Bon Bon led a very simple life. She was a confectioner by trade, and one of the best in Equestria. She had a charming roommate that was also her best friend and coworker, and her shop's income alone was enough to support both of them comfortably.
Her life was good.
Until one night, that is, when she was closing up the shop.
The letter came without warning, without preface. Lyra was out with Pinkie Pie at a party and Bon Bon had just finished locking everything up downstairs, and was heading up to her room. It was there she saw it.
Lying on her bed was a simple black envelope with a white wax seal stamped with the shape of a crescent moon.
With a weary sigh, she moved over to her bed and scooped the envelope up in her hooves. She turned it over a few times, scowling down at the stationary. Deciding that she was only delaying the inevitable, she laid the envelope back down and used her hoof to pop the seal. She used the same method to pull the letter from within and unfold it.
The message was simple.
Dear Special Agent,
Your presence is requested at the castle of H.R.H. Princess Twilight Sparkle as soon as you have received this summons. No reply is needed; merely report within the hour.
-Princess Luna, Lady of the Second Light
Bon Bon felt the bile rising in her throat. She knew this might happen, someday… She was just hoping it wouldn’t. Delicately folding the letter up, she tucked it back into its envelope and grabbed an ashtray from the drawer of her nightstand, as well as a book of matches. She struck one of the matches and held up the envelope. These things were always made of a hyper-flammable paper that burned so quickly and completely that it barely left any ash.
Within seconds, the letter was gone and no evidence was left that it even existed.
Furrowing her brow, Bon Bon walked over to her closet and opened it, staring down in disgust at the locked wooden trunk in the bottom. She pressed her hoof to the large circular lock and felt the familiar tingle of the biometric magic as it scanned her entire body. When the scan finished, an audible click sounded throughout the room as the lock disengaged.
Upon opening the trunk, her face twisted in shear hatred of the contents. Packed neatly in the box was a black fedora with a grey band and a black three piece suit, as well as a pair of smoked sunglasses and a black, clip on necktie. Sitting on top of the fedora was a simple silver metro badge emblazoned with the visage of an alicorn with her wings spread out.
Bon Bon gingerly scooped up the badge and gave a soft sigh before setting it aside. She pulled the suit out of the box and laid it on her bed. She didn’t want this. But she had to do it. Scowling as she did so, she pulled the grey dress shirt off the bed a slid it on, shuddering as she felt the smooth fabric slide over her fur. She buttoned up the shirt and selected the trousers next, having a bit of trouble with them like she always had. She tucked her shirt in and slid her jacket on, noticing with slight disdain that the jacket was tighter than before. Once the jacket was buttoned, she slipped her badge inside of the coat’s inner pocket and grabbed the necktie from the trunk and fastened it to her collar. All that was left now… was her hat.
Sitting back on her haunches, she scooped the hat up in her hoofs and turned it over a few times. Even though she wasn’t wearing it yet, she could feel its Glamour enchantment, ready to be activated when the hat was donned. She didn’t want to put it on. She didn’t want to be that… thing… again.
“Bon Bon?” The voice of her housemate made Bon Bon turn so suddenly that Lyra took a step back in surprise. “I… uh, I didn’t know you were the nostalgic type…” she said quietly, a nervous smile on her face. That’s right; Lyra had seen the suit not long ago. Just after Cranky and Matilda’s wedding. She’d all but demanded it…
“It’s… I… I’ve been called in.”
The simple statement had a profound and immediate effect on Lyra, as her ears flattened, her eyes widened and her smile vanished. She lowered her head and took a step back. “Y-you’re leaving?” Bon Bon nodded. “For how long?”
“I don’t know… It could be weeks, could be months, could even be years,” she explained solemnly. “Please understand, Lyra, that I don’t have a choice in this matter. If I did, I would choose to stay with you without a moment’s hesitation.” Bon Bon trotted forward and put a hoof to her best friend’s chin, lifting her face up. “But, no matter what, I will come back for you.”
“You promise?”
“With all my heart, Lyra.”
~~~B><B~~~
The halls of Friendship Castle were deathly quiet, save for the distinct sound of pacing hooves echoing throughout the crystalline castle. The origin of this sound was the castle’s resident royalty, Princess Twilight Sparkle, as she trotted back and forth in front of her three fellow princesses. All four of them were gathered in the Friendship Council room, awaiting a fifth party.
“You’re sure me and my friends can’t handle this?”
“I am positive, Twilight. This is not a problem that friendship and love can solve.”
“But friendship always prevail–”
“My sister is correct, Twilight Sparkle. Painful as it is to admit, she is correct.”
“B-but…”
“Twilight, when Celestia and Luna say a problem is too big for you, you should listen.”
The debate was cut short the door swung open and a very familiar earth pony mare trotted through into the room. She was clad in a black business suit with grey shirt and a matching fedora. She had a pair of sunglasses over her eyes, despite the fact that it was clearly night time. All this complemented the deep scowl on her lips as though the expression and suit were tailored alongside each other as a set.
“That’s who you called in?!” Twilight exclaimed, her wings flaring out as she leapt off of the map table and floated down next to the new arrival. “Bon Bon’s a candy maker, not a warrior! Wait… why is your coat grey?” she asked, leaning down to inspect the mare’s altered color scheme. Her coat was dull grey and her mane had become black as night.
“Special Agent Sweetie Drops, reporting for duty, Your Highnesses!” She called, causing Twilight to jump back in surprise. “And it’s a simple Glamour spell, Princess.”
“Special Agent, I am sorry to have dragged you away from you current assignment,” Celestia said somberly, noting that the agent’s scowl softened for a moment before coming back full force. “But I fear Equestria is, once again, in dire need of your help.”
Princess Luna turned to look at her sister, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. “Again?” she asked. “Are you saying that this mare has saved the country in the past? Where is her medal? Her sash? Was there not even a laurel granted for her feat? I see no awards for her val–”
“She did not recieve a medal, Luna,” Celestia said sternly, silencing her younger sister. “She received no reward, save for a pat on the withers and a letter thanking her for her service to the crown.”
“It’s all I needed, Your Majesty,” Sweetie Drops said calmly. Despite her even tone and statuesque façade, her eyes were darting around between the Princesses, gleaning what little knowledge she could from their expressions.
Princess Celestia had bags under her eyes. She hadn’t slept last night and probably wasn’t going to sleep tonight, either. Her mane was a bit duller than usual and her coat a slightly matted. Crooked crown… The princess licked her lips, which were dry and cracked.
Princess Luna’s eyes were bloodshot and crusty, indicating she’d been crying, further implied by her tone of voice. Here ears were flat and her face drooped, as did her shoulders and her head.
Princess Cadance looked confused, much like her sister-in-law. Though she managed to maintain a clam exterior, her wide, darting eyes and tapping forehoof betrayed her worry.
Sweetie Drops reached her conclusion and gave an inward sigh. It was bad. This problem not only had Princess Celestia worried or concerned, it had her rattled. It was something personal for Princess Luna and that in itself was a problem. That meant whatever she was facing was at least a millennium old, which likely meant it was very powerful. Princess Twilight had learned of the situation, and was clearly panicked. Her sister-in-law was concerned, but not panicked.
“Sweetie Drops is the one responsible for originally capturing the bugbear, as well as finding its creator and executing him. She is solely creditable for preventing a werewolf outbreak in Manehattan and resolving countless other monster-related situations throughout her twenty years of service, excluding her current deep cover in Ponyville,” Princess Celestia explained hurriedly. Everypony’s gaze slowly turned from her to the agent standing before them.
“S-Special Agent,” Princes Cadance said quietly, pausing briefly to clear her throat. “How… old are you?”
“Thirty-nine, Your Highness.”
“And your deep cover has lasted…”
“Four years, Your Highness.”
“That’s enough questions, Cadance. All you need to know about Sweetie Drops has already been told to you.” Princess Celestia turned her attention the agent. “Sweetie Drops, the pony you face is far greater than even you may be able to handle. You have slain several vampires in your time, but this…” She stopped to take a particularly deep breath, closing her eyes and lowering her head. “This vampire is one of the originals. Far more powerful than those you have faced before. He has been locked away in Tartarus for nearly five hundred years, and I never thought I’d see the day he would escape.”
“With all due respect, if Tirek could escape while being as weak as he was, I’m sure this vampire is no different, Your Majesty.”
“You mistake my meaning, Agent,” Princess Celestia said evenly. “Tirek was stripped of his power and hurled to the depths of Tartarus, free to roam its expanses. This vampire was locked within a meter thick compressive thaumatium shell and suspended from the ceiling of a cavern by percussive thaumatium chains.” Her eyes narrowed as she scowled down at Sweetie Drops. “He should have been unable to escape. He ha–”
“He has a name, Celestia!” Princess Luna screamed, standing up in the throne she occupied. “It is a name he has chosen for himself! Are you so afraid of him that you must refer to him by such vague terms and descriptions?! Is he truly worse than anything you have faced before?!”
“He is a monster, Luna!” Celestia shouted back. “The one you once called your son is not the same stallion he was when you gave him li–”
Princess Luna’s eyes flashed white as she stomped on the edge of her throne, crushing the armrest. “His name is Roma Heart!” she screamed, her voice shaking the very walls of the room. “Has he not even the right to be called such?!”
“He erased an entire bloodline from the face of the planet!” Princess Celestia countered, rising to tower over her sister. “He deserves to DIE!” Her voice had grown to volumes far surpassing her sister’s, causing every surface in the room to vibrate.
Princess Luna’s eyes widened and she fell silent. After a moment, she sat back down and stared at the map in front of her. “You need not remind me of his crimes, Sister,” she whispered, putting a hoof on the table.
“I am sorry, Luna…” Princess Celestia replied softly, before turning back to Sweetie Drops. “Special Agent, you are to rendezvous with the local guards at the gates of Tartarus. They are ready to conduct an investigation upon your arrival.”
“How will I be traveling, Your Majesty?”
“The same way you traveled in the past,” she replied. “Your old airship has been prepped and is ready for liftoff. It’s on the castle’s balcony. You depart immediately.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
~~~B><B~~~
Minutes later, Sweetie Drops was approaching what was quite possible the most unsafely designed vehicle in Equestrian history, The Peregrine. The balloon was small and filled to near bursting with helium, while the cockpit looked to be two rowboats stacked together with four large propeller engines sticking off the back. The design was simplistic, but it worked well.
And it was fast. There was no airship in recorded history faster than The Peregrine. It could easily make a round trip to and from Manehattan in just a single day without needing to refuel.
As Sweetie Drops climbed through the craft’s small entrance, she was greeted by various glowing gauges and dials. This allowed a small smile to cross her lips. She’d actually missed the deathtrap of a vehicle. A shadow was cast over the control panel as Princess Celestia stood beside the craft, looking inside. “Some upgrades were made during your current assignment. It’s a bit more efficient and the balloon should hold up better than it used to.”
“Good to know, Your Majesty,” she replied simply, flipping a switch under the control panel and closing the hatch. The propeller engines roared to life as she strapped herself in, and the craft lurched upwards as the ballast was emptied. She took a deep breath and pushed gently forward on the throttle. “Here we go…” The machine tilted forward and she was greeted with an aerial view of most of Ponyville. Her sweet shop was part of that view.
As she soared away from the castle, she caught sight of Lyra standing on the roof of the shop, staring up at the ship. Lyra gave a wave, which was promptly returned by Sweetie Drops, even if she couldn’t see it.
Tearing her eyes away from her roommate, she increased the throttle slightly, sending the craft away from her home at a speed rivaling some pegasi. With a sigh, she pulled a small photograph out of her suit’s inner pocket. It was magically produced, a literal transference of Princess Luna’s memories onto paper. The image showed a stallion with a center parted, jaw length, scarlet mane and a starch white coat, as well as blood red eyes. He was smiling, revealing a mouth full of sharp, pointed teeth. Her eyes narrowed and she put the photo back into her pocket.
There was no time to waste if this… pony… was on the loose.
~~~B><B~~~
His tattered cloak waved behind him as he trudged headlong through the chilling desert winds, his face battered by the harsh sands the air carried. His eyes were squinted and focused on what lie through the sandy winds: a tomb. The entrance was simple, a narrow passage carved out of the side of a mountain. The tomb was ancient, but it was one he knew well.
It was surrounded by tents and strange lanterns.
As he broke into a slightly faster gait, kicking up sand as he did, a scowl broke out under the collar of his cloak and his brow furrowed.
Who would dare…?
A talon resting on his shoulder prompted him to slow his pace and stop. He looked to his left to see his companion giving him a worried look.
“Roma, don’t,” she said just loudly enough to be heard. “I don’t like when you get angry.”
With a sigh, he pulled down his collar and gave her a kind smile. “Wait here, Avianna. I will go and speak with them.”
“Only to speak?” she asked cautiously, eyeing his smile with no small amount of trepidation.
“That is their choice,” he answered simply as he started off towards the camp.