Golden Harvest was probably a prodigy at dancing.

A pony might have watched her dance and thought she was merely an okay dancer, but that was only because that pony didn't know the full picture. See, Golden Harvest had never gone dancing before tonight, so 'okay' meant she was incredible. She moved at the same time as the beat almost half the time, and she hardly stepped on anypony's hooves. From no dancing to this in just one night meant she had to be some kind of dancing genius!

Golden Harvest had to be an incredible dancer, because she was dancing with Daisy, and Daisy was amazing. All of her movements were so fluid, so graceful. So beautiful. Her mane swayed this way and that. Looking at her, Golden could almost swear the music was actually coming from somewhere inside her friend, and the speakers were just repeating it.

Obviously, a great dancer like Daisy wouldn't be dancing with Golden Harvest unless she too was a great dancer. Other than the fact that they'd come in together since Golden paid for both of them at the door, and there were three or four other ponies that were also dancing about as close to Daisy as Golden was, and Golden's hooves were starting to get a bit sore because she was stomping a little too hard but she didn't want to say anything because she was still having a lot of fun dancing with Daisy.

It wasn't exactly fair to say Golden Harvest had no experience with dancing before. True, she'd never danced herself, but of course she'd watched other ponies dance. Her moms danced plenty. Mama Taproot was almost as good a dancer as Daisy was, and Mama Beta always seemed to keep up with her. Really, Golden Harvest had superior dancing genes going for her. It was no surprise she was doing so well.

Golden put one hoof on Daisy's withers the way she remembered seeing Mama Beta do. That was usually for slow songs when she wanted to catch her breath, not the driving beat that was playing right now, but it was still a dancing thing. Daisy raised her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything.

What came next? Golden Harvest knew that sometimes dancing looked more like hugging, but with rhythm. Hugging Daisy sounded really nice. She slid her other foreleg around Daisy's neck.

“Golden, what are you doing?” Daisy stopped dancing.

“I—”

“I know about your mom, Golden,” Daisy said, brushing Golden's hooves off her. “You know I'm not like that, right?”

“M-my mom?” Golden stammered. “What?”

“I like colts,” said Daisy.

The music continued to throb. It did not, in fact, come from Daisy. It came from the speakers after all. Golden Harvest swallowed a dry lump in her throat. “I... I like colts, too. Who doesn't? You didn't think I was... c'mon, th-that was just dancing!”

Daisy eyed her carefully. “Uh huh.”

One song ended and another began. A tall colt tapped Daisy on the shoulder. Daisy glanced back at Golden Harvest one more time before following him to another part of the dance floor.

Golden Harvest didn't feel like dancing to this new song. It had nothing to do with Daisy, obviously. It was just that her hooves really hurt, and the song wasn't all that good, and really she should get back to her carrots anyway.

Carrots hate dancing.

The Prompt: Heartbreaks and hoofaches.

This is a thirty minute writing prompt, meaning you have thirty minutes to finish your story from the time you start writing. You may take as much time as you wish to think, plan, or outline before you begin, but once the first word is on the page, the timer begins. When you are finished, post your story to this thread, and, in the tradition of the TMP mods of yore, I will read and give it a comment when I can.

Traditionally, TMP prompts would have a six to eight-hour window in which to submit, but for these legacy prompts, there will be no limit after the prompt is up. Go ahead and post something a year from now, if you like. Just bear in mind that I'm less likely to respond with feedback to anything submitted more than a week or so after the prompt. Good luck!

Here's hoping you all have a better Hearts and Hooves day than poor Golden Harvest!

4072359
Touching tale, there. Simple, raw, and all too familiar. Poor Golden Harvest.
I may have done half as well…

Legacy Prompt No.22, Heartbreaks and Hoofaches by KwirkyJ

Sotto Voce stood on quaking limbs, gasping, as the knock-knock echoed through the door. There was a light inside, but maybe she had simply left it on when she went out. He hoped she was there. Through the ringing in his years, he listened, waiting for any movement inside. He thought about knocking again, but hesitated. He could wait…

Work had stretched later than expected. This should not have been a problem, but he overheard his mixer mention plans for the evening, and he remembered. Sotto Voce remembered a promise. For the final hours, he danced on his hooves, cast frequent furtive glances at the clock, and pictured the two leagues across town to a mare he knew.

He had missed the taxi, missed the trolley. He would have to run. So he ran. Down through the business district he raced. A card; he needed a card. A vendor there at the edge of the square was packing up after hours and was nearly collided with in Sotto’s dash. Quick words, a few bits, a piece of decorated parchment, and a few encouraging words were exchanged, then they separated. Twilight, the lamps would be list soon.

His breath caught, Sotto reached up again and gave another knock-knock on the door, hoping. He looked into his saddlebags, verifying their contents. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could have managed. He muttered at himself for not doing more, for remembering sooner. She would understand, she had to. She would, she would…

Through district after district he ran, the streets thankfully sparse. Some shouts followed in his wake, each answered with a heartfelt, if brief, apology over his withers. A few of these resulted in additional apologies and no small number of stuttered hooves not-always-near-misses.

Had it been a league yet?

Chocolate! Flowers would be shredded, of course, but chocolate he could carry! There, five blocks later, he caught a stallion at his door, keys in his mouth. A few words and bits, then he was on his way, a small parcel thudding rhythmically against his side. Surely it had been a league by now, it was fully dark. On and on, he ran.

Sotto sat on the stoop, humming to himself. How long had he been sitting, ten minutes? Sixty? He should have paid attention to Luna’s moon, before, but, somehow, hadn’t the spirit to look up at its lonesome glow. Beside him was a small wrapped box and a pale envelope, nearly glowing from the soft light of the street lamps. He rubbed his hooves occasionally, the throbbing there matching the ache in his chest. It was almost easy to imagine it was because of the running…

Had he gotten turned around? He asked for directions several times, each pointing this way, to the East, or that way, South. A curt ‘thank you,’ and then he would be off. Twos, always twos. It felt odd, being only one in a forest of couples, but Sotto didn’t let that bother him. He could focus on the thud, thud, thud of his hooves on the earth, always running on. His breath was shuddering in, out; in, out. He wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t. She would be there.

Another couple passed by along the road, their warm giggles and muted, indistinguishable voices piercing the night. Sotto watched them, never given cause to wave…

Sotto knew this street. He knew this street well. Three blocks, weave left, there on the right with the flower box under the window; tall grasses in front of brick, a frosted detail on the door’s glass oval. There, two steps up, right before him. He paused, collecting himself as best as able. His legs shook like jelly beneath him, his breath quick and coarse. A moment, he could wait for a moment for this. Out of his saddlebags he took an envelope and a foil-wrapped box, smiled, and made his way up to the door. A light glowed inside. He dared to hope, lifted a hoof, and knock-knocked on the perfect door.

Sotto Voce stood on quaking limbs…

He knew the laugh walking along the lane. He knew, that was, one of the laughs. That rich, sparkling laugh he wished he could have heard every day. The other voice he did not know. It was a stallion’s, none too low. The exhaustion caught up to him, for Sotto’s chest tightened terribly.

It was a simple matter to scrape the items from the earth and slip away from the lights. Maybe there would be a night bus for Sotto Voce.

4072359

Poor Golden Harvest. And you can't just give us a nice, fluffy, H&H prompt, hm?

"Um, I... didn't come here just to rest my hooves, Twilight." Fluttershy smiled, but it was such a paper-thin facade that Twilight Sparkle nearly flinched. "It's... Hearts and Hooves Day, and I, I wanted to tell you that I..." Fluttershy's wings rustled nervously on her back, and her voice dropped off with her failing resolve, until her last few words could hardly be heard. "I um... like you. Um, as... more than a friend."

With that, Twilight's world stopped moving.

Or rather, everypony's world stopped moving, and Twilight had a few moments to herself.

Princess Twilight Sparkle wasn't sure whether she should be thankful for the coincidence that she had recently been studying Starswirl's most advanced time spells, or if she should curse the coincidence. Because while she now had time to think about how to respond to her friend, she also... had time to think about it. She couldn't move while time was stopped, not without setting herself, Fluttershy, and probably her castle on fire. All she could do was sit here and try to think, while being faced with that nervous, near-panic, and strangely hopeful look, frozen on Fluttershy's face.

Fluttershy liked her. Fluttershy wanted her. She wanted Twilight, as 'more than friends'.

Twilight did not want that sort of relationship, with Fluttershy.

It wasn't that anything was wrong with Fluttershy. She was a kind, generous, loving, and beautiful pony. For as long as Twilight had known her, Fluttershy had always had a sort of natural beauty to her, surpassing even Rarity's make-up and fashion. Any stallion, or as Twilight now suspected, mare, should consider themselves very lucky to have a pony like Fluttershy interested in them. In fact, Twilight Sparkle had her suspicions that several different ponies would like nothing better. Though she couldn't be sure, she had her suspicions. It was a little saddening that she wasn't one of them.

It wasn't even that Twilight Sparkle did not consider mares as romantic options. Though it might be a bit strange to think about now, when she was younger she had always held... well, not exactly a crush, but something like that for her mentor. Even after that had faded, there were different ponies in Ponyville, mares and stallions, that had occasionally caught her eye. She had never really pursued them; it was too much trouble, and she certainly didn't have the first idea of how to actually do it. The few first dates that Rarity had set up for her with varying ponies, quite some time ago, had been complete failures. Rarity had actually stopped trying.

It certainly wasn't because Fluttershy was a pegasus; that had never mattered. Though it would be difficult for any normal pony, that is to say any pony that wasn't an alicorn, to date Twilight. There were all sorts of pitfalls and difficulties that could spring up. But tribe of pony, or even race of non-pony, had never been a big concern for Twilight. Even those strange creatures in the other world... one of them had held her interest for a while. Not that she had told him, but she expected he knew.

It wasn't even that Fluttershy was one of her best friends; one of the five friends that had thrones in her new castle. She had... considered some of them, in the past. If this was one of those ponies, and not Fluttershy, things might have been different. Or at least, less... not-different.

So, Twilight Sparkle couldn't place the blame on any one reason. She couldn't say it was because Fluttershy was a mare, or that there was some personality conflict, or that she was a pegasus, or that she was afraid for their friendship.

She just didn't want that sort of relationship with Fluttershy.

Twilight looked into her friend's wide, soulful, hopeful eyes. She still wore the same desperate, pleading expression, of course. She would never have done this on her own. The realization struck Twilight like a bolt of lightning. This means that at least one other pony most certainly knew she was here. Probably either Rarity or Rainbow Dash, now that Twilight thought about it. Either could have pushed her to actually confess it. They would know. Fluttershy would have to tell them, and it would crush her all over again. How long had Fluttershy felt this way?

The past, her entire friendship with Fluttershy, began to color in Twilight's mind. Had Fluttershy been extra kind to her this entire time, because of a crush? How many of their interactions were caused, or affected by it? Had she been struck at first sight? Was that why she had been so nervous to talk to Twilight the first time they spoke, but able to meet other ponies (and Spike) with so much less panic? When she had shouted down the dragon, or when she stopped Cerberus, or any of the other grand, wonderful, impressive feats that the shy, delicate pony had done... was that all just because of this hope that Twilight now had to destroy?

Twilight sparked her horn again, prolonging the spell for just a few more... seconds? She forced herself not to try to work out the wording.

But she had to tell Fluttershy that she couldn't do this. She didn't want to, she couldn't, she loved Fluttershy immensely, but as a friend and always, only as a friend. A friend who was still staring at her with all the hope and nervousness this moment had caused her, likely weeks or months at the least of fretting and worrying, and now... now Twilight was going to give her exactly what she had feared for so long.

Twilight Sparkle felt the spell fading, but she knew already that she'd never really have the right words.

Fluttershy's eyes sparkled, glistening with worry and the beginnings of panic as she waited for Twilight's response.

"Fluttershy, I... well, I..."

Something in Twilight's tone, or her posture, or something about her got through. Twilight watched at that bit of hope and relief in finally confessing disappeared from Fluttershy's eyes, and she watched as Fluttershy lowered her gaze to the floor. Twilight Sparkle winced as if the sight physically harmed her, even if she knew she had to do this. She knew she had to be strong enough to say no.

She only hoped that their friendship was strong enough to survive the day.

4072359

A second one, just for fun. Probably weaker than the first, but I wanted to write it anyway.

Silver Spoon ran. She galloped as hard as she could, even though she had no idea where she was galloping to. She ran, until she couldn't run any farther. Then, she kept running.

It didn't matter where shes was going, and she couldn't see through the tears anyway. She just had to get away from where she was, and away from... from Diamond Tiara.

Ponyville was a blur as she galloped teary-eyed through the streets. Voices called out to her, ponies all concerned about the panicked, crying filly, but no one chased her long enough to catch her. She didn't want to have to explain it anyway. She didn't want to have to think about it, or to have to remember it. As long as she was running, as long as she was out of breath and crying, she couldn't think of anything but the next step.

But eventually, "couldn't run any farther" became "absolutely had to stop right now", and Silver collapsed right where she was, panting heavily and almost delirious. She had stopped crying, mostly, but she still couldn't think. She could hear voices still, and she could think just enough to remember that it was bad, that she didn't want to be around other ponies. As she tried to catch her breath, the voices got a bit clearer.

"Is that Silver Spoon? What is SHE doing here?"

"She looks kinda bad, like kinda really bad."

"Hey! Come on you two, let's get her up into the treehouse!"

Oh. Them. Silver Spoon tried to stand up and argue, but she couldn't manage to make her throbbing hooves and exhausted legs obey her. She felt magic around her, but it didn't seem to be quite enough until two ponies lifted her up on their backs. She just gave up and let them carry her up the little ramp to their treehouse. She felt them shuffle her over to a little bed inside, and then listened to the three fillies chattering about what to do next. After a few more seconds, she opened her eyes as she heard hoofsteps coming closer.

Sweetie Belle smiled down at Silver Spoon, and set a little glass of water on the table next to the little cot she was on. "Um, here's something to drink, Silver Spoon. But you really just need some rest, so don't try to get up, okay?"

Silver reached out and took the glass in her hooves, suddenly realizing just how thirsty she was, and took a deep drink. She also realized suddenly that she was all sweaty and probably looked terrible, and also that everything was blurry because she'd lost her glasses somewhere during her run.

While she was running away from Diamond Tiara.

Silver Spoon set the glass down carefully on the table, and sank again to the cot. She mumbled quietly. "Thanks, Sweetie Belle."

"You're welcome! But hold on, you need to do this too."

A green blur filled her vision, until she realized that it was Sweetie's magic again, rubbing a towel all over her. The towel didn't smell as nice as the ones she was accustomed to, and the texture was rougher. After a moment or two though, Sweetie Belle tossed the towel aside, and pushed a pile of blankets onto the bed with her hooves. "Here. Get covered up. You'll get really cold if you don't, you're not supposed to sweat that much in winter."

Silver Spoon gathered the blankets around herself, and then finally took the time to look around the room. Applebloom and Scootaloo were sitting off to the other side of the room, playing some kind of two-player card game, and pointedly ignoring Sweetie and herself. Silver wasn't really sure how she'd manged to end up here, but she knew by the ache in her legs, the throbbing pain in her hooves, and the sudden chill that was creeping over her that she wasn't going to be running anywhere else. But the blanket was helping, and the water had been nice. "How do you know all this?"

Sweetie Belle blushed and giggled. "We tried getting out cutie marks in marathon running last year. But it didn't work out."

Silver Spoon looked down at the floor, and an awkward silence fell for a few seconds. The flipping of the cards in the card game across the room seemed weirdly loud, as did the rustle of leaves outside. After a little while of this silence, Sweetie Belle spoke again, much quieter and calmer than usual. "Was it Diamond Tiara?"

Silver nodded, trying to force herself not to start crying again. It wasn't easy. "I... told her. It's Hearts and Hooves Day, and I... I thought..."

Applebloom looked over toward her, but then Scootaloo pointedly knocked her hoof against the floor, and she turned back to her card game. Sweetie Belle nodded, just a little. "I thought it might be that."

Silver Spoon wiped her eyes with the back of her forelegs. "She could have just said no. She didn't have to say... what she said."

It took a second or two for Silver Spoon to realize what was happening. It was warm, and soft, and comforting. Sweetie Belle was hugging her. It was also... a little awkward. They weren't friends, if anything they were something like enemies. But still she was there, and after a few seconds, Silver Spoon hugged her back. They stayed that way for just a little longer, and then Silver Spoon remembered herself and pulled away. Sweetie let her go, and after a brief silence, Silver spoke again. "Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, after what we did, and..."

Silver Spoon couldn't help but notice Scootaloo's wings twitch, and a bit of an irritated expression on her face, but Applebloom put her cards down and Scootaloo frowned and started arguing about the cards instead. Sweetie Belle smiled at Silver. "Uh, well, we don't really hate you or anything. Besides, we can't just ignore a pony crying and almost passed out next to our clubhouse."

Silver wiped her eyes again, and sighed. She was pretty sure she wasn't friends with Diamond anymore. None of the fillies and colts at school would probably ever forgive her for what she did when she was. But these three ponies were different. They weren't her friends, or they weren't yet. But... "Thanks."

Another hug, much briefer than before, and Silver couldn't help but smile at the smile on Sweetie's lips. Maybe the end of her friendship with Diamond Tiara wasn't the end of the world. Maybe there it was just the start of something better.

4073295 I really like the descriptive prose here. The physical strain of Sotto's dash across town, as well as his emotional turmoil, are very well presented. You can feel it just by reading it. That's the mark of good writing.

I also like how you transitioned the second-to-last section into italics. It's a neat way of showing where the flash-forwards began.

4081483 Fluff? For Hearts and Hooves? I don't know what kind of namby-pamby operation you think we're running, good sir or madam, but around here, 'Hearts and Hooves' translates to 'Angst and More Angst.'

And what angst we have! Poor Fluttershy. Poor Twilight, too. That time spell did her more harm than good, I think. All it gave her was more time to agonize over how to turn her down.

4086147 A second one! Hooray!

I can imagine Diamond Tiara wouldn't have been gentle. Tact, or basic decency, rather, was never her strong suit. I feel for Silver Spoon here.

Sweetie Belle really is the sweetheart of the CMC. She would be the first of them to forgive and offer comfort to Silver.

4072359 Well, here's mine

Legacy Prompt #22: Archery Practice

Ffwt!

“Oh, my darling!”

“My love!”

“Is she still out there?” asked Octavia. Vinyl chanced a look above the open window. She ducked back down just as a blue magical arrow shot through the space her head had occupied previously.

“Yep, she is,” muttered Vinyl, “got any threes?”

“Go fish,” said Octavia, and Vinyl grumbled and picked up a card.

Ffwt!

“I’m sorry to do this today, but I don’t feel the same way about you. I can only hope that you get the stallion that you deserve.”

“Oh. I see. Well, we certainly have had some good times, but now I need to go and drown my heartbreak in a lot of alcohol.”

“Of course.”

“Any princesses, Vinyl?” asked Octavia.

“So,” said Vinyl, as she flicked one of her cards at Octavia, “how long do you reckon it will be until she gives up this time?”

“Four hours,” said Octavia, sorting through her cards, “give or take about ten minutes.”

“Weeks worth of dishes says it’s six?” asked Vinyl. Octavia considered this for a moment.

“You’re on, Vinyl.” The two would have shook hooves on it, but that required them to move into the line of fire.

Ffwt!

“Well, maybe if you stopped using those stupid hooffiles, my hooves wouldn’t hurt so much...I mean, I like it that you do those things for me, but maybe you could remember that my hooves are more delicate than yours.”

“Honey, I’m sorry. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I’ll see if I can find one that doesn’t hurt your hooves so much.”
Octavia picked up a card, and her face instantly brightened. She laid down a pair of knights, and Vinyl groaned.

“Oh, come on, that’s like the fourth match you’ve made in the last five minutes,” she said levitating a card to her collection. “Ooh, pair of wizards!” Vinyl laid down her matching pair of cards.

Meanwhile, Octavia pulled out a circle of stiff card, painted with a facsimile of Vinyl on it, and she tossed it toward the window. A second later, it was pierced through with another arrow made of blue magic.

“Darn it!” was the exclamation from the opposite rooftop.

“Shouldn’t you be doing, you know, Princess stuff?” called Vinyl.

“I am! As the Princess of Love, it is my duty to make sure that everypony is happy on Hearts and Hooves Day! And you two have so much unrequited love!”

“No we don’t!” bellowed Vinyl.

“Denial is the first step on the road to acceptance!” called back Princess Cadance.

Vinyl magically slammed the shutters shut, but they were obliterated a second later by a localized storm of magic arrows. Vinyl and Octavia both inched a bit further away from the window.

“Come on, I know you two will be perfectly happy together!” called Princess Cadance. Vinyl tuned the slightly-delusional Crystal Empress out, and turned back to Octavia.

“So, got any fives?”

“Go fish.”

Ffwt!

“Oh, come here, my love.”

“Baaa.”

“Whoops I missed I didn’t mean to make you fall in love with a goat and let me reverse that real quick for you!”

4092676 Ha! Us shippers Cadence just can't give it a rest, can she?

This is a funny take on the prompt, and I love the idea that the Princess of Love has taken to camping outside Vinyl Scratch and Octavia's apartment every Hearts and Hooves day. She ships them as much as the rest of us do.

Clearly you two were meant to be together! Why fight fate?

4072359

Legacy Prompt 22: Dark

Lyra looked up as Bon Bon stepped out of her bedroom. The cream-colored mare was smiling, humming softly, and had what Lyra considered an unusual expression on her face, almost a look of smug satisfaction. “You okay, Bonnie?”
Bon Bon looked over; the expression on her face swiftly vanished, to be replaced by a more commonplace smile. “Oh, fine, Lyra, just fine. And yourself?” The slightest hint of her previous expression returned as she continued speaking. “Looking forward to your date tonight?”
As the warmth rushed to her cheeks, Lyra turned aside. “I… yeah, I am,” she said, realizing it would be pointless to hide the fact. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”
“So I’ve seen, dear heart.” Bon Bon leaned over, planting an almost motherly kiss on her roommate’s forehead. “Need any help getting ready?”
Lyra shook her head again, her blush growing larger. “N...no, I’m good. What about you, Bonnie? You look like you’ve got something fun planned.”
Bon Bon turned to face Lyra squarely, then let her eyes drape half-closed. “I should hope so, Lyra. I’ve asked Noteworthy if he’d be willing to come over again.”
“Oh… oh!” Once more, red tried to creep up under green as Lyra’s face heated. “I’ll just… go to my room and… get ready for tonight, then.”
“Oh, stop it, Lyra. You’ll be out of the house before he comes over.” Bon Bon grinned. “Still, having you get ready does sound like a good idea…”

“Noteworthy! Come on in!”
Noteworthy pulled his hoof back, not having actually managed to knock on the door before it opened. “Been waiting for me, have you?”
Bon Bon fluttered her eyes at him. “Of course, my love.”
Noteworthy laughed. “You do realize that sounds a bit strange, right?”
“What, a doe’s not allowed to flatter her chosen stallion?” She smiled. “Like I said, come on in.”
Noteworthy did so, brandishing a bundle of daffodils in the process. “I brought you a little gift, Bonnie.”
“Ooh, flowers! I’ll get… wait, wait a second.” At Noteworthy’s confused look, she gestured at the bundle. “I’m still not completely on top of pony-style dating habits. Is that a decorative bouquet, or a snack?”
“Decoration, unless you want to eat them. I just thought it’d be a nice gesture either way.”
“Oh, it is, it is.” Bon Bon ran to the kitchen, grabbing a cup and filling it with water then bringing it back with her. “Just put those in here, then, and sit down in front of the fire.” She took the flowers back to the kitchen as he did so, then went to join him.

An hour or so later, Noteworthy shrugged himself, then leaned over towards Bon Bon. “You’ve been humming something a little catchy off and on this evening, hon. It have any words to it?”
Bon Bon smiled back, her eyes lazily lidded. “Mmm, perhaps.” She rolled away from him, to her feet, then stepped back beside him. As his eyes tried to track her, she took a gentle nip on his ear, then started to whisper into it. “Come, little pony, listen to me. And soon my perfect servant you’ll be.”
“That’s… a bit disturbing, Bonnie.” Noteworthy tried to rise to his hooves, only for Bon Bon to plant a hoof of her own in his back and drive him back down.
She then bent over, staring Noteworthy in the eye. “Stay still, lovercolt.” At the command, Noteworthy’s body stilled itself, his eyes growing wide as it did so. Bon Bon took a few steps away, turning to look over her shoulder at him. “Yes, that should be good.”
“Bonnie, what…”
“Shh. No talking.” Bon Bon turned, facing Noteworthy squarely on, and in a flash of flame set her disguise aside, revealing black shell in its place. “You know what I’m doing, and you know why.” She slipped back over to him, bending slightly to place a hoof under Noteworthy’s muzzle, then forcing it upward a bit. She then gently ran her hoof along the length of that muzzle, caressing it. “Try to enjoy this, lover. I know I will.” She lowered her head, gently pressing her lips against his own, and a streamer of energy flowed after her as she pulled away.

“NO!”
At the scream, Bon Bon looked up in shock, to where Lyra stood in the doorway. “L...Lyra, this isn’t what it looks li-”
The statement was cut off as a burst of golden energy slammed Bon Bon into the wall, followed a second later by one of the dining benches from the table being hoisted up to pin her in place.
A moment after that, Lyra was just below Bon Bon, staring up into her eyes, and the expression on Lyra’s face roiled Bon Bon’s stomach. Anger she could have handled, or fear, but this… there was a touch of fear there, but most of Lyra’s face was covered with pain and something that might have been shame, and tears gleamed at the corners of her eyes as she spoke one simple word. “When?”
Bon Bon tried, with difficulty, to shrug. “Lyra, this is just a big-”
Golden energy clamped the changeling doe’s mouth shut, and Lyra repeated her question. “When? When did it happen?”
The words were almost whispered, and so hit Bon Bon harder than if they’d been shouted. “Nothing’s happened, Lyra. You just don’t understand what’s going on.,” she said as the golden light around her muzzle faded.
Lyra shook her head. “I understand well enough. After the wedding, after you came back here, you took great pains to point out the difference between what changelings like you were and what the black-shelled monsters from Canterlot were. And now, you, you’re one of them. Please, if there’s any of the real you left, tell me. When did they take you away from me?”
Bon Bon struggled, trying to force her legs to move with only slight success. “No one took me, dear heart, I just-”
Once more the golden light sealed Bon Bon’s throat. “No,” Lyra said softly. “The real Bonnie called me by that nickname. You’re not her anymore. You don’t get to.”

Time Limit

A groan from behind them pulled at the attention of both mare and doe, although Lyra continued to focus enough to keep Bon Bon pinned to the wall. “Noteworthy,” she said, her eyes never leaving Bon Bon, “you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m…” His eyes went wide as he took in the scene in front of him. “Lyra, what are you doing?”
“Go get Miss Sparkle, Note. Those Canterlot monsters took Bonnie; she’s one of them now.”
He shook his head. “No, Lyra, you’re wrong. She’s still the same as she always was.”
“Don’t give in to her mind control, Note. She’s one of those black-shelled things now, and I saw her sucking your love out of you. Please, go get Miss Sparkle before ‘Sweetie Drops’ here decides she wants you under her control again.”
Bon Bon called out from the wall. “Lyra? Lyra, please listen to me.”
“No. I won’t let you trick me like you did Noteworthy.”
Bon Bon shook her head. “No tricks. Please, just look at me.” Frantically, Bon Bon stretched her foreleg, sawing the inner face of it against the edge of the bench pinning her. Slowly, flakes of black began to crumble away from it.
When she stopped, Bon Bon held her leg out, stretched as far as she could. There, amid the black, was a patch of shining cream chitin. “The black is just paint, Lyra. It’s not real.”
“Hwha-?”
Noteworthy stepped over. “She’s telling the truth. I’d asked if she was willing to provide a little, erm, ‘spice’ to our date, although I didn’t quite realize how far she’d go.”
“Not… not real?” Lyra shook her head, then set the bench down, allowing Bon Bon to settle to the ground. She then promptlly threw herself forward, one forehoof jabbing into Noteworthy’s shoulder hard enough to bounce him against the wall, while the other slammed upwards into Bon Bon’s jaw. “You IDIOTS!” Lyra screamed, nursing the hoof that had hit chitin, “how could you even think about doing something like that?” She then threw herself forward again, this time catching Bon Bon in a deep hug. “You idiot,” she said again, this time through streaming tears, “I thought I’d lost you. Please, Bonnie, please, never do that again.”
Bon Bon carefully returned Lyra’s hug. “I won’t, dear heart. You know I wouldn’t intentionally hurt you that way. I wouldn’t have done it tonight, except we thought we’d be done before you returned.”
Lyra sniffled. “Sorry. My date never showed, and now I guess I’ve ruined yours as well.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Bon Bon waved a hoof along her side. “How about I go get this cleaned off, and the two of you pick out a game for us to play? Might as well salvage a little of the night.”
“S, sure thing,” Lyra said through her tears. “Get going.”

Author's note: This image is my view of what Bon Bon's normal changeling form looks like, as graciously drawn by Thresha8

4096375 I had to read a second time to catch where the hoofache part came in. Perhaps it might be better to split up that paragraph where Lyra hits then hugs Bon Bon, to better emphasize her actions there.

So, I gather from this that changelings turn black when they become evil? Why would Bon Bon need body paint, though? Couldn't she just use her changeling powers to disguise herself as herself, but with black chitin?

Poor Lyra had quite an evening though, oof. She gets stood up, then comes home to what looks like her best friend going bad. Whatever game they pick, Bon Bon and Noteworthy better let her win.