Demons Are Forever

by Metool Bard

Forethought and Hindsight

"Hey, Bon-Bon. You alright?"

Bon-Bon felt a gentle tap on her shoulder just as her thoughts returned to the present. She quickly shook herself and looked over at Lyra, who had a concerned look on her face.

"I-I'm fine. I was just, thinking about something," said Bon-Bon.

"Care to clue me in? Or do you want to keep being all secretive and stuff?" Lyra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, this might be important," said Bon-Bon, knitting her brow. "Where's Minuette?"

"She's a couple bookcases thataway," said Lyra, pointing with her hoof. "She actually wanted me to come get you when you started lagging behind. C'mon."

Bon-Bon let out a small sigh and followed Lyra through the endless sea of bookcases. It wasn't long before they stumbled upon Minuette, Moondancer, and Fleur. The three of them were systematically tearing books off the shelves, leaving quite a mess on the floor.

"What I wouldn't give to find one actual piece of literature in this poor excuse of a fabrication," Moondancer griped.

"I wouldn't bother, Ms. Moondancer. It's obvious that this entire private library is a sham and nothing more," said Fleur darkly. "Much like the insects who infest it."

"Speaking of which, it's kinda odd that we haven't bumped into any other guards," Minuette mused, tossing another book onto the pile. "You'd think super intelligent demons like the Ars Goetia would invest in some tighter security."

Fleur frowned. "That is quite strange, now that you mention it. Especially since I distinctly recall Sweetie Drops saying that we're not alone here."

"I still think we aren't," said Bon-Bon, making her way into the conversation.

Fleur turned to Bon-Bon and arched an eyebrow. "Are you certain of this, Sweetie Drops? You've been rather, aloof as of late. Perhaps you were just seeing things."

"Are you sure you want to take that chance?" asked Bon-Bon, standing her ground. "I know what I saw, Lady de Lis."

Fleur's brow crinkled as she placed a hoof to her chin. "Hmm. Point taken," she said with a nod. "I'd better do a sweep of the perimeter, just in case."

"Good idea," said Minuette. "We'll be sure to keep you posted."

"Please do," said Fleur with a bow. She then sauntered off to another bookcase. Once she disappeared from view, Minuette turned to Bon-Bon.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you did that to get rid of Lady de Lis," she said.

Bon-Bon rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it. But I really did see a changeling spying on us when we first got here. Which is why I need you to check the time stream for something."

"Sounds to me like you have something pretty specific in mind," said Minuette.

"I do," said Bon-Bon with a solemn nod. "Minuette, I need you to figure out the probability of us bumping into White Lie."

Lyra tilted her head. "Um, who?"

"I'll explain later," said Minuette. She then cast her spell. After a few seconds, she frowned. "Hmm. This is weird."

"What is?"

"It's highly probable that White Lie is here in the library with us; you pretty much called that down the line. But there's also a high chance that it's alone. I'm not sure what to make of that."

Bon-Bon's face darkened. "So I wasn't just seeing things. That was White Lie spying on us."

"Uh, sorry. I'm a bit out of the loop," said Lyra, raising her hoof. "Who the hay is White Lie?"

Bon-Bon sighed before turning to Minuette.

"I'll fill her in," Minuette assured her. "You go do what you need to do."

Bon-Bon nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Minuette. I'll be right back, hopefully."

With that, she darted off. Lyra let out an aggravated snort.

"Alright, apparently third time's the charm around here," she said dryly, giving Minuette a stern look. "Who's this White Lie guy, and why is Bons so worked up about him?"

"It, actually," Minuette corrected. "Changeling drones don't have any gender identity."

Moondancer perked up and adjusted her glasses. "Wait, did I hear that right?"

"You sure did," said Minuette. "It's a pretty long story, but I'll boil it down for you. White Lie was a changeling who defected to Equestria. It said that Queen Chrysalis had gone mad, and it didn't want to serve her anymore. Princess Celestia thought it was best to take it in and make it an agent of the HUB. That, didn't turn out so well."

"What do you mean?" asked Lyra.

Minuette sighed. "Well, the official story is that White Lie was a double agent, and after we failed to obtain the Lesser Key, it infiltrated Tartarus and freed the bugbear. As you know, that's what led to the agency being dissolved." She then shook her head. "But the fact of the matter is we don't really know what happened to White Lie. All we know for certain is that the changelings set up some sort of trap that would lead to the HUB's destruction, and we all fell for it."

Lyra cast her gaze downward, taking a moment to process this new information. "Yeesh. No wonder Bons has been so spacey; this whole stupid mission is forcing her to relive those moments from the last time she was here. Dammit, she never should've agreed to do this. Not when we were so close to..."

She trailed off and turned her back to Minuette and Moondancer. Moondancer tilted her head.

"Close to what?" she inquired.

"Nothing," Lyra mumbled, biting her lip. "I-it's stupid."

Minuette walked up to Lyra and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Lyra, we already know you're worried about Bon-Bon. There's no reason to hide it from us."

Lyra sniffled and looked at Minuette with misty eyes. "Well, there's no reason for Bon-Bon to hide stuff from me, either. I mean, I get why she didn't tell me she was a secret agent. We already sorted that out." She averted her gaze. "Or at least, I thought we did."

"Sounds like this is really getting to you," said Minuette. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I-I dunno," said Lyra, shaking her head. "I-it's gonna make me sound like a selfish dock-hole."

Minuette frowned. "Lyra, we're your friends. We know you're not like that. C'mon, talk to us. It's better to get things off your chest than to just ignore it."

Lyra heaved a great sigh and turned herself around. "Yeah, well. Go tell that to Bon-Bon," she spat, a few tears running down her cheeks. "'Cause every time I look at her now, I see a pony who's destroying herself from the inside out. It's painfully obvious how much this whole mess is hurting her, but she refuses to open up to me. Do you have any idea how heartbreaking that is?"

"I think I can relate, actually," said Minuette, giving Moondancer a sideways glance.

Moondancer blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," said Minuette, clearing her throat. "Anyway, the point is I understand that you're frustrated, Lyra. But try looking at things from Bon-Bon's perspective."

"That's just it, though. I don't know how anymore," Lyra whimpered, her voice cracking. "She used to be so open with her feelings, but now she just closes herself off and tries to pretend that everything's okay. It's like she's going down this dark path, and I'm not allowed to follow her. The mare that I fell in love with is disappearing bit by bit, and I can't do a damn thing to stop it." She then fell to the floor and buried her face in her hooves, sobbing all the while. "I-I'm scared, Minnie. I-I don't want to lose her. I-I just wish things would go back to the way they were."

Minuette sighed and nuzzled Lyra's cheek. "There there, Lyra. It's okay," she cooed. "We all know Bon-Bon's going through a lot right now. Maybe she just has a hard time finding the words to express how she's feeling. Or maybe she's putting on a brave face so she can focus on protecting us and getting the job done. Whatever the case may be, you just gotta have a bit of patience."

Lyra looked up at Minuette and sniffled. "I-I don't know. I feel like even once this is over, she'll still be broken, and it'll make everything fall apart. I don't want that to happen."

"Trust me, Lyra. I don't either," said Minuette somberly. "And before you ask, no, I won't give you false hope by checking the time stream. I just don't abuse my powers like that. But I will say this. If things do end up falling apart, I'll help you through it. And so will Moondancer and Twilight and everypony else."

"Indeed," said Moondancer, twiddling her hooves. "Mind you, I may have some difficulty supporting you, what with my social awkwardness. But I'll be sure to give it my all should it happen."

Lyra smiled and got up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Th-thanks, guys. I-I think I needed that."

"Anytime, Lyra," said Minuette, giving Lyra a small hug.

"I, hope we're not interrupting anything."

Everypony turned to see Fleur and Bon-Bon standing behind them. Lyra blushed and quickly rubbed her eyes.

"N-no! No, of course not," she said nervously. "Just, hanging out. Trying to find the, thing. Yeah."

Bon-Bon's face clouded with concern. "Lyra, have you been crying?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Bons. I-it's just a little dusty in here," said Lyra, brushing her nose with her hoof. "Y'know, being a library and all. Heh heh..."

Fleur let out a small cough. "Right. Well, the perimeter's clear, as is the third floor. In fact, Sweetie Drops says she remembers the location of a secret passageway up there. We should check it out."

"Good call," said Minuette. "Let's get going, everypony."

"I'll take point this time," said Bon-Bon. She then gave Lyra one last look. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine now," said Lyra with a nod.

Bon-Bon nodded in return and led the way to the third floor. Lyra sighed inwardly.

I know you're not fine, though, she thought. I just hope I can reach you before you crack...

***

"There we are, just where I remembered it."

It wasn't long before Bon-Bon found the secret passage leading to the balcony she found many years prior. Quickly, she peered over the edge to check the hidden study. While there wasn't a soul to be seen, a beige piece of parchment on the table caught her attention.

"Everypony, look," she said, pointing with her hoof. "Someone left a note here."

"Now that's odd," Fleur mused. "Who would leave a note in a place like this?"

"Only one way to find out," said Minuette with a shrug. "Moondancer, if you'd be so kind."

"Mmm? Oh, sure," said Moondancer. "Just, give me a moment..."

After a few seconds, Moondancer managed to teleport them all to the ground floor. Minuette scooped up the note with her magic and gave it a curious look.

"Hang on," she said. She brought the parchment to her face and gave it a sniff. "This letter has, chocolate stains on it."

Fleur's eyes went wide. "Chocolate stains? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, looks like it," said Minuette.

Fleur gave Minuette a stern look. "Read it. Now."

"Okay, okay. I was just about to. Sheesh," said Minuette. She then cleared her throat and read the letter aloud.

Should you be reading this letter, I may very well be dead. I can't say for certain if this is the case; I am no soothsayer. Regardless, I am leaving this note to reveal the truth behind the destruction of the Hunter's Undercover Bureau. If you don't know what that is, don't worry. You won't have to.

My name is White Lie. I am a changeling who left the hive in an attempt to escape the madness of Queen Chrysalis. I ended up settling in with the ponies, and I was made a member of the HUB. But the Mad Queen did not like this. Her spies kept tabs on me, and they were disgusted by my actions. They saw how I swore off of love in favor of Sweetie Drops's heavenly confectionaries; how I fought brutish monsters in order to keep the land safe. This was an insult to the hive, and so the Mad Queen demanded that I be punished.

She assigned the pretentious dolt Nihilmodo to dole out my punishment, and to its credit, it did come up with an ingenious plan. If my loyalty didn't lie with the hive, it would not lie with anyone. The groundwork was already there. Lady de Lis abhorred me due to my species, and while she has every reason to distrust my kind, Nihilmodo had the perfect opportunity to use it against her.

The Lesser Key was used as bait to lure us to Coltlat, although the soldier drone Snatcher found this questionable. Nihilmodo had its soldiers shadow Lady de Lis at all times, making it appear that I had fed them information. It wasted no time bragging about its plan when they apprehended Ms. Drops. I thought this would be its downfall, as I was not about to let this stand. I was wrong.

Nihilmodo's plan worked just as it predicted. Lady de Lis lashed out at me, and Ms. Drops was rather skeptical of my actions. The pony friends I had made turned against me. But, I do not blame them. This is what changelings do best, after all. They convince their victims to accept lies as truth.

I rushed off to Tartarus in order to clear my name, but I was too late. Snatcher had beaten me there. It disguised itself as me, snuck past Cerberus, and released the bugbear. I could not go back to Equestria at that point. My honor had been completely demolished by a petty queen who had no love for a subject that did not bow to her.

But hope was not lost. After living in hiding for a few years, I have tracked the Lesser Key back to the mountains of Coltlat. Why it's back in this accursed place, I'm not sure. It may have to do with Snatcher, as it was no doubt corrupted by the Ars Goetia. This is my last stand. I vow to find the Lesser Key, tear it from Snatcher's hooves, and return it to Princess Celestia. Only then will I reclaim my honor.

Again, I may die on this fool's errand. Should that happen, I entrust whoever finds the message to bring it to Princess Celestia as soon as they can. Even though the HUB has crumbled, she deserves to know the truth.

There was a heavy silence as everypony took a moment to process this information. Fleur broke the silence by slamming her hoof on the table.

"A-all this time, it was telling the truth," she muttered. Her mascara began to run as her eyes welled up with tears. "I-I can't believe it. W-we all fell for their trap. They wanted us to turn on each other, and we followed their script like actors in a play! How could I have been so stupid?!"

"Yeah, that bastard Nihilmodo really got us good," Bon-Bon growled, letting out an angry snort.

"H-hey, look on the bright side," Minuette chirped. "It sounds like White Lie still considered us to be its friends, even when we played right into Nihilmodo's hooves. It was trying to get the Lesser Key and prove its innocence."

Fleur breathed out a sad snicker. "You know, it's funny. I feel like I'm being contradicted and vindicated at the same time. This shows just how devious changelings are, but they did this to one of their own. All because it felt Queen Chrysalis was wrong. I-it deserved better than the way I treated it. I-I feel so ashamed for letting my prejudice cloud my judgement."

"We can't change the past, Lady de Lis," said Bon-Bon, placing a hoof on Fleur's. "All we can do is learn from our mistakes and move forward."

Lyra looked over at Bon-Bon and let out a small sigh. She then heard Minuette clear her throat. When she turned to face her, Minuette had a sly grin on her face.

"What's so funny?" Lyra asked.

Minuette giggled. "Jealous."

Lyra blushed and pouted. "Sh-shut up."

"If it makes you feel better, I know for a fact Lady de Lis's barn door doesn't swing that way," said Minuette.

"I-I'm not worried about that. Sheesh," Lyra said. She then sighed whimsically. "I'm just glad that Bons isn't completely gone yet. She still has that, warmth to her. And by golly, I'm not gonna let that warmth die without a fight."

"That's the spirit," said Minuette, giving Lyra a pat on the back. "So, what now?"

"It appears you got my letter."

All five ponies turned as a rasp came from above. A changeling with a scar over its left eye flew down and landed before them. Fleur gasped.

"Wh-White Lie! You're alive!" she exclaimed.

"It would appear so, yes," said White Lie nonchalantly.

Fleur couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, White Lie. I-I'm so glad you're okay. Listen, you were right about the Lesser Key. It's somewhere up here, and we have to— gah!"

She was cut off by White Lie firing a spell at her, knocking her on her back. As she recovered from the attack, she stared at White Lie in disbelief.

"Oh, I know about the Lesser Key, Fleur de Lis," said White Lie, its horn pulsing with energy. "And I know so much more, too. In fact, you ponies could use a bit of education. It's said that hypocrisy and bigotry drown in the sea of knowledge. And drown they shall, once this world is enlightened by the Ars Goetia!"

Minuette gulped. "Dum dee dum dum~..."