//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Secret Soldier // by computerneek //------------------------------// “Yes- including the residential sectors, please.” Lyra almost blanches.  “Including the residential sectors?” she gasps. “Yes.  Ponyville isn’t nearly as large as Canterlot- it shouldn’t be that hard to cover everything in an hour or two.” “Uh…  Y-Yes.  Okay.” She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, and opens them again, turning to glance at the mare again.  “Shall we get sta--aah! Wh-Why are you looking at me like that!?” The cream mare bursts out laughing. Lyra almost runs away.  She does flinch away, turning to stare at the concrete under her hooves while she waits. Eventually, the mare finishes laughing.  “Sorry about that, I just couldn’t resist.  Now would be a great time to get started- I understand there’s a party waiting.” She raises her head.  “Uh, yes. Yes, there should be.  Um, I…” She scowls at the pavement again.  “I don’t know too much about the residential sector.” “Wouldn’t expect anypony to know everything.  Besides, what better way to make fast friends than to befriend the tour guide?” “What-!?” Snicker.  “The name’s Bonbon, by the way.  I must say, nopony’s ever genuinely shown quite that kind of interest in me before.  It’s… Hey, where’ you going?” This time, she does run.  And hide. Not that it’s very effective.  Her brightly-colored coat probably didn’t help- no sooner has she turned to face back out of her hiding spot than her vision is completely filled by the cream mare’s face. Her scream elicits a laugh from the mare, who then blocks her attempt to escape.  “It’s a nice change,” she states. “Certainly beats the same drab ‘do your thing and I’ll do mine’ everypony has back home.” She spends a few seconds…  Or minutes, she doesn’t know or care, hyperventilating.  She does manage not to pass out.  Eventually, she manages to calm herself down, takes several deep breaths, and forces herself a straight face.  “So…” She takes another deep breath, staring at her hooves. “It’s not creepy…?” The cream mare chuckles.  “Nah. Amusing, sure, but creepy?  No. There was a tour?” The tour goes quickly.  Interestingly enough, it seems Bonbon hadn’t been interested in who lived where, etcetera- her idea of a tour through the residential sector turned out to be as simple as going on a walk down as many roads as equinely possible.  They’d spent the walk talking about inconsequential things- and almost never looking at each other. The weather seemed to have come up close to a hundred times. The business sector hadn’t been all that different.  There had been some questions or comments about some of the buildings there- including when Lyra thought Pinkie Pie would have the welcome party ready.  Her answer to that had been a shrug. “She’ll have it ready whenever you are,” she’d said. “Don’t ask me how, but she does it every time.” “Not surprised,” had been the answer. At the end of the tour, she’d finally proposed they enter Sugarcube Corner for the party. “Nah,” Bonbon states.  “I’d rather get all the serious stuff over with before the party.”  She winks at Lyra, earning herself a clear view of the unicorn’s mane.  “That way, the party can last as far into the night as it likes. Right?” Lyra takes a deep breath before putting on a smile- her illusion spell helps with making it look genuine- and turning to face.  “Right, yes,” she states. “So, I’ll see you at the party?” “Oh?  You’re going to run away on me?” “What-?  No! I-I- uh…”  She focuses on the road in front of her, breathing deeply for a few seconds, forcing her next words to come out smoothly.  “I thought you wouldn’t need me for that.” “What?  Not need you?  Oh, the horror!” Lyra takes a step away, staring wide-eyed at the cream mare’s uncanny replication of Rose’ signature panic attack. “Sure, a mare has her secrets, but that’s a completely different story!  This is things like securing food, reviewing the state of my shop, making sure I have a safe place to sleep at night, and finding a date!” “Huh-?  What was that last one!?” “Making sure I have a safe place to sleep at night?” She tilts her head.  “Huh…? Could’ve sworn something came after that.” Shake.  “Must have imagined it.  So, wanna come along for the second item on that list?” “The second…   Uh, what was it again?” Snicker, before she repeats the three-entry list.  “Securing food, reviewing my shop, and finding someplace to sleep.” Blink.  “Wait, you have a shop?” “Yep.  Old bloke in Canterlot was saddled with the title when the old owner died- he spent the months since trying to get rid of it.  Seeing as how I’m virtually penniless right now, I figured I’d take it- and make what I could out of it.” She sighs. “Worst case scenario, I use it as a home or office and work manual labor for a while.”  She looks thoughtfully up at the sky. “I wonder if the Apple family are looking for help this season…?” Lyra shakes her head.  “Unless one breaks a leg or something, they don’t get help- and even then, Applejack just asks her friends.”  It’s her turn to sigh. “Your best bet for a quick bit is probably to aid in the recovery effort from the next disaster.” “Those can take a while, can’t they?” Nod.  “Aside from being completely unpredictable, yes.” Bonbon snorts.  “Usually.” Another nod.  “Usually.” “So, did you want to come look at it with me?” “Uh…  I probably shouldn’t- it is your stuff, not mine…” “Yet you probably know more about a shop than I do.” “Really?” Nod.  “Open schedule for my arrival on short notice?  Most ponies can’t do that.” Sigh.  “I don’t run a shop.  I just play every once in a while.” Raised eyebrow.  “But you still work for yourself, right?” Nod. “Then you know more about the field than I do.  Allow me to rephrase my question: Would you mind coming with me to look at my shop?” Her jaw articulates up and down a few times.  Did she just hear that correctly? “Uh… No?” Nod.  “Good.  Let’s get going, then?” Nod. The walk had not been long.  She’s quite certain of that; her thaumic reserves can attest.  Just like the half-block they’d actually walked. Yet it feels like it had taken forever.  Her mind refused to stop designing strange scenarios that might have this new mare specifically requesting her presence in reviewing her property.  None of them fit. Bonbon casually pulls a key out from under the doormat, inserting it into the lock and opening the door with a shake of her head.  “That’s probably the first thing I’m going to be changing,” she states. “Security. Keeping a spare key outside like that is stupid.  Anyways…  Oh, this place could use a little cleaning, but it’s a decent little place, isn’t it?” Lyra joins her in looking around the darkened store.  It’s been abandoned for close to six months, if she recalls correctly.  It’d been a bakery; she’d never stepped inside, showing preference- like most of Ponyville- to Sugarcube Corner. Three displays stand in the small room- one on either side, against the wall, and the last one as a counter in the middle, with the register resting on top.  The center display is a sort of island, with a walkable path on either side- nevermind the “Employees Only” signs peeling off the wall in either gap. A door in the corner, behind the counter, grants access to the backroom. She nods.  “Decent, sure.  Could use a bit more lighting, maybe…  Eh, it depends on what you’re going to use it for.” The earth pony chuckles, trotting to the backroom door and flinging it open to look.  “Oooh, jackpot! This should be everything I need, save the ingredients!” Lyra follows her over, looking in as the earth pony walks up to the icebox.  “Aaand… Yep, that’s a standard icebox, not a unicorn model.” “Pegasus range,” Lyra states, her horn having pulsed briefly.  Unicorn magic is so convenient. The earth pony whirls to face the offending appliance.  “What-? A pegasus range?” Nod.  “It’s got the pegasus-control spell on it.  I can layer the unicorn one over that- but I haven’t a clue how earth pony stoves work.” “Great.  Um… Manual labor it is, I guess.  It’ll only take, what, six months to save up for a proper stove?”  Sigh. “Oh well.” She shakes her head, returning to the front of the store.  “So that gets number two out of the way. One was food- and if I’m going to be doing manual labor, that’ll be solved by my first job.  Sleep…” She glances back at the door closing behind Lyra. “You don’t suppose there are mice back there, do you?” “Uh…  I didn’t see any,” she mutters.  “Um… If you need somewhere to sleep…”  She pauses. Bonbon raises an eyebrow, looking back at the hoof-focused unicorn.  “Yes?” she asks. The unicorn physically shrinks away from her.  “I… have too many bedrooms.” Her voice disappears into a squeak at the end. Bonbon blinks once or twice.  “Hold on. Did you just suggest what I think you did?” The nod is so small some might have missed it. She blinks again.  “Um… Just to be sure, did you just invite me to live with you?” She repeats her nodding performance. “So…  I guess I can strike off my last two objectives by saying yes, then.”  She nods. “So, Yes, thank you very much.” She even bows slightly. The silence is palpable for several seconds. Lyra finally closes her jaw, straightens her back, and takes a deep breath.  “Uh… You’re welcome,” she states. “And, um… While you’re living under my roof, my food is yours as well…”  She looks over at the counter. “I can probably help with ingredients as well.” Chuckle.  “Why thank you,” she states.  “Unfortunately, without an earth pony stove, all the ingredients in the world would be useless to me.” Lyra averts her gaze.  “I… might happen to have one of those.” Blink.  “Did you really just solve all of my problems?” She looks even further away, her voice reduced once again to a squeak.  “Maybe?” Close to an hour later, the two mares finally approach Sugarcube Corner.  It’d taken a while for them to fully recover from the shock… Or whatever it is that Lyra was recovering from.  One could have sworn it looked like embarrassment, but not even a hint of blush had shown. They stop at the doors, and look at each other. “Ready for the party?” Bonbon asks. Lyra scowls.  “That was my line.  Yes, by the way.” “Me too.” They both turn forwards, swinging the door open in front of them. It’s…  a decent bakery.  Quite colorful, with dozens and dozens of tables set out, plenty of booths along the walls, and a counter the size of all three of the shelves in Bonbon’s new shop put together. It’s fairly empty right now, boasting only three customers.  They’re all talking in hushed tones, if at all. Bonbon scowls, opening her mouth to speak- but decides against, watching Lyra sigh into her own hoof.  Lyra then marches right up to the counter. “Pinkie pie!” She almost sounds angry. Bonbon, having followed her up, looks across the counter.  The startlingly pink pony on the other side must be the source of the place’ less-than-cheerful atmosphere, moping around like that.  She does look at least a little strange with her mane and tail hanging ruler-straight like that; pony hair doesn’t do that naturally. The pink pony twitches, then moves.  “What do you want?” she asks, reaching for the register. “What happened to the welcome party?” Lyra asks.  She’s changed her tone- no anger now, more of a pleading tone. “Mayor Mare said not to,” Pinkie answers. Lyra facehooves.  “She said not to explode in her face.  Bonbon requested the party wait for after her tour, not that it never come.” Shrug. Sigh.  “Remember what you did with Twilight?  That is more of what she wanted.  Please?” Bonbon gives Lyra a little nudge and sighs, turning her back to walk to the door.  “What’s the point of moving here if there’s no welcome party…?” she wonders aloud, before proceeding out the door, Lyra on her tail. The door lands closed. Both mares instantly turn to look at each other. “One one thousand.” They then turn around, and open the door. “Surprise!” Bonbon nods, leading the way into the party-decorated bakery stuffed full of smiling ponies and fluttering confetti.  “Now that’s more like it,” she states.