Bon Bon sat at the table in the evening air and watched the celebration as she sipped her wine. The bride and groom had just left the reception, but the music was still playing and ponies were still partying. If it weren’t for the bandages and a few bruises that she and Berry were still sporting, it would have been impossible to tell that the entire city had been under attack just hours earlier.
“You know something I don’t get?” Berry said as she drained another glass of wine. She looked at Octavia and raised an eyebrow. “How in Equestria did Vinyl end up in charge of the music? Canterlot is not her scene at all.”
“I was wondering that too,” Bon Bon said. Both ponies looked to the grey mare sitting at the table with them.
“Vinyl has always been a fan of Shining Armor,” Octavia said. She looked over her shoulder at the Unicorn who was still spinning records and pumping music into the air at the other end of the party. “She says she got her cutie mark at one of his shows, so naturally she begged me to ask him for her. She wanted me to use my connections to get her the performance.”
“Shining Armor had a band?” Berry asked.
“Who knew?” Bon Bon said and both mares started laughing because of the wine.
“I can’t believe she did that,” Minuette said as she and Lyra came over to the table. “I’m so sorry, Lyra.”
“Yeah, guess the Element of Generosity was on vacation or something,” Lyra replied as the two mares walked up. Both of them were in brand new bridesmaids dresses and had their manes restyled. Bon Bon smiled. The sight of Lyra in her dress made everything worth it to her.
“Mom!” Pinchy yelled as she appeared out of the crowd. She ran toward Minuette and threw her hooves around her. “You do look like a princess!”
“Pinchy…” Berry warned.
“Oops. I mean you look better than a princess.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Minuette said as she rubbed Pinchy’s head. “But you’re still in trouble for eating that syrup for breakfast.”
“Aw,” Pinchy whined, but her frown instantly disappeared when she spied a slice of cake on the table.
“Mind if we join you fine ladies?” Lyra asked as sat down next to Bon Bon. She used her magic to raise the bottle of wine and refilled Bon Bon’s glass.
“After everything we’ve been through, you two better join us,” Berry said. Minuette sat down next to her and the Earth pony pulled her closer while Pinchy continued to happily eat her cake. “Where’s Twinkleshine?”
“Oh, she’s fighting off stallions with a stick over there,” Lyra said. She pointed to the Unicorn and sure enough, Twinkleshine was surrounded by stallions. “They keep asking her to dance, since they found out Minuette and I are already taken.”
“Dancing does sound nice,” Minuette said. She stopped Berry from taking another sip from her wine glass and pulled her away from the table.
“Whoa, hold on there,” Berry said. “You heard the doctor. I need rest.”
“Funny. You didn’t seem to need rest earlier,” Minuette replied as she dragged Berry away. “Pinchy, there’s more cake over at the buffet table. Why don’t you go get an extra big slice?” Pinchy’s eyes went wide and she bolted away. Minuette looked back at Lyra and Bon Bon and winked.
“Um, Octavia?” Lyra said. “Vinyl said she um…wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Really?” Octavia said. She looked over her shoulder at the D.J. “She seems to be rather busy at the moment. I am sure it is not urgent.”
“Um, no, she said it was really important. Please.”
Octavia’s eyes went wide with understanding. “Oh, I see. I had best go speak with her then.” The cellist stood up and quickly made her way away from the table.
“Lyra, what did you do?” Bon Bon asked as the two of them sat alone at the table.
“What? I didn’t do anything,” the Unicorn said. She slipped her hoof around Bon Bon’s neck and pulled her close. “At least, not yet.”
“Uh huh,” Bon Bon replied. “If you’re about to shove cake in my face or something like that, you’ll regret it.”
“Um…no, not cake. It’s nothing that messy.” Lyra scratched the back of her neck and looked up at the sky. “Well, actually, it’s probably messier than cake. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. Minuette said so.”
“Lyra, whatever you’re planning, stop. I’ve had enough excitement for today.” Bon Bon rested her head on Lyra’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “I just want to sit here like this, with you.”
“Well, um, you see, I can’t stop. I already spent a lot of bits on it.”
Bon Bon pulled away from Lyra’s shoulder and glared at her. “Are you telling me that you paid somepony to shove cake in my face at the wedding?”
“It’s not cake!” Lyra protested. “Ugh. This would have been so much easier if Rarity hadn’t pushed me out of the way. Just…close your eyes, okay?”
“Lyra, if you think I’m going to—”
“Please, Sweetie Drops?”
Bon Bon blinked in surprise. Lyra never used her real name unless it was important. It had taken Bon Bon years to work up the courage to tell Lyra it in the first place, and she had threatened the Unicorn with bodily harm if Lyra ever dared to make fun of her or use it against her.
“Okay…” she said slowly. She closed her eyes and braced herself. She was expecting something cold to be dumped on her, or feel frosting being shoved up her nose, and she was already planning how she would get even with her marefriend. But when nothing happened, she grew anxious. “Lyra? Are you still there?”
“Um…Sweetie Drops? I, uh…”
Bon Bon made a face even with her eyes closed. “What if somepony overhears you?”
“Right, sorry. But, um…I need to ask you something. Something important. You can open your eyes now.”
Bon Bon opened one of her eyes half way and looked at Lyra, still expecting some sort of attack. The Unicorn was huddled next to her and her left ear was flopping back and forth. Whatever she had to ask, it was really troubling her. Bon Bon was about to ask what it was when a box floated up in front of her, held by Lyra’s cream-colored magic.
Bon Bon’s breath caught in her throat.
“I really wanted to catch that bouquet,” Lyra said as she scratch the back of her neck again and looked down at the ground. “I thought it would have helped the moment. A lot. But, um…I didn’t, so…I’m afraid this is all I could do.” Lyra took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and opened the box. “W-Will you…m-marry me? Please?”
Bon Bon stared at the ring in the box. It was simple band of gold with a sapphire and an emerald placed next to each other at the top. They were craved to look like they were wrapping around each other and Bon Bon couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. Tears began to build in her eyes and she struggled to remember how to breathe.
“Um…Sweetie Drops? I-I mean, Bon Bon?” Lyra asked nervously. “You’re making your girl kind of nervous with the silence. I-I can go steal that bouquet from Rarity, i-i-if that will, um…help you.”
Bon Bon pushed the box gently aside and set it on the table. Lyra’s eyes went wide with horror as she looked at it. They darted back to Bon Bon and began to water. The Unicorn’s ears fell completely flat and her mouth hung open. She just sat there in shock, on the verge of becoming a complete wreck, until Bon Bon leaned forward and kissed her. Fiercely.
“Now you know how I felt when I asked you out,” she whispered as she put her forehead against Lyra’s and gazed into her eyes.
“So…that’s a yes?” Lyra asked, her cheeks completely red. “I wanted to wait until after Princess Cadance and Shining Armor left, because I didn’t want to intrude on their ceremony, but I’ve been trying to find the right—”
Bon Bon smiled and put her hoof on Lyra’s lips. “It’s a yes.”
“Um, great,” Lyra said as her face turned a shade of red that Bon Bon didn’t think was possible.
“Aw, aren’t you two sweet?” a voice teased. Bon Bon and Lyra both jumped and knocked their heads together, then turned to see Berry sitting back at their table with a huge smile on her face.
“Sorry, Lyra,” Minuette said as she sat down next to Berry. “I tried, but apparently the only dancing Berry knows isn’t…appropriate for this type of party.”
“That’s not true,” Berry said. “I just haven’t had enough to drink yet. Or nopony else has.”
Minuette rolled her eyes and poured her wife another glass of wine, then looked at Lyra with beaming eyes. “So what did she say?”
“You knew?” Bon Bon asked.
“Yeah,” Lyra answered. “I asked her for advice.”
“And what did you say, Bon Bon?” Minuette asked, her eyes turning to her now.
Bon Bon blushed and snuggled next to Lyra. “Yes, of course.”
“Great!” Berry said as she set her glass down. “So when’s the wedding? It’s not going to be as…exciting as this one, right?”
Bon Bon laughed. “I hope not, but my Maid of Honor tends to be a bit wild, so I can’t promise anything.”
“Really? Sounds like my kind of—” Berry stopped when she realized that Bon Bon was staring right at her. She blinked several times. “You…you’re joking, right? Me?”
“Is that a problem?” Bon Bon asked.
“Yes,” Berry replied instantly. “I-I mean, I’d love to, but…”
“But what?”
“Come on, Bon Bon. You know me. I’m…I’m, well, me. I not exactly anypony’s first pick for something that important.”
“You’re right, you’re you,” Bon Bon said. “I thought I knew you. A pony who drinks too much and spends all of her life curled up in a bottle.”
“Yeah,” Berry said as her ears fell. “That.”
“But I was wrong. You’re one of the greatest ponies I’ve ever met. You risked your life for those you love. You’re brave, loving, and a great fighter too. There’s no pony more fitting of the title Maid of Honor that I know.”
“Really?” Berry whispered. “Even though I’m—”
“Now you stop right there,” Minuette said as she gave her wife a hug. “Everything Bon Bon said is true. I know it, Pinchy knows it, and it’s time you learned it too. If you’re not everypony’s top pick, then it’s their loss.”
“Well, Berry? It would mean a great deal to me if you would,” Bon Bon said.
“Sure,” Berry replied, wiping a tear from her eye. “I mean, I would be honored.”
“Can I be in the wedding too?” Pinchy asked as she popped her head in between Minuette and Berry. “I didn’t get to be in this one.”
“Of course you can, Pinchy,” Bon Bon said as she looked at Lyra. The Unicorn smiled and nodded. “You can be the flower girl. How does that sound?”
“Yay!” Pinchy said as she took another big bite of her cake.