Morning Routine
Lyra Heartstrings was a pony who liked secrets. She always kept a few. They were small things, silly and frivolous. When she was a foal she dyed her coat blue, and she thought she looked better that way. She loved Daring Do books even though she thought they were childish. To her there was no cuter animal than the bee.
But she had one secret she held above the rest. To most ponies it would seem just as paltry as the rest. To Lyra it was a singular truth that defined her daily life.
She was a morning pony.
It was admittedly more than a little embarrassing for her deepest, darkest secret to be something even her grandmother would happily admit. But whatever Nana Heartstrings would do, Lyra was prepared keep this secret. Come hell, high water, or ancient angry demigods mum was and would remain the word.
Any reasonable pony would ask her “Why? There’s no way it’s worth that much effort.” Lyra’s answer would be pretty straight forward. The one pony she felt free to confide in was the very pony the secret affected most. Her name was Bon-Bon, and she was the love of Lyra’s life.
They had grown up two doors down from each other. As kids they were as close as kids could be. Not a day went by without the two seeing each other. As teenagers they had grown even closer. They shared their first kiss when they were fourteen. They spent their first night together when they were eighteen.
It was like something out of a romance novel. Even when the two went to different colleges they kept in touch and made sure to visit each other every chance they got. Now all these years later they were living happily in Ponyville, they even lived in the house between their childhood homes.
But romance novels tended to leave out everyday stresses and ordinary problems. There was always room in a story for grand wars and feuding families, but taxes never seemed to show up in epic tales of love.
In the real world all the little problems weighed a pony down. It seemed that not a day went by without some little problem in their lives. Lyra loved her job, but as musician the pay was inconsistent at best. Bon-Bon was basically running her parents candy shop at this point. Twist, Bon-Bon’s little sister, spent every moment she could trying to help in the shop; the key word being trying. Then on top of it all every week some calamity seemed to strike Ponyville, almost like clockwork.
All this stress piled up and it spilled over into their everyday routines. Little arguments started and burned themselves out in seconds. Lyra snapped at Bon-Bon for breaking her diet. Bon-Bon chided Lyra for wasting money. Then they would forgive each other, kiss, and make-up. They moved on, but a small part Lyra never fully forgot those moments.
That’s why it was so important for her to wake up early, and for Bon-Bon not to know. Bon-Bon had to wake up early to run the store, but she hated mornings. So she set her alarm as late as she could and still get away with it. So Lyra always woke up first. And for an hour or so she would simply lay there with Bon-Bon.
There was a ritual to it. When she first woke up she would hug Bon-Bon. No matter how the two fell asleep they always woke up tangled up in each other’s embrace. Lyra would scoot towards her love until their bodies were flushed. The first thing she always noticed was the warmth. Even in the middle of summer Bon-Bon always seemed warm, but even when it was hot the warmth always felt nice.
Then Lyra snuggled into Bon-Bon. She would luxuriate in the feel of their coats being rubbed together. Bon-Bon showered before she slept, so her coat was clean and soft in the morning. Below her coat Lyra could feel a second layer of softness. There wasn’t enough to call Bon-Bon fat, or even pudgy. But there was a certain plumpness that came with owning a candy shop.
After that Lyra would take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. She loved the way Bon-Bon smelled. Her favorite shampoo was coconut scented and the smell clung to her coat and mane. It was a sweet, simple fragrance. But that was just the smell of coconut and soap, not Bon-Bon. It became her scent when you added in undercurrents of sugar, sweat, mint, and chocolate. All of them together formed the bouquet Lyra thought of as Bon-Bon.
As she savored her scent Lyra would listen to Bon-Bon. She was a loud sleeper. Her snore was practically deafening. And yet Lyra had grown so accustomed to it, she couldn’t imagine sleeping without it. Bon-Bon was also a sleep talker. She never said anything important. It was just nonsense, half the time she was just mumbling without using real words.
After all of that, once she was sure she was comfortable, she began to think.
She always started at the beginning, reminiscing about her fillyhood. She’d try every morning to think back to the first time she met the pony wwho would bring her so much joy. She never quite could though. Bon-Bon had been a part of Lyra’s life for so long she couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t around. The earliest memory she could recall was when they were foals. It was nothing special. The two of them were at Lyra’s house, playing in the living room. Nana Heartstrings was reading on the couch while the two of them sat on the floor coloring. They were giggling at something Lyra drew. The two of them were just reaching the end of their respective toddlerhoods and were beginning to take on the physical traits they would be have the rest of their lives. Lyra was beginning to look a little lanky, while Bon-Bon was still carrying her baby fat.
As they grew older they became classmates. School always brought little trials that seemed huge at the time, but in hindsight they were mostly funny. She remembered Bon-Bon always hated gym and loved art class, she herself always hated math and loved music. When they were in third grade Bon-Bon had to get glasses. She was terrified they’d make her look ugly. Lyra was there though and assured her they looked great on her. Which they did, Lyra always thought it was shame when she got contacts. Bon-Bon was more than happy to return the favor when she had to get braces a year later.
When they got a little older their feelings started to change. As dumb kids they of course were incredibly awkward. Bon-Bon was always shy, poorly trying to hide how she felt. Lyra always came on to strong, trying desperately to figure out how Bon-Bon felt about other girls. Eventually the two figured it out. It was at a sleep over when they finally confessed to each other. They were chatting away when the topic turned to dating. It was like pulling teeth but the two realized they liked each other. Their first kiss was tentative. The second one right after was a lot more passionate.
Prom came a few years later and the two obviously went together. At the dance the two were all smiles laughter. They danced until well past midnight. Spiked punch ensured the two went stumbling towards home. They didn’t make it home that night though. Instead Lyra rented a room at the Ponyville Motel. Lyra always heard that first times were awkward, her first time certainly supported that. Neither of them had any idea what they were doing. It was artless and clumsy, but good in spite of that. But when all the fireworks had died down it was just the two of them. And that was when the real magic happened. The two of them were all alone in that room. They fell asleep drunk on cheap booze and the mere presence of each other.
Part of Lyra thought this was why she kept waking up early. She wanted to recapture that moment or at least that feeling. It would never be quite the same as that first time, but it didn’t have to be. The two of them weren’t the dumb kids they were back then. They were adults, living what they hoped was an adult life.
And that life was full of troubles, some big and some small. They followed her around everywhere she went, constantly hanging in the back her mind. Bon-Bon was the only thing that could help her forget them, even temporarily.
Finally she would complete her ritual. Bon-Bon’s alarm would only be a minute or two from ringing. Lyra would lean in and kiss her. If they were facing each other the kiss would go to Bon-Bon’s forehead, otherwise it would go to the top of her head. Then Lyra would whisper the first words she would say every single day.
“I’m so lucky to have you. I love you, Bonnie.”