Bon Bon stared across the library at the four unicorns from Canterlot. She knew that the only way to learn more about the green one was to walk over there and say hello.
You can do this, she told herself. You’ve introduced yourself to other ponies plenty of times in the past.
Yeah, but never just out of the blue like this. What am I even going to say? “Hello, I’m Bon Bon,” and then what?
Talk about the song they sang.
An hour and a half ago?
Do you want to talk to her or not?
I don’t want to look stupid in front of her.
Look, she’s visiting from Canterlot, right? So even if you screw up, she won’t be hanging around town to make things awkward.
Yes. Logical. I have nothing to lose.
Of course, that also means this probably won’t result in anything.
…Yes. That’s logical. As well.
Just go do it.
Okay. Going. Go.
Go.
Bon Bon forced her hooves in front of one another. She walked up to the four unicorns, who were all laughing about something. They turned to look at her. No turning back now.
“Hi,” she said, doing her best to sound casual. “I’m Bon Bon.”
“Nice to meet you, Bon Bon,” said the blue one. “I’m Minuette.”
“Twinkleshine.”
“Lyra Heartstrings.”
“Lemon Hearts.”
Yes – Lyra Heartstrings. You were right.
The four unicorns looked at her.
Keep talking!
“I, uh, really liked the way you all sang ‘Paint the Town’ a while back,” Bon Bon said. She made a conscious effort to look at all four of them in turn.
“Really?” Lyra said. “Because none of us can carry a tune to save our lives.” She smiled and quietly chuckled to indicate that she was just stating a truth that they all already knew.
“Oh, you know…” Bon Bon said, trying to agree without sounding like she was insulting their singing ability. “The energy you all displayed. The song’s about having fun, and you all looked like you were having fun, so that’s the point, right?”
“Right!” said Minuette.
The momentary pause in the conversation that followed felt like an eternity to Bon Bon. She started to rack her brain, unsure of what to say next. Luckily, she was saved by Pinkie Pie, who had been setting up tables on one side of the library.
“Who’s ready for bingo?!” she called.
“Wanna play?” Twinkleshine said to the other unicorns. They all nodded. “Are you playing?” she asked Bon Bon.
“Sure,” Bon Bon replied. Unlike the last game Pinkie had introduced – charades – bingo didn’t require her to make a fool of herself in front of the other party guests.
There were no chairs – the four unicorns simply walked toward an open stretch of table near the center and sat down on the floor next to one another. Bon Bon had stayed one step behind to see where Lyra would end up. She felt a small rush of excitement when Lyra sat down at the far left of the group. Bon Bon quickly (yet casually) walked over to take a seat directly to Lyra’s left.
When all of the ponies who wanted to play were situated, Pinkie passed out a reusable bingo card and a small pile of round wooden chips to each participant. She then stood on a makeshift platform she had set up in the library’s entranceway next to a large hopper filled with bingo balls.
Pinkie gave the hopper a few spins, then released the first ball. “I-29!” she called.
There were a few murmurs of happiness as some of the ponies placed chips on their cards.
Pinkie drew another ball. “G-54! Does anypony have bingo yet?”
The players all looked at her with confused expressions.
“Just making sure you’re all being honest!” she said. She spun the hopper again.
The game continued for several more draws until a pegasus in the front row achieved a bingo. After Pinkie verified the numbers, she presented the winner with her prize: An oversized chocolate cupcake with caramel frosting.
“Oh, we’re playing for desserts?” Lyra said to her friends. “Game on!” A determined grimace appeared on her face, as if she was now going to start playing bingo with increased focus.
“Lyra, we’ve been eating desserts at the snack table all night,” Lemon Hearts said from the other end of the group.
“Yeah, but not those desserts. They will be mine!” Lyra proclaimed, theatrically raising her front hoof in the air.
Pinkie displayed the next prize up for grabs: A strawberry custard crepe. Lyra licked her lips. After the first three draws, Bon Bon was proud of the diagonal she was working on with three markers in a row. Granted, one of the markers had been covering the free space, but she was still pleased with it.
“Oh, you’d better look out,” she said with a smile, playfully taunting Lyra. “I’m coming after your crepe.”
“N-37!” Pinkie called. Lyra placed a third chip on the top row of her card.
“Oh no you don’t!” Lyra said, taunting Bon Bon back.
In the end, the crepe went to a unicorn seated directly behind Minuette. Lyra shook her hoof in mock frustration.
“Eh, it’s just a thin pancake,” Bon Bon said, then gestured toward the front of the game area. Pinkie was holding up two chocolate chip cookies surrounding a vanilla cream filling. Lyra lifted her hoof, pointed it at her eyes, then pointed it at the cookie sandwich. Bon Bon chuckled.
After eleven draws, no one at Bon Bon’s table had made much progress. Pinkie drew another ball and announced “I-19!”
Lyra placed a chip near the top of her card, away from the other chips. “This is all part of my plan,” she said. “I just wanted to stage the most spectacular come-from-behind victory any of you have ever seen.”
Bon Bon looked at her own progress. “This is the round where in order to win, you have to form a shapeless blob in the lower left corner of your card, right?”
Lyra looked at Bon Bon’s card. “Look at it this way: You’re only three numbers away from winning in six different directions.”
None of the five won the cookie sandwich. Nor did they win any of the four desserts that followed. Through it all, Bon Bon subconsciously marveled at how at ease she felt. This was the most talkative she had been with another pony for as long as she could remember. She tried not to think too hard about it – she didn’t want to ruin a good thing while it was happening.
During one game, Lyra and Bon Bon spontaneously started quietly adding comments to each number Pinkie announced. Lyra had the best quip when she sang, “O-65, the pipes, the pipes are calling.” Although Bon Bon was proud of the laugh she got out of Lyra when, after Pinkie shouted “B-1!”, she casually remarked, “…with nature.” Lyra made playing bingo more fun than it had any right to be.
As the players were clearing their cards for the seventh time, Pinkie made an announcement. “All right everypony, this is the last round. But I’ve saved the best prize for last: An entire red velvet cake!”
Pinkie lifted it up for all to see. There were a few “ooh”s from the players as they looked at the full-size double-layer cake completely covered in cream cheese frosting. One of those “ooh”s came from Lyra.
“Now, if you want to win the biggest prize, you’ll have to work for it. This is the cover-all round. The first pony to cover all 25 spaces on their card wins the cake!”
Pinkie began to call numbers and ponies began to gradually cover their cards with markers. Early on, Lyra arranged most of her markers on the table into a two-dimensional shape – a rectangle four markers long by three markers high. Centered above the rectangle, she placed two pairs of markers vertically.
Bon Bon looked at the shape. “It’s a cake,” Lyra explained. “Those are the candles. Eyes on the prize.”
Bon Bon smirked. As Pinkie continued to call numbers, Bon Bon arranged most of her markers in the shape of a fork over Lyra’s cake.
As the round progressed, Lyra and Bon Bon’s bingo chip creations became more and more unrecognizable as the two filled their cards. Eventually, Lyra had just one number remaining: G-51. It appeared that a few other ponies were waiting for one number, as well.
Pinkie took the next ball from the hopper. She had begun to read them slowly for dramatic effect. “G…”
Lyra leaned forward an inch.
“48!”
Lyra quietly grunted in frustration. None of the other players yelled that they had a bingo.
“B…”
Lyra quietly grunted in frustration again.
“14!” Bon Bon slid another marker onto her card – she now had two numbers to go. Still no bingo in the room.
“G…”
Bon Bon, whose G column was already covered, looked at Lyra. Lyra was trying to see what was on the ball, even though it was too far away and obscured by Pinkie’s hoof.
“51!”
“BINGO!” Lyra shouted at the top of her lungs. Twinkleshine, who was sitting directly to the right of Lyra, rubbed her ear. A few of the other players groaned.
Pinkie Pie grinned. “What was that…?” she asked playfully.
“BINGO!” Lyra shouted again, equally as loudly as before. She raised her hoof into the air.
“I think I heard something…”
“BINGO! RIGHT HERE! BINGO!” Lyra placed both of her front hooves up on the table and stood on her hind legs. She picked up her bingo card, complete with markers, in her magic and started waving it in the air.
“It looks like there’s a bingo!” Pinkie Pie said. She verified all of the numbers. “Fillies and gentlecolts, we have a winner!” Some of the other players applauded. Lyra walked up to Pinkie, who placed the cake into a cardboard cake box and presented it to her. Lyra took the box with her hoof and lifted it into the air triumphantly.
“Thanks for playing, everypony!” Pinkie Pie said. “I’ll be back with the next game soon!” The other ponies went back to mingling on the other side of the room while Pinkie gathered up all of the bingo supplies.
Lyra brought her cake over to the other three unicorns and Bon Bon. Twinkleshine telekinetically lifted the lid of the box. “That looks delicious,” she said. “Are you going to share?”
“I don’t know…” Lyra said with false indecision. “Seems like someone thought it wasn’t important.” She looked at Lemon Hearts.
“Hey, if you want to keep it as your trophy, I won’t stop you,” Lemon Hearts said. “I’m going to go get some more punch.” She left for the snack table.
Lyra turned to Bon Bon. “Judging by your cutie mark, I’d guess you’re the expert on desserts in this town,” she said. She showed Bon Bon the open box. “So, what do you think? Is this a good cake?”
“Well, my special talent is more about candy than all desserts,” Bon Bon said. “Still, I’m assuming that Pinkie Pie baked this cake herself, so it should be delicious. The real experts are Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who run Sugarcube Corner. But Pinkie works for them, and she comes up with some amazing pastries.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Lyra said. She closed the lid. “So, you know all about candy?”
“I mean, not everything, but… yeah.”
“Okay, I have a question. A couple weeks ago, I tried to take a chocolate bar and a jar of peanut butter to make my own peanut butter cups. I formed the chocolate into a little cup shape and filled it with peanut butter, but why didn’t it taste the same as the ones I get from the candy store?”
“Well, without knowing what the ones from the candy store were like, my guess is that it’s because the peanut butter in a peanut butter cup usually has powdered sugar added to it to make it taste sweeter. And butter, too. Chocolate and peanut butter go well together, but when you add sugar and more butter, it becomes even more addictive.”
“Of course…” Lyra said. Bon Bon could practically see her forming the mental note Add powdered sugar.
“So, about your cutie mark,” Bon Bon said. “Is that a lyre?”
“Yep!” Lyra responded proudly. “Good eye – not everypony knows what a lyre is.”
“Well, I kind of guessed based on your name,” Bon Bon admitted. “If you asked me what a lyre was before I saw that, I probably wouldn’t remember.”
“Still, to even make that connection is farther than some ponies get.”
“I take it you play?”
Lyra nodded.
“What kind of music?”
“I like the bright, cheerful sound of the higher notes, so I usually improvise tunes up there. There’s no particular genre that I specialize in – I can make the lyre work well enough with pretty much any style of music if the other musicians are open-minded about it. Actually, right now, I’m looking for an ensemble that’s willing to take on a lyrist.”
Bon Bon thought for a moment. “I wish I could help you, but Ponyville doesn’t really have a thriving music scene. Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I just graduated from Canterlot Music Academy this week, and they weren’t able to help me find anything, either. Speaking of Ponyville, what do you do for fun here? My friends and I just arrived this past afternoon, but if it hadn’t been for this party, we wouldn’t have had anything to do. I’m sure we missed something, but what?” Lyra didn’t notice that while she had been talking about the lyre, Minuette and Twinkleshine had also quietly stepped away.
Bon Bon explained to Lyra that Ponyville didn’t have a lot of recurring activities or regularly scheduled performances, but there always seemed to be something interesting to see or do during most weeks – the rest of the time, the citizens simply worked or relaxed with one another. This led to Lyra admitting that she didn’t do most of the touristy things in Canterlot, which led to a discussion of Canterlot’s parks, which led to a discussion of Ponyville’s lakes, which led to stories from when each of them was learning to swim.
The conversation flowed easily and consistently, and neither Bon Bon nor Lyra noticed how much time had passed until Pinkie was announcing the next game. The tables were still set up, but now they were arranged in one long row that curved around the library.
“It’s time for ice water flip cup!” Pinkie declared. Ponies began to line up on either side of the tables.
Lyra began to walk over. Bon Bon didn’t move.
“Come on!” Lyra said. “We’ve got to be on the same team.”
Bon Bon hesitated. “I… well… I don’t know how good I’d be. What if I don’t do it right?”
Lyra waved her hoof dismissively. “It’s a party. So long as you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to get up there and embarrass myself and have everypony else be mad at me for making them lose.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Lyra said. “It’s just flip cup. Nopony cares if they win or lose – we all just want to have a good time together. And we can’t do that if you’re sitting on the sidelines.”
Bon Bon looked at Lyra. Lyra looked like her feelings were going to be hurt if Bon Bon didn’t participate. And Bon Bon really was curious to give it a try.
Bon Bon mentally shoved her self-consciousness aside. “Okay,” she said. “But you’re going before me.”
Bon Bon and Lyra took their positions near the middle of the line. Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Minuette reappeared and stood directly before Lyra.
Pinkie Pie explained the rules. As she did, a light fuchsia unicorn with a purple mane and three diamonds on her flank passed out cylindrical cups that got slightly wider at the top. A pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane flew overhead and filled each cup halfway with ice water from a large pitcher.
The object of the game was for the ponies on each side of the table to, in turn, drink the super-chilled ice water as quickly as possible, then place the cup over the edge of the table, narrow side down, and flick a hoof upward to flip the cup over and cause it to rest on its wider top. If the cup fell over sideways, the pony would have to pick it up with their mouth, put it back on the edge of the table, and try again. The challenge came from the fact that by drinking the ice-cold water so quickly, each player would likely experience a brief moment of brain freeze. Plus, the water temporarily numbed the mouth, making it more difficult to pick up the cup on a failed attempt.
Once all of the cups were filled, the pegasus took her place at the beginning of the line, opposite an earth pony wearing a western hat. Pinkie took her position second in the line, next to the pegasus.
“On your mark… get set… go!” Pinkie sliced her hoof downward through the air.
The first two ponies lifted their cups with their mouths, downed the water in one quick gulp, then, while wincing in pain, placed the cups on the edge of the table. At practically the same time, they flicked their hooves upward. Both cups neatly came to rest upside down.
The next two ponies drank their ice water. Pinkie let out an overexaggerated scream of pain before flipping her cup over.
The game continued, with most of the players succeeding in flipping their cups within four tries – the average seemed to be three. Soon, the turn reached the cluster of friends from Canterlot. Minuette accomplished the task quickly. Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts each took a couple of tries before getting their cups to stay upright.
Lyra drank her ice water, emitted a noise that sounded like “annrgh,” then knocked her cup onto its side with her first attempt. She reset, then successfully flipped the cup over on her second try. She pumped her hoof and exclaimed “Yes!”, then grabbed her head as she continued to fight off the effects of the momentary brain freeze.
Which meant it was Bon Bon’s turn. She grabbed the rim of the cup in her mouth, tilted her head back, and swallowed the ice water. It was colder than she had anticipated, and she dropped the cup onto the table as she became overwhelmed by the stabbing pain in her forehead. She struggled a bit to set the cup upright – partially because of her numbed mouth, but mostly because she was trying to see through squinted eyes.
Bon Bon flicked her hoof upward, but much too hard – the cup spun through the air and nearly landed upright again before falling over. Bon Bon’s second attempt was both a little too hard and off-center, causing the cup to roll to the side.
As Bon Bon set the cup up again, she heard Lyra giving her words of encouragement. “You can do it, Bon Bon! Stay focused.”
Bon Bon took a brief moment before flicking her hoof upward again. The cup turned 180 degrees in the air, landed on the edge of its rim, and nearly tipped over. However, its center of gravity was just low enough to instead bring the cup to rest on its opening.
“Hey!” Bon Bon said proudly. It hadn’t taken her too many tries and her side of the table was still in the lead. Lyra held up her foreleg, and she and Bon Bon exchanged a hoof bump.
Lyra had been right – none of the ponies were concerned with how well anybody did. And no one slowed their line down significantly. Even the pegasus named Derpy – who, on her first attempt, smashed her hoof against the underside of the table instead of tapping the cup – succeeded on her fifth try.
Bon Bon’s side of the table finished first, but all of the ponies continued to cheer on the last few players on the other side of the table as they flipped their cups. When the last pony finished, everyone cheered at having completed the game.
“What did I tell you?” Lyra said to Bon Bon as the rainbow-maned pony began to refill all of the cups to the halfway mark. This time, she filled her cup and the cup of her opponent all the way to the top.
“You were right,” Bon Bon admitted. “I’m having fun.”
The group played two more rounds, at which point most everyone present agreed that that was enough brain freeze for one night. The party guests resumed their mingling. Once again, Lyra failed to notice that she had been left alone with Bon Bon.
“So, what are your plans while you look for somepony to hire you?” Bon Bon asked Lyra.
“My immediate goal is to find a place to live. I’m just worried about getting stuck with a roommate I don’t get along with – even the apartments in Canterlot aren’t cheap, and I can’t afford to live by myself.”
Bon Bon nodded. Back at the agency, she had talked with Soothe Sayer and Panacea about the costs of moving off the base, so she knew just how expensive Canterlot apartments were.
“Does it have to be in Canterlot?” Bon Bon suggested. “You could move someplace smaller. The one-bedroom apartment I have here in Ponyville is cheaper than even a studio apartment in Canterlot. Uh, probably,” she hastened to add. She wasn’t supposed to reveal that she had lived in Canterlot for four years.
“Really?” Lyra said. “What do you pay? If you don’t mind me asking.” Bon Bon told her, and Lyra let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot more affordable. Maybe I should move here for the time being – it isn’t too far away from home.”
“I know there’s a vacancy just a couple doors down from me,” Bon Bon said. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she was suggesting. That hadn’t been her intention at all! Though she wouldn’t object to it if that happened…
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Lyra said. After a momentary pause in the conversation, she smacked her lips together. “I think the numbness is gone from my mouth.”
Bon Bon did the same. “Mine too,” she said.
“I think it’s about time I have some of my victory cake. Do you want some?”
“Sure!”
“I’ll go get some plates,” Lyra said. She looked around – it was only then that she realized that her other friends were nowhere to be seen. With a small shrug, she walked over to the snack table to get two plates.
Pinkie Pie had recently stocked the snack table with assorted cream pies, so plates and knives were plentiful. Lyra used her magic to pick up two plates and a knife to cut the cake with. As she did, she looked across the room to where Bon Bon was standing. When Bon Bon saw Lyra turn her head toward her, she quickly looked away.
Lyra slowly tilted her head in thought. It had only then occurred to her that she had spent the last couple of hours talking exclusively to Bon Bon. And they seemed to get along really well. And they had been having a lot of fun together. And she was certainly attractive.
Lyra had been so busy with her last year of studies that she hadn’t been putting a lot of effort into her dating life, let alone looking for a potential marefriend. It certainly hadn’t been on her mind when she visited Ponyville. But now she wondered…
“Slow down, Lyra,” she said to herself. Jumping to conclusions had ended badly for her in the past. Besides, Spike had said that everyone in Ponyville was really friendly. Maybe that’s all it was.
Lyra carried the plates back to Bon Bon, then the two of them walked over to one of the tables that Pinkie had left standing. Lyra levitated the cake box toward them from where she had stored it up on one of the library’s shelves. She cut two generous slices, placed one on each of their plates, and the two ponies leaned in to take a bite.
“Mmm,” Lyra said approvingly, then swallowed. “Yep, this is a good cake.”
Bon Bon nodded as she swallowed her bite. “I’ve always felt that red velvet cake lives or dies by its frosting. And this frosting is delicious.” She took a small, careful bite. “Even the cake by itself is good. That’s rare. Like I said, Pinkie does some good work.”
While they were eating, Lyra reflected back on the night so far and couldn’t help but wonder: Was she sensing some kind of spark between them? Or was she letting her imagination get away from her again? When they finished eating, Lyra levitated the box back up onto the shelf. She decided to try a little flirting to see what would happen.
“I love how you keep the colors of your mane separate like that,” she said. “Even though it’s curly. That must be a lot of work in the morning.”
“Oh, actually, it pretty much sits like this,” Bon Bon said. “If I sleep on it really badly, maybe it’ll get a little tangled, but it doesn’t take too much combing to get it back in order. It’s my tail that annoys me.” She flicked her tail, which was predominantly pink with a curl of blue on either side. “I wish it didn’t branch off in three directions like that.”
“No, it looks good,” Lyra said. Bon Bon just looked backward at her tail. “So… have you lived in Ponyville all your life?”
Bon Bon stiffened up a little bit. “No… I moved around a lot when I was younger. I just moved to Ponyville about a year ago.”
Lyra opened her mouth to ask what brought Bon Bon to the town. But before she could say anything, Bon Bon quickly jumped in.
“So! How about that…” her eyes darted around the room “…punch?” It was the first clumsy segue in their conversation all night.
Lyra looked over toward the snack table. “Do you want some punch?”
“…Yeah! Let’s get some punch. That cake made me kind of thirsty.”
The two walked over to the snack table and each took a cup of punch. Bon Bon quickly drank hers.
“There we go,” she said. “Uh… sorry about that.”
“That’s all right,” Lyra said. “So… what’s your favorite type of candy?”
Bon Bon seemed to relax again. “Oh… it’s so hard to choose just one,” she said. “I mean, chocolate is always a classic, but I like chocolate that’s been combined with other ingredients. I guess if I had my choice, I’d tend to pick a darker chocolate. But then combine it with something really sweet to contrast the bitterness. Like an apple dipped in dark chocolate. That tastes really good.”
“And here I thought you were just going to say bonbons.”
“Well, I have been trying to figure out how to make an apple bonbon. But I haven’t been able to get the filling quite right yet.”
Lyra giggled. “Maybe on Nightmare Night, instead of candy apples, you could do dark chocolate-covered apples.”
Bon Bon seemed momentarily lost in thought. “Candy apples… maybe if I flipped it – if I put an apple-flavored coating around a chocolate center. Ooh, I’ll have to remember to try that tomorrow.”
Lyra was glad that their conversation was back on track. “I don’t understand how a pony whose special talent is making candy can stay so thin,” she said.
“I’m not that thin,” Bon Bon said. She angled her body slightly so the underside of her barrel would be hidden behind her forelegs. “But so far, I’ve had pretty good metabolism. I guess I’m just lucky.”
Lyra mirrored Bon Bon’s position to stand the same way – as a result, the two were directly facing one another.
Spike, now wearing a lampshade on his head, walked up between them, grabbed a cup of punch, then walked back toward the crowd.
Bon Bon watched him walk away. She leaned in toward Lyra. “Can I ask you something?” she said in a low voice.
“Sure,” Lyra said, wondering whether it was time to get her hopes up.
“Am I the only one who’s a little uneasy about the fact that there’s a dragon here?”
Lyra’s hopes stayed right where they were.
“I mean, I know he hasn’t done anything bad, but he’s a dragon. But nopony else seems worried. Is it just me?”
Lyra mentally collected herself. “That’s just Spike,” she said nonchalantly. “He’s Twilight Sparkle’s… well, assistant, I guess. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I see him around Canterlot all the time.”
“Oh, you know him?” Bon Bon said. She looked away to her left, down toward the floor. “I’m so sorry. You must think I’m awful.”
“No, it’s all right,” Lyra said. She put her hoof up on Bon Bon’s right shoulder. “I can see how it’d be easy to think that. To be honest, I’m so used to seeing him around, I kind of forget that he is a dragon.”
Bon Bon looked up toward Lyra apologetically. Then she glanced over at Lyra’s hoof on her shoulder. Lyra pulled it away, a nervous grin on her face.
“I’m sorry,” Bon Bon said. “I’ve had some, uh, bad experiences with other types of creatures in my past. I don’t want to go into it. And I’ve never encountered a dragon before. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lyra said. “I totally understand.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” Bon Bon said. She looked around. “This dance music that’s playing… could you make a lyre work with that?”
Lyra began to talk about how she would probably play rhythmic staccato notes to accompany the pulsating bass line of the music. As she did, she felt frustrated that her attempts at flirting hadn’t produced any meaningful results. All she had really accomplished were a couple of instances of somehow throwing a wrench into the conversation. Well, maybe one of those instances was Spike’s fault. At any rate, Lyra decided to not worry about flirting for a while and just let the conversation happen naturally, as before.
The two continued to talk and play party games until 5:00 in the morning, at which point Pinkie announced it was time for everyone to head to town hall for the official raising of the sun.
“Already?” Lyra said. There had been a couple of bumps a couple of hours ago, but since then, her time with Bon Bon seemed to go by almost too quickly. They both began to walk toward the door together – neither had to ask the other whether she wanted to walk with her.
Bon Bon took the long way to town hall so she could show Lyra some of the things that the citizens of Ponyville did for fun.
“…and over that way is the day spa,” she said. “I’ll tell you, I never realized how much I liked getting a facial until Aloe and Lotus Blossom showed me what they can do. I don’t go to them for any mane or tail work, but I’ve been told that they’re great at that, too.”
“You can see my mane and tail,” Lyra said. “I don’t put much effort into them. So… are the facials really that great?”
“Have you ever had one before?”
“Not professionally.”
“You wouldn’t believe how rejuvenating it can be. It’s weird that having your face covered in paste can actually make you feel relaxed, but it’s true.” Bon Bon smiled as she thought about it. “You’ve got to come back here and visit sometime when the spa is open – you’ll see.”
Once again, Lyra found herself wondering whether she had done more than just make a friend at a party. After all, you don’t spend the entire night talking to one single pony – let alone give them their own little private tour of the town – unless something is clicking. And even though she still wasn’t positive where exactly she stood with Bon Bon, Lyra had pretty much made up her mind where she wanted to go now that she was finished with school.
“About coming back…” Lyra said. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about the apartments. If I came back here, say, the Monday after next, do you think that apartment would still be available? To look at?”
The smile on Bon Bon’s face grew twice as large. “Yeah! I mean, it should be. There’s another one available even if that one gets claimed. But it probably won’t. You should definitely come look.”
“I think I will,” Lyra said. “I’d ask you to show me where the building is right now” – she looked up toward the moon – “but I don’t want you to miss the raising of the sun because of me.”
“Oh, yeah,” Bon Bon said. “Afterward. Town hall’s this way.”
Bon Bon turned around and led the way over to town hall. Lyra stayed by her side and consciously began to step in time to Bon Bon’s steps.
“Town hall is a good space for all kinds of events,” Bon Bon said as they approached the large circular building. It looked to be three stories tall, although one of those stories was itself about two stories tall. “Parties, weddings… it gets a lot of use. You could probably fit every pony in Ponyville in there if you needed to. Or if we have a town meeting, we all just gather outside in this big open area.”
Lyra was glad for the big open area, as her attention was focused not on looking forward, but on staying in step with Bon Bon and looking her in the eye. “It sounds like you really like this town,” she said.
“I know it doesn’t seem like much compared to Canterlot, but we’re all really happy here. It really feels like home. I hope the apartment works for you. I think you’d like it here.”
Lyra nearly didn’t notice as they approached the steps. Luckily, she made it onto the first step before she tripped and embarrassed herself. The two walked through the door into the large, three-story-tall open room inside. Many, many ponies had already gathered around. Even though the space was considerably larger than the library, it felt just as crowded.
“Wow,” Lyra said. “I think every pony in Ponyville is in here.”
“It looks that way,” Bon Bon said, slightly awed. She led Lyra around to one side of the room. “Then again, I suppose a chance to see the princess is a pretty big deal. Do you ever get to see her as you wander around Canterlot?”
“Not as I wander around,” Lyra said. “She’ll address the citizens from her balcony from time to time, so I’ve seen her from a distance. Never as close as being in the same room with her like this, though.” She gestured outward toward the rest of the room.
Bon Bon looked around. “They decorated the place really nicely for her visit. Not too flashy, but classy enough to be fitting of royalty. Even in the moonlight like this. I bet this is Rarity’s work.”
Lyra decided to make one last attempt. She turned, looked into Bon Bon’s eyes, and smiled. “You have a good eye for detail,” she said. She flipped her mane back with her hoof.
Bon Bon looked back up and around the room. “No, I’m just noticing because usually it’s a lot emptier and more open. Although maybe all of the ponies flying around are drawing my attention to the decorations.”
Lyra sighed – quietly enough so the noise in the room would prevent Bon Bon from hearing her – and looked up. She decided to just be in the moment. The decorations did look nice.
“How do you score one of those great spots on the balconies?” she wondered.
“Get here early, I guess,” Bon Bon said.
Lyra considered that for a moment. “Not worth it. I had too much fun at the party.”
“Me too.”
Just then, a small collection of songbirds began to whistle a fanfare. A spotlight lowered toward a platform raised one step off the ground, where an official-looking pony was standing.
“Fillies and gentlecolts,” she said, “as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration.”
The entire assemblage of ponies, including Lyra and Bon Bon, erupted into cheering.
The mayor continued with her speech. “And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land…”
Lyra started to get excited. She could see the same expression in Bon Bon’s face.
“…the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria: Princess Celestia!”
On the balcony above the stage, the curtains opened. The songbirds sang once again. But no pony emerged.
The crowd of ponies began to murmur to one another. Bon Bon turned to Lyra. “Is this normal?” she whispered. “Does she usually make a surprise entrance?”
“I don’t think so…” Lyra replied. “This doesn’t seem like it was supposed to go this way.”
As the mayor urged everyone to remain calm, a unicorn walked to the front of the balcony. With a concerned look on her face, she said, “She’s gone!”
The crowd gasped. The only thing Lyra could think to do was to stare at the balcony, as if perhaps that would lead her to figure out what was wrong. Bon Bon did the same.
As they stared, a mysterious cloud of blue smoke began to form on the balcony. It twinkled with tiny stars, almost as if it was made of the night sky itself. Abruptly, the smoke parted to reveal a jet-black alicorn. Her mane and tail appeared to be made of the same ethereal blue vapor.
“Oh, my beloved subjects,” she said. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little sun-loving faces.” Her voice was dripping with a confident malevolence.
Lyra wanted to run. But with everyone else in the room remaining perfectly still, she didn’t want to call attention to herself. Instead, she subconsciously leaned toward Bon Bon. Bon Bon leaned toward Lyra.
The alicorn taunted the ponies near her, implying that they should know who she was. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?” she said.
“I did,” replied a unicorn standing near the center of the room. Lyra was surprised to see it was Twilight Sparkle – Lyra had assumed she was still keeping to herself in the library.
“And I know who you are,” Twilight continued. “You’re the mare in the moon: Nightmare Moon.”
Lyra, along with the rest of room, gasped. Nightmare Moon was just a made-up legend, there to make Nightmare Night more fun. She wasn’t supposed to be real. The revelation was too overwhelming to process. All Lyra could do was continue to stare.
“Then you also know why I’m here,” Nightmare Moon said.
“You’re here to… to…” Twilight said. She gulped, unable to finish the sentence. Lyra’s mouth was bone dry.
Nightmare Moon chuckled. “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” As Nightmare Moon began to laugh maniacally, the blue haze that was her mane rose up and filled the hall in a swirling vortex. Lightning flashed from within.
Lyra’s brain told her that she should run. But her body was frozen in fear. The pegasi of the Royal Guard flew toward Nightmare Moon. As they approached, she summoned more lightning, knocking them to the ground. A swirl of smoke enveloped Nightmare Moon, removing her from sight. The smoke then shot through the crowd of ponies, who split down the middle to avoid being touched by it. In what felt like an instant, the smoke was through the doors and gone.
The sudden motion of the crowd kicked Lyra’s muscles back into gear. Lyra’s brain impressed upon her a single word: Escape.
A pegasus flew out of the hall, trying to chase the smoke. Soon after, Twilight Sparkle was galloping away with Spike on her back. Meanwhile, Lyra tried to make her way through the mass of ponies. They were running in every direction possible, uncertain of whether to remain in the room where the evil thing had just been or to go outside where the evil thing might now be.
“Everypony, please remain calm!” the mayor yelled over the sounds of panic. “Please return to your homes in an orderly manner! The Royal Guard will find Princess Celestia and stop Nightmare Moon! I repeat: Return to your homes!”
That was enough to persuade the crowd, which began to pour out of town hall and into the streets of Ponyville. Lyra switched from trying to work her way around the mass of ponies to trying not to get trampled by them.
Before she knew it, Lyra had been swept outside and found herself standing in the big open area in front of town hall as the citizens of Ponyville continued to flee around her. The mayor had said to return home, but Lyra’s home was in Canterlot with her parents. A new wave of fear washed over Lyra as she worried for her parents’ safety.
As Lyra stood there, trying to think of what she should do, she thought she heard her name amid the screams of the townsponies.
“Lyra!”
That was her name. Lyra turned her head toward the sound. Through a steady stream of escaping ponies, she saw Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Minuette. Lemon Hearts waved to get her attention.
“Come on, Lyra!”
Lyra clumsily ran around the other ponies and reached her friends. They all began to run toward the train station.
“The engineers don’t know what’s happened yet!” Lemon Hearts yelled. “We’ve got to get back to Canterlot before they shut everything down!”
As luck would have it, the early-morning train to Canterlot was boarding as the four reached the station. They quickly bought their tickets and jumped into the nearest passenger car. It looked as though they were the only ones aboard who knew what had just occurred. The four quietly glanced at one another and around the car. They didn’t want to send the other passengers into a panic.
Soon, the train left the station. The four unicorns breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“We go home and we stay safe,” Lemon Hearts said under her breath to the others. “Princess Celestia will take care of this. We just have to keep away from Nightmare Moon until this is all over.”
The other three agreed. There was nothing left to do but wait for the train to reach Canterlot. The adrenaline from their escape now spent, and the effects of staying awake for the entire night now catching up to them, the four unicorns slept for the entire trip.