After some more cheerful banter with Berry Punch and Carrot Top, Lyra took Bonbon to some of the other shops and stalls and introduced her to their staff and proprietors. Their first stop after the Mulberry Bush Juice Bar was none other than Sugarcube Corner, where the cream-coated mare met Mr and Mrs Cake for the first time; and even though they were meant to be business rivals, she quickly became good friends with them too.
Then there was Applejack, who graciously told her that if any of her sweet recipes called for apples, then she and her family would be more than happy to supply her; while a kind and urbane stallion named Filthy Rich, the owner of Rich's Barnyard Bargains, was also generous enough to offer her an extra outlet for her confections should she so wish. Indeed, by the time she returned to her stall, Bonbon had met so many new faces that she could barely remember all their names!
All told, her first day of business was a great success. Though customers were few and far between at first, she gradually found herself with more and more as the day rolled by, and by mid-afternoon, there were dozens of excited fillies and colts and even the odd adult queuing up outside her stall to get a taste of her candies. These went down a huge treat, and soon the whole town seemed to be singing Bonbon's praises – so much so, in fact, that she was almost sorry to shut up shop and go home.
As she set off back towards Stirrup Street, the cream-coated mare quietly reflected on the day's events. It had only been her first day of selling sweets in Ponyville, but in that time, she had gone from just being another mare to ranking among the best known shop owners in town – but how, she wondered, was this possible? Were her candies really so well made? Was it because Lyra had been recommending her to every other pony she came across? Could that Pinkie Pie mare she had met earlier have had anything to do with it? Not that she minded, though; she was just grateful that her confectionery business had got off to a good start – better than she could have hoped for, even.
Her mind went back to Lyra at this point, and how much of a help she had been with making all those new friends. Even after Bonbon had gone back to her stall, the mint-green mare had been good enough to stay with her for an hour or so and try to attract customers; and while she may have been a little...exuberant to say the least, her efforts had more than paid off even without the use of her beautiful, melodic lyre music. It was only a shame that she couldn't have stayed longer...maybe they could have got to know each other a bit better...
Bonbon sighed softly. This mare really was beginning to rub off on her, she thought – and after they'd only known each other for something like a fortnight. She couldn't quite understand what was going on in her head right now, but Lyra was definitely no ordinary pony. Speaking of whom, she realised, the mint-green unicorn happened to be sitting on a nearby park bench with a hayburger and some horseshoe fries.
“Evening, Lyra,” called Bonbon, halting her cart. “How's it going?”
Lyra looked up. “Oh, hi, Bonbon. Yeah, I'm good, thanks. How was your first day of selling candy?”
“Oh, it was great!” gushed Bonbon enthusiastically. “I knew my sweets were good, but I never expected anywhere near as many customers as had come to my stall today. One of them even said to me, and I quote, 'These chocolate brownies are almost as good as my Mom's muffins'! How about that, huh?”
Lyra laughed. “Oh, that'd be young Derpy Doo,” she explained heartily. “She's an absolute slave to muffins, so I'm told – bit clumsy sometimes, yeah, but she means well, and she's much, much brighter than she makes out to be. Really friendly too.”
“Sure sounded like it,” agreed Bonbon with a broad grin. Only then did she notice something about Lyra's posture that made her raise a confused eyebrow. “Doesn't that feel a bit...painful?”
“Say what now?”
“The way you're slouching on that bench.”
“Oh, that,” remarked Lyra with a wry smile. “Nah, it doesn't bother me – matter of fact, I find it surprisingly comfy.”
“Comfy?!” Bonbon could hardly believe her ears. “How is that possible?”
“It isn't – not with most ponies,” replied Lyra. “Only reason I can sit like this is because I've got a hypermobile spine. It's a bit of a handicap when I'm carrying things, but at least I'm in no danger of slipping a disc if I suddenly decide to take up acrobatics!” and she suppressed a small chuckle at her own wit. Even Bonbon couldn't help but crack a small smirk in her amusement. “But yeah, as long as you don't ask me to lug anything too heavy, I'm good.”
“Don't think I've ever known a pony to sit like that myself,” mused Bonbon. “I only thought it possible with, like...dragons, primates, that sort of thing...”
“...and humans,” Lyra pointed out. “I've seen loads of pictures of them in this kind of posture.”
“Yeah, well...you'd know better than me, I guess. Anyway,” went on Bonbon, changing the subject, “I just thought I'd stop and thank you for helping me out this morning.”
Lyra blushed modestly. “Ah, c'mon – it's not as if I did anything useful. All I did was show you some of my friends and drop hints to others about that stall of yours.”
“Exactly!” replied Bonbon. “By telling others about my stall, you gave my sales a huge boost before they had even gotten off the ground. I really appreciate that.”
“Ah, don't mention it,” smiled Lyra. “Always happy to help a friend. By the way,” she added, “if you wanna come visit sometime, you're more than welcome.”
“Thanks,” said Bonbon cheerfully. “I might just take you up on that. Certainly be good to get to know you better......uh, and all your other friends, that is,” she added hastily, secretly wondering if that might have sounded a little forward. Lyra didn't seem to notice, though. “Anyway, I guess I'll see you later then.”
“Okay, see you round.”
Tornado Bolt raised an eyebrow. “Hang on a second, Tootsie,” she objected, “where does the whole conflict thing come in? It doesn't sound anything like what Apple Bloom's going through.”
“Yeah, Lyra and Bonbon sounded really friendly towards each other back then,” put in Sweetie-Belle.
“Oh, they were,” smiled Tootsie Flute sagely, “but back then, Mother didn't even realise she had feelings for Mom. That didn't come until about five months later.”
“So what happened to make her realise those feelings?” asked Rumble.
“Well, as time went by, Mom started spending more and more time helping Mother with her stall than at any of the other shops and such,” explained Tootsie Flute. “She even brought her lyre along sometimes and played these really sweet tunes for all the fillies and colts. Mother sort of got used to having her around – so much so, in fact, that she found herself feeling a bit lonely when she wasn't.”
“And that's what led to her discovering her feelings for Lyra?”
“Yeah, that's right, Scootaloo. See, when September rolled in, Mom was offered a gig in a music festival at Rainbow Falls which would see her out of Ponyville for a week,” continued Tootsie Flute. “Mother was left to mind the stall alone – and boy, was it tedious for her!”
Bonbon sighed heavily as she sat slumped against her cart, silently wishing for somepony to speed up time so that she didn't have to wait for her afternoon rush of customers. Normally she didn't mind waiting, but that was mostly because she had somepony else to talk to for the duration, usually in the form of that mint-green mare whose obsession with humans seemed more of a charm to her than an abnormality. Now, with the start of the new school term, she barely seemed able to go for five minutes behind the counter without growing painfully bored.
It had only been five days since Lyra had left for Rainbow Falls, but to Bonbon it felt like she had been gone for decades, and though the cream-coated young mare tried her best to maintain a cheery expression in case the odd customer did turn up, she couldn't stop thinking about the happy-go-lucky unicorn, and how much she missed her. But why, she wondered? Why was it that, out of all the ponies she had ever met in all her life, the one who stuck in her mind more than anypony else was none other than Lyra Heartstrings? After all, they had only known each other for something like half a year.
Then again, she thought, was that really such a big deal? So perhaps five months wasn't that long, but in that time, she had learned a great deal about Lyra; aside from her obsession with humans, she harboured a part-time interest in aquatic creatures, and sometimes indulged in reading about the history and culture of seaponies in particular. She also liked to try and compose her own music for the lyre, something which frequently kept her up until late at night – and oddly enough, even though the mint-green unicorn didn't consider herself that good a composer, her tunes were so well written that they could have made Beethoofen jealous!
“Good morning, Miss Bonbon.” The sound of a chirpy teenaged mare broke Bonbon's train of thought, and she trotted briskly into the marquee, trying to push her thoughts aside. Her prospective customer was a light golden Pegasus with a cyan mane and tail and a Cutie Mark consisting of three raindrops.
“Hullo, Raindrops,” said the cream-coated mare. “What can I get you today?”
“Any sugar mice in your stall?” asked Raindrops hopefully.
“Oh yeah, plenty of those,” affirmed Bonbon. “I only just made up a fresh batch yesterday evening. How many would you like?”
Raindrops' eyes glimmered with enthusiasm. “Ooh, three, please!”
“Any particular colours?”
“Uh...I'd quite like the pink ones, please.”
“Three pink sugar mice coming up,” and Bonbon began picking out three pink mouse-shaped candies from one of her jars. As she was doing so, Raindrops couldn't help but notice a hint of sorrow in the older mare's expression, and this filled her with a sense of dismay.
“Are you okay, Miss Bonbon?” she asked anxiously. “You don't seem very happy today.”
Bonbon nodded slowly, feigning tiredness as she placed the sugar mice in a paper bag. “I'm fine, Raindrops,” she replied in a low, weary tone. “Just didn't get much sleep last night, what with all my candy making and such. You know how it is.”
“I...yeah, I suppose so,” said Raindrops doubtfully, placing three bits on the counter. “You just looked a bit...sad is all.”
“I'll be alright,” Bonbon assured her. “It's not as if I can't catch up on my lost sleep further on, after all. Anyway, here are your mice; hope you have a good day.”
“You too, Miss Bonbon. Thanks,” and with her bag of sugar mice safely stowed away in her saddlebag, Raindrops trotted off towards home. Once again, Bonbon was left at a loose end – but luckily, her long wait for more customers was broken a second time as Berry Punch came up to the stall from her juice bar.
“Hullo again, Berry Punch,” remarked Bonbon. “You here for more barley sugars?”
Berry Punch chuckled ruefully. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Might I have four bits' worth this time, perhaps?”
Bonbon rolled her eyes in mild amusement. “That's the fourth time this week you've come here for barley sugars,” she mused. “You ought to go easy on them, or there won't be enough for my regulars.”
“Yeah, sorry, Bonbon,” apologised Berry Punch, scuffing her hoof against the ground with shame. “It's just...well, I've developed a bit of a craving for them lately, what with my current condition and such.”
“Condition?” repeated Bonbon, raising an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? Have you gone hypoglycaemic or something?”
“Well, it's a side effect of what I'm going through, I'll give you that; but that's not the condition I'm talking about.”
“What is, then?”
“Well, firstly, before I go into details, there's something you should know – I'm a bit of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol,” explained Berry Punch. “That's kinda what got me into this fix; see, about three weeks ago, I was at this party which was being thrown for my friend Minuette, and I...rather overdid it on the punch.”
“What's the punch got to do with it?” asked Bonbon.
“It was mostly berries, and...well, obviously you know how fond I am of that variety of fruits; but it also contained a fair amount of red wine. Anyway, I was okay for the first few hours, but after I'd had about three glasses, I got a bit tipsy and started getting...well, 'friendly' with this unicorn stallion whose name escapes me.”
“Don't see anything wrong with that,” said Bonbon, not quite understanding what Berry Punch was getting at.
“Maybe not, but what happened afterwards is where it gets awkward. See, I got into a one-night stand with him, and...well...” Berry Punch cringed with embarrassment. “...to cut a long story short, I'm due to take responsibility for a son or daughter whom he'll probably never know.”
Bonbon's eyes widened with disbelief. “Hang on just a second – are you saying you're pregnant?!”
“Well...frankly, yes,” admitted Berry Punch glumly. “I'd only just found that out yesterday morning, when I started getting morning sickness and decided to see a doctor about it. I tell you what, I was just as shocked as you were just now – probably more...”
“So who else knows about this?” asked Bonbon anxiously.
“Nopony yet. I'm planning on telling my parents, but I'm still not sure how to broach the subject.” Berry Punch paused, hanging her head pathetically. “I hate to say this, but I'm not even sure I'm cut out to be a mother myself, let alone as a single parent. It's bad enough that I have to face an earful out of Mom and Dad for having a foal out of wedlock, but having to raise it as well...” but she quickly trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
Bonbon gave a soft, sympathetic smile in reply. Yes, it might have been a bit of a bombshell to...well, both of them, but now that the cream-coated mare had gotten over the initial shock, she felt deeply sorry for her mulberry-coated friend. “Take it easy, Berry,” she soothed. “Just because you're with foal right now doesn't mean you have to raise it yourself. You never know; somepony else might be happy to take it off your hooves if you don't feel ready to be a parent. Besides,” she added, “I'm sure your parents will come round to the whole thing, given time. You'll work it all out in the end.”
“Yeah...I suppose,” conceded Berry Punch doubtfully.
“And don't worry about the barley sugars,” added Bonbon. “I'll see if I can bake a few extra so you don't run short.”
Only then did Berry Punch manage a small smile. “Thanks, Bonbon. That's really generous of you.”
“That's okay. Just don't overdo it, or you might make your morning sickness even worse,” quipped Bonbon, trotting round the back of her stall for a fresh jar of barley sugars.
Berry Punch nodded wryly. “I'll bear that in mind. By the way, how's business at the moment?” she added.
“Um...pretty quiet so far. Sure seems pretty lonely in here without Lyra, that's for...sure.” No sooner had the word “Lyra” come out of her mouth, however, than Bonbon felt her spirits starting to drop again. This perturbed her even further; why was it that the mere mention of that mare's name seemed to make her chest feel so heavy and her mood turn so gloomy?
“You're really missing her, aren't you?” sympathised Berry Punch softly.
Bonbon sighed deeply as she returned to the counter. “Yeah, I am, rather. It's just...it feels like I can't go for five seconds without her popping into my head, and I want to see her so badly that it hurts. I don't know what that's all about, but...”
“That bad, huh?” Berry Punch raised a thoughtful hoof to her chin. “Well, that's interesting.”
“What is?”
“Forgive me for being intrusive, but which do you...you know...'like' better; stallions or mares?” asked Berry Punch in as tactful a manner as she could.
Bonbon directed a bewildered look towards the mulberry-coated Earth pony. Here they were talking about Lyra, and all of a sudden she had to bring up her preferences? What was the point of all this? “Uh...well, to be honest, I've always preferred mares myself. What's that got to do with Lyra anyway?”
“Well, from what you'd just told me, I couldn't help thinking you might be...well...getting a crush on that mare.”
“I...what?!” Bonbon's jaw dropped open, and she stared at Berry Punch in shock and confusion. Surely this couldn't be true, could it? No, surely there must be some mistake – she couldn't possibly be falling for Lyra! But the more she thought about it, the more she began to realise just how right her mulberry-coated friend might be; Lyra had, after all, been the very first friend she had made in Ponyville, and though many other ponies had found her rather odd, the cream-coated confectioner had come to accept, and even embrace, her quirky mannerisms. In the five months since she had first set up shop, the two of them had got along so famously that you would have thought they'd known each other for years.
“I, er...didn't mean any offence or anything,” stuttered Berry Punch, finally breaking the awkward silence. “I just thought...since you...”
“Oh, no, none taken, Berry,” interrupted Bonbon, taken aback. “I just hadn't realised I might be...you know...”
“Well, you did say you were a...I mean, that you liked mares,” Berry Punch pointed out. “Personally, I thought it stood to reason that Lyra might mean so much to you on that basis.”
“Yeah, there's no denying that I...uh, 'bat for the other team', so to speak. But what I'm not sure about is how Lyra might react if I say to her that I'm a fillyfooler and I'm getting a crush on her,” confessed Bonbon uneasily. “I mean, how do I know her door swings the same way as mine? How do I know she'd go for me even if it did?”
“I wouldn't use the word 'fillyfooler', personally, but if it's any help to you, I have often heard her fantasising about meeting some really sweet mare who loves to hear her play the lyre and is really good at making tasty treats. It's been that way since before you came here – and if I didn't know better, the way she's been talking lately, I'd say you might be the answer to her prayers.”
Bonbon gazed into space, unsure what to think. She herself had never heard anything of the sort from Lyra (though perhaps it might be because the mint-green unicorn had been keeping it to herself, she thought), and part of her was still in doubt as to whether there was any truth in what Berry Punch had just said. It seemed almost too good to be true at any rate; here she was, a simple confectioner from Delamare, getting a crush on this stunning young musician, somepony clearly destined to go on to far better things than the cream-coated Earth mare could ever achieve, and one of their mutual friends was telling her that she, Bonbon, just an ordinary mare from another town in another region, had been her dream mare all along?
But why, she asked herself? Why would the mint-green mare go for her and not somepony smarter and more attractive? Part of the reason she herself had never had a fillyfriend before was because so many of the mares in Delamare were just so......plain – no extra special qualities that made them really stand out. If that was the case, then why should she have been any different?
“I haven't freaked you out, have I?” asked Berry Punch anxiously.
Bonbon shook her head in reply. “Not really, Berry, I'm just...kinda lost is all. Anyway,” she went on, quickly changing the subject as she remembered the reason Berry Punch was here in the first place, “you said you wanted barley sugars?”
“Yes – four bits' worth.”
“Okay then.” Bonbon opened up the jar and poured out some of the sweets onto the scales. “Right, that comes to three bits and ninety-eight cents. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that's fine,” smiled Berry Punch, passing over four one-bit coins. “And try not to worry too much about Lyra – you'll work it all out in the end.”
“Perhaps,” murmured Bonbon with a soft smile as she gave the mulberry-coated mare two cents in change. “Thanks for talking with me about it anyway, Berry Punch.”
“Hey, no problem. You did try to put me at ease with him or her yet to be born, so it's only right that I hear you out with regards to your own quandary,” chuckled Berry Punch. “Anyway, I'd better get back to my bar; I can't afford to keep my own customers waiting. See you later, Bonbon.”
“So long,” said Bonbon, trying to restore her genial façade; but deep down, she still had her doubts.