Gears of Romance

by Phoenix999

Chapter 7

“It’s been a week and I still don’t have any answers.”

Widget stood at the edge of the lake and stared into its reflective surface as he sipped from a flask. The panic attack in the woods when he was with Bon Bon didn’t bother him as much as it should have, even though the girls were both very worried for him. Berry had even stopped in his shop to check up on him. His alcohol intake did increase incidentally, even as he spent the time completing orders. His business had flourished since his first week as ponies took notice of his store. It was a good source of bits, and more importantly, a good distraction from his problems.

“Why can’t these things ever be easy?” Widget groaned, plopping himself down next to the lake. Looking down at his watch, Widget sighed. “What would you say about all this, Grandpa?”

The sun shined down through the modest cloud cover, causing a glare on the watch covering. Widget turned it slightly and removed the glare to reveal it’s midnight blue face with the silver interconnected gears. Widget always wore the watch as it was the last gift that Widget’s grandfather had given him.

“I really like them, Grandpa, I just don’t know what to do.” A small smile graced his muzzle as images of his deceased Grandfather passed through his mind. Widget chuckled and examined the master craftsmanship of the watch. “And no, I don’t just want to get them into bed, either. I told you that I’d leave that behind in Canterlot, remember?”

---

A light blue foal sat in his grandfather’s lap next to the fire, listening to the elder tell stories of his youth. The foal laughed at a particularly funny story in which his grandpa got caught pulling a prank on his teacher. The old stallion looked at his grandson with soft caring eyes as the young colt calmed down.

“Widget, whenever you decide to like a filly…” Widget had started to protest, but his grandpa merely shushed him. “Now, I’m not saying it has to be today or tomorrow. But when you do like a filly, and you really like them and it’s not a fling, then you have to take life by the reins and tell that filly. Otherwise, she’ll get away and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

The foal looked up with large eyes, the seriousness of his grandfather’s tone resonating deep within him. “But Grandpa, how will I know when I like a filly and it’s not a fling? Wait… what’s a fling?”

“Nevermind what a fling is, I’ll tell you when you're older. But, you’ll know that you really like her because you won’t want to just get into her bedroom the first second you see her.” Widget just looked at his grandpa and cocked his head to the side. His grandpa chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a free hoof. “I guess you're a bit too young for that, huh? Well, regardless. The point is that you’ll know when you like her because you’ll want to just be around her. It won’t be about what she can do for you or what kinds of benefits you might get from her. It’ll feel… different.”

The foal just scrunched his muzzle up and furrowed his brow as he crossed his eyes. Letting out a breath, he sighed. “I still don’t get it.”

Widget’s grandfather chuckled and ruffled the foal’s mane. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it when you’re older. Now, how about another story, huh?”

“Yay! Story time!” The foal clapped his hooves together in anticipation.

“Alright, alright. Let’s see… how about the time when…”

---

Widget smiled at the watch as his memory came to a close. “Easy for you to say, Grandpa. There’s two of ‘em, ya know? If it was only one it wouldn’t be this hard.”

Widget took a long pull from his flask, capping it off and putting it away for later. He turned his gaze upwards and watched the pegasi as they cleared the last of the clouds for the afternoon. Sighing, he got up and walked towards Ponyville. The sound of hoof steps heading towards him reached Widget’s ears. Widget stopped momentarily to look over in the direction of the approaching pony.

“Hey, Widget!” Bon Bon smiled as she trotted up next to him. “What have you been up to lately? I haven’t seen you around much.”

Widget nodded, offering Bon Bon a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve been kinda busy with my orders and everything. Business has picked up a lot over the past week.”

Bon Bon squinted her eyes. “Right… well, I was actually looking for you. Had to ask around to find out where you went. Your shop was closed and the sign didn’t say when you’d be back.”

“Oh? What's up?” Widget cocked his head to the side as he pushed his own feelings down for the moment.

“Um.. well…” Bon Bon had taken an interest in her hooves as she scraped at the dirt as a small blush became visible on her cream colored coat. “I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

“Ok… ask away.” Widget did not like where this was going. And it had to be now. Widget tried desperately to suppress the growing sense of dread inside of him.

“Well…” Bon Bon looked up at him, fluttering her eyes. “I was wondering if you would, maybe, like to go out to dinner with me later?”

“Sure, why not?” Widget answered, his trepidation lessening as a smile graced his muzzle. I guess she wasn’t going to ask, after all.

“Oh, but...” Bon Bon looked into his eyes with determination. “I was wondering if you’d like to maybe... consider this a date?”

Widget’s jaw dropped. A fake-out? Really? I got caught in that trap? I’m really out of practice if I fell for that.

“Unless you don’t want to. I’ll understand...” Bon Bon shuffled her hooves as she turned her gaze to the ground. Her determination faltered as she aimlessly scraped at the grass.

Great, now I feel like a terrible pony. Whatever you do, just don’t say ‘yes’; it’ll only complicate things. Widget inwardly sighed and steeled himself for his response. “Sure, one date never hurt anypony, right?”

“Great! Come by my place at six tonight. See you then!” Bon Bon said as her eyes light up, a broad grin etched onto her features. Bon Bon rushed off, a skip in her step as she disappeared into the town.

Widget dropped his head down into his hooves, mentally groaning. Horseapples! What did I just do!? Well, I don’t have much of a choice now. I made a promise and I can’t really back out of this one. Hopefully, this will help solve my indecision.

---

Several hours later, Widget, with a small bouquet of flowers in hoof, appeared at Bon Bon’s door. Using his hoof to straighten out his mane, Widget took a deep breath and braced himself as he knocked on the door.

“Coming! I’ll be right there!” Bon Bon’s voice called from behind the door.

Widget took a step back and sat down on the grass. He took several calming breaths. It’ll be fine. We’ll go out, have a good time and call it a night. If it goes well, then I can figure out what to do then. I still haven’t made any concrete decisions yet; it’s too early to count my chickens. Widget felt uncharacteristically nervous, having been so out of practice with dating a mare outside of his normal flings. His recent past gave him plenty of dating experience, but his relationships would never last more than a month at the most before he moved on.

Bon Bon’s door swung open, revealing the stunning cream colored mare. Her coat glistened softly against the sunlight. Her hair styled in her normal curves had more volume to it than normal. Widget snapped out of his trance and smiled at the beautiful mare in front of him.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

Bon Bon blushed, looking down and scratching at the floor with her hoof. “Thanks… you look pretty good yourself.”

Widget smirked and held out the bouquet of flowers. “These are for you.”

Bon Bon’s eyes lit up as she took them from his grasp, picking a daisy and chewing on it. Smiling, she placed the rest of the bouquet inside, out of sight. “I’ll save those for later, thank you.”

“No problem,” he replied, mentally sighing. Good, now we just have to get through the actual date.

“So, shall we?” she asked in a playful tone.

“Sure, where are we going?” he asked.

“Oh, I have someplace in mind. Don’t you worry.” Bon Bon giggled and started towards their destination, Widget quickly matching her pace and taking his place beside her.

After they had been seated at the restaurant and given their food orders, Bon Bon began her story of her latest candy creation. “... and that’s when I figured out that I was using salt instead of sugar!”

Widget put both hooves to his muzzle in a vain attempt to muffle his laughter. Bon Bon had a hard time keeping a straight face herself, her eyes glinting happily at his enjoyment. Widget finally calmed down enough to make coherent sentences as the waiter came by with their food. Widget smiled and nodded to the waiter in thanks. He turned his attention to the plate of food before him. Taking a few bites, he looked up to see that Bon Bon’s eyes were wide and staring off into a corner of the restaurant. Tracing her line of sight, Widget didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Bon Bon, what’s wrong?”

Bon Bon shook her head and smiled, her eyes returning to his. “Nothing, everything’s fine. How’s your salad?”

“Good, yours?” As Bon Bon’s left hoof twitched slightly at regular intervals, Widget looked over with concern. Ok…

“Really good.” Bon Bon said as she took a bite of her own salad and closed her eyes as she tasted her food. Bon Bon looked up at the corner of the restaurant again with a panicked look. Turning to Widget, she gave him a disarming smile. “Do you mind if I try a bit of yours? It looks delicious.”

Widget raised an eyebrow at her erratic behaviour but decided against mentioning it again. “Sure.”

“Great!” Bon Bon seemed to relax slightly as she scooted her chair closer to his and took a bite of his salad. “Mmmm... That’s spicy! You should try a bit of mine, its got a sweet tang to it.”

Widget scooted himself a bit closer to Bon Bon, following her lead. He reached over and grabbed a bite of her salad for himself. Mmm, that is good! “You're right, there’s a nice contrast between all of the mixings as well. They work well together.”

“So this is where you’ve been, huh? I guess I was wrong, you can find somepony else who’ll take you out.” A mint-green unicorn mare strutted up to Widget and Bon Bon’s table. Her nose was tilted upwards, her gaze directed downwards at them with a condescending glare. Widget had lived in Canterlot long enough to recognize the attitude and fake accent she used. “And who is this, hm? Your stallion in shining armor?” The unicorn mare snickered, looking over at Widget and scrutinizing him more closely. “No, that’d be too perfect. He’ll probably rut you and leave in the morning. That seems to fit him much better.”

A spark of anger brewed inside of Widget as he furrowed his brow. How dare she!? Memories of his past of one-night stands flashed in his consciousness, fueling his growing rage. A hint of doubt entered his mind. Would I do that again? No, I wouldn’t do that to Bon Bon. Things are different now. Besides, I wasn’t planning on rutting anypony tonight! What the heck!?

Bon Bon grabbed his forehoof and drew him closer to her before he could act on his anger. “This is Widget, my date. And for your information, he’s a very nice stallion, Lyra.”

Bon Bon’s voice dripped with venom as she spoke the mare’s name. Widget dropped his jaw and looked over at Bon Bon in awe. He had never seen her speak with so much anger and force behind her words. When the pieces started to click into place in his mind, he decided to take a spectator's seat in the altercation.

“Oh? Well that remains to be seen, doesn’t it? How long have you been dating?” Lyra asked, a smug look on her face.

Bon Bon grimaced, swallowing a lump in her throat. “This is our first date.”

“Ha! I knew it!” Lyra beamed, reveling in her small victory.

“But we’ve known eachother for a couple of weeks now! He’s not the type to do that, I’m sure of it!” Bon Bon retorted.

Lyra’s eye twitched as she laughed hysterically. Calming down, she gave Bon Bon a strained smile. “Oh, let’s just be honest, Bon Bon. You found out that I was coming back to town today and decided to try and make me jealous by taking him on a date in an attempt to win me back. If you want me back, baby, all you have to do is ask nicely.”

Lyra grinned and winked at Bon Bon. Bon Bon’s cheeks reddened, and she narrowed her eyes at the mint green mare. “I’m not going to beg for you—I made that abundantly clear when you left.”

“Oh I remember, don’t you worry.” Looking over her shoulder Lyra waived at a yellow pegasus mare at a table across from the restaurant. The pegasus made her way over to the group. “Well, I guess that’s my cue. Take care and have fun with your date, Bonny.”

Lyra sauntered away and escorted the pegasus mare out of the restaurant, leaving a furious Bon Bon behind. Widget just watched Bon Bon in silence as his mind tried to catch up to the present, his thoughts jumping from thread to thread in an attempt to piece everything together. Bon Bon sighed, leaning into Widget as the two mares drifted out of sight. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s fine,” Widget murmured, still caught in his thoughts. Eventually, he took notice of her close proximity and snapped back to reality. “How about we finish our dinner?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Bon Bon agreed, not showing any intention of moving away from Widget.

The two of them sat there for a moment before finishing their dinner in silence. Widget attempted to initiate conversation a few times with mixed results. However, if there was anything Widget was proud of learning over the years it was taking a bad mood and turning it around. Soon enough, the two of them were laughing and swapping stories as they walked the streets of Ponyville on their way to Bon Bon’s house. Widget still had questions, but he decided they could wait for later. However, he couldn’t help but notice a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something wasn’t right.

As the two rounded a corner, they bumped into Berry Punch. When Berry noticed the two, she smiled. That was, until she noticed how closely Bon Bon was to Widget. She narrowed her eyes at Bon Bon and leaned in close to her. Berry spoke to Bon Bon in a low voice, just above a whisper. “Bon Bon, you didn’t…”

Bon Bon nervously swallowed and rubbed her left hoof with her right. “Berry, let me explain—”

“You promised!” Berry yelled, glaring at Bon Bon. Berry nearly knocked Bon Bon over as she ran past the pair in a hurry.

As she disappeared around a corner, Widget raised an eyebrow at the scene. “Am I missing something here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Bon Bon replied hesitantly. “C’mon, lets get going. It’s getting dark outside.”

Letting the issue slide, Widget followed Bon Bon to her house. It seems to be just one thing after another; after this is over I’ll have to do some research. They stopped at her door and a sheepish smile spread across Bon Bon’s muzzle as she turned to face Widget. “Umm, thanks for everything. I really enjoyed myself tonight.”

Widget smirked, despite the nagging fear in the back of his mind. “Me too.”

“I guess I’ll see you soon?” Bon Bon asked, a tad too excitedly.

“We’ll figure something out, don’t worry.” Widget gave her a wide smile, deciding to go with the ambiguous approach. I need answers before I make any decisions.

Bon Bon looked up nervously for a moment in contemplation. Her face grew determined as she nodded to herself. She then leaned forward and gave Widget a quick peck on the cheek and disappeared into the house, closing the door behind her. Widget blinked, a slight blush growing on his muzzle as he touched the spot she kissed. Taking a moment to look at the door absently, he finally left and headed over to Berry’s house. Time to get some answers, Widget thought with determination.

Knocking on her door, Widget called out, “Berry! It’s Widget!”

Widget heard clanging from the second floor travelling downwards through the building. He stood back a bit from the door as he heard the locks disengage. Berry peeked out from the crack in the door. Her mane was more disheveled than normal. Berry sniffled and, with streaks of tears still visible on her cheeks, raised her irritated eyes to look at him. “What do you want?”

Widget smiled softly, splaying his ears back. “Listen, can I come in? I’ll keep it short, I promise.”

Berry’s eyes, peering through her unruly mane, darted back and forth between him and the ground. Sniffling, she turned and walked inside without closing the door. I guess that’s as good as any invitation. Widget sighed and entered the bar, closing the door behind him.

Widget walked over and sat next to Berry on her couch. “Listen, Berry, I—”

Berry cut him off with a raised hoof, her intent gaze leaving him speechless. “First, I need to know. How long have you been dating?”

Deciding that only the blunt truth would satisfy her, Widget didn’t hold back. “This was our first date. She kissed me on the cheek when I dropped her off and then she disappeared into her house.”

Lowering her hoof, Berry just looked down. “I see.”

“Berry, I…”

“No.”

“Huh?!” Widget just looked over at Berry, his head cocked to the side. “No what?”

Berry looked up at him, her eyes still wet from recent tears. “You’re not allowed to say you’re sorry.”

“Umm…” Widget blinked, tilting his head to the other side. Dumbfounded, he shook his head to clear it. “I wasn’t going to apologize for anything.”

“Oh.” Berry looked down again, her lip quivering as her breathing became erratic. Tears threatened to fall as her eyes began to water.

“Whoah, whoah, whoah!” Widget waved his forelegs frantically, attempting to stop the waterworks before they started. Berry looked up at him as she sniffled and bit her lip. “It was only one date! I haven’t even made plans for a second one!”

Berry took a moment to process this information, and promptly tilted her head to the side. “Huh!?”

“Umm… now I’m confused.” Widget looked at Berry’s expression, trying to figure out why she had such a reaction. “Did you think I agreed to be Bon Bon’s coltfriend?”

Berry nodded silently, causing Widget to face-hoof and groan. I should have known. This is a small town; things are different here. Sighing, Widget removed the hoof from his face and looked into Berry’s bright-purple eyes. “Berry, believe me when I say that I am not Bon Bon’s coltfriend. Nor have I ever been. It was a single date, and I haven't even made the decision on whether or not I want a second one with her yet.”

“Umm… you might want to tell Bon Bon that,” Berry said. “I mean, Bon Bon probably thought that you agreed to be her coltfriend when you agreed to the date.”

Widget groaned, resisting the urge to facehoof again. “I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow, then.”

Berry chuckled, wiping her eyes and removing the remaining tears. “You know, most ponies don’t assume they're in a relationship on the first date, but Bon Bon’s been that way for so long I thought you knew. If it were anypony else, I wouldn’t have jumped to that assumption. Kind of funny in retrospect.”

“Well, I’m glad you find the fact that Bon Bon now considers me to be her coltfriend amusing. I do have something to ask you, though,” said Widget, a smirk splayed across his muzzle.

“What might that be?”

“How long have Bon Bon and Lyra been apart?” Widget asked, in a neutral tone, his smirk disappearing.

Berry’s smile vanished; a frown took its place. “How do you know about Lyra?”

Widget furrowed his brow, locking his eyes with Berry’s. “We crossed paths on our date. Please, Berry, I need to know.”

Berry’s frown grew more pronounced. “About a month.”

“A month?” Widget asked hesitantly. “Were they together for long, then?”

“Yeah, they were together ever since grade-school until then. Then they ran into a rough patch and a lot of things happened. If you want any more than that then you’ll have to ask her yourself,” Berry replied.

“Since grade-school!?” Widget gasped. He went over the scenario in his mind, re-analyzing every interaction he’d ever had with Bon Bon. He paid particular attention to the confrontation earlier that day during their date. One detail stood out from all of the others, sending a mind-numbing chill throughout his body.

Lyra’s eye twitched as she laughed hysterically. Calming down, she gave Bon Bon a strained smile. “Oh, let’s just be honest, Bon Bon. You found out that I was coming back to town today and decided to try and make me jealous by taking him on a date in an attempt to win me back. If you want me back, baby, all you have to do is ask nicely.”

Lyra grinned and winked at Bon Bon. Bon Bon’s cheeks reddened, and she narrowed her eyes at the mint green mare. “I’m not going to beg for you—I made that abundantly clear when you left.”

She never denied it, Widget realized.

Widget’s eyes widened as his jaw dropped as he stared off into space while his mind replayed the conversation. Several moments passed; Berry’s attempts to get his attention passed in vain. Widget was oblivious to the outside world as the pieces finally took shape in his mind, painting a picture that he was 95% confident in.

“Buck!” Widget shouted, slamming his hoof down on the cushion. “I knew it! How could I have been so stupid!?”

“What? What’s going on?!” Berry asked frantically.

Biting his bottom lip, Widget seethed in frustration. Noticing Berry’s expression, he sighed. I said that out loud, didn’t I? Widget took a deep breath and held it for several seconds, clearing his mind and grounding himself. When he came out of his self-induced trance, he shook his head. “Berry, I should go. I really need a drink right now, and I don’t want to impose on you any more than I have already.”

“You do realize I run a bar, right?” Berry chuckled, but eyed him with concern. “Besides, I don’t think you’re in any condition to go anywhere just yet. Give me a minute and I’ll be right back.”

Without waiting for an answer, she left Widget and passed through a doorway, out of sight. A few moments passed before Berry came back into the room as she carried two glasses on her back. Handing one off to Widget, she took her place beside him on the couch.

“So, how are you stupid again?” Berry asked, nudging Widget’s shoulder.

Widget snorted, taking a sip from the glass. Nice. Whiskey and coke. Berry knows me too well. Smirking, he rolled his eyes. “Oh, you know, I’ve just been too optimistic about this whole thing. Good things don’t happen to me. I should have known this by now.”

Berry eyed him carefully. “And how do good things not happen to you, again?”

“Well, that may have been a poor choice of words. What I meant was that I can’t seem to do any good in all this relationship business. Maybe I should just give up. Every time I try to actually date anypony with any serious intent it always seems to backfire.” Widget sighed, slumping back into the couch.

Berry looked over at the blue stallion sitting next to her. Frowning, she shook her head. “I don’t think you should give up. You might have a run of bad luck, but since when is giving up the answer? You can’t run away forever.”

Widget looked down at his now empty glass absently as he pondered Berry’s words. Placing the glass down on the coffee table, he gave her a weak smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Standing up, he cracked his neck. “I should be going. Thank you for everything, Berry.”

Berry walked him to the door, stopping him just as he was about to leave. “Listen, I’m not going to get in between you and Bon Bon. But no matter what happens, I’ll be here for you. Ok?”

Widget met Berry’s eyes, and for a moment he was speechless. Why in the world would this mare care for me so much? Putting the question aside for the moment, he grabbed her into a warm embrace. “Thank you for everything, Berry.”

Letting her go, Widget left the house, leaving an open mouthed and wide eyed Berry Punch staring at his retreating form.

Comments

[Aura Zero]

Gah! And here I was, rooting for Bon Bon a little more than Berry... Now it has been changed dramatically! Berry for the win! You so wrong for that Bon Bon!

[Pony Knight]

Well shit, lets see where this goes now.

[Tesla Moon]

I knew there was something off with Bon Bon. That user

[NikitaKitten]

I didn't really expect to like this story, which is why it sat in my "Read Later" pile for so long. I'm glad I finally got around to reading it; I like what I've read so far. Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

[Phoenix999]

3872180 Glad to hear you were pleasantly surprised!