Pizza Party (Bonny & Sunny)

[Lyra Heartstrings]

Lyra looked equal parts the cat that ate the canary, and the cat that got caught eating the canary. She was super excited to hear what Sunset Shimmer had to say, she couldn't ignore the look on Bon Bon's face. Just because there was a portal to a magical worked filled with colorful ponies that were probably the most adorable thing ever didn't mean Lyra wanted to jump at the first chance she got. There was more to it than that. IF she was going to go, she wasn't going to go alone.

As she munched on her slice of pizza and listened she periodically extended a finger on her left hand, counting upwards. Every time she heard something she wanted to comment on she would extend a finger to make a mental note of it. At the sound of them having their own counter-parts in Equestria (the other one) Lyra did her best not to squee and get giddy. She didn't hide her excitement well, but she did contain most of it.

"Okay so a few things. First, I'm not going to check the portal every day until it opens then jump right in. It leads out into a castle, with guards, and presumably royalty somewhere. I'm soooo not going to get myself charged as an assassin and thrown in a dungeon. IF, IF, I were to go I'd want to see if I could get some sort of permission or notice, but that's for another time." Hopefully that'd appease either girls' suspicions. "Second, it sounds like it opens once a month. That gives me an idea for you Sunny, more on that later though. Just make a note I have an idea for you that involves the portal that you might like." Sunset had kept the poison joke plant because it was a part of her home. If ponies checked on this portal from time to time she might be able to send some mail out. "Third, can you tell us more about the ponies, pleeeeaaaaase? And Fourth, what's a cutie mark?"

[Sunset Shimmer]

Sunset was glad to hear that Lyra hadn’t planned on just jumping right in, and apparently Bon Bon was quite relieved too. Still, getting permission didn’t exactly sound like it was something that would work either. Would Celestia really go for a tourist visit from humans in this world to the pony world?

”Yeah, I’m aware of that Bon Bon, but I wouldn’t fret; Celestia is a looooot more understanding than your monarchs were…” Sunset replied, realizing the irony in her statement considering it was a fight with Celestia that had gotten her to run off to here in the first place.

Her brief foray into sadness was quickly interrupted by Lyra’s statement that she had a plan for her as well as both of them wondering about their counterparts back in Equestria…and what a cutie mark was. Yeah, that was something she should have probably explained.

”Oh, right. Well, a cutie mark is sort of this mark that appears on a pony’s, uhm, flank whenever they discover their special talent in life. It can be anything from an literal representation of the object to something more metaphorical.”

Thinking about it, she glanced down at her shirt with the familiar sun symbol emblazoned on it.

”Actually, when I crossed the portal over to here, I guess my cutie mark got adapted to my clothes. Now that I think about it, a lot of people here have images on their clothes that remind me of cutie marks….”

That was a rather interesting coincidence now that she thought about it. It seemed really strange for two worlds connected like this to just so happen to have so many similarities between the inhabitants. Or maybe it was because they were so similar that such connections could be established? Ugh, this was a headache…

”In any case, I remember the pony Lyra from when I was Celestia’s student. She was a couple grades lower than I was at the school, and I think the pony Bon Bon was a friend of her’s. Lyra was a unicorn and Bon Bon was an Earth Pony, which meant she didn’t have a horn or wings like a pegasus. They’re usually pretty strong and tough though,” she replied, a little nervous on how Bon Bon would take that.

[Bon Bon]

"...Um, I know," Bon Bon said to Sunset's reassurance, a little puzzled. "But Principal Celestia isn't a monarch, either... what's she got to do with it? Is she a monster-fighter like you two, too? Oh, god... she didn't put the portal there, did she?"

Glancing down at Lyra, Bon knew better than to assume that the girl's "if" wasn't more like a "when," at least when it came to her motivations. She loved her friend dearly, but when she got an idea or a curiosity in her head it was like herding cats to try and steer her away from it. At least she'd said she wouldn't go immediately or without considering it... but her mention of some idea to Sunset got her a bit worried.

Still, that wasn't her business, right? This was all between Lyra and her new club. Not for Bon Bon to stick her nose in. Putting on a little smile, she reached for some pizza, wanting something to stick in her mouth for an excuse to think.

Flank, she thought. ...What's a flank? Isn't that, like, the underbelly or something? And what kind of mark? Oh, god, do they brand their kids? I swear to God, if Lyra goes and gets a tattoo because of this... She took a bite of hot, cheesy pizza, thankful it was a couple degrees above the just-right temperature.

After swallowing, she listened some more about their... what would you call a magical horse double of yourself, anyway? A "cloppelganger"? "Twhinny"? "Ponysona"? Whatever it was, it brought her a little bit of comfort to hear that her Equestrian counterpony was still friends with Lyra's. Somehow, if Sunset was being honest, they'd apparently found each other even in another dimension. (Didn't hurt hearing her horself was buff, either.)

"That's fine. I don't like birds anyway, and I bet horns would mess with my hair." She smiled, a bit more genuinely. With all this weird crap going on, she was finally starting to get the idea; just go with it. "Plus, I can probably still beat you at arm-wrestling, even without horsepower. But anyway... what's it like over there? I mean, compared to here?"

[Lyra Heartstrings]

"So it's just someplace on their side? Wait! No, that's military flank." Lyra's hand moved over her body quickly dancing over various muscles of her torso before settling on her stomach below her ribs. "Here? Wait, no. I'm remembering cuts of meat. _{Remember your anatomy...}" The musician's lips pursed in concentration as she tried to remember all of the various anatomy poster's she had seen in hospitals, pamphlets, and doctor's offices she had visited.

"Here it is!" she exclaimed eventually. Her had was resting on her side between her ribs and hip, and slightly positioned toward her back. "So a Cutie Mark appears kiiiind of where someone would get a tramp stamp, but a bit more off to the side then?" Sunset Shimmer had ended up answering another Cutie Mark question before it could be asked. Saying that it was adapted into her clothes when she came into this world probably meant that she didn't have it on her body, which meant she couldn't ask to see it.

Self expression and body art could be wonderful things. As with everything though, all good things come in moderation. There was no way Lyra was suddenly going to go out and get sleeves all of a sudden. It could be cool though to find out what her double's mark was and get a tattoo if it wasn't for one thing. Lyra was too young to get a tattoo on her own, she knew they could be expensive, and it'd take time to research a reputable place that could create what she'd want, but those were hurdles that could be managed. Lyra's fear of needles was not something she could deal with easily.

There was a time she had gone to the mall with Bon Bon to get her ears pierced. It sounded like a great idea at the time. Lyra sat down in the chair, took a look at the equipment and was instantly anxious. The sting of alcohol on her earlobe had been enough to get her to jump out of the chair and want noting to do with it.

"It's true. Bon Bon's way stronger than people would think. I've seen her toss around mounds of bread dough like it was nothing." she backed up her friend and gave her a friendly nudge. "So you were a student of Queen Celestia, who apparently is also a teacher, and my double was also there. Now I know my idea is awesome."

[Sunset Shimmer]

”Sorry, I meant the Celestia from Equestria, not the principal. Don’t worry, she’s not involved in any of this magic stuff,” Sunset replied, hoping to help calm some of Bon Bon’s fears. It was a little confusing talking about things when both the ponies and humans had the same names.

Sunset just watched as Lyra tried to figure out where on a human body the flank would be. Granted there was some slight differences in how humans used the terms and ponies seemed to use it, but it was still funny watching Lyra put her hands all over herself trying to guess the spot. She got pretty close though wandering on her own.

”That’s about right, maybe a little more towards the outer thigh. I have to admit when I first got here and, uhm, looked myself over I was surprised to not see it. You get so used to having it there as a permanent reminder of your special talent and then all of a sudden it’s just something you can take on and off….”

Sheesh, she was getting nostalgia over her cutie mark. Then again, in a society like Equestria cutie marks were a pretty big deal; a literal representation of your special talent for you and all to see was really important after all.

”…I forgot to mention that they appear when a pony discovers their special talent didn’t I? I can’t really say how or why it does, just that they do; it’s something that’s been a part of our world as long as anyone can remember.”

Sunset was glad to see that Bon Bon actually loved the idea of being a Earth Pony in Equestria. Not that there was anything wrong with Earth Ponies; it was just that sometimes unicorns or pegasi could sort of have an attitude towards them. Heck, Sunset had that kind of attitude as well; it was pretty natural to ponies that grew up in Canterlot’s upper-class unicorn kind of society.

”Actually, it was Princess Celestia, not queen. I know it’s kind of a weird title thing but she preferred that; makes her seem more approachable I guess.” Sunset said, interrupting Lyra real quick on what to call the Equestria Celestia. Before she could really do anything about Bon Bon’s rather broad question, Lyra once again mentioned her idea.

”Alright Lyra, if you’re not going to go rushing into the portal, what exactly is your idea?”

[Bon Bon]

Bon Bon snorted. "Dough's not that heavy, Lyra. Sacks of flour or sugar, though? Yeah, you could break something with that." She was starting to get a bit of a snarky tone, she noticed, and quietly gave her friend a quick, apologetic smile to show she didn't mean it. "Sorry. Go on?"

It was some small comfort to Bon Bon that their principal wasn't some kind of dimension-hopping horse monarch. Or even involved with that whole portal thing. She still didn't really like the notion of that thing—it seemed dangerous and strange to her, not interesting, as it seemed to be to Lyra. That was part of why she'd tried to focus her questions on Sunset, she didn't really want to have any plans to... touch the thing get hammered out.

She still wanted to know about those weird "special talent" mark things, but she decided to let the subject, as well as the questions about Equestria, pretty much lay to rest. She got a bit of a troubled look as the subject swung to Lyra's idea, but considering that this was probably happening with or without her... might be better to at least know what the deal was.

"I'm still glad you're not rushing in... but yeah, I'd kinda like to know that too," she said, patting a napkin on the edges of her pizza. A bit of sauce had started to leak on her fingers. "And what's it got to do with Princip– er, Princess Celestia? ... You're not going to try and set up some kind of trade agreement, are you?"

Bon had paid attention in history class. She knew what happened when trade agreements started up between nations that had previously had very limited contact. The last thing they needed was even more of a magical horse war going on.

[Lyra Heartstrings]

So their Principal wasn't in on everything. That could make things a bit awkward, especially if they got caught fighting evil on campus. It was a good thing to know, but it also meant that out of everything, Sunset Shimmer knew the most about what was going on. There was no old mentor to rely on for wisdom or something. Sunset Shimmer WAS a student of a Princess, so Lyra shouldn't discount her.

Cutie Marks seemed to appear on an odd place, but at least it didn't show up on their butt. Outwardly Lyra did her best not to react. Inwardly, however, she was giggling picturing Sunny looking herself over. The human form was very different from a pony's, and there was doubt there had been a breaking in period for her.

When it came time to reveal her idea, Lyra's eyes sparkled. This wasn't a bright shiny look that could be attributed to seeing a glorious dessert. Her eyes sparkled with the genius of having her best idea of the year. Something was in her mind with so much awesomeness no one would be able to refute it. "That's exactly what it is Bon Bon! Wow you really do know me well."

"Sunny, you told me you get a little homesick. You've also said the portal opens about once a month, and your Princess used to be a mentor. Now, I don't know what went on between you two to make you come here, but I'm sure someone in Equestria has to be missing you. Why not write them a letter? Write a letter, and toss it through the portal when it's open. Hopefully someone on the other side will mail it for you. That way you can tell Princess Celestia how you're doing, and how you've turned over a new leaf in life. You could even get the girls to write back-up testimonials. Then, hopefully, maybe next month you'll get a reply."

Lyra grinned widely as she laid out her idea to Sunny. She hoped her friend would like it, and it would give her a connection back to her home.

[Sunset Shimmer]

Sunset listened carefully as Lyra began to talk about her idea, her face drooping with unease as she thought about it. There were plenty of times that Sunset had thought the same thing. In the past the thought was dismissed with anger and annoyance. After all, Celestia would be contacted pretty soon after she grew to power and invaded Equestria. Now that she had moved on from that part of her life, however, it did seem to be a good chance to try and contact her.

The question that ate her up, however, was whether or not Celestia would even want to talk with her? After all, they had not exactly left on good terms. Then again, she was an over one thousand year old alicorn princess; her patience and understanding were legendary. Twilight would also probably vouch for her if Celestia had any reservations, as well as her friends here.

Taking a deep breath, Sunset started her reply.

”It’s…not a bad idea actually, but I think I can make it a little bit easier. You see, I kind of have a way to contact Celestia already. When I was her student she gave me a book that was magically connected to another book; anything I wrote would appear there as well.”

Glancing downward in uncertainty, she continued.

”I mean, your idea would probably be a good back up if that book doesn’t even work anymore. I guess I’m just nervous about contacting her after all this time. It’s like, I know she’ll forgive me and be all understanding and all that, but I just can’t help but still feel like she doesn’t want anything to do with me after all that’s happened.”

She glanced back up at them, giving them a smile.

”I guess it’s kind of silly to think that way though.”

[Bon Bon]

Bon Bon felt relieved hearing Lyra's idea, finally. That was a LOT less risky than she had thought. Maybe she had just gotten keyed-up because of this whole magical girl thing out of the blue, maybe she was just worried Lyra's predilection for adventure was catching up—didn't really know, didn't really care. What mattered was that letters were way less dangerous than, say, an embedded interdimensional journalism program or whatever.

She chewed some more of the pizza as she thought, listening to Sunset provide feedback. Hadn't known Sunset was the monarch's student before today, though that did explain a few things. Ego didn't usually develop in a vacuum, in her experience. But it felt... kind of sad, the way the girl was talking about it. It reminded her a little of Lyra, the way she got every so often.

"Hey," she said, putting down her pizza for the moment and glancing to Lyra briefly, just to let her know she understood, before scooting over and patting a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "It's not silly to be nervous, Sunny. Just means it matters enough for you to worry. I think this idea could be interesting, but we wouldn't want to pressure you into doing something you don't feel ready for. Right, Lyra?"

[Lyra Heartstrings]

Sunny being uneasy about it all at the start wasn't unexpected. Lyra's idea was asking a lot. A few words weren't much to ask for, but the act was the hard part. Sunset would have to get over whatever hangups she had, commit words to writing, and then send it. There was no guarantee of a response, or a good one at that. It was worth a shot though wasn't it?

The revelation of a magical book was exciting, but also didn't help the situation much. Sometimes it was easier to send something knowing it would take a while to be delivered rather than get a possibly immediate response. There was a hurricane of emotions that Sunset could be going through. Lyra understood them to an extent. The look Bon Bon gave her as she took control of the conversation said she knew.

Lyra busied herself with munching on pizza as she tried to collect her thoughts to say something. She was on rough terms with her father. While the circumstances were different than Sunset's there were enough similarities that Lyra might feel hypocritical saying some things. Over the years she had gotten better about the subject, but it still wasn't a pleasant one for her to talk about, or think about.

"What? Oh, right. What Bon Bon said." she said as she snapped out of her little daze. "You don't have to write something tonight, but when you're ready, or at least ready enough. Even then you don't have to feel pressured to write a lot. Maybe ask about an event or the weather? Something that isn't personal, but at least it's a start." Lyra was unsure of her words and her voice showed it. She was grasping at ideas that sounded good in her head. "Listen to Bon Bon, she'll probably have better advice about this than me."

[Sunset Shimmer]

While she was still worried, Sunset smiled a little as she felt Bon Bon’s pat on the shoulder. Sure, the prospect of contacting Celestia still scared her, but the affirmation from her friends helped just a little bit. Even Lyra’s sort of wandering around ideas on how to start the letter off had some sense to it.

”It’s not bad advice at all Lyra,” Sunset said before a thought occurred to her.

While she had not been in this whole friendship thing for long, Sunset figured now seemed to be a pretty good time for a hug. Shifting around a bit she took advantage of Bon Bon’s location to start with her before moving her free arm to bring Lyra into the embrace as well.

”I know I haven’t been friends with you guys long, but I want you both to know I really appreciate what you’ve done for me.”