"I really appreciate having you by my side, Patch," Bon Bon giggled, lying next to the wheat-colored pony in the grass. "I'm so glad I have you to confide in about everything!"

Patch snuggled up to her friend in response. "I'm glad to be there for ya, Bons," she assured, as a yellow hoof came around her back and pulled her closer. "You're, like, my best friend… you know that?"

"You're my best friend too," Bon Bon replied affectionately before nuzzling her friend's messy pink mane. Patch's tongue lolled out at the contact.

To the experienced observer, it would be obvious that the huge meadow of pink, purple and yellow flowers and the ponies in it weren't real, but a figment of a very troubled, misguided young pony's imagination.

Let's break it down. Firstly, Dream Bon Bon didn't have any stress to be spoken of, not even a shadow of it on her face in some way. Normally, even if she was happy, she had slight bags under her eyes thanks to her constant stress, as well as a lack of sleep. Her eyes were rarely that soft and happy.

Even getting away from that, Bon Bon never giggled her sentences, or showed public displays of affection.

So that was why the poking in Patch's side was obviously going to come to end the illusion.

888

"Patch. Patch. Patch." Her name was short and in monotone as the masculine voice continued to sound.

Patch grumbled just slightly as she woke up to the sight of a pair of forest green eyes at a moderate distance from her face. "You okay?" Ace asked, nudging her shoulder once again.

Patch immediately sat up and faced the tan colt in front of her. "Whah? How long was I asleep for?"

Ace shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But what I do want to know…" Ace equipped a just-slightly smug grin. "…Is what you were doing here early dreaming about Bon Bon."

"Shut up, I was not dreaming about anybody!"

The details of the dream were already becoming a blur, though she was positive that it was something about the yellow pony in question. Ace was really perceptive when it came to his friends, but she had to wonder… how obvious am I?

Ace rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I stink at stuff, which I don't. I can read you like a book."

Patch punched the jock's shoulder way harder than was absolutely necessary.

"Chill out Patch! Jeez, when are you just gonna tell her how you feel?" Ace clutched his arm and glared at the slightly-shorter soccer player.

Patch's ears drooped and her head fell. "…How obvious am I?"

"So obvious," Ace retorted, stopping the façade of pain immediately. "But really, don't worry about it. The other boys claim you like girls, but it's just 'cause they're irritated their own crush doesn't like them. Nobody legitimately knows."

Patch heaved a sigh of relief at that, at least. Always one to look at the positive side of things; ponies who thought stuff were gonna talk, but there were probably all kinds of rumors out. That was okay because there would be contradictories and, besides… it was half-true.

"So anyway, what happened? Why were you sleeping here at the soccer pitch?"

The tomboy got up from the wooden bench she was sitting on. It was pretty rare that she actually remembered the events preceding her bedtime, so she didn't really remember things, but it was pretty clear what had happened. "Uh… musta got here too early for tryouts."

Ace smirked. "Glad you did. You're adorable when you sleep."

Patch snorted and started giggling. "Stop it, you're making me blush!" Obviously not in reality, but she was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Anyway, now that you're awake, I'm gonna go take a shower. Wanna come with?"

Patch jumped to her hooves and flashed a grin at Ace. "Naw. I'm gonna do some stretches. Enjoy."

The brown colt nodded and made his way towards the locker structure on the other end of the field. The taupe pony watched her friend for a moment before she dug around in her bag.

"Apples, pencils, notepad, granola bars, oatmeal raisin, joke kit…" As she said the name of the object, she tossed it out behind her until she grinned and pulled a blue-striped headband out of her pack and put it on, throwing her bangs up over it so they could hang freely. Then she put on her four white and blue legwarmers on over her hooves and did a little jumping motion with her awesome soccer uniform.

She ran up to a soccer ball and gave it a hardy kick, sending it into the goal with a loud swish.

Now she understood why Ace never slept in on the weekends.

Her eyes shone with determination as she charged down the pitch and grabbed the ball in her hooves. She threw it upwards a good ten feet and gave it a vigorous kick across the field to the other goal.

And it met its mark no problem. But that made sense because she was pretty good at soccer.

"Wait a sec, Patch!"

Ace charged back up to Patch, his white towel draped over his shoulders. "Uh, doncha have jazzercise with the girls this morning?"

Patch's heart deflated and she died.

888

"Patch, dear, you're late."

The tomboyish pony arrived panting at the blue instructor's side. But then… if you had to run across town twice on an empty stomach, chances were you wouldn't feel too exuberant. "Sorry… huff… Miss…"

The blue pony frowned. "Are you sure you don't want to relax, dear Patchwork? Maybe get some ice cream from Lemon Drop?"

Patch gave the instructor a slight glare for using her full first name before huffing, "I'm fine."

Then she did a cross between a skip and a prowl to the spot next to Bon Bon where she was to try and focus on jazzercise that day. The yellow pony gave her a confused look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Patch said, matching her hooves up to those of her crush. She has great hooves, she couldn't help but think with a goofy (and she couldn't help but think, slightly perverted) grin. They were shiny, and probably really soft and gentle…

"Alright then, take it from the top! Right two three four, and LEFT two three four!"

At first, the pink-maned pony struggled to keep up on the account of her exhaustion, but soon enough… hey, this is pretty easy! A lot easier than running around Ponyland, at least.

So she got really into it eventually, muttering under her breath with the instructor. "One two three four, one two three four…"

"How can you DO this?!" Clover exclaimed after falling for what seemed like the fifteenth time on top of Sweetheart. By then even the taciturn white pony was starting to look ever-so-slightly annoyed.

"Just keep on trying, Clover," she said exasperatedly. "You'll get it sometime."

Long since the instructor stopped stopping for those interruptions. Honestly, that purple pony was about as clumsy as a gecko who tried to stand on two legs…

"This is so hard!" Bon Bon exclaimed, her hooves going in the opposite directions they were supposed to. "How do you coordinate everything for this long?!"

Starlight, who was on Bon Bon's other side, answered, "Just a lot of practice. Be grateful we were taking it easy today, or we would have done the snake."

Bon Bon groaned loudly. All of the ponies halted for the count they were supposed to (they'd changed rhythms) and her startup was delayed as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm outta gas… I have to stop."

"Must be that blueberry muffin you had for breakfast this morning that's slowing you down," Starlight teased.

"And the one you had for lunch too," Patch added before realizing that they hadn't had lunch yet.

Everyone but Bon Bon and the instructor had a good laugh, though whether it was at her expense or at the actual joke was unknown. Didn't matter to Patch though.

Clover stumbled over one more time, commenting that she was 'so clumsy.' Patch glanced back and saw Bright Eyes and Sweetheart wedged under Clover with very irritated looks on their faces.

"Alright then, girls, we're done with our workout for the day," the instructor announced. "You all did a great job. Remember that the next day we return here it'll be March tenth. That's the tenth everybody. Stay sharp!"

The tenth, huh? Sounds like my birthday is coming up! Patch smiled to herself. Ten years old… wonders never cease, do they?

Bon Bon stumbled on her stomach almost the second the instructor announced her signature line and bounced off the stage. "Can't… move… spots in vision… tired…"

"Um… I'll take care of her," Patch announced, staring down at her friend with concern. "You go on ahead."

Patch recognized the knowing wink Starlight gave to her and almost audibly groaned. "Come on, girls," the pink pony said, picking Clover up out of the pile she had created, "I dunno about you girls, but I could use a Squash Squish after all of that!"

With that, Starlight led the whole group except for Patch and Bon Bon out, though not without another wink from the pink pony. She was sure she heard a succinct giggle from Sweetheart, too.

It was then that Patch realized that this would be no simple task. Bon Bon was, like, one hundred twenty percent her weight…

Well crud.

Bon Bon flopped onto her back and continued her panting, Some color flushed her muzzle as she said, "Um, I don't need you to carry me or anything. J-Just help me up."

"Okay." Patch quickly reached down to grab her friend's hoof before leaning herself back and pulling. It wasn't as if she needed an excuse to get close to her best friend. And you know, she did manage to get her friend to her hooves, just at the cost of her own standing on two legs and falling backwards on her own back.

The only thing that made it noteworthy at all was the fact that Bon Bon was standing over top of Patch, so it could possibly look like Bon Bon tackled Patch to the ground. "Bon Bon, I love you," Patch very nearly said aloud.

But instead, she settled for saying in a playful tone, "Come on Juliet; let's get to the others."

Ooh, did Bon Bon blush at that. She was probably blushing too, so small comfort and all of that, but she was just so cute when she did that. "I'm not Juliet; I don't even like Shakespony!" She shifted backwards so Patch could get to her hooves, which the taupe pony promptly did.

Ever since the whole deal with Bon Bon cheating on her… well, she was extra affectionate and playful. And it was a great improvement, the giddy feeling; much like at the very beginning, back when she was so disappointed that she cried about it. Seriously, she was such an immature little fledge before.

But even the giddiness around Bon Bon had its downsides, like having to stop midsentence at times or excuse herself because she'd accidentally gotten too close at the wrong time. The incident she called the 'I luff you' one stuck to her brain, where she'd pretty much said "I love you" and had to make a last minute alteration to make it mean 'luff,' which was basically lift (which she failed at).

But seriously, whether she got with Bon Bon or not… she had to get it off her chest.

888

But hanging around Bon Bon wasn't all that had Patch in a total giddy mess. Ace came by after the jazzercise section and picked her up for soccer practice. But not just any soccer practice; there was a big game coming up.

But what was more amazing than that?

Coach Whistle had invited his two star players to help him find a new alternate for that big game! He'd said it just like that. "Alrighty then, guys, you're my star players. You guys are gonna help me choose an alternate for the big game. We have lots of applicants, and we can only choose two."

She'd saluted and Ace agreed for both of them. Hence they had to be at the soccer pitch a little bit early so they could help prepare.

"Haha! Hey, Ace, I'm a gnome!"

"Patch!" the brown colt snapped. "Knock it off!"

Patch quit doing her goofy dance and took the orange cone off of her head, but her grin was not to be erased. "Aw, come on Ace, lighten up!"

"We only have fifteen minutes, and we still have half the obstacle course to go!"

Patch chuckled for a moment more before seeing Ace's glaring face. Then she snorted and put the cone back where she found it. "Ugh, lighten up Ace! You're no fun."

The soccer pony rolled his eyes. "No. I just know how to keep dignity and not make a total fool of myself."

"Ouch."

"Now quit being a clown," Ace snapped, throwing a tape measure at Patch for her to catch, "and measure the other side of the course."

The taupe pony rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, okay pretty boy."

Patch trotted to the other side of the obstacle course. The whole thing would only be six feet wide; basically, someone would kick the ball through twenty feet of cones with just that width to prove they could kick the ball straight. It wasn't an easy exercise, but if a kid could do it then chances were they were good; really good. She could do it nowadays, but Ace was the only one Patch know of who actually got the exercise done well the first time he did it.

Patch dug the end of the tape measure in the ground at a white line and and secured it with a stomp of her hoof. Then she carefully started dragging the measure out.

But then, she noticed an unbidden guest sitting on the wooden grandstands; the bottom bench. Even at a distance, there was no mistaking it.

Bon Bon.

She smiled and waved, suddenly feeling just a bit better about her best guy friend's short attitude. Then she continued pulling her tool along with a sigh. When she reached the end of the twenty foot aisle, she marked the spot with a short jab of her hoof into the ground and then glanced upwards again.

A lot closer but still watching was her mellow yellow friend. Patch grinned widely and skipped up to her friend, though she clearly wasn't thinking that clearly when she did so. "Hiya Bon Bon," she greeted with a hearty grin. "What're you doing here?"

Bon Bon's ears folded, and she suddenly looked more self-conscious. "Watching mainly."

W-watching? "What are you watching?"

"Um… you and Ace."

"Good for you. Enjoy the view?" Patch asked playfully. The touch of flirt in her tone was probably obvious.

"Uhm… I-I guess." Bon Bon at least seemed to get it, based on the flustered look she wore. She clutched a red leather book, her diary, closer to her chest. "Just sort of hanging out."

"We should do that," Patch said with a quick wink that made Bon Bon's fur heat up. That giddy feeling shook her to her core as she did so… even if she was really nervous. And she had no clue what she was doing.

"W-W-When?"

"After practice?" the taupe pony suggested. "That'd work for me if it works for you. Around, hmmm… four o'clock."

It wasn't exactly the first date she'd set (nor was it really a date at all). As a matter of fact, she'd messed them up in every way possible. She'd giggled, pranked, punched, deadpanned, insulted and even FORGOTTEN her way to failure. But maybe this time she would do a good job of it. "Wherever you want to go."

Bon Bon grinned slightly past her blush. "Oh, sure. Guess we should just meet up here at… four. Totally."

"See ya there," Patch responded with a wink before cantering away.

She just kind of stood there with a goofy grin for a second. Ace furrowed his eyebrows as he struggled with a folding chair. He never could do the folding chair thing. "A little help here?"

Patch giggled softly and said, "I like Bon Bon…"

Ace groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. "Just get this chair. I have more important things to do."

The brownish colt dropped the metallic chair with a clang and sauntered away to straighten up some cones. Patch gave the chair's butt sit part (for lack of a better word) a good kick and then spread the legs of the chair before setting it down on the ground.

It was right then that she heard it. "Psst."

Patch wiggled her ears just to make sure she wasn't hearing things. But, surely enough, another iteration of the sound, more forceful could be heard. "PSSST!"

She whipped around. "Starlight?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

She could see a pink hoof waving at her from behind the tall wooden fence. Patch jogged up to her and was surprised when she was dragged around the fence by the neck.

"Patch, I need your help," the blonde-maned pony said in an urgent whisper. "Don't laugh, but… I have a big crush on Ace."

Big shock.

"And I need your help to impress him. Walking by with a ribbon in my hair DID NOT work."

Oh, did that happen while I was with…? "Oh. Uh, sure. We're having soccer practice and-"

"I need you to just let me try out with the others. And make sure I make it on the soccer team! I need to join to get Ace's attention."

Patch blinked and nodded. "Yeah, sure, Starl. You can try out. Just know that it's for alternate and not for being on the actual home team."

"Oh."

"It's cool if you try out then. We'll be soccer girls together then, ah?" Patch gave Starlight a playful little punch on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Star. I'm sure you'll be a natural at it."

Starlight sighed and nodded. "Thanks, Patch. I sure hope so…"

"I know so. We need to go and get you a uniform though, so… we're off to the shower house. I'll race you there! One two three GO!"

888

Doing all of the soccer help was pretty awesome. Patch got to assess everyone who was there with Ace and Coach, and sometimes got called to demonstrate something. Because the ponies were a lot less experienced at soccer, she felt a bit like a big sister to them. Even if she didn't know them well.

But she kept an extra close eye on Starlight. She was good… really good! A natural at the sport! She'd practically breezed through everything, although Ace clearly didn't feel the same way about her progress.

But she and the coach did, and two out of three was pretty good.

So Starlight stood out as a candidate for the team. Nobody else quite had her prowess, and… Patch was proud of her. Who knew a teacher's pet whose favorite subject was math would be so awesome at sports? Not her~

"Okay now, Starlight. Dribble around Ace and you're on the team," Coach said calmly, standing in between an Ace in battle stance and a gulping and nervous Starlight. He walked out of the way and gave Patch a euphoric grin when he was done with them.

But for the first time, she felt legitimately concerned. Starlight looked awfully nervous, after all, and that was unlike her. The pink pomy gulped. "Around… Ace? But he's, he's…"

"…The greatest?" Ace suggested, lowering himself to the ground.

"Uh… huh…"

Luckily, the prankster knew when her friends needed an encouraging nod and a little advice, so she grinned at her pink friend. "You can do it Starlight!"

Suddenly Coach blew his namesake whistle, and Starlight kicked it up to Ace, still having nerves etched all over her face. Patch practically held her breath for her friend as she approached Ace, who climbed on his hind legs and lifted his leg, ready to kick the ball. But unless he did a screwball (he wasn't famous for those) it was unlikely he'd get it past Starlight! This WOULD have a happy ending after all!

But then she went and kicked it with her hind hoof, not her forehoof. Ace kicked the ball out of the way as she kicked it.

…Least it couldn't get any worse, right?

Starlight slid across the grass and stumbled into the goal net with a short scream. Patch all but ran up to her, offering her hoof. "Are you alright?"

Starlight's purple gaze was sorry (a more Cloverish look than a Starlight one) as she replied, "I… guess so…"

Starlight gripped Patch's hoof and got to her hooves. Ace approached with a sympathetic look on his face. "Uh, I just went for the ball," he said with a mollifying grin. It was a bit mocking… but that was Ace's usual way of comfort for little things like that.

But that didn't mean Starlight knew that, because things went even further downhill when her eyes became flecked with tears, and her breathing became labored. She dashed away to hide her despair.

…And now Starlight was acting like Bon Bon on the masquerade night. Seriously, what were the odds? And part of the reason the normally-cool pony was so emotionally fragile was because she knew about what Ace had been saying about her all day long; she was sure of it. A very familiar protective force heated her from the core as she glared at Ace. "Ace, you stink," she huffed, her voice dark with emotion, as she bucked a soccer ball in his face.

After watching the soccer kid be dizzy for a second, Patch got running, only one thing on her mind: comforting Starlight. Coach yelled out suddenly, so Patch stopped and poked her head around the fence. The Coach lumbered up to her and nodded definitely. "Tell Starlight she made the team. She was pretty good, 'till we put her up against the captain."

The tomboy nodded. "Yes sir, mister president sir."

Patch continued her swift steps through the woods, keeping a sharp ear and eye out for Starlight. Judging by the lack of sniffling that she could hear, Starlight had sped up considerably when she got out of Ace's sight, and though the wooded area didn't have a tall, dangerous cliff that Patch knew about, there was a slow-flowing stream.

Besides, Patch took a bit of comfort in knowing that Starlight was rational. She wouldn't drown herself or anything… or, at least, it would take a long time to do so.

But still, the taupe pony kept up her brisk pace. Regardless of Starlight's likelihood of killing herself (which was admittedly very low) she still had to be there for her friend; a shoulder to cry on. And someone to give her a reassuring pat on the back and a bit of encourage-

"Wait a second!"

Patch jumped considerably and spread her hooves hide in battle stance before noticing the very last pony she needed to see running at her from the direction she came from. A yellow one who was known to have terrible timing at times…

"Bon Bon?" Patch called out with disbelief. Bon Bon panted and huffed, even though it was hardly a fifty yard run. She pounded her chest with her hoof for a moment before saying, "Just a sec…"

"I really have to get to Starlight, Bons. Uh… can't this wait?"

Bon Bon shook her head, and took a good extra ten seconds to let herself stabilize in her breathing. "Is this an okay time?"

No it isn't. Starlight could be trying to commit suicide, through wrestling with bears, or through drowning herself while wrestling with bears. Or she's crying her eyes out wondering why Ace doesn't love her, and questioning her own worth! Or maybe she's doing both at the same time! "Of course," Patch responded, grinning in that emotional high again.

I am a terrible friend. But the thought vanished as quickly as it appeared, as Bon Bon scraped her hoof in the grass and looked anywhere but at Patch. The tomboy was no expert at romance… but she was dead sure this was what a confession looked like… and it was awesome.

"Uhm… It goes like this," Bon Bon started with a blush. "It's kinda… complex, and… don't hate me!" The yellow pony suddenly squeaked, crouching down and hiding her face in her hooves.

Oh cheese, what is this? What is happening here? Patch knew very well but couldn't help but have the play-ignorant thoughts. The corners of her mouth turned upwards in an uncontrollable grin. No face-falling or failure on her part this time! "I couldn't hate you," Patch assured with that goofy grin on her face. "Far from it!"

"You mean, you won't tell anypony or anybody at all?" Bon Bon whimpered, peeking out with blue eyes the sizes of saucers.

Patch shook her head, then realized her mistake and nodded. Bon Bon squeaked and buried her head. She settled for replying, "Well, I won't tell no- uh, anybody."

Aw great, now the giddiness from the beginning was blending with nerves… What if she was such a failure she ruined her FRIEND'S confession? That'd be embarrassing, and if he caught wind, Ace would never let her hear the end of it…

"I-I-In that case… I… Patch… Um…" Around forty seconds separated each one of Bon Bon's syllables. After the last "um" Bon Bon started breathing heavily; almost as if she'd run a marathon. Her light blue eyes scanned the area frantically for something; maybe a way out, Patch didn't know.

Hyperventilation. Something Patch wouldn't know about had she not been part of the Perfect Points soccer team. It was dangerous to do that… And even if Bon Bon was really timid and panicked sometimes, it still ached her to see Bon in such a panic, though.

As such, it was not only the giddiness that shot Patch into action; it was sympathy and pity.

"I-I love you too!" Patch blurted out. She pulled her friend off the ground and up to her in a huge hug.

Bon Bon froze for a second at the contact; Patch could feel her friend tensing up under her hooves. Patch nosed Bon Bon's neck just slightly in the hug before the mellow yellow pony even thought to wrap her arms around the taupe pony's waist in kind. But after her initial freeze-up, she smiled and returned the embrace in kind.

"…I kinda like you too," she replied with a soft smile. Patch gently nosed her friend's shoulder. She marveled a bit at the subtle smell of cookies that wafted off of her. "How'd you realize you like-liked me?"

"Loved ya? I dunno. I only figured it out during the masquerade." It shot pain through her heart to remember the despair Bon Bon had felt that night. "B-But I loved you before that too! Like there was this one day I cried because you had the flu and you couldn't go skating." It was pretty embarrassing to think about.

Bon Bon froze. "Oh… you really cried over that?"

Patch nodded and pulled away. Bon Bon looked almost guilty for some reason, but instead of asking, she just said, "It's alright. That's in the past. How did you realize you loved me?"

Bon Bon's fur around her face tinted red. "While I was on my date with Cookie, er, Spinner, I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Patch just slightly blushed at the revelation. "Speaking of… the time we hang out after practice can be our very first date." She suddenly adopted her best Chain Link impression and added, "I'm looking forward to it cupcake."

Bon Bon's slight flush turned into an attempt to replicate a tomato. She nodded shyly.

Patch flashed a grin, her confidence rushing back to her in hoards. "Seriously, though, we're game for a date after the big game tomorrow. I've got to weed through Starlight's performance to prove she should be on the team tonight. Speaking of Star, I've gotta go help her out."

Patch trotted a few steps away from the very flustered, embarrassed-looking Bon Bon before adding, "I love you buttercup."

Then she hurried away, happiness pouring out of every pore. Confidence made her practically skip as she lifted her eyes and scanned the area for Starlight, seeing her friend a short distance away. This'll be a piece of cake, the taupe pony thought as she sped up. A piece of cupcake served on a silver spoon being carried by a UFO!

888

The big game… yeah, it couldn't really be summarized in one sentence. For some ponies it went better than others; a fact that stood true for anything.

The Perfect Paints had won by one point, scored by Starlight at the very end. Ace had a fun time until Starlight got called in and he stormed off angrily. Lime Pie got her ankle twisted for the fifth time that month. The opposing team's goalie may or may not have gotten a concussion. Patch had to defend Starlight's honor a few times. Starlight got on the team and won the winning goal… but she wasn't satisfied because Ace was being a grump like he often was when he didn't get his way.

For Patch personally, it'd gone really well… and even if it hadn't, she was walking with Bon Bon's hoof linked with hers and soft eye contact between herself and her crush. "Great job," she'd praised after the game finished and the two got some time alone.

Right then, they were trotting slowly the long way away from soccer practice; though the sunny park, which had tulips and other flowers blowing in the soft breeze. It was springtime; Patch's favorite time of the year second only to summer. And the pony next to her…

"Bon Bon, you personify spring," she said with a somewhat serious tone.

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow and blushed just slightly. She was doing that a lot... "Huh?"

"Pretty, innocent, blossoming and trying new things. It sounds cliché, but it's true."

Bon Bon halted and let go of Patch's hoof, swapping back to standing on all four of her legs. Patch stopped and blinked.

Then Bon Bon presented her a small bouquet of flowers, freshly picked, and hung her head. Patch was confused only before she saw her eyes saying what she couldn't say out loud.

Patch smiled and pulled the pink and yellow flowers up to her nose and giving them a discreet sniff. Like regular flowers scent-wise, but she still said, "They smell good."

Bon Bon's ears folded back and she stared at her hooves self-consciously. "It's nothing really," she assured in a mutter.

The tomboy grinned with amusement at her newfound ponyfriend's reaction. "You're cute," she said with a smirk. It melted into a grin when Bon Bon's tail just slightly wagged like a hopeful puppy's. Unintentional, of course, but still worthy of comment. "Really cute."

"Who knows this about us?" Bon Bon suddenly asked, standing up straight on four legs and ambling forward. Patch followed.

"Trustworthy ones. Mel, Starlight and Sweetheart were trying to help me out, and so was Ace. I think Teddy and Lancer know too. Oh, and Miss Hackney and Mr. Tidwell."

Bon Bon's eyes widened. "Oh gosh, you didn't actually tell Miss Hackney, did you?"

"Hey, she's actually a pretty cool old pony when she wants to be. So yeah." Patch nodded. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"So many ponies know. I kept it all to myself except for… well, Teddy and Sweetheart. How did it even come up? She's our teacher for pony's sake! She doesn't need to know about us."

"Well, we can figure out a sleepover tonight. I can explain there. You game?"

Bon Bon nodded. "I'd love to spend the night with you," she practically whispered.

"Yeah, definitely." Patch blushed. "My house at eight, okay?"

"I-I'll try."

888

…Now, if you like PatchBon, just watch the end of Just for Kicks. The last thirty seconds will. Then tell me I'm not crazy for seeing the two being very happy as they tell everything to Starlight, then she is upset because things with Ace didn't go over well. Then, when Ace comes, Patch suggests they leave with that voice, and then drags her off by the hoof, all with that romantic music playing.

Then the twister tail… yeah, I figured the subtext there was a bit obvious. But there'll be one more chapter. So yay for that.