//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The New CHS Hideaway // Story: Lightning and Stitch (#2) // by LightningStar626 //------------------------------// E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Spies: Lightning and Stitch (#2) Chapter 1: The New CHS Hideaway "Lightning, where exactly are you taking us?" "You'll see~." ~Lightning Star led Karly Crystal and the seven Rainbooms around CHS, blindfolded. Now that she and Karly have spent more than two days at CHS, they were experts at navigating the school's hallways. (Despite Lightning going in the wrong direction the second she entered the school today). She directed them through the corridors, making sure she didn't guide them into objects along the way, until, slowly and gently, she stopped at a large doorway with two doors. She flung them open and led everyone inside.~ Sunset Shimmer was contemptuous. "Lightning…" "Don't worry, I'm not planning anything nefarious. I have a surprise for all of you. Just follow the sound of my voice." Lightning said, the girls feeling her walking again. "Stop. Alright, everyone. You can take them off now." ~Slowly slipping their blindfolds off, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Karly stared at the surprise that awaited them. The room that they were in however, was empty, and nothing out of the ordinary. The Rainbooms recognised it as the music room where they would go into to either practise their bandwork, or just hang out. Although, nothing was there. They turned to Lightning, who was smiling and waiting, but they had no idea to what this surprise was.~ "Uhh, this is our music room." Applejack said, contemptly. "Yeah, we come here all the time to play our instruments! Why have you brought us here?" Rainbow added. "She's right. Is there anything in here we should know about?" Sunset asked. "Yes!" said Lightning. "And I definitely didn't know this was your 'hang out'. But, hey, that's even better! Come here, come here!" ~The spy girl went over to the grand piano in the room, and began to play a small tune on the keys. It sounded like the theme of a certainly children's TV show, which was a tune no one in this world has even heard of, but the Rainbooms were impressed to learn that Lightning could play the piano. Their impressions were then greatly increased as suddenly, once the tune was finished, a green light illuminated from under the flooring where the piano stood, and it slowly began to rise to the ceiling, revealing something underneath it. Everyone leapt back instinctively as the light hit their shoes. A black stairway, leading down under the ground and into darkness caught their attention next. It seemed ominous yet strangely exciting for the girls. Twilight (Sci-Twi) straightened up her glasses before turning to Lightning.~ "What's this?" she asked with amazement. "Follow me, and all will be revealed…" said Lightning mysteriously. ~She walked down the stairs with a grin on her face as the rest followed her carefully. The piano closed above them once they reached the bottom of the stairs. Then, they were met by a door with a special hi-tech lock that can only be entered by scanning the thumb. Lightning assured that it was already programmed to recognise the DNA of all the Rainbooms, Karly, Lightning, as well as Steven Secret, Karly's uncle. This reminded Karly to ask where her uncle was, but Lightning ignored her and scanned her thumb on the door lock. The door opened immediately but all it led to was a small compartment no bigger than a vending machine. It could still fit at least ten people though, as the girls were ushered into the tight spot by Lightning. They pressed up against each other at first, but they wiggled into a better position once inside. As Lightning got in last and closed the door, she pressed a button living inside the small box and let the steel doors close in front of them, sealing them inside. That's when the girls realised it was an elevator.~ "Might want to brace yourself in a second." Lightning warned. Karly focused her gaze. "Why's tha…" ~She was interrupted by the cables holding the elevator straining. The box tilted for a short while. Then, suddenly, the whole lift dropped down at an intense, frightening speed, and everyone's feet flew off the floor. Karly and the Mane 7 screamed, feeling weightless, while Lightning stood there in a calm, stable manner. She began to explain something as they kept falling.~ "Yeah, we needed to be sure this wouldn't be discovered so we put it down at about five-hundred levels." But she was unheard of because of the screaming. "Oh, stop screaming, you'll be fine." ~They continued plunging and plunging for a while, and like that, it felt as if it had been falling for hours. Karly honestly thought they were falling down a bottomless pit, because they just kept on going. Finally, the elevator hit level five-hundred. And, once it did, the elevator stopped with a jolt, and everyone suddenly dropped downwards onto the bottom pad of the shaft like stones, all tangled up in one another in a ball. They did not expect the halting at all. Only Lightning landed on her feet.~ "We're here." she smiled. ~She stepped out once the doors opened and she acted like nothing had happened, but everyone else was shattered. Groaning, feeling nauseous, and faces that were as white as a ghost. From what they just went through, Twilight was speechless from the impossible laws of gravity that just happened, and it was an absolute wonder to her how none of them had any broken bones, or even had a scratch from it. So, after failing to process what just went down, everyone disentangled themselves, stood up, and kept following Lightning, still confused.~ "Uhh…uhh…" Nobody could say a word at the moment, but Lightning knew what her friends were thinking. "I know, I know, that was a little- WHA-OH! I take it your hearts are pumping like crazy right now, but let me assure you, the lift won't do you any damage, and you'll get used to it in no time. It's going to be worth it. Now come on! You must see this!" ~Lightning was so eager, it even surprised Pinkie Pie.~ ~After going through one more hi-tech security system and doorway, the girls were ready to see what the surprise was. And when they saw it, it was certainly something they were not expecting. What they saw was a largely open space room, in the shape of a domed circle. There was a hole in the middle, protected by a glass fence, that revealed another floor underneath, and the openings beside the room they were on revealed at least three more rooms. One led downstairs to the ground floor. Everyone looked down on the balcony, and saw red, blue, orange and green large, square tables all circled in the corner. Against the wall near the tables was a blank, black screen monitor. Looking back on the current floor they were on, they saw two areas that looked like a lab/gadget room and a dressing room with fancy outfits and disguises. Twilight and Rarity's faces lit up.~ ~The Chief (Steven Secret) was looking through some files on the red table downstairs. He suddenly looked up through the balcony to see the nine girls. He held his arm out warmly.~ "Hello, agents," he said. "Welcome to our new E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A superhero, secret agent hideaway!" "And that's the surpriiise!" Lightning said, smiling eagerly. "Sooo- What does everyone thinnnk?" Karly and the Rainbooms stood in silence, as they were completely paralysed by shock and amazement. "...What exactly was wrong with the old building we found, Lightning?" Karly asked, once she found her tongue. Lightning scoffed at the question. "I wanted to start fresh in this new world of wonders! Three words for you all: Living in style! Come, come, I'll show everyone around!" ~Skipping up and around the balcony, Lightning hurried over to the first two areas. They were one step level down, and had no doors or four walls, just a couple of glass protector screens for watchers or rookies. The floor changed from wood to concentrate after the step down and as they entered, they stared at all the fancy, sci-fi-like facilities all around them either on the table or hanging up on the walls. Strange compartment boxes lived in the corners while the rest were covered up in bookshelves, gleaming computer monitors and workstations. In the middle was a funky, stone grey table with a giant robotic claw attached to its side. It was the complete definition of a secret-tech lab, and Twilight was determined not to flip out. They all began freely looking around, personally and approvingly, just to see what else there was to offer. Pinkie Pie began messing around with the flasks and potions, filled with colouring, boiling liquids, and when she held one up to get a better look through it, the reflection made it so her head was the same size. Twilight went to look at the claw against the table. Lightning smiled at her.~ "You are going to love this, Twilight! This is our lab and gadget room! Here, we can forensic evidence we find when solving a crime, as well as design useful gadgets for missions. We currently have one under way, as you can see here." she held up a tiny glass ball with a pink liquid shaking inside. "I got the inspiration for this gadget when Pinkie Pie set off that explosion in the science room yesterday." "That was…very unexpecting." Sunset Shimmer sighed. "Who knew that putting confetti in a flask with sodium would make everything go from white to pink!" Pinkie Pie giggled, still playing with the flasks. Lightning rolled her eyes. "Y-yes- ha ha! Anyways, like that, I invented this foaming pink paint bomb. Pull the pin here, and roll it on the ground under your enemies' feet, and in under three seconds it will explode into a foaming pit of pink paint. Everyone around it will be covered up and blinded by it! I took the liberty of doing blue and green paint too." "Whoa! That's amazing!" Rainbow Dash awed. "Well, I'm certainly looking forward to working here!" said Twilight, ecstatically. "And this claw!" she had no more words. "What is the area next door, Lightning?" Rarity asked, pointing over on the right. "I am very curious about it." "I knew you would be, Rarity." Lightning said, and she began to head on over there. "So, this is our dressing room. Here, we fashion all the types of disguises we might need on various missions, as well as armour, and a few hidden items inside some of them." She took off a pair of glasses from one of the mannequins and put them on Rarity. "Like these glasses. Now, they may just look like something just to disguise your eyes, but if you press this hidden button here." ~She put her finger on the side of the lens and, all of a sudden, in Rarity's point of view, her entire vision beamed into a blue and black void and she could see through the walls and people, seeing and knowing what they were carrying. Everyone could see her eyebrows raise.~ "Boom! X-ray mode!" "Whoaaaaaa…" The Rainbooms wowed. Rarity wowed herself too, before she clicked another button on the glasses by accident and saw something she didn't wish to see. "Oh my goodness!" She immediately took off the glasses. "Uhh, what did ya see?" Applejack asked. "I'd…rather not say." Rarity said, blushing intensely. "Nonetheless, it's a very…nifty invention- thank you for showing us that, Lightning." "My pleasure. Okay! Moving on!" ~She led them towards one of the openings that revealed three more rooms. One went to the left, one went to the right, and one led straight ahead. The one on the right had a very long corridor whilst the other two didn't. Lightning pointed to that one first.~ "Down there is the training room, which we will get to later after the production, which you will be seeing in the screening room here." and she pointed to the left door. "Once Chief Secret is, uhh, finished with the documents he has downstairs, he will take you in there to watch a forty-five minute production on all this spy business." "I remember having to watch that," Karly said, recounting the memories. "Don't worry, it's very simple and easy to memorise." Lightning nodded. "The room straight ahead leads to Chief Secret's office. Visit it whenever you like if there are any problems that need to be dealt with or spoken about in a meeting. And back down heeerrreee…" ~Turning back and down through the main lobby and around the circled balcony, they entered the opposite opening over, which led into another corridor, much longer than the last one, with nine doors. Four doors were on one side, while four more were on the other. The only one was at the end. Each one was labelled with one of the girl's logos and name. From left to right, then across, this was order: Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Lightning Star, Karly Crystal, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack.~ "...are our rooms, slash, offices. It has a wide open space, a bed, a desk, and I have filled it with all the things you know and love. Check them out!" ~Pinkie Pie was the first to zip over her new room, easily knowing which one it was. There was a long silence as the girls waited for her response. Suddenly, Pinkie emerged from around the door again both forcefully and excitedly. Her eyes glinted towards Lightning.~ "You gave me a mini bakery, a chocolate fountain, an unlimited supply of cupcake ingredients, and CONFETTI BOMBS?!" "What a girl needs to feel comfortable." Lightning replied. "Just don't overwhelm yourself, Agent Pie." Steven said as suddenly approached them. ~Pinkie Pie hyped up a gasp before once again tossing herself back into her room and most likely onto the plush pink bed Lightning had put in there for her as they all heard the sound of a spring bouncing. The others then got excited, after seeing Pinkie's reaction. Sure, Lightning, Steven and Karly had only known them for two days, but judging and seeing everything they've now been shown so far, it felt like they've known each other for years, and that they knew everything about them. The six raced off into each of their rooms to see what there was to offer.~ ~Only Karly remained outside with Lightning, still in awe at the sight of her and her friend's own personal secret hideout. She couldn't believe it, after spending over five years of stopping crime without one, they finally had it. A place to meet, to re-group, to recharge. It was like a home. Or rather, 'A home away from home' as her Uncle Steven would put it. Karly looked up towards him and he smiled down at her and patted her shoulder.~ "Are you okay, Karly, my dear?" he asked. "I…I am just in disbelief at all this. How and when did you build all of it?" "We had a lot of help." Lightning answered. "As you know, one of my uncles is a builder. So, with him, my ideas, and about fifty-hundred builders, this only took the two days we've spent here." Karly was impressed. "Wow." "Well now, I don't know what you're waiting for, go check out your new room!" ~With that, Lightning forcefully shoved her partner/best friend over the door with her name on it. And without any hesitation, she wandered in.~ "You really outdid yourself, didn't you, Agent Star?" Steven winked. "Maybe…" the spy replied shyly. "You know, It's always good to impress and make a good impression on people. I want these girls to feel comfortable in our agency, and more importantly, feel comfortable around us and..." "I know, I know. And they will. It's going to take alot more than fancy rooms though for them to earn more trust towards you. While you showed courage towards them when fighting Devil and those Dazzlings, it does not happen in less than a week. It's only the beginning of your friendship and teamwork, and we must make the most of it. Understand?" "Of course." Steven patted her shoulder. "That's my agent. This agency is going to be a success. I can see it in your eyes." "Hey, don't forget who's really in charge," Lightning pointed at Steven, then to herself. "You just do your thing, and I'll do mine." "Go on then. I'll prepare the introduction in the screening room." ~With that, he turned around and went off over to the other side and down the corridor, disappearing to his office. Lightning watched him before deciding to go back up to the music room and chill. But instead of taking the falling elevator that got them here, she took another, better, safer route. By going into her room and pressing her hand against the wall directing next to the door, she revealed a small red button from behind where she put her hand. She pressed it and closed her eyes, and by some crazy, magical miracle, she ended up back above the ground in the music room. It was like a quick teleporting device that can be used for emergency getaways.~ ~Nonetheless, it got Lightning back up to the top. She laid back onto the piano and breathed a well-made sigh of relief.~ "You sure did good, Lightning. And using this small music room was spot on! I just wonder if there's anything in here that I could bring down for the girls." she said to herself. Just then, a voice came out from behind the door of the room. "Hello? Twilight?" it sounded scuffy, yet small and kind. "Uhh- Who's there?" Lightning demanded, glancing sharply. ~She heard scraping coming from the lower half of the door. Like something was trying to get in but failing because they couldn't reach the handle. Lightning went to investigate, but when she opened the door to peek through, there was nothing there. Perhaps it was just a figment of her imagination. But, as she closed the door and began to head back to the piano, she spotted a little purple and green-haired puppy gazing up at her from below her feet. He wore a spiked collar and had lime green eyes with floppy ears and a tuft of hair on the top of his head. Both were silent for a second until the dog spoke to her.~ "Uhh… Hi. I don't think I've seen you around before. Have you seen Twilight? She's the one that cares for me. She wears glasses, has dark blue/purple hair…" The bemused girl looked at the dog in dismay. "Uhh...suuurrre. Come. Down here." ~She entered in the tune opening up the piano again, and while the dog was a little surprised and sceptical, he followed her in nicely. Lightning was a little bewildered herself. Twilight never mentioned anything about owning a pet. Where was he during the invasion of Devil and the Dazzlings a few days ago? And how is it that he is able to talk? Can animals just talk naturally in this world? She wanted to ask him all this but felt a little unsure talking to a talking dog. So, she decided to wait for an explanation once she presented this dog to the Rainbooms, supposed that he is actually Twilight's dog. Of course, the dog himself was no different. He had many questions to ask Lightning too. Firstly, about what they just went through coming down here from under the piano. They made it to the elevator once again, and after a quick, painless drop down, and screaming, they made it to the hideout.~ The dog was blown away. "Whoa! Wh-what is this place? Have you been living down here this whole time without us realising? Wait, you're not going to experiment on me, are you?" "What- No! H-hey, calm down, little guy." laughed Lightning, though she was very nervous. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything. My name is Lightning Star, and I'm a new friend of Twilight's. I'll show you to her, then we can go from there. Okay? Ahh, here she is now." ~Just then, Twilight emerged from her new room/office with a satisfying smile across her face. She looked up to Lightning and was about to go all out about what she had to say in her mind about her room, when she spotted her dog at once.~ "Spike!" she exclaimed. "Twilight! I found you!" Spike said happily, kicking and wagging his tail about. Lightning smiled. "I believe this belongs to you." ~Spike abruptly jumped up and landed straight into Twilight's arms. As the two hugged, Fluttershy and Rarity came out to see what was going on. When they noticed Spike, their faces beamed into happiness.~ "Spike!" "Spikey-wikey!" They joined in on the hug and petted Spike passionately. "Oof! Hey, girls! Good to see you!" he barked. Karly and the other girls suddenly appeared from their doors too. "Hey, what's all the commotion?" Applejack said. The dog turned to them. "Oh. Hi there!" "Spike!" "SPIKE!" Pinkie howled. "What the- You…You spoke!" Karly cried in amazement. "Well, I didn't cough, did I?" Spike answered brightly. But Karly was too bewildered to say anything. "So, do you want to introduce yourself, talking dog?" said Lightning. "Sure! I'm Spike!" "He's my dog and my faithful, loyal companion. He's been with me for as long as I can remember." Twilight said, stroking him passionately. "He's...chatty. I mean- he can chat! I mean- he can talk!" stuttered Karly. "It's a long story." Fluttershy said, rubbing the back of her neck. "But anyways, Twilight, who are these girls?" Spike asked, pointing his snout towards Lightning and Karly. "This is Lightning Star and Karly Crystal." Twilight explained. "They are awesome secret agents for whom we are going to help stop bad guys!" Rainbow Dash said, clenching her fists. "W-well, I guess when you put it like that." Karly said. "Really? That's amazing! I've always wanted to meet a secret agent, even become one!" Spike jumped, wagging his tail faster. "Well, you're in luck, Spike! Because we are training your one and only owners to be SA's!" Lightning said. "Well, when they get the approval." Karly added, smiling. Spike's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. "You're messing with me." ~But one large shake of the head from everyone put him in his place, and Spike howled with excitement.~ "Oh my goodness! Wh-when, when?! When do they get the approval?" "Soon. Very soon. The chief is preparing the production right now, but, uhh, since it won't be ready for some time, why don't we all go and do something? It'll help us bond and get to know each other better." Lightning explained. "Sounds fun. I suppose it'll be for the best since we are going to be working together." said Rarity. "Glad you agree. However, I have no idea where we should go. I don't really fancy staying here in the school. Any suggestions?" "We could go to the mall!" said Pinkie. "You have a mall?" "Sure we do! What, you think we spend all o' our time in school with nowhere else to go?" Applejack smirked. Lightning rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Well, staying at school and learning about it can still be an option." Twilight suggested. "Don't you even, Twilight." Rainbow groaned. "Yeah, we can do that later!" Pinkie added. Twilight sighed. "Alright." "Come on then!" Sunset called. "Let's go and show Lightning and Karly what Canterlot City has to offer." ~The group bustled into cheers of agreement and excitement.~ "Can I come too?" asked Spike. "Of course you can." Karly said. "The more the merrier!" Lightning smiled. "Now, how do we get out of here?" Twilight asked. "Please don't tell me we have to go up that horrible elevator again." Fluttershy shuddered. "Oh, no, don't worry, I created a much better way to get back up to the school." Lightning assured. ~Like that, she eagerly led them into her room and pressed the same red button and asked everyone to lock hands. Pinkie screamed as they teleported.~ "UP, UP AND AWAYYYYYY…!"