//------------------------------// // Volleyball // Story: Lyra and Bon Bon visit Wales // by Admiral Biscuit //------------------------------// Lyra and Bon Bon visit Wales Chapter 4 Admiral Biscuit It was a close match. Both Lyra and Bon Bon were rooting for the boys, of course. But while Lyra was interested in watching the players, Bon Bon studied the game with the same intensity Princess Twilight Sparkle aimed at a book of advanced magical theory. The women ultimately won. The final, desperate return by Pedr sailed out of bounds, rolling to a halt some twenty feet away from the court. Gwylan took the victory well, while Pedr's reaction was much more vocal, and he looked mournfully at his crotch several times as he loudly lamented the loss. Both teams took a break, passing out beer from a scratched blue Igloo cooler. Gwylan taunted her boyfriend with a disposable Bic razor she'd brought for the occasion, while Thomas sat down next to Lyra and Bon Bon and handed each of them a beer. "Summer Lightning," he said. "A good, strong ale." "It looks like watered-down apple cider," Lyra said dubiously. "Doesn't taste like it," he told her. "I take it you've never had beer before, and—" He looked over at Bon Bon who was draining the bottle in one long pull. She belched loudly and handed the empty bottle back to Thomas. "Not bad. A little bitter, but very smooth." She wiped off her mouth with the back of her wrist. "You got one more before I step in?" "You can have mine," Lyra said, making a face. "It's not really quite my flavor. Sorry, Thomas." He shrugged. "Hey, did you see that save I made earlier?" "Yeah. It reminded me of the time Bluebell dove for the ball in the final match of Cloudsdale vs. Las Pegasus and saved the game." She looked at him curiously. He had some scrapes on the top of his thigh from his landing. "That looks like it hurt." He waved his hand dismissively. "No biggie. I've had worse. One time, I slid into one of the poles. Saved the ball, though." "Well, I'm ready to play," Bon Bon said, standing up. She began to stretch like she'd seen the other girls doing. “You're going to play?” Gwylan said incredulously. “Forgive me for asking, but aren't you a little top-heavy?” “Top-heavy?” Gwylan shook her head. “Your boobs. Or are you going to put on a top?” “A top?” Bon Bon scrunched up her nose and looked at Lyra for any help. Lyra shrugged. “I don't have one.” “Really? You didn't wear one to the beach?” “They're French,” Thomas mouthed to her. Gwlyan looked over to the group clustered around the cooler. “Oi, Tirion. You're closest to her size.” “So?” the pixie-haired girl asked. “You got a top in your bag?” “It's nowhere near big enough. Might stretch enough to fit.” She grabbed a duffel and began rummaging around inside, finally pulling out a bright-orange bikini top. She tossed it over to Bon Bon. “How does this thing work?” Bon Bon asked, turning it over in her hand. "It's just like a bra . . . you've never worn a bra? God, I'm jealous. Most girls with boobs your size would sag . . . well, I can help you put it on if you want." "I'd rather just go without," Bon Bon grumbled. "Wouldn't want to have an unfair advantage." "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Tirion advised. “You’ll be sorry the first time you jump. Trust me.” "I'll be fine," Bon Bon assured her. Gwylan and Cati headed to the court. Pedr had opened another beer and shook his head. Thomas looked longingly at the court, too, but Lyra put a hand on his arm, and he stayed put. A few more guys and girls Bon Bon didn't know also went back to the court. "Have you played before?" Gwylan asked her. "No, but I got a pretty good idea how the game works," Bon Bon said. "I paid attention when you were playing your last game." "Do you play any sports?" "I'm pretty good at hoofball.” Gwylan looked at her dubiously. "Totally different than football—here you can only use your hands. Ah . . . tell you what. Why don't you start on our team in the center? We'll see what you can do." Cati and Gwylan took the front, leaving Bon Bon in the middle, with one man behind her. A quick coin toss gave them the ball first, and Bon Bon crouched down as the ball flew over her head to the other side of the net. It landed near the edge of the court, and one of the girls on the other side of the net reached for it, bobbing it up in the air. A bearded guy right in the front watched its arc carefully, before leaping up and driving it towards the center of the court—towards Bon Bon. If she'd stopped to think about her new body, she would have completely missed the ball, but the spell somehow made it follow her commands so long as she didn't put too much thought into the motion—besides, earth ponies were the best of the three tribes on their hind hooves. Bon Bon laced her fingers together and knocked the ball in a high arc back over the net, lofting it towards the very tail end of the other team's side. They made the return, and Cati blocked it at the net, jumping and driving it down into the ground at the feet of the bearded man. Bon Bon smiled—she'd have to remember that move. "Nice," Gwylan said, slapping Cati on the back. The bearded man picked the ball up and tossed it back to their server. Bon Bon crouched back down, resting her hands on her knees, a position which felt pretty natural. "One serving zero." He smacked the ball and launched it over the net. The bearded man jumped too late, the ball skidding off the top of his fingers, towards a willowy blonde who got just enough of the ball to send it bouncing toward the ocean. The ball changed hands a few times. Bon Bon studied each volley intently, learning what moves worked well and which ones didn't, as well as identifying the strengths and weaknesses of both teams. The women, she'd noticed, didn't jump as well as the men, which gave them a disadvantage when it came to spiking the ball—a move that was very hard to counter. On the other hoof, the man who'd started off as their server was terrible at bouncing shots up in the air where somepony else could hit it. It finally came her turn to serve, and she looked over the other side while formulating her strategy. The bearded man was the weak link, she decided. He was good at the net, but not mid-court. She tossed the ball up in the air and straight-armed it toward him, drilling it into his chest before he could get his arms under it. The ball bounced back, hitting the willowy blonde in the shin before falling to the sand. Yes, she thought. That worked perfectly. A second serve produced a nearly-identical result, and Bon Bon began to get cocky. She grinned at him as she bounced lightly on her feet. As long as she kept dropping the ball in the same place, they didn't have a good defense. Unfortunately, the bearded man had come to the same conclusion. As soon as she tossed the ball up for her serve, he moved forward, and to her dismay, he got his hands on the ball and knocked it back to their side. Cati dove for it and lobbed it up to Gwylan, who lightly set the ball. Cati ran up to the net, spiking the ball forward and down before the other team could react. As Bon Bon prepared for her fourth serve, the possible permutations were running through her head. If I make the same serve, he'll do the same move again, so how to counter it? She decided to go low, and hope he didn't get up to the net fast enough. Unfortunately, she went too low, and the ball hit the net, landing back on her side. She ran for it, crashing into Cati, and the two of them went down in a tangle of limbs. "Sorry," Bon Bon said as she pushed herself back to her feet. "I couldn't stop." Cati waved a hand. "No worries. It happens." The willowy blonde turned out to be a rather poor server, and the ball quickly came back to their possession. Bon Bon moved up to the net, where she found herself facing the bearded man. As she rocked on her feet, she noticed that his eyes kept being drawn to her boobs. She grinned—she could use that to her advantage. She began flexing her knees a little bit, letting them bounce more, all the while keeping her eye on the server. As soon as the ball was launched, Bon Bon jumped, blocking it at the net and bouncing it off the head of the bearded man. "Ow," she mumbled as she landed. Her chest hadn't liked that jump at all, and for a second she wondered if it was possible to accidentally give herself a black eye with her own boobs. Maybe there was something to Tirion’s warning. "I don't know how you can jump with those babies," Cati said. "It'd be nice if they were smaller," Bon Bon agreed. "Like yours, maybe." "You could get a breast reduction. A lot of girls your size do, especially if they're physically active." "Is that what you had?" Cati shook her head. "No, I wasn't blessed—or cursed—with big tits." "Can anyone here do it? It'd be easier to play if these things weren't flopping around." Cati raised an eyebrow. "Nooo, that's the kind of thing that a plastic surgeon needs to do in a clinic. You know." "Oh, right, a clinic. Sure, I knew that." Bon Bon sighed. It would have been nice if there was a spell that Lyra could cast, but apparently it took a specialist. "I'll be fine. If they get too sore, I'll just have Lyra give me a massage." • • • Lyra looked away from the volleyball game and over to Pedr's group—they had a picnic basket opened and were making sandwiches. Her stomach grumbled and she looked at the basket they'd brought from Equestria. It would be nice to have some traditional food while I'm here, she thought. Thomas noticed her interest. "You feeling peckish?" "Sure, what do you have?" "Let me check." He went over to the basket and rummaged around in it, then came back. "Lunch meat, Marmite, crisps, Branston Pickle, and a whole mess of bangers and mash Tirion made." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I wouldn't try those. The gulls wouldn't touch the last batch she brought. Oh! There's a tin of kippers. Not sure why they're still in the hamper." Lyra furrowed her brow. She had no idea what most of those things were. Lunch meat was out, and crisps sounded risky. Bon Bon, being an earth pony, did most of the shopping and cooking at their house. She was the expert on plants; she knew what kinds to get, and when they were at their freshest. Lyra had learned from watching, but to her knowledge no booth in Ponyville sold either Marmite or kippers. “I've always liked a big pickle," she mused. "Maybe Marmite and kippers, too? I've never had any of those things." “You're in for a treat,” Thomas told her, after bringing supplies from the basket. When he opened the can of kippers, Lyra's face turned green. She'd heard that some ponies ate fish, but had never taken any interest in it herself; judging by the smell coming from the can, she'd made the right choice. She shook her head and slid across the blanket until she was well upwind of the stench. “Right, then,” Thomas said. He looked over at Lyra and then back at the kippers in his hand, before gallantly carrying them over to the group surrounding the cooler. “She doesn't like kippers,” he explained softly, leaning towards Pedr. “I'd hate to have them go to waste, though.” “Trying to get lucky, mate?” Pedr punched his arm playfully. “Don't blame you. We'll take care of those nasty kippers.” He set the can on top of the cooler. “Off with you, then.” When Thomas got back to his blanket, Lyra had her finger dipped in the jar of Marmite. She licked it off and looked up at him. “This stuff is pretty good. What's it made out of?” She looked up the beach just in time to see Tirion toss a kipper up in the air and catch it in her mouth like a trained seal. “You know what? Don't tell me.” “It's probably better that way,” Thomas admitted, sticking a knife in the jar. “So,” Thomas asked once Lyra had finished her sandwich, “are you and Bon Bon, ah, an item? Together?” Lyra nodded. “We've been together since I got out of school. She had a room for rent, and one thing led to another. . . .” Thomas' face fell. He'd been getting his hopes up, only to have them come crashing down. The story of my life, he thought. Too little, too late, every bloody time. He took a drink of Summer Lightning to rally his courage. “I don't suppose you have an . . . open relationship?” “Open relationship?” Lyra furrowed her brow, uncertain what the expression meant. Certainly, everypony in Ponyville who was interested knew that they were dating. Her parents and Bon Bon's knew, and while her parents might have been a little disappointed that she wasn't married to a pony with high social standing, they understood her choice. And if she ever wanted a foal, there were plenty of stallions in Ponyville who'd be eager to help. “Yeah, I'd say it's open.” Thomas grinned. His ship wasn't sinking, after all. “Bon Bon's pretty good,” Thomas observed. “She ought to be.” Lyra covered a yawn. “Earth po—people tend to be athletic. She's better than me, physically.” “Earth people?” “Umm.” Lyra grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into her mouth to buy herself a little time to think. You and Bon Bon turned into pretty much the same thing, so maybe they don't have the three tribes. "You know, grow food and flowers and stuff.” “Oh, farmers.” Thomas chuckled. “I'm gonna have to remember 'earth people'; that's pretty good.” Lyra yawned again. “Sorry, I get sleepy after a meal,” she explained. “I didn't get a lot of rest last night, either. Would you mind if I took a bit of a nap?” “No, go right ahead. Do you want me to find a pillow or something for your head?” “Don't need one,” Lyra said, laying down on her side. “I can sleep like this just fine.” • • • "Well, that's enough for me," Bon Bon declared as she dropped on the blanket beside Thomas. "My boobs and legs hurt, and I've got welts on my forearm from the ball. You got another ale? I could use a drink." He nodded and pointed to the cooler. "Grab one. I don't want to disturb her." Lyra was stretched out on her side, her head resting on one outstretched arm, while her other hand was gently clutching Thomas' knee.  "She’s cute when she sleeps, isn’t she? How long has she been out?" "Most of your last game," Thomas said. "Hey, would you mind grabbing me one, too?" Bon Bon walked over to the cooler and pulled two bottles out of the ice. She'd seen how Thomas used the opener on the lids—which was conveniently tied to one of the cooler's handles, so it didn't get lost—and opened the bottles before walking back to the blanket. She handed one to Thomas and took a sip of hers. "She was up half the night," Bon Bon said. "She was in a really frisky mood, probably on account of knowing we were coming out here today.” Between the exercise, sun, and alcohol, Bon Bon was more talkative than usual. “I swear, it was all she could talk about yesterday evening; even then it was a pretty spur-of-the-moment decision. So far, it's been pretty nice, though.” “Yeah,” Thomas agreed, “it has. She's awfully upbeat.” He looked over at her and almost put a hand on her shoulder, but stopped himself at the last moment, instead bringing the beer bottle to his lips. “Tell me about it,” Bon Bon said, tracing a finger up Lyra's thigh. “Normally sex puts her right to sleep, but last night I had to—“ She turned in alarm as Thomas started coughing. “Are you all right?” "Just inhaled some beer," he wheezed. "You shouldn't do that," Bon Bon chided. She leaned down and gently nibbled Lyra's ear. "Hey, wake up. I'm going in the water. Wanna come?" Lyra yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Sure. Did you win?" "Weren't you watching?" "Sorry. Thomas and I got to talking. You know. And then I fell asleep." She stood up and looked down at Thomas. "You wanna come with us?" "Sure." He slammed the rest of his beer and got up, following them down to the water's edge. "Is it cold?" Lyra asked. "Not too bad," Bon Bon said as a wave washed over her feet. "I don't know if I can swim." Lyra whispered. "Don't most primates just sink?" "Stay in shallow water, then," Bon Bon suggested. She bounded into the waves, letting out an exuberant shriek as one of them broke across her belly. Once she was in chest-deep water, she squatted down and brought her legs off the bottom, testing to see how well she floated. It was a lot easier to swim as a pony, she decided. Here, her center of gravity was too high, and she had to move her arms around to keep from flopping face-first in the water—at least my boobs aren't pulling me under, she thought. She looked back at the shore, where Lyra had taken Thomas' hand and was letting him lead her into the deeper water like a child. Since she was alone, she took the opportunity to finally empty her bladder, sighing with relief. She probably shouldn't have had so much to drink—should have known that three beers and a half-magnum of wine were going to cause problems. She took a brief walk to neck-deep water, then pulled her legs back up off the bottom and flopped down on her belly, sticking her head under to rinse the sweat out of her hair. Even with the much duller sense of smell she now had, she could clearly smell it on her skin. Bon Bon opened her mouth, intending to take a drink, but spat it back out as soon as she tasted the salt. That can't be from me, she thought. The water was undrinkable. None of the lakes around Ponyville were this salty. She looked back towards the shore, where Lyra was standing next to Thomas, both of them just above their waists in the ocean. As she watched, Lyra reached out and took Thomas' hand in her own, before the two of them began to walk into deeper water. Bon Bon began walking towards them, her progress hampered by waves that lifted her feet off the bottom. She let the waves carry her forward, before deciding to attempt swimming. At first, the motion felt very odd—her hind legs were wanting to go perpendicular to her forelegs—but once she figured out that she could kick them back and forth while making a pulling motion with her arms, she began to make pretty good speed. Breathing was difficult: she had to turn her head to get it clear of the water, but her new arrangement of limbs seemed well-suited to forward progress. Lyra spotted her and pointed; Thomas let go of her hand and dove forward into a wave, rapidly disappearing under the surface of the water. Bon Bon stopped swimming and stood up, trying to see where he'd gone. A moment later, he re-appeared, broaching out of the waves very much like a whale would. He dropped back under the water, popped up one more time, and then without warning, grabbed Bon Bon by the legs. She shrieked as he pulled her under, but was laughing as soon as she came back up. “Who wants to play chicken?” Thomas called. Lyra and Bon Bon exchanged a glance. “I'm in,” Pedr called “Gwylan is, too.” “Oh, I am, am I?” She cuffed him before moving towards them. “I'm game,” Bon Bon volunteered. She wasn't sure how chicken was played, but it sounded like a sport. “Me, next.” “You can play winner,” Thomas suggested. “All right, Bons. Climb up on my shoulders.” She glanced over at Gwylan, who'd already taken position on Pedr's shoulders. Thomas was crouched down, waiting for her. She pulled herself up his back, flinching slightly as he grabbed her legs. The moment he stood, she began swaying—clearly, this was not a stable position. The two men faced each other. “On three,” Thomas said. “One . . . two—“ “Is she biting your neck?” Pedr asked. “Thr—wait, what?” It was no contest. Thomas was already off-balance from Pedr's remark, and Bon Bon's precarious perch didn't help. Pedr lunged forward, and Gwylan shoved Bon Bon in the shoulder, knocking her and Thomas back. Bon Bon windmilled her arms and leaned forward, but it was too late. “That was horseshit,” Thomas declared as he untangled himself from Bon Bon. “All's fair in love and war, baby,” Pedr retorted. “I want a re-match,” Bon Bon said. “This time I'll be on the bottom.” “Are you sure?” Thomas looked at her doubtfully. “Yes! You have no balance. If you'd taken a step back, Gwylan would have over-extended herself and we would have won,” Bon Bon stated. “She knows what she's talking about,” Lyra offered. “And she’s a lot stronger than she looks.” “Well, okay then.” Thomas seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Bon Bon crouched down like she'd seen him do, letting him straddle her shoulders. “That feels really weird,” she told him as she grabbed his legs. “Tell me about it.” Thomas shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position. "You're pulling on my mane!" Bon Bon reached a hand back.  "Let me just—" "Watch what you're grabbing!" "Don't be a baby," Bon Bon muttered as she pulled hee hair free. "Do you want to win, or not? Scooch up; if you sit too far back I can't balance right." "This feels really weird in so many ways." “You're tickling the back of my neck,” Bon Bon groused, loud enough for Pedr to hear. He dropped Gwylan as he doubled over, howling with laughter. “That ought to count as a victory,” Lyra said. Pedr shook his head. “No way. It only counts we get pushed over, not if we fall over on our own.” Bon Bon stood up when Thomas patted her on the head and shifted her feet for balance. The bottom wasn't flat, and of course she couldn't see if there were any obstacles on it, which made things a bit trickier. Thomas was a bit heavier than she'd expected, but she figured she could cope with the extra weight. “Just before you push, lean forward,” she said. “Then don't move. I'll keep our balance, but if you move too far, I won't be able to recover.” “Got it,” he said, glancing down at her for a moment, then back where Gwylan had gotten back on Pedr's shoulders. “Hit her high and use your reach.” As the two pairs came together, Lyra grinned. She loved Bon Bon's determined face, and even as a human, it was sexy. She let Pedr take the last step, stopping short and setting her feet. Thomas shoved Gwylan with both hands, rocking back slightly as the woman lost her balance. Bon Bon grinned as they stayed up. “That ties the score,” she said triumphantly. “Now we've got to do best of three.” “I want to play,” Lyra said. “I want a turn.” “I'm not breaking up a winning combination,” Bon Bon told her. “Me and Thomas are staying like this.” “I could—“ Pedr began. “No you don't.” Gwylan told him. “I'm not letting you give a stranger a piggyback ride. I'll be on the bottom.” “Fine.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and stepped back as Lyra came bounding over. She quickly climbed on Gwylan's back, grabbing the Welsh girl's head for balance as she stood. Bon Bon and Thomas' victory was assured before the match even began: Lyra struggled to maintain her balance, not trusting Gwylan to stay under her, and her push was half-hearted at best. As soon as Thomas had dismounted, Bon Bon gave him a hug, before splashing over to Lyra. “Wasn't that fun? We should try that at home—I bet Pinkie'd like to play. She loves water sports.”