It's Witchcraftby GruekillerChaptersPrologue: An Enchanting EveningChapter One: Machinations and IncantationsChapter Two: An InvitationChapter Three: RuminationsChapter Four: ResolutionPrologue: An Enchanting Evening“Love is in bloom!” Twilight Sparkle was enjoying herself. “A beautiful bride, a handsome groom!” The changelings were defeated, the siege upon Canterlot was raised, and the wedding ceremony afterwards was positively beautiful. And now, as the reception carried on late into the evening, Twilight sang a love song atop the stage. “Two hearts, becoming one!” There wasn’t a single head in the audience that wasn’t bobbing as everypony cheered on the new couple. Even the princesses couldn’t seem to resist the urge to dance. “A bond that cannot be undone!” And so the lavender unicorn sang her heart out before the throng of ponies. Despite her brother’s reassurances that she had a wonderful voice, Twilight had never been very sure of her lyrical abilities. Right now, she found herself hard-pressed to care. The day was saved, her brother married the mare of his dreams, and the music carried on… “You’re starting a life and making room, for us…” The song was over, and the night was no longer young. Twilight had stepped down from the stage an hour ago to the applause of hundreds of ponies. She was still reeling from the exuberant praise that ponies she didn’t even know showered upon her for her song. Sapphire Shores – the Sapphire Shores! – had even complimented her as she left the stage. Lofty praise, considering it came from the pony whose song Twilight had been covering to begin with. Now, the stage was occupied by the DJ and a black-maned pony, performing a sort of turntable-cello duet – an unorthodox pair, to be sure, but the soothing tune they performed together certainly seemed to have the desired effect on the audience. A calm tune – a slow dance. Plenty of stallions had asked her to dance earlier in the night, when the tunes were still energetic and happy. But now that the atmosphere had taken a turn for the romantic, everypony already seemed to have somepony else to dance with. She smiled as she inspected the crowd from the refreshments table, taking note of Rainbow Dash and Soarin’. The male pegasus held the multichromatic flyer close as they swayed gently to the music – by the look on the cyan pony’s face, Twilight could tell Rainbow Dash was very pleased with her lot in life at the moment. Good for her, the young librarian decided supportively. She knew her athletic friend had been pining after the Wonderbolt for months. Somewhere off in the crowd, she could even see Spike, and Rarity’s little sister, Sweetie Belle, dancing together. That is, of course, if shuffling awkwardly next to each other and wearing matching blushes counted as ‘dancing together’. Twilight let out a small chuckle. Her expression grew wistful. Yes, everypony, it seemed, had somepony. Everypony except her. So there she stood, for a moment, drinking from a glass of punch she’d levitated to her mouth, until somepony spoke. “Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight turned, vaguely recognizing the voice. A mint-green unicorn stood next to her, smiling. A white daisy was tucked in her normally messy green-and-white mane, which was suitably tamed for the formal occasion. She wore a yellow dress, which, Twilight thought, brought out her golden eyes beautifully. “Lyra?” The other unicorn seemed pleased by the recognition. “I was worried you’d forgotten, now that you’re such a celebrity! Defeating evil alicorns, spirits of chaos, changeling queens…” She winked. “Quite the busy couple of years you’ve had.” Twilight blushed at the praise, ears shrinking back bashfully. “Oh, well... I couldn’t have done it without my friends…” Lyra giggled at the librarian’s reaction, stepping over to fetch herself a glass of her own. Twilight recalled Lyra Heartstrings mostly as a classmate of hers at the School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. She had always struck her as a talented student and sorceress, if somewhat of a dreamer, prone to distraction and flights of fancy, as well as some eccentric habits. She had, in any case, always seemed friendly enough, and, Twilight reflected, it was always nice to see an old friend. “I haven’t heard much from you since school,” Twilight remarked. “What have you been up to?” Lyra shrugged a little, taking a sip of punch. “I moved to Ponyville a year back to work on my music. You know, away from all the noise and bustle of the big city.” This was greeted with a blink from Twilight, who smiled. “No kidding! I live in Ponyville, too!” The green pony deadpanned for a moment. “Yes, I know.” She chuckled at Twilight’s embarrassed expression, all smiles once again. “I’ve seen you around town a few times, but I’ve never had the chance to say ‘hi’.” Twilight still looked a bit dejected. “You mean I’ve lived in the same town as you for a year and never noticed?” She scuffed the ground with a hoof. “Well, I feel silly.” Lyra giggled again. “Don’t worry about it too much! I've been told I'm sometimes hard to notice.” She tilted her head over to look at Twilight. “I loved your performance earlier, by the way,” she enthused. Twilight smiled gratefully. “You mentioned you’re a musician? Why didn’t you perform yourself?” The mint-green musician lifted her shoulders again in a shrug. “I was still being fished out of those crystal caverns. I only just got back to the surface – with the help of the royal guards, of course.” She allowed a wry smile. Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof, aghast. “Oh gosh-!” She stammered. “That was you!” She waved her hooves frantically, scrambling to apologize. “I’m so sorry! So, so-“ Lyra cut Twilight off, a concerned expression on her features. “There’s no need to apologize, really! You did what you had to, to get the Princess to safety. I was kinda…” she sat back on her haunches for a moment to spin her hooves in circles around her ears, “… wacky, at the time. Besides, me, Minuette, and Twinkleshine are all fine.” Giggling at the little charade, Twilight found her earlier melancholy rapidly fading. The two stood, smiling at each other in companionable silence for several moments. Lyra broke the silence, blurting, “Do you want to dance?” Twilight blinked twice in response, taken off-guard. “I mean-“ Lyra began amended herself hastily. “This is a dance, isn’t it? I didn’t bring a date with me, and… you didn’t either, did you?” Twilight shook her head. “Then, nice as it is to talk, shouldn’t we be out on the dance floor instead?” Lyra flashed a nervous grin. If there was one thing with which Twilight Sparkle couldn’t argue, it was logic. Hesitantly, she nodded, and then smiled at Lyra. “Sure.” Grinning – almost looking relieved, Twilight thought – Lyra guided her away from the refreshments table and out onto the dance floor. The pair stopped amidst the crowd. Glancing around furtively, Twilight bit her lip. To tell the truth, most of her trepidation owed to the fact that she was a horrid dancer. She’d made a bit of a fool of herself at the Canterlot Garden Party a month or two prior, and she dreaded the thought of embarrassing herself again. Lyra seemed to notice Twilight’s nerves getting the best of her, giving her a sympathetic smile. “Follow my lead,” she whispered softly. Where most ponies have difficulty preparing themselves for a slow dance – it calls for the two ponies to stand on two legs, an uncomfortable position for a quadruped – Lyra did so with ease, helping Twilight to stand up as well. The purple unicorn wobbled, muffling a squeak of surprise as she tried to steady herself. Thankfully, Lyra managed to catch her, letting Twilight support herself by leaning against the slightly taller pony. Lyra smiled encouragingly. Trying to hide the blush she was sure was apparent on her face, Twilight stammered, “So, uh… what now?” Lyra responded merely by resting one hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, and the other took hold of the unicorn’s left hoof. Gently, the two began to sway to the music. Twilight stared at her hooves, and nearly lost her breath. She was… dancing! And dancing well, by Celestia! There wasn’t a hint of her usual stumbling or flailing. Instead, she felt as though she was gliding as Lyra guided her to the steady thrum of the music. The two swayed and stepped together, librarian leaning on lyrist all the while. As the music carried on, Twilight found herself smiling at her dancing partner, and discovered Lyra smiling back. The whole world around her seemed to melt away. It was at once forever, and all too soon when the music ended. The cellist took a well-practiced bow, and the DJ pumped her hoof to the cheers of the audience. Twilight blinked, as though dazed. “It’s over?” Lyra craned her neck, glancing behind her at the stage. It was already being vacated by the musicians, who seemed to be embroiled in an argument about something. “I guess so,” she said wistfully, gently helping Twilight back onto all fours. “It looks like the reception is ending. The bride and groom will be leaving,” Twilight remarked, glancing around at the departing guests. Sighing, she scuffed her hoof on the ground again, smiling at Lyra. “… I should go see my brother and Cadance off,” she said. Stepping forward, Twilight wrapped her in a hug, causing the green unicorn to tense up in surprise. “Thank you for the dance, Lyra. It was really nice seeing you again.” Twilight walked away, unaware of the blush on Lyra’s cheeks. The musician smiled, watching Twilight leave. “… Really nice seeing you,” she repeated to herself. It was past midnight onboard the Friendship Express. The passenger car rattled gently as the locomotive rumbled over the tracks, the pale moonlight faintly illuminating the inside. Catching some rest for the remainder of the trip back to Ponyville, eight ponies and one baby dragon slept soundly; but rest had yet to find Twilight Sparkle. By all rights, she should have been exhausted – such a long day, fighting changelings, and all. But her fitful mind still hadn’t allowed her any chance to doze off. The Cutie Mark Crusaders slept, still in flower-filly raiment, one particular white filly resting closer to the librarian’s draconic assistant than the others. Rainbow was out like a light, a smile still on her lips as she snored loudly. Her other four friends, all snoozing peacefully. And here sat Twilight Sparkle, thinking. About the changelings, one might expect, or her brother and Cadance. And yet, it was not these which crossed her mind, but one question, repeating incessantly: What was it about that dance? Three hours on, and Twilight still couldn’t think of anything but the dance she had shared with her old classmate. Try as she might, the impeccably rational pony could make no reason of this whatsoever. What was so special about dancing with Lyra? What’s a dance between friends? Just… friendly friends, doing friendly… stuff. … Right? No, Twilight Sparkle was not even fooling herself. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she’d really only accepted the earlier invitations to dance out of courtesy. She’d just danced awkwardly next to the stallions, and there’d been no sort of spark whatsoever. The dance with Lyra had been… different. There had been an undeniable connection between the two unicorns when they had danced, one which, Twilight realized, had left her attention resting solely upon the green unicorn – a fact which she found rather disconcerting. The bookworm prided herself on her attention to detail, her ability to pick up on the smallest things around her at any given time, and to remember them with unerring accuracy. But when she tried to think of anything else that had been going on as she danced with Lyra – the couples dancing next to them, even the music – she drew a total blank. All that came to mind was the softness of Lyra’s fur, the gentle green and white swirl of her mane, that hoof resting atop Twilight’s shoulder, those beautiful, golden eyes… It was almost… bewitching. Twilight sat up, eyes widening. Oh, sweet Celestia. There’s only one explanation. … I’ve been hexed! In Ponyville, a green unicorn was similarly trapped in her thoughts. Never one to travel by rail, Lyra was still spent from the teleport back home. Long-distance teleportation, a rare skill among unicorns, had always been a talent of hers. Presently, however, her thoughts were as far from magic theory as they could be as she lounged on the couch. She thought of Twilight Sparkle, that wonderful, impossible mare – Element of Magic, heroine of Equestria, student of Princess Celestia herself… and, most importantly, the beautiful, brilliant mare she once admired from afar, but had never had the courage to tell. Her feelings had faded away somewhat as she saw the lavender unicorn less and less over the years, as Twilight grew more and more ensconced in her studies under the Princess, and eventually stopped attending the School for Gifted Unicorns altogether. Lyra had been devastated – forever, she was sure, denied the opportunity to admit her feelings. But seeing her tonight – seeing her defeat the changelings, hearing that melodious voice sing, seeing Twilight Sparkle in all of her radiant beauty… How could Lyra resist? Her infatuation was re-kindled, burning stronger than ever before. Bon-Bon raised a brow over at her swooning room-mate. In her accented voice, she inquired, “Lyra? Are you being ill?” “Something like that,” Lyra returned dreamily. “I’m in love.” Chapter One: Machinations and IncantationsThe next day, all the inhabitants of the small hamlet of Ponyville were abuzz about the events of the previous day – a foreign attack on Canterlot crashing the wedding, and its repulsion by the bride and groom themselves! Rarity and Rainbow Dash, of course, had been there themselves, and so spoke of other things as they sat in the Mane Square – namely, the wedding reception. “Who was that guy you were with at the reception, Rares?” Rainbow inquired from atop a low-hanging tuft of cumulus. “You remember Fancy Pants, don’t you? You and the girls met him at the Canterlot Garden Party a couple of months ago.” Rainbow tapped her chin with a hoof, recalling making a mess of the stuffy affair. That and Twilight’s horrible dancing. “Hehe, yeah.” She grinned down at the unicorn. “You and him were getting pretty chummy, eh?” The fashionista swooned melodramatically, a dreamy look on her face. Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to gag… barely. “Oh, Dash, he’s such a gentlecolt. Debonair, refined, charming, sophisticated…” “Don’t those all mean the same thing?” Rarity paused. “You would think so, Dash.” She turned, back of her hoof against her forehead. “Alas,” she bemoaned, “he’s already engaged to that lovely fashion model, Fleur de Lis. It seems my chance has, regrettably, passed.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, though the mischievous smirk soon returned. “It sounds like you have marriage on the mind.” Rarity stopped gushing, looking quizzical. “Why do you say that?” “IT’S MINE!” Dash shrieked in a good imitation of the alabaster unicorn, pantomiming a dive for an invisible bouquet. Landing on her back atop the cloud, Dash rolled around, shaking with peals of laughter. Rarity looked thoroughly unamused, but kept any witty retorts in check. “And what about that dashing flyer of yours, Dash?” Now it was the pegasus’ turn to swoon. “You mean Soarin’? The fastest, awesomest, sexiest, coolest stallion in Equestria?” “How eloquent,” commented Rarity dryly. “I mean it! After so many months of trying to get his attention, he asked me to dance!” Rainbow’s exuberance quickly degenerated into what, Rarity noted with alarm, seemed to be an advanced form of one of her usual fangirl freak-outs. Rarity found it best to end the pegasus’ giggling after a minute or two. “Yes, well.” She cast her gaze around. “Did you see Twilight at all before the night’s end? It almost seems as though she vanished as soon as she was finished singing.” Pinkie Pie, as she is wont to do, apparated next to the two to answer Rarity’s question, head emerging from a barrel of pickled cucumbers. “She was in the crowd, dancing with a giiiiirl~!” Rarity boggled at the bubbly pink pony. “Pinkie, dear, where in the world did you come from?” Pinkie smiled beatifically. “A rock farm, silly!” Rarity opened her mouth as if to speak. Upon a moment’s silence, she slumped, defeated. “Sooo random,” Dash whispered from atop her perch. Pinkie’s words seemed to register a few moments later with Rarity, who straightened. “Wait… Pinkie, darling, did you say you saw Twilight… dancing with somepony?” The party pony nodded excitedly, tumbling out of the barrel to stand. “Mhm!” “… A mare?” Rarity raised a brow. Pinkie nodded again, still smiling broadly. “Well, well!” Rainbow declared, raising both brows slowly. “I never knew our little bookworm had it in her!” The pegasus cracked a mischievous grin. “Oh, that won’t do,” tittered Rarity, prompting raised eyebrows from both of her friends. “Why not?” asked Dash warily. Rarity blinked. “Well – it’s certainly… atypical, isn’t it? Two mares?” Pinkie merely tilted her head nearly ninety degrees. “… So?” Rainbow gestured to Pinkie, nodding in agreement. “Who cares if Twi was dancing with a mare? As long as she was happy, right?” Rarity pursed her lips, nodding. “… Of course.” She sighed quietly. “I’m just a bit… old-fashioned when it comes to affairs of romance. I do apologize if I offended you, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow threw her hooves up in exasperation, making a face and crossing them in front of her chest. “Even after I get a coltfriend, everypony still thinks I’m gay!” Rarity paid little attention to the pegasus’ grumbling, looking curious. “Who is this mare that’s caught our Twilight’s eye, any way? Pinkie bounced a little in place. “This green unicorn with a harp on her flank!” The fashionista rested her chin on a hoof. “Lyra Heartstrings…?” “You know her?” asked Rainbow, momentarily forgetting her wounded pride. “Yes, she’s stopped at the Boutique a few times before. The last time she stopped by was a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure it was for her ensemble for attending the wedding.” She shrugged musingly. “I suppose I can see where the mutual interest would lie… they both attended the School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot, from what I’ve heard.” “School sweethearts? So romantic!” Pinkie grinned like a madpony, bouncing again. Rainbow rested her chin on her hooves, pondering. “Come to think of it, I did see those two talking after the slow dancing was over. Typical egghead romance – they kept pussyhoofing around each other and blushing! I’ll bet this Lyra chick doesn’t even know Twilight has the hots for her.” Pinkie nodded emphatically. “You know our Twilight, Dashie! She doesn’t know how to deal with romancey-things!” “Don’t,” Rainbow grumbled, “call me ‘Dashie’.” Rarity seemed to be overcome with a sudden sense of resolve. “Then we must help Twilight and Lyra to admit their feelings, of course!” Rainbow and Pinkie blinked at the unicorn. “Weren’t you just turning your nose up at them a minute ago?” Rainbow asked dryly. Rarity huffed indignantly, tossing her mane. “I just want dear Twilight to be happy. If that means helping her to be with the… er… mare of her dreams, then so be it.” She furrowed her brow fiercely. “Ohmigosh, that would be so exciting! We could have a ‘Twilight-Finally-Has-A-Marefriend Party’, with cake and everything! And it’s so super nice causeno-oneeverwritesthispairing, whatshouldwecallit, LyTwi, Twyra? Oh, I’m so excited!” Rainbow and Rarity soon tuned out Pinkie’s chattering, shrugging at one another. “What’s our first step?” asked the pegasus. Rarity put on a devious grin, the gears in her head whirring. “It’s simple, my dear – we throw a party.” Pinkie looked almost ready to explode. Elsewhere in Ponyville, Twilight hit the deck, hooves covering her head as she cringed and closed her eyes. After a moment’s silence, she cracked an eye open, glancing around. She let out a nervous laugh, noticing that ponies were staring, and stood back up, continuing to walk down the street. A false alarm, Twilight thought with relief. Usually when she was overcome by a sudden sense of foreboding, it meant a certain pink pony was about to unleash one of her crazy schemes upon the hapless librarian. Thank goodness. Fears of a hyperactive pink blur thus assuaged, Twilight’s worries returned to the matter at hoof: that, she was convinced, Lyra Heartstrings, the local musician, had placed her under some sort of hex. That’s the only answer that makes sense, isn’t it? Twilight assured herself. The fuzzy feelings and her inability to forget last night’s dance were surely the results of some sort of dark magic, and nothing more. Not to mention the heat Twilight felt in her cheeks whenever she thought of the wily enchantress responsible. If Twilight knew that she was straining credulity, she made no outward sign. She exhaled, gathering her thoughts again as she paused outside the Books and Branches Library, her home and place of work. She’d stepped out for a morning walk to clear her mind, and felt she was ready again to begin searching for some sort of solution to her predicament. Smiling reassuringly to herself, she trotted briskly to the entrance, swinging the heavy, wooden door open with a wave of telekinetic magic. Failing to take note of the resulting ‘whump’, Twilight peered about for her reptilian assistant. “Spike?” She turned her gaze a little to her right, eyeing a groaning pile of books and lofting a brow. “Spike, get out from behind the door before somepony swings it open and smacks you! You could get hurt.” Dazedly popping his head from the pile of books, the slightly bruised whelp managed sarcasm even while in pain. “Wouldn’t want that,” he said, peering after Twilight as she hurried into the library. “Did you find those books I listed off to you before I left?” asked Twilight, wasting no time as she prepared the table in the center of the room for her studies. Spike nodded, gathering each of the tomes back up and stacking them as he hobbled over. “All six…” he groaned, dropping them with a loud thump next to the studious unicorn. This earned the assistant a smile and a grateful peck atop his head from his adoptive sister. Wrinkling his snout a little and rubbing the spot on his head, the dragon’s curiosity finally got the better of him. “What’s all this research for, any way?” Twilight hefted a book aloft in her magic, thumbing quickly through the pages with her eyes flicking to and fro. “I’m trying to find any references to a certain type of hex.” “What type is that?” Spike asked, trying vainly to follow the pages as he leaned on the table. Twilight stared at him for a moment, before returning to rapidly turning the pages. After tearing her way through five of the books, Twilight let out a frustrated groan, dropping them on the table. “Nothing! Nothing about awkwardness, blushing, not being able to take my mind off of somepony for three hoofing seconds!” Her head soon went the way of the books, bonking into the table in frustration. Spike’s mouth hung open, brow raised as he put the pieces together. Blushing? Awkwardness? Oh, come on, even I know what’s going on here. “You think a hex is responsible for…? Oh, c’mon, Twilight, I think you’re over-thinking this.” “Over-thinking?! I’m being menaced by malevolent magic and you think I’m over-thinking?! I have to find a solution, before I explode! And catch on fire! And explode again!” Twilight was breathing heavily, shaking a bewildered Spike by the shoulders. “Twilight! All I’m saying is, you should talk to the pony who—“ “That’s it!” cried the unicorn ecstatically. Setting Spike down, she hurried toward the door. “I’ll ask a hexologist in Canterlot! There’s all sorts of magical specialists in the city, so I’m sure one can help me!” Waddling after Twilight in concern, Spike was about to correct Twilight when he was slammed again by the door, this time by Twilight’s abrupt exit. Standing and rubbing his head woozily, Spike began to bemoan his bad luck. “Well that coulda gone be—“ The door was flung open again, this time by a particular pink party pony. “Twiliiiight—Oh! Hey, Spikey!” Spike let out an unintelligible groan. “Urgh…” “I see!” cried Pinkie, tapping her chin with a hoof. “So Twilight thinks she’s under some sort of hex and doesn’t understand her own feelings, so she’s on her way to Canterlot to find a specialist, then?” “Ngeh…” “Thanks for the tip, Spike!” Pinkie vanished out of the front door again, leaving Spike to nurse his pride – and his wounds. Bon-Bon took a small sip of tea, eyeing the newspaper in front of her intently. It seemed that what had happened at the royal wedding the previous day was even more serious than she had thought. Lyra had just written it off as another odd day, of the sort that Ponyville itself saw rather often, but the confectioner found the thought of Equestrian royalty being bested by weird, shape-shifting bugs very… disconcerting. Not that her room-mate seemed to show any sign of it. Lyra was on the couch again, lying on her belly with her forelegs draped lazily over one arm. A dreamy smile was plastered over Lyra’s face, which Bon-Bon had long past discovered to be a signal of one of her room-mates daydreams. Normally she found them rather endearing, but considering that Lyra had been lost in space all morning and all the previous night, they were just proving a little tiresome. “Lyra?” Deep in the jungles of Brayzil, famed explorer of the Royal Equestrian Society, Lyra Heartstrings, hacked through the jungle undergrowth. Her machete, formed from pure, light-green magic from her horn, easily sliced through the thick jungle vines, allowing her a swift journey through the tangles of vegetation. Sniffing lightly at the air, the explorer stopped in her tracks. Smoke. Ducking behind a tree, she dug the blade into the bark, slowly clambering her way up to the canopy. Standing atop the tree, Lyra turned her sharp gaze around over the vast sea of green sprawling off in each direction. The Amarezon River glittered silver in the distance. Soon, she spotted what she was looking for: a column of black smoke. Putting on her most determined grin, she took a leap, jumping onto the next tree, and then the next, moving over the treetops expertly. Halting amid the branches of a kapok, Lyra peered between a pair of leaves at the encampment below. There, a tribe of feral ocelots danced around a large campfire. Upon the dance’s completion, they bore their prize over, tied to a wooden pole: a beautiful, purple unicorn maiden, screaming in terror. Tying off the end of her rope on a branch, Lyra resolved to let this go no longer, and to rescue the pony in peril before it was too late! Gripping the rope between two hooves, she kicked herself off the branch. “Geronimo!” The ocelots were caught completely by surprise as Lyra swung through the clearing, landing solid blows against the jaws of each with her rear hooves as she passed by. Laughing, the explorer released her grip on the rope, dropping with a roll before landing on all fours. “My hero!” swooned the grateful damsel. With a snicker-snack from the magical blade, the purple unicorn’s bonds were released, and she rushed to the daring explorer’s side. “Oh Lyra, I can never repay you for saving me.” Looping her hooves around the unicorn’s neck, Lyra smiled. “You can start.” Slowly, their lips drew closer together, and— “Lyra?” “Lyra!” “Buh?” The chartreuse pony tilted her head confusedly, staring over at her room-mate. Bon-Bon was giving her a very familiar deadpan glare. She must have been daydreaming again. “Hehe… Sorry, Bons.” Bon-Bon rolled her eyes at the unicorn, a sign, Lyra had since learned, that all was forgiven. Bon-Bon still didn’t have many friends in Ponyville, even though she’d moved from Foaland a couple of years ago, mostly due to her thick accent and peculiar manners of speech. When Lyra had moved into town, however, the two became fast friends, and had since developed a sort of understanding. Right now, that understanding was screaming that something was bugging Bon-Bon. “Something bothering you?” the unicorn asked. “You have been doing nothing but the swooning and the spacing since you arrived home,” Bon-Bon replied pointedly, trotting over toward the kitchen and moving around some of the things Lyra had left lying around when she made breakfast. This prompted a frown from the unicorn, who knew Bon-Bon only got into one of her neat-freak moods when something was upsetting her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem upset.” Bon-Bon turned, feather-duster in mouth, and blinked at Lyra. “No! Not upset,” she clarified a bit too quickly, “just concerned. I think you are putting too much of thought about this Twilight girl.” Lyra flopped back with a sigh, putting on that smile again. “How couldn’t I? She’s smart, pretty, talented…” “Cholera,” grumbled Bon-Bon disgruntledly around the handle of the duster, turning to dust off the side of the oven. “Gesundheit.” Folding her hooves over her chest, Lyra looked thoughtful, the smile slowly turning to a frown. “Not that I’ll ever get her to look at me twice,” she admitted resignedly. “I mean, she’s the apprentice of the feathering Princess of the Sun for… well… Celestia’s sake! I’m just a regular ol’ boring unicorn.” Lyra’s usual bravado soon faded into the sort of self-deprecation she only showed a sign of around her room-mate. Bon-Bon looked thoughtfully to Lyra for a few moments, then spat out the duster, voice sympathetic. “You are not just a boring old unicorn, Lyra. You are beautiful, very talented, and… I—“ “That’s it!” blurted Lyra, hopping up to bounce happily on the sofa, her usual energy returning. “Talent! I can write a song for her!” She clapped her hooves excitedly. “Thanks, Bon!” Bon-Bon stared blankly at Lyra for a moment, then turned to exit the room, rolling her eyes. “Nie wiem, dlaczego kładę się z tobą ...” she mumbled in exasperation, leaving Lyra to stand in confusion a moment longer before the unicorn hurried off to fetch her lyre. Chapter Two: An InvitationTwilight Sparkle moved through town at a brisk pace, causing various passers-by to turn their heads worriedly as they wondered what had the unicorn riled up this time. The incident with the doll (of which there was a silent pact to never speak of again) was still fresh in everypony’s minds. The clueless purple pony paid little mind, thoughts still swimming with complex equations and obscure theorems. She had resolved to travel to Canterlot and meet with an expert on the subject in the hopes of breaking what she’d come to mentally dub a ‘blushing hex’ – And then I’ll give Lyra a piece of my mind! the unicorn resolved. Before she could articulate the stern talking-to she planned to give later, Pinkie Pie abruptly blocked Twilight’s way. “Twilight! I’ve got something important for you!” Barely skidding to a halt in time, Twilight almost bowled Pinkie over. “Pinkie-!” she cried out in a reprimand. “I’m on my way to a very important appointment!” Her brows knitted together in frustration as she gave the pink pony an accusatory glare. Paying no heed to Twilight’s urgent tone, Pinkie reached into a saddlebag, retrieving a pink envelope. Levitating it over and opening it, the unicorn’s eyes traced over the words in the letter, and she raised an eyebrow. Hearts n’ Hooves Day Bash Sugarcube Corner April 25th, 7:00 PM Bring a special somepony! “Hearts and Hooves?” “I remembered to use written invitations this time!” Pinkie crowed proudly. “And I mean, it would’ve been exhausting to do a singing telegram again, ‘cause everypony is invited!” “Pinkie, Hearts and Hooves Day was two months ago,” Twilight ventured warily. The earth pony just shrugged, still wearing a wide smile which indicated that she cared not for such earthly concerns. Twilight shook her head a little, thinking. The 25th was two days away, which still gave her plenty of time to fix her little hex problem and still be able to attend. “I’ll see what I can do,” Twilight relented. “But I’m very busy now, so if you could please excuse me?” She gave Pinkie a somewhat apologetic look, glancing anxiously past her. At Pinkie’s nod, Twilight stepped past her, continuing along her way. “Okay!” Pinkie called. “Have fun in Canterlot!” “How did you…?” Twilight turned, only to find that Pinkie Pie had already disappeared into whatever hammerspace she usually occupied. Rolling her eyes, the harried unicorn walked on. “Hey Bon-Bon, I-“ Lyra swung the door open, a pink envelope hovering in her telekinetic grip, but stopped mid-sentence. “Bons?” Looking around, Lyra found the room suspiciously devoid of habitation, and dark, save for some flickering candles. Marvin Braye music drifted from the other room. That’s odd. Confused for a moment, Lyra brightened when she spotted a trail of bright, red treats on the floor. “Ooh!” Trotting forward, she leaned down to each rose petal in turn, eating them up with a ‘nom’. Having skipped breakfast that morning, the unicorn was starved. Wrapped up as she was in eating the trail of welcome snacks, she was a little startled when she reached the end. “Hello, Lyra,” came a sultry voice from just ahead of her. Lifting her head, Lyra eyed her surroundings. She stood in Bon-Bon’s bedroom, the aforementioned music coming apparently from a phonograph in the corner. The crème-toned earth mare herself was lying atop the bed, a rose clutched in her teeth. “Heya, Bon,” Lyra greeted her roommate casually, mouth still full. "Would you like to come to bed?" Bon-Bon asked uncertainly, in what she hoped was a suggestive tone of voice. "Oh, no thanks, Bons. I'd love to take a nap, but I have to leave again soon." She gulped down the mouthful of petals. “You gonna eat that?” She leveled her hoof questioningly at the rose Bon-Bon was holding. The rose in Bon-Bon’s mouth almost seemed to wilt visibly as she realized that all of her romantic gestures had been misread completely by her oblivious unicorn friend. Ears drooping a little, she tossed the rose to Lyra, who devoured it hungrily. “Mm! Did you buy that from those Flower Girls?” Bon-Bon sighed. “Yes.” The trio of florists, good friends of the confectioner, had been aware of her infatuation with Lyra for a while. Almost as great as her disappointment with her failure was her sadness that she would need to break the news to Roseluck. “You’ll have to thank them for me,” Lyra said, glancing around the room again. “What’s with the music and candles?” “They are relaxing,” Bon-Bon half-lied, resting her cheek on one hoof with a glum expression. “I was just… ‘hanging out’, as you say,” she finished lamely. “Well, thanks for the snack, Lyra continued, heedless, licking her lips. “But I needed to show you something!” She waved the letter in Bon-Bon’s face with a smile. The earth pony furrowed her brow, unable to focus on the rapidly-moving pink envelope. “What is it?” “Pinkie Pie is throwing a Hearts and Hooves party, and everypony in Ponyville is invited!” “In April?” Lyra shrugged. “It’s Pinkie Pie.” Bon-Bon nodded a little, unable to argue with that simple fact. She managed to catch the letter, opening it and inspecting the text therein. “… ‘Bring a special somepony’?” She turned her eyes up to peer questioningly at Lyra. Lyra nodded. “Yeah. Pity I don’t really have one to take with me.” She pouted for a moment, before her eyes widened, gaze turning up to Bon-Bon. “Unless…” Bon-Bon felt her heart flutter. Was Lyra implying…? “Unless I ask Twilight Sparkle! This is perfect!” Of course she wasn’t. Bon-Bon buried her face in her forelegs and muttered, “Gówno.” Lyra shook her head wearily. “You know I don’t speak Foalish, Bon.” Bon-Bon peeked over a foreleg to give Lyra a look. The unicorn rolled her eyes, knowing better than to press Bon-Bon when she got mad enough to lapse out of Equish entirely. “Any way,” Lyra said, pulling the conversation along hastily, “it really is perfect! If I can finish a song in time, I can serenade her and make her fall for me!” “So simple?” Bon-Bon quipped sarcastically. Lyra sighed happily, eyes distant. “Hopefully.” Bon-Bon snorted ruefully, glancing away. Let Lyra fawn over the town librarian for now, she decided. But the next time she saw this Twilight mare, she was going to give her a piece of her mind. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Pinkie,” praised Rarity as she levitated a red streamer to the wall above her. “All of Ponyville is atwitter! More than half the town is bound to show up to our little soiree.” The two were busying themselves with decking the pastel walls of Sugarcube Corner with theme-appropriate decorations. Red and pink hearts were especially predominant along the edges of every surface in the building. “Well, Dashie handed out most of the invitations,” Pinkie chirped from atop her ladder. With a hum and a smile, she fastened a banner in place, then hopped down to walk over to Rarity. “Besides, this whole party was your idea, Rares!” Rarity turned to her bubbly friend, smiling at her praise. “Only for Twilight, my dear.” She turned back around, eyeing the decorations anxiously. “Oh, I hope this works, Pinkie Pie. What if Twilight and Lyra still can’t admit their feelings for one another?” Pinkie smiled brightly, resting a reassuring foreleg over the unicorn’s withers. “Don’t you worry, Rarity! I’ve been to the last chapter, so you can trust me that it turns out all right for everypony!” Giggling at Rarity’s puzzled expression, she began to trot away, all the decorations they’d planned for all in place. Stopping, Pinkie called back, “Oh! Speaking of the party… Don’t forget to duck!” The earth pony winked cryptically and left, leaving a bewildered Rarity behind. It was late that evening when Twilight Sparkle arrived at her destination. Canterlot was recovering quickly from the changeling invasion, throngs of workers hurrying about the streets to repair their city. Everywhere, the clang of hammers and buzz of saws filled the balmy spring air. Breathing in the familiar scents of her city of birth, Twilight turned left down the street, past a café. Having lived here for most of her life, she was intimately familiar with most of the twisting and winding streets of the ancient capital city, particularly here, close to the castle. It was in this borough of Canterlot that the greatest of scientists, magicians, and great minds of Equestria resided. It was one of those great minds with whom Twilight hoped to meet during her evening here in the city. Stopping at the end of the boulevard, Twilight eyed a fancy dwelling, small by comparison to those neighboring it, and mentally matched the address with the one in her head. 632 Bridleton Lane. Exhaling and stepping up to the door, she gently rapped on it with one hoof, and waited a moment. The sound of approaching hoofsteps followed soon afterward, and the sound of locks unlatching came from within the house. Pulling the door open, a large, grizzled-looking stallion peered down at his visitor. Twilight blinked up at him for a moment. Dr. Hooferov did not have the sort of wizened, thin, bookish sort of appearance that one might expect of an academic. He was of enormous stature, standing almost as tall as Ponyville’s own Big McIntosh. He was dressed in a tweed jacket and tie, intense blue eyes peering through wire-framed glasses down at the unicorn. His bushy, brown beard and eyebrows gave him an almost wild-looking quality. “Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” The mare blinked, and then nodded, smiling. “That’s me. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Professor.” “It’s no trouble at all.” The stallion stepped aside to allow entry to the unicorn. “Please, make yourself at home. I had a kettle of tea on the boil.” Smiling gratefully again, Twilight trotted in, eyeing the inside of the house. While nowhere near as stocked as her library, Dr. Hooferov’s home was lined with several bookshelves, all full of tomes on magic theory and various other subjects. At the scientist’s nod, she stepped left, into what seemed to be the den. Two armchairs with plaid upholstery sat across from one another in front of a crackling fire at the hearth. Taking a seat in one, Twilight bounced experimentally, trying to make herself comfortable in the chair. It was a couple of minutes before Hooferov joined her with a kettle and two teacups, pouring drinks for the two of them. “You’re quite the star in Canterlot this past week, Ms. Sparkle.” Twilight smiled, reluctant as always to accept praise. “Thank you, Professor. But I do have an urgent manner to discuss.” “Ah, yes. You mentioned a hex in your letter?” Leaning forward intently, the hexologist focused his gaze on the unicorn. Hexology was still a young field, and hexes themselves had only been recognized as a legitimate field of magical study within the last year. But in that time, Alexei Hooferov had already distinguished himself as somewhat of an expert in the field. Nodding sadly, Twilight sipped from her cup of tea. “I believe I’ve been afflicted with one. There’s nothing on how to counter it in any of the books in my collection.” Resting a hoof under his chin, the earth pony professor nodded thoughtfully. “I see. How long has this been going on?” “Two days,” responded the unicorn, setting her cup down. “That would be the day of the Royal Wedding,” the academic noted ponderingly. “I’d say that the changelings were responsible, but to my knowledge, they haven’t mastered any hexing incantations as of yet. Perhaps you should be a little more specific?” “Well,” started the unicorn, thinking back to the night in question, “it was at the reception, and I was dancing with this unicorn I know, Lyra Heartstrings. And after that… well, my cheeks kept heating up! And I couldn’t think about anything else.” She puzzled for a moment. “It’s not some sort of mind-control charm, is it?” The stallion lowered his cup, raising a bushy brow at the younger pony. “Ms. Sparkle,” he stated flatly, “I don’t think a hex is responsible for your predicament.” Twilight blinked, baffled. “Huh? Then what is?” “Do you know what a crush is, Ms. Sparkle?” broached the professor carefully. Twilight nodded. “Sure. Feelings of infatuation and—“ Twilight blinked again, trailing off as she slowly put the pieces together. Noting the dumbstruck look on the young magician’s face, Dr. Hooferov nodded in understanding. “I won’t keep you any longer, Ms. Sparkle. I’m sure you want to get this sorted out.” Nodding numbly, Twilight mumbled some thanks, hurrying to leave. As the door slammed, the professor finished off his cup, chuckling. “Young love.” He shook his head and returned to his study. Chapter Three: RuminationsOne day before the party, and Twilight Sparkle was pacing anxiously in the shadow of the Books and Branches Library. The sky was slightly overcast, taking on a light grey tone. Today, Twilight was sure, the weather ponies had scheduled the clouds for the sole purpose of mocking her downcast mood. Okay, so, she thought, summing up her predicament, I’m in love with Lyra Heartstrings. … Now what? Twilight groaned in frustration, bonking her head against the bark of her home. She had never been in love before (bar a crush on the Princess when she was a small filly, though Twilight had long since managed to convince herself that it was just idol-worship), and certainly had no experience with romance whatsoever beyond what she’d read. She hadn’t even had friends until a couple of years ago, so how could she? This left her without so much as a clue of what to do about her feelings. You could just tell her. But how? Twilight puzzled. Lyra was beautiful and talented, and Twilight was just a homely librarian. How could she possibly hope to win Lyra’s affections? She’d never give her a second thought unless she took some initiative. She found her mind drifting to the pink invitation letter still sitting on the table in her study. Could that be it? The Hearts and Hooves party was tomorrow, so she would need to act quickly if she wanted to ask Lyra to attend with her. Uncertainty crept back into her mind, and she stopped pacing, eyes toward the ground. Would Lyra even accept her invitation? Maybe Twilight should just… No! Twilight stamped her hoof on the ground. I refuse to mope or vacillate any more! I’m going to find Lyra, and I’m going to ask her— “H-hey, Twilight?” “Gack!” Twilight yelped in panic at the distinctly familiar voice, vanishing in a puff of lilac-red light as she teleported inside. Lyra frowned sadly, staring at the ground. Oh well, she moped. I guess there’s always later. Resolving again to muster up her courage, she trudged off back home to revise her strategy. Twilight breathed heavily for a moment, then groaned loudly, smacking her hooves against her face. “Twilight, you idiot…!” Spike glanced up from the latest Daring Do novella to peer curiously at his caretaker. “Go on?” “Lyra came up to me, and I just… panicked! How am I ever going to ask her to Pinkie’s party at this rate?” She draped her forelegs over the table, laying her head on it and slouching. “She probably thinks I’m a giant dork.” The young dragon sighed with some relief, glad that Twilight had finally managed to clue in about her crush on Lyra. Closing the book, he did his best to put on a reassuring tone of voice for his surrogate sister. “Twilight, she does not think you’re a giant dork. You’re one of the most likeable ponies I know! You just need to have some confidence.” Twilight met his gaze miserably. “I just can’t!” “Twilight,” Spike pressed insistently, “you defeated Discord, tamed Cerberus, and took on Nightmare Moon herself! Is telling the pony you like about your feelings honestly any scarier?” The pony seemed to curl up on herself a little more. “Maybe.” The dragonling sighed, pressing his claws against his forehead. “How, exactly?” Fixing Spike with a somewhat aggrieved look, Twilight frowned. “Because defeating evil creatures is simple. You don’t need to worry about their feelings.” Puffing a bang of hair out of her eyes, she continued, “But if I tread incorrectly in a situation like this, somepony could end up seriously hurt – whether me or Lyra.” “Twilight, you have to stop worrying about what could go wrong and just remind yourself of what can go right.” Spike crossed his arms. “You’ll never get anything you really want in life if you spend your time being such a worry-wart.” The unicorn peered accusingly at her assistant, sniffing indignantly. “What would you know about romance?” she grumped. Spike gave an affronted snort. “Plenty!” He took on a cocky smirk. “I don’t know if you know this, Twi, but I’m kind of an expert on romance.” Arching a brow, Twilight let out a startled snicker and covered her muzzle with a hoof. “Oh, really now?” Spike nodded confidently, hands on his hips. “You can just tell that I’m beating away the fillies with a stick every time I step outside.” The playful grin soon melted into a more genuine smile. “So just trust me on this, okay?” Twilight giggled, her trepidations quickly replaced with the help of her number one assistant. “You’re right, Spike.” She rose, lifting herself onto all four hooves. “I can’t let my fear of what might go wrong control me!” Smiling down at her assistant, she continued to reassure herself. “I have to take charge of my own destiny and take some chances, or I’ll never be happy!” At this point, Spike thought he might have seen Twilight’s mane and tail being blown dramatically by an imaginary breeze. Before he could have time to make sense of this, Twilight was off. “I’m going out, Spike! To take hold of my destiny!” Chuckling quietly at Twilight’s theatrics, he shook his head proudly and watched Twilight stroll briskly out the front door. A few moments later, he returned to his reading. Having painfully learned his lesson the previous day, he sat far away from the door, atop a small stack of books. As he found his spot in the book in which he had engrossed himself, he heard a noise approaching - quickly. Raising his head to peer curiously at the window, his vision exploded in stars as he was barreled into the floor by a blur of many colors. “Oof! Sorry there, Spike!” The raspy voice was easily identifiable as Rainbow Dash. Spike wondered for a moment why he had left the window open. “Still have trouble sticking landings indoors.” The pegasus gave a sheepish grin, trotting about the room in a circle. “Was Twilight in here a minute ago?” Spike gave a long-suffering groan, trying to pull himself up to sit again. “Uh-huh…” “What’d she say before she left?” Spike gave Rainbow a suspicious glance. “You saw her leave?” he asked. “… Have you been watching the Library?” The pegasus gave a shifty glance around. “Just answer the question.” The baby dragon picked the book back up, opening it again. “She’s heading out to confess her feelings to somepony and ask them to the party tomorrow.” Dash grinned. “Awesome! I’ve got to tell Pinkie that it’s all working out!” Before he could question the blue pony, she was talking again. “I’m attending too, you know. With Soarin'. Who's my coltfriend.” She bobbed her head excitedly, prompting a flat stare from Spike. “Er. Right. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get back to—“ “Daring Do?” Rainbow asked, trotting over and eyeing the cover of the book. “Oh, sweet! I just read that one this morning. I like the part at the end when Daring discovers that Ahuizotl was a corrupted version of her dead uncle's spirit all along!” She shot a grin over her shoulder. “Seeya!” The pegasus shot off out the window, disappearing into the distance. Spike stared after her for a moment, then back at the book. Novel thoroughly spoiled, he chucked it over his shoulder and slouched off for a much-deserved nap. Bon-Bon had her snout buried between her forelegs as she lay atop a bench along in Ponyville's central park. It’s just not fair. Her thoughts, like most of those to late, were occupied by her goofy, lovely roommate – the room-mate who had no idea just how much she meant to the crème-colored confectioner, and likely never would. Lyra had been the light of the Foalish pony’s life since she had arrived here, little more than a lost foreigner with a few words of Equish under her belt. Lyra had made Bon-Bon feel wanted when she’d had nopony else, given her a friend in a time of change and uncertainty. In return, Bon-Bon had always strived to repay the green unicorn, cooking her meals, being a friend, giving her a shoulder to lean on. And who should her roommate fall for? Some no-name librarian who barely even knew she existed! No – not quite. Try as Bon-Bon might to convince herself of it, Twilight Sparkle was certainly not a nopony. She was a champion of Equestria, right-hoof pony of the Princess herself. How in the world was Bon-Bon supposed to compete with something like that? Jealousy knotted in the earth mare’s stomach. By her heroics, by her celebrity, this mare had stolen Lyra away from her, at least in the mind of the subject of her affections. But… at the same time, she did seem to make Lyra happy. Bon-Bon’s heart sank a little. Maybe she should just be happy that… Her mind trailed off, ears flicking as she picked up the distinct clip-clop of hooves on the cobblestone path running nearby. Turning her gaze upward, her eyes widened, and then narrowed at the source of the sound. It was her. The purple unicorn responsible for her woes – and, by the looks of it, heading toward her and Lyra’s house. Forgetting any misgivings she might have had, Bon-Bon scowled, standing and sliding off of the bench. Twilight paused as she noticed the mare approach, vaguely recognizing her as Bon-Bon, a local confectioner and sometimes-competitor of Sugarcube Corner. A greeting died on her lips as she noticed the stormy expression on the mare’s face, and she stopped in the path uncertainly. “Just who are you thinking you are?” Demanded Bon-Bon angrily, poking Twilight’s collarbone with her hoof in accusation. Twilight stared down at the hoof, taking a moment to decipher her thick accent. “Erm… I-is that a Foalish accent I hear? You know, I heard that in Foaland-“ Twilight tried vainly to swerve the topic away from whatever bad place to which it was swiftly hurtling, but Bon-Bon would have none of it. “Who are you thinking you are, trying to steal Lyra away?” Twilight blinked apprehensively. “… You’re a friend of Lyra’s?” She quirked her head, frowning faintly. “I’d never steal friends away from one another, if I could help it.” Bon-Bon furrowed her brow at Twilight’s incomprehension. “You do not understand. I love her!” Twilight blinked. “Oh.” Her face took on a sympathetic expression, though a bit of disappointment crept its way in. Was Lyra already with this mare? “I love her and she will not even look at me twice…” Bon-Bon’s face was still twisted in a frown, but Twilight thought she saw tears brimming in her eyes. Twilight was unsure whether or not she was a bad pony for feeling some relief at this revelation; in any case, it soon turned to sympathy for the mare before her. She could understand her feelings very well. Paying little attention to the mare in front of her, Bon-Bon was more focused on airing out all of her pent-up desires and frustrations. “Everything I do to make her notice me, everything I do to make her loving me back, doesn’t work!” She let out a choked sob, head hanging as she fell onto her haunches. She whispered something which Twilight couldn’t quite discern: “How can she love you, but not me?” Twilight bit her lip, feeling somewhat uneasy with the situation. This pony had been yelling at her a moment ago, but now she was sitting there, sniffling and crying, heartbroken. Under the circumstances, the Element of Magic found it hard to begrudge the crying mare – she hated to see anypony cry. Stepping forward hesitantly, she wrapped a foreleg around Bon-Bon’s neck, pulling her into a comforting hug. The mare offered no resistance, leaning against Twilight and crying on her shoulder. After a few moments of this, Twilight spoke up softly. “Secrets like this only end up causing you pain as long as you keep them bottled up. You need to go talk to your friend and tell her how you feel.” Bon-Bon glanced up, eyes red and bleary from her crying, and Twilight met her gaze with a gentle smile. “Who knows? She might feel the same way.” “Why must you be so nice?” the earth pony inquired hoarsely. “It would be so much easier to stay angry with you if you were mean.” Twilight gave an awkward chuckle when Bon-Bon managed a weak smile. “You are right, of course,” Bon-Bon said, picking herself up. “I have to tell her.” She smiled apologetically at the purple mare. “I am… sorry. I had been holding that in for too long.” Nodding understandingly, Twilight replied, “Good luck.” Nodding once more, Bon-Bon hurriedly trotted off in the direction of her house, newfound confidence filling her heart. At the same time, watching the earth pony leave, Twilight felt the confidence which, it felt, she had only just mustered quickly slipping away. A sad smile on her features, she turned back towards the Library. Chapter Four: ResolutionBon-Bon had once had a bad habit of chewing on her lip when she was nervous. When she had finally weaned herself of the habit - mostly at the insistence of her mother, who was always a rather strict nag - it had been a source of considerable pride for the young mare. The conditioning she'd imposed on herself was, however, all but forgotten as she stood outside the front door of the home she shared with Lyra. The overcast skies had finally opened up into a drizzly downpour of the kind common late in April, but Bon-Bon found herself a bit too distracted to take note of the fact that she was quickly being drenched in the rain. Get a hold of yourself, she berated herself. You walk through these doors every day, and today is no different. What was it that Twilight Sparkle had told her? 'Secrets like this only end up causing you pain as long as you keep them bottled up. You need to go talk to your friend and tell her how you feel.' The earth mare drew in a sharp breath, back straightening, and released her lower lip from between her teeth. There was no backing down now. With a shove from her hoof, she swung the front door open. Another sheet of hackneyed lyrics was reduced to confetti in a flash of magic, followed shortly thereafter by Lyra thwacking her head on the desk in frustration. Writing a song had never been this hard for the musically apt unicorn before, and she simply couldn't understand why her lyrical skills seemed to have utterly fled her. Every time she tried to commit her feelings for Twilight Sparkle to words, it just ended up as page after page of saccharine drivel. A little piece of the musician's soul died every time she tried, but she refused to quit until she had come up with something - anything - to win Twilight's heart. Sighing, she sat up straight again, readying the pencil in her magical grip, producing another blank sheet of paper. Brow furrowing, she set to trying again. After a few minutes of frustration. the hapless piece of paper found itself crumpled into a ball, and tossed into a growing mountain of its fellows surrounding the wastebasket in the corner. Again her head met the desk, where she slouched for a few moments longer. Lyra's ear twitched faintly at the sound of the door in the den squeaking open, followed by the brief pitter-patter of rain outside before it shut again - Bon-Bon was home. "Heya, Bons," Lyra called weakly in greeting. The dull clip-clop of hooves, dulled by the carpet, approached down the hallway. Lifting her head, the unicorn watched as her roommate stepped through the doorframe into her room. Lyra took a double take, blinking at Bon-Bon's state. "Geeze, Bon-Bon, you're soaked!" Blinking in confusion as if brought out of a trance, the earth pony lifted one of her legs and eyed her coat curiously. "Oh," she mumbled, a hint of a blush tinging her cheeks as she noticed that she had been tracking water into Lyra's room. Watching with amusement as her friend zipped out in a blur, Lyra waited a moment, before Bon-Bon returned, fur rather comically poofy from drying herself off. The creme-colored mare grimaced in embarrassment as she vainly tried to fix her mane. Stifling a snortle at Bon-Bon's appearance, Lyra turned back to her work. Her roommate's arrival had, thankfully, lightened her mood a little. Perhaps she could finally set her mind to writing a serenade for Twilight, and-- "I love you." Oh. Lyra turned, uncertain, staring at Bon-Bon, who was staring a hole through the floor. "Eh... pardon?" It took the earth pony a moment to pipe up again, her Equish, for once, almost impeccable. "Ever since I came to Equestria, you have been here for me. You have been my best friend when nopony else was." A silence hung in the air between the two for several moments as Lyra stared her friend down, and Bon-Bon refused to meet her gaze. "... But you do not love me back," Bon-Bon ventured, a resigned tone in her voice. Lyra took a moment to register exactly what her roommate had just told her. Bon-Bon was in love with her. Where in the world did that come from? All of the hints which had been piling up over the last week hit Lyra like a speeding train. Bon-Bon had tried to tell her this multiple times. She had tried to seduce her, for Celestia's sake! Lyra had to be the single most oblivious pony in Equestria. By the time she digested all of this, Bon-Bon was sitting on her haunches, sniffling quietly. Hopping from her seat, Lyra stepped over to Bon-Bon with a sigh. "Bon..." The earth pony blinked away tears, surprised at the sensation of an arm wrapped around her as somepony pulled her closer - Lyra was hugging her. "You're my best friend in the world. I'll always love ya." She drew back for a moment to meet Bon-Bon's gaze with a sad smile. "Just maybe not in the same way." Bon-Bon rubbed the last traces of tears away from her face with the back of one hoof, smiling faintly at Lyra. Of course the unicorn understood. But the mint-green pony was not quite finished, heaving a sigh. "I'm sorry I've been such a bonehead these last few days, Bons. I got so wrapped-up in all this Twilight business that I... I've been a terrible friend to you." Bon-Bon shook her head, managing a small smile and briefly brushing Lyra's cheek with a hoof. "You really are not, Lyra. Take you my word for it." After a further moment's silence, Bon-Bon asked, a serious look on her face, "Do you love her?" Lyra blinked, before nodding, hesitantly. The earth pony hugged her friend more tightly in response. "Then that is good enough for me." The two ponies embraced a moment longer, before Bon-Bon released the unicorn from her grip. "She really is a nice pony," she said, her serious expression melting into a light-hearted smile, and lightly cuffing her in the shoulder. "So do not screwing it up, yes?" Lyra chuckled and nodded. "All right, Bons," she conceded. With a final parting smile, Bon-Bon exited the room, leaving Lyra to her thoughts. It was after a minute or so of standing and thinking that some realization hit Lyra. Lighting up, she hopped happily back to her desk, scribbling words frantically onto the paper. Twilight would love this one! The next day was bright and sunny, the air crisp and the sky a bright blue, with only a few puffy, white clouds to mar the cerulean tapestry. The last of the night shift of weather pegasi were just now zipping off to their homes in town for some well-earned rest, and the air was filled with a chorus of songbirds and the dying chords of the last night's crickets. And somewhere, under the idyllic, blue skies and far above the blades of grass, cloaked with glistening drops of dew, under a roof of gingerbread, a pink pony awoke, her bed-head of a mane returning to its cottony state with an audible foomp. Jolting with excitement, Pinkamena Diane Pie leapt from her bed. "This... is gonna be the best party ever!" Rarity took no notice of the cold breeze which seemed to blow through Sugarcube Corner as Ponyville's resident party animal awoke - for when the fashionista was in 'the zone', not even the most chilling warnings of Pinkie Pie's eldritch party magic could sway her from her task. Although, perhaps, sheer exhaustion would do the trick where even that could not. Rarity had not slept for twenty hours, and it showed. A pair of bags were evident below her eyes, and her usually impeccable mane was in a blasphemous state of disarray. But if there was one thing that the Element of Generosity understood, it was that, sometimes, sacrifices must be made for friends. Even... sniff... at the cost of her precious coiffure. The banquet hall of Sugarcube Corner had offered no sound for companionship over the past hours but of the echoing of Rarity's hoofsteps pacing back and forth as she went about her task of bedecking the room in festive banners, streamers, and bejeweled hearts. But as Rarity surveyed her work, a new sound greeted her ears - the familiar bounding of hooves down the staircase overhead. Turning with a sigh, Rarity mentally prepared herself for the barrage of Pinkie Pie which was about to assail her, and put on a strained smile. Somewhat to Rarity's surprise, Pinkie Pie didn't quite barge through the door into the hall, simply pushing it open and trotting happily up to Rarity with the chipperness which only a pony with a full night's sleep under her belt could possess. "Good morning, Rares!" the pink earth pony chirped happily. As the unicorn vainly tried to mumble a greeting in return, Pinkie trotted past her, 'ooh'ing and 'ahh'ing at the decorations. "You've really outdone yourself! This party is gonna be so totally splenderific that Twilight is sure to--" A soft snore alerted Pinkie to the fact that Rarity had managed to doze off standing up. With a quiet huff, the energetic mare butted her head into Rarity's side, shoving her slowly toward a corner. "Z-wha--?" Rarity mumbled nonsensically. "Sorry, Rarity, but you're all zonked out! And we can't have you still being all zonked-out at the party tonight!" Even if she was fully conscious, Rarity could not have had a hope of keeping up with Pinkie's chatter. As it was, she merely curled up in a ball in the corner, at Pinkie's assistance, and had soon dozed off into a well-deserved slumber. Giving a happy hum, Pinkie stared down at the sleeping unicorn a moment longer, reflecting on just how adorable her friend looked when she wasn't working her horn off. Pushing that contemplation to the side, Pinkie bounded to the center of the room, glancing about excitedly. Everything had been set up according to plan! Everything was suitably decorated to suit the Hearts n' Hooves theme, from the pink and white hearts, the record of neighties power ballads on the record player, the empty buffet tables-- OH MY GOODNESS THE EMPTY BUFFET TABLES. Pinkie reared up, forelegs kicking in panic as she realized that she had entirely forgotten to see to the catering for the party. But there was no way the pink mare could hope to complete all the necessary treats in time. She would need another pair of hooves for that. "Another pair of hooves!" she cried in sudden realization, hopping in place. Covering her mouth with a hoof, she glanced to Rarity, who was still out like a light, and giggled self-consciously. She had to go fetch some friends! Pinkie vanished in a characteristic pink blur, leaving her unicorn friend to sleep in peace for a while longer. "Dashie! Dashie! Dashie!" Rainbow Dash's eye twitched involuntarily. She was having such a nice dream, too. Flipping over on the small cumulus she'd been sleeping on, she shot an annoyed glare down at her petitioner. "What do you want, Pinkie Pie?" She furrowed her brow. "... And don't call me 'Dashie'!" On the ground below, Pinkie was hopping from left to right hooves repeatedly, glancing around worriedly. "We've got a problem!" "Being?" returned Dash lazily, taking a mental note to pick a higher cloud next time. "We don't have any food!" cried Pinkie, "And the party is tonight! I have to go pick up flour and eggs and beer and-- any way! Can you go fetch Applejack, prettyprettyplease?" She waved a hoof frantically. "It's crucial to the future of Twilight's love life!" Rainbow sat up, running a hoof through her mane with a frown. Loathe as she was to disturb herself from her rest, every ounce of her soul was crying 'Loyalty!' at about a hundred decibels. And, frankly, the party would kind of be crap if there was nothing to eat any way. "Yeah -- all right, you can count on me, Pinkie." She shot the earth pony a lazy salute from atop her perch. Pinkie shot off toward the market square like a parasprite on ecstasy the moment Dash agreed, forcing the sky-blue pegasus to try to blink away the pink after-images in her vision. Sighing and shaking her head, Rainbow Dash repeated her silent mantra of 'Pinkie being Pinkie', taking off towards Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack thought that the fields of Sweet Apple Acres were the most beautiful place in the world, and never more so than in the midst of spring. Row after row of apple trees covered the rolling hills of the Apple family farm as far as the eye could see, blooming in a wide array of whites and pinks and adding a splash of color to the otherwise uniform green of the leaves. But as much as she would like to appreciate her lifelong home, the levelheaded mare was busy with more important matters - namely the family business. "... So as you can see, we'll have jus' the right amount of apples ready this Applebuck Season for yer little get-together this October!" Applejack finished her pitch happily, glancing back at her client as they trotted through the orchard. The stallion was impeccably well-dressed, his appearance just as much out of place in his rustic surroundings as his Canterlot accent. "I must say, Ms. Apple, I'm impressed. The quality of your produce is sure to be a simply smashing hit at this year's Gala! It seems your family may finally make a breakthrough into the Canterlot market, hmm?" Applejack nodded excitedly. Ever since last year's Gala, she had been hoping to have a second chance at getting Apple Family treats into the markets of the capital city, but had been rebuffed at each turn - until now, at least. It seemed that the Ponyville Apple clan would finally get a lucky break! However, as she stared off and thought of all the repairs to the family farm that this deal could by, Applejack became aware of a prismatic blur rapidly approaching. "Oh, nelly..." Rainbow abruptly skidded to a halt, hovering just above Applejack and panting. With a sigh, Applejack frowned up at the pegasus. "What's wrong, Rainbow?" "AJ... We need your help! The party..." The polychromatic flier struggled to catch her breath. "The party is tonight and none of the food is finished! Ya have to go help Pinkie Pie!" The earth pony blinked a couple times, trying to keep up with Rainbow's frantic speech. "Dash, Ah don't have time! Can't you see I'm busy with farm business?" "You don't understand! If the party isn't perfect, then..." She squinted, trying to remember what Pinkie had said about the 'future of Twilight's love life'. "... then... Twilight will never get laid!" She flailed her hooves. "Ever!" Applejack's eyes widened - this was an emergency. Turning to face her client for a moment, she called apologetically, "Sorry, pardner!" With a shrug, she took off after Rainbow as the pegasus flew back towards Sugarcube Corner. "Ms. Apple! You're forfeiting the deal of a lifetime!" the Canterlot pony called with some exasperation, but the farmpony and her friend had already receded off into the distance. Inhaling deeply through his nostrils, the stallion removed his top hat, monocle and fake mustache, revealing his red-and-white striped mane, throwing each to the ground with disgust. "Next time, Apples! Just you wait!" Flim growled as she shook his hoof. Twilight Sparkle had to confess that she had not particularly wanted to get out of bed that morning. She had gone to bed soon after her little pep-talk with Bon-Bon, and despite some small amount of happiness for helping the mare with her romantic ambitions, she still didn't feel particularly good about throwing her own under the bus. With her prospects of confessing her love to Lyra, she was convinced, shot, she had seen little point in bothering to show up to the Hearts n' Hooves bash that evening. But then, she shuddered to think of the consequences of flaking on a Pinkie party. With a sigh, she sat up and dragged herself out of bed, sparing a glance at the clock: 10 AM. Unacceptably late by her standards. With a huff at her own tardiness, she trotted briskly down the stairs, wondering if Spike was awake yet. As the welcome scent of brewing coffee met her nose, she smiled, question answered for her. "Good morning, Spike!" she called happily as she stepped into the kitchen, where her assistant already sat at the table with a doughnut and the morning paper. "You seem like you're in a good mood today," the young drake observed, scrunching up his snout a little as Twilight playfully ruffled the spines atop his head. "I take it your conversation with Lyra went well?" The unicorn paused, halfway through pouring some coffee for herself. "Well," she started, expression flat, "no. I never got to talk to her." She looked downcast for the scantest of moments, but before Spike could voice his sympathy, she continued, smile returning. "But I refuse to let it get to me. I'm going to go to the party and enjoy myself any way!" With a big swig of coffee, Twilight cantered back toward the door, ready to prepare for the party and face the day. Spike blinked in genuine surprise. "Well, uh. Way to go, Twilight!" And it was true! Twilight refused to not enjoy herself. And if she saw Lyra and Bon-Bon dancing together, she promised to herself not to be sad. ... Well, maybe a little. "All right, everypony!" crowed Pinkie Pie, pacing back and forth in front of Applejack and Rainbow Dash like a hyperactive drill sergeant. "RSVPs received?" "Check," reported Dash with a lazy salute. "Food?" Pinkie continued, casting a glance at the buffet tables, now stocked with all manner of cakes, cookies, and other confections. "Check!" AJ replied with a firm nod and a tip of her stetson. "Decorations?" Rarity mumbled something in her sleep which might have been confirmation, if one stretched it far enough. Pinkie clapped her hooves together happily, beaming proudly at her friends. "This party is gonna be so super fantastic!" She broke into giggles. "And it's totally gonna get Twilight and Lyra together, too!" Applejack scratched her head, glancing around with the distinct impression that something was amiss. "But Ah feel like somethin' is missin'." Pinkie followed Applejack's gaze, pouting. "Hey, yeah! Where's Fluttershy?" "Um, the safe word is 'bunny'." purred Fluttershy demurely in the dim candlelight, leaning down to grip a whip in her teeth. Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Probably just off taking care of her animals or something," she quipped. "We probably won't see her at the party." Pinkie and AJ nodded in response, the pink party pony regarding both with a broad grin. "But you'll both be here tonight, right girls?" Applejack nodded enthusiastically. "You bet!" "You can count on me being here, too!" Rainbow supplied. "With Soarin'," she continued more quietly. "Y'know. My coltfriend." Applejack rolled her eyes. Oblivious as ever, Pinkie turned her gaze to Rarity, grinning deviously. "You girls keep at it, then! I need to go make some final preparations!" Before either could respond, Pinkie was off again. Glancing at one another with matching shrugs. Applejack and Rainbow Dash returned to their respective tasks. It was late in the afternoon when a knock came at Lyra and Bon-Bon's front door. Glancing up from a copy of Equestria Daily, the earth pony mare set the magazine down and trotted over to the door, curious. They didn't get many visitors, at least not in the afternoon, and she was certain that most of her friends would be busy preparing for the party. Pulling open the door, the confectioner was surprised to find her friend, Roseluck, beaming excitedly at her. It took a moment before Rose's expression turned to one of confusion. "You're not ready to go?" It took Bon-Bon a moment to notice that Rose was clad in a dress, clearly ready for the Hearts n' Hooves bash that evening. Bon-Bon shook her head. "I am not going." Rose recoiled slightly in a somewhat melodramatic fashion. To the florist's decidedly romantic proclivities, the notion was scarcely imaginable. "What? Didn't the roses I sold you work their magic on Lyra?" she questioned with an exaggerated wink. Bon-Bon hung her head, unable to help looking a bit downcast. Roseluck cleared her throat quietly, an awkward expression crossing her face. "Well," she started, "that's no excuse to mope around the house all day! C'mon, I'll be your date instead!" The creme-colored pony blinked quizzically, regarding her rosey-maned friend. "As a friend?" She didn't quite pick up the almost-noticeable waver in Rose's smile, and it took the florist a moment to continue. "... Yes, of course! It'll be fun!" After a moment's consideration, Bon-Bon nodded and smiled. "Well... if you are saying so. Wait a minute, yes?" At Rose's nod, the mare turned around and returned indoors, going to fish out her dress from her dresser. Humming quietly as she waited, Roseluck craned her neck to peer inside, noting with curiosity that Lyra's bedroom door seemed to be closed. "Hey, Bon-Bon? Has Lyra already left?" "Oh, she must have," Bon-Bon called back absently, reflecting that she hadn't seen her roommate all day as she left her own room, straightening her dress. "Why do you ask?" she asked with a smile as she came into view. "No reason," replied Roseluck, shrugging slightly. "We'd better hurry!" she called to her friend, hurrying off with Bon-Bon close after her. Lyra Heartstrings' eyelids twitched a little, assailed by a rather annoying beam of sunlight. Yawning widely and lifting her head off of the puddle of drool on her desk, she tried to remember what she had been doing the night before. She vaguely recalled hitting on a few rather inspired verses, but she must have stayed up just a little too late and worked herself out. Wait... Her room was on the west side of the house. And if the sun was shining in, then that meant-- "Sweet Celestia of Equestria!" the chartreuse unicorn cried, bolting upward. Just how long had she slept?! Her eyes bugged out at the sight of the clock on the corner of her desk - it read 7:10 PM. The party had already started! The musician jumped away from her desk with a cry of panic, rifling through the pile of refuse on her bed in search of her dress. Producing the garment with a triumphant laugh, the frenzied unicorn pulled it haphazardly over her head, hopping over toward the desk. Of course, fumbling blindly through one's messy room is a recipe only for disaster. Bonking her shin on the chair, sitting askew from its proper position at the desk, Lyra yelped in surprise, tumbling over and tangling herself up in the yellow fabric of her dress. Flipping herself over, the beleaguered unicorn managed to pull her head through the collar, freeing her vision with a gasp. Propping herself up on two legs again, she tried to free her forelegs from the mess she'd made of her dress, grabbing for the pieces of paper scattered all over the desk with her telekinesis and rushing out the door. Finally freeing all four of her limbs, she galloped at top speed out the door, paper scattering behind her. If she noticed that everypony was staring as she bolted through town, she did not care, mind fixated only on reaching Sugarcube Corner before it was too late. As she neared the bakery, she slowed down to a trot, vainly running a hoof through her mane to try and bring it back into a manageable state. It took a moment for her to notice that, given the free hoof in her mane and the fact that nothing was held in her telekinesis, that she had managed to drop all of the sheets of song lyrics she had written on her mad dash through town. And... forgotten her lyre to begin with. With a resigned sigh, she pushed open the door and entered. Today was simply not going as planned. "Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie whispered (here the narrator uses the term somewhat liberally). "Twilight just came in!" At each side, Applejack and Rainbow Dash crowded in to see past the throng of ponies. Sure enough, the lavender librarian had just walked into the banquet hall and was glancing around idly with a small smile. "She ain't with Lyra," Applejack observed with a frown, and the three shared worried glances. On the other side of the room, Twilight Sparkle wove her way through the crowd of fellow party-goers. The room was buzzing with dozens of couples of ponies, all socializing in amiable tones, none of them particularly seeming to mind that the Hearts n' Hooves theme was slightly out-of-season. Spotting a tell-tale splotch of bright pink across the party, she made her way toward the snack tables. "Hello, Pinkie!" She glanced to each side of her friend, taking notice of the others. "Rainbow, Applejack." "Uh, hey, sugarcube! Nice party, huh?" Twilight nodded. "I'll say! You've really outdone yourselves this time." She squinted at the trio curiously. "... Even if it is kind of odd to throw a party two months late." "Well," Dash interjected nervously, "better late than never!" "Say, Twiley!" Pinkie piped up, craning her neck as if to look behind the unicorn. "You didn't happen to bring a date with you, did you?" "Well, no," Twilight admitted, still all smiles, "but I've decided I don't need a date to enjoy the party. I'll just have a good time regardless! You three have fun!" The purple pony trotted away happily, leaving the three to exchange concerned glances again. It was about fifteen minutes after the party started that Lyra finally stumbled into the banquet hall. Taking a second to catch her breath, she glanced around the hall to take in the scene of the party. Everywhere, couples of ponies chatted with one another or danced. Some opted just to respect the spirit of the party and stared lovingly into one another's eyes. She thought she heard a classic Pat Benamare ballad playing somewhere in the room. Lyra may not have been the most sociable unicorn in Ponyville, but she found herself recognizing a surprising number of the couples attending. She gave Colgate and Berry Punch a smile and wave as she passed the two mares, quietly greeted Derpy Hooves and her strange doctor friend... But there was no sign of Twilight Sparkle anywhere. Lowering her head a little as she stood amongst the crowd, the unicorn felt confusion and sadness knot at the pit of her stomach. As the distraught musician glanced up, however, the crowd parted slightly as another pair of ponies ambled off of the dance floor. Not ten feet away, Twilight Sparkle was standing, alone. The purple unicorn turned, smile becoming an expression of surprise as her and Lyra's eyes met. There the two stood, gazes fixed on one another in shock. From across the party, Pinkie observed the situation with interest, clapping her hooves together excitedly. With a quick dart along the side of the room, she had managed to fish Applejack out from the kitchen, and pulled an irate Dash away from her dance with Soarin'. Before the pegasus could protest, Pinkie had turned the two ponies' gazes to more or less the center of the dance floor, where the two unicorn lovebirds appeared to be locked in a staring contest. "You girls know what to do~!" trilled the party's planner. With a shared nod of determination, AJ and Dash wormed their way through the crowd and into the party. Twilight Sparkle was experiencing an uncomfortably familiar sensation, namely the same sense of trepidation, anxiety, and what was more or less stage fright, that she had felt as a little filly during her magic examination. She had not expected to see Lyra at the party at all, and if she had, she had expected to see her with Bon-Bon - but it was a pleasant surprise, at least, and the studious mare felt that peculiar feeling of butterflies flapping around in one's stomach. So why was she unable to find anything to say? Lyra found herself similarly dumbstruck. The energetic unicorn, who always had something to say, was speechless. What would she say to Twilight. What could she say? Should she say anything at all? She had been sure that when she had startled Twilight the previous day, she had scared her off for good. And so the two unicorns remained deadlocked, until both felt somepony pushing at their hindquarters, scooting the pair together. For a moment too stunned to respond, they both glanced back after a few seconds. There was no apparent sign of whoever was responsible, but Twilight noted that she thought she saw a rainbow-hued tail retreating into the crowd. Turning forward, she found that she and Lyra were now standing only a couple of feet apart. Though both blinked uncomfortably, they knew that there was no way out of talking now. Twilight reflected, for just a moment, that that might just be a good thing. "So," Lyra was the first to speak up, glancing away awkwardly. "Nice party, huh?" Twilight nodded, forcing a nervous grin. "Uh... Yeah." The two struggled for words a little longer, until they started speaking again, both at the same time. "I was--" With incredulous stares at one another, Lyra and Twilight broke into giggles. "Sorry," Lyra relented with a smile. "You first." "You're not here with Bon-Bon?" Twilight asked cautiously. Lyra cast her gaze downward. "Er... No." She rubbed her mane with a hoof self-consciously. "Last night she, ah, confessed her love to me. But..." She shrugged. The young sorceress couldn't help but feel sorry for Bon-Bon. "After I got her hopes up and everything, too," she remarked quietly. Lyra blinked. "You mean... you're the one who managed to convince Bon-Bon to finally open up about it?" The purple unicorn nodded in response. "I ran into her yesterday, and she was just so beat up about it. I knew I had to help her, even if it meant that I couldn't--" Twilight bit her tongue, gaze shifting back and forth awkwardly. While Lyra tried to make sense of what Twilight had said - or, rather, what she had not said - a pair of pink hooves on the other side of the room switched out the record for another, and a new song started to play. Twilight and Lyra lifted their heads, ears twitching as the familiar opening cello notes of a song reached them - the same song they had danced to for the first time at the reception. When she was just a girl, She expected the world, But it flew away from her reach, So she ran away in her sleep... And as the softly lilting tune played, Lyra realized many things at once. Her mouth worked silently for a moment. "You... convinced her to finally do it? Even knowing that it would mean that you couldn't be with me?" Twilight finally broke her staring at the floor to glance at Lyra, eyes wide with fright. But when their gazes met again, she saw only a smile on Lyra's face, and happy tears in the green unicorn's eyes. A dozen emotions flooded through Twilight Sparkle at once, primary among them simple joy. Para, para, paradise, Every time she closed her eyes... "Shall we dance?" Twilight asked. "Ooh! I love Coldhay!" Rose chimed excitedly at Bon-Bon's side. The blue-and-pink maned earth pony's attention was elsewhere before her friend had piped up. With a confused blink, Bon-Bon turned to glance at her. It seemed she had caught the florist staring at her, as Roseluck promptly glanced away, smiling awkwardly. "Um, seeing as it's my favorite song and all... maybe you'd like to dance?" Flashing an uncertain grin, Rose stared at Bon-Bon hopefully for a few seconds. Despite a brief pause, a warm smile spread across Bon-Bon's face in return, and she nodded. Life goes on, it gets so heavy, The wheel breaks the butterfly, Every tear a waterfall, In the night, the stormy night she closed her eyes... Before stepping out to the dance floor, Bon-Bon cast Twilight and Lyra one last glance. The two unicorns were swaying to the music, heads resting on each other's shoulders. Both looked utterly at peace with the world - and each other. And to her own surprise, watching them, Bon-Bon felt no jealousy. She could only smile. In the night, the stormy night, away she flies... Rarity let out a gentle sigh of contentment. Everything, miraculously, had gone according to plan, a refreshing change of pace from her circle of friends' usual antics. Even if it had taken some additional coaxing, Twilight and Lyra's romance looked to be on the right track. The wily seamstress had been painfully aware of Bon-Bon's crush on Lyra for some time as well, and was glad to see that she had found somepony else to spend the party with. Rainbow Dash was... making out with Soarin' on one of the buffet tables. Rarity wrinkled her snout a little. Well, nothing's perfect. But at least she had woken up on time to get ready for the party, if only just barely. But what was it that Pinkie Pie had warned her about the other day? On sheer instinct, the white unicorn ducked, just as the smoldering remnants of a cannon barrel... well... barreled through the air where her head was moments before, bowling through the buffet tables, scattering comestibles everywhere and sending the two amorous pegasi flying. Rarity stood up, staring in disbelief-- Only to be struck instead by Pinkie Pie, careening through the air after the cannon. Rubbing her head woozily, Pinkie regained her senses, finding herself in Rarity's forelegs. "Oh, she chirped, "sorry about that, Rarity!" "Pinkie Pie?" Rarity mumbled disbelieving, trying to straighten out her vision. "The one and only!" Pinkie replied, trying to stop the edges of her mane from smoldering with one hoof. "I was trying to find a way to make the party cannon fire Hearts n' Hooves candies instead of parties, but, eh-heh..." The surprisingly sheepish earth pony gave a shrug. "Oh!" she cried, bonking her forehead with a hoof. "I almost forgot! Happy Hearts n' Hooves, Rarity!" Without any further ado, the pink pony threw her forelegs around Rarity's neck, kissing her full on the mouth. With a giggle and wink, Pinkie bounced away giddily, leaving a stunned Rarity sitting slack-jawed and blushing amongst the shattered remnants of the dessert table. This could be para, para, paradise, Ohhh oh ohho ohoo! Again, Twilight Sparkle found herself dancing with Lyra Heartstrings - but this time things were a little different. There was none of the awkwardness of the reception, replaced instead with sure steps, fluid movements, and the occasional shy smile at one another. As the song grew softer for a moment, the pair's dancing slowed to a stop and they met each other's gaze one more time. And in that moment, staring into one another's eyes, all the uncertainties and misunderstandings of the last few days at last melted away. There was no mistaking what the two shared at that moment. Twilight and Lyra's lips met, and the music carried on... And so lying underneath those stormy skies, She said ohohohoho, I know the sun must set to rise. The End
Prologue: An Enchanting Evening“Love is in bloom!” Twilight Sparkle was enjoying herself. “A beautiful bride, a handsome groom!” The changelings were defeated, the siege upon Canterlot was raised, and the wedding ceremony afterwards was positively beautiful. And now, as the reception carried on late into the evening, Twilight sang a love song atop the stage. “Two hearts, becoming one!” There wasn’t a single head in the audience that wasn’t bobbing as everypony cheered on the new couple. Even the princesses couldn’t seem to resist the urge to dance. “A bond that cannot be undone!” And so the lavender unicorn sang her heart out before the throng of ponies. Despite her brother’s reassurances that she had a wonderful voice, Twilight had never been very sure of her lyrical abilities. Right now, she found herself hard-pressed to care. The day was saved, her brother married the mare of his dreams, and the music carried on… “You’re starting a life and making room, for us…” The song was over, and the night was no longer young. Twilight had stepped down from the stage an hour ago to the applause of hundreds of ponies. She was still reeling from the exuberant praise that ponies she didn’t even know showered upon her for her song. Sapphire Shores – the Sapphire Shores! – had even complimented her as she left the stage. Lofty praise, considering it came from the pony whose song Twilight had been covering to begin with. Now, the stage was occupied by the DJ and a black-maned pony, performing a sort of turntable-cello duet – an unorthodox pair, to be sure, but the soothing tune they performed together certainly seemed to have the desired effect on the audience. A calm tune – a slow dance. Plenty of stallions had asked her to dance earlier in the night, when the tunes were still energetic and happy. But now that the atmosphere had taken a turn for the romantic, everypony already seemed to have somepony else to dance with. She smiled as she inspected the crowd from the refreshments table, taking note of Rainbow Dash and Soarin’. The male pegasus held the multichromatic flyer close as they swayed gently to the music – by the look on the cyan pony’s face, Twilight could tell Rainbow Dash was very pleased with her lot in life at the moment. Good for her, the young librarian decided supportively. She knew her athletic friend had been pining after the Wonderbolt for months. Somewhere off in the crowd, she could even see Spike, and Rarity’s little sister, Sweetie Belle, dancing together. That is, of course, if shuffling awkwardly next to each other and wearing matching blushes counted as ‘dancing together’. Twilight let out a small chuckle. Her expression grew wistful. Yes, everypony, it seemed, had somepony. Everypony except her. So there she stood, for a moment, drinking from a glass of punch she’d levitated to her mouth, until somepony spoke. “Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight turned, vaguely recognizing the voice. A mint-green unicorn stood next to her, smiling. A white daisy was tucked in her normally messy green-and-white mane, which was suitably tamed for the formal occasion. She wore a yellow dress, which, Twilight thought, brought out her golden eyes beautifully. “Lyra?” The other unicorn seemed pleased by the recognition. “I was worried you’d forgotten, now that you’re such a celebrity! Defeating evil alicorns, spirits of chaos, changeling queens…” She winked. “Quite the busy couple of years you’ve had.” Twilight blushed at the praise, ears shrinking back bashfully. “Oh, well... I couldn’t have done it without my friends…” Lyra giggled at the librarian’s reaction, stepping over to fetch herself a glass of her own. Twilight recalled Lyra Heartstrings mostly as a classmate of hers at the School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. She had always struck her as a talented student and sorceress, if somewhat of a dreamer, prone to distraction and flights of fancy, as well as some eccentric habits. She had, in any case, always seemed friendly enough, and, Twilight reflected, it was always nice to see an old friend. “I haven’t heard much from you since school,” Twilight remarked. “What have you been up to?” Lyra shrugged a little, taking a sip of punch. “I moved to Ponyville a year back to work on my music. You know, away from all the noise and bustle of the big city.” This was greeted with a blink from Twilight, who smiled. “No kidding! I live in Ponyville, too!” The green pony deadpanned for a moment. “Yes, I know.” She chuckled at Twilight’s embarrassed expression, all smiles once again. “I’ve seen you around town a few times, but I’ve never had the chance to say ‘hi’.” Twilight still looked a bit dejected. “You mean I’ve lived in the same town as you for a year and never noticed?” She scuffed the ground with a hoof. “Well, I feel silly.” Lyra giggled again. “Don’t worry about it too much! I've been told I'm sometimes hard to notice.” She tilted her head over to look at Twilight. “I loved your performance earlier, by the way,” she enthused. Twilight smiled gratefully. “You mentioned you’re a musician? Why didn’t you perform yourself?” The mint-green musician lifted her shoulders again in a shrug. “I was still being fished out of those crystal caverns. I only just got back to the surface – with the help of the royal guards, of course.” She allowed a wry smile. Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof, aghast. “Oh gosh-!” She stammered. “That was you!” She waved her hooves frantically, scrambling to apologize. “I’m so sorry! So, so-“ Lyra cut Twilight off, a concerned expression on her features. “There’s no need to apologize, really! You did what you had to, to get the Princess to safety. I was kinda…” she sat back on her haunches for a moment to spin her hooves in circles around her ears, “… wacky, at the time. Besides, me, Minuette, and Twinkleshine are all fine.” Giggling at the little charade, Twilight found her earlier melancholy rapidly fading. The two stood, smiling at each other in companionable silence for several moments. Lyra broke the silence, blurting, “Do you want to dance?” Twilight blinked twice in response, taken off-guard. “I mean-“ Lyra began amended herself hastily. “This is a dance, isn’t it? I didn’t bring a date with me, and… you didn’t either, did you?” Twilight shook her head. “Then, nice as it is to talk, shouldn’t we be out on the dance floor instead?” Lyra flashed a nervous grin. If there was one thing with which Twilight Sparkle couldn’t argue, it was logic. Hesitantly, she nodded, and then smiled at Lyra. “Sure.” Grinning – almost looking relieved, Twilight thought – Lyra guided her away from the refreshments table and out onto the dance floor. The pair stopped amidst the crowd. Glancing around furtively, Twilight bit her lip. To tell the truth, most of her trepidation owed to the fact that she was a horrid dancer. She’d made a bit of a fool of herself at the Canterlot Garden Party a month or two prior, and she dreaded the thought of embarrassing herself again. Lyra seemed to notice Twilight’s nerves getting the best of her, giving her a sympathetic smile. “Follow my lead,” she whispered softly. Where most ponies have difficulty preparing themselves for a slow dance – it calls for the two ponies to stand on two legs, an uncomfortable position for a quadruped – Lyra did so with ease, helping Twilight to stand up as well. The purple unicorn wobbled, muffling a squeak of surprise as she tried to steady herself. Thankfully, Lyra managed to catch her, letting Twilight support herself by leaning against the slightly taller pony. Lyra smiled encouragingly. Trying to hide the blush she was sure was apparent on her face, Twilight stammered, “So, uh… what now?” Lyra responded merely by resting one hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, and the other took hold of the unicorn’s left hoof. Gently, the two began to sway to the music. Twilight stared at her hooves, and nearly lost her breath. She was… dancing! And dancing well, by Celestia! There wasn’t a hint of her usual stumbling or flailing. Instead, she felt as though she was gliding as Lyra guided her to the steady thrum of the music. The two swayed and stepped together, librarian leaning on lyrist all the while. As the music carried on, Twilight found herself smiling at her dancing partner, and discovered Lyra smiling back. The whole world around her seemed to melt away. It was at once forever, and all too soon when the music ended. The cellist took a well-practiced bow, and the DJ pumped her hoof to the cheers of the audience. Twilight blinked, as though dazed. “It’s over?” Lyra craned her neck, glancing behind her at the stage. It was already being vacated by the musicians, who seemed to be embroiled in an argument about something. “I guess so,” she said wistfully, gently helping Twilight back onto all fours. “It looks like the reception is ending. The bride and groom will be leaving,” Twilight remarked, glancing around at the departing guests. Sighing, she scuffed her hoof on the ground again, smiling at Lyra. “… I should go see my brother and Cadance off,” she said. Stepping forward, Twilight wrapped her in a hug, causing the green unicorn to tense up in surprise. “Thank you for the dance, Lyra. It was really nice seeing you again.” Twilight walked away, unaware of the blush on Lyra’s cheeks. The musician smiled, watching Twilight leave. “… Really nice seeing you,” she repeated to herself. It was past midnight onboard the Friendship Express. The passenger car rattled gently as the locomotive rumbled over the tracks, the pale moonlight faintly illuminating the inside. Catching some rest for the remainder of the trip back to Ponyville, eight ponies and one baby dragon slept soundly; but rest had yet to find Twilight Sparkle. By all rights, she should have been exhausted – such a long day, fighting changelings, and all. But her fitful mind still hadn’t allowed her any chance to doze off. The Cutie Mark Crusaders slept, still in flower-filly raiment, one particular white filly resting closer to the librarian’s draconic assistant than the others. Rainbow was out like a light, a smile still on her lips as she snored loudly. Her other four friends, all snoozing peacefully. And here sat Twilight Sparkle, thinking. About the changelings, one might expect, or her brother and Cadance. And yet, it was not these which crossed her mind, but one question, repeating incessantly: What was it about that dance? Three hours on, and Twilight still couldn’t think of anything but the dance she had shared with her old classmate. Try as she might, the impeccably rational pony could make no reason of this whatsoever. What was so special about dancing with Lyra? What’s a dance between friends? Just… friendly friends, doing friendly… stuff. … Right? No, Twilight Sparkle was not even fooling herself. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she’d really only accepted the earlier invitations to dance out of courtesy. She’d just danced awkwardly next to the stallions, and there’d been no sort of spark whatsoever. The dance with Lyra had been… different. There had been an undeniable connection between the two unicorns when they had danced, one which, Twilight realized, had left her attention resting solely upon the green unicorn – a fact which she found rather disconcerting. The bookworm prided herself on her attention to detail, her ability to pick up on the smallest things around her at any given time, and to remember them with unerring accuracy. But when she tried to think of anything else that had been going on as she danced with Lyra – the couples dancing next to them, even the music – she drew a total blank. All that came to mind was the softness of Lyra’s fur, the gentle green and white swirl of her mane, that hoof resting atop Twilight’s shoulder, those beautiful, golden eyes… It was almost… bewitching. Twilight sat up, eyes widening. Oh, sweet Celestia. There’s only one explanation. … I’ve been hexed! In Ponyville, a green unicorn was similarly trapped in her thoughts. Never one to travel by rail, Lyra was still spent from the teleport back home. Long-distance teleportation, a rare skill among unicorns, had always been a talent of hers. Presently, however, her thoughts were as far from magic theory as they could be as she lounged on the couch. She thought of Twilight Sparkle, that wonderful, impossible mare – Element of Magic, heroine of Equestria, student of Princess Celestia herself… and, most importantly, the beautiful, brilliant mare she once admired from afar, but had never had the courage to tell. Her feelings had faded away somewhat as she saw the lavender unicorn less and less over the years, as Twilight grew more and more ensconced in her studies under the Princess, and eventually stopped attending the School for Gifted Unicorns altogether. Lyra had been devastated – forever, she was sure, denied the opportunity to admit her feelings. But seeing her tonight – seeing her defeat the changelings, hearing that melodious voice sing, seeing Twilight Sparkle in all of her radiant beauty… How could Lyra resist? Her infatuation was re-kindled, burning stronger than ever before. Bon-Bon raised a brow over at her swooning room-mate. In her accented voice, she inquired, “Lyra? Are you being ill?” “Something like that,” Lyra returned dreamily. “I’m in love.”
Chapter One: Machinations and IncantationsThe next day, all the inhabitants of the small hamlet of Ponyville were abuzz about the events of the previous day – a foreign attack on Canterlot crashing the wedding, and its repulsion by the bride and groom themselves! Rarity and Rainbow Dash, of course, had been there themselves, and so spoke of other things as they sat in the Mane Square – namely, the wedding reception. “Who was that guy you were with at the reception, Rares?” Rainbow inquired from atop a low-hanging tuft of cumulus. “You remember Fancy Pants, don’t you? You and the girls met him at the Canterlot Garden Party a couple of months ago.” Rainbow tapped her chin with a hoof, recalling making a mess of the stuffy affair. That and Twilight’s horrible dancing. “Hehe, yeah.” She grinned down at the unicorn. “You and him were getting pretty chummy, eh?” The fashionista swooned melodramatically, a dreamy look on her face. Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to gag… barely. “Oh, Dash, he’s such a gentlecolt. Debonair, refined, charming, sophisticated…” “Don’t those all mean the same thing?” Rarity paused. “You would think so, Dash.” She turned, back of her hoof against her forehead. “Alas,” she bemoaned, “he’s already engaged to that lovely fashion model, Fleur de Lis. It seems my chance has, regrettably, passed.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, though the mischievous smirk soon returned. “It sounds like you have marriage on the mind.” Rarity stopped gushing, looking quizzical. “Why do you say that?” “IT’S MINE!” Dash shrieked in a good imitation of the alabaster unicorn, pantomiming a dive for an invisible bouquet. Landing on her back atop the cloud, Dash rolled around, shaking with peals of laughter. Rarity looked thoroughly unamused, but kept any witty retorts in check. “And what about that dashing flyer of yours, Dash?” Now it was the pegasus’ turn to swoon. “You mean Soarin’? The fastest, awesomest, sexiest, coolest stallion in Equestria?” “How eloquent,” commented Rarity dryly. “I mean it! After so many months of trying to get his attention, he asked me to dance!” Rainbow’s exuberance quickly degenerated into what, Rarity noted with alarm, seemed to be an advanced form of one of her usual fangirl freak-outs. Rarity found it best to end the pegasus’ giggling after a minute or two. “Yes, well.” She cast her gaze around. “Did you see Twilight at all before the night’s end? It almost seems as though she vanished as soon as she was finished singing.” Pinkie Pie, as she is wont to do, apparated next to the two to answer Rarity’s question, head emerging from a barrel of pickled cucumbers. “She was in the crowd, dancing with a giiiiirl~!” Rarity boggled at the bubbly pink pony. “Pinkie, dear, where in the world did you come from?” Pinkie smiled beatifically. “A rock farm, silly!” Rarity opened her mouth as if to speak. Upon a moment’s silence, she slumped, defeated. “Sooo random,” Dash whispered from atop her perch. Pinkie’s words seemed to register a few moments later with Rarity, who straightened. “Wait… Pinkie, darling, did you say you saw Twilight… dancing with somepony?” The party pony nodded excitedly, tumbling out of the barrel to stand. “Mhm!” “… A mare?” Rarity raised a brow. Pinkie nodded again, still smiling broadly. “Well, well!” Rainbow declared, raising both brows slowly. “I never knew our little bookworm had it in her!” The pegasus cracked a mischievous grin. “Oh, that won’t do,” tittered Rarity, prompting raised eyebrows from both of her friends. “Why not?” asked Dash warily. Rarity blinked. “Well – it’s certainly… atypical, isn’t it? Two mares?” Pinkie merely tilted her head nearly ninety degrees. “… So?” Rainbow gestured to Pinkie, nodding in agreement. “Who cares if Twi was dancing with a mare? As long as she was happy, right?” Rarity pursed her lips, nodding. “… Of course.” She sighed quietly. “I’m just a bit… old-fashioned when it comes to affairs of romance. I do apologize if I offended you, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow threw her hooves up in exasperation, making a face and crossing them in front of her chest. “Even after I get a coltfriend, everypony still thinks I’m gay!” Rarity paid little attention to the pegasus’ grumbling, looking curious. “Who is this mare that’s caught our Twilight’s eye, any way? Pinkie bounced a little in place. “This green unicorn with a harp on her flank!” The fashionista rested her chin on a hoof. “Lyra Heartstrings…?” “You know her?” asked Rainbow, momentarily forgetting her wounded pride. “Yes, she’s stopped at the Boutique a few times before. The last time she stopped by was a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure it was for her ensemble for attending the wedding.” She shrugged musingly. “I suppose I can see where the mutual interest would lie… they both attended the School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot, from what I’ve heard.” “School sweethearts? So romantic!” Pinkie grinned like a madpony, bouncing again. Rainbow rested her chin on her hooves, pondering. “Come to think of it, I did see those two talking after the slow dancing was over. Typical egghead romance – they kept pussyhoofing around each other and blushing! I’ll bet this Lyra chick doesn’t even know Twilight has the hots for her.” Pinkie nodded emphatically. “You know our Twilight, Dashie! She doesn’t know how to deal with romancey-things!” “Don’t,” Rainbow grumbled, “call me ‘Dashie’.” Rarity seemed to be overcome with a sudden sense of resolve. “Then we must help Twilight and Lyra to admit their feelings, of course!” Rainbow and Pinkie blinked at the unicorn. “Weren’t you just turning your nose up at them a minute ago?” Rainbow asked dryly. Rarity huffed indignantly, tossing her mane. “I just want dear Twilight to be happy. If that means helping her to be with the… er… mare of her dreams, then so be it.” She furrowed her brow fiercely. “Ohmigosh, that would be so exciting! We could have a ‘Twilight-Finally-Has-A-Marefriend Party’, with cake and everything! And it’s so super nice causeno-oneeverwritesthispairing, whatshouldwecallit, LyTwi, Twyra? Oh, I’m so excited!” Rainbow and Rarity soon tuned out Pinkie’s chattering, shrugging at one another. “What’s our first step?” asked the pegasus. Rarity put on a devious grin, the gears in her head whirring. “It’s simple, my dear – we throw a party.” Pinkie looked almost ready to explode. Elsewhere in Ponyville, Twilight hit the deck, hooves covering her head as she cringed and closed her eyes. After a moment’s silence, she cracked an eye open, glancing around. She let out a nervous laugh, noticing that ponies were staring, and stood back up, continuing to walk down the street. A false alarm, Twilight thought with relief. Usually when she was overcome by a sudden sense of foreboding, it meant a certain pink pony was about to unleash one of her crazy schemes upon the hapless librarian. Thank goodness. Fears of a hyperactive pink blur thus assuaged, Twilight’s worries returned to the matter at hoof: that, she was convinced, Lyra Heartstrings, the local musician, had placed her under some sort of hex. That’s the only answer that makes sense, isn’t it? Twilight assured herself. The fuzzy feelings and her inability to forget last night’s dance were surely the results of some sort of dark magic, and nothing more. Not to mention the heat Twilight felt in her cheeks whenever she thought of the wily enchantress responsible. If Twilight knew that she was straining credulity, she made no outward sign. She exhaled, gathering her thoughts again as she paused outside the Books and Branches Library, her home and place of work. She’d stepped out for a morning walk to clear her mind, and felt she was ready again to begin searching for some sort of solution to her predicament. Smiling reassuringly to herself, she trotted briskly to the entrance, swinging the heavy, wooden door open with a wave of telekinetic magic. Failing to take note of the resulting ‘whump’, Twilight peered about for her reptilian assistant. “Spike?” She turned her gaze a little to her right, eyeing a groaning pile of books and lofting a brow. “Spike, get out from behind the door before somepony swings it open and smacks you! You could get hurt.” Dazedly popping his head from the pile of books, the slightly bruised whelp managed sarcasm even while in pain. “Wouldn’t want that,” he said, peering after Twilight as she hurried into the library. “Did you find those books I listed off to you before I left?” asked Twilight, wasting no time as she prepared the table in the center of the room for her studies. Spike nodded, gathering each of the tomes back up and stacking them as he hobbled over. “All six…” he groaned, dropping them with a loud thump next to the studious unicorn. This earned the assistant a smile and a grateful peck atop his head from his adoptive sister. Wrinkling his snout a little and rubbing the spot on his head, the dragon’s curiosity finally got the better of him. “What’s all this research for, any way?” Twilight hefted a book aloft in her magic, thumbing quickly through the pages with her eyes flicking to and fro. “I’m trying to find any references to a certain type of hex.” “What type is that?” Spike asked, trying vainly to follow the pages as he leaned on the table. Twilight stared at him for a moment, before returning to rapidly turning the pages. After tearing her way through five of the books, Twilight let out a frustrated groan, dropping them on the table. “Nothing! Nothing about awkwardness, blushing, not being able to take my mind off of somepony for three hoofing seconds!” Her head soon went the way of the books, bonking into the table in frustration. Spike’s mouth hung open, brow raised as he put the pieces together. Blushing? Awkwardness? Oh, come on, even I know what’s going on here. “You think a hex is responsible for…? Oh, c’mon, Twilight, I think you’re over-thinking this.” “Over-thinking?! I’m being menaced by malevolent magic and you think I’m over-thinking?! I have to find a solution, before I explode! And catch on fire! And explode again!” Twilight was breathing heavily, shaking a bewildered Spike by the shoulders. “Twilight! All I’m saying is, you should talk to the pony who—“ “That’s it!” cried the unicorn ecstatically. Setting Spike down, she hurried toward the door. “I’ll ask a hexologist in Canterlot! There’s all sorts of magical specialists in the city, so I’m sure one can help me!” Waddling after Twilight in concern, Spike was about to correct Twilight when he was slammed again by the door, this time by Twilight’s abrupt exit. Standing and rubbing his head woozily, Spike began to bemoan his bad luck. “Well that coulda gone be—“ The door was flung open again, this time by a particular pink party pony. “Twiliiiight—Oh! Hey, Spikey!” Spike let out an unintelligible groan. “Urgh…” “I see!” cried Pinkie, tapping her chin with a hoof. “So Twilight thinks she’s under some sort of hex and doesn’t understand her own feelings, so she’s on her way to Canterlot to find a specialist, then?” “Ngeh…” “Thanks for the tip, Spike!” Pinkie vanished out of the front door again, leaving Spike to nurse his pride – and his wounds. Bon-Bon took a small sip of tea, eyeing the newspaper in front of her intently. It seemed that what had happened at the royal wedding the previous day was even more serious than she had thought. Lyra had just written it off as another odd day, of the sort that Ponyville itself saw rather often, but the confectioner found the thought of Equestrian royalty being bested by weird, shape-shifting bugs very… disconcerting. Not that her room-mate seemed to show any sign of it. Lyra was on the couch again, lying on her belly with her forelegs draped lazily over one arm. A dreamy smile was plastered over Lyra’s face, which Bon-Bon had long past discovered to be a signal of one of her room-mates daydreams. Normally she found them rather endearing, but considering that Lyra had been lost in space all morning and all the previous night, they were just proving a little tiresome. “Lyra?” Deep in the jungles of Brayzil, famed explorer of the Royal Equestrian Society, Lyra Heartstrings, hacked through the jungle undergrowth. Her machete, formed from pure, light-green magic from her horn, easily sliced through the thick jungle vines, allowing her a swift journey through the tangles of vegetation. Sniffing lightly at the air, the explorer stopped in her tracks. Smoke. Ducking behind a tree, she dug the blade into the bark, slowly clambering her way up to the canopy. Standing atop the tree, Lyra turned her sharp gaze around over the vast sea of green sprawling off in each direction. The Amarezon River glittered silver in the distance. Soon, she spotted what she was looking for: a column of black smoke. Putting on her most determined grin, she took a leap, jumping onto the next tree, and then the next, moving over the treetops expertly. Halting amid the branches of a kapok, Lyra peered between a pair of leaves at the encampment below. There, a tribe of feral ocelots danced around a large campfire. Upon the dance’s completion, they bore their prize over, tied to a wooden pole: a beautiful, purple unicorn maiden, screaming in terror. Tying off the end of her rope on a branch, Lyra resolved to let this go no longer, and to rescue the pony in peril before it was too late! Gripping the rope between two hooves, she kicked herself off the branch. “Geronimo!” The ocelots were caught completely by surprise as Lyra swung through the clearing, landing solid blows against the jaws of each with her rear hooves as she passed by. Laughing, the explorer released her grip on the rope, dropping with a roll before landing on all fours. “My hero!” swooned the grateful damsel. With a snicker-snack from the magical blade, the purple unicorn’s bonds were released, and she rushed to the daring explorer’s side. “Oh Lyra, I can never repay you for saving me.” Looping her hooves around the unicorn’s neck, Lyra smiled. “You can start.” Slowly, their lips drew closer together, and— “Lyra?” “Lyra!” “Buh?” The chartreuse pony tilted her head confusedly, staring over at her room-mate. Bon-Bon was giving her a very familiar deadpan glare. She must have been daydreaming again. “Hehe… Sorry, Bons.” Bon-Bon rolled her eyes at the unicorn, a sign, Lyra had since learned, that all was forgiven. Bon-Bon still didn’t have many friends in Ponyville, even though she’d moved from Foaland a couple of years ago, mostly due to her thick accent and peculiar manners of speech. When Lyra had moved into town, however, the two became fast friends, and had since developed a sort of understanding. Right now, that understanding was screaming that something was bugging Bon-Bon. “Something bothering you?” the unicorn asked. “You have been doing nothing but the swooning and the spacing since you arrived home,” Bon-Bon replied pointedly, trotting over toward the kitchen and moving around some of the things Lyra had left lying around when she made breakfast. This prompted a frown from the unicorn, who knew Bon-Bon only got into one of her neat-freak moods when something was upsetting her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem upset.” Bon-Bon turned, feather-duster in mouth, and blinked at Lyra. “No! Not upset,” she clarified a bit too quickly, “just concerned. I think you are putting too much of thought about this Twilight girl.” Lyra flopped back with a sigh, putting on that smile again. “How couldn’t I? She’s smart, pretty, talented…” “Cholera,” grumbled Bon-Bon disgruntledly around the handle of the duster, turning to dust off the side of the oven. “Gesundheit.” Folding her hooves over her chest, Lyra looked thoughtful, the smile slowly turning to a frown. “Not that I’ll ever get her to look at me twice,” she admitted resignedly. “I mean, she’s the apprentice of the feathering Princess of the Sun for… well… Celestia’s sake! I’m just a regular ol’ boring unicorn.” Lyra’s usual bravado soon faded into the sort of self-deprecation she only showed a sign of around her room-mate. Bon-Bon looked thoughtfully to Lyra for a few moments, then spat out the duster, voice sympathetic. “You are not just a boring old unicorn, Lyra. You are beautiful, very talented, and… I—“ “That’s it!” blurted Lyra, hopping up to bounce happily on the sofa, her usual energy returning. “Talent! I can write a song for her!” She clapped her hooves excitedly. “Thanks, Bon!” Bon-Bon stared blankly at Lyra for a moment, then turned to exit the room, rolling her eyes. “Nie wiem, dlaczego kładę się z tobą ...” she mumbled in exasperation, leaving Lyra to stand in confusion a moment longer before the unicorn hurried off to fetch her lyre.
Chapter Two: An InvitationTwilight Sparkle moved through town at a brisk pace, causing various passers-by to turn their heads worriedly as they wondered what had the unicorn riled up this time. The incident with the doll (of which there was a silent pact to never speak of again) was still fresh in everypony’s minds. The clueless purple pony paid little mind, thoughts still swimming with complex equations and obscure theorems. She had resolved to travel to Canterlot and meet with an expert on the subject in the hopes of breaking what she’d come to mentally dub a ‘blushing hex’ – And then I’ll give Lyra a piece of my mind! the unicorn resolved. Before she could articulate the stern talking-to she planned to give later, Pinkie Pie abruptly blocked Twilight’s way. “Twilight! I’ve got something important for you!” Barely skidding to a halt in time, Twilight almost bowled Pinkie over. “Pinkie-!” she cried out in a reprimand. “I’m on my way to a very important appointment!” Her brows knitted together in frustration as she gave the pink pony an accusatory glare. Paying no heed to Twilight’s urgent tone, Pinkie reached into a saddlebag, retrieving a pink envelope. Levitating it over and opening it, the unicorn’s eyes traced over the words in the letter, and she raised an eyebrow. Hearts n’ Hooves Day Bash Sugarcube Corner April 25th, 7:00 PM Bring a special somepony! “Hearts and Hooves?” “I remembered to use written invitations this time!” Pinkie crowed proudly. “And I mean, it would’ve been exhausting to do a singing telegram again, ‘cause everypony is invited!” “Pinkie, Hearts and Hooves Day was two months ago,” Twilight ventured warily. The earth pony just shrugged, still wearing a wide smile which indicated that she cared not for such earthly concerns. Twilight shook her head a little, thinking. The 25th was two days away, which still gave her plenty of time to fix her little hex problem and still be able to attend. “I’ll see what I can do,” Twilight relented. “But I’m very busy now, so if you could please excuse me?” She gave Pinkie a somewhat apologetic look, glancing anxiously past her. At Pinkie’s nod, Twilight stepped past her, continuing along her way. “Okay!” Pinkie called. “Have fun in Canterlot!” “How did you…?” Twilight turned, only to find that Pinkie Pie had already disappeared into whatever hammerspace she usually occupied. Rolling her eyes, the harried unicorn walked on. “Hey Bon-Bon, I-“ Lyra swung the door open, a pink envelope hovering in her telekinetic grip, but stopped mid-sentence. “Bons?” Looking around, Lyra found the room suspiciously devoid of habitation, and dark, save for some flickering candles. Marvin Braye music drifted from the other room. That’s odd. Confused for a moment, Lyra brightened when she spotted a trail of bright, red treats on the floor. “Ooh!” Trotting forward, she leaned down to each rose petal in turn, eating them up with a ‘nom’. Having skipped breakfast that morning, the unicorn was starved. Wrapped up as she was in eating the trail of welcome snacks, she was a little startled when she reached the end. “Hello, Lyra,” came a sultry voice from just ahead of her. Lifting her head, Lyra eyed her surroundings. She stood in Bon-Bon’s bedroom, the aforementioned music coming apparently from a phonograph in the corner. The crème-toned earth mare herself was lying atop the bed, a rose clutched in her teeth. “Heya, Bon,” Lyra greeted her roommate casually, mouth still full. "Would you like to come to bed?" Bon-Bon asked uncertainly, in what she hoped was a suggestive tone of voice. "Oh, no thanks, Bons. I'd love to take a nap, but I have to leave again soon." She gulped down the mouthful of petals. “You gonna eat that?” She leveled her hoof questioningly at the rose Bon-Bon was holding. The rose in Bon-Bon’s mouth almost seemed to wilt visibly as she realized that all of her romantic gestures had been misread completely by her oblivious unicorn friend. Ears drooping a little, she tossed the rose to Lyra, who devoured it hungrily. “Mm! Did you buy that from those Flower Girls?” Bon-Bon sighed. “Yes.” The trio of florists, good friends of the confectioner, had been aware of her infatuation with Lyra for a while. Almost as great as her disappointment with her failure was her sadness that she would need to break the news to Roseluck. “You’ll have to thank them for me,” Lyra said, glancing around the room again. “What’s with the music and candles?” “They are relaxing,” Bon-Bon half-lied, resting her cheek on one hoof with a glum expression. “I was just… ‘hanging out’, as you say,” she finished lamely. “Well, thanks for the snack, Lyra continued, heedless, licking her lips. “But I needed to show you something!” She waved the letter in Bon-Bon’s face with a smile. The earth pony furrowed her brow, unable to focus on the rapidly-moving pink envelope. “What is it?” “Pinkie Pie is throwing a Hearts and Hooves party, and everypony in Ponyville is invited!” “In April?” Lyra shrugged. “It’s Pinkie Pie.” Bon-Bon nodded a little, unable to argue with that simple fact. She managed to catch the letter, opening it and inspecting the text therein. “… ‘Bring a special somepony’?” She turned her eyes up to peer questioningly at Lyra. Lyra nodded. “Yeah. Pity I don’t really have one to take with me.” She pouted for a moment, before her eyes widened, gaze turning up to Bon-Bon. “Unless…” Bon-Bon felt her heart flutter. Was Lyra implying…? “Unless I ask Twilight Sparkle! This is perfect!” Of course she wasn’t. Bon-Bon buried her face in her forelegs and muttered, “Gówno.” Lyra shook her head wearily. “You know I don’t speak Foalish, Bon.” Bon-Bon peeked over a foreleg to give Lyra a look. The unicorn rolled her eyes, knowing better than to press Bon-Bon when she got mad enough to lapse out of Equish entirely. “Any way,” Lyra said, pulling the conversation along hastily, “it really is perfect! If I can finish a song in time, I can serenade her and make her fall for me!” “So simple?” Bon-Bon quipped sarcastically. Lyra sighed happily, eyes distant. “Hopefully.” Bon-Bon snorted ruefully, glancing away. Let Lyra fawn over the town librarian for now, she decided. But the next time she saw this Twilight mare, she was going to give her a piece of her mind. “You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Pinkie,” praised Rarity as she levitated a red streamer to the wall above her. “All of Ponyville is atwitter! More than half the town is bound to show up to our little soiree.” The two were busying themselves with decking the pastel walls of Sugarcube Corner with theme-appropriate decorations. Red and pink hearts were especially predominant along the edges of every surface in the building. “Well, Dashie handed out most of the invitations,” Pinkie chirped from atop her ladder. With a hum and a smile, she fastened a banner in place, then hopped down to walk over to Rarity. “Besides, this whole party was your idea, Rares!” Rarity turned to her bubbly friend, smiling at her praise. “Only for Twilight, my dear.” She turned back around, eyeing the decorations anxiously. “Oh, I hope this works, Pinkie Pie. What if Twilight and Lyra still can’t admit their feelings for one another?” Pinkie smiled brightly, resting a reassuring foreleg over the unicorn’s withers. “Don’t you worry, Rarity! I’ve been to the last chapter, so you can trust me that it turns out all right for everypony!” Giggling at Rarity’s puzzled expression, she began to trot away, all the decorations they’d planned for all in place. Stopping, Pinkie called back, “Oh! Speaking of the party… Don’t forget to duck!” The earth pony winked cryptically and left, leaving a bewildered Rarity behind. It was late that evening when Twilight Sparkle arrived at her destination. Canterlot was recovering quickly from the changeling invasion, throngs of workers hurrying about the streets to repair their city. Everywhere, the clang of hammers and buzz of saws filled the balmy spring air. Breathing in the familiar scents of her city of birth, Twilight turned left down the street, past a café. Having lived here for most of her life, she was intimately familiar with most of the twisting and winding streets of the ancient capital city, particularly here, close to the castle. It was in this borough of Canterlot that the greatest of scientists, magicians, and great minds of Equestria resided. It was one of those great minds with whom Twilight hoped to meet during her evening here in the city. Stopping at the end of the boulevard, Twilight eyed a fancy dwelling, small by comparison to those neighboring it, and mentally matched the address with the one in her head. 632 Bridleton Lane. Exhaling and stepping up to the door, she gently rapped on it with one hoof, and waited a moment. The sound of approaching hoofsteps followed soon afterward, and the sound of locks unlatching came from within the house. Pulling the door open, a large, grizzled-looking stallion peered down at his visitor. Twilight blinked up at him for a moment. Dr. Hooferov did not have the sort of wizened, thin, bookish sort of appearance that one might expect of an academic. He was of enormous stature, standing almost as tall as Ponyville’s own Big McIntosh. He was dressed in a tweed jacket and tie, intense blue eyes peering through wire-framed glasses down at the unicorn. His bushy, brown beard and eyebrows gave him an almost wild-looking quality. “Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” The mare blinked, and then nodded, smiling. “That’s me. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Professor.” “It’s no trouble at all.” The stallion stepped aside to allow entry to the unicorn. “Please, make yourself at home. I had a kettle of tea on the boil.” Smiling gratefully again, Twilight trotted in, eyeing the inside of the house. While nowhere near as stocked as her library, Dr. Hooferov’s home was lined with several bookshelves, all full of tomes on magic theory and various other subjects. At the scientist’s nod, she stepped left, into what seemed to be the den. Two armchairs with plaid upholstery sat across from one another in front of a crackling fire at the hearth. Taking a seat in one, Twilight bounced experimentally, trying to make herself comfortable in the chair. It was a couple of minutes before Hooferov joined her with a kettle and two teacups, pouring drinks for the two of them. “You’re quite the star in Canterlot this past week, Ms. Sparkle.” Twilight smiled, reluctant as always to accept praise. “Thank you, Professor. But I do have an urgent manner to discuss.” “Ah, yes. You mentioned a hex in your letter?” Leaning forward intently, the hexologist focused his gaze on the unicorn. Hexology was still a young field, and hexes themselves had only been recognized as a legitimate field of magical study within the last year. But in that time, Alexei Hooferov had already distinguished himself as somewhat of an expert in the field. Nodding sadly, Twilight sipped from her cup of tea. “I believe I’ve been afflicted with one. There’s nothing on how to counter it in any of the books in my collection.” Resting a hoof under his chin, the earth pony professor nodded thoughtfully. “I see. How long has this been going on?” “Two days,” responded the unicorn, setting her cup down. “That would be the day of the Royal Wedding,” the academic noted ponderingly. “I’d say that the changelings were responsible, but to my knowledge, they haven’t mastered any hexing incantations as of yet. Perhaps you should be a little more specific?” “Well,” started the unicorn, thinking back to the night in question, “it was at the reception, and I was dancing with this unicorn I know, Lyra Heartstrings. And after that… well, my cheeks kept heating up! And I couldn’t think about anything else.” She puzzled for a moment. “It’s not some sort of mind-control charm, is it?” The stallion lowered his cup, raising a bushy brow at the younger pony. “Ms. Sparkle,” he stated flatly, “I don’t think a hex is responsible for your predicament.” Twilight blinked, baffled. “Huh? Then what is?” “Do you know what a crush is, Ms. Sparkle?” broached the professor carefully. Twilight nodded. “Sure. Feelings of infatuation and—“ Twilight blinked again, trailing off as she slowly put the pieces together. Noting the dumbstruck look on the young magician’s face, Dr. Hooferov nodded in understanding. “I won’t keep you any longer, Ms. Sparkle. I’m sure you want to get this sorted out.” Nodding numbly, Twilight mumbled some thanks, hurrying to leave. As the door slammed, the professor finished off his cup, chuckling. “Young love.” He shook his head and returned to his study.
Chapter Three: RuminationsOne day before the party, and Twilight Sparkle was pacing anxiously in the shadow of the Books and Branches Library. The sky was slightly overcast, taking on a light grey tone. Today, Twilight was sure, the weather ponies had scheduled the clouds for the sole purpose of mocking her downcast mood. Okay, so, she thought, summing up her predicament, I’m in love with Lyra Heartstrings. … Now what? Twilight groaned in frustration, bonking her head against the bark of her home. She had never been in love before (bar a crush on the Princess when she was a small filly, though Twilight had long since managed to convince herself that it was just idol-worship), and certainly had no experience with romance whatsoever beyond what she’d read. She hadn’t even had friends until a couple of years ago, so how could she? This left her without so much as a clue of what to do about her feelings. You could just tell her. But how? Twilight puzzled. Lyra was beautiful and talented, and Twilight was just a homely librarian. How could she possibly hope to win Lyra’s affections? She’d never give her a second thought unless she took some initiative. She found her mind drifting to the pink invitation letter still sitting on the table in her study. Could that be it? The Hearts and Hooves party was tomorrow, so she would need to act quickly if she wanted to ask Lyra to attend with her. Uncertainty crept back into her mind, and she stopped pacing, eyes toward the ground. Would Lyra even accept her invitation? Maybe Twilight should just… No! Twilight stamped her hoof on the ground. I refuse to mope or vacillate any more! I’m going to find Lyra, and I’m going to ask her— “H-hey, Twilight?” “Gack!” Twilight yelped in panic at the distinctly familiar voice, vanishing in a puff of lilac-red light as she teleported inside. Lyra frowned sadly, staring at the ground. Oh well, she moped. I guess there’s always later. Resolving again to muster up her courage, she trudged off back home to revise her strategy. Twilight breathed heavily for a moment, then groaned loudly, smacking her hooves against her face. “Twilight, you idiot…!” Spike glanced up from the latest Daring Do novella to peer curiously at his caretaker. “Go on?” “Lyra came up to me, and I just… panicked! How am I ever going to ask her to Pinkie’s party at this rate?” She draped her forelegs over the table, laying her head on it and slouching. “She probably thinks I’m a giant dork.” The young dragon sighed with some relief, glad that Twilight had finally managed to clue in about her crush on Lyra. Closing the book, he did his best to put on a reassuring tone of voice for his surrogate sister. “Twilight, she does not think you’re a giant dork. You’re one of the most likeable ponies I know! You just need to have some confidence.” Twilight met his gaze miserably. “I just can’t!” “Twilight,” Spike pressed insistently, “you defeated Discord, tamed Cerberus, and took on Nightmare Moon herself! Is telling the pony you like about your feelings honestly any scarier?” The pony seemed to curl up on herself a little more. “Maybe.” The dragonling sighed, pressing his claws against his forehead. “How, exactly?” Fixing Spike with a somewhat aggrieved look, Twilight frowned. “Because defeating evil creatures is simple. You don’t need to worry about their feelings.” Puffing a bang of hair out of her eyes, she continued, “But if I tread incorrectly in a situation like this, somepony could end up seriously hurt – whether me or Lyra.” “Twilight, you have to stop worrying about what could go wrong and just remind yourself of what can go right.” Spike crossed his arms. “You’ll never get anything you really want in life if you spend your time being such a worry-wart.” The unicorn peered accusingly at her assistant, sniffing indignantly. “What would you know about romance?” she grumped. Spike gave an affronted snort. “Plenty!” He took on a cocky smirk. “I don’t know if you know this, Twi, but I’m kind of an expert on romance.” Arching a brow, Twilight let out a startled snicker and covered her muzzle with a hoof. “Oh, really now?” Spike nodded confidently, hands on his hips. “You can just tell that I’m beating away the fillies with a stick every time I step outside.” The playful grin soon melted into a more genuine smile. “So just trust me on this, okay?” Twilight giggled, her trepidations quickly replaced with the help of her number one assistant. “You’re right, Spike.” She rose, lifting herself onto all four hooves. “I can’t let my fear of what might go wrong control me!” Smiling down at her assistant, she continued to reassure herself. “I have to take charge of my own destiny and take some chances, or I’ll never be happy!” At this point, Spike thought he might have seen Twilight’s mane and tail being blown dramatically by an imaginary breeze. Before he could have time to make sense of this, Twilight was off. “I’m going out, Spike! To take hold of my destiny!” Chuckling quietly at Twilight’s theatrics, he shook his head proudly and watched Twilight stroll briskly out the front door. A few moments later, he returned to his reading. Having painfully learned his lesson the previous day, he sat far away from the door, atop a small stack of books. As he found his spot in the book in which he had engrossed himself, he heard a noise approaching - quickly. Raising his head to peer curiously at the window, his vision exploded in stars as he was barreled into the floor by a blur of many colors. “Oof! Sorry there, Spike!” The raspy voice was easily identifiable as Rainbow Dash. Spike wondered for a moment why he had left the window open. “Still have trouble sticking landings indoors.” The pegasus gave a sheepish grin, trotting about the room in a circle. “Was Twilight in here a minute ago?” Spike gave a long-suffering groan, trying to pull himself up to sit again. “Uh-huh…” “What’d she say before she left?” Spike gave Rainbow a suspicious glance. “You saw her leave?” he asked. “… Have you been watching the Library?” The pegasus gave a shifty glance around. “Just answer the question.” The baby dragon picked the book back up, opening it again. “She’s heading out to confess her feelings to somepony and ask them to the party tomorrow.” Dash grinned. “Awesome! I’ve got to tell Pinkie that it’s all working out!” Before he could question the blue pony, she was talking again. “I’m attending too, you know. With Soarin'. Who's my coltfriend.” She bobbed her head excitedly, prompting a flat stare from Spike. “Er. Right. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to get back to—“ “Daring Do?” Rainbow asked, trotting over and eyeing the cover of the book. “Oh, sweet! I just read that one this morning. I like the part at the end when Daring discovers that Ahuizotl was a corrupted version of her dead uncle's spirit all along!” She shot a grin over her shoulder. “Seeya!” The pegasus shot off out the window, disappearing into the distance. Spike stared after her for a moment, then back at the book. Novel thoroughly spoiled, he chucked it over his shoulder and slouched off for a much-deserved nap. Bon-Bon had her snout buried between her forelegs as she lay atop a bench along in Ponyville's central park. It’s just not fair. Her thoughts, like most of those to late, were occupied by her goofy, lovely roommate – the room-mate who had no idea just how much she meant to the crème-colored confectioner, and likely never would. Lyra had been the light of the Foalish pony’s life since she had arrived here, little more than a lost foreigner with a few words of Equish under her belt. Lyra had made Bon-Bon feel wanted when she’d had nopony else, given her a friend in a time of change and uncertainty. In return, Bon-Bon had always strived to repay the green unicorn, cooking her meals, being a friend, giving her a shoulder to lean on. And who should her roommate fall for? Some no-name librarian who barely even knew she existed! No – not quite. Try as Bon-Bon might to convince herself of it, Twilight Sparkle was certainly not a nopony. She was a champion of Equestria, right-hoof pony of the Princess herself. How in the world was Bon-Bon supposed to compete with something like that? Jealousy knotted in the earth mare’s stomach. By her heroics, by her celebrity, this mare had stolen Lyra away from her, at least in the mind of the subject of her affections. But… at the same time, she did seem to make Lyra happy. Bon-Bon’s heart sank a little. Maybe she should just be happy that… Her mind trailed off, ears flicking as she picked up the distinct clip-clop of hooves on the cobblestone path running nearby. Turning her gaze upward, her eyes widened, and then narrowed at the source of the sound. It was her. The purple unicorn responsible for her woes – and, by the looks of it, heading toward her and Lyra’s house. Forgetting any misgivings she might have had, Bon-Bon scowled, standing and sliding off of the bench. Twilight paused as she noticed the mare approach, vaguely recognizing her as Bon-Bon, a local confectioner and sometimes-competitor of Sugarcube Corner. A greeting died on her lips as she noticed the stormy expression on the mare’s face, and she stopped in the path uncertainly. “Just who are you thinking you are?” Demanded Bon-Bon angrily, poking Twilight’s collarbone with her hoof in accusation. Twilight stared down at the hoof, taking a moment to decipher her thick accent. “Erm… I-is that a Foalish accent I hear? You know, I heard that in Foaland-“ Twilight tried vainly to swerve the topic away from whatever bad place to which it was swiftly hurtling, but Bon-Bon would have none of it. “Who are you thinking you are, trying to steal Lyra away?” Twilight blinked apprehensively. “… You’re a friend of Lyra’s?” She quirked her head, frowning faintly. “I’d never steal friends away from one another, if I could help it.” Bon-Bon furrowed her brow at Twilight’s incomprehension. “You do not understand. I love her!” Twilight blinked. “Oh.” Her face took on a sympathetic expression, though a bit of disappointment crept its way in. Was Lyra already with this mare? “I love her and she will not even look at me twice…” Bon-Bon’s face was still twisted in a frown, but Twilight thought she saw tears brimming in her eyes. Twilight was unsure whether or not she was a bad pony for feeling some relief at this revelation; in any case, it soon turned to sympathy for the mare before her. She could understand her feelings very well. Paying little attention to the mare in front of her, Bon-Bon was more focused on airing out all of her pent-up desires and frustrations. “Everything I do to make her notice me, everything I do to make her loving me back, doesn’t work!” She let out a choked sob, head hanging as she fell onto her haunches. She whispered something which Twilight couldn’t quite discern: “How can she love you, but not me?” Twilight bit her lip, feeling somewhat uneasy with the situation. This pony had been yelling at her a moment ago, but now she was sitting there, sniffling and crying, heartbroken. Under the circumstances, the Element of Magic found it hard to begrudge the crying mare – she hated to see anypony cry. Stepping forward hesitantly, she wrapped a foreleg around Bon-Bon’s neck, pulling her into a comforting hug. The mare offered no resistance, leaning against Twilight and crying on her shoulder. After a few moments of this, Twilight spoke up softly. “Secrets like this only end up causing you pain as long as you keep them bottled up. You need to go talk to your friend and tell her how you feel.” Bon-Bon glanced up, eyes red and bleary from her crying, and Twilight met her gaze with a gentle smile. “Who knows? She might feel the same way.” “Why must you be so nice?” the earth pony inquired hoarsely. “It would be so much easier to stay angry with you if you were mean.” Twilight gave an awkward chuckle when Bon-Bon managed a weak smile. “You are right, of course,” Bon-Bon said, picking herself up. “I have to tell her.” She smiled apologetically at the purple mare. “I am… sorry. I had been holding that in for too long.” Nodding understandingly, Twilight replied, “Good luck.” Nodding once more, Bon-Bon hurriedly trotted off in the direction of her house, newfound confidence filling her heart. At the same time, watching the earth pony leave, Twilight felt the confidence which, it felt, she had only just mustered quickly slipping away. A sad smile on her features, she turned back towards the Library.
Chapter Four: ResolutionBon-Bon had once had a bad habit of chewing on her lip when she was nervous. When she had finally weaned herself of the habit - mostly at the insistence of her mother, who was always a rather strict nag - it had been a source of considerable pride for the young mare. The conditioning she'd imposed on herself was, however, all but forgotten as she stood outside the front door of the home she shared with Lyra. The overcast skies had finally opened up into a drizzly downpour of the kind common late in April, but Bon-Bon found herself a bit too distracted to take note of the fact that she was quickly being drenched in the rain. Get a hold of yourself, she berated herself. You walk through these doors every day, and today is no different. What was it that Twilight Sparkle had told her? 'Secrets like this only end up causing you pain as long as you keep them bottled up. You need to go talk to your friend and tell her how you feel.' The earth mare drew in a sharp breath, back straightening, and released her lower lip from between her teeth. There was no backing down now. With a shove from her hoof, she swung the front door open. Another sheet of hackneyed lyrics was reduced to confetti in a flash of magic, followed shortly thereafter by Lyra thwacking her head on the desk in frustration. Writing a song had never been this hard for the musically apt unicorn before, and she simply couldn't understand why her lyrical skills seemed to have utterly fled her. Every time she tried to commit her feelings for Twilight Sparkle to words, it just ended up as page after page of saccharine drivel. A little piece of the musician's soul died every time she tried, but she refused to quit until she had come up with something - anything - to win Twilight's heart. Sighing, she sat up straight again, readying the pencil in her magical grip, producing another blank sheet of paper. Brow furrowing, she set to trying again. After a few minutes of frustration. the hapless piece of paper found itself crumpled into a ball, and tossed into a growing mountain of its fellows surrounding the wastebasket in the corner. Again her head met the desk, where she slouched for a few moments longer. Lyra's ear twitched faintly at the sound of the door in the den squeaking open, followed by the brief pitter-patter of rain outside before it shut again - Bon-Bon was home. "Heya, Bons," Lyra called weakly in greeting. The dull clip-clop of hooves, dulled by the carpet, approached down the hallway. Lifting her head, the unicorn watched as her roommate stepped through the doorframe into her room. Lyra took a double take, blinking at Bon-Bon's state. "Geeze, Bon-Bon, you're soaked!" Blinking in confusion as if brought out of a trance, the earth pony lifted one of her legs and eyed her coat curiously. "Oh," she mumbled, a hint of a blush tinging her cheeks as she noticed that she had been tracking water into Lyra's room. Watching with amusement as her friend zipped out in a blur, Lyra waited a moment, before Bon-Bon returned, fur rather comically poofy from drying herself off. The creme-colored mare grimaced in embarrassment as she vainly tried to fix her mane. Stifling a snortle at Bon-Bon's appearance, Lyra turned back to her work. Her roommate's arrival had, thankfully, lightened her mood a little. Perhaps she could finally set her mind to writing a serenade for Twilight, and-- "I love you." Oh. Lyra turned, uncertain, staring at Bon-Bon, who was staring a hole through the floor. "Eh... pardon?" It took the earth pony a moment to pipe up again, her Equish, for once, almost impeccable. "Ever since I came to Equestria, you have been here for me. You have been my best friend when nopony else was." A silence hung in the air between the two for several moments as Lyra stared her friend down, and Bon-Bon refused to meet her gaze. "... But you do not love me back," Bon-Bon ventured, a resigned tone in her voice. Lyra took a moment to register exactly what her roommate had just told her. Bon-Bon was in love with her. Where in the world did that come from? All of the hints which had been piling up over the last week hit Lyra like a speeding train. Bon-Bon had tried to tell her this multiple times. She had tried to seduce her, for Celestia's sake! Lyra had to be the single most oblivious pony in Equestria. By the time she digested all of this, Bon-Bon was sitting on her haunches, sniffling quietly. Hopping from her seat, Lyra stepped over to Bon-Bon with a sigh. "Bon..." The earth pony blinked away tears, surprised at the sensation of an arm wrapped around her as somepony pulled her closer - Lyra was hugging her. "You're my best friend in the world. I'll always love ya." She drew back for a moment to meet Bon-Bon's gaze with a sad smile. "Just maybe not in the same way." Bon-Bon rubbed the last traces of tears away from her face with the back of one hoof, smiling faintly at Lyra. Of course the unicorn understood. But the mint-green pony was not quite finished, heaving a sigh. "I'm sorry I've been such a bonehead these last few days, Bons. I got so wrapped-up in all this Twilight business that I... I've been a terrible friend to you." Bon-Bon shook her head, managing a small smile and briefly brushing Lyra's cheek with a hoof. "You really are not, Lyra. Take you my word for it." After a further moment's silence, Bon-Bon asked, a serious look on her face, "Do you love her?" Lyra blinked, before nodding, hesitantly. The earth pony hugged her friend more tightly in response. "Then that is good enough for me." The two ponies embraced a moment longer, before Bon-Bon released the unicorn from her grip. "She really is a nice pony," she said, her serious expression melting into a light-hearted smile, and lightly cuffing her in the shoulder. "So do not screwing it up, yes?" Lyra chuckled and nodded. "All right, Bons," she conceded. With a final parting smile, Bon-Bon exited the room, leaving Lyra to her thoughts. It was after a minute or so of standing and thinking that some realization hit Lyra. Lighting up, she hopped happily back to her desk, scribbling words frantically onto the paper. Twilight would love this one! The next day was bright and sunny, the air crisp and the sky a bright blue, with only a few puffy, white clouds to mar the cerulean tapestry. The last of the night shift of weather pegasi were just now zipping off to their homes in town for some well-earned rest, and the air was filled with a chorus of songbirds and the dying chords of the last night's crickets. And somewhere, under the idyllic, blue skies and far above the blades of grass, cloaked with glistening drops of dew, under a roof of gingerbread, a pink pony awoke, her bed-head of a mane returning to its cottony state with an audible foomp. Jolting with excitement, Pinkamena Diane Pie leapt from her bed. "This... is gonna be the best party ever!" Rarity took no notice of the cold breeze which seemed to blow through Sugarcube Corner as Ponyville's resident party animal awoke - for when the fashionista was in 'the zone', not even the most chilling warnings of Pinkie Pie's eldritch party magic could sway her from her task. Although, perhaps, sheer exhaustion would do the trick where even that could not. Rarity had not slept for twenty hours, and it showed. A pair of bags were evident below her eyes, and her usually impeccable mane was in a blasphemous state of disarray. But if there was one thing that the Element of Generosity understood, it was that, sometimes, sacrifices must be made for friends. Even... sniff... at the cost of her precious coiffure. The banquet hall of Sugarcube Corner had offered no sound for companionship over the past hours but of the echoing of Rarity's hoofsteps pacing back and forth as she went about her task of bedecking the room in festive banners, streamers, and bejeweled hearts. But as Rarity surveyed her work, a new sound greeted her ears - the familiar bounding of hooves down the staircase overhead. Turning with a sigh, Rarity mentally prepared herself for the barrage of Pinkie Pie which was about to assail her, and put on a strained smile. Somewhat to Rarity's surprise, Pinkie Pie didn't quite barge through the door into the hall, simply pushing it open and trotting happily up to Rarity with the chipperness which only a pony with a full night's sleep under her belt could possess. "Good morning, Rares!" the pink earth pony chirped happily. As the unicorn vainly tried to mumble a greeting in return, Pinkie trotted past her, 'ooh'ing and 'ahh'ing at the decorations. "You've really outdone yourself! This party is gonna be so totally splenderific that Twilight is sure to--" A soft snore alerted Pinkie to the fact that Rarity had managed to doze off standing up. With a quiet huff, the energetic mare butted her head into Rarity's side, shoving her slowly toward a corner. "Z-wha--?" Rarity mumbled nonsensically. "Sorry, Rarity, but you're all zonked out! And we can't have you still being all zonked-out at the party tonight!" Even if she was fully conscious, Rarity could not have had a hope of keeping up with Pinkie's chatter. As it was, she merely curled up in a ball in the corner, at Pinkie's assistance, and had soon dozed off into a well-deserved slumber. Giving a happy hum, Pinkie stared down at the sleeping unicorn a moment longer, reflecting on just how adorable her friend looked when she wasn't working her horn off. Pushing that contemplation to the side, Pinkie bounded to the center of the room, glancing about excitedly. Everything had been set up according to plan! Everything was suitably decorated to suit the Hearts n' Hooves theme, from the pink and white hearts, the record of neighties power ballads on the record player, the empty buffet tables-- OH MY GOODNESS THE EMPTY BUFFET TABLES. Pinkie reared up, forelegs kicking in panic as she realized that she had entirely forgotten to see to the catering for the party. But there was no way the pink mare could hope to complete all the necessary treats in time. She would need another pair of hooves for that. "Another pair of hooves!" she cried in sudden realization, hopping in place. Covering her mouth with a hoof, she glanced to Rarity, who was still out like a light, and giggled self-consciously. She had to go fetch some friends! Pinkie vanished in a characteristic pink blur, leaving her unicorn friend to sleep in peace for a while longer. "Dashie! Dashie! Dashie!" Rainbow Dash's eye twitched involuntarily. She was having such a nice dream, too. Flipping over on the small cumulus she'd been sleeping on, she shot an annoyed glare down at her petitioner. "What do you want, Pinkie Pie?" She furrowed her brow. "... And don't call me 'Dashie'!" On the ground below, Pinkie was hopping from left to right hooves repeatedly, glancing around worriedly. "We've got a problem!" "Being?" returned Dash lazily, taking a mental note to pick a higher cloud next time. "We don't have any food!" cried Pinkie, "And the party is tonight! I have to go pick up flour and eggs and beer and-- any way! Can you go fetch Applejack, prettyprettyplease?" She waved a hoof frantically. "It's crucial to the future of Twilight's love life!" Rainbow sat up, running a hoof through her mane with a frown. Loathe as she was to disturb herself from her rest, every ounce of her soul was crying 'Loyalty!' at about a hundred decibels. And, frankly, the party would kind of be crap if there was nothing to eat any way. "Yeah -- all right, you can count on me, Pinkie." She shot the earth pony a lazy salute from atop her perch. Pinkie shot off toward the market square like a parasprite on ecstasy the moment Dash agreed, forcing the sky-blue pegasus to try to blink away the pink after-images in her vision. Sighing and shaking her head, Rainbow Dash repeated her silent mantra of 'Pinkie being Pinkie', taking off towards Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack thought that the fields of Sweet Apple Acres were the most beautiful place in the world, and never more so than in the midst of spring. Row after row of apple trees covered the rolling hills of the Apple family farm as far as the eye could see, blooming in a wide array of whites and pinks and adding a splash of color to the otherwise uniform green of the leaves. But as much as she would like to appreciate her lifelong home, the levelheaded mare was busy with more important matters - namely the family business. "... So as you can see, we'll have jus' the right amount of apples ready this Applebuck Season for yer little get-together this October!" Applejack finished her pitch happily, glancing back at her client as they trotted through the orchard. The stallion was impeccably well-dressed, his appearance just as much out of place in his rustic surroundings as his Canterlot accent. "I must say, Ms. Apple, I'm impressed. The quality of your produce is sure to be a simply smashing hit at this year's Gala! It seems your family may finally make a breakthrough into the Canterlot market, hmm?" Applejack nodded excitedly. Ever since last year's Gala, she had been hoping to have a second chance at getting Apple Family treats into the markets of the capital city, but had been rebuffed at each turn - until now, at least. It seemed that the Ponyville Apple clan would finally get a lucky break! However, as she stared off and thought of all the repairs to the family farm that this deal could by, Applejack became aware of a prismatic blur rapidly approaching. "Oh, nelly..." Rainbow abruptly skidded to a halt, hovering just above Applejack and panting. With a sigh, Applejack frowned up at the pegasus. "What's wrong, Rainbow?" "AJ... We need your help! The party..." The polychromatic flier struggled to catch her breath. "The party is tonight and none of the food is finished! Ya have to go help Pinkie Pie!" The earth pony blinked a couple times, trying to keep up with Rainbow's frantic speech. "Dash, Ah don't have time! Can't you see I'm busy with farm business?" "You don't understand! If the party isn't perfect, then..." She squinted, trying to remember what Pinkie had said about the 'future of Twilight's love life'. "... then... Twilight will never get laid!" She flailed her hooves. "Ever!" Applejack's eyes widened - this was an emergency. Turning to face her client for a moment, she called apologetically, "Sorry, pardner!" With a shrug, she took off after Rainbow as the pegasus flew back towards Sugarcube Corner. "Ms. Apple! You're forfeiting the deal of a lifetime!" the Canterlot pony called with some exasperation, but the farmpony and her friend had already receded off into the distance. Inhaling deeply through his nostrils, the stallion removed his top hat, monocle and fake mustache, revealing his red-and-white striped mane, throwing each to the ground with disgust. "Next time, Apples! Just you wait!" Flim growled as she shook his hoof. Twilight Sparkle had to confess that she had not particularly wanted to get out of bed that morning. She had gone to bed soon after her little pep-talk with Bon-Bon, and despite some small amount of happiness for helping the mare with her romantic ambitions, she still didn't feel particularly good about throwing her own under the bus. With her prospects of confessing her love to Lyra, she was convinced, shot, she had seen little point in bothering to show up to the Hearts n' Hooves bash that evening. But then, she shuddered to think of the consequences of flaking on a Pinkie party. With a sigh, she sat up and dragged herself out of bed, sparing a glance at the clock: 10 AM. Unacceptably late by her standards. With a huff at her own tardiness, she trotted briskly down the stairs, wondering if Spike was awake yet. As the welcome scent of brewing coffee met her nose, she smiled, question answered for her. "Good morning, Spike!" she called happily as she stepped into the kitchen, where her assistant already sat at the table with a doughnut and the morning paper. "You seem like you're in a good mood today," the young drake observed, scrunching up his snout a little as Twilight playfully ruffled the spines atop his head. "I take it your conversation with Lyra went well?" The unicorn paused, halfway through pouring some coffee for herself. "Well," she started, expression flat, "no. I never got to talk to her." She looked downcast for the scantest of moments, but before Spike could voice his sympathy, she continued, smile returning. "But I refuse to let it get to me. I'm going to go to the party and enjoy myself any way!" With a big swig of coffee, Twilight cantered back toward the door, ready to prepare for the party and face the day. Spike blinked in genuine surprise. "Well, uh. Way to go, Twilight!" And it was true! Twilight refused to not enjoy herself. And if she saw Lyra and Bon-Bon dancing together, she promised to herself not to be sad. ... Well, maybe a little. "All right, everypony!" crowed Pinkie Pie, pacing back and forth in front of Applejack and Rainbow Dash like a hyperactive drill sergeant. "RSVPs received?" "Check," reported Dash with a lazy salute. "Food?" Pinkie continued, casting a glance at the buffet tables, now stocked with all manner of cakes, cookies, and other confections. "Check!" AJ replied with a firm nod and a tip of her stetson. "Decorations?" Rarity mumbled something in her sleep which might have been confirmation, if one stretched it far enough. Pinkie clapped her hooves together happily, beaming proudly at her friends. "This party is gonna be so super fantastic!" She broke into giggles. "And it's totally gonna get Twilight and Lyra together, too!" Applejack scratched her head, glancing around with the distinct impression that something was amiss. "But Ah feel like somethin' is missin'." Pinkie followed Applejack's gaze, pouting. "Hey, yeah! Where's Fluttershy?" "Um, the safe word is 'bunny'." purred Fluttershy demurely in the dim candlelight, leaning down to grip a whip in her teeth. Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Probably just off taking care of her animals or something," she quipped. "We probably won't see her at the party." Pinkie and AJ nodded in response, the pink party pony regarding both with a broad grin. "But you'll both be here tonight, right girls?" Applejack nodded enthusiastically. "You bet!" "You can count on me being here, too!" Rainbow supplied. "With Soarin'," she continued more quietly. "Y'know. My coltfriend." Applejack rolled her eyes. Oblivious as ever, Pinkie turned her gaze to Rarity, grinning deviously. "You girls keep at it, then! I need to go make some final preparations!" Before either could respond, Pinkie was off again. Glancing at one another with matching shrugs. Applejack and Rainbow Dash returned to their respective tasks. It was late in the afternoon when a knock came at Lyra and Bon-Bon's front door. Glancing up from a copy of Equestria Daily, the earth pony mare set the magazine down and trotted over to the door, curious. They didn't get many visitors, at least not in the afternoon, and she was certain that most of her friends would be busy preparing for the party. Pulling open the door, the confectioner was surprised to find her friend, Roseluck, beaming excitedly at her. It took a moment before Rose's expression turned to one of confusion. "You're not ready to go?" It took Bon-Bon a moment to notice that Rose was clad in a dress, clearly ready for the Hearts n' Hooves bash that evening. Bon-Bon shook her head. "I am not going." Rose recoiled slightly in a somewhat melodramatic fashion. To the florist's decidedly romantic proclivities, the notion was scarcely imaginable. "What? Didn't the roses I sold you work their magic on Lyra?" she questioned with an exaggerated wink. Bon-Bon hung her head, unable to help looking a bit downcast. Roseluck cleared her throat quietly, an awkward expression crossing her face. "Well," she started, "that's no excuse to mope around the house all day! C'mon, I'll be your date instead!" The creme-colored pony blinked quizzically, regarding her rosey-maned friend. "As a friend?" She didn't quite pick up the almost-noticeable waver in Rose's smile, and it took the florist a moment to continue. "... Yes, of course! It'll be fun!" After a moment's consideration, Bon-Bon nodded and smiled. "Well... if you are saying so. Wait a minute, yes?" At Rose's nod, the mare turned around and returned indoors, going to fish out her dress from her dresser. Humming quietly as she waited, Roseluck craned her neck to peer inside, noting with curiosity that Lyra's bedroom door seemed to be closed. "Hey, Bon-Bon? Has Lyra already left?" "Oh, she must have," Bon-Bon called back absently, reflecting that she hadn't seen her roommate all day as she left her own room, straightening her dress. "Why do you ask?" she asked with a smile as she came into view. "No reason," replied Roseluck, shrugging slightly. "We'd better hurry!" she called to her friend, hurrying off with Bon-Bon close after her. Lyra Heartstrings' eyelids twitched a little, assailed by a rather annoying beam of sunlight. Yawning widely and lifting her head off of the puddle of drool on her desk, she tried to remember what she had been doing the night before. She vaguely recalled hitting on a few rather inspired verses, but she must have stayed up just a little too late and worked herself out. Wait... Her room was on the west side of the house. And if the sun was shining in, then that meant-- "Sweet Celestia of Equestria!" the chartreuse unicorn cried, bolting upward. Just how long had she slept?! Her eyes bugged out at the sight of the clock on the corner of her desk - it read 7:10 PM. The party had already started! The musician jumped away from her desk with a cry of panic, rifling through the pile of refuse on her bed in search of her dress. Producing the garment with a triumphant laugh, the frenzied unicorn pulled it haphazardly over her head, hopping over toward the desk. Of course, fumbling blindly through one's messy room is a recipe only for disaster. Bonking her shin on the chair, sitting askew from its proper position at the desk, Lyra yelped in surprise, tumbling over and tangling herself up in the yellow fabric of her dress. Flipping herself over, the beleaguered unicorn managed to pull her head through the collar, freeing her vision with a gasp. Propping herself up on two legs again, she tried to free her forelegs from the mess she'd made of her dress, grabbing for the pieces of paper scattered all over the desk with her telekinesis and rushing out the door. Finally freeing all four of her limbs, she galloped at top speed out the door, paper scattering behind her. If she noticed that everypony was staring as she bolted through town, she did not care, mind fixated only on reaching Sugarcube Corner before it was too late. As she neared the bakery, she slowed down to a trot, vainly running a hoof through her mane to try and bring it back into a manageable state. It took a moment for her to notice that, given the free hoof in her mane and the fact that nothing was held in her telekinesis, that she had managed to drop all of the sheets of song lyrics she had written on her mad dash through town. And... forgotten her lyre to begin with. With a resigned sigh, she pushed open the door and entered. Today was simply not going as planned. "Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie whispered (here the narrator uses the term somewhat liberally). "Twilight just came in!" At each side, Applejack and Rainbow Dash crowded in to see past the throng of ponies. Sure enough, the lavender librarian had just walked into the banquet hall and was glancing around idly with a small smile. "She ain't with Lyra," Applejack observed with a frown, and the three shared worried glances. On the other side of the room, Twilight Sparkle wove her way through the crowd of fellow party-goers. The room was buzzing with dozens of couples of ponies, all socializing in amiable tones, none of them particularly seeming to mind that the Hearts n' Hooves theme was slightly out-of-season. Spotting a tell-tale splotch of bright pink across the party, she made her way toward the snack tables. "Hello, Pinkie!" She glanced to each side of her friend, taking notice of the others. "Rainbow, Applejack." "Uh, hey, sugarcube! Nice party, huh?" Twilight nodded. "I'll say! You've really outdone yourselves this time." She squinted at the trio curiously. "... Even if it is kind of odd to throw a party two months late." "Well," Dash interjected nervously, "better late than never!" "Say, Twiley!" Pinkie piped up, craning her neck as if to look behind the unicorn. "You didn't happen to bring a date with you, did you?" "Well, no," Twilight admitted, still all smiles, "but I've decided I don't need a date to enjoy the party. I'll just have a good time regardless! You three have fun!" The purple pony trotted away happily, leaving the three to exchange concerned glances again. It was about fifteen minutes after the party started that Lyra finally stumbled into the banquet hall. Taking a second to catch her breath, she glanced around the hall to take in the scene of the party. Everywhere, couples of ponies chatted with one another or danced. Some opted just to respect the spirit of the party and stared lovingly into one another's eyes. She thought she heard a classic Pat Benamare ballad playing somewhere in the room. Lyra may not have been the most sociable unicorn in Ponyville, but she found herself recognizing a surprising number of the couples attending. She gave Colgate and Berry Punch a smile and wave as she passed the two mares, quietly greeted Derpy Hooves and her strange doctor friend... But there was no sign of Twilight Sparkle anywhere. Lowering her head a little as she stood amongst the crowd, the unicorn felt confusion and sadness knot at the pit of her stomach. As the distraught musician glanced up, however, the crowd parted slightly as another pair of ponies ambled off of the dance floor. Not ten feet away, Twilight Sparkle was standing, alone. The purple unicorn turned, smile becoming an expression of surprise as her and Lyra's eyes met. There the two stood, gazes fixed on one another in shock. From across the party, Pinkie observed the situation with interest, clapping her hooves together excitedly. With a quick dart along the side of the room, she had managed to fish Applejack out from the kitchen, and pulled an irate Dash away from her dance with Soarin'. Before the pegasus could protest, Pinkie had turned the two ponies' gazes to more or less the center of the dance floor, where the two unicorn lovebirds appeared to be locked in a staring contest. "You girls know what to do~!" trilled the party's planner. With a shared nod of determination, AJ and Dash wormed their way through the crowd and into the party. Twilight Sparkle was experiencing an uncomfortably familiar sensation, namely the same sense of trepidation, anxiety, and what was more or less stage fright, that she had felt as a little filly during her magic examination. She had not expected to see Lyra at the party at all, and if she had, she had expected to see her with Bon-Bon - but it was a pleasant surprise, at least, and the studious mare felt that peculiar feeling of butterflies flapping around in one's stomach. So why was she unable to find anything to say? Lyra found herself similarly dumbstruck. The energetic unicorn, who always had something to say, was speechless. What would she say to Twilight. What could she say? Should she say anything at all? She had been sure that when she had startled Twilight the previous day, she had scared her off for good. And so the two unicorns remained deadlocked, until both felt somepony pushing at their hindquarters, scooting the pair together. For a moment too stunned to respond, they both glanced back after a few seconds. There was no apparent sign of whoever was responsible, but Twilight noted that she thought she saw a rainbow-hued tail retreating into the crowd. Turning forward, she found that she and Lyra were now standing only a couple of feet apart. Though both blinked uncomfortably, they knew that there was no way out of talking now. Twilight reflected, for just a moment, that that might just be a good thing. "So," Lyra was the first to speak up, glancing away awkwardly. "Nice party, huh?" Twilight nodded, forcing a nervous grin. "Uh... Yeah." The two struggled for words a little longer, until they started speaking again, both at the same time. "I was--" With incredulous stares at one another, Lyra and Twilight broke into giggles. "Sorry," Lyra relented with a smile. "You first." "You're not here with Bon-Bon?" Twilight asked cautiously. Lyra cast her gaze downward. "Er... No." She rubbed her mane with a hoof self-consciously. "Last night she, ah, confessed her love to me. But..." She shrugged. The young sorceress couldn't help but feel sorry for Bon-Bon. "After I got her hopes up and everything, too," she remarked quietly. Lyra blinked. "You mean... you're the one who managed to convince Bon-Bon to finally open up about it?" The purple unicorn nodded in response. "I ran into her yesterday, and she was just so beat up about it. I knew I had to help her, even if it meant that I couldn't--" Twilight bit her tongue, gaze shifting back and forth awkwardly. While Lyra tried to make sense of what Twilight had said - or, rather, what she had not said - a pair of pink hooves on the other side of the room switched out the record for another, and a new song started to play. Twilight and Lyra lifted their heads, ears twitching as the familiar opening cello notes of a song reached them - the same song they had danced to for the first time at the reception. When she was just a girl, She expected the world, But it flew away from her reach, So she ran away in her sleep... And as the softly lilting tune played, Lyra realized many things at once. Her mouth worked silently for a moment. "You... convinced her to finally do it? Even knowing that it would mean that you couldn't be with me?" Twilight finally broke her staring at the floor to glance at Lyra, eyes wide with fright. But when their gazes met again, she saw only a smile on Lyra's face, and happy tears in the green unicorn's eyes. A dozen emotions flooded through Twilight Sparkle at once, primary among them simple joy. Para, para, paradise, Every time she closed her eyes... "Shall we dance?" Twilight asked. "Ooh! I love Coldhay!" Rose chimed excitedly at Bon-Bon's side. The blue-and-pink maned earth pony's attention was elsewhere before her friend had piped up. With a confused blink, Bon-Bon turned to glance at her. It seemed she had caught the florist staring at her, as Roseluck promptly glanced away, smiling awkwardly. "Um, seeing as it's my favorite song and all... maybe you'd like to dance?" Flashing an uncertain grin, Rose stared at Bon-Bon hopefully for a few seconds. Despite a brief pause, a warm smile spread across Bon-Bon's face in return, and she nodded. Life goes on, it gets so heavy, The wheel breaks the butterfly, Every tear a waterfall, In the night, the stormy night she closed her eyes... Before stepping out to the dance floor, Bon-Bon cast Twilight and Lyra one last glance. The two unicorns were swaying to the music, heads resting on each other's shoulders. Both looked utterly at peace with the world - and each other. And to her own surprise, watching them, Bon-Bon felt no jealousy. She could only smile. In the night, the stormy night, away she flies... Rarity let out a gentle sigh of contentment. Everything, miraculously, had gone according to plan, a refreshing change of pace from her circle of friends' usual antics. Even if it had taken some additional coaxing, Twilight and Lyra's romance looked to be on the right track. The wily seamstress had been painfully aware of Bon-Bon's crush on Lyra for some time as well, and was glad to see that she had found somepony else to spend the party with. Rainbow Dash was... making out with Soarin' on one of the buffet tables. Rarity wrinkled her snout a little. Well, nothing's perfect. But at least she had woken up on time to get ready for the party, if only just barely. But what was it that Pinkie Pie had warned her about the other day? On sheer instinct, the white unicorn ducked, just as the smoldering remnants of a cannon barrel... well... barreled through the air where her head was moments before, bowling through the buffet tables, scattering comestibles everywhere and sending the two amorous pegasi flying. Rarity stood up, staring in disbelief-- Only to be struck instead by Pinkie Pie, careening through the air after the cannon. Rubbing her head woozily, Pinkie regained her senses, finding herself in Rarity's forelegs. "Oh, she chirped, "sorry about that, Rarity!" "Pinkie Pie?" Rarity mumbled disbelieving, trying to straighten out her vision. "The one and only!" Pinkie replied, trying to stop the edges of her mane from smoldering with one hoof. "I was trying to find a way to make the party cannon fire Hearts n' Hooves candies instead of parties, but, eh-heh..." The surprisingly sheepish earth pony gave a shrug. "Oh!" she cried, bonking her forehead with a hoof. "I almost forgot! Happy Hearts n' Hooves, Rarity!" Without any further ado, the pink pony threw her forelegs around Rarity's neck, kissing her full on the mouth. With a giggle and wink, Pinkie bounced away giddily, leaving a stunned Rarity sitting slack-jawed and blushing amongst the shattered remnants of the dessert table. This could be para, para, paradise, Ohhh oh ohho ohoo! Again, Twilight Sparkle found herself dancing with Lyra Heartstrings - but this time things were a little different. There was none of the awkwardness of the reception, replaced instead with sure steps, fluid movements, and the occasional shy smile at one another. As the song grew softer for a moment, the pair's dancing slowed to a stop and they met each other's gaze one more time. And in that moment, staring into one another's eyes, all the uncertainties and misunderstandings of the last few days at last melted away. There was no mistaking what the two shared at that moment. Twilight and Lyra's lips met, and the music carried on... And so lying underneath those stormy skies, She said ohohohoho, I know the sun must set to rise. The End
