//------------------------------// // Crystal Clean // Story: Shellstrings // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// Outskirts of Trottingham – Forest – Secret Tree Stump Crystalline hooves crunched through fallen leaves and pine needles. Garnet shuffled under the dim shade of the forest. The hustle and bustle of Trottingham had dwindled to a distant hum. The stallion's eyes remained trained on the false wooden stump situated at the far end of the clearing. He remained calm and silent... ...and then he stopped in his tracks. "... ... ..." Schiiiing! He unsheathed a crystal dagger from his side and spun around with it. All of the sudden, both his body and the dagger glowed with a matching red pulse. "I know you're there," the former sargeant said sharply, his eyes darting about with a sharp glint. "Show yourself." A presence in the tree branches above spoke through an inhale, masking the voice's tone: "But who am I?" Garnet blinked. His translucent tears twitched... and then he blurted: "Sweetie Drops." Thw-Thwissh! Bon Bon landed nimbly from a forward flip. She stood up, catching her breath. "How did you guess? We've barely known each other for a day." Garnet leaned back, grasping his dagger tight. "You strike me as... a remarkably wise pony," he said. "What gives you that idea?" she asked. "You rarely talked during our meeting last night," he said, eyes narrowing. "While Sharp Quill, Haze, and Betsy asked endless questions, you mostly sat back and let others speak their peace. It's the sign of an observant soul who likes taking the least amount of risks." He cocked his head aside. "You're a survivor." "I'll take that as a compliment," Bon Bon said with a nod. "However, survivors don't always get the job done." He nodded back. "Good thing we're part of a team." Bon Bon's eyes darted towards his raised dagger, then back to him. "Are we?" Garnet's jaws clenched shut. Tense silence... ...and then. Schwisssssh! The tree stump tilted back, exposing the upper chambers of Blue Crescent below. A familiar head stuck out, horn glowing orange. "Were you followed?" Garnet shook his head. Bon Bon sighed. "No, Horizons." "Good." The unicorn aimed a blue-crystal rifle and primed it. "Now shut up and stand still." Garnet sheathed his dagger as he and Bon Bon stood several spaces apart, awaiting the anti-changeling scan. Blue Crescent – Upper Chambers Whurrrrrrrrr—Clank! The circular metal door slid shut. Breathing evenly, Garnet and Bon Bon stood in the bright, white hallway. "You two are early," Horizons muttered, shoving the rifle into a wall compartment. "Didn't have much to think over," Bon Bon said. "You know I'm in for the long haul, Chief." Garnet swallowed before speaking: "I am committed to the League. I owe it to my Imperial brothers and sisters to make something good out of Miller's legacy." "Now that's the spirit." Horizons trotted off. "I have some things to take care of with Princess Plasma. The financiers won't be here for another few hours. Once the rest of the League Members arrive, we'll begin our meeting." Her eyes bounced between Garnet and Bon Bon. "I suggest the two of you... get comfortable with the facilities here." She trotted off, disappearing beyond another mechanical door. The two agents stood before a stretch of windows overlooking the large metal sphere standing beneath the expensive facility. "I... suppose an apology is in order," Garnet said. "For what?" Bon Bon asked. "Up above. In the forest." He cleared his throat. "While I know a thing or two about the villainy of Sombra, I must admit that I'm still new to the threat of changelings. I do hope you will forgive me for taking necessary measures—" "Nothing to be sorry for, agent," Bon Bon said. "After having fought changelings countlessly over a hectic life... I must admit that you never get used to the paranoia." He shuddered slightly. "Then I suspect that I will be especially shaken." Bon Bon smiled warmly. "You seem more than capable. Besides... I can't imagine that Captain Shining Armor would have suggested you as a serviceable recruit to the Council of Canterlot if he had any doubts concerning your tenacity." "As an Imperial Guard, my chiefest strength has been loyalty. I can only wonder if that will suffice in the League." "It's the first and most important step," Bon Bon said, trotting towards him. "Which is why you can rely on us." "Oh?" She nodded. "You're lost out of time. It's a brave new world out there for you... or at least a complicated one. I'm afraid that textbooks and mission briefings won't be enough to keep you abreast of things." "I have endeavored to learn all that I can," Garnet said. "Back in the Crystal Empire, I served with pegasus guard transferred from Canterlot. He did his best to help me catch up with modern history. I must admit... I miss how... relaxing his approach could be." He smiled slightly... but then fell back into a calm deadpan. "Alas, it is my charge to move on and carry on with even more important assignments. I am capable of adapting." "Yes, but adapting doesn't necessarily have to be a sucky situation," Bon Bon said. She cocked her head to the side. "I heard that you've been stationed in Ponyville?" "That... is correct." Garnet squinted at her. "How—may I ask—did you come upon that information?" Bon Bon's ears twitched. "Uhhmmm..." She jolted slightly. "B-because I saw you!" She smiled. "In the streets! Out beside Sugarcube Corner!" Garnet's translucent ears folded. "You... are stationed there too?" "I live there," she said with a wave of the hoof. "And don't be ashamed over the fact that I sniffed you out. Being a member of the League—I'm trained to notice any key differences in the equine populace." Garnet stared at the window and sighed. "I suppose a hat and trenchcoat isn't enough to hide my crystalline features." "Hat... and trenchcoat... right..." Bon Bon gulped. "Y'know... I think you're going about it all wrong, Sergeant." "Hmmm?" "The ponies of Ponyville are remarkably open-minded and accepting," she said. "Well, except that one time with the zebra—" "Zebra?" "Err—point being..." She took another step towards him. "They won't be weirded out by the fact that you're a crystal pony. In fact... I'm more than certain they will embrace it." "Truly?" "You just need to find a way to work your alternate identity with your crystalline nature," she said. "For example... did you know that Twilight Sparkle—the Princess of Friendship—is the sister-in-law to your steward, Princess Cadance?" "I was aware of the relation," Garnet said. "But I've never heard it expressed through such simple means." "I don't see why we can't... y'know... fabricate an excuse for your being in Ponyville aside from secret League reasons!" Bon Bon smiled. "I'll have a talk with the Chief. Maybe she and Princess Plasma can work something out." "That... would be most fortuitous," Garnet said. Bon Bon stifled a giggle. "Well, that makes the two of us!" "But... about adapting to the Ponyville way of life..." Garnet gulped. "I'm... not certain I am prepared to do that with any degree of realism." "Leave that to me." Bon Bon winked. "I can help you become a Ponyvillean in no time." "You already have so much on your plate as it is with the League," Garnet remarked. "Are you certain you wish to trouble yourself with my alternate identity?" "Sure! After all..." She glanced in the direction that Horizons had left, and then back at the stallion . "...what are friends for?"