8th Doctor - The Bon Vivant
On the outskirts of Ponyville a cream coloured mare with a blue and pink striped mane was sulking. Bon Bon was her name and she was angry over an argument she had just had with her marefriend Lyra.
The day had started off so well. She had closed her candy store early and the two of them had gone for a picnic in the park. Lyra was due to leave later that day to tour Equestria and would not return for several weeks, so the pair wanted to spend some time together before she left. By coincidence the weather had turned out to be perfect and the two had curled up together, tails intertwined, on a big red and white checker blanket in the park. They spent over an hour feeding each other tidbits from the feast they had brought.
Then the foals had arrived. School must have turned out for the day as dozens of miniature ponies had started to run squealing across the field. Several, lead by a marshmallow-like filly, had come over and begged Lyra to play for them. It had not taken much persuasion to make Bon Bon’s lover unpack her instrument and start to make music. The foals were held spellbound as the notes filled their ears. When she had finished they begged for another tune and then another. One of them, a white and brown spotted colt, nervously asked if he could try the instrument himself. Although she looked apprehensive Lyra had agreed and she had given the foal a short lesson, showing him how to handle the instrument. The noises the foal produced were far from musical to start off with but Lyra was patient with the child and after some instruction and encouragement the foal had managed to play a short tune by himself. By this time the sun was starting to dip and the foals, including Lyra’s pupil, had to leave for their dinners. Bon Bon watched them go with a smile on her face, then said the words that would cause all the problems.
“I want one.”
“Huh, want what?” asked Lyra.
“A foal, I want one.”
“Well the parents normally object if you just grab one and take them home with you,” joked Lyra, suddenly looking nervous.
“You know what I mean. You were great with that little guy, you’d be a great mother,” said Bon Bon nuzzling Lyra. “Just think, you could teach our foal how to make music and I can teach him to cook, the best of both of us.”
“We’ve had this conversation before Bonny,” said Lyra, sounding exasperated. “We want the best for our children and the store’s only just breaking even as it is. I’m not a starving musician but it’s still hard to make ends meet. We decided that we’d wait a few years.”
“No you decided that you wanted to wait. We don’t need a lot of bits to have a foal, we just need a lot of love. Don’t you love me, Lyra?” Bon Bon pouted at her mare fiend.
Lyra looked away. “That’s not fair Bonny, of course I love you. It’s just this is a big step, a foal’s a huge responsibility and I don’t know if I’m ready for it yet.”
“Then when will you be ready!” Bon Bon stamped her hoof.
“Look, I’ve gotta go,” said Lyra, changing the topic. “My train leaves in an hour and I still need to pack. We can talk about this more when I get back, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll still be here when you get back, it’s not like I’m going anywhere, not like anything’s going to change,” said Bon Bon bitterly.
They had walked back to their home in an icy silence before heading to the station, where they had shared a passionless kiss before Lyra caught her train and headed off into the distance.
Still fuming, Bon Bon had marched out of town to try and cool down. “Stupid hormones,” she cursed. She was always broody for a few weeks after her heat. Still, there was more to it than that. Lyra had left for almost four years when she went off to Canterlot. Of course they’d visited and written but when she’d gotten back she’d just expected everything to pick up where they’d left off. But Bon Bon wanted more than that, she wanted their relationship to have actually progressed. They were living together but whenever she suggested anything more permanent, anything official, Lyra would shut her down.
Suddenly a whistling sound broke into Bon Bon’s thoughts. She looked up in surprise and saw a ball of fire streak across the sky. She threw herself to the ground as it passed overhead and crashed a short distance away, shaking the ground with its impact.
Bon Bon’s first thought was to run, fearing it could be some sort of new weapon sent by Corona. Then she heard a thin distorted cry from the direction of the impact. Was somepony hurt? Swallowing her fear, Bon Bon began to slowly make her way to the crater made by the impact. The ground was warm to the touch but not as hot as she had expected. The cry continued but sounded wrong, artificial in some way.
“Hello!” she called. “Are you alright?”
The setting sun cast shadows from the shattered land but she thought she saw something at the bottom of the crater, something colourful and moving slightly. She stepped forward. It didn’t appear to be a pony but was the source of the cry, what was it?
Suddenly it seemed to spit something at her. She opened her mouth to scream but only ended up getting a mouthful of the viscous goo. In her surprise she swallowed, then gagged - the liquid was sickeningly sweet. She tried to back away but her legs didn’t seem to want to obey her and she fell forwards towards the creature that had attacked her. Her heart was beating so fast she feared it would tear itself from her chest. She was suddenly almost painfully full of energy but could only twitch as she lost control of her body. Her vision blurred and then filled with a million shades of white. The last thing she remembered before her mind emptied was the creature talking to her, although she could not make out its words.
‘Finally I’m home’ thought Lyra. For almost a month now she had been travelling Equestria, going from gig to concert to event to garden party. She wasn’t sure if it was her talent, her friendship with Octavia or her recent knighting which had made her so popular - she hoped the former - but she had certainly been in demand this summer. It had been a very profitable time for her as well, her saddlebags clinked with bits and a certain something else she hoped she was brave enough to use later.
Still as busy as her month had been it had also been torture. A month away from Bon Bon after how they had left things was pure pain for her. She had started to write her first apology letter before the train had even arrived at its first stop. She had written each following day as well and even sent a few telegrams but received no reply. Was Bonny really still mad at her, or had something happened to her? Thoughts like that kept her awake at night. It was only her professionalism and the contracts that she had signed which prevented her returning early to see what had happened.
Now that she was almost there she felt like running, although whether towards or away from the Confectionarium she wasn’t sure. For a moment she considered visiting one of her friends first, Cheerilee or maybe Ditzy to get some advice on what to say, but no, she had to do this now before she chickened out entirely. With a tentative hoof she reached out and knocked on the back door to the shop. Nothing happened while the seconds ticked by turning into minutes. Dark thoughts started to gather in Lyra’s mind, maybe something had happened to Bon Bon while she was away. She knocked again harder this time, pounding on the door. “Bonny!” she cried.
Suddenly the door was thrown open and then in front of her stood her lover.
“Lyra!” cried Bon Bon, “You’re back,” she practically leapt onto the aqua unicorn nuzzling her frantically. Lyra returned her affections equally strongly; Bon Bon was ok, and the world was ok. She buried her face into her marefriend’s mane and took a deep breath. The smell of burnt sugar and body odour filled her muzzle and she almost gagged.
She pulled back and surveyed her marefriend properly. Bon Bon looked terrible. Her mane was limp and tangled, both it and her coat were grimy and patches of a sugary substance clung to her. She smelt like she hadn’t bathed in a week and she seemed thinner as well, almost emaciated. The worst were her eyes - Lyra had always loved Bon Bon’s big blue eyes, eyes to get lost in, but now they were bloodshot and heavy bags hung beneath them as if she hadn’t slept in weeks. Even worse they seemed glazed despite glowing with feverish intensity, as though they looked straight through Lyra and focused on some point behind her head.
“Bonny! Your hair! Your eyes! What happened to you?”
“Humm? Oh, I’ve been busy, very busy, I haven't had the time to keep myself presentable.”
“Busy? What have you been doing?”
“Oh,” she looked left and right furtively before continuing, “it’s a secret.” she giggled, “But don’t worry you won't have to wait long to find out, I’ll tell you all about it after dinner. Just don’t go into the lab.”
“The lab?” asked Lyra. The lab was a secondary kitchen kept in the basement of the shop, it had been named and stocked by Bon Bon’s mother. Bon Bon didn’t use it often but sometimes tried out new recipes there. Had she been working on some new type of treat?
“Yes the lab, stupid!” snarled Bon Bon suddenly. “Don’t go down there if you know what’s good for you!” Then as quickly as her burst of anger had started it disappeared. “Come on in, dinner's almost ready, you should unpack while I clean up a bit.” She trotted off into the building, leaving an astonished Lyra to warily follow behind her.
Like its owner the house was also a mess. A thick layer of dust covered most of the surfaces and the floors were grimy. A large pile of post lay unopened at the side of the door, and Lyra recognised some of the letters she’d sent over the last few weeks. Bon Bon hurriedly pushed Lyra up the stairs and into their bedroom. It was in as poor shape as the rest of the house, and the bedclothes were tangled and unwashed.
“Bon Bon,” said Lyra, “are you sure everything’s okay? This place is,” she picked her words carefully, “messy.”
“I told you I’ve been busy,” replied Bon Bon lightly. “It’s nothing a quick dusting wouldn’t fix. Now get ready for dinner, I’m just going to check on something, then I’ll have a shower and we can eat. I’ve made something special just for you.”
“I’m sorry about how we left thing’s before I left. We need to talk about it.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that now, it’s all water under the bridge.” There was a hitch in her voice.
“Bon Bon, you’re crying. What’s wrong?”
“I am?” the cream mare held a hoof up to her eyes, and it came back wet. “I am,” she said in surprise. “Don’t worry, I’m just so happy, everything is just perfect now you’re here. Anyway I’ll be back in a minute.” With that she headed back down the stairs.
Shell shocked, Lyra dropped onto the bed. ‘What was going on here?’ she thought. Bon Bon had gotten caught up in projects before but only for a few hours, nothing leading to this level of neglect. Maybe Bon Bon was ill, she didn’t look well... She clamped down on this thought. There couldn’t be anything wrong with Bon Bon, there just couldn’t. Removing her saddlebags with her magic Lyra hung them up on the door before removing her gift. She wondered where to put it. She briefly considered hiding it under a pillow before deciding to put it in one of her spare Lyre cases - Bon Bon wouldn’t look in there.
As promised Bon Bon returned only a few minutes later looking even spacier that before, licking her lips as she staggered back up the stairs. “Hi Lyra,” she slurred. “You’re looking really good tonight, how about we have ‘dessert’ early?” She wandered over swinging her flanks in what she seemed to think was a sexy fashion but was let down by the fact that it made her stumble several times. When she reached Lyra she started to cover her face with sloppy kisses.
Gagging at the smell of her marefriend’s breath and body odour, Lyra pushed Bon Bon off of her. ‘Was she drunk?’ she thought, ‘I can’t smell alcohol, but it tastes like she hasn’t brushed her teeth in weeks.’
Bon Bon stared at her marefriend through unfocused eyes for a second before suddenly bursting into tears. “You think I’m ugly!” she sobbed. “This is your fault! You did this to me!”
Confused Lyra hugged Bon Bon, “What’s wrong with you? What did I do?”
Suddenly the cream mare was calm again, “Nothing’s wrong, everything’s perfect. It’s just some mood swings, their perfectly normal in my condition.”
“Your condition? Please Bon Bon, tell me what’s going on,” begged Lyra.
“Don’t worry I’ll tell you soon enough, after dinner. I just need to clean up a bit and then we can eat. Amuse yourself for a while, I’ll be right back.”
With that she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, and after a few seconds the sound of running water could be heard followed by some off-key singing which swiftly faded away. Lyra cautiously approached the bathroom and gently pushed the door open. The room was as messy as the rest of the house. Bon Bon was slumped in the shower, apparently asleep on her hooves with the hot water streaming down over her, washing some of the gunk out of her coat and mane.
Seeing that Bon Bon seemed to be ok for the moment, Lyra decided to search the house for any further clues as to her marefriend’s strange behaviour. Closing the door quietly, she slowly made her way down the stairs. The mouth-watering smell of cooking drifted from the kitchen. She entered and saw something baking in the oven. Searching the larder Lyra found it almost empty with only a few, mostly rotten, vegetables left. There were a few packages littering the table, which in itself was odd as Bon Bon was normally scrupulous about tidying up behind herself, and several herbs of a type Lyra was not familiar with remained on the chopping board.
Returning to the front door, Lyra examined the pile of letters. They seemed to stretch back to the day after she left. As she’d expected the pile included all of the letters she’d sent, unopened.
Slowly, she went from room to room. Each was just a dusty and disused as those she had already seen. Even the shop itself seemed to have been abandoned, stale stock covering the displays. What could be so important that Bon Bon had just closed the shop for a month? Having searched the whole of the ground floor that only left one room, the very room she had been avoiding, the room Bonny had told her not to go into - the lab.
Nervously, she made her way one hoof at a time down the stairs that lead to the lab’s door. The short corridor was lit by a single flickering gas lamp which threw crazy shadows around the room. Unlike the rest of the house this area was clean, almost antiseptic, and there was a faint smell of bleach almost covered by a stronger smell of burnt sugar. She didn’t know how but this place felt wrong to Lyra, her instincts shouted to her to run. Knees knocking, she made her way step by step to the end of the corridor and, ready to flee at the slightest provocation, tried the door. It would not open. She studied it, a brand new shiny lock graced it. She put her head to the door and listened. The smell was almost overwhelming here, and the door seemed to be vibrating slightly and was warm to the touch. There was a continuous artificial humming sound and audible over that the sound of a pump almost like a heartbeat, giving a slow steady rhythm.
“Lyra!” came Bon Bon’s muffled voice from upstairs. “Where are you? Dinner’s ready!”
The green mare leapt into the air in surprise and almost brained herself on the low ceiling. Turning in panic she rushed back up the corridor, leapt up the stairs and shut the door behind her just as Bon Bon was coming down the stairs from the bedroom, drying her mane with a towel. She looked marginally better after her wash but her eyes were still bloodshot.
“What are you doing there?” she asked eyeing Lyra suspiciously.
“Nothing,” replied Lyra somewhat unconvincingly as she leant against the door to the basement.
Bon Bon stared at her for a second before turning to the kitchen. “Come on,” she said, “we can eat now, I’ve made something special. Then I’ll tell you my good news.”
The meal turned out to be pumpkin lasagne, normally one of Lyra’s favourite dishes but in this case Bon Bon’s cooking talent seemed to have failed her. The normally textured flavour was overpowered by the bitter taste of some unknown herbs. Still Lyra pretended to enjoy it while Bon Bon looked on closely, hardly touching her own meal. Lyra tried to make light conversation about her tour but Bon Bon didn’t seem to be interested and only responded with grunts.
When the rather awkward meal was finally over Lyra put aside her empty plate, feeling oddly bloated. “Now what was this surprise you had for me? Is it why you’re so tired?” she said tactfully.
Bon Bon walked over to the oven and opened it before grabbing a bread roll from the counter and pushing it inside. She gestured at the oven and smiled.
Lyra looked perplexed at her marefriend’s bizarre behaviour. “What?” she asked.
Bon Bon sighed. “What do you see?”
“You put a roll in the oven?”
“It’s a bun, I have a bun in the oven, I’m going to have a foal!” Bon Bon began to hop around the kitchen in excitement while Lyra’s jaw dropped in shock. She made gurgling sounds as her brain tried to process this information.
“Pregnant? But... what... how?” stammered Lyra once she regained control of her mouth.
Suddenly Bon Bon was in the green mare’s face, eyes bright and with just a hint of tears in them. “Please tell me that you’re happy for us, that it’s going to be alright, I don’t think I can do this alone. I’m scared,” she whispered.
Lyra stared at her marefriend for a second, a range of emotions flickering across her face, joy, fear and anger all appeared. Then she grabbed Bon Bon into a tight hug. “Don’t worry, I’m here, it’s all going to be alright.”
Bon Bon let out a long breath and collapsed into her lovers grasp. They both stayed like that for a long time before separating.
“I thought we were going to talk some more about this before we did anything?” asked Lyra trying to keep the anger out of her voice. She took some calming breaths. “So who’s the father? Big Mac didn’t finally say yes did he? And you didn’t tell me? You know I wanted to watch,” she continued with a crooked smile.
“No, Lyra, this is our child, yours and mine.”
“Like I’m Dad and Pop’s filly? But they still needed Skyla to make me. Who’s the stallion?” a burst of anger surfaced. “You didn’t just raise your tail to a random guy did you?”
“What kind of mare do you think I am?” snarled Bon Bon stamping on the floor. Then the fury drained out of her. “There was no stallion, it’s our baby, ours alone. I went for a walk then,” confusion passed over her face, “something happened and I knew I had our child.”
“Something happened?” horror entered Lyra’s eyes. “Bonny you weren’t... somepony didn’t...” she couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
“No! No! Nothing like that, I can’t explain it yet but it’s ours, a new life made out of the best of you and me just like we’ve talked about. Why won’t you believe me?”
“But, this is impossible! You need a mare and a stallion to make a baby, we don’t have the ... equipment.”
“It’s happened before, I’ve heard that Commander Hurricane had Pansy's foal.”
“That’s a flutterpony story from thousands of years ago, some versions say Pansy was a stallion, Tartarus, some say Hurricane was a guy, but this is real life. “ Lyra started to pace the floor, swaying slightly. “I want to believe you, I really do. I’d love you to be able to have my foal but it just can’t be.” Lyra was starting to feel light headed from the strangeness of the day. “What has the doctor said about this?”
“Oh, I haven't seen any doctor’s yet, they just want to poke and prod.”
“So how do you know you’re pregnant?”
“The baby told me,” said Bon Bon matter of factly as she opened a nearby cupboard and brought out box containing two bowls of ice cream sitting in a layer of crushed ice.
“What do you mean the baby told you?”
“She talks to me, tells me how to be a good mother, what to do for her. Now open up, here comes the train,” she said in a sing song voice as she took a spoon full of the desert and fed it to Lyra.
“Oh, that’s good,” said Lyra as she swallowed, “Wait, is that Kiwi fruit? You know I’m allergic to Kiwi. It messes up my horn.” She could already feel an ache in her head.
“I’m sorry,” said Bon Bon unconvincingly, talking a mouthful of the ice cream herself, “I forgot, but the baby thinks that too much magic is bad for her.”
“That’s alright,” Lyra slurred, swaying slightly on her hooves. She felt she should have been angrier about this but her full belly suddenly seemed to be sapping all her energy, and emotions were becoming too tiring.
“Maybe you should lie down dear,” said Bon Bon leaning against her marefriend to steady her.
The white mare’s skin felt feverishly hot to Lyra as she slumped against her. A thought tried to force its way into her head as if through a sea of honey. “You put something... *yawn* something in the lasagne... didn’t you? Why?”
“The baby told me you might be worried about the news so I gave you something to help you sleep. You’ve been traveling all day, you could use the rest.” Lyra’s legs gave out beneath her and Bon Bon gently pushed her onto one of the seats. “When you wake up she’ll almost be here, then we can be one big happy family.”
Tons of weight seemed to pull down on Lyra’s eyelids and Bon Bon’s voice seemed to echo from miles away. With a superequine effort she opened her mouth to speak, “But... months ...till ...baby.”
“Oh, our baby is special. She’ll be all done in a day or two, you’ll see.”
The last thing Lyra saw was Bon Bon’s excited face, as if down a long tunnel.
Her horn was itching. That was the first thing that Lyra was aware of. She tried to raise a hoof to scratch it but something was holding her legs down. “Bonny,” she mumbled, “Scratch horn... itches.”
She felt dextrous hooves rub the inflamed skin around her horn and was lost for a moment in bliss as the irritation was banished. Then her eyes snapped open and she remembered what had happened to her, Bonny’s strange behaviour, claiming she was pregnant, drugging her. Along with her memory sensations also returned, her head throbbed in pain both from the reaction to the Kiwi and presumably from the sleeping agent. She struggled to rise but all four of her legs and her barrel were tied to a mobile serving table. She blinked against the harsh glare of lights that were giving an oddly steady glow unlike gas or candle light.
She looked around as best she could. She appeared to be in the lab although it had been significantly refurbished. Much of the catering equipment had been ripped out and piled in the corner like junk while various supplies were stacked against the walls. The main oven remained but it had been significantly altered. It now stood larger than an adult pony with various pipes running in and out of it containing coloured concoctions. Wires ran to it from large glass jars containing colourless liquids and shards of metal. From this monstrosity came the regular beating sound she had heard previously, along with waves of heat.
Bonnie stood next Lyra looking down at her with a wide smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her coat and mane were once again splattered with sugar and she seemed even more exhausted than before, barely remaining standing despite leaning against the table. “You're awake,” she announced. “You slept for almost a whole day, I thought you might miss the birth.”
“Birth? Bonnie, what is all this?” asked Lyra through chapped lips.
Bon Bon gestured towards the modified oven. “This? I borrowed most of it from mum. She thinks I’m following in her hoofsteps. Won’t she be surprised when she finds out she’s a grandmother?”
“But what is it?”
“This is where our baby is being made, silly. She designed it herself. I’m sure she’s going to grow up to be a cook, or an engineer or scientist. I wonder what cutie mark she’ll get?”
“She? Bonny, how can our baby be in that thing?”
“She’s a very special foal. I know just how she’ll turn out, she did want to be a colt but I thought a filly would be nicer. She’ll be an earth pony like me, we couldn’t figure out how to make wings or a horn.” Suddenly a whistle blew from somewhere out of sight. “She’s almost ready.”
“Bonny! Please stop this! Can’t you see this is wrong? Babies aren't born from ovens! Please!” begged Lyra, thrashing against her bonds.
“Now you’re just getting cold hooves. Once you see our daughter, and hold her in your hooves you’ll love her as much as I do, as much as I love you. Please love her.” Tears streamed down Bon Bon’s face as she started to attach wires to her body and lowered a hat attached to the oven by a thick tube onto her head.
The throbbing sound increased in intensity and the lights around the room started to dim. Bon Bon gave a gasp and started to twitch.
“Bonny!” Lyra cried out helplessly. She tried to reach out with her telekinesis but her horn did not respond.
“Don’t worry,” gasped Bon Bon, “This is natural, birth is always painful. Remember, whatever happens, I love you so much!” Then she went stiff and screamed as blue lighting ran up and down her body. There was a loud crack and the thumping suddenly stopped. Bon Bon dropped to the ground, smoke rising from her body.
“Bonny! Bonny!” screamed Lyra at her lover’s unmoving form. “Please, talk to me! Please!”
Suddenly the front of the oven cracked open, releasing a torrent of thick red liquid which started to spread over the floor to where Lyra laid helplessly. A deep powerful voice reverberated around the room. “Congratulations, it’s a monster.” A figure emerged from the oven and shook the remaining liquid off of itself.
Lyra stared at it and screamed and screamed and screamed.
“These horse shoes, they fit perfectly!” announced the doctor waving a hoof. His current incarnation was once again an earth pony, maybe a hoof shorter than average height with a dark red coat and a long curly mane. He was dressed in a long velvet coat and under that a brown waistcoat and an untidy brown cravat. “The last time I was here the transmogrifier didn’t quite get them right and they chaffed my hooves something rotten, but this time, just right.” He danced a quick jig to demonstrate.
“This place,” muttered his companion, Izzy, ignoring his behaviour. She too was an earth pony with a slighter build than normal. Her coat was light green, and her mane was brown apart from two white bangs which fell next to her eyes. “It’s so colourful, it’s like a cartoon. Like that children’s program, what was it called... My Small Horsie?”
“I’m afraid that what with saving the world every few days I don’t normally get much time to watch television. Although I’ve never missed an episode of Blue Peter, and I have a soft spot for the Clangers - after all, it was me that got them that show.”
“Oh, I didn’t watch it much, it was too girly, I preferred The Alternators or Conflict Division.” she continued conversationally. “Anyway, it’s interesting to change species for a while but I wouldn’t want to be stuck this way, I like my hands.”
The two of them were wandering the idyllic streets of Ponyville, watching the population go about their daily business. Here and their ponies greeted each other as they passed, and in a small park a number of foals were chasing around after a large dog shaped creature made of wood.
Their original target for this visit, the shard of the wall separating the universes, had been found rather quickly in the form of a small statue part buried in a field. Now, converted back to its natural form, it was safe and secure in the Doctors pocket and ready to be restored to its rightful place when the travellers returned to the TARDIS. However, it had occurred to the Doctor that although he had visited Equestria several times before, he had not really had the time to just wander and meet the locals, and this seemed the perfect time to do just that. Their journey had taken them into the centre of the town and the Doctor considered visiting some of the friends he had made on previous visits - Raindrops, Ditzy, Cheerilee, maybe even dear Fluttershy. Although he would have to make sure he wasn’t visiting them before they first met. Such was the danger of time travel.
While Izzy was still gazing around the town wide eyed the Doctor spotted something out of place. “That’s interesting,” he said.
“What is?”
“You see that building over there? The pink and blue one?”
“Yeah, Bon Bon’s Confectionarium,” she said reading the sign above the door. “It’s a sweet shop, what’s odd about that? I guess the ponies must get bored of grass sometimes.”
“Nothing at all. But this,” he trotted over and to a tarpaulin sitting next to the shop and yanked it off to reveal what looked like a pile of scrap to Izzy, “appears to the be the remains of the ghost drive of a Z49 waste disposal pod, which doesn’t belong in this universe at all.”
“Ok,” said Izzy pointing at her face, “This is me pretending that I know what you’re talking about. Care to explain the technobabble?”
“It’s a rather effective but as the same time messy form of waste disposal used by humanity around the 25th century.” He looked down into the remains of the device. “Used to get rid of particularly toxic chemicals and a few even more toxic individuals. The theory was simple enough, you load whatever you want to get rid of into it and fire it into space. Once it gets far enough away it activates a rather unstable warp drive and drops into a random dimension, hopefully far away from home. Problem was, they sometimes left great big holes in the fabric of reality which let all sorts of nasty things come through. They were eventually outlawed. If one made it here then the contents could be causing all sorts of problems.” He scanned the wreckage with both the tracker and his sonic screwdriver. “Hum, the cargo space seem to be empty and no toxic residue I can find. Oddly enough it seems to have picked up some sort of shielding against this universe’s physics. The odds of that happening by accident is a billion to one, but that happens nine times out of ten. It’s just as well as if it hadn’t there would have been a rather large bang. Still it is degrading slowly, we’d better get this back to the TARDIS. But first I’d like to talk to whoever found it.”
Izzy walked up to the front door and peered into the window, “It looks abandoned to me. Maybe somepony just dumped it here?”
“Maybe, but if this place is abandoned no one will mind if we take a look around. Even if someone is here maybe we can pick up some jelly babies - or should that be jelly foals? It’s been ages since I’ve had one.” He wandered around the back of the building and tried the door. “It’s not locked,” he said opening the door. “And it looks like the cleaners are on strike.”
Izzy and the Doctor entered the building and found themselves in a rather dusty hallway. Izzy examined the pile of post near the door. “Looks like no one's been here for a while.”
“Or it’s all junk mail.” The Doctor’s ears pricked up. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Well now all I can hear is you talking. Be quiet for a second.” His ears twitched around for a second. “Odd, a humming sound, seems electrical but I don’t recall seeing any electric lighting around town. I think it’s coming from this way.” The two of them quietly moved down the hall to an open door which led down some stairs into another dimly lit hall with a solid looking door at the far end.
Suddenly a series of screams split the air from behind the door. The Doctor took off like a shot, yanking open the door and rushing through it with Izzy following just behind him. They entered into a cluttered room. The air was full of steam and much of the floor was covered in red gloop. The source of the screaming was a green unicorn mare with a green and white mane bound to a wheeled table near the centre of the room. Looming over her was a bizarre figure. Roughly pony shaped, it was half as big again as the average stallion and appeared to be made out of a mix of sweets and metal. Its chest seemed to be a large boiled sweet while its barrel was made from a jelly like substance and its limbs seemed to be sticks of rock braced with metal. Strangest of all its head which consisted of a carved block of sugar with a jaw made out of a gnashing mass of metal teeth while its eyes were glowing red searchlights.
The Doctor pulled up short and looked at the strange creature, “Kandyman?” he asked.
The figure turned towards the intruders, “How do you know my name?” it asked in a deep voice.
“Lucky guess?” suggested the Doctor backing away.
“Kandyman?” said Izzy, “Looks more like a Kandymare to me, arn’t you missing something?”
“Stay where you are!” the Kandymare ordered. She raised a candy cane leg and the hoof hinged down to reveal a gun barrel. “Or get a face full of sour candy.” The gun made a spitting sound and a yellow mass splattered onto the ground in front of the Doctor. The floor started to hiss as the chemical ate into it. “Very sour candy.”
“Bonny! Bonny!” sobbed Lyra hysterically.
“Oh, do be quiet, Mater,” rumbled the Kandymare, walking over to Bon Bon’s still form while keeping her gun arm pointed at the Doctor, “She sacrificed herself for my greater good.”
Suddenly Bon Bon’s form convulsed and her eyes snapped open. “My baby!” she gasped.
“It appears that mother is made of sterner stuff than I had thought. The transfusion should have killed her.”
“Transfusion?” questioned the Doctor inching towards the table Lyra was tied to.
“I’m not of this pathetic Technicolor universe. In order to function in it I required a measure of a native’s energy - their magic, or soul, you might say. After a little chemical encouragement Bon Bon here was more than happy to give me hers.”
“Bon Bon’s soul!” gasped Lyra
“Oh, don’t worry, it’ll grow back. Eventually. This time. After all I might need a top up, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to oblige.”
“My baby!” gasped Bon Bon again. With surprising strength she grabbed the Kandymare into a hug, throwing her off balance.
Seizing his opportunity the Doctor leapt for Lyra’s table. “Run Izzy!” he yelled as the Kandymare shot at him. The yellow gloop missed but hit one of the table legs which quickly disintegrated, dropping Lyra to the floor with a yelp. Izzy ran for the door but slipped on the red slime coating the floor and ended up in a pile of hooves near the oven the Kandymare had emerged from.
Using his tail the Doctor swept a set of cutlery from a side table at the Kandymare, who staggered back under the assault. With his mouth the red stallion grabbed Lyra and swung her onto his back and galloped out of the laboratory. “Don’t worry Miss...”
“Lyra.”
“Lyra, we’ll be safe in a minute.”
“But what about Bon Bon! We can’t leave her with that monster!” Lyra struggled, trying to lever herself off the Doctor’s back.
The Doctor dashed up the stairs and skidded as he reached the top, almost crashing into a wall before running to the front door. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back, I just need to get you and Izzy out of danger. Izzy?” he looked around as he reached for the door.
“You should stop if you’d like your little friend to keep her head,” came the Kandymare’s voice from behind them.
The Doctor turned to see the monster standing at the top of the stairs holding his gun leg to Izzy’s head.
“Sorry, Doctor,” she said apologetically.
“Doctor!” hissed the Kandymare, “Can it be? You look different. But then so do I, and you’re still a thorn in my side. How did you get here from Terra Alpha? Come to make certain of my destruction?”
“An unhappy coincidence, I’m afraid. I didn’t know you had survived - the last time I saw you, you were buried in molten sugar.”
“Oh Gilbert built me to last. He was, after all, working from my own designs. I may have a caramel core but my brain is protected by something a lot stronger. The new killjoy government decided to take rather drastic steps to destroy me and I ended up here. Still we’ll be able to catch up with old times soon, after we put your companions somewhere safe.” She gestured towards the back of the house, “Move,” she commanded.
The creature that called itself the Kandymare forced the trio to follow it into the shop’s main storage room, where bags of sugar, tubs of caramel and jugs of milk covered the floor and walls. Izzy wearily walked to the room while the Doctor gently lowered the still bound Lyra to the floor.
“Now Doctor, you can come with me. It’s time we had a little ‘chat’,” said the Kandymare gesturing with its gun arm.
“Are you going to be alright?” the Doctor asked Izzy.
“I’ll be fine, since I met you being locked up is second nature.”
“Well if you get thirsty maybe you can find something fizzy and refreshing down here,” whispered the Doctor.
“Sure,” said Izzy looking confused, “I’ll do that.”
“Now, Doctor,“ thundered the Kandymare.
“Coming.”
The artificial pony forced the Doctor out of the store before slamming the door behind him. The sound of a bar being slotted into place to seal the door could be heard.
Izzy walked over the Lyra and clumsily tried to untie her with her hooves. “Let’s get you free.”
“What did that thing do to Bon Bon?” muttered Lyra, looking shell shocked.
“Who?” asked Izzy now trying to gnaw at the bonds.
“Bon Bon, my marefriend. That thing did something to her mind, made her think it was our child, made her drug me.”
“Marefriend?” said Izzy looking surprised, “That’s a thing here?”
“What’s a thing?”
“Two... mares, you know, together.”
“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t it be?”
“No reason I suppose,” said Izzy, sounding awkward. Finally the rope binding Lyra’s front hooves broke.
“Oww, Oww, Oww,” mutter Lyra shaking her hooves, “Pins and needles. If I wasn’t such a coward she’d be my wife by now and we would have a real foal of our own. I just keep thinking that one day she’ll wake up and realise she could do better than me, someone richer, better. I don’t want her to make a decision about being with me that she’ll regret later. Bonny’s always been the strong one, I don’t know if I can help her now.” she looked up at Izzy eyes wet with tears.
“Umm, stiff upper lip, where there's life there’s hope, things like that,” said Izzy gingerly patting Lyra on the back. “Look is there any lemonade down here?”
“Lemonade? Why?”
“Something the Doctor said about a fizzy drink. I can’t say I understand it but it’s probably part of an anti Kandymare weapon or something, he’s good at things like that.”
“Wait, the Doctor, that guy from another universe? The girls told me about him.”
“Yep, that’s us, he said he’d been here before. Of course the ‘girls’ would know about him, he seems to have one in every port.”
“Pleased to meet you then. I’m Lyra Heartstrings by the way.”
“I’m Izzy, err, Izzy Sci Fi Fan.”
The two of them started to search the room, Lyra still hobbling on her numb hooves.
“So how did you and Bon Bon get together?” asked Izzy pushing aside a bottle of curdled milk.
“I’ve known Bon Bon almost all my life,” replied Lyra listlessly searching through an unlabelled cardboard box full of baking trays. “We’ve always been friends and when puberty hit we just sort of moved on to the next level.”
“So there’s never been anyone else for you then?”
“Never. It was always her and I suppose it’s always been me for her... well, there was someone else once, sort of.” She started to smile “Not long before I went to Canterlot we had an argument about it and sort of broke up, and she went on a date with Roseluck. When I found out I was terrified she’d finally found someone else. I couldn’t sleep so I got up, got my Lyre and marched over to her house, sat outside and started to play. Kept at it for hours even after her mum threatened to use me as a taste tester. Eventually, just as Luna was raising the sun Bonny came out. She said she’d wanted to see if I was taking her for granted. I should probably have been angry but I was just so happy she was still mine. Then her dad turned a hose on us.”
“Awww. Err, anyway, you fought for her then, you can do it now.”
Lyra looked surprised for a moment. “You’re right, I can’t let this creature take her away from me.” She returned to her search with increased vigour, throwing trays aside.
“Now, Doctor, we can have a little chat,” said the Kandymare, now wearing a chef’s hat. She had forced the Doctor back to the lab and had bound him to one of the tables using some gooey substance which the Doctor though might be toffee but had set as hard as concrete. The artificial pony had then ignored the Doctor for some time while mixing up some concoction from the ingredients which were scattered around the room while humming happily to herself. Finally she poured the mixture out into a tray. In the background Bon Bon had slowly started to recover from what had done to her and was struggling groggily to get to her hooves.
“You say you arrived here by accident?” continued the artificial mare leaning over the Doctor so that her eyes shone in his face.
“More or less, that’s how I arrive at most places. It keeps things exciting.”
“I don’t believe you,” thundered the Kandymare smashing a hoof into the stone wall of the lab leaving a deep indentation. “You came here to find me, what other reason could there be for you to be in this misbegotten dimension?”
“Well there’s the hoofball, and stage shows, oh and I know a mare who makes a cheesecake that just to die for.”
“Oh, very glib Doctor, but I’ve got just the sweet to wipe that smile off your face.”
“What’s going on?” mumbled Bon Bon, “I feel so strange. You’re my daughter but how? Where’s Lyra?” she wailed, “I want Lyra.”
“Excuse me for a minute Doctor, family business,” said the Kandymare turning towards the cream mare with a sigh. “Feeling confused, mother? It must be time for your medicine.” A small hatch opened in her side and she retrieved a plastic bottle topped with a teat, containing a honey like substance. Bon Bon’s eye’s locked onto it and she started to stagger towards the Kandymare.
“Drink up, mother.” The Kandymare held out the bottle and Bon Bon locked her jaw around the top. Her ‘daughter’ squeezed a generous helping of the mixture into the mares mouth, causing her to moan in pleasure before falling backwards as her legs collapsed beneath her.
“I love you so much,” announced Bon Bon, hugging herself. Her eyes were wide and her pupils tiny staring into the distance.
“Of course you do,” sneered the Kandymare, returning the bottle to its cavity.
“What did you do to her?” snarled the Doctor, fighting helplessly against his bindings.
“Do, Doctor? Why I gave her something sweet. One of my best recipes in fact, liquid love. Sugar, spice, Lysergic acid diethylamide, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine and all things nice, that’s what little Bon Bon is high on, oh and to top it all off a big dollop of Oxytocin. It worked even better than I could have hoped. She would do anything for me, die for me, even kill for me.” An evil grin crossed the Kandymare’s artificial face. “Would you like a demonstration? Mother, I think we should have a sale.”
“A sale?” mumbled the drugged mare.
“Yes, a one off deal, we can give away these special treats I just made.” She indicated the tray of recently poured chocolates. “They’re so very tasty and so very deadly. Just for the little ones.”
Bon Bon, nodded and balanced the tray on her back and began to walk to the stairs. Then she turned. “But deadly?” she asked.
“Now now mother, you do love me don’t you?”
“Oh, almost more than anything,” she replied dreamily.
“You don’t need to do this, think about what you’re doing!” shouted the Doctor.
“Do be quiet!” commanded the Kandymare, taking off her hat and roughly forcing it into the Doctor's mouth, silencing him.
“Now if you do love me, you’ll do what I want and I want you to go upstairs and open up the shop, then put that tray of sweeties on the counter with a sign saying they’re free to foals and come back here.”
Bon Bon nodded slowly, her brow furrowed, and staggered off again almost dropping the tray.
“You just can’t get the staff these days,” muttered the Kandymare to herself. “Now Doctor, I’ve never liked children. Greedy, sticky little things, never appreciating my talents. The adults of this place might be of some use to me as slaves, but the foals them I can do without.” She reached into a pile of junk on the floor and pulled out a glass box. Poking at a few buttons on the front an image appeared in the box. It showed Bon Bon in the shop with a pen in her mouth writing a sign, the tray of chocolate near the middle of the picture. “Good. I had Bon Bon place a camera in the shop so I could see what was happening. Now we can watch the last moments of the town’s children, all through the magic of television.”
“Aaaaaarrgggghhh” screamed Lyra in frustration, “Stupid sugar.” she kicked at a sack of the substance, spilling it across the floor.
Lyra and Izzy had seemingly searched every box, bag, carton and container in the store room and had not found a single drop of fizzy drink. “There should be some of it here, I don’t think Bon Bon sells much but I know she likes to drink it.”
“I found this box,” said Izzy pointing at a box labelled Ponycola, “but it was empty. I think the Kandymare might be a step ahead of us and got rid of all of the fizzy drinks before we arrived.”
“So we wasted our time! While who knows what is happening to Bonny!”
“And the Doctor.”
“Yes, and the Doctor,” Lyra said somewhat dismissively. “WE. HAVE. TO. GET. OUT. OF. HERE. NOW!” she screamed rearing up and tearing at her mane. A large block of butter levitated off of a shelf and threw itself across the room.
Izzy threw herself a side to avoid the flying dairy product. “Whoa,” she cried, “what was that?”
“My horn,” gasped Lyra, prodding her still swollen appendage and wincing. “The Kiwi must be wearing off.”
“Well, can you do something to get us out of here? Use the force, Lyra, you’re our only hope.”
Lyra trotted over to the door and concentrated, a bluish aura starting to form around her horn before it shorted out in a shower of sparks which set alight a nearby cardboard box. She quickly stamped out the flames, looking a bit sheepish. “I can do this,” she told herself.
Trying to centre herself, Lyra started to hum a tune. She normally focused her magic using her lyre but she had been taught to use any form of music to improve her spell casting ability. She thought of the night she had spent serenading Bonny all those years ago, the fear of losing her, and the glow intensified. Then she thought of what the Kandymare had done to her and made her do, and her aura grew stronger and stronger throwing off sparks but remaining otherwise stable. The door began to glow brighter and brighter as she pumped more and more energy into it. Reaching down into the depth of her heart she brought out all her love for Bon Bon and all her fear at what could happen to her, and pushed it through her horn at the barrier stopping her from being with her soul mate.
The door did not stand a chance. With a surprisingly quiet poof the door disintegrated into a shower of splinters that drifted to the ground.
“I did it!” yelled Lyra, cantering around in joy before the effort she had expended caught up with her and she collapsed to the ground, winded.
“Shush!” commanded Izzy. “The bad guy might still be around. Now let’s see about saving the Doctor, he’s probably in extra peril by now if I know him.” She started to sneak towards the stairs to the lab.
“Wait, I’ve got something upstairs which might help us. Keep an eye out here, I’ll be back in a minute.” said Lyra, panting hard. She quietly trotted up the stairs towards her bedroom. When she got there she grabbed her finest Lyre. She turned to go but paused, biting her lip she searched among her Lyre cases for her surprise. This wasn’t how she wanted to use it but the way things were going she might not get a further chance. She hid the gift in her mane and then headed back towards Izzy.
The monitor showed a silent grainy black and white picture of Bon Bon leaving the shop, her task completed. The sign sat next to a plate of mouth-watering treats. A few minutes later she returned to the lab.
“Now all we have to do is wait, Doctor,” crooned the Kandymare. “Ah, here come my little victims now.”
The Doctor was still gagged and could only stare hatefully at the pony like creature.
The television now showed a gaggle of about a dozen foals cautiously making their way into the shop. Apparently surprised that there was no one else around they started to survey the shelves of goodies. It didn’t take long for one of them to notice the tray of sweets and the sign next to it. One of the foals, a pegasus filly, hopped towards the treats and picked one up but two unicorn fillies, one white and one grey on the monitor, seemed to be arguing with her about something. An earth pony wearing a crown seemed to be egging the first filly on. Soon the whole group had erupted into several antagonistic factions yelling at each other.
“Fighting over who gets to die first, this is great comedy, I’m practically glowing. In fact I am literally glowing.” The Kandymare’s head was starting to emit an eerie white light. She touched a hoof to her cheek, and it came away sticky. “What’s happening to me? My shielding’s breaking down quicker than I expected. I guess I’ll need a top up.” She turned to Bon Bon, “Mother, you can do me a favour,” she began, but then an idea seemed to hit her. “Wait, you seem to be unaffected so far, Doctor. I think I should drain you dry first, to give dear Mater some more time to recover.”
The Kandymare grabbed the helmet attached to the oven and dragged it over to where the Doctor was restrained. The Doctor finally managed to spit out the hat in his mouth. “Wait,” he pleaded. “You don’t understand what you’re doing, this will ju..” he was cut off as the helmet was clamped to his head and a strap affixed under his jaw, holding his mouth shut.
“Oh, do be quiet. What’s the worst that can happen? You die? No great loss there. Bon Bon, guard the lab while I deal with the Doctor, and make sure that none of the greedy little maggots from the shop make their way down here while I’m busy. It’s a shame I’ll miss the effects of my treats, they should be most spectacular. Still, there will be more foals to kill later.” Having given her instructions the pony-like construct climbed into the oven and shut the door behind herself. The hum of the machinery started to rise.
Bon Bon stood for a moment, looking at the Doctor’s pleading eyes, before turning away and slowly climbing the stairs out of the lab. Once there she shut and locked the door behind her, then slumped to the ground closing her weary eyes for a moment trying to settle her mind. When she opened them again Lyra and Izzy had appeared in front of her. She jumped back in surprise, colliding with the door behind her.
“Bonny!” cried Lyra. “You’re alright!”
From behind the door the sounds of the Doctor screaming could be heard. Izzy tried to push past Bon Bon but the brainwashed mare kicked her viciously in the barrel, knocking her back with a cry.
“My daughter doesn’t want to be disturbed, she needs something from the Doctor to survive.”
“She’s not your daughter Bonny, she’s a monster.”
“She’s our child, she may look different but I know she’s ours, I can feel it, why don’t you love her like I do?”
“Our child would be made from the two of us, from the best parts of us. The Kandymare hurt you, made you poison me. Do you think a part of me could do that, could a part of you?”
Bon Bon stood statue still for a moment, then burst into tears. “Lyra,“ she sobbed. “It’s me, that’s where she got it from, you know how I can get. I almost strangled Trixie when she changed you into a bear. It’s my fault our daughter is like this.”
Taken aback, Lyra replied, “No, Bonny, no. That’s not what I meant. You’re a good mare, a good mare. You wouldn’t do this, you couldn’t do this and no child of yours could either. Listen.” She levitated her Lyre and began to play. “Do you remember this?”
Bon Bon smiled although tears continued to streak her cheeks. “You played all night, you said you’d fight for me.”
“Yes, and you know me, you know I’m loyal and loyal to the right ponies. Most of all I’m loyal to you.”
“But why? You’re special, you’re an element and one of the best musicians in Equestria. Why me, I’m nopony just little Bon Bon from Ponyville, someday you’ll find someone really special and realise you don’t need me anymore.”
By now Lyra too was crying. “Never! Oh Bonny, I’d never do that. You’re the strong one, you’re my rock. I need you to be strong now. I need you to see beyond what that creature has done to you and believe what I say. That is not our child and you need to help us. Please Bon Bon! Please!” She leaned forward and kissed her lover’s mouth.
“Oh, Lyra, it’s so hard, I know she’s strange but she gives me this sweet stuff and I need it and I love her so much.”
“Why do you love her?”
“I don’t know, I just do, you’re supposed to love your children without a reason aren't you?”
“Not like this, this isn’t right, this isn’t real.”
Bon Bon looked up with eyes full of confusion. “Oh, Oh Luna, I think you’re right, it’s fake it’s all fake, please help me, help me!” she collapsed forward into Lyra’s hooves.
“Don’t worry Bonny. Everything’s going to be alright. I’ll help you, I’ll fix it all.” Lyra cradled her marefriend in her hooves, feeling like a liar.
Taking advantage of Bon Bon’s incapacity Izzy hammered on the door, behind which the Doctors tortured cries could still be heard. Still cuddling her lover Lyra gently reached into Bon Bon’s mane with her telekinesis and retrieved the key, which she silently passed to Izzy. She fumbled the key with her hooves until she finally turned it in the lock with a click and rushed down the stairs towards the screams.
She arrived in the lab to see the Doctor still bonded to the table and attached to the oven via the helmet on his head. Waves of white lightning were running down his body from head to tail. Looking around desperately for something to break the cables linking him to the oven, she spied a rack of cooking knives on one wall and grasped one in her mouth. She rushed back and slashed down at the cables. There was a bright flash and Izzy was thrown back against the wall.
“Izzy,” mumbled the Doctor. He struggled against his bonds and they gave way as the now deep fried material snapped, taking small sections of the Doctors fur with them. He dropped to the ground and stumbled on trembling legs before crawling over to Izzy. Smoke was rising from her form but she was already getting to her hooves apparently unharmed, the rubber handle of the knife still gripped in her teeth, the blade having melted.
With a grinding of metal the front of the great oven containing the Kandymare was torn off its hinges and thrown across the room to embed itself in the far wall. “What have you done, Doctor!” bellowed the Kandymare as she staggered out of the oven. Her head was lit like a torch and the sugar substance it was made of was running like molten wax.
“I did try to warn you,” panted the Doctor. “Your device drains the natural energy of this world's inhabitants to stabilize your existence here. However, I’m not a native, entirely different forces maintain my form, so all your equipment ended up doing was draining your own protection and transferring it to me. You’re finished, Kandymare. Unfortunately your passing is likely to destroy most of this town as well.”
“If I’m going to die, then you will die first.” The Kandymare raised her hoof and once again her gun barrel extended pointing at the Doctor and Izzy. The Doctor struggled to put himself between his companion and the gun. Just as she was going to fire, a chunk of table encased in a blue aura crashed into the Kandymare’s arm, throwing her aim off and dissolving another chunk of the floor.
The Kandymare angrily turned to face Lyra who had just made her way down the stairs with Bon Bon staggering along behind her. Another shard of the table she had once been bound to was gripped in her aura, ready to be thrown. However, as the Kandymare started to bear down on Lyra her magic sparked and the improvised weapon dropped to the ground. She winced in pain as her horn gave out again.
“I see you want to die first,” said the Kandymare. She retracted her gun arm as she approached her victim. “It will be so much more satisfying to kill you with my own hooves.” She slammed a candy hoof into the ground. Lyra dodged back, but a backhoof slap caught her on the flank and spun her around. A further blow to the head left her stunned and helpless.
With a smile on her molten features the Kandymare raised a hoof over her head ready to crush the green unicorn’s skull. “Good bye ‘Mother’,” she mocked. Suddenly she was staggered as an angry Bon Bon slammed head first into her side, knocking her off her hooves.
“Get away from her you bitch!” screamed Bon Bon.
The Kandymare lashed out with a heavy candy hoof catching Bon Bon on the flank, sending her staggering back but she quickly recovered and replied with a blow from her rear hooves, which cracked the artificial pony’s chest. The bottle of the mind controlling mixture rolled out of its enclosure. Bon Bon’s eyes fastened on the small bottle as it rolled away.
“Look mother,” cooed the Kandymare, “It’s your medicine. Remember how good it felt?”
Slowly Bon Bon walked over to the container, eyes still focused on it. “No,” she muttered, “No,” she said with more surety, “NO!” she screamed bringing both front hooves down on the bottle, crushing the plastic and spreading the remaining liquid over the floor. Thrashing around, Bon Bon’s rear hooves once again connected with the Kandymare shattering one of the creatures rear legs. The monstrous pony fell forward, grasping Bon Bon with its front legs and attempting to crush the life from her. Bon Bon drew back her head and smashed it into the molten sugar that now made up the Kandymare’s face. She repeated the action again and again until her opponents metal jaw cracked and the creature fell backwards and released her.
“Mother! Please!” burbled the Kandymare through its shattered jaw.
“NO! You’re not my daughter. NO!” screamed Bon Bon slamming her hoof into the Kandymare’s face, with a crash it shattered, revealing a glowing metal box within. Bon Bon collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Lyra crawled over and held her while whispering, “It’s going to be alright, she’s gone now, it’s going to be alright.”
The Doctor got to his hooves surveying the wrecked laboratory and the remains of the Kandymare. His eyes alighted on the monitor which still showed the foals fighting over the poisoned chocolate. One stealthy colt had broken free of the melee and was making his way to the tray. “Izzy,” cried the Doctor, “Get to the shop, stop those children from eating the sweets, they’re deadly. I’ve got to deal with the Kandymare before she explodes.” With that he sprinted up the stairs. A second later Izzy followed him and watched as he ran out of the front door. She quickly orientated herself and took the door that she thought lead towards the front of the shop.
Izzy followed the sound of raised voices to find the shop itself. She crashed through the door separating it from the rest of the building. Instantly all noise in the shop ceased as two dozen small eyes settled on her. Most of the foals had been shouting at each other but in some cases the arguments had escalated into physical confrontation. A grey earth pony filly lay pinned underneath an orange pegasus while a Pink filly looked on jealously. One of the foals, a while colt with brown spots, had made his way onto the counter and had just put one of the sweets into his mouth.
Time seemed to slow down as Izzy saw his jaw start to close on the poisoned confection. “Sstttooopppp!” cried Izzy and she leapt, as if in slow motion, towards him, sailing lazily through the air. Then everything returned to their normal speed as she crashed into the colt knocking him off of the counter and sending both of them tumbling to the floor. Izzy landed on the foal’s stomach causing him to spit the sweet out.
For a second everything was quiet, and the small figure under her looked up with fearful eyes, “Err, they’re bad for your teeth,” she said lamely.
Suddenly with a scream the colt struggled against her and scrambled to his hooves. His cries set off the other foals and after a few seconds of panicked blundering the whole herd had managed to rush out of the shop and into town, wailing loudly.
“Great,” muttered Izzy to herself, “I guess we’ll have to get out of her before the local police turn up and arrest me for assaulting a child.” With that in mind she grabbed the tray of sweets and rushed back into the house itself.
Izzy met the Doctor on the stairs, he was trying to drag the wreckage of the Kandymare’s craft into the lab. “Help me,” he panted.
“What do you need this wreck for?” she asked.
“If we’re lucky there might be enough juice in the ghost drive for one more jump. We can use it to get the Kandymare’s remains away from here before he explodes.”
Izzy put her back into pushing the remains of the craft through the door and winced to hear it scrape against the walls. “And if it doesn’t have enough juice?”
“Then we won’t have to worry about it for long.” the Kandymare’s brain case was now glowing bright enough to make it painful to look at and heat could be felt wafting off of it. The Doctor rushed over and tried to pick it up. Making a series of pained cries, he juggled the glowing box with his front hooves while staggering towards the craft on his rear legs. He fell just before reaching his destination but dropped the box straight into the ship. “Everybody run,” he cried. “These things aren't designed to work in a planet’s atmosphere, anything could happen.”
Izzy helped Lyra carry the still stunned Bon Bon up the stairs while the Doctor followed behind them. Suddenly the drive just disappeared without a sound.
“Oh,” said the Doctor sounding disappointed. “That was a bit of an anti-climax.”
“Where did you send him?” asked Izzy.
“No idea,” replied the Doctor. “Ghost drives don’t have directional controls. I just hope it’s somewhere far away from anyone.”
Izzy looked down at the still sobbing Bon Bon. She was staring at the remains of the mind control chemical splattered on the floor with longing in her eyes, while her body recoiled from the substance. Lyra, despite looking near hysterical herself, took her lover in her arms and started to rock her back and forth whispering reassurances in her ear. Bon Bon closed her eyes and some of the tension drained from her.
“The Kandymare really messed them up, didn’t she?” said Izzy
“I’m afraid so. Artificial love,” he spat. He thrust his sonic screwdriver towards the mess on the floor and it quickly hardened and started to flake away. Bon Bon let out a pained cry, burying her head in Lyra’s mane.
The Doctor gently helped the two mares to their hooves. “Still, the real thing should help you recover and I think you have plenty of that to go around.” He put an arm around Lyra. “I’m afraid Izzy and I will have to go now. If we stay too long we’ll suffer the same fate as the Kandymare. Help should be on its way soon. Tell Princess Luna I was involved, she should be able to help.”
Lyra nodded, “Will Bon Bon get better?”
“Eventually, it’ll be a long road, but you’ll be there to walk it with her. Have faith in yourself and each other.”
With those words of encouragement he left the shell shocked couple alone.
Lyra awoke to feel Bon Bon tossing and turning next to her. She reached out and hugged her lover. As always her physical contact seemed to calm her marefriend and after a few minutes she relaxed back into a deeper sleep.
Several months had passed since their meeting with the Doctor. Both she and Bonny had spent several days in Ponyville hospital while their various injuries had been treated. Bon Bon had spent most of the time feverish as her body purged itself of the various poisons the Kandyman had inflicted on it. She had awoken claiming to remember little of what had occurred.
Even if Bon Bon’s conscious mind didn’t recall the indignities inflicted on it her unconscious did. At first not a single night passed without her being awoken by nightmares, but time had started to heal her and the bad dreams were becoming rarer - this was the only episode so far this week. Bonny was trying to act like nothing had happened but Lyra still saw bursts of fear in her eyes if she was left along with a foal and neither of them had the nerve the enter the lab even now its contents had been taken by the guard.
Lyra rolled out of bed and silently padded over to her Lyre case. Reaching inside with her aura she retrieved her gift and opened the box to reveal the tail ring she had purchased for Bon Bon. She wasn’t sure how Bonny would react to it now, but she could wait. She wasn’t going to be going anywhere. One day the time would be right, one day they would be married, one day they would have a foal of their own.
Of that Lyra was sure.
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Good work!!! Love the story so far. Can't wait for the next chapter.
Holy smeg that was dark! Wasn't expecting such straight-up horror here, but well done.
2831588
If things go to plan next up is the 5th Doctor chapter set in the near future involving Luna and the Canterlot crew, it will be a sequel/prequel (Isn't time travel fun) to the (currently unwritten) 9th Doctor story.
2831645
He might but he doesn't know that the 6th Doctor brought the Telly Tubies to Earth or that the 3rd Doctor defeated the Muppets, I mean The Scorchies.
2832412
I'm trying to write each chapter in a different style although its sort of tending towards different shades of adventure. The 7th, 8th and 9th Doctors will be dark stories 7th will be the lightest a sort of road not travelled thing due to time travel, this the 8th is a horror story the 9th will be a discussion about genocide and if its ever justified (we know that 9 can't take the high ground on that topic.)
Its one of the things I really lover about Dr Who the general setting is so vague that you can fit any story into it and it'll match Horror, Comedy, Romance it all works.
2986262
Well after a bit of research, the Doctor, assuming he acts like antimatter, would cause an explosion of about 3-3.5 thousand megatons (More for six less for two or seven) which would be about the same as a third of all the worlds nuclear weapons going off at once.
So I think we can assume Canterlot would not be there any more if he did explode (Luna might survive although it depends on whether Celestia surviving in the sun for a thousand years marks her physical toughness (Crisis seems to suggest she was disembodied) and if Luna has the same level of toughness vs energy) and Ponyville (About 100 miles away) is probably going to get trashed as well.
Of course given that the bang is based on two non compatible set of physical laws meeting it could even generate more energy than a matter / anti matter explosion or less but in any case it probably wont be much fun to be near.
Always gave me chills.
3048149
Well his 5th incarnation is one of his less deity like personalities, he just seemed to want a quiet life.
3048200
Replace Dalek with Discordian and your have Celestia / Corona's side of the argument.
Yikes, I forgot to favorite this - I didn't notice it was updating! Okay, now I have to play catch-up...
Aaand caught up. Yikes, but this one was dark, wasn't it?
Doctor Who can get like that sometimes.
For the record, though, I never saw Bon Bon trying to strangle Trixie in Hands as anything more than just some slapstick comedy. Like the Three Stooges or some such.
3076227
Interesting.
Although Hands is generally a fairly comic story I always read the strangling as quite a dark (although still funny) scene, it did seem to mark Bon Bon as being rather obsessive about Lyra (presumably linked to Lyra going away to school in Canterlot for several years) and not wanting to / fearing she would loose her again.
However, as is obvious in my story Bon Bon is not in her right mind so anything she says can be taken with a whole load of salt but I do imagine she feels some guilt about her actions and the side of her they display.
Maybe she should go to anger management courses with Rain Drops (Who will be appearing with Dash, Leela and the 4th Doctor in a few months, she'll probably need the courses then).
3090479
He is known for them isn't he.
However, it currently looks like I'm going for number 10 first although I'm finding it rather hard going, I'm not so good at the more jokey dialogue of the more modern doctors. Also I'm trying to make it a bit more epic than the rest of my stories so far.
¡Happiness will prevail!