Lyra was a patient pony. Or should I say she was a stubborn one? Both could have qualified. Either way, she stuck right next to Bon Bon. Now, I should note, 'anthro' ponid takes a different path than full on cases. We could tell pretty fast which path she was taking when her feet became hooves fairly firmly, but her hands remained just as they were.

Her eyes, generally a good sign of things, went into complete heterochromia. That would normally be a time where a patient, like me back then, would have a moment to freak right the heck out. That's such a jarring moment for your identity. You don't think about it, on the day to day, but your eyes are... you. Having them change like that, especially in that uneven way. I shuddered thinking back on those first moments of panic when I had seen it. Pretty sure I was super unhappy about it. Go on, go back and read it, back me up.

So, about Bon Bon, she didn't have the same freak out. Sure, she did that ten mile stare at it, but She... That noise was a happy noise. A relieved noise. Lyra had rushed in to see what was the matter and got a hug for her trouble. "I'm gonna be alright," Bon Bon had assured. Her eye was going back towards Bon Bon, the pony. She wouldn't have a third mindset wrestling for space in her head.

That becoming a known factor had calmed Bon Bon quite a bit, though she was still miserable. Ponid was not a kind experience. She kept her fingers, but the rest of her was still changing. She was becoming younger. Exactly how many years it worked out to, couldn't really say and I didn't feel like pulling out an age-ometer to find out. Her hair went back to Bon Bon's bright shades, losing the brunette coloring she had started with.

"So, prettier or uglier?" She turned left and right, showing off her regained curls that held their shape with a skill a human lacked.

"That's a trick question." Lyra glared at Bon Bon. "Either answer and you'll be mad, Bonnie."

"I want the truth."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Every girl thinks that, but, guess what, I am one of those." She stuck out her tongue at Bon Bon. "And I know our tricks. If I say it's prettier, than I'm saying your original hair was ugly. If I was it's uglier, well, just said you're ugly. No winning answer."

"Ugh, fine." Bon Bon waved at her bright mop of hair. "Is this pretty, not comparing it to the old hair?"

Lyra leaned forward. "That's easier. Your hair was great before, and great now. It was like a wave of chocolate before, and it's bright candies now, and I'm down with both!"

Bon Bon sank, trying to squat, but that turned into a seat as she lost her balance and flopped back against the bed, head spinning a little. "Ugh, Ponid can go right the heck away..."

Lyra was on her instantly, one arm around her, nuzzling her face. "I'm right here. Want anything? Drink?"

Now, this all reminded me. I had a bunch of candy supplies. I had never given it over, seeing as Bon Bon was undergoing the spell, then got super sick. But Lyra's mention of how candy-like Bon Bon's hair was... Maybe it'd be something she'd like.

I grabbed for the phone. "Hey, it's me."

"Director," replied the floor manager. "This involve Bon Bon?"

"I thought I was the only one that read minds." I had gotten out of that habit. It was joke, alright?!

"Lucky guess," retorted the scientist with a wry edge. "I've been keeping an eye. She seems healthy enough. Should we go ahead and relocate Lyra Heartstrings permanently? They seem to get along well."

"Throw that past Lyra." I had doubts she'd complain too loudly at the idea, but consent was magic! "But back to Bon Bon, or Bonnie as Lyra calls her. I have all the equipment for a candy making theatre. Do you have an available room to have that setup in? Bonus if it's close to Bon's room?"

"An entire kitchen?" I heard papers being rustled about. "Huh..." More rustling. "We have a room available, but it's near the cafeteria, not her room. If you want it to have kitchen hookups, best I can do."

Well, making candy did need things like a working drain and ovens and such... "Alright. Get the room clear and I'll get the equipment brought in."

"I wasn't aware Bon Bon had any notable cooking ability." More papers. "Her file noted she self-made meals at times, but that was about it."

"This is a hunch," I admitted. "But if we give her the option to make candy, she may take it up, and if she does, I bet her morale will improve."

"And if she doesn't?"

A reasonable concern, really... Except! "Well, I made it, I can unmake it. This isn't costing the facility anything but the actual edible part of the supplies, and that isn't too much." I would have snapped the edible parts into being, but they had been very specific on that point! I was not rated, legally, to make anything that goes inside anyone else. No food, no drugs, and nothing internal. So I had to order in some colors and chocolate and stuff for a candymaker to play with.

But I had made up all the hardware, and that's where the real savings were anyway.

"If you're sure. You are the director." Meaning the budget was on my head if I loused it up. "I'll send you an email when the room's ready for you to do whatever the hell it is you do."

"Great!" I hung up, confident one more step would be complete.

"You have a moment?" There was Starlight, nose just poking into the room, the rest of her hiding back on the other side of the door. "I can wait if you're busy."

"Starlight, I always have a moment for you." I pivoted the chair towards her and held out my hands, which would have been more an invitation if I wasn't up in the air at that moment. Easily fixed! I swooped in on her instead, grabbing her up, yoink, right off the ground into my lap as I did a nice loop back to where I started. "What's on your mind?" I got to petting one of her ears. Just as Lyra said, a nice spot to be pet, especially by someone you liked.

Starlight felt tense though. "So, when a mommy loves a daddy a--"

I tapped her nose. "I know how babies are made. We already did that."

"About that!" she squeaked. "I'm starting to feel it." She rolled over, to more easily face me, her hooves dangling in the air. "Do 'lab assistants' get maternity leave? If so, how much?"

Oh, well... "Four months is the standard around here." I shrugged softly. "But the state only gives, like, six weeks of that? The rest is unpaid time off, not that you have a lot of bills at the moment."

"Not what I'm worried about," agreed Starlight, swiping at my chin from below. "I don't think I'm that far along." She huffed softly. "Not that we have any idea how long ponies cook in the oven. Not that we can be sure I'm cooking a pony! Not that we know much..." She lowered her fore hooves down to her belly, which did have an adorable little pudge to it. "We don't know."

I set a hand on one of her hooves. "That sure sounds like you're still working then. A vital bit of research, related to this whole thing. You'll stay on the books."

"Money really isn't the problem." She huffed softly. "Not that I won't take the cash, but..."

"There is one thing we know."

Starlight raised a brow at me silently.

"We know exactly how old this little fella, or girl, is." I rubbed her little baby bump affectionately. "And I know that this is something we'll get through."

Starlight began to smile at that. "Sweet talker." And we kissed, lips to lips, a nice big smooch. We were of one mind there. "Make me feel silly. You're the boss! You can make this work." She rolled off my lap, falling to the ground with a loud clop of her hooves meeting it. "I don't want to just stop. I'll just be... slower for now. Maybe when I'm really showing, I'll want to sit down, but right now... We have work to do."

"Plenty of that." I allowed the chair to descend into a landed position, standing up myself. "But don't stress yourself. Besides being a +1 of mine, you're a valuable member of the team. Take the time you need."

"Yeah." Oops, new voice. There was Shining, emerging from the back. "Though I'm wondering now."

"What are you wondering about." I looked towards him, the rest of my body still facing Starlight. "You aren't pregnant, are you?" I was pretty sure I'd remember doing something like that!

Shining burst into laughter at the idea. "Thankfully not! This body is great for some things, pushing foals out, no... I'll stick to putting them in. Speaking of that." He fires two finger guns at me. "Why is she knocked up and you aren't? Not like we've been chaste."

Starlight began to blush. "That's my cue to let you two have some space."

I brought down my hand right on Starlight's head, capturing her horn between two fingers and rubbing her gently in a pet. "We're a family. A strange family, but one of those. I decided against it."

Shining hiked a brow. "You... decided?"

I hiked a brow right back at him. "I can distort the world as we know it, but deciding when to get preggers is too much to believe?"

"I'm more wondering when you were going to tell me about that. I... Look, it's your body, your choice. Some man told me to keep a child I didn't want, I'd wrap him around a pole." A little reminder to me that Shining had been a hell of a woman before. "But that doesn't mean you don't talk about it."

And he wasn't wrong, really... "Sorry, my bad there." I held up both hands, which let Starlight scurry away. "I just figured, in the end, one kiddo at a time would be best. This isn't a no, this is just a 'wait a second'. As we were just saying." I waved a hand between Starlight and myself. "There's so much we don't know. The second time, there'll be a lot less of those."

Shining tossed up a hand. "I feel stupid even having this conversation. It's not like I was thirsty for a kid before this, or even now... Shit."

"What?"

Shining hiked a thumb at himself. "I was being jealous and I'm calling myself out." That thumb turned into an extended pointer at me and Starlight. "You two do what you're doing. I'm still a part of this. Starlight, if you need a hand, you let me know."

Starlight broke into a big smile. "Thank you, Shining. Really, sorry, didn't mean to bother you."

"And you haven't," he cut in sharply. "Just stupid guy thoughts." He approached her, reaching to run a hand along her side lightly. "But I'm not just a guy, so I'm going to put my 'inner boy' in a corner and make him think about what he's done."

Ah, there was peace in my strange little family once more. "We're all here, for each other." I clapped my mismatched hands. "Speaking of, either of you like candy?" Both raised a hand. "Oh perfect. If things go according to plan, there will soon be more candy in this lab for everyone to enjoy."

Starlight sat lightly. "Are you sure Bon Bon will want that?"

Author's Note

Bon Bon and Lyra are precious, just saying. Eri reminds us that she has a family, with feelings, and they can get complicated at times.

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