Anon and Chrysalis stay perfectly still, frozen in place as the crowd of agents glares at them. No one dares to move a muscle in fear of the inevitable.
“Hey, Chryssi?” Anon whispers without looking away from the crowd. “Think you can muster up another one of those big magic attacks like you did downstairs?”
“There’s a magical ward over the front office. Most magic won’t work, least of all an attack like that.”
“How did you get in with your disguise, then?”
“If my transformation magic was obvious enough to be prevented by a ward, I would have been a sorry excuse for a queen.”
“Fair enough.”
“...Anon?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m not used to asking this, but… do you have any ideas?”
Anon lets out a quiet, anxious chuckle.
“A bad one. If actions fail, there’s only one other option.”
Anon narrows his eyes, glaring at the many ponies staring back at him. He does not move, but he clears his throat before raising his voice.
“What’s all this about?”
Of the small crowd of agents, one mare in particular steps forward. She looks much older than her colleagues, and her sunken, yellow eyes give her an intimidating presence.
“Queen Chrysalis, you are under suspicion for conspiring against Equestria. Anon, you were originally brought here as a potential witness, but after your actions today, you are hereby under arrest as well for the same crimes.”
“And under what authority do you claim to arrest us? You sure don’t look like the Royal Guard to me.”
“Under the authority of the crown.” The mare flicks her head in their direction, and several agents slowly approach the cornered pair. “You have the right to remain silent.”
“You have no evidence,” Anon growls as he tilts his body, taking a defensive stance. In response, the approaching agents lower themselves as well, ready to respond to a potential escape attempt. “Chryssi has been legally pardoned for her past crimes, and you have no proof that she’s broken any law since.”
“Countless witness testimonies would disagree with you.”
“And that’s why you kidnapped me? Because ‘countless witness testimonies’ weren’t enough?”
The mare clicks her tongue before closing her eyes and shaking her head in annoyance.
“Enough. Seize them.”
The agents resume their advance. Chrysalis takes up a stance not unlike Anon’s own. This isn’t a fight that they’re likely to win, but neither are willing to back down now. Anon promised to support Chrysalis no matter what, and if that means fighting tooth and nail to protect her from some corrupt agency, then so be it. Meanwhile, Chrysalis finally managed to open up about her insecurities, and she has no intention of losing the man she loves because of her past actions. Despite the hopelessness of the situation playing out before them, they both share the same, comforting thought.
At least we’re together again.
Taking solace in that, they take a deep breath before the agents finally pounce on them.
…
“On the authority of Princess Twilight Sparkle, all agents are to stand down!”
The tension in the room, which had finally come to a head just before Anon and Chrysalis were about to be set upon, is suddenly cut short by the shout easily heard over the murmurs of the agents. Everyone in the room cannot help but freeze and direct their attention towards the now-open front doors.
There, with their outlines illuminated by the sunlight pouring in from behind them, are Lyra and Bon-Bon, each dressed in a suit much like those of the agents around them.
“Do not interfere, you two!” The older mare looks furious as the pair confidently trots into the room, their cocky smiles only serving to set her off even more. “We finally have them cornered! You will not take this from us!”
“Unfortunately, Miss Proctor, this ‘investigation’ has been officially called off.”
“Have you forgotten that I am in charge here?!”
“Care to tell that to Princess Twilight?” Bon-Bon pulls a scroll out of her suit and unfurls it before the crowd, revealing an official decree that has, indeed, been signed by Twilight. “She insists that these two be let go.”
Miss Proctor clicks her tongue in annoyance before shooting a glance back at Anon and Chrysalis, who look completely dumbfounded and have yet to lower their guard.
“Is she aware of–”
“The baseless rumors going around? Yes, she is. Besides, unlike you, Miss Proctor, we have evidence showing a complete lack of wrongdoing.”
“...Heh.” Chrysalis chuckles. “So you’re the ones who broke into our house.” She shakes her head, a smile borne of disbelief spreading across her face. “And for the opposite reason that I’d assumed.”
“You catch on fast, Chryssi!” Lyra laughs as she retrieves an unmarked, leather-bound tome from her suit. “Your spellbook really saved your hide!”
“Excuse me?” Proctor stomps her hoof, demanding an explanation.
“Princess Twilight didn’t fix the out-of-control weather.” Lyra smiles at Chrysalis again. “She did.”
“What nonsense.”
“It’s true! Swee– er, I mean, Bon-Bon and I confirmed it.”
“We thought something was off when Chrysalis ran away from her wedding. We’ve been keeping an eye on her for a while, and we just didn’t believe she’d go back to her old ways. Then, when that article about Princess Twilight stopping the rain came out, our suspicions only grew. Our intelligence reported that the princess was nowhere near where that article claimed she was, and the fact that somepony was able to snag a picture of her at that exact moment seemed a bit too convenient.”
“So, we went ahead and got an audience with her!”
“That is against protocol,” Proctor growls.
“If you plan to keep going around claiming that our agency works ‘for the crown,’ I’d better not hear any complaining.”
“H-how dare you?! I am your superi–”
“Anyway, she told us exactly what we had thought. She didn’t come up with some ‘miracle spell’ to fix the rain. She had no clue who fixed it or how they did it!”
“That was when we put two and two together. We… er… made ourselves at home, and found Chrysalis’s spellbook hidden amongst a bunch of Hearth’s Warming decorations.”
“W-wait!” Anon interrupts. “Lyra, you were who I saw running out of my house!?”
“Yeah, I really need to work on my stealth,” she chuckles as she rubs the back of her head sheepishly. “Anyway, take a wild guess what we found in that spellbook?”
“My drought spell,” Chrysalis calmly announces while closing her eyes. “First invented to keep the area around the Changeling Kingdom free from any greenery. Perfect for setting up our defensive position at the hive.”
“And later used on a smaller scale to clear the skies of the uncontrollable rain clouds caused by the blunder over at Cloudsdale.”
“Indeed,” Chrysalis sighs.
“That makes no sense.” Proctor’s voice is a bit quieter than before, but undoubtedly still just as angry. “Why would you do something like that for Equestria? And why do it while disguised as Princess Twilight? That seems like it’d be the perfect opportunity to fix your reputation.”
“I do not owe you an explanation,” Chrysalis sneers. With a haughty, confident stride, she begins to walk forwards. The agents that were preparing to attack her all awkwardly shuffle away, none daring to go against direct orders from Princess Twilight. With a much more awkward gait, Anon follows her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s been some time since I’ve gotten to sleep in a bed, and after today, I’m feeling quite tired.”
“You’ll be doing no such thing!” Proctor leaps into the center of the now-split crowd of agents, preventing Chrysalis or Anon from approaching Lyra and Bon-Bon any further. “I will NOT allow a monster like you to escape from here! S.M.I.L.E. has a reputation to uphold!”
“Speaking of,” Bon-Bon chuckles from behind Proctor, “Princess Twilight’s order doesn’t end with leaving these two alone. I think you’ll agree that it’s been a long, long time since any royals checked up on our activity. We’re definitely overdue for an inspection.”
“Wh-what?!”
“I’m sure the princess will have plenty to say about our operations.” Bon-Bon approaches Proctor, who stands frozen with wide eyes and shaky legs. She rests a hoof on her shoulder before leaning in close for a whisper. “And I think you should be prepared for the Princess of Friendship’s honest opinion.” Bon-Bon looks up at all of the other agents, who wear a wide range of reactions on their faces. “You all should.”
Lyra energetically speaks up from behind her.
“And Silver Bullet is definitely gonna get fired!” Quite a few ponies, Bon-Bon included, look back at her with a raised eyebrow. “...What? It’s true.”
“Anyway,” Bon-Bon sighs. “Come on, you two. We’ve got a train to catch.”
Chrysalis and Anon share a glance. Neither say a word. A lot of information just got thrown at them at once, and frankly, it’s a lot to process. Still, the excitement on Anon’s face is palpable, while the quiet relief on Chrysalis’s is just as clear. After taking a deep breath, they both step forward towards Lyra and Bon-Bon, who give them eager and knowing grins respectively. Miss Proctor awkwardly steps out of the way as all four of them depart from S.M.I.L.E. headquarters.
It’s time to go home.