Living in Equestria

by Blazewing

*Alternate POV* Rainy Day Doings

Hondo Flanks, also known as Magnum to his friends, was no stranger when it came to packing for long trips. He and his wife, Cookie Crumbles, also known as Pearl, had an avid proclivity for travel, an incurable wanderlust and desire to see new sights that could rival the worldly travels of one Cranky Doodle Donkey.

On those occasions that the ‘travel bug’ nipped them, they felt confident in leaving their youngest daughter in the care of their eldest, especially since the two sisters had taken such great strides in renewing the bond between them. They'd come home to find Sweetie Belle in the best of moods, and Rarity, despite looking a little tired and harried, would be in a fairly good mood herself, even a little regretful that the stay couldn’t have lasted longer. The souvenirs that Magnum and Pearl picked up for them were always welcome; every available space in Sweetie’s room was littered with knickknacks and keepsakes her parents had brought home.

Bonding time between their daughters wasn’t the only benefit to so many out-of-town excursions. Packing for such trips was something of a second-nature to the pair of them. It was a technique perfected over the years until it became something of a science to both. Nothing was ever in danger of being forgotten or left behind.

Today, however, was slightly different.

“How’s it coming along, dear?” Pearl called from her closet.

“Just fine, honey. We’ll be ready to head to the station as soon as bowling’s done.”

Despite this assurance, Magnum was looking back and forth from one pile of clothes to the next: one comprising attire meant for sunny and warm weather, the other for cold and chilly. He stroked his proudly-groomed mustache in deep thought as he mulled them over, his brow furrowed.

“How’s it coming on your end?” he asked.

“Just trying to decide what I ought to wear,” Pearl replied.

Pearl stepped out of the closet, holding both a sunhat and a scarf in her magic and looking from one to the other, her lips pursed. From outside the bedroom came Rarity’s raised voice.

“If you would just let me make the pair of you something, I’d have you set for both climates! You’d be turning the heads of everypony you traveled by!”

Magnum chuckled and shook his head.

“We appreciate that, hun,” he called, “but it’s fine. As long as you’re making ponies happy at your shop, we’re happy, too.”

“Oh, honestly, Father,” Rarity sighed, and they could hear her hoofsteps retreating.

Rarity had been to the Crystal Empire with her close friends on a dangerous mission, one they naturally accomplished, to her parents’ unsurprised pride. When she returned, she had wasted no time in regaling them and Sweetie Belle with the beautiful wonders the Empire had to offer, and when their bowling buddy Dave had given a speech on the Empire itself, it only further fueled their desire to visit it.

The problem was, the Crystal Empire was up in the frozen north, but Rarity and her friends’ accounts claimed that the weather there was perfectly warm and pleasant. In all their years of travel, Magnum and Pearl had never heard of such contradictory climate conditions.

“You know what I'm thinking, honeybunch?” asked Magnum at last. “Let's just pack for both. If Rarity's right, all we'd need to worry about is getting cold on the train.”

Pearl smiled.

“Good idea, sweetie.”

So the pair’s suitcases were stuffed with both warm and cold weather clothes until they were full to bursting. After all, anything could happen while out of town, so it paid to be prepared for anything. Magnum pushed down hard on the lid of his suitcase, but it was so overpacked that simple hoof pressure wasn’t making it latch shut. After several futile attempts to shut it this way, he took a deep breath, jumped into the air, and slammed down on it with his elbow, as though doing a wrestling maneuver off the top rope of a ring. The mattress sank a few inches, but the suitcase finally clicked shut. Magnum moved off of it, wiping his brow, as Pearl just barely managed to close hers with her magic.

“That's done,” said Magnum. “Now, what do you think we ought to bring back for the girls?”

“Well, Sweetie Belle likes music,” said Pearl. “We could get her one of those flugelhorns Pinkie Pie kept talking about.”

Magnum chuckled.

“I can see her now, playing that thing ‘til the cows came home. And mind you, Daisy Jo’s a real night owl.”

Pearl laughed.

“Or we could get her some crystalberry sweets,” said Magnum. “I heard Applejack saying she wished she'd brought some crystalberries back to bake with. They sound tasty, from what she said.”

“Ooh, now there's an idea,” said Pearl. “We could bring a bushel back ourselves and bake a pie!”

“Another good idea, sugar lump,” said Magnum. “As for Rarity, we could see if they've got some fancy fabric she can use for her duds.”

“Or something crystally to spice up her boutique,” said Pearl.

“Exactly,” said Magnum. “And if all else fails, we can always see what kind of snow globes they have.”

“You read my mind, dear,” said Pearl, smiling.

The two shared a kiss, lugged their suitcases onto the floor, and started getting ready for bed.

***

“Dang-blasted snakes...ain’t gonna get...this ol’ mare…”

A mare Granny’s age could hardly be expected to move so quickly. True, it wasn’t Rainbow Dash levels of quickness, nor even the fastest gallop a typical adult pony could achieve, but it was still a considerable gait for somepony of her advanced years. Nevertheless, a combination of a hip replacement and the mention of a certain critter had set her off like a switch being thrown. She made for Sweet Apple Acres as fast as her legs could carry her, all else forgotten.

Finally, she reached the safety of the farm house, slamming the door behind her. She then collapsed into her favorite rocking chair, trying to catch her breath and calm her heart rate back down. Her hurried return hadn’t gone unnoticed, though. Applejack came bursting in, having seen Granny while out in the fields, and her grandmother’s haste had greatly unnerved her. Apple Bloom was right on her heels.

“Granny!” Applejack cried. “What happened? Are ya all right?”

But Granny was too winded for speech. In a twinkling, Applejack hurried to the kitchen and fetched her a glass of water while Apple Bloom looked on in worry. Applejack returned, and Granny gratefully gulped the water down, her breathing becoming easier.

“Thank you, Applejack,” she said. “I’m fine. Just had a bit of a scare, that’s all.”

“What kinda scare, Granny?” asked Apple Bloom.

“It ain’t the apple blight again, is it?” asked Applejack.

“No, no, and thank Celestia,” said Granny, shaking her head. “We don’t need that right when spring’s sprung. Somepony was shoutin’ ‘bout snakes on a rooftop, and Ah didn’t wait around long enough to see ‘em for mahself.”

Both sisters raised confused eyebrows.

“Snakes on a rooftop?” Apple Bloom repeated.

“What in tarnation would make somepony shout that?” asked Applejack.

“Heck if Ah know,” said Granny. “But Ah can’t stand the sight or thought of them slithery varmints, so Ah got the heck outta there without takin’ any chances.”

“Some prank of Dash’s, Ah’ll bet,” Applejack grumbled, inwardly resolving to have a little chat with the speedy prankster about this.

“Ah didn’t know you were so afraid of snakes, Granny,” said Apple Bloom. “How come?”

Granny looked a little surprised.

“Ah never told you that story?” she asked.

Apple Bloom shook her head.

“Well, Ah think yer about to be told now, sugarcube,” said Applejack, smirking. “Now that you’ve got Granny’s mind on it.”

“Oh, hush, Applejack,” Granny chided mildly, before turning back to Apple Bloom. “Well, it ain’t so fantastic a story that it’d go down in history books, ‘cept Cousin Goldie’s collection, but I ain’t ever gonna forget it as long as Ah live.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes were wide with interest as she sat down, Applejack beside her.

“It was well before you young’uns were born,” Granny went on. “In fact, it was while we were still on the move to find a place to settle, before we first arrived in Canterlot. There weren’t many places to stop and rest along the way: no inns or nothin’. And it would’ve been hard doin’ fer us to unpack all our belongins’ fer the night just to pack ‘em up again. So we camped around our wagons out in the open and took turns keepin’ watch. That way, nopony and no critter could come sneakin’ in and steal our things without us knowin’.”

“Did anypony ever try?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Not with us,” said Granny, “but it weren’t uncommon fer some bandit to come a-lootin’ unsuspectin’ ponies on the road, and some forest critters, raccoons, especially, take a fancy to anythin’ that ain’t theirs and nick it, and it’s tough chasin’ ‘em back down. Don’t even get me started on the manticores, either. We weren’t takin’ any chances.

“Well, one night, we stopped jest outside a patch of marshland. We weren’t too happy to, lemme tell ya: the whole place stunk worse than a barn full of steamed broccoli.”

Applejack grimaced. Apple Bloom actually put a hoof to her mouth, looking about ready to puke.

“But we’d been walkin’ all day, and we were too tired to go any further, so we jest had to suck it up and camp where we were. It weren’t easy to sleep; there were moskeeters everywhere, and they had a lot of ponies to take their pick from. Best Ah can say is at least they weren’t fly-ders.

“Anyway, when it was mah turn to take watch, I was sittin’ there, tryin’ to keep the skeeters off best I could, when Ah heard a rustlin’ in the grass. At first, I thought somepony might be sneakin’ toward us to try and ambush us, so Ah grabbed a fryin’ pan to protect maself, but what Ah saw there…”

Here, Granny shuddered, and Applejack put a consoling hoof on her shoulder. Granny swallowed, then went on,

“It was the biggest, meanest-lookin’ snake Ah’d ever laid eyes on. Ah reckon it was 6 feet long, and it was movin’ right for me. Ah could see its eyes gleamin’ in the dark as it came a-slitherin’, unblinkin’, almost hypnotic-like. Then it came to a stop and raised itself. Ah heard it hiss, and it were a sharp, loud sound in the dead of night. Then Ah saw it open its mouth, saw its fangs, ready to strike. Now, Ah couldn’t tell if it were a poison snake or not, but mah pa told me afterwards that it were, and I tell ya, poison or no, it had me frozen on the spot like a turkey in a blizzard. Ah couldn’t even call out, like there were a lump in mah throat. Ah felt sure Ah was done fer right there and then.”

Apple Bloom, looking terrified, had huddled herself against Applejack’s side, and the stout elder mare had a foreleg draped protectively around her. She herself looked pensive from her grandmother’s tale, even though she’d heard it before. Such an experience in the dead of night was not easy to hear more than once.

“Ah don’t rightly know how it happened, but the instant it struck at me, Ah swung with mah fryin’ pan. It were the only hope Ah had left! Well, it caught that snake right in the face, right when it was about to sink its teeth in me!”

Apple Bloom let out a gasp.

“Ah guess Ah put more power in that swing than Ah expected,” said Granny, “cuz it knocked that snake out cold. Ah didn’t rest easy, though. Ah was afraid it was gonna wake up any second and attack again, more ornery than ever after gettin’ hit before it could bite. Luckily, the sound of the pan woke the rest of the family up. They saw what a narrow shave Ah’d had, and we moved on as quick as we could, in case more of ‘em come after us. Ma and Pa scolded me for not wakin’ them up as soon as Ah saw it, but my mind had been too befuddled from everythin’ that happened.

“Since then, Ah’d been more wary about snakes than ever, and when we settled down here at last, Ah did what I could to make sure they couldn’t get into the barn or the house when we was all sleepin’. And it wasn’t just me Ah was worried about. Ah wasn’t gonna let my young’uns be easy prey for those varmints either. Ah had to securely snakeproof your dad’s room when he was a foal, and the same for you two and Big Mac, but it was worth it.”

Apple Bloom looked nothing short of awed.

“Wow,” she said. “If that ever happened to me, Ah think Ah’d be pretty scared of snakes, too.”

“No kiddin’,” said Applejack. “Of course, Fluttershy would stick by ‘em no matter what sort they were. Bless her.”

“Oh, Ah know not all snakes are bad,” said Granny, “but you can never be too careful. Now, then, you two should get back to what you were doin’.”

“Well, all right, but are you sure yer ok?” asked Applejack.

“Of course, dear,” said Granny, fondly ruffling both of her granddaughter’s manes. “Ah don't want you two frettin’ bout me just cuz of an old scare.”

Smiling, Applejack and Apple Bloom turned to head back outside. At the door, Apple Bloom stopped dead in her tracks. A snake had just slithered past, inches from her hoof. She let out a yelp and backed up into Applejack.

“Easy, Apple Bloom,” said Applejack. “It was just a grass snake. It's harmless.”

Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. From her spot in her rocking chair, Granny Smith said,

“Ah told ya: you can never be too careful.”

***

Cheerilee let out a sigh as she gazed up at the blackening sky, having just stepped out of Barnyard Bargains with full saddlebags. The storm, which had seemed so far away not too long ago, had loomed dangerously close in just as little time. The kindhearted teacher doubted she'd be able to make it home without getting caught in the ensuing deluge.

“This is what I get for debating over buy-one-get-one on paper towels for so long,” she muttered. “But it was such a good deal.”

“Goin’ my way?”

Cheerilee looked to her right in surprise. Big Macintosh was standing there, wearing his own saddlebags, a large green-and-red saddle umbrella on his back and a genial smile on his face. He unhitched the umbrella and set it on Cheerilee’s back.

“Why, Big Mac,” said Cheerilee, gratefully. “How thoughtful! Thank you so much.”

“Eeyup.”

“But aren't you going to get soaked, then?”

“Eenope.”

From within his saddlebags, he drew out a second, folded umbrella and set it upon his back. It sprang open, and just in time, as raindrops began falling thick and fast, and a rumble of thunder rent the air. Cheerilee winced, but the span on the umbrella shielded her completely. With another grateful smile at Big Mac, she set off, the stallion strolling beside her.

“So, how are things at the farm?” Cheerilee asked.

“Same old,” said Big Mac. “Now that it's spring again, Zap Apple Season is right around the corner.”

“Ahh, that's right,” said Cheerilee, keenly. “I'll have to remember to stop by Barnyard Bargains once Filthy Rich gets his shipment.”

“Or we can save a jar or two for you at the farm,” Big Mac suggested, with a wink.

“Oh, you don't have to do that,” said Cheerilee, modestly.

“It's the least we can do,” said Big Mac. “Yer practically family yerself, Cheerilee. And in any case, if we get a good haul this year, we're plannin’ to save jars fer both bowlin’ teams. It'll be Dave’s first time, anyways.”

“Oh, I'm sure he'll love it,” said Cheerilee, smiling. “I always do.”

Big Mac grinned back.

“How's things at the schoolhouse?” he asked.

“Oh, the usual,” said Cheerilee. “Actually, the school bell’s developed a crack in it, so we haven't been able to ring it.”

“Oh, now that's a shame,” said Big Mac, sympathetically.

“It is,” said Cheerilee, with a sad nod. “We petitioned the school board for repairs, but Spoiled Rich keeps giving us the same argument: ‘no money in the budget for such things’.”

Big Mac snorted in a disgruntled way. He was well aware of Spoiled Rich and her stinginess. If she could deign to donate even a fraction of her wealth to spruce things up at the school, you'd never even recognize the place, but that was wishful thinking. Of course, if it was something in her daughter’s interest, she'd shell out in a heartbeat.

“Ah’d be more than happy to fix the bell maself,” he offered.

“Now, Big Mac, that's just too much,” said Cheerilee, blushing. “I couldn't possibly ask that of you, when you must have so much to do at the farm already.”

“It wouldn't be a bother at all,” said Big Mac, honestly. “Not when it's fer a good friend.”

The blush receded a bit as Cheerilee smiled gratefully.

“I'll think about it,” she said, “but thank you very much for the offer.”

“Eeyup.”

The two walked on in relative silence after that, shielded by their two umbrellas. At last, they came to the front door of Cheerilee’s home. Big Mac stepped forward slightly so that she was still protected as she folded up her umbrella and gave it back to him.

“Thank you for your gallant escort, Big Mac,” she said, sweetly.

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac, inclining his head. “Anythin’ fer a friend like you, Cheerilee. See you Tuesday fer bowlin’?”

“I wouldn't miss it,” said Cheerilee. “Good night.”

“Night.”

With that, Cheerilee stepped inside and closed the door. Big Mac, on his part, started off back home himself, the rain still pounding down, but unheeded by the kind-hearted stallion.

For her part, Cheerilee put her groceries away, the drumming of the rain sounding much more welcome now that she wasn’t in its path. That done, and after setting the tea kettle to heat up on the stove, she headed to the kitchen table, where a stack of papers, the usual reports and work from her students, awaited her. Humming a little, she slid the first one in front of her, but even as she pored over it, making small notes on improper punctuation or spelling, her mind was also on what she ought to do to thank Big Mac for the umbrella. Cookies were always a welcome option, and she was sure Pinkie Pie would be more than happy to oblige.

“Needs a little more report, and a little less Rainbow Dash. B+,” she wrote down at last.

This wasn’t even the first time she’d had to write that down on a piece of homework from Scootaloo. She shook her head, half-exasperated, half-amused, feeling she could do with some time away from grading papers for a change, just as the kettle began to whistle. Once she’d gotten her cup of tea, very welcoming after the cold and wet outside, she slid the next report in front of her to look over, with the rain still beating against the windows.

***

To some ponies, listening to a storm raging outside gives them a sense of contentment and comfort. It reminds them that, while it's bad out there, they can take solace knowing they're safe under a roof, away from the wind and rain. Apart from that, they know it won't last forever, and will eventually blow itself out.

Other ponies don't have such peaceful thoughts at these times. They're unnerved and frightened by the meteorological frenzy happening just outside their windows. The beating of the rain, the roaring of the wind, the crashing of the thunder, and the flashing of the lightning all play a part in creating a formidable, foreboding, and even dangerous atmosphere; the sort that precedes some great calamity.

Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, being only babies, were two such ponies who did not enjoy the sounds of the storm. Luckily, their loving parents were well aware of this. They had a special way of keeping the twins’ minds off of such things.

“Nice and easy, Pound Cake,” said Mr. Cake, as Pound cracked an egg on the rim of the mixing bowl. “That's my boy!”

“Ok, steady now, Pumpkin,” said Mrs. Cake, as Pumpkin tipped a measuring cup full of sugar into a bowl with her assistance. “Atta girl! Look at Mommy’s little helper!”

Every time the forecast looked particularly grim, the Cakes engaged in a special team project: baking a storm cake, as they called it. Storm cake was never the same flavor twice in a row. Mr. and Mrs. Cake let the twins decide the flavor, based on pictures. They baked together as the storm raged, and ate it together when it was done.

As an honorary Cake herself, Pinkie joined in as well. She helped the twins with the more difficult tasks and kept them laughing with her silly antics. Even Gummy helped out, being Pinkie’s especial taste tester. The pudgy party pony always trusted the little gator’s judgement; his ‘refined palate’, as Pinkie put it, had never failed yet.

While the cake was in the oven, there would've been no other means to distract the twins, if not for having them help clean up. Despite their youth, Pound and Pumpkin were fairly sharp foals, and it made them happy to be any kind of help to their parents and auntie. Between the five of them (six, if you counted Gummy), they had the kitchen spic and span again in a twinkling.

After that, they played games or sang songs. Pinkie was an absolute well of the latter. No occasion seemed too trivial that she did not have a composition prepared for it. She'd learned from her grandmother, after all. Particular favorites of the twins included:

The rain and thunder might be loud
But don't be afraid of a grumpy old cloud

Splishy-splash
Drip-drop
Who knows when the rain will stop
But when it's done, we like to hop
Through the puddles with a plop

But perhaps their all-time favorite was one in which their parents joined in as well:

It's a rainy day in Ponyville
The skies are dark and gray
But when the rain is over and done
Then we’ll go out and play

And in what felt like no time at all, the storm cake would be ready. If they were lucky, the storm would already have blown itself out by this time. Whatever the case, the twins would be too happy with the games, music, and cake to give any care to the weather.

Tonight was no different, and the coconut cake they'd made had been baked to perfection. After everypony had eaten their fill, the twins would be full and sleepy, and depending on when the storm was happening, it would be either nap time or bedtime for them. Pinkie would take them up to tuck them in while the elder Cakes cleared up.

“I know it's probably silly to say it, Carrot,” said Mrs. Cake, “but sometimes-”

“You wish we could do this every day?” Mr. Cake supplied, smiling.

Mrs. Cake nodded with a laugh.

“I feel the same way, sugarplum,” he said, gently.

The two shared a kiss, just as Pinkie bounced in.

“Ooh, maybe I should ask Rainbow Dash if the weather team could make it rain every day! Then it would be Storm Cake Day every day!”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake laughed.

“There's really no need for that, Pinkie,” said Mr. Cake.

“But it's sweet of you to suggest,” said Mrs. Cake.

Beaming, Pinkie bounced in between them and pulled them into a hug, which they gladly returned.

“You know,” said Mr. Cake, “I’ve been thinking: we’ve got quite a bit of money sitting by, with the royalties we’ve gotten for those gemstone cupcakes. What do you think we ought to do with it?”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie squealed. “We could use it to get new toys for the twins! Their blocks have been looking a little chippy, cuz Pound keeps throwing them at the wall.”

“Actually,” said Mr. Cake, with a smile, “I was thinking something more along the lines of a vacation, to get away from the hustle and bustle of Sugarcube Corner.”

“Ooooh,” said Pinkie, her eyes lighting up. “I like that idea a lot better!”

“So do I,” said Mrs. Cake, beaming.

“Then it should just be the four of you,” said Pinkie, decisively. “You two and the twins. Moonlight and I can look after the Corner for you! Pinkie Promise!”

She accompanied this declaration with the typical motions of a Pinkie Promise, along with a salute. The Cakes looked delighted.

“Oh, Pinkie, that’s very sweet of you to offer,” said Mrs. Cake.

“Are you sure you won’t mind?” Mr. Cake asked.

“As long as you all are enjoying yourselves, that’s all I need,” said Pinkie, smiling.

And this time, it was the two Cakes who initiated the ensuing hug, and their cheerful employee who reciprocated in gleeful kind.

***

That evening, as the rain died down, and not for the first time, Lyra Heartstrings stood before the full-length mirror in her and Bon Bon’s bedroom. She was turning herself this way and that, observing herself from as many angles as she could. She seemed to take particular time and attention in observing her rump, frowning slightly as she twisted herself about. She also reared up onto her hind legs, looking down at her stomach. She gave it a prod with her hoof, watching it sink in a little. She even sucked it in to puff her chest out, only to let it back out again.

Ever since completing her diet, she’d been reveling in how much fitter and healthier she felt. She no longer felt as lazy and lethargic as she used to after a day’s work at the candy shop. She now felt quite willing to leave the comfort of her favorite spot on the couch, next to the radio, and join Bon Bon for a night out, which they'd been doing even before Winter Wrap Up.

She still wasn’t the skinniest of ponies, but the diet had done a world of difference to her figure. Favorite clothes of hers that used to feel tight around the middle and rear were now comfortably loose, especially her favorite pair of pants. However, she also couldn’t help contemplating her new shape in the mirror, wondering if it really was her she was looking at. There was something else bothering her, though.

“Gotten paranoid, have we?”

Lyra gave a start, but didn’t need to turn around. She could see Bon Bon coming in from the reflection in the mirror, a look of mingled exasperation and amusement on her face. Lyra rolled her eyes, still on her hind legs.

“You’re one to talk about paranoia,” she quipped.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re neurotic about everything,” said Lyra, putting her hooves to her hips, “down to how many sprinkles go on a single chocolate-covered pretzel stick.”

“As I’ve already mentioned to you,” Bon Bon retorted, with the air of a wearied scholar, “the sprinkle-to-chocolate ratio is extremely important. Too much chocolate, and it overwhelms the taste buds. Too much sprinkle, and you lose the taste of chocolate. As my taste tester, you ought to appreciate that more than anypony.”

“Yeah, yeah,” sighed Lyra. “Anyway, I’m not being paranoid. It just feels kinda weird. I can’t remember ever being this…lightweight.”

She cupped her belly under her hooves, lifting what little pudge was left on it before letting it plop down again, settling onto all fours as she did. Bon Bon giggled and walked up to her so that they were side by side.

“You might be a little trimmer,” she said, “but you’re no lightweight, Lyra.”

“You’re one to talk, Bon Buns,” said Lyra, cheekily, bumping Bon Bon’s hip with hers on the word ‘buns’.

Bon Bon’s lips tightened, but she said nothing.

“And I’m not trying to be vain or anything,” said Lyra, “looking in the mirror all the time. I just can't believe it really happened, that I dropped all that weight.”

“That's normal,” said Bon Bon, reasonably. “A lot of ponies who finish a diet can hardly believe what they see when it's over.”

“But it's not just that,” said Lyra.

That same nagging doubt that had been eating away at her resurfaced, and she asked, with a hint of worry in her voice,

“How long will it last?”

Bon Bon looked surprised, both at the question and Lyra’s tone. This didn't sound like her at all.

“What do you mean?”

Lyra swallowed.

“I mean, how long will it take before I’m a big, lazy, chair-wrecking fatso again?” she asked. “Before I'm back to sitting around at home, not wanting to do anything outside the house with you? Before I'm being a burden to my mare again?”

The two mares looked into each other’s eyes. Thankfully, Lyra didn’t look on the verge of tears, but there was definite anxiety in those bright tangerine eyes of hers, fear over undoing what they'd been working for.

For a second or two, Bon Bon simply stared. She'd had no idea Lyra was feeling this way, and that part of her anxiety was about inconveniencing her. With a kind smile, she nuzzled her marefriend. Lyra closed her eyes at the touch, feeling herself start to relax.

“Don’t worry about that,” Bon Bon said, gently. “After all the hard work we did, it would take a long time for you to get that big again, even if I double-timed you on taste-testing duties. And I'm perfectly fine with spending a quiet evening at home. It doesn't matter where I am, as long as it's with you.”

Lyra’s lip trembled, but she smiled all the same.

“Thanks, Bonnie,” she said. “That means a lot. I feel the same about you.”

“And besides,” Bon Bon added, “no matter what size you are, you’ll always be my lovable Lyra.”

She accompanied this with a prod to Lyra’s belly, making her giggle.

“And you’ll always be my Bonnie Buns,” she said, poking Bon Bon’s stomach in return.

Bon Bon’s cheeks flushed briefly, but Lyra accompanied it with a kiss on the cheek. She therefore couldn’t help smiling as she returned the kiss.

“I love you, Lyra.”

“And I love you, Bonnie.” Then she said, after letting loose a tremendous yawn, “I'm gonna wash up before bed. My teeth need a serious brushing after all those low-fat caramels you made me try. The first batch almost cemented my jaws together.”

“Oh, har-dee-har,” said Bon Bon, dryly.

Lyra trotted out of the room, Bon Bon watching her go. Then, when she'd disappeared, Bon Bon cautiously turned to the mirror and, just like Lyra, began observing herself from all angles, looking from her stomach to her rear.

“And you were calling me paranoid.”

Bon Bon jumped with a squeak. She glared, crimson-cheeked, at the door in the reflection, just in time to see Lyra’s head duck out of sight, snickering. With a weary sigh, she flipped the mirror so that its blank back faced the room, then set about getting ready for bed.

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Fluttershy:Mr Slithers, Where are you?

Dave:Snake? SNAAAAKKKEEEEEEE!

[dj-pon3fan]

I like Granny I have a justifiable caution of snakes. I was sitting in class one day and my desk was right next to my teachers pet ball python named Cupcake. As I sat down I noticed the snake was watching me, and about 20min in I hear a loud thud behind me. Cupcake had struck the glass next to my head and scared the crap out of me. Neadless to say I don't like snakes.

[Dan50]

Yay, another awesome update, glad Lyra is happy with her diet.

[Regreme]

D'awww.... ^^

[Shisarakage]

Based on location and description, I'd hazard a guess that Granny's serpentine phobia was caused by a cottonmouth, as that's the only venomous snake I can think of for a marshland habitat off the top of my head. That said, all of these scenes were adorable in their own way. The Apple girls having a good old-fashioned storytime, Mac and Cheerilee seemingly growing one step closer to an official relationship, Pinkie and the Cakes doing something that I've actually done in the past, though with cookies instead of cake, and Lyra and Bonbon being their usual adorable selves.

[PinkiePieFox]

8574128
I blame Kaw

[Noctis Prism]

Well this was a sweet little in between chapter.

[booklover41]

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Food is a form of art

[Nyperold]

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I wonder if cottonmouths would be more literal in this world...

[Orion85]

so are we ever going to see new chapters in this story?

[DoctorPony]

Can't wait for next chapter