-
“Wow, business sure is booming!”
Lyra and Bon Bon walked beside a row of waiting ponies almost two blocks long, weaving away from her candy shop.
“It’s Web’s new candy. Everypony wants to try Bon Bon’s Change of Heart.” She said with pride. She had thought of it herself, after all. Though Web had insisted on calling it Bon Bon’s Change of Heart. Who was she to refuse the polite little colt? “Not to mention it appeals to a… niche market.”
The pair noticed a tiny yellow filly with purple eyes… waiting a few ponies behind another, identical filly. When the larger, mauve mare standing next to her noticed, she whispered to one of her companions. Together they sheltered the filly from view. There was a dull flash of green, faster than anypony could blink. When the adult mares separated, the filly between them looked completely different.
The lyrist and confectioner walked into the shop. There was no dinging from the door- it was held open by the long line of customers. The snaking line of multicolour patrons terminated at the front desk. A perfect copy of Bon Bon sat there, passing out hoofwrapped candies shaped like little cartoon hearts. It grew sweeter as you neared the center, changing color from crème to green.
“Bon Bon!” screeched a pink candy vacuum. Bon Bon was grateful to Pinkie and her friends for their effort to help, but the shrill mare's appetite was still in a love/hate relationship with Bon Bon's business. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were making a new candy! I love candy!”
“Eh… sorry Pinkie… I’ve just been so caught up in the production and the business boom that I didn’t have the time.”
Waiting in line behind Pinkie was an orange mare with a cowpony hat, her ears laid flat from Pinkie’s piercing voice. Bon Bon had since learned the farmer’s full name, Apple… something. She had forgotten it along with Twilight’s full name, but empathized fully with Applesomething’s ear trauma.
“Pinkie told me about a new kinda sweet yer sellin’. Said it was a heart shaped candy. Green on the inside. Called ‘em ‘Change of Heart.' ‘As sweet as the love from yer special somepony,' she said.” She peered into Bon Bon’s very soul with a penetrating green eye. The candy maker suddenly wished she had used a more subtle design.
“Yup!” chirped Lyra. “They’re delicious! You can only find them here, too!”
Applewhatever backed up. Neither Twilight nor her friends knew the full story yet, but is seemed at least some of them had pieced bits together on their own. She would have to confess at some point, but for now Applewhatsit seemed satisfied enough. “Well, Ah’ll give it a try. Ah’m really more focused on keeping Pinkie from eatin’ every candy in the store.”
“Er, thank you.” She felt a little better for Web… but he’d still have a hard time when Pinkie reached the front of the line. “Have a nice day, we’ll talk later, I promise!”
“Fanks, Web! Shee yoo tomorrow!” called one colt with a mouth full of candy.
Web waved goodbye and continued passing confectionary. When he noticed Lyra and Bon Bon stepping into the back room, he greeted them quickly as he worked.
“Hello, Lyra! Hello, Bon Bon! I want to thank you again for the Change of Heart! It means so much to me!”
Lyra nudged the confectioner. “I thought you preferred Bon Bon’s Change of Heart?”
Leaving Web to his work in the front, both of them entered the crowded back room. The changeling siblings darted to and fro, baking the special candy. Bon Bon pretended to contemplate the question. “Well… I suppose the name is already fairly long… but I won’t forget to include the whole title in any advertisement.”
“Hi, Bon Bon!”
“Hey, it’s Bon Bon!”
“Sorry, Bon Bon, can’t talk right now!”
Most of the siblings were here. Some had found other jobs and Buzz was probably doing laps around the town, hoping to mooch off of one of her sisters. One of them was on a break, having a snack in the corner, undisguised.
“What brings you here today?” she asked.
“I may be the owner, Colony, but I still work here.”
“I thought we told you to take the day off!”
“Yeah,” One of the sisters paused, a load of ingredients on her back. “Thanks to these heart candies, none of us will have to leech somepony’s love ever again!”
“Except Venom…”
A changeling turned from the oven. “Does it really count as leeching if they know you’re a changeling?”
“No,” replied Lyra, “I’m pretty sure that’s just love.”
“Our point is…” Colony sucked a Change of Heart while pointing a hoof at Bon Bon. She still thought those holes were frightening. “Is that you work too hard.”
“Yeah…” Bon Bon looked away. “But there’s somepony here who works harder.”
Throughout the exchange Sting remained silent. She worked quickly and efficiently, ferrying cooled candies to their compartment, ingredients to mixers, mixes to the ovens, cooked candies to the cooling racks. Bon Bon could tell that the ragged mare had been working through the night, and knew she had worked the full day before. It had been like this since she had freed Bon Bon. Every day the poor dear worked herself to death.
“Go on…” whispered Lyra. “Say it.”
Bon Bon swallowed. She took a few steps towards Sting and away from Lyra and the other changelings (who had suddenly grown very quiet).
“Sting?”
The tired mare pretended not to hear, pulling a hot tray from the oven.
“Sting, I have something to say to you.”
Sting ignored her, placing the dish on a cooling rack and working faster.
“Sting, I- Sting, just… oh, will you- Eep!”
Bon Bon staggered forward, bumping into Sting and stopping her frenzied work cycle. A few candies fell to the ground. “Now say it!” encouraged Lyra from where she shoved her marefriend.
Sting had stopped, eyes to the ground and avoiding the candy maker’s gaze. Despite this, Bon Bon could see a vacant look in the mirrored blue orbs. She could tell now why Lyra called it ‘spacing out’- not that she ever did that, of course. Bon Bon knew what it was like… Sting must be thinking about the horrible things she had done at agonizing length, going through every mistake and could-have-would-have. She could think of only one cure for it.
Bon Bon grabbed Sting in a tight hug. “I forgive you,” She whispered.
Lyra and the changelings whistled and clapped.
-
After Twilight and her rescue party had settled down, they insisted on staying to clean up the mess they made. Between them and her ‘cousins’ the shop had never looked cleaner. Bon Bon contemplated telling them the truth several times. She had many opportunities. Her last opportunity was when the six left.
Am I really helping monsters? she thought.
The dress wearing changeling and the white unicorn mourned over some tears the dress had taken, settling on a date to patch them up. Rainbow and Buzz promised that their fight wasn’t over, but it was obvious that they looked forward to a rematch. Web and a couple of changelings Bon Bon didn’t know promised Twilight to return with the books they’d borrowed and to take out several more.
No, I’m not helping monsters.
She waved goodbye to Twilight’s band. She’d have to explain this eventually.
I’m helping ponies who need it.