Resistance

The storm was awful last night, I could barely sleep. The wind was intense, the rain was pounding, and the lightning when it flashed was as light as day. Bonbon and I were waiting with the lights off. The storm wasn't the reason I couldn't sleep, it was because the princess's guards were out. They were looking for Bonbon, and they had found her. We were holding each other as close as we could, as quiet as we could. We were both utterly terrified. We both knew that it was our last night together, all we did was sit and wait. There were no words said, because words were meaningless at the time. They still are. Words would have meant "We'll get out of this," but we both knew that Bonbon was dead. the only question was, "Is it public, or privet?" which I didn't want to know because it would have ruined our last moments of piece.

Then we heard it. the banging on the door. "Go wait in your room," Bonbon whispered. "What ever you do, don't let them see you. If they see you, you'll get charged for aiding a pony against the crown, and then we'll both be dead," Bonbon explained, hurriedly.

"Bonbon! Are you crazy!? I'm not leaving you!" I hissed.

"Listen! You don't have a choice anymore! Go hide!" Bonbon hissed back, more angry.

"Okay, just, if there is an afterlife, I hope you make it to Elysium," I whispered.

She started crying as she whispered back, "Thank you," and stood up.

She turned on the light and I crept to my room as fast as I could. Bonbon opened the door and the last thing I heard the guards say was, "Beat her down!" Bonbon didn't scream, nor did she beg for them to stop. She simply took it and let them fly her away. I risked a glance outside and I saw across the street the librarian walk away from her window. She watched the entire thing and did nothing. Of course, I did nothing, but Bonbon told me not to. The librarian didn't have specific orders from her so she could have done something. But she didn't. I didn't. And now she's dead.

I look at the Earth Pony sitting in the desk in front of me, finishing my story. "I see," she said, seriously looking into my eyes. Her southern accent mixing with a Manehattan one. "It seems to me, Ms. Lyra Heartstrings, that you want a job in this facility as a revenge scheme for losing Bonbon. Now, I'm not going to lie, Bonbon was a brilliant and hard working agent under my leadership. But that can't be the reason you join us. Bonbon used to say that you hated her coming here everyday. Even calling our work 'reckless' and 'useless'. Care to explain why we should let you in?" she says, and I look sheepish.

"Look, Leader Apple Jack, I can prove to you that I am great addition to the resistance," I start. For one, I found the base all on my own! It wasn't hard to figure out that there is a tunnel inside Sugar Cube Corner, or that the tunnels span throughout the entire town.  Well, it's easy if you know what you're looking for. It helps to have a friend in the resistance like I do, did. "For example, I am a great team player, I am efficient, fast learner,-" I get cut off.

"Do you think this is a job interview?" Apple Jack asks, confused. I look at her blankly and don't respond. "Look, Bonbon was an agent. Her job was to shoot, interrogate, and kill. In that order. Can you shoot?"

"Uh," I say, not sure how to answer.

"If I hand you a riffle right now, can I trust you to shoot a pony so that they are immobile but not dead?"

"I, uh, I took an anatomy classes in school, and I used to do archery classes on the weekends," I offer. Apple Jack looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell you what, I'll give you three days, and if you don't impress me, then you're done here and will be terminated," she says. I nod nervously. "Scratch!" Apple Jack calls, and I white unicorn with magenta eyes and electric blue mane runs through the door.

"Yes, Ma'am!" She announces, right hoof above the eye.

"Vinyl, this is Lyra. She will be studying and learning from you. Teach her all the basics. Do it however you want and don't make me look idiotic," Apple Jack instructs.

"Yes, Leader Apple Jack ma'am!" Vinyl shouts and puts her hoof down.

"Dismissed!" she orders. I follow Vinyl out.

I watch her every move. How she holds herself, how she walks, how she places her ears, and I try to copy her the best I can. We pass a number of ponies down the dirt hallways and rooms. Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, even a few Donkeys and Zebras. "Everypony here is a part of the resistance?" I ask.

"Duh, Newby," Vinyl comments.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question. I guess I'm just a little nervous," I explain.

"No problem, saying as I might have to kill you, I don't mind the stupid questions," Vinyl explains, and my throat get's dry.

"I-Is that what she meant by" I gulp, "Terminated?" I ask, nervously.

"Well, yeah, What did you think it means?" she asks.

"I don't know, not that!" I say, exasperated.

"Wow! And here I thought you were an intelligent clever pony from the way Bonbon talked about you," Vinyl explains, clearly a bit disappointed.

"You knew Bobon?" I ask.

"Yeah, we were on the same team. She was very smart and quick in the face of danger. A master with any kind of gun too, didn't know her personally though, my condolences," Vinyl says. "She was a talker too, never stopped talking about her best friend 'Lyra Heartstrings', kinda figured that was you when I saw the leader give you that kind of offer, trust me, if you weren't Bonbon's friend, she would have had Fluttershy kill you as soon as you walked in," Vinyl adds.

"Fluttershy?" I question.

"The leader's right-hoof mare. She is quick, quiet, and knows how to get a job done with no kind of mess. She looks innocent, but trust me, a lot of ponies around here are afraid of her."

"And you're not?"

"Nah, I mean, don't get me wrong, she's terrifying up close, but she can be really kind and sweet if you aren't any harm. Plus, we grew up in Ponyville together. We go far back her and I."

"You wanted to see me Apple Jack?" a yellow mare, with a timid voice, asks walking into the head office.

The earth pony glares at her and nods her head. "I did, Fluttershy, come in," she demands. "Zecora and her team spotted a unicorn in the Everfree last night," she starts.

"Oh? What did they find?" Fluttershy asks, knowing exactly what they found.

"They found you. Helping her. Did I not give you specific instructions not to engage unknowns?" Apple Jack explains.

"Zecora must have been seeing things, Leader Apple Jack, her spies must be giving false information."

"You know, as well as I do, that Zecora's team is the best team of spies we have. Why did you help that unknown?" Apple Jack demands.

"She didn't seem suspicious, or dangerous. She was just hurt! And why was Zecora's team in the Everfree anyway?" Fluttershy says.

"Classified," Apple Jack responds. "Listen, and listen well. If I ever catch word that you are helping another unknown, I will not hesitate to send Sunset Shimmer after you," Apple Jack warns. the pegasus trembles in fear. "Dismissed."

Almost every pony in the resistance is afraid of Fluttershy if they know what's good for them, but there is one pony alone who she fears. Sunset Shimmer. A trained and highly dangerous assassin who came to Apple Jack to become apart of the resistance after Nightmare Moon destroyed her town. Apple Jack trained her herself and Sunset is now Apple Jack's 'lap dog' so to speak, and the only one who can scare Fluttershy.  So the fact that Fluttershy was threatened by Apple Jack like that, makes her on edge.

"These are the barracks! It's where you sleep. If you impress the leader, you get to sleep in your own house, but until then," Vinyl says, pushing me in, "You're stuck here, Newby!" Vinyl finishes.

The room she pushes me into is big enough for a cot and a little bit of walking space, grey, with no lighting. "This is were I have to sleep?" I ask, appalled.

"Yup! We start tomorrow, goodnight, Newby!" she calls, walking away.

"Ah, so here's the little unicorn that's causing all the attention," a yellow unicorn mare with teal eyes and a red and yellow mane says. "Welcome! I'm Sunset, I didn't catch a name," she says.

"Lyra," I say, unsure of what her intent is.

"Well, Lyra. You don't have to worry about me, I won't harm a hair on your head unless Leader tells me to, and upon hearing the little bet that you made with her, I'm sure that'll happen in about three days! Have fun sleeping, little unicorn, it might be one of your last," Sunset explains maliciously.

"W-wait" I stutter. "I-I thought Fluttershy was the one I had to look out for," I say.

"Oh, she is. Don't get me wrong, if you cross her, she will make your life a living Tartarus. Me, however, I will make sure that you aren't lucky enough to meet her. In other words, you are dead before you know what she looks like," Sunset explains. "Sweet dreams," she adds, walking away.

And I am once again petrified. Fluttershy is the dangerous one, and Sunset is the deadly one. Got it. I hope this wasn't a stupid decision. I hope Bonbon can see me and be proud of me.