//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Masked Pony: Agent of SECT // by MagnetBolt //------------------------------// “The good thing is, they’re only making us pay for part of the damage to town hall,” Lyra said. “Pinkie says we’re square with the flying machine repairs, too, as long as we bring her some of that really good dark chocolate you use.” “That stuff is imported,” I said. “It would be cheaper to actually pay somepony to fix her helio-chopper!” Lyra shrugged. “We’re not going to jail, Bonnie. Let’s count our blessings that ponies just think we’re crazy for flying into the storm and not anything worse.” I sighed and shook my head. “Excuse me,” I said, stepping past a golden-armored guard and almost bumping right into another one. I glared up at him, annoyed. “Ponies are trying to shop!” I snapped at the armored, armed, trained soldier. “We’re here to keep ponies safe,” he said, with more patience than I deserved. “Move along, please.” I huffed and turned away, Lyra giving me a look but staying quiet until we were out of earshot. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “I don’t like having all these guards around,” I said. “Weren’t you basically a guard?” Lyra asked. “I was an Agent. It’s completely different. Besides, these guards seem like rookies. The last thing I want in a pinch is an armed pony with no idea what he’s doing in a fight.” I saw Lyra looking at one of the guards. She didn't seem convinced. “You lived in Canterlot,” I said. “You know what the really professional guards look like. They’re like statues, and they know how to keep watch while keeping out of the way. Look at them.” I motioned with my head. “They’re getting distracted, they don’t have overlapping lines of sight, and they’re not paired up. If I wanted to, I could slip right through without them seeing anything. And if I could do it, a trained GOC agent could do it too.” “If it helps, I don’t think we’re the only ones complaining.” Lyra looked the other way. A crowd was gathering, and the purple pony they were converging on was just a tiny bit taller than the average mare, making it easy to pick her out of the crowd. “--I said-- it’s for-- I know you have questions--!” Twilight sputtered, trying to answer ponies in three directions at once. She vanished in a flash of magic and reappeared on top of a stack of crates that the farmers had unpacked and set to the side. “Okay, everypony, please calm down!” Twilight said, her voice echoing slightly with the sound of a voice amplification spell. “I know you’re all worried, but if you give me a chance, I can explain everything.” The crowd’s roar dropped to a murmur, and the herd converged on her. Lyra and I slipped in with them, getting to the front of the pack. “As you know, we’ve been having some unusual events inside Ponyville,” Twilight said. “There are reports of monsters, strange masked ponies, ponies reporting missing time, and bad dreams. The guards are here to help keep everypony safe, and if you give it a few days, you’ll hardly even notice them. They’re trained and able to deal with any monsters or masked ponies you might be worried about.” “What about the bad dreams?!” Roseluck wailed. “I’m sure Princess Luna will help with them herself if it’s anything more than night terrors,” Twilight assured her. “The important thing is, we’ve dealt with monsters before, and we’ll do it again. Nopony has gotten seriously hurt, and this time instead of being on our own, we’ve got plenty of pony power to help out.” “Not that they’ll be much help,” I muttered under my breath. “While I have the chance, I’d like to introduce the commander of our new local guards. He’s an experienced soldier who had a very impressive resume. Commander?” She looked down, and a pony stepped out of the crowd, his armor trimmed with slightly more care and more glit than the rest. He was a unicorn stallion, not the buff kind that usually joined the guard, but small and athletic, with a tan-colored coat and flowing blond locks. “No way,” I muttered. “Good morning, Ponyville--” he started, his voice much quieter than the Princesses’. He looked up at her, and she gave a shy smile and cast a spell. When he continued, his voice was amplified as well. “That’s better,” he said. “Good morning, Ponyville. My name is Commander Ace. I assure you, there’s nopony better suited to this than the ponies here today. It will take a little while for us to get used to patrolling your town, and you’ll need time to get used to us. Hopefully, by the time this is settled and we’re headed back to Canterlot you’ll miss us instead of being glad to see us leave.” He laughed, and that laugh took me back more than a decade. “What’s wrong now?” Lyra whispered. “I know that pony,” I hissed. “He’s not a Royal Guard! He was an Agent of SECT, like me!” “Thank you again for the chance to serve,” Ace said, looking up at Twilight. He thought he was so charming, and unfortunately, he was. The princess blushed and nodded. “All a soldier like me asks for is a chance to do what’s right.” She nodded, and Ace trotted off. But not without looking right at me and nodding just the tiniest bit. Princess Twilight cleared her throat. “I hope that answers all your questions. I’d also like to remind everypony that after the unfortunate incident with the Tooth Breezie and our slow response time, we’ve created forms for witnesses and victims to fill out so we can collate information. Please remember to ask for form M-14 if you’ve only seen the monster, M-15 if you are the monster, M-16 if you’re a victim of the monster, and all forms have to be filled out in blue or black ink.” She waved to the crowd and took off into the air. I didn’t watch her go. I had more important ponies to keep an eye on. “Can you take care of the shopping on your own?” I asked. Lyra nodded, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek. When she trotted away there was a bounce in her step and I couldn’t keep a smile off my face. It was just too bad I had to go after some other pony instead of her. He was marching out of the market, flanked by two of the absolutely rubbish guards that he’d posted around town. I was able to get right behind him before I cleared my throat, and the two rookies jumped at the sudden sound. “Commander Ace, can we speak privately?” I asked. He didn’t look surprised when he turned around. “Of course. I always have time for a concerned citizen,” he said. “You two, the Mayor requested to have guards posted at Town Hall to protect the work crew putting the roof back together. Go keep an eye on things there until your shift is over.” They nodded, saluted, and trotted off. “The street is still a little public,” Ace said. “Let’s step over here.” He led me into an alleyway, his horn flashing pale pink for a moment as the sounds of the marketplace faded away. “The spell will keep eavesdroppers from listening in,” he said. “It’s been a long time, Agent Sweetie Drops.” “It has been,” I agreed. “And the last time I saw you, you weren’t a part of the Royal Guard.” He nodded. “It was sort of a sideways promotion after, well, you know. I was owed a few favors and I called them in. To be honest, I’m mostly faking it.” Ace laughed and shook his head. “I couldn’t resist this assignment, though!” “Yeah. Lots of old friends seem to be popping up out of the woodwork around here,” I said. “You’re talking about Glee Club.” “Yeah.” Ace looked around like she might appear from the shadows. “That’s why I’m here. When I heard Hoss had shown up, I couldn’t let somepony who didn’t know anything stumble into trouble.” He put a worried hoof on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I know these guards don’t look like much, but they’re the best I could get on short notice and, well, they can keep their eyes open and yell a warning. If something bigger happens, I’ll get involved myself.” I felt some of the tension start to drain out of me. “How much do you know about her plans?” I asked. “Not as much as I should. We should meet up sometime and compare notes.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, I promise to keep it professional. I heard you settled down with a marefriend.” I tried to hide the blush. “It’s not…” He shook his head. “I’m jealous. Of both of you! You found a way to get away from the life, and she gets to spend all her time with you. If there’s anything I can do to help while I’m here, let me know.” “Thanks, Ace,” I said. “I just didn’t expect to see you. I was worried.” “You know what?” He grinned. “There’s a concert tonight. Some of the locals are putting it on. You should get out and do something fun while you’ve got somepony watching your back.” “So he’s on our side?” Lyra asked. “Maybe,” I admitted. “Lyra, what the buck is this?” I pulled something green and covered in spikes out of the shopping bag. It felt like it was made of iron and from the smell it was already going rotten. “It’s a durian. There was a special on them.” “I can’t imagine why,” I muttered, being very careful to put it far away from the other groceries while touching it as little as possible. I needed to remember to never let Lyra do the shopping alone. “The thing about Ace is that he was a spy. You never stop being a spy. You learn to think a certain way and manipulate people and…” I sighed. “I know it’s hard to understand.” “Nah, I get it.” “You do?” “Sure. Like how you were a spy and you still constantly do spy stuff.” I sputtered. “I do not constantly do spy stuff!” “Remember that time you secretly ran around town fighting monsters without telling Princess Twilight or any of the other ponies who might be able to help you?” I glared at her. “What?” she asked. “You don’t remember? Because it wasn’t all that long ago.” “This is different,” I promised. “I’m just… vigilant. Ace used ponies. You could never tell what he was really thinking. I only know one thing for sure -- he said he was here just to protect ponies, and that means he’s got something else up his sleeve.” “I think technically they’re called gauntlets,” Lyra said. “Or does armor have sleeves?” “If it’s plate armor, they’re rerebraces,” I corrected. “Gauntlets are a griffon thing. Anyway, the Royal Guard hasn’t used full plate since the refresh in 990.” “Are you sure?” Lyra asked. “I could swear some of the guards had sleeves…” I paused and thought back to the market. She wasn’t wrong. “That’s… hm.” It was just strange enough to make the part of me that was still a secret agent very suspicious. “That’s besides the point. He invited me to the concert tonight. You know what that means?” Lyra hesitated. “That we aren’t going, because it’s a trick?” “That’s what he’d want me to think! You have to learn to think three moves ahead, Lyra. He said he wants me there, which means he wants me to think I should stay away, which means he actually doesn’t want me there, so we have to go!” “...Does that mean we’re not getting dinner tonight?” “Just bring a snack,” I sighed. “I can’t believe you brought that thing,” I groaned. “Hey, you said bring a snack, and you said you didn’t want it in the house,” Lyra said. “I just gotta figure out how you actually eat a durian and then I’ll have a delicious dinner.” “I can smell it from here, Lyra. It’s not going to be delicious.” “Don’t judge a book by its… odor?” Lyra frowned. “Something like that.” “Just keep your eyes open for anything strange,” I said, trying to ignore the smell coming from the burlap bag she was carrying. “How do they put up these stages so quickly?” Lyra muttered. We were outside the temporary venue, and unlike most musical performances in Ponyville, there was a definite inside and outside. Temporary walls had been put up all around it, with guards at the entrances. They were high enough that I could just barely see the top of the stage from where we were, spotlights shining into the sky. I shrugged. “It can’t be that hard.” The sun had dropped below the horizon, and it was getting dark enough that I almost wished I had a light. Almost. Instinct told me it was better to remain as inconspicuous as possible. “You just don’t appreciate it because you’re not a performer,” Lyra said. “The stage alone would be tough, but Princess Twilight got lighting and a sound system working, too! Trust me, that’s not easy. Even with a team of professionals, audio equipment is spiteful and malicious and wants to fail at the worst time.” “Is that literal, or…?” “Most of the time it’s not literal,” Lyra admitted. “But if you ever go to the Canterlot Silver Stage’s backroom, bring a bag of salt to throw at anything that jumps at you.” I rolled my eyes. It was even odds on that just being a weird theatre tradition or some kind of necromancy and I didn’t want to deal with it right now. “You know, I could have gotten a spot on stage,” Lyra said. “We could have investigated this from the inside. And I could have performed. And made some money.” “Being in the middle of the danger is a good way to get hurt when it starts,” I said. “And it’s a free concert, Lyra. You wouldn’t have made a single bit.” “I guess,” Lyra sighed. “But why have bouncers at a free concert?” “It’s called crowd control,” Commander Ace said. His horn lit up, revealing him standing in the shadows ahead of us. “Good evening Sweetie, and… Lyra, was it?” “Crowd control?” “It’s about keeping ponies where they need to be,” Ace explained. “Like how you two should be inside instead of lurking around in the dark. A pony could get the wrong idea and think you were up to something.” “That would be awful,” I said. “Exactly,” Ace said, with that winning grin of his. “They don’t know you like I do. Remember that great time we had in Buckapest?” “When were you in Buckapest?” Lyra asked. I sighed. “We went there investigating-- it’s not important. Things went really poorly.” “I think it went well,” Ace said. “Both of us are here to talk about it.” “My knee still aches when it gets cold,” I said. “Probably my fault,” Ace sighed. “I’ll make it up to you. How about we get a drink? I saw a bar a few blocks away that had some interesting cocktails on the menu, since you don’t seem all that interested in the music.” “Royal Guards aren’t supposed to drink on duty,” I reminded him. He shrugged. “When you’re in charge there’s some flexibility in those regulations.” “I’m flattered, but I don’t want you to get in trouble,” I said. “How about instead you tell me what’s really going on?” Ace hissed through his teeth. “You really don’t trust me? I’m here to help, Sweetie.” “Ace, I’m not an idiot and unlike the Saddle Arabian floozies you ditched me for in Buckapest, your charms don’t work on me.” “That hurts me, Sweetie,” he said, putting a hoof to his heart and groaning. “I’m just trying to keep you out of trouble. Why are you so determined to get yourself into it?” “It’s a bad habit,” I said. Ace sighed. “Then I guess I don’t have a choice.” He waved to two guards standing behind us. They trotted up, closing in on us. “Take these two to whatever passes for a holding cell around here,” Ace ordered. “Bonnie, you promised I wouldn’t get arrested today!” Lyra whined. One of the armored ponies grabbed her hoof, pulling her away from me. “You’re not going to be arrested,” I said. “Because these aren’t real Royal Guards. They’re mercenaries.” The other one tried to grab me, and I knocked his hoof away. The ‘Guards’ looked at Ace. He sighed. “What gave them away?” he asked. “Well, for one thing, they’re all using old surplus equipment,” I said. “You’re lucky Princess Twilight didn’t notice. She’s got an eye for detail.” “It’s old?” Ace frowned. “They’ve got sleeves,” I said. “They haven’t had those since the refresh in 990,” Lyra said, very smugly repeating something she’d only learned a few hours ago. “Everypony knows that.” “That’s what I get for buying cheap,” Ace sighed. “You could have spent the night in a warm cell. Your loss.” He looked at the guards and nodded. They reached for weapons. Lyra and I reacted at almost the same moment. I kicked the one next to me in the neck, and he stumbled back, grabbing his throat and coughing. Lyra’s captor was a lot less lucky. She swung the burlap sack with her dinner into his face, smashing the durian open. He screamed and a terrible smell filled the street, the mercenary fleeing with the bag stuck to his snout by the durian’s spines. “That didn’t look pleasant,” Lyra winced. “And you were going to eat that thing,” I reminded her. “Mercenaries are so useless,” Ace sighed. “Well, it’s just like Hoss always said. If you want somepony killed right, you have to kill them yourself.” He tossed the golden guard helm he was wearing aside and pulled something else out. “G4 armor?” I whispered. “You didn’t think you were the only pony that held onto their set, did you?” he asked. He settled the masked helmet over his head. “Henshin.” The darkness was banished by a flare of red light. I shielded my eyes from a blast of wind, and when I could finally look again, the transformation had finished and the armor was fully formed around him. And because he was a showoff, he’d posed dramatically and looked back at me from over his shoulder. “Your fate is mine to decide.” “Bonnie, he’s so much cooler than you!” Lyra hissed. I rolled my eyes and pushed her away to a safe distance. “Henshin!” He didn’t wait politely for me to finish. Before the armor had even fully formed, twin floating blades were coming down at me, each of them shaped like a crescent moon, scimitar blades with no handle. Typical unicorn weapons -- no considerations made for actually holding the things without magic. I dodged one, knocking the other way with my own sword-mace and taking two steps back while the armor sealed itself. “Really, a sucker punch?” I asked. “That’s so like you.” “And that weapon isn’t like you at all,” he said. “What is that even supposed to be? It’s a sword on one end and a flail on the other… how do you even use it without stabbing yourself or getting tangled up?” “Technically it’s a gyrspike,” Lyra said. “If you watched more Hipponese animes you’d know they’re powerful killing tools.” “Is that why you made it like this?!” I demanded, glaring at her. “It’s what I had to work with, and it’s been okay so far, right?” “Add that to the list of talks we’re going to have.” “Aww… I hate having to have talks. I always end up sleeping on the couch…” Ace laughed. “Ladies, please, don’t fight when we’re trying to kill each other!” I jumped over a glowing blade coming at my knees, and Lyra threw a shield in front of herself, blocking his other crescent blade. “Leave her alone!” I shouted, swinging the gyrspike and extending the chain, whipping the flail at him. It caught him totally by surprise, slamming into his ribs and throwing him against a brick wall hard enough to kick up a cloud of brick dust and broken mortar. “Okay,” he wheezed. “I admit, you’ve got some muscle. It’s just too bad you don’t have the brains to match.” I caught the light a moment too late. A blade was only a hair’s breadth from my head, vibrating in the air. Golden light fought against Ace’s aura. “What?” Ace asked. A second blade slammed down and stopped even further away. “You know, I don’t like to brag,” Lyra said, her horn glowing. “But let me say this to start -- I’m fairly strong!” “Serves me right for underestimating civilians,” Ace grunted. His aura disappeared from the blades. “Let’s see how you deal with this!” His horn blazed with light, surrounding his whole body in an aura. He jumped into the air, and the aura exploded behind him, propelling him like a cannonball. The aura around him formed into a rock-solid sphere. “Goal Kick!” he yelled. I raised my hooves on instinct, bracing my back legs against the pavement. Ace hit me, and sparks flew from my armored shoes. I could feel the armor fighting against the impact, being ablated away and immediately reforming, the charge draining with every moment. “Hey dummy!” Lyra yelled. “This is for making me waste my snack!” I looked to the side at the same time Ace did. Lyra was holding the Oboelaster. “What is--” he started. HONK The wave of force hit Ace and launched him straight up into the air, his shield vanishing as he totally lost control. “Get him, Bonnie!” Lyra shouted. I nodded to her and jumped, twisting around in mid-air as he fell. “Jawbreaker Kick!” My hoof impacted his chest, and he flew straight down, slamming into the ground like a meteor. His armor evaporated, and he didn’t get back up. I landed next to him, breathing heavily. “Is he…” Lyra asked. “He’s just unconscious,” I said. “Good.” She trotted up to him and kicked him in the ribs. “That’s for trying to kick me! And that one’s for the durian! And that one’s for Bonnie--” “Lyra, stop it. He’s unconscious.” She kicked him one more time. “I don’t like jerks that try to kill my marefriend.” “Neither do I,” I promised, leaning into her. I’d have kissed her, but I was wearing a helmet. “Grab his belt. I don’t want to leave something dangerous in his hooves.” “Oh hey, he was a unicorn, right? So…” Lyra wiggled the helmet off his head and put it on. “Nice! It’s got room for my horn!” She bent down and took off his belt, then started rummaging around. “What are you doing?” I asked. Lyra held up a bag and shook it. It jingled. “I’m a professional, Bonnie. Since I’m not being paid for the concert and I’m going to have to buy dinner later, I’ll let him pay for it. Call it a jerk tax.” I snorted but didn’t stop her. Ace was the kind of pony who deserved to have his pockets picked. Lyra put the bag away and took the helmet off, looking at me. “So, uh… should I leave? I know this is probably going to turn into a monster fight, and I don’t want to get in the way. You almost got hurt really badly last time, and part of that is my fault. You were trying to protect me, and…” she trailed off. I put my hoof on her shoulder. “We’re partners, Lyra. I worry about you. I want to protect you. But I also couldn’t do this without you. You saved my life more than once, and with that armor, maybe I can afford to worry a little less about you being hurt.” “Really?” “Sure. But that means you’re stuck with the weird oboe gun. I can’t use the stupid thing.” I held up my other hoof. “And don’t say it’s not stupid. You know I don’t have any musical training!” “I keep offering to teach you,” Lyra said, smiling. “Maybe next time,” I said, with no intent of making that a promise. I took the helmet from her and put it securely on her head. “It’s going to feel tight at first. The material forms over your coat, so it’s practically skin-tight. It loosens up when you start moving.” “Okay, stand back,” Lyra said. “Here goes nothing. Henshin!” I stepped back on instinct, the armor blazing with light as the Sol Fiber grew across her body. When it was finished, she looked almost exactly like me, except for the color. “Hey, why is mine all bright red and green, and yours is, um…?” Lyra asked. “Grey and sort of… dingy?” I asked. “I didn’t do maintenance on mine for years, Lyra. It works fine, but the colors faded.” “Huh. At least ponies will be able to tell us apart,” Lyra said, bumping her flank against mine playfully. “So what next?” “Next we figure out what they’re up to,” I said. “Let’s put Ace somewhere safe and look around.”