Stinging Sadness

Chapters

Strategy Gone Wrong
Well That Stings
The Aftermath
The Recovery (with Cuddles!)

Strategy Gone Wrong

"There! Looks like we're all set!", I say as I put the final piece of recording equipment into the black bag.

To-do-list captain Bon Bon takes a check. "Camera, tripod, case, microphones, yep, I think that's it!", she says.

"So we are ready?", the joyful Lyra Heartstrings asks, skipping over to the front door.

"I believe we are ready!", Bon Bon exclaims.

The three of us have got a fun day going on here today. With our work schedules finally hitting a day off all at the same time, Lyra, Bon Bon, and I are finally getting the chance to act on our long-awaited dream activity; recording a short film.

During my ongoing time in Equestria, these two roommates had become among my closest friends, mostly based on the frenzy of new ideas that we always seemed to have. It was confusing to me at first, but Lyra pointed out one day that she works in music, Bon Bon works in candy making, and I'm trying for a music career as well. All creative professions. So I guess it makes sense that we've got a creative trio here.

Whenever this group was together, an idea that the other two liked and wanted to take action on would always come out of one of our mouths. Adding another entry to list was just a part of the group's meetings. But one day, a certain idea came about that drowned out everything else almost instantly.

A while ago, when we were hanging out at the doughnut shop, enjoying those delicious round treats courtesy of expert Doughnut Joe, the three of us randomly came up with an idea for a short film. It came out of complete nowhere; filming anything was something that we had never talked about in this group. But after a small, basic idea for something was brought to light by Lyra, we all then brought in more ideas that could go with it, put the pieces together, and eventually, it came to a point where we really wanted to create this film. It was something we just couldn't back down from; we had to go do it as soon as possible. We all immediately scheduled the next available day as when we would shoot that film.

And here, today is the day.

"So this is what it feels like to finally get to put something into action after it's been on the waiting list for so long!", Lyra says.

"Yes! And the wait part is what makes it even more satisfying when you do get to do it!", Bon Bon responds, giving her BFF a hoof-bump.

"I agree!", I say. "Instant gratification is not as fulfilling!"

The ponies nod.

I strap on the camera bag I was designated to carry, we take our last checks to make sure we didn't miss anything, and head out the front door for our big day.

We had already decided on our filming location; it would be an area way out in the outskirts of Ponyville that is a field of grass surrounded by trees in all directions, and having nothing but one picnic table. It was pretty boring for most activities, but perfect for a film! There likely won't be anybody else there, and there's tons of wide open space. Plus, the backdrop looks super cool. It didn't take us long to select this place.

Things are clearly going well on our film day. Now walking deep into the rural, nature-dominated regions of the Ponyville area, we continue to express to each other how great things are about to be.

"I've got to hand it to you, P4, we sure knew what was the thing we wanted to do the most. I think we've got more energy than we ever have when this group started.", Bon Bon says to me.

"Yeah! This should be the group's most memorable moment!, I say.

"I have nothing but agreement with that!", Lyra responds. "What could be more memorable than a recording?"

I don't know, but... hopefully we're correct.

We reach our filming location and begin to set up. We had our duties split in the shooting of this film: I was designated to be the one who checks the equipment periodically to make sure no errors are occurring, and then to be the one who speaks the "action" and "cut" commands, as well as counting takes. I was going to be entirely behind the scenes.

Then, Bon Bon is the camera-holder, except in the areas where she'll be on-screen, in which case, I will take over. Shouldn't be hard; it's a pretty simplistic film where we're only using three cameras.

Then Lyra is the main actor. While not her profession, being a musician did give Lyra experience with being on camera, so we thought she would be the best choice for the actor (or actress, in her case) role, which she agreed to.

What our film is going to be about? Oh yeah, that. Well basically, it's about appreciating nature. That's why we chose an area like this. Lyra was going to talk about unwinding and enjoying the moment in this kind of environment; a place that lacks basically everything you're used to if you live in an urbanized area, and might hand you things you weren't prepared for.

Sounds good to me.

We complete our setup, confirming that all the equipment is up and in order. Lyra takes a last look at the script, Bon Bon gets hold of the first camera, and our long-awaited moment begins.

I perform my role. "Take 1.", I say. "3, 2, 1, action!"

Several minutes in, the filming appears to be going as great as it could. I've been checking; no equipment issues, Bon Bon holding the camera steady, Lyra doing the acting incredibly well... yeah, today might be our big d-

Uh-oh.

Right in the middle of a near-perfect recording, at the most devastating-to-the-film time, a buzzer shows up. Specifically, a buzzer with yellow and black stripe pattern and a long, narrow body. No need to ask what this was.

"Cut, cut, cut!", I shout hastily as I sprint over to the sides of the field and go hide behind the trees, trying to stay out of the insect's view. Yeah, I've got a fear of wasps. Big time. I've never been stung, not once in my life. But I think that actually exacerbates the fear, because I really don't ever want to know what getting stung feels like. I want to keep that perfect streak alive.

Lyra and Bon Bon also noticed very quickly what was going on. "Oh shoot.", Lyra says. "Yeah, how about we stay back for a while?" Naturally, they are scared too, and run into the woods, just like me.

None of us make any attempt to fight the wasp, following the advice we've heard since childhood: "If you don't bother the wasp, it won't bother you."

Um, is that exactly true, though?

I'm not really sure, especially not right now. In our current case, the wasp seems to be actively trying to bother us! When we're not doing anything to it! Despite us doing our best, and mostly succeeding, at staying completely still, the wasp flies around us much more than anything else. First approaching me, causing me to retreat further and further into the woods, then flying straight to where Lyra and Bon Bon are; yeah, this was no ordinary wasp.

The three of us try to communicate with each other from our far-away bases. We'd like to be together in any scary situation like this, but given the split duties thing, we were all spread out when recording, and upon seeing the wasp, we wanted to get away as soon as possible. Lyra and Bon Bon had managed to stay together, but I was split off, on the complete opposite end of the field from them.

We try to make out why the wasp is sticking around us so much.

"Is there a nest around here?", I say. "Does the wasp think we're trying to invade the colony or something?", I say after I carefully make my way back to the front of the woods.

"There doesn't seem to be a nest around here.", Bon Bon says. "I haven't seen a single other wasp yet, and I don't hear any more noise."

"I don't think there's one either, but we should stay on the lookout.", Lyra says.

Yeah, she has a good point. Let's not assume that this wasp is alone.

After we finish speaking, the wasp does start flying around the open field, not approaching any of us. Thinking it might be done with us now, we keep hiding and try to wait until it flies away.

But it doesn't. It keeps flying and flying in the open field, and eventually, again heads straight for Lyra and Bon Bon.

They go deeper into the woods in an attempt to avoid the insect, to a point where I cannot communicate with them. Goodness, it will be even worse if one of them gets stung now, because what will I do? I won't be able to notice from where I'm at, and I'll be afraid to go over to their area in fear that I'll get stung as well.

I do nothing but lean against a tree and wait to see if they come back.

Fortunately, they do, and say to me "It's in the open field now, and we didn't get stung."

I say "Okay, good.", in response, but "good" is not the proper word here. We're not free from this, not at all. The wasp is still in the open field, and continuing to fly closer to Lyra and Bon Bon.

"Ahh, we have no escape route!", I say loudly. "What are we supposed to do here? And why? When we talked about appreciating nature, we didn't mean this!", I shout.

The ponies seem lost for words. Maybe they're thinking the same thing as me, just expressing it without outward anger. I can hardly see their faces from this distance, so I don't know.

But later, I find out that Bon Bon must have been thinking of a strategy, as she calls us into action, bringing up a way we could possibly get a hold of things here.

"Okay everyone, I've got an idea.", she says. "First off, let's take our positions. I will come out and stand in the field. Player 4, you stay there. Lyra, you go to the bench."

Lyra and I oblige, putting full trust into Bon Bon. We had no idea what she was talking about, but we weren't going to question it. We'll do almost anything to escape a wasp threat, and if someone has an idea, we'll take it. It's better than nothing. And I could only assume that she was telling me to stay where I was because she knew I was especially scared of stinging insects. I do remember having told her about it. So that was good.

We also agree on taking action at all. At this point, it was clear to us that we couldn't just wait this out. We had to fight back against this wasp somehow; it was simply not leaving. Risky? Oh yes, absolutely! But the way we see it, this is the only way out.

The three of us go into position, and Bon Bon brings up her strategy.

"Okay everyone, here's what we're going to do. I've got this really long swatter that I keep with me in my emergency case. I'll hide in the trees and swat at the wasp from a good distance, then follow it and swat again, then quickly go back into the trees so that it won't see me. If the wasp can't tell where the swatter is coming from, it might get scared and fly away!

"Okay! That could work!", I say.

I knew about the nature of wasps and was quite scared that Bon Bon would get herself stung here, but I do believe that she is being as safe as possible. The swatter is long, she'll keep hiding, and wasps do get scared, don't they? I mean, it could work.

Before going into action, though, Bon Bon realizes she's forgotten an instruction. "Oh, and as for why Lyra is on the bench, it's so we can possibly give the wasp a bigger scare later on. I feel like if we suddenly go from one attacker to two, that will help."

"Got it.", Lyra says.

I give a thumbs up; we're ready.

Bon Bon goes into wasp-warding action. She carefully hides behind a brown tree bark, pokes her hoof out to the close-to-woods location of the wasp, and gives that sucker a swat-at. Upon the near-impact, the wasp flies higher into the air and doesn't move much further. It just keeps hovering. Hmm, could be working!

Needing to do so in order to get close enough, Bon Bon steps out into the open field, and boldly goes for another swat. The wasp does move further along, and Bon Bon, being visible now, quickly runs back into the trees to avoid having the insect notice her.

The wasp doing the same thing as it did last time, Bon Bon takes another swat. This time, the wasp looks like it's going to be taking its leave, as it begins flying around at a fast speed in all directions.

"It's moving!", I say, feeling that the desired outcome is possibly imminent.

But... the wasp doesn't take off into the sky. It continues flying around the field very frantically, not leaving the area. Then when it does begin flying straight towards a specific area, its destination is... oh shoot. It flies to the picnic bench and lands on Lyra's right foreleg.

No.

Oh, please no...

"Lyra, did it land on you?", Bon Bon says, looking from a different angle than me.

"Yes.", Lyra says in a distressed voice. "I'm scared."

"Well, just try to stay still and wait for it to fly away.", Bon Bon says.

Normally I'd agree on that, but based on what's been happening, I just can't buy into this right now. "Um, I'm not really sure that will work with this wasp.", I say.

"You do have a point.", Bon Bon responds.

Lyra does decide to wait the wasp out and see if that works, but... it doesn't. As I predicted, it just won't get off of her.

And she understandably can't handle the scary suspense.

"I can't! I'm too scared; please get it off!", she cries.

Bon Bon bravely goes over to the wasp's vicinity and tries to help her friend. She tries for a playing card as a tool, handing one to Lyra. "Try to carefully and quickly brush it off.", Bon Bon says. "I do hear that you can do that if the wasp won't leave. Here, use this."

That is true. Back on Earth, when I would look up things on how to avoid stings, I did see text like "Try to flick the insect off."

Even still, this is a risky operation. Breathing heavily, I watch from the woods and hope for the best.

Please don't let her get stung. Please don't let her get stung.

Taking any possible solution, Lyra goes for it, holding the card sideways up to the wasp and giving it a swift flick.

The wasp didn't leave. It just jumped over to another area on her leg.

Uh-oh, did she provoke it?

Well, clearly a sting hasn't happened, as she goes for it again.

Attempt #2, we get... the same result!

What in the world kind of wasp is this? Out of all the ones we could have encountered, it had to be the most confusing wasp ever? Just our luck, right?!

Two tries failed, the sting-equipped insect still on her leg, Lyra shivers more and more in fear, not really being able to contain it. How can you expect her to?

She does continue trying to get the wasp off, though, and for the third time, she tries something different, attempting to slide the card under the wasp. Maybe she's trying to surprise it by other means.

The card gets slowly moved further and further under the insect's body, good progress seemingly being made, but then suddenly, it jumps, and... from the tree-filled sidelines where I had no choice but to watch in horror, I witness a sharp, sudden drawback of a mint-green colored leg, followed by a high-pitched wimper.

No.

Oh goodness, no.

Author's Note

Putting aside the result for now, do you think that what we were doing here was a good idea? What would you do in this situation?

Well That Stings

The entire landscape falls dead silent. Nothing is being spoken by any of us with what our eyes have just seen. Shock and surprise; that's all I can describe this as.

It's so quiet that you can easily hear the less than 5 km/h winds.

Bon Bon does end up wrapping her head around things fairly rapidly, and begins walking over towards her hurt friend. But I can't say the same for myself. Not by a longshot.

The thing is, I know this is real. There's no ways my eyes could be deceiving me here. I'm not dreaming; I already tested for that. I looked left, right, and even smacked my hand; yep, definitely awake. But I so badly want to believe that this is a dream. No way could I accept what was happening. This is not okay.

I can go out into the field safely now that the wasp has finally left, but, of course, it did not leave without any harm done. I can see the result right there; pain, pain, pain.

Again, this is not comprehendable to me. If I were to find out that I'm having a nightmare, or hallucinating, I'd be happy.

"No. Please don't tell me that I saw what I think I saw.", I say as I walk up to the bench.

Bon Bon sighs. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you that, P4. Your senses cannot be deceiving you, because I'm seeing the exact same thing as you; very clearly, at that. Lyra got stung."

I say nothing in response, feeling my blood starting to intensely boil at the uttering of those last three words. I try my best, very strong hardest to contain the outburst, as letting the emotions escape would cause a bit of a scene. A scene that the ponies, and you, probably don't want to see. But that didn't change a bit what I was feeling inside right now. I wanted to scream out curse words and hurl vicious insults at wasps in whatever way I could. I already hated them with a fiery, burning passion, and now, having had to directly witness someone I'm friends with getting stung by one only solidified that rock-hard animosity further.

I don't think for a second that I'd be much help in this situation right now with my mood, nor do I want to have an outburst right in front of my Ponyville-calm friends, so I head back into the woods, where I can hopefully let something out without problems, and gather enough time to move myself into a state of mind to where I can properly help the sting victim. Nothing wrong with being mad, but I won't be taking the risk of taking it out on a friend. Not wanting to take even a little bit of risk, I head off without saying a word to the ponies.

Meanwhile, at the bench, Lyra is trapped in severe distress. Having been exposed to an incredibly sharp defense mechanism, she is understandably breathing rapidly and still letting out wimper noises. Even tears are forming below her eyes. Something that her friend grows concerned about and needs to know isn't too overwhelming; allergies to stings do exist, so this could spell trouble.

"Lyra, speak to me. How much does it hurt?", Bon Bon says, making sure her friend isn't having a serious allergic reaction.

"It feels like... the stinger is still in there. ...Deep in there. Ow, it burns!", Lyra cries out, struggling to articulate the words.

Tears are now rolling down her face, and crying noises can be heard. The sight of this was something that could gut-wrench the emotions of so many, including myself. Having a loved one in pain; heartbreaking!

Bon Bon, although it will likely make the discomfort worse, seeks out relevant information. "Can I see your leg?", she asks, desperate to find a way of helping.

It turns out that moving the area aggravates the pain, but Lyra slowly but surely takes the offer from her go-to helper, reaching her stung right foreleg outward.

Yikes, there's a lot of redness there. Already!

"I will help you. I always carry this first aid kit around.", Bon Bon reassures.

"Well, do you... know... how to properly treat this?", Lyra asks.

Bon Bon's brain goes empty after being questioned that; she does not know. Not a single piece of treatment has even been provided yet, and it's already hit a roadblock. Now that's some luck...

"Erm, I think I've forgotten.", she says. "Maybe Player 4 can help."

Lyra agrees, but, as she looks around the field, notices another problem.

"I don't know... he seems to have left.", Lyra says.

"Makes sense.", Bon Bon replies. "He told me one day that he'd get really heated if he witnessed a friend getting stung, so I think he needed to cool down."

"And I so badly want to respect that.", Lyra puffs out. "But... ow, it hurts so bad! I can't wait for help!"

"I'll call him and see what happens.", Bon Bon says. "Hey, Player 4!"

I do hear this call and respond to it. Luckily for my pony friends, I was already on my way back; I can't say I feel better, per say, but, after being in the woods for even just a little bit, I had gotten out of the initial phase of my reaction to the sting. I did take the liberty of screaming out "Why?!" and kicking a tree while I was there, feeling confident that I wouldn't be heard or seen. Throughout my life, I have had success with getting anger out by punching or kicking something, so I was feeling calm enough to come back.

Upon hearing Bon Bon's signal, I increase my speed and find my way back into the field.

"Yeah?", I say, sounding optimistic and distressed at the same time. The distress part comes from me really not wanting to see Lyra in the state she's in. But I'm also feeling optimistic about the prospect of handing out help.

"P4, do you know what is the proper way to treat a sting?", Bon Bon asks, sitting next to her pain-ridden friend.

"Yes.", I say. "To start off, put an ice pack on it. Normally, the first step would be to use soap and water, but since we're outside right now, we'll need to start with an ice pack."

"Good. I've got one of those."

Bon Bon reaches into her first aid box and takes the blue ice pack out, placing it on the sting site. However, this method seemed a bit counterproductive at first. Lyra knew it was going to help eventually, but at first, the high-temperature pain of the sting combined with the shock from the ice-cold pack did not make her feel better. As the ice pack was placed to her burning foreleg, I could see her jump in her seat and shed tears at an even higher rate than before.

"It hurts... so... bad.", she cries out.

The hurt is spreading to me too. Seeing my friend in this state shifted my mood somewhat away from anger and over to sadness. This was also a common thing with me. When it came to empathetic anger, after the anger came plain sadness. My eyes wanted to replicate what Lyra's were doing.

Feeling my heart sink down low, and using that as an initiative, I go up to the pain-ridden mare and hand her a bit of soft mane stroking. Hopefully, that can be at least somewhat effective.

Bon Bon also aims to provide help by letting Lyra choose the fate of this trip.

"Do you want us to abandon the filming today? Just go home?", she asks.

"Yes please.", Lyra responds without doubt. "I can't film like this; my acting would be a total no-go. With this agonizing pain, I want to do nothing but go home and rest. Plus, I know the sting won't fully let up until at least a couple of days. And... that's making me more stressed out. Yeah, forget about filming today. Please take me home.", she says in distress.

Bon Bon and I so badly want to oblige. After all, she's in a ton of pain and is begging to go home. We couldn't possibly ever even think of rejecting that. But um... there's a problem here. A problem where we might have to mess up our own hearts and say we can't do it.

Because, how will we get back? We walked all the way here, remember? There's no way Lyra can walk, especially not such a long distance, with that sting.

And there's no other way around it, it seems. We can't take a car, can't pull her in a wagon, can't call for a carriage way out here...

Are you serious? Did this whole thing seriously just get worse?

Upon comprehending this, Bon Bon takes a big sigh and pushes herself to break the sad truth.

"I'm so sorry, Lyra, but... I don't think we can go home right now.", Bon Bon says. "We don't have any transportation other than our legs, and you can't take that long journey like this."

Lyra, processing this info and agreeing with it, has her tone of voice become more anger-tinted. "Yep, that's right.", she says, feeling defeated. "Now, with that I just don't know what to do!", she says, pounding her left, non-stung leg on the wood table. "This day did not turn out good."

Oh, shoot. That's, um... that's right.

After hearing her speak that sentence, it fully hit me in the head that yes, she was absolutely right. Remember what we were talking to each other about earlier in this day? We thought so confidently that this would be the day of the short film, and that at the end of the day, when it was close to midnight, we'd end it all off in an accomplished, happy mood.

But nuh-uh, said the world.

I'm really, really upset. I am not a person who takes disruption of schedule very well at all, especially not when it's an instance of a day that was supposed to be good turning out nasty. Oh yeah, and it became that way by virtue of agonizing pain being inflicted on someone I love.

I snap myself onto the ground, drenched by rigorous defeat.

"What a waste. What a way to completely ruin a day that looked like it was on the brink of history.", I say very bitterly.

This, combined with Lyra still being stuck in brutal pain and the awareness that we probably can't go home, really hits Bon Bon hard. After being the one who had avoided pessimism mode during this whole ordeal, she begins to endure the same thing we are.

We all feel so terrible. From physical pain, to anger, to stress, we are utterly overwhelmed by the swirl of those emotions, in an environment where it doesn't look like we can escape.

Our situation, in this present moment, seems totally, utterly hopeless.

But, Bon Bon takes cues from her own self that she always has on deck inside her candy-making business, where problems do come up, but she never lets herself succumb to them. She snaps herself back into reality, puts her resilient thinking style into action, and makes sure to continue what she does. Bon Bon is not a pony who will let herself conclude anything with "it's hopeless", and she's not about to let today be the first time.

"Everyone, we will take this from here. Let's take the rest of the day step-by-step, and try to figure things out one at a time.", she says.

Having made sure to give them a careful listen, her words here do seem to be helping me. I had to snap myself back into the real world as well, and she got me to do that, almost right away! She has a way with speech!

Bon Bon is right; the proper way to get ourselves out of this is to take it one step at a time. Of course we'd be stressed out by looking at it as one big thing, writing down all the problems at once.

I also start remembering to look back on other bad situations I was faced with and got through. That has happened plenty of times before; why would this time be any different? Moving my head from down at the ground to up at the sky, I believe Bon Bon full stop.

Yes. We will get through this.

And Bon Bon herself begins the process of getting through it, rightfully showing her status as the group's leader.

"To start off, Lyra, has the ice pack helped at all?", Bon Bon asks.

Lyra, who had been doing nothing but continuing to sit there and wither in pain, does pick up on her friend's optimism. "A little bit, now that I've settled into it. But not much. The sting still hurts really bad."

"Well, there is some progress there! See what I mean?", Bon Bon says.

Lyra has a mixed response to this. "Yes, there is progress, but I still can't walk. I don't think I'll be able to for a while, and I'm not going to wait that long to go home.

"Exactly!", I say. "We can't take the walk, we don't have any way to call somepony else for help, nothing. It looks to me like we're stuck here, with nothing to do.", I say, putting my pessimism on full display.

This is one of those instances where the lack of iPhones, tablets, etc. in Equestria is hurting me. Over time, I had gotten used to it; I found replacements that might have even been better, in fact. Looking at old photo albums, chatting at restaurants, and playing physical games provided more enjoyment to me than computers did. But as we're seeing here, sometimes their absence can be damaging.

Bon Bon, having taken my words into account, is now faced with another roadblock, and has to work through things again. She does... perfectly. She puts her mind to work, taking good care to focus only on the present moment, and work out what you can do with the things you do have. Being resourceful, as it's called.

"I have an idea. Player 4, couldn't you hold Lyra? Carry her? I mean, we ponies are really light. Sure, Lyra is heavier than me, but I don't see reason to think she's too heavy for you."

Upon hearing this, the sun does start peeking out in my head a bit. I do agree with the idea, and I'm unable to find any problems with it. That's a good sign!

"Yeah, I think I could do it for at least a little bit; I mean, I'm not very strong; I exercise, but it's almost always cardio. So I might have to take breaks along the way. But yeah, I think I could do that!", I say.

"See? There we go!", Bon Bon says.

Oh, absolutely! It looks like the burning problem has been solved; just like that! It's bad to be faced with a wasp sting at all, but to not be able to go home, that only makes it worse. But... it looks like now we can go home!

My goodness; this is such a feeling. When you get to the point where you've convinced yourself that there's no way out, after the way out does end up getting uncovered, it's one of the biggest relievers you could ever feel, I'd say. It's like being stranded inside the abscesses of a dark, scary cave for hours, then suddenly finding that glimmer of light belonging to the exit.

This also happens for Lyra, who even starts smiling, in spite of the sharp sting pain still being there! I could only imagine how relieved she felt; her situation would be able to get the treatment it needs!

"So, you'll hold me? Oh, thank you, P4!", Lyra says, happily. "I don't care if it takes long; I just want to make it home either way."

"I agree. Whatever it takes.", I say. "I'd hold an extra-large box all the way back if it meant I could get you home."

Lyra loves my altruism, showing it by giving me a smiley eye-close. Then she has to thank her BFF as well.

"And Bonnie, I can't thank you more for coming up with this idea. You solved everything with that idea of him carrying me. You're great as a group leader."

"Aww.", Bon Bon replies, nuzzling her friend on the cheek.

So sweet.

Looks like we're ready to go here! I mean, we still have to pack up all the filming equipment, we couldn't leave it out here, but there's no reason for us to continue hanging around in this field now that we know how we can get home.

"So, now that we have a solution, are we going now? Ditching the recording?", I ask.

"Yes. Let's do that, for sure.", Lyra says. "We'll continue it another day. And I promise we will. We're not giving up on this film; one messed-up attempt does not negate the whole project.

"That's the spirit, Lyra!", Bon Bon says, giving her a hoof-bump.

Yes. As much as this hurts, I feel comfort knowing that we will complete this film eventually. Such great wisdom from Lyra, spoken right when she was in the middle of sting pain!

We'll get it next time!

I start the process of going home. "Alright, first we've got to pack the equipment up. Obviously, let's not have Lyra do it."

"Yes.", Bon Bon says. "I'll get the microphones and stands, you get the cameras and tripods."

I give a thumbs-up and follow her instructions, picking all the black cameras off their tripods and loading them into the into the same-colored bag I was carrying earlier. I do the same with the tripods, folding them up into a bag-sized bunch.

Bon Bon gets the rest packed up; all microphones down, all stands down; awesome. Looks like we're ready. For real this time.

Except, wait a minute... again. After trying to hold both the camera and tripod bags at once, which is too heavy for me, I detect yet another roadblock.

"Wait a minute. Can we carry this all? Uh, I think we've got another problem.", I say. "I can't carry any bags while holding a pony; that would be too much for me. And I don't know if Lyra can do it either with all that pain. Bon Bon, can you carry all four bags? I doubt it."

Looking at me as I articulate this, the ponies can clearly see me falling into pessimism mode again. I do tend to do that as soon as I find any sort of problem.

But, through viewing things from another perspective, Lyra manages to quickly shut it down. It turns out, she thinks differently about her carrying abilities.

"I think I should be fine as long as it doesn't put pressure on the leg that got stung.", Lyra says from the bench. "Plus, the pain has even gone down a bit. With the saddle thing that we ponies use a lot, carrying one of them on my side should be good."

"Yeah, there you go, then I'm pretty sure I can carry the rest.", Bon Bon says as she slides the microphone, stand, and tripod bags along her sides. "Yeah, I'm good with this. I might need to take breaks, but we were going to do that anyway. I can carry three bags.", she says.

"Good!", I say. "Looks like we're ready! For real this time!"

Wow, the ponies' technique of strapping bags, purses, etc. along their sides was even more useful than I thought! I had already been calling it "a great feature" of this country, but now... I'm super thankful to live in a place where it can be done!

In agreement with my "ready for real" statement, Lyra initiates the beginning of her ride process. "Ready to saddle up with me?", she says.

"I am ready, but... how do we work out the positioning? I've never held a pony before.", I respond.

Nor did I think I would ever have to. They're usually just as mobile as I am; never did I see a situation like this coming. But hey, life surprises you, and holding her made perfect sense. Pain-wise, at least, it wasn't exactly a good idea to walk on a stung leg, especially for a distance as long as this one.

Lyra comes up with a solution that might not sound like a solution, but based on her confident voice, she has to be on to something.

"Well, I don't think I know what works best either. So, what I say is: let's test it out! Just pick me up, and we'll see what happens."

Erm, this wasn't the answer I was looking for. I was after clear-cut instructions; something that would tell me exactly how to perform the hold. I can't fault Lyra for not having a specific idea, this has to be the first time she's ever needed to be held by a human, but the way I see it, this answer only served to exacerbate a problem that I have in my life. Since they are sapient, the thought of holding an Equestrian was anxiety-provoking to me. There's a reason I never did it. For example, if I did something wrong, I could get told about it, in a language I understood. And because I am an anxious person, I do fear that will happen. I'm worried I'll hold her in an uncomfortable or even painful way, or worse, aggravate the sting site.

Oh, and it's also embarrassing. What would ponies think if they saw me doing this? I don't exactly want to be seen holding an Equestrian. I'd have to explain it, probably multiple times, making it all the more awkward.

But looking over at Lyra, it is unambiguous that this needs to be done. In these recent minutes, her speech had been sounding more normal due to her finding distraction in these other topics and the slight drop in pain level, but that wasn't going to keep lasting. I do know that wasp stings fluctuate in discomfort. And it still hasn't really gotten better, per say. I can still see the tears and shaking persisting; it was too much for her to handle, especially out here. Going home, to a place where she can feel comfortable in the environment, would have access to proper treatment, and rest on a soft surface, was not a want here. It was a necessity, for her sanity.

I successfully shove away the anxiety, using the sheer power of altruism to get me to do this.

"Alright. I do agree with you now; that is clearly the only way we're going to know.", I say. "Ready?"

"Yes! Ready!", she says.

Thankfully, she does take the time to explain some things clearly.

"Okay, here's how we'll start; I'll stand up off of this bench, you go behind me and pick me up at my stomach area. Does that sound good?"

"Sure. That sounds right to me.", I respond.

Lyra slowly lifts herself off of the bench that she had been glued to for a good while; taking care not to put pressure on the sting area, she works to stand on three legs. Which, to do so, she had to avoid using an unconscious landing technique. Going from sitting in the "human style", if you will (something that she often does), back to quadruped walking almost necessitated landing on all fours.

Yeah, it didn't quite work out. She does end up pressing her right foreleg on the grass for a brief second, letting out a painful squeal in response. She, in a snap, retracts that leg off the ground.

"Oww... it hurts.", she cries out, still not feeling much relief.

But she tries, and succeeds, at re-generating a bit of composure, not wanting to accidentally let out anything bad to me or sound desperate. (Though I don't think I'd mind the latter.) Lyra, standing on three legs, takes a breath, and says, "Alright P4, you ready? Know how to do this?"

"Yes.", I say. "Don't worry Lyra, I will help, no matter what. I may not be good at this, but I will do the best I can."

Lyra smiles greatly, putting trust in me. "Your best is all I can ask for, P4."

Seeing a better outcome in it now, I step over to the area right behind the mint-green mare, wrap my arms around her midsection, and slowly, gently give her a lift off the ground.

Bon Bon was right; despite the fairly large size of these ponies that seems non-indicative of the show's name, they were rather light; the size didn't convert to weight. I did have to use some muscle to hold Lyra here, but it's not something that I'd get exhausted with after half a minute. I've lifted moving boxes heavier than her, plenty of times.

The holding position that my body naturally chooses to use is to continue holding her with both of my arms around her midsection, and to hover her at my right side.

"Does this work?", I ask.

"Sure!", Lyra says, satisfied. "Yeah, this feels perfectly comfortable. I can take a ride like this."

"You're doing well here, Four. Don't worry. Off we go!"

Feeling the depth of her encouragement, I follow Bon Bon down the path where we came from, starting the journey back home. The place where Lyra needs to be.

Along the nature walkway, I do feel Lyra continuing to reel from the sting pain as I hold her. She is breathing heavily and closing her eyes, trying to keep herself in check. While I wouldn't be upset about this if it happened, I can imagine she's trying not to get tears on my clothes.

She does so successfully, finding something positive to talk about.

"I guess now is the perfect time for me to note, P4, that I really like being held. It's comforting to me; like, it melts away, or at least decreases, any stress I'm experiencing. Bonnie will often snuggle me at night, and it feels so, so good.

"Yeah! And is it fun to get to experience it with someone new?", Bon Bon asks.

"It is!", Lyra exclaims. "And it's helping me get my mind off the sting a bit."

Hmm. This spikes my memory.

"You know, Lyra, I've been noticing something; whenever we talk about a different topic other than the sting, you start speaking normally more. Even smiling a bit sometimes. It doesn't last long, but it's there.", I say.

Lyra notices this too!

"You're right.", she says. "Now that I look back on it, yes, I did smile a few times. I'm doing it right now, even! Talking about other things does help, even if only a little, and so does having such great friends by your side!"

"Aww.", Bon Bon responds.

Aww is right! Things may not have gone overall well today, or the way we wanted, but we have each other here. We have our friendship, and that's really what's important.

This is, without a doubt, another thing to add to the good list of the current date, and it brings me to the process of walking back my mind through the story of today. Our situation went from looking hopeless, to having a problem-solver brought up, and that solver working really well. Lyra was still in a truckload of pain, and she would continue to be for a while. Stings do take time to let up. But this was way better than it could have been. Had the idea of me carrying Lyra never been thought of, we'd be stranded.

I let my mind wander into this quite a bit, and I must talk about it to my friends.

"It's really impressive how much good actually came out of this, isn't there? We did find a way to get home, and we consciously got refreshed on the ever-important note that friendship is magic."

"Yes.", Bon Bon replies. "Today's lesson: things are never as bad as they seem."

Wow. What a good quote.

After that long trek of exercising my muscles, sprinkled with a few breaks in between that included hike-style snacking, mostly with granola bars, we finally arrive back in Ponyville, where we receive encounters with a few ponies who ask "What happened?" and "Why are you holding her?", among other things.

To which, every time, we tell the story of the bad events, but do not in any way forget to move on and acknowledge the good. The fact that we did make it back at all is huge accomplishment, based on where we were and what we had.

Every time we tell the story, the ponies listening to them switch from sad to happy faces.

That's the spirit of today. It really is.

We then make our way along the home stretch of the walk (no pun intended), and, at long last, open the door of Lyra and Bon Bon's house. Once inside, we finally get the sting site washed with soap and water, a bit of anti-itching cream added, and Lyra a good, cushy couch to rest on. Yay, somewhere that's not a park bench!

I know this quite well. When you're exhausted after a long trip, the point at which you do arrive home, it is so incredibly satisfying. I mean, this isn't my home, we're all in Lyra and Bon Bon's place right now, whereas I live in Sweet Apple Acres, but I'll take this as my home for now. Any return to a house, hotel, etc. after a leg-cramping, long, walked journey; it's really too good of a feeling to accurately describe. I don't know what to compare it to.

In celebration of making it, the three of us proceed to have a bit of fun engaging in home activities; mostly watching TV and eating food.

But I'm having trouble focusing on that, being quite distracted by Bon Bon's quote and what I had been thinking back when we were still on the walk.

It's such an awesome quote that deserves to be picture-framed and hanging on a wall.

Things are never as bad as they seem.

The Aftermath

(Lyra and Bon Bon's house)

After finally making it to a soft sitting spot following that long walk back, I saw absolutely no reason to leave Lyra and Bon Bon's place in terms of my mood. In no way, no how did I want to take any more trips outside, I was having a great time with the TV, popcorn and books, and I wanted to remain involved in Lyra's recovery from the sting; it sure does feel good to help, and it's comforting to me to see progress, even if it does regress too. I thought about staying for dinner, even.

But this had a strong barricade in front of it, because, tonight, the Apple family, whom I live with, had a special dinner planned. A special dinner that they wouldn't tell me exactly what it was or why it was so significant, but they did tell me they really wanted me there for it.

...yeah.

It is frustrating, having to travel again after something like this happens. But the thing is, the Apple family and I had scheduled the special dinner for this date with the assumption that Lyra, Bon Bon, and myself's short film trip would be successful. Under those terms, I would have been perfectly fine taking the trek back to the farm.

I mean, I could try to delay it, I'm sure the Apples would understand, but I decide not to, because I don't want to shake up our schedules or anything. For example, Applejack had an all-day visit to Appleloosa scheduled for tomorrow, and who knows what other commitments could come up the next days after. I'd rather not dig ourselves into a rescheduling hole.

And hey, why would I not be enthusiastic here? A special meal with the Apples? Yeah, it's not like I wanted to wait on that until a later date. Not at all!

Gauging the pros vs. the cons, staying with Lyra and Bon Bon would surely feel better in the moment; I'd preserve my physical and mental energy by not having to travel again for multiple hours. But then it would mean delaying the special Apple family dinner, which could potentially create scheduling problems down the line.

Results: that's 2-1 for going back to the farm. Decision made.

So I pushed myself to lift up out of my chair, said my "see you later"s to my creativity-driven friends and headed out the door, putting today's group meeting to a close.

Lyra and Bon Bon were now left to prepare for a two-pony session of treating this sting, both physically and emotionally. The process was far from done; the physical pain, although decreasing, was still present enough that Lyra had trouble carrying out her normal life activities. Even something as simple and passive as watching TV felt like a task. She tries her hardest to keep her eyes and mind locked on the show and continue using an ice pack to minimize the pain, but she just couldn't do it. Even after it seems like she's succeeding, she eventually succumbs and rubs her foreleg while letting out a sad wimper.

"It still hurts that bad?", Bon Bon asks.

"Yeah.", Lyra responds. "Like, I can hardly even watch TV. And if I can't do something as simple as that, well, I don't know if I can do anything today at all; the sting pain is ruining everything. I would say I might as well go to bed, except, I can't, because I won't be able to fall asleep with this pain.", Lyra vents out in frustration.

Bon Bon gets surprised at first, as Lyra rarely sounds like this. But she then takes it to heart and acts accordingly. She sits down on the couch next to her friend and makes an effort to help, even if it's only a little effective.

"Let me tell you that it will pass.", Bon Bon says. "The pain will go away, and you'll be back to your normal life again. I'm certain you already know that, but I felt like I needed to reinstate it to you a bit, because I haven't heard anything from you about the future that is destined to be better."

This is a good treatment. I know it always helps me to know that every hard period passes. Hopefully Lyra knows that too.

Listening to her, she does, but there is a caveat.

"You're right, Bonnie, it will pass. The sting will run its course and I'll get back to the way things were. But I can't just wait for that to happen. That doesn't solve the current problem of me being miserable right now, not being able to do any activities."

Bon Bon needs to go into thinking mode here, not having an idea right away. Lyra waits patiently, not saying another word until her friend does.

"I have an idea!", Bon Bon says about a minute later. "I could bring some candies up to you! A good shot of sugar and sweetness should distract you from the pain! How about that?"

Lyra, upon hearing that word "pain", feels the pain more strongly again and clutches her foreleg with closed eyes, but still is able to respond happily to Bon Bon's idea.

"Yes please. I don't think it will work, but I'll try anything.", Lyra says.

"Good!", Bon Bon responds.

The candy mare takes the back-and-forth trip across their house, hopping from the residential side to the business side and back again. She shows up back at the livingroom couch Lyra is on holding a red-colored box full of candies ranging from the most tangy and fruity to the darkest of chocolates.

"I do think some sweet treatment, both in terms of candy taste and friendship, will help you here, Lyra."

Bon Bon elects to do most of the work and let Lyra relax. She takes candy #1 out of the box and starts hoof-feeding her friend.

Only a few seconds in, it did appear to be working! The taste of this candy, which was strawberry-flavored, was so perfect in every way, from the its number on the sweetness scale (probably 8 out of 10) to the texture that it did move her conscious thinking away from the sting.

"Yummy!", she says. "Now, what's the next one?"

"Oh, you'll love this one!", Bon Bon says, revealing a brown-triangle piece of candy. Candy #2 is chocolate, specifically, milk chocolate with coconut inside.

I'd like to try that.

Lyra takes a good bite of this one, and, letting her taste buds take the helm in her brain now, she regains a smile on her face.

"Bonnie, you are the perfect friend for me.", she says lovingly.

"You too, Lyra.", Bon Bon says, as they pull each other into a tender hug.

(My house)

Thankfully, I didn't have to take another super long walk to return to my guest barn at Sweet Apple Acres. I took advantage of the carriage system Ponyville had, waiting at a stop point that was conveniently close to Lyra and Bon Bon's house, and being grateful that I always carry bits around.

While on the ride, I had been dealt some good time to collect my thoughts on our current situation, after things in my brain had been a bit filled up with me trying to relax after that leg-cramping trudge I took (with the addition of having to carry Lyra) to get back to her and her friend's place.

So, let's have a rewind here, shall we?

Yeah, I was really darn mad when Lyra got stung. Actually, let's do it justice: I was fuming. That stupid little bugger inflicting sharp, burning pain and inability to live her life properly on that innocent pony, am I right? I mean, I can't even use the self-defense excuse here, because in all honesty, the wasp brought those attacks upon itself! You didn't want us to try and ward you off? Well, then you should have gone the heck away! Not like we really had a choice, did we?!

Ugh...

No, I hadn't recovered from this. That was probably still a ways off. My anger even flared back up a bit along the ride as I replayed the dreadful scene in my head, needing to do so to collect my thoughts properly.

Once I got to the end of that unpleasant ordeal, I began to put my work brain into action and plan out how I should roll with this situation. What kinds of things I should do while waiting for the anger to pass.

Well, I tend to distract myself, and that always seemed to work.

This is correct. When I was on Earth, a simple YouTube video usually got my mind off of whatever bad thing I was experiencing. In Equestria, I'd need something different, which... I do think could be this special dinner the Apple family is about to have with me. Yeah, that should work!

Hey, at least that dinner is tonight! Lucky coincidence!

Yep! Looks like that part is good.

Now, back in my red guest barn, I develop something I didn't think of at all back when I was on the carriage ride. Using my pre-dinner time to let my brain run a speculation session, I'm now wondering how I'll look back on this whole thing when it's over.

Before today, the horrible incident of witnessing one of my loved ones get stung by an insect was a scene that only existed inside my "scary mode" imagination. It hadn't actually happened to me yet, so my only possible reference as to how I would feel in the aftermath came from my mind. In fact, the aftermath was the period I full-blown ignored when I daydreamed of this kind of thing. All I visualized was the initial sting part.

As for what happened today, me having to actually go through that for the first time, what do I hope I'll think when we get to the other side? Well, I do highly hope to gain something from this experience, and that is coming out stronger. I want, by virtue of having a solid reference point, to become more resilient to a sting incident should one happen again.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about being angry, but for me, I don't exactly enjoy going through it, if you get what I mean. I'd rather not have that kind of semi-rage I had today; being happy is my goal 99% of the time.

Hopefully this does turn out to be the case. Let's see how things go.

The Recovery (with Cuddles!)

(Evening of the current day - Lyra and Bon Bon)

The caring practice of hoof-fed candy did indeed have a positive effect. Lyra getting fed tasty food and overall being comforted; that worked as much as it sounds like it should. And on Bon Bon's side, she enjoyed it too. A sunbeam of friendship togetherness during this difficult time.

After that part reached its end, with Lyra declaring she's had enough sweets, the two mares noticed that the day was drawing close to dinnertime, looking at the clock that read 17:12, or 5:12 PM if the other system is to be used.

"I guess we did dessert before dinner tonight, did we?", Bon Bon says, giggling.

"We sure did! And I'm fine with that, but let's have dinner too.", Lyra responds.

"Do you think you can eat by yourself?", Bon Bon asks.

"I think I can now. Being hoof-fed felt right then because I was really frustrated and just needed some help. But now, thanks to you, Bonnie, I've recovered enough that I can eat on my own.", Lyra says.

"Not to mention that the sting site isn't on the hoof I use to eat.", she continues. "After all, I am left-hooved."

"That's right; you are!", Bon Bon says. "That's one piece of luck!"

"It sure is!", Lyra responds.

Their choice of dinner, salad, was a perfect combo of tastiness and health. Good thing ponies love vegetables.

After dinner is finished and the sunset evening rolls in, Lyra is back to sitting on the couch without any possible distractions from her wasp sting situation. Four hours after the initial impact, the venom-stricken area is now showing clearly-visible swelling. Her foreleg is near apple-red and cloud-puffy. The pain isn't as bad as at the beginning, but it's still bad enough for her to have difficulty keeping her mind off of it.

I can't believe I have to go through this. Look at this foreleg, all swollen. Such a mess, and it still really hurts... I can almost cry even now...

She rightfully thinks to search for more help from Bon Bon. She does still need help. The combination of a carry-ride home, hoof-fed candy, and able-to-eat dinner, as great as it was, could not cure everything, much less by tonight.

I'll go up to Bonnie and see what else she has in store.

Lyra hops off the couch, walking on all-fours now in spite of the sting area being aggravated by doing that. She didn't find walking on three legs to be feasible when she was actually walking. Maybe for standing while waiting for someone to pick her up and hold her, but not for walking. Especially not when there is a tall staircase between her and Bon Bon.

And that staircase... yeah. She let out quite a few "ow"s while climbing the steps, namely one for each time she had to lift her right foreleg up from one stair to the next.

Finally getting to the upstairs hallway, through a fortunately-located shadow, Lyra can tell Bon Bon is in their shared bedroom without having to call out to her. She enters the dark-blue-walled room in the hunt for more friendship help.

"Bonnie, do you know of anything that could help me sleep tonight? There is still pain, and there's swelling now too. I don't see myself getting a proper nights' sleep."

Bon Bon does know! Instantly, a technique that has no reason to not be effective springs to her mind.

"Yes, I do!", she says. Bon Bon decides to give a visual representation of her idea before a vocal representation. She flops herself onto the bed laying on her side, and offers all four of her limbs.

"The remedy I have here is cuddles!", she says.

Lyra squeals and hops excitedly to the other side. There was no doubt in Lyra's mind that she loved a good cuddle; especially from her undisputed BFF. Was cuddling a common feature with them? Yes it was, and in fact, it has a long history! When Lyra and Bon Bon first moved in together, they chose to share a bed for a reason, and they still do to the present day!

On this particular day, though, with it possessing a stress-easing quality, it's all the more special.

"You really are the best friend to have, Bonnie!", Lyra says.

"Aww, you to.", Bon Bon replies, giving Lyra's mane a stroke to begin the cuddling session.

In response, with it still there, Lyra tries to snuggle deep into Bon Bon's wide-open side hug invitation, but, as might be expected, she ends up aggravating the sting site by virtue of contact with any kind of surface.

"Ow!", she says, rubbing her foreleg. "Uh, I don't think I can do this cuddling position. It puts too much pressure on the sting area."

"That's okay.", Bon Bon says. "How about I spoon you then? Shouldn't be a problem there."

Lyra nods. "That would be great, Bonnie."

Lyra rolls over to her other side and nestles deep into the right side of the bed. Bon Bon, shuffling towards her from the left, slowly wraps her forelegs around Lyra's body, while resting her back legs at Lyra's. She hugs her friend tight, trying to squeeze out all the stress.

Lyra already feels her body relax with this sensation. Bon Bon was right; a good hug would do wonders for her. And this was no ordinary hug; this was cuddling, which by definition is an extended hug. So Lyra had no less time than the whole night to experience this.

"Love you, Bon Bon."

"Love you too."

(Evening of the current day - Me)

So this mystery special Apple family dinner turned out to be a certain meal that is treated by the Apple folk as "intentionally rare." Due to a long-lasting tradition, each family in their particular orchard only fixes the meal once a year. This was rather jarring info to learn about, but thinking about it later, it's not much of a surprise to me. The Apple family was keen on their traditions!

As their dinners naturally were, it was totally delicious, and that plus the lovely mealtime chatting we engaged in served as a distraction from the negative events of today, which leads me to be talking about what I'm doing now in regards to that, after dinner has now ended.

I basically just try to immerse myself into other activities so that thoughts of the sting get drowned out. Portions of this process included Applejack and I playing a game of horseshoes, all four of us taking another photo album memory lane trip, and when the clock turns to almost bedtime, I use my remaining awoken minutes to try and get myself ready for the next day.

As tends to happen in bed, while I'm laying there, I wonder.

I wonder how I'll feel then, on the next day.

I wonder how long it will take for me to get back to normal from this.

We shall see...

(Morning of the next day - Lyra and Bon Bon)

They end up cuddling throughout the entire night; in the same position, no less! Lyra wakes up with the process of bathing in the warmth and comfort of her friend's tight-gripping forelegs complete.

As she stirs, this is the first thing on her mind, and she's so happy for it that she just has to say it out loud, even if her cuddler were to still be asleep.

"Thank you so much, Bonnie. That felt great.", she whispers, not being able to tell if Bon Bon is awake or not due to being the little spoon.

It turns out Bon Bon is awake, and Lyra gets a response.

"It's me being me.", Bon Bon says softly. "In whatever way works for them, I do my best to provide comfort."

This could not be more true. Bon Bon is as sweet of a friend as she is a candy maker.

The pure emotion of this exchange was effectively trying to act as a snooze button. It made them want to cuddle even more. Not bother waking up.

They do still want to experience the daytime, so they decide against this, but they do not hesitate to perform a honeymoon hug for a short period. Spooning was great, but the current moment rendered a big hug from both of them onto each other. Lyra and Bon Bon break out of the spoon, roll onto their sides facing each other, and simultaneously use their forelegs to squeeze each other with all the strength they can.

And that was all they needed now. After that powerful hug, they feel ready to start the day.

The two mares, feeling ever so happy coming out of that cuddly night, hop down the stairs for breakfast. It's 8 o'clock, so it's been about 17 hours since the sting happened.

At this point, the progression has been... not so good. The swelling was still very much present; Lyra's right foreleg looked noticeably larger than her left. That's even slightly worse from last evening, when a larger size was not seen. The venom has traveled far away from the initial sting site and well into other areas of her foreleg.

But she feels healthy enough to feed herself on her own with little problem. Being left-hooved really had its benefits here, when Lyra, being part of the mere 10-12% in that regard, would say it's primarily a drawback. Good thing her non-dominant hoof was the one that got stung, right?

(Morning of the next day - Me)

It's tough to describe the status of my emotions as of the beginning of this new day. It's very much a mixture.

I emerge from sleep mode still feeling angry; I tested for it by once again replaying the sting scene in my head. The result: yeah, I didn't feel much better in this regard.

But then I immediately change the scene to a self-reminder that the anger, and everything else, will fade over time. This whole ordeal will pass, as every rough patch always does.

But... it hasn't passed yet. We may be out of the thick of it, but the thick has only just been completed, bringing in the recovery period that has very much just started. For this recovery period, I'm running short on ideas on what to do while I wait for the situation to end.

Well, there is breakfast, and my roommates will be there, so I guess that's a good choice. I step out of my bedroom and through my guest barn's main area, making my way outside.

As I go on my trip down the country path to the main barn, things turn out to not improve. Because I pick up on another negative emotion on top of the already-existing one.

This just isn't fair! Why did I get to remain unharmed whereas Lyra had to suffer? Why her? Why not me?

Plus, she didn't deserve to get stung anyway! All we were doing was trying to flick the wasp off! Is that a reason to be so aggressive?! Do humans respond to someone cutting in line by slapping or shoving them?! No, because that would just escalate things! We use our words! Too bad wasps can't do that, am I right?!

So I'm not only still mad at the wasp, but also going through this thing called "survivor's guilt."

Hopefully my Apple family roommates can help remedy it.

I walk into the red barn, which is already full of food aromas. But that doesn't help my attitude much, as I say in a somber voice, "Hey, y'all."

Applebloom was usually the first to talk to me in the morning, and her voice tended to remain in its excitement mode regardless of how I was speaking. She continues this role in both aspects.

"Mornin, P4! Feelin' any better?"

"Sadly, not really, because now I've developed survivor's guilt. I just can't get over how unfair it is that I'm not the one who got stung. That it had to be Lyra; who didn't even deserve it, in my view. She wasn't swatting at the wasp or anything like that, just trying to flick it off. Those buggers really overreact to things."

"And on top of that, there's even a second problem that stems from something which appeared to be solved yesterday. I'm now out of ideas on what I should do while I wait for this to pass.", I vent out.

Applejack is my closest friend, and she naturally becomes the one to try and help.

"Let me tell ya something ah know; exposure does help. Go see them Lyra and Bon Bon again. Ask them how they're doin.' You and Lyra get to recover from this together, why not do that?"

Listening closely to Applejack, I do like this idea. But it still leaves something open.

"You think she could help with the survivor's guilt?"

"Definitely! No better way to treat that than by spendin' time around the one who got hurt! They've got the perspective!"

You know what, that is true. I'll go do that.

"Thanks Applejack, I love having you as a friend."

Applejack smiles, and I'm ready to take this on.

Before I go, though, there's still breakfast, which should serve as a distraction. It did, and was sure delicious.

After that, I get dressed, brush my teeth, and set out for Lyra and Bon Bon's house. On the journey, I continue reminding myself that this will pass, and that this probably is a good idea.

I don't think they were expecting a visit from me today, but honestly, I had the opportunity wide open. Today was Sunday, so they probably weren't at work. I knock on the wood door.

Looks like they're getting a surprise!

Lyra is the one to open the door, and she is happy at the surprise.

"Oh, Player 4! What brings you back?!"

Unfortunately, I have to respond kind of sadly to her optimism. Ah, it's so annoying to do that...

"I'm here because I want to come talk to you about what happened yesterday. Today I woke up feeling survivor's guilt and not really any progress from yesterday. I told the Apples family about it, and Applejack said the best way to remedy the guilt would be to come talk to the one you feel sorry for, and she also mentioned that we're recovering from this together."

"Okay, that's cool with me!", Lyra says. "I'm no expert on emotions or anything, but I'll try to help."

"That's really all I need; a calm and trustworthy friend whom I know will listen.", I say.

Lyra smiles. "Let's go to the couch.", she says.

Watching Lyra move around, I couldn't help but notice she was walking on all fours now. Had the sting pain subsided that much?

I ask her this as we sit down on across blue couches.

"So, how bad is the pain still? I noticed you were walking normally."

"It still hurts, like, it still feels sharp, but it doesn't burn as much. It's cooled down enough that I can walk."

But Lyra isn't looking for a sting progress update. "Over to you now, though.", she says. "It's survivor's guilt you're going through?"

"Yeah. I say. "It's not that I wanted to get stung, but I feel bad that I came out of this without any physical harm inflicted on my body. It doesn't make sense in my mind why you had to be the one who got stung, and not me."

"Well, I know the reason for it.", Lyra quickly responds. "It's because I was the one that the wasp landed on. I'm the one who tried to flick it off when it had wide-open space to use its stinger. You, on the other hand, weren't participating in trying to get rid of the wasp. You were hiding far away in the trees. Based on that sheer combination, you probably weren't going to get stung. You had a far lower chance than me."

Hearing out Lyra carefully and trying to look for one, I had no possible counterpoint. She was totally right. My knee-jerk reactions tend to be what do the talking, but since I actually took the time to listen, I couldn't try to fight back.

There is still one more thing creeping up, though.

"Right, but if the wasp had landed on me, I can almost certainly bet that I would have done the same thing as you. Tried to get the wasp off. What rationale is there for why it picked you to land on, out of there being three of us?"

"Well, I was out there in the open.", Lyra answers. "Bon Bon was directly attacking the wasp, making it difficult for it to get to her. You, again, were hiding in the trees. Whereas me, I was sitting still at a bench right in the middle of the open field. I was by far the most accessible. It makes perfect sense to me why the wasp would pick me to land on."

...And I'm completely void of any possible counterpoints. Talking it out really does help.

"I guess you're right on that. You do make sense to me now, so thanks, Lyra. The problem now lies within the time frame of recovery; I'm still mad at the wasp.", I say.

"Right. It takes time to recover.", Lyra responds.

"Here is something that should help you there: Think of how much progress has been made. When I first got stung, we seemed to be stranded in the woods with me in intense pain. We found a way to get home, so that's one piece. We got me treated and cared for; that's two. The sting site has improved; that's three. The sting does seem to have gotten worse now, with the swelling, but I am convinced I am on the upswing from here on out. Plus, I feel emotionally better too. I'm not really upset at the wasp anymore."

"Just take that timeline into account. Think of how positively different things are now compared to 19 hours ago."

Oh yeah, absolutely. Much of the bar has already been filled, and it will only continue to fill from here.

Lyra really has a way with words!

"You're such a great helper. Thanks, Lyra.", I say.

"Anytime, P4."

Lyra continues. "I also want to say this: Applejack is right that talking to the one who you feel bad for is a good idea. You're here right now for me to tell you that I'm happy you did not get stung. If you had, I would have felt terrible. This very situation would still be around, just in reverse."

You know what, that is right. The survivor's guilt and stuff would just be flipped if I had gotten stung. She'd be the one coming to my place and asking me for help. Since the formation of our group, Lyra has told me anecdotes of her having survivor's guilt before.

Of course, though, I still find a way to counter-act this.

"I guess that's right; it would just be in reverse, but why did this have to happen in the first place? Why didn't that wasp just go away?!", I vent.

"Well, like I said, life is random like that. Bad things happen.", Lyra says.

"Note what I'm saying here. Here is something that should help; as the one who is having to suffer this sting, what I want for you is to not feel guilty for me. Empathy is great, but guilt is totally unnecessary in this case. You had no responsibility for me getting stung. It makes perfect sense why you did not try to help me. I know you're scared of wasps; I have no hard feelings towards you for hiding in the trees the whole time."

"Now, as for the empathy part, is there still anything you'd like to do for me? I know that would help."

"Yes.", I respond eagerly. "I really want to do something to help you."

"Well, how about you give me a bit of petting?"

"Sure.", I say, getting up off my chair and feeling ready to carry out this helping technique that should apply to both of us!

I reach out my hand and begin stroking Lyra's mane, starting from the area around her horn to the strands at the bottom and moving in a consistent back-and-forth motion, which ponies seem to prefer.

"Ooh. Ah yeah, that feels good.", she lets out.

I continue petting her soft mane, feeling wonderful to be doing something to help her.

At the same time, I sense a great deal of progress on my end. The biggest roadblock to my recovery, the survivor's guilt, was getting killed off, thanks to Lyra's lovely ideas. It was still around, sure, as was the whole emotional experience, and it will get worse and better over time. Recovery is not a smooth ride, but very bumpy.

But I do surely see myself on an overall upward trend.

And now, as I'm doing my part in helping Lyra, with the mane petting, I can tell this is speed-up in the recovery process. Seeing my friend smile at my touch can only make me do the same thing.

Before I declare "progress in motion" though, is there anything else I still have to ask?

Yeah, there is. However, it's not guilt-related this time.

"One thing I still need, is something to do while I wait for this to pass. I'm short on ideas.", I say to Lyra.

"Well, you could go pet more ponies, we could play music together, you could buy some candy... loads of things!", she responds.

And there it was. Another crucial missing piece of my recovery... filled in that tiny timespan. By the sting victim herself.

Recovery from survivor's guilt... in progress. Recovery from anger at the bad luck... in progress. Missing ideas on what to do in the meantime... filled.

I declare progress in motion.

And pick up the golden self-reminder.

That this will pass.

Bon Bon, who had been working in her candy shop during Lyra and I's interaction, the later and shorter Sunday hours giving her more time to prepare, comes up into the livingroom, and asks, "Things going well?"

I already know what she was intending to get out of us.

"Things may still be a bit rainy overall, but right now, at this minute... yes, it is going well.", I say, continuing to pet Lyra's mane as she smiles at the sensation.

That statement. Yes indeed.

There is sunshine peeking through the rain clouds.

And one day, it will be sunny again.

The End

Author's Note

Shout-out to user Wild Zontars for letting me know that the honeymoon hug was called so!

And here we come to the closure of another story. It's a bit surreal, as I knew I was going to write this story for a long time. The plot of it probably predates my arrival on this site, even.

And now, on the night I'm typing this, after I had waited for months to write this story while working on its predecessors, it's over. The idea has been flushed out.

I think this chapter might paint a good picture of how recovery looks different for different people. The process I use in this chapter might look unrealistic for those who need to go to therapy. But it is realistic for me. When I go through a rough patch, a good session of talking it out with a trusted friend and a few distracting activities to do while I wait for the pain to run its course; that is truly all I need.

The cuddling portion of this chapter; I think it's going to become a tradition of mine to do that. For every story with the "tragedy" tag to include cuddling, whether as part of the recovery process or as a bonus at the end. It's what feels right to me.

See you in the next story!

Player 4