//------------------------------// // Broken // Story: Guilt of a Phantom // by Powerdrainer //------------------------------// Edited by Slayerseba and Halusm Broken   <<>><<>><<>>   Sitting on the throne, elbow on a raised knee and resting his head in his hand, Danny looked at Bon Bon who, for the better part of ten minutes, sat unresponsive; eyes wide in shock. "Bhuwhat?!" She finally shouted, snapping out of her stupor. Danny raised his head partly, half expecting the mare to go silent again. "That's impossible!" Bon Bon shouted. "And why is that?" Asked Danny, straightening his posture. Bon Bon pointed an accusation hoof at him. "What proof do you have that the princesses are ghosts?" "Very little," Danny admitted calmly. "Only the testimony of someone. But her words do have a great deal of weight behind them. And she knows more, a lot more about death and ghosts than I ever will." "Just the word of some pony!?" Bon Bon jumped up, angry. "Do you honestly expect me to believe such a blatant lie?" "No, I do not," Danny shook his head. "Which is why I am still busy gathering evidence. But I have little reason to doubt her words. For starters, she predates the princesses in such a massive time frame, Celestia and Luna can be considered foals compared to her. Second, she has seen the crimes committed by Celestia from the start. And third, ghosts have always played a crucial part in Equestria's history. In fact, Equestria wouldn't exist as it is today if it wasn't for the actions of ghosts. And, yes. I can prove that." Bon Bon's leg dropped partially, her eyes wide once again.  "Eclipse," he called out, eyes looking past Bon Bon.  "Yes, master," Eclipse replied almost instantly, appearing out of thin air behind Bon Bon.  "Are they ready?"  "Yes," she nodded. "It took some work to isolate them, but it is done."  "Good," he stood up from the throne. "Tell the Elder we're ready, too."  Nodding, Eclipse turned around and vanished into the air again, confusing Bon Bon with what was happening now.  "We've gone past the point of no return," Danny said, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the far wall. "What you are about to see and learn will change everything you think you know. Not about yourself. Not yet. But what you believe you know about your world's history. There will be no running from this. Not anymore. Because there are a lot of secrets buried here. And while this one is not the most damning, it is one of the biggest… And arguably one of the most important." A wavering hole in the air suddenly, inexplicably faded into view, revealing a snow-filled area that could not possibly be there.  "A passage into the ghosts' realm," said Danny, glancing at the terrified mare behind him as she saw the creatures standing on the other side. "And those who exist there."  <<>><<>><<>>   Tense and excited murmuring moved through the group of scientists as Pete ran the scan yet again.  They had seen the numbers. The unimaginable values displayed on the screen after the first scan he made of the recovered fragment on his tablet. Then they had hurriedly put together a rudimentary scanning station with the available, non-damaged parts to confirm the data.  But the numbers were impossible. Should be impossible, so they ran the scan again, and again. Trying to find any fault in their machines, and replacing what they believed necessary to provide a credible explanation to what they knew could not be.  "Scan result is the same," Pete said nervously, stepping away from the keyboard, and looking at the screen. "A positive value of over nine thousand Fenton-J's."  "But that is impossible," one of his colleagues shouted, her hair a mess. "Even our most powerful generator can only produce half of that. And that is more than is required to run this project five times over." "But we ran the scan nine times now," another argued back heatedly. "We even rebuilt the scanner three times with how much we swapped out." "There has to be an explanation to this," a third tried to reason. "The intact crystal did not register such an incredible energy output when we made the preliminary scans. Yet this mere fragment puts our greatest engineering achievements to shame. How?"  "Maybe we didn't test the crystal properly the first time," Pete said, suddenly feeling weak and holding on to the table. "Or maybe this is some weird reaction to it being destroyed by a ghost? Or there is some other reason for this… this divine gift. And I am sure that whoever will figure this out will earn themselves a Nobel prize. But right now we should worry about the bigger issue we're facing." "Which is?" One of them asked.  "How many other fragments are there? How much power do they possess? And, most importantly," he looked up at his colleagues, eyes shining. "How can we use this to fight the ghosts back home?"   <<>><<>><<>>   Bon Bon stood rooted on the spot, her mind screaming at her to run, hide, and send warnings to the princesses as she saw the shimmering hole before her. And, far worse, the creatures on the other side.  "Welcome back, Danny," a massive being greeted Danny as she, for her voice was obviously female to Bon Bon, stepped through; standing so tall she nearly touched the high ceiling with her head.  A head that was mostly obscured in shadows as a hood covered her features, except for her orange glowing eyes.  "And you must be Bon Bon," the giant turned to her, and Bon Bon was uncertain how she could possibly take on such a dangerous entity without her gear.  A small chuckle escaped the giant.  "Do not worry, Bon Bon. You are in no danger from me. Besides, this room is far too cramped for me to fight in to start with. So you would have a good advantage over me there."  She took a step closer, and now Bon Bon noticed the ice-forged staff she held with her.  "But where are my manners?" She asked herself. "Calling you by your name, yet you do not know mine." She lowered the hood of her robe, revealing her white-furred face. "I am the Elder, keeper of Truth and guide to those who wander. It is a pleasure meeting you."  Bon Bon took a step back, head tilted back so far to look up she worried her spine would break.  "I must commend your bravery for remaining here, despite the fear you feel right now," the Elder complimented. "But as Danny told you, you are in no danger here. We do not wish harm upon you."  Danny stepped closer to her, a look of resignation on his face.  "There are a few things you must know. The Elder is a frost giant. She and those like her live over there," he indicated the snow-covered world past the portal. "Yes, they are ghosts. But they do not harm mortals. In fact, they don't interact with the mortal world at all, with only a few exceptions out of necessity." He frowned, wondering how Wind Chill was doing right now. "The frost giants have been guarding this portal since it opened, preventing ghosts from coming through… With mixed results." He looked back over his shoulder and gave a signal to Eclipse on the other side.  "A little while back, a large group of animal-like ghosts managed to storm through, which caused a lot of damage to the Hive, and those living there," he revealed, and despite her best efforts, Bon Bon gasped.  "I, with the help of others, including the frost giants, was able to stop these ghosts, and later return them back where they belong. But in the process, I learned something rather interesting." Eclipse stepped past him, and following behind her, a horse-like creature radiating arctic energy.  Bon Bon's eyes seemed to make a valiant effort to bulge out of her head.  "These ghosts happened to be windigos."  The windigo snorted, then blew a raspberry at Eclipse.  <<>><<>><<>>   With a subdued 'clack', the door of the holding cell was locked behind Lyra.  The exhausted mare lumbered to the cot near her on autopilot, flopping down on the uncomfortable mattress with a vacant stare.  The interrogation had taken hours. Hours upon hours where she revealed everything she had seen, done, thought, and planned since Danny Manson had come to Ponyville.  At times she was told to repeat certain events or asked to explain inconsistencies, and even some contradictions in her recounting of events to the point she didn't even know herself anymore what was true or not.  Eventually, they had run out of questions, long after Lyra had already run out of energy, leaving her completely drained as they escorted her to her cell.  And now, lying motionless on her cot, inhibitor ring clamped around her horn and the soul-crushing question of whether or not it had been worth it plaguing her mind, she lay there for an undetermined amount of time.  Eventually, exhaustion did claim hold over her, and the last thing she thought before drifting off was just how worried Bon Bon must be.  <<>><<>><<>>   Many different thoughts ran rampant through Bon Bon's mind. None of them were particularly coherent as she stared wide-eyed at the creature of myths.  The windigo, if that was what Danny claimed it to be, looked around the room with a blank gaze, loudly blowing air through its nose, creating a small cloud as its frozen breath mixed with the warmer air from the forest, then let out a loud whinny.  "WHAT?!" Bon Bon shouted, one of her eyes suddenly changing color due to her mental control breaking down more and more.  The windigo reacted to her outburst, agitated, rearing up and kicking his hooves.  "Calm down!" Eclipse said calmly, yet firmly. Not allowing the windigo to get out of control. "That goes for you as well," she looked at Bon Bon." Bon Bon's eyes flashed between Eclipse and the windigo, unable to figure out how her life had turned into such a nightmare so rapidly.  "They react to the emotional state of others," Danny quickly explained. "You panic, they panic." He placed a hand on the windigo's head, calming the spectral horse down with some gentle scritches. "They aren't particularly bright. Not dumb, but obviously not capable of conversations like we're having."  "But, but, but… This is impossible," Bon Bon dropped to her flank, grasping her head with both hooves.  Her other eye changed color, too.  "Even if that is a windigo. Windigos are said to be evil spirits drawn to those trapped in anger and hate, freezing everything they go to, as punishment. Which is what happened to the ancient pony tribes, until the harmony of friendship that blossomed between the few survivors pushed them away." "It's probably true to some extent, but obviously since the many centuries this has happened, the story got warped to some degree," Danny shrugged. "Windigos are drawn to strong, negative emotions out of instinct. And things freeze where they go. But they have very little, to no control over either. Honestly, unless something sets them off, they're quite docile."  The windigo pushed its muzzle into Danny's hand, demanding more scritches, much to his amusement.  "Case in point," he said, giving the windigo what he desired.  "This is impossible. None of this is possible," said Bon Bon.  "And why is that?" Danny asked her.  "Because that would mean that Equestria came to be by accident, through ghosts."  Danny stopped his scritches, then looked Bon Bon in her eyes.  "Yes."  "But that just isn't possible!"  "Then where do ghost stories come from?"  "What?"  "Even before the first tear opened, and the ghosts came through, your world already understood the concept of ghosts. Why do you think that is? What happened to your ancestors to come up with such a concept? Just to scare? Or to warn?"  Bon Bon sat silent, mouth partially open as she thought about this. "Of course, over the years it developed in such ways that it was nothing more than just scary stories. But its origin… Well, I can honestly say that ghosts have been around in this world for a long, long time. They're just better at hiding."  "But we would have noticed them by now if that is true."  "And that's the thing. You already know about them. Gave them a name even."  "What?"  "Ever heard of timber wolves?" Danny asked rhetorically. "Glowing green eyes. Bodies made of dead and decaying pieces of wood held together by some possessive force. Inflicting wounds that are difficult to cure through magic," Danny summed up, using some of the knowledge gained from his time in the Murgröna.  Bon Bon's legs gave out completely, and she lay down on the floor, eyes staring at nothing as she went through everything she knew about the monsters and beasts living in and around Equestria. Then compare all of that with what Danny had just told her, trying to find a flaw in his reasoning. And while at first, she thought she found many holes in his story, the more she thought about it; really thought about it, the more she realized the flaws in her own thinking as her rational mind began to break down more and more while running in circles.  A red glow filled the room, and Bon Bon instantly felt the burden on her mind lessen as her colluding thoughts were silenced.  "What?" She looked around, confused, then noticed the light coming from the Elder's staff.  "I did mention I guide those who wander," she said. "And you looked like you needed the clarity of thought."  Slowly Bon Bon pushed herself back up to a seating position, her psyche noticeably shaken if the haunted look in her eyes was anything to go by.  Danny knelt down before her, face grim. "I know this is hard on you. And I am sorry, but it will only get worse. This is why I gave you the chance to turn back." He closed his eyes, sighing while shaking his head. "You came here to learn about yourself. Instead, I pushed all of this on you. But I have a good reason to do so. First and foremost, because I believe you're strong enough to cope with this once everything is said and done." His eyes opened, and he looked into Bon Bon's wide, sea-green eyes. "There is more that needs to be told. But more importantly, there are things you need to see. Things that will shake the very foundation of not just your life, but everyone who calls this world their home. So knowing what you know now, are you ready to take a leap of faith, or do you need some more time?" "A leap of faith? What for?"  "To put your fate in the hands of a ghost," Danny answered, eyes glowing green.  <<>><<>><<>>   Bon Bon didn't know how she got into this situation, though she was certain that she had agreed to this… somehow.  Surely it had to be a sign just how far her mind had fallen into the clutches of the ghosts' control to even allow this to happen in the first place, despite the rigorous training she had undergone since her early years to strengthen her mind against manipulation.  And yet, here she was. Trapped within the darkness that composed Eclipse's body, blind to the world. She was going to die. She was sure of it.  "Don't worry. I have done this before," Eclipse's voice came from around her. "Once."  That did instill little confidence.  "It is the fastest way for us to move where we need to go," Danny's voice came from somewhere to her left. "And it also ensures you can't see where we're going. Not because I don't trust you, but if this knowledge gets to the wrong person, many lives will be lost."  Bon Bon did her best to keep her shaking under control.  Even as an agent out on a mission, she always managed to keep her cool. But only because she knew that, no matter how bad the situation could get, she always had some measure of control. Yet the moment she accepted the hand Danny offered out in the forest, she felt her control slip more and more, and she had no clue how to gain an upper hand in the current situation.  No intel, no tools or weapons, no experience to fall back on, no ability to call for backup, and now, not even her sight as darkness had consumed her.  "Oh, right," Eclipse said suddenly, and a faint orange light began to shine around Bon Bon. "It won't change much about the view, but at least you won't be completely blind now."  Bon Bon swallowed heavily.  "Alright, let's go," she heard Danny, and a moment later she felt her stomach drop from a sudden acceleration, and gravity-defying pull-up.  "I'll try to make this as comfortable as I can," Eclipse told her, and Bon Bon felt the darkness around her tighten and soften to better accommodate her body as she moved around.  "Wh-where are you taking me?" Bon Bon asked, trying to regain some control over herself, and the situation.  "Some place where you will be able to learn all the lies you were told," Eclipse told her. "And maybe, to meet her, too."  "Her? Her, who? This pony Danny said told him the princesses are supposedly ghosts?"  "No. Someone far more important to you, if you're allowed."  "Who?"  "That is not for me to say," Eclipse evaded. "Nor can I answer much else. There is still a lot I don't know, either. And what knowledge I do possess is either shared with Danny, or from my mother. But the latter is quite blurry to me, despite my efforts to recollect them." Bon Bon twitched. There was a hook. A chance to gain new intel.  "Your mother's memories? Do you mean Nightmare Moon? How is that even possible?"  "How indeed?" Eclipse hummed. "It's in no small part because of the cleansing magic of the Crystal Heart."  "The what?"  "No intel on that, huh," Eclipse chuckled, and Bon Bon worried she got caught already. "Well, I don't mind filling you in. We still have some time before we arrive, though I will keep it short."  Bon Bon breathed a mental sigh of relief and nodded. Then listened with rapt attention to Eclipse's story, using it as a lifeline to keep some sanity.  <<>><<>><<>>   "And that is about it," Eclipse finished. "Which also means I'm almost two days old at this point."  Bon Bon was speechless, not even feeling the sharp drop down a few minutes ago, or the many twists and turns that followed shortly after.  "Alright, we're here," Danny said, sounding far away to her.  The darkness around Bon Bon drifted away, and she soon felt the touch of cold stone against her rump as she sat in a daze.  A hand waved before her eyes.  "Alright, what happened?" Danny asked after he didn't even get a blink in response.  "She wanted to know how Nightmare Moon is my mother, so I told her," Eclipse answered.  "Really?" The deadpan in Danny's voice was audible.  "I did leave out some details to keep it short." A tired sigh followed. "Well, I guess we want her to trust us. So being honest works with that," said Danny, "but can we try to keep her mind from breaking any more than necessary?"  Eclipse grinned sheepishly.  Sighing, Danny turned back to Bon Bon and then, carefully, poked her in the side.  "Hiya," Bon Bon spun around, her hoof phasing through Danny's head, while she continued the motion to grab his shirt and fling him away, only to stumble forwards as she only managed to grab air and lost her balance.  "One cheer for intangibility," Danny said without humor, quickly grabbing hold of the mare before she could fall over. "And please, try and keep those reflexes in check."  "What?" Bon Bon looked around, confused.  "You had an agent moment," Danny told her, letting her go and stepping away.  "I, eh…" Bon Bon looked around, confused. Seeing numerous chunks of damaged rock and structures lay around her. "Where are we?"  "Turn around, and see for yourself," said Danny, doing so himself, too.  "Turn arou-" Bon Bon fell silent upon the sight before her. Something she had seen before, even if this was the first time she actually saw it.  "Welcome to the Hive, Bon Bon," said Danny.  Bon Bon stood with her mouth open, the grandiose work before her awe-inspiring.  "The city of forgotten dreams and lost hope," Danny finished, face set. "Let's go. There is much you need to see."  <<>><<>><<>>   "Welcome back, Great One," Wind Chill greeted excitedly.  Wind Chill, with little need to sleep, had taken it upon himself to patrol the city during the night and help where needed. And, upon spotting Danny cross the bridge coming from the entrance, he had hurried over to aid him however he could.  "Wind Chill," Danny nodded. "I saw you've moved more of the debris out of the way." "That I did. It will greatly aid the children as they move around to help the ill."  Danny nodded in approval, then looked over his shoulder at the nervous mare holding back.  "I see you have brought a visitor," Wind Chill followed his gaze. "Are you sure this is wise?"  "Sometimes the only way forward is by taking a risk. But I trust her. And she needs to be here."  "Then I have no more reason to question this decision."  "Still, to be safe, Eclipse is informing the other," Danny added, purposely vague about his double, but Wind Chill nodded in understanding.  "Would there be anything I could help you with?"  Danny shook his head. "No. Not this time."  "Very well, then I shall not hold you any longer," Wind Chill gave him a respectful nod, then looked at Bon Bon, gave a smaller nod at her, and left.  Danny looked back. "You're coming?"  Slowly, Bon Bon approached, never leaving Wind Chill out of her sight.  "Why is one of those ghosts here?" She asked, clearly uneasy with her current situation.  "It's a long, convoluted story involving ghosts, windigos included, several foals who should be smarter than their actions suggest, a spell of love and hate, and a desperate attempt to do the impossible and stop the inevitable," Danny sighed out, shaking his head." It will probably make more sense, soon. If they're willing. Please, follow me." He continued moving, and Bon Bon followed after a moment.  "What is that even supposed to mean?"  "This is the changelinks' city," Danny said instead. "You've seen it, a much younger version, in Spring Breeze's lifebook. Correct?"  "Eh, yes."  "And you also saw what happened in Yoke, with Celestia."  Bon Bon was silent, that particular matter weighing heavily on her mind.  "This is the changelinks' city," Danny repeated. "A city large enough to house tens of thousands." He stopped and looked Bon Bon in the eyes. "Look around, and tell me where they all are?"  Bon Bon stood frozen, then looked around.  The city was empty. Except for Wind Chill, there was nopony, nolink to be seen. And even with how late it was, she knew that in a city of this size, there would always be some kind of activity somewhere.  "Where is everypony?" She asked, suddenly aware of just how quiet everything was.  "Most of them are dead," Danny said, continuing to move. "There are only a few thousand left, and the majority fell ill to a devastating disease as a result of the spell used by Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to repel them from Canterlot, leaving only their foals to help them and pick up the pieces. It took a lot of work, and nothing short of a miracle to save those who we could, but a large number of them are still suffering through the aftereffects." Bon Bon was silent, shocked.  "I have seen a lot of awful stuff in my days," Danny told her. "But what I found here. I will have nightmares for years." He mentally shook his head. 'Nothing new there.' They crossed a bridge, followed the curving path around a stalagmite, then crossed another bridge.  "What happened?" Bon Bon asked with a small voice, feeling the weight of the tragedy that happened press down on her.  Danny looked off to the side, seeing the wave in the Murgröna as the leaves angled to them, seeing the glowing flowers pulse faintly at him.  "You're about to find out," he told her. "Over here," he led her to a bridge closest to the palace.  He stopped in the center, giving a view of most of the city around them. Yet Danny looked up.  From high above, a vine came down, and Danny held out a hand to accept it.  "What is that?" Bon Bon took several steps back.  "I'm sure you already know," he looked at her. "After all, the Murgröna played a prominent part in Spring Breeze's life. And now it is your turn."  "I- I… no," Bon Bon backed away further.  The vine pulled out of Danny's hand, dropped to the floor, then slithered to Bon Bon.  "I promised to show you the true truth, and the lies you were told. And I intend to keep my word. But I can only do that if you allow for this to happen. Right here, right now, all the answers to your questions are there for you to take. But you need to take a leap of faith to do so," the vine propped itself up before Bon Bon, reminding her of a snake. "But I also said that what you will learn won't make you happy. In fact, it will tear you apart. But I know you are strong enough to see the truth and pull through. And when you do, you shall be able to remake your life as you see fit, without shame or disgust." Bon Bon looked past the vine at Danny, tears brimming in terrified eyes.  "What am I about to see?" She asked, voice wavering.  "Horror," he said, and the vine connected with her mind.  <<>><<>><<>>   A cold wind blew over darkened grass, kicking up the layer of soot staining it, blowing the suffocating ash into the face of Bon Bon, standing on the edge of the village of Yoke.  Or, what had once been Yoke.  Now all that remained were burned down, destroyed husks of buildings. While scattered around in chaotic patterns speaking of a horrific tragedy, lay the numerous bodies of the villagers.  Bon Bon tried to gasp, yet the air wouldn't leave her and she tried to turn away from the gruesome sight.  Hoofsteps grabbed her attention, and her eyes grew wide as she came face to face with Spring Breeze. Yet the mare didn't even seem to register Bon Bon, as she looked past her in horror and grief far greater than anything Bon Bon had ever seen. Tears ran down her face without stopping.  Slowly, some semblance of light returned to Spring Breeze's eyes, and she slowly, stiffly turned to Bon Bon.  "Why did this happen to us?" She asked, voice broken. "Why did she do this to us?"  "Who did this?" Bon Bon asked, worried.  "You already know. You work for her."  "NO!" Bon Bon shook her head, still not willing to accept this. "Princess Celestia would never do somethi-"  "STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!" Spring Breeze screeched. Bon Bon flinched back, hard. "SHE HAS LIED TO YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, EVERYPONY. AND YOU BELIEVE HER! YOU WORK FOR HER. SPREADING HER EVIL. BETRAYING ALL THAT YOU ARE!"  Anger and hatred roiled off of her, and Bon Bon shrunk back in fear of the mare who glared murder at her.  "But I'll make you see. Make you understand," she said, the drop in volume putting Bon Bon even further on edge. "You will know what she has done to us. ALL OF US." The world around Bon Bon detonated, and she was flung into the shared memories of everylink, and the horror they carried with them.  <<>><<>><<>> "What happened?! What is going on?" Chrysalis asked hurriedly, panting and coughing from the sudden sprint she had forced herself through.  Danny had proven to be less than informative, only telling her that 'she' had arrived, but refraining from saying too much, looking past her with a deep frown while saying she should go back to sleep.  Truth be told, Chrysalis wanted nothing more than to do just that. Despite her insistence on keeping up appearances, she was absolutely exhausted, and far from recovered. Yet sleep proved elusive as the building tension she could easily sense coming from Danny kept her awake, making her seek him out, and demanding an explanation.  Eventually, he sighed, shook his head, and said: "Come see for yourself," and he left for the castle gate.  What she found there threw her mind for a loop, and she hurriedly closed the distance, demanding answers.  The Danny closest to her looked at her, frowning deeply while the other, closest to the unknown mare, looked at the pony in silence, arms crossed.  "Who is that pony?" Chrysalis hissed angrily.  "Her name is Bon Bon," Danny near her answered. "Agent of Celestia, and descendant of Spring Breeze."  Chrysalis looked at him wide-eyed, then looked at Bon Bon with anger.  "I gave her Spring Breeze's lifebook," the other Danny said, never looking away. "Planted the seed of doubt, bringing her to me, and allowing me to create a crack where a dent had formed. And now… now it is up to them to tear down this web of lies that Celestia has caught her in. I just wish there was an easier way of doing this," he added, angry with himself as he saw the tears run down Bon Bon's face. "No matter how this plays out, I will hate myself for doing this… For what I still need to do… to them."  "I just hope she can forgive us," Danny, the other one, said sadly.  "So do I."  <<>><<>><<>>   She was wrong. She was wrong about so, so many things.  All she thought she knew, all she believed in, her entire life, all of it, wrong, fake, lies.  Bon Bon, or the mare who once called herself Bon Bon could not stop her tears as she found herself back in the ruins of Yoke, lost, confused, broken. And she cried. Cried for all that she never had, taken away from her the day the specialist took her in, and Celestia took control over her life.  Spring Breeze stood next to her, her animosity gone as she looked down at her descendant, sharing in her pain.  "You can trust Danny," she said. "That is one truth the sun tyrant will never be able to twist, no matter how much she will try. Listen to him, have faith in him, and help him," she gingerly stroked Bon Bon's mane. "And he will help you."  <<>><<>><<>>   The vine pulled away, retracted back into its mass and Bon Bon cried out a heart-wrenching wail as the truth had broken her down; dropping to the floor without care as she cried.  Danny knelt down by her side, placing a hand on her back in comfort, not saying a word as he allowed her to come to terms with things on her own.  Acting in desperate need for comfort, Bon Bon pressed her face into his chest as her tears flowed freely; the colors of her fur and mane shifting erratically in response to her emotional state.  Danny held her close, calmly stroking her back while Danny and Chrysalis watched from a distance, taking notice of several foals coming out to see what was going on, including Sweetie Belle, and silently telling them to be quiet.  Out in the distance, Danny also noticed Wind Chill rush to them, but a silent command to Eclipse dealt with this issue.  Bon Bon would be given the time she needed to come to terms with the truth, without interruptions.  Until then, he would be there for her.  It was the least he could do.  And in silence they watched, taking notice of the numerous color changes Bon Bon went through.  Yet despite this, one part of her remained the same.  Her Cutie Mark, depicting a cloaked shadow.  An echo of long past, reaching out to be heard.