I heard my alarm clock ring. The last thing I wanted to do was wake up. Monday mornings were always the toughest.
I lazily put my hoof on the snooze button. Perhaps, I could risk a few more minutes of sleep.
"No, Sweetie Bon-Bon Drops", I said to myself quietly, "you need to go to work."
The bed was nice and warm. I wanted to stay put. I would dream of nicer things than work.
I couldn't. No, I certainly couldn't.
I had an important job and a good salary.
I opened my eyes. It looked like a beautiful and sunny day outside. The only thing more beautiful than the day itself was my marefriend, Lyra Heartstrings. She was a mint-green unicorn with a lyre for her cutie mark. Lyra was sleeping on the other side of the bed. She had probably adapted nicely to the sound of my alarm clock. I smiled to myself, perhaps I should test that theory to see if it was true someday.
I gingerly tip-toed out of bed and dragged myself to the bathroom.
I looked at myself in the mirror and grimaced. The pink hairs and the dark blue hairs were all tangled and I looked like a mess.
I always prided myself on looking pretty but professional whenever I went to work.
First, I needed to take a shower. I took off my pajamas and got into the shower. The warm water felt nice on my body. A shower was always pleasantly refreshing to me. All the dirt and the grime from my regular activities washed away. I felt like a new mare and was ready to conquer the day.
I was finally able to get my mane all curled up properly. Perfect. Most ponies, including Lyra, loved the way I took care of my mane. The pink and blue matched nicely with my cream-colored face and light blue eyes.
I wondered what else was there about me besides being an earth pony working my way through the corporate world.
It's something I didn't think about often, but there was one important day which gradually changed my outlook on life.
I remembered that day at the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard.
It was a wedding which was almost a disaster for them. It turned out the Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, kidnapped Cadence and took her form. Chrysalis had planned to conquer Canterlot through her army of changelings.
She chose to marry Shining Armor so she could put him under her spell and weaken the force field he set up around Canterlot.
The army of changelings broke through the weakened force field and began to attack.
I laughed to myself, the whole plan seemed hopelessly convoluted and far from fail-safe. So many little pieces needed to work just right for Chrysalis' plan to succeed. Chrysalis didn't count on Twilight Sparkle. She was perhaps the only pony I ever met who could match my own intellectual prowess or even possibly exceed it.
Twilight had that connection with Princess Celestia by being her mentor and of course.. she was at the wedding because Shining Armor is her brother.
I was at the wedding because Lyra was invited to be a bridesmaid by Princess Cadence. Lyra was hoofpicked as a bridesmaid because of her highly influential family: the Heartstrings. The Heartstrings are perhaps the wealthiest and most elite non-royal family in all of Equestria. Lyra and Cadence had never spoken to one another before the wedding actually. However, what Emerald Heartstrings wanted for his daughter would happen... I chuckled to myself, almost everything. I had captured Lyra's heart. The Heartstrings did not dream that their sweet daughter would get hitched with an earth pony with a middle-class family but one who possessed a lot of potential and held a fiery ambition to succeed. Those two qualities of mine have thankfully put me in my good graces. My genuine loyalty and devotion to Lyra also has helped.
Enough digression. None of that was what amazed me.
When the changelings were attacking and pulverizing the ponies around me, they had actually approached me with respect.
Changelings would either bow to me or even motion to me that I should be joining them.
My poor marefriend, Lyra, did not receive the same respect. No pony in the arena did.
They seemed to think I was one of them. I thought it was ridiculous.. but it all made me wonder.
I have definitely wondered about that moment ever since it happened. Why? What made me so special?
It was an obsession I had undertaken which rivaled Lyra's ridiculous obsession with humans.
Unlike humans, changelings were real.
Unlike humans, changelings were dangerous.
Why would the changelings like me? I am Bon-Bon, of the Drops family. My family is perhaps the antithesis of royalty in Equestria... foolishly the antithesis, I thought sadly. Why? I couldn't believe what my father had done.
Perhaps, the rebellious changelings associated me with my father somehow... none of this made sense, none of this made sense at all. I hated how this had become a burning obsession for me. Was this how Lyra felt on a daily basis when thinking about humans?
No.. not like this...
The humans made Lyra happy and she was open about bringing them up. She would embarrass me many times by bringing them up in public like they were real, sentient beings.
The changelings did not make me happy at all.. oh no.. this obsession has come from the dark depths of my soul.
I always felt different from my peers. I thought it was simply because I was more advanced than they were and meshed better with adults than foals when I was a filly. Now I am older and I still feel different.
Time to block that obsession out. Today, like every weekday, was about work. I had goals to achieve and projects to complete. I didn't have time to delve into this silly and worthless pursuit of self-exploration for too long.
I took another look at the mirror. I looked ready to conquer the day. I smiled.
"Ready to conquer the day!!"
I started at the loud and cheerful voice. It was Lyra. She loved to scare me like that.
"Hey Lyra", I said, "I wasn't expecting you at all."
"Oh, Bon-Bon", responded Lyra, "I think I found my own motivation for waking up. You're too cute when you're lost in thought like that."
"Tee hee", I said sarcastically, "I got a lot on my mind."
"Ooh ooh, like what?"
"Humans."
"Humans, oh my Celestia! Wouldn't having hands make things so much easier?"
"Nah, I am skilled with my hooves and my mouth."
"You certainly are skilled with your mouth, my lover", giggled Lyra and kissed me on the cheek.
"What would I do without you, Lyra?"
"Your life would be soooooooo much more boring."
"Couldn't agree more. It's rather enjoyable to visit the looney bin to see Looney Lyra."
"Oh come on, you can't spell Bonkers without Bon."
I laughed heartily. My marefriend was so witty.
"I am glad I can make you smile before another Monday at work", giggled Lyra.
"My turn". I kissed Lyra on the lips. Her green face turned a little red. I absolutely loved the power I had over Ms. Heartstrings.
"I'm scared."
"What do you have to be scared about?"
"I don't want to see you unhappy, Bonnie, and that job you're in makes you miserable."
"Do you want to start paying rent for our apartment?"
"I dunno.. I just want you to be happy."
My job was rough and a lot of hours, but I had to admit that I took pride in how much everypony depended on me. This is no surprise, for I am Bon-Bon. My job at Barnyard Bargains' corporate office had begun to feel like a rut - that's what Lyra was talking about above all else.
"What are your plans for today?"
"The usual", replied Lyra with a grin, "playing my lyre around Ponyville and hoping some ponies put in some bits here and there."
"Does that actually work?"
"You'd be surprised", said Lyra, "actually, your boss gave me two hundred bits for a five minute performance."
"Rich is a very generous pony."
"I know what you mean by that", giggled Lyra, "I think it's more like that I am simply that good at playing the lyre."
"I know you are, sweetie. You're following your cutie mark."
"You know it's odd that you haven't followed yours."
My cutie mark was of three candies. I always did enjoy making candy and it was one of my favorite hobbies. However, my career proved to be elsewhere.
"Haven't you tried my super special candy recipe before?"
"Yep, and that's why I wish you would make them everyday!"
"I am far too busy at work. I need to make sure all of Barnyard Bargains' schedules are in shape as of year end. We have the auditors coming in pretty soon."
"You make it sound like that the whole company would fail without you."
"It is my job. It is my duty. I am supposed to do this and no pony else."
"I suppose it's true that no pony could do the job better than you can buuuuuuut..."
"Buuuuuut...", I said parroting Lyra's tone.
"You don't have enough time for me."
"Don't you think I know that!?!? I would love to spend every moment of my life with you, Lyra.. buuuuuuuuut think of the future I am building for us. Don't you want to live in a Canterlot mansion? Why! We can live in the same neighborhood as your parents."
That last part wasn't ideal.. but the Heartstrings did live well. It surprised me that Lyra was so anti-materialistic, perhaps, because she had never been in a situation where she had a lack of them. My upbringing made me quite desirous of wealth.
"You think Filthy Rich is going to make you the next CEO of Barnyard Bargains?"
"Rich... his name is Rich and I dunno."
"You do make a mighty convincing suck-up. I think you could be the next CEO but is it worth all the toil and looking at numbers all day?"
"I like numbers."
"Oh, I forgot that you're a dork", said Lyra with a dorky laugh.
"Takes one to know one."
"Shut up", Lyra grinned.
"If you weren't so damn sexy, I would have kicked you out ages ago."
"Good thing I am", said Lyra who suddenly turned around and shook her plot at me. Oh, Lyra. You're ridiculous!
I laughed out loud and slapped Lyra right on the plot.
Lyra yelped and then giggled, "I'll get my revenge on you tonight."
"Looks like I'm pulling an all-nighter."
Lyra stuck her tongue out at me.
A part of me had wished I could do what Lyra wanted me to do. However, as always, her head was in the clouds. She didn't wish to think of the consequences which would occur for me and her if I quit my job. Like I told Lyra this morning, I am the one who is paying all the rent.
I kissed Lyra on the cheek and waved goodbye.
I trotted off to work. I couldn't be late!
The job may not be fun but it is important. I was on a good path. Something you should know about me is that I want to be some pony extraordinary. No pony worked as hard as me. I wanted to be some pony that I could be proud of. It was a sunny spring day but certainly no time for smelling the roses.