It had been a full twelve hours since Applejack told Twilight and the others about Rainbow Dash's mysteriously urgent trip to Canterlot. However, they did see the pegasus fly back to her home before long so it was safe for them to believe that there wasn't anything wrong with their friend.
They decided to leave her alone for the night but they did agree that they would interrogate Rainbow Dash about her disappearance and her strange visit to Canterlot first thing in the morning. Above everything else, they needed to make sure that their friend wasn't in any trouble or other unpleasant situations.
As for Rainbow Dash, she had some trouble sleeping so she had spent most of the night staring into the night sky, thinking about what she had seen under Joe's Donut Shop and about what M had told her regarding "humans" being turned into ponies. That had her thoughts racing for some time.
She was a bit disturbed by the fact that there was a possibility that her own friends could have been humans all along especially since M told her that the humans were instructed not to reveal their true identities at all. But she quickly dismissed the thoughts when she realized that her friends would never keep anything hidden from her, especially Applejack. That mare was one hell of a shitty liar.
After a quick rest, the pegasus glided down to the Golden Oak Library, believing that she owed the others an explanation for what had transpired the day before. From what Applejack had told her the previous day, they had all been worried for her safety.
"Hey guys, you all there?" she asked as soon as her hoof made contact with the wooden door. A second later, the door swung upon, revealing a little purple dragon.
"Rainbow Dash! Oh, what a relief!" Spike let out a sigh of relief when he saw the pegasus before he turned to the others behind him, "Hey guys! It's Rainbow Dash! She looks..." Spike happily said out loud before he noticed Rainbow Dash's sleep-deprived face, "okay...ish".
"I didn't get much sleep, nothing to worry about", Rainbow Dash chuckled as she wiped her eyes. The next moment, the rest of the mane six tackled her to the floor before wrapping their hooves around her.
Rainbow Dash smiled when the others began to tell her how worried they were following her disappearance. She would never give this friendship up...ever. She began to question if M and the others who worked at HiED really had the heart to give up things like this just for the price of a measly job. To her, it seemed like the worst and the dumbest decision a pony could ever make.
"Quit with the hugging, I've just got up from bed for Celestia's sake", Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle after the others broke the embrace.
"Where were you yesterday? And what were you doing at the Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight was the first one to inquire the pegasus.
"Honestly, I don't know what happened before but I'm pretty sure I was having a conversation with somepony at the store", Rainbow Dash racked her brains to get an answer out.
"Somepony? Who?" Applejack asked.
"I...I can't tell you guys about that...heheh", Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly. She didn't know why but she felt she needed to keep the events of the previous day a secret no matter how inquisitive her friends might get.
"Ooooo...Rainbow's got a coltfriend!" Pinkie suddenly blurted out, much to Rainbow Dash's disgust.
"What? Hay no! I ain't got any coltfriend!" she retorted. Unfortunately, the only response she got from the others was snickers and giggles, "Jeez, grow up you guys", she mumbled.
"Aww...come on, Rainbow Dash. You can tell us", Applejack teased her friend further, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, "We understand if you wanted to spend the whole day somewhere else, alone with your coltfriend".
"I. Don't. Have. A. Coltfriend", Rainbow Dash asserted while trying to hide the blush that was building up on her cyan cheeks.
"W-When?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
"Really? You too?" Rainbow Dash groaned.
"Sorry", Fluttershy said, smiling a little.
"Okay...this is absolutely magnificent. I have to admit, I never thought Rainbow Dash would be the first of us to have a coltfriend", Rarity added.
"Buck you all", Rainbow Dash growled, turning her back on her friends.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash", the cyan pegasus felt a hoof on her shoulder, "We're just messing with you. You know, we're just glad you're alright", Twilight assured her.
"Eh...what Twilight said. We were all really worried sick you know", Spike agreed.
"Oh really?" Rainbow Dash asked with a skeptical look on her face.
"It's a welcome sight seein' you again", Applejack said, placing a hoof over Rainbow Dash.
"...meh, I guess you're right", Rainbow Dash shrugged, "And I'll admit it; it was a bit stupid for me to go off like that but still...", she grinned as an idea crossed her mind, "...I'll get you guys back later".
"It's really good to have you back safe and sound" Twilight told her.
"I still think she has a coltfriend", Pinkie whispered into Rarity's ear.
"Don't be silly. We were just teasing her", Rarity quickly shot down the idea.
"So, what are you planning on doing today? We promise we'll do it with you", Twilight proposed.
"Actually...I have a place to go to", Rainbow Dash replied, scratching the back of her head.
"Where? We'll accompany you if you want", Applejack offered.
"Canterlot", Rainbow Dash answered, smiling nervously.
"Canterlot?" Twilight arched her eyebrow in puzzlement.
"In fact, I have to go...right now", Rainbow Dash said before she darted out of the Library. After a few seconds, she was back up in the sky, flying towards the city where HiED was centered.
"I told you she had a coltfriend", Pinkie nudged Rarity as she and others watched the rainbow trail fade off into the distance.
"Who knew", Rarity shrugged.
"Come on girls", Twilight signaled the others to follow her, "I believe there's something Rainbow Dash isn't telling us".
"Like what?" Spike asked.
"That's what we'll find out", Applejack said, "We should head over to Joe's Donut Shop".
"Joe's Donut Shop? For what?" Fluttershy inquired.
"I saw Rainbow Dash drop this when she was flyin' above our farm", Applejack replied, "Looks to me like some business card or something", she showed them the card which M gave to Rainbow Dash the day before.
"What's HiED?" Rarity asked when she saw the initials.
"Oooo...I know! I know!" Pinkie excitedly raised a hoof, "Healthy internal Empowering Desire! Healing indigenous Equine Doormats! Hulk is Equestria's Defence! Helicopters increasing Everfree Declination! Human in Eques..."
"Yeah...I pretty sure that's not it", Twilight interrupted before she turned to the others, "Come on; we need to catch the next train to Canterlot. We must find out what's going on".
Meanwhile, in front of Joe's Donut Shop
"Hey Joe", a cyan pegasus greeted the store owner with a smile as she headed straight for the back door. Rainbow Dash had made up her mind. There was no going back now.
She entered the elevator with a smile on her face. If what M had told her was anything, it was a sign that she was prepared to face the next level of mysteries and secrets that Equestria held. She was so gonna enjoy it.
As she got lost in her thoughts, Rainbow Dash didn't notice that the elevator had stopped a floor before it should have. She quickly got herself out of her trance and she moved onto preparing for whatever strange things that were about to uncover as soon as the doors opened.
The doors slowly parted as Rainbow Dash's anticipation were higher than ever. However, to her surprise (and disappointment), all that greeted her was one familiar stallion standing in front of an empty hallway.
Neither pony said anything to each other. M merely stepped inside and stood beside Rainbow Dash who was trying to come up with a proper conversation starter.
"Look, M, I don't know why you chose me but..." Rainbow Dash finally said but she was interrupted by M.
"I chose you because I believe you have what it takes to do this job", M replied, staring at the doors of the elevator.
"So, you recognize my awesome skills?" Rainbow Dash asked with a huge smirk on her face.
"That's a way of putting it", M bluntly gave her his reply.
"That's cool. Okay, I just want you to know that I'm only in this because there's some super-secret stuff going on and I want in, alright?" Rainbow Dash explained to the stallion, "And you admitted I'm awesome so I don't want anypony calling me Miss or kiddo or junior or rookie, okay?"
"Sure thing, speedster but there's one thing you need to know. Your awesomeness that you're so proud of?" M asked as the elevator doors opened, "As of now, it means precisely shit".
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash almost yelled out loud in surprise at the sight in front of her.
M had taken her to the main room of the HiED which was approximately thirty feet below the ground. It was a wide area walled by high-tech transparent polymers. The place looked like a normal office, except for the presence of strange bipedal, almost ape-like beings roaming around the place.
Every single pony in the room wore black suits, all of whom she had never seen before, save for Octavia Melody whom M referred to as Miss O. There was also a supposed science lab at the side as well as sculptures of some ponies presumably past members and there was a solitary office above the others which probably belonged to the boss of this...company.
One thing that really caught Rainbow Dash's eyes was a bearded unicorn operating a large screen which showed strange number combinations and symbols.
"Ah, Agent M, you finally arrived", O greeted the duo before she noticed the shocked expression on Rainbow Dash's face, "Remind you of anypony's first day?" she giggled.
"I wasn't that mind-blown, Miss O", M smirked, dragging Rainbow Dash's body behind him, "Come on, speedster. You wanted to know what's going on, didn't you?"
Rainbow Dash replied with a small and slow nod. It was pretty clear that the pegasus' mind was trying to process all the information she was getting in, especially the humans who were moving about.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash found her face doused with water, knocking her out of her inactive state.
Shivering, Rainbow Dash asked, "What the hay was that for!?" she shouted. She quickly quieted down though, due to the fact that she was in a completely different place she or her friends had never known before.
"You're no use to me if you're going to be like that", M merely replied, throwing an empty bucket away and motioning the pegasus to follow him to the science lab.
"What in Equestria are these things?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to figure out what the strange objects and chemicals were.
"Stuff", M said, "Stay here. I'm gonna have a little talk with the boss", M told her before he left her alone.
"Crazy stallion", Rainbow Dash mumbled as she ran her eyes along the strange objects that surrounded her. Some fancy clippers, small rectangular screens, model planes and a box marked "CAUTION" at the side.
Curiosity got the better of the pegasus and soon, she found herself grabbing the handle on the top of the box. With a small tug, she opened the box and examined the contents.
There was an L-shaped object, some wires and other rectangular screens. However, there was one object which seemed out of place. A normal, everyday CD.
"What's this doing here?" she asked herself, checking the label on it, "MY WORLD 2.0?" she raised an eyebrow before she fed the CD to a nearby CD player.
The next second, the speakers all around the room cackled to life. A screeching, almost unbearable noise exploded from them, causing everypony and everybody to put their hooves and hands to their ears. A few moments later, an awful girly voice filled the room.
The ponies and the humans ran around, trying to find something to block out the awful sounds as the glass tables and walls cracked and shattered. Even Rainbow Dash wasn't spared. Fortunately, she instantly grabbed some earplugs which were conveniently placed right next to her.
Just as it seemed the torture was gonna go on forever, the sounds stopped. Everypony and everybody quickly turned their attention to Rainbow Dash who was still covering her ears with her hooves.
"Hey", M tapped Rainbow Dash on her shoulder, "Get those out", he pointed to the earplugs.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Without saying another word, M pulled the earplugs out forcefully. "This thing almost caused everypony in Manehattan to go deaf five years ago", he told her as he held the CD.
"What is that...that...monstrosity!?" she reeled back after seeing the damage a mere CD could cause.
"An April Fools Joke from the other side", M replied.
"What other side?"
"You'll know everything you need to know in a few moments. Just follow me", M sighed as he headed towards the office at the top.
"Uh...sorry for that heheh. I'll pay for it later", Rainbow Dash gave the annoyed agents an impromptu apology before she quickly trotted out of sight.
After a few steps up a half-cracked glass staircase, the duo stepped inside the office which housed a desk, a computer and a comfy chair.
"The penguins are all accounted for, Glock", Rainbow Dash heard a vaguely familiar voice from the screen.
"Good work", the mustached stallion sitting on the chair nodded.
"So, am I the leader of Sector P now?" the voice asked yet again. Rainbow Dash stealthily moved to the side to find out what was talking. To her surprise, it was somepony she had never even imagined to be in cahoots with ponies like M.
It was Miss Doo aka Derpy.
"Even Derpy's working here?" Rainbow Dash asked Glock.
"Not really. We're just letting her think she is", Glock chuckled before he turned his attention back to Derpy, "I guess you are now, Derpy. I'll get to you later, I have a guest", he added as the screen automatically turned off.
"What's Derpy doing in the Frozen North?" Rainbow Dash asked again.
"We asked her to do some census work. She's a dedicated pegasus. She may not be in the HiED but she's a great worker", Glock replied, "So, you're Miss Dash?"
"Duh!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Alright then, I know you have a lot of questions but first tell me what you know about the HiED?" Glock asked, placing his hooves on his desk.
"Secret organization...Humans...strange creatures...secret...mirror...turned to ponies...secret...bad humans...threats...secret..." Rainbow Dash shrugged.
"That about covers it", Glock smiled.
"Wait! Do Princess Celestia and/or Princess Luna know about this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Nope. We're an independently funded organization. We confiscate devices from the other side and pawn them to get our pay in case you're wondering", M replied.
"You guys steal? Wow, that's not awesome at all", Rainbow Dash said, "And who's that? He looks familiar", she asked, pointing at the unicorn handling the big screen below the office.
"Starswirl. He's one of the founders", Glock replied with a chuckle, "Alongside Miss O's grandfather and CN".
"Octavia's grandfather? Well, I guess that explains why she's a "special" recruit like me", Rainbow Dash said before she realized something, "Starswirl!? You mean THE Starswirl the Bearded!? Wait till Twilight hears about this", she exclaimed.
"Rainbow Dash, remember what I said earlier about telling anypony else", M stopped her before she could exit the room in excitement, holding out a silver cylinder.
"You're gonna neumalize me or something, I know", Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously.
"Oh, one little detail, never add "the Bearded" when you call for him. He hates it", Glock let out a nervous chuckle.
"The briefing, Glock", M reminded the mustached stallion before he was able to go off-course.
"Ah yes, what we need you to know is that ever since the existence of the Crystal Mirror, a portal which transports humans from the other side to here and ponies from here to the other side, there have been accounts of humans suddenly appearing in secluded areas like the Everfree and in rare cases, the middle of Canterlot", Glock began to explain.
"CN, an entity from the other side worked with Starswirl and Riff to form this organization which would prevent the humans from meeting anypony and vice-versa so as to prevent any panic. CN handled the situation from his side while Starswirl created weapons and devices to subdue humans who wouldn't comply. Riff, on the other hoof was in charge of recruiting members as well as designing this place", M continued.
"Who the hay is CN?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We don't know either but Miss O told us that her grandfather used to call him Chuck", M replied.
"Weapons like this..." Glock took a silver spear-shaped object, "...were designed to send any living being to the Trashcan. This will be your main weapon to subdue uncooperative subjects".
"Weapons that send bad guys to the trashcan?" Rainbow Dash said with a sheepish smile on her face, "Isn't that a bit...I don't know...lame?"
"The Trashcan is a pocket dimension Starswirl created where the "bad guys" who get sucked in float around for a long, long time before they are chucked back to their respective dimensions", M replied.
"But you have to be careful. If this doesn't hit a living tissue, the projectile will explode and burst into flames", Glock warned her as he touched a scar on his side, "And you definitely don't want that heheh".
"What about those...things? What are you gonna do with them?" Rainbow Dash pointed at the humans standing in a line below.
"Oh, I forgot one thing. The random transport only works if the subject has high emotional stress so as you see; most of the humans here want to start a new life so we "ponify" them to avoid detection. The others, Starswirl just sends them back", Glock replied.
"Got all we told you, speedster?" M asked the new recruit.
"I guess..." Rainbow Dash replied with a slight shrug.
"Good enough", M said before a cylinder dropped from above, enclosing Rainbow Dash in an instant, "Stop fidgeting, you'll tear your suit", he told her as the silhouette of the pony could be seen from the outside.
The R.A.I.S.I.N. (Robotic Assistance In Suiting Ignorant Newbies) completely took Rainbow Dash by surprise. A series of echoing yells could be heard from inside the machine although nopony gave a single fuck about it.
"Temporary?" Glock asked M as Rainbow Dash's muffled screams and curses could be heard from inside.
"Had to. She has a lot of potential but we can't keep her", M replied, "She's too valuable to the lower levels".
"It's really a shame she's an Element Bearer", Glock joked.
Slowly, the cylinder rose up, revealing a suited Rainbow Dash who sported a combed hairdo. The posture of the pegasus would have been the perfect template for any HiED member had it not been for the terrified look on her face.
"D-Don't ever do that again", Rainbow Dash barely managed to threaten the two veterans.
"We've got work to do, speedster", M patted Rainbow Dash on her back as he went downstairs.
"I'm really serious, M. I feel like I've been violated", Rainbow Dash ranted while she followed the stallion. The robotic arms that forcefully grabbed her and suited her really freaked her out. It was definitely as bad as that other time when she had to get her measurements taken by Rarity before the Grand Galloping Gala.
"You'll get used to it", M simply told her.
"Hey, where's my flashy thing and fancy weapons? I want one", Rainbow Dash demanded, standing in front of the elevator.
"It's below your pay-grade", M replied before he pressed a button on a nearby screen.
"What's that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"This little screen here tells us exactly where a human has recently landed. And now, we're going into Everfree Forest. Think of this as a tutorial of sorts, speedster", M said, looking up and watching a cylindrical tube slowly descend.
"A mission? Right now? I don't even have my own Agent name yet", Rainbow Dash said, feeling a bit uneasy at seeing yet another cylindrical object, "What's up these guys and cylinders?" she asked herself.
"Make one up if you like", M replied with a strong hint of indifference.
"Okay then...I'll be...Agent Awesome!"
"Already taken"
"Agent Cool?"
"Ditto"
"Agent Extreme?"
"Died decades ago. Agent name retired out of respect"
"Agent Storm?"
"That's our weathermare"
A few minutes later
"Agent Exhilarating Adventure?"
"Wrote a book"
"Agent Bearer of Loyalty?"
"Mother of a colt named Loyalty Shield"
"Oh come on! There must at least one name that hasn't been taken", Rainbow Dash groaned. She had gone through at least 450 different names, all of which were surprisingly all taken.
"We can't call you Agent D either. Ponies might make jokes, unpleasant jokes", M added, keeping a straight face as always.
"I'll just stick with nothing", Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Good choice", M said before he turned his attention to the screen again, "Why do these buckers always head for Ponyville?" he mumbled after he observed the movement of the target.
"Agent M", the duo could hear a female call out. Almost immediately, they turned around, with M sporting a rare smile.
"Miss O, is there a problem?" M asked as he gave Octavia the best smile he could ever give.
"Uh, yes" O replied hastily, "It's another Type-B", she said in a low, concerned tone. Rainbow Dash instantly realized that her first official "mission" wasn't gonna be a walk in the park, "You really should be careful, okay?", O said while she fixed M's tie.
"Alright, thank you for that piece of information, Miss O", M nodded before he watched the earth pony walk away.
"Mmm-hmm..." Rainbow Dash smirked, "So, Mr. Rough 'n Tough's got a soft spot for Octavia? That's quite the surprise".
"Know your place and keep your mouth shut, speedster. We're goin' hunting", M said with a scowl as he grabbed a gun and entered the transport tube.
"Aww come on! Lighten up!" Rainbow Dash teased the stallion further.
"You do realize your friends are in Ponyville and if they see you with me, they're gonna have some ideas" M countered.
"Oh..." Rainbow Dash quickly shut up when she recalled the others teasing her after they got the idea that M might have been her coltfriend, "About that, you mind flashy thing-ing them?" she added.
"Not our main priority, speedster", M smirked, "Ready for your first outing?" M asked the pegasus one last time.
"I was born ready", Rainbow Dash grinned.
"I do want you to know that if you screw up, I'm flashy thing-ing you again", M told her while smirking.
"Wait what?...Hey! You did flashy-thing me befo..." Rainbow Dash was cut off as the transport tube transported (duh!) them to the Everfree Forest where Rainbow Dash's first day as an HiED agent was gonna start.