Demons Are Forever

by Metool Bard

Awkward Reunions

Bon-Bon couldn't help but let out a yawn as she made her way through the streets of Canterlot. After her talk with Lyra the night before, she still couldn't get a wink of sleep. She was so tired that the box of fudge she carried in her saddlebag felt like it weighed a ton.

"Hey, you need some help with that, Bons?"

Bon-Bon looked up at Lyra, who as just as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as ever. Her lips curled into a weak smile.

"I'm fine, Lyra," she said. "I just need some time to get myself together. How much farther to Minuette's place?"

Lyra grinned. "Funny you should say that, Bon-Bon. We're here."

Bon-Bon blinked and turned her head. Sure enough, they were standing before the front steps leading up to a blue condominium with an hourglass-shaped door. Bon-Bon let out a giggle despite herself.

"Wow. I was more out of it than I thought," she mused, rubbing the last of the sleep from her eyes.

"Heh, I guess," said Lyra, trotting up to the front door. She then gave it a few light knocks. "Knock knock~!"

The door swung open, revealing an enthusiastic Minuette.

"Lyra! So glad you could come!" she cheered, giving Lyra a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Minnie," said Lyra. "By the way, Bon-Bon's gonna be joining us. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, not at all!" said Minuette jovially. "The more the merrier, I say."

Bon-Bon cleared her throat and trotted up to Minuette. "Um, I brought you a little something," she said, taking out her box of fudge. "I made it myself this morning."

"Aw, geeze. You guys didn't have to go through all that trouble," said Minuette. She accepted the parcel and opened it. "Ooh~! These look delicious! I'm gonna have to do some extra heavy-duty brushing tonight."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "You and your brushing. Some things never change."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with maintaining a healthy smile," Minuette huffed. She tried to sound indignant, but she couldn't resist letting out a small chuckle. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in, come in! Moondancer's waiting in the dining room."

Lyra and Bon-Bon obliged. As Minuette led them through her apartment, Bon-Bon couldn't help but stare at the bizarre decor. Hourglasses stood side-by-side with the books on Minuette's immense bookshelf. Several diplomas and dental posters lined the walls, along with a plethora of clocks ticking in unison. There was even a sundial-shaped table set just underneath a skylight installed in the ceiling. And sitting at that table was a cream-colored unicorn with a striped mane and a pair of broken glasses set over her lavender eyes. She seemed to be engrossed in a book of some sort.

"Speaking of things not changing, that right there is a familiar sight," Lyra sniggered. "Hey, Moondancer. Long time no see."

The unicorn looked up from her book, and her eyes widened. "O-oh! Lyra! I-I wasn't expecting you to get here so soon," she said. "Please, forgive me for being so impolite."

"Eh, it's fine," said Lyra with a shrug. "Oh by the way, there's somepony I'd like you to meet. Bon-Bon, this is Moondancer. Moondancer, Bon-Bon."

"It's nice to meet you," said Bon-Bon sweetly, holding out her hoof.

Moondancer tentatively reached out her own hoof before looking over at Minuette. Once Minuette nodded and smiled, Moondancer took Bon-Bon's hoof in her own.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Bon-Bon," she said, almost automatically.

"Well, good to see that we're all acquainted," chirped Minuette. "You ponies get yourselves settled; I'll go get the cucumber sandwiches."

With that, she trotted off into the kitchen while Lyra and Bon-Bon sat down across from Moondancer.

"So, uh, I heard you decided to come out of that shell of yours," said Lyra. "Congrats, Moondancer."

Moondancer blushed and hid her face. "Th-thank you. Though to be honest, this is still a bit of a struggle for me. I hope I'm not making you two uncomfortable."

"Ah, don't sweat it. After all, Canterlot wasn't built in a day," said Lyra warmly. "So, what made you decide to open up, huh? I wanna hear all the juicy deets."

Moondancer raised an eyebrow. "Deets?"

"Details," Bon-Bon clarified.

"Oh, yes. Right," said Moondancer, twiddling her hooves. "Um, it's actually a bit of a long story. Remember that party I threw before the Summer Sun Celebration several moons ago?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, I remember," said Lyra, averting her eyes. "You were really bummed out when Twilight didn't show up."

"More than you know," said Moondancer, adjusting her glasses. "I couldn't bear being hurt like that, so I just gave up on friendship entirely and focused on my studies. But then, Twilight came back a few days ago out of contrition. She actually felt bad for missing my party, and she wanted me to forgive her." She sighed and hung her head. "I didn't want to at first. But, once I saw that she was truly repentant for hurting me the way she did and not just trying to make herself feel better, well, that's what turned me around."

"Yeah, well. They don't call Twilight the Princess of Friendship for nothing," said Lyra.

A self-mocking grin crossed Moondancer's face. "The ironic thing is that for the longest time, I thought they did call her that for nothing. I-I had been so bitter at her for so long, and I discarded all of my other friendships because of that. That was wrong of me, and I apologize, Lyra."

"It's alright, Moondancer. You don't have to apologize," said Lyra, shaking her head. "I'm just happy for you."

"Thank you, Lyra," said Moondancer with a nod. "So, um, how do you know Ms. Bon-Bon?"

"Oh, Bons and I have been living together in Ponyville for a few years now," said Lyra, placing a foreleg around Bon-Bon's shoulder.

"That's right," said Bon-Bon, giving Lyra a whimsical smile. "Lyra's my best friend. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her."

Moondancer couldn't help but stare blankly at the overt display of affection. "I, see," she murmured. "You two seem to be really close."

"Oh, you have no idea."

Lyra and Bon-Bon perked up as Minuette emerged from the kitchen with a large tray of sandwiches. Lyra snorted indignantly.

"Hey, that was supposed to be my line," she grumbled.

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Minuette laughed.

Bon-Bon deadpanned. "Y'know, there was probably a more polite way to share that information."

"I-it's alright. I'm not offended," said Moondancer. "Back in school, everypony knew that Lyra was a bit queer, in more ways than one."

"And that was mainly because she didn't bother hiding it," said Minuette. "Not that anypony really cared, mind you."

Bon-Bon sighed. "Well, that's true. And honestly, I'm not ashamed of it, either. Still, I don't want to give off this false impression of us being, well, you know..."

"Say no more, Bon-Bon. I get the picture," said Minuette solemnly. "Let's just focus on having a nice meal and catch up."

"I'm all for that," said Lyra, taking herself a cucumber sandwich. "So, you still into reading, Moondancer?"

"Well, of course," said Moondancer, a distinct twinkle in her eye. "I've actually been going through Twilight's old library here in Canterlot. She gave me the keys to the place as part of her attempt to patch things up with me."

"Yeah, that didn't go as well as she hoped," said Minuette sheepishly. "I sometimes get the feeling that she tries too hard, y'know?"

"Oh, I hear you. Remember that Grand Equestria Pony Summit she hosted? I heard she was so busy, she didn't even bother to sleep for three whole days!"

"Considering what happened during the summit, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. Typical Twilight."

As the three unicorn friends continued to gossip, Bon-Bon sat quietly and listened while munching on her sandwich. She sighed in contentment.

No doubt about it, she mused. This is the life I want.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Are you expecting anypony else, Minuette?" asked Bon-Bon.

Minuette shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. I mean, I asked Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts if they wanted to join us, but they both said they were busy."

Bon-Bon furrowed her brow. "I'll go answer it. You three seem to have a lot of catching up to do."

"You sure, Bons? Minnie is our host," said Lyra.

"It's fine, Lyra," said Bon-Bon, giving Lyra a peck on the cheek. "I don't mind in the slightest."

Before anypony could say anything more, she got up from her seat and trotted over to the door. When she opened it, her eyes went wide. Standing before her was a graceful white unicorn with a flowing pink mane. The unicorn stared back at her, equally perplexed.

"Well. This is an interesting development," said the unicorn. "I was planning on tracking you down later."

Bon-Bon gulped. "Um, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The unicorn smiled. "Don't worry, Sweetie Drops," she whispered. "We're all friends here."

The fur on Bon-Bon's neck stood up on end. "I-I don't know who that is," she stammered.

"Hey, Bons! Who's at the door?" Lyra called out.

"Um, n-nopony!" Bon-Bon hollered back. "J-just—"

"Sweetie Drops, I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't important," said the unicorn firmly. "Please, let me in."

After sputtering for a moment, Bon-Bon relented. With little effort, the posh unicorn trotted inside. Moondancer looked up and adjusted her glasses.

"Wait. Aren't you Mr. Fancy Pants's escort, Fleur de Lis?" she inquired. "What are you doing here?"

"I do apologize," said the regal pony, bowing to Minuette. "I was unaware that Dr. Colgate was having company."

Moondancer and Lyra's jaws dropped as they turned to stare at Minuette.

"Doctor?"

"Colgate?!"

Minuette chuckled sheepishly. "Heh heh, wow. It's been a long time since anypony called me by that name."

"Wait, Minuette's not your real name?" asked Moondancer.

"No, it is," said Minuette. "I just had to do some *ahem* odd jobs that required a pseudonym."

"What kind of odd jobs?"

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information. They wanted complete deniability," said Minuette, giving Fleur the evil eye. "Which makes me wonder why somepony is violating that edict."

Lyra stared at Minuette in disbelief before turning to Bon-Bon. Bon-Bon sighed and nodded.

"It's true," she said.

Lyra buried her face in her hooves. "Sweet Celestia, how many of my friends were part of this stupid agency?!"

Minuette arched an eyebrow. "What agency? I never said anything about an agency."

"Lyra knows about the HUB, Minuette," said Bon-Bon glumly. "I had to tell her when the bugbear attacked Ponyville during Cranky and Matilda's wedding."

"Ah. Well, I suppose that's okay then," said Minuette thoughtfully.

"Um, I'm extremely lost here," said Moondancer. "What is the HUB?"

Minuette glared at Fleur. "Now look what you've done."

"Again, my apologies, Dr. Colgate," said Fleur, hanging her head. "I-I just had to contact you as soon as possible."

Minuette sighed. "Well, no use hiding it now," she said, turning to Moondancer. "Listen, Moondancer. This is top secret stuff. You're not allowed to discuss this with anypony. Not Lemon Hearts, not Twinkleshine, not even Twilight. You got me?"

"S-sure," said Moondancer meekly. "Wh-whatever you say, Minuette. Or, do you prefer—?"

"Minuette's fine," said Minuette, cutting across Moondancer. She then turned to Fleur. "Would you care to do the honors, Lady de Lis? Y'know, seeing as you're the one who let the cat out of the bag."

"I-I suppose," said Fleur, clearing her throat. "Up until a few years ago, there was an organization stationed here in Canterlot called the Hunter's Undercover Bureau. It was an anti-monster agency set up by Princess Celestia. I was a member of it, as were Sweetie Drops and Dr. Colgate."

"I-I'm Sweetie Drops," Bon-Bon interjected. "I-I had to change my name after the agency was disbanded."

"Disbanded?" parroted Moondancer.

"Bon-Bon here was the one who captured the bugbear and sent it to Tartarus," explained Minuette. "However, the bugbear managed to escape. As a result, Princess Celestia dissolved the agency."

"It's, actually a bit more complicated than that," said Fleur. "Which is why I'm here."

She tossed a newspaper onto the table. Minuette scooped it up with her magic and read it aloud.

"'Mysterious Disappearances Continue to Plague the Mountains of Coltlat: Many Have Gone; Few Have Returned.'" She looked up at Fleur. "Why do you think this was worth breaking our vow of complete deniability, Lady de Lis? Rumors about Coltlat being haunted have been going on for over thousands of moons."

"Keep reading," said Fleur, pointing with her hoof. "It says that mountain rescue patrols have been noticing an influx of changelings on the mountain range."

Minuette knitted her brow. "You think this has to do with...?"

"Exactly," said Fleur with a nod. "The HUB's final mission before it was disbanded."

Moondancer massaged her temples. "I am so confused right now."

"I'm more annoyed than confused myself," Lyra snarled, glaring at Fleur. "What exactly is your game here?"

"This is no game," said Fleur bluntly. "This could mean the end of Equestria as we know it if we allow it to go unchecked. Sweetie Drops, Dr. Colgate. I implore you both to come with me to Coltlat so that we can put an end to this once and for all."

Bon-Bon turned away. "I'm afraid you've got the wrong mare, Lady de Lis."

Fleur tilted her head. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I'm not Special Agent Sweetie Drops anymore," Bon-Bon said, not bothering to turn around. "That life ended the moment the bugbear was sent back to Tartarus. I want no part of this."

Fleur frowned. "So, you're just going to ignore it? Sweetie Drops, that mission was the agency's greatest failure, and it's the reason why Princess Celestia dissolved it. Don't you see that this is our chance to make things right?"

"Wait, I thought you said the agency disbanded because of the bugbear," said Lyra, rubbing the side of her head.

"There's more to it than that," said Minuette with a sigh. "Fleur, if Bon-Bon says she doesn't want to do this, she doesn't want to do it."

Fleur whipped around and shot Minuette an angry glare. "It's not a matter of what we want, Dr. Colgate. Do you think I want to do this?! I'm saying that this is something we need to settle before we can put any of this behind us."

Bon-Bon perked up. "Wait. You're saying, I can't put this behind me unless I help?"

Fleur knitted her brow. "Well, not per se, but I know I can't simply ignore it."

Bon-Bon bit her lip and began to tremble. Lyra got up and walked up to her marefriend, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Hey. It's okay, Bons," she cooed. "You don't have to listen to her. You said you were moving on, and I support you. Let's just go home and—"

"I'll do it."

Lyra did a double take. "Wait, what?"

Bon-Bon turned around, a fiery passion in her eyes. "I said I'll do it. Lady de Lis is right. If I want to move on with my life, there can't be any loose ends."

"H-hey! Wait a minute! Whoa there!" Lyra cried. "Y-you can't be serious, Bons! W-we have a princess in Ponyville who deals with this kind of thing on a regular basis! She went toe-to-toe with Tirek, for buck's sake! Why can't we just tell her what's going on and let her handle it?!"

"Because relying on the Princesses for everything is folly," Fleur stated. "This matter is the HUB's responsibility. Nopony else should interfere."

Lyra opened her mouth to protest, but Bon-Bon held up her hoof and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Lyra. I'm doing this, and there's nothing you can say to convince me otherwise," she said sadly.

Lyra sighed. "In that case, let me help, too."

Bon-Bon's eyes became as wide as dinner plates. "WHAT?! Lyra, no! Y-you can't!"

"Hey, I said I would always be there for you no matter what, and I meant it!" Lyra barked. "I'm not going to let you leave me here and risk your life while this, this harlot is emotionally manipulating you!"

Fleur snorted. "For the record, that was not my intention, you selfish boor."

"The name's Lyra Heartstrings, bitch! And I won't let you hurt Bon-Bon!" Lyra roared back.

Fleur scrunched her eyes tight and trembled with rage. "Remain calm, Fleur. She is beneath you. Her words don't mean anything."

"Well, this is escalating quickly," Minuette mused. "Hey, Moondancer. Feel like going on a little expedition?"

Moondancer gave Minuette a quizzical look. "M-me? What can I do?"

"Well, you're good with magic, right? That's gonna be a plus," said Minuette. "Besides, those three are really hurting right now. What kind of friends would we be if we let them go off on their own, eh?"

Moondancer raised an eyebrow. "You make this sound so, easy. A-are you sure you want me to help? I mean, it's not my fight."

"It's not really Lyra's fight, either. But that's not stopping her," said Minuette. She then gave Moondancer a stern look. "Look, we need some more level heads on this team, and you have the most level head out of pretty much anypony I know. I wouldn't be asking this of you if I thought you were unable to handle it. So, you with us?"

Moondancer tapped her chin and furrowed her brow. After a moment, she sighed.

"I hope I don't end up regretting this," she mumbled.

"If you do, feel free to blame me," said Minuette, patting Moondancer on the back. She then stood up and cleared her throat. "Alright, ponies. I think that's quite enough of that."

Fleur and Lyra stopped bickering and turned to face Minuette.

"If we're going to be doing this, we need to do it as a team," Minuette proclaimed. "That means whatever emotional baggage we're carrying, we all have to share the load. Lady de Lis, do you think the five of us will be enough for this mission?"

Fleur blinked. "Five?"

"Moondancer's coming along, too. I insist."

"And I'm not leaving Bon-Bon," Lyra added.

Fleur heaved a great sigh. "Very well, Dr. Colgate. The HUB has always valued your counsel; this time should be no different."

"Good. Glad that's settled," said Minuette. "Now then, let me just grab my gear and we'll catch the next train to Stalliongrad. I'll brief everypony on the details once we're on the train."

"Um, actually, I didn't bring my things," said Bon-Bon.

Minuette smirked. "Not to worry. I've got a few spare kits. It always pays to be prepared."

"Indeed," said Fleur. She then smiled. "It feels good to be serving with you again, Dr. Colgate."

"Just helping out my friends," said Minuette, giving Moondancer a wink.

With that, she trotted over to a door leading to the basement. While waiting for her return, Bon-Bon looked at the newspaper. As she read the article, a cavalcade of memories started flooding her mind. She felt herself slowly drifting away from the here and now, her thoughts sending her back to her time in the HUB. Back to the unmitigated disaster that was her last mission as Special Agent Sweetie Drops...

Comments

[Ri2]

Lyra and Bon-Bon are best friends. Beeeeest frieeeeends. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEST FRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENDS.
And what's Colgate's doctorate in?

[SonicRPika]

6368560 I'm guessing Dentistry?

[TecnoSmurf]

"Not that anypony really cared, mind you." <-- Thank you for that. :)

The "bitch" I could have lived without, but I'm hooked for the story. ^^