Secret Agent: 0CT

by Jeweled Pen

End of the Mission

Vinyl groaned as the world began to, painfully, come back into focus. She stared at herself across the room. For a moment she locked up and was about to call the mare out on the disguise... until she realized she was staring into a mirror.

A mirror that revealed herself being tied up, along with a special secret agent and two others across the floor from her. “Octy! Mom! Dad!” Her parents were tied, back to back. Her father was a white coated stallion with a light blue mane, far better tamed than hers. Her mother was white coated as well, but with a pink mane. Had she the time, and not being held prisoner and likely about to die, she'd have leaped up and given them a massive hug. As it was, all she could do was feel relief and joy as a pressure was lifted from her heart. They were alive.

“How pleasant of you to join us, Ms. Scratch,” Octavia's voice said, though it wasn't from the one behind her. Vinyl looked up higher into the mirror and cringed. There she was. Her captor, wearing Octavia's appearance like a coat. She was sitting in a large wheeled chair and leaning back. “I was a little worried my trap might have been a bit too... rough on you.”

“What's going on?” Vinyl asked softly. She tried wiggling free of her bonds, but all she managed to do was roll onto her side. “Why are you doing this?”

“Is it not obvious?” the mare asked with a roll of her eyes. “Are you ponies really so clueless as to have not yet figured out who I am?”

“Oh, no,” Vinyl said with a shake of her head. “I know you're Dr. Athruz. I meant more the why you're after the horn.”

She froze for a moment. “W-wait, you know who I am?”

“Well, yeah, it's kind of obvious with the whole attacking us and stuff. And the disguise.”

“But... but I had a whole dramatic reveal planned. You were going to gasp and be shocked and I was going to look awesome and amazing.”

Vinyl nodded slowly. “Oh... I could pretend I didn't figure it out?”

“Vinyl!” Octavia snapped.

“What? I'm sure she's put a lot of thought into this. You know how much it sucks working on a show and then having your big number ruined? It's heart breaking.”

“She's quite right, you know,” her father said with a sigh.

“Fancy,” her mother said with a shake of her head. “We've known for quite a while who she is.”

“Of course, Fleur. But our daughter has only just met this mad woman. It's only fair she gets the whole experience like we did. Minus the torture, of course,” Fancy said with a nod.

“Well... I suppose she deserves at least that. Do carry on, miss Athruz.”

The mare nodded. “Good. Now! I'm sure you have been-- wait, what? How did you two figure it out? I told you I was his assistant!”

“It really was quite obvious, dear,” Fleur said with a sad, gentle tone. “We just didn't wanna say anything because you really were quite adorable pretending to be your own assistant. The cackling laughter gave it away.”

“But... but I had both Dr. Caballeron and Dr. Alicity fooled!”

“Well, of course,” Fancy said with a shake of his head. “But Caballeron would believe a bunny was a dragon if you paid him enough. And Alicity would believe a bunny was a dragon so long as he was kept busy on one of his little devices. They're hardly Sheerlocke Holmes.”

“I... see...” the mare said as she leaned back. She then glared at Octavia. “Did you at least not figure it out?”

“Not really until a few minutes ago. The disguising yourself as me thing kind of made a lot of things more obvious...” her voice got low and dangerous. “Far, far more obvious.”

“I didn't think that disguise would still work on you, but I thought it was worth a shot. Now, as I was saying. You thought I was the assist... no, you know what? Never mind,” Athruz shook her head. “There's really no point to it, the moment is ruined. My dramatic reveal is just not happening. I had it all planned out and everything...”

“Oh, but I have no idea who you could be, truly you're just one of the foot soldiers of Athruz!” Vinyl said encouragingly.

“No, no. I appreciate the effort, but no.” She then glanced down before smiling. “Now! As I was saying before. Now that you all know who I am and there is no point in spelling it out, I want that horn. The power in it can be quite... useful.”

“You'll never get away with this, Dr. Athruz!” Octavia yelled as she started wiggling about in her ropes.

“Oh, but indeed I will.” She jumped from the chair and trotted towards Vinyl. “You see, because you brought me the perfect little gopher to grab it for me.”

“What? Why me?” Vinyl asked nervously as she stared up at the mare. “You're a unicorn, why can't you grab it?”

“Because, little mare... I'm not of royal blood.”

“What?!” Octavia hissed.

“Oh yes,” Athruz said with a chuckle. “Did you think it was just coincidence there are so many white-coated nobles with bright manes? Your little princess has quite a few descendants throughout that city.”

Vinyl gulped. “H-hey. That's really old news. If I'm related, it's only by like... fifty or sixty generations ago. That can't really matter, can it?”

“You have the blood of an alicorn in you, no matter how weak it is,” the mare said with a smile. “It doesn't matter. I don't need you to activate the horn. I just need you to get past the defenses and grab it for me.”

Vinyl gulped and shook her head. “O-oh yeah? Why not have my parents do it?”

“Because I can't trust them to not let the other die to keep the horn from my hooves,” the mare said with a roll of her eyes. “Agents are always so... troublesome like that.” She then grinned again. “But... I imagine you'll be a lot easier to control. Get me the horn, or your parents and marefriend die.”

“Wait, marefriend?” Fancy said suddenly. “You never told me you had a marefriend. Vinyl, when did this happen?”

“She means Octavia,” Vinyl said with a nervous chuckle.

“When did you two hook up? Ohhh, I see how it is,” he said with a soft sigh. “The thrill of adventure, the chases through the street...”

“Having to try and assassinate each other,” Fleur added.

“Oh, can't forget that. No, I understand. Romance is bound to brew. But Octavia, I thought you were trying to--”

“Your daughter and I are NOT an item!” Octavia hissed, glowering at all four of them, despite them being on either side of her. “We are merely working together to save the world. That does not mean we're dating.”

“We did kiss though,” Vinyl added. “Twice.”

“Oh dear,” Fleur said with a soft chuckle. “How was it?”

“I think I'll have to try some of these make out lessons she mentioned. They were--”

“STOP IGNORING ME!” Athruz roared, hopping up and down. “You! Vinyl! Do you want your friend and family to die?!”

“No...”

“Then you will get me the horn!”

“Don't do it!” Fancy yelled. “If this mad mare gets her hooves on it, there's no telling what she'll do! She could become unstoppable.”

“She'd probably kill us anyway,” Octavia added.

“That too. You can't trust her!”

“I really should gag you ponies next time,” Athruz grumbled. She then moved to the chair and, after a few seconds, it began beeping. She pulled back and the cushions had rolled down to turn the chair into a small, rather cushiony box. Complete with timer. “Now, I'm going to give you one chance, and one chance only. Grab me the horn, or this bomb will go off, killing everypony here.”

Vinyl gulped and stared at the mare. Suddenly she seemed far more threatening than she had a few minutes ago. “So... all I have to do is grab the horn and bring it here? That's it?”

The mare nodded. “That's it. Once I have it, I don't care what happens to them. I'll leave, you'll leave, everypony will live happily ever after. No bomb. A happy ending all around, no? If you don't... I leave, the bomb will stay, you'll all die.”

“Fine...” Vinyl said slowly.

“Don't!” Octavia hissed. “She'll kill us anyway! We—”

“Don't worry, I've got this under control,” the DJ said nervously. “You swear, right? Promise? Cross your heart?”

“Of course,” Athruz said. “My word is my bond.” A small, black horn formed out of the mare's forehead. A moment later a green beam of energy shot down and broke the ropes binding Vinyl.

Vinyl jumped to her hooves. “Good, now I--” She stopped at the sight of Athruz now holding a gun in her magic, aimed at her parents. “I'll go get you that horn.”

“Of course you will,” Athruz said with a smirk. “Just remember. Happy endings all around. Now go.”

Vinyl nodded slowly as she slowly walked out the door. She paused and looked around. Second floor, third hallway. Of course. She really had to start looking for things starting from the center or right side of the room. She took a deep breath and made her way towards the stairs. She paused and a grin formed on her lips. She knew how she could save them all.

She wondered how the evil doctor hadn't figured it out on her own.

------

She felt the gentle hum of magic again as she trotted into the chamber holding the horn. She let out a soft sigh as she stepped forward, feeling the magic stroke against her flesh, poking at her. Testing. She circled the podium a few times, nervously eying it. Was that really the secret? Just a little alicorn blood? There had to be thousands of ponies with such a history. Sure, the princesses didn't have much of a reputation of being... mares gone wild now, but they were old. Real old. You don't live that long without having a few thousand descendants.

Heck, there were rumors that half the unicorns in Canterlot were related to them. She took a deep breath and reached out to the horn with her hoof. “Come on... nice and easy...” She pulled back and gently rubbed her hooves together. “Nice and easy... slow...” She reached out again. “Ah, buck it.” She grabbed the horn and yanked it out of the air. There was a light sizzling, but that was it. “Huh. That was easy.” She turned and started trotting towards the stairs.

The ground began to rumble as she made it to the first step. “Oh... oh that's not a good sound.”

She galloped up the stairs, holding the horn tightly to her side as she went. She felt almost like a knight of old, carrying a great lance on her side, barely keeping it from touching the floor. Whoever designed the horn had to be compensating for something.

She made it to the first floor and the sound of flooding water drew her attention. She pushed open the front door and gasped.

Caballeron, Alicity and The Secretary were gone, but that wasn't the bad thing. The other ship was gone, but that wasn't the bad thing either. The problem was the barrier was now full of small little holes. Water was pushing in through the holes, slowly widening them as it went. Even worse, the field was wobbling under the pressure of the water, as if it was some kind of fabric. Who knew how long it would last before collapsing?

She turned and galloped up the stairs, only able to take them two at a time without risking the horn stabbing into the ground. She smiled though as she trotted down the hall. This could work. She had a plan.

Vinyl gripped the horn in her magic as she came closer to the door. She slowly slid it over her head and posed. Okay, this could work. She took a step forward, and her head refused to move. “Oy!” she hissed and glared up. The tip of the horn had stabbed into the roof, through it, like it was paper. It took her a few seconds to pull it out, it was almost as if the building didn't want to let go. Finally though, she managed to pull it free and lowered her head, keeping it just above the ground so she wouldn't have any more accidents. Okay, NOW it would work.

She took a deep breath and used her magic to swing the door open and charged in. “Ah hah! Fake Octy, it's over!”

The mare in question stepped back quickly, her eyes wide. “W-what? What are you talking about? Are you trying to impale me with that?”

“What? No!” Vinyl said as she raised her head as high as the horn would allow. “It's time I neutralize your bomb! Ah hah!” Her horn glowed and... nothing happened. “Huh?” She looked up at the massive golden horn on her head, nudging it with her hoof. “Come on. Work! Errr, hold on one second.”

Athruz sighed and shook her head. “You fool... do you really think I'd of let you grab it if I thought for one moment you could use it?”

“I... I ummm... yes?” Vinyl said with a sheepish grin, before nudging it a few times with her hoof. “Errr... isn't that why you want it? To use it?”

Athruz chuckled softly and shook her head, before leveling the gun on her. “Of course not, you silly little mare. I want to destroy it!” She fired once. The bullet clipped off the horn, ripping it off Vinyl's horn with a loud clang. It flew through the air a few feet, before impaling itself through the wall outside in the hall.

Vinyl wobbled from side to side, her ears ringing from the sound of the gun and the sharp blow to her horn. “I... I didn't... l-like that at all...”

“No, I imagine you wouldn't...” the fake Octavia said with a smile, before motioning to her parents. “I am a mare of my word, however. I'm leaving with the horn. You can leave... soon enough,” a grin formed on her lips. “Now move.”

“Wait. I want to know one thing before you go...” Vinyl said as she slowly circled around the mare, moving opposite her. “Why do you want to destroy it? You're a unicorn. If some of the legends are true, you'd lose your magic. How could you possibly want that?”

The mare snorted as she slowly circled towards the door. “Oh, you make one large flaw in your guess, Miss Scratch.” Her eyes glowed green for a moment, before her skin seemed to melt away. Within a few moments the pony was no longer a pony at all, instead she had a glistening black carapace. “I'm no unicorn, I'm a--”

“Bug pony!” Vinyl said quickly.

“I... what? N-no. A changeling. You...” she stopped for a moment. “What? You know what changelings are. You have to. I could feel you on a vessel with them. You're the reason I could even find the vessel!”

“Oh, right. The lil bug guys. What's your deal, anyway? I mean, why come after the horn at all?”

The changeling's eyes twitched. “You... you think... I'm destroying the horn to destroy the magic of your precious unicorns and alicorns. Without them to defend you, your kingdom will be ripe for the picking. Queen Chrysalis may have failed, but my hive will succeed! Without your precious magic, you'll--”

“Queen Chrysalis?” Vinyl asked before tapping her hooves a few times.

“The changeling queen in... in charge of the recent invasion on you ponies.”

“When was this? I really don't remember anything like that.”

“W-what? But... your princesses were dethroned. Your capital imprisoned.”

“Really not ringing any bells.” Vinyl tapped her hooves a few more times. “How long did it last?”

“Well, I honestly am from a different hive, but I believe it only lasted for a few hours. By then--”

“Wait, it was only an hour invasion? That's... kinda lame. I mean, as invasions go. Were there a lot of deaths?”

“I... don't think so. We try generally not to kill ponies, at least not unless we have to. The property damage I'm sure was astronomical. How can you not know all this?”

“Oh, I did. Well, I do. I've just been distracting you,” Vinyl said before ducking.

“Hu-- aghh!” Athruz fell face first as her legs were knocked from under her, Octavia's bound legs sweeping her back hooves. The gun went off, embedding another bullet in the wall behind Vinyl. The unicorn charged forward, smacking the gun out of the changeling's magic before driving her own hooves down on the changeling's head.

“Hiyah! Hah, see, you're not the only one who can fight dirty!” Vinyl said before gripping Athruz's head, slamming her into the ground and sending her skidding against the floor. She dashed to Octavia's side, tugging and yanking on the ropes with her magic. They resisted the effect, making her sigh and do it by hoof. “Seems she used different ropes for you. How you holding up?”

“A bit rope burned, but okay,” Octavia said before getting to her hooves. “Get your parents, I'll deal with Athruz.”

Vinyl nodded, only giving the earth pony a sparring glance before galloping to her parent's sides. She tried her horn again, but it didn't work, so she went back to doing it by hoof. Within a few moments they were all unbound and free. “Okay, we need to go. The place is going to--” A loud crash cut her off and the ground rumbled. “Correction, is collapsing. Let's go!”

“The horn!” Octavia hissed, motioning towards it. Athruz was tied up in... a rather painful looking position, and on the earth pony's back. “Get it, then we can go.”

Vinyl sighed but nodded. Her parents moved to grab it, trying to pull it from the stone in their magic. It refused to budge. “It's not coming out,” Fancy said.

“Here, let's try it together,” Vinyl said. The three combined their power, tugging on the horn. They pulled with all their might, sweat sliding down their foreheads, but it still refused to move. “It's... like the castle itself is trying to reabsorb it. Octy, it's not coming out.”

The earth pony growled, before glancing down the halls. “Leave it. There's no telling how long we have.” She took a deep breath. “If we die here, the location dies with us. They can send some other ponies to get it.” She galloped down the hall, the changeling making whines with every powerful step.

“You heard the lady,” Fancy said, before giving a gentle motion with his hoof. His wife and child nodded, taking off after her.

The first floor of the building was slowly filling with water, making them splash as they ran. Outside the building was far, far worse. Octavia stopped at the door and gulped.

“Oh no...” Vinyl whispered. The water was already deep enough they'd have to swim.

“Alicity and the others... I... I left them out here,” Octavia said softly, her eyes wide.

“Huh? Oh, no. They already got out. Ran off with the sub and everything. See?” Vinyl motioned towards their own submarine. “Ours is the only one there.”

The earth pony froze for a few moments, her eyes twitching. She then grabbed the unicorn by the withers and shook her violently. “YOU LET THEM ESCAPE?! I GAVE YOU ONE JOB!”

“Not to ruin this adorable little quarrel, but I believe we have more important issues to attend to,” Fleur said before motioning towards the submarine. “We need to swim.”

Vinyl nodded, before glancing towards Octavia. “I'll take the changeling.”

“What? Not a chance.” Octavia said quickly. “You're still a civilian, if anypony can--”

“Unicorn. I can haul her behind with my magic.” She motioned towards her parents. “All of us, actually. Between all of us, I think we should be fine. Their agents, too.”

The earth pony nodded. “Oh. I suppose that is... adequate.” She reared up, sending the changeling crashing into the ground.

“Ow! You did that on purpose!”

“Yes. Yes I did.” Octavia jumped into the water, cutting through the water as she struggled to keep her head above.

Vinyl nodded, then glanced to her parents. “You know, you really should have told me about all this ages ago. We're having a loooong talk when we get home. Being a secret agent rocks! Aside from the nearly dying part.”

Fancy nodded. “Indeed. We didn't want you to feel obligated to join us. Now, shall we?”

Vinyl nodded, before her horn began to glow. The changeling was enveloped in three different sets of magical auras and tossed, unceremoniously, into the water. She bobbed a few times, before finally stabilizing with her withers mostly out of the water. She hacked and coughed. “You did that on purpose!”

“No. No we did not,” Vinyl said smoothly. “But I kinda wish we had.” She then dove into the water and swam.

It was madness. The icy water pushed in on her from all sides as she tried to head forward. She couldn't hear anything but the sound of rushing water and all around her more of it continued to create little streams and currents, making it near impossible to swim, keep her head above water and focus on keeping the changeling floating as well. Even worse, when she was above water she could see the bubble protecting them from the ocean.

The holes were getting bigger and some of the areas were pushed in so far they were close to touching the castle itself. The entire thing could burst at any moment, popping like a balloon. They had to move fast. She let out a startled yelp as her hooves were suddenly pulled out from under her and she was dragged under, pulled by the current. She barely managed to right herself and come up for air, hacking and coughing.

With great effort they finally made it to the submarine. She was the last one in, the changeling being dropped on the roof, and her parents pulled her up with a few grunts. The three then collapsed on the top of the vehicle. “G-gotta keep moving...” Vinyl grumbled as she looked to the hatch. It was closed. She felt a chill. “Octavia, I didn't see her come on, whe--”

“Inside, she closed it behind her. Keep most the water out,” Fleur said breathlessly, before hauling herself up and pulling the hatch up. “C-come on, let's go.”

The changeling was unceremoniously dropped inside with a yelp and the others more fell than climbed in after her. But, soon enough, they were all inside and the hatch closed behind them.

“Strap in,” Octavia ordered from the front of the submarine. “Tie the changeling to something.”

“W-why?” Vinyl asked as she got to her hooves. She was cold, tired, bruised and wet. She didn't want to have to do that ever again, especially not while dealing with the little changeling brat.

“This bubble looks ready to pop. When it does, we'll be going with it,” Octavia hissed as she pulled on knobs and dials. “I'm doing the best I can to dig us into the ground, but this ship isn't built for digging. It's barely meant for land movement at all. The current will toss us around like a leaf.”

Vinyl nodded and started strapping the changeling down. She did her best to keep the creature from being jostled around too heavily when they moved. It required her to stuff the creature into an over head compartment, but her father was happy to help.

They then quickly took their seats, Vinyl noted with a bit of annoyance her father took the passenger one, besides Octavia. But now wasn't the time to get miffed about who sat where, so she quickly took her seat and strapped in.

“Okay, everypony ready? Here we go!” Octavia yelled before hitting a few buttons. Nothing happened.

“Ummmm... so... what now?” Vinyl asked softly. “I kind of expected something to happen...”

“We wait,” Octavia muttered. “The shield will break soon enough. Then we'll have all the time in the world to regret the decisions that brought us to this point.”

“Wait? Regret? Why would we--”

The shield chose that moment to finally collapse. The submarine rocketed forward like a missile, spinning around erratically as it was sent towards the castle. It stopped just short of slamming into it, a glowing blue aura around the vehicle stopping it. The stop only lasted for a moment before the water pushing on them pushed harder and the ship sailed out, through the walls and into the castle.

From there, Vinyl had no idea what was happening. They spun, rocked, bounced, flew, glided and sailed through the water, taking out walls and floors as they went, the water and rocks beating on their shields from every angle as they were shaken erratically in their seats. The unicorn held onto her seat as her bindings threatened to give out.

Then, just as fast as it started, it was done. The submarine dangled upside down, they groaned in their seats and, fortunately, managed not to throw up. The submarine slowly rotated itself back to the right position, allowing them a few minutes to catch their breath.

“So... we all still alive?” Vinyl asked slowly. She received quiet agreements from the others, as well as a pained moan from the back. “Good... Octy, how are we doing?”

“Not quite sure yet,” the mare said softly as she looked out the window. All that remained was darkness. “Lights are covered. We're buried.”

“How deep?” Fancy asked.

“A few inches, a few tons? I have no idea,” Octavia muttered. “The shields are holding but they won't last forever.”

Vinyl nodded. “Wonderful... what do we have?”

Octavia gulped and slowly tapped on the screen. She let out a soft sigh. “No torpedos. All we have left is the sun beam.”

“Sun beam?” Fleur asked, her eyes widening. “They finished it? It works?” Pause. “It's on this submarine?”

“Yes, yes, yes and yes,” Octavia said as she tapped. It took a few seconds but she gently reached her hoof over the yellow button. “This could be dangerous.”

“Trapped in a confined spot and using a beam with the power of the sun? How could that be dangerous?” Vinyl said, her voice leaking with sarcasm.

“We should be safe from that. But we'll only be able to move at a fraction of our normal power. Anything else we run into... well...” She glanced down at the console. “Well... there is still one other thing I could do if we have to. But it would fry half our systems. We'd be dead in the water.”

“Do we have a choice?” Fancy asked as he eyed the button.

“Not particularly, no,” Octavia grumbled before she pushed the button. Vinyl managed to cover her eyes before it blinded her this time, but even behind her hooves and eyelids she could still see the bright yellow light. After a few seconds the glow was gone and she removed them.

The way was clear. Sorta. The water was boiling and the rocks by them were red hot. The ship began to ease forward. Then a loud, sickening gravely sound echoed through the air. “What... was that?” Fleur asked nervously.

“The shields are still up. That didn't come from... oh.” Octavia stared out view screen. The water was still illuminated by the glowing fish which were, hastily, making their way out the only exit. Unfortunately, they were also illuminating the very long, and lengthening, crack in the side of the wall. Said wall began to rumble and shake as rocks began raining down from above. “It appears the cavern is beginning to cave in.”

Fancy nodded as their ship slowly inched its way forward. “Will we be able to make it out in time?”

“At this speed, no.”

Fleur coughed a little nervously. “And you mentioned one way we could?”

“Well, if I over drained the power cells. They wouldn't survive it for long, but it should buy us enough time to get out of here,” Octavia said as she stared at it. “We'll lose our shielding though.”

Vinyl nodded. “So... why aren't you then?”

“Because G will kill me if I break this vessel on my very first mission.”

Vinyl and her parents gave each other a small look. They then turned to the earth pony and yelled in unison. “DO IT!”

Octavia cringed, before slowly nodding. “Very well. If you insist... if he gets mad, I'm blaming you three.” She then pushed some more buttons. A red light came on and the screens all went blank. After a moment even the red light went off, the only light now coming from outside the ship. “Here we go.”

The ship took off, hurtling through the water and barely avoiding a boulder three times its size. Octavia tapped on the controls and used a small lever, navigating the ship around the dangerous rocks and then barreling into the small opening. Though the lights on the front of the ship only gave paltry visibility, the glowing fish navigated their way.

Midway through, the red light started going off again. Octavia ignored it, sweat beading on her forehead as the vessel navigated through the tight opening. Rocks fell down around them, bumping against the vessel's hull while the caverns collapsed around them. The others couldn't even breath, just waiting and watching the mare as the vessel went.

Then, just like that, they were out. The walls disappeared around them and the open waters greeted them on all sides. The three unicorns let out a soft, relaxed breath.

Then the lights went off and the ship died. They continued flying forward for a few feet, before their momentum finally gave out and they began to slowly sink.

Vinyl took a deep breath. “So... what now?” She said into the darkness.

“Now? G kills me,” Octavia mumbled before there was the sound of glass breaking, followed by a sudden snapping sound.

“What was that?” Vinyl asked, trying to keep all the panic out of her voice. The darkness somehow began to feel a whole lot... darker. She struggled to hear the source of the glass, but there was no rushing water.

“Emergency flotation. We'll float up to the surface. I don't know how long it'll take... but hopefully we can get some help there.” Octavia went silent for a moment. “Or we'll float, lost at sea, until we eventually die of starvation and thirst.”

“You're as optimistic as ever,” Fancy said with a chuckle. “We've survived though, that's the most important part. And the horn is...”

“Buried under millions of tons of rocks and water?” Vinyl offered.

“Yes, quite,” Fancy said with a hum. “I'm sure it'll be fine until we can find a way to retrieve it...”

Octavia let out a soft sigh and the ponies just sat there in silence, watching and waiting for the surface to appear. Finally, the earth mare spoke up. “I suppose they'll invent some new digging machine. Maybe they could get the sea ponies to help. Surely they'd have something of use.”

The DJ snickered. “Maybe we can get another alibot to dig it out. That's the third, right? A fourth would have to be an underwater model. AND have a drill.” She burst into laughter when she saw Octavia shake her head. Then she paused. “Hey, I can see you! It's getting brighter! We are going up!”

“Of course we are. We're... we're... oh buck,” Octavia said as she leaned forward to stare out the view panel. Vinyl saw it a moment later.

The all too familiar submarine that they had fought before. The one they had wasted all their missiles on. The one that had been besides theirs but mysteriously disappeared once the doctors and The Secretary escaped. It was surfaced, gently bobbing in the water, as if it was waiting for them. Octavia let out a curse. “What weapons do we have?”

“Do you still have your gun?” Vinyl asked nervously.

“Not as such, no.”

“Well, the submarine has to have them, right? I mean, in a lock box or something?”

“Yes... but they're locked in an electric safe. For safety reasons. Without power...” Octavia trailed off.

“Who's bright idea was it to lock the weapons in a safe like that?” Vinyl asked with a groan.

“G,” the other three ponies said in unison.

“It's in case the ship is disabled by some kind of evil device that saps the power and gets boarded,” Fleur added. “It's assumed, in such a situation, that the ponies will be heavily out numbered and have to sneak around. Leaving safes that can't be opened leaves an agent plenty of time to sneak up on said guard, knock them out, steal their uniform and then shove them into a compartment. That, and many of the weapons we use are often times... experimental.”

An angry shout came from one of the overhead compartments.

“Of course,” Vinyl muttered, eying the ship. “So... it's probably out of missiles though, right? It launched half its mass at us earlier.”

“Yeah. It should be as unarmed as us.”

“Except it works. And likely had accessible weapons,” Vinyl said softly. She didn't receive a response. Slowly the submarine popped out onto the surface, bobbing up and down a few times before stabilizing. Vinyl took a deep breath. “So... what now?”

“Now? We wait,” Octavia muttered. They didn't have to wait long. There was soon knocking on the hatch.

“Come out!” Caballeron's voice pierced through the hull. “If you could move, you'd be firing at us already. So either move your flanks out here, or we'll pop these balloons of yours and send you down to a watery grave!”

Vinyl gulped. “Can... they do that?”

Octavia slowly nodded. “Indeed. The... safety balloons are magically enchanted and stored. But, once they're active, the magic dissipates. They're just supposed to get us to the surface. Popping them would be possible. With a harpoon, at least. A knife would take too long.”

“You think they have a harpoon?” Vinyl asked, her eyes widening slightly.

“We're talking about deranged evil megalomaniacs,” Fleur said with a roll of her eyes. “They probably have a different harpoon for each day of the week. But, if that's all they have, we'll be fine. It's guns that we have to worry about.”

Vinyl nodded. “Mom, dad. Wait here. They don't know we've got you, so--”

“They knew we were prisoners there,” Fleur said slowly. “They'll know you wouldn't leave us there.”

“They don't know we found you, though,” Vinyl said quickly. “Just... wait here. Octavia, me and you. Let's do this.”

The earth pony slowly nodded. “Indeed. Her plan has merits. Hide. We'll see what we can do. If there's nothing... perhaps the element of surprise will help us.”

Her parent's faces turned grim, but they slowly nodded. Vinyl and Octavia shared a somber look, before nodding. “This has been a great adventure, agent 0CT. Happy you could do it with me.”

Octavia nodded and slowly smiled. “Indeed. It has been... quite a little trip.” She looked up the ladder and went up first, shoving the hatch open.

Vinyl followed behind her and gulped. It was the worst of both worlds. Caballeron had a harpoon gun. Aimed at them. “So, you and Dr. Alicity work out your differences?” the unicorn asked as she slowly looked towards the other submarine. Her eyes widened slightly as the corners of her mouth threatened to turn up.

“No. He's still a simple minded fool,” the earth pony snapped. “But we've come to an agreement, for now. Never thought we'd see your ship bubbling up to the surface like that,” he motioned over the side. Two yellow balloons had inflated around the rim. “What happened? Where's Dr. Athruz?”

“Inside, tied up and in the overhead compartment,” Vinyl said with a smile. “Do you wanna go check?”

“Not particularly.” He turned the gun towards the balloon, making Vinyl jump.

“Wait! What are you doing? Stop!”

“And give up such a valuable opportunity to eliminate both the great agent 0CT and that other fool? I think not. The only ones who'll know where that blasted castle is, is me and Alicity. I can remove him next, easily enough.” He slowly backed away, not moving the gun.

“W-wait, there's no need for this. What'll Alicity say if he finds out you blew up the ship like that? He's in the sub, right?” Vinyl said quickly. “He might not let you in.”

“I'm merely doing what has to be done. I--”

“I'll pay you!” Vinyl suddenly said, stomping a hoof down.

That made the earth pony freeze as greed passed through his eyes and he moved his mouth a few times, as if counting. He then shook his head. A grin formed on his lips. “Nah, I can make more than you could ever hope to pay me. That castle is a treasure trove.”

Vinyl sighed, and then took a deep breath. She considered telling him it collapsed, but she doubted he'd believe her. A new idea formed in her lips, making her smile. “Okay, how about this. If you shoot that gun, Octavia is bound to try to run into the submarine to save Athruz. She'll probably succeed. But you'll be risking my life and hers. That'll make me angry. You'll be unarmed. I, on the other hoof, will have a fresh new harpoon that I'll yank out of the floatations, the easier to ram up your--”

The stallion's face paled and the harpoon gun suddenly changed directions towards her as he kept backing up.

“Not to mention that wasn't part of the agreement,” The Secretary said from behind Caballeron, making him flinch. She stood by the hatch of the other submarine. “Agent 0CT, Vinyl. You two are welcome to surrender. You'll be our prisoners, but your alternatives are not quite looking as... comfortable as you may like. I'd suggest taking what's offered.”

Caballeron cringed. “They have Dr. Athruz in there! If we sink the vessel, think of what we could do. Without him around, we--”

“Betray him like you tried to us? I think not,” the mare said with a sigh. “Agent 0CT. Our offer stands. Surrender or sink. How long do you think you can stay afloat without your vessel? If it's sinking doesn't take you with it.”

Octavia opened her mouth to say something, but then shook her head. “No. You definitely have us. We surrender. We throw ourselves upon your mercy.”

The mare looked quite shocked for a moment. “Wait, really?”

“Yes. Completely surrender. We've lost, you've won.”

“Well... I... indeed. Caballeron, go and gather Dr. Athruz.” She motioned him forward.

The doctor stared back, barely able to hold the gun. “But--”

“You have a harpoon gun. I still have my hoof gun. Do it.”

The stallion growled, but slowly stepped forward. He kept the gun trained on Vinyl, but she merely moved aside as he made his way to the hatch. He slid down quickly, and she pretended not to hear any loud clunks a moment later. “So, you have a hoof gun?” she asked sweetly.

“Indeed...” The Secretary said slowly. “Why?”

“Just wondering. Hey. Octy, those balloons. How many shots from a hoof gun would it take to break them?”

“Well, it really depended on the model,” the earth pony said slowly. “But most hoof guns wouldn't be able to deal a sizable amount of damage. A harpoon is more a danger because it's large and all those jagged edges could puncture and tear through multiple pockets. A bullet, well...”

Vinyl nodded. “So... still, sink, but slower?”

The Secretary looked amused. “And what, pray tell, does any of this have to do with anything?”

The DJ grinned. “Welp. I'm offering you and Dr. Alicity the opportunity to surrender!”

The mare stared for a moment, before letting out a small chuckle. “Really? Why ever would I do that?”

“Because of the griffon scouts that have been flying towards us for the last few minutes and are finally within range with their own guns,” Vinyl said before giving a wave. “Not to mention the ship that's likely behind them on its way.”

The Secretary froze for a moment, before slowly looking up. She then yelped and jumped into the hatch. A moment later the submarine disappeared under the waters. Octavia face hoofed. “Why did you tell her?”

“Hey, she offered to let us surrender. I figured it was the only right thing to do...”

“Don't know how we're going to explain this to their guard...”

“Easy. We captured pirates!”

------

Octavia took a slow sip of her coffee as she kept her eyes closed. She was in a small, ventilated office back at headquarters, letting the thoughts of her previous mission roll over her like a small tidal wave. They'd won. The horn was... not in their hooves, but not in any villains hooves either. All thing considered, that was as good as they could hope for some days.

Unfortunately, there were far too many loose ends for her preference. The changeling had been captured, but it was quite likely there was an entire hive of her sort. There could be hundreds, even thousands of Dr. Athruz's out there. Just waiting for the right time to strike. Dr. Alicity had escaped as well, though he was a less worrisome threat. If he managed to find a way to get the horn, they could likely slip under his nose and use the very method to steal it.

Then there was the international incident with the griffons. Vinyl's... reputation had managed to alleviate suspicion for just long enough for them to throw a minor concert and then escape back home in the confusion(the DJ even got a new pair of glasses out of it). However, the submarine had ended up in the griffon's claws and it was only a matter of time before somepony figured out this 'civilian pleasure voyage' was something far more important. Still, it became the princess' problem then, not hers. They still had to find a way to retrieve the horn, without the griffon's knowing. Now that would be another headache she was happy wasn't hers.

There was one final thing she found her mind trailing back to. Vinyl herself. The mare's parents were saved(which was signaled by a very long hugging session the moment they were out of griffon lands), not to mention outed as secret agents, and the horn was taken care of for now. Her job was done. She'd finally return to her old life.

A small part of the earth pony would miss her. Sure, she was... insane. Wild. Probably a bit dangerous. Definitely exciting. But Octavia liked all those things. Sadly, she imagined both the mare, and her parents, would take this time to begin a well deserved retirement. She let out a soft sigh.

The door to the office opened, making her glance up. A light blush filtered into her cheeks when she saw the mare stepping in. “Agent 0CT! Your report, it has been read!” Photo said as she tossed the folder onto the desk. “A decision has been made!”

“Decision?” Octavia asked softly, staring up at the mare with wide eyes.

“Yes! The hive of Dr. Athruz could still be out there! The destruction! The chaos! We cannot have it!” She waved her hoof wildly as she spoke, before slamming it down. “It must be found! You must find it!”

The earth pony nodded. “I... I see. I will get on it immediately.” She started to get up, but the eccentric mare shook her head.

“No! Not you! No help, no back up, no good!” She then motioned behind her. “A team. Yes! I love it! Say hello to your new partner.”

Octavia's mouth fell open and she stood up so fast she knocked her coffee over. “WHAT?!”

Vinyl stood in the doorway, smirking through a pair of red glasses. “Say hello to special agent V1N. I just know we'll have the, ahem, 'majiks'.”

The earth pony collapsed into her chair and rested her face on her hooves. “I need a drink...” Though, a small hint of a smile was hidden behind those very hooves.

Comments

[eric-emanwu]

Well, you know that this means that you might have to write a sequel now. Though to be fair, it could work as a indefinite ending too, and not need a continuation. All depends on your tastes. Still, this was kind of a fun ending, particularly with that changeling twist to tie it all together again. Now all we need is for V1n and 0ct to become a spy couple in the future, and all the threads will finally be played out. Well, till later.

[Jeweled Pen]

4941727 Hope he was all you hoped. ^^
5221679 That is an adorable image... Pinkie best eater of popcorn.
5242972 For now, I'm not planning a sequel, but who knows? If people like it I'll at least try. I try to keep my fans happy. ^^ I probably fail more than I'd like, but I try by jove. >.>

[Adixon524]

i certinatly would not mind a sequel why baecause of the re the jokes all to be of them need more orginal im sorry not simply read and heard a thosand times youve got to show you can stand on your own two legs to keep my vote for a sequal