This was it. Time for me to shine. I could even put all the craziness behind me for just one night.
I smiled and looked at the mirror. I needed to look my most dashing for my professional future.
Nothing could go wrong.
I heard the giggles from Lyra, "Bonnie, are you cheating on me with your boss?"
"Yes, of course I am", I responded sarcastically.
"I knew it", said Lyra laughing loudly.
"I wasn't keeping it a secret", I responded while sticking out my tongue.
"Oh, Bon-Bon, please never change."
"Changing is something I fear I will have to do a lot of soon."
"I see what you did there, that kind of changing is okay."
"I am glad I have your approval, Lady Lyra."
"No problem, Bitch Bon-Bon."
I groaned with a fake sense of outrage.
"You'll always be my bitch, Bonnie", giggled Lyra, "and don't forget that. Even if Rich makes you his bitch every day of the week."
"I gotta be Rich's bitch, if we want to survive."
"We'd bounce back if you.."
"A.k.a, your parents will send bundles of cash over your way if you needed it."
Woah, shit.. what just came out of me, but I suppose I said worse to Lyra in the past.
"Hey.. I'm sorry. I guess that is true.. but what I was trying to say is that you could change jobs just like that.. you're so.. qualified."
When Lyra wanted to make her point, no vitriol from me would stop it.
"This is a sure bet if I work hard", I responded, "don't want you to live in a big and beautiful mansion with me someday?"
"I don't really care, that's your dream. Not mine."
I knew that part was true. Lyra already had that unbelievably privileged lifestyle as a filly, while I didn't.
I wanted the fighting to stop and decided to not bring that up.
"Yes, I'll admit that."
"I'm fine with you pursuing your dreams, but don't act like that they are for my sake. They are for your own sake."
"Then.. can you understand why I need to focus so much on my job?"
"You can't be happy doing that."
"I want to be rich. I want power. I want influence. I want a big fancy house with servants at my whim. These are all things I want, Lyra."
"As long as you can admit that and stop the condescending bullshit you like to spew about how this is all for me.. then I'm okay, I guess..."
"Lyra, I'll never leave you for Rich. Don't worry about it. I'm having dinner with his family. If things go well, you could be going with me a lot to network with him."
"Good. I'll be by your side, Bon-Bon. I want you to be happy."
"As I want you to be happy. Match made in heaven, right?"
Lyra smiled at me and nodded her head.
"Now, it's time for me to impress Rich tonight."
As I was fixing myself up, I was beginning to understand why Lyra might feel a little annoyed. Even though I am typically meticulous about my appearance, I was never so obsessively meticulous. I needed to look perfect for Rich. I never felt I needed to look perfect around Lyra, especially given her "devil-may-care" attitude on a lot of things, but maybe I should work a little harder on that.
I had to be on my best behavior at work today. Nothing would ruin this day.. nothing!
There was Clean, that not-so-old and not-so-unicorn, sweeping the floors. He would probably find a way to muck things up.
"You look like a zillion bucks today, Bon-Bon", said Clean, "have a fun night with Lyra planned?"
"No", I responded, "tonight, I'm having dinner with Rich and his family. Need to be 100%."
"I hope you run the place someday", said Clean with a pleasant yet subtly sarcastic tone.
"Me too, gotta get to my cubicle if you don't mind."
"I'm the janitor. No need to take orders from me. How is the griffon expansion plan going?"
"Keep quiet about it. It's not exactly public."
"How's it going?"
"I guess since you know, it's going great.. but we have an audit to worry about first."
"That will be enough time for you to learn how to become a griffon yourself. If you wanna be a million bucks, you know what could help."
I smiled at Clean. He could be right, but that had absolutely nothing to go with the nothing-can-go-wrong nature of tonight!!
"I'm gonna go now, have a good day."
"You too, Ms. Drops."
It was 5:55 PM, almost time for the big night.
I saw an email pop up from an ncruncher@dst.com.
DST, Derby Stakes Trotter, our auditors.
I opened it up.
Hi Bon-Bon,
I hope you're doing well. I attached the PBC request list to this email. It would be to both of our greatest convenience if you could have most of these items ready for when we arrive Monday.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Looking forward to working with you next week.
Thanks,
Number Cruncher, CPA.
I quickly responded.
Hi Number Cruncher,
Thanks for sending this list out and looking forward to begin the audit on Monday.
Thanks,
Sweetie "Bon-Bon" Drops
The name Number Cruncher looked oddly familiar. I think I knew a pony named Number Cruncher from a long time ago. Could it be this pony? I don't know. Some pony names were incredibly common like "Rarity". It seemed that every unicorn wanted to name their daughter Rarity.. it may not even be the same Number Cruncher, I don't know. Wait.. yes, I am remembering now.
I was a little filly in kindergarten.
I could remember walking through the school with high levels of anxiety.
Some of the ponies weren't very nice to me, I barely knew why. I guess I was an easy target for the nasty ones.
I bumped into Brilliant Beauty and her friend, Gold Coast.
"Watch where you're going, klutz", snarled Brilliant Beauty at me, "you're such a dork."
Gold Coast giggled at what Brilliant Beauty had said. I always wondered if Gold Coast was missing part of her brain.
I ignored them like usually and walked them away.
"I wonder what your cutie mark is going to be... probably a clumsy fool or a worthless clump of dirt or... perhaps, a changeling. You seem very much like one of those disgusting bugs." I kept on walking and ignoring her.
Then, I heard a soft growl, "What did you say about changelings?"
It didn't sound feminine at all. I saw that a cream-colored unicorn colt was snarling at Brilliant Beauty.
"I said changelings were disgusting bugs", said Brilliant Beauty nonchalantly, "why do you care? Are you one too?"
"I want you to leave that filly alone, that's what. I see you and your friend teasing her every day for no good reason."
"Ooh, do you have a widdle crushie on the klutz? That's so cute. Do you think she is more beautiful than me?"
"At least a thousand more times beautiful than you, m'lady."
"That's it", snarled Brilliant Beauty, "you asked for it, no pony makes fun of my beauty... mommy and daddy say that I'm the most beautiful filly in all of Equestria."
"Parents always lie to their kids."
"Like how you're worth anything to anypony in the world, I'm worth more than you", said Brilliant Beauty suddenly lunging herself at the colt.
The colt seemed to be just standing there, but suddenly teleported in front of me. A defense I would never be able to hold.
"I'll keep you safe from those losers", said the colt to me, "my name is Number Cruncher."
I shyly smiled at him and said, "I would tell you my name, but something tells me you already know it."
"Bon-Bon."
"I had a feeling. Do you know about changelings?"
"More than I should. Hey, you're a real strong filly."
"Huh?
"If those spoiled brats were bullying me every day, I would have been set off every time. You just ignore them."
"They're nothing to me", I then said with a smile, "like disgusting bugs."
Number Cruncher smiled back at me.
This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship - unfortunately one that didn't last long enough.
When we were in first grade, Number Cruncher had transferred to the prestigious Belmont Academy.
We had a few playdates, but lost touch after some time.
I feel it was moreso my fault than that of his. I was a recluse and enjoyed my alone time.
I could never figure out Number Cruncher. When thinking back, nothing truly indicated that he had changeling blood, but nothing truly indicated he didn't have it either. Brilliant Beauty would bully me due to the rumors that my father was a changeling. Cruncher insisted he was just sick and tired of hearing her taunt me.
I wanted to go to Belmont Academy, but my mother told me, "We can't afford it."
Number Cruncher definitely could. His father was the president of the Belmont Stakes Laboratory.
My father was gone and my mother was a small-time baker.
I was devastated, but had grown so absorbed in my studies that I shut out the horrid environment I was in entirely.
Being the best and being at the top was what mattered most. Not friendship.
Maybe this was a different Number Cruncher anyway, I thought to myself.
I had to make sure I was 100% ready for the dinner.. oh my gosh.. it's already 6:00, I can't be late!!
I walked to Mansion Path. I said I would meet Rich at his house at 6:30. Mansion Path didn't have many houses in the neighborhood, but it probably had the largest land area of all the neighborhoods in Ponyville. Each house was zoned for five acres of land. Rich's house was at the very end of the neighborhood and was the most magnificent of all the houses. I saw my dream front line and center when I finally arrived at Rich's house.. I mean.. mansion.
It was an enormous brick colonial which seemed to extend on each side forever. There was a fountain right in front of the building with a dolphin shooting water out of its snout. I could see six marble statues: three on each side. Each side had an identical set of statues: an earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn.
Rich's mansion reminded me of the Heartstrings Mansion in some ways: mostly from its size and majestic presence.
However, there were differences too. The Heartstrings Mansion was old-fashioned - built five hundred years ago. The mansion was from a time when unicorns were considered the superior beings in the city of Canterlot. Lyra lived in a mansion that seemed hopelessly stuck in time and in an era where social mobility was nil. The Heartstrings barely contributed anything productive to society and had centuries worth of money to keep things that way.
Rich's mansion was very young, in comparison. It was a mansion built specifically for him and his family. Despite Rich's name, Rich wasn't born rich: he was from a modest family in Ponyville and created his own wealth. Rich lives in a time when social mobility is possible and he had certainly contributed a lot with Barnyard Bargains. I liked this mansion better than the one of my lovely marefriend's parents. Rich's mansion meant promise. The Heartstrings Mansion simply mocked my 'inferiority'.
I rang the doorbell.
Rich opened the door and smiled at me, "Hello there, Bon-Bon. I am so glad that you are here to join us."
"Thank you Rich, and likewise."
We walked into the dining room. There was a pink unicorn mare and a pink earth pony filly. I assumed these must be Rich's wife and daughter. The mare was incredibly glamorous and the filly had a tiara on her head.
The two of them waved at me.
"Bon-Bon", said Rich, "I would love for you to meet my wife, Trophy Mare, and my daughter, Diamond Tiara."
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you", I said with politeness.
"The pleasure is ours", said Trophy Mare.
"My daddy has said so many great things about you", beamed Diamond Tiara.
Diamond Tiara seemed very mature for her age. It was hard to lump her and Scootaloo in the same age group. However, I didn't even know Diamond Tiara.
"I'm honored", I responded.
"I hope my husband isn't working you too hard", said Trophy with a chuckle.
"He certainly isn't. I bring that upon myself."
"See, my dear daughter", piped Rich, "she loves working at Barnyard Bargains."
I saw the pink filly glare at her father and then say, "Maybe I'll like it too, I don't know if I would be any good at business though."
"Not good at business", laughed Rich, "that's nonsense! Bon-Bon, did I ever tell you that my daughter turned the elementary school newspaper into a sensation?"
Gabby Gossip? Yes, that must be what he's talking about. Filled with lies was more like it. There was an awful article in there about Lyra cheating on me with Braeburn. Everypony, including me, knew it wasn't true.. but it was her. However, I did have to admit that showed the filly did have a good business sense.
"I remember that", I said meekly.
"I'm sorry if I wrote anything mean about you", said Diamond Tiara sweetly, "I didn't want things to get out of hoof like that.. but some fillies pressured me into it."
"As I always tell you", said Trophy, "stand up for yourself. Those Cutie Mark Crusaders don't even have their cutie marks. They aren't better than you in any way."
"I know, mom", responded Diamond Tiara, "it gets hard though.. all the abuse I take from them. I'm pretty sure Apple Bloom wants to cut my cutie mark off and put it on her own flank... it's real awful. Apologies, we shouldn't be talking about such unpleasant things around guests."
I knew fillies like Diamond Tiara back at Belmont Stakes. I wasn't fooled by her act at all. However, there was something else about the filly. She didn't seem like your typical snobby princess.. something about her seemed much more... I couldn't think of the world, but it certainly was something.
"It's okay", I said, "I went to school with some mean ponies myself."
"How did you deal with them", asked Diamond Tiara.
"I ignored them and acted like they didn't exist. They will go away if you do that."
"You're so smart, Bon-Bon", cheered Diamond Tiara, "I must try that.. but..."
"But what", asked Rich.
"But... they're probably gonna start calling me a mute and try to take away my tiara..."
"Bullies will try everything to provoke you", I said, "but it's up to you to show your strength by not letting yourself succumb to them."
"I told you Bon-Bon is a good role model", said Rich to Trophy.
"Certainly", said Trophy with a haughty air.
"I think it's time for dinner", said Rich cheerfully.
Their butler came in with golden trays of food : plenty of fritters. My goodness, it must be a rich pony thing since that was what the Heartstrings liked to eat too. The portions were small; it seemed like that it was more about the fancy trays from Celestia knows where...
"Now, it is time for us to say grace", said Rich.
Many families said grace before eating dinner, but my family never did. Neither my mother nor father believed that doing so was worth anything. It wasn't like that thanking Princess Celestia for the food in front of us would make our lives better. Belmont Stakes was a relatively secular area, but Ponyville was more grounded in religious roots.
"Bon-Bon, why don't you start?"
I blushed. The last time I had to start grace was over at the Heartstrings Mansion. I remember that Lyra was laughing her flank off the whole time as I rambled on about nothing. This time, I would keep it short and thoughtful.
"I would like to thank Princess Celestia for all the food on our table and for living such fantastic lives."
"Amen", said Rich.
"Praise Celestia", added Trophy.
At least there was silverware here. At the Heartstrings Mansion, since they were unicorns, they used their magic to pick up the food.
The food was all good.. very much high quality.
The conversation started off pleasant. I learned that Rich had come from a family of middle-level salesponies, but he was the one to break from the mold and become truly rich. As all know, Barnyard Bargains was his creation.
Trophy Mare was from a high-class family in Canterlot. She never went to college and lived life getting exactly what she wanted.. including the up-and-coming new-money Rich.
As for Diamond Tiara, it seemed that she was a fish out of water in her school. She was somehow "better" than everypony else and all were jealous of her.. at least, that's how her parents put it. Like I said before, there was something about Diamond Tiara that seemed a little off...it was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but I suppose time would tell.
However, Trophy Mare said something which gave me cause to be nervous.
"The world is in a lot of trouble these days", said Trophy astutely, "I don't know if you have been paying attention to the news, but the rumors of changeling invasions are growing stronger every day.. certainly not pleasant for us ponies."
I played dumb.. what changeling invasions, I don't watch the news.
"My dear", scolded Rich, "changelings are not all bad. They aren't too different from ponies."
It warmed my heart a little bit to hear that from Rich.
"Of course you would say that", said Trophy angrily, "you would let a changeling in if it gave you money... what kind of money whore are you?"
"Not in front of guests", said Rich calmly.
"I would rather be a changeling than a blank flank", added Diamond Tiara.
"Isn't our daughter incredible", said Trophy, "she got her cutie mark so early in life.. only four years old!"
I was one of the last ponies in my class to get her cutie mark. Every other thing out of Trophy's mouth seemed to be offensive.. I had to stay polite and cordial.
"Wow, that is impressive", I said, "I got my cutie mark fairly late in life. I was ten."
"Woah", said Diamond Tiara with shock, "you were a blank flank that long?"
"Yea", I said, "it took me time to figure out my special talent."
"I hope those girls find their special talent soon", said Diamond Tiara sadly, "maybe the bullying would stop."
"I tell you", said Trophy, "stand up for yourself! Fight those little tramps. For goodness sake, one of them is a pegasus who will never be able to fly.. you can't let yourself be tortured by such pathetic weaklings."
"I know, Mommy", said Diamond Tiara, "but it's too hard."
Rich sighed with frustration. However, I knew that the worse they looked that the better I looked in comparison. Maybe, that promotion will come soon enough.
"Did I tell you two that Bon-Bon is going to lead the Griffon Expansion?"
"No, you haven't", responded Trophy, "wow, that is quite a responsibility, Bon-Bon."
I smiled shyly at Trophy.
"She's very capable", said Rich, "I know she'll make me proud."
"Griffons", said Diamond Tiara sticking out her tongue, "why would you want to do anything with them?"
"Di", said Rich, "griffons are much like you and me. They have families. They have brains. They have hearts."
"They're still ugly and meanie", responded Diamond Tiara.
"I'll do my best", I said.
"Can we move out of Ponyville if you become richer from this, Daddy?"
Rich didn't respond to that.
"All the kids bully me there", whined Diamond Tiara.
"What about your friend, Silver Spoon", responded Rich.
"She's nice, but everyone else.. ugh... especially that Apple girl, I swear to Celestia is a sociopath, she wants to see me dead. If she wasn't there, I think every pony would like me better."
"Those Apples certainly know how to talk the talk", commented Trophy.
"A fine family", beamed Rich.
"Yes, without you, they would be nothing... groveling in the soil and trying to make good of their shitty farmhand lives."
"That's certainly not true."
"Maybe you can talk to Applejack", said Diamond Tiara, "and get Apple Bloom to stop being so mean to me."
"I promise I'll do so next time I'm there, Di."
"I love you, Daddy", cheered Diamond Tiara blowing an air kiss.
The rest of the dinner was pleasant. It turned out that they really wanted me to be Diamond Tiara's surrogate "big sister".. meaning I would be responsible for showing her the ways of the world and help her become tougher around the mean ponies in her school. They were probably going to ship her off to private school soon.. but I might as well do what I can to help Diamond Tiara. Who knows? If I succeed, maybe I could become CFO of Barnyard Bargains soon enough. I grinned to myself.
With that said, I had to admit that I found Trophy Mare to be chilling. She certainly didn't like changelings. She even talked about finding a group of changelings in Canterlot and brining them to Celestia herself. I shivered at the thought... what if this was all a trap? Trophy seemed rather indifferent to the idea of me being around though.. this was all Rich's idea. Trophy couldn't have known about my Halfling status. There was no way.... I was still scared, feeling paranoid.
One thought came to my mind. I wished that I never knew I was a Halfling. My life had become so damn complicated since that happened. Before then, I was a simple earth pony mare looking to rise to the top of the corporate ladder. Now, I was some changeling/pony freak who was expected to play some role in some mysterious changeling's plan to do whatever it is he wanted to do to ponykind. If I could go back in time and change things.. I would... but that wasn't possible. It was my changeling blood.. my goddamn changeling blood... I couldn't abandon them. If the threats were real, I was in danger too and that was the reality.
Besides, if I lose my job, I could always transform into some high-powered executive and take over his/her life making that life my own... being a changeling did have its perks.