//------------------------------//
// Breaking The Surface: Bon-Bon 
// Story: Harpflank and Sweets: Forced Introspection 
// by Arcainum 
//------------------------------//

“No.”

Discord pulled back, folding his arms and frowning. Bon-Bon’s chin held firm as he removed his claw, her gaze locked to his.

“What was it you called her? Fascinating? You’re right. She is fascinating. But do you know who else is fascinating?”

She grinned, a wry smile of acceptance.

“Everypony else.”

Discord stared.

“So you admit it?”

“Of course. I want to learn everything I can about everypony I can. Because I care!”

Bon-Bon’s eyes were afire, her sudden vehemence taking Discord by surprise. He rallied quickly and went back on the attack.

“Because you care? Oh, spare me! You’re a gossip, a tattler!”

Bon-Bon scoffed.

“What do you know about it? You’re the one who rummaged through my memories to try and find something to use against me. And you didn’t find anything, did you? You had to make up your own.”

She stepped forward, punctuating every word like blows striking Discord’s lies with the force of her denial.

“Because all I’ve ever wanted is to know how the ponies I love work, so I can fix them when they break. Every fact, every snippet of information, is something that lets me understand my friends that little bit more, and help them if they need it.”

Discord gritted his teeth as she faced him, glaring him down.

“So go on, spirit of Chaos. Tell me what my memories, my knowledge, have helped you understand. Tell me how my friends work. How Redheart sings to the patients when they’re alone. How Lyra thinks her music is alive, and cries when she can’t hear it. How Octavia smiles when she hears Vinyl laugh. Tell me what you know.”

There was a tense silence. After a few moments, Discord tutted in annoyance.

“Hmph. You’re a sharp one, Bon-Bon. Watch you don’t cut yourself.”

White light filled her vision and her mind.

~

The archives came back into focus. Bon-Bon sat up and clutched her head, squinting through the pain to scan the room. She was alone again, and Discord’s distinctive presence could not be felt.

She sighed with relief as the cloud of deceit cleared from her mind. Discord’s mental attack had been harrowing, and all the more unsettling for his seeming total lack of concern for their security.

But, for all Discord’s efforts, she felt... better. Stronger. As if she had confronted something long overdue. She looked down at the table, at the personnel file that had been crumpled by her collapse. She sat and stared for what felt like an eternity.

Then she gathered the pages together, placed the file back in its folder, and went to check on the others.