A fine porcelain cup of fresh, steaming hot tea was set down in front of Bon Bon, the aroma slowly wafting into her nose. Getting comfortable in her seat, she looked across the table at Rarity, who was settling down with her own cup. Bon Bon forced a smile and frigidly sipped her drink, not bothering to blow on it first. In all honesty, she preferred coffee; it had a lot stronger kick than this ‘hot leaf juice’.
“This tea is imported from Zebrica, you know,” Rarity began, levitating a small paper fan to cool down her tea. She chortled a little, continuing. “Not that I would personally have it delivered to me, but I did manage to purchase some in Canterlot. They have everything there, if you look hard enough.”
Bon Bon nodded. “I see.”
“Oh yes. It’s the trading center of Equestria—even with Manehattan and Vanhoover being ports. All sorts from around the world are attracted to it, seeing as it is a hub for all things magical. So as you can imagine, a lot of goods get sold there. From exotic Zebrican instruments to Griffonian paintings.” She took a moment to let out an excited sigh. “And don’t even get me started on the dresses, darling.”
Bon Bon clenched her jaw, it trembling as she fought down a yawn. “Interesting.”
“Indeed. And you get to work in the castle, of all places! A small part of me is jealous.” Rarity gave Bon Bon a devious smirk, then sipped her tea. Bon Bon blinked, unable to read her intentions. “But that’s not what I’ve invited you here for. I’d like to have a chat about you and Twilight. If that’s okay with you, of course,” she added.
“Aah, right.” Bon Bon gently set down her cup. She’d expected Rarity to bring up the topic, although her true intentions were still uncertain.
One random thought later and a figurative dagger had twisted itself in her stomach—what if Rarity had a claim to Twilight first? What if she was in love with her? What if Twilight loved her back?
Bon Bon shrank in her seat, eyes focused on the magnificent mare that was Rarity. Her name was perfectly apt. So was Bon Bon’s; it was such a bland name. She hastily took her cup again and drank from it.
“Are you alright, darling?”
She looked at Rarity, then at the cup in her hooves. Empty, save for a few drops that had collected at the bottom. “Yes. Fine, just fine.” She waved a hoof at Rarity. “Please, continue.”
“Well first of all I was going to say that I’m very happy for you both,” Rarity said, smiling sweetly.
Bon Bon blinked, her mouth twitching, but shutting up just in time. “Er, thank you.”
“I know it hasn’t been too long, but Twilight is certainly very happy about it. Not a moment goes by these days where she doesn’t mention you. It’s really rather adorable.” She set down her fan, then took a sip of her drink.
The confectioner allowed herself a small smile, sitting up straight. “I wish I could see her face during those moments. With her cute little dimples and rosy cheeks she gets when she blushes…” She finished with a blissful sigh, prompting a chuckle from Rarity.
“And it seems you’re quite into her too,” the unicorn said, hiding a smirk behind her tea cup.
Bon Bon coughed, staring at Rarity. “Well, obviously.” She offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry, went somewhere else there.”
“It’s quite alright, dear. You’re still a new couple—it’ll happen a lot,” Rarity explained.
“I suppose so.” She fidgeted. Aside from her off-the-rails moment about Twilight, she really hadn’t said much. “It sounds like you have experience.”
“No, never,” Rarity replied with a curt laugh.
Bon Bon winced, dropping the subject like a baking tray from the oven. “Right, right.” Already, she could feel the awkward silence settling in, surrounding the two mares and threatening to kill what little atmosphere there was.
Luckily, a high-pitched noise drove it away.
“Rarity! Look what I drew! Look!” Sweetie Belle practically bounded into the room, a piece of paper precariously balanced on her back. It dropped off the moment she fell into the mares’ vision.
“Rats.” The filly frowned, stopping in her tracks and bending down to pick up the sheet.
“Rats?” Rarity almost charged off her seat, approaching her sister. “Sweetie Belle, please don’t tell me you brought those… vermin into the Boutique!” she said, but it sounded much more like a desperate plea.
Bon Bon resisted the urge to flick her ear. “She meant the figure of speech, Rarity. It’s fine.”
“Well with Sweetie Belle you never know.” Rarity stroked the filly’s mane, then continued. “Right then, what must you show me?”
She didn’t answer, instead staring at the stranger in the building. “Rarity, she’s not one of your friends.”
Rarity tilted her head. “Not quite yet, no. But I think we’re getting there—”
“And she’s not a customer…”
The dressmaker’s eyebrows twitched, forming a frown for a brief moment. “Where are you going with this, Sweetie Belle?”
“Why are you drinking tea with a complete stranger?” the child asked innocently.
“She’s not a stranger,” Rarity affirmed. “She is Twilight’s new fillyfriend.”
Sweetie’s jaw dropped. As did the paper. Again. “What?” The corners of her mouth turned up, her cheeks getting rounder by the second, as her eyes started to almost shimmer with filial curiosity. “That’s so cute!” Zooming over to Bon Bon, she looked up expectantly at her. “You have to tell me everything!” Pausing, she looked down and rubbed her chin. “Er, including your name, please.”
Bon Bon chuckled, ruffling the filly’s mane, unaware of the glare Rarity gave her when she did that. “I’m Bon Bon. And I’m sure you’ll find out more details of my relationship with Twilight in good time.”
“But for now,” Rarity cut in, “we have to ask you to leave, Sweetie Belle. We were having a nice, adult conversation.”
“Hey,” Sweetie started, completely oblivious to her sister, “aren’t you the candy mare?”
Bon Bon smiled, giving the filly a firm nod. “That I am. But I’m afraid I don’t have any candy on me right now.” Upon seeing Sweetie’s ears droop, she swiftly changed tact. “Why don’t you show us your drawing?”
Immediately, Sweetie brightened up again. “Oh yeah! Look!” She picked up the paper for Bons and Rarity to see.
Objectively, it was a standard child’s drawing; the dimensions weren’t quite right and the coloring sometimes crossed the lines. Still, Bon Bon couldn’t help but smile. The picture depicted Rarity and her friends, along with the infamous Cutie Mark Crusaders, all sitting down and sharing a picnic on a lovely sunny day.
Sweetie started to talk, but of course dropped the picture. Rarity was there to hold it aloft with her magic. “You recognise everypony there, right?” Sweetie looked up, especially at her sister, with pleading eyes. “Is it good?”
“Very,” Rarity said, holding up the drawing higher. “One to put on the fridge… if I can fit in somewhere.”
“Or a frame!” Sweetie exclaimed.
“Yes,” Rarity answered. “A frame.” The picture was levitated over to the kitchen and disappeared from view.
“That was an excellent drawing, Sweetie,” Bon Bon praised, smiling warmly. She leant down to speak with the filly at eye-level. “But me and your sister really were having a boring ‘adult talk’. Maybe I can…” Her eyes narrowed as she peered around shiftily. “Bribe you to go away with some candy?” she stage whispered.
Sweetie held back a laugh, nodding eagerly. “Sure thing. But you better provide. Miss…”
“Bon Bon,” she clarified. “Drop the ‘Miss’. It’s only a boring adult formality.”
“Right, gotcha. I’ll see you around, Mi—Bon Bon. Keep your word though, or I’ll…” Sweetie Belle backed off, looking up. “I’ll… scream really loud.” She hopped up the stairs, swiftly departing to her room.
“I have to say,” Rarity commented, sitting back in her seat. “You handled her rather well. Do you have a little sister of your own?”
Bon Bon shook her head. “Unfortunately—or fortunately depending on your view—no. I have always wanted children of my own though, someday.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow, finishing off her tea. When done, she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “Understandable, I suppose. But moving back to the topic formerly on hoof…” Leaning forward, she gave Bon Bon a small smirk. “So, when’s your first date?”
Bon Bon almost choked. First date?!
“You did what?!”
“Now calm down, Twilight. You had to arrange one eventually, I’m just speeding things along before the spark between you turns into a flickering ember. Besides, it’ll only be a casual thing—nothing to worry about.”
“And that’s why you’re measuring me for a dress then?” Twilight questioned, motionless on Rarity’s stand.
“Well…” Rarity took the last of the measurements with her tape, then backed off with a sheepish smile. “You do have to look good for her, dear. And the same applies for her to you.”
“You’re doing her dress too?”
Rarity shook her head, putting away the tape and jotting down some numbers in a notebook. “No, actually. She said her friend Lyra would be able to find something. Can’t imagine why she’d turn me down, though.”
Twilight looked down at her hooves, standing there since… she couldn’t remember. Rarity liked to take her time with these things. “Me neither.”
Rarity carried on, closing her notebook and gesturing for Twilight to get off the stand. “I’m thrilled for you, darling. I really am.”
Twilight, stepping off the raised platform, raised an eyebrow. “I hear a ‘but’ in there.”
The dressmaker was about to protest, when she sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’re not exactly the most social-smart pony.”
“Social-smart?”
“Yes, dear. You can be a bit…” Rarity licked her lips, wondering. Finally, she settled on something. “Awkward, at times. And sometimes you can’t read other ponies very well.”
Twilight bristled. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, for example. During my talk with Bon Bon, I picked up on a few things.” Twilight leant forward, brow raised. “She doesn’t care for the finer things.” Rarity flicked her ear. “Such as shopping and the like. And from the way she interacted with Sweetie Belle, I can tell she wants children of her own, someday.”
Twilight spluttered, almost collapsing onto the floor. “She what?!”
“Only calling it on how it appears to me, darling,” Rarity calmly stated.
“How can you even know that?!” Twilight blinked, then turned away, grinning. “But you don’t know that. You’re only deducing. And that’s something that’s pretty subjective, considering we’re talking about reading ponies’ emotional states and all…”
Rarity huffed and cut in before Twilight even had a chance to ramble on. “Perhaps I did get that part wrong, but it’s still something to consider if you’re looking into a long-term relationship.”
“Long-term?” Twilight froze, her back to Rarity. Complex equations she could efficiently run through her head were just fine for her. This, however… it was a different matter entirely. One that she hadn’t really researched. Not that it could be researched… was love a science? If so, that meant there were rules. Rules that could help Twilight be happy with Bon Bon. She wondered if there were any books in the library when a hoof on her shoulder snapped her out of her trance.
“Twilight? You’re over thinking it, dear.” Rarity rubbed her head, quietly sighing. “My fault, I suppose. Perhaps try thinking from here,” she softly touched Twilight’s chest, where her heart was, “as opposed to there,” she said, pointing at Twilight’s head.
Twilight let out a deep, calming breath, motioning her foreleg in the same manner Cadence had taught her to. Anxiety was washed out by a tide of serenity. Almost. “Okay… so where are we having our date?”
“Just the local restaurant. Exactly as I had said: nothing too formal. The dress I have in mind for you is nothing like the Gala,” Rarity elaborated, selecting a color chart and comparing it with Twilight.
“Alright.” Twilight allowed herself a small smile. “Sounds nice. I just hope Lyra doesn’t pick out something that’s too fancy… otherwise I’ll look bad.”
Rarity chortled quietly. “Lyra? That laidback mare? Please Twilight, I’m sure it won’t be too much.”
Bon Bon stood in Lyra’s living room, running out of air. Her throat was constricted, while her friend just observed her suffering.
“L-Lyra… it’s too tight!” she gasped, tugging at the light blue dress that was strangling her.
“You know what the problem is, right?” Lyra asked, walking around Bon Bon, inspecting her. “Your flank’s too big. Just look at that Bon Butt.”
Bon Bon snarled, thrashing her behind right at Lyra, causing the unicorn to stumble and almost fall onto the sofa. “Okay! Okay!” Lyra pleaded, correcting herself. “I’ll get you out.”
With the help of magic, Bon Bon was soon freed from that accursed fabric and spared the embarrassing fate of dying by dress. Rubbing her neck, the only thing she had to say wasn’t words at all. Instead, she chose to glare at Lyra.
“It’s not my fault if Earth Ponies are…” Lyra rubbed the back of her head, touching over a reminder of what not to say around mares. “... big boned.”
Bon Bon sighed, rubbing her face. “I can’t believe this would work…”
Lyra folded up her dress, frowning as she saw small tearing in places. “Why do you need a dress anyway? Isn’t this supposed to be a casual thing?”
“It was.” Upon seeing Lyra’s puzzlement, she continued. “Rarity arranged the thing. And you know she’s going to dress up Twilight to make her look fantastic. Which is all well and good for her, but I have to impress too.”
“Why don’t you just get Rarity to help you?”
“Several reasons. One: I’m not going to stand around for hours, while she sizes me up, listening to her… prattling.” Bon Bon started pacing around the room. “She isn’t a bad mare, but I really don’t have the patience to be with her for hours at a time, especially when I don’t know her. Second: I wouldn’t look good in the type of dress she does. I don’t think she does simple.”
Lyra raised a hoof to object, but was silenced. “Thirdly: it’d seem cheap and lazy to get something off one of Twilight’s friends. Rarity’s best asset is her generosity, and she’d no doubt try to sell me the dress for below cost, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Something I can’t really stand for; I need to impress Twilight on my own merits, and that means looking to you for help.” Bon Bon tugged at her neck again, but there wasn’t anything to tug.
By this time, Lyra had chosen to sit on the couch in her usual strange manner. “I really think you’re worrying too much about this. It’s casual, it’ll be fine. Just relax, follow your heart, and enjoy the ride.” She offered a kind smile. “You’re a great gal, Bons. Your personality is all you need.”
Bon Bon returned the expression. “Thanks Lyra. But…” Her smile faded as she turned away. “She is a Princess…”
“Who lives in a tree. That’s a library,” Lyra deadpanned. “Your point?”
“My point is that I have to really step up my game here! I’m just a lowly candymaker—” She hesitated. “Okay, royal confectioner… but my new position doesn’t mean much. Dating a Princess means the stakes are higher, Lyra. A lot higher.”
“Not really,” Lyra made a dismissive gesture with her hoof. “Twilight’s a Princess, sure, but she’s not Celestia or Luna levels. She’s the same as she always was, wings or not.” She patted the empty spot next to her, prompting Bon Bon to come forth and sit down (on all fours). Lyra slung a foreleg over Bon Bon’s shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. “Calm down, enjoy it, and you’ll have a great time. Trust me, I know these things.” Lyra flashed a confident grin. “I’m Lyra Heartstrings.”
Bon Bon groaned, rolling her eyes. “That’s what I’m worried about…”
“Look, if you’re really worried, I’ll help you out during the date,” Lyra said.
“During the date?” Bon Bon snorted, then shook her head. “So, what, you’re going to sit next to me and whisper advice into my ear?”
“Kind of.” Lyra tapped her chin, looking towards the ceiling. She got a brief moment of focus, then lost it. “Okay, not really. But I have a spell that’ll let me set up a telepathic link.”
Bon Bon just gave Lyra a level look. “You? Setting up a telepathic link?”
The minty mare performed a literal handwave; a glowing amber hand, transparent and ethereal, surrounded her forehoof. “Don’t put me down so easily, Bonnie. You can trust me. I’m a Heartstrings, for Celestia’s sake.”
Bon Bon took a long hard look at her best friend. Heartstrings were known for being experts in romance, hence their name, but… Lyra was an oddball. Actually, it’d be more accurate to call her a curveball, with extra oddity packed in. Sometimes she acted too rashly, or followed her heart a little too closely.
“Besides, I got a few tricks up my…” Lyra looked down at her naked form and lost her words.
It wasn’t like Bon Bon had much experience on dating, though. Lyra had more of that, definitely, despite being single. Taking a single breath, she made her choice. It’d be better than being alone, without any advice.
Her decision made, she grabbed Lyra’s attention. “That big butt of yours?” Bon Bon finished for her, looking at Lyra with a challenging smirk.
“Hey! It’s smaller than yours, Bon Butt!” A silence fell after Lyra’s outburst. Pointing at Bon Bon’s flank with a finger, Lyra asked, “Butt bump?”
“No,” came the instant response.