Days of Their Lives

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Days of Their Lives

Not all too far from Canterlot was a small town, Ponyville it was called, and in this town there was a modest looking house. There was nothing fancy about this house, nor the ponies that lived inside of it, but that was the way they liked it. In this ordinary house lived two ordinary mares. They sat at their dining room table pouring over an old photo album. One of the two, a unicorn with a light green mane striped with white and fur that was a sort of minty green, was using her magic to turn the pages of the photo album. Next to her sat a cream colored earth pony. Her mane's color was split down the middle, one half a dark blue and the other a vibrant pink. As they flipped through the pages, they would take turns laughing and smiling at what were no doubt pictures of the other pony. Pointing at a particular photograph the earth pony said to the unicorn,

"Oh Lyra look, you're just a little filly here. This must've been right after you got your cutie mark. You're showing it off so proudly." She smiled at Lyra. The green mare’s cheeks reddened a little. Looking down at the picture Lyra saw a little filly version of herself. An enormous smile was spread across her face as she stared straight into the camera. A golden lyre was emblazoned upon both sides of her flank.

"It was because of you, Bon-Bon," said Lyra, tapping a hoof on the photo. "If I hadn't met you I never would've gotten my cutie mark."

"Don't be silly,” giggled the other mare, waving a dismissive hoof, “you would've gotten it even if I never existed.”

"Maybe. But still,” Lyra said softly, though with a hint of sadness, staring lovingly into Bon-Bon's eyes, “I wouldn't be the same if I hadn't met you."

"And I'm so glad you did" she whispered back.

Lyra, still looking at Bon-Bon with both love and sadness in her eyes, asked, "You remember it, don't you? The day we met? I rescued you from those bullies."

"How could I forget my hero Lyra?" the earth pony chuckled a little at her own joke. Lyra smiled sadly, tears hiding just out of sight. "That was also the day you got your cutie mark, remember?" she asked softy.

"I remember like it was yesterday," answered the green mare, her fake smile still hiding her true feelings. “What was it they called you again?” Lyra paused momentarily, “Oh wait, I remember now. It was…”

"Blank Flank! Blank Flank!" Several young ponies were surrounding another pony and jeering at her. They took turns laughing and pointing at her markedly blank flank. The filly was crying and covering her ears with her hooves, doing her best to shut out the other ponies' mean words.

"Look at her,” said a powder blue unicorn colt who had his hoof outstretched, pointing at the cowering filly. “She must be the only one in our class who doesn’t have her cutie mark. What a loser."

"Maybe she doesn't have any special talents," replied an amber pegasus filly. The group began laughing again, pointing at her flank and dancing around her.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" shouted a voice. From behind the jeering ponies a new pony appeared, this one a mint green unicorn. She trotted over to the crying pony's side and patted her on the back reassuringly. "Hey, you okay?" she asked. The crying filly nodded. Turning back to the group of bullies she said. "What's your problem? Why are you picking on her?"

The powder blue unicorn who appeared to be the leader of the group stepped forward and answered her, “She's a blank flank. She doesn't have any special talents. She’s a loser.”

"No cutie mark huh? Well ain’t that a coincidence." She turned sideways so that the group could see her cutie mark free flank. "It just so happens that I don’t have my cutie mark either. But, who knows,” a smile spread across the unicorn’s face like wildfire, “maybe when I kick your butts I’ll get my cutie mark for bully beating.”

A terrified look came over the unicorn leader, "Wh-whatever, you blank flanks aren't worth our time anyways. Come on guys let's go," said the little colt, motioning for his group to follow him. With the other ponies gone, the two ponies left turned to each other. The scared little filly looked up at her savior, tears trickling down her face.

"Thanks... umm..."

"Lyra, the name's Lyra,” the green unicorn answered quickly, “and don't mention it. I couldn't just stand by watching some helpless little filly get picked on, now could I?”

She looked over the other pony, making sure she wasn't hurt. "You okay?” she asked. “You look pretty upset still. C'mon let's cheer you up,” Lyra lent a hoof to help the earth pony up. As she helped the other pony to her feet she asked “What did you say your name was by the way?”

The little cream coated earth pony sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes before responding, “Bon-Bon, my name’s Bon-Bon”

“I know a place we can go that'll put a smile on your face Bon-Bon,” the unicorn said, a smile already plastered on her face. Without waiting for any sort of reply Lyra helped her up and waved a hoof to let Bon-Bon know to follow her. The two walked together towards Ponyville's heart, Lyra leading the way. Bon-Bon didn't say much on the way and Lyra remained as cheerful as always, doing her best to cheer up the teary earth pony next to her. As they approached their destination a look of understanding washed over the cream colored filly.

"Wait, I know where we are,” she said, a smile beginning to spread across her face, “There's a candy shop right around here, Sugarcube Corner."

"Yep, I figured you might like some candy to help cheer you up... always helped me,” said Lyra, shrugging. She continued with, “Plus I know Mr. and Mrs. Cake. They sometimes let me have a bit of candy for free," the mint colored filly said matter-of-factly. Bon-Bon’s smile grew and her eyes lit up with excitement. Her steps became visibly more enthusiastic as they approached Sugarcube Corner. Bon-Bon’s excitement was infectious. It quickly spread to Lyra, growing her already large smile. The two fillies trotted up to the door. Lyra opened the door first, and motioned for Bon-Bon to enter. A charming little bell jingled as the door opened and they walked into the store.

Despite having been to this particular establishment many times, it never ceased to amaze Bon-Bon just how many different candies there were. Surrounding them were shelves and aisles loaded with buckets and jars and boxes each filled with a different candy. Near the front of the shop was a rack of lollipops. There were large circle shaped lollipops that spiraled with many different colors and there were long thin ones that looked like they were covered in crystals. In the back of the shop, lined against the wall, was a row of jars each containing a different type of toffee and next to them was the largest assortment of chocolate that could be found in all of Ponyville. Pastries and cakes filled the shelves underneath and behind the register. Nearly overwhelmed with choice the two fillies began browsing the candy selection, taking in all the delicious scents of each candy

"Oh, hello there dear," came a voice. Lyra spun around, recognizing the kind voice of Mrs. Cake. Bon-Bon was still browsing when Mrs. Cake noticed her and said, "Oh my and who's this? I've seen you before but, I don’t believe you’ve ever told me your name."

"This is my friend, Bon-Bon," said Lyra, speaking up for the shy filly. "She was getting bullied at school by a bunch of jerks so I rescued her." A proud smile filled the tiny unicorn’s face while her friend merely blushed and looked away. “I brought her here,” she continued, “I thought it might cheer her up.”

"Oh, you poor dear,” said Mrs. Cake, frowning slightly. A smile quickly replaced that frown as she thought up an idea. “I’ll tell you what,” she began, “I'll let you have any kind of candy you want for free." Mrs. Cake said to Bon-Bon, smiling kindly. Waving a hoof across the entire store she said, "Pick anything."

After a small amount of deliberation pink and blue maned filly pointed at a small box of candies determinedly. "Can I have some of those?" she said, her hoof resolutely aimed at a box of bonbons. Smiling, Mrs. Cake scooped a hoof full of the candy into a bag and handed it over to Bon-Bon. The filly smiled widely and said, “Thank you very much Mrs. Cake.”

"What about you dear? What would you like?" said the older mare, turning her attention to the minty green filly.

"I don't want anything, thank you. I only came here for Bon-Bon." Lyra responded, politely refusing the generous offer.

"Nonsense dear, you’ve got to have something," she said. “Oh! I know,” Mrs. Cake continued, “I just baked a fresh batch of cupcakes. Why don’t you take one of them?” she said.

"Really, I'm fine,” Lyra again refused.

"I insist,” Mrs. Cake said pushing a cupcake into her hooves.

“No thanks”

“Just take the cupcake”

“I’m not hungry”

“Really now, I want you to have it”

“I appreciate that but I’m fine”

“Maybe some other time”

“Take it!”

“No thank you”

“I said take it!”

“… okay”

Acknowledging defeat Lyra accepted the cupcake and thanked Mrs. Cake for her generosity. "Come back again soon!" called Mrs. Cake as the two fillies left the store. The bell jingled again as they left.

They walked around town for awhile, munching on their snacks. Lyra had finished her cupcake, an exceptionally delectable one that she was glad she had taken, relatively quickly. Bon-Bon, however, was still slowly eating her way through her candy and was sharing some with Lyra.

"You really like bonbons don't you?" questioned Lyra as she stuffed another bonbon into her mouth.

"They're my favorite. My mom always makes them for me. She loves them too. I guess that's why she named me Bon-Bon." She giggled happily, sticking her hoof into the bag and retrieved another delicious treat. She licked her lips then popped the candy into her mouth, chewing somewhat loudly

"Looks like I was right,” Lyra chuckled, “candy always makes me happy.” Lyra was glad to see her friend was smiling now, she didn’t know why but she hated seeing Bon-Bon cry. She felt like she would do anything to make sure that smile stayed on this filly’s face. “I'm glad that those jerks didn't get to you too bad. I'd hate to have had to teach 'em a lesson,” she said while taking one hoof and making in a punching motion. “Do they always pick on you like that?" Bon-Bon nodded silently, her smile fading. "Well don't you worry about them. If they ever bother you again you let me know,” she winked, “I'll show 'em a thing or two" she said standing on her back hooves and putting her front hooves in a mock boxing pose.

Bon-Bon smiled again, "Thanks, again. I'm so glad that I met you."

"It was nothing,” responded Lyra, “just another day in the life of Ponyville's number one hero." She said standing on her back hooves and puffing out her chest. Bon-Bon laughed at Lyra's mock pride. She was glad to see that her friend was enjoying herself. "So what do you like to do? I mean besides eat candy of course,” she asked jokingly.

Bon-Bon giggled a little bit, "I like to make candy too. I always help my mom whenever she's making sweets."

"Hey! Who knows, maybe that's your special talent! Well, that or eating candy," Lyra chuckled. Bon-Bon blushed a bit, she had eaten what was probably more than any little filly should.

"Well what about you, what do you like to do?" questioned Bon-Bon.

"I'll show you." Lyra grabbed Bon-Bon by the hoof suddenly and took off running, clearly excited about something.

For the second time, Bon-Bon found herself being led through the streets of Ponyville by Lyra. The unicorn filly led her all around the town. Bon-Bon was fairly certain Lyra had no idea where she was going. She led her past the mayor's office, around the library, through the stalls in the middle of the town, basically everywhere. Eventually they came to a stop at shop that Bon-Bon didn’t recognize. The sign hanging above the door read “Major Minor’s Majestic Music Shop” and underneath that in a smaller font it said “get it?”

Bon-Bon looked at the storefront, puzzled. “I don’t get it," she said.

"I think it’s some kind of reference,” replied Lyra. “I never really questioned it.”

"Oh…" Bon-Bon replied, confusion still clouding her face. "Anyways, why are we here?"

Lyra nudged Bon-Bon towards the door with her head, "C'mon, I'll show you why we're here."

They entered the shop with Lyra leading the way. Bon-Bon's head spun as they walked through the store. She had never seen so many instruments before. There were guitars and cellos and violins, pianos, drums, clarinets, and even xylophones and plenty of instruments she didn’t even recognize. Bon-Bon's mouth opened slightly in awe, she couldn't believe how many different instruments there were. It was like the candy shop all over again, but this time the candy was something else entirely. Each instrument appeared to have been hand carved, most likely by the owner of the shop.

"Hey! What're you doing? C'mon!" shouted Lyra. Bon-Bon snapped back into reality looking around for where her friend had gone. At the end of the aisle Lyra was waving a hoof at Bon-Bon, motioning for her to come over. Trotting over to her, Bon-Bon noticed that they had entered the string instrument section. She could see harps, guitars, violins and a number of other string instruments lining the aisle. Lyra held what looked like a small harp in her small mint colored hooves.

"What is that?" asked Bon-Bon.

"It's called a lyre" Lyra answered, running a hoof over the lyre’s exterior. "I came here with my mom once and she showed it to me."

"Can you play it?" Bon-Bon asked, pointing at the lyre.

Lyra shook her head, "Not really. I mean, my mom showed me how, but I'm not very good.”

Bon-Bon shook her head from side to side, "That doesn't matter,” she said. “Go on, I want to hear you play it." Lyra’s cheeks reddened a little and made half-hearted attempts to refuse Bon-Bon. But, the cream colored filly wouldn’t give up, she insisted, “Please,” she asked with the most adorable smile she could muster. “For me?”

Lyra waved a hoof at Bon-Bon, "Alright, alright but don’t expect too much. I told you I’m not very good.” Bon-Bon smiled and clapped her hooves together. Lyra couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

She hefted the lyre and began to pluck the strings, slowly at first then a bit faster as she grew more confident. It started off a bit choppy but, it became smoother as Lyra found her stride. She strummed the instrument lightly but with a hard determination, like this was the only thing in the world that mattered right now. Lyra had said she hardly knew how to play but, it seemed to Bon-Bon as if she had a natural talent for playing the instrument. Bon-Bon listened quietly as Lyra played. It wasn’t enough to get the little unicorn onto a symphony orchestra, but to Bon-Bon it was the most beautiful music she had ever heard. After a short time, Lyra stopped and put the lyre back down.

"That was amazing," Bon-Bon said quietly, her voice trailing off. Lyra flushed red and looked away.

"I'm really not very good,” she said, scratching the back of her head. “I'm still just a beginner. There are ponies out there that are way better than me," Lyra said. She was still trying to hide her quickly reddening face and keep herself from smiling too widely at the other filly’s compliment.

"We should have come here first," said Bon-Bon suddenly.

Lyra raised an eyebrow, confused. "Why?"

"That cheered me up more than any candy ever could." Bon-Bon smiled at her, "I'm glad that you rescued me. You may not be Ponyville’s number one hero, but you are mine," she said, only half-joking. A small blush crept through her cheeks as she looked back at Lyra and asked, "Can you please play some more for me? I would love to hear more and it would really make me happy." Both Lyra and Bon-Bon blushed hard and could scarcely look each other in the eye.

Lyra nodded, still blushing and avoiding Bon-Bon’s gaze. "I guess I could. Alright this song is dedicated to you,” she said, “I'll call it...uhhh.”

"How about you call it, Bon-Bon's Hero," Bon-Bon said, a small smile on her face.

Lyra laughed out loud, “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard!”

Bon-Bon looked dejectedly at the ground, “I thought it was good,” she said so quietly that Lyra didn’t hear her speak. However Lyra quickly changed her mind once she saw Bon-Bon’s face.

“I mean… uhh… That’s the greatest name I’ve ever heard!” she said, smiling at Bon-Bon hoping she hadn’t upset her too much. Bon-Bon looked back up at Lyra, her eyes watering.

“Really?”

“Definitely, that’s like the best name of all time and totally not cheesy in the least,” Lyra said reassuringly.

Bon-Bon smiled, “Good!”

Lyra let out a sigh, “this filly”, she thought. She lifted the lyre back up and began playing again with renewed vigor.

This time something was different, the music sounded even more beautiful than before to Bon-Bon. It seemed to her like Lyra was being controlled by the lyre, as if it was telling her what to play and moving her hooves for her. Without questioning it Lyra strummed the lyre. The music was pure emotion. It was Lyra's thoughts and feelings translated into music. It was remarkable for a beginner to play so well. Playing for somepony else, for Bon-Bon, brought out the best in her. She played as if she had been doing this for years, with all the skill of a professional.

To Bon-Bon it was the most beautiful song she has ever heard, far more beautiful than the one Lyra had played earlier. She couldn't believe how incredible her newfound friend was. She found herself feeling incredibly fortunate to have met this amazing little minty green unicorn. She felt her smile growing as she stood and listened to musical emotion coming from the lyre. As Lyra finished Bon-Bon clapped her hooves together in applause.

“That was…,” she said, “the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Lyra blushed again. This filly had a way of making that happen a lot. “I did it for you,” she said.

Suddenly there was a quick flash of light and both Bon-Bon and Lyra were left blinking away the brightness. Bon-Bon noticed first and pointed at Lyra's rear, "Look, your cutie mark! You got it!"

Stunned Lyra looked in disbelief at her newly acquired cutie mark. "Huh? But... what?"

"Congratulations Lyra. I'm so happy for you," said Bon-Bon.

Lyra stood, still stunned by her new acquisition. "But how come I got it just now? I mean this isn’t the first time I've played the lyre."

"Maybe there was something special about today" Bon-Bon suggested.

"Maybe it was because of the song I played,” Lyra wondered aloud. “It felt different when I was playing. I just thought about you and all of a sudden I was just playing, I wasn't even thinking. I don’t know what happened," she said.

Bon-Bon looked surprised, “Are you saying that you think you got your cutie mark because of me?"

"I dunno. I guess so," Lyra shrugged. "This is so great! I finally got my cutie mark!" she exclaimed, bouncing around excitedly.

Bon-Bon's face grew gloomy, "Yeah, great,” she said quietly.

Concerned, Lyra went to Bon-Bon’s side and lifted her face up. "What's the matter? Why do you look so sad?"

Bon-Bon put on a fake smile, "I'm fine, it’s nothing," she said shaking her head.

"That's not true," said Lyra, “Tell me, what’s the matter?”

"It's just that now that you have your cutie mark I was kinda thinking that wouldn’t want to be friends anymore. I mean I'm still a blank flank remember?" Bon-Bon's face couldn't hide her sadness. She turned away from Lyra and started to leave. "I guess I better get going,” she began to say quietly, “you probably won’t want to talk to me anymo-"

"What!? Are you crazy? You think I don't want to be friends with you because you don't have a cutie mark?" Lyra stared straight into Bon-Bon's eyes, "Of course I want to be friends with you. I got my cutie mark because of you. I want nothing more than to be friends with you. I stood up for you because you didn’t have your cutie mark remember?"

Tears welling up in her eyes Bon-Bon let them flow out and swooped in to hug Lyra tightly. "Oh Lyra, you’re the best friend I could ever hope for," she said crying into the other filly’s shoulder. Wiping her tears away Bon-Bon pushed away from Lyra so she could look her in the eye and she said, "Thank you for the song." Lyra looked away to hide the red gathering in her cheeks.

"It was nothing, really." Lyra said, still trying to hide her blush.

Bon-Bon shook her head vigorously, "No, it was not nothing." She leaned in for another hug, embracing the mint green filly tightly. "Thank you, so much" Bon-Bon whispered into Lyra’s ear. “Thank you Lyra… for everything… thank you.”

Chapter 2

A teardrop dripped onto the photo, splashing little droplets over the rest of the pictures. Lyra put her hoof to her face and felt warm tears streaming slowly trickling out of her eyes. She couldn’t remember when she had started crying. Perhaps it was simply nostalgia. But, Lyra knew in the back of her mind that wasn’t the case, even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself.

Before she could think any more about it Bon-Bon quietly asked, “What’s the matter?” concern filled her voice.

Lyra wiped the tears away and shook her head. "Nothing, I'm fine see?" she said smiling at Bon-Bon, hoping her face was convincing enough to keep the other mare at bay. "I was just thinking about when we met," she continued, “that’s all.”

Doubtful, Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm fine, really. I promise." Lyra said as she cleared the last of her tears. Averting her eyes from Bon-Bon’s piercing gaze, Lyra looked back at the photo album and tapped her hoof on one of the pictures. "Let's see what else is in here," she suggested, hoping to keep Bon-Bon’s mind distracted.

"If you say so," replied Bon-Bon, still unconvinced but somewhat reassured.

Light green light surrounded Lyra’s horn and the pages of the photo album as she began flipping through them, each page deepening her sadness and bringing back that feeling she knew wasn’t just nostalgia. But, she didn't want to worry Bon-Bon nor giver her cause for concern, so she did her best to hide her feelings under her smiling mask. "Oh look," said Bon-Bon suddenly, spotting something in the photo album. Lyra stopped moving the pages and looked down at the pictures again. "Do you remember the talent show?" Bon-Bon asked. She pointed at a picture of Lyra standing next to a white unicorn filly with a purple mane. Both of them on a stage, a trophy in her hooves and behind them a sign hung saying, "Ponyville Elementary Talent Show".

Bon-Bon leaned over and looked at the picture. "This was only a couple months after we met" she said.

Lyra laughed, forgetting her pain for a moment, "I remember you forcing me to enter,” she joked. “You told me that there was no way I could lose."

Bon-Bon laughed with her, "Was I wrong?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lyra looked back down at the picture, "No way I could lose,” she repeated too quietly for Bon-Bon to hear.

A small mint green unicorn filly sat in the corner of a cramped waiting room, fidgeting around. Her restlessness keeping her from concentrating; tension clung to the air. Most of the other ponies had already gone ahead of her. The order had been chosen long before the actual talent show, it was just bad luck that Lyra was scheduled to go last. Besides herself only a blue unicorn filly wearing a magician's outfit remained in the quiet room that had once been filled with much noise. Lyra held her lyre close, hoping to gain some strength from it just by being near it. Judging by how tightly she held it though it seemed more likely that she was trying to squeeze confidence out of it like some kind of musical tap.

The lyre she held now was the same one that she had played for Bon-Bon many months ago, back when they first met. She had come home that day practically bouncing through the door with excitement. After her mother heard the story of how she received her cutie mark she had immediately taken Lyra back to the music shop to purchase the lyre. She had told Lyra that
“This kind of magic only comes around once in a lifetime, you’d be a fool to not see it.” While Lyra wasn’t entirely sure what her mother had meant by all that she was just glad that whatever her mother had said meant that she was finally getting her very own lyre. What’s more, she was getting the very same lyre she had used to unwittingly receive her cutie mark.

Lyra spent the next couple of months practicing during all of her free time, usually with Bon-Bon right there with her. Whenever, that cream coated filly was with her Lyra felt like she could accomplish anything. She could feel herself improving constantly when she was with her. But, that wasn’t the only reason Lyra spent most of her time with that wonderful little pony. She also had certain feelings for her that she couldn’t really explain, not even to herself. All she knew was that when she was with Bon-Bon everything just felt… right. Like this was the way things were supposed to be. She hadn’t told her friend about these feelings yet, but she had this unexplainable feeling that made her sure Bon-Bon felt the same way, and that thought made Lyra happy.

The roar of the crowd’s applause brought Lyra out of her self-induced trance. She could hear the audience applauding loudly for whatever pony had just performed. Whoever they were, they must have been good.

Then Lyra heard the silver maned unicorn next to her get called on stage. "Ms. Moon… you're up." The unicorn glanced over at Lyra and gave her a nervous smile before tipping her star studded hat forward and donning a practiced smile. She left the room and Lyra was alone.

"Good luck" said Lyra long after the other pony had left the room; it took her that long to say the words. She could barely even manage that much. Her throat was starved for moisture. The desert in her mouth was painful, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. As if on cue, Bon-Bon entered the room. "Bon-Bon? What are you doing here?" asked Lyra incredulously.

"I came to wish you luck of course,” Bon-Bon replied, in a tone that suggested she was surprised Lyra had even asked. “What,” she said, “you thought I would just sit in the crowd? I'm going to be right behind you the whole time." Bon-Bon smiled warmly, she always had the most comforting smile. “And I mean that literally,” Lyra gave her a confused look, “I’ll be just off stage cheering you on. When you’re playing, if you start to get nervous or worried, just remember I'm right there next to you, just like always.” Bon-Bon leant forward to pat Lyra on the head. “But I'm sure you'll be fine,” she said as she ran a hoof through Lyra’s mane. “You play the lyre so beautifully. There’s no way you could lose." Bon-Bon held Lyra close, hoping to ease the nervous unicorn’s anxiety.

Lyra felt herself calming down, being around Bon-Bon had that effect on her. She hugged Bon-Bon back and gave her the most confident smile she could muster. "Thanks,” she said, “I guess you're the one helping me now." Lyra gave a nervous little chuckle. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Okay, I'm ready,” she said, more to herself than Bon-Bon. “Or, I guess I will be ready when they call my name.” She said with another nervous chuckle and an uneasy smile on her face.

Bon-Bon pulled herself closer the unicorn and nuzzled her, speaking into that beautiful white striped mane. "I believe in you, good luck out there". She slid her hooves all the way around Lyra and embraced her warmly. Lyra smiled, her nervousness slowly receding, confidence growing in its place. She hugged Bon-Bon back, glad to have such a loving friend.

From behind them a voice called into the room.

"Ms. Heartstrings! You're on deck," said the voice.

"Looks like I'm up," said Lyra. She inhaled deeply again. Stepping away from Bon-Bon she cracked her neck and shook her shoulders loose. With a determined look on her face, she said, "Let's do this thing" while punching her two fore hooves together.

Bon-Bon laughed, "Go get 'em tiger" she said patting Lyra on the back. Lyra strode out of the room confidently. "Good luck… hero" she whispered as Lyra stepped out of the door.

Lyra stood on the stage looking out over the sea of ponies, the confidence she had just so recently found was quickly dissolving. She gulped hard and walked to the center of the stage where a stool sat. She sat down, her hind legs dangling over the edge of the stool. She felt more comfortable playing like this, despite how awkward it was. She gripped her lyre tightly in her hooves.

"MARES AND GENTLE COLTS!” came a voice booming through the auditorium. “Please, give a warm welcome to our final contestant, Miiiiiiiiiiisssssss Heartstrings!" Lyra sat on the stool shaking slightly, the loud voice had caught her off gaurd. All of the nervousness from before came rushing back into her. Butterflies flapped their way all around her stomach as she sat there. She felt herself growing dizzy. She thought she might pass out. She couldn’t take this.

Then, she remembered what Bon-Bon had said, and she looked to her left. There, just offstage, standing behind the curtains was Bon-Bon. She waved at Lyra and gave her a big smile. Determination surged back into her, her fears washed away in a pink and blue torrent.

With one last deep breath, she hefted her lyre and plucked the first string. Her thoughts turned to her friend, that amazing little filly Bon-Bon, and the music flowed out of her hooves and through the strings of the lyre. It was just as it had been at the music shop, her inner thoughts her being transposed into music from the lyre. The sound of it resounded throughout the theater, the audience seemed to awestruck that such a young filly could be so good.

However, Lyra on occasion would lose focus and glance at the audience. Every time she looked up she saw the audience judging her and she felt her confidence ebbing away bit by bit. Several times she very nearly lost control, missing notes and almost dropping her lyre. But every time she did she would look back at Bon-Bon who maintained her warm smile throughout the entire performance, encouraging Lyra silently. After what felt like hours, Lyra finished playing and lowered her lyre. She dropped down from the stool and gave a quick bow, she felt sick as she bent over. She knew it, she screwed up. She could tell from the audience’s silence. Lyra hung her head in shame and began to walk away.

Applause erupted from the audience, it was deafening. Overcome with emotion, Lyra didn't know what to do. She looked over to Bon-Bon. The earth pony was making bowing motions indicating to Lyra that she should keep bowing. Lyra quickly turned back to the crowd and bowed several more times until eventually the applause died down. Finally, once the last pony had stopped clapping, Lyra stepped offstage.

She suddenly felt something hit her as Bon-Bon tackled her to the ground. The filly was hugging her as hard as her little hooves could manage, squeezing the very breath out of Lyra. "Bon… you… are… crush… ing …me" Lyra said through short gasps. Bon-Bon quickly let go of her death grip and helped Lyra get up. She lurched forward and hugged her again, unable to contain herself, though her hug was decidedly less bone-crushing this time.

"I'm sorry,” she said, “it's just, I'm so happy. That was great!" Bon-Bon could hardly contain herself, and she kept praising Lyra, "You were wonderful! Everypony loved it! There is no way you could possibly lose!"

“I'm not so sure,” Lyra said doubtfully, “I kept messing up all the time and I was so nervous. I'm just glad it’s finally over.”

"But you enjoyed it didn't you?" asked Bon-Bon.

"Yeah I guess. I mean, being in front of the crowd was pretty cool, even if I could barely breathe,” she laughed. Lyra joked about it now, but just minutes ago she really thought she might pass out.

Bon-Bon nodded sagely, "That's the spirit. You just need to build up your confidence. C'mon," she said, patting Lyra on the back. "I think they're about to announce the winner soon". The two of them stepped away from the stage and went back to where all the other contestants were awaiting the judge's decision. All of them were huddled together listening intently to the announcer.

"Now that we have reached the end of the talent show competition it is my absolute pleasure to announce this year’s winner.” He paused to take a breath. “Many competed, and we had some truly great performances, but only one can walk away the winner.” Another pause. “It appears the judges have come to a decision.” All the ponies in the room tensed up. This was it, the winner was about to be announced. “This year's talent show competition winner is..." the announcer paused for dramatic effect. Lyra could feel the anticipation in the air. It was like static crackling around her. She felt sick in her stomach again. The butterflies had returned and it seems they had brought friends.

The announcer continued, "Drumroll please......”

Drums rolled, building the tension more and more until finally the announced shouted,

“…... MISS RARITY! For her fabulous display of fashion know-how. She wowed the judges with not only outfits designed by herself, but also an impressive visual display to accompany them. Everypony give it up for Miss Rarity!"

Applause erupted from the audience, and near Lyra a white unicorn was bouncing up and down. She was squealing with excitement. Eventually an older mare came up to lead her back onstage. She stepped in front of the audience and dipped her head into a graceful bow. A gray unicorn came from offstage holding a large trophy in front of him with his magic. He walked across the stage and presented it to the filly.

Lyra was crestfallen. She had worked so hard to get here and now she just stared off into space, her mouth slightly open. Bon-Bon tried to comfort her. She rubbed Lyra’s back as she hugged her and told her, "Don't worry about it. It was only a dumb talent show anyways. You still did great, and I know everypony loved you. I know I did." But her words fell on deaf ears. Lyra couldn't hear anything besides the roar of the crowd cheering for Rarity. It was soul crushing.

She lost track of time standing there, her eyes staring vacantly off into the distance. After some time, probably at least a good six months or so, she felt something pushing against her.

"-ra... -yra... Lyra!" Lyra snapped out of her trance and looked at the pony shaking her. Bon Bon was standing on her hind legs, her forelegs pushing Lyra's side. “Lyra, they're calling your name. They want you on stage.”

“Wha-?” Lyra mumbled, confused.

Bon Bon took her hooves off Lyra. “They want you to go back out there,” she said, glad that she had finally managed to get Lyra's attention. She pointed a hoof towards the stage, “You're the runner-up. Go out there and take a bow with Rarity.” She pushed Lyra again, forcing her towards the stage. Still confused by the whole situation, Lyra allowed herself to be led out of the waiting room by the earth pony.

Bright lights flooded Lyra's vision as she was pushed back on stage. She squinted her eyes, trying to see past the bright lights to discern what exactly was going on. She saw a white unicorn standing next to a large trophy and next to her was a gray unicorn who was very slightly jerking his head towards the white unicorn while looking at Lyra. Lyra blinked several times, and then realized that the stallion was motioning for her to stand next to the white unicorn. Bon-Bon had said something about taking a bow… or something.

She quickly cantered across the stage and took her place next to Rarity. Glancing over at her competitor, she saw the filly had an enormous smile on her face. She seemed to be so happy about winning. Lyra smiled a little to herself, at least one of them was happy.

Then, the announcer called out again, “Everypony. Put your hooves together for Miss Heartstrings! She may not have won the contest, but she impressed the judges enough to be named the runner-up. Normally we don't do this and as such we unfortunately don't have a prize to give to her. So, instead your applause and admiration will just have to do! Put your hooves together for MISS HEARTSTRINGS!”

The crowd's applause grew, now cheering for both unicorns. Lyra smiled, she could hear her name being called in the audience. She saw next to her that the other unicorn was now bowing. She quickly did the same. After several bows a photographer came in, he told them to stand next to the trophy and smile. The two fillies stood on either side of the large trophy, smiles on their faces. Flash. The camera snapped a picture and the photographer looked satisfied. He thanked them then left to go take more pictures.

By now the applause had died down and the crowd had calmed. Both unicorns took one final bow. Rarity, helped by another unicorn, lifted the trophy and walked off stage. Lyra turned the other direction and began to walk away. Somehow coming in second place had only made her feel worse. It felt like having sand kicked in her face after she had already lost. Like the world was saying to her “Hey Lyra, I know you really wanted to win this whole talent show thing buuuuuuuut, you’re just not good enough. And, to make things worse, how about you come in second place so you can go up on stage and stand next to the real winner while she gets her picture taken.” Lyra was making herself more angry the more she thought about it, she didn’t understand why she was so upset but she felt like this talent show was more than just winning. She wanted to prove to everyone that she was a good, no great, lyre player. She wanted everyone to understand, especially Bon-Bon. She just wanted to be alone.

Her head hung low, Lyra made her way towards the emergency exit at the rear of the auditorium. She stepped outside. It was cold. She shivered, but didn't stop. As the door slowly closed behind her, a hoof reached out to stop it.

The door swung open, a cream colored earth pony stood in the doorway. Lyra, her head to the ground saw the light from the opening grow. She turned to see the culprit. One hoof placed on the door holding it open, Bon-Bon stood with a worried look on her face.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

Lyra just turned her head away, "Go away, I don't want to talk to you,” she growled, slightly meaner than she had meant to sound.

The earth pony closed the gap between herself and the unicorn. The door closed behind her. "You don't want to talk to me?" Lyra shook her head. Bon-Bon stepped closer. She put a hoof around Lyra’s shoulder.

Lyra pushed her away, stepping further from the other pony. "Just leave me alone," she said, a pained expression on her face. "I'm sure there's some other more talented ponies you could go talk to," Lyra said, wiping away tears forming in her eyes.

Bon-Bon moved forward, getting closer to the green unicorn. "I don’t want to talk to more talented ponies,” she said, “I want to talk to you.” Bon-Bon took another step forward. “Are you upset because you didn’t win?” she asked.

Lyra sat on her haunches, her hooves to her face. "I'm such a failure," she sobbed, tears flowing like a running like a stream down her face, soaking her fur.

Despite herself, Bon Bon chuckled a bit at this. "You're getting this worked up over a dumb talent show?” she looked at Lyra questioningly. “I thought you were better than this.” Bon-Bon put a hoof under the green unicorn’s chin, lifting her head so she could look her in the eye. "You are silly filly," she giggled.

"But, but," Lyra began to reply, wiping away more tears. “I wanted to win this for you, to prove to you and to everyone else that I’m a great musician," she said crying softly. “I couldn’t even do that.”

"I already know that you’re great," the pink maned pony retorted. “Haven’t I told you that a million times?” Lyra stopped crying and looked at Bon-Bon. “You think you have to prove yourself to these people?” Bon-Bon shook her head. “The only pony you need to prove anything to is yourself,” she said. “Do you think that you’re great?” she asked.

Lyra nodded quietly.

"Then what is there to be sad about? So what you didn't win, who cares? All that matters is that you enjoy what you do". Bon-Bon laid a comforting hoof on Lyra's head, patting her gently. "For what it's worth, you're still a winner to me". The earth pony smiled, wiping a tear from the unicorn's cheek.

Lyra smiled back. Rubbing the tears from her eyes, she smiled again and said, "Thanks, Bon-Bon. I don't know how I’d live without you."

"Well you certainly wouldn't get very far," the earth pony replied, laughing. Lyra joined her and the two shared a long laugh. Bon-Bon hugged Lyra again, pulling her close. Suddenly, Lyra found herself very much wanting to stay in that position, despite the sub-arctic temperatures. After not nearly enough time Bon-Bon broke the embrace and offered a hoof to her companion.

"Well come on," she said, pulling Lyra up. "We'd better get back inside. This cold is really getting to me." The two turned back to the door, smiles on their faces. The door swung open and the warmth from the building rushed out to greet them. The two ponies stepped back inside, leaving both the cold and the bitterness behind them.

Chapter 3

Lyra smiled, looking at the picture wistfully. She wished she could turn back the hands of time and go to a place where her only concern was whether or not she would win the talent show. Everything had been so simple back then. Life wasn’t so simple anymore, things… well, things had changed.

"No way I could lose,” she whispered again, barely loud enough to hear.

Lyra chuckled a bit, "I guess I was a bit overly dramatic about the whole talent show thing, huh?" she said.

Bon-Bon giggled, "Yes, well dramatic would be one word to describe it. But,” she said, her voice becoming more serious, “what I said then still stands today Lyra.” Lyra closed her eyes, knowing the words she was about to hear. “It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, only that you enjoy yourself. Follow your heart and you can't go wrong.” Lyra smiled slightly. She practically knew those words by heart having heard Bon-Bon say them so many times. Just the memories those words brought up were almost enough to bring Lyra to tears. But, she didn’t want to worry Bon-Bon, not again. So, biting her lip, Lyra fought off her tears and faked a laugh.

"Oh Celestia," she said, “I’ve heard that cheesy line so many times.” Lyra laughed again, trying her best to keep any trace of her true feelings from escaping.

Bon-Bon made a pouting face. “Cheesy it may be, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true,” she said, wagging a hoof at Lyra.

“Okay, okay, if we're done with all this namby pamby feel good talk let's get back to it," said Lyra, tapping a hoof on the photo album.

The pink and blue maned earth pony sighed, shook her head, and said, "Fine, fine." They both turned their attention back to the album as Lyra flipped to the next page, lingering for a fraction of a second to look at the picture one last time.

Page after page passed in front of them, each one a cherished memory. Lyra quietly reminisced at each new photo. It was like stepping back in time seeing all these young ponies she used to know. Some pictures made her smile and some made her laugh, but all of them made the pit in her stomach continue to grow. It was almost painful to see how things used to be, because she knew nothing would ever be the same.

The green magic that was turning the pages stopped suddenly as Lyra noticed one of her favorite photos. She tapped the picture softly, pointing at a pair of young looking mares. A cream colored earth pony sat next to a minty unicorn. The two looked embarrassed at the prospect of having this moment in time immortalized.

The unicorn had her foreleg scratching the back of her head, as she blushed deeply. Meanwhile the earth pony was attempting to, unsuccessfully, hide her own crimson face. Neither pony was even looking at the camera.

"Oh Celestia, I remember this," giggled Lyra, "This was the picture you and I took on our first date.” She tapped her chin, as if trying to remember something. “Now,” she said, “If I recall correctly this was taken in that photo booth way out near the movie theater.”

Bon Bon laughed, "Yep, that’s the one,” she said. “And,” she began, “if I recall correctly, you were so embarrassed you couldn’t even take a proper picture.”

"You’re looking pretty flushed there yourself," said Lyra eyeing the photo. “We both look like we have no idea what we're even doing,” she chuckled.

The earth pony quietly laid her head on the unicorn's shoulder. "It feels like it's been forever since then," she said.

"So much has changed," the other replied, "it all seems so far away now. Like it's part of a dream or something. Almost like it never happened," she said.

"But it did happen," Bon Bon replied, raising her head to look Lyra in the eye. "Even if things are… well, different now. It's important to always remember the time we spent together. Never forget that."

Despite the tears now forming in her eyes, Lyra chuckled. Bon-Bon was always so serious, she loved that about her. "How could I ever forget you?" She smiled, "You were the best thing that ever happened to me." Wiping away her tears, the green unicorn looked dolefully at the picture.

Her heart was beating out of her chest. She couldn't believe how nervous she was. Lyra stood just outside Bon-Bon's house, bathed in the light from the street lamp hanging just above her. It was getting to be rather dark outside, and the sun had nearly set over the mountains. She had come in the hopes of convincing Bon-Bon to go on a date with her. Flowers, held aloft by her magic, floated just in front of her. She had picked a handful of deep blue hyacinths and paired them with another handful of lush pink stargazer lilies. She had originally chosen them to match Bon-Bon's mane. But, now Lyra wondered if she wouldn't have been better off picking something more traditional, like roses. Suddenly she felt like she was making a huge mistake. She needed to go get roses right now. What would Bon-Bon think of her if she showed up without roses? All she had were these stupid hyacinths and a couple of lilies? Bon-Bon would be so disappointed. Lyra smacked herself on the back of the head. How could she have been so stupid?

Bon-Bon wouldn’t do that, she assured herself. She’ll be happy that I brought her something, no matter what it is. No, these flowers would be fine, they would have to be.

But what if they're not? She suddenly grew worried and began to pace back and forth. Having thought it over thoroughly, Lyra realized that Bon-Bon would indeed be disappointed by the lack of roses and would most likely never want to see her again. She was definitely going to need roses. Lyra turned away from the house and began making her way towards the shopping district, hoping she could find a flower shop that was still open this late.

“Lyra! Where you going?”

Lyra spun around. Looking out the window on the second floor was a beautiful earth pony. She looked stunning, her mane struck Lyra with its elegance. The way the fading light played with her face, and made her eyes shine nearly brought a tear to her eye. A slight breeze made her mane sway softly. As she leaned out the window, it was all Lyra could do to keep her jaw from dropping. Suddenly, Lyra remembered why she was here, standing in front of this wonderful pony’s house. She mustered up all the courage she could and looked right into Bon-Bon's eyes.

“Uh…” All of the confidence she had just gathered suddenly left her. Her throat felt dry and her tongue swelled up in her mouth. She began looking around nervously trying to find something, anything, to say. She opened her mouth to try again, “I… uh…” Words escaped her. Why was this so hard? She talked to Bon-Bon all the time, and now this? They had been friends for years, ever since they were just fillies. Why couldn't she say anything? She couldn't even think straight, her thoughts were scrambled.

“Are those for me?” Bon-Bon asked, breaking the silence. Confused, Lyra looked around wondering what she was talking about. She then realized that she had unconsciously moved the flowers behind her back when she heard Bon-Bon's voice. The earth pony was pointing at the flowers questioningly. Still unable to speak through her parched mouth, Lyra merely nodded sheepishly in answer. “Aw, they look so pretty. Thank you.” She smiled softly at Lyra. The kindness on her face could have calmed anyone. “Hold on a second,” she said, “I'll be right down.” Her mane swished through the air as she twirled away from the window.

Lyra blinked several times, trying to figure out what exactly had just transpired. She slapped both of her fore-hooves on her cheeks in an effort to snap herself out of her stupor. She swallowed trying to return some moisture to her stale throat. Lyra’s mind raced as she gathered her thoughts. Okay, Bon-Bon is coming downstairs right now. This is my best chance, I need to take it easy and calmly ask if she wants to go on a date with me. She drew in a deep breath. “Bon-B-”

The front door swung open revealing a beautiful earth pony with three candies tattooed on either side of her flank and a mane whose color was split down the middle. Lyra was completely caught off guard. She hadn't even finished her self-pep talk.

Before she even knew what was going on she had already opened her mouth to speak, “Willyougoonadatewithme?” she spewed. The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself and what had come out was an incomprehensible mess of syllables and a sorry excuse for a proposition. The green unicorn's face changed to a deep red as she blushed, embarrassed at how incapable she was of simple speech. Lyra shied away, trying to hide her embarrassment. Bon-Bon held a hoof up to her mouth as she giggled, stopping on the top set of stairs that led down from her front door.

“Of course I'll go on a date with you,” she said. Bon-Bon, still giggling, trotted over to Lyra and put her snout in the flowers the mint green mare had brought. Bon-Bon breathed in the scent of the flowers, taking in every ounce of the smell she could. With her right hoof she grabbed the flowers and with her left she patted Lyra on the head. “You silly filly.” She smiled at Lyra. “Thank you for these flowers, they're lovely.” Lyra looked up at Bon-Bon and smiled back at her, giggling slightly. “You know, you didn't have to bring me these,” she said. “I would've said yes no matter what you did or didn’t bring me.”

“I thought you would be mad that I didn't bring you roses, or whatever else you're supposed to bring,” said Lyra as she kicked at the dirt.

Bon-Bon laughed heartily, “You thought I would be mad you didn't bring roses? You really are a silly filly,” she said, still laughing. “I don't care what kind of flowers you bring, just the fact that you brought me anything makes me happy.”

Lyra blushed again, mentally scolding herself. She knew all along that Bon-Bon wouldn't be upset about the lack of roses. Why had she even been worried in the first place? But there was one thing she wondered about, “How did you know what I asked you? I didn't even know what I asked you.”

“Before you even said anything I knew why you came to my house,” Bon-Bon replied matter-of-factly. “As soon as I saw you standing outside holding those flowers I knew why you were here. It wasn't really that hard to figure out,” she said smirking.

“I guess not,” Lyra acknowledged. She scratched the back of her head, embarrassed.

“So, where are we going for our date then?” the earth pony said inquisitively.

“Well…,” the unicorn started, “I hadn't really got that far yet.” She admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Come on,” Bon-Bon said as she led Lyra back towards the house, “let's take these flowers inside first then we can figure out where to go.”

The two ponies walked back up the steps towards the front door. Bon-Bon led the way, flowers still held tightly in her hooves. Lyra couldn't help but smile to herself as she followed Bon-Bon. She had done it! It wasn't exactly graceful, or eloquent, but she had accomplished her mission. Lyra – 1, World – 0.

There was a clicking sound as Bon-Bon opened the door. Warm air spilled out, greeting the pair of ponies. Its warmth surrounded Lyra, filling her with a sense of calmness. She suspected that it wasn't just the heat from inside the house that made her feel this way, but perhaps from something, or someone, else as well. Bon-Bon had always made Lyra feel welcome whenever she visited her house. It was a strange thing, feeling like you belonged. She enjoyed it. Over the years of their friendship, Lyra had visited Bon Bon's house many times. She would find any excuse she could just to come see Bon-Bon, and to get away from her own house.

Lyra had never let Bon-Bon come to her house. Her friend had tried many times, but Lyra would always make up some excuse as to why she couldn't come over. Her house was being fumigated, it had rats, a swarm of parasprites had taken up residence, a family member turned criminal was using their house as a hideout, the Equestrian army was using it as a makeshift headquarters. Admittedly some of her excuses were more believable than others. Bon-Bon always seemed hurt that she never gave a real reason for her refusals. But it was for her own good. Lyra only wanted to keep Bon-Bon from having to meet her family and see the house they lived in. The earth pony may not be happy about it, but it was best this way.

“I think there’s a vase somewhere in the kitchen,” said Bon-Bon. Lost in her own thoughts, Lyra didn't respond. “Hey,” Bon-Bon turned around to look at Lyra, “are you okay?”

“Sorry?” Lyra, suddenly aware that she was being spoken to, snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh,” she said, “I just got a little distracted is all.” Lyra gave a short laugh to assuage her friend's worries. “Anyways, you said something about a kitchen in a vase right?”

“Yeah,” Bon-Bon replied, “only, the other way around.” She chuckled, turning back around and walking towards the kitchen.

Lyra followed behind her. She had been in this house many times but she always found herself examining the pictures in the hallway. She only got quick glimpses at each one as they walked past, but she had seen them enough times to know what they were. The one they just passed was a picture of Bon-Bon's family, with a little filly Bon-Bon being held by her grandparents. The green unicorn smiled to herself at the thought of the Bon-Bon she knew now sitting in her grandparent's lap. Another picture passed, it was her parents' marriage. Lyra had always thought Bon Bon's mother looked beautiful in her wedding dress, she hoped to someday have a wedding dress that was just as beautiful. Her father on the other hand looked like a stern stallion. His face was hard, unsmiling. Lyra didn't dislike the stallion, but neither did she actively like him. It wasn't for any specific reason. She just felt a general uneasiness around him. It was probably just because he wasn't exactly the most talkative pony, and he always seemed to have an air of hostility about him. Lyra couldn't help but feel that some of that hostility was directed at her specifically. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and continued on.

They were passing Lyra's favorite picture now. She paused for a brief moment to look at it, a smile working its way across her face. In the picture stood a young Bon-Bon, she was holding a tray of sweets which she had baked, with the help of her mother. On her flank were three wrapped candies, symbolizing her unique talent for candy making. The picture was taken the day after her cutie mark had appeared. But, what the picture didn't show was how Bon-Bon had actually received her cutie mark.

The week that Bon-Bon’s cutie mark appeared had seen one of Ponyville's worst storms on record. The weather ponies had pulled out all the stops for their “perfect storm.” They had delayed having small storms for weeks to allow the farmers more time to harvest crops. But, eventually they had to have a massive storm to make up for all the missed ones. It was during this time that Lyra and Bon-Bon had been enjoying a day off of school. They spent the whole day playing in the park, and walking around town. By around dusk the two decided that it was getting late and that they should both probably be on their way. They waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, the weather team had begun to set in motion a storm that would put all their previous creations to shame and be remembered for years as “That storm”. Lyra's house was situated on the outskirts of town, so it had taken her nearly half an hour to walk home. By the time she had reached her front door the wind had picked up and was creeping in. Luckily the rain had yet to start. Opening the door gingerly she stepped quietly into the living room. The sound of glass shattering filled her ears as she narrowly avoided being hit by a bottle thrown magically at the wall.

“What in the hell do you think you're doing,” came a voice from the couch, “coming in so late? Do you have any idea what time it is?” Her father's words were slurring as he spoke. “Who do you think you are?” his words now getting angrier with each syllable. “You think you can just come and go whenever you please?” He stood up and made his way towards Lyra. She started backing away towards the door. “Do you think your mother would let you do this?” he yelled.

She had heard enough. Lyra opened the door again and ran out, tears streaming down her face. In the short time she had been inside the rain had already begun to pour. It was a heavy rain that pounded loudly on the roof, and the wind too, had also picked up. Lyra didn't know where she was going to go, but anywhere was better than here right now. Her father wasn't always this way, but ever since her mother died he had become drunk and angry more and with more and more frequency. He would always come apologize to Lyra the next day, always begging her forgiveness for his actions. But it didn't change what happened, and it didn't make it any better. So, she always allowed him to apologize but would never respond, choosing to stay locked in her room, ignoring his pleading. But, for whatever reason, she didn't feel like dealing with him this time. She just wanted to leave, she had to leave.

The small mint green unicorn wandered aimlessly in the pounding rain, her head down-turned as she stared at the ground. Eventually she had found her way back to Bon-Bon's house. She didn't know exactly how she had gotten here. Her hooves must have carried her here all on their own. She stood outside under the street lamp, looking into the windows of the house. It looked nice inside, warm, cozy, inviting. But, she couldn’t just barge in like that. She didn't want to cause Bon-Bon's family any trouble.

Lyra sneezed suddenly. The rain must have been getting to her. She felt tired. She had no idea for how long she had been walking, but she suddenly felt very exhausted. She didn't want to bother Bon-Bon, but it couldn't hurt to just sleep on the porch. At least then she could have some cover from the rain. Lyra dragged herself over to the stairs and lay down on the porch, her head resting on her fore-hooves. Her fatigue got the better of her as she fell asleep quickly despite the harsh rain and the chills racking her body. Lyra spent the night in a fitful sleep, coughing constantly.

The next morning she awoke in a white room. Blinking away the grogginess of sleep, she looked around the room she was now occupying. It was stark white, and the bed she was in was the same stark white and it had white sheets and a white pillow. A window revealed that it was still raining outside. The gray clouds hung over Ponyville, preventing Celestia's sun from shining down.

Looking around once more, Lyra now noticed that she was actually sharing the room with another pony. In the bed next to her sat a young filly about Lyra's age. She was asleep, but Lyra could see a tube sticking out of one of her legs. Tracing the tube she followed it to a bag that was hanging from a metal stand. “A hospital,” she thought. That must be where she was. But? How had she gotten here, and why was she here? Suddenly she began coughing uncontrollably, stopping a few seconds later. I guess that answers that question.

There was a clicking sound as the door across from her bed opened. A light brown stallion with a dark brown mane walked in. He was wearing a white lab coat and he had a stethoscope slung across his shoulders. He must be the doctor that was taking care of her. He was carrying a clipboard in one hoof, and a pen in his mouth. Noticing that Lyra was awake and watching him, he approached her.

“Good afternoon miss Heartstrings. How are we feeling today?”

His voice was gruff, but not unkind. He had a sort of gentleness about him that put the sick filly at ease. She opened her mouth to respond, but as soon as she did another coughing fit washed over her. The doctor nodded knowingly, writing something on the clipboard.

“I guess that answers that question,” he chuckled.

Again Lyra opened her mouth to speak, “What happened? Why am I-,” she started coughing again. Once her fit was over, the doctor answered her.

“To answer your first question,” he began, “I'm not sure what happened, I was hoping you could tell me.” Lyra shook her head. “As for the second question,” he said turning the clipboard around to show her, “you're here because you have pneumonia.”

Confused, Lyra wondered how she had ended up in this hospital bed. The last thing she remembered was leaving her house and wandering to Bon-Bon's house in the rain. “I don't know how I got here,” she told him. “The last thing I remember was standing outside of Bon-Bon's house.”

“Bon-Bon? Oh, that must be your friend who brought you here with her mother and father,” he said. Lyra's ears perked up at this, and she sat up straight in the bed.

“Bon-Bon is here?” she asked, hope filling her voice.

“I'm afraid not,” he sighed, “they were here yesterday when they brought you in but after staying here all night I made them leave. Technically since they’re not family I’m not supposed allow them to stay here without your parents’ permission. But, I told them that you would need more time to rest and that they could come back tomorrow.”

Lyra slumped back into her bed.

“I'm sorry, but don't worry, you'll get to see them tomorrow,” he said with a smile on his face. It wasn't much, but that smile seemed to tell Lyra that everything was going to be okay. “For now,” started the doctor, “let's just get you some medicine and then you can go back to sleep. You need to get as much rest as you can.”

At this the doctor left the room. A few minutes later a nurse entered with a tray of food and a needle filled with medicine. Lyra recoiled at the sight of the needle, but the nurse didn't stick her with it. Instead she injected it into a tube. Puzzled Lyra now noticed that she also had a tube in her arm, and it too was attached to a bag. She wondered how she had not noticed it before. As soon as the medicine entered her veins, she began to feel tired. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep. But, the nurse told her that she needed to eat her food first. The nurse told her that she couldn't sleep on an empty stomach. Reluctantly, she ate the food, barely able to force it down as her drowsiness took hold of her. As soon as she had finished the last bite she fell back into her pillow and closed her eyes. Sleep took her, the warmth of the bed cradling her.

The next morning she awoke to the sound of someone entering the room.

“Lyra!” shouted a familiar voice.

Suddenly she felt a weight on top of her, as she was smothered by a small cream colored something. Bon-Bon hugged Lyra with all the strength in her tiny hooves. Hugging her back, Lyra smiled. She felt the warmth emanating from the earth pony's body. She was overjoyed at the sight of her friend, she felt better already. Once Bon-Bon had finally let Lyra go she could see that her parents had also come. Her mother's coat was a creamy color just like Bon Bon's and her mane was a beautiful pink color. Her father's fur on the other hoof was a light gray and he had a blue mane. His face held the same stern look it usually had, but with a touch of worry edging its way into his eyes.

“What happened to me?” Lyra looked at Bon-Bon, and then at her parents.

Bon-Bon spoke up first, “I found you on our porch, you were shaking and really wet.”

Then her parents chimed in, her mother first. “She yelled into the house and told us that you were outside,” she began.

“Once we saw you we knew that you needed to be taken to the hospital,” her father finished. He then continued to explain how they had taken Lyra to the hospital, and that the doctor had told them that she had pneumonia. Then, Bon-Bon spoke again.

“Then we waited all day for you to wake up, but you didn't. The next day he told us that we should go home because you needed to sleep, and that we could come back tomorrow. So, here we are!” Lyra listened to them tell the story, wondering why they did all this for her.

“Why did you do all this?” she asked out loud.

“Why?” asked her mother. “Because we couldn't just leave you sitting there freezing to death that’s why,” she said. “What I want to know is why you were there in the first place, and why you weren't at your own home.”

Lyra didn't know how to respond, but she knew that she couldn't tell them the truth. “I just got lost on my way back home, and then the storm started.” she lied. “I didn't know where else to go.”

“Well, why didn't you just knock? You could have told us that you were outside,” said her father.

“I didn't want to bother you,” answered Lyra sheepishly.

“I'm just glad that you're okay now,” remarked her mother.

Without warning Bon-Bon produced a sack of candy from behind her. She handed it to a confused Lyra. She smiled brightly saying, “I baked these for you, my mom helped me. I made them so that you'll feel better”

Opening the bag Lyra saw an assortment of candies. There were several different kinds of cookies, some caramel, even some fudge, and of course a couple of bonbons. She pulled one of the cookies out, a chocolate chip one, and took a bite. It was the most delicious cookie she had ever eaten. Of course that could have just been because she had had nothing to eat but hospital food for the last day and a half. As Lyra ate the cookie a smile spread across her face. “Wow, these are amazing! Thank you.” she said. Bon-Bon smiled and pulled a cookie out of the bag as well. They both ate the sweets and took turns giggling back and forth.

Lyra spent the rest of the day talking with Bon-Bon and enjoying the baked goods she had been given. But, eventually the doctor came back and told Bon-Bon and her parents that visiting times were over, and that Lyra needed her sleep. So with another dose of medicine making its way through her veins, Lyra drifted off to sleep.

The next few days went much the same as the first. Bon-Bon would visit as often as she could, usually bringing more sweets with her when she came. A few times Lyra's father would enter after Bon-Bon had left. He said he felt horrible about what had happened and apologized profusely to Lyra. But, she would just lie in bed and pretend to be asleep or just outright ignore him whenever he would come. Lyra slowly recovered and was soon was well enough to be discharged from the hospital. On the day she was to be released Bon-Bon came to visit her one last time.

“Looks like you're getting out today,” Bon-Bon said happily.

“Yep,” responded Lyra, equally happy.

“I've got another bag of candy for you,” Bon-Bon said as she pulled out a colorful bag filled with candy.

“Awesome,” Lyra said, looking greedily at the bag she knew was filled with delicious candy.

“These are special though,” Bon-Bon said, pulling away the bag. “I made these all by myself.” She proudly puffed out her chest and showed the candy to Lyra.

The green unicorn looked surprised, “You made these all by yourself? No help?”

She nodded.

Lyra cautiously took a candy out of the bag, examining it closely. She sniffed it to make sure it wasn't burnt. She nodded. Satisfied that it had passed the initial test, she took a small bite out of one side. It was amazing. Probably the single greatest piece of candy she had ever eaten. Its savory sweetness filled her mouth and played with her taste buds. She couldn't describe the taste at least not with any words she knew. It was simply amazing.

“Sweet Celestia,” cried Lyra through mouthfuls of the delectable candy, “this is the like the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” Tears of joy filled Lyra’s eyes, she was experiencing pure bliss. “I thought the candy you made with your mom was good.”

Bon-Bon smiled proudly. “Oh, and guess what else,” she said as she turned to the side. Lyra looked up, her cheeks bulging with candy. She stared at Bon-Bon, suddenly aware that there was something different about her. Her eyes navigated their way down along her sides and towards her haunches. There, where only creamy fur had been just yesterday, were three wrapped candies tattooed on her flank. Bon-Bon displayed her newly acquired cutie mark with pride. Lyra cried out happily, and reached forward to hug her. “Bon-Bon that’s so awesome! I can’t believe you finally got your cutie mark,” she said, squeezing the little filly with all her strength.

Pulling away from the hug, Bon-Bon stepped back to show off her cutie mark. She spun around allowing Lyra to get a good view of both sides of her flank. She proudly displayed the three wrapped candies that made their home on her previously blank flank. A smile of unadulterated happiness adorned as she spun around.

“It was all because of you,” said Bon-Bon suddenly.

“Me?” asked Lyra, confused.

“I only got this cutie mark when I made this candy special for you,” she said, pointing at Lyra, “by myself. So really, I owe this,” she pointed at her flank, “to you,” she finished, emphasizing the “you” with a jab of her hoof in Lyra's direction.

“I don't know what to say,” said Lyra as she scratched the back of her head, “thanks I guess.” Lyra blushed, unsure of what else to do or say.

Bon-Bon smiled and walked over to the window in the corner of the room. “It's a nice day outside,” she said while opening the window, “I'm glad that you're better now.” Warm light flooded the room and cast a sort of angelic glow upon Bon-Bon and in that moment Lyra knew that no matter what Bon-Bon would always be there for her, and in turn she would always be there for her.

Over the handful of days that Lyra spent in the hospital the storm had finally blown over and the weather ponies had decided to make up for the dreary weather with nice, warm, cloudless skies. Lyra was about to say something, when the door opened and the doctor entered the room. He told Lyra that she was being discharged and that her father was waiting for her at the reception desk. She started to protest but he just shook his head and led her out of the room. As she walked out of the room she looked back at Bon-Bon and waved a quiet farewell. Bon-Bon waved back mouthing, “Goodbye.” Lyra met her father at the reception desk and as he filled out the final paperwork Lyra’s thoughts turned back to Bon-Bon and how she had been there for her every day, always with a bag full of candy and heart full of love. She smiled.

There was a hoof waving in front of her face now, it was a cream colored hoof and it belonged to a certain earth pony who was calling Lyra's name. “Hey,” she said, “are you listening to me? I said I found a vase, so we can go now.” Lyra followed the hoof that was being waved in front of her to the body of the pony that it belonged to. She looked at Bon-Bon. “What were you doing?” she asked.

“What? Oh, I was just looking at this picture,” Lyra answered, motioning towards the picture of Bon-Bon. “I was thinking about that time when I got really sick, and you guys brought me to the hospital,” she said laughing. “And you baked me all those sweets.”

“You mean when I got my cutie mark,” she said twisting her body to reveal her flank.

“Yeah, that time”

“Feels like forever ago doesn't it?”

“Yeah”

The two ponies stared silently at the picture for a few seconds, and then looked at each other.

“Well come on then,” said Lyra, “let's get a move on. We can't stand around here all night, we've got a date.”

Bon-Bon giggled, “Lead on then,” she said motioning towards the door.

Lyra looked over her shoulder at the picture one last time as they left. She turned back to Bon-Bon and grabbed her by the hoof and rushed out the door, laughing as she did. She smiled to herself thinking about how lucky she was to have a friend like Bon-Bon. A fillyfriend like Bon-Bon, she corrected herself. Is that really what they were now? Did this mean they were dating now? Her and Bon-Bon weren't going to be just friends anymore. They were much more now, closer than they ever had been. Although they had always been more than just friends, but it wasn't until Lyra had finally worked up the courage to ask Bon-Bon on a date that their feelings had manifested themselves in a more noticeable way. Things would be different from now on.

The two ponies left the house and started walking towards Ponyville's shopping district. They talked to each other on the walk there, laughing back and forth at what the other had to say. Mostly though, they just enjoyed being in each other's company. They were happy just to be together, no matter where they went. Lyra and Bon-Bon trotted along, hoof in hoof, which as it turns out, is quite awkward for ponies. But they managed to get by, awkwardly.

Lyra suddenly perked up, “Oh! There it is, this is the movie theater that I was telling you about,” she said excitedly. Lyra pointed at a dilapidated old building that looked like it could barely support itself, let alone an entire cinema. The walls were practically caving in on themselves, and the roof had more holes than actual roof tiles.

Bon-Bon looked skeptically at the building, questioning Lyra's choice in movie theaters. “You're not talking about that old building right there,” she said pointing at the wreck, “right?”

“What?” responded Lyra, “No, I'm talking about the building behind that one,” she said. Lyra pointed towards the crumbling building. Bon-Bon followed the line made by her hoof closely. At the end of the line she saw what appeared to be a normal movie theater that just so happened to be situated behind the desiccated remains of another building.

“Oh. Well.” said Bon-Bon slowly, “What are we doing here then?” This time it was her turn to grab Lyra's hoof and pull her along, as she hurried towards the theater.

“So many choices,” said Lyra. The two of them stood outside the movie theater looking at the list of movies, overwhelmed by the large volume of movies. “Luckily, most of these are pretty bad,” Lyra joked, “so we really only need to pick from a few.”

“What about this one?” asked Bon-Bon. She was pointing at a poster for a new horror movie, well, new relatively speaking. It was a remake of an old classic, The Wicker Mare. It was about a police sergeant who investigates the mysterious disappearance of a little filly in a bizarre village that is controlled by a cult. Lyra was terrified of horror movies, but she didn't want to disappoint Bon-Bon, so she reluctantly agreed, hoping that it wouldn’t be as scary as she had imagined.

“Sure, why not?” she responded. Lyra hoped that her voice didn't betray her, as she could barely contain the nervousness she felt as the spoke. However, Bon-Bon seemed not to notice. She had already walked inside to the ticket counter, bits in hoof. Lyra sighed. This was going to be a long night. She took a deep breath and followed the other mare inside.

By the time Lyra had reached her cream colored fillyfriend, she had already purchased the tickets and was holding one in each of her front hooves. The smile on her face told Lyra that she couldn't stop now. Putting on her best fake smile, Lyra cantered over to Bon-Bon who handed her a ticket as she approached. Grabbing the little yellow movie ticket she examined it, The Wicker Mare, was written in small black print, right next to the movie time and theater number.

“So,” she said, eyeing Bon-Bon, “where's out theater?”

Bon-Bon pointed towards a hallway just to the left of the concession stand. The movie theater itself wasn't all that big looking on the outside. But, on the inside it was larger enough to hold 11 screening rooms. There were two main hallways on either side of the concession stand with 5 screens on each side and in the middle one large screen reserved for major premiers. Bon-Bon was pointing down the hallway towards one of the regular screens, a lonely movie theater employee stood at the end sweeping popcorn off the ground.

“But first,” Bon-Bon said, looking back at Lyra, “Popcorn!”

Lyra laughed. Bon-Bon had always had a weakness for popcorn, it was probably half the reason she saw movies in the first place. “I'll buy the popcorn and drinks then,” she told Bon-Bon. “Since you bought the tickets, it's only fair.”

The earth pony nodded her head in agreement. The two of them approached the concession stand and were greeted by a young looking colt. After giving him their order, one large popcorn and one large drink, he took Lyra's bits and handed over their food. After a minor disagreement over the amount of butter they should put in the popcorn, they made their way to the theater. Fortunately for them the movie they were seeing had been out for weeks, so the theater wasn't crowded. In fact, there were only a handful of other ponies in the theater.

They had arrived just in time, the last trailer was finishing as they walked in. “Look out Daring!” shouted a pony. “The roof is collapsing!” Daring Do sprinted through a dark tunnel, dodging pieces of the roof as it slowly caved in. Daring Do and another pony jumped through a window at the end of a hallway, falling into a room lit only by a torch. “Welcome back Miss Do” said a sinister voice. His laughter filled the room as darkness surrounded Daring and her companion, the single torch sputtered out. Then a deep voice spoke to the audience, “Daring Do in, Daring Do and the Search for the Sacred Stone… of the Buakakai” the sound of lightning crackling emphasized the last word ominously.

Lyra was a huge fan of the Daring Do novels and she could barely contain her excitement. She was practically jumping up and down. The unicorn started speaking incoherently, “Did you see that? They were at the place, looking for the thing! And that guy, he was there too!”

Bon-Bon shook her head, chuckling, “Yes, yes, I can tell you're very excited. But we're here to see The Wicker Mare remember? We should probably find a seat. Ponies are staring at us now.”

Horse apples, thought Lyra. She had got so swept up in her excitement that she had forgotten what they had come here to see. She suddenly felt nervous, all of her previous elation gone. Bon-Bon led her unicorn friend to a pair of empty seats near the top row of the theater. By the time they had sat themselves down, and put their popcorn and drinks down, the movie had begun. The theater lights dimmed as the movie screen went black. Lyra's heart started beating faster and faster, she didn't want to be here. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but then she looked at Bon-Bon and remembered why she was here in the first place. It was all for her, so she was willing to pay any price to be here, next to her. The movie started and Lyra gulped, steeling herself for the trials ahead.

About half an hour into the movie Lyra had sunken so deep into her seat it was wonder that she could still see the movie. The minty unicorn was ashamed of herself, the movie hadn’t even done anything scary yet, but she couldn't even watch it. The suspense was killing her. Bon-Bon on the other hoof was thoroughly enjoying herself. She watched the movie with rapt attention. Lyra couldn't help but admire the earth pony's courage. She wished she could be strong like her.

Nearly an hour into the movie Lyra had given up even trying to watch the movie. She was scared stiff, and had curled herself into a ball in her seat. She figured that if she didn't keep her hooves on the ground then she would be safe from being grabbed. By this time, Bon-Bon had noticed that Lyra was acting strangely. She asked Lyra is she was okay, the unicorn dismissed her saying that she just had to go to the little fillies room. Lyra got up and edged her way past a couple sitting at the end of the row. She tried to get out of the theater as quickly as possible without seemingly like she was in a hurry.

Once she finally was outside and alone in the hallway she slumped down against the wall. It's just a dumb movie, why can't I watch it? She mentally berated herself for her cowardice. Lyra pulled her back legs in close and curled up again. She decided that she would wait out here for a while and build her courage back up. Then she would brave the theater again. She heard the door open behind her and she swiveled her head around.

Standing there was Bon-Bon. She had a concerned look on her face and once she saw Lyra sitting on the ground she quickly trotted over to her side. “What's the matter Lyra? You practically sprinted out of the theater.”

With the most pathetic look on her face Lyra looked up at Bon-Bon, tears forming in her eyes. “I'm such a wimp. I'm terrified of this movie. Well, all horror movies for that matter. I can't even watch them without freaking out.” She hung her head in shame. She was sure that Bon-Bon would think that was stupid and probably laugh at her.

“Why didn't you tell me? We could have just seen a different movie,” replied Bon-Bon shaking her head.

Lyra blinked away her tears, “You seemed like you really wanted to see this movie and I didn't want to disappoint you.”

“Truth is, I've already seen it. I saw it last week with my family,” the creamy pony replied. “I thought you might want to see it too, so I didn't tell you that I had already seen it,” she laughed. “You should have just told me you didn't like horror movies you silly filly. I wouldn't think any less of you.”

“Really?” she asked, clearing away her tears.

“Really really,” Bon-Bon replied calmly.

Lyra laughed, “Why do I keep doubting you?”

“It's beyond me,” replied the earth pony.

“So now what do we do now?” asked the unicorn. “I mean, I don't want to watch it, but that doesn't mean you can't,” she said. “I can just wait out here and then you can go finish the movie.”

“Don't be silly,” retorted Bon-Bon, “I'd rather be out here with you, than watching some dumb movie without you.” Bon-Bon giggled, “Well that, and I've already seen it.”

The two ponies shared a laugh then Bon-Bon held out a hoof to help Lyra up. “Let's get out of here,” she said.

They spent the next hour or so wandering around doing much the same thing they had always done, just talking and enjoying being around each other. After some time they came across a couple of old stores. In front of one of them was an old photo booth, the kind that takes a bunch of pictures and then prints them out as one long strip. Lyra noticed it first and pointed it out to Bon-Bon.

“Hey, look over there. It's one of those photo booths,” she said, leading Bon-Bon towards it. “Come on, let's get out picture taken.” Bon-Bon let herself be pulled along by Lyra, giggling as she went.

As they stood outside the photo booth the two ponies looked at each other excitedly. They stepped inside and sat themselves down on the bench, pulling the curtain closed behind them. Lyra became suddenly aware of how close she was to Bon-Bon. She had been next to her to whole night, sat next to her at the movie theater, walked with her hoof in hoof. But, it wasn't until now that she felt nervous about it. She didn't know what it was. Perhaps it was just that the booth was really cramped and so Bon-Bon practically had to sit in Lyra's lap, but whatever it was she felt apprehensive about it.

“So, I think we just put some bits into this little slot here, and then we just press this button and it should take our picture,” said Lyra slowly as she tried to decipher the worn away instructions on the wall of the photo booth. Lyra reached into her… wherever it is that ponies keep their money, and pulled out two bits.

“Wait,” Bon-Bon said suddenly, “I'm not ready yet.” She looked timidly at Lyra. “I've never done this with someone before.” Lyra looked at her, “What are we supposed to do?” asked Bon-Bon.

“Normally you would just press this button,” she said pointing at the button that started the camera, “and then we just make funny faces or something.”

“Okay, let's try that then,” said Bon-Bon.

Lyra slipped the bits into the slot and pressed the button after making sure that she and Bon-Bon we're both ready. The two ponies pulled at their cheeks and made faces at the camera, each of them taking turns making different faces in between each photo. When they had finished the stepped out of the booth and waited for the pictures to print. They were both in stitches laughing at their ridiculous faces. When the photos finally printed they laughed again at each pictures.

In the first one Bon-Bon had stretched out her cheeks and was waving her tongue around, while Lyra had done the opposite and squished her face together making her lips puff out. There was another picture where they had both chosen to puff out their cheeks and stare seriously into the camera. Upon seeing this they both dropped to the ground, laughing hysterically.

Once they had calmed down Bon-Bon wiping away her tears said to Lyra, “That was great! Let's do it again!”

Lyra was still finding it hard to control her laughter, but managed a simple nod of approval and they stepped back into the photo booth. Sitting down again, they both did their best to calm their laughter before taking more photos. Lyra pulled out a couple more bits and put them in the coin slot again. She pressed the button and still smiling looked at Bon-Bon. She smiled back at Lyra and suddenly they both sobered instantly as they stared into each other's eyes.

Lyra bit her lip anxiously, and Bon-Bon blushed. The first picture snapped while they were still staring at each other, both blushing profusely. Lyra leaned in, Bon-Bon followed suit. Lyra was sure that her heart must be visible since it was beating so hard, and she was sure Bon-Bon felt the same. A second flash and they leaned in more, nearly touching their snouts now.

Screw it. Lyra plunged in and kissed Bon-Bon, she reached her hooves around the earth pony and pulled her in. A third flash and another picture. Bon-Bon was now returning the kiss and they stayed glued together for the fourth picture. It wasn't the best kiss the world has ever seen, and it certainly wasn't very good, in fact it was incredibly awkward but they kept at it. Neither of them knew what they should be doing, they took turns awkwardly exploring each other's mouths.

As the fifth picture went off, they both realized where they were and became extremely embarrassed. Bon-Bon pulled away from the kiss and covered her face with her hooves, doing her best to cover her blush. Lyra looked away from the camera and tried to casually scratch her head, pretending like that didn't just happen… it didn't work. The last picture went off, awkwardly. The two ponies sat in a shared silence, neither knew what to do. After what felt like an eternity Lyra got up and stepped out of the booth, Bon-Bon followed her. They looked at the pictures that had printed.

The first showed two ponies staring longingly into each other's eyes. The next one showed them getting closer and closer, still staring deeply at each other. Finally they kissed. Lyra and Bon-Bon blushed as they recalled that event, it seemed like it had happened hours, not seconds, ago, like it wasn't even them. Lyra could still feel the other pony's lips on hers. She could still feel her warmth. She was sure that her cheeks must be on fire on right now, that was the only way to describe the burning she felt. A quick glance at Bon-Bon confirmed that she felt the same, or at least similarly.

Further down the photo strip was another picture of their kiss, their awkward, awkward kiss. It showed a unicorn and an earth pony sharing in the most ungraceful kiss ever seen in Equestria or any other land. Lyra blushed again, embarrassed at her own inexperience. She took comfort in the knowledge that Bon-Bon was no better. She didn't have to have a lot of experience to know that her companion was no expert either. But none of that mattered. It may not have been the best kiss, but it made her happier than anything in the whole world. She beamed thinking back on it, ecstatic that she had finally received her first kiss, and the best part was she had gotten it from Bon-Bon.

The earth pony looked at her goofy looking partner whose face was contorted in the most excited grin she had ever seen. The look of confusion on her own face was quickly replaced with a smile, then a snort, then laughter. The couple shared in each other's mirth as they laughed away their embarrassment. After calming down Lyra turned to Bon-Bon with a somewhat solemn look on her face.

“I'm sorry the date didn't quite go as planned.” she said. “We left the movie early, we never even ate anywhere, and-”

Bon-Bon put a hoof to Lyra's mouth, silencing her. “This was the best date I've ever been on,” she assured her. “Sure we didn't see the whole movie or have dinner, but none of that really matters,” Bon-Bon said confidently. “I had a lot of fun, the photo booth, the… kiss, everything. I couldn't have asked for more.”

Lyra grinned widely. She really did have the best fillyfriend anyone could ever ask for. “I'm happy that you're happy then,” she said resolutely. “Plus, I got my first kiss out of this, so I can't complain,” Lyra said as she chuckled.

“And your second,” Bon-Bon said leaning in towards the unicorn.

Puzzled, Lyra began to respond, “sec-?”. But before she could even finish the question Bon Bon's lips pressed against hers. And in a sloppy, yet passionate, embrace they kissed for the second time that night. All the feelings from before swelled up in Lyra, she was overwhelmed with emotion. She was lost in the sensation of the earth pony's tongue against her own. This time however, their kiss was leagues better. It still didn't hold a candle to any of the best kisses, but it was much better, and much more enjoyable.

They went back and forth for a while, testing each other. Lyra was the more aggressive of the two, and she was always pushing Bon-Bon farther, stretching her limits. Bon-Bon, being the less dominant one simply enjoyed her partner's actions and let her do as she pleased. Their kiss went on for hours, or at least that's what it felt like to them. However, time at last caught up with them and they decided to break off the kiss, which in reality only lasted a few seconds.

“That was amazing,” Bon-Bon said, slightly winded.

“Is it always going to feel this good?” asked Lyra.

“I hope so,” replied Bon-Bon. “Let’s find out.”

“Yeah,” Lyra agreed, “let's do that again!”

Bon-Bon giggled as she leaned in for another kiss.

Chapter 4

Lyra's laughter filled the room, startling Bon Bon. “What's so funny?” she asked.

“I was just thinking about our first kiss,” Lyra said in response, her eyes watering from the laughter. “We were so bad,” she said, “but it's not like we knew any better.” The green pony gazed at the photo strip. It told a story of its own, with each picture it was fleshed out more and more. The two ponies stared into each other's eyes and grew closer until they became one, locked in a passionate embrace and their first kiss. It was funny thinking back on it. They were both so inexperienced, but so in love. The raw emotion they felt made up for their lack of skill and experience.

Lyra looked at Bon-Bon, remembering the feel of her lips on hers, their warmth, their tenderness, the love she felt emanating from her. Now all of that was just a shadow of a memory, nothing was the same anymore. The kisses they shared now didn't have the ardor they did before. Bon-Bon felt somewhat distant now, like she wasn't really there. Lyra knew that Bon-Bon still loved her, and she still loved Bon-Bon, that wasn't the problem. It was just different now. Lyra didn’t like to linger on such thoughts. She turned her mind and her head back to Bon-Bon.

The other pony was eyeing her suspiciously. Her eyes squinted, she stared Lyra down, trying to decipher the unicorn's thoughts. Spotting this, Lyra quickly drew the earth pony's attention away from herself and back towards the photo album. She indicated the picture they had just been looking at.

“Remember our first date?” she asked.

“The one where you galloped out of the theater because you were too afraid to watch The Wicker Mare?” Bon-Bon joked, “Yes, I remember it.”

Lyra's face flushed red in embarrassment. She could feel the tips of her ears light on fire as she fumbled to come up with a retort. “Well…” she stumbled through the word, “You… Umm…” After failing her witty response roll, Lyra eventually replied “Yeah, that's the one,” resigning herself to Bon Bon's ridicule.

“I remember it,” the earth pony said shaking her head. “I told you at the time that I had already seen the movie,” she said. Lyra looked questioningly at her, “But that was actually a lie,” she said. Before Lyra could open her mouth to respond, Bon-Bon cut her off. “I told you that because I didn't want you to feel bad,” Lyra attempted to say something again, but Bon-Bon put a hoof up, “I don't regret missing the movie,” she said. “I'm glad that we left early. Look at what it led to.” Bon-Bon said motioning at the picture. “However,” she started again suddenly, “this means you still owe me one movie date,” she pointed a hoof at Lyra emphasizing her point with a quick jab to the minty unicorn's chest.

Lyra laughed. Bon-Bon looked at her sternly, “I was being serious,” she said. Lyra waved a dismissive hoof at her, her laughter calming down.

“Don't worry,” she said, “I'll make sure to make it up to you.” Lyra grinned widely, doing her best to assuage Bon-Bon's pouting face. “I promise,” she said. Her smile faltered but for a fraction of a second as realization hit her. “I promise,” she said again, quietly this time.

The earth pony didn't notice any change in Lyra's demeanor and she went on like nothing had happened. “So, anyways, where were we?” she asked, nodding her head towards the photo album. Lyra had forgotten all about the pictures they were looking at for a moment. She looked back down at the page they had left it on. A strip of photos of two love struck fillies looked back at her, she remembered everything. Taking one last longing look at the photo, she lit up her horn and flipped to the next page.

Her horn emanated a faint green glow as the pages of the photo album began to turn of their own accord, with a little help from Lyra’s magic, stopping finally on a page adorned with a picture of one extremely happy unicorn standing in front of one thoroughly destroyed Ponyville. Instantly Lyra's smile grew larger as she recalled the events that led to this picture, and the events that took place afterward. If she hadn't been there herself, Lyra doubted she would even believe that it happened now. Bon-Bon must have had a similar reaction to the picture because her face lit up at the sight of it.

The creamy earth pony's eyes glazed over as she undoubtedly fell into her memories of that day. Lyra chuckled. For once she wasn't the one getting lost on in her own memories. Opting to let her partner take a stroll down memory lane, Lyra waited in silence for her to come back.

It only took about a minute for Bon Bon to work through the memory in reality, but Lyra knew from experience that it probably felt like hours to her. The glazed over look on the earth pony's face was gone and she had a small smile on her face, a sort of smirk. Lyra smirked back, knowing what Bon-Bon had remembered.

“You're back,” said Lyra, resting her chin on her hoof and wearing a smug look on her face. “Interesting day wasn't it?” she said.

Bon-Bon blinked, regaining awareness of her surroundings. She looked at the smug look on her roommate's face raising an eyebrow. “I said: Interesting day wasn't it?” Lyra repeated. The earth pony's face made an 'O' shape as she realized what Lyra had said.

“It was… interesting,” she said hesitantly, “among other things.” Bon-Bon's look of confusion from before was now one of simple happiness. The day Ponyville was completely destroyed in a freak “natural” disaster was one of the happiest in her life, and she remembered it fondly. The idea that the destruction of their town, and their homes, could be one Bon Bon's best memories seemed strange. But, it was true, and for a good reason. She was about to say something when Lyra beat her to it.

“I remember it too,” the green pony said, “that day. It was the first time I… well… it was the first time for a few things,” she said chuckling. “I'm glad for all of them though,” she assured herself, nodding slightly.

Now it was her turn to travel back in time, again, as she journeyed back to the day Ponyville was destroyed. It was an eventful day to be sure, though not for the most immediate reason. She fell into the memory like she fell into sleep, slowly at first then the details became clearer and eventually the memory played like a movie. She let it happen at its own pace. After all, that was why she had decided to look through the album in the first place, to remember.

“GET OUT!”

A door slammed shut. Lyra stumbled backwards into her room. Her hooves were still shaking from the rage she was feeling. She fell onto her bed, laying face up staring at the ceiling. She burst into tears. The tears streamed down her face, soaking her fun and mane. She turned over, crying into her bed sheets.

She was furious. Her father had been yelling at her again. He told her that she was unwanted, that she was just a useless waste of space. He said that ever since her mother had died she had just been taking advantage of him. He was drunk of course. At least she assumed he was. He usually was. That didn't change what he said though, the words still hurt all the same.

He used to apologize to her after his outbursts, usually after he had sobered up. But recently he hadn't been apologizing. He would just yell and scream then storm out and Lyra would inevitably end up crying. This cycle had been repeating for some time now. Lyra told herself that she didn't care what he said. She told herself that he didn't mean it, he was just drunk. It was still painful though, your father telling you that you are useless is hard to take. The only thing that was keeping her from going over the edge was her relationship with Bon-Bon.

They had been dating for over a year now and things couldn't be better. She would see her as often as possible. Mostly it was at least once a day, sometimes more. She loved being with her, just the mere thought of her brought her more joy than anything in Equestria. Bon-Bon was everything to her, her whole reason for living. Without her she would be lost, like one lonely star in vast, but empty, night sky.

As she thought about Bon-Bon, her best friend, her companion, her lover, a smile broke through the tears that were dominating her face. Lyra didn't know what she would do without that wonderful, cream furred pony. Bon-Bon was the closest thing she had to family right now. Her father didn't even feel like a father anymore, he was just a stallion that she shared a house with. A stallion that drank constantly, and yelled, and threw things, and made her feel terrible.

The thought of her father made the anger from before bubble up and her smile died and in its place was an angry scowl. She pounded on her bed, the mattress bounced with each impact. She assaulted her pillows, throwing them across the room. The soft sound they made when they hit the wall left her feeling unsatisfied.

Her horn glowed green as she lifted up objects to throw, hoping one of them would make a more satisfying sound. She flipped her mattress, and threw the sheets around the room. Anger filled her, replacing all other emotions. She threw a small, slightly heavy, something at the wall. It shattered. All her anger melted away instantly as she realized what she had thrown. It was the picture she and Bon-Bon had taken on their first date, of their first kiss.

Realizing what she had done she rushed over to the wall were the picture lay. Luckily it wasn't damaged, just the frame that held it was. The shards of broken glass glowed a faint green as Lyra used her magic to repair the broken frame. Each piece of glass went back to its original place, and then fused back together. The frame repaired, she replaced the picture and set it down on her dresser.

She smiled at the picture, rubbing a hoof across Bon-Bon's face. Leaning forwards she placed a light kiss on the cheek of her beloved. She felt happy again, smiling as if nothing had happened. The sound of hooves tapping on wood entered the room as she heard her father knock on the door. She ignored it. The knocking became more persistent until it stopped suddenly.

Silence.

The door was flung wide open with a loud crack as its weak locking mechanism was torn off. Her father stood in the opening, his face calm but serious. He took one step into the room and instantly the tension skyrocketed. Lyra already knew what was about to happen, she had been expecting this for quite some time.

“I want you out,” he said calmly, “gather your belongings and leave. I want you out of this house in the next 5 minutes, and I don't ever want to see you here again.”

Lyra knew he was being serious. Not just the tone in his voice but also the fact that he was completely sober told her that he wasn't messing around. She had been planning for this day, she knew that it was just an eventuality, and so she had everything she needed packed already in a bag under her bed. Silently she used her magic to float the bag from under her bed and unzip it. The few things she hadn't packed were scattered about the room, so to keep herself from moving she floated the objects into her bag using her magic again. It was just a few simple things, a brush, a couple books, and lastly the picture she had recently repaired.

Her father silently watched as she packed everything and when she was done he merely stood to one side to allow her to leave the room. She walked past making sure to never break eye contact with him. Slowly she walked out of the house with her father walking closely behind her. When she reached the door he opened it for her and she left.

And without so much as one final word he slammed the door behind her.

Despite having expected, and planned for, this event, Lyra found herself at a loss. She stood facing away from the house, her whole life in a bag on her back, her whole life, except for Bon-Bon. She knew what to do. Resolutely she began walking away from her house. Wrong. Her father's house. It was no longer hers. She was strong though, she knew that she would make it through whatever she had to. With each step she gained more confidence, each stride gave her more strength. She felt that while this might not have been the ideal way to leave home, she was glad that she had, albeit not by her choice, at least not directly.

She had a little money saved up from working odd jobs and such. She knew that she could support herself, at least for a little while until she found a stable job. Plus she had a plan know, she just needed to find Bon-Bon. Deciding that her house was the most likely place to find the earth pony, Lyra adjusted her steps to lead her towards the pink and blue maned pony's house.

It was morning when she left the house. The sun had barely risen above the hills to the east of Ponyville. Now it was high in the sky, spreading its warmth and light across the small town. Lyra had been sidetracked on her quest. She strayed from the path she had set herself on, but for a good reason.

On her way to town she noticed a blue pegasus sleeping on a cloud. She was surrounded by what looked like strings of colored lights. Lyra stopped to examine the odd cloud. She had never seen something like it. The pegasus sleeping on the cloud had probably set them up, some kind of Hearth's Warming Eve decoration she supposed. Odd thought, considering that Hearth’s Warming Eve wasn't for a few months. She knew that some ponies liked to get a head start on decorating, but this seemed pretty early, even for the most extreme early birds.

Wait a second. This pegasus looked awfully familiar, her rainbow mane and tail were hard to forget. Rainbow… something. That was her name. She couldn't remember the second part of her name. The rainbow part was easy enough to guess. It didn't really matter what her name was, Lyra supposed. The point was that she knew her from somewhere. She had seen her around many times, usually high up in the sky, or on a cloud or something. She had seen her during Winter Wrap Up, with the weather ponies. That was it! She was weather pony. But that still didn't explain why she was sleeping on such an odd cloud.

Lyra still couldn't figure out if they were lights, or something else. If they were lights though, then where the hay had they been plugged in! Unless, maybe they were magical lights? Hung by a pegasus? That didn't seem very likely. Whatever it was, it wasn't like anything she had ever seen.

How long had she been sitting here? Apparently she had sat down at some point in her pondering. Her haunches were sore. Lyra remembered that she had somewhere to be. She stood up, rubbing her sore backside. As she walked away from the pegasus and towards the village she felt like she saw one of the lights move. She was probably just seeing things. This morning had been tough on her.

The sun had really warmed up the surrounding countryside since its first light. Lyra felt a pleasant warmness permeate her body as she walked through the town, though that could have just been her anticipation getting the better of her. She picked up her pace to a light trot, her anticipation growing to excitement. Soon she would be able to see the light of her life, Bon-Bon. That split-maned, cream furred, candy-baking, earth pony always seemed to bring a smile to her face, no matter the situation.

Shops, houses, and restaurants passed her by as she trotted through the town. She passed Major Minor’s Majestic Music Shop, the music store where she had composed her first song, entirely impromptu. A little further on she saw off in the distance the movie theater were her and Bon-Bon had their first date. She didn't actually see the photo booth, but the theater alone was enough to remind her of the place where she and Bon-Bon had shared their first kiss. And what a terrible kiss it was, great at the time, but terrible in retrospect. They were much better now.

She waved at Mrs. Cake as she passed by Sugar Cube Corner. The pink maned earth pony had a sweet smile on her face, just like always. Mr. Cake was undoubtedly inside baking something for a customer, like usual. That or he was out shopping for supplies, or running errands. Either way, he wasn't in front of the shop cleaning with Mrs. Cake.

Bon-Bon had told Lyra that she wanted to open her own bakery someday. It was her dream to sell sweets for a living. Mrs. Cake had always been something of a role model to Bon-Bon. The younger earth pony saw her as a pony to look up to, a goal to shoot for. It was good that she had a goal in mind. Lyra felt like she didn't know what she wanted to do. She enjoyed playing music on her lyre, mostly only for Bon-Bon though. She hadn't preformed in front of a large audience since she lost the talent show competition years ago. Well, there was one time where Lyra had attempted to serenade her earth pony companion at a park and a large crowd gathered around because they thought she was a street performer. That didn't really count though. Lyra enjoyed performing, but she was always afraid that somebody wouldn't like her music, that somebody wouldn't like her. That was what really kept her from attempting another performance. Bon-Bon had told her many times that it didn't matter what anyone else thought of her, only that she was happy with herself. It was easy enough to say that though, not as easy to live it.

Lyra trotted through the town lost in thought, and not for the first (or last) time. She didn't even notice when she trotted right past the very house she was looking for, and in fact she didn't even notice when she was trotting straight into a park bench. It took a very painful tumble, and subsequent untangling to realize that she had passed Bon-Bon's house by quite some distance. Wincing as she stood up, and mumbling something about poor bench placement, Lyra righted herself and picked up her belongings once again.

Somehow or other her bag had unzipped itself and some of its contents had spilled onto the ground. The green unicorn used her magic to begin picking up each item and replacing them in her bag. She wasn't as skilled as some other unicorns were with magic. She could only move one thing at a time. She didn't have the raw magical ability to multi-task. It took a minute or so to clean up the mess and as she was picking up the last items she heard someone trot up behind her.

“Going on vacation?” asked a sweet voice.

Lyra turned her head to face her questioner. Standing there with a slight smirk on her face and saddle bags on her back, was Bon-Bon. She knew who it was even before turning around. The sound of her voice was unmistakable. Lyra grinned and scratched her head, doing her best to look nonchalant. “You could say that.” Bon-Bon knelt down to pick up the last object that had ejected itself from Lyra's bag, a small brush. As she tossed it into the bag she gave Lyra a questioning look.

“Alright, fine,” the minty unicorn sighed, “I just decided that I wanted to get out of my house for a while was thinking about staying at an inn or something.” She lied to Bon-Bon with a straight face. She didn't exactly know why she was lying. She just didn't want Bon-Bon to know that she had been thrown out of her own house. That was Lyra's own problem to deal with. She needn’t worry Bon-Bon, she was sure that the earth pony had her own problems to sort out.

Bon-Bon gave the unicorn a piercing gaze, trying to draw the truth from her. She was sure that Lyra hadn't just decided to leave, out of nowhere. There had to be a reason, something that she wasn't telling her. She decided to let it pass for now however and instead gave an offer of help to the facetious pony. “You could always, you know, stay with me. I am your fillyfriend, remember?”

It had always been Lyra's plan to ask Bon-Bon if she could stay with her, but she felt better now that she had suggested it first. Now it didn't feel so presumptuous. “Well if you don't mind,” Lyra answered. She still didn't want to assume anything, even though she was sure that Bon-Bon wouldn't turn her away.

“Of course I don't mind,” the earth pony waved a hoof at Lyra. “My house has been feeling a bit empty anyways, it'll be good to have somepony else there. Especially since that somepony will be you.” She said the last part more to herself than to Lyra, in a quiet, almost whisper.

Bon-Bon had moved out of her parent's house a few weeks earlier, under slightly different circumstances than Lyra. She wanted to prove to her parents that she could be independent, and that she could support herself without their help. The creamy pony had found a job working at a bakery, Sugar Cube Corner in fact. The pay wasn't exactly six figures, but it was enough that she could afford to rent her own small apartment.

“Sleep over!” shouted Lyra. Bon-Bon giggled.

“Let's go take your stuff to my house then,” she said motioning in the direction of her apartment. After helping Lyra heft her bag, and stealing a quick kiss, Bon-Bon started walking towards her complex. As she walked away, Lyra noticed once again the saddle bags strung across her back.

“What's in the bags?” she asked. Bon-Bon turned her head back towards Lyra, tilting it slightly to the side. Lyra pointed at the saddlebags.

Looking as if she had just noticed them, Bon-Bon jumped a little in the air. “Oh horse apples, I completely forgot. I was supposed to be bringing these supplies to the Cakes.” She shook her head and sighed. “Oh well, I suppose they can live without out them for a little while longer.” She sighed again and began walking again.

Lyra caught up to her companion, walking alongside her she asked, “How's working for the Cakes going, by the way?”

“I love it,” Bon-Bon replied, “they pay me well enough, and I love baking. So, this is pretty much a win-win.” The earth pony looked wistfully to the sky, “I wish I could own my own bakery.” She sighed. “But, it'll be a long time before that happens.”

Lyra followed her gaze to the sky. She didn't have any aspirations like her partner. She just wanted to live her life as it happened, one day at a time. But, she knew that she wanted to help Bon-Bon realize her dream in whatever way she could. Maybe someday they would be like the Cakes. They could co-own a bakery and spend their days making baked goods for hungry customers. That sounded like a nice life. Maybe they'd even get married too. Lyra shuddered, maybe that was too much to think about right now. Marriage was quite the commitment. She hadn’t even started living with the mare yet. In fact, she had yet to tell Bon-Bon those three magic words. Lyra didn’t quite know why she hadn’t told Bon-Bon that she loved her yet, she knew that she did, with all of her heart. It was just… there was something about actually saying it that always made her pause, like she wasn’t sure. But, she was sure. She knew she loved Bon-Bon, more than anything. Maybe when they started living together she could finally bring herself to say it.

“Don't worry,” she finally told Bon-Bon, “I'm sure that you'll get your own shop someday.” After all, she thought. Things always seem to have a way of working out in the end. The two ponies walked side-by-side in silence, each mulling over their own thoughts. As they approached the apartment Lyra broke the silence. “Bon-Bon,” she said, “I’ve been thinking.” Bon-Bon cocked her head to the side, awaiting the rest of Lyra’s statement. “Well,” she continued, “would you mind if I moved in permanently?” Bon-Bon’s eyes narrowed.

“Why?” she asked. “Not that I have any objection mind you,” she quickly clarified. “It’s just, why now? What’s going on?” Bon-Bon’s piercing gaze filled Lyra’s vision.

Lyra sighed, “I may not have been entirely honest with you before,” she said. “I told you that I just wanted to get out of my house but that was only half true,” Lyra was nervously kicking at the dirt as she confessed to Bon-Bon. “You see,” said Lyra, “I was actually kicked out of my house by my father.” A look of concern came over Bon-Bon, which Lyra quickly sought to quell. “I wanted to leave anyways,” she said, “I just didn’t know when.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that before?” asked Bon-Bon.

Lyra looked at the ground sheepishly. “I didn’t want to worry,” she said quietly. “Plus,” she continued, “it’s my own problem to deal with, not yours.”

Bon-Bon looked at her incredulously. “Lyra,” she insisted, “you know that you can always come to me for anything. I’ll always be there for you. We’re… together now. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“I’m sorry,” Lyra answered apologetically, “but I didn’t want to burden you with my problems.”

Bon-Bon shook her head, “They’re not just your problems anymore,” she said. “They’re our problems. We’re in this together now. Actually, we’ve always been in this together, ever since our first meeting.”

“I know that bu-“

“Who was there for you when you didn’t win the talent show?”

“You were”

“And who was there for me when I was getting bullied?”

“I was”

“What about that time you got pneumonia? Who was there then?”

“You”

“What about when I got my cutie mark? Who was that because of?”

“Me”

“See?” finished Bon-Bon. “We’ve always been there for each other. So please, don’t feel like you need to hide things from me.” She sighed once again, pulling Lyra in close for a hug. “Don’t worry,” she said soothingly, stroking Lyra’s mane. “I’m sure everything will work out in the end. But, for now, you can come live with me.” Bon-Bon disentangled herself from Lyra and began walking towards the apartment complex across the street. Looking over her shoulder at Lyra she said, “Well come on then. Let’s go put your stuff in our apartment.” Turning back around she trotted happily across the street. Lyra found herself overwhelmed with emotion. She loved that mare so much. She had to tell her, she had to say, “I love you”.

“Bon-Bon!” she called out. Bon-Bon turned back around to face the mare. Lyra swallowed and then opened her mouth, “I – Watch out!” she shouted suddenly as a pink blur came whirling down the street. Bon-Bon barely had enough time to contort her face in confusion before the pink blur whizzed past her causing her to spin around like a top. Lyra rushed over to a very dizzy looking Bon-Bon. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Bon-Bon nodded, her head swimming. “Yeah,” she answered, “I think I’m fine.” Lyra looked off into the distance where whatever had run into Bon-Bon had gone and she saw a cloud of dust building up. “What was that?”

Lyra squinted her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of something. But, the cloud of dust was obscuring her vision. “I’m not sure,” she answered.

Bon-Bon shook her head, clearing the grogginess. “I think that was a pony,” she said.

“A pony?” asked Lyra doubtfully. “What makes you say that?”

“I heard it, whatever it was, say something about a ‘banjo’.”

“Weird,” said Lyra, still staring off into the distance. “I wonder what that was all about.” Lyra reached down and pulled Bon-Bon to her feet. “Let’s go inside,” she said, “at least it’s safe in there.” Bon-Bon chuckled, and nodded her head. Lyra then remember what she had been about to say before she was cut off. But, the moment had passed, she couldn’t say it now. She exhaled. Maybe she’d find another opportunity later. After dusting herself off, Bon-Bon led Lyra to the front door and then inside the apartment to her room where they dropped off Lyra’s bags and, after sharing another quick kiss, headed back downstairs.

Lyra pointed at the bags that Bon-Bon was still hauling around. “Do you want me to carry those for you?” Bon-Bon hit herself on the forehead with hoof.

“I completely forgot I even had these bags… again.” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Sure,” she said, handing one of the bags over to Lyra. “You can help me carry these. The Cakes are a probably wondering what’s taking me so long. I left like 2 hours ago to go get these.”

Lyra snickered, “Hope they don’t fire you,” she joked.

“Ha Ha,” laughed Bon-Bon sarcastically. “You better hope they don’t fire me,” she pointed out. “How do you think I pay for this apartment?”

“Oh… right,” Lyra groaned. “Forgot about that.”

Bon-Bon laughed, “I was just kidding,” she said. “They wouldn’t fire me over this. I just wanted to see what you would say.” She laughed again, shaking her head. The two ponies left the apartment and headed off towards SugarCube Corner bakery. This time, wary of any blurs, pink or otherwise, that might cross their paths.

As they approached the bakery, which was curiously shaped like an actual cake, they saw a fancy looking stallion leaving the shop. He stormed out, letting the door slam behind him. His head rose in the air haughtily as he hailed a cab and ordered it to take him to the train station. Bon-Bon and Lyra exchanged confused glances and then looked back at the shop were Mr. Cake had just come sprinting out the door shouting. “Wait!” he screamed at the cab. But, it was too late. It had already started tearing down the street, undoubtedly at the insistence of the passenger. Mr. Cake hung his head and turned back inside the shop dejectedly.

The bell on the shop door rang as Lyra and Bon-Bon entered shortly after Mr. Cake. He was standing behind the counter when they came in, a half-finished cake on the table behind him. He looked up at the chiming of the bell. Noticing the two mares and the bags they carried his eyes widened. “Finally decided to come back huh?” he said, venom in his voice. Bon-Bon started to speak but he cut her off. “Do you know who that was?” he asked pointing at the door that had recently received a harsh slamming. Again, before Bon-Bon could answer he interjected again. “That,” he said emphasizing his words with sharp jabs, “was our only client this whole month. And,” he continued, “that stallion was the only thing keeping us out of the red.” He shook his head, slamming his hooves on the countertop. “And this,” he said pointing at the half-baked cake. “was his cake that we we’re waiting on you to finish.” Bon-Bon just stood in the doorway, her mouth slightly open. Lyra stood next to her, equally wordless.

“I’m sorry—” Bon-Bon said quietly as she hung her head in shame.

“Sorry!” shouted Mr. Cake. “Do you think ‘sorry’ is going to pay our rent?”

Lyra felt herself getting angry, it felt like she was listening to her father speak again. “Hey!” she yelled. “You leave Bon-Bon alone. It wasn’t her fault that she was late. It was mine, I kept distracting her.” Her voice was shaking with anger, all the memories of her father yelling at her flooded back into her.

“So, I should be angry with you then?” he asked, turning his attention to Lyra.

“I guess so,” Lyra said. Her face was hard.

Mr. Cake turned his anger back on Bon-Bon. “You’re fired,” he said calmly. “And you,” he said, addressing Lyra. “I want you out of my shop.” He pointed at the door as he stomped his hooves. Lyra and Bon-Bon silently dropped their bags and opened the door. The bell’s chiming was oddly cheery for the scene that had just unfolded.

“Well,” Lyra said quietly. “That wasn’t exactly the most ideal outcome.”

Bon-Bon sat on her haunches, staring up into the sky. “I just lost my job,” she said, like she had just finally realized what had transpired. “How am I going to pay my rent?” she asked rhetorically. Bon-Bon raised her front hooves and held her head in them, tears working their way down her face.

Lyra sat down next to her, pulling the crying mare’s head close to her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It was entirely my fault that you were late.”

Bon-Bon looked up at Lyra, tears still filling her eyes. She wiped them away with a forearm and gently told Lyra, “I don’t blame you for what happened. It was my fault that I was late and not you or anyone else’s.”

“I’m sure Mr. Cake was just upset,” Lyra responded. “He was just really emotional. I’m sure that if you come back tomorrow and apologize again he’ll probably give you your job back.” She smiled at Bon-Bon and used her hooves to lift the other mare’s face into a forced smile. She giggled and her forced smile became a real one.

“You’re probably right,” she said. “Mr. Cake has always been very reasonable. I bet if I come back tomorrow he’ll probably apologize to me. I’ve never even heard him raise his voice like that.”

Lyra stood up, offering a hoof to Bon-Bon. “See?” she said. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Bon-Bon grabbed her hoof and pulled herself up, wiping the rest of her tears away. Lyra hugged the teary mare, her warm embrace comforting the mare and telling her that everything was going to be okay. “Let’s go get something to eat,” she said, “I’m starving.” Groans came from her stomach indicating that she was indeed starving. In fact, the last time she ate had been the previous night. She didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast since she was too busy yelling at her father and getting kicked out of her house.

Bon-Bon chuckled. “Okay,” she said, “where do you want to go eat?”

“I know a place,” Lyra answered mysteriously. She glanced around, her eyes shifty. “But you can’t let anypony know about it,” she whispered.

Playing along, Bon-Bon answered, “I swear I won’t tell a soul.” Satisfied, Lyra nodded and began walking away. Bon-Bon, giggling, followed behind her. When they reached their destination Lyra smiled back at Bon-Bon, the must smug look on her face. She pointed at the shop, The Rusty Horseshoe, and said,

“Pretty great, isn’t it?”

Bon-Bon’s mouth made a straight line, her lips pursed. “Lyra,” she muttered, “we ate here three days ago. This place isn’t exactly a secret. It’s one of the most popular places in town.”

Lyra scratched the back of her head nonchalantly. “Yeah, I had to think of something to trick you into coming back here.” She beamed. “This place has, like, the best pies ever,” she explained. “I don’t think you understand,” she said, “these are grade-A pies, top of the line. And yes, the A stands for ‘awesome’.”

Bon-Bon snorted, “grade-Awesome?”

“Yes”

“Pffft,” Bon-Bon burst out laughing, rolling around on the ground. “Lyra, you’re so weird,” she said.

A brief laughing fit and a couple of pie jokes later and the two ponies had situated themselves at one of the outdoor tables and were looking through menus. Upon deciding what to eat they gave their orders to the waiter and shared a couple of drinks. After eating the main course they both ordered a slice of pie, Lyra licked her lips in anticipation. As they waited for their pies Lyra looked up at the sky. It looked like there was some kind of multi-colored cloud floating up there. She pointed it out to Bon-Bon. “I wonder what that is?” she said. Bon-Bon glanced up at the sky and saw the oddly chromatic cloud that Lyra was pointing out.

“I have no idea,” she answered. “It’s odd though,” she stated, “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“I have,” responded Lyra.

“You have?” the other mare questioned.

“Yeah, but not exactly like that,” she said. “It was earlier this morning, when I was walking into town. I saw this cloud that looked like it was surrounded by a bunch of colored lights, and there was this pegasus with a rainbow colored mane sleeping in the cloud.”

“You mean Rainbow Dash?” asked Bon-Bon.

“That’s her name?” replied Lyra. “I was close. I knew it was Rainbow-something.”

“What?”

“Nothing, I was just talking to myself.” Lyra looked back up at the sky, “Hey wait, where’d the cloud go?” Bon-Bon followed her gaze, and she saw that the cloud had indeed disappeared.

“Huh,” she said, “clouds don’t usually move that fast, do they?”

“Not unless it’s really windy or something.”

“How curious.”

Their conversation and their thoughts were interrupted by the waiter’s return, and the slices of pie he carried with him. Lyra instantly forgot about the peculiar cloud and immediately focused her attention on the delicious pie she was about to receive. She licked her lips excitedly. She could almost taste the pie already. It’s delicious, savory sweetness was about to find itself being shoved down her gullet, and she was going to love every second of it. The waiter placed a slice of pie in front of both Lyra and Bon-Bon and then disappeared back inside the restaurant. Bon-Bon was about to dig into her pie when Lyra noticed something behind her.

“What the—”

Bon-Bon turned around to look at what Lyra was so inadequately describing. Behind her was little blue ball, with eyes, and it was flying. The creature’s tiny wings were flapping furiously to keep itself aloft. Bon-Bon’s eyes widened and a smile stretched across her face, “Aww, it’s so adorable,” she said. The creature, whatever it was, had large eyes, a petite blue body, insect-like wings, and, as Bon-Bon so accurately described it, it was incredibly adorable.

“I don’t know what it is,” said Lyra as a smile worked its way across her face too, “but it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Suddenly the little blue ball turned into a large ‘c’ shape as its mouth opened up cartoonishly wide and it swallowed Bon-Bon’s pie in one bite. Realizing the clear and present danger they were in Lyra attempted to protect her slice of pie. But, the creature was too fast. Before she had even moved a centimeter it had already devoured her pie whole, leaving nothing behind but an empty plate and a broken-hearted, tearful Lyra.

Bon-Bon was too stunned to even fully realize what had just happened. The cute little critter had just been floating there one second and then the next second it was throwing their pies into its black-hole-like stomach. She glanced over at Lyra to see how the mare was holding up. Not well, it seemed. She just stared off into the direction the little creature had flown, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked back at Bon-Bon, tears in her eyes, and said, “this day has been awful. First my dad throws me out of my house, and then I get you fired, and now some stupid bug thing just ate my pie. How could this day get any worse?” She immediately regretted asking that question as the sound of thousands of little buzzing wings filled the air. Whatever that thing was it wasn’t alone. There were thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of the creatures now. They swarmed all over the place, eating everything in sight. Well at least, just the food.

The two ponies screamed and covered their heads, running for cover. They found shelter close by inside the restaurant they had just been eating at. They had locked themselves inside the bathroom and they were both peering out the window, trying to get a grasp on the situation. Outside the multi-colored balls were now eating literally everything, not just food. Entire buildings were being demolished in seconds. Lyra grabbed Bon-Bon’s hoof shouting, “We’re not safe here! We have to get out of here.” Bon-Bon just nodded her head and the two ponies sprinted out of the restaurant. Once outside they could fully appreciate the havoc these adorable creatures were causing. It was chaos as ponies ran through the streets, crashing into each other and knocking over everything in their path.

Lyra pulled Bon-Bon close and told her, “I think I know somewhere we’ll be safe, or at least safer. We need to get out of town. These things seem to only be eating objects and not ponies, so if we get to the park then we might be safe.” Lyra snatched Bon-Bon’s hoof again and they ran towards the park. As they ran through the town they watched entire streets get wiped out, ponies’ houses, and shops, and workplaces, all were destroyed by the bugs. Upon reaching the park they hunkered down beneath a tree, hoping to use it to shield themselves from the insects.

“Are you okay?” asked Lyra, breathing heavily. Bon-Bon nodded her head. “Good.”

“What about you,” Bon-Bon asked, breathing equally as heavy.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Thank goodness. So, what do we do now?”

“Well, to be honest, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead,” Lyra laughed as she caught her breath. “I kinda just assumed things would resolve themselves. I have no idea what to do.”

At that moment the sound of a great many instruments being played all at once reached their ears. They both strained their eyes to locate the source of the sound. Way down at the other end of the park they saw a pink pony leading a stream of the monsters into the Everfree forest. In fact, Lyra was fairly certain that pink pony was the one that ran into Bon-Bon earlier because she could swear that she heard a banjo among the instruments being played.

“What the—” the two ponies said quietly in unison. Their mouths hung agape at the sight. They both just sat underneath the tree watching the bizarre parade from a distance. “Huh,” said Lyra eventually, “I guess I was right. Things did resolve themselves.” She chuckled quietly. Bon-Bon looked at her incredulously, how could she laugh at a time like this? Then as she watched the last of the bugs bounce its way into the forest she found herself laughing right alongside Lyra. The two eventually were in stiches, the whole situation, while horribly destructive, was one of the weirdest things they had ever seen and the fact that it was ended by a pink pony leading an insect marching band into the forest was just unbelievable. The situation was beyond bizarre. This, by far, would be remembered as the most outlandish day Lyra and Bon-Bon had ever seen. After a while they calmed down and looked each other in the eyes.

“Sooooooo,” said Lyra slowly. “I guess we head back to your apartment now, huh?”

Bon-Bon was still laughing slightly as she answered, “I suppose so, assuming it’s still there.” She sobered instantly realizing what she just said. Lyra’s eyes grew large as she realized the implications of losing the apartment. It also meant losing everything she owned since she had just so recently moved in. “Oh Celesia,” whispered Bon-Bon. They both got up immediately and began galloping towards the apartment. Passing through the town again was like passing through a warzone. It looked like Ponyville had been bombed. Houses lay demolished in the streets and ponies wandered around aimlessly.

“About that whole ‘getting your job back’ thing, not sure how that’s gonna work out,” said Lyra suddenly. Bon-Bon looked at Lyra questioningly. She pointed over at a pile of rubble, “Yeah… uhh… that’s SugarCube Corner right over there.” Bon-Bon watched her rent crumble away, her food, her livelihood, all of turned to dust. She only said one word before leaving, “Crap…”

They finally reached the apartment after working their way through the virtual wasteland that Ponyville now was. Rubble is all that was left of their apartment. Bon-Bon nearly broke down and cried as her whole world fell apart. Lyra ran over to the pile. She dug through it, looking for any remnants of either her or Bon-Bon’s stuff. As she used her hooves to tear through the rubble Bon-Bon joined her. There was no sign of any of Bon-Bon’s former apartment, no sign of anything.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bon-Bon noticed a glint of light. “What’s that,” she asked, pointing it out to Lyra. The green mare worked her way through the debris to whatever it was that Bon-Bon was pointing at. Lyra nudged away some of the broken wood and cement and underneath she found a pile of broken glass. Under the glass she found the picture, the same one she had inadvertently smashed earlier in the morning. She swept away the glass and picked up the picture, smiling as she did. She looked into her own eyes and brushed her hoof against Bon-Bon’s cheek. “Small miracles, huh?” she whispered.

“What was that?” asked Bon-Bon.

“Nothing,” she replied. “Hey,” she said, “I found something.” She held up the picture so Bon-Bon could see. She strained her eyes to see. Once she realized what Lyra was holding she made her way over to the mare.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked. Lyra smiled and handed the picture to her. Bon-Bon took it and looked down at the two fillies in the photo. She smiled back at Lyra, saying, “You still have yours?” Lyra nodded. “At least something survived,” she said. Lyra walked over to her and hugged her.

“We survived,” she said.

Bon-Bon laughed, “Now you’re the one being cheesy!” she said. Lyra giggled.

“What? I’m not allowed to be cheesy sometimes?” joked Lyra.

Bon-Bon sighed, “Well, I guess there’s no use in looking around here forever.” She stood up and dusted herself off, walking out of the debris field. “Come on,” she said, “I’m sure we can find a place to sleep somewhere.”

As she walked away Lyra looked at the photo that Bon-Bon had handed back to her. She saw Bon-Bon’s embarrassed face looking back at her. She chuckled. Then realization hit her. Something she knew, but had never had the guts to say, at least not out loud.

“Bon-Bon,” she called out. Bon-Bon turned around. “I love you.”

Bon-Bon smiled. “I know,” she said.