An Equestrian Melody

As I sit writing this, I really have to wonder about everything. Our objectives, our morals...everything. As I learn more about the agency's past, the more I fear for our future. The Doctor, he seems to think life is just a straight shot for us now. I'm not so sure, but yet...I want to believe. I want to believe we can keep our promises and stick to our morals. I suppose that belief is enough to outweigh all my fears.

Apologies, I'm getting off track again. So, let's start from where we left off. After writing the last chapter, I somehow managed to catch myself a bit of sleep. I actually overslept, and was almost late to breakfast.

After a quite silent breakfast that morning, Doctor Whooves confronted me about the events of the previous day.

"Agent #59, where in the hay where you yesterday? You had each and every one of us worried sick!" he exclaimed.

"Well, you see, I was in Ponyville, and I met somepony," I responded.

"You...met somepony? Who?" he asked, with a curious expression on his face.

"It's probably just easier if I just give you...this letter," I said as I pulled it out of my saddlebag and handed it to him. He intently read it for a few minutes, yet stiller quicker than I had the day prior.

"Oh...my...goodness...she's alive! She is alive! After all these years, she's still alive!" he screamed out excitedly.

"Who's alive, boss?" Candy Apples asked, dumbfounded by his sudden outburst of excitement.

"Agent #4! She's been in Ponyville all this time, and Octavia met her yesterday!" the Doctor responded in joy.

"The Agent #4? The one who escaped in the dead of the night not too long after everything went down?" Derpy asked, also showing excitement in her voice.

"Yes, her! And not only does she say she might want to rejoin the agency, she says she knows where one of our missing agents is at, she did some research! We just gotta meet up with her in Ponyville. She said I could bring along two agents, if I felt like it," he stated.

"Who you gonna send with you, boss?" Vinyl asked.

"I think I'll bring Agent #45 and Agent #58. You and Agent #11 are equipped enough to fend off anypony who might come searching for us. When we come back, we should hopefully have 2 extra ponies in the agency!" he exclaimed, as excited as ever.

"I reckon it might be nice to meet this Agent #4 feller, so I ain't got no objections," Candy Apples said aloud as she stood up, prepared to join me and the Doctor.

"Good, good. And I'm sure Octavia over here has no objections, and it might be nice for Agent #4 to see her there, after their little encounter yesterday. And well, I think we should just head out right now. There isn't anything stopping us, and as they say: no time like the present!" Doctor Whooves exclaimed.

"Sure, I'm game, not like we really have anything else to do today," I said with a grin as we began to march off.

"I'll see you soon, Tavi!" Vinyl called out.

"I'll see you too, Vinyl! We shouldn't be too long, or at least hopefully not!" I called back.

After we had been trotting for a bit, Candy Apples began to speak.

"So, miss, you said 'ya met this feller in Ponyville? Former member of the agency, just livin' her life there now, in peace like nothin' ever even happened?" she asked to me.

"Yeah, that's what she said. Though the boss might know more about the fact of her being a former member," I responded.

"Yes, yes, indeed, I do. She was a great agent, she really was. You see, she was part of the original agency, It consisted of 13 agents; me, Derpy, Agent #4, and 10 others. Strongest agency there ever was, stronger than we even are right now. Yet, our power and confidence was a curse. I remember the day as clear as ever, the day I...the day I try to forget. The day that has haunted me every single day of my life sense. All 13 of us, we...we raided Canterlot Castle, we thought we were so close to the ending of it all. We planned to sneak in, grab the documents we needed, escape, and finally expose Celestia once and for all. It all seemed to go to plan, but then suddenly we were surrounded by all kinds of Celestia's guards. They took out Agent #2 and Agent #8 first, and after that Agent #3 and Agent #5...well...they didn't last too long. We couldn't turn back, really, we couldn't. It was either backwards to death or forwards to a chance of survival. So the whole lot of us, which was just nine members now, we trudged forward. Agent #12 was always a bit clumsy so played right into one of the traps, and got captured. Then, they started to open fire on us. Didn't even know they had that kind of technology, to be honest. I almost wonder if their thievery of my technology helped to create it. In the entire mess, Agent #6 and Agent #9 got badly wounded and captured. Agent #10 disappeared somewhere in the scuffle, could've escaped...been captured...been killed...anything. By the time we were nearing the top, there was just 5 of us. Me, Derpy, Agent #4, Agent #7, and Agent #13. Fire and explosions started breaking out, and Agent #7 got lost at some point in that mess. At that point, we knew, we just knew we had to get out or else we were all going to die. They'd taken down at least seven of us, probably nine, and we'd only fatally wounded just a few of their dozens of guards. See, this was before our 'No Kills' policy. And then...before we got out, they...they got her. They got Agent #13. She just screamed at us, told us to go. We got out, sure, but not before we saw...her fate," he said with a shiver.

"That...sounds horrible," I added.

"That's...an understatement. Agent #6, Agent #9, and Agent #12...they all were put in prison after they were captured. We could of saved them, but it was too dangerous. There were too few of us, and the Canterlot security at that point was at an all-time high. So those 3 met their unfortunate fates. Eventually, Agent #4 left in the dead of night...and me and Derpy were left alone to build everything back up. Derpy also added the current rule of 'Kill Nopony', which...I'm glad she did. We realized that murder isn't an answer after they violently ripped so many of our own from us. We realized from that point onward we just couldn't stoop to their level," he said solemnly.

"I joined the agency a whole lot later, seein' as I'm Agent #45," Candy Apples began, "so y'all are still pretty new to me, but seem like a nice batch. I joined cause of an incident, somethin' real horrible. My family is apple farmers, 'ya see, some of the best around. Celestia, well she'd been cheatin' and stealin' from us for years. She ended up passin' some tax laws, and those really hurt us. So we started a rebellion, tried to make some noise and rally up against Celestia. Things, well, things didn't go so good. She sent officers, whole batch of 'em, told us to stop the rebellion. We, well we said no, and then things all went downhill. Lots of shootin', lots of pain. They burned down the barn, they took everything from us. Told us they'd be back, and they'd come with a lot more ponies. So, I gathered up the ones who made it and I sent them on a train down to Appleloosa. They tried to get me to come along, but I told 'em I was gonna make apple pie of Celestia's reputation first. I told 'em I'd do that and I'd return to 'em, all in one piece."

Silence overcame is for a while, until Candy Apples again began speaking.

"So...you heard 'bout the bar incident, I know 'ya did. Well, after that, ol' Agent #58 joined us. That's when we all got darin', and we did our second ever raid on Canterlot Castle. See, I don't know how things went down there...cause I was the first one there to be captured," Candy Apples stated with a shrug.

"Yeah, she was. We brought the whole gang there: me, Agent #45, Agent #11, Agent #23, Agent #36, Agent #37, Agent #38, and Agent #58. We showed up right in the dark of evening, and got in rather easily. Things went smoothly, perhaps too smoothly. After the bar incident, I don't know why we thought they wouldn't be ready for us. Anyways, that Magnum Opus mare showed up. She called us all fools for walking right into that trap, which I suppose she was right. Suddenly, we were all surrounded. Agent #45 told us to run forward, she'd hold them off. She succeeded for a few minutes, apparently, before they managed to capture her. We kept going, until Agent #36 got tripped and also captured. They were on our tail, and right then some of us decided to just get out. Agent #38 bailed first, told us all she'd regroup with us later and not to worry too much about her. She escaped through a window into a boat that was conveniently placed. You see, Agent #38 can't swim; but that's a story for another time. That left just five of us to push onwards, before eventually Agent #37 also bailed. She, luckily, is able to swim. Anyways, we kept pushing on...certain death would await us if we pushed backwards. However once Agent #23 bailed, she's a pegaus so she just flew off, the remainder of us decided we just needed to get out of there. We eventually found a good evacuation spot. We opened the windows in the parachute storage unit of the castle; and me, Agent #11, and Agent #58 escaped into the dead of night just like that," the Doctor stated, ending off with a grin.

"Well, 'ya may be proud and all of your grand escape but it's still 'yer fault for gettin' us into that mess, boss," Candy Apples retorted.

"Well, we all turned out fine in the end! Don't be so glum, my sugary apple friend. Everything will be fine in the end, I assure you of that," the Doctor responded.

"Ah well, I'm sure of that. Was just pullin' your leg a bit," Candy Apples stated with a chuckle, which the Doctor shared.

"Well, anyways, not too long after that incident we met you, Agent #59, and rescued you," Doctor Whooves stated aloud.

"Well, I would probably be rotting away in a jail cell somewhere if it weren't for you all," I responded with a hearty and cheery smile.

We continued trotting in silence for a few minutes before finally arriving on the outskirts of Ponyville.

"And here we are! Now, Agent #4 should be around here somewhere," he stated as he looked around town.

"Psst, you three! Over here!" called out Sweetie Drops towards us from the same ally I had seen her in the day before. We quickly trotted over to her, and we saw a green unicorn sitting on the bench. Lyra Heartstrings, I assumed.

"Lyra, I would like you to meet some of the agents of the EQCEA I told you about!" Sweetie Drops softly exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Real life agents! So, what do you all do? Do you fight against Celestia? Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!" Lyra squealed out.

"And you three, meet my best friend in all of Equestria: Lyra Heartstrings. She's a bit eccentric, but she really is a kind soul. Also an avid activist against Celestia, though she rarely shows it besides helping out a few anti-Celestia ponies and groups. Ponies and groups like you," Sweetie Drops said with a wink.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. I was just excited to meet some real life agents of EQCEA. Could you three introduce yourselves, please?" Lyra asked kindly and softly.

"Of course! I am Doctor Whooves, Agent #1 and the boss of the agency. I work long and hard to help our agents, and to take down Celestia," he said with a grin.

"My name is Candy Apples, Agent #45. My family is the greatest dang group of apple farmers you ever did see, till Celestia started cheatin' and stealin' from 'em real bad," Candy Apples stated with a frown.

"And I am Octavia Melody, Agent #59. I'm the newest agent, actually, so I don't have much experience yet," I stated aloud.

"Nice, nice! And Bon Bon...she told me about her formerly being Agent #4. And so...she told me why you're all here, too," Lyra sighed.

"Lyra...you know this...this is important to me. I'm sorry to to do this to you, I really am...but I don't think my conscience could stay clean if...if...I knew I bailed out," Sweetie Drops said, starting to choke up a little bit.

"I know, Bon Bon. I really do, and I know you'll do great. You're Bon Bon, after all. I just...well. I need you to promise me something," Lyra stated.

"Of course, anything," Sweetie Drops responded with a slight smile.

"Promise me...you won't die on me, alright? And if something happens to you, and you do get fatally injured...no matter what, make sure you see me. One last time," Lyra pleaded.

"Of course, Lyra, of course," Bon Bon responded with a smile as the two shared a hug for a few moments.

"Well, then it's official. Welcome back to the EQCEA, Agent #4!" Doctor Whooves stated aloud with a grin.

"Oh yeah!" Sweetie Drops and Lyra exclaimed at the same time, both giggling afterwards.

"I brought some more suits, actually," stated Sweetie Drops as she opened her saddle bag and tossed Candy Apples a suit just like me and the Doctor had. Sweetie Drops also had one for herself, too.

Candy Apples and Sweetie Drops took a few moments to get dressed up, and then Sweetie Drops gave Lyra one last hug before her departure with us out of the ally.

"Well then, let's go get that missing agent of yours!" Sweetie Drops said with a wink to the Doctor.

"Oh yeah, right! You said you knew where she is, right?" the Doctor asked.

"Yep, I think she's been staying at the Ponyville Hotel," Sweetie Drops responded.

"They got a hotel in this old place?" Candy Apples asked.

"Yeah, they added it as part of one of Celestia's latest plans. Apparently she's working on expanding all of Ponyville, also added a bar. All this expansion has put some smaller businesses...well, out of business. I know poor Rarity, she...well...she got cheated pretty hard by Celestia. I know her and Twilight Sparkle, well..they've had a falling out thanks to all this. Twilight nowadays...well, she's just like the rest of Celestia's lot. It's sad really, to be honest," Sweetie Drops said with a frown.

"You know, I wonder what will happen to all of Celestia's followers once we bring her down," I pondered aloud.

"I really think they will repent, they'll see our bringing down of Celestia as a warning. From there, they will hopefully learn the error of their ways," the Doctor responded swiftly.

"And if they don't?" asked Candy Apples.

"Well, that doesn't matter right now. Right now, we need to focus on our missing agent. You said she's at the hotel, right?" the Doctor asked to Sweetie Drops.

"Well, I said that she's staying at the hotel. Right now, she's probably at the bar starting up a party," Sweetie Drops responded with a light chuckle.

"Well boss, you thinkin' it's who I'm thinkin' it is?" Candy Apples asked with a smirk.

"That sounds like Agent #37, if I ever did hear a better description of her," the Doctor jested.

"I take it Agent #37 likes her alcohol?" I asked.

"No, Agent #37 loves her alcohol. She ain't a bad alcoholic, though. When she's drunk, she's the greatest party girl you'll ever see. I reckon she might even be a greater party girl than Pinkie Pie," the Doctor giggled.

"Well then, let's go meet up with her," Sweetie Drops suggested.

"Alright, pardner, let's go," Candy Apples responded.

It was a relatively quick walk to the saloon, but the Doctor stopped us before we went in.

"Wait, you three! We can't just go walking into there, you know what they'll think? I volunteer that Agent #45 and Agent #58 go in, that way things will look a bit less suspicious," the Doctor suggested.

"Good idea, boss. Come on, Agent #45! We got a Agent #37 to...retrieve," I called with a smirk.

As me and Candy Apples entered the bar, we realized it was a bit bigger than we expected. There was at least 20, if not 30, ponies there. We scanned the crowd before quickly Candy Apples pointed out a yellow unicorn mare with light blue hair.

"Alright, there she is! Looks like some folks are givin' 'er a hard time over there, we better go check that out," Candy Apples stated.

We walked up to three drunk stallions, all three of which reeked of whiskey. The biggest one was a brown earth pony with a silver mane, and had a cutie mark of a bottle. The other two were medium-sized and appeared to be unicorn twins, each having an orange mane and a red mane. Their only differences were their cutie marks, one of them had a cutie mark of a beer mug; whilst the other had a cutie mark of an upside-down beer mug with beer spilling out. Seemed like an interesting batch, that's for sure.

"Heya, miss lemon-breath, I know you're up to no good. Me and the boys here, we gonna have to teach you a lesson?" the biggest one asked menacingly.

"Look, you two, I ain't sure what I did to you three but I'm sure we can all settle it over a nice drink or two!" Agent #37 exclaimed, sounding quite carefree.

"Aww, ain't that cute! Wittle filly wants to solve this over a dwinky!" the orange one with the beer mug cutie mark mocked.

"'Ay, fellers, back off the girl," Candy Apples threatened, showing a glimmer of menace in her eyes.

The three stallions turned to look at Candy Apples.

"Or else what, cowgirl?" the biggest one asked, putting his face towards Candy Apples', attempting to scare her.

"Or else we're gonna have a problem, mister. And I reckon...you don't want the entire Ponyville Police Force here," Candy Apples responded with a smug grin.

The big stallion looked like he was about to start something, before the one with the upside-down mug cutie mark stopped him.

"Come on, boss, these freaks aren't worth our time and effort," he said.

"Eh, you're right, c'mon you two! Let's get out of here," the big stallion said as he and his two...friends or whatever...joined him.

"Oh my, if it ain't miss cowgirl herself! Got yourself a little girl toy, 'eh? Never knew your barn doors swung that way," Agent #47 teased.

"Oh please, it ain't nothing like that. This girl here is our newest recruit," Candy Apples responded, slightly flustered.

"Oh wait, yeah...I know her! She's that cello-playing musician girl! Jeez, you're movin' up in the world. Better than that one stallion you literally found near a trash can that one time," Agent #47 responded with a smug grin as Candy Apples jokingly slapped her.

"Oh, please! You know that wasn't nothin', just helpin' a folk out...and 'ya know that," Candy Apples responded whilst rolling her eyes.

"Whatever you say, cowgirl! Whatever you say!" exclaimed Agent #47 teasingly yet again.

"Well, whatever. Let's get your drunk little self back to camp, we got enough recruit too...technically an old recruit who rejoined. We can fill 'ya in on the way," Candy Apples stated as we walked Agent #47 outside to regroup with the others.

"Hey, boss! Hey...uh, new gal! I think your name is Candy Dandy, you sure look like a Candy Dandy to me!" Agent #47 exclaimed to Sweetie Drops.

"Uh, no...that's not my name. I can't actually say it yet, since we're on a mission. However, I'm Agent #4. I had left the agency some years ago, but returned today," Sweetie Drops responded.

"Well, ain't that something nice! I'm Agent #47! Nice to meet you, Candy Dandy Mandy!" Agent #47 responded teasingly.

"Alright, Agent #47...let's get back to base. We had to change locations, you see...you've missed a lot," the Doctor began.

I won't bore any future readers with many more details, so I think I'll just cut to how things are right now. We got back to base safely and easily, and the Doctor filled Lemon Hearts in on everything that's happened. Oh yeah, Lemon Hearts is Agent #47's name.

Anyways, once again it is night as I relax writing this. As I wonder if everything truly will turn out okay, and everyone can fulfill their promises to return safely. I suppose I should finally get some sleep, the Doctor said something about working on figuring out where some of our last missing agents from the second Canterlot Castle incident are. Tomorrow should be an interesting day then, all things considered.

This has been Octavia, signing off.