Not All is as Sweet

Bon Bon - Bittersweet Memories

Bon Bon stared out of the window of her shop into the pouring rain.  It was a mixed blessing, this rain.  On one hoof, it meant that most ponies wouldn’t be coming into her store and she didn’t have to do nearly as much work as a Saturday usually entailed.  On the other hoof, she was hardly making any profit, due partly to the lack of customers and partly to her eating her stock to keep the boredom at bay.

She popped another sweet into her mouth, letting the flavor wash over her tongue before swallowing, again, for what seemed like the millionth time today.  If I keep on like this, I’m going to end up fat... she thought to herself.  The mare looked over at the clock that hung above the door, noting the time to be a quarter past four.

If only she hadn’t left... Right about now, she would be walking through the door with an umbrella to take me home with a couple cracks about how my horrible candy was probably keeping the customers away.  I never thought I would miss her quips of everything...

Bon Bon sighed.  With another glance at the clock, she began putting lids over open containers of candy behind the counter, resigning to close down shop and walk back to her empty home alone in the rain.  Right as she was finishing, she heard a chime from her front door.

Astonished, she looked up to see a soaked yellow pegasus and three little fillies walk into the store.

“Now remember girls, just one piece.”  The mare said, smiling down at the fillies.  “And, um, hi, Bon Bon.”

Bon Bon smiled up at her visitor.  “Hi, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle,” she said with a nod at each in turn.  “How can I help you today?”

“Howdy, Miss Bon Bon.  We were workin’ with Fluttershy to try and get our cutie marks when it started rainin’.  She said we had’ ta wait for it ta calm down before goin’ back home, but it never did.  So she brought us here for a piece of candy ‘fore we brave the storm anyways.”

“Wait,” Bon Bon said, “don’t you live up by Fluttershy, Apple Bloom?”

“Well, yeah, but we’re goin’ crusading at Miss Rarity’s,” the filly explained before practically diving into the candy covered portion of her shop, specifically the apples.

Bon Bon smiled down at the filly.  No matter how bad things may have been between her and Lyra, little foals could always bring a smile to her face.  They truly understood what she did, and were usually so polite too.  “Well, isn’t that nice of her.  Too bad you had to walk through the rain though.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I kind of like the rain,”  Scootaloo responded, her head popping up from the lollipop portion of the counter, “It’s fun to ride my scooter in when it isn’t too bad.”

“Scootaloo, you would ride your scooter in the middle of a hurricane if we let you,” Sweetie Belle replied from the toffee and taffy section.

Scootaloo jumped, brimming with excited energy.  “Ooh my gosh, that would be awesome!  Do you think I could get Rainbow Dash to make a hurricane so I could try that?”

“I really hope not...”  Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and focused on her selection of sweets.

“Um, I don’t think that would be a very good idea... I don’t think you should.  I mean you should do what you think is best, but I wouldn’t want to,”  Fluttershy said from her spot by the door, her voice becoming quieter and quieter as the sentence wore on.

“Fluttershy is right,” Bon Bon added, looking over at the shy mare.  How she of all ponies could survive a day with the three rambunctious Crusaders was anypony’s guess.  “It isn’t a good idea to play in a hurricane.  You could get seriously hurt.”

As Bon Bon watched the three fillies raid her sweet shop, she couldn’t help but think back to when she had first rented the store.  Her and Lyra had spent two days outfitting it, and making it ready for use.

“Bonnie, this is going to be great!  Now we can move out of that tiny little apartment, and into that house we’ve been looking at, and you’ll be able to sell your candy out of the store, and make it in the back,” she gasped.  “Maybe you’ll actually turn profit, because you won’t have to lease some candy out to Sugarcube Corner!”

Bon Bon giggled at her lover’s antics.  “Yeah, that is kind of why we decided to buy this store in the first place.”

“I know, but it’s still going to be awesome!”  Lyra moved over and gave Bon Bon a kiss on the cheek.  “Life is looking up! Now if only I could get that recording contract, and do more than just help at the shop...”

“Hey, I like you working at the shop.  Gives me more chances to look at your sexy body,” she replied, giving her lover a wink.

Lyra blushed.  “Oh, be quiet and work.”

“Bon Bon, um, are you ok?  You’ve been staring out the window for five minutes.”  Fluttershy looked over at Bon Bon, concern etched over her kind features.

“Yeah, I’m alright...” Bon Bon replied with a sigh.  Fluttershy obviously didn’t buy it, but left the matter alone.

Fluttershy pushed some bits across the counter.  “Well, that’s good. Um, bye.”  She walked out of the store, followed by the Crusaders and their chorus of “Bye, Bon Bon!”

Bon Bon sighed, I seem to be doing a lot of that today, and resealed all of her candies.  She flipped the open sign to closed and slowly trotted back into her workroom, shutting everything down before bracing herself and walking out into the rain.

She quickly locked her door, deftly manipulating the key with experienced hooves, and galloped full-tilt back to the house she shared, used to share, with her marefriend, ex-marefriend.  She walked inside, flipping on the light as she sat on the too-empty couch, in the too-empty house.  Why did we have to get such a big house? she thought to herself, I should have known something like this was going to happen again, and I would be stuck alone in this huge thing....

She smiled as the memories washed over her.  They had been looking for a new house because the apartment they had been living in at the time was small... and smelled funny.  This house was perfect.  It was big enough, and absolutely beautiful.  The only downside was the price; way more bits than they could afford at the time.  They had saved for ages, and had only raised the bits to buy this place and Bon Bon’s store when Lyra got a break and convinced Pinkie Pie to let her play at one of her parties.

Vinyl Scratch and Lyra Heartstrings.  My DJ and my lyrist.  Why, oh Celestia why did you have to do that, Vinyl?  You left me and ran off, and I gained Lyra.  Now, I’ve lost her too.

Bon Bon stared at the picture on the wall across from her.  It was a big, framed affair, holding the proud position of centerpiece of the wall.  It depicted Lyra and Bon Bon in Las Pegasus, standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the city.  The two mares were locked in a loving embrace, ignoring all the world around them in lieu of the one in front of them.  The city twinkling away in the background could have just as easily been a barren wasteland for all the care the two mares showed towards it.

The memory brought a smile to Bon Bon’s face.  It had been last year, on their five year anniversary...

*****

Lyra and Bon Bon stood overlooking the city.  The sun was setting behind them, making their shadows take the treacherous drop into the metropolis below.  The nightlife was just starting, neon lights beginning to shine, defying the sun’s attempt to shroud the world in darkness.  Bon Bon leaned into her mare, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy anniversary, Lyra,”  she said, nuzzling her partner’s neck partly out of affection, partly to hold the cold winds blowing over them at bay.

“Happy anniversary, Bon Bon.”  Lyra looked down at the city below.  “Wow, even living in the shadow of Canterlot, I never imagined that a city could be so... big.”

“I know what you mean.  It’s so big, and bright.  There must be a million ponies down there.”

“Must be a lot different from living in a town where you know everypony that walks past.”  Lyra looked down at her hooves.  “Maybe... maybe we should wait, you know?  Come back later and try then.  I just don’t know if--”

“No.”  Bon Bon gave her lover a stern look.  “We came here so you could audition to the Equestrian Musical Standard, and that is what we are going to do.”

Lyra shuffled her hooves, leaning in closer to Bon Bon until her mouth was close to her ear. She whispered, “Is that all we are going to do...?”

Bon Bon blushed, and whacked her marefriend.  “Jeez Lyra, do you ever get tired?”

“Of you?  No.”

Bon Bon turned and wrapped Lyra in a hug; the moment immortalized forever in a photo.

*****

Bon Bon reached her hoof and gently touched the Lyra in the picture, as though afraid her touch would shatter the memory itself.  A single tear rolled down her cheek as the rest of the events of that trip came back to her.

That was the beginning, wasn’t it.  That was when I started to lose you... I pushed so hard to get you that audition, and you nailed it.  We were so happy, celebrating all night.  Neither of us realized how big of a strain it was going to be.  The late nights, the odd intervals where you would just leave for a week at a time.  Then the album hit, and you were gone.  Off touring Equestria, bringing music to everypony.  If only I could have come too...

Bon Bon broke down then, finally unable to cope with everything that had happened.  She slid down to the ground, head in hooves as her body relieved itself of the tension and depression that had plagued it for too long.  Her mind scrambled for something, anything, to abate the pain.  The treacherous thing latched onto the last words that Lyra had spoken to her, the last time they were together:  “I can’t believe I ever loved you!”

*****

Bon Bon awoke on the couch, tucked in by a warm blanket and with a soft pillow under head.  For a brief, glorious moment, she allowed herself to think that Lyra had come home and put her there.  Sadly, reality pushed its way through in the form of a timid yellow pegasus flying into the room, holding a pot of tea and some cups in her front hooves.

“Oh, um, hi.  I noticed how upset you looked, so I decided to check up on you. I knocked and you didn’t answer, so I looked through your window and saw you crying in your sleep. I felt so worried for you that I came in and put you to bed. By the way, um, you should probably lock your door... when... you...”  Her voice trailed off as she thought about what she just did, making it end in a little squeak.  She stared a hole into an arbitrary part of the floor, blushing furiously behind her curtain of a mane.

Bon Bon rubbed her eyes and sat up, giving her friend a reassuring smile  “It’s fine.  A little weird, but fine.  I just... it’s...” Bon Bon closed her eyes and buried her head in the pillow, fearing the tears that were sure to flow.

Fluttershy softly walked over to her friend and began running her hoof through her mane.  For the second time in as many days, the carefully constructed wall around her pain cracked and broke, unleashing a torrent of tears that quickly made their way down her face.  Fluttershy continued to stroke Bon Bon’s mane, whispering reassuring things into her ear.

Bon Bon eventually cried herself out.  She pulled herself up, grabbing a cup of tea on the way.  She sipped it lightly, mulling over the liquid like her own thoughts. Fluttershy sat back with her own cup of tea, ignoring it in favor of her troubled friend.  “Better now?”

Bon Bon shook her head, not trusting her ability to speak.

Fluttershy gave her a sympathetic look.  “Want to talk about it?”

The cream mare shook her head again.  She took a sip of her tea and looked out the window at the bright and sunny day that most of Ponyville was enjoying.  Fluttershy continued to look at her friend, taking a sip of her tea to fill the silence.  “Are you sure?”  she asked.

“Lyra...”  was all that Bon Bon had to say.  It was all she needed.  Fluttershy set down her tea before hugging her friend once again.

“I thought you two were really close...”  Fluttershy said, leaving the sentence hanging in case Bon Bon decided to respond.

“We were... all through school we were really close.  But... I remember one time when I thought I’d lost her for good.  All because of another mare...”

*****

“Yo, Bonsie, wait up!”  That voice, shouting her name down the hall.  Bon Bon turned around, already knowing who was going to pop up any second.  Moments later, her suspicions were confirmed by a spiky, blue mane popping up in front of her, acting as a halo around an alabaster horn.  “What’s up, Bonsie?”

“Vinyl, I told you I don’t like that name,”  Bon Bon answered.  Not the nicest thing ever, but it was Friday, and she just wanted to go home.

“But... I like it.  There isn’t much you can do with Bon Bon, and I can’t call you Bonnie, because that’s what Lyra calls you.”  Vinyl pondered for a moment before giving up.  She stood there, unmoving, and stared at Bon Bon.

“Uh, Vinyl...?”  The cream earth pony waved a hoof in front of her face.

“Oh!  Right... Um, are you doing anything Saturday...?”  Her tone immediately raised red flags in Bon Bon’s mind.  The usually loud and confident unicorn was stuttering and... blushing?

“No...?”  She answered cautiously, already half knowing what was coming.

“Then, um, maybe we should go out.  Like, together...”  Yup, called it.

“Like, on a date..?”  Bon Bon blushed, confused.  Another mare was asking her out, and one of her closest friends at that...

“Never mind. Sorry, Bonsie.  I’ll see you Monday I gue--”

“No, it’s fine.”  She thought for a moment, before making an impulse decision, one that would affect her life for years to come--even to this day.  She nodded. “Sure.  I’d be happy to.”

The unicorn beamed, back to the old Vinyl Scratch.  “Great!  I’ll come get you tomorrow, and we’ll go to a movie or something, ok?”

“Sounds good to me.  See you tomorrow Vinyl.”  They shared a brief hug, before going their separate ways.  Neither of them noticed the mint unicorn slip into the girls restroom, nor did they hear the sobs coming from within.

“...That settled it,” Bon Bon continued from her place on the couch.  She took another sip of tea before continuing.  “It went... really well.  I never thought of myself as a pony who would like other mares, but there I was.  We were together for maybe... three months or so before Lyra came to me...”

There was a knock on the door. Bon Bon groggily answered it.  “Lyra....  What are you doing here?  It’s,” she looked at a clock, “almost midnight.”

Lyra stumbled into the door, wrapping her in a loose hug.  “I... I just wanted to talk to you...”

Bon Bon crinkled her nose.  The smell of alcohol was strong on the unicorn’s breath.  “Lyra, have you been drinking?”

She giggled.  “Maybe just a eensy weensy bit...  But don’t worry, I only drank enough so I could tell you...”  Her voice trailed off, a series of soft snores replacing it.  Bon Bon sighed.  Lyra never drank, so this was a cause for concern.  The fact that she drank because of something Bon Bon had supposedly done just made it worse.

Bon Bon carried her inebriated friend up to her room and set her down on the bed.  Lyra immediately curled up, levitating the blankets on top of her.  Bon Bon pulled a spare set from the closet and camped out on the floor, ready for whatever the morning would bring.

Bon Bon woke to a whimpering unicorn in her bed.  Silently, the cream pony walked down the hall to the bathroom, returning with a glass of water and some painkillers.  Lyra took the painkillers, chasing them with the glass of water.  She shakily sat up.  “Hey, Bon Bon,”  she laughed nervously, “fancy seeing you here...”

“Lyra, this is my room.  In my house,”  Bon Bon deadpanned, concern for her friend distorted slightly by her restless sleep.

“I... I know.  Listen, Bonnie, I’m really sorry about whatever happened last night--”

“You came in here drunk, saying you had something important to tell me, then fell asleep on me, so I brought you up here.  What were you going to tell me?”

“It... It’s nothing...”  She stared down at the floor.

Bon Bon grabbed her friends face, forcing her to look at the frustrated cream mare.  “Tell me.”

Lyra blinked, tears quickly filling the big gold globes.  “I... I... I just...”  She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.  She let it out, opening her eyes as she did so, a serene calm settling around her features.  “Do you remember the day Vinyl asked you to the movie?”

“Yeah...”  Bon Bon answered, not knowing where this conversation was going.

“That... that was the day I was going to tell you how I felt.”  A knot formed in the pit of Bon Bon’s stomach.  “Then I saw you and Vinyl... and heard... and...  I’m really happy for you two,”  she finished lamely, tears threatening to flow once again.  Bon Bon took a step back.

“You mean...”

She looked down again.  “Yeah, Bon Bon, but it doesn’t matter now.  I hope you two are happy together.”  She quickly changed the topic, and the two mares spent the next three hours together, talking and laughing as they had countless times before, but it wasn’t quite the same...

*****

Fluttershy gasped, forehooves shooting up to cover her mouth.  “That’s terrible!”

Bon Bon nodded in agreement.  “She was still a really good friend, you know?  But... never quite the same after that.”

Fluttershy just nodded, curious as to how they got from strained friends to the paragon pair of the town.  “So, if you two became... estranged... how did you get so close?”

Bon Bon twitched, fluttering her eyelids to prevent more tears, enough had been shed already.  Fluttershy hid behind her mane.  “Oh!  I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you...”

Bon Bon sniffled.  “It’s not your fault, Fluttershy. I just... I don’t want to talk about it anymore...  Could we talk about something else?”

Fluttershy nodded, giving her friend a smile that could melt ice.  “Ok.  What do you want to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know.  How are your animals doing?”

Fluttershy jumped at the question, all traces of her usual crippling shyness gone. “Well, just yesterday I was trying to feed Angel Bunny when...”  Bon Bon tuned out.  She was tired, and sad, some would even say borderline depressed.  Usually she enjoyed the tales of Fluttershy’s animals’ antics, but today she just wanted to sleep.  Alone.

“Fluttershy...”

“...thankfully I had already fed the birds so when he--  Yes?”  she replied, stopping mid sentence, “is something wrong?”

“Kind of, but not because of you.  I’m just tired.”

“Oh!  Well, I can go if you want...”  Her ears folded back a little.

Bon Bon sighed.  “Yes and no.  I want company, but not exactly the kind that you can give.”

Fluttershy blushed.  “Um...  that... maybe...  eep,” she stuttered, then squeaked.

Bon Bon paused, taking in what she had just said, and the pegasus’ reply.  She laughed, the first real laugh in what felt like years.  “Oh, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean that.  I just meant that I want the kind of comfort that only a special somepony can bring.”

Fluttershy peeked out, reddish-yellow cheeks half blending into her pink waterfall of a mane.  She sheepishly held out her forehooves.  The cream pony paused, completely taking in the scene and working it over in her head piece by piece.  Bon Bon smiled, mentally shaking her head before allowing the concerned pegasus to give her another hug.

...Is it just me, or is she holding me... differently... than before.  No.  It’s Fluttershy.  There is no way that she--  Bon Bon’s thoughts were interrupted by a very soft but distinct pressure on her cheek.  Bon Bon jerked back, looking at the pegasus with a shocked expression.  She gently lifted a hoof to her cheek.  “Fluttershy... did you just...?”

Fluttershy squeaked, and dove behind her mane.  “I’m sorry!  I’m so sorry!  I just thought... you said you wanted comfort like... like from your marefriend... and I just... I don’t know... I’ve just... sorry...”  She looked absolutely terrified.  Her wings were pressed tight against her sides, her face almost rivaled her mane in color, and what little Bon Bon could see of her eyes showed them to be tiny pinpricks of color in a sea of white.

Bon Bon was speechless.  Sure, Fluttershy had been a good friend over the years, and they were somewhat close, but Bon Bon had never, ever, thought of her winged friend like that.  Besides, she was happy with Lyra, and she knew what kind of problems dating a friend could be.

But, if Fluttershy really does has some kind of feelings for me, this whole time... these stories of me, Lyra, and Vinyl...  not to mention seeing me and Lyra in town and such....  Bon Bon just wanted to bang her head against the wall.  Why?  Why me?  Why do all my friends always fall for me?  Her thoughts were once again interrupted by the yellow pegasus, this time sobbing.

Oh buck me... “Hey, Fluttershy...”

“No...” she said between sobs.  “No.  I get it.  You don’t... you don’t feel the same.  I’ll just... I...”

Mentally, Bon Bon was beating herself up, but she knew she had to say something to Fluttershy, lest the pony break down completely.  The cream earth pony moved over, and wrapped the pegasus in an embrace just as caring as they had shared earlier.

Fluttershy sniffed, and subconsciously nuzzled against the cream coat in front of her, that smelled oddly like roses with a hint of lavender and chocolate.  Bon Bon closed her eyes, unsure of what to do or think, content just to hold the pegasus until the easiest option presented itself.  As far as she knew, none were to be found that day.

*****

Bon Bon groggily woke up, feeling the familiar press of a body against hers.  She sighed, happily for once, and lay back against the yellow coat behind her.  Wait.  Yellow coat?!

Oh sweet sock-wearing Celestia.  That’s Fluttershy.  We... please, PLEASE tell me we didn’t...  Bon Bon’s mental whirlwind was interrupted by a very soft yawn from beside her, in every way fitting the pegasus who breathed it.

“Mmmm good morning, Bon Bon...” she mumbled.  “Didja sleep ok...?”

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...  “Fluttershy... last night....”  The earth pony was too afraid to even finish the question.

Fluttershy blushed.  “No. Just... just slept.  You were telling me another story, and I yawned, so you invited me to sleep over because you didn’t want me walking all the way back to my cottage...”

“Oh.  Wait... then why were you curled around me?”

Fluttershy blushed once again. “Um, I, uh, like to cuddle in my sleep...”

Bon Bon just shook her head, not even bothering to dig into the nest of emotions in her head.  Too early, too much, and too confusing.  “Well, I have to go open the shop today.  So...”

Fluttershy pouted, cutely--NO, before perking up.  “Well, I have to go tend to the animals anyway.  How about I come by for lunch, um, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Sounds good to me.”  Why? Why do I do this to myself?

Because Lyra used to do the same things, and she isn’t here.

Shut up, me.  I’m not replacing Lyra with Fluttershy.

Yes you are.

Shut up.

Fluttershy got up, stretching like a cat, cu--NO, before getting up and walking towards the door.  She hesitated, turning around to face Bon Bon, before turning back towards the door.  What the...  Bon Bon thought, before Fluttershy darted forwards, planting a little peck on her cheek.  “Bye!”  the pegasus said quickly before bolting out the door.

I... but... what... I don’t even know anymore.  Bon Bon shook her head before walking down the hallway of the once again too-empty household to the kitchen.  She pulled a fresh rose from the counter before trotting out the door into the early dawn light, heading to her little candy shop.

*****

Bon Bon opened the door to her sweets shop, yawning in the early morning chill.  She walked into the kitchen, scrambling in the pale dawn light to find the lights.  She flicked several multicolored buttons and switches, making the kitchen slowly hum into life.  Machines began beeping, whirring, spinning, pouring, and pressing, going about their pre-programmed routines to create tasty treats.

Once the wakeup process was done, Bon Bon left the machines, turning her focus instead to the front counter and the sweets already on display there.  Bon Bon opened all the containers holding the candy, replenishing the few she had snacked out of two days before.  She then turned to the register, making sure that everything was logged and ready to begin the day.  Only then did she walk back to the front door and flip the sign to “open”, a full hour before Sugarcube Corner.

It was Monday morning, which was usually a brisk business day for Bon Bon.  The morning passed in a flurry of activity.  Ponies ordering candy for their foals later, older ponies coming in to get something to jump start their day, fillies and colts buying things to munch on before school.  Bon Bon had to go back and replace the chocolate, peppermint, and caramel portions of her selection at least twice, maybe more.  It was too hectic to remember exactly, but it didn’t really matter.  The records would show at the end of the week.

Things calmed down as they always did around ten, most ponies being at school or work, depending on their age.  Bon Bon sat back behind the counter, wiping her forehead with a hoof.  She looked at the clock, eagerly awaiting the lunch Fluttershy promised.  Of course, because she ran a store, their lunch was actually going to be sometime after normal lunch time, but that was beside the point.

What am I going to do about Fluttershy... she thought to herself.  How do I tell her how I feel.  For that matter, how do I feel?  And what about Lyra?Bon Bon sighed, moving into the back room to drown her thoughts in candy making.  At around noon, the rush began again, almost burying the butter pegasus coming for lunch.

“Hello, welcome to Bon Bon’s Sweet Shop, how can I... Oh!  Hi, Fluttershy!  Go on in back, I’ll be there as soon as the lunch rush dies down.”

Her soft reply was swallowed up by the crowd.  She walked into the back room, settling herself and unpacking the lunch the two of them were going to share as the cream confectionist saw to another buyer.  After what seemed like ages to the quiet pegasus, Bon Bon finally trotted in, looking worn out.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” was all she managed before all-but collapsing in the chair opposite.  “Howzzit goin?”

Fluttershy giggled.  “Better than it looks like your day is going.  I brought food,”  she said, nosing the bag over to Bon Bon.  Inside was a lovely set of sandwiches made from what Bon Bon assumed were home-grown preserves.

“Well, I’ve got plenty for dessert,”  Bon Bon said, eliciting another quiet giggle from the pegasus.  The two sat in silence for awhile, enjoying their delicious cottage-made food and hoof-made dessert before Fluttershy spoke up.

“Um, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened with you and Vinyl?”  Bon Bon was surprised, she didn’t expect the usually shy pegasus to bring up something like that.  Not after... whatever was going on between them.

“Well,” Bon Bon sighed, “a couple of months later, Vinyl and I were sitting in Sugarcube Corner, before the Cakes took over...”

*****

Vinyl sat opposite from Bon Bon in the newly-opened Sugarcube Corner.  They sipped their shakes while delicious smells wafted from the kitchen, where Cream was making her famous Cookies ‘n’ Cream cake.

“She did what!” Vinyl exclaimed, drawing curious stares from the other patrons.

“Calm down, Vinyl. You’re making a scene,” her marefriend admonished, half out of reflex.

“No, I will not calm down, Bon.  She came over to your housedrunk, and stayed.  The.  Night.  What am I supposed to think happened?”

Bon Bon’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  “Are you accusing me of something?”

If possible, Vinyl’s face became even more white than it already was.  “N-No, of course not, Bonsie. But you have to admit, it does sound kind of odd.”

“No, no it really doesn’t.  I’ve been friends with Lyra for years.  Whenever something is really bothering her she gets drunk, and invariably ends up at my house to sleep it off.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes.  “Fine.  Whatever.  What did she want anyway?”

“She...” Bon Bon paused.  Is it really my right to tell her that...?

“She what?  Come on, filly, tell me what she said.”  Vinyl’s pressing broke through the cream pony’s thoughts.

“She just had something she wanted to tell me.”

“Like...?”  The unicorn was obviously growing impatient.

Vinyl’s attitude was really beginning to get on Bon Bon’s nerves.  “I... I don’t know if I should tell you.”

“Why the hay not!?”  Vinyl shouted, this time earning a disapproving glare from Cookie behind the counter.  “I’m your marefriend, you can tell me anything,” Vinyl continued, though at a much lower volume.

“It’s not that I can’t tell,” Bon Bon replied, “it’s just something she told me in confidence, and I’m not comfortable telling you other ponies’ secrets.”

“Fine,” Vinyl said.  She stood up and paid for their drinks.  “I’ll just go ask her myself.”  With that, she walked out the door.

“Vinyl!”  Bon Bon quickly jumped up and followed the irritated unicorn, putting enough bits onto the table to cover a tip.  She tossed a “thank you” over her shoulder as she bolted out the door, quickly locating the blue-maned unicorn in the crowd and catching up.

“Don’t ‘Vinyl’ me, Bon.  You said you wouldn’t tell me, so I’ll just ask her myself.”  The musical pony kept walking as Bon Bon fell into step beside her, still pleading her case.

“Vinyl, please don’t do this.  If she wanted you to know, she would have come and told you herself.”  Come on, Vinyl, see some reason.  This is just going to come back and bite me in the flank, I know it.  Not to mention cause unnecessary drama, and I do not need any of that.

But Vinyl continued walking, ignoring both verbal and mental pleas to quit from her marefriend.  Their trek across Ponyville to Lyra’s house was a short one, but one filled with an earth pony’s appeals to her lover, trying desperately to prevent the most awkward conversation in the history of Equestria.  Or, at least the most awkward one in an hour or so.

All for naught.  Vinyl confidently trotted up the path to Lyra’s front door, raising a hoof to knock.  Lyra opened the door, beaming when she saw Bon Bon standing there.  Her smile faltered when she was Vinyl was with her, but she refused to let it fall all the way, lest her oldest friend be offended.

“Hey, Bonnie.  Hey, Ve.  What’s up?”  the mint unicorn asked, coming out to stand with her friends on the doorstep.

“Well, we were just sitting inside of Sugarcube Corner chatting, when you came up,”  Vinyl said in a conversational tone, not betraying her true intentions.

“Really?”  Lyra’s ears perked forward.  “What about me?”

“Oh, not much.  Just that you went over to my marefriend’s house drunk and stayed the night there, all because you wanted to tell her something.”  Lyra’s jaw dropped, practically bouncing off the pathway underneath her.  “Buuuut, she won’t tell me what you said.”  Lyra’s sigh of relief was heard practically a mile away.

“Well, did it occur to you it was none of your business what I told her?”  Lyra tried to maintain patience with the erratic unicorn for Bon Bon’s sake, but she was quickly losing the uphill battle.

“Well, it would have.  But you went over there drunk and stayed with her.”  Vinyl narrowed her eyes.  “Trying to cause problems for us?”

Lyra shook her head.  “Of course not.  If I wanted to do that, I would have ruined your first date.”

Vinyl took a step back, eyes widening.  “You would not have.”

“Well, I could have.  But I didn’t want to cause problems then, and I still don’t now.  I just had something I wanted to tell her, and needed a courage boost.”

“What could you have wanted to tell her that you needed to be drunk for?”  Vinyl narrowed her eyes, taking on her well-known belligerent stare.

“None of your Celestia-damned business!”  Bon Bon shrank back as the yelling began, moving off to the side of the arguing unicorns.  As words began to get more threatening, and threats flew back and forth, however, she felt the need to step in.

“That’s enough!”  she shouted, effectively silencing the two arguing unicorns.  They both turned in perfect sync to face her.  “Knock it off.  I’m not going to stand here and listen to you two argue!”

“So now you’re taking her side?”  Vinyl shouted accusingly, obviously still hyped up on adrenaline and looking for any reason to start another argument.

“No!  I’m not taking anypony’s side.  If anything, I’m taking my side.  I won’t let you two fight like this.”

“Then just make her tell me!”  Vinyl advanced on the cream mare, making Lyra tense up.

“Fine!”  Lyra shouted, putting herself between the couple.  “Since you want to know so bad, I told her that I had feelings for her.”

Vinyl stared at the both of them, Lyra having moved back to stand next to her friend.  “You too?  What the hay!  How am I supposed to trust you two alone, knowing you feel that way about her!”

Bon Bon stared at her in disbelief. “You’ll just have to do it, and trust me,” she said in an incredulous tone.

“Babe, it isn’t you I have trouble trusting.  It’s her.”  The venom in her voice struck something in Bon Bon.

“It’s different!”  Vinyl tossed her mane,  “She likes you, so I have to worry about you possibly cheating on me.”

“What’s the matter?  Paranoid because you cheated on her?”  Lyra said from beside Bon Bon, a hard glint in her eyes.

Vinyl became visibly agitated, breaking out in a cold sweat.   “W-What are you talking about?  I would never cheat on Bonsie.”  What!?

“Then who was that yellow mare over at your house last night?”  Lyra took a step forward, jabbing an accusing hoof at the other unicorn.

Vinyl took a step back.  “She is a friend from work.”

“And you invite random mares ‘from work’ to stay the night over at your house, with no ulterior motive at all?”  Lyra’s stare was beginning to unnerve the other unicorn.

Bon Bon stared at the other two mares as they argued about her marefriend’s fidelity.  Once again, an argument was raging about her while she stood in the middle.  This time, however, she was perfectly content to let the others battle it out.  She was lost in thought.  Vinyl... cheating on me?  She wouldn’t do that, would she?  But... Lyra wouldn’t lie, especially about something like that...  Wait... what’s going on?”

Vinyl and Lyra stood next to each other, looking over at the earth pony.  “Well?”  Vinyl asked.  “Who are you going to believe?”

“I... what... huh... I don’t.... WHAT!”Bon Bon looked from marefriend to best friend, torn.

“Who are you going to believe, Bon Bon?  Me or Lyra?”  Vinyl was giving her a piercing stare, daring her to choose the other unicorn.

Bon Bon looked back and forth.  From her oldest friend, the mint green unicorn, to her marefriend, the blue-on-blue maned unicorn.  Both were dear to her heart, and she would hate to see either of them go.  But after Lyra’s accusation, whether it was true or not, one of them was going to leave her.

Fluttershy was staring at her, wide-eyed.  Concern and curiosity vied for dominance of her emotion.  She reached out to her side to snag a freshly-made caramel drop.  She popped it into her mouth and ate it, before asking, “What, um, happened?”

Bon Bon shook her head.  “Nothing but drama...”

“How... how am I supposed to decide something like that!”  Bon Bon shouted, staring at her two arguing friends.  “Huh?  What am I supposed to think?  Lyra, you know you’re one of my best friends.  Why would you do something like this?”

“Bon, look, we can solve this really easily,”  Lyra said, turning towards Vinyl.  “Let’s go see your ‘friend’ shall we?”

“Well, I, uh, you see...”  Vinyl stammered, pointedly looking away from her marefriend.

“Yes, Vinyl, let’s see her,”  the pained earth pony said, walking towards the street, Lyra following close after, walking side by side with her friend.  Vinyl sighed before shaking her head and taking the lead.  “So, what’s this ‘friend’ like?”  Bon Bon couldn’t keep the venom out of her voice.

“Really?  You’re going to be like that?”  Vinyl replied, hurt plain in her voice.  “Her name is Sweet Drops. She’s another earth pony, like you.  She has an abusive coltfriend, and so she stays over at my place when he gets really drunk.”  Bon Bon’s spirits sank at that, a feeling of guilt overcoming her.

“Wait a minute,”  Lyra interjected, “you said she was a friend from work.  Why would a pony named ‘Sweet Drops’ be in the music business?  If anything, it sounds like she should be in the candy business with Bonnie.”

“Just because her name sounds like a candy doesn’t mean that she works in the candy business, Lyra.”  Vinyl shot her a dirty look before continuing.  “For your information, she is another DJ.  You know, ‘drops’ as in bass drops?”

“Mmhm, sure...”  Lyra rolled her eyes, receiving a hoof to the back of the head from Bon Bon.

“Anyway... her house is just around the corner here...”  Vinyl turned off of Mane Street, heading down a brightly lit side road, leading the group between rows of multicolored houses.  Picking their way carefully through the overgrown garden that bordered (more like covered) the walk, Vinyl raised her hoof and knocked on the door.

Bon Bon and Lyra stood behind the DJ, curious to meet this mysterious mare.  Bon Bon was terrified.  What if she really is cheating on me?  What did I do wrong...?  I... I’ve always tried to be good to her, to love her and make her happy...  What did I do to make her cheat on me...?  That... that’s totally unreasonable.  There is no way she would do that to me.  I mean, she said she loved me for Celestia’s sake. There’s no reason to sit here and bug this mare just because Lyra lied and said--

Bon Bon’s happy little world exploded as quickly as it was formed, as a pale yellow earth pony with a soft red mane burst from the door, enveloping Vinyl in a hug.  Planting a kiss on her lips, she said, “Scratchy!  I didn’t expect to see you today!”  She nuzzled closer to Bon Bon’s marefriend, ex-marefriend, before pulling back and looking at her others guests.  “Oh, hello.  Who are you two?  Friends of Vinyl’s?”

Bon Bon didn’t reply.  She slowly walked until she was face to face with Vinyl, pinning Sweet Drops in between them.  “How could you, Vinyl!?  Almost half a year, half a year I wasted on you, because you said you loved me!”  At this, Sweet Drops opened her mouth to speak, possibly to defend Vinyl, but was quickly silenced by the torrent of fury rolling over her in waves.

“Bonsie, I can explain--”

“No, you can’t.  You won’t.I can’t believe you, Vinyl.  I... I thought I actually meant something to you.  I just, ugh I... I have to go...”  Bon Bon took off, galloping away as fast as she could.  Lyra shook her head at Vinyl, disgusted, before taking off after her best friend.

*****

Fluttershy continued to stare at Bon Bon, eyes wide as dinner plates.  “That’s awful!”  she exclaimed, loudly for the timid pegasus.

“Yeah...”  Bon Bon looked down at the remnants of her food, lost in thought.  Suddenly she stood up.  There was something she had to do.

Fluttershy looked at her questioningly.  “Are you going somewhere?”

The candy maker looked over at her shy friend.  “Yeah, I need to get out and do something.”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up.  “I can go with you, if you want.”

Bon Bon let a small smile cross her lips.  “Thanks, but no.  I... I have to do this alone.”

“Oh...”  Bon Bon could almost feel the sadness in the Fluttershy’s voice, but the pegasus wouldn’t turn to face the cream mare.  Fluttershy walked over towards the door.  “I guess I’ll see you later then...”

    She quietly walked out the door, leaving Bon Bon alone in her shop with her thoughts.  She sighed, beginning the task of cleaning up the leftovers from lunch.  Useless, that’s all I am.  I can’t keep anypony happy, especially not the ones I care for.  She sighed again and headed out the door, tossing the trash on the way.

    She locked the door and headed out into the bright noonday sun.  The pink and blue mane weaved back and forth through the lunch crowds, heading towards a park on the outskirts of town.  She walked through the twin trees that formed an arch over the entrance, making a beeline for a cluster of trees just over the horizon, off the beaten track of the park’s main path.

“Bon?  Bon, are you out here?”  Bon Bon shook her head, trying to clear out the voices of the past, sending her mane bouncing.  She arrived at her destination, an unassuming clump of bushes in a clearing of trees, hiding a hole just big enough for a mare to slip into and be completely unseen.

        “Bonnie!  Come out and talk to me.  I know you’re out here somewhere.”  Lyra walked slowly around the clearing.  Light blue eyes watched the mint unicorn’s every move from inside a cluster of bushes.  The pony behind the eyes debated the merits of making herself known.  On one hoof, she would have somepony to talk to, somepony to make it hurt less.  On the other hoof, she was a pony who had a known interest in her splitting with Vinyl.

Then again, I thought that Vinyl wouldn’t cheat on me,thought the bush-pony.

“Bon Bon, come out please!  I’m worried about you...”  The concern in Lyra’s voice triggered something in the hidden mare, causing her to sob, which in turn caused the bush to shake.

The unicorn spun around, looking for the source of the noise.  The bush-pony held her breath, instinctively avoiding the predatory nature of her friend’s search.  Lyra stalked around the bushes, identifying it as the source of the disturbance.  She slowly walked in increasingly smaller circles around the clearing,  Much to Bon Bon’s relief, she stopped right before finding the hiding spot.  She plopped down in the center of the clearing, taking on the look of stubbornness that Bon Bon would eventually come to love in her.

“Fine, if you won’t come out on your own, I’ll just sit here and wait until you do.”  Crossing her forehooves, she settled into a nice comfortable patch of moss, and began her vigil.  The stalemate lasted hours: hunter unwilling to leave her friend at such a bad time, hunted unwilling to make herself known, so she could suffer alone.

Why won’t she just go on and leave, Bon Bon thought to herself, she probably just wants to use me like Vinyl did.

Meanwhile, the Bon Bon of the present was sitting in the very same clearing, listening to the echoing voices in her head.  She stared at the bush--her favorite fillyhood hiding spot--and closed her eyes, letting the remainder of the day’s memories wash over her.

As darkness drew in, Lyra began shivering.  Stubborn and loyal to a fault, she refused to go inside, apparently willing to freeze to try to shield her friend from as much pain as possible.  As the last vestiges of sunlight faded from the skyline, a cream mare crawled from her bush and silently walked to her friend, wrapping her in a hug

Lyra hugged back, relieved that she had guessed right, and that her friend was there.  She hugged back wishing for all the world she could take her friend’s pain away.

The memories faded into the background, leaving the afternoon sun startlingly bright as Bon Bon opened her eyes, allowing the colors of the real world to wash away those of her memory.  Still missing something, the mare turned and walked back out of the park, following the trail of her past.

Once again, she walked through town until she arrived at the house she had lived in for most of her life.  Parking herself in a cafe across the street, she let her mind wander, peeling back the years until she was a young mare again, fresh out of school, and ears-deep in drama.

It was just like old times.  Unwilling to leave Bon Bon alone, Lyra sat with her all through the night.  They talked just like they were school fillies again having one of their countless sleepovers.  Everything was going great, and most importantly, Bon Bon wasn’t thinking about her or what she did.  But doubts still clouded her mind.

What did I do wrong?  Why did she turn on me like that?  How come Lyra found out before I did?  Why did Vinyl have to hide it?  Was I such a terrible marefriend that Vinyl had to find somepony else, somepony better than I was?  Did she really suspect Lyra?  Did she cheat because Lyra admitted that she had feelings for me?  No, Vinyl didn’t know until today when I told her.  Maybe she did it because she thought I was, and wanted to get back at me....  The thoughts ran on and on, each one carving a burning track of self doubt and sadness through the mind of the poor cream mare.

The shadow of a doubt crossed her face, drawing a questioning glance from Lyra.  Her eyes softened as she realized what was bothering her oldest friend.

“Do you want to talk about it?”  she asked.

Bon Bon opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, finding no words that could possibly explain how she was feeling without making it sound trite or cliche.  Unbidden, tears welled in her eyes.  She blinked in a futile effort to banish the tears before they fell.  Lyra quickly scooted the cushion separating them on the couch, and wrapped her hooves around her friend.

The hug promised comfort.  It promised better days in the future, and better ponies to spend them with.

“Ey, miss. I don’t want to intrude, but it’s closin’ time, an’ you’ve been starin’ at that house for awhile now.  Ponies is startin’ to worry.”  The proprietor was standing next to the table; a big stallion, from Manehatten if his accent was anything to go by.

“It was the house I lived in as a foal.  I was just taking a walk down memory lane, I guess.”  Bon Bon put a couple bits on the table to cover her drink.  “G’night.”

“Good night, lady,” the off-yellow earth pony replied, taking the bits back inside the little cafe as Bon Bon walked off in the night, still on the hunt for the cause of her wanderlust.

They fell asleep like that, together on the couch.  For the first time in a long time, Bon Bon slept in the hooves of another mare, and one who cared about her.  When she awoke, however, it was her love of the future, not the past, holding her.

“Lyra!”  she shouted.  “Lyra, wake up!”

The unicorn rolled over, shaking her head to get the synapses firing quickly again.  “Whassit?  Whasthematter?”

“We slept together!  That’s what’s the matter!”

Lyra shot up, eyes wide open.  “We did WHAT!?”

Bon Bon giggled, realizing what she had just said.  “We fell asleep together on the couch, that’s all.  No... funny stuff.”

“Ooohhhh...”  Lyra rolled over, wiggling her eyebrows at her friend.  “Was it as good for you as it was for me?”

Bon Bon laughed, ignoring the fact that Vinyl had said things like that to her all the time, just fanning the flames of despair buried deep within her.  She reached her hoof out to thwack the innuendo-filled unicorn, and stopped when she made contact.

“Lyra, you’re hot.” she said, feeling the heat radiating from under her friend’s coat.

She laughed.  “Tryin to get some ‘funny stuff’ to happen, are you?”

“Be serious!  It feels like you’re burning up.”  Bon Bon got up, walking into her bathroom to grab a thermometer before plopping it into the mouth of her protesting patient.  When the indicator finally stopped moving, she snatched it out of Lyra’s mouth, not letting her look.  Her already pale face lost more color as she read the final result.

“Come on, we are going to Fluttershy’s.”  Bon Bon grabbed her friend by the hoof, and began to drag the uncooperative mare towards the door.

“What’d it say?”  Lyra asked, worry coloring her voice.

“Nothing, come on,” came the reply, carefully stripped of all emotion.

“Bon Bon...”

“No, come on.”

Bon Bon walked up the path out of town, the path to the Everfree Forest, Sweet Apple Acres, and Fluttershy’s cottage.  She trotted up the path, over the small bridge, and paused at the front door.  What am I doing here...? she wondered to herself.

Tracing the past, to reveal the future, she replied to herself.  Reliving your mistakes to make sure you don’t make them again.

She raised her hoof and knocked on the pegasus’ door, half hoping she wasn’t home.  “Coming,” came the quiet reply from within, certifying that Fluttershy was indeed home.  The door opened, revealing the yellow mare with the halo of pink.  She looked out the door and visibly jumped, subconsciously rearranging her mane.  “Oh. um, hi, Bon Bon.  I didn’t know you were coming over. My cottage is a mess.  Sorry.

Bon Bon peeked past her, looking at the (as usual) impeccable room beyond.  “Um, right.  Messy...”

Fluttershy blushed.  “Did you finish that thing you needed to?”

“Kind of...”  She looked back at the pegasus standing in the doorway.

“What was it anyway, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Bon Bon sighed.  She would have to tell Fluttershy eventually, might as well be now.  “Well, after I told you the story of what happened between Vinyl, Lyra, and me, I decided to kind of... follow my memories, if that makes sense?”

The other mare nodded.  “Um, would you like to come in?”  The two went in and sat down before Bon Bon continued her story.

“First, I went to a clearing in the park, where Lyra went to look for me after I ran off after the fiasco with Vinyl and Sweet Drops. Then I went over to my old house, where she stayed the night so I wouldn’t be alone.”

“Ok... but why are you here.”  Fluttershy clapped her hooves over her mouth.  “Oh! Not that I don’t want you here, but why are you....?”

Bon Bon laughed.  “Don’t worry, I know what you meant.  Well, when I wouldn’t come out of hiding, Lyra sat outside for hours waiting for me, and she got sick with something.  When I found out in the morning, we came here so you could take a look.  Remember?”

A spark of recognition flashed in the pegasus’ eyes.  “Oh yes, I remember.  You two walked up the path....”

*****

        “Come on, Lyra,”  Bon Bon said through clenched teeth as she dragged the reluctant mare up the small path.

        “No,” the unicorn replied, digging her hooves into the ground to provide as much resistance as possible.

        “It’s just Fluttershy.”

        “And she is a good friend, but no.”

    Bon Bon spun around, glaring at her stubborn friend.  “Lyra, you have a really high fever.  I want you to go see Fluttershy.”

        “Well then take me to Nurse Redheart.”

    “Lyra... what is wrong with going to see Fluttershy?” The cream mare asked, bringing a hoof to stamp on the ground in agitation

        She bowed her head, careful not to stab Bon Bon with her horn.  “I just don’t want to, ok?”

        Bon Bon lifted Lyra’s head, looking deep into her gold eyes.  “Please, for me?”

        Lyra groaned.  “Seriously, you’re going to do that to me?”

        Silence.

        “...Fine.  Let’s go...”

    “Yay!”  Bon Bon bounded forward, dragging her unwilling passenger along behind her.  They carefully stepped over the small stream, for the bridge was not finished yet, and stopped on Fluttershy’s doorstep.  Bon Bon knocked, drawing forth the quiet pegasus, with two towels wrapped around her mane and tail, respectively.

        “Um... hi...”  She said, pawing at the ground.

        “Hey, Fluttershy. Can we come in for a moment?”  Bon Bon asked, changing her own volume to match that of the shy pegasus.

    “S-Sure...”  She stood aside, allowing the other two mares to walk in and sit on her couch.  Fluttershy sat nearby on a chair. “So, um, what did you need...?”

    “Well, some... things... happened, and Lyra stayed outside most of the night, and now she is running a fever.  I was just worried about her, so I brought her here.  I know you do such great work with animals,” Fluttershy blushed, “so I wondered if you would take a look at her for me?”

    “Yeah, I can, um, probably do that... Lyra, could... could you stand up right... right here?  Please?”  the pegasus mumbled her way through the question.  The unicorn walked to the center of the room, where Fluttershy began her examination.  Muttered words passed between the two, whose carefully crafted masks concealed whatever may have been said.

“Hey, Fluttershy, what did you guys talk about?”

“Oh!  N-N-Nothing... I, um, I d-don’t remember...”

“Mmhm....”

   Bon Bon sat patiently as Fluttershy walked slowly around Lyra, occasionally asking her a question in her soft voice, or requesting that she do something.  In due time, she walked over into her kitchen, tossing a, “just a moment, please,” over her shoulder.  Within a few seconds, she returned, just after the barrage of glances, stares, a wink, a nudge, and a grimace passed between the two close friends.

    “Ok, um, she just has a little eensy weensy bit of a cold,”  Fluttershy said, returning with what looked to be tea leaves.  “I would use this, it might make it better...” she said, sheepishly giving the leaves to Lyra before jerking back and sitting in her chair.

        “KaythanksFluttershybye!”  Lyra shouted, pulling Bon Bon out the door behind her.

        “Oh, um, bye, Bon Bon.....”

*****

    “I wasn’t quite sure what to think when she pulled you out of my cottage like that.  I thought she knew, and was trying to keep me away from you...”  Fluttershy said, shaking her head.

        Bon Bon cocked her head to the side.  “Knew what?”

        Fluttershy blushed, mixing her yellow coat with a tinge of scarlet.  “Knew that I, um, that I liked you...”

Oh, this again...  “Fluttershy--”  She started, vowing now to set the record straight, before it got any worse.

        “No, it’s ok, I understand.  You didn’t know.” She went over and nuzzled into Bon Bon’s warm cream-colored fur.

Oh goddesses  “Fluttershy...”

        “Hmm,” she replied, continuing her contented nuzzling.

        Bon Bon gently pushed her away, drawing a surprised squeak and a questioning look from the pegasus.  She sighed.  “Look, not that you’re not a great mare and all--”

        Fluttershy’s eyes shot wide open with fright.  “Bon Bon...?”  she asked, fear making itself known in the wavering of her voice.

        “Look... hear me out, ok?”  Fluttershy nodded, tears welling in her eyes.  “It isn’t so much that I don’t like you.  You are a great friend, and a great pony, and anypony would be lucky to have you as their very special somepony.  But right now I’m... I’m... I guess I’m stuck on Lyra.  Until I have some definite closure there, I can’t move on.  I’m sorry, Fluttershy.  You’re great, but I... I just can’t right now.”

        Fluttershy nodded, wiping away the tears.  She got up and walked back over to her chair, leaving the fur where she had earlier resided colder than the rest.  Bon Bon stood up.

        “I, uh, guess I’ll be going then.”  She walked over to the door, turning back around to face the oddly composed yellow mare.  “G’night, Fluttershy,” she added, walking outside before closing the door behind her.

To Be Continued...