> Agent Heartstrings > by Quoterific > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Swinging Secret > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In an ordinary house, on an ordinary street in an ordinary pony town named Ponyville which has seen the most extraordinary things happen, a mint green unicorn was currently rummaging around the attic, trying to clear some stuff out for the upcoming Traders’ Exchange which happens annually at Rainbow Falls. She has already sorted through her pile of things that she wanted to swap at the event and was currently going through the rows of dusty boxes to hopefully clear some space and see if her eyes might have missed anything. There were some things she couldn’t dare to part with, such as her limited edition books on anthropology, a collection of snowglobes from her travels with a very special pony of hers and other bits and nicknacks she accumulated over her time in Ponyville and when she was a student at Princess Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. However, the more she searched, the more things she found she just couldn’t dare to part with. She lifted a photo frame, holding the picture in her hooves of her time at Princess Celestia’s school. Her old school friends would come to see her, or she would come to Canterlot and visit them. To think that one of her old friends would go on and become the Princess of Friendship of all things. She smiled as she held the picture of them sharing doughnuts. She remembered that there were two photos of the same event, though the other one was supposed to be a surprise present for one of her friend’s birthday. Throwing another copy of special edition anthropology books aside, her ear twitched when she heard that one of the books had hit something hard with a very loud thud. It didn’t echo around the attic as the other books did, but it was a very sudden thud that didn’t sound right to Lyra's ears. Her eyes had picked up certain things over the years as she still plays her harp and signature lyre, something that she hadn't lost when she joined one of the many after-school activity clubs at the Princess' school. She turned around to find what the book hit on the attic floor appeared to be a black briefcase with a silver trim lining and a classy handle with a horseshoe on the front. It appeared to have seen a few years of good use before it was put in some forgotten corner of the attic, there to let time do its wicked work and allow it to collect dust. Lyra also had a sneaky suspicion that it was as if a certain pony wanted it to be kept a secret. It looked very important, as if something inside wasn’t meant to be shown in broad daylight. That didn’t stop Lyra from being curious about what she discovered. She pushed her collection of items to trade aside and trotted over to the briefcase. She inspected it from every angle, her keen eyes taking in the strange case she had just discovered. Turning it upside-down, she found on the bottom of the briefcase was a label with a strikingly bold font. Blowing the dust off, causing Lyra to cough and wave a hoof at the same time, her eyes squinted as she looked at the faded text. She couldn’t read it at first and she had to move closer to the attic window, holding the briefcase closer to the sunlight. Her eyes widened but then rolled her eyes at what the letters spelt. THE ANTI-MONSTER AGENCY [A.M.A] Lyra groaned when she realised what she had read. Like how she couldn’t part with her books, it seemed a certain some pony couldn't part with their items too. A certain pony who just couldn't let her top-secret spy gear go. Her friend had opened up about who she really was in the middle of wedding preparations when a creature from the Everfree Forest called a bugbear came to Ponyville. She told her about the organisation she used to work for as well as her having to live a double life. To say Lyra was devastated by the truth was an understatement. It made her believe that all they did together was nothing to her. All those moments they spent together, from sitting at the park bench to the shared meals, were all blankets and covers that hid the real mare she loved as a friend. That all those moments were lies to hide the bigger one. However, thinking back, having to tell her friend that she ate a stash of her favourite treats did help break the ice at the wedding. They Pinkie Promised each other to tell each other the truth from then on, with no more secret identities and to be more open to each other. However, seeing this briefcase with the organisation her mare-friend used to work for did bring up bad memories. Lyra took a deep breath. She told herself to let bygones be bygones, and not let this get to her. She unbuckled the briefcase and decided to see what her friend had kept. Inside was some strong rope and a grappling hook and loader. There was also a jet-black bodysuit. Lyra had to admit that was impressed at what her special pony was hiding. Then Lyra had a fun idea. Something that she hoped she won’t get into trouble for. She snatched the bodysuit and grappling hook with rope. Struggling for a couple of minutes, she found that the suit was a perfect fit and didn’t restrict her body movements too much. The attic mirror hung on the opposite wall and she took the time to admire herself in its reflection. There was also the option of a hole for her horn to slip through. Then she flew through the open attic window, wielding the grappling hook and rope in her magic. She triggered the hook to fly forward, and it took a strong grip off of some pony’s chimney. The rope didn’t break and she found herself swinging forward with great momentum. She pulled the next trigger, causing the hoof to loosen and retract to its original position. Lyra fired it again, this time finding its grip on a shop window sign. She pushed herself forward and the rope held her body weight to swing forward once again. Passing Ponies would stop and stare at the peculiar sight. The poor flower ponies ducked in pure fright, Roseluck screaming her signature, “The Horror! The Horror!” to those within earshot. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in awe, none more so than Scootaloo. “That’s something we could definitely try!” Applebloom declared to her two friends. “We could be spies with secret identities!” Sweetie Belle answered back. “Think of all the hidden things Ponyville could be hiding,” Scootaloo thought out loud. Lyra internally cringed at what she might have started. Ponyville was never the same after that whole Gabby Gums fiasco. The six heroines of Equestria were enjoying each other's company when Lyra came by. Pinkie couldn’t help but crack a pun. “Nice of Lyra to swing by,” Pinkie joked. Everypony rolled their eyes at Pinkie's pun attempt. Rainbow face-hoofed. “Where did she get all that fancy gear anyway?” Applejack asked. “And did you see that black bodysuit? It’s so black it’s dreadful.” “Beats me,” Rainbow said, rubbing the spot where her hoof met her face. Ponies ran out of the way as Lyra continued her journey. The green unicorn was having the time of her life. Now she understood why her friend couldn’t part with it. It must have brought good memories. Lyra briefly wondered how many missions her friend went on before they met after she graduated from Princess Celestia's school. However, here and now, she was just enjoying some time with her friend's gear. She just didn’t want the fun to- “LYRA HEARTSTRINGS?!” The sound of her name being shouted by somepony familiar caused Lyra to lose focus of her target. The grappling hook fell short of its target, wrapping itself around the hanging signpost of Sugarcube Corner. With no more momentum to keep her forward, the rope became loose and wrapped around her hind legs and she found herself a metre off the ground hanging precariously upside-down. From her peculiar angle, she saw a certain creamy yellow-coloured pony with a dark blue and pink mane marching towards her, a look of annoyance. “For Celestia’s sake,” She lightly cursed, “I leave you for a few hours to prepare for our upcoming trip while I go shopping and this is what I find?” “Bonbon,” Lyra tried to defend herself but her mare-friend left no room for arguing back. Bonbon began pacing in a circle around her tied-up friend. “Ponies from all over town were running towards me, asking why Lyra was swinging around town with a black suit like in one of those Daring Do books. I almost had a heart attack when I realised who every pony was talking about. Rushing home and racing up the attic, I find my grappling hook and bodysuit completely missing from my case and the attic window wide open,” Bonbon, or Agent Sweetie Drops rambled on, “And what do I find? This!” Lyra smiled sheepishly, her face turning red, though that could be either from embarrassment or the blood rushing to her head. Bonbon just looked exasperated and her hoof met her face. An uneasy silence followed as Bonbon’s hoof met her face. “Does that mean I’m sleeping downstairs tonight?” Lyra asked with worry. Bonbon released her hoof from her face and, to Lyra’s surprise, found her mare-friend smiling. “To be honest, I’m quite surprised you managed to work that thing. Took me forever at training camp to get it to work properly. Your position reminded me of when I overshot my target.” She looked at the rope and the grapple hanging behind Lyra. She started to giggle. Then her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the floor and soon Lyra joined in. “But you did have me worried for a moment there,” Bonbon stopped her laughter, “You could have gotten seriously hurt.” “I understand,” Lyra sighed, “And I’m sorry for worrying you.” “And I’m sorry for being angry and hiding all this from you,” Bonbon’s ears fell flat, “You forgive me, right?” “What did we learn from Matilda and Crany’s wedding? What are best friends for?” Lyra chuckled, “Could you help me down? I’m starting to get dizzy.” “Oh, right!” Bonbon nodded and loosened the rope, helping Lyra back onto her four hooves. Luckily, she knew what buttons to press to help her friend back down. “Now that everything is settled,” Bonbon smiled, “I have dinner planned back at home.” “You know what,” Lyra smiled back, “Swinging around town has made me hungry too.” And so, the couple made their way back towards the centre of town to grab something to bite. “You know what?” Bonbon turned to her mare-friend, “I think I have a pretty good co-agent by my side.” Lyra perked up at that. “You really think so?” Lyra beamed. “You’re swinging skills were impressive, even for a beginner and judging by the comments I heard ponies say. I think I can make an agent out of you.” Bonbon’s stomach rumbled, causing her to blush slightly. “Right after we have dinner.” “You could show me the ropes,” Lyra joked. Bonbon rolled her eyes. The blood may not have flowed back down from Lyra’s head yet. “Dinner could be our first mission then!” Lyra stood on her hind legs and pointed towards town, “Onwards towards the kitchen! Agent Sweetie Drops and Co-Agent Lyra Heartstrings are on the case!” Bonbon raised a quirky eyebrow at Lyra’s remark. “Agent and Co-Agent, eh?” Bonbon perked an eyebrow, a sly smile on her face, “You believe we can solve every case and battle every monster out there?” That was when she was pulled into a warm embrace by Lyra’s magic. “With you by my side? We can be the best double team ever!”