She was born in Canterlot. Not quite upper class, not quite common, but skilled enough for the standards of the city. She got into the highest school in the kingdom, but as other students studied, as they planned their futures to the letter or hid themselves away with their books, she dreamed.
She researched what other ponies said was crazy. She sat in the shadows of trees and composed meldeys in tribute to old and fake mythology with her trusty lyre. She still had friends though, brilliant unicorns, ones that know their paths like the back of their hooves, those that didn’t call her names like she couldn’t hear them.
Near the end of what she had decided was her last year, they invited her to the Summer Sun celebration. It was held in a quiet village, one full of cheer and peace and joy. Her eyes sparkled with each word she was told.
She was always rather impulsive. But she was certain it was a place that finally sounded like a home.
She doesn’t remember the name of her village. She remembers colour, pride, love, sweets and the feeling of fate’s touch on her skin as the mark appeared.
She remembers fate being ripped away. She remembers screams, claws, and beasts that climbed from Tartarus itself.
She remembers being found, new guardians who would give her a new life. Life was less warm after that. Life was training. Life was a mission. Life was a role. For that was the necessary sacrifice to make for Equestria’s safety.
But it was a role she had signed up for. She was the one who asked to be trained after being recovered. To stop what had happened from ever happening again.
Ironic that her childhood ended with such a childish wish.
The years passed. Monster after monster fell, dragged back to their prison by her own hooves. She made enemies. Went on adventures other ponies could only dream off, all in the service of the crown.
She felt fulfilled. Not happy, just fulfilled, and that was enough for her.
It had to be.
Then everything changed.
The one constant fell. Shut down by Celestia herself. A large-scale breakout of Tartarus that was even too much for them to handle.
Suddenly making enemies wasn’t something to be proud of.
New lives and roles came then. New identities and homes. As far apart from other agents as possible.
As she left her colleges behind, she left a life behind too. For the second time, everything was going to change.
But as she entered that quiet village, looking up at happy ponies, colourful skies and sheer peace, she saw just what she had spent so long fighting for. So maybe. Maybe living here wouldn’t be so bad after all.
As she took her first steps, she realised it already felt good to be Bon Bon.
Here’s how it starts.
There’s a crowded party being held in the town library. A welcome party for Ponyville's newest resident and a pre celebration for the 1,000th Summer Sun Celebration. Bon Bon was invited of course; Pinkie Pie was one of the closest things to a friend she had in Ponyville, the type of pony that everypony just knew. That, combined with a joint interest in sweets and dessert making, meant they had become fast friends.
Sure, it would be nice to have more friends, but a lifetime of being raised as a monster hunter didn’t exactly lend itself well for social skills. So she didn’t have the most friends. But that was ok. Ponies here were happy enough enjoying her candy, and that was a role she was satisfied with. After a life of adventure, excitement, and exhaustion, she wanted nothing more than to settle into the background, a fitting fate after all she went through.
She smiled, savouring the atmosphere around her, the excited chatter, the happy smiles, all things that reminded her just why she loved this town so much to begin with. It reminded her of the life before, and that alone was a fitting reward for her years of service.
With her thoughts focused on her self reflection, Bon Bon had barely even noticed she had been moving across the room, looking around so much she had missed what was right in front of her. That was until she walked directly into it.
“Oof!” She cried, nursing her head with her hoof, struck by shame that all her years of training hadn’t been enough to stop her from bumping into one pony. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going…”
“Hey, don’t worry about it! It’s really crowded here anyways.” Answered the unicorn with a smile, catching the drink she was holding with her magic. “Guess it’s what happens when you try and run a party like this in a place as small as a library of all things... back in Canterlot, places like this are for reading!” She giggled. It was a nice sound, Bon Bon thought.
”They usually are here too. But Pinkie doesn’t really care about what things are designed for. And since the pony the party is for is staying here, that’s all she thinks she needs to know for something like this.”
”Now that pony is something. Me and my friends had only just got here when she ran to us, invited us here and shot off at the speed of light! And I thought my reputation for being hyper was bad! Have to say though, this party is great! Way better than one planned in a day and set in a library has the right to be. Only thing crazier is that it’s for Twilight Sparkle of all ponies!” Said the enthusiastic stranger with a smile.
”Oh, do you know her?” Asked Bon Bon in interest, an old habit from her agency days rearing its head.
She had been aware of the princess’s student since her days at the agency. Twilight's appointment had happened not long before that fateful breakout that put an end to her second life, and from what she gathered, the pony didn’t keep much company aside from her family, something she had taken as strange. Even when they had both visited the agency once, the princess seemed to have tried to push her student towards making friends, or at least interacting with the ponies that worked there.
“Meh. Could say that.” The mare explained dismissively. “More like a friend of a friend. I’m in the same class as her and while we hang out with her and Moondancer a bunch, both of them are in their own little world most of the time. Minuette calls it Egghead Land.” She laughed to herself at that, part of Bon Bon wanted to laugh with her.
Yep, that certainly sounded like the student she had heard rumours about. She was more struck by this mare though, her smile almost infectious, something about her just making her easy to talk to, in a way that was different to other ponies.
How very curious.
“You’re from Canterlot then? Ponyville must be really different from a big cultured city like that.” A trick question. She already knew the answer to that, more detailed than the unicorn ever could. “You must have gone out of your way to come here for the celebration.”
”Nah, not as different as you would think. My friends just invited me and I thought it would be fun. Besides, this place is great! Especially when there’s interesting mares like you around.” She said with a teasing smile, Bon Bon’s eyes widening from the sudden acknowledgement.
”W-well... Ponyville is a really welcoming place! So I’m sure you’ll uh… really enjoy your time here!” Was she stuttering? Why was she stuttering? Was she really that out of practice that she couldn’t talk to a normal unicorn? “Sorry! I-I just don’t talk to ponies on equal footing that often… bit out of practice!” She hastily added.
“Don’t worry about it! I mean if you have friends like Pinkie it must be really hard to get a word in.”
“Yeah! Plus, most ponies I’m friends with kinda came to me first… I’m not really a social pony that often.” She didn’t need to tell her that.
“Really?” The mare said with a frown. “But you seem really nice! Those ponies are just missing out.” Then she smiled wide, jumping a little with a start. “I’ve got it! I’ll be your friend! The first friend you made by yourself!”
“W-what?” Bon Bon’s face and chest felt hot, gasping a little as the unicorn leaned in close.
“Well, I was thinking of moving here anyways! So we can be friends! Best friends! My name’s Lyra by the way! Lyra Heartstrings!” She grinned, the earth pony finally having a name for the mare in front of her.
It wasn’t often Bon Bon was lost for words, yet it was already happening again. And she had no idea why. It made her face flush from surprise, barely noticeable in the light.
”W-well I... wow, your parents must have had great foresight.” She groaned internally at her response, especially considering it was the best her shocked mind could conjur.
“Oh funny story about that, you see-“
”Come on everypony! We need to head to the town hall right away or we’re going to miss Celestia raising the sun!” Shouted Pinkie, the ponies talking excitedly as they made their way out of the cramped building and towards the main event.
”Oh shoot, it’s that time already?” Asked Lyra, not waiting for an answer before continuing. “Hey, wanna come? We can watch the sunrise together! And get to know each other more.”
Truthfully she was planning to just watch the ceremony from the corner where she could be out of sight. The logical part of her brain told her that there was no reason to change those plans.
“I… I think I would like that, Lyra. My name’s Bon Bon by the way.” She said, more sincerely than she had meant to.
“Nice to meet you Bon Bon! We really should get a move on though! Don’t want to keep the princess waiting! This could be the start of something really special!”
And as they trotted away, Bon Bon’s heart agreed with her.
If you could call what followed a first date, it was one of the worst Equestria had ever seen.
The sudden appearance of Nightmare Moon herself tended to put a damper on almost any occasion after all.
But for both mares, they tended not to focus on that, nor it being the first of many, many disturbances that would occur over the years.
One remembered the unpredictability, the confusion and the first fire of friendship.
The other remembered going back to Canterlot that morning and beginning to pack.
She had found her home.
“Now that was embarrassing...” Grumbled Bon Bon, sighing as she trotted away from the crowd of ponies. “What was I thinking!?”
Things really had escalated over the last few minutes, Pinkie dragging her and several other ponies to throw some improv celebration for Twilight in some sort of desperate plan to get a ticket or something. Said ticket then turned out to be one for the Grand Galloping Gala.
Now, she loved her town. She really did, but the general intelligence of its inhabitants was not one of its strong suits. So when the crowd of ponies decided the best course of action was to chase the unicorn around town to offer anything they could to get the ticket, she mentally facehooved.
Unfortunately, she was also supposed to blend in with these ponies.
Thankfully, it seemed like everypony had come to their senses by now, looking a bit sheepish about the whole thing as they murmured to themselves. It wasn’t their fault they got short sighted after all, at least she was only trying to bend in.
She remembered life before. A little filly smiling and playing pretend at being at a dance like that.
Nothing more than pretending. That’s what she did. That’s what her life was now.
”Oh hey! Bonnie!” Cried a familiar voice, the earth pony freezing and turning around to see the mint green unicorn trotting towards her.
“L-Lyra! Hey! You got back here fast!” Bon Bon answered hastily, her abilities of observation feeling even more lacking now that she had somehow failed to spot one of the most frequent ponies on her mind in the crowd. Well that wasn’t entirely true, she thought she had seen her, but had just dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her like it had been for the last few days.
Not that she had been thinking of Lyra often. That would be weird. She just had a habit of getting into her thoughts every other minute since they met. That wasn’t weird. That was totally normal.
“Yep! Well, I said I was thinking of moving here and after how well last time went, I didn’t see a reason not to!”
“You’re… moving here because you enjoy being invaded?” Bon Bon asked with a raise of her eyebrow, the unicorn giggling at the question.
“What? Of course not! Since I made a friend, obviously!” Lyra smiled, the casual comment making the earth pony freeze in surprise, her composure going out the window. Lyra moved here… for her? A pony she’d met only a couple of days ago? Was that even possible?
Well it was clearly possible, nothing in that sentence defied logic or anything, but she still found it almost impossible to believe. Could she have really made that much of an impression? She’d always thought she was rather unremarkable and Lyra was the opposite of that! There was nothing that wasn’t remarkable about her!
“O-oh… really? You moved here… for me?”
“Nah, messing with you. Pinkie Pie makes amazing pies.” She giggled sarcastically, Bon Bon’s heart doing backflips as she smiled back.
“I enjoyed talking to you at the celebration as well.” She said, managing to regain her composure. “So I think you're right. We are friends. Also Pinkie makes amazing pies. I’m better with sweets and stuff.”
“Oh I remember you saying that! You have to let me try some! I’m pretty hungry after all that running around too!”
“Huh. You want to go to the gala as well then?”
“Eh, sorta… I just wanted to talk to Twilight honestly. Then everypony else started running and I sorta just went with it.”
“Yeah, since you knew her right? I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to talk to her while you live here!” Said Bon Bon, unsure why the thought of Lyra at the gala was only making her feel stranger.
“Good point! You’re really smart, you know Bonnie? Next time, I hope the ancient evil decides to return when I’m not in the middle of making a new friend!”
“Hey, Ponyville’s crazy. But it’s not that crazy!”
“Doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me! Trust me, enough years of being in Canterlot and you start craving nothing but excitement!” Lyra said, having no idea at the ironic laughter Bon Bon had to fight from slipping out.
“I can’t imagine.” She answered with a knowing smile.
“Hey! What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh come on! Tell me! Please? Please? Please?” She begged, emphasising the last word as Bon Bon giggled, the sound not needing to be forced at all.
“Nah. Maybe when we get to know each other better.” She answered, not even realising the lack of her usual overthinking. She was so used to putting up walls to random passersby, or overthinking basic social interactions, yet this time it seemed so much easier. She could talk to Lyra like a normal pony, just like she did before. Without feeling like something fitting into the wrong mould.
“Oh it’s on! Trust me Bonnie! We’re going to be best friends in no time!”
“You think so? How about we get some pie then, bestie?” Bon Bon replied with barely concealed joy, barely even thinking about what she was really saying.
The smile she got back made everything worth it.
Things grew from there, the bond that blossomed from humble beginnings between the two ponies that lacked so many before proving to be a lasting one.
As the unicorn settled into her new home, the earth pony was at her side to help her, introducing her to the community. And in return, she helped her do the same, even if she didn’t realise it. She was the ice breaker, the excitable source of energy needed for that loner to open up to others.
The pony that once only talked when spoken to opened herself. Talking to berry farmers, the local Flower Ponies, the unicorn’s old friends, the town musicians, and so many more.
But she talked to the unicorn the most. Day after day they met. They didn’t go on any adventures like the six element bearers. No wacky hijinks involved them. But they never worried about missing out. They were the type of ponies that settled into the background, besides, they already had their hooves full dealing with day to day life.
The town they had made their home in could be a hectic place. One day it could be hit by a parasprite infestation, the other it could be visited by travelling salesponies with a new cider machine, and once it had even been the personal playground of the spirit of chaos himself.
But no matter what came their way, they survived. Ponyville was funny like that. No matter what happened, it always felt like home the next day.
And each day was another adventure, no matter how big or small. Each day only brought their bond closer together. Through walks in the park. Sitting on benches together and talking. Baking together. Listening to her songs in the moonlight. Sharing theories. Debunking theories. Arguing the theories were right anyways.
It didn’t even take the length of a single moon before they were truly best friends.
“You know, I think I finally figured out where I’d seen her before.” Lyra said, leaning back on her bench while Bon Bon scowled next to her.
It was something the earth pony had noticed her best friend did a lot. Every time Lyra came across something she didn’t know the answer for, she would ponder it out loud before going silent, saving the answer for when she needed an ice breaking. It was sweet. And she had never been more shocked when she realised. Her heart beat fast as she was reminded of another reason why she cared for her friend so much. Usually when somepony was miserable.
And having your garbage dumped on you by an impatient pegasus did have a habit of making her slightly grumpy.
”Seen who? We’ve seen a lot of ponies around here lately. Ponyville’s getting really popular these days.”
“The magician! From a few months back? I think I went to school with her. Good to see she’s doing well.”
”Didn’t she cause an Ursa Major to storm into the town and almost doom us all?”
”Nah, that was the foal's fault. Stupid kids got inspired by her show from what I gathered. Can’t blame her for that.” The unicorn frowned. “Not that it stopped the elements from blaming her anyways. Can’t believe they were so annoyed about her talking big. I mean, they have seen a magic show before, right?”
”You know, considering what I know about them, probably not. Maybe Pinkie Pie? But she was busy helping me with that big dessert order after the show that day.”
”Yeah, that explains a lot. At least that’s the only time the elements did something like-“
”Mare do well.” Added Bon Bon with a giggle, Lyra blinking in realisation before shrugging.
”Meh. Nopony’s perfect. Good to know even our big heroes aren’t flawless.”
”I feel like we established that when Fluttershy kicked my garbage over me, Lyra.” She sighed, “I hope whatever’s going on with her sorts itself out by the end of the day. I don’t think Ponyville is ready for ‘new Fluttershy’”.
”Yeah, look on the bright side! Besides, you’ve had a good shower now! You don’t need to complain about it now Bonnie!”
It was really impressive that she could brighten up her day with such little effort.
“I suppose.” She answered. “It helps when you have a best friend to complain to.”
“Oh I know. Having a best friend is… well, the best!” Lyra said with a smile, leaning back with her hooves behind her head as Bon Bon rolled her eyes affectionately.
“Still sitting like that, I see.”
“Obviously! My studies showed humans did this all the time!”
“As long as you don’t hurt your back. I still can’t believe you tried to do the running of the leaves bipedal…”
“I would have if you didn’t stop me!”
“How in Celestia did you survive without me…”
“Hey, Celestia has nothing to do with it! I just know how to choose ponies smarter than me to keep me in line!” Said the unicorn confidently, while her friend gasped in mock surprise.
“I knew you only cared for me for my common sense!” She giggled. “And so you have somepony to swear to Celesta for you. Still not sure why you don’t do that.”
“Eh.” She shrugged. ”Kinda hard to see Celestia as a god after she teaches you calculus.”
“Fair enough.” Answered Bon Bon with a smile, watching the other ponies trot by for a moment. They weren’t just strangers anymore, ponies she just let pass her without a second thought. They were friends, all thanks to the pony next to her encouraging her to open up.
“Oh! I have something to tell you!” Added Lyra in excitement, turning towards Bon Bon with a smile. “I’ve been invited back to Canterlot! You’re not going to believe this, but they want me to be the bridesmaid for Princess Cadence's wedding!”
“You’ve what!?” She asked in disbelief, her mouth opening in shock. “You… you know royalty!? Wait… and Cadence is getting married?”
“Oh it’s really tight lipped at the moment. I don’t think even Twilight knows. But yeah, I knew her a little while I was going to school. She’s really down to Equestria though. I honestly kept forgetting she was supposed to be royalty sometimes. Guess she just liked me and my friends!”
“W-wow! That’s great Lyra!” The Earth Pony managed to answer, startled from the casual bombshell. “Guess I’ll have to deal without you for a bit when you go…”
“Are you kidding? I’m not just going to leave my best friend here! You can come too! I’m allowed to bring a plus one… so want to come?” The unicorn asked with pleading eyes, taking her friend aback from a second time.
“M-me? You really want… but Lyra! You know I’m not really… well you know… social…”
“So what? You’re way better than when we first met! You’re finally learning to open up! This can help with that! A-and… I don’t want to go without you!”
Lyra’s words made her face warm and heart pound, Bon Bon forgetting how to properly form words for a moment. Lyra cared. That was just the kind of pony she was. She cared about anypony she met. But when she cared for her, it sent all sorts of feelings though her. Ones that felt illogical, but joyful. More joy than she ever felt in her time at the organisation.
“Well… I'd love to go with you Lyra! What are best friends for?” She answered happily, smiling at Lyra’s cry of excitement as they leaned into a nuzzle.
But as they hugged, part of her strangely couldn’t help from aching for something more.
And things continued. Days and weeks flying by of the bliss spawned from their continuing friendship.
Truthfully, the earth pony didn’t think much of the upcoming wedding. It wasn’t like her to not think ahead, but with a friend by her side. It was easier to focus on the little moments, to settle into the civilian life that she always wanted to.
When she saw the wedding coming up, she thought of it not as something that would need protection, or something that could have put the agency on high alert, it was just a happy event for the kingdom and the ponies that lived in it.
That only made what happened next sting all the more.
For the first time in years, she was Sweetie Drops again.
She stood anxiously outside the check up office in the waiting room, ignoring the seats as she trotted around, silently fretting. She’d been in these rooms before, in much more serious situations, when teammates or fellow agent's missions went south.
But some of those days didn’t end as well as this one would.
She knew it was fine. Everything was fine. Sure, Changelings had attacked. Sure, their queen defeated Celestia herself. But it was fine now. It had to be.
She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the facts to avoid spiraling into worry.
She hated thinking like this. She hated it so much.
Lyra helped her forget.
Lyra made her not think about her past.
Lyra made her feel normal.
Lyra had been mind controlled by a Changeling Queen.
Lyra was getting a normal check up to see if there were any lingering effects.
There was a Changeling Queen right in front of her and she didn’t even notice.
She could have saved Lyra.
She should have seen the signs. She should have noticed. She’d dealt with Changelings before. Why wasn’t she more alert!?
Lyra could have been replaced by a Changeling. Lyra could have spirited away to the Changeling hives all alone and be lost to her forever while the monster that replaced her remained. Would she have even noticed that? Would she have even realised her best friend was gone forever as the creature in her place fed on Sweetie’s lo-
“Bonnie!” Cried Lyra as she shot out of the door and embraced her friend, cutting off her thoughts as she hesitantly hugged back. “Sorry I took so long. Turns out Celestia has like, a bunch of tests in case there’s any aftereffects of whatever that queen did to me. But I’m completely fine now!”
She could see the warmth in her eyes, she could see that Lyra was fine. Yet Sweetie couldn’t bring herself to sink in right now, haunted by the idea that they could have been taken from her forever.
“I’m really happy you’re ok Lyra. Come on… let’s get back to Ponyville. The train might get here soon.”
“Oh right, good point! The ponies back home would love to hear about this! How was the wedding by the way? Kinda sad I missed it after all the hype!”
”It was nice. I heard the afterparty was better.”
”You... you didn’t go?” Lyra asked, her voice wavering.
How was she? How was she supposed to enjoy herself after a sudden invasion that gave her almost seven traumatic flashbacks to her past? After she found out they had her best friend? The starry-eyed unicorn that had made her open up? Her friend that she could no longer imagine life without?
”I wasn’t in the mood.” She answered.
”Oh...” Said Lyra, her smile soon returning as she attempted to salvage the conversation. “I told you, I didn’t move to be invaded. If I wanted that, I would have just stayed here!”
Sweetie said nothing. She was too distracted by the what ifs in her head. The alternative fates that were so narrowly avoided.
“You were really worried weren’t you?” Asked Lyra, quieter than the earth pony had ever heard her.
Slowly, she nodded. The memories of too many unlucky visits to the hospital haunting her like spectres. She didn’t expect Lyra’s presence, squeaking as a foreleg wrapped around her in comfort as the unicorn held her close.
“Hey. It’s ok now. I was scared too. But she’s gone. We don’t need to worry anymore. Ok?” She whispered, Sweetie struck by how she was choosing to act. Not questioning her. Not even annoyed that she was still worried despite her being ok. Instead she chose comfort. Lyra cared enough about her to make sure she was as happy as her.
The yearning in her heart grew stronger as she turned towards her best friend, their muzzles almost touching. It almost made her feel nervous, excited. But she had no idea what it was for.
“Ok.” Bon Bon smiled, their hooves interlocking. “I can do that. I missed you Lyra.”
“I missed you too Bonnie.” She answered softly, were they leaning closer? It was hard to notice, as everything else seemed to melt away. “I don’t like being without my best friend…”
Lyra froze after those words left her lip, her eyes widening as she seemed to realise something, quickly putting up a smile. “Anyways! Train! Got a train to catch! Don’t want to miss that train!”
“O-oh! Right!” Bon Bon cried, shaking out of the confused daze as she quicked her pace alongside Lyra.
“Silly Bonnie! Come on, tell me about the wedding! Was it romantic? Did it have nice food? Did the do over get invaded?” With that, the moment was forgotten, the two of them settling back into their old routine once more.
But later that day, as Bon Bon lay in Lyra’s lap, listening to the beautiful sounds of the strings echo though her heart, she thought of two things.
She would never let Lyra be in danger again.
And she wondered just what would have happened if they had stayed that close for just a moment longer.
After that day, things mostly returned to normal, the same hijinks that the town was known for resuming almost immediately afterwards.
Things were as unpredictable as ever. A parade got crashed, the boastful unicorn of seasons past came back and took over the village for a bit, and even the Spirit of Chaos became one of the town's residents.
Of course that was nothing compared to the ascension of one of their own into an Alicorn Princess.
And through it all, both of their lives continued to unfold. They grew closer to each other and other ponies, growing to a point where the once closed-off earth pony lowered her walls to everypony.
But her best friend still saw the most. And it pained her almost more than she could stand that it wasn’t everything.
She could forget when she was with her. But when she was away, she couldn’t help from worrying. She was naturally paranoid due to her past, and the incident in Canterlot had only brought that side of her back to the forefront of her mind.
Still, she kept it to herself when she could help it. Not wanting to bother her best friend with illogical stresses when she didn’t even have the proper context to understand why she was so afraid of them.
She found it normal to be protective. She didn’t see anything different than what came before. After all, she was just worried about her very close female friend that made her happier than anything else ever had.
That happiness was still the most prevalent despite her worries though. She didn’t stop herself from hanging around with other ponies and especially her best friend, not wanting to shut out the newfound light in her life. They watched party ponies compete, went to contests together and simply savoured the company and presence bought by each other.
There were some moments though. Some moments that felt like everything might change, just like it was after the wedding. But every time, it seemed to be averted at the last moment.
But she continued to move on from her past, and some days, the name Sweetie Drops never even entered her mind.
Which made that day even more painful.
It taught her two things.
That she had serious bad luck around weddings.
And she couldn’t run forever.
“Fine! But we’re going to talk about this later!” Shouted Lyra, watching as the other pony backed into a crowd, her breath hitching as she slammed the window shut.
She then did her best to remain calm.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”
In her defence she had never really been the best at dealing with unexpected revelations.
And finding out her best friend had been hiding something so important certainly fell into that category.
She was a monster hunter. Or a secret agent. Or something! She was too taken aback to properly process what she was.
The point was, she’d been hiding something big,
“Did she not trust me enough?” She asked herself, sitting down and looking ahead, the rest of the wedding’s preparations going forgotten. “Not like I can talk though… can I really be annoyed at Bonnie for hiding something when I’ve been doing it every day since the last wedding, maybe even before then…”
She sighed, blushing as she remembered what had happened only minutes ago. Just how different Bon Bon was from the awkward pony she met in the Summer Sun Celebration. How a pony that so easily blended into the background became as social as her.
Had she really had as much of an impact as she thought? Her thoughts spiralled from there, the unicorn breathing heavily as she reexamined every interaction in her mind. Was any of it real? The heartfelt conversations? Every time she thought her best friend had opened up just a little more to her? Was she ever nervous at all? Was the mare she- she became best friends with even real?
“Stop.” She said to herself, taking a deep breath, a trick she learned from Cadence. “I need to think about this logically. Bonnie said it was real. Believe her. She could have left without saying a word. But she explained herself. That means something! That shows she cares! I just need to give her a chance to explain herself.”
She remembered the fear and worry in her eyes after the royal wedding. The heartfeltness in her words. The subtle twitches of ears and shine in her look whenever she did something she enjoyed. Those little hints she tried to hide. Nopony could fake that.
Was it foolish to be so naive? Maybe. But Lyra had always been a dreamer, and being with Bon Bon was more wonderful than any silly fantasy she could conjure to mind with the strings of her lyre.
“I just wish she told me.” She muttered again, the hypocrisy of the statement eating away inside her. In a way they both had been hiding something that could tear apart the friendship they both held so dear. Since that was all they should be. Best friends. Best friends that spent almost every day together. A best friend Lyra seemed to be thinking about all the time. A pony she had moved to an entirely new town for, days after it had been invaded by the corrupted princess of the night, just so she could see her more often.
Best friends that had almost kissed.
”Oh ponyfeathers.” She muttered to herself. “What am I going to do?”
Considering the state of her life, she really shouldn’t be too surprised her crush/best friend turned out to be a former monster hunter. They definitely needed to talk about that part at least.
Right now though, she really needed something to help calm her down.
“Huh. Bon Bon did buy those expensive oats a couple of weeks back… wonder what it’s like to reveal something dark and secret that won’t ruin everything…”
It was shocking how something she had been so scared of didn’t manage to utterly ruin their friendship. Especially when it was as huge as her old life.
Yet, her best friend understood. After some explaining and a few days to calm down, such a dramatic revelation became just another inside joke between them. Something for them to look back and laugh at, making her feel silly for even worrying about it.
Her friend had taken it in stride after calming down. That fact was still unbelievable to her. She’d even offered to start calling her by what was technically her real name.
But she said no. Hearing that old name come from her lips felt… wrong. In the months she had lived here, the way her best friend said a name she had only assumed was one of the things that made her happinest, as illogical as it was.
Their relationship only seemed to evolve from there too, their bond strengthening as it shifted into something stronger. The pony that had been too scared to even mention her past now talked it out casually with her best friend, sharing tales that only helped them understand each other even more.
It made sense though, rejecting or ignoring that part of her, no matter what she thought, was leaving out a part of herself from her best friend. And the reveal of it was the last thing that needed to be said.
Almost.
There was still something to deal with after all, not that the earth pony knew it. Something that went unsaid under their almost every interaction, and something her friend was determined would stay unsaid. Even when some of her more sombre and hopeful medleys she composed were dreamt up in fantasies of what ifs.
But they would remain that way as long as she kept those thoughts to herself. And that is what she planned to do. Unwilling, perhaps, to give up the life and wonder she had for the faint chance of a fulfilled fantasy.
“Wow, that hits the spot!” Lyra burped in satisfaction as she finished her hay burger, Bon Bon giggling fondly as one of the other ponies they were eating with rolled their eyes in fond distaste.
”Honestly Lyra.” Said Octavia. “Would it kill you to act at least a little more dignified?”
“Oh come on Octi! Enjoy yourself for once!” Lyra smirked as Vinyl nodded in agreement, sharing none of the earth pony’s attempts at table manners as they scarfed down their meals. Bon Bon had known the musicians in passing like most ponies before she met Lyra, but the unicorns had become friends almost instantly, their shared professions making it easy for them to get along. From what she gathered they had already been at least aware of each other back when they were living in Canterlot, before becoming closer once Lyra had moved.
Of course, she always got on better with Vinyl. Those two were on frighteningly similar wavelengths, despite how different their styles of music and composing were. Bon Bon, meanwhile, found it far easier to get along with an earth pony that was just as done with the craziness of her best friend as she was, while caring for them more than anypony else.
It was a complicated relationship, so it was nice when somepony else could understand it.
“You too Vinyl? For Celestia’s sake, did you learn anything from Canterlot?”
Vinyl nodded with a smirk, the other earth pony rolling her eyes as she groaned.
“That you’re choosing to ignore to annoy me?”
She nodded again as Lyra burst into laughter.
“I am surrounded by gremlins.” Octivia lamented, Bon Bon comfortingly patting her on the back as her unicorn friend only giggled even louder. It really was the most lovely sound.
They’d decided to go for a meal together the day Vinyl returned home after a series of gigs out of town, the three of them passing the time by watching a dancing performance before meeting the unicorn at the train station.
“Hey, considering how crazy Ponyville is, I’m surprised you even attempt to hold onto a degree of normality.” Lyra commented to Octavia’s increasing ire, something only strengthened by Vinyl’s smug expression.
“Oh be quiet you.”
“She’s not saying anything though?”
“You know full well what I mean!” Octavia growled, likely already having a kind of sixth sense when it came to her friend.
She had something similar with Lyra, but it was easier to spot when one of them was mute, the earth pony seeming to know exactly what the other wanted to say just from how she moved.
She doubted Octavia had gone through anything as intense as her, but she could tell when someponies filled a hole in each other’s heart.
“Anyways, I’m very much aware of how... chaotic Ponyville can get sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I will lower myself because it’s more convenient! Besides, if Ponyville gets any crazier than this, Lyra’s going to be right about humans!”
“Hey!” Cried Lyra in mock offence, Bon Bon smiling fondly while Vinyl silently cackled.
”I’ll get you back for that one, I swear.” She vowed before turning to her best friend. “You alright Bonnie? You’ve been pretty quiet.” Asked Lyra in concern, Bon Bon squeaking as she was broken from her thoughts and dragged back into the conversation.
”Oh I’m fine! Just blanked out for a moment!” She said, not noticing the joint smirks on their friends' faces.
”Should have known! You always overthink things without me. One time she was wondering if Starlight's redemption was part of a bigger plot to take over Equestria!”
“Lyra!” The earth pony hissed in embarrassment. “You promised we would never speak of that again!”
”Oh I know. That’s why I was going to play it off as a joke.” Smirked the unicorn, Bon Bon blinking as she processed that she had been outplayed. Something the old her would have taken far more offence to.
”You’re awful.” She groaned instead, Octavia returning her earlier favour by patting her on the back while the two unicorns bumped hooves in triumph.
”You love me really.” Said the unicorn without thinking, her eyes suddenly widening a fraction of a second later as her mint green coat was joined by shades of red. For a moment, nopony said a word, Bon Bon finding she couldn’t breathe, her face tilted with a rosy hue as her heart beater faster in eager excitement for what-
“ANYWAYS I’LL PAY FOR OUR MEAL MY TREAT BE RIGHT BACK!” Shouted Lyra, dashing away and leaving a very confused Bon Bon behind.
Vinyl silently facehooved in unison with her friend, who was very unsilently groaning to the heavens.
“Please tell me we weren’t that hopeless darling.”
Vinyl nodded.
Octavia glared.
Vinyl very eagerly began to shake her head.
”Anyways, honestly Bon Bon, I’m surprised you haven’t made a move already. I think everypony has had more than enough of you both prancing around each other by now.”
Her words puzzled Bon Bon, the earth pony raising an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
Silence.
“Oh Celestia’s tail, please tell me you are joking.” Practically pleaded Octavia. “Please tell me you are not this oblivious. Bon Bon. Bon Bon please. You’re supposed to be one of the normal ones in this town!”
“Um... thanks?” Replied Bon Bon, unsure how she was supposed to take what could have easily been a compliment or an insult, Vinyl snickering as her earth pony friend took deep breaths to calm her down. Without any new information, she logically looked back at the conversation, making another attempt to understand the confusing question.
”I’m not sure I understand.” She concluded after a minute of pondering. “What move do I need to make? Do you mean dancing or something?”
”Oh my Luna Vinyl, she's asking me what I mean.” Said Octavia. “This is really happening. I have no words. None. Is this what it’s like to be you?”
The unicorn nodded with a growing smirk.
”I don’t understand what you mean though…”
’SHE DOESN’T-“ Began Octavia before pausing as she noticed the various glares from other ponies her display was starting to draw, the pony laughing nervously before clearing her throat as she regained her composure. “I’m telling her. Somepony has to. Especially if she is honestly this oblivious to what’s right in front of her.
“I’m really not following this right-“
”Bon Bon, you’re crushing hard on Lyra.” Stated Octavia. Instantly silencing Bon Bon.
For a moment she couldn’t say anything, simply blinking as the words went through her brain, failing to process it, before repeating once more. After a while of this, some part of her finally managed to come up with an elegant, fully formed answer.
”W-wha- I-I? E-excuse! Nononono that’s not right! We’re just friends! Best friends!”
”Bon Bon. I am not asking you if you are. I am telling you. You are in love with her. Your relationship is literally the most cliche, romantic, sappy mess I have ever bore witness to and I’m dating this idiot.”
Vinyl nodded eagerly.
”I-I... nononononono. You’re looking at it wrong! That’s all! I’d have noticed if two ponies were interested like that!” That was obvious after all, she was trained in all manner of observation. Two ponies liking each other was easy to notice. At least she assumed. Could it really be much harder than finding a maulwurf’s habit in a tropical jungle? No she didn’t think so! So there was no doubt that she-
She froze as the full meaning of Octavia’s words sunk in.
“Wait. You’re… dating? You and Vinyl?” She asked in dawning horror.
Octivia sighed, taking a sip of her drink before finally answering. “Yes. For quite a while I may add. By your expression of utter bewilderment, I am guessing you never noticed.”
Bon Bon shook her head in a daze, distracted by all the thoughts rushing through her head at once. She hadn’t noticed. She hadn’t noticed at all. So could it be possible? Really?
Lyra was different. She’d always been aware of that. She was the one that pulled her from her shell. Who showed her how beautiful the world could be. A place she could embrace as a part of her, instead of being shielded away.
She showed her the magic of friendship more than the princess of friendship ever could. Making every day that much more special as she filled her life with colour and magic and… love.
Since out of everything she had been shown and experienced. Lyra remained the most beautiful and wonderful thing of them all.
“Oh. Oh ponyfeathers.” She muttered with a blush, everything clicking together in total clarity, the most obvious conclusion in the world dawning.
She was in love with her best friend.
“And now you are faced with the rapid realisation that you’re in love.” Stated the other earth pony with a small smile, Vinyl’s grin threatening to overtake her face as Bon Bon nodded silently.
“Well, have fun with that.” She said with a smirk, Vinyl silently laughing behind her as Bon Bon found that Octivia’s marefriend may have rubbed off on the earth pony more than she’d have liked to admit.
It was then that Lyra actually came back, the group leaving the building together as Bon Bon followed in a daze. The realisation of her feelings had shaken her down to her very core, leaving her breathless as she realised one small problem.
She had no idea what to do with this information.
It was following that day that the two entered an almost statemate, neither one of them wanting to be the one who made a move first.
The reasons were the same between them. Fear.
Fear of change.
Fear of being rejected.
The fear of losing their other better halves forever.
It haunted them like spectres, every interaction starting to feel like it was the edge of something greater, a leap they simply couldn’t take. Even if their friendship survived rejection, none of them could be certain that it could ever be the same again.
It made them a bit more distant, something that only hurt them more as emotions grew to a breaking point. An event that grew more inevitable with each passing day.
“Huh. I guess I never thought of it that way! Thanks Spike.” Said Lyra with a smile as they both trotted away, Bon Bon blushing in shame.
They had just experienced their first major argument. Not about living spaces. Not about jobs. Not about Lyra trying to run for mayor without telling her or anything even remotely important.
No. Their first argument had been about cupcake favours.
This entire thing was getting ridiculous! She was stressing so much about being in love that it was making her overthink almost every single interaction they had. It was only causing the general frustration to rise, the desire for more and fear of rejection making her stomach stir as she took some deep, heavy breaths.
“It’s good that Spike helped us out there. We should thank him again later! Since he seems busy with whatever hijinks that are going on today at the moment.” Said Lyra with a smile, showing no sign that they were arguing loudly just a few moments ago.
“Yeah… seems like he has his hands pretty full right now…” Bon Bon trailed off, unable to help the lump of worry growing in her chest. What if her worry only led to more arguments? Was their friendship doomed no matter what choice she made?
“You know, the argument was pretty silly in hindsight anyways. Guess I’ve just been worrying about other things lately. Really sorry I took them out on you…”
“It’s fine. I sorta did the same myself… hard to imagine what can worry you so much though. Run out of topics for human research?”
“Ha! That isn’t going to happen for a while. Are you seriously doubting my skills in anthropology?”
“That is still a word you made up Lyra. No matter how real it sounds.”
“I’ll make it a word one day! I can write a song and everything!” She laughed, the earth pony blushing as her worries were spirited away by a beautiful, unplanned melody. Tension seemed to evaporate from that sound, the worry fading until it was replaced by a feeling of pure peace.
Bon Bon laughed too, missing the way red lit up her best friend's cheeks.
“Anyways, what’s been worrying you, Bonnie? You’ve seemed stressed lately. I can tell when something’s eating away at you by now, you know?” Asked Lyra, her words piercing the walls Bon Bon had put up as she did her best not to freeze on the spot.
“N-nothing’s wrong! I’m fine!” She stammered.
“Bonnie, I’ve known you for years. Do you really think I wouldn’t notice when something’s wrong? We just argued about cupcake flavours, for crying out loud!”
“You can’t talk! I can tell something’s bothering you as well!” Retorted Bon Bon, Lyra similarly stopping in place as her blush deepened.
“Yeah, you're right. It has been for a while now. Something I’ve wanted to say for over a year.”
“R-really?” She asked, her heart beating even faster as she took a step towards the unicorn. “I’ve had something like that too. Not as long as you, but… it’s been bothering me. I only realised a few months back but… I think I knew it longer than that.”
“Huh, what are the odds? Spy stuff?” Asked Lyra, Bon Bon shocked to hear just how nervous she was.
“No.” She laughed. “Much more important than that old job. I’m guessing it has nothing to do with humans either?”
“Yep.” She whispered, Bon Bon’s blush deepening as Lyra’s arm interlocked with her own. “Bonnie… we… we have something good here going… don’t we?”
“Of course we do.” She answered quickly, emotion filling every word. “D-do you not think that-”
“No! I would never think that! You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me Bonnie! Don’t you ever think otherwise. You're wonderful! You’ve fought against things from Tartarus itself one day and make the best sweets in all of Equestria the next! And despite what you’ve been through, you never lost your light. Even when you had every reason in the world to give up, you kept going. And… you spread that joy to me too. You keep saying that I helped you. But I just guided you. Everything you’ve done since we met came from you and that’s wonderful!”
“I-I… wow. You… really think all that?” Bon Bon asked, blushing madly, Lyra nodding as her face went red as well.
“You must think about me a lot then.”
“I… well… w-we are best friends…”
“I do too. Think about you, I mean.” Bon Bon began, Lyra’s eyes focusing on her as she took a deep breath. “You were the first pony that noticed me. The first ordinary pony to just… talk to me. The first in such a long time. For ages Ponyville just felt like a stopping point, but then… then I met you. You pushed me out there; you helped me forget about my past. No, you helped me realise that I was more than my past. More than Sweetie Drops. You showed me that Ponyville wasn’t my end. You showed me it was a new beginning.” She paused, debating her next works as she stared into her best friend’s shocked eyes.
“I think about you when we’re together. I think about you when I listen to your performances. I think about you every time Ponyville gets hit by some dangerous creature. Even when we’re not together, I think about you. I think about how I wish I got that ticket and went to the gala with you. I wish I could have protected you against the Changelings. How glad I am that you didn’t push me away after finding out the truth. Since you’re the best thing that happened to me, Lyra Heartstrings.”
They were closer now.
“Bonnie… I… don’t know what to say.” She whispered. “T-there’s something I want to do. But… what if…”
“You know, there actually is something I should have remembered from the organisation.” Bon Bon whispered. “Rule 12. Don’t waste time on what ifs. Just act.”
Their lips met.
If life was a story, things could have ended there. But things were rarely that simple in Ponyville.
Their entry into romance wasn’t the most graceful thing in the world. It was messy and had plenty of hiccups, like any relationship in the world. But it was special despite that. Special since as much of a mess it was, it had brought them together in the end.
Still, it had felt like they had perhaps missed a few steps in the relationship process, something they were keen to rectify as soon as possible. Mainly, actually dating.
Their first attempt was the first of Twilight’s festivals of friendship. That had admittedly started off well, up until the point it was invaded by an army from outside the kingdom that had very quickly thrown them into jail.
It was difficult to make that romantic, to say the least.
The second was more simple. A dinner at a local restaurant, one that had been going better than the previous attempt until Pinkie had suddenly appeared and decided she would be third wheeling while watching her sister do stand up. At least didn’t go as badly as the first.
It wasn’t until the third, a few nights at Las Pegasus, when things finally decided to go right for them, even the minor hiccups not enough to fully derail everything.
But despite things like that, it was surprising just how little changed between them, how much their bond and relationship seemed the same as always. It really made the worrying from before rather silly in hindsight. If anything, they discovered the only thing better than being best friends was having your best friend be your special somepony.
They stayed out of the chaotic events as always, more focused on their own relationship and bonds in between everything. It might have been some of the happiest moments in their lives, all scattered throughout such important events like the School of Friendship’s opening and the announcement of the princesses retiring.
And Twilight’s journal she published that suddenly confirmed the existence of humans. One of them had been very excited about that.
It was a life they adored. So it was no surprise they both leapt into the next step as soon as they could, both thinking they would be the one to make the first move, only for them both to end up proposing at once.
Things had never felt more perfect, their wedding fittingly held in the same town hall where one of them had lowered the last of her walls, and all of it right before Twilight’s coronation. It was a fairy tale ending like, the ones the earth pony had secretly dreamed of since she was a filly, right as Equestria entered its new age.
And in the days, months, years, and moons that followed, their world was at peace. Every day of their lives filled with the wonderful harmony that had now filled Equestria.
Despite everything that happened over the last few years, the kingdom had survived. And life carried on.
Until that era, like all things, came to its end.
There was danger in the air.
Bon Bon had noticed it for a while now; the whispers, the glares, the rumours that were spreading like wildfire through the town.
At first, she convinced herself she was just being paranoid, old instincts coming back after such a long period of peace and unity. So she ignored them at first, not giving any mind to the judging stares from unicorns and pegasi she barely knew, most of her friends still acting the same regardless.
But things were starting to get worse, and it would be foolish to try and deny it. They had been for months now. Even if it was hard to believe that anypony could believe the sheer nonsense being thrown around. It had been a while since those days, but surely those lessons should have had some more staying power?
Then again, considering the fallout of the friendship journal’s release, maybe it always was easy to tilt the balance. They’d all just been too blind to notice it. Although that was the pessimist inside her thinking that, she couldn’t deny she had heard more and more worrying stories and murmurs from all over Equestria, and her instinct of approaching danger was one of the only things that had never dulled over the years.
But there was also change, one she was unsure was good or bad.
Bon Bon sighed, still stuck in her thoughts as she got home, her day already full of the little moments of tension between customers both inside and outside of her shop. They did a lot to exhaust her, especially when her and the flower ponies were the only stores on the street that hadn’t given in to some kind of stupid restriction.
She didn’t like the feeling of something going wrong. It was like when making a house of cards but on an even higher scale, one bad move set to make everything collapse, the only difference was, nopony knew what the move would be.
It made her feel helpless, a feeling she had grown to hate over the years, the feeling that whatever was happening was simply out of her hooves. She could handle mostly anything, but unfortunately not everypony could as well as her.
The sound of the door opening broke the earth pony from her thoughts, Lyra’s greeting bringing a smile to her face. “Home! Sorry I’m late. Just had to deal with something last minute!”
“It’s fine, dear!” Bon Bon shouted back, getting off her stool and gathering the ingredients for tonight's meal, ready to start now Lyra had brought the rest on her way back. “Did the performance go well?”
“Meh, the ponies there enjoyed themselves. Had a little trouble on the way back though.” Eyes narrowed, Bon Bon turned to face her wife, shock filling her as she noticed the bits of egg she was wiping off with a tea towel.
“Lyra! What in Equestria happened?”
“It’s nothing to worry about Bonnie! Just some stupid pegasus foals… said I should go back to Canterlot so I can’t act better than them or some nonsense…”
“WHAT!?” Her wife cried in fury. “Lyra! That’s not ok! Who were they!?”
“Bonnie, it’s fine! I just ignored them. They weren’t worth the effort anyways. Imagine if they got their parents involved!”
“For Celestia’s sake… this is just getting worse. All this distrust. All this mindless hate. Where did it all come from? Why isn’t it dying down? Did everypony just forget everything we learned already?”
“Well not everypony who lives here now was around back then…”
“I know that! But… but isn’t it obvious!? How could anypony believe this when villains doing this is recent history!? This is stupid! This is pointless! This isn’t fair!” Bon Bon ranted, before falling silent as Lyra’s legs wrapped around her.
“Bonnie! Calm down. It’s ok, we’re fine. Everything’s going to be ok.” Reassured Lyra as she hugged her tightly. There was silence after that, the sound of the other’s breath, calming their stresses.
“Feeling better?” Lyra asked, Bon Bon nodding slowly. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes. I know I should be ignoring things like this. Especially when it’s just so… backwards! But I can tell when things are getting to a breaking point Lyra. And… I’m not sure how long we have.” She muttered, the topic of their race, which had never felt like an issue before, almost feeling like an encroaching wall between them.
“Then… we could split between them again? Like we did when Chrysalis and the other two tried this? Then we just wait for it to blow over?” Lyra suggested, Bon Bon shivering at the idea.
“That’s smart but… there isn’t a day that goes by that I regret that! We’re supposed to face things together! Not let ourselves be torn apart… even though that might be what happens. I just have this feeling that this isn’t something that can be solved so easily.”
“I feel it too. As stupid as it is. Everything was going fine! We were all happy! Why did this have to come out and ruin everything! What… what if we can never see each other again?”
“I won’t let that happen.” Bon Bon said instantly, her eyes narrowed in determination. “Twilight would never put us into a situation like that.”
“But what if it happens anyways? You said things were changing Bonnie! Who knows if Twilight has any control over this in the future?”
“Then… then…” Bon Bon began, before eventually sighing. “I don’t… I just don’t want to lose you. I hope I’m just being paranoid. I really do. But, I’m not risking it. Not something as major as this. But I just don’t know what to do!”
What she didn’t expect was for her wife to giggle a little, Bon Bon glaring at the laughing unicorn with a questioning expression. “I know this isn’t a laughing matter, but really Bonnie. You can overthink things so much sometimes!”
“I-I’m not overreacting!” She insisted with a heavy blush.
“I know, dear. But isn’t the solution obvious? Just run away with me!” Said the unicorn with a smile and giggle, leaving her wife lost for words.
“W-what?”
“Run away with me.” She repeated, their hooves interlocking as she stared into Bon Bon’s shocked eyes. “If everything blows over, we can come back home like nothing happened. If something does, there won’t be anypony to split us apart. We can tell Octavia, Vinyl, Twilight, and the others where we are too, obviously. Got to keep in touch with our friends and all that.”
Bon Bon simply stared at her, eyes wide, unable to think just what to say to such a casal dropping of something so major. “L-Lyra… but… are you sure about this? This is big! Ponyville’s your home for Celestia’s sake!”
“Bonnie.” Said Lyra, with a warm, loving smile. “Ponyville was never my home. You’re my home. You’ve always been. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be ok.”
With that, they kissed, filling their hearts with the other's love as the worries were washed away, the reminder that nothing could go wrong as long as they had each other, bringing their concerns to an end. They stayed like that for at least a full minute, pulling away as their eyes sparkled with love. Love that remained just as intense even after all the years that had passed.
“How long have you been saving that one, you charmer?”
“Literal years.” She giggled, both ponies nuzzling with wide smiles, confident that for now at least, everything was going to be alright.
This is how it ends.
There’s a cottage outside the other settlements.
While others live distrustful of those around them, as they set traps and spread fear, there are the few that remain. The ones who remember the old days of harmony and friendship. Those who will fight to preserve the bonds won by their strength and love.
They are scattered. They are desperately rare. To the point where many might not know they exist.
The cottage is one. Where a retired monster hunter and lyrist spend the rest of their days, outside the prejudice filled lands.
They get few visitors, but they continue having each other as always. They laugh, they dream, they live.
And their love persists.
They know that while the world is in despair, while it has taken damage, the land and kingdom they love so much will return. It may take years. Decades. Centuries. But they know that one day, heroes will set the wrongs right.
But now is not that time.
Their reward is this.
And this is how it continues.