Canterlot's Ponies Protecting Ponies headquarters buzzed with energy, as it did every day. Agents, commanders, and scientists hustled about, classified documents drifting in their wake. It housed many different rooms for everything from training to mission briefing to interrogation, each busy with their own business. One room in particular held a meeting taking place between the organization's director and six individuals not of the Canterlot branch, but Ponyville's.
Director Rad Dent stood on a platform raised slightly higher than the six agents in front of him. His stoic muzzle was pressed into a document. His eyes squinted as he tried to make sense of the data on its surface. The six seated ponies waited patiently for him to finish reading.
Dent grunted. "...Can't even pronounce that one... An assortment of digging tools, dragon temperament, an ursa-grade tranquilizer," he rattled off. "And a... what is this... 'swamp bubble gun'?"
A tan stallion by the name of Doctor Hooves stuck out a hoof to the grey pegasus on his left. She went by Derpy Doo, and she reluctantly placed her own hoof against the doctor's. Hooves' general aloofness was not out of place for his character, but it was a little unwelcome during matters of serious importance. Dent often had trouble connecting with the stallion, as Hooves always gave the impression that the strange world he alone saw was more interesting than anything anyone else had to offer. Nonetheless, his technical and mechanical prowess proved to be a vital part to the organization on multiple occasions. Derpy, on the other hoof, cared almost too much about ponies other than herself. Even now, she could have made an attempt to scold Hooves, but she always treated his childlike nature with tenderness, a habit she could not break even in the face of a high-ranking officer.
Rad Dent rubbed his temple. Ever since the six agents before him played major parts in the defeat and reformation of Nightmare Moon, the biggest threat to Equestria in a thousand years, they consistently tried his patience. Troubles of the like that other branches see once a decade, this group somehow encountered on a weekly basis, and their methods for handling the situations rarely came cheap.
"Anypony want to explain to me just how you can rack up a bill like this?" Dent asked the Ponyville agents while waving the document wildly.
A creme-colored mare sitting center of the group stood up. Bon Bon was the acting chief handler of the Ponyville branch. The other five answered to her directly. As such, she was the foremost expert on why so much of the organization's budget leaked to a small and otherwise unassuming village. Despite Dent's obvious frustration, Bon Bon answered with her usual confidence and no-nonsense attitude.
Bon Bon said, "The protection of Princess Celestia's student Twilight Sparkle has proven to be far more eventful than initially expected." She did not move a muscle as she spoke. "The region's unnaturally dangerous flora and fauna, in conjunction with assignments from Princess Celestia herself, have necessitated–"
"Alright, alright, alright," said Dent, flapping his front hoof to silence the pink-and-blue-maned mare.
Bon Bon took her seat again. It didn't sound like her story altered a single word from the last time Dent brought up their spending, or the time before that.
Dent said, "Sparkle gets into sticky situations, and you're just going to tell me that it's got the Princess's blessings behind it." Dent sighed and eased back into his chair.
Most of the issues the Ponyville branch dealt with involved protecting a single unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. A single unicorn who happened to be Princess Celestia's prized student, and, if records were to be believed, a mare with an astounding destiny ahead of her. But the hope of the future didn't change the budget of the present.
Dent continued, "Even so, these expenses are quite high, and that's coming from both the PPP director and the Canterlot chief handler."
A mint-green unicorn snorted. "Yeah, and if there's one thing Canterlot ponies know how to do, it's spend a lot of bits."
Dent glared. Agent Lyra Heartstrings never quite found herself on his good side. She was as arrogant as she was facetious, and even now, her joking grin taunted him. Dent expected more tact from a mare with her record, but thought better of bringing it up at the time. Instead, he answered, "Speak when spoken to, Agent Heartstrings."
Lyra folded her front legs, but said nothing more. Her snarky expression didn't waver.
A mare with a flowing orange mane cleared her throat. "Rad, please, I think if you look at the budget in conjunction with all of the endeavors of Twilight Sparkle, you'll find a reasonable–"
"Carrot, really, I understand." Dent's demeanor with Carrot Top was far softer than with Lyra. Carrot once led the Ponyville branch herself, but later gave the position to Bon Bon. She was a kind mare who showed more attention to her agents than their missions. In other words, Bon Bon's complete opposite. Dent and Carrot interacted more often when she was in the chief handler position. Much more.
Dent spoke softly and said to Carrot, "It's not like the organization has gone broke as a result. But now the six of you want tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala of all things?"
The six ponies seated before Dent said nothing. Five leaned forward with anticipation. Hooves found a particularly interesting mark on the facility's wall to observe.
"Well..." a pink mare said slowly, "Twilight Sparkle and her friends are all going to the Gala, and with invitations from Celestia no less."
"Princess Celestia, Agent Star," Dent said to her.
Agent Amethyst Star was the greenest member on the team. She was released for duty less than a year prior, but has since showed the resolve of a seasoned veteran. Even so, the action she'd seen hadn't damaged her natural hopefulness and naiveté (or foolishness, as others may call it). Dent was simply glad that Amethyst didn't take on many of Lyra's characteristics, especially considering that cantankerous green unicorn trained her.
Dent observed Amethyst and continued, "I know you and Agent Heartstrings are the primary agents on Sparkle's guard assignment, but I assure you, the Gala already has plenty of security."
"But you could always use more!" Amethyst Star retorted. She then flinched and chose to look down at her hooves. Perhaps she heard the desperation in her voice.
Bon Bon saw Amethyst's self-inflicted disappointment, and spoke up on her behalf. "I think what Agent Star is trying to say," she began, "is that an event of this scale could use all the hooves it can get."
"Especially with the terrorist threats!" chimed Hooves, still staring at the wall. Every head in the room turned to look at him. Neither his wide eyes nor his wide smile faltered.
"...That's classified information." Dent informed him. He stared Hooves down but couldn't establish eye contact. "How did you–?"
"I read things I'm not supposed to," Hooves said simply.
"And besides," Bon Bon said, turning back to Dent, "information within the company really shouldn't be limited in such a regard."
"It's a safety precaution," Dent assured her with a wave of his hoof. Bon Bon didn't look satisfied with his answer, but Dent felt the matter too simple to dwell on. "We don't want that kind of information leaking out."
"And that's been working so well so far," said Lyra with a roll of her eyes.
Dent shot Lyra another glare. Then he sighed and resumed rubbing his temple. These six put him on the spot with this request. He'd lost count of the strings pulled in their favor. At the same time, their words rang true.
The ponies sat in silence as Dent thought to himself. He open and closed his mouth a few times before finally uttering, "We can afford tickets and transportation for three, maybe four of you."
"YES!"
Six heads turned to stare at the pink unicorn standing on both her back hooves, a front one raised triumphantly in the air. Amethyst opened her eyes, and, upon seeing she had the room's attention, slowly lowered herself back into her seat, her cheeks increasingly more crimson as she went.