Eleven

by lord_steak

Found But Still Lost

Shadow-Walker tossed and turned on the dull mattress in his bland quarters. Nothing adorned the walls. Very little separated the room in appearance from a psych ward room, or a university single dorm, except the lack of window, the excellent mattress and pillow, and the 1,200-thread count sheets. Groaning, he opened his eyes and rolled out of bed. Shadow-Walker threw a fluffy white robe around himself without bothering to tie nor straighten it. He grunted again as he opened the door, eyes squinting as the wave of light poured through.

Minutes later he stumbled out of the lift door into the situation room. Fallow Fields turned to meet him, wearing a black business suit with cadet blue pinstripes. He snorted at Shadow-Walker’s approach and nodded. Ponies at their work posts all seemed abuzz with excitement, except three, who were worried. Mr. Fields telekinetically opened his desk’s central drawer and retrieved a bottle of a name brand antacid, placing it on the desk. Shadow-Walker took two with a small, appreciative smile.

“I told you sleep would be a thing of the past,” said Fallow Fields.

Shadow-Walker nickered as he shook his head. Glancing around the room again with hard blinking, he muttered, “The body will force the issue eventually.”

“May as well update you,” Mr. Fields said with an honest grin. “It’s been a heck of a morning.”

“So...what’s the buzz?”

“Your night scout returned, and Team B was right. The Blue Shard is there. We’ll need an unorthodox extraction to get it out of there with all the unfriendly natives,” said Fallow Fields, gesturing to where Redsmith sat the night before.

“Good, good,” Shadow-Walker said with a healthy dose of self-satisfaction.

“The Golden Desert does have the Yellow Shard. However, getting to it...that’s a tricky task,” Fallow Fields said with an overwhelmed chuckle.

Frowning, Shadow-Walker huffed, “How bad are we talking?”

Fallow Fields shook his head. “Not right now, old friend; you should get back to bed soon. Explaining all that would ensure it’s not soon.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

The director motioned toward another work station. They smiled as Mr. Fields said, “Team C arrived home and moved the Indigo Shard into the Fillydelphia safe house without rousing anypony. We’re giving them extra time off for a job well-done.”

Shadow-Walker cracked a wide, surprised smile. “Two shards found and another now in safe storage...I’m beginning to see why everypony’s so chipper.”

“Oh, good sir, we’re not even to the best part yet!” Fallow Fields laughed.

Grinning, Shadow-Walker teased, “Am I supposed to sleep at all?”

“This will help ease your mind.”

“I’m listening,” said Shadow-Walker, raising his eyebrows.

Fallow Fields led his assistant to the central table. He tapped a few buttons. On the main viewer was the image of a large, multi-pronged, multi-twinned, jagged red crystal. Next to it was a portrait of Lightning Dust. Mr. Fields cheered, “In keeping watch in the wilds around the Crystal Empire, one of ours happened across the Red Shard about seventy leagues north of the city! It’s much bigger than the others, but still movable.”

“That’s great news, of course, but what the hell was that agent doing that far out in the frozen north?” Shadow-Walker asked, grinning and rubbing his eyes.

Fallow Fields snorted, “A question for later, doncha’ think?”

“Fair enough. Only the Violet remains hidden...,” Shadow-Walker trailed off as his eyes found the three downtrodden. He looked at his boss, then back to those three, and frowned. “So then, what’s the fly in the ointment?”

“There’s a private airship that took off from The Iron Hills Inn. It arrived fifteen minutes after shift change,” Mr. Fields said curtly.

“Yes...and?”

“It’s heading southeast.”

Shadow-Walker shrugged. “So it’s not going to The Crystal Empire. Why is this a problem, sir? Both Canterlot and Ponyville are plausible, even probable, destinations.”

“Do you know who’s on it?” asked Fallow Fields, most unamused.

“Undoubtedly Agent Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings. I told you she’d be helpful,” said Shadow-Walker with a grin.

Mr. Fields growled, “Shadow-Walker, let me make this clear: this mission is about to be either a spectacular success, or a spectacular failure. It’s not gonna hit any points in-between.”

“You kept telling me to have faith in Sweetie Drops, but now that the cards are down, you’re having doubts?” Shadow-Walker returned with indignation.

“Sweetie Drops isn’t who concerns me. It’s this Lyra Heartstrings,” Fallow Fields said pointedly. “We still don’t know what she believes. Will she help us, or hinder us?”

Shadow-Walker punched up the buttons by the central desk’s crystal ball. A map of Equestria shown on the main viewer. Some blue dots came out of Detrot, headed down and to the right, to a white dot. Red dashes arced from there, with one particular town in them. Shadow-Walker pointed at it and said, “Sir, their course has them headed straight for Ponyville. That’s helping very nicely.”

“Yes, exactly. But! But...what would Ms. Heartstrings have Sweetie Drops do when they arrive? Will she continue the mission, or will the two star-crossed lovers ride off into the sunset together?” Fallow Fields asked flatly.

Shadow-Walker scrunched his eyebrows. “I think you’re exaggerating their relationship. They look like they’re best friends to me, not—”

Fallow Fields cut him off with a wave of the hoof. He, too, typed away at those buttons. A fast-forwarded video of Lyra’s hotel room showed her playing on the lyre, Bon-Bon’s arrival, their cuddling, and then kissing a bunch. Fallow Fields halted the clip there. Shadow-Walker’s head jerked back, and full of surprise he said, “...oh. Maybe not. That explains her angle.”

The screen went dark as Mr. Fields hit another button. He frankly said, “Yes indeed, and so the question remains: what does she believe?”

Shadow-Walker said, “Don’t know. Either way, we should dispatch a heavy combat team to Ponyville.”

Fallow Fields chuckled. Tapping the buttons yet again, another clip showed, this shot of a unicorn, a draught unicorn, a draught earth pony, and a pegasus, all very physically fit, eating and laughing in Sugar Cube Corner. He looked at Shadow-Walker and coolly said, “Already done.”

---

Bon-Bon groaned and stretched, kicking off the sheets. She opened her eyes, and paused. Blinking a few times, she gazed around the room, then sat bolt upright. This wasn’t the same hotel room. Instead of old wallpaper, this wall appeared recently painted, and in a light beige instead of a slightly yellowed light blue. The bed was a king-sized, too, instead of just a full-sized. Nor was there a second bed. Fake wood drawers and counters were now real wood with porcelain tops. There was also an odd mechanical droning from somewhere, but it was quiet.

Bon-Bon stretched again with a long yawn. Smacking her lips, she helped herself down from the bed. The carpet was a deeper pile, and of a brown colour instead of the typical bland beige of hotels. She rubbed her eyes, muttering, “Okay, how did I get here? And where is this?”

Her ears perked up as a smile broke over her face. There was distinctive humming coming from the next room, Lyra’s. She wobbled on her feet as the floor shifted for a moment. Bon-Bon blinked in confusion. Gathering her balance, she turned to a nearby mirror, and pulled on her face to expose more of her eyeballs. An eyebrow raised, and she said to herself, “Nope; didn’t think I drank last night so...what the hell was that?”

Bon-Bon walked out the door. Here was a sitting room of sorts, furnished similarly to the bedroom, with a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window. At the window sat Lyra, still humming to herself. Butterflies in stomach, Bon-Bon walked over to her, then fell back on her haunches. There was sky in front of her. The ground was some ways below, and at that, a wilderness scene steadily moving to the left. Bon-Bon spewed, “What the...!? When did...how...why...when did...? An airship?!”

Lyra looked over at her with a cheeky grin, and faux-pouted, “What? No ‘good morning, sweetheart’ or anything?”

Bon-Bon’s eyelids twitched, her gaze still fixed straight ahead at the laterally moving scene. It was not at a slow pace. They could easily be moving twice as fast as a train. Still looking at the conifer forest below going by, she blurted, “Wha...? Huh? What is...?”

Lyra’s face fell some as she asked, “After last night?”

Bon-Bon turned to Lyra. No words came, only blinking. Her expression was stuck.

Lyra’s ears drooped as she tiptoed toward Bon-Bon apologetically. Her voice carried how vulnerable she felt as the waterworks threatened to begin again. “Please don’t tell me last night was just a one-time thing....”

Bon-Bon slowly turned to look Lyra in the eyes. Her expression still remained as it was. Lyra’s face pleaded for something, anything, from Bon-Bon. She waited. Bon-Bon did not blink. Lyra’s jaw shook as her breaths fragmented. Before she could sob, Bon-Bon’s eyes fluttered as she took a deep breath. Lyra sat with bated breath, then Bon-Bon softly asked, “When did we get on an airship?”

Lyra swallowed hard. “Early this morning. Before crawling in bed, I contacted Twilight, and—”

She stopped suddenly as some of the black mist came from Bon-Bon’s eyes. Bon-Bon winced for a moment, then said, “Sorry. Please go on.”

Lyra paused, then continued, “Well, arrangements were made. The ship arrived about half an hour after you fell asleep. I teleported us up here, along with our things. Then we...we cuddled up again, and, uh, you kissed me, and...and I kissed you, and, um....”

Lyra trailed off in a defeated tone. Bon-Bon, though, sounded like she was lost in thought. “I...don’t remember that at all.”

“Oh,” Lyra whimpered as she hung her head. She turned and started to walk away.

Bon-Bon reached out and snatched Lyra by the tail. “What I do remember...,” she started, as Lyra looked back, “...was waking you up, because I wanted you, and wanted to know we were together while I knew I still had contro-o-ol of my-y-y mind. And I asked you to stay with me...,”

“...come what may,” finished Lyra as a tear rolled down her cheek, watching Bon-Bon’s face flinching.

Bon-Bon felt a tear of her own welling up and running down the side of her face. The two gave each other a long look. Lyra rushed in and held Bon-Bon close, who happily returned the hug. Lyra nuzzled her, whispering, “You’re my very best friend....”

Bon-Bon whispered back, “I think we’re more than that now...my love.”

Their heads moved back. A brief look in each other’s eyes, and they locked lips, kissing with an endearing passion, and weakening restraint, never wanting to let go.

---

Midday approached as Lyra emerged from the shower. Bon-Bon met her at the bathroom door with a towel still around her own head. With doting eyes cast back and forth, they giggled as they embraced there. Bon-Bon whispered in Lyra’s ear, “I think they’re about to bring up lunch, dear.”

Lyra smiled and said, “That sounds great....” She trailed off, and pursed her lips a moment. Then she continued, “Erm...babe? Honey? I don’t know what I should call you.”

“I always liked it when you called me ‘Bonnie.’ But ‘babe’ or ‘honey’ would be fine,” said Bon-Bon as she wrapped her tail in Lyra’s as they walked out into the sitting area.

“Is there anything you absolutely, positively don’t want me to call you, honey-babe-sugar-darling?” Lyra asked with a snicker.

Bon-Bon shoved Lyra as she smiled and shook her head. “That’s overdoing it. But as an honest answer, please don’t call me ‘sweetie.’ I’d rather leave the past in the past. Bad memories of bad times.”

“I gathered. This trip being one of them?” Lyra asked.

They sat down on a semi-circular couch with a high wall behind it, though Lyra sat as if she were bipedal as always. A round coffee table sat in front of them with expertly arranged flowers in a white-glazed ceramic vase. Bon-Bon flapped her lips as she shook her head, then said, “Until you showed up, this trip was the worst of them.”

Lyra’s ears drooped. “What happened?”

“I’d really like to tell you, but I can’t.”

“Why?”

Bon-Bon flinched as some black mist puffed from her eyes. She paused, and hesitantly said, “I can’t talk about the missions. They’re classified.”

“Then...why did you start to say something last night?” Lyra asked in confusion. Bon-Bon looked down. As she did, the tip of Lyra’s horn rapidly flashed a pinpoint of near-white light.

More of the black mist leaked out. “Huh?” Bon-Bon blurted, as the outpour increased.

Lyra frowned. Her horn flashed quickly again as the mist slowed and stopped. She withheld a sniffle, and said, “You started to say something last night, twice, and were cut off by sudden pain and black mist coming out of your eyes.”

Bon-Bon whimpered and held her stomach again as the flow resumed. Her face blanched as she muttered, “Um...let me think....”

“Bonnie...,” pleaded Lyra, as she took Bon-Bon by the hoof and rubbed her fetlocks.

The mist stopped suddenly, and was replaced by tears. Bon-Bon took deep breath, and started, “They put a-a-A-A-A-A-A THI-I-I-ING...!! G’ahhh...oh goddess....”

Lyra gasped as Bon-Bon twitched with clenched teeth. She stroked the side of Bon-Bon’s face, pleading, “Bonnie, please....”

“A bla-a-A-A-ACK CRY-Y-YST-T-TA-A-AL...!! Aaaghh...holy shit, that hurts...,” Bon-Bon screeched as the mist nearly flooded the room. She cried as she held her belly, slumping down until her head rested in Lyra’s lap.

Lyra choked up. She desperately stroked Bon-Bon’s face, and up and down her neck, wiping away her love’s tears with her other hoof. Bon-Bon clung to Lyra’s waist. They sat there for a moment as Bon-Bon’s sobbing slowed. Lyra sadly said, “Oh my love...I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it.”

Lyra leaned down and kissed Bon-Bon on the cheek. The earth pony pulled herself into a closer snuggle. Lyra continued stroking Bon-Bon’s neck. Her horn flashed again. She sighed long and low, then asked, “Why would anypony want to do that to you?”

“I guess they liked me, and thought I could ca-a-ar-r-ry out their pla-a-a-ans. Owww...,” Bon-Bon said through pain.

Lyra’s horn blinked again. She frowned, and with cautious tones, asked, “A black crystal, you said? Did it look green for a moment?”

Bon-Bon sat up and stared at Lyra, bewildered. She grimaced, producing another small pop of the black mist from her eyes. In an aching voice she asked, “How could you have known...??”

“Twilight told me about what happened to David Buckham, and that she, Princess Celestia, and Princess Cadance successfully removed a black crystal from his belly,” Lyra explained. A growl left Bon-Bon’s mouth as the mist flowed again. Lyra paused as this happened, then said, “She said the crystal looked green in the right lighting. You remember the stormball game, right?”

Bon-Bon looked down. Guiltily she said, “Yeah. I still feel bad about calling you a—”

“Let’s not dwell on that,” interrupted Lyra. Bon-Bon sadly nodded. Lyra opened her forelimbs, into which Bon-Bon readily threw herself. Lyra rubbed Bon-Bon’s shoulders as she continued, “He had black mist coming out of his eyes, just the same what’s happened to you.”

“The black mist...,” Bon-Bon evasively mumbled as the stuff oozed out again.

Lyra nuzzled Bon-Bon’s as she held her, pleading, “Please, honey...you have to fight it....”

“I-I-I-I-I’m tr-r-ry-y-y-yi-i-i-ing...,” yowled Bon-Bon as the mist returned from her eyes in force.

Bon-Bon sobbed. Lyra held her close, rocking them slowly. She held Bon-Bon’s face, looking her in the eye, and kissed her lips. Bon-Bon’s sobbing ceased as the mist’s flow faded to nothing. They nuzzled a moment as Lyra whispered, “I know. I know you’re trying.”

A knock came at the door. The two stood up and shed the towels from their manes as a butler-like pony in a crisp suit entered carrying a covered platter. He walked along the window. Most of the way to the table, his nose flicked a moment as his gait slowed for half a step. In unison Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at each other wide-eyed, then to where he slowed, then back to each other. He set down the platter, and removed its domed lid. Inside were two plated meals. One was a tall salad with three varieties of apple, walnuts, and cranberries, and a side plate of grilled asparagus. The other was sautéed carrots and parsnips on a bed of steamed spinach and rice pilaf. He set the carrot dish in front of Bon-Bon, and the other before Lyra, with a quick description of each.

He stepped back and bowed, and courteously said, “If you require anything else, good ladies, please do not hesitate to ask, even if you wish to simply not be disturbed. Bon appétit.”

He quietly and quickly exited. Lyra and Bon-Bon looked at each other again, then back to where he paused. Chuckling nervously, Lyra tore her eyes away from there and tucked into the asparagus. Bon-Bon looked around the room uneasily as Lyra chomped away. She took a bite of a parsnip, and asked, “How have your days been, since I was summoned? You haven’t talked about that.”

“I’ve been worried sick about you, desperate to find you before it was too late. I sure hope I found you in time,” Lyra said sadly.

“Honey, please, I’m begging you, can we talk about something else and maybe get a nap? It hurts so ba-a-ad. Aagh...I can’t ha-a-and-d-d-dle i-i-I-I-ITT!!” Bon-Bon said, becoming aching as the black mist returned. She braced all her weight against the table. Gulping air she pleaded, “My Celestia it hurts, Ly-yra. Please....”

Lyra slowly nodded slowly as another tear escaped. She murmured, “Okay. We can do that....”

---

Bon-Bon awoke in Lyra’s embrace in the late afternoon. The forest below had turned to a purely deciduous one, and there were markedly more hills, with mountains in the distance. Bon-Bon felt the hug tighten around her warmly as Lyra said, “Hey you.”

“Hey,” Bon-Bon said with a smile. She sat up as her brow furled. “I...huh. It doesn’t hurt as bad.”

Lyra kissed her on the cheek and said, “While you were asleep I got ahold of Twilight, and she told me how to cast an anesthetic spell.”

“Oh. Tha-a-at’s good. Not perfect, but a big help. Ow,” Bon-Bon said through a dull ache.

“Thank goodness,” Lyra said with a sigh of relief. “I just wish it’d also remove the black mist.”

“Tell me ab-b-bout it. Geez. That gets old,” Bon-Bon grumbled as another burst of the mist came out of her eyes.

Lyra nuzzled Bon-Bon as she said, “Twilight said the black mist comes whenever you’re resisting the crystal. She learned that when helping Buckham.”

“I noticed.”

Lyra sighed. “It kills me, seeing you hurting like that. I wish I could do more.”

They got up. Lyra walked over by the window as Bon-Bon stared at the vase. With a sigh, the earth pony lamented, “I know you would, and I would too if our places were switched. And I’m sorry.”

Lyra looked back at Bon-Bon with a sad smile. “You have nothing to apologize for. They tricked you.”

“That crysta-a-al, you mean?” Bon-Bon through gritted teeth.

Lyra sighed with tightened lips. Bon-Bon started her way wearing an intensely interested expression. In thought, Lyra began, “It’s...where do I start...?”

“Well, you could start by not beating around the bush,” said Bon-Bon as her face turned to a mothering one.

“As you wish, dear,” said Lyra. She exhaled hard, paused some more, then started over. “Um...when the B.P.P. summoned you, I—”

“What??” Bon-Bon suddenly said as her head jerked back in surprise. Her mouth fell open as her right eye squinted.

Lyra raised an eyebrow. Her eyes flicked between which of Bon-Bon’s eyes they gazed into, as she asked as one does when the statement seemed clear enough the first time. “The B.P.P.?”

Guardedly, Bon-Bon said, “Lyra....”

“The Bureau of Peace Preservation?” Lyra asked in the tone as before. Bon-Bon just stared instead of saying something. Lyra continued, “The monster-catching agency you worked for?”

Even more cautious and slow, Bon-Bon said, “Lyra?”

“Yes, love?” Lyra answered with a tilt of the head.

Bon-Bon bit her lip for a moment, then quietly said, “I never told you the agency’s name.”

“I know,” said Lyra matter-of-factly. Bon-Bon scrunched her eyebrows again while Lyra paused. “You never did, and I respected your privacy.”

Bon-Bon turned her head ever so slightly as she asked with suspicion, “How did you learn...Twilight...!” Bon-Bon’s face turned to one of sudden but displeased understanding. The mist leaked out of her eyes again for a brief moment. “What did Twilight say? You skirted that part of your last few days.”

Lyra nodded slowly. Her horn pulsed rapidly again. She walked over to Bon-Bon as she said, “Yeah, because you asked for a reprieve from the pain.”

“And it’s great she taught you how to numb said pain, or at least take the edge off of it,” Bon-Bon said as she hugged her marefriend. “How did she do that?”

Lyra grinned, “Have you seen that spell I’ve been using, the one that’s just a point of light rapidly blinking?”

“Yeah, what spell is that?”

“We came up with it at school, but never named it. The spell creates some text in the field of vision of a pony of my choosing, but only if I know where she or he is.”

Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow. “I guess you know she’s at home.”

“Yep,” said Lyra. A sly grin crossed her face. Her horn blinked like that again, but this time something left a golden-yellow tinge in part of Bon-Bon’s eyes. She deeply flushed.

“...that was you, wasn’t it?” Bon-Bon asked quietly, almost silenced from embarrassment.

“Well, it’s true!” Lyra declared with a smile.

“Tha...thank you, Lyra,” choked Bon-Bon as her head lowered, blushed clear up to the bottom of her ears, but her eyes remained on Lyra. “I’m...happy you think I look good....”

“Honey, ‘good’ doesn’t begin to cover it,” Lyra said with a doting grin. Bon-Bon covered her mouth with a hoof. Lyra blinked a moment, then asked, “I take it nopony’s told you that before?”

Bon-Bon shook her head slowly. Lyra scooped her into a hug and kiss, and said, “Really? You haven’t seen it yourself? You haven’t noticed the way heads turn when you enter a room, or walk down the street? Or the jealous scowls other mares get when you’re dressed up? Honey, we have mirrors at home! Everypony can see you’re gorgeous!”

Bon-Bon could barely look up at Lyra as the blushing invaded her ears. She squeaked, “I’m glad you think so.”

“It’s the truth, Bonnie! I’m not exaggerating.”

“It just...makes me happy...even if you’re laying it on pretty thick,” murmured Bon-Bon as the crimson began to retreat.

Lyra gave a fake scoff, and playfully huffed, “Am not!”

The blushing had almost completely left Bon-Bon’s face as she worked her jaw a moment, then said, “You did too, and you know it. But still, it makes me happy, and you make me happy.”

This time it was Lyra’s turn to flush. She quietly squealed a “yay.” They kissed again, quick and sweet. Bon-Bon said, “I take it you’ve been reporting to Twilight how it’s going?”

“And Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance, on orders from Princess Celestia,” Lyra said bluntly. Mist came out of Bon-Bon’s eyes. “You okay?”

“It do-o-oesn’t, ow, like that,” answered Bon-Bon with a twitch and more mist. “It doesn’t like talk of the princesses at all.”

Lyra powered up her horn, and a ray spread over Bon-Bon with a spring green glow. She said, “I gathered that.”

“I’ll keep talking if you can keep numbing the pain,” said Bon-Bon. The mist stopped as she asked, “Hey, do you think you could include the director in on this? His name is Fallow Fields, and he’s—”

Bon-Bon stopped short as Lyra eyed her suspiciously upon hearing the name. Bon-Bon asked, “What’s wrong with that?”

Lyra hesitated, then flatly said, “I promise I’ll get to that shortly.”

“Okay?” Bon-Bon quipped. “So, let’s tell the princesses what’s going on?”

“Sure,” said Lyra, kissing Bon-Bon before she could start.

Bon-Bon smiled giddily. She lifted her head with a deep breath, and clenched her leg muscles. She started, “They sent me to infiltrate the Elevens, or if you want their full name, ‘The Order of Eleven.’ It’s a ridiculous name.”

“...yeah, I’d agree,” muttered Lyra, giving a weirded face at the name. Her horn blinked.

“The organization’s go-o-o-O-OALL IS-S-S...!!” gasped Bon-Bon, holding her belly. She took a few deep breaths, and grumped, “Goddamn, that smarts....”

“That they want one country under one princess?” Lyra filled in.

“No.”

Lyra’s brow scrunched up as an eyebrow went up. She opened her mouth, and after a moment said, “But, that’s what—”

Bon-Bon waved a hoof. “Whoever told you that didn’t have all the info. They want a democracy, and are willing to ki-i-i-ill all five princ-c-cesses to get it,” said Bon-Bon in pain.

Lyra’s jaw fell slack as her eyes widened. She shrieked, “...what!?”

“Even little baby Flurry Heart,” said Bon-Bon gravely, leaking mist and rubbing her ears.

Lyra could not find words, in spite of her jaw’s best efforts. She stood there looking like a bad puppet show for a number of seconds before her brain could finally assemble, “But....”

“Their president is an elderly mare named Stall Lynn. She’s a red unicorn with a yellow mane and tail, and is very strong, if can move that bla-a-ack—oh, knock it off!!” Bon-Bon said, but ended as her snapping. “She already knows you’re i-in my bel-l-l-ly!”

Lyra watched mystified as Bon-Bon’s face went through a series of angry expressions at nothing in particular, and not pointed at her but at other random points around the room. After a minute of this, Lyra’s horn flashed quickly for a moment. Then she said, “We have to get that thing out of there. What kind of crystal is that? I’ve never of anything of the like it.”

“I don’t kno-o-ow,” Bon-Bon said with a wince and a puff. “They didn’t say.”

Another flash of the horn, and Lyra asked, “Why wouldn’t it want you to tell me that they didn’t say?”

“Don’t kno-o-ow that eithe-er,” cringed Bon-Bon. She gasped and took several deep breaths as a tear escaped. She looked back up at Lyra and grumbled, “Good heavens, how bad would this be without the anesthesia?”

“I don’t want to try to imagine,” said Lyra, looking slightly overwhelmed. She sadly added, “It’s too soon to cast it again. I don’t want to cause nerve damage.”

Put off and slightly worried by that last bit, Bon-Bon muttered, “Ah. Glad you don’t want to do that.”

“A sentient crystal...so weird,” Lyra mused as her horn blinked brightly again. Outside the window, the horizon raised up as the airship began its descent and slowed. “If it’s hitting you this hard already, I’d hate to feel what Buckham went through.”

“Dear,” said Bon-Bon in the tone that makes coltfriends everywhere freeze in worry. “I’m still wondering who tricked me and how. We got sidetracked.”

“The Elevens did,” Lyra said bluntly.

Bon-Bon shot her a very confused look. “When? The B.P.P. sent me to infiltrate them, and—”

“Bonnie...,” Lyra interrupted, sounding more than just concerned.

“What?” Bon-Bon griped. “I don’t see how the princesses could know they tricked me, when I’m on a–”

“Bonnie...,” Lyra interrupted again, this time with more emphasis.

“Yes?” said Bon-Bon with no small amount of impatience. “I really don’t get it.”

Lyra waffled, taking deep breaths, her eyes darting around. “Uh....”

“Honey, spit it out!” barked Bon-Bon.

Lyra huffed a deep breath, then gave Bon-Bon a serious, worried look. Then she spoke in the tones one uses when bringing some bad news. “...the B.P.P. never reopened.”

Bon-Bon stood unblinking, unmoving. Her voice had no weight. “...what??”

“They never reopened,” Lyra reiterated, just as uneasy. “Princess Celestia herself told me. Proof of—”

Bon-Bon cut her off fiercely. “That’s not—”

“Bonnie!” Lyra interrupted in turn, very distraught. “You have to let me finish!”

Bon-Bon shouted in disbelief, “You can’t be serious!”

“Honey, please!”

“I’m sorry, dear, but I can’t believe that!” hollered Bon-Bon with a wide-eyed incredulous face. “I was there at HQ!”

Lyra shouted in exasperation, “I believe you, but that doesn’t change it!”

“How!?” screamed Bon-Bon with an open forehoof.

“Bonnie, listen to me,” Lyra said firmly as she grabbed Bon-Bon by the shoulders and shook her. She blinked agape at Lyra’s very insistent expression, who continued, “Several communications have been intercepted. Celestia herself sent me a carbon copy of the report. They try to recruit former agents of defunct government agencies, including the B.P.P., since those ponies are the angriest at how things have gone. The Elevens recruited a number of disillusioned former B.P.P. agents you’ve had contact with in the past, including Breezy Rays, Tinker, Mineral Eyes, Furlong, Shoeshine, Dusty Roads, Red Tape, Shadow-Walker...and Fallow Fields. That’s why I wouldn’t include him on this conversation.”

Bon-Bon plopped into a collapsed sitting position. Lyra removed a few sheets of carbon paper from a saddlebag, levitating them over to Bon-Bon. She read through them at speed, and partway through the second she slammed them onto the floor, shrieking, “What!?”

“Former B.P.P. agent Tapped Lines now works for Equestrian Intelligence,” Lyra said softly. “She tracked down all of them.”

Bon-Bon thumbed through the remaining sheets. She had confused, defeated stare as she mumbled, “...yeah, that’s her signature and hoofprint...but....”

Lyra’s horn flashed a bit longer than usual. Bon-Bon continued to slowly collapse, coming to a rest as her head stopped on one hoof, eyes turned toward the carpet, still without blinking. Lyra lay down next to her, threw a hoof over her shoulders, and said, “Bonnie, did you see any of them?”

“...you have to tell me, Lyra, are you serious? Are you telling me the truth?” Bon-Bon asked dryly, still staring at the same point.

“As certain as I love you, I’m telling you what I know by five veritas spells in unison on those papers to be true,” Lyra insisted with a nuzzle to Bon-Bon’s cheek. “The Bureau of Peace Preservation never reopened. The Elevens used it as a ruse to sucker former agents into their fold.”

Bon-Bon shook her head discontentedly. She slowly stood up and looked at Lyra. Drearily she said, “I have seen a few. At the schoolhouse I ran into Breezy Rays, and at HQ, I met with Mineral Eyes, Tinker, and Fallow Fields, and that son of a bitch Shadow-Walker.”

“What did this Shadow-Walker do that upset you so?” Lyra asked as she also got back to her feet, with her horn blinked quickly.

“The bastard let another agent die during a mission,” Bon-Bon fumed. “She was a nice young mare, full of promise and potential, and she loved everypony, even those who had—”

Bon-Bon suddenly cut herself off. She turned crimson again and both forehooves went over her mouth, eyes wide, unblinking, and fixed on Lyra. Bon-Bon backed up a few steps. Lyra’s eyes widened and forehead furled as Bon-Bon stood there with a tear forming in her left eye. Lyra said, “Who had...what?”

“...you...you said that...that you...love me? You love me, not like ‘very best friends’ or even sisters, but you love me-love me?” Bon-Bon gasped, her face just as red as before.

Lyra’s hooves shot over her mouth too as her cheeks lit up. Barely audible she whispered, “I didn’t just think that but actually said it!??”

Both stood there with wide eyes and red cheeks. Lyra froze for a moment, then after some gulping deep breaths, she quietly confessed, “...I...I do. I love you. I really do. It’s...um, if I’m honest with myself, I’ve been in love with you for over a year, but refused to admit it. But I do now. I’m yours, Bon-Bon, come what may.”

Bon-Bon melted into Lyra’s awaiting forelimbs. The two laughed and cried there a moment with kisses and wiping away of tears. As they settled down, Bon-Bon softly said, “...I...I love you, too. I...I can’t not love you...ever. Nopony’s ever truly made me free and happy...until you came along. Oh, Lyra....”

Lyra went to putty in Bon-Bon’s already-present embrace. They just held each other there for a number of minutes, right through the airship coming to a complete halt. Off to the left in the window and a good ways away was the Sweet Apple Acres farmstead house. The two sighed happily together, before Lyra asked, “Why are those three little words so hard to get out?”

“I don’t know, dear. How many...wait, we’re home?” answered Bon-Bon, her tone changing after she looked out the window and sat upright.

“Yeah. Let’s go see Twilight,” Lyra suggested as she started toward the door. “She’s gotten one of those crystals out before; I’m sure she can do it again.”

Bon-Bon started to follow, but froze with an intense look upon her face, staring at nothing at all, with a badly startled gasp. She sounded terrified as she said, “Lyra...?!”

“What’s wrong?” Lyra answered as she wheeled around.

“I...,” murmured Bon-Bon. She began to tip and convulse as the black mist started up again. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she took a step back.

“Bonnie...be strong,” urged Lyra as her tears started up. She held onto Bon-Bon in a hug as her horn flickered again.

“I’m...,” Bon-Bon gurgled. The mist’s flow accelerated considerably as braced herself again the round coffee table. The vase fell over and shattered.

“You have to fight it!” shouted Lyra through the sobbing, clinging onto her marefriend.

“I’m...,” uttered Bon-Bon as her eyes glazed over, both out of focus and not even looking at the same thing. The black mist covered the lower part of the sitting room enough to have both mares’ hooves that were on the ground over.

Desperately kissing her, Lyra cried, “Bon-Bon, my love, please! Don’t give in! I love you! Please!”

“I’m...,” said Bon-Bon, much more clearly. Her swaying stopped a little at a time, but her eyes focused together quickly. A greenish hue swept across her scleras for a moment. Bon-Bon blinked hard with a hard exhale, and shook her head.

Lyra stared at her as the tears continued to flow. She stroked both sides of her face, breathing hard and fast, until Bon-Bon looked up at her. Bon-Bon blinked several times, breathing hard again. The black mist continued to roll. Lyra looked her square in the eye, and pleaded, “Bonnie?”

“I’m...,” said Bon-Bon, sounding like her normal self. Just then the whites of her eyes shifted to a bright green. “...I’m sorry, Lyra.”

Lyra’s face scrunched confusion as she began, “Sorry? What—”

A hiss sounded as a gas pellet hit the floor. Lyra’s horn blinked briefly as she dropped, murmuring, “...come...what may....”

The mist’s flow multiplied several times over, quickly filled the compartment, up to Bon-Bon’s neck, while she looked at Lyra imperiously until the mist covered her. Her green scleras seemed to glow. Slowly she started for the door. As she got there, it opened, to show the butler from earlier. His usual controlled snobby demeanor broke to shock as his eyes met the black mist. He looked up at Bon-Bon in time to see the knife plunge into his neck, making a red splatter. Black mist continued rolling out of her eyes as she moved through the hallway. Coming to a dead end, she kicked in the door. Both pilot and copilot jumped. The black mist flowed out more as she stabbed the copilot in the eye. The pilot tried to tackle her and pin her limbs. In the black mist, Bon-Bon head-butted him. She pointed her watch at him, and a gout of fire left the minute hand. The pilot screamed and writhed, but not for very long. The black mist was nearing her shoulders as she left the cockpit, where there was sparking and a blaze on the rise. She turned and went down a flight of stairs, to a door with a thick wheel.

Outside the airship, the external door flew off the side of the hull and bounced into a tree twenty metres away. There was Bon-Bon, reared up, and still dumping black mist from her eyes in copious amounts. She set herself down and stepped out, taking the road that led into town. Glass shattering sounded as the cockpit windows burst, framing the orange flames and billowing smoke which leapt through the opening. Fire began spreading across the hull. The mist from her eyes slowed and eventually stopped, but the green remained where her eyes should be white. Flicking the shades out and onto her nose, Bon-Bon marched down the road with a determined frown on her face, toward the west.

Toward Ponyville.

Toward Twilight’s Castle.

Author's Note:

So...didja' see that coming? It's about to get heavy. What about Lyra? Stay tuned to find out.

Thanks for reading.

Comments

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

I'm putting this on record.

I. Freakin'. Hate Sombra!!!!!