//------------------------------// // Ripples // Story: In an Instant // by Ruirik //------------------------------// Lyra bit back a sigh as she glanced at the clock, 4:56 am. Scowling at the device for having the temerity to point out the simple chronological fact, she turned her head back to face the ceiling. Lyra wasn’t used to insomnia. Then again, she wasn’t used to having nightmares either. Sure when she had been a young filly she had the occasional night terror that sent her scrambling into her parents room where she would hide between them until the safety of dawn. Like all ponies she had grown out of them as she aged. There had been a time, right around when she started noticing her attraction to other mares instead of stallions, that she had a few bad dreams. Fueled by fears of being ostracized from her friends and family, some of those nightmares had proven prophetic when she eventually came out. Her father had taken years to come around and she had lost many ponies she had thought were friends. Even still, she was closer to the friends she had now than she had been to those ponies. Her father had eventually come around and considered Bon Bon his second daughter, though Lyra suspected that candy bribery may have been involved in that decision. She had made new friends too, ponies she had grown to consider sisters in bond if not blood. Vinyl was one of those ponies. Always there when Lyra needed help. All in all, her life was infinitely better than those dark days. Nevertheless, even all these years later, she found herself staring blankly at the ceiling again with her heart racing, tears in her eyes, and her fur matted with sweat. She slowly drew in a deep breath, holding it in her lungs for several seconds before she exhaled at an equally gradual pace. She lifted her hooves to her ears as she tried in vain to block the screams that echoed through her dream. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Vinyl screaming in pain and terror. Beside her slept Bon Bon, the cream-colored mare resting peacefully enough to warrant the unicorn’s jealousy. Lyra turned her head from the ceiling to stare at Bon Bon. The earth pony’s back was facing her, her two-tone hair contrasting brightly with the pale blue sheets on their bed. Lyra’s golden eyes shifted from her lover’s mane to her back, watching the slow rise and fall of the mare’s chest as she slept. Rolling to her side, Lyra carefully slipped her hooves around Bon Bon’s body and pulled her close. She buried her snout into the back of the earth pony’s neck, inhaling the subtle sweet scent of her lover’s fur. Lyra squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep her emotions at bay. It wasn’t long until her breaths hitched and a gentle cry escaped her throat. Bon Bon wasn’t the heaviest sleeper in the world; even still it wasn’t long until she became aware of something different that roused her from her sleep. Blearily opening her eyes she quickly became aware of several things. First were the mint green limbs wrapped around her waist, second was the warm of another pony pressed against her back, and third was the damp sensation on the back of her neck. What snapped Bon Bon firmly back into to the waking world, however, was the gentle crying. “Lyra? Lyra, are you okay, what’s wrong?” she asked as she shifted her position, the effort only making the unicorn squeeze her tighter. She grunted and with a bit of effort managed to roll over so she was face to face with her lover. Even in the dim light of their room, Bon Bon could see the glints of light reflecting from tiny rivulets of moisture accumulated in the fur of Lyra’s cheeks. Bon Bon gingerly took Lyra’s cheeks in her hooves and tilted her head up so their eyes met. “Lyra, honey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” she asked again, her voice laden with concern. “B-bon…” the mint green unicorn sniffled “I’m sorry…I-I just” she choked on her words as emotion overwhelmed her. The cream colored mare pulled the unicorn close, hooves running lovingly over her back. “It’s okay Lyra, you can talk to me.” Bon Bon tried to smile even as Lyra shook her head side to side. “No…no….Y-you’ll think I’m terrible.” She whimpered. “Lyra Heartstrings,” Bon Bon stated firmly enough to get the unicorns attention “I love you and there isn’t a thing in the world that can change that. We can handle anything life throws at us, but you need to talk to me okay?” she smiled lovingly at her partner. Lyra contemplated things for a while, her ears folded and her only sound quiet sniffles. “Promise…Promise you won’t hate me?” She asked nervously. Bon Bon kissed her forehead, just under her horn and nodded. “I could never hate you, Lyra.” Lyra steadied herself with a breath before she spoke. “I-I’ve been having nightmares the last few nights…” she bit her bottom lip uncomfortably. “I keep hearing Vinyl screaming and…and…” Lyra let out a sob, a hoof running through her hair as she shook her head. “And then instead of Vinyl laying there and bleeding I see you there! And I wake up and think of how glad I am it was Vinyl instead of you!” Lyra broke into full sobs even as Bon Bon recoiled slightly. “L-Lyra-“ She started. “S-she’s my best friend Bon…” Lyra managed between sobs “She’s my best friend and all I can think of is how grateful I am that it was her and not you! What kind of pony does that?” The cream coated mare found the inspirational words she had been thinking moments earlier vanish into the ether. The inconsolable unicorn wept into her chest. Lyra’s body shook heavily with each sob; Bon Bon found herself at a loss for what to do. “I-“ Lyra hiccupped “I just don’t know what I w-would’ve done if…if it had been you, Bon. I-I can’t…I couldn’t l-live without you Bon.” her words fell away under renewed sobs. Bon Bon held Lyra close, taking care not to get jabbed too much by the unicorn’s horn. “It’s gonna be alright Lyra, I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.” She cooed. “They’re just bad dreams hon; everything’s gonna be fine.” Lyra nodded weakly in her lover’s embrace. Bon Bon hummed softly to Lyra, the unicorn’s quiet sniffles providing harmony to the earth pony’s melody. By the time that the first luminous rays of dawn appeared above the horizon, Lyra had fallen into a fragile sleep, her head nestled into the fur of Bon Bon’s chest where she could hear the confectioner’s strong heartbeat. When Lyra awoke, she found herself alone in bed, only the mussed sheets and pillows remaining as evidence of Bon Bon’s presence. Lyra ran her hoof over the cool sheets where her love had been. A wave of sadness swept over the green mare as she thought of the day she might wake up old, grey, and widowed. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that, and she had no desire to find out. With a grunt, she lifted herself out of bed; wiping her eyes as she took note of the time, 9:23 am. With a yawn, she half stumbled her way into the shower, hoping to wash away her melancholic mood in a scalding rain. Twenty minutes and mixed success later the still damp unicorn trotted out to the kitchen where she found Bon Bon, standing on her hind legs as she made pancakes for two. The earth pony sang quietly to herself as she cooked. “Take a melody Simple as can be Give it some words And sweet harmony Raise your voices All day long now Love grows strong now Sing a melody of love, oh love.” She hummed the verse quietly as she poured another round of batter into the pan, oblivious to the entranced unicorn standing behind her. Lyra always loved to hear Bon Bon sing, even though the earth pony thought of herself as a terrible singer, Lyra found her voice had a motherly quality to it. Every note reminded her of being a little filly cradled in her mother’s forelegs while being gently rocked to sleep to the dulcet tones of a lullaby. Lyra smiled as she watched Bon Bon start a new verse, her hips swaying lightly in rhythm. The unicorn couldn’t resist a grin as she approached her love, taking care with each step not to alert the cream coated mare. Once she was close enough she lifted herself onto her hind legs, wrapping her forelegs around Bon Bon’s waist and nuzzling her head into the crook of the earth pony’s shoulder. Bon Bon squeaked in surprise, her body jumping slightly before she quickly settled with a giggle. “You really do have a beautiful voice, Bon.” She said quietly, the compliment was met with a slight blush from the confectioner. “Morning sleepy head.” Bon Bon smiled, nuzzling lightly as she tended to the pancake. “Feeling better now? More Rested?” “Mmm-hmm,” Lyra smiled, inhaling her lover’s scent deeply. “Sorry I woke you up last night.” “It’s fine, Lyra. I’m here for you just like you’ve been there for me.” Bon Bon smiled back to the unicorn. Lyra closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, nuzzling along Bon Bon’s neck. “I love you Bon.” She said softly. “I love you too Lyra.” Bon Bon replied, her tail brushing Lyra’s leg. The unicorn continued to nuzzle gentle along Bon Bon’s neck, her forelegs reinforcing their grip on the earth pony’s waist. “I could do this forever.” She whispered contentedly earning a giggle from Bon Bon. “Well if you want any pancakes then you’ll have to let me go hon,” The earth mare smiled. Lyra pouted playfully, gently kissing her lovers cheek and giving her waist another light squeeze before she released her grip and dropped back to all fours. She waited until the last pancake was finished before she took the platter full of the breakfast bounty in her magic and carried it to the table for Bon Bon. “I could’ve gotten it, Lyra.” She protested. “It’s no trouble Bon, you cooked it all yourself, the least I can do is take it to the table.” Bon Bon smiled, shaking her head lightly as she took her seat at the table. The two ate in silence for a time before Bon Bon spoke up. “Are you meeting with the orchestra today?” The question made Lyra paused mid-chew. She took a moment to think before swallowing and answering. “Yea. We had rehearsal scheduled at 1:00, but Maestro Allegro gets there usually by 11:00 to do prep work. I figured I’d head over there then to talk to him about Octavia’s situation. Maybe there’s something he can do to help.” Lyra poked at her half-eaten pancakes. Bon Bon noticed the downcast look growing on the unicorns face. She furrowed her brow in concern. “What’s wrong, Lyra? You look worried.” “I don’t know Bon. I guess…I guess I’m just afraid of what he might say.” “You think he won’t help?” “No…No, I think he’ll do his best. But this is different than when I had food poisoning and had to take that month off to recover or the time that the piano player’s wife had a foal. It’s just uncharted territory for all of us.” Bon Bon nodded, taking another bite of her own breakfast. “What about Vinyl’s manager? Should we get a hold of her too?” Bon Bon asked. Lyra’s eyes went wide, her magic faltering long enough that her fork clattered loudly onto her plate. “Oh ponyfeathers…” she whispered. “What? What’s wrong?” The earth mare asked, worry creeping into her voice. Lyra facehoofed and groaned. “I’m an idiot!” she bemoaned. “I completely forgot to talk to Vinyl’s manger the other day. She has no idea what’s going on! She probably thinks Vinyl just blew off her shows the last couple nights!” Bon Bon processed the new information slowly, her blue eyes growing steadily wider as realization dawned on her. She forced an optimistic smile. “She should be reasonable right? I mean, it’s not like Vinyl isn’t playing on purpose.” Bon Bon said. Lyra put her head in her hooves. “I don’t know Bon, I just don’t know.” She sighed “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” She growled, smacking her temple to accentuate each word. “Lyra,” Bon Bon reached over, her hoof resting on her partner’s cheek “Its not your fault. I didn’t even think about it either. We’ll take care of it, okay?” Lyra nodded slightly. “After all: What’s the worst that could happen?” Bon Bon asked. Lyra stared at Bon Bon incredulously. “I’m just gonna pretend I never heard that.” She answered as she facehoofed for the second time that morning. “Would you like me to go talk to Vinyl’s manager? That would give you time to practice what you want to say to Allegro.” Bon Bon offered. Lyra thought it over for a moment. Part of her wanted to say no, after all; she was the musician. She understood how the culture worked. But realistically there was no reason Bon Bon couldn’t go. The townhouse they were living in now was simply a rental while Lyra was performing with the symphony for the month. Bon Bon’s shop was back in Ponyville, closed while she was on vacation in Manehatten. The confectioner had brought some stock samples to give to local shops for possible wholesaler work, but aside from that she had simply been enjoying the city life with Lyra. “Sure, if you want to. I just feel bad letting you deal with that alone.” Lyra answered. Bon Bon just smiled. “Lyra, my love, I may not be a musician, but I am a businessmare. Surely I can come to a mutually beneficial agreement with her.” The earth pony smiled, Lyra held up her hooves in surrender. “Okay, okay, she’s all yours boss. I’ll write down the address before I leave.” Lyra conceded. The two finished their breakfast in comfortable silence. Lyra, against the protests of Bon Bon, took care of the cleanup. After taking care of things in the kitchen, the musician wrote down the address of the club Vinyl had been contracted to play at as well as the name of the manager for Bon Bon. The two shared a long hug before Lyra left for the performance hall and Bon Bon left for the club. Both mares became a bit paranoid when it came to crossing the streets. Lyra’s walk to the performance hall took the better part of an hour. She didn’t bring her personal lyre as the parts she had been hired to play were for a full sized harp as well as more exotic lyres that she didn’t have the bits to buy for her own collection. The hall itself was a monument to the city’s elite, an exercise in their excess. Constructed from the whitest marble and adorned with fine sculptures, the building stood out in stark comparison to the common brick surrounding it. Lavish red satin banners trimmed with golden silk hung from the walls, each embroidered with subtle tapestries that made Lyra’s eyes hurt to look at for too long. She paused outside of the heavy oaken doors and steeled herself with a deep breath. She still had no idea what she would say to Allegro, much less any musicians who asked. With a sigh she threw caution to the wind and stepped inside. The interior of the performance hall was no less ornate. Rosewood floors installed in elaborate parquet patterns, which were inlaid with granite tiles were flanked by rosewood walls lined with famous paintings, sculptures, and rare tapestries. The vaulted ceiling was painted with elaborate murals detailing the history of Equestria from the days of the three tribes to modern times, stopping long before the redemption of Nightmare Moon. The omission wasn’t meant as a slight to the younger Princess, it was simply a factor of timing. The concert hall had been built over fifty years before Luna had returned to the world. Lyra had heard talk of proposals to amend the mural to add her redemption, but that problem was above her pay grade. She paid fairly little mind to the opulence around her as she made her way to the stage area. She wasn’t surprised that there were other musicians there, though she was surprised at how many had arrived so early. Nearly half the symphony was in attendance, mostly the string and brass sections. Lyra recognized a few of them who, like her, worked as musical freelancers; taking jobs wherever they could get them for any size show. She even considered a couple of them, the pianist Largo, Beauty Brass the sousaphone player, and Concerto the first chair violinist to be good friends. For once she was glad all three were too preoccupied with their instruments to notice her slip backstage to where Allegro’s office was. More members of the orchestra were backstage, most engaged in quiet conversations with each other, others stringing instruments or marking their sheet music with annotations. Lyra easily ignored them all, quickly making her way to the office door where she announced her presence with a gentle knock. Allegro’s muffled voice quickly answered. “Come in!” he called. Lyra gulped nervously before she pushed the door open. Allegro sat behind his desk feverishly looking over various papers. He was an older lanky unicorn with a sandy brown coat and light grey mane. His sharp blue eyes regarded Lyra over the glasses balanced on his snout. “Ah, Lyra! I was hoping to see you today.” He said with a smile, catching the mare off guard. “You were?” she asked suddenly feeling nervous. “Yes, Yes. You’re friends with Ms. Philharmonica right?” Lyra nodded and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the aging stallion “Good, Good! Have you seen her at all lately? She missed the meeting of the Principle players yesterday, and none of them know where she is.” “I’m actually here about that sir,” Lyra started, nervously rubbing her hooves together. “There…there was an accident a few days ago, I don’t know if it made the papers or not, but her fiancé was in an accident.” “Oh my goodness, is he alright?” Allegro’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No, no, she’s-” “She? So Octavia was injured?” The old stallion looked confused. Lyra barely suppressed the urge to facehoof. “No sir, Octavia’s fiancé is a mare.” Lyra explained. Allegro stared at her blankly for a moment, his expression somewhere between ‘kinky’ and horrified. “Huh,” he clucked. “I never figured her for a fill-eerrr” he noticed the look on Lyra’s face, and quickly corrected his language. “Ahem, who am I to judge!” He grinned nervously. Lyra relaxed slightly, she despised that slur. “Continue, please.” He encouraged. “Octavia is at the hospital with Vinyl, that’s her fiancé’s name. When I visited them a couple of days ago Vinyl was paralyzed from the neck down.” Lyra shivered as memories of her nightmares teased her from the depths of her mind. Concern spread over Allegro’s face though he remained quiet. “Octavia doesn’t know what to do sir. She can’t leave Vinyl, but she won’t be able to afford the medical care without work. We were hoping that you might have some ideas.” Allegro took a deep breath, rubbing his chin with a hoof as he considered the information. “Vinyl…Vinyl…” he muttered. “You wouldn’t be talking about that DJ right? What’s her last name?” “Uh, Scratch. Vinyl Scratch.” Lyra blinked in confusion “You’ve heard of her?” “My daughter is a very big fan, she was very upset that Vinyl was a no-show a last night. I guess I know why now.” He sighed, rubbing a hoof against his temple. Silence filled the room again, increasingly agitating Lyra until she felt compelled to say something. "So, um, is there anything you can do to help Octavia?” “Well if she can’t play with the symphony then I can probably find her some more flexible work in quartets, but that won’t help if she won’t leave the hospital. I don’t want to hire a replacement first chair cellist if I can avoid it, mostly because Octavia is the best cellist in the city.” He hummed quietly as he thought things through. After a minute of silence he smiled “Alright, I have an idea. Lyra, do you think Octavia would mind if I paid her a visit and discussed her situation face-to-face?” “I’ll talk to her about it tonight, I don’t think she’d mind though.” She answered honestly. “Bravo, bravo. Now then, come with me.” He grinned as he hopped out of his chair and trotted out of his office. “All musicians to the stage please! All musicians to the stage!” he called, his baritone voice carrying through the hall. Lyra allowed herself a hopeful smile. If Bon Bon was having half the luck she was then perhaps they could give Vinyl something to smile about when they visited later. Across the city Bon Bon found herself sitting at the bar inside Vinyl’s current contract, a modern club called The Watering Hole. The exterior was modern brickwork, if otherwise unremarkable. The bar she found herself waiting at was set on the far side of the room. The dance floor took up most of the floor space with a raised stage at the front of the building for the performers. Several ponies were busy setting up a sound system for whatever entertainment was scheduled for tonight. Bon Bon idly wondered if Vinyl had any of her gear hiding backstage. The DJ was famously obsessive with her equipment, often providing all of her own gear to whatever gig she had. She cared for her equipment the way most ponies cared for their foals. The confectioner sighed and took another sip of her water. She had been waiting for nearly forty minutes since she’d arrived to meet with the manager. Supposedly the mare in question had been out to lunch when Bon Bon had arrived, Bon Bon’s more cynical side doubted that story more and more with each passing minute. Finally one of the bouncers pointed her upstairs to a small office labeled ‘Dawn Chaser – Owner’. Bon Bon knocked twice, not waiting for a response before she pushed the door open. Inside a yellow earth pony mare with a green mane and brown eyes shot her an annoyed glare that Bon Bon returned with a smile. “Well you’re obviously not Vinyl, so I’m assuming you’re here to tell me why that no good cheat took her deposit and left my club hanging the last couple nights with my plot in the air.” She deadpanned. Bon Bon found herself taken aback by the other mare’s tone. “I’m Bon Bon, I’m a friend of Vinyl’s. Sh-“ “Good for you; have a cookie.” Dawn interrupted with a roll of her eyes. “Get to the point, some of us have a business to run.” Bon Bon’s eye twitched. ‘Happy thoughts,’ she thought ‘haaaaappy thoughts.’ “Vinyl was in an accident several days ago. She’s in the hospital an-“ “So she didn’t cut and run good to know. When will she be working again?” Dawn interrupted again. “Not for a while I think, bu-” “Fine, tell her that her contract here is terminated and I’m keeping her gear as collateral until I get the deposit returned. She’s got 30 days before she keeps the money and I keep the gear.” “What? You have got to be kidding me, you can’t do that!” Bon Bon yelled. The yellow mare stared at her in annoyance. “I’ve seen Vinyl’s gear before, it’s worth thousands of bits! There’s no way your deposit is of equal value!” she fumed. “No it isn’t,” The mare explained “But the advertising I paid for her shows, the revanue I lost in business from her no shows, plus the expense I incurred hiring a replacement DJ on short notice, and let’s not even mention the damage to my reputation for having talent like that no-show on me. Frankly I’m letting Vinyl get away with highway robbery here.” Dawn explained calmly. Bon Bon forced herself not to leap over the table to throttle the other mare. “I want a copy of Vinyl’s contract. Now.” “Contracts between the club and the talent are strictly confidential.” “That wasn’t a request.” Bon Bon growled. “It’s nice to want things isn’t it.” She deadpanned “If Vinyl wants a copy of her contract she can come in and get it herself.” “She’s paralyzed, how in the world is she supposed to do that?” Bon Bon yelled in exasperation. Dawn Chaser looked slightly taken aback by the revelation before her scowl returned. “Well, that’s Vinyl’s problem not mine. This is a business, not a charity. Either she gets me back the deposit of 2000 bits or I keep her gear. Either way we’re even and done.” “You!” Bon Bon growled, “You are just horrible! Vinyl may be crippled for life and all you can think of is your precious money?” “Yea; I’m a horrible, heartless, cruel pony. Guess what filly; it’s thanks to me that 30 hard-working ponies have good jobs with steady hours, full benefits, and the best pay in the city by far. I pay my employees and my talent top-bit for their labors, and in turn I get top quality. Vinyl took this job cause she got the 2000 bit deposit plus 25% of gross revanue from the nights she played. In return I covered all the advertising expenses. Just in hard numbers I’ve lost over 5000 bits on this deal already. Vinyl’s gear would almost cover that loss, though if you want to hire an appraiser for me to confirm that, you’re more than welcome to.” Dawn explained angrily. “Now it is a crying shame to hear Vinyl is in a bad way, she’s a good DJ and a profitable talent, but is my sympathy going to heal her any faster? Would a get-well card make all the bad things go away? The answer is no, so why should I waste everypony’s time with empty platitudes and meaningless gestures? The simple fact is Vinyl had a contract with me, I paid a lot of bits to advertise her in this town, and I lost a lot more bits when she was a no show for her scheduled gigs. And I will NOT make my employees suffer because Vinyl is having some bad luck. Those 30 ponies and their families mean more to me than Vinyl does, if that makes me the new Nightmare Moon then so be it.” Dawn took a deep breath to calm herself down. “So: Either I get that deposit back, or I keep her gear as reimbursement for lost revanue. I expect an answer in 30 days or the gear is mine. Now go away, I have work to do. Oh and do tell Vinyl to get well soon.” The mare dismissed her with a flippant wave of a hoof. Bon Bon stared at her, mouth agape in a mixture of shock and rage. The mare ignored her for a moment before looking back up in annoyance. “Bye.” She said, motioning to the door with a hoof. With an enraged growl Bon Bon stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her with a very strong kick. The bouncer who had been waiting in the hall took one look at her and immediately got out of the fuming mare’s way. Bon Bon paid him no mind as she stormed out of the building and back to the home she and Lyra were renting. The long walk back gave her time to calm down, her rage slowly dissolving to a deep sadness. With her head down and her ears flat she sullenly made her way into the rented home. The house was filled with the dulcet tones of Lyra’s music. Bon Bon found the unicorn relaxed on the couch, her lyre held in her emerald magic as her hooves delicately worked over the strings. Bon Bon didn’t draw attention to herself, instead choosing to simply let the music wash over her. Delicate tendrils of green magic formed ethereal fingers to pluck at each string forming scales and arpeggios only unicorns and griffons could achieve. As the earth pony listened, it dawned on her that Lyra was playing the song she had been singing while cooking breakfast. Lyra had remembered every note and now had turned it into a full composition. Bon Bon couldn’t help but smile. No pony could make her feel better than that mint-green unicorn. Lyra played for several minutes longer before she brought her song to a close with a contented sigh. Opening her golden eyes she jumped slightly seeing Bon Bon standing nearby. She beamed happily at her marefriend before noticing the sullen look on Bon Bon’s face. “Oh no…what happened Bon?” she asked as she set her lyre down carefully on the end table. Bon Bon hopped up on the couch beside her lover, leaning against her with a sigh. Bon Bon explained everything from Dawn’s demands and timeframe to her attitude. Lyra held her close as she listened, running a reassuring hoof over the earth pony side. When Bon Bon finished her story Lyra’s face told the story of a mare itching for a fight. “I can’t believe that no good…” she growled angrily biting her tongue. She had made a Hearth’s Warming Eve promise to Bon Bon to cut back on her swearing. “What do we do Lyra? We can’t let her take Vinyl’s gear, that would crush the poor girl!” “I guess we can talk to Octavia about it,” Lyra suggested “She would have a better idea.” She sighed and rubbed her hoof through her mane. “Did you have more luck?” Bon Bon asked. Lyra grinned broadly. “Did I ever!” she beamed happily “Allegro is the best!” “Well,” Bon Bon said expectantly “Tell me!” “Allegro is gonna meet us at the hospital later tonight and we’ll talk to Octavia about her shows, but aside from that he pulled the whole orchestra together and talked to them about turning a portion of our profits into a benefit for Vinyl’s medical bills! Everypony in the symphony was all for it. Allegro’s gonna talk to our sponsors about doing a little more, but he can’t promise anything yet.” “That’s great news Lyra.” Bon Bon said as she hugged the unicorn. “Hey, if you don’t mind,” Lyra started as she nuzzled Bon Bon “I was thinking we could have a light dinner here, and maybe take some sandwiches or snacks for Octavia. I’d bet my lyre she’s barely left that hospital room. That filly’s as stubborn as a mule.” “Sounds like a certain unicorn I know.” Bon Bon grinned playfully. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lyra blushed. Bon Bon chuckled and kissed Lyra’s cheek. “Oh really? What about that time I cut myself and needed stitches.” “There was a lot of blood,” Lyra defended “I had to make sure you were okay.” “The doctor threatened to sedate you if you wouldn’t stop hovering over him.” Bon Bon giggled. Lyra’s cheeks burned red and she huffed softly. “I care, sue me.” She pouted. Bon Bon leaned in close and kissed the unicorn’s cheek. “And I love you for it LyraAAH.” Bon Bon yelped as Lyra wrapped her forelegs around the confectioner’s waist, pushing her onto her back. Lyra pressed her cheek against Bon Bon’s chest nuzzling tenderly against the pinned mare’s chest. Lyra sighed contentedly, her ear pressed against Bon’s chest, listening to the earth pony’s strong heartbeat. “Mine!” Lyra announced proudly. Bon Bon giggled softly, petting Lyra’s mint colored mane gently. Anytime she tried to wiggle away, Lyra simply snuggled closer. “Someone’s in a snuggly mood.” Bon Bon mused. “Careful; I have magic and you’re ticklish.” Lyra grumbled. Bon Bon chuckled and wrapped her legs around Lyra, allowing the unicorn the contact she wanted. Eventually Lyra loosened her grip enough for Bon Bon to regain her freedom. “Come on, let’s get a little basket for Octavia. Do you think Vinyl will be awake today? Oh, I should put together a back of taffy for her!” Bon Bon hopped off the couch and trotted into the kitchen, Lyra in tow. “Uh, Bonnie, I don’t know if she’d be allowed outside food yet.” Lyra stated even as she searched the cupboards for an appropriate basket. “Bah, taffy never spoils! The poor filly needs some cheering anyway!” “Alright, Alright.” Lyra surrendered, knowing much better than to get in Bon Bon’s way when the confectioner was on a mission. As she hunted through the cupboards she found herself wondering what she would do in Octavia’s hooves. She could only hope she never had to find out.