//------------------------------//
// Like a Bugbear Outta Hell 
// Story: The Last Days of Sweetie Drops 
// by legomaster00156 
//------------------------------//

	The Monster Defense Force (MDF) isn't exactly common knowledge. It was a secret organization stationed primarily in Canterlot, though agents ran branches in any monster-prone city and even on the very edges of civilization. Up until 9 years ago, they were Equestria's first line of defense against monsters in any location, from the Everfree Forest to Tartarus itself. When a pack of timber wolves attacked Ponyville, they were there. When a manticore ambushed traders, they were there. When a demon appeared, they were there.
The MDF held the keys to Tartarus itself. It was the world's most secure prison, built into a mountain with levels descending hundreds of feet into the earth. If a monster was too nasty to let escape, and too difficult to put down for good, they would seal the beast up behind the magically-treated gates of hell. Thought impossible to open or break, a small branch of the MDF still operated in a building near the gates. After all, a monster that spent all of its energy just escaping would be an easy match for two or three trained ponies, right?
Well, you know what they say: hindsight is 20/20.



Our story begins a little less than ten years ago. Before we start, meet the Tartarus team.
Agent Sweetie Drops was the senior officer at the station. A tough Earth-pony mare who may have enjoyed dramatic flares a bit too much, she was still considered one of the best agents in the business. In fact, a few of the monsters in Tartarus were ones she had put there herself, or at least been on the team for. She lead her subordinates kindly, but with a stern hoof for protocol.
Agent Cherry Heart was the unicorn agent of the team. Younger than Sweetie Drops, she was bright pink with a purple mane, and was always a cheerful soul in spite of their job. Admittedly not a strong magic-user, she made friends nonetheless by providing delicious confections on an otherwise dreary diet. Her official role on the squad was that of “magic artillery”, but everypony on the team knew that she was more cleverly used as a trapper.
Finally, Agent White Flame was the pegasus agent of the team. A blue mare with a shortly-cropped white mane, she was a noted aerial acrobat. Her job was to take down opponents flying too high for the rest of the team, and often act as bait for Cherry Heart's traps. She didn't mind the jobs, she got a thrill from out-flying monsters.



It wasn't like the Tartarus office was exactly large. Little more than a shack with a limited monster-capturing armory in the cellar, it had everything the three ponies stationed there needed, and almost nothing else. It was a situation often complained about, but the team understood it was just a fact of life.
Sweetie Drops woke up at 5 AM every morning, while Celestia's moon still hung overhead. Even at this early hour, she was usually the second awake. She never saw White Flame go to sleep, and she never saw the pegasus wake up. It seemed to her that the mare just never went to sleep. Cherry Heart, on the other hoof, would wake up for nothing less than the smell of breakfast – annoying on days she was supposed to cook it.
Today, Sweetie Drops found herself woken early. White Flame shook her frantically, a worried expression clear on her face. She rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly, morning breath hitting her subordinate clearly.
“Agent, what is it?” Sweetie asked.
“Listen,” White Flame ordered.
The two waited in silence for only a few seconds. Then, there was a massive sound of banging outside. It sounded like something living was slamming itself into metal. Sweetie needed only a brief moment to identify the sound.
“Do you have ID on the attempted escapee?” Sweetie asked seriously, as she dove to her hooves.
“Bugbear. I think it may be the one we brought in a few months ago. Manehattan?” White Flame answered.
“Nasty thing,” Sweetie muttered, remembering all too well the difficulty in bringing the beast down. “Alright, get Cherry awake. I'll gather supplies for bringing it down on the chance it gets past the-”
That was when they heard the loudest smash yet. It was followed by the sound of massive swinging gates and a crash as the gates hit the mountainside they were moored to. Sweetie's eyes widened in fear as they heard a roar outside, followed by others.
“New plan, we're going to red alert!” Sweetie declared. “First priority is to get those gates closed, before anything else gets out! Second priority is to put the bugbear back! We'll work on the cover story later!”
“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”



It was surprisingly easy to wake Cherry up for a monster attack, or escape as the case may be. The ponies ran out of their base laden with tools and weapons. Though they scanned the skies for signs of the bugbear, there were none. They decided to again push that to the back of their minds as they ran up the mountain path to the gates.
The situation was as feared. The ominous black gates of Tartarus were flung wide open. They were two massive gates with metal bars, each one almost twelve feet high (about four pony-heights), and each one would require all three ponies just to close. They noticed in the darkness beyond several pairs of large eyes open and watching, and the sounds of scrambling and chains rattling.
Sweetie pulled a rope and grappling hook from her body, and the others did the same. As one well-oiled machine, they hooked onto the bars of the left gate and pulled hard. The gates were every bit as heavy as they looked, but the ponies were determined. In just ten minutes, the left gate was closed, and they set to work on the right gate.
“A-Agent Sweetie Drops... permission... to speak?” Cherry asked between hard tugs with her magic. Sweetie's mouth was occupied pulling her own rope, but she nodded. “How are we going... to secure these... again?”
This brought up a problem Sweetie had not thought of. She glanced upward, where the old chains swung from the upper gates with broken links. There would be no way to repair them on the spot; they'd have to find a temporary measure until they could contact headquarters.
“Use a treating spell on our ropes for now. It doesn't need to be permanent, just last for a day or so,” Sweetie said, dropping her rope for just a moment to speak. “We'll tie the gates together.”
“Yes, ma'am,” Cherry replied.
When the gates were shut firmly together, they began tying the metal bars together with their rope. It didn't take but a minute for that to be done, but Cherry's spellcasting would take significantly longer. As said, she wasn't a very strong unicorn.
“White Flame, survey the skies while she casts. Need a two-mile perimeter. If you catch sight of the bugbear, report back immediately,” Sweetie ordered.
White Flame nodded quickly and took off. By the time she came back, an hour later, the spell was complete and the doors were sealed. Unfortunately, her facial expression said all that needed to be said about the situation. Sweetie mentally kicked herself for what just happened, and she knew the higher-ups weren't going to let her off easy for it.
“No signs?” she asked with a frown.
“Nothing. We'll have to pick up the trail the long way,” White Flame reported.
“Alright, let's get in touch with headquarters. Maybe we won't lose our jobs over this...”