//------------------------------// // Part 2: Taken // Story: Non-Bon // by Mel //------------------------------// _ It was probably nothing. It had to be nothing! She was just being paranoid, not a thing more. Bon Bon waved back at Colgate as she made her worrisome way to work. She knew Colgate… or at least she thought she did. Out of all the mares that waved to her today, Colgate was the first one Bon Bon actually recognized (she still waved back to all of them; Lyra had a thing about not returning waves). It was almost reassuring waving at someone Bon Bon actually knew, but all this confusion had her wondering about her own ability to recognize the ponies around her. She and Colgate were good friends, right? Maybe I should double back and ask her… thought Bon Bon as she crashed into the front door of her shop, forgetting to take notice of where her legs took her. Little lyres and Bon Bon clones spun around her head as she landed square on her rump. “Heh heh heh…” Bon Bon shook her head and realigned her eyes. Was somepony laughing? How rude! How dare she be laughing at herself, she should know what it was like to get lost in thought from time to time. Furthermore… Furthermore, she should also know that there ought only be one of her. “Hey!” Bon Bon leapt to her hooves and started to chase down the imposter, fleeing in between the candy colored buildings. “Get back here you two-bit impersonator!” The clone’s only reply was the occasional smirk she offered from over her shoulder. Let her be a mule… thought Bon Bon, When I get a hold of her I’ll bite her in half like a tube of liquorice! The imposter made a narrow turn in the skinny alley. Bon Bon put on a burst of speed, not eager to lose her prey. When she rounded the corner she was baffled to see the other Bon Bon had stopped running and had turned around, waiting for her. Baffled, but more than a little relieved. She made toffee, not marathon laps! Despite her fatigue, Bon Bon stomped up to the fake as intimidatingly as possible. She puffed up her cheeks and looked straight into her own big, blue eyes. She then realized that she had no idea what to say, but it was too late to turn back now! “You!” A good, solid start. “Just what do you think you are doing? Impersonating me all around town?” A perfectly valid question. “Talking to my friends? My Lyra?” Yeah! “This is my life! I’m not about to let some half baked disguise artist walk away with my life!” Good. That should cover everything that needed to be said. “And another thing!” Another thing? “You’ve made a complete mess of my mane style!” Okay, now I can stop. “You’re voice is terrible, it sounds nothing like me!” Please stop talking you made your point just- “And what about that belly? I’ll have you know that I’m on a strict diet, all my friends know- um…” Despite her slight derailment, the last thing Bon Bon expected was for the imposter to start… chuckling. Her eyes began to glow green as her face stretched into a disturbing smile. She took a firm step forward. “Oh,” murmured Bon Bon, taking two steps back for each of the clone’s steps forward. “Well, I can see that I got my message through. Maybe I was a bit harsh, but I’m sure we all agree this talk was the best thing for both of us. Really had to be said. Now I’m sure there’s much more we’d love to discuss but unfortunately I’ve got a business to run busy busy busy ha ha ha bye.” Bon Bon spun in place and ran right into a third mare. “Excuse me…” she said reflexively before looking into the eyes of a third Bon Bon. Stunned, she took a few steps back and looked around frantically for a means of escape. What she found were the narrow walls of the alley and, frighteningly, a fourth Bon Bon, hovering above her with a set of pegasi wings. “Now that’s a poor disguise.” The pegasus grimaced. Then every pair of round blue copycat eyes glowed a sickly green. In a flash they and the Non-Bons wearing them were gone, replaced by horrible monsters that looked to be more bug than pony. They had glistening carapaces, pointed fangs, and bulging, lidless eyes. Bon Bon screamed. Wincing, the creatures advanced on her. One by one their deformed horns began to glow. An arc of magic connected all three horns before separating from them to surround Bon Bon. Still shrieking, she was engulfed in an unnatural green flame that slowly blocked her view of the world. The last thing she saw was one of those monsters, smiling smugly. Then everything was gone.