Flashback: Lyra

It was supposed to smell like sugar cookies.

Eight-year-old Lyra Heartstrings stepped into the house where her grandmother lived. Usually, Lyra loved visiting this house. Her grandfather would greet the family on the porch, giving the unicorn filly a warm welcome and a gentle tousle of her mane. After a couple of jokes and some questions about what she had been doing at school, he would open the front door. And as soon as she stepped inside, Lyra was met with a smile by her grandmother, who had always just finished baking a fresh batch of sugar cookies.

But two weeks ago, there had been a funeral.

It was Lyra’s first experience with the concept of death. She was old enough to understand the basics of it. Her parents explained to her that her grandfather’s heart had stopped working, and when that happens, a pony dies. When she went to the funeral, she saw him in the casket. It looked like her grandfather, but her young brain couldn’t completely make the connection between the vivacious old stallion that greeted her on the front porch and the motionless, carefully posed body lying in front of her. What she did know, though, was that her grandfather’s death made all of the ponies around her sad. And that made Lyra sad, too.

It wasn’t until her parents took her and her sister to visit their grandmother two weeks later that Lyra began to really understand the differences death could make. This time, there was no pony sitting on the front porch to jump up and greet them as they arrived. No warm welcome and gentle tousling of her mane. And when Lyra stepped inside, her grandmother was nowhere to be seen.

But worst of all, the house smelled different. Medicinal and uninviting.

It was supposed to smell like sugar cookies.

Lyra’s parents led her and her sister around to the room containing the large bay window that looked out toward the big oak tree in the middle of the backyard. There were two rocking chairs positioned in front of the window. One of the chairs was empty.

Lyra’s grandmother sat in the other rocking chair. As the others walked in, she slowly turned it around to face her family. Lyra looked at her grandmother’s face. It had always been wrinkly, but usually, the wrinkles framed a kind, nurturing smile. Now, Lyra’s grandmother was frowning. And all of the wrinkles just made her frown look even frownier.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Lyra’s grandmother said. The words were pleasant, but the frown stayed on her face. Lyra’s parents had visited a few times during the prior two weeks, but this was the first time since the funeral that they brought their daughters along. During the cart ride over, as Lyra’s father pulled the two girls, he had mentioned something about hoping to be able to change his mother’s mood. Now Lyra could see what he was talking about.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Lyra’s mother said. “Girls, say hi to your grandmother.”

“Hi, grandma,” Lyra and her sister said in unison. During past visits, they usually said it with a little more energy – and without prompting. But their tone matched the atmosphere in the house.

“Chorine, why don’t you show grandma those new moves you’ve been working on?” their mother said.

Chorine Nimblehoof, Lyra’s older sister by three years, stepped forward into the open space in the middle of the room. From the moment she first learned to walk, Chorine had exhibited a penchant for dancing. So it came as no surprise when during a dance recital, her cutie mark – a pair of half notes – appeared.

There was no music, so Chorine simply began to dance. Due to the limited space in the room, she couldn’t make the long, graceful leaps that she was capable of. She performed a couple of short hops in the same style, then dropped onto her hindquarters to exhibit some moves that allowed her to stay in one location while still showing off what she could do with her longer adolescent legs.

She stretched her forelegs to the side and over her head, swinging them in a full arc before landing on the floor. From there, she twisted the lower half of her body into a lying position, fluidly rose to her hooves, then kicked out her rear legs in what was technically a bucking action, although the motion was so graceful, the word didn’t feel sufficient.

For another minute and a half, she continued to move her body in ways that, if they had been performed more slowly, would have been construed as mere stretching exercises. However, Chorine executed each motion with a pace and gracefulness that made it clear that dancing wasn’t just her special talent – it was her passion. She finished with a twisting motion on her rear hooves that ended with a bow in front of the pony in the rocking chair.

“That’s very nice, dear,” her grandmother said. She seemed to mean it. But there was an unmistakable sense of resignation in her voice – a lack of enthusiasm that had never been discernable before. And she was still frowning.

“And Lyra’s been doing really well with her lyre lately,” Lyra’s mother said as she levitated a child-sized lyre from her saddlebag. Lyra accepted it in her own magic. “Show grandma how good you’ve gotten.”

Lyra knew that her mother was expecting her to pluck the strings of the lyre with her hoof. That was the way she was being taught to play, and it was undeniable that she had quickly become proficient with the instrument using that method. But in her free time during the past couple of days, Lyra had been experimenting with a different method of playing the lyre in which she used only her magic. And already, it felt to her like a more natural way of playing the instrument.

She had never attempted a full song using her unorthodox method of playing, but she was confident that she could do it. And if she was right, it would sound even better than when she played with her hooves. This was the time to try – Lyra hated to see her grandmother so sad. She was going to do everything she could to try to change that.

But first, Lyra had to decide what song she was going to play. She could play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or “Lundy Bridge Is Falling Down,” but she had played those songs dozens of times during her lessons, and they were boring. Lyra couldn’t play just any old song in this situation. She needed something better for her grandmother.

That was when Lyra remembered a more grown-up song she had heard during a recent family reunion. She had sat on the piano bench while the pony next to her played the tune and sang the words. She only got to hear it twice, but the song had stuck with her. And if her special talent was going to be music like she thought it would be, then she was pretty sure she could play it back.

With her lyre still suspended in the air, Lyra sat down on the floor so she could focus her full attention on playing. Hoping that her mother wouldn’t reprimand her for playing it “wrong,” Lyra kept all four hooves on the ground and instead cast a field out toward the strings. Manipulating the field in a certain way, she began to pluck them. The first few notes came at a relatively slow tempo while she made sure she was playing the notes she intended to play. It helped that the song also started out at a slower tempo.

Every note was true to her intentions, so she finished what she had been playing – it also served as an introduction – and began to play the song itself. The song had lyrics, but Lyra wanted to focus all of her attention on her lyre. Still, even though she didn’t sing, she could hear the lyrics in her head as she played.

You stepped outside to see that the gray clouds were expanding
When you thought the day was yours once and for all

Lyra took a quick glance at her family. Her mother and her sister looked a little surprised at her new method of playing the lyre. But they didn’t say anything, so she didn’t stop.

But each up has its down and you’re of the understanding
That into ev’ry life a little rain must fall

Lyra’s father had a different look on his face – a look of apprehension. Lyra realized that he probably recognized the song. Maybe he wasn’t sure she should be playing it? It didn’t matter – Lyra needed to keep going.

Oh rainy days, oh rainy days
Once again, you’re facing rainy days
Oh rainy days, oh rainy days
You hoped that you were done with rainy days

Lyra looked at her grandmother. The frown was still there, but Lyra had her attention. At this point, the song’s tempo increased by about ten beats per minute. Lyra sped up her playing accordingly.

You know it’s difficult to not give in to the sorrow
It’s hard to see ahead from inside the haze
Today might be a dud, but just think about tomorrow
You have to brave the storm to see those sunny days

Lyra closed her eyes, really getting into the song. Even though the basic tune was repeating, the tempo was getting faster and therefore more cheerful. Best of all, Lyra had yet to miss a note. It was almost as if she could feel the lyre become an extension of her magic. She was thrilled with the sound she was getting out of it, and that happiness was reflected in the notes she was playing.

Oh sunny days, oh sunny days
Soon we’ll all be seeing sunny days

Even though she had only been going over the words in her head, it seemed to Lyra like she could faintly hear the lyrics being sung.

“Oh sunny days, oh sunny days
The future’s looking bright with sunny days”

Lyra realized that the lyrics were being sung. She looked up toward the source of the sound and saw her grandmother, leaning forward slightly. And it appeared that the frown on her face was just slightly less severe. Lyra charged ahead into the final verse. As she played, her grandmother continued to sing, her voice becoming a little bit clearer with each line.

“So put that frown away ’cause tomorrow’s getting started
And the brand new day will bring a brand new tune
We’ll see blue skies again and the clouds will all be parted
Oh sunny days, those sunny days will be here soon
Oh sunny days, those sunny days will be here soon”

Lyra played a three-second ending, stood up, and gently set the lyre down against the wall. The song had been perfect, and all without Lyra lifting her hooves off the ground. A grin grew on the filly’s face, stretching from cheek to cheek.

Lyra quickly turned her attention to her grandmother. And even though her grandmother’s eyes still looked a little tired, Lyra once again saw the smiling face that she was accustomed to seeing on each visit. The return of that expression made Lyra smile even more broadly.

“Your grandfather and I used to sing that when we first moved here,” her grandmother said. “Even though times were tough, we knew we couldn’t give up. That was wonderful, Lyra.”

“I learned it from grandpa,” Lyra said. His spirited piano playing at the family reunion had been one of her favorite parts of that day.

“Thank you,” her grandmother said. “That was exactly the song I needed to hear.”

Lyra beamed with pride. She looked over at the lyre that had responded so well to her magic. At that moment, she knew two things for certain. One: She loved playing the lyre. And two: She would never play it with her hooves ever again.

Suddenly, Lyra sensed a bright glow coming from behind her. Almost immediately, she felt a strange tingling sensation across her flanks. The unfamiliar sensory onslaught had come about so unexpectedly, it took Lyra a couple of seconds to perceive what was happening. By the time she figured it out, the glow had disappeared. Lyra quickly turned to look at her flank.

Which was where she saw a representation of a lyre, now a permanent part of her coat.

“I got it! I got it I got it I got it!” Lyra squealed. “Grandma! I got my cutie mark!”

She jumped over to the rocking chair, turned around, and practically shoved her rump into her grandmother’s face. She then turned around again and wrapped her tiny legs around her grandmother in a big hug.

Lyra’s grandmother hugged her back. “You should be very proud,” she said. “After a performance like that, you earned it.”

Lyra let go of her grandmother in order to show the rest of her family. She picked up the lyre in her magic and played a short, triumphant tune.

For the rest of the day, Lyra’s grandmother freely talked to her family, reminiscing about her marriage. And while the memories sometimes brought tears to her eyes, she relished the opportunity to relive each story. That evening, as her family left to go home, she stood in the doorway and bid them a fond good night.

And the next time Lyra’s family came over to visit, the house smelled like sugar cookies.

Chapter 3 - Flashback: Lyra and Bon Bon

Bon Bon was happy. Every day, she woke up happy. And because the sensation of such deep-rooted contentedness was so new to her, she was happy to be happy.

Her happiness could be attributed to one remarkable unicorn: Her marefriend, Lyra Heartstrings. As soon as they had come out to one another, they began dating. It was the first time Lyra had dated anyone since moving to Ponyville and the first time Bon Bon had dated anyone, period. They both immediately knew that they would never date anyone else ever again.

Lyra had been worried about how the small town of Ponyville would react to a gay couple. And Bon Bon, who was always hesitant to reveal any details about herself, simply wasn’t accustomed to ponies knowing that she was gay. Still, they both agreed that they didn’t want to hide who they were and how they felt about one another. They wouldn’t blatantly flaunt their love in front of other ponies, but if someone asked them, they would be honest about it.

As a result, their relationship became sort of an open secret within the town. And to their relief and joy, practically no one had a problem with it. Sure, there were a couple of older ponies in the Ponyville Retirement Village who voiced their displeasure at seeing two mares so close to one another, but on the whole, Ponyville lived up to its reputation as one of the friendliest, most loving places in all of Equestria.

Once they began dating, Lyra was the only pony to whom Bon Bon told everything about her parents. While she didn’t reveal where she had gone, she explained to Lyra that her parents effectively kicked her out of the house because of her orientation. She told Lyra about her failed reconciliation at Foal Mountain. And Lyra knew that Sugar Plum wrote to Bon Bon on her birthday as well as every time she and Straight Lace moved to a new city in order to keep her daughter updated on their current address. When Bon Bon and Lyra moved into a house together, Bon Bon wrote to her mother with the new address. But other than that, the only correspondence that Bon Bon ever sent was an annual Hearth’s Warming card. She didn’t even put her father’s name on the envelope.

Lyra knew that it was a sensitive subject – talking about her parents clearly made Bon Bon unhappy. And because Lyra didn’t like to see Bon Bon unhappy, she never said anything about it. She wished that she could do something to make things better. But since she couldn’t, she had to settle for showing her marefriend just how much she loved her, day in and day out.

Bon Bon supposed that as far as sheer mortal terror was concerned, the day she fought the bugbear was still the most terrifying day of her life. But terror comes in many forms, and the day she was currently experiencing was coming extremely close to taking the title.

She and Lyra had just left the Canterlot Outdoor Café. That hadn’t been the terrifying part. At the café, they had eaten lunch with Lyra’s foalhood friends – something they had done a few times since officially becoming a couple. Bon Bon remembered how excited Lyra had been to tell her friends that they were dating. She was there when the three unicorns got the news, and the congratulations the two of them received was heartwarming.

Now it was about five months into their relationship, and Lyra was just as excited to introduce Bon Bon to her parents. During the pre-meeting café lunch, it was evident to everyone, even without her admitting to it, that Bon Bon was nervous. Lyra’s friends assured her that everything was going to be fine. Lyra herself also assured Bon Bon that everything was going to be fine. In fact, Lyra had been assuring her of that during the entire train ride to Canterlot. And during the entire week leading up to this day.

But lunch had ended, and now Lyra was leading Bon Bon through a residential section of Canterlot that Bon Bon had never been in before. It was about to happen. She was about to meet her marefriend’s parents for the first time. She was carrying a thin box on her back, but her brain didn’t register its presence. Her legs began to feel like wet noodles.

As Bon Bon slowed down, Lyra looked at her. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I think you know the answer to that. I keep worrying that they’re not going to like me.”

“For the millionth time, they’re going to like you. They want to meet you. They’ve been wanting to meet you.”

“Of course they want to meet me. Because they’re going to judge me. What if they hate me? What if they say you can’t see me anymore?”

“They’re not going to say that.”

“They will if I screw this up. And if I say or do the wrong thing… if they say you can’t keep dating me but you do, then I’ve ruined your relationship with them. But I don’t want you to stop dating me, either. But I don’t want to put you in that position.”

Lyra stepped directly in front of Bon Bon. It was easy to do, as Bon Bon had stopped walking altogether. She looked directly into her eyes.

“None of that is going to happen. I’m positive. There’s no point in getting worked up over something that I one hundred percent guarantee isn’t possible.”

Bon Bon stared back blankly.

“I love that you care about our relationship so much that you’re this worried about it. But I promise you that everything is going to be fine. Better than fine. Just be your normal amazing self.”

Still no response.

“Bon Bon, breathe.”

Lyra took a deep breath by way of example. Bon Bon did the same. They exhaled together. Then repeated the process a few times.

“Let’s do this,” Lyra prompted.

“Let’s do this,” Bon Bon said. She didn’t say it confidently, but she said it.

They resumed walking. Lyra chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “You know, I don’t like being the down-to-earth one,” she said. “After this, I’m giving the job back to you.”

Bon Bon didn’t hear. Her mind was elsewhere.

Lyra exhaled through her nose and walked on in silence. Shortly before they reached the end of the street, she finally turned and headed toward a tasteful two-story house with a neatly-tended lawn.

“What time is it?” Bon Bon suddenly said, panicked. “We’re not late, are we?”

Lyra put her foreleg over Bon Bon’s withers as she led her to the front door. “I told my parents we’d be stopping by after lunch. I never said when lunch would end. You’re fine.” She rang the doorbell.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Bon Bon said. “Oh no – what if I throw up?”

“Give me a couple seconds’ warning and I’ll float over something that’s okay to throw up in. Just keep breathing.” She watched as Bon Bon shakily took another deep breath.

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged unicorn stallion with a smile on his face. “Lyra!” he greeted her. He stepped out to give her a hug.

“Hi, dad,” Lyra said, returning the embrace. “This is Bon Bon. She’s a little nervous about this, so please don’t pretend to be all strict and stern.”

“Aw, you’re no fun,” her dad said.

“I remember what you did when Chorine brought Gale over.”

“Hey, they still wound up getting married, didn’t they?” he said. “Whoops – sorry. Too early to be talking about that, I know. Pleasure to meet you, Bon Bon.” He shook her hoof. “Come on in, come on in!”

Lyra and Bon Bon followed him into the living room. Lyra gestured to Bon Bon to sit next to her on the couch. Bon Bon sat down on the center cushion, completely forgetting about the box on her back. As it slid off, Lyra caught it in her magic and placed it on the empty cushion next to Bon Bon. Lyra’s mother entered the room, introduced herself, gave Bon Bon a hoofshake, and sat down alongside her husband in a pair of plush chairs.

Lyra’s father broke the ice. “Well, I was going to start by saying,” he lowered his eyebrows and made his voice deeper, “‘So… you’re dating our daughter.’” His expression returned to normal. “But Lyra says I can’t do that. So instead: Tell us about what you do for a living.”

Bon Bon was grateful that they were starting with an easy one. “I’m a confectioner,” she said. “Candy maker. Oh! I brought you something.”

Bon Bon turned around to look at her back. However, she turned her head in the direction of Lyra, thereby completely missing the box sitting on the cushion next to her. When she saw that her back was empty, a look of panic engulfed her face. Lyra caught sight of that, ignited her horn, and levitated the box in front of Bon Bon, who saw it in her peripheral vision. She took it from the air and stepped off the couch to give it to Lyra’s parents. She then stumbled a little bit getting back on the couch. Luckily, Lyra’s parents were too busy examining the box to notice.

“I hope it’s candy,” Lyra’s father said as Lyra’s mother untied the ribbon and opened the lid. Inside there were two distinct shapes of chocolate-coated candies, one type of shape on each side of the box.

Bon Bon said to him, “Lyra told me that you like coconut…” she turned to Lyra’s mother “…and you like pecans. The rectangular ones are for you, and the round ones are for you.”

Lyra’s father used his magic to pick up one of the small bar-shaped candies while Lyra’s mother picked up one of the lumpy disk-shaped candies. They each took a bite.

“Mmm, these are good,” Lyra’s mother said, impressed. “Pecans and caramel. What’s in yours?”

Lyra’s father had already shoved the remaining bite of candy into his mouth. “Coconut and almonds,” he said while chewing. He picked up another candy before he finished his current piece.

“And you make and sell these yourself?”

“I make them myself,” Bon Bon answered. “I have an arrangement with the local bakery to sell them. But I take direct commissioned orders, too.”

“It’s not just chocolates,” Lyra added. “Peppermint sticks, gumdrops… you name it. If it’s candy, she’s the one who makes it. For all of Ponyville.”

“All of Ponyville?” Lyra’s mother asked.

“It isn’t a big town,” Bon Bon said. “But pretty much, yes.”

Lyra’s mother smiled and nodded. Bon Bon’s posture became slightly less rigid.

Lyra’s father, meanwhile, was picking up his third piece of candy. His wife looked over at him. “You know, it isn’t good manners to shovel candy into your mouth like that,” she said.

“I’d say it’s rude not to,” he replied. “These are delicious – I’m showing Bon Bon my appreciation.”

“Well, stop. You can’t eat your entire half of the box right now.”

“Can I eat your half of the box?”

She ignored the question. “What about dinner?”

“You’re right! I’ll want to eat more of these for dessert after dinner!”

Lyra’s mother rolled her eyes and placed the lid back on the box. She turned to Bon Bon. “Did Lyra say anything to you about dinner?”

“No,” Bon Bon replied.

“Well, we’d love it if you stayed. Provided you don’t mind chatting for the next few hours until then.”

“Not at all,” Bon Bon said. Her tone of voice was a little too eager-to-please, but Lyra’s mother just gave her a reassuring smile.

“Do you like grilled corn fritters?” Lyra’s father asked. “With a tomato and avocado salad?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir! You don’t have to call me ‘sir.’ But your politeness will be noted in your final review.”

Lyra stage-whispered to Bon Bon, “There isn’t actually a final review.”

Her father smirked. Then he stage-whispered to Bon Bon, “There isn’t actually a final review. But don’t tell Lyra.”

Bon Bon’s gut told her how to respond. Her paranoia, still working at full throttle, questioned whether she should do it. She chose to go with her gut – she stage-whispered back, “Okay. I don’t think she suspects a thing.”

Lyra’s mother smiled and exhaled a quiet chuckle as she looked at the three of them. “So you can tell which one of us Lyra took after. Anyway, tell us a little more about yourself.”

Bon Bon was ready for that one. She launched into a description of her upbringing that had just enough details – only child, moved around a lot – to sound like a complete answer, but left out both the unpleasant details of how she left home as well as the classified details of what she did before moving to Ponyville. Lyra, who knew about the former but not the latter, was prepared to jump in to steer the topic in another direction if need be, but never had to.

From there, Lyra’s parents chatted with the couple about how they first met, followed by stories of current events in Ponyville. With the town’s librarian having recently transformed into an alicorn, there was plenty to talk about. The hours passed, and by the time Lyra’s father prepared dinner, Bon Bon was feeling much more at ease. She was back to cracking jokes with Lyra and was happy to see Lyra’s father get in on the fun. Lyra’s mother wasn’t as much of the joking type, but she was a great conversationalist.

Once dinner was over, Lyra’s parents let the couple leave so they could get back to Ponyville before it was too terribly late at night. As they were walking toward the door, Lyra’s mother said, “It was really nice to meet you, Bon Bon.”

“It was really nice to meet you, too,” Bon Bon said. “Lyra’s told me that she misses you two and how great you are. I can see she wasn’t exaggerating.”

“Aw, we miss having her around, too,” Lyra’s father said, giving Lyra a gentle noogie.

Her mother said, “But we’re glad she has somepony keeping an eye out for her in Ponyville.”

Lyra’s father added, “And that she has somepony who makes her happy.” Lyra’s mother nodded in agreement.

“She makes me happy, too,” Bon Bon said. She put her foreleg around Lyra.

“All right, we won’t keep you any longer,” Lyra’s father said. “Come see us again soon. You’re welcome back anytime.”

Lyra gave each of her parents a good-bye hug. Bon Bon gave them each a hoofshake.

The two ponies left the house and began their walk back to the train station. As they reached the first turn out of the neighborhood, Lyra said, “Feeling better?”

Bon Bon stopped and shook the tension out of her body along with a long exhale. When she finished, she said, “That went really well, right?”

“Yes, it did. See? I knew they’d like you.”

Bon Bon saw the proud look on Lyra’s face. “Okay… you were right,” she said, conceding.

“We’ll have a ‘Lyra was right’ party later,” Lyra said. “Right now, let’s just get to the station.”

They resumed walking. Bon Bon said, “I really like your parents. I’m so glad they didn’t judge me.”

“They did judge you,” Lyra said matter-of-factly.

Bon Bon stopped. “What?!”

Lyra stopped alongside her and gave her a sly smile. “They judged you to be great,” she said. “Just like I knew they would. Because you are great.”

“Don’t do that to me,” Bon Bon said with a half-grin. They started walking again. “I’m just relieved that they seem to like me.”

“Not ‘seem.’ They do like you. Of course, dad likes everypony. It was mom that you needed to win over.”

“It was? Why didn’t you warn me?”

“And make you even more stressed out? I wanted her to see the happy, funny Bon Bon that I love. Not the petrified, withdrawn pony who’s so worried about impressing somepony else that she forgets to be herself.”

“I’m sorry,” Bon Bon said. “Thank you.” She looked around, then quickly gave Lyra a nuzzle as they continued to walk.

Later that year, Bon Bon spent Hearth’s Warming with Lyra at her parents’ house. It was the first time since she became an adult that Bon Bon hadn’t spent the holiday by herself. Over the course of the festivities, as she saw how warm and accommodating Lyra’s parents and sister were to her, she was nearly moved to tears. They made it abundantly clear that they considered Bon Bon part of their family. Bon Bon realized that she had sent the Hearth’s Warming card to her mother under only her own name. She resolved that next year, the card would be from both her and Lyra.

When Bon Bon stopped to think about it, measuring events by the passage of years was largely arbitrary. After all, the creation of a “year” only came about because ponies needed a shared point of reference so they could express the passage of time. The cycle of the seasons was useful for cataloguing events, but just because the cycle had reset one time since an event occurred didn’t make things any more significant.

In this instance, however, Bon Bon’s right brain easily shouted down her emotionless, logical side. One year had passed from the date that she and Lyra had officially become a couple, defined as the night they shared that first kiss. One incredible year as the marefriend of her favorite musician, her favorite free spirit, her favorite unicorn… her favorite pony. And that was definitely something special worth celebrating.

Both Bon Bon and Lyra had been looking forward to the day of their one-year anniversary. Because they had made the down payment on their house not too many months prior, money was a little tight, so they agreed on no extravagant gifts.

The morning began the way one might expect a couple in love to celebrate their anniversary. Afterward, they went downstairs for a late breakfast of waffles topped with fresh strawberries and cream, followed by the gift exchange.

“Let me go first,” Bon Bon said. As Lyra sat in the living room, Bon Bon stepped into the kitchen. Soon, she returned with a tray covered with multiple identical dome-shaped candies.

“It’s a new flavor I made,” she explained. “Just for us.”

Lyra looked at the candies. The exterior of each one was primarily cream colored. The top of each candy, however, was decorated with a pink swirl next to a blue swirl.

Lyra figured it out immediately. “Bon Bon bonbons!” she exclaimed. “They’re adorable!”

Bon Bon smiled. “Try one,” she said.

Lyra picked one up in her magic and examined it more closely. “They’re almost too cute to eat,” she said.

“But that’s what I made them for. Take a half bite.”

Obediently, Lyra bit through half of the candy – she had even subconsciously rotated it so the pink side was on her left, the same as when she looked at Bon Bon. The first thing she noticed was that the exterior was white chocolate – Bon Bon must have used a little bit of yellow food coloring to get it to match the color of her coat. And there was a subtle hint of strawberry and blueberry, presumably from the colorful dollops on the top.

But the predominant flavor to strike Lyra’s tongue caused her to examine the interior of the remaining half of candy still in her magic. Underneath the cream-colored shell, she saw a minty green filling with traces of a greenish-white swirl – probably a second variety of mint, Lyra guessed.

“I really wish that movie hadn’t made it such a cliché,” Bon Bon said, “but I can’t think of a better way to say it: You complete me, Lyra.”

Lyra began to tear up a little, which made it difficult to swallow the bite she had taken. “I love them,” she said. She gave Bon Bon a peck on the lips. “I love you.” She put the remaining half of the candy in her mouth.

“Those are just for you,” Bon Bon said. “For us. I’m never going to sell them. They’re our special treat.”

Lyra nodded as she finished savoring the candy. “That’s exactly what I was going to say about my present for you,” she said. “I wrote a song about us. For us. To celebrate us being together. Did you know that you sometimes hum to yourself when you’re in the kitchen?”

“I guess?” Bon Bon said. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Well, you do. And it’s usually the same thing. It inspired me to create this song.”

Lyra used her magic to pick up her lyre, which she had brought downstairs while Bon Bon was making breakfast. She began to play.

It began with a bright, sprightly little tune using the higher-pitched strings. After a moment, Bon Bon recognized it as a variation on the bases of some of Lyra’s favorite original compositions. Like Lyra herself, it was bouncing and carefree, although in this instance, the tempo was slower than Lyra would usually play such an upbeat piece. Soon, the tune came to an end.

Immediately, Lyra switched to a new tune centered on the lower-pitched strings. A more freeform sequence of notes that repeated after only about five seconds. Bon Bon momentarily couldn’t place where she had heard it until she remembered what Lyra said – it was similar to the mindless ditty she would often hum while she was busy making candy or cooking meals. Lyra had cleaned it up to be a little more musical, although as before, Lyra was playing it more slowly than Bon Bon would hum it. It made the tune sound… not completely sad, exactly, but a little down in the dumps.

Lyra brought that tune to an end, then returned to the first tune. This time, she only played a portion of it. Then a portion of the second tune. The first tune, now a little faster. The second tune, matching that new tempo. A shorter snippet of the first tune. A shorter snippet of the second tune. First, then second. And again. She let the final note hang in the air expectantly.

Finally, she began to play both tunes at the same time, with numerous brief instances of glissando between the notes, at the proper lively tempo. And they sounded amazing together. If Bon Bon hadn’t been witnessing it with her own eyes, she would have sworn that Lyra was playing two lyres at once.

Before long, Lyra was adding joyous flourishes to the song – a celebration of the way the two different tunes had become one. Gradually, the song became more grandiose. Finally, it came to a perfect melodic conclusion.

Lyra had had her eyes closed at the end so she could place her full attention on both playing and feeling every note of the song. When she opened them, she saw that it was Bon Bon’s turn to tear up.

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” she said. “Thank you so much.” She returned the kiss that Lyra had given her earlier.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.” She tried to blink the moisture from her eyes. “What’s it called?”

“‘Unified.’”

Bon Bon took a moment to appreciate the title. “That’s perfect. I love you.”

The two shared a long kiss.

That evening, they ended the day with more candies and another performance of the song. And on that same date in every subsequent year, they celebrated their anniversary with those two gifts.

Chapter 4 - The Unexpected

Three years can go by fast when you spend them with the pony you love.

But Bon Bon wouldn’t have traded the preceding three years – plus another month and a few days, if she was forced to be precise – for anything else in Equestria. Her relationship with Lyra wasn’t always perfect, of course. It had been tested both when Lyra learned about her former life as Sweetie Drops as well as when Lyra left to explore the human world. But both times, the challenges resulted in renewed confirmation of their dedication to one another. Those rare, brief rough patches had only served to make their love stronger.

Bon Bon found herself appreciating their love that particular summer night as the two walked home from town hall. Torch Song had found a stallion to marry, and even though Lyra only knew the vocalist casually, that was enough to get her and her plus-one invited to the wedding. During the ceremony, as the mayor spoke about finding love, Lyra and Bon Bon held hooves. When they left the reception, they discussed the evening’s events, walking side by side even more closely than usual.

“I still can’t get over Sweetie Belle’s song,” Lyra said as they turned onto their street. “She’s really become an amazing singer.”

Bon Bon nodded. “I can’t get over how big she’s getting. She’s practically a full-grown pony.”

“Wasn’t she only this tall just recently?” Lyra asked, motioning with her hoof.

“It sure seems like it. Nothing like seeing a foal grow up to make you feel old, huh?”

“I’m not old. I refuse to be old. I’m a firm believer that you’re only as old as you feel.”

“Is that why you made a blanket fort in our living room last week?”

“That was because blanket forts are fun. And I seem to remember you having just as much fun in Fort Polyester as I did, Miss Responsible Adult.”

They reached their front door. Bon Bon opened it. “Touché. We’re still young, and we still act young.” She stepped inside. “Some of us more than others.” She lit a lantern for the living room, then sat down on the loveseat that only recently had been moved back to its proper position.

Lyra followed her in, sat on the other side of the loveseat, and breathed out as she relaxed into the cushion. “That was a good wedding.”

“Yep, it was.”

Lyra opened her mouth, then closed it again. “Have you thought about…” she said, trailing off at the end.

Bon Bon waited. After a moment, she said, “Have I thought about what?”

“You know…” Lyra said. “A wedding.”

“Have I thought about a wedding while we were at a wedding,” Bon Bon stated dryly.

“I mean having a wedding.”

“Oh,” Bon Bon said. Her eyes darted off to the side.

Lyra just stared at her. Bon Bon looked back at Lyra.

“For who?”

Lyra gave her a look that made it clear she was not amused.

“I’m joking! I’m joking! You know that. Of course I know what you mean!”

Lyra waited for Bon Bon to continue. When she didn’t, Lyra said, “So? Have you?”

With a smile, Bon Bon said, “What, are you afraid I’m going to run off with somepony else?”

Lyra didn’t smile back. “You’re not answering my question.”

Bon Bon sighed. After a couple of seconds, she said, “I… it’s just… well, isn’t a wedding kind of like… bragging?”

“Bragging?”

“We know that we love each other and we’ll be together forever, right?”

“Right,” Lyra said.

“The whole town knows it already, too. So why do we need to make a big formal announcement about it?”

“Because our love is so special. Isn’t that something you want to celebrate?”

“By putting ourselves front and center before all of Equestria?”

“Well, why not? You have to admit that what we have is extraordinary.”

“Of course, but…”

“I want to show the world that we’ve found true love.”

“But we’d be…”

“We can be a great example.”

“But I…” Bon Bon sputtered. She struggled to come up with words. “Look, it’s just… I… we… I never wanted to be the poster couple for mixed-race same-sex marriage.”

Lyra scowled. “We wouldn’t be an example because of that. We’d be a great example because of our dedication to each other.”

“Yeah, but at the same time—”

Lyra cut her off. “Stop that. I know you don’t like the spotlight, but I also know that that isn’t what’s actually making you drag your hooves here. So what’s the real reason you would never want to do this?”

Bon Bon raised her forelegs defensively. “I didn’t say never. Hay, if you want to go to the mayor’s office tomorrow and get a license…”

Lyra glared at Bon Bon.

“…but that isn’t what you want. I know.”

“Right. So why isn’t this something that you want?”

“I guess I just don’t see the point of doing it.”

“Bon Bon… a wedding is a way – a beautiful way – to express our commitment to one another.”

“Exactly. We’re already committed to one another. Getting a whole bunch of ponies together in one place just to say it in front of them isn’t going to change anything. It’d just be showing off.”

“It’s not showing off. It’s a celebration.”

“It sort of feels like we’re asking for their approval.”

Lyra was momentarily dumbfounded.

“I love you and you love me. That’s always going to be true, no matter what. We don’t need to prove it to anypony else.”

“The fact that we love each other is the reason to do it. It’s a chance to formally declare that love in front of everypony. I want to invite all of our friends to a big ceremony and shout to the world, ‘I love Bon Bon.’ It’s romantic.”

“But inviting ponies is the big problem.” Bon Bon turned away from Lyra and began to project toward the open space in the living room. “You know you should put certain ponies on the guest list, and maybe they feel obligated to come, but they don’t really want to be there, and it makes you upset that they don’t want to be there, and then that becomes all you can think about… it spoils the whole day for you, and the entire point of having a wedding in the first place is because it’s supposed to be your day.”

Lyra remained quiet.

“So it’s a whole bunch of work, but you wind up feeling miserable, so you try to force yourself to be happy in spite of it all, and that just makes you more miserable.”

Lyra simply watched. Bon Bon turned to face her marefriend again.

“Lyra, what we have is amazing. The best thing that’s ever happened in my life – the thing that means more to me than anything else – is our love. And I don’t want a big, stressful wedding to put a damper on that.”

Lyra had a frown on her face. She looked down and quietly replied, “Okay.” She looked back up. “I don’t want anything to put a damper on our love, either. I won’t say anything more about it.”

The disappointed tone in Lyra’s voice did not escape Bon Bon’s ears. She put her hoof on Lyra’s shoulder. “You know that I love you with all of my heart, right?”

“I know.” She put her hoof on Bon Bon’s shoulder. “And I know you meant it when you said we’ll be together forever.”

“Absolutely. Forever. Eternity.”

“Eternity?”

“For all eternity. I don’t need a big ceremony to promise you that.”

Another month passed, and Lyra and Bon Bon found themselves in the middle of a lazy summer day. Neither one had any work she needed to take care of, so they were each relaxing in the living room. Lyra was sitting in the plush wing chair, reading a magazine. Bon Bon was standing at the side window, watching a couple of squirrels play in the grass.

Out of nowhere, Lyra spoke up.

“What would our couple name be?”

Bon Bon turned to look at Lyra. “Our couple name?”

“Yeah. You know how ponies refer to couples by combining parts of their names into one word?”

“Don’t they only do that kind of thing for celebrity couples? You’re the only celebrity in our relationship.”

“I’m not a celebrity. Our band hasn’t even recorded an album.”

“Yeah, but you went on that tour across the middle of Equestria.”

“That was just to get our name out there. We’re not famous by any stretch of the word.”

“Mm-hmm,” Bon Bon said flatly.

“It doesn’t matter – we should still have a couple name. So what would it be? Bonra? Lyron?”

Bon Bon put her hoof to her chin. “Lyra Heartbon? Heartbon. No – now that I say it out loud, I hear the problem with that one.”

“Bonstrings?”

Neither spoke for a few seconds.

“I think Lyron is the best so far,” Bon Bon said.

“You’re barely in that name at all. Bonra would be better.”

“Your name should be first – you’re going to be the famous one.”

Lyra ignored the comment. She let out a “hmmmm” as she thought. Finally, she said, “Our names don’t really blend together well, do they?”

Bon Bon pondered the original question for another moment. “What about just LyraBon? One word, capital B in the middle. It uses the first word of your name and the second word of my name.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. Shouldn’t it be the first word of both of our names?”

“You mean LyraBon?”

“Yeah.”

“Instead of LyraBon.”

“Exactly.”

A momentary pause. “You’re right. That does sound better.”

Satisfied, Lyra went back to her magazine and Bon Bon resumed watching the squirrels chase each another around outside.

After a couple of minutes, they heard a scream. Or more accurately, three screams in unison. It was the familiar sound of Ponyville’s flower vendors. In response, the squirrels ran up a nearby tree.

Bon Bon casually walked over to the front door. Lyra didn’t even bother looking up from her magazine. “What’s the ‘crisis’ this time?” she asked.

Bon Bon opened the door and looked down the street to see if she could determine what had gotten the vendors’ manes in a tangle. After a couple of seconds, something came into view. “Whoa…” she said with trepidation.

That caused Lyra to get out of her chair and join Bon Bon at the door. “Whoa,” she agreed.

Making its way down their street at about the pace of a canter was a large snake. The color of iron, it was a little shorter than shoulder height and about fifteen pony lengths long. Even though it was large, it was still narrow – a slender, round body attached to a slightly larger head. The fact that something that large was moving through town without making any kind of sound was somewhat eerie.

Bon Bon closed the door. Lyra used her magic to push aside the curtains on the nearby front window, where the two of them watched the snake pass by their house.

Lyra said, “That’s the kind of creature you’d need to report, right?”

Bon Bon replied, “It is if it sticks around for more than a week. If it just passes through town, then no. I only… have… to…”

She slowly stopped talking as two ponies about her age came into view, chasing after the snake. One of them was a light lilac-colored earth pony mare with a pink and white mane. The other was a unicorn stallion with a light vanilla-colored coat and a muted chartreuse mane.

Quietly, Bon Bon said, “What are they doing here?”, confused more than anything else.

Lyra watched the ponies run by. “Who?”

“Those are two of my coworkers from when I was a gardener,” she said, using the code word the two of them had come up with to refer to her former life as an agent for the Monster Containment Agency. “But they left. Why would they be chasing after that thing now?” She looked down the street in the direction from which they came and saw nothing. “And just them? Two ponies aren’t nearly enough to try to capture a monster that size.”

Bon Bon quickly stepped away from the window and opened the door.

“Where are you going?” Lyra said. Given the worry audible in the question, it was clear that she already knew what the answer was going to be.

“They shouldn’t be taking that thing on by themselves,” Bon Bon said. “I’ve got to go help them. Stay inside the house and stay safe.” She stepped back over to Lyra, gave her a quick kiss, then ran out the door and down the street.

“Stay safe? I’m not the one chasing a giant snake!” Lyra yelled after her.

Within moments, Bon Bon was gone. Slowly, Lyra closed the door and tried to piece together what exactly just happened.

Unlike the two ponies chasing after the snake, Bon Bon wasn’t carrying saddlebags filled with gear. As a result, she caught up to them fairly quickly.

“Hey there! Long time no see!” she called out.

Without breaking their stride, the ponies she knew as Panacea and Soothe Sayer turned to see who was addressing them.

Surprised, the unicorn stallion said, “Hi! It’s good to see you…” he trailed off.

“Bon Bon,” she said. They had told each other their new names the day the agency was shuttered, but five years had passed. Bon Bon assumed that just as she had forgotten his new name, he likely had forgotten her new name.

“Healing Hooves,” he reintroduced himself.

“Gentle Presence,” his wife said.

Because they were all still running, Bon Bon greeted each of them with a smile and a nod. “So, what are you two doing in Ponyville chasing a big snake?”

Healing Hooves answered, “In a nutshell, for the past couple of years, there’s been a new department in the Support Corps. Not classified. We signed up and get assigned to capture monsters that are a minor threat.”

“We’re only called to work a couple of times a year,” Gentle Presence added.

“But it’s a good way to make some extra money now that we have a daughter.”

“Congratulations,” Bon Bon said. “On the daughter. Are you the only two here?”

“Yeah,” Healing Hooves said. “The department’s budget isn’t as big as certain other nonexistent departments’ have been.”

With real concern in her voice, Bon Bon said, “That seems like a dangerous way to do things.” As they followed the snake around a corner, she added, “Let me help you out. It’ll be like old times.”

“Well, like you said, it might be dangerous,” Gentle Presence said. “We don’t want you to risk getting hurt just for our sakes.”

“It isn’t what I was planning to do with my day today. But we all know you should have more than two ponies on the team to safely capture a huge creature like that. So I’m in.”

“If you insist,” Gentle Presence replied. “We’re not going to turn down another set of hooves. Thanks.”

Bon Bon looked ahead. “All right, so what are we dealing with here?”

“That,” Gentle Presence said, “is the giant mamba. It’s your typical venomous snake, just really big. Don’t let it bite you – there’s no antidote for its venom yet. That’s why we need to capture it. Also because this one has gotten too close to where ponies live and needs to be relocated back into the wilderness.”

Healing Hooves took over the briefing. “Gentle Presence has the tranquilizers. I have an extendable hook and tongs. At the moment, we’re just trying to chase it out of this town without it hurting anypony. Then we’ll worry about knocking it out.”

“Copy that,” Bon Bon said. “Whatever you need me to do, just give the word.”

“Don’t get too close,” Gentle Presence said. “We don’t want it to feel threatened. If it’s threatened, it might attack.”

The giant mamba reached the edge of town and slowed down as it approached an open grassy area bordering the Everfree Forest. The three likewise slowed down in their pursuit. Other ponies who had been enjoying themselves out in the grassy area screamed and ran away.

Instead of entering the clearing, the snake tried to slither into some bushes adorning the side of a nearby building. Bon Bon, Healing Hooves, and Gentle Presence stopped on the opposite side of the street, one building back.

The three gave the mamba its space and watched. It was trying to wrap its body around itself behind the bushes, although it was only finding partial success. Its tail still stuck out in the open.

“It’s probably going to head for those woods,” Healing Hooves observed.

“I hope not,” Bon Bon said. “The Everfree Forest is a dark, dangerous place. We do not want to go in there if we don’t have to.”

“I can try to tranquilize it now,” Gentle Presence said. “Tell me if anything happens.” Turning away, she reached back into her saddlebags and began to assemble a piece of equipment.

“Will do,” Healing Hooves said. While continuing to watch the snake, he said, “Did the Exotic Creature Relocation Agency ever try to contact you, Bon Bon?”

Bon Bon also kept her eyes on the snake. “Nope,” she said. “Of course, I didn’t have as much field experience as you two.”

“Do you want us to put in a good word for you? The agency could use a few more ponies on reserve, and you’re certainly capable.”

“Thanks but no thanks. I’m just doing this today to help you two out. I’m really happy with my life here in Ponyville. I’ve got a great job and the best marefriend in the world – I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

There was a brief second of silence between them. Bon Bon recognized it as the silence that came when a pony who assumed she was straight suddenly found out she wasn’t. It always seemed to momentarily catch them off-guard. She was used to it.

“What’s your job?” Healing Hooves finally said.

“Candy maker. Once we take care of this snake, I’ll treat you to some. And you?”

“I’m a healer in South Pastern,” he said. “All-natural remedies. Gentle Presence keeps the patients calm and I find ways to make them feel better.”

Bon Bon remembered Gentle Presence’s natural gift for speaking in a soothing manner that seemed to make any creature docile, no matter how tense the situation. It had come in handy on more than one mission – and that was just with the agents.

“Sounds like we all got to follow our gifts,” Bon Bon said. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Gentle Presence broke in. “Sorry – I’ve almost got it. This blowgun doesn’t want to fit together right.”

Bon Bon still hadn’t taken her eyes off of the snake. Its head was barely behind the bushes – she could see its tongue every time it tested the air. “Blowgun?”

“Like I said, it’s a smaller budget,” Healing Hooves explained.

“Okay, there,” Gentle Presence said. She inserted a tranquilizer dart and brought the blowgun to her lips.

At the same time, the giant mamba decided to slither forward into the forest.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Bon Bon said. “That place is filled with the kinds of monsters we used to deal with you-know-when.”

“We have to go after it,” Gentle Presence said. “And at least if it’s a dangerous place, there won’t be any other ponies at risk of meeting the mamba.” She placed the blowgun sideways in her mouth so it would quickly be at the ready.

Bon Bon realized, “No, but there is a zebra who lives in a hollowed-out tree.”

“Then let’s hope the mamba doesn’t try to live there, too,” Healing Hooves said. “Let’s go.”

The three of them ran into the Everfree Forest. Bon Bon stepped slightly ahead.

“Stay on the path and stay alert,” she instructed the others. “There are plants here that want you just as dead as the animals do.”

Following Bon Bon’s lead, the other two reduced their speed to a slow trot. Despite it being early in the afternoon, within moments, the sky disappeared behind the thick canopy of the forest, plunging them into relative darkness. Small trickles of light filtered their way through the leaves, but it took a few seconds for the ponies’ eyes to adjust.

Occasionally, they could hear the growls and otherworldly chittering of unidentified animals. Healing Hooves and Gentle Presence looked ahead to Bon Bon, who seemed unfazed by the sounds. She did, however, routinely sniff the air to confirm that there weren’t any timberwolves nearby.

“Hold on,” she suddenly said as she stopped walking altogether. The others promptly stopped behind her. “Stay away from that root.”

She pointed ahead toward a large tree root sticking up out of the ground, lying perpendicular across the path. She found a fallen branch lying on the ground nearby, picked it up, and threw it onto the root. In an instant, the root curled around the branch, whipping it toward the opening of what had looked to be an old, hollow tree trunk.

Healing Hooves swallowed. “You weren’t kidding about the plants,” he said.

“Mm-hmm,” Bon Bon said. “You can step over it too, so long as you’re careful not to touch it or brush it with your tail. But better safe than sorry.”

Bon Bon led them farther down the path, studying the dirt on the open ground as they walked along. “I don’t see any signs of a giant snake along here. And it didn’t trigger the oak trap. The mamba might have moved into the undergrowth.”

“It prefers to stay hidden,” Healing Hooves confirmed.

The three looked all around them, unsure of where they should be focusing their attention.

Healing Hooves asked, “Do you want me to illuminate my horn, see if we can spot it?”

“No, don’t,” Bon Bon said. “The extra light would attract the mothsquitoes. Just keep your eyes peeled.”

“Got it,” he said. “At least because we have it on the run, it’s unlikely that it’ll try to ambush us as prey.”

“Be grateful for small mercies,” Bon Bon replied facetiously.

Slowly, they walked ahead. Their eyes scanned the woods for any sign of movement. Their ears pivoted constantly, listening for any sound that might suggest slithering.

“Not every snake tail is going to be the mamba,” Bon Bon quietly cautioned the others. “This forest has its own snakes and snake hybrids. The cockatrice’s tail is green, if I remember correctly. And smaller. What else… we’d see the pony half of the nurekouma before we saw the snake half. And um… I think the serpopard is still just a myth.”

Healing Hooves and Gentle Presence stepped a little closer to one another.

In the near distance, some bare tree branches shaped suspiciously like claws waved up and down over the path at a height just slightly higher than a pony’s head.

“Do we need to stop…?” Healing Hooves asked hesitantly.

Bon Bon looked back at him, then followed his gaze up. “Don’t worry about those,” she said. “They’re just ordinary branches being blown by the wind. And no, nopony knows where the wind comes from.”

They continued to walk. Just as Bon Bon had said, the branches didn’t do anything as the three passed underneath. In turn, each pony shivered as a chilling breeze seemed to cut right through their coats.

After they passed through the wind, the forest became deathly quiet. The only sounds were the muffled hooffalls of three ponies walking even more cautiously than before.

No animals. Not even an ominous background hum. Just silence.

Suddenly, a rustling off in the distance. All three heads turned toward the direction of the sound and saw the mamba dart across the path.

Bon Bon ran forward in the direction of the snake. The other two followed. The mamba saw the three ponies and tried to move deeper into the woods, but a dark stream running through the forest blocked its way. So instead it moved ahead, parallel to the path.

The mamba was fast, but it also had to contend with plants, rocks, and trees. As a result, the ponies were able to make up some of the distance.

As they ran, Healing Hooves said, “If we get it to hold still, can you quickly take the shot?”

Gentle Presence, with the length of the blowgun still clenched between her teeth, replied with a muffled “Uh-huh.”

A row of oversized brambles that were covered in large thorns was forcing the mamba closer and closer to the path. Knowing that the ponies were closing in on it, it chose to stay the course rather than briefly move out into the open in order to cross to the other side. Finally, there was a small break in the brambles, just narrow enough for the snake to fit through. The ponies watched as it disappeared.

Of course, if the snake could fit through the gap, a pony could, too. Especially because the brambles only rose about a meter off the ground. Bon Bon ran through the opening, while Healing Hooves and Gentle Presence jumped so the bags sticking out from their sides would make it over the surrounding branches.

The three found themselves inside a relatively circular enclosure about ten yards in diameter. After the “entrance,” the brambles twisted and turned around themselves, rising quickly to about three yards high all around. The ceiling was open, but since none of the occupants could fly, that was irrelevant.

Upon entering the enclosure, Bon Bon had stepped forward just enough to let Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves in. Gentle Presence moved to the left and Healing Hooves moved to the right. Bon Bon took a step back.

At the other end, the giant mamba was frantically looking for a way out. Aware of the ponies on the opposite side, it repeatedly zigzagged near the brambles, trying to locate another opening to escape through. However, the thorny branches were far too dense to provide anything even approaching a viable exit point. The only way out was through the break from which it entered.

Gentle Presence adjusted the blowgun in her mouth and stood at the ready. The blowgun only held one dart at a time – missing the shot and needing to take time to reload was a mistake she might not be able to afford to make. She waited for the snake to hold still, even for a moment.

Healing Hooves levitated both the collapsible hook and the collapsible tongs from his bags and extended them to their full lengths. He attempted to grab at the mamba with the tongs, but it was moving too quickly and erratically for him to have any success. Instead, he poked at the body of the snake with the hook to keep it on the far side of the enclosure.

After about half a minute of slithering and being prodded, the giant mamba, with no other options, reared up in a display of aggression. It towered over the ponies as it raised roughly a third of its body vertically into the air. The flaps on its neck extended and it opened its mouth wide to reveal an inky black interior.

As the snake began to make itself look larger, Bon Bon momentarily froze in fear. She quickly realized, though, that the snake knew its best chance for survival was to get away from the pony jabbing at it with a pole. And the only way to do that was to escape back through the gap in the brambles. The gap that she was currently standing in front of.

At that moment, Bon Bon’s survival instinct kicked in. Choosing self-preservation over the mission, she turned to her right and began to leap toward Healing Hooves.

At the same moment, the snake lunged forward, its fangs bared.

As Bon Bon leapt sideways, she saw the giant mamba’s head quickly approach her back end. It connected with her left rear leg, slamming her body down to the ground. Before she could even register what was happening, the snake jerked its head back and went in for a second strike, landing just slightly below the site of the first attack.

At the same time that the snake began its initial lunge forward, Gentle Presence saw her opportunity. She shot the tranquilizer dart into the section of the snake’s body still coiled on the ground, scoring a direct hit. It wasn’t until after the snake had attacked Bon Bon those two times that the creature recognized the new pain down its body and reacted accordingly.

The snake brought its head back down to the ground and whipped its body in place. The motion dislodged the dart, but the tranquilizer had already been administered. As the mamba was busy with that, Healing Hooves was finally able to get the tongs wrapped around a section of the snake’s body just slightly below its head. Using all of the strength of his telekinesis, he raised the tongs vertically into the air and planted the handle end into the ground below. With the giant mamba’s head raised above the ponies, out of striking distance, he used the hook to get underneath a section of the snake’s body a couple of yards away, then planted the handle end of that implement into the ground as well.

While Healing Hooves was doing that, Bon Bon was lying on her right side, collecting her wits after her abrupt, unexpected impact with the ground. She looked back at the leg the snake had made contact with. There, just below her cutie mark, were four puncture wounds from the snake’s fangs. She was so startled by the sight that she didn’t even have the presence of mind to scream.

Gentle Presence ran over to Bon Bon and looked at her leg. “She’s been bit!” she yelled to her husband.

Healing Hooves had just finished driving the handle of the hook into the ground. “Don’t move!” he yelled to Bon Bon. “You don’t want the venom to circulate any faster!”

Bon Bon had just regained her breath from the attack. But Healing Hooves’ words knocked the breath out of her again. “There’s… no antidote…” she realized. She looked at the pony standing over her, her eyes pleading for Gentle Presence to tell her that somehow, she misremembered what she had been told earlier.

“We’re going to get you to a hospital,” Gentle Presence said. “Stay calm. Panicking is the worst thing you can do right now.”

Every fiber in Bon Bon’s body told her to panic. It seemed like the only reasonable response. But Gentle Presence kept talking, soothing Bon Bon with her voice. So instead, Bon Bon continued to lie on the ground. She looked at the puncture wounds. They didn’t appear to be bleeding much – she hoped that was a good sign.

She looked up at the snake. It had wriggled off of the upended hook and was thrashing the back half of its body about. However, its head remained suspended off the ground inside the tongs. Bon Bon watched as Healing Hooves ignored the snake’s efforts to free itself and instead levitated a glass jar with a thin piece of rubber stretched over the opening up toward the snake’s head.

“Stay with us,” Gentle Presence said. “The tranquilizer’s going to take effect really soon and then the mamba will be out. We’re going to take care of that bite.”

Bon Bon watched as Healing Hooves worked the jar up to one of the snake’s fangs. She realized that she hadn’t registered any significant pain from the bite yet, although all four of her legs were starting to tingle. Healing Hooves used his magic to keep the snake’s mouth open. Bon Bon’s eyelids began to feel heavy.

“Hang in there, Bon Bon,” Gentle Presence said.

Bon Bon saw a blurry snake bite down onto the jar through the rubber. The aura of Healing Hooves’ magic became an indistinct haze. Gentle Presence’s voice grew increasingly muffled and distant.

All around Bon Bon, the world faded to black.

Chapter 5 - Please Say Something

Lyra was trying desperately to keep her mind occupied. She had attempted to continue to read her magazine, but her brain kept wandering off to thoughts of Bon Bon and a snake significantly larger than her. Lyra had then retrieved a deck of cards, but solitaire wasn’t distracting enough to keep the thoughts at bay, either.

She was having some more success at using the playing cards to build a tower. At least, she was having success in finding something else to focus her attention on. The tower itself refused to remain standing.

As she started construction on the third story yet again, she heard a rapid knocking at the door, which resulted in all of the cards falling to the table. Lyra walked over to see who was there, grateful for a conversation that would hopefully keep her from worrying about Bon Bon.

She opened the door to find a panic-stricken Golden Harvest – and Golden Harvest wasn’t prone to bouts of hysteria like some of the ponies in Ponyville. Before Lyra could say or do anything, she quickly began to speak.

“I just saw some unfamiliar stallion carrying Bon Bon across his back, yelling ‘Where’s the hospital?’ The others pointed him there, so I ran right over here to—”

But Lyra was already through the door, on her way to the hospital. Running faster than she had ever run in her entire life.

Healing Hooves had left Gentle Presence behind to finish monitoring the giant mamba to make sure it was completely tranquilized. He knew that afterward, she would take the necessary steps to have the snake relocated to a place where it couldn’t hurt any other ponies. As soon as he had placed the jar back in his saddlebag, he and his wife draped Bon Bon’s body across his back and he ran out of the Everfree Forest, ignoring the eyes staring at him through the darkness and remembering to leap over the oak root as he passed it.

He didn’t know where the hospital was, but the townsponies quickly showed him the way. He reached the building and charged through the front doors.

“Emergency!” he shouted. The receptionist snapped to attention in the otherwise empty waiting room. “She needs a doctor!”

Doctor Horse and Nurse Redheart stepped into the waiting room upon hearing the commotion. When he saw the unconscious Bon Bon, the doctor asked, “What happened?”

“She was bitten by a giant mamba,” Healing Hooves replied. “On her rear leg.” Nurse Redheart quickly left.

“Mamba?” the doctor replied. “We aren’t equipped to handle that kind of bite here. The nearest trauma center is in Canterlot, but by the time we arrange for a pegasus airlift, the venom will have already…”

Nurse Redheart returned with two more nurses and a gurney. All four of the medical personnel helped lift Bon Bon off of Healing Hooves’ back.

“There’s no antivenom for a giant mamba bite anyway,” Healing Hooves said as he followed the nurses wheeling the gurney down the hall.

“We’ll look at the wound,” the doctor said. They all entered the resuscitation area. “But if it was a mamba and there’s no antivenom, then I’m sorry—”

Healing Hooves cut him off. “I’m a natural healer,” he said. “There’s one thing we can try.”

The doctor’s voice grew cold. “With respect to your profession, there are no herbs or spells that can substitute for an antivenom. Without that, the chances of a pony surviving a mamba bite – especially after the onset of paralysis – are zero.”

“We are not giving up on her!” Healing Hooves shouted.

“Listen – we’ll attempt CPR, but unless you misidentified the snake or this was a dry bite, there’s nothing we can do.” The nurses began to treat Bon Bon.

“No! There’s nothing you can do, but I can! I’ve studied this! I need a clean 5-cc syringe, 5 cc’s of distilled water, and a 10-cc syringe with a hypodermic needle! Now!”

The nurses briefly looked at the doctor. He shrugged slightly. “Redheart and Snowheart, continue CPR. Nurse Youngheart, go get him those things.”

As Nurse Redheart kept performing chest compressions and Nurse Snowheart retrieved a CPR bag, Healing Hooves levitated the saddlebag off of his back and removed the rubber-covered jar along with a tiny vial of adjuvant.

The doctor said, “Would you like to tell me why you think you know how to treat the untreatable?”

“I may not have gone to med school,” Healing Hooves said, “but I ask that you respect the fact that I also got my cutie mark for my ability to heal ponies.”

Nurse Youngheart returned with the syringes and a small beaker with the distilled water measured inside.

“This is the giant mamba’s venom,” Healing Hooves explained as he removed the rubber from the jar and drew some of the liquid into the smaller syringe. He then added the venom to the water, poured in the contents of the vial, and quickly mixed it all together. He drew the mixture into the larger syringe, and to the shock of those watching him, injected the syringe’s contents into his own backside.

“What are you doing?” the doctor yelled.

“Making an antivenom,” Healing Hooves replied.

“But that takes weeks! The venom will kill her within the hour!”

“That’s why I’m doing this,” he said and lit his horn. The aura began to envelop his entire body as he cast an experimental spell that neither he nor any other pony had cast before. It was a spell he had originally devised years ago when he was assigned to aid in the capture of the bugbear. Because none of the agents had been stung by the monster, he hadn’t needed to perform the spell and never had occasion to use it since.

He closed his eyes as he focused his attention on the magic overtaking his body. “I’m energizing my immune system to accelerate the production of antibodies,” he explained. “If this goes according to plan, we’ll have an antivenom within a couple of minutes.”

“But it takes over an hour to separate the plasma from blood. Not to mention needing to extract the antivenom afterward.”

The aura around Healing Hooves’ body glowed brighter. “That’s why we’re skipping those steps,” he said. “I have universal donor type blood. I need you to take a gallon of it out of me and use it to replace a gallon of her blood.”

Nurse Youngheart gasped, “A gallon? But the standard blood donation is two quarts.”

“A pony can lose a gallon of blood and still be okay,” Healing Hooves said. The doctor nodded in agreement. “And since the antivenom is diluted in my blood, there isn’t as much of a risk of overdose.”

The doctor looked over at Nurse Redheart. “How are her vitals?”

“Irregular. And both of her pupils are constricted.”

“Get the transfusion equipment,” he said to Nurse Youngheart. “This is a long shot, but it’s the only one we’ve got.”

Lyra burst into the emergency waiting room and ran directly toward the front desk, which absorbed the brunt of her weight as she failed to stop in time.

“Where is she?!” Lyra screamed as she got up off the floor. “Where’s Bon Bon?!”

Calmly, the receptionist replied, “Pale yellow earth pony mare, blue and pink mane?”

“Yes!”

“She was just admitted. I’m afraid you can’t see her right now.”

“What?! I’m her marefriend!” Lyra’s heart was pounding, although she didn’t know whether it was from running or from the stress of the situation.

“She was just taken to the resuscitation area to be treated. Nopony can see her right now. And please stop yelling. This is a hospital.”

“Resuscitation?!” Lyra tried to keep her voice down, but only succeeded in lowering it by a few decibels. “What happened to her? How is she?”

“We don’t have that information yet,” the receptionist said. “That won’t be available until the doctor has finished treating her, and I don’t know how long that will take. It won’t be for a while, though.”

Lyra stood motionless, staring at the doors leading to the hospital’s hallway.

“You said you’re her marefriend?”

She snapped back to attention. “Yes. Lyra Heartstrings.”

The receptionist wrote it down. “And you said her name is Bon Bon?”

“Yes.”

More writing. “Does she have any family living in the area?”

“I’m her family,” Lyra said resolutely.

“But does she have any parents or siblings?”

“No siblings. She has parents, but not here. I think they’re in Connecticolt right now.”

“Are you able to contact them?”

“We have their address at home, yeah.”

The receptionist looked behind her at the double doors. “I would recommend you contact them.”

Lyra looked uncertain. “Why? Is it serious?”

The receptionist paused. “It isn’t my position to diagnose patients. I don’t know exactly what happened. But… her parents should be here. As soon as possible.”

Lyra glanced away, then looked back at the receptionist. “Are you sure?”

“It would be for the best, yes.”

“…You want me to contact them right now?”

“We won’t have any updates on Bon Bon’s condition for a while. Now would be the best time to do it.”

“Okay…” Lyra said. It was difficult to tell whether she was in shock, numb, or if simply all of her adrenaline had been spent.

Her heart was screaming at her to stay in the waiting room and wait for Bon Bon to be released. She wanted to talk it over with Bon Bon; let her make the decision. But the receptionist seemed adamant about it. And she was the professional. So Lyra followed the instruction of the hospital employee and trotted back toward her house. If any of the other townsponies said anything to her, she didn’t hear them. She was operating largely on autopilot.

When she got home, she went upstairs to their bedroom, approached the dresser, and opened Bon Bon’s personal drawer. She knew that Bon Bon mailed a Hearth’s Warming card to her mother each year, and she knew that whenever her mother mailed her with a change of address, she stored it in that drawer.

Soon, she found the envelope containing the most recent letter from Bon Bon’s mother. During all of the years the two of them had been together, Lyra had made a point of never prying into Bon Bon’s… contentious... relationship with her parents. As she picked it up in her magic, she felt guilty enough just taking the envelope from Bon Bon’s drawer. She was glad that she didn’t need to intrude further and read the letter itself. All she needed was the return address.

Lyra took the envelope downstairs, grabbed a piece of paper and a quill, and sat down at the table. She copied the two names that appeared in the upper left corner of the envelope.

Dear Sugar Plum and Straight Lace, she wrote.

She had no idea how to begin. After a couple of minutes of simply staring at the paper, she decided that there was no good way to do it. She remembered that Bon Bon had begun asking her to cosign her mother’s Hearth’s Warming card each year, so if nothing else, Lyra knew that Sugar Plum already knew her name. She decided to go with the direct approach.

I’m Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon’s marefriend.

Lyra realized that those Hearth’s Warming cards had never explicitly explained what their relationship was. She just assumed that Sugar Plum had figured it out. Well, she knows now, Lyra thought.

There’s been some kind of accident and Bon Bon was taken to the hospital. I don’t know what it is yet, but they said it was serious and that I should contact her parents immediately. I know you haven’t seen each other in years, but the receptionist sounded like they wanted you to be here as soon as possible.

Unable to think of anything else to add, Lyra signed her name at the bottom and placed the letter in an envelope. After addressing the envelope, she trotted over to the post office.

“What’s the fastest delivery to Connecticolt you have?” she asked the stallion behind the desk.

“I can send a direct pegasus courier right now,” he said. “It’ll get there in about three hours.” He quoted the price. It was not cheap.

Lyra frowned. She had been so excited to receive her share of the profits from her band’s first tour. She was looking forward to doing something special for herself and Bon Bon, as well as being able to be a more equal contributor to the household finances. Instead, she was about to spend a large chunk of the money to deliver a letter.

Still, she knew that she couldn’t not tell Bon Bon’s parents. If the situation was reversed, she would want no expense spared to make sure her own parents were in the know. And this was important. So she paid the money. The letter was on its way.

It wasn’t until Lyra stepped outside that it hit her.

It’s serious.

I should contact her parents.

…

Bon Bon might die.

Lyra’s legs gave out beneath her.

Lyra didn’t know how long she was on the ground in front of the post office, lying on her stomach in a catatonic state. She didn’t know how she got up, or when she walked back to the hospital. All she knew was that she was currently sitting on a cushion in the waiting room. Sitting next to her was the earth pony she had seen run by earlier in the day. A couple of hours earlier, that pony had come in and asked the receptionist about Bon Bon and another pony. When the receptionist told her that they were both in the resuscitation area and suggested sitting down next to Bon Bon’s marefriend, the earth pony had introduced herself as Gentle Presence. As the two waited, she told Lyra what had happened in the Everfree Forest.

At present, lying down on a bench seat next to Gentle Presence was the unicorn, whose name, Lyra learned, was Healing Hooves. He had come out of the resuscitation area being supported by a nurse, who led him over to the seat next to his wife and gave him a pitcher of fruit juice. Gentle Presence had told him that the snake was taken care of and then introduced him to Lyra. He explained to the two of them what had happened behind the doors – how he had created an antivenom and then given a gallon of blood in order to get the antivenom into Bon Bon’s body. He said that Bon Bon was still unconscious. He said he wasn’t sure whether she would recover.

Upon hearing that, Lyra had begun to hyperventilate. So Gentle Presence started speaking to her in a soft, comforting voice. Lyra calmed down. A little bit. Just enough to resume normal breathing. She was only able to maintain that state so long as she kept hearing that soothing voice. If Gentle Presence hadn’t been there, Lyra undoubtedly would have been in hysterics. Instead, Lyra was merely on edge. She could not stop nervously bouncing her left front leg.

Lyra wasn’t sure how long she sat in the waiting room. It had to have been hours – it had gotten dark outside. It felt like months. There were magazines, but every time Lyra picked one up, her brain refused to comprehend any of the words printed within. The entire time, Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves waited with her. They needed to know Bon Bon’s condition, too.

Finally, Doctor Horse stepped into the waiting room for a private conversation with the receptionist. She pointed to the two mares, no doubt identifying them for the doctor. He then stepped over and introduced himself.

“How are you doing?” he asked Healing Hooves.

“The woozy feeling has pretty much gone away. I’ll be fine.” He looked over at Lyra, her face making no secret of the fact that she was desperate for information. “How’s Bon Bon?”

“Unresponsive,” the doctor said.

Gentle Presence quietly told Lyra to keep taking slow, deep breaths through pursed lips.

“Can we see her?”

“It’s still visiting hours, yes.”

He led the three into a room in the intensive care unit. After the doctor, Lyra was the first to enter. She gasped upon seeing the pony lying on her back in the bed.

Bon Bon’s muzzle was covered by a long strap. Extending out from the strap, centered over her nose and mouth, were tubes hooked up to large machines that quietly pulsated next to the bed. On top of those machines, a heart monitor beeped at slow, regular intervals. Other tubes and wires extended from her forelegs and chest, connected to assorted medical equipment and bags. Her left rear leg was bandaged.

The pain that Lyra had been feeling in her soul all day nearly overwhelmed her.

Lyra tried to rush forward, but found that once again, her legs had given out. The doctor and Gentle Presence moved to each side to help her back up, then slowly led her over to the left side of the bed.

“Be careful not to disturb any of the equipment,” the doctor said.

Lyra gently placed her hoof on Bon Bon near her shoulder. If nothing else – and there really was nothing else – it was reassuring to feel that Bon Bon’s coat was still warm. Lyra wanted to do more. She wanted to hug her marefriend, or at least nuzzle her. But all of the medical paraphernalia prevented her from getting any closer. She sniffled as a tear ran down each of her cheeks.

Healing Hooves was sitting on the floor over by the door. “How is she doing?” he asked.

The doctor looked to Lyra. “Did you notify her parents?”

Lyra, still with her hoof touching Bon Bon, turned her head. “Yes,” she answered. “They should have gotten the letter by now.”

“Good,” the doctor said. “Hopefully they arrive soon.”

Lyra looked back at Bon Bon. “Is she going to be okay?” It was more of a plea than a question.

The doctor took a moment before answering. “I can’t say.”

The other ponies considered that response for a moment.

Healing Hooves was the only one who read between the lines. He replied, “You can’t say because you don’t know? Or…?”

The doctor sighed. “Legally, I can’t say.”

Lyra turned her head to the doctor once again. “What?”

With a genuinely apologetic voice, he explained. “I’m required to keep all medical information confidential. I can discuss it with other physicians on a need-to-know basis.” He acknowledged Healing Hooves. “Unfortunately, even though you helped her earlier, because you’re a healer and not a licensed doctor, in the eyes of the law, you aren’t considered a physician with whom I can discuss her condition.”

“But I’m her marefriend,” Lyra said. “She’d want me to know.”

“By law, I’m not allowed to share a patient’s medical information with anypony without the patient’s consent. In a situation like this, where the patient isn’t able to give consent, Equestria law dictates that I’m only allowed to share the information with the appointed agent in a durable power of attorney document. In this specific case, because she has no such document, and because she has no spouse or adult children, the default surrogate decision makers – and therefore, the ponies to whom I can disclose her medical information – are her parents.”

Lyra put her hoof back on the ground and turned toward the doctor. “But she’d want me to know!”

“Unfortunately, as her marefriend, you aren’t close enough—”

“We’ve been together for three years! Together together!” Her desperation had turned to anger. Nurse Snowheart stepped into the room to see what was going on.

The doctor remained sympathetic in his tone. “I understand. I truly do. But this isn’t my decision to make. By law, her parents are the surrogate decision makers. In the meantime, I’ll do everything I can to treat her, but until her parents arrive, I legally can’t give you any information.”

“Make an exception!” Lyra shouted. “Her parents aren’t here! I’m the one she trusts! I’m the one who’ll do anything to make her better! Just tell me what’s happening!”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but I can’t. Now please calm down.”

“No! If Bon Bon was awake, she’d tell you to tell me! I need to know what’s wrong with her! I need to know what to do!”

With each sentence, Lyra took another step closer to the doctor. Nurse Snowheart marched over and stood at his side.

He abandoned sympathy for authority. “You need to get a hold of yourself. If you can’t keep your emotions in check, I’m going to have to bar you from even entering this hospital, and neither of us wants that. There’s nothing that you can do right now. I assure you, we are all working in her best interest and will continue to do so.”

Gentle Presence stepped over to Lyra. “Please,” she said to her. “You have every right to be upset. But yelling isn’t going to make anything better. Take a deep breath.”

At her direction, Lyra took a few deep breaths. Eventually, she stopped seething. She couldn’t bring herself to apologize to the doctor, but she did turn away from him with her head lowered.

The doctor looked at the clock hanging on the wall. “I’m afraid that visiting hours are over for the night now,” he said. “You can come back at nine a.m. tomorrow morning.” He saw that Healing Hooves was still sitting on the floor. “Are you okay to walk?” he asked.

“I will be – I just need to take it easy,” he said. “And get some dinner in me – that’ll help.”

“We should all eat,” Gentle Presence said. “Come and have dinner with us, Lyra.”

Lyra just stood and stared at Bon Bon.

Gentle Presence stepped forward. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning the second the clock hits nine. But right now, we have to leave.”

Lyra leaned down toward the bed. Softly, she said, “I’ll be right back, first thing tomorrow. I love you.” She carefully leaned over the wires and kissed Bon Bon on the forehead.

After they left the hospital, Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves asked Lyra where they could get a late dinner in Ponyville. Their options were limited to either the local Hayburger or the Ponyville Diner, so she led them to the latter. Healing Hooves, mindful of his iron levels, ordered the spinach and citrus salad. Gentle Presence and Lyra ordered the macaroni and cheese. They were in agreement that the day called for comfort food.

As they waited for their orders, Lyra said, “So, you used to work with Bon Bon.”

Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves shared a nervous glance. Healing Hooves said, “Um… exactly what did she tell you we did?”

It took Lyra a moment to understand their reaction. Once she realized the reason for it, she looked around the empty diner and lowered her voice. “I know the truth about the monster agency. Don’t blame Bon Bon. She had to tell me – the bugbear she captured was attacking Ponyville.”

Lyra wasn’t expecting the look of fear that suddenly appeared on both ponies’ faces. It was similar to the expression that Bon Bon displayed when Lyra had said “bugbear” years ago. She wondered if there was something about the way she said that word.

Healing Hooves spoke first. “The bugbear came back?”

“What happened?” Gentle Presence asked.

“She said it was coming after her. She jumped out of the window in order to go after it. I should have tried to stop her.”

“How did she catch it again?” Healing Hooves asked, still slightly in shock. “She wouldn’t have had the equipment.”

“She didn’t,” Lyra said. “Twilight – Princess Twilight, she lives here – and her friends finally managed to subdue it. Something to do with three lassos, an emergency baklava stash, and Fluttershy’s stare.”

“We owe Bon Bon our lives,” Gentle Presence said. “We were on that bugbear mission. I was hurt. And it was lunging straight toward us. If she hadn’t fired the net when she did, it would have stabbed us.” Healing Hooves nodded solemnly.

Lyra was silent for a moment. “Bon Bon never told me that she saved anypony’s life.”

“She always said it was a lucky shot,” Healing Hooves said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that she kept the bugbear from killing us.”

“She was trying to keep the bugbear away from me, too,” Lyra said. “She thought that because it knew her scent, it was going to…”

Tears began to well in her eyes.

The couple glanced at each other as Lyra struggled not to cry.

Gentle Presence interjected, “Why don’t you tell us about you.”

Lyra used her magic to pull a napkin from the dispenser and dab at her eyes. It took her a couple of seconds to regain her composure. “About me…” she said. “Um… I’m a professional lyrist – lyre player. I’m part of a band called Trots of Life, but you haven’t heard of us yet. I was born and grew up in Canterlot. I moved here to Ponyville about four years ago when I met Bon Bon. We started dating a year after that and… and we’ve been together ever since.” Her voice began to break again.

To Healing Hooves and Gentle Presence’s relief, that was when the waitress arrived with their food. Lyra pulled another napkin from the dispenser as the plates were placed in front of each pony.

Conversation stopped as the three of them focused on their dinners. A famished Healing Hooves tore into his salad with gusto. Gentle Presence ate her meal at a more leisurely rate. Lyra took a couple of bites, but mostly just poked at her macaroni with a fork.

After a couple of minutes, Gentle Presence asked her, “Is there something wrong with yours?”

Lyra seemed to snap out of a mild daze. “No, it’s fine,” she said. “I’m just not very hungry.”

The other two knew exactly what was going on. Struggling for a way to completely change the subject, Gentle Presence tried, “This is a nice little diner.”

Lyra looked around. “Oh. Yeah. It is. We’ve been here a bunch of times. Bon Bon introduced it to me when we were—”

“What other food is good here?” Healing Hooves asked.

Lyra thought for a few moments. Partially because she hadn’t expected the conversation to shift so suddenly. “I don’t know that they have a signature dish or anything like that. It’s a diner. It’s all diner food. You come here because you know what you’re going to get and it won’t be too expensive.”

“They make a pretty good salad,” Healing Hooves said. He took another bite.

“And they don’t mind if you make a mess. Heh. About a month ago, Bon Bon and I tried to eat from one plate of spaghetti with the idea that we’d both grab the same noodle and meet in the middle for a kiss. It was impossible to actually do. Even when we deliberately dug out the same noodle to work on, we kept sucking it out of each other’s mouth. By the end, we had splattered spaghetti sauce all over the table and our faces. We looked ridiculous.”

Lyra chuckled. But before the married couple could think of any new subjects, her chuckles turned to soft sobs.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just… it was the thought of never getting any more moments like that with her ever again.” She placed her foreleg on the table in front of her and put her head down on it. She cried into her coat.

Gentle Presence simply watched Lyra for a few moments. She and her husband shared a sympathetic look. Finally, she said, “It’s late and it’s been a long day. You should get some sleep so we can head back to the hospital first thing tomorrow morning.”

As Lyra struggled to pull herself together, Healing Hooves signaled for the check and Gentle Presence finished the remainder of her dinner. They put Lyra’s macaroni and cheese into a to-go container and paid for the entire meal.

As they walked out the door, Lyra suddenly stopped. She said, “I just realized you two weren’t planning on being here overnight. I’m sorry. Of course you can stay at our house.”

“Oh no… we couldn’t possibly impose,” Gentle Presence said.

“Where’s the nearest hotel?” Healing Hooves asked.

Lyra said, “Are you sure?”

They both nodded. “Absolutely,” Healing Hooves said.

Lyra didn’t argue. “That’d be the Feather Down Inn,” she said. “Just follow the street that way and take the first left. You’ll see it on the left side. It isn’t too big, but the sign should be easy to see.”

“Thanks,” Gentle Presence said. “Promise me you’ll get some sleep.”

Lyra nodded.

Healing Hooves said, “We’ll meet you at the hospital at nine a.m.”

“Nine a.m.,” Lyra said. She watched as the couple left for the hotel.

Lyra walked back to her house.

By herself.

It was a long night for Lyra. As soon as she got home and put the to-go container in the icebox, she went straight upstairs to bed.

But she couldn’t sleep. It had been bad enough, during her band’s recent tour, not having Bon Bon by her side when she was sleeping on the train. But being able to sense the empty spot next to her in her own bed felt so… wrong. And even though Bon Bon didn’t snore, the fact that she simply wasn’t present in the room made everything seem overwhelmingly quiet.

The image of Bon Bon in that hospital bed kept Lyra from falling asleep. And even when fatigue would take over and force her to drowse off, she found herself waking up again less than an hour later. It was a cycle she repeated all night.

Finally, at 7:30 a.m., with the sun shining directly into the house, she gave up and got out of bed. She deliberately didn’t look at any mirrors – she could feel the bags under her eyes and didn’t want to see what she looked like.

She eventually walked downstairs for a languid breakfast of cold macaroni and cheese straight out of the to-go box. She had thrown away the empty box and poured herself a second glass of milk when she heard a light knock at the door.

Lyra froze in place. Her heart dropped out of her chest. Slowly, she set the milk down. She couldn’t think of any reason why someone would be at her house so early in the morning. Unless they had come from the hospital to tell her…

She walked out into the living room and opened the door. When she did, she saw an unfamiliar, older-looking mare with a two-toned purple mane. The expression on her face was unmistakably one of sadness. A couple of steps behind the mare stood a stallion who was clearly unhappy.

“Are you Lyra Heartstrings?” the mare asked.

“Yes,” Lyra said, terror leaking into her voice.

“I’m Sugar Plum. And this is Straight Lace. What’s happened to our daughter?”

Author's Note

I really hate that the only named non-specialist physician in the series is called “Doctor Horse.”

Here’s where I admit to the unrealistic parts of what you’ve just read. If you want to remain immersed in the world of the story and not think about the ways in which it’s wrong, please skip this note and keep going to the next chapter.

For starters, while I was researching this chapter, I learned that in the United States, under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a doctor is permitted to share an unresponsive patient’s medical information with any of the patient’s family members or friends so long as the doctor determines that doing so is in the patient’s best interest. And as I understand it, similar or more permissive laws apply in other countries. So in real life, in this situation, the doctor absolutely would have told Lyra what was happening.

Way back when I was outlining the story, I conflated “patient confidentiality decision-maker” with “power of attorney.” By the time I realized I was wrong, it was an important plot point that couldn’t be adjusted… hence the doctor’s explanation here that melds the two concepts. I guess Equestria’s medical laws were never updated to account for this type of situation. Personally, I like to imagine that later, after all of the events of this story took place, Lyra petitioned Princess Twilight to get the laws changed so no one else would have to go through what she went through.

The other discrepancy that’s in this chapter I knew about, but went ahead with my version anyway: In real life, horses have different blood types than humans do. And there’s no horse blood type that’s a universal donor. My excuse is that this is the magical land of Equestria, where such a thing does exist.

(And yes, I know that there’s no such thing as a universal donor blood type for whole blood – the universal donor for red cells is different than the universal donor for plasma. Again: Magical land of Equestria.)

Chapter 6 - The Only Thing She Can Do

Lyra was relieved to be wrong. But the feeling of relief was short-lived.

It went away as soon as Lyra realized that she now needed to talk to Bon Bon’s parents – two ponies she had never met before – about her marefriend’s condition in the intensive care unit. Or as she saw it: She had to talk to two ponies who immediately viewed her with contempt about a subject she was still waiting to learn more about herself.

It took Lyra a few extra seconds to process the entire situation. In the silence, Straight Lace snorted.

Finally, Lyra realized that she needed to answer Sugar Plum’s question.

“Bon Bon was bitten by a giant snake. They took her to the hospital, but she’s unconscious. The doctor hasn’t told me anything else. He said to come back at nine this morning.”

Sugar Plum quietly gasped. Straight Lace, still standing a couple of steps away, didn’t react.

For a few seconds, they all just stood and stared at one another.

“Um… do you want to come in?”

Lyra let the two inside and pointed them to the sofa, where they each took a seat. She then remembered to offer them something to drink, although the only things available were water, milk, and orange juice. They both chose water, so Lyra went into the kitchen and came back levitating two glasses of ice water, each with a drinking straw. Bon Bon’s parents were looking around the living room.

After she placed their beverages on the coffee table in front of them, Lyra tried to smooth her mane down with her hoof. “Sorry about the way I look. It was a rough night.”

“So, Bon Bon lives here with you,” Sugar Plum said, staring at pictures of the couple displayed on the mantel above the fireplace.

“Mm-hmm,” Lyra said, sitting down on the loveseat. “She does.”

“And the two of you…” Sugar Plum trailed off, gesturing between Lyra and the photographs.

“Are marefriends,” Lyra answered. “For a little over three years now.”

Straight Lace snorted again.

After a few seconds, Sugar Plum said, “And that’s… okay here?”

“It’s okay everywhere,” Lyra said levelly.

Sugar Plum didn’t say anything else. She leaned down and took a sip of her water.

Lyra decided to change the subject. “Did you just get into town?”

“Yes,” Sugar Plum said. “As soon as we got your letter, we took the overnight train. But when we arrived, we didn’t know where the hospital was, so we decided to come here.”

“You decided to come here,” Straight Lace said. “I still say we should’ve just stayed home.”

“Dear…”

“If our daughter thinks she can go around doing whatever she wants, then she can deal with the consequences on her own.”

Lyra’s hooves dug into the cushion she was sitting on.

Once again, no one said anything.

Sugar Plum leaned down to take another drink of water. Straight Lace still hadn’t touched his.

Eventually, Lyra said, “Did you have breakfast yet?”

Sugar Plum looked up. “There was food on the train, yes.”

More silence.

Straight Lace stared at Lyra. Lyra briefly met his eyes, then quickly looked away, her own eyes wandering around the room aimlessly.

There was a brief dry sucking sound as Sugar Plum finished the remainder of her water.

Lyra tried again. “So… what do you two do?” She already knew the answer – Bon Bon had told her years ago – but she couldn’t stand the silence.

“I stay at home and take care of the house,” Sugar Plum said. “Straight Lace works for the Administration for the Redistribution of Magical Imbalances.”

“I neutralize lingering residual unicorn magic. Get things back the way they should be.”

Lyra didn’t have any follow-up questions.

Straight Lace glanced up at the largest picture on the mantel. In it, Lyra had her foreleg draped over Bon Bon’s withers, drawing her close enough that they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder. They were both looking at the camera with big smiles on their faces.

He returned his gaze to Lyra. Now it was more of a glare than a stare.

Lyra shifted in her seat.

The wall clock chimed once. 8:30.

Lyra said, “Maybe we should go to the hospital early.”

Straight Lace didn’t respond. Sugar Plum said, “Okay.”

Lyra knew that it took far less than thirty minutes to walk from her house to the hospital. But with the oppressive cloud of silence that surrounded the three of them as they made their way through town, the walk felt like it took forever.

When Lyra stepped into the waiting room, she was relieved to find Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves already there.

“How are you doing?” Gentle Presence asked her.

“I’ve… been better,” Lyra said.

Healing Hooves looked at the two ponies behind Lyra. “Are they with you?”

“Yes,” she said. “Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves, meet Bon Bon’s parents: Sugar Plum and Straight Lace. Sugar Plum and Straight Lace, this is Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves. They were with Bon Bon when she was bitten by the snake. Healing Hooves made an antivenom for her.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Healing Hooves said as he and his wife extended their forelegs for hoofshakes. “I wish it was under happier circumstances.”

Sugar Plum shook Gentle Presence’s hoof. But Straight Lace didn’t reciprocate. In a tone of voice that was nearly a bark, he responded, “What were you doing messing with a giant snake?”

Healing Hooves was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered. “We were tracking it down for the Exotic Creature Relocation Agency in Canterlot. Bon Bon volunteered to help us. We had it cornered, but then it attacked her.”

“Agency? You work for the Guard?”

“For the Support Corps, yes. On a temporary basis.”

“I’ve never heard of any exotic creature agency.”

“It was only formed a couple of years ago. We have credentials, but at the moment, they’re back in the hotel room.”

“No, I believe you. I work for Magical Imbalances.” Straight Lace finally gave him a hoofshake. “And I know it’s not your fault our daughter tried to do something she shouldn’t have even been thinking of doing.”

“She…” Healing Hooves said, but then stopped. That information was still classified. He kept his mouth shut, albeit with a look of frustration on his face.

Sugar Plum said, “You gave her an antivenom? So that means she’ll get better?”

Healing Hooves looked at the floor and exhaled. “I don’t know. We’re waiting for the doctor to tell us Bon Bon’s condition.”

Lyra walked over to the receptionist’s desk. “We’re all here to see Bon Bon,” she said. The morning receptionist looked through her files. Lyra braced herself, fearing the worst. Even though she knew there was no possible way she could truly prepare herself for the worst.

“Ah, here she is,” the receptionist said. She examined the paperwork. “She’s still in the ICU. If those are her parents, there are a couple of forms we’d like them to fill out.”

Lyra brought the two over to speak to the receptionist. Five minutes before visiting hours began, Doctor Horse arrived in the waiting room. After being introduced to Bon Bon’s parents, he said, “Since we’re all here, we might as well start visiting hours early.”

The doctor escorted everyone into the hallway. Lyra trotted ahead of the entire party, including the doctor, and headed straight for the single-occupancy room they had been in the night before. She arrived to see Bon Bon lying in the bed, looking exactly the same as she had looked when Lyra had kissed her good night. It wasn’t any easier for Lyra to see it the second time.

She walked up to the bed. Once again, she gently placed her hoof near Bon Bon’s shoulder. Still warm.

“Good morning, Bon Bon,” she said, her voice involuntarily tightening. “I’m here.”

The only response was the slow, regular beep of the heart monitor.

A few moments later, Sugar Plum was the second to enter the room. When Lyra heard the choked sob behind her, she put her hoof back on the ground and turned around. Sugar Plum walked up and stood next to Lyra at the side of the bed. She simply stared at Bon Bon as the doctor and the remaining ponies stepped in.

“This is more visitors than are usually allowed in the room at one time,” the doctor explained, “but I’m making an exception.” He looked at Sugar Plum, who was clearly preoccupied with trying to hold in her tears. He turned to Straight Lace. “Shall I tell everypony Bon Bon’s condition?”

Straight Lace eyed him critically. “That’s why we came here, isn’t it?” He waved his hoof in an impatient “go ahead” gesture.

The doctor nodded. As he returned his head to being upright, he set his mouth in an even line.

“When the giant mamba bit Bon Bon, it did indeed inject her with its venom. And giant mamba venom is a potent neurotoxin. As a result… Bon Bon has lapsed into a coma.”

Both Lyra and Sugar Plum began to quietly cry. The doctor levitated a box of tissues from a nearby table toward them. He then levitated it toward Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves, who were also beginning to tear up.

After Lyra and Sugar Plum had regained their composure just enough to listen again, he continued. “The mamba’s venom is designed to incapacitate creatures significantly larger than a pony.” He looked at Healing Hooves. “If you hadn’t brought her here when you did, and if you hadn’t given her that antivenom, she would have…” He looked at Lyra and Sugar Plum. “Well, we’d be having a much sadder conversation.”

While struggling for breath, Lyra said, “Does that… does that mean she’ll get better?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know. Comas are unpredictable. And it doesn’t help that we’re dealing with a neurotoxin that previously had no cure. Nopony has ever been able to successfully treat a giant mamba bite, and the treatment she was given is highly experimental. We don’t know exactly how much antivenom was in the blood that Healing Hooves gave her. Given her present condition, it looks like it was an appropriate dose… but that’s only an educated guess.” He looked at Healing Hooves again. “Unless there’s anything else you know about the treatment?”

“There isn’t – I’m sorry,” he said. “Like you said, this is all experimental. I’ve never tried anything like it before.”

“You’ve given her a chance,” the doctor said. To the others, he said, “We just don’t know how much of a chance. I can’t even put a percentage on it – that’s how far into uncharted territory we are here. We’ve stabilized her, and the nurses and I will continue to monitor and care for her, but really… it’s all up to Bon Bon now.”

No one said anything. The medical ventilator by the bed continued to emit a soft bellows sound while the heart monitor continued to beep.

Lyra was the first to speak up. “Isn’t there anything else you can do? What about more antivenom blood?”

“Healing Hooves is in no condition to give any more blood right now,” the doctor said. “And by the time he is, it won’t have any effect. The antivenom she’s received is neutralizing the venom that’s currently in her system. By the time we could give her more, it will have already done its job. From there, it’ll just be a matter of whether her brain can heal itself from the effects of the venom that made it through her system when she was first bitten.”

Sugar Plum said, “How long will it be until we know whether it’s doing that?”

“I still have to do some research on that. Right now, I don’t know. Some coma patients come out of it in less than 24 hours. Some take weeks or even months. The sooner she comes out of the coma, the better her chances of making a complete recovery, but there’s no way of knowing when – or if – that will happen.”

Lyra said, “So what can we do?”

The doctor looked at her sympathetically. “Nothing.”

“But…”

“We have her on life support. And we’ll check on her regularly to see whether she’s made any progress. We’ve given her the best chance that we can, but at this point, there’s nothing left but to be patient while Bon Bon tries to recover. It’s really the only thing we can do.”

Lyra turned around and looked at Bon Bon. As if she might see some way to help. But all she saw was her marefriend lying perfectly still, covered in tubes and wires.

Healing Hooves spoke. “You’ve intubated her, right?”

“Yes, we had to,” the doctor said.

“Doesn’t that require anesthesia? But if she’s trying to recover from neurotoxicity…”

“It’s a local anesthesia,” the doctor said. He tapped his horn with his hoof. “Very local. It’s a spell that I’ve cast only around her throat and nasal passages – we had to insert a feeding tube, too. But rest assured that her brain is unaffected by it.”

Healing Hooves nodded. The ponies fell quiet again. Lyra continued to stare at Bon Bon.

“All right then,” Straight Lace said brusquely. “You heard the doctor. There’s nothing else to do. So let’s go.”

Four shocked faces turned to look at him.

“Go…?” Sugar Plum said.

“She needs space to recover,” Straight Lace said. “All of us crammed in here isn’t helping anything. We need to leave her alone.”

Lyra instinctively took a step closer to the bed.

Straight Lace looked at Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves, who were standing closest to him. He motioned with his head toward the door. Slowly, they stepped into the hallway.

He turned his attention to the two ponies by Bon Bon’s bed.

Sugar Plum said, “Shouldn’t we stay?”

“Coddling her isn’t going to do any good. You want her to get over this, don’t you?” he said. “You heard the doctor – she has to do this on her own. Hovering over her is just going to get in the way.”

Gradually, she made her way over to his side.

Straight Lace glared at Lyra. In an icy tone, he said, “Get out.”

“I’m not going to abandon—”

“Now.”

The doctor stepped toward Lyra. “Those are the parents’ wishes.”

“But she—”

“I’m afraid you have to leave,” he said. He looked at Straight Lace. With a stern expression, he tilted his head up slightly to the level of Lyra’s ear.

In a voice only she could hear, he whispered, “Visiting hours are all day.”

Wide-eyed, Lyra looked at the doctor. Maintaining the stern expression on his face, he looked directly at her and nodded. “So you need to go.”

“Okay…” she said. Reluctantly, she made her way into the hallway with Gentle Presence and Healing Hooves.

Sugar Plum, Straight Lace, and the doctor followed her out. Straight Lace turned to the doctor. “Is there anything else you need us to fill out right now?”

“No,” the doctor replied. “Everything should be all set.”

“We’ll check back this afternoon to see if anything has changed.” In a respectful tone, he said, “Have a nice day.”

Everyone except the doctor followed him as he walked back to the waiting room and out the door, stopping in the area just outside the hospital’s entrance.

Once they were outside, Gentle Presence said, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to leave pretty soon. The sitter can’t stay past tonight and it’s a long trip back to South Pastern.”

“No…” Lyra objected. She glanced over at Straight Lace. She really didn’t want them to leave. Still… “I understand,” she grudgingly said.

“Don’t worry,” Healing Hooves said to Lyra and the parents. “We’ll make sure the agency covers her medical expenses. She may not be an employee, but there are procedures in place if a pony gets hurt while we’re on assignment. I’ll put everything in motion as soon as we get home.”

Gentle Presence gave a piece of paper to Lyra. “This is our home address,” she said. “Whatever happens, let us know. We care about Bon Bon, too.” Healing Hooves nodded in agreement.

“Thank you,” Lyra said. She gave Gentle Presence a hug.

Straight Lace snorted. “Come on,” he said to Sugar Plum. “We need to go find a place to sleep tonight.”

Sugar Plum hesitated. “Shouldn’t we stay here? What if something changes?”

“She’s in a coma,” he said bluntly. “Even if something does change, finding out in the afternoon won’t be any different than finding it out when it happens.” He turned to Healing Hooves. “You said you were staying at a hotel? Is it any good?”

“I thought it was nice,” he said. “The Feather Down Inn.” He pointed off in the distance. “Follow that street until you see a store that sells quills and sofas, then turn right. Keep going until you see the cooper’s, then turn left. It’s about five buildings down.”

Sugar Plum said, “Thank you. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too,” Gentle Presence said. She and Healing Hooves shook her hoof.

Sugar Plum looked to Healing Hooves. “I know the doctor said he couldn’t give us a percentage,” she said. “But can you? I already feel like I’ve lost her twice. I just want to know…” She closed her eyes and hung her head.

“I’m sorry,” Healing Hooves said softly. “I genuinely don’t know.”

Lyra recognized the pain in Sugar Plum’s voice. She stepped toward her and, trying to put on a brave face, said, “Bon Bon’s tough. She’s going to fight this.” She put her hoof on Sugar Plum’s shoulder.

Straight Lace immediately swatted it into the air with his own hoof. “She’s married,” he snarled. He turned to his wife. “Let’s go.”

With Straight Lace in the lead, they started walking toward the inn, leaving Lyra standing still with her foreleg in the air and a stunned expression on her face.

Once the couple was out of earshot, Healing Hooves was the first to speak. “Wow…” he said.

Lyra hadn’t moved. “…So it wasn’t just me, then?”

“No,” he said. “That was… uncomfortable.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had to deal with a pony like that.” She finally put her hoof back on the ground. “I didn’t miss it.”

Healing Hooves looked off into the distance. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he said, “We didn’t get a chance to ask how you held up last night. You seemed pretty distraught.”

“I am pretty distraught,” she said. “The pony I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with is in a coma right now.”

“Did you at least eat something this morning?”

“Yes. I had the leftover macaroni. Thank you for dinner, by the way. I think I forgot to say that.”

“It’s all right,” Gentle Presence said. “We know this can’t be easy.”

Lyra just nodded.

Softly, Gentle Presence asked, “Are you going to be okay? Will you be able to handle being alone?”

Lyra suddenly knitted her brow. “I beg your pardon?” she snapped. “Alone? That isn’t going to happen. Bon Bon is going to pull through! Why would you even say that?!”

Gentle Presence took a step back. “I didn’t mean…”

Healing Hooves quickly stepped forward. Firmly, he said, “That isn’t what she’s talking about. Even if Bon Bon came out of the coma this very second, she’s going to need to take time to recover here at the hospital. No matter what happens, you’re going to be on your own for a while. I know last night was tough because this is all still fresh. But you have to pull yourself together, for your own sake.”

Lyra dropped her head. For a few seconds, she could only stare at the ground. Finally, while still looking down, she said, “…I’m sorry.”

Gentle Presence stepped toward her. “It’s okay. I can tell you really care about her.”

Lyra looked back up. “That’s an understatement.”

“I don’t know if this helps,” she said, “but yesterday, we offered to put Bon Bon in contact with the agency if she wanted some extra creature wrangling work. She turned us down – she said she was happy with her life here with you.”

Lyra tried to smile. Instead, her lip quivered.

Healing Hooves looked at her. “Are you going to be okay?”

Lyra sniffled as she assumed an upright posture. “I… I think so. At least, as okay as I can be.”

He took another step forward, his face about twelve inches from hers. He locked eyes with her. “Take care of yourself. The doctors and nurses will take care of Bon Bon.”

“I will,” Lyra said. She gave Healing Hooves a hug. “Thank you for bringing her here so fast. And for helping her with the blood transfusion.”

He embraced her back. “Like we said, we owe her.”

When they released the hug, he and Gentle Presence turned to leave for the train station.

“Good-bye,” Gentle Presence said. “Stay strong.”

Lyra nodded as she waved good-bye. As they walked away, she looked around. Seeing no sign of Straight Lace or Sugar Plum, she went back inside the hospital.

“Visiting hours are all day?” she asked the receptionist.

“All day,” she confirmed.

“I’ll be in Bon Bon’s room.”

Lyra quickly walked back to the room in the intensive care unit. Once again, she took her position at the left side of Bon Bon’s bed, positioning herself between the bed and the door.

“I’m back,” she said to Bon Bon. “Don’t worry – I’m not planning on going anywhere. Ever.” She looked at the tubes attached to Bon Bon’s muzzle. “I know this is tough for you. Even tougher than it is for me. That’s why I’m here. For you. You know that I’d do anything for you, right? Well, now is the time. Just tell me what it is you need to get better, and I’ll get it for you.”

The medical ventilator continued to softly pulsate.

“Yeah, I should have known you’d see through my plan to trick you into waking up.” She forced a single chuckle. “It’s okay, Bon Bon. I just want you to get better. Please. Take all the time that you need – I promise I’ll never leave you. Just please get better.”

There was a pause as Lyra tried to think of something else to talk about.

“Your friends from your past job had to go home. They needed to relieve the sitter. Before they left, they wanted to make sure I could take care of myself while you’re in here. When you were with them, did you tell them how much you do for me, and that I’d be lost on my own without you? I mean, I know it’s true – I’m just wondering whether you told them or whether it’s that obvious to anypony who meets me.

“Anyway, you’ll be happy to know that I actually had a meal for breakfast this morning. And not just cold cereal or some raw fruit, either. An actual, prepared meal.”

Lyra stopped for a beat.

“…Okay, it was leftover macaroni and cheese from the night before. But that still counts! Somepony had to prepare it, didn’t they? It doesn’t matter when the food was actually prepared. Or what its temperature was when I finally ate it. The important thing is, I ate breakfast, so you don’t have to worry about how I’m doing. You just focus on getting better.

“Oh! I bet nopony’s told you where you are yet. They’ve probably all been too busy trying to help you. Okay, so you’re at the hospital. You probably figured that out on your own. Um… it’s a pretty nice room, as far as hospital rooms go. There’s only the one bed, so you don’t have to worry about having a roommate. And there’s a pretty big window kind of off to your right. There’s a whole landscaped area out there – you can see it from your bed.

“The wall on the other side of the room isn’t that interesting. Just a counter-looking thing with a bunch of drawers in it. You’d think there’d be some tongue depressors or a jar of lollipops on top, but there’s nothing like that. I guess if a pony is in the ICU, they’re past needing a tongue depressor. And I guess lollipops aren’t really appropriate, either. Although I sure wish somepony would give me one right now. You know, I bet adults would be more willing to go to the doctor if they still got a lollipop at the end. Lollipops make everything better.

“What else… there’s a door over to your left. There’s a window in that, too. Makes it feel like the room is open – you won’t feel cooped up, even if it’s closed. But if you need privacy, there’s a curtain that pulls around your bed here. All in all, if it wasn’t for the antiseptic smell and the whole, you know, intensive care thing, this wouldn’t be such a bad place to stay.”

Lyra really wanted Bon Bon to respond. Not only because it would mean she was out of the coma, but because she had a way of making conversations about even the most mundane subjects interesting. As it stood, Lyra felt like she was just rambling.

But she continued to ramble, hour after hour, stopping only during the times when a nurse came in to check up on Bon Bon. No matter how ridiculous she sounded, Lyra was going to make sure that Bon Bon knew she wasn’t alone.

It was mid-afternoon. Lyra was in the middle of describing the classes she took during her second year at the music academy when she heard a knock on the already-open door. She turned around to see her good friend Golden Harvest standing in the doorframe.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

Lyra nodded.

As Golden Harvest entered, she saw Bon Bon lying in the bed. She stopped short. “Oh…” was all she could say.

“Yeah,” Lyra said.

She finished walking toward Lyra. “Everypony in the marketplace has been worried about Bon Bon,” she said. “After we saw that unicorn carry her through town yesterday, we didn’t know what happened. I volunteered to come here and find out for everypony else.”

She looked at Bon Bon again.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” she said.

“Well, it’s not good,” Lyra responded. She proceeded to tell her what had happened, from how Bon Bon had been bitten by the snake that had been slithering through town, to being given an experimental antivenom, to her present condition in the hospital.

“…And the doctor and the nurses say there’s nothing I can do except wait for her to get better,” Lyra finished. Her voice still wavered each time she had to say it.

For a few moments, Golden Harvest was struck silent. Finally, she said the only thing she could: “I am so sorry.”

Lyra sighed. “I just wish I knew how she was doing.”

“What about you? Are you doing okay?”

Lyra looked at Bon Bon. “Of course I’m not doing okay.”

Slowly, Golden Harvest nodded. “I can only imagine. Is there anything I can do? Is there anything that you want?” Quickly, she added, “For yourself?”

Lyra thought for a moment. “You could ask if there’s a cushioned stool around here somewhere. I’ve been standing in this spot since about 9:30 and I’d really like to get off my hooves.”

“I will, but I was thinking more along the lines of food. Did you eat lunch?”

“Not yet.”

“Lyra, it’s after 2:30.”

Lyra looked up at the clock. “Oh. So it is.”

A pause. “…Shouldn’t you eat lunch?”

“I’m not leaving Bon Bon.”

Golden Harvest silently acknowledged the conviction behind that statement. “What if I got lunch for you?” she asked.

Lyra’s reaction revealed that she hadn’t even considered that option. “Well, now that you mention it, my stomach does feel empty,” she said. “Would you be willing to pick up something from the Hayburger for me? I’ll pay you back tonight after visiting hours are over.”

“Of course,” Golden Harvest said. “What would you like?”

“Just a plain hayburger. No cheese. I mean, I want cheese, but there’s probably only so much cheese I’m supposed to eat in one day. Why aren’t there any comfort foods that are healthy?”

Golden Harvest’s only response was a shrug. Lyra felt a pang from the hole in her heart. That was the kind of idle observation that Bon Bon would have had an entertaining response for.

With nothing else to say, Golden Harvest told Lyra that she’d be right back, then left. She returned several minutes later with a hayburger, a bonus pouch of fried potatoes, and the assurance that Lyra didn’t have to pay her back.

Golden Harvest stepped out of the room again in search of something comfortable to sit on. Lyra began to eat her lunch. She briefly considered that the familiar smell of greasy fast food might help rouse Bon Bon from the coma – or, better yet, the smell of some familiar candy ingredients! Then Lyra looked at the feeding tube inserted in Bon Bon’s nose. Dropping her head in defeat, she impassively took another bite of her burger.

Golden Harvest returned with a cushioned stool, wide enough for a pony to sit on with enough space for their forelegs. After giving it to Lyra, she stuck around to keep her company. Lyra was grateful to have a pony who could respond to what she said, although she felt discomfited engaging in a conversation while seemingly ignoring the unconscious Bon Bon lying next to her.

After a half hour, Golden Harvest left and returned to the marketplace with Lyra’s permission to update the townsponies on what had happened to Bon Bon. Lyra turned to her marefriend and apologized for the distraction. Bon Bon did not reply.

Another half hour passed, with Lyra reminiscing to Bon Bon about some of the more memorable times they had gone out to eat together. She stopped in the middle of her recollection of an endless salad bar in Canterlot when she heard familiar voices in the hallway.

“…she’s going to look exactly the same way she looked before. Nothing’s changed.”

“I know. I just want to see her.”

Sugar Plum stepped into the room, followed by the doctor. Straight Lace’s voice was still in the hallway.

“Fine, for a minute. But you’re just wasting—”

He entered the room and saw Lyra.

“You again.”

Lyra swallowed.

“How long have you been here?” He said it barely below the volume that would earn him a reprimand for yelling in the hospital.

Lyra straightened up on her stool. “All day.”

“All d—?!” He turned to the doctor. “She’s been here all day?!” He turned back to Lyra. “Are you trying to interfere with my daughter’s recovery?”

“Interfere?” she replied, the hairs of her coat standing on end. “I’m trying to help!” She looked to the doctor. “Don’t they say that you’re supposed to talk to ponies who are in a coma? To make them feel better?”

Doctor Horse gritted his teeth before responding. “Well, there’s never been a study to confirm that. But—”

Straight Lace cut him off. “You heard the doctor. She has to recover on her own.”

“But I have to do something!”

“You shouldn’t be doing anything! You shouldn’t even be here! And if you’re just going to trot in and ignore the direct orders of her physician, then we might as well give up right now and let her die!”

Two sharp gasps cut through the room as time seemed to briefly come to a stop. Even the doctor looked at Straight Lace in surprise.

After a moment, Sugar Plum stammered, “Y-you don’t actually want…”

“Of course I don’t want that to happen!” he said. “But ponies don’t lapse into comas because they’re fit and healthy! Our daughter is at death’s door, and this miscreant is trying to push her through!”

Lyra’s mouth hung open. She tried to object, but only a short, strained sound escaped from her throat.

Straight Lace stared directly into Lyra’s eyes. “Get out of this room,” he growled. “Right. Now.”

Lyra looked to the doctor for help.

The doctor exhaled. “I’m afraid you have to leave,” he said sympathetically. Straight Lace nodded resolutely. Sugar Plum still looked shocked.

The doctor stepped over and picked up one of Lyra’s forelegs from the stool. He guided her down onto the floor, where, with a thunderstruck expression on her face, she walked past Straight Lace, into the hallway, through the waiting room, and out the door.

Lyra looked around. The sun was shining. There was a slight breeze. She was standing outside the hospital. Her Bon Bon was inside.

Everything that had just happened finally sunk in. She realized that Straight Lace would be outside soon. And she didn’t want him to see what she was about to do.

She stepped into the bushes bordering the landscaped area next to the hospital building. She lay down so no one could see her.

She began to softly cry.

With red eyes, Lyra climbed out of the bushes and began to walk away from the hospital. As she moved, Straight Lace’s words replayed in her head.

we might as well give up right now and let her

Lyra tried to stop the voice. She didn’t even want to think that word. But it came anyway. She tried to ignore it. But as she deliberately tried to not think about it, it became all she could think about.

Lyra made her way through Ponyville. She had a destination in mind. She took the long way around the marketplace – she didn’t want to get sidetracked by well-meaning ponies stopping her to talk.

Soon, she found herself at the front door of the Castle of Friendship.

The problem with attempting to visit the princess of friendship is the simple fact that she has a lot of friends. Usually, dropping by unannounced wouldn’t get a pony very far. But when Lyra told Spike what had happened to Bon Bon, he agreed that it demanded Twilight Sparkle’s immediate attention. Soon, she was greeted in the foyer by her reconciled Canterlot friend, who led her to the study. They took a seat in two of the three plush chairs surrounding a small table. On the table, Spike laid out a tea set, then left the room.

After Twilight poured them each a cup of tea, Lyra explained everything that had happened to Bon Bon, including the lack of treatment options after the initial dose of antivenom.

“You’re the smartest pony in Ponyville,” she finished. “Is there anything you can do?”

Lyra recognized the sympathetic look on Twilight’s face. She had been seeing it on far too many ponies’ faces recently.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “There’s no way to bring a pony out of a coma.”

“But there has to be some kind of spell for it.” Lyra’s voice was urgent. “It has to be in one of your books somewhere. Just tell me where to find it and I’ll learn it!”

“Lyra,” Twilight said. She leaned forward in her chair slightly. “There is no such spell. Throughout history, the greatest unicorn doctors whose magic specialty was medicine – even they have never been able to force a patient out of a coma.”

“What about you? You’re an alicorn! You can do anything!”

“Alicorns can’t do everything,” she said sadly. “And this is one of those things we can’t do. No alicorn – not me, not even Celestia – can meddle in a pony’s natural cycle of life and death.”

Lyra shrank back upon hearing that word. Twilight immediately regretted saying it.

Still, she continued. “It’s a power that no pony is meant to wield. It would be impossible to use it for everyone. And to have the authority to make that decision… it would be unfair for one pony to choose who gets healed and who doesn’t.”

“I don’t want to heal everypony,” Lyra said. “I just need to save Bon Bon.”

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing either of us can do.”

Lyra’s voice became more frantic. “There has to be something,” she said. “Just give me a lead! A potion, dark magic… anything! I’ll do whatever it takes!”

A look of fear crossed Twilight’s face. Lyra stopped talking.

“Lyra, I can’t pretend to understand how difficult this is for you,” Twilight said. “But I need you to promise me that you won’t even think about considering dark magic.”

Lyra didn’t respond.

“No good has ever come from a pony embracing dark magic. The end is always worse than what they were trying to achieve.”

Lyra looked at Twilight. “So there is a way…?”

“Lyra, no.” Her words were unyielding. “You can’t save Bon Bon at the expense of your own soul.”

“You don’t understand. I would give up anything for Bon Bon. Even myself.”

Twilight got out of her chair. Using her telekinesis, she moved the table out of the way and stepped forward. “Look at me, Lyra. I am serious. Completely serious. As your friend – and as your princess, if I have to – I am telling you to not even explore that option. For one thing, I genuinely don’t know whether there would be such a spell. But more importantly, ask yourself: Would Bon Bon want you to sacrifice yourself for her?”

“She deserves—”

“Would she be happy if she was better but it happened because she had to lose you?”

“But…” Lyra sputtered. It was all she could say. After a few seconds of silence, she broke down and began to cry. She tried to bury her head in the side rest of the chair.

Twilight stepped over and gently placed her hoof on Lyra’s back.

Lyra continued to cry into the chair. “It’s not fair…” she sobbed.

Twilight simply watched as Lyra made no effort to control her emotions. After a few seconds, she softly said, “I know it isn’t fair. Sometimes you just have to deal with the terrible things that come your way. And that’s the only thing you can do.”

She waited until Lyra was down to a low whimper before she spoke again. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, and I know this isn’t what you came to hear, but the best advice I can give you right now is to remember that your friends are there for you. Accept their support. They may not be able to solve your problems, but at least their presence can make things a little more bearable.”

Lyra looked up at Twilight with forlorn, puffy eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. Lyra buried her head again, although she was no longer crying. After several seconds of silence, Twilight asked, “Do you want to keep talking?”

“No,” Lyra said into the chair.

“Do you want me to just sit here with you?”

There was a short pause. “No,” Lyra said, getting out of the chair. “I have to go back and be with Bon Bon.”

“I understand.” She watched as Lyra walked toward the door. Before she opened it, she said, “Lyra? If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, stop by at any time.”

Lyra only gave a noncommittal “Mm-hm.” She left the castle.

Even though Twilight had said there was no potion that could help, on her way back to the hospital, Lyra stopped by Zecora’s home anyway. The zebra shaman had confirmed that there was no remedy she could provide, although Lyra didn’t completely believe her. She knew that there had to be something supernatural about Zecora. Clairvoyance, for one thing. After all, why would she have been eating a wonton when Lyra arrived, other than so she’d have a rhyme?

When Lyra returned to the hospital, she didn’t even stop at the receptionist’s desk. “Bon Bon’s room,” she quickly said as she continued on her way into the ICU. She wasn’t sure whether Straight Lace had told the hospital staff to bar her from seeing her marefriend; if he had, she wasn’t going to give them the chance to realize they should enforce it.

“I’m back,” she said to Bon Bon as she approached the bed. “Sorry I took so long. I went to visit Twilight and Zecora to see if they could help. But they both said there was nothing they could do. I’ll keep searching – I’m never going to give up – but right now, it looks like it might be up to you to come out of this.

“I’m really sorry – I feel like my hooves are tied. If I knew any way to help you, you know that I’d do it. In a heartbeat. I hate that I’m forcing you to deal with this all on your own. But I know you can do it, Bon Bon. You can get better.

“You have to get better.”

Once again, she started talking to Bon Bon about anything and everything she could think of. As before, she would occasionally be interrupted by a nurse who needed to tend to Bon Bon medically. More than once, one of those nurses would tell Lyra how moving it was to see her dedication. It was clear that she was still welcome in the room. The nurses’ encouragement gave her the emotional restoration she needed to keep talking; the pitcher of water they brought in gave her the physical restoration she needed to keep talking.

More hours passed. Lyra watched the sky change color as the sun set and described it all to Bon Bon. There was less than a half hour left before visiting hours would be over and she was determined to be by her marefriend’s side for every minute of it. She returned to the topic that she had sporadically touched on throughout the afternoon: The cities her band had visited during their first tour.

“…We were worried that the Appleoosans would only want honky-tonk-type music, but they were one of the quickest to understand what we were doing. And they really got into it! We were playing on this nice little outdoor stage, so the music carried pretty well. Just like all the other cities, the audience was small, but in Appleoosa, as the passers-by heard us, a lot of them stopped and stayed to listen. Every time we finished a song, they started hootin’ and hollerin’. It was one of my favorite stops of the tour! And the apple pie they made – you’d be able to tell better than me, but I think it gives the Apples’ pie a run for its money. It’d be a nice little place to vacation if it wasn’t so far out of the way. I think you’d like it, though – it’s rustic, but not so rustic that it’s uncomfortable. And everypony is really friendly.”

Lyra was so engrossed in her description, she didn’t hear the visitor arrive until they entered the room. When she heard the sound of hoofsteps on the tile floor behind her, she turned around to see Sugar Plum.

Lyra quickly fell silent. She watched the doorway, but saw no other ponies enter.

“It’s only me,” Sugar Plum said. “Straight Lace thinks it’s pointless to keep coming back when there aren’t any changes, but I just want to see my daughter.”

Lyra looked at her. A few seconds passed. “Please don’t make me leave again,” she pleaded.

Sugar Plum saw the fear in Lyra’s eyes. “I won’t,” she said.

She walked around to the side of the bed opposite where Lyra was sitting. Lyra got up off her stool so that she was also standing.

For a couple of minutes, they both simply stood there. Neither said anything. They alternated between looking at Bon Bon and awkwardly looking at each other. The sounds of the medical equipment seemed to get louder as the beeps of the heart monitor and the wheezes of mechanical respiration filled the silence.

Eventually, Lyra tried, “So… you live in Connecticolt.” She scratched the back of her neck with her hoof.

“Just for the past couple of months,” Sugar Plum replied.

“Yeah… Bon Bon told me how you move from place to place all the time.”

Sugar Plum nodded. She didn’t have anything else to add.

There was a lengthy pause as neither of them said anything.

After a while, Sugar Plum spoke. “You live with Bon Bon.”

“Yep,” Lyra said. “I do.”

“In the same house.”

“Mm-hmm. We used to live a couple of units away from each other in the apartment complex here. But we realized that we were spending so much time with each other, it made more sense to get a house together. And it really helped Bon Bon with her work. The kitchens in those apartments were tiny. But the kitchen at home – she loves it. She says it’s made her more efficient.”

“Her work?”

“She makes everything at home.”

“Makes what?”

Lyra hesitated before answering. “…You don’t know?”

“All I know is that she lives here in Ponyville. I assumed she would get some kind of job with food, but she’s never told me what she does.”

In a low tone, Lyra said, “Oh.” Then, at a normal speaking volume, and with no small amount of pride in her voice, she said, “Bon Bon is Ponyville’s official candy maker. Well, technically not ‘official’ – it’s not like the mayor gave her a title or anything. But there’s nopony else who sells candy around here, so I like to call her that. She gets embarrassed when I do.”

Sugar Plum smiled. “That’s perfect. She loved making her own candy at home. As a filly, we had to keep her from making too much of it and spoiling her appetite. It makes me feel better to hear she gets to do that for her job now.”

“Have you been to Sugarcube Corner yet?”

“I don’t think we have.”

“You’d know it if you had. It’s a bakery near the middle of town with a gingerbread roof.”

“We haven’t been to anyplace like that.”

“Tomorrow morning, go there. All of the candy that they sell – Bon Bon made that. And the candy that they use in their cookies and cupcakes, too.”

“Wow…”

“She’s really good. I mean, of course I’d say that, but even if I wasn’t her marefriend, I’d say her candy was really good.”

Sugar Plum looked at Bon Bon. “She did always love sweets. I remember she would try to add too much sugar to the lemonade. Even normal lemonade, she said tasted too sour.”

“Heh. Well, she’s gotten better about that now. She makes this lemonade ball that she invented – it’s super sweet on the outside, but when you bite into it, you get a burst of lemon juice. When it all mixes together, it’s perfect. I think Sugarcube Corner might still have some in stock – you should check tomorrow.”

“I will.” She continued to look at Bon Bon. Lyra followed her gaze. “I’m going to need some pick-me-ups. This is going to be a difficult two weeks.”

“Two weeks?”

“Although I really hope it doesn’t come to that…”

Lyra’s attention snapped back to Sugar Plum. “Come to what?”

“What it means if nothing changes by then.”

Lyra’s panic rapidly escalated. “What? What are you talking about?”

Sugar Plum looked at her with a slightly confused expression. “You know… what the doctor said…”

Lyra was nearly frantic. “What did he say?”

“He didn’t tell you?”

“No! What is it?”

Sugar Plum looked back at Bon Bon. “They think the snake venom won’t completely be out of her system for two weeks. So if two weeks go by and she’s still like this, then it means she might not ever get better. She’d be in some kind of… some kind of permanent vegetative state. And if that happens, then we’d have to start talking about…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Lyra sat back down on the stool. “No…” she quietly said.

Again, neither of them spoke. But for a very different reason.

After a minute, Sugar Plum said, “The doctor didn’t tell you that?”

“He didn’t.”

“But you’ve been here all day.”

“The doctors and the nurses won’t tell me anything. They said they can only talk about her treatment with her parents.” She exhaled. “It’s been really tough being in the dark.”

Lyra looked at Bon Bon. Sugar Plum looked at Lyra.

“Then why are you spending so much time here with her?”

Lyra stood back up on her hooves and looked at Sugar Plum. When she spoke, her words were simple and honest.

“Because I love her.”

Sugar Plum looked as though she didn’t understand. So Lyra continued.

“Bon Bon is the best thing that’s ever happened to my life – and I’ve been lucky to have a pretty good life so far. She’s… she’s like the smart version of me. We have the same sense of humor. She loves me for me, but she lets me know when I’m being too ‘Lyra’ for other ponies. We complement each other perfectly. I know that we were meant to be together…”

Her voice began to waver.

“…and I can’t stand the thought of us being apart.”

Using her magic, she took a tissue from the nearby table and dabbed at her eyes and nose. After throwing it away, she said, “I’m sorry. This is just really hard.”

Sugar Plum had tears in her eyes, too. Lyra passed her a tissue. “I know,” she said. “This is hard for me, too. After so many years separated from her… and now to see her… like this…”

Lyra lifted up the wastebasket so she could throw the tissue away. “I hadn’t realized,” she said.

“I still worry about her, you know. A mother never stops. Every year, when I get that Hearth’s Warming card, I’m just relieved she’s still okay. But then when I got your letter…”

She stopped talking. Lyra passed her another tissue. And took one for herself. Neither of them said anything.

After the tissues found their way into the wastebasket, Lyra said, “I know the doctor said there’s no proof that this works, but there’s nothing else I can do right now, and I’m not giving up.” She leaned toward the head of the bed. “Bon Bon… can you hear me? I know you can hear me. I really hope you’re getting better.”

Sugar Plum leaned in from the other side. “Please wake up, Bon Bon. You’re still my little filly.”

“We both want you to be better.”

“We do.”

“Just give us some kind of sign. Please… we love you.”

Suddenly, Lyra’s eyes shot upward. She thought that she saw Bon Bon’s ear swivel just the tiniest bit. But she wasn’t sure whether it actually happened or whether it was her vision playing tricks on her. She was about to open her mouth to say something…

…at which point Straight Lace stomped through the door.

“What are you two doing?!”

Both of them, startled, flinched backward, away from Bon Bon. Sugar Plum looked up at Straight Lace. Lyra also turned to look at him.

“Get away from her this second!” he barked.

Lyra turned to look at Bon Bon again. Her ears were perfectly still.

“Am I the only pony around here who, when they’re told to leave a sick patient alone, actually has the good sense to leave her alone? Who knows how to follow instructions? Sugar Plum! It’s bad enough that every single time I walk in here, I have to see this degenerate doing Celestia-knows-what to my daughter! But you? What could have possibly possessed you to interfere with her recovery?”

“I…”

“There’s no excuse! You heard what the doctor said! It’s his job to take care of our daughter! And since he’s the only pony here who actually has the experience and authority to know what’s best, it seems like the obvious thing would be to let him do his job! There’s a natural order to a hospital – we all have to do our part to maintain it! Which shouldn’t be difficult when doing your part means not having to do anything at all! You’d have to be actively trying to make things worse!”

As he carried on, Nurse Snowheart stepped into the room. “I’m afraid visiting hours are over for the night,” she said. Her voice indicated that it wasn’t actually making her unhappy to deliver this news. “Everypony has to leave now.”

“Gladly,” Straight Lace said. “Come on – let’s go.” He walked out of the room with Sugar Plum following a few steps behind him. Under Nurse Snowheart’s gaze, Lyra said, “Good night, Bon Bon,” gave her marefriend a kiss on the forehead, and also left the room.

As Lyra stepped into the outdoors from the waiting area, she found Straight Lace ranting to Sugar Plum about the attentiveness of the hospital staff. The two were standing just a couple of steps from the doorway. In order to leave the hospital, she had no choice but to approach them.

Straight Lace saw Lyra, then turned to Sugar Plum. “And what happened to your common sense in there?” he scolded her. “I know you want our daughter to get better. How could you let yourself be convinced to jeopardize her health by this fillyfooler?”

Lyra had intended to say something, but she was shocked into silence by the deep-seated bigotry inherent in that word. The appalling – and, it went without saying, completely false – notion that every gay pony was a sexual deviant, even when it came to minors, had been pervasive even a generation ago. Fortunately, wider understanding and acceptance throughout Equestria had recently rendered the stereotype obsolete. Nonetheless, “fillyfooler” was one of the most offensive things possible to say to a gay mare. Especially when it was said with the hatred that was palpable in Straight Lace’s voice.

“And you,” he said, turning to Lyra. “Is this the kind of antiauthoritarian behavior you’ve been encouraging? Is this why we can’t get her to see reason? Or is there some other reason you’re here? Do you get some kind of sick thrill from staring at unconscious mares? Is that another one of your perversions? What else have you been teaching our daughter?”

Lyra was shocked out of her initial shock. She quickly opened her mouth to speak. But then she gathered her wits enough to first take a long, deep breath.

With the tightness of restraint evident in her voice, she said, “Straight Lace: You should know that I have had some very conflicting feelings about you. On the one hoof, you raised Bon Bon, and I know I should be respectful of her parents. But you…” she took a deep, shuddering breath to steady herself “…you don’t realize how much you’ve hurt her, and that makes me very, very angry. I promised myself that if I ever met you, I would try to be civil, for Bon Bon’s sake. But you, sir, are making that extremely difficult. Please do not make me go back on that promise.”

With that, she walked past the two and started on her way home.

After a few minutes, Lyra made the final turn onto her street. As she had walked away from the hospital, she had heard Straight Lace yell after her, “Good! Leave! I don’t want to see your face ever again!” As much as she wished it wasn’t true, the feeling was mutual.

Lyra made distinct hoofprints in the dirt as she channeled her emotions into the road with each step. When she approached her house, she was surprised to see an orange-maned earth pony sitting out front. Her gait returned to normal as she approached Golden Harvest.

“What are you doing out here so late?” Lyra asked.

“I stopped by to check up on you,” Golden Harvest said, getting up on all four hooves. “To make sure you were doing okay. Everypony in the marketplace sends their love. But rather than all descend on you at once and overwhelm you, we agreed that you needed a little breathing room.”

“Thanks. I think.” She took a moment. “Yeah, I’m in no condition to try to entertain anypony right now.”

“That’s what we thought. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t there for you. If you need something from any of us, just say the word.”

“Thanks,” she said again. Then another moment of contemplation. “I don’t think I need anything tonight.”

“Did you have dinner?”

“…No.”

“I brought carrots, rice, and an onion. I’m making you soup.”

Lyra let Golden Harvest inside, where she prepared a late dinner of carrot soup. Lyra was, as she put it, “weirded out” by the sight of someone other than Bon Bon in her kitchen, so she stayed in the living room, trying to focus on reading the newspaper, until dinner was ready.

After Lyra ate, Golden Harvest put the leftovers in the icebox. She sat down on the couch and asked Lyra how her day had gone. Out of nowhere – coming as a surprise to both of them – Lyra burst into tears as she recalled all of the awful things that had happened to her over the course of the day. Through it all, Golden Harvest sat attentively, providing a sympathetic ear.

Afterward, Lyra asked her friend to not tell the other townsponies how she had just broken down or to reveal any of the specifics of what she herself was going through – “I just want to focus on Bon Bon’s recovery,” she said. Golden Harvest acceded, and, after receiving assurance that Lyra would be okay by herself for the night, left for her own home.

Lyra was sitting on her side of the loveseat. Other than the sound of her own breathing, the house was completely silent.

She looked at the empty cushion next to her. She reached out a foreleg and put her hoof on it.

She was sick of crying.

But it was the only thing she could do.

Chapter 7 - Lyra’s Heartstrings

Lyra had gone to bed early that night. But the exhaustion of everything she had gone through during the day, when combined with the lack of sleep she had gotten the night before, caused her to sleep all through the night and well into the morning.

When she woke up, she found her forelegs wrapped around Bon Bon’s pillow and her face nuzzled against it. The sun was already streaming in through the window. Panicked, she checked the clock.

8:15. She hadn’t missed the beginning of visiting hours.

She went downstairs and put some of the leftover soup into a pot on the stove. She lit the burner, then realized that she had no idea how long she should cook it. Afraid of burning her breakfast, she took it off of the burner after just a couple of minutes. She sat down at the table and ate the lukewarm soup straight out of the pot.

After eating, she had just enough time to freshen up before she left for the hospital. She trotted a little more quickly than she would usually make her way through town. She arrived seven minutes before 9:00, and although she hoped the doctor would show up and let her go in early again, this time, she was forced to sit in the waiting room alone. Seven very long minutes later, the receptionist allowed her to head into the ICU.

“Good morning, Bon Bon,” she said as she immediately took a seat on the stool that was still in the same spot as the night before. “How are you doing?”

There was no response other than the usual sounds of the medical equipment.

“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of,” Lyra said. She tried to force a chuckle. It quickly turned into a sad sigh.

“So, you probably heard me and your dad yesterday,” she said. “It… got worse after I had to leave for the night. Now I understand why you never wanted to talk about it. I… I may have said some harsh words to him last night.” A pause. “Or maybe I just thought them. It’s all kind of a blur. I felt like I was almost literally seeing red.”

She placed her hoof near Bon Bon’s shoulder. “But you know what it made me realize?” She looked Bon Bon directly in her closed eyes. “You are an incredibly strong pony. You had to be strong to deal with that kind of ignorance while you were growing up. I always knew that you’re amazing, but now that I know what you had to put up with… I really admire you, Bon Bon. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I wish I could have been there for you back then. The fact that you were able to get through it by yourself and still be the wonderful mare you are today… I mean it – you really are amazing.

“So you need to use that strength again now. Dig down, deep inside yourself, and use that strength to kick this coma’s tail. You’re going to fight this thing, Bon Bon. You’re going to fight it, and you’re going to win. Because you’re strong. The strongest pony I know. And even though I couldn’t be there for you then, I’m here for you now. While you’re fighting, I’m going to be right next to you, cheering you on. If there’s no other way I can help you – if there’s no spell or potion I can find – then at the very least, I’m going to root you on, as hard as I can. Because I will always be there for you.”

She leaned down closer. Her voice got quieter.

“Fight it, Bon Bon. Fight that coma. You can do it. I know you can.”

Nurse Redheart walked in, pushing a cart with medical supplies on it. “Good morning, Lyra,” she said.

Lyra got off the stool and took a couple of steps back so the nurse could do her job. “Good morning.”

“It’s nice to see you here again today.”

“I’m going to keep talking to her until she responds,” Lyra said. She let out a single, wry laugh. “Usually, she hates it when I wake her up. But what I wouldn’t give for that to happen right now…”

Nurse Redheart smiled. “I’m sure she’d forgive you in this case.”

“Has anything changed? Since last night?”

Redheart’s smile turned to pity. “You know I can’t say anything.”

Lyra raised her head to the ceiling and grimaced.

“Have you asked her mother or father to talk to Doctor Horse? If they authorize it, then we can give information about Bon Bon to you, too.”

Lyra remembered the previous night. “I don’t think I’m on the best of terms with them right now.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

Lyra watched as Nurse Redheart began to remove one of the IV bags hanging above Bon Bon.

“I know you’re not allowed to tell me how she’s doing,” Lyra said, “but can I at least ask what you’re doing? If you don’t give me specifics?”

Nurse Redheart paused and considered the question.

“Pretend you’re talking to a random schoolfilly,” Lyra said. “What would you be able to tell her?”

“Well,” Redheart said, resuming her work, “right now I’m changing the IV bags. They deliver fluid to the patient on a regular, consistent basis. IVs can be used to administer fluids and/or medication, though I can’t tell you specifically what’s in these bags.”

“That’s all right,” Lyra said. “I’m still learning. And what are all of those wires on her chest for?”

“The wires are connected to the heart monitor. The heart monitor records her heart rate so we can tell whether any abnormalities develop without having to watch her all the time.”

“Having all of those wires stuck in you… how much does that hurt?”

“The wires are only attached to the electrodes that are attached to her coat.” Nurse Redheart saw Lyra’s eyes widen at the mention of electrodes. “But they don’t hurt,” she quickly added. “The electrodes are just attached to the coat with a mild adhesive. It might sting a little when we take them off because they’re sticky, but until then, they don’t hurt at all.”

“What about the tubes in her mouth?”

“The tubes in her throat would be uncomfortable, yes. That’s why the doctor cast an anesthetic spell to numb the area.” She walked around to begin changing the bag on the other side of the bed.

“He never said he cast a spell on her forelegs,” Lyra said, referring to the two IV tubes. “Aren’t those needles hurting her?”

“They do hurt a little bit when the needle first goes in,” Nurse Redheart conceded. “But once it’s in, you get used to it. Or at least, it doesn’t hurt all the time.”

Lyra gave her a skeptical look.

“Although nothing is really hurting her at the moment – because she’s comatose, she can’t feel any of this.”

Lyra frowned.

“Sorry – as soon as I said that, I knew I shouldn’t have.”

Lyra sighed. “It’s all right. You’re just giving me the facts. And that’s what I wanted. Thank you.”

Nurse Redheart gave her a small smile as she finished switching out the bag.

Lyra added, “And thank you for doing all of this for Bon Bon. All of you. I really do appreciate it.”

The nurse had a pencil between her teeth as she wrote some numbers on Bon Bon’s chart, so she didn’t immediately respond. When she did, she said, “You’re welcome. We all want Bon Bon to get better.”

“I know,” Lyra said. “I just wish it would happen right now.”

“So do we,” Redheart said. She got behind her cart. “We’ll be back later today to check up on her. In the meantime, let me say, it warms my heart to see somepony who cares so much about her loved one. Have a nice morning. Don’t give up.”

“I won’t.”

When the nurse left, Lyra sat back down on the stool.

She looked at Bon Bon’s chest and forelegs. “I don’t know whether she was telling the truth or if she just didn’t want me to get upset,” she said. “I wish you could tell me, Bon Bon. I wish I knew how you feel.”

Lyra had been dating Bon Bon for so long, she could imagine her marefriend’s response. So she did.

How I feel? Look at me. I feel like I’m in Frankenshire.

Lyra responded aloud. “It’s really not that bad. It’s just wires and IVs. And… that breathing hose.” She paused, swallowing awkwardly. “But hey – at least there aren’t any bolts in your neck.” She offered a nervous chuckle.

Mm-hmm – very convincing. Are you sure there aren’t any lightning storms scheduled this week?

“Don’t worry. If I see the doctor start trying to raise your bed into the sky, I’ll put a stop to him.”

You’d better. I can’t get very far with all these wires attached to me.

Lyra smirked in response. She instinctively looked to Bon Bon to return the expression. Instead, she saw the breathing tube strapped across Bon Bon’s muzzle. The smirk fell from her face.

She returned to monologuing. “You still don’t have to worry about how I’m doing. Golden Harvest was waiting for me last night when I got home. She somehow knew that I hadn’t eaten dinner. Which is weird, because I hadn’t even realized that I hadn’t eaten dinner. Anyway, she made a whole bunch of carrot soup – I still have enough for tonight.

“So that’s another reason you need to get better fast. I want to give her some kind of thank-you gift for being so nice to me. It wasn’t until last night that I realized that you’re the one who makes all of our thank-you gifts. I mean, I could try to cook up some pralines, but just imagine how they’d turn out.”

She looked at Bon Bon for a few seconds.

“Okay, so scaring you into waking up doesn’t work.”

She continued to talk about thank-you gifts, muffin baskets, mail delivery, what it’s like to be a pegasus, walking through fog, Nightmare Night, inheriting clothes from her sister, Bridleway, and other ways to measure when a year has elapsed. As the morning wore on, there was a knock on the doorframe. Lyra turned her head to see Mrs. Cake.

“Hello, dearie,” she said. “Is this a good time?”

“It isn’t going to be a good time,” Lyra said, standing up. “But come on in.”

She did. “Carrot sends his regards,” she said. “He had to mind the shop and the twins.” She looked at Bon Bon. Quietly, she said, “Oh my.”

Lyra nodded in agreement.

“I had heard she was in a coma,” Mrs. Cake said. “I suppose I don’t know what I expected to see. This was all because of that snake?”

Lyra told Mrs. Cake everything that had happened two days ago. She hated that it was becoming easier and easier to tell the story.

“That’s terrible,” Mrs. Cake said when she had finished. “Has there been any change since then?”

“Not that I know of.”

Mrs. Cake looked at the motionless Bon Bon. “I guess I stopped by hoping that there was something I could do to make her feel better.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out the same thing,” Lyra said. “But everypony says it’s up to her to come out of this.”

They both stood in silence for a few seconds.

To change the subject, Lyra said, “So… she’s probably not going to be able to make anything for a little while. I hope you’re stocked up.”

“Don’t worry – we’ll make do,” Mrs. Cake said. “If need be, we can find some time to create some of the decorations on-site. Or just not use those recipes. As soon as she’s ready to get back in the kitchen, though, we’ll go right back to buying from her. Her candies always taste a little better than ours.”

“Thanks,” Lyra said on Bon Bon’s behalf.

She looked at her marefriend for a few seconds.

“What if you asked Twist?” Lyra said, referring to the adolescent filly that Bon Bon had recently taken on as a sort of apprentice.

“Twist?”

“I’m sure she could make some candy for you – Bon Bon says she’s got a real knack for it. And it’d be good practice – she’s said she wants to move to the city to make it on her own someday.”

“If you’re okay with it, then we’ll ask her,” Mrs. Cake said. “I don’t want it to seem like we’re abandoning Bon Bon, though. Especially when she’s like this.”

“I think she’d be okay with it,” Lyra said. “It’s not like she can make anything right now, anyway. And on the off chance she gets upset about it, I’ll make sure she blames me for the idea.”

“You are so thoughtful,” Mrs. Cake said. “Worrying about other ponies at a time like this. We should be the ones worrying about you. Now, how are you holding up, dear?”

Lyra hesitated.

“You don’t have to answer. I’m sure this is hard for you. If there’s anything that you need, you be sure to let us know.”

“Thanks.”

“And don’t worry – as soon as Bon Bon is back home, we’ll be ready to buy more of her treats. You just give us the word when she feels up to it.”

“I will,” Lyra said. “Thanks,” she said again.

“Is there anything else I can do?” Mrs. Cake asked. “Carrot and I have really come to think of Bon Bon as part of the family. I hate to see her like this.”

“You and me both,” Lyra said. “But unless you want to try talking to her, there’s nothing else to do. I’m staying here until she wakes up, but I know you have things to get back to. We don’t want to—” she corrected herself “—I don’t want to hold you up.”

“You’re such a sweet pony,” Mrs. Cake said, giving Lyra a hug. “She’s really lucky to have you.”

“I’m just trying to do whatever I can.”

Mrs. Cake turned to leave. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. “Pinkie said she’d be stopping by soon. I thought I’d give you some advance warning.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Take care.” She left the room.

Lyra sat back down on the stool and addressed Bon Bon. “I assume you’re okay with Twist taking over until you feel better, right?”

So long as you’re not trying to replace me, then yes.

“You know that we could never replace you. I could never replace you.”

What about that pillow this morning?

“Come on… that’s no replacement for you. A pillow isn’t nearly as much fun to hold as you are.” She slowly raised her eyebrows. “Not to mention all the other things you do for me that a pillow can’t.”

Lyra, we’re still in public.

“A private hospital room.”

Close enough. Ponies can still overhear. So by “things I do for you,” you’re talking about things like making candy, right?

“Right. Making candy. A pillow would be terrible at making candy.” She took a moment to consider that. “Well, maybe it would understand marshmallows.”

Yeah… it’s probably best that Twist handles the candy while I’m lying here.

One side of Lyra’s mouth slightly curved upward. She might not have had any control over her marefriend’s treatment at the hospital, but she could still make decisions that were in Bon Bon’s best interests at home.

“Anyway… what should we talk about next? Mrs. Cake is looking well. I knew she meant a lot to you for all that she did when you first moved here, but I didn’t know she thought of you as family. That’s really nice. Maybe once you get better, we can try to come up with—”

“SURPRISE!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she jumped through the door amid an explosion of streamers.

Lyra fell off the stool. “Jeez, Pinkie,” she said as she got back up on her hooves. “You’re the only pony who can still catch someone off-guard even when they know you’re coming.”

“Aw, thanks!”

Lyra put her hoof to her chest to feel her heart racing. She looked at Bon Bon’s face. No change. She looked up at the heart monitor. Also no change.

“I heard what happened with the snake,” Pinkie said in a tone of voice that was concerned yet still perky. “And I knew that meant that somepony needed cheering up. So I’m not leaving this hospital until I get a smile from that pony.”

“That’s nice of you, Pinkie,” Lyra said, “but Bon Bon—”

“That’s why I brought this!” She reached behind the doorframe and produced a double-layer cake slathered in chocolate frosting and topped with multicolored confetti sprinkles. “It’s a ‘feel better’ cake!”

Lyra felt herself involuntarily drool a little bit. “That looks really good,” she said. “But she can’t—”

“Baked with chocolate fudge batter!” Pinkie explained. “And these sprinkles were made by Bon Bon herself!”

“Yes, I see,” Lyra said. “But, Pinkie. Look. Bon Bon is in a coma right now. She isn’t able to eat that.”

While still holding the cake up with one hoof, Pinkie Pie feigned the action of being deep in thought. “Hmm…” she said. “So she is. I guess that means you’re going to have to eat the entire thing for her.”

Lyra looked at Pinkie. Pinkie stared at her, her eyes slowly getting wider.

“Do you think you can handle that responsibility?” Pinkie asked. “Of eating this ‘feel better’ cake?” She gave her a meaningful look.

Lyra returned it with her own look of comprehension. “Yes. I can.” With a small smile, she added, “Thank you, Pinkie.”

“There it is!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to Lyra’s mouth triumphantly.

Lyra picked up the cake in her magic and carefully levitated it onto the counter-height cabinet on the other side of the room.

Pinkie walked over to the side of Bon Bon’s bed. In her usual chipper manner, she asked, “So, how’s the patient doing?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Lyra said. “The doctor will only tell her parents.”

“But her parents aren’t here.”

“Yeah, they are. They got here on the train yesterday morning.”

Pinkie looked shocked. “Are you telling me that Bon Bon’s parents are here in Ponyville? Right now?”

Lyra nodded.

A wide grin appeared on Pinkie’s face. “I’ve never met Bon Bon’s parents!”

“I’m sure you will,” Lyra said sadly.

The grin fell from Pinkie’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Like I said, the doctor will only tell her parents. And her dad won’t tell me anything. Every time he sees me, he kicks me out of the room.”

Pinkie said, “Kicks you out of the room? That isn’t right. You should be here at Bon Bon’s side.”

“I am. Most of the time. And I will be. Any time that he’s not here at the hospital, too, at least.”

“What about her mom?”

“Well, she at least tolerates me,” Lyra said. She paused. “Or at least, she did. After last night, I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

“Aw, who couldn’t like you?” Pinkie said, slowly and gently swinging her hoof past Lyra’s jaw. Suddenly, she stopped, a sheepish expression appearing on her face. “Oh. Yeah. You just said.”

“Maybe you should have stopped at the cake,” Lyra said wryly.

“No!” Pinkie declared. “I never stop at cake! I only stop for cake! But as for you, you already have your cake. So you can stay right here with Bon Bon. And while you’re here, I’m going to go and get ready to meet two new ponies!”

“Okay,” Lyra said, “but please don’t overdo it. I don’t think her dad would be a big fan of your typical welcome. And the last thing I need is for him to be even angrier.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about old Pinkie Pie,” she said with a smile. “I’ll give Bon Bon’s parents the welcome they deserve.”

“…That sounded kind of ominous.”

“Lyra,” Pinkie said with a friendly scold, “you know me better than that. They deserve to be happy. Everypony deserves to be happy! Especially you! Enjoy your cake!” With that, she was gone.

Lyra stared at the cake for a few seconds. She wondered where she was going to find a knife and a plate in a hospital.

Just then, Nurse Snowheart walked by. She looked at the streamers strewn across the floor. Then she looked up at Lyra.

Together, both Lyra and Nurse Snowheart said, “Pinkie Pie.”

As it turned out, finding a knife and plate was easy – the nurses let her borrow them from their break room. Lyra offered to cut some slices for them, both to thank them for all of their hard work and because she wasn’t sure how she was going to eat the entire cake by herself. But the nurses declined – Pinkie Pie had dropped off a couple dozen cupcakes for the medical staff before she had stopped by the ICU.

After eating a sizeable piece of cake, Lyra left to return the knife and plate, then stepped back into Bon Bon’s room. She looked at the nearly whole cake still sitting on the cabinet.

“Now you don’t have to worry about me eating dinner or dessert,” she said to Bon Bon. “This cake is really, really good, by the way. You should come out of that coma so you can have a slice.” She paused, then added, “Also because otherwise, I’m going to be a lot heavier than you when you see me again, and I don’t want that.”

She stopped talking for a moment and just listened. The heart monitor continued to softly beep. She was of two very different minds about that sound. She hated how it served as a constant reminder that her marefriend was in critical condition. However, it was also a reassurance that even though Bon Bon hadn’t moved for two days, she was still alive.

Suddenly, Lyra’s ears swiveled toward the door. She heard the faint voice of Straight Lace, talking to someone about limiting which ponies could visit Bon Bon’s room.

Lyra panicked and looked at the door. She didn’t want Straight Lace to see her and then decide to take any kind of drastic action. But if she tried to leave, he’d spot her in the hallway. She scanned the room. The bed was too low to the floor. And there wasn’t anywhere else to hide.

It was then that she noticed the window. She hurriedly tried to use her magic to push the sash horizontally – to her relief, it slid right open. Grabbing the rest of the cake in her telekinesis, she said “I’ll be right back” to Bon Bon, took one large step toward the open window and jumped through it to the landscaped area outside. Quickly pressing herself against the wall next to the window so she wouldn’t be seen, she used her magic to slide the sash shut again.

After taking a few moments to let the pounding in her chest abate, she slowly tuned her head to look at the window. She tried to listen for any sounds coming from the room, but with the window shut, she couldn’t hear anything. She took that to be a good sign – if she couldn’t hear Straight Lace ranting about anything, then it meant she probably wasn’t currently in his crosshairs.

Relief soon turned to sadness as she was hit with the realization of what had just happened. Rather than be at her sick marefriend’s side, she was jumping through windows like some kind of criminal. Lyra wiped at her eyes with her foreleg. With nothing else that she could do, she decided to carry the cake home so she could store it properly.

She avoided the marketplace again, but this time, her friend Noteworthy managed to catch her as she walked through the streets. He expressed his concern; Lyra, without breaking stride, told him that she was doing fine – she just needed to stop by the house before returning to see Bon Bon. He asked if there was anything she wanted to vent about over lunch – his treat – but she politely declined.

Leaving him behind, she reached her home, put the rest of her cake away, then decided to go upstairs to retrieve a black case from her bedroom. She was about to open the front door and return to the hospital when she considered what Noteworthy had said. She looked at the clock, and sure enough, it was lunchtime. She stepped into the kitchen, quickly put a sandwich together, and carried it and the case back to the hospital.

Since she hadn’t been gone that long, she was sure that Straight Lace was still inside. So she walked toward the landscaped area, into the bushes, and lay down so that she could see the doorway but ponies walking in and out wouldn’t be likely to see her. As she watched and waited, she ate the cucumber sandwich that she had made. It was literally a whole cucumber placed between two slices of dry bread.

Several minutes passed. As she struggled to eat the remaining couple of bites of her sandwich, she saw both of Bon Bon’s parents walk out the door. When they passed by the bushes, she could overhear Sugar Plum suggesting to Straight Lace that they get a quick bite from Sugarcube Corner. Shoving the rest of the sandwich into her mouth, Lyra left the bushes, went inside, and returned to Bon Bon’s room and the stool beside the bed.

After swallowing, she said, “I’m back. How are you doing?”

The same.

“You’ll be happy to know that I’m being very responsible. I stored the cake in the icebox and everything. I even made myself a sandwich for lunch.”

Now you’re making your own food? Are you trying to prove that you don’t need me?

“Oh, Bon Bon. You know that I need you. Fixing my own sandwich doesn’t change that. Although… I realize now that I need you for sandwiches, too. You see, I tried to make a cucumber sandwich.”

And…?

“And I made it by just sticking the cucumber between the bread.”

The whole cucumber?

“…Yes.”

Lyra… really? I know you know that the cucumber is supposed to be sliced.

“Yeah, but I figured it would taste the same either way.”

…

“It did not.”

You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes right now.

A small chuckle escaped from Lyra’s lips. She looked at Bon Bon. For lack of anything else to do, she reached over the tubes and slightly adjusted her mane.

“You know,” Lyra said, “it looks like I’m talking to myself. Ponies are going to think I’m crazy.”

Now, Lyra… you don’t need to talk to yourself for ponies to think you’re crazy.

“Hey – you’re the one dating the crazy pony. What does that make you?”

Lyra had used that particular comeback before. She remembered Bon Bon’s response.

The luckiest mare in the world.

Tears returned to Lyra’s eyes. She pulled another tissue from the box nearby.

As she levitated the used tissue into the wastebasket, she heard a young male voice.

“Hello? Lyra?”

She turned her head to see Spike standing in the doorway.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

She nodded.

Spike walked toward Lyra. As he did, she glanced over at Bon Bon.

“You know,” she said, “now I’m starting to wonder whether I should be letting everypony come visit. It just occurred to me that Bon Bon might not want the whole town seeing her like this.”

“Do you still want me to come in?” He was already standing next to her.

“Well, you’re here now. What’s up?”

He still wasn’t quite tall enough to meet her eyes without looking up. Especially because she was currently sitting on the stool. “I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said. “I didn’t want to interrupt you while you were talking to Twilight, but then you left and you looked so sad… I would’ve come to see you yesterday, but Twilight said you needed the day to be with Bon Bon. I just tried visiting you at home, but obviously, you weren’t there. Have you been in here all day again?”

“Of course,” Lyra responded. “Well, as much as I can. Where else would I be?”

“At home? At the park? At the theater? The Ponyville Drama Club just opened Les Fouettés.”

“I have to be here with Bon Bon. She needs me.”

“But…” Spike said. He looked like he wasn’t sure whether he should continue.

“But what?”

“But isn’t she unconscious?”

Lyra scowled.

“I’m sorry – that came out harsher than I meant it to sound. What I mean is, you say that she needs you. But… for what? You’re not a doctor, so you’re not treating her. And she can’t respond to you when you talk to her. If she was awake, I’d understand keeping her company, but right now… are you just going to stay here day after day after day?”

“Spike, she’s my marefriend. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Maybe not completely. But remember, you’re looking at the assistant to Twilight Sparkle.”

“That’s not remotely the same thing.”

“I’m not talking about myself. I’m talking about Twilight – a pony who also happens to be a princess who also goes way, way out of her way to be everypony’s friend. As her assistant, one of the things that I’ve learned – and one of the things that it’s taken years to get Twilight to accept – is that while it’s great to be there for everypony else, you need to remember to take care of yourself, too.”

“This is different.”

“Is it? Lyra, you know that I’m your friend, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Good – remember, I’m saying all this as your friend. Your friend who wants to make sure that you’re okay. Twilight said that she told you that your friends will be there for you. And we are. But you have to let us be there for you. So come on, Lyra. Think about yourself for a moment. Your own needs. What can we do for you?”

“What I need isn’t important right now. This is all about what Bon Bon needs.”

“You’re wrong – what you need is important. Your happiness matters, too.”

“Not right now.”

“Yes right now. Bon Bon wants you to be happy.”

“But I can’t be happy. Not while she’s like this.”

Spike took a moment before responding. He dipped his head in acknowledgement of Lyra’s point. “Okay, I get it – you can’t be happy right now. But you shouldn’t be sitting here making yourself feel worse, either.”

“Look, I’m not leaving Bon Bon’s side until she’s out of this hospital. I appreciate your concern – I really do – but this is how it’s going to be. I’ve had to leave this room a few times already, and each time I have, the only thing I’ve wanted is to get back in here and be next to Bon Bon. Being here is what’s best for me.”

There was another pause. “Okay,” Spike said. “I’m not going to argue with you right now.” He started to walk toward the open door. “I’ll let you be with Bon Bon.” He took the doorknob in his claw. “Here – I’ll even shut the door so ponies will give you two some more alone time with each other. In the quiet.” He stepped back and stood in the doorway. “But don’t forget: You need to make some time to see your friends, too. Lyra Heartstrings still needs to have a life of her own.”

“Thanks for visiting, Spike,” Lyra said somewhat coldly.

Spike closed the door the rest of the way. Instead of latching it, he left it ajar by an inch. He looked through the door’s window at Lyra, waved, then left.

Lyra turned back to Bon Bon. She looked at her for a few seconds.

“I know, I know… he means well,” she said. “But he just doesn’t understand what we have. What we mean to each other. I forget that not everypony has that. I guess sometimes I don’t realize just how special…” she started to tear up again “…how unique… how incredible our relationship is.”

She began to cry. This time, she didn’t bother grabbing a tissue. She just let the tears fall to the floor.

Meanwhile, an older, ivory-colored earth pony walked by herself down the hallway. Unlike all of the other times she had visited her daughter’s room in the ICU, this time, the door was closed.

Sugar Plum peered in through the window. She saw Lyra sitting by Bon Bon’s bed, crying. Sugar Plum’s breath caught in her throat until she realized that through the crack in the door, she could hear the heart monitor still beeping.

She reached her hoof up toward the knob. But halfway there, she stopped. For a few seconds, she just looked inside. Finally, her hoof went back to the ground. She remained outside the door, watching and listening.

Inside the room, Lyra looked back up toward the head of the bed.

“I’m sorry, Bon Bon,” she said. “But I can’t keep hiding this from you. I’m scared. I’m trying to be brave, because I know that’s what you want me to do, but I’m really scared. I’m scared that you won’t come out of this. I’m scared that you’re going to leave me. Please… please don’t leave me. You need to get better. I need you to get better.

“I hate feeling so helpless. I hate that everypony is saying that this is all up to you. I want to be there for you. I want to be able to do something for you. I just wish somepony would tell me what to do…

“I’m going to keep talking to you, Bon Bon. I don’t care what your father says. I’m never going to stop. I’m never going to abandon you. I’m never going to give up. Because I know that you’re not going to give up. I’m going to keep telling you that you can do it. Because I know you can do it. You can do it, Bon Bon. Do it for us. You know and I know that we’re supposed to always be together. And I can’t imagine what I’d do if… if… no. I’m not even going to say it.

“Spike is wrong. I don’t need to have a life of my own. I can’t have a life of my own. Because Bon Bon… you are my life. There’s no better life for me than you. Every minute of every day, you are my life. Even when we’re apart, you are my life.

“Like when I started rehearsing with the band… I thought about you whenever we played. How supportive you were, how you told me to go after my dream. To know that I had your love and your encouragement… it made me play better.

“And then, the night of our first show, it meant so much to me to see you there in the front row. Heh… Melody told me that it looked weird that I kept staring in one direction the entire night. But seeing that look on your face… that smile… that smile meant more to me than the performance itself.

“The second half of the tour was tougher than I said it was. Every night, I missed you. I mean, performing was great, but at the same time, I was counting down the days until I’d get to see you again. When we were done and I was riding that train back to Ponyville, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to get home, burst through the door, and surprise you with a huge hug…

“I should have known you’d be right there on the platform.

“Whenever I see you after we’ve been apart – even the times when it’s just been a few hours – those are some of my favorite moments ever. Getting to see you again. I… I can’t imagine never having another one of those moments to look forward to. I can’t imagine a life without you.

“I can’t believe I almost let that happen with the portal. And then you were so understanding about it. More understanding than you should have been. When you were actually happy that I figured out the meaning of my special talent while I was over there…”

Using her magic, she picked up the black case, opened it, and removed the instrument within.

“…when you said that it was all worth it for me to find out how I was meant to use my lyre to bring happiness to ponies who need it.

“Well, right now, I really need it. So…”

She held the lyre in the air, suspended by her magic. Before she did anything else, she placed her front hooves on the bed. Careful to not disturb the IV needle, she held Bon Bon’s left hoof between both of hers. She closed her eyes and began to play the beginning notes of “Unified.”

She used the beeping of the heart monitor as a metronome. The beginning of the song was slow to begin with, but with the monitor beeping roughly every two seconds, Lyra found herself playing even more slowly than usual. It made the first theme sound melancholy and even lonelier.

Outside the room, Sugar Plum continued to stand at the door. She didn’t dare walk in and interrupt. Instead, she watched and listened as Lyra played. The song had just shifted to its second theme when Straight Lace approached her in the hallway.

“What happened to you back there?” he grumbled. “Why would you actually listen to some random pony when they tell you that I’ll catch up to you? After you left, she attacked me! Just because it was with aggressive pleasantries instead of violence, it was still an attack! That crazy pony held me in there like I was some kind of hostage! First she told me to smile, then she started singing, then confetti started to fall all over everything… how is that sanitary for a bakery?” He finally took stock of his surroundings. “Why are you standing outside the door?”

Craning his neck, he looked over Sugar Plum’s head into the room. “Her again?!” he growled. “Why in Celestia’s name is she playing a harp? That’s it! Where are the authorities? I’m having that lunatic banned from coming anywhere near our daughter ever again!”

Sugar Plum turned to her husband. “No,” she said sharply.

He froze. “I… what?”

“No,” she repeated. “You can’t do that to her.”

It was the first time she had ever spoken to him in that tone of voice. His reaction was like that of a lion who, when faced with a small mongoose, didn’t expect it to take a swipe at him.

Unsure of how to respond, he simply stood still and looked through the glass. Sugar Plum also turned and continued to watch.

Lyra had just finished the part of the song where she stopped switching between the two melodies. She was too focused on playing to notice the noise in the hallway. Subconsciously, she felt as though the tempo of the music had gotten slightly faster. She didn’t check the heart monitor for confirmation, though – her eyes had been closed the entire time, allowing her to concentrate completely on the song. But even though her eyelids were shut, it didn’t stop the tears.

She moved forward into the section where the two melodies became one. As tears continued to run down her cheeks, she bared her emotions with her lyre, simultaneously playing two distinct melodies that together, formed a perfect whole. As she kept playing, she continued to feel every note emanate from and return to the core of her very heart.

She didn’t see Bon Bon’s ears swivel.

The song grew in intensity. It flowed from her magic and through her lyre as naturally as if she had been talking. It was as though the instrument was speaking on her behalf, both celebrating the transformation of two ponies together and crying out for that union to never be broken.

When she felt the hoof move between hers, the music suddenly stopped.

Lyra opened her eyelids. All she could see was a watery haze. Hastily, she wiped at her eyes with her right hoof while her left held onto Bon Bon’s. Finally, she was able to make out the sight of Bon Bon, her eyelids half open and her eyes glassy, slowly raising her right foreleg. Lyra felt the left foreleg press against hers. Instinctively, Lyra pressed back.

With the left foreleg unable to move, Bon Bon’s right began to clumsily swipe at her chest in an effort to break free from the wires. As soon as the first wire was disconnected, the heart monitor started to emit a louder, steady tone.

With most of the wires loosed, Bon Bon reached across her body. After she managed to pull the IV out of her left foreleg, Lyra finally quit staring in shock, dropped the lyre at the end of the bed, and tried to speak.

“Bon Bon, stop!” she said. The third word came out as half a sob. “Stop!” she tried again, with the same result.

She reached her left hoof out to push Bon Bon’s foreleg back to the side, using her right hoof to hold the other foreleg down. “It’s okay!” she cried. “You’re all right!”

She wanted to give Bon Bon a kiss, but given the awkward way she was positioned over the bed, she couldn’t do so without upsetting the tubes coming from Bon Bon’s muzzle.

Instead, she continued to try to speak through her tears. “You’re okay, Bon Bon. You’re in the hospital. Just relax. I’m here. You’re okay.” She continued to cry. “You’re okay…”

Outside the room, Straight Lace pointed and yelled, “She’s going to hurt our daughter! Get her out of there!”

Sugar Plum turned and glared at him through watery eyes. “She just saved our daughter!” she cried.

Two nurses came trotting over in response to the various sounds and commotion.

Meanwhile, Lyra had climbed up onto the bed in an effort to get around the breathing tube. Still holding Bon Bon’s forelegs down with her front hooves, she stepped between Bon Bon’s rear legs and tail at the end of the bed and climbed down to the other side. Bon Bon, upon hearing Lyra’s voice, stopped struggling.

The nurses approached Sugar Plum and Straight Lace.

“She’s awake!” Sugar Plum cried.

One of the nurses ran off to get the doctor. The other nurse entered the room, followed by Bon Bon’s parents.

They saw Lyra with her rear hooves on the floor and the upper half of her body lying next to Bon Bon. She was using one of her hooves to gently stroke the top of Bon Bon’s mane. Her face was right next to Bon Bon’s as she repeatedly reassured her marefriend that she was crying happy tears.

The other three ponies stood and regarded the scene before them for a few seconds. Lyra only briefly glanced in their direction to even acknowledge that they were there. Bon Bon appeared to stare off into space.

Doctor Horse ran into the room with the other nurse behind him. Upon seeing Bon Bon, he said, “Get her vitals immediately.” Turning his head toward Lyra, he said, “You’ll have to get off the bed.”

One of the nurses helped Lyra reluctantly climb back onto the floor. With six ponies crowding the room, there wasn’t far for her to go, so she stood at the end of the bed.

The doctor said, “I need everypony who doesn’t work here to step outside while we assess Bon Bon’s condition and reattach everything.”

Straight Lace immediately jumped on the doctor’s words. “You heard him – get out!” he said to Lyra.

Lyra didn’t move. “I have to know how she’s doing,” she said to the doctor.

He replied, “I won’t be able to tell anypony anything until we examine her. And we won’t be able to do that until we get some space.”

“But you won’t tell me—”

Sugar Plum took one step forward so she was standing next to her. “Lyra, it’s okay,” she said, her voice just as shaky as Lyra’s. Turning to the doctor, she said, “As soon as you know what’s happening, please tell us and Lyra.”

Straight Lace scowled at her. “Why would you—”

“I have just as much right to make that decision as you do.” Turning again to the doctor, she said, “From here on, any information that we get, Lyra gets, too.”

Tears continued to roll down Lyra’s cheeks. She had long ago given up on trying to wipe them away. “Thank you,” she said. She wanted to hug Sugar Plum, but Straight Lace was standing right there.

Sugar Plum took a step toward the door. “Let’s let everypony do their job. For Bon Bon.”

Lyra nodded. Placing her hoof on Bon Bon’s right rear leg, she told her, “I’ll be right back. Listen to the doctor and the nurses and do what they say.” Bon Bon’s gaze slowly traveled toward the end of the bed.

Lyra followed the parents into the hallway. They all took a couple of steps away from the door.

Sugar Plum said, “Lyra, can I talk to you alone?”

Lyra hesitated. “But when the doctor comes back…”

Sugar Plum said to her, “Straight Lace will wait here for the doctor.” Turning toward her husband, she said to him, “And as soon as he has an update, you’ll come and get both of us. Because I know you wouldn’t keep any news from me, right?”

Straight Lace paused before answering. Finally, he simply said, “Right.”

“Good.” She walked down the hallway toward the waiting room. Lyra followed her. When they entered the otherwise empty waiting room, Sugar Plum took a seat in the far corner opposite the receptionist’s desk.

The first thing Lyra did was give Sugar Plum a long hug. Sugar Plum hugged her back. They shared in some cathartic crying. Then some time simply breathing so they would be able to speak to one another without breaking into more tears.

Eventually, Lyra sat down on a seat kitty-corner to Sugar Plum.

“Thank you,” Lyra said.

Sugar Plum responded, “I think I’m the one who should be thanking you. I saw you with your instrument.”

“Oh.”

“And what you said before that.” She looked directly at Lyra. For a moment, neither spoke. “You really do love her, don’t you?”

Lyra looked back at her. “More than anypony or anything else.”

Sugar Plum looked down for a few seconds. Then off to the side. Finally, she looked back at Lyra. “But you’re both mares.”

“I’m attracted to mares. That’s part of who I am.”

Another pause. “I guess what I don’t understand is… why? Why don’t you like stallions?”

“It’s how I’ve always been. It wasn’t a choice for me to make.” She thought for a moment. “What about this: Why are you attracted to stallions?”

“Mares are attracted to stallions. That’s just how it is.”

“So you don’t know why it is.”

“Well… no.”

“Neither do I. So maybe then it isn’t a fact that all mares naturally like stallions.”

“But…” Sugar Plum responded. However, she didn’t have anything else to say.

Lyra continued, “I like mares. It’s how I was born. And it’s how Bon Bon was born, too. She’s just being true to who she is. Even though there are ponies out there who will tell her that she’s awful just for existing.”

She looked directly into Sugar Plum’s eyes. “Have you ever had someone tell you that you’re a bad pony? For a reason that you can’t control? I have. It hurts. It really hurts. I’ve tried to stay positive, and I’m lucky – my family and friends have always been there for me. But it still hurts.”

Lyra opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked across the room for a few seconds. Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke again.

“Bon Bon doesn’t talk about you much, because it hurts her. It breaks my heart to see it. I can tell that she wishes she could be close to you again. But you’ve told her that you think there’s something wrong with her. Maybe not in those words, but that’s what you’re saying by refusing to accept who she is.

“She could have kept it a secret, you know. But she told you that she’s gay because she didn’t want to lie to you. Because she loves you.”

Sugar Plum had her head down and her eyes shut. New tears made their way down her face.

After a few seconds, Lyra said, “I’m sorry… I know this isn’t a good time. But I had to get that off my chest. For Bon Bon’s sake. Because I know she’d never say it. But it needed to be said.” She waited until Sugar Plum looked at her again. “I know you didn’t want to hurt her – I can tell that you love her. But you need to know how Bon Bon feels.”

For over a minute, the two simply sat in silence. A couple of times, it looked as though Sugar Plum was about to talk, but then didn’t.

Just as Lyra was about to ask what she wanted to say, she spoke.

“I… I’m sorry for anything I might have said or done that hurt you. And I’m sorry for the way Straight Lace has been acting. You don’t deserve that.”

Lyra put her hoof on Sugar Plum’s. With genuine appreciation, she said, “Thank you.”

“It’s just… we don’t understand. It doesn’t make sense.”

Lyra was sad to hear that. But she took some comfort in the fact that she was sad and not angry.

Lyra said, “How about this: I think we can agree that we all want Bon Bon to get better and back on her hooves.”

Sugar Plum nodded.

“So for now, let’s just put the whole same-sex couple thing off to the side and focus on doing what’s best for Bon Bon’s recovery. We don’t say anything that would stress her out. I know it’ll make Bon Bon really happy to see that you and I get along. And later, if either of you want to try to understand, I’d be happy to talk to you out of her earshot. But for now, that subject stays out of Bon Bon’s room. No saying anything judgmental to her, like suggesting that she needs to start liking stallions. And nothing to anypony else, either, like asking the doctor what he can do to make her straight.”

Sugar Plum looked away from Lyra, toward the ground.

“…Your husband already tried asking the doctor about that, didn’t he?”

Sugar Plum looked back up. “It isn’t the first doctor he’s asked.”

Eventually, Straight Lace and Doctor Horse stepped out and summoned the two back into the room. Bon Bon’s eyes were closed again – she looked exactly the way she did the day before. Lyra gasped.

“It’s okay,” the doctor said. “This is normal. In real life, nopony comes out of a coma instantaneously. It’s a slow process. Bon Bon should gradually become more lucid as the days go by – she’ll be conscious more frequently and for longer periods of time. But it can’t be rushed. Don’t expect any quick fixes. She still won’t be able to eat or hold conversations for a while.

“We’ve reattached the monitor and her IVs. If she tries to pull at them again, gently restrain her and talk to her so she doesn’t panic.”

Lyra saw the opportunity. “So should we stay here in the room with her?”

“If you want to, then yes. The nurses will be able to do it if nopony is present, but it will help keep Bon Bon calm if she hears a familiar voice.”

Lyra couldn’t help it – one corner of her mouth turned upward.

Sugar Plum said, “Does this mean she’ll eventually get back to normal?”

“I don’t want to celebrate yet,” the doctor said. “She’s still in a coma – just a less severe coma. However, this is the first step on the road to recovery. We won’t know for a while what the long-term effects will be. But seeing this, it does appear to be likely that she’ll at least pull through.”

Lyra and Sugar Plum looked at each other. They both smiled.

A second stool was brought into the room and placed on the other side of the bed. For the remainder of the day, Lyra and Sugar Plum sat by Bon Bon’s side. Straight Lace, saying that he didn’t want to sit around while nothing was going on, left the hospital to go find something else to do.

Sugar Plum pointed at the lyre that was still lying on the bed. “You’re really good with that,” she said.

Lyra, remembering that it was there, picked it up in her magic. “Oh, yeah. Thanks.” She strummed a few notes. “This lyre is my second-favorite thing in the world.” She put the instrument back in its case.

“What’s your— oh. Right.”

Lyra allowed herself a giggle. It felt so good to laugh.

“What was that song you were playing earlier?”

“It’s called ‘Unified.’ It’s our song – Bon Bon’s and mine.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before.”

“That’s because I wrote it. It’s literally our song – a song for the two of us. Actually, you’re the only other pony who’s ever heard it.”

“It was beginning to sound really beautiful before you stopped.”

“Thanks. That song means a lot to me. To us.” She looked adoringly at Bon Bon.

“I think the idea of a musician writing her own couple’s song is sweet.”

Lyra blushed a little bit.

“Have you heard of ‘The Nicest Thing Under the Moon’?”

“I think so.” She began to talk-sing the lyrics. “When darkness paints over the heavens / With Tyrians, navies, and ebons / Your beauty still shines like the noon / It’s clear you must be / Unquestionably / The nicest thing under the moon.”

Sugar Plum smiled. “That’s it. I’m surprised you know it so well, since it’s an older one. That’s our song – Straight Lace’s and mine. It was the first song we slow-danced to on homecoming night. Eventually, it became our wedding song. Even today, it’s still a reminder to the both of us of the love we have to share.”

When Sugar Plum mentioned Straight Lace, Lyra glanced away and shifted in her seat.

Sugar Plum noticed. “Again, I’m sorry. There really is more to him than what you’ve seen. I know he can be a little… stern, but he also really cares. He just has his own way of showing it.”

Lyra gave a single, small, half-hearted nod. “Let’s keep this a happy room. Only positive energy. Positive energy will help you get better faster, right, Bon Bon?”

As it had been the previous night, Bon Bon didn’t respond. There was only the sound of the medical equipment.

Lyra sighed. “I know the doctor said this is normal, but after seeing her awake… this is going to be just as stressful, isn’t it? I’m glad my mane already has white in it.”

They continued to talk, both to each other and to Bon Bon, into and throughout the evening. The only break in the conversation came when Sugar Plum volunteered to leave and pick up something to eat. Straight Lace didn’t return until five minutes before visiting hours were over. And although Bon Bon didn’t wake up again that day, the two mares were hopeful that they would get to see her open her eyes again the next morning.

Lyra’s walk back to her house was still dark and lonely. Even though she was optimistic that she would be walking it with Bon Bon soon, it was still difficult in the moment. When she turned the corner onto her street, a blue unicorn in front of her house jumped up from where she was sitting and came running over to meet her.

“Lyra!” Minuette said. She was about to spring into a leaping hug, but caught herself at the last second and instead calmly placed one foreleg over Lyra’s withers.

“Minuette? What are you doing here? And why do ponies keep camping out in front of our house?”

“Twilight sent us a message yesterday evening about what happened. She said that you needed to have your friends by your side. So the girls and I all worked out a schedule to be with you for the next week! I’ll be here tonight and tomorrow night. Moondancer will be here the next two nights. Then Lemon Hearts for the next two, and Twinkleshine after that. And that’s as far as we’ve gotten.”

“And you were waiting outside my house because…?”

“Oh! I was going to visit you at the hospital, but when I got in this afternoon, Spike said that you were worried about how Bon Bon would feel about so many ponies seeing her.”

Lyra smiled.

“I’m glad to see you’re smiling. I don’t even know how I’d take it if I had a stallionfriend and something like that happened to him.” Her usually bright countenance got a little bit dimmer. “How is she?”

“For the past two days, completely unconscious. But she woke up for a couple of minutes today.”

Minuette’s face lit back up. “That’s good, right?”

“It is. It’s still going to take some time for her to recover, but she’s on her way.”

“So this is a happy visit!”

“Yes. This is a happy visit.”

Minuette wrapped Lyra in a hug. It knocked Lyra into a sitting position, but from there, she hugged Minuette back.

The following day, before the hospital’s visiting hours began, Lyra sent a message to Healing Hooves and Gentle Presence to give them an update on Bon Bon’s condition. The message was in the form of the largest fruit basket she could find, half the size of an adult pony, across which she strung a banner displaying the words THANK YOU.

Lyra was grateful to have each of her Canterlot friends come visit her. They kept her company during mornings and evenings, as well as provided a sympathetic ear when she needed to vent her feelings and frustrations with the slow but necessary healing process. It also gave Lyra a chance to get to know Moondancer better – although Lyra saw her whenever she visited Canterlot, she felt like she hadn’t gotten the chance to reconcile with her the way her other three friends had.

For the next few days, Bon Bon had no shortage of company. In addition to brief visits from each of Lyra’s friends, Lyra and Sugar Plum stayed in her room throughout visiting hours each day. To pass the time, the two talked and told stories. At one point, Sugar Plum sang songs from Bon Bon’s foalhood while Lyra accompanied her on her lyre.

Straight Lace would only stop in for a couple of minutes at the end of each night to receive an update. But he didn’t object to Sugar Plum’s spending all day in the hospital room. He never said anything to Lyra, but after the way he had treated her the first couple of days, she counted that as its own little victory.

As the doctor predicted, Bon Bon began to wake up slightly more often and for slightly longer periods of time each day. After a couple of days, even though she still wasn’t completely cognizant of everything, she began to understand that she was in the hospital as well as recognize and respond to both Lyra and Sugar Plum.

After they had been in Ponyville for a week, Straight Lace declared that it was time for Sugar Plum and him to return to Connecticolt – they couldn’t afford to keep paying for a hotel room for however long it took Bon Bon to recover. Sugar Plum balked upon hearing that, and although Lyra didn’t push her luck by also objecting in front of Straight Lace, she was in complete agreement with her. The two had quickly grown to appreciate one another after spending so much time together over the past few days.

She offered to let the couple stay at her house until Bon Bon was out of the hospital, but Straight Lace refused. Sugar Plum tried to reason with him, pointing out that his work in Connecticolt was finished and that they could have their mail forwarded until his next assignment. He still refused. Lyra suggested that Sugar Plum could stay in Ponyville while he went home, but Straight Lace said no to that, too.

Sugar Plum was upset, but Lyra promised her that she would send them weekly updates through the regular mail. While Straight Lace got everything packed up and squared away at the hotel, Sugar Plum spoke to the hospital staff and officially gave Lyra the authority to make all of the decisions regarding Bon Bon’s care in her absence. Lyra gave Sugar Plum a long hug good-bye before she left. Sugar Plum readily returned the embrace.

In the following days, Bon Bon continued to recover. It was an especially happy day when the feeding and breathing tubes were removed. Lyra was overjoyed to be able to nuzzle her marefriend and to give her kisses again. No matter how dry Bon Bon’s lips might have been.

With the removal of the tubes came the end of Bon Bon’s stay in the ICU. She was moved to a physical rehabilitation center located not too far from the hospital. Originally, the plan was to have Bon Bon live at the center for however long it took for her speech and motor skills to improve to a minimally independent level. But when it became clear that Lyra was going to spend every waking moment with Bon Bon anyway, not to mention insist on helping with every aspect of her treatment, the therapists at the center agreed that it would be better for Bon Bon to just move back home and have a physical therapist and an occupational therapist check in each day.

Once she had the familiar comforts of home surrounding her, combined with her marefriend being by her side every step of the way, Bon Bon improved more rapidly than any of the therapists could have predicted. Lyra knew that everything was going to be okay the day Bon Bon asked, “Would you believe me if I said the coma has permanently taken away my ability to clean the rugs?” Within a couple of months, she was nearly back to 100%, both physically and mentally.

It was at that time that all of the members of Lyra’s band were available to travel to Canterlot to rehearse and prepare for their next tour. Lyra was ready to inform them that she couldn’t make it, no matter what the consequences for her absence. But Bon Bon refused to let her stay in Ponyville and give up her dream. Ultimately, everything worked out with a minimum of debate, as Lyra’s parents were more than willing to let both of them stay at their house – they also agreed to help Bon Bon finish her convalescence while Lyra was rehearsing.

Soon after, Lyra wrote her final update to Sugar Plum. In it, she relayed the happy news that Bon Bon had made a complete recovery. With her life back to normal, Lyra threw herself into her music, which her bandmates all agreed sounded even more joyful than it had during the first tour.

During the following weeks, Lyra stuck even closer to Bon Bon than usual, determined to treasure every moment they had together. They both knew that eventually, their relationship would return to the state it had been at before – merely an extreme desire to be with one another as opposed to an unrelenting desire.

Regardless of the intensity, every day, each mare cherished the opportunity to be with the pony she loved.

Chapter 8 - Bon Bon’s Family

Dear Bon Bon,

I am so glad to hear that you’re back on your hooves. I wish I had been able to stay longer and talk to you more while I was in Ponyville. Please tell Lyra “thank you” for me for all of the updates she sent – I really appreciated them. I would have been a nervous wreck if I didn’t know how you were doing.

I’m really happy that you’re up and healthy again. I hope you’re back to making treats for your town. I don’t know if you remember me telling you this while I was there, but I tried a few different types of your candies while I was in Ponyville. They were just as good as I remembered them being. Maybe even better!

I bought a bag of your strawberry drops right before we went home. When I ate them, they brought back memories of when you were a teenager, making different recipes for us. It felt really nice to relive those moments. I just wish the bag hadn’t disappeared so quickly. I wanted to let you know, I am so proud of you getting to do what you wanted to do for a living.

I’m writing to tell you that your father got his next assignment. Now we’ll be moving to Vanhoover. I just hope they don’t start winter until after he’s done with his job. I know he comes from hardy stock, but I still don’t want him to be outside in the snow all day.

Our new address will be at 257 Pine Needle Way. It sounds like it’ll be a festive place to live for Hearth’s Warming.

Say hi to Lyra for me. Again, I’m really glad she kept me up to date on your recovery. She told me that you usually take care of her, but I’m glad to see that she takes care of you, too. I’m so relieved that you’re feeling better. I’ll be thinking of you at Hearth’s Warming.

Love,
Mom

Dear Bon Bon,

I know it’s only been a couple of months since I last wrote to you. We’re not moving yet – your father is still wrapping up his work here in Vanhoover.

I’m writing to you because I found a support group for parents who have a gay child. I went to the last two meetings (they meet every month). All of the parents there are really nice. We spent a lot of time talking, and they helped me realize some things I hadn’t thought about before. They suggested I write you this letter.

Here’s what I’m writing to you to say.

I’m sorry, Bon Bon. I’m sorry that I didn’t support you when you first came out to us. I regret everything that happened afterward. I wish I could go back in time and do it all differently. I didn’t realize I was hurting you, and it makes me sick to know that I was.

I know now that being gay isn’t a choice, and I’m sorry for thinking that it was something you could change. I want you to know that I love you for who you are. All of who you are.

I’m sorry it took me this long to realize it.

I understand why you’ve been so distant all these years. I hope you can forgive me. I want to get to know my daughter again. For who she is.

I love you exactly the way you are.

Love,
Mom

P.S. Several of the parents were jealous when I told them that my daughter had a marefriend who loves her as much as Lyra loves you. Her faithfulness was really something to see when I was in Ponyville. I’m glad you two found each other.

Dear Bon Bon,

Of course I would want to write to you more regularly! I want to know all about the great pony my daughter has grown up to be.

Things are nice up here in Vanhoover. Your father finished clearing up the magic and a couple of days later, they had the first snowfall of winter. They have a whole celebration for it, with a feast and games and singing. Everything looks really pretty now all covered in snow. And our house holds the heat really well, so we haven’t had to burn as much wood to keep ourselves warm.

Has winter started in Ponyville yet? If it has, remember to wear your boots and earmuffs when you go outside, even if it’s just for a short trot. I don’t want you getting any chills. (I’m your mother – it’s my job to pester you about these things.)

I forgot to ask how Nightmare Night went for you. Do you still dress up, or are you too old for that now? Do you give out candy? Knowing what you make, I bet your house is the most popular one in town.

I tried to get your father to come to the last support group meeting, but he refused. I’ve been trying to convince him to come to the next one, but he keeps saying no. You know, you get your stubbornness from him. I’ll keep trying, but you know your dad.

How’s Lyra? Say hi to her for me.

I can’t wait to hear what’s been going on in your life. Tell me anything you want, even if you think I won’t care. I want to know what my daughter’s been doing now that she’s all grown up.

Love,
Mom

Dear Bon Bon,

We won’t know until the assignment comes, but I think we’ll still be in Vanhoover the month after Hearth’s Warming. I can’t remember the last time your father got his next assignment in the middle of winter, so it seems likely.

And yes, I would love to see Lyra’s band play. Let me know when and where so I can get tickets.

Do you travel with Lyra when she plays with her band, or are you only coming to Vanhoover because we’re here? Either way, I’m really looking forward to seeing you, especially under normal conditions. Get here as early as you can, and as soon as you get into town, come to our house. I’ll be home, and I want to spend as much time with you as possible.

Wouldn’t it be great if the next assignment was Ponyville? Now that I think about it, I’m surprised your father hasn’t been called back there yet, especially now that one of the princesses lives there. I know it’s because the city is mostly unicorns, but you remember how we get called back to Canterlot every three or four years.

Some of the buildings around here already have their Hearth’s Warming decorations up. Maybe they just really like the holiday here because it’s so far north and snowy. This is the snowiest winter I’ve seen in a long time. I hope you’re not too deep in snow in Ponyville.

Well, I should stop writing. I need to start dinner. I’ll write to you again soon.

Love,
Mom

P.S. You don’t need to buy a gold chain. I have one that I’d be honored to let you have when you come visit.

A couple of weeks after Hearth’s Warming, Lyra’s band began its winter tour across select cities in Equestria. Bon Bon traveled with Lyra to the first three performances, but then had to go back to Ponyville to resume her candy making. The loss of income from the time she had spent recuperating didn’t hurt them too much financially, but she wanted to ensure that she and Lyra had plenty of money on reserve. Luckily, she had already been able to push herself to make nearly as much as she usually made during the holiday season.

The evening before the band’s performance in Vanhoover, Bon Bon got on the overnight train for the city. When she arrived that morning, she walked directly to the house where her parents were living. As she approached, her stomach was practically doing flip-flops as memories of past heartache mixed with a sort of apprehensive eagerness and optimism.

Before she made it to the front door, Sugar Plum stepped out to meet her. There, on the snow-covered front lawn, Bon Bon hugged her mother for the first time in ten years.

It felt very nice.

Sugar Plum invited her inside. Once indoors, she saw her father. He acknowledged her presence, asked how her candy making business was doing, then mumbled an excuse that he had “something else to do” in another room.

“I got him to attend half a meeting last month,” Sugar Plum explained. “He walked out in the middle of it, but I hope that at least signals some progress.”

“Neither of us raised our voice this time,” Bon Bon said. “That’s progress.”

Straight Lace reappeared when it was time for lunch; he disappeared again immediately afterward. The rest of the time, Bon Bon had pleasant conversations with her mother, catching up on what they each had been doing in the past years.

That evening, Bon Bon took her parents to a combination restaurant/nightclub and treated them to dinner. They sat at one of the small dining tables that surrounded the open area that would serve as a dance floor. Bon Bon made sure to choose one of the tables closest to the stage so they could easily see the band once the show began.

When dinner was over, Bon Bon excused herself to go to the backstage area, which was in reality simply a hall that ran behind the length of the stage. There wasn’t even anyone at the doorway to prevent her or any other random ponies from wandering into the area. The other members of the band were used to seeing her backstage before performances, so the ones closest to the doorway greeted her and pointed her toward Lyra. When she reached her marefriend, the first thing she did was give her a big hug and kiss.

“I take it things are going well?” Lyra asked.

“I can’t remember the last time I talked to my mom this much,” Bon Bon enthused. “Dad and I are still distant, but at least we can be in the same room together. That’s an improvement.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Lyra said. They shared another peck on the lips. “By the way, we have something special planned for the show tonight. I hope your parents like it.”

“Ooh, what is it?”

“I don’t want to give it away. You’ll know it when you hear it.”

A voice interrupted their conversation. “Set the instruments!”

“Time for the lyre to make its big entrance,” Lyra said. “Do you want to give me my pre-show kiss early so you can go be with your parents?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Bon Bon said. The two shared a longer kiss.

As she turned to leave, Lyra said, “Enjoy the show!”

Bon Bon replied, “Break a leg!”

As was her customary response, Lyra pantomimed stumbling over her foreleg and limping for a brief moment.

Bon Bon returned to the table, where Sugar Plum had moved her chair closer to Straight Lace’s left to get a better view of the stage. Bon Bon followed her lead and moved her chair closer to her mother. Meanwhile, the eight members of the band were each taking a turn walking out onto the stage, placing their instrument on display, then walking backstage again. It was a ritual they performed before every show to allow the audience time to get some idea of what they were about to see.

After all of the instruments were in place and the stage was once again empty of ponies, Straight Lace looked at the arrangement. Upon seeing the collection of unconventional instruments from all across the land, he scoffed.

“This is the band?” he said. “You can’t make a band with those instruments. They’ll sound terrible together.”

Sugar Plum said, “At least give it a chance.”

He emitted a sound that was a cross between a sigh and a moan. “Fine. I’ll stay for one song. Just so I can tell you that I’m right. This isn’t going to work.” He slouched over the table. “This is probably one of those ‘experimental’ bands that thinks sounds are the same thing as actual music.”

After another ten minutes, the lights surrounding the tables dimmed while the stage was illuminated. The eight members of the band walked out together and took their positions with their instruments. It was crowded in the small performing space, but they were used to it.

A powder blue unicorn stepped forward and addressed the crowd.

“Good evening, Vanhoover! My name is Melody Fusion and we are Trots of Life!” She paused as the small audience applauded politely. “As you may have guessed, we get our name because we’re a collection of ponies from all sorts of different backgrounds. And as you also may have guessed, we’re not your typical band. For starters, I’ll be playing the balalaika.” She strummed a few freestyle notes.

As she pointed out each instrument, the pony playing it offered their own short ditty. “We also have a lyre… a marimba… the tabla… a cornet… a sousaphone… a double bass… and a concertina.

“Now, we understand that you may not have heard some of these specific instruments before. We know for sure that you’ve never heard all of them together in one band like this. But we’re here to show you that even though the eight of us come from all different trots of life, one of the things that we share – one of the things that all ponies share – is a sense of wonder and joy. And this is how we express it.”

Immediately, she stepped back and played the beginning of the band’s first song, “Awakening.” It started with each of the musicians taking a turn playing their own somewhat lethargic tune. Next, the instruments paired off, taking turns playing their tunes again, this time in four duets. That was followed by two quartets and finally, all eight instruments with their tunes played simultaneously. From there, the lethargy was replaced with purpose as all of the musicians played a song that demonstrated exactly what kinds of cheerful sounds they were capable of producing.

Bon Bon had heard the song numerous times before – it was always the band’s opening number – but each time, it filled her heart with joy. The feeling only intensified as she fixed her gaze on Lyra, who was happily pouring her heart into her instrument up on the stage.

The majority of the audience reacted the way all audiences who were unfamiliar with the band first reacted. A slight hesitation gave way to understanding, relaxation, and enjoyment. The mood of the room turned to celebration when halfway through the song, Lyra, as the only musician whose hooves weren’t occupied, raised her forelegs above her head and moved them in the universal gesture for “clap along.”

Warmth spread through Bon Bon’s chest as she watched her marefriend look completely at home on the stage, doing what she was born to do. When “Awakening” ended, the pegasus playing the concertina stepped forward to introduce himself as well as the next song, titled “Summer.” Lyra didn’t have as large of a part in that one, so Bon Bon glanced over at her parents while the band was performing. She was happy to see that her mother was clapping along and bobbing her head to the music. Her father appeared to be sitting still, eyes focused on the stage. She noted that after the first song, he hadn’t said anything negative or made any effort to leave. When she carefully stretched her neck to get a better look at him, she saw that his rear leg was subtly tapping along to the beat.

Once the second song had concluded, Lyra stepped forward to take her turn addressing the crowd.

“Thank you! My name is Lyra Heartstrings and it is my pleasure to share my happiness with you this night.” She played a brief, jaunty little tune on her lyre. “Now usually, we only play our own original songs during any given show. But tonight, I asked the band if we could try something a little different. I don’t want to embarrass them by pointing them out, but there are some ponies who I’m really grateful decided to come to see us perform tonight. This song is for them.”

After she stepped back in line with the band, Lyra looked Sugar Plum directly in the eyes, letting her know exactly to whom “this song is for them” referred. Bon Bon noticed the nonverbal communication and wondered what exactly Lyra had planned. For her part, Sugar Plum looked just as puzzled as Bon Bon did.

The tabla player counted them in, and all together, the group began to play a melody familiar to Bon Bon. She hadn’t heard it in over a decade, but still, she immediately recognized it from when she was growing up. It was her parents’ favorite song. They were being treated to their own special rendition of “The Nicest Thing Under the Moon.”

While the band did have a couple of musicians who could hold their own on vocals, none of Trots of Life’s music had lyrics. In keeping with that custom, the group was playing a strictly instrumental arrangement. And even though the original was performed primarily with traditional brass instruments, the cornet and sousaphone didn’t take the lead. Instead, all of the instruments joined together to create a more layered, nuanced version of the song.

Bon Bon looked at her mother, who was staring at the stage in awe. Halfway through the first verse, Sugar Plum reached over and placed her hoof on Straight Lace’s. He responded by holding her hoof in his. She leaned over, rested her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Bon Bon returned her attention to the stage. But in her peripheral vision, she saw her father quickly wipe at his eye.

Bon Bon wondered whether the tempo was going to change at any point to match the livelier, extra upbeat feel of Trots of Life’s other songs. But the band showed restraint and stayed true to the composition of the original. The only things different were the instruments playing the song and the passion with which those instruments were being played. And that was enough.

When the song ended, Sugar Plum sat back up in order to applaud. Straight Lace respectfully applauded, too. He hadn’t applauded for the first two songs.

The rest of the concert proceeded as usual. The band went back to playing their own joyful music. Soon, ponies were out on the dance floor, turning the concert into a celebration. Bon Bon and her parents stayed at their table the entire time, but Sugar Plum was clapping along and applauding after each song. Straight Lace spent most of the remainder of the show staring at the stage, a pensive look on his face.

After the concert ended, Bon Bon asked her parents if they’d like to go back and say hello to Lyra. Sugar Plum immediately said yes. Straight Lace responded with a more hesitant yes. But the hesitancy didn’t seem to come from a place of reluctant resignation. His tone seemed almost… humble.

There wasn’t a lot of room in the hallway for ponies to stop and talk while others walked past them, so Lyra led the three to the far end. Standing in a circle was inconvenient, so Lyra and Bon Bon stood next to one another, facing Sugar Plum and Straight Lace. The other members of the band were busy with their own work, so the four were effectively by themselves.

Lyra, mindful of Straight Lace’s reactions the last time she saw him, did not hug Bon Bon or Sugar Plum. Instead, she warmly thanked them for coming to see her perform.

“You were great – the whole band was great,” Sugar Plum said. “I can’t remember the last time I heard a band that made me feel… just so good inside.”

Lyra smiled. “That’s our goal. In fact, it’s the whole reason we formed this band in the first place.”

Bon Bon said, “And it happens every time, too. Even when they rehearse. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard them play, and it always makes me smile, both on the inside and out.”

Lyra said, “She’s our first and biggest fan.”

Sugar Plum reached across and put her hoof on Lyra’s shoulder. Lyra glanced over at Straight Lace to see his reaction, but he remained uncomfortably aloof. “And thank you for that beautiful version of ‘The Nicest Thing Under the Moon,’” she said. “You didn’t have to do that for us.”

“I wanted to,” Lyra said. “Think of it as my small way of saying thank you for sitting with Bon Bon and me at the hospital and being there through those rough first days.”

Straight Lace broke in. “About the hospital…” he said.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything else. The others waited. He looked down at the floor. Then he opened his mouth.

“I…”

He looked over toward the wall.

“I just…”

He settled on looking at a spot slightly above and to the right of Lyra’s head.

“I wanted to say… when we were at the hospital… the things that I said… I… apologize.”

There was noise elsewhere as ponies went about their business, but at that end of the hall, things were dead silent. All three of the others stared at him, stunned.

“About you two. Maybe it’s okay if you two are together.”

Lyra and Bon Bon wore twin looks of complete and utter astonishment. They each had to consciously make the effort to close their mouths.

“It still doesn’t make sense. But… I didn’t think all of those instruments would be able to play the best version of ‘The Nicest Thing Under the Moon’ that I’ve ever heard, either. If all of those weird instruments can work together, then maybe… maybe the two of you can work together, too.”

For many seconds, no one spoke.

Finally, in a voice barely above a whisper, Bon Bon asked, “…Do you mean it?”

Tentatively, he replied, “…Yes. I won’t get in your way. If your mother’s okay with it, then I can be, too.”

For another few moments, Bon Bon simply stood in place. Slowly, she stepped forward. She lifted one foreleg and placed it around her father. Then the other. As soon as both forelegs were locked in the hug, she began to cry.

“Thank you…” she said. She couldn’t form any other words.

As Bon Bon held on, Sugar Plum put one of her own forelegs around her daughter in a hug.

Lyra fought the tears in her eyes. She looked at Straight Lace. Quietly, she said, “Thank you.”

He gave her a small tilt of his head in return. Then he looked down and hugged his daughter back.

Eventually, Bon Bon’s parents left the restaurant/nightclub to return home. Bon Bon stayed behind with Lyra. The first thing the couple did was confirm with one another that what had just happened actually happened. That was followed by another hug.

Once the band was ready to leave, the two bundled up and walked together through the snow-covered streets to the train station. They stayed a few paces behind everyone else.

“I mean, Trots of Life was my favorite band already,” Bon Bon said, “but now you’re definitely my favorite band.”

“Honestly, I was just trying to do something nice for your mom,” Lyra said. “I never would have guessed that would happen.”

“Nopony would have. I thought he was never going to accept that we’re a couple. Let alone actually say he was okay with it. I had just gotten used to telling myself, ‘Well, at least my mom is happy with my marefriend.’ I thought that was the best I could hope for. Even if dad would never understand… but now… now even he isn’t angry…”

Bon Bon suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared into space.

Lyra looked at her.

“You okay there, Bon Bon?”

“Oh… yeah,” Bon Bon said, resuming her pace. “I was just thinking about… what just happened. It’s going to take the whole ride back to realize this is real.” A big smile appeared on her face.

They reached the train station. Lyra said, “In a couple of weeks, the tour will be over and then I’ll be home to assure you that it is real.”

“I can’t wait a couple of weeks,” Bon Bon replied.

“It’s that or disappoint Ponyville. I know they need you.”

Lyra stepped up to the train car’s entrance. She gave Bon Bon a good-bye kiss, then climbed aboard.

“Wait,” Bon Bon said. Inside the door, Lyra turned around to face her.

“Wait?”

“You’re playing Whinnypeg on Sunday night, right?”

“Right.”

“Where?”

She thought for a moment. “At The Salty Stallion.”

“I’ll see you there.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’ve got something I need to do at home, but then I’ll be right back. Ponyville can survive without new candy for a couple of days.”

Lyra sat on a small crate in a tiny room backstage at The Salty Stallion. As the name implied, the club had once been a dive. But in recent years, it had seen improvements that made the establishment more tolerable, going from “seedy” to “actually kind of charming, especially with the lights low.” The building was even large enough to have a space for performers to prepare before the show.

As she sat, she randomly strummed her lyre. She was glad that her musical specialty was an instrument that needed no setup and minimal tuning. It meant that she was always one of the first to be ready for each performance.

She didn’t understand why Bon Bon was going to all the trouble of traveling back to Ponyville just to turn around and see her again two days later. But since it meant more time with her favorite pony in the world, she didn’t think about it too much.

“Groupie’s here,” Melody Fusion said as she entered the room with Bon Bon. “Groupie” was the affectionate nickname the rest of the bandmates had given to her after one of them noted that she often showed up at their performances and had a romantic relationship with their lyrist.

Lyra got up and gave Bon Bon a hug and a kiss. “Welcome to Whinnypeg,” she said.

Bon Bon gave Melody a small nod as she left the room. “And here I thought Vanhoover was cold,” she said.

“Tell me about it. It’s even drafty in here somehow. And there aren’t even any windows.”

“Things will warm up a little once the show starts, right?”

“They’d better. Otherwise Jazz’s and Brassy’s lips are going to freeze to their instruments.”

Bon Bon giggled.

“Speaking of lips,” Lyra said, “I need more copies of that picture of you that I carry in my case.”

“Why?”

“When you’re not here with me, I give it a kiss before each show. It turns out photographs aren’t made to be kissed that often.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Bon Bon said. “For now, though, this will have to do.” Her lips met Lyra’s, staying there for several seconds.

“That is so much better than the photograph,” Lyra said.

“It’d better be.”

“And I’m not as cold now.”

Eventually, it was time to begin the show. Bon Bon gave Lyra her customary pre-performance kiss, then told her that she’d be watching from just offstage.

Lyra walked out with the rest of her bandmates to a respectable round of applause. Although it was still relatively small as far as venues went, The Salty Stallion was one of the larger stops the band would be playing on their tour. The stage was wide enough to give eight ponies and their instruments a little room to move around and there were a few more ponies in the audience than the band was used to seeing up to that point. Lyra felt energized, knowing that it would give her and the others more incentive to put on a great show.

The performance began and proceeded as planned. Five of the members of the band, including Lyra, had already introduced themselves and the group was playing the fifth song on that night’s set list, “Anticipation.” As was the case whenever they performed it, the song would immediately segue into the sixth song on the list, “Elation.”

As “Anticipation” approached its end, Melody signaled to the rest of the band to stop playing. Lyra felt a little more caught off-guard by the instruction than the others appeared to be, but she joined them in bringing the song to a close. When they stopped, Melody addressed the crowd.

“Thank you!” she said as the applause died down. “There’s more to come, but before we continue, I’d like to bring somepony out for a very special announcement.”

She signaled to the offstage area. Much to Lyra’s surprise, Bon Bon walked out in front of the audience.

“I’d like to introduce you to Bon Bon,” Melody said. “One of our band’s biggest supporters and the longtime marefriend of Lyra over there. Tonight, she has something she wants to say.”

Melody stepped back, leaving Bon Bon at center stage. Bon Bon swallowed, her legs trembling slightly. Lyra couldn’t imagine what could have compelled her to stand up and talk in front of so many ponies like this. She took a step forward in case she needed to calm her marefriend down.

Bon Bon began to speak. “So as Melody said, Lyra and I have been dating for more than three and a half years now. From the very first day we met, I knew that Lyra was something special. She’s nice, she’s funny, she’s fun, and we know we were made for each other. Ever since we’ve been together, I’ve felt like the luckiest mare in the world.”

She turned to face her. “Lyra, I love you more than I could ever say. Whenever I think about you, I think about how happy I am that I get to spend my life with you. Year after year, you’ve been right there by my side, and every step of the way, you’ve been loving, kind… and patient. And now, I’m going to do something that I should have done a long time ago.”

Folding her right foreleg inward, she bowed down in front of her marefriend. With her front left knee on the ground, she reached up. From behind her mane, she produced a gold chain necklace with a heart-shaped garnet hanging from the end.

“Lyra Heartstrings, will you marry me?”

For just a moment, an overwhelmed Lyra froze in place. Quickly snapping out of it, she stepped forward and lifted Bon Bon’s face to hers.

“Yes!” she cried. She gave her a long kiss as the audience and other members of the band began to applaud. “Yes! Of course, yes!”

The two embraced. After a few seconds, Bon Bon pushed her back so she could place the necklace over Lyra’s head. Then they embraced again.

After a few more seconds, Melody cued the band to begin playing the next song on the set list. Lyra was so preoccupied with her hug, she initially forgot that she was part of it. Finally, as she stood directly next to Bon Bon with one foreleg around her now-fiancée, she joined in with the rest of the group.

Together, they played “Elation.”

Chapter 9 - A Love That Will Always Endure

The following months were a whirlwind of activity. Lyra and Bon Bon were in agreement as to which date they wanted their wedding to take place on. However, that date was less than five months away, so the first thing they did was check to see whether town hall was available. Fortunately, it was.

The second thing they did was ask Rarity if it was even possible to order two wedding dresses on such relatively short notice. Rarity responded that ordinarily, that kind of timetable would be a little tight. However, she also admitted that she had previously imagined ways to outfit the two of them – the idea of designing a pair of wedding dresses that complemented one another had captured her imagination. It was a creative challenge she couldn’t pass up, so she sat down with the couple that very day to learn what they wanted and create the initial sketches.

The Cakes confirmed that they would be able to create a wedding cake for the appointed date. And Lyra and Bon Bon already knew that Pinkie Pie would say yes. She would have been able to plan everything in a week’s time, let alone in multiple months’ time.

During each meeting with a new vendor, Lyra savored the opportunity to tell the story of how Bon Bon proposed to her. Including the part where Bon Bon had hurried back to their home region in Equestria not only to buy the garnet for her betrothal necklace, but also to stop in Canterlot to ask for permission from her parents to marry their daughter. As her parents had later told her, they hadn’t been expecting Bon Bon to formally ask for their blessing. But naturally, they said yes. In fact, Lyra’s father had practically shoved her out of the house so she could “get to proposing already.”

Bridesmaids were selected (Rarity already had ideas for their dresses, too), invitations were sent, flowers were ordered, and everything came together. Twilight Sparkle even agreed to officiate the ceremony. Lyra and Bon Bon were worried about how Mayor Mare would react when they broke the news to her – especially because they also needed to ask her if she could be on reserve in case Twilight was called out of town at the last minute on official royal business or an Equestria-saving mission – but the mayor was very understanding about the fact that a princess outranked her. She even put a positive spin on it by pointing out that she didn’t get to attend many weddings simply as a guest.

Lyra and Bon Bon weren’t sure whether they wanted bachelorette parties – since they loved doing everything as a couple and didn’t have eyes for any other ponies, they couldn’t think of any good activities to do while separated from one another. But their bridesmaids came through. Mrs. Cake and Golden Harvest took Bon Bon to a gourmet cooking class, where she learned to make exotic new entrées. And Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Twinkleshine invited Lyra and Moondancer to Lemon Hearts’ home, where they all gathered together for a sleepover reminiscent of their foalhood days, complete with board games, gossip, and makeovers.

Before long, a very special day arrived – the anniversary of the day they became marefriends. It was about to also become the anniversary of the day they were wed.

The night before, to ensure that the two brides wouldn’t see each other ahead of time, Lyra had been taken to Twilight’s castle while Bon Bon stayed at home. The morning of the wedding, the bridesmaids kept the two ponies separate and attended to while Rarity raced back and forth to ensure that the dresses were flawless. After their initial consultation with her, Rarity had insisted that Lyra and Bon Bon meet with her separately for each of their fittings. Even though it was difficult for the couple to not share everything with each other, they were both going into the day with no idea how her bride would look when she walked down the aisle.

After careful coordination to get Lyra and Bon Bon into town hall without seeing one another, the guests took their seats. Rather than two sections of seats with an aisle down the middle, the chairs were set up in one large configuration in the center. Too many of the invitees were friends of both Lyra and Bon Bon, so it didn’t seem right to make them pick sides. Additionally, because neither bride wanted to walk down the aisle before the other, the two decided it would be more meaningful if they both came down the side aisles at the same time to meet in the center at the dais.

The spacious hall amplified the sound of the guests’ quiet chatter. When Octavia Melody started to play gentle music on her cello and Twilight Sparkle took her place atop the dais, the sound of chatter dissipated and the ceremony began with the brides’ mothers walking down the aisles and taking their seats in the front row.

Next, the bridesmaids began their entrances. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were the first to walk down the aisles. Twinkleshine stood on Lyra’s side of the dais while Lemon Hearts, who, of Lyra’s foalhood friends, had grown the closest to Bon Bon, agreed to stand on Bon Bon’s side to keep the numbers balanced. Then Golden Harvest and Minuette took their places in front of the guests.

While there wasn’t a formally designated matron of honor for either bride, the next ponies down the aisles, Mrs. Cake and Lyra’s sister Chorine, had unofficially taken on the role for the ceremony. They stood next to their fellow bridesmaids.

Then Pound Cake, who served as the jewelry bearer, and Chorine’s daughter, who served as the flower filly, started to make their way down the aisles. While both were old enough to be instructed on what to do, neither was old enough to be trusted to do it without supervision. So they were followed at a short distance by Mr. Cake and Chorine’s husband, each ready to intervene if the foals became distracted. Luckily, the children made it to the front without incident and the fathers did as good of a job as they could of remaining inconspicuous.

At that point, Octavia switched to the familiar bridal chorus. All of the guests stood and turned to look back at the nearest aisle. In tandem, Bon Bon and Lyra entered, each accompanied by her father.

The first thing that both Lyra and Bon Bon did was try to look at her bride. However, because all of the guests were standing, they could only catch brief glimpses of one another. So they turned forward to focus on proceeding down the aisle and remembering each moment.

Bon Bon looked up at her father next to her. She could see by the look in his eyes that he still wasn’t quite entirely at ease with everything that was happening. Still, the fact remained that not only was he willing to acknowledge her marriage to Lyra, he was walking her down the aisle. She smiled.

When they each reached the end of the aisle and turned toward the dais, Lyra and Bon Bon finally got to see one another in full. It was all they could do to not run toward the center. Instead, each took in the beauty of her bride.

They wore matching dresses of white duchesse satin in a traditional bell silhouette. Over the tail of each dress was draped a single layer of sheer tulle dyed in a gradient matching the colors of their coats – Lyra’s was green at the bottom transitioning up to yellow at the haunch while Bon Bon’s was yellow at the bottom transitioning up to green at the haunch.

Each had her mane styled for the wedding. Instead of the two large curls that it usually ended in, the top of Bon Bon’s mane was separated into three narrower curls per color, although the pink curls were still on one side while the blue curls were on the other. The curl at the bottom of her mane was also tighter than usual. The more striking change of hairstyle was on Lyra, whose mane ended in multiple small curls at the bottom. The top had been tamed and rolled under into two spirals, one on each side of her horn, framing her face. Each pony wore an identical translucent veil over the back of her mane that was topped with a string of small beads in a repeating pattern of pink, cyan, blue, and white.

Once Lyra and Bon Bon were around the corner, their eyes were locked on each other. It was a good thing they had already rehearsed the procession the day before, as determining where to step was a distant second on their list of priorities. As each father took his seat in the front row, Lyra and Bon Bon met in the center and stood facing one another on the dais. They didn’t speak, but their eyes expressed identical messages: You look gorgeous.

Twilight Sparkle, who was standing on a platform one step higher, said, “You may be seated.” The guests sat down and she began her speech.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of these two ponies.” She looked down at the brides. “I know that for many of us, when we think of them, it isn’t as Lyra alone or Bon Bon alone. To us, they are ‘Lyra and Bon Bon.’ Today, we make it official.

“We’re all familiar with love. It’s one of the most fundamental equine emotions. Every day, we hear stories of love, and, if we’re fortunate, we get to experience some form of it ourselves, whether it be the love we share with our families, the love we have for our friends, or the love we feel when we’ve found a very special somepony. We hear about it so often, it’s easy for us to get the impression that love is simple and commonplace.

“But we must never forget how complex and spectacular love is. Time and time again, I have seen love do extraordinary things. Love can turn an enemy into a friend. Love is powerful enough to protect a whole empire from the chilling winds of the frozen north. And it wasn’t all that long ago that an outpouring of love transformed an entire species, turning them from predators to allies.

“I’ve been in the unique position to witness examples of the many different types of love at all magnitudes, from casual passing love to love that’s as strong as a raging fire. By this point, I’ve seen these various types of love more times than I can count. Yet I wouldn’t even need all of my hooves to count the number of times I’ve seen a love like the love Lyra and Bon Bon have for one another.

“I’m reminded of a quote that’s attributed to Aristrotle: ‘Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.’ Whether Aristrotle ever actually said it or not is up for debate, but it doesn’t matter. The reason it’s endured all these centuries, and the reason ponies still repeat it, is because it rings true. And no two ponies exemplify that quote better than Bon Bon and Lyra.

“Bon Bon and Lyra each know the other as well as she knows herself. I have never been in the same room as the two of them at a time when they were not perfectly in tune. In fact, I asked around, and as far as anypony in town has seen, these two are always on the same wavelength. When I relayed this finding to them, they told me that that isn’t true. But when they told me that, they were finishing each other’s thoughts and sentences. So I rest my case.

“At a wedding, two ponies make a pledge to join together and become one. But for years, Lyra and Bon Bon have demonstrated that they are two halves of the same whole. This wedding simply confirms what we already know to be true: There is an unbreakable bond between these two. I may say the words today that unite them in the eyes of the law, but I’m not changing anything. In their hearts, Bon Bon and Lyra are already one. That is the love they share.”

She levitated two rolled-up pieces of parchment, one tied with a green ribbon and one tied with a yellow ribbon, in front of her. “Now it’s time for the brides to read their individual vows. When Lyra and Bon Bon gave me these vows, they assured me that neither had seen what the other had written. They asked me to choose who would read first. Instead, I’m going to do something a little unorthodox.”

She untied the two pieces of parchment and passed them to the two brides. It was the first time Lyra and Bon Bon had broken eye contact since the ceremony began.

Twilight addressed them directly. “I’ve marked your vows with multiple stopping points. When I direct you to read, keep going until you reach one. Then wait until my next signal to resume.”

She pointed toward Bon Bon. “You may begin.”

Bon Bon started to read. “When I moved to Ponyville, I was alone. I had always been alone, and I assumed that I would always be alone. But then, one night – one wonderful summer night – I saw an amazing pony. A pony with an enthusiasm for life that I wish I had. You know, I almost didn’t say hello to that pony that night. I figured a pony as interesting as her wouldn’t want anything to do with me. But even though I didn’t think I stood a chance, I said hello. And I’m glad I did. I am so, so glad I did.”

Twilight pointed toward Lyra.

“There are very few ponies who can truly say they’ve found their soul mate. I always assumed that I would be one of the ones who never did. I know that I’m different than the average pony – what were the odds that I’d find anypony who ‘got’ me? Let alone a mare who would want to marry me? But then I met you. From that very first night, I knew that I wanted you to be a permanent part of my life. I could only dream that it would actually happen. But Bon Bon, you’ve made my dreams come true.”

Bon Bon again.

“I couldn’t believe how lucky I was when that pony agreed to be my friend. I thought, ‘Life can’t get any better than this.’ And then that pony agreed to be my marefriend. And I thought, ‘Life definitely can’t get any better than this.’ And now, that pony has agreed to be my wife. And once again, I find myself thinking that it isn’t possible for my life to get any better than this. That’s what you do, Lyra. You make ponies’ lives better.” She looked at her parents in the front row. “Especially mine. And even though I can’t imagine how it would be possible, I know that every day we’re together, you will keep making my life even better than it already is.”

Lyra again.

“Ever since you came into my life, I’ve loved every moment we’ve spent together. When the two of us go out to see a show, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. When we go shopping for food, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Even when we’re just sitting in the living room, reading our own separate books… because you’re there with me, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing.”

Back to Bon Bon. They continued to alternate.

“My vow to you is that I will do everything I possibly can to try to make you as happy as you make me.”

“Every day that we’re together, no matter what we do, you make me happy. My vow to you is that you will always know how grateful I am to be your wife.”

“No matter what – in good times and in bad – when you need me, I will be there for you. There is nothing and nopony as important to me as you.”

“No matter what may come our way, I will do everything in my power to show you just how much I love you. You are my world. There is nothing and nopony anywhere that could take me away from you.”

“And that is why I pledge to you,”

“I make this promise to you,”

“with all of Equestria as my witness:”

“in front of all Equestria:”

Twilight pointed to both of them at the same time. Together, they said:

“I will be with you for all eternity.”

The two brides put down their parchments and looked at one another, their eyes glistening. Twilight gave everyone in attendance some time to process what they had just seen.

Finally, she continued. “Do you Lyra, and do you Bon Bon, take the other to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, and be joined together as one?”

They looked each other directly in the eyes. Together, they answered, “I do.”

From the pillow that had been brought up with Pound Cake, Twilight levitated two identical necklaces. The heart-shaped garnet from the betrothal necklace had been symbolically cut in two. However, Lyra and Bon Bon hadn’t wanted the gemstone to be split down the center – they didn’t want it to look like a broken heart. Instead, the cut was made vertically along the length of the stone, but at an angle. The pieces were still predominantly heart-shaped, but they each had a small section of the right side missing to indicate that they were incomplete without the other.

Twilight placed a necklace into the hoof of each bride. Together, they lowered their heads and simultaneously draped the necklace over the head of the other. All of the practicing they had done with stand-in pendants in order to get the motion perfect had been worth it.

As they stared into each other’s eyes, Twilight declared, “Two halves of the same whole. I now pronounce you spouses for life. You may share in your first wedded kiss.”

There was no hesitation. As the two kissed, the guests began to applaud. After a not insignificant length of time, they finally separated.

Twilight addressed the guests again. “I present to you the newly wedded Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon. Go in peace and love.”

Octavia resumed playing her cello while the couple recessed together down one of the aisles and through the doors to the outside. The plan was for them to go around and back into town hall through a rear door, where they would wait in a small meeting room while the wedding party and guests made their way out and prepared for the reception.

It was in that room that they shared in their second kiss as a married couple. And their third. And their fourth. And their fifth.

The guests waited outside while Pinkie Pie transformed the layout of town hall from a collection of chairs in the center of the room to a reception area with tables, chairs, a buffet line, stage lighting, and dance floor. It took her less than fifteen minutes.

As the guests entered and took their seats at the tables, they admired the wedding cake that Sugarcube Corner had prepared. Lyra and Bon Bon hadn’t budgeted for an ornately decorated five-tier cake, but after all of the business Bon Bon had done with them over the years, the Cakes were happy to give the couple a heavily discounted price. The cake topper had been sculpted to specifically resemble Lyra and Bon Bon. It depicted the two of them side by side, each holding up a foreleg intertwined with the other’s. The entire cake topper was crafted from one piece of material. The two ponies depicted in it were inseparable.

Once everyone had been seated, the other seven members of Trots of Life took the platform that now served as a stage. Melody Fusion reintroduced the happy couple, who entered to a rousing round of applause. As they made their way to the head table, Lyra had a wide smile on her face, clearly enjoying all of the attention and affection they were receiving. Bon Bon simply blushed, although she also had a smile on her face.

Next, Lyra’s father stood up to thank the guests for attending. The brides were toasted and the meal began. Occasionally, ponies would begin to clink their silverware against their glasses to signal their desire to see the married couple kiss. The first pony to lead a round of clinking was Lyra herself.

As the meal wound down, Melody Fusion announced, “Now, I know these two can’t wait to get out of here and head to Saddle Lake for their honeymoon. But before they do, we have some very important speeches and dancing to get to. For the first speech and dance, it is my honor to introduce my bandmate and my friend: Lyra Heartstrings.”

Melody motioned to the head table, where Lyra stood up on her chair in order to be better seen. “Thank you, everypony, for joining us on this wonderful evening. I know that I speak for Bon Bon when I say that we are overjoyed to have so many great friends to share this day with us.” Bon Bon nodded.

“This date is especially meaningful to the two of us because it’s also the anniversary of the day we started dating. Four years ago today, we both realized how we felt about each other – Lemon Hearts, stop snickering – and from that moment on, I got to be the marefriend of the greatest mare in the world. Well, I’m here to announce that those days are over. Now I get to be the wife of the greatest mare in the world.”

Bon Bon interjected, “I’m sorry, but that isn’t true. I get to be the wife of the greatest mare in the world.”

“Agree to disagree. The point is, we wanted to get married today because this date holds a very special place in our hearts. And each year on this day, there’s a tradition that we have – something we do to celebrate our anniversary. Of course, since we weren’t able to see each other before the wedding, we haven’t been able to do it yet. And since you’ve all been so kind to celebrate with us today, we wanted to share our special tradition with you right now.”

Minuette and Twinkleshine let out a suggestive “ooh.” She shot them a look. “Oh, knock it off.” She turned back toward the guests. “Every year on our anniversary, we give each other a gift that celebrates us being together. They’re always the same gifts – that’s because we wouldn’t want anything else. First, Bon Bon gives me her gift: Special candies she makes just for us.”

The waitstaff began to bring out trays of the yellow, blue, and pink bonbons that Bon Bon had prepared in the days leading up to the wedding. They placed a tray at each table.

“These will never be for sale. In fact, after tonight, they’re going back to being made only for Bon Bon and me. I recommend looking inside of them to understand why they mean so much to us.”

There was delighted murmuring at the tables as the guests figured out what made the candies so unique. Once everyone, including the married couple, had a chance to eat one, Lyra continued.

“After that, I give my gift to Bon Bon.” She levitated her lyre up from underneath the table. “A song that I wrote for us. I’m never putting it out on record and I’ll never write it down. After tonight, I’m only playing it for my wife.” Her smile grew bigger. “Oh, does that feel good to say. My wife Bon Bon.”

The two left the head table and stepped down onto the dance floor, Lyra bringing the lyre with her.

“Because the song was written for the two of us, we know what each of the parts of it mean. But since you’re not us, we’ve arranged for some visual aids.”

The two took their places standing on opposite sides of the floor. A spotlight shone down on each of them. When Lyra began to play “her” section of the song, the spotlight over Bon Bon dimmed. When she moved on to the section of the song that represented Bon Bon, her spotlight dimmed and Bon Bon’s became bright again.

Then came the part of the song when the two melodies became shorter and faster. The brightness of the spotlights changed in conjunction with the changes in melody. And as the melodies changed, Lyra and Bon Bon took turns stepping toward one another until the final note sounded and they were face to face.

Each placed her right foreleg over her wife’s withers and tilted her head to the left. With her head resting against Bon Bon’s mane, Lyra began to play the part of the song in which the two melodies merged. As both spotlights joined together to shine on one single location, the two ponies slow-danced together. Their first dance as a married couple.

At the point where the song would have ended, they didn’t stop. Instead, the other members of Trots of Life joined in for the first and only time the final section of the song would be played with an entire band’s worth of instruments.

The two continued to dance, each mare’s focus solely on the mare next to her. Reflecting on the life they had already spent together. Knowing that no matter what, they would always be there for each other. Each taking comfort and joy in the fact that for the rest of her life, the pony she loved would be by her side.

Even though the band was nearby and even though they were surrounded by tables full of ponies, they paid attention to none of it. In that moment, as far as Lyra and Bon Bon were concerned, it was simply the two of them.

Unified.

Chapter 2 - Flashback: Bon Bon

Bon Bon was going grocery shopping. Because she wanted to do it that day. She was buying carrots. Because she wanted carrots.

It had been ten months since Bon Bon had moved to Ponyville to begin her life as a private, independent citizen. It was the first time she had been on her own with no one to answer to but herself, and she was proud of how successfully she had adapted. She had quickly become Ponyville’s resident candy maker. That provided her with more than enough income to maintain a humble life in her new apartment. Because of that steady income, she didn’t need to worry about scrounging up the necessary bits to pay her meager monthly bills. She was even able to open and build a savings account. Considering that she had needed to start from scratch with a completely new identity, she had achieved everything she could have wanted in her new home.

Well, almost everything. But apparently friendships were for ponies who had normal upbringings. Bon Bon simply had her casual acquaintances. Which was still better than anything she had had before she moved to Ponyville.

Bon Bon was visiting Golden Harvest’s stall in the marketplace, using her teeth to pick out the carrots she wanted for dinner. As she stepped back and forth, moving the vegetables onto the counter, she overheard Applejack, who was operating the adjacent cart, talking to Amethyst Star.

“Lemme ask you something,” Applejack said as she counted out Amethyst’s change. “You ever hear of unicorn magic goin’ on the fritz?”

“Sometimes when I get a really bad cold, my whole head feels like it’s stuffed up, including my horn,” Amethyst replied. “Do you mean like that?”

“I’m more talkin’ ’bout a whole town’s worth of unicorns havin’ their magic act funny. Ever hear of anything like that?”

“No… why?”

“Well, I got a letter from my cousin Apple Bumpkin up near Foal Mountain and I don’t know what to make of it. She says they were just visited by some government pony who said the town’s unicorns were in danger of havin’ their magic go out of control ’cause of what’s left over when they use it buildin’ up too high.”

Bon Bon froze in place, the greens of a carrot hanging from her mouth. Her attention was focused solely on what Applejack was saying.

“So he goes through town wavin’ this gizmo around for a few days, then says everything’s peachy keen again. Bumpkin says she thinks he’s spyin’ on everypony… but then again, she don’t really trust the government about anything. I was just wonderin’ if you thought that all added up.”

“I suppose it’s possible…” Amethyst said. “I’ve never studied magic enough to know where it goes once we use it. I always assumed it just disappears.”

“It’s probably just Apple Bumpkin gettin’ ideas in her head again,” Applejack said dismissively. “Anyhow, don’t let me hold you up with her conspiracy nonsense. You have a nice day now.”

Amethyst wished Applejack well and went on her way. Bon Bon started to walk over to Applejack.

Golden Harvest cleared her throat.

It was only at that point that Bon Bon realized she still had a carrot in her mouth. She paid Golden Harvest for it and the others, then quickly stepped over to Applejack’s cart before any other customers showed up.

“I overheard what you were saying,” she said to Applejack. Her tone of voice wasn’t completely hushed, but it was quiet – like she wasn’t sure she should even bring the subject up. Slowly, she asked, “Did your cousin happen to say what the pony looked like, by chance?”

“If I remember her letter right,” Applejack said, “he had a short, straight, black mane and tail. Cutie mark was some kinda carpenter’s level, which she thought was suspicious ’cause it didn’t have anything to do with magic. Oh, and that’s the thing that don’t make sense to me – she says he was an earth pony. What’s an earth pony doin’ tryin’ to fix a unicorn magic problem?”

Bon Bon’s heart began to beat more quickly. She felt a little weak in the knees and, strangely, a little nauseated. “I think…” she said, unsure of whether she should even say it. As if not saying it was the only thing keeping it from being true. “That’s my father.”

“You think?” Applejack said with undisguised incredulity. “Don’t you know whether or not your father’s livin’ near Foal Mountain?”

Bon Bon hesitated. She knew Applejack casually from having collaborated with the Apple family to sell caramel apples a few months earlier, but she was hardly a close friend. However, Bon Bon didn’t have any close friends to share this kind of information with. And now that the subject had been broached, she felt like she needed to talk to someone about it. If nothing else, she knew she could trust Applejack to not be gossipy.

So Bon Bon told Applejack something she had never told anyone else. “I… kind of had a falling-out with my parents a few years ago. Long story short, we haven’t spoken in…” she quickly did the math in her head “…nearly five years now.”

Applejack reacted as though Bon Bon was speaking some sort of foreign language. “Beggin’ your pardon, but that don’t make a lick o’ sense to me.”

“My dad works for a division of the Canterlot government,” Bon Bon explained. “He goes from town to town, clearing up residual free magic before it has the chance to build up and wreak havoc with the unicorns who live there. Everything you described – that sounds exactly like him. They have an earth pony do it because if a unicorn did it, the residual magic might react negatively with their own magic. It’s not a conspiracy – he’s there on legitimate government business.”

“No, sugarcube… I mean, I don’t get how you can go five years without talkin’ to your folks. Or knowin’ where they live.”

“Oh. Every few months, he moves to a different town to take care of a new magic problem. When my parents first… sent me away, I didn’t bother finding out where they were moving to next.” There was an unmistakable hint of rancor in her words. “And I’ve never been particularly interested in knowing where they’ve been since then.”

“And… you ain’t never wanted to get in touch with ’em? Not even once? Five years is an awful long time.”

“I’m sure the feeling’s mutual. It’s not like they’ve wanted to get in touch with me, either.”

Bon Bon knew that to be fair, during her four years with the Monster Containment Agency, her parents couldn’t have gotten in touch with her even if they had tried – it was the reason she took the job in the first place. But her feelings hadn’t changed in the ten months since the agency had been shuttered – she was certain her parents’ attitudes also hadn’t changed.

“Can I give you a word of advice?” Applejack asked. She didn’t wait for Bon Bon to answer. “Don’t turn your back on your family. Especially not your parents. The last thing you want is to regret not spendin’ enough time with ’em once they’re gone.”

Bon Bon opened her mouth to retort, but caught herself in the nick of time. She didn’t know Applejack the way a good friend would, but she knew why Applejack and her siblings lived with only their Granny Smith. So she closed her mouth, unsure of what to say.

When Applejack broke the silence between them, her voice was softer. “I know I was just a filly at the time – I figured they’d be around forever. But still… I wish I’d spent more time with ’em.”

Bon Bon felt bad for Applejack – she really did. But being forced to relive that last day with her parents made her angry. Being told how she should feel made her angry.

“The difference,” Bon Bon said, her tone of voice measured but acrid, “is that your parents loved you. Mine shunned me.”

“Hon,” Applejack said in a no-nonsense manner that somehow still carried a note of tenderness, “ain’t nopony’d spend that much time bringin’ you up if deep down, they didn’t love you.”

Bon Bon refused to respond.

“I get that there’s some kind of hard feelings,” Applejack said. “But this is your chance to be the bigger pony and take the first step.” She was unfazed by Bon Bon’s dubious stare. “Look: You know your folks are at Foal Mountain right now. If they move without you visitin’, you might never get a chance to see ’em ever again. Is that something you can live with?”

Bon Bon took a moment before answering. “Probably…” she muttered.

“Probably ain’t definitely. Just think about it for a little bit.”

Bon Bon exhaled slowly. As she did, she grunted slightly. It wasn’t a yes. But it wasn’t a no, either.

Bon Bon sat by herself on the train, her sour expression making it clear to the other passengers that they shouldn’t try to engage her in conversation.

Applejack’s words had stuck with her. For a week, she couldn’t help but think about her parents. At first, she only remembered the last few months she had seen them – from the day they had refused to accept her for who she was to the day she was forced to leave the house to join the Royal Guard Support Corps. Those memories produced a dense clump of hatred that she could feel deep inside her gut.

But then she began to remember some of the better times. As a filly, hoof-painting with her mother using colored icing instead of paint. Hunting for hidden eggs on Spring Renewal Day. The family tradition of celebrating her father finishing a job by going out and finding the best location for a picnic lunch in each city they lived in.

And she remembered her mother teaching her to cook. The day she discovered her passion for candy making. The look of pride on her parents’ faces as the three of them celebrated her cute-ceañera together.

It made Bon Bon angry to admit it, but Applejack had a point. Things had ended badly – very badly – between them, but they were her only family. And it had been nearly five years. Maybe they had finally come to terms with her sexual orientation. Maybe they would apologize for the way they reacted. The only way to find out would be to see them again.

Bon Bon wasn’t naïve, though – she knew that odds were her parents would still be as narrow-minded as ever. But she couldn’t squelch that tiny bit of optimism inside of her that insisted that everything could be okay. As she had boarded the train, she was mad at Applejack for giving her what would almost certainly be false hope.

So she spent the train ride to Foal Mountain in a foul mood, preparing herself for the worst. If her parents still wouldn’t accept the fact that she was gay, then she could rub their faces in the fact that she had built a successful new life for herself, all without their help. Either way, she would have her answer. And she would be at peace knowing that she had given them one last chance.

The train pulled into the station and Bon Bon stepped out onto the platform with her saddlebags on her back. It was only then that she realized she wasn’t sure how she was going to find her parents. After a couple of minutes of standing by herself, deep in thought, she decided that she would go to the local market and ask if any of the residents knew where the magic-controlling government agent was living. If Apple Bumpkin had gone to the trouble of writing to Applejack about it, her father’s presence must have been relatively significant news in this area.

After getting directions from the station’s information desk, Bon Bon headed toward the market. She took her time walking there. As she did, she noted that she was in a pleasant little town – not unlike Ponyville at first glance. The only significant differences were the abundance of pine trees and the fact that the architecture was predominantly in the style of log cabins and similar wooden structures.

Finally, she arrived at the market. It was Saturday, so the area was bustling with numerous ponies wandering from stall to stall. Bon Bon looked around. Even though she had come all this way for this one and only reason, part of her was hesitant to walk up to a stranger and ask where her parents were. Part of her didn’t want to know what the answers to her questions would be.

She told herself that there was no harm in exploring the market a little bit first – after all, if she went to the effort to travel all the way to this new town, she ought to spend some time taking it in. She spotted a stand selling chamomile-infused desserts. She decided they were exactly what she needed at that moment.

A few minutes later, Bon Bon finished eating her yellow cupcake with chamomile frosting. She wondered what else the market had to offer. Maybe they had some interesting arts and crafts, too…

As Bon Bon peered toward the other end of the marketplace, trying to make everything out, she heard a hesitant female voice behind her.

“Sweetie…?”

For a moment, it didn’t even occur to Bon Bon to respond. But she quickly realized… and the voice was unmistakable…

She slowly turned around. There stood an ivory-colored earth pony. Her two-toned purple mane and tail were a little grayer, but immediately recognizable to Bon Bon nonetheless.

“Mother.”

“Sweetie Drops! It’s really you!”

On the train ride to Foal Mountain, Bon Bon hadn’t yet come to a decision as to what she would do when she saw her parents again. Before she had a chance to react, her mother wrapped her forelegs around her in the tightest hug she could ever remember receiving.

Bon Bon couldn’t bring herself to hug her back. As she stood still on all four hooves, she heard the sound of her mother crying. It reminded Bon Bon of that last day at home. A day she wanted to forget.

Fifteen seconds passed. Behind Bon Bon’s head, her mother continued to cry. “Thank Celestia,” she sobbed. “Thank Celestia you’re okay.”

Bon Bon looked around. The two of them were beginning to cause a scene.

“Um, mom?” she said.

“I was so worried about you, Sweetie.”

It was only then that Bon Bon realized that she needed to get her mother to stop saying that name. She tried to break free of the hug, but couldn’t.

“Mom, could we go someplace private to talk about this? It’s really important.”

Bon Bon started to step forward in an effort to guide her mother out of the marketplace. Her mother finally released the hug and got down on her own four hooves.

As they walked away, her mother said, “We tried to get in touch with you. But when we did, the Royal Guard said they couldn’t tell us where you were. Even though we were your parents. I kept trying, year after year, but they kept giving me the same answer. Then, after the fourth year, they said that they didn’t have any record of you anymore! We didn’t know what happened to you! We thought you had died!”

Bon Bon waited until they were out of earshot of the rest of the town’s residents before responding. She scanned the wooded area they had walked into, and, confident that no other ponies were around, began to speak in a hushed tone.

“I can’t tell you where I’ve been or what I did in the Royal Guard. It’s classified, and they made it very clear that I’m not allowed to ever say anything to anypony about the department I worked for. I left after four years, but the reason they didn’t have any record of me is because at the end, I had to change my identity. You can’t call me Sweetie Drops anymore. My name is Bon Bon now.”

Her mother just stared at her.

“The only reason I’m allowed to even tell you this much is because they said that due to dad’s work with the Magical Imbalances department, you could be trusted to keep my secret.”

Her mother continued to stare.

Bon Bon sighed. “I guess it is a lot to take in all at once.”

For a minute, neither of them talked while her mother processed everything. “So you left after the fourth year,” she said. Bon Bon nodded. Her mother stared at the ground, piecing it all together.

Finally, she asked a question.

“Why didn’t you come back to us after you left?”

Bon Bon winced a little. There was genuine pain in her mother’s words. But Bon Bon refused to let go of her bitterness. Especially once she realized that her mother genuinely didn’t know why she would have refused to return home.

Before she could respond, though, her mother spoke again.

“Did you even come here to see us?”

Bon Bon had to remind herself to keep her heart hardened. “Yes,” she replied, surprised at how gentle the word sounded as she said it. She knew that she couldn’t bring herself to lash out while her mother was so emotionally vulnerable. She also decided that she didn’t want to have this conversation more than once.

“Maybe it’d be better if I talked to you and dad together about all of this,” she said.

After a moment, her mother agreed. She led Bon Bon out of the woods and toward a quiet neighborhood of log houses with plenty of trees in the yards. After passing a few homes, she walked up to one of the smaller houses and opened the front door.

“Straight Lace?” she said before she stepped in.

For the first time in nearly five years, Bon Bon heard her father’s voice. “I’m right here, Sugar Plum,” he said from just inside. “That was fast. Did you get everything?”

“I…” her mother said. She looked at the open door. Bon Bon was still standing outside.

With a deep breath, Bon Bon walked through the door. There, sitting in the living room, was her father. The same tan coat. The same straight black mane. The same perpetually stern expression on his face.

That face changed when he registered who was standing in front of him. He didn’t smile – he almost never smiled – but it did take a few seconds before the subtle look of surprise disappeared.

“Sweetie Drops,” he said.

“Actually, it’s Bon Bon now,” she replied. She told him the same things she had told her mother about serving in the Royal Guard Support Corps and having to change her identity.

“That would be why they didn’t know who we were talking about last time,” he said in a straightforward, explanatory tone.

He stared at her.

Bon Bon stared back.

“So,” he said, “are you back to normal now?”

And there it was. He still didn’t understand.

“If you’re asking whether I’m gay,” she said, vitriol emerging as she spoke, “then yes. I’m gay. That isn’t going to change.”

His tone of voice changed to match hers. “Then why are you back?” he growled.

“I was hoping,” she replied, “you would have realized that forcing your daughter to work for the Royal Guard was a mistake. That after all this time, you would accept me for who I am.”

“The only mistake,” he said, getting up from his chair, “apparently was thinking that the Support Corps would work. It looks like I should have taken more drastic steps to put an end to this unnatural behavior.”

Bon Bon didn’t have to live in this household anymore – she didn’t have to hold back. “Unnatural?” she shouted. “You’re calling me unnatural? I’m a living equine! Your own daughter! Do you even understand how terrible that is?”

“Terrible?” he shouted back. “What do you know about terrible? Do you realize what you did to this family? What you did to your mother? And now you have the nerve to come back here just to tell us that you still refuse to act like a normal pony? You’re the one who’s being terrible!”

“Forget it!” she yelled. “Just forget it! I shouldn’t have bothered to come here!”

“No – you shouldn’t have!”

Bon Bon turned toward the door. “You thought I was dead before? Fine. Keep thinking that. Because Sweetie Drops is dead. And if you can’t accept who I am, then I don’t want you in my life!”

Bon Bon stomped outside. She only wished that the door had opened outward so she could slam it shut. Instead, she angrily trotted down the street. She was headed back toward the town. Back toward the train station. Back toward her apartment, where she could pretend that this day had never happened.

As she reached the end of the street, she heard her mother’s voice. “Sweetie! Please! Wait!”

Bon Bon stopped and turned around. Her mother was running toward her. “It’s Bon Bon,” she hissed.

“Bon Bon,” her mother corrected herself as she approached. “Please. Don’t go. I don’t want to lose you again.” She was near tears.

“Sorry,” Bon Bon said. Seeing the state her mother was in, she actually was a little bit sorry. “I can’t stay. Not unless you accept the fact that I’m gay.”

“I…” her mother said. She paused. She hesitated. She started to speak a couple of times, then stopped herself. Finally, she simply said, “I don’t know. I’m not sure. I just know that you’re my daughter. I miss you. I don’t want to never see you again.”

Bon Bon looked at the forlorn expression on her mother’s face. She closed her eyes and exhaled. “Here,” she said. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. After writing on it, she said, “This is my address. I live in Ponyville. If you want to write, you can.” She gave the paper to her mother.

“Thank you,” her mother said. Her eyes watered.

“But right now, I have to go.”

A tear ran down her mother’s cheek. “Okay. Good-bye… Bon Bon. I love you.”

“Good-bye, mom.”