Shadows into the Light

by Kagemoon

So Three Spies Walk Into a Café

As Hooves closed in on the café he saw his two friends sitting at an outdoor table. Lethe had an amused grin on his face and was barely holding in a bout of laughter. Jotting on the other hand was banging his head over and over again on the table’s surface.

“Problem?” Hooves asked, taking a seat next to Lethe.

“Twilight Sparkle knows Jotting is a Night Watch agent,” the purple pegasus said with a snicker.

The Doctor was taken aback. “What! How?”

“I don’t know!!!” Jotting wailed causing some passersby to stare for a brief moment before resuming their day. “She asked about her brother, connected him to the Night Watch and just asked about the goings on at the castle. She never said how she got the info. I… I… answered every question she asked. It was all trivial, but…,” he sniffed. The Hooves noticed he had actually been holding back tears. “Ten years. I’ve been an infiltrator for ten years and not once, not even on my very first mission had I ever been made. Now here we are, not a bucking day into the mission and my primary target knows everything.”

“It can’t be that bad. Maybe Princess Celestia told her,” Hooves ventured trying to calm his friend down. “Or maybe she heard from her brother, I’m sure such a thing would cross his desk as captain of the guard.”

“But Princess Luna said we answer to her and Celestia told us it was a secret to the Bearers,” Lethe reminded him.

“I’m a failure as a spy,” Jotting sobbed.

Hoove’s cleared his throat. “JT, there are a hundred ways Twilight Sparkle could have found out about our mission. She has personal access to both the Princesses and the head of royal security. While the Night Watch isn’t a secret, its members are. She could have used any one of her sources to find out about you. There is no reason to break down. We have a party to go to soon and you can ask her there, discreetly if you so desire.”

“Yeah,” Lethe said patting Jotting on the shoulder. “She has access to all kinds of info I bet, so it wasn’t your fault, the deck was stacked. Besides, now there’s really no reason to hide who you are from her. In a way, your life just became like one-hundred percent easier.”

Jotting looked up at his friend’s hopeful faces. The two ponies in front of him had twice in one day brought him back from a black void of self-doubt that he had almost never experienced. “If anyone back in Canterlot hears of this they will never find your bodies,” he warned.

Lethe and the Doctor erupted in fits of laughter, glad to have their somber, if dark-humored brother back. Hooves called over the waiter and ordered lavender tea. Lethe asked for some pomegranate juice. Jotting ordered cider. The conversation turned toward their days, Lethe’s run in with Pinkie Pie seconds after she had left Jotting with the well informed Twilight, and the Doctor told a shortened version of his escapade with Ditzy Doo minus the accidental kiss.

“Aw, the Doctor has finally found his special somepony,” Lethe teased.

Hooves nearly spat out his tea. “Hardly Lethe. I just felt it would have been detrimental to both my new practice and any possible future friendships if had just left things as they were.”

“And yet you followed her on her route like a lovesick colt,” JT joined in the teasing.

“She’s interesting. I mean… she’s nice… she’s… oh buck, it you two will never let up will you.”

Lethe turned toward Jotting. “JT, I propose a secondary objective to our mission. Get the Doctor laid.”

This time Hooves did spit out his tea. "Wha—“

“Very well Lethe, I have taken your proposal into consideration and agree with its stated goals,” Jotting said in a mockery of his former captain’s voice.

“Now see here,” Hooves interrupted their laughing as he cleaned the table. “You two may be familiar with flings and such but I’m not that kind of stallion. If I get in any type of relationship I want a long term one.”

Lethe stared at the Doctor for a second before smiling. “Special Agent Shadow, I wish to amend my proposal. We must make sure the Doctor and the Mailmare get married during our tenure here in Ponyville.”

Hooves’s eyed widened as he stared at the serious looking pegasus. “Wait—“

“Special Agent Lethe, I accept your amendment to the mission. Our first point of operation is tonight’s party,” Jotting said with a fake serious nod.

“Now hold on you two, if I wanted—“

“Nope, sorry two to one vote. That’s how we’ve always done things Doctor. Now then tell us more about the pegasus that captured your black heart,” Lethe put his head between his hooves settling down to listen.

“Jotting?” Hooves asked for help with pleading eyes only so see the unicorn mimicking the pegasus. “I hate you both,” the Doctor grumbled.

“Come one Hooves, Lethe is right. The last time you so much as had a conversation with a mare that lasted past your initial insult of her character she turned out to be an assassin trying to get into the palace. Face it, you need help.”

“Not that kind of help,” the earth pony said pointing at Lethe.

“Now I’m feeling insulted Doctor. I know my relationships last a week usually but that’s how I plan em. I have had two long term relationships that only ended because of our job.”

“I’m sorry Lethe, it’s just I’m usually the on giving advice for relationships and such. Usually your little jabs at my personal life didn’t affect me, but I really do want to get to know Ditzy better.”

“And that’s where we come in,” JT said getting up from the table after placing a few bits down for his bill. “I’m going to the party early, if anyone knows anything about your marefriend is going to be the Element of Laughter.”

“Pinkie,” his two companions reminded him.

“I know her name, but you’re right, I need to remember not to be so damn formal. Anyway, I’ll go early, Doctor you wait outside for your date. Buy her a flower so something. Lethe do your best to catch Ditzy before she gets to the party and play up the Doctor,” Jotting was in his element of tactical planning.

“Aye, Agent Shadow. I’ll search from the air,” the pegasus took off into the sky.

“He didn’t pay,” Hooves grumbled “This plan of yours, well thanks JT, I really do appreciate it.”

Jotting patted his friend on the shoulder. “Yeah well I expect free consultations for my many, many psychosis in the future. As for tonight just watch what you say, try to turn that analytical brain off for the night and enjoy the party.”

“I’ll try, easier said than done as it were.”

“Yeah well you fixed one conversation with her already so I think you can handle it.” With that the unicorn got up from the table leaving the Doctor to cover Lethe’s portion of the bill.