Secret Agent: 0CT

by Jeweled Pen

New toys

“Ohhh, what's this?” Vinyl asked as she nudged a small metal horn.

“That is an artificial horn. Here, allow me to demonstrate,” G said before gripping it and popping it onto a nearby earth ponies forehead. A moment later the horn glowed and some nearby papers lifted into the air. It only lasted a few seconds before they were dropped. “One of Dr. Alicity's confiscated devices.”

“Confiscated?”

“Ah, yes. We've confiscated dozens of his inventions over the years.” He took the horn and put it back on the counter. “This could be useful, but sadly not in its current state. It has to be powered by unicorn magic, but all the gems inside don't allow for a stable energy crystal, so it can't hold a charge for more than a few seconds.”

“Ohhhhh. How'd you get it?”

“I'll answer that,” Octavia said quickly. “He was attempting to kidnap one of the Elements of Harmony. A miss... Fluttershy, I believe. I went in, personally, to ensure that nothing went out of control.”

“Wait, out of control?” Vinyl asked softly. “He was going to kidnap a pony. Wasn't that out of control enough?”

“Normally, yes. Except his planned attempt was during a get together with a miss Rarity. Now, she took one look at the horn and decried it as crime against fashion. Then his glasses, and his suit. Said the evil mad genius look was quite out of style. Nearly made the stallion cry, actually. She then spent the next three hours upgrading the poor stallions wardrobe.” She paused for effect. “He did cry when he saw the bill. I procured the horn during the confusion. It was quite simple.”

“He sounds like an idiot,” Vinyl mumbled, before her eyes went wide. “What. Is. THAT?!” Across the room, filled with all manner of strange gadgets, laid the most glorious device she had ever seen. One so breath-taking she had to stare for a few moments in awe. One that she was only stopped from touching by every pony in the room lunging to block her way.

A big. Red. Button.

“Don't touch that!” G yelped, before getting knocked aside by a well placed hoof. Octavia struggled, holding onto the mare's tail but being slowly dragged along the floor.

“But... but I must! Big... red... button...”

“That's the point, it's a trap!” G said, before galloping forward to block the way, pushing against her chest. “If you touch it, the magic within will explode and blow up the entire lab!”

That made her stop. “What? It's a bomb?!”

Octavia sighed and let the mare's tail go. “No. He's being over dramatic. It is, however, dangerous. It's a defense system used to capture spies. Another device used by Dr. Alicity and... probably one of his smartest ones.”

“Why?”

“He put it in his underwater base with the words 'Self-Destruct' written over the top,” G said with knowing nod. “When agent 0--” A glare from the earth pony made him pause. “--one of our agents touched it, she was zapped with over a dozen sleep spells. She only barely managed to escape and set off the real self-defense system.”

“What was the real one?”

“A better hidden, even redder button,” Octavia said softly. “This was recovered from the rubble. The fact the enchantments are still on it was quite impressive and we've been working on duplicating the spell array. For an earth pony, his... unique methods can be quite powerful.”

Vinyl nodded and frowned. “Are all these things just gadgets you stole from this Alicity? Come oooon! You're all like, the secret service! Where are the stuff with the glowing lights and magic and awesomes?”

“Ah, of course,” G chuckled before walking over to another counter and lifting up a small, brown box. “I figured you'd say something like that, so I had some of the boys whip up this.” He popped open the box and revealed... a pair of her glasses.

“Well, I guess they are pretty awesome. But I was expecting something flashier.” Vinyl nudged the ones on her head. “I already have a pair.”

“Oh no no, try them on,” G said.

She lifted them up and quickly switched the glasses out. “AWESOME!” A small interface had appeared on the right of her vision. All the ponies she saw were now outlined and had a small text box appearing besides them, with minor details. “Octavia, you hate artificial sugar?”

“You can navigate the menu on the right with your magic,” G said, before the earth pony could answer. “They have a number of special features. X-ray, magical sight, infrared, night, all the important visions. It also has a rather large database, can shoot lasers--”

“Wait, lasers? How?”

“Just set it to L-mode and--” He let out a yelp and ducked as a red beam of light shot out over his head, leaving a hole in the wall behind him. “Don't do it now!”

“Heh heh. Sorry. What else?”

“It's set to implode if anypony tries to tamper with the magical interface, and appears like normal glasses on anypony else. It also can access a communication network, though I'd avoid using it when incognito. It's not quite silent.”

“Awesome!”

“And a rope comes out from the right earpiece.”

“Wait, wh--”

“Agent 0CT, I've got something special for you.” He pulled out an even smaller brown box. Inside was a small, black bowtie. “We've worked all the kinks out this time.”

“Oh?” The earth pony tied the bowtie on, before pulling a gun from within. “So no more emergency jettisoning?”

“None. We're hoping we'll be able to set up a vehicle using the same technology soon, but we've still got a while to go before we're at that stage. If our friend in the little blue box would just let us--”

“Civilian,” Octavia said, motioning to Vinyl.

“Oh, right.”

“Heyyyy! No fair! I already know more than I probably should, what's a little bit more?”

“You don't have clearance,” Octavia said before turning to trot away. “Is the Seapony Express ready for us?”

“Yes. It was freshly fueled. If you want to--”

“We will, come along Vinyl.”

The unicorn nodded, slowly pulling out a long length of rope from behind her ear as she walked. “Just how much is there...”

------

Vinyl was in heaven. The two were sitting inside a large, spacious metal room, with a big glass window in front of them. It allowed them to see out into the sea. Even though there were no lights outside the ship, it seemed as light as day out in the ocean, the glass enchanted to allow everything to be perfectly viewable. They were currently passing over a beautiful blue coral, as large as the castle in Canterlot, if not bigger. Fish of all colors and sizes swam around them, ignoring the large, silent submarine as it passed.

A massive whale, large enough to swallow the ship whole, passed by in front of them, the ship's censors making the vehicle slowly weave around the massive creature. It's tail sent powerful currents around, rocking the submarine slightly. The ship then passed through a school of small, rainbow colored fish that sparkled like jewels, the fish brushing against the smooth, curved surface and scattering, only to regather after a few moments.

Neither of the two noticed any of these magical sights. Instead, Vinyl was sitting in the passenger side, pushing the dozens of buttons and twisting each of the knobs. They twinkled and flashed different colors, enticing her with their siren call of 'push me, push me!' Octavia had disabled the controls on that side, so she had nothing to worry about. The ship was now on auto pilot, so there was nothing much to do aside from amuse themselves.

The earth pony had her own method of amusement. The ship held one of the most best size-to-power ratio computers in the world, easily able to react and automatically pilot through almost any problem they encountered. Even better, it could adapt and follow the movements of its pilots during situations it wasn't prepared for, to learn how to react to new threats as they came.

So she used it to play Cupcake Clicker, one hoof resting on the console while the other tapped over and over on the screen, cupcakes flowing across the screen like a tidal wave of the sugary sea. She absorbed cupcakes from across the universe, alternate dimensions, even from the past and future. All cupcakes were hers to control. To wield. To sell. She was the Cupcake mistress.

She flipped to another game, letting it play in the background, and began setting up little cupcake and pancake towers to fight off bunnies as they tried to invade her garden.

“I never would have thought you played those kinds of games,” Vinyl said, peering over from her side of the ship. “I imagine you more of a chess player, or some kind of lover of like, sim empire.”

“I prefer a game I can finish in thirty seconds or less,” Octavia said absentmindedly as she clicked on the screen, sending little pies across the field, burying a few bunnies in their sweet goodness. 'Massive Cavities!' flashed on the screen. “The kind of games I can drop in a second without worrying about something going wrong.”

“Still, baker vs bunnies? I thought you'd be wayyyy too uptight to enjoy a game like that.”

“Mmmm, quite. Don't worry dear, I do not intend to indulge myself on mindless nonsense for quite the extension of time you do.”

Vinyl blinked a few times, then grinned wickedly. “Ohhhh? Then... you won't mind if I do this.” She reached out and closed the Cupcake Clicker game with a quick push.

The earth pony froze, staring at the screen. Her voice came out calm and slow. “I'd just gotten my new rocket ship unlocked and was using the sun as a giant stove...”

“Well, I guess it's a good think you only want to spend a few seconds-- AHHHHHHH!”

------

“We're almost to the border,” Octavia said, lightly tapping on the screen so her games saved, then closed. She glanced over to the passenger side. “Comfy?”

“Mmmmmmffff!” Vinyl growled into her duct tape gag, wiggling in her sheet. She was completely strapped down, unable to move more than a centimeter in any direction. To make the entire thing worse, a small chiming bell had been put in her lap. With a big, metal button that was just begging to be pushed. And the poor unicorn was helpless to ding it. Oh, she'd tried to use magic, but every time she got the slightest glow to her horn, Octavia would reach out to flick it.

“I'll take that to mean you're ready to be a good little... newly wed?” The earth pony stared into her eyes, seeming to pierce her all the way to the core. She nervously gulped and nodded, trembling slightly.

“Very well.” The removal of the duct tape was far from pleasant, eliciting pained and angry yelps from the mare as pieces of her fur were yanked out. Before she could ring it, Octavia stole the bell and locked it in the dashboard. “If you're good, you can have it later.”

Vinyl let out a low whine, before slowly nodding. “Fiiiine...”

“Good. Now...” Octavia flipped a few buttons on the console, and the lights began flickering wildly. Some of the screens and knobs were absorbed into the console, leaving a much simpler panel. Devoid of any weapon systems.

“Why all that?” Vinyl asked with a sigh. “What about all the buttons?”

“We're honeymooners. Half those devices could never be explained. Once we pass through customs, we'll be able to bring them back. For now though...” A few more knobs were pressed and a loud, shrill shriek filled the air.

“Unidentified vessel. This is the Griffon Coastal Defense. Identify yourself.”

Octavia took a deep breath, before her eyes lit up. A goofy grin flashed on her lips as she flipped another knob. “Ohhhh, look! Bluebell, it's the coast guard! Hiiiiii! Can you hear us?” Her tone made Vinyl stare in shock. She sounded like a college student on spring break, occasionally giving out little giddy giggles as she talked.

There was a pause on the other end, then slowly the voice returned. “You are broadcasting in griffon lands. Please come to the surface or we--”

“Ohhh, no problem! Hee hee, we'll be up in a moment! See yah then!” Octavia said before pushing even more knobs and their vessel began to rise.

“What... what was that?” Vinyl asked, wide eyed and agape. “Bluebell?”

“Yes, Bluebell. My name is Inky while we're here. We're a newly, and happily, married couple. Do you understand?” Her tone and glare brooked no negotiation.

The unicorn slowly nodded. “Y-yes Inky. So I should--”

“You should keep quiet as you can. Got it?” Octavia said with a sigh. “Let me do the talking, and everything will be fine.”

Vinyl sighed, but gave a grudging nod. The vessel rose to the surface and bobbed along on the water. A huge ship floated ahead of them, blocking out the sky with its size. Across its side a large golden griffon outline had been drawn. Within moments there was a loud tapping from above. “Here we go,” Octavia whispered, before forcing another goofy grin and trotting towards the back of the ship. She climbed up the ladder and opened the latch, before sliding down.

A second later a griffon, so large he could barely fit through the hole in the top of the submarine, climbed down after her. “Now, this is a routine check, do you have all your paperwork?”

“Mmmm hmmm!” Octavia said as she practically skipped across the ship, before picking up a small folder and holding it out. She paled slightly, though kept the grin on her lips. The griffon was staring at Vinyl with wide eyes.

“Vinyl Scratch!” he said, his beak hanging open. “I never thought I'd see you in one of my examinations! Holy buck, what are you doing here? Is this some kinda prank? Did the boys set this up?”

Vinyl smirked and quickly held a hoof up, making Octavia freeze. “Nah, just had to get out for a while. You know how it is. I'm surprised to find a fan all the way out here, though. I didn't think my beats made it all the way to these lands.”

“Are you kidding me? We loooove techno out here!” The griffon paused for a moment before chuckling. “Well, some of us do. I've even been to one of your concerts. I was on leave, about three years ago at--”

“Wait, you don't mean Diamondhoof Stadium, do you?”

“Yeah! I was in the high seats!” The griffon's chest feathers ruffled with pride.

“Daaaaang. And you're still a fan? Heh heh. I thought I'd lost most of them a year and a half ago during my uhh... little phase.”

The griffon coughed and shook his head. “No, no. Well, I mean, I didn't like... a lot of your stuff then. But since you've been returning to your roots, your stuff has been awesome. I got your newest CD, 'Remixing what Discord mixed up.' Hey, I don't suppose you'd mind taking some photos for me and the guys? They are never going to believe this.”

“Hey, for a fan? Anything.” Vinyl waved her hoof horizontally. She then glanced to Octavia and blushed. “Ohh, but ummm, can you do me a favor?”

That made the griffon tense up. “What?”

“Don't let any of this leak to the press, okay? I just.. you know.” Vinyl waved her hoof slightly and sighed. “Ever since... I don't know if you heard about my parents and the plane crash...”

“Errr, no I hadn't...” The excitement began to drain from the griffon.

“Yeah just... I needed to get away for a bit, you know? This whole trip is supposed to be incognito. I just needed a little time to get away from all the paparazzi and ponies busting down my door constantly. I know you gotta tell your bosses and coworkers, but can you keep all this on the low?”

The griffon nodded. “I'm sorry I just... I had no idea. We hadn't heard anything about that. Yeah, just give me your paperwork and I'll see what I can do.” He took the folder from the stunned earth pony and started going through it.

“Hey, I can still sign some things and... maybe on the way back I can swing by. I'd just rather keep it kinda quiet for now. If the media finds out, I'll have dozens of ponies tracking me down and prying into my thoughts. I don't think even going to the moon could keep the media away.”

“No, I understand. Listen, do you think you could get a group photo with some of us? It would really mean a lot to us.” He paused for a moment. “Bluebell? Honey moon?”

Vinyl nodded and smiled. “Yeah, you know how it is. If I go under my real name suddenly everypony--”

“No, no. I understand. So, think you'd be okay taking the picture on the ship?”

“No problem. I don't think we could fit more than two of you in this vessel of mine. Thanks, mister...?”

“Ironclaw. Tightbeak Ironclaw.”

------

“You're pouting,” Vinyl said softly.

“I am not pouting,” Octavia muttered in annoyance.

“You keep messing up on your games and you have an angry scowl on your face.”

“My face has not shifted into any such thing.”

“Fine, the corners of your mouth are just slightly more downwards than normal. Come oooon. It all worked out, didn't it?”

“Yes, it did. I am quite happy with the results.” Octavia clicked the screen quickly.

“No, you're not. You're tapping the screen harder than before, and your tone is slightly deeper. Come on, if you're mad, just tell me. I'm sorry I messed up your plans.”

“I am fine.”

Vinyl took a deep breath and nodded. “Very well. You've left me no choice.” She cleared her throat and darted up behind the earth pony, gripping her shoulders. “0CT, dahling,” she said in her best Photo Finish impression. “The rage, you must release! Such anger, ferocity, no! Is not appealing, no no. Tell, tell! Forgive, yes.”

Octavia blushed and turned to the unicorn with a slow, angry glare. “She does not talk like that.”

“Ah, but it got you to look at me, no? Now tell! Anger, yes? Release!”

Octavia growled. “It was a very, very good plan. I could have handled the situation, but you decided to jump in. Who knows what could happen now? If the doctors realize where we are, they--”

“They'll send somepony to kill us, and you'll kick their butt. Right?” Vinyl grinned and moved back. “I got you protecting me, so what's the worst that could happen? Another awesome chase with explosions and jumping and more awesome? I fail to see the down side.”

Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes. “I know what I'm doing. I'm not sure I'd be able to save you from yourself, let alone from the doctors. I am in control, so you--”

“Ohhhhh, I get it,” Vinyl said knowingly, gently stroking her chin. “You're a control freak, aren't yah? The moment everything isn't going the way you expected it to... BAM! Suddenly you rage and just start pouting?”

“I do not pout.”

“I could take photos of you pouting and we could ask Photo for her opinion on them?” Vinyl flashed an even wider grin, cocking an eye.

The mare's eyes widened considerably. “Don't you dare you... you... disc jockey!”

The unicorn stared in shock for a few moments. “Was... was that supposed to be an insult, or are you just calling me by my job title?”

“I... well... yes.”

She struggled not to laugh. “Y-you're kind of bad, hee hee, at insults, aren't you?” Vinyl leaned in closer and grinned wickedly. “For example... if I was going to call you something, I'd say you were... an uptight spinster.”

Octavia just stared at the mare flatly. “It seems your ability at delivering insults is just as sufficient as my own. Joy.”

“What? Heyyy! That was an awesome insult!”

Octavia returned to her games. “I am uptight, and I am unmarried. Ergo, I am an uptight spinster. Why would I be upset about being called one? By that logic, you should be upset about being called a disc jockey.”

“What? It... no but... You're supposed to... because it... you aren't supposed to admit to being uptight or a spinster! You're supposed to deny it and get mad!”

“The ponies you spend time with must surely be a joy if their cognitive abilities are as well developed.”

Vinyl glared. “Are... are you calling me dumb?”

“No. I am calling you childish.” Octavia tapped away on her game.

“You... it... I should unplug your game!”

“It's hooked into the main reactor. Unplugging it would be a useless endeavor. You are welcome to try, however.”

Vinyl frowned and kicked the ground a few times. “Well... that just... guhhh!” She stormed off to her seat, dropping in it and glaring. “I hope you run out of cupcakes.”

“If I did, I would merely start scanning an alternate dimension until I came upon a sufficient quantity. I've already devoured two as it is.”

Vinyl stared for a few moments. “Just... how long have you played that game for?”

Octavia paused for a moment and hummed. After a while she shook her head. “A very, very long time. I have a lot of--” The ship shook, nearly sending the two from their seats. Octavia looked around wildly as alarms started going off. Her games quickly saved and closed on their own, as she tapped on the console.

Vinyl stared outside, but she couldn't see anything, no matter how she squinted. The sea ahead was completely empty, not a fish or even air bubble in sight. The water was pressing in on them from all sides, trapping them alone under the sea. She began to quiver as her mirth and excitement began to evaporate. “W-what has us?”

“I don't know. I have it under control.”

“What has us?!” Vinyl shrieked again as she felt panic rise within her. There was nothing out there. Nothing. That left only one explanation. The submarine had failed. It was going to explode, or implode, something. They were going to sink to the bottom, and die. Who knows how far under the sea. She felt her breathing quicken as her hooves gripped the seat.

“Relax,” Octavia said firmly, before reaching out and gripping the unicorn's chin and forcing her to look in the eye. “I will find out what has us and I will get us out. I won't try. I will succeed.” There wasn't a hint of doubt in the mare's voice, as if she was stating a fact. Just like that, Vinyl felt the fear leak away as the earth pony's eyes stared intently into her own.

“I-I know. I'm not scared.”

“Good.” Octavia went back to the console. Suddenly one of the speakers came along and a loud hiss filled the air. A moment later a voice came through.

“Well well well, looks like we caught quite the little fishy, didn't we?”

The world outside distorted for a moment, though it was near impossible to see with the water. Then, a massive black hole, somehow managing to stand in stark contrast to the dark blue that surrounded it, appeared in front of them. From the hole sprouted eight black tentacles, two of which were wrapped around the ship. It began pulling them in, deeper into the hole as lights began to appear across the darkness.

“Hope you don't mind us putting a little end to your pleasure cruise. Be prepared to surrender, or ready to swim.” The voice crackled off.

Octavia growled. “Vinyl. No matter what happens, I need you to trust me and follow my directions, okay?”

She nodded quickly, though she stared as they were slowly absorbed. Just what had they gotten themselves into?

Author's Note:

Here we go, another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed. I'd like to ask my readers something. How do you feel about my Vinyl/Octavia? Namely, I don't feel I do them very well, but I'd love to hear all of your feedback.

Comments

[Lord Ivel]

'Looks at the author's note and the date the chapter was published then looks at all the comments, lols'

Personally I think you've done great so far. Now, no more interruptions, I have another five chappys to read.