Cherry had woken me up way too early; even Bon Bon seemed a bit grumpy in the morning. My head pounded and my eyes actually ached from all the sudden morning light exposure. But Cherry insisted that I go along with her, so I obeyed. Wasn’t like I had any choice.
I had a quick bowl of oats and some orange juice, enough to get me semi-awake, but not to fill my stomach; Cherry was passive aggressively pushing me to hurry up. So that was another annoyance to add to the list. We walked in silence through Ponyville, a cold morning mist seeping through the town. I totally didn’t shiver, since I had to look tough in front of Cherry.
It took me a little while, what with my groggy state, but eventually I realized that we were going nowhere near Cherry’s house. In fact, we were on track to Ponyville’s outskirts and between the misty surroundings, the silence and, y’know, Cherry, I… kinda feared for my life.
But I think getting murdered by Cherry would’ve been preferable to sharing a balloon ride with her. At least that might have been quick and relatively painless.
We approached her balloon, a silly pink thing and full of hot air. Rather like herself really. Once she got everything set up, she chucked me a helmet and inclined her head towards the basket. “Get in.”
“Uh, alright.” I strapped on the helmet and stepped aboard. My headgear felt a little too big for me but it’d probably save me if Cherry decided to push me out. Probably.
Cherry got in and started up the fire, her expression one of calm focus. It was a small favor, actually; she kept quiet and I got to warm up by the fire. The balloon slowly left the ground and we gained altitude, Cherry settling us just above the lowest lying clouds. Once she made sure we were A-OK in the skies, the comfort I had vanished as she stared at me.
And she just… stared. She wasn’t really frowning either, just an expressionless stare. I’d like to say I returned it in kind but I had to end up looking away. Cherry is just really intimidating to me. It was clear to me why, though. Unlike Raindrops, who I could easily argue against and ignore, Cherry had a form of power over me. That being her friendship with Bons. I couldn’t exactly piss Cherry off too far, since that’d upset Bon Bon and I wouldn’t stand for that. Cherry knew that and she exploited it whenever she could.
I avoided her gaze, staring at the ground below. Despite being cooped up with my nemesis, I couldn’t help but feel a little envious of pegasi. The ground below, where it wasn’t interrupted by cloud cover, was like verdant tapestry of fields, trees and buildings. Ponyville looked completely deserted, something both chilling and fascinating at the same time.
After what seemed like forever, Cherry cleared her throat and spoke, “We need a talk that’s been a long time coming.”
I stopped staring at the ground and turned around. “This seems like an awfully high place just to have a talk.”
Cherry reached out to touch a cloud, except she didn’t touch it as much as her hoof just passed through it. I was worried—well concerned—that she might fall out but her movements were precise and confident. She’d done this many times before.
“Helps me think,” she said. And I actually saw her smile. Not a sarcastic or venomous one. An honest to Celestia sincere smile. “We’re far above the troubles of the world here.”
“Except we can’t really escape them,” I countered.
“No, we can’t. But we all need a time to relax, now and then.” The smile vanished and that same old Cherry brand look of disgust and annoyance reappeared. “And you’ve been trying to escape from your problems all your life.”
I flinched. That… hit deeper than I would’ve thought. “Not really,” I said, but only to save face. Some part of me knew it was true, to an extent.
I mean, I was a college dropout and had done almost nothing of worth since. What does that tell you?
“Yes really,” Cherry shot back. “You have no job. Not even something simple like community service, or asking Carrot Top if you can help her. She always needs it.” Which was true. Carrot owned her own little bit of land. Nothing like the acres the Apples had, but it couldn’t have been easy to work her own land by herself.
Cherry took a step forward, heat rising in her voice. “But you don’t do any of that. Instead you lounge around all day, playing music in some half-hearted attempt to make yourself look cultured and smart—” she stopped to scoff, “and you mooch off your friends and even your own marefriend just so you don’t have to do anything.”
Okay, that’s where I drew the line. I’m not perfect. I know more than enough about that. But any implication that I don’t love Bon Bon or do what’s best for her makes me mad. Really mad. “That’s not fair! Even if I’m not a hard worker like she is, I make sure to give her lots of love every damn day.” I thought about it, then shrugged and said to myself ‘why not?’ So I said, “More than you’d ever get.”
I saw Cherry tense up, her frown getting deeper. “You’re in no position to start flinging insults. But if you want to play that way…” She got up right close to me and jabbed me in the chest with each word sentence she spoke. “You’re useless. A failure. Completely worthless to society. I’m still surprised to this day that you actually managed to hook up with Bon Bon. Any other pony would probably just leave you in the dust.”
It hurt. Both physically and within. I didn’t look away though. I wasn’t going to let her get the satisfaction of seeing me curl up like some coward.
“And that is why I dislike you, Lyra. You contribute nothing of worth to anypony. You’re just a big leech, mooching off of others so you don’t have to do anything yourself.” She lowered her voice and uttered the next sentence with as much disgust as she could, “It’s vile.”
“Put the balloon down, Cherry,” I ordered. Although my voice was probably too timid for it to have been an order. More like an assertive suggestion.
Cherry scoffed. “And let you run away from the truth? Again?”
“I get it,” I shot back. “You think I’m a piece of crap and would probably be better off gone. No need to rub it in.”
She rolled her eyes, holding up a hoof. “Oh please. Don’t play the ‘I know I’m so bad please feel sorry for me’ card. It’s the same card drunks play just so they have an excuse to feed their addiction.”
“No, I’m not playing that card,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “I’m playing the ‘help, I’m being harassed by a psycho bitch, please let me go for Celestia’s sake’ card.” Not the catchiest name, I know.
Cherry seemed to consider me for a few seconds, then huffed and turned to the balloon… controls? In any case, she made the fire start burning a bit less. “Fine.” The balloon started to peacefully fall towards the ground.
I leaned on the side of the balloon, taking deep breaths. My legs were shaking and I felt a little sick. And I don’t think that was from the height, either.
My head was filled with questions. Was Cherry in the right? Was I really, as she said, a waste on society? Did all I do for my friends was… mooch off them?
And more importantly, why? Not the why as to why I was so bad, but why was I taking this from a pony like Cherry? Call me what you want, I don’t think I deserved this.
I still had to answer the questions about myself, but I knew one answer: fear. Fear was why I was being bossed around by Cherry. I was afraid that she would undo everything I had worked had for just by telling ponies I had tampered with her mail without permission.
Sure, it wasn’t much. Almost trivial, to any other pony. But it was more important to me. And I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted if that was reduced to nothing.
So I guess the real fear was me relapsing into my old ways. It wasn’t Cherry at all. She was just a mosquito. An annoying little thing, hard to to swat yet ultimately a small threat.
I realized I should probably indulge in my thoughts a little more and not Bon Bon’s bon bons. (But not her bon bons, if you know what I mean.)
Then I felt myself smirk as we reached the ground. I wouldn’t simply walk away from Cherry. No, far too easy. Instead, I’d pretend to be submissive, until I found the perfect moment to do… whatever it was I was going to do. Look, I hadn’t formed the details just yet, but by being patient and waiting, I would.
Cherry set the balloon down and tethered it to the ground. “Once we’re done here, you can go back with me and clean up my house. I’m starting to notice too much dust.”
“Sure,” I said, getting out of the basket and keeping my jaw clenched. As long as I looked angry, she wouldn’t notice I was really trying to hide my mischievous grin.
Cherry had a task for me the moment we stepped into her house.
“I have some dishes that need cleaning, from yesterday. So get that done,” she ordered, making a turn into her living room.
“So… what you’re saying is that you were too lazy to do them?” I asked cheekily.
“No. Too busy,” she snapped. “There was a party last night, if you recall.”
I sniffed the air, trotting into the kitchen. “Smells like irony,” I muttered.
In Cherry’s sink were a few used dishes and cups. I didn’t see any cutlery because, y’know, earth ponies. It didn’t seem like it’d be too long and painful, so I got to work. With my magic, of course. It’s not lazy to use magic to complete tasks—it’s efficient. You don’t call pegasi lazy for using their wings, after all.
Unless it’s Rainbow Dash sleeping on a cloud. Then yeah, you’d call her lazy. Then again, she’s not using her wings for sleeping, just to get to a good sleeping spot. So ... lazy-ish?
It was a simple enough task. At least the soap smelled good. I wasn’t working particularly hard though, only to a standard that looked good enough. Cherry didn’t deserve anything better, after all. I did, however, call Cherry to let her know I had finished.
“Fine, coming, coming,” she replied curtly, taking her sweet time getting to me. She peered at the dishes, not actually bothering to touch them to inspect more closely. “It’ll do,” she said, not batting an eyelid towards me.
I grunted at her—it wouldn’t have done me any justice to complain when I only did a shabby job in the first place. “What now?”
Cherry simply grinned at me. It was an expression that seemed to foreshadow all sorts of horrors. But I tried to keep my cool as she went upstairs and came back down with… a toilet brush. The eyebrow wiggle she gave me didn’t exactly make me feel better either.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it…” I drawled out, taking the brush with my magic and beginning to journey upstairs. Which is what I would’ve done, if life were that simple.
Sadly, it isn’t, and I was about to be reminded of that by a knock on the door. I flicked my head towards the kitchen, but Cherry was already on the way to answer it. She shot me a firm glance, likely silently ordering me to go upstairs. I totally didn’t.
Cherry swung open the door, her body blocking the newcomer. But the pony was slightly taller than she was, with a dark cerise mane on top her head.
“Yo. Is Lyra around?” she asked.
I took in a sharp breath. Berry.
“She’s busy,” Cherry tersely replied. “You and her can go drinking like tramps later on, when she’s available.”
“Uh-huh,” Berry said. Well, that doesn’t do what she sounded like justice. She was half in-coherent. I did wonder if she was drunk but not even a wasted Berry would come here. Clearly she just didn’t give a damn at the moment.
She entered the house herself, shoving Cherry aside being a very intended consequence. I couldn’t help but smirk at her and she gave me a little knowing smile back. “A toilet brush? Really?”
I stuck my tongue out, giving her a dumb look, and tapped my head with the brush—not the brushie side. “Well, you know me.”
“I sure do. So I’m kinda wondering why you’re doing Cherry’s housework for her,” the statement/question wasn’t directed at me, since Cherry turned around, giving her a death glare. Cherry’s own expression was equally filled with hatred.
“The hay do you think you’re doing to my friend?” Berry demanded, taking an aggressive step forward.
“Teaching her a lesson in work,” Cherry shot back, also taking a step forward.
“Well I think she’s gotten the message by now,” Berry said, accompanied by a silent nod courtesy of myself.
“Let her go now and she’ll relapse back into her old ways.” Cherry’s eyes narrowed to almost slits and her voice was filled with spite as she spoke, “Just like a certain pony I know.”
Berry stopped for a moment, then flicked her tail, a whip like motion. “I got better,” she growled.
“Yet I still find you in a drunken haze, from time to time,” Cherry said, sighing trivially.
“That’s for fun. Any idiot would see that,” Berry replied, her words heated. Both of their body gestures were tense, and as I walked up to Berry, I could hear her deep breathing. Cherry was the same, her chest movements barely visible under her coat.
You didn’t need Twilight Sparkle to tell you what was going on. Although I couldn’t help but wonder why. Cherry was a nuisance, and a colossal cow, but I didn’t see that as a reason to make a huge scene over.
Gently, I put a hoof on Berry’s shoulder. And damn, that mare had some muscle to her. Regardless, I chose my words carefully, speaking at a slow pace. “Berry, I appreciate you coming here, but I’m not worth starting a fight over, okay?”
Berry firmly shrugged my hoof off her. “Stay out of this, Lyra. Please.”
When Berry actually uses polite language, you know she’s serious. I backed off.
“This is between us,” Cherry said, not taking her eyes off Berry for even a split-second. That’s when I knew what they shared: history. With similar sounding names, I wasn’t surprised they had clashed before. I never knew it was this serious though.
“Cherry, this is low. Even for you,” Berry spat, flicking her head towards me. “I don’t care if you think you’re doing some sort of ‘greater good’ or bullcrap—this is wrong. Let her walk away from this, without any complications, and things between us will be civil.”
“Fine. She can go,” Cherry said, surprisingly trivial in her words. She even waved at me dismissively. I wasn’t jumping for joy though; despite her apparent ‘loss’, she was still smirking wickedly. “But you barged yourself into my home without me welcoming you in. That makes you an intruder.”
Berry actually flinched. It was the slightest of movements but I felt it beside her. I looked between her and Cherry, frowning in puzzlement. “Okay. So we’ll go. All fair, no foul.”
“First, that isn’t how the phrase goes. And second…” Berry shook her head, letting out an angry sigh. “We’re going by earth pony customs here. Because I’m an intruder, that means Cherry has every right to defend herself.”
I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend that. “So… that means Cherry can fight you and be completely in the right?”
Berry nodded. “Sorta. I mean, she couldn’t injure me really badly—we’re a lot more civilised than we were years ago—but it doesn’t mean the law will be exactly warm towards me either.”
I bit my lip, glancing towards Cherry. I raised my voice, pleading, “You’re not gonna exercise that right, are you? You’re surely not that much of a bitch?!”
Cherry shot me an annoyed look. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Lyra. Honesty, unicorns…” she grumbled.
“It’s not so bad, to be honest,” Berry said, as she rolled her neck and shoulders. “Earth ponies always settled arguments this way, back in the day.”
“But… but! You…” My words fell short. I knew earth ponies were more durable than the other pony races, yet that didn’t make the thought of my friend in a fight any more comforting. There wasn’t anything I could do either, unless I wanted to risk getting involved in the fight. Sure, I had magic, but nothing that would stop tons of meat as it slammed into me.
“So we’re really doing this?” Cherry wondered, unimpressed.
“Been a long time coming,” Berry said shortly. Every other part of her was readying itself for what lay ahead.
“I suppose it has…” Cherry replied, then the two of them fell into a deadly silence.
I expected them to clash immediately. What happened was something a lot safer and more my style. Their eyes never left their charge, as their bodies were crouched slightly, ready to pounce or dodge or some other maneuver.
After a few seconds of that, some action started in the way of Cherry stomping on the floor. It created a resonant ‘thump!’ through the hall. Berry replied to that with her own stomp, snorting as she did so, and hers was even louder.
It looked really primal, actually. Maybe that wasn’t a big shock, though. I mean, this was an earth pony fight in the making, and they probably started by the opponents trying to show off and be the most dominant. One last attempt to avoid direct conflict.
And it looked like it might have worked. Cherry’s stomps got nowhere near as loud as Berry’s, despite their rising urgency and strength. Berry was actually moving closer now, backing Cherry up towards the door.
Which was the perfect situation for Cherry. She kicked off from the door, making it rattle on its hinges, and charged towards Berry. She was totally unprepared as that bitch slammed into her, head first right into her muzzle. Berry stumbled back, almost bumping into me. She held her muzzle but even I could see the blood dripping from it.
“Berry! Are you okay?!” I cried, trying to go to her side but she pushed me away.
“Fine.” She licked the blood off her hoof, her muzzle a bloody mess. “She’s just given me a taste for blood now.”
I didn’t exactly have time to wonder whether that was an appropriate comment at that moment, since Cherry lashed out for Berry’s cheek with a hoof. Berry blocked the strike firmly, parrying it with her own leg. Her head made the tiniest of movements, left to right, and she began backing out of the cramped wall, into the kitchen.
Cherry was hot on her tail. Or in this case: face. She kept lashing out with her hooves, but considering they were both walking, it was harder for Cherry to gain a good reach on Berry. I kept my distance, watching as my friend deflected blow after blow.
Then Cherry raised up onto her hind legs, her forelegs poised to slam down onto Berry’s head. Berry also stood up and their forelegs clashed, flailing over each other, trying to gain some sort of edge. It was a mess, but Berry, thankfully, didn’t get harmed. Neither did Cherry.
Their hind legs quivered and they went back down, eyeing each other up. Then Cherry sided up to her kitchen and grabbed a freakin’ frying pan. Now I was getting pissed; I could practically feel my blood boil. My magic wasn’t anything special (hands exempted) but it could help me out in pinch. Just as Cherry was about to strike, I covered the pan in my magic and yanked it out of her hoof.
Clearly she didn’t plan ahead much and she fumbled, her hoof not even getting close to smacking Berry. My friend took her chance, delivering a solid blow to Cherry’s cheek, then slamming her into the kitchen counters. There was a loud slam and all the plates I had washed clattered.
Cherry, now dazed and confused, a nasty bruise on her cheek, had lost. Berry snorted and turned, raising her hind legs…
Yeah. I grinned in delight.
The kick was powerful, as I expected. Berry hit Cherry’s chest, sending the mare flying and hitting the wall, where she slid down onto the floor. She was unconscious but her chest was rising and falling normally, so she would be fine. Whether Berry had broken any ribs or not remained to be seen, yet frankly I couldn’t bring myself to care. Karma’s a bitch, right?
Berry sniffed indignantly and headed over to me. “Let’s go.”
And so we left.
Berry stumbled into her home, holding her nose, groaning to herself. The adrenaline had faded for me as well, making me all jittery. I took in some deep breaths when the door behind us closed.
“Thank Celestia they’re at school…” Berry said, going to her kitchen.
“Y-Yeah,” I agreed. Berry wasn’t one to get into fights. At least, physical ones. Seeing her with a bloody nose may have led her sisters to believe she had gone back to her drunkenly ways. I swore under my breath and followed her.
She was gazing at a mirror, gingerly touching at her bloody muzzle. “Damn,” she muttered, looking at me through the mirror. “Help me clean up?”
“‘Course,” I said, getting a wash cloth and applying water to it. “Sit,” I told her and she did. I cast my magic hands and began the slow and painful process of cleaning up. Berry winced and fidgeted but she was brave. Braver than me, anyway.
Could I have used levitation instead of my hands to do the job? Yeah. But levitation isn’t the be-all and end-all of magic. It can be very precise, if you’ve trained enough, but it’s applying pressure with it that’s the problem. It’s hard to do since you’re not in contact with what you’re controlling. My hands, however, were connected to the cloth and me. I got the best of both worlds.
We were silent for a while, aside from the occasional grunt from Berry. I figured it was for the best. Only focused on the job, there was less chance of me messing up and hurting her. Once her face was clean and looked acceptable, I washed the cloth in the sink. By the time I was done, I found Berry sitting on her couch. I joined her.
“Well thank Goddess that’s over,” Berry said, stretching her legs.
“You want to start by telling me what the hay that was about?” I asked, nearly glaring at her.
Berry slowly turned her head, devoid of any interest. “A fight for dominance. Or, as you unicorns might know it better as: a duel.”
“Aren’t the guards going to come for you?!” And probably me, by extension, if Cherry had her way.
She shrugged. “Yeah.”
“What—” Berry’s hoof firmly placed itself over my mouth.
“Calm down, Lyra. Yeesh.” She rolled her eyes, taking her hoof off me. “They’ll ask me questions, sure, but I didn’t break any law. Cherry lost the right to accuse me of much when she started fighting me. If she hadn’t, maybe she could’ve got me down for trespassing. But she didn’t.”
“You knocked her unconscious! Into a wall!” I exclaimed.
“It was her own fault, Lyra. If I had continued to beat her after that, then yes, I’d be arrested. She accepted the fight, though. Furthermore, I didn’t break anything of hers, except maybe a bit of the wall. The guards are just going to see it as a scuffle and nothing more.” Berry waved a hoof absently. “That assumes Cherry even would go to them. And I doubt it; she loves her self-image too much to admit she lost.”
“Oh.” I sunk back into the comfy fabric of the couch, feeling that anxiety float out of me. “We’re fine then. We’re good.”
“Well, I am,” Berry started. I froze. “You’re not.”
“What do you mean?” My mind flashed back to my actions. “Wait, what?! I can’t be arrested for pulling a frying pan out of her grasp!”
Berry glared at me with a blunt expression. “No, Lyra. This isn’t about the fight.” Her look softened. “Thanks for the save, though.”
“No problem.” I straightened up. “So… why aren’t I good?”
Berry shuffled closer to me, staring at me right in the eyes. It was… kinda intense, really. “What the hay were you doing, working for Cherry Berry?”
She sounded disgusted and I turned my head away in shame. “She was blackmailing me.”
Berry’s voice suddenly gained ire. “Blackmailing you?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, she…” Licking my lips, my hooves started tapping nervously together. “I may have tampered with the mail…”
Berry hummed lowly. “You did?”
“Only to check who it was for!” I hastily explained, fidgeting. “I wasn’t interested in what was inside!” Really. I wasn’t.
Then I received a hard slap upside the head. “Ow!”
Grumbling, I rubbed my head as Berry spoke, “You… schmuck. You can’t be arrested for tampering with the mail for that. Nopony can. You’re just doing your job!”
I held a hoof to stop the onslaught of insults I’d probably get. “I knew that! But it wasn’t about that. Really! But I knew that if Cherry told everypony about it, she’d twist the truth into something far worse, and I’d lose what little credibility I have.”
“Lyra…” Berry sighed, putting a foreleg around me. It felt tender, a far cry from her usual bluntness. “Why do you even care about that?”
I snorted. “I think credibility is pretty important.”
“I’m not saying it ain’t. I’m saying…” She shook her head. “Look, I’m not a wordsmith, but think about what’s worrying you. Did you care that you had tampered the mail?”
“No. Not really,” I began. “I was more concerned about what other ponies would think—”
“And there’s your problem,” Berry interrupted, giving me a quick squeeze. “I know what you’re trying to do, Lyra. You’re trying to better yourself. And that’s good. But you need to do it for yourself, first and foremost. If you spend your life running around for others, you’ll never have time for yourself.”
I didn’t say anything. I simply stared at the floor, feeling secure in Berry’s half-hug. She kept talking. “You know why I think you’re lazy, Lyra? I think it’s because all your energy is spent on the ponies you love, but that means nothing’s left for you.”
I considered her words carefully. It’s funny how a few sentences can make you think harder than any complicated math equation. The gist of it, however, was clear to me. “Are you telling me I have self-esteem issues?”
“Maybe,” Berry said. “I’m not you, Lyra.”
I settled into her semi-embrace a bit more. She was surprisingly comfy, I had to say. “You sound like you know what you’re talking about though.”
“Well, yeah…” Her gaze drifted over to a bottle of wine, on a cabinet opposite us. “I’ve been in crappy places before.”
“Your sisters pulled you out of that one,” I told her, shifting a bit so I could place a foreleg around her too. “You did it for them.”
I felt her chest sink as she breathed out. “Yeah. I did. But I also did it for me.” I looked up at her, but her chin came down on me, resulting in us nuzzling each other. “They helped me realize how bad I’d become. And how tired I was of it. I was fed up with being a useless, drunk thing that only alienated her friends. So yeah, I did it for them, but mostly for me.”
She put a hoof under my chin, lifting my head up to look at her. “And that’s what you have to do, Lyra. I’m sure Bon Bon will be thrilled at your improvement but I guarantee you’re gonna be happier.”
That was when my mind started to drift. I thought about me, myself and I. I thought about my music and the joy it made me feel every time I listened to a beautiful melody. How every note I played on my lyre made me feel alive and the whole world around me so much more vibrant. How I could make others feel such joy with my music and how happy that made me feel in return. I could hear the notes in my head now, to such familiar songs. Ones I knew off by heart, and some that were played simply from it.
Evidently I didn’t look good though, since Berry shoved me away, snapping me out of my daze. “I’m not kissing you Lyra. Ew,” she said, smirking.
“Wasn’t planning on it. Didn’t want my minty fresh breath to get stained with alcohol,” I retorted, standing up and ducking under a cushion Berry threw.
“Buck off,” Berry retorted, nodding at the door with a grin.
“Yeah yeah, I will.” Okay, so maybe it wasn’t an exactly inspiring moment, but right then, I guess I knew what my destiny was. If you believe in that sort of thing.
I turned back to Berry and placed her cushion neatly on the couch. I shot her a kind smile. “Thanks though. For the advice. For pulling my silly flank out of there. For—”
Again, Berry cut me off. “Thanks for being my friend, yeah, I getcha.” She gave a sly wink in my direction. “Now don’t you have a fillyfriend to get to?”
Those words made my whole world feel like it was rumbling on its very foundations. “Bon Bon! I have to tell her about this whole Cherry thing…” I paced around the room, frowning. “But she’ll be heartbroken. And I really don’t want to do that to her. She only deserves the best in the world.”
Berry hummed in thought, frowning. Her expression then relaxed and she shrugged at me. “You’re the love expert. Not me. Sorry. But if I was some old wise pony sage… I’d probably say it’s bad to keep secrets to those close to you. That’s what we earth ponies reckon, anyway.”
“I know that but…” I bit my lip, pondering briefly. “It’s fine,” I said. It wasn’t. “I’ll think of something.” I couldn’t.
“You do that, Lyra,” Berry said, stretching her limbs out on the couch. “As for me, I need a quick rest…”
“Yeah, think you do,” I agreed, smiling fondly at her. “Later, Berry.”
She gave me a lazy wave. “Later.”
And then I opened the front door and slipped out of Berry’s house, heading for home.
I think I’m a bit of an ironic pony.
Despite having parents who were nobles, I ended up squandering my life in a little town just nearby Canterlot. And even though the Heartstrings before me were all spies, I’m not a mare of many secrets. Relationships are built on trust and secrets usually don’t have much of a place in that.
Which was why stepping back into Bon Bon’s house felt incredibly tough. My eyes darted around as I walked in, closing the door behind me as quietly as I could. I’m not sure why I did. Maybe it was part of me being brave; I could just as easily have hung around town for the whole day and avoided this. But I didn’t.
That said, Bon Bon’s home always brought feelings of stability to me. It was an extension of herself, I supposed. Add to the fact that I was tired and hungry and going back to her place seemed like a more rational decision.
Morning light was pouring through the open curtains on the windows, creating nice spots of heat and light throughout the house. Bon Bon generally didn’t keep her curtains closed, so that morning light could wake her up more naturally, as well as heat up the house.
I had a plan, of course: sleep in for the whole day. I deserved it, after the morning’s shenanigans. To make up for it, I definitely had big plans tomorrow.
The first step of the stairs creaked under my weight and I heard Bon Bon make a small noise. Then she came into the hallway and looked up at me. “Oh, you’re back early. Have a good time with Cherry?”
I offered her the best grin I could put on. “Oh, you know… mare talk.”
I got lucky apparently; Bon Bon chuckled. “Cherry is one for that, yes. As well as making some of the best jokes I’ve ever heard. Even if they toe the line from time to time.”
“She sure is a raunchy one!” I agreed, lying through my damn teeth. I put my other foreleg on the step.
“And where are you going?” Bon Bon questioned, joining me on the step.
“Sleep,” I answered in a speedy manner. “Early start and all.”
“Hm.” Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. That simple gesture of hers was enough to send me into a cold sweat. I prayed she didn’t detect it. “Why did she want you so early anyway?”
“Balloon!” I spluttered out. “Balloon ride. It was really beautiful, seeing the sun rise over the horizon.” I smiled. Partially because yes, it was true, and partially because I felt grateful that life had handed me a good answer.
“Ah. She’s taken me before, so I know what you mean,” Bon Bon said, nuzzling me. It would’ve been nice if it didn’t feel like she was smearing me with guilt. “One of life’s simplest joys.”
“Sure is. Like music,” I said, then instantly segwayed into another topic. “Speaking oooof! I’m going to Canterlot. Tomorrow.” I nodded eagerly.
“Seeing the parents again?” Bon Bon asked, tilting her head. “You only just saw them recently.”
I hid a sigh of relief, the metaphorical burden I was carrying getting considerably lighter. She’d taken the bait hook, line and sinker. Now I could file away the Cherry issue for a later date, when I could figure out the best way to break it to Bons.
My mind moved onto other, better things. “You’re right, I did.” I took another step, positioning myself higher than her. I puffed up my chest and looked towards the ceiling, likely getting a gleam of pure passion in my eye. “But I’m not going there to see them.”
“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, tilting my head gently so I was looking at her again. I went down a step, my inspirational image lost. “If that’s the case, then who are you visiting? If it’s anypony at all, anyway.”
“Oh, it definitely is a somepony,” I said, smirking almost wildly. “Find my shades, sweetie. I’m going to pay a visit to DJ-PON3.”
Interesting. I suspect Cherry's the kind of pony the Changelings would spit back out.
Well then, looks like it's Berry for the save here. Was satisfying to see Cherry get slapped around a bit.
It lives!
Anyway, it's an amazing coincidence that the last times this updated was the day before my brother's birthday, and now it updates on my birthday. I'll have to catch up when I feel less tired, but I do think I follow what's going on here.
Well, Berry to the rescue! Also why do I have a feeling that Lyra's plan of postponing an explanation is going to backfire now, since Cherry seems to be very spiteful?
Hopefully I'm wrong, but it isn't going to be pretty if I'm right.
Aaaaanyway, great update![:pinkiehappy:](https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/pinkiehappy.png)
Yeah, there's no way that not telling your marefriend that her friend was blackmailing you and you just finished aiding in knocking her unconscious is going to come back and bite you horribly on the ass. Celestia damn it, Lyra.![:facehoof:](https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/facehoof.png)
5044009 Not nearly enough-Blackmail and slave labor are the kind of crimes you go to the "raped in the showers" parts of prison for, yes.
That is, she needs to go to particularly bad prison, not that she needs to be raped in the showers.
well cherry you where lucky, you where insanely insanely very lucky, if AJ found you, you'd be dead to the town and probably in the ER
if vinyl got to your first, or vinyl and octavia, you'd be dead.
On a personal level, it is fascinating to see what little pieces of a story demolish the suspension of disbelief, but... did they really just leave a concussed and unconscious pony lying on the floor where she fell? After both Life and Times and Study have established in no uncertain terms that violence in this universe has serious medical consequences?
Cherry gets a flank kicking, all is right with the world.
Well, it is very good to see Lyra finally get out from under Cherry's hoof, although I am still frustrated by the lack of guard involvement over the blackmail. Oh well, at least the guard will be talking to Berry soon about the fight which means the cause will almost certainly come up and hopefully lead to an arrest.
5046549 I'm ok with serious medical consequences here. In fact, I am kind of hoping karma gets her on that count because it looks like everyone else is being too stupid to go to the guards and get her worthless flank arrested so unconsciousness-induced brain damage sounds like a good middle ground to me.![:scootangel:](https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/scootangel.png)
Holy cow! This was updated!?! I thought you were dead. I enjoyed reading this.
In the scenes with Cherry and Berry, I think you made a few little mistakes:
"since Cherry turned around, giving her a death glare. Cherry’s own expression was equally filled with hatred."
I believe one of those Cherrys is supposed to be a Berry.
"Whether Berry had broken any ribs or not remained to be seen, yet frankly I couldn’t bring myself to care."
You mean Cherry, right? Berry just saved your ass, Lyra.
It really surprised me that this updated again. Keep up the good work!
Berry PUNCH!!
5048348
Berry Kick, actually, but the pun is welcome nonetheless.![:pinkiecrazy:](https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/pinkiecrazy.png)
5048348 Well played![:rainbowlaugh:](https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/rainbowlaugh.png)
Now that I've finally found the time to read this chapter, I just want to say it's good to see this story still kicking! I must say though, as awesome as Berry coming to the rescue and giving Cherry a much deserved ass kicking was, it kinda felt a little like a deus ex machina. Still, I'm curious to see what the backstory between those two is. I just hope this isn't how you're planning on resolving the Lyra-Cherry conflict. Our favourite green unicorn definitely needs to grow a spine and stand up to Cherry herself! I look forward to the next chapter (whenever that is)!
I would have at least gone back to see if cherry is ok...
I'm willing to bet a good deal of the people hating Cherry in this story would be hating Lyra instead if it were told from Cherry's point of view.
Cherry's making a nice living off balloon rides, and is friends with Bon Bon. All of a sudden, Bon Bon gets a new mare friend and now spends a fraction of the time with her. But Cherry isn't an especially spiteful person, she knows that true love is more important than friendship. But then she finds out this Lyra character is a lazy free loader who doesn't bother doing any work and just lives off her parents and Bon Bon. Why, it's downright criminal for this pony to be stealing bits off her good friend Bon Bon! Especially since it'd be easy for Lyra to find work as a musician, but no, she's so lazy she just stays at home all day! So, the best course of action is to generally antagonize Lyra until she leaves. After all, anypony who leeches off her friends and marefriend can't really be that good of a friend, especially when Lyra antagonizes her right back, and after just a bit of difficulty she'll surely leave! And what's this now, Lyra opened her very private package and had the audacity to actually put it in someone elses mailbox! She just has to be taught a lesson in doing real work. And it's not like a few household chores will kill her or anything, at least after this she'll know how to do some work around the house for Bon Bon to make up for leeching.
5075715 All excellent points. I was actually figuring that was Cherry's plan. Show Lyra some genuine work and get her off her bum. The sudden fight and subsequent knockout came way out of left field for me. Personally, I think Cherry handled this situation terribly and deserved a slap in the face for exploitation and blackmail. But a full-on beatdown was going too far.
5076314 I think the fight was a common thing for earth ponies... maybe. Do earth ponies have high healing factors in the Winningverse? I know they do in some fics, but I would assume they do in this one also or else that type of thing would be much worse. Although isn't it a law that if that were America, Cherry could shoot Berry with a gun?
For some reason, I've been thinking this was the final chapter and that the story had already been marked "Complete". I just got caught up on this story as part of my tour of the Winningverse, and I have to say, this was really well done. It was a welcome surprise to realize there's more story to be told, so please-oh-please tell us that story soon!