• Published 18th Dec 2012
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An Alien Walks Amongst Us - Hazardus_Havard



A normal human gets transported to Equestria. Lyra sees this, and goes out to confront the alien. It is her job, after all.

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Chapter Fifteen - A Journey Awaits

Lyra grumbled to herself, feeling stuffed up for some unknown reason. ‘Where am I? And why is it so hard to move?’

“Ugh…”

‘Don’t panic, Lyra,’ a familiar voice spoke. ‘Just take a second and remember the last thing you can, then trace that to your last memory.’

Doing so, Lyra could remember… working with the construction ponies, finishing up their job and getting the house completed, save for a few things to tidy up on. Proceeding forward, she could remember talking to Bon Bon about getting some alone time with Anon, then walking to the park. There were hotdogs, flowers, fireworks—

She sucked in a hard breath, finally remembering what happened.

‘Anon!’

“He-dwer-whuu…”

She struggled with herself, trying to her best to move around in some fashion.

‘Open your stupid eyes! Darn it, move!’

But it was no use. With barely any effort, Lyra could tell she was still under the paralyzation spell from before. She could also tell she was moved, as something soft could be felt underneath her and the smell of grass was removed, replaced with the smells of a hospital room.

Muffled voices could be heard, their unintelligible conversation irritating Lyra. She ignored them, moving onto thoughts of Anon and his well-being. She had hoped that somepony had managed to stop the others in time and recovered him.

‘Why would anyone attack him? Why… at the park when I was… going to ask…’

Her thoughts started to drift off. She could feel something happening to her, possibly a counter-spell from what she could tell. Unable to stay awake, her mind drifted off once more.

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Starting to regain her consciousness, Lyra rubbed her eyes. This time, she was fully aware of what had happened, though she kept from panicking and running off. Lying on a bed, Lyra looked around and noticed she was in a hospital. She recognized this room quite well from the number of times she’s been there.

The previous spell made her feel stiff in her joints, but at least she could properly move. Taking better notice of her area, she saw Bon Bon on the side, sitting in a chair, asleep. A sigh escaped her lips seeing her friend.

“Bon Bon,” Lyra called out in a raspy voice.

Her friend shifted in her sleep, before returning to it once more. It took a few attempts at getting her awake. Looking at Lyra, it took her a second to realize she saw Lyra staring back, and one more to jump from her seat in response.

“Lyra!” She hugged her friend before moving back. “You had me so worried!”

“Bon Bon, what happened?”

She frowned hearing Lyra. “Hold on, let me get you some water.”

Running to a sink, she proceeded to fill a paper cup right before giving it to Lyra. She greedily drank it, feeling refreshed.

“Thanks,” she said, giving the cup back. “Bon Bon, what happened?”

Flattening her ears, Bon Bon directed her gaze at the floor. “It… seems you and Anon were attacked in the park. No one knows why it happened or who took him, though the one that you took down is currently in custody being interrogated.”

“They… got away with Anon?”

“…Yes, Lyra,” she answered quietly.

Hearing that hurt more than she wanted it to. “W-Why would they take him?” Lyra asked to no one in particular. Rolling on her side, she held her chest and proceeded to silently cry. Bon Bon soon after wrapped her front hooves around her in a hug. “Th-This is so stupid! Why did this have to happen?!”

The two of them stayed in that position for an unknown amount of time. The two of them shed their silent tears to one another.

Hearing someone knocking on the door, Bon Bon got up from her spot, wiping her tears away. Lyra did the same just as the door opened up, revealing Twilight. “Um, hi,” she said, walking forward with a frown. “I’m not intruding on anything am I?”

“No, it’s fine,” Lyra answered.

“Are you two okay?”

The two of them nodded at her. “I just came to tell you that Princess Celestia herself is here with a few chosen guards and are nearly done interrogating the pony you stopped. It shouldn’t take long until we find out what exactly happened.”

‘Finally, some good news.’

“After we get the info, the Princess is having me look over copies of the info. She’ll be entrusting the rescue mission with me and the rest of the Elements. We’re likely to be leaving sometime tomorrow or the next day.”

Bon Bon felt something was off. “Why are you telling us this? And why are the Elements in charge of this over the guards?”

Twilight didn’t take offense at what she said, “During the attack, most of the cities all over Equestria had rebels causing mass confusion, forcing nearly all the guards that the Princesses could put out to quash their activities. There just isn’t anypony else that can help during this time. As for why I’m telling you two this, I already know you two would want to know about this and thought it would be in my best interest to tell you now instead of having you bug me later on about things.”

“What rebels?” Lyra asked, surprised to hear that. “What are they rebelling against in the first place?”

“I don’t know much about their actions right now but even if I did, I doubt I’d be able to tell you.”

“Do you at least know why they took him?” Bon Bon asked.

“I won’t know anything until the report comes in which I’ll be getting later on today.”

Feeling frustrated, Lyra fell back into her pillow in a ‘fwump’ as she stared at the ceiling. Hearing a clanking, the three of them noticed a pony in sun armor walked up to Twilight, whispering something in her ear before leaving.

“I have to go now. You have nothing to worry about, I’ll return with Anon as fast as possible.”

Lyra continued her staring contest with the roof as Twilight left the room, closing the door behind her. Bon Bon moved beside her, a look of relief seen on her. “At least we know somepony’s going right after Anon.”

“Yes, it is,” Lyra agreed. “Though that won’t matter since I’ll be the one that gets to him first.”

Bon Bon blinked, staring down at her, perplexed. “What?”

“Twilight said they were getting the info from the pony I took down. So when that’s done, I’ll get the information myself and start heading out!”

Bon Bon let out a groan, rubbing her forehead. “And how exactly are you going to get that info?”

“I’m a very convincing mare when I want to be. And if anything, I’m certain I can sneak a peek at Twilight’s copies.”

The candy mare narrowed her eyes, “You can’t just go out on something like this without proper planning! What if you get hurt? Or what of the ponies you’ll be up against on this? It’s an entire group from how it sounded!”

“I’ll think of something when that happens.”

A long-winded sigh escaped Bon Bon’s lips, along with her brow furrowing up in annoyance. “Lyra, going out like that is dangerous, stupid, and so many other things I can’t even begin to tell you.” She proceeded to list off things that would, in her opinion, be needed to make any kind of attempt at a rescue mission for the missing human.

‘…I’m gonna have to sneak away from her,’ Lyra thought, not believing her friend would just let her go along with this. ‘I’ll just put up with her bugging, for now, then once I’m out of the hospital I’ll start getting to work. Just nod to what she’s saying and look like you care.’

A sudden frown could be seen on Bon Bon, then her eyes narrowed, making Lyra wonder if her friend had somehow gained the ability to read thoughts. She did her best to give a sweet, innocent expression on her face, hoping her thoughts were kept locked inside from her telepathic compatriot. Of course, Lyra couldn’t tell that Bon Bon could read her expressions quite well from past endeavors

“From how I’m seeing things, I know what to expect already. So… if you’re going out there, I’m going with you.”

It took Lyra a few moments to realize what she had just said. “You just said that what I was doing is very stupid, and you’re… giving me the go-ahead on this?”

“You don’t expect me to believe you’re listening to what I’m saying, do you? You were just about to nod and agree with me before leaving anyways.”

‘MIND READER,’ Lyra heard screamed in her head.

“I will say it’ll take more than just you to bring Anon back. And besides, Anon’s… also a very close friend of mine as well. So instead of arguing about this, we should discuss what’s needed and move as fast as we can.”

Lyra smiled at her, nodding at her. “Okay! So what do you think I should do first?”

“…You didn’t listen to a word I just said, did you?” A blush of embarrassment could be seen on Lyra as Bon Bon groaned in exasperation. “First we’ll need provisions, such as food and medical supplies. I suppose I’ll gather that stuff while you get the info and a map for our travels.”

‘That’s probably for the best,’ her thoughts told Lyra, ‘you’d probably forget something important anyway.’

“We’ll also need some additional help with us so I’ll go look for some ponies to come along with us. You have any ideas on that?”

“Vinyl and Octavia,” Lyra said without thought, “they’ve been helpful in the past and are likely to go along with us on this. They haven’t stopped traveling as we have so they’re still quite experienced, and we know them very well.”

“We need more than them.”

“…You could try Carrot Top?”

Bon Bon shook her head. “As close as we are, she hasn’t done a lot of traveling with us like in the past. Besides, she can’t take any time off from her work. Anypony else?”

“I can’t think of anyone that could just up and go with us.”

Bon Bon rubbed her chin in thought, and then looked at Lyra. “I think we can use the help of some pegasi, pegasi that Anon and us know quite well.”

Lyra didn’t look pleased, knowing who she meant. “Ugh, Flitter and Cloudchaser?”

“We need a balanced group, and those two could help with us. So unless you know of any other ponies?”

“Fiiine, so long as they’re helpful,” Lyra grumbled. “So I’ll check out of the hospital while you do your thing. Do you know when I can leave or should I sneak out?”

“You are NOT going to sneak out like all the other times; I don’t want to talk to the nurses about why you vanished. Again. Anyways, I already checked on that and you can leave now. You were only brought here to remove the spell. I’ll alert a nurse outside as I’m leaving.”

“Okay, once I get out I’ll go talk to the ponies we’re bringing and get the info.”

Bon Bon nodded, right before walking up to Lyra and giving her a small hug before leaving the room. Lyra proceeded to stretch out her legs, trying to get any kinks out of them. While trying to pump herself up for the day.

‘I’m going to bring Anon back home if it’s the last thing I do!’

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Once out of the hospital, Lyra headed straight for Vinyl and Octavia’s place, wanting to get them on board before any attempts at gaining the info she needed. It was a fair bit difficult walking as she still felt stiff, something she’d have to deal with for a bit longer as the spell got out of her system. Lyra ignored any odd looks directed at her from the way she walked.

Arriving at their place, she slapped the door with a bom-bom-bom. That meant she was hitting it especially hard. The door opened soon after, revealing Vinyl. “Lyra? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?”

Lyra entered the house without any invite, Vinyl simply following along after closing the door. “Is Octavia here?”

“Yeah, she’s in the back.” Vinyl walked up to Lyra, poking her in the nose. “You should be resting right now after what happened last night! Just lie down and try not to worry about Anon, alright? I’m certain that the guards have already been sent out for him.”

“The guards aren’t going. Twilight and the other Elements are going instead, and hopefully, so will you.”

Vinyl looked confused. “Wha?”

“I’m going out there with Bon Bon before Twilight and her group leaves to retrieve Anon. And I’m hoping you and Octavia will come with us on this.”

Vinyl hummed to herself, looking off to the side. “I dunno dude, I mean, what help would I even be out there?”

“Vinyl, you’re a unicorn. I’ve seen you throw the crowds around with your beats. Do you remember the time that the crowd in Canterlot went ballistic and went after you?”

She scrunched up her face, “Yeah, not one of my finest moments. It’s not my fault everything shorted out and I had to leave early!”

“Not the point I was getting at,” Lyra said. “You handled yourself very well then and I couldn’t think of many others I’d like to have at my side going out there. We’d appreciate your help.”

Thinking on it, Vinyl clicked her tongue, giving Lyra a grin. “Well buck, I suppose it’d be like ol’ times back at the academy then wouldn’t it! Going out, causing a ruckus all over. I’ll have to put off the concert for a bit, but I’m certain everyone will understand. Sure, I can help bring him back. I’ll just have to get my travel gear ready.” She looked around her tools, throwing a few around in different piles. “I always did enjoy your little adventures, and this one is sure to be the biggest one yet!”

“You think we’ll get Octavia on board with this?”

“Aaaah, don’t worry about her. She’ll be coming along, one way or another.”

“Okay, just make sure you’re ready for anything out there. I’ve got to go find Flitter and Cloudchaser now.”

Vinyl poked her head out of a pile of wires she was currently digging through. “They’re coming along as well?”

“Bon Bon recommended that to me and I have to agree with her on that.”

“Yeah, I can see having those two pegasi along would be very helpful. Good luck with that.”

Exiting the house, Lyra took a moment to try and figure out just where she could find those two errant ponies. She didn’t know them that well, which made figuring out where they hung out in town difficult.

Rainbow Dash would know where they could be located, though Lyra would need to keep the reasons she was looking for them to herself lest Twilight find out what was happening. Before she went that route, it would be best to start looking in locations they frequented at. And what better place than where Lyra knew Flitter went to often: the spa.

Making her way there, Lyra noticed that most of the town seemed eerily quiet. There wasn’t much activity near the stands, and the few ponies she passed by gave her sad looks.

Arriving at the day spa, Lyra saw Flitter sitting in front of the entrance. There was a sign on the front, declaring the place closed, making her wonder why the pegasus was there. She went to Flitter’s side, looking at the spa, then at her.

“Hey, Flitter… why are you staring at the door? It says it’s closed so I doubt they’ll be opening up anytime soon.”

Flitter turned to Lyra, a frown on her face. “It’s closed because of Anon. Most everypony heard of what happened by now, with Lotus and Aloe closing up shop as a result.” She wiped her eyes, Lyra only now noticing she was previously crying. “I… was just going to wait here until Anon came back. If you want to talk to the sisters, you should speak to Vera at her shop.”

“I was actually looking for you and your sister.” Flitter turned to her, confused hearing that. “I was kinda making my own search party to bring back Anon and thought you two could help with that?”

Her eyes widened, “You’re going after them?!

“Well, I’m not just going to stay here and do nothing, not after what happened! So can I count on you two in coming with us?”

Flitter looked at the ground, looking uncertain. “I don’t know. I’m not used to going out and doing that kind of stuff, it sounds like it’d be dangerous and…” Her words trailed off as she didn’t appear up to helping.

“Flitter, it’s not just going to be you and me, we’ll be going in as a group watching each other's sides. Don’t you want to help if it means getting Anon back?”

“Of course I do! I’m just not used to going out on my own like this, that’s more of my sister's thing to do the exciting stuff. I usually follow her when she does things, but this seems like a bit much for either of us. Everyone’s heard about the Princess telling the townsfolk us about the rebels that took him, and how dangerous they are.”

“It’ll be fine, Flitter. We’ll be there and back with Anon in tow right beside us. And your sister is invited as well, so she’ll be there too.”

She scuffed her hoof on the ground, staring at the dirt. “I… I’ll talk to my sister about this, but I think I can try to help if my sister’s going too. I’m not sure what I’ll be able to do, but I can try.”

“You’ll need to hurry and seek her out if we’re to make it out in time. Make sure you've packed up for at least a week’s travel to be safe. Go get your gear and be back at my place as soon as you can when you two are ready.”

The mare nodded, taking off into the air. With that done, that left Lyra with one last task: talking to Twilight. She hoped to try and get that information from her, somehow. It was already getting dark so she had to hurry if they were to make it out of town that night.

Arriving at the library, Lyra saw nothing appearing out of order, though strangely dusty. She couldn’t see Twilight anywhere down on the bottom floor.

“Twilight!” she called out, making her way in.

Hooves could be heard coming from the upper floor soon after. “Sorry, I can’t help you with any—” She stopped mid-sentence, noticing Lyra. “I suppose I should have expected you to come by,” she said, walking down the stairs to her couch. “I’m assuming you’re here about the information from the interrogation?”

“Pretty much.”

Twilight motioned for Lyra to sit down on the couch as she levitated a chair for herself. As they got comfortable, a folder levitated into the room, directly toward Twilight.

“This is all the info that we’ve managed to get. They’re still interrogating the rebel, to see if there’s anything else of importance before leaving, but it’s a good start with what we have.”

Twilight flipped through the pages, “The pony in custody was ordered to help capture Anon for their ‘cause’, whatever that is. He seems to be tight-lipped on that information, for the time being, but we do know that they want to use him as a bargaining tool against the princesses.”

“A bargaining tool? What would they bargain him for?”

“His safety, for one. He is a very important figure right now, especially after the princess announced his presence fully to outside nations, so anything that happens could result in some… difficult situations arising from everyone.”

“This is so stupid, using him like this. What are they even hoping to get out of this?”

“Different things depending on who you asked, but the main point seems to be having one of the princesses step down from their rule and allow the other full rulership.”

“One of them? They don’t care which one?”

“No, they do. Two rebel groups are vying to get the princess of their choice in full power. I’ve only been kept up to date on the bigger facts recently, only in the past told to keep an eye out for any being spotted in our town.”

“Do we know where they’re located and who took Anon?”

“Sort of.” Twilight went through the papers once more. “We know the general location of where they might be, from other rebels we have in custody. Their bases, from what we could discern, are fairly close to one another. That confuses me and almost feels like there’s something more that we’re not seeing. We have an idea where they took Anon, but since the pony you took down hasn’t identified which group he came from, it’s a split on which group has him. That’s why we need some more info from him before leaving.”

‘So it’s a fifty-fifty split on choosing where to go when we leave.’

“You’ll be leaving tomorrow then?”

“Hopefully, though like I said it could be the next day at the latest,” Twilight answered before getting up from her seat, feeling the conversation was closing up.

“That’s good to hear,” Lyra replied, getting up herself. “If you wouldn’t mind, can I take a look at the documents?”

Twilight gave Lyra a look. “Why do you want to look at them?”

“I sort of… want to read about the rebels that took Anon.”

She stared at Lyra for a moment more before turning away. “Sorry Lyra, that’s not a good enough reason to give these papers to you. If that’s all, you should get back home and rest up.”

Lyra started to panic, not sure what to do. Just as Twilight was heading up the stairs, Lyra ran up to her.

“Wait! I, I do have a reason to look at it, a good one!”

She slowly turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “And that is?”

“I might have… sort of… kinda was… planning on going out as well.”

Twilight groaned, “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“I gave you a reason, sooo… can I look at the papers now?”

“No,” she said without hesitation, “I can’t let just anyone read this. You should trust me and the others in bringing him back. There’s not a whole lot you can do on your own out there.”

“I’m not doing this alone; I’ve already got my own group gathered up getting ready. I feel I can make a huge difference in this. Hay, if you wind up finding him first I’m not going to complain one bit, but I want to help in this. He’s my friend and I won’t just stand back without at least trying!”

Twilight’s aggressive look disappeared, though she didn’t appear willing. “Lyra, I still can’t let you have them. I couldn’t stand the thought of betraying the princess’s trust by doing that. I shouldn’t even be discussing this stuff with you in the first place.”

“Surely you of all beings can understand why I need to do this,” Lyra started. “You're the Element of Friendship! You should know that friends stick with one another to the bitter end. Well, Anon’s my friend. A really great friend! I can’t just sit around, twiddling my hooves as my friend is out there being subjected to who knows what. I don’t think I can live with myself, knowing I didn’t give it my all to get him back.”

With a frown, Twilight looked away, her ears flattened. “I understand what you’re saying, I do. But I can’t Lyra, I just… I just can’t.” She started climbing the stairs to the upper floor. “I believe you should leave. Go home, get some rest. Just trust in us to do our job.”

Lyra couldn’t help grunting in frustration as she left the library. Standing outside, she paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do next. Clearly, she couldn’t just leave without getting the information. The guard station wouldn’t just let her inside to collect the information from their interrogations, after all.

‘Okay then, I’ll just have to get creative. And by creative, I mean break in when she leaves.’

Walking around the treehouse, Lyra found a bush and hid in wait. It didn’t take long for Twilight to leave the building, a guard leading her away. As soon as she was out of sight, Lyra immediately headed for the door, only to find it locked.

“Yeah, I should have expected that,” Lyra said. “Now what?”

Lyra, in her great bag of ideas, came up with the genius idea of climbing the tree and going in through the upstairs window. That thing was always left open, she had observed in the past.

Once she reached the top, it didn’t take any effort to get inside. The moment she stepped inside, she had to dive to the side, seeing something coming at her.

‘Did Twilight set up some kind of defense system? Oh, I should have known Twilight would do something like this.’

Looking at what attacked her, she spotted a familiar animal compatriot, Owlowiscious, blinking off to the side, staring at her. Lyra harrumphed, dusting off her shoulder. She looked around, trying to figure out where the documents were.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Twilight hid the papers would you?”

The bird tilted its head, “Who?”

“Twilight? The mare that lives here and manages everything. Do you know where she puts them?”

The bird tilted its head the other way, “Who?”

“No, no, I’m not looking—” Lyra stopped, narrowing her eyes. “Oh-ho-ho! I am NOT falling for this again like the last few times! Just stay there you stupid bird.”

“Jerk.”

Lyra turned right around to the owl. “What?”

“Who?”

‘…I must be imagining things.’

Lyra wasn’t even sure why she bothered with the owl, it never told her anything whenever she tried sneaking inside the library before. She went back to looking for the papers, uncertain on how much time she had to get the info copied

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“Darn it, Vinyl!” Octavia screamed, throwing another bow at her friend. “Why do you keep agreeing to do things and involving me WITHOUT EVER ASKING ME?!”

“Because this time we’re helping a friend!” Vinyl rubbed her chin in thought before going to her closet, full of her tools. “So should I bring with me my portable stage travel equipment or my experimental speakers?”

“Don’t you think I may have wanted a say in this at all! We don’t even know where we’re headed yet, and you just went ahead with agreeing without any thought! AGAIN!”

“…Maybe I should bring the stage equipment and replace them with my experimental speakers,” Vinyl said, grabbing said items and putting them onto her bed with magic.

Octavia slumped to the ground, her butt sticking in the air as she rubbed her head into the floor. “Why me? Why did I have to befriend somepony like you?”

“Because I’m too cool NOT to have as a friend!” Vinyl proclaimed as she neatly packed her gear together. “I better bring extra goggles, just in case.” Octavia continued to groan as Vinyl rummaged through her gear. “Come on,” she said, grabbing her friend's tail with magic, levitating her toward her room. “You have to go pack too. Make sure to bring additional bows. Oh, and instead of your usual cello, bring the new one!”

“That stupid thing isn’t even ready! I still don’t know how to properly use it yet!”

“You’ll learn on the go. Besides, that thing should give you a booster in your aiming AND it’s even foldable. It’s so much easier to travel with you have to admit.”

Octavia simply groaned once more, picking herself and walking into her bedroom. “I can already tell this trip is going to be a bothersome mess.”

“Possibly!” Vinyl agreed. “But it’s for a good friend that needs help.”

“Sure, right,” Octavia mumbled as she began to pack her stuff.

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“Flitter, do you know where my travel coat is?”

“For the last time, it’s my coat, and you can borrow it!” Flitter threw her jacket at Cloudchaser’s face before going back to her closet. “You better not rip it up like the others.”

“Heh, thanks.” She put the coat on before flapping up in the air in a loop. “Oh! I can’t wait to go on this trip. I wonder where we’ll be going off too! We’ve never traveled to many places,” she said as she glared at Flitter, “because of a certain somepony.”

“Hopefully it isn’t someplace too dangerous,” Flitter said, rolling up some bandages into a tin box. “We’re going to need plenty of these. Oh, and some healing cream, and some rubbing cleanser…”

“Yeah, you pack that stuff up, I’ll just pack the better gear we’ll be needing.”

“Every group needs a good first aid kit, just in case of injuries!”

“And every group should also have a good pegasus to back them up with awesome flying techniques!”

“We really should hurry up with this. Lyra said to meet her at her place as soon as we were done to discuss what’s going to happen and I don’t want us to be late.”

“I’ll just make sure my bottled clouds and the liquefied sun is packed up, along with some other things.”

A chuckle escaped Flitter's lips. “Don’t you mean Cel—”

“DON’T… even say that name.”

“It’s not my fault your little invention came out at the worst time and got that ridiculous name.”

“Uuuugh. Try and show off just one invention, and all of a sudden you’re the laughing stock of the local maker’s community.”

“Just hurry up! I want us out the door and all you’ve been doing is flying in the air talking about what may happen and what we may need instead of doing anything!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And don’t forget to pack for cold weather!”

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“And how much is that, Rarity?”

“This one’s on me, Bon Bon,” Rarity replied as she walked over to the other pony, levitating over a box to her. “I’m sorry about what happened with Anon at the park. I’ll make sure to do my best when the girls and I go out to bring him back.”

Bon Bon smiled at her as she took the box and placed it inside the large bags she currently had on her. “I’m just lucky you could make these so quickly.”

“It was barely an issue for me,” she said, waving her words off.

“I suppose it also helped that your shop was closed up so you didn’t have to deal with anypony.”

“Bon Bon, everypony’s shops are closed today. Anon, being taken like he was, it shook a lot of ponies here.”

'Which made purchasing things difficult for me', Bon Bon thought.

“Thank you for the help, Rarity. I still have a few things I need to go pick up.”

“Do take care now,” Rarity said as the candy mare departed the boutique.

Making her way downtown, Bon Bon took a list out of her sack, scratching off another item on her list.

‘Anon’s going to need clothes when we find him.’

Thinking about Anon, her thoughts drifted to the past month with him. The two had grown quite close to one another, which thinking on that, could be seen as quite a shock. Bon Bon originally never understood how Lyra liked the human, only thinking it was due to him being an alien. It didn’t take long for her to learn the truth of the matter. He was kind, considerate, always around when you needed him.

The thoughts on Anon made her smile. Bon Bon was hopeful about her future with her two very close friends.

‘I’ll ask him about us as soon as we get back.’

Standing in front of a very small building, an older pony sat by its entrance, barring the way in. She looked up from her card game, smiling at Bon Bon.

“Have you come for another meeting with the bakery guild?”

“I have, Nanny Goodwill.”

“A bit early in the month for you.” She flipped a card, taking her time to position it on a pile. “Did you run out of ingredients early? Or are you finally accepting a relocation of your stand?”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes, “I don’t ever plan on moving my stand in the foreseeable future, Nanny.”

“Don’t get too attached to your customers, Sweetie. You may be a wonderful little cook, but you go where the sales are.”

A frown appeared on Bon Bon’s face. “I go where I feel I’m needed for my sales.”

Nanny Goodwill never let her smile drop, placing another card down. “A discussion for another time. I’ve already unlocked the door for you, Sweetie. Go right in.”

The door was now open, Bon Bon uncertain how she always managed to do that without her notice. It led into a dark shack with candlelight off over in the corner. Once the door closed, a hidden floor panel slid to the side, revealing a long stairwell.

Reaching the bottom led to a small room with but a single door. Entering it, Bon Bon could see Mrs. Cake talking to an Earth pony, garbed in a dark suit and hat, wearing a superfluous pair of sunglasses, and a saxophone cutie mark barely seen from his side.

Mrs. Cake was surprised to see Bon Bon. “Please don’t tell me it’s one of those meetings. You already know I dislike being part of that.”

“No, Mrs. Cake, she should not be here,” the unnamed pony calmly spoke. “Why are you here? We agreed to speak later tonight.”

“I don’t have the time. Do you have the packet I asked for?”

Mrs. Cake looked out of her depth. “This isn’t about those monsters, is it? Oh, don’t tell me Anon was secretly one this whole time!”

Bon Bon sighed, “No Mrs. Cake, I can assure you he’s not a monster. But we may be up against some when we go and retrieve him.”

The suited pony finally reacted, his lips thinning. “Agent Bon Bon, we were to anonymously drop off this information for the group that Princess Celestia would send. You did not speak of leaving for the alien yourself.”

“There’s been a change of plans, Agent Bell-Louche. It’ll be faster if I should leave now than wait for the next day or two for the others to head out.”

“I feel like I shouldn’t be here for this,” Mrs. Cake said, looking uncomfortable.

“Must I remind you of the consequences of leaving this area like you are? Your protection from the agency will drop and nothing can stop from your ties being revealed. We can’t protect you if you decide to leave this town as your little contractual loophole will be voided.”

“I’m just… I’m gonna leave.” Mrs. Cake stood up, making her way up the stairs. “When I agreed to a baker guild I thought it would grand. Have nice talks about our businesses, what to prepare for, and maybe some fun gossip. But if I had known it would be a cover-up for all this would I have joined? Probably not!” She continued to speak of her disappointments, getting quieter until she finally left the area.

The two remaining ponies stared at one another. Agent Bell-Louche shook his head, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a manila envelope that he placed on the table, sliding in her direction.

“Information regarding the pony being interrogated was hard to come by, but we did find out they’re located near the badlands This is all the information about recent activities in that area. There’s an informant there you can speak to for recent information on the area.”

Bon Bon skimmed through the pages. “There’s information about the hundred-year war here?”

“We managed to find out the two rebels groups have taken over old fortifications in that area. There are a few maps we purchased from adventurers in the area to help give us some idea of a path to either group.”

“This will help a great deal. Thank you, Agent Bell-Louche.”

“I suppose I’ll be taking over the bugbear case here in Ponyville. Prince Blueblood won’t be happy with you leaving the agency.”

She gave a smile, a memory driving its way up. “An agency that was supposed to be dismantled.”

“Lies to detract from infiltrated spies, lies that you helped cover-up.” The pony grunted. “The agency will have a hard time replacing you. Not many competent ponies out there that don’t need a partner to work in the field.”

Bon Bon’s features softened, looking up from the file. “Agent, you all will do fine without me. I’m certain you’ll perform exceptionally on the bugbear case. I may even drop by as a free agent to help out.”

Bell-Louche stood up, saluting her. “It was an honor working with you, Sweetie Drops.”

She shook her head, walking up the stairs. “That’s Agent Bon Bon.”

He watched her walk up the stairs, holding his pose. “…Not after today.”

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Lyra was currently walking back to her house with a fat stack of papers levitating in the air beside her. It took some time gathering it all with how well hidden they were. Lyra never thought that she’d try to hide the papers inside the books themselves. Hilarious, of course, finding it hidden in an odd book: The Great Trix of the Powerful Trade.

The owl made finding it additionally difficult with how it butted into everything Lyra did. She was just happy the dragon Spike wasn’t there, though she found it odd he wasn’t. He hadn’t been around for some time, making her wonder what was up with that. Regardless, now that she had all the information, she could work out where Anon was and set up a plan to retrieve him.

Arriving at her house, she entered the front door and stopped in her tracks. It took her a few moments to remember the place was completely rebuilt, making it so much bigger than before. Slowly moving forward, she looked at the remodeled home, remembering her times with Anon. Like them sitting over on the couch, playing her lyre. Or the dining room table with the three of them eating their meals. Looking up, she could see a beam that she had raised, the exact one that Anon repeatedly rammed his head into.

Placing her papers on a table by the couch, Lyra walked over to the far wall where Anon’s room was located. The door was cracked open, showing a somewhat sparse room that held an enormous bed, table, chair, and drawer. She had hoped to go shopping with him to try and fill the room with his wants. Looking on the bed, she could see the gift she had planned to give him as a welcome back. It was a framed picture of Lyra, Bon Bon, and Anon at the park with a little red bow on the top.

Smiling to herself, she closed the door before moving back to the work she had brought with her. Looking through it, most of it seemed like junk information that didn’t matter in the long run. Why did they think it was important that the rebel pony’s favorite candy was black licorice? Gathering the work, she placed them to her usual work desk, knowing it would take a good long while before she had everything she needed to move forward.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

“...Ah, crud,” were the first words that Lyra uttered, looking at where the work drew her to.

Looking at the map she had in front of her, there were two areas marked on the map. She didn’t think it would take long to get to where Anon was, but it would be a difficult trip with where they were going.

It had taken two hours for her to get everything ready. Bon Bon had arrived after the first hour, telling her she had gotten everything for the trip. She was the one to have gone out, purchasing six tickets for their train ride. It was only in the last few minutes that everyone had finally started to gather in the house, with Bon Bon leading two pegasus ponies in.

“What took you two so long?” Lyra asked as Bon Bon gave them a plate of food.

“Thanks, we haven’t eaten yet,” Flitter said, taking the plate before looking back at Lyra. “Cloudchaser here accidentally destroyed her bag after one of her bottled clouds got loose.”

Everypony looked at her as she quickly swallowed her sandwich. Noticing the attention on her, she gave out a nervous chuckle. “What? I have several jobs, one that includes work in the cloud factory. So I snuck some clouds out, big whoop. And don’t worry; I’ve packed things better this time around.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t destroy anything else at our home,” Flitter remarked, eating her sandwich.

“Now that we’re all here, you mind filling us all on what’s happening with this retrieval of ours?” Octavia asked, sitting at the couch with Vinyl beside her.

Lyra nodded, fully turning around from her desk. “Right. So the plan is obvious, to take Anon back from the rebels. I managed to get the information from Twilight’s place, and what I’ve read is not good. There are two major problems. The first is we don’t exactly know which group took him, as there are two rebel groups. The second is the location on where Anon is at right now.”

Pulling out her map for them, she laid it flat on the table in front of them. They all crowded around, looking at it.

“Whoa, there dude,” Vinyl spoke out, moving her goggles up and looking at the map more closely. “We’re going to The Forest of Dourness?!”

Flitter and Cloudchaser look up at her, confused. “The Forest of Dourness?” Flitter said. “I’ve never heard of that place.”

Vinyl ignored her, looking at Lyra. “Dude, I remember hearing stories about that place when Octavia and I were traveling around. That place is baaad juju with a lot of the strange junk happening down there.” She turned to the pegasi, pulling them close to her. “I even hear that anypony that goes there neeever comes back!”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Cloudchaser says. “How would anyone even know that if nobody comes back to talk about it?”

“Because they turn into gho-o-o-osts!”

Octavia took her bundled up cello and whacked it upside Vinyl’s head, sending her into the ground. “Vinyl, SO not the time for this!”

Vinyl groaned on the ground. “I was only… trying to… lighten the mood…”

“A-Are there r-really g-g-ghosts?” Flitter asked shakily.

“No, there shouldn’t be,” Lyra lied. She had no idea if there were any in there or not. “The place we’re going hasn’t been inhabited in a good long while.” She pointed to a location further down Macintosh Hills, tapping the map. “Over here is an unmarked settlement that’s currently attempting to get back in there and reclaim the lands around since they used to be part of Equestrian territory long ago. That’s our current destination when we board the train.”

Lyra looked around, making sure they were paying attention before continuing. “It’s the last stop before we enter The Forest of Dourness, so a lot of beings set up shop for any wandering travelers that go out there for adventure, riches, or any other reason you can think of. There’s also a research laboratory located in that town that sends me most of my work out of the forest.”

“Work from the forest?” Cloudchaser questioned. “I thought your work came from the princess.”

“It does, but when there isn’t much to analyze from her I’m usually sent stuff from other places, the badlands down there being a major one.”

“Which is why I don’t like that forest one bit,” Vinyl said, taking a seat on the couch while rubbing her head. “Lyra here told us too many terrifying stories about that awful, horrible place!” Vinyl shivered, staring at the map.

“I suppose that only means we’ll have an easier time going into the forest if Lyra knows what to expect,” Cloudchaser said in between a bite, trying to finish off what was on her plate.

“We’ll still need to be on our guard there,” Lyra told them. “Most of it is still unexplored so who knows what is out there.”

“Which makes me question just what made the rebels decide they would want to be out there in the first place,” Octavia said.

Rolling the map up, Lyra placed it inside one of her bags. “With that out of the way, we just have to decide which rebel location we’ll go to. The rebels go through Mercanville since it’s the only safe way into the forest without traveling through the badlands.

“We’ll find more info when we get there, but from the looks of things, I’m thinking the day rebels took them.”

“Is that what they’re calling themselves?” Flitter asked.

“No, they don’t have an official name so they’re being identified with what side they’re rebelling,” Lyra answered. Everyone gave her confused looks. “It’s a long story. I’ll explain on the train ride there. We have to get moving before we miss it.” Getting up, Lyra grabbed her packs, strapping them to herself. “Grab your gear and make sure you’re all good to go. If anything is missing that we need we can get it at Mercanville.”

“I’ve got plenty of rations for food in case we run out,” Bon Bon said, strapping herself up, “just so everyone knows.”

Lyra looked at her friend, confused at what she was seeing. “Bon Bon?”

“Yes?”

“…Why are you wearing your lab coat?”

Bon Bon looked at said lab coat, and then to Lyra, “It makes me fool good.”

Lyra shook her head, ignoring the silliness of her friend.

“You think there’s a chance we can catch up to the ponies that took Anon?” Flitter asked, tightening her straps.

“Doubtful,” Lyra answered, “they have a full day’s head start and I don’t think they had any reason to stop for anything. Though it shouldn’t hurt to ask at our location if they saw who took Anon and make a more informed decision on where to go.”

‘It’s going to be difficult, but I’m not coming back without him.’

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X ~ Elsewhere ~ X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

“When is the human to arrive?”

“Anytime now. They’ve already made it past the checkpoint with the alien.”

“Good. Once the human arrives and is caged, we can begin with the negotiations with the princesses along with any other goals we can proceed with.”

“Sir… are you sure this was a good idea taking the alien? We never even discussed this with our leader.”

“It’s a serious gamble I’ll admit, but I had to make a decision and the risks seem manageable in taking it. All we need is to put pressure on the princess and the—”

A knocking can be heard, interrupting the two figures.

“Come in.”

The door opened, shedding light inside the barely lit room, with only a candle previously providing light.

“Sir, the alien has arrived and is currently being held inside the cell that was requested.”

The two ponies looked to one another before getting up from their seats and walking out the door. They were quickly escorted to a cell that contained a large figure lying on the ground, turned away from them.

“Were there any problems in acquiring him?”

“Sir, we lost the pegasus that went with the retrieval of the human.”

The pony sighed, looking through the bars where the human was lying. “I have a feeling that will come back to bit us. Tell me, were they followed?”

“No sir, they were not.”

“Very well. Have them bring me a report on what exactly happened and why one of ours was left behind.”

“There’s one last thing to report. Cross Love noticed something odd about the human.”

“Cross Love… Isn’t that one of the leading healers in the country? How did you manage to come across that individual?”

“We noticed him in Mercanville when transporting the human and forced him to work for us. Though it didn’t take much effort on our part, allowing him to check on the alien as a side benefit.”

“So what exactly did he find odd about the alien?”

“Sir, there seems to be some odd foreign magic located near his head. We’re not sure just what it is, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much other than pulsing something out.”

“That might be a locator spell placed on him.”

“Near his head, Sir?”

“There had been reports on magic users being forced with leaving his head alone from magical use, perhaps to keep this under wraps. We’ll have to perform a magical delve to remove it from him, and soon. Bring in Cross Love to set up a room to perform this.”

The pony saluted, leaving the room. Two guards then walked toward them, taking a position on either side of the cage the human was in who was sound asleep and unaware of the world around him.

~End Chapter Fifteen~

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