My Sweet Passion

by Locomotion


Chapter 7: A Sweet Reunion

Lyra found Bonbon in a private room on the far side of the ward. The cream-coated Earth mare was still in a noticeably weary state, and her right arm was hooked up to an IV tube; but this didn't stop her from giving her lyrist friend a small smile as she entered. “Hey, Lyra,” she murmured. “Long time no see, huh?”

As those weary words slipped out of Bonbon's mouth, the mint-green unicorn felt her heart flooding with a whole myriad of different emotions; on the one hoof, she was overjoyed to see her closest friend again, but seeing her all weak and sickly in a hospital bed brought on such a huge wave of dismay that she found it almost impossible to fight back her tears. “Bonbon!” she cried, cantering over to the cream-coated mare. “Oh, boy, am I ever glad you're okay. You wouldn't believe how scared I've been for you – when I heard about the incident with the brownies, I...I......what in the hay were you thinking, putting fabric softener in your candies?!”

Bonbon looked away, visibly ashamed of herself. “I didn't mean to,” she replied ruefully. “I'd just had so much on my mind that day, and I guess I just wasn't concentrating properly.” She paused pathetically, staring out of the window with a solemn expression on her face. “Truth be told, Lyra...I'm in a bit of a muddle over my own feelings. Had been ever since you went to that gig in Rainbow Falls.”

“What sort of muddle?” asked Lyra anxiously.

The cream-coated mare placed a hoof against the back of her head. “Well, it's kind of embarrassing, really.”

“Aw, come on, Bonbon,” pleaded Lyra, “please tell me. I can't bear the thought of you going through all this again. Heck, you might even...” An ominous shudder coursed its way down her spine, causing her to stop in mid-sentence. “Look, I understand if you're scared to talk about it, but I really, really want to help you, and I can't if you don't talk to me.”

“You'd only freak out if I told you.”

“I'd rather be freaked out than run the risk of you hurting yourself again,” persisted Lyra, an almost desperate look in her eyes, “so please, tell me what's troubling you and why.”

Bonbon hesitated. “Well, before I do,” she confessed at last, “there's something you ought to know about me – I'm a fillyfooler.”

Lyra's eyes widened, and for a moment, Bonbon wished she hadn't said anything of the sort. So much for letting it slip that she preferred mares to stallions, she thought despairingly – now her friendship with the mint-green mare was permanently...

“What did you just call yourself?” exclaimed Lyra breathlessly, cutting off Bonbon's train of thought.

“A...a fillyfooler,” repeated Bonbon, hanging her head and bracing herself for what Lyra had to say next. In a way, she was right to do so – but the earful she received was far from what she had expected.

“How...how dare you put yourself down so harshly!” the mint-green mare burst out. “Here I am in the company of one of the most beautiful and talented mares I've ever met, somepony whose personality matches the candies she makes, and you have to call yourself...that word?! Just because you like mares?!”

Bonbon's guilt and shame were suddenly replaced by a sense of amazement and mild relief rolled into one. A light blush crept across her face, and she gazed in wonderment upon Lyra. “You...you mean you...don't mind...?”

“Bonbon, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's when mares like you call themselves fillyfoolers,” answered Lyra sternly. “That's the worst thing anypony can say about mares who go for other mares, and if you think I'm gonna let you call yourself something so derogatory, you're mistaken. You never catch me calling myself...” but she stopped when she realised what she was about to say.

“Wait a minute – are you saying...”

“Yeah – and I'm proud of it too,” stated Lyra unashamedly. “I never really cared that much for stallions, not even when I was just a filly. Okay, so perhaps I myself was a bit embarrassed about it at first, but after a while, I just thought, 'If that's what floats my boat, then who cares what anypony else thinks of me?' It's the same with that human obsession of mine – other ponies might think me weird because of it, but it's who I am, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. Think of it how you want, Bonbon, but there's nothing wrong with...with playing for the other team, so to speak, so if I don't let it bug me, then...”

But Bonbon wasn't quite listening. In fact, the whole world seemed to fade out as Lyra's words began to sink in, filling her with a deep sense of realisation and hope that the mint-green unicorn might well feel the same about her as she did. “Wow,” she remarked under her breath. “That makes things a whole lot easier......I guess.”

“Say what now?”

“What you just said,” explained Bonbon. “It's just made things a bit less...awkward. See, the whole reason I was so distracted that day was because I...well...there's this...” but she was quickly overwhelmed by shyness and embarrassment before she could finish. Perhaps this confession she wanted to make wasn't going to be so easy after all, even now she knew Lyra was a filly...uh...that she liked mares just the same as she did.

“Yes?” prompted Lyra after a while.

Bonbon frowned and redirected her attention to the window. “Well, it's kind of complicated, really – not because I'm into mares or anything, but because...well...because I'm scared I might get in the way of your pursuing a potential music career. You've got a life of fame and fortune ahead of you, whereas I'm just a simple confectioner.”

That was when the bit finally dropped, causing Lyra to gaze in awe upon the cream-coated mare. “A...are you saying you've...”

Bonbon closed her eyes and nodded, letting a small tear slip through her eyelids and course its way down her cheek. Far from lifting the weight off her withers, she somehow felt that her confession had only increased that burden tenfold – until she heard what Lyra had to say next.

“And you thought letting the truth out would get in the way of me turning professional?!” Bonbon wasn't sure, but she thought she could detect a hint of dismissive mirth in Lyra's voice. “No offence, Bonbon, but that is without question or shadow of doubt the most random thing you have ever said!”

“It...huh? What's so random about it?” Bonbon was so taken aback that she forgot to feel sorry for herself.

“Well, first off,” explained Lyra, “just because somepony gets a crush on me doesn't mean I have to give up the idea of being a musician altogether. Okay, so perhaps it might pose a few difficulties, but I'm sure I could still work round them, no matter whom I'm dealing with. And another thing...” She paused impressively. Bonbon waited anxiously for her to finish. “...music may be a passion as well as a talent for me, but there are far more important things than some lyrist career – and the most important one happens to be lying on the bed in front of me.”

This threw the cream-coated mare for a loop. Resting a hoof against her pounding heart, she directed an open-mouthed stare of wonder upon Lyra as her eyes began to water again. Surely this couldn't be true, she thought – no, she was probably still in a coma, and this was probably just a dream. But heck, if it was, she certainly didn't want to wake up just now. In fact, such was her amazement that she could barely even move her mouth to form words, let alone speak.

“That's pretty much why I was so scared for you when I heard you'd been taken sick,” Lyra clarified. “You and I, we may not have known each other for very long, but I already feel a lot closer to you than any other pony I've met – even my own parents.”

“B-b-but...why would you?” stammered Bonbon. “Me, just a simple confectioner?”

Lyra smiled wryly. “Call yourself 'just a simple confectioner' if you will, Bonbon, but the way I see it, you're way more than that. You're really, really talented, you're good with kids, you do anything in your power to help your friends – and on top of it all, your personality matches your candies.” A light, shy chuckle escaped her lips, and she began to blush. “That and you...you're really pretty,” she added.

Pretty...it seemed like ages since anypony outside of Bonbon's family had used that word to describe her. While some ponies had commented on her appearance in the past, such comments tended to be off-hoof remarks about the style of her mane and tail or her mildly plump shape among other features – yet here another pony was openly describing her as pretty, and without any hesitation whatsoever. “You...you really think me pretty?” she asked softly.

“Oh, I don't think it – I know you are. Truth be told...I never truly realised this until fairly recently, but I'd been getting feelings for you too.”

“Then...you...”

“That I most certainly do, Bonbon,” affirmed Lyra. “They can offer me all the fame and fortune I could ever dream of, but nothing in this whole world can ever compare with you...my sweet passion.”

Bonbon broke out into a tearful smile and weakly lifted a foreleg to wrap around Lyra's shoulders. Taking the hint, Lyra leaned forward and hugged the cream-coated Earth mare fondly, running a hoof through her mane and taking in that sweet scent she always seemed to wear. Neither of them said any more, and neither did they need to – the gentle silence and the warmth of their embrace spoke volumes for their emotions.


Sweetie-Belle let out a small sniffle and brushed away a small tear of her own. “Aww, isn't that sweet?”

“I'll say,” agreed Dinky.

“Must have been a huge relief to know Lyra felt so strongly for her,” put in Tornado Bolt. “But what about that stomach operation? Did she come out of it okay?”

“Yes, as it happens. Horrible though those burns may have been, Mother made a complete recovery and was back home after only another week,” replied Tootsie Flute. “She still needed plenty of rest after all that, so Mom paid her regular visits to make sure she had everything she needed. But it didn't end there by any means; as the months passed, they spent more and more time with each other until they were ready to take things to the next level – and who would have thought it would be Berry Punch of all ponies who gave them that final push?”

“How so?”

“Purely by coincidence,” said Tootsie Flute knowingly. “See, eight months after all that, Mother had managed to gain enough money for some more permanent premises than just a stall in the marketplace, so she moved into what I believe used to be an antique shop on Baltimare Road. By then, Mom was no longer able to keep up with the rent on her own house, so she moved in with Mother – and only a few weeks later, news came through that Berry Punch's foal had arrived...”


Berry Punch lay wearily on her hospital bed, smiling fondly upon the bundle of blankets cradled in her arms. Lyra, Carrot Top and Bonbon were all gathered round her, taking in the heart-warming sight of the mulberry-coated mare holding her newborn filly for the first time.

“Isn't she just the cutest thing you've ever seen?” cooed Bonbon softly.

Lyra nodded in agreement. “She's certainly not far off you in terms of colour, Berry,” she put in. “Only thing is, I would have thought she'd be an Earth pony like you – so why the horn?”

“Well, her father was a unicorn after all,” Carrot Top pointed out.

Berry Punch wiped away a small tear. “Well, unicorn or Earth pony, I still love her,” she murmured tiredly. “Kinda funny, really – ten months ago, I wasn't sure I wanted to be a mother...and now that I've given birth, I never want to let her go.”

Lyra grinned and gave Berry Punch a friendly pat on the shoulder. “You're gonna be a great mother, Berry, I just know it,” she said heartily. “Thought of a name for her yet?”

“I sure have,” affirmed Berry Punch. “I'm going to call her Ruby Pinch.”

“Sounds a fitting choice of name,” mused Carrot Top. “It certainly matches the colour of her fur, that's for sure.” A small frown crept across her face at that point, and she gazed out of the window. “Just a pity her father couldn't have been a bit more considerate of the mare he left behind.”

Bonbon, however, tried to offer a more optimistic point of view. “We needn't worry too much, Carrot Top. I'm sure Berry Punch will find somepony else someday – and besides, even if she doesn't, at least she's got the rest of us by her side.”

Berry Punch smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Bonbon. You girls are the best.”

“As we've been told many times before,” chuckled Lyra. “Anyway, we'd better not disturb you any longer. We'll see you later, okay?”

“Okay, Lyra. See you round.”

With that, the three mares bid their farewell and left Berry Punch and little Ruby Pinch in peace. But even as they left the hospital and headed back towards home, Bonbon couldn't seem to stop thinking about the new arrival.

“Gosh,” she murmured to herself, “Berry Punch sure is a lucky mare, even if the father isn't around to help her raise that filly.”

“Well, you say that,” remarked Lyra, “but from what she'd been telling me a few weeks back, she's already gone and gotten herself a proper coltfriend. You know those two ponies who moved in from Dodge City?”

“Uh...no, I don't think you told me about them,” admitted Bonbon, confused.

“Oh.” Lyra rolled her eyes with mock dismay. “Silly of me not to mention it. Yeah, there's this sort of hot-pink mare named Cherry Berry who rolled in two months ago with her brother Cherry Fizzy,” she explained. “They were looking for work, but both wanted to carve out their own paths in life instead of working on Cherry Hill Ranch, so they came to Ponyville and bought themselves a bungalow on Stirrup Street. What they're doing now, I don't know; but what I do know is that Cherry Fizzy has been getting along really, really well with Berry Punch. I think those two must be growing on each other.”

Bonbon was amazed. “Wow – that's a hay of a stroke of luck, and no mistake. All we need now is for them to start planning a wedding, and that's the family completed.”

“Might not be for some time yet, if ever,” said Lyra gravely. “You forget that Berry's been feeling a bit uneasy about this sort of relationship ever since she...” but she promptly broke off when she noticed a solemn, longing expression on her lover's face. “What's wrong, Bonbon?”

“Oh...nothing,” muttered Bonbon, who wasn't really listening.

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You seem a bit down all of a sudden.”

“I'll be fine, Lyra. I'm just a bit tired, what with all the excitement about Berry's foal and our new shop...”

“...and something you've obviously keeping a secret,” interjected Lyra. “Come on, Bonnie, please tell me. I don't want us to go through the whole fabric softener mishap all over again.”

Bonbon took a deep sigh. “I'm just...I can't help feeling a little...sort of envious of Berry Punch,” she confessed sadly. “She may not have a special somepony, but she's got a daughter to call her own, and that...it just feels a bit...well......oh, forget it!”

“No, Bonbon, don't let's forget it,” urged Lyra. “I'm not standing here and letting my fillyfriend brood over something so sensitive – the last time you did, you ended up in hospital yourself.”

The cream-coated mare shuddered. Even now that her digestive system was back to normal, the mere mention of the incident with the brownies and the fabric softener still caused the odd twinge in her stomach. “Alright then, Lyra, I'll tell you – but only if you promise not to freak out.”

“Oh, I promise alright.”

“Well, to tell you the truth...I kinda wish I could have a foal of my own.”

Lyra's eyes widened, and for a moment, Bonbon was afraid that she might yet freak out after all. “A foal? As in...a real live juvenile pony?”

Bonbon closed her eyes and nodded.

“You mean you want to start a family?”

“Yes, Lyra,” affirmed Bonbon. “I know it's probably a bit too soon for you, and okay, I can't have a foal without a stallion, but I still feel a bit...empty, if you see what I mean.”

Lyra shook her head in amusement. “Who says you can't? I may not be very much into magic studies, but I happened to come across a spell once that enables two mares to have foals, and guess what – it never said anything about needing a stallion. Don't believe me? Head over to the Golden Oak Library, look up Medical Magic and see for yourself.”

Bonbon perked up. “Seriously? You mean...if and when you're ready, then it'll still be possible for us to have a family?”

“Yes – and regarding that other point about when I'm ready for such a commitment, consider it your lucky day.”

Lyra wrapped her right hoof around her left fetlock, and gently slid it down her leg as if she were removing something from it. Bonbon watched with interest, wondering what she was up to. Then the mint-green unicorn's horn began to glow softly, and after a few seconds, she swung her hoof around to reveal something that made her cream-coated special somepony gasp in amazement – a silver bracelet with a small cluster of gemstones on one side that formed a likeness of her Cutie Mark.

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “Lyra...is that...”

“It sure is,” replied Lyra fondly. “We've known each other for about a year now, and I'd started to think maybe it was time to take things to the next level, so I got this bracelet and kept it concealed beneath a cloaking spell on my hoof, which only allowed me and nopony else to see it. Two long months I'd had it with me, just waiting for the moment when I could ask the mare I love the most if...well......if she would like to marry me.”

A long silence ensued. Bonbon's eyes began to brim with tears as she gazed upon the engagement bracelet, and at first, the only response she could manage was to raise a hoof to her heart. Lyra didn't say anything either, but simply waited for her beloved to regain composure and give her reply – although deep down she had a feeling she knew what it would be.

“You...you really want to go all the way with me?” stammered Bonbon at last.

“All the way – and beyond,” said Lyra softly. “The question is – do you?”

Bonbon flung her arms around the mint-green mare. “Oh, Lyra,” she sobbed happily, “nothing in the whole world would make me happier. I love you so much.”

“And I love you too, Bonnie,” murmured Lyra. She then pulled back from their hearty embrace and slipped the bracelet over Bonbon's right hoof. “There – that should just about seal the deal.”

“And am I ever glad it does.” With both her front hooves still resting on Lyra's shoulders, Bonbon leaned forward again and pulled them both into a deep, meaningful kiss...