//------------------------------// // ...You'll Never Be Happy // Story: If You Don't Try... // by MidnightSpark23 //------------------------------// Sunlight streamed into a small bedroom, bathing a cream colored pony in the sun’s rays. Bon Bon shifted slightly to try to escape the offending light, but she jerked up instantly. The memory of her eventful afternoon was still in her mind. She brought a hoof up to her lips as her heart started to race with the thought of a certain mint green unicorn. She hopped off of her bed making her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day, but one question kept buzzing in the back of her mind. Am I in love? After brushing her teeth and her mane, she walked downstairs and into the kitchen that was currently bustling with movement. “Hi Daddy,” Bon Bon called to her father, Flapjack. The cream-coated, blue-maned stallion was wearing an apron to keep his coat from getting messy as he made breakfast. Bon Bon looked embarrassingly at the apron. ‘Kiss the Cook’ was written in big letters on it. “Hey Sweetie, want some breakfast? I’m making pancakes.” “Sure.” she replied happily, moving to sit at the kitchen table, but Flapjack cleared his throat loudly. “What?” she asked, thoroughly confused by the look he was giving her. “Read the apron. For strangers, it’s a suggestion. But for family, it’s mandatory.” Bon Bon groaned, but she knew her father was adamant about his rules, no matter how silly they were. “So… how’s my favorite daughter doing this morning?” he asked with a big smile as Bon Bon gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Dad, I’m your only daughter.” she retorted playfully. “Which means you’re also the worst.” he countered with a smirk. Bon Bon just rolled her eyes and took a seat. Flapjack set a plate with a few pancakes in front of her, then nuzzled the top of her head. They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the delicious taste of the morning delicacies before Bon Bon cleared her throat. “Dad? What… what’s love?” Flapjack raised his eyebrows and choked slightly on the food in his mouth. Washing down what he could with coffee, he looked up slyly at Bon Bon. “Why do you ask, Bonnie?” Bon Bon shifted nervously in her seat. She tried to look calm, but the noticeable blush on her face betrayed her. “Does my little Sweetie Drops have a crush?” Flapjack chuckled, as Bon Bon’s face went from a light pink to a deep red. “Forget it, Dad.” Bon Bon mumbled as she slid the plate of unfinished pancakes forward and walked out of the kitchen. “Wait, Bonnie. I was only teasing,” called Flapjack as he slipped out of the kitchen to follow his daughter. She sat down on the couch in the living room, gazing out the window as he trotted in and took a seat by her side. “Let’s talk about it… where do you want to start?” he asked slowly draping a hoof over Bon Bon’s shoulder in an all-too-familiar fashion. Bon Bon sat quietly. “What is love?” she repeated looking into Flapjack’s eyes. He brought his free hoof up to his chin. “Hmm… what is love? Well Sweetie, love is kinda hard to explain. Love… is what you feel for another pony.” Bon Bon opened her mouth to complain about the obvious answer, but he continued. “Love isn’t necessarily this pony running non-stop through your mind. It means that you’re happy to see them no matter what. If they’re happy, sad, or angry, or if you are, but it won’t matter to either of you because you know what you feel for each other. Love is feeling safe around that pony. You could be having the worst time of your life, but even in that worst time, that pony will always be there to make it better for both of you.” “Is it really that simple?” Bon Bon asked curiously, but Flapjack just chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, Bon. I never said love was simple. You should know that love is probably the hardest thing you have to deal with in your whole life. There’s always gonna be complications. It could be something as small as a misunderstanding, or something as big as others that don’t want you to be together. But that’s how you know it’s really love. No matter what troubles come your way, you stand tall, supporting and being supported by the pony you love.” “Do you still love Mom?” she whispered quietly. Flapjack froze for a moment before tighten his grip on Bon Bon’s shoulder. “I still do. Just because she isn’t around anymore doesn’t mean I don’t love her any less. I know that she’s in a better place, and that she probably loves and misses me just as much as I do her.” A silence filled the room. It wasn’t the awkward kind of silence, but the sad kind. Both ponies could feel it. Flapjack stealthily wiped at his eyes, and turned to Bon Bon. “I don’t want to be so forward, but... who’s the lucky little colt?” Bon Bon’s blush returned with a vengeance and Flapjack gave a hearty chuckle. “I… I don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered and shied away from Flapjack’s hoof. “I’m not here to judge you on your decisions. Just to help you make them and support the decisions you do choose to make. You know you can tell me anything.” “No. No I can’t, Dad.” she groaned. “Why not?” “Because it’s not a colt!” she blurted out loudly, realizing her mistake almost instantly. She felt her eyes widen exponentially and her face burn with a fire of embarrassment as her dad stared at her with his mouth agape. “Y-you… I…” he stammered. Bon Bon feared what would come out of his mouth, so she took off towards the stairs and into her room before he could let it out. Flapjack really wanted to go after her, but he needed to gather his wits before he talked to his daughter about this. He made his way to the kitchen, the decision made to clean up the kitchen as well as his thoughts and promptly talk to his daughter afterwards. ----- Bon Bon laid in bed with her face buried in a pillow. There was a light knock on the door before it creaked open. “Go away!” she screamed, muffled by the pillow. “Look Bonnie, I wanted to apologize.” Flapjack said, sitting on the edge of her bed. He gently placed a hoof on her back, but Bon Bon tensed up at the contact. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s my fault for being weird.” “Bonnie, get your head off of the pillow so we can talk.” he asked softly, but she shook her head, keeping it buried in the pillow. “C’mon, Bon Bon.” he pleaded more firmly, hoping not to have to raise his voice. “Bon Bon.” he stated, irritated by Bon Bon’s foalish behavior. “Sweetie Drops, look at me.” he demanded in the stern, commanding voice he hated using. The mere sound of it made Bon Bon flinch and dislodge her head from the pillow because she only heard that voice when he was dead serious. And since he used Sweetie Drops instead of Bon Bon or Bonnie, she knew it was the real deal. Bon Bon never liked the name Sweetie Drops, but it was the name her mother always wanted her to have. Since she passed away shortly after Bon Bon’s birth, Flapjack gave her the name Sweetie Drops, but he still called her Bon Bon because it’s the name he wanted for her. “Now,” Flapjack sat with opened hooves and Bon Bon obliged, wrapping herself in her father’s inviting embrace. “I never said there was anything wrong with liking another filly.” he stated, feeling what he guessed were Bon Bon’s watery eyes dripping tears into his coat. “B-but you were so… so—” “I never said I wasn’t surprised, but I’m not angry in any sense dear. Like I said, I’m not here to judge you. I’m just here to help you make your decisions. And if it’s your decisions that you like a filly, then I’m gonna support you. Just as long as you know this filly and she loves you just as much as you do her, I’m happy.” Bon Bon looked up at her dad with a teary smile, which he surprisingly wore as well. “And I know that your mother would be happy too.” “Thanks, Daddy.” Bon Bon sighed, nuzzling Flapjack’s chest as he kissed the top of her head. “You still haven’t told me.” “What?” “Who is this filly? Do I know her?”