//------------------------------// // Discussions // Story: Sweet Treats and Royal Delights // by JaketheGinger //------------------------------// “Lyra, I—” “Save it, Bon Bon,” Lyra cut her off, holding up a hoof. “We can talk about this back at your place. Let’s go.” Before Bons could get any word in edgewise, Lyra was already trotting off. Bon Bon and Twilight shared a look, the latter seeming very confused. “I... guess I’ll see you later then…?” Twilight said, voice full of uncertainty and bemusement. “Er, yes. Thanks for taking me home.” Bon Bon gave her a quick smile, then blinked when she realized how far ahead Lyra had already gotten. “Bye!” she hastily said, making a dash for her friend. Was Lyra overreacting? Maybe. She did have a tendency to be a little out there. On the other hand, there had rarely been a day when Bon Bon hadn’t seen her, let alone several in a row. Perhaps she had a right to be worried. Once they got to Bons’ house, she fiddled through her bags to find her key. “At least I know you wouldn’t have mooched around my house,” she said, laughing quietly. It sounded terribly forced. Lyra didn’t respond, going into the house as soon as Bon Bon opened the door. They went into the living room and sat on the red sofa. Lyra looked at Bons with a hard, piercing stare. The candymaker shuffled in place. “What?” “I don’t know, Bon Bon. You tell me,” Lyra replied. “Lyra…” She sighed tiredly, rubbing her forehead. “Please, don’t be like this. I’m not even sure why you’re this upset.” “Because I had no idea what happened to you?!” Lyra snapped. “Okay, one or two days where you’re not around, I could handle. But after that, I started getting worried. I asked around, and nopony seemed to know where you had gone. You just up and vanished. And now you’re back like nothing’s happened and—” She stopped, settling into the couch and looking down. When she next spoke, her voice was quieter. Subdued. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Guilt dropped down into Bon Bon’s stomach. “Lyra, I… I’ll tell you everything, okay? It’s not that bad, promise.” Lyra slowly nodded. “Thanks.” Bon Bon took a deep breath, then… nothing. Her news wasn’t bad at all, but it was big. Life changing, even. And given how Lyra had acted, she was not going to take it well at all. But seeing her friend start to look at her suspiciously forced the words to come. She explained almost everything, the only parts she omitted were those intimate moments with Twilight. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what to think of them. “So… I’ll be moving there. Can’t imagine it’ll take longer than a week,” Bon Bon finished, staring at Lyra. Her friend’s face had fallen, her body still. “I’m sorry, Lyra. It kind of just… happened.” “So you just took it up on a whim?” Bon Bon nodded. Lyra looked up at her. “That isn’t like you.” Her words had no sting to them. Not much of anything, actually. But they still hurt Bon Bon. She couldn’t help but flinch a little. “Lyra, that’s not fair.” “Yes it is,” Lyra quickly replied. “You’re the rock of the town. Patient. Rational. You always think before acting. I’m the other way around, but you… you’re not prone to leaping into things without a moment’s thought.” Bon Bon frowned, tensing up. Being told who she was… Who did Lyra think she was? She was her own mare, and Lyra didn’t know everything about her. “If that was the case, I’d have never left Dodge Junction,” she retorted. Lyra went silent, fiddling with her forehooves. The silence hung for quite a while, the two unable to so much as look at each other. “You think this will make you happy?” Bon Bon’s ears twitched. She turned to Lyra, speaking with confidence, “Yes.” “And I can’t stop you from going?” “No,” Bon Bon replied, quicker than she would have thought. Lyra nodded, going quiet again. She hung her head, the bands of her mane falling over her eyes, shadows cast over her face. Bon Bon tried to get a look at her expression, but failed. “Lyra, I’m—” She was suddenly wrapped up in a warm embrace. “Promise you’ll visit?” Bon Bon smiled, returning the hug. “Promise.” She looked towards the kitchen, hatching an idea. “Want some potato chips?” Lyra’s tail started wagging slightly. “I’d love some, thanks.” Moments later, a bag of crisps was in Lyra’s lap, her forehooves getting greasy as she munched on the snacks. “I’ll miss your chips.” “Not me then?” Bon Bon asked. “Of course I’ll miss you!” She wiped an eye with her foreleg. “But your chips always tasted better than mine, so…” “So what you’re really saying is that the ‘tastiest things in life are free’?” Bons said, smirking at her friend. Only one response would do for this situation. “Shut up.” Lyra stuffed another chip in her mouth. Bons allowed herself a little giggle, breaking the straight mare act she normally put up around Lyra. Her friend grinned, crumbs over her teeth and all. “Lyra, please close your mouth.” For some reason, saying those words brought huge relief over Bons. A sense of normality that had once been lost was rooted back into her life. She knew it wouldn’t last, but she’d hold onto it while she could. “Sorry.” She did so, licking her teeth, then swallowing. “You’ll have to tell everypony.” “I will,” Bon Bon replied, stealing a chip from the bag. “And I want you to do it with me.” “You can count on me. I’ll gather the girls up, and you can tell them all at once. Or do you want to talk to them one by one?” she suggested. “The former; easier and quicker.” Bon Bon let out a calming breath. “Gets it out of the way, so I don’t have to worry so much.” Lyra shrugged. “I can’t imagine they’ll take it any worse than me.” “Mhm.” Bon Bon moved up the couch, closer to Lyra, placing a hoof on her foreleg. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Lyra smiled at her. “I’m just hiding the pain.” It was difficult for Bon Bon to tell whether she was being sarcastic, ironic, or truthful. Her puzzlement must have showed, since Lyra went on to say, “If you’re happy, then I’ll be fine. And you said you’d visit, right? Maybe I could visit you. That’d be great.” “Yeah, so you can eat all the food in the castle.” She snickered at such a thought. Then chuckled harder at the image of Lyra getting thrown out by the guards. “Plus you said you’ve got about a week left, right? That’ll be enough time for me to get to grips with things and spend time with you,” Lyra said. Bon Bon’s heart almost leapt out of her chest. While spending time with Lyra sounded nice, especially since it would be their last proper moments in Ponyville together, there was also the question of Twilight. They needed to talk. And being with her sounded just as lovely, if not more so. Bon Bon put on a smile and hoped it’d stick. “Yes, sure.” “Great!” Lyra chirped, seemingly back to her normal happy self. Her lack of any sadness surprised Bon Bon, but as her parents had said, ‘never look a gift horse in the mouth’. If Lyra really wasn’t fine, she’d say so. It seemed like now she was just trying to cope, to make things easier on everypony. Another hug was in order. “Thank you, Lyra.” “Somepony’s huggy today. I like.” She giggled, hugging Bon Bon, swaying a little. “No problem, Bon Bon. This is your decision, and I can’t really stop you. I could whine, but that’d probably get me a slap ‘round the head.” Stealing a quick nibble at the chips, her brow furrowed when she saw that the bag was empty. The empty bag was thrown onto the floor. “Got any more chips?” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. Yep. If food was on her mind, Lyra was doing A-OK. A round of drinks was placed on the table by one Berry Punch, the mare sliding them to her friends without ever spilling a drop. Most of the drinks were either wines or ciders, it being the home of a pony once notorious for being a drunkard. “So, just to be clear, Lyra: this isn’t an excuse for you to get everypony drunk?” Berry asked, her eyebrow raised, giving the minty mare a skeptical look as she took her place at the table. “Nah, we’ll do that next week,” Lyra replied, grinning wickedly. “This is just a simple get-together of sorts. Kind of a celebration.” Derpy, who sat next to Berry, tilted her head. “I hope we didn’t forget something important, like a birthday.” Lyra waved a hoof passively. “No no, don’t worry about remembering anything. We just have an announcement, that’s all.” Everypony’s mouths dropped, except Lyra and Bon Bon’s. “No, not that type of news.” They closed, a few relieved sighs escaping. Bon Bon wiggled in her seat, glancing at everypony in the room. This all felt a bit too much. She wasn’t a shy mare by any means, but having to get up and announce this new chapter in her life… she should’ve taken the slower option and told her friends one by one. She didn’t need to have a fuss made over her. “Are you alright, Bon Bon?” She jumped, almost spilling her drink. Luckily, her wine glass was caught in a field of blue magic. “Colgate,” she said, more to herself than anything. “Yes, I’m fine.” Colgate turned, giving Bon Bon an inquisitive look. “You don’t look fine.” She pointed at a specific spot on Bon Bon’s head. It took Bons a while to realize she was gesturing at a drop of sweat. “Feels a bit stuffy in here,” she said, taking a sip from her drink to calm her nerves. “Hm. Fair enough.” Colgate settled in her chair, sipping some cider. “So, Lyra said that you’ve been in Canterlot for the past few days?” “Yes, something like that.” Bon Bon coughed into her hoof. “Well, not something like that. Yes, I was in Canterlot. On business.” “You could’ve left a note or something.” Colgate sighed, hastily adding, “Not that I’m mad or anything, but it was just a little bit weird that’d you disappear for three days. Kind of odd not seeing you in the market selling candies.” “Heh, yep,” Bon Bon smiled stiltedly, sipping from her cider. While it didn’t exactly calm her nerves, at least Colgate hadn’t pressed on with her questions. “So, what sort of business was it?” Bon Bon froze at the sound of Blossomforth’s voice. The pegasus was opposite her, leaning over the table, wine glass in hoof. To her side, Berry and Derpy were involved in a conversation, and Lyra had gone around the table to join them. Evidently she felt the need to make exaggerated gestures as she spoke. “Bon Bon?” She blinked, bringing her attention to Blossom. “Uh, well, candy business.” Blossom raised an eyebrow, taking a sip before saying, “Oh?” Bon Bon twirled her mane, never looking directly at her friend. “The usual boring stuff. Buying ingredients… researching… uh…” “Bon Bon’s going to be the Royal Confectioner!” Every head in the room turned towards Lyra, who had placed herself next to Bon Bon, foreleg wrapped around her. “Lyraaaaa…” Bon Bon whined quietly. Minutes passed in absolute, suffocating silence. All eyes in the room were on Lyra and Bon Bon. Even Derpy’s were more in line with each other than usual. “Well…” Berry started, frowning slightly. “That is… the biggest load of rubbish I’ve ever heard.” She pointed at Lyra, then jerked her hoof towards the door. “Lyra, you’re drunk. Go home.” “Hey,” Bon Bon spoke up, snorting angrily. “It’s true. I am going to be the Royal Confectioner, whether you all like it or not.” She finished her statement with a light hoof stomp on the table. It almost echoed. Bons sunk in her seat, drawing back her glass. “Uh… so that’s a thing.” And then all at once, five mares had surrounded her, bombarding her with cheers and praise. “That’s brilliant, Bon Bon! Congratulations!” “Well I’ll be… damn, Bons! Looks like you’ve really moved up in the world.” “This certainly is a pretty big surprise, but congrats!” “Wow! Just… wow!” “Bon Bon bombards the competition!” Berry shot Lyra a deadpan look. “Never say that again.” Lyra returned with a goofy, embarrassed smile. “Sorry.” Bon Bon rubbed her neck, feeling the sweat roll down. “Girls… a bit of space, please?” A chorus of apologies, and the mares backed off. Bon Bon sighed and nodded a thanks. “You do realize what this means, yes? I’ll have to move to Canterlot.” “Oh…” Derpy said, going back to her seat and drinking some cider. The others followed suit. “Yeah. I’m sorry, but it’s a big change in my life and—” “Don’t apologize, Bon Bon,” Blossomforth interjected, holding up a hoof. “Mhm,” Colgate added, putting down her glass and wiping her lips with a napkin. “It’s your life, and this is a great opportunity. We’re happy for you, really.” She smiled, her brilliant white teeth showing, as the others agreed with her. “I won’t be gone forever, just so you know,” Bon Bon said. “And I’ll have still have a little bit of time here before I go. So…” “A toast,” Berry cut in, holding up her glass of wine. “To Bon Bon, a mare who deserves to move up in the world.” She winked at the confectioner. “We’re proud of you, girl.” “Hear hear!” Lyra chimed, bumping her glass next to Berry’s. The others then joined in, Derpy spilling a little bit of her drink. Bon Bon felt the heat rise in her cheeks, but joined the others. When all the glasses were in the center, everypony let out a loud cheer and downed their drinks. Derpy leaned against her seat, wide eyed. “Wow… working for the Princesses. That’s something most ponies can only dream of, let alone actually do.” “Can you imagine if we all worked for the Princesses?” Blossomforth asked. Colgate smirked, walking over to Lyra, saying politely, “Would you mind opening your mouth, your Highness?” Lyra titled her head up, opening her mouth, trying to keep it fixed as she giggled. “And maybe you would like some of my fine wines to go with that?” Berry added, stalking next to Lyra, wine glass in hoof. Before the minty mare had time to react, she shot forward and tipped her glass’ contents right down Lyra’s mouth. Lyra squirmed and choked a little, but Berry was quick to make sure everything was okay. “She’ll be fine,” she said, nodding at the others. Blossomforth rolled her eyes, turning to Bon Bon. “Are you ready for such a drastic change?” “No, not really.” Bon Bon brought her glass to her lips, frowning as she only got a drop of cider out of it. She looked over at Berry and the others, but they were far too preoccupied with Lyra and Derpy having a foreleg wrestle. “Think about it like this,” Blossom began, staring at Bon Bon evenly. “It’s like you learning a new roleplaying game. You know the basics, but it’s still a whole different game. But eventually, you settle in and you get good at it—especially you. How many wins to losses am I to you?” “Something like forty to sixty,” Bons replied. “Huh. I thought it was worse.” “Nope.” Bon Bon pushed her glass to the center of the table. “Besides, Blossom, that’s a totally unfair comparison. That’s a game, and this is work. Completely separate things.” Blossom nodded concedingly. “Okay, true. But how about all those tournaments we entered?” Bons paused, then sighed. “I see your point. You always get jitters before doing new things. Got it. But knowing that doesn’t make them go away.” “I know.” Blossom smiled, putting her hoof on Bons’ foreleg, rubbing it gently. “Try not to get too nervous this week, okay? Enjoy the time you have left, and don’t pull a Twilight Sparkle.” Bon Bon straightened up in her seat. “What did you just say?” Blossom sharply withdrew her hoof, staring at Bon Bon in confusion. “Enjoy the time you have left, don’t pull a Twilight?” she repeated. “That’s a bit…” Bon Bon grumbled, thinking of how to phrase it. She didn’t want to come off too strong, but Blossom had been a bit harsh. “Silly, isn’t it?” Blossom quirked an eyebrow. “That’s because it was a joke, Bon Bon.” “Oh.” Bon Bon slouched, rubbing her neck. “Right, yes. Of course.” Blossom took her drink, eyeing Bons suspiciously. “Have fun, yeah? Get plenty of sleep too.” Bon Bon stared at her glass, peering at the few drops of cider that clung to the sides, slowly trailing down. “Yeah, will do.” I should’ve asked for something stronger... Bon Bon’s idea of relaxing definitely did not involve getting up at seven o’clock to answer the door for an early bird. Somepony was knocking, three perfectly timed knocks in particular. That ruled out Lyra already. It also ruled out Derpy, since her mail call was an hour from now. She got out of bed, shuffling across the room and allowing herself a quick stretch before heading downstairs. The visitor was still knocking as she went up to the door. Bons swung it open, not even caring for her no doubt disheveled appearance. “Too early?” asked a sheepish Twilight. Bon Bon wanted to smile, but her facial muscles weren’t cooperating. Or her brain. “Morning.” “Yes, too early.” Twilight brought her head down, looking away and muttering something to herself. “I’m sorry,” she said as she looked back at Bons. “I can come back later.” Bon Bon held up her hoof to wave it, but ended up using to cover her yawning maw. “It’s fine.” She shambled to the side, allowing Twilight entry. “Thanks,” she replied, wiping her hooves on the welcome mat. She smirked when she eyed Bon Bon’s mane. “Nice bed mane.” “You too,” Bon Bon responded tiredly, walking to the kitchen. “... I’m going to take that as morning drowsiness talking, and not an actual insult,” Twilight said, following. When they entered the kitchen, Bon Bon blearily made her way to the cabinets in order to prepare breakfast. To her surprise, they were covered in a purple aura, their contents flying out by themselves. “Let me take care of breakfast,” Twilight stated, bringing down a box of oats to eye-level and reading the ingredients off the back. “It’s the least I can do after disturbing you.” Bon Bon stood there for a couple of seconds, then smiled tiredly and took a seat at the table. “Thanks, Twilight.” “No problem.” In went the oats and then came the milk, filling up the white bowl. “So… was Lyra okay in the end?” “After a bit, yes.” Bon Bon watched as Twilight set the bowl before her, swirling it with a spoon. The utensil dropped when it was released from her magical hold, allowing Bons to use it herself. “Managed to tell my friends about it too. They were happy for me.” Twilight smiled, popping some bread into Bon Bon’s toaster. “Great.” She halted once she set the timer. “You do like toast, right?” Bon Bon nodded. “Ah, good. Now,” she said, looking at the mess of a mane on Bon Bon’s head, “You need a brush. Where can I find one?” Bon Bon mumbled the directions, too focused on getting some oats in her belly. Twilight was gone for less than a minute, then came back trotting down the stairs, levitating a brush. She sent it through Bon Bon’s mane in long strokes, occasionally getting stuck on the odd knot or two. It was weird, but Bon Bon honestly enjoyed the sensation. Okay, occasionally it hurt when Twilight yanked a bit too hard, but just knowing that she was just behind her, helping her get ready for the day… something about it made her feel very secure. The toast popped out and Twilight spread them evenly with strawberry jam. When she put them on the table, she went back to brushing Bon Bon’s mane. It was mostly silent, but only because Bon Bon was too busy eating. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she turned towards Twilight, smiling. “Thanks. You can sit down now.” Twilight nodded, but the look of concentration on her face betrayed any acknowledgement. “One second… just sorting out this knot.” She tugged on Bon Bon’s mane. Bon Bon shut her mouth and bit her tongue, face contorting in pain as Twilight lifted the brush away, it covered in Bon Bon’s hair. Twilight’s concentration immediately switched from concentration to shock as she knelt down besides Bon Bon. “I’m sorry!” Bon Bon waved her off, rubbing the affected area. “It’s fine.” If the food hadn’t woken her up, the pain definitely had. Still, with her fully alert, now seemed like a good time to talk. “Twilight… I think we have to talk.” Twilight backed off, walking around the table and sitting opposite Bon Bon. “What about?” “About where we stand.” Bon Bon’s mouth open and closed several times, as her mind debated what to say. She cursed it for setting up tasks as easier as they really were. “I… lo—” She stopped herself. No, that was too blunt, too quick. She had to begin with something else. “We had a great time in Canterlot, didn’t we?” Twilight smiled, cute little dimples appearing. “Yes. Yes we did.” Bon Bon covered her mouth with a hoof, suppressing a giggle. Why did thinking of those moments make her laugh? Okay, she already knew the answer, but now was a time to be serious. “Well… I really enjoy spending time with you.” Her mind set its course, running through Twilight’s many qualities. “You’re smart. Very smart. Maybe too smart? But it’s not intimidating. You’re warm. Approachable. You know how to have fun, but in moderation. That’s what I like about you. You know how to set your priorities and stick to them. You’re orderly without being strict.” Bon Bon fumbled with her hooves. “And, uh, you’re a really big nerd… but I like—” “Can I have my turn now?” Twilight was blushing, but her voice had confidence to it. Bon Bon slowly nodded, rubbing her cheeks and feeling the warmth from them. “I know it hasn’t been that long, but… I think you’re really nice, Bon Bon. You’re grounded and stable, unlike me.” She chuckled to herself. “I know that sometimes I can overreact. But you don’t. You take things in your stride and I really admire that. And we share the same hobbies, and, well…” Rubbing her foreleg, she continued, “That seems like a small thing, but for me its huge. My friends don’t really share my interests. At least, not to the extent that I do. But from the looks of your collection…” Bon Bon coughed, her eyes wandering over to several painted figures on the window sill. “We have something. For me, it’s a big something. And I wouldn’t mind seeing where that something takes us…” She put her forehooves on the table, her confidence falling apart as she bit her lip, glancing at Bon Bon for a few seconds, then looking away. “... what happens now? I mean, do we…” “I…” Say it, Bon Bon. If you do one thing in your life, say those words now. “I wanna see how it goes, yes.” It wasn’t exactly what she had wanted to say, but it felt right. Take things slow and don’t jump into things. Those were the type of things her parents stood by, and they had drilled them into her more than enough times. Twilight nodded in understanding. “Good idea. It sounds like we’re both new at this…” Bon Bon reached towards Twilight’s hooves. “We’ll learn together.” Twilight smirked, grabbing Bon Bon’s hooves and squeezing. “I do love learning.” “So…” Bon Bon found herself leaning forward, but she didn’t care. “How about we spend the day together?” “I’d like that,” Twilight answered. Her eyes flashed with excitement, but then her ears fell. “I would, but… duty calls.” Bon Bon patted Twilight’s hoof. “That’s fine. Another time?” She hesitated for just a second. “Make it a date?” The alicorn let out an odd noise. It was probably meant to be a giggle, but it came out more like an excited hiccup. “Yes, a date.” She got up, walking around the table. “I’ll choose a time that fits into both our schedules.” Gently, oh so gently, she reached out and grabbed Bon Bon’s hoof. “Always a pleasure, Miss Bon.” Then she kissed it, making a swift exit. Bons brought her hoof to her face, lips hanging above the spot where Twilight had kissed it. Heat started filling her cheeks. She deduced that it was probably a good time for a shower. All spruced up and ready for the day, Bon Bon decided to go out for a walk; Ponyville wouldn’t be her home for much longer and she wanted to take in what she could before she left. But first, a trip down memory lane. The market was already a hub of activity, most of the stalls already open. Carrot Top was selling her carrot cakes, carrot juice and just plain carrots, while Roseluck was busy prettying up her flower stall. Both ignored Caramel as he chatted with a customer who had just bought his caramel treats. And standing there, all closed up, was Bon Bon’s stand. It felt odd to her that she was just only getting attached to it now. The phrase ‘you never fully appreciate something until it’s gone’ came to mind. She walked up to it and ran her hoof down one wooden side, feeling all the cracks and bumps on it. Even the large dent caused by Lyra when she had accidentally slammed her head into it. Just thinking about it was enough to bring a giggle to the surface. Applejack had set up shop nearby like she usually did. Luckily, her sister wasn’t there this time to fill her bags with apples. Bon Bon hadn’t put those in her bag, but she hadn’t had to pay for them either. It sounded good, until she’d had thirty rotten apples lying around the house. Still, that encounter alone had shown that Applejack was the honest mare everypony in town said she was. Bon Bon already knew that, but the free apples had just proven the lengths Applejack would go to just to keep her integrity. Out of all of Twilight’s friends, Appplejack was probably the one Bon Bon would get along well with the best. Unfortunately, she was prevented from talking to her by a new arrival. “Excuse me, Miss Bon?” The voice sounded way too classy for anyone from Ponyville. That was all Bon Bon needed to prove who was talking to her. “Rarity?” Bon Bon asked as she turned around. “I’m sorry, but the stall isn’t open anymore.” “Oh, I’m quite aware,” Rarity replied. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about, among other things.” She looked around, then tutted to herself. “But here won’t do. How about we have a cup of tea at my house?” Bon Bon stood there, blinking once. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this offer. However, with a mare like Rarity, who was highly educated in the social graces… well, it was obvious she wanted something. The problem was that Bon Bon had no idea what that was.