//------------------------------//
// Le Third Segmentio 
// Story: The Paradise We're Dreaming Of 
// by LuminousRabbit 
//------------------------------//

Lyra rushed to Bon Bon's side. 'Where does it hurt? Bon Bon, tell me where it hurts. Bons?' 
'Mm... Back,' she mumbled. A spasm of pain rocked through her, and she gave a loud yelp. 
Caramel rushed out, yelling back, 'Where's the phone?!' 
'Kitchen bench!' Lyra yelled back, before turning to her beloved. 'Bons, it's gonna be okay, you'll be okay.' 

She continued to speak reassuring words, but she could see that Bon Bon was in great pain. Every two minutes or so, another wave of pain would hit her, and soon the cream pony's screams reached a height that a banshee would be hard-pressed to match. 
Lyra held Bon Bon, whispering to her, until Caramel returned. 'A Doctor is on the way,' he said, with an appropriate level of concern for the situation. Lyra ignored him, she was too scared for Bon Bon. 

A while later, a knock on the door snapped Lyra out of her delirium. Caramel answered it, and Nurse Redheart plowed in, heading straight for her patient. While her beside manner was very subdued, this nurse was a Nazi if someone was hurt. 
Carefully, yet quickly, and without speaking, she removed Bon Bon's bandages, revealing the horrible sight beneath. The wounds that had almost healed were now inflamed, and red. 

Over Bon Bon's screams, she asked Lyra, 'Can I use your phone?' Caramel was holding the phone. Lyra snatched it up and thrust it into the nurse's hooves, desparate for something to help her marefriend. Nurse Redheart immediately jabbed the buttons with her hooves and held the phone to her ear, ignoring everyone but the patient and the end of the phone. 
While she called, she went to the kitchen and grabbed some water in a bowl. 'Tea towel,' she said commandingly. 

Lyra went to the cupboard, grabbing a light blue tea towel. She handed it to Nurse Redheart, who dipped it in the water, and started to dab away at the wounds. Finally, she sighed and turned to Caramel and a panic-stricken Lyra. 
'I can't really do anything until the nurse arrives with my things.' Lyra gulped and nodded. Caramel placed an foreleg around her. He couldn't think of anything better to do. 

'Is there anything we can do in the mean time?' he asked. Redheart glanced at Bon Bon. 
'Keep her calm. That's about it. I'm bringing in some stuff to clear the infection from her system.' 
'Infection?' groaned Lyra. Nononononononono. 
'Yes,' said the Nurse, 'It's not fatal, but there could be some lasting damage if we don't get her some antibiotics and rest.' 

Lyra tried not to hyperventilate as she sank into the chair that was conveniently placed just behind her. Caramel dipped down beside her, a look of deep concern on his face. Lyra cringed as Bon Bon gave another scream. She flattened her mint-coloured ears and tried to block out the sound, to no avail. 
If there was one thing that was a guarantee, it was that Lyra heard her marefriend, no matter how softly she spoke. It was a skill she had honed in the years previous, and usually it helped. Not today. 

But Lyra was not the kind of pony to give up, or huddle in fear. She rose from the seat, ignoring Caramel's worried eyes, and went into the living room. Lyra picked up her harp from it's resting spot on the coffee table, strumming the strings a couple of times, just to make sure it was in tune. Then she brought it back into the bedroom. Sitting beside her love, she began to play the most uplifting tune she could think of, the most feel-good song. 
It was called "The Wizard and I". 

Lyra knew it from another human thing she fanmare'd. Bon Bon had never really appreciated the background, but had liked the music. And so she sang. 

'...I see who you truly are - A girl on whom I can rely! 
And that's how we'll begin, The Wizard and I,' sang Lyra. 

Bon Bon stirred from her almost comatose-like, sweat-coated state and moaned in pain again. Lyra tried to ignore her and kept singing. She had never been much of a singer - leave that to ponies like Sapphire Shores - but she'd make an exception to any rule for Bon Bon. That, she reckoned, was true love. 

'...When I'm with the Wizard, 
My whole life will change. 
Cause once you're with the Wizard, 
No one thinks you're strange! 
No father is not proud of you, No sister acts ashamed, 
And all of Oz has to love you, 
When by the Wizard you're acclaimed!' 

Lyra hadn't seen her father or sister in ages. She knew her father was somewhere in Baltimare, doing something or other, but she had no idea about her sister. She needed to catch up with her family, tell them exactly what kind of relationship she was having with Bon Bon. 

'Unlimited, 
My future is unlimited, 
And I've just had a vision almost like a prophecy 
I know, it may sound crazy, 
And true - the vision's hazy 
But I swear some day there'll be 
A celebration throughout Oz, 
That's all to do with me!' 

Bon Bon rolled over, and now she was facing Lyra, her eyes open but not alert. There was a tiny smile on her face. Lyra smiled back as she sang the rest of the song. Where would their lives go next? It could be anywhere, they could do anything. It would all be okay, just as long as she had Bon Bon by her side. 

After the song was over, Caramel cleared his throat. Lyra looked around at him, blushing, and he spoke. 'You're a great singer.' 
Lyra blushed again. 'Thank you,' she said. 
'I really mean it,' said Caramel insistently. His eyes were wide. 'You're amazing.' 
Lyra smiled, then said 'I'm... Sorry, but in case you didn't know... I'm with Bon Bon. Um, yeah, sorry.' 
Caramel's face changed, from admiring to mortified, 'Oh, Celestia, sorry, no! I'm not interested in you! No, I was just saying. Yeah, no, I wasn't flirting!' 
Now Lyra was dying of embarassment. 'Sorry, I just thought... Because I'm really not a good singer... Agh, sorry!' 

Then there was that awkward silence. 

'Oh, I just remembered! The reason I was here, I was going to tell you about the other day.' 
'Oh, yes,' said Lyra, 'Were you there when Bon Bon was.. Um...' 
'Yes, I was. I was a bit of a distance away, but I definetely saw it. I'll come into court if you want...?' 
'Oh, that would be great! Thank you, Caramel! Do you know when the trial is?' 
'Yep, I'll just -' They were cut off by a knock at the door. 

Nurse Redheart was the first to cross to the front door, which she opened, revealing a male pegasus pony. He had a light blue coat and a red mane. His head was adorned with a red cross, just like Redheart's. He carried two saddle bags on his back, resting just behind his wings. 

Redheart immediately ushered him inside, removing the saddle bags and extracting the medicine from within. She shook up a mixture of several clear liquids, transferred them into a syringe and injected it into Bon Bon's upper left foreleg, elliciting another moan. 
'That should help her metabolic system compromise for the medicine she'll be recieving,' the nurse explained briskly as she worked. She drew out three different kinds of tablets from the bags. 

Pointing to one, she said 'These are antibiotics. They should help fight the infection. Give her one every morning and evening until you run out. These second ones are iron tablets. Give her one every day for a week, and if the wound bleeds again after that, keep giving them to her for another week. If you run out, you should be able to get more at the chemist.' 

'What are these?' asked Lyra, motioning to the third packet. 
'Those will help prevent other sicknesses and infections that could make her worse. If she does get worse, you should take her to hospital,' said the Nurse seriously, 'Don't let her drink alcohol or smoke for at least three weeks. It would probably be best not to engage in intercourse, don't go swimming or do anything that requires too much energy, and make sure she gets at least ten hours sleep a day. 
'Try and get her to take as many naps as possible. Avoid eating too many dairy products, and if she gets too hot, try and cool her down with a wet cloth. Don't alter her temparature drastically in a short period of time.' Lyra nodded, absorbing the information like a sponge. 

The Nurse sighed. 'Celestia's healthcare policy at the moment isn't the best. We're understaffed, so I can't send somepony to check on her in a few days like I would normally. I'm leaving it up to you to keep her in good condition. But you need to let us know if something goes wrong.' 
'Okay,' said Lyra dutifully. One of her ears twitched, and she clamped a hoof to it, grinning bashfully despite the situation. 

Why was she grinning? This situation was just so other-worldly, she had never expected anything like this to happen. It felt like a story, a fiction. But it was real - painfully so - and Lyra had to be there for her marefriend. 

And so, over the next few days, Lyra Heartstrings nursed Bon Bon back to health, as best as she knew how. It wasn't easy - Lyra was actually forced to cook a couple of times - but she managed it. Bon Bon had been brought back by a combination of peanut butter on toast (Lyra's favourite), harp playing, and really bad jokes, along with the medicine Nurse Redheart has prescribed. 

Three days before the court case, an eggheaded purple unicorn with a well-kept mane and clean hooves came calling by. 'Hey Twilight,' said Lyra, upon answering the door. 
'Hello, Lyra. How's Bon Bon?' said Twilight. 
'She's a lot better. Do you want to come in? You can talk to her if you want,' Lyra motioned into the door, with a smile as large as her exhausted body could possibly muster. 
'Thanks. I came to talk to you, actually,' said Twilight, 'It's about the court case.' 
'Oh,' said Lyra unenthusiastically, her smile dropping, 'That.' 
'Yeah, I found out some stuff that I thought might help,' said Twilight Sparkle, and she followed Lyra into the house. 
Bon Bon was sitting on the living room couch, drinking a lemonade through a straw. She looked slightly more tired than usual, but no less cheery.