Patch, again, had her favorite words: plucky and perky. Both happened to describe her, and they started with her letter, P, right? Well, her least favorite words were the very antithesis of what she wanted to deal with. Those words were dejection, stress and guilt. Notice the severe lack of Ps there.

That little pony had the latter two in heaping, heaping amounts as she stared at the corner in the back of the van. This is real… your best friend is about to die. And it's your fault…

Earlier that night, she'd been a plucky, perky party clown, making the partygoers laugh with mirth as she committed criminal acts of stupidity. But then, she'd gotten wind that Bon Bon had run away in tears, and… well, she wanted to run away also. And when she figured out that it was the dark forest, it was clear she had a death wish. The place had so many cliffs with precipitous falls it was impossible not to break your neck if you went at full speed in the middle of the night.

And, from the back of the van, she could tell very well that they were climbing up one sharp incline, as Slice Cake (Bon Bon's mom; she was gold and pink) called out her daughter's name again, sounding more desperate than before.

And Patch frankly couldn't bear it if the next time she'd see Bon Bon was sprawled out under a cliff, or the expression on any one of her friends' faces. She didn't even acknowledge Sweetheart's concerned little nuzzles in her shoulder. Please, please, PLEASE be okay…

"I-I see her!" Slice hissed, gripping Cameron's shoulder. "She's running up a cliff!" Patch's ears shot up at the news.

The white pony's eyes narrowed with determination. "Criollo Cliff? Everybody hold on tight!"

Then, the steering wheel was spun in a nearly complete circle as everyone in the van lurched. Patch absently noted the fact that Sweetheart clung to her as she flopped forward on her face. The car swerved madly until it came to an unsteady halt.

Determination crossed Patch's features as she realized that her friend was okay, and as everyone else made their way to the doors of the van to open them, she burst right through them and ran right around the vehicle to face the cliff, her friends following close behind. Bon Bon was a deer caught in headlights on top of the incline, and though she couldn't make out her expressions, she could see her jaw hanging open.

"I-I see her!" Lancer exclaimed, leaping up onto the van's top and onto a nearby cliff. "Bon Bon, come on back… it's us!"

"O-Oh my, I didn't know I was so high up...!"

Cold terror was still frozen in Patch's throat, even if her friend wasn't going to jump right of at that moment. "Bon Bon, please come BACK!" Starlight yelled, her voice cracking.

Bon Bon's shifted a bit; into battle stance. Patch was overly conscious of the jagged rocks right below the cliff. "Y-You said I looked dumb! You laughed at me!"

"We didn't laugh at you! We didn't even know you were at the party!" Lancer exclaimed.

You're right Lancer… They were laughing at me...

Bon Bon pointed an accusing hoof at the group. "But Starlight said my costume was weird, and Patch said that I was the silliest pony at the party!"

She probably hates me now… Patch realized, her heart snapping in half. All of a sudden, her other least favorite word, dejected, came to mind. "No I didn't…"

Patch stared upwards, hoping that their eyes connected. Her voice took on an almost pleading tone. "I said I was the silliest pony at the party. I work hard at being silly!" She was just glad that blush was part of her costume, because she felt her cheeks warm up at that. How visible was it?

"And it was Patch's costume that I said was weird!" Starlight shouted up.

Bon Bon's hoof fell back next to the other ones. "But… But I heard everyone laugh at me when I came into the masquerade…" At least she didn't sound mad… she sounded a lot more confused than mad.

Patch opened her jaws to speak, but a certain adult pony cut across, "We didn't laugh at you Bon Bon." Mr. Cameron and Sweetheart opened the back doors of his car, revealing the huge TV that sat in the back. "And I can prove it!"

Then, the TV turned on, showing the events of earlier. Patch juggling the watermelons with the silliest, simplest happy expression she could bear. And then, all of her friends started saying their lines… but Patch thought a little bit, staring up a bit imploringly at Bon Bon. Her heart pounded as she did, and she was positive that her makeup wasn't fully hiding her blush. There was a certain warmth, for lack of a better word, that crept into her chest and made her want to hug her friend and never let go…

Was that gay? It made her feel a bit gay... happy, of course. But she was still unsure… she just liked hugs, right?

"Then… you didn't laugh at me?" Bon Bon called down. Patch snapped out of her memoir and focused at the task at hoof.

"We'd never laugh at you," Starlight added, a bit of affection in her voice.

Slice Cake spoke up; finally. "Bon Bon, come on down now… everyone loves you!"

"I-I feel silly now! But…" Bon Bon called down. She hyperventilated for a second, as if she just realized her position on the high cliff. "O-Okay, mom… I'm coming!"

Sweet relief came over Patch. Everything was going to be perfectly okay for everyone. And that included her.

But then, a few rocks slipped, and there was a sharp cry from the yellow pony above. Patch's heart gave a special leap at Bon Bon stumbled off the cliff… just barely gripping the side. The adventurer mouthed along with Slice Cake as she cried, "BON BON!"

A gust of wind came and blew Bon Bon's hat away, almost taking her with it. "HEEEELP!" she screamed.

Patch's hero instincts kicked in as she dashed up to the edge of her little section of the incline, glancing rapidly between the cliff itself, her damsel in distress, and the sharp rocks below. What to do, what to do…

She took two hurried steps towards the cliff's incline that had tire marks through it from the reckless driving from earlier, but she sighted Starlight and Lancer rushing up there, the latter swinging his rope around.

What on earth would a future without Bon Bon be like…? No cookies, no hugging her pudgy, adorable complexion…

"I-I can't hold on much longer…"

Patch was snapped back into reality once again, and dashed up as close to Bon Bon as she could get. "BON BON!" Slice Cake shrieked, her voice cracking at the end.

And, all at once, Starlight shouted, "We're coming!" and Lancer's rope tied around Bon Bon's midsection. The two couldn't pull Bon Bon up, and Patch readied herself to run to the rescue, to be the muscle that the group needed, when Lancer exclaimed, "Bon Bon… don't worry… we're going to lower you to the ground now…"

"Okay, okay... I'll hold on."

Patch started as she realized that a small square of ponies that had gathered around her. Sweetheart, Mr. Cameron, and Slice Cake. "Here she comes; everybody get ready," Mr. Cameron told everyone.

Then, warm under her hooves, Bon Bon was officially made safe.

Immediately, Slice Cake pulled her daughter in for a hug. "It's okay, you're alright now!"

Then, by some impulse, Patch grabbed Bon Bon's hoof in hers and hoped and prayed she wasn't visibly blushing as she said, "And… you're with friends, too."

Starlight trotted down, panting a bit. "You alright?"

Bon Bon took the initiative, and gave what could very well have been her first hug to a different pony. It hurt a bit that she wasn't the recipient, but it warmed Patch's heart to be witnessing it. "I am… Thanks to you two."

Patch blinked and glanced up at the cliff, where Lancer was panting and looking down, probably tiredly. Did… she just thank me…? She asked herself uncertainly.

Patch let the hug last for another few seconds before she put her hoof on Bon Bon's slightly-twitching, warm shoulder. "Okay, so now what do we do?" she asked the group, glancing around. "I mean… There's still time left 'till the Masquerade's over," she added.

Bon Bon smiled around at the group. "Let's go back and… dance!" Patch's ears flew at that comment. The yellow pony looked right at her and struck a pose as she added, "After all, I want everyone to see my fashion model costume!"

"Alright then, group, into my van!" Mr. Cameron said, pointing at the van and smiling at Slice Cake.

Patch trotted up to the van, putting a forehoof on the tailgate and watching as Clover jumped up from behind Bon Bon and cuddled her around the neck. Bon Bon smiled sweetly and just accepted the embrace as Clover excitedly told her, "I'm so glad you're okay… I can't wait to show you my new dance routine!"

Patch beamed at her two friends for a second before looking into the van. Her happiness turned into an intensive frown. I can't believe this… I have a crush, don't I? On someone I just met a few months ago. On a girl. On my best friend.

The last part made her grimace more than anything else. It felt great to finally have a crush, she guessed, but… on Bon Bon…?

And, more importantly... DID SHE JUST ASK ME TO DANCE?!