Bon-bon goes to anger management.

By: Wafflemuffin.

Chapter 5. A Change of pace

-Has chaos finally shown mercy to the suffering mare? Title might say it all!-

My name is Bon-bon, I’m a casual baker residing in a, erm…  ‘wonderful’ town known as Ponyville. I live with my partner, Lyra heartstrings. And I’m currently in anger management- well, trying to be anyway. Ever since my diagnosis and court order, I’ve been… how can I say, off course with the actual ‘therapy’ part.

A big door opened up for me after those few tense days, and I started to think that things were going to go swimmingly and I’d be a different, happier mare… right?

But it just seems like overnight, things have taken a dive bomb for the worse…

The plumbing in my house is damaged and causing our bills to sky rocket. I’m sleep deprived; a constant headache is aching inside my skull enough for me to worry about a brain illness. My partner, marefriend… has come down with an illness caused by a strange alcohol poisoning.

I was about to just give up.

I’m going to lose my plumbing, probably the house. I have no solid job, I have a friend who is hospitalized… and I think I’ve just lost Lyra, forever.

That is, until today, something happened.

The chaos ended, and now a whole new horizon has appeared after the bumpy road to get there.

I just hope I can keep going, and right the wrongs…

No, I will!

For me! And this is how!

A familiar place welcome Bon-bon with the cold and empty hug that only a black abyss could offer. She would of preferred a coma than to constantly wind up in semi purgatory nightmare land; population Bon-bon.  Her conscience mind had awoken quicker than from her previous blackouts; probably used to it now.

Her senses soon came online through the numbing- but not as enjoyable- moments of regaining consciousness. Her nose tickled, that was a start. She forced an eyelid to open, the effort was like lifting an anvil tied to her modest eyelashes, but eventually she succeeded. Regretting it soon after.

Light, light! Hisssss!!! Her eyelids clamped close as the blinding flickering light struck her poor defenseless pupils. It took a few flutters of her eyes to notice the blades of grass gently flowing in a light breeze that tickled along her nostrils. And only a few feet away was the crude, but warm camp fire that blazed upon the foundations of stones and twigs. Only now did the soft fur against her muzzle become enveloped in the embrace of heat that waved over in random patterns, as it danced in the breeze.

Her mind inquired on the origins of the campfire. That one question though exploded into a cluster of various other ones, her foggy mind becoming clearer, eyes widening as more questions came, outnumbering the answers.

Lyra!

Her mind shouted, catapulting the beige mare onto her hind quarters with a deep breath of air- then a wheeze, getting up too fast.

Her blue irises widened, breath taken-yet again- to the sight of the virgin landscape and woods that surrounded her. Night had befallen with Luna’s moon bright and full, casting its silverish blue hue into the darkness surrounding her.

Bon-bon sat and stared up to the glowing orb in the sky, unsure of how to feel; too many random instances to keep track of, though always ending with her wanting to scream. She sighed sadly, averting her gaze to stare down at the flattened grass beneath her hooves.

“You’re awake!” giggled a happy voice.

Silently, Bon-bon quirked her head to the direction of the voice, meeting eyes with a lavender unicorn that cantered around the flames to check on the once slumbering earth pony. A sudden affectionate nuzzle pressed up against Bon-bon’s neck, causing a furious blush across her cheeks from the contact, loss for words. Oh my… her thoughts expressed.

“I’m glad to see you’re OK.” Twilight began, “I sent Derpy and your friend to try and spot a good path for us to travel on. We seem to be in the northern parts of the Everfree.”  She explained, turning her head to glance at her surroundings with a small degree of scrutiny.

“Everfree? But…”

“Yep!” Twilight cut across, “Seems like in the middle of that scuffle back at the library, I sort of… accidently performed a teleportation spell.” She admitted, giving a small rub to the back of her neck to come embarrassment.

“Can’t we teleport back then?” Bon-bon questioned, having little to no knowledge on a unicorn’s magic other than lifting things.

“I considered that! But, the problem is that another magical burst like that might not be so good for Miss Ninja over there,” Twilight gestured with a point of her snout over towards a nearby tree.

At said tree, an abundance of strong vines were tied around the trunk, binding a sea green mare. She seemed to have a scowl, burning across her brow as she stared at the two in distaste. Her eyes were still that strange shade of blue.

Without a word, the two other mares approached Lyra by the tree. Through each step, Bon-bon was hit with flashes of Lyra’s hurtful words and erratic behavior that occurred before the mass teleportation. She swallowed her pain, keeping face as she came face to face with the shadow of her marefriend.  An awkward silence hung in the air, with only the crackling flames of the nearby campfire offering some ambience to the cool night.

What was she to say? What can I even do? She thought, feeling her emotions wanting to run rampant just from those sick blue eyes if not for the already apparent strain and emotional exhaustion already locked inside of Bon-bon.

“Never thought I’d see it in Ponyville, even with how close the Everfree forest is” Twilight’s thoughtful words broke the silence, catching Bon-bon’s attention while Lyra looked away with a “hmph”

“Huh? You know about this?”  Bon-bon asked with doubt heavy in her voice, quirking a brow to Twilight’s surprising words.

“I’ve read about it, and seen a few pictures in some leading medical journals from Detrot medical university.” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “Though, it is a rare case since Unicorns have a high tolerance to certain chemical compounds that already share the same make up of-“ She paused, noticing bon-bon’s big, confused puppy dog eyes, accompanied with a tiny tilt of her head.

“What I mean to say is” Twilight started to rephrase, “Unicorns handle various substances, or in this case alcohol, to a different degree. I mean, sure we can get as merry as the next pony, but when it’s harder stuff or, dare I say, something illegal. Our own natural defense mechanisms inside our bodies react differently due to our high connection with magic around us.”

Bon-bon made a small noise of understanding, looking back to Lyra who was busy glaring at the empty space before her eyes. She was torn between being thrilled and being more terrified of the origins of Lyra’s inebriation.

“A doctor told me that this case was caused by a…” Bon-bon could not dare say the true name of the amplifying agent, thinking better of it, “Strong level of Everfree- erm, Locoweed?”

“Locoweed? Thought so!” Twilight beamed, causing Bon-bon to grow uncomfortable- it was a rather dark subject after all.

“That’s a good thing?” Bon-bon nervously asked, forcing a smile, her brow was though was still expressing her unease.

“No.” She simply put with a smaller smile, “The good thing is that the antitoxin for Everfree locoweed actually grows in the forest too.” She hummed, placing a thoughtful hoof to her chin, “I’m sure I have the guide to Everfree fauna at the library still, it gives a clear illustration on what it looks like.”

Bon-bon’s heart skipped a beat, oh what glorious news! She had to place both her front hooves to her mouth to stop her from squealing, “So it could be here? Anywhere, maybe we’re standing on it?!” She babbled,  before looking down at her hooves and circling around, scrutinizing every little plant that caught her eye that would pass as the promising cure to Lyra’s illness.

Twilight gave a roll of her eyes, a smile keeping warm on her face however, “No silly. From what I can remember, it mainly grows near the centre of the forest…” She recalled, her voice softening, “Near some ruins if memory serves right, an area that’s by far the most treacherous areas of the Everfree, where even the plants and mud can devour you whole.”

Bon-bon’s heart sank, giving up her little scamper and falling flat onto her haunches with glassy eyes. Her demeanor changed to that of a foal finding out there was no such thing as a Saddle Claus. “B-But, couldn’t a Pegasus fly in and grab it quick?” She pleaded.

Twilight shook her head softly, “Unfortunately, the canopy is too thick in most of the ruin areas, and even still… the branches snatch at whatever prey floats by.”

“I see, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Bon-bon chuckled, trying to make the situation at hoof a little less disheartening.

A consoling hoof nudged at Bon-bon’s shoulder, moving its way to her mane to stroke her comfortingly, “If it’s any help Bon-bon, the state that Lyra is in should wear off eventually in a week or two… Maybe, give or take a few weeks.” Twilight said hesitantly.

Bon-bon’s eyes widened, a muscle below her eye spazzing to cause her irritable twitch to return.

Give… or take?.... Those words stabbed her entire being like a hot knife through already partially melted butter.

A short while had passed since the revelation of the Locoweed antitoxin, in that time Bon-bon tried to comprehend her choices and did her best to handle the straining worries of how she would deal with Lyra. Could she just put her back in the hospital and wait? Those hospital bills would soon come in, and the cost of having somepony in there for longer than a week would almost be enough for a deposit on a new, better house!

The beige pony knew she had to do something, and she knew if she waited for too long, something else chaotic would smash at her everyday life, and it could be for the last time.

Lyra had taken a vow of silence, not wanting to communicate with the traitors, especially since her lover had been fraternizing with her intended assassination target.

It was only an hour later of tense silence on Bon-bon’s part, did a winged silhouette take shape in the moon’s direct light. Derpy, now free from her control from Lyra, thanks to Twilight. Had returned to help guide the two other mares and one bounded unicorn back to Ponyville.

The question of Raindrop’s whereabouts came up, to which Derpy answered then and there, “She said she was feeling really tense, so she went towards Sweet apple acres for some reason.”

That aside, Derpy kept a low altitude for the others to follow. Lyra being balanced on both Twilight’s and Bon-bon’s backs as they trotted along the safe path, exchanging a few glances. The quick eye contact brought up questions on the previous dramas that had occurred within the library. Mutually, they were not brought up;  the prior events were enough for one night.

And so, Bon-bon took it upon herself to take care of her crazed partner, keeping the binding vines fastened as the others helped to place her in bed.  Lyra thankfully was already fast asleep by the time they walked in.

That’s right… home. The couple’s house was still in dismay and reeked of spoilt food and mould starting to grow from the bathroom upstairs caused by the flooding. Twilight gave a kind parting gift however, casting an organization spell to clean up the tattered living room and kitchen. Curtains hung where they rightfully belonged, shattered cases and destroyed kitchen utensils were magically repaired and placed back to their original positions; as if the chaos before never occurred.

Bon-bon finally perked up to a smile when Twilight and Derpy swarmed her with a group hug, which alone helped to melt away the icy tension. Bygones were bygones, Derpy had explained as well along the way that she had no idea Lyra was going to try and KILL Twilight Sparkle, but now it was just something in the past… Bon-bon noticed the two already seemed somewhat close.

They left, leaving a silent promise in the air that they would all meet again under less stressful circumstances. They reassured the beige mare with happy smiles and waves when she closed her front door- now devoid of cake icing.  A surge of warmth coursed through Bon-bon’s fur, such kindness, and forgiveness even? She wondered just how those two, namely Twilight could just…  let go of what went on tonight. Bon-bon was quite familiar with what strange happenings could happen to the town, but was oblivious that Twilight and the other elements of harmony lived with oddities both great and small every day.

That night, Bon-bon fell asleep on the couch with the TV turned on at minimal volume. She didn’t notice it, but she was smiling. Smiling that for just a tiny while, she was with others that would pass as friends, and were there for her.

So, is this the magic of friendship I keep hearing about? I quite like it… Her mind soon faded to numbness, drifting to a dreamless sleep.

Something was not right, no, something was amiss! Certainly there had to be a plausible explanation for this occurrence. Bon-bon had awoken to her own accord. Her eyes fluttered open, finding herself on her side and looking at the Equestrian morning news anchor seated at his desk. She blinked the remnants of sleep from her eyes that irritated the corners of her eyes, managing to focus on the lower-right bottom of the screen to read the time.

9.44am.

Well, that’s different, she thought. She suddenly jumped in surprise to her own mental voice. She could think! She placed a hoof on her forehead, closing her eyes to check for the irritable ringing headache. …Nothing. The headache of sleep depravity was gone without a trace. Not to mention her eye did not feel so sore anymore from the other day’s incident.

She was in a joyous disbelief, but quickly her joy fell to cautious attitude. Giving her living room a good look over, she hopped off her lounge and trotted over towards the closed drapes, pulling the fastened cord to welcome in Celestia’s sun.  Her mouth fell agape, feeling a warmth and new found appreciation for the day …for some odd reason.

Of course any moment of uplifting harmony was quickly shattered, as she remembered that upstairs bound-but not gagged this time, was her inebriated lover. She took a breath, preparing herself for the worse.  “Here we go…” She muttered, trotting up to their bedroom.

Only a partial ray of sunlight has managed to pierce in through a gap of the drapes, helping to lighten the room from its usual dimness. A lump on top of the old mattress of theirs remained immobile, with the exception of a few rise and falls that would be easily missed at first glance; Lyra was asleep. It was a rare instance that Bon-bon was thankful that her marefriend enjoyed sleeping in.

The beige mare had crept up to the bedside, watching Lyra sound asleep with her forelimbs still uncomfortably tied against her body. The sheets looked like they had been kicked off at some point at night, but luckily it was not a cold spring night; a cold would be the last thing anypony would want right now.

But now, more than ever, Bon-bon longed for the touch and warmth of her eccentric, somewhat crazed piece of sunshine. But she knew that right now, her Lyra didn’t exist anymore, for now, she hoped. A spur of a thought crossed Bon-bon’s mind, frowning at herself for even considering such a thing! But… what was the worst that could happen?

She held her breath, biting her bottom lip before she leant her muzzle forward, parting her lips ever so slightly. They came within reach of Lyra’s lips. She stopped. Her breath hitched as she hesitated, which in turn was enough to cause Lyra to stir from her slumber upon feeling Bon-bon’s warm breath wash over her own lips.

Bon-bon froze, fearing she had just awoken the slumbering dragon in its cave. Lyra’s right eye parted open, just enough to show that the same sickly blue hue was still vibrant as ever in the whites of her eyes. A lazy hiss of loathing came from her, turning away from Bon-bon with a grumble under her breath before falling back asleep, much like a spoiled foal.

Bon-bon sighed, more in relief than sadness. But right then she knew she couldn’t bring herself to just curl up into a ball and wallow, it didn’t get her far before… that and almost murdering other ponies with her bare hooves.  

She made her way to the doorway of their room, pausing mid trot to turn and look over her shoulder. Words caught in her throat, her lips dried, “I…” She loved her. She knew that, she cherished Lyra with all her heart. Why did she always feel so helpless? Even for Lyra… Why couldn’t she do anything herself?

Bon-bon closed her eyes tightly shut; tears welled up and streamed faster than she could hold back. She felt useless- No, she wasn’t! I can’t…

She lifted her head, forcing her bloodshot eyes open with her brow slanted in a scowl. Determination beamed from her burning eyes, her heart thudding a new sense of heat and energy to resonate inside her very core.

I’ll save you! She promised to not only to her love, but herself.

An hour later, Bon-bon had left and returned from the nearby local grocery store. She made herself scarce from the interested looks the other townsfolk gave her; being on two television shows now in less than two weeks was bound to get anypony popular, for all the wrong reasons…

Her saddlebags were filled with basic necessities, mainly milk, bread and a few oat snacks. She barely had time to even consider baking or buying new ingredients. She sighed as she looked over to her neglected oven, settling her bags down and stroking the clean, almost sleek edge of the oven she had gotten as a parting gift from her Auntie when she moved out. But before she could reminisce on the joyous times as a young filly baking treats for her happy and proud parents and other family members, a rapping at the door shattered any hope of a daydream.

“At least it’s not an obnoxious one…” She quietly commented to herself, remembering the gut wrenching stallion that had nearly destroyed her precious, expensive door that came with the house- the place was for rent anyway. Not that it made her any less proud to partially own it.

She opened the door, and almost got slapped upside the head by an unfurling yellow wing! Yelping, she staggered back in the nick of time, dodging the wing boner by the tip of a feather.  

“Good morning!” Raindrops chirped with joy, letting herself in as Bon-bon (with not much choice) stepped aside.

“Well this is surprising, how did you know where I lived?” Was the first thing to leave Bon-bon, rubbing the end of her snout to check for any damages, thankfully none.

The eager pegasi gave a friendly slap on Bon-bon’s back, perhaps a bit hard, “Well, duh! I’m a mailmare! I know where everypony lives!” She gleefully claimed, sounding not-so-creepy at all.  She cantered in towards the centre of the living room, continuing, “I came in to check on you, I knew Derpy would be just fine after that whole scandal, and see? I was right!” The winged pegasi puffed out her chest, giving a smug smile to the unamused Earth pony standing beside her.

“I see, and what was going to Sweet apple acres all about then?” Bon-bon prodded, lifting a questioning brow.

“What?” Raindrops stammered, she had specifically told Derpy not to tell anypony that detail! “I uhh, had to get some last minute groceries, Yeah!” She excused herself hastily. It sure as hell didn’t have to take Applejack to tell she was lying through her teeth. Bon-bon let it go anyway.

“Uh-huh…” Bon-bon drawled with a roll of her eyes.

Since she was here, Bon-bon decided to might as well be civilized and offer her strange new ‘friend’ some tea.  Their conversation moved quickly to the living room, seated upon a once fashionably dressed sofa. Raindrops of course being the more eager conversationalist as she began.

“So, did you end up working things out between you and Twilight?” Raindrops inquired with a little coo in her voice. That alone made Bon-bon cringe, internally.

“Raindrops…” Bon-bon sighed, facehoofing to emphasize her annoyance. She gave her question though a bit of thought, maybe it was best to keep this airheaded mare out of that touchy affair…

“It went OK” She continued, perking up to a false grin just to help drop the subject.

“That’s great! And hey, so is this tea!” Raindrops commented, sipping the beige mare’s own personal blend.

“Oh, thank you! I made it all myself, well I can’t anymore…” Bon-bon trailed off, remembering her little precious window garden she was so fond of. It was also the bearer of her tea leaves. “My little garden was destroyed” She paused, “In an accident of course!” She quickly added.

Raindrops frowned, “That’s a shame, ponies would pay good money for this! Its sweet, but you can taste that strong zest of what tea should really taste like all over your mouth.” Raindrops licked her lips, giving a soft little noise of delight as she took another sip from her mug.

“Oh, well I do fancy the more mature taste, but I say that even the most uptight of things have a sweet side!” Bon-bon winked as she merrily cooed her words.

The two of them broke out into a fit of giggles, banishing any chance for an awkward silence to hit between the two of them. When they calmed down, Bon-bon juggled the thought of selling more of her treats, Yes, I could just do that! I could make a bake sale, a large one! Surely I could make enough money to pay off that water company before the next month’s rent is due. A simple, perhaps even a boring idea right up Bon-bon’s alley!

“You really think so?”

“Think what? Selling this?”

“Yeah, I mean I have made a bunch of things to sell…“ Bon-bon’s baby blue eyes drifted from her mug in her hooves, catching sight of a peculiar image by the corner of her vision. Raindrops noticed the sudden gear shift in attention, swiveling her head around to gaze upon the television that was still on; they had been so caught up in their conversation they forgot it was even there.

Quickly scrounging for the remote that hid between the confines of the soft seats, Bon-bon tapped her hoof on the large buttons to increase the sound.

It couldn’t be… She thought hazily with her eyes glassing over in interest.

A camera panned across an empty dirt field, tall brick walls were in the distance, layered with steel sheets and bolts. Soon the camera- which was most likely attached to a fast moving hot air balloon- hovered and showed an eagle’s eye view of the enormous arena. An entire stadium was erected solely for this reoccurring event. Fans cheered on frantically as four large gates opened at opposite ends of the arena walls, with a very enthusiastic stallion announcing the competitors.

“Awwww RIGHT! Morning folks! And welcome to today’s first installment of Fire steel storm rumble!” The announcer roared into his microphone, in tandem with the words exploding in crude shrapnel graphics.

“You watch Fire steel-“

“Shh!” Bon-bon hushed the pegasi, her eyes wide as she carefully watched the programming.

Camera angles switched and panned in soaring arcs around the grand arena, big enough to fit Ponyville market square four times if not more! Large mechanical contraptions emerged out of their respected gates. All were wheeled and trembling with a variety of patterns, unique shapes and designs. In middle section of these peculiar vehicles was an encased box with open windows, to house the pilot of these contraptions.

Bon-bon could taste the rocks again… Those cursed Flim Flam brothers and their mechanical cart machine.

She scrutinized every one of the machines as they came into full view of the screen, trying her best to comprehend just what the announcer was on about.

“And here today is a special guest! From the distant land of Neighpon, we have Hayai Hien! Driving their unique, true-to-home design: The Tanegashima!”

The crowd roared as the foreigner pony waved to the adoring fans. His contraption’s design was beautiful yet intimidating with plated armor, bamboo and long blades that stretched out the front of its ‘hood’ as they called it.

“Oh! And a quick reminder to all you die hard metal heads out there! Next week we’ve got the amateur tournament being held at Las Pegasus stadium! Where the grand rumble prize is a whopping fourty-thousand bits! That’s enough to start any major league career! Woo!” The announcer was already about to lose his voice with his already jagged voice having to cough subtly between his sentences.

“F-Fourty… th-thousand...”  Bon-bon stammered, staring to tremble uncontrollably, dropping the balanced remote with a thud to the floor.

“Bonsy?...” Raindrops cautiously spoke, leaning forward to catch sight of Bon-bon almost frothing at her mouth.  She scooted closer, concerned about Bon-bon’s strange drooling and extended out a hoof to nudge her.

Upon contact, Bon-bon snapped out of her trance, flailed her front hooves and jolted off the sofa, running at full gallop once she touched the ground.  She slammed her basement door open without remorse, leaping down the flight of stairs without hesitation to land in the dark abyss that was Lyra’s workshop.

Raindrops followed as far as the basement door, unable to see anything further than the vague shape of Bon-bon standing upright to reach for something.  She was worried, just what in the hay was wrong with Bon-

CLICK

Bon-bon had tugged at the light switch that dangled from the ceiling. The basement came to life with multiple lights turning on in sets of two down the long expanse of her lair. Her mare cave, as she called it. Dusty desks with piled papers, toolboxes with the majority of their instruments misplaced or piled incorrectly. A multitude of mess caused by a very busy unicorn, it was also an OCD nightmare for many.

“Oh… my…” Raindrops brought her front hooves over her mouth, wings unfurling to the unmistakable sight.

There, parked in the middle of their expansive basement was one of the contraptions that Bon-bon had just seen on the television show. It looked to be completed, from what she and her little knowledge of the contraption could tell. But it was still one of ‘those’ machines, Lyra’s pride and joy… for the past three months anyway…

The dark grey steel was devoid of any color, that would probably be the next step Lyra would have taken.  The front hood was elongated and framed in an extra layer of steel and bars for what looked like extra protection.  

“It’s one of those driving machines…” Bon-bon spoke barely above a whisper, finding herself smiling widely at the engineering marvel.

From a pile of welded scrap, it was now her ray of hope. Raindrops made her way down to join Bon-bon in staring at the large hunk of machinery, having no clue if it was functional or not. As they both circled around its large frame, Raindrop’s hoof caught itself on a tome nearby one of the wheels. She promptly picked it up and read the large title printed on the front.

“The Hot harp manual, by Lyra Heartstrings.” She read out loud.

Bon-bon cantered over when she heard Raindrops speak, looking over her shoulder to gaze upon the front cover. No doubt it was Lyra’s own design and creation. Bon-bon questioned just how she never noticed Lyra’s efforts and creative genius-this WAS a big contraption.

“Looks like it’s an instruction manual” Raindrops stated the obvious, opening to the first few pages with a flick of her snout.  She skimmed along until a certain title caught Bon-bon’s interest, pressing her hoof onto the page she had spotted.

“Wait!” Bon-bon exclaimed, taking the manual away from her winged companion. She eagerly sat back onto her haunches with the book angled for her eyes to scan across Lyra’s writing.

Terrain specifications.

All wheels carry a basic enchantment to increase the durability, lifespan and overall adaptability of the tyres.  These tyres were especially made for a larger carriage to work in the mining industry within Stalliongrad. With some minor adjustment to the axel, these fit perfectly. I have also made calculations and tedious adjustments to the shock absorber system to enable this vehicle through even the toughest of terrains. This design hopefully will make way for a wider use of these machines, other than just being a transporter or entertainment shell.

With Bon-bon having gone silent for a few moments, Raindrops grew impatient, tapping at the edge of the other, ignored page with her hoof. “Well, what’s it say?” She whined, unable to hide her own interest in these machines or the show on television.

Bon-bon’s eyes stayed glued on the page, a sly smirk started to form and her eyes narrowed. She knew it was a foolish idea, a crazy one! But with how things were... Desperate times called for desperate measures.

The two had seemed to switch places; Bon-bon looking mischievous while Raindrops looked increasingly worried.

A disgruntled, purple baby dragon dragged himself into the main portion of the library, yawning without a hint of manners to cover his mouth, clicking his tongue a few times to help toss away the sour morning taste.  He blinked as the day’s work laid piled up before him, sighing in defeat that his blissful sleep in had come to a tragic end. The day was just starting though, and already a few ponies had come in to check out a few books. Spike was constantly looking to his surroundings for something, anything he could use as an excuse to procrastinate from the day’s boring work load.

“Spike! Come on, I had a rough night last night” Twilight’s voice spoke with authority, trotting in from the kitchen with a mug of coffee hovering in her magic aura. She knew, like a 6th sense when Spike was slacking off, again. “I even let you leave early to help Rarity at the boutique, so come on, chop chop!” Like a nagging mother, she closed her eyes and continued to walk off towards one of her open parchments she left upon a desk.

Spike groaned, “But Rarity really needed help this time!” he argued, squeezing his claws tightly shut to emphasize his agony of… less than 10 hours sleep! But all that he received back was the sleepy glare of his caretaker, wincing when her purple eyes leered into his very soul…

“Work…”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”  He stammered, picking up his pace to that of a book organizing machine!

The regular morning grind for the both of them was casually underway, a bumpy start of course to no surprise. But little did they know, it was about to come to a screeching halt.

A loud squeal shook up the stalls and nearby townsfolk, the noise came with a thundering bellow that sounded a lot like a steam train, only more high pitched and frequently growling. Twilight nearly dropped her mug, both her and Spike dropped what they were doing and rushed to the entrance of the library.

The sun would normally be bothering Twilight in her current state, of course regretting her resentment afterwards when she thought of her mentor. But right now, she could care less if her pupils burnt out; going wide eyed and finally dropped her mug with a mighty smash just outside the library door.

“Sweet Celestia!”

“Cool! What is that!”

Before them, parked, was a four wheeled machine with two goggle wearing ponies piloting the strange and roaring piece of engineering.  The beige mare lifted her goggles to give a wide smirk towards the librarian. Raindrops waved a big energetic hello to the two stunned groggy purple onlookers, excited of her first mechanical cart ride!

“Hey, Twilight! Still got that book on Everfree fauna?” Bon-bon shouted over the thundering engine, smiling sweetly.  What am I doing? She asked herself probably the one hundredth time today. Her thoughts came with no disheartening feelings this time, instead, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Because today, she was going to kick her misfortunes right in the face.

Now THIS is therapy...

Author’s notes: Well, ain’t this a sudden turn?