8 - Interrogation
Bon Bon frowned to herself. She had come for two tasks, but she didn't know where Time Turner was anymore than she had at the start. On the other hoof... "Rain, you said you could--"
"--Sure can!" she quickly interrupted, bouncing around Bon Bon. "In fact, I already did."
Bon Bon stopped her walking, glancing around at the other ponies that walked past them. "You didn't... open it, did you?"
Rain shook her head quickly. "Nuh uh. I wanted to show you I can be reliable." She put a little hoof to her equally small chest. "I just unlocked it for you, so you can open it."
Bon Bon's lips quirked in a smile. "You are a darling, but we should hurry." She hastened to a lively trot, Rain half-galloping to keep up with her. "Somepony else could find it while it's unlocked."
Rain's eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't think of that. At least it's out of the way."
That would have to do, or so Bon Bon hoped as she hurried.
Guilty pushed open the door to her home with a sullen sigh. "Let's get you out of there," she promised as she trotted through her dark house. With a flash of green that light up the room briefly, she returned to her Guilty Pleasures form. "Now then..." She trailed off as she turned the corner.
There was the closet she had left Bon Bon in, but it was open. Worse, a key dangled right in the lock. Guilty broke into a sudden gallop into her private room. She skidded in front of a drawer and pulled it open with a quick tug of magic. She threw various bits of interesting clothing aside, all the better for her trade. Near the bottom was a key, identical to the one in the door.
But if that was still there... "Oooo, why did I even take you?" she hissed with a deep annoyance.
Her quarry had fled. "I hope she doesn't remember why she was here..." It wasn't assured, without her there to make sure with a little extra magic. The chances weren't awful, at least.
"There goes an easy meal..."
Bon Bon skidded around the corner behind the house. There was the box, closed, unlocked? She hurried to it to find out. Placing a hoof on either end of the top, she pushed it open as if assuming it was unlocked, and it was. It opened smoothly, revealing a very large device that appeared to be made of shiny plastics and metals.
Rain came to a quick halt beside her, peering at it with intensity. "What is it?"
"It's a little something to help this town." She stepped forward and shoved her face right into it, nuzzling deeper until it was wrapped around her. As she stood up tall, it clicked into place in a symphony of clangs. It looked like a colorful sousaphone, its bell facing towards her front and a mouthpiece in easy reach.
Rain clippety-clopped her forehooves together in applaud for her adopted mother's nifty device. "That's awesome! So..." Her eyes wandered over the instrument. "You're going to play that and make everypony feel better?"
"Not quite." Bon Bon glanced sideways at her little companion. She couldn't say much, not without spilling beans that weren't hers to spill. "A wiser pony than I sent me a letter saying I should play this to make the apples start growing again."
"Ohhhh." She bounced up to all fours and pointed to the orchard through the houses in the way. "Then we better get going."
Bon Bon reached out, getting a hoof on Rain's back just before she could get out of reach. "Hold your horses, Spring Rain. This works best after the sun goes down."
Rain turned back to Bon Bon. "Oh, so we have to wait. That's the worst part." She pouted a little before pointing off into the town. "What'll we do until then?"
"Until then..." Bon Bon began to walk slowly, her hooves thumping gently against the dirt. "I want you to tell me about your parents, your real ones. Such a special little filly like you must be missed."
Rain went quiet, though she kept walking along with Bon Bon.
The older mare put a hoof down on the other end of Spring and drew her closer. "It's alright. I'm not here to judge." Out loud, she silently added. "As your mother, I really should know where you came from. You asked me to trust you, but that goes both ways."
She snorted, lips trembling with the force of the almost-nicker. "It's nothing special..." She nodded her head at a passing stallion as they emerged from the alleyway. Her little ears twitched at other sounds of an active Appleloosa day. "My dad doesn't even know I exist..."
Bon Bon stiffened, but kept walking. "I'm sorry to hear that... Do you know why that is?"
"I'd rather not talk about that." She suddenly darted ahead, but only to circle around Bon Bon, walking backwards in front of her. "You're a great mom, Mom. You'll raise me right, and maybe let me have ice cream when I'm good?" She fluttered her little lashes at Bon Bon.
Bon Bon couldn't help but smile at the filly. "You are a dear little thing, but I want to know a bit more than that." She leaned in, almost tipping over with the weight of the instrument wrapped around her. She managed a little nuzzle on Spring Rain before righting herself. "Change of topic. What do you do?" She rolled a hoof in place, pausing a moment. "For fun, to start."
"Fun..." Spring frowned a little and pulled down her hat over her eyes. "Well... I mean... that depends... Sometimes I find lonely adults and talk with them."
Bon Bon snorted at that. "I'm not lonely."
"You looked lonely," hotly defended the filly. "And bored. Bored and lonely; so I came over, and we had fun."
Bon Bon gently nudged the filly with a hoof as she walked. "We did, but you aren't going around poking adults all the time, are you?"
"Not all the time," she admitted as she spun around and barely ducked between an oncoming adult's legs. "Watch it, pardner," she called after him with a raspberry before looking back to Bon Bon. "Sometimes I like to read."
Bon Bon twitched her ears softly. "Reading is nice. What do you like to read?"
"Little of this, little of that..." She tapped at the instrument that wrapped her new mother. "Is that heavy? I like stories that have big places to visit. Big adventures are the best."
Bon Bon quirked a little smile. "Adventures tend to be..." She trailed off. Telling a filly she read what foals tended to read sounded counterproductive, she decided suddenly. "--exciting reads," she corrected. "Do you read Daring Do?" When Spring Rain bobbed her head, Bon's smile brightened. "Did you know a princess reads that?"
Rain crashed to her little haunches, stunned. "Celestia reads Daring Do?!"
Bon Bon snatched up the filly as she passed her by, tossing Rain up onto her back behind the gaudy instrument. "Wrong princess. The second to newest, Twilight Sparkle. She has a great love for the series, I hear."
"Really?" She pulled herself forward, leaning forward and to the left to peek around the sousaphone that blocked the view.
"Adores them." Bon Bon smirked softly. She knew another person that was a fan, but that was a secret. She wasn't in the business of giving away secrets. "So you're in good company. Now... I was hoping to hear about your original mother." She turned an ear back to her passenger. "What was she like?" But no reply came.
Bon Bon trotted along with only the sounds of the town. She heard a pony announcing cool lemonade and could see the mare seated in a boot with many glasses in front of her, each with a wedge of lemon crowning them. The train was just pulling in, allowing ponies to come and go from the town freely. It was a busy day.
But Spring had gone quiet. "Was she... bad to you?" asked Bon Bon carefully. "I won't be angry. I just want to know."
Rain sat up on Bon Bon's back. "Can we go somewhere private? This ain't business to be sharin' with everyone!"
Bon Bon took note of the suddenly thicker accent. Was it a sign that Rain was distressed? Possibly. She looked left and right before moving towards the tavern/inn. There weren't a lot of extremely-short-term places to rest in Appleloosa. Most ponies who came had family to stay with. Despite that, Bon Bon ascended the short stairs to the tavern. "By the way, this is a secret." She tossed her head back towards the sousaphone that was wrapped around her. "Anyone else asks, it's just something I like to play."
She pushed into the busy room. There were ponies enjoying salt blocks, playing cards, and drinking various ciders and other things. They were shouting, cheering, and having a grand time of it. Bon Bon cleared her throat as she approached the bar. With an entirely new voice, she asked, "Do you have a new room available? I reckon ah'll be in town fer a day or two." She could feel Rain adjust on her, possibly surprised by the new accent and voice.
"Sure do, miss," replied the barkeep, grabbing a key in his mouth and slapping it down on the counter. "Fer you and your little filly there."
Bon Bon did not correct him. She took the key and left a few bits in trade. "Mighty kind of ya. Are meals included?"
"Free breakfast every day. Want us to knock when it's ready?"
"That'd be just peachy." Bon Bon began working her way through the room for the stairs.
Rain hugged Bon Bon tightly from above. "Do you mean it?" she said so quietly that Bon Bon could only tell something was said over the noise of the room.
"I can't hear you. Let's get to our room." She ascended the stairs into the relatively quieter hallway that held the rooms. "201, 202... Here we are." She stepped forward and got the key into the door without swallowing it. With a twist of her head, she opened it and they were soon inside. "Now then," she said with her previous voice. "What were you saying?"
Rain slid down and kicked the door shut. "Are you one too?!"
Bon Bon turned to the filly, confusion worn clearly on her face. "One what?"
"You know, I mean... You have to be..." She tapped her hooves together nervously. "You don't have to keep it a secret. I am too." With Bon Bon still looking at her quizzically, Spring Rain huffed. "You can change!"
"I can," agreed Bon Bon. "It helps blend in."
"Yeah..." Spring reached up for her hat and drew it down over her face. By the time it became visible again, a changeling was visible, smiling up at Bon Bon hopefully. "See? We're two of a..." She trailed off, noticing how Bon Bon recoiled. "Oh... I'll just--"
"--No!" Bon Bon thrust a hoof forward. "No, no... stay, please."
Spring Rain shrank in place. "I thought you were one of... this..." She waved a hoof at herself broadly. "You could change."
"Only my voice," admitted Bon Bon with a wry smile. "It would be very useful if I could do what changelings do, but I'm just an earth pony."
"And now you're scared of me."
"I never said that." Bon Bon settled down on her belly. "Hopefully I never will."
Spring took an uncertain step forward. "You're an odd mare."
Bon Bon smiled gently as a laugh escaped her. "I won't argue that, Spring Rain. Now come and tell me about your mother, for r--" It hit her. "Chrysalis."
Spring sagged with a weary sigh. "Worst. Mom. Ever." With a gush of short-lived flame, she returned to her fluffy filly self.
I decided to NOT hopscotch around so much this chapter. Let's focus in. Spring deserves a chapter basically to herself, and here we are. How many hugs would you give a little changeling filly looking for a good parent? What is the relation between Spring and Guilty?
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Poor Bon Bon she just came across something that is far more important then her mission to investigate Time Turner. Hopefully she will be accepting of the poor little Changeling.
Also I bet her father is an unknowing Shining Armor.
Might want to put Out loud in itallics, or something. When I read that, I saw it as:
...which obviously makes no sense. Took me a moment to get what you were going for. Maybe it's just me.
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I liked the structure of this chapter a lot more than the last few. Focusing on the most currently relevant plot points was a good decision, in my opinion. Thanks for the update!
Simon The Sousaphonera?
Yeah, she couldn't even defeat a princess of love. =P
On a side note, what's the status of the changelings in this story? Have they been changed like Thorax or no?
comic book guy reference nice
8781348
I imagine that will come up soon.
8781334
Fixed! Glad you're enjoying it.
This is just a gem. Why haven't people read this more
Well, that took a path we didn't quite expect precisely.
Still, secondary and tertiary objectives are still very much in progress.
Still, now that she's revealed proper plans and preparations can be laid out.
Interesting, she can manifest keys that fit locks at will? Or just the one?
Keep going! ;)
Well, I guessed half right.
Also, awwww!
8781281
That seems likely. Also shame on him, even if he WAS under mind control...
So not only are there two humans, but two changelings as well? This just keeps getting better and better...
8782430
Two... Humans? I don't even remember ONE being mentioned, and the Doctor isn't Human. He's a Gallifreyan.
I had a feeling about Spring Rain ever since Guilty Pleasure's nature was revealed. It's nice to guess right sometimes. Looking forward to more.
8783797
Are we even sure that this is the Doctor?? It never says that in the story. Besides, Bon Bon did mention that there were rumors of a "similar creature" in Manehatten. Either it's the Doctor and the Master, or Some unnamed doctor and some other human.
Who called it? This guy! Seems to me this is a problem that solves itself. As soon Bon Bon finishes up in Appleloosa, she'll head back to Ponyville and inform Lyra that their family has grown by one. Lyra has a lot of love to give!
I'm liking this. Wish the chapters were longer.
8888966
2k is my standard, for good or bad. At least I keep my updates on schedule.