“Come on now,” Octavia felt somepony nudge her.
Octavia groaned. “Ugh, yes mother. Whatever you…” She shot open her eyes once she realized she had fallen asleep on the train. “On no, oh no, oh no!” she cried, and began to frantically search for her things.
“Relax,” Bon Bon assured, “We’re here. And I kept an eye on your stuff.”
Composing herself, Octavia looked at her precious violin case. Feeling to her side, her money was also softly nestled right where it had been before he fell asleep. “Oh...” She looked sheepishly at her new friend. “Um… Thank you.”
Bon Bon ran a reassuring hoof across her back. “I get it. But don’t worry, you’re in good hooves. Now come on, you don’t want to miss our stop.”
Octavia nodded. “Of course.” She then retrieved the rest of her luggage, and followed Bon Bon off the train. “Guess I shouldn’t have expected to stay awake the whole night.”
“I give you points for trying.”
Octavia shook her head and chuckled. “I’m lucky you didn’t turn out to be some vandal in disguise just waiting to rob me blind.”
Bon Bon nervously chuckled. “Yeah. Wouldn’t that have been unfortunate?”
Any suspicious activity Bon Bon might have been expressing was interrupted when a sea green unicorn slammed into the mare.
“Bonnie!” The green mare squeed, only giving Octavia enough time to avoid being tackled in the recoil Bon Bon faced.
“Geez, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, nuzzling back, “it’s as if I was gone for a month!”
Lyra pouted, “Anytime without your best friend is lonely.”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes and pulled away from the hug, her smile never faltering.
“Charming.” Octavia muttered
Lyra looked over Bon Bon to see Octavia. “You picked up a new bestie on your trip?”
Bon Bon’s eyes widened. “Oh, um, no! We just met on the train and realized we had the same destination. Lyra, this is Octavia. Octavia, Lyra.”
“Oh,” Lyra giggled, pulling Octavia into a tight hug, “I do like the presents Bonnie brings back for me.”
“Wha?!” Octavia squeaked as the train began to whistle, face flustered red. While the mare in question made Octavia nervous, seeing as how trusting Bon Bon was to Lyra, she allowed her the same amount of trust and hugged back.
“Ignore her,” Bon Bon assured, pulling her friends apart. “Anyways,” she said as they walked off the platform, “what are you going to do now?”
“Well… Um,” she had somewhat thought about it in her escape, but now that she knew a few locals she could ask for places with some good prices to start off with. “I don’t really have any place in mind.”
Lyra gasped. “What?! You’re just going to sleep on the street?”
“Of course not! I mean… I have a few bits to get by till I can figure some kind of career out. Until then, do you ladies know of any place where I can get a room for cheap?”
Bon Bon glanced back and forth between her two friends. “Well, actually, we have a spare room… and I was thinking about getting some more help for my sweet shop!”
Lyra blinked. “You are? What about me?!”
Octavia was just as perplexed. “What, I mean… I’d love the job offer, but I couldn’t possibly take up your space. I don’t have a lot of bits on me.”
Bon Bon held up a hoof to the both of them. “First off, Lyra, it’s my house—”
“That I pay rent on!”
“And I pay most of its expenses.” Bon Bon noted. “Besides, could you think of throwing out a pony in need?”
Octavia frowned. “I’m not—”
“Plus, I’ll start chargeing her once she gets settled in. It will lower what I charge you.”
“New Bestie!” Lyra cheered as she threw her forelegs around Octavia again.
“Not a… hugger!” Octavia protested.
Lyra pulled away, but continued to grin. “Sorry about that.” She then opened her eyes. “But seriously, I guess another pony to help Bonnie out would be a blessing. Heaven forbids how long she has to stay up.” She leaned onto Octavia. “Between you and me, she could use some more beauty sleep.”
“You know my sleep doesn’t affect my hearing!”
Lyra stuck out her tongue. “Yes it does.”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes in amusement.
While Octavia continued to stare, a bit overstimulated, yet intrigued by the new friends she had made within only a day. She liked them. They were odd, sure, but she wasn’t one to talk. If this was what having friends who didn’t judge or exploit you was like, she could get used to it.
That was when she started to feel another pony watching her. Sure enough, when she looked over her shoulder, a white unicorn with a large pair of purple sunglasses and headphones, playing some pop music Octavia was just able to make out, was looking right at her, only a hoof’s reach away.
Octavia jumped back and shrieked.
When Lyra and Bon Bon slowed down to see what was wrong, Lyra waved, “Oh, hey Vinyl. Listening to anything good?”
The unicorn named Vinyl didn’t even bat an eye towards Lyra. She only continued to stare at Octavia with a blank expression. Vinyl looked up and down at her for a while, mostly interested in the neck for some reason. Or rather, Octavia suspected, her bowtie. Then, without any change in her rather neutral expression, she gave a polite wave, and walked off with her head nodding in tune to her song.
Blinking a few times, Octavia eventually muttered, “Well… That was—”
“Oh don’t mind her.” Lyra assured as they watched Vinyl wander off. “She just our town’s DJ, Vinyl Scratch.”
Octavia titled her head. “You know her?”
Lyra shrugged. “From a few parties and musical events we’ve worked together on. I admit, she is a bit peculiar, even for a Ponyville pony. But otherwise, nice and harmless. You’d more likely see it rain chocolate milk than see her hurt anypony. Besides, she sure knows a thing or two about music.”
“I see…” They continued to walk, but Octavia kept her gaze at Vinyl till she was out of sight. “Though, she’s not much of a talker I suppose?”
Lyra puffed. “Not really. She speaks, but not often. The most she has even said to me was, ‘green wire, not red.’ As for the staring, she does that with all new ponies with music cutie marks.” Lyra then flashed her a cheeky grin. “Perhaps she already likes you!”
Octavia blushed. “What? N… No! I don’t’ even like mares!”
Lyra nervously giggled. “Hey, relax! I was just messing around and didn't mean it that way.” Lyra began to breath heavy. "Unless you do, which I'm sorry. I mean, I love all mares, no, not love! I mean, stallions too.... Wait, wait, I didn't mean—"
As se ranted, Bon Bon walked over to a stand, purchased a magazine, rolled it up, and swated it over Lyra's head.
"Thank you," Lyra muttered, "I needed that."
Octavia blinked, then let out a reassuring nod. “It's quite alright…Didn't offend me at all.” ‘Not that i’ve had much a chance to find out.’
Bon Bon shook her head and smiled. “Well, if we’re done,” they turned another corner, “welcome home.”
It was by no means a spectacular house. In fact, if it weren’t for the sign that read, ‘Bon Bon’s Sweets’ it would have looked much like the other houses in the town.
“Bought it myself.” Bon Bon beamed as she led them to the door. “Still needs a little work, but business so far has been good,” She sighed. “Always could be better. Anyways!” They walked inside.
Much like the outside, the shop itself didn’t stand out much aside from all the candy that lined the walls. To Octavia, it looked nice, even though she had never seen any other sweet shops to compare it to. The shelves were clean and stocked with every candy known to ponies, there were several barrels behind a counter with stools labeled anywhere from ‘root beer’ to ‘orange soda’.
Octavia twitched a little when she saw a glass jar labeled, ‘tulip surprise’ but paid it no mind as she was lead to the back where the home was.
“It’s lovely.” Octavia commented. “But are you sure I can stay and work here? I mean,” she placed her violin case on the floor, “I’m no candy expert.”
“You’ll do fine,” Lyra answered. “I’ve kept this place from burning down for the past week between jobs. I’m sure you’ll get the ropes soon enough. You seem like a smart mare.”
Octavia gulped. “Right… But once again, thank you ladies so much. This really means alot to me.”
Bon Bon looked at the floor. “Don’t mention it. Anyways!” She perked back up, “Why don’t you get settled in your new room? I'll deal with the crowds today. then I’ll get you trained on what you have to do tomorrow. Lyra could you show her the way?”
Lyra giggled. “With pleasure. Right this way, m’lady.”
Octavia’s chest puffed out at the words, but she didn’t hesitate and followed Lyra upstairs.
Meanwhile, Bon Bon continued to stare at her friends while she put on her uniform. A simple polka-dotted apron with a heart Lyra had sewn in. She sighed, and quietly said, “I sure hope I know what I’m doing. Not that I care what they think anymore… Mostly, but still…”
The front bell to the shop rang. “Coming!”
****
“And here is your room,” Lyra announced as they settled inside. “It’s got a bed and some drawers we usually just use in case of quests. But it should suit you nicely.”
Indeed, it looked miles below all the luxury she had known from her old life. The room was just about as large as one of her closets, and the bed wasn’t even a fraction as large as her old one. However, looking at the tiny space, a happy tear rolled down her muzzle. “It’s perfect.”