Tame
Patch worries that her heart has been "tamed" and that she isn't free anymore. Bon Bon shows her otherwise. (PatchBon, takes place a few years after the show, My Little Pony Tales fanfiction)
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High-End Pony Fabrics. It was in the rich part of town, firstly, where Clover's house stood alone amongst a sea of bigger houses. Lancer's home took up an entire street on the outskirts of it, where a sight of the Great Pony Chain was visible. Secondly, everything in there was highly expensive. Even a square yard of the ugly mauve fabric was a matter of a fortnight or a fourth of the year's worth of allowance to buy.
Finally, there was not a major need. They could slobber at the dresses in the window, always a good thousand jangles out of their price range, but there were other dresses and other clothing as well at Perfect Fit's store, the Pony Clothes store.
That's why it was so strange for messy, never-particularly-bothered-about-appearance Patch to be looking around the accessories section, a look of deep concentration on her face. Melody was next to her, her green eyes glazed over.
"This one is pretty great," Patch mused, pulling one denim blue bow off the shelf. She looked at the back of it hopefully and snorted. "One hundred jangles for this. Ridiculous." She tossed it behind her to join another fifteen or so garments. The high-class ponies had long since given the area a wide berth, though one pushed her head around the shelf to give Patch an appalled glare.
"Why are you shopping at the Ripoff Store for Ripoffs, then?" Melody coolly retorted. "I thought you were cool, I thought you already had a lot more clothes than you ever wear."
"Well, maybe I want to treat myself to something special," Patch evasively replied. Her eyes were drawn to another one, which she grinned at. "This one's red, that'd really look awesome!"
She plucked it and stared at it, as if deep in thought, for a moment. Then she checked the back and exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Red doesn't exactly stick out against your pink, Patch," Melody shortly but sagely responded. "It does accent orange, yellow, green, or purple hair."
Patch threw the bow to the ground and huffed. "Huh, high-class snobs." She picked up a blue and gold-striped bow and threw it to the ground with special force. "I give up!"
The pair, a few moments later, emerged from the shiny entrance to the fancy shop. Patch was irritated as she went on.
"Really, nothing affordable! NOTHING! I hate that store and am never giving them my business again."
"It's just one place," Melody replied, ducking her head back and stopping to give her friend a reassuring pat on the back. "Maybe there'll be something else at a different place. You should be able to get a bow for cheap, you aren't too bothered by it."
"Well, yeah-"
Melody froze up, her green eyes widening. "Wait a sec. You aren't shopping for yourself, are you?"
The taupe pony raised an eyebrow and looked puzzled. "Whah? Who said I was?"
"You did, continuing to look for things to fit your mane color. It isn't… wait a minute, red, denim, blue… being ashamed to admit it… you're shopping for Bon Bon!"
Patch groaned, exasperated. "Alright, fine. So what if I'm shopping for a friend?" A pink blush came across her face.
"Gee, Patch, you could have just told your best friend. You really think that she's gonna want a seventy-count bow? What is the occasion, anyway?"
"Oh, there isn't really an occasion," Patch muttered, her eyes determinedly on the pavement in front of her. "Bon Bon just really likes feeling special."
"Aww, Patch, sounds like you have quite the soft spot, then. Getting someone an accessory using your allowance for two months is a pretty cracked thing to do."
"...It's just… constipated. I don't get a thing about romance, but I do get Bon Bon. She doesn't smile often… when she does, it's just…"
Suddenly her head shot up and she snapped, "I do not love her-love her, I'm just rattling off some nonsense from Shakespony, that's all!"
"Patch, I think your-" Melody snickered behind her hoof, "-roughish heart has been tamed." Melody had a difficult time stifling her laughter for a long enough time to say that. When she finished, she burst out laughing.
"Bollocks," Patch grumbled, her teeth clenched together. "I am not tame!"
The much taller hot-pink pony smirked, her green eyes determined. "Why don't you prove it?"
The taupe one snorted, her gold eyes sharp. "I think I will. What time is it?"
Melody glanced around, and after spotting the Pony Clocktower, informed, "Two thirty."
Patch inwardly kicked herself. "Oh, man, I have to go. I, uh, have to be somewhere, soccer."
Patch scurried away, but not before inwardly kicking herself. Crud, why did you arrange to hang out with Bon Bon today of all days, with Melody keeping an eye on you?
After turning into one of the light, narrow gaps between two buildings, Patch lamented the difficulty of her situation.
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Patch smiled in a humbled sort of way when she found Bon Bon at the agreed meeting place: one tree right by Paradise Lake and in the proximity of the castle there. A satchel was balanced on her left shoulder, its contents shifting a little bit when she got there. "Hey, sorry I'm late, Bon. I had to deal with something."
Bon Bon's appearance differed more greatly from her ten-year-old self than Patch's had. With Patch, she was a bit taller, but the same slightly-built pony who, while less so than back then, was still a dwarf next to her friends.
With Bon Bon, though, it was different. A full-fledged thirteen year old, with big bones and a large stomach, sat before her. Bon Bon had stayed with the family tradition of being beautiful and healthy, however little she would believe it.
Bon Bon ate another cookie (she'd been snacking on mini-oreos out of a fun-sized bag). "It's not a big deal," she spoke around the cookie.
The peach pony sighed and sat down, feeling markedly ashamed of herself and even giving the area a quick look-around. Originally, on that date, Patch fully intended to gift Bon Bon one of the fancy hair bows from the store, maybe with a clever joke about accessories and hippopotamuses. But, considering she had neither…
"How are you today, Bon Bon?" It was the usual opener. It gave Patch a sense of satisfaction; she was the one who made it clear that the honest answer was the best there. That was something that Bon Bon had struggled with once upon a time. One dumb question.
"It's been uneventful," she admitted. "But pleasant. What's been going on with you?"
Patch glanced around evasively, before slouching down and putting her hooves behind her head. "Messing around with Melody, shopping, stuff like that. I joked Starlight, that went well."
"What shall we open up with?" Bon Bon inquired. "You can choose if you want."
"I dunno… I haven't really decided." A thoughtful frown fell across Patch's face. She truthfully hadn't thought of what they could do. The normal options flew through her mind, but none of them particularly appealed. "You pick."
"What do you think of ice cream at Starlight's, on you?"
Patch wasn't really hungry, telling the truth. The thought of purchasing ice cream wasn't a bad one, to tell the truth. She liked expounding her large allowance on Bon Bon. It was her self-imposed job, making Bon Bon feel special and loved, because she just needed to be drawn out of her shell.
"Alright, sure. Whatever you want." Patch wanted to say infinitely more, but held her tongue. She already sounded so excited to spend time with her no matter what! That was true, though…
Was she really going soft?
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Normally eating ice cream was just a casual thing that friends did when they got together, even if they just happened to be more than friends. Buying someone else an ice cream was a small, kind gesture towards someone you cared about.
When you bought Bon Bon a sundae, it was a profound show of affection, considering the price of such a delicacy and how she felt about it. Bon Bon was happier when you bought her food than an inspiration-filled Melody, among the lines of a Starlight who had just been proposed to by Ace.
"Enjoy," Starlight had said, a hint of mischief under her tone, as she took the thirteen jangles from the peach pony. Patch could have sworn that she'd winked at her before leaving.
Bon Bon, who was sitting next to Patch, actually shot one of her hooves out and hugged Patch. The tomboyish pony thought that it had to have been some wonderful dream, because Bon Bon never showed physical affection. But it was reality, as she realized, and Bon Bon pulled away after a second and began happily slurping her sundae in large spoonfuls.
Patch's own ice cream was a measly chocolate one with a strawberry on top, meaning that the topping and flavor-filled dessert for Bon Bon had cost a full eleven jangles. Off the top of her head, caramel, chocolate, vanilla, mocha-almond, and fudge-flavored ice cream was sprinkled with cherries, sprinkles, and bananas.
The peach pony finished it off shortly, and just sat there, feeling a little bit awkward as Bon Bon slurped down her ice cream.
There was a brief pause in the sound of eating when Bon Bon spoke. "Wanna lick?" she asked, shyly.
Patch looked at the ice cream, which was probably covered in saliva, and blushed. "Nah, you enjoy it," she mumbled.
Bon Bon frowned, but didn't push the issue as she continued her gluttonous eating. It was hardly another minute until she managed to scarf down the entire meal.
"Patch, is something the matter?"
"Whah? No." Patch prided herself on her expert lying. Going behind ponies' backs for jokes was trite for her, after all.
Bon Bon gave her a long and calculating look. One filled with doubt and bemusement because darn it, everyone had always told Patch she was an open book. In the middle of her stare, Patch leaned back, her proficiency as an actor working to hopeful advantage. She sighed loudly before saying, "What's next?"
Bon Bon tapped her hoof on her chin for a moment as Patch stared at her. "Are you sure you don't want to choose?"
Once again Patch ran through her options, and though the cool possibility of the castle on Paradise Lake came to mind and did stand out prominently, Patch shook her head. "Ah, I'll let you take the wheel this time."
It made her "roguish heart" feel even more under control to articulate the words. That utterly terrified Patch, too, being under control. If she couldn't act of her autonomy, what was she but a slave?
"Okay, what do you say we go bake cookies at your house?" Bon Bon suggested.
"Alright."
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All the way back then, when Patch had confessed to Bon Bon in that hidden section of the woods by the soccer field when she was ten, she could never have hoped that it'd build up as far as it did. Seven months of being together, accentuated by dates and the occasional period of not talking to each other out of anger, had ensued then.
There was a breakup, then years later, they still got together again, that time thanks to Patch's good humor in the rumors surrounding herself.
The hope to help Bon Bon out would have been easily crushed, but Patch considered it a success. Bon Bon trusted her, and in a different way than with the rest of the gang, so she could share her inhibitions with her more than the others. Considering everything else, she believed that she was well-read on Bon Bon.
And yet…
And yet, Patch had that extreme fear of getting herself tied up in something she couldn't remove herself from. This entire thing with Bon Bon wouldn't be permanent; they were too different. But if she got too attached and couldn't break off, or Bon Bon wouldn't leave, then there would be a big problem.
The fact that some of Bon Bon's special cookie supplies had found their way into the cabinets in the Aber house's kitchen was a freezing-cold reminder of that very arrangement. The reason was because they couldn't be seen together by Bon Bon's family, seeing as though they disapproved with a fiery passion. It was sort of like a tiny bit of her friend was moving in with her, and that made Patch's stomach twist when she thought about it in that context.
"Alright, Patch, before we start, are you sure you're totally okay?"
Patch snapped out of her reverie, shaking her head madly. Bon Bon was standing up on her hind legs with the ingredients for the concoction of cookies in front of her. "Oh, I just thought I saw something out that window," she invented wildly, motioning towards the window above the sink that just happened to be in the vicinity.
"You look queasy," Bon Bon responded, still unconvinced. "Why do you look like you're about to throw up?"
"Umm… I'm recovering from something, must have jarred myself eating all of that ice cream," Patch stuttered off-the-cuff, thinking of the recent malady that had gripped Starlight for a week.
Bon Bon's eyes were narrowed at her. "I really think you should stop being a hypocrite and just trust me."
Patch sourly recalled all of the times she'd pushed at Bon Bon for long periods of time, dogged in her attempt to get some information out of her. Often she wouldn't get anywhere anyway, but yeah, she'd said it.
And she hated hypocrites.
"It's lame and I'm lame."
Bon Bon all of a sudden grabbed her and pulled her in, so her cheek was against her soft yellow chest. Her eyes and Bon Bon's connected. "I've been upset by things before and you've made them better. Give it a chance, it'll be braver."
"I…" Patch stared at her friend, a blush under her coat. But then she just giggled shortly before stifling herself. "Fine, you brilliant jerk."
Bon Bon looked satisfied as she unhooved Patch, allowing her to stand on her own again. "Do you want to go up in your room to tell me?" the blue-eyed little pony asked.
With a glance at the wide-open windows, Patch nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice."
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"It's this entire relationship thing."
Bon Bon blinked, then didn't miss a beat, looking hurt. "What about the relationship? Did I do something wrong?"
Patch shifted her weight on her pink-covered princess-styled bed, which was no different than when she was ten with the exception of the absence of a plump orange teddy bear, which was sitting on the wardrobe. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just… it's been lasting more than I thought it would, y'know, back when I was ten."
"How long did you think it would last?" Bon Bon asked, as if she couldn't help herself. She looked ashamed, as if she'd just said something, well, shameful.
"Not an aggregate year, mind… We're just so different. Uh, the problem… well, it is… I'm bad with commitments." MIne as well get it all out.
Her friend leaned further against the side of her bed, thinking, but then she nodded. "What's really bothering you, then?"
"What, didn't I just tell you? I'm bad with commitments. It's tough."
Bon Bon's eyes widened. "You… you don't have to make yourself stay for any particular length of time. I'd like it if you stayed, but I'd like it better if you made yourself happy."
Patch's ears twitched, and realization flickered in her gold eyes.
Yeah, she could leave if she wanted to. Bon Bon just said it, she wanted her to be happy above being together with her.
Why didn't she feel totally right?
"Thanks for that," Patch replied, feeling a bit awkward. "Even if I can leave, I'm a lot more worried about, um… not being able to."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, sometimes I feel like… ugh, I feel like I won't be able to. I might get too attached, and… stuff…"
"Oh... Well, we'll always be friends even if you do happen to break off."
"Yeah, I guess…" The thought ought to have been more reassuring than it was. "Thanks."
Bon Bon smiled softly, a gesture that wasn't actually very common. "No problem. Um, don't worry."
A spark of inspiration flared up inside of Patch. A swift what-if situation running through her head brought about a typical short laugh that the best, most hilarious ideas did. "Yeah, I shouldn't," she said to try and excuse herself for the moment.
The thing that really pulled Patch out of the dumps was the idea that she had, every bit as mischievous as any of her schemes. It would prove to herself that she wasn't tame, that she was still wild, a free agent.
Patch leaned over and pecked her friend's cheek, a spur-of-the-moment thing, and then looked away. It was the first kiss either of them had ever administered to the other.
Bon Bon looked alarmed, the color in her face becoming absolutely refescent. The slowly more-embarrassed face of her friend showed the fact that no, there was no control that didn't belong to Patch.
"Uhm..."
...For as long as she could elicit that blush from Bon Bon, the one that had Bon Bon speechless, she wasn't totally tame.
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...And, here's another work with the ilk of I Just Wanna Buy You Some Juice: Tame!
I wish that I could say I was vastly proud of this one. I really just wrote it in my spare time across about three days, and I figured, the world needs more Tales stories, and Patch/Bon Bon stories. There also need to be more Tales stories that put Patch as the focal point in general, let alone putting her emotions at the head of the game.
Besides, hopefully this will inspire someone to update their story, or to start one up.
As far as fics go at the moment, I'm a mixed bag. Read a bit more about that, if you wish, on the Story Progress Document.
But I bet you'll be catching me again really soon.
See you around, guys!