Ribbon: Thank you for inviting me over, Bonnie. I appreciate the opportunity to… to… You’re blocking the doorway.
Bon-Bon: You did not ask for permission to enter.

Ribbon: I see… May I come inside, sister?
Bon-Bon: You may. And you may have a seat.

Ribbon: Ah. I… did not realize Lyra would be here.
Lyra: Looks like you don’t quite know everything then, huh?
Ribbon: This suddenly feels like a bad time-
Bon-Bon: Sit. Down. This? This is ending now. No backward comments, no whispering under your breath. I’m tired of this between you two.

Lyra: I didn’t do any-!
Bon-Bon: Shut. Up. You might paint yourself as a saint on your blog, but I know better. Rebecca, say your piece.

Ribbon: Lyra, I’m sorry for-
Bon-Bon: Stop. If I was born yesterday, that would make you even younger than me. I don’t want to hear a bunch of fake apologies as you both go back to plotting behind each others’ back.
Lyra: I never-!
Bon-Bon: Shut! UP! … Rebecca, look at me. I am not sorry for what I said and what I did. I haven’t forgiven you and, even if Lyra does, I probably never will. Flaunting your money I didn’t mind. The suitors? I could deal with. But you attacked my friend and I want to know why. What possible reason could you have to go out of your way to try and ruin somepony’s life?

Bon-Bon: So? How was it?

Lyra: A lot of the kids I used to work with have either moved or graduated.

Bon-Bon: Oh… I’m so sorry.

Lyra: The staff is mostly the same, but some familiar faces are gone.

Bon-Bon: Well, at least most of them are still there.

Lyra: It’s a lot of work. I don’t think I was physically prepared.

Bon-Bon: I understand.

Lyra: I missed it so much, Bon-Bon. It’s not easy, and a lot has changed, but I never realized how much I missed being there! Why in Equestria did I ever leave?

Bon-Bon: I’m so relieved to hear you say that.

Lyra: I just feel so much more accomplished! And lighter! That job at the train station was so stressful!

Bon-Bon: I’m glad you feel that way.

Lyra: Are… you alright? I kinda thought you’d be more excited for me.

[Pause]

Lyra: What are you going to do about Ribbon?

Bon-Bon: I… I don’t know yet. Every time I forgive her she does this to me all over again. She just… I don’t know yet. I don’t.

Lyra: Hello?

Ribbon: I know I’m probably the last pony in Equestria you want to see right now, but if you can just give me a minute to talk to you… Please?

Lyra: … What do I care?

Ribbon: I know we don’t get along. And I’m beginning to understand that I’m the one largely to blame. I’m still not convinced what I did was wrong, yet… I love my husband, contrary to what you might believe. But Bonnie… My sister means everything to me. If I were forced to choose between them… It would not even be a decision. [Sniff] I cannot bare the thought of living without her…

Ribbon: I tried. I talked and persuaded, civilly, financially, and legally, but they would not even consider reversing your dismissal. I… cannot undo what I did to you… No matter how much I wish I could. But… I remember how you used to talk about the fillies and colts, at the school? You would sound pleased with yourself. Not always, but-

Lyra: You…?

Ribbon: It’s not permanent. It will only last until the end of the school year, but it was all that I could manage at that particular location. I held the position for you. You’re free to start back tomorrow, if you’d like.

Lyra: … Thank you.

Ribbon: That’s more than I deserve. I wouldn’t dare ask for your forgiveness. I… If you mean that much to her, I don’t want either of you to ever feel the regret I do now. Especially not because of something I did…

[Pause]

Ribbon: Tootsie… Liza misses both of you dearly.

Bon-Bon: How could you?!

Ribbon: I don’t see what she’s so broken up about. I did her a favor. She loathed that job. I half expected her to laugh in my face when I told her!

Bon-Bon: No… You knew. You knew how hard it is for her to get a job. And now you’ve not only hurt her, you’ve hurt me! Do you know how much debt we have right now? I’ve been depending on her paycheck!

Ribbon: Then I’ll give you the money you need. Let her have a vacation for all I care. It’s a non-issue. Or would that hurt your pride?

Bon-Bon: How… dare you! You take away our financial independence… and then have the nerve to insult me?!
Ribbon: I-
Bon-Bon: NO! Not another word! You crossed the line last time and I forgave you too soon! But this?! Y-You’re a traitor and a coward! You can tell Liza I’m sorry, but it would feel wrong for her to stay here where you’re no longer welcome.
Ribbon: What-?
Bon-Bon: Get out of my house! And don’t come back!

Ribbon: But-! Sister-!
Bon-Bon: I HAVE NO SISTER!

[Slam!]

Ribbon: Bonnie! … Bonnie…? What have I done…?

Ribbon: Hello, Lyra. How’s it going, Lyra?
Lyra: Ribbon? B-
Ribbon: I know Bon-Bon isn’t here. My revenge is against you, not her.
Lyra: W-what?

Ribbon: It’s a funny little thing you run. Your blog. You don’t always say the nicest things on there, do you? Hmm? But maybe that was just me. So I got to thinking, ‘Gee, perhaps I’m being unfair. Maybe I should ask for a second opinion…‘ Don’t quite follow yet? Some ponies who might feel like your image reflects their own?

Lyra: No…
Ribbon: No?

Lyra: Please.
Ribbon: Please?
Lyra: I’m begging you!
Ribbon: It’s too late for begging.
Lyra: [Gasp]
Ribbon: You’ll go into work tomorrow to a pink slip! I only came over see the look on your face! That’s what you get for crossing-…
Lyra: [Sob]

Ribbon: That’s… not quite…
Lyra: [Crying, fading into the distance]

Ribbon: I don’t… You were supposed to be angry… It’s just some lousy job you hated… Isn’t it?

Lyra: Ugh… I’m home…
Bon-Bon: Hi, Lyra!
Lyra: Hey, Bon-Bon…
Jacques: Bonsoir, Lyra.
Lyra: Hey, Ja-oh what the [omitted]…

Bon-Bon: Sit down and eat this.

Lyra: What is it?

Bon-Bon: It’s food. You put it in your mouth? I’m told sometimes you use a utensil to do this. … Well?

Lyra: I mean, it’s pretty good.

Bon-Bon: How good is pretty good?

Lyra: Not as good as last night.
Jacques: But of course.
Bon-Bon: But better than what you usually eat, right?

Lyra: Yeah, sure.

Bon-Bon: Jacques, tell the mare how much that cost to make.

Jacques: Three bits; as much as one of your microwavable freezer-burns.

Lyra: This? This only cost three bits?
Bon-Bon: Scaled down per portion, yes. We made more than just that. And in only twenty minutes.

Lyra: That’s… incredible.

Bon-Bon: That’s the mark of a real chef. When you have only the best ingredients, the food speaks for itself. It takes skill and experience to make do with less.
Jacques: Education and connections to cultivate as well.
Bon-Bon: This is what I wanted to show you. Economics. Not the best food, but for the cost? Well, you said it yourself: pretty good! This is my goal for you. I want you to be able to do this.

Lyra: I have just one question.
Bon-Bon: Yes?
Lyra: Who is this colt?!
Jacques: I am… Jacques.

Lyra: I don’t understand.

Bon-Bon: Why that was so much better than anything I’ve ever made? Because good food doesn’t just happen. It can’t be replicated, imitated, or mass-produced. Good food comes from good ingredients, and good ingredients require the best, natural environments to grow. That means they have to ship those ingredients from those environments all over the world.

Bon-Bon: But those good ingredients can still be divided into grades, and then the best quality within those grades. When you order an expensive pasta, you might be getting that year’s best tomatoes, but only some of that year’s best grains. Without grading? Can you imagine a subpar ingredient in an otherwise exquisite dish?

Bon-Bon: And as if that wasn’t complicated enough, it’s all on a timetable. “The longer it takes to reach your plate the more it loses its luster.” That best tomato will probably not be in its best condition by the time you order it. That’s why good food isn’t… you can’t just hold it in your hooves. It’s chance. A series of conditions. A circumstance. An experience.

Bon-Bon: That’s why it’s such a big industry. Why so much money is spent to harvest, test, grade, purchase- sometimes auction. Ship as quickly as possible, store and prepare as quickly as possible. Of course there’s a profit to be made, but it’s as much a service to the world as any other art. It can change you. And just like the first time you ever hear a song, it will never be the same.

Lyra: Ah… Actually I meant I don’t understand why Jacques came home with us.

Jacques: I will be your waiter for this evening.

Lyra: That’s alright. You can go home, Jacques.
Jacques: Oh, of course! After such a fine meal you wish to be alone together!
Lyra: You know what? Nevermind. Please stay Jacques. I don’t want you to go anywhere.
Jacques: Mé… ménage à trois?
Lyra: Okay now you can leave for real.

???: Ah! Bonnie! So good of you to finally grace us with your presence!

Tootsie: Hi, Jacques!
Jacques: Salut, Lady Liza!

Bon-Bon: It’s a pleasure to be served by you, Jacques. This is Lyra.

Jacques: The maiden of honor herself-!
Lyra: And while I hate to start us off on the wrong hoof, your face is entirely too close to my face.

Jacques: Je vous prie d'accepter mes excuses. I am Jacques and I will be your waiter for this evening.

Lyra: Nice to meet you Jacques.

Jacques: How may I begin your dining experience tonight?

Bon-Bon: Well Lyra, if you’re done gawking at the menu, I’ll be ordering for the both of us.

Lyra: I can order for myself!

Bon-Bon: Sure you can. Soon as I can trust you to not order something cheap.

Tootsie: What about me?

Bon-Bon: Just don’t make yourself sick.
Tootsie: Suh-wee~t!
Lyra: Wait a minute! That’s not fair! She can order for herself but I can’t?!

Bon-Bon: She knows what food tastes like.
Tootsie: Heehee!

Lyra: Bon-Bon. Psst. Bon-Bon!
Bon-Bon: I’m only sitting across from you, Lyra.
Lyra: We have to get out of here! This place is even more expensive than I thought!

Bon-Bon: I told you not to worry about it.

Lyra: Why are we even here? Most of crap on this menu is more expensive than a week’s groceries!

Bon-Bon: Because you will learn what good food tastes like if I literally have to shove it down your throat.

Lyra: I know what good food tastes like!

Bon-Bon: No. You know what passable food tastes like. You probably know what okay food tastes like. And you might’ve even had overpriced food. But there is no mistaking good food. And if you’d had it before you wouldn’t eat half of the slop you do with a grin.
Lyra: Bet me…
Bon-Bon: And unfortunately the only place in Ponyville that serves good food is on the pricier side. I consider it an investment in your culinary education.

Tootsie: Do I order from the cheap menu or the expensive menu?

Bon-Bon: Your mother will be covering you.

Tootsie: Sweet!

Did you see?! What an amazing effect on top of an amazing performance! How did they do that?!

Bon-Bon: It was nice of your bosses to finally give you a Saturday off.

Lyra: You’d think it was the least they could do after forcing me to work on Nightmare Night, sick and throwing up. Last real day off I had was to visit the fillies and colts at the end of the school year in June. I practically had to chop off my hooves this time. The new company is pretty cruel.

Bon-Bon: Well, I’m just glad you’ll be here. And to see Countess Coloratura no less!

Lyra: Me too! I’m looking forward to tonight! She might not be my favorite, but she can sing really well under all that drama! Seems kinda silly to open with your headline act, though. But I guess she probably wouldn’t agree to less.

Lyra: Okay. That’s all she wrote.

Bon-Bon: I’m excited!

Lyra: Really? I’m embarrassed.

Bon-Bon: Stop stalling and serve the thing!

Lyra: Here. Go nuts.
Bon-Bon: Hmm…
Lyra: It’s awful, isn’t it?
Bon-Bon: Of course not! It’s great! You did a great job.

Lyra: I’m delighted. I feel like a yearling.

Bon-Bon: Lyra, you have to start somewhere.

Lyra: This feels more like the starting point for somepony who’s a fire hazard.

Bon-Bon: It’s about following directions and not looking for a shortcut. When you’ve had experience, then you can start trying new things and going by taste. Real taste. Not lots-of-salt taste. But this was a good step! We’ll build from here!

Ribbon: It looks just like the pictures. Absolutely amazing, Tootsie!

Tootsie: Liza.

Ribbon: Liza. Yes. I’m just so proud of you!

Tootsie: Thanks!

Ribbon: I mean, you display such proficiency and skill-
Tootsie: Mom.
Ribbon: I can’t imagine you doing anything else!
Tootsie: Mom.
Ribbon: If you’re this good now, just think of what you’ll be capable of in the-
Tootsie: Mom!

Ribbon: Alright, alright. Go grab your things. I’ll carry your horticulture marvel. I’m sure your father will be delighted to see your work! Look Bonnie!

Bon-Bon: I’ve been watching her take care of that flower for the last few months, Ribbon.

Ribbon: But just look here! Where the leaves change color? The book says that’s very hard to do!

Bon-Bon: And that’s wonderful, Ribbon! I’m happy for Liza.

Ribbon: Oh you shush. I’m a mother and I’m proud of my daughter’s work. Nothing more.

Bon-Bon: Right… Can you hurry up and get that thing out of here? Lyra’s been sneezing like mad ever since it bloomed.

Ribbon: Really? Almost a shame to take it then.

Bon-Bon: I don’t know what got between you two, but I don’t like it.

Ribbon: She won’t like it either…

Bon-Bon: I didn’t catch that?

Ribbon: Oh-uh, our maid, dear. She has allergies too. I’m sure she won’t like the flower either. But nothing for you to be concerned with!

Lyra: I’m happy for them. Ecstatic even! Sweetie Belle and her friends worked really hard and they deserve their cutie marks.

B: Sure.

Lyra: It’s just… No. I’m happy for them. Nothing else. That’s it.

[Pause]

B: This has never happened before.

Lyra: No it hasn’t… In all of recorded pony history there has never been such a thing as a shared cutie mark.

B: Unique cutie marks are rare as is. Even a pony like Twilight doesn’t have one.

Lyra: I know. Rainbow Dash’s tri-colored lighting cloud is unusual enough. But three unique cutie marks, all bearing an obvious connection?

B: More than strange. But compared to the last thousand years there’s been more reality shaping events than ever before. The Nightmare, Discord, Tirek. Magic and Cutie Marks being stripped away and restored. Dimensions crossing. Harmony being disrupted. The unseen forces that guide us may be reacting to it all.

Lyra: But why this? What does it all mean?

B: Our world is in flux. Magic is changing.

Sorry I haven’t wrote anything in you in like… 2 years. Lyra says that days turn to weeks and weeks turn to months and before you know it years have past and you don’t know what you’re doing with your life anymore. That might be an exaggeration. I’m honestly not sure.

I just wanted to write down my feelings before all of this just becomes normal. I spent more time than I would have liked with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon seemed kind of stuck up and proud, but Diamond Tiara was just this mean, controlling thing. I haven’t forgotten the ring of secrets she held over us, but it seems like such a long time ago.

After we came back from… our trip… They were a little nicer to me, but it was still all about being the best to them. Diamond Tiara, more than Silver Spoon, would do anything in her power to manipulate and blackmail others into getting what she wanted. Then this election thing happened. And suddenly everypony was ready to finally stand up as one against them. Against her.

Pipsqueak was the start, but it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders that rallied everypony together. Despite her threats and taunts, or maybe even in spite of them, Diamond Tiara lost. And not just a small contest, but something big. She lost her control. And she lost her friend. Perhaps it was wrong of me, but I immediately took the opportunity to hang out with Silver Spoon in her place. She was always so much more approachable when Diamond Tiara wasn’t around. We had fun. We played. I thought this was some huge change.

But then, Diamond Tiara. She told off her mother. Told her off in front of everypony. Just like I did… In that moment I felt like maybe she and I weren’t so different. As I watched it all unfold I felt like the entire world must have been changing. Diamond Tiara and the CMC as friends? They were the two biggest causes for conflict in the school! If they weren’t at each others’ throats anymore… Nothing would be the same! No more fighting! No more picking sides!

Maybe it won’t last. Maybe this is just a phase and everything will go back to how it was. But I hope it doesn’t. I feel… free. Like I can breathe again. Like I’m allowed to be a kid again.

~ Liza “Tootsie Flute“ Doolots

P.S.: The new playground is really cool! And so are the CMC’s cutie marks! I wish I had a shared cutie mark.