//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 REVISED // Story: A Journey Unthought Of // by Hustlin Tom //------------------------------// Bon Bon had finished her last batch of baking for the day about a half hour ago, and was now resting in the common area of the cottage, distracting herself with a novel. At least, that’s what she had intended to do for the rest of the afternoon. She was having a difficult time putting that dream into practice though. Her worried mind kept drifting back to the situation with Adam, and especially Lyra. Sure, it had only been a day since the charity performance, but she knew that there was not a chance that Lyra would delay this long. She should have been home by now. Given the gravity of the situation she wouldn’t have bothered taking a carriage back, and the train to Ponyville was only a half-day’s travel. Something didn’t seem right. She sighed, and closed the book in front of her. “Stop wigging yourself out, Bon Bon,” she muttered, “Surely she’s on her way here. She could be just trying to get out of Canterlot without drawing attention.” ‘How much you want to bet,’ her pessimistic mental voice replied. She ignored herself, but the dark murmuring went on, ‘What if she’s been caught? What if they had her?’ “Who would ‘they’ be anyway,” she grumbled. There was a knock at the door. Forgetting her caution, she got up in a frustrated huff and went to open it. “I’m sorry, but I’m not taking any more business today-” she said wearily, before she actually saw who was at the door and froze. A tan, bespecalled stallion in a labcoat stood on her doorstep. Behind him were a half dozen ponies in strange armor. They wore specialized saddles with various bits of gear attached, one even with some strange kind of long bore rifle. “That’s quite alright: I don’t wish to place an order,” the labcoat pony declared coolly, “but perhaps you can help me with my business.” He then looked past her into the cottage, before politely asking, “May I enter the premises?” Numbed by panic and dread, her head came up slightly and she stepped a little closer towards the door. “My thanks,” the scientist said, before he turned to his squad and said, “Stand guard and await my orders.” Bon Bon backed away from the door and tried to return to the exact spot and position in which she had been sitting before. It was impossible though, because her back was rigid and her muscles were taut and alert. The stallion nonchalantly stepped towards the chair near the left legrest of the couch Bon Bon was sitting in, and sat down into it smoothly with a small sigh. “Ms. Bon Bon,” he began, “I am Bunsen Burner of the Royal Science Division. I’m afraid I come to you seeking aid under grim circumstances.” Bon Bon, confused by this opening statement, replied back, “You need my help?” “Yes,” he replied as he casually straightened the black turtleneck under his coat, “I’m afraid if we are to continue some further introductions are necessary. I am the Director of the RSD, a government organization dedicated to the pursuit of science for the advancement of the Equestrian herd, and the safeguarding of the same from paranormal artifacts and entities that could cause great harm to the civilian population.” He crossed one hindleg over the other, “We come to you this evening because we believe your live-in-tenant, Lyra Heartstrings, has come into contact with one of these beings, and we are concerned for her safety as well as others.” The way he was portraying the situation made it seem as if he wasn’t accusing anypony but was instead on a factfinding mission. Still, Bon Bon held her suspicions and remained guarded, “What do you mean? What’s happened?” “Four days ago at around 2200 hours there was an incident in a Canterlot nightclub: a strange biped creature fell through the glass ceiling.” “I read about that,” Bon Bon replied with a nod. Bunsen’s eyebrow raised imperceptibly before he continued, “No one was harmed, but your tenant was present with the creature on the nightclub roof.” “I haven’t heard from her since she left for Canterlot,” Bon Bon replied with some false assurance, “She was scheduled to perform with the First Equestrian Orchestra yesterday.” “Indeed,” he replied, “I was present for the event. She has quite a talent for the strings. Unfortunately after giving her performance we lost all contact with her. We believe the creature has taken her captive.” At first Bon Bon was relieved that Bunsen Burner and his subordinates seemed to be going down the wrong path, but then he looked her straight in the eye, “If you have any information about this being, it might help return her to you.” Comprehension dawned on her as to his whole meaning, and she stood up to point an angry hoof at him, “Where is she? What have you done with her.” A muted smile of vindication grew on his face, “And there it is: the final confirmation. The newspaper you read? It slipped through our media freeze before we could lock it down, but that publication was only made in Canterlot. You also called out my lie. To be so certain of my deceit you must know one of two things: the location of your tenant, or the rogue element.” He put his hooves up, “It seems between us all parties are accounted for.” Bon Bon, at first confused by his mental gymnastics, realized that she’d given herself away, albeit unintentionally. She unconsciously took in a hiss of a breath, and backed away from the stallion. He threw his hooves up in the air as if to dismiss the whole situation, “Fine, no more subterfuge. Let’s be perfectly honest with one another, since we now know where each of us stands. You have a being in your company who is a potential threat to the nation. I have the leverage necessary to deliver it to me. You have a very simple choice, each involving your cooperation. You cooperate voluntarily, as a law-abiding citizen would, and which I am told you are. You will help me secure the capture of this being, and I will leave with my cargo. Ms. Heartstrings will be returned to you in due course, and you need never see me ever again. If you choose to not comply, the same scenario will occur, with the addition that you will be brought in for a debriefing. Seeing as this being operates for an alien power, and given its dangerous nature, to in anyway obstruct our capture of the entity or assist it against capture is tantamount to collusion with an enemy agent.” After sitting in slackjawed silence for this absurd ultimatum, Bon Bon angrily replied, “You’d charge me with treason? ‘Colluding with an enemy agent’? He’s harmless! He just appeared one day, barely able to breathe. Adam isn’t going to harm anypony or overthrow the government: he just wants to be left alone, in peace, much like I do! What possible reason could you have to be so inquisitorial?” Bunsen put his forehooves together and clicked them twice, “I understand that my methods do appear extreme and far too swift, but swiftness is very much needed in this case. This ‘Adam’ as you call him, is no mere alien from another country. Our researchers have identified him as belonging to a race only spoken of in antiquity: an extinct race so ancient they predate the royal sisters.” He tucked his left hoof into the crook of his foreleg, while his other hoof went to his chin, “He is one of the Ruined.” The name rang in the back of Bon Bon’s mind. “You’re willing to destroy lives to act on a hunch based on ancient myth,” she asked, “How can you expect he is dangerous if you’ve never even met him? What kind of scientist are you?” “One who lives in times where myths and legends are real,” was his reply, “How long ago was it that not just the common populus but historical scholars thought the idea of Nightmare Moon was a work of dark fiction, a sociopolitical tool to solidify Solarianism as the dominant religion? Or what of Discord, an allegorical figure to explain why disharmony, entropy, and strife exist? There are still other larger than life figures in this world,” here he pointed an accusatory hoof at her, “and you’ve been housing one.” He stood, “If there is one of them, there is almost certainly more nearby. With their powers and craftiness they would pose a dire threat, one unlike Canterlot or any other city is capable of facing, much less our nation. Now, Ms. Bon Bon, is the time for you to choose how you will help us. Will you protect your neighbors, or risk the rise of a crisis?” Bon Bon felt utterly powerless in the face of this false choice. Either let life return to the way it had been, with the false imprisonment of a being on her conscious forever, or be put on the fast track to being labeled a traitor and having herself imprisoned. If this had been a few weeks earlier, she would have been more open to the first option: Adam was still a nuisance, that was undeniable, but he did not deserve to be taken away for the mere fact of existing. As much as she didn’t think it would be possible, she had come to care for him in her own unique way. She looked back up to the G-pony with a hard stare. “I suppose you’ll have to cuff me now,” she said coldly, “No matter what you think I still believe Adam is innocent, and that he deserves better treatment as a guest in our world.” He blinked in surprise, having expected a much different result, but his tone remained the same, “Very well. I will note your statement, however I will be the judge of his innocence, and his right to be in our country.” I stalked my way through the underbrush of the Everfree. Although it was only approaching four in the afternoon the forest was growing darker, as what little light that could penetrate through the canopy above had begun to pass it by. We had reached the more level sections of the forest, so now I could angrily trudge through it at whatever pace I wanted, which right then was a brisk walk away from Spectre Howe. Rainbow Dash was flying along at my side. While I didn’t notice it she was looking at me with a worried expression, probably because I was muttering aloud my thoughts in an aggressive nature. “What happened to them? Are they like me, or did they actually live on this planet? Did they bomb themselves to hell or what? Is this Earth or something? It can’t be; the moon and sun revolve around us somehow. Urgh!” I stopped for a second and locked my arms, staring at my fists before throwing them out, “Why do I just end up with more questions instead of answers? What the hell does it all mean!?” “Adam,” she called out to me. I caught myself this time so I didn’t lash out at her like before. I sighed wearily, “What, Rainbow?” “Gonna level with you, but I’m not getting any of this. I mean, Twilight told me some basic stuff that I...sorta listened to, but I’m lost.” I took a deep breath in through my nose, then exhaled softly through my mouth. I slowly began to walk again back towards Ponyville, and my acquaintance dropped to the ground to walk beside me. “Alright,” I exclaimed softly, “Where are you lost?” “Well, you’re called a human, right?” “Yup.” “Aaaaand the ghost chick was also human?” “Right.” “Okay. How did ghost chick end up in the middle of the woods? I’m not good with history, but even I can tell those mounds are older than Ponyville.” “I don’t know,” I replied, “I feel like now I know less than you do.” “Are these humans like your distant relatives or something,” she asked as she looked up to me with a half curious, half confused expression. “I can definitely say no, we’re not related,” I swung a branch out of my way, “but it’s weird to think humans exist in more than one universe.” “Oooooh,” Rainbow Dash declared in realization, “So that’s what Twilight meant by saying you were from far away.” “Yeah, real far.” There was quietness between us for a couple of steps, before her questioning continued, “What do you think she meant by ‘earth shattering secrets’ anyway? What was that about the ‘legacy’ stuff?” “Still not sure,” I replied as my eyes narrowed in frustration, “But my bet is they’re something awful: some big WMD, or who knows what.” “Doubyah-Em-Dee,” she asked, the tone of voice testing the word like when someone is tasting something new they’ve never tried, “What’s that?” I realized what I had said and immediately backtracked, “It’s nothing.” “Considering you connected that and ‘earth shattering secrets’ I’d say it’s not nothing.” “Sorry, I was thinking of something wrong, but it’s wrong, so don’t worry about it.” I didn’t even want to begin to imagine how I would explain such a concept to her, let alone any other pony. They didn’t need to understand that kind of horror. “What would she even care about ‘legacy’ for anyway,” I wondered aloud, “If these humans are dead who would care about their stuff?” “Well, she’s a ghost, right? Maybe she’s got unfinished business and she needs your help to pass on,” Rainbow pointed out. I scoffed to myself, “That’s not likely to happen.” I then noticed she was giving me a strange look because of what I had said, and I continued, “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know what she’s gone through or why she’s here, but I’m not big on focusing on the past.” I then quietly muttered, “and I’m not big into people anymore.” “Hey, I’m not exactly stuck in the past either,” Rainbow replied, “but come on! She’s like your cousin or something; don’t you want to help her out?” “You haven’t known people as long as I have,” I replied, “They’re always hiding something. They’re always looking out for themselves, and they’ll do it all at your expense if they have to.” They appeared vividly before me, my memories. The man who was supposed to be there to raise me, gone; thrown on a bus to some out of state penitentiary. Mom, who I had lived with but never been raised by, walked out on me and my life when I was 13, looking for the next fix. Aunt Marilyn tried to look after me in her sister’s place, but I was young, angry, and stupid. I had the makings of a family, but I looked for it in others. I traded that for a bunch of idiots with fake ideas of ‘brotherhood’ and ‘respect’. When it came down to it, they left me, and I took the fall. Auntie bailed me out. I couldn’t look her in the face. Whatever she wanted I couldn’t do it. I left. I drifted. Then I ended up here. Rainbow Dash walked in silence beside me, and I her. We didn’t speak for a long time. I’d pretty well picked up that she wasn’t the emotionally sensitive type, but I kept noticing her trying to form words, but ultimately falling silent. She went on like this for a little bit, before genuinely asking, “That all really happened to you?” “I don’t get anything out of lying, do I,” I said a little more frigidly than I intended. Her feathers ruffled a little, and she snapped at me, “Hey, you don’t have to bite my head off! I’m just trying to help somehow!” I bristled a little, before I let out a big sigh, “You’re right. I’m sorry I was short with you.” We could both see the edge of the forest only a few hundred yards ahead of us; the light peaking through was growing cooler colored and deeper by the minute. “Look,” the pegasus said at last, “I’ve only known you for a few hours I guess, if we’re being honest, but Lyra and Bon Bon aren’t stupid. I think you’re not a bad guy, all things considered, and they wouldn’t have kept you around if they thought you were. Maybe this ghost isn’t so bad either, and you just haven’t given her the chance she deserves.” Her words were sobering to me. While they didn’t take away my frustration at the world around me, they did help me see I was being angry at the wrong things for the wrong reasons. For all of the attitude of the cocky ace she exuded, she did seem to care about others deep down, just like all the other ponies I’d met face to face. Maybe I was wrong about more things than I wanted to admit. Some of them personal. At last we emerged from the forest into the early evening twilight. I was so embroiled in my thoughts that at first I didn’t see what was going on. It wasn’t until I heard a familiar voice shouting “NO,” that I was lurched back to reality. It was Bon Bon, who was being hauled out of the cottage by two armored ponies. Near them were five others: four armored, one in a labcoat, and they were all looking straight at me. “RUN,” she yelled again. I was frozen in shock by what I was seeing: they’d come for us. It was all over. It was all my fault. “Secure the target,” the labcoat earth pony yelled, “Detain the filly as well. Minimal force; she’s an Element Bearer.” “GET OUT OF HERE,” Bon Bon yelled again, struggling against her captors, “RUN, YOU STUPID FOAL, RUUUUUN!” The armored ponies began to trot towards me. Suddenly I felt a hoof hit me on the side of the head, and I jerked out of my numb state. “Get to Twilight,” Rainbow Dash yelled before she bolted towards the four ponies, flying low to the ground and swiping just in front of them, cutting them off. Twilight. The letter! There was still hope! I didn’t have that big of a chance, but what little there was inspired me. I wasn’t good at much, whatever world I lived in, but there was one thing I could always count on. With the distraction and opening she gave me I took my opportunity. I ran.