Everything

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 1

3 Years Ago

“Morning officer!” The blue unicorn smiled at the pegasus who called out to her.

“You too!” she responded.

“Hey, you worried about that serial killer that’s been seen around here? They say he targets cops, you know.”

The officer laughed. “Nah. He wants to fight me, he’s welcome to try.” The pegasus laughed and continued down the street. The policemare paused in front of a store window, adjusting the gold badge pinned to her chest. With a small nod, she turned away, resuming her patrol. She continued on her way, nodding at the ponies that passed. If she had turned around, she would have noticed a green earth pony following her.

Across the street, an olive green pegasus sat at a cafe, newspaper in hooves. She glanced up towards the officer. “Heartland, I’ve got Colgate in my sights.”

In a secluded building, a charcoal black pegasus and a navy blue unicorn sat in front of a large array of monitors, each linked to a camera. Behind them, a creme earth pony nodded, speaking into her headset. “10-4 Artifact. Cowpony, confirm mark.”

Above the building, a golden earth pony nodded. “Yeah, Ah got ‘em.” A rifle was in his hooves, the scope at his eye. The officer rounded a corner, the green pony following.

“Alright. Firefight, Harper, move in.” A fiery-maned pegasus and a mint green unicorn nodded, following the two into the alley. The pegasus folded up her newspaper and followed close behind. “Game on.”

In the alley, the officer paused. She detected a rustling from behind her. With a deft movement, she drew a pistol with her magic and whirled around. In the same instant, the two pegasi and unicorn burst into the alley, taking up different positions. “RDI! On the ground, dirtbag!”

The green pony scowled, glancing behind him. “You think I can’t take all you bastards?”

“What about a sniper?” asked the olive pegasus, crouching behind a dumpster, gun in hooves. The golden pony flicked a lever on his scope. A red beam shot across the street, landing on the green pony’s chest.

“What’s it gonna be, wise guy?” demanded the green unicorn, weapon floating in her magic. The unicorn in the officer’s uniform holstered her weapon and fired a blast of magic from her horn. The green pony cried out and dropped to the ground. A gun flew out of his coat, clattering to the ground. “Heartland, tango down.” The agents holstered their weapons and secured the pony, binding him in zip-cuffs.

“Well done,” responded the pony called Heartland. “Another victory for the Guardians.”

Now…

The creme coated pony blinked, the memory subsiding. A newspaper was framed on the wall, the headline reading ‘Royal Department of Investigations Catches Cop Killer!’ Her ear twitched as a door opened on the far end of the hall. “Oh, hey Bon Bon.”

A navy blue unicorn had entered the room, dressed in a sharp black suit. “Hey Cove,” responded Bon Bon.

Cover Story nodded towards the framed paper. “Feeling nostalgic?”

Bon Bon shrugged. “In a way. Every time I come in here I’m reminded of that day.”

Cover Story winced. “Ouch.”

The mare sighed and adjusted her suit coat, stepping back from the wall. The wall was covered with similar papers, each with a different headline and bearing news of the RDI. “What’s up, Cove?”

The unicorn shrugged. “Dunno, got a memo that the director wanted to see me.”

“Yeah, me too. And that’s what worries me.”

Before Cover Story could respond, the door opened, and a dull red unicorn stuck his head through the door. “Agent Bon Bon, Agent Cover Story. Glad you could make it, please come in.”

The two followed him into the spacious office. The office itself was simple, a large window facing towards Canterlot on one side and a conference table set up on the other. Cover Story spoke first. “Director Hoofer, may I ask what this is about?”

J. Edge Hoofer was by no means easy to read. If he let something slip, then it meant he wanted it to be seen. The Director of the Royal Department of Investigations smiled and leaned back in his chair. “You may, Special Agent Story. Let me be clear, however. This meeting was intended for Special Agent Bon Bon and me.”

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “Sir?”

The director ignored the statement. “It was recommended that I have someone from the Support Team present as well, so I invited you. I hope you don’t take offense.”

“No sir.” Cover Story settled into a chair opposite of the director, perplexed.

“Good. Now, Special Agent Bon Bon. Let me get to the point. This meeting is regarding the Guardians.”

Bon Bon narrowed her eyes. “Sir, I’ve said all I’ve had to say at our last meeting.”

“I remember. I also received this the other day.” Director Hoofer pulled out a file from his desk and opened it, the title facing Bon Bon and Cover Story. “Your letter of resignation.”

Cover Story glanced at Bon Bon, who fixed her gaze on the Director. “Yes, sir.”

He pushed the paper back towards her. “I’m not accepting it at this time.”

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “All due respect, but you’d better have a damn good reason, sir. You let the others go.”

The director laughed. “So I did, Agent Bon Bon. Now, I know that you feel your calls have fallen on deaf ears. They haven’t.” He slid a folder across the desk. “We’re going to make a new team.”

“A new team?!” Bon Bon shot up in her chair, flipping the folder open. “Sir! You can’t just throw a bunch of…. Probies together and expect them to be the same as the Guardians! Who’s going to lead them?”

“You are.” The director’s eyes were cold, dead serious. Bon Bon swore, storming out of the room. The director glanced at Cover Story. “Hmph. Well, that went better than expected.” He tapped his hoof on the file folder. “Agent Cover Story, make sure she gets these.”

“Sir yes sir. But, if I may, sir? Why the push for a new team?”

Director Hoofer sighed, gazing out the window. “Times are changing, Agent Story. The nature of the threats to Equestria is growing, evolving. Team Guardian was more than ready to stop them, but now… Team Harmony is all we have left.” Cover Story nodded and gathered the papers, heading for the door. “And Agent Story?” He paused as the director called his name. “The decision regarding Team Guardian was not my call. It came from the Princesses themselves. If you would be so kind to inform Agent Bon Bon?”

“Yes, sir.”

It didn’t take long for Cover Story to find Bon Bon. She was seated at her desk in the squad room, staring at a photo on her desk. “Bon?”

The mare sighed, placing the photo back on the desk. “Sorry you had to see that, Cove.”

He shrugged. “Hey, it’s fine. The director’s an ass, I know.”

She chuckled. “Well… Guess I can’t put all the blame on him.” Cover Story pulled the folder out of his suit coat. Bon Bon sighed. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Cover Story glanced around them. The other desks were empty, abandoned. It was strange to think a few months ago those desks were filled with some of the best friends he ever had. “Yeah, let’s.”

The first file pictured a sky blue pegasus with a technicolored mane. Cover Story removed the file and read aloud.“Okay. First recruit… Rainbow Dash…”

The pegasus tore through the sky, wind rushing by her face. With a bit of flair, she landed on the ground in front of the RDI’s Canterlot Headquarters. She checked the time on her watch. “2 minutes, 14 seconds… Eh, not bad.” Wiping sweat from her brow she entered the building, flashing her badge at the guard.

Her badge. It still amazed her that she was an official RDI agent, albeit a probationary one. All the hard work and training had paid off, she smirked. Another agent showed her into the conference room, casting a strange glance her way as he shut the door. “Sweet, first one here,” she chuckled as she settled into a chair.

“... fastest trial times on record, her instructors say she’s hardworking when she’s not sleeping, but at the same time can be headstrong and cocky… Yikes, that is one long list of citations.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Ok, she flies fast and doesn’t listen. Next.”

Cover Story pulled out another file. “Next is… Applejack.”

“Wouldn’t say you were the first.” Rainbow’s ear twitched as she realized there was another pony in the room.

An orange earth pony was reading a magazine, her legs kicked up on the desk. Her emerald eyes were focused on the magazine instead of the pegasus in front of her. A brown Stetson hat lay on the table next to her. She folded up the magazine and tossed it aside.

“Howdy. Name’s Applejack.”

Rainbow nodded, eyeing her newfound companion. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

The pegasus narrowed her eyes. “Wait… Applejack? Didn’t you break the shooting record on the range?”

“Depends. You that one pegasus who got into a spat with Lightnin’ Dust?”

“Hey now, don’t forget I also broke the academy’s flight records.”

“Hmph. So you fly fast. Wonderful.”

“Was that sarcasm?”

“Course not.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. She better not be on the same team as me, they both thought.

“... High marksmanship, proven leader. Might be a problem since Rainbow’s also listed as a leader… Oh.” Cover Story raised an eyebrow.

“What, Cove?”

“She’s Braeburn’s cousin.”

8 Years Ago

After a few seconds of coughing from the dust, Bon Bon downed the glass of water offered by her companion. “Thanks, Lyra.”

The unicorn nodded. “Don’t mention it.” The two were seated at a bar in a small desert town. A file folder lay between them. “So, who’re we looking for again?”

Bon Bon tapped a picture in the file. “Agents from the Frontier Division. They’re out here following up on a lead about the diamond heist.”

“Think it’s connected to the Canterlot Bank heist?”

Bon Bon nodded. “We’re going to have to find them and compare notes, but I think it’s likely.”

Lyra glanced behind her. “Uh…” Bon Bon turned around to see a dust cloud formed by a pony and a unicorn, running for their lives. The unicorn shoved ponies aside with his magic, weighed down by his saddlebags.

“Wait for me!” Cried the pony, glancing behind them. Before the agents could process what was happening, an olive green blur dropped from the sky, on top of him.

“Oh, no no no no!” The unicorn panted. He stopped and drew a revolver from his saddlebag. The green form, a pegasus, glanced up at him, reaching for her own weapon. A gunshot tore through the town, and the unicorn cried out and dropped the gun, clutching his bleeding hoof. A gold coated pony in a hat and vest ran over, holstering a gun.

“I thought you said you had my back, Cowpony,” snapped the pegasus as she secured the whimpering pony.

“Ah did, Artifact.” He reached into his vest and produced a gold badge, waving it at the crowd that had gathered. “Royal agents, all’s well! Carry on!” The crowd murmured amongst themselves and returned to their usual tasks as several deputies arrived on the scene.

“Think we found them,” Lyra said as she found her voice. Bon Bon nodded, and the two trotted over to them.

As they neared, they found the two agents were still bickering. “Ah told you he was gonna run. They always do,” remarked the pony.

“Well, you didn’t have to scare him like that! I told you, I had him,” retorted the pegasus. She got off the ponies back as the deputies secured him, brushing herself off. She looked up and saw the two mares approaching. “Can I help you?”

Bon Bon flashed her badge at the two. “Special Agents Bon Bon and Lyra, Canterlot Division.”

The pony nodded at them. “Special Agents Braeburn Apple and Daring Do, Frontier Division. How can we help you?”

Lyra glanced at the saddlebags filled with bits resting on the ground. “... I think you already have.”

Now

Bon Bon blinked. “Well… we can only hope she’s as good as him.” She blinked, grabbing a folder from the stack. “Ok. Next, we have…. A unicorn, named Rarity.”

The white-coated unicorn with an elaborate purple mane trotted down the halls, chatting with the agent escorting her. “I must say, all of this is rather exciting!”

“Beg your pardon?”

“You know! Being a royal agent! Escapes down the streets of Detrot in the middle of the night! Snooping through the casinos of Las Pegasus! Fighting the gangsters of Manehattan!”

The agent blinked. “Oh… you’re one of those ponies,” he muttered to himself.

“And the gadgets! Listening devices! Bugs! Weapons! Tell me, how long have you been in the RDI, Special Agent…” She grasped for words, realizing she never got his name.

“Special Agent Lock Pick. 5 years now.” his answers were short and curt. They reached the end of the hall, stopping in front of a door marked ‘Conference Room.’ A black pegasus was leaning against the wall by a water cooler, reading a newspaper. Lock Pick nosed open the door. “Right this way. If you need anything, Special Agent Wire Tap will be right outside.” The pegasus grunted and turned a page in his newspaper.

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” The unicorn entered the conference room and Lock Pick shut the door behind her.

“Well… this is going to suck,” Lock Pick groaned.

“Not my problem,” commented Wire Tap.

“It will be if they start fighting,” grumbled Lock Pick as he trotted back down the hall.

Inside the room, Rarity glanced from the pegasus to the earth pony. They were seated at opposite ends of the table, glaring at one another. “My, my. So many seats, and yet you chose on opposite sides? Now, what could have caused that?” The unicorn did circles around the table, observing the two.

“None of your business,” snapped Rainbow.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Hm… Some sort of conflict, then. Interesting… Very interesting.” Rainbow averted her gaze, and the unicorn crossed the room. Applejack squinted at her, but she continued, undaunted. “Jealousy? Anger? Rage? Envy? Oh, this is all so exciting!” She took a seat in the middle of the table. “You might not want to say it now, but I’ll find out.” She chuckled. “Oh, I’ll find out. I always do.”

“... potential to be a strong investigator, determined, almost to a fault… Seems to rub people the wrong way. Bit of a diva,” read Bon Bon. She glanced up at Cover Story. “Great, she causes tension.” She tossed the folder on her desk with a sigh. “Next?”

“Right. We’ve got… Twilight...”

The door opened again, and a purple unicorn entered the room. She trotted over and sat next to Rarity, a smile on her face. “Hey! Are you guys the other recruits I was told about?”

Rainbow scoffed. “Recruits? I’m an agent now. A special agent.”

“A probationary Special Agent, Ah think you mean,” countered Applejack. “We’re trainee agents. Newbies. We ain’t gonna be special agents for a while.”

“Whatever.”

Rarity glanced between the two, a smile on her muzzle.

“Well, she’s right,” ventured Twilight. “The typical training period lasts for a few months, after which we are promoted to Journeypony Agents. During the training period we are to report to a supervisory agent, who monitors and instructs us, and when they feel we are ready to be promoted, they will-”

Rainbow threw her hooves in the air. “We know, we know! We all passed the academy! We know!”

“Oh, right. Sorry. I’m Twilight, by the way. Twilight Sparkle.”

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “She’s… an academic, I guess. High exam scores, but lacking in everywhere else. She should be in the S-Team, why would the director-” Bon Bon froze as she read the note attached to the end of the folder. “Oh. A recommendation from Princess Celestia. That explains it.”

Cover Story’s jaw dropped. “She got a letter… from the Princess? And she chose to work here?”

“I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out. Next… Fluttershy.”

The door creaked open. The occupants of the room turned to see who entered, but no one did. “...Are you going to go in?” asked Lock Pick.

“Um… I don’t know. Are you… sure this is the right place?” replied a soft voice. A pale yellow pegasus stood in the hallway, glancing around, Wire Tap rolled his eyes and stood up. He nudged the pegasus into the room and slammed the door.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Uh… Hi?”

The yellow pegasus let out an ‘eep’ and darted under the table. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Land’s sake. You’re supposed to be a royal agent.”

Twilight nodded. “Royal agents are supposed to be able to withstand any form of interrogation, and take the reins in any investigation critical to the nature of Equestrian security-”

Rainbow buried her head in her hooves. “Celestia help me.”

Rarity just laughed.

“Soft-spoken… medical expertise… might be useful as a psychologist… What are we supposed to do with her?” groaned Bon Bon.

Cover Story shrugged. “Hey, I’m sure there’s a reason they sent her to us.”

“Sure, they want to force me into early retirement.”

“I thought you tried to resign.”

“Shut up. One last folder. To round out this shitshow, we’ve got… Pinkie Pie.”

Rainbow was crouched underneath the table. “Hey, come out. We’re not going to hurt you.” She extended a hoof to her.

Applejack scoffed. “Ah’ve seen more courage from one of my granny’s apple pies.”

“PIE!” A pink pony sprang out of nowhere. “That’s my name! Pinkie Pie!” She bounced onto the table. Applejack fell out of her chair in shock, and Rainbow sprang up, banging her head on the underside of the table. Fluttershy ‘eeped’ again and crawled farther back. Rarity screamed, and Wire Tap and Lock Pick threw the door open.

“What…”

Rainbow growled and charged at the pony. “Come here you-” Pinkie giggled and bounced out of her way, sending her flying into Applejack.

“Oh, it’s on, partner,” she yelled, throwing Rainbow off of her.

“Wait!” shouted Twilight. “I don’t think-”

Applejack ignored her, throwing a punch at Rainbow. The pegasus blocked it, ready to retaliate. “Hey!” Lock Pick and Wire Tap ran forward. “Break it up! We’re on the same damn side!”

“Suspected of a suspicious explosion at the academy, notorious for pranking her classmates and instructors, dangerous.” Bon Bon sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Yep. Equestria is doomed.”

“Hey, relax, it’s not that bad,” reassured Cover Story.

“Agent Bon Bon?” Another agent trotted over. “There’s a situation in the conference room.”

Bon Bon glared at Cover Story. “It is, Cove. It is.”

Bon Bon threw the door to the conference room open. “Everyone shut up!”

The agents inside froze. Bon Bon sighed, taking in the sight. Applejack was being restrained by Lock Pick, while Rainbow was held back by Wire Tap. Twilight and Rarity were cowering behind knocked over chairs, Fluttershy was still under the table, and Pinkie was rolling on the ground laughing. “Celestia help me.”

Chapter 2

6 Years Ago…

“Damn it!” Lyra flinched as her friend slammed her hoof into her desk. “We had that bastard!” Bon Bon threw her gun on the desk, the magazine empty.

“Bon, calm down.”

“How am I supposed to calm down? We had him, and he got away!”

Lock Pick sighed, trotting over. “I heard. I’m sorry, Bon, we should have been there. To have your back.”

Bon Bon sighed in frustration. “No. You guys have your own team, you’ve got your own killers to catch.” She slumped back in her chair. “This would be so much easier if we had more agents.”

Lock Pick glanced at Lyra, who nodded. As he left, Lyra walked over to her partner’s desk.
“Why don’t we just call Brae and Daring?” Lyra suggested. The two divisions had collaborated many times over the years, and the four had formed a strong bond.

“There’s no reason to, it’s not their jurisdiction,” grumbled Bon Bon. “Besides, I don’t want to call them every time we have a problem.”

“You won’t have to!” declared an ever familiar pegasus as she trotted into the squad room, followed by a pony in a vest and hat.

Lyra smiled. “Daring! Brae! What brings you two to Canterlot? Hope you don’t need our help, we’re kind of busy right now.”

“Opposite, really,” answered Daring. “We’re here to see if you need any help.”

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow.

“We’ve been assigned to the Canterlot division,” clarified Braeburn. “Effective immediately. We’re on your team now.”

Lyra sprang up and pulled them both into a hug. “Great! I’ve got to show you guys around!”

Daring nodded towards the cork board covered with papers. “That’ll have to wait. What’re we dealing with?”

Bon Bon smiled, her anger dissipating. She had a team now, and she could hardly contain her excitement. She pointed at the pictures. “Meet The Butcher of Braytan…”

Now…

It took a few minutes to restore peace to the conference room. The chairs were reset to their original position, with the 6 probationary agents sitting on one side, the 3 senior agents on the other, and Bon Bon standing at the end. Applejack and Rainbow were separated by a nervous Twilight. Fluttershy came out from underneath the table and was intent on looking at the ground. Rarity sat to her right, glancing at Pinkie Pie every once in a while.

Bon Bon sighed, muttering to herself. “I’m not impressed,” she said. “Your first day here, and you’re already getting into fights, wrecking the conference room, and pissing off senior agents. Wire Tap glared at Rainbow, holding an ice pack to his head. Her flailing hoof had struck him as he tried to restrain her. “This is unacceptable behavior.”

Applejack scoffed, and Bon Bon narrowed her eyes. “Something the matter?”

“You sound like one of those damn instructors from the Academy,” she spat.

The silence that fell upon the room was tense. Pinkie’s ear twitched. “I’d run if were you,” she whispered. Applejack matched Bon Bon’s stare, refusing to back down. Then Bon Bon laughed.

“You hear that, guys? I sound like an instructor from the academy!” The senior team snickered amongst themselves, knowing what was coming next.

Applejack shifted in her seat, thrown off by her reaction. Then, the creme pony turned around and trotted back to her seat. She turned around and bucked it across the room. The probationary agents flinched as the back of the chair hit the ground. Bon Bon bucked the door open and pointed a hoof out the door. “Leave.”

Twilight raised a hoof. “Um… Excuse me, Agent Bon Bon, but we work here now. You can’t kick us out of the building.”

“Agents work in this building, Sparkle. And I don’t see any agents here.”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. “Quit while you’re ahead,” she whispered.

“I don’t care what you learned at the academy,” Bon Bon continued her voice low. “I don’t care who recommended you. I don’t care who your cousins were, I don’t care who you think you are. To be an agent, you need to give it everything. This isn’t a job, it’s a way of life.The ponies before you knew that, they respected that. And they did a damn fine job. Now, you’re up. You want to work here, to do this, you need to commit. You need to give everything you’ve got and then some. And if you can’t do that, the doors right here. I don’t care what the academy said about you if I say you’re not fit to be an agent, you’re not.” Even Pinkie fell silent. “Do I make myself clear?”

There was a chorus of yeses from the ponies. Bon Bon slammed the door shut and picked up the chair. “Now. On to business. Take it away, Lock.”

Lock Pick nodded and pressed a button on his remote. The screen at the far end of the table flickered to life, depicting a map of Equestria. He pressed the button again, and several pictures filled the screen. “Right. Some of you may have heard of the group known as ‘OP-4.’”

Pinkie Pie shot up from her seat. “Oh! Of course, I’ve heard of OP-4! They blew up some buildings in the last month! They would have caused a lot more destruction if they used C-4, but I guess-”

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow as Rarity Applejack shushed her. “Is she really on our side?” she wondered.

Twilight raised her hoof. “Pinkie’s right. OP-4 is a terrorist group that has claimed responsibility for various acts of violence in Equestria. Their name is most likely derived from the term OP-FOR, an abbreviation for Opposing Force, the name given to the side opposing friendly units during a war game.”

Lock Pick nodded. “Correct, although we don’t care much for its origin anymore. Our primary concern is stopping them.” He jerked his head to the screen. “Even though they’ve been around for some time now, we still don’t know much about them. We’ve only been able to take down some low-level members, and they’re not talking. What we do know is that they are lead by a pony called ‘Twenty.’”

The room was filled with a buzzing sound. Bon Bon removed a black device from her belt and flipped it open. “Yeah, Heartland.”

“Hey, we may have something. Want to bring the B-Team over?” asked a voice over the radio.

“Maybe. What’ve you got?”

“Double homicide, warehouse on Orange Drive.”

“Ok, on our way.”

“Roger, we’ll hold the scene for you.”

Bon Bon flipped the radio shut and stuck it back in her belt. “Wire, Cove, get your gear.” The two nodded and left the room. Bon Bon turned to the probationary agents, staring at her in confusion. “Applejack, Fluttershy, and… Rarity, you’re with me.”

“What about the rest of us?” asked Twilight.

“Get familiar with OP-4,” answered Bon Bon as she headed for the door.

“Why can’t we go with you?” demanded Rainbow.

“Because I can’t trust you alone on base, what makes you think I can trust you at a crime scene?”

Rarity gasped. “Crime scene?”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes and left the room. “Lock Pick, you get them settled,” she shouted.

“Right. Follow me.”

The three followed Lock Pick to the elevators. Rainbow was quiet for the most part, most likely angry at being left behind. Pinkie was giggling about one thing or another, and Lock Pick seemed intent on staring at the ground. Twilight pawed the steel floor of the elevator, hating the awkward silence. “So… Um… Agent Lock Pick? What happened to Agent Bon Bon?”

Lock Pick glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

“Well… she seems to be angry at something. She seems very… tense, I guess. And that pony on the radio, he called us the B-Team? What does that mean?”

Rainbow growled. “Hmph. Probably an insult, but I’ll show them... “

“It’s a long story,” answered Lock Pick. “Agent Bon Bon had another team, and they were pretty close.”

“Were you on that team?”

Lock Pick laughed. “No. This team… well, they were the best the department’s ever seen. But… The Director disbanded them a few months ago. Bon Bon’s still pretty bitter about it, I guess.”

“Aw, that’s no fun!” remarked Pinkie. “The Director’s a big meanie, separating friends like that!”

Lock Pick sighed, rolling his eyes. The doors dinged open, and the three entered the squad room, a large room with cubicles, desks, and chairs. Lock Pick led them over to a set of desks near the center of the room. He gestured to a desk with a pile of folders on it. “That one’s Bon Bon's, the rest are open. Guess you guys get first crack at picking a desk.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and dropped her bags by a desk in the corner. Pinkie leaped over an empty desk and landed on the chair, the momentum sending it rolling. Twilight set her bags down on the desk opposite of Bon Bon’s and settled into her chair. Lock Pick dropped several files on each of their desks. “Read up. Bon Bon expects you all to be fully briefed by the time you get back.”

“Great, reading,” grumbled Rainbow, ignoring the offended look on Twilight’s face. She pulled open one of the cabinets built under the desk. “Hey, what do we have here?” she pulled out a bottle of hard cider. “Property of Special Agent Braeburn,” she read aloud. “Spitfire: If you drink this, I will end you.”

Lock Pick blinked. “Huh… Guess he left that behind…”

6 Years Ago…

“What’s that for, Brae?” Daring paused by her friend’s desk, eyeing a bottle that was sitting on top of it.

“Apple Family Cider,” replied Braeburn. “Best stuff around.”

“I can see that. I’m asking why.”

Braeburn rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair. “It’s probie day, Darin’.”

Daring looked around the precinct, noticing the new faces at the senior agent’s sides. “Oh. Academy graduation. Mind if I borrow some of that?”

“Be mah guest,” he chuckled.

As Daring settled into her seat, she glanced up to see Lyra trotting towards them. “Oh, hard cider, nice. We’re going to need it.” She jerked her head behind her, where Bon Bon had left the elevator. She was followed by a pegasus with a bright orange mane and a unicorn with a mint blue coat.

“Braeburn, Lyra, Daring, meet our newest additions, Probationary Agents Spitfire, and Minuette.”

The pegasus glared at the unicorn. “Pleasure to meet you!” the unicorn exclaimed, ignoring the pegasus’s stare. “I’m Minuette, and this is-”

“Spitfire,” interjected the pegasus.

“Hey, weren’t you with the Air Force Investigative Service?” questioned Daring.

Spitfire nodded. “Yeah, transferred here, though.”

Minuette rolled her eyes. “As I was telling Spitsy here, just because she has some experience doesn’t mean she knows everything about investigating. I mean, I worked homicide for Manehattan for 3 years, you were only an investigator for 2. That means I have more experience than you!”

“That’s not the same. AFIS and Manehattan Homicide are two different things,” she spat.

Minuette rolled her eyes. “Aw, come on Spits, I’m only messing around. Lighten up a little.” She reached out and poked her side.

Spitfire’s wings shot out, knocking the bottle off of Braeburn’s desk. The bottle hit the ground and cracked, the cider seeping into the carpet.

“Don’t… touch… me,” Spitfire growled, while Minuette just raised an eyebrow. Spitfire took a breath and turned to Braeburn. “Uh… Sorry about that…”

Braeburn squinted at her. “Rule number 1, probie.” He opened a cabinet in his desk and pulled out another bottle. “Always carry a spare.”

Now…

Lock Pick took the bottle from her. “Get reading,” he instructed, laying the bottle on Bon Bon’s desk. “My desk is a few cubicles over. Let me know if you need me.” With a curt nod, he trotted away.

“Aw, what a killjoy,” Rainbow scoffed, folding her hooves across her chest. She shoved the files aside, staring up at the ceiling.

“Don’t you need to read up about OP-4?” Twilight questioned.

The pegasus rolled her eyes. “Who cares? They’re bad guys, we go out there and we get ‘em. End of story.” She buried her head into her hooves.

“Well… actually, the files can tell you a lot. They can tell us who their members are, what their modus operandi is, who they target…” Twilight trailed off. “Hey, Rainbow? Why did you join the RDI?” There was no response. “I don’t mean to pry, it’s just… I mean, we all have different reasons, you know?” Still no reply. “... Okay, fine. You don’t have to be so rude.” Rainbow’s response was a loud snore. “...Oh.” She blinked. “Well, what about you, Pinkie? Why’d you join… the RDI…”

Twilight looked over at Pinkie’s desk to find it empty. Searching the squad room, she failed to find the pink pony. With all hopes of having a conversation with her new team mates dashed, Twilight sighed. The unicorn opened the folder Lock Pick had given her and began to read.

By the time Bon Bon and the others had arrived on scene, several other wagons and carts belonging to the RDI and the Canterlot Police. Uniformed officers had set up a perimeter, keeping the chattering crowds at bay. Bon Bon pushed through the crowd, unfazed by the reporters shouting questions at them. Fluttershy seemed content staring at the ground, blocking out the scene completely. Applejack looked uncomfortable, while Rarity smiled and waved at the crowd.

All four were dressed in the same navy blue windbreaker, with the letters ‘RDI’ emblazoned on the back and ‘Royal Agent’ underneath it. They also wore matching blue caps with ‘RDI’ printed on them, the standard uniform when it came to crime scenes. Bon Bon kept her gaze forward, her eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. “Rarity, you say one word to any of those ponies and I will kick your ass back to the academy faster than you can say ‘Violation of conduct.’ Clear?”

“Crystal,” answered the unicorn, a little disappointed. As the group neared the yellow tape, Bon Bon reached into her suit jacket and pulled out her identification. She held up the badge, then flipped it over to her photo identification in a practiced movement. The officer nodded and let her pass.

Applejack copied the movement, a bored expression on her face. The officer shrugged and let her through. Rarity stepped up, flashing her badge and winking at him. The officer just rolled his eyes and nodded. Fluttershy held up her badge, and the officer raised an eyebrow. “Ma’am, I need to see some photo identification.”

“Oh, sorry,” muttered Fluttershy as she fumbled with her credentials. She held up her identification card, trying to hide her blush behind her mane.

“...Ma’am, I need to see your face to make a face verification.”

The pegasus nodded and pushed her mane away from her face, eyes refusing to meet his. “Very good, thank you ma’am,” the officer said, holding up the tape so she could duck under it. Staring at the group, the officer shook his head. “Geez. What are the qualifications to be an RDI agent again? Can’t be that bad if that lot made it…”

A tan earth pony wearing the RDI windbreaker nodded at Bon Bon’s direction. “Hey, Bon. I see you’ve brought the B-Team.”

“Half of them,” corrected Bon Bon.

“And whaddya mean by that?” questioned Applejack, narrowing her eyes.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes, but the motion went unseen under her shades. “Wire and Cove make it here alright?”

He nodded. “Yep, they’re processing the scene right now.” He glanced at the ponies. “...Well, let’s get started. You all have seen a body, right?”

Applejack scoffed.

“Just lead the way, Side Arm,” muttered Bon Bon.

“Of course. Right this way.”

Chapter 3

6 Years Ago…

“Here we are,” announced Daring as the group arrived at a cluster of warehouses. “I’ll go find the pony in charge here, you got the exit?”

“Affirmative,” responded Braeburn. “Why don’t you take one of the probies with you?”

Daring sighed and hung her head. “Do I have to?”

“Come on, Darin’.”

The pegasus frowned in defeat. “Fine. Colgate, with me.”

“That’s not my… Yes ma’am,” mutterted the unicorn.

“You don’t have to call me ma’am,” Daring snorted as the two headed towards the buildings.

Braeburn chuckled and leaned against a wagon parked in the lot.

“Now what?” asked Spitfire.

“We watch the exit, see if our pony makes a run for it.”

The pegasus rolled her eyes. “Oh, great. Waiting around. Fun.” She gazed up at the sky for a second, then at Braeburn. “So… why’d you join the RDI?”

“Well… a while back Ah tried to join the Las Pegasus Police Department. They laughed and turned me away. So Ah figured, ta hay with ‘em, Ah’ll join somethin’ better. An’ now here Ah am. What about you? AFIS does fine work, why the transfer?”

Spitfire shifted her weight. “I… made a few mistakes. Nothing major, but I guess it was enough to piss off the wrong ponies. I was given a choice: transfer to another investigative division or take an early retirement. Most would have chosen to retire but I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life bored out of my mind. I’ve been with the Air Force all my life, felt like I wouldn’t be accepted at any of the other armed forces investigation services. So I picked here.”

“There’s somethin’ else, though, isn’t there? You don’t strike me as the type to be an Air Force cop.”

“I started Air Force, not with AFIS though. I was a Wonderbolt, flew missions and then shows after that. As for the switch… well, my life’s complicated, not simple like yours.”

Braeburn chuckled. “Now, Ah wouldn’t say simple.”

Daring’s voice broke through her radio. “Hey, building manager says that End Game went out to make a delivery, but he should be back any second now.”

“Scratch that, Artifact, Ah see him comin’ up the road right now,” Braeburn interjected. He nodded at a purple pegasus up the road. “Movin’ in to engage.”

Spitfire followed as Braeburn approached the pegasus. “Hello!” He called. “Special Agent Braeburn Apple, RDI. I’d like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind,” he said, his accent vanishing.

The pegasus froze, staring at the badge. He spread his wings and flew up into the sky. “Crap. He’s runnin’!” Shouted Braeburn, drawing his gun.

Spitfire growled. “He won’t get far.” She spread her wings and took off after him. Though he had gotten a decent head start, Spitfire soon gained on him. Though she was weighed down by the unfamiliar feeling of a ballistics vest underneath her windbreaker, she was still one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria. With a burst of speed, she crashed into him with a flying tackle.

The two plunged to the ground. Before impact, Spitfire released her grip and spread her wings, slowing down enough for a safe landing. She skidded a few feet and whirled around, drawing her gun. The other pegasus lay on his back, groaning. Soon Braeburn ran over. “You… bastards… I’m gonna sue you,” the pegasus groaned.

“Shouldn’t have run, then,” he responded, pulling out a pair of zip cuffs. “Didn’t know you could fly that fast,” he remarked to Spitfire.

“I didn’t know you could hide your accent,” panted Spitfire.

“You live in Canterlot long enough, you learn how they talk.” He smiled at her. “Not bad, probie. Not bad at all.”

Now

The group entered the abandoned building. Wire Tap was already there, a camera in his hooves. He glanced up at the new arrivals and grunted. “Janitor came in at 10 and found ‘em like this,” Side Arm reported.

On the ground in front of them were two ponies, lying still in a puddle of red blood. Rarity flinched at the sight, but Applejack and Fluttershy didn’t react. Bon Bon nodded at another pony crouched by the bodies. “Hey, Doc, what’ve we got?”

The unicorn stood, brushing himself off. “Preliminary cause of death appears simple, this fellow died of a gunshot wound, while this one over here bled out. TOD is about… 6 hours ago, I’d say.”

Bon Bon studied the position of the bodies. “They shoot each other?”

Wire Tap nodded. “Two weapons. One’s missing 4 bullets, the other’s got an empty mag.”

“That would match up with the wounds I found on the body,” the unicorn said.

“And I found the rest in the walls and boxes,” finished Side Arm.

“Yes… I think the one on the left fired first. He hit the one on the right, injuring him. The one on the right crawled behind those boxes and drew a weapon, as that blood trail would indicate. He managed to kill the one on the left, but probably passed out due to blood loss and died…” The agents froze and stared at the pegasus who spoke. Fluttershy blinked and began to blush. “Oh… did I say that out loud?”

Side Arm smirked. “Not bad, probie. You should speak up more.”

“Side, I hope you didn’t drag me all the way out here for two gangsters who killed each other,” Bon Bon said, glancing at Fluttershy.

“Course not. Wire?”

Wire Tap held up a torn sheet of paper inside an evidence bag. “September 21st, a day that will live in infamy,” Bon Bon read. She narrowed her eyes. “21st… that’s five days from now.”

“It gets better,” chimed in Cover Story as he entered. “Or worse, I guess. I got an ID on our mystery friends here. The first one is none other than our old friend Border Line.”

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “Border Line? Huh…”

“I’m quite sorry to interrupt, but who exactly is Border Line?” asked Rarity.

“One of OP-4’s highest ranking members, second to only 20 himself,” Bon Bon growled. “We’ve been tracking this bastard for months now, but he’s escaped every time.”

“Yeah, well not this time,” observed Cover Story. “But you’ll want to hear this. The other pony’s name is Short Fuse. He’s a bomb maker.”

Bon Bon bit her lip. “Great. We find any explosives?”

“Affirmative, enough to take out the entire RDI building. We found a substantial amount of bits, too.”

Applejack rubbed her chin with a hoof. “So, this was some sort of deal that went south? Reckon that’s a good thing, can’t imagine what they’d do with that many explosives…”

“You’re going to have to,” said Bon Bon. “Twenty’s smart. He would know that buying bulk explosives from one source would look suspicious. He would buy smaller amounts from various sources.”

“Making it harder to track,” Cover Story finished, pulling out his radio. “I’ll contact our undercover operatives, see how many explosive purchases have been made recently.”

Wire Tap nodded. “I’ll help Doc Graves move the bodies to the wagons, then finish up with the scene.”

“I’ve still got to track down the building owner. He might know something we don’t,” volunteered Side Arm.

Bon Bon smiled. Wire Tap, Cover Story, and Side Arm had been in the RDI for so long that they knew what to do without instruction. The probationary agents, on the other hoof, stood around, unsure of how to make themselves useful.

The smile fell from her muzzle, taking in each new agent’s abilities in her mind. “Wire, you finish processing the scene. Fluttershy, help Doc Graves with the bodies. Applejack, you’re with me. We’re going to interview some witnesses. Rarity, help Cove find the building owner.” The new agents blinked, still processing their new orders. “Now! Go!”

They snapped out of their daze and followed the agents they were instructed to. Applejack squinted as her eyes adjusted from the dark, damp warehouse to the harsh light from Celestia’s sun. “What’re we lookin’ for?” she asked.

“The janitor,” answered Bon Bon. “I’m having trouble believing that those two killed each other. Twenty would never send one pony by themselves to a deal like this.”

“You’re thinkin’ there was a third pony? The getaway driver, maybe?”

“Perhaps. Makes sense, they kill the dealer and get away with the explosives and the money. Only, the dealer’s on to them and gets the first shot off…” Bon Bon trailed off.”Hm. Janitor must have seen something. You got a pen?”

Applejack gave her a blank stare.

“A pen? A quill? Something? Anything?”

The mare blinked. Bon Bon slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Go to the trailer and find a pencil, and a notepad while you’re at it.”

Applejack grunted, pulling her stetson lower on her head. She turned and trotted over to one of the RDI trailers, climbing in the back. Bon Bon shook her head, turning away. Her eyes swept over the crowd, watching the police in their uniforms trotting about the perimeter. “If I still had my team, this would have been solved already,” she grumbled. “No. Don’t think that, Bon. They’re gone now. Focus on the probies. This is your team.”

In the trailer, Applejack stared at the bank of drawers that had been installed. “Uh…” Her eyes scanned the labels that someone had taped to the drawers. “Paper clips… Tapes… Incident forms... Roadside Markers… Ah, pencils an’ notepads.” As she grabbed a small, square pad of paper, Bon Bon called from outside.

“You done yet, probie? We got places to be!”

“Yeah, yeah, Ah’m comin’.” As she turned to leave, another label caught her eye. “Spare mags, because of Firefight.” She blinked. “Firefight?”

“Probie, if I have to go in there, you’re not coming out alive!” Applejack climbed out of the trailer, coming face to face with a very angry special agent. “Finally. Come on.”

“Hey, Bon Bon… Who’s Firefight?”

Bon Bon froze. “...Firefight?”

6 Years Ago

“Why do they call you Artifact?”

Daring Do grunted. “I like history. When I was still in the Las Pegasus division I got… concerned when an artifact was damaged by a criminal trying to escape. Brae’s never let that go since.”

Spitfire nodded. “And…why do you call him Cowpony?”

“I’ll give you one guess.” Daring closed the cabinet she had been digging through. “Nothing. Got to give to him, this guy really knows how to hide evidence.

“How else would he become a gang leader? Wonder what codename I’ll end up with,” Spitfire said as she glanced out the window. She spied a group of ponies, staring back at her. “Uh-oh. Daring, we’ve got trouble.”

The pegasus shot up, heading over to Spitfire’s side. “What?”

“6 ponies. Three just went around the back.”

“Great. There must be something here that Orchid didn’t want us to find,” Daring swore. She drew her pistol and grabbed her radio. “Heads up, Heartland, Harper, anyone. Looks like Orchid’s siced his goons on us. Need some backup, now.”

“Copy Artifact. Ah’m en route with Colgate,” Braeburn said. “Harper and Heartland are still interogatin’ the bastard. You watch your six, you hear?”

“Always have.” Daring tossed her radio aside. She flipped over a table. “Push that bookcase in front of the door.”

Spitfire complied. “Is there another door?” she grunted.

“Don’t know. What’s wrong?”

“Damn thing’s bolted to the ground or something,” Spitfire swore. Despite using all her strength, the bookcase had not moved an inch. There was the metallic clanging of hooves on stairs.

“Forget it, get over here.” The two crouched behind the table, pistols drawn. “You wearing your vest?”

Spitfire nodded, cocking her pistol. “Almost forgot to, left it sitting on my desk right next to my wallet.” She locked eyes with Daring, and held out her hoof. Daring bumped it. “Let’s do this.”

The door was kicked open, and two ponies charged into the room. Daring and Spitfire popped up, guns raised. The room exploded with gunfire, and the agents dropped back behind cover as their assailants fell. “2 down,” growled Spitfire. A unicorn appeared at the door, a shotgun in his magic.

“Move!” barked Daring. The two jumped aside as the table exploded into wooden shrapnel. Two more ponies appeared, firing their handguns. “Ah!” yelled Daring.

“Daring!” Spitfire ducked under the gunfire to reach her friend’s side. Once there, she dragged Daring into the kitchen, behind a counter. “You alright?”

“Ah… Fine, hit my… vest,” Daring panted in pain. “Still… hurts like…. Tartarus.” She grabbed Spitfire’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine, you just… make sure we make it out alive.”

Spitfire nodded, glancing up over the counter. The two ponies were inside, guns aimed at the kitchen. The unicorn was still in the doorway, reloading. “Alright, bastards. Here I come.” Spitfire shot to her rear legs, gun in her forehooves. She fired three times, all three shots landing in the chest of the first pony. She hit the ground and ducked again as the second returned fire.

She dropped her stance and ran out the left side, firing twice. The attacker cried out and fell to the ground. As the unicorn charged into the room, Spitfire fired once more. The unicorn cried in pain and grabbed his shoulder. Spitfire pushed forward, using her wings to give her a boost. She slammed into the unicorn, knocking his head against the wall. The unicorn collapsed to the ground.

The last assailant appeared at the door. Spitfire raised her gun and pulled the trigger, only to hear a clicking noise. “Crap.” She jumped over to the right side of the room as the attacker fired. The red pony pushed forwards, and Spitfire made her move. She jumped at him, knocking him into the metal bookcase. The pony reacted faster than she anticipated and swung the butt of his gun forwards, making contact with her head. She fell to the floor in a daze.

From behind the counter, Daring rose to her hooves, her gun shaking. “Do it and I’ll put a cap in your friend!” spat the pony, pressing the gun to Spitfire’s forehead.

“Drop it!” Shouted Daring. Seeing that the pony’s attention was on Daring, Spitfire’s trembling hoof unzipped her windbreaker.

“Or what?” sneered the pony. A gunshot tore through the apartment.

Half a minute later, Braeburn and Minuette ran into the room, guns drawn. The room was tossed in disarray, the windows shattered, bullet holes in the walls, furniture overturned, and bodies littering the floor. “Nice of you to show up,” commented Daring, seated on the couch. The pegasus had removed her windbreaker and was in the process of taking off her vest. There were several crumpled bullets stuck in it.

“You good?” asked Braeburn, holstering his gun.

“Bruised ribs and ego, but yeah, fine.”

“Could have used you guys earlier,” remarked Spitfire as she left the kitchen, rubbing her forehead.

“Wait, Spitfire, isn’t this your service arm?” Asked Minuette, pointing at an empty pistol lying next to the red pony’s body.

“Yeah.”

“Then how did you…”

Spitfire glanced at Daring and laughed. “Rule #1, Colgate. Always carry a spare.”

“Wow… Hay of a firefight,” commented Lyra as she entered the room.

Bon Bon smiled at Spitfire. “Doc Graves’s gonna have a field day with this one. Nice job… Firefight.”

“Firefight… I like it,” said Spitfire, smiling back.

Now

Bon Bon blinked. “Uh… Don’t worry about it. They’re long gone…. Long gone…” She shook her head, suppressing the memory. “Come on, let’s go find the janitor.”

The mare turned and trotted towards a group of police officers. Applejack glanced back into the trailer. “Bon Bon… what the hay are you hidin’?” She muttered. Taped to the wall was a picture of 6 ponies, gathered by a desk in a familiar building. “What did mah cousin not tell me?”

“Shake a leg!” Shouted Bon Bon without looking back. Applejack narrowed her eyes and trotted after her. “Whatever you’re hidin’, cuz, I’ll find it. You can bet your hat on it.”

Chapter 4

“Tell me, Ms. Fluttershy, do you have a medical background?” inquired Dr. Graves, the pale gray unicorn.

“Um… A little… I’m not as qualified as you are, of course,” answered Fluttershy. The pegasus had become more comfortable when she was left alone with the Medical Examiner.

Dr. Graves laughed. “Well, you know more about my profession than some others who work here.” He knelt by the body of the pony known as Border Line. “We’ll know more once we get you back to autopsy. I wonder… what atrocious acts have you committed?”

Fluttershy glanced at the other body. “What about you? Why would a pony ever give up their life to sell such… weapons?” The body stared back at her with cold, lifeless eyes. Fluttershy sighed and shut his eyelids. “Well… you can rest now. It’s over for you.”

“But not for us, I’m afraid,” said Dr. Graves from behind her. “I must say, I find it a relief that I’m not the only one who speaks to the dead.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Oh, I…. I don’t know, it just felt like the right thing to do.”

Dr. Graves lay a hoof on her shoulder. “Ah, it’s fine my dear. I feel the same way. The dead may not be able to speak anymore, but they still have things to tell us.” He turned to the body again. “My dear, I admire your courage.”

“E-excuse me?”

“Well, the unicorn looked quite uneasy. The other pony appeared to stay strong, but she grimaced when she entered. I saw it. But you on the other hand… You were calm, unshaken by this dastardly sight. I admire you for that.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

“Anytime, my dear. Now, if you would help me wrap this fellow in the tarp, we can get him back to autopsy.”

“Now how does a mare like you end up in a job like this?” Cover Story’s voice echoed down the halls of the warehouse.

“The excitement,” answered Rarity. “The gadgets, the escapades, the fights. It appealed to me, I suppose.”

Cover Story rolled his eyes. “You don’t believe that, do you?”

“Hm?”

“I’d hate to burst your bubble, but most of what you hear about us is… exaggerated, to an extent. The only gadgets you can rely on are your gun and your gut. And the excitement tends to wane when you spend nights at the office filling out paperwork, or when you inform a grieving widow that her husband has died, or when you respond to any case involving a youth…”

Cover Story blinked. “But when you look in the eyes of victim’s families and tell them you found who murdered their sons… That’s when you know it’s worth it.” He drew a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m rambling. Point is… You see a lot in this job. And it’s something that stays with you. But in the end, you’d never want to be anywhere else.” He glanced at his now silent companion. “I hope I didn’t scare you with that. I just get tired of all the misinformation out there.”

“Oh, no. I knew what I was getting into. I must apologize if I offended you. The truth is… My reasons for joining are more complicated than I would like to admit. I find it easier to just say that the excitement appeals to me.”

Cover Story shook his head. “Ah, it’s fine.” He nosed open the exit door, and the two stepped into the sunlight. Cover Story nodded at a police officer. “Hey, Lock Up, you call?”

“Yeah. A pony claiming to be the manager showed up a few minutes ago. He’s over there, with Word Smith and Wesson.”

“Right, thanks.”

Rarity glanced at him. “Word Smith?”

“Great pony. He writes stories in his free time.” The two neared two other officers, talking with another pony. “You the owner of the building?”

The beige pony shifted on his hooves. “Depends who’s askin’.”

Cover Story flashed his badge. “Royal Division of Investigations, Special Agents Cover Story and Rarity. We’ve got some questions for you.”

The pony narrowed his eyes. “Hm. Brick Layer, I own this warehouse.”

Cover Story pulled out a notebook and pencil from his jacket. The two officers returned to the taped off perimeter, leaving the agents alone with Brick Layer. “So, Mr. Layer. Have you ever heard of OP-4?”

“Course! Who hasn’t?”

“What about Short Fuse?”

Brick Layer hesitated, dropping his gaze. “Never heard of them.”

Cover Story narrowed his eyes. “Really? You know that if we find out your lying, we can book you first for lying to a royal agent, then again for terrorism.”

“I ain’t a terrorist!” spat Brick Layer. “And you can’t prove anyhthin’!”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well… perhaps if we worked out a deal, of sorts?”

A smirk fell on Brick Layer’s muzzle. “What sort of deal do you have in mind?”

“Oh, you know. That would depend on what you… offer.” Rarity grinned, stepping closer to the pony.

Cover Story raised an eyebrow but remained silent. He took a half-step backward, eyeing Rarity with a wary eye.

‘Well now, I’m sure we could figure out something,” replied Brick Layer.

Rarity leaned closer. “So, what was a pony like Short Fuse doing in your warehouse?” she whispered.

“Well… he might have slid a little somethin’ my way,” he winked. He lay a hoof on her shoulder. “Now, about that deal.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes, her grin spreading wider. Cover Story took 3 large steps backwards. Rarity rested a hoof on Brick Layer’s shoulder. Then, she used her other hoof to slam him into the world. She grabbed his right foreleg and twisted it behind his back. Brick Layer cried out in pain. “How much money?”

“25,000 bits!” Brick Layer glanced around for help, only to find the officers had vanished. “Get this crazy mare off me!” he shouted at Cover Story.

Cover Story just shrugged, “Agent Rarity, did you feel threatened by what he did?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“There you have it, bud. You assaulted a royal agent.”

“I- I just touched her!”

“That’s what they all say. I will, however, put you under arrest on suspicion of terrorism,” Cover Story said, pulling out zip cuffs. “Agent Rarity, you can let go of him now. And… nice job.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been cleaning these here buildings for years now, and out of the blue old Brick Layer tells me to skip this warehouse here for a night. And I say, why, that means I’ve got to do twice the work tomorrow! So I figure, might as well come early and get a head start, and that was when I saw… them.” The janitor shuddered. “I’m sorry, it’s just… how do you get used to seeing dead bodies, Agent Bon Bon?”

Bon Bon sighed, scribbling in a notebook. “Well… you don’t, really. So you came in at around 10?”

“Yes, ma’am. Called for the police right after that.”

Applejack cleared her throat. “So… those cameras workin’?”

The janitor glanced up at the cameras. “Huh, forgot ‘bout those. No, the outside ones have been broken for Celestia knows how long. Ol’ Brick’s too lazy to get ‘em fixed. You know what? A while ago I had a problem with colts breaking in here at night, to play paintball or something. I set up another camera inside. Forgot about it until now. Yeah, I’ll go see if I can find the footage.”

Bon Bon nodded. “That would be great, thank you.” The janitor nodded and trotted towards the warehouse.

“What do you think?” Asked Bon Bon.

Applejack shrugged. “Agent Bon Bon, Ah can spot a liar a mile away, and that pony’s as honest as they come.”

“Yeah, I agree. What’s up, Wire?” asked Bon Bon as Wire Tap joined them.

“Finished processing the scene. Cove and that unicorn mare arrested Brick Layer, and the pegasus and Doc Graves are done with the body. I think we’re all set to roll out.”

Bon Bon nodded. “Agent Bon Bon!” the janitor shouted. “I’ve got the tapes!”

“Alright, let me get the tapes and we’ll head back.” Wire Tap nodded, and Bon Bon trotted off, leaving Applejack and Wire Tap alone.

Applejack narrowed her eyes at the pegasus. “Excuse me, Wire Tap, but what exactly do you have against me?”

“Against you? Nothing,” huffed Wire Tap.

“Is that so? Now, Ah couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been short with all us probies. You won’t even mention us by name.”

Wire Tap scoffed. “It’s not you, probie. I have nothing against you lot personally. But you should know that you’ve got a lot to live up to. Team Guardian was known as Equestria’s best.”

“Ah know, believe me. Mah cousin was on that team.”

Wire Tap nodded. “I know. I’ve looked into you. Top shooting record at the academy out of your class, notable track records… what are you trying to prove, huh? That you’re better than your cousin?”

“Maybe Ah’m just tired of everyone comparin’ me ta him,” responded Applejack, agitated.

“By what? Destroying everything he worked to build?”

“Destroyin’? Ah’m here to carry on his legacy, to do the job like he did, then better!”

“You’ll never be better than him!” By this time, the two were in each other’s faces.

“Ok, got it!” Bon Bon had returned, only to find the two staring each other down. “Hey! Break it up!”

Wire Tap backed down, grumbling. Applejack glared daggers at him. “Wire, cool off. Go ride with Cove.”

“Glad to, boss,” muttered Wire Tap as he trotted away.

Bon Bon sighed. “Alright, Probie. Let’s get going.”

“Hello, Twilight!” Twilight glanced up from the files in front of her.

“Oh, hey Rarity! How was the crime scene!”

“Splendid!” Twilight glanced at the elevator. Wire Tap and Cover Story were escorting a beige pony in zip cuffs down the hall. “Well… I had fun. I’m not sure about Mr. Brick Layer over there,” she snickered.

“What happened to his face?” asked Twilight.

“Brick Layer met some bricks, Ah reckon,” answered Applejack as she trotted into the squad room, Fluttershy behind her. She tossed her belongings on one of the empty desks.

“Oh, I guess I’ll take this one… if that’s ok with you,” she muttered to Bon Bon.

“Fluttershy, I don’t care which desk you take. Just please pick one.” Bon Bon sat at her desk. She looked up towards Pinkie’s desk. “What…”

Twilight followed her gaze. The entire space had been decorated, balloons and streamers filling the area. A pink tablecloth was draped over it, and the dividing wall was filled with photos, a cork board, and a mirror. A mini-fridge sat next to the table.

“I… don’t want to know.” Bon Bon turned to Rainbow Dash’s desk. “Agent Dash!”

Rainbow shot up. “Wha?”

“Where are the briefing files Lock Pick gave you?”

Rainbow blinked. “Oh! Yeah, I speed read them, then I… rested my eyes.” She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “They’re in here.” As she pulled open her drawer, confetti exploded into her face.

“Ah!” Rainbow fell out of her chair, hooves flailing.

“Gotcha!” Pinkie sprang out from under Fluttershy’s desk, causing the timid pegasus to fly back, startled. “I knew you’d fall for it! Hiya Bon! Anything interesting on those tapes?”

Bon Bon blinked. “How did you know about the tapes?”

Pinkie giggled. “Sorry, Bon, I show, not tell. Or say, I guess.”

Bon Bon slumped back in her chair, eyeing the bottle of cider Lock Pick left on her desk. She glanced up at the monitor and sighed.

6 Years Ago

“Bon? You’re still here?” Minuette entered the squad room, surprised.

“Oh, hey Colgate,” yawned Bon Bon. “Yeah, the bank sent in their security footage. I’ve been watching it for a while, trying to get clues, but… I got nothing.” She rubbed her eyes.

“Well, let me have a go.” Bon Bon nodded and typed some commands into her keyboard. The video on the monitor rewound, starting at the beginning. The recording was from a camera mounted on the roof and showed the lobby of a bank. All was normal until five masked ponies burst into the door.

“On the ground!” barked a pegasus, waving a gun in the air. All four were wearing black masks and jackets, obscuring their manes, faces, and cutie marks. “Now!” they fired a shot in the air, and the bank patrons screamed and fell to the ground. A unicorn used his magic to disarm the guard, while another pegasus and a pony trotted over to the tellers with open saddlebags.

“Fill ‘em up! All you got!” instructed the first. The tellers nodded, and in frantic motions began to gather up the bits. Seconds later, they dumped the bits into the bags. “Alright! Everyone count to 100, then you can get up! You get up too early, you get a bullet!” The five ran out, the ponies giving the saddlebags to the pegasi, who took off into the sky. The remaining ponies took off in different directions.

“Canterlot Police showed up minutes later,” said Bon Bon. “This was clean and well planned. We’ve got nothing to work with.” She slumped back in her chair. “I’ve rewatched this dozens of times, and got nothing.”

Minuette rubbed her chin. “Maybe not… can you rewind it?”

“Sure.” The video sped back, starting from the beginning. Minuette watched, silent.

“Stop! Rewind it again.” She pointed her hoof at the scream. “There. Focus on the pony in the gray suit.” Bon Bon tapped in more commands, and the footage zoomed in on a gray pony in a suit. A security guard was leaning on the counter, watching the front door.

The pony glanced outside, held up a hoof, and nodded. Then, he tapped the guard on the shoulder. The guard turned, and the pony asked a question. The guard turned his back to the door and pointed towards the rear of the building. After he turned away, the five ponies burst into the room. “Speed to the end now,” said Minuette. After a minute, the guards shot up, running to the door. They glanced outside, but the robbers were long gone. Unseen, the pony in the gray suit stood up and slipped out the back door. The guards re-entered the room, making sure everyone was okay. The doors opened again, and several police officers entered.

“There was a 6th!” exclaimed Bon Bon, slapping a hoof to her forehead. “They had an inside pony!”

“Yeah, they must have realized that a guard would be watching the door, so they had a poy distract him. Now we’ve got a pony with a face,” said Minuette.

“Thanks, Colgate! You’re a lifesaver! I’ll put out a BOLO!”

“Tomorrow, Bon. It’s late. Go home, get some rest. You deserve it.”

Now

Bon Bon took the bottle and shoved it in a drawer. Rainbow Dash was cursing, regathering herself. Applejack was chuckling, Twilight and Fluttershy looked confused, Rarity was amused, and Pinkie was ranting about chocolate cakes. “Hey!” The agents fell silent, turning to her. “Dash, Pie, Sparkle. Come with me. The rest of you, watch the footage the janitor sent, see if you can find anything. And Pinkie, you pull a stunt like that again and I’ll have your badge, you hear?”

“No promises, ma’am.”

The three trotted down the hall, turning right. “Where are we going?” Asked Twilight.

“I’ve got some questions for a pony,” answered Bon Bon. The three stopped in front of two doors, one marked ‘Observation’ and one marked ‘Interrogation.’ Wire Tap and Cover Story were standing in front of the interrogation room.

“Hey, boss!” greeted Cover Story.

“How’s our guest?” asked Bon Bon.

Pinkie laughed. “He can’t be too comfortable in there!”

“That’s the idea,” answered Lock Pick, sticking his head out of the observation room. “Brick’s not the brightest bulb in the room, Bon. Hasn’t realized he can ask for a lawyer yet.”

“Good, let’s not remind him.”

“You want me with you, boss?” asked Cover Story.

Bon Bon shook her head. “Nah, I’ve got an idea. Dash and Pie, with me. Sparkle, you observe.”

“Why? I know all the interrogation techniques used by law enforcement agencies!” protested Twilight. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“You know the most about OP-4. I need you back there to observe, take in what he says, see if it’s true.” Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but Bon opened the interrogation room’s door and entered. Rainbow and Pinkie followed behind, shutting the door.

Twilight sighed and entered Observation, Lock Pick and Cover Story following. Wire Tap rolled his eyes and headed for the breakroom. “Stupid probies.”

Chapter 5

Bon Bon opened the door and trotted in, Rainbow and Pinkie Pie following close behind. “I’m gonna sue you like you wouldn’t believe!” snapped Brick Layer, holding an ice pack to his head. Bon Bon grabbed his ice pack and tossed it aside. She pulled out a chair and dropped a folder on the table, not taking her eyes off of him the entire time.

Rainbow took a seat beside her, eyes half-lidded and uninterested. Pinkie slipped into the shadows behind him, chuckling to herself. “25,000 bits. A lot of money,” began Bon Bon as she opened the folder and removed a picture of an expensive wagon. “But you did buy this a few months ago, and you supposedly weren’t paid until what, yesterday?”

“Why do you care where I get my money from?”

“I care when you get involved with terrorists!” snapped Bon Bon.

Brick Layer sighed. “Look, I didn’t know what he was going to do, okay?”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Please, bud. I’m already tired as it is, don’t put me to sleep.”

“What?”

“Come on, I’ve heard the ‘ol ‘I didn’t know he would do that!’ more times then you’d imagine. If you’re going to lie, at least give me something creative.”

Brick Layer bit his lip. “A while ago… this Short Fuse pony came to me. He said that he’d pay me if I would let him use my buildings for… something.”

“Something?” pressed Bon Bon.

“I don’t know what, I didn’t ask. He was a high paying client, okay?”

Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, he paid you so you wouldn’t ask questions. You want to know what we found in the warehouse listed under his name?’

“A bomb factory,” finished Bon Bon, pulling another photo out of the folder. “Do you know what that means for you, Mr. Layer?”

“Boom,” whispered Rainbow Dash, throwing up her hooves for emphasis. “It means you’re going down.”

Brick Layer glanced at them. “No! I didn’t do anything!” He slammed his hoof on the table. “Wait, I get a lawyer, right? I want a lawyer!”

“You’ll need one!” giggled a voice behind him. His ear twitched as he remembered that Pinkie was in the room. “It’s funny, Mr. Layer, that you say you didn’t do anything!” she leaned in close, whispering in his ear. “You let him make bombs in your building! I know I would never let somebody make a weapon in my kitchen, you know. Those things could explode, and someone could get hurt!”

Brick Layer stuttered, glancing at Bon Bon for help. The agent kept a blank face as Pinkie continued. “And I don’t like it when people get hurt. It’s no fun!” The pink pony giggled again. “What about you, Mr. Layer? Do you know what it’s like to get… hurt?”

“Get her away from me!” shouted Brick Layer.

“Sure,” said Bon Bon standing up. “I’ll go send for Agent Rarity. I hear you two are quite acquainted.”

“What?! No!”

“Come on, Dash, let’s go get coffee. Pinkie’s got this under control.” Rainbow nodded and the two trotted to the door.

“Wait, wait! I… I saw another pony!”

Bon Bon stopped and turned around. “Elaborate.”

“I… I went to the warehouse one day, looking for Short Fuse. I saw him talking with another pony.

Bon Bon threw the file on the desk and pulled out a photo of Border Line. “Him?”

“No, no! Someone else. He was a unicorn, white coat. They called him a number, uh, Two or something-”

Bon Bon’s eyes widened. “Twenty?”

“Yeah! Yeah, Twenty!” Bon Bon grabbed her folders and sped out of the room. Rainbow glanced at Pinkie and shrugged before following.

Bon Bon threw opened the door and entered the observation room. “Sparkle. He telling the truth?”

Twilight blinked. “Well, he didn’t give any obvious tells that he was lying, and-”

“Cut to the chase, will you?”

“No, I think he’s telling the truth. And based on multiple accounts and reports, I think the probability that Twenty is a unicorn is very likely.”

Bon Bon nodded. “Alright, Lock, come on, we’ve got to brief the director.” She turned and left the room.

“Well, now what?” grunted Rainbow.

Cover Story sighed, realizing that he was now the agent in charge. “Leave Brick here, someone will take him to the holding cell. Head back up to the squad room and see how far everyone else’s come.”

Rainbow and Pinkie nodded and left the room. “Um… Excuse me, Agent Story?”

“Call me Cove.”

“Ok… Cove, when you called Agent Bon Bon, she called herself ‘Heartland.’ Do you know why?”

Cover Story drew a deep breath. “Well… You have to understand, Bon Bon’s stayed with the Canterlot Division ever since she came. All the Guardians did. But for Bon, it was different. She was a great leader, but she didn’t hold much rank. She was a lead agent, not a SAC.”

“Special Agent in Charge, right?”

“Yeah. But she could have been. She got offers from offices all over Equestria. Manehattan, Las Pegasus, Stalliongrad, Manehattan, Fillydalphia, Baltimare… Even in field offices outside of Equestria. And she turned them all down.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. She said that this was her home, with the Guardians. She didn’t want to work with anyone else. That’s why we call her Heartland, because to her, this is the most important place in Equestria.” Cover Story blinked. “Why do you ask?”

Twilight shuffled her hooves. “Uh, just… curious.”

“Hm. I better go find Wire Tap before he kills someone. You better head back to the squad room.” As Cover Story left, Twilight glanced over at Brick Layer, who was slumped over in his chair. After a moment, she left the room.

The break room’s vending machine whirred and clanked before it spat out a metal can. Wire Tap bent over and picked it up, sighing to himself. His ear twitched as another pony entered the room. “Hey, Wire,” greeted Cover Story.

Wire Tap flopped down on a couch, laying his drink on the table. “Hey, Cove. What’s up?”

Cover Story sat in a couch across from him. “How you holding up?”

The pegasus gazed at the can in his hooves. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, Cove, we've worked together since Manehattan. You know what I mean.”

Wire Tap sighed. “What do you want me to say? I… I miss them, damn it. They were my friends…”

6 Years Ago

The mint green unicorn sat on the couch, a harp in her hooves. Her voice filled the break room, blending with the notes on her harp.

“And it breaks my heart
To be so left behind, at the start
When I always thought I’d be so much further,
So far away from here

Souls, on fire
But it feels so heavy,
But it feels so heavy….”

“Damn, Harper. You alright?” chuckled Wire Tap as he entered the room.

Lyra laughed and set the harp aside. “Never better, why do you ask?”

“Well, your song selection has me concerned.” Wire Tap went over to the machine and stuck several bits into the slot.

“Hey, Wire? You ever think of… I don’t know, change?”

“Huh?” The machine whirred and clanked, spitting out a can.

“I mean… Every day, an hour after lunch, you drink the same grape soda from the same machine.”

Wire Tap froze his hoof halfway to the can. “And… is that a problem?”

“No, not at all. It’s just… have you ever thought of doing things differently? Like, trying a new soda, or changing the scenery?”

The pegasus thought for a second. “Huh… No, I guess not.” He pulled the can out and tossed it in his hoof. “I don’t know, I could use a little repetition. You never know what to expect in a job like this, after all. Why the questions?”

Lyra sighed, eyeing her harp. “You hear that Bon was offered a position as SAC in Las Pegasus?”

“So? She gets an offer every month.”

“Yeah, and she turns them all down. She loves it here, she loves working here. But for me? I don’t think I can do that.”

Wire Tap frowned and sat on the couch opposite to her. “Lyra, what’s wrong?”

The unicorn sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I was offered a position in ESS.”

“Equestrian Secret Services?”

“Yeah. And… I don’t know if I should take it. I mean, I don’t expect to stay with the RDI all my life. I just don’t know if I should tell Bon, you know?”

“Lyra, if you really wanted that job… I don’t think there would ever be any doubt.”

“Are you saying I don’t want that job?”

“Deep down, maybe not. When ponies truly want something, they go and get it. And they don’t let anything stand in their way.”

Lyra nodded. “Yeah, yeah… I guess you’re right.” She cracked a smile. “Now, about that grape soda. Is it really that good?”

“Well-” Before Wire Tap could answer, the door to the break room opened and Bon Bon stuck her head in.

“Hey, gear up. We’ve got a homicide in the Royal Gardens.”

Wire Tap sighed and finished the rest of his drink before getting off his couch. He tossed the can into the waste bin, where it made a dull clunk before leaving the room.

Now

“After all these years…”

Cover Story looked up. “Huh?”

Wire Tap held up the can. “All these years I’ve been here, this is the only thing I’ve ever drunk from that machine.”

“Nothing wrong with that, Wire.”

“I know. It’s just… I like things to be the same, Cove. You know that. I like to know I’ll work with the same people every day, that I can trust them. That I’ll have the same drink for lunch. Now I have to work with 6 ponies I’ve never met in my life? How am I supposed to trust them?”

Cover Story reached out and lay a hoof on his withers. “Hey, it could be worse.”

“How?”

“You could be alone. But you’re not. You have me, Bon, and Lock. I don’t like it either, but we have to give them a chance. This job’s taught me that there’s a chance for good to show, you just have to let it.”

Wire Tap sighed and nodded. “Yeah… You’re right. Thanks, Cove.”

Cover Story smiled and nodded. “Anytime.” He got up and was about to leave when he froze. “Wire… Is grape soda really that good?”

Wire sipped from the can. “Nope, it’s downright terrible.”

“... Right.”

Author's Note

The song that Lyra sings is called 'Soul,' by EDEN (Formerly The Eden Project).

Chapter 6

“I said stop it!” shouted Rainbow Dash. glaring at Applejack.

“Ah did! Ah pressed the stupid button!” replied the mare.

The video on the monitor sped forward at double speed.

“Are you pressing the square button or the two triangles?” questioned Twilight, sticking her head in.

“Oh! Try the red circle!” exclaimed Pinkie, bouncing next to them.

Applejack growled, pressing another button. The image on the monitor froze. “Ha! I knew it was the double rectangles!”

“That would be the pause button, my dear,” replied Rarity.

Fluttershy glanced at the agents before shrinking back further in her seat. “Um… can you guys not crowd around my desk, please?”

Rainbow blinked before realizing that the 5 were surrounding Fluttershy’s desk. “Oh, sorry, Fluttershy, it’s just… The monitor is right above your desk.”

“Fluttershy, darling, if you’re uncomfortable with this I wouldn’t mind switching desks with you.”

The pegasus nodded and darted out of her chair. Applejack turned her eyes back to the monitor. “Well, shoot, we went too far forwards. He’s out of the frame now.”

“Press the rewind button, Applejack,” said Twilight.

“Which one?”

“The double triangles.”

“Ah pressed that already! That just makes it go faster!”

“No, the other double triangles. The ones that are pointing left.”

“Oh. Why would they put two double triangles on one… thing! That’s just confusin’!” She pressed the button, and the tape sped back to the beginning.

“Alright, speed it up.” Applejack pressed another button, and Rainbow’s eyes tracked the movements of the ponies on the recording. “Okay, when I say stop, press the double rectangles. Wait… Wait… now!”

Applejack pressed a button, and the monitor blinked before going pitch black. All of the agents blinked. “What button did you press now?” groaned Rainbow.

“Ah dunno! The one you told me to!”

“Um, actually, you pressed the power button,” whispered Fluttershy. “The red circle.”

Applejack blinked. “Did Ah?” She pressed it again, and the image returned to the screen. “Hey, there we go!”

“Finally!” exclaimed Rainbow. “Can you blow it up?”

“YES!” exclaimed Pinkie, pulling open a drawer in her desk. “I’ve been waiting for this!” She removed a stick of dynamite, causing everyone’s eyes to widen.

“Um, Pinkie, I don’t think that’s the best idea,” said Rarity, grabbing the explosive in her magic and pulling it away.

“Who knows? Might be fun,” scoffed Rainbow. “More fun than what we’ve been doing, anyway. And by blowing it up, I meant making it bigger. Applejack, can you make it bigger?”

Applejack just gave her a blank stare.

“Right, stupid question.”

“We don’t have time for stupid questions,” stated Bon Bon as she trotted over, Lock Pick right behind her. “We need answers. What’ve you got?”

“Well, we found our mystery pony, but the image is a little blurry-”

“Lock Pick.”

The green pony nodded. “Yep.” Lock Pick took a seat in front of a computer and typed a few commands into the keyboard. The monitor zoomed in on the pony standing next to Border Line. “Oh,” muttered Rainbow.

Bon Bon squinted at the pony. “Looks like… A red earth pony. Brown mane.”

“I’ll send out a BOLO,” replied Lock Pick, picking up the phone.

Bon Bon nodded and went to her desk. She glanced up to see the 6 probationary agents staring at her, shifting on their hooves. “Oh for Celestia’s sake…” she muttered under her breath. “Applejack, Dash, go find Side Arm and get Short Fuse’s home address. Search his house. The rest of you, dig into Short Fuse and Border Line. I want everything on them. We have 5 days to stop this attack, probies, I don’t have the time to keep giving you all instructions. Go!”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash grabbed their bags and headed to the elevator as the other agents returned to their desks. Bon Bon sighed as she watched the agents move, remembering a time when all the chaos didn’t matter to her.

6 Years Ago…

The sun beamed in through the large windows, illuminating the offices. The RDI building was mostly empty, many agents enjoying their weekend at home. There were a few agents still around, handling active cases of critical nature, as well as Team Guardian.

“Morning!” chimed Minuette as she trotted into the squad room. She glanced around, seeing the other agents lounging at their desks. “Thought we were handling the tip line?”

“We were,” answered Spitfire as she turned a page in her magazine. “But then Side Arm’s team showed up to do it.”

“Yep,” confirmed Daring, who turned a page in her book. “Apparently someone in HR screwed up and double booked.”

“Bon Bon’s sorting it out with Side and HR right now,” said Lyra, strumming her harp.

Minuette shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “Huh. Well… any paperwork you guys need me to do?”

“Nah, we finished it all ‘bout an hour ago,” answered Braeburn, eyes on the ‘Canterlot Daily’ on his desk. “What’s a three letter word for mistake?”

“Uh…. Oh! Err!” replied Daring.

“Right! Thanks.”

Minuette rolled her eyes and smiled, kicking her hind legs up on her desk and leaning back, staring up at the ceiling.

“It’s settled then,” declared Bon Bon as she entered. “We tossed a bit. Side Arm’s team will handle the tip line today, we’ll do it next week.”

“Sweet,” said Spitfire without taking her eyes off her magazine. “So we can go home?”

“If you want.” As Bon Bon sat at her desk, none of the others moved. She chuckled. “It’s 10 o'clock on a Saturday, yet you all still sit here.”

“If Ah went home, how would Ah get the answers to this crossword puzzle?” asked Braeburn.

“These ceiling tiles won’t count themselves,” joked Minuette.

Spitfire cracked a smile and rolled her eyes. “This chair is more comfortable than the one in my house.”

“Guess there’s nowhere else we want to be, Bon,” replied Daring.

“What a life we live, huh?” chuckled Lyra.

Bon Bon picked up a piece of paper that was on her desk. It was an invitation from the director to be the next Special Agent in Charge of Manehattan. Bon Bon blinked and looked around her. The other cubicles were empty, devoid of agents. Light flooded through the windows, bouncing off the blank monitor and the inactive computers.

She took in the placid expression on Minuette's face, and the concentration on Braeburn’s as he worked through his crossword. She listened to Lyra’s voice and harp as she sang a soft song. She watched as Spitfire turned a page in her magazine, and as inspiration formed a smile on Daring’s face as she read. “There’s no place I’d rather be,” she muttered to herself. She smiled and stuck the invitation into her paper shredder. With a satisfied sigh, she kicked her hind legs up on the desk, rested her forelegs behind her head, and smiled.

Now

Bon Bon reached out and picked up a picture of her and her friends lounging in the squad room. She sighed, trying to ignore the aching pain in her heart. With a new found determination, she set the photo aside and set her gaze to the computer. She couldn’t afford to be sentimental now, she had a job to do.

The door to the apartment creaked open. Rainbow Dash stuck her head in and looked around. “Huh. Pretty clean for a terrorist.”

“What were you expectin’?” asked Applejack as she entered.

Rainbow scanned the room, taking in the organized cupboards, neat stack of magazines, and bookshelf filled with novels. “Not this. I was expecting some big red poster that said ‘I Hate Equestria!’ or something.” Rainbow paused, staring at herself in a mirror hung on the wall. “Hey, I look good in this windbreaker.”

“They’re called Raid Jackets,” pointed out Applejack, taking off her stetson and placing it on the counter.

“Yeah, whatever. Dibs on the living room,” responded Rainbow Dash, tossing her navy blue cap onto the table and pulling on a pair of latex gloves.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Flip you for it,” she said, pulling out a coin.

“Heads I win, tails you lose?”

“How stupid do you think Ah am?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She observed the coin, realizing something. “Hey, what kind of coin is that? Never seen anything like it.” The coin depicted a shield, with the letters ‘RDI’ emblazoned on it. ‘Royal Division of Investigations’ was written on the top, and ‘Special Agent’ on the bottom. The RDI motto, ‘Honesty, Faithfulness, and Bravery,’ were written on a banner that sprawled across the shield.

“This here’s a challenge coin,” answered Applejack. “You present ‘em to prove you are who you say you are. If someone challenges you at a bar, you gotta show your coin. If you can’t, you buy everyone drinks. If you can, your challenger’s gotta buy you a drink.”

“Huh. Where’d you get it?” asked Rainbow, intrigued. “Your cousin?”

“Yeah, ain’t his though. It belonged to one of his friends,” answered Applejack, tossing the coin in the air. “Name was… Spitfire?”

“No way!” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “You have Spitfire’s challenge coin?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You know Spitfire?”

“Yeah… Yeah… She’s the one who inspired me to become an investigator in the first place…”

10 Years Ago…

The technicolored pegasus paced back and forth in the holding cell. “Stupid, stuck up, piece of… she muttered under her breath.

A clicking at the holding cell’s door caused her ear to twitch. “Let me know when you’re done,” the guard said.

“Sure thing,” answered a gravelly voice. Rainbow turned as the door shut to find two pegasi dressed smartly.

“Airpony Dash?” said the first, a white male pegasus. “I’m Special Agent Soarin with the Air Force Investigative Service, this is Special Agent Spitfire.” Spitfire just nodded, and Soarin continued. “We need to ask you some questions regarding what happened between you and the other reserves.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Nothing happened. It’s none of your business, anyways.”

“We’re here to help you, airpony,” Soarin stated. “We can’t do that unless we know what happened.”

“Yeah, that’s what the cops said and look where I ended up.” Rainbow scoffed and sat on a bench on the far side of the cell.

Spitfire spoke up. “Look, I get it. Us ‘bolts, we’ve got to trust each other. We’ve got to understand each other, watch out for each other.”

Rainbow perked up. “You guys were Wonderbolts?”

Soarin laughed. “Spitfire was the freaking captain!”

“That’s in the past now,” Spitfire said, waving a hoof dismissively. “The point is, I know how conflicted you feel, but you gotta remember the pressure. Sure, you might be a reserve, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be a full Wonderbolt some day. So you push yourselves, by any means necessary, right?”

Rainbow hung her head, sighing. “I… guess.”

“Rainbow, you were the only one who’s tox screen showed you were clean of drugs.”

“Yeah, and to the cops, that means I’m the dealer.”

“But we know better,” countered Spitfire. “To me, that means you know better. We interviewed Airpony Thunderlane. He says that you tried to get the reserves off of the drugs. And when that didn’t work, you went after the dealer.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out a picture of another pegasus with a bruised face. “And did a real number on him, too.”

“He deserved it,” spat Rainbow. “Stupid drugs… They were ruining my friends!”

“I know.” Spitfire lay a hoof on her shoulder. “And we’re gonna get him for it. Only problem is we can’t find his stash. We have 24 hours left to charge him or let him go.”

“Bastard keeps some in an empty locker,” growled Rainbow Dash. “Number 404, I think.”

Soarin nodded, pulling out a radio. “I’ll tell Signal Flare. Hey, guard!” As the guard unlocked the door, Spitfire sat on the bench next to her.

“Hey, listen. By the end of tonight, I’ll get you out of this cell.”

Rainbow glanced at her. “You really mean that?”

“Course. Nothing wrong with helping your friends. The world could use more ponies like you, Airpony.” She pulled a card out of her jacket, turning it in her hooves. “Now, usually I would tell ponies to never give up on their dreams. But… sometimes dreams change. And that’s alright too. I’ve spent my entire life in the Air Force, but you don’t have to.”

“The air force is my family, ma’am.”

“Yeah… I thought it was mine too. But after I became a special agent, nopony ever looked at me the same. Not even my former teammates. Nothing good about some air force cop, after all. That’s all I am to them. But hey, I’m just rambling. Point is… if you ever want a change of scenery, you give me a call.” She handed the card to her and stood up. “Stay strong, Dash. Don’t you ever give up on anything.”

Now

“Didn’t realize you knew her,” mulled Applejack. “So why join the RDI instead of AFIS?”

“It’s a… long story. Let’s just flip the coin.”

Applejack shrugged and nodded. “Alright. Colored side is heads,” she said, flipping the coin to reveal a similar design cast in bronze, “and bronze side is tails. Call it, pardner.”

“Heads.”

The coin flew up in the air, landing bronze side up on the counter. Applejack smirked. “Well, Ah get the livin’ room then. Why don’t you get started on the bathroom?”

Rainbow growled, rolling her eyes. “Think I’ll start in the kitchen, pardner.”

“Suit yerself, but someone’s gotta do the bathroom eventually.” The southern mare stepped into the living room. She trotted over to the bookcase, eyes scanning the titles. “Huh. He was a reader.”

Rainbow rummaged through the trash can, pulling out some bandages stained with a red liquid. “Hey, AJ, look at this. Doubt a dead pony would come home to bandage themselves.” Applejack dropped her stance, locking her eyes on a closed door at the far ends. “Someone else was here, looks like. Maybe our missing getaway driver,” continued Rainbow.

“Rainbow,” said Applejack in a harsh whisper.

The pegasus stood up. “What? I’m just telling you that someone else was here!”

“Forget that!” she snapped, pointing at the door. Rainbow’s ears detected a shuffling noise from inside. “Someone is here!”

Rainbow drew her gun and joined Applejack, taking a position on the right side of the door.

There was a faint moaning from inside, along with a rustle of paper.

A siren sounded from outside the apartment. Applejack drew her gun and nodded at Rainbow. The mare turned around and bucked the door open. Rainbow rushed in, gun drawn. “Freeze!” She yelled.

She was greeted with gunshots, which forced her to duck down behind a bed. Applejack ran into the room, returning fire from her weapon. The red pony fired two shots from his gun before throwing it aside. He leaped out the window, blood-soaked cloth falling off of his body. Landing on the fire escape, he took off down the metal stairs. By the time Applejack reached the window, the pony was long gone. “Damn!”

“AJ?”

“He’s gone. Bon Bon’s gonna kill us, Dash.”

“Applejack?”

“Better call it in, she’ll find out one way or another-”

“Applejack!”

The mare turned back to the pegasus sitting up on the ground, gripping one forehoof with the other. “What?”

Rainbow held up her left hoof to show it was covered in blood. “Uh… I kind of got hit.”

“... Oh buck.”

Chapter 7

“This is my fault, isn’t it?”

Bon Bon sighed and glanced up at the brown pony sitting next to her. “Side, it’s fine.”

Side Arm bit his lip, tapping his right hoof on the trailer’s floor. “It’s not! They’re just probies! I should have gone with them!”

“Hey! Listen! It’s not your fault, there was no way we could have known that pony would be in the apartment,” Bon Bon said, resting a hoof on her friend’s withers. “... If anything, it should be my fault. Thought they could handle an apartment search without issue.” She sighed, fiddling with the zipper on her raid jacket. “... I guess they can’t.”

“Agent Bon Bon? We’re here,” shouted the agent driving the trailer.

Bon Bon hopped out, Side Arm following. The two put on sunglasses and trotted over to an ambulance nearby. Applejack was standing nearby, blood staining her raid jacket. “Hey Bon,” she said.

“Applejack, you alright?”

The pony nodded. “Yeah, this is all her blood. I helped her stabilize her injury until the paramedics could get here.” She jerked her head to the ambulance. “She’s in there.”

“Watch it!” Rainbow snapped at a paramedic.

“Sorry, ma’am.” The unicorn ducked out of the ambulance, noticing Bon Bon and Side Arm.

“Your agent will be ok. It was just a graze wound, nothing serious. As for her remaining on duty-”

“Afraid we don’t have time to take her off duty,” Bon Bon mused. “We’re on a tight schedule. Thanks.” The paramedic nodded and trotted to the front of the ambulance as Rainbow climbed out of the ambulance, fiddling with a bandage near her shoulder.

“You good, Dash?” asked Bon Bon.

“Just a graze. I’m fine.”

Side Arm sighed in relief. “Good to hear. Getting shot on your first day… that’s just bad luck.”

“Maybe. But hey, I’ve got a cool new scar now,” remarked Rainbow.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Glad you’re fine. You find anything interesting in the apartment?”

“I only saw him for a second, but it was definitely the guy from the security camera,” said Rainbow Dash. “He looked pretty banged up, too. Did you catch him?”

“Nah, lost he was long gone by the time we got here,” Side Arm answered.

“Great.” Rainbow slumped her shoulders. “Did we at least get a clue or something?”

Applejack held up an evidence bag. “Ah found this train ticket on the ground. Can’t make out the destination since it’s covered in blood.”

“He trying to skip town?” questioned Side Arm. “That’s crazy, every station’s got their eyes out for him.”

Bon Bon nodded in agreement. “There’s got to be something else.” She gave a frustrated sigh. “Alright, you two, get back to HQ.”

“You sure? I can still help,” protested Rainbow.

“Yeah, no. I’m sure. Go. You two, Applejack.” Applejack attempted to interject, but Bon Bon glared at her, and the mare relented.

Side Arm gave his friend a worried glance as the two headed back to their wagon. “Bon… you alright?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine…” Bon Bon gazed at one of the trailers, a memory flashing through her mind.

6 Years Ago...

Bon Bon skidded to a stop in front of the trailer, it's lights flashing through the night sky like a lighthouse on the shore. “Lyra!”

The mint green unicorn glanced up, biting her lip. A headset was slung around her neck. “Bon…”

“What the hay happened?”

Lyra sighed. “It’s… not good. They made us, and everything went south.” Bon Bon blinked, then turned away, seeing an ambulance parked nearby. She took off, leaving Lyra behind. Braeburn was standing near the ambulance, talking with a paramedic. A sniper rifle was slung across his shoulder. He looked up, seeing Bon running towards them.

“Bon… Ah tried, damn it. There were too many of ‘em. Couldn’t shoot fast enough.”

“It’s fine, Brae. I shouldn’t have taken this stupid vacation,” Bon replied. “Where is everyone?”

“Spitfire and Daring are inside, canvassing, and Min… She’s in there,” he replied, pointing to the ambulance.

Bon Bon glanced at the paramedic, who nodded at her. She climbed into the ambulance to see the blue unicorn laying on a stretcher, hooked up to several different machines. Minuette opened her eyes and smiled at Bon. “Hey… Boss! Sorry, I’m a bit… loopy right now.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” Bon replied, sitting next to her. “What’s the verdict?”

“Eh, nothing that bad… just a few magic spells and stuff and I’ll be… good as new,” slurred the unicorn.

Bon Bon smiled and stood. “Great… Rest easy.” She ducked out of the ambulance, entering the dilapidated building riddled with bullet holes. Daring Do and Spitfire were inside, laying out yellow crime scene markers. They looked up as she entered.

“Hey Bon,” greeted Daring. “Doc Graves is on his way.”

The mare looked around the room. Several ponies were sprawled out on the ground, blood soaking the tiles. Weapons and bullets lay scattered on the ground, most unused. “What… What did I miss?”

Spitfire sighed. “Well… Min went in alone, as planned. Brae was sniping and we were close. It seemed to be going well, then one of them drew a gun and called her a royal agent. Lyra called it, and the shooting started.”

“Yeah,” continued Daring. “Brae took down the first, gave Colgate time to draw. She took down two others, but then she got hit. We went in hard, but there were 3 of them watching the door. By the time we fought our way in, Brae had taken down the rest, but… Colgate was out by the time we got here. I thought she was gone, damn it!”

Bon lay a hoof on the pegasus’s shoulder. “Hey, relax. She’ll live, Minuette’s a tough pony.”

Daring drew a deep breath and nodded.

“Look, I know we all feel that we’re to blame,” Bon continued, “but let’s not focus on what we didn’t do. Look at what we did do.” She gestured around the room as Braeburn and Lyra entered. “We took down over a dozen terrorists in less than 5 minutes. Sure, it wasn’t pretty and one of us was injured, but none of us could have seen it coming. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me. I should have been the one who went in, not Minuette.”

The other agents frowned, muttering their disagreement. “The point is, we can’t let our mistakes get us down. We are one of the best teams in the RDI, and we can’t forget that.”

Now

Bon Bon sighed, turning away from the trailer. “Let’s… let’s go search the room.”

“Okay…” Side Arm followed her, filled with concern and uncertainty.

“I mean, it hurts a little, but it’s fine,” Rainbow declared.

Rarity raised an eyebrow in uncertainty. “... If you say so, dear.”

“She’s right,” chimed in Fluttershy. “Graze wounds are painful but aren’t that bad.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. She crossed her forelegs and leaned back in her chair, muttering under her breath.

“Uh… did you say something, Applejack?” questioned Twilight.

“What’s her problem?” asked the southern mare.

Twilight blinked. “Who?”

“Bon Bon. She’s hidin’ somethin’. Ah can feel it.”

“I think it’s just you,” replied Rainbow, tossing the challenge coin in the air.

“Haven’t you noticed? All the senior agents are givin’ us looks! And when the hay did you take mah coin?”

Rainbow snickered. “We’re just that amazing, I guess. And you left the coin on the counter earlier.”

She tossed it in the air again, only to have it snatched out of the air by Pinkie.

“You have a point,” mused Twilight. “I think there’s something else going on here.” She pressed a button on her remote and pressed a button. The monitor blinked to life, and several images of different ponies popped up. “Alright! So, before our team, Special Agent Bon Bon worked with these ponies.”

The other agents gathered around, staring at Twilight. “... When did you put this together?”

“While you guys were at the warehouse. Anyways, her previous team was called ‘Team Guardian’ because of all the work they did to keep Equestria safe. She worked with Special Agents Lyra, Minuette, Spitfire, Daring Do, and Braeburn.”

Twilight pressed another button. “They also worked with other agents, including Special Agents Lock Pick, Side Arm, Wire Tap, and Cover Story. Team Guardian was well known and thought to be one of the best teams in the RDI. Special Agent Bon Bon was offered jobs all across Equestria, yet she refused all of them. But, for some reason, the team was disbanded about a decade after it was formed.”

The unicorn pressed a button, and the images changed into pictures of official documents and letters. “Braeburn, Daring Do, and Spitfire resigned. Minuette and Lyra were transferred to other field offices, but Bon Bon stayed.”

“Um… Twilight? These look very official… where did you get these?” whispered Fluttershy.

“I just asked some friends, it’s no big deal,” responded Twilight.

“No big deal?! I’m pretty sure half of these documents are still classified,” said Rarity as she eyed the letters on the screen.

“The point,” interjected Twilight, “is that none of it makes sense. Why would half of the team resign, and the other half be transferred out?”

“They wouldn’t,” replied Applejack. “Not willin’ly, at least.”

The others glanced at her. “What do you mean?” asked Rainbow.

The mare sighed. “Well… Y’all know Braeburn’s mah cousin? While back, he told me he was leavin’ the RDI. Ah was confused, mah whole family was. He loved the RDI. He said that… somethin’ happened, and he chose to take a hit for his friend. After he left… well, Ah ain’t too sure. He disappeared. Can’t find him now. But Ah knew from the start that this Bon Bon mare had somethin’ to do with it. So Ah swore to find out what she did and why he quit.” She stood from her desk. “No one hurts Mah family,” she remarked.

“Hey, that’s what I like to say!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, apparently oblivious to Applejack’s underlying message. “No one hurts my friends and gets away with it! And I’m friends with everyone! Well, except bad ponies. No, they are the ones who pay, after all!” the pink mare giggled to herself.

“Well, I want to know what happened too, but I can’t get the documents about whatever happened,” said Twilight. “If we want to find out what happened, we’re going to have to ask around.”

“Um, I don’t think it’s our business,” whispered Fluttershy. “Besides, I don’t think Agent Bon Bon wants to talk about it.”

Rarity huffed. “Well, my dear, this matter does concern us. It would appear that Agent Bon Bon has some reservations which could affect us negatively.”

Twilight nodded. “I agree. Whatever happened to Team Guardian, Bon Bon isn’t over it, and it’s still bothering her.”

“Damn right something’s bothering me!” The agents flinched as Bon Bon breezed into the squad room. “We’ve got a terrorist attack imminent, and not a single lead. So why are you all standing around and gossiping?! Get to work!” she barked.

Wire Tap and Cover Story glanced at each other. “Hey, Bon? Can we have a word with you?” Asked Wire Tap.

The machine clanked as it spat out a soda. “You sure you don’t want one?” asked Wire Tap as he popped the cap of grape soda.

“Yes, I’m sure,” answered Bon Bon, stressing out the first word. “What did you want to talk about?”

Cover Story sighed. “Bon, look. You’re being hard on them.”

“They’re probies, Cove,” scoffed Bon Bon. “Someone’s gotta teach them.”

“True, but not even Dead Drop was as hard on us as you are. Everyone’s noticing. Us, Lock, Side Arm, even Doc Graves.” He glanced at Wire Tap. “I get that you might not be over what happened to Team Guardian, but you shouldn’t take it out on them. We’re here for you, Bon.”

Bon Bon sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I know. I know.”

“It doesn’t help that you’ve got a connection to OP-4,” chimed in Wire Tap. “That whole mess with Free Fire hurt us all, Bon.”

“And it showed us how important it is to stop them,” Bon Bon replied as she stood. “And I’m not going to let anyone stand in my way.” She trotted out of the room, leaving the two senior agents alone in a worried silence.