mylittlejamjar | First Licorice [Visual, postdated to after the event]

Hello, everypony. Some of you may not recognize me from around town, which is fair... I only just got one of these scrolls. My name is Bon Bon, and yes, that means I'm the one who runs the candy shop downtown. Either way, I've got a few announcements to make, now that the nasty business with the eclipses is over.

Firstly: Since it's only a month until Nightmare Night, I'm accepting suggestions for varieties of candy to make for the big day-before sale. Last year's celebrations being cut short by the actual Nightmare Moon I entirely blame on my stocking of way too much black licorice, so I want to know if you all can help make the holiday not a catastrophic failure this year.

Secondly: thanks to that eclipse, I actually do have a bit of a surplus here, so until the end of the month, all taffy is 75% off. Something to chew on for a while. [The mare chuckles, quietly, at her own joke.]

Finally: Until further notice, Zetta and all of those who collaborated with him are blacklisted from the Sugar Shack. I understand that it was apparently some super-secret plan to lure out the evil mastermind keeping all of the offworlders here, but you caused Lyra and Fluttershy to work themselves into exhaustion, made one of my employees sick, and turned the other into a bear! [Yes, Zetta, she's blaming you for that too even if it happened after the fact. And was technically Teddie's fault.] If you want me to lift the ban, then I'm expecting a pretty big apology. Yes, your majesties, that includes you two, too. I'm a businessmare, not a politician, and you hurt my bottom line, so I have to take action.

Thank you all for your time.

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[Private to Dame Trixie]

Trixie? I wanted to thank you for pulling Fluttershy and Lyra out of that mess. There was only so much I could do at the time, and... yeah. Thanks.

That said, maybe it'd be best if you don't talk to Lyra about the version of her you know just yet. She's getting capital-i Ideas, and she needs time to rest before she starts getting more and ending up right back where she was.

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[Private to Kyouko and Teddie]

Kyouko, Theodore.

Just so you know, I'm still gonna need you guys to come in tomorrow. I know it's a really stressful time, but if there's one thing I've learned in life it's that you've got to roll with what life throws at you. If nothing else, a day at the shop might be a good way to help Kyouko learn how to... [she hesitates, before glancing aside and coughing into a hoof.]...bear it, maybe.

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[Private to Lyra and OU!Shy]

You two are on strict bed rest orders for the next week. Doctor Bon's orders.

If you two so much as think of sneaking out on me or not getting the rest you need, you're on poison joke harvesting duty for a month. And I'll figure out a way for you to have to do it without your unicorn magic, too.

I'm serious. Equestria is okay now, get some sleep.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh, dear. Luna looks down.]

Those two situations are... a bit different. Discord was reformed because in the beginning of his reformation, there was the threat of the element bearers to keep him at bay. All of them.

But, the Pale Pony has the power of the Elements of Harmony on her side. And it is possible she has absorbed several of our own native Element bearers, as well. And she does not see us as anything but experiments. As test subjects. And she is right, no matter what we try to reason.

Such a mind like that, one that is corrupted like that...it is difficult to reason with.

[Moreso because there's little in the way of actually truly cleansing it.]

You proved her wrong. That was our threat of the element bearers in this case.

I'm willing to let it slide, as long as nothing like this ever happens again.

It will not.

I truly am sorry, Bon Bon. My sister and I did not do this because we did not think you or anypony else untrustworthy, or not worthy to know. Far from it; it was not you who we ultimately wished to keep in the dark.

Edited 2014-09-21 04:21 (UTC)

Then maybe what needs to be done is figuring out a way to speak freely without that hanging over your head.

Didn't one of the restaraunts in town do a thing?

[If we're trying to keep certain eldritch abominations from knowing, then she'll at least be vague.]

I am aware, but...we must keep in mind that there is a very large collection of art which could be positioned to watch that restaurant.

[i.e. Those statues are spies.]

Edited 2014-09-21 18:11 (UTC)

Then maybe we need to figure out a way to talk that isn't so artsy.

Like I said. Even if you did a bad thing and hurt ponies doing it, you got something good out of it. You proved that that thing can't actually understand what makes Equestria what it is.

But the thing is, all this talk of war and fighting and magical artifacts and takeovers... that's not what makes Equestria so special, is it?

Edited 2014-09-21 18:53 (UTC)

NEIGH! TIS FRIENDSHIP!

[COUGH.]

You... uhm... Twilight did tell you about the whole thing about ponies not doing that.

Right?

More than once.

...But yes, your majesty. It's the bonds we make here. Whatever you were facing can't figure those out, so... all we have to do is strengthen those bonds. You kind of made life harder on yourselves to prove that, though, since a lot of ponies aren't going to trust you and Princess Celestia after that. Especially Princess Celestia, there was that nasty mirror business earlier in the year...

[Even if Lyra hadn't let her know, Hoovesweek had found out, so.]

And I have an obvious way to start repairing that trust. Even if others think I was forced into it.

[And it's hard. But it must happen, for the sake of her friend.]

They'll understand, with time. I admit even I didn't understand at first, it was from talking it out that I'm starting to get the big picture here.

But you shouldn't be afraid of the truth. After all, isn't Honesty one of the Elements of Harmony?

It's whether she will be that's the real question.

Of course she did. And...I know that my sister is well aware of that.

Then she should be aware of why I'm doing this and what it will take to get back her cinnamon toffee and your caramels.

After all, even friends have differences in opinion and get into arguments. But sooner or later, they make up.

Edited 2014-09-23 14:21 (UTC)

...She knows.

First Licorice [Visual, postdated to after the event]

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