D.E.R.P.Y.H.O.O.V.E.S.by Fancy MarkChaptersPrologue: OriginsChapter One: The Call to DutyChapter Two: The RestorationChapter Five: The ResurrectionEpilogue: Princesses and PranksTerm KeyChapter Three: An Unexpected VisitorChapter Four: The KillingsPrologue: OriginsThe bright sun beat down on Agent Aquaswirl's back. Her eyes scanned the area for enemies, at the time were the P.O.N.Y. Associates, a political group that left Equestria's borders and fled north, and had opposed Equestria all it's years. She heard a loud crack ring through the edge of the forest she was patrolling. Aquaswirl immediately sprinted toward the sound. A faint curse could be heard in the distance, and running hoofsteps sounded on the muddy ground. Haha, Aqua thought, at last I will have my revenge. She fly-hopped over several bushes, quickly gaining on the P.O.N.Y. Associate. "Harah!" Aquaswirl jumped over the last bush to tackle a pony wearing a full-bodied armour plating, to which Aquaswirl did not take well, hitting her head on it's metal surface. "Ah! The infamous Agent Aquaswirl, are you?" the armoured pony chuckled in a heavy Irish accent. Aquaswirl laid upon the ground, blood slowly trickling from the nasty gash on her skull in her yellow mane into her greyish coat. "Aye, I only knew it was you!" The Irish pony laughed. "No other pony has ever hunted us like you! Now," the metal pony growled, "it's time to put an end to this." Aquaswirl's world spiraled into black as the armoured pony slammed a hoof into her skull. "Ugh," Aquaswirl groaned, "where am I?" The room she was in was dark, except for a single bulb hovering above a grisly metal table. Buck! the grey pegasus thought furiously. She had heard of her fellow agent ponies barely escaping with their lives from the P.O.N.Y. torture. Each one, broken. Every one, damaged. And every pony that came out, barely alive. And now, she was the next victim of the Portallic Offensive Northern Yankee Associates' machine, feared by everypony: The B.R.E.A.D. It may sound like a silly name, but it is the worst thing that can ever happen to a pony. It can deform ponies' minds into twisted murderers, or into the dumbest thing in Equestria. The few who survive are mentally loopy for a few months, but if the P.O.N.Y. Associates get through, you're broken for life. And that terrified Aquaswirl. She couldn't stand the thought of failure. Never, not once, not ever, had she ever failed a mission. Even when it was a dangerous one, she always succeeded. And that's when the B.R.E.A.D. operator and guards walked in and began to untie her. "Put her on the table," the operator said thickly. The two guards complied, and snapped Aquaswirl onto the table with the metal shackles. "Readying the calibration, and... There!" The operator grinned mischievously as the B.R.E.A.D. began to glow above Aqua. "I will put an end to you!" she screamed, as the machine fired a laser into her eyes. The bright green beam filled the warehouse with it's luminosity, as Aqua continued to shriek in pain. Then the machine began to heat up, and the operator shouted, "Guards! Get out! The B.R.E.A.D. is gonna blow!" The guards happily obliged as the machine continued to heat up, melting itself, and condensing the gasses into a ticking time bomb. Aqua couldn't free herself, and the green laser abruptly stopped, and there was a moment of silence. Then, the machine exploded, and the warehouse was no more. Three days later... Aqua slowly awoke and saw her belly... and her mane at the same time! No, no, no, no, no! I failed! Aqua began crying, her tears fell down her cheeks onto the bloody table she was still shackled to. Then, she heard a voice! "Agent! Agent Aquaswirl!" it cried. "I'm over here!" Aqua shouted. She then heard hoofsteps canter toward her direction, and she saw her partner, Agent Carota, an orange Earth Pony. "Are you okay, Muffin?" she asked, and Aqua replied, "No, I'm not." Carota saw Aqua's wall-eyed eyes and teared up. "They got you, didn't they?" Carota sniffled. Aqua nodded, as Carota unshackled her. Aqua fell into Carota's hooves and began to cry. "I don't want to leave you, Carrot!" she sobbed, shaking violently with each breath. Agent Carota petted Aqua's mane in an attempt to calm her. "Just let it all out, Muffin, let it all out." 3 hours later... Celestia stood in her briefing room with Agents Aquaswirl and Carota, and said, "In accordance with The Equestrian Spy Association Pledge, it is required of me to assess Agent Aquaswirl's mental state after this failure." Agent Carota nodded and gestured Aquaswirl to sit on the prepared chair in front of Celestia. And so, the inquiry began. Celestia spoke first. "Have there been any thoughts in the time you were found until now of hurting another pony?" "No, Princess." Aqua said firmly. "Have you had any thoughts about harming yourself?" "No, Princess." "Can you remember what happened to you that caused you to become like this?" "Yes, Princess." "Would you be willing to describe those events to me, or do you still need time?" Celestia asked softly. "I can wait for you to get a better hold of yourself if you want before you describe it to me." Aquaswirl nodded, and said, "I'm ready to tell you everything in detail, Princess." Agent Carota's eyes widened and looked at Celestia. Celestia returned the same expression and looked back at Agent Aquaswirl. Aqua looked up at the Princess firmly, and began the long story. She described the Iron Pony, the warehouse, and the B.R.E.A.D.'s explosion. Celestia knew what had to happen. "I, Princess Celestia, regretfully decree with a heavy heart that Agent Aquaswirl, Identification Number 52, must be decommissioned due to an injury tat has hindered said Agent's abilities, and thus memories of previously stated Agent must be locked away, and be sent home to Ponyville, as per The Equestrian Spy Service's oath." Agent Carota spoke. "Permission speak freely, Princess?" Celestia turned and said, "Proceed." Carota walked toward Aquaswirl, put a hoof around her shoulder and declared firmly, "If she leaves, I leave with her." Celestia nodded, and Aquaswirl gasped. "What about your promotion you've been working toward, Carrot?" Carota smiled down at Aqua and said, "Nothing will ever let me seperate from you, my little Muffin." Celestia brushed Carrot away and began the memory locking spell. She incanted an ancient tongue Agent Carota knew well from her imprisonment among the Time Rifters in the Farlands beyond Equestria: Vo imya Printsessy Solntsa i yeye materi ya podavlyayu vospominaniya ob etoy poni, chtoby ona mogla zhit' v mire sredi drugikh. As Carota understood it, in rough translation, Celestia said, "In the name of the Princess of the Sun and her mother, I repress the memories of this pony so that she can live with others." And with that, Aquaswirl fell to the ground, and Celestia turned to Carota. "I only repressed the memories of her patrolling and of her missions. She will still remember how much of a friend you are." Carota smiled, and said gratefully, "Thank you." Celestia smiled and replied, "You can call her Derpy Hooves. Just a little acronym I came up with." She winked. Carrot was confused. "Derpy Hooves? Why?" Celestia sighed. "It stands for Destructive Equestrian Reserve Pony Year Hundred One Overt Vessel Emergency Soldier. She is the the best spy I've had I've had in a little over a hundred years. Besides, there's special information she holds locked in her memory, and it's now up to you to protect her." Carota saluted. "I won't let you down, Princess." Chapter One: The Call to Duty5 years later... "Derpy!" Carrot Top called, "Get out of my carrot garden! Go dig your muffin cellar somewhere else in the backyard, just not my garden!" Derpy looked up from the hole she was starting to dig in the garden and sheepishly began to refill the hole. Carrot sighed. "Poor Derpy, my little Muffin. It was easier back when we were in the ESS. Carrot took a long sip of her hay tea, then smiled as Derpy began back toward the house for her lunch. It was the usual, a nice, big, fluffy muffin baked fresh from Sugarcube Corner. As Derpy sat in her chair, she noticed Carrot looking at her sadly. "Carrot," Derpy asked in her nasally innocent voice, "what's wrong?" Carrot quickly snapped back to reality and shook herself awake. "Sorry, Derpy, what did you say?" "Are you okay?" Derpy asked once again. "I wish I was, Muffin, but the lack of sales I've been having have hit me pretty hard," Carrot Top lied. Derpy frowned, "Carrot, what's wrong?" Now Carrot Top was visibly irritated and replied grouchily, "It's not something you would want to know, Muffin." Now Derpy was irritated. "I know you're lying to me, Carrot! What's wrong?" Carrot jumped out of her seat, tears forming in her eyes, and yelled, "I said, you don't wanna know, Derpy!" And with that, Carrot ran off to her room. Derpy grabbed Carrot's tea and slumped, taking a sip. "I just don't know what went wrong." she sulked. Carrot Top sobbed into her pillow. She remembered the day they came to Ponyville, five years ago. Derpy got a job as Mailmare that day, but had a hard time adapting back to normal life. She saw one pony eating a muffin, and went all muffin-crazy. Probably because Carrot used to call her, and still does call her, her little Muffin. Used to. That thought hit Carrot the hardest. She remembered the promotion she was going to get, as High Councillor of the ESS Mission Board. But, her connection to Aquaswirl was too much for her to lose. Carrot couldn't fathom the idea of leaving her only friend. There was a soft rapping at her door. Derpy. Carrot thought. "Come on in, Derpy." she sniffled. The grey pegasus poked her head inside the brightly-lit room. "Someone's here to see you, Carrot." Derpy opened the door wider to reveal... "Sergeant Hard Drive!" Carrot got up and out of her bed and said softly, "Derpy, go finish eating your muffin." Derpy happily trotted back to her unfinished muffin, and Carrot saluted. "At ease, Agent Carota." Hard Drive said softly. "What do you need me for, Sergeant?" Carrot asked. "We need Agent Aquaswirl. The Mane Six have disappeared." Carrot Top was shaken. "Agent Aquaswirl? She's decommissioned! She can't help without her memories." Hard Drive nodded. "Meet at Canterlot Castle at 1200 hours sharp... And bring your pegasus friend. We need her now." Agent Carota nodded solemnly. She knew what had to happen. And they needed Agent Aquaswirl now. Sergeant Hard Drive left soon afterwards, and Carrot told Derpy to pack some clothes. "We're going to Canterlot tomorrow," she told her, "to see the Princess." Derpy's wall-eyed eyes brightened, and she immediately flew to her room to start packing. Carrot smiled, due to seeing Derpy so happy, and the fact that she was going to get her old friend back. Chapter Two: The RestorationThe next morning... "C'mon, Derpy, we're gonna be late for the train!" Carrot was anxious. She didn't want to be late for a scheduled meeting with her superior. "I'm coming!" Derpy floated out of her room with a small suitcase, and hugging her big muffin plushie. Whatever makes her happy. Carrot thought. She knew that muffin stuffie was her favorite, and if she was traveling, she didn't go anywhere without it. The two barely made it to the train station, and the train started it's long 3 hour ride to Canterlot. 1.5 hours later... "Are we there yet?" Derpy was growing impatient. Carrot shook her head sadly. Derpy had asked that same question five times in the past thirty minutes. Carrot knew the poor grey pegasus couldn't survive a ride longer than thirty minutes. She got her to sit, and the rest of the ride went smoothly. Carrot played some filly games with Derpy to help pass the time, such as "I Spy," and "Twenty Questions," and it seemed only a few minutes later that they had arrived. They walked/flew off the train and into the big city of Canterlot. Derpy saw muffin shops everywhere, but Carrot had to keep Derpy focused. They had to get to the castle at 1200 hours sharp, and it was 11:30 AM already! "C'mon Derpy, I'll race you to the castle!" Carrot grinned, and Derpy's eyes lit up once more, and the two friends were racing each other to the castle in no time flat. They got to the entrance at 11:45 AM, and got into the throne room about 15 minutes later. Sergeant Hard Drive stood at attention next to Celestia in all her glory. Derpy dropped her things and her jaw, remaining aloft in a relaxed bend. "Attention!" Hard Drive hollered. Agent Carota immediately straightened and saluted. Celestia hollered with a chuckle, "At ease, Agent." Derpy fell to her hooves and looked at Carrot. She looked back at Derpy, whose eyes began to water. "Oh, no, Derpy, I can explain!" Carrot whimpered. Derpy shouted, "You better! How long have you kept this from me?" Carrot Top, saddened with her burden, replied, "Since I brought you home." Derpy gasped and hyperventilated through her sobs, crying, "Why didn't you tell me? Why?" Carrot embraced her friend, saying, "I couldn't, Derpy. Even if I wanted to." Celestia walked to Derpy's crying state, and put a hoof on her shoulder, saying, "It's okay, Aquaswirl..." Derpy looked up, tears still welling in her crooked eyes. "My name is Derpy! Not... whatever you said!" Celestia smiled warmly down at her. "That's why I brought you here." Carrot sniffed. "It's time for you to know the truth." Derpy wiped her nose. "Okay, but it better be good!" And so, Celestia began the chant: Otpustivospominaniya ob etompadshemrebenke i day yey uvidet' pravdu. Once again, Carrot could understand, barely, what was being said: Release the memories of this fallen child, and let her see the truth. And then the chaotic screaming began to emit from Derpy's mouth. Her eyes were glowing white as the memories rushed into her open conciousness. Carrot galloped to her side and held her as the screaming continued. Celestia looked down expectantly, hoping she didn't do the chant and spell wrong. Then Derpy's eyes returned to normal and she hugged Carrot tightly. Carrot returned the embrace with a tighter squeeze. She looked up at Celestia, and mouthed, Thank you. Celestia nodded in welcome, and Derpy released Carrot, and stood tall. She saluted in a natural rigor that she had five years prior, and said in a firm voice, "Agent Aquaswirl, ready for orders, My Princess." And Carrot's eyes filled with glee. Celestia sighed with relief, and smiled, "As you were, Agent." Derpy pulled her hoof down and began the walk down the red carpet toward the throne next to Celestia. "So, what's going on?" Celestia sourly snuffed, "Loremane got out of prison. We need you to get him back in." Derpy smiled, and said, "I can get him back in, in no time flat." "I'm afraid it's not that easy. He's grown in power." "Whatever do you mean?" "Loremane gathers power and magic by killing ponies and collecting pieces of them, as you very well know, but he has captured and killed eight ponies by now." "And the last time I fought him, he had absorbed almost fifty souls, Princess, what do you mean 'It won't be that easy?'" Celestia turned to Derpy and said, "He has found a way to quadruple his magic intake." Derpy's wall-eyes widened. "And there's only one thing that could grant a pony that strength." Celestia and Derpy looked each other in the eyes solemnly and in unison, growled, "B.R.E.A.D." Hard Drive spoke, confused. "Bread? Last I checked, bread was harmless. Are you telling me that wicked Violet Glow got out and is making her pony breads again? I'm gonna ki-" Celestia cut Sergeant Hard Drive off with, "No, the B.R.E.A.D. machine. Brain Receptive Eye Activity Destroyer, you know, the one that killed your partner seven years ago?" Hard Drive nodded solemnly in remembrance of his precious Honey Cupcake. Celestia turned to Derpy. "He has consumed only three shreds of the B.R.E.A.D. metal, still tainted with the Dark Magicks from the original explosion." Derpy shook her head at the remembrance of Aquaswirl's run-in with near-death. "It is now up to you two, Agent Carota," who nodded accordingly, "and you, Agent Aquaswirl. You are The Reapers of Justice. And yes, I did come up with that." Celestia winked. Agent Aquaswirl grinned, and called, "C'mon, Carrot, we got a menace to capture." Chapter Five: The ResurrectionFive days later... The Mane Six were teleported later due to a time warp where the teleportation pulled the 6 into the space-time continuum. And that was when the two mares, sent to retrieve the 6 who went missing, could see again. It started out as a slow static as their minds began to work again, powering the hearts and lungs that were removed and replaced. The static slowly faded and there stood the Mane Six, and all the little fillies and scared mares. The purple unicorn passed out on top of a familiar blue pegasus, who let out an agonizing scream and shouted, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy!" Then she realized she was back to normal, and blushed. "Oops." The white unicorn that ran the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville jumped up and started chasing an orange Earth Pony, the one who usually serves cider every year. "Rarity! Stop!" the orange mare shouted. The mad unicorn paused, and said in her naturally posh accent, "Whatever happened to me? I've never had a cannibalistic nature before! And I vow to never do such again!" A yellow pegasus on the other side of the room stood, shook her head and wings to get shards of glass off, and saw the shaken blue pegasus. She smiled the biggest, happiest grin and flew to hug her friend. "Rainbow! Do you know what happened?" A pink pony, the one who helps run Sugarcube Corner, sat up, and her eyes went wide, and her hair drooped. The orange Earth Pony saw this and ran to her side. "What's wrong, sugarcube?" The pink one turned to her companion. "I saw it all. Every single one of you, dead." Rarity stiffened. "Did you say," she gulped, "dead?" The pink pony nodded. Rainbow let go of the yellow pegasus, and flew to the shaken pony's side. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I need you to tell us all what happened." And so, Pinkie took a shaky breath, and began the recollection of the events. "Rainbow's wings were ripped off and eyes torn out." Rainbow's eyes widened. "Fluttershy screamed when Rainbow died and slammed your head against the wall until your skull cracked." The yellow pegasus recalled the event and turned red as Rainbow turned to her and said, "I told you to be strong for me!" Fluttershy responded meekly, saying, "You would have gotten depressed if you watched me die." Rainbow bowed her head and said, "Fair enough. Continue, Pinkie." Pinkie started taking small, sad hops and continued, "Applejack, you starved; Rarity, you began to eat Applejack crazily and bled to death internally from a rib bone chip; And I," Pinkie sobbed, "I was stabbed with a knife. The one sitting next to Rarity, over there." She pointed in Rarity's direction as she hopped onto Applejack's lap, curled up, and cried. "Honey, that took a lot of courage, and I'm proud of you, but I can see how you were so scared." Applejack petted Pinkie's hair and soothed her. Rarity took it all in, and slumped, looking at the knife that sat beside her. Rainbow hugged Fluttershy in an attempt to calm each other. Aquaswirl shook her head at the turn-out of what happened to the Heroes of Equestria. Carrot was bewildered, as were the twenty other ponies there, and murmuring doubts began to spread. A long while later, after everypony had settled down, the purple unicorn awoke. Rarity ran over to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Applejack had calmed Pinkie down enough and fluffed up her hair that they could all go and comfort their friend. The poor unicorn shivered with trauma at the remembrance of the incident. Pinkie smiled, "I shared everyone's story, but we don't know what happened to you. What DID happen?" "Well," the unicorn started, "after Pinkie got stabbed, I was teleported onto the table and the stallion who was torturing us all came out and showed himself. But," she gasped, "he wore my brother's face. He was a shapeshifter. He began to saw my horn off and I remembered everything you guys had done for me, and magic took over. I can't remember what happened except that that evil stallion faded from existence." Rarity smiled and pulled her companion closer. "It's okay now, sweetie. We're all okay, thanks to your magic outburst." Applejack smiled softly and said, "Alright, sugarcube, let's get out of here." "Wait," Fluttershy called, "come here, I found a sign." The unicorn stood, and walked toward her. The other four followed. "Loremane's Lab," she read aloud. "So that's what his name was." Applejack growled. "Let's get out of here before we have any more trouble." Rainbow said. "Agreed." Rarity affirmed. "But," the unicorn said, "do any of you want to remember this?" Fluttershy was the first to speak. "I think I am speaking for everyone when I say... Yes." The other four Mane ponies, and twenty casualties nodded. "All right, let's get us home." Rarity said. And with a flash of the purple pony's horn and a blinding light, they teleported back to Ponyville. Back home. Back... To safety. Epilogue: Princesses and PranksTwo weeks later... Derpy Hooves and Carrot Top got a letter from Celestia herself. It read: Dear Reapers of Justice, It has come to my attention that you two have been through some tough times. As a reward for surviving (sort of) such a dangerous mission, I am calling you to meet me at the Canterlot Palace, where you will be debriefed. I expect you at your convenience. -Princess Celestia. "Wow, she wants us to come back?" Derpy smiled. Carrot looked up at her hovering friend and grinned, "Get your plushie, Muffin, we're going on a train ride." And on a train ride they went. During the three hour ride to Canterlot, Carrot thought a lot about the past events, and even smiled at some of the happier memories. She also thought a lot about how undershocked she was when she heard Derpy say that her early adulthood friend for years had not died off during the five years she was locked away. Aqua had also made herself more known in the community, by Derpy's friend, Dr. Whooves. He had created a body and needed a conciousness to test it with. Said body became Aquaswirl's new form. They called her Caramel Apple, after Applejack's family accepted her. The train arrived, and Celestia, of all ponies, was there. "Well, you knew we were coming?" Carrot cocked her brow. Celestia shook her head, and replied, "No, I came here to go to Ponyville and meet with the Element Bearers. But, since you're here, I might as well give you your reward." Her horn flashed, and that was it. Nothing happened, at least to Carrot and Derpy's point of view. "You'll thank me later." Celestia smirked. She spread her wings downward to wrap around the two ponies, and laughed, "Let's get you two home." Three hours and fifteen minutes later back in Ponyville... "Hey! Carrot, come look!" Derpy giggled excitedly. Carrot knew exactly what Derpy was uncontrollably giggling at... Celestia had given them wings and horns, making them official alicorns. However, Carrot found a way to make Derpy's horn seem invisible, as well as Carrot's horn and wings. And yes, Carrot was giggling uncontrollably as well. The next day the Ponyville Garbage Disposal team came by to clean up the large amounts of carrots and muffins found around Ponyville... And no pony except the Princesses of Muffins and Carrots knew why. The End Or was it? Nope, there's still more story left. Carrot thought back on how Derpy got her name, and sent Celestia a message asking her what information Derpy had stored in her mind. She got a reply back, but it wasn't what she was expecting: Dear Carrot Top, That information is non-existant. I did that so Aqua would be safe. Also, I knew that Derpy was going to be attracted to you. She'll come around in due time. - Princess Troll-estia P.S. Did you like that nickname? I came up with it myself. Term KeyTerms: D.E.R.P.Y.H.O.O.V.E.S. Destructive Equestrian Reserve Pony Year Hundred One Overt Vessel Emergency Soldier P.O.N.Y. Portallic Offensive Northern Yankee B.R.E.A.D. Brain Receptive Eye Activity Destroyer Chapter Three: An Unexpected VisitorA long walk later... "Dang, I should have stretched before this!" Derpy groaned. Carrot laughed. "And what did I tell you?" Derpy chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, I know." I told you so! Derpy thought. Or so she thought. Yeah, there's two people up here. What do you expect when one's memories are locked up for five whole years? Derpy stopped. "Who are you?" she asked aloud. "Whatever do you mean?" Carrot asked. "No, not you Carrot. There's someone in my head that isn't me." Carrot was concerned. "Okay, let's rest for a bit while you talk to your head-voice..." Yes, I am your former persona, Derpy. the voice laughed. What do you want? Derpy thought back. Only to let you know I am here if you need me. I will take control of your body if things get rough. The voice reassured her. Okay then, but what if things do get rough and you want to talk out loud? Derpy thought. I'll just use a more slangy accent with your voice. That's the way it was back when I was still in control. Aquaswirl laughed. "Okay, Carrot, we're good to go, it's only Aquaswirl's persona." Carrot nodded understandingly. The two continued their hike to the lair of Loremane without much interference. Except one thing... "Derpy!" Carota was getting sick of the annoyance. "Will you please stop talking to yourself in weird accents?" Derpy/Aquaswirl looked at Carrot and growled in both voices, "We are talking to each other." Carrot watched Derpy's eyes flare up, and she backed down. "Okay, okay. Hey, look! We're here already." Agent Carota gestured a hoof toward the large, metal building. Derpy began to convulse, and Carrot panicked. "No, no, what's going on!?" Then the tremors stopped as soon as they started, and Derpy stood. "What happened, Derpy? Are you alright?" Agent Carota was concerned for her friend's well-being. Then, in the thickest Appaloosian accent Carrot had ever heard, Derpy swung her mane back and smiled, "Alrighty, old partna', ya'll ready ta have an adventure again?" And Agent Carota, grinning with glee, replied, "Let's get 'er done, Swirly." Chapter Four: The KillingsA short time later... "Well, that didn't work out." Aqua grumbled. The two mares were shackled to a wall, facing outwards toward the center of the room, where a metal table, with dried blood stains littering its glistening luster, stood amidst filly and mare corpses of all races. The two had broken in through the front door, and were greeted with a choking black shadow, and the next thing they knew, they were chained, backs to the wall. Agent Carota looked over at her friend, who was struggling to get out of the chains that held her captive. "Give it up, Muffin, we aren't getting out of here alive." Agent Aquaswirl scowled at Carrot and slanged, "Ah'm gettin' 'atta here, whedda ya like it o' not!" Carrot shook her head sadly, and let her friend struggle for a few minutes longer... Until the knife showed up. "Uh, Aqua?" Carrot quaked, "ya might wanna stop moving and see this." Aqua quit her struggling and saw the floating knife being held by some dark aura. "Oh no," Aqua screeched, "not again! Ah ain't goin' through this again! C'mon, Aqua, wake up, wake up!" Carrot remembered a time when Derpy came to her with nightmares about a black knife cutting her open over and over. And finally she understood. The nightmares weren't just dreams, they were a reality waiting to happen. And since Aqua was trapped in Derpy's mind, she was the body used for the dissection. Carrot had an unearthly feeling as adrenaline rushed through her veins. It wasn't just adrenaline, however. It was magic. Her great-great-grandfather was a unicorn, and she had acquired the magic genetics, but without a horn. When in great distress, such as this moment, magic would aid her in impossible feats of strength and speed. "Aaargh!" Carrot screamed, ripping her shackles out of the wall. She leapt onto the knife pinning it to the ground before it could stab her beloved friend. But that was her fatal, truly fatal, mistake. The knife shot out from under her hooves and through her chest. "No!" Aqua yelled. Carrot fell to the floor, blood pooling around her bright orange mane. She whispered, "I tried, Derpy, I really tried." And with a final breath, she laid to rest in her own blood. "This really is the end." Aqua sniffled, "Ah'm never going home again. Ah'm never gonna see mah family again. Ah'm gonna die here in the most dishonourable death an accomplished mare could ever have." And the screaming began as the knife cut deep into her flesh.
Prologue: OriginsThe bright sun beat down on Agent Aquaswirl's back. Her eyes scanned the area for enemies, at the time were the P.O.N.Y. Associates, a political group that left Equestria's borders and fled north, and had opposed Equestria all it's years. She heard a loud crack ring through the edge of the forest she was patrolling. Aquaswirl immediately sprinted toward the sound. A faint curse could be heard in the distance, and running hoofsteps sounded on the muddy ground. Haha, Aqua thought, at last I will have my revenge. She fly-hopped over several bushes, quickly gaining on the P.O.N.Y. Associate. "Harah!" Aquaswirl jumped over the last bush to tackle a pony wearing a full-bodied armour plating, to which Aquaswirl did not take well, hitting her head on it's metal surface. "Ah! The infamous Agent Aquaswirl, are you?" the armoured pony chuckled in a heavy Irish accent. Aquaswirl laid upon the ground, blood slowly trickling from the nasty gash on her skull in her yellow mane into her greyish coat. "Aye, I only knew it was you!" The Irish pony laughed. "No other pony has ever hunted us like you! Now," the metal pony growled, "it's time to put an end to this." Aquaswirl's world spiraled into black as the armoured pony slammed a hoof into her skull. "Ugh," Aquaswirl groaned, "where am I?" The room she was in was dark, except for a single bulb hovering above a grisly metal table. Buck! the grey pegasus thought furiously. She had heard of her fellow agent ponies barely escaping with their lives from the P.O.N.Y. torture. Each one, broken. Every one, damaged. And every pony that came out, barely alive. And now, she was the next victim of the Portallic Offensive Northern Yankee Associates' machine, feared by everypony: The B.R.E.A.D. It may sound like a silly name, but it is the worst thing that can ever happen to a pony. It can deform ponies' minds into twisted murderers, or into the dumbest thing in Equestria. The few who survive are mentally loopy for a few months, but if the P.O.N.Y. Associates get through, you're broken for life. And that terrified Aquaswirl. She couldn't stand the thought of failure. Never, not once, not ever, had she ever failed a mission. Even when it was a dangerous one, she always succeeded. And that's when the B.R.E.A.D. operator and guards walked in and began to untie her. "Put her on the table," the operator said thickly. The two guards complied, and snapped Aquaswirl onto the table with the metal shackles. "Readying the calibration, and... There!" The operator grinned mischievously as the B.R.E.A.D. began to glow above Aqua. "I will put an end to you!" she screamed, as the machine fired a laser into her eyes. The bright green beam filled the warehouse with it's luminosity, as Aqua continued to shriek in pain. Then the machine began to heat up, and the operator shouted, "Guards! Get out! The B.R.E.A.D. is gonna blow!" The guards happily obliged as the machine continued to heat up, melting itself, and condensing the gasses into a ticking time bomb. Aqua couldn't free herself, and the green laser abruptly stopped, and there was a moment of silence. Then, the machine exploded, and the warehouse was no more. Three days later... Aqua slowly awoke and saw her belly... and her mane at the same time! No, no, no, no, no! I failed! Aqua began crying, her tears fell down her cheeks onto the bloody table she was still shackled to. Then, she heard a voice! "Agent! Agent Aquaswirl!" it cried. "I'm over here!" Aqua shouted. She then heard hoofsteps canter toward her direction, and she saw her partner, Agent Carota, an orange Earth Pony. "Are you okay, Muffin?" she asked, and Aqua replied, "No, I'm not." Carota saw Aqua's wall-eyed eyes and teared up. "They got you, didn't they?" Carota sniffled. Aqua nodded, as Carota unshackled her. Aqua fell into Carota's hooves and began to cry. "I don't want to leave you, Carrot!" she sobbed, shaking violently with each breath. Agent Carota petted Aqua's mane in an attempt to calm her. "Just let it all out, Muffin, let it all out." 3 hours later... Celestia stood in her briefing room with Agents Aquaswirl and Carota, and said, "In accordance with The Equestrian Spy Association Pledge, it is required of me to assess Agent Aquaswirl's mental state after this failure." Agent Carota nodded and gestured Aquaswirl to sit on the prepared chair in front of Celestia. And so, the inquiry began. Celestia spoke first. "Have there been any thoughts in the time you were found until now of hurting another pony?" "No, Princess." Aqua said firmly. "Have you had any thoughts about harming yourself?" "No, Princess." "Can you remember what happened to you that caused you to become like this?" "Yes, Princess." "Would you be willing to describe those events to me, or do you still need time?" Celestia asked softly. "I can wait for you to get a better hold of yourself if you want before you describe it to me." Aquaswirl nodded, and said, "I'm ready to tell you everything in detail, Princess." Agent Carota's eyes widened and looked at Celestia. Celestia returned the same expression and looked back at Agent Aquaswirl. Aqua looked up at the Princess firmly, and began the long story. She described the Iron Pony, the warehouse, and the B.R.E.A.D.'s explosion. Celestia knew what had to happen. "I, Princess Celestia, regretfully decree with a heavy heart that Agent Aquaswirl, Identification Number 52, must be decommissioned due to an injury tat has hindered said Agent's abilities, and thus memories of previously stated Agent must be locked away, and be sent home to Ponyville, as per The Equestrian Spy Service's oath." Agent Carota spoke. "Permission speak freely, Princess?" Celestia turned and said, "Proceed." Carota walked toward Aquaswirl, put a hoof around her shoulder and declared firmly, "If she leaves, I leave with her." Celestia nodded, and Aquaswirl gasped. "What about your promotion you've been working toward, Carrot?" Carota smiled down at Aqua and said, "Nothing will ever let me seperate from you, my little Muffin." Celestia brushed Carrot away and began the memory locking spell. She incanted an ancient tongue Agent Carota knew well from her imprisonment among the Time Rifters in the Farlands beyond Equestria: Vo imya Printsessy Solntsa i yeye materi ya podavlyayu vospominaniya ob etoy poni, chtoby ona mogla zhit' v mire sredi drugikh. As Carota understood it, in rough translation, Celestia said, "In the name of the Princess of the Sun and her mother, I repress the memories of this pony so that she can live with others." And with that, Aquaswirl fell to the ground, and Celestia turned to Carota. "I only repressed the memories of her patrolling and of her missions. She will still remember how much of a friend you are." Carota smiled, and said gratefully, "Thank you." Celestia smiled and replied, "You can call her Derpy Hooves. Just a little acronym I came up with." She winked. Carrot was confused. "Derpy Hooves? Why?" Celestia sighed. "It stands for Destructive Equestrian Reserve Pony Year Hundred One Overt Vessel Emergency Soldier. She is the the best spy I've had I've had in a little over a hundred years. Besides, there's special information she holds locked in her memory, and it's now up to you to protect her." Carota saluted. "I won't let you down, Princess."
Chapter One: The Call to Duty5 years later... "Derpy!" Carrot Top called, "Get out of my carrot garden! Go dig your muffin cellar somewhere else in the backyard, just not my garden!" Derpy looked up from the hole she was starting to dig in the garden and sheepishly began to refill the hole. Carrot sighed. "Poor Derpy, my little Muffin. It was easier back when we were in the ESS. Carrot took a long sip of her hay tea, then smiled as Derpy began back toward the house for her lunch. It was the usual, a nice, big, fluffy muffin baked fresh from Sugarcube Corner. As Derpy sat in her chair, she noticed Carrot looking at her sadly. "Carrot," Derpy asked in her nasally innocent voice, "what's wrong?" Carrot quickly snapped back to reality and shook herself awake. "Sorry, Derpy, what did you say?" "Are you okay?" Derpy asked once again. "I wish I was, Muffin, but the lack of sales I've been having have hit me pretty hard," Carrot Top lied. Derpy frowned, "Carrot, what's wrong?" Now Carrot Top was visibly irritated and replied grouchily, "It's not something you would want to know, Muffin." Now Derpy was irritated. "I know you're lying to me, Carrot! What's wrong?" Carrot jumped out of her seat, tears forming in her eyes, and yelled, "I said, you don't wanna know, Derpy!" And with that, Carrot ran off to her room. Derpy grabbed Carrot's tea and slumped, taking a sip. "I just don't know what went wrong." she sulked. Carrot Top sobbed into her pillow. She remembered the day they came to Ponyville, five years ago. Derpy got a job as Mailmare that day, but had a hard time adapting back to normal life. She saw one pony eating a muffin, and went all muffin-crazy. Probably because Carrot used to call her, and still does call her, her little Muffin. Used to. That thought hit Carrot the hardest. She remembered the promotion she was going to get, as High Councillor of the ESS Mission Board. But, her connection to Aquaswirl was too much for her to lose. Carrot couldn't fathom the idea of leaving her only friend. There was a soft rapping at her door. Derpy. Carrot thought. "Come on in, Derpy." she sniffled. The grey pegasus poked her head inside the brightly-lit room. "Someone's here to see you, Carrot." Derpy opened the door wider to reveal... "Sergeant Hard Drive!" Carrot got up and out of her bed and said softly, "Derpy, go finish eating your muffin." Derpy happily trotted back to her unfinished muffin, and Carrot saluted. "At ease, Agent Carota." Hard Drive said softly. "What do you need me for, Sergeant?" Carrot asked. "We need Agent Aquaswirl. The Mane Six have disappeared." Carrot Top was shaken. "Agent Aquaswirl? She's decommissioned! She can't help without her memories." Hard Drive nodded. "Meet at Canterlot Castle at 1200 hours sharp... And bring your pegasus friend. We need her now." Agent Carota nodded solemnly. She knew what had to happen. And they needed Agent Aquaswirl now. Sergeant Hard Drive left soon afterwards, and Carrot told Derpy to pack some clothes. "We're going to Canterlot tomorrow," she told her, "to see the Princess." Derpy's wall-eyed eyes brightened, and she immediately flew to her room to start packing. Carrot smiled, due to seeing Derpy so happy, and the fact that she was going to get her old friend back.
Chapter Two: The RestorationThe next morning... "C'mon, Derpy, we're gonna be late for the train!" Carrot was anxious. She didn't want to be late for a scheduled meeting with her superior. "I'm coming!" Derpy floated out of her room with a small suitcase, and hugging her big muffin plushie. Whatever makes her happy. Carrot thought. She knew that muffin stuffie was her favorite, and if she was traveling, she didn't go anywhere without it. The two barely made it to the train station, and the train started it's long 3 hour ride to Canterlot. 1.5 hours later... "Are we there yet?" Derpy was growing impatient. Carrot shook her head sadly. Derpy had asked that same question five times in the past thirty minutes. Carrot knew the poor grey pegasus couldn't survive a ride longer than thirty minutes. She got her to sit, and the rest of the ride went smoothly. Carrot played some filly games with Derpy to help pass the time, such as "I Spy," and "Twenty Questions," and it seemed only a few minutes later that they had arrived. They walked/flew off the train and into the big city of Canterlot. Derpy saw muffin shops everywhere, but Carrot had to keep Derpy focused. They had to get to the castle at 1200 hours sharp, and it was 11:30 AM already! "C'mon Derpy, I'll race you to the castle!" Carrot grinned, and Derpy's eyes lit up once more, and the two friends were racing each other to the castle in no time flat. They got to the entrance at 11:45 AM, and got into the throne room about 15 minutes later. Sergeant Hard Drive stood at attention next to Celestia in all her glory. Derpy dropped her things and her jaw, remaining aloft in a relaxed bend. "Attention!" Hard Drive hollered. Agent Carota immediately straightened and saluted. Celestia hollered with a chuckle, "At ease, Agent." Derpy fell to her hooves and looked at Carrot. She looked back at Derpy, whose eyes began to water. "Oh, no, Derpy, I can explain!" Carrot whimpered. Derpy shouted, "You better! How long have you kept this from me?" Carrot Top, saddened with her burden, replied, "Since I brought you home." Derpy gasped and hyperventilated through her sobs, crying, "Why didn't you tell me? Why?" Carrot embraced her friend, saying, "I couldn't, Derpy. Even if I wanted to." Celestia walked to Derpy's crying state, and put a hoof on her shoulder, saying, "It's okay, Aquaswirl..." Derpy looked up, tears still welling in her crooked eyes. "My name is Derpy! Not... whatever you said!" Celestia smiled warmly down at her. "That's why I brought you here." Carrot sniffed. "It's time for you to know the truth." Derpy wiped her nose. "Okay, but it better be good!" And so, Celestia began the chant: Otpustivospominaniya ob etompadshemrebenke i day yey uvidet' pravdu. Once again, Carrot could understand, barely, what was being said: Release the memories of this fallen child, and let her see the truth. And then the chaotic screaming began to emit from Derpy's mouth. Her eyes were glowing white as the memories rushed into her open conciousness. Carrot galloped to her side and held her as the screaming continued. Celestia looked down expectantly, hoping she didn't do the chant and spell wrong. Then Derpy's eyes returned to normal and she hugged Carrot tightly. Carrot returned the embrace with a tighter squeeze. She looked up at Celestia, and mouthed, Thank you. Celestia nodded in welcome, and Derpy released Carrot, and stood tall. She saluted in a natural rigor that she had five years prior, and said in a firm voice, "Agent Aquaswirl, ready for orders, My Princess." And Carrot's eyes filled with glee. Celestia sighed with relief, and smiled, "As you were, Agent." Derpy pulled her hoof down and began the walk down the red carpet toward the throne next to Celestia. "So, what's going on?" Celestia sourly snuffed, "Loremane got out of prison. We need you to get him back in." Derpy smiled, and said, "I can get him back in, in no time flat." "I'm afraid it's not that easy. He's grown in power." "Whatever do you mean?" "Loremane gathers power and magic by killing ponies and collecting pieces of them, as you very well know, but he has captured and killed eight ponies by now." "And the last time I fought him, he had absorbed almost fifty souls, Princess, what do you mean 'It won't be that easy?'" Celestia turned to Derpy and said, "He has found a way to quadruple his magic intake." Derpy's wall-eyes widened. "And there's only one thing that could grant a pony that strength." Celestia and Derpy looked each other in the eyes solemnly and in unison, growled, "B.R.E.A.D." Hard Drive spoke, confused. "Bread? Last I checked, bread was harmless. Are you telling me that wicked Violet Glow got out and is making her pony breads again? I'm gonna ki-" Celestia cut Sergeant Hard Drive off with, "No, the B.R.E.A.D. machine. Brain Receptive Eye Activity Destroyer, you know, the one that killed your partner seven years ago?" Hard Drive nodded solemnly in remembrance of his precious Honey Cupcake. Celestia turned to Derpy. "He has consumed only three shreds of the B.R.E.A.D. metal, still tainted with the Dark Magicks from the original explosion." Derpy shook her head at the remembrance of Aquaswirl's run-in with near-death. "It is now up to you two, Agent Carota," who nodded accordingly, "and you, Agent Aquaswirl. You are The Reapers of Justice. And yes, I did come up with that." Celestia winked. Agent Aquaswirl grinned, and called, "C'mon, Carrot, we got a menace to capture."
Chapter Five: The ResurrectionFive days later... The Mane Six were teleported later due to a time warp where the teleportation pulled the 6 into the space-time continuum. And that was when the two mares, sent to retrieve the 6 who went missing, could see again. It started out as a slow static as their minds began to work again, powering the hearts and lungs that were removed and replaced. The static slowly faded and there stood the Mane Six, and all the little fillies and scared mares. The purple unicorn passed out on top of a familiar blue pegasus, who let out an agonizing scream and shouted, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy!" Then she realized she was back to normal, and blushed. "Oops." The white unicorn that ran the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville jumped up and started chasing an orange Earth Pony, the one who usually serves cider every year. "Rarity! Stop!" the orange mare shouted. The mad unicorn paused, and said in her naturally posh accent, "Whatever happened to me? I've never had a cannibalistic nature before! And I vow to never do such again!" A yellow pegasus on the other side of the room stood, shook her head and wings to get shards of glass off, and saw the shaken blue pegasus. She smiled the biggest, happiest grin and flew to hug her friend. "Rainbow! Do you know what happened?" A pink pony, the one who helps run Sugarcube Corner, sat up, and her eyes went wide, and her hair drooped. The orange Earth Pony saw this and ran to her side. "What's wrong, sugarcube?" The pink one turned to her companion. "I saw it all. Every single one of you, dead." Rarity stiffened. "Did you say," she gulped, "dead?" The pink pony nodded. Rainbow let go of the yellow pegasus, and flew to the shaken pony's side. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I need you to tell us all what happened." And so, Pinkie took a shaky breath, and began the recollection of the events. "Rainbow's wings were ripped off and eyes torn out." Rainbow's eyes widened. "Fluttershy screamed when Rainbow died and slammed your head against the wall until your skull cracked." The yellow pegasus recalled the event and turned red as Rainbow turned to her and said, "I told you to be strong for me!" Fluttershy responded meekly, saying, "You would have gotten depressed if you watched me die." Rainbow bowed her head and said, "Fair enough. Continue, Pinkie." Pinkie started taking small, sad hops and continued, "Applejack, you starved; Rarity, you began to eat Applejack crazily and bled to death internally from a rib bone chip; And I," Pinkie sobbed, "I was stabbed with a knife. The one sitting next to Rarity, over there." She pointed in Rarity's direction as she hopped onto Applejack's lap, curled up, and cried. "Honey, that took a lot of courage, and I'm proud of you, but I can see how you were so scared." Applejack petted Pinkie's hair and soothed her. Rarity took it all in, and slumped, looking at the knife that sat beside her. Rainbow hugged Fluttershy in an attempt to calm each other. Aquaswirl shook her head at the turn-out of what happened to the Heroes of Equestria. Carrot was bewildered, as were the twenty other ponies there, and murmuring doubts began to spread. A long while later, after everypony had settled down, the purple unicorn awoke. Rarity ran over to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" Applejack had calmed Pinkie down enough and fluffed up her hair that they could all go and comfort their friend. The poor unicorn shivered with trauma at the remembrance of the incident. Pinkie smiled, "I shared everyone's story, but we don't know what happened to you. What DID happen?" "Well," the unicorn started, "after Pinkie got stabbed, I was teleported onto the table and the stallion who was torturing us all came out and showed himself. But," she gasped, "he wore my brother's face. He was a shapeshifter. He began to saw my horn off and I remembered everything you guys had done for me, and magic took over. I can't remember what happened except that that evil stallion faded from existence." Rarity smiled and pulled her companion closer. "It's okay now, sweetie. We're all okay, thanks to your magic outburst." Applejack smiled softly and said, "Alright, sugarcube, let's get out of here." "Wait," Fluttershy called, "come here, I found a sign." The unicorn stood, and walked toward her. The other four followed. "Loremane's Lab," she read aloud. "So that's what his name was." Applejack growled. "Let's get out of here before we have any more trouble." Rainbow said. "Agreed." Rarity affirmed. "But," the unicorn said, "do any of you want to remember this?" Fluttershy was the first to speak. "I think I am speaking for everyone when I say... Yes." The other four Mane ponies, and twenty casualties nodded. "All right, let's get us home." Rarity said. And with a flash of the purple pony's horn and a blinding light, they teleported back to Ponyville. Back home. Back... To safety.
Epilogue: Princesses and PranksTwo weeks later... Derpy Hooves and Carrot Top got a letter from Celestia herself. It read: Dear Reapers of Justice, It has come to my attention that you two have been through some tough times. As a reward for surviving (sort of) such a dangerous mission, I am calling you to meet me at the Canterlot Palace, where you will be debriefed. I expect you at your convenience. -Princess Celestia. "Wow, she wants us to come back?" Derpy smiled. Carrot looked up at her hovering friend and grinned, "Get your plushie, Muffin, we're going on a train ride." And on a train ride they went. During the three hour ride to Canterlot, Carrot thought a lot about the past events, and even smiled at some of the happier memories. She also thought a lot about how undershocked she was when she heard Derpy say that her early adulthood friend for years had not died off during the five years she was locked away. Aqua had also made herself more known in the community, by Derpy's friend, Dr. Whooves. He had created a body and needed a conciousness to test it with. Said body became Aquaswirl's new form. They called her Caramel Apple, after Applejack's family accepted her. The train arrived, and Celestia, of all ponies, was there. "Well, you knew we were coming?" Carrot cocked her brow. Celestia shook her head, and replied, "No, I came here to go to Ponyville and meet with the Element Bearers. But, since you're here, I might as well give you your reward." Her horn flashed, and that was it. Nothing happened, at least to Carrot and Derpy's point of view. "You'll thank me later." Celestia smirked. She spread her wings downward to wrap around the two ponies, and laughed, "Let's get you two home." Three hours and fifteen minutes later back in Ponyville... "Hey! Carrot, come look!" Derpy giggled excitedly. Carrot knew exactly what Derpy was uncontrollably giggling at... Celestia had given them wings and horns, making them official alicorns. However, Carrot found a way to make Derpy's horn seem invisible, as well as Carrot's horn and wings. And yes, Carrot was giggling uncontrollably as well. The next day the Ponyville Garbage Disposal team came by to clean up the large amounts of carrots and muffins found around Ponyville... And no pony except the Princesses of Muffins and Carrots knew why. The End Or was it? Nope, there's still more story left. Carrot thought back on how Derpy got her name, and sent Celestia a message asking her what information Derpy had stored in her mind. She got a reply back, but it wasn't what she was expecting: Dear Carrot Top, That information is non-existant. I did that so Aqua would be safe. Also, I knew that Derpy was going to be attracted to you. She'll come around in due time. - Princess Troll-estia P.S. Did you like that nickname? I came up with it myself.
Term KeyTerms: D.E.R.P.Y.H.O.O.V.E.S. Destructive Equestrian Reserve Pony Year Hundred One Overt Vessel Emergency Soldier P.O.N.Y. Portallic Offensive Northern Yankee B.R.E.A.D. Brain Receptive Eye Activity Destroyer
Chapter Three: An Unexpected VisitorA long walk later... "Dang, I should have stretched before this!" Derpy groaned. Carrot laughed. "And what did I tell you?" Derpy chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, I know." I told you so! Derpy thought. Or so she thought. Yeah, there's two people up here. What do you expect when one's memories are locked up for five whole years? Derpy stopped. "Who are you?" she asked aloud. "Whatever do you mean?" Carrot asked. "No, not you Carrot. There's someone in my head that isn't me." Carrot was concerned. "Okay, let's rest for a bit while you talk to your head-voice..." Yes, I am your former persona, Derpy. the voice laughed. What do you want? Derpy thought back. Only to let you know I am here if you need me. I will take control of your body if things get rough. The voice reassured her. Okay then, but what if things do get rough and you want to talk out loud? Derpy thought. I'll just use a more slangy accent with your voice. That's the way it was back when I was still in control. Aquaswirl laughed. "Okay, Carrot, we're good to go, it's only Aquaswirl's persona." Carrot nodded understandingly. The two continued their hike to the lair of Loremane without much interference. Except one thing... "Derpy!" Carota was getting sick of the annoyance. "Will you please stop talking to yourself in weird accents?" Derpy/Aquaswirl looked at Carrot and growled in both voices, "We are talking to each other." Carrot watched Derpy's eyes flare up, and she backed down. "Okay, okay. Hey, look! We're here already." Agent Carota gestured a hoof toward the large, metal building. Derpy began to convulse, and Carrot panicked. "No, no, what's going on!?" Then the tremors stopped as soon as they started, and Derpy stood. "What happened, Derpy? Are you alright?" Agent Carota was concerned for her friend's well-being. Then, in the thickest Appaloosian accent Carrot had ever heard, Derpy swung her mane back and smiled, "Alrighty, old partna', ya'll ready ta have an adventure again?" And Agent Carota, grinning with glee, replied, "Let's get 'er done, Swirly."
Chapter Four: The KillingsA short time later... "Well, that didn't work out." Aqua grumbled. The two mares were shackled to a wall, facing outwards toward the center of the room, where a metal table, with dried blood stains littering its glistening luster, stood amidst filly and mare corpses of all races. The two had broken in through the front door, and were greeted with a choking black shadow, and the next thing they knew, they were chained, backs to the wall. Agent Carota looked over at her friend, who was struggling to get out of the chains that held her captive. "Give it up, Muffin, we aren't getting out of here alive." Agent Aquaswirl scowled at Carrot and slanged, "Ah'm gettin' 'atta here, whedda ya like it o' not!" Carrot shook her head sadly, and let her friend struggle for a few minutes longer... Until the knife showed up. "Uh, Aqua?" Carrot quaked, "ya might wanna stop moving and see this." Aqua quit her struggling and saw the floating knife being held by some dark aura. "Oh no," Aqua screeched, "not again! Ah ain't goin' through this again! C'mon, Aqua, wake up, wake up!" Carrot remembered a time when Derpy came to her with nightmares about a black knife cutting her open over and over. And finally she understood. The nightmares weren't just dreams, they were a reality waiting to happen. And since Aqua was trapped in Derpy's mind, she was the body used for the dissection. Carrot had an unearthly feeling as adrenaline rushed through her veins. It wasn't just adrenaline, however. It was magic. Her great-great-grandfather was a unicorn, and she had acquired the magic genetics, but without a horn. When in great distress, such as this moment, magic would aid her in impossible feats of strength and speed. "Aaargh!" Carrot screamed, ripping her shackles out of the wall. She leapt onto the knife pinning it to the ground before it could stab her beloved friend. But that was her fatal, truly fatal, mistake. The knife shot out from under her hooves and through her chest. "No!" Aqua yelled. Carrot fell to the floor, blood pooling around her bright orange mane. She whispered, "I tried, Derpy, I really tried." And with a final breath, she laid to rest in her own blood. "This really is the end." Aqua sniffled, "Ah'm never going home again. Ah'm never gonna see mah family again. Ah'm gonna die here in the most dishonourable death an accomplished mare could ever have." And the screaming began as the knife cut deep into her flesh.
