It was a beautiful winter's day in Ponyville. The weather team had done an excellent job with the scheduled overnight dusting of snow. Everything was blanketed in a pure-white powder that glistened brightly in the morning sun. It was a pleasant change from the dull, dark tones amid the short days of the season.
Bonbon blinked awake in the sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window. She yawned with a stretch and brushed her two-tone blue and pink mane from her face with her creme-colored hoof. She sat up in her bed and shielded her azure eyes until they adjusted to the brightness.
Normally she was up before the dawn to get her candy shop ready to open each morning. Today was a rare exception when she allowed herself to sleep in as the shop would be closed for Hearth's Warming Day.
Bonbon greeted the day with a mix of excitement and nervousness. She knew that today was going to be an adventure. But then again, it seemed like every day was an adventure for the mare of late. She was happy to call Ponyville her home, 'the chaos capital of the world' though it may be. Even after Discord had been defeated, it seemed like Ponyville still had a disproportionately high rate of disasters. Thus, the title stuck. But Bonbon's life being a daily adventure usually had nothing to do with her choice of residence.
No.
Bonbon's life was an adventure primarily due to her partner, Lyra Heartstrings.
Life with Lyra was, to put it succinctly: strange. Not bad, just... odd. She always had the best of intentions and had, true to her namesake, a good heart. But Bonbon knew better than anypony that, much like her boxes of assorted candies, she could never be sure of what she was going to get when she woke up each day.
She climbed out of bed and headed downstairs. The three candies of her cutie mark danced on her hip as she walked. She arrived at the kitchen and began to brew some coffee. As she stood there at the kitchen counter, she noticed how quiet the house was. She was certain that Lyra was already awake. But when she was being this quiet it usually meant that she was getting into trouble. Bonbon sighed. She often compared it to being a single mother needing to keep an eye on a mischievous foal.
"Lyra?" Bonbon called into the house. Silence was the sole reply, then broken only by the demonic gurgling of the percolator. She finished brewing her coffee and added a bit of cream and sugar. She sat down at the kitchen table and set the mug down to let it cool for a minute.
Suddenly, the front door opened, bringing with it a blast of arctic wind. Her mint-green roommate walked into the living room, levitating a snow shovel with her unicorn magic. She shut the door and set the shovel down, leaning it against the wall. She shook the snowflakes from her white and pale-green striped mane. Her amber eyes caught sight of Bonbon sitting in the next room at the kitchen table.
"Oh shoot, you're awake? It was supposed to be a surprise," Lyra said, with a playful pout. "Oh well. Happy Hearth's Warming. I shoveled the walkway!" Bonbon was remiss to not voice her gratitude for the act, but she was distracted.
"What... are you wearing?" Bonbon asked. Lyra followed Bonbon's eyes and looked down at herself. Specifically at the garment on her hindquarters.
"Pants," Lyra replied simply. Bonbon's mouth hung just slightly ajar. A question hovered on the tip of her tongue. It was one that she was all too familiar with asking her roommate. She wondered if ever there would come a day when she wouldn't have to ask it. She hoped that day might come. But she doubted it. And today would not be that day.
"Why though?" Bonbon asked.
"Same reason I wear my hat and scarf. It's cold out.
"Why pants though?"
"I like pants."
"But aren't pants for stallions?" Bonbon asked.
"Well, when you think about the anatomical structure of ponies mechanically, it makes more sense for mares to wear pants and for stallions to wear skirts," Lyra explained as she stepped out of her legwear, liberating her harp cutie mark from the garment.
"You know what? Never mind," Bonbon said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. She knew better than to think too hard about Lyra's reasonings. "Did you check the mailbox while you were out there?"
"No. There's no mail service today," Lyra said.
"I know," Bonbon said, getting up from her seat. "But Mayor Mare said that she sent out a notarized copy of our certificate earlier this week, and that it should have arrived by last night. I forgot to check during the snow." She opened the door and walked out to the mailbox, and Lyra was close behind. She opened the mailbox and pulled out the lone envelope. She undid the seal and slid out the document. She and Lyra both smiled.
"I guess it's official," Lyra said. Bonbon turned and hugged her partner. The cold air nipped at the tears of joy on their cheeks. "Good Hearth's Warming gift, huh?"
"It's the best gift I could ever ask for," Bonbon said.
"Better than those hoof stockings?" Lyra asked. Bonbon chuckled.
"Way better!" she said. She could have hugged her all day. But she felt herself shiver in the cold air.
"Come on. Let's go back inside," Lyra said. The two of them turned and walked back up the path to the house. Bonbon noticed the snow sculpture in the yard. "Oh, yeah. That's why I was out here so long. I made a snow stallion."
"Don't you mean a snow pony?" Bonbon asked. Lyra giggled. Bonbon looked at it again and balked.
"Lyra! That's not where the coals and carrot are supposed to go!"
~
After a lovely breakfast, the two mares headed out to the train station. On the way there, they passed by Sugar Cube Corner, which had been the only sweets shop in Ponyville for some time. The proprietors, Mr. Carrot Cake and Mrs. Cup Cake were outside playing in the snow with their two foals, Pound and Pumpkin Cake. Lyra waved excitedly as she walked by.
"It's official!" Lyra said, waving the document before hugging her partner again. Mr. and Mrs. Cake glared at the two of them.
"Lyra!" Bonbon scolded her in a hushed tone. "You don't need to get in their face about it. They obviously don't approve of it."
"I don't care! I want to tell everybody!" Lyra squealed, bounding along beside Bonbon by the time they arrived at the train station. "I can't wait to tell your parents!"
"Lyra, no," Bonbon said, giving the porter their tickets as they boarded the train. Lyra frowned as she sat down beside her.
"Are we not telling them about us?" Lyra asked in a mournful tone. Bonbon sighed.
"It's not that I don't want to," she said. "It's just that, they've never really supported my choices. And I'm just afraid that they won't approve of you being one of them."
"Bonny... are... are you ashamed of me?" Lyra asked, on the verge of tears.
"No! Lyra, I'm ashamed of my parents," she said. "I just wish that they would be happy for me for once. The way your parents are. They didn't have to come all the way from Canterlot like that."
"It was a big day for us!" Lyra said. "They knew it wasn't going to be a big ceremony. But they just wanted to be at the town hall for us that day. Isn't that the point of this trip to Fillydelphia?"
"Yes. But let me be the one to tell them, okay? Please?" Bonbon begged.
"Okay. Fine."
"Welcome home, Sweetie! Happy Hearth's Warming!" Bonbon's parents greeted her at their door.
"Mom, Dad, this in Lyra Heartstrings," Bonbon introduced her partner. "Lyra, this is my dad, Rain Drops. He's on the Fillydelphia weather team." The pegasus extended a wing to shake Lyra's hoof. "And this is my mom, Tear Drops. She's a novelist. But you probably recognize her books under he maiden name, Tear Jerker." Lyra shook the earth pony's hoof.
"Oh my gosh! I love your books!" Lyra said excitedly. "Especially that one, The Notepad! Oh, it was such a-"
"Tear jerker?" she said with a smug grin. Lyra chuckled.
"Heh, yeah."
~
Dinner was pleasant enough, if a bit stilted with small talk. Lyra made sure to be on her best behaviour, and as promised, didn't mention the big news.
"So..." Rain Drops said between bites of his meal, "How are things going with your little candy booth venture in Ponyville?"
"It's been going well, actually," Bonbon said with pride. "Really well in fact! I just bought a larger storefront in the center of town. And I'll be expanding into baked desserts as well chocolates and hard candies."
"Sounds like a lot of work," Tear Drops said.
"Sounds like a lot of risk," Rain Drops cut in.
"Sounds like you could use some help with all that," Tear Drops cut back in, trying to stay positive at least. "When are you going to find yourself some nice stallion to help support you?"
Lyra glared at Bonbon and coughed.
Loudly.
"Actually, Mom, Dad, I have an announcement!" Bonbon said as she stood up. Lyra rose from her seat as well, standing close beside her and holding her hoof. "As of three days ago, Lyra and I are partners." Bonbon's parents gasped in shock. Bonbon and Lyra smiled as they looked at each other. "And I couldn't have asked for a better pony than my best friend to be my business partner!"
Author's Note
Lyra couldn't hold it in any longer, "Also, we got married!"
"Lyra, what the hay!?" Bonbon shrieked.
"Oh please, Sweetie," her mother said, rolling her eyes. "You were so deep in the closet you were finding Hearth's Warming presents!"
Her father pointed at the mistletoe in the entryway arch. "And you owe your wife a kiss."
