# Writing Collab # Chapter 1 - Easy Money, Right? A whistle sounded. On a podium stood a biege mare with a pink and blue mane and tail. Her eyes were obscured by black sunglasses. She looked tough. A row of eight fillies set off along each other on a obstacle course. They crawled under barbed-wire, climbed a wall with a rope, balanced over a small drop on a pole, and swam across a pool. Among them was green earth pony filly. Her eyes shone a sharp emerald sheen. Her mane and tail were black and had no style to them. They were simply combed and nothing more. She was lithe like gymnast but strong like young bull. Her muscles took up little volume on her boyd but what was there was visibly defined. She was in the middle of the pack during the obstacle course. She caught glimpses of how the others were ahead. Only one other earth pony was ahead of her, the rest were unicorns or pegasi. They uses their magic respectively wings to aid them in the obstacle course. Sometimes it help a lot, like flying over wall, yeah, it really wasn't fair. But life wasn't fair, as the green filly's mentor and gurdian liked to remind her of. She threw a glance at the mare in the sunglasses. She didn't want to fail here. It's my whole that matters. Remember, capitalize on your strengths, compensate for your weaknesses. I will get my chance. All I gotta do is wait. The green filly thought to herself as she dove into the pool. The filly jumped up on the otherside of the pool after some powerful butterfly strokes. She shook of the water on her body. In front of her was and intructor, mare with military face paint on her. She was a unicorn. She regarded the filly cooly. The filly peeked over onto the other tracks. About half of the fillies that had been ahead of her had been apprehended. She wasn't suppose to fight the mare just pass her beyond a drawn red line ahead. The mare didn't move from her spot, instead she just regarded her. The green filly tilted her head one side then the next followed by two succint cracks. She need stop here, despite being on a timer because a screw up here and it was all over. Like a spider disappearing back into it's web's safest part when one got to close, the filly almost disappeared as she took off. But the intructor was ready. She fainted right but then went left. The instructor didn't buy the faint completely but she was still too late. Her hooves hugged air as she just missed the filly. The filly saw the red line and momentarily slowed down as she realized that she would make it only to mentally chastize herself for it. I't ain't over until Celestia sings. And it sure wasn't. She felt her hindlegs get pull into the air along with her tail. Soon her entire body was airborne and engulfed in a magical aura. Of course, since she was a unicorn why wouldn't she use that to her advantage. She was pulled close to the unicorn again. The filly, however, had been taught in how to break both physical as mental spells. She began to flail her hooves, twist, and struggle with her body against the magic hold on her. Trying to find the weakpoint in her aura. There were always one point that a unicorn couldn't focus on. Suddenly, the hold on her front half broke through and with the sudden counted twisting momentum, the rest of her body followed. The filly fell onto the ground in a heap with a thud but she popped back up on her hooves again. She took a quick peek back at the instructor. As suspected, her twisting free from her aura had caused the instructor to put a hoof to her forehead in pain. The filly knew though that this was only temporary so she reached out to finish her with a knockout punch. She held her hoof up for a chop near her near her neck and... She just hung there. Her eyes widen and immidately turned to run. She could feel the magic tug on her tail but the unicorn didn't get a good enough grasp on her before she passed the redline after which she let go completely. She continued to run. She passed through more obstacles, such as running through a parkour course, but also puzzles she needed to solve to continue, like a bomb-diffusion. She had know there were two fillies ahead of her, one pegasus and one unicorn but it was after she diffused the fake magic explosive obelisk, she actually saw their backs again. They were carrying a mare, another stoic instrutor, across a muddy field. The pegasus struggled as she flew her strok style as the mare hung from some kind of rope contraption. The filly realized that she must have undone the knot that held the rope for the wall in the begining of the course and took it with her because it was the same kind of rope. There was nothing in the rules that said you couldn't use that but she had been lucky that she got use for it, well whatever. The unicorn levitated the mare as the waded through the mud. This is it. My chance! She ran up to her mare. Saw her ”damaged” hoof and bandaged it up with the medical supplies that where there. Then dragged the mare that was probably around twice her weight onto herself. Oh, wow. She heavy af. The filly was mored tired then she had thought and the mare had been heavy to her regardless. She exhaled heavily but then shook her head. Determination shone in her beaitiful emerald orbs. She took one step and then another after a few, they just kept comming. She began trotting, then the mud came each step was even more painful then before. After a third way in, she realized that she had to pace herself. Her muscles were burning and despite her copious breaths, she couldn't replace the oxygen in her lungs fast enough. The others had about a third left but she had to wait a pit more before she went all out. She had that in her but she had to reach her target otherwise it was pointless. Wait for it. She had a better pace then the two ahead. The pegasus had fallen behind the unicorn because she couldn't fly the mare further was now dragging her behind her with the rope. This also meant that the unicorn wasn't pushed to her at the end. The unicorn had the end just ahead of her and at this point anyone couldn't be faulted for wanting to take some rest. The green filly knew this and knew that this was the moment to use hundred percent of her power!!! ”Aaaarrgggghhhh!!!” she screamed and then started galloping. All things around her disappeared as she as each hoof felt like they were on fire but she keept moving them forward and back. She didn't let up. Dirt was kicked up in her wake. The unicorn had reacted to her scream probably surprised that there were somepony else with her at home stretch other than the pegasus. She began to run as well but the green filly overtook her soon just at the finish line at the end of the muddy field. The filly collapsed, completely spent, and just tipped the mare off her. She was inhaling and exhaling into the grass. ”I won...” she whispered to herself. Later that evening, the green filly was laying in the shower of her home, or her guardian's home. After making her presentable, grabbing a package of mild from the fridge, wrestling out of the gripp of her gurdian's roommate, the human enthusiast Lyra Heartstrings, she entered her guardian's office. She almost stood attention at her guardian's desk but she reminded herself that at home she wasn't her drill sergeant. So instead she slouched in an armchair. ”Sup Mom,” she called and waved at the beige mare with mane and tail split between blue and pink. ”Anonymous Filly reporting in for duty.” Bon Bon or special agent Sweetie Drops did not looked pleased. ”Nonny, how many times do I have to tell you, sit up-right. Don't force me to use my inner drill sergeant at home.” Anon grinned. ”Try me old mare.” She took off her sunglasses she had worn all day and glared at the filly. Then she ”tch” with her tongue and let it slid. ”Are you gonna make me regret recomanding you to a mission of top national security?” Anon instantly sat up in her chair. ”I got a mission?” ”Yes, you passed the exam today and you're now a junior S.M.I.L.E. Agent.” Anon's eyes were wide in shock. ”Wow. I thought I passed but I never really thought...” She shook her head. ”Uh... What will I be doing exactly?” Bon Bon regarded the filly. ”We have reasons to believe that Princess Flurry Heart is in danger. We have chosen that the best course of action is to asign her a personal bodyguard to be present in all her daily buisness.” ”The filly princess...” Anon was trying to take it all in. ”She is about my age, right?” ”Yes, in fact, you're the same age so the agency thought it suited to have you join her class as well so you're moving for the Crystal Empire for as long as the agency thinks the threat remains.” ”And- You think that I'm ready for this?” Anon asked nervously. ”Are you?” Bon Bon gave her a sceptical look. Anon sat there and pondered for a moment. She had passed the exams. She was a junior s.m.i.l.e. Agent. Being the sameage as her client would probably made it so that it wouldn't be obvious that she was a bodyguard but just appeared like another friend to the princess. It could be a very easy and calm job that would be great for her resume later. She came to a decision. She nodded. ”Yes, I think I am. Thanks, mom for giving me this opportunity.” Bon Bon nodded. ”My recomandation wouldn't meant squack if you hadn't proven yourself today. But this is good, then I'll inform Princess Celestia of this matter so it can become 'offical'.” Bon Bon started to sign some papers with a pencil in her mouth before she turned the papers over and slid them over to Anon. She did a motion towards the papers and gave Anon a look that said, 'sign here'. As Anon wrote, Bon Bon continue to speak, ”The instructors were impressed by the way, however, one brought up something. Appearently, you hadn't delievered a knock out hit when you could.” Anon stood her mouth writing and looked up. Bon Bon grasped Anon's cheeks with her hooves. She gave her soft look for the first time since she entered the room. ”Your still soft, Nonny. In this business there will be times when you face real threats that that kind of hesitation or avoidance will get you or others killed. It's a beautiful gift but sometimes you need to be cold. Do you understand?” Anon looked embarrassed. She nodded and looked away. ”Yes, I do mother.” Princess Flurry Heart was shredding her electic guitar and the amplifier was trying to destory a nearby window in her room. Her mane was done in traditional hair-rock style. Her ears were piersed with skulls. She had thick black eyeliner around her eyes. Around her neck she wore a spiked collar. She bagan to scream into a nearby microphone and then started to growl some magical curses without casting them, of course. A loud banging came from her door as she was banging her head. ”Flurry!” She shut her eyes, trying to ignore the pony banging on the door. ”Not now I'm in the zone, the Tarturus Zone!” she screamed to wards the door. Tarturus Zone was the name of her band. ”Lower the volume!” She tried to ignore the voice at the door started to flick the strings of her guitar like she flicks her bean to her hot magic teacher Sunburst. More loud banging came from the door. ”SHUT IT OFF NOW!” She shut her eyes as a vein pulsed in her forehead. With her magic, she shut the amplifier off. ”Thanks you,” somepony said sarcastically from the other side of the door. Flurry rolled her eyes. Gently placed her guitar on the floor before moving over to her mirror. She felt a bit emo after being told not play anymore, or lower the volume, same difference. She decided to wipe of her red lipstick that she had drawn to make it look like blood running down at the corners of her mouth on her pale face. Instead she put on purple lipstick one and planted a big kiss on the mirror, imagining Sunburst while she did so. Looking good, Fury. Fury was her artist name. She was a tough filly. # Chapter 2 - The Coconut And The Plume "Last stop, Crystal Empire! This is the last stop in Equestria! All passengers proceeding onward to Griffonstone must show passports. Last stop, Crystal Empire..." The loud, shrill voice of the train conductor woke Anon from what had been a pleasant, if mildly inappropriate, dream about her mother's "friend" Lyra. She yawned, sitting up in the passenger seat of the train car. When she opened her eyes, the conductor was standing in the aisle, looking down at her. "Going on to Griffonstone, young filly?" he asked. Anon yawned again. "No, I'm getting off here," she said. "Aren't you a little young to be traveling alone?" Anon grunted, slinging her saddlebag across her back and jumping down from the seat. "Aren't you a little old to still be doing this job?" she countered. The conductor gave her a disapproving frown, stamped her ticket, and continued down the aisle. Anon stepped off the train, shivering slightly as a crisp wind blew through her mane. It was much colder up here than she was accustomed to. She glanced around the platform; she'd been told that Princess Flurry Heart was supposed to meet her here, but so far she didn't see anypony that matched her description. She glanced again at the photo that her mother had given her. The Princess looked nice enough: a pretty alicorn filly with a pale rose-colored coat, and an elegantly curled purple and blue mane and tail. She was smiling rather awkwardly at the camera. *I wonder what kind of filly she is?* wondered Anon. *She looks like kind of a nerd, honestly. I hope guarding her isn't going to be too boring.* Still, as a junior agent of S.M.I.L.E., she had a sworn duty. If posing as a transfer student and being friends with some stuck-up royal filly was her assignment, then she'd carry it out as best she could. "Hey! You there!" Anon spun around, instantly on guard. The filly she stood face to face with was about her age, but she looked like some kind of delinquent. Her mane was dyed so many different colors it was impossible to tell which ones were natural, spiked every which way and decorated with miniature skulls. She wore heavy makeup and dark eyeliner, and her lips were painted a gaudy shade of purple. There was a spiked collar around her neck, and she wore a black leather jacket covered in metal studs and buttons with illegible band names on them. *Oh, great,* thought Anon. *I haven't even been here five minutes and I'm already getting shaken down by hoodlums.* She'd heard that the Crystal Empire was a bit rough these days, but she hadn't expected to get mugged at the train station. Anon stared at the filly, blinking. There was something vaguely familiar about her. "What are you looking at, anyway?" the delinquent demanded. Then, suddenly, Anon realized where she'd seen her before. She looked back and forth from the photo to the filly standing before her. "Uh...Princess Flurry Heart?" she asked. The delinquent filly rolled her eyes. Suddenly, her horn flared up, and the photo was snatched away from Anon. "Ugh, I hate this picture," she muttered. Before Anon could object, she had already crumpled it up and thrown it away in a nearby trash bin. The filly looked Anon up and down, appraising her. She grunted in a dissatisfied way. "So you're, like, a transfer student or something?" she asked. Anon blinked again, unsure how to respond. Then, she remembered the cover story she'd been given. "Uh, yeah," she answered. "My name's Anon, but you can call me Nonny if you want. I'm a transfer student from Baltimare--" "'My name's Anon, but you can call me Nonny if you want!'" said the delinquent, in a mocking voice. She spat. "Uh...yeah..." said Anon. "So...uh...I'm supposed to meet Princess Flurry Heart. That wouldn't be you, would it?" The delinquent scoffed. "Yeah, that's me, but if you call me 'Princess' one more time I'm going to buck your eyes out," she said. "My name is Fury." Fury looked Anon up and down again, and made a disgusted face. "Um, listen, Anon or Nonny or whatever you want to be called," she said. "I don't know how they do things in Baltimare or whatever, but if you expect to be seen in public with me, you're gonna need some new clothes. Come on, we're going to Plot Topic." Before Anon could object, Fury had seized her by the mane with her magic aura, and was dragging her along the platform towards town. - - - Anon stared uneasily at the shelves filled with weird-looking clothes and jewelry. The store was dark and poorly ventilated, and the obnoxiously loud music was hurting her ears. "Uh, what is this place, anyway?" she said to Fury, who kept floating up clothes in her aura, examining them, and setting them back down. "Haven't you ever been in a Plot Topic before?" she said absently. She floated up a few skirts, examined them, and set three of them down again. "No, I guess I haven't," admitted Anon. She looked uneasily around again. "Anyway, I don't really have any money for clothes. My Mom only gave me enough for train fare and meals--" "Ugh, don't be so lame," said Fury. "Here, just open your saddlebag." Before Anon could object, Fury's aura had undone the flap of her bag and stuffed several skirts inside. "Here, let's get you some accessories too," she said, and began levitating various bracelets and necklaces off the shelves. Anon looked nervously around as her saddlebag grew substantially heavier. "HEY!" a voice suddenly barked. "I thought I told you never to come in here again!! SECURITY!!" "Oh, shit, run!" cried Fury, and without warning she suddenly galloped off. "Hey, wait!" cried Anon. She looked around. The angry-looking stallion at the register, who appeared to be wearing more makeup than Fury herself, had come around the counter and was stomping menacingly towards her. She also noticed two burly-looking security stallions approaching from the side. They all jumped at her at once, and her training immediately kicked in. One of the security guards was a unicorn; she anticipated where his aura would appear and dodged it just in time. She feinted forward, then ducked under the second guard's legs just as he was closing in. She did a somersault underneath him, cursing the extra weight of all the junk that Fury had stuffed into her saddlebag, and emerged on the other side of him in the clear. The two guards crashed into each other and fell into a tangled pile on the floor. "Um, look, this is all a mistake--" she said, smiling, but the store clerk was livid. "GET HER!!" he cried, in a shrill effeminate voice. "SHOPLIFTER!! SOMEPONY STOP THAT GREEN FILLY!!" Everypony in the store was now looking at her. "Oh, crap," she muttered. She flashed a big, goofy grin, and then turned tail and fled. Anon bolted out the front entrance of the Plot Topic, into the broader corridor of the Crystal Mall. Several mall patrons cried out in surprise as a little green blur flew past them. On her way out, she managed to kick over a sign advertising a concert by some band called Skinny Pony. She heard the security guards tripping over it and cursing a second later. Ahead of her, she caught sight of Fury's hindquarters galloping away, and she took off after her. It only took a couple of seconds to catch up. Fury looked at her in surprise. "Wow, you're pretty fast," she commented. "I figured they would've caught you." Anon made an irritated noise in the back of her throat. "We're going to talk about this later," she grunted. "But right now, we need to find a way out of here!" She nodded towards the exit they were galloping towards. A couple of security guards were moving in from either side, blocking the doorway. Fury saw it a second after she did. "Nuts!" she cried. "How did they get there so fast?" "If you've done this before, they've probably been watching you the whole time you've been in here!" panted Anon. "Look, there's some on that side, too!" Fury glanced in the direction Anon indicated, and saw that another group of guards was closing in from the left. "Shit," she muttered. "Um, alright, we'll have to improvise! Follow me!" Without warning, she lurched to the right. They were on the second story, and the corridor formed something like a balcony overlooking the floor below. Flurry leapt over the railing, to the alarm of several mall patrons. Anon didn't hesitate. She took a flying leap, easily clearing the railing, but to her dismay saw that below them was some kind of pretzel cart. They were going to crash! She began flailing her limbs helplessly, crying out, when suddenly-- *FLASH* She felt something like electricity running through her body, and suddenly the scenery before her changed. An instant later, she realized that she was somehow standing on firm ground again. She blinked, looking around her in surprise. It looked like they were standing behind the counter at one of the food court restaurants on the first floor of the atrium. "Shh! Get back!" hissed Fury, and Anon felt a hoof pushing against her chest. Fury herded the two of them further back, into a kitchen area, where a surprised-looking teenage unicorn wearing a fast food uniform was grilling hayburgers. Fury crouched behind some kind of huge industrial mixing machine, motioning for Anon to do the same. The unicorn stallion was looking at them with a perplexed expression. "Shhh!" she whispered to him, putting a hoof over her lips. A moment later, a pair of security guards approached the counter. "Excuse me!" one of them barked. The teenage unicorn glanced back at the two concealed fillies, swallowed once, and then trotted up to the counter. "Um, can I help you?" he asked. "Did you see two fillies come through here?" the guard demanded in a harsh voice. "Uh..." the unicorn hesitated. "...what did they look like?" "One of them was really tarted-up, like a prostitute or something," said one guard. "The other had her mane dyed a bunch of weird colors and was wearing kind of a punk-rock looking jacket," added the other. "Wait a minute, *I'm* the prostitute?!?" muttered Anon indignantly. "Shhh!" hissed Fury. The teenage unicorn thought for a second. "Um, no, I don't think I've seen them," he said. "But if I do, I'll give you guys a call." He flashed them a big, toothy grin. The two security guards' brows lowered suspiciously. They looked at each other, peered briefly over the counter, then looked at each other again. "See that you do," said the first guard finally. The two of them trotted angrily away. The unicorn watched them leave, and when they were out of sight, he trotted quickly back to the kitchen. "You need to stop doing this, Flurry!" he muttered. "You're going to get me in trouble one of these days!" "My name's Fury," said Fury nonchalantly. "And anyway, thanks again. I totally owe you one." "Just get out of here before they come back!" said the unicorn. "You can go out through the loading dock!" He ushered them through a back door into a service hall. The door closed behind them with a boom. - - - "Um, would you mind telling me what all that was about back there?" demanded Anon. The two of them had managed to sneak out of the mall through a service entrance, and were now seated at a table in an open-air cafe, sipping on banana smoothies. Fury looked at her absent-mindedly, her attention seemingly focused on something across the street. "What was *what* all about?" she asked. Anon growled. "Well, for starters, I haven't even been in the Crystal Empire for two hours and I'm already a wanted criminal!" she said. Fury scoffed. "Oh, please," she said. "You can drop the sweet little filly act. I saw the way you handled yourself back there. You obviously knew what you were doing!" Anon looked quickly away and took a sip of her smoothie. Had she blown her cover already? She supposed that all of the S.M.I.L.E. moves she'd used weren't exactly the sort of thing a normal school filly would know, but still; what was she supposed to have done? Let them arrest her for shoplifting? Fury was watching her intently. "Hey, it's cool," she said. "Honestly, I was surprised that you could run like that. I figured they'd caught you for sure." "Gee, thanks," muttered Anon. "Oh, lighten up. I would have had my parents bail you out," she said. "And anyway, you've totally shoplifted before, haven't you?" Anon looked up at her and smiled weakly. She wasn't sure what Bon Bon would think of her getting a criminal record, even if it was in the line of duty. Still, though, she had told her to do whatever it took to become Flurry's friend... "Y-yeah," she said. "I guess you found me out..." Fury smirked. "I knew it!" she said triumphantly. "Anyway, it's no big deal. I'm actually really glad to learn that your whole 'look at me, I'm Anon but you can call me Nonny' thing is just an act. When my Mom told me I was going to have to babysit some transfer student she invited to stay with us, I figured it was going to be all hella lame. But you actually seem pretty cool so far, Nonny!" Anon smiled gratefully and took another sip of her smoothie. "Yeah, that's me I guess..." she said. "But," continued Fury. "I wasn't joking about your look. That whole innocent school-filly thing you've got going on, with the saddlebag and everything? That's not going to fly here. If you want to hang with me, you're going to have to change your style." Anon glanced at her saddlebag, which was still heavy with contraband. "Uh, well, I think I've got that much taken care of now," she said. Fury shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, the stuff we grabbed should be enough to get you through the first week of school," she said. "But we're going to have to make a few more trips if you want your wardrobe to be anything respectable." Anon took a huge gulp of her smoothie to prevent herself from groaning out loud. "Uh, sure," she said. "But...uh...do you mind if we go to a different mall next time?" - - - Back at the Crystal Palace, in a dark bedroom covered in heavy-metal posters, Anon stepped out from behind the changing screen. Fury looked her over appraisingly. "Hmm," she said. "Yeah, you don't look half bad. Here, come take a look at yourself." Anon stepped hesitantly up to the mirror. She almost didn't recognize her own reflection. "I look..." Her eyes were now outlined with thick black eyeliner, her ears covered in studs and rings. Bon Bon would probably not approve of the black skirt she was wearing, and she definitely wouldn't approve of the pink and black striped socks over all four hooves, or the choker that looked like a dog collar. After trying a few different dyes, Fury had decided she should leave her mane black, but had added a little pink hairbow with a skull at the center. "I look..." Anon continued to stare at herself in the mirror. She turned to one side, then the other. "...kind of hot, actually," she admitted finally. # Chapter 3 - In The Eye of The Storm As Anon inspected herself in the mirror, Flurry navigated with careful steps over her goth mess on the floor to her bed. She ducked under the bed and found what she was looking for: A box labelled Pone's Farm. She ripped off the tape that fastened it to the underside of the bed. Something had been gnawing in her noggin when it came to the filly and she had to deal with it now. Anon hadn't noticed her absence and had moved closer to the mirror for a magnified inspection of her own face. Flurry grinned to herself. Flurry's horn shone pink and the double doors of a fancy, *dark*-wooden cupboard opened up. A couple of glasses, looking like they had been carved out from gemstones, floated out in a mist of pink arcane energy before settling down onto a small round table along with the box of wine. ”Hey, tough filly! Wanna drink?” she called over to Anon. Anon turned around and followed Flurry's gaze to the setup on the table. Flurry wore a knowing smile despite not knowing. Anon shook her head. ”No, sorry. I'm a teetotaler,” Anon said. Anon seemed to immidiately chastise herself for her choice of words as Flurry gave her a are-you-serious kind of look. ”Ugh, a teetotaler? Laaaame,” Flurry said and massaged her templates with a hoof. ”What do you even mean, you're the same age as me? You're not allowed to drink anyway.” Anon looked away. ”Yeah... But I promised my mom to never... Uhh... Start drinking.” Anon scratched the back of her neck with a hoof. ”She's kinda of an... Uhh... Exercise-nut, and alcohol makes you loose your gains. She also talks a lot about facing one's demons head on.” Flurry studied her face with suspicion then she smirked. She bobbed her head from side to side. ”Oh, how precious. Little Nonny is a momma's filly. Aww. You always do what your mommy tells you, hmm?” Anon felt something cold grasp her heart. This caused her to quickly inhale air, which sounded like carbon escaping a can as its being opened. However, she acted nonchalant and stood her ground. A crease appeared between Anon's eyebrows. ”Oh-o-okay. You're gonna be like that, huh?” But Flurry had seen it. ”Ah! It's true, isn't it? With that saddlebag and how you keep mentioning her at every opportunity, it sure looks like Nonny loves her momma~~” Anon's cheeks flushed pink and she pulled back. Flurry went low and snuck closer like a lioness. This broke Nonny out of her stun. ”Well, guess what?” she spat. ”The first thing I thought when I saw your photo was that you looked like a Nerd. I bet you're the *real* momma's filly. Your mommy being a big alicorn princess of love and everything.” Flurry backed off and pulled her head in as if she was a turtle. Then she pouted to the side. There was faint blush on her cheeks. ”I-I was just a foal, okay?” Flurry whispered, then her smirk returned as she looked up at Anon again. ”Heh. You're starting to grow on me. There's some fight in you, I like that.” The pair shared a cute smile together. Anon realized that she felt relieved to see Flurry's cocky grin again. When Flurry had backed up it felt nice to score a comeback point but then she had realized that it might not be in her best intrest to get on the Princess' bad side, both for the mission's sake but also because the pony before her, although she didn't really look the part, was fifth in the line to the throne of Equestria. ”Back to the topic at hoof,” Flurry said. ”Here's the thing. I can't have you tattle to my parents about the things I do if you're gonna hang with me.” ”I'm not gonna say anything,” Anon said as she shook her head. Flurry chewed on her underlip as she looked at Anon. ”Mmmaybe, but I need to be sure. That's why I want you to share this wine with me. That way, we're in this together.” ”Uhm, okaaay. But is it really necessary though, I mean...” Anon made a sweeping motion with her hoof to indicate herself and all that she wore. ”I stole a bunch merchandise. I feel like you already have dirt on me.” ”Mm, yes. But I kinda put you in that situation. I want you to do something 'bad'” -Flurry made air quotes with two feathers from each of her wings.- ”delibrately, so I can trust you.” Anon want to hard concur with Flurry and blast her for putting her in that position but, then she remembered her own. Anon lifted a hoof to her chin as she began to ponder what to do. When Anon saw Flurry's determined face, her thoughts drifted to her mother. What would she think? Would it be okay, just this once? Her duty and mission took priority, right? Or, would she be disappointed? Flurry raised an eyebrow at Anon for taking so long. ”Fine,” Anon said and then pointed accusingly at Flurry. ”But just this once.” ”Whatever.” Flurry rolled her eyes. With her magic she twisted the tap on the box open. A small, red stream of medium-bodied wine filled up the glass closest to Flurry, but when she started to pour wine into the other she barely got started before Anon called, ”That's enough, thanks.” Flurry continued to pour but as Anon opened her mouth to say something else Flurry took the hint and turned the tap close. Anon's glass was now filled to about a quarter of its whole. Flurry levitated her glass up in the air and looked at Anon to follow suit. Anon begrudgingly grabbed her glass with a hoof and lifted it up next to Flurry's. ”Pone's Farm, Pone's Farm. I won't be awake.” Flurry said, as she clinked her glass against Anon's. ”Clink your glass and do a little swig.” Flurry took a big gulp and Anon followed suit by emptying her glass into her gullet. The bitterness made Anon cringe. The fillies mirrored each other as they both wore painfull grimaces. ”*Ahem*,” Flurry coughed and then spoke to herself. ”Woah, Auntie. I have a newfound respect for you” ”What?” Anon asked. Flurry tapped the box with a hoof. ”This is my aunt's wine. I smuggled it from her storage last time I visit ponyville.” Anon couldn't help but be surprised, she didn't let it show though because the reason for her surprise would lead her to blow her cover story, however, she found it intresting that Flurry Heart had an aunt from her own home town. ”How? Won't she notice that she's missing a box?” ”He-he, weeell. I don't think so.” Flurry flashed a toothy grin. Anon finally got what Flurry was putting down. Her eyes widen. ”Oh, she drinks a lot, huh?” Flurry smiled and nodded. ”Yeah, you can say that again. She -*hehe*- just empties- Ever since...” Flurry lips sunk and formed a frown. She looked out the window as her ears folded to her head. There was an awkward silence between them. Anon wasn't sure how to act. Then the princess spoke up again. ”Anyway, don't mention that you're a teet-totaler to my friends. I can't have you embarrass me with your lameness.” ”Heh,” Anon said glumly. ”Don't worry. I won't, so long as I don't have to break my promise again.” ”Okay, fag.” The pair glared at each other. *This filly,* Anon thought. Anon exhaled and this time it was her turn to break the silence. ”To be honest, I'm impressed. I thought I was the only filly who knew what a teetotaler was and I only learnt of it because my mom is one.” Flurry smiled and took a sip of wine, which seemed to lowkey agonise her. ”Well, if your mom pushed you to become a brawny mare, mine did the same for me but with intellectual work. Afterall, there's no such thing as a uneducated princess.” There was a moment of silence between them in which Flurry took another sip of wine. ”Tch, well the whole teetotaler thing with your mom doesn't surprise me too much. My mom told me that she's somekind of herbalist witch or something. Sounds like she's all about health and stuff, right?” Anon nodded and made a throaty, ”Mm-mm,” in reply. Then she swallowed. She had no idea what the princess had been told on why Anon was here beyond the short cover story that she had been given about how she was a transfer student from Baltimare. Fortunatly for her, there was a knock on the door. ”Flurry, are you there? Is Anonymous Filly with you?” a voice with a sweet cadence to it came from the otherside of the room's door. Flurry's eyes went wide and Anon felt the glass in her hoof being plucked out of her hoof by some force. The box and glasses were surrounded in a cloud of magic and flew underneath the bed, however, Flurry did have the presence of mind to handle her own glass with care so she didn't spill. Having moved her contraband under her bed and out of sight, her aloof mask returned. ”Yes, your baby is here.” Fury used her magic unlock the door. In entered a pink alicorn with a golden tiara decorated by a pair of purple gemstones. They matched her purple eyes and the purple stripe in both her mane and tail. Her mane and tail split into a tricolored color scheme were the colored stripes went along the hairs' length in purple, wine-gummy-red, and yellow. The tips of her hairs curled up into buns. Her tiara wasn't the only thing she wore that was of gold; she also walked in golden slippers and around her neck hung a golden horscollar. Her feathers turned purple towards their tips. She towered over Anon, but not only because Anon was but an itty bitty filly but also because she was clearly taller than the average mare. Seemingly drawn onto the fur of her flank was an azure crystal heart. Flurry had moved to sit in a spot further away from the door before it had opened. Anon sniffed and sensed the faint smell of the wine that she just drank. She guessed she would have to keep some relative distance to the older princess. The big princess' gaze went over the mess in the room, then got stuck on Anon, whereupon seeing her she couldn't help but to giggle at how she looked, before lastly ending up on Flurry. She sighed at the filly. ”Flurry, I told you to clean this mess yesterday,” she said. ”Think about your guest, do you think she likes being in this mess?” Flurry looked bit annoyed. Then she waved dismissively with a a wing. Anon was about to interject that it was fine but Flurry continued. ”It's fine. If she's gonna live with us from now on, she'll see this eventually,” Flurry said. ”Besides, you didn't complain to *uncle* Discord last time we visit him so I don't see why you do now.” The larger alicorn rolled her eyes. ”Discord is Discord. I can't teach the embodiment of chaos the virtues of having your things in order nor is it my responsibility, but you are.” Flurry's jaw hung open and her eyes seemed focused on her eyebrows. The larger alicorn sighed and furrowed her brows. ”And by the way, I know you're just calling him uncle to annoy me. Or is Discord your rolemodel now?” she asked. Those words twisted Flurry's face into a shit-eating grin. ”Why not? Why wouldn't I try to emulate him? Is there something wrong with Discord, mom? ” Flurry asked Princess Cadance brought a wing up to her forehead. ”Ugh, I'm not gonna do this with you right now, Flurry. I came to fetch Anonymous-” ”But you can call her Nonny if you want.” Despite not knowing what Flurry was talking about, Cadance assumed she was tooling with her. ”Yeah,” Anon spoke up, ”that's my nickname actually. I have two nicknames. Anon for short but my...Uh... Mom calls me Nonny.” ”Ah, how lovely. Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Princess Cadance, Flurry's mother.” Cadance nodded towards Flurry who in turn had been staring at Anon with a clown frown and disbelief in her eyes ever since she learnt of where her nickname came from but Cadance didn't notice or she didn't pay it any attention. ”It's nice to finally meet you, Nonny.” ”Wait, *what*? You're gonna respect her nickname but you won't call me, Fury?” Flurry looked upset. Cadance just turned to stare at her with a deadpanned look. ”Pfft.” She turned back to Anon and said, ”I get what you mean about, 'for short'. It's the same with me, my real name is Mi Amore Cadenza but it's a bit of a mouthful, so I just tell ponies that my name is Cadance.” Anon wasn't sure what to say in this situation so she opted to show as much respect as she could think of. ”Thanks for letting me live here your highness,” Anon said, and was about to bow but then she saw Flurry's eyes so it became something inbetween a bow and a nod. Cadance smiled and then shook her head. ”Oh no need for that. As you said, you will be living with us from now on. No formalities, Nonny. Besides, I'm just glad to be able to finally repay your mother for all that she did for me back then. Without her *herbal medicine* and *care*, I'd had a much tougher week back then than the breeze that it turned into.” There was something strained in Cadance facial expression. Anon felt the same pressure. ”Uhh... Well, my mom has always said... That it was no problem at all.” A flash of inspiration struck Anon. ”In fact, you should hear her, she brags about having meet you to everypony so don't worry about it your majes-Cadance.” In her peripheral, Anon saw Flurry pushing her tongue out as if was a flesh waterfall when she almost completed the phrase, 'your majesty'. Cadance laughed, a genuine laugh at that. ”Well, Nonny. Why don't I show you were you will be sleeping from now on.” She looked over at Flurry. ”Why don't you clean up this while we're gone, Flurry.” The little princess looked irritated. ”Tch, fine.” ”Good.” Cadance nodded. ”Follow me, Nonny.” Nonny looked over at Flurry who said nothing and only stared back at her before she left the room with Cadance. As Anon walked alongside the third Princess in line to the throne of Equestria through crytal hallways, Cadance remained quiet for a long while after the two had left Flurry's room. But when they were far out of earshot by, anyone really, she spoke up. ”Well done playing along before. I know there was a communication error on our end and that you only got half of your cover story ready before you left for us. That was my fault. I... I tried to avoid lying so... I don't know. I had trouble comming up with a good lie to tell Flurry until the last minute,” Cadance said, but her gaze remained forward but her voice sounded somber. Again, Anon felt awkward about her situation. Here she was, holding a conversation with the third most powerful and influential pony in Equestria. She hadn't really considered it before and Flurry didn't really give off the 'princess vibe' (although, she, on some subconcious level, she felt it with her too) like her mother did, but she felt intimidated in their company. She choose to say nothing and just continued to walk alongside the princess. Cadance peeked over at her. ”To think that some so small as you, is a S.M.I.L.E. Agent.” Cadance said, again with that somber tone. ”I'm just a junior.” Anon said but didn't look back. Despite having looked at her before it felt different now; that had been an act, this felt real somehow. ”Yes... I still can't believe Aunt Celestia have had an army of foal soldiers since ancient times.” Cadance looked like she had small crisis over this. Anon felt put on the spot and she began to defend herself. ”Well, eeh. It's all voluntarily, and a JSs, such as myself, don't usually get missions of high risk or priority, the main point of junior S.M.I.L.E. agents is to grow up into SSs, or Senior S.M.I.L.E. agents. So the purpose is more to get us started early.” Princess Cadance stepped up her pace and walked slightly ahead before craning her neck back so they came face to face with each other. This caused Anon to come to a halt and Cadance with her. ”Have you ever known another life?” Anon shut her eyes hard but reminded herself that she was in presence of royalty. She exhaled and opened them again. ”My circumstances were... A bit unusual and I think that's a common story for most S.M.I.L.E.s,” Anon said while keeping her tone neutral despite feeling patronized. ”How were they unusual? Why did they push you into this life and not away from it?” Cadance brought a hoof to Anon's cheek. Anon noticed that despite the goldeness of the metal, the touch was soft. It was all too confusing for Anon, part of her wanted to pull away another part didn't. She reached a compromise and merely silightly pulled away from the extended hoof. Seeing this, Cadance reacted by removing her hoof. Cadance had completely turned to face her now and Anon just momentarily looked away before continuing ”I guess, you can say I was sort of born into it. My mother is an SS so I took after her.” Cadance smile return with that. ”The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?” ”I guess so, heh.” Anon smiled back. ”Anyway, Nonny. I'm not mad at you. In fact, I'm grateful that you're here to protect what I hold most dear in life. I'm more disappointed in my Aunt and the secrets that she still keep to herself. I only recently learnt of JS myself you see.” As Cadance was laying it on thick, the two of them continued to travel down the crystal corridor until they stopped at door. ”I'm just doing my duty.” Cadance chuckled. ”Regardless, I'm grateful.” Cadance pushed the door open with a hoof. ”Well, we're here. This is your new room, Nonny. ” The room had a smiliar layout as Flurry's room if a bit smaller. What seprated the two was that this room was plain with only a few minor things that gave it any personality while, Flurry's room spoke volumes of who lived there. Flurry's had posters on all walls, dark curtains for both her bed and windows, a mess of cloths and junk obscuring the floor, and a big mirror (with photos and stuff attached to it) as the room's centerpiece. This room had a wardrobe, a pink fluffy rug, a bed with a stuffed animal snail next to a pink heart-shaped pillow near the bed's headrest, a bookshelf filled with books, cupboard with glasses and shelves, and on the wall hung a big picture of three hanging clusters of wine grapes. The sound of flapping wings brought Anon's gaze up towards the ceiling. The room also shared the high ceiling of Flurry's room, while neither went to the moon, it made sense for a pegasi to be cleaning the top parts of the windows in these rooms and that's what Anon found: A pegasus dressed in a black and white maid outfit shaking her head at a window with a duster mob in her mouth. ”Ah, Cloud Wrangler. Can you fetch Shining Armor for me? I think he should be home by now, he's probably at his office,” Cadance called up to the pegasus. The pegasus flew down and greeted Cadance with formalities, meanwhile they talked Anon paid more attention to the room. Her room back home in Ponyville could not compare to the space in this room; it was like comparing the shell of a snail to that of a tortoise. She looked at the plushie snail on her new bed; it was cute. The maid left in a hurry. ”So, Shining Armor will be here soon. I think, the two of you need to talk sooner rather than later,” Cadance said. ”Ah, okay,” Anon said. There was a moment of silence before Anon continued, ”By the way, you called Princess Celestia your aunt earlier. Is this a typical kind of formality between alicorn princesses that you refer to the older ones as aunts and such?” ”Ehh, no. Hehe, I was just adopted by Celestia after my ascension. That's why I call her that but we are not related,” Cadance said. ”Huh? How strange. It's just that Flurry said she had an aunt in Ponyville and I'm from Ponyville and with you calling Celestia your aunt, I just thought that maybe Flurry was refering to Twilight Sparkle since she's the resident princess there but that couldn't be the case anyway so...” ”No actually, Nonny, you're right on the bits on that one.Twilight is Flurry's aunt but not because of some tradition that binds princesses together as a family but because Shining Armor is her older brother. In fact, this is the guest room where she lives while visiting us.” Cadance gestured over the room. *Wait, what?* Anon thought, then her eyes got stuck on the painting in the room. It almost covered an entire wall. *Remember what mom taught you. 'As a S.M.I.L.E. agent, you're sworn to secrecy.* Anon knew that this secret was something she could not get loose-lipped about. She would take it to her grave. ”But how fun, you're from Ponyville, huh?” Anon turned around and used her many hours of standing attention to petrify her face. ”Yes, but since my cover story is that I'm from Baltimare, I couldn't exactly tell Flurry that when she brought it up.” Cadance gave her a dour look. ]Okay, sorry about this but I gotta finish this now. So the qaulity of my writing will probably drop from this point but I'd like to get the remaining key-points of this chapter down before I finish this.[ ”Mm, that's sad of course,” she said. ”While you mention it, I didn't finish telling you what I told Flurry on why you're staying with us. ”The story I gave Flurry was that your mother help me deal with a powerful sickness while I was in Baltimare and through her herbal medicine expertise. I didn't pay her at the time because she refused to but I said that I'd repay her favor one day, she only needed to ask. ”Then I 'got a letter from her' stating that you wanted to move to the Crystal Empire for studying and that you gotten the permission to transfer here and that she wonder if I could help you get somewhere to stay. ”I told her, 'yes, I can,' because I can allow you to stay with us for a while before I can find you a place to stay in the crystal empire. I insisted on that you should stay with us because being a small filly in a completely new place all alone isn't good so I said you could stay here till you got accostumed to the city.” Anon was impressed by Cadance's slyness but then there was a knock on the door; only a genuis would come up with such a creative story. ”Come in,” called Cadance. And in stepped Shining Armor, dressed in somekind of fancy uniform emblazed by hundreds of badges. He immidiately saw Anon and nodded towards her. ”Is this the one?” He asked Cadance. She only nodded because it takes less time to write. ”Well, you're JS private Anonymous Fillly, correct?” He asked. Anon saluted. She recongize he military ways. ”Yes, sir. Anonymous Filly Reporting in,” she said. Shining looked like he had a cactus up his ass. ”That's what I like to hear, private. I'm prince Shining Armor, and I'll be you're overseer on this mission.” Shining turned to Cadance. ”Where's Flurry by the way?” ”She's cleaning her room,” Cadance said. ”You probably only have about ten minutes or so, she is relatively quick when she gets started.” Convenient. ”Right, then this briefing will be brief. Intresting choice of cloths you have there private.” ”Well, uhh... Yeah, Flurry uhh... Loan me these,” Anon said, thinking back to the promise she made to Flurry. ”Ha, how intresting, like she loaned them from the Plot Topic (kek name btw) in the Crystal Mall perhaps?” Anon froze. ”As the Prince I'm the ruler of all the guards in the Crystal Empire, you think I wouldn't hear about a green filly and some emo brat stealin' goth junk?” he continued. ”No,” Anon said and felt embarrassed over not just telling him right away. Cadance, who was still there, was appalled. ”This is not the first time she has stolen anything, but so far I have cover it up so the public and the media is not aware. Flurry's constant changing look makes her hard to spot and the few times where someone has discovered who she was when she did something stupid, I made sure to convince them to not tell the media. ”However, why did you not tell me this imidiately private? Are you a faggot? (Yeah, I know. I laready made that joke. xD) Huh?” ”I'm sorry Sir. It's just that I thought I'd prioritise getting close to Flurry rather than risking her relationship through tattling. She has been very adament on having me be quiet about the things she uhh... Things she does that she knows you two won't appriciate,” Anon said this mouthful. ”Be quiet about things? What things? Is there more that she wants you to keep quiet about?” ”I don't know if it's good for me to say it, Sir. I will have a hard time pretending like I haven't spilled the beans. Subterfuge and verbal manipulation isn't one of my strengths. I specialize in more physical matters such as martial arts and rough terrain traversing and/or climbing.” Again with that parkour shiit. I'm predictable as ever. ”I want you to listen to me private. Flurry might be a Princess but she's still just a foal. Your loyalty lies with me and Cadance, not her. Now, I want you to tell me what more you know about her misbehavior, or do you want me to get another JS to replace you?” Anon hesitated for a moment before she spilled the beans; she could be sent home. ”She swore me to secrecy by making me drink some wine that she had smuggled from her aunt.” ~~”WAS IT PONE'S FARM!!!”~~ Cadance got mad! Shining looked anger too but more cold. ”I will speak with her about this!” Cadance said but Shining Armor held out a hoof to stop her. ”No, that would give away that Anonymous told us about her secrets. Let her keep the wine,” Shining said.” ”But Shining, she's too young.” ”I don't like it anymore than you do, Cadie, but the danger is real which means she needs to be guarded almost twenty-four seven. ”And you know how she is about that, last time we had offical bodyguards on her she used her magic to escape them. We need her to trust Anon and we also want her to let her into her life in general. ”Truth be told, I don't want her to feel a constant oppression from fear anyway just because there's a threat, that's why I asked intelligence to send one JS here to masquerade as a transfer student. ”That's why private, you were instructed to make friends with Flurry so you could guard her easier. Is this understood?” ”Yes, Sir.” Anon said. ”I understand Shining,” Cadance said. ”I don't like that she's lying to us and that we're lying to her but I suppose it's necessary. I won't bring up the wine thing with Flurry.” ”Thanks ou Cadance.” Then Cadance left. ”Anyway private, on to the next topic. I like to remind you how important Flurry Heart is. The sad reality is this: You are expendable but she isn't. If you have to sacrifice yourself to save the princess then it is your duty to do so. ”If you don't Princess Celestia will mark you with the black horsehsoe of death. Do you know of it?” Anon could feel her heart race and her fur stand rigid on her. ”Isn't that the mark only few villains locked up in Tart 'R' Us has gotten. It basically deprives one of being recognized as life. Right?” ”Indeed. You seem surprized but this was written in the contract your signed on.” Anon pondered why her mom hadn't pointed that out before she signed it. She felt temporarily betrayed, like top 10 anime betrayls betrayed, but then she remembered that at the very first moment she'd showed intrest for her mother's business, she had been told that it was a high risk, high reward job and that death was potentially the most merciful outcome one could have if things went bad. Anon assumed that was her reasoning for not telling her; she should already have known that it come with the job. Still though, she couldn't really shake off the feeling of being betrayed. Shining Armor's face soften as he saw the filly struggle with this situation. ”I'm sorry, if I come off as rough but so much is at stake. My daughter's life is a stake. I need to know that you're up for the task that's why I'm not treating you like the filly you are but as one of my guards.” Anon looked up at him with sudden determination; her heart still felt the fear from what could happened if she failed and the backstab from her mother but she pressed on. She didn't want to be replaced and sent back a failure. ”That's fine, Sir. I'm strong,” she said. ”That's what I like to hear private.” ”Now then,” he continued. ”I'm usually very busy during the week but I'll schedule for a new meeting the next weekend. By then I want a report over this week's activities but don't write it down. I don't want any paper trail for Flurry to find. Keep it verbal.” ”Yes, Sir. If I may ask, why does intelligence fear that Flurry might be in danger? What is the threat and what should I be on the lookout for?” Shining Armor opened his mouth to answer but then the door opened. An alicorn filly stepped inside. It was Flurry Heart. Anon's face revealed her surprise of the intrusion and Flurry got suspicious immidiately when she saw Anon alone with her dad. ”I thought, *Anon* would be the only one here,” she said. ”Well, I just came to velcome her. Though when I finally met her I was surprised to hear that she was into the same kind of genre of music as you are and the same kind of cloths. How strange.” She gave her dad a annoyed look. ”What is it? What are you trying to say, dad?” she spat out. ”It's intresting is all. The transfer student being into the same things as you are. It's quiet the lucky convinence but also a bit unlucky since I got a report today that a green filly and some metalhead filly stole a bunch of merchandise from the Crystal mall's Plot Topic today. A *crazy* pony might get suspicious of her... And *you*, because of how, well, well, you two fit into this description.” Flurry looked away and only gave her dad brief glances of glares. Anon looked into the floor since she was honestly a little tired of dealing with all this drama she's been bombarded with. She felt her nervous betray her and she didn't want to risk sending Flurry the wrong message, or the right one, rather. ”Yeah, he who thinks that I or Nonny had anything to do with it, is sure crazy pony. I'd advise him to start trusting his daughter more.” ”Ah-hah, so he can be taken for a foal.” Shining Armor frowned at her. Flurry didn't reply. She only glared into a spot on the floor. He walked up to her so close that she ended up between his front hooves and with him being way taller than her, he looked straight down on her. She didn't turn her head to face him though. ”Flurry, look at me,” he said in soft voice. And Flurry actually turned to face him with insecurity in her eyes. ”Can you honestly tell me that you had nothing to do with this,” he asked and sat down on his haunches as to make it possible for him to gently grasp her face with his meaty front hooves. At first Flurry's face looked like she was about to cry from guilt but another part of her struggled against it and soon it was overtaken by wrath. ”Don't touch me,” she said and pulled out of his grasp. ”Fine then!” Shining growled while clenching his teeths together. ”Be a liar.” Then he walked passed her and left the room. ”Whatever, mortal,” Flurry whispered to herself as she was glaring at the floor seemingly on the cusp of tears. Anon didn't dare moving in her presence. After a long silence, she felt the need to defend herself from the accusation she assumed she have lodged against her anytime now. ”I... Didn't say anything-” Anon started but Flurry interupted her. ”I know that already!” Flurry blasted. ”It's my stupid fucking dad who can never leave me alone. He uses this whole Harmony-forsaken Crystal Empire's military to spy on me. I can't stand it.” Flurry jumped up into Anon's new bed and began to punch the heart pillow, she was about to go from punching it to the stuffed animal snail. She lifted up in her magic and then readied a punch to throw at it but then she stopped. She looked at it for a moment before putting it back down. She walked over to the door and looked over her shoulder to Anon. ”Comming? Dinner should be ready by now,” Flurry said. Anon hastily nodded and followed. After following Flurry in silence for a while through many crystal hallways they finally arrived at a dinner table, much smaller than Anon had expected. It was probably the ordinary family weekdays dinner room while they had seperate ones for bigger events elsewhere. Surrounding it was a garden and half-panorama view, through a wall of glass, of the city below. Cadance and Shining already sat at the table, as maids and butlers came in carrying the food. As the pair sat down at the table. Shining and Flurry had only shared a small glance at each other before looking away. Cadance clearly knew what was up. One of the maids poured Cadance a glass of Pone's Farm. ”Would you fillies like some orange juice?” Cadance asked. Because Anon had been taking in her surroundings, she hadn't paid her any attention before now so when she heard it. She first thought that Cadance was undercover trolling her daughter, if it had been the case, it kinda worked since Flurry only groaned a response but that was probably just because she was in a bad mood and not because she had connected dots. Anon realized that Cadance had only said that to alleviate the clear tension at the table. Anon couldn't help but wonder if she was really suited for this job afterall. ]Woah, my head was mush yesterday when I finished writing this. I have spent literal days on this behemoth. I haven't even written a single story before that was 6k words but now i wrote a chapter and it was suppose to be just quiet short and simple but it just got carried away. Anyway, I'm glad that I finished it and proud of what i accomplished.[ # Chapter 4 - Meanwhile, elsewhere... Cloud Wrangler watched the family out of the corner of her eye, trying not to smirk. The drama she got to see play out in this castle on a daily basis was more than worth the price of admission. The daughter just sat there glaring at her plate through the whole meal, tearing at her food like a dragon attacking a fresh kill. The mother was clearly mad about something too, though she did a better job of concealing it. All through the meal the two of them would shoot dirty looks at each other whenever the other one wasn't looking. Meanwhile the father just kept his head down and tried to stay out of the crossfire. That green filly, though...Cloud wasn't quite sure what to make of her yet. She didn't look like much, that was for sure. Her serving tasks complete, Cloud took to the air and glided back to the kitchen, lightly holding the bottle in her mouth. She set it down on the counter. "Pone's Farm," she said aloud, reading the label. She snorted derisively. "I get the kids, but why is Princess Cadance drinking this stuff? This is hobo wine. These ponies have absolutely no class." She left the bottle where it was and took to the air again. There was no sense carrying this swill all the way down to the wine cellar. Besides, she had more important work to do. Cloud made her way quickly through the palace. The upper part of the structure was honeycombed with tubelike hallways, connecting the high vaulted ceilings of the various rooms. The tunnels were probably meant for ventilation, but they were also wide enough to fly through comfortably, so the pegasi used them as service corridors. She emerged in the vault above Nonny's room. Her inspection had been interrupted when the Princess and the filly had entered unexpectedly, but they would be at dinner for a while yet. This was as good a time as any. She spiraled down to the floor and gave the place a quick once-over. Another of the servants had brought Nonny's luggage from the train shortly after the family had gone to dinner. The kid seemed to travel light: there was only one small trunk, stowed neatly in the corner of the room. The lock was no trouble of course, and she rummaged quickly and efficiently through the filly's belongings. All she found was what she'd been expecting to find: a small assortment of clothes and toiletries, along with some documents identifying her as a transfer student enrolled at Crystal Private Academy, the same school as Princess Flurry Heart. The documents were most certainly forged; Cloud Wrangler didn't give them more than a cursory glance. Her inspection of the room complete, she reached into the collar of her maid uniform and switched on the tiny communicator device she wore. "Agent #4267 checking in," she spoke softly into the device. "Acknowledge," said a crackly voice in her earpiece. "What is your report?" "Continued surveillance of target," said Cloud Wrangler. "Friction between subject and her parents is ongoing. It appears her father is aware of her shenanigans and has been pulling strings to keep her out of trouble. Possible avenue of exploitation here." "Acknowledge. What about rumors of a S.M.I.L.E. agent in the palace?" "Confirmed arrival of a junior agent this afternoon. She's posing as a transfer student staying with the family. She and Flurry Heart had a little 'adventure' at the mall this afternoon." She smirked. "Impressions?" the crackly voice in her earpiece asked. "Total amateur," scoffed Cloud Wrangler. "She has no idea what she's doing. Completely lost control of the situation. This is probably her first assignment. It looks like our suspicions have been confirmed: Canterlot sees guarding Princess Flurry Heart as a low-priority assignment. If they had any idea how important she is they would never have entrusted her safety to some rookie JS." "Acknowledge. Continue observation of target." "Do you want me to take out the S.M.I.L.E. agent? I could probably have it done by tonight." "Negative. Continue making your reports, but otherwise take no action." "Oh, come on! She's just going to be a nuisance. Just one quick twist of the neck and she's out of the picture." "That's a negative, 4267. You are to observe only." Cloud Wrangler sighed heavily. "Do you have a problem with your orders, 4267?" She was silent. "Do you have a problem with your orders?" the voice repeated. "No, sir," she said, a bit petulantly. "Good. We eagerly anticipate your next report." "Acknowledge. Over and out." She cringed slightly as the connection broke off with a squawk, and then her earpiece went silent. She glanced once more at the school documents spread out on the bed in front of her. The little green and black filly in the ID picture was grinning stupidly at the camera. She looked just like an ordinary schoolfilly; there was no way this kid posed a serious threat. She sighed heavily again. HQ's cautious approach was really beginning to grate on her nerves. She was a professional assassin; this "observation only" business was cramping her style. She hated this tedious spy stuff. However, orders were orders. "Anonymous Filly, huh?" she said aloud, looking disdainfully at the goofily-grinning child in the photograph. "You look like a complete faggot to me." She carefully put the documents back the way she had found them, and closed the lid of the trunk. "Looks like today's your lucky day, kid," she muttered as she took to the air. She glided through another hole in the ceiling, following the maze of ventilation tunnels back towards the kitchen. She still had a few more duties to perform for the family tonight, but she could do most of that on autopilot. She wondered if she had time to sneak in a cigarette before the dessert service. She ground her teeth. This spy stuff was definitely getting tedious. She *really* wanted to kill somepony. - - - In an old dungeon, far below the surface of the earth, a lone filly sat in absolute darkness. Time had no meaning down here, which was just as well since the filly had no idea just how long she'd been in this cell, nor where she'd lived before. Darkness surrounded her, an infinite darkness that seemed to extend in all directions. When she closed her eyes, she saw darkness. When she opened her eyes, she also saw darkness. It was dark in there, is basically the gist of what I am trying to communicate. Suddenly, there was a loud creak, and the door to her cell swung open. She squinted as the dim light from the hall flooded in, illuminating the stone walls of her prison. "Prisoner #6174968?" a voice called out. The filly squinted, trying to make out the features of the enormous figure that stood silhouetted in the doorway, but her eyes were still adjusting to the light. "What?" she grunted. Her voice sounded alien to her; it had been a long time since she'd had any reason to speak. "Are you prisoner #6174968?" the voice repeated. The filly shook her head. "No," she said. "I'm #5189754." The bulky stallion frowned, and examined his clipboard. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Positive." He moved the clipboard closer to his face, squinted again, and then put it away. "Alright, sorry then," he said. "No problem," said the filly. The door swung shut. A couple of minutes later, it opened again, and a different stallion entered her cell. "Prisoner #5189754?" he asked. "Yeah, that's me." "Good. I'd like you to come with me, please." The filly yawned, stood up, and stretched herself out like a cat. "Alright," she said. She followed the guard out of the cell, and down a long narrow hallway. The walls and floor were made of depressing grey concrete, lit with depressing little dim lights set at intervals in the depressing grey concrete ceiling. Doors identical to the one she'd just emerged from drifted by on either side as they walked. At the end of the hall was an elevator. They stepped inside, and the stallion pressed his hoof into a round indentation in the wall. There was a soft clicking and whirring of machinery as the unique indentations in his horseshoe were read, and then the door closed and the elevator moved upward. The door opened again onto a hallway, this one far less depressing than the last one they'd been in. A rich red carpet covered the floor, and the walls were tastefully decorated with oil paintings and gilded light sconces. The guard led her along through several twists and turns, until at length they stood before an ornate pair of doors. The stallion knocked once, then twice, then thrice, and then the doors swung open. "Enter," commanded a voice from within. The filly glanced up at the guard, who nodded. "Go inside." She did as she was told. The guard remained in the hall, and the doors closed behind her. She now stood in a magnificently appointed high-ceilinged office. Tall windows in the far wall looked out over a breathtaking landscape of snow-covered mountains and valleys. In front of the windows, flanked by a pair of flags bearing an unfamiliar insignia, stood an enormous imposing desk. Behind this desk sat a sea-green unicorn. "Prisoner #6174968?" the unicorn demanded. "Uh, no," said the filly. "I'm Prisoner #5189754." "What? Oh." The unicorn flipped through some papers on her desk. "Oh, right. #6174968 was for...that other thing. Right." She cleared her throat. "Anyway. #5189754, do you know why you've been summoned?" "Uh, no. Not really," the filly confessed. Instead of explaining herself further, the unicorn looked her over appraisingly. The filly swished her tail back and forth, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. She was a rather nondescript looking filly, with a black unkempt mane and a bright orange coat. Her only distinguishing feature was her unusual cutie mark: a '?', the meaning of which not even she understood. "Yes, you'll do quite nicely," the unicorn said finally. "You look exactly like her." The filly swallowed nervously and managed half a smile. "Now then," said the unicorn. "My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and I am the Assistant Director of the Filly Bureau of Infiltration. How would you like the opportunity to earn your freedom, #6174968?" "Um, I'm #5189754." "Oh. Right. Well, how would you like the opportunity to earn your freedom, #5189754?" "Uh, sure, I guess." "Good." Lyra Heartstrings flipped through one of several manilla folders spread out on the surface of her desk. "Now then, let's see...your name is...Anonymous Filly?" "Uh, yeah," answered Anonymous Filly. "Hmmm...you've got quite the impressive rap sheet here, Anonymous Filly. Embezzlement, grand larceny, murder, extortion, terrorist activity, political espionage, being a gigantic faggot...it's all here. You're one of the worst, most hardened criminals this facility has ever seen. No wonder they had you locked away in Sub Basement 12." Anonymous Filly said nothing. To be perfectly honest, she had no idea what this unicorn was even talking about. She couldn't remember much of anything about her life before being locked away in that dungeon cell, let alone anything about being some kind of master criminal. However, that meant she couldn't exactly refute any of Lyra's accusations, either. Whoever she'd been, it stood to reason that if she had been locked up in the lowest level of a dungeon, there had to be a reason for it. If the Assistant Director of the Filly Bureau of Infiltration (whatever that was exactly) said she was some kind of master criminal, she had little choice but to accept it. Lyra's horn lit up, and a manilla folder was tossed in front of the filly's hooves. She bent down, flipped it open with her nose, and was suddenly face to face with...herself. The filly in the photograph could have been her exact double, except for the fact that her coat was green instead of orange. They even had an identical cutie marks. "What's this?" Anonymous Filly demanded. Lyra smiled. "Anonymous Filly, meet Anonymous Filly." Anonymous Filly raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Your job," continued Lyra, "Is to memorize the contents of this file until you can recite it in your sleep. From this day forward, you are an agent of the Filly Bureau of Infiltration. Your first assignment: to infiltrate a private academy in the Crystal Empire and get as close as you can to this target. I don't care how you do it; become her friend, become her enemy, convince her that you're her long-lost twin sister, it doesn't matter. But you [i]will[/i] gather as much information about this target as you can...and then, you will eliminate her." "Uh, wait a minute. Eliminate as in...kill?" Lyra rolled her eyes. "No, eliminate as in take her out to brunch. Yes, kill. Murder. Assassinate." "Uhh...." "Don't tell me you're suddenly getting squeamish?" "Well, it's just that...I've never really killed anypony before." Lyra scoffed. "Oh, don't even start. I've got your entire file right here. You can't fool me with that innocent schoolfilly routine; I know exactly what you're capable of." "Yeah, I still don't know about all that..." Lyra scoffed again. "Look, do you want to earn your freedom or not?" "Well, yeah, but..." "Then you will do as you are told. Otherwise, you can go back down to Sub Basement 12 and rot there for the rest of eternity, for all I care." "Well, I guess when you put it that way..." "Good." Lyra's horn lit up, and a pen levitated its way across the desk as she quickly filled out a couple of forms. "I'll have you on the next zeppelin to the Crystal Empire; you should arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest. Once there, I expect you to establish an identity and enroll yourself in Crystal Private Academy. How you handle it from there is up to you." "Hey wait a minute, shouldn't I have some kind of training or something...?" But Lyra was no longer listening. She levitated the receiver of a phone that sat on one corner of her desk. "Hello, yes, it's Lyra. Uh huh. Yes, it's done. Yes, she's agreed. Book a third-class seat on the next airship--" "Third class? Seriously?" She spared her a single, irritated look and then returned her attention to the phone call. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Yes, that's right. One child, no luggage. Yes. Yes. What? Oh, right; yes. No, the kosher meal will be fine, I'm sure she isn't picky. Yes, that's fine. What? How small?" She gave the filly a brief, appraising glance. "No, unfortunately I don't think she'd fit in an overhead bin, you'll have to pay for an actual seat. Yes. Yes. Oh, that's no problem. Yeah, that's fine, you can put it on my expense report. Uh huh. Yes. Yes. Alright, I'll tell her. Thanks." She hung up the receiver. "Alright, you're booked. Your flight leaves in an hour." "Hey, wait a minute--" "You can pick up your ticket at the purser's office." "Wait, the what?" "Agent Cobalt will be your contact on this assignment." "Who?!?" "We'll expect your first report at oh-four-hundred tomorrow." "When?!?" Lyra seemed to remember something all of a sudden. Her horn lit up, and she levitated something out of a desk. Before Anonymous could object, a leather collar with an ostentatious beeping electronic device was clasped shut around her neck. "This is a tracking device," Lyra informed her. "If you get any thoughts about trying to go AWOL on us, well...let's just say we have ways of dealing with that." Anon tugged at the collar with an annoyed expression. "Oh, and I wouldn't tug on that too hard," Lyra added nonchalantly. "Not unless you want the bomb to detonate." "The *bomb?!?*" Anon quickly stopped messing with her collar. "All right, that's enough briefing, soldier. You have your orders. Time to move out!" Before she could object, Lyra had pressed a button on the side of her desk. The double doors swung open, and the guard stepped into the room. "Let's go," he commanded. "Wait, I still don't know about this--" stuttered Anon as the guard began dragging her away. However, Lyra was no longer paying any attention. - - - The doors swung shut. Lyra sat alone in her office, drumming her hooves against the surface of her desk, lost in thought. On the corner of her desk opposite the phone sat a framed photograph of an earth pony with a cream coat and a blue and pink curly mane. Lyra smiled slyly at the mare in the picture. "You thought you were oh so clever, didn't you, Bon Bon?" she muttered. "Well, we'll see who has the last laugh. Oh yes, we'll see who has the last laugh..." A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she once again began shuffling through the various papers and files spread out on top of her desk. She skimmed over the dossier she'd been given, reading the information aloud. "Let's see...yep. Prisoner #6174968; wanted for murder, extortion, robbery, political espionage..." There was no photo attached to the rap sheet, however. She rummaged around in one of the nearby piles, and found a mugshot of a somewhat-disgruntled looking orange filly. She looked back and forth between the mugshot and the arrest report. Had these two things really come from the same file? She had a lot of files on her desk, and now she wasn't sure. She supposed it might have been an act, but Anonymous Filly certainly hadn't been what she was expecting. Was that clueless little filly back there really Equestria's most notorious murderer for hire? Her stomach grumbled, and she gave an exasperated sigh, sweeping the papers aside. Her therapist kept telling her that she needed to stop second-guessing herself, and in any event, it was lunchtime. "Whatever," she said aloud. "I'm sure she'll figure it out either way." She picked up the phone to order lunch.