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// First Fight 
// Story: Your Name 
// by Zeck 
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	Bon Bon sat in the front row of the class. She had her pencil and notebook laid out in front of her. They were in the perfect positions on her desk, nice and straight and ready for her to take notes. Or draw. Mrs. Bloom let the class draw a lot. Her saddlebags were sitting squarely under her seat, tucked away so no pony would trip over them if they walked past, but easy enough for her to grab once recess came.
Recess. Recess was really the only part of school she still didn’t care for. It was the time when she was taken away from Mrs. Bloom and forced to go outside, away from the adult ponies and where Socket and Bolt could find her. Their teasing had died down a lot over the first two months of school—especially after Bon Bon had told on them—but they still came around and picked on her from time to time.
Bon Bon’s first day at school had been bad. Socket and Bolt had teased her relentlessly for the entire day, calling her Sweaty Drops over and over until she had broken down in tears. When she had finally gotten to go home, she had gone straight to her mom and told her everything that had happened. How the kids had picked on her, how everypony had made fun of her name, and how she didn’t want to be called Sweetie Drops anymore.
Her mom had done her best, but Bon Bon had refused to budge on the matter. So her mom had made a fresh batch of bonbons—Bon Bon’s favorite candy—and the two of them had eaten all of them except for one, which Mom had always let Bon Bon have.
But not that time. She had taken the last piece of candy and placed it on Bon Bon’s head, then said, “Sweetie Drops, you will always be my little girl, and so you’ll always be my Sweetie Drops. But look: Now you’re my little Bon Bon too.”
Bon Bon had gone by that name ever since that day, and even though she found herself slipping up and calling herself Sweetie Drops in her head sometimes, she had asked Mrs. Bloom to call her Bon Bon from now on. That had done the trick, as all the fillies and colts—except those two meanies in the back—now called her Bon Bon. It was as if the whole Sweaty Drops thing had been just a bad dream. 
Bon Bon had also asked for a new seat. Mrs. Bloom had been reluctant at first, asking Bon Bon why she had wanted a new seat, but once Bon Bon had told her that Socket and Bolt teased her, Mrs. Bloom had agreed to her request. And had a talking to with the two colts. That had made them even more upset at Bon Bon, but it had also made them back off.
Now Bon Bon sat in her new desk, right in front of Mrs. Bloom’s desk, waiting for class to begin. Most of the other children had already arrived and were in their seats, but Bon Bon noticed that the desk next to her was empty. She also noticed that there was, in fact, a desk next to her. That hadn’t been there yesterday. Was it the special desk? Or was it the time-out desk? Whatever type of desk it was, she hoped that Bolt or Socket didn’t get to sit in it. She didn’t want them coming up and teasing her again. 
“Good morning, my little ponies,” Mrs. Bloom said as she entered the room.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bloom,” Bon Bon said with the rest of the class. She noticed that a filly was trailing behind Mrs. Bloom. When the teacher stopped, Bon Bon had expected the filly to stop and hide behind her, but instead she kept on walking until she stood at the front of the class.
“Everypony, we have a new student joining us today,” Mrs. Bloom said. “She’s all the way from the other side of Canterlot. Why don’t you introduce yourself, sweetie?”
Bon Bon’s ear twitched slightly at the last word. She hoped the new student hadn’t noticed it too much. 
“My name is Lyra Heartstrings,” the filly said. She seemed to stand up straighter when she said her name, and her chest puffed out as she smiled confidently at the class. Bon Bon liked the colors of her coat and mane. They reminded her of mints, and she suddenly wanted to reach into her bag and see if she had any. Maybe the new pony would like a mint too.
Bon Bon also noticed that she had her cutie mark too. It was some sort of horseshoe, and a really strange one too because it had a bunch of lines going through it.
“Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself, Lyra?” Mrs. Bloom said. 
“I’m going to be the first pony to find humans!” Lyra said, puffing her chest out even further. 
There was a moment of silence, then everypony in the class burst out laughing. Bon Bon laughed too. She was almost seven years old. She had realized that humans were nothing but make believe creatures a long time ago. Stories that her mom used to tell her when she was a baby. How could this new pony still believe in such tales? Was she stupid? 
The laughter continued as Bon Bon closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. Finally, a pony that Socket and Bolt could tease instead of her. There was no way they were going to leave Lyra alone after what she had just said. Bon Bon would be completely forgotten and she would finally be safe. 
“Class!” Mrs. Bloom’s shouted, silencing the laughter in a second. Bon Bon opened her eyes and suddenly felt very small as Mrs. Bloom’s gaze met the eyes of everypony present. “That is no way to greet your new classmate. I want you all to apologize this instant.”
“We’re sorry, Lyra,” the class said in hushed voices. 
“And, as such, you will all be taking a pop quiz on last night’s homework.” 
There was a lot of groaning, but Bon Bon was no longer paying attention.  Her eyes had fallen on Lyra. The mint-green unicorn was still standing at the front of the class, her stance still tall and her chest still puffed out and the smile still on her face. She looked as if the teasing hadn’t bothered her in the slightest, but then Bon Bon saw her eyes. She recognized the look in them as they stared out, unseeing, at the class. She recognized it because it was the same look Bon Bon had had when  everypony had made fun of her name.
Is…is that what I did? Bon Bon thought as dread filled her being. Oh no! If Mom finds out that I teased another pony, she’ll take away my desserts! She immediately bent down and dug through her bag, trying to find the pieces of candy her mom had no doubt put in her saddlebags. 
“Lyra, why don’t you sit next to Sweet—I mean, Bon Bon up front, okay?” Mrs. Bloom said and Bon Bon’s heart felt lighter. Good. If Lyra was sitting next to her, then she could apologize properly, and then Lyra wouldn’t tell Mom and Bon Bon would get to keep her desserts. Now, if only she could find…
Bon Bon’s hoof found her snack bag and she pulled out a mint that was the same color as Lyra’s coat. Good. Lyra was sure to forgive her now. As the unicorn walked over to the desk, Bon Bon smiled and held out her hoof.
“Hi, my name’s Bon Bon,” she said. Lyra glanced at her once, then sat down in her seat. That wasn’t right. “Um…would you like some candy? It’s really good. My mom and I made it.”
Lyra turned away and stared at the wall, but she put her hoof out and took the mint. Bon Bon was happy about that, until Lyra just placed it on the desk and continued to look away. That wasn’t right either. She was supposed to eat it. Did she not like candy? Or did she just not like mints?
“Um…do you not want it?” Bon Bon asked in a whisper.
“Just leave me alone,” Lyra said, still looking away. “You’re no different than all the other ponies I’ve ever met. All you do is laugh at me.”
“But I—”
“Don’t say you didn’t,” Lyra said, turning on Bon Bon and giving her a look that made Bon Bon scoot back in her chair a bit. “I saw you. You were right in front of me. You think I’m weird, just like everypony else. Well guess what. I don’t care. I don’t need you, and I don’t need anypony else.” She swept her hoof across her desk and the mint fell to the floor and rolled away. 
Bon Bon suddenly didn’t feel very well. She had a strange feeling in her stomach. It was like when she had been asked to speak in front of the class, but it was different. This sensation made her uncomfortable in another way. Her stomach felt hollow, and her cheeks were warm. Her eyes hurt, and she noticed that her mouth was hanging open and she had her front hoof reaching out slightly. She suddenly didn’t care about her mom taking away her dessert for a month. She felt that, if Lyra told her mom, she would be…happy? Was that it? It didn’t seem right, but that was the only word she could come up with.
“Um, I—”
“Okay class, take out a sheet of paper and your pencils,” Mrs. Bloom said before Bon Bon could finish…what was she about to say anyway? The words weren’t there. “Lyra, sweetie, you don’t have to take the pop quiz. You may just color if you wish.” Lyra nodded, but didn’t move to get her paper or crayons. 
At a lost for what to do about the mint unicorn or the feelings she had, Bon Bon pulled out a sheet of paper and readied herself for the pop quiz. She decided that it wasn’t too bad. She had done her reading homework like Mrs. Bloom had said, but her mind was barely registering the questions. As she gave her sheet to Mrs. Bloom, she again looked over at the unicorn sitting next to her. She had her forelegs crossed across her chest and was staring at the wall, refusing to look at Bon Bon or anypony else. Why did that bother Bon Bon so much? 
“Okay my little ponies,” Mrs. Bloom said as the last of the quizzes were turned in. “It’s time for recess. Go outside and play while I grade your quizzes. And remember to be nice.”
Perfect! Bon Bon thought as a smile came to her face. She bent down and began to pull her saddlebags out from under her seat. I can talk to Lyra and—
Bon Bon looked up, but the unicorn was gone. Bon Bon looked to the door just in time to see a flash of white and green disappearing through the doorway. Maybe she should leave Lyra alone. She clearly didn’t want anything to do with Bon Bon or anypony else. But the look in her eyes was so sad, and Bon Bon still felt funny about talking to the unicorn. No, she decided as she slid her saddlebags on, she would go and try to talk to Lyra again. She had to get this feeling to go away.
Bon Bon walked out the door, following the flow of her classmates as they all made their way outside.  Once the were outside, everypony split into groups and dashed off. Some went to play on the playground, others went to play in the field with balls, and some just went and sat down to talk to each other. Bon Bon herself began looking around for the mint unicorn. 
“Can you believe she still believes in humans?” she heard one of her classmates whisper. Bon Bon immediately turned to her classmate and saw that she was whispering to a friend and pointing. Bon Bon followed the invisible line the hoof made.
Lyra was by herself in the sandbox. She was furiously digging in the sand, putting shovelfuls into a nearby bucket and then dumping the bucket in another area of the sandbox. Bon Bon swallowed and then made her way over to her. 
“Um…” Bon Bon said as she walked up, suddenly at a loss for words. “H-Hi,” she stammered. 
“What do you want?” Lyra asked, not looking up from the hole she was digging. 
“Well, uh…” Bon Bon’s mind raced as she tried to form sentences from the words she knew. “What…what are you doing?” she asked finally.
“Why do you care?” Lyra asked, still not looking up at her. “You’ll just laugh at me again,” she said in a much quieter voice.
“No I won’t,” Bon Bon said, and she meant it with all her heart. “I promise.”
Lyra stopped digging and looked up at her. Her eyes were a little red. Had she gotten sand in them from digging so much? “I’m looking for human arty-tacts.” 
“Oh,” Bon Bon said. She was not sure what an arty-tact was, but she was making sure she didn’t laugh. Not that she wanted to, but she was putting all of her effort into keeping even a smile off of her face.
“Well?” Lyra asked, still staring up at her. “Aren’t you going to laugh like you did in class?”
“Of course not!” Bon Bon said, frowning. How dare Lyra think she was lying about that! How rude! 
“Well, then what do you want?” the unicorn asked, going back to digging and lowering her head. 
“Um…” What did Bon Bon want? She wanted this feeling in her body to go away, but she didn’t want to say that to Lyra. She’d think she was weird. “C-Can I…join you?” she asked before she realized what she was doing.
“Really?” Lyra asked, her head shooting up and her eyes becoming so wide that Bon Bon thought they were going to pop out of her head. “You mean it?”
“Well, I don’t know what an arty-tact is, but I can help you dump the sand,” Bon Bon said, stepping into the sandbox and sitting down next to the bucket. It was halfway full, so she picked it up and dumped the sand where Lyra had been dumping it. 
“Thanks,” Lyra said, a smile spreading across her face. Bon Bon felt the feeling in her stomach shrink when she saw the smile. So that was how to get rid of the feeling. She just needed to make Lyra smile more.
“Do you want a piece of candy?” she asked as Lyra put another shovelful into the bucket. “I…I have some extra ones. Chocolates, mints, and a lot of other sweets.”
“I’ll take a mint please, uh…” Lyra stopped digging and looked up, scratching the back of her neck as she smiled. “I…I don’t know you’re name. Mrs. Bloom said it, but I wasn’t paying attention.
“My name is Swe—” Bon Bon stopped herself. She didn’t want Lyra to know about her name. What if she made fun of her like Socket and Bolt? “My name is Bon Bon,” she said with a smile as she pulled out a mint. 
“My name’s Lyra,” Lyra said as she scooted across the sand and sat down next to Bon Bon. Bon Bon held out the mint and Lyra bent down and ate it right off of her hoof. Bon Bon almost said something about how weird that was, but the smile on Lyra’s face kept her from saying anything. She was happy that she could make Lyra smile. 
“So, do you like it?” she asked as Lyra closed her eyes and continued to suck on the mint.
“Mm-hm,” the unicorn said. She bit down after a moment and Bon Bon heard the sound of the mint snapping in Lyra’s mouth before she swallowed it and opened her eyes. “Um…thanks,” she said, looking at the sand.
“For the mint?” Bon Bon asked. “I have plenty more if you want some.”
“No, not that,” Lyra said as she picked up her shovel and started digging, much slower this time. “For…for talking to me. Most ponies never talk to me, or they tease me. They think I’m weird. I…my parents had to move me to this school because I kept getting in fights at my old one.” A tear ran down Lyra’s cheek and Bon Bon felt the feeling returning to her stomach. She needed to act fast if she was to hold it off.
“Well, I’ll be your friend,” Bon Bon said. Lyra looked up and smiled, and the feeling vanished as Bon Bon looked at her. She liked making Lyra smile, and she liked the feeling it gave her. Plus, she didn’t have many friends herself, so she was happy to finally make one.
“Well well, look who it is,” a voice said from behind Bon Bon and she felt the happiness flee from her body.  She didn’t want to turn around now. 
“What are you two doing?” said another voice, and Bon Bon’s ears drooped even lower. Why did they have to be here?
“It’s none of your business,” Lyra said, turning around and glaring up at the ponies behind her. Bon Bon did the same, but she kept her head down and only looked up with her eyes.
Socket and Bolt were standing at the edge of the sandbox, both of them wearing those mean smiles they always had on whenever they spoke to Bon Bon. 
“Hey, watch how you talk to me,” Socket said, stepping into the sandbox with Bolt right behind him. “I don’t need to take that from some human-believing baby.”
“Yeah, well, we don’t have to listen to meanies like you!” Lyra said, standing up on all fours as the two colts drew closer. “Leave us alone.”
“It’s a free playground,” Bolt said. “We just want to dig in the sand.”
“No you don’t,” Bon Bon said as she stood up, a strange feeling coming over her again. “You just want to make fun of us.”
“Oh, what’s the matter, Sweaty Drops?” Socket asked with a mean look. Bon Bon felt the feeling she had felt just moments before disappear and she hung her head. “Are we picking on your new friend?”
“Leave her alone!” Lyra said, stepping in front of Bon Bon. Bon Bon looked up to see Lyra’s tail swishing before her eyes. “You two need to leave us alone right now.”
“Oh, is she your marefriend?” Socket asked, the teasing in his voice becoming almost unbearable. Bon Bon felt her face go red from embarrassment. Why were Socket and Bolt so mean?
“And if she is?” Lyra asked, and Bon Bon felt the blood drain from her face. Did Lyra know what a marefriend was? Did she understand what she was saying?
“Ew, that’s gross!” Bolt said, sticking his tongue out as Socket made a face too. “You’re both girls!”
“So?” Lyra asked. “Who said girls can’t be friends?” 
Bon Bon felt relief flood her body. Okay, so Lyra didn’t know what marefriend meant. She was just standing up for Bon Bon. Confidence came back into her then and she stepped forward so she was next to Lyra.
“Yeah,” she said. “She’s my friend. My best friend!”
“Oh yeah?” Socket said. “Well, if you love her so much, kiss her.”
“What?” Bon Bon shouted, her face going red and her ears standing up so straight that they started to hurt. “W-Why would…I mean…I don’t see you and Bolt kissing!” She smiled a little when she saw the two colts trip on the words a little. 
“We’re not the ones saying we’re a couple!” Socket shouted back, much louder than before. “Well? Go on. If you two love each other so much, then why don’t you—“
Bon Bon started to turn to Lyra to see how her friend, her best friend, was handling the teasing. Socket and Bolt were such mean ponies, and she didn’t want Lyra to start crying because of them. As her face turned, she noticed that Lyra was looking straight at her. Bon Bon started to open her mouth to comfort her friend, but Lyra moved too fast.
Before Bon Bon knew what was happening, Lyra kissed her right on the lips. Her eyes went wide and she froze from shock. It was just a quick kiss, faster than the ones her mom would give her on the cheek, but it left her brain in complete chaos. Why had Lyra done that?
“EWWWWWW!” Socket and Bolt said at the same time, and Bon Bon slowly returned to the present. “You two kissed! You’re both freaks! You deserve her, Sweaty Drops! You’re both disgusting! I can’t believe you—”
“Bon Bon,” Lyra said, her voice very quiet but also sounding very angry.
“What did you say, freak?” Socket asked.
“Her name is Bon Bon,” Lyra said. Bon Bon noticed that the unicorn was shaking. “Stop calling her that right now.”
“I’ll call Sweaty Drops whatever I want,” Socket shouted. “Sweaty Drops, Sweaty Drops, Sweaty Drops!”
“Say you’re sorry right now,” Lyra said and Bon Bon noticed that she was shaking even more. “Say it, or I’ll make you sorry.”
“And what are you—” Socket never got a chance to finish what he was saying. One moment, Lyra was standing next to Bon Bon, next she had tackled Socket into the sand and was pulling on his mane with her teeth. Socket screamed and Bolt instantly jumped in, slamming his body into Lyra’s side. The unicorn fell down, tearing a chunk out of Socket’s mane, and Bon Bon felt anger boiling up inside her.
How dare Bolt hurt Lyra! 
Without thinking, Bon Bon jumped. She crashed into Bolt, knocking him to the ground. Sand flew up around them and Bon Bon felt some of it go into her eyes, but she didn’t care. She raised her front hooves and brought them down on Bolt’s face, chest, and hooves. She swung again and again, smiling as the bully let out little wails 
Suddenly, she felt something tugging at the back of her mane. It was tugging hard too. Bon Bon looked over her shoulder and saw Socket pulling on her mane as hard as he could, a scary look on his face. 
More tears came to Bon Bon’s eyes as Socket continued to pull, and she suddenly felt something slam into her stomach, but then Lyra knocked Socket to the ground, freeing Bon Bon’s mane. She turned back to Bolt, still pinned beneath her, and caught his front hoof in her eye. Bon Bon screamed, more angry than hurt, and began beating on Bolt even more, ignoring the blows that he was giving her.
She didn’t stop until a teacher came and lifted her into the air with magic. “Principle’s office,” the teacher said, an angry look on his face. “All of you.”
Bon Bon looked over and saw that Lyra was floating in the air beside her. She was gasping for breath and blood was running from her nose, but she had a smile on her face as she looked over at Bon Bon.
Bon Bon couldn’t help but smile back, even though she knew she was about to be in serious, big-time, grounded-for-the-rest-of-her-life trouble.
The four fillies spent the rest of their school day in the school’s office. Socket and Bolt sat as far away from Bon Bon and Lyra as they possibly could in the small room. They kept giving the two fillies mean looks, but all the girls had to do was look at them and then shrank back. They were both a complete mess, with Socket having some nasty cuts along his face and sides and missing a chunk from his mane, and Bolt sporting not one, but two black eyes. Bon Bon smiled to herself as she realized she had been the one to give him those.
Of course, she and Lyra didn’t look much better. Lyra’s nose had stopped bleeding, but she still had a piece of tissue stuck up her nose. Her mane was a complete mess and a bruise was starting to show on her left cheek. For her part, Bon Bon’s front hooves were starting to ache, even with the icepack the teacher had given her, and her face was sore right below the jaw from where Bolt had hit her. She didn’t want to look in a mirror to see what she looked like now.
Socket and Bolt were called into the principle’s office first. When they went in, Lyra scooted closer to Bon Bon on the bench they were sharing.
“Sorry about all of this,” she whispered, hanging her head and kicking her hooves as they dangled over the edge. She sure sat funny. 
“It’s okay,” Bon Bon said, trying to cheer her friend up. “They’re always mean anyway, so they deserved it.”
“Yeah, but…” Lyra looked up and Bon Bon was shocked to see tears in her eyes. “You’ve…you’ve never been a fight before, have you?”
“No,” Bon Bon said, blushing a little. “Did…did I do good?”
Lyra’s face lit up. “Are you joking? You did amazing! The way you taclked that jerk, that was fantastic!” Bon Bon felt her face blush even more, but then the sad look returned to Lyra’s face. “But, um…now we’re going to get in trouble, and I’m probably going to have to…” 
“Have to what?” Bon Bon asked.
“Nothing,” Lyra said, wiping her hoof across her face. “Hey, Bon Bon? Thanks…for being my friend.”
“Sure!” Bon Bon said with a smile, but inside she felt sad. Why did it seem like Lyra was saying good-bye to her?
Socket and Bolt came out of the principle’s office then. They each shot a mean look toward the fillies, but then they quickly disappeared out the door with their heads down and their tails between their legs. 
“Girls,” came a deep voice from the room Socket and Bolt had just exited. “Please come in here.”
Bon Bon suddenly felt very nervous. She tried to stand, but her head began to spin, as if she’d been going around in circles too fast. She started to fall, but then a hoof caught her on the side. She looked over and saw Lyra propping her up. She had a smile on her face, but it was a sad smile. Bon Bon smiled back, hoping to change it to a happy smile.
The two fillies sat down in front of the principle’s desk. He was a rather big pony, with a round belly and a thinning mane grey mane. His name was Mister Tremble, and right now Bon Bon understood why he was called that.
“Bon Bon and…I believe you are Lyra Heartstrings, yes?” he said in a deep voice. It didn’t boom across the room, but Bon Bon knew he could make it do that if he wanted to. She was surprised that he had called her by her new name though.
“Yes sir,” Bon Bon said quietly. Lyra just nodded, not looking up. 
“Lyra, this is your first day with us, and you have already gotten into a fight,” Mr. Tremble said. “Not the best impression to make on your first day. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” Lyra said in a voice even quieter than Bon Bon’s. 
“And if I remember right, your parents had to move you to this school because you kept getting into fights at your old ones.” Bon Bon’s blood ran cold. Was Lyra going to be forced to leave because of this? That wasn’t fair! “You are not off to a good start here either, it seems.”
“It wasn’t her fault!” Bon Bon said, causing Lyra to jump a little. Mr. Tremble slowly turned his head until his piercing green eyes feel on Bon Bon and she suddenly realized how small she was. 
“Very well,” he said. “Tell me what happened. Socket and Bolt said you two attacked them.”
“No!” Bon Bon said. “I-I mean, we did, but…but they deserved it!”
“That’s not true!” Lyra said. “I did it. I attacked them. Bon Bon only started fighting when both of them started attacking me. It was my fault.”
“I see,” Mr. Tremble said, his eyes going back and forth between the two mares. “Tell me, Bon Bon. What makes you think they deserved it? We take fighting at this school very seriously, and hardly ever is it justified.”
“Well, they were…they were teasing us,” Bon Bon said quietly. “Mommy says that hitting another pony is wrong, but they wouldn’t stop. They called us names.”
“Names?” Mr. Tremble asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Lyra said. “They kept calling Bon Bon Sweaty Drops, even after I told them to stop. They also said we were gross and called us freaks.” Bon Bon’s ears perked up slightly at that last name. Socket and Bolt had called them that, after Lyra had kissed her. Bon Bon had completely forgotten about that until now.
“And you think that makes it okay to hit them?” Mr. Tremble asked, his voice going slightly deeper and causing Lyra to sink all the way into her seat.
“No,” Bon Bon whispered. 
“I have contacted your parents,” Mr. Tremble said. “You are both being sent home for today, and you will both be suspended for an additional day.”
“Suspended?” Bon Bon asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means you cannot come back to school tomorrow,” Mr. Tremble said. “Socket and Bolt were suspended for three days. Those two are constantly causing problems, and I feel it is time their parents had a long talk with them.”
“So…we’re not in trouble?” Bon Bon asked, hope again returning to her body. Staying home from school for one day didn’t sound bad at all. If fact, she didn’t think it was fair that Socket and Bolt got to stay home even longer, when they were the ones who started it.
“Oh no,” Mr. Tremble said, crushing the hope. “You two are most certainly in trouble. You forget, Bon Bon, that you will have to talk to your parents about this, and I am certain your day off from school will not be the happy experience you are thinking about. You two may go now. Your parents have arrived. I expect you both back in class the day after tomorrow. And Miss Heartstrings? No more fighting. I am tolerant, but it would be wise not to push my limits.”
“Yes sir,” Lyra said as she and Bon Bon stood up and walked out of the room. 
They walked out of the office, Lyra’s head still hanging very low and Bon Bon wondering what she could do to make her friend smile again, when she saw her mom waiting for her. She did not look happy.
“Young lady, you have some serious explaining to do when we get home,” Mom said in a tone of voice Bon Bon rarely heard. “And you can forget about any sweets for two months. Your room is going to be spotless too, because you are going to spend the rest of today and all day tomorrow cleaning it. And the rest of the house. And if you finish that, I’ll find more stuff for you to do. You are in very big trouble.”
“Yes, Mom,” Bon Bon whispered. She looked over to say good-bye to Lyra, but saw that the unicorn had already walked over to her parents.
“Lyra, you can’t keep doing this,” her dad said. “We can’t send you to another school.”
“This is your last chance,” her mom added. “If you get kicked out of school here, we’ll have to move to a new city, and we can’t afford that right now.”
“I’m sorry, mother,” Lyra said.
“Honey, you need to learn to control your temper,” her dad said. “No pony is going to want to be your friend if you keep getting into fights with all of them. Don’t you want to have friends?”
Bon Bon couldn’t take it. She didn’t want Lyra’s parents to take her to another school, and she wanted to show them that Lyra did have a friend. So she walked over and stood beside her, then put her hoof around Lyra’s neck.
“Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Lyra’s Dad and Mom,” she said. Lyra’s head instantly jerked up. “I’m Lyra’s friend. In fact, I’m her best friend. She got into a fight because some colts were picking on me, and we beat them up real good, even though Mom says fighting is wrong. Please don’t take her to another school.”
“Is this true, Lyra?” her mom asked.
“Um, yes,” Lyra said, tears coming to her eyes. Oh no! Had Bon Bon made her cry again? She hadn’t meant to.
“Well then,” Lyra’s dad said with a smile. “I suppose that’s a good reason for you to stop getting into so many fights, right? You wouldn’t want to leave your best friend, would you?”
“No!” Lyra said, tears starting to stream down her face. Bon Bon began to panic. She needed to make Lyra stop crying right now because it was making her sad. But what could she do? All of her candy was in her saddlebags, and pretty soon she wasn’t going to be able to have any of that. What could she do?
An idea sprang into Bon Bon’s head. She turned her head and placed her lips on Lyra’s cheek. She kissed her quickly, tasting her tears as they came down from her eyes, and then wrapped her friend up in a hug. 
“Bye Lyra,” she said as she pulled out of the hug. “See you in a few days!” She walked away smiling. She was pretty sure she had made Lyra happy because her eyes had gone wide and she was touching the cheek Bon Bon had kissed, but she couldn’t be sure because Lyra was standing perfectly still too.
“That was very sweet of you, Sweetie Drops,” Mom whispered as Bon Bon walked back over.
“Mom, my name is Bon Bon!” she said as Mom ruffled the top of her head. 
“One month with no sweets,” Mom said as she started to walk out the door with Bon Bon. “And maybe, if you’re extra good, I’ll let you have dessert every now and then. But no more fighting! Do you understand?”
Bon Bon looked back over her shoulder as she went out the door. Lyra was smiling at her and waving, while her parents were just staring at their daughter and Bon Bon. Bon Bon waved back and smiled too. If Socket and Bolt picked on Lyra again, Bon Bon wasn’t sure she’d be able to not get into a fight, but she would try her best.
“Yes, Mom,” she said as she walked out of the school.