Moving Forward

Berry Punch walked through the calm and empty streets of Ponyville, making her way to the local hospital on the edge of town. It was a surprisingly warm and sunny day, but it was difficult for her to enjoy the nice weather when one of her good friends was in the very place she was heading. The rumors going around town about what happened to her didn’t help either. Some ponies said they witnessed the human running in the middle of the night with Bon Bon in his arms. Most seemed to think that he hurt her in some way, but that didn’t make any sense.

Crackers was a weird alien for sure, but he didn’t have a vicious bone in his body. In fact, he was kind of a wimp. It just didn’t seem right that he would hurt Bon Bon like most ponies wanted to believe. At least, he wouldn’t have done it on purpose. Even if he did harm her for whatever reason, then why did he rush her to the hospital?

There was also the question of why Crackers was with Bon Bon in the first place. From what Berry remembered, she was supposed to be off vacationing with Lyra in some cabin for two weeks. It had only been a little over a week since they left. So if Bon Bon got hurt, then wouldn’t Lyra be the one taking her to the hospital? There were just so many questions floating around in her head. She needed to find out if her friend was okay and get the real story.

“Hey, mom,” the soft and sweet voice of her beloved little broken condom called to her.

“Yes, Ruby, my dear?” Berry replied sweetly, looking over at her pink-coated daughter who was walking next to her. Her little unicorn filly insisted on coming along when she heard what happened. Apparently, all her classmates were spreading rumors around as well and she wanted to find out the truth.

“You don’t think Crackers really hurt Bon Bon, do you?” Ruby Pinch asked, looking up to her mother with worried eyes.

“I really don’t know, Pinchy,” Berry admitted as she continued to talk. “I can’t see him hurting anypony, but I’m sure we'll find out soon enough.”

Ruby went silent as she followed alongside her mother before speaking again. “I know everypony thinks he hurt Bon Bon, but I know he didn’t! He just couldn't have,” she insisted, picking up her pace a little. “I bet he was saving her from a giant manticore!”

“Oh, you think so?” Berry replied with a small smile, holding back her laughter at the ridiculous notion. “And what makes you think that?”

Ruby stuck her tongue out, contemplating her answer. “Well, why else would he be carrying her to the hospital? I bet he used his alien powers to save her, because he’s awesome like that and he loves her so much!”

Berry raised a curious eyebrow at that comment. “Alien powers?” she questioned, looking back to her naive, but oh so lovable daughter. “I don’t think he has any alien powers, Pinchy. I don’t think he even has any magic in him like we do. He’s about as magical as a rock.”

“He does!” Ruby argued quickly with a little hop in her step. “He told me so! I bet that’s what happened.”

“You really like him, don’t you?” Berry asked, smiling lovingly at her daughter.

“Are you joking!?” Ruby half-shouted, slowing her pace as she stared up at her mother in shock. “He’s, like, the coolest alien ever!”

Berry rolled her eyes before looking ahead again. Ruby’s infatuation with the human all started shortly after she let him babysit her daughter for a day. She had to do some emergency errands and everypony else was busy or out of town. Crackers was her only option at the time, but she knew him well enough through Lyra to trust him. Now, Ruby thought the alien was the coolest thing in all of Equestria.

“He even helped me buy a cupcake at Sugar Cube Corner once!” Ruby continued excitedly as she reminisced.

“He did?” Berry asked, a little surprised. “You never told me that.”

“Yeah! He walked in when I was hanging out with my friends. I ordered a big cupcake, but I didn’t have enough allowance left to pay for it. But he gave me the extra bit I needed!”

“Really?” Berry asked, trying to sound fascinated in her daughter's tale as they got closer to the hospital. "That was quite generous of him."

“Mhmm!" Ruby agreed happily with a couple of nods. "After that, I asked him to hang with us and he told us all about the weird planet he came from!” she continued with a few little skips in her step. “He said that he used to have this small box thing that he could play games on, like the ones in the arcade! And he had something on it called the inn-err-web, or something that he used to find information on anything he ever wanted. Like his own personal library!”

“That’s nice, Pinchy,” Berry replied, zoning out as her daughter rambled. She placed her hoof on one of the double doors to the hospital and gently pushed it open, letting her daughter enter first.

Ruby happily skipped into the building and stopped to look around. "Aww... I don't see him," she mumbled quietly to herself.

“Maybe he’s with Bon now,” Berry said, following her daughter into the waiting room. She continued to walk up to the front desk where she could see a light yellow earth pony mare with a two-tone light-blue and curly mane sitting at the front desk. She actually recognized the mare and knew her pretty well.

"Hey, Snowheart," Berry greeted nonchalantly as she reached the front desk.

"Oh, hi, Berry," Snowheart replied, looking up from her work. "What brings you in? Is little Ruby due for her check up?" she asked, glancing down towards the filly that wasn’t paying attention. Ruby was still searching the large waiting room for the tall alien.

"No, nothing like that,” Berry replied. “I'm actually here to see Bon Bon. Is she able to have visitors now?"

Snowheart nodded her head. "She is and I'm sure she'd love to have some company. The poor thing had quite a day yesterday."

"So I've heard," Berry replied flatly.

"Yes, but...” Snowheart paused, glancing around quickly before leaning in a little. “Did you hear how she got to the hospital?" she asked in a soft whisper as if she was discussing something extremely taboo and secretive. "That... human thing brought her in."

Berry sighed tiredly and nodded. "Yeah, I heard all about that. Maybe later tonight we can get together for some drinks and talk about it," Berry said in an effort to drop the subject. "Can you let Bon know I'm here?"

"Oh, sure!" Snowheart said as she pushed off from her desk and got up from her stool. "I'll go see if she's awake and let her know she has a visitor. I'll only be a moment," she said as she made her way into the recovery rooms, pushing the large double doors open before walking in.

Just then, Berry heard the front door of the waiting room open behind her.

"Crackers!" Ruby shouted almost instantly, causing Berry to turn around and see the human and Lyra both standing in the entryway. The first thing she noticed about the pair was how stressed they both looked. The second thing she noticed was a pretty sizable bouquet of different colored daisy flowers being levitated in a golden aura next to Lyra. There was no doubt that the flowers were for Bon Bon.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Chris asked once he saw her running up to him.

“I came here with mommy to see Bon Bon!” Ruby explained happily before sitting back on her haunches once she was in front of him. “That’s why you're here too, isn’t it!? You both want to make sure your marefriend is okay after you saved her, right!?”

Both Chris and Lyra’s eyes widened at the filly’s blunt statement. “O-oh, well, you see...” Chris said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “What I mean is... Ehh―”

“Y-yes, we umm… Well, she’s not really our… well,” Lyra tried to continue for Chris, only adding to the awkwardness.

“Hey, Crackers. Hey, Lyra. You guys look like you've been through Tartarus and back. Everything okay?” Berry asked as she walked up to them, saving them from having to answer her lovably naive daughter.

They both sighed deeply in response. “Things have been better,” Lyra said, hanging her head.

Ruby stretched her forelegs out and beaming up at Chris. “Crackers, can you pick me up, please? I want to be tall like you again.”

Chris smiled softly for a moment, then looked towards her mother for approval.

Berry simply shrugged her shoulders at him.

“Well, sure. I guess,” Chris said, bending down before scooping the little filly up in his arms.

Ruby instantly burst into a fit of giggles as she was lifted up into the air. She rested her forelegs on Chris’s chest before looking around once he was standing upright again. “This is so much fun! I wish I was this tall all the time!”

Lyra and Berry both smiled up at them as they watched Ruby look around from her new height.

“So, how you been, Ruby?” Chris asked, giving the little filly a little bounce in his arms. “You making sure your mom stays out of trouble?”

“Yep!” Ruby chirped happily.

Berry shook her head in disbelief at how much her daughter seemed to really like the human. “Wow, Crackers. I didn’t know you were so popular with the fillies,” she teased with a cocky smirk.

Chris simply shrugged his shoulders with Ruby still in his arms. “What can I say? I give some pretty awesome piggy-back rides,” he teased back.

Ruby gasped excitedly. “Can you give me one!? I want to be even taller!”

“Mmm, maybe later, if you’re good,” Chris said, bopping her little nose with this fingertip lightly, causing her to rub the spot with her hoof.

“But, I’m always good. Miss Cheerilee gives me gold stars all the time!” Ruby argued, puffing her cheeks out at him in an angry pout.

“Hmmmm," Chris hummed in mock thought. "Well, Cheerilee's a pretty smart mare, and she's doesn't hand out gold stars to just anypony," he mused with a pause while Ruby give him the biggest puppy dog eyes she could manage. "Alright, you win,” he said, lifting her up over his head before placing her on his shoulders.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered loudly, giggling again as she was placed behind his head. She wrapped her forelegs around his forehead tightly for support before looking down at her mother. “You look so small from up here mom!”

Berry giggled softly as she watched Chris and Ruby. It was actually kind of nice seeing how good the human was with her daughter and it was heartwarming to see how much Ruby was helping to cheer him up. It only reaffirmed how inaccurate all those nasty rumors the other ponies were spreading about him were. If only he was a pony and didn't have those… small eyes.

“Just be careful up there, Pinchy,” Berry said, before turning towards Lyra, who had been quiet this whole time. She was smiling up at Chris as she watched him play with Ruby. She was still holding that bouquet of flowers in her magic. “I’m guessing those are some get well soon flowers for Bon?”

Lyra jumped a bit at the mention of the flowers and jerked her head towards Berry as her smile melted into a frown. “Oh,y-yeah,” she admitted softly, floating the bouquet in front of her. “I really hope she accepts them,” she muttered quietly under her breath.

Berry had never seen Lyra so down before. It was kind of depressing and almost scary to see the normally happy and outgoing mare so down in the dumps. "Why the long face? Bon’s not dying or anything, is she?”

“W-What? No!” Lyra half shouted in shock. “T-the flowers are just for… well, we wanted to tell her, e-ehh, I mean―”

“It’s for an apology,” Chris cut in with a hint of sadness.

“An apology?” Berry questioned, looking up to Chris with a confused expression. Why would they need to say sorry for? Were the rumors actually true then? Did Chris or even Lyra hurt her in some way? “What do you two have to apologize for?”

Chris sighed heavily. "It's... complicated.”

“Did you not get to her in time to save her with your alien powers?” Ruby questioned, resting her chin on top of Chris’s head.

“Not exactly,” Chris said with a soft smile. “You see, the planets weren’t aligned right, so I couldn’t get the energy I needed to charge my powers.”

"Oh, no…” Ruby despaired. “That’s not good... But, at least you could get her to the hospital in time, right?”

Chris chuckled softly. “Yeah, I got her here in time. Bon Bon will be okay, don’t worry.”

"Yes, that’s a real cute story,” Berry said sarcastically. “But what happened to Bon? Why did you need to rush her over here, and why were you with her?” She paused as both Chris and Lyra glanced at each worriedly. “You guys do know that the whole town's been speculating about what happened, right? They’re not saying very nice things.”

“That explains all the looks we’ve been getting,” Lyra said sadly, hanging her head in despair.

Berry frowned at Lyra, then looked up at Chris. “Ponies are saying you hurt Bon Bon intentionally.”

Chris shook his head. “That's ridiculous. I would never do something like that,” he answered tiredly with a hint of anger in his voice as he adjusted Ruby on his shoulders. “But, I was there when it happened… it was my fault that she got hurt.”

“Chris, don’t say that,” Lyra snapped quickly, jerking head towards him. “I caused all this to happen in the first place. I’m the real one to blame.”

“No, Lyra. It was out of your control,” Chris countered quickly. “I was there when it happened and I was responsible. She wouldn’t have gotten hurt if it wasn’t for me.”

Lyra stomped her hoof down in protest. “Chris, that's ridiculous! This all started because of me! I’m the one who’s really at fault here! She would have never gotten hurt in the first place if I hadn’t tricked you two!”

Chris goaned in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. “I don’t want to hear you blaming yourself anymore, Lyra. Bonny got hurt bec―”

“Stop!” Berry shouted, covering her ears with her hooves so she didn’t have to listen to the lovers quarrel anymore. “Sweet Luna you two, just stop!” She dropped her hooves back to the floor and looked between both of their shocked expressions. Berry felt even more confused now after listening to their argument. Their endless loop of self pity only managed to bring on more unanswered questions. “I just want to know what happened. Please, will somepony just explain it to me?”

The room fell silent as Chris frowned and looked down at Lyra.

Lyra darted her eyes away from Chris and hung her head in shame. “It’s a really long story,” Lyra admitted, dryly.

At this point, Berry was pretty frustrated that she wasn’t getting any clear answers. She didn’t care how long it would take; she just wanted to know what happened to her friend and why they were acting like somepony just died. Was Bon Bon’s condition more serious than she originally thought? She started to open her mouth to ask them to continue but the recovery room door swung open, interrupting her.

“Bon Bon is ready to see you, Berry,” Snowheart called, holding the door open.

Berry groaned in frustration, but it wasn't like Bon Bon wouldn't tell her what happened. “Well, I guess that’s us," she said, looking up to her daughter. "Come on, Pinchy. We don’t want to keep Bon waiting too long and I’m sure Chris and Lyra want to see her after us. Unless… you two want to come with us?”

“Thank you for offering, Berry, but you go ahead. We’ll wait out here,” Lyra said, putting on a soft smile.

“You sure?” Berry asked.

Lyra and Chris both nodded in unison. It was actually kind of adorable seeing them match each other's actions. “We’d both like to speak with her in private, so you go on ahead,” Lyra replied, shooing her off with her hoof. “I’m sure Bonny would like to see you much more than us right now.”

Berry raised an eyebrow at that comment, but shrugged her shoulders. “Well, if you say so. Come on, Pinchy dear. Get off the nice alien’s head so we can go see Bon.”

Ruby tightened her grip on Chris’s head, hiding herself behind what little mane the human had. “Do… I have to?”

“Yes, Pinchy. Now come on, let’s go,” Berry said as she turned around to face Snowheart.

“Can I stay with Crackers and Lyra?” Ruby asked softly.

Berry turned back towards her daughter. “You don’t want to see Bon? I’m sure she‘d be happy to see you. You know how much she likes you.”

“But... I wanna play with Crackers,” Ruby half-mumbled into the human’s mane, causing both Chris and Lyra to laugh lightly.

“Don’t worry, Berry. Lyra and I will watch her for you,” Chris reassured her.

“Well, if you don’t mind,” Berry said, turning back around before making her way into the recovery rooms. “You guys can watch the little twerp for me.”

“Yay!” Ruby cheered with a little bounce.

Berry could hear her precious little angel starting to babble on all about her day to them, causing her to smile to herself as she approached the recovery rooms.

“Right this way,” Snowheart said, taking the lead as she walked to the room Bon Bon was staying in. Once they reached the room Snowheart held the door open for Berry. “Take as long as you like, and if you guys need anything, don’t be afraid to call.”

“Thanks, Snow,” Berry said as she stepped into the rather large room. She saw Bon Bon laying in the bed with her hind leg wrapped in a pink cast that was elevated from a sling.

‘So, she broke her leg? That’s it?” Berry thought to herself, thinking Bon Bon would be in a worse condition considering how Crackers and Lyra were acting. Bon Bon herself looked almost as miserable as Lyra and Crackers did, but she managed to put on a soft smile and waved a timid hoof.

“H-hey, Berry... I’m glad you're here,” Bon Bon said sweetly.

“Yeah, well, I had nothing else better to do, so I figured I might as well,” Berry teased with a smirk as she approached the bed. “So, I guess you really messed yourself u―” Berry stopped herself once she saw a glass tank sitting on the nightstand next to Bon Bon’s bed. Her eyes widened considerably when she noticed a very large, white spider in the center of the aquarium that was looking right at her.

‘What in Tartarus is that doing next to Bon!? She hates those things!’ Berry thought as she looked over to Bon Bon who was still smiling softly at her. For whatever reason, Bon Bon didn't seem to mind that there was a freaking huge spider within a few feet of her, which puzzled Berry to no end. Was she even aware that thing was next to her?

“Ehh, Bon… you know there’s a gigantic spider next to you, right?” Berry asked worriedly, pointing a hoof at the aquarium.

Bon Bon stared at her blankly, then looked towards the spider. “Oh, that’s just Scary.”

“Scary? You mean it has a name?” Berry questioned, dumbfounded. “How are you not freaking out right now? I thought you hated spiders!”

“Shhhhh!” Bon Bon quickly shushed Berry, holding a hoof to her lips. “I don’t hate spiders, they just… freak me out sometimes,” she explain quietly in a whisper as if she was worried about offending the creature. “But, I like spiders… they can be nice.”

Berry’s mouth hung open in disbelief as she stared at Bon Bon with wide eyes. “You… like spiders now?”

“Well, I mean...” Bon Bon started to say, but hesitated, biting her lip. “S-Scary’s a nice spider. He’d never hurt anypony.”

Berry walked up to the aquarium to get a better look. The spider was just laying there in the dirt, with a tired and dreary expression. “Ehh, he seems kind of... sad… is he okay?”

Bon Bon sighed as she watched her spider friend. “He’s not sick or anything... at least as far as I can tell he’s not. But he is kind of… upset with me.”

“The spider is upset with you?” Berry questioned, finding that statement utterly ridiculous. She groaned softly and rubbed her temple with a hoof as a headache started to form. It was hard for her to wrap her mind around this spider that Bon Bon didn’t seem to have any issues with. The last she remembered, Bon Bon was deathly afraid of spiders, but now she likes them? Not only that, but the thing was upset with her too?

“Alright, I’ll bite,” Berry said dryly, dropping her hoof down. “Why is the spider―I mean, Scary, upset with you?”

“Well…” Bon Bon started to explain, but hesitated as she looked down at the sheets that were covering her chest. “He’s upset that I told Chris and Lyra to leave yesterday after they came to see me.”

“So, you kicked them out, huh?,” Berry mused as she thought about why she would want to do that. “Is that why they’re both in the waiting room right now with a large bundle of flowers for you?”

“Oh, no. They are?” Bon Bon asked, sounding worried.

Berry blinked a few times in confusion. “Umm… is that bad?” she questioned, sounding befuddled. “What? You don’t like flowers, or something?”

“No, it’s not that,” Bon Bon said, as she fidgeted with her forehooves on top of the sheets. “That’s a very sweet thing for them to do, but I just… oh, I don’t know. I’m just so confused.”

‘You and me both, sister,’ Berry thought as she sat back on her haunches, getting a little more comfortable. “So, would you like to explain to me why Crackers and Lyra are out there, acting like somepony just died? And can you tell me why you now have a pet spider, when I know for a fact that you have a phobia of them?”

Bon Bon kept her head down, not daring to make eye contact with her friend. "It's complicated, Berry."

'Where have I heard that before,' Berry questioned to herself sarcastically, fighting the powerful urge to groan in frustration. “Well, I'm a pretty good listener. And while you're at it, I'd also like to know why Crackers was the one that rushed you to the hospital when you were supposed to be on a vacation with Lyra.”

“I-I… I don’t know, Berry,” Bon Bon said quietly. “It’s just… It’s a long story”

Berry rolled her eyes, aggravated that she had to hear these same excuses for a second time today. She looked around the room and spotted a stool in one of the corners. She walked over to it and used her muzzle to push it over to the bed. Once it was in position next to Bon Bon, she sat on it and got comfortable before crossing her forelegs over each other, then faced Bon Bon expectantly. “Well, I’m in the mood for a good long story. So, let's have it."

Bon Bon stayed quiet for a moment, tapping her hooves together nervously. “If… If I tell you what happened… will you promise me that you won't repeat what you hear to anypony?”

“Right, because you know me. Always spreading around gossip about my friends,” Berry joked sarcastically.

“I’m serious, Berry,” Bon Bon said sternly, looking towards Berry with pleading eyes. “What I’m about to tell you can’t leave this room.”

"As your friend, I promise, I will tell nopony.” As added insurance Berry carried out the motions of the Pinkie Promise while chanting, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Bon Bon smiled gently at her friend. “Thank you, Berry,” she said before sighing deeply. “Where do I even begin…”

“Well, usually when you’re telling a story, it's best to start from the beginning,” Berry pointed out bluntly.

“Then, I guess I should start by telling you I wasn’t in the cabin with Lyra," Bon Bon admitted quietly, looking down at her hooves that were nervously rubbing the sheet on her chest.

Berry tilted her head in confusion. “Were you up there by yourself?”

Bon Bon shook her head. “I was with Chris… Lyra tricked us both into thinking that we would be taking a vacation with her in the woods. But when we got to the cabin...” she paused and looked towards Berry with a worried expression. “Please don’t tell anypony about this."

"Bon..." Berry said flatly, glaring at her sternly. "You can trust me. I'm not going to tell anypony."

Bon Bon took a deep breath before continuing. "Okay… I wasn’t in the cabin with Lyra because she… she sealed me in there with Chris. She put a barrier around the cabin that was supposed to keep us locked in there for at least two weeks.”

“Whoa, what?!” Berry half shouted in shock, perking up as her eyes widened. “You’re joking, right?”

Bon Bon shook her head in response.

“Wow,” Berry said simply, placing a hoof on her forehead in disbelief. “I always knew Lyra was a bit of a nut, but I never would have thought she would do something that extreme!” It was no wonder Lyra was blaming herself for what happened earlier, but what she did was kind of a big deal. But, Berry knew how much Bon Bon loved Lyra, and she swore to keep everything she heard in this room a secret. She wasn’t about to go against her word to her friend; she just hoped Bon Bon knew what she was doing.

Berry took a deep breath, dropping her hoof back down before continuing. “Okay, so what happened when you were left with Crackers?”

“A lot happened…” Bon Bon said simply. She proceeded to tell Berry about everything that went on in the cabin. She told her how she locked herself up in the bedroom for the first couple days, but Chris begged her to come out and even brought her food. Then, she explained how he broke into the bedroom on the very next day to save her from the spider that was currently resting in the aquarium next to her.

“After Chris saved me, he just didn't seem as terrifying anymore… We just… I don’t know, we just started to talk and get to know each other,” Bon Bon explained with a soft smile as she reminisced. “I started to see what kind of stallion he really was, and I found out that we actually share a lot of similar passions and interests. He was just so nice and we actually had a lot fun together in the cabin...”

“Okay, wait…” Berry said, scratching the back of her head with the edge of her hoof, giving Bon Bon a confused look. “You're saying that you started to have fun and actually ended up liking Crackers just like Lyra said you would?”

“I did,” Bon Bon admitted with a slight nod. “But, then I broke my leg... Right after that, Chris picked me up and rushed me to the hospital. That's when I blacked out and woke up here.”

“I thought you said Lyra’s spell was supposed to last two weeks,” Berry questioned. “How did he carry you out?”

“That’s the problem!” Bon Bon shouted, throwing her for legs in the air before letting them fall back to the bed. “Chris knew the spell was broken and he never told me!”

“Whoa, hold on a second!” Berry said quickly, holding a hoof up in the air. “Let’s rewind a bit. You're telling me that you started to talk to Crackers and found out that you actually like him, right?”

Bon Bon nodded her head in response.

“What kind of like are we talking here? Like the romantic kind? Or―”

Again, Bon Bon nodded.

“Really?!” Berry shouted in shock. She started at her friend in disbelief for a short moment, but then started to gain a devilish grin. “Sooo…” she started to say, pausing as she leaned in, gazing into Bon Bon's eyes with a seductive stare. “Did you two... you know?” She ended her question with a suggestive wink.

“Berry!” Bon Bon shouted with wide eyes and a bright blush.

Berry leaned back and held her hooves up in a defensive manner, unable to hide her now wide and knowing grin. “Hey, I’m not judging. All I’m saying is that it can get pretty boring being in a cabin with nothing else to do.”

“I-it’s not like that!” Bon Bon shouted quickly, trying to defend herself.

“You're all alone. Just you and Crackers, stuck in some strange, boring cabin. I mean, he is a pretty tall alien. He has to have a really unique and huge―”

“T-that hardly matters!” Bon Bon shouted angrily as her whole face burned in a bright crimson. “He lied to me and betrayed my trust!”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Berry said, waving a playful hoof at her as she tried desperately to hold back her laughter. "I was just messing with you."

Bon Bon scowled and turned her head away, still blushing brightly.

“Hey, come on now,” Berry said, placing her hoof on top of Bon Bon’s foreleg that was resting on the bed. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood here. So, you're upset that he didn’t tell you that you two could leave?”

Bon Bon nodded her head.

“Do you know for sure if he knew about it before you broke your leg, or did he get lucky and find out after it happened?” Berry asked, rubbing Bon Bon’s hoof reassuringly.

“He said... he knew that it was open before the accident,” Bon Bon said, slowly looking back to Berry.

“Did he have a reason for not telling you?” Berry asked softly.

Bon Bon’s frown started to soften as she thought back. “He… He told me that... he didn’t want me to stress about coming back to Ponyville.”

Berry waited to see if Bon Bon would go on, finding that excuse a little disturbing. “Was that it? That’s kind of questionable if you ask me.”

“No, there was more…” Bon Bon admitted with a sigh. “He said he just wanted me to relax so he could give me a nice romantic day. He thought that if I knew about the door being open, then I wouldn’t enjoy our date that we planned together.”

“You two had a date planned?" Berry asked as she leaned back and let go of Bon Bon's foreleg, thinking to herself. “Hmm… okay, well, that sounds a little better than just not wanting you to worry about going back home... I can kind of see why he would think that. Still, it’s strange that he wouldn’t tell you about it.”

“I know! I just can't understand why he did that,” Bon Bon said softly as she messed with the sheets on the bed. “Why couldn't he just tell me? If he would’ve told me that he wanted to stay in the cabin for a little while longer, I would have stayed… I just don't know what to think about him anymore...” Her eyes started to water as her voice began to waver. “I just got so upset and confused. I just couldn’t think... I-I got so scared.”

“Why were you scared?” Berry questioned softly, frowning sadly at her friend.

“What if Chris was just lying to me about more than just the door being open? What if he lied about who he was?” Bon Bon sobbed softly. “What if he becomes another Silver Wing?”

“Silver Wing?” Berry repeated, surprised to be hearing that name again. “That featherbrain you dated years ago? Why do you think Crackers would become like him?”

“I-I… I don’t know… I just… I like him so much, Berry,” Bon Bon admitted, wiping her tears from her eyes with a hoof. “He seems so perfect for me… almost too perfect. Just like I thought Silver was...”

“Well, let’s just think ab―”

“What if he was lying to me about everything and just wanted to sleep with me!?" Bon Bon half-shouted in anger. "Lyra could have told him what to say so he could impress me. It’s just not fair! Why do stallions have to be so complicated!?” She groaned loudly before covering her face with her hooves.

"You don’t have to tell me about complicated stallions,” Berry grunted sarcastically thought gritted teeth, remembering her own experiences with them.

Bon Bon sniffled a few times before taking a deep breath. She dropped her hooves back to the bed before facing Berry again. “I’m sorry, Berry. I didn’t mean to drop all this drama on you.”

Berry shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, it’s what friends are for. Plus, I’m used to a little drama from you every now and then.”

Bon Bon frowned sadly, looking hurt about her her blunt statement.

“Hey, I’m just teasing ya,” Berry reassured her. “Now, about this Crackers lying business. Do you really think he would lie about everything just to get under your tail?"

"I-I don't really know..."

"Kay, well, how long have you known him? Like, truly known him? Has he lied about anything else?”

Bon Bon started to roll her hooves around each other slowly as she thought about that question. “H-he wouldn’t tell me that he couldn't eat certain flowers when I tried to cook for him…” She paused as she reminisced some more. “Other than that, I'm not sure... I... I haven’t really known him for that long. I used to avoid him… It wasn’t until we started talking in the cabin that I started to actually ‘meet’ him.”

Berry hummed to herself, rubbing her chin with the back of her hoof. “Well, to be honest with you Bon, a week really isn't long enough to truly know somepony in my book.”

Bon Bon glanced at Berry, then looked back to her hooves. “But… I…” she started to argue, but stopped. “I guess… it really hasn’t been that long, but I still don’t know if I can trust him."

"Hasn't he been with Lyra for what... like a year now?" Berry questioned. "And Lyra has been your friend for almost your whole life. I mean, do you really think they would both lie to you just so they could take advantage of you?"

Bon Bon opened her mouth to reply, but hesitated and slowly closed it as she thought more about that question.

"Don't get me wrong," Berry continued, "I'm not saying what they did to you wasn't wrong, but maybe it's not as bad as you think it is."

Bon Bon stayed quiet, frowning sadly as she stared up at the ceiling, contemplating Berry’s words.

“Listen, Bon,” Berry said, scooching the stool a little closer to the bed. “I know what Silver did to you was awful. I’m not going to deny that. But, the thing is, we’ve all been hurt in life. I've learned first hoof that you can’t let what happened in the past stop you from actually living. I was pretty out of it when Pinchy's father decided to leave me after she was born, but I realized that it was for the best. He wasn't cut out for the family life and I would have been miserable if I tried to make things work with him. But, I'm happy with my little Ruby now and I don't know if I would be if I couldn't let go of the past. She's the best part of my life now."

Bon Bon smiled after Berry admitted her love for her daughter, but her expression soon turned into a more neutral one. She remained motionless as she gazed up at the plain, white ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

“Well, that’s all the advice I got for ya,” Berry said flatly. “I know your situation is a lot different than mine, but don't let that Silver Wing jerk stop you from living your life. Don’t let him have that too."

“Maybe you're right, Berry…” Bon Bon finally said, turning her head towards her friend. “I’ve been hurt for so long and I've never been able to truly get over what Silver did. That's not exactly fair to Chris or Lyra..." she sighed deeply. "Do you think I shouldn’t have gotten upset? Did I overreact?”

Berry shrugged her shoulders. “I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure. From the sound of things, I think you had every right to be angry.”

“What do you think I should do?” Bon Bon asked with a hint of strain in her voice. “Do you think Chris is like Silver Wing?”

“What do I think?” Berry asked in shock, holding a hoof to her chest. “I honestly have no idea. I don’t know Crackers as well as you or Lyra. I mean, he seems friendly enough, but that's something you need to figure out yourself." She paused, then smiled as she remembered how well the human was with her daughter. "I will say this though. Little Pinchy can’t seem to get enough of him.”

“Ruby likes him?” Bon Bon questioned, perking her ears up.

“Yeah. She couldn’t stop talking about him on the way up here. I’m not sure what Crackers did, but Ruby thinks he's the coolest thing ever. She’s actually with him and Lyra right now, playing in the waiting room.”

Bon Bon smiled at that before sighing deeply. “So, Chris and Lyra are both here, and they brought flowers for me?”

“Pretty ones, too,” Berry added with a knowing grin.

Bon Bon fidgeted with her hooves nervously, as she thought about that. “Well, thank you for talking with me, Berry. I’m really glad you came over and I think you’re right. I have to let go of Silver… I can’t keep comparing every stallion I meet to him."

“That might be a good start,” Berry agreed. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I need to talk with both of them," Bon Bon said as she smoothed out the sheets on her chest. “Maybe we can all figure something out.”

Berry placed a hoof on top of Bon Bon’s foreleg, stopping her movements. “I think that's a great idea. Get their side, and if I could put in my two bits, I think they both really care about you."

"I always know how to attract the weird ones,” Bon Bon said with a soft smile.

Berry smirked knowingly. "Buck yeah you do!” she shouted, slugging Bon Bon in her shoulder playfully. “That's what I keep tellin’ ya!"

The two friends laughed at their lame inside joke before letting the room fall into a peaceful silence. After a while, Bon Bon’s smile slowly melted into a concerned frown and she took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “I do know they both care about me… and I might have forgotten that in my panic last night... I just hope they’re not too upset with me for kicking them out yesterday."

Berry chuckled lightly. "Hey, you can always blame it on the painkillers, right?"

"That is true I guess," Bon Bon agreed softly. "I was pretty out of it yesterday."

Berry leaned back on her stool and stretched out her forelegs, yawning loudly. She blinked a few times and looked to the clock that was on the wall. “Oh, wow. We talked for quite a bit, didn’t we?” Berry turned back to Bon Bon, who was also looking at the clock now.

“Yeah, we did. I’m sorry I kept you here so long,” Bon Bon apologised softly. “I hope you didn’t have somewhere to be.”

“Nah,” Berry said, waving a dismissive hoof at her. “It’s like I said. I had nothing better to do, so I figured I’d come over to see how messed up you were,” she teased with a toothy grin. “I probably should go, though. Plus, I’m sure Crackers and Lyra are just dying to talk with you.” She got up from her stool and stretched out all her limbs one at a time.

“Yeah,” Bon Bon said with a sigh. “Thanks again for talking with me, Berry.”

“No problem,” Berry said nonchalantly as she turned around and made her way to the door. She stopped just a few feet away from the entrance and looked back to Bon Bon. “We should go out for some drinks when you're feeling better.”

“I’d like that,” Bon Bon replied warmly.

Berry smiled and turned to the door, placing her hoof on the handle, but paused with a slight frown. “Bon…” she called in a serious tone, looking back to her injured friend.

“Y-yes?”

“Be careful, okay?” Berry said in concern. “I know you care for Lyra and Chris, but what they did to you was pretty serious. I won’t tell anypony, but I just want you to know that I’m always here if you need a friend.”

Bon Bon smiled and nodded her head in understanding. “Thank you, Berry. That means a lot to me, but I’m sure everything will be okay.”

Berry nodded as well and opened the door before heading out of the room. “Later, Bonster,” she said, shutting the door gently behind her.

Bon Bon watched as her friend left, leaving just her and Scary all alone in their room. She looked over to Scary and was surprised to see him up and about. “Feeling better?”

Scary just tilted his head at her curiously.

“It’s okay, Scary. I think I know what I should do now,” Bon Bon said softly.

Scary shook his body quickly before settling himself into the ground. He used his back legs to flick some of the dirt in the aquarium onto his back before relaxing himself completely.

Bon Bon wasn’t sure why he did that, but it was quite amusing. She held back a laugh at the spider’s expense as she watched him fondly. “Oh, Scary. I’m glad you're here with me.” She let out a soft sigh, then turned her gaze towards the closed door. Chris and Lyra would be walking in any moment now and she needed to collect her thoughts. Talking with Berry definitely helped her to see things more clearly. She had every right to be angry, but there was no doubt that she overreacted to what happened yesterday.

Taking in a deep breath to help calm her nerves, Bon Bon thought about what she wanted to tell Chris and Lyra. Suddenly, the sound of hoof steps in the hall could be heard, breaking her concentration.

Bon Bon perked up, listening intently as the steps got closer, then stopped right in front of her room. Soon the sound of soft mumbling could he heard. Whoever was out there now, they were talking to themselves, but it was hard to make out what they were saying. She tilted her head and perked her ears right at the door so she could hear the voice better. She could make out two voices and instantly recognized them as Chris and Lyra, but it was impossible to make out what they were saying through the thick hospital walls.

Giving up on trying to hear them, Bon Bon relaxed and laid back on the bed, waiting impatiently for them to come in. She was nervous about confronting them both about what happened, but this needed to be done. If they were all going to move on from this, then she needed to come forward and tell them where she stood.

No more hiding her fears and concerns.

No more shying away from what she felt inside.

The handle started to move, interrupting her thoughts again. Bon Bon watched closely as the door creaked open, revealing Chris, who was holding the door open with one of his arms hidden behind his back. He looked tired and stressed, just like Berry had mentioned before, but most of all, he was sad.

Lyra walked out from the edge of the doorway, looking even worse than Chris did. In fact, she looked the same as she did yesterday; maybe even worse. She slowly walked into the room, keeping her haggard and exhausted eyes locked with Bon Bon’s the entire time as she approached.

Chris shut the door behind them, making a valiant effort to keep his back out of sight, still holding his arm behind him.

Lyra reached the edge of the bed first, with Chris only a short distance behind her. She sat back on her haunches and looked away, biting her lip nervously.

The room fell silent as the trio remained motionless for a time. Bon Bon opened her mouth to say something but was quickly cut off.

“B-bonny, wait,” Lyra said in a wavering voice as she looked into her eyes. “Before you say anything, we have something that we both want to tell you.”

Bon Bon blinked a few times, glancing between them as she waited for one of them to speak.

Chris and Lyra both glanced at each other before nodding. “I-I’ll go first,” Lyra said as her eyes began to water and glisten in the light. She turned back to Bon Bon, taking a deep breath. “Bonny…” she said, hesitating as she gazed into her eyes with a worried and sorrowful frown. “W-we’ve… we've been friends for... as long as I can remember... and I’ve… I’ve loved you for just as long.”

“L-Lyra I―”

“Wait!” Lyra interrupted quickly, placing her hoof on top of Bon Bon's chest. “I want you to hear this before you say anything.” She removed her hoof, placing it back on the floor as more tears started to well in her eyes. “I love you and I always will, no matter what happens, a-and... I know… I know what I did was wrong...” she admitted softly, shutting her eyes as a single tear trailed down her cheek. “I betrayed your friendship and love, all because I thought you belonged with Chris... like I belonged with him. I wasn’t thinking clearly… I truly believed what I did was right.” She visibly clenched her teeth for a moment, trying to hold back more of her tears, screwing her eyes shut tightly. She relaxed again, taking a deep breath before continuing. “It's… It’s only now, when it’s too late that I can see how blind and… stupid I was!”

Bon Bon frowned deeply. She couldn’t stand to hear Lyra beat herself up like that. She went to reply, but Lyra continued.

“I was a bucking idiot for what I did to you both, and I’ll never forgive myself for what happened.” Lyra slowly opened her eyes again, looking over to Bon Bon. “I… I wasn’t thinking about your safety when I came up with my plan, and I thank Celestia that my spell broke when it did.” She paused and sniffled a few times before wiping her slightly runny nose with her hoof.

‘Eww, Lyra!’ Bon Bon thought as she winced, but stayed silent and listened.

“What I’m trying to say is… I-I love you Bon Bon… I love you with all my heart, and I don’t want to lose you because I wasn’t thinking clearly. I know I messed up big time and I’ll never do anything like this again. You don’t have to do the herd if you don’t want to and I’ll and never bring it up ever again. But…” she hesitated, looking away for a moment, “but, I need you in my life. If not as my lover, then as my friend. Please just… don’t leave me.

“Lyra…” Bon Bon said sadly. She was going to say more, but Chris walked up next to Lyra and knelt down.

“Bonny…” Chris started to say, hesitating for a moment as he looked into her eyes nervously. “I… I want to apologize for lying to you and keeping the door a secret. I really have no excuse for why I did that. I know what I did has caused you to lose your trust in me, but I’m being completely honest when I say that…” He paused, taking a deep breathing, letting it out quickly as his eyes started to water as well. “Everything I said in that cabin was true. Every word of it. The… person you met in that cabin was the real me. I was never trying to impress you or take advantage of you, I… I just wanted to be your friend.”

Bon Bon stared up at him, frowning deeply, not sure what to say.

“I know it must be hard for you to believe me, but —” Chris said sadly, but hesitated, as he if he was trying to think of something else to say. “I… I just hope you can forgive me somehow. I don’t know what I can do to gain back your trust, but I don’t want to lose your friendship... I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m honest when I say that I care about you.”

“We both want you in our lives, Bonny,” Lyra continued for Chris. “We know this isn’t enough to make up for what we did, but… we hope it’s a start.” Lyra’s horn started to glow causing a large bouquet of blue, pink and yellow daisies to float around from behind Chris's back.

Bon Bon watched the flowers slowly drift towards her. She reached her forelegs out and took the offering, holding it gently in her forelegs. The first thought that entered her mind was how much this must have cost them. It wasn’t cheap to buy flowers like this during the winter time.

“We wanted to find you some firelilies, but you know how rare and expensive those are,” Lyra said with a forced laugh.

“If you want us to leave you alone again, we will,” Chris added. “We just wanted to let you know how much we care about you, Bonny.”

Bon Bon looked down at the bundle of flowers in her hooves, tilting them around a bit, studying them.

Chris sighed deeply. “We’ll leave you alone now,” he said, making his way to stand up with Lyra following his lead.

“Wait...” Bon Bon said softly, causing them both to freeze and look towards her with confused expressions. She smiled to herself and took a moment to smell the flowers. “These flowers are lovely, Thank you both... and, I guess... it’s my turn to apologize,” she said, looking up at their now stunned faces.

Chris and Lyra both glanced at each other, but turned back, taking their original spots next to the bed and waited patiently for Bon Bon to continue.

Bon Bon’s smile slowly melted into a frown and she looked back at the flowers in her hooves as she stroked them gently. “I feel like I… overreacted to what happened yesterday. I got really scared and panicked, and I’m sorry for kicking you both out like I did…”

“But why?” Chris half shouted, sounding distressed and hurt. “Why are you afraid? I just don’t understand. Are you still afraid of me? I just don’t understand.”

Bon Bon stroked the flowers again, not daring to look up at him as she thought about what she wanted to say. “I… I hate to admit it, but I was. I was afraid because of what we went through in the cabin.”

Lyra looked back and forth between them with a worried and puzzled expression.

“I-I don’t understand…” Chris said quietly, sounding baffled. “Was it something I did to you?”

Bon Bon shook her head before looking up at him. “It wasn't what you did. It was what Silver did.”

“That jerk you dated before?” Chris questioned. “But I’m not Silver. I would never do something like that.”

Bon Bon sighed deeply. “I know you're not Silver Wing, but I was afraid you could become him. I want to explain to you why I felt like that, but before I do...” She paused and turned her gaze to Lyra, who was giving her an odd stare. “Lyra...”.

Lyra raised an eyebrow at her. “Y-yes?”

Bon Bon smiled softly at her. “You were right.”

Lyra stared at her blankly, blinking a few times. “I… was right?” she questioned sounding confused. “Whoa, wait… Y-you mean…” Her eyes widened in realization and her head darted to Chris before quickly turning back to Bon Bon. “You mean about you and... Chris?!”

Bon Bon looked to Chris curiously. “Did you not tell her what happened yet?”

“NO!” Lyra quickly shouted in frustration. “He wouldn’t tell me anything! He said he wasn’t sure what to say and he wanted to wait until you were ready to talk about it!”

“I just didn’t know if you wanted to keep what happened in the cabin private,” Chris admitted sadly. “It seemed like you were really upset and didn’t want do the herd anymore, so I didn’t know what to say.”

“Wh-wh… WHAT!?” Lyra shouted even louder this time. “You mean you wanted to do the herd?!”

Bon Bon smiled a bit more and blushed lightly at Lyra. “I’ll tell you what happened later, but I need to explain to you both why I got so upset yesterday.” She looked towards Chris with a frown. “You have to understand Chris… I really care about you. I really started to like you a lot, and that’s what scared me.”

Chris and Lyra both gave her a confused look, but waiting eagerly for her to continue.

Bon Bon sighed heavily. “I cared about Silver Wing, too. I even thought of him as the love of my life. The one that I would raise a family with, and we would grow old together. But, you both know how that ended.”

Both of them nodded their heads in understanding.

“I don’t have to tell Lyra how hard I took it when he left me,” she said looking towards Lyra sadly. “But that’s why I freaked out when you told me you lied about the door, Chris,” she continued turning back to him. “I thought I could trust you. Then, I found out that you were keeping the door a secret from me… I just… I couldn’t handle it. I started to remember how much I cared for Silver Wing and how everything he told me turned out to be a lie, and… I didn’t know what to think. I don’t even know how to describe it, but I just wasn’t thinking clearly. I… I just panicked.”

Chris frowned deeply. “I’m… sorry I did that, Bonny… I… I don’t know what else to say. I don’t have a good excuse for what I did except that I was an idiot and messed up.”

“It’s really not your fault, Chris,” Bon Bon admitted, placing the flowers she was still holding down on the bed, letting them rest next to her. “I’m still not over what Silver Wing did to me, and it might take me a while before I can put that behind me. But, it wasn’t fair of me to think that you would be like him. That doesn’t mean I’m not upset for what you did. That was a big thing to keep from me, Chris,” she said with a hint of sadness. “I understand that I overreacted yesterday, but you should have told me we could have left.” She turned her attention to Lyra before continuing. “And I’m still upset about how you sealed us both in that cabin, Lyra.”

Lyra frowned and looked away, drawing a circle in the floor with the edge of her hoof. “I’m really sorry, Bonny,” she said in a shaky voice. “I really messed up… big time.”

“I’m just very disappointed in you both,” Bon Bon said flatly.

“So, does… does this mean that you don’t want to do the herd now?” Lyra asked in a somber tone.

“Well…” Bon Bon started to say, smiling softly as she fidgeted with her forehooves. “I didn’t say that.” She blushed and started to tap her hooves together nervously. “I’m... actually kind of... glad this happened,” she admitted, glancing over to her broken leg.

“You’re glad?” Chris questioned in disbelief. “W-what do you mean?”

Bon Bon pressed her hooves together and looked up at Chris. “I think we let things get a little out of hoof when we were in the cabin, especially after I got over my fear.”

“Fear? What fear?” Lyra asked in concern.

“You… You don’t regret what we did… do you?” Chris asked sounding hurt and worried.

“What?!” Lyra half-shouted. “What did you guys do!?”

“No, Chris,” Bon Bon said, ignoring Lyra's outburst as she shook her head. “I really enjoyed myself, and I don’t regret anything.”

“What are you two talking about?” Lyra asked, rubbing the side of her face with her hoof in confusion.

“I’ll tell you later, Lyra,” Bon Bon said with a blush.

“Maybe we did move a little fast,” Chris admitted sadly.

Bon Bon nodded her head. “This whole event helped me to see that, and I think we should just take things slower from now on. I already know that Lyra is the love of my life, but―” she paused, blushing even brighter, which caused Lyra to perk her ears up at her. “But I know that because of how long I’ve known her for. I honestly can’t see living my life without her now.”

“B-Bonny…” Lyra whimpered as she lightly covered her lips with her hooves, tearing up at her words.

Bon Bon smiled at her before looking back at Chris. “Chris…” she said softly, pausing for a short moment. “I think you’re a wonderful stallion. You’re kind, caring, and… well…” she hesitated, as she bit her lip for a brief moment. “I-I find you... quite attractive. But, I feel like I still don’t know the real you. We’ve only really known each other for a little over a week. I still want to try the herd, but I want to get to know more about you before we do anything else.”

“Y-you… you mean that?” Lyra stuttered in a soft whimper as more tears started to form in her eyes. She sniffled a few times as her nose started to run again. “Y-you really want to give the herd a chance!?”

Bon Bon giggled softly and nodded her head.

“Oh, Bonny!” Lyra cried as she lunged forward as she wrapped hooves around her, squeezing her chest tightly as she wept softly.

“A-ahh,” Bon Bon grunted softly as a light pain shot through her leg once Lyra collided with her. The pain wasn’t as bad as it was before, thanks to the magical treatment and pain medication she was given. It hurt, but she could deal with it.

Bon Bon embraced the hug and wrapped her hooves around Lyra, holding her lovingly. Chris came in from behind Lyra and wrapped his arms around both of them, hugging them tightly.

Bon Bon wrapped one of her hooves around Chris, pulling him deeper into their embrace. They stayed like that for a long while, enjoying the closeness of one another as the room fell into a warm and comfortable silence. Only the sound of Lyra’s sniffling could be heard between them.

“I want to redo our date at The Everfree Moon,” Bon Bon said softly, causing them all to loosen their grip on each other and lean back a little. “The doctor said I should be able to leave in a few more days. As soon as I can, I’d love to take you both there. My treat.”

“Bonny, you don’t need to do that,” Chris said. “I think we still have the bits we saved up from last time that we haven’t used yet.” He looked to Lyra for confirmation, and she nodded in response.

Bon Bon shook her head. “I want to treat you both. Think of it as an apology for how I ran out the first time.”

“How about…” Chris mused, pausing to think for a moment. “We pay for the main course, then you can pick up the dessert and wine.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. She knew Chris wasn’t going to let her get away with paying for the entire night, but she could agree to the compromise. “Okay, deal.”

They leaned back, ending their embrace and Bon Bon rested herself on the bed before looked up to Chris. "I might need you to help me in the shop right away... that is, if you still want to. I don't think I can get much done with this broken leg now."

"Of course I do," Chris reassured her quickly, with a slight nod. "I'll let the girls know today that I'll be working with you now."

"Thank you, Chris," Bon Bon said softly before sighing. "The doctor also told me that I might be in this cast for a month or more. It's going to be difficult trying to do things at home for a while."

"I'll help you!" Lyra offered quickly. "I can move back in and help you until you're all better. I'll even cook for you!"

Bon Bon visibly winced at that, but before she could say anything, Chris spoke up.

"No offence Lyra, but your cooking isn't exactly the best. How about I come down and cook for both of you?"

"Well..." Bon Bon mused as she thought about both their offers. "I think I could definitely use some help at home, Lyra. That is, if you don't mind moving back in with me for a while."

"I don't mind at all!" Lyra said quickly. "I would love to be there for you."

Bon Bon blushed lightly at Lyra. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me," she said softly, looking up to Chris again. "And I think I can manage well enough on my own to cook for both of us, so you don't have to worry about me eating Lyra's cooking," she teased, sticking her tongue out slightly. "But, that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy it if you came down to see us and... well, if you're in the mood to cook, I wouldn't stop you."

"Deal," Chris said simply with a warm smile.

Lyra leaned back and smiled at them both. She sniffled a few times before wiping the tears from her eyes. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered softly.

“Believe what?” Chris asked.

“You two… you both really like each other, just like I knew you would,” Lyra said happily, holding a hoof to her chest with a soft and loving smile.

“Well, I may be willing to give the herd a try now, but... Chris and I have one condition,” Bon Bon said, looking up to Chris with a sly smirk.

Chris blinked a few times in confusion, but soon started to grin wickedly before nodding his head in understanding.

Bon Bon looked back to Lyra, unable to hide her now-wide smirk. “If you really want us to give the herd a chance, then we have something you must do for us.”

“Wh-what is it?” Lyra questioned nervously. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it! I’ll do anything!”

Chris and Bon Bon looked into each others eyes, before laughing softly.

Lyra watched them both and frowned worriedly. “I’m not going to like this… Am I?”

Author's Notes:

And now... A quote from JeremyStorm.

"If you don't love Pinchy in this fic you have no soul and I don't want to ever see you again."

Anyways.... yeah! These characters are FINALLY coming together! I can’t tell you how happy I am to be at this point now. We are coming to the big conclusion, and I can’t wait to get there! We got about 2 more chapters left and one bonce one if you guys want it.

Are you guys excited? Cause I’m excited!

Tell me what you think! Let me know if stuff is messed up or missing. You can check for chapter updates and progression here!