“Dinner is served!” Bon Bon called triumphantly, trotting into the dining room with a short stack of plates balanced on the top of her head.
She’d practiced her plate-balancing technique many times, since she was the household chef. Every evening, she and her partner sat down to eat the wonderful meal that she had prepared.
Lyra, the only other occupant of the dining room, was already seated, anxiously awaiting her dinner. She perked up in her chair as soon as her partner entered the room, and her eyes lit up when they spotted the plates her partner was carrying. As usual, however, Bon Bon’s method of carrying the plates on her head prevented Lyra from seeing what contents they held.
“Awesome! What’re we having tonight, Bonnie?” Lyra’s expression of excitement was very similar to that of a puppy who knows they’ve done something good, and will soon be rewarded with a treat. In fact, if Lyra’s tail hadn’t been trapped between the wooden seat of the chair and Lyra’s rump, it would probably have been wagging.
Bon Bon chuckled as her hooves clopped across the hardwood floor, making their way towards her expectant partner.
“Grass!” She proclaimed, while simultaneously lowering her head next to the table and sliding one plate off the top of the stack without spilling a single crumb of food. The plate landed on the table directly in front of Lyra, who leaned forward to inspect it with a mixture of disappointment and disbelief.
“Grass?” Lyra mimicked her partner, but with a significantly less cheerful tone. She searched Bon Bon’s face, hoping for a wink or a smirk or something, anything, to let her know that this was some kind of cruel joke, that she hadn’t been dreaming of this moment for the entire day, only to have her dreams shattered.
“Uh, yeah. Did I stutter or something?” Bon Bon joked, knowing very well that Lyra had been expecting another one of her sumptuous feasts, and that grass was about as un-feastlike as a meal could get. “I just bought it, too. So it’s nice and fresh.” She slid a second plate of grass onto the small rectangular table. It landed on her spot, across from Lyra. The last plate held a variety of wild berries, and she placed it in the center of the table, right in between the two plates of grass.
“No, you didn’t.” Lyra unenthusiastically admitted, slumping back in her chair, defeated. But she quickly sat up again as a thought struck her. “Wait. Did you just say that you bought this grass?”
“Yeah. What’s it to ya?” Bon Bon glanced quizzically at Lyra, obviously not understanding what the unicorn was getting at.
“You realize that you actually had to walk across some grass to get to the store, right?”
“So?” Bob Bon still didn’t get it.
“Couldn’t you have just used some of the grass from the ground? Not only is it free, but it’s probably even more fresh than grass from the store.”
Bon Bon paused for a moment, giving the idea some consideration.
“Eh, whatever. Just eat your grass.” She dismissed Lyra’s argument with a wave of her hoof. She always bought the ingredients for her meals at the grocery store, and grass was no exception.
“But where’s all the good stuff?”
“This is the good stuff. Grass is good for you.”
“I don’t care if it's healthy. I care if it tastes good.”
“That’s why we’re eating healthy.” Bon Bon lightly prodded Lyra’s belly, which, due to her highly unique style of sitting, was very prominently exposed. “You’re starting to get fat.”
Lyra knew it was true. She’d been starting to let herself go. But she still didn’t enjoy Bon Bon’s unwelcome health advice, so she hugged her own belly defensively and tried to look as offended as possible.
“I am not!”
“Oh yeah?” Bon Bon smirked. “Checked the bathroom scale lately?”
Lyra, unfortunately, had weighed herself earlier that day. She knew she’d put on a few pounds recently, but it wasn’t too bad. It probably wouldn’t have even been noticeable to anypony who didn’t know her as well as Bon Bon did.
“Okay, so maybe I’m gaining just a little weight, but so what? It’s not like you got with me for my looks.”
Bon Bon took her seat across the table, easing up on the offensive stance she’d adopted. She examined her lover while leaning down to nibble the grass on her plate. Lyra still had her perfectly kempt mane which flowed so gracefully down her neck. Her cutie mark still complemented the color of her eyes and coat beautifully. Her body, despite it’s recent-but-hardly-noticeable swelling, still appeared attractive and alluring.
In fact, Bon Bon, noticing how Lyra was playing with her food and slouching in her chair, couldn’t think of any reasons to be with Lyra other than looks.
“Why else would I stick with you?” She asked teasingly. She popped a berry into her mouth.
“For my music, obviously!” Lyra grinned.
“Ha! Sure, you’re good. But don’t kid yourself. I’m not gonna stick with a mare just because she’s good at strumming some fancy string thingy.” Bon Bon resumed eating her grass.
“It’s called a lyre, and you know it. Don’t underestimating its power; it can do incredible things when it comes to love.” Lyra levitated the bowl of berries towards her and used her magic to sprinkle a few pieces of fruit onto her plate.
“What? Are you saying you could’ve made me love you just by plucking some strings? That’s a good one.” The earth pony chewed as Lyra placed the bowl on the table and began to scoop up mouthfuls of grass and berries.
“It can do that,” Lyra paused to smirk, “and more.” A tiny stream of juice dribbled down her chin, escaping through her open lips as she spoke.
“Oh yeah? Prove it, then. Go make some ponies fall in love, using just your music.”
Lyra had finished all of the food on her plate, but her hunger was not satisfied. She needed more. Her magic picked up her instrument, which was propped up against the table. She always kept it close by.
“Not right now,” she replied, beginning to vibrate the strings with her magic, “I’m still eating.”
A soft, calm melody emanated from the lyre. Bon Bon slowed her chewing, taking the time to enjoy the beautiful music.
Minutes passed as Bon Bon blissfully ate her meal and Lyra concentrated on making every single note as beautiful and expressive as she could. The music notes grew longer and expanded, filling the room with their calming presence.
“Hey, Bonny?” Lyra cooed softly, not wanting to break the spell her music seemed to be casting on her companion.
“Mmm?” Bob Bon groaned in response. She opened her eyes just a crack to gaze across the table at her lover. She tried to focus on the music, but the light of the setting sun shone in through the window and lit Lyra’s body ablaze with its passionate glow.
“Why don’t you come have some berries?” Lyra held up the bowl as the two lovers’ eyes locked.
Bon Bon forgot about her plate, no longer concerned with her meal. Grass and berries were not enough to satisfy her. As if in a trance, she climbed atop the table and traversed it with just a few slow steps in time to the music.
The song crescendoed and the notes grew faster.
A bowl of berries spilled the floor as a chair was knocked over by a passionate embrace.
An uplifting harmony joined the song’s melody, just as powerful and just as deep. The two parts blended in to one, forming a beautiful, flawless sound.
A/N: This is the beginning of what was supposed to be my submission to the most recent EQaD speedclop challenge, but I've taken way too long writing it so far, and I'm still nowhere near finishing it. I plan on adding one more chapter and only one more chapter. It will be actual clop, but it won't just be LyraxBonBon.
Edit: I've changed my mind. I really don't see a reason for me to continue this and make it a clopfic. I just don't feel like it would fit the mood of the story. So I will not be writing a second chapter.