Bon Bon, anxious after the Bug Bear came to Ponyville, she speaks with Celestia. What she finds out shocks her. Her clone made in case she needed replacing is still alive. Not only that but she lives in Ponyville!
Cover are a combination of images from herehere and with the background from here.
Bon Bon had honestly thought her life as a secret Agent wouldn't come back to haunt her. But, when the Bug Bear returned, she became worried. She meets with Celestia after the wedding, asking if there is anything she should be concerned about.
What Celestia tells her, shocks her to the core. She has a daughter, a clone created from her own DNA from her Agent days on the off-hoof chance she would need replacing. When the agency dissolved, the clone was given to a family, Celestia not knowing Bon Bon hadn't known the clone was still alive or whether or not she'd wanted to keep her as her own daughter.
Now, Bon Bon must find a way to break it to the filly that her life has been a lie. She isn't the pony she thought she was and her family are, tehcnially speaking, not her family.
Motherhood was never said to be easy. Well, when your daughter's a clone of yourself and has lived all her life unaware, it's even harder.
“That was an amazing wedding,” Lyra said as she and her Earth Pony companion waved goodbye to Cranky and Matilda as their carriage took them off on their honeymoon.
“Yeah,” Bon Bon smiled, glancing at her marefriend, before looking at the bouquet on her back. She’d caught it when Matilda had thrown it into the crowd. And I’d love if we could have ours someday.
While she didn’t like how their relationship might now be a bit strained by Lyra knowing about her past as an Agent, and no doubt would be asking a constant stream of questions about it, she felt a bit better, knowing she wouldn’t have to hide anything anymore.
She would tell Lyra anything she could, as long as she was allowed to. Still, the fact that the Bug Bear had found its way to Ponyville did put her on edge. She’d never have expected it to find her, though she was more than thankful that Princess Twilight and the other Element Bearers were able to defeat it. She only hoped it wouldn’t get out of wherever it was put this time.
She noticed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna heading towards their personal chariots not too far off.
“I’ll be right back, Lyra,” she said, passing her the bouquet. “I need to ask somepony about something.”
“Sure,” Lyra took the bouquet, before her eyes widened. “Wait. You caught this?”
Bon Bon didn’t wait to answer, sprinting across the path towards the princesses, calling, “Princess Celestia!”
Both stopped, turning to look at her, Luna with confusion, Celestia with an almost missable dawning in her eyes.
“May I help you... Bon Bon, wasn't it?” Celestia asked, clearly almost having slipped from the surprise and trying to fain unfamiliarity, Luna glancing at her oddly.
Bon Bon stopped, looking around, bowing. “Is there somewhere we could talk in private, princess? It’s regarding... what happened today with Princess Twilight?”
Celestia gave a firm nod, her expression the tiniest bit sour. “Luna, please wait in the carriage. I must speak with Miss Bon Bon.”
Luna still looked confused, but nodded and headed into the carriage.
Once she was out of earshot, Celestia cast a silencing charm around them, ensuring none would hear their conversation, before she looked to Bon Bon. “What is it... Agent Sweetie Drops?”
Bon Bon gulped, glancing around again. “Princess, the Bug Bear being here has kinda put me on edge. Is there anything else about the Agency that I should be worried about coming to light, even if nopony knows we were connected to the Bug Bear?”
A flicker entered Celestia’s eyes, so fast, Bon Bon could’ve mistaken it as a glint from the sun... if she didn’t know her former employer better. The only ones who would know the princess better than her were Luna, Cadance and Twilight and even the latter of those through didn't know that much.
Celestia closed her eyes. “No, Bon Bon. There is nothing.”
“Please, princess?” Bon Bon begged, looking up at her pleadingly. “If there’s anything I should know about, please tell me. I don’t want it coming back without my knowing and making things worse. My cover could get blown further!”
That seemed to strike a chord, causing the white Alicorn to frown. “Further? What do you mean “further”? Are you saying somepony knows of your true identity? You have been compromised?”
Bon Bon winced. Oh, that hadn’t gone well. Damn it! She was so antsy from the Bug Bear’s return she had revealed something she really should’ve kept quiet.
Taking a deep breath before letting it out, she hung her head. “Lyra... found out... when the Bug Bear came.”
Well, she didn’t have to say she’d blurted it out to Lyra, did she? Come to think of it, why had she blurted that all out at once? She could’ve worked around it, giving Lyra a better reason for her needing to be absent for a while...
No. No, she didn’t want to lie to Lyra like that. Lyra had told her about her weird fascination with those heu-man things, something she’d hidden since foalhood, so keeping secrets from her wouldn’t have been right.
Celestia gave Bon Bon a firm look of disappointment. “Can you assure me she will not speak of this to anypony aside from yourself?”
Bon Bon looked up in surprise at that. “Um... well, Lyra does know the importance of keeping secrets...”
“It was your marefriend?” Celestia then nodded. “Then I will permit this. Now, what I tell you will no doubt cause you concern, Bon Bon. However, if you truly wish to know if anything from your days as an agent for safety reason, I suppose I have no right in withholding this from you. Do you remember your clone?”
Bon Bon blinked, before nodding slowly.
A year before the Agency had shuttered due to the Bug Bear’s escape, she’d been one of several Agents put on the cloning program. The plan was to take the best Agents and create clones of them, both to combined skills from different ponies, while at the same time creating a back-up plan, should an Agent fall in the field.
She’d even seen her clone once or twice during its growth. She’d found it odd that it was a unicorn, but had chalked that up to mutations that had been seen in others.
She had always assumed it had died when the Bug Bear escaped and had attacked Headquarters, so she’d never thought about it once she went undercover as Bon Bon.
But, why would the princess ask her about something that died a long time ago...? Wait, she wouldn’t have asked unless...
“Your daughter is still alive, Bon Bon.”
Bon Bon froze in place for several reasons, one Celestia had just confirmed her clone hadn’t perished as she’d assumed and two, she’d called it her daughter.
She’d never thought of it, well her, like that before. She’d always just seen the clone as her replacement. Now, though, thinking it over... her daughter?
She shook her head. “What happened to her?”
Celestia closed her eyes. “When the Agency was shuttered, you were informed that all evidence of its existence was destroyed. The clones that survived were not. I had them fostered out to good homes, families that would look after them and keep them safe.”
Bon Bon gulped. “And... mine?”
Celestia closed her eyes. “She was at the wedding today. If fact, you likely see her every day.”
Bon Bon felt her body shaking. “Who is she?”
“She was placed with two loving ponies whom already had a daughter, one who grew up to become the Bearer of the Element of Generosity.”
Bon Bon’s eyes widened. “No...” she whispered, her lips quivering. “You... you don’t mean...?”
Celestia nodded. “It is a bit ironic, that she ended up with the first half of your true name. Sweetie Belle.”
“Alright, everypony, Ah think we can call it a night,” Fiddly Twang said, looking around at the ponies who’d been playing the music for the evening.
They all sighed with relief and started packing up their instruments.
This Gala had been even more eventful than the last one. Then again, what would you expect when Discord brings a being like The Smooze as his guest?
“Forgive me for saying, Lyra, but I noticed your playing was a little unfocused this evening,” Octavia Melody said to the unicorn next to her. “And that was even before Discord and The Smooze arrived.”
Lyra paused in putting her lyre away, glancing to Octavia, before looking back to her instrument and putting it away, locking it up. “It’s nothing.”
“Hphm,” Octavia said simply. “I find that very hard to believe, Miss Heartstrings. Ever since Cranky and Matilda’s wedding, you and Bon Bon have been acting very off.” She frowned, slightly. “Have the two of you been in a fight?”
Lyra looked to Octavia in surprise. “What? A fight? No. Well, I guess I was a little snooty with her at first at the wedding itself, but it wasn’t a big fight or anything like that?”
“Well, it can’t be small, either,” Octavia said, locking her cello in its case and making sure the straps would hold. “If it were, you both wouldn’t be acting so odd lately.”
“It’s nothing, really,” Lyra said, turning away.
A hoof on her shoulder made her glance back to see Octavia giving her a concerned look.
“Lyra, we both went to same music school and were in the same class. I can tell something is bothering you.” She gave an encouraging smile. “You can trust me.”
Lyra hesitated, looking away. She wanted to talk with somepony, see if she could bounce ideas off of them.
But she’d need to be careful. Bon Bon had trusted her with her Secret Identity. She needed to word this without letting slip her girlfriend’s big secret.
Lyra set her case down and sat on the edge of the stage. Octavia sat down next to her, still giving that encouraging smile.
“Okay,” Lyra took a deep breath. “We… we recently learned something big. Something Bon Bon didn’t even know had happened.”
Octavia nodded, indicating to continue, her expression becoming a little concerned.
Lyra waited a bit, before closing her eyes. “We… we learned… we learned Bon Bon has a daughter.”
There was a very long pause, the only sounds being the remnants of the Gala guests mingling amongst themselves and the other musicians leaving.
After what felt like hours, Octiva spoke.
“I… I must have misheard you,” she shook her head. “It… it sounded like you just said Bon Bon has a daughter.”
Lyra said nothing.
“I… well… I guess I can’t talk,” the grey mare said, rubbing her neck. “I mean, I did have that date a long while back with Bulk Biceps before I figured out which said of the fence I’m on and guess she did the same, but… when exactly could she have… done it? She must’ve been very young or…” Octavia’s eyes widen and she grabbed Lyra by the shoulders. “She wasn’t raped as a teenager, was she?”
Lyra’s eyes widened. “What?! No! No, no, no, no! Nothing like that! She… urm, how best do I word this…? Oh, I know. She donated an egg when she was a lot younger.”
Octavia leaned back, sighing with relief. “Well, thank Celestia.” She frowned, looking to Lyra. “How did you both find out about her then?”
Lyra looked away, that evening still fresh in her mind.
EVENING OF CRANKY AND MATILDA’S WEDDING
“Seriously? You’ve a daughter?!” Lyra stared with wide eyes at her marefriend, who was sitting on the couch, still looking slightly dazed.
She nodded slowly. “Back when the agency was in operation, we had a cloning program. It was in case any operative was too badly injured to continue serving or… worse. It started before I even joined. We’ve even met one of the clones.”
Lyra blinked in confusion. “Huh? Who? When?”
“Cloning unicorns from unicorns was never easy,” Bon Bon said, rubbing her neck. “Agent Blue Tempest’s, while functional, didn’t meet the proper criteria, so she was fostered out and, once he retired, he took the name Jackpot.” She rubbed her chin in thought. “Surprised nopony’s noticed the similarities, to be honest. Even her. I wonder if he’ll ever try to contact her.”
Lyra shook her head. “But… Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle was your clone? She’s your daughter?”
Bon Bon nodded, her head low. “I… what am I supposed to do, Lyra? Do I leave her alone, compeltley oblivious, for her own good? Put her happinies as Rarity’s sister over my own, like a mother should? Or… do I tell her the truth? That she’s my daughter?”
NOW
“My word,” Octavia said after Lyra had finished explaining, though leaving out the secret agent stuff. “I… I can see why you’ve both been so off lately. That… that is a big deal.”
Lyra nodded, looking down into her coffee.
The two were now in Pony Joe’s donut shop, at a table farthest from everypony else in the far corner.
“What do we do, Octavia?” Lyra fiddled with her coffee. “I wanna help her… but I don’t know what to do.”
Octavia thought for a few minutes, before nodding to herself. “I’d recommend speaking with Sweetie Belle’s parents first. This isn’t something one can just spring on a foal so suddenly. If it’s not handled properly, Sweetie Belle might not understand and think Bon Bon abandoned her, that she’d been unwanted.”
“But that’s not the case at all!” Lyra said defensively, standing up, both forehooves slamming on the table. “Bon Bon didn’t even know she was alive! She thought her… egg, had died in… an… accident.” Lyra backpedalled like crazy to keep from letting the cat out of the bag regarding Bon Bon’s other life.
Octavia held up her hooves in a calming gesture. “I know, I know. I understand that, Lyra. But, if Sweetie Belle learns the wrong way or from the wrong ponies, she might think it was the case, regardless of whether it was or wasn’t.”
Lyra breathed, sitting back down.
“This won’t be an easy subject to breaker, Lyra,” the grey mare continued. “My advice, as I said, is for you and Bon Bon to wait a bit, to get used to the idea. Once that’s done, contact Sweetie Belle’s parents and meet with them to discuss this first. After that, depending on what they have to say, you’ll both have to see where this goes. This is her parents’ decision, after all. Bon Bon may be her mother by blood, but those two are the ones who raised her all these years.”
Lyra nodded, looking back down to her mug. She just hoped it could go so smoothly.
Wow! Thanks, guys! 