"I repeat, AV-35 to Flight Control, are you there? There's a hostile object nearby. Over"
He was starting to get desperate. The object flew closer than ever, nearly matching the speed of the machine he was piloting.
"Hostile object is blue in coloration and its speed is increasing. May be about 3 feet in length and is leaving a multi-colored trail behind. Over"
Still no response yet again. He gulped as his radar indicated the imminent impact with the unidentified flying object. His communication had been strangely cut off and he was being pursued by some "thing".
"Object is approaching and has just flown past me. It just went supersonic. Over"
The pilot blindly talked into his headset again even though he was sure he was alone. He peered through the wind-shield in front of him to take a look at the aerial object.
"Holy sh..." he mumbled as a void of light enveloped him before he was able to make out what the object was.
A few minutes earlier
"Apple Bloom, do you any idea where Scootaloo is?" a white unicorn filly asked her friend as they stood in front of a school, impatiently waiting for said pegasus.
"She must've spotted Rainbow Dash", Apple Bloom told Sweetie Belle with a bored sigh, "In that case, she's not reachin' school anytime soon", she shrugged while glancing over Sweetie Belle's shoulder to see some of the students getting inside the building. The day was beautiful and sunny and there was a possibility that Scootaloo might have decided to take the day off although it was highly unlikely.
"Wonder where she is", Sweetie Belle scratched her chin. No sooner than she said those words, Scootaloo galloped from outta nowhere, nearly smacking into the other filly.
"Whoa, watch where you're goin'", Apple Bloom scolded her pegasus friend, wincing a bit from the near-miss.
"Sorry for being a bit late, girls", Scootaloo apologized with an expression which was to say the least, a mixture of both amazement and puzzlement. If that meant anything to other Crusaders, Scootaloo had probably seen or heard something completely out of her comprehension...or she had seen Rainbow Dash pull off another "new" trick.
"Alright, what happened?" Apple Bloom inquired, indifferent about Scootaloo's imminent alibi for almost missing school.
"Okay, I know it sounds strange but you've gotta believe me", Scootaloo replied excitedly.
The reply caused Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to merely exchange unimpressed glances with each other. Unfortunately, Scootaloo caught wind of it and her mouth quickly curled away into anything but a smile while she stared at her two friends with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" Scootaloo asked, "You two don't think I'm overreacting, do ya?" she added, shrugging a bit for emphasis.
"It's written all over your face, Scoots", Sweetie Belle sighed.
"Really? Do you have a mirror or something?" Scootaloo rubbed her face with her front hooves, searching for a smirk or a blot of ink which she might have missed, especially when she wasn't the most hygienic of the trio.
"Figuratively", Apple Bloom groaned while Sweetie Belle giggled a bit at their friend's silly reaction.
"Oh right", Scootaloo smiled nervously before she regained her composure, "Anyway, I saw the most craziest thing this morning", she said, the enthusiasm from before returning back to her.
"Go on", Apple Bloom decided it was best to let the pegasus finish telling them all she had to tell before they head over for class.
"Well, it was large and loud and...and...", Scootaloo was about to continue when she noticed a suited stallion standing a few feet behind Sweetie Belle.
"...and it was fast. Fast as hell", the stallion completed the sentence with an expressionless, piercing gaze which was thankfully covered by a pair of shades.
The pony was an intimidating specimen. A light brown earth pony with a blonde mane who looked like he could cover the trio in his shadow. On his abdomen was a satchel which caught the eye of the fillies.
"Uh...who are you, sir?" Sweetie Belle asked politely.
"And did you see the strange object too?" Scootaloo added.
"Yes, I did, kiddo", the stallion reached down and patted Scootaloo, "It was a pretty strange thing, wasn't it?" he asked back.
"The strangest I've seen", Scootaloo agreed. The next second, the stallion took out a silver cylinder from his satchel and held it in front of the three.
"What's that?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head to get a better look.
"Would you three mind looking at this?" the stallion simply asked before the top half of the cylinder retracted and emitted a faint flash of blue light.
After the brief flash, the stallion removed his shades and placed the cylinder back into his satchel while sporting a smirk.
"And that is why you fillies should park your go-karts behind the barrels, not in front of them. Have a nice day", he said before he left the dumb-founded and confused trio behind.
"When did we reach school?" Apple Bloom asked Sweetie Belle when she realized they were standing in front of their classroom.
"And what were we doing before?" Scootaloo added, scratching her head.
"I think we were go-karting..." Sweetie Belle said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Yeah...I guess time flies when you're enjoyin' yourself", Apple Bloom shrugged before the Cutie Mark Crusader entered the classroom.
Meanwhile
"What in Equestria?" Rainbow Dash asked herself after a large machine whizzed past her. A loud, whirring streamlined object could be seen in the distance flying at speeds that most pegasi would be envious of.
Without thinking another thought, the rainbow-maned pegasus pursued it, determined on finding out what exactly it was. The smell exuded by the object seemed to be something close to oil so it was pretty clear that it was in fact, a machine. Fortunately for her, the object maintained a constant speed so she had a chance of catching up and taking a better look.
"Don't you fly away from me", Rainbow Dash muttered as the air current pressed against her. However, that didn't deter her from fixing her eyes on the black object.
After a few seconds, it finally happened. Rainbow Dash broke the sound barrier, leaving her signature "Sonic Rainboom" behind her. A smirk came across the face of the flyer as she closed in on her target.
Slowly, she willed forward and within the blink of an eye, she darted right in front of the machine, flying a good ten meters in front of it.
"What..the hay was...that for!?", Rainbow Dash yelled as she made an effort to turn and take a look at whoever was driving the strange machine, "What...the...!", she muttered, shocked at seeing the pilot.
The creature was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It wore a camouflaged suit as well as a strange mask which hid any expression it might have shown. It was a bipedal creature of some sorts judging by the way it held two knobs, almost a splitting image of a primate of sorts.
Before she could say anything else, a bright flash of light enveloped the machine and its pilot before it disappeared out of sight.
"O-Okay...what just happened?" Rainbow Dash asked nopony in particular as she glided above a grassy field. The object she had chased had literally vanished into thin air and there was no trace of it at all.
"I'm not crazy, am I?" she said, rubbing her eyes. She felt like she had just awakened from some deep slumber or some other form of unconsciousness.
Still a bit shocked, Rainbow Dash flew back towards Ponyville, her mind filled with the images of the strange encounter. She scouted the ground below for anypony else who might have witnessed what had happened but only a light breeze answered her. Was it just a figment of her imagination? She needed to find out fast.
However, unbeknownst to the cyan pegasus, there was one pony who had seen everything that transpired.
"Glock?...I believe I've found one more candidate", a suited stallion who had a headset on him said as he watched Rainbow Dash fly away, hiding behind a tree, "I'm sending her over".
Some minutes later, inside the Golden Oak Library
"I dunno...it seemed so...so real", Rainbow Dash sat in the middle of her circle of friends. She and the others were a bit worried as she was not the kind to make up stories of this kind. Tales about inventing some new trick was one thing but pursuing an...alien machine was a new topic, especially for somepony like Rainbow Dash to bring up.
"Wait, you said you had to create a Sonic Rainboom to catch up, right?" Twilight asked, trying to hide her secret wish to have witnessed the event Rainbow Dash saw, "Then, why didn't we see it?"
"Well, I guess I might have flown a bit too far out for anypony to notice me or the object", Rainbow Dash replied after she realized she was the only pony in the area when the machine disappeared.
"So, did the pilot wear a mask like this?...or this?...oh, or even like this?", Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared with a pile of different masks which she got from who-knows-where.
"Nah, the mask was all black and military and stuff. You know, like gas masks", Rainbow Dash recalled the unforgettable image of the mask looking back at her.
"OOoooo...I love gas masks...they're so...gassy!" Pinkie squealed, a gas mask muffling her high-pitched voice a bit.
"Whatever...come on, I saw it fly past Ponyville. Am I the only one who noticed it?" Rainbow Dash asked, throwing her front hooves in the air.
"Oh, I'm starting to think Dashie has lost her mind", Rarity whispered to Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash was quick to notice it and she turned her head away from the two in annoyance. She could see that they were more concerned for her mental well-being than for what she saw.
The next second, Spike burped out a letter. Under Rainbow Dash's insistence, Twilight had sent a letter to Princess Celestia, asking them if they had seen the strange flying object.
"Finally", Rainbow Dash smirked as she grabbed the letter from Spike's claws before she began to read it.
"What does it say?" Applejack asked as all eyes in the room were on the pegasus. If there was anything to expect from Princess Celestia in the letter, it was a definitive answer.
"Like I said before, the machine I saw was..." Rainbow Dash grinned, reading past the introductory lines and getting straight to the reply, "...not real!?" she exclaimed, visibly disappointed.
"Let me see that", Twilight levitated the letter away from Rainbow Dash.
"Ohh...bummer...I really thought we could be buddies with the masked pilot", Pinkie groaned.
"Maybe I was just seeing things", Rainbow Dash sighed while the other listened to Twilight's reading of the letter.
As the pegasus dejectedly sat down, a faint knock could be heard on the front door. Twilight paused for a second before she signaled Spike to check out who was at the door.
"I'm coming", Spike said as she rushed to the door, hastily opening it as soon as his digits grabbed the knob, "Oh, who are you?" he asked when he saw the visitor, a light brown stallion with a blonde mane.
"Rainbow Dash?" the stallion asked, ignoring Spike and the others.
"Uh...yes, that's me", Rainbow Dash slowly stood up and faced the earth pony.
"I take it you saw an unidentified flying object this morning, more specifically less than half an hour ago?" the stallion inquired. Rainbow Dash's ears perked up at the question.
"Finally! Somepony who saw it too", Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in victory. It didn't matter to her who this pony was; at least she knew that she wasn't crazy.
"Huh? The thing Rainbow Dash saw...you saw it too?" Fluttershy asked.
"Class five extra-terrestrial transport. Rare in these parts", the stallion replied before he placed a pair of shades over his crimson eyes, "Would you mind looking right here?" he said, holding out a small cylinder.
"Hey, I've never seen you before! Are you a photographer? Are you taking a picture of us?" Pinkie asked enthusiastically, pulling everypony together into a tight group hug.
"You could say that", the stallion smirked as he pressed a button on the cylinder.
An indefinite amount of time later, inside the Sugarcube Corner
"...and then he said, "Return the slaaaabbbbbbb!" and I just threw my iPhone right at him hahahaha did you get that? I thought...hehe...slab...you know, my cell phone hahaha", a light brown stallion's laughter echoed all around the store, eliciting smiles on the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Cake and a confused grin on Rainbow Dash's.
"Heh...right..." Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously, not sure what the conversation was all about.
"So, are you gonna drink your milkshake or what?" the stallion asked, staring at the milkshake between him and the pegasus.
"Uh...who are you again?" Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes.
"M", the stallion simply replied, placing some bits on the table, "You know, Miss Dash. You've got a bright future and if you want an awesome job, come to this place", he handed her a card.
"Joe's Donut Shop, Canterlot?" Rainbow Dash mumbled as she tried to make out what the hell had happened, "It's an awesome job?" she asked.
"Yup, the best", M replied with a nod before getting up and walking out of the store.
"HiED?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she noticed the initials at the bottom of the card.
Rainbow Dash didn't know why but she felt compelled to head over to Canterlot. Lazily, she trotted out of the Sugarcube Corner, holding the card Agent M gave her. His words about an awesome job he offered echoed in her mind.
Normally, she would've dismissed such a business proposal as some prank but somehow, she had a feeling inside that she needed to make sure he wasn't pulling her hind legs. Whatever M did, he succeeded in making her interested.
"Hey! Rainbow Dash!" the cyan pegasus heard a familiar voice call out in the distance. Floating a few feet above the ground, she turned to face the speaker.
An orange mare galloped towards her. From the expression on her face, it was easy to figure out that Applejack was worried about something. Within seconds, Rainbow Dash found herself face to face with her friend.
"What's the matter? You look more worried than usual", Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"Worried? Why wouldn't we be?" Applejack replied in a serious tone, "You went away without sayin' anything. We've been searchin' all day for you", she added, placing her front hooves on the pegasus' shoulders.
"All day? What'd you mean all day?" Rainbow Dash inquired, genuinely puzzled by Applejack's gestures.
"We were talkin' about somethin' in the library, though I don't remember what it was about, and you just disappeared from sight. We almost alerted Princess Celestia too", Applejack said. Her voice was trembling from the fear that they might have lost her.
"Wha-at? Calm down, AJ", Rainbow Dash said, smiling nervously, "I'm not sure what the hay happened either but I'm here, right?"
"Yeah...I guess you're right", Applejack calmed down a bit, "Come on, we should tell the others", she instantly grabbed Rainbow Dash's hoof. However, to her surprise, Rainbow Dash resisted a bit and pulled herself away, "What's wrong?" Applejack inquired.
"I-I..It's just that I have something to do", Rainbow Dash turned her head away; glancing at the card she held in her other hoof.
"What? There's nothin' more important than letting your friends know you're alright, is there?" Applejack asked, completely taken aback by Rainbow Dash's answer.
"Yes...I mean no...I mean...I have to go", Rainbow Dash stuttered before she darted out of sight within mere milli-seconds, leaving a stunned Applejack standing alone.
A minute later, in Canterlot
The Town Square was bustling as always. Ponies of different classes were mingling here and there while the store-owners were making sure they got a clean sale at the end of the day.
One of these owners was a stallion named Joe. He ran a donut shop and was also a good friend of Twilight and Spike while they were in Canterlot.
Two pairs of cyan hooves touched down in front of the store, catching the attention of Joe who greeted the supposed-customer with a warm smile.
"Hello there, Miss Dash I presume. What can I get you?" Joe quickly said before Rainbow Dash could say anything.
"Uhhh...I've got this card...And I'm pretty sure it isn't some fancy coupon", Rainbow Dash replied, awkwardly holding the card out.
"Backdoor", Joe simply replied, pointing to a wooden door behind him, "You want some drinks?"
"Eh...I'll pass", Rainbow Dash smiled nervously as she headed towards the backdoor. She turned the door knob, opening it and to her surprise, found herself inside an elevator of sorts.
The elevator slowly took her deeper into the ground. Rainbow Dash was a bit freaked out by the way the transport moved since she had no idea where the hell it was taking her. All she had expected was she'd meet M again in the donut shop and be briefed about the awesome job he talked about.
After a short while, the elevator door opened, revealing a concrete hallway, closely resembling one that would be present in some commercial building or something.
"Came here for the job?" she heard a voice ask as she stepped out of the elevator.
"Uh...I guess", Rainbow Dash shrugged. She looked up and saw a small speaker on the ceiling.
"Third door to your left", the voice instructed.
Without another word, the rainbow-maned pegasus trotted towards the door. She had at least expected some fireworks or flashy displays or something as she was promised an awesome job but the whole corporate atmosphere was really letting her down.
The third door was left wide open and slowly, she peered inside. There were other ponies too : one earth pony, three unicorns and a pegasus.
"Umm...excuse me..." she stood at the entrance, trying not to act rude, "Uh...I'm here for the job", she said politely (in Rainbow Dash standards of course) before she noticed M standing with another pony wearing a suit, "You!", she exclaimed, pointing at the stallion.
"Good, you're finally here", M said, sporting his signature stern look.
"What's this all about?" Rainbow Dash asked as she took a seat near the other "candidates".
"Excuse me, if I may", the pegasus stallion near her said before M could reply, "You're looking for the best of the best", he replied, standing up and buffing up for emphasis.
"Best of the best my hoof", Rainbow Dash mumbled, unimpressed by the spiky-haired pegasus.
"What was that, kid?" M asked, apparently catching what Rainbow Dash muttered.
"Nothing. I just think it's dumb that he's trying to sound like some royal guard", Rainbow Dash smirked.
"That's because he is a royal guard", M sighed while the others laughed. Rainbow Dash merely blushed in embarrassment and stared at the wall almost instantly.
"Now, here's a list of questions", the unicorn standing next to M said, handing out some papers to the five seated ponies, "Fill those out and place them on the table when you're finished. We'll evaluate them and you'll hear the results from us shortly after".
Rainbow Dash and the other candidates quickly jotted down the answers with the pens handed to them. The lime green unicorn was answering rather quickly while the white one was having a bit of trouble. An earth pony stallion with an hourglass cutie mark had no difficulty with it though the same couldn't be said for the two pegasi – Flash Sentry and Rainbow Dash.
"Psst...what's a clause?", Rainbow Dash whispered to Flash.
"I'll tell you if you tell me what a motherboard is", Flash whispered back.
"I've no idea", Rainbow Dash shrugged.
"Me neither", Flash chuckled.
"Speak one more time and you're out", M interrupted the short conversation, causing the two pegasi to mumble some apologies.
The next moment, another suited pony entered the room and whispered something into the ear of M who quickly left, much to the puzzlement of Rainbow Dash.
"What is it?" M asked the mustached unicorn who was waiting for him outside. The unicorn had cyan fur and a red mane as well as a bullet cutie mark.
"Are you sure she's the one? I think she looks like she won't be able to handle the job" the unicorn asked with a hint of skepticism as he stared at Rainbow Dash.
"She outflew an F-4 Phantom...in an open field. Now tell me that's not tough enough, Glock", M defended the cyan pegasus.
"Okay, but is she smart enough?" Glock smirked as the test instructor handed him the papers, "Let's check her answers, shall we?" he cleared his throat while shuffling through, "Aha! Question no. 2 : What is the past perfect form of the following – "I wrote"...she answered "I have wrotten"".
"Come on, you weren't the brightest in your class either", M groaned.
"Maybe you're right", Glock grinned before he moved onto another question, "Question no. 7: What comes after 3.1552656?...she answered "a question mark"".
"Give me that", M grabbed the papers from Glock's hoof, "Just neuralyze them", he said.
Before Glock could enter the room, an earth pony joined them, holding a clipboard in one hoof.
"Hello there gentlecolts, is the test going as planned?", the mare asked.
"Yes it is, Miss O. I take it the jets have been properly fueled and readied for take-off?" M asked the grey pony back.
"Yes they are, Agent M" the mare giggled.
"Thank you, Miss O" M nodded before he felt a slight nudge "Don't you have a test to attend to?" he asked Glock.
"Keep up the good work, you lovebirds" Glock snickered, making M and O slightly blush.
With that, Glock entered the room, making Rainbow Dash and the others shut up almost as soon as he stepped inside. Judging from the expressions on the faces of the candidates, they were quite intimidated by the mustached stallion.
"What'd you think you did in your test?" Glock inquired the five ponies.
"Easy", Lyra Heartstrings replied quickly.
"That was a preposterous test, a complete waste of time if you ask me", Blueblood scowled.
"Good, but I still don't know why I'm here", Time Turner gave a nervous chuckle.
"It was a challenge to say the least", Flash Sentry smiled.
"I'm never taking another test...ever", Rainbow Dash groaned.
"Okayyyy...we have one last test to administer", Glock said in a cheerful voice, "An eye exam. Follow me", he signaled the group to follow him out.
Though the others were enthusiastic and excited about the next "test", Rainbow Dash was down as hell. She began to question if the awesome job was even real let alone "awesome". If the test was any indication, the reward was probably gonna be nothing more than a boring corporate-level job.
"Hold on there", M gently pulled her back before she could enter the next room.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked "Is that Octavia?" she added when she saw a familiar pony disappear behind the corner.
The next moment, a flash of light covered the next room. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, trying to figure what had happened.
"You still want the job?" M inquired.
"Look, thanks for the milkshake but I think I'll pass", Rainbow Dash smiled, preparing to leave any second.
"Don't you even want to know what the job is?" M asked again.
"Uh...whatever, I'm not interested anyway", Rainbow Dash replied with an indifferent expression.
"We're the HiED, the Human in Equestria Department. We are a secret organization which monitors human and extra-terrestrial activity on Equestria", M answered.
"Human?" Rainbow Dash asked, grinning, " They're all crazy", she thought when she heard the answer.
"Bipedal, mentally-advanced primates from the other world. Most humans displaced here are turned to ponies using magic from a mirror so they can live honest lives and we are tasked with making sure they do that", M added.
"Primates? Other world? Turned to ponies? Mirror?" Rainbow Dash was now laughing her hindquarters off inside. And to think, she almost got recruited to this circle of stupidity, "I think you should get your head examined", she chuckled.
"I already took a CAT scan a month ago. Company policy", M replied, not amused one bit.
"Yeahhhh...Thanks for the milkshake though", Rainbow Dash smirked, shaking her head as she went towards the elevator.
She was till chuckling when the elevator doors opened, revealing a tall creature clad in military gear from head to toe and holding a gas mask in one hand. Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped as she stared at the strange bipedal being standing in front of her.
"Oh, didn't see you there", the creature gave the dumbfounded pegasus a smile before it walked towards M, "So, my plane's okay?" he asked the earth pony.
"Hangar no. 12. Miss O will be there with your flight", M nodded, watching the creature walk away before he turned his attention to the elevator which was now closed.
"Will she be back?" Glock asked as he exited the room which housed the rest of the candidates.
"She'll be back", M smirked, "She's got no choice".
Fifteen minutes later, back in Ponyville
A visibly puzzled and confused pegasus sat on a bench, just a few yards away from Rarity's Carousel Boutique. She had heard rumors about human existence once or twice before but she had never expected that it would be real.
What if other mythical creatures and monsters really existed? What if the Slendermane was currently prowling around the Everfree Forest, looking for victims? What if The Krakken was released? What if giant floating foal heads really haunted the residents of the Tristable Area?
Rainbow Dash had so many questions on her mind yet she didn't have any answers and it was driving her nuts.
"Hey there, speedster", she heard M calling her. She smiled a little when the stallion sat next to her.
"Hey..." Rainbow Dash sighed, "So, what exactly do you guys do?" she asked after a few seconds of hesitation.
"Everything I told you. However, as field agent, I have an extra duty of rounding up humans who fail to comply to our rules, either before they're ponyfied or after. We have to prevent them from revealing the existence of humans", M replied.
"What for? Ponies are smart, they can handle it", Rainbow Dash asked.
"No, a pony is smart. The opposite applies for the plural. They are dumb, panicky and dangerous and you know that", M countered.
"I guess you're right", Rainbow Dash gave in, "What'd I have to do if I accept the offer then?"
"To be a permanent part of the HiED, you must leave behind everything you have and know. You'll have no family, no friends, and no contacts outside of the company. In short, nopony will know you ever existed", M let out a sigh when he finished.
"Wait a minute...that's the price?" she exclaimed, shocked at the knowledge that some ponies would actually make that sacrifice, "I-I'm sorry, I can't do this. I've too much to lose", she promptly stood up.
"We could make an exception for you though. We did it to an agent once", M quickly changed the subject before the pegasus could ask him an even more personal question.
"Huh? Really?" Rainbow Dash's face lit up.
"The same deal, except it's temporary. Your tenure will be short and you will be neuralyzed as soon as you're not needed", M replied.
"I just want the experience. I don't really plan on working for too long", Rainbow Dash smirked.
"You have no idea what neuralyzers are, do you?" M chuckled as he got up.
"The flashy thing from that other room? Wait...did you flashy thing me before?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Come by tomorrow morning if you don't change your mind", M added, trotting away from the bench and towards the train station.
"Hey M! I'm serious! Have you ever flashy thing-ed me!?" Rainbow Dash yelled.
It had been a full twelve hours since Applejack told Twilight and the others about Rainbow Dash's mysteriously urgent trip to Canterlot. However, they did see the pegasus fly back to her home before long so it was safe for them to believe that there wasn't anything wrong with their friend.
They decided to leave her alone for the night but they did agree that they would interrogate Rainbow Dash about her disappearance and her strange visit to Canterlot first thing in the morning. Above everything else, they needed to make sure that their friend wasn't in any trouble or other unpleasant situations.
As for Rainbow Dash, she had some trouble sleeping so she had spent most of the night staring into the night sky, thinking about what she had seen under Joe's Donut Shop and about what M had told her regarding "humans" being turned into ponies. That had her thoughts racing for some time.
She was a bit disturbed by the fact that there was a possibility that her own friends could have been humans all along especially since M told her that the humans were instructed not to reveal their true identities at all. But she quickly dismissed the thoughts when she realized that her friends would never keep anything hidden from her, especially Applejack. That mare was one hell of a shitty liar.
After a quick rest, the pegasus glided down to the Golden Oak Library, believing that she owed the others an explanation for what had transpired the day before. From what Applejack had told her the previous day, they had all been worried for her safety.
"Hey guys, you all there?" she asked as soon as her hoof made contact with the wooden door. A second later, the door swung upon, revealing a little purple dragon.
"Rainbow Dash! Oh, what a relief!" Spike let out a sigh of relief when he saw the pegasus before he turned to the others behind him, "Hey guys! It's Rainbow Dash! She looks..." Spike happily said out loud before he noticed Rainbow Dash's sleep-deprived face, "okay...ish".
"I didn't get much sleep, nothing to worry about", Rainbow Dash chuckled as she wiped her eyes. The next moment, the rest of the mane six tackled her to the floor before wrapping their hooves around her.
Rainbow Dash smiled when the others began to tell her how worried they were following her disappearance. She would never give this friendship up...ever. She began to question if M and the others who worked at HiED really had the heart to give up things like this just for the price of a measly job. To her, it seemed like the worst and the dumbest decision a pony could ever make.
"Quit with the hugging, I've just got up from bed for Celestia's sake", Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle after the others broke the embrace.
"Where were you yesterday? And what were you doing at the Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight was the first one to inquire the pegasus.
"Honestly, I don't know what happened before but I'm pretty sure I was having a conversation with somepony at the store", Rainbow Dash racked her brains to get an answer out.
"Somepony? Who?" Applejack asked.
"I...I can't tell you guys about that...heheh", Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly. She didn't know why but she felt she needed to keep the events of the previous day a secret no matter how inquisitive her friends might get.
"Ooooo...Rainbow's got a coltfriend!" Pinkie suddenly blurted out, much to Rainbow Dash's disgust.
"What? Hay no! I ain't got any coltfriend!" she retorted. Unfortunately, the only response she got from the others was snickers and giggles, "Jeez, grow up you guys", she mumbled.
"Aww...come on, Rainbow Dash. You can tell us", Applejack teased her friend further, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, "We understand if you wanted to spend the whole day somewhere else, alone with your coltfriend".
"I. Don't. Have. A. Coltfriend", Rainbow Dash asserted while trying to hide the blush that was building up on her cyan cheeks.
"W-When?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
"Really? You too?" Rainbow Dash groaned.
"Sorry", Fluttershy said, smiling a little.
"Okay...this is absolutely magnificent. I have to admit, I never thought Rainbow Dash would be the first of us to have a coltfriend", Rarity added.
"Buck you all", Rainbow Dash growled, turning her back on her friends.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash", the cyan pegasus felt a hoof on her shoulder, "We're just messing with you. You know, we're just glad you're alright", Twilight assured her.
"Eh...what Twilight said. We were all really worried sick you know", Spike agreed.
"Oh really?" Rainbow Dash asked with a skeptical look on her face.
"It's a welcome sight seein' you again", Applejack said, placing a hoof over Rainbow Dash.
"...meh, I guess you're right", Rainbow Dash shrugged, "And I'll admit it; it was a bit stupid for me to go off like that but still...", she grinned as an idea crossed her mind, "...I'll get you guys back later".
"It's really good to have you back safe and sound" Twilight told her.
"I still think she has a coltfriend", Pinkie whispered into Rarity's ear.
"Don't be silly. We were just teasing her", Rarity quickly shot down the idea.
"So, what are you planning on doing today? We promise we'll do it with you", Twilight proposed.
"Actually...I have a place to go to", Rainbow Dash replied, scratching the back of her head.
"Where? We'll accompany you if you want", Applejack offered.
"Canterlot?" Twilight arched her eyebrow in puzzlement.
"In fact, I have to go...right now", Rainbow Dash said before she darted out of the Library. After a few seconds, she was back up in the sky, flying towards the city where HiED was centered.
"I told you she had a coltfriend", Pinkie nudged Rarity as she and others watched the rainbow trail fade off into the distance.
"Who knew", Rarity shrugged.
"Come on girls", Twilight signaled the others to follow her, "I believe there's something Rainbow Dash isn't telling us".
"Like what?" Spike asked.
"That's what we'll find out", Applejack said, "We should head over to Joe's Donut Shop".
"Joe's Donut Shop? For what?" Fluttershy inquired.
"I saw Rainbow Dash drop this when she was flyin' above our farm", Applejack replied, "Looks to me like some business card or something", she showed them the card which M gave to Rainbow Dash the day before.
"What's HiED?" Rarity asked when she saw the initials.
"Oooo...I know! I know!" Pinkie excitedly raised a hoof, "Healthy internal Empowering Desire! Healing indigenous Equine Doormats! Hulk is Equestria's Defence! Helicopters increasing Everfree Declination! Human in Eques..."
"Yeah...I pretty sure that's not it", Twilight interrupted before she turned to the others, "Come on; we need to catch the next train to Canterlot. We must find out what's going on".
Meanwhile, in front of Joe's Donut Shop
"Hey Joe", a cyan pegasus greeted the store owner with a smile as she headed straight for the back door. Rainbow Dash had made up her mind. There was no going back now.
She entered the elevator with a smile on her face. If what M had told her was anything, it was a sign that she was prepared to face the next level of mysteries and secrets that Equestria held. She was so gonna enjoy it.
As she got lost in her thoughts, Rainbow Dash didn't notice that the elevator had stopped a floor before it should have. She quickly got herself out of her trance and she moved onto preparing for whatever strange things that were about to uncover as soon as the doors opened.
The doors slowly parted as Rainbow Dash's anticipation were higher than ever. However, to her surprise (and disappointment), all that greeted her was one familiar stallion standing in front of an empty hallway.
Neither pony said anything to each other. M merely stepped inside and stood beside Rainbow Dash who was trying to come up with a proper conversation starter.
"Look, M, I don't know why you chose me but..." Rainbow Dash finally said but she was interrupted by M.
"I chose you because I believe you have what it takes to do this job", M replied, staring at the doors of the elevator.
"So, you recognize my awesome skills?" Rainbow Dash asked with a huge smirk on her face.
"That's a way of putting it", M bluntly gave her his reply.
"That's cool. Okay, I just want you to know that I'm only in this because there's some super-secret stuff going on and I want in, alright?" Rainbow Dash explained to the stallion, "And you admitted I'm awesome so I don't want anypony calling me Miss or kiddo or junior or rookie, okay?"
"Sure thing, speedster but there's one thing you need to know. Your awesomeness that you're so proud of?" M asked as the elevator doors opened, "As of now, it means precisely shit".
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash almost yelled out loud in surprise at the sight in front of her.
M had taken her to the main room of the HiED which was approximately thirty feet below the ground. It was a wide area walled by high-tech transparent polymers. The place looked like a normal office, except for the presence of strange bipedal, almost ape-like beings roaming around the place.
Every single pony in the room wore black suits, all of whom she had never seen before, save for Octavia Melody whom M referred to as Miss O. There was also a supposed science lab at the side as well as sculptures of some ponies presumably past members and there was a solitary office above the others which probably belonged to the boss of this...company.
One thing that really caught Rainbow Dash's eyes was a bearded unicorn operating a large screen which showed strange number combinations and symbols.
"Ah, Agent M, you finally arrived", O greeted the duo before she noticed the shocked expression on Rainbow Dash's face, "Remind you of anypony's first day?" she giggled.
"I wasn't that mind-blown, Miss O", M smirked, dragging Rainbow Dash's body behind him, "Come on, speedster. You wanted to know what's going on, didn't you?"
Rainbow Dash replied with a small and slow nod. It was pretty clear that the pegasus' mind was trying to process all the information she was getting in, especially the humans who were moving about.
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash found her face doused with water, knocking her out of her inactive state.
Shivering, Rainbow Dash asked, "What the hay was that for!?" she shouted. She quickly quieted down though, due to the fact that she was in a completely different place she or her friends had never known before.
"You're no use to me if you're going to be like that", M merely replied, throwing an empty bucket away and motioning the pegasus to follow him to the science lab.
"What in Equestria are these things?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to figure out what the strange objects and chemicals were.
"Stuff", M said, "Stay here. I'm gonna have a little talk with the boss", M told her before he left her alone.
"Crazy stallion", Rainbow Dash mumbled as she ran her eyes along the strange objects that surrounded her. Some fancy clippers, small rectangular screens, model planes and a box marked "CAUTION" at the side.
Curiosity got the better of the pegasus and soon, she found herself grabbing the handle on the top of the box. With a small tug, she opened the box and examined the contents.
There was an L-shaped object, some wires and other rectangular screens. However, there was one object which seemed out of place. A normal, everyday CD.
"What's this doing here?" she asked herself, checking the label on it, "MY WORLD 2.0?" she raised an eyebrow before she fed the CD to a nearby CD player.
The next second, the speakers all around the room cackled to life. A screeching, almost unbearable noise exploded from them, causing everypony and everybody to put their hooves and hands to their ears. A few moments later, an awful girly voice filled the room.
The ponies and the humans ran around, trying to find something to block out the awful sounds as the glass tables and walls cracked and shattered. Even Rainbow Dash wasn't spared. Fortunately, she instantly grabbed some earplugs which were conveniently placed right next to her.
Just as it seemed the torture was gonna go on forever, the sounds stopped. Everypony and everybody quickly turned their attention to Rainbow Dash who was still covering her ears with her hooves.
"Hey", M tapped Rainbow Dash on her shoulder, "Get those out", he pointed to the earplugs.
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Without saying another word, M pulled the earplugs out forcefully. "This thing almost caused everypony in Manehattan to go deaf five years ago", he told her as he held the CD.
"What is that...that...monstrosity!?" she reeled back after seeing the damage a mere CD could cause.
"An April Fools Joke from the other side", M replied.
"What other side?"
"You'll know everything you need to know in a few moments. Just follow me", M sighed as he headed towards the office at the top.
"Uh...sorry for that heheh. I'll pay for it later", Rainbow Dash gave the annoyed agents an impromptu apology before she quickly trotted out of sight.
After a few steps up a half-cracked glass staircase, the duo stepped inside the office which housed a desk, a computer and a comfy chair.
"The penguins are all accounted for, Glock", Rainbow Dash heard a vaguely familiar voice from the screen.
"Good work", the mustached stallion sitting on the chair nodded.
"So, am I the leader of Sector P now?" the voice asked yet again. Rainbow Dash stealthily moved to the side to find out what was talking. To her surprise, it was somepony she had never even imagined to be in cahoots with ponies like M.
It was Miss Doo aka Derpy.
"Even Derpy's working here?" Rainbow Dash asked Glock.
"Not really. We're just letting her think she is", Glock chuckled before he turned his attention back to Derpy, "I guess you are now, Derpy. I'll get to you later, I have a guest", he added as the screen automatically turned off.
"What's Derpy doing in the Frozen North?" Rainbow Dash asked again.
"We asked her to do some census work. She's a dedicated pegasus. She may not be in the HiED but she's a great worker", Glock replied, "So, you're Miss Dash?"
"Duh!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Alright then, I know you have a lot of questions but first tell me what you know about the HiED?" Glock asked, placing his hooves on his desk.
"Secret organization...Humans...strange creatures...secret...mirror...turned to ponies...secret...bad humans...threats...secret..." Rainbow Dash shrugged.
"That about covers it", Glock smiled.
"Wait! Do Princess Celestia and/or Princess Luna know about this?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Nope. We're an independently funded organization. We confiscate devices from the other side and pawn them to get our pay in case you're wondering", M replied.
"You guys steal? Wow, that's not awesome at all", Rainbow Dash said, "And who's that? He looks familiar", she asked, pointing at the unicorn handling the big screen below the office.
"Starswirl. He's one of the founders", Glock replied with a chuckle, "Alongside Miss O's grandfather and CN".
"Octavia's grandfather? Well, I guess that explains why she's a "special" recruit like me", Rainbow Dash said before she realized something, "Starswirl!? You mean THE Starswirl the Bearded!? Wait till Twilight hears about this", she exclaimed.
"Rainbow Dash, remember what I said earlier about telling anypony else", M stopped her before she could exit the room in excitement, holding out a silver cylinder.
"You're gonna neumalize me or something, I know", Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously.
"Oh, one little detail, never add "the Bearded" when you call for him. He hates it", Glock let out a nervous chuckle.
"The briefing, Glock", M reminded the mustached stallion before he was able to go off-course.
"Ah yes, what we need you to know is that ever since the existence of the Crystal Mirror, a portal which transports humans from the other side to here and ponies from here to the other side, there have been accounts of humans suddenly appearing in secluded areas like the Everfree and in rare cases, the middle of Canterlot", Glock began to explain.
"CN, an entity from the other side worked with Starswirl and Riff to form this organization which would prevent the humans from meeting anypony and vice-versa so as to prevent any panic. CN handled the situation from his side while Starswirl created weapons and devices to subdue humans who wouldn't comply. Riff, on the other hoof was in charge of recruiting members as well as designing this place", M continued.
"Who the hay is CN?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"We don't know either but Miss O told us that her grandfather used to call him Chuck", M replied.
"Weapons like this..." Glock took a silver spear-shaped object, "...were designed to send any living being to the Trashcan. This will be your main weapon to subdue uncooperative subjects".
"Weapons that send bad guys to the trashcan?" Rainbow Dash said with a sheepish smile on her face, "Isn't that a bit...I don't know...lame?"
"The Trashcan is a pocket dimension Starswirl created where the "bad guys" who get sucked in float around for a long, long time before they are chucked back to their respective dimensions", M replied.
"But you have to be careful. If this doesn't hit a living tissue, the projectile will explode and burst into flames", Glock warned her as he touched a scar on his side, "And you definitely don't want that heheh".
"What about those...things? What are you gonna do with them?" Rainbow Dash pointed at the humans standing in a line below.
"Oh, I forgot one thing. The random transport only works if the subject has high emotional stress so as you see; most of the humans here want to start a new life so we "ponify" them to avoid detection. The others, Starswirl just sends them back", Glock replied.
"Got all we told you, speedster?" M asked the new recruit.
"I guess..." Rainbow Dash replied with a slight shrug.
"Good enough", M said before a cylinder dropped from above, enclosing Rainbow Dash in an instant, "Stop fidgeting, you'll tear your suit", he told her as the silhouette of the pony could be seen from the outside.
The R.A.I.S.I.N. (Robotic Assistance In Suiting Ignorant Newbies) completely took Rainbow Dash by surprise. A series of echoing yells could be heard from inside the machine although nopony gave a single fuck about it.
"Temporary?" Glock asked M as Rainbow Dash's muffled screams and curses could be heard from inside.
"Had to. She has a lot of potential but we can't keep her", M replied, "She's too valuable to the lower levels".
"It's really a shame she's an Element Bearer", Glock joked.
Slowly, the cylinder rose up, revealing a suited Rainbow Dash who sported a combed hairdo. The posture of the pegasus would have been the perfect template for any HiED member had it not been for the terrified look on her face.
"D-Don't ever do that again", Rainbow Dash barely managed to threaten the two veterans.
"We've got work to do, speedster", M patted Rainbow Dash on her back as he went downstairs.
"I'm really serious, M. I feel like I've been violated", Rainbow Dash ranted while she followed the stallion. The robotic arms that forcefully grabbed her and suited her really freaked her out. It was definitely as bad as that other time when she had to get her measurements taken by Rarity before the Grand Galloping Gala.
"You'll get used to it", M simply told her.
"Hey, where's my flashy thing and fancy weapons? I want one", Rainbow Dash demanded, standing in front of the elevator.
"It's below your pay-grade", M replied before he pressed a button on a nearby screen.
"What's that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"This little screen here tells us exactly where a human has recently landed. And now, we're going into Everfree Forest. Think of this as a tutorial of sorts, speedster", M said, looking up and watching a cylindrical tube slowly descend.
"A mission? Right now? I don't even have my own Agent name yet", Rainbow Dash said, feeling a bit uneasy at seeing yet another cylindrical object, "What's up these guys and cylinders?" she asked herself.
"Make one up if you like", M replied with a strong hint of indifference.
"Okay then...I'll be...Agent Awesome!"
"Already taken"
"Agent Cool?"
"Ditto"
"Agent Extreme?"
"Died decades ago. Agent name retired out of respect"
"Agent Storm?"
"That's our weathermare"
A few minutes later
"Agent Exhilarating Adventure?"
"Wrote a book"
"Agent Bearer of Loyalty?"
"Mother of a colt named Loyalty Shield"
"Oh come on! There must at least one name that hasn't been taken", Rainbow Dash groaned. She had gone through at least 450 different names, all of which were surprisingly all taken.
"We can't call you Agent D either. Ponies might make jokes, unpleasant jokes", M added, keeping a straight face as always.
"I'll just stick with nothing", Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Good choice", M said before he turned his attention to the screen again, "Why do these buckers always head for Ponyville?" he mumbled after he observed the movement of the target.
"Agent M", the duo could hear a female call out. Almost immediately, they turned around, with M sporting a rare smile.
"Miss O, is there a problem?" M asked as he gave Octavia the best smile he could ever give.
"Uh, yes" O replied hastily, "It's another Type-B", she said in a low, concerned tone. Rainbow Dash instantly realized that her first official "mission" wasn't gonna be a walk in the park, "You really should be careful, okay?", O said while she fixed M's tie.
"Alright, thank you for that piece of information, Miss O", M nodded before he watched the earth pony walk away.
"Mmm-hmm..." Rainbow Dash smirked, "So, Mr. Rough 'n Tough's got a soft spot for Octavia? That's quite the surprise".
"Know your place and keep your mouth shut, speedster. We're goin' hunting", M said with a scowl as he grabbed a gun and entered the transport tube.
"Aww come on! Lighten up!" Rainbow Dash teased the stallion further.
"You do realize your friends are in Ponyville and if they see you with me, they're gonna have some ideas" M countered.
"Oh..." Rainbow Dash quickly shut up when she recalled the others teasing her after they got the idea that M might have been her coltfriend, "About that, you mind flashy thing-ing them?" she added.
"Not our main priority, speedster", M smirked, "Ready for your first outing?" M asked the pegasus one last time.
"I was born ready", Rainbow Dash grinned.
"I do want you to know that if you screw up, I'm flashy thing-ing you again", M told her while smirking.
"Wait what?...Hey! You did flashy-thing me befo..." Rainbow Dash was cut off as the transport tube transported (duh!) them to the Everfree Forest where Rainbow Dash's first day as an HiED agent was gonna start.
"I think I'm gonna be sick..." Rainbow Dash said, clutching her mouth with her front hooves and slumping to the floor of the transport tube. The sudden takeoff had left her stomach turning, ready to shoot some rather gross projectiles at any second.
"Don't throw up on your suit, speedster", M told her as he loaded his gun. Type-B's were one of the few humans an HiED agent shouldn't take lightly, especially since the incident four years before.
In a matter of seconds, the transport tube stopped almost as suddenly as it took off. The cylinder swung open, revealing a large town hall which the rainbow-maned pegasus recognized as Ponyville's Town Hall.
"Ponyville?...What...if...the others see us?", Rainbow Dash barely managed to blurt out as she swallowed the fluids that were trying to force their way out.
"Not our main concern. The major predicament is that the Type-B might have already made it in here", M replied, hiding his gun inside his suit, "Get up, speedster. We'll check out the farm first".
"Sweet Apple Acres?" Rainbow Dash asked, stepping outside the tube which was curiously enough, unnoticed by any of the ponies nearby.
"That's right. By some damned luck, our target has decided to take a little breather at a barn", M said.
"Wait, today's not a school day, right?" Rainbow Dash suddenly remembered something, "Oh buck! Those three are probably at the farm right now!" she panicked a bit at the thought that the Cutie Mark Crusaders might have met their target.
"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine", M simply told her without a single hint of concern.
"They'll be fine? Didn't you hear what O said? She specifically told us to be careful! Look, I'm not really the cautious type but we need to make sure Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are safe and out of danger", Rainbow Dash suggested.
"No can do, speedster. It's a waste of time. Either we go right for the Type-B or we don't", M sternly replied.
"For the love of..." Rainbow Dash facehoofed herself, "They're just little fillies for Celestia's sake!"
"They're okay, speedster"
"And now suddenly you have awesome knowledge-y skills?"
"They're right behind you"
"I mean, what's so hard about making sure they're..." Rainbow Dash continued before she turned around slowly, "...alright..." she finished bluntly when she saw the three, slightly puzzled fillies.
"Hi Rainbow Dash, Mr. Business Guy", Apple Bloom greeted the HiED agents.
"Hey...you three..." Rainbow Dash nervously gave them a wave while M slowly took out his neuralyzer.
"Uh...Rainbow Dash, why are you wearing a suit?" Sweetie Belle asked.
And what's with your hair?" Scootaloo added when she saw Rainbow Dash's combed hairdo.
"Oh, right...", Rainbow Dash chuckled before she hastily fixed her do, "Well...I...um...we...", she stammered, trying to explain the situation to the three.
Even though she knew that the Crusaders would hang by her every word, she wasn't able to find the right alibi to make them go away. She turned her head towards M who was already sporting his shades which probably meant that she needed to reach for hers asap.
"Nice shades", Scootaloo commented.
"Would you three look right here?" M asked before light flashed from the neuralyzer.
"What the hay was that for!? I had the situation under control. I was gonna send them off", Rainbow Dash groaned.
"No, you were never gonna come up with a good enough reason for wearing that suit", M replied.
"I was gonna!"
"That's not the impression I got, speedster"
"And now you suddenly have a cool predicting gimmick or something?" Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of sarcasm.
While the two were bickering, the Crusaders were slowly getting back to their senses. They hadn't remembered a thing about suddenly meeting a suited Rainbow Dash but it appeared that she was arguing with somepony, presumably her new boss.
"Rainbow Dash? Why are you arguing with your boss?" Scootaloo inquired, abruptly stopping the argument between the two ponies.
Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow in surprise while M neuralyzed them again, much to the annoyance of the pegasus.
"What's the matter with you? You're gonna fry their brains or something", Rainbow Dash retorted, barely managing to put her shades back on before the neuralyzation.
"Never hurt them before", M replied.
"What do you mean "before"?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Did you flashy thing them before"
"Come on, speedster", M simply pulled her away from the trio, "We're gonna be late for our little date with the Type-B".
"I'm serious, M. Did you flashy thing them before?" Rainbow Dash asked as she begrudgingly followed the agent.
Meanwhile, in Canterlot
Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the mane six had already reached Joe's Donut Shop. Upon inquiring the stallion, they learned that Rainbow Dash had already gone back to Ponyville after she had met with somepony simply named M.
Joe was a bit tense when asked by the group but nevertheless, he managed to steer them away from the backdoor momentarily, a feat which would've been deemed impossible especially when Twilight Sparkle of all ponies was questioning about it. With some orders from Glock, he directed them to Ponyville where M would be ready to take care of them.
"See! I told you she had a super duper secret coltfriend", Pinkie Pie gave a huge, victorious smile as she and the others sans Twilight sat around a table. Joe had offered them coffee and some donuts as compensation for their troubles and with some extra persuasion from the pink pony, they decided it was best to just enjoy the drinks.
"We don't know that", Applejack said, "Besides, if she had a coltfriend, we'd probably know about it beforehoof".
"Exactly! We all know how...er...inexperienced Rainbow Dash is regarding love", Rarity agreed.
"I-I hope she's alright", Fluttershy said with concern.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy. We're goin' to get to the bottom of this", Applejack assured her before she turned to Twilight who was having a little chat with Joe behind the counter, "Isn't that right, Twilight?" she yelled a bit.
"Um...Yeah!...I think...", Twilight mumbled, resuming her conversation with Joe, "So, do you think you could pack some donuts for Spike? He'll probably know we had some of your donuts and bug us about it", she asked.
"Why not! Anything for my best customers", Joe smiled as he turned to get a fresh batch of donuts, "I'll be right back", he said, disappearing behind a door in seconds.
Twilight Sparkle was about to join her friends outside when she heard some sounds of machinery from behind another door. She turned her attention to the door and noticed a bunch of numbers above it, almost like it was some kind of elevator.
"Hey, Twilight! Are you gonna join us or not?" Applejack shouted again.
"I'll be there in a sec", she quickly replied, moving closer and closer, "What's this?", she asked herself as she pushed a button at the side.
The next moment, Twilight found herself stumbling inside the door which had been opened, right into an elevator. The others quickly rose up from their seats as they noticed their friend had vanished.
"Oww..." Twilight muttered as she rubbed her head.
"Twilight, are you alright?" Rarity asked as she and the others gathered near the fallen unicorn.
"I'm okay", Twilight replied, standing up, "Looks like this is an elevator of sorts", she said, examining the insides of the "door".
"Seems like it", Applejack added as all of them entered the elevator.
"Ooooo...Shiny buttons..." the others could hear Pinkie Pie squeal with glee.
"Pinkie! No...!" Twilight barely managed to yell before the door instantly shut and the elevator began descending deep beneath ground.
A few seconds later, Joe arrived with a plastic bag full of baked goods. With a wide smile on his face, he headed towards the counter.
"Sorry for taking a bit too long, the donuts were a bit..." Joe said before he noticed the absence of his customers, "...cold?"
He instinctively headed straight for the backdoor with the hope that the elevator hadn't been used at all. Unfortunately, a blinking red light above the door welcomed him, indicating that somepony or someponies had entered the elevator.
"Er...Glock?" he gulped, touching a concealed headset, "I think you may have some guests".
The same time, at the Sweet Apple Acres
"This is so awesome!" Rainbow Dash snickered for the seventh time while she floated near M who merely gave a sigh of annoyance. He was starting to regret ever giving her the headpiece.
On the way to the farm, O had informed him that the R.A.I.S.I.N. had forgotten to place the headpiece inside Rainbow Dash's ear and since it was protocol, he had to lend her a headpiece.
"Stay on target, speedster", M said before he noticed some movement behind a large barn, "We've got company", he added as he drew his gun.
"Speedster to old guy. I've got your flank, over"
"Don't call me old and stop toying around", M scolded the pegasus.
"I'm still covering your behind, over. Old guy *snicker* over"
Before M could even reply, a 2x4 flew right at him. He barely managed to mutter a swear word before he dodged it and it whizzed past him...right at Rainbow Dash's face. The resulting contact caused the pegasus to cry out in pain as she fell to the ground.
"Arghhhh...what the hay was that for!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, pissed off by the flying piece of wood.
"Thanks for the cover, speedster *chuckle* over"
"You're welcome", Rainbow Dash groaned as she held her a hoof to her face, "Oww...that really smarts".
"Come out, we know you're here", M said out loud before he blasted a stack of hay, setting it on fire on contact.
"Hey! You're not planning on destroying AJ's farm, are you?" Rainbow Dash asked accusingly.
"If it's necessary, speedster. If it's necessary" M calmly replied.
The next moment, M quickly pointed his gun at an awkwardly placed barrel. He gave a signal to Rainbow Dash who quietly flew upwards and glided behind to get a better look.
As anticipated, there was a male human crouching behind the barrels. He had long hair and a bushy beard and some clothes that Rarity would've been disgusted to look at. Without warning, she tackled the human and pinned him to the ground before he could even move.
"That was not part of the plan, speedster", M growled with a rare hint of anger. Anger at Rainbow Dash due to her not following the discreet way of apprehension he signaled to her.
"Well, I've got him, don't I?", Rainbow Dash chuckled as she moved her hooves in place to prevent the human from escaping, "Now, are you gonna go quietly or am I gonna have to use more awesome submission moves on you?", she asked the human, looking at the shirt he was wearing.
The next moment however, Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped before she darted towards M. She had seen something absolutely strange and shocking. Something she had never expected before.
Her picture on the front of the human's shirt.
"H-How? What the...?" she muttered. She was still shaking in her hooves as she hid behind the stallion.
"Type-B's know everything about us, speedster", M told her in his usual expressional voice, "Makes them all the more dangerous".
"Huh? I-I've never seen a human until yesterday. How the hay did he get my picture?" she asked again.
"Because you are the best..." the human grinned as he stood up, "You're the best pony in Equestria!" he announced.
"THEN WHY THE HAY DID YOU THROW A FREAKING PLANK AT MY FACE!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, still feeling the effects of the unpleasant contact. Both male pony and human were thoroughly astounded by the quick change in emotion.
"That's 'cause You ain't my waifu", the human placed his left hand behind his back.
"Uhh...what the hay's a waifu?" Rainbow Dash whispered to M.
"Doesn't matter, speedster", M replied, fixing his eyes at the human, "I suggest you give yourself in, slick. We ain't got all day", he pointed his gun at him.
"That's right, you don't have all day cause you're gonna DIEEEE!" the human yelled before he threw a rock at M.
Just as the stallion prepared to knock the rock back, a cyan hoof intercepted right before he could make contact. A second later, the rock flew right back at the thrower, hitting him at the forehand and rendering him unconscious on contact.
"Remember, you did hire me for my awesome skills, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash smirked, her left eye twitching a bit.
"Let it out, speedster", M chuckled.
"AAAARRRGGHHHH! Owwww...that hurts so bad!" she pranced around, holding her hoof in pain.
"Unorthodox but effective. Good job", M nodded his approval while he examined the unconscious human, checking whether he was alive or not. A small breath provided an almost immediate answer.
"Thanks", Rainbow Dash forced a smile while she shook her hoof, "What're we gonna do with him?"
"Miss O, do you mind sending over a containment squad at Point 45 Sweet Apple Acres?...Type-B apprehended...yes, he's unconscious...", M replied, holding his left forehoof near his ear.
"Tell her I knocked him unconscious...in an awesome way", Rainbow Dash smiled.
"No...it was Miss Dash, she knocked him unconscious...in an awesome way", M sighed, "Really?...don't code 43 them...we'll be right over...okay...", he ended his brief contact.
"What's wrong? Sounds like something's goin' down at HQ", Rainbow Dash inquired.
"Let's get moving, speedster. We're...no, I mean you're needed back in Canterlot", M replied.
A few minutes later, back at the HiED headquarters
"Maybe it's gonna be a huge celebration for me, you know, a "Good Work On Your First Job" kinda thing", Rainbow Dash eagerly said. She couldn't wait for whatever was waiting for her when the elevators door open.
"I doubt it's that", M said.
"Hey, I never asked you before. How long have you been in the HiED? Twenty-five years? Thirty? Fourty?"
"I'm not that old...Eleven years, if you're so curious"
"Eleven years? Wow, that's a lot of time. I guess you must have some awesome and exhilarating adventures along the way"
"It's a job, speedster. There is nothing remotely exhilarating about it"
"Killjoy", Rainbow Dash chuckled as the doors finally opened, "Now for the party!" she suddenly shouted.
Instead of the wild chants and applause she anticipated, she was only to met with curious looks from the ponies and the humans present in the office. Glock was the only one who gave her a smile but knowing him, he probably didn't know what the hell was happening.
M slowly stood next to her before he lightly patted her on the back. His hoofsteps as he approached Octavia were the only sounds heard inside the office. His ever-present scowl only seemed to intensify as he joined the others in staring the poor pegasus to death.
"RAINBOW DASH!" the cyan pegasus could hear an annoyed voice, a familiar one to be exact, call out to her.
"Oh...darn..." she smiled sheepishly when she saw a familiar group of mares below Glock's office, surrounded by a dozen agents including some humans.
"You've got some explainin' to do", Applejack growled.
