What If...?

Chapters

Chapter 1***
Chapter 2****
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6**
Epilogue
Chapter 5

Chapter 1***

BonBon stared at the white ceiling as she contemplated what to say. It was hard for her to even admit feelings to her friends, but now that a therapist stood just a few feet away, notepad in hoof ready to write down whatever he felt necessary, she felt choked up.
It was an odd silence while the cream colored mare considered what she should say him.

Just the thought of spilling her feelings made her chin quiver, the hot tears ready to pour down her cheeks. BonBon wasn’t somepony known to hold back her feelings and definitely was an emotional mare, which caused this whole situation to seem much more threatening to her. However, she spent all of her bits just to have the opportunity to release bottled up feelings and wouldn’t waste this opportunity.

When the only pony she could confide in was the subject of her own infatuation, she had nopony else to go to.
After a minute or so, the grey stallion spoke up in a calm, deep voice, “Why are you here today, BonBon?”
He was wearing glasses, while using his magic to keep a pen suspended in the air ready to write what he felt he should.
BonBon kept her attention straight up at the wall, “I-I…I’m here for many reasons,”

“What’s most important to you?”

Lyra…

“Love…” She squeaked out with a tiny voice crack. Just thinking the teal mare’s name brought about a flurry of emotions.
The therapist jotted down a note, switched positions in his seat then looked up towards the mare lying on the black leather couch in front of him, “Ah, such a common topic among ponies these days. Feel free to start whenever you deem necessary. I have water and tissues on the counter next to you for whenever you need them.

Of course I can start anytime, I’m paying you by the hour...

“I-I…I guess I will start with what happened about 6 months ago, at Sugarcube Corner. It was Lyra’s birthday,”

“May I ask who that is?”

“A friend…” She sputtered after a shaky sigh.

No need to admit everything at once...

<><><><><><><><><>

BonBon, finally added the finishing touches as she put up a streamer across the bakery’s main room. In bright chrome letters it read ‘Happy Birthday Lyra’. It was the final piece on a mountain of effort that the earth pony put into this surprise party. Balloons surrounded the whole main party room, with confetti ready to be blasted in air when the unicorn arrived. She had a massive teal and white cake set up on a table in the middle of the room. The theme was Lyra’s colors which could be seen everywhere in the bakery. Everything that could be, was altered to be turquoise.

If BonBon could find it, she made it blue. It was the first surprise party she had ever hosted and she couldn’t bear to see a single flaw in its setup.
Arriving at the party was Roseluck, a mutual friend of Lyra and BonBon greeted the cream colored mare with a giddy smile.

“OH MY CELESTIA, BonBon! Lyra is going to trip OUT when she sees this! Everything is so blue! The cups, the walls, the cake! Oh!”

After a hug, BonBon couldn’t hold back a squeal of excitement as she looked around at her finished work.

“I don’t think I have worked harder on anything in my life!” BonBon exclaimed with a jubilant laugh, “I really hopeshe’s blown away by this!”

“Of course she will be! I know her just well as you do, I bet fifty bits she’ll faint!” The red-maned earth pony trotted around the main room for a good hiding place. Pinkie Pie, Mr. and Mrs. Cake plus several other ponies were stacked up being the largest table, ready to burst out and shock the teal unicorn.

“I don’t want to lose fifty bits after all I spent on this surprise party!” The cream colored mare said with another laugh, “It’ll all be worth it when she comes. She should be here any minute, we should get into place!”

They a huddled together as they waited for Derpy to knock the code knock to let them know Lyra was just about to enter.

“So what gave you the idea to hold a surprise party for Lyra?” Roseluck asked in a whisper, as she sat next to BonBon. They were all well hidden behind the a table in the center of the room. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were in front, Raindrops and Cloud Kicker next.

“Ever since we were fillies we always have tried to out do each other, and sugar, I always win!”
After a quick hush and a few ‘be quiets’ they huddled together excited and ready to surprise the birthday mare.

<><><><><><><><>

“So, how did Lyra react once she arrived?” The therapist question. BonBon now knew his name was Dr Buckington.

The cream colored mare bit her lip, still holding back tears, “She didn’t…” .

She turned her head away in frustration.

“What do you mean?”

The earth pony turned back over with a sigh, “After all my planning and all my work, she didn’t even come. Derpy couldn’t find her. She was in Manehattan with her coltfriend,” BonBon emphasized ‘coltfriend’ with a hint of spite. Her hooves were now crossed as she waited for the grey stallions response.

“So Lyra left without telling anypony?”

The cream colored pony shook her head, “She said it was on a whim, she didn’t really have time to tell anypony, even her best friend...”

Dr. Buckington wrote a note, and then spoke again, “That sounds like an awful experience after all of that planning!”

“It wasn’t just that I had it all set up, I-I told her to stay in Ponyville for her birthday, so I could surprise her….but she didn’t. B-but, I couldn’t stay mad, after all, we had been best friends since grade school, I was sure she was sorry,”

After jotting down a few more notes, Dr. Buckington responded, “When you talked to her about it, how did she react?”

“Well, I had waited for her to return to Ponyville and she was with her coltfriend. Up until then, I didn’t know she had one. When I saw him, I could just tell she was too good for him. Even after just meeting him, I could tell he was a grade A jerk, sugar. But that was when I told her about how, she um…well, forgot about staying in Ponyville on her birthday. She seemed awfully sad about it, but she was so happy with this stallion, I didn’t want to make her feel too bad. I played it off as if it wasn’t a problem, she...she just seemed so happy…”

“Mhmm,” Was the therapist’s only response. He continued writing down on his notepad. BonBon grabbed a tissue, before she started again.

“All our lives we’ve been best friends…we didn’t really ever have coltfriends, because we had so much in common that we could hang with other and avoid the need to have one, you know? It was like a bond between us that I didn’t expect it would break. I don’t know why…looking back on it now, it was quite dumb of me to expect such a thing…but it bothered me more than I think it should have… we just graduated from school, maybe drifting apart from friends was natural, you know, sugar?”

“I think everypony has had experiences like that with best friends, I think it’s best just to trust that they feel the same about you as you feel about them,”

if only…

“You’re right,” She said with a sigh, “About one or two months later, me and Lyra haven’t actually hung out in a while and I, being the single lonely friend I was, I basically had to beg her just for us to have a mare’s day out like back in the good old times, but when I saw her, there was clearly something really wrong,”

<><><><><><><><>

All morning BonBon was excited to finally spend time with her best friend. She went to town and bought Lyra a present just out of kindness. To make a friendship last, you need to put effort into it. It’s what they have done since they were fillies and something she wanted to continue to do.

Blue roses, created from magic, were Lyra’s favorite. She knew everything about the teal unicorn and it always helped when picking out something random just to be a nice friend. BonBon imagined the day that awaited her, a day of full of reminiscing on their past together as friends, while also creating moments to reminisce about in the future. They felt so comfortable around each other; they could be weird and say the most random stuff without worrying about being judged. They could gossip about other ponies in town, play pranks on each other without worrying about going too far, because they were sincere best friends.

However, today was different. When BonBon trotted merrily to her friend’s home, it took a while for Lyra to even answer the door.
The door opened slowly, and seeing Lyra’s condition wiped the smile right off BonBon’s face. It looked like Lyra had been crying for hours, her eyes were reddened and she just looked tired.

“L-Lyra! What happened!” BonBon exclaimed at the site of her distressed friend, “were you crying? What’s wrong?”

Lyra’s head hung low, ears lowered, “Nothing,” Her voice sounded course and was almost too quiet for the earth pony to hear.

Lyra’s home was dark because each window was covered by a drape with all doors shut except for the front door. This scared BonBon, knowing she only did this during some sort of depression.

“Lyra, you know you can talk to me about anything, sugar! What’s going on?” She walked inside her home, turning on the lights with it. Lyra meandered over to her couch, while BonBon found a vase to set the blue roses in.

“I brought you flowers, will that help your mood?” BonBon asked, but knew it would take more.

“Please, don’t tell him what I tell you…” Lyra’s was voice was harsh and quiet as if she was sick. BonBon had the sinking pit in her stomach she hasn’t felt in years from seeing her friend like this.

“I’d never do that to you Lyra,” The cream colored pony said sincerely. She understood that ‘him’ was Lyra’s coltfriend.

“We got in a fight last night, after we went out on a date,” Lyra said, voice stronger, “Because I accidentally spilled juice on his coat,”

This disgusted BonBon even though she had actually had personally predicted something like this happening.

How could someone get in a fight over getting their coat a little dirty, that’s just so wrong to do to someone you supposedly love! If I were him I’d cherish Lyra, treat her perfect…

BonBon stopped herself from continuing her thoughts. Thoughts like those confused her, no matter how prevalent.

We’re just best friends, we could never be more, we’re both mares…

That thought has become increasingly less convincing for BonBon.

“Does he really worry about his coat that much?” The earth pony asked from inside Lyra’s kitchen. She was fixing her up some hot chocolate, which was always Lyra’s drink of choice when she was sad.

“He yelled at me for an hour about it, he said I was worthless, that I was clumsy and…” The unicorn’s voice broke apart mid sentence but she quickly regained her composure to continue, “H-He apologized later though…”

BonBon walked over from the kitchen meet Lyra with two cups of hot cocoa. The tiny smile on Lyra’s face brought warmth to BonBon’s heart. It made her feel good to know she can help her friend so much so easily.

“Do you think he was sincere?” The cream colored pony said as she hopped up next to Lyra on her couch, Lyra holding their cups of cocoa with magic until Bonbon and could hold it herself.

“I-I don’t know…he promised not to do it anymore, I hope he doesn’t…I give him my heart and he treats me like this…?

“I’m sure he can change, sugar. Just give him the time he needs to mature,”
BonBon was being more optimistic than she truly felt. She considered Lyra’s coltfriend as a piece of scum that wasn’t good enough for Lyra. But then again, who was?

“Thank you, BonBon…you’re always here for me whenever I need you to be, you’ve always been such a great friend…”

Chapter 2****

“So it is clear to me that you and Lyra are very close, am I correct?”
With a sigh, the earth pony responded with a ‘mhmm’.

“Would you say you love her?” The grey stallion pushed forward, his questions getting slightly more personal, as he had planned to do,

Yes! Yes! More than she could ever know…

“O-of course” She stammered, “We’ve been best friends for our whole lives…”
The therapist lifted his pen again and wrote something more.

“From what you’ve told me, I think it may be more than that, BonBon. You’ve stressed how much you’ve despised her coltfriend from the start, even before their fight. You’re so descriptive when you describe her, I’ve caught you smiling every single time you mentioned her. You can’t get this mare off your mind, can you BonBon?”

“W-what can I say…” BonBon said in a shaky voice, dams ready to burst behind her eyes, “You’re right…everything I do centers around when I can see her! Absolutely everything…not just because we’ve been friends for so long. I m-mean, if only I would have told her before now…we’d still be friends if she knew I felt this way, right?” The cream colored mare asked, hoping his answer would make her feel slightly better about her situation.

Hypothetical thoughts of telling Lyra about her feelings sent chills down her spine. BonBon felt shameful for the feelings she have towards her and the idea of losing a best friend over them was worth the pain of not knowing whether Lyra ever felt the same. Well, that’s what she told herself. The fact that Lyra has a coltfriend answered it for her somewhat, but the feelings remain no matter how she tried to get rid of them.

These thoughts caused her to miss what Dr Buckington had said, so she asked him to repeat it. “Of course, BonBon. I said, often it is what you didn’t do that you regret more than what you did. It’s clear to me, through from what you have said so far, that Lyra would never give up your friendship for anything. Though it may take her time to accept your feelings towards her, she seems mature enough to know of your feelings, but put them aside for the sake of your friendship,”

“I don’t want that!” The cream colored mare exclaimed, tears now pouring down her cheeks, “I want be with her! I want to kiss her! I want to live with her and spend the rest of my life with her! I want to hug her, I want to be the only pony she needs! I want to love her and for her to love me back...I-I-I… I know I’m being selfish, wanting more than what I should be happy with, but I’m just…I’m just so lost…”

The climax of her outburst slowly dissipated into quiet sobs, she used her hooves to wipe away tears, something she has become all too familiar with in the recent past. Hot tears glided down her cheeks as she let her emotions pour out on the therapist. In an odd sense, it felt good for her to let loose her emotions and cry, knowing somepony was listening to her, especially thoughts she had kept bottled up before meeting Dr Buckington.

“Sometimes things just don’t go the way you want them too. It’s a learning experience BonBon. The best thing you can do is learn from your experiences,” The grey stallion said at last, once the mare got a grip on her emotions.

“I-I waited too long…tomorrow it’ll be too late,” She turned over to her side facing away from the therapist.

“What do you mean?” The grey stallion questioned as he wrote down a few more notes.

“It was about a week ago…” BonBon started forcefully making herself relive her memory.

<><><><><><><><>

“Me and Lyra haven’t met at Sugarcube Corner in such a long time! She must be really excited about something,” The cream colored mare mused with a smile to the pink pony across her. They were sitting inside of the bakery, enjoying some snacks that BonBon had cooked up herself .

“I already know! Hehe! Lyra told me earlier, but she wants me to keep the secret because she’s going to surprise you with it! AND I’LL SUPPLY THE CAKE!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically, quickly stuffing her face with a few cupcakes.

BonBon giggled in response to the pink pony’s crazy antics, “Then don’t tease me! I can hardly wait as it is, sugar!”

“It’s going to be surprising, but not surprising! You know what I mean!? Like, you want a cake and somepony got you a present and you expect it to be a cake so much that it seems TOO obvious that it’ll be a cake! SO THEN you don’t expect it to be a cake, AND THEN…!” Pinkie held for a dramatic pause, “IT TURNS OUT TO BE A CAKE ANYWAY! You know!?OMIGOSH I WANT SOME CAKE NOW, LYRA NEEDS TO HURRRY!”

“You’re telling me! We haven’t been able to hang out much since she got a coltfriend, hopefully she can today,!”

I wonder what her surprise is? Maybe she finally broke up with that stallion, maybe Lyra knows about my feelings? Maybe she shares those feelings?

Her own thoughts caused her to blush, but luckily Pinkie Pie was off in her own world thinking about trillions types of cake.

Yeah, right…

It only made sense to BonBon that Lyra would finally break up with the stallion. BonBon had had an inside view on how he treated her, and didn’t understand why Lyra put with it. BonBon was who Lyra turned to during the many arguments they had and it broke BonBon’s heart to see the teal unicorn being treated so badly. It was almost on a daily basis that the cream colored mare would help Lyra through a struggle in her relationship, while having to hold back her own feelings. It took a lot for the cream colored mare to prevent herself from exclaiming how much better she would treat her if she was just given a chance.

BonBon has seen first-hoof how Lyra’s coltfriend treated her. He treated her like she obligated to be with him, like it was a privilege for her to be in his presence. It disgusted BonBon and she let Lyra know that. Sometimes it would seem that Lyra was going to end it, but she never did.

I need to stop giving myself false hope; I just need to be real about this. I’m a single mare, falling in love with another mare who has a coltfriend. I just need to accept this and move on. BonBon sighed in response to her own thoughts. If only it was that easy…

BonBon wasn’t surprised that when Lyra came, she was with her coltfriend. This almost made the earth pony mad just to know her friend completely disregarded her obvious distaste for the stallion.

The cream colored pony ignored the thought though, because just seeing the unicorn elevated her mood and made her feel much happier. They greeted with a hug, while BonBon seemingly ignored the presence of the stallion. All three, along with Pinkie Pie sat at a table, the stallion keeping a stern look on his face for no apparent reason. He was a shorter earth pony, with the cutie mark of a sprig of maize. BonBon assumed this meant he worked in some sort of corn farming plantation, or just really loves corn.

“MR AND MRS CAKE WE NEED SOME CAKE, PRONTO!” Pinkie exclaimed, the force of her statement thrusting her impossibly into mid air. But then again, nopony dares to question pinkie physics.

“So!?” Bonbon said with a jubilant squeak, “What’s the surprise!?”

Lyra turned to her coltfriend and with a smile turned back to her best friend.

“Well, we’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and…”

“We’re going to get married!”

<><><><><><><><>

With a sniff BonBon prevented herself from breaking down once more.

“It was the hardest thing for me…you know, to pretend to be happy for her, pretend it didn’t…break my heart,”

“Well, to me it seems that you need closure. You’ve harbored these feelings for your friend for quite a while now and the only way I believe this pain will end, is if you confess your feelings to her. No matter which way it goes, I believe that when you take a big leap and admit something like this to somepony that you feel you love, not matter how the situation ends up, you’ll come out of it as a stronger mare. Harboring feelings for Lyra is understandable for the situation you’re in. You probably felt scared, embarrassed, or maybe even shameful for having them. The first step is to accept that you’re feeling these feeling and that they’re real, which I believe you have done. The last step involves what I just mentioned, which is telling Lyra how you feel,”

BonBon knew he was correct with every single thing he said. The words stung, though there was no real harshness about them. However, they got her contemplate about finally admitting her emotions to her best friend, telling her how much she loved her and though she had thought about doing it before, it was nothing she had seriously considered until then.

“T-That night I went home, after pretending to be so happy for her, pretending not to feel my heart being ripped into two, THAT night was the first time I cried over her, without it making me feel better…what I mean is, I had cried over my love for her before a-and usually I would feel better after. But that night, I felt complete despair, I felt like me and her are meant to be together, but she…she just loves somepony else…a-and I guess I am just too weak to understand that,” BonBon confessed, voice shaky and wavering.

“Don’t call yourself weak BonBon. From what I have seen, you’re a very strong mare. Love is a complicated emotion; don’t let it make you feel down about yourself,”
After taking a little sip from the cup of water, BonBon sighed, almost in acceptance of her situation. Though tears still seemed to find their way out of her eyes and down her cheeks, she was at least feeling slightly better about herself and her circumstances.

“The wedding is tomorrow…I-I think I need to speak to her before, I-I think it’s time for me to tell her the truth, whether the answer is what I would like it to be or not”
Saying it out loud solidified it for BonBon.

“I agree and wish you the best of luck. However, I regret to inform you that our time is up for today. I truly hope I have helped you in your situation, BonBon,” He said in his simple deep voice.

BonBon stretched and then hopped up off of the couch she had been laying on the whole time. She felt like a different mare than when she entered the room.

“I feel better and I-I feel that I know what to do now, sugar. You definitely helped me,”

Dr Buckington smiled warmly. “Remember to come back next week, it’s a free session.”

“Hopefully by then I won’t need it,” The cream colored mare said, wiping the last tear out of her eye with a single hoof.

“I hope so too,”

Chapter 3

The cream colored pony walked away from the therapist’s clinic with an improved outlook on her situation. The day was surely soon to end, the cascading pink clouds gloriously covering the distant mountains. This was the time of day she loved to go on walks. Most of the time, one way or another she ended up at Lyra’s house just to say hi.

Surprisingly, BonBon felt better. If anything, she probably shouldn’t have waited so long to visit a therapist for her troubles, however she just viewed it as ‘better late than never’. The only thing that was conflicting her was the fact that she would be confessing these feelings to Lyra the day before her wedding. To her it seemed conniving and wrong. This worried BonBon, because no matter how much she hated the colt the teal mare was with, she didn’t want to ruin things between them. The last thing she would want to do is destroy Lyra’s happiness.

BonBon trotted aimlessly as she envisioned how Lyra would react to the timing of her confession. Though in some aspects it made sense for her to confess her feelings the day before a wedding, BonBon assumed that’s what anypony else would do if they were in her situation. Unless they did what she SHOULD have done, which is confess way before it got to this.

BonBon didn’t need any more convincing. She needed to find Lyra

The earth pony didn’t have a solid plan, really. Just get some alone time with Lyra, admit her feelings, hope that Lyra isn’t disgusted by the confession. It hurt BonBon to accept the possibility that her feelings weren’t returned by the beautiful turquoise mare, but she knew she needed to understand that Lyra was getting married to somepony else for a reason.

BonBon knew where Lyra was. Her coltfriend was probably at work, like he always was at that time of day. They were possibly not going to see each other until the wedding, which is a tradition in Ponyville. Knowing this made her heart flutter with anticipation and a hint of fear.

Whatever the outcome, I will hold my head up high…

Once coming to the conclusion that she was going to see Lyra, BonBon changed direction and headed towards the unicorn’s home. Dr. Buckington’s office wasn’t very far from Lyra’s home, but she was unknowingly walking the opposite direction until she fully decided that she would go to her friend’s home.

Because of this decision, she knew this day would change her life drastically. The thought of the changes that were to take place between herself and the blue maned unicorn caused her mind to drift off into a nostalgic state, as she recalled when they first ever met. It was during the Running of the Leaves and was BonBon’s very first. Her class, which included Lyra, was going on a field trip separate from the main running of the leaves to prevent the younger ponies from getting on the way of the adults.

<><><><><><><>

“Come on class, stick together! We must assist the adults in The Running of the Leaves! Which pony here remembers out lesson from last week about why The Running of the Leaves became a tradition in the first place…yes, Pinkie Pie?…” Cheerilee mused happily to the young class that followed her. This was her rookie year as a teacher.

In order to get a better view, BonBon intentionally walked behind the others. This was her first ever Running of the Leaves and she was excited to see the plethora of colored leaves everywhere. Whenever she could, the little filly would joyfully jump into a pile of leaves causing them to fly everywhere. The air smelled of the previous night’s rain and the overcast clouds made the air warm and humid. This was BonBon’s favorite weather to play in as a filly.

Nopony noticed her drifting further back, because nopony really ever noticed her. BonBon was fine with this, because she didn’t really have a choice. She was shy by nature and keeping to herself was something she was content with as a filly. She particularly enjoyed the smell of the autumn air; it was so unique and was certainly her favorite part of the season. Smell accented every beautiful sight, making them much better together than apart. The class slowly walked further ahead of the tiny filly as she got lost in the sights again.

Distracted by a butterfly, BonBon didn’t notice a tree stump in front of her until her hoof caught under it, causing the sky to suddenly turn to dirt. She landed in a pile of leaves awkwardly, leaving herself dazed and confused.

BonBon has always been known as a very emotional pony, and after taking a few seconds to recover from her short fall, she was instantly sobbing as she looked at the scratch on her little hoof.

I have the worst luck ever!

When she looked up, she saw no sign of the class in front of her, and being a filly, BonBon felt entitled to a bandage to wrap on her hoof.

Cheerilee had brought a first aid kit, but was seemingly too far ahead to notice the troubled filly. At least that’s what BonBon assumed.

“Hey are you okay?” A squeaky voice shouted from in front of her. Soon she saw a little teal unicorn galloping towards her.

Somepony actually noticed that I was gone…?

Since starting school, BonBon was intimidated by the little teal filly, which naturally made her want to pretend that she wasn’t hurt at all. The tears in her eyes, and holding one hoof up as if she was really injured didn’t help her argument.

“I-I’m okay, I swear,” BonBon’s adolescent voice stammered out.

Little Lyra was now in front of her, examining her hoof as if she knew anything about being a doctor.

“Your hoof looks hurt and you were crying, that doesn’t sound okay to me,” The little unicorn said matter-of-factly.

The cream colored filly blushed in embarrassment, “I-I guess I hurt my hoofie a little…”

“Oh, well I’m sorry! Are you okay?” Lyra asked with a tiny voice crack.

The fact that somepony noticed that she was gone made her feel better instantly. It was a unique feeling BonBon would never forget.

“Oh, Um, I guess I’m fine, thanks though!” The cream colored filly replied with tiny smile.

They started walking side by side as they worked to catch up to the rest of the class.

“So, why were so far behind the class? You’re always so quiet!”

The opportunity to finally make a friend boosted the little filly’s confidence, “Oh, well, I just the like the view when those tall colts aren’t in the way!” The cream colored filly said with a giggle.

The turquoise filly smiled , “Oh I see, that makes so much sense!”

“Um…How did you know I left the class? Nopony ever really notices me…ever,”

“Oh Ms. Cheerilee told me to go get you, she actually was the pony to notice that you were gone…” Lyra said, her own honesty surprising herself.

“Oh…I’m glad you came! My hoofie hurts a little…I think I would’ve just cried until some random pony found me, like usual…”

“Totally! At least Ms Cheerilee noticed you were behind us! And OH! I see you already have your cutie mark! I’m so jealous! What does it mean?”

“Oh! It’s because I love baking treats like cakes, and candy and…everything that tastes good! I kinda knew that was going to be my special talent since as long as I can remember!” The cream colored filly said happily, as she trotted next to her new friend. She already had completely forgotten about the little scratch on her hoof.

“…Well, I love eating those treats! Maybe I’ll get a cutie mark for that!” The teal filly said with a little chuckle.

Now catching up to the class in front of them, Lyra and BonBon laughed happily, quickly becoming friends. Cheerilee even remarked on how glad she was too see that BonBon had made a friend, as they continued their “Walking of the Leaves” as the teacher called it.

<><><><><><><><>

BonBon giggled quietly to herself as she felt the warming sensation of nostalgia take over her mind. She remembered the day she and Lyra first met like it was the day before. The cream colored mare credits Lyra with finally helping her out of her shell, helping her make more friends.

BonBon then thought about their adolescent years when they seemingly annoyed all of Ponyville with their shenanigans. Lyra had once tried to take a muffin from Sugarcube Corner, but ended up getting caught because BonBon went back for more. This memory, though embarrassing for her, made BonBon smile warmly at her own past naïveté.

She thought about the time when they realized they wouldn’t be going to school together anymore, and both just cried constantly at Lyra’s parent’s home, assuming their friendship would be over. However, after a week in school they realized that they would still be best friends, due to how close the schools were to each other. The look on Lyra’s older sister Octavia’s face was priceless when they told her. Octavia had been the one to constantly console them before school had started, and the fact they so simply decided they’d still be best friends caused her to facehoof.

It was those types of events that bonded them together for so long. They had been through thick and thin together as friends, and would always be friends. BonBon hoped that the strength of their relationship wouldn’t be bothered once her feelings were out in the open. It was just too strong of a bond to break. She knew there was no possibility of the feelings being returned and understood that. However, she felt that she couldn’t keep the feelings in any longer.

Lyra’s house was now in sight. No turning back. Not this time.

Chapter 4

BonBon had no clue what she was going to say. She didn’t know how long she would last until she basically imploded with emotions, and she didn’t know how Lyra would react. BonBon didn’t know a lot of things about the near future, but she knew what she was planning to do would influence them all.

She saw that the light was on in the unicorn’s bedroom, which always signified to her that she was the only one home. Time seemingly slowed down once she knocked on the door. The universe seemed to disregard everything else but BonBon’s own life altering decision she was about to make.

Lyra opened the door and smiled happily when she saw BonBon, immediately wrapping her in a big hug.

That smile…

Keeping her hooves on BonBon’s shoulders, Lyra spoke with an elated smile, “OHHHHH! BonBon! I’m so glad to see you! Tomorrow is the big day! How have you been...”

She’s so beautiful…

“I-I’ve been…I’ve been better, sugar,” She walked inside her friend home for perhaps the last time. She hopped up onto Lyra’s blue couch and tried to hide her sadness for the time being. Just being in Lyra’s presence caused her to become choked up.

“What’s the matter Bonnie? You help me with so much it’s about time I return the favor!” She said as she trotted to the kitchen

She used the nickname she gave me when we were fillies…

“I-I-I need you to promise me something, sugar…”

From the kitchen, Lyra was preparing them both some juice. She cocked her head to side in confusion.

“Of course, of course! What is it?”

“Promise me t-that you won’t hate me for what I’m about t-to s-say…” She felt her lip quiver as she shrunk into herself. Emotions stirring inside of her, it was a challenge for her to stay calm.

“I promise, BonBon. You know I couldn’t hate you of all ponies!” Lyra mused as she trotted back into her living area, two cups of juice floating above her head.

Just do it, just say it…

“We’ve been friends for so long a-and…you’ve basically been my only friend I have ever really had since I was a f-filly.”

Sitting next to her friend on the couch, Lyra nodded and waited expectantly for the earth pony to continue.

BonBon took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking so much the past six months…so much about our friendship a-and about you…I don’t know if I can make it to your wedding tomorrow, Lyra…”

Lyra’s eyes widened as the gears started to click into place in her mind.

Just say it BonBon and it’ll all be over with…Just say you love her!

”I-I love you, Lyra! I really love you… m-more than anypony in the world, more than I could love anypony else! And I mean t-that...” BonBon’s demeanor quickly deteriorated as her emotions took over.

“I-I know you have somepony else, I-I know that I’m a mare and it’s really disgusting and gross that I feel this way about you and I’m disgusted with myself, but I still feel this w-way! I-I know you don’t feel the same way…b-but I can’t handle these feelings anymore…I just can’t…”

The confession hit Lyra like a ton of bricks. The blank expression on her face only encouraged BonBon’s crying.

The cream colored mare continued while avoiding eye contact with the unicorn beside her, “I-I am not here to ruin anything between you and him, I-I don’t want to ruin our friendship…I just can’t go on hiding these feelings anymore, I’m sorry!”

Lyra took a sip of her juice then put the cup on the coffee table next to the couch. BonBon couldn’t even look at Lyra the seconds that followed as she tried to suppress her weeps.

Lyra spoke quietly, “I-I don’t know…I just…” The teal unicorn sighed for confidence, choosing her words carefully, “I don’t how I feel about this Bonnie…I-I” Her voice faded into nothingness as she tried to conjure up the right words. Her mind was racing and her heart was sinking to see how sad her best friend was, “I never could have expected this…I-I don’t even know what to think, I never, I…”

The cream colored mare spoke with her head lowered in shame, “Please don’t let this ruin our friendship…please…I didn’t come here to ruin anything I-I never would do that…”

“N-nothing could ruin our friendship BonBon…I think I’m just going to need time to think, right now…”

A tense silence came over the two mares, each hesitant to further the conversation. It took a few moments for Lyra’s brain to truly comprehend what her best friend had just admitted to her. It made her feel terrible.

BonBon got up from the couch, still hanging her head, trying to keep herself from bursting into tears again.

“I-I’m going to leave now…I’m sorry, Lyra…I really am…I understand if you hate me for a while…”

As BonBon’s hoof started pushing to door open, Lyra stood up, stopped her with her own hoof.

“I could never hate you...a-and I would really love it if you still came to my wedding…you’re the best friend I have ever had, I couldn’t imagine my wedding without you…”

The cream colored mare looked at her friend with a half-hearted smile.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Sugar…tell Buckley that he’s the luckiest stallion in Equestria…”

BonBon cherished the hug she received from Lyra, because it signified that their friendship wasn’t over. Not only that, it signified that they still had a place in each other’s lives, even if it wasn’t exactly what she wanted. BonBon walked out of her friend’s home, trying to hold back her tears, unsure of what she would do just the next day.

She looked back at her friend’s home as she started the short walk back to her own. BonBon was relatively relieved because of what just happened. Things went how she expected them to, she never expected her friend to have the same feelings as she did. They were both mares, how could she even think Lyra to feel the same?
She wiped a tear out of her eye as she looked towards the colorful sky. It will be getting dark soon. This was BonBon’s favorite time to be out. Night time was peaceful and quiet, which is what she needed. She needed time to think.

The past week had been the worst of her life but she now saw a bright spot. Though things may not have gone as planned, all she wanted for Lyra was for her to be happy and the next day, she would be. BonBon can put aside her feelings, just to support her friend and then work towards getting over.

The sun slowly dipped below the mountains in the distance, slowly revealing Luna’s night. BonBon loved the cold too, it calmed her. The cream colored pony felt oddly neutral about what happened. Maybe it was because it hasn’t hit her that the pony she loves with all of her heart doesn’t feel the same, or maybe it’s because she was expecting this outcome.

The earth pony felt lucky that it was her best friend that she was in love with. Lyra wouldn’t go around telling everypony about her feelings. If it were anypony else that she confessed too, they’d call her a filly-fooler, breaking her heart even more. Lyra cared enough for her feelings to still want her as a friend and even more, still want her at the wedding. Lyra was the best friend she’d ever have and she decided she would work as hard as she could not to let her feelings get in the way, now that they were out in the open.

For the first time in quite a while, BonBon was able to sleep the whole night.

However for Lyra, her world was just turned upside down. BonBon just left and she barely comprehend what just had happened. She sat on her couch, bewildered for the past ten minutes. BonBon, her best friend, just confessed that she was in love with her. At first she felt mad at BonBon for confessing these feelings a day before her wedding, but she knew BonBon’s intentions weren’t to ruin her relationship with Buckley. BonBon wasn’t the type of pony to undermine a relationship because of her own desires.

She sympathized with BonBon, because her situation with Buckley was quite similar before they eventually got together. Granted, she had known BonBon for many years before she met Buckley, but she knew that it wasn’t pleasant to love somepony without receiving the same love in return.

How does one react when their lifelong best friend confesses deep feelings for you?

Lyra contemplated how they could stay friends knowing how strong BonBon’s feelings were for her. She knew BonBon was a very emotional mare, killing a bug could get her to tear up. However, tonight she could see BonBon’s pain and sadness in her face, hear it in her shaky voice and know that it was legitimate and heartbreaking. Lyra couldn’t imagine how terrible she must have felt to confess such a secret.

“Why’d she have to tell me the night before my wedding…!” Lyra exclaimed in frustration, nearly dropping her cup of juice. She rubbed her own forehead with her hoof in frustration.

The door opened suddenly, revealing her bridegroom with a scowl on his face. This didn’t surprise Lyra, he never had anything other than a scowl on his face. Lyra had half expected it to be BonBon.

“Hey babe, ready for tomorrow?” He said in his deep voice, setting his grey hat on a hat rack next to the front door. Pushing her other troubles aside for a moment, Lyra smiled, “Of course I am.” She greeted him with a kiss, then trotted over to their kitchen to cook something up for him. Lyra felt amazingly lucky that he hadn't come home and overheard her and BonBon's conversation.

“Darn cattle ate some of the maize at the farm today. Had to chase them away before they ate too much! My coworker Cornfed falling straight into a freshly stacked pile didn’t help much either,” The stallion said with a grin.

“That Cornfed seems to always cause some sort of accident every week, wasn’t it just last week that he almost set the whole cornfield on fire?“ Lyra remarked, with a small chuckle.

The unicorn returned to the living room with two sandwiches, she jumped up next to her soon to be husband, using the time with him to get her thoughts off BonBon. Lyra was getting married the next day and she couldn’t let herself get distracted. She knew that’s not what BonBon would want. In the process of trying to not be distracted, she ended up distracting herself anyway and completely missed what Buckley had said to her.

“Were you even listening to me?” The stallion chided, snapping Lyra out of her thoughts, “Why aren’t you listening to me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a little distracted is all,” Lyra answered truthfully.

“What’s distracting you?” Buckley pursued, taking a large bite out the sandwich Lyra had prepared for him.

“Oh, nothing…I’m just excited for our special day tomorrow,” Lyra put on a forced smile, which didn’t fool Buckley for a second. That response was a little less truthful.

“You don’t sound very excited, Ly-Ly,” Buckley insisted, using the nickname Lyra absolutely HATED.

“Well, I guess it still needs to hit me that we’re getting married tomorrow,” Her heart fluttered when she mentioned that they were getting married. Though the the nervousness felt with getting married had nothing to do with BonBon, It still led her thoughts right back to her best friend.

“I guess you’re right. I’m excited too, I ‘spose”

Lyra yawned quietly, hinting that she was tired. She wasn’t tired at all, but she needed to think. She had tried to not think of her best friend, but with the bombshell dropped on her, Lyra knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore it. She needed time to further ponder what BonBon just confessed to her and most of all, she needed to think about how things will be with her friend once she and Buckley were married.

Chapter 6**

It always seemed to Lyra that when she assumed that time was going by slowly, that things went the fastest. She’d look forward to something and though she thought it was taking a long time, that event would come and go in the blink of an eye. However, she didn’t feel that way now that she was in the chapel to get married to Buckley.

Everything was perfect from anypony else’s view. The whole inside of the building was gorgeous white marble, in which she could see her own reflection. There was three-tier cake in the middle of the room, surrounded by several tables where her and Buckley’s friends and family will sit. There were waiters, ready to serve anypony who needed something and most importantly, there was Buckley, who was in the dressing room to get prepared before they finally say their vows.

Lyra’s sister Octavia was the first to arrive at the wedding, besides Roseluck. It made Lyra chuckle when her grey sister was apprehensive about entering the building because she didn’t see anypony else in it, until she saw the red-maned mare gazing at the cake

Typical Octavia, too punctual for her own good…

Lyra could only see who was coming in because the door to the room she was in was slightly open. She assumed this is where Buckley would find her when it was time for them to stand in front of everypony and say their vows. It was somewhat of a tradition for no one at the ceremony to see the ponies until they were up on the platform ready to say their vows.

Soon after Octavia’s arrival, several ponies from Buckley’s family arrived. Having never met any of his family before, it surprised Octavia that they were much taller than Buckley, almost to a point where they looked like they’d fall over. Lyra decided then and there that they must have just been his friends and not family.

Quickly becoming a force of habit, Lyra once again started to comb her mane, as if it needed anymore primping before it was time for her to be married.

“Hey Ly-Ly” A deep voice swooned from behind the teal mare, ironically causing her to mess up her own mane.

“Don’t call me that,” Lyra said with a laugh as she turned to face Buckley, with a tiny smile.

“You look great darling, ponies are already arriving, finally. I Thought we were going to have to wait forever!” Buckley chided.

“Oh, it’s fine. I actually think everypony that is arriving right now are quite on time,”

“Can you believe it’s our special day?” Buckley said with a somewhat forced smile. He was at least making an effort to be nicer to Lyra, which she both liked and disliked at the same time. It sounded weird to her just to hear him say “special”.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life,” Lyra said as she got up closer to the stallion to give him a peck on the lips.

“See you soon, Ly-Ly,” Buckley teased as he backed out of the room, opening the door further.

Just during that short exchange with her coltfriend, many ponies had arrived. It didn’t take her long to spot BonBon. Though BonBon put on a smile while she mingled with Roseluck and Octavia, even from across the room Lyra could see that her eyes were reddened from crying and heartbreak…

I can’t think of her right now! I need to distract myself until it’s time. I’m going to get married to Buckley!

Forcefully, Lyra turned around, studying the marble wall as if there was a point to it. However, she thought that she could go talk to BonBon and somehow convince her not to be so sad about this. She didn’t even know what she could say to help her friend be happy, but it made her sad to see her friend in such a state,

Why did she have to tell me this before my wedding...? Lyra thought with a sigh. All she could hope for was that BonBon would eventually get over this once she was married. Conflicting feeling were now bothering Lyra more than ever, as she waited to be told it was time for her wedding.

<><><><><><><>

BonBon smiled as she spoke to Roseluck and Octavia and hid her emotions as best as she could. It wasn’t easy for her, but she knew that at the end of the day she would end up being a better pony because of this.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeously set up in BonBon’s opinion. She loved seeing her reflection in the marble floors, which probably amused her more than it would for most ponies but she didn’t mind. Anything making her smile right now was good for her.

What made BonBon feel slightly better was that she was in a better mood than she expected herself to be in. She was legitimately happy for Lyra and to a lesser extent for Buckley. The cream colored pony knew that she couldn’t control how Lyra felt about her, but could at least put an effort to be as supportive as possible. So, BonBon mingled with ponies, walked around casually and waited for the announcement to be made that it was time for everypony to sit down and watch as the two said their vows and were married.

However, once Octavia left to talk with somepony else, Roseluck looked at the cream colored pony with a saddened expression on her face.

“BonBon…are you okay, sweetheart?” The red-maned mare was less asking a question than stating that she noticed BonBon’s inner sadness.

The cream colored mare stayed incognito, “Yes, of course, Rosey, “

“Oh I don’t know,” She responded, looking down as she tapped her hoof idly on the ground, “It must really break your heart to see Lyra getting married, huh?”

BonBon was susprised by this question, but held her ground, “Well she is my best friend and I’m definitely not going to be seeing her often at all because of this, it’s hard to know that my best friend is moving on like this…”

Roseluck sighed, “BonBon I…” Her voice trailed off, her own sadness for BonBon causing her to lose focus.

“What?”

“Nothing, BonBon, forget I mentioned it,”

How did Rosey learn of my feelings for Lyra…? I couldn’t have been that obvious…

Right as the two started to wonder why it was taking so long for the ceremony to start, the Pastor to marry Lyra and Buckley quietly asked for everypony to sit in their respective seats. She then noticed Buckley walk out onto the tiny platform in front of everypony, on which Lyra would face across from him.

BonBon was determined to hold her resolve through it all, but as the time neared, she could feel dams of tears slowly building up behind her own eyes.

<><><><><><><>

“Lyra, it’s time, Buckley is waiting for you,” The Pastor’s deep voice called from behind her. He was a very old stallion and was Ponyville’s only Pastor for many years, which is why Lyra wanted him to marry her and Buckley, because he was the one who married her parents together so many years before.

His voice startled Lyra and she took a few seconds to compose herself. She then got up and walked towards a back door that led to the podium where she would face Buckley and be seen by all the guests.

Time went by slowly. The turquoise mare walked slowly, making sure not to step on her dress. When she passed through the door and saw Buckley, her heart fluttered when she she glanced towards

the crowd. It was bigger than she had expected. Buckley greeted her with a grin as she walked towards him and up a few steps to meet him.

Just look at Buckley, don’t look towards to crowd!

In the crowd, BonBon marveled on how beautiful she thought Lyra looked in the dress she was wearing. She continued to fend off her emotions, but still hoped Lyra wouldn’t look towards her. One glance from Lyra’s wonderfully golden eyes would melt her heart.

As Lyra faced Buckley with what was a phony smile, reality slowly started to come into focus for her. However, she fended off those thoughts because she felt she had gone past the point of no return.

She felt a peculiar feeling in her chest that she only felt when getting increasingly nervous. She felt choked up and when the Pastor greeted everypony in the room, her eyes widened in fear for a split second before she quickly regained he composure.

“Hello, everypony. It sure is a wonderful day, and I-I am glad to see everypony here. The smiling faces, young and old, in the crowd always warm my heart when I do a wedding and today doesn’t seem to be any different, “ The Pastor started, his deep raspy voice echoing past the silent crowd.

“You ready?” Buckley whispered with a smile.

Oh Celestia no…

“Yeah,” Lyra whispered back forcefully, her heartbeat speeding up as she felt panic setting in. Lyra felt trapped, as if walls were closing in on her, inevitably closing in on her until she did something.

“I always enjoy seeing young couples as these two so truly in love, because it reminds me of when I married my wife oh so many years ago. But enough about me, I’m sure nopony wants some o-old stallion like me to jabber on, because today we are to celebrate the uniting of two ponies who have decided they wanted to spend their lives together,”

The Pastor then turned to Buckley with a warming smile, “OK, Buckley, repeat after me. I Buckley..”

“I Buckley,”

“…Swear by the grace of the two Princesses,”

“I swear by the grace of the uh, two Princesses,”

“…To take Lyra’s hoof in marriage,”

“To take Lyra’s hoof in marriage,”

Lyra gulped almost loud enough for Buckley to hear it. She tried to pace her breathing to ignore the flood of thoughts filling her mind with uncertainty and regret, but it was a battle she was losing. She looked to her side to see everypony in the audience, quickly spotting BonBon. Their eyes met for a split-second, sending a chill down Lyra’s spine, her heart skipping a beat and her mind racing quicker than ever. She quickly turned back to face Buckley, forcing the horrified look off her face.

“…To treat with constant unconditional love,”

“To treat with constant unconditional love,”

He’s never treated me with unconditional love before.

“…and I promise to do this for as long as we live,”

“And I promise to do this for as long as we live,”

The Pastor turned to Lyra with a smile, “Lyra, repeat after me,”

Lost in her frantic thoughts, the teal mare didn’t respond to him, or even acknowledge that he had spoken to her. An awkward cough by Buckley knocked her out of her stupor.

“I, Lyra, “

“I-I Lyra,” She said, voice cracking.

Lyra could hear their guests mumbling about her obvious nervousness. She could hear her conscious directing her to respond to the Pastor. However what spoke loudest was her heart and she couldn’t bear to continue. Her eyes once again drifted over to meet BonBon’s, the cream colored pony crying from pure heartache. Even though BonBon was in the midst of a crowd, she was all that Lyra could see.

“…Swear by grace of the two Princesses,”

Lyra let her heart take over as she looked up at the Pastor and then at Buckley. The silence caused the crowd of friends and family members mumble, but what she did next shocked them all. Tears escaped, dripping down her cheeks as she avoided eye contact with Buckley, who was flabbergasted at her.

Ignoring everything around her, she jumped off the platform they were on. The crowd gasped as she ran between rows of seats and out of the door, leaving everypony shocked and speechless.

The stunned crowd immediately vocalized their disapproval, with insults and arguments flaring up between the two families almost instantly. Nopony ran after her, not even Buckley, who had his family and the priest trying to calm him down. Not a single pony in the company of ponies had expected this, nor actually know how to react. In his rage, Buckley knocked over a big vase of blue roses that BonBon had prepared just for Lyra a few days ago, even through her own sadness.

BonBon was struck by it the worst when reality hit her soon after. In no way did she feel better; in no way did she feel relieved that Lyra wasn’t getting married. As she watched Buckley flip out on the podium, she felt guilt strike her straight to her soul.

Beside BonBon was a shell-shocked Roseluck.

“I-I can’t believe she just did that,” The red-maned mare said as she turned to BonBon.

“Me either, sugar,” BonBon responded, trying to find a reason why Lyra would do that without her own influence on it. She couldn’t find a different reason for Lyra’s leaving her own wedding, and it made the earth pony feel terrible.

The red maned pony beside her knew what BonBon was thinking. It gave her an idea.

“Go talk to her,” Roseluck said leaning over so BonBon could hear her over the increasing volume of family members.

“B-But I caused this! It’s all my fault,” BonBon confessed, knowing Roseluck knew already.

“BonBon, just go. She wouldn’t have done this if she didn’t have a good reason. She needs her best friend right now. Octavia and I will have to do some damage control, Buckley is tripping out…”

The cream colored mare nodded, got up out of her seat and sifted through the panicking crowd to exit the chapel. She tried to ignore Buckley’s random insults towards Lyra and his families blindly agreeing with him as she left. Even as the large doors closed, she could still hear the arguing through them. She wasn’t surprised that Buckley wasn’t running after her, and was relieved that he wasn’t. At least, he wasn’t yet.

As she ran towards Lyra’s home, she couldn’t help but regret ever telling the teal mare about her feelings. It made herself feel better, but has made Lyra run out of her own wedding, leaving a massive group of confused family members behind. BonBon felt selfish, even though her intentions weren’t bad.

For once in her life, however, BonBon didn’t feel like crying in the midst of the stressful situation she was in. She did feel sadness and regret, but knew she needed to apologize. She also felt the need to apologize to Buckley, because she knew he wasn’t as bad as she had thought he was. She knew her own feelings got in the way of how she viewed him. She never even really saw him that often, and it caused her to be disappointed in herself for being judgemental before even knowing somepony.

She arrived at Lyra’s home slightly out of breath and immediately noticed the one light on in her home. Lyra was there. She paced her breathing once more, knowing she needed to be calm if she wanted to help the unicorn after leaving her own wedding.

BonBon walked up to the door, but had second thoughts before entering.

What if she doesn’t want to see me, what if she hates me for this?

The earth pony stepped back for a moment as she consider her uneasiness towards what she was about to do. She didn’t have a choice though, because the door opened up slowly from Lyra’s magic.

The door opened to reveal a sobbing Lyra. They looked at each other for a few seconds, enduring a short tense silence before Lyra’s coarse voice asked BonBon to come in.

Lyra slowly went and sat up on her couch. She sat normally, instead of on her flank with her back facing up, which never was a good thing, at least it wasn’t when she did it around BonBon.

The earth pony paced her breathing and chose her words carefully, “Lyra, I-I’m sorry about this, I’m sorry about everything,”

A few seconds of tense silence passed before Lyra responded. BonBon was standing a few away from the couch which the turquoise pony was sitting on.

“You know me and him shouldn’t have even got this far…”

“Lyra…I” BonBon started, but quickly lost her voice.

“You know how he proposed to me?” Lyra asked, knowing that BonBon didn’t know. The earth pony shook her head in response, “He told me we were going to get married. Literally, he just told me. H-he didn’t ask, he just assumed that we were. A-and I guess I was okay with it,”

“I don’t know how to respond to that…” BonBon said, grimacing. She usually always knew what to tell to her best friend.

Lyra slowly got up from her couch and turned to face BonBon. They stood a few feet away from each other and the tense silence was getting longer, the short seconds of eye contact causing their hearts to skip a beat.

Lyra sighed, breaking the silence, “Bonnie, what made you do so much for me so often ever since we met? I mean before Buckley, before all of this...”

The cream colored pony looked away, “What do you m-mean?”

A tiny tear dripped down Lyra’s cheek as she softly spoke, “Whenever I got myself into trouble, you were there for me. Whenever I was sad for no apparent reason, you’d cheer me up faster than anypony else. Whenever I was bored and had nothing to do, you’d go out of your way to come over and change that. W-whenever Buckley and I-I would fight, you were there for me, no matter how much it hurt you to do so.” The words nearly let loose more tears from the teal pony.

Their eyes met again, but BonBon didn’t look away. She spoke in an equally soft voice, “I did these things because you’re my friend, Lyra. My best friend,”

Surprising BonBon, the unicorn slowly walked to her until their noses were nearly touching. Before another tense silence could arise, Lyra leaned in with her eyes closed and gave BonBon a long, tender kiss that left BonBon stunned, and her face red with astonishment.

”What if we were more than friends?”

Epilogue

“Are you done searching yet, ma’am?” a light blue mare questioned from behind a glass counter, “We’re going to close in less than ten minutes.”

“Almost done, I just have to be sure,” a turquoise unicorn responded, her eyes scanning the contents within the glass counter.

Through the glass she could see groups of necklaces, with jewels on them of all shapes, colors and sizes. They were extremely dazzling, some just a bit out of her price range. The prices would have been too much for Lyra a month ago, but she had been working overtime at the stringed instruments store she ran with her older sister Octavia. It got to be quite stressful working long shifts day after day, but she knew it would be worth it.

Lyra had been planning this day for the last year, and now that the day had come, she became much more anxious about what she should and shouldn’t choose.

The reason she had been working overtime to save up money for one of the exquisite necklaces was that she wanted to propose to Bonbon, whom she had been dating for slightly over a year.

It didn’t take a long time for her to realize that she and Bonbon were going to be together for a long time. After going through so much just to finally be together, over a year later they’re happier than they ever had been. Bonbon worked at Sugarcube Corner, helping to bake treats for Mr. and Mrs. Cake. It was important to make sure this day went perfectly. Lyra couldn’t hold off a giddy smile as she gazed at all the choices of necklaces in front of her.

“I think I want… I… hmmm,” she started, but quickly changed her mind as one particular necklace caught her eye, “How about that one?”

On the gold necklace was a purple gem of some sort. Lyra knew that her love’s favorite color was purple, which is why it piqued her interest.

“Two hundred bits and it’s yours!” the employee said with a smile. The teal mare didn’t even have to ask to know that the employee gets commission pay from each item they sell.

Lyra took a deep breath as she used her magic to retrieve the bits from inside her Saddlebag. She hadn’t spent money like this since her previous wedding dress. Taking a few more seconds to make sure that that necklace was the one she wanted, she placed the bits down on the counter, the employee eagerly using her hooves to place it in a pouch that hung around her neck.

“Thank you!” the light blue mare said happily. “So, who’s the lucky colt? I haven’t seen many mares ask their stallion to marry them before!”

Lyra grimaced at the all-too-familiar situation of explaining to somepony that she was with a mare. “I-I actually am going to ask a mare…” She replied sheepishly.

“Oh…oh!” The employee responded, “I’m sorry for assuming…”

“It’s fine!” the turquoise mare replied. “I get that a lot.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very happy with this necklace; my own father made it several years ago! I’m almost sad to see it go,” the employee said, placing it carefully in an oblong position and adjusting it to fit neatly in the white cushions inside of it. For being an earth pony, she was very good at what she did without the aid of magic.

“Thank you so much!” Lyra said, already picturing Bonbon’s face when she gives it to her. Her heart beat with anticipation, as it had done every single time she thought about it since getting with the cream-colored mare. Just imagining the look of joy on Bonbon’s face warmed her heart and made her smile.

“When are you going to pop the question?” The employee almost instinctively asked. “I-I mean, sorry, I shouldn’t be asking personal questions like that. Have a nice day!”

“Oh, tonight,” Lyra answered bluntly.

“Tonight? Really! That’s so…soon!” the light blue mare said with a grin. “Is it going to be romantic or what?” she continued, now asking whatever she wanted, since Lyra answered her first question.

“I’m not the romantic one usually, but I have an idea of how it can be tonight,” The teal mare said, waving her hoof back and forth. “All I know is that she is going to love it…I hope.”

“Mind going into the details just a little…?” The employee asked sheepishly, “My name is Blue Rose, by the way.”

“My name is Lyra, and I guess the way I am going to do it… is… well…” She paused. “I’ve known Bonbon - that’s my marefriend - since we were fillies, and when I first became her friend, we were in class during the Running of the Leaves, you know? I think she fell or got lost…wait, yeah, she fell and she was left behind the class.” Another pause, “Our teacher told me to go find her, and I did. She tripped over a rock, and, between you me, she can be just as clumsy nowadays! Anyway, we became instant friends. Long story longer, I am going to have us meet near where we first became friends, and then I am going to ask her.”

“That’s adorable,” Blue Rose exclaimed with a gasp. “I could only hope when I am asked that it’s half as romantic as that! Does she have any idea you’re going to ask her?”

Lyra pondered the question, “Hmmm. I doubt it, even when I work overtime. I still get home before her, because she works at a bakery and works the evening shift,”.

Noticing the room being slightly darker than when she entered, Lyra saw that the sun was setting and deduced that it would be dark soon, “I think I should be on my way… I told her to meet me there after her work, and that’s in about an hour!” Lyra said, using her magic to float her newly purchased necklace into her saddlebag.

“Nice meeting you! Have a good day, Lyra! I know she’ll say yes, I just do!” Blue Rose said, her high pitched voice cracking with her own excitement for her newly made acquaintance.

“I just have one more thing to do, then it’s off to see BonBon. Bye and thanks!”

The evening was calm outside. There was a very slight breeze; since the inside of the jewelry store was warm, Lyra enjoyed the few moments of the cool air.

She had a destination to get to, and she didn’t have much time to spare to enjoy the beautiful evening. After taking one more glance at the necklace she had just purchased, her nervous heart skipping a beat as she was once again imagining how her love could react to seeing it, she made haste towards a home in town she hadn’t been to in what seemed like ages.

It wasn’t a far trot from the DiamondHoof jewelry store. At least, it felt like everything was going much faster for Lyra. She couldn’t keep her mind off of BonBon, and she was worried whether she would say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. There was no reason for her to feel worried, but she was worried anyway. She still had to keep a promise to herself, and as she rounded the all-too-familiar corner towards the cluster of homes that she hadn’t seen in months, she could feel her heart pick up its pace once more.

Once Buckley’s house was in her sight, she stopped and sighed. They had only spoken a few times since she ran out on their wedding. They were painfully awkward and she could tell he was hurting, and it hurt her to see him that way.

I can’t believe I’m about to do this, what am I thinking, he probably still hates me…

Once again she sighed, and then pressed forward, now reciting what she had been planning to say to him. All she wanted was to bury the hatchet, because knowing how much she hurt him only made her feel worse the longer she waited. Lyra had promised herself to do this before she ask Bonbon to marry her, and she was going to go through with it.

She used the wonderful smell of the pine trees around her to calm herself down. Lyra was always an energetic mare, but she knew it wasn’t the time to be anything but calm and collected.

Thankfully, the familiar light was on in Buckley’s room. This made the situation much more certain, and though it caused her to feel that familiar anxiety about seeing him again, she knew it had to be done.

She trotted slowly up to the brown door, darkened by the fast approaching night, and used her magic to control the knocker on the door, and knocked three times.

The turquoise pony could hear her own breath, loud as ever, as her thoughts raced out of control. She heard his familiar lazy groan as he left his room. Lyra tapped her hoof nervously on the ground as she waited. A light then turned on in the living room area, where Buckley then turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Well, here I go

“Huh? Lyra I…? Why are you here?” the stallion said, surprised, and clearly slightly bothered at the sight of the teal mare in front of him. “You’re definitely the last pony I was expecting…” he added with an agitated chuckle.

“Buckley…” Lyra started, though her voice faded out as? she thought of what to say, “I really need to make thing right between us.”

“It’s been a year, it doesn’t even matter anymore,” the stallion said, as nervous as Lyra, though not from any remaining feelings for the teal mare in front of him.

Once again the mare found herself tapping her hoof on the ground nervously, “I left in the worst way possible, I can’t imagine everything is okay now.”

Buckley’s eyes wandered as he considered his options in an awkward situation he had not prepared for.

He used his hoof to open his door a little bit more invitingly. “Come in.”

Inside, Lyra made herself into her former home, though it was less familiar than she had expected. The couch had been moved, any pictures of them that had been on the wall were removed, the blinds had been changed from the dark blue ones they had been to a light brown. Oddly enough, she was tempted to ask him about the changes in their home. However, she sat on the couch while he stayed near the wall adjacent to kitchen, adjusting a picture for no reason at all. She set her saddlebag right next to herself on the couch.

“I feel we need to make things right between each other. I’ve never really gotten over the guilt, Buckley. I can only imagine how you’ve felt.”

The stallion turned his head towards her. “It was hard at first, I guess, but time makes things better. I’ve tried to change. I’m calmer than I used to be. What I think you want me to say is that I forgive you, and I guess I should; I just don’t know if we can really be friends after this. We can be cool with each other, but I really couldn’t see us being closer than that.”

“All I care about is knowing that you don’t hate me,” the teal mare said, adjusting her upright position on the couch. “Or Bonbon for that matter.”

“I don’t hate her. I don’t even really know her. I guess I was mad at first, but I guess I was more grossed out. You’re not together anymore, are you?” the stallion said, then walked over to a new chair he had purchased recently, and sat a few feet away from Lyra.

“No, we are still together,” Lyra said calmly, and firmly, as if speaking it with confidence would help him understand that it wasn’t a fling.

“Oh,” he started, then backtracked understanding that he started off on the wrong hoof with that subject. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, Lyra. I-I think I’m surprised more than anything. Y’all are the first couple of your kind I’ve ever actually known.”

Lyra shifted uncomfortably, consciously hoping it doesn’t turn into another conversation where she has to defend herself from somepony who doesn’t like her choices. “There’s a lot more of us in northern Equestria. BonBon and I have met a few. ‘It has?’ Made us feel better.”

“Weir-“ Buckley started, then backtracked. “I mean, interesting. Sorry.”

“Look, I understand if you don’t agree with us, but me being with her is the reason I’m here. I want to start fresh, I don’t want you holding back…or whatever. Say what needs to be said, Buckley.”

“But what is there to be said?” Buckley asked rhetorically. “Things happen. I don’t exactly like them, and maybe I deserved it, but whatever. I’ve moved on since then, like you did. I forgive you Lyra. I guess I’ve become at least a slightly better stallion since, but heck, I don’t know,”

His calm demeanor was a slight surprise for Lyra, knowing he had been very hot headed during their relationship. It made her calmer as well, after being so nervous about this day for so excruciatingly long.

Before Lyra could respond, the stallion continued. “Wait, what did you mean about your relationship with that mare being the reason you’re here? Kinda confused me there.”

The turquoise mare opened her mouth to speak, but quickly decided on doing something else. Using her magic, she sifted the pocket in her Saddlebag and lifted out a thin box. She opened it and revealed the necklace she had just bought.

He stared at it inquisitively, until the gears clicked into place in his mind. “Huh…you’re going to ask her to…really?” Buckley asked, genuinely surprised at what the mare in front him had implied by showing him the necklace.

Lyra looked away. “Y-yes,” she said, and then returned to looking at him. “I’m a little nervous about it…”

“If you’ve been together this long, I’d be pretty surprised if she said no,” the stallion commented.

“What if she’s not ready? What if I should wait longer…” Setting the necklace back in its case carefully, Lyra continued. “What if she doesn’t want to marry me?”

“Well I don’t know much about her, but I doubt she’d say no. She seemed nice,”

The teal mare smiled at Buckley, touched that he was being nicer than she had expected.

“Thank you. Maybe I’m just overthinking things,” Lyra said, setting the necklace back into her saddlebag carefully. “You know, it’s about time for me to go…” she said, getting off of the couch and attaching her saddlebag around her.

“Yeah…”

“So…”

There was an awkward silence as both stood near each other. Almost a fleeting moment of what used to be. Lyra quickly ended with the silence with a soft “Thank you.”

She surprised him with a hug, which he wasn’t exactly expecting or wanting, but wasn’t going to avoid taking part.

“Anytime,” he said, as she exited his home.

Once again she was in the cool night air. It was darker than she had expected it would be. She took a deep breath, then realized Bonbon was almost certainly waiting for her.

Please Celestia let this go well!

After taking one last nostalgic glance at her former home, Lyra trotted off into the cold night.

As far as her eyes could see there were tall trees lit up by the brighter than usual moon. It was cold, which wasn’t exactly Bonbon’s favorite temperature to be in, but Lyra wanted to take a walk with her. It wasn’t very often she could take a walk with her love, and she was going to enjoy the time they had together before they returned home to get ready for the next day’s work.

As she waited for Lyra, she went over the day in her head as she planned for the next one, as she had gotten used to doing since becoming a cook at Sugarcube Corner.

She had to help her coworker Pinkie Pie with some of her job, the pink pony being sidetracked by two very fussy twins, since Mr. and Mrs. Cake were taking time off.

The cream colored mare smiled warmly as she thought of the twins; she loved them as if they were family.

“Fashionably late, as always,” Bonbon said to herself, less to point out Lyra being late to meeting her there, and more to see her breath in the dim moonlight.

It had been a while.

“Lyraaaaaaa, issssssss, laaaaaate,” Bonbon said, with a filly like giggle, as she watched her breath raise in front of her.

“W-What are you doing, Bonnie?”

Bonbon jumped, and blushed madly as she saw Lyra behind her, laughing really hard. Bonbon pushed her in retaliation, though not in an attempt to hurt her. “My breath was distracting…”

“Riiiiight,” Lyra said, reaching in to give Bonbon a peck on her nose. “I missed you today.” She said in a softer voice.

The cream colored mare smiled and returned the kiss. “I missed you, too. I’m surprised you actually wanted to talk a walk with me. I’ve been asking for months.”

Looking around her, Lyra absorbed the feeling of anticipation and anxiousness, knowing this would be a memorable night no matter the outcome. The two then started walking side by side, Lyra not able to hold off an expectant smile.

“Wow, it’s beautiful tonight. Princess Luna has outdone herself,” the candy mare commented, gazing across the whole sky just above the rest of the trees that were at the sides of the pathway they were standing in.

The teal mare then realized she had absolutely no plan on how to pop the question to Bonbon. She wanted to be as romantic as possible, and that’s why they were in the pathway in the first place, but the rising tension caused her mind to blank on the whole plan she had prepared.

“Yeah,” Lyra agreed, responding oddly late.

“We sure had a funny day at work today. Pinkie was taking care of the twins. They’re growing so fast!” Bonbon said with a big smile, her voice cracking with joy as she thought of the two foals.

“Really? I haven’t seen them in so long. I need to go to your job with you some day. I need a break from all this work.”

“I’m sure you do, Lyra. You’ve been working so hard and it makes me so proud of you. I’ll fix you up something yummy when we get back home! I’ve been wanting to try a new recipe! Oh! The new frosting arrived today at work, maybe this weekend I can bring us some back and make us some delicious desert,”

“Oh Bonnie, you don’t have to,” Lyra said, as they rounded a corner. “You deserve rest, too.”

“Sugar, don’t be silly,” the mare beside Lyra said with a loving smile. “I love to cook, you love to eat. We’re meant to be together,” the cream colored mare said with another giggle, though the simple sentence struck a chord with Lyra.

Celestia, that’s cute Lyra thought about BonBon’s little giggle.

It certainly felt like they were really meant to be together. It’s why she had prepared for this night so strenuously.

When they were fillies, they had walked down the exact path they were currently walking down. They had been in the same class. Lyra remembered this day so well because it was the day she and Bonbon became friends. Bonbon fell behind the class; Cheerilee asked Lyra to find her, and when she found her, they quickly became friends.

Lyra and Bonbon grew up together as friends, and were now living together as much more than just friends. Lyra could remember days when they were just teenagers. Lyra was always the outgoing one, Bonbon a bit timid, but still very fun. She even had a coltfriend here and there, but nothing too serious. The nostalgia brought warmth to her heart.

I walked out of a wedding for this mare. We really must be meant to be together.

With a relationship like theirs, there are always so many doubts about whether they could be going through an experimental phase, as if they were just foaling around and nothing more. Many ponies they knew, including Buckley, kind of assumed this about them. Month after month, they remained together. Month after month, they feel deeper in love. They weren’t judged harshly by other Ponyvillians as they had expected. Ponies respected them, and that made them even happier.

Suddenly a voice snapped her out of her daydream. “Lyra you dropped something.”

Lyra could see Bonbon’s hoof waving in front of her face to get her attention. “Oh did I?”

In BonBon’s hoof was the necklace box, thankfully still closed. Lyra’s heart skipped a beat.

“Honey, you’re out of it today,” the candy mare said with another giggle. “We should get home soon, you must be really tired.”

“Oh,” Lyra said, quickly using her magic to quickly put the necklace back in her pack.

“What’s in the box thing?” Bonbon asked as they started walking again.

“W-what box thing?” the turquoise mare said, her mind racing a mile a minute.

“…The one I just picked up for you.”

“Oh,” Lyra stammered, then gathered herself. “Bonnie, face me,” she said, sitting on the soft dirt of the pathway.

BonBon looked at her inquisitively, though doing so.

Lyra felt the burst of anxiety as she faced her marefriend. The moon’s light gleaming of her eyes, and a tiny smile making Lyra blush extremely. She felt like she was a filly again. Even her magic was shaky as she levitated the black box out of her saddlebag.

The black box floating in between them, as Lyra sighed for confidence, Bonbon eying the box, trying to connect the dots on what was happening.

“Bonnie,” Lyra started, with an awkward voice crack, though continuing. “I never would have thought so many years ago, when we first met, that we would be sitting here again, where we first met, now as a couple,”

“Th-this is where we first met?” Bonbon looked around; memories hitting her like a tidal wave. “Oh my…” A tear sparkled in the moonlight as it dripped down her cheek. Lyra knew she was emotional, but the quick tear suggested that BonBon had a feeling what was going on already.

The teal mare continued, getting just a little closer to the emotional Bonbon in front of her. “I remember when we were younger, you told me you thought nopony would ever want to marry you.”

“L-Lyra…I…” Bonbon’s voiced reached a higher level as her emotions caught up with her, her eyes tearing up and her chin quivering, though a loving smile remained on her face.

“You told me you thought nopony would think you’re beautiful, or they wouldn’t think you’re interesting enough.” A tear then ran down Lyra’s cheek.

“I…Lyra, are you..?”

“I think you’re beautiful, my Bonnie. I think you’re interesting. I-I think you’re talented.” Lyra paused as she looked Bonbon lovingly in the eyes. “Bonbon, I brought you here today to tell you that when you said that nopony would want to marry you, that you were wrong.”

Lyra then opened the box revealing the dazzling necklace she had bought. The purple diamond shimmered gently in the moonlight, casting elusive reflections all around the box it was in. Bonbon’s eyes widened, her mouth opened in awe. Then with one long “Lyyyyyyrraaaaa!”, she embraced the teal mare strongly, joyful tears pouring down her cheeks. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Lyra returned Bonbon’s hug, elated and relieved she had actually gotten the answer she had strove for, and an immediate sense relief and elation.

Then there was the long, joyful and passionate kiss that surprised even Lyra, knowing Bonbon wasn’t exactly the aggressive one in the relationship. It was the most emotional and meaningful kiss of their relationship so far. Every time they took a short break from it, they gazed into each other’s eyes and smiling. It was a moment of pure bliss that they would never forget.

"I love you so much, BonBon," Lyra said with tears in her own eyes, "I could n-never be happier,"

"I love you too!" The cream colored mare exclaimed, then embracing Lyra once more, "You've made me the happiest mare alive! I never thought this day would come- I-I still can't believe it, I just-" Losing her words in the midst of her joy, she again embraced Lyra.

The moment was perfect for the couple. It had been so many years since the day they met and over a year since they became a couple. Their love for each other made it an easy choice for both of them. Their love stronger than most and their relationship undoubtedly a happy one.

After such an extraordinary moment for the two mares, the two left to their home the happiest they had ever been, tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces and of course, warmth in their hearts knowing they were both so happy to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

Lyra realized something soon after. She had never been so happy to know somepony else wanted to spend their life with her. It meant so much, and certainly it was because of how much she truly loves BonBon. Everything about the mare made her smile, made her proud and definitely envious of her cooking skills. To have such an amazing mare be so happy with the prospect of living their lives together was a truly outstanding moment for Lyra.

The past two years in which their relationship had gone through its ups and downs, its twists and turns but they both could agree on something: neither could imagine it turning out any better.

Chapter 5

After a few seconds to stretch and wake up, the memory of the day before hit BonBon like a tidal wave. Things went exactly how she expected them to and she was able to confess her feelings, but she didn’t feel much better. The day before left her with an empty feeling as if she was still missing something, as if she hadn’t done something that she needed to do yet and it bothered her. BonBon had no clue what that thing could be and she wasn’t in mood to find out.

The cream colored mare slowly got out of her big bed and looked towards her closet where the dress she was going to wear to Lyra’s wedding was hung up. Checking the time on her wall clock, she realized she had woken up too early and that nopony was required to be at the wedding until several hours later because Lyra and Buckley would be there earlier to do what they needed, to prepare for their special day. The special day that BonBon felt should be hers and Lyra’s. However, the earth pony promised herself that she would show nothing but happiness for the teal mare and would try her best not to let her own feelings ruin the day for her friend. BonBon knew that Lyra wanted her there, and the best thing she could do is show her full support and not even hint towards her inner heartbreak.

Using a specialized brush that curved around her hoof so she wouldn’t drop it, she combed her mane over and over until she deemed it groomed enough to look nice at the wedding. She started her day as she always did, since she was up so early. The cream mare prepared herself a Daffodil Sandwich with some juice, then sat on her little rocking chair that had been passed down from generation to generation in her family.

A lot of different thoughts went through BonBon’s mind as she considered the possibilities of the day ahead and the impact it will have on her future. Her heart fluttered as she recalled the night before. The look in Lyra’s eyes when she admitted her feelings made her feel terrible inside. Lyra had a look of pity, considering that BonBon was weeping and possibly looking quite pathetic when the feelings were finally admitted. BonBon didn’t know whether to act as if the day before didn’t happen, or to talk to Lyra about it next time they could hang out together.

It sure is stressful to know this situation isn’t even over…I just want these feelings to go away, so I don’t have to feel so sad when I see her…

BonBon could feel her mood declining, so she forced herself to see the bright side of her situation. If there was anything BonBon could choose over everything, it was for Lyra to be happy. If Lyra marrying Buckley made her happy, that’s what she wanted. At least, maybe telling herself that would make her believe that’s what she wanted.

Everything is changing so fast…

<><><><><><><><><>

It wasn’t surprising to Lyra that Buckley would be treating her better than ever now that it was their wedding day. He may not have been the nicest or most caring pony she had ever met, but he has gotten nicer since they’ve started dating. It was what convinced her to say yes when he presented her with the golden tiara when he proposed marriage. In a sense she liked his roughness and his arrogance, because he looked tough, despite his slightly small stature. She could trust that he would take care of her if anything happened to them and defend her in the case of her being in danger. If somepony is willing to change themselves to be better for you, then that’s the pony you should marry. That was advice given to Lyra by her mother, which she didn’t exactly trust as true until she met Buckley. Granted, Buckley was her first coltfriend, and they had only been dating for about 6 months, but she felt she was in love and decided it
was time to settle down.

The wedding reception would be a small once, held at a small building
in town that held most of the town’s weddings. It was painted all white, with dozens of rose bushes all around the whole building. Inside was a small shiny marble room where Lyra and Buckley (and the few guests) would be. Lyra and Buckley would stand in front, say their
vows, and be married. It was a very simple procedure for such a big event in Lyra’s life. That’s how she wanted it, though. There was no need to make the occasion more than what it needs to be, because if you’re in love, you’ll enjoy every day with that pony. Lyra finished putting the slightest amount of make-up, then set the little brush down. She put the see-through veil in front of her face and backed up to see her full self in the mirror. It was finally happening, the day that she had been waiting for so long. Ever since she was a filly, she always imagined getting married and how everypony there would be happy for her and then she would live a happy life with the stallion she chose. However, everypony wouldn’t be happy for her. At least, they’d be happy for her, but not happy in general. Her one true friend in all of Equestria was probably going to have her heart broken by her own marriage.

I can’t let myself get distracted by this…it’s my wedding day, I need to be happy

Buckley was probably already waiting for her where they will get married. He had left earlier to meet his friends to get ready so they won’t see each other in their outfits for the day. Lyra thought this idea was quite romantic for the utterly unromantic pony that Buckley
was.

Startling her out of her thoughts was a pair of light knocks, followed by a very recognizable voice. Lyra immediately knew it was her friend Roseluck.

“OH MY GOSH, I am just SO happy for you, Lyra!” The red-maned mare exclaimed with a hug once the teal unicorn opened the door, “I can’t believe the day is finally here. A-Am I the only one here?”

“Thank you, Rosey! U-Uh I think so; I wasn’t really expecting to see anypony here before I arrived at the altar,”

“Well I wanted to stop by see you before the wedding! YOU LOOK FANTASTIC! Oh my gosh, who made this dress? It’s so…detailed!” Roseluck gushed, sifting her hoof through the delicately detailed blue-green dress that Lyra was wearing. Intricately embroidered lyres adorned the turquoise dress, with several layers making the dress look certainly magnificent.

“Oh the nice unicorn at the Carousel Boutique did. I couldn’t have
expected it to turn out this great though! Just look at this veil,”

“It’s so…DETAILED!” Roseluck marveled, her eyes almost crossing from looking at the details up close, “So, Lyra, are you excited or WHAT?”

“Yes! Of course! How could I not be? I’ve been waiting for this day long enough!”

“Time sure does fly!” The red-maned pony mused, and in a reminiscent
tone, remarked “I remember when we were fillies, and we would try and see who
could get closest to a colt without getting sick? We were so silly!”

“Those sure were some fun times, we were so innocent,” Lyra mused. “Remember when you tripped and fell on Buckley?! He chased you all around the schoolyard until recess was over!”

“Yes!” Roseluck exclaimed, holding her hooves In front of her face in
embarrassment. “Who would have known you two would get married all
these years later!”

“Yeah…” Lyra said as she carefully groomed her mane once more, to get
rid of every imperfection she could find.

“Why isn’t BonBon here? I expected her to be here for sure!”

A jolt of memory caused a chill to dart down Lyra’s spine. Her heart fluttered at the mention of her best friend.

“I-I don’t know…” Lyra said, her sudden sadness intriguing Roseluck.

“Wait? Did you two get in a fight or something? Why are you so sad all of a sudden?”

Lyra looked away apprehensively, “No, it’s nothing, really,”

“Come on Lyra, I’ve known almost as long as she has! Your wedding
wouldn’t be right without her or me present,”

“Roseluck, if I tell you, will you promise not to tell BonBon I told you?” Okay?”?

“Tell me what?” Roseluck questioned with an odd voice crack. She was
in Lyra’s kitchen fetching a glass of water.

“Promise first,” Lyra said, thinking deeply on whether she should even tell Roseluck. The off-white pony had been a mutual friend of her and BonBon almost as long as they’d been friends. If she could confide in anypony, it would be Roseluck.

“I promise Lyra, now jeez, I can’t be having you all sad before your own wedding!”

I’m sorry, Bonbon...

“Yesterday, well, last night, BonBon came over and she some things,
and I…I don’t know what to think,”

“What’d she say?” The off-white pony said, as she returned to Lyra’s living room. She sat on Lyra’s rocking chair across from her. She quickly finished her cup of water and set it down on the coffee table to her side.

The teal pony took a sigh for confidence, “Well, she…I don’t know how to say this, but she basically said she was in love with me,“ Lyra said, trying to hold back a tear of her own. It made her feel terrible to remember how sad the cream colored mare was the night before.

Roseluck arched an eyebrow, “You didn’t know that?”

Lyra was taken aback by the earth pony’s remark, “You did?”

“Well yeah, anypony could see it from a mile away,” Roseluck remarked
with a tiny chuckle at Lyra’s expense.

“What do you mean? How?” Lyra questioned, genuinely surprised.

Roseluck rubbed her chin as she spoke, “Hmmm, well whenever she sees you, she always smiles. Like, you probably think she’s just happy all the time, but I never really see her smiling a lot unless you were with her around. I mean, Lyra, she ALWAYS asks me where you are, I mean, I could just want to hang out with her, but she would automatically expect you to come. You couldn’t imagine how crushed she was on your birthday when you didn’t come.”

“Don’t remind of that!” Lyra chided, as her thoughts drifted off once again. It hurt Lyra more with her knowledge of BonBon’s feelings, and how she must have felt then.

I really must have been blind when I was around BonBon…

Lyra then gasped, “Just a little o-over a week ago, me and Buckley told Bonbon we were getting married and then we hung out with her the whole day! I-I can’t even imagine how she felt!”

Roseluck grimaced, “Oh my gosh…she must have been heartbroken,”

“You’re not helping, Rosey!” Lyra snapped, “I can’t…I SHOULDN’T let
this get to me, but I love Buckley, but I…How can I get married knowing I’ll be breaking my own best friend’s heart!”

“Well, if BonBon really loves you, she’d want you to do what makes you happy,” The red-maned mare said softly, calming Lyra down in the process.

The teal mare turned around from facing her mirror, which she had been facing during almost their whole conversation, “I can’t just cancel a wedding…let alone over my best friend…everypony would know her feelings and she’d probably be mortified if everypony knew about…UGH why’d she have to tell me the NIGHT before my wedding! I-I hate her so much right now!” she exclaimed with a stomp.

“Y-You don’t mean that,” Roseluck said gingerly, trying to once again
calm the unicorn down.

“I know…I know…” The teal mare looked up at her clock, “We should probably get going to the altar now, Buckley is probably waiting for me.”

It was a short walk to the altar, which was fine for Lyra because she didn’t want to gather attention from ponies seeing her in such an elegant dress in public. Though she performed shows occasionally as a lyre player, publicity just wasn't her thing.

“So…is BonBon still invited to the wedding?” The red maned mare asked, “U-unless you don’t want to talk about her anymore, I understand.”

“S-she is, I just don’t know if she’s still coming, I mean, I wouldn’t expect her to put herself through that, but…ARGH! I can’t be thinking about her on my wedding day! I need to be happy on my wedding day and thinking about her makes me sad…”

”Maybe there’s a reason why?” Roseluck inquired.

“What do you mean?” The turquoise mare arched an eyebrow at her friend.

“Nothing, I don’t know…Let’s just focus on your wedding from here on
out. I’m sure you can talk to BonBon after. NOW! Get excited! This is YOUR day, it’s time for you to act like it!”

Lyra smiled, “I-I guess you’re right!”

“See? We’re already here!” Roseluck said with a happy flailing of her hooves.

With a smile, Lyra tried not to notice the beautiful blue roses that lined the pathway to the hall where she’d get married.