Bon Bon the Hikikomori

‘This cabin is a living nightmare,’ Chris thought as he slowly dragged himself up to the front entrance of the cabin, trying to wake up from his early morning nap. He tiredly gripped his hand around the door handle and pushed it down while pressing his side against the wood. Just like yesterday and the day before, the door didn't budge.

Each day he had checked to see if Lyra’s spell was still working. He held out hope that she might have cast the spell incorrectly and it would break any day now.

Chris turned around and pressed his back against the cold wooden door before he slowly slumped down, sitting on the floor. He banged the back of his head against the hardwood a few times before looking towards the bedroom where Bon Bon was still locked inside. She still refused to come out and had stayed locked up the whole day yesterday. He remembered hearing her quickly dash out to use the bathroom once when he was trying to take a nap on the couch, but that was the only time she ever exited the room. She probably did that just because it looked like he was asleep, so she didn't have to worry about confronting him.

Chris spent all day yesterday trying to coax Bon Bon out, but she refused to even talk to him through the door. She managed to mumble something like ‘it was better for everypony this way', which confused Chris to no end. If anything, what she was doing was the exact opposite of that statement, but no matter how much he tried to reason with the mare, she just wouldn't come out.

Lyra was right, Bon Bon was an extremely stubborn mare.

Bon Bon wasn’t eating either. Chris made her a nice lettuce and tomato salad with just a touch of oil and vinegar yesterday, since the tomatoes were more likely to expire first, but she wouldn’t come out to eat it. He thought if he left it in front of her door then she would take it, but she never did.

This really worried him. She could sit in there and ignore him all she wanted, but she had to eat something.

After failing to get Bon Bon to do anything yesterday, and with little else to do that day, Chris went off to explore the cabin. He found the basement pretty amusing. It was a very large room that had two doors on the left side.

One door led to a big cellar with lots of exotic and expensive wines, along with other, less fancy alcoholic drinks, which was a pleasing sight to him. The other door was, unfortunately, locked.

The main room of the basement was used as a large storage space. It looked like Lyra’s parents were hoarders from how much stuff they seemed to cram onto the shelves and from all the old furniture and random items piled in the middle. He even found what looked like some of Lyra’s old toys from when she was a filly, which Chris found to be quite adorable. One toy was a crystal top that would spin when magic was applied to it. Chris had seen these before and he knew it was meant to encourage younger unicorns to start using their magic early.

There were a lot of books on the back wall of the basement that Chris thought would be helpful to keep his mind preoccupied if things continued to be as calm and boring as they were. One of the books that he pulled out at random was a parental guide book about foal health and proper care. The book reminded him of the hypothetical question that Lyra proposed to him before she asked if they could take Bon Bon out on a date. He thought it could be an interesting read, and if Lyra truly wanted a foal then they could always adopt, so he would need to learn about this stuff eventually.

That is if he was still going to be with her after all this was over. He still had no idea how to deal with what Lyra had done, but there were definitely going to be some words exchanged.

Chris could only imagine what would happen if the Princesses found out. He wasn’t really up to speed with the laws of Equestria yet, but surely what Lyra did would be considered criminal. They might want to punish her for her actions.

Chris sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as he pressed the back of his head against the door. Deep down he didn’t want that to happen. He cared for Lyra too much to see her get locked away or worse, but what she did couldn’t go on without consequences.

All these thoughts about Lyra mattered little at the moment. Right now he was trapped in a small cabin with a pony who had locked herself up in the bedroom. Bon Bon might not like him, and she might still be afraid of him, but if they didn’t start having some kind of interaction with each other then they were both likely to lose their minds in this tedious, mundane, and boring cabin.

There had to be a way to get her to come out. Chris was confident that if he could just get face to face with her, then he could get her to talk and even find out why she felt it was necessary to lock herself away. Or at the lest find out why she wasn’t eating.

Chris shut his eyes as he thought about that for a moment. He could always kick the bedroom door down, but that wouldn’t help at all. He didn’t want to force her out if she really didn’t want to be around him, and if she was already afraid of him, then doing something like that would just make things worse. In fact, that was probably the worst idea ever. Why had he even considered that as a possibility?

Bon Bon did leave the room yesterday to use the bathroom. It was only a matter of time before she would have to do so again. Then he could…

Chris slowly opened his eyes as his little plan started to become clear in his mind. Once Bon Bon left to use the bathroom he could stand in front of the bedroom doorway and block her from re-entering, then she would have no choice but to confront him. It was a simple and silly plan, but it was all he had to work with. He would have to wait until she came out and he would need to pretend he was asleep on the couch. It would also be a good opportunity to get her to finally eat something.

It was settled. Chris would act out this little plan of his, but first he would make Bon Bon a sandwich to try and entice her to eat. He picked himself up off the floor with renewed energy and quickly made his way to the kitchen to prepare the best damn sandwich he could make.

Chris hid behind the couch and waited for Bon Bon to sneak out. He used some of his clothes and a few couch pillows to fashion a crude form that looked like he was curled up and sleeping on the couch with his back facing the bedroom. He hoped Bon Bon would buy the poor excuse for a ruse. Upon close inspection it was easy to tell that he just dressed up some pillows, but it was pretty convincing from afar.

After a few agonizing hours Chris finally heard the bedroom door slowly creak open. He stayed ducked down and listened to the familiar sound of soft hoofsteps creeping across the floor, heading towards the bathroom. He figured she must be trying to make as little noise as possible so ‘he’ wouldn't wake up. It only took a few more seconds before he heard the bathroom door slowly shut.

This was it. It was time to activate operation Get Bon Bon to Eat a Sandwich and Stop Being a Hikikomori.

Chris picked himself up and quickly, but quietly, dashed off to the refrigerator where he was saving Bon Bon’s sandwich and water. He picked up the plate of food and glass of water before shutting the door, then dashed towards the dining table. He set the items down next to the seat that was facing the bedroom, then stood in front of the doorway with his arms crossed.

‘Checkmate, Bon Bon,’ Chris thought proudly to himself with a smug smile. He was happy that his little scheme was working so far, but now he needed to wait for the shut-in to return.

It only took a moment before Chris heard the bathroom door open. He saw Bon Bon’s head poke out from the doorway. She was looking right at the clothed couch pillows with a worried expression. It seemed like she was still taking the bait, even though she was closer to the terrible replica.

Chris bit his lip, trying not to laugh as Bon Bon kept her focus on the pillows and started to slowly walk out of the bathroom, heading right towards him. She was making a crawling type motion as she slowly crept across the floor. She was only a few feet away from him when she finally turned her attention away from the couch and looked in front of her. Her eyes fell upon his legs, making her whole body freeze mid step. She slowly lifted her head up until her eyes met with his, making her pupils constrict to small pinpricks.

“Good afternoon, Bon Bon. Fancy meeting you here,” Chris sang smugly, giving her a playful smirk.

Bon Bon let out a terrified yelp as she quickly scrambled backwards, falling back on her haunches. She scooted back a bit farther before finally freezing in the middle of the room, keeping her terrified gaze locked with Chris’s eyes.

Chris’s smirk turned into a sudden frown after seeing Bon Bon’s reaction. He knew she was afraid of him, but he didn’t mean to scare her that much. He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling guilty. “Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you like that,” he apologized gently.

Bon Bon’s eyes quickly darted left and right, but fell back onto him as the corner of her lip lifted slightly as if she was trying to smile, but fell back down again. She stayed there, saying nothing as the situation become increasingly more awkward.

“So, ehhh, nice... weather we’re having,” Chris pointed out with a sheepish smile. He knew the weather outside was snowy and terrible, but that was all he could think of to try and break the ice.

Bon Bon turned her head to the window for a brief moment then looked back at Chris, raising her eyebrow in confusion, but continued to say nothing, scooting away from him a little more.

Chris let out a deep sigh and dropped his hands to his sides in defeat. “Look, Bon Bon, I know why you're locking yourself in the bedroom and why you smacked my hand away at the restaurant,” he admitted dryly, giving Bon Bon a disheartened look, causing her eyes widen a little more. “You're afraid of me, just like all the other ponies in town,” he added in a sympathetic voice.

Bon Bon’s wide-eyed expression melted into a more guilt-stricken one. Her ears splayed back as she looked down and away from Chris, rubbing her foreleg with her hoof as if she were ashamed of herself. “N-no, I… I-I didn’t mean to,” she defend herself weakly, in a soft whimper that he could barely hear.

Chris could tell that she actually felt bad about what happened, which gave him an idea. Perhaps he could have a little fun with her. He could act all dramatic and over the top about the incident and make up something ridiculous about humans. He might be able to get her to laugh and open up once she realized he was just teasing her.

He knew Lyra would’ve gotten a kick out of him goofing around and acting all dramatic. It might work for Bon Bon as well.

Chris’s smile slowly started to return as he pictured his little prank in his mind. “Oh?" he said, sounding unconvinced. "No, I’m pretty sure that you did it because you were afraid. I mean why else would somepony just attack me like that?” he questioned, looking at her with a sarcastic pouting face.

Bon Bon looked back up at Chris, furrowing her brow sadly. “W-what, n-no Chris, I-I―,”

“You know, I got pretty hurt back there,” Chris added, interrupting her as he started to rub his left hand with his right.

Bon Bon's ears snapped up as she quickly looked to Chris's hand then back to his eyes with a worried and shocked expression. “C-Chris, I-I didn’t mean to do that!” she half shouted in a panicked voice, lifting a hoof to her chest.

Chris looked down at his hand, feigning a saddened expression as he held it tighter. “I had to go to the hospital that night.” he deadpanned.

Bon Bon's pupils constricted in surprised disbelief. “Wh-what?” she asked in a soft whimper.

Chris nodded his head, keeping his saddened gaze down and away from her. “The doctor... he told me I only have two more months to live… I,” he paused, fabricating a sad sobbing sound. “I haven’t even told Lyra yet...”

“NO!” Bon Bon shouted, covering her muzzle with her hooves. “That can’t be! H-how?! You can’t be serious!”

Chris nodded his head in response, sniffling, taking his over dramatic facade to the next level. “Human hands are very sensitive and important for our survival,” he stated in a serious tone, looking at Bon Bon with a deep and troubled frown. “Even the lightest tap in the wrong spot can cause serious problems for us in the future and it’s even worse when they get too... wet.”

Bon Bon gasped in horrified shock. “NO! Oh sweet Celestia, no! Chris! I didn’t mean to do that! I’m so sorry! I’m a terrible, terrible pony!” she cried loudly on the verge of tears.

Chris busted out in a fit of loud laugher, finding Bon Bon's gullibility immensely amusing. He was confident that she would find it funny as well, once she realized he wasn’t serious.

Bon Bon quickly looked left and right before looking back at Chris with a confused and worried expression. “W-what’s so funny!? I seriously hurt you!” she stated loudly in a panic, as she pressed her hooves to her chest.

Chris calmed down from his laughter before looking back at Bon Bon with a goofy grin. “None of that is true and you didn’t hurt me at all,” he stated with a soft chuckle.

Bon Bon dropped her hooves to the floor as his words slowly processed through her mind. Her confused and worried expression slowly morphed into a more neutral one. “That… was a prank?” she asked softly, blinking away her tears.

“Yep!” Chris chirped proudly, chuckling. "It was funny though, right?”

“FUNNY?!” Bon Bon shouted, jumped up to her hooves as she glared angrily at Chris. “Y-you, you!” she stammered loudly, trying to form words before puffing up her cheeks in anger. “How could you do that!? I was scared out of my mind!”

Chris’s smile faded as it became clear that Bon Bon had taken his playful act the wrong way.

“That was a terrible and mean thing to do! You should feel ashamed for tricking somepony like that!” Bon Bon shouted, scolding him loudly.

Chris rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away, feeling terrible about upsetting her. He started to think that he might have overdone it. “I-I’m sorry, Bon Bon. I… I didn't mean to take it that far.”

Bon Bon huffed at him. “Well, you should be sorry!” she snapped. “You scared me half to death! I already felt terrible for hitting you, then you tell me that you only have a few months to live!? I thought I had just killed my best friend's lover!”

Chris cringed, feeling even worse about his poorly thought-out actions. She had a good point and now that he thought about it, even Lyra would've found that bit in poor taste.

Chris dropped his hand down to his side and gave Bon Bon an apologetic look. “I-I’m really sorry, I really shouldn't have done that," he admitted, frowning sadly. "But I just wanted to make you laugh and try to get you to talk to me,” he explained, making Bon Bon’s angry scowl fade. “I mean, I’ve been trying to get you to at least tell me why you feel like you need to lock yourself up. I understand that you might not like me, but we’re both going to go crazy if we don’t at least say hi to each other.”

Bon Bon's anger seemed to slowly disappear as Chris’s words started to sink in, making her sit back on her haunches. She looked away from him as she started to rub her foreleg with her hoof again, frowning sadly. “N-no, it’s… it’s not that I don’t like you, Chris… it’s just… just...” she started to admit, but teetered off as she held her foreleg tighter, not daring to look up at him.

Chris waited a moment to see if she would continue, but she never did. “It’s just what? You can tell me, I won’t be offended,” he reassured her in a calming tone.

“It’s…” Bon Bon tried to explain, but sighed sadly, dropping her foreleg back to the floor. “It’s complicated…”

Chris groaned in frustration, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger before he dropped his hand back down. “Was it something I did during our date? I’m sorry for trying to help you like that. I should’ve stopped when you said ‘no’,” he apologized gently, thinking that might be one of Bon Bon’s issues.

Bon Bon shook her head slightly, still looking away from him. “N-no, that was sweet of you, but I just… I just…” she tried again to explain as tears started to well up in her eyes.

Chris could see this was something that she was really struggling with and pushing the subject any further would only make things worse. If she didn’t want to tell him what was bothering her, that was fine. At least she was making an effort to talk to him now and if she really felt like she couldn’t tell him, then so be it. Maybe they just weren't meant to be together like he thought, but he would be damned if he was going to let her continue to lock herself away and starve.

“It’s fine, Bon Bon, you don’t have to tell me and I won't ask you about it again,” Chris stated firmly, causing Bon Bon to slowly look back up at him with a slight frown. “But I can’t have you locking yourself in that room for the whole two weeks we’re stuck in here.”

Bon Bon bit her lip with a worried expression on her face as her ears started to flatten. She obviously didn't like the direction Chris was trying to steer the conversation.

“Look, I’ll make a deal with you,” Chris added, causing Bon Bon’s ears to perk up again. “How about I won't disturb you when you're in the bedroom if you come out at least once a day, just for a little while?”

Bon Bon raised her eyebrow in confusion. “C-come out. L-like... out here?” she questioned, sounding unhappy about that proposal.

“Yes,” Chris nodded. “I know you love to cook. Lyra talks about it all the time. So how about in the afternoon, when the sun is setting, you come out and help make dinner and I'll make us breakfast and lunch. Sound good?”

Bon Bon looked down a bit, peering up at Chris threw her curly forelock. “I-I don’t know…” she started to protest, drawing a small line in the floor with the edge of her hoof.

Chris couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked right now. He knew Lyra liked to do the same thing when she was nervous about something, only Lyra liked to draw circles.

“I-I don’t need to eat or cook. Y-you should eat what's left of the food,” Bon Bon continued in a nervous voice, looking up and forcing a smile.

“Why don’t you want to eat? Aren't you hungry?” Chris asked, sounding puzzled.

“No, I’m not hun―”

Bon Bon was interrupted by a loud roaring coming from deep within her stomach, making her whimper slightly.

Chris chuckled softly. “Well your body is telling me otherwise,” he pointed out in a friendly tone. “I made you a sandwich,” he stated warmly, smiling while using his hand to gesture towards the food and water that was prepared for her on the table.

Bon Bon’s gaze followed Chris's hand, directing her to the offering, but she frowned and looked back at him. “T-that’s very kind, b-but I can’t eat that… y-you should eat it. I-I don’t want you to go hungry,” she retorted in a nervous tone.

Chris raised his eyebrow in confusion. It was quite bizarre that she was so worried about him going hungry. “You know, this whole cabin is filled to capacity with food, right? In fact if we don’t start eating some of this stuff now it’s just going to go bad.”

“I-It is?” Bon Bon asked with wide eyes, sounding shocked.

“Yeah, Lyra apparently made sure we were set for a while,” he added dryly, rolling his eyes, not liking the memory of what Lyra had done to them.

Bon Bon blinked a few times, then looked back at the sandwich as her stomach growled at her again, causing her to bite her bottom lip. She looked back at Chris, then back and at the sandwich, licking her lips a little. “Wh-what's… in it?” she questioned softly.

Chris smiled smugly to himself, feeling proud of his simple creation. He knew it was something that Lyra loved, but he thought his little addition of carrot slices would please Bon Bon quite well.

“Oh, it’s nothing special,” Chris answered nonchalantly. “It’s just a daisy and carrot sandwich with some tomato slices, lettuce, and a pinch of salt. All on two delicious pieces of grain bread,” he added, waving a dismissive hand as if it was no big deal.

"C-carrots?" Bon Bon whimpered, licking her lips at his description. “A-and you’re sure we have enough food… you won't go hungry?” she asked, looking back up at Chris with a concerned expression.

Chris tilted his head to the side, giving Bon Bon a confused look. It was baffling to him that she was so persistent about him starving. He shrugged it off and nodded his head. “Trust me, we have plenty of food. Nopony is going hungry. Now I’m not moving from this door until you eat something,” he stated, crossing his arms and giving Bon Bon a serious and stern look.

Bon Bon looked to the sandwich then back up at Chris a few times, before holding a hoof to her stomach, whimpering slightly. “Okay,” she finally agreed in a soft whisper.

Chris watched as she slowly walked up to the stool her food was next to. She jumped up onto the seat and got herself comfortable before looking down at the plate. She looked back up at Chris with an unsure look, making him smile brightly at her. He nodded his head a few times, trying to encourage her to eat.

Bon Bon smiled briefly then looked down again, picking up the sandwich with her hooves. She brought it up to her muzzle, but stopped to look over at Chris one more time. His smile only increased as the food got closer to her lips. She looked back to the food and opened her mouth, taking a small bite and chewing it thoroughly. After a few more seconds her body seemed to relax as her eyes shut slightly. She let a delighted humming sound escape her lips as she savored the food.

Chris chuckled quietly to himself, seeing that his sandwich was a hit with Bon Bon already. She continued to take larger bites, but he could tell she was pacing herself. He’d bet if he wasn’t in the room with her right now she would be scarfing it down. He let her finish the food in peace as he watched her, making sure she ate everything.

Bon Bon finished the last bit, then washed it down with the water. She put the glass down and let out a soft sigh of satisfaction. She looked up to Chris with a soft smile and light blush. “Thank you… It was very good.”

“You’re welcome, Bon Bon,” Chris replied with a warm and kind voice. “So, about that little deal?” he softly reminded her.

Bon Bon’s smile slowly faded into a slight frown, making her look down and away from Chris. “I-I don’t know Chris…” she argued weakly.

Chris groaned in disappointment. “Come on Bon Bon,” he moaned dropping his arms to his sides. “I know you have your reasons to think that you need to lock yourself up, but I’m losing my mind being all alone out here. I mean, it’s only been three days and I’m already about to go crazy.”

Bon Bon looked up at him with a saddened and guilt-stricken expression, but didn’t say anything.

“Please, Bon Bon. I won't bug you that much. I think if you just come out for a little while and say hi to me or something, then I would feel a lot better,” Chris begged in desperation.

“I-I’m not sure if I should,” Bon Bon tried to protest in a soft and nervous voice that could rival Fluttershy.

“What’s the harm in just a few hours?” Chris questioned gently, giving Bon Bon a pleading gaze. “I-I know it has to be torture for you too. You can’t tell me that staying in that room all day by yourself isn’t driving you mad.”

Bon Bon looked down at the floor, pausing for a moment. “W-well…”

Chris dropped to his knees, grasping his hands together, holding them up in front of him, shaking them slightly as he mustered the best impersonation of cute puppy dogs eyes. “Bon Bon. I’m begging you. Please come out, just once a day. Please!”

Bon Bon looked at Chris with a sad frown. She bit her lip and looked around the room for a moment, but turned back to him before sighing heavily in defeat. “Oh… okay.” she whispered.

“Thank you!” Chris shouted, jumping up to his feet with stretched out arms as he made an attempt to rush up and hug Bon Bon out of pure joy, but her sudden frightened squeak and look of terror made him think twice. He quickly stopped himself half way between the bedroom door and Bon Bon. He forgot that she was still wary of him, and thought it would be best to keep his distance.

Chris held up a fist and coughed into it, turning his head away from Bon Bon for a moment. “Sorry about that. I got over-excited,” he explained before looking back with an apologetic smile.

Bon Bon’s terrified look slowly melted into an awkward smile. “O-oh, th-that’s o-okay,” she reassured Chris in a shaky voice. She took a deep breath before looking back at the bedroom door, then back at him.

Chris turned to look back at the bedroom then back at Bon Bon, who was now giving him a pleading look. He knew she wanted to go back to the bedroom, so he walked back and stepped to the side of the door, opening it for her.

Bon Bon hopped down from her stool and slowly made her way to the room, keeping her head straight and forward.

Chris watched her as she walked. “Bon Bon,” he called to her once she was past the door frame. She turned her head and looked up at him with a confused look. “Promise me you'll come out?” he pleaded in a sad tone.

Bon Bon sighed softly, but nodded her head.

Chris smiled and reached to grab the door handle and started to close it.

“Chris,” Bon Bon called, causing him to halt right before he could close the door completely. He opened it back up, just enough so he could look back at her. “Thanks again for the food.”

Chris beamed brightly at that. “You're welcome,” he answered warmly as he gently shut the door.

On the other side, Bon Bon watched the door close. As soon as she heard it click shut, she quickly turned around and hit the lock before sitting back on her haunches. She took several deep breaths as she felt her legs trembling slightly beneath her.

“Oh Celestia, that was scary,” she whispered quietly to herself as she slumped her chest down to the floor, her forelegs fanning out in front of her. She stayed like that for a moment and thought about everything that had just happened.

She wasn’t expecting Chris to confront her like that. It was downright terrifying when he appeared in front of her. She could have sworn he was on the couch sleeping. She had to pee so bad and he had been quiet for so long she thought she would be safe to go out. ‘Did he have teleportation magic or something? Can humans be in two places at once?’ She thought to herself. ‘Then he pulled that horrible excuse for a prank! How could he have thought something like that would be funny?!’

Bon Bon started to scowl angrily to herself at the memory. She didn’t know anything about humans, so how was she supposed to know that he was just pulling her leg? He needed to learn that you can’t just joke about death like that.

But he was only trying to get her to talk. She knew he meant for that little prank to get her to laugh, even though it was a cruel one. She might have overreacted just a little and it was so sweet of him to make her that surprisingly good sandwich. It never occurred to her that adding salt would taste so good. She had been so hungry and it helped her feel a lot better. It was also nice to know that they had food in the cabin. It was one less stressful thing she had to worry about.

It broke her heart seeing Chris so distraught. She wasn’t sure why he dropped down to his knees and started to do that thing with his hands. It was such an odd looking gesture, but at the same time, sad. She could tell he was taking this whole cabin thing really hard and she couldn’t say no while he was suffering. Plus, she wasn’t faring much better.

Chris had made a good point. They would have to at least say hi to each if they wanted to keep their sanity. Still, she would like to keep the conversations to a minimum if possible.

Bon Bon sighed, lifted herself off the floor and looked out the window of the bedroom. It was hard to tell from the grey and cloudy sky where the sun was, but she figured once it started getting darker she would go out to make dinner like Chris wanted her to.

It was terrifying to think she would have to go out there again, but she had promised Chris and she was losing her mind sitting in the bedroom all alone. She would have to do it, but she prayed to Celestia that he would just keep those hands of his to himself and not try to get close to her.

Bon Bon tiredly pushed herself up off the bed and looked towards the window. It seemed like the sun was finally setting, so it was time to leave the safety of the bedroom. She had tried to take a small nap, but it was difficult when all she could think about was how she had to go back out there with Chris.

She sighed, then slumped out of the bed before making her way to the door. She placed her hoof on the handle, but paused for a moment.

‘Okay Bon Bon, Chris is a very nice stallion and there’s nothing to fear about him. Just as long as he keeps his hands to himself,’ she thought, nodding her head, agreeing with her own thoughts.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, helping to calm her nerves. ‘Okay, three, two… one,’ she pushed the handle and opened the bedroom door as her heart beat faster in her chest. She poked her head out to see if Chris was close by and quickly saw that he was sitting up on the couch, looking right at her with a wide smile.

“You came out!” Chris cheered excitedly.

Bon Bon smiled sheepishly at him, forcing a soft laugh to try to hide her nervousness. “U-umm, h-hello,” she greeted softly.

Chris chuckled at her, making her cheeks turn a light crimson. “Hello to you as well! Thank you for coming,” he replied happily.

Bon Bon smiled a little more. It was kind of heartwarming to see Chris so happy, and that goofy smile of his was kind of infectious. She slowly walked forward, making her way to the kitchen with her head forward, eyes locked on the human. He just sat there and watched her from the couch, smiling as she walked by, which she was grateful for. At least he was keeping his distance.

She turned her attention to the kitchen and took in her surroundings before turning her head to the right, where she saw a door. She assumed the door lead to the pantry and thought that would be a good place for her to start looking for something to cook. She walked up, opened the door, and stepped inside, quickly discovering that Chris was right. This place was completely filled with all kinds of food.

Bon Bon scanned the shelves quickly, hoping for something to pop out at her. She didn’t want to cook something that would take too long or was too complex. Her sights soon fell upon a whole shelf devoted to all kinds of pasta and in the middle was a small bag of spaghetti noodles along with the sauce she would need. It was simple and boring, but it would have to do. She thought if they had some basil then she could spice it up, but she couldn't see any herbs or spices in the pantry. She bit the bag and balanced it on her back, and did the same with the jar of spaghetti sauce.

She carefully walked out of the pantry balancing the food items, but stopped, startled, when she saw Chris sitting behind the kitchen bar. She wasn't expecting him to have moved from the couch.

Chris ducked down to see her from under the alcohol rack. He smiled brightly as he looked to the items on her back. "Whatcha got there?" he mused happily.

"Oh, u-umm, s-spaghetti?" she answered nervously, unsure if Chris would even like the meatless meal. "I-I hope that's okay..."

Chris chuckled lightly. "Simple, but a classic. I approve," he reassured her with a wide smile, extending his arm out and balling up his hand, but kept his stubbier digit up and out, using it to point up at the ceiling.

Bon Bon stared at the strange gesture for a moment, then looked up at the spot he was pointing to, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She looked back at Chris's still extended hand and frowned in confusion, tilting her head to the side in question.

Chris’s smile faded as he followed Bon Bon's gaze to his hand. He chuckled a bit before shaking it a little. "It's a thumbs-up," he explained vaguely.

Bon Bon had no clue what he meant. She didn’t want to be rude or offend him, but at the same time she didn’t really want to ask what the meaning behind a thumbs-up was. “O-oh, o-of course. L-Lyra told me about those,” she lied with a nervous giggle.

Chris dropped his thumbs-up and raised his eyebrows with a slight smirk. “Really?” he questioned in an unbelieving tone. “What did she tell you it meant?”

Bon Bon’s heart started to beat faster in her chest. He was on to her lie and would surely feel offended and hurt if he knew that she didn’t truly know its meaning. She didn’t think he would ask to prove her knowledge of human gestures that Lyra never talked about!

“U-umm… y-you know… i-it’s…” She tried desperately to think of what it could mean, rubbing the back of her curly mane with her hoof, but nothing was coming to mind. He did do the thumbs-up when he found out she was making spaghetti, and he said he approved before doing it, so...

“It means… you really like... spaghetti?” she asked in an unsure tone, giving Chris a bright and awkward smile, dropping her hoof to the floor.

Chris started to frown, making Bon Bon feel terrible. She must have gotten it wrong and he was hurt now. She shouldn’t have lied like that! That was so rude of her to jus―

“That’s absolutely, one hundred percent correct,” Chris reassured her brightly, interrupting her thoughts.

Bon Bon let out a soft sigh of relief. “S-see? I told you I knew,” she giggled nervously, walking over to the countertop where the stove was. She placed the food on the countertop and looked around for where the pots might be.

“Pots and pans are in the cupboard to the left of the oven,” Chris chimed in happily from behind the bar.

“O-oh, thank you,” Bon Bon answered as she opened the cupboard. Chris seemed to know the layout of the kitchen pretty well already and she wondered if he knew if there was any basil in the cabin. “Umm, did Lyra give us any basil?” she asked as she picked up the large pot she needed for boiling the noodles with and placed it on the counter.

"We pretty much have everything you could ever want here," he answered, sounding annoyed by that fact. "The herbs are next to the sink just behind the cutting board. They’re growing in a few small pots and the one in the middle is the basil.”

Bon Bon looked to the sink, and sure enough Chris was right. She wasn't sure why she hadn't seen it before. It was nice to know that she could have her plain meal tasting a little less mundane.

She got up on her haunches and placed her forelegs on the counter before leaning towards the basil plant. She bit off a small branch with four small leaves from it, then dropped it on the cutting board. After that, she filled the large pot with water, placed it on the stove, and started the burner. She pulled out a small sauce pan from the cupboard and placed it next to the larger pot on the stove. Next, she reached for the jar of spaghetti sauce with her hooves and placed it in front of her.

Bon Bon despised jars. It was always so hard for her to get them open, even with her strength, but she could manage okay. It was just easier with Lyra's magic around to help.

With a deep sigh, Bon Bon gripped the base of the jar with the crook of her hoof while placing the other on top of the lid. She took a deep breath, then began to twist both her hooves in opposite directions as hard as she could. She grunted and groaned to no avail before finally giving up and exhaling the breath she was holding.

“Need help?” Chris offered from a few feet away from her, making her yelp in surprise and jump away from the sound of his voice. She jerked her head to the right, where Chris was leaning against the refrigerator.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you like that,” Chris apologised with an awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

Bon Bon took a deep breath before responding in a shaky voice. “T-that’s, okay… I-I just… didn’t hear you come up.” It was strange to her that she didn’t even hear his hooves clopping against the wood. ‘Wait, did he even have hooves?’

She quickly looked down and saw that his oddly shaped hooves were covered in some white cotton socks. That explained why he was so quiet.

“So, need help?” Chris asked again, softer this time.

Bon Bon looked up to him, forcing an everything-is-okay smile. She didn’t really need help with the jar, she could get it eventually. Plus she still didn't want those spider-hands of his too close to her. “N-no I-I got it,” she answered nervously, fearing a repeat of the night at The Everfree Moon.

Chris smiled and nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest, calming Bon Bon down since his hands were now hidden. It seemed like he wasn’t going to try and push helping her this time, for which she was grateful.

Bon Bon faced the jar again and thought it would be better to just use her mouth for this one. She bent down and bit the lid between her teeth, placing both her hooves on the side of the jar. She took a deep breath again before shutting her eyes tight and using all her strength to try and twist the lid off, grunting and groaning all the while.

“You sure you don’t want help?”

“Nuu… I... guddet” Bon Bon grunted at him through the lid. It didn’t take much longer before she started to feel the lid give, making her bite down harder and putting all her remaining strength into one final twist that caused the jar to pop open.

Bon Bon lifted up her head with the lid in her mouth and let a muffled, but excited giggle escape her throat. “Tul yuu!” she stated triumphantly, looking towards Chris, smiling through the lid.

Chris chuckled lightly and smiled back at Bon Bon. “Good job,” he congratulated her, holding his hand up and making that weird thumbs-up gesture again.

‘That must mean he's really hungry for spaghetti’ Bon Bon thought. She got Chris’s message and turned back to focus on making their dinner. She spit out the lid onto the countertop and lifted the jar over the saucepan and started to pour it out. She placed the empty jar down and turned the burner to a low heat before looking around for where she might find the kitchen utensils.

Bon Bon pulled out the drawer that was under the cutting board thinking that was the most logical place to start looking. Sure enough, she found everything she needed and it was all surprisingly well organized, considering this was Lyra's parents’ dwelling. She pulled out a ladle for the sauce and a large wooden fork to stir the pasta. The only thing left to get was the knife she needed to cut the basil, but the sight of the knives made her whimper sadly.

They were made special for magic users, which meant the handles on the blades were almost non existent. It was too small and thin for her cumbersome hooves and would be too dangerous if she tried to used them. She wouldn't be able to use her mouth either since it would make it too hard to see the small leaves to cut them properly. Maybe she could just throw the whole stem of leaves into the sauce and cook it that way? No, then it would get all soggy and wouldn’t help the flavor at all.

Bon Bon groaned sadly to herself, staring at the knives in the drawer, trying to think of some kind of solution to her dilemma.

"Want me to cut the basil for you?" Chris offered from behind her, making her look over her shoulder at him.

Bon Bon frowned a bit. She wasn’t sure he could even help with this. "Can... can you use these knives?"

Chris chuckled, pushing himself off the refrigerator door, giving her a friendly smile. "They are a little funky, but I used those same knives to help make that little sandwich of yours."

Now that Bon Bon thought about it, he did have to cut up all the ingredients for that lunch earlier. "Do you... know how to cut fresh basil?" she asked, feeling unsure.

"You mean like the chiffonade technique?" Chris answered with a knowing smirk.

Bon Bon’s eyes widened and she blinked a few times in surprise. It was a little shocking to her that Chris even knew the proper name for the way to cut basil leaves. Lyra wouldn’t know what the word even meant, let alone how to do it. She would always have to tell Lyra to just cut it into little strips and even that was hard for the unicorn to manage properly without bruising the leaves. Maybe it would be okay if Chris helped just this once, plus his spider-hands would be busy cutting the basil so she didn't need to worry about them.

"Umm, could you… do that? I-I mean... i-if it's not to much trouble?" Bon Bon asked in a nervous voice, smiling awkwardly.

Chris's smile widened into a big toothy grin. "Bon Bon," he answered. "I would love to do that for you."

Bon Bon couldn’t help but giggle at his overly-enthusiastic response. He was quite a silly human at times. "Thank you," she replied gently with a warm smile, stepping away from the cutting board.

Chris stepped up to the counter and plucked all the basil leaves off the stem Bon Bon had picked out. Much to her amazement, he started to stack the basil leaves up and rolled them just like the chiffonade technique required him to do. Then she watched as he went to grab one of the blades from the drawer. He was able to wield the knife with little effort and his digits gripped the tool easily, almost as if the knife was made just for his hands to use. He started to slice the rolled-up leaves perfectly and quickly. It was almost hypnotic the way he moved, but within a few seconds he was done and pushed the thin strips into a small pile on the side of the board with the knife. He put the blade down then turned around and smiled brightly. "Anything else you need?" he asked hopefully.

Bon Bon blinked a few times, still trying to process how well he did that. It was so quick and precise and a lot better then what Lyra could do with her magic. "O-oh, no. I can get the rest now, but thank you," she said politely with a friendly smile.

Chris smiled and nodded his head and moved out of the way. He pressed his rump against the kitchen bar and crossed his arms again while he waited.

Bon Bon turned back to the stove and bit open the bag of pasta with her teeth, preparing to put it in the water once it started to boil. She waited a little longer, stirring the sauce every so often as the room suddenly became quiet.

Every now and then Bon Bon could hear Chris fidgeting behind her, which made her uneasy. She wanted to look back to see what he was doing, but at the same time she didn’t want to risk talking to him any more than she already had. After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Chris spoke up. “So… you, umm, you like to cook?”

This is what Bon Bon was afraid might happen. He wants to get to know her more, but she knew that couldn’t happen. As much as it pained her to do so, she would have to keep these conversations short. “Umm, Y-yeah…” she answered softly, keeping her eyes fixed on the almost bubbling water in front of her.

“That’s... cool,” Chris respond, disheartened.

The room fell silent again as another long and uncomfortable moment passed by. Soon the water started to boil, breaking the quiet tension in the room. Before Bon Bon could reach for the package of noodles, Chris spoke up again. “So, what do you enjoy the most about cooking?” he asked.

Bon Bon paused for a moment. There was so much she loved about cooking, especially when it came to her candy creations. The smell, the taste, the rush of having created something delectable and enjoyable. But the thing she enjoyed the most was getting to see the delighted looks on all those who bit into one of her sweet candy treats. Just thinking about it made her feel all warm happy inside, but she couldn’t say any of that to Chris…

Bon Bon looked back over her shoulder at Chris and gave him a small smile. “It’s... just fun,” she stated simply before turning back and pouring the noodles into the boiling pot.

Chris let out a frustrated sigh, making Bon Bon feel even worse. He was getting irritated at how vague she was being and she hated to be so blatantly rude, but what could she do? It was just better this way. No pony would end up hurt in the end.

Bon Bon watched the noodles cook as she continued to listen to Chris fidget behind her. He seemed to be trying to say something else to her but couldn’t follow through with it. This continued for a while before she heard him mutter something angrily under his breath that she almost didn’t catch. “Great plan, Lyra.”

Bon Bon furrowed her brow at Chris’s words. They were faint, but she heard them clearly. He sounded so angry and his words were obviously directed towards Lyra. She turned to look up at him with a worried frown.

Chris’s eyes widened a bit, before he turned his head away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

Bon Bon’s sad frown deepened. “Are you... upset with her?”

Chris jerked his head back and gave her a very confused and almost shocked look. “Upset?!” he almost shouted. “Let’s just say I can’t really find the right words to express how upset I am,” he huffed, scowling. “Don’t tell me you're not angry about this?”

Bon Bon didn't like the tone in Chris's voice. He was right and she was very upset with Lyra, but she didn't want him to be angry at her like that. What Lyra did was definitely wrong and they would need to have a long talk with her when this was all over, but Chris made Lyra so happy and she didn't want to see them split up.

“I would say," Bon Bon started to answer him. "I'm severely disappointed in her,” she admitted sadly. “But I'm less upset now, knowing that she has provided us with so much food," she added, smiling warmly as she turned around to face him completely. “And I’m proud of her for cleaning the cabin up for us. The bedroom is practically spotless and I’m impressed with how glossy these counters look.” She giggled as she looked over the kitchen for a moment, before turning back to Chris.

Chris huffed angrily, turning his head away.

Bon Bon sighed. "Look, I’ve known Lyra for most of my life and she’s always doing things without thinking of the consequences. Especially if she’s really passionate about something. Lyra…” she hesitated, looking up for a moment as she thought of the right words. “Lyra gets tunnel vision,” she stated, turning her head back.

Chris sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes with his hand before dropping it and looking back at Bon Bon with a deeply troubled expression. “But... this isn't right. She lied to us both; how can I trust somepony after something like this?” he asked desperately, almost as if he expected her to have the answer.

“Well, that’s for you to decide,” Bon Bon answered him warmly, giving him a soft smile. “But I’ve been best friends with Lyra for so long now that I can’t say I’m too terribly shocked by what she did. I’m very upset, yes, but I’m a firm believer in giving ponies a chance to be forgiven. Or several when it comes to Lyra,” she added with a soft giggle.

Chris frowned sadly at Bon Bon and she could have sworn she saw his eyes water up, but he turned his head away before she could really see. “I-I… I just don’t know what to think right now…” he admitted in a slightly shaky voice.

“Don’t worry,” Bon Bon reassured him. “We’ll have a serious talk with Lyra once we get out of here and everything will be fine."

"I hope so," Chris repled quietly as his sad frown became more troubled.

Bon Bon let out a dejected sigh. She felt a strong need to continue and confront Chris, but there really wasn’t much she could do now. She turned back to the stove and placed her hooves on the counter. She used the large wooden fork to stir the noodles and used the ladle to stir the sauce. The noodles seemed to be almost cooked, so she reached into the cupboard and took out the strainer and placed it in the sink.

She stared down into the sink for a moment, looking at the strainer and smiling to herself as she started to remember what it was like to have Lyra as a kitchen helper. “You know…” she began happily. “I used to have Lyra help me in the kitchen all the time. She was never the best at cooking on her own,” she giggled softly, “but she always loves to help.”

“Yeah,” Chris admitted, sounding a little more upbeat. “She always likes to try and help me in the kitchen too, but she just makes a mess of things. She can be be kind of a klutz sometimes.”

Bon Bon giggled as she turned her head to look up at Chris. “She really is, but that’s why you have to give her a task she can handle well,” she explained almost excitedly. “She loves to chop things, or pour melted chocolate out with her magic....” she paused for a moment, remembering a particular time they tried to make cookies and the dough came out too lumpy. “Just don’t ask her to stir anything. It'll never get mixed up properly.”

Chris laughed loudly, which made Bon Bon laugh as well. “That couldn’t be more true,” he agreed. “And don’t let her measure things out for you. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to tell her that a teaspoon doesn’t mean a tea-spoon and a cup doesn't mean any cup.”

Bon Bon snorted, trying to hold back a laugh, making her hold up a hoof to her muzzle as she blushed a bit. “Oh, pardon me,” she excused herself from her unlady-like noise.

Chris chuckled softly. “No worries,” he reassured Bon Bon, causing her to giggle in return.

Bon Bon placed her hoof back to the floor as a certain memory of Lyra popped into her head. “Oh, I just remembered something!” she half shouted excitedly, looking up to Chris with a goofy grin. “This one time Lyra tried to make me cookies for Hearts and Hooves Day when I was out minding the shop,” she explained happily with a few soft giggles.

Chris smiled brightly. “Oh yeah?” he chuckled, sounding very interested. “What did she do?”

Bon Bon bit her lip trying not to laugh. She took a deep breath and calmed herself so she could tell her story properly. “Well it was Hearts and Hooves Day, right? So Lyra wanted to surprise me with some treats that she baked herself,” she paused, holding up a hoof to her chin in as she thought back to that day. “I think they were cookies… but they were so burnt it was hard to tell,” she reminisced with a soft smile, before putting her hoof back down. “Anyways, I got home that afternoon to the smell of something burning, so I ran into the kitchen to see the whole place covered in flour, and there was a cookie sheet on the counter with all these burnt little lumps on it,” she giggled.

“Yeah, this is already sounding like something Lyra would do,” Chris mused with a light chuckle.

“Oh, that’s not the best part,” Bon Bon continued, trying hard not to laugh. “I walked up the stairs, following the trail of flour hoof prints on the carpet.”

Chris winced a bit. “That must have taken a while to clean all that up.”

“Oh, yes,” Bon Bon agreed, nodding her head. “It was quite a pain to clean up,” she giggled. “Anyways, I followed the hoof prints into the bathroom and when I opened the door I found Lyra in the shower, trying to scrub all the flour out of her coat, but the water just turned it into a sticky batter and made it even harder for her her to get out! She was absolutely covered in it!” she explained, unable to contain herself anymore and busted out into a fit of infectious laughter, to which Chris quickly followed suit.

They both laughed together for a while until Bon Bon started to collect herself. “Oh... my,” she breathed, catching her breath. “I couldn’t stop laughing for days after that. And it took me hours to get all that stuff out of her coat and the shower drain,” she finished by wiping a tear from her eye with her hoof.

Chris’s laughter slowly died down as he wiped away his own tear from his eye. “Oh wow,” he breathed. “I can definitely see her doing that,” he agreed, chucking. “I wish I could have seen what she looked like covered in all that batter.”

“Oh I should I have taken a picture!” Bon Bon stated loudly, giggling some more. “It looked like I could have baked her into a nice big, mint-flavored Lyra cake,” she teased, sticking her tongue out.

Chris laughed out loud again, which got Bon Bon going again as well. “That would have been amazing,” he added as his laughter slowly died down. “She really is something special,” he stated, smiling fondly.

Bon Bon beamed up at him, nodding her head. “She definitely is,” she agreed. “She can be a hoofful, but she always means well, and it was awfully sweet of her to try and do that for me,” she added looking down a bit and blushing as she drew a little line into the floor with her hoof, feeling very shy all a sudden.

“Yeah, she’s one of a kind,” Chris mused happily.

They both smiled at each other for a moment until the sound of bubbling and sizzling water hit Bon Bon’s ears. “The pasta!” she yelped, turning around. She bit the wooden fork, getting up on her haunches and started to quickly stir the boiling over pot, making the bubbles die down.

“Anything I can do?” Chris asked from behind her.

“I guddet” Bon Bon mumbled quickly with the fork in her mouth. She could tell that the noodles were cooked, and placed the fork down. She found the oven mits and used them to help her strain the noodles in the sink. She took the strainer out and set it on the counter.

Bon Bon let out a soft sigh before turning her head and looking up at Chris with a gentle smile. “Dinner is ready,” she chimed happily.

Chris took in a small breath through his nose and smiled. “It smells wonderful. You did an amazing job.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes at his overly-enthusiastic compliment. “Thanks, but it’s just spaghetti,” she pointed out with a giggle. “But I’m glad you humans like it so much.”

Chris chuckled, which caused Bon Bon to raise her eyebrow. “Yes, we humans are well known for our love of spaghetti.”

Bon Bon giggled, but she wasn’t sure why Chris was laughing. She figured it must be a human thing. “Oh, that’s nice,” she said before turning around. She got herself a plate and started dishing herself up. After that, she bit half of the cut-up basil and dropped it on top of her food, then placed the plate on her back and started to walk out of the kitchen, making her way to her room. “Wh-what,” Chris called in a shaky voice from behind her.

Bon Bon stopped right before she exited the kitchen and looked back at Chris in confusion.

Chris was looking back at her sadly. “A-are… you going back to the bedroom?” he questioned.

“O-oh… I,” Bon Bon frowned sadly and looked away from him for a moment before looking back. “I was.”

“Oh…” Chris responded, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and looking away slightly. “Well… I was wondering if maybe...” He paused for a moment, looking at something behind her.

Bon Bon looked back to see the dining room table and was able to figure out what he was trying to say. He wanted her to stay with him so they could eat together.

“Never mind,” Chris sighed sadly, making Bon Bon turn her head back to look at him. She watched him as he walked up to the pasta and started to dish up his portion of the meal.

Bon Bon stood there for a moment and watched him before looking back at the table. She wanted to stay, she really did. It was surprisingly a lot of fun getting to talk to somepony else that knew how unusual Lyra was and she wanted to continue talking. Maybe even vent about her... but just a little.

“C-Chris.” she called softly to him, making him stop what he was doing and turn his head to look at her.

Bon Bon bit her lip once she realised what she was doing. She couldn’t let this go on; it was bad enough that she let their earlier conversation get so out of hoof. She was enjoying herself so much that she got distracted, but she had to say something to him now. “U-umm… G-good night,” she said simply, not sure what else to say.

Chris frowned for a brief moment before putting on a friendly smile. “Good night, Bon Bon, and thank you for coming out to make dinner.”

Bon Bon smiled sadly. “Y-you're welcome, Chris.”

With that, Bon Bon turned around and headed for her room, shutting the door so she could eat her meal.

Alone.

Author's Notes:

Can't wait to hear what you guys think of this one.

I just want to take this time to apologize to all my editors. I’m sorry I made you all read this so many times!

Now with that out of the way I just want to say that I'm SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT CHAPTER!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQMpclqBvnk

Let's just say that Bon Bon is going to have a Scary time. It will be so Scary for her. In fact the only other time she had a Scary moment like this was when she was younger!

… Scary…

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And let me know if stuff is missing or not spelled right or what ever.

For chapter progress and updates you can check it out here.