//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Corruption is Magic: Art of the Mannequin 
// by Volcash 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2

Lyra remained at the facial station for a while, and then began to wonder where Lavender had gone. She picked the cucumber slices off of her eyes and scanned the room, not finding the white mare anywhere. Her eyes fell on the bed across the room where Bonbon was the last time she had seen her, but found her to be missing as well. The mint green mare surveyed the spa again, confirming her suspicions that her fillyfriend was nowhere in sight.
Lyra trotted up to the front desk, hoping that Aloe would have an answer for her. “Excuse me, Aloe… Bonbon, the mare I came here with, I can’t seem to find her anywhere. Do you know where she went?”
The pink mare behind the desk shook her head sadly. “No miss, I’m afraid I haven’t seen her since you to showed up for your appointment.”
“Maybe Lavender Petals knows where she is. Have you seen her?”
Aloe’s face turned to an expression of confusion. “Excuse me, who?”
“Lavender Petals. She was the pony who was working our treatments.”
“I don’t recall us having anypony by that name working here.”
Lyra raised an eyebrow at the rosy mare in front of her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m pretty sure. One moment.” Aloe turned her head and called out for somepony. “Lotus?”
A blue mare on the other side of the spa looked up from giving another pony a hooficure. “Yes, Aloe?”
“Do we have an employee here named Lavender Petals?”
Lotus Blossom put a hoof to her cheek. “Hmm… That name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“I’m sorry, but nopony by that name works here.”
“That can’t be right, she definitely said her name was Lavender Petals.”
“I wish there was more I could do, miss, but I have no idea where your friend is, and I have no idea who this Lavender Petals pony of which you speak is.”
Lyra looked noticeably deflated at this news. “Well, thanks anyway.” The green unicorn walked out of the spa in search of her fillyfriend.


Lyra listed her options in her head. One, Bonbon could have woken up, not seen Lyra, thought she had gone home, and then done the same. Two, she could be out planning some special anniversary secret for her. The other options that ran through Lyra’s head were much more depressing, and much less realistic, so she settled on number one.
She crossed town and located Bonbon’s humble home. It was a small, one-story house done up in typical Ponyville style; very colorful, and topped with a thatched roof. Lyra knocked on the front door with her hoof, and waited for an answer. After approximately ten seconds she rang the doorbell. She peered in the front window and discovered that the lights in her house were off. So much for option one.
Option two: Bonbon was off planning a special anniversary surprise. If Bonbon were planning something for me, the lyrist thought to herself, who would know about it? Pinkie Pie! Not only did Pinkie make a point of finding out about anything that could be an excuse for a party, but also she and Bonbon were in similar lines of work, and were very close friends.


Lyra entered Sugarcube Corner to find the pink pony she was looking for at the counter operating the cash register.
“Hey, Pinkie,” Lyra greeted. “Have you seen Bonbon in the last hour or so?”
“I can’t say that I have, Lyra, but she should be here in a few minutes if you don’t mind waiting around a bit.”
The unicorn’s ears perked up at this new revelation. “Really? That’s great!”
“Yeah, she ordered a cake for your anniversary, and she said she’d swing by to pick it up on her way home from her spa appointment at three.”
Lyra suddenly looked very concerned. “After her spa appointment?”
“Yeah. Is something wrong?”
“We went to the spa together. I lost sight of her, and I haven’t seen her since.”
“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. She probably just had a few other errands to run, and is on her way to get her cake now.”
Lyra considered the plausibility of this new option. “Maybe… Well, I’m gonna go look around some more. Could you do me a favor and call me if Bonbon stops bye?”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie chimed as Lyra turned and trotted off.


Meanwhile, in Carousel Boutique, Bonbon was beginning to come to. Her head was swimming, and she tried to rub her head with a hoof, but her leg refused to cooperate. She strained and struggled, but her legs wouldn’t budge. Her eyes flicked open and she looked around. She was in a small, cramped closet, pitch black save for a beam of light peeking through the cracks around the door, allowing her to just make out her surroundings. 
Hanging from the door was a large mirror, with a bound and gagged beige earth pony staring back at her from within it. All four of her hooves were tied together with a bright red ribbon, perfectly matching the ribbon that was lashed across her lips and around her head, wrapped tightly around her snout several times, once more around her head for good measure, and tied into a neat little bow.
Bonbon inched her body to the door, and knocked on it with her head, which was much less than pleasant for her dizzy brain. She screamed as loudly as her mummified mouth could manage, hoping desperately that somepony would hear her.
Fortunately, somepony did hear her. Unfortunately, that somepony was Rarity. She opened the door, holding a wet rag in her magic aura. “Could you keep it down? I’m trying to run a business.” Rarity put a hoof on Bonbon’s chest to hold her down, and the rag flew over Bonbon’s snout, filling her nostrils with the familiar scent from the spa. Bonbon passed out again, and Rarity shut the closet door, returning to the boutique’s front door in time to greet an incoming customer.


Lyra galloped down the streets of Ponyville, racking her brain for anypony who would know the location of her fillyfriend. Her thought process was interrupted by a repeating poof sound coming from above her. She looked up and noticed Rainbow Dash soaring through the sky, pausing briefly to kick fluffy white clouds out of existence. Poof! Poof! Poof!
“Hey Rainbow Dash,” the green unicorn called out. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
The blue mare came to a halt, and hovered beside her. “Sure. What’s up?”
“Bonbon and I were at the spa about an hour ago. I lost sight of her, and I haven’t seen her since. Have you seen her by any chance?”
“I think so. Thankfully for you, her mane really stands out.”
“You’re one to talk.” Lyra snickered.
“Anyway, I think I saw her with somepony behind the spa. The other pony was loading her into a cart.”
“What other pony?”
“I didn’t catch their face, but they were white, and had a purple mane.”
Lyra put a hoof up to her chin. “Hmm… It was probably that Lavender Petals pony, if that’s even her real name. But maybe I should see if Rarity or Moondancer knows anything just in case. Thanks Rainbow Dash!”
“Sure thing.” The cyan speedster whizzed off, straight into another cloud. Poof!


Later that day, Lyra found herself in Carousel Boutique, where Rarity was hunched laboriously over a sewing machine, wearing her signature red work glasses.
“Hello, Lyra.” The white unicorn greeted.
“Hi Rarity. Just out of curiosity, have you seen Bonbon recently?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t.”
“Well, thanks anyway. But, while I’m here, I was wondering if you could make me a dress. I’m going to a fancy party next week, and I can’t think of anypony better to help me look my best.”
“Of course, darling. Let me just get my sketch pad, and we can discuss designs.” Rarity trotted off into the adjoining room.


Lyra waited for Rarity to return, and heard a faint knocking from the other end of the room. The green unicorn trotted over to investigate, and arrived at a door that the source of the knocking was somewhere behind.
Her horn lit up green, and the door swung open, revealing Bonbon, bound and gagged on the floor of a closet. The beige mare started crying at the sight of her fillyfriend.
“Oh my Celestia, Bonbon!” Lyra used her magic to untie the bow behind Bonbon’s head, unraveling the gag.
“RUN!” screamed the frantic captive. “Now! Go get the police!”
“Alright, just give me a second to untie you…”
“No! Now! She could be back any second!”
“I’m not leaving without you.”
“No! Don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine.”
“Hmm, where have I heard those words before? Oh yeah, they got you into this mess in the first place!” 	Suddenly, Lyra’s hind leg twitched as she felt a sharp prick on her flank. She turned around to find Rarity staring at her with cold eyes, and an empty syringe floating in her white magic aura.
“You really shouldn’t be snooping, darling.”
“Why would you do this to her?” Lyra interrogated.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” The white unicorn mused. “In the meantime, you look tired. Why don’t you take a nap?”
Lyra was suddenly overtaken by a wave of dizziness as Rarity’s tranquilizer took effect. Her body wobbled, and eventually her legs gave way from under her, sending her falling backwards onto her subdued fillyfriend.
Rarity turned around, picked up a phone, and dialed a number. “Hello, darling, it's Rarity. I need you to get over here as soon as possible, Lyra knows too much… I have her tranquilized in the closet with Bonbon…yes, I’m aware she wasn’t scheduled until next week, but she found Bonbon, I had to do something…Fine, right after closing, but not a moment later.” She hung up the phone, and returned her attention to the frightened earth pony in her closet. “And as for you, this little escape attempt will not go unnoticed.” She opened the doors to a nearby cabinet, produced another syringe, and stuck it into Bonbon’s flank.
Bonbon tried to get Lyra’s body off of her, and fight the effects of Rarity’s tranquilizer. Neither endeavor produced much success. “You’ll never…get away with this…Somepony…will notice that we’re gone.”
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you? But you don’t hear anypony still talking about Cinnamon Buns, do you?”
“Who…who the hay is Cinnamon Buns?”
“Exactly.”
The candy maker passed out, and Rarity dragged the two lovers’ unconscious bodies to the back of the store.