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>"Bill go right! Jim, check the marshes! Joe take the mutts, see if they can find their scent!"
>The men do as they're told as they split up going off in different directions
>The flame of a small lighter could be seen out of the darkness of the night as the man commanding the group lights a cigar 
>"Out of the entire week, it had to be a Sunday."
>Groaning he pulls on his beard wondering his next set of actions 
>If what they told him was true, then this wouldn't be the usual cat and mouse game most slaves put up
>Unslinging his rifle, he loads another dart and cocks it
>Soon all the hunters were marching into the endless wilderness 
>It was a particularly cold night
>Fall was coming to an end as Jack Frost was beginning to make his presence known
>Quivering rays of light pierce the never ending darkness 
>Looking high and low for any signs of their target
>Soon the sounds of barking dogs fill the air as they chase an unseen creature
>Hearing their discovery the rest of the men rush towards them
>"Come on! Find dem bitches! Find dem!"
>Without hesitation the dogs pounce, a shriek is heard as they begin to sink their teeth within the creature 
>"Joe get out of the way!"
>Spitting out the cigar butt, the leader of the three pushes in front of them to see the catch 
>He whistles, causing the dogs to trot gleefully towards him
>Sitting up straight, one of them opens their mouth
>A heavily mangled squirrel falls out 
>No one says anything as the leader picks up the creature 
>Examining it, he grabs a violet cream bowtie wrapped around its neck
>Bringing it to his nose, he takes a quick whiff
>"Chocolate........"
>"Ah sir?"
>He taps his boss on the shoulder
>"Bill, we're going back to Smith's."
>He turns to face Bill
>"That girl just played us for fools!"
>After some more arguing the men scramble back
>Unbeknownst their bickering retreat, a pair of sky blue eyes stares at them from a far
>"Are they gone yet? I-is it safe?"
>An orange filly with a purple mane asks, nudging the cream color pony in front of her for a response
"Not yet Scootaloo, go back to the others."
>She nudges the filly away
>Scootaloo sighs disappointed 
 >Sliding back down into the muddy ditch 
>She enters a hallowed out tree where the others have taken refuge 
>Looking back, the cream pony takes another gander of the area around her 
>Nothing but the ambient light of Luna's midnight sun 
>Satisfied with the result she returns to the others
"Is everyone alright?"
>The four of them look at one another 
>"Coco's a bit bruised, Scootaloo seems fine and I don't think Fluttershy can carry that belly of hers any longer-"
>A mint pony says pointing behind her
>Scootaloo and Coco both try to comfort a visibly distressed Fluttershy as she rubs her heavily pregnant belly
>"-but besides the mud and coldness, I think everyone's here!"
>"Not everyone...."
>Coco speaks up 
>Getting up, she slowly limps towards the other two
>”Coco, don’t-”
>Fluttershy begs  
>"YOU LEFT THEM!"
>"Coco, pipe down!"
>The mint pony tries to calm her 
>"No Lyra! She used her as bait!"
>The cream pony says nothing
>Lyra backs off giving her some space 
>"How could you Bonbon, you promised all of us you'll get us out, not just Lyra and Fluttershy!"
>Coco begins to tear up
>"If not for Octavia, were you going to lie to me and use me as bait!"
>.....................
>"Huh! What about the others! What lies did you tell them to execute your master plan?"
>.....................
>"Huh!"
>No one said a word 
"Its Sweetie-my name is… Sweetie Drops......."
>"What?”
>Coco cocks her head confused 
"No more lies."
>Bon-Bon takes in a deep breath
"It was mission priority to free the element of Harmony at all cost, I-I..."
>Coco takes a step back
>"You're not making any sense."
>Bonbon looks down
"-I wanted to, I-I really did but with Fluttershy's current condition I had to make... some tactical-sacrifices....."
>Coco just stares at her as do Fluttershy and Scootaloo
>"She's a secret agent."
>Lyra says blatantly 
"Oh for Celestia's sake Lyra, subtlety much?"
>Bon-Bon cries out
>"I couldn't help it, the tension was killing me."
>She says shrugging 
>Rolling her eyes Bon-Bon turns back to Coco
>”Wh-wha……”
>Before Bonbon could respond Lyra interrupts her again
>"And Im a secret agent too-
"Lyra, you are not-"
>"Shhhhhhhhh!"
>"Just go with it....."
>She whispers to Bonbon, giving her a playful wink
>”You two are secret Agents?”
>Scootaloo says approaching the girls
>"Yeah! How do you think we managed to escape that testing facility? We had double spy power! Just ask Fluttershy herself!"
>The attention diverts back to the pregnant mare. 
>"Um.....I don't think I have any say in this matter."
>She begins to blush in embarrassment, trying to cover up her belly   
>Bon-Bon sighs
>Grabbing Coco, she turns her around
"Coco, I don't care if you hate me after today's events but you have to trust me."
>"But-"
"No 'buts' Coco, if you want to get out of this alive and not go back being a slave, then you have to listen to me from this moment on! And this goes for the rest of you too."
>She finishes sharply, letting go of Coco causing her to stumble
"Especially you Lyra."
>"What did I do!?!"
>She says in sarcastic distress 
>"I don't believe you."
>Coco says getting up with Scootaloo’s help
"You don't have to believe me, you only have to listen."
>The two lock eyes for a moment before Coco backs down choosing to return to Fluttershy 
>Scootaloo looks at Bonbon and Lyra before joining the other two    
"Good, nice to see some actual obedience for once."
>Bon-Bon turns back 
>Climbing the ditch once more she pops her head out
>She looks over their surrounding area once more
>It seemed clear
>But unless they begin to move now, they’ll never loose their trail
*Sigh* “Its going to be one of those nights, isn’t it?”
-Somewhere else-
>"Master your 8 o'clock coffee."
> A light blue mare with a periwinkle mane and a pigment blue streak says as she places the cup on his desk
>"Ah, Minnie always on time."
>The man puts down the documents he was reading and takes a sip
> Before he could say anything else the door suddenly opens as a hesitant bearded man enters
"Officer Smith!"
>"Well there goes one quiet evening...."
>He places his cup down as the man stops right in front of his desk
>"Excuse me mister, no one's allowed in Master Smith's office withou-"
>"Now now, Minnie I can handle this."
>He says patting her head.
>"What is it now Anon? Did one of the pegasi get stuck in the barbed wire again? ”
"CODE VIOLET!"
>Smith just stares at the man 
>Grabbing his cup, he takes another sip
>"Master, what's 'code violet' ?
> Minnie asks
>"Could you leave me and Mister Anonymous alone for a bit, this is an urgent matter."
>"Of course Master!"
>And with that she makes her way out the room closing the door shut
>Smith pinches the top of his nose         
>"How many lost?"
"10 deaths, 5 of them escaped."
>"From which groups?"
"They targeted all three labs; mobs from each overwhelmed the guards."
>" Do you have the numbers of those who escaped?”
>Smith says bitterly
"E-22, P-07, P-24, U-69 and a newly arrived-"
>"Newly arrived?"
>He curiously asks
>Anon hands him a folder
>Taking it, Smith examines the cover 
>What seemed to be the remains of a classified stamp was blotted out by thick marker ink
>He opens it and finds a similar mess inside, though there seemed to be some freshly printed documents
>"E-69. Earth pony with a cream coat, sky blue eyes, a two lined mane; navy blue and pink; and the typical equal sign for an ass mark......."
>He looks at Anon with a disheartening face
>Anon could only chuckle haphazardly
>"Choosing the name 'Bonbon’; originally captured roaming around Fort Tilden; later deemed suitable for the program after given a routine stem test. She was later transferred multiple times after showing ‘unusual feats of ingenuity in escaping’....."
"Sir I can explain-"
>Smith raises his hand cutting Anon short
>"From sharpened toothbrushes, bent metal key openers, and stolen or used tranquilizer darts; to multiple attempts at seducing facility staff, creating homemade tear gas and what seemed to be a makeshift fertilizer bomb......"
"Or maybe not."
>"It's highly recommended to keep E-69 under high surveillance with little contact from the outside world."
>Anon gulps
>"Looks like we got a real special one, now do we Anon?"
>He slams the folder on his desk 
>"What are the current conditions of the other four?"
"Well P-24 is heavily pregnant with her first foal, P-07 is still to young to be tested so she's still clean, while E-22 has already been implanted with a different mix of seeds. U-69 on the other hand is classified." 
>Smith grabs his cup and takes another sip
>"And why only till now was I kept in the dark about this E-69 subject?"
"I'm not sure sir, the folder was just hand delivered to the facility when I arrived."
>"Mmmmmm..."
>He looks over the documents once more
>" And how were the attempts to retrieve them?
>Smith asks nonchalantly
"Failure so far, we lost them in the wilderness. O-one of them somehow used a squirrel to trick the bloodhounds by wrapping a bow tie around the squirrel’s neck trailing their scent."
>Smith continued to look down
>"Causing a riot to keep security busy and a squirrel to avoid pure bred bloodhounds-"
"Though we did find one unconscious with a gash in her head just a couple feet from the fence."
>Anon interjects
>"-Also knows how to bait.....truly an unusual feat of ingenuity, would you agree Anon?
>He looks up cocking his brow
>Anon begins to sweat 
"Of course sir! First in my entire life!"
>Smith looks down at the papers again
>"Well it looks like I’m going to have to speak with my superiors about this...."
>He begins to get up, collecting all of his papers with him
>"When's the earliest you can renew your search efforts?"
"We recently got more men combing the east side of the wilderness, but we've been getting reports that a-a snow storm was destined for land fall this morning so we're going to hold out until its done."
>Smith's face soured 
>"Real sloppy work Anon, just be glad your reputation as a handler continues to shield you from the pink slip."
>Having what he needs, he heads towards the door
>"When the storm settles I want your men searching every nook and cranny of this area until bodies are found."
>He opens the door
>"Is everything clear?"
>Anon hesitates for a moment
"Y-yes sir!"
>"Now would you please....?
>He gestures towards the door
"..................Oh!"
>Anon gets up and quickly empty's out the room
>"Good."
>Smith closes the door behind him, locking it
>"Is everything okay Master?"
> Minnie asks, standing over her empty bowl of food
>"Everything’s fine Minnie-"
>"Everything's just fine.............."
__________________________
>”S-s-so-o-o-o c-cold!”
“Fluttershy you have to keep moving!”
>”B-b-but-“
>Tears swell up in her eyes 
“Come on just a few more hooves!”
>Bon-Bon begins to forcefully push against the pregnant mare 
>”NO! Please, I can’t walk anymore!”
>She collapses 
>Sobbing her heart out in the cold snow
>”Bon-Bon you’re hurting her!”
>Coco leaps in front of the mare before she could continue her pushing 
”Coco we can’t stop moving, every second we stop is another second they have before catching us!”
>Bon-Bon tries to maneuver around Coco with no luck
“Quit-Making-This-DIFFICULT!”
>Grunting she grabs Coco tackling her to the frozen ground
>Hooves go flying as the two begin to scuffle 
>”Please stop! I didn’t mean for any of this!”
>Fluttershy wails as she sees the two pony’s beating the living daylights out of one another
>”Hey! Hey! Hey!”
>Using what little of her magic she had left
>Lyra painfully separates the two
>”Scootaloo! I could use some help here!”
>The filly who was just watching by the sideline rushes to Lyra’s aid
>She grabs on to Coco, allowing Lyra to focus most of her attention on Bon-bon
“Ugh-Erm! Lyra put me down!”
>Bon-Bon screams
>”Only if you –OW- promise not to –AH- hurt anypony!”
>Sparks starts to fly out of Lyra’s horn as a signal stream of blood runs down from her nose
“Fine, you’re hurting yourself!”
>”Thank you.”
>The yellow aura surrounding Bon-Bon disappears as she drops to the ground
>Lyra sighs falling on her hindquarters
>”Hey Scootaloo, I won’t hurt anypony either, so ah……could you please stop holding me?”
>”But you’re so warm.”
>Scootaloo mutters as she continues to rub her head in Coco’s chest fluff
>Coco rubs her back a bit before gently removing her
>Scowling she turns her attention back to Bon-Bon
>”Lyra, are you okay?”
>She switches her attention to the bleeding mare 
>”Yeah! Peachy, Ay O’kay! –gah-“
>Lyra continues to rub her horn 
>”And what about you Fluttershy?”
>The sniffling mare said nothing as she continued shiver 
>”See what you’ve done?”
>Coco groans as she limps towards Fluttershy
>Scootaloo tags along hugging her leg to support her and for warmth
>She shuffles around trying to create space between her and Bon-Bon
>All the while Bon-Bon looks at her with an ugly grimace
>”Shhhh-Shhhh, its alright-“
>Coco removes her ragged ascot and places it around Fluttershy’s neck
>”-no more tears now…”
>”Th-thank  you..”
>Fluttershy murmurs, still wiping the frozen tear drops from her face
>Scootaloo rushes in to hug her
>”Mmmmm, so cozy!”
>Fluttershy blushes as Scootaloo borrows between her overgrown chest fluff and belly for maximum warmth
>”Scootaloo not so ruff you don’t hurt the baby any more than what Bon-Bon already did.”
“It wasn’t even a hard push!”
>Bon-Bon interjects
>Glaring at the cream pony as she rubs Fluttershy’s belly 
>”Pushing a pregnant mare down to her knees is what you call ‘not hard’?
“Well that wasn’t the intended idea-“
>Bon-Bon slowly tries to approach them
>”Stay back Bon-Bon!”
>Coco yells 
>Fluttershy hesitantly shakes her head back and forth 
>Mouthing the word ‘no’ to Bon-Bon
>Bon-Bon complies
“-sigh- Alright fine, we’ll rest for a bit but after this we’re walking non-stop till sunset.”
>”Is that all?”
>Coco gets on all fours and limps in front of Fluttershy 
>”Where’s the apology?”
>The distance between the two mares continues to diminish
>”Can’t you see Fluttershy can’t even walk anymore-“
“You’re pushing your luck Pommel….”
>”-And you still want us to walk through icy wasteland.”
>The two are now only a foot away from each other
>”What’s wrong with you?”
>Coco says with actual sympathy in her voice
>Bon-Bon huffs 
“A lot of things, things you don’t even want to imagine. But that’s beside the point, if we don’t pass the main interstate highway by sundown we’re never going to lose them…”
>”Interstate highway?”
>Coco tilts her head curiously 
“Basically a massive road where humans drive those mini trains on to get-“
>”Wha?”
“Never mind, lets just say I learned a lot about this world during my little trips in and out of those prisons. Now Coco if we don’t make it to that highway right away, when we do make it they’ll be sitting around waiting for us with darts and dogs. I don’t know about you, but I promised myself to never ever return to that place or any other place like it!”
>The tension between the two is stiff
>Fluttershy begins to hug Scootaloo like a stuff bear anxiously as she watches the unstable mares argue
>Lyra currently as her head buried in the snow, oblivious to everything as she tries to cool down her headache
“I have a mission to complete and by Celestia’s name I plan on delivering on time!-“
>Bon-Bon lays a hoof down
>>-A
“And I’m not going to let some yarn spinner stop me from my goal!”
>”YARN SPINNER!”
>Coco angrily yells as she lunges for Bon-Bon again
>This time though Bon-Bon was ready
>Using Coco’s momentum against her, she manages to catch her in a head lock
>She struggles trying to get free but Bon-Bon continues to tighten her grip
>Coco’s face starts to turn a light shade of purple as she’s too weak to break her grip
>She resorts to kicking Bon-Bon straight in gut 
>Bon-Bon unfazed by her attacks, gets the poor mare on to her knees 
>”STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!”
>The echoing howl pierces through the frigid tundra
>Birds of all sorts begin to fly in fear as snow from the top of the highest tree begins to from its sheer force
>”-Dramatic gasping for air sound-Wait what happened, do it again I wasn’t looking!”
>Lyra spastically looks around trying to comprehend what just happened 
 >Gathering whatever force she had left
>Fluttershy nudges Scootaloo away from her as she raises back on to her hooves
>”Fluttershy wait!”
>”Don’t worry im going to be fine.”
>She hushes the young filly 
>“If they don’t behave, make them your slave….”
>Painful memories begin to flood her mind once more as she struggles to stand 
>”You have to be assertive…..”
>She whispers to herself repeatedly as she turns towards the other two



>”Mmmmmmm, warm….”
>Lyra winces in pain as Scootaloo uses her overgrown mane as a makeshift blanket
>”Easy Scoots, just because I’m letting you ride on my back doesn’t mean you get free rein back there.”
>”S-s-s-sorry Lyra, i-its just so c-c-cold.”
>”Im cold too Scootaloo, but pulling my mane isn’t making this any more enjoyable than it already is.”
>Shuddering, Scootaloo buries her face further down into Lyra’s mane
>Lyra sighs, letting the orange filly have her way
>The four mares mush forcefully through the freshly packed snow
>The storm before was a unexpected surprise for sure
>Bon-Bon ranted and raved when the first freshly baked flakes of frozen water befell on them 
>Originally they all tried to ignore it, walking through the the rising wind just fine
>But when it began to fall in more collective clumps, they knew they were in for a treat
>Luckily they came across a narrow eroded brook where they took temporary shelter
>They managed to start a small fire using what little magic capability Lyra still had
>Using Coco’s collar and some of Bon-Bon’s hair to fuel it
>Still neither of them said a word to one another
>The past confrontation still left Coco, Fluttershy and Scootaloo wary of their ambiguous guide
>Only Lyra tried to lighten the mood, but still none of the mares were interested in her tall tales
>They seemed mostly interested in trying to get as much sleep as possible before having to trek back outside
>Morning wasn’t any better
>The snow was thick with an easy cool cream like look to its texture, as the whirling hornet’s nest of wind stung any living thing in its path 
>Sighing Bon-Bon wakes the others up
>None of this was going according plan, it never goes according to plan
>Ignoring their cries
>Bon-Bon was the first out, making holes for Fluttershy to step in
>Complaining but seeing no other way around the snow, they trekked on
>”Brrrrrr!”
>Coco’s body twitched as she trembled with each wet step she took
>”B-Bon-Bon maybe w-we should stop and l-look for shelter.”
“Shelter?”
>Bon-Bon looks behind her as she helped Fluttershy move through the snow
>”Sh-Shelter sounds nice -huff-“
>The yellow mare mutters as she forces herself against snow
>She’s ignored 
“Shelter where? There’s nothing but trees and snow around us, where are we going to find a shelter?”
>”M-M-Maybe we could find a-another hollowed out t-t-tree....”
>Coco ties her ascot tighter around her neck
“We got lucky before, we’re not going to get lucky now. Plus, if we make lots of progress today than tomorrow isn’t going to be so hard.”
>Bon-Bon sniffles as she returns her full attention to Fluttershy 
>”A-are you sure we c-can’t ‘stop’ I-I mean, they wouldn’t look for us in a storm like this?”
>Coco continues in her attempts to persuade Bon-Bon
“They would, with no doubt they’re looking for us right now. Even if you were right, moving now would still give us a massive advantage.”
>”Or leave us mostly frozen solid.”
>Bon-Bon rolls her eyes
“Well, you could always leave. Just take any turn towards the right or left, maybe you’ll find a lovely log cabin with a nice human inside, humans that won’t enslave you or give you to the authorities!”
>Bon-Bon utters without turning around, putting the mare back in her place
>Coco mutters some things under her breath but decides to keep it to herself
>She instead starts to lean left towards Lyra and Scootaloo
>”Hey what’s her deal?”
>She asks the energetic mint colored mare
>”Huh?”
>”Oh, don’t play dumb with me. Y-You’re friend there, why is she s-sooo-”
>Lyra cuts her off
>”Pushy, bossy, a bit of a hard flank?”
>Coco nods
>”Well…….she’s always been the serious type…”
>Grunts and groans from Fluttershy are heard as Bon-Bon continually tries to keep the pregnant mare moving 
>”...always complaining about things, never wants to do anything fun or has time for anything fun; we’re secret agents after all….”
>Lyra’s eyebrows mischievously go up and down, as she smiles mischievously
>”Agents to what exactly? T-The old kingdom is gone and whoever was still f-fighting for the old order is either dead or enslaved.”
>”To the resistance! Who else would we follow?”
>Coco now seemed genuinely interested 
>”There’s……. a resistance?”
>”Pffffhhhh-”
>Lyra chuckles 
>”Is there a resistance? HA! Of course there’s a resistance, if there wasn’t one we wouldn’t be risking our lives in saving anypony here.”
>”Do you even know where we’re going?”
>”To the resistance camp! Where else?”
>Lyra licks her lips as she looks to Bon-Bon then back to Coco
>”Could you elaborate a bit more, I mean I hate to ask stuff constantly but it just seems like we’ve been walking to nowhere at this point.”
>”Well, i'm not too sure myself, if you really want to know then you have to ask Bon-Bon herself.”
>Coco remises on the idea of talking to Bon-Bon again
>”I hope you’re right.”
>”There’s nothing the matter Coco, yeah it's cold but just think of all the nice food, bedding, and shelter we’ll get when we reach the camp!”
>”Food? Food where?”
>Scootaloo drowsily says, emerging from Lyra’s mane as she wipes the sand from her eyes 
>”False alarm Scoots, we’re just talking spy stuff and all.”
>Lyra smiles at the tired filly 
>”J-just go back to sleep Scootaloo, we’ll be t-there soon.”
>Coco lies through her teeth
>”Oh…...okay….”
>Scootaloo yawns as she returns to her nap 
>”I still c-can’t believe she’s made it this far with us.”
>Coco lifts a hoof rubbing the filly’s neck
>Then continually down her back, lifting her hoof when she neared her cutiemark 
>Or what was left of a cutiemark
>Coco looks back at her own mark
>Nothing more than a branded equal sign remained 
>Like anypony else 
>”Yeah, she’s a tough little one. I guess she gets it from all that time hovering around Rainbow Dash back in Ponyvile.”
>Lyra chips in 
>”You know Rainbow Dash?”
>Coco asserts 
>”Not really, we just live in the same town.”
>”Oh…”
>”Why? You know her?”
>Lyra asks
>”Well sorta, I’m good friends with her friend Rarity an-”
>She pauses
>”I was good friends with Rarity…”
>”Rarity! Pffffffff-I haven’t heard that primadonna's name in ages!”
>Coco frowns at the giggling mare
>Lyra quickly takes notice 
>”Heh, sorry…”
>She smiles half heartedly as Coco looks the side
“Fluttershy! Come on!”
>Bon-Bon roars catching the attention of the two mares and waking up the filly 

>”S-s-so-o-o-o c-cold!”
“You have to keep moving!”
>”B-b-but-“
>Tears swell up in her eyes
“Come on just a few more hooves!”
>Bon-Bon begins to forcefully push against the pregnant mare
>”NO! Please, I can’t walk anymore!”
>She collapses
>Sobbing her heart out in the cold snow
>”Bon-Bon you’re hurting her!”
>Coco runs and leaps in front of the mare before she could continue her pushing
”Coco we can’t stop moving, every second we stop is another second they have before catching us!”
>Bon-Bon tries to maneuver around Coco with no luck
“Quit-Making-This-DIFFICULT!”
>Grunting she grabs Coco tackling her to the frozen ground
>Hooves go flying as the two begin to scuffle
>”Please stop! I didn’t mean for any of this!”
>Fluttershy wails as she sees the two ponies beating the living daylights out of one another
>”Hey! Hey! Hey!”
>Using what little of her magic she had left
>Lyra painfully separates the two
>”Scootaloo! I could use some help here!”
>Now fully awake, Scootaloo jumps off her back and springs into action
>She grabs on to Coco, allowing Lyra to focus most of her attention on Bon-bon
“Ugh-Erm! Lyra put me down!”
>Bon-Bon screams
>”Only if you –OW- promise not to –AH- hurt anypony!”
>Sparks start to fly out of Lyra’s horn as a signal stream of blood runs down from her nose
“Fine! Just stop! You’re hurting yourself!”
>”Thank you.”
>The yellow aura surrounding Bon-Bon disappears as she drops to the ground
>Lyra sighs falling on her hindquarters
>”Hey Scootaloo, I won’t hurt anypony either, so ah……could you please stop holding me?”
>”But you’re so warm.”
>Scootaloo mutters as she continues to rub her head in Coco’s chest fluff
>Coco rubs her back a bit before gently removing her
>Scowling she starts to shoot daggers at Bon-Bon
>But noticing the bleeding mare next to her 
>She switches her attention to Lyra
>”Lyra, are you okay?”
>”Yeah! Peachy, Ay O’kay! –gah-“
>Lyra continues to rub her horn
>”And what about you Fluttershy?”
>The sniffling mare said nothing as she continued shiver
>”See what you’ve done?”
>Coco groans as she limps towards Fluttershy
>Scootaloo tags along hugging her leg to support her and for warmth
>She shuffles around trying to create space between her and Bon-Bon
>All the while Bon-Bon looks at her with an ugly grimace
>”Shhhh-Shhhh, its alright-“
>Coco removes her ragged ascot and places it around Fluttershy’s neck
>”-no more tears now…”
>”Th-thank  you..”
>Fluttershy murmurs, still wiping the frozen tear drops from her face
>Scootaloo rushes in to hug her
>”Mmmmm, so cozy!”
>Fluttershy blushes as Scootaloo borrows between her overgrown chest fluff and belly for maximum warmth
>”Scootaloo not so ruff, you don’t want to hurt the baby any more than what Bon-Bon already did.”
“It wasn’t even a hard push!”
>Bon-Bon interjects
>Glaring at the cream pony as she rubs Fluttershy’s belly
>”Pushing a pregnant mare down to her knees is what you call ‘not hard’?
“Well that wasn’t the intended idea-“
>Bon-Bon slowly tries to approach them
>”Stay back Bon-Bon!”
>Coco yells
>Fluttershy hesitantly shakes her head back and forth
>Mouthing the word ‘no’ to Bon-Bon
>Bon-Bon complies
“-sigh- Alright fine, we’ll rest for a bit but after this we’re walking non-stop till sunset.”
>”Is that all?”
>Coco gets on all fours and limps in front of Fluttershy
>”Where’s the apology?”
>The distance between the two mares continues to diminish
>”Can’t you see Fluttershy can’t even walk anymore-“
“You’re pushing your luck Pommel….”
>”-And you still want us to walk through this icy wasteland.”
>The two are now only a foot away from each other
>”What’s wrong with you?”
>Coco says with actual sympathy in her voice for once
>Bon-Bon huffs
“A lot of things, things you don’t even want to imagine. But that’s beside the point, if we don’t pass the main interstate highway by sundown we’re never going to lose them…”
>”Interstate highway?”
>Coco tilts her head curiously
“Basically a massive road where humans drive those mini trains on to get-“
>”Wha?”
“Never mind, let's just say I learned a lot about this world during my little trips in and out of those prisons. Now Coco if we don’t make it to that highway right away, when we do make it they’ll be sitting around waiting for us with darts and dogs. I don’t know about you, but I promised myself to never ever return to that place or any other place like it!”
>The tension between the two is stiff
>Fluttershy begins to hug Scootaloo like a stuffed bear anxiously as she watches the unstable mares argue
>Lyra currently as her head buried in the snow, oblivious to everything as she tries to cool down her headache
“I have a mission to complete and by Celestia’s name I plan to on deliver on time!-“
>Bon-Bon lays a hoof down
“And I’m not going to let some two-bit-yarn-spinner stop me from my goal!”
>”YARN SPINNER!”
>Coco angrily yells as she lunges for Bon-Bon again
>This time though Bon-Bon was ready
>Using Coco’s momentum against her, she manages to catch her in a headlock
>She struggles trying to get free but Bon-Bon continues to tighten her grip
>Coco’s face starts to turn a light shade of purple as she’s too weak to break her grip
>Resorting to kicking the mare in the gut
>Bon-Bon unfazed by her attacks, gets the poor mare on to her knees
>”STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!”
>The echoing howl pierces through the frigid tundra
>Birds of all sorts begin to fly in fear as snow from the top of the highest tree begins to fall due to the sheer force
>”-Dramatic gasping for air sound- Wait what happened, do it again I wasn’t looking!”
>Lyra spastically looks around trying to comprehend what just happened
>Gathering whatever force she had left
>Fluttershy nudges Scootaloo away from her as she raises back on to her hooves
>”Fluttershy wait!”
>”Don’t worry im going to be fine.”
>She hushes the young filly
>“If they don’t behave, make them your slave….”
>Painful memories begin to flood her mind once more as she struggles to stand
>”You have to be assertive…..”
>She whispers to herself repeatedly as she turns towards the other two
Story so far- https://ghostbin.com/paste/yjxpx/raw
>”I’ve honestly had it up to here with you two!”
>Putting her foot down, she turns to face them
>Bon-Bon releases the mare shocked by Fluttershy’s unexpected response 
>Coco crawls away, gasping for air
>”It's been nothing but fighting and arguing since we got out! I came to accept the coldness, I got over the loneliness of missing my friends, I even ignored my poor tummy and the little one in there crying food! But fighting is the last straw!”
>She points her hoof at Bon-Bon 
>”I don’t care who you say you are and I don’t care who you work for, starting fights with Coco is not going to get us anywhere!”
>Lyra and Scootaloo are left silently watching Fluttershy as she continues to bash the mare in front of her 
>Bon-Bon says nothing, scowling at the mare 
>”-sigh- Bon-Bon I understand you’re just trying to help but please could you just stop and see you’re asking for the impossible here. I can’t go any longer…”
>Tears start to form in her eyes as she struggles to stand 
>”....Bon-Bon i’m tired, my ankles are like jelly I-I can’t keep on going like this -sniff-”
>If on cue she falls to her knees
>”Just stop -sniff- p-please stop…….”
>Bon-Bon just stands there looking at her 
>Not so much scowling but her face doesn’t necessarily reads contempt either
>She lifts her head to see the others looking at her 
>Speechless by Fluttershy’s sudden action and Bon-Bon’s general apathy
>They just stare at her not knowing what to do
>The sun seemed to be peaking, rays of its light poking through what remained of the cloudy hellstorm from the blizzard before
>It must be noon
>Bon-Bon uncomfortably stretches her neck as the echoing teardrops falling onto the cold hard snow begins to bother her
>She swallows hard trying to form words to say
“Sorry….”
>”Huh?”
>Fluttershy lifts her head up, rubbing her red eyes of tears
“I’m sorry! I was a jerk, I was being unreasonably cruel…”
“Unreasonably!?!”
>Coco barks
“Fine, I was a hardass on everypony….”
>Bon-Bon looks back down to Fluttershy
>She stares back with her big blue beaming eyes, with the glare of the sun shining against her dying tears
>Amplifying her innocence as it radiates to anything that sees it
>Sighing Bon-Bon carefully but gently helps the poor mare up
>Seeing this Coco, immediately springs back up readying herself to attack
>A green hoof stops her before she could get far
>”Lyra what are you doing?”
>”I think she gets it.”
>She points over back to Bon-Bon as she leads Fluttershy towards a tree
“It's not the best resting spot, but it’ll do for now.”
>Laying down first she instructs Fluttershy to rest on her
>“Um….excuse me?”
“You heard what I said, just do it.”
>Not wanting to anger the earth pony any more, she lays down right on top of her
>A couple grunts and groans seep from Bon-Bon as the pregnant mare makes herself comfortable
>”I don’t think she got anything…”
>Coco mutters to Lyra as the mint pony covers Scootaloo’s eyes
“Are you girls just going to stand there or are you going to help us stay warm?”
>”Warm!”
>Scootaloo hearing the magic word, sprints towards the mares
>Bon-Bon and Fluttershy’s eyes go wide as they try to tell the filly to slow down
>Giving no prior thought she leaps at a moment's notice 
>Like a bullet, she sandwiches herself right between the two
>Knocking the air out of Fluttershy and adding more weight to the already crushed Bon-Bon
“For Celestia’s sake kid!”
>”Hey, you’re the one that offered!”
>Scootaloo nips back as she made herself cozy in the pile
>Coco looks to Lyra waiting for her response
>Lyra looks to Coco waiting for hers
>..........
>”Eh…”
>Shrugging, the mint mare trots gleefully towards the others
>Finding a nice place in the pile 
>”You joining or what?”
>Lyra waves at Coco
>Shivering she contemplates the decision 
>The last thing she wanted to do was get any where near that crazy mare Bon-Bon
>But it did look pretty warm from where she was standing
>And Bon-Bon already had three ponies buried right on top of her
>Wasting no time Coco joins the group, finding a spot right on top of Fluttershy
>With Bon-Bon directly under her
“Pommel, once this is over! OW-”
>Scootaloo kicks the mare
>”Just shut up, you have the best spot in the whole pile what are you complaining about?”
>”Yeah Bon-Bon listen to the filly, you’re covered on all four sides now.”
>Lyra quips at the growling mare
>The other girls giggle at her predicament 
>Eventually either through tiredness or stress, one by one they all doze off 
___________________________
>Flakes of gray ash wisp around as they follow you
>Hobbling down into the bunker you begin to worry everypony else has already left
>They wouldn’t leave you , you’ve been with these ponies for years 
>Through the good and the bad you were practically family
>But……
>Now on the final step, you look on how everything was in shambles 
>The magically burnt smell of paper still lingered 
>Telegraphs were smashes, calculating machines were destroyed and anything that wasn’t completely solid was forcefully shoved down a hoof cranked shredder 
>They did leave you
>Limping around you drop to your flank just trying to comprehend what was happening 
>A set of bombs begin to drop over your position
>The room shakes profusely but you give no mind to it as you continue to stare off into space 
“They left me…….”
>Another set of bombs drop over head 
“Ow-”
>A ceiling tile falls loose and breaks over your head knocking you out of your stupor
>Wiping the remains off your mane, you spot a small colored coated candy rolling around 
>Getting back up, you walk towards the sweet 
>The wrapper had your mane color
>Puzzled, you quickly come to realize what it meant
“No…..no-no-no-no-no!”
>You kick the treat away
>Not like this, you can’t go out just like that
“This can’t be right, this has to be joke!”
>The bunker shakes again as the lights begin to come in and out
>You huddle against a corner not knowing what to do
>Lost, abandoned, and now they want you to kill yourself
>How could they do this 
>Stuck in a war where half the population was already processed, they consider now is a good time to waste agents
>This has to be a dream, none of this could be real
>It’s probably another one of Luna’s simulations and you’re just doing really bad
>Yeah, that’s right
>You’re just taking a test, no need to panic 
>There’s probably another clue somewhere that’ll lead you to a hidden passageway
>You just gotta find that clue though
>Quivering, you hastily rummage around the bunker
>Faster and faster you throw trash all over the place trying to find any form of a clue 
>Bombs continue to fall, just adding more to your paranoia 
>Eventually you do find something 
>Using all your strength
>You push the busted calculating machine over to a corner as you discover a small filly size door
“YES! Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes!”
>You hop around like Lyra would after having one of her insane theories published in the newspaper 
>The same insane theories that led to this conflict in the same place
>Sometimes you just want slap that pony
>Another bomb strikes, bringing you back to reality 
>Without hesitation you fall on your back
>Using all your strength from your hind legs you begin to repeatedly bash on the door
>You grunt and groan with each kick you give off
>The lights continue to flicker on and off as the bombs begin to drop less frequently 
>You paid no attention to it, the emerging cracks on the hardwood door were the only thing filling your mind at the moment
>With one last bash, you break through only to yelp in pain as you hit something very sharp
“Sweet Celestia!”
>You recline, examining the extent of the damage
>Sure enough your hoof was bleeding 
>A nice red gash was there staring right back at you
>Biting your lip, you rip a piece of your uniform off and wrap it around the wound
>It was still bleeding but it was better than nothing
>You look back at the broken door
>Crawling, you peer inside 
“.........”
>A row of spikes laid horizontally attached to what seemed to be a magically made crystal formation laid inside
>One spike particularly was dripping warm blood 
*BAM*
>Turning towards the front, a loud banging noise could be heard from the door 
>They’ve found you
*BAM*
>Scrambling up, you made the mistake of putting weight on your injured hoof
“Horse Apples!
>You fall on your side reiling in pain
*BAM*
>That was the final bang as a more sizzling sound took over
>You frantically look around the room hoping to find anything that’ll help you
>They knew the battle was loss here, they couldn’t waste time in saving everypony or allow anything to fall in the enemy's disgusting hands
>And that’s why they specifically gave you that bonbon 
>A sweet release, a taste of the days gone before death kicks in killing you
>You stare at the condiment 
>Either go down fighting and get captured or kill yourself
>One lets you live but you’ll probably be tortured and enslaved, while the other kills you
>You’re liking the odds here
>Maybe if your hoof wasn’t bleeding you would’ve had a better chance 
>Maybe……..
>Who knows……
>I’m going to die here aren’t I…..
>Crawling over to the sweet
>You unwrap its cover and stare at the chocolate treat in front of you
“I-It will be easy…...just put it in your mouth, chew for a bit and swallow…..w-what’s so hard about it?”
>You start to sweat profusely, as your hoof rejects every command you’re giving it
“C-come on Sweetie, down the hatch. I-it’ll be over soon……”
>Tears start to form, as all outside noises stop
*BOOM*
>As you barely manage to lick the bonbon, a large explosion is heard as the bunker door comes tumbling down the stairs 
>With it, two small cylindrical canisters drop next to it
>If it weren’t for the tears, your eyes would be completely dry due to the bright shining light blinding your vision
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
>You scream in pain, losing the bonbon from your hoof
>Thrashing all over the floor, wanting the pain to go away
>You could hear footsteps coming near
>Ignoring your hoof, you try to fight them 
>Kicking and swinging all over the place trying to find a solid object 
>But it was to no avail 
>A quick jab to the gut and they’re carrying you outside
>You still couldn’t see anything 
>And all you could really hear was ringing and ponies screaming bloody marry 
>They throw you on the ground and splash a bucket of water at your face
>It wasn’t even clean
>You cough and gag, using the liquid to relieve your eyes
>Opening them, you could see a fairly pony shaped figure walking towards you 
>You try to reach out for her, barely whimpering help 
>But as your hearing cleared, you could just hear laughing from her
>You lay speechless as her horn began to glow 
>A large orb of magic slowly formed, as your vision started to distinguish her facial features
>She was grinning 
>That was all you could grasp before the orb came crashing down and………
_____________________________
“AHHHHHHHHHHHH-mgh!”
>”Shhhhhhhhh…”
>Scootaloo removes her hoof from Bon-Bon’s face
>Panting, she shakes a light blanket of snow off her head as she anxiously checks her surroundings 
>Nothing still
>The rest all shifted around Fluttershy more, somehow still being able to sleep under these temperatures 
>”You alright? You were having one heck of a nightmare there.”
>Scootaloo mutters as she sits right next to you
“Y-yeah, still kinda cold.”
>”You can say that again, it's a good thing they didn’t take our fur or else we’ve would’ve been frozen popsicles by now.”
>The filly nudges the mare trying to make her talk as her left eye twitches 
“Yeah, i-it is good thing….”
>Bon-Bon looks up to the sky
>Dark space gray clouds covered most of the horizon
>They showed no sign of letting up
>Everything does look noticeably darker than before 
“Scootaloo, how long were we out?”
>Bon-Bon turns back to ask
>The filly shrugs
>”Beats me, if you didn’t kick me in your sleep then I guess we’d probably still be snoozing.”
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
>”Don’t sweat it, I used to do it all the time when me and Rainbow Dash went campin-”
>Scootaloo stood there silent for a moment
>”I-I mean, don’t sweat it it was just an ancient.”
>She clears her throat, turning her gaze towards something else
>Bon-Bon does the same 
>A period passes both Scootaloo starts up again
>”Soooooooooooooo……what was that ‘highway’ thing you were talking about?”
“Huh?”
>The mare breaks away from her pondering and turns towards the filly 
>”You know, before you and Coco started to fight you said we needed to pass a thing called a ‘highway’.”
>Bon-Bon winces over the reminder
“Oh, uh…..Yeah, an interstate highway….. i-its like this super road stretching for miles on end, made exclusively for the human’s mini trains.”
>Scootaloo bobs her head
>”Why would a human need a mini train? Couldn’t they just take a normal train to wherever they want?” 
>Bon-Bon mulled it over
“Don’t quote me on this, but from what i've seen there’s just so many of them that it would be nearly impossible to accommodate enough normal trains for their population. So they just make one super road and allow a bunch of mini trains to ride along it.”
>.....................
>”Oooooooh. That makes sense.”
“Like I said don’t quote me on it, I really never any real formal interactions with humans. Half the time I usually just try to escape or fight them off, most of the stuff I know comes from their TV’s and other ponies that are enslaved……...Oh and Lyra”
>”Lyra?”
“It’s a long story, just don’t ask.”
>”Oh.”
>Scootaloo looks away again after your sharp remark
>But wasn’t long before she started back up again
>”What’s beyond the highway?”
>A cold shiver went down Bon-Bon’s spine causing her to twitch 
“Freedom……”
>She says bluntly 
>”What about the resistance?”
>The filly asks as Bon-Bon looks back up to the sky
“They’ll be there too-”
>She turns back to the filly scowling at her
“-who told you about them?”
>”I-I overheard Lyra and Coco talking about it an-and…”
“...I-I just wanted-I mean I was curious about them, that’s all.”
>Scootaloo shuffles away from the mare, uncomfortable from her glare
>Seeing the distressed filly, Bon-Bon’s face softens as she looks back to the sky
“-sigh- Don’t worry about it Scootaloo, when we get there we’ll have all the time in this world to ask them anything, that is if we ever make it there in the first place.” 
>”You don’t think we’ll make it?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore. At the rate we’re going they’ll probably be gone, moved on to a new location far from this wintery wasteland, caring little about the stragglers who get left behind.”
>Bon-Bon responds sneeringly
“If we do make it, the four of you will be safe and sound. A roof over your head, beds with fluffy pillows, a nice fire keeping things warm, food….”
>Scootaloo’s stomach growls at the sound of the word
>She chuckles in embarrassment 
“...and for me an exchange of hooves, a pat on the back and a one way ticket back to enemy territory.”
>”Wait they’re just gonna send you right back out there!?!”
“Yeah, it's a bummer but this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve been doing stuff for the S.M.I.L.E agency for years now, it doesn’t bother me at all anymore.”
>Bon-Bon bites her lip saying that
>”So what type of bad guys did you fight-”
>Scootaloo springs back up
>”-I mean before the whole war of course.”
>She eagerly smiles waiting for a response
“............You know that bugbear that attacked Ponyville a couple years ago?”
>”Yeah.”
“He was there for me.”
>”Wait? Really!”
“MmmmMmmm.”
>Bon-Bon shakes her head, remembering all her past conflicts with the bugbear 
>”I thought it was just another random monster that came out from the Everfree.”
“Nope, it was there for me.”
>”Then how come I didn’t see you or Lyra fight the monster?”
>Bon-Bon snorts
“The princess and her friends already had the situation covered, I just laid low until the job was done, plus at the time S.M.I.L.E was technically disbanded so I’d be working for free.”
>”That seems kinda lazy, that bugbear really did a lot of damage to the town but not as much damage as Rainbow Da-I-I mean as Twilight and her friends did to it.”
>Impatiently her back leg starts to tap against the floor as she clears her throat again
>Bon-Bon raises an eyebrow but decides against pressing on Scootaloo about any past problems
>She did that once to a mare back a year ago, when she was locked up in one of those Auctioneer houses 
>It didn’t fair well for the pony in general, she became a sobbing mess refusing to quiet down even after being beaten several times before for the same reason
>Whatever Bon-Bon struck, must’ve been the last cord as she just went ballistic in her wails
>Eventually the humans had enough of her and she disappeared the next morning
>No pony could sleep for an entire week, as the sound of the gun still rang in their ears 
>”So!”
>Scootaloo restarts the conversation 
>”What exactly did you do to the bugbear to make it come looking for you?”
>Bon-Bon was eagerly waiting for her to ask that
“Now, where do I begin……”
>She rubs the end of her chin as she digs deep into her past adventures 
>Jaw dropping tales about great skirmishes between her and the bugbear
>Two bitter rivals fighting with no end in site
>Of course some of it was stretched to add more substance to the action
>Not to the extent how Lyra would spin it
>That mare would take any story given to her and make it seem like the next best thing since slice bread
>The filly didn’t seem to care though, the stories alone brought back wishful memories of the past, lost to the never ending pain of their current situation
>And the snow, it was still really cold and snowy 
>The laughter between the two, woke up still dozing Coco
>Who after just looking at the laughing ponies went back to sleep on top of the pregnant Fluttershy thinking she was still dreaming
>As Bon-Bon was just about to begin another set of stories, she paused dramatically as if something terrible happened
>”Ah? Bon-Bon you okay-MMMMM!”
>She grabs the filly, covering her mouth with her hoof and presses her body against the tree
>Scootaloo tries to struggle but her grip was to strong
“Shhhhhhhhh!”
>Eventually the filly does manage to get her mouth free
>”What was that f-”
>She stops mid-sentence as she begins to hear the same eerie sound that caused Bon-Bon to jump before 
*whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop-whop….*
>Birds and any other creature that lives for the snow scurry away as the noise begins to intensify looming over everything that hears it
“GET UP! GET UP GET UP!”
>”GET UP! GET UP GET UP!”
>”Geez louise, can a pony get any sleep around here!”
>Lyra complains as she stretches her hooves 
>”W-What’s happening!”
>”Bon-Bon this better be good.”
>Coco bitterly says as she tries to calm down a panicked Fluttershy
“No time to explain cover yourselves with snow, before-”
>The noise becomes virtually unavoidable 
>In the sky, a black helicopter speeds past over their heads with another two joining it as they scatter throughout the grey sky
“We have to run!”