//------------------------------// // Preparations // Story: Sweet Treats and Royal Delights // by JaketheGinger //------------------------------// Bon Bon stood in front of the mirror in the en-suite, diligently brushing her mane. A servant had brought her breakfast, then she had a quick wash in the shower, and now she was waiting. She stroked her mane with the brush, gazing into her eyes. Bloodshot; the night had not been a forgiving one. She wasn’t in her own bed for one thing and her mind hardly helped matters. She grumbled as she got rid of a knot in her mane. Should’ve brought eyedrops or something... Looking down at the sink, she splashed some water onto her face. It didn’t seem to help much. She resumed her brushing, waiting. The door to her room was just in sight in the mirror. Eventually, Twilight was going to walk through that door and direct her to the kitchens. Bon Bon hoped it would be her; seeing a pretty face in the morning would make her feel better. Another brush stroke, interrupted. Her cheeks were a little red. Had she put on that much make up? She thought she had enough to look presentable, but... perhaps a little more would help? But it seemed time had other plans. Bon Bon heard a few knocks on the door, then watched as it slowly opened and a purple head poked out. “Bon Bon?” The confectioner looked back at herself. She was smiling, if it was only slightly. A final brush stroke, then she turned on her hooves and walked out of the en-suite. “I’m here Twilight. I’m...” She trailed off for a little bit. It’s not a lie when I’m not even sure, right? “... ready?” Twilight offered her a knowing smile. “Nervous?” Bon Bon swallowed, scuffing a hoof on the floor. “Yes...” She felt a strong wing wrap around her, and Twilight’s body brushing against her own. The Princess was awfully soft and... just nice in general. “Don’t worry about it.” Twilight hesitated, then tightened the hug, bringing them closer. “I get nervous too, but if I go ahead and try my best, it usually works out.” Somehow, Bon Bon doubted the validity of that claim. “Wasn’t there that one time where you went a bit... cuckoo? With the doll?” Twilight shuffled and the embrace became a little looser. “Sorry!” Bon Bon hastily spoke out. “That was a bit harsh... sorry. Nerves and all that.” She looked down, avoiding Twilight’s gaze. There was a small silence, but the hug did get a little tighter. Yet they never did reach the level of closeness they just had. “It’s okay. Anxiousness makes ponies do silly things,” Twilight said. Bon Bon let out a light laugh. “Like being jerks?” Twilight snickered, leading Bon Bon towards the door. “Sometimes. It all depends on the pony.” Bon Bon figured that was true enough. Lyra tended to go overboard on crazy when anxious, while Berry Punch would turn to the bottle. It just so happened that Twilight tended to blow up—quite literally—when she got nervous. That’s... actually very unsettling. Bon Bon glanced at Twilight as they left the room. She was powerful enough before, but as an alicorn... “Something wrong?” Bon Bon blinked, squirming a little. “Nothing...” Twilight raised an eyebrow, having a calculating look that just told Bon Bon that she knew it was definitely not ‘nothing’. Bons sighed, shifting her gaze away from the princess. “It’s just... how does it feel, knowing you can raze an entire town in less than a minute? Not even that, probably.” “Doesn’t feel like anything,” Twilight replied, Bon Bon noting that it sounded way too neutral and distant. But before she could voice her concerns, Twilight’s horn began to glow. “Shall we teleport to the kitchens? Easier and quicker than walking.” “Er, oka—” There was a flash and in the blink of an eye, Bon Bon found herself in the castle kitchens. She swayed on her hooves a bit, trying not to vomit. Twilight held her steady and gave her a couple of moments to recuperate. “Sorry,” Twilight said after a pause. “I’m just used to travelling that way.” “I guessed as much...” Bon Bon rubbed her head but kept her legs firm, preventing any further stumbling. She looked around and noticed that she wasn’t in the kitchen proper. Aprons hung on hooks around the small room, so Bon Bon guessed this was where the uniform for the cooks was kept. Twilight levitated an apron off a hook and put it on Bon Bon. Next, she took down a chef’s hat but Bon Bon’s raised hoof stopped her from putting it on the confectioner. “I’m not wearing that,” Bon Bon affirmed. “It looks too... silly. I mean, what’s the point in a hat so big when you’re cooking?” “It’s the toque or a mane net,” Twilight told her. “Hat,” Bon Bon instantly replied. She shivered a little as the toque was put on her; probably magical feedback from Twilight or something. “Now that you’re dressed for success,” Twilight briefly paused, smiling at her own little wordplay, “it’s time to introduce you to the head chef.” “Anything I should know about him beforehoof?” Bon Bon asked as the pair entered the workplace. “He’s... orderly?” Bon Bon tilted her head. “... you’ll see what I mean,” Twilight continued, leading the way. Bon Bon raised an eyebrow at that. Her eyes soon fell upon the surrounding area, however. It was surprisingly calm, most work being washing up. A lot of it. Judging from that, she assumed that Twilight had intentionally made her miss the morning rush. She smiled, thinking that she had somewhat of a guardian angel in the alicorn. All Twilight had done so far was help make things easier for her. It was all rather unroyal like, instead being something way friendlier. Well, Bon Bon felt there was something sorely missing from all this; she needed to repay her for her kindness. The two approached a single stallion who oversaw the entire kitchen, standing firm with a stoic look on his face. His uniform was a little more ornate than the other chefs’ uniforms, but that was all that was different about him. He sniffed as he looked over Bon Bon. “This the new recruit?” His voice was gruff and to the point. Twilight nodded. “Yes, this is Bon Bon.” She looked back to her friend. “This is the head chef: Iron Utensil.” Bon Bon looked into the stallion’s eyes. They give her an intimidating, inspecting glare back. She felt the need to lighten the mood somewhat. “Sort of like Iron Chef? Haha...” Iron didn’t laugh. Twilight scratched her neck. “Erm... not really...” Bon Bon blinked once. “Oh...” “I think you should be okay here...” Twilight sidestepped a little out of the way. “I have my own duties to attend to.” She began to trot off, stopping before she left and turning back round. “Oh! Good luck!” Bon Bon gave her a short little wave. “Thanks. I’ll see you later, I guess...” She looked back at Iron. His facial expression had not changed. “Um...” “This way, recruit,” he simply ordered. Bon Bon followed him to a workstation that looked like all the others. “This is where you spend most of your time doing hard work.” Bon Bon nodded, examining the facilities.. “It kind of looks like my kitc—” “This is the oven! You will use this to bake many different types of food!” He shouted, pointing at said device, the knobs on top in particular. “Always remember to adjust the temperature accordingly or you will suffer a burn on your product!” Bon Bon winced at his loud, booming voice. “Okay sir, I think I get—” He gestured at something new. “This is the basin! You will use this to wash up dirty items!” Bon Bon tried to speak out and explain that she knew all that, but Iron had gone into full rant mode. She thought ten minutes went by, her frowning all the way, before he stopped. “Is that all clear?!” Bon Bon immediately stood to attention. “Yes sir!” “Now recruit... show me what talents you possess.” He highlighted to Bon Bon a large steel door across the room. “Ingredients are in there. Hop to it! I’ll be back for tasting in a couple hours.” He marched off, leaving Bon Bon to her own devices. First things first: ingredients. She went to the food store in an orderly manner, finding the steel door an ease to open. Being an earth pony, she was naturally strong. Maybe not as powerful as Applejack, but... back in school, she had worked out quite a bit. Not as much today, what with business, but she still made an effort. Healthy body, healthy mind after all. The food store was a simple affair. Rows and rows of ingredients were sorted out in categories, with a room at the back for frozen things. Bon Bon grabbed what she needed and went out, shutting the door behind her. It didn’t take long for her to familiarize herself with her work station. It was just like her kitchen back home, but far more sophisticated. She thought it’d be best to start off simple: chocolate sweets, with a chocolate cream center. Things started off smoothly, with Bon Bon pouring the chocolate that she required into a bowl. But after this, she suddenly felt a tug on her mane and watched as her hoof jerked towards the cream, which was actually caramel that she didn’t plan on using for this particular dish. She tried jerking her limb away, resulting in more hair tugging and more rebelliousness from the leg. Frowning, she grabbed her leg and tried to wrestle it under control. When that didn’t work, she did the next logical thing: she slammed it against the workstation. Her limb made a loud thud against the metal of the oven. “Argh! Damn it...” Her gambit had paid off; she was free to shake her leg to get rid of the pain. Her leg throbbed in pain, and she could see the telltale signs of a bruise forming, but that didn’t stop her from carrying on. “No clue what that was abou—” Another pull of her hair and her other foreleg was out of control, reaching towards the caramel. “What the hay?!” she cried out, frantically checking around to see if any of the chefs had noticed this oddity. Thankfully, she had not attracted a crowd. Just as she was struggling with her leg, her ears twitched; she heard a snicker from somewhere. It was close too. Bon Bon quickly glanced about. Just as she thought: nopony nearby. Things were getting stranger and stranger— Oh you have got to be kidding me. Bon Bon snorted, her hoof stomping on the ground as she glared about. “Okay Discord, you’ve had your fun. Come out where I can see you!” “Oh, alright then. Keep your apron on,” he muttered. Out from underneath Bon Bon’s hat scurried a small little thing, which went down her muzzle and leapt onto the workstation, near the sink. Bon Bon almost sneezed as the thing climbed over her. Once she saw it, she couldn’t help but be... a little weirded out by it. In front of her was a brown rat, Discord. His signature eyes were present, as were his horns and large fang. The naked tail that such creatures should normally have was replaced by a green scaly one. “Okay...” Bon Bon started, still taking in the curious sight. “Mind explaining what you’re doing?” “Helping you, of course,” Discord replied casually. Bon Bon scoffed. “Helping me? How is pulling on my mane and controlling me like some... puppet helping me?!” Discord kept a plain look on his face. “Because you clearly don’t know what you’re doing.” “What?!” Bon Bon grinded her teeth together. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?” “While that may be the case, you are only used to serving commoners. Connoisseurs are an entirely different beast altogether. By using just chocolate and chocolate only, you would’ve risked giving off the impression that you’re... boring,” he added, somewhat grimly. “No one likes boring, least of all me.” Bon Bon tilted her head. “So, what was the hair pulling thing about then?” Discord checked his nails, shrugging. “It’s either that or mind control.” Bon Bon gulped, backing off. The chaotic rat merely snapped his fingers and appeared on top of her head. “Oh, come now, I was only joking.” He paused for a moment. “Partially.” Bon Bon squirmed, feeling his ratty paws on her skin. “So... what you’re saying is... you’re helping me?” “I suppose you can call it that.” “Why?” Bons questioned. “I see someone still doesn’t fully trust me,” Discord replied tersely. “Oh, really?” Bon Bon tapped her chin, pretending to be lost in thought. “I wonder why...” “Let’s not get too deep into this. Primarily because if you keep talking, you’ll look insane. The bottom line is...” He pulled on Bon Bon’s mane, forcing her to lower herself onto the ground, where a black line had just been etched into the ground. “Chaos is neither good or evil. It is what it is.” Bon Bon raised herself as Discord let her mane go. “Right...” She adjusted her chef’s hat, covering her rat companion. “Even so, I need to do this myself.” Underneath the hat, Discord pouted. “Fine. But I’ll come and go as I please. If you really mess up, then you can’t say it was my fault.” “I know, I know...” Bon Bon looked between her ingredients for a while, becoming still. “You’re going to use the caramel aren’t you?” “... yes,” Bon Bon admitted. “Well then...” Discord started, running a claw through the confectioner’s mane. “Impress me.” Bon Bon immediately leapt into action. She got her things together and began her magic. She worked hard. She worked precisely. She worked... … at a very slow pace. Discord groaned, peeking out from under the hat, after what felt to him like hours. “Could you take any longer?!” “This isn’t just a hobby,” Bon Bon said, as she put the final touches on her small round chocolate sweets. That being vanilla icing. “It’s a craft.” “I didn’t think time wasting could be referred to as such,” Discord snarked. Bon Bon kept a steady hoof as she worked, calmly saying, “Well, if this bores you so much, why not leave?” She heard a low, thoughtful hum come from him. A few seconds later, there was a poof and he was gone. Just as well too, she thought. Almost done with her sweets, she didn’t need a trickster distracting her when she presented them to Iron. She finished up with the icing, having it swirl around the chocolate. Then was the best part: the taste test. Popping one in her mouth, she chewed slowly and savored the taste. And what a taste she experienced. It was hard to believe, but Discord may have been right. The combination of caramel and chocolate was to die for, and the icing was... well, you know what they say about that. The texture was soft, but the chocolate wasn’t too rich. All in all, it was a delightful little treat that was easy to keep down. She carefully lifted the tray her sweets were on and trotted on over to Iron, who was still maintaing his vigil over the kitchen. “I’m done.” Iron simply nodded, picked up a chocolate and ate it. He chewed, slowly bobbing his head as he began to taste the flavors. His eyes twitched slightly and for a brief moment, he almost looked very surprised. After a little while, he swallowed, then cleared his throat. “You might stand a chance yet. Back to work with you,” he ordered, looking down firmly at Bon Bon. She gave him a politeful curtsy. “Thank you, sir.” She hurried off back to her station, smiling to herself. If she stood even the smallest chance, then she was taking it. She had gone this far. All she had to do now was go the extra mile. After eating her chocolates, of course. Twilight sat at a wooden desk in her private quarters, looking over and signing various royal documents. Ever since her coronation, her work load had gotten slightly heavier due to the royal sisters giving her more responsibility. Even so, she was a princess without a kingdom. Her only duties involved assisting Celestia and Luna with theirs. This had its advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, she could still spend a lot of time with her friends in Ponyville. Without a doubt, that was the biggest benefit of all. Yes, sometimes she needed to be called to the castle, but most of the time her work could be done at home. Spike made the transportation of documents an ease. Yet having the mantle of a Princess meant that many others acted different towards her. Making friends was going to be a lot tougher now. She had one of the highest ranking titles in the whole of Equestria and that meant she had power. Passing strangers suddenly became something more. They gawked at her. Pointed at her. Some took photos. Some could even be threats, so her personal guard told her. Only the citizens of Ponyville acted the same towards her. Probably because they knew she hadn’t changed. They still saw that obsessive, slightly crazy control freak and yet she was lovely all the same. She ran a hoof through her mane as she read through the papers. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure if she did want more responsibility. She cleared her mind of those thoughts and formed new ones involving that blue and pink maned mare. Bon Bon... they had certainly gotten quite close in a short amount of time. That really didn’t surprise her though. After all, she had many admirable qualities. First, she seemed to be down to earth and level headed like Applejack, but without the stubborness. Twilight knew she wasn’t really any of those things, even if she tried hard to be. Sometimes she needed ponies to calm her down. Bon Bon seemed like she would be good at such. Second, she seemed to be a bit of what Rainbow Dash would call a ‘nerd’. Those figures and books in that room of hers... it’s just like what Twilight wanted, but never had the time to collect. Surely they could have very passionate discussions on what they both liked. Thirdly was a reason rather superficial, as much as Twilight hated to admit. She didn’t normally judge ponies on their appearance—it’s the mind that counts—but Bon Bon didn’t look bad at all. Pretty respectable, really. Not a pony like Rarity, who could wow a crowd, but something more... simple. Humble, even. And she had plenty of earth pony muscle... Twilight suddenly stopped and twitched her wings. They had oddly become stiff. Also strange was that she was starting to feel warm. She gazed down at her papers and put them into two piles: one for completed ones, the others for those that still needed doing. “I think I need a break...” she told herself, getting off her chair and opening the nearest window. The cool air that went into the room felt very refreshing and her wings became loose again. She stepped up to the window sill and took off for a flight, closing the window behind her with her magic. Bon Bon trudged back to her quarters, wiped out. While she had worked at her own pace, it was one that meant little room for slacking. She only took ten minute breaks after completing each batch of sweets. Her longest break was only an hour, and that was lunch. She skipped dinner; eating what she made was enough. She had hoped that Twilight would come down and see, but no luck could be found there. Seeing her face would’ve certainly been all she needed for a quick pick-me-up. She cut her losses though. For now, sleep was needed. Although judging by one of Twilight’s guard coming towards her, it seemed that had to wait. A yellow unicorn stallion marched towards Bon Bon and gave her a short nod. “The Princess of Magic requests your presence.” That got a small jump out of her. Princess of Magic? Was that Twilight’s official title, or something her guard preferred to call her by? Or maybe it was something used to differentiate her from the other princesses? Bon Bon mentally scolded herself for thinking too deep into that. Twilight wanted to see her! She smiled at the guard. “Very well. Let us go—” She experienced one of those dreaded flashes and suddenly felt queasy. A set of forelegs held her steady as she stumbled a bit. “Next time, try not to use teleportation. I know it’s quick and easy, but she’s not used to it yet,” Twilight told her guard while she kept her friend upright. The stallion nodded. “I apologise Princess. Shall I leave you two be?” “Yes, dismissed.” The guard saluted, then walked off, leaving the pair alone. Bon Bon slowly looked around, realising that they were on a balcony, the night sky above them. She had no idea what time it was. All she knew was that she had worked practically all day. “You look exhausted,” Twilight said, her voice heavy with concern. “Do you need anything?” “A lie down would be nice,” Bon Bon replied, scoffing. Then she felt a familiar, but comforting sensation around her body. Twilight took her to the edge of the balcony and the two of them sat down, the princesses’ wing draped over the confectioner. It was all very nice, but something bugged Bons. “So... you wanted me for something?” Twilight gave her a soft smile. “I just wanted to see you, especially after a long day, which I think we both had. Nothing wrong with that, is there?” Bon Bon soon felt a smile form on her own face. “You’re right.” Her expression then turned into a mischievous smirk. “Even if sending a guard to get me was a bit much.” The dark of the night concealed Twilight’s embarrassed blush. “It was better than me running around the castle looking for you.” Bon Bon giggled, picturing Twilight galloping around the castle, all in a tizz, shouting ‘Bon Booooooooon!!’ “Maybe.” The two fell into a tranquil silence as they looked up at the night sky, a pattern of beautiful gems on a dark sheet that transcended the world. The air was cold, but their bodies kept each other warm. “I never look at the stars enough,” Bon Bon admitted. “Then you should more often. Luna takes great pride in her work, and it shows,” Twilight spoke, gazing at the moon. “I guess this is the greatest free show on Equestria, right?” Bon Bon offered. Twilight’s smile grew a little bigger. “I think you’re not far off.” A quiet, satisfied sigh escaped from her lips. Another period of silence occurred, during which Bon Bon looked down at her hooves, fidgeting slightly. “Twilight?” She blinked and looked at her companion. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing,” Bon Bon quickly replied, sure of herself at that much. “But I’d just like to say thank you.” A flash of surprise appeared on Twilight’s face. “For what?” “Looking after and being with me during all this.” She fidgeted a bit, getting closer to her. “I just... your company has been really nice to have. It’s made everything a bit easier for me.” Twilight rubbed her cheek, hiding part of the red that had appeared. “I, er—it’s no problem. I enjoy your company too.” Bon Bon raised herself, looking at Twilight. “Really? We’ve only really talked extensively these past couple of days.” “Does that matter? I think it just shows something, if anything.” She felt her side rub along Bon Bon’s as she shifted closer. Bon Bon suppressed a squeak, feeling Twilight’s body move on hers. “Y-Yeah... it does, doesn’t it?” Then, silence fell. Many things raced through Bon Bon’s mind as she figured out what to say next. She only got parts of sentences, all trailing off into nothingness. Why couldn’t she think of anything?! Maybe it was the tiredness getting to her. Her eyelids were beginning to get heavy. Whatever the case, if her mind wasn’t willing to cooperate, then she’d have to improvise... “I like this,” she said. Much to her surprise, it came out better than she expected. “Me too,” Twilight calmly said. Everything else in the world didn’t seem to matter now because this felt so right. But... it could be just a little bit better. “Um...” she stroked her mane, trying to look ‘smooth’. “You like... nuzzling?” “It’s not something you really ask to—” “Sorry, sorry,” she hastily interrupted, turning her head away. “I’m just being silly again...” She was going to explain herself further, when she felt Bon Bon nuzzle her cheek softly. Her heart skipped a beat. “What if I like silly?” Bon Bon posed. Her gesture was immediately returned after that. “Then... that’s fine with me.” “Good,” Bon Bon confirmed, then she yawned. Her eyes closed as she kept nuzzling Twilight, smiling tiredly. It took Twilight a while before she noticed the heavy breaths of her friend and the fact that she had stopped nuzzling back. Standing up, she very carefully picked her up and carried her back into the castle halls. She would walk to bed. Teleportation would just cut the moment short.