A New Agentby Just A Random PegasusChaptersAn Unexpected LeaveThe MeetingThe QuestionNotice Me, Senpai! Welcome!TrainingThe AttackTrappedEscapeThe BattleBack HomeAn Unexpected LeaveLyra was gleefully skipping over to Sweetie Drops' house. She was bringing over a nice picnic mat for a picnic the two were planning, and her saddlebag was full of yummy treats. (She always wanted to bring the good stuff, of course!) When she got to the house, she gave the door a quick knock, expecting to be greeted by the eager face of her best friend. Instead, nothing was there to greet her. "Bon-Bon?!" She called out, realizing she called the wrong name once again. "I mean... Sweetie Drops?!" She said, her voice gaining more power as she said her friend's name. The door then swung open, and she was greeted by her friend, who had a harsher look on her face. "Hey, Lyra! You can still refer to me as Bon-Bon if you like," Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra's gaze drifted to the side of her friend. "What are you doing with that briefcase?" She asked, remembering it from somewhere. And then it struck her. That case was the same one Sweetie Drops pulled out on the day of Matilda and Cranky's wedding, the case that was associated with her real identity. She didn't have much time to think, because her friend was already pulling her into the house. She gave the door a good slam and locked it, looking over at Lyra. "Um, a-are you okay, Bons?" She asked as her friend started pacing. "Everything's fine, Lyra. I was just unexpectedly called." "Called? For what?" Lyra asked as Sweetie Drops kept her voice to a whisper. "An unidentified threat was posed against Canterlot, so Princess Celestia started up the anti-monster agency I was in, officially known as the MPA, which stands for Monster Prevention Agency." "So... that means you have to go fight monsters?" "Not today. We all were called in for a meeting to restart this agency on a good page. We don't know when the threat will arrive yet, so we need to discuss how to protect ourselves and Equestria if it does come soon." "Does that mean... we won't have our picnic today?" Lyra asked, her voice getting sadder. Another depressing thought struck her like a knife. "Does that also mean that you will have to move out of Ponyville?" "I'm sorry, Lyra. The letter was just sent to me, and I didn't have time to tell you about it beforehand." Sweetie then saw Lyra start to tear up a little. "And don't worry, I won't let myself move out of Ponyville. I don't want to leave my best friend." "Oh... alright." Lyra responded as she got a smile. "Thanks." "No problem. And the meeting won't take long. We could probably have our picnic later," Sweetie Drops informed as she wrapped her friend in a hug. "I do have to go now, otherwise I'll be late." "Alright! See you later, Bons!" Lyra fare-welled as she saw her friend gallop away in the distance with the briefcase strapped to her back. The sea-green unicorn then made her way home. Lyra then was struck with an idea. "I'll have to ask her!" She said to herself as she continued trotting off in the distance. Author's Note Lyra's idea will be revealed in chapter three! (Some of you might have already guessed, though.) I hope you enjoyed! And for some of you that may be wondering, Lyra will continue to call Sweetie Drops "Bon-Bon," since that's the name she's used to. (It's also the name I'm used to myself! ) The MeetingSweetie Drops stepped off the train and breathed in the fresh, Canterlot air. She looked up and saw the Canterlot Castle towering overhead, which was the place where she would need to enter. She walked forward, seeing many high-class ponies pass by. As she walked up to the shimmering gold castle, she was confronted by two guards standing outside. "Who goes there?!" The guards asked at the same time, their voices booming. Sweetie Drops opened her briefcase, looked around to make sure nopony was watching her, and took out a little card. Special Agent Sweetie Drops was marked on it, along with Princess Celestia's Stamp of Approval, making it easy for any officials to tell that she worked for the agency. The guards looked at the card and immediately nodded their heads. The tone of their voice softened, reduced almost to a whisper. "You may enter," one of the guards informed. The other chimed in. "They are all in the meeting room upstairs. Do you know where you're going, Miss Sweetie Drops?" "Yes, sir!" Sweetie Drops answered. The guards then let her pass. After she passed them, she walked along the red carpet leading to a small flight of stairs. As she looked around, she noticed an almost eerie silence in the castle. She climbed up flights of stairs and walked along the empty hallways until she found the meeting room, which also had another royal guard positioned outside. Sweetie Drops once again took out her identity card and showed it to the guard. He nodded his head and knocked on the door. "Princess!" "Yes?" Sweetie Drops could tell that voice was Princess Celestia's. She was the leader of the agency, after all. "Sweetie Drops is here," the guard informed. "Let her in." The guard then opened the door for Sweetie Drops as she stepped in. She looked around, seeing almost everyone that used to work with her. She took a seat across from Princess Celestia and set her briefcase down on the table. The guard shut the door as Celestia spoke. "Welcome back, Sweetie Drops. We have only two members to wait on, and then we can start the meeting," Princess Celestia informed. Sweetie Drops nodded her head. After the next twenty minutes, the remaining two entered as Celestia spoke. "It's nice to see you all here again. I'm happy you all could make it here today, since we have quite a bit to go over. First, does anypony have any questions?" A sky blue unicorn by the name of Minuette raised her hoof. "Yes, Agent Minuette?" "How did you hear about the threat?" She asked as a few ponies in the room nodded their heads in agreement. "One of the guards told me that they heard one pony saying that Canterlot would be a great place for their master to take over. The next day, many more ponies looked like they were trying to find easy spots to attack here. We don't know when we're going to be attacked, if at all, but we still need to prepare anyway," Celestia informed. She then levitated nine folders out of a drawer, one for each of the members except herself. "Um, Princess?" A yellow unicorn mare asked. Celestia set the folders down on the table. "Yes, Agent Lemon Hearts?" "What if we don't get attacked for a really long time? Will we just keep a lookout for years until it finally happens?" Lemon Hearts asked. "We won't be as worried about protecting if it takes that long for the attack, but we would still need to see if we can spot any signs of suspicion. I would assume that if it takes that long to make the attack, either whatever is plotting against us gave up the idea, or they are creating a huge plan to attack. We hope that it doesn't take that long, though," Celestia answered as she slid each of the members a folder. "These folders have descriptions of what each of you should do if you see any sign of suspicion. It also gives directions on how to protect the citizens, and some training skills that you may need. We honestly don't know what we're going up against, but it could be any kind of monster. If the situation becomes too hard, I could call Princess Twilight and the other element bearers over, and see if they can help. Anymore questions?" Celestia looked around and saw that nopony had their hoof raised. She then nodded as a small smile formed on her face. "Alright then. Have a great day all of you. I am happy we are getting the organization back together again. Oh yeah, one more thing. If a monster does try to attack where you're living, make sure to take care of it. Goodbye, everypony!" As everypony filed out of the meeting room, Sweetie Drops put the folder in her case. She then exited the castle and trotted to the train station. "Next stop: Picnic with Lyra!" She said to herself as she boarded the train. Author's Note I hope you enjoyed! Just so you know, Colgate is the same pony as Minuette. The character tag is labeled "Colgate," though. The QuestionAs Sweetie Drops walked home, she noticed some movement in her backyard. Quietly, she opened the door to her house, looked around to make sure nopony was watching her, and placed her briefcase in a secret compartment. She then heard the movement outside again. "What's that?" She asked herself as she walked towards the window. "Doesn't hurt to practice my ninja skills, right?" She said as she jumped through the window, landing by performing a barrel roll. Standing up, she faced her yard, not seeing anypony, but hearing movement. "WHO GOES THERE?!" She questioned as she heard a very familiar laugh. She turned around to find Lyra giggling at the sight of her acting defensive over her property. "Did the agency get to your head already?" Lyra teased as she continued setting the picnic up, which Sweetie Drops realized was the movement she was hearing in her yard. "Lyra, what are you doing here?" Sweetie questioned as Lyra put her last dessert on the mat. "I set up the picnic, duh! Oh, and by the way, I took some food out of your kitchen for this," Lyra informed. "Oh, well thank you, Lyra! And it... looks like you took a lot of... oats from my kitchen..." "Oh, yes! What's a picnic without oats!" "Well, can you put a few back? I would like to eat some a different day..." Sweetie Drops asked. "Fine," Lyra responded as she levitated half of the oats into the kitchen again. "Do I need to put anything else back?" "No... that's good," Sweetie Drops responded. "Thanks, Lyra!" "No probs! Now, let's eat before it becomes dark!" Lyra declared as she started chowing down. Sweetie Drops did the same, just realizing how hungry she had become. After a minute of chewing, Lyra started up a conversation. "So... how was the meeting?" "Good!" "Did you learn anything about the threat?" Lyra asked, sounding a bit more curious. "Well, we learned that the threat may not attack at all," Sweetie Drops responded. "That's good news! I'm sure it would be cool to fight it, though..." "We think it's going to attack sometime, though. So I need to be on the lookout. And I don't know if 'cool' would be the right word to describe it," Sweetie Drops answered. "Hey, Bons?" "Yes, Lyra?" "I have a question for you." "What is it? Are you about to ask me if I wanted to learn more about your study? What is it... I know it starts with an 'A'..." "Anthropology?" "Yes, that's it!" "No, that's not my question. Although, I would be available to teach anytime!" Lyra responded. "Well, I'll see when I want to learn about anthropology. Now, what do you want to ask me?" "Um... can I be... in the agency?" Lyra asked, putting on a sheepish grin. "You want to WHAT?!" Sweetie Drops questioned. "Well... be in the secret agency. I think it would be pretty cool to fight monsters..." "Lyra, it would be cool to have my best friend there, but I don't think there's any way I can get you in..." "What? Why not?" Lyra questioned, a little upset. "First off, I wasn't supposed to tell anypony about the agency. If I tell the princess you want in, she would know I told you. Nopony else is supposed to know about it. Even if you go up and ask her to be in, she would be afraid that all of Equestria would have heard about it, and we will have to end the society again. I would love for you to be with me in the society, Lyra, but In don't think there is a possible way to get you in," Sweetie Drops responded as Lyra's ears fell flat. "Oh... okay. I just thought it would be really cool to be in a secret society. I do understand what you're saying, though," Lyra exclaimed as she tried to smile a little bit. Besides playing the lyre and studying anthropology, Lyra doesn't do much in her free time. That means, when Sweetie Drops can't hang out, that she is sitting at home alone and bored. She would study magic, but she figured out pretty quickly that spells don't lock in her memory very easily. She also tried making candy, but that ended up as a disaster. She thought that she finally found something that both she and her best friend could do together, if it weren't supposed to be secret. She then heard Sweetie Drops gasp, which broke her from her train of thought. "I think I just got an idea!" She exclaimed as Lyra's ears perked up. "You mean... you can get me in? Without the princess knowing you told me about it?!" Lyra questioned, her voice growing with hope. "Yes!" Sweetie answered, the smile on her face spreading. "I remembered what I did that caused Princess Celestia to notice me!" "What did you do?" Lyra asked with a huge smile on her face. "A little while ago, I was leaping over small structures in Canterlot for fun. I used a rope to latch onto polls and swing on them. Princess Celestia noticed my way of having fun, and introduced me to the organization! If I can pretend to be showing you the fun I had as a filly doing that, and if you are good enough, the princess could let you in!" Sweetie Drops declared. She was then embraced by the sea-green unicorn. "Thanks! You are really the best friend anypony can ever have!" "You are too!" Sweetie added on. They pulled apart as Lyra got a small look of confusion on her face. "Wait, how will the princess see me?" She asked as Sweetie Drops got a small smirk. "She walks around the Canterlot Gardens every day. If we can practice there, than she will notice you!" She informed as Lyra got her happy smile again. "Great! Thanks again, Bons!" Lyra thanked as Sweetie Drops started to clean up the picnic mat. Lyra levitated and placed some leftovers into her saddlebag. After the mat was cleaned up, Lyra walked off and waved goodbye to her friend. "Come to my house at seven-o-clock tomorrow morning! We will board the train then!" Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra nodded her head. "Will do! See you tomorrow!" "See ya!" Sweetie Drops said one last time before Lyra was already at the other side of her house. She then smiled uncontrollably. Her best friend could be working in the same agency as her! Even though she had other ponies to talk to, she saw them as acquaintances. She felt that Lyra could bring a whole new life to the agency. She soon climbed the stairs, landed in her soft bed, and drifted off to sleep. Her mind was swarming of new experiences that could come with her best friend. Author's Note Just in case you are wondering: I am NOT shipping these two in the story! Sure, I'm friendshipping, but not making them anything more than friends. Here is the song for Lyra's studies! Notice Me, Senpai! Notice Me, Senpai! Buildings flew by Lyra and Sweetie Drops as they sat on the train, looking out at the morning scenery. Dew still covered the grass, and the sun gave the sky a nice orange glow as it ascended. Lyra opened the window by her seat, letting the nice, morning breeze cool her off. The air inside the train was warm and humid, since the conductors didn't bother turning the air conditioning on until it got really warm outside. Lyra sat back in her seat, the breeze blowing her mane like a fan. She then looked down at a bag that Sweetie Drops had brought with her. She knew that her friend always brought some of her delicious candy wherever they went. When Sweetie Drops wasn't looking, Lyra levitated a piece of candy from her bag. Sweetie Drops felt the small movement and turned around to face her friend. "Hey! What are you doing?" She asked as she saw Lyra open-mouthed, holding the candy close to her lips with her magic. "Hey, it's not my fault your candy is really good!" Lyra responded as she gave her friend the piece back. "Lyra, I don't care if you have one. Just ask next time, okay?" Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra quickly popped the candy into her mouth. Her taste-buds were greeted by the nice taste of orange cream inside a chocolate shell. Sweetie Drops looked over at her. "It's a new recipe I made: Chocolate-shelled orange-ness," she told Lyra as the unicorn swallowed the candy. "That's really good, Bons!" Lyra responded as her friend smiled. She looked outside to see that the sun had risen a little higher, and that they were a little closer to Canterlot. When the train arrived at the station, Lyra was the first to leap out of her seat. "Yeah! Time to be in the agency!" She shouted out as other ponies on the train looked at her suspiciously. "What are you talking about, mam?" One of the stallions asked as Sweetie Drops face-hoofed. "Oh, my friend and I are... joining a group of our other friends that live here that go by 'The Agency!'" Lyra explained, her eyeballs darting. The stallion smiled and trotted off. As Lyra got off the train, she saw Sweetie Drops glaring at her. "WHAT IN TARTARUS, LYRA?!" She bursted as Lyra gave a small laugh. "Sorry... I just got a little too excited and..." "Ugh... you're lucky no one in the group was on there! Then they would have figured out I told you!" Sweetie Drops responded, having made sure nopony else could hear her. "I know..." "Sorry, Lyra. Just remember next time to not give away anything else about this. I know you tend to get over-excited about these kinds of things." "Haha... yeah..." Lyra responded as a smile crept back onto her face. "Where are the Canterlot Gardens, anyway?" Lyra questioned as Sweetie Drops stepped in front of her. "Follow my lead!" She declared as she trotted off, Lyra following closely behind. The two soon came to the entrance of the gardens, and Sweetie Drops led them to a great spot to practice. "Lyra, are you ready to learn what I did as a filly?" She asked as Lyra nodded her head. She then ran and leaped over a small block of grass, landing in a barrel roll. "Now you try!" Sweetie suggested as Lyra got ready to sprint. The unicorn managed to jump over the block, but the roll didn't go well for her. She only did about a 180 degree twist. "Almost..." Lyra said to herself. Sweetie Drops motioned for her to keep trying. Lyra kept jumping over the block, while landing in not-so-perfect rolls. Around the fifth time, she landed in a perfect roll. "Finally!" Lyra remarked as Sweetie Drops walked over to her. "Ready for the next thing?" She asked as Lyra got a look of determination. "Bring it on." "Alright," Sweetie Drops responded. She took a small rope out of her bag, swung it around like a lasso, and flung it so it latched onto a nearby poll. Hanging onto it with her teeth, she swung in a full circle, landing in a perfect stance. She pulled the rope back as far as she can, which caused it to unravel from the poll. She threw it over to Lyra. "Now you try," she declared as Lyra stared at her. "How?" She asked in disbelief. "When you swing around, make sure to go close to the poll," Sweetie informed as Lyra levitated the rope. She didn't have the ability to swing a rope around with her mouth like earth ponies do. She quickly shot it over and wrapped it around the poll, but made sure not to tie it. She then jumped, got on near the top, and circled around a little bit. Sadly, she only got about 90 degrees around the poll. A voice in her head told her to keep trying. She kept swinging on the rope, not making the full distance. She made it a little more than halfway around when Celestia was walking through the gardens. "Hello, Sweetie Drops. And who is this?" She asked as she pointed at Lyra, who fell off the rope. "Good afternoon, Princess! And that is my best friend, Lyra Heartstrings. I'm teaching her some fun tricks I did when I was younger. She really wants to be ninja-like, just like me!" Sweetie Drops informed as the princess giggled. "You do have quite amazing stealth, Sweetie Drops," Celestia commented. Lyra then looked at the princess and then the rope. She needed to make it all the way around. If she was able to do so, Celestia would probably notice her. She then quickly put the rope back on the poll and charged. She grabbed on, quickly spinning around the poll. Before she knew it, she had made a complete circle, and landed perfectly. "Lyra, you did it!" Sweetie Drops congratulated as Celestia gave a smile. "Nice work, Miss Heartstrings. Can you do the jump-roll Sweetie Drops does? I'm curious," Celestia questioned as Lyra nodded her head. She ran over, jumped the block of grass, and landed in a perfect barrel roll. The princess raised an eyebrow. "You are a lot like Sweetie Drops, Lyra. Which reminds me. Can you come to my castle in about twenty minutes?" Celestia asked as Lyra's eyes grew wide, but she tried to put a look of confusion on her face. "Why?" She questioned in the most convincing voice possible. "All will be explained then. See you in a few minutes!" Celestia responded as she left the gardens. As soon as the princess was out of sight, Lyra got a huge smile and gave Sweetie Drops a hug. "I made it in!" Lyra exclaimed as she pulled apart. "Thank you, Bons!" "No problem! And we hope that is what she called you for," Sweetie Drops responded. "It is exactly how she addressed me, though." "Why would I be called for anything else?" Lyra questioned as she hoof-bumped her friend. "I'm not sure. I guess I should assume the best," Sweetie Drops admitted as Lyra started bouncing up and down. "I can't wait to go over to the castle!" Lyra remarked. "Well, you're going to have to wait twenty minutes," Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra stopped bouncing. "Oh, right..." Lyra responded as she sat on a bench, trying to make the time fly. After feeling like an hour had passed, she checked a watch Sweetie Drops had in her bag. "Oh come on! There's still fifteen minutes left!" Author's Note Poor Lyra. Hopefully she will be able to wait twenty minutes without going crazy. Next chapter will be here very soon! Welcome!"FINALLY!" Lyra shouted as she realized the long twenty minutes had passed. She then dashed on over to the castle, leaving Sweetie Drops behind. "Lyra! Wait for me!" Sweetie Drops shouted as Lyra stopped in her tracks. "Bon-Bon, the princess called me over. I think I should enter the castle alone," Lyra informed as she took off again. Sweetie Drops rolled her eyes and trotted after her. She was planning to just wait outside the castle. She wanted to know if Lyra got in as soon as possible. Lyra looked up and saw the gold exterior of the Canterlot Castle. Her heart started racing as butterflies flew in her stomach. "This is it, Lyra," the unicorn told herself as she trotted into the castle. Her hoof touched the soft, red carpet as she entered. When she looked up, she saw none other than Princess Celestia herself. The princess looked down at her and smiled. "Good afternoon, Miss Heartstrings. I suppose you are wondering why you are here," Celestia informed as Lyra quickly nodded. "Yes, your highness. Am I in trouble?" Lyra questioned, sounding as convincing as she could be. Celestia giggled. "Of course not! Follow me. I need to take you to a private room," Celestia informed as she walked up the stairs. Lyra followed behind her. Normally, if a princess took her to a private room, her mind would be racing with possibilities of what might happen. But at this moment, she knew what was happening. Celestia opened a door to a room that nopony was in and entered. She held the door for Lyra, who walked through, looking at the interior. After she was in, the princess closed and locked the door to make sure nopony will enter. "Um, Princess? Why do we have to be in a private room?" Lyra questioned as Celestia smiled a little bit. "Lyra, I am about to tell you one of the biggest secrets that I hold. And I hope you won't tell anypony. Understood?" Celestia informed. "Yes, Princess." "Alright. The reason I called you here is that... I think it would be great for you to be a member of the Monster Prevention Agency, or the MPA." "The what now?" "The MPA is a secret agency that fights and exterminates monsters. With your skills shown today, and the fact that you and Sweetie Drops are best friends, made up my decision to let you in." "Cool! But what does Sweetie Drops have to do with this?" Lyra questioned. Lying with a straight face to the princess was one of the hardest things Lyra had ever done. But she knew if she let the secret slip in any way, that Sweetie Drops might be in trouble with the princess. Her thoughts were cut off when Celestia answered her. "Sweetie Drops is in the agency, just like you." "Really?!" "Yes. She had to keep it a secret from you. She also had to change her name when coming to Ponyville, but I suppose she had you address her by her real name?" "Yeah..." Lyra responded, hoping Celestia doesn't ask her any more questions. "Alright. Just making sure; you want to be in the agency, right?" "You bet I do!" Lyra responded, realizing how impolite she was being to the princess. "Um... I mean... yes, your highness." "Good. Will you be in Canterlot with Sweetie Drops much longer?" Celestia asked. "I'm not sure how long we're going to be here," Lyra responded, wondering why Celestia wanted to know. "Well, is it alright if you stay in Canterlot a little longer?" "Why?" "Since you are a new member of the agency, I will have to train you, so you will know what to do if you come across a monster. I will also have Sweetie Drops help you, since she knows you much better than I," Celestia informed as Lyra smiled. "Sounds good! Are we training right now, your highness?" She questioned. "Well, if you want to. I'm good with whatever time. Find Sweetie Drops and bring her over here, and then we can start." "Okay. Thank you, Princess!" Lyra thanked as she walked out of the room and waved to Celestia. She then ran down the castle hallways, through the main foyer, and out into the city. The sun was high in the sky, marking afternoon. Lyra then got a huge smile on her face. "Yeah! Time to train! Woo-hoo!" Lyra quietly said to herself as she ran to go find her friend. TrainingLyra started to gallop, causing the afternoon breeze to make her mane flow. "I really wish I knew where Bon-Bon was..." she said to herself. She ran around the castle, looking for her friend. Suddenly, she was hit in the back of the head by something hard. "Ow!" She remarked out-loud. She looked on the ground and saw what had been thrown at her. It was a small piece of candy. Suddenly, Sweetie Drops ran up to Lyra. "You ran right past me, Lyra!" She informed as Lyra ate the candy that was thrown at her. "Oh... I guess I was too eager to find you that I didn't look all around the area..." Lyra explained. A huge smile crept onto her face. "And guess what?" "What? You got in? She wants you to train with her?" Sweetie Drops questioned as Lyra nodded her head in excitement. "And she wants you to help me!" Lyra added as Sweetie Drops grew a smile. "I'm so happy for you, Li!" She remarked. Her face then changed to a look of confusion. "And why does the princess want me helping?" "Well, she thinks that you know me better than her, which is true. So she asked me to come find you!" Lyra informed as she started to walk off. "Wait!" Sweetie Drops shouted as Lyra looked back. "What? The princess is waiting for us!" "Do I need to bring my briefcase? I left it at home!" "She didn't say you needed to bring anything. Now come on!" Lyra responded with small hints of excitement and annoyance in her voice. Sweetie Drops took off after her friend, trying her best to keep up. When the two got into the castle, they found Celestia standing on the steps once again, waiting. "Princess! I brought Sweetie Drops!" Lyra informed as Sweetie Drops waved. "Nice to see both of you again. Now, we are going to go to a room inside of the castle that nopony knows about; a secret area just for the agency. Follow me," Celestia greeted as she walked down the hallway. Nopony else was in the castle, either, so they could feel free to talk about the secret agency as loud as they wanted. "I contacted all of the other members of the agency, telling them that we will train today," Celestia informed. "At first, I figured that it could just be you two, but since a threat has been made, I think everypony should have a day to train." Lyra then looked at her with confusion. "Wait, there's a threat?" Lyra questioned as Celestia nodded. "Yes, Agent Heartstrings. I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, since you were just let into the agency. So, be on the lookout for any signs of suspicion," Celestia informed. Lyra then remembered that Sweetie Drops mentioned the threat, but she knew she couldn't tell the princess that she already knew about it. Soon, they came to a door that seemed hidden against the interior. Celestia then called for a royal guard. An armored stallion came running over at her command. "Yes, your highness?" "Guard this door. Make sure to only let ponies in that have their secret agent identities and my stamp of approval." "Yes, mam!" The guard responded as he stood in front of the door. Celestia opened it, letting the young agents enter first. When Lyra stepped through the door, she saw a floor made up of turf, punching bags, targets to fire magic at and poles to swing around and practice agility with. She also saw many high ledges here and there. "Welcome to the training room!" Celestia remarked. "Feel free to use any of the equipment here to train. Sweetie Drops, you can show her what you normally do here." "Alright. I did leave my briefcase at home, tough," Sweetie Drops informed. Celestia then took out two sets of equipment. "Here is some equipment for both of you. Lyra, you should keep this case. I need to create an identity card for you," Celestia said as she handed two cases to the mares. Lyra opened it and found a grabbing hook, a watch, a card, and a disguise inside. Celestia levitated the card out of the case and seared some magic into it. "Here is your card, Lyra. Be sure to show it to the guards whenever we have a meeting," Celestia informed as she gave Lyra the card. "Thanks, Princess," Lyra responded. She saw that the card had Agent Lyra Heartstrings engraved into it, and a gold circle that looked like the sun. She then turned to see that Sweetie Drops was holding the grabbing hook. She then flung it, latching it onto a poll. She swung and landed on a tall ledge. She then leaped off the platform, performing a front flip on the way down. When she landed, she darted on over to the punching bags, jumped up, and kicked one. She then ran back to the poll, pulled the grabbing hook off, and made her way back over to Lyra. "Wow! You're awesome!" Lyra commented as Sweetie Drops came to a halt. "I bet you will be, too," she responded as she caught sight of Celestia walking up to a target. "Do you want to see some really strong magic?" "Sure!" Lyra responded. "Turn around," Sweetie Drops instructed. When Lyra turned, she saw Celestia in a battle-like stance, magic starting to glow on her horn. Her eyes were fixed on the target, and her wings were spread out. She then unleashed the magic, causing it to fly over to the target like a lightning bolt. When it hit it made a loud sound and disintegrated. "That's some strong magic, Princess!" Lyra remarked, walking up to Celestia. "Thank you, Lyra! Now you should try. Don't be afraid to give it your all. The targets are made out of a material that absorbs magic; so it won't get destroyed." "Alright!" Lyra responded as she stood in front of a target. Her eyes and mind locked on the bulls-eye. She then felt magic sear to her horn and engulf it in a faint, orange glow. She then shot a beam of magic onto the target, creating a small sound. She looked to see the magic fading away. "Very good, Agent Heartstrings. Do you want to try the other things here?" The princess offered. Lyra nodded and grew a smile of determination. "Of course, Princess!" Lyra responded as she practiced her skills with the grabbing hook. About a half hour later, other agents started making their way into the room. When Lyra saw them, she jumped off a high ledge she was standing on and trotted over. She then stood by Princess Celestia's side. "Everypony, I would like you to meet Lyra Heartstrings. She is a new agent here in the MPA." "Hello, Lyra!" All of the ponies greeted. Lyra recognized a few faces in the crowd. She then turned to find Sweetie Drops galloping over as well. "Uh... hello, everypony!" Lyra responded as Celestia's smile turned to a look of seriousness. "I have called you all here so that we can train for the attack that might be made against us. So, what I advise is: choose the area that your performance is the weakest in, and spend the most time practicing that skill," Princess Celestia informed as all of the ponies nodded and took off to the many training objects in the room. Suddenly, Lyra heard magic clashing against targets, Pegasi stealthily flying by, punching bags being collided against, and grabbing hooks hooking onto the metal polls. There was a lot of commotion stirring, and Lyra knew she should go over and join everypony. Levitating the grabbing hook, she charged over to the polls with Sweetie Drops following. After a few hours of training, all of the agents exhaustively stepped outside of the training room, walking outside of the castle in a group. Celestia followed behind them. When they got to the front of the castle, Celestia was about to wave them goodbye when Minuette spoke up. "Um... I may not be a master on animals, but I'm pretty sure tigers don't live in Canterlot..." "Whatever are you talking about, Agent Minuette?" Celestia questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe you should look out there..." Minuette responded. The whole agency walked outside to find a tiger walking around, growling. "What's a tiger doing here?" Lyra wondered out loud. The striped beast picked up on Lyra's statement and started walking towards her. Its claws were showing, its teeth were flaring, and a low growling sound was coming from its mouth. Before anypony had anytime to react, the beast was jumping in mid-air, about to attack Lyra. Author's Note This is probably the most suspenseful cliffhanger I have ever ended a chapter with. Next chapter will be up soon! The Attack"Lyra!" Sweetie Drops shouted in distress as the tiger pinned her best friend to the ground. "You want to go that way, huh?" Lyra remarked as she shot a beam of magic at the huge beast, causing it to fly through the air. It landed on the ground with a thud, and struggled to pick itself up. Lyra stood up and brushed the dust off her sea-green coat. She then heard a loud roar coming from the tiger. "Roaring isn't gonna cure your pain!" Lyra teased the tiger. "Next time, don't attack unicorns like m-" She was cut off by the thunder of hundreds of big cats running into Canterlot. Princess Celestia stood in front of the agents. "Agents! Lead these beasts out of Canterlot!" Celestia instructed. Suddenly, a brown earth pony stallion started attacking the agents. A few more stallions came after. Lyra and Sweetie Drops managed to sneak away from the fight. "I guess this is the attack that was rumored," Sweetie Drops remarked as Lyra nodded. "Yeah. Now, let's go defeat these cats!" She responded. As the two came into a clearing, they saw a small, white cat that was as cute as can be. "Aww! Bons, look at it! We must save this kitty from being eaten!" Lyra exclaimed, walking over to the cat. "Lyra! It could be dangerous!" Sweetie Drops informed with nervousness. Lyra gave a small chuckle as she turned around to face her friend. "Really? What could be so dangerous about a small cat?" She then looked back at the cat, but saw it leaping at her face. The small animal latched on as Lyra started running around, trying to get the small cat off her head. Sweetie Drops charged over and freed her friend from the cat's claws as the animal fell back on the ground. "Okay! Now I see what you mean!" Lyra responded as she took off. Sweetie Drops ran after her, hoping she wasn't followed by the ferocious feline. The two then found themselves near a cafe, where they saw ponies running away from a lynx. The brown cat stood on an outdoor table, its green eyes darting. It spotted Lyra and Sweetie Drops and jumped to the ground. A growl emitted from its throat, causing some intimidation in Lyra. Sweetie Drops wasn't affected by the huge animal, and suddenly charged forward. She jumped up in the air and kicked the big animal. The lynx fell over as a result. It tried to stand back up, but Sweetie Drops had jumped onto its back. She then squeezed a pressure point on the beast's neck, causing it to stop thrashing. Lyra was amazed at her friend's sense of calmness as she attacked the lynx. She hoped that through time, she herself would be able to fight creatures off easily. It didn't look like her friend was nervous at all, while Lyra was nervous about the small kitty finding them again. She watched Sweetie Drops pin down the animal and blow a few punches, knocking it out. She then ran over to Lyra. "I took care of that one!" Sweetie Drops remarked. Lyra stared at her, speechless for a second. "How in the name of Celestia were you so calm while doing that?" Lyra questioned. "You get used to fighting monsters when you've been doing it for a while," Sweetie Drops informed. She then got a look of determination on her face. "Now, we need you to levitate that lynx to the outskirts of Canterlot." Lyra was a little confused. There is a lot of land that could be called the outskirts of Canterlot. "Where should I drop it? The Everfree Forest? The frozen lands by the Crystal Empire? Where?!" Lyra questioned as her friend looked around. She then spotted a wooded area, far away from any town. "You should put it over there," Sweetie Drops told her friend, pointing. Lyra nodded as she levitated the beast and lowered it into the woods. She didn't know if her magic could hold the lynx up any longer, considering it was a big animal and that the place she wanted to leave it was a healthy distance away. She then found the ground of the woods and laid the lynx down. As she released the magic from her horn, she felt like she had just dropped an 100-pound weight off her head. She turned around to face her friend. "I'm guessing we should round up more," Lyra exclaimed. "Yeah!" Sweetie Drops responded as she took off, her friend following closely behind. The next hour went about the same; they attacked the cats, knocked them out, and Lyra levitated them into the woods. After that hour of attacking, they were tired. Very tired. Lyra's horn ached whenever she tried to use magic, and Sweetie Drops felt like she could no longer run without feeling a small pain in her stomach. The two heard a growl, breaking their thoughts. "Not again!" Lyra remarked as she looked up. The growl came from the tiger that tried to attack Lyra earlier. The unicorn stood up, and tried to charge magic. It was no use. Her head throbbed whenever a glow appeared on her horn. It also hurt her to run, so the only thing she could do was stand there, glaring at the beast. Sweetie Drops couldn't move much, either. Suddenly, the stallion the two saw earlier walked up to the mares. He took out ropes and wrapped the two in them. They were too tired to fight back, and there wasn't much they could do with a huge stallion pinning them to the ground. Suddenly, a bobcat stalked over and picked up Sweetie Drops. "Let me go, you beast!" Sweetie Drops demanded. The tiger then picked up Lyra and started walking. The bobcat followed right behind. Lyra quickly tried using her magic, but it was no use. Her head hurt too much when she tried to form a glow. She gave in and soon saw all the other agents tied in a rope as well, laying on the ground. The big cats dropped Lyra and Sweetie Drops next to the other members of the agency. Suddenly, a huge monster walked up to them. It looked a little bit like an ancient cat, but was really tall, had a long head, and a long tail with a hand at the end of it. No doubt it was a confusing creature. "I hope you all know not to mess with my cats next time," it said. The creature chuckled loudly. "I bet you all don't know me. My name is Ahuizotl." Suddenly, Ahuizotl took out something that looked like potions and put them next to the tied-up agents. Momentarily, gases started foaming out of the top of the bottles. Ahuizotl and his cats backed away, along with the stallions that were helping. As the gases flowed around the ponies, they found themselves getting drowsy. Lyra tried her best to stay awake. "We will not let you take over Canterlot!" Lyra exclaimed. She then felt her vision blurring. Suddenly, the world around her went dark, and she was only left with her dreams. Author's Note It took me a little while to think of the villain that was going to take over Canterlot. I couldn't think of any new ideas, so I started thinking of all the antagonists in the show that could actually have intentions of taking over. And then I thought: Ahuizotl! It seems like he can be a pretty powerful antagonist. He even has an army of cats! Well, I hope you enjoyed! TrappedLyra's eyes opened, her vision blurred. She rubbed her eyes, now able to see her surroundings. Whatever this strange place was, it wasn't her bedroom. She was in a cage. The bars were rusted and dirty, and the ground wasn't any better. She looked to the left to find Sweetie Drops, who was still asleep. The unicorn glanced around the room and saw many other ponies who she had trained with earlier that day. The room, or whatever they were in, was gray and dark and smelled of metal. Lyra stood up and saw a few stallions guarding the entrance. "Hey! Where am I? Why am I here?" She questioned. A stallion turned around, his harsh glare setting on Lyra. "This is a cave outside of Canterlot. You are here because you tried to ruin my master's plan," the stallion informed, turning around to watch the entrance again. By this time, Sweetie Drops had woken up. She was in a confused state as well. She turned to find Lyra standing. "Where are we, Li? And... bleh! Why does it smell like rust in here?" Sweetie Drops remarked, causing Lyra to face her. "We are in a cave, but apparently it's being used as as dungeon," Lyra informed. The stallion turned back around again. "To answer your question, whatever your name is, it smells like rust because these are some old cages that we're using. We had to take them from the Canterlot Castle." Sweetie Drops' eyes widened. "Where are the princesses? They would have stopped you if they were there!" "Oh, we sneaked through the castle. The princesses were too busy defending Canterlot to notice us. Also, Ahuizotl wants to deal with them personally. He gave us instructions to not capture them." "Okay..." Lyra responded, still unsure. "Why are you working for that... thing?" "You mean, Ahuizotl?" "Yeah!" "Well, we work for him because he provides us with bits. And when I say bits, I mean a lot of bits. He also promised we can live here once he takes this place over." "Back up! Why do you want to take over Canterlot?" Lyra questioned, a hint of anger in her orange eyes. "Oh, well, we need someplace to live. We used to travel different places and reside there. For a while, we lived in a temple. It was actually pretty nice. Ahuizotl wanted a certain number of huge rings. If he found them all and set them on a certain pedestal in the temple, he could have sent the world into 800 years of sweltering heat-" "Why would he want to do that? Is he some sort of maniac?" Lyra questioned. "No, he is not a maniac," the stallion responded, a little bit of anger in his voice. "And he never really said why. I, as well as the other stallions that were helping, just had to go with the flow. We figured he had some bad history with Equestria, and he didn't really want to give that information to us. Now, back to the explanation-" "I don't think bad history is a reason to burn up the world, though," Lyra interrupted as the stallion grunted. "Whatever. Just let me finish the explanation, okay!" He snapped. Lyra grew silent. "Thank you. Now, where was I... Oh yeah! We lived in that temple until it was destroyed. And don't ask how, because I really don't feel like explaining much to a prisoner. After-" "What do you mean? I have free will! Just because I messed with your plans, doesn't mean I can't know something!" Lyra burst, causing the stallion to raise his voice. "WILL YOU JUST BE QUIET ALREADY?!" He yelled. Lyra then made a zipper-closing motion across her mouth with her hoof. "Alright. As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, after the temple was destroyed, we had to live in the jungle. We just slept under the trees and stars. Ahuizotl was asking us all if we knew of someplace bigger and better. We then came to the assumption of Canterlot." "Why Canterlot?" Lyra questioned, still thinking it wasn't a valid explanation. "We chose Canterlot because it feels like the top of the world. We can see many jungles, where ancient and powerful artifacts are, and easily reach them. Ahuizotl also had the urge to attack something, since he was angry from the temple being destroyed. We trained a huge army of big cats to attack anypony who got in our way. They obviously did the job!" The stallion concluded, giving a small chuckle. Lyra grunted and turned, seeing everypony else in the room waking up. "Man, when do you think Ahuizotl will let us out of this cave? I mean, I'm starving!" One of the stallions guarding asked the other. "I'm not sure. But I assume he will pay us for standing guard. So, let's just stand and do our jobs! Maybe we can actually buy some real food for once!" The other stallion answered. While they were wrapped up in their own conversation, Lyra walked to the very edge of the cage near Sweetie Drops. "Sweetie Drops!" Lyra whispered, causing her friend to turn. "We need to get out of here." "I know. I was just thinking of a plan," Sweetie Drops responded, keeping her voice to a whisper. "I could probably break the cages with my magic!" "Well, the guards will notice. Maybe..." "Yes?" "You can put a sleeping spell on them!" Lyra blinked a few times. "Really? Bons, you know I can't do that. I fail at spells." Lyra then looked at the other cage next to her to find Minuette sitting there, rolling her hoof in the dirt. "I'll ask her," Lyra suggested, pointing her hoof at Minuette. "Do you think she's a talented unicorn?" "I'll ask. No harm in asking, right?" Lyra responded. She looked back at the guards. They had not heard the two talking, and were still conversing about their payments. Lyra walked over to the other side of the cage. "Hey, Minuette!" "Oh, hey Lyra!" Minuette responded as Lyra put a hoof to her mouth, signaling to be quieter. "Can I ask you something?" Lyra whispered to the blue unicorn. "Sure!" "Can you possibly put a sleep spell on the guards? That way, we can all escape!" "Well... I might be able to..." "Are you skilled in magic?" "Well, I guess you can say that..." "So... will you do it?" Lyra asked, putting on a smile of hope. "Of course. Well, I'll try at least. Anything to get us out of here!" Minuette answered. Lyra turned to Sweetie Drops and nodded her head. "Time to get out of this place!" Lyra remarked, keeping her voice at a low whisper. EscapeBy now, the guards were playing cards with one another. They were faced away from the cages, which gave the ponies an advantage. Lyra quickly got Minuette's attention with a wave of her hoof. You ready? She mouthed, making sure the guards didn't see. Minuette nodded and faced towards the guards. "Here goes nothing..." she said to herself as her horn charged up. She imagined shooting the beam at the guards, causing them to fall over and become unaware of the prisoners. As soon as her horn was fully charged, she shot out the magic and hit the guards. To her surprise, it just made them jump. "Ow! Who shot that?" One of the guards questioned, his voice filled with fury. Nopony answered him. "Answer!" The other guard added on. Minuette decided to speak up. "Sorry. I did." "Minuette!" Lyra remarked, motioning for her to stop talking. "Why did you? You know better than to shoot guards!" One of the guards responded, getting right next to the cage. "I'm sorry. I just have to practice magic every day. I won't hit you again, I promise!" Minuette answered. She thought of the best lie she could, and to her surprise, the guards believed it. "Alright. But if you do, I will send Ahuizotl in here to personally destroy you!" The guard informed, walking back to play cards. Lyra walked to the edge of her cage near Minuette. "Want to try again?" Lyra questioned in the lowest voice possible. "Yeah! I will put more concentration in this time." "Alright. They're turned completely around now," Lyra informed, pointing her hoof at the guards. "You should try again now." "Alright. I hope this works..." Minuette quietly remarked to herself. A faint blue glow engulfed her horn. She then imagined putting the guards to sleep. She tried her best to fully concentrate and block out the guards' talking. When her head hurt from holding the magic in so long, she fired it. It engulfed the two guards, and they got angry looks. "I thought I told you-" The guard tried to say, but was cut off by sleep. The other one drifted off shorty after. A moment of silence went by. "I did it!" Minuette cheered, skipping around the cage. "I guess we should all break the cages now," Lyra suggested. Minuette started charging up her horn again. "I have a strong urge to use magic now!" She remarked as all of the cages started glowing the same color as her horn. "So, I can break all of the cages!" Minuette finished. She then charged a little more magic onto her horn and spread it to the cages. Instantly, all of the metal bars broke. Everypony looked around, astonished that the cages just shattered. Minuette ran to the entrance of the cave and turned to face the rest of the agents. "Come on, everypony! Time to get back to Canterlot!" She declared. The blue unicorn took off, with everypony else following closely behind. When they came up to Canterlot, they noticed a very eerie silence. The doors and windows were locked, and some were even boarded up, completely sealing any entrances. The agents walked around the city, looking for any sign of a big creature. Lyra then looked up one way and saw Princess Celestia standing in a battle position. She was charging her horn up, ready to fire. "Everypony! This way!" Lyra remarked as she walked down the path. She saw the Sun Princess fire the beam, and heard a groan of pain. She then saw Ahoizotl's tail grabbing Celestia and holding her in the air. Suddenly, he threw her forcefully on the ground. "Sister!" Princess Luna cried, running up to Celestia. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine, Luna," Celestia answered, standing back up again. She turned to find the agents all walking down the path and grew a small smile. "Here is when you fall, Ahoizotl!" Celestia remarked. Lyra gulped and turned around to her fellow agents. "I think we have to fight him," Lyra informed. She then took a heavy breath. "Here goes nothing..." The BattleLyra cautiously stepped into the open area, with all of the other agents following behind. Sweetie Drops walked up by her side. Ahuizotl removed his eyes from the princesses and looked down at them, his look of anger turning into confusion. "How did you get out of the cave?" He questioned, his look turning back into anger. Minuette stepped forward. "Your guards weren't prepared for sleep spells," the blue unicorn responded in a taunting tone. Ahuizotl growled, angry that his guards couldn't keep the prisoners in their cages. "Why... you little-" he was cut off by Celestia firing magic at his back. He turned around to face the princess. "I'll have to take care of you first!" He remarked as he picked up Celestia once again. Before he could slam her on the ground, he was hit by a magic beam less powerful than Celestia's. The shock of it caused him to release his grip on Celestia. She landed on her feet to find Ahuizotl turned angrily around. Lyra was standing in front of all the agents, facing him. It must have been her that fired the magic. "You can't hurt the princess!" Lyra exclaimed. She then stepped closer to him. "The guards told us what your plan is. I understand that you don't have a place to live, but... can't you just share Canterlot with the ponies that live here already instead of... you know... destroying the place?" Lyra suggested as Ahuizotl angrily looked at her. "The guards told you about my plan!" He growled. "And I can't have other ponies getting in the way of anything. How about you go live somewhere else?" Ahoizotl then picked up Lyra with his tail. The unicorn couldn't move, since the beast was holding her so tightly. "Let me go!" Lyra demanded, trying her best to charge magic. "Oh, don't worry. I will," Ahoizotl responded as he flung her towards Ponyville. Lyra was falling down to the ground until one of the Pegasi in the agency flew over and grabbed her. Lyra was soon placed on solid ground again, staring up at Ahuizotl. "You gotta be kidding me..." the beast grunted, suddenly hit by Princess Luna's magic. Angrily, he blew a whistle, causing a few stallions to appear with a huge cage. They opened the metal bars as Ahuizotl grew a smirk. "Time for you all to take a nice nap in your crate!" Ahuizotl remarked as he grabbed Luna. He then threw her into the cage and slammed it. The princess tried to stand up, but then fell unconscious from the force of the throw. "Luna!" Celestia cried, now angrily turning to face Ahuizotl. She charged up magic and quickly fired it, causing the beast to fall over. "Agency! Attack!" Celestia directed as the agents attacked Ahuizotl. The beast seemed helpless when getting attacked by over ten ponies at the same time; one being an alicorn. He then decided to make an unexpected move. He grabbed the nearest pony he could and threw her in a cage. It was Minuette. Ahuizotl then stood up and faced the ponies. "You can't keep at this for long!" Ahuizotl exclaimed. "And neither can you!" Celestia responded as Ahuizotl quickly picked her up and threw her in the huge cage. "That'll teach you!" He yelled at the princess, who was injured from the forceful throw. Ahuizotl than turned around to the other ponies. "Who's next?" He questioned. The stallions that brought the cage then ran up to the ponies. They pinned some to the ground, keeping them there, while Ahuizotl was trying to catch others. The beast then picked up the ponies pinned down and threw them in the cage. For the next few minutes, members of the agency were constantly thrown into the cage, leaving only Lyra standing outside. "Well, well, well... I guess you're the only one!" Ahuizotl remarked as he tried to grab Lyra. The unicorn teleported onto his back and shot a beam of magic at his pressure point. Ahoizotl yelped and grabbed her, about to throw her into the cage. The ponies that were already in the cage looked away. They knew that Lyra would be flung in, and that Ahoizotl will be able to take over. But the door never flung open. Lyra used a spell on Ahuizotl, causing him to freeze. She then was able to teleport out of his grasp. "That'll teach you!" Lyra mimicked as Ahoizotl stood, unable to move. Lyra then turned and shot powerful magic beams at the stallions, who fell over from the shock. She then looked back at Ahuizotl, who was still frozen in place. She then fired about ten beams of magic at the beast. Within a minute, the freeze-spell wore off, causing him to fall over. He looked up at Lyra as she charged up her horn again. Her magic nailed him right in the face, quickly knocking him unconscious. For a second, Lyra just stood there, staring down at him. "...I did it..." She quietly said to herself. She then levitated Ahoizotl and the stallions up and out of Canterlot. Lyra then dropped them in the woods, feeling the heavy weight fall off her head. She then breathed heavily for a little bit, and looked at the rest of the agency, who looked shocked as well. Lyra then shot a few beams of magic, breaking the cage. Luna then woke up. "What?!" She remarked, seeing that the cage was destroyed. She then looked at Lyra and smiled. Celestia walked over to her. "Miss Heartstrings," she started. "That was amazing. I knew I made the right decision of letting you into the agency." Lyra smiled proudly, party amazed she was able to defeat the threat. "Thanks, Princess. That means a lot to me-" She was cut off by Sweetie Drops wrapping her in a hug. "You did it!" Sweetie Drops remarked, pulling her friend closer. Minuette then joined in on the hug. "I would have never been able to do that sleep spell without your support," the blue unicorn complimented as Lyra hugged her back. "...Thanks," Lyra responded as she pulled apart. Celestia then got everypony's attention. "I'll tell you when the next meeting is. But for now... Congratulations. You all worked hard today, and Equestria is safe because of your help," Celestia breathed deeply. "I'm just so relieved we got the organization back together. And I bet all of you are, too." Everypony nodded their heads. Celestia then smiled. "Have a nice evening, everypony. Today was very busy. I still cannot thank you enough for your help." Everypony nodded again, gave a smile, and tiredly walked to wherever they needed to go. Lyra then met up with Sweetie Drops and Minuette. "Let's go back to Ponyville," Lyra stated, tiredly. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was the one to defeat Ahuizotl. Author's Note One more chapter to go! Back Home"All aboard!" The train conductor shouted. "Let's go!" Minuette remarked, trotting onto the train. Lyra and Sweetie Drops walked on afterwards. As Lyra stepped on the train, she remembered riding it earlier that morning; the cool breeze blowing her mane as she saw the sun rise. At that moment, she had no idea that she would be one of the ponies who would save Canterlot. She sat down on a seat by a window and gazed outside, where the sun was setting, marking the end of a long day. Sweetie Drops sat next to Lyra and Minuette sat on the seat in front of them, turned around so she could talk to her new friends. "I can't believe I just became friends with you two!" Minuette exclaimed. "Well, I was always shy around everypony in the agency. Well, of course, until Lyra was accepted," Sweetie Drops gave a small smile. "I'm surprised I didn't talk to you, either." Minuette gave a smile in return. "Well, what matters is that we're friends now." "And I wouldn't ask for any better friends," Lyra added on as they pulled each other into a hug again. "Hey! Do you two want to have a picnic at my house tomorrow?" Sweetie Drops questioned. Lyra remembered the picnic they had the day before. That was when Lyra posed her question about the agency. She then snapped out of her thoughts and answered her friend. "Of course! I call bringing the desserts!" Lyra responded. "You always bring the desserts. I'm the one who makes candy for a living. So shouldn't I bring candy?" Sweetie Drops suggested in more of a teasing manner. Lyra nodded her head. "Alright, fine. I'll bring... carrots and potatoes." "I can probably bring fruit!" Minuette suggested as Sweetie Drops nodded her head. "I guess that's settled. Now... what do you two want to do while we're waiting to get home?" Sweetie Drops questioned. "Oh! I have an idea!" Lyra stated, causing Minuette and Sweetie Drops to look in her direction. "We can do the ABC game!" "The what now?" Minuette asked. "Oh, have you ever played it? Sweetie Drops and I do all the time!" "No. What are the rules?" "Alright. I'll give an example," Lyra turned to Sweetie Drops. "The category I choose is... food!" Lyra exclaimed as Sweetie Drops nodded. "I'll start: Avocado." "Banana," Sweetie Drops added on as Lyra turned to Minuette. "Now, you say a food that starts with a 'C'." "Um... carrots!" Minuette said as Lyra nodded. The game went on, the three thinking of all different foods. After a few rounds of their game, the train came to a stop. "We have arrived in Ponyville!" The conductor shouted as the three stepped off the train. Lyra looked at the sky to see that the sun had completely set; Luna's moon taking its place. The moon and stars gave off a refreshing glow as the cool, nighttime breeze flowed through Lyra's fur. Lyra heard Sweetie Drops yawning from behind. "Well, I better hit the hay. See you all tomorrow!" Sweetie Drops remarked as she trotted away, leaving Minuette and Lyra on the train station. "I have to agree with her. It was tiring today!" Minuette exclaimed. "Bye, Lyra! I'll see you tomorrow!" "Bye, Minuette!" Lyra responded as she saw the blue unicorn trotting away. Lyra turned and walked to her own house. When she got inside, she walked upstairs and plopped in bed. The soft comforter felt very nice on her tired legs. "Much better than sleeping in a cage..." Lyra said to herself as she closed her eyes. She was soon fast asleep; dreaming about her new life as a secret agent. Author's Note Well, that wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed the story!
An Unexpected LeaveLyra was gleefully skipping over to Sweetie Drops' house. She was bringing over a nice picnic mat for a picnic the two were planning, and her saddlebag was full of yummy treats. (She always wanted to bring the good stuff, of course!) When she got to the house, she gave the door a quick knock, expecting to be greeted by the eager face of her best friend. Instead, nothing was there to greet her. "Bon-Bon?!" She called out, realizing she called the wrong name once again. "I mean... Sweetie Drops?!" She said, her voice gaining more power as she said her friend's name. The door then swung open, and she was greeted by her friend, who had a harsher look on her face. "Hey, Lyra! You can still refer to me as Bon-Bon if you like," Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra's gaze drifted to the side of her friend. "What are you doing with that briefcase?" She asked, remembering it from somewhere. And then it struck her. That case was the same one Sweetie Drops pulled out on the day of Matilda and Cranky's wedding, the case that was associated with her real identity. She didn't have much time to think, because her friend was already pulling her into the house. She gave the door a good slam and locked it, looking over at Lyra. "Um, a-are you okay, Bons?" She asked as her friend started pacing. "Everything's fine, Lyra. I was just unexpectedly called." "Called? For what?" Lyra asked as Sweetie Drops kept her voice to a whisper. "An unidentified threat was posed against Canterlot, so Princess Celestia started up the anti-monster agency I was in, officially known as the MPA, which stands for Monster Prevention Agency." "So... that means you have to go fight monsters?" "Not today. We all were called in for a meeting to restart this agency on a good page. We don't know when the threat will arrive yet, so we need to discuss how to protect ourselves and Equestria if it does come soon." "Does that mean... we won't have our picnic today?" Lyra asked, her voice getting sadder. Another depressing thought struck her like a knife. "Does that also mean that you will have to move out of Ponyville?" "I'm sorry, Lyra. The letter was just sent to me, and I didn't have time to tell you about it beforehand." Sweetie then saw Lyra start to tear up a little. "And don't worry, I won't let myself move out of Ponyville. I don't want to leave my best friend." "Oh... alright." Lyra responded as she got a smile. "Thanks." "No problem. And the meeting won't take long. We could probably have our picnic later," Sweetie Drops informed as she wrapped her friend in a hug. "I do have to go now, otherwise I'll be late." "Alright! See you later, Bons!" Lyra fare-welled as she saw her friend gallop away in the distance with the briefcase strapped to her back. The sea-green unicorn then made her way home. Lyra then was struck with an idea. "I'll have to ask her!" She said to herself as she continued trotting off in the distance. Author's Note Lyra's idea will be revealed in chapter three! (Some of you might have already guessed, though.) I hope you enjoyed! And for some of you that may be wondering, Lyra will continue to call Sweetie Drops "Bon-Bon," since that's the name she's used to. (It's also the name I'm used to myself! )
The MeetingSweetie Drops stepped off the train and breathed in the fresh, Canterlot air. She looked up and saw the Canterlot Castle towering overhead, which was the place where she would need to enter. She walked forward, seeing many high-class ponies pass by. As she walked up to the shimmering gold castle, she was confronted by two guards standing outside. "Who goes there?!" The guards asked at the same time, their voices booming. Sweetie Drops opened her briefcase, looked around to make sure nopony was watching her, and took out a little card. Special Agent Sweetie Drops was marked on it, along with Princess Celestia's Stamp of Approval, making it easy for any officials to tell that she worked for the agency. The guards looked at the card and immediately nodded their heads. The tone of their voice softened, reduced almost to a whisper. "You may enter," one of the guards informed. The other chimed in. "They are all in the meeting room upstairs. Do you know where you're going, Miss Sweetie Drops?" "Yes, sir!" Sweetie Drops answered. The guards then let her pass. After she passed them, she walked along the red carpet leading to a small flight of stairs. As she looked around, she noticed an almost eerie silence in the castle. She climbed up flights of stairs and walked along the empty hallways until she found the meeting room, which also had another royal guard positioned outside. Sweetie Drops once again took out her identity card and showed it to the guard. He nodded his head and knocked on the door. "Princess!" "Yes?" Sweetie Drops could tell that voice was Princess Celestia's. She was the leader of the agency, after all. "Sweetie Drops is here," the guard informed. "Let her in." The guard then opened the door for Sweetie Drops as she stepped in. She looked around, seeing almost everyone that used to work with her. She took a seat across from Princess Celestia and set her briefcase down on the table. The guard shut the door as Celestia spoke. "Welcome back, Sweetie Drops. We have only two members to wait on, and then we can start the meeting," Princess Celestia informed. Sweetie Drops nodded her head. After the next twenty minutes, the remaining two entered as Celestia spoke. "It's nice to see you all here again. I'm happy you all could make it here today, since we have quite a bit to go over. First, does anypony have any questions?" A sky blue unicorn by the name of Minuette raised her hoof. "Yes, Agent Minuette?" "How did you hear about the threat?" She asked as a few ponies in the room nodded their heads in agreement. "One of the guards told me that they heard one pony saying that Canterlot would be a great place for their master to take over. The next day, many more ponies looked like they were trying to find easy spots to attack here. We don't know when we're going to be attacked, if at all, but we still need to prepare anyway," Celestia informed. She then levitated nine folders out of a drawer, one for each of the members except herself. "Um, Princess?" A yellow unicorn mare asked. Celestia set the folders down on the table. "Yes, Agent Lemon Hearts?" "What if we don't get attacked for a really long time? Will we just keep a lookout for years until it finally happens?" Lemon Hearts asked. "We won't be as worried about protecting if it takes that long for the attack, but we would still need to see if we can spot any signs of suspicion. I would assume that if it takes that long to make the attack, either whatever is plotting against us gave up the idea, or they are creating a huge plan to attack. We hope that it doesn't take that long, though," Celestia answered as she slid each of the members a folder. "These folders have descriptions of what each of you should do if you see any sign of suspicion. It also gives directions on how to protect the citizens, and some training skills that you may need. We honestly don't know what we're going up against, but it could be any kind of monster. If the situation becomes too hard, I could call Princess Twilight and the other element bearers over, and see if they can help. Anymore questions?" Celestia looked around and saw that nopony had their hoof raised. She then nodded as a small smile formed on her face. "Alright then. Have a great day all of you. I am happy we are getting the organization back together again. Oh yeah, one more thing. If a monster does try to attack where you're living, make sure to take care of it. Goodbye, everypony!" As everypony filed out of the meeting room, Sweetie Drops put the folder in her case. She then exited the castle and trotted to the train station. "Next stop: Picnic with Lyra!" She said to herself as she boarded the train. Author's Note I hope you enjoyed! Just so you know, Colgate is the same pony as Minuette. The character tag is labeled "Colgate," though.
The QuestionAs Sweetie Drops walked home, she noticed some movement in her backyard. Quietly, she opened the door to her house, looked around to make sure nopony was watching her, and placed her briefcase in a secret compartment. She then heard the movement outside again. "What's that?" She asked herself as she walked towards the window. "Doesn't hurt to practice my ninja skills, right?" She said as she jumped through the window, landing by performing a barrel roll. Standing up, she faced her yard, not seeing anypony, but hearing movement. "WHO GOES THERE?!" She questioned as she heard a very familiar laugh. She turned around to find Lyra giggling at the sight of her acting defensive over her property. "Did the agency get to your head already?" Lyra teased as she continued setting the picnic up, which Sweetie Drops realized was the movement she was hearing in her yard. "Lyra, what are you doing here?" Sweetie questioned as Lyra put her last dessert on the mat. "I set up the picnic, duh! Oh, and by the way, I took some food out of your kitchen for this," Lyra informed. "Oh, well thank you, Lyra! And it... looks like you took a lot of... oats from my kitchen..." "Oh, yes! What's a picnic without oats!" "Well, can you put a few back? I would like to eat some a different day..." Sweetie Drops asked. "Fine," Lyra responded as she levitated half of the oats into the kitchen again. "Do I need to put anything else back?" "No... that's good," Sweetie Drops responded. "Thanks, Lyra!" "No probs! Now, let's eat before it becomes dark!" Lyra declared as she started chowing down. Sweetie Drops did the same, just realizing how hungry she had become. After a minute of chewing, Lyra started up a conversation. "So... how was the meeting?" "Good!" "Did you learn anything about the threat?" Lyra asked, sounding a bit more curious. "Well, we learned that the threat may not attack at all," Sweetie Drops responded. "That's good news! I'm sure it would be cool to fight it, though..." "We think it's going to attack sometime, though. So I need to be on the lookout. And I don't know if 'cool' would be the right word to describe it," Sweetie Drops answered. "Hey, Bons?" "Yes, Lyra?" "I have a question for you." "What is it? Are you about to ask me if I wanted to learn more about your study? What is it... I know it starts with an 'A'..." "Anthropology?" "Yes, that's it!" "No, that's not my question. Although, I would be available to teach anytime!" Lyra responded. "Well, I'll see when I want to learn about anthropology. Now, what do you want to ask me?" "Um... can I be... in the agency?" Lyra asked, putting on a sheepish grin. "You want to WHAT?!" Sweetie Drops questioned. "Well... be in the secret agency. I think it would be pretty cool to fight monsters..." "Lyra, it would be cool to have my best friend there, but I don't think there's any way I can get you in..." "What? Why not?" Lyra questioned, a little upset. "First off, I wasn't supposed to tell anypony about the agency. If I tell the princess you want in, she would know I told you. Nopony else is supposed to know about it. Even if you go up and ask her to be in, she would be afraid that all of Equestria would have heard about it, and we will have to end the society again. I would love for you to be with me in the society, Lyra, but In don't think there is a possible way to get you in," Sweetie Drops responded as Lyra's ears fell flat. "Oh... okay. I just thought it would be really cool to be in a secret society. I do understand what you're saying, though," Lyra exclaimed as she tried to smile a little bit. Besides playing the lyre and studying anthropology, Lyra doesn't do much in her free time. That means, when Sweetie Drops can't hang out, that she is sitting at home alone and bored. She would study magic, but she figured out pretty quickly that spells don't lock in her memory very easily. She also tried making candy, but that ended up as a disaster. She thought that she finally found something that both she and her best friend could do together, if it weren't supposed to be secret. She then heard Sweetie Drops gasp, which broke her from her train of thought. "I think I just got an idea!" She exclaimed as Lyra's ears perked up. "You mean... you can get me in? Without the princess knowing you told me about it?!" Lyra questioned, her voice growing with hope. "Yes!" Sweetie answered, the smile on her face spreading. "I remembered what I did that caused Princess Celestia to notice me!" "What did you do?" Lyra asked with a huge smile on her face. "A little while ago, I was leaping over small structures in Canterlot for fun. I used a rope to latch onto polls and swing on them. Princess Celestia noticed my way of having fun, and introduced me to the organization! If I can pretend to be showing you the fun I had as a filly doing that, and if you are good enough, the princess could let you in!" Sweetie Drops declared. She was then embraced by the sea-green unicorn. "Thanks! You are really the best friend anypony can ever have!" "You are too!" Sweetie added on. They pulled apart as Lyra got a small look of confusion on her face. "Wait, how will the princess see me?" She asked as Sweetie Drops got a small smirk. "She walks around the Canterlot Gardens every day. If we can practice there, than she will notice you!" She informed as Lyra got her happy smile again. "Great! Thanks again, Bons!" Lyra thanked as Sweetie Drops started to clean up the picnic mat. Lyra levitated and placed some leftovers into her saddlebag. After the mat was cleaned up, Lyra walked off and waved goodbye to her friend. "Come to my house at seven-o-clock tomorrow morning! We will board the train then!" Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra nodded her head. "Will do! See you tomorrow!" "See ya!" Sweetie Drops said one last time before Lyra was already at the other side of her house. She then smiled uncontrollably. Her best friend could be working in the same agency as her! Even though she had other ponies to talk to, she saw them as acquaintances. She felt that Lyra could bring a whole new life to the agency. She soon climbed the stairs, landed in her soft bed, and drifted off to sleep. Her mind was swarming of new experiences that could come with her best friend. Author's Note Just in case you are wondering: I am NOT shipping these two in the story! Sure, I'm friendshipping, but not making them anything more than friends. Here is the song for Lyra's studies!
Notice Me, Senpai! Notice Me, Senpai! Buildings flew by Lyra and Sweetie Drops as they sat on the train, looking out at the morning scenery. Dew still covered the grass, and the sun gave the sky a nice orange glow as it ascended. Lyra opened the window by her seat, letting the nice, morning breeze cool her off. The air inside the train was warm and humid, since the conductors didn't bother turning the air conditioning on until it got really warm outside. Lyra sat back in her seat, the breeze blowing her mane like a fan. She then looked down at a bag that Sweetie Drops had brought with her. She knew that her friend always brought some of her delicious candy wherever they went. When Sweetie Drops wasn't looking, Lyra levitated a piece of candy from her bag. Sweetie Drops felt the small movement and turned around to face her friend. "Hey! What are you doing?" She asked as she saw Lyra open-mouthed, holding the candy close to her lips with her magic. "Hey, it's not my fault your candy is really good!" Lyra responded as she gave her friend the piece back. "Lyra, I don't care if you have one. Just ask next time, okay?" Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra quickly popped the candy into her mouth. Her taste-buds were greeted by the nice taste of orange cream inside a chocolate shell. Sweetie Drops looked over at her. "It's a new recipe I made: Chocolate-shelled orange-ness," she told Lyra as the unicorn swallowed the candy. "That's really good, Bons!" Lyra responded as her friend smiled. She looked outside to see that the sun had risen a little higher, and that they were a little closer to Canterlot. When the train arrived at the station, Lyra was the first to leap out of her seat. "Yeah! Time to be in the agency!" She shouted out as other ponies on the train looked at her suspiciously. "What are you talking about, mam?" One of the stallions asked as Sweetie Drops face-hoofed. "Oh, my friend and I are... joining a group of our other friends that live here that go by 'The Agency!'" Lyra explained, her eyeballs darting. The stallion smiled and trotted off. As Lyra got off the train, she saw Sweetie Drops glaring at her. "WHAT IN TARTARUS, LYRA?!" She bursted as Lyra gave a small laugh. "Sorry... I just got a little too excited and..." "Ugh... you're lucky no one in the group was on there! Then they would have figured out I told you!" Sweetie Drops responded, having made sure nopony else could hear her. "I know..." "Sorry, Lyra. Just remember next time to not give away anything else about this. I know you tend to get over-excited about these kinds of things." "Haha... yeah..." Lyra responded as a smile crept back onto her face. "Where are the Canterlot Gardens, anyway?" Lyra questioned as Sweetie Drops stepped in front of her. "Follow my lead!" She declared as she trotted off, Lyra following closely behind. The two soon came to the entrance of the gardens, and Sweetie Drops led them to a great spot to practice. "Lyra, are you ready to learn what I did as a filly?" She asked as Lyra nodded her head. She then ran and leaped over a small block of grass, landing in a barrel roll. "Now you try!" Sweetie suggested as Lyra got ready to sprint. The unicorn managed to jump over the block, but the roll didn't go well for her. She only did about a 180 degree twist. "Almost..." Lyra said to herself. Sweetie Drops motioned for her to keep trying. Lyra kept jumping over the block, while landing in not-so-perfect rolls. Around the fifth time, she landed in a perfect roll. "Finally!" Lyra remarked as Sweetie Drops walked over to her. "Ready for the next thing?" She asked as Lyra got a look of determination. "Bring it on." "Alright," Sweetie Drops responded. She took a small rope out of her bag, swung it around like a lasso, and flung it so it latched onto a nearby poll. Hanging onto it with her teeth, she swung in a full circle, landing in a perfect stance. She pulled the rope back as far as she can, which caused it to unravel from the poll. She threw it over to Lyra. "Now you try," she declared as Lyra stared at her. "How?" She asked in disbelief. "When you swing around, make sure to go close to the poll," Sweetie informed as Lyra levitated the rope. She didn't have the ability to swing a rope around with her mouth like earth ponies do. She quickly shot it over and wrapped it around the poll, but made sure not to tie it. She then jumped, got on near the top, and circled around a little bit. Sadly, she only got about 90 degrees around the poll. A voice in her head told her to keep trying. She kept swinging on the rope, not making the full distance. She made it a little more than halfway around when Celestia was walking through the gardens. "Hello, Sweetie Drops. And who is this?" She asked as she pointed at Lyra, who fell off the rope. "Good afternoon, Princess! And that is my best friend, Lyra Heartstrings. I'm teaching her some fun tricks I did when I was younger. She really wants to be ninja-like, just like me!" Sweetie Drops informed as the princess giggled. "You do have quite amazing stealth, Sweetie Drops," Celestia commented. Lyra then looked at the princess and then the rope. She needed to make it all the way around. If she was able to do so, Celestia would probably notice her. She then quickly put the rope back on the poll and charged. She grabbed on, quickly spinning around the poll. Before she knew it, she had made a complete circle, and landed perfectly. "Lyra, you did it!" Sweetie Drops congratulated as Celestia gave a smile. "Nice work, Miss Heartstrings. Can you do the jump-roll Sweetie Drops does? I'm curious," Celestia questioned as Lyra nodded her head. She ran over, jumped the block of grass, and landed in a perfect barrel roll. The princess raised an eyebrow. "You are a lot like Sweetie Drops, Lyra. Which reminds me. Can you come to my castle in about twenty minutes?" Celestia asked as Lyra's eyes grew wide, but she tried to put a look of confusion on her face. "Why?" She questioned in the most convincing voice possible. "All will be explained then. See you in a few minutes!" Celestia responded as she left the gardens. As soon as the princess was out of sight, Lyra got a huge smile and gave Sweetie Drops a hug. "I made it in!" Lyra exclaimed as she pulled apart. "Thank you, Bons!" "No problem! And we hope that is what she called you for," Sweetie Drops responded. "It is exactly how she addressed me, though." "Why would I be called for anything else?" Lyra questioned as she hoof-bumped her friend. "I'm not sure. I guess I should assume the best," Sweetie Drops admitted as Lyra started bouncing up and down. "I can't wait to go over to the castle!" Lyra remarked. "Well, you're going to have to wait twenty minutes," Sweetie Drops informed as Lyra stopped bouncing. "Oh, right..." Lyra responded as she sat on a bench, trying to make the time fly. After feeling like an hour had passed, she checked a watch Sweetie Drops had in her bag. "Oh come on! There's still fifteen minutes left!" Author's Note Poor Lyra. Hopefully she will be able to wait twenty minutes without going crazy. Next chapter will be here very soon!
Welcome!"FINALLY!" Lyra shouted as she realized the long twenty minutes had passed. She then dashed on over to the castle, leaving Sweetie Drops behind. "Lyra! Wait for me!" Sweetie Drops shouted as Lyra stopped in her tracks. "Bon-Bon, the princess called me over. I think I should enter the castle alone," Lyra informed as she took off again. Sweetie Drops rolled her eyes and trotted after her. She was planning to just wait outside the castle. She wanted to know if Lyra got in as soon as possible. Lyra looked up and saw the gold exterior of the Canterlot Castle. Her heart started racing as butterflies flew in her stomach. "This is it, Lyra," the unicorn told herself as she trotted into the castle. Her hoof touched the soft, red carpet as she entered. When she looked up, she saw none other than Princess Celestia herself. The princess looked down at her and smiled. "Good afternoon, Miss Heartstrings. I suppose you are wondering why you are here," Celestia informed as Lyra quickly nodded. "Yes, your highness. Am I in trouble?" Lyra questioned, sounding as convincing as she could be. Celestia giggled. "Of course not! Follow me. I need to take you to a private room," Celestia informed as she walked up the stairs. Lyra followed behind her. Normally, if a princess took her to a private room, her mind would be racing with possibilities of what might happen. But at this moment, she knew what was happening. Celestia opened a door to a room that nopony was in and entered. She held the door for Lyra, who walked through, looking at the interior. After she was in, the princess closed and locked the door to make sure nopony will enter. "Um, Princess? Why do we have to be in a private room?" Lyra questioned as Celestia smiled a little bit. "Lyra, I am about to tell you one of the biggest secrets that I hold. And I hope you won't tell anypony. Understood?" Celestia informed. "Yes, Princess." "Alright. The reason I called you here is that... I think it would be great for you to be a member of the Monster Prevention Agency, or the MPA." "The what now?" "The MPA is a secret agency that fights and exterminates monsters. With your skills shown today, and the fact that you and Sweetie Drops are best friends, made up my decision to let you in." "Cool! But what does Sweetie Drops have to do with this?" Lyra questioned. Lying with a straight face to the princess was one of the hardest things Lyra had ever done. But she knew if she let the secret slip in any way, that Sweetie Drops might be in trouble with the princess. Her thoughts were cut off when Celestia answered her. "Sweetie Drops is in the agency, just like you." "Really?!" "Yes. She had to keep it a secret from you. She also had to change her name when coming to Ponyville, but I suppose she had you address her by her real name?" "Yeah..." Lyra responded, hoping Celestia doesn't ask her any more questions. "Alright. Just making sure; you want to be in the agency, right?" "You bet I do!" Lyra responded, realizing how impolite she was being to the princess. "Um... I mean... yes, your highness." "Good. Will you be in Canterlot with Sweetie Drops much longer?" Celestia asked. "I'm not sure how long we're going to be here," Lyra responded, wondering why Celestia wanted to know. "Well, is it alright if you stay in Canterlot a little longer?" "Why?" "Since you are a new member of the agency, I will have to train you, so you will know what to do if you come across a monster. I will also have Sweetie Drops help you, since she knows you much better than I," Celestia informed as Lyra smiled. "Sounds good! Are we training right now, your highness?" She questioned. "Well, if you want to. I'm good with whatever time. Find Sweetie Drops and bring her over here, and then we can start." "Okay. Thank you, Princess!" Lyra thanked as she walked out of the room and waved to Celestia. She then ran down the castle hallways, through the main foyer, and out into the city. The sun was high in the sky, marking afternoon. Lyra then got a huge smile on her face. "Yeah! Time to train! Woo-hoo!" Lyra quietly said to herself as she ran to go find her friend.
TrainingLyra started to gallop, causing the afternoon breeze to make her mane flow. "I really wish I knew where Bon-Bon was..." she said to herself. She ran around the castle, looking for her friend. Suddenly, she was hit in the back of the head by something hard. "Ow!" She remarked out-loud. She looked on the ground and saw what had been thrown at her. It was a small piece of candy. Suddenly, Sweetie Drops ran up to Lyra. "You ran right past me, Lyra!" She informed as Lyra ate the candy that was thrown at her. "Oh... I guess I was too eager to find you that I didn't look all around the area..." Lyra explained. A huge smile crept onto her face. "And guess what?" "What? You got in? She wants you to train with her?" Sweetie Drops questioned as Lyra nodded her head in excitement. "And she wants you to help me!" Lyra added as Sweetie Drops grew a smile. "I'm so happy for you, Li!" She remarked. Her face then changed to a look of confusion. "And why does the princess want me helping?" "Well, she thinks that you know me better than her, which is true. So she asked me to come find you!" Lyra informed as she started to walk off. "Wait!" Sweetie Drops shouted as Lyra looked back. "What? The princess is waiting for us!" "Do I need to bring my briefcase? I left it at home!" "She didn't say you needed to bring anything. Now come on!" Lyra responded with small hints of excitement and annoyance in her voice. Sweetie Drops took off after her friend, trying her best to keep up. When the two got into the castle, they found Celestia standing on the steps once again, waiting. "Princess! I brought Sweetie Drops!" Lyra informed as Sweetie Drops waved. "Nice to see both of you again. Now, we are going to go to a room inside of the castle that nopony knows about; a secret area just for the agency. Follow me," Celestia greeted as she walked down the hallway. Nopony else was in the castle, either, so they could feel free to talk about the secret agency as loud as they wanted. "I contacted all of the other members of the agency, telling them that we will train today," Celestia informed. "At first, I figured that it could just be you two, but since a threat has been made, I think everypony should have a day to train." Lyra then looked at her with confusion. "Wait, there's a threat?" Lyra questioned as Celestia nodded. "Yes, Agent Heartstrings. I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, since you were just let into the agency. So, be on the lookout for any signs of suspicion," Celestia informed. Lyra then remembered that Sweetie Drops mentioned the threat, but she knew she couldn't tell the princess that she already knew about it. Soon, they came to a door that seemed hidden against the interior. Celestia then called for a royal guard. An armored stallion came running over at her command. "Yes, your highness?" "Guard this door. Make sure to only let ponies in that have their secret agent identities and my stamp of approval." "Yes, mam!" The guard responded as he stood in front of the door. Celestia opened it, letting the young agents enter first. When Lyra stepped through the door, she saw a floor made up of turf, punching bags, targets to fire magic at and poles to swing around and practice agility with. She also saw many high ledges here and there. "Welcome to the training room!" Celestia remarked. "Feel free to use any of the equipment here to train. Sweetie Drops, you can show her what you normally do here." "Alright. I did leave my briefcase at home, tough," Sweetie Drops informed. Celestia then took out two sets of equipment. "Here is some equipment for both of you. Lyra, you should keep this case. I need to create an identity card for you," Celestia said as she handed two cases to the mares. Lyra opened it and found a grabbing hook, a watch, a card, and a disguise inside. Celestia levitated the card out of the case and seared some magic into it. "Here is your card, Lyra. Be sure to show it to the guards whenever we have a meeting," Celestia informed as she gave Lyra the card. "Thanks, Princess," Lyra responded. She saw that the card had Agent Lyra Heartstrings engraved into it, and a gold circle that looked like the sun. She then turned to see that Sweetie Drops was holding the grabbing hook. She then flung it, latching it onto a poll. She swung and landed on a tall ledge. She then leaped off the platform, performing a front flip on the way down. When she landed, she darted on over to the punching bags, jumped up, and kicked one. She then ran back to the poll, pulled the grabbing hook off, and made her way back over to Lyra. "Wow! You're awesome!" Lyra commented as Sweetie Drops came to a halt. "I bet you will be, too," she responded as she caught sight of Celestia walking up to a target. "Do you want to see some really strong magic?" "Sure!" Lyra responded. "Turn around," Sweetie Drops instructed. When Lyra turned, she saw Celestia in a battle-like stance, magic starting to glow on her horn. Her eyes were fixed on the target, and her wings were spread out. She then unleashed the magic, causing it to fly over to the target like a lightning bolt. When it hit it made a loud sound and disintegrated. "That's some strong magic, Princess!" Lyra remarked, walking up to Celestia. "Thank you, Lyra! Now you should try. Don't be afraid to give it your all. The targets are made out of a material that absorbs magic; so it won't get destroyed." "Alright!" Lyra responded as she stood in front of a target. Her eyes and mind locked on the bulls-eye. She then felt magic sear to her horn and engulf it in a faint, orange glow. She then shot a beam of magic onto the target, creating a small sound. She looked to see the magic fading away. "Very good, Agent Heartstrings. Do you want to try the other things here?" The princess offered. Lyra nodded and grew a smile of determination. "Of course, Princess!" Lyra responded as she practiced her skills with the grabbing hook. About a half hour later, other agents started making their way into the room. When Lyra saw them, she jumped off a high ledge she was standing on and trotted over. She then stood by Princess Celestia's side. "Everypony, I would like you to meet Lyra Heartstrings. She is a new agent here in the MPA." "Hello, Lyra!" All of the ponies greeted. Lyra recognized a few faces in the crowd. She then turned to find Sweetie Drops galloping over as well. "Uh... hello, everypony!" Lyra responded as Celestia's smile turned to a look of seriousness. "I have called you all here so that we can train for the attack that might be made against us. So, what I advise is: choose the area that your performance is the weakest in, and spend the most time practicing that skill," Princess Celestia informed as all of the ponies nodded and took off to the many training objects in the room. Suddenly, Lyra heard magic clashing against targets, Pegasi stealthily flying by, punching bags being collided against, and grabbing hooks hooking onto the metal polls. There was a lot of commotion stirring, and Lyra knew she should go over and join everypony. Levitating the grabbing hook, she charged over to the polls with Sweetie Drops following. After a few hours of training, all of the agents exhaustively stepped outside of the training room, walking outside of the castle in a group. Celestia followed behind them. When they got to the front of the castle, Celestia was about to wave them goodbye when Minuette spoke up. "Um... I may not be a master on animals, but I'm pretty sure tigers don't live in Canterlot..." "Whatever are you talking about, Agent Minuette?" Celestia questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe you should look out there..." Minuette responded. The whole agency walked outside to find a tiger walking around, growling. "What's a tiger doing here?" Lyra wondered out loud. The striped beast picked up on Lyra's statement and started walking towards her. Its claws were showing, its teeth were flaring, and a low growling sound was coming from its mouth. Before anypony had anytime to react, the beast was jumping in mid-air, about to attack Lyra. Author's Note This is probably the most suspenseful cliffhanger I have ever ended a chapter with. Next chapter will be up soon!
The Attack"Lyra!" Sweetie Drops shouted in distress as the tiger pinned her best friend to the ground. "You want to go that way, huh?" Lyra remarked as she shot a beam of magic at the huge beast, causing it to fly through the air. It landed on the ground with a thud, and struggled to pick itself up. Lyra stood up and brushed the dust off her sea-green coat. She then heard a loud roar coming from the tiger. "Roaring isn't gonna cure your pain!" Lyra teased the tiger. "Next time, don't attack unicorns like m-" She was cut off by the thunder of hundreds of big cats running into Canterlot. Princess Celestia stood in front of the agents. "Agents! Lead these beasts out of Canterlot!" Celestia instructed. Suddenly, a brown earth pony stallion started attacking the agents. A few more stallions came after. Lyra and Sweetie Drops managed to sneak away from the fight. "I guess this is the attack that was rumored," Sweetie Drops remarked as Lyra nodded. "Yeah. Now, let's go defeat these cats!" She responded. As the two came into a clearing, they saw a small, white cat that was as cute as can be. "Aww! Bons, look at it! We must save this kitty from being eaten!" Lyra exclaimed, walking over to the cat. "Lyra! It could be dangerous!" Sweetie Drops informed with nervousness. Lyra gave a small chuckle as she turned around to face her friend. "Really? What could be so dangerous about a small cat?" She then looked back at the cat, but saw it leaping at her face. The small animal latched on as Lyra started running around, trying to get the small cat off her head. Sweetie Drops charged over and freed her friend from the cat's claws as the animal fell back on the ground. "Okay! Now I see what you mean!" Lyra responded as she took off. Sweetie Drops ran after her, hoping she wasn't followed by the ferocious feline. The two then found themselves near a cafe, where they saw ponies running away from a lynx. The brown cat stood on an outdoor table, its green eyes darting. It spotted Lyra and Sweetie Drops and jumped to the ground. A growl emitted from its throat, causing some intimidation in Lyra. Sweetie Drops wasn't affected by the huge animal, and suddenly charged forward. She jumped up in the air and kicked the big animal. The lynx fell over as a result. It tried to stand back up, but Sweetie Drops had jumped onto its back. She then squeezed a pressure point on the beast's neck, causing it to stop thrashing. Lyra was amazed at her friend's sense of calmness as she attacked the lynx. She hoped that through time, she herself would be able to fight creatures off easily. It didn't look like her friend was nervous at all, while Lyra was nervous about the small kitty finding them again. She watched Sweetie Drops pin down the animal and blow a few punches, knocking it out. She then ran over to Lyra. "I took care of that one!" Sweetie Drops remarked. Lyra stared at her, speechless for a second. "How in the name of Celestia were you so calm while doing that?" Lyra questioned. "You get used to fighting monsters when you've been doing it for a while," Sweetie Drops informed. She then got a look of determination on her face. "Now, we need you to levitate that lynx to the outskirts of Canterlot." Lyra was a little confused. There is a lot of land that could be called the outskirts of Canterlot. "Where should I drop it? The Everfree Forest? The frozen lands by the Crystal Empire? Where?!" Lyra questioned as her friend looked around. She then spotted a wooded area, far away from any town. "You should put it over there," Sweetie Drops told her friend, pointing. Lyra nodded as she levitated the beast and lowered it into the woods. She didn't know if her magic could hold the lynx up any longer, considering it was a big animal and that the place she wanted to leave it was a healthy distance away. She then found the ground of the woods and laid the lynx down. As she released the magic from her horn, she felt like she had just dropped an 100-pound weight off her head. She turned around to face her friend. "I'm guessing we should round up more," Lyra exclaimed. "Yeah!" Sweetie Drops responded as she took off, her friend following closely behind. The next hour went about the same; they attacked the cats, knocked them out, and Lyra levitated them into the woods. After that hour of attacking, they were tired. Very tired. Lyra's horn ached whenever she tried to use magic, and Sweetie Drops felt like she could no longer run without feeling a small pain in her stomach. The two heard a growl, breaking their thoughts. "Not again!" Lyra remarked as she looked up. The growl came from the tiger that tried to attack Lyra earlier. The unicorn stood up, and tried to charge magic. It was no use. Her head throbbed whenever a glow appeared on her horn. It also hurt her to run, so the only thing she could do was stand there, glaring at the beast. Sweetie Drops couldn't move much, either. Suddenly, the stallion the two saw earlier walked up to the mares. He took out ropes and wrapped the two in them. They were too tired to fight back, and there wasn't much they could do with a huge stallion pinning them to the ground. Suddenly, a bobcat stalked over and picked up Sweetie Drops. "Let me go, you beast!" Sweetie Drops demanded. The tiger then picked up Lyra and started walking. The bobcat followed right behind. Lyra quickly tried using her magic, but it was no use. Her head hurt too much when she tried to form a glow. She gave in and soon saw all the other agents tied in a rope as well, laying on the ground. The big cats dropped Lyra and Sweetie Drops next to the other members of the agency. Suddenly, a huge monster walked up to them. It looked a little bit like an ancient cat, but was really tall, had a long head, and a long tail with a hand at the end of it. No doubt it was a confusing creature. "I hope you all know not to mess with my cats next time," it said. The creature chuckled loudly. "I bet you all don't know me. My name is Ahuizotl." Suddenly, Ahuizotl took out something that looked like potions and put them next to the tied-up agents. Momentarily, gases started foaming out of the top of the bottles. Ahuizotl and his cats backed away, along with the stallions that were helping. As the gases flowed around the ponies, they found themselves getting drowsy. Lyra tried her best to stay awake. "We will not let you take over Canterlot!" Lyra exclaimed. She then felt her vision blurring. Suddenly, the world around her went dark, and she was only left with her dreams. Author's Note It took me a little while to think of the villain that was going to take over Canterlot. I couldn't think of any new ideas, so I started thinking of all the antagonists in the show that could actually have intentions of taking over. And then I thought: Ahuizotl! It seems like he can be a pretty powerful antagonist. He even has an army of cats! Well, I hope you enjoyed!
TrappedLyra's eyes opened, her vision blurred. She rubbed her eyes, now able to see her surroundings. Whatever this strange place was, it wasn't her bedroom. She was in a cage. The bars were rusted and dirty, and the ground wasn't any better. She looked to the left to find Sweetie Drops, who was still asleep. The unicorn glanced around the room and saw many other ponies who she had trained with earlier that day. The room, or whatever they were in, was gray and dark and smelled of metal. Lyra stood up and saw a few stallions guarding the entrance. "Hey! Where am I? Why am I here?" She questioned. A stallion turned around, his harsh glare setting on Lyra. "This is a cave outside of Canterlot. You are here because you tried to ruin my master's plan," the stallion informed, turning around to watch the entrance again. By this time, Sweetie Drops had woken up. She was in a confused state as well. She turned to find Lyra standing. "Where are we, Li? And... bleh! Why does it smell like rust in here?" Sweetie Drops remarked, causing Lyra to face her. "We are in a cave, but apparently it's being used as as dungeon," Lyra informed. The stallion turned back around again. "To answer your question, whatever your name is, it smells like rust because these are some old cages that we're using. We had to take them from the Canterlot Castle." Sweetie Drops' eyes widened. "Where are the princesses? They would have stopped you if they were there!" "Oh, we sneaked through the castle. The princesses were too busy defending Canterlot to notice us. Also, Ahuizotl wants to deal with them personally. He gave us instructions to not capture them." "Okay..." Lyra responded, still unsure. "Why are you working for that... thing?" "You mean, Ahuizotl?" "Yeah!" "Well, we work for him because he provides us with bits. And when I say bits, I mean a lot of bits. He also promised we can live here once he takes this place over." "Back up! Why do you want to take over Canterlot?" Lyra questioned, a hint of anger in her orange eyes. "Oh, well, we need someplace to live. We used to travel different places and reside there. For a while, we lived in a temple. It was actually pretty nice. Ahuizotl wanted a certain number of huge rings. If he found them all and set them on a certain pedestal in the temple, he could have sent the world into 800 years of sweltering heat-" "Why would he want to do that? Is he some sort of maniac?" Lyra questioned. "No, he is not a maniac," the stallion responded, a little bit of anger in his voice. "And he never really said why. I, as well as the other stallions that were helping, just had to go with the flow. We figured he had some bad history with Equestria, and he didn't really want to give that information to us. Now, back to the explanation-" "I don't think bad history is a reason to burn up the world, though," Lyra interrupted as the stallion grunted. "Whatever. Just let me finish the explanation, okay!" He snapped. Lyra grew silent. "Thank you. Now, where was I... Oh yeah! We lived in that temple until it was destroyed. And don't ask how, because I really don't feel like explaining much to a prisoner. After-" "What do you mean? I have free will! Just because I messed with your plans, doesn't mean I can't know something!" Lyra burst, causing the stallion to raise his voice. "WILL YOU JUST BE QUIET ALREADY?!" He yelled. Lyra then made a zipper-closing motion across her mouth with her hoof. "Alright. As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, after the temple was destroyed, we had to live in the jungle. We just slept under the trees and stars. Ahuizotl was asking us all if we knew of someplace bigger and better. We then came to the assumption of Canterlot." "Why Canterlot?" Lyra questioned, still thinking it wasn't a valid explanation. "We chose Canterlot because it feels like the top of the world. We can see many jungles, where ancient and powerful artifacts are, and easily reach them. Ahuizotl also had the urge to attack something, since he was angry from the temple being destroyed. We trained a huge army of big cats to attack anypony who got in our way. They obviously did the job!" The stallion concluded, giving a small chuckle. Lyra grunted and turned, seeing everypony else in the room waking up. "Man, when do you think Ahuizotl will let us out of this cave? I mean, I'm starving!" One of the stallions guarding asked the other. "I'm not sure. But I assume he will pay us for standing guard. So, let's just stand and do our jobs! Maybe we can actually buy some real food for once!" The other stallion answered. While they were wrapped up in their own conversation, Lyra walked to the very edge of the cage near Sweetie Drops. "Sweetie Drops!" Lyra whispered, causing her friend to turn. "We need to get out of here." "I know. I was just thinking of a plan," Sweetie Drops responded, keeping her voice to a whisper. "I could probably break the cages with my magic!" "Well, the guards will notice. Maybe..." "Yes?" "You can put a sleeping spell on them!" Lyra blinked a few times. "Really? Bons, you know I can't do that. I fail at spells." Lyra then looked at the other cage next to her to find Minuette sitting there, rolling her hoof in the dirt. "I'll ask her," Lyra suggested, pointing her hoof at Minuette. "Do you think she's a talented unicorn?" "I'll ask. No harm in asking, right?" Lyra responded. She looked back at the guards. They had not heard the two talking, and were still conversing about their payments. Lyra walked over to the other side of the cage. "Hey, Minuette!" "Oh, hey Lyra!" Minuette responded as Lyra put a hoof to her mouth, signaling to be quieter. "Can I ask you something?" Lyra whispered to the blue unicorn. "Sure!" "Can you possibly put a sleep spell on the guards? That way, we can all escape!" "Well... I might be able to..." "Are you skilled in magic?" "Well, I guess you can say that..." "So... will you do it?" Lyra asked, putting on a smile of hope. "Of course. Well, I'll try at least. Anything to get us out of here!" Minuette answered. Lyra turned to Sweetie Drops and nodded her head. "Time to get out of this place!" Lyra remarked, keeping her voice at a low whisper.
EscapeBy now, the guards were playing cards with one another. They were faced away from the cages, which gave the ponies an advantage. Lyra quickly got Minuette's attention with a wave of her hoof. You ready? She mouthed, making sure the guards didn't see. Minuette nodded and faced towards the guards. "Here goes nothing..." she said to herself as her horn charged up. She imagined shooting the beam at the guards, causing them to fall over and become unaware of the prisoners. As soon as her horn was fully charged, she shot out the magic and hit the guards. To her surprise, it just made them jump. "Ow! Who shot that?" One of the guards questioned, his voice filled with fury. Nopony answered him. "Answer!" The other guard added on. Minuette decided to speak up. "Sorry. I did." "Minuette!" Lyra remarked, motioning for her to stop talking. "Why did you? You know better than to shoot guards!" One of the guards responded, getting right next to the cage. "I'm sorry. I just have to practice magic every day. I won't hit you again, I promise!" Minuette answered. She thought of the best lie she could, and to her surprise, the guards believed it. "Alright. But if you do, I will send Ahuizotl in here to personally destroy you!" The guard informed, walking back to play cards. Lyra walked to the edge of her cage near Minuette. "Want to try again?" Lyra questioned in the lowest voice possible. "Yeah! I will put more concentration in this time." "Alright. They're turned completely around now," Lyra informed, pointing her hoof at the guards. "You should try again now." "Alright. I hope this works..." Minuette quietly remarked to herself. A faint blue glow engulfed her horn. She then imagined putting the guards to sleep. She tried her best to fully concentrate and block out the guards' talking. When her head hurt from holding the magic in so long, she fired it. It engulfed the two guards, and they got angry looks. "I thought I told you-" The guard tried to say, but was cut off by sleep. The other one drifted off shorty after. A moment of silence went by. "I did it!" Minuette cheered, skipping around the cage. "I guess we should all break the cages now," Lyra suggested. Minuette started charging up her horn again. "I have a strong urge to use magic now!" She remarked as all of the cages started glowing the same color as her horn. "So, I can break all of the cages!" Minuette finished. She then charged a little more magic onto her horn and spread it to the cages. Instantly, all of the metal bars broke. Everypony looked around, astonished that the cages just shattered. Minuette ran to the entrance of the cave and turned to face the rest of the agents. "Come on, everypony! Time to get back to Canterlot!" She declared. The blue unicorn took off, with everypony else following closely behind. When they came up to Canterlot, they noticed a very eerie silence. The doors and windows were locked, and some were even boarded up, completely sealing any entrances. The agents walked around the city, looking for any sign of a big creature. Lyra then looked up one way and saw Princess Celestia standing in a battle position. She was charging her horn up, ready to fire. "Everypony! This way!" Lyra remarked as she walked down the path. She saw the Sun Princess fire the beam, and heard a groan of pain. She then saw Ahoizotl's tail grabbing Celestia and holding her in the air. Suddenly, he threw her forcefully on the ground. "Sister!" Princess Luna cried, running up to Celestia. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine, Luna," Celestia answered, standing back up again. She turned to find the agents all walking down the path and grew a small smile. "Here is when you fall, Ahoizotl!" Celestia remarked. Lyra gulped and turned around to her fellow agents. "I think we have to fight him," Lyra informed. She then took a heavy breath. "Here goes nothing..."
The BattleLyra cautiously stepped into the open area, with all of the other agents following behind. Sweetie Drops walked up by her side. Ahuizotl removed his eyes from the princesses and looked down at them, his look of anger turning into confusion. "How did you get out of the cave?" He questioned, his look turning back into anger. Minuette stepped forward. "Your guards weren't prepared for sleep spells," the blue unicorn responded in a taunting tone. Ahuizotl growled, angry that his guards couldn't keep the prisoners in their cages. "Why... you little-" he was cut off by Celestia firing magic at his back. He turned around to face the princess. "I'll have to take care of you first!" He remarked as he picked up Celestia once again. Before he could slam her on the ground, he was hit by a magic beam less powerful than Celestia's. The shock of it caused him to release his grip on Celestia. She landed on her feet to find Ahuizotl turned angrily around. Lyra was standing in front of all the agents, facing him. It must have been her that fired the magic. "You can't hurt the princess!" Lyra exclaimed. She then stepped closer to him. "The guards told us what your plan is. I understand that you don't have a place to live, but... can't you just share Canterlot with the ponies that live here already instead of... you know... destroying the place?" Lyra suggested as Ahuizotl angrily looked at her. "The guards told you about my plan!" He growled. "And I can't have other ponies getting in the way of anything. How about you go live somewhere else?" Ahoizotl then picked up Lyra with his tail. The unicorn couldn't move, since the beast was holding her so tightly. "Let me go!" Lyra demanded, trying her best to charge magic. "Oh, don't worry. I will," Ahoizotl responded as he flung her towards Ponyville. Lyra was falling down to the ground until one of the Pegasi in the agency flew over and grabbed her. Lyra was soon placed on solid ground again, staring up at Ahuizotl. "You gotta be kidding me..." the beast grunted, suddenly hit by Princess Luna's magic. Angrily, he blew a whistle, causing a few stallions to appear with a huge cage. They opened the metal bars as Ahuizotl grew a smirk. "Time for you all to take a nice nap in your crate!" Ahuizotl remarked as he grabbed Luna. He then threw her into the cage and slammed it. The princess tried to stand up, but then fell unconscious from the force of the throw. "Luna!" Celestia cried, now angrily turning to face Ahuizotl. She charged up magic and quickly fired it, causing the beast to fall over. "Agency! Attack!" Celestia directed as the agents attacked Ahuizotl. The beast seemed helpless when getting attacked by over ten ponies at the same time; one being an alicorn. He then decided to make an unexpected move. He grabbed the nearest pony he could and threw her in a cage. It was Minuette. Ahuizotl then stood up and faced the ponies. "You can't keep at this for long!" Ahuizotl exclaimed. "And neither can you!" Celestia responded as Ahuizotl quickly picked her up and threw her in the huge cage. "That'll teach you!" He yelled at the princess, who was injured from the forceful throw. Ahuizotl than turned around to the other ponies. "Who's next?" He questioned. The stallions that brought the cage then ran up to the ponies. They pinned some to the ground, keeping them there, while Ahuizotl was trying to catch others. The beast then picked up the ponies pinned down and threw them in the cage. For the next few minutes, members of the agency were constantly thrown into the cage, leaving only Lyra standing outside. "Well, well, well... I guess you're the only one!" Ahuizotl remarked as he tried to grab Lyra. The unicorn teleported onto his back and shot a beam of magic at his pressure point. Ahoizotl yelped and grabbed her, about to throw her into the cage. The ponies that were already in the cage looked away. They knew that Lyra would be flung in, and that Ahoizotl will be able to take over. But the door never flung open. Lyra used a spell on Ahuizotl, causing him to freeze. She then was able to teleport out of his grasp. "That'll teach you!" Lyra mimicked as Ahoizotl stood, unable to move. Lyra then turned and shot powerful magic beams at the stallions, who fell over from the shock. She then looked back at Ahuizotl, who was still frozen in place. She then fired about ten beams of magic at the beast. Within a minute, the freeze-spell wore off, causing him to fall over. He looked up at Lyra as she charged up her horn again. Her magic nailed him right in the face, quickly knocking him unconscious. For a second, Lyra just stood there, staring down at him. "...I did it..." She quietly said to herself. She then levitated Ahoizotl and the stallions up and out of Canterlot. Lyra then dropped them in the woods, feeling the heavy weight fall off her head. She then breathed heavily for a little bit, and looked at the rest of the agency, who looked shocked as well. Lyra then shot a few beams of magic, breaking the cage. Luna then woke up. "What?!" She remarked, seeing that the cage was destroyed. She then looked at Lyra and smiled. Celestia walked over to her. "Miss Heartstrings," she started. "That was amazing. I knew I made the right decision of letting you into the agency." Lyra smiled proudly, party amazed she was able to defeat the threat. "Thanks, Princess. That means a lot to me-" She was cut off by Sweetie Drops wrapping her in a hug. "You did it!" Sweetie Drops remarked, pulling her friend closer. Minuette then joined in on the hug. "I would have never been able to do that sleep spell without your support," the blue unicorn complimented as Lyra hugged her back. "...Thanks," Lyra responded as she pulled apart. Celestia then got everypony's attention. "I'll tell you when the next meeting is. But for now... Congratulations. You all worked hard today, and Equestria is safe because of your help," Celestia breathed deeply. "I'm just so relieved we got the organization back together. And I bet all of you are, too." Everypony nodded their heads. Celestia then smiled. "Have a nice evening, everypony. Today was very busy. I still cannot thank you enough for your help." Everypony nodded again, gave a smile, and tiredly walked to wherever they needed to go. Lyra then met up with Sweetie Drops and Minuette. "Let's go back to Ponyville," Lyra stated, tiredly. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was the one to defeat Ahuizotl. Author's Note One more chapter to go!
Back Home"All aboard!" The train conductor shouted. "Let's go!" Minuette remarked, trotting onto the train. Lyra and Sweetie Drops walked on afterwards. As Lyra stepped on the train, she remembered riding it earlier that morning; the cool breeze blowing her mane as she saw the sun rise. At that moment, she had no idea that she would be one of the ponies who would save Canterlot. She sat down on a seat by a window and gazed outside, where the sun was setting, marking the end of a long day. Sweetie Drops sat next to Lyra and Minuette sat on the seat in front of them, turned around so she could talk to her new friends. "I can't believe I just became friends with you two!" Minuette exclaimed. "Well, I was always shy around everypony in the agency. Well, of course, until Lyra was accepted," Sweetie Drops gave a small smile. "I'm surprised I didn't talk to you, either." Minuette gave a smile in return. "Well, what matters is that we're friends now." "And I wouldn't ask for any better friends," Lyra added on as they pulled each other into a hug again. "Hey! Do you two want to have a picnic at my house tomorrow?" Sweetie Drops questioned. Lyra remembered the picnic they had the day before. That was when Lyra posed her question about the agency. She then snapped out of her thoughts and answered her friend. "Of course! I call bringing the desserts!" Lyra responded. "You always bring the desserts. I'm the one who makes candy for a living. So shouldn't I bring candy?" Sweetie Drops suggested in more of a teasing manner. Lyra nodded her head. "Alright, fine. I'll bring... carrots and potatoes." "I can probably bring fruit!" Minuette suggested as Sweetie Drops nodded her head. "I guess that's settled. Now... what do you two want to do while we're waiting to get home?" Sweetie Drops questioned. "Oh! I have an idea!" Lyra stated, causing Minuette and Sweetie Drops to look in her direction. "We can do the ABC game!" "The what now?" Minuette asked. "Oh, have you ever played it? Sweetie Drops and I do all the time!" "No. What are the rules?" "Alright. I'll give an example," Lyra turned to Sweetie Drops. "The category I choose is... food!" Lyra exclaimed as Sweetie Drops nodded. "I'll start: Avocado." "Banana," Sweetie Drops added on as Lyra turned to Minuette. "Now, you say a food that starts with a 'C'." "Um... carrots!" Minuette said as Lyra nodded. The game went on, the three thinking of all different foods. After a few rounds of their game, the train came to a stop. "We have arrived in Ponyville!" The conductor shouted as the three stepped off the train. Lyra looked at the sky to see that the sun had completely set; Luna's moon taking its place. The moon and stars gave off a refreshing glow as the cool, nighttime breeze flowed through Lyra's fur. Lyra heard Sweetie Drops yawning from behind. "Well, I better hit the hay. See you all tomorrow!" Sweetie Drops remarked as she trotted away, leaving Minuette and Lyra on the train station. "I have to agree with her. It was tiring today!" Minuette exclaimed. "Bye, Lyra! I'll see you tomorrow!" "Bye, Minuette!" Lyra responded as she saw the blue unicorn trotting away. Lyra turned and walked to her own house. When she got inside, she walked upstairs and plopped in bed. The soft comforter felt very nice on her tired legs. "Much better than sleeping in a cage..." Lyra said to herself as she closed her eyes. She was soon fast asleep; dreaming about her new life as a secret agent. Author's Note Well, that wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed the story!
