The Symphony of a Winning Lyrist

by JaketheGinger

First published 24th of December, 2012

For Lyra, life is pretty swell. She has the best fillyfriend anyone could ask for in Bon Bon and she doesn’t need to worry about work at all. If only things stayed that simple.

For Lyra, life is pretty swell. She has the best fillyfriend anyone could ask for in Bon Bon and she doesn’t need to worry about work or any complicated drama. Overall, she can live her life at her own tempo.

If only things stayed that simple.

Side story to The Life and Times of a Winning Pony and the rest of the Winningverse and approved by Chengar Qordath and Comma Kazie.

The Pony Who Makes Sweet Music

Hearts and Hooves day is so stressful.

But it’s so worth it if you pull it off. And by Celestia, I was going to make this Hearts and Hooves day the best one ever.

I’d been in a relationship with Bon Bon for well over a year now and this would be our second Hearts and Hooves day. Looking back on the first one, I suppose it didn’t really count. Our relationship was new at the time and we were still finding ourselves. We were more like two schoolfillies rather than full grown mares.

This time was going to be different. I was going to pull out all the stops in order to show my fillyfriend how much I loved her.

I could simply take her out on a lovely walk and play my lyre for her, that would have been romantic enough. The problem was that Bon Bon listened to my music almost every single day. I was starting to worry that she was losing interest in it.

So I wanted to surprise her. Well, a good surprise anyway. Every healthy relationship needs those, right?

The problem was that I didn’t really know what to do.

Ponyville’s a lovely town, I really couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. But it was so...humdrum. In such a small settlement, you ran out of exciting things to do fairly quickly. Bon Bon and I knew this town like we knew our own flanks. Anything exciting that did happen was unexpected and could never be planned for. It was often disastrous--damn parasprites...

I couldn’t take her out of town either; I just didn’t have the bits. Bon Bon had been telling me to get a job repeatedly over the past couple of weeks. I tried...then I gave up. If I needed any bits, I’d just busk for them. My parents were fairly loaded too. They lived in Canterlot, although I moved to Ponyville years ago. They bought me my own house--nothing too extravagant--and got me set up on the right hoof. I kinda live in Bon Bon’s house now, although I occasionally go back to my place from time to time.

Basically, when it came to bits, there was always a way around. No biggie. Bon Bon didn’t think so. I couldn't worry about work anyway, not when the more pressing matter of what to do with my fillyfriend hung around in my mind.

So I did what I always did when I was stuck in my thoughts: I played music.

I sat on a wooden bench in the middle of Ponyville park, my trusty lyre at hoof. I had a peculiar way of sitting sometimes and a lot of ponies commented on it. It had its uses though; by sitting on my haunches, my forehooves were free to be able to manipulate whatever they pleased. It would often be the case that Bon Bon would recline next to me while I sat like this, strumming my lyre. Many ponies had tried sitting like me and most of them commented on the fact that it pained them to do so. Which was odd because it never hurt me when I did it.

Cloud Kicker’s claims of my flexibility weren’t so exaggerated after all.

My horn glowed a bright amber as a pair of ethereal hands spread forth from my hooves. They glowed with my magical aura and billowed slightly in the air. This was my hand spell. Levitation was all well and good for lifting up objects but if you wanted to intricately fiddle with something, then this spell was the one for you.

My lyre could only be played with digits, although lyres did exist that could be played by hoof. They were bigger and clunkier though and made an inferior sound, in my opinion. My lyre and I were inseparable. Only Bon Bon had the rights to split us up. I’ve had it since I was a young filly you see, so it’s very special to me.

Today was the perfect day for some lyre playing, actually. The sky was a bright blue and I could feel the sun’s radiance warm my body. I could’ve fallen asleep right there and then, like some of the other ponies who were lying on the grass nearby.

Hardly anyone was around and all was quiet. I loved moments like this. It made my music stand out and all the more powerful. Not that I was looking for an audience.

One of my magical hands gripped the lyre and the other one waited to pluck the strings. The fingers were essentially an extension of myself so I could feel the strings and be able to tell if I had plucked them too hard or not. It’s hard to explain exactly how it works.

I plucked the strings in an orderly succession, playing a relaxing tune that I had known since my youth. It was a simple piece, but it always helped clear my mind. Exactly what I needed right now. The notes were high pitched and almost playful, the sound bringing a smile to my face.

The only issue with playing without an audience is that you can get lost in the music, which happened to me most of the time. I was so into my playing that I failed to notice Bon Bon approach and stand next to me. I was only alerted of her presence when I felt her lips on my cheek. I wasn’t surprised though; she always greeted me like this whenever I got lost in my own music.

“Hey Sweetie,” I greeted her, opening my eyes and putting an end to my tune. ‘Sweetie’ was my nickname for her since she was so talented at making delicious sweets.

“I thought I’d find you here,” she sat next to me on the bench and peered around before leaning against me. We were a considerate couple in that regard; we’d only get touchy-feely when everypony around us was okay with it or if nopony was there.

“Mhm.” As much as I loved seeing her, it only reminded me of the fact that Hearts and Hooves day was coming up. If I went silent on her though, she’d quickly suspect something. “How was business today?”

“Pretty good!” she answered cheerfully. “The sweethearts are selling well.” Sweethearts were a type of candy that Bon Bon only sold around Hearts and Hooves day. Each had a special message on it--romantic mushy stuff like “Be mine” and “True love”. They tasted really good too, obviously.

“Any left for me?” I asked, feeling a bit peckish. Then again, I always felt peckish when Bon Bon’s sweets were brought up.

“All sold out. You know you always get first taste of a fresh batch,” she reminded me with a smirk and my ears lowered at the unfortunate news.. Being Bon Bon’s sweet tester, I sometimes worried I’d gained weight since hooking up with her.

“Yeah I know. Couldn’t hurt to try asking though.”

“Sooo...” Bon Bon moved up the bench, putting more of her body on me. “Looking forward to Hearts and Hooves day?”

Oh no, here it comes. “Yeah!” I grinned, trying to sound as enthusiastic as I could. I wasn’t lying either. The prospect of spending a whole day with my fillyfriend, doing romantic things together, was something I always looked forward to. I was just so nervous about impressing her.

Bon Bon giggled, beginning to stroke my side. “If you’re this excited now, imagine what you’ll be like on the actual day!”

“It’ll be the best day ever, trust me.” I reclined back, not sure of how exactly it was going to be the best day ever. I certainly couldn’t think of any ideas while Bon Bon was around, that’s for sure. I needed her off my back. “I’m sleeping at my place tonight, by the way.”

Bon Bon looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. “Why so?”

I thought that’d get her suspicions aroused. Luckily, I had the perfect excuse. “So I can prepare your surprise for the big day, silly!”

Bon Bon’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape, then she gave one of her delightful smiles that always made me smile back. “Looking forward to it then!”

Ah. If she wasn’t expecting something before, she certainly was now. Dammit.

“It’ll certainly fulfill your expectations, trust me.” I should’ve stopped talking now. I was only making my problem worse. I had to back out of the situation...which meant ditching Bon Bon. Hopefully she’d understand.

“Therefore, I gotta start preparing!” Before she had time to respond, I planted a soft kiss on her lips. She returned it and wrapped her forelegs around me. I couldn’t help but return the embrace. This was only meant to be a quick kiss and go but I enjoyed moments like these far too much. Judging by her eagerness to return the gesture, she did too.

We finally broke off and I got off the bench, levitating my lyre beside me. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sweetie.” I stroked her chin with my magic hands and she practically purred. “Love you.”

“If that isn’t obvious by now, then we have a problem.” She snickered and gave me another light peck on the lips. “See you tomorrow afternoon then. I can’t wait for what you have planned!”

I certainly could.

I gave her a wave with a magical hand, before they vanished into thin air. I then turned and headed to...

To be honest, I had no idea where I was going to go.

In hindsight, I should’ve done this way earlier. Hearts and Hooves day was tomorrow.

I better be able to sleep tonight, despite knowing that I’ve probably bucked everything up. I still had some time and that was far better than no time. So I brainstormed. I thought of anything and everything that there was to do in Ponyville.

“Bowling?” I muttered out loud. “No no. No. Bowling is about as far from romantic as you can get. The spa?” That did seem like a good option. On any other day at least. It was going to be full of mares pampering themselves for the big day so we’d get no privacy. I shook my head, getting rid of the thought. “A nice romantic dinner? Maybe--no. We’ve done that far too many times before.”

I kicked a stray pebble as I walked along, looking down at the ground. I couldn’t think of anything worthwhile to do with my fillyfriend. I wanted to do something new and fresh with her but at the same time, I didn’t want to take her out of her comfort zone too much. So fishing was out of the question too.

I was beginning to come to horrifying conclusion that I might have to improvise on the day itself. That definitely wouldn’t work. Bon Bon would easily see through it and...I didn’t want to think about how she’d react.

“Lyra?”

My ears perked up and I turned my head towards the sound of the voice. I saw Carrot Top give me a wave and approach me, concern in her eyes. I guess I wasn’t hiding my anxiety very well.

“Hey,” I said simply, giving her a wave in return.

“Are you alright? You look really down and before Hearts and Hooves day...well...” She trailed off but didn’t continue. She didn’t need to.

“Things with us are good now, Carrot Top, don’t worry,” I reassured her, only to break that seconds later, “but they might not be on Hearts and Hooves day...”

Carrot Top tilted her head slightly. I answered before she could question.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with Bon Bon.” I stomped a hoof on the ground in mild frustration.

“Aah...” That was all I needed to hear. Great. So Carrot Top thought I was a careless fillyfriend too. “Well you don’t need to do something extreme.”

I went up to Carrot Top so quickly, we almost bashed heads. “But I need to make it special! Unique! A day she’ll remember forever!”

Carrot Top had the nerve to laugh quietly. “Really, Lyra, you’re worrying too much about it.”

“No I’m not! You don’t--” Woah. Thank Celestia I stopped myself there. I didn’t want to say anything stupid to Carrot Top. She didn’t deserve it. I took a deep breath and ran a hoof through my mane. Maybe I was worrying too much...

Carrot Top put a hoof on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. “What is Hearts and Hooves day really about?”

I frowned slightly at that. “Showing how much you love your special somepony. I know that.”

“Exactly. So don’t you think that being so materialistic about it is a bit insulting to both you and Bon Bon?”

I paused, my mouth going agape. She was right. Really right. Celestia, I’d been so stupid...

Showering your partner with gifts upon gifts was the easy way of showing your love for them. It was lazy and expensive. I’d gone about this the completely wrong way. I brought a hoof to my face, sighing. Over a year on and I was still getting things wrong. Yet...

“Yeah, I see what you mean. But...I still want to make it special for her, you know?”

“That’s understandable.” Admittedly I had tuned out by that point because something Carrot Top was carrying caught my attention.

“Flowers! I need flowers!” I pointed frantically at the baskets hanging from Carrot Top’s back, filled with delightful plants. “They’ll be perfect!”

I can’t believe I’d forgotten the basics. Flowers were just a given on Hearts and Hooves day. It was an unofficial law that you had to give them to your special somepony on that day at the very least.

“Of course you can have some--”

“Thank you thank you!” With my magic, a swiped a good hoof full of flowers from one of Carrot Top’s baskets. I don’t think she was too pleased at that, as I saw the faintest traces of a frown on her face.

Anyway, flowers: check. What else did I need? Something sweet of course! I couldn’t not have anything like that for my Sweetie. Sugarcube Corner would be my port of call and my only one. Hopefully it wasn’t too jam-packed.

I gave Carrot Top a quick hug as a thanks before galloping off towards the confectionary. “Thanks again, Carrot Top!” I yelled at her as I sped away. I didn’t hear her response but I did see her wave, which was enough for me. I’d been friends with her for many years so she’d understand.

Flowers and lyre floating alongside me, I made it to the bakery in no time at all. I shouldn’t have rushed there so quickly though. The massive queue that stretched outside the building made it clear that no matter what time I got there, I’d have to wait.

I could deal with that though, as long as I had time to prepare other things. I took my place at the back of the line and prepared to wait. I inspected the ponies in front of me and I could barely recognize any of them. I swear, some ponies from other towns must have come here just for Pinkie Pie’s delicious treats. Understandable I guess, considering they had a legendary status here in Ponyville.

As the queue shifted along at the speed of a slug, I began to recall the many confectionaries I could get Bon Bon. Pinkie and Bon Bon had a friendly rivalry of sorts because they both made sugary things but that didn’t stop neither of them from admitting that the other did make awesome treats. Sometimes they got too carried away though and...well, let’s just say I’m used to getting icing in my mane by now.

Gah. This queue was taking forever. I briefly considered the option of going to Derpy for some muffins, but she’s probably busy enough as it is, what with her two kids and a job. I know her fairly well but we’re not close friends by any means, despite the fact that whenever I do talk to her though, she’s lovely. I couldn’t imagine living her life though. She really turned me off having children. Possibly getting a job too. I never wanted to be as busy as she was.

Don’t get me wrong, Derpy’s kids and nice enough; Dinky’s an especially adorable filly. Though the reason I don’t talk to Derpy too much is because of her fillies; they cut so much into her time. She seems to love looking after them though so I’m happy for that family. Hm...I wonder if Sparkler has a special somepony yet...

After some time--Goddess knows how long--I finally entered the building proper. About five ponies were in front of me and after leaning to the side, I could see Mr and Mrs Cake rushing around behind the counter frantically. I’m not surprised they’re this busy, I just hope that they got their Hearts and Hooves day too.

I couldn’t see Pinkie anywhere so she was probably out of sight, either helping the Cakes or simply being Pinkie.

I saw the pony at the front of the queue turn around and leave the building, taking nothing with him. I bit my lip. Maybe he just didn’t want anything?

Then the pony who was behind him left, then the next and so on until I was at the front of the queue. I approached the counter, the Cakes now absent. My heart sank when I saw the dreaded sign on the surface:

Out of stock. Sorry!

I smacked my face with a hoof and dragged it down, groaning. I dejectedly left the line and headed to the front door. That was when Pinkie rushed past me and knocked me to the ground. Thankfully, my flowers and lyre remained in the air.

“I gotta get more ingrediiiiients!!” she yelled in a panicky tone. I sighed, getting up and dusting myself off. I wasn’t hurt, but I wasn’t prepared to queue again even if Pinkie got more goods. Looking outside, I could see that the day was ending anyway.

I walked past the queue, ignoring the confused looks of onlookers as they stared at Pinkie rushing into the distance as a dust trail formed behind her. I headed for home, hopeful that I had some sort of ace in the hole there.

Going back to my house always made feel a little better. It was just so...homey. It wasn’t too big, consisting of only four rooms: kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Five if you counted the small hall you went through after entering the building.

I closed the door behind me and trotted into the kitchen, heading to the sink and pouring a glass of water, which I then put the flowers in so they’d last the night. I also opened a cabinet just above the kitchen counter and brought down one of my most favorite treats. Mints.

Mints tasted amazing. There was nothing in the world quite like them. They made my mouth feel all tingly and I loved that plus, it made my breath smell lovely so it was a win-win situation for everyone involved. My friend Colgate gave me a supply of mints as well as a mint flavoured toothpaste. There was no escaping them now.

I popped one in my mouth, the fresh taste making me feel slightly better. I put my lyre gently onto the wooden table in the middle of the kitchen and then went to my bedroom. If I had remembered correctly, there were things in there that would definitely impress Bon Bon.

I opened the wooden closet in my room and stared at the many dresses inside. I grinned, silently thanking my parents for giving me these. When your family has a history of playing music for nobles in Canterlot, the bits tend to stack up fairly quickly. I was a bit of a deviant though. The last concert I played was in school when I was just a filly.

I levitated the clothes out of the closet and admired them each in turn. These would be perfect. I had quite the collection, although they rarely saw any use.

So which one do I pick?

The long white dress with blue tinges and frills was beautiful but so was the sleek black one. Then you have the elegant purple one and the short but stylish green one...

I dumped the dresses on the floor and collapsed onto my bed, burying my head into the mint green covers. One step forward, then two steps back. It seemed inevitable that tomorrow would be purely improvisation--and while I was good at that in music, in life, it generally doesn’t end well.

I decided to go ahead and get some sleep. Maybe it’d come to me in a dream. Or maybe I’d just get nightmares. Either way, worrying about tomorrow wasn’t doing me any good and the more rested I felt, the better I would look.

I put my head on the white pillow and pulled the covers over me, getting all nice and snug. Whenever I sleep at Bon Bon’s, I always forget how comfy my own bed is. I shut my eyes, anticipating the next day with a pit of dread in my stomach.

Today, I beat my personal best of how fast I could get out of bed.

As soon as I opened my eyes, it just came to me. I instantly knew how to solve the dress situation and scrambled out of bed, throwing the covers off me and diving onto the floor. It was so obvious!

Only one mare could help me now: Rarity.

I skipped breakfast, rushing out of the door and slamming it behind me. I made my way across Ponyville, going as fast as my legs would take me. I didn’t care if I looked like my blood had been replaced by sugar (or if I had been possessed by Pinkie); as long as Bon Bon didn’t see me, all was well.

In only a couple of minutes, I was at Carousel Boutique, banging on the door with a hoof. I desperately needed Rarity’s help and I wasn’t about to take no for an answer. After about twenty seconds of straight knocking though, I finally realized that the shop was closed. Probably would have helped if I looked at the sign first.

Where else would she be then? Sugarcube Corner maybe, I often saw her friends hang around there. It was my best shot at finding her for the moment.

I turned around and found the beast from Tartarus itself staring right at me: Rarity’s dreaded cat. I had heard stories of how bad tempered this moggy was and I didn’t want to mess with it. Unfortunately, I think I already had. My loud knocking must have awoken it because it looked like it had bed hair.

The cat stared at me with a piercing glare and I found myself backing away towards the door. When my flank hit the building, I carefully tried to sidestep away. Any sudden movement would probably provoke it. I didn’t keep my eyes off it until I was at a safe distance and when I was, I slowly turned my head away and briskly trotted off. Big mistake. The demon of an animal seized its chance and leapt at me, sinking its sharp claws right into my flank.

I clenched my teeth together, tearing up due to the sudden pain that emanated from my behind. I tried to shake the cat off but that only made the pain worse. I began pacing in circles, trying to take my mind off the pain. The only thing that would have made this whole ordeal worse was if Bon Bon saw me.

Oh. But Cloud Kicker seeing me is a much better option. Perfect.

I spotted her and Blossomforth flying by above and just knew that they had seen me. My face went as red as my wounded flank was. I wasn’t going to hear the end of this from Cloud Kicker.

She and I met in just as unusual circumstances, I suppose. A few years before I was with Bon Bon, she saw my playing on my lyre with my hand spell. And of course, being Cloud Kicker, she started hitting on me. She commented on my hand spell and said how she’d like to “experiment” with it. Fast forward half an hour later and we were banging. In my defense, only the most frigid of ponies turn down a night with Cloud Kicker.

By this point, I was up to my breaking point with this stupid cat. I bit my lip, preparing for the worst. After taking a deep breath, I did it and using levitation, I ripped the cat away from me. I can only describe the pain I felt as being similar to having a band-aid ripped from you. A band-aid with rusty nails in it.

The cat flailed viciously in the air, no doubt trying to claw my eyes out now. I hobbled to the dustbins outside the Boutique and dumped the beast in one of them, putting the lid on top. That’d teach it a lesson. It wasn’t like the animal could tell Rarity I did it anyway.

I peered at my wounds. They weren’t bleeding as much as I suspected but they still looked painful. So before finding Rarity, I needed to put a bandage on my flank. Great.

I really hoped that this wasn’t an ominous sign of what was to come.

I speedily went back home, got myself patched up and headed back out again so I wouldn’t waste time. The bandage on my flank was embarrassing but I’d live with it for now.

It was still morning so I assumed that if Rarity had a date, she wouldn’t be out with him yet. Knowing that, I traveled to Sugarcube Corner, hoping that she’d be there for me to take all for myself.

Apparently she was there and I had just caught her walking away from Sugarcube Corner, right towards the spa. I had to intercept her now; if she entered that spa, it would be hours before she got out.

I galloped towards her, ignoring the protests from my pained flank and practically leaped in front of her. She almost fell over backwards in shock but I wasn’t about to let her say anything until I had said my say.

“Rarity! Thank goodness I found you! I really really need your help!” I exclaimed, resisting the urge to grab her by the shoulders and take her away for myself.

She regained her standard regal composure and raised an eyebrow at me. “Whatever for?”

“Dresses! I need to pick a dress for my day with Bon Bon!”

“Ah, well...” She gazed wistfully in the direction of the spa so I simply got in the way of her view, trying to look as pleading as possible. “I suppose I can offer you my assistance.”

That was all I needed. I suddenly grabbed Rarity’s foreleg and started to drag her back to my house. “Thank you thank you let’s go!”

Despite the fact that she pretty much confirmed that she was going to help me, I didn’t let go of Rarity the whole way. Chances were high that she hated the invasion of her personal space so I knew I owed her something for her help..and for dumping her cat in a bin.

Yeah, that could have gone more smoothly. Eh, it’ll survive.

I barged into my house and stormed into my bedroom before I finally let go of Rarity. Upon calming down a bit, I immediately felt embarrassed. My room was still in the state I left it in this morning. I could hear Rarity make a quiet ‘tsk’ at it all.

“Hectic morning, hehehe...” Could I not have laughed anymore awkwardly there? I hurriedly enveloped the bed sheets with my magic and made them neat and proper. After that, I lifted up the many clothes I had carelessly scattered on the floor. “So this is what I got.”

Rarity took a moment to inspect each of the items in turn. She must have been entranced by them, as she had this almost silly grin on her face every time she touched the fabrics with her hooves.

“These are simply divine!” Her eyes sparkled along with my dress as she turned it over in front of her. “I never knew you had such an elegant taste, Lyra,” she commented, still focused on the hovering clothes.

“My parents gave them to me, so I didn’t really choose them.” I get along well with my folks, although that’s probably due to the fact that I hate arguing with them so I just nod and smile whenever they gave me something I’d rather not have. Like the time they gave me a flute. I still remember catching that cough from Bon Bon and the suffering I endured just to get out of playing it.

“Are they nobles?” Rarity asked, glancing at me for just a moment.

“Musicians in Canterlot.” My parents were actually quite popular back in the day. My father was a lyrist like me while my mother played the piano. They claimed that they played for the Princesses once, though not as a personal summons, and I believed them. They rarely played together in public. They kept their duets to themselves, which I thought was really romantic. My family has always been like that.

These days they’re not as popular as they were, thanks to the rise of young blood like the cellist Octavia. There was also the relatively newfound popularity of a different style of music with artists such as DJ-PON3. Not that I hated them for this, mind you. In fact, it was one of my dreams to play a duet with Octavia.

“Aah, I see. Well, let’s get down to business then!” Rarity exclaimed, pointing at the purple dress. “That one looks fabulous, darling.”

With her looks and accent, I was surprised that Rarity didn’t live in Canterlot. I assumed that the reason she stayed was because her friends were all here. I hoped that was the reason, because it was a really sweet one.

“Mhm.” I nodded, then paused when a realization struck me. “No! I can’t wear that one!”

Rarity blinked at me, raising an eyebrow. “Why ever not?”

“I wore that one for our anniversary a couple months back.” Good times. With the help of my parents, I managed to get Bon Bon and I in one of the most renowned restaurants in Canterlot: The Silver Saddle. The prices were outrageous considering the size of the portions we received but we had a great time anyway. Bon Bon said she’d arrange our next anniversary so I wouldn’t need to worry about topping the last one.

I put the anniversary dress back in the closet while Rarity peered at the others, pointing at a frilly orange dress. “That would go fantastically with your eyes.”

I bought the dress closer to myself, Rarity looking at me expectantly. I could definitely agree with her statement...but the dress was about as frilly as it could possibly be and I didn’t want to look like some pampered princess. “No no, don’t like it.” I shook my head, putting the dress alongside the purple one.

Rarity huffed a little, frowning at me. “Really, Lyra, you asked for my help and now you’re disagreeing with everything I pick!”

I’d probably be annoyed too if I were in her position. The next one that she picked would be the one. No ‘buts’ allowed. This was Rarity of all ponies, helping me in her area of expertise. I could trust her word.

Rarity rubbed her chin, thoughtful hums escaping from her. After a while, she settled on the sleek black dress. I didn’t have to time to voice my own opinions before she started putting the dress on for me. “Try it before you say anything,” she ordered in a motherly tone.

It was comfortable to wear so that was a good start. I looked down myself, unsure how I looked in it until Rarity got the mirror off my wall and presented it in front of me. The mirror wasn’t quite big enough to fit all of me in but what I did see, I liked. I did a full twirl, a smile appearing on my face. This was definitely the one.

Perhaps best of all was the fact that it covered my flank, thus hiding my bandages. I knew chances were high that Rarity had seen them. It was probably why all the dresses she had picked were long ones. Either she hadn’t noticed or she just didn’t ask about it.

Apparently I wasn’t completely through yet as Rarity put the mirror on the bed and started rumaging through my closet. I didn’t have much in there but regal stuff. It’s not like I wore clothes everyday.

“Hm...you just need a couple of accessories to complete the image.” She went out of the closet, finding nothing. My drawers were her next item of interest and she rigorously searched through them, conveniently putting everything back in place once she was done.

Eventually, she found something. “Aha! I think this shall suffice,” she proclaimed, fitting a black headband on me. I brought the mirror to my face and checked out my new look. Rarity certainly knew what she was doing.

Even after all this, she apparently wasn’t done yet. She eyed me up and down before asking, “Do you have any jewellery?”

“Of course I do!” I replied cheerfully, going down onto the floor and looking under the bed. It took me awhile to find it in the dark but I managed to bring out a small wooden box. I stood up, opening the box and presenting the contents to Rarity.

Her face immediately lit up. “These are simply...simply amazing!” I couldn’t help but smirk at her reaction.

Due to the fact that I wasn’t always here, I hid items of high value around the house (with the exception of the dresses). Inside the box was a collection of fine jewellery, some plain and others encrusted with sparkling jewels. It wasn’t the most valuable set in Equestria but selling them would have made a pony’s life a lot easier.

Rarity levitated them out of the box and slowly spun them around her head. For a moment, I was afraid she was going to take them for her own. This was the bearer of the Element of Generosity I was talking about though, so I quickly dispelled those thoughts from my head.

I thought she had gotten lost in a dream, yet she seemed to snap out of it before I could say anything. With a determined certainty, she nodded to herself and put an aquamarine pendant around my neck. I grinned, letting out a small squeal of excitement. I couldn’t help it; I hadn’t looked this beautiful in a while.

“You look outstanding.” The tone of her voice confirmed how sincere she was. “Bon Bon’s a very lucky mare to have you.”

As egotistical as it sounds, in this outfit I had to agree with her. I was quick to voice my thanks towards her. “Thank you, Rarity. Honestly. I kinda pushed you into this so you didn’t have to help but you did anyway. I owe you so much--”

“Think nothing of it, dear,” Rarity interrupted nonchalantly, heading towards the bedroom door. “Now, I must go. Things to do and ponies to see!”

“Like your special somepony?” I gave her a sly grin.

Oddly enough, she hesitated before answering. “Something like that. Yes.” She put a hoof on the door knob. “Have a lovely day.”

“You too!” I smiled at her brightly, watching her leave the room. I felt a tinge of worry poke at my insides. Something about her as she left was off. Surely she had a special somepony? Who wouldn’t go out with Rarity?

If she didn’t have anypony then I definitely owed her for saying something so careless and I sighed, looking back at myself in the mirror, my reflection strengthening my resolve. I couldn’t worry about her now, not when I had my Sweetie to impress.

I had a light lunch before setting outside. The nerves were really building up within me now and I didn’t want to throw up all over my fillyfriend. Or anywhere else for that matter.

I popped a mint in my mouth, pacing around the kitchen table. Half of me was excited at what lay ahead and the other half was terrified of what could happen. Regardless of my doubts, I knew that turning up would be far better than being a no show. That would break Bon Bon’s heart and I’d rather get attacked by an army of angry cats than let that happen.

After swallowing my mint, I took a deep breath, got the flowers from yesterday and practically marched to the front door. “Okay, Lyra...you can do this. Go out there and give your fillyfriend a real good time!” I told myself, my words actually spurring me on. I swung the door open and stepped outside into the open air.

By now, the day was perfect for my outing with Bon Bon. I stood outside my house for a bit, basking in the afternoon sun. Though the sight of couples in the distance made me move on. Every couple looked serene and happy. Exactly how I wanted Bon Bon to feel.

As I walked, it didn’t take me long to figure out that I may have been slightly overdressed for today. A few other mares were wearing dresses but they were nothing like mine. I merely shrugged. If nothing else, I’d at least made the effort.

On closer inspection of the other mares, I realized that while they weren’t wearing anything very extravagant, all of them had done up their manes and covered their faces in make-up. I hadn’t done anything in that department. I wasn’t going to turn back now, no. I was never one for huge dollops of make-up anyway.

Along the way to Bon Bon’s house, I had failed to notice a single pony who was by themself. Either all the single ponies were hiding in their homes or everypony had somepony to share the day with. The romantic in me hoped it was the latter.

I beamed when I saw my fillyfriend’s home. Bon Bon’s house was bigger than mine, having a second floor. Her bedroom had a open balcony where she and I shared many a kiss during the night. It was a great place to sit back, relax and watch the stars.

I stopped before her front door, checking my breath. Yep. Still minty as ever. This was it; I was ready as I was ever going to be.

I forced myself to knock on the door rhythmically and hid the flowers behind my tail. This was the worst part because I knew she was coming but I didn’t know what she was going to think or say. It felt agonizing, standing there by myself, seconds feeling like drawn out minutes.

The door opened and there she was, the love of my life. She looked beautiful. The simplicity of her outfit really made her beauty stand out; the only things she wore were a few flowers in her mane and a necklace with a red jewel in the middle.

We stood there, both speechless at the sight of one another. I didn’t know what to do or say. I wanted to give her a big hug, but I was afraid that by simply touching her I’d break her lovely image.

Apparently she felt the same way. She raised a hoof and gingerly stroked my cheek, giving me one of those smiles that reminded me of why I loved her. “You look amazing, Lyra.”

“And you look fantastic.” I revealed the flowers to her. “For you, my special somepony.”

Bon Bon gasped quietly and carefully took a yellow petalled flower from the bunch and put it with the others in her mane. “Thank you, Lyra...I’m not sure whether to keep these or eat them.”

I gave her a playful smirk. “Whichever you want. They’re your gift.”

After I said that, she took the plunge and chomped down the flowers. Judging by the satisfied look on her face afterwards, they tasted really good. “I wasn’t expecting a surprise like this. I thought you were going to go a little overboard today.”

I laughed, trying to push the memories of yesterday out of my mind while trying not to look awkward. “I just wanted you to be happy.”

“I’m more than happy,” Bon Bon replied, leaning closer to me and whispering, “I’m in love.” And with that, she gave me a passionate kiss on the lips. Her actions unleashed my full excitement, drowning all my previous anxieties. I closed my eyes and reveled in the moment.

Bon Bon broke away at just the right moment. The kiss was long enough to savour but not too long as to drag on. “Take me to the park?” she asked, outstretching a hoof.

“Gladly.” I took her hoof in my own and led her away from the park, bubbling with joy. I was practically skipping, humming a delightful tune to myself.

Above the park, the skies were completely clear. Everything seemed to be going right now, thank Celestia. Somehow, I think I had pulled it off.

We entered the park, spotting quite a few other couples milling about. The atmosphere was one of calm and--more importantly--romance. Bon Bon started to lean on me, letting out a contented sigh. I nuzzled her mane, taking a whiff of the perfume she had on. She smelt like sweet, sweet candy.

Then I noticed Rarity sitting opposite Applejack, the pair both having cups of tea. I gave a little squee of delight at the sight of them. I knew Rarity wouldn’t be alone today!

Before my date could go on, I felt obliged to thank her again. “Be right back!” I exclaimed, dashing away from Bon Bon and charging towards Rarity.

“Rarity! Rarity!” Rarity turned her head towards me and I managed to stop myself before I crashed into her. All of my success today was because of her and it felt so good knowing that I had made it into the clear. I jumped up and down on the spot, wanting to make this quick and to the point.

"Hey Rarity glad I ran into you thanks again for your help Bon Bon loves the dress oh hey Applejack nice catch Rarity she's cute anyway gotta go Bon Bon's waiting for me just wanted to thank you again bye Rarity bye Applejack!"

Then I zoomed off back to my fillyfriend, leaving the pair behind. I surprised even myself at how I managed to say all of that in only one breath. Hopefully it didn’t look like I was rushing my thanks. I was genuinely thrilled and wanted to leave those two to their date.

I went back to my place besides Bon Bon, who was staring at me with a confused look. “And that was about...?”

“I was just thanking Rarity for something she helped me with earlier!” Keep it vague, Lyra, then it’s not really a lie. I didn’t want Bon Bon to find out that it was Rarity who really did all the hard work. I nudged her in the side, steering the conversation down a slightly different route. “So, Applejack and Rarity, eh?”

We both looked at the couple, giggling when we saw that Rarity had accidentally over filled Applejack’s cup. “First time nerves,” Bon Bon remarked, “Isn’t it so cute?”

“I think it’s really sweet how two mares of such polar lifestyles can find love together.” I smiled nostalgically. Bon Bon and I were that awkward once. “I wish them the best.”

“Me too. They’re both such hard workers and they deserve all the happiness they can get.” We kept walking, leaving the new couple behind us. Perhaps I could give Rarity some advice with romance in order to repay her. Although I had a feeling she’d be offended if I straight up gave it to her.

We came to a fork in the path and Bon Bon took us down the left side. Other couples smiled at us as we went by, which we returned. We may not have been the longest running couple in Ponyville but we were arguably one of the most famous. Sometimes I didn’t know how to feel about that. A lot of ponies were happy for us but at the same time, gossip sometimes spread around far too easily.

It wasn’t long before we bumped into another couple. Well, they weren’t officially a couple. Neither of them were really glammed up for the day so they were probably enjoying the day as friends.

“Hey Colgate, Caramel,” I started, their ears twitching at the sound of my voice. They turned and gave us both a smile with a nod.

“It’s the couple of the hour!” Colgate sang. We didn’t blush at all, far too used to attention like that. “I hope you’re enjoying your day together.”

“Oh we are, believe me,” Bon Bon answered, nuzzling my neck. She wasn’t normally this affectionate in public but Hearts and Hooves day was a free pass for this kind of thing.

“And what about you two?” I asked, smirking suggestively.

Caramel blinked. “Oh no, we’re just going out as friends,” he explained. I didn’t know Caramel that much but he seemed like a nice, dependable stallion. He and Colgate would probably make a nice pairing.

“Mhm. It’s nice having somepony to talk to without it being romantic,” Colgate continued, nudging Caramel slightly. The only problem with Hearts and Hooves Day was that it was a depressing day to be alone on. Thank Celestia I don’t have that problem.

“Yeah, although I couldn’t resist giving Colgate some chocolates.” Whoa, Caramel had managed to do that? Colgate is such a clean teeth freak, it can be hard to get her to eat anything that actually tastes good. If Caramel got her to eat some chocolates, then either they’re very good friends or there was far more going on between them.

Colgate grinned sheepishly, rubbing her foreleg while Caramel kept talking, “We did have to go back to house to clean our teeth though.” Aah, that sounds about right. Now his feat seemed less impressive. Still a nice gesture though.

“How goes your business, Caramel?” Bon Bon asked. Caramel had his own stand where he sold...caramel treats. It was apparently a family tradition so I’m not surprised at his obvious name. Sometimes he’d join forces with the apple family, selling caramel coated apples, where the profits would be split evenly.

Like Colgate, his cutie mark seemed to have nothing to do with his job. I didn’t know enough about him to tell anyone why though. I’d have to ask some time.

“Well enough. But I think your sweethearts are damaging my sales slightly,” Caramel responded jokingly. It was kind of funny how Colgate was friends with two ponies whose profession was to sell sugary treats.

“We’ll let you two get to it then,” Colgate said, with an awkward laugh, putting an abrupt end to our conversation. She did always get embarrassed whenever someone pointed out her obsession with clean teeth. But who would tell her to change? If anything, everypony should follow in her hoofsteps and there would be bright smiles all around.

On second thoughts, maybe not everypony. Pinkie, Bon Bon and me to name a few.

“Enjoy your day.” Bon Bon stopped nuzzling me and waved a hoof as they passed. I gave them a polite nod as a goodbye and when they were gone, we kept going down the path. “They both need a special somepony.”

“It’d be nice. If we’re going to talk about how many ponies deserve partners though, we’re going to be here for a while.” Ponyville was one of the friendliest towns I knew and that was all there was to it. There were couples--believe me, you had the fillies to prove that much--but so many ponies were still single. Bon Bon and I were one of the few recent success stories.

Off the top of my head, Colgate, Carrot Top, Berry Punch, Derpy, Cheerilee, Pinkie, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy deserved special someponies of their own. Heck, even Cloud Kicker. I think the reason she got around so much was because she was trying to fill a void in her life. I wasn’t about to ask her about that but if it ever came up, I’d talk to her. On the other hoof, she genuinely seemed to love what she did.

Despite all of the single ponies out there, I wasn’t about to play matchmaker. Love is a delicate thing. You have to let it take its own course. Hah, listen to me prattle on about love. I’m such a Heartstrings.

Bon Bon steered us off the path and up a small grassy hill. I wasn’t about to object, strange as it was. There didn’t seem to be anything here of interest. When we reached the top, Bon Bon stopped and looked at me.

“It’s a shame you’re wearing that special dress.” I blinked. I thought she had liked it? The sly tone of her voice and that smirk she wore betrayed her words, but I wasn’t sure what she was hinting at.

“U-um...why?” I spluttered out. It can’t fall apart now. Not after what happened.

Bon Bon simply pointed up and I looked into the sky. There was a single gray cloud above and flying besides it was Cloud Kicker. She looked at me and gave me a sneaky smirk.

Dammit. Yeah. She knew about the cat fiasco.

Then for no good reason whatsoever, she bucked the cloud and sent rain pouring down on us. Had...had Bon Bon and Cloud Kicker set this up just to prank me?! It was only a few seconds before I was completely wet, my beautiful outfit now ruined. This was not funny. Nopony pranks their special somepony on Hearts and Hooves day! That’s just...horrible!

I can’t believe this! I had made an effort, a really good effort, to impress Bon Bon for this special day. And then she just goes and pulls a stupid prank on me?! She better have a damn good reason for this!

And then I felt her lips on mine.

What?

My mind was all muddled up but I returned the kiss. It was definitely passionate but my confusion prevented me from fully enjoying it. I needed an explanation right now.

When we broke apart, I mumbled trying to ask a question then simply fell back on my haunches. I rubbed my eyes and examined the scene again.

Rain, plus me, plus Bon Bon makes...

Oh. Oh.

I really love you Bon Bon.

She had gone and created probably the most romantic scene ever. I didn’t even care that I was soaking wet anymore. Bon Bon looked slightly worried at my reaction but I was so filled with euphoria that I pounced at her before she could say anything, bringing her to the floor.

Her eyes widened in surprise but soon she was giggling delightfully. “Surprise.”

I held her face with my hooves, bringing her’s closer to mine. “Shut up and enjoy the moment.”

Then I went in for the kill and snogged her. I wasn’t holding back, not for this. Even when my eyes were closed, I could still see the mare that I cherished so dearly in her beautiful glory. My hooves found themselves wrapped against Bon Bon’s body and hers were around mine. We pulled each other closer together and started to caress each other gently. Our wet bodies only made the contact more pleasurable.

We had never been this passionate in public before. I didn’t care. It felt so right. I didn’t even care if Cloud Kicker was watching us or not.

Bon Bon pushed me away but only slightly so our lips parted. My body wanted more but there was something I wanted to know first. “How?”

She looked so good, lying there, wet mane covering her eyes. “I asked Rainbow Dash if she could set it up. But it seems Cloud Kicker did it instead.”

I glanced up for just a moment. Cloud Kicker was gone but I bet if she had been watching us, she enjoyed it. I’d have to thank both her and Rainbow Dash sometime.

“You’re brilliant.” I looked back down at my fillyfriend. There was only one other thing I could say. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Lyra.” With that, she pulled me back to her and we were at it again. All the build up and suffering I endured was totally worth it. This was without a doubt, the best Hearts and Hooves day ever.

Bon Bon had completely surprised me and for that, I was very thankful. Again, in my worry to impress Bon Bon I had forgotten one of the most important rules of dating: the relationship had to be equal. We had both surprised each other today, although I think her surprise for me was the better one. Nevermind. It takes two to kiss after all.

I wanted this moment to last forever. The pitter patter of the rain was the perfect backdrop to our kissing and cuddling and stroking Bon Bon’s wet fur felt so good.

Bon Bon eventually pushed me away again. “As much as I love this, we should really stop.”

I had to agree with her there, no matter how much I disliked it. Had we kept going, it wouldn’t be long before we started to bang and neither of us wanted to bang in public, even if it was Hearts and Hooves day. Unless...

“We don’t have to stop. There’s always home,” I suggested. Bon Bon’s eyes lit up with realization and we both got off each other, standing up.

I stared into Bon Bon’s eyes and she stared into mine. Then we both glanced at Ponyville. We could see Bon Bon’s house from here. Without any prompting, we both sped off together, galloping relentlessly towards the house. My heart was beating so fast at this point, I thought it’d burst out of my chest and do a little dance.

We were caked in a mixture of mud, rain and sweat. My dress was ruined probably beyond repair. If Rarity ever found out, she’d most likely slap me until my cheek was numb. Good thing she was distracted by Applejack.

Ponies stared at us when we rushed past them, so many questions in their heads no doubt. Forget them. We were having fun and nopony had the right to stop that.

The moment we entered the house--making sure to lock the door behind us--the first thing we went for was the bed.

Wow.

Did I ever mention how much I loved Hearts and Hooves day?

Author's Notes:

A massive thanks to Chengar Qordath and Comma-Kazie for approving this story and also thanks to them, Incidental Pegasus No. 5 and Infinion for their assistance in pre-reading!

The Pony With the Minty Fresh Breath

Judging from how Bon Bon and I spent the night together, I can safely say that Hearts and Hooves day was a success. After a couple of days, life was settling back to the norm for me now: get up, eat, socialize, play music, spend time with Bon Bon, sleep. It sounds mundane, but it also means I live at my own pace.

At the moment, I was in the ‘spend time with Bon Bon’ portion of the day. With Hearts and Hooves day behind us, we were back to following the ‘no passion in public’ rule, so we were just strolling along in Ponyville side by side.

By now my wounds had healed, meaning I didn’t have to wear any embarrassing band-aids in public. Bon Bon did ask about my injuries, but I think I gave her a pretty good excuse. It’s a common mistake to accidentally fall into a bush, isn’t it?

We were strolling past Sugarcube corner--neither of us feeling particularly peckish right now--when I suddenly remembered something important.

“If all goes well, I should get my monthly bits from my parents in a couple of days,” I stated. Mom and Dad were always reliable like that, giving me enough every month to get by, but nothing extra for luxuries.

Bon Bon’s ears twitched and she blinked. “Oh... good.” She smiled, although looking at her I could tell it was incredibly forced. I stopped myself from sighing out loud.

“Yep,” I said as neutrally as I could muster. I couldn’t deal with that talk right now.

“Hm, not many ponies around,” I continued, looking around. “I was hoping we’d bump into Colgate.” My fillyfriend gave me a curious glance. “Yeah, I want to ask her how the rest of Hearts and Hooves day went for her.” I hadn’t seen her since then, mainly because she has a job and I don’t. And trust me, the dentist’s is not a fun place to hang out.

“You’ll see her sometime soon, I’m sure.” Bon Bon stared off into the distance, and a big grin appeared on her face. “Cherry Berry! Over here!” she called out, waving over a pink mare with a golden mane.

Cherry noticed and, of course, trotted our way. “Bon Bon!” She gave her a hug, before turning her head to look at me. “Lyra.”

“Cherry,” I replied, trying to sound civil. Gah. I wanted a distraction, just not this annoying mare for one.

She then ignored me, going back to Bon Bon. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in ages!” There’s a reason for that, Cherry. “How are you?”

“Pretty good! What about you? How did Hearts and Hooves day go?” Bon Bon asked cheerfully. I prepared myself for the ordeal that was about to come.

“Well I had this really romantic date with this hunk of a stallion. And he doesn’t come from Ponyville either. No no, he’s from Manehattan!...”

Manehattan? Give me a break. I’d actually be impressed if he came from Canterlot. And even then, he would have to be a noble. Despite my family being quite well off, I would have trouble finding a stallion noble of my own. But why would I bother, anyway? I got Bons right here.

“...and we went in my hot air balloon and had such a romantic picnic in the skies! Then we watched the sun go down together...”

Yep. Because doing something you do almost everyday is really making an effort.

“...when we landed, he surprised me by taking me out on a evening dinner! Oh, it was perfect!”

Bon Bon just stood there and took everything in, smiling. I found Cherry’s tale a bit hard to believe; names are important, you know.

I went ahead and asked her, “What’s his name?”

“Snow Whip,” Cherry answered, her grin slightly smug as she ran a hoof through her golden mane.

I still wasn’t fully convinced. “So, can we see him?”

“Yes!” Bon Bon exclaimed, excitedly stamping her hooves on the ground. “I want to know what he’s like!”

Cherry glared at me for just a second before answering confidently, “Well it was just a one time thing. You know, for fun! Besides, I’m not looking for a relationship anyway.” Forget it, this is Cherry we’re talking about here.

Obviously, Bon Bon was more worried than I was. “You sure, Cherry?”

Cherry rubbed Bon Bon’s mane affectionately. I tried my best to hide the slight scowl on my face. “Of course I’m sure. No stallion could ever meet my standards anyway! So, how was your day?” Cherry asked my fillyfriend, not even sparing me a look.

“Oh, it was wonderful. Truly wonderful...” Bon Bon sighed happily, leaning onto me and I allowed myself to relax for a moment. It didn’t last long though, and soon we were standing next to each other again.

“I suppose it would’ve been.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Cherry’s voice, but Bon Bon didn’t notice it.

“Yeah...” Bon Bon trailed off, then snapped back to reality. “Lyra and I were just walking around town. Wanna join us?”

Dammit, Bon Bon.

Cherry took no hesitation in accepting the offer, and now our pair had turned into a trio. I just looked forward, trying to block out Cherry’s grating voice, and resigned to my fate as the third wheel.

“Got any new jokes?” Bon Bon asked Cherry.

Cherry nodded swiftly. “Duh! Okay, I got this really good one.” Here we go. “So, a earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn are--” Oh good grief, not one of these ones. They have the longest build up for the most disappointing pay off.

“...finally, the unicorn looks into the magic mirror and says ‘I work--’ and then was sucked into the mirror for lying!”

Did she just...?

I looked at them both; Bon Bon was giggling madly. Cherry was snickering and gave me a sneaky glance.

Yeah. She totally made that about me.

I could see where this was going. “Heh, that was alright I guess. But as much as your jokes are hilarious, Cherry, I think I’m going to go play my lyre.”

I tried to make a swift exit but Bon Bon pecked me on the cheek before I could get away. “See you later then. Have fun!”

“Yeah, you too, Bons.” I gave her a sweet smile, then waved at both of them before trotting off. I had backed down again, but it’s always better to do that than let the pony you love get caught up in the crossfire.

I walked off, grumbling to myself and started to head back home. I could think of something else to do there. At the very least, my lyre was there.

Playing some music would lift my spirits. Music lets you channel your emotions through it. It’s so easy to just let yourself go on the dancefloor, breaking out all sorts of embarrassing dance moves, and not having a single care in the world.

See, I really did know my music; I had studied music and its history at Canterlot College. I didn’t get anything to show for it, though. Some may call that a wasted opportunity, but I think that was when I found myself.

I peered around Ponyville. Bon Bon and Cherry were gone, and there wasn’t anypony else I could recognize. I shrugged and kept on walking towards home. I had no obligations to fulfill, so I thought I would go ahead and get my lyre.

“Lyra!”

I jerked my head to the side, and sawColgate galloping towards me. “Colgate! Good to see you, I’ve been wondering how your date with Caramel went.”

“That’ll have to wait. Sorry, but I’m only here to remind you that you have an appointment with me tomorrow.” She had her ‘professional’ voice on, which always felt weird hearing. I was her friend--I didn’t mind if she relaxed a little when it came to me and her job.

I tilted my head slightly, raising an eyebrow. “I made an appointment? I don’t remember doing that.”

“Well you did. Unfortunately, I can’t rearrange it either. My schedule is filled to the brim with patients and I can’t switch any appointments around.” I assumed she wasn’t working today because she wasn’t wearing her white coat.

“It must have slipped my mind then. What time?”

“Eleven AM.” I mentally scribbled that down in my head and put it in the recesses of my memory. I’d probably remember it anyway since I had nothing planned for tomorrow.

“I’ll be there. Now with that out of the way...” I leant closer to her. “How did your date go?”

She took a step back from me. “Sorry, Lyra, I don’t have time to talk. I’m on break and I don’t want to be late for my next patient.” She broke her professionalism for just a moment, giving me a sincere smile and dropping the voice. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Alright. See you later, then.” I waved at her, giving her permission to gallop off. It’s really boring having friends who work, because you sometimes end up being by yourself and having nothing to do. It was so much easier when I had friends in school, who had a bunch of hours off to mess around. It’s a good thing I have my music to waste away the hours.

When I got home, I found Derpy stuffing some letters into my mailbox in her usual, clumsy manner. She was so busy trying to get them in, she didn’t notice me stride up to her and tap her on the shoulder.

“Oh! What?” She looked around rapidly, her eyes going in different directions. Once she spotted me, they settled back to normal. “Hi, Lyra! Mail call!”

“I can see that,” I teased. A letter that wasn’t properly in the mailbox fell to the ground and I was quick to pick it up with my magic. “Er... looks like one letter really wanted to escape the bag.”

Derpy did a double take as I showed her the intended address. “Oh! Sorry!” She hastily put the letter back in her saddlebag, and smiled sheepishly.

“Don’t worry. It happens.” She probably had to leave like Colgate had, but I couldn’t resist asking her the question. “How did Hearts and Hooves day go?”

“Oh.” For a second, I swore I saw sadness in her eyes. It was quickly replaced by her normal bubbliness. “Nothing eventful. Just stayed at home with my darling muffins.”

“Aaaw. Your children are adorable, so I bet you had a great time together,” I replied.

“Yeah, I don’t think my life would be complete without them,” Derpy replied and I couldn’t stop a warm smile appearing on my face.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop to chat. “But I need to deliver more mail! Bye!” The mailmare closed my mailbox, even though I was right there, and took off into the air.

I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to have two fillies, a taxing job and being a single mother. I don’t know how Derpy manages. What I do know is that she needs somepony of her own. It’d do her wonders, probably.

I re-opened the mailbox and got out the small stack of letters it contained. It was mostly junk, but there was one nice surprise. A letter from Canterlot meant a letter from my parents, and that meant bits. I went inside my home and threw the junk letters in the bin, then tore open the letter from my parents and got out the enclosed bits, putting them in the glass money jar in my kitchen. It was hidden in one of the top cupboards, right behind loads of cooking ingredients like sugar, spice, and everything nice.

Then I turned my attention to my mother’s hoofwriting. I only got letters from my parents two times a month at most, so it was always nice to hear how they’ve been doing.

Lyra,

Your Father and I both hope that you had a lovely Hearts and Hooves day with Bon Bon. When you write next, please tell us how it went!

As for us, we went to the fountain where your father proposed to me. Years on, and he still knows how to make a big splash.

Aaaw. The image of my parents enjoying their company together and feeling young again was adorable. It wouldn't take much for them to feel like young lovers again though; the passage of time had not worn down their love for each other.

A couple of days before that, we went to see a concert. One of the headlines was that Octavia mare. Her talent, especially for her age, never ceases to amaze us. She performs with such elegance and grace. The way she looks when playing, so focused and poised, it just seems to add to the music.

She reminds me of you, dear. I’m sure she’s around your age and she’s doing so well for herself. I suspect she’s very much enjoying it too. Then again, I don’t think she knows what it’s like to be with a mare like Bon Bon.

That’s just like you, Mom: sugarcoating your desires for me so much, that they’re almost like compliments. That said, my parents had taken a liking to Bons, which really helped when I first introduced her to them.

As always, your bits are enclosed. Spend them wisely--perhaps invest in something?

Please write back when you get the chance. You must visit sometime soon. We both miss the music you can make on your lyre.

Lots of love,

Mom & Dad xxxx

Seeing as I had nothing much else to do, I decided to write the letter back now. I got myself some ink, quill and paper and started writing as neatly as I could, a task made far easier with magic.

Mom & Dad

It’s so great to hear that you two had a good time! Bon Bon and I had a lovely time as well and we both managed to surprise each other. In a good way, of course!

Ponyville’s really nice around that time of year. Next year, maybe we could do a location swap? I could show Bon Bon that fountain and you and Dad could soak up the romantic atmosphere Ponyville always has on Hearts and Hooves Day.

I loved my parents dearly, and I cherished the fact that they were still together after so long, but nopony wants to bump into their parents on Hearts and Hooves day when they have their partner with them.

You know I really admire Octavia, but I don’t think I’m like her at all. The world she lives in is different from mine, and I wouldn’t want fame getting in the way of my relationship with Bon Bon. You and Dad understand that, right?

We’d discussed this many times before and we always came to this: it was a topic that no side could agree with the other on. Even so, each side still accepted the other’s views. Whenever the subject came up, I always casually brushed it aside and my parents never pushed it any further. They’re understanding like that.

And, as always, I’ll spend my bits wisely. Thanks for sending me them each month. I know I say this a lot but it’s true every time; I’m truly blessed to have parents like you.

I’ll try to arrange a visit to Canterlot sometime, I promise. It just depends on how life goes here.

Love both of you lots and lots,

Lyra xxxx

I quickly skimmed through my words, checking if they were any glaring errors. I didn’t see any, so it seemed good to envelope.

With family business out of the way, I went over to my bedroom and pulled out the black case from under the bed. I unlocked it, and gently lifted my golden lyre out. I gave it a quick look over, deciding that I’d polish it in a couple of days.

I pulled a song from my memory, closed my eyes and began to make sweet music.

Dentists.

Why are dentists’ offices such hellish places to be in?

The waiting room of Ponyville’s dentistry was white. And so was the entry room. And the toilets. Probably the basement too, if they had one. I know teeth are white, but this was ridiculous. I was starting to think it was all a trick--they’d blind me at the dentists so I’d have to go to the optician’s. Money for medics all around! Then there’s the fact that you’ve got a pony ramming Celestia knows what into your mouth.

I sat on a plain brown chair that wasn’t very comfortable and avoided looking at the beaming walls, instead focusing on the beige carpet. There was a small coffee table in the waiting room, a stack of boring magazines on it about trivial things I didn’t really care about. There were also toys for children, many of which looked like they’d been chewed on.

As I looked around, I began to think that Colgate didn’t have a tight schedule like she claimed; more than half the seats were empty, this place wasn’t busy at all.

Ponyville’s dentristry had multiple dentists, too. Most of them were alright but Colgate was the nicest and she always kept to her schedule very well. It's like she changed time itself whenever she was running late. She wasn’t in charge around here, though I wish she was--she’d probably spruce the place up a bit.

I gazed up at the ticking clock. A few minutes to go.

I simply sat there, humming a little tune, when an unicorn filly and her father came into the waiting room.

“Into the bathroom, Tootsie.” The stallion ushered his daughter into the toilets and stood outside, waiting for her. I hid a smirk, knowing their game. The last-minute brush before examination. I’d done it myself many times before. Colgatecould always tell when I did, because my breath smelled fresher than normal. It’s kinda obvious when you think about it. The funny thing is that none of the dentists really care, so it has sort of turned into a joke for us.

My ears twitched when I heard the sound of a door opening. “Lyra Heartstrings?” Colgate poked her head out of the doorway, looking around the room.

“Here!” I cheerfully announced, trotting over to her. She let me in and closed the door behind us, that is, after looking into the waiting room again. I had no idea why she did that.

Like the rest of the building, the examination room was terribly bland. A big chair was in the middle, accompanied by a tray that had tools on it. Colgate’s desk sat in the corner, her paperwork all in order. For such a boring job, Colgate really put a lot of effort into it.

I got out my toothbrush and toothpaste from the small saddlebag I had brought with me, giving Colgate a playful grin. A quick brush, then I’d be set for this.

To my surprise, Colgate shook her head. “No Lyra, no brushing this time.”

For a moment, I was worried the rules had changed. Then I grew even more worried when Colgate took off her coat and entered ‘normal mode’.

I tucked my brushing things away, raising an eyebrow at my friend. “Er, what’s this about, Colgate?”

“I just...” She wandered over to the chair, reclining on it. “Wanted to talk.”

“Colgate, we could’ve done that anytime and without you setting me an appointment,” I replied, a hint of annoyance in my voice.

The dentist let out a frustrated groan. “No, I don’t mean that. I mean...” She picked up one of the tooth torture tools from the tray, fiddling with it in her hooves. “I need your advice.”

My curiosity was piqued as I leant on the armrest.“Oh. Fair enough then. Ask away.”

“I... erm... I kinda like ‘like’ Caramel.”

Oooo! So something was going on between them!

I giggled like a school filly, leaning closer to Colgate and turning her head so she faced me. “Before you say anything else, tell me how your date went with him!”

Her cheeks grew red and the cutest of smiles appeared on her face. “Well, after we left you and Bon Bon, we just walked around for a bit. I know it doesn’t sound like much but... we really got close. I think... I think he might be the one, Lyra.” Her voice suddenly went more desperate, her eyes widening slightly. “And I think he ‘likes’ me too, so I can’t let this opportunity slip by!”

My excitement died at that, replaced by seriousness. I backed away from her a bit and put my hooves on her shoulders. I needed to know one thing before I could approve of this. “Colgate, do you love him or do you love the idea of being with him?”

Colgate blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Just answer the question, please.”

“I... love him, yes.”

I took my hooves off her and nodded sharply. If anything was going to happen between Colgate and Caramel, it would have to start off on the right hoof. Colgate needed to really love Caramel, and not just use him to escape loneliness, if that was indeed the case. If that happened, the spark between the pair would quickly die out and they’d drift apart.

So potentially...we could have another new blossoming romance on our hooves! My eagerness built up within me again and I asked Colgate another question: “Did you kiss?”

“He did...but only a little one.” Colgate scratched her left cheek, smiling awkwardly.

“That’s so adorable!” I let out a little squee, jumping on the spot. I then stopped when I remembered what Colgate had really brought me here for. “So, you wanted advice?”

Colgate nodded eagerly. “Yes! I want to know how to...tell him. About me. That I love him.”

“Just be sincere and dive in.” That was really the only answer I could give her. When I asked Bon Bon out, I was a nervous wreck. But the nerves only served to show how much I did love her. “If you go in and tell him without any acts or something, he’ll know that you love him.”

Colgate didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?”

“Very. Don’t try too hard, because then you look desperate and clingy.”

Colgate looked down, eyebrows furrowed. “So...I literally just go up to him and ask him out?”

“It’s best that you do it in private.” I smirked, waving a hoof around the room. “But don’t do it like this.”

Colgate giggled, getting off the chair and going to one of the cupboards. “Not for him, no. But I’d do it with you becauuuuse...” Her horn glowed and I heard something rattling. I licked my lips in anticipation of what was to come.

“Mints!” I galloped over to Colgate and snatched the mints as soon as her magical aura had left them, a full tin of them no less. I tossed a mint in my mouth and took a moment to relish the taste. “Mmmm...” I swallowed, then let out a satisfied, minty breath. “So, what do you love about him?”

Colgate rubbed the back of her neck, and muttered a few incoherent mumblings. I twitched my ears, letting her know that she was inaudible.

“He’s really...nice?” Colgate finally answered.

I gave her a flat look. “Nice? That’s it? C’mon Colgate, you can do better than that.” To my knowledge, Colgate had never been in a relationship before, so I put this down to first time nerves.

“Well...he’s such a gentlecolt. And he always puts other ponies’ needs before his own, but he’s not a doormat either. Plus...” And she went back to mumbling.

“Plus...?”

“He’s good.” She let out an embarrassed cough. “Good looking and... yeah.” It sounds superficial, but if you want a special somepony for life, you do have to find them attractive. Especially if you wanted to get more intimate with them.

I shrugged half-heartedly. “I guess so.”

Colgate raised her eyebrows at me. “You don’t think so?” She sounded a little offended, but that’s understandable.

“Colgate, I’m not really into stallions.” I was when I was young, but what filly doesn’t have fantasies of living in some grand castle with a beautiful prince for a husband?

Upon glancing around the room, it did occur to me that it was really odd having Colgate bring me here just to talk about Caramel. “Colgate, did we really have to talk about this here?”

“Not really.” She shrugged, magicking over her coat and putting it on. “But I figured you could use a quick check up before the party.”

I blinked rapidly a couple times. “Party? What party?”

“You didn’t get an invite?” Colgate gestured to the chair and I went ahead and sat down, mint tin in my hoof. “No worries. I’m sure Pinkie will give you one.”

“Yeah, she will.” Pinkie always set aside some cupcakes with mint frosting for me at her parties...okay, not specifically for me, but nopony else ever got the chance to have one when I was around.

“So, whose birthday is it? Or is this just a ‘party for the sake of partying’ thing?” I asked, resting my head against the back of the chair.

“It’s a surprise party for Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth. Apparently they got promoted.” She levitated a dentist’s mask near her and put it around her neck.

“Huh. Good for them!” I always thought promotions were a double-edged sword. Sure, you got more pay, but your workload increased too. I think that’s the case for most jobs. “When is it?”

“A couple of days. I wouldn’t worry about remembering the specific time--not even I know--because Pinkie will probably drag you to Sugarcube Corner anyway. That’s where the party’s being held.” Colgate’s mask then went up, covering her mouth.

“Alright.” I left my mouth open, allowing Colgate to poke around my teeth with that tool with the mirror. As in, the only tool in Colgate’s arsenal that didn’t make me squirm. Then she sent a blue beam of magic that covered my teeth. After that, she inclined her horn towards the wall and sent a projection at it. Images of my teeth lined the walls and Colgate started to poke her tool at my teeth, occasionally glancing to the images and muttering some dentist mumbo jumbo.

The medical field was perfect for those unicorns who lacked magical power but had precision. They dominated the profession because only they could operate with a delicate touch. It was rare to see an earth pony doctor and even rarer to see even a pegasus one. But the ones that existed excelled at their craft.

It didn’t take long for Colgate to finish. She took down her mask and went over to the sink, washing her tool. The projection of my teeth disappeared and I looked at her, to see her verdict. She turned around slowly, a serious look on her face. “Lyra, you’re pregnant.”

I would’ve fallen out of the chair, but the armrests blocked me off. So instead I just kinda flailed about. It was obvious in hindsight that she was joking around, but that didn’t make it an excuse for laughs--there’s a reason Bon Bon and I use protection.

“Colgate! That isn’t funny!” I cried, probably a little harsher than intended. I ran a hoof through my mane, sighing.

“Oh,” Colgate looked down, sliding the mask over her lips. “Sorry.”

I got off the chair, walking towards her. “It’s fine, Colgate. Every joker has a misfire.”

“Yeah.” She coughed, adopting her professional voice. “You’re all clear, Lyra, good job.”

“Great. Who’s your next patient?”

The dentist went over to her desk, looking through a stack of papers. “Ah, here we go, a filly called Tootsie.”

A sly smirk formed on my lips. “I saw her in the waiting room. Very naughty--she did the last-minute brush.”

“How dare she!” Colgate cried dramatically, walking to her tools. “Looks like I’ll have to use this then.” She raised one of them before my eyes and I shuddered in horror. It was pretty much a mini drill.

“Well, I’m out of here!” I cantered over to the door, opening it ajar. “See ya later, Colgate!”

“Bye, Lyra,” Colgate replied, putting down her mask and giving me a smile. I closed the door behind me and left the white prison as quickly as I could. Finally, more interesting colors entered my view. Pink, for example.

Actually, pink was all that I could see for a moment, as a blob of it suddenly came out of nowhere, accompanied by a high pitched, “Hi!”

I blinked a couple times, recovering from the ‘Pinkie daze’. “Oh, er, hey, Pinkie.”

She retrieved something from her...coat? I couldn’t tell. At least what I got was clean. It was also what I expected: an invite.

“Hi, Lyra! Here! Here!” She waved the invite in my face, which made it surprisingly hard to get it with my magic. “I’m throwing a super duper party ‘cause Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth got promoted, so they really really deserve it!”

Everypony has a different tactic for dealing with Pinkie. Mine was getting wrapped up in her excitement. “”Oo! That’s great! Good for--”

“Don’t worry! I invited Bon Bon too!”

The only problem with my tactic, was that it was hard to keep up with her and impossible to do so for more than a while. “Yay! Then this party just got more awes--”

“Now I gotta go ‘cause I still gotta hoof out more invites for everypony, so I’ll see you at the party, Lyra, bye!” And before I knew it, she was gone. Looks like I had a party to go to. At some point in the future, anyway.

Since it was a surprise party, Pinkie got us all crammed into Sugarcube Corner and told us to wait for Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth. The lights were off, we were all waiting and I was really bored. We must have been waiting for fifteen minutes or something, it was ridiculous.

I was positioned behind Bon Bon and a few others, which meant that I was kind of obscured. I wasn’t about to settle for that, no no. I wanted to look like I was making an effort! So I did the natural thing and put my forehooves on Bon Bon’s flank, lifting myself up.

“Lyra,” Bons said bluntly, not turning her head to see me. “What are you doing.” Aaaw, I loved it when she put her questions like statements. It’s one of her quirks that makes me giggle.

“Just getting a better view. They’ll be here soon, anyway,” I reassured in a hushed voice. Some other ponies were murmuring between themselves, but on the whole, the room was quiet.

Waiting for the pair to arrive was made much harder by the fact that I could smell all the treats Pinkie had laid out for everyone. I just knew that there would be something minty there. And it would taste amazing...

The door suddenly swung open and the lights immediately switched on, making us all visible to the working duo.

“SURPRISE!”

I wasn’t the loudest (with Pinkie around, that’s impossible) but I was definitely enthusiastic, giving the promoted pegasi an excited wave, a huge smile on my face. Cloud gave Blossomforth a grin, who facehoofed, before they both headed into the party. Didn’t she want a party or something? Ah well, who cares? There was food to be eaten now.

I got off my fillyfriend and rushed to the tables, covered in treats. One was covered in muffins and I knew that it would be launched upon by Derpy. I kept my distance from it, like others were doing.

Anyway, I had things I wanted to eat too. I wandered over to another table, scanning it. If anything was green, it’d probably be mint. Green is the universal color for mint, afterall. It must have been my lucky day, because there was a whole plate full of cupcakes, decked in light green icing.

I let out a squee of delight and brought a cupcake to my mouth, chomping on it. The taste was beyond amazing, so it wasn’t surprising that one led to another, and that led to another...

“You’re going to get fat if you eat too many of them,” Bon Bon said, coming up to me. I blinked, looking down at the plate. There were twelve to start off with and now there were only nine left. I brought a hoof to my mouth, stifling a burp.

“It’s a party, Bons. And these are just so good.” My gaze slowly drifted from her to the cupcakes.

“Just pace yourself. I don’t want you getting sick.” She grimaced, shaking her head a little. “Nopony does.” She was right about that. If I ate them all now, I’d have nothing left for later. I broke free from their hypnotic trance, giving Bon Bon my full attention.

“You want anything?” I asked.

Bon Bon nodded, pointing to a couple of brightly colored sweets on the table. “Those please.” I focused my magic on her treats, then brought them to her face. She soon snatched them out of the air with her mouth, mumbling something that resembled a thanks.

“No problem. Have you seen any drinks around?” There wasn’t any on this table, so I glanced at the others.

“There’s apple cider,” came a familiar voice. Bons and I turned to see Berry Punch, a mug of cider in hoof.

I gave her a short wave. “Oh hey, Berry, whereabouts is it?” She gestured to the tables on the other end of the room, then drank some of her cider.

Bon Bon gave Berry a welcoming smile, then looked at me. “I wouldn't mind some of that. How about you, Lyra?”

“Sounds good,” I simply replied.

“Alright then.” Before I could offer to bring the cider over, Bons was already on her way. “I’ll go get them.”

I nodded at my fillyfriend, then turned back to Berry. “So, how have things been?”

“Pretty decent. Business is good, so I can’t complain.” A lot of ponies assumed that Berry was just some drunk and while she was sometimes, the truth was that she was a winemaker. She made some of the best wines in Equestria, enough to rival those in Canterlot. She was a mare who knew her limit and had the best hangover cures.

“So, up for a drinking night anytime soon?” Berry asked. It was a fun little thing me, Berry and a couple others would do. We would play drinking games, get drunk and just have a little fun. These events were hardly frequent though.

“Yeah, we could arrange something sometime,” I answered. To be honest, I wasn’t really a planner because I have so much free time. There’s really not much need.

“Arrange what?” Bon Bon was back, two mugs of cider in hoof.

I took of one them away from her with my magic. “Thanks, Bons. Berry and I were just talking about the next drinking night.”

“Oh really? Sounds good, I guess.” She shrugged, taking a sip of cider and licking her lips. “Mm, that’s good. But anyways, depending on the date, I’m not sure if I’ll join you girls or not.”

“We’ll let you know as soon as possible, Bon Bon.” Berry said. She then looked at me with a playful grin. “Want to see who can chug their cider down first?”

I locked eyes with her. “Fine. You’re on.”

Bon Bon giggled, then came to an abrupt stop. “Wait a second.” She came closer and peered into our mugs. “Lyra, drink just a little bit of your cider first.”

That’s my Bons, always the rational one. I took a little sip until the amount of cider we had was about equal. Then, when we were both ready, Bon Bon started the countdown.

“Three... two... one... GO!”

I quickly jerked my head back and poured the cider down my mouth. A part of the liquid lost its mark, trailing down the sides of my lips. I think I may have overestimated the amount of cider left because I nearly ran out of breath. Oh, and I almost choked.

I hung my head low, hacking like a sick mule. Bon Bon was quick to come to my side, putting a leg around me. “Lyra, are you okay?!”

Through my repeated coughing, I managed to splutter, “Yeah... just fine... A-OK.” I honestly didn’t want Bon Bon to squeeze me like some filly with a teddy bear. Although that would’ve be nice in another context. She did know CPR and basic first aid--it was something her parents taught her, knowing it would be helpful. Luckily, it hasn’t seen much use.

When my coughs had died down, Bon Bon passed me a napkin and I wiped my wet mouth. “Thanks, sweetie.”

Berry did look concerned but her lips soon formed a victorious smile. “Sorry, Lyra. I won!”

Well of course she did, didn’t she?

For an hour or so, Bon Bon and I had mingled with several others, including Carrot Top and Colgate (who was trying to avoid Caramel, bless her). After a while though, it ended up with just the two of us by ourselves, which I was perfectly fine with. We were sitting at one of the few tables that didn’t have food on it, watching the party go on.

I have to say, I enjoyed the party a lot. It had a nice atmosphere: not too rowdy but happy all the same. Plus, the mints helped a lot too. But I had never expected to talk to the guest of honor herself.

“Hey, you two,” Cloud Kicker greeted us. She then looked at me and I could tell she was just barely holding back a grin. “How’s the flank?”

“Fine! It’s fine,” I blurted out.

Bon Bon ignored that, thank goddess. “I have to say, you must be feeling pretty proud of yourself right now. Oh! And thank you so much for your help on Hearts and Hooves day!”

“No problem. It was pretty good training, flying around everywhere,” Cloud Kicker responded. Bon Bon and I exchanged a curious look.

“What do you mean?” Bons inquired.

The pegasus sighed a little. “It’s a long story.”

I simply shrugged. “Alright, then. Still, it was all worth it. Especially for you.” I pointed a hoof at her. “We know exactly what thank you present we’ll give you.” I grinned devilishly at Cloud Kicker, who soon did the same to me. We were exactly on the same page here.

Bons was a little slower to catch on. “What?” She looked at each of us in turn. “Oh. Oh! Yes, it’ll be something I think you’ll enjoy, Cloud Kicker.”

“Definitely. When were you thinking of ‘thanking me’?”

“Whenever you want. It’s up to you,” I offered.

We all had a little arrangement: basically, we would occasionally get together and, well, bang. It began when Bons and I first started dating. Cloud Kicker offered some really good times together and I didn’t want that to go away, but I wasn’t going to cheat on Bons either. So I persuaded her to go through with this idea. She was a little reluctant at first but now, it feels routine.

These days, there was actually a benefit to our get togethers. My relationship with Bon Bon had gotten to the point where we needed to use protection when we banged, otherwise one of us could’ve ended up pregnant by the way of the magic of love. I didn’t want to be careless, yet at the same time it reduced the fun a little. With Cloud Kicker around though, we didn’t have to worry about unexpected surprises.

“Sounds good--” Cloud Kicker cut herself off, her focus drifting away from us. We followed her gaz and saw Blossomforth waving her friend over. “I’ll let you two know when I’m available. Don’t worry, you shouldn’t have to wait too long.” She winked at us and trotted over to the white pegasus.

Well, now I had something fun to look forward to.

After Cloud Kicker left, Bon Bon and I mingled for a bit more. Eventually though, the party began to die down, as every one does. The stars were out as we left Sugarcube Corner and the both of us were a little tired. Bons led the way home and we fell into a companionable silence.

I always prefer living in her house for two reasons. The first is an obvious one--she lives there. The second is because her house is so much better than mine. Unlike my own, her house has an upstairs and every room is decorated in such a nice way. She has nice furniture, flowers and other things like paintings.

When we got to the front door, Bon Bon put a hoof on it. Strangely, she didn’t open it just yet. Instead, she let out a quiet sigh.

“Tired, sweetie?” I put a leg round her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “No worries. We can just cuddle up in bed together.”

Bons shook her head. “It’s not that.”

The serious tone of her voice sparked up concern in me. “Then what is it?”

She looked up at me, not sad or angry. She just looked worn out. “Lyra, we need to talk.”

My stomach turned. Those four words never meant anything good. Ever. “Yeah? Uh, what about?” I asked. My voice quivered slightly, but I couldn’t help it.

Bon Bon put a hoof on my chest. “You need to get a job, Lyra.”

Uh-oh. Not this again...

Author's Notes:

A big thanks goes to my assistants and pre-readers Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, Ponibus, Infinion, Pony of Passchendaele, mrjerrio, Alpha Pony, notMurphy, JohnnyTsunami, pilord, 14SilverLining, The Derider and Swiftest Shadow for helping me make this chapter as good as it can possibly be!

The Pony Who is a Lazy Bum

Bon Bon had brought up this subject time and time again, but each time she told me to get a job, it was little more than a suggestion. This time was different though; I could feel it.

“Maybe...” I began, yet nothing else came out of my mouth.

Bons sighed and opened the door, stepping inside the house. I went in with her, pushing the door shut with my hind hoof. She looked down the hallway that led to the kitchen and living room and gazed up the stairs.

“I’m going to bed, Lyra,” Bon Bon stated, slowly heading upstairs.

“Alright. I’ll, er, join you in a minute.” I only got a grunt in reply.

Entering the kitchen, I paused, staring blankly at the wooden floor. Why did I even come in here? The food at the party had filled me up more than enough. I guess I just needed to mull things over. After picking up a jug of orange juice, I went over to the sink and poured myself a glass of over it.

I couldn’t see what Bons’ problem was. I had enough bits to get by and so did she. A lot of ponies would probably call us very lucky, blessed even.

I drank the orange juice, and put the glass to the side. I let out a little sigh of my own, running a hoof through my mane. I don’t know, maybe she was just tired. I knew I was.

I dragged myself up the stairs, turned at the top and opened the door at the end of the hall. The lights inside the bedroom were dimmed and I could see Bon Bon already lying on the double bed.

I slipped in and shuffled over to Bons, putting my forelegs around her. She let out a little grunt in response. It seemed that I had to confront her head on about this because I was not prepared to sleep with my back to her.

“What’s the problem, sweetie?” I asked softly, giving her a gentle squeeze.

For a moment, I was afraid she wouldn’t say anything. Eventually she spoke up, sounding definitive, “You need to find work, Lyra.”

“Why? We’re both fine as it is, you know that.” I gave her a quick nuzzle on the cheek. She didn’t move away, but she wasn’t exactly inviting either.

“We might be now, but what about in the future?” She turned around, looking at me with pleading eyes. “We can’t go on like this. Not if we want to settle down.” She poked my chest, stroking it gently. “And I really want to.”

I offered her a small smile. “We will settle down, promise. You’re the mare I want to spend the rest of my life with and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I gave her a kiss on the lips and to my relief, she returned it. We both had dreams of tying the knot. These things take time though--marriage is a huge commitment.

“Look, I can just ask my parents for more bits each month,” I offered. I think they would be fine with that, as long as Bons and I were settling down.

Bon Bon suddenly frowned. “No,” she said snapped, making me jump. “That’s not okay.”

“Why? They’re my parents.”

Her frown faded, replaced by a neutral expression. “Exactly. They’re your parents. You can’t leech off of them forever.” I went silent. For a short moment, nothing was said.

Bons sighed. “For Celestia’s sake Lyra, you’re a full grown mare. Don’t you think it’s time to look after yourself?”

I didn’t want to argue with Bon Bon, but that accusation wasn’t fair at all. “I do look after myself! I’m clean, I’m healthy and I look after my things! I’m getting bits, just by a different way!”

“Calm down, Lyra. I didn’t mean it like that,” she replied. Her voice hadn’t raised even once.

“Sorry. It’s just--” I cut myself off, opting to hug Bon Bon instead. “No, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She leant forward, giving me a quick peck on the lips. “Look, we should just get some sleep.” Then she turned around, pulling the covers up.

“Yeah... yeah, you’re right. Goodnight, Bons,” I said. Even I could tell that my voice was wavering slightly.

“Goodnight.”

Then there was silence. My eyes didn’t shut and my stomach felt like a pit of thorns. I hugged Bons more tightly, even though I probably shouldn’t have. I just didn’t want to let her go.

I didn’t know why I felt so bad. I had only raised my voice once and Bon Bon didn’t seem that angry at me. Just... tired. Maybe it was guilt? But if that was the case, then she was right, and I didn’t want to think she was. We were fine. Everything was fine.

Whatever it was, it was preventing me from sleeping. “Bon Bon?”

“Hm?” she responded, her voice sounding drowsy.

“You’re not mad at me, right...?”

Bons rolled around, facing me again with a tired smile on her face. “No... but please, will you at least consider getting a job?”

A part of me felt relieved. The other part... I wasn’t so sure. “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Now, go to sleep,” she whispered softly.

It was only then that my eyes closed. I felt more secure and more comfortable than I had been, but something still felt off. My mind didn’t linger on it though, as sleep took hold over me sooner than I expected.

When I woke up, Bon Bon wasn’t next to me.

This was actually standard stuff; Bons had simply gotten up early to set up her stand. I always slept in, snoozing away in the comfort of the bed. It was pretty common for me to wake up past midday.

Oh, a quick warning: never disturb my sleep. It’s not pretty.

With a big yawn I opened my eyes, my vision a little blurry. I got the sleep out of them and dragged myself out of bed. My stomach cried out for breakfast and I was only too eager to oblige. I stumbled my way down the steps, my body still waking up.

I quickly poured myself some orange juice and made some oats cereal, sitting down at the small table in the center of the kitchen. As I ate, my mind slowly became more alert and I began to dwell on last night.

Was Bons worrying too much, or was I being neglectful? I knew our financial situation was fine and I knew that if we needed a little more, I could always play music for bits in the town square. That isn’t exactly like a job, but it’s still getting money so what’s the difference?

Most of my friends have jobs, heck, even their own small businesses. Even Cherry Berry is the only one who can sell hot air balloon rides here.

Am I... lazy?

I took a large swig of my orange juice and dispelled that thought. Sure, I didn’t have a job, but I definitely wasn’t a slob. It’s not like I can’t do things with dedication--my skills on the lyre are enough to prove that much. Plus, I did tend to do some of the housework while Bons was running her stand.

After swallowing the last bit of cereal, I smiled. I didn’t need to change. Nothing did. Bon and I were fine as we were.

I lifted the bowl and cup and headed over to the sink, preparing to wash things up--Bon Bon would definitely appreciate coming home to a clean home.

Actually, I remembered that in all of last night’s fuss, I had forgotten to brush my teeth. I quickly went upstairs and entered the bathroom, gazing at myself in the mirror above the sink. My mane was a bit scruffy but that was something that could easily be fixed with a brush. Killing two birds with one stone, I brushed my mane as I cleaned my teeth.

Spitting out toothpaste residue, I rinsed my mouth then admired my teeth. White as usual! I went back downstairs, ready to do some housework.

A couple of days had passed and thankfully, the topic of me getting a job hadn’t come up again. When Bons came back home, we had a nice little cuddle on the couch and went to bed like nothing had ever happened. Life was back to normal.

Although that did little to change my current mood. I was just having a lovely walk with Bon Bon when Cherry had to come by and ruin it again. So I had left them to it and was sipping on some soda, watching ponies go from stand to stand in the market.

I was on my own and boredom was beginning to kill me.

Thankfully, my saviour of a fillyfriend broke away from Cherry to walk up to the table where I was sitting. A smile immediately formed on my face.

“Hey again, sweetie,” I greeted her, before drinking more soda.

“Hi, Lyra,” she replied, putting down a leaflet she had held in her forehoof. “Take a look at this.”

I levitated the leaflet and opened it up, quickly skimming it over. It was about some minotaur called Iron Will hosting some assertiveness seminar, or something. On the back of the leaflet were a collection of cheesy rhyming quotes. I wasn’t impressed.

I put it down, then gave my fillyfriend a questioning look. “Really, Bon Bon? You’re actually interested in this?”

“Well, it was Cherry’s actually, but she said it could be good for a laugh. Want to come with?” She gave me a pleading smile but, as much as it pained me to do so, I was having none of it. The seminar looked lame and Cherry was even lamer.

“I’ll pass. You two go ahead--you’ll probably find it a lot of fun.” I hoofed the leaflet back to her and she gave me a slightly disappointed look.

“Alright, I’ll see you later--” She froze, blinking once. “Actually, I might be a while. After this, Cherry and I are going to do some showpony business.” I raised an eyebrow at that. Bon Bon could’ve pulled off that line of work, but Cherry? In your dreams.

“And what does that involve...?” I asked, waving a hoof around.

Bons bit her lip, looking away. “Uh, hauling away... um... garbage.” That last word was barely audible, but I got the gist of it.

So Cherry had managed to get Bons to do garbage duty, huh? That ticked me off royally--she’s better than that! Cherry probably guilted her in it, the manipulative cow. I should’ve given her a piece of my mind right then and there...

But that probably would’ve hurt Bons, and I wasn’t about to risk that, no way.

I exhaled through my nose, trying to keep a smile on my face. “Alright then, Bons. Don’t take too long!”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I’ll try not to.” She then gave me a goodbye nuzzle and wandered back over to Cherry.

I sighed, finishing off my soda. Maybe the sugar it had would give me a bit of a buzz to lighten up my mood, although I doubted that. I have suffered from sugar rushes before, but it took me a lot to get to that state.

I got up, threw the cup into a bin, and began my quest to find something to do. I discovered pretty quickly that most ponies were going to this seminar thing, which left me with nothing to do.

And then... the weirdest thing happened.

I was simply minding my own business when I accidently bumped into somepony. Only it wasn’t a pony at all.

It was a goat.

I swear that out of all the creatures that live in Equestria, goats are both the strangest and creepiest.

“Oh, um, sorry about that. I guess I should be more careful! Heh...” It’s really hard to apologize to somepony when they freak you out. Seriously, the goat was staring at me but its eyes were going in two completely different directions. And it wasn’t like Derpy where it was endearing, no, this was... unsettling.

“Baaah!” Did I mention that the goat had a tie? Who gives a goat a tie?

I shuffled about uncomfortably. The goat just stayed still, like a piece of iron or something. “Er...can I help you?”

“Baaah!”

An awkward laugh escaped from me. “Haha... I’m sorry but... I don’t speak goat.”

“Baaah!” Ack. Goats sound so horrible. It’s no wonder no goat singers exist.

At this point, I decided to draw back, slowly stepping away. “Well... er... nice talking to you?”

It didn’t get the message. Sweet Celestia, it did not get the message. Instead, it got closer to me. My skin was practically crawling at this point. Wait... did it give me fleas? It better not have.

Eugh... now I could smell it. It smelled like wet Diamond Dog. Actually, probably worse than that. I backed off a little to avoid the foul scent. “I kinda gotta go do... something...” Yeah, my brain was just not working with me at that point.

I circled around the goat, not taking my eyes off it. He (I think it was a he--it wasn’t wearing any lipstick or a bow) turned, gazing at my every step. I slowly backed away, but it kept watching. In the end, I decided to hide behind some trash cans until it went away.

Goats--they may look stupid, but they’re evil masterminds, I swear it.

The goat left within a couple of minutes and I was back to wandering around. Hours must have passed and boredom grew on me like mould on a piece of bread (now that’s a lovely image). I found myself wandering back to the market after what must have been a couple of hours. Maybe more. I saw Carrot Top at her stand, selling all her carroty goods.

“Hey, Carrot Top,” I called out, approaching the mare. “Have you been here for a while?” If she had been, then I would feel like such an idiot.

“Nope. Only got set up a few minutes ago--a lot of ponies weren’t around because of this... Iron Will thing?” She bent down behind the stand and brought out a carrot cake, displaying it for all to see.

“Oh, yeah, that,” I replied, shrugging. “I didn’t go--sounded lame--but Bons did.”

Carrot Top was going to retrieve something else but suddenly paused, blinking once. “Speaking of, you better find her right away.” I looked at her suspiciously. “Apparently somepony dumped a whole load of garbage on her and Cherry Berry.”

Half of me wanted to laugh and the other wanted me to grind my teeth in anger. So I kept up a neutral appearance. “Okay... where were they heading?”

Carrot Top pointed past me. “Over by the bridge. They’re probably gone by now, but it’s as good a start as any.”

I nodded at her and began to trot off. “Right. Thanks, Carrot Top, I’ll see you later.” She waved me off and I left, hunting for my fillyfriend.

Covered in garbage... eugh. That would make anypony smell ten times worse than a goat. Bons was probably really upset too... nothing a cuddle and a kiss can’t fix. … after a good wash, of course. Hm... we hadn’t shared the bath for a while...

Along the way, I happened to bump into Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth. Cloudy looked fine but Blossom... ohohoho, Blossom. It seemed like they had finally did it and from the looks of it, they had released a lot of tension.

I grinned, approaching Kicky and the bruised Blossom. “So you two finally went and did it, huh? And with gusto! You shoulda gone easy on her, Cloud Kicker. She’s a delicate Blossom,” I said, with a giggle. I swear, being around Cloud Kicker increased my wit.

“You don’t understand, Lyra,” Cloudy replied. For a moment, I thought I had made a pretty awkward mistake. But she continued, “I wanted to, but she wouldn’t let me. Every time I started slowing down a bit, she screamed at me to go faster and harder.”

The images that entered my head were disturbed by the sound of a smack. It seemed that Blossom wasn’t having any of it. “Ow! That hurt. I think I need a kiss to make it all better,” Kicky pleaded, obviously hamming it up.

“Do you want me to hit you for real?” Geeze, Blossom, calm the hay down. Cloud Kicker’s only being herself.

“Not until we work out a safe-word.” Case in point.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the pair’s antics. I was pretty sure that nothing had actually gone on between them but... who knows? Regardless, I had my own fun to get to.

“Well, I’ll let you two go back to whatever the hay it is you’re doing; Bon Bon’s waiting for me,” I announced, then frowned. “She was getting rid of some garbage when somepony went and dumped the whole cart right on top of her! Can you believe it?” I shook my head in disbelief, gave them a wave and set off on my way.

It wasn’t long before I found Cherry and Bons--bless her, she looked so distraught. Both of them were covered in garbage, reluctantly trying to get scraps off of them. To make it even worse, they had attracted flies.

“What the hay happened?!” I called out as I trotted towards them.

Bon Bon gave me a relieved smile. “Hi, Lyra. The strangest thing happen--”

“Fluttershy just came marching along and decided that it would be a great idea to dump the garbage we were hauling all over us!” Cherry cried, letting out a frustrated groan. I held back a laugh, but something she said didn’t seem to fit.

“Fluttershy? No, you must have mistaken her for someone else, Cherry.” She gave me a glare and opened her mouth to come back with some retort--probably the guilt trip card.

“No no, it was her!” Bon Bon exclaimed, looking as shocked and surprised as I was right now. “She didn’t seem like herself--”

“She could’ve flown, the mule!” Another scream from Cherry. “And now my mane is ruined!” I should’ve given Cherry a slap right there and then and told her to mare up, but I held back my hooves.

“Well, looks like you need a wash, Bons,” I said, grinning slyly at my fillyfriend. I’d make sure she’d get something out of this.

“But what about me?!” Cherry wailed.

Wait. What.

“I don’t think it would be fair to leave poor Cherry like this, Lyra.” Bon Bon. Stop. Stop this madness right now.

“You two can’t share a bath, sillies!” I giggled, but inside I was screaming obscenities. Like feathering. And bucks. Lots of bucks.

“Well, duh, you silly filly!” Cherry said. Might I add that she was very patronising? “We can just grab some wash tubs and do it outside!”

Bon Bon nodded in agreement. Damnation. “That sounds like a great idea! We’ll both get clean and it’ll be quick with Lyra’s help.”

The two of them turned and looked expectantly at me.

Celestia strike me now.

There I was, scrubbing two mares in Bon Bon’s backyard. Oh such joy.

I had managed to acquire separate tubs for the two, but that didn’t stop them from splashing each other like fillies. Seriously? They were really doing this? I sighed quietly, scrubbing Bons’ back with a brush.

This was meant to be a fun little time with my fillyfriend where we would do the splashing, not Cherry the stupid little, bucking bitc--

“Ow, Lyra! Be gentle!” cried Bons. I blinked, looking at the floating brush. I was pressing it a bit hard.

“Sorry, hun. Just trying to get every little bit out,” I replied, continuing to scrub her. Just focus on your fillyfriend, Lyra. Nothing else. Only her.

“Maybe I would do a better job.”

Oh yeah. Cherry never shuts the hay up.

“Look, you asked me to do this so I’m doing it,” I affirmed, sending a stern glance towards Cherry.

“Fine, fine.” Cherry rolled her eyes. “But you better be careful when you wash me.”

Hm... maybe if I told Bon Bon to get dry inside the house, then I could mess around with Cherry for a bit (not in that sense, ack). Yes... I was liking this idea. A lot.

Let’s do it.

I scrubbed Bon Bon with increased vigor, cleaning her up in no time. Once I gave her the all clear, she stepped out of the tub, covered in bubbles from the soapy mixture.

“Bons, what do you say you get dry inside, then wait for Cherry and I? We can all have some tea and biscuits!” I suggested. That excuse was foolproof--some biscuits sounded really good right now, too.

“Sure, sounds good!” Bon Bon agreed, beginning to go inside.

And then the heavens opened up as Celestia came flying down, proclaiming that I, Lyra Heartstrings, had permission to prank Cherry Berry!

That’s what it felt like, anyway.

Cherry barely had time to protest before Bons was inside. I grinned mischievously as Berry turned to glare at me.

“It seems that the tables have turned,” I said, a few laughs escaping from me.

Cherry raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Oh, really? What can you possibly do to me?”

I could’ve done many things, Cherry--like put food in your mane and get parasprites to come--but I don’t think the town would agree with such ideas. Instead, I let out a triumphant laugh as I levitated the other tub and poured its contents all over her. “That!”

A torrent of water fell all over Cherry and better yet, it was dirty from Bons’ bath. My enemy fell silent. Haha! I did it! Rainbow Dash, eat your heart out--Lyra Heartstrings is the master pranker here.

“Oh no, you got me wet when I was already soaking. Oh noooo. Spare meeeee,” Cherry said, no effort put into her voice. She lazily shrugged. I looked at her and realized that I hadn’t achieved anything at all...

Well buck.

“You, on the other hoof, are not.” She locked eyes with me, looking very smug. Oh no. Nononononononono!

“Don’t you dare--” I cut myself off; words weren’t gonna do anything. I closed my eyes and focused magic into the tip of my horn, picturing Bons’ kitchen. I grinned, feeling the magical energy build up...

“Well, I’m out of here!” I proclaimed, opening my eyes to give Cherry a cocky wink.

And then I didn’t move.

Yeah... turns out I don’t know any teleportation spells. I’m not really the most magically adept unicorn out there.

My magic wasn’t going anywhere either, so I ended up with a huge migraine. Cherry took advantage of my momentary weakness, grabbing me. Before I could even yell, I was drenched in water, dazed and confused. I was cold, my head felt like it had been split open and my eyes were stinging. Cherry’s mocking laughter only made things worse.

I accepted my fate, staying put uselessly in the tub. The laughter began to die down as Bon Bon rushed outside.

“Lyra, what happened?!” she asked. I simply groaned.

“The silly filly had a little accident and fell in!” Cherry answered for me. Sure, it was demeaning, but my brain was all over the place, so I was willing to go with the excuse Cherry was giving.

“Oh dear, let’s get you inside then,” Bons said soothingly. The two helped me onto her back and I wasn’t about to complain. “Will you be alright by yourself, Cherry?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Cherry replied, beginning to scrub herself.

My fillyfriend nodded and began to take me inside. I gladly welcomed the rush of warmth that hit me as we got in, although my head was still killing me. Bons got a towel and put it on the sofa. She then gently put me down, wrapping the towel around me so I felt all snug. She sat down beside me, beginning to get me dry.

“So what happened?”

My ears twitched. I had honestly expected her to believe Cherry’s excuse one hundred percent. Although, in hindsight, an ‘accident’ can mean many things.

“I, uh, slipped and managed to hit my head on the side of the tub...” I guilty for lying to her. It didn’t feel as bad as my feathering headache, though.

Bons immediately took to searching through my mane. “Let’s check that you don’t have any trauma then...” I smiled and slowly became relaxed. It felt nice; she was very gentle, like usual. Even my headache was starting to go away.

“Nope, you’re fine.” Bons gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “Goodie.”

“How about you? Did you enjoy your wash?”

“Yeah, I feel all fresh now. Thanks, dear.” She gave me another kiss, this time on the lips. “Maybe you should get some rest--you seem pretty tired.”

“After a day of being nothing but bored and hiding from goats, you wouldn’t be. But yeah... a nap does sounds nice.” I rubbed my eyes, still stinging slightly.

Bons tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Hiding from goats...?”

“Yep,” I replied, sighing.

“Hm, I didn’t think any were in town.” Bons shrugged. “I thought they were all with that Iron Will guy.”

I rolled my eyes, grumbling, “Maybe one got lost...” I suddenly perked up, asking, “How was that thing, anyway?”

“Silly. Very silly.” Bon Bon giggled delightfully. “He made all these rhymes, like this.” She cleared her throat, and boomed in a very rough voice, “When somepony tries to block, show them you rock!” Her impersonation was probably very accurate--Bons was great at doing voices.

I felt a pang of regret for missing the whole thing. “It was a good laugh, then?”

“Yeah. You’re an idiot for not coming,” Bons joked, grinning mischievously. She then brought the towel over my head, covering my eyes, and proceeded to ruffle my mane furiously, laughing all the way.

“Stop! Stop it!” I cried, but it was no use--I was laughing too hard to put up a good resistance. “Right, that’s it: when somepony messes your mane, give them some pain!”

I was blinded, but I knew where my lovely assailant was. I outstretched my forelegs forward and tickled Bons’ chest. Good thing my head was still aching slightly; my hand spell would have been overkill here. She fell onto her back on the floor, giggling madly.

Now I had the upper hoof. I pounced upon her and unleashed the full might of tickling. Bon Bon was laughing far too hard to resist.

“No, Lyra--hahaha--mercy! Mercy!” she pleaded.

“Hehe, okay then.” I stopped and brought my face closer to hers so that our muzzles touched. We locked eyes. “Love you,” I whispered. And then we kissed passionately. We caressed our bodies, running our hooves down each other. The fact that I was still wet only made it more appealing...

“And the crowd cheers--Lyra Heartstrings has hit first base!!”

Damn you, Cherry. Damn you to Tartarus.

No, actually, buck you and your stupid fat balloon! I mean, who the hay would use that when we have carriages and pegasi?! Wait, I get why you have a hot air balloon; you’re perfect for eachother, being full of hot air!

Geeze... if I actually said those things to her face, she would need to be treated for third degree burns.

Bon Bon’s face went red and I rolled off her, crawling back onto the couch. She got up, smiling sheepishly and went towards Cherry.

“Right, um, tea?” Bons asked, her voice a little shaky.

Cherry let out a little laugh, patting my fillyfriend on the back. “If you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine, Cherry. I could use some myself.” Bon Bon turned around to look at me. “How about you, sweetie?”

I laid my head on the sofa, giving Bons a tired smile. “I think I’ll have a nap.” And no, it wasn’t just to avoid Cherry...

Okay, it was the main reason, but I was kind of tired anyway.

Bons nodded at me. “Alright then, dear. Have a nice rest.” I closed my eyes and heard the two walk away. It was a little hard getting to sleep with Cherry’s constant chattering in the background, but I managed.

I have to say, naps are a pretty good thing. Once I woke up again, I felt a little groggy, but on the whole better than I did prior. And Cherry had finally gone away; Icouldn’t hear her.

I stretched my limbs and let out a content sigh. Bons must have heard me wake up because she was in the room a couple of seconds later.

“Sleep well?” she asked, sitting down next to me.

“Yep.” I snuggled up next to her, nuzzling her neck. “Did Cherry leave?”

“Yeah,” she replied in a neutral tone. For a couple of minutes, we sat together in companionable silence. It was pretty nice.

“Lyra,” Bons finally spoke up.

My ears twitched. “Yeah, sweetie?”

She let out a little sigh before answering. “I’m going to have to put my hoof down.”

My heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. “Concerning...?” I waved a hoof in the air.

“The Iron Will thing was funny and I don’t think I’ll be taking advice from that minotaur anytime soon but... it made me realize something.” She looked down at me, not looking angry at all. In fact, I think she was a little scared. “I’ve been too soft on you, dear.” She paused briefly. “You’re getting a job.” That last sentence sounded particularly final.

I shook my head. “But I don’t need--”

“Yes you do, Lyra!” Bon Bon snapped. I flinched back and so did she, looking a little regretful. I guess she was unsure of how to go about this, yet for a brief second she became terrifying--I didn’t want her mad, I wanted her happy.

Bons sighed, running a hoof through her mane. “Sorry, it’s just that... are you thinking about the future--our future--at all?”

“Of course I am!” I replied, trying to keep my cool. “How can you even think that I’m not?”

“Because your ‘system’ isn’t going to work in the long run.” She gently took hold of my hoof, caressing it gently. “I want to settle down with you and make something for ourselves together.”

I looked from our hooves, back to my fillyfriend. “Like what?”

“Anything! Maybe save up for some expensive vacation, or buy something that we’ve both wanted for so long, or maybe even setting up a shop together.” That last part made me feel a little guilty. Bons worked so hard at her stand, but at the end of the day, she was always in the shadow of Sugarcube corner.

“We can still do that, sweetie. But I don’t need a job to do that, really.” If I sounded a little unsure, it was because I was. Bon Bon had made good points, but I had mine--I still didn’t see a major need for change.

And... I don’t know... I guess I was a little nervous about entering the world of work.

Bon Bon drew back her hooves, throwing her forelegs up in the air and letting out a frustrated groan. “You don’t get it, do you?! To do those things, we need bits and the only way you’re getting them is by finding work!”

My ears flattened and I fell back a little. Bons’ anger was very unsettling--she’s normally so calm. “But--”

“No ‘buts’ anymore! You need to wake up and face facts! You’re too old to still have your parents provide for you--they’re not going to support you forever!” Bons shouted, effectively silencing me. I didn’t want to speak after that. I looked down at the floor.

Sure, still getting bits from my parents might seem weird, but that’s because most ponies work for themselves. I’m totally fine with that since it’s how most of the world works--but I don’t fit into the grand scheme of things like that. Furthermore, Bons didn’t know if they would keep supplying me or not, but I knew them better than she ever would.

Still... she seemed to get really passionate over this. Maybe she did have a point?

“Bons, I... it’s just that... I...” The words kept dying in my mouth and my mind was a blur. I ran a hoof through my mane, exhaling deeply. I could’ve sworn I was shaking, just a little.

I could hear Bon Bon let out a little sigh. “I’m sorry, dear... it’s just that... do you really want us to be a couple that breaks up over money troubles?”

That sent a shock through my system the likes that I haven’t experienced before in a long time. I quickly looked back at my fillyfriend, shuffling closer. “No! No, I don’t want that! I want us to be happy together!”

Bon Bon was silent for a few seconds, looking into my eyes. I held my breath.

“Then you know what to do.”

Then she left me. No kisses, no hugs... not even a goodbye. I watched her go and with each step she took, the more guilt, dread and fear I felt well up inside me.

She had given me an ultimatum, and I had no choice other than to accept it.

The Pony With the Magic Hands

I slept alone that night. It was the first time I had ever done that since Bons and I had become a couple, at least, on such tense terms. I didn’t sleep well; I felt too lonely.

I wasn’t surprised that when I woke up, Bon Bon was gone. I knew that she would be working at her stand but... for some reason, I felt like a part of me had been torn away. I didn’t waste any time in getting ready and meeting Colgate at Berry’s house--I needed a drink in me. And no, I wasn’t going to drink my problems away; Berry wouldn’t allow it. It’s just that a little bit of drink in the system helps you to relax.

The three of us were reclining around Berry’s small coffee table in the center of her living room. A single bottle of pinot noir was being shared between us.

“Looks like you have to actually get off your flank and do something,” Berry remarked after I had the told the pair about my dilemma.

I snorted in annoyance. “Yeah, I think I’ve figured that out by now.” I took a swig from my glass, almost drinking every drop of wine.

Berry gave me a warning look. “Slow down, Lyra. That’s your second glass nearly down and it’s only the middle of the day.”

“Stop worrying about it. I said I wasn’t going to drink myself to death today,” I replied, putting the glass on the table. I wasn’t going to touch it for a while now. Nope.

My vintner friend rolled her eyes. “Whatever. That’s what they all say.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have gotten out the bottle in the first place?” Colgate interjected.

Berry just leant back and shrugged. “If I didn’t, Lyra would find another source anyway.”

“Can you stop assuming I’m going to become an alcoholic? It’s not the end of the world for me, just a little hiccup.” I nodded at the pair, confirming my statement. As soon as Bons sees that I’m looking for work, she’ll lighten up and everything will be fine.

“Yeah, but it could turn into something more,” Colgate said, a hint of worry in her face.

I felt my hooves reach for the glass. “Maybe...”

“Colgate’s right and you know she is,” Berry said decisively, drinking the rest of the wine in her glass and licking her lips afterwards.

“I don’t know... Bon Bon isn’t petty enough to break up over one thing,” I reasoned She was a pretty reasonable mare, which was why her assertiveness last night was so unsettling.

“Doesn’t matter if it’s just one thing, Lyra. If it’s important to her, then you should go ahead and find a job,” Colgate replied, taking a careful sip of her wine. I suppose she had a point...

A small smirk formed on Berry’s face. “Yeah. Committing adultery is just one thing too, but it’s probably the worst thing you could do in a relationship.”

Colgate ignored Berry’s ‘joke’. “You could easily work as a cleaner at the Dentist’s.”

Bless her. She was trying, but that was the worst idea ever. I’d probably have to wear sunglasses all the time I worked there. “I don’t think so, Colgate. No offense, but I really don’t like that place.”

“Yeah, seriously, how can you even work there?” Berry questioned. “It’s whiter than Rarity’s plot.” Both Colgate and I snickered at that.

The dentist shook her head. “You get used to it. Besides, it was only a suggestion.”

I gave her a little smile. “Thanks for the offer Colgate, but I can’t see myself working there, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Colgate took a quick sip of her wine. “So that’s one job off the list. Hmm... how about--”

A high pitched voice then came out of nowhere. “Berry’s got the adult drinks again!” exclaimed Berry. Not Punch. Pinch.

The pink filly trotted excitedly into the room, seemingly having come from the stairs in the hallway. She ignored me and Colgate, opting to hug Berry.

“Wait up, Pinchy!” came another adorable voice, followed by another little filly running into the room at a pretty fast speed and joining her older sister. This filly, Piña Colada, was a lighter pink than her other siblings.

So you’ve got three sisters: Berry Punch, Berry Pinch and Piña Colada. The reason for their similar names (at least in the Berrys’ case) was obvious. Hm. Now that I think of it, why does Piña have such a different name? Either she was adopted or it was something else--Berry never discussed it with me at length.

Berry gestured at the bottle and Colgate quickly performed a spell to make it disappear, either by invisibility or teleportation. Berry--forget it, I’m calling her Punchy for now--mouthed her a thanks and attended to her sisters.

“Hey girls. What are ya doing down here?” Punchy asked them, putting a foreleg around the two and hugging them. The bond between these three was very strong, and it would be, given that Pinchy and Piña pretty much saved their older sister from a life of alcoholism. Punchy wasn’t that close to her parents (for reasons she’d never tell me), but she was very attached to her siblings and never drank around them.

“Pinchy can do something with her tongue and it’s really yucky!” Piña pointed a hoof at Pinchy, who sat there grinning.

“Yeah, watch this!” The darker filly then stuck her tongue her and reached it upwards right into her nose. I can’t lie--I was impressed.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool, Pinchy. But watch this.” Punchy put a hoof on her stomach and pressed it lightly. A few seconds later, she let out a powerful burp that could give most stallions a run for their money. The fillies were both giggling, but had different opinions on Punchy’s feat. Colgate and I exchanged amused glances.

Pinchy looked up at her older sister, beaming. “That was so awesome!”

Piña on the other hoof, wasn’t looking up at Punchy, but was snuggling into her. “Ew! Gross! You’re so silly, Punchy!”

“Yeah, I am, but that’s what big sisters are like.” The three shared a warm embrace, Punchy stroking her little sisters’ manes. “But I’m kinda chilling with my friends here, so you think you two can play in the garden for a little while?”

The two fillies nodded and chirped in unison, “Okay, Punchy!” before galloping out of the room. The bottle reappeared a couple of seconds later.

“How long do you have them for?” Colgate asked, refilling her glass only slightly.

“A couple of days. So no drinking nights in that time, sorry.” Colgate and I nodded in response, myself hiding my disappointment. Getting drunk with Berry was always great, even if, being a unicorn, I wasn’t allowed to get utterly smashed. Kind of. Look, it depends on the unicorn, okay?

“Some time after they’re gone, then?” I asked.

Punchy shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” She then pointed a hoof accusingly at me. “But only if you bring Bon Bon.”

“Well, obvious--” The gears in my head clicked. “Hey! I’m not going to become a stupid drunk, okay?!”

I was beginning to regret my decision in coming here. Luckily, Colgate was level-headed as usual. “She’s just worried about you... in her own way.” Berry scoffed at that. “Calm down, Lyra.”

She was right, I did need to calm down. Good thing I had my drink at the ready. I took a big swig, wiping my mouth afterwards. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Berry said. Then she took my glass from me, much to my annoyance.“But that’s all you’re having today.”

“Berry!” I protested. Honestly, I could’ve handled one or maybe even two more.

“Lyra, she is right, you know,” Colgate said calmly. “If you want to get drunk, the middle of the day is not the time to do it.”

I crossed my forelegs over my chest, pouting. “Fine. But that doesn’t mean I was planning to get drunk now!”

“Moving on... you should do something to do with music. You’re brilliant at it,” Colgate offered. I gestured for her to continue, a little unsure. “You could teach kids how to play the lyre.”

I weighed my options. Or, rather, option. It’s not like I had any other ideas myself. For the time being, that is. “That idea does have potential. How would I start?”

“You’ve got the lyre part down,” Berry stated.

I snorted, then gave her a fake grin, tilting my head a little. “You don’t say?” Berry just laughed.

“Why not do a talk at the school?” Colgate suggested. Punchy gave a grunt of approval, pouring herself another drink.

I grinned at the blue unicorn. “You’re making up for that terrible dentist idea, Colly. So, I’ll just ask Cheerilee then?”

“Nah, don’t do a talk there,” Berry groaned. “A tiny building packed full of excitable, young kids? You’ll go mad.”

“Aren’t your sisters excitable, young kids?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“They’re my sisters. There’s a difference,” Berry told me firmly, sipping some of her wine afterwards.

Not really, Berry. Granted, I was an only child, so maybe her argument had some weight to it. “Right...” I turned to Colgate. “So, where were you suggesting? I’m not going to Canterlot.”

“The high school, you dumb flank,” Colgate replied, bonking me lightly on the head.

“Oh yeah... Ponyville has one of those.” I’ve never really had to go there before or talk about it, so why the hay would I know it exists?

“Yep. She’s drunk too much.” Was Berry intentionally trying to annoy me? She was really good at it.

“The hay is your problem?!” I may have slammed a hoof on the table in my annoyance.

“Whoa, calm down, Minty. I’m only teasing.” Berry offered me a small smile. “So you’re going to do this talk? That’s cool. Maybe you could become a private tutor.”

“Private tutor, eh?” I stroked my chin, thinking it over. It did seem like a pretty good job to have. I mean, you pretty much set your own hours, right? And you work for yourself! “Girls, I think you may have just given me a career path.” I reached for my glass... but Berry had taken it already. “Right, so, how do I start?”

“Send a letter to the headmaster or somepony else, then work from there. It really shouldn’t take long,” Colgate answered.

I shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too hard.”

“Yeah, but you have to make sure your talk is actually good. What were you thinking of presenting?” Berry raised a good point. Music is a broad subject and I needed to narrow down what I would talk about.

Hm... maybe my college days weren’t a complete waste after all. Not that they were to begin with, of course, but... you know.

“Music history! There we go. I’ll decide on the era later.” So that was that sorted. I have to admit, it felt kind of good knowing that I had something to work towards now. Still, I knew that it might not turn out quite like I suspected.

Colgate gave me a proud smile. “Well, now you’ve got something to tell Bon Bon.”

“Mhm-hm! I’ll tell her after work! She’ll come home after a long, tiring day and I’ll be like: ‘Hey, Bons, guess what I’m doing?’ And then I’ll tell her, she’ll be thrilled and then we might bang to celebrate!” The awkward cough from Colgate and Berry’s snickering told me that I might have gone a little too far with that. “Sorry, heh,” I apologised, smiling sheepishly.

Berry shrugged lazily. “I’d say you’ve drunk too much, but you tend to be that tactless anyway.” I flared my nostrils, but I kept quiet. Berry was a great friend, but sometimes her snarkiness was too much. “Before you ask--no, we’re not having another round to celebrate.”

Oh come on! “Shut up, you,” I told her, somewhat halfway between actually joking and being serious.

“Love you too, Lyra.” She blew me a cheeky kiss, winking at me. Sometimes, you couldn’t win with Berry. For me, that was most of the time.

I simply rolled my eyes. “Whatever.” With a sudden burst of energy, I slammed my forehooves on the table and stood up. Colgate jumped and Berry tried not to, but she definitely did, I swear it. “Right! Time to get a move on! C’mon, Colgate.” Colgate could be trusted to help me with this; she was always reliable and a much better worker than myself.

Berry raised a hoof, looking at me skeptically. “Hold on a second. Why should she help you with your problem?”

“Because she’s my friend?” Good friends do help each other with their problems. That’s why they’re good.

Berry gestured to Colgate with a frown. For her part, Colgate just sat there, looking a little awkward. “You haven’t even asked her.”

She had a point there. My ears flattened as guilt seeped into me. I slumped back down and looked at Colgate apologetically. “Sorry... I just got a little carried away.” I mean, there it was: a solution to my current dilemma. Of course I wanted it done with as soon as possible!

Colgate held my hoof, smiling. “No need to apologize, Lyra. You’re new at this and I--we,” She glanced over at Berry, “wouldn’t be very good friends if we didn’t help you along.”

I smiled at the two of them. They were both right, really. I could get along, with some help, but for now, it was time to just relax with two good friends of mine.

“One more round?” I asked, giving Berry a pleading look.

She frowned, looking slightly disappointed of me. “Lyra...”

I laughed awkwardly and hastily added, “Of orange juice? Please?”

Once I had narrowed down what I would even talk about at the school, and sent a letter there, Colgate and I ventured to the library and got a stack of books, as well as some spare ink, quills and parchment. Now came the taxing part.

We were both at my house, sitting on my bed. I was lying on my back, forehooves propping my head up and one of my hindlegs hanging over the other. Above me was a book, floating above me in a magical aura. To my side were other books and papers, all messily strewn about.

Colgate was the polar opposite. She was on her front, forehooves resting on a book in front of her, and research materials stacked neatly beside her. She really had a knack for detail, which was just as well, seeing as she is a dentist and all.

“This is all coming back to me now,” I muttered, turning a page.

Colgate made a curious noise. “It is?”

“Yeah. I covered all this at college. Completed most of it before I dropped out...” I thought I was pretty qualified to do this. I was only talking at a high school and all the stuff they do is dumbed down a bit anyway.

“Uh-huh,” Colgate replied. I took my eyes off the book and glanced at her. She was looking at her book, but her eyes weren’t focused on the words. I know that look. It’s a thinking one.

If this research was beyond her scope, then I wasn’t going to let her fry her own brain for nothing. “Is this too complicated for you?”

“No... not that.” Colgate kept a hoof on her book and looked to me. “Why did you drop out?”

My book fluttered in the air a little and, as if almost instinctively, I curled up a little. “It was one of those crazy, thoughtless decisions you make when you’re young.” I never gave anypony a straight answer to that question. But did it even matter? What’s done is done.

Colgate wiggled her lips a little. “Why didn’t you go back?”

“You don’t just go back after having a fresh start, Colgate. What’s the point?” Seriously, if anypony did that, then they would have wasted two chances instead of just one.

“Well... nevermind.” Colgate went back to reading.

I didn’t though. Something was nagging me. “Colgate? Why are you even helping me?”

She looked at me, confused and a little offended. “Because I want to?”

I shrugged. That was all well and good, but... “You’re not gaining anything from this, though. Don’t you find this boring?”

It was Colgate’s turn to shrug now. “Not really. It’s kind of interesting to be honest. And besides, wouldn’t you rather have company?”

That was some logic that I couldn’t argue with. “Yeah... thanks, Colgate.” I offered her a smile, a gesture which she returned. “So, how’s Caramel?”

“He’s... good, I guess.” She rubbed her foreleg. “I haven’t seen him much lately. Haven’t asked him the question either.”

I rolled over on the bed, getting a bit closer to her. “I think you should spend more time with him. As friends, of course. You need to know whether this is actual love, or just some silly filly crush.” There is a difference, and trust me, you need to know it. Crushes can turn into true love, yes, but more often than not they fall to pieces.

Love’s thorns are something you don’t want to get pricked by.

“Makes sense, I guess.” Colgate sighed, looking up. “Sometimes I just wonder...”

“Wonder what?”

She stuttered a few times before coming out with something coherent. “It’s just--there is somepony out there for me, right? I’m not... ugly or anything bad, am I?”

“You? Bad?” I put a foreleg around her, laughing quietly. “With your clean teeth and fresh breath, you’re probably the best kisser in all of Ponyville!”

She smiled slightly, but it quickly disappeared. “You never hear of dentists getting the pony of their dreams in stories, do you?”

I snorted, frowning slightly. “Hold up. A: Most love stories are complete rubbish.” Fifty Shades of Neigh? Give me a break. “B: I’ll be honest with you: you’ll never get the pony of your dreams.” Colgate let out a gasp, looking at me with a genuinely hurt expression. I ran a hoof through her mane slowly. “Not because you’re terrible, no, you’re wonderful, but you’ll have your expectations set far too high. They won’t meet reality. Ever. But you know what? That’s okay, since that means when you do fall for somepony, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

That nice, gentle smile returned to Colgate’s face. “So... it’s just a matter of waiting?”

“Kind of. You’re a great pony and all, but you have to put in the effort. Ponies won’t come to you, you’ll have to go to them. Socialise and stuff like that. Which is why you should spend some time with Caramel more and see what happens, okay?” To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying. It’s... almost like instinct, I guess...? My cutie mark should have been a heart, but I suppose that’s already been taken.

Colgate nodded. “Thanks, Lyra.” She smirked playfully. “You might be lazy, but if ‘love doctor’ was an actual profession, you’d have your own office.”

I nudged her shoulder. “Yeah, and the reason dentists aren’t in love stories is because pulling out somepony’s teeth isn’t most ponies’ idea of a good time.”

“Don’t make me strap you to a chair and put tools down your... mouth...” Much blushing occurred on her part. If it wasn’t obvious already, Colgate was still a virgin.

“Only two ponies have permission to do anything remotely like that: Bons and Kicky,” I retorted, grinning mischievously.

She raised an eyebrow. “Kicky?”

“Cloud Kicker,” I elaborated.

“Oh, yeah... you two got the whole... thing going on,” she mumbled, fiddling with her hooves. “I don’t really get that, to be honest. You’ve never explained it to me.”

“Well, it’s simple: Kicky and I are good friends, more than that in my opinion, and we bang because that’s how we show our love for each other. Get it?” I explained with a smile. I didn’t blame her for thinking it was weird, since I thought it was too, at first.

Colgate scratched her head. “I guess... but it still seems really odd. When my parents had the whole sex talk with me, they said only romantic couples did it.”

“I thought that as a filly too, but Kicky helped me open up a little more.” I snickered and lightly nudged Colgate’s side. “She could help you too, if you wanted.”

Judging from the redness in her cheeks, I could tell I had successfully flustered my friend. “No! We barely know each other and I wouldn’t feel right with it!”

I really didn’t expect quite a defensive response from her. “Banging isn’t bad, y’know. It’s one of the best things ever!”

“That may be, but with somepony I don’t know well? No thanks,” Colgate asserted, waving her hoof at me dismissively. I could see her point; banging was a trust thing, essentially. Unless you just had a quickie for the pleasure of it.

I grinned and leant closer to her, so she could smell my minty breath. “How about me, then?” I joked. I wasn’t planning to bang Colgate anytime soon and she knew it. Not that she was bad, far from it, but I already had two ponies I could bang while being in a relationship. Adding one more could have made things complicated.

Colgate snorted, then her horn glowed. I suddenly found myself levitating in the air, then being dropped right in front of my books. Papers flew everywhere as I landed, while Colgate giggled like a schoolfilly.

As I gathered up the books and papers, Colgate managed to calm herself down to say something. “Okay, back to research, you.” In all fairness... okay, I guess she was right. I wanted to make sure that I did this talk right and to do that I needed the research.

I shot her a playful smirk. “Yes, Doctor Colgate.” I then opened up a book and began to read once more. Both of us fell silent again. Then the boredom settled in.

Good Goddess, this was going to be a long night... but I knew it was going to be worth it.

So there I was, in the school, wearing a saddlebag full of my things. Colgate and I had researched all the... research that I needed over the past few days and with her help, I managed to fall asleep only three times! Now, I was prepared, I was ready.

And I was lost.

I was standing in the middle of a hallway, students weaving past me, as I peered at the school map I levitated in front of me. It had a mind bogglingly confusing design.

“Geeze... seriously? How the hay am I meant to find the classroom? How do any of the students find anything?!” I let out a frustrated groan. Honestly, life is too cruel sometimes--there I was, raring to go, and what happens? I can’t find where I’m supposed to go.

One of the students trotted by, a unicorn, her saddlebags weighted down by books. “You a new professor or something?” I was so focused on trying to figure out the map, that I failed to notice her coming.

“Oh! Nono! Just a visitor doing a talk... but I can't find the classroom... eugh.” I shook the map in a vain attempt to somehow make it clearer.

The student took one look at my map and simply turned it ninety degrees to the left. Suddenly, everything was clear. I blinked in amazement, color rushing to my cheeks. “Oh... yeah, that'd make a lot of sense...” I said with a laugh. It was very awkward.

The unicorn snorted. “We live in a society that's half-pictographic in nature. Happens to Mom all the time.”

“Heh heh... yeah ... “ I glanced at my helper, then back the map. “Wait a second. “ I took a double take at the teenager. “You're Derpy's kid, aren't you?”

“One of 'em, yeah. I'm Sparkler.” She took a quick look at the clock, probably to make sure she had time to kill.

Out of all the students in this school, I was lucky enough to bump into the one who I knew. Kind of. I gave her a bright smile. “I’m Lyra! Anyway... “ I looked back at the map and finally found where the hay I was meant to go. “That's the classroom I got to get to,” I stated, pointing at a small classroom a short distance from our current position. At least, I thought it was.

This time, it was Sparkler’s turn to double take at me. “You're the guest speaker?” She sighed in relief, then looked up, tallking to herself. “Thank Luna, I thought it was that crazy minotaur...”

I let out an annoyed huff. “ Iron Will? Yeah, what a jerk. With his creepy goat minions... “ I began mumbling to myself, and a few words may have slipped out that Sparkler didn’t need to hear. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.

I cleared my throat and stopped before I had an outburst. “Enough about that though.” I snorted, replacing my annoyed expression with something warmer. “We better get going then...uh...you can lead the way if you want, heh heh...”

“Yeeeeeah... c'mon, we've got another few minutes. This place isn't big, but it's still pretty crazy on Monday.” True to her word, a fellow student accidentally bumped into her, receiving a bit of a glare from Sparkler.

I gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks for this, heh.” Sparkler nodded at me and began to lead the way, myself following close behind. “So, uh, is this a good school?”

Sparkler shrugged, then sidestepped out of the way of another pony. “I don't really have a lot to compare it to, but I like it.”

I quickly got out of the way of the incoming student that Sparkler had just bypassed. “Well, as long as you enjoy going--makes school life tolerable.” I laughed quietly.

“It's a balancing act. Homework, but cool professors, and stuff like that. Couple of jerks, but …” Sparkler trailed off, watching a dark green earth pony colt with a toolbox cutie mark, trotting along ahead of us.

“But a couple of good guys too, eh?” I asked with a sly grin. I knew that look she had.

When I called her out on her ‘inspection’, her cheeks went a definite shade of red. “Totally, yeah.”

She followed the colt into a classroom and at first, I thought she was just trying to spark up a quick conversation with him. But she didn’t leave my side, nor did any other students entering look at her funny. My grin vanished.

I let out a deep sigh. “Well... this is it, I guess...”

“It's not so bad. Silver Platter's out sick, so you get to skip the worst of the bunch.” I looked over at some of her classmates. They seemed like an alright bunch, I guess...

I was slightly relieved, but still a little nervous. “Ah, good...here goes nothing then. Thanks again!” I looked to the front desk and my stomach turned.

There was no teacher.

Was I meant to do this on my own? Was I just a scapegoat so that the teacher could trot along to the spa? Whatever the case, I had a classroom of twenty something teenagers, all staring at me. Judging me. That’s what teenagers are best at: judging.

I turned away from them, getting my stuff together. And my nerves. The more I thought about it, the more this seemed like a performance. My first formal performance in years...

Oh sweet Celestia, why was I doing this?!

I considered my options. I could dismiss the class, or tell them to goof off for an hour... or I could run away.

I nearly slapped myself in the face for thinking that. No. No running away from my problems. Not this time.

But why was I so ill-equipped to deal with them?

I ran a hoof through my mane, collecting my composure. I turned around and--oh Goddess, was I really doing this?! “Hello... class!”

I got a few mumbles out of them. Well, they certainly had their breakfast, didn’t they? I snorted and took a course of action to wake them up.

Wham!

That was the sound of my hoof hitting the front desk. I regretted it immediately, wincing holding my now red hoof. Seriously, that table was tough.

“That’s mahogany for you,” said one of the students. “Mahogany.” I’m not sure what unsettled me more: the fact that all the students were staring me as I clutched my hoof, or the fact that that student seemed to take a weird pleasure in saying mahogany.

I had to say something. Anything--no! Not anything! “Um... yes... I am Lyra Heartstrings and today, I shall be talking to you about music during the time of the Lunar Rebellion.”

The reaction to that was mixed. Some students sat looking eager, their backs straight, while others slumped onto their desks. Sparkler was somewhere in between.

“So, let’s start with some context! Have you learnt about the Lunar Rebellion yet?” I got a few lazy shrugs and murmurs as an answer. Thanks for the enthusiasm, guys. “Well, Equestria was united, but not to the extent that it is today. There were still a lot of tensions between the three ‘tribes’,” I used that word lightly; they were hardly primitive, “and their different cultures hadn’t really meshed yet. Which meant that the tribes each had distinct differences in their expression of music.”

I froze, hearing some really loud chewing at the front of the class. Some young mare at the front of the class was chewing gum. You could tell--what else makes your jaw move like your grinding rock with your teeth?

I moved towards her. She kinda looked a little zoned out. “Er, are you allowed to chew gum in class?” I knew I wasn’t. When I chewed gum in class, I always got caught. Not because of the chewing, no, because I stuck it on other ponies.

I was a little prankster back then, sue me. I still am now.

The student looked up at me and shrugged. “Nah.”

“I don’t think you should be doing it then...” This was awkward. Was I allowed to discipline this lot?

Snorting, the mare spat out her gum and stuck it on the underside of the table. I grimaced and backed off. I used to put that stuff on other ponies? What the hay was wrong with me?

“Anyway... music back then was commonly used as a... sort of like a propaganda device. This was done through patronage, which was ponies paying musicians to write music about them, and then perform it. All three ‘tribes’ did this, but all did it differently,” I explained, trying hard not to stumble over my words.

“First: the pegasi. They were quite a militaristic society, and although a lot has changed, some elements of their ways are still around today. For example, the Guard in Canterlot.” I actually knew this from experience. Cloud Kicker had taken me around West Hoof and her clan hold a few times while I was in college. “Most pegasi would get musicians to write songs glorifying their clan, or their personal achievements on the battlefield. War songs, basically.”

“The odd thing was that pegasi lived in a society without any form of money at the time. So in return for their services, musicians were freed from any obligations of the state, essentially allowing them to pursue a full time career in music.” To be honest, that did sound awesome to me. No money to worry about, but all your time for music? Count me in. “ A lot of musicians stuck with their patrons in this manner, and often became associated with the patron’s clan.”

“As for unicorns... well, their kind of patronage still happens today, at least in Canterlot. It was mostly a noble thing--if you had your own music, it was another step on the path to power. Their music was very different from the pegasi’s. While pegasi loved strong, loud instruments such as trumpets or drums, unicorns preferred instruments that were more refined and quieter, such as violins, cellos, or lyres.”

“Wait,” said one student, raising his foreleg, “what’s a lyre?”

I smiled, glad for this opportunity to arise. I glanced back at the front desk, my lyre resting on it alongside other stuff, and levitated it for all the class to see. I got ‘oooo’s and ‘aaaaaah’s, which was pretty encouraging.

“This is a lyre. An instrument that can be beautiful and invigorating at the same time. Depends on how you play it.” I shrugged, putting my lyre back down. “Perhaps I may play it later for you lot.”

“Regardless, earth ponies used patronage too. Mostly, if they could afford it, to advertise their goods or services. Some even used it in political campaigns to become Chancellor.” I snorted with laughter. “Like they ever had a chance.”

Yeah... nopony got what I was laughing at. Damn it.

“Um... ‘cause Celestia always won,” I explained. Awkwardly. I got a few nods from the class, but most of them just stared at me like I was a freak.

“Earth ponies generally weren’t as picky as others when it came to preference in instruments, by the way.” Why, oh why did I say those last three words. This was an educational talk, not a meet up with some mates. “They were also fans of songs. Most of the earth pony population back then weren’t very literate, so stories were told through songs and music. Which leads me onto my next point.”

I levitated a scroll and unfolded it in front of the class, showing a map of Equestria at the time. Most of the towns were a lot smaller than they were today, although some places, particularly Canterlot, were still huge.

“Bards were very common at the time. These were ponies who would travel from town to town, playing music in the hopes of earning some bits. They were essentially free ponies, bound by only the laws of the land.” I grinned, scuffing a hoof over my chest. “I consider myself a bit of a bard, even if I don’t travel. I just play around town.”

I saw a pink young mare raise her hoof. “Yes?” I asked, giving her permission to speak. She seemed to be quite attentive at the time, and at least she was polite--

“Are you homeless, then?”

I resisted the urge to facehoof. “No. I am not homeless,” I answered bluntly, before trying to lighten up a little. “And while most bards were, they were hardly lazy, and knew the lay of the land well enough to gather food for themselves. So, if you wanted a travelling companion, there’s no better pony out there than a bard.”

I went and got one of my books that I had taken with me and flipped through it. “Accounts about or from bards are rare, considering the fact that most were homeless. However, I managed to find some sources.” I stopped at a page, clearing my throat. “Right, here we go: ‘I always looked forward to bards coming to town. Of course, we never knew when that might happen, so it was always a pleasant surprise. The town certainly felt more cheery when one was around.’”

A blue colt with glasses raised a hoof. “How do we know that source is reliable?”

Really. Feathering seriously? Okay, there’s not paying attention in class and then there’s trying too hard. Deep breaths, Lyra. “It’s a diary entry from a simple villager--it won’t be intended to persuade anypony. Of course, some ponies weren’t so appreciative of bards...”

I flipped through the pages, finding the right source. “Here’s one from a blacksmith: ‘That infuriating bard came into town again. So, of course, the effort my apprentices put into their work has decreased dramatically. All they wish to do is to listen to that stallion’s music while getting drunk.’ So, as you can tell, bards could really shake up a town.” I smiled sweetly. “Such is the power of music.”

I put the book back on the desk. “My ancestors were bards, actually. The Heartstrings began as them, but they rose to prominence in the musical world after the Lunar Rebellion. It’s why we’re nobles now.”

A stallion decked in black sunglasses rose his hoof. I nodded at him and he spoke. “So, like, why was music so boring back then?”

What.

My eye twitched very slightly, but I laughed it off. “Ohohoho, it wasn’t boring at all!”

“But it is and, like, some still is today, dude.” Question: do I look like a dude? I mean, seriously? I know I cut my mane shorter after college, but come on! “That Octavia mare puts me to sleep.”

Oh no he didn’t. You do not deserve the right to insult Octavia like that! “Well, I rather enjoy her music--”

One of the mares turned around to talk to that ‘dude’. “Oh my Goddess, did you listen to DJ PON3’s new album? It is so wubbin’!”

The young stallion replied to her and before I knew it, the whole class was yammering on about something or other. I wasn’t going to bother shouting or anything, since I had already committed the most offensive crime a performer could ever do: I had bored my audience.

I know they were still kids, but... it really hurt. They obviously didn’t respect me enough or enjoyed my talk. All that hard work...

As I looked over the class, dismayed and defeated, I caught a glance of Sparkler. She was looking at me, and despite her friend nearby trying to get her attention, she gave me a smile and rolled her eyes, gesturing to everypony else.

I nodded at her, smiling thankfully. At least she seemed to be invested, but even if she wasn’t, she was at least being polite. That meant a lot, really. I wasn’t going to carry on though, so I gestured at her friend. She got the message and entered a typical teenger conversation.

Myself, on the other hoof, just leant against the desk and started reading one of my books. I glanced up at the clock. At least I had cut into the lesson considerably--only twenty minutes left until the end.

I could hardly call this a success, though. A good performer has their audience’s attention from start to finish. I had to face facts: I wasn’t good with teenagers.

After awhile of me burying myself in my books, trying to distract myself from my failure, the bell suddenly rang, making me jump, and the students shuffled out of the class like I wasn’t even there. I groaned and brought my face to the front desk. “I'm not doing that again... Nope. No. Never,” I told myself, sighing.

“That was .... nice,” said Sparkler, coming up next to me. So she didn’t like it too. Great.

“A nice piece of grade A bucking up...” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“Nothing caught fire. You're fine.” I didn’t have anything that could make flames anyway... so that statement was just random.

I blinked at her, a little confused. “Wait, what? How could anything catch fire?”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow at me. “I did explain who my Mom is, right?”

Damn it. Silly me. I bonked my own head with a hoof. “Yes, yes. Derpy's your mom, right.” How could I forget that? “My mind is all flustered now, eugh. I could use some food or something...”

“Heh.” She looked to her saddlebags, rummaged through them, and got out a fresh muffin, holding it in her hoof. “I always have a few spares on hoof. It's one of the few foods she gets right. They're almost like bits around here.”

I stared at the muffin and did the only logical thing. I grabbed that muffin-y goodness and snapped it right up. “Mmm... mmm,” I mumbled while chewing. It was heavenly--been too long since I had Derpy’s muffins. “Okay... Okay I'm good now,” I said after swallowing. Much like Derpy herself, they really brightened up your day. “I think. Thanks... for what, the third time?”

Sparkler snorted, grinning. “No prob, I--”

Something whooshed past her in the air and slammed into my mane, hitting my head. “What the hay?!” I looked around, trying to find the source, but I came up with nothing. I deflated a little, letting out a defeated sigh. “Just when I thought my day was getting better... I hate school.”

Sparkler was giving the doorway a piercing glare, looking at a few students who were giggling and making their escape. “Aaand you've met Velvet Cushion. The local stuck up, twice-feathered, brown-nosing nag.”

Aah. One of those girls, huh? “Every school... every school always has its sons of mules. Eugh... mind getting this out?” I pointed at my mane. I didn’t need to say what was in it--the warm spit trailing down my head was enough. “ I can't see it.”

Sparkler’s horn glowed, and after a little painful tussle, the spitball was out. “Thanks,” I said, with a small smile. Somehow, this scenario got a little chuckle out of me. “Again. I owe you, definitely.”

“Careful, I might start keeping count.” Oo, she’s witty for her age. That’s a very good quality.

“At this rate you'll get to at least twenty,” I retorted, smirking.

That made her laugh, shaking her head. Unfortunately, she began to wander to the door. “I gotta get to my next class. See you around?”

“Sure! I got...” Uh... what did I have to do after this? “...nothing to do. I'm sure I'll find something, though.” Sparkler nodded and gave me a hoof bump on the shoulder, before going on. That was nice. Great, actually--we were on good terms.

I grinned happily, watching her leave. “See you,” I called out, then started to pack my things up.

Now, what could I do? I felt like getting revenge on that little spitball brat... but my conscious told me that pranking a teenager in their own school wasn’t a smart idea... I guess all I could do was tells Bons what had happened.

I smacked a hoof on the front desk (not as hard as last time) and let out a frustrated groan. This was meant to be a nice surprise for her, but now it was just a bitter failure and disappointment. Worse still, I had no back up plans. I had to go back to the drawing board, but my chalk was crumbling apart.

I grabbed my things and left the classroom, shuffling between students hurrying to their classes. I felt inferior around them. I was like them once: young, hopeful and fairly hard working. I had dreams that I was going to pursue. But I got careless, I made too many mistakes, and soon my dreams fell apart at the seams before me. Then I wound up here.

I wouldn’t leave Bon Bon for the world. The mere thought alone disgusted me.

But... she might leave me if I don’t succeed at this...

I slipped through the double doors of the school’s entrance and wandered back through Ponyville. I was thankful for the quiet, but now I had to face the music.

I stumbled through the front door of Bons’ house, feeling kind of tired. It was only afternoon, but for whatever reason, those kids had drained me of all my strength. Geeze, thank Goddess I didn’t go to the younger fillies’ school.

Was Bon Bon home? I didn’t know, but I was too tired to call out for her. Couch. I needed the couch. I shuffled over and collapsed upon it. That’s better--sweet comfort.

I probably would have fallen asleep right there and then were it not for the sound of shuffling hooves. I turned my head to see Bon Bon standing in the entryway to the living room, a mug of coffee in her hoof.

“You look exhausted, sweetie,” she said, tilting her head slightly. I could smell that coffee from here... mmm...

“I am,” I replied simply, resting my head on a cushion.

Bons came over and started stroking my mane gently. I couldn’t help but smile at the contact. She was pretty strong, being an earth pony, but she could be really delicate when she wanted to be. “Want some coffee?”

“Please.” I grabbed her forehoof and started nuzzling it. I wanted to sleep in all honesty, but I had to tell her what happened. Couples don’t keep secrets.

“I can’t make it if you’re here nuzzling me, dear,” Bons said, with one of her delightful little giggles. Music to my ears.

“True, true,” I agreed and let her go. “Just don’t take long, yeah?”

Bon Bon leant down to peck me on the lips. Mm. I definitely needed that because I immediately felt a little more refreshed. “I won’t.”

She went to the kitchen and within minutes, a cup of fresh coffee was levitating beside me and I was nestled up next to the most beautiful mare in the world. We sat there in companionable silence, just drinking our beverages, yet despite the plainness, I couldn’t imagine anywhere else in the world where I would rather have been right then.

Love is funny like that. It makes you cherish and hold simple moments like these close to your heart. Maybe that was because we were both doing what we set out to do when we first became a couple--living together.

Bons nuzzled my neck and broke the silence. “So, what happened today?”

Aah, hay. Here we go. Time to ruin the moment. I fiddled with my hooves, trying to come up with the best answer I could. “I did a little talk at the high school, about music and stuff... y’know, as I way to start my career.”

I got the response I expected, which made what I had to say next even worse. Bon Bon hugged me in a vice, planting big kisses on my face. “That’s fantastic! How did it go?!”

I closed my eyes. Just say it, Lyra. Speak the damn truth. “Horribly. The kids lost interest halfway through so I... I...” I swallowed harshly, before saying the real truth. “I gave up again, okay?”

In our current position, I couldn’t see Bon Bon’s face, and that really unsettled me since there was a silence after I had spoken my piece. I bit my lip, trying to keep under control. I could have apologised, repeatedly, but I didn’t think that would have looked right.

One thing did slip out, though. “I failed you.”

Suddenly, I felt Bons grab my face and turn me around so that our eyes met. She wasn’t angry at all, in fact, she was smiling! “You really think going out there, by yourself, and trying something that you’ve never done before is a failure? That’s a massive success, in my book.”

My ears twitched, as if they couldn’t believe what they hearing. I know I couldn’t. “What? No, no you don’t get it. I tried, yeah, but it didn’t work out!”

Then Bon Bon lunged forward and her lips touched mine. She wrapped her hooves around me as she passionately kissed me. I was only too happy to reply. I didn’t know why, but she wasn’t mad at me, and that’s all I cared about. We stayed together like that for a while, our eyes closed and bodies close to each other.

Then, after awhile, she broke off and grinned at me. “All that happened is that you found out you weren’t good at something. There’s still plenty of areas of work to try out.” She put her forehooves on my cheeks, bringing me close. “I’m not disappointed in you, Lyra. I’m proud of you. So proud that you’d go out of your comfort zone...” Her eyes then started watering. Was she really this happy at my apparent failure? Whatever the case, I didn’t feel tired and downcast anymore. I had brought my love to tears of joy and that filled me up with joy. “Just to make me happy.”

Then the tears fell down her face. I kissed her cheeks, wiping away the tears. “I love you, Bon Bon.” I might have been a unicorn, but Bons was the magical one here.

“And I love you too, Lyra.” Then we shared another fiery, loving kiss. We both knew where this was leading up to, so we broke off and got off the coach, going upstairs together.

Even with protection, that was one of the best nights of loving I ever had.

My reward for braving the school was Cloud Kicker herself, only the next day. Apparently, she had run into Bons during the day and had set up one of our ‘get-togethers’ for the evening. When I heard, I couldn’t wait.

Bons and I sat on the couch, cuddling each other. Thanks to my efforts yesterday, Bon Bon had completely warmed up to me. I felt safe and secure once again as she covered me in kisses.

Then I heard a knocking at the door and was rushing towards in less than ten seconds flat. “Coming!” I yelled, grinning as I reached the door and swung it open, Cloud Kicker standing right in front of me. “Hi, Cloud Kicker! All set for some fun?” I snickered, eagerly anticipating the fun we’d all share.

Our guest banger held up a baguette, looking from it to me. “Oh right, I'm banging you two tonight, not Raindrops.” She frowned at the food. “Well, I guess we can use this as a post-banging snack.”

I blinked, staring at the baguette. “What the hay do you use a baguette for...?”

“It's long and thin. Think about it, Harpflank.” She had me there. She trotted in, meeting with Bons, who had just joined me. “Hey, Bon Bon. How's life?”

“Hey, Cloud Kicker. Pretty good. How about--”She glanced at the baguette, “not going to ask--yourself?”

“Doing good. Loving the new job,” Cloudy replied.

“I bet you are,” Bons replied, with a sweet smile. “Do you want anything?”

I closed the door, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to freshen my breath a bit. “I could use a mint myself. Hold on.” I entered the kitchen and opened a cupboard, getting out a box of mints. I mulled it over, thinking that two should have suffice.

I heard Cloud Kicker from the hallway. “You,” she said in a sultry tone, then dropped it, “But for now, some lemonade if you have any.”

“You can have her when I'm done with her!” I shouted, laughing as I popped the mints into my mouth.

I heard a small giggle escape from Bons. “Never a dull moment with you two. Anyway, I'll get right on that lemonade.” She then went into the kitchen, Kicky following her.

She popped her baguette onto the table. “Guess we might as well do something with this bread too.”

I ate one more mint, just because they’re so damn good. “For eating or banging? 'Cause I'm fine with either.”

Bon Bon poured a glass of lemonade for Kicker, sliding it over to her. “I think she meant eating, Lyra.”

Cloudy nodded a thanks at Bons and sipped some lemonade before tearing off a chunk of bread. “Yeah, eating. Bread really doesn't hold up too well to banging.”

“Sounds like Raindrops would say otherwise. Is she into the...'eccentric' side of banging?” I asked, ripping off some of the baguette. Raindrops didn’t strike me at that sort of pony, but I couldn’t say I knew her very well.

“Sorry, I don't kiss and tell,” Cloudy answered, beginning to eat her chunk.

Bon Bon poured herself a glass. “That's good to know,” she said, nodding at Cloud Kicker and taking a sip.

“I guess... doesn't take a genius to figure out what we get up to though.” I cast my magic hands, waving one lazily in the air.

Kicky let out a chuckle. “Well, some ponies have more obvious interests than others.”

I nodded in agreement. “That's true. I like mints, Bons loves her sweets,” I grinned slyly at my fillyfriend, “and her sweetie, Pinkie is all about cupcakes and Derpy loves her muffins. So yeah, some of us are kind of easy to figure out.”

“Yup. Speaking of, how's the candy stand doing, Bon bon?” Cloudy asked, before eating another piece of bread.

“Business as usual, really,” Bons replied with a shrug. “It's not really an eventful job--pretty good for socialising though.”

I began to cut off a slice of bread for myself, looking at Cloud Kicker. “Well, as long as you're making a solid profit,” she said.

“The profit lets us get by. For now,” Bon Bon replied, stealing a quick glance at me.

Cloudy frowned slightly. “Hmm. What about you, Lyra?”

I blinked. She knew my work position. Or, she should’ve done. “What about me?”

Our bang buddy smirked. “Still being a lazy bum,” she teased, playfully nudging me with her wing.

“Hey! I'm not lazy! I'll have you know that the other day, I went to Sparkler's school and did a talk on music.” I nodded at her, stuffing some bread into my mouth.

Bon Bon shook her head. “ It didn't go well... but!” She raised a hoof in my defence. “She did try, and that’s a start.”

I swallowed my mouthful. “You didn't have to provide more material for Kicky here, Bons...” I rolled my eyes. Kicky was great, but sometimes I wasn’t in the mood for her teasing.

Instead of leaping at the chance to joke at me some more, she wrapped a wing around me. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Now? Pfft. Not when we got some fun to get to!” I paused, mulling it over. I guess I could’ve used more ponies to talk to about it. I leant closer to her, whispering, “Later, okay?”

“Sure,” she whispered back, before speaking normally. “Sounds like you've got your priorities straight, Lyra. So, what did you and Bon Bon have in mind?”

“Well, we can start nice and relaxed by preening those wings of yours, if you wanted us to,” Bon Bon offered, sneaking a bit of bread into her mouth.

“Ooooh. Sounds lovely,” Cloud Kicker responded, withdrawing her wing from me.

“In that case, my lovely mares, we shall move to the bedroom!” I took the initiative, beginning to leave the room.

“Sounds like a plan.” She downed the last of her lemonade, then looked at my fillyfriend. “Shall we, Bon Bon?”

Bons quickly put the glasses near the sink, then started to follow me and Cloudy. “Right away, Cloud Kicker.”

We made our way up the stairs and into my and Bons’ bedroom. I stood by the bed, inviting Cloud Kicker onto it. “Make yourself comfy, Kicky.”

She took her usual place in the middle of the bed, making herself comfortable and spreading her wings out, grinning. “So ... you two gonna give me anything to play with while I'm getting preened?”

I saw the chance for a quick tease and I seized it. “Like what? A chew toy?” I snickered at my own joke.

“Oh, I was hoping for a little something sweet,” Kicky retorted, eyeing up my fillyfriend. I didn’t mind--I trusted her.

“Hm. I thought we could still have a nice chat before we -really- get going. How are things with you, anyway?” Bons asked as I began preening.

“Life is good,” she answered, grinning. “Oh, speaking of Lyra's whole music talk at Sparkler's school, I kinda have a thing going with Derpy now.”

I stopped, looking at Cloud Kicker, beaming. “Oh, that's wonderful!” Honestly, I had been waiting for this day for a while.

“Aww, go on,” Bon Bon added, gesturing for Cloudy to keep talking.

“Not much to say, really. We just kinda hooked up and banged on whim, and liked it enough that we decided to stick with it.” Huh. That didn’t sound very romantic, and I knew that Kicky was perfectly capable of romance.

“So you're more friends with benefits...?” I asked, dreading the answer.

Cloudy nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

I held back a sigh. “Aah. That works too.” I shrugged and went back to preening in order to hide my disappointment. One day, Kicky, one day...

“What about her kids...? Isn't that a bit awkward?” Trust Bons to ask the important questions.

“A little, yeah. Dinky's too young to know what's going on, but Sparkler...” Cloudy trailed off, frowning a little bit.

“I can talk to her about it, you know,” I offered. After the whole school fiasco, I did want to see her again.

“If you want to, sure,” Kicky replied. To be honest, I would have anyway even if she said no.

“Right then, I'll make sure to track her down.” I looked at Bons, a beautiful idea forming in my head. “Hey Bons, want to go grab the chocolate or shall I?”

Bons grinned suggestively at me. “Well you suggested the idea.” That I did. I guess it was up to me then.

“Now that brings back some memories,” Cloud Kicker said, nipping at my fillyfriend’s flank. Again, I didn’t mind, especially since she let out an adorable squeak in surprise.

Some good memories indeed. It wasn’t a fact I told many ponies but... Cloud Kicker and I had more history than most ponies would suspect. It was true that we banged relatively quickly, though... geeze, that was more than a couple years ago now, wasn’t it?

“Just getting things ready. I won't be long!” I snickered, then rushed downstairs to execute my plan. Straight up banging with those two was all well and good, but I wanted to maximize the fun factor as much as possible. And you know what’s really fun?

Chocolate. Chocolate is fantastic fun.

I looked through the kitchen cupboards and found a bottle of chocolate sauce soon enough. I levitated alongside me and went back to the banging center.

There was a brief pause when I returned. Cloud Kicker licked her lips. “So... what are you up to? Lots of fun things a pony can do with chocolate sauce...”

“Mmmmmm...” I winked at Kicky, then licked the tip of the bottle free from chocolate.

“Oh. I know exactly what she's thinking,” Bon Bon said. From the tone of her voice, I just knew that she looking forward to this.

Cloudy looked between me and Bons. “So... who's getting sauced up?”

I gave her sly grin. “Everyone.”

Bon Bon blinked. “That'll make cleaning up... awkward.”

“It'll be worth it,” I assured her, settling on the bed next to Cloud Kicker.

“Definitely,” Kicky agreed, reaching over to the bottle and stealing it from me. She then squeezed, squirting chocolate all over my chest. She licked her lips. “Yum.” The moment she started cleaning up was the moment I definitely knew that this was a brilliant idea. Good times, here I come!

“Oi. I'm the squirter here!” I teased, stealing the bottle back and squirting sauce all over the other two.

“Stop whining,” Kicky retorted, then licked more chocolate off of me. “Don't worry about the premature squirting. It's a common issue. Though usually more of a stallion thing.”

“Oh shush, you,” I replied. I nodded at Bons, she nodded back, and we both started licking chocolate off the mare in the middle.

“As much as Cloud Kicker probably enjoys this, we all know the real reason why she's here,” Bon Bon said, grinning at me. Yep, it was really no secret that Cloudy really enjoyed my magic touch.

“Hey, don't forget the foreplay, Bonsy.” Cloud Kicker switched off, licking my fillyfriend free of sauce. “Always nice to get in the mood for a bit before jumping into into the main event.”

“Didn't your parents teach you anything about sharing sweets, Kicky?” I shuffled over so I could lick Bon Bon too. She just sat there and took it, enjoying every lick.

“Oh, there's plenty of Bon Bon left, Lyra. I'm only using a bit of her,” Cloudy pointed out, before rubbing her hooves over Bons’ flanks.

Bon Bon giggled delightedly at the contact. “Lyra, you missed a spot on Cloudy.” She leant over and began to lick Cloudy’s neck.

“Oh, is Lyra slacking on us. Well, that won't do.” Cloud Kicker gave me a playful spank on my flank with a wing. An individual feather is nothing, yet a whole wing is... something else.

“Well for that, I'll give you a thumbs up.” I cast my magic hands and pointed a thumb up in the air. Apparently it was a gesture creatures with digits, mainly Minotaurs, used that meant ‘good job’, or something like that.

I ran a finger down Kicky’s back and she shuddered. “Ooohoho. Well if we're going into tit for tat, I think I'll make out with your fillyfriend.” And then she did. Going by her grunts of pleasure, Bons was having a great time.

“Come on, don't make me the third wheel now,” I joked, planting kisses on both of their necks.

Cloud Kicker broke away from Bons. “Perish the thought. Biggest threesome foul out there is turning a threesome into a twosome.” Then she moved a hoof to the base of my tail. I couldn’t help but shudder slightly.

“Really, Cloud Kicker, you spoil us,” Bon Bon said, with a grin.

“And you spoil me right back, Sweets.” Kicky paused for a second. “Y'know, maybe we should do more interesting things with our mouths than using them for talking.”

“Is that our cue, then?” I asked. Here we go...

“Yup.”

And then there was a big bang.

I woke up, feeling very groggy, my ears twitching slightly. I couldn’t tell how far into the morning it was, since the curtains were drawn. Grumbling, I rolled over in bed, only to find myself with Cloud Kicker, who was very much awake.

She grinned at me and kissed the top of my horn. “Good morning, sunshine,” she said, then gave me a smirk. “Though if you don't wake up soon, I might have to change that to 'Good afternoon, Sunshine.'”

I yawned and rubbed my eyes. “Whatever... works for me. We don't have to get up yet...” I could’ve stayed there forever, really; it was cosy.

“Well, I do kinda have to go to work at some point.” Eugh. The dreaded work. I mean, it was good that Kicky was concerned about her job, but I placed a higher priority on our time together.

I cuddled up to Cloud Kicker, yawning again. She was really soft, like a pillow. And for the time being, she was mine. “Screw work... Rainbow Dash won't mind...”

“I've got a while yet, I'm on the late afternoon shift.” She nuzzled my head affectionately and I happily returned the gesture. “So, there’s still a lot of ‘us time’ available.”

“Mmm. Good...” I closed my eyes and let out a content sigh, perfectly fine with lying there by Kicky’s side.

“So…” Kicky began idly running a hoof through my mane. I sighed contently, enjoying the contact. “What do you wanna talk about?”

I gave her a half hearted shrug. “I don't know... what about you?”

“What about me?” Cloud Kicker asked, kissing the base of my neck.

“You seem to have it all under control... you got promoted and your sex life is great--especially now with your thing with Derpy...” I didn’t envy her for it, but in comparison to myself, Cloud Kicker left Canterlot in a better position than I had.

“Not to mention you and Bons, which is kinda what’s on my mind right now.” She nibbled my neck for a bit, licking her lips. “Minty...”

That got a little laugh from me. “I know I am.” I fell silent, thinking. “It's great that you still come around... I mean, it probably sounds shallow, but what with Bons there,” I gestured to my sleeping fillyfriend, “it kind of sucks to use protection all the time... I'd rather be careful though.” There was also the fact that I loved spending time with Kicky, which was something we both knew.

“Yeah, a pregnancy would kinda complicate things. Though really, you two have been together for how long now?” she asked musingly.

I smiled, thinking back over happy memories past. “Over a year now... The last Hearts and Hooves day? Our second.”

Cloud Kicker nodded. “And you've been living together for a while now.”

“Sometimes I go back to my place but... mostly, yeah.” I yawned, burying my face in Kicky’s chest. Moments like this--moments of peaceful snuggling--I always cherished.

Kicky gave me another nip, this time at my ear. “Sounds to me like you two are pretty close to hitched already.”

I returned the gesture, attacking her neck. “Yeah... yeah, I guess we are...” I glanced over to Bons. She looked so calm, lying there.

“Might be something to think on. I mean, I love you both to bits, but you two clearly have something.” Cloud Kicker and I were more than just banging partners, but what we had was nothing in comparison to what Bons and I shared.

“You're such a sweetheart, Kicky.” I gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “And yeah... I know we have something special. And I want to hold onto it forever... I know it's probably cliché but I'll say it anyway because it's true: she completes me.”

“Aww.” She smiled... but it gradually faded. “So ... what's wrong in paradise?”

I sighed quietly, realising that she really wanted to talk. Not just talk, but talk talk. “This is probably going to sound really pathetic but... Bons wants me to finally get a job... I think we're fine but she doesn't...”

“Money trouble?” I shook my head in response.

“Not now... but if we want to settle down then yeah... probably... Bon Bon is just planning ahead...” I traced a little circle on the mattress.

“Yeah. Plus ... look, don't take this the wrong way Lyra, but you're a little old to still have your parents paying the bills.” Great, now Cloud Kicker was getting on my case too?

“But it's a system and it works!” I defended, yet quickly calmed down. I didn’t want wake Bon Bon, after all.

Cloud Kicker sighed. “Lyra, are you really okay with being well into adulthood but still living like a filly?”

What was the issue here? Parents help their children. That’s why they’re parents! “I... I'm sorry but... I don't see the problem.”

“I know you don't It's just ... look, the baby bird has to leave the nest eventually.” Hmph. I wasn’t a baby at all.

“I have though... I'm here, aren't I? It's only bits, Kicky...” If you took the bits factor out of the equation, I was living without support from anypony. I was definitely a normal adult.

“Bits are a pretty big deal. Kinda hard to live without them.” Well of course I knew that. It’s probably lesson number two in life 101. “I just—what do you wanna do with your life, Lyra?”

I nuzzled her, mentally pleading for a return to the cuddling. “I want to spend the rest of my days with Bon Bon... and I want us to be happy.”

There was a little pause before she answered. “Is that it? Nothing else you want out of life?”

I smiled, although it was a tired one. “It's all I need.”

“So ... you got nothing of value in your life except Bon Bon?” I didn’t expect that question--it had far too many implications for my liking.

“Well... no. You're important to me, Kicky.” I kissed her neck a few times, just to prove my point. “And so are my other friends...”

My kisses were returned, Cloud Kicker covering my face in them. “Thanks, sweetie. It's just ... a pony needs something in their lives besides romance. You ever thought about picking the whole music thing back up? More than just playing in the park for a couple bits, I mean.”

“What... you mean, go back to college?” I shook my head. I left there once and I wasn’t going back. “No... no, I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” That made me fall silent.

It was only a nudge from Kicky that prompted me to start speaking again. “I... I-I just... I didn't like it there and...” I let out a shuddered sigh. “I wasn't... motivated enough...”

“Hmm. Maybe you need to get motivated,” Cloud Kicker mused.

“But... that isn't me! I live in the moment! I-I...” I don’t know why... maybe because it was the truth or it was bringing back bad memories, but for some reason, I found myself crying into Kicky’s chest. “I just can't! And I know that's awful but... I'm so useless! I can't do anything other than play my l-lyre and even I botched that chance up...” I wiped my eyes, trying to calm down. “I'm sorry...”

I felt Cloud Kicker tighten her hold over me. “Lyra, sweetheart, you are not useless.” Then she leant me down and gave me a deep kiss on the lips, one which I happily returned.

We kissed for a short while, before breaking off. I sniffled, the tears beginning to stop. “Then why haven't I accomplished anything...?”

“Lyra, sweetie, if you wanna make something of yourself, then go out there and do it.” I had told myself that quite a few times in my life... except there was always one issue...

“I wouldn't know where to start...” I laughed weakly, a curious idea coming to mind. “Maybe I can sprout wings and join your team?”

Kicky smiled back at me. “I wouldn't mind that. But ... Well, you've got your music, right?”

“Yeah but... there's the thing...” I fiddled with my hooves.

“Yes?” My anxiety died down, for one peck on the lips was all that was needed to calm me down again.

“I don't want to become famous because... that'll change everything... and I might lose sight of what's important: the music. This right here? I don't want to change it, Kicky. I really don't...” That’s how the music industry works; either you’re famous and have a very extravagant lifestyle, or you’re pretty much a nopony and need a second job to support yourself. “See? I don't even know what I want with myself...”

“So, what? You're worried that if you really try to make something of your music, you'll mess it up?” Oh, I knew what that was like.

“No no... the opposite. You've heard of Octavia, right? I love her work but... her life isn't one I want to live. I'd probably have to leave all this behind...” I looked right into Kicky’s eyes, giving her a determined glare. “I've started something here... and I'm not leaving it.”

“So, you'd have to leave Ponyville to really pursue your music,” Cloud Kicker said.

“Ponyville isn't big enough to support a career like that... I do play in the streets sometimes... only get a couple of bits for it though.” I enjoyed playing in Ponyville, but only because myself and others enjoyed the music I made.

“So you'd have to go do a couple concerts and tours and stuff.” Hah... if only...

“P-pretty much... that, or move to somewhere like Manehattan and only perform in small clubs...” I looked away, pondering things. “Music might be my passion but... I don't think it's my job. You love banging, but look at you!” I prodded Kicky’s chest. “Promoted and almost calling the shots...”

“So you love music, but it's a hobby.”

“Yep...” I nodded and squeezed her gently.

Kicky ran a hoof through my mane comfortingly. “So then ... what do you want for a job?”

“I don't know! Like I said, I'm pretty much useless... I don't know where to begin... I'd need so much training to get anything good...” I could feel the floodgates opening again, but Kicky was there to stop any of that from happening.

“You are not useless,” she said in that firm, military like tone she rarely uses. She then followed that up with a slightly forceful kiss.

After returning, I pulled back and slowly nodded. “Yes... you're right. Sorry... this is all new to me and it's kind of daunting...”

“Yeah, but you'll figure it out.” She gently took my hoof in her own. “Besides, Bon Bon will be there to help. You just need to let her.”

“Yeah... I have to try at least. Thank you, Kicky.” This is what I needed; a pep talk after I had get knocked down (and knocked up, heh heh). “Even if Bons and I get married, you'll always have your special place here.” Grinning, it was my turn to make the first move and kiss Cloudy.

“Glad to hear it.” Kicky glanced over Bons, thinking. “Say... think she'd mind if we had a quick little...” She looked back at me, waggling her eyebrows. “Think you could use a bit of a pick-me-up.”

“I don't think she would...” I grinned, liking the idea. Bon Bon knew Kicky and I had banged a ton of times before anyway.

“Well then...” She slid a hoof under the covers. “Let's forget about all this job stuff for a bit.” She kept moving her hoof, then hesitated a bit. “Y'know, Lyra, I love you and Bons to bits. Not love love, but still... y'know.”

“Do you love love anyone, Kicky...?” I had asked this question before, but the answer was always the same.

She hesitated before answering this time.“Nah, it's not really my thing.” Normally she was a lot more definite. One thing I knew though, was not to press her on the issue.

At least, not too much. “ I've always believed that there's a special somepony for all of us... you're a wonderful mare, Cloud Kicker. I think you'd make somepony feel very special, you know?”

She fell conspicuously silent and my suspicions were raised. I looked at her with concern, asking softly, “What's wrong?”

“Nothing. Just... old history.” Another answer I had gotten before.

“Oh... I'm sorry, Kicky.” I kissed her forehead, regretting that I couldn’t do more. Sometimes, I really wished she’d open up more and actually let me help her like she had to me. “But that stuff I said about you is still true. Remember that. And if you ever need a talk, or a song, I'm here,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile.

“Thanks.” She resumed sliding her hoof right down to my... yeah. “So... how about we go from sappy talking time to me showing you how important you are to me?”

I giggled in anticipation. “Show me.”

“Gladly... but one thing first.” She smirked at me and I raised an eyebrow in reply. “So far I haven't gotten any reciprocation on the whole love-as-a-friend thing...”

I moved a hoof slowly down her chest. “You really need me to tell you that?” I questioned, with a teasing grin.

She grinned right back at me. “It's nice to hear it, sometimes.”

I cleared my throat before speaking. “Allow me to show you why they call me 'Heartstrings'.” It didn’t take me long to think of what to say. It was the truth, after all. “Cloud Kicker. You are perhaps the most trustworthy friend a pony could ask for. Also the most radiant, like the cutie mark on Celestia's plot itself. I think I am truly blessed to know you as I do today. And although my love for you burns brightly, it is not the same as the flame that burns for Bon Bon.” I laughed lightly--some of that stuff was a bit corny. “Good enough?”

Kicky enjoyed it though, laughing joyfully and beaming right at me. I saw a bit of her younger self, right there. “I guess it'll do. And now... we'll bang,okay?”

“My flank is ready.” I gave her a challenging grin. Bring. It. On. “Let's do it.”

What happened next was easy to guess. And wonderful, all the same.

The Pony Who Never Skips a Beat

I woke up at roughly the same time Kicky did, so we both had our breakfast and let Bon Bon sleep in for a bit. I always think that, considering she works so hard, she needs all the sleep she can get; she does lead a quite work intensive life. I could predict her exact routine for today: get up, eat, then make some candies before selling them out at the market. Me? I was a lot more flexible, although I did have one goal I wanted to accomplish today.

It didn’t take long after breakfast for Kicky to leave and do... whatever she does. Or whoever. I wanted her to stay for just a little while longer, but... she can’t. She has her own life to live. I know it isn’t true, but whenever she leaves after a banging session, I can’t help but shake the feeling that we’ve become more distant than we used to be.

I thought that maybe if I washed the dishes, it’d clear my head from such thoughts. But honestly, there was nothing else to think about. I turned on the tap and began scrubbing our used plates with a washcloth—using my magic hands, of course.

Back when we were both in Canterlot, we spent practically every day together, whenever it was possible. Now? Days can go by when I only catch a glimpse of her with some other pony. Usually Blossom, Rainbow Dash... or Raindrops.

I frowned as I began scrubbing the plates a bit harder. Raindrops and I got along about as well as two dragons that shared a cave full of gems, the damn grumpy workaholic. Okay, I know work is important, but when it turns you into a plothead? That’s where I draw the line. It didn’t help that she looked down on me because of my lifestyle.

I shook my head and put one clean dish on the side. Back to Kicky. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised at us distancing; in Canterlot, she did write a lot to Rainbow Dash, although I never read any of the letters. Kicky always danced around the question when I asked what she wrote to her about. That always confused me, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Regardless, it made sense that she’d go back to her old friends when she moved to Ponyville.

I stopped and grimaced. That made her sound like she didn’t care about me at all, but I knew that wasn’t the case. But then... why had we become more distant? I resumed scrubbing. There are some things in this world you can never explain.

Still, it could be worse. At least we still bang. And when we do, it’s glorious.

Not long after I had finished washing up, Bon Bon slowly came downstairs, bed mane and all. I couldn’t help but smile as she stumbled into the kitchen.

“Morning, sugar,” I said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

“Morning, mint, “ she replied, fighting back the urge to yawn.

I snorted, smirking. “You’ll want coffee then, I take it?”

“Mhm,” Bons simply answered, sitting down at the table.

I trotted over to the kitchen counters and prepared the morning brew. “And while I’m at it, shall I make your breakfast too?” It was intended as a joke, but if she said yes, then of course I’d do it.

Bon Bon shook her head slightly. “No, I’ll do it.”

“Alright then, hun.” I suppose I can’t blame her for that. She is a better cook than me.

Soon enough, the coffee was in a mug, which in turn was in my lover’s hooves. I sat in the chair next to her, its legs skidding across the floor as I moved closer to her.

“So,” I began while she was taking a sip, “more work today?”

Bon Bon put the mug down. Already she looked more awake. “Actually, I was thinking of taking the day off today.”

That made me raise an eyebrow. “It’s not Sunday, though.”

“I know, but after last night...” She smiled dreamily, then blinked. “Well, I just want my rest day earlier this week.”

I beamed and put a foreleg around her, pulling in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Now, she was all mine for the rest of the da—

“Besides, Cherry wanted to hang out with me today.”

I froze, but knew that pulling away would seem suspicious. Didn’t stop me from grinding my teeth together though. “Cool. Yeah. That’s fine, hun.”

Bon Bon nodded once. “Good.” She took another sip, and then asked, “Do you have any plans today?”

“One,” I answered. “Y’know Sparkler, right?”

Bons smirked at me. “Of course I know her. You did tell me about her when you came back from the lecture. I’ve also sold candies to her and her family.”

I guess that made sense. Selling stuff is a very social thing, and in a town like Ponyville, trust is a big part of the business game. If your product sucked, or you did something bad and got caught, word would spread very quickly and your business prospects would plummet.

“Mhm. Anyways, I was going to meet Sparkler after school and give her something as a thanks. Maybe a cupcake or something.” Plus, she seemed like a cool kid, anyway.

I did need something from her though. Well, rather, her mom. The problem with that was that Derpy was an extremely busy pony and I never knew how her work schedule—er, worked. I figured Sparkler of all ponies would know.

“Seems like the best thing to do,” Bon Bon said, sliding out from the table and heading to the kitchen counters. “As for me, time to get my bake face on.”

I grinned, watching her prepare hay bacon strips like a pro. Then I grumbled as I smelt them cooking.

I should’ve waited for her to make me breakfast...

After spending the day playing music and generally lying about, the time had come for school to finish. I headed for Sparkler’s school and waited outside for the students to come rushing out. After a few stares were directed my way, I realised that an adult like me waiting for hordes of teenagers to leave school looked... kinda off. So I sat on a bench a ways away that still gave me a view of the exit. I thought that picking out Sparkler shouldn’t have been too hard, considering she was all purple.

The doors swung open and teenagers made their escape, although only a few actually galloped off. Most were chatting with their friends. Probably gossip, no doubt. I got off the bench and stepped a little closer, trying to find Sparkler.

Eventually, I spotted her coming outside. She was levitating a little book in front of her, looking through it before placing it in her saddlebags. Other ponies brushed past her as she made her way from the school back home.

I watched her go, beginning my approach when she wasn’t surrounded by other teens. “Er, hey!” I called out after her, waving.

She gave a small start, but quickly turned to see me. “Oh—uh, hey!” She gave me a welcoming smile as she trotted up. “'Sup, Miss Lyra?” Eugh. I know she was trying to be polite, but I really didn't like being called 'Miss'; made me feel old.

It didn’t stop me from putting on a warm smile though. “Just wanted to catch you and give you something by way of thanks for helping me out the other day.”

Sparkler blinked. “Oh. I just gave you directions, you don't have to do anything for that.”

“There was also the spitball in my mane.” I scowled a little. “That took a while to completely wash out.” At one point, I had Bon Bon rinse my mane with the garden hose. Except the water was too powerful and I ended up smacking my head against the side of the house.

“Ew.” Sparkler frowned, looking at something behind me. I peered around to see that she was frowning at the pony that caused the whole spitball situation: Velvet Cushion. “Sorry about her. She's a bit of a stuck up nag.”

“It's school.” I shrugged. There really wasn’t much I could do about her. “What can you do?” I stopped, considering something that at least Sparkler could do. “Well, except revenge pranking, I guess.”

“Read my mind.“ An evil, plotting grin flashed upon her face. “I'll find something nice and slimy to put in her saddlebags tomorrow.”

Ooo, I liked the way she thought. “As long you get away with it.”

“It's kind of a standoff at this point,” she explained, keeping an eye on the stuck up mare as she went by in the distance. “She'll probably suspect me, but I've gotten to the point where she can't prove it.”

“The best kind of position, I'd say. You can just laugh as you watch her get frustrated.” One of the main things you have to get right when being a prankster is the reaction of your target. Sometimes it’s better that they know you pranked them, especially if they know they can’t get their revenge.

“Exactly.” She tore her eyes from that mule and looked back to me. “So, what's up?”

“Well, I'll entreat you to treat you with a treat!” I exclaimed, then froze, looking around frantically.

Sparkler leant her head back, giving me a weirded out look. “Or something like that.”

I shivered, wondering what the hay came over me. “Could've sworn Pinkie just entered my system, what with that sentence.” With what she’s like, that honestly wouldn’t have surprised me.

Eugh. Now I’m getting the image of Pinkie coming out of my mouth. Thanks, brain.

Sparkler hastily checked her surroundings, ears twitching. “Don't summon her!”

“Eh, she's not so bad.” Okay, so Pinkie can get too excitable at times, but that’s just who she is. Her optimism and desire to cheer up anypony she could was very admirable, in my opinion. “I was planning to get you a cupcake anyways.”

“Oh. Cool. Well—thanks, I guess.”

I wiggled my lips. She sounded a little unsure, but I suppose the prospect of going to Pinkie HQ could have unsettled anypony. Or maybe she just felt a little bad that I was buying her something. If that was the case, then she was a silly filly.

“C'mon, my treat to you,” I told her, then began to set the pace.

She followed my lead, grinning. “I appreciate it!” I was about to say ‘no problem’ or something, when she changed the topic. “So, you coming back for another lesson sometime?”

I stuck out my tongue and retched. No. No no. A million times no. “Eugh. Don't make me laugh. Teaching? Not my thing.”

“Really? You did pretty good.” Hah! She did better at the lying game than Applejack, but still, that was painfully obvious. It was a nice lie though, so, I could forgive her for that.

“Pretty good at sucking.” I shrugged. It still kind of stung how badly I was received, but it wasn’t a complete loss. “I cut my losses and moved on. It's all experience, right?”

“Exactly! You learn what not to do, and how not to do it,” Sparkler replied with a sage nod.

“Something like that, I guess.” I shrugged, then changed the conversation before it got stale. “Y'know, it's funny how we never spoke before at length. I am pretty good friends with your godmom, after all.”

Ever since we met at the bowling alley, Rainbow Dash and I were part-time pranking buddies. I say part-time, since now that she’s hooked up with Pinkie, she spends a lot more time with her. Not that I mind; it’s cute. Still, I maintain that it was totally Rainbow Dash’s fault that our first prank together on Kicky failed. It would’ve been perfect: fooling Cloud into thinking Rainbow got pregnant. But how in the hay was I supposed to know that Rainbow last saw her six months or so ago? Besides, can’t really blame me for not doing much. I was the planner!

Sparkler’s eyes went wide, but quickly relaxed. “You and Rainbow go way back? No kidding?”

“When I first moved to Ponyville, yeah. I was bowling at the alley, doing pretty good, and—well, you know what she's like.” I grinned triumphantly and puffed out my chest a little.

“Oooh Luna...” Sparkler took in a deep breath and continued, “How many re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-rematches did she demand?”

I snickered. Okay, that did sound like Rainbow. “Quite a lot. In the end, we settled on us both being equally awesome.”

Sparkler snorted, smirking. “Yeah, sure sign she got her flank handed to her on a platter.” She paused, probably for dramatic effect or something. “Repeatedly.”

“Well, this kind of helps.” I raised a forehoof and cast my magic hands. I have to give credit where it’s due; Rainbow did very well for having hooves. But hands were far more dexterous.

Sparkler came to a stop, examining my hand intently. “Whoa...”

I chuckled. Almost everypony has a similar reaction to them. “Yep. Hands.”

“Handy.” I laughed again as she stepped closer to inspect the hand. This girl seriously had wit. Far more so than myself.

When she got closer, I gave her a little boop on the muzzle with my index finger. That’s the finger next to the thumb, by the way. Upon being booped, Sparkler scrunched up her muzzle and stepped back. “Guess that makes sense, with those weird little holes the balls come with.”

“I heard bowling started as a Minotaur sport,” I said, dispelling my hands.

Sparkler blinked. “Huh. Guess that makes sense.”

“Mhm. I guess we just spruced it up a bit, but the holes stayed.” I heard the claim while I was in college. Apparently, way back when, minotaurs chiseled rocks to be spheres and put holes in them so they could bowl. Instead of bowling pins though, they used the bones of their dead enemies.

I don’t think they do that anymore.

“Weird,” Sparkler replied, shaking her head.

By this time, we had reached Sugarcube Corner. I stepped in first and surveyed the scene. Only a few ponies were in today and none of them I knew particularly well. I spotted a free table for Sparkler and me as we approached the counter.

Mr. Cake stood behind it, giving us a welcoming smile. “Let me guess: in for a batch of mint cookies?” he asked me.

“Mmmm...” I licked my lips. Chocolate chips are good, but mint chips are... mmmm... “Tempting... but...” I managed to tear my head from Mr. Cake to look at Sparkler. “I'm here for Sparkler.”

Mr. Cake nodded and directed his attention to her. “What can we get for you today?”

“Whatever Sparkler's favorite is, I guess,” I suggested.

Sparkler tapped her chin, pondering. “Cupcakes on the menu today?”

As if on cue—she did say cupcakes—Pinkie Pie poked her head around the corner from the kitchen. “Cupcakes are always on the menu, you silly filly!”

The two of us stared at her, puzzled. Not because she was Pinkie, but because there was a large, dripping, red streak on her cheek. “Hi, um, Miss Pinkie... you kinda got something on your...” Sparkler said, motioning towards Pinkie’s cheek.

When she got closer, I could see that it definitely wasn’t blood. Huh... Pinkie bleeding. That’s actually a pretty unnerving thought.

“Er, yeah... is that frosting?” I asked.

Suddenly, her tongue zipped out and began licking the red stuff off her face. I was a little impressed and terrified—her tongue was huge. “Cherry juice! We had a big order that asked for the Cheery Cherry Cake, and getting the jar of cherries open was...” She smiled sheepishly, her tongue escaping to lick a final bit of juice away. “Tasty.”

Mr. Cake grumbled. Rather grumblingly, I might add. “Four jars, Pinkie.”

“Cherries are like wine—great for cooking and baking!” Hm. I wonder if Pinkie and Berry have ever baked together. Or, even worse, gotten drunk together?

Hmmm... nah. The town’s still intact.

“Sometimes you even need to add them to the recipe,” Pinkie added, nodding with confidence.

I giggled at her and her odd ways. “Silly Pinkie. You got Sparkler's favorite in stock?”

Pinkie’s eyes looked up and she put on her ‘thinking face.’ That being her lips pouted and wiggling about while she goes ‘Hmmmmmmm...’ “I've never tried to make a muffin/cupcake before....”

“Just a cupcake's fine, Miss Pinkie.” Eugh. Still hated that ‘Miss’ prefix. I think Pinkie would be the most hilarious old pony, though.

“Standard cupcake. Fair enough.” Knowing what the price of that was, I placed a couple of bits on the table. Mr. Cake swiftly swiped them up and put out a few cupcakes in their place. The moment they appeared, Sparkler started drooling.

“Ooooh, chocolate with vanilla icing,” Sparkler said, wiping a little drool from her mouth.

Mr. Cake gently nudged Pinkie, who shot up straight and began wandering into the kitchen, thinking out loud. “What would that be? A muffincake? A cuffin? How would a pony even bake that?”

Hay if I knew, Pinkie, but you’re the only pony in the world that could make it happen.

Mr. Cake applied face to hoof, sighing. “My kitchen... again...” He gave the both of us an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I need to make sure she doesn’t start experimenting again.” Geeze, I remember the last time Pinkie experimented. Things got... sticky.

After Mr. Cake lamented over the prospects of Pinkie’s results, he briskly followed her as Sparkler and I headed to an empty table.

“Makes you wonder what damage Pinkie is going to cause,” I said, shuffling into the seat cushion.

Sparkler shrugged, placing the cupcakes in front of her. “Mom already set fire to it, so it's not like Miss Pinkie could do any worse.”

I saw my chance to steer the conversation towards what I had intended from the very beginning. “Heh, sounds like her. Speaking of...” I tapped the table absentmindedly. “I need to talk to her. When is she free?”

Sparkler was currently in the middle of enjoying her cupcakes when she glanced up to answer my question. “Mom? Wha fuu?” she mumbled, then swallowed her mouthful. “Sorry—I mean, what for?”

“Just advice on being a working mare.” I couldn’t think of anypony better to ask. Well, there was Bon Bon, but I knew how she worked. She seemed to flow so easily from work mode, into relaxation. Only sometimes did it get stressful and when that happened, I was there.

Derpy, on the other hoof, had two kids to care for, as well as a busy job with no special somepony of her own to help her. Goddess, I hoped that Kicky’s banging arrangement with her would develop into something more. For both their sakes. Regardless, Derpy would be the one pony to ask for help in how to get acquainted with a working lifestyle.

Clearly Sparkler agreed, nodding. “She'd be the pony to go to, then. I dunno how Mom juggles things so smoothly sometimes.”

“Exactly,” I replied, leaning forward. “That’s what I want to know.”

“I can tell ya already that sticking with stuff you don't like to do will be part of it. I don't like homework, but...” She gestured to her saddlebags. Yeesh. Homework. I remember that. It sucked.

I frowned a tad. Work was something I had to do, not a jolly hobby to pass the time. “Yeah. It might take me a while to get used to that.” My frown relaxed and I got back on track. “So, when's the best time to see her?”

“Afternoon, usually when school's out.” Sparkler glanced up, checking out the clock on the wall opposite her. “She's probably walking Dinks home from school right now, unless Tool Time needs her for another long haul delivery.“ She raised a hoof and I waited as she ate another cupcake. “Doubt it, though--unless it's a very important package, he's usually pretty good about advance notice.”

“Hm, cool, thanks. I'll see her at some point.” It seemed a bit forward to go home with Sparkler already. Besides, I had already taken enough of her time as it was.

Sparkler wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Just make sure you're in the mood for muffins.”

I chuckled, resting against the table. “Don't worry, I will.” Looking at Sparkler, I did a double take. Her mane was... remarkably similar to mine. “Hm... Nice mane.”

Sparkler stopped, cupcake currently in her mouth. “Um.. 'anksh?”

Okay, I probably shouldn’t have placed such a random compliment out in the open like that. I had to follow this up, or I’d look like an idiot.

“Heh. You're a good kid. Not like every other teenager in Equestria.”

Sparkled swallowed and snickered quietly. “Now you're just buttering me up.”

“Pfft.” I waved a hoof. “I mean it.”

“Ah, c'mon. Just 'cause I'm not all wrapped up in the drama of who's seeing whom in school and stuff doesn't make me some kind of special case.” For a moment, I wondered if she was an adult in a teen’s body. Puberty seems to cause the body to release some weird chemical that makes teenagers constantly fuss about themselves and their reputation. It seemed Sparkler was immune.

“One might say it makes you better than them,” I quipped.

Sparkler smiled sheepishly, blushing very slightly. She fumbled for a bit, probably trying to come up with a suitable reply to my compliment. When she couldn’t think of anything, she started to squirm and stuff another cupcake in her mouth. I laughed and watched her intently, grinning like a madmare. That just made her fidget more.

Sparkler downed another cupcake then reached for another. Her hoof only grabbed air. She blinked a couple times, then tried to play it cool. “Heh. Thanks, I guess.”

“Don't worry about it. Just enjoy it while you can, 'cause sooner or later, we'll start flinging insults at each other.” If you trip and hurt your leg, a friend will do their best to soothe your pain. But a best friend will laugh and call you an idiot.

Again, she had no response to that. Well, not one in words anyway. She stuck out her tongue at me and gave me a raspberry. Of course, I couldn’t let that go unchallenged, so I fought back with an even bigger raspberry. So she raspberried harder. So did I.

We only stopped when we saw the looks the other ponies around were giving us.

Sparkler laughed awkwardly and tossed the cupcake wrappings in a nearby bin. “Thanks again for the snack.”

“Just repaying your kindness.” I glanced around. Ponies were still giving us odd looks, murmuring between themselves. Damn it, I could feel my cheeks getting warm. “Now, I've probably held you up long enough.”

Sparkler stood up and gave me a sly smirk. “Now you're getting all melodramatic. Seriously, I just showed you where the classroom was.”

Damn. Now she had turned the tables on me. I struggled to reply. “Well sometimes I like to be a bit melodramatic so...” Er. What else to say. Erm. Er. “Nyaaaah!”

Okay, I don’t think that was witty as it could’ve been. I certainly don’t think that shaking my head like a madmare helped, either.

“‘Nyaaah,’ to you.” Sparkler giggled, then looked over at Mr. Cake, who was back at the counter. “Thanks for the cupcakes, Mr. Cake!”

“And thank you for the business!” he shot back with a smile.

My ears twitched. I could hear somepony else.

“Do I use super glue to stick them together, or tape?” I heard a high-pitched gasp. Yep. That was Pinkie alright. “I know! A blowtorch!”

Mr. Cake went still for a moment, then, a sudden burst of energy filled his body as he galloped into the kitchen. “Pinkie!! NO!!”

I’ll let you know if Sugarcube Corner burns down.

Sparkler began to edge towards the door, but I wasn’t letting her go without a normal goodbye. Well, fairly normal. “I'll see you later, nyaaaaaah!”

“See you then, nyaaaah!” We both shared a giggle and waved at each other before she left. I could definitely see us becoming good friends in the future. So what if she was a teenager, she was a clever teenager; we both had the wit to make good verbal spars.

I sat there for a while, smiling contently. I think it took me a couple to ask myself what the hay I was still doing there before I left for home.

I gave it a couple days before heading to Derpy’s, during which Sparkler and I got to know each other better.

Derpy’s house looked pretty homey from outside—and considering the mare who lived inside, I was surprised it was still standing. I went up to the front door and rapped my hoof on it a couple times. A few seconds later, I heard the sound of tiny hooves thump along to the door. I saw the door handle jiggle in place before the door swung open.

“Hi!”

I looked down and nearly suffered a cardiac arrest. Dinky. Oh my Goddess, Dinky. She was looking up at me, with her adorable little eyes and that delightful, innocent smile. I actually had to remind myself that I was here for Derpy and not her daughter. “Hi, Dinky. Is your mom around?”

Dinky nodded quickly. “Yah-huh! Mommy's cleanin' up, but you can still come in. C'mon!” She turned and I followed her in. I walked like a normal pony. Dinky bounced. It nearly gave me a heart attack, but I didn’t mind. If Dinky killed me with her cuteness, I’d actually blame myself for not preparing for such an adorableness overload.

“Hi Mommy! Somepony's here to see you!” Dinky cheered. I was a little surprised she didn’t refer to me by name, but we hadn’t talked much before anyway.

Wait. That meant I had no immunity to her cuteness.

I was doomed.

Derpy, who was currently scrubbing a cooking pan or something, turned to see me. “Oh—hey! Come on in!” There was a pause. “Oh. I guess you did.”

I giggled and gave her a little wave. “Yeah, hi, Derpy.”

“Go ahead and grab something from the icebox if you want it,” Derpy said, pointing towards said icebox. “Take a seat, I'm almost done here.”

“Oh, right. Thanks!” I wandered over and searched through the icebox. It had the usual: milk, vegetables, apple juice. But two items piqued my interest: cider was on the upper shelves, most likely so Dinky couldn’t get a hold of it. My gaze lingered over the bottles longer than it should have. But, c’mon, am I the only one who thinks getting drunk with Derpy would be a blast?

Another time, Lyra. You came here for work related reasons. This is business. I looked at the second item of interest. What else could it have been? Muffins. Muffins galore. I took hold of a couple muffins with my magic and headed to Derpy’s living room, sitting myself on the couch. The sound of dinky hooves behind me meant that the adorable little scamp herself was following me.

Heh. Dinky’s dinky hooves.

She hopped up onto the couch and sat beside me. I took a bite into my snack, then let out a satisfied hum. Why doesn’t Derpy just open up her own muffin business?

“Do you like 'em? I hope so, 'cause I helped make 'em!” Dinky chirped.

I nodded, finishing my mouthful. “Mmmm...” I began, rubbing my belly and looking content. “These are delicious!”

Dinky beamed up at me, looking very pleased with herself. “Thanks!” I imagine that Derpy did most of the baking, while Dinky added some ingredients. Still, I could tell that her love had been put into them.

I thought now would be the best time for us to get better acquainted. “I’m Lyra, by the way.”

Dinky’s smile didn’t disappear. “I know!”

I stopped and let out a deep breath through my nose. That was pointless. “Ah... okay.” Thankfully, I’m not sure she detected the awkward levels, so I moved on. “Where’s Sparkler?”

She grimaced. Celestia, even that looked adorable. “She’s at Ratchet’s.” Then her little tongue stuck out. “Probably getting cooties or something.”

Ooo. Sparkler had a coltfriend? It took me awhile to connect the dots, but he must have been that colt she had her eye on when I went to her school. I made a mental note to talk to her about that as I relaxed against the back of the couch. “She must be immune to cooties.”

Dinky titled her head. “Maybe. But they’re still cooties, an’ cooties are yucky.”

That actually made me think to back when I was her age. I don’t think I ever hated cooties then. Instead, I was dreaming of finding that stallion Prince to whisk me away to his castle. That was, until I realized I was a fillyfooler, which didn’t happen instantly. It was a gradual process that finished by the time I was in my early teens.

I kept nibbling on the muffins while Dinky observed. “Everypony loves Mommy’s muffins! My Godmom does, an’ Sparky, an’ Cloud, an’...”

I tuned out as Dinky listed off almost everypony she knew. Why did the link between Kicky and muffins seem so apparent? I chewed slowly, mulling it over.

Then it hit me: for Cloud, ‘muffin’ was a euphemism she had used before when we banged.

I gripped the couch as I desperately tried not to retch or choke on my own muffi—oh sweet Celestia! No, I didn’t mean it like that! Gaaah!!

To my relief, Derpy soon finished up, drying her hooves, getting her own snacks and coming to the couch with glasses of milk for each of us. As soon as she settled down with us, Dinky wiggled up to her and Derpy wrapped her forelegs around her. They both gave each other a loving smile , and seeing that made me smile too. Looking at them together like that, I could understand why Derpy did what she did.

“Sorry about the wait,” she apologised, shuffling a bit so she and Dinky could get comfortable.

I felt a little bad, actually. Derpy was busy enough as it was and now I was just cutting into her time. “It's fine. Sorry I came at a busy time.”

Derpy waved it off. “It's no trouble.” For a moment, we both ate our muff—snacks—while Dinky eagerly drank her milk. “What brings you by?”

Dinky lowered her glass, revealing a milk moustache. “Knockin'! ‘cause she was at the door, an' I let her in, an' then—”

Derpy interrupted her, speaking in a gentle, but chastising voice. “Muffin, it's not polite to interrupt.”

Dinky’s ears lowered slightly. “Sorry.”

“Aaaw...” I was surprised I had gone on this long without letting that slip. Once Dinky was back to drinking, I put my focus back on Derpy. “I want to know how... er... how you do it, really. Be a mother and a hard worker all at once.”

A bubbly giggle escaped from Derpy. “You say that like the two terms don't coincide.”

Well, I never thought that they did. “It's just ... it’s a lot of work, isn't it?”

Derpy nodded at me and explained, “Just being a mother is a full-time job.” She stole a quick pause to eat her muffin (I will get used to saying that again). “If I'm honest, a big part of why I made it this far is luck. I have the right job in the right town, and the right friends.”

“Even so, there must be a method to your madness.” I sighed, deciding that the only way I’d get my answers would be if was honest with her. “I'm trying to enter the world of work but...” The next part took a small while for me to say. “I don't think I'm really equipped for it.”

Derpy nodded again, but I could tell she was deep in thought. She glanced down at Dinky and gave her a nice nuzzle. “Muffin, could you go get started on your spelling homework?”

A small whine came from her. “But I wanted'ta do reading first!”

“We'll do reading later,” Derpy told her. Dinky was about to protest, but her mother beat her to the punch. “Go on, Dinky.”

Dinky let out a little huff and jumped off the couch, pouting. “Fiiiiiiine.” Reluctantly, she picked up her saddlebags from the floor and waddled over to the kitchen table to get started.

“There. That'll give us a little privacy.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “You're only as equipped as you let yourself be, Lyra. A big part of any job revolves around how willing you are to adapt, learn, and stick with it.”

“I'm not really adaptable,” I mumbled, sinking my teeth into the muffin I still had.

“Ooh, that's another part: attitude. If you don't let yourself think you can do something, you're not going to do it,” Derpy said, in a motherly tone. I grunted in response, still eating.

Derpy then pondered, casting an eye over at Dinky, who was doing what she was told. Then, she looked back to me. “Can you keep a secret?”

I stopped eating and nodded. “'Course I can.”

Derpy inclined her head towards her filly. “A few months after she was born, after the magic wore off and the responsibilities really started coming down on me, I didn't think I could do it either. Being her mother seemed like the greatest thing in the world when she was born. Well, after I'd finished giving birth.” A small grin revealed itself on her face. Suffice to say, I was a little shocked. Foalbirth was not something I was ever prepared to go through. How could anypony joke about something so painful?!

I guess Derpy could see the confusion on my face, since the grin faded slightly and she carried on. “But then things settled in. Two AM feedings, three AM feedings, collick, days when I couldn't find a foalsitter for her...”

I shuffled a bit closer to her. Sure, things were better for her now clearly, but feedings as early as that?! I felt a little guilty for not being there for her. I could’ve been really, since I knew Kicky and Rainbow and both of them were with Derpy a lot during the time. “So what did you do?”

“I went through it anyway. I knew there were ponies who could take care of her, maybe a little better than I could; the Cakes wanted a foal even back then, and Cloud mentioned once or twice that a few ponies in her clan were looking to adopt.” Derpy took a sip of her milk, then blinked and snapped back to the conversation. “Off-hoofedly, mind you, I doubt she was encouraging me to give my foal away.” She relaxed and continued to drink. I didn’t think Kicky would have condoned such an action anyway.

Derpy removed the glass from her lips to take in a breath, then tapped the glass absentmindedly as she went on. “But... those months I carried her, I'd settled here, started building things up to have a life with her, and when things got hard I told myself that I could do it better than Celestia herself. It's idealistic, I know, but trying makes all the difference.”

My eyes fluttered a couple times. “So... you were just optimistic? That's your big secret?”

“Goodness no,” she quickly replied. “Wishful thinking only goes so far—a bigger part of it was working through the grind and finding ways to cope with it.”

I think I was beginning to understand what she was on about now. “It's more willpower, then?”

“Willpower, with a healthy dose of commitment. I was tired almost every night for years, but I had a foal to provide for. So I did.” I took a small sip as I watched her think. “Some ponies just let their foals raise themselves. There's always room for helping hooves, but at some point you just stop being a good parent.” She shook her head. “I didn't want to be like that.”

“Mhm.” I drank my milk, just mulling over what she said. “It's a lot to think about...”

I knew that in practice, this would be really hard for me. Giving up on college didn’t exactly give me the best track record, did it? And, above all, I hated failure; that was going to be inevitable in my quest.

“I'm probably making it sound worse than it is. There's a lot of work, yeah, but the payoff makes it all worthwhile. For me, it was coming home to see Dinky smile and scramble to me every afternoon. For you?” She shrugged at me. “Who knows?”

Well, that was one of the few things I knew for sure. I looked her in the eyes, determined. “Making Bon Bon happy.”

Derpy nodded pointedly. “There's a goal right there, then. Not the endgame, but a good starting point to work towards.”

“My endgame has always been making her happy.” Why wouldn’t that be my endgame? I love her, with all of my being. Bon Bon is my endgame.

“Why?”

I snorted, thinking that it should’ve been clear to see. “She's the love of my life. Isn't it obvious?”

Derpy finished off her milk, then gave me a slightly challenging look. “Humor me. Why is making her happy so important to you?”

“I refer you to my previous statement.” I covered up my annoyed grumbling by finishing off my drink too.

“It's more than that. It's because you think she wants, or even needs, to see you improve yourself—and if that's what's important to her, it's important to you.” She prodded me lightly in the chest, then fell silent, waiting for my response.

I looked down. I guess what she was getting at was why I was doing this for myself. From the start, I knew I had to do this for Bon Bon’s sake but I never considered my own. Now that Derpy had made me realise that, all sorts of thoughts flooded my mind.

Truth be told, I wasn’t happy with my current situation. All of my friends work. I don’t. That leaves a huge gap in my days where I’m alone. Music passes the time, yeah, but sometimes I play things that make me feel even more alone. And that isn’t even taking into account the boredom.

This... this wasn’t what I had envisioned for myself when I was younger. Hay, I didn’t imagine this even in college. I was working towards being a musical star in Canterlot. But that dream crumbled before my eyes and I ran here.

My hooves were empty, much to my disappointment. “... well, yeah. I need to be all I can possibly be for her.” I paused, then added quietly, “And for myself.”

“Then tell yourself that the next time you think you can't do something.” Derpy wrapped a wing around my shoulders and brought me close. “I think it'll help.”

“Mhm.” Come to think of it, I never had really encouraged myself all that much. I remember Rainbow once saying that there was a difference between knowing you can do something, and telling yourself that you can. I guess that’s why she has such a big ego. But, hey, it seems to work for her. Why not me? Not that I’d be as arrogant as she is, of course.

“... yeah.” I smiled as the realisation settled in. I could do this. “Yeah!” I got off the couch and stood up tall, my chest puffed out as I exclaimed, “I can do this! For my lover!”

I heard a childish giggle from the kitchen and then it came to me that I was standing a ridiculously heroic pose. I slunk back to the couch next to Derpy, bringing a pillow to my face.

Derpy was just grinning at me, half proud and half trying not to laugh. “Now that's a start.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but words came out as awkward laughs. “Heh heh, er, heh... um... “ I coughed and tried again. “Maybe a bit too energetic though.”

Derpy kept a smile on her face. “I won't tell anypony.”

“Heh, thanks.” With that cleared up, we could go on to more casual conversation. “Sparkler's a great kid, by the way.”

Derpy beamed, full of maternal pride. I wasn’t going to fault her for it either. “I know.”

“Yeah, she has a pretty good head on her shoulders. Unlike most ponies her age,” I said.

Derpy nodded in agreement. I leaned forward as her lips parted, ears perked and listening to the sage before me and ready to receive her words of wisdom:

“Do you hear water running?”

I moved my ears a little, trying to listen out for it. Surely enough, I could hear a small waterfall coming from the kitchen.

And then came the surprised squeak. “Mommy! You left the sink on again!”

“AAAACKPT!” Derpy immediately leapt into action, barreling into the kitchen. I rushed after her, although I wasn’t nearly as fast.

When I arrived, I saw Dinky perched on the table, eyeing the pool of water that had gathered underneath. Derpy tromped through the flood and pulled the plug in the sink, turning that off and then desperately scrambling for a few washcloths to soak up the water. She didn’t have nearly have enough and she knew that, shooting a look at me.

“Towels—bathroom closet—hurry!”

I swiveled my body to go, then stopped myself before I took any step further. “Where's the bathroom closet?!” I was panicking, she was panicking, the whole situation was a clusterbuck.

“In the bathroom!” Derpy yelled, doing her best to mop up the mess.

I took off to go, then halted again. “Where's the bathroom?!”

She flailed a hoof in a random direction, aimed past me. “At the end of the hall!”

Now that I was sure of where I was going, I took off like a bat out of Tarturus, screaming all the way. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

When I got to the door, I had to stop myself from kicking the thing down. I swung the door open and galloped inside. I soon found the bathroom closet and took everything I possibly could with my magic. Then I hastily returned to the kitchen, where the situation had gotten little better.

So, of course, that’s when it got worse.

“I’ve got them! I’ve got—” I felt my hoof slip against the kitchen tiles and I slammed down onto my front. Due to the water and the momentum from my fall, I ended up sliding across the kitchen, my flank and hindlegs flailing in the air madly. My face welcomed the kitchen cupboards, the washed up plates atop rattling due to the collision. Finally, my bottom half decided it would rejoin the ground. Hard.

During my slide, I had dropped the towels, so Derpy speedily took them and started mopping up. Now that she had the resources, she began to enter a practiced rhythm.

Meanwhile, I was rubbing my head, groaning. “Eugh...”

As I was getting up, the plate that just had to be, y’know, precariously half off the edge, fell down onto my head. I felt it smack against my head, then smash into pieces. I fell back down, thinking that maybe if I lied low, nothing else bad would happen to me.

Dinky had seen the whole spectacle from the table. “You a'kay, Miss Lyra?”

I rubbed my head, thankful that my minty fresh mane would cover the bruises I’d no doubt receive. “Eugh... I'll be fine...” I moaned.

“Argh! Sorry!” Derpy flew over, looking through my mane for any bleeding. Judging by how she next picked up the pieces of the broken plate, I think I was okay. “Are you sure? I could give you some painkillers?” she frantically asked.

I kept to the ground, shaking my head. “Just knocked my noggin’, is all.”

“Mommy does that a lot. You're a'kay.” Dinky peered down, biting her lip. “I'll give you a get-better hug later.”

Okay, I had heard of these legendary ‘get-better hugs’ and I could’ve sure as hay used one right now. “Why wait?”

Dinky remained steadfast in her safe position. “'Cuz there's water.”

“Muffin, water can't catch fire,” Derpy reminded her, as she went back to mopping up the floor.

“Cereal can.”

Wait, what?

Derpy glanced around. Nope. No cereal here. I think I would’ve known during my collision if a couple bran flakes entered my mouth. “There's no cereal down here.”

I leant back against the cupboard, blinking. “Er... 'kay.”

Derpy stole a quick look at me while she scrubbed the floor. “Long story.”

Dinky nodded, cheerfully adding. “Four of 'em!”

I rubbed my head, currently pounding. “Uh... another time then, I guess.”

I think that if I was going to spend time with the Doos, I’d live a lot more crazy stories myself.

After my talk with Derpy, I was finally ready to make a real stab at finding a job. But first, I needed to write out my résumé. Before that though, came something far more important.

Berry’s drinking night.

She had arranged this one a couple days after I had visited the Doo household, which worked fine for me and Bons. In some ways, these nights reminded me of the days when Bon Bon still worked at the Sun’s Flank: I’d get drunk, while Bon Bon stayed relatively sober and made sure I got home in one piece. Sounds like an unfair deal, but the one thing you should know about me is that I’m a lovey drunk, so I think Bons always enjoyed the loving I gave her when I got hammered.

We came to Berry’s place at roughly eight in the evening. Bon Bon made her usual batch of sweets for this occasion, which I held aloft with my magic. Both of us were grinning, although Bons’ was less pronounced than mine was. But that’s just how we were.

I stole a quick kiss, the first of many tonight, at my marefriend’s cheek as she knocked on the door. A couple moments later, Berry opened it and welcomed us in.

“Got the candy?” Berry asked as she led us to her ‘drinking room.’

I shook the box a little. “Right here. Got the booze?”

Berry looked back to give me a sly smirk. “Always.” She led us through the kitchen, then turned right, taking us into a fairly spacious room with a large, wooden table in the center. On the walls were diamond shaped shelves to hold wine bottles, of which there were many. Yet this wasn’t even half of Berry’s stash.

Colgate was already sitting down and gave us a wave as we entered. Of course, she would’ve been exactly on time. Chances were high Berry wasn’t even ready yet by the time she arrived. Bon Bon sat next to her and I sat besides my fillyfriend. Berry placed herself next to Colgate, who began shuffling the deck of cards.

Yep. We were gonna have ourselves some good ol’ fashioned poker. The stakes weren’t all too high, since we were all friends, but it was still pretty exhilarating. And it’s hilarious when you flush somepony out and they lose all their winnings. Everypony here was pretty much evenly matched at the game, although Colgate could be considered the worst; she was often the dealer and didn’t play all too much. And despite us being a couple, Bons and I didn’t play together to make things fair.

Bon Bon made herself comfortable, then looked at the other two. “So, how are you two?”

Colgate didn’t take her eyes off the cards, still shuffling them. “No complaints here.”

“Me neither,” Berry answered, upon which there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.”

Shortly after Berry went to the door, our next competitor for the evening entered the scene: Cheerilee. “Hello everypony, I hope you’re all doing well,” she greeted us, sitting in the chair next to Berry. Cheerilee wasn’t a regular of our drinking nights, most likely due to the fact that she’s a teacher, but she joined us on occasion.

“Doing just great,” Colgate spoke for us all.

“I’m looking forward to tonight’s shenanigans,” Berry said, pouring herself a glass of wine. Figures she’d start drinking this early. “Carrot Top can’t make tonight’s session, though. Something to do with her vegetables, or something.” Berry shrugged. “I wasn’t really listening.”

Well, that was disappointing. Probably more so for Bons than me. Carrot Top was often the other ‘sane mare’ of the group and somepony Bon Bon could talk to when the rest of us got too rowdy.

“That’s a shame. I hope she’s doing okay,” Bons said. I gave her a little nuzzle, which she quickly returned.

“So, to remedy that, I got us another competitor,” Berry announced, grinning. The three of us leant forward, eagerly anticipating her reveal. “Tonight’s gonna be a pretty easy game for us, ladies, ‘cause I managed to get Applejack to come and play with us.”

I sank back in my chair, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. Applejack, plus me, plus drinking equals... something that probably should have never happened. Okay, let me explain before I get too flustered.

When Kicky first came to Ponyville, we went to the Sun’s Flank for a good night out. I mean ‘we’ as in me, Kicky, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Now, at some point, Berry came along and challenged us to drinking contest. How could we refuse? Actually, Kicky wandered off, but that doesn’t matter. Point is, me, Applejack and Rainbow Dash got hammered. And as I’ve said earlier, I’m a lovey drunk, so Applejack and I did end up kissing right in the middle of the Sun’s Flank. Bons then came along and took us home and that’s when things escalated.

I remember Bon Bon dropping me off at my house, scowling a little. Probably because she had two drunken mares to deal with. “Goodnight, Lyra,” she told me pointedly, opening my front door.

I stumbled inside, then swung around to look at them both. My drunken mindset was probably still demanding loving, but also knew that Bons wouldn’t give me it. So that left Applejack, and I already knew she didn’t mind smooching me.

“Hey, Bonsh... you’ve worked really, really hard today, sho, let Applejack stay here, yeah?” I reasoned. It was actually pretty solid reasoning, in my opinion.

Bon Bon dwelled over the matter, peering at the both of us. Sweet Apple Acres was a long walk from my place and I don’t think she was prepared to deal with that. “Fine, that works.”

Applejack waddled in, her hat at an angle. “Well, thank ya kindly for your hosh... hoshpa...” Her brows furrowed as she grumbled. “For yer kindess. Shtupid fancy talk...”

I stared out, waving. “Bye Bonsh! I’ll shee ya later!”

Applejack nudged me in the shoulder. “Er, Lyra?”

I didn’t turn my head, still waving and smiling widely. “Yesh?”

“You’re waving at a door.”

I did a double take, rubbing my eyes. True to her word, the door was shut and Bon Bon was long gone. “Oh.”

I heard a thump behind me. I swayed on my hooves and shuffled around, spotting Applejack in a heap on the floor. “Lyra, I love what you’ve done with the place, but this houshe wash’n’t built to earth pony standards. The floor’sh all shaky.”

“No it’sh not. You’re just being silly.” I took a hoof forward and it only brushed against the floor. And then my other legs bent down and soon enough, I was on my side. “Oh... maybe you’re right.”

Applejack tried to put her best hoof forward, but it just met air. Then her face met the floor. “Shee?”

“Don’t worry... we got thish,” I reassured her.

We certainly did not have it. Not at all.

We must have been there for—what, twenty minutes? Our legs and our brains simply weren’t cooperating, resulting in a lot of tumbles. And when we did manage to stand up, one of us would just bump into the other and we’d be back on the floor. In the end, we decided to crawl across like two snails.

When we finally made it to bed, we hauled ourselves up and settled next to each other under the covers.

“Y’know...” I started, poking Applejack’s muzzle. “We could have some real fuuuuun.”

She gave me a bemused look in response. “What, like... more of that kissin’ shtuff?” I smiled devilishly at her. “Ooo... yeah, I getcha. I can’t remember the lasht time I had fun like thish... being an Apple is great ‘n’ all, but we’re shometimes too overprotective over our kin.”

I moved closer to her, smelling her drunken, but still faintly apple, breath. “You gonna shtop talking so we can do it?”

Applejack scoffed and leant her muzzle on mine. “I reckon I will.”

What happened next was obvious.

The morning after was one of the most awkward experiences I’d ever experienced in my life. I can remember it down to every detail. Applejack’s hat on the floor, our manes completely messy, the faint smell of a rowdy bang. We were as far apart as we could possibly be, keeping the bedsheets up so that it covered our bodies. We both looked up at the ceiling, wide-eyed.

Applejack broke the silence first. “Lyra?”

I didn’t break away from my view of the ceiling. Neither did she. “Yeah...?”

“I think...” She swallowed and nervously went on. “I think we done goofed.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah... I think we did.”

We both agreed that it was a night of silly drunkenness and that it didn’t mean anything in the slightest. Now, we were on good terms, the whole charade behind us. Although we both kept it a complete secret. The only pony who I had told about it was Bon Bon and she understood, putting a little of the blame on herself for not taking Applejack back home. But, ultimately, it was mine and AJ’s fault. If any other member of the Apple family found out... I honestly did fear for my well-being. Geeze, if Rarity found out too...

Luckily, Applejack was a mare of her word and made a solemn vow to never tell anypony, so I think we were both safe.

I tried to erase all thoughts of that night out of my mind, putting on a smile so that Berry wouldn’t be suspicious. “Awesome. I bet she has a terrible poker face, being the element bearer of Honesty.”

“Way to point out the obvious, Lyra,” Berry snarked. If she was being all like that with me, then I was probably in the clear.

Just then, the door started knocking. Berry raised a hoof, motioning us to wait, while she went out and let the new arrival in. I could hear the strong, sure hoofsteps of Applejack coming towards the room but I could hear something else too. Lighter, more energetic hoofsteps than the earth pony’s...

“Howdy y’all,” Applejack said as she came in.

“Ah, h-hello, Applejack,” Cheerilee replied, quite civil, if a little hesitant. Maybe she was just hiding it, but I’d expected her to be just a bit more awkward around her. I had heard rumors that her and Big Mac were looking to hook up.

Applejack politely tipped her hat at Cheerilee, then continued, “Hope you don’t mind, but I brought somepony else to spice up the game a little.”

My jaw dropped a little when I saw the next pony enter, but it soon turned into a bright smile. “Rainbow Dash?”

“The one and only!” she proclaimed, brushing off her chest with a hoof. She took a seat next to me and gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder. “It’s been a while. How’s things?”

Applejack took her seat next to Rainbow and Berry returned to hers while we caught up. “Pretty swell. Met your goddaughter the other day.”

“Oh yeah?” she queried. “Which one?”

“Sparkler. The cool one,” I responded with a smirk.

“Pfft. They’re both equally cool. S’why they’re my godkids,” Rainbow said, and I could detect the hint of pride in her voice.

“Can’t argue with that logic,” I agreed, although I did wonder why Derpy had entrusted Rainbow with such a role. I guess I could save that question for another time, though.

Berry took a sip of her wine, glancing at Colgate. “As much as your shuffling of the deck is amazing, Colgate, can we get started now?”

Colgate completely halted her actions and started to laugh sheepishly. “Er, yeah, let’s go.”

“In that case,” Berry threw two bits onto the counter, which Colgate moved towards herself to create the pot. “Everypony put your bits in.”

Rainbow Dash wasted no time in doing so, smirking to herself. I could tell that this was going to become a very heated match, especially if Dash was a risk taker. I suspected she was, being her and all.

Everypony put their two bits into the pot, making a total of twelve. It seems small, yeah, but the stakes always rise in games like these. And with Rainbow around, they’d be a lot higher.

“And how could I possibly forget the drinks for this evening?” Berry got off her chair and glanced at all of us. “What’ll be, ladies?”

Most of us asked for her cider, but Colgate requested the wine Berry was having. I was another exception, asking for a classic mint-tini. The stuff of Gods, that is. Our orders received, Berry went off to get them, so Dash and I got back to talking. “So, Rainbow, how have things been going along with Pinkie?”

“Oh, y’know, pretty cool.” From any other pony, you would’ve expected a more heartfelt response, but this was Rainbow we were talking about here, which meant she was incredibly easy to tease.

“Good, because you two are honestly the cutest couple in Equestria,” I reminded her. On a few occasions before, Kicky and I had teased her about the subject, resulting in an adorably embarrassed Rainbow. She’d always tell us to bug off, but that just made us stay and shower her in hugs.

“I’ll agree with that,” Bons added. “Two crazy pranksters falling in love? Sounds like one successful romance novel to me.”

“Really, guys? We’re gonna do this here?” Rainbow pouted, crossing her forelegs over her chest, sulking adorably.

“Aw c’mon, Rainbow, ain’t no harm in a little teasin’.” Applejack nodded at us, collecting up her two cards that Colgate dealt her. While she didn’t look at her hand yet, she kept a firm hoof over it.

“Hmph. At my expense,” Rainbow grumbled, resting her cheek on her hoof and avoiding Applejack’s stare.

“Hey, when the horseshoe’s on the other hoof, you ain’t so shy towards teasing,” Applejack scolded.

Rainbow snorted and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She then tossed a look Colgate’s way. “You not playing?”

Colgate shook her head and finished setting up the game for everypony. “Nah, I’ll be your dealer for today.”

“And a pretty good one at that,” Berry interjected, sitting back down and passing round the drinks. Applejack, Berry, Rainbow and I wasted no time in downing what we had, while Colgate and Bons were a little more paced.

“Right, let’s get started,” Berry proclaimed, gesturing to my marefriend. “Put up your blind, Bon Bon.”

Bons nodded and brought a single bit to the table and added it to the pot. Since I was to her left, I had to do the same. Due to both of us putting in our blinds, it was Rainbow who got the first move. Meanwhile, Colgate had put the first three cards on the table face up. They were a six of diamonds, a five of hearts, and Celestia of spades.

Rainbow inspected her cards, making a point to check that me or Applejack weren’t looking at her hand, then put the cards face down. “Check.” Hm. Either she was dealt bad cards, or she was better at poker than I thought. It remained to be seen.

Applejack stared at her cards for a while, which made it obvious that she was a bit of a novice. Still, like Rainbow, she checked.

Cheerilee looked between her hand and the cards on the table several times before making her move. “I think I’ll check as well.”

Then it was Berry’s turn. With nopony raising the stakes, this round was turning out to be very boring indeed. Luckily, she tossed up a bit towards the pot. “Bet.”

Bon Bon wiggled her lips, eyeing the rest of us, then put in a single bit. “Call.” I had a suspicion that she’d be the dark pony of this game. Best keep an eye on her.

As soon as the words left her mouth, I reacquainted myself with my hand. I had a two of hearts, which sucked, but I did have a Celestia of diamonds. I hid my grin and casually brought two bits into the pot. “I’ll go ahead and raise.”

For a brief moment, Rainbow’s eyes met mine. Her glare was a challenging one, so she grinned and tossed in three bits for the pot. “Well, Lyra, I think that sounds like an awesome idea.”

I snickered, guessing she might have done that. Her mistake. “Oh yes, I’m sure it won’t end badly for either of us.”

“Er... I’ll, um...” Applejack eyes darted around, her lips pursing about. Yeah, I think everypony could’ve foreseen this. “I’ll go ahead and call.” Another three bits to the pot.

Cheerilee shook her head, muttering to herself and putting her hand onto the table. “Fold. At least I didn’t put anything in this round.” That was true. Folding before any betting took place meant that you didn’t lose any bits, unless you had to put up the blinds for the round.

Judging from the smirk Berry gave Applejack, she knew that she was bluffing. However, Rainbow and I were a lot harder to determine. Berry rubbed her chin, then moved her cards towards Colgate. “Not this time, I’m afraid. Fold.”

Now, with Bon Bon’s second turn came another card to the table, this time it was a Cadence of diamonds. This wasn’t looking like it was going to be an exceptional round, but it’d be the royal cards who would win the game for somepony here. Good thing I had a pair of them already.

“Call,” Bon Bon stated, putting forward another three bits. Hm... she had a solid poker face. I honestly couldn’t tell what she was planning.

Well, it was time to up the ante. Maybe doing that would throw Bons off and deter Rainbow. I wasn’t even considering Applejack as a threat by this point. “Raise,” I said, dropping off not four bits, but five. Mmm. That pot was starting to look really appetizing now. I glanced at Bon Bon. Her face hadn’t changed, much to my annoyance.

Rainbow, on the other hoof, just scoffed. “Alright then, we’ll play that game.” All her bits went towards the pot. Well, not all of them. Around ten or so. “All. In.”

Applejack swallowed and I could see sweat going down her face as she did the same. “Er, me too.” Good Goddess, she sucked.

Back to Bon Bon. “Hm... not going to risk it this early.” She put her cards back, looking rather stoic. “Fold.”

Once more, it was my turn. I snickered to myself and went all in. “Let’s see if your risk pays off, Rainbow.”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” she retorted. “Get ready to scrounge bits off Bon Bon.”

Colgate coolly revealed the last card: a Celestia of Hearts. I had this in the bag. We all turned over our cards. Shortly after, somepony stamped on the floor.

“Aw, shoot!” It was Applejack. She looked so annoyed, I swear she was going to eat her hat. She only got one pair, and that was with the five of hearts.

Rainbow growled and I moved a bit closer to see her hand. She was lucky enough to get two sixes to give her a three of a kind. But, as Colgate announced, I had the superior deck. “Lyra wins with Celestia high.”

“Nicely played, Lyra,” Cheerilee commended me. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to take those winnings from you soon.”

I ignored her threat, reveling in my success. “Woo!” I cheered, as I collected the pot. All of those bits were mine! Unless I did something stupid, of course. But I knew I wouldn’t. I could see Rainbow grumbling to herself, so I patted her back. “Sorry Rainbow...” I said apologetically. Then I ruined it by cackling madly. “You were so close to beating me!”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up...” she moaned, downing her drink.

As the game drew on and more alcohol entered our systems, casual conversation took precedence over the game. Bons, Berry, Cheerilee and Applejack were all discussing work related stuff, which left me, Rainbow and Colgate to have our own little chat.

“So, Colgate, talked more with Caramel yet?” I was curious to see if she had plucked up the courage yet. I doubted it, but maybe a little push from me was all she needed.

Colgate rubbed a foreleg, suddenly finding the pot very interesting. “Uh, yeah, a bit.”

“Er, Lyra,” Rainbow interrupted, giving me a curious look. “Who cares about Caramel? He isn’t even here!”

“Well, I do,” Colgate affirmed, glaring at Rainbow for just a second. It seemed like she was getting a whole lot more comfortable with the idea of asking him out, if she was defending him like that.

I ran a magic finger atop the rim of my glass, giving Colgate a mischievous smile. “Then maybe it’s time you became more than friends.”

Colgate took a sip of her wine, but I could tell she was grinning like a school filly. “Maybe, yeah.”

Berry broke away from her conversation to eye Colgate suspiciously, then she gave me an unreadable look. “I’m going to get another bottle. Want something, Lyra?”

I looked at my glass. Still more than half full. I huffed and frowned at her. “I’m not planning to get too wasted tonight, Berry.”

Berry raised her hooves defensively and backed off. “Alright, fine, fine. Chill.” As she went off, I couldn’t help but feel like that was a little strange. That said, Berry knows I love to drink, so maybe she was just being a good host.

Berry had already folded this round, so the game played on. Colgate turned over the fourth card. I grinned and looked at my hand. I only had a five and seven of hearts. However! On the table was a two, four and nine of hearts. Meaning I already had a flush. I saw Bon Bon do... something. Eh. I didn’t care what move she made. I already had this in the bag.

Despite that though, I decided to string everypony along for a bit. I merely called, giving a few bits to the pot. Then I shot all my competitors a neutral look.

Rainbow Dash slammed many bits onto the table, raising a hoof in the air. “All in!” I hid a snicker by covering my mouth with my cards. She was really doing this again? Dash is such a silly pony sometimes.

Berry came back with another wine bottle just in time to see my move again. Of course, I was going to go all in. “Well, look at that Rainbow, here we are again,” I said as I gave bits to the pot.

Rainbow’s smug face didn’t falter, not even once. Soon, it’d come crashing down and there would be much laughter from me. Oh, how I love winning against her.

Rainbow leant back in her chair, beaming with confidence. All the other players had folded by now, so it was just us two again. Hadn’t she learnt from last time? Colgate revealed the last card, but I didn’t care what it was. It wasn’t from the suit of hearts, but that didn’t affect my chances.

“Get ready to eat humble pie, Rainbow.” I turned over my cards and watched as the pieces fell into place.

Dash flipped her cards face up. I drank a bit of my cider as I checked them out.

I almost choked.

She had a flush too! I swear to Celestia, she did! But that wasn’t the shocker, oh no, the worst thing about it was that she had an ace of hearts! The demon had taken victory right under my muzzle, only because she had the highest damn card in the feathering game! Gah! Son of a mule!

“So, how’s that pie taste?” she asked me, mockingly. I grinded my teeth together and didn’t give her the benefit of an answer. The only thing I could do was watch in fury and dismay as the bits that were formerly mine went towards her. “Heh, shame Cloud’s in Cloudsdale and can’t witness me kick your sorry flank.”

Bah. I needed more drinks.

Okay, now I was drunk. And so was Rainbow. Applejack, Cheerilee and Colgate were just tipsy. Bons and Berry were the only ones who looked kinda sober.

My darling Bon Bon had managed to win a couple rounds, so she had a nice amount of bits for herself. I won a few, but nowhere near what I had. Stupid Rainbow, making me lose like that...

I dunno when the game ended. It just did. Now we were just talking ‘n’ stuff. I was leaning against my lover, giving her the occasional peck on the cheek, ‘cause she likes that, and I know that I like it a lot. I looked at Cheerilee and decided that, hey, I may as well get some solid information on those rumors I heard.

“Cheerilee.” I gave it about a second before piping up again. “Cheerileeeee!”

She glanced at me, one ear splayed out to the side. That’s a clear sign of being tipsy, by the way. I guess you knew that though. “What’s up, Lyra?”

I rubbed a hoof on the table in a circular motion, not exactly looking at her. “Are you ‘n’ Mac, like, gonna go out or somethin’?”

I saw her cheeks blush, which was kinda hard ‘cause she’s already pink. She snuck a quick glance at Applejack, before coolly trying to move her chair so she was next to me. “Well... we already are...”

Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa. Slow down. They were already a couple?! Oo, this got real good. “That’sh great!” I just had to tell everypony here and share the awesome news! “Hey! Everypony! Cheerilee and Big Mac are dating!”

Everypony slowly turned the face me, looking at me all funny. ‘Cept Cheerilee. She looked at Applejack awkwardly, then stared down at the table. Her cheeks were really red then.

“Lyra, that’s old newsh,” Rainbow Dash stated.

I blinked a couple times, looking around at them all. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah. A couple weeks old, in fact,” Berry clarified, matter of fact like.

I held my head and shook it a little. “Wait, wait wait... how many of you know this?”

Everypony raised their hooves.

Oh.

I slowly turned to my marefriend, who was giving me a surprised face. “You too, Bon Bon?”

She nodded. “I thought you knew, sweetie.”

“Well I didn’t...” I grumbled, then downed the rest of my cider.

Colgate flicked her ears a little, looking around. She shrugged, then let out, “I hope Caramel and I start dating soon.”

The attention of everypony was brought to her. Berry let out an awkward chuckle and patted her friend’s back. “That might be the drink talking there, Colgate.”

Colgate slammed a hoof onto the table. “No, Berry! It’s true and it’s gonna happen, okay?” I guess the way she was talking was the drink, but it was good to see her take a stand for herself.

“Yeah, what’sh your problem, Punchy?” I questioned. I mean, why was she acting so weird around Colgate today? First that look earlier, then this... maybe she was drunker than I thought. I dunno. Maybe it’s cause I was drunk too, so I wasn’t seeing things right. Oh, reminds me, sorry if I get any bits wrong, ‘cause I’m drunk.

“I don’t got a problem, alright?” Berry said. I’ll add that it was a defensive way of saying things. Again, dunno why. She just stuck her wine bottle in her mouth and began to chug down. Whatever. I could deal with that issue later.

I leant against Bon Bon and gave her chest a few quick pecks. Mmmm... she’s so strong and muscular, thanks to being an earth pony. She is my rock, just a lot more cuddly. I buried my face in her chest and gave it a little nuzzle. I felt her strong hoof gently stroke my mane and she reached down to kiss my head. So I closed my eyes and went up to meet her on the lips and we shared a passionate smooch. And the best part of it, was that she smelt like apples.

Then I felt something grab my ear and pull me away. I yelped, opening my eyes.

“That shure was nice, sugarcube,” Applejack said, licking her lips. So... those lips were hers... huh.

Y’know what? I could deal with this; Applejack was pretty good in bed. I went forward to kiss her again, but the force that was holding my ear held me back. “I think it’s time we went home before these two do something stupid.” Ah. That was Bon Bon’s voice. And she was probably right ‘cause she’s Bon Bon. Instead of selling candy, she should sell stuff that’s... right.

Bons gave everyone a polite, cute bow. “Thank you for the lovely time, everypony. I’ll see you—or, at least some of you, I guess—next time.”

Everypony said their goodbyes to her and then it was my time. I was in a good mood, so I decided that everypony needed hugs.

Colgate was first. I wrapped my forelegs around her and squeezed. “Bye bye Colgate. I’ll shee you later, ‘kay?” Then, I thought to hay with it, and gave her a friendly peck on the cheek.

She blushed really cute like, then rubbed the cheek I kissed. “Um... thanks, Lyra.”

“No problem.” I got off her and moved to Berry, hugging and pecking her without hesitation.

She accepted my actions, laughing to herself. “Go home, you drunk goof.” Then she started pushing me away when I began to hang on for too long.

Next was Cheerilee. I just hugged her, ‘cause I didn’t know her well enough to warrant a kiss or anything. “Bye, best teacher.” I paused for a bit, then added, “Best sexy teacher.” It was the truth and Bons says that ponies need to hear it sometimes.

Cheerilee kinda mumbled for a bit so I moved onto Applejack. I bit my lip and found it hard to look at her straight. If Bons wasn’t around, we probably would’ve banged again, and I didn’t want that awkwardness. I just patted her on the shoulder. “Um... yeah... yeah...”

Finally, it was Rainbow’s turn. I threw my forelegs at her and gave her a super cuddle, ‘cause we didn’t see each other that often and I really cherished her company. “Bye, Dash. We’ll see each other again soon, ‘kay?”

She squirmed a little, but she still returned the hug. She wasn’t as eager as me though, s’just how she works. “Uh, yeah, shure.” I gazed up and saw that she was blushing really adorably. I considered pecking her too, but thought better of it. Not all ponies enjoy physical affection and Rainbow was one of them.

Then there was my marefriend. I trotted up to her, nearly stumbling, then cuddled her lovingly. “Bye Bon Bon!” Then I kissed her on the lips.

After we parted, Bon Bon just gave me a smirk. “You’re coming home with me, silly.”

It took me a lil’ while to remember that was the case. When I did figure it out, I swiftly turned on my hooves and started leaving. “Bye everypony!”

Bons came up to my side and kept me firm as I waddled back home, nearly tripping a couple times, but she always caught me. It was dark now and the stars were out. Ponies were in their homes, some lights switched on, some not. I thought I saw a fireflies a few times, but I was drunk so who knows? It reminded me of old times, though. Bons taking me back home, us two, all alone...

That’s the weird thing about love. Okay, there’s a lot of weird things, but lemme explain, ‘kay? ‘Kay. The most mundane of moments can turn out to be the ones you cherish the most, ‘cause they’re with the pony you love. From another pony’s view, Bon Bon taking me home was just a routine, but it meant much more to me. Maybe it was because it showed how much she cared for me. She used to be a lot more grumbly whenever she took me back from the Sun’s Flank. Over time, I think I wore down her outer core and got to the sweet, sugary inside that is my Bon Bon.

I felt like I had to say something, even if I was drunk. “Bonsh?”

She turned her head, smiling sweetly. I love her smile. “Yes, love?”

I only had one thing to say. “Thank you.”

She tilted her head. Her lovely smile stayed. “What for?”

“For lovin’ an’ accep—’cepta—erm ... an’ lovin’ me.” I nuzzled her cheek and let out a content sigh. Bliss. And for a moment, we just stood there, nuzzling each other. Sometimes, not even kisses are needed in moments like this. Although I guess my breath wasn’t as minty as it normally was, hehe.

“C’mon, hun.” Bons kissed my cheek and made us move on again. “Let’s go back home and sleep.”

“Yeah...” I felt my eyes go a bit heavy, my steps a bit more sluggish. I wasn’t going to be awake much longer... “Sounds perfect...”

And that’s when I fell into a drunken sleep. Sorry, Bon Bon. My bad.