The Fashion of Evil

Ponyville Town Guardhouse. 5:75 A.N. (around 8 am) Summer 85th

Early in the morning, ponies were just getting up and starting their day. The fillies were in school, and farm workers left on the wagons bound for the farms out in the county. After a night of restless busy work, Twilight Sparkle was back at the guardhouse giving her newest report.

“...after compiling Lyra’s memories concerning the case, and reviewing her magic signature, I have found she was not at all involved with the fire yesterday...”

She levitated both crystals in the air and projected images from them onto the white wall behind her. The Town Guard ponies, not used to seeing magical displays were awed with the visual details, such as images and ‘videos’ from Lyra’s memories.

“...Lyra’s magic signature is weak, and does not at all match up with the two i obtained from the site and from Rarity. In addition, Lyra does not use magic, and her horn is permanently damaged, thus her ability to cast magic is extremely limited. I therefore ask that she be cleared as a suspect in this investigation and released from custody.”

“Heh,” Chief Tibbs grunted, “Sure, I’m fine with that. Kind of glad it wasn’t her actually. The problem is Lyra tried to kill herself during the night. We found her unconscious around 18° (1:80 AN or around 4 am) this morning with her pasterns (wrists) wounded. She tried to slash herself with her own horn. She’s tied down. I want one of you guys to escort her to the hospital.”

Twilight was stunned at the news but not entirely surprised. It was an ugly story of ordeals Bon Bon and Photo Finish put Lyra through. Not to mention she was deathly afraid of angering Bon Bon, who was the abuser in their relationship.

“Now, what about Sweetie Drops?” Chief Tibbs asked.

“That’s a different story,” Twilight explained, “During the interview last night, she refused to cooperate and prevented Lyra from speaking via intimidation. I had her removed from the room and that alone caused her to become very belligerent and hostile. She is involved in a string of crimes against Lyra, and she was even involved with Photo Finish at some point earlier. However, her activities are not linked to the fire. I’ll be brief about her:

“Lyra had modeled for Photo Finish for up to three years. She was forced into prostitution and several other...ahem...questionable services during her time in Manehattan, Baltimare, Equine City, and Los Pegasus. All her pay went directly to Sweetie Drops, or Bon Bon as Lyra addressed her last night, and Lyra hardly gained a single bit from her employment.

"Lyra informed me last night the 'Sweetie Drops' is a mere alias. Her true name is Bon Bon.

"According to the data I compiled, Lyra suffers from depression, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder, all of which Bon Bon used to control and manipulate her. These two ponies shared a one sided intimate relationship where Bon Bon was the master, and Lyra, the slave. Basically, it amounts to physical abuse and unlawful confinement. Furthermore, early in Year 1000, after Lyra was dismissed from her modelling job, Bon Bon viciously assaulted her and inflicted grave damage to her horn. Lyra was denied access to medical attention and suffered an infection which destroyed her magic system, rendering her permanently incapable of casting magic. Fortunately, Lyra managed to heal before suffering fatal damage.

“Lyra met Bon Bon in Year 998, and they got together. From my analysis of her memory, Bon Bon groomed and manipulated her right from the first day onward, and within three months, she had her trapped. Bon Bon restricted her from seeing friends, her family, and eventually she forced Lyra to quit her job at the Ponyville Music School. Until then she taught ponies to play the lyre and the harp.

"Bon Bon apparently wanted a filly, so she made arrangements...to get Lyra pregnant, from stallions of her choosing. Basically, Bon Bon had her raped. And when Lyra miscarried and failed to deliver, Bon Bon gave her hell.

“Given this evidence, on behalf of Lyra, and in the name of everything we stand for as a society, I want Bon Bon implicated and punished for her crimes. She may be innocent in the fire and the attempted murder of Rarity, but she is sure as rotten hay not an innocent pony.”

The room was silent. Everypony was still stunned by the videos being played on screen. It was through Lyra’s eyes. Bon Bon was hoof beating her and shouting at her. A more recent video came up after Twilight finished speaking. It was of the fire; they found Rarity, pulled her to safety, then the two of them fled. Lyra protested, saying they should stay with her until the medics arrived but Bon Bon persisted they go home. She relented.

The next clip showed them being arrested at home and taken to the guard house. In their cell before Twilight showed up, Bon Bon was briefing her, and fiercely telling her not to talk, all the while throwing insults at her. As the videos played out, bar gauge displays showed emotion levels. It was a sad story.

Then another clip began. Lyra was at a fashion show, and Photo Finish was reprimanding her. In the background, the stylists were preparing Fluttershy for the runway. During the night, Twilight spent much time examining the footage where Fluttershy was involved. Some clips, Fluttershy looked well, others, she did not.

“Well,” Chief Tibbs, “These memory crystals certainly work their magic, don’t they?”

Several guards murmured in advance.

“But that’s not all. Comet Tail! Come up and show us what you got!”

A uniformed unicorn, beige coat and grey mane got up and stood next to Twilight.

“You mind?” he asked. Twilight, surprised, said nothing, stopped the crystals from playing and put them in her saddle bags.

“Comet here is another unicorn investigator. He transferred in from Hoofington. He does all the case work. He is quite skilled at, ehh, extracting information,” Chief Tibbs explained. “Bon Bon was making a fuss during the night, so a couple officers shoved a memory crystal down her throat. Since you’re basically working overtime, Sparkle, I called him in to process Bon Bon’s memories. Show us what you’ve got, Comet.”

“Yes, sir,” Comet Tail said as he levitated his crystal and beamed its images on screen.

“Bon Bon is a seasoned criminal from Equine City,” Comet Tail began, “She grew up in an upper class family, and since adolescence, she has been up to no good. Bon Bon’s father is the current owner of the Drops Company, a candy and sweets producer based in Manehattan. Bon Bon’s list of crimes ranges from theft, assault and battery, psychological abuse, kidnapping, racketeering, tax fraud, and accessory to murder.

"She’s been known to lure ponies into ‘service rings’ and brothels in this country’s seedier cities. In 992, Bon Bon was arrested and extradited to Canterlot and put on trial for kidnapping foals and selling them to a fillyphile ring. She was not convicted thanks to her family’s lawyers. Bon Bon’s involvement with the fashion industry is no less despicable: she lured naive ponies into modelling, and received anywhere between 300 and 2000 bits, basically she sold ponies into the various slavery rings that the fashion industry has been known to harbor. Most of her victims were ponies were from small towns and villages.

“As for Lyra, it is as Ms. Sparkle describes, she was Bon Bon’s personal slave in every sense of the word. Bon Bon intended to sell Lyra to a company that operated within the fashion industry’s porno sector; and Photo Finish and her colleagues took interest of her. Bon Bon basically leased and rented out Lyra and raked in thousands of bits during Lyra’s, ahem, ‘employment.’

“Bon Bon came to Ponyville in Fall 997. When she registered at town hall, she gave her name as Sweetie Drops, and that was the name she constantly used and gave to other ponies.  It was her attempt to throw off investigators. Her scheme worked and she roamed freely about in Ponyville and the county. She also traveled and fooled checkpoint guards with her false name.

Bon Bon started work in Ponyville as a waitress at a local cafe, in hopes of keeping a low profile, as she was on the run from the law. During her tenure, Bon Bon defrauded several businesses, costing them thousands of bits. She attempted to run and scrapped a secret brothel business involving prostitutes from the larger cities. In 1002, Bon Bon tried to take advantage of immigrant residents from the Crystal Empire and sell them off to her associates in Equine.

“Because of her crimes, Bon Bon is wanted in Canterlot and every major city in Equestria. Over the years, she has appeared on the most wanted list. Now that we have her memories, thus, concrete evidence of her crimes, I see it imperative Bon Bon be deported to Canterlot to face justice her crimes.”

The officers and chief remained silent. They had always thought of Ponyville as the perfect harmonious small town, where everypony was innocent. Some of the younger town guard officers, who hadn’t really left the county, or even Ponyville, were unsettled by the fact that a criminal like Bon Bon had been living among them.

"It's settled then," Chief Tibbs announced, "Get that despicable mare out of here. Throw her in a box. I want her on the next train that passes through town."

"Agreed, sir," Comet Tail added, then argued, "But we should make Bon Bon's crimes known to all of Ponyville. I propose we put her on display and publicly parade her to the train station. Everypony should be made aware that she's been a parasite to this town during the last seven years."

"Hmm," Chief Tibbs grunted, "Very well, but I want her out of here sooner or later. Beef Oates!"

"Yes sir?"

"Get me a journalist from the town paper, and have them write up a full report on Bon Bon. Hay Wire, Salty Brine, and Golden Graham, take Bon Bon out front, and lock her in a pillory."

"Yes, sir!" the three stallions chanted as they trotted for the door to the detention cells downstairs.

"What are you doing with her?" Twilight asked.

"She'll be put on display while Comet here presents her crime to everypony, not only the crimes in town but beyond. They need to know that I will not tolerate the likes of her in this whole county. And she can stay in the pillory until it's time to ship her to the Capital Stockades, a.k.a, the Canterlot prison."

"Sir, I must ask, please exclude the details involving Lyra. I think she's been through enough."

"Why not? I think everypony ought to see why Lyra is so screwed up. Anyways, Sparkle, I think you should get some sleep, I can tell by the look of your bloodshot eyes you did not get any rest. Go home, you're tired. And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to meet with Mayor Mare."

Twilight just stepped back as the chief walked past her, and out the door.

"Twilight?" Comet Tail asked, bringing her out of her daze.

"What?"

"Have you focused at all on some of the details of Lyra's memories?"

"Uhh, no, I uhh got too caught up with the things about Bon Bon."

"I see, well, after you've slept, do look over all the memories the two of them have on Hoity Toity. He's apparently well connected to Photo Finish, hence, the avenue for Bon Bon to conduct her business with her and other ponies in the world they work."

"W-will do. Won't you help?" Twilight asked, not to sure if she wanted his help.

"I'm afraid not. I must present the case to the royal guard in Canterlot when we bring Bon Bon in, and I must attend the court proceedings and see to it she gets prosecuted for her crimes. I'm sure Chief Tibbs won't object if you call in your Mane Six friends. The more minds on the fire case the better. I will return after Bon Bon's been dealt with."

Twilight nodded in agreement, then left the guard house.

As she walked past the courtyard, she saw them drag out Bon Bon, and hoist her up into the pillory. There were three sets of restraints; two for her front and back hooves, the other for her neck. She was locked into a standing position, and forced to face the town square, and the town hall across from the guardhouse building. The pillory was situated on an elevated wooden deck so she was more visible to the public.

As she was strapped in, fighting and shouting, other town guard ponies wrote on the large blackboards her name and local crimes. A large magical moving-picture device was powered up and two magic crystals inserted through a hole in the top.

Just beyond the guardhouse courtyard, ponies walking across the town square took notice and approached, shocked to see a pony in the pillory. The last time anypony was subject to humiliation like this was over ten years ago.

Comet Tail stepped out and spoke with the other guard ponies standing around, and they spoke quietly among themselves.

The clock mounted to Town Hall read 60° or 6:00 A.N. In human time that meant 8am. The group standing around the pillory deck split up and one pony entered the building. He reappeared on the roof and began ringing the bell. The large rusty old bell belched out a string of sour metallic notes that rang all over town. It was a far cry from the softer bells that rang from the Celestial Temple on Sundays.

Twilight sighed sadly and was briefly afraid if something went horribly wrong in her work and Bon Bon was innocent. She quickly brushed the thoughts aside in her mind and walked away.

"Buck you, Twilight Sparkle! Buck you!" Bon Bon shouted behind her.

"Gag her," Comet Tail ordered.

The two guards closed in. One struck Bon Bon in the face, and pried open her mouth, the other simply jammed a rock in it, and tied the rope around the back of her neck. Then she was blindfolded. Gagged and blinded, she wasn't so able to curse at ponies she knew.

When the bells rang or horns blew from a major institution in Ponyville, the only three being Town Hall, the Guardhouse, and the Sun Temple (or Sun Church); it was a summoning call for ponies to come and attend the occasion. Only thing was, they were almost never summoned to the guardhouse courtyard.

• + +

Still in the detention cell, Lyra, still groggy from having woken up from a sleep spell, heard the foul clangs of the bell. Earlier she heard Bon Bon shouting, screaming, and kicking as she was forcefully dragged out from her own cell. Lyra kept her head down in the straw. She looked down at her front hooves. Her pasterns (wrists) were bandaged up, and a leather cap strapped to her horn, covering it.

She had to fight a panic attack when the guards re-entered the detention area and trotted to her cell. Paranoid as she was, Lyra feared she'd be dragged to her execution.

The steel grate was unlocked and swung open. She slowly got up, and cautiously stepped out.

+

Two guards escorted Lyra out the door and past the courtyard. She gasped when she saw Bon Bon locked in the pillory above.

"This way," the guard coaxed her, pointing a hoof in the direction of the hospital.

When they arrived, Lyra didn't put up a fuss, and was placed in a bed next to Rarity. The guards gave Dr. Stable the papers and promptly left. Free of Bon Bon for the first time in what seemed to be ages, Lyra was stunned, scared, and didn't know what to do with herself. But the guilt Bon Bon poisoned her with still lingered, and today would only be the first day in the long process of ridding herself of it. Relieved to be cleared of the town guard's suspicion, and too burnt out to say anything, she slept. As she drifted off to sleep, she at least recognized that Twilight Sparkle had pulled her out of a cesspit prison Bon Bon kept her in. Bon Bon wasn't her one true friend, Twilight Sparkle was.