• Published 19th Dec 2013
  • 704 Views, 42 Comments

The Crowded Library - SuperGiantRobot



A collection of my stories from Thirty Minute Pony Stories,

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Agent Orange

The dart struck him just below his left ear and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. The drug used was non-lethal but very effective. He’d be spending about six hours enjoying his favourite dream, and about another twelve wishing he'd never woken up. In a good way, I mean. I had to move fast, though, eventually someone was going to get curious when he didn't check in.

I leapt to the ground from the tree I had mounted in order to get my shot. Easy work when you’re a pegasus like me. I gave the guard a once over, both to ensure he was uninjured and to get his ID card. Disguising myself was out of the question: most diamond dogs aren't that bright, but even they could tell the difference between one of their own and a pony. That was fine, though; even if I could disguise myself, there was an excellent chance I'd make a mistake, say or do the wrong thing, and then my cover'd be blown.

I swept the ID card through the reader and the door unlocked. I peeked through to get a feel for the place. There was a security cam, but that was easy enough to trick - I got inside its ‘dead zone’ just beneath it, waited for it to circle back and darted to a dark corner down the hall. Several more cameras were set up randomly, but I was able to keep to the shadows well enough to defeat them.

I’m good at hiding, when I need to.

There were guards patrolling and, despite my skill, I couldn't just hunker down here forever - I was running on a schedule. I spied an air duct above me and after ensuring that I had the hall to myself and that no guards were coming, I hovered up and popped the grille open. I snapped my wings closed, wiggled inside, and silently pulled the grille closed with my tail.

It was a pretty tight fit, but comfortable enough to move in. I scooted forward silently - I'm especially good at silence - and eventually I reached my goal. Below me was the door to the room the files were in. There were two guards flanking it.

I whispered a gentle curse. Then again, I didn't expect my mission to be that easy.

I didn't want to have to do this - It was sloppier than I’d been trained, but I had no choice. I raised my dart pistol, aimed through the grille and shot one of the guards while the other was looking away. When the other guard turned back, he saw his companion laid out and panicked, just as I had expected him to.

I used the few seconds I had to slam the grill open, soar down and deal with the other guard. I cracked the door open - the room was dark and appeared uninhabited. I dragged the two guards in the room with me. Better they be hidden from sight then sprawled out on the floor. Their being missing could be attributed to something other than foul play. I was out of darts regardless, so any further interactions would be physical. I didn't want that. Hurting others isn't something I'm comfortable with.

I let my eyes adjust to the darkness. In the corner was a rectangular shape that I knew must be the file cabinet. I crept over, hugging that wall so I didn't trip over anything, ensuring my trotting was as quiet as possible even though I knew there would be nopony to hear it.

As I reached for my flashlight and began to open the cabinet, I heard the sound of a match being struck. I turned in panic and saw the glow from the tip of a cigar and the dense scent of its smoke...

"Six minutes and forty-five seconds," said the voice.

The room lit up. I squinted in the sudden brightness and saw a grey diamond dog reclining in a chair behind the room’s desk, his feet up on the desk surface. A green eye narrowed at me, the other hidden behind an eyepatch. “Pretty impressive, all things considered, especially since you’re a pony. Sneaking through the ducts was pretty clever - I’d never have thought a pony would think of trying them, given your size.

"We have very few pony operatives, and I’m especially surprised that you’d want to join us, given your history. This sort of thing doesn’t seem your style."

"I want…" I whispered. I shook my head and spoke louder - I was sure of myself and by Celestia I was going to show him. "I want to do my part for Equestria," I replied, looking him dead in the eye. "And as long as I can do it without hurting anypon…anyone, I’m more than willing to. I want to show myself as more than just a shrinking violet, even if nopony but me knows it."

As we spoke, the two ‘unconscious’ guards sat up and the others entered the room behind me.The diamond dog at the desk puffed smoke through his nostrils and smiled and they began to clap. One or two raised their heads and howled.

"Well, I can’t very well turn an argument like that, and you certainly have the skills. Welcome to the team…agent Fluttershy."

He reached a paw towards me and we shared a hoof-shake. The entire group howled as one.

The diamond dog’s name was Nick Furry, commander-in-chief of the ORganization Against Nefarious Groups in Equestria.

But we just call ourselves ORANGE.