Demons Are Forever

by Metool Bard

Prologue: Shadows of the Past

"Brr~! I-it's too c-c-c-c-cold! C-can't we just go back? Queen C-C-Chrysalis d-doesn't need t-t-to know."

Hook let out an angry snort, its breath manifesting itself as a foggy vapor that mingled with the fine snowfall. It shot a glare at its fellow changelings, Line and Sinker. Both of them appeared to be shivering, though whether it was due to the cold or fear was open to interpretation.

"We have our orders," Hook snapped as it continued marching forward. "Queen Chrysalis told us to scout out these mountains, and that's exactly what we're doing."

"Yeah, refresh my memory. Why is Queen Chrysalis interested in this place, exactly?" asked Sinker.

Hook let out an exasperated groan. "Weren't you paying attention? She believes there is some powerful magic here, and we have to find it!"

"W-wait. How d-d-does she know that?" stammered Line, still shivering. "All we managed to gather from our s-s-spies is that these mountains are apparently haunted."

Hook scoffed. "Don't tell me you actually believe those silly ghost stories."

"W-well, maybe," said Line sheepishly. "You n-never know."

"Actually, you know what I think?" Sinker chimed in.

"No. And I don't care, either," said Hook bluntly. "It's not our place to question the Queen. Now let's keep moving. We need to wrap this up before the weather gets too rough."

Line and Sinker sighed and complied. The three of them trudged through the mountains in silence for a time, the harsh winds chilling their exoskeletons. Finally, they stumbled upon a cavern embedded into the mountainside. Hook smirked.

"Well well. Looks like the weather won't interfere in our search after all," it mused, illuminating its horn. "I'll take the lead. Sinker, you bring up the rear."

Line swallowed. "A-are you sure this is wise, Hook?"

"You're welcome to stay out here if you want, Line," said Sinker with a shrug. "Personally, I feel this cavern is worth exploring."

Hook snickered. "Glad to see you're not as stupid as you look, Sinker. As for you, Line, stop being such a coward. I don't care what those superstitious ponies say; these mountains are not haunted. They just have some magic within them that could be a great boon to the hive."

"H-how do you know that?" inquired Line. "Y-you can't say for certain."

"Line, this might be our big chance to recover from our previous failures," said Sinker. "Why else would the Queen send us here?"

"Exactly," Hook concurred. "Now come. This snow isn't getting any better."

Sinker chuckled. "What was that about not caring what I had to say?"

"Don't push your luck, Sinker," Hook growled as it ventured into the cave. "There's no chance that this has anything to do with—"

It stopped mid-sentance as the glow from its horn caught a familiar shadow against the far wall. It appeared to be another changeling skulking through the catacombs. Hook's eyes narrowed.

"Line, Sinker. Stay close to me," it ordered.

"B-but—"

"Just do what Hook says, Line," sighed Sinker. "There's no use arguing."

Line let out a sigh of its own and reluctantly followed its comrades into the cave. Hook cleared its throat.

"You there!" it called out to the unknown changeling. "We were sent by Queen Chrysalis! What do you have to report?"

The stranger didn't answer. Instead, it disappeared deeper into the cave.

"I have a bad feeling about this," whimpered Line.

"No one cares, Line," Hook snarled. "After that drone!"

The three changelings hovered off of the ground and followed the stranger. As they traveled through the maze-like corridors, Line became more and more apprehensive. Torches began to line the walls, as well as hieroglyphs depicting fearsome beasts of all shapes and sizes. However, Hook and Sinker didn't seem to care. They were too focused on the chase.

They finally managed to track the strange drone down to a cavern illuminated by a single candle. There, another figure sat at the far end of the room, reading some book. The drone whispered into the figure's ear. Before Hook could make out the figure's shape or demand an explanation, there was a sudden thump. The figure snapped its book closed, blowing out the candle and encompassing the room in darkness. Hook growled.

"Alright, wise guys! What's going on here?" it barked.

There was a pregnant pause as Hook stood its ground and leered into the darkness. After a few seconds, a raspy voice echoed from the chamber.

"Ah. It appears we have some new guests," said the voice. "Gentlemen, what do you make of this?"

Hook leaned in with interest, expecting another voice to chime in. However, no such voice made itself known. Instead, the raspy voice spoke again.

"President Ose! There's no need to be so rude," the voice scolded. "I would expect better conduct from someone of your stature."

"Who is he talking to?" Sinker pondered aloud.

"Does it matter? He should be talking to us," Hook seethed. "Hey, buddy! What are you doing with one of the Queen's subjects, huh?!"

"Now that is a fair point, Duke Dantalion," mused the voice, as if it didn't hear Hook's question. "We could always strengthen our numbers. Hmm, what's that? Yes, I know you object, Prince Orobas, but I wasn't planning on using magic to convince them."

"Th-this guy is crazy," Line squeaked. "We should get out of here."

"Belay that, Line! We're not leaving until we figure out what's going on around here!" boomed Hook. "Listen up, whoever you are! In the name of Queen Chrysalis, we demand that you show and explain yourself!"

"I do not answer to your queen," said the voice. "In fact, my compatriots take great umbrage at the suggestion. Yes, Marquis Andras, I was just informing them. There's no need to be so impatient."

Hook's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me come in there and drag you out."

The voice seemed to sigh. "Oh, I wish you hadn't said that. Y-yes, Duke Astaroth. I heard the fellow quite clearly. There's no need to— Duke Buné! That insult was uncalled for! Apologize to King Beleth immediately! I will not tolerate logical fallacies within this council! I understand, King Baal, but should we really—? No, you do have a point, Marquis Forneus. However, the others should— Gentlemen, please..."

The mysterious entity continued to argue with itself for some time as the three changelings simply watched in confusion. After a few seconds of this, Hook snorted.

"I've had just about enough of this crap," it snarled, stepping forward.

"Hook, don't!" pleaded Line. "We don't know what's in there!"

"I don't care; this lunatic is getting on my nerves!" Hook boomed. "Line, Sinker! Attack formation! We're going i—"

"That's ENOUGH!"

A sudden bellow from the shadows interrupted Hook's command, along with a powerful stomp that sent tiny pebbles flying.

"It appears we cannot come to a consensus," said the voice angrily. "Thus, we shall put this to a vote. All in favor of killing these three trespassers, say aye."

There was silence.

"All opposed?"

"N-nay," Line whimpered, prompting an elbow jab from Sinker.

"Quit being such a hatchling, Line," Sinker scolded. "It's probably just some delusional madpony. What could it do to hurt—?"

"Motion passes. The ayes have it. Count Furfur, if you would be so kind as to do the honors."

A sudden flash flickered from within the cavern. When the flash died down, a pair of glowing eyes stared at the changelings. Line gulped.

"I think this would be a good time to run," it suggested.

"Then go, you coward! The Queen has no use for you!" Hook spat. "Sinker and I, meanwhile, will take this bastard down and claim the magic for the glory of the—"

It got no further. An abrupt explosion erupted from the shadows, immolating its body in an instant. Hook screamed in agony and flew around in circles, flailing its legs every which way. Line took off at full gallop with Sinker trailing behind as the mysterious figure emerged from its cavern. Out of the corner of its eye, Line saw an immense sea of green flames chasing them, its form fluid like a cloud of smog. Sinker turned around to face the eldritch entity, magic pulsing through its horn.

"Sinker, you fool!" Line shouted. "What're you doing?!"

There was a sickening crunch followed by a death rattle as the entity cut Sinker down with little effort. Sweat began pouring down Line's face as it accelerated. Just as it saw the moon's light flashing at the end of the tunnel, a great wall of ice blocked it off. Line skidded to a halt, cowering in fear as the entity towered over it.

"P-please! Mercy!" Line begged. "Leave me alone! I-I didn't even want to come here anyway!"

There was a pause as Line hid its face and shuddered, waiting for its demise. However, it instead heard a kind voice.

"Raise your head, changeling."

Line obeyed. Standing before it was not the formless monster, but instead a red equine-esque creature with a wild black mane. It stood on two legs instead of four, and its front legs were hands instead of hooves. It reached out one of these hands to Line.

"Do not be afraid," said the creature. "I am Prince Orobas, and I have heard your plea. The council has seen your wisdom, and we have had a change of heart."

Line's eyes glistened. "You have?"

"Indeed," said Orobas. "In fact, walk with me a bit. I want to tell you what we're doing here. I'm sure you'll find more satisfaction serving our cause than your Queen."

"Oh, I don't know," said Line nervously. "I-I'm not supposed to question the Queen."

"Not to worry," said Orobas, a sinister gleam in his eye. "You'll find that my colleagues and I can be quite, persuasive. Just hear us out and make your own decision. That's all I ask."

Line shrugged and followed Orobas's suggestion. As the two walked deeper into the cave network, the flames that engulfed Hook's body were extinguished.

***

Lyra Heartstrings was awoken by a grumbling in her tummy. Groggily, she flipped over and checked her alarm clock. It showed that it was four o'clock in the morning.

"Not exactly midnight, but close enough," she murmured, letting out a yawn. "I'd better be careful, though. Bon-Bon's still—"

She trailed off when she realized that Bon-Bon was not sleeping beside her. Her half-asleep brain struggled to process this new development.

"Bon-Bon?" she muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Curious, she put on her house slippers and shambled out of the bedroom. As soon as she did, she saw a dim light coming from the living room.

"Bons? Is that you?" Lyra mumbled, stifling another yawn. She tiptoed into the living room, where she could hear the faint crackle of embers. What she found caused her to arch an eyebrow in confusion. There sat Bon-Bon, dressed in her purple night robe and holding a piece of paper in her hoof. She was sitting in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace. Lyra tentatively shuffled over to the fireplace and sat down in the opposite chair.

"Hey, Bons," she said. "What're you doing up so late?"

Bon-Bon turned and gasped, nearly falling out of her chair. "L-Lyra! I-I'm so sorry. Did I wake you?"

"What? Nah, I just got up to get myself some munchies," said Lyra. "What's your excuse? Can't sleep?"

Bon-Bon turned back to the paper in her hoof. "Something like that."

Lyra frowned. "Hey, you okay? You sound kinda, out of it."

Bon-Bon sighed and shook her head. "I-it's nothing, Lyra."

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me," said Lyra.

Bon-Bon didn't respond. She simply continued to stare at the paper. Lyra sighed and walked over to her.

"C'mon, Bons. Don't shut me out," Lyra pleaded. "You know you can tell me anything. And I do mean anything."

Bon-Bon flinched. "Y-you just won't let that go, will you?"

"Hey, I just want you to trust me here," said Lyra earnestly. "I promise, I won't tell anypony."

Bon-Bon sighed again. "Fine. I guess it's better if you do know these things."

She held the paper out to Lyra, who took it with her magic. It appeared to be a formal document bearing Princess Celestia's seal. By the light of the fireplace, Lyra read the document to herself.

Attention All Agents!

It has come to our attention that the bugbear has escaped from Tartarus. We have reason to believe that it was freed by a rogue agent. Due to these developments, I fear that the responsibilities of Tartarus has become too great for ordinary ponies to handle. I cannot allow this sort of travesty to happen again.

As such, the Hunter's Undercover Bureau is hereby disbanded. I demand complete deniability from all agents. All traces of our activities must be concealed or else destroyed. If you need help with relocation, name registry, or any other forms of protection, my door is always open.

It was an honor serving with you, my little ponies. Know that this decision was made with your safety in mind.

~Princess Celestia

PS: Special Agent Sweetie Drops, there's no doubt in my mind that the bugbear may eventually come for you. Should this happen, you know what to do. Please, be safe.

It didn't take Lyra long to connect the dots. "You've been hanging onto this the whole time, huh?"

Bon-Bon nodded. "Pretty much. We were supposed to destroy the notifications as soon as we got them, but Princess Celestia said that I should keep mine because of the bugbear."

"Makes sense," said Lyra, looking over at the fireplace. "So, that fire over there..."

Bon-Bon nodded again. "Princess Twilight and her friends have sent the bugbear back to Tartarus where it belongs, and I doubt it'll get out again. Once I destroy this document, my life as Special Agent Sweetie Drops will officially be over."

Lyra turned to face Bon-Bon. "You sure that's what you want, Bons?"

Bon-Bon hid her eyes under her bangs as the fireplace continued to spark and crackle. "Don't get me wrong; it was an honor to serve and protect Equestria. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I had a nagging feeling that it wasn't the life for me. I-it's not just because of my Cutie Mark; I managed to tie that in with my service as an agent seamlessly. But after living so peacefully in Ponyville for all these years, I've come to realize that this is what I want."

"Hey, you'll get no complaint from me," said Lyra with a shrug. "Though I have to admit, the whole secret agent schtick does have some sex appeal..."

Bon-Bon blushed madly. "Lyra~!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," chuckled Lyra. "You're just so cute when you get flustered like that."

Bon-Bon pouted and folded her forelegs. "This isn't the time for jokes, Lyra."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," said Lyra sheepishly. She then sighed. "I'm just kinda happy you're moving on, Bons. I thought for sure that..."

She trailed off and bit her lip. Bon-Bon turned and arched an eyebrow.

"Thought that what?" she inquired.

"Nothing. I-it's not important," said Lyra, giving the document back to Bon-Bon. "After all, you're leaving that life behind, right?"

Bon-Bon nodded solemnly. "Now that the bugbear has been dealt with, I see no reason to go back. This is for my future in Ponyville, with you."

With that, she tossed the document into the fireplace. Lyra furrowed her brow.

"You sure nothing else is bothering you?" she asked.

Bon-Bon sighed. "I dunno. It kinda feels like I'm losing a part of myself by doing this. I guess that's why I put it off for so long."

Lyra moseyed over to Bon-Bon and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Well, if it means anything to you, I think you made the right decision. And if you're still having trouble, just know that I'll always be there for you, no matter what."

Bon-Bon smiled and placed a foreleg around Lyra's shoulder. "Thanks, Lyra. I think I really needed to hear that."

"No prob, Bons," Lyra cooed. The two stood together in silence as they watched the flames eat away at the document. Suddenly, Lyra perked up.

"Hey! I know what'll cheer you up!" she said.

Bon-Bon blinked. "What is it, Lyra?"

"You'll never guess what I heard from Minuette today."

"What?"

"Well, you know my old friend Moondancer, right?"

"Kinda. Didn't you two drift apart?"

"It's a long story. Anyway, Minuette says that Moondancer finally came out of her shell! She didn't say anything beyond that, but she says she wants to have lunch at her place to tell me all about it. I was planning on going alone, but do you want to come with? I'm sure Minuette and Moondancer won't mind."

Bon-Bon knitted her brow and stroked her chin for a minute. She then nodded and gave Lyra a warm grin. "I'd love that. Thanks again, Lyra."

"Anything for you, Bon-Bon."

The two of them leaned in and shared a long, passionate kiss just as the last of the document was reduced to ash.

Author's Note:

I know, I know. I'm really late to the party when it comes to Special Agent Sweetie Drops stories. But honestly, this idea went through a lot of drafts and revisions before I settled on the kind of tale I wanted to tell here. Hopefully, this'll bring something new to the table.

Comments

[BringBackSonicSatAM]

Hopefully, this'll bring something new to the table.

Considering you're also using the other recent background pony characterization-building episode for this story, I'd say it has that to offer.