~7~
"The Agent"
In a place not quite our own. A place where time is never changing, where ponies never age.
A place called the agency.
Their headquarters resided in the nothingness of the world. Not even the alicorn sisters knew of their existence. No, they came far before those two were created. The agency was something that had always existed.
And even they were clueless of their existence.
“Sir, Falcon reporting.”
“Ah, so I’m not alone in here?”
“Sir?”
“Nothing. What do you have to report?”
“The reports of the being leaving home is accurate. The drake the agency has been seeking has left the grasp of the alicorn princess.”
“So the dragon is its own being…good… great, even. Well, there will be no more hindrance in our taking of the drake?”
“Sir! The dragon is still good friends with the other elements of harmony and the Princesses. His disappearance won’t go unnoticed.”
“Ah, yes! You are quite right, my old chap. Welp! Then I suppose kidnapping is off the table, so what else do you have to suggest?”
“...”
“I thought so. You rooks, thinking you're climbing the steps, yet you keep asking the rails to guide you!”
“...”
“Now now, don’t fret. I shall offer ‘ye guidance. We want the drake on our side; he shows great potential that no one else sees. He’s looking for a role model; someone to tell him he’s doing a good job. Gosh darn it, he’s looking for a purpose in his life.”
“A dragon needing a purpose? Just what kind of dragon are we dealing with, sir?”
“One raised by ponies.”
“Ha! Seriously?”
“Yes… silly concept, I know. But that’s what makes him so unique: he’s a dragon that can be brought under control. A dragon dealing with self-esteem issue as well…ah. This job isn’t like it used to be.”
“So, sir, what is it you want to be done?”
“Get the dragon under your control. Learn his insecurities and exploit him; learn his desire and fill them with our work. It isn’t a hard task to do. Locating him should be a cinch.”
“So, get him to somehow work for us?”
“That is what I said.”
“Then consider it done, sir!”
“Please don’t use that expression.”
“Of course, sir!”
“Heh. Dismissed.”
“Wait, sir? What shall be my codename be?”
“Your name shall be ‘the Agent.’ Now leave while it will still allow you to.”
“Sir!”
“... Darn rooks.”
Timberwolves growled at the trees.
The shadow beneath the tree began to whirl. A pool formed as the shadows dug into the ground. Then a form emerged from the whirlpool.
The trees lost their shadows. The Timberwolves ran away.
“Huh.”
The creature examined its hoof. Titling it so his eyes could see every detail. “It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a form – glad I didn’t forget what I looked like.”
A coat trailed along his body and ended far past his tail. His ears popped out of the fedora on top of his head.
The pony examined himself. “What am I, a detective?!” He breathed to calm himself down.
“Eh, no matter.” He took in his bearings. A town loomed in the distance. “No one bore witness to my arrival. I should be safe to walk into town.”
And so he did. As he trotted through the forest, no animals dared attack the pony. Plants would die by his steps; creatures would suffer heart attacks. Even the mightiest predator strayed away from the pony.
Because they knew, that within that pony, lurked a beast.