P A R A N O R M A L

Chapter 4:

Under the Moon’s Light

Brave stared in awe at all that was around him. Once the light had faded, he and Bon Bon had found themselves in an absolutely enormous office complex that seemed to have been combined with a laboratory of sorts. Ponies were bustling around, all wearing lab coats or suits, and were doing things Brave had only believed happened in video games. He saw ponies tinkering with machines and different sorts of weaponry; others that were poking and prodding strange substances, one of which tried to attack the scientist examining it; and even more were typing away at keyboards in front of a large map of Equestria with different points of light all over it.

“What is this place?” Bravely breathed, taking it all in as his head swiveling from side to side the whole time.

“Welcome to the E.P.P.I,” Bon Bon declared, though nowhere near loud enough to disturb the ponies at work. “The Equestrian Paranormal Protection Initiative. From here, we protect ponies all over the country, and even the world, from all of those creatures that go bump in the night.”

“This is, just… wow.”

Bon Bon chuckled as Brave continued to stare at every little thing that moved. She bumped him with her side and started walking further into the complex. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you introduced around here.”

Wordlessly, the pegasus stallion followed, overwhelmed by the sights. As they walked, the first question came to his mind. “Hey, um, Bon? Where even are we exactly?”

“Canterlot. The base of Canterlot Mountain to be exact.”

“Seriously‽” Bravely exclaimed, getting a few dirty looks shot at him from the workers. He lowered his head in embarrassment and rushed forward to catch up with Bon Bon. They continued walking down the halls, questions burning inside of his mind as they strolled. One especially focusing on the practically all-white paint job of the agency. Sure there was some bits of black like in the computer area, but practically everything else was white without a single spec of other color. He hoped he’d get a chance to ask.

Before Bravely could take his next step, something suddenly burned in the back of his head. He felt the blur before it even happened, there was a shout of his name nearby, but his wing reacted before anything else; it snapped out, causing to break and splinter as part of the projectile continued on. Using the momentum of his wing, Bravely spun his body onto his rear legs his left foreleg shot out and up, deflecting the projectile into the ceiling above.

Bravely blinked a few times as his senses realigned, looking down at himself to see he was standing like a biped, as well as the splintered remains of an arrow. He blinked at them before dropping back on to his hooves and looking up to see the arrow head glinting in the light of the bulb it was embedded next to. Looking down, his eyes landed on the technician holding a crossbow that had been inadvertently pointed at him. In a normal situation, Brave would have begun laying into the mare for nearly killing him, but the sheer surprise in his system overloaded his anger to the point he just stood there dumbly in the hallway.

A few moments dragged on in complete silence, prompting the stallion to look around to see nearly everypony staring at him, a few with their jaws slack. His head swiveled to look at Bon Bon who was looking between him and the pieces of the arrow. He cleared his throat a little and started to walk again.

“S-so… where we going again?”

Bon Bon shook herself out of her self-imposed stupor, regaining her aura of authority. “R-right, this way.” She turned back around, but stopped to look back at him with a deathly whisper, “don’t make eye contact with anyone.”

Bravely gulped, but didn’t disobey, quickly following after her. Keeping his eyes straight, he began to wonder why everypony seemed so surprised. After all, Bon had told him that anyone in the agency needed that Hunter’s Instinct, right? So why in Equestria would they be so surprised to see it action? There was also a feeling of familiarity that time with the blur of instinct. But for the life of him, he couldn’t pin it down to exactly what.

Nor could he shake the feeling of being watched, besides those of the workers around him.

Hearing a door open, Bravely refocused his mind on the task at hand, seeing Bon Bon walking into a room at the far end of the complex. She gestured for him to follow, complying in a matter of seconds. Inside was a typical employers’ office, complete with fancy, dark-wood desk, a set of three plush chairs in front of the desk, and a big, comfy, office chair on the other side of the desk. Even had a large bay window behind the chair. Though, that had Bravely pause; if they were underground then what could the window be for…

“Bravely!”

He winced as his ear was assaulted by Bon Bon’s shout, rubbing it while he once again focused on the present. “Ow, sorry, sorry. What did you say, Bon?”

The sound of chuckling caught his attention, looking over as the office chair swiveled around, revealing the last pony Bravely ever would have expected: Princess Luna.

The Princess Luna.

“Holy Luna,” he gasped-whispered, taking a small step back. “It’s Princess Luna”

“Perceptive for a new recruit,” her highness chuckled, her mirthful expression never once faltering. She turned to Bon Bon with the same look. “Welcome back, Agent Sweetie Drops. Your report from last night was quite the read across the agency. Even my sister sends her regards for the results.”

“Thank you, Luna. Of course, it all goes to his bucko here,” Bon said while motioning to Bravely, who was looking around. “What’s up, kid?”

He looked at her with questioning eyes. “Who’s Agent Sweetie Drops?”

Luna snorted, getting a deadpan glance from Bon Bon before looking back at him. “That would be me, Bravely. My real name is Sweetie Drops; Bon Bon is only a cover name.”

Bravely blinked a few times before dropping on to his haunches. “Everything I know is wrong!”

The princess broke out into giggles while Bon, er, Sweetie Drops slapped her forehoof to her face.

“I think I’m going to like this recruit,” Luna said through her chuckles. “Tell me, what is your name?”

“U-um, Bravely, your highness. Bravely Default.”

“Oh I just love that game!” Luna clapped with a big grin.

Bravely dropped his face to the floor with a loud groan. Next he spoke, his voice muffled by the white carpeting. “Even the princess! Come on!”

The princess of the night burst in roaring laughter, leaning back far in her chair with her mirth. Even Sweetie couldn’t hold in her chuckles. “Okay, kid. At attention. We may not be military, but respect for the princesses is still expected.”

Bravely sighed, lifting his head back up, though only so far as to bow before the princess. Luna smirked, nodding at him. “Rise, my little pony.” He did as asked, looking up at her. She could see much in those grey orbs of his; endless questions, a fiery soul, and… something more. Something Luna had thought she would not see in any pony that would pass through these walls. A small smile was hidden on her muzzle as she locked eyes on him. “All that you’ve seen today is only the beginning of a brand new life for you, Bravely Default. The road before you is dangerous, treacherous, and will fill you with pain and dread. But it will also bring light to the darkness that most ponies don’t even know is practically on top of them. You will be a protector hidden in the shadows that will keep everypony safe. What do you have to say?”

“I get a choice?” he asked, being the first time he was hearing of this.

Luna nodded. “Of course; this is not a position that should be forced on anypony, regardless of their skills. You are free to return to your life as before, of course all memory of this day will be wiped; we cannot risk this agency’s secrets after all. There’s plenty good you could do here; your instinct being very powerful from what I saw in the hall a few minutes ago. But, the choice is yours.”

‘The choice is mine’.

That thought continued to run constantly through his mind. Possibility after possibility clashed within his brain, many scenarios of horrible death from the claws of whatever other monsters were out there. He saw himself mutilated, scarred, eviscerated, mauled, and many, many other ways. Then the visions changed; he no longer saw himself in those positions. No, he saw other ponies. Ponies he knew, ponies he loved, ponies he sometimes only ever saw walking through Ponyville. His stomach churned more and more as he thought of the what-ifs and what-could-bes. He couldn’t tell which was worse…

Then he realized that he could.

Luna watched with her smile coming to vision as she saw the change come over Bravely. Those eyes that had been filled with fear had begun to harden, replacing all trepidation with determination. She already knew his answer before he spoke.

“If you’ll have me, your highness, I’d like to stay.”

“I had a feeling that’s what you would say,” Luna said with a visible grin. “Your training will begin shortly. For the moment, I must speak with Agent Drops in private. If you would excuse us, please?”

With a bow of his head, Brave exited out the door they’d entered previously, closing it shut behind him. Sweetie Drops turned to Luna, mirroring his smile. “Kid’s got heart, have to give him that.”

“Indeed he does. The kind of heart I just know I’ve seen before.” Luna glanced over at the earth mare and winked. “Same amount of skill, too.”

“I take it that’s what you wanted to speak to me about?”

Luna nodded. “Yes. His skill is… surprising.” Slowly, she stood from her chair on all fours, turning to the window where Sweetie eventually joined her. “His Hunter Instinct is more refined than any other we’ve ever encountered. Even yours needed much refining to get to this stage. His’ however, it’s almost…” She trailed off, looking out the window.

“I know what you’re thinking, your highness, but it’s just not possible. The Hunter is just a fable; a legend to inspire the troops.”

“You should know by now, Ms. Drops. Not all legends stay legends forever. Keep an eye on him; we may be in for a surprise from that young stallion.”

Sweetie Drops bowed to Luna. “Yes, your highness. I’d better get to it now before he gets another arrow shot at him.” The friends shared a good chuckle before the mare headed for the exit, stopping just before opening the door. “If, by chance, you’re right… what would it mean?”

Luna stood silent for a moment, looking into the glass before her. “Darker days are approaching, regardless if I’m right. If I am, then perhaps it means there’s a chance for light to shine through that darkness.”

A mirthless chuckle escaped from Sweetie. “Always cryptic, you and your sister really are alike.”

“Don’t let Celestia hear you say that. She’d never let me live it down.” Luna heard the agent bark out a small laugh before the door opened and closed, leaving her alone with her thoughts. “Let’s hope I am right. Then, we may just have a chance.”

Silence carried on, Luna simply gazing into the lake of molten earth outside her window.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Alright, rookie, let’s get you a basic run of the weapons available to you here at EPPI.” After their meeting with Princess Luna, Sweetie Drops led Bravely deeper into the complex to the training area. To Brave’s eyes, it appeared to be a much more simplistic school gymnasium, replacing all colors with a tiled, matte black from floor to ceiling. What amazed him even more was when Bon walked to the far wall and pressed in one of the tiles. A section of the wall suddenly popped out with a mechanical whir before sliding away to reveal several white shelves of different weapons.

“Woah,” Brave breathed, glancing over each selection, not knowing what to do with any of it. “That’s, um, that’s a lot.”

Sweetie grinned at him. “Don’t worry, kid. You don’t need to be great with everything. Ever agent has hers or his specialty, though a basic knowhow of each one doesn’t hurt for emergencies.”

“W-well, if you’re sure, Bon, er, I mean Sweetie, er, Drops, Agent, um…” Bravely stammered out, continuously trying speak, but failing to do so.

“Don’t worry, kid,” she rolled her eyes. “When it’s just us, you can call me Bon as always.”

“Oh thank Luna,” Brave sighed, letting out taking in a breath from constantly talking. “So, what’s first?”

“Most underrated weapon ever,” she replied, tossing a pair of polished, wooden sticks at him, strung together by a metal chain. Brave yelped, taking the nunchucks to his face and falling on to his back. Bon had a strained expression on her muzzle, staring at the stallion getting tangled up in nunchucks of all things. “This might take longer than I thought.”

Over the next few minutes, Bon had Brave run through several different weapons. Once he’d been untangled from the nunchucks, he was quick into keeping the rhythm of the weapon. However, he wasn’t quite able to keep it lasting for more than a few seconds at a time, often hitting his own head if he kept the sticks moving too fast.

The next to try was a long, wooden staff with grip wrappings around center of the shaft. Bon called it a bo staff and was quite skilled with the weapon before hoofing it over to Brave. In an attempt to mirror his trainer’s techniques with the weapon, he ended up tripping his own hooves with the weapon and falling flat on his face. He’d grumbled a bit and took to the air, showing a little more skill while performing without the worry of falling. What he did find that was while aerial allowed for better technique, it was limited as he had to worry about not striking his own wings while using the weapon.

They tried a couple variations on the staff, trying to discover if shorter versions worked better for Brave; sadly, none panned out well. They tried other weapons, including clubs, maces, and escrimas. Not a one seemed to fit Brave well enough for him to be completely comfortable with them. Though, he did happen upon a pattern with all the weapons.

“Hey Bon? Why is all of these weapons seem to be rather, well, merciful? There’s not blades or sharp edges on any of these; not a single sword or spear. Why is that?”

“You’ve got good eyes,” she remarked, putting back their most recent attempt. “A long time ago, swords, spears, and other blades were the norm for monster hunting. However, it turned out to be a metaphorical and literal double-edge sword. The monsters we face are strong, stronger than most earth ponies; as such, in a fight, the could easily overpower a weapon like a blade due the focus being solely on the blade not breaking against another blade back then. Some would even break the blades cleanly off or even inadvertently get a pony to be harmed from her own weapon. As such, the princess had made it that our weapons are initially non-lethal. A good hunter, though, can easily make one of these kill. Care for a demonstration?” she said with an evil-looking grin.

Bravely quickly waved his hooves. “No no no no, that’s not necessary!”

Bon burst out laughing in response to his vehement refusal. “Just kidding around a bit, kid. Lighten up a little, eh? We’ve got plenty of time to figure out what you’re comfortable with. Nothing’s going to interrupt us-”

“Agent Drops!” a  pink pegasus mare dressed in a black tuxedo shouted upon bursting into the training area. “You’re needed at Operations!”

“I’m kind of in the middle of something right now, Bloom. Is it important?”

Bloom nodded feverishly. “We just got word from Ponyville. There’s been an attack at the police station you reported the Rake was delivered to.”

“What‽” she and Bravely exclaimed at the same time.

“I’m afraid so,” the agent nodded. “We don’t have any confirmation, but we think the Rake didn’t fully die and attacked when it regained consciousness.”

“Tell Ops I’ll be right there.” Order in hoof, Bloom saluted and ran back out the way she came in. Bon turned to Bravely with a grim look. “Kid, you couldn’t have known.”

“But I-”

“Don’t even start thinking down that path. Trust me, it will just eat you inside and that’s the last thing we need right now. I’ll get another agent to continue your training, but for now-”

“No,” he interrupted her this time, getting a surprised look in return. “I’m going with you.”

“You’re not ready-”

“I don’t care! This started with me and it’s going to end with me.”

Bon looked at Brave’s eyes, seeing that determination that Luna had witnessed earlier, caving in only moments later. “Alright. Just grab what feels right in your grasp from the shelf and let’s get up there for briefing.”

“Thanks, Bon. I’ll be right behind you.” Bon nodded, rushing ahead while Bravely quickly rushed over to the weapon shelves, glancing over each one as fast as he could. Everywhere he looked, nothing seemed right. Sweat poured from his brow as he felt the stress rising to quickly follow his superior. He clamped his eyes shut and just grabbed at the first thing he felt, stowing it on his back before rushing after Bon Bon.

‘I’m still not entirely sure what I’m getting into,’ he thought to himself as he ran. ‘For all I know this may be the stupidest decision of my life. But what was it Backbone always said? “Bravery and stupidity are the same thing; it’s the outcome that determines your label”. Let’s hope I can live up to that stupid name of mine.’