Chapters Gator was tied upside down above a pit of lava, the steel walled room was dark with only three light sources, the lava, the spotlight that was aimed at Gum and the light behind Gum Gator's captor.
"Finally, Gum Gator, I have you in my trap, you'll never escape!" The mad old earth pony was completely shaven, no coat or mane, a scar In the shape of a set of teeth surrounded his snout. " What will you do now lizard!"
The rope around Gator was descending slowly and the lava drew closer, every inch spitting drops of lava towards the alligator, a fiery doom was coming for the spy or that's what the old pony thought.
Gator's tongue shot out, it was wrapped around a strange metallic object, a red beam shot from the object to the mechanism that was hoisting Gator down, the mechanism stalled for a second then shot Gum up and straight towards the old pony.
"No!" The pony tried to make a dash for a pod but it was too late, Gator landed on the button sending the pod out before he escaped. Within moments the agency's ponies had arrived, all dressed in the usual spy gear, Gator's job was done, he stalled the pony before he could escape.
The ponies arrested the villain throwing hoofcuffs onto the cynic, a few of the agencies soldiers searched the area for additional evidence of his crimes. This pony was going away for a long time.
An older unicorn mare with a neat mane and an eye atop a shield for a cutie mark approached Gum, "Well done agent GG, we'll have Dr Socks shipped to our top security prison. No more of that pony's 'experiments'.
"Curse you Gator!" The old pony tried to break free of his hoofcuffs as he was dragged away.
"We'll have you dropped back at your home in Ponyville as soon as possible. I would like to commend you on your work again Gator, you are the best agent the agency has ever seen." The mare signalled two agents over to escort Gum.
Pinkie was talking to Twilight in Sugarcube Corner by the time Gum got to Ponyville, he moved into position next to his owner.
"You can count on Pinkie!" Pinkie said as Twilight walked out. "come on, Gummy, we got a party to plan–" Pinkie suddenly jerked at an odor almost as bad as rotten apples " –eww, but first somegator needs a bath.".
Gum enjoyed his mundane life with Pinkie, well... as mundane as daily parties can be. It was great to know someone was there for him.
The listening and watching of Pinkies life was very interesting, the things Pinkie got involved in were almost as interesting and exciting as Gum's own life. Stories of princesses and friendship filled the void of Gum's life away from the agency.
If anything the alligator felt comfort in Pinkie, her positive outlook on life was enlightening to the little gators heart. He wished he could tell the pony his life, he wished he could show her what he did but Gum knew it would put Pinkie at risk. Gator could never let Pinkie get into trouble so she had to know nothing of his work.
Pinkie and her 'pet' returned home. Gum enjoyed a luxurious bath and a party before Pinkie went back to her 'party business' for Princess Twilight.
Gator found it entertaining as he watched Pinkie rush around preparing everything. Eventually Pinkie collapsed after hours of hard work, Gum stood vigil for a while, he did not need much sleep thanks to special agency training.
The next morning Pinkie had some kind of emergency, he watched her rush around and ask him questions, how was he to answer and where was she getting the answers she came up with from. Fortunately it was all over in the space of an hour and she left to set up her party. Gum decided to hang around and relax, he needed to take some time off as he'd been busy all week tracking Dr Socks.
He began with his morning meditation, it became a common thing for him as he needed to focus his mind and prepare it for the day ahead. He entered his soul and relaxed his body for about an hour then returned. Gum decided to head downstairs and find a nice spot for a comfortable nap.
Gator sat down in his favourite spot, he was just about to relax but was startled by the beeping noise, agency business, Gum couldn't get a day off.
Gum licked a picture of Pinkie and him.
"Access granted." The wall opened to reveal a room full of gadgets and devices, a giant monitor was covering the opposite wall. Gum stepped in as the wall closed behind him.
The words 'new assignment flashed on the monitor, Gum pressed a button on the pad below the scree and awaited his briefing, the unicorn mare appeared on the screen, her alias listed below as Agent X.
"Agent GG, we have a situation in Saddle Arabia." The mare spoke as a picture of a pony wearing a head scarf appeared below with a short description next to him; Height 5'6, Coat brown, mane black, eye colour brown. Gum didn't recognise this one.
"This is Grate Grinder, he is an arms dealer on the dark market, he also has information on another pony, currently known only as Tempest." Another picture appeared, this time of a silhouette, the description held no information but the name rang a bell.
"Tempest has avoided the agency for years, one of our informants overheard Grate Grinder speaking of a deal between him and Tempest. From what we know Tempest is buying extreme amounts of weapons and some of our leads have gone missing there. You know what to do Gator, once again the world may be in your hands."
Gator was dropping altitude rapidly, the ground came closer as he fell from the sky, his little claw tugged on the cord dangling from the bag on his back. The light blue canvas shot out of the bag and slowed Gum's decent till he touched ground, he found himself in the middle of the desert.
Gum broke the chute loose from his bag and began his long trek to Ponystan in the centre of Saddle Arabia. He had only brought enough rations for the trip to Ponystan as he was to make contact with an agent there.
Heat roared under Gum's little feat as he travelled the sands, but he knew he had to press on with only a compass and the sun to guide him to his destination.
Several hours passed as Gum moved across this great void of nothingness, he decided to set up camp near a large rock he had found, if anything it would at least remind him there's more in the world than just sand.
Missions like this were common in the agency. Gum had it easy compared to most agents, he was one of the best so he needed to be treated as such, they wouldn't send him out like this unless it was completely necessary.
He built up his reputation quickly in his early years as an agent and by his fifth assignment he was the talk of the agency. His lack of movement when others look at him makes it easy for him to blend in and also hide his emotions in interrogations.
As he lay his head down on his bed roll, his mind raced back to Ponyville, Pinkie Pie never noticed how 'Gummy' disappears, sometimes for days, it was strange. Gum assumed Pinkie was so busy with parties and princesses she'd be distracted just enough to not notice the Alligator's absence.
His mind began to sway to a more pressing question, who was Tempest? He had heard the name before but why couldn't he remember, it was like something was blocking his thoughts.
Darkness slowly crept around Gator as he dug deeper into his bedroll, avoiding the dropping temperature, and eventually fell into slumber, his mind repeating one phrase, who is Tempest? Who is Tempest?
Aware, but keeping his eyes closed, Gum knew something was up, he could tell he had been moved and was no longer in the desert by the feel of a softer bed.
"Don't worry boss, he's still asleep." The voice was talking over some sort of device, Gummy could tell by the beeping sound to signal a message in response. Gum continued to be 'asleep' as he planned what to do.
"Rodger that, I'll leave someone on vigil, in case he wakes up. Me and a team will sweep the area for other signs of the agency." The sound of hooves and a heavy door opening and then closing assured Gum it was safe to open his eyes.
The agent looked around the room, it looked as if the walls were a reinforced stone and the door was metallic. A laptop lay on a desk near the bed and what appeared to be a one way window covered most of the wall behind it.
"Good morning, Mister Gator." A griffon stood before Gum, a well groomed specimen as well, the beak was pristine and sharp, his feathers were smooth and silky.
"Welcome to Bastion," he spoke with a friendly tone, "we are sorry we had to bring you in unaware, but we couldn't have you doing anything brash, my name is Aldon."
Gum responded with his trademark stare, he was going to get information out of this one way or another. The griffon opened the door behind him. "I had heard you were the silent type. If you would please follow me, I'll give you a tour of the facility and introduce you to the boss."
Gator played along, he needed to find out where he was, what he was doing here and who is 'the boss'?
Gator was shown the entire facility, it was a large compound in a mountain range situated within the desert Gator was travelling. The walls around the buildings were littered with watch towers and the only way in or out was huge metal door.
He notices the many different types of faculties provided were similar to the agencies training base; an advanced obstacle course training ground including a large zip line that only the strong could stay attached to, a barracks for the recruits to sleep, a mess hall, a tech training centre, a communications building, the list was endless.
After the tour Aldon took Gator up to a building at the top of the compound, it appeared to be a mansion but had security measures that could wow even Princess Celestia's royal guards. Gum recognised the building, it wasn't the same but was built similar to a mansion he remembered but he couldn't put his claw on it.
"Welcome to the Boss' home Mr Gator." Aldon opened the doors and stepped through with Gum on his back. The door opened to a decorated reception office, the walls were filled with paintings of scenery and flowers made a waiting area seem homelike. A blonde mare sat at a desk with a stack of papers next to her.
"Ah, hello Aldon, I suppose this is Mr Gator, I will inform the boss immediately." The mare pressed a button on her desk that let out a buzz.
"Thank you Mrs Buzz." Aldon took a seat on one of the sofas in the waiting room placing Gum next to him.
Aldon turned to Gator, "You see Mr Gator, the boss has been watching you for a long time. Your actions have always fascinated her and I believe you both met a long time ago."
Gum's mind raced, who did he know that would go this far to track him, an old enemy? No they'd have eliminated the alligator in the desert, an agency agent? No they could just simply request his presence, Who?
The receptionist stepped over to the two ,"The Boss will see you now."
"Thank you," Aldon replied, "we'll head up now."
Aldon picked Gator up with his wing and put him on his back then walked over to an open elevator, he entered with Gummy and pressed the single button on the wall.
The sound of the moving elevator filled the empty seconds as they approached the 'Boss' Room'. The door opened to reveal a dark room with hundreds of monitors on the surrounding walls with one huge screen in the centre, an empty desk was in front the huge monitor.
"Mr Gator has arrived!" Shouted Aldon,"I am sorry but I must go now, I need to check with the recruits."
With that Aldon left via the elevator, Gummy moved up to the desk until he was standing on it. Within a second the huge monitor flashed to life, a large eye centred itself on the screen.
"Ah, Mr Gator, I have been expecting you." The female voice came from the speakers and was familiar to Gum's ears, " I hope you remember me, my name is Tempest."
Memories that were stolen returned, it was as if his mind had stumbled on a hidden past. Gator's missing life was revealed before him, his old missions, his failure and his love.
"You could speak once Gator, before the explosion, in fact, we both came out as something else." Tempest's voice etched into his soul, "you were a stallion, I was a mare and now look at us."
Gum began processing this, he remembered his life as a stallion, the one they removed, the one they hid. Tempest Truth, that was her name, his love. These thoughts forced tears through Gator's eyes.
"You were Gum Racer, my love, they changed you and left me!" A round opening widened on the floor and a tube came up from the ground, a destroyed body of a mare could be seen inside with wires attached to the head and smaller tubes entering her body.
"That's me!" The speakers were producing her exact voice, her emotions of pain could be heard, "that's what they left, because I failed the mission, because the Governor died."
The memory of that day hit Gum's mind.
An island off the coast of Equestria, the capital of a small rising nation, a mansion for a stallion who united the costal islands together. The last mission for Gum Racer and Tempest Truth.
The ponies there were happy and had found their country a great tourist site within the past few years. The beaches were packed with many different kinds of creature, from griffons to younger dragons and even yaks.
Gum Racer, a green Pegasus with a magenta mane and a pair of dice for his cutie mark, and Tempest Truth, a crimson unicorn with a white mane and an eye for her cutie mark, were to protect the Governor.
The Governor was preparing to start his speech before a large crowd. He stood at the balcony of his beautiful mansion built by the citizens of the city. Gum and Tempest were inside.
"Gum!" Tempest called from the top of the ladder "We've got to move now, you get to the Governer's office, I'll clear the roof." She disappeared from the edge of the ladder.
"Ok, be safe my love!" Gum called in response, he moved down the corridor, his utility belt jiggling at each step, a red carpet and white walls made the building feel like a palace. Gum knew he was looking for two huge doors, that would lead to the office.
At first glance the doors were stable but then he noticed the slightest motion, something was up, he had found the right room but there was definitely someone inside. Gum galloped through the two huge doors breaking one off it's hinges.
"Hooves up, or I'll put up mine !" Gum's sly catchphrase caught the intruder off-guard, papers from the desk flew everywhere obscuring Gum's vision and bookshelf fell.
"Oww, my hoof!" The bookshelf was resting on the back hoof of the intruder, he was wearing a suit that covered his body except his eyes, nose and mouth. The pony tried to break free but the huge piece of furniture on holding him down was just too heavy.
"The jigs up! Who are you and who do you work for?" Gum's forceful approach caused the pony to shudder.
"I can't say or he'll kill me!" The pony was trembling by now, his fear almost changing the atmosphere in the room it felt hotter.
A buzz came from a device on Gum's belt, Gum retrieved it with his wing and held it to his ear, "Rodger!"
"Gum they have planted bombs, we need to disarm them!" Tempest voice came crackling out of the device, "I have already taken one down, there should be one in the office and one above the balcony of the Governor's speech."
"Ok, you take the one above the balcony I'll find the one here, I also have a prisoner for interogation." Gum quickly placed his device back into his belt and approached the pony.
Gum's hoof hit the pony's face hard, "Where's the bomb!"
"It's under the table, please don't hurt me, they made me do it!" The pony curled up to his trapped hoof, now in tears.
Gum climbed under the table, a bleeping noise came from a strange metal case. A lock blocked Gum's path but only for a moment, he reached for a lock pick and quickly broke open the case.
The heat emanating from the case was growing stronger and stronger as a small timer chipped away, fortunately gum had a minute to work, unfortunately that would mean Tempest had between 45 seconds to a minute fifteen to reach hers and disarm it, assuming they were set at approximately the same time.
Gum set to work, a quick snip of the green wire stopped the auto-destruct system, sweat dripped as he tugged on the blue, and finally he snapped the red, within 30 seconds the bomb was disarmed. Gum sat back at a job well done.
He had no choice but to wait on Tempest, he couldn't distract her from her job.
Above Tempest kicked a thug off the roof while another tried to hold her back, she span around and flung the pony down.
She quickly jumped for the case above the balcony and cracked it open, 20 seconds, she set to work immediately, snipped the green with 12 seconds left, then tugged the blue at 6 seconds, the voice of the Governor could be heard one word distracted Tempest for a second.
"Love!"
The memories of that day flooded Gator, the explosion, his lover's scream. The Tempest he knew was dead, replaced by a pony hooked to a machine to survive. The Gum she knew was dead, a voiceless alligator with her lover's mind took his position.
"Gum you came here to stop me, well I'm going to die and on my death a missile will be fired at the agencies HQ, the army of Bastion will rise to take the world, I give them this gift for saving me." This wasn't Tempest, Gum knew his love wouldn't destroy the world she was no longer herself.
"You are no longer him, I want you to go Gum, I want you to have a chance, the agency ruined us and now they must pay!" This time the speakers shout out anger in her voice, her monitor buzzing quickly, "I don't have much longer to live, I only survived so I may see you again, even as you are now."
The eye of the pony in the tube opened slowly, her real voice began to speak through the glass, "Still the looker, I love you Gum." A tear fell from the eye as the pony passed. The alligator's eyes shot tears out, he could only watch as she died before him.
At that moment the monitor moves to reveal a bulletproof screen and beyond that a magic missile, Gum knew that this would do more than destroy the agencies HQ, half of Equestria would suffer from magic fallout.
He leapt to a computer panel that was situated in front of the window, there had to be a deactivate switch somewhere, he searched the room but his tears blocked his sight, he couldn't let this happen, this was madness.
A bleep came from the tube, he saw a case right next to the pony's hoof, his instincts kicked in and he opened the tube and as the body fell out he grabbed the case with his mouth.
Upon opening the case a familiar scene played out, a pair of scissors were there and a the timer was ticking, 20 seconds the same colours. He snipped the green, 12 seconds, he tugged the blue, 6 seconds...
"Love." the pony whispered with another last breath as Gator worked but Gator was faster, he snipped the red on the final second.
The sequence stopped, everything stopped for the Gator, time was slow around him as a group of agency men appeared from the elevator charging in and grabbing the alligator and the body. Gum had saved the world but his love was gone, destroyed by her own madness and anger, now dead.
Agent Z was behind her desk opposite Gum, a clock on the plain white wall ticked slowly in the background, "Mr Gator, we know you discovered your past, we were tracking you through a chip in your brain." Her voice was serious, as if she was scolding a child or a pet.
Gum stared back without any emotion, even less than his usual stare, a tear from his eye was the only thing in motion on the face of the alligator.
He knew she wasn't going to show him mercy, it was agency policy he knew too much, but he had no idea what she actually would do to the.alligator, nothing could hurt more than him losing his love.
"You have been compromised, we can't have you on anymore missions." Agent Z snapped her fingers and before Gum could react he found himself drifting to a sleep.
In a flash Gummy awoke, his nightmare was over, he reassured himself with the thought of seeing Pinkie's face when she woke up to see her favourite pet alligator.
Yes, for that was the life of a pet alligator, to wait for it's owners attention and to reply with blank stares and gummy bites.
