The archive's secrets are revealed
It was an unusual sight, to be sure. Normally the only pony who preferred prancing as a form of movement was a pink party pony who had made her home in Ponyville. Yet here we had the newest princess of Equestria bouncing along the corridors deep inside Canterlot Castle. It was such a joyous occasion that Twilight had to express her mood. Only moments ago, she had been granted access to the archives of the Equestrian Secret Service, or ESS, as it was often abbreviated. She was just giddy with excitement at the opportunity to learn more and about the nation's greatest secrets, no less!
It had been a long time coming, but after the latest disaster involving an escaped Tirek, Luna had finally talked her sister around to granting Twilight access. If Twilight and her friends would continue to be at the forefront of defending Equestria, they should have all the knowledge available of the possible dangers they might face.
Bouncing along, Twilight arrived at the end of the hallway where a massive oaken door stood. It was guarded by two royal guards, who had been watching Twilight approaching. Upon her arrival, one spoke up.
“Hello, Princess Twilight. We were informed that you may enter the archives at your leisure. We won't be able to accompany you, but we can bring you anything you need up to this door."
“Thank you, I’ll let you know if the need arises.”
With that, Twilight entered one of the most highly guarded places in all of Equestria. Stepping in, she could feel dozens of enchantments taking hold of her, rendering most of her magic beside some basic levitation ineffectual. Expecting as much for such a highly guarded vault, Twilight continued unfazed.
The corridor she had entered soon gave room to a big two-story hall. Both stories were connected by a spiral staircase on both ends and were packed full of shelves and cabinets that were themselves packed full with binders and files. Though not quite a library, Twilight immediately felt at home.
The first floor contained domestic affairs, while the second dealt with foreign ones. Otherwise, everything seemed to have been organized chronologically, with the oldest reports on the very left of each floor and the most recent ones almost reaching the rightmost edge of the room.
Now the question was where to start.
“Well, I might as well start in the present and work my way further back," she muttered to herself.
Having made her decision, Twilight trotted over to the right side of the hall and started to look at the most recent entries.
Without taking a closer look beforehand, she grabbed the last binder on the shelf and was surprised to find Tirek's face staring back at her upon opening it. A photograph of the centaur in his fully powered state glared menacingly. Printed in bold red letters below was “RAGING BULL – Defeated by PHOENIX’S GROUP – details enclosed.”
That got Twilight's attention as she was very confident in her knowledge of who defeated Tirek.
“Well, I know that’s Tirek, and I’m pretty confident I know who defeated him, so who is this Phoenix and her group?” Twilight stated to no one in particular.
“Wait, if the “Raging Bull” is the code name they gave Tirek, does that mean …”
A huge grin was spreading across her face. She and her friends had code names! Though not unexpected for a spy agency, it still was, as Rainbow would put it, totally amazingly awesome. And PHOENIX, yeah, PHOENIX was a good name. Not directly on the nose but still related to her rebirth into an alicorn while still being regal and, most important, suitably cool.
Twilight snickered at that thought. Her rainbow-maned friend did influence her more than she would admit if she now ranked her code name on a coolness scale.
Already knowing all about her most recent adventure, Phoenix, she still smiled at that, put the binder back on the shelf, and started looking over what else was stashed on them.
Now actually reading the labels, Twilight soon realized that she had no clue what she was looking at. None of the labels gave her any clue as to the contents, but since everything seemed to be coded, that wasn't too surprising. Skimming along, she thought of what might sound interesting to start on when her gaze fell upon a big cardboard box. Said box had been seemingly carelessly squeezed onto the shelf, which stood in stark contrast to the orderly placement the other files had received. But the most interesting fact was the words “PONYVILLE FILES” that had been hoofwritten onto the side in big letters.
Having caught her interest, Twilight levitated the box down to the ground and immediately started opening it. The first thing she saw was a thick folder lying on top of dozens of others. In large letters, the word "SUMMARY" was printed on the cover.
“Well, that's convenient. Let's see what's inside this one,” she said while opening the folder and beginning to read.
The cover page had no title but was a simple list of about forty items. Each item had a name, more code names Twilight presumed, and two dates written beside it. The time frame between the two dates varied wildly, with some being only a few days while others were years apart.
Having read her share of spy novels in the past, Twilight knew what she had before her. It was a list of different missions, and given where she had found the folder, all had something to do with her home village. Eager to know more, she flipped to the next page.
This page had a title matching the first item on the list. Bold letters had been used to print "NEST BUILDING” as a headline, but this time the page had something more detailed written below it:
NEST BUILDING
Upon reaching NEST, you are tasked with settling in and including yourself in the local community. Start forming friendly relations with the locals and build a group of companions that best represent the virtues assigned to you individually by FLOWING RAINBOW. Make sure to neither estrange your companions nor allow them to build relationships that would make integration of EGG into your group problematic. Ideally, keep a basic friendship between the group. Maintain this status until EGG arrives in NEST. Upon arrival, try to integrate EGG into your group as fast as possible and forge closer bonds between the whole group. Know that you could be the last line of defence upon HER arrival.
Assigned agents: SWEETIE DROPS, WALL SMASHER, PEACE & TRANQUILITY
Mission accomplished.
All agents have formed potential groups – further details on the integration of EGG see HER ARRIVAL.
Having read the whole page, Twilight was confused.
“I can’t make head or tails about the mission assignment; too much is written in code," she groaned in frustration, “but still, this all somehow seems foreboding, and I don't even know why."
But she had been given a clue where to look next. Flipping through the other attached documents, she reached the one with the headline titled "HER ARRIVAL".
HER ARRIVAL
If SHE arrives on the DAY in NEST, then the missions PEACEFUL DREAMS and KEEPING BALANCE have failed. Try to see if SHE can be reasoned with, but back off upon encountering hostilities. Get EGG and your group away from HER. EGG will most likely already have realized the last remaining way to oppose HER are the ROCKS, if not help make her. Get EGG and your group safely to the ROCKS. After gathering the ROCKS, your group should be able to hatch EGG, and hatched EGG then should be able to use the ROCKS to defeat HER.
Assigned agents: SWEETIE DROPS, WALL SMASHER, PEACE & TRANQUILITY
Mission accomplished.
WALL SMASHER's group managed to connect to EGG and was able to reach the ROCKS. Unexpectedly, EGG did not hatch, but the whole group was able to connect to the ROCKS. SHE was not only defeated but purged of all dark influences. By decree, SHE is free to go and has started to be integrated into society.
WALLSMASHER will further observe EGG and her group and try to help hatch EGG. For further details, see HATCHING THE EGG.
“This sounds even more familiar, but I still can't place my hoof on why. Maybe if I just keep on reading, I'll find out."
HATCHING THE EGG
After EGG was not hatched during HER ARRIVAL, WALL SMASHER is tasked with observing EGG and trying to see if hatching is still possible. To that end, WALL SMASHER should try to create situations that could stimulate EGGS growth and find another catalyst to enable the hatching.
Assigned agents: WALL SMASHER
Mission accomplished.
WALL SMASHER was able to create multiple growth spurts or enable others with only minor intervention. Further growth happened naturally, which finally resulted in using the ROCKS to hatch EGG into PHOENIX.
For details on missions for initiated growths see:
TICKET MASTER
GRIFFON THE BRUSH-OFF
BRIDLE GOSSIP
FALL WEATHER FRIENDS
OVER A BARREL
A BIRD IN THE HOOF
CUTIE MARK CHRONICLES
BEST NIGHT EVER
LUNA ECLIPSED
MAY THE BEST PET WIN
MYSTERIOUS MARE DO WELL
READ IT AND WEEP
MAGICAL MYSTERY CURE
Throughout the mission, WALL SMASHER has repeatedly tried to step down but could be persuaded to continue each time. For details, see the notes on termination. After successfully completing this mission, the agent was allowed to retire.
Finally, things started to click together. Twilight was now called PHOENIX, but that could not have been her name all along. So before her ascension, another code name must have been used, one she now knew about. The gears in her head started to turn and decode the mission summaries she had just read. More and more fell into place as Twilight's analytical mind started to figure out the meaning behind other code names.
HER ARRIVAL, that must be Nightmare Moon's return! Only things were described differently from the version Twilight remembered. While she always thought that it was a little strange how well she had managed to connect to her best friends so quickly in the time of need, she had always put that to them having a special connection and maybe simple luck. Only now, she knew that had not been the case at all! Everything had been orchestrated by WALL SMASHER, one of the codes the alicorn still hadn't been able to crack.
Twilight did not even know how to react to this revelation. Should she be shocked by the amount of orchestration her daily life was subjected to, angry at the perpetrators, or sad that her life had been one giant project and not a life lived on her own? Maybe she should even be happy that she was so important that multiple missions and agents had, at some point, been assigned to her. After all, they had given her a life she could only have dreamed about.
So Twilight did what she often did when not knowing how to react. She didn’t. Instead, she focused on her studies to drown out the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to take over. Having been given a plethora of options, it took no time at all to decide where to look for clues next. Because even with all the pieces she now had she still did not know the whole picture, the most crucial riddle being the identity of WALL SMASHER.
“It must have been one of my friends if she was part of the group to take down Nightmare Moon, but who could it be? And how could one of my best friends set up everything without telling anypony?"
Tears threatened to form in the corner of her eyes. She could understand the need during the mission, but at least after everything had settled, she would have hoped that whoever it was would come clean.
Holding back a sniffle, Twilight started to flip more pages searching for answers. Not wanting to piece together more pieces of the puzzle by looking at more missions, she instead hoped for more immediate answers in the notes of termination. Because even if she would not be able to figure out the identity of WALL SMASHER, maybe it would at least give her some insights on her motivation and why she had wanted out.
After flipping through the rest of the mission summaries, she found the wanted document on the end of the pile she held in her magenta aura. The notes stood out compared to the other documents, having been hoofwritten instead of the typewritten style used for all other documents she had read so far.
Notes on Termination of agent WALL SMASHER
Transcriptions of the meetings that took place.
First notice of termination – received after HER ARRIVAL
WS: Good evening FLOWING RAINBOW. Now that we managed to defeat and even free HER, I would like to step down as an agent.
FR: Having freed HER was beyond what had been expected, and you have certainly exceeded my expectations. But while you were more than successful in that regard, another part of the mission has not been completed yet. EGG still has not hatched. So I would ask you to remain EGG's faithful guardian and help create opportunities for EGG to grow to still hatch in the future.
WS: Well … alright, I’ll see what I can do. But I don’t want to start my newfound friendships by continue living a lie, so I want out as soon as possible.
FR: Be assured that when this last task is complete, you won't have further obligations.
Second notice of termination – received after READ IT AND WEEP
WS: I can't do it anymore. I can't continue to lie to my best friends. I want out now.
FR: But EGG hasn't hatched yet. You have put so much effort into helping EGG grow, do you really want to waste it all? I know it can be tough WALL SMASHER, feeling guilty because you keep such a big secret, but you are not only doing it for the greater good but also for EGG.
WS: I … I don't know anymore. I know this project means much to you, FLOWING RAINBOW, but as you said, I just feel guilty. Even with all the things I have set up, EGG still isn't ready to hatch. I just don't know if I can continue setting up more chances for EGG. All this secrecy is just wearing me out.
FR: Now, my little agent, I can see how this whole situation has taken its toll on you. You have to be dishonest with your friends and can't even share a carefree laugh. But EGG still has so much potential and is not that far off from being ready to be hatched. How about we reach a compromise? You won't have to burden yourself with more secrets as the final stages of growth will come to EGG by themself. Just be ready to help out when I'm sure EGG can be hatched safely.
WS: OK … I think I can do that … But what do I do in the meantime? I don’t think I can continue on without anything to do, or these feelings will eat me up inside.
FR: Was not one of the reasons you joined to get into ORGANIZATION? You know that even to apply, you need a special recommendation, but that is something I can easily provide. So maybe train yourself until you receive a letter in the mail. Though even with a personal recommendation from me, it may still take a few weeks for everything to be processed.
WS: You would do that for me? Thank you, thank you so much! It had always been my dream to join ORGANIZATION, and when I learned I couldn't even apply, I was crushed. OK, maybe this will work. I … I want what's best for my friends, what's best for EGG. Also, I would be lying if I wasn't excited to join ORGANIZATION, so I'll go along with the plan.
Third notice of termination – received after initial training at ORGANIZATION
WS: This has to end. I. Want. Out.
FR: What happened, I thought you were happy with our deal? Remember EGG is almost ready to hatch. We wouldn't want to waste all your hard work and -
WS: She … EGG almost died! They all almost died. And only because I had to show off. I … I just don't know anymore. I've been really frustrated lately and thought some time away would do me good. The training at ORGANIZATION should have been the perfect chance. Instead, I only became more frustrated, and look how that almost turned out …
FR: My little agent, what is wrong? You were not that stressed out before. I thought everything had worked out after you switched to only observing EGG? What changed? Let me help you. Maybe we can still fix this.
WS: It's … still the same issues I had before. The guilt of having to keep so much from EGG, from them, is eating me up inside. I just want that all to end. Seeing them every day just makes that harder and harder, so I thought getting away would help. The training should have been perfect. Instead, I found myself wanting to look after EGG even more. So to push this feeling away, I threw myself into training with the help of somepony I met. But that made me only long for my friends more, so I pushed myself even harder and so on. Then finally, my partner and I got so caught up that we disregarded everyponies safety.
FR: I have read the report. You don't have to look so surprised. You should know how effective the ESS can be when it comes to critical information. And everything concerning EGG is. But I still feel you are not telling me everything WALL SMASHER. I have to know the whole picture before I can help you.
WS: I … I think I like EGG.
FR: I'm sorry, what? Of course you like her, you are friends.
WS: No, I think I like EGG. As in more than just friends. That's why I feel so terrible about keeping all this from EGG. It just … first of all, she is an awesome pony always striving to better herself and others. I mean she even tried to get me to read. Even if that was all act, it was pretty cool of her. We even started a book club! And, of course -
FR: Yes, yes, I get it. You like EGG. But you haven’t told anyone but me about that right?
WS: No, I -
FR: Good, and it'll stay that way.
WS: But -
FR: No, not a word to anypony. These thoughts will stay in this room. EGG is at a critical phase at the moment, we can't risk messing that up. Now I want to help you, my little agent, but that is one thing I will not compromise on. Have I made myself clear?
WS: Yes, FLOWING RAINBOW.
FR: Good. Now let's think of what we can do to help you. Has your training at ORGANIZATION helped you keep your feelings in check? I know you said the distance has hurt you, but has the training itself helped you?
WS: Yeah, I guess. It does help me take my mind off things.
FR: Good, then that is what you should continue doing. But don't stay with ORGANIZATION, only go there for training instead. That way you don't have to generously devote all your time to your friends and the training should help you keep your feelings in check, while you will still be close enough not to miss them. You don't have to be kind when you ask LEADER to let you commute, just tell her I gave you special permission.
WS: I'm still not sure I can continue this way.
FR: While I don't like playing that card, consider this an order agent WALL SMASHER. I'm sure you'll manage to pull through. It can't be more than a couple of weeks until EGG is ready to hatch, then we can put all of this behind us. You can even retire from the agency if you want. Just stay strong, my little agent, it'll all be worth it. Remember, you do all of this not only for Equestria but also for EGG.
WS: I’ll … do my best FLOWING RAINBOW.
Even after finishing reading them, Twilight continued to stare at the files she had just read. No more anger and sorrow clouded her mind, all had been washed away reading about the struggle her friend had faced. A friend who had been a former agent.
She still couldn't believe it. It all seemed so obvious in hindsight. Who could it have been but her? Who had displayed ridiculous behaviour at times, begging to turn it into a friendship lesson? Who had given her a nickname based on her code name, for Celestia's sake?
But she had to hear it from the pony herself. Having come to this decision, Twilight noticed that her hooves had already brought her back to the entrance of the archives.
Knocking on the door, it was opened by the guards still in front.
“Princess Twilight, do you need any assistance?”
“Thank you, sirs, but none is necessary. I am in a hurry, though." And she was gone in a flash of purple, appearing high above Canterlot Castle, taking wing and heading straight to Ponyville.
*knock knock*
“Hold on, I'll be down in a second." A raspy voice could be heard from the other side of the front door.
“Hi Twi, what are you doing here? I didn’t forget that we rescheduled book club, did I?
“No, I’ve come for a different reason, agent WALL SMASHER.”
The pegasus holding the front door open went rigid. After a few moments of different expressions of shock playing across her face, she seemed to settle on resignation. Letting her wings hang off her sides, she dejectedly trudged into her cloud home. Seeing the still-open front door as an invitation, Twilight decided to follow.
“So they finally told you. What do you want to know?" Asked the pile of cyan misery that had taken residence on a sofa in the living room. "Want to know how all this sham began?”
“I've read the files, so I have a general understanding of the situation. What I want to know is why. Why did -”
“Why did I not tell you? How could I? It was always mission this, mission that. And even when everything was finally over and I got to leave the agency, I was reminded that I was still sworn to secrecy. I couldn't tell anyone without being trialled for treason!” A sob escaped the rolled-up pegasus.
“No, I wanted to know why did you do this to yourself?" Twilight stepped in front of the sofa. “Why did you not just tell us what has been troubling you? Why did you not let us help you? Why did you not let me help you?”
“I wanted to believe that you would all stand by my side if I told you, but I wasn’t sure after all this secrecy. What if you didn’t? I would have been left with no friends and all alone. Believe me, the last months, I wanted nothing more than to tell you all about everything, but I just couldn't."
"You don't have to feel bad anymore, Rainbow. I know you've been through a lot, and I will have some questions in the future. But for now, just know that I don’t blame you for anything. All else we can discuss later on.”
Putting a front hoof on the curled-up mare, she began stroking her back.
"And if you want, we can also try to do something about those feelings you are having.”
That got a reaction from Rainbow. Turning her head around so she could look at Twilight, the alicorn could see that a few tears had escaped those rose-coloured eyes.
“But you know how I lied to you. How I betrayed you! Why are you not angry?”
“How could I, after reading what you went through? You even put your feelings aside only to help me grow. So I’d say it’s only fair to give this whole dating thing a try." Twilight gave her a short peek on the forehead.
More tears escaped Rainbow's eyes, but her voice had regained the cockiness she was known for. "I will totally deny that we ended up together this way. If anyone asks, I'll say that I literally swooped you off your hooves, egghead."
“Sure thing, agent featherbrain. But please tell me one thing before it drives me crazy: Why the name WALL SMASHER?"
"Who is the pony that broke through a wall that every pony thought was impossible to break through?"
Now it dawned on Twilight. "Ah, the Sonic Rainboom, naturally they gave you a code name based on that. Thanks for telling me."
But another nagging thought soon surfaced in Twilight's mind. "Remind me also that I need to arrange a meeting. I have a certain Princess of the Sun who needs a strong reminder not to get too involved, even if she has good intentions."
“Wait, Celestia did not tell you all of this? How did you manage to learn of all this then? I thought she had the files removed, so no pony could find them anymore?”
That surprised Twilight. She hadn't even bothered to think that it was strange for the files to be in the archives. But it was odd for such information to remain if Celestia was trying to keep Twilight from finding out. She didn't think her former mentor would be so careless. So why were the files in the archives, where she had found them?
In the dark of the night, the door to the archives was opened, allowing the Princess of the Night to enter. Floating behind her was an unmarked cardboard box. Her way to the shelves was purposeful, going to the place where she thought a certain purple alicorn would likely start her research.
Taking out a red marker, Luna wrote the words "PONYVILLE FILES" on the side of the box before shoving it onto the shelves, making sure it would look out of place.
“That should do it. I know you had these files removed, Tia, but my saviours deserve their happy ending. You are not the only chess master around anymore.”
Having done what she came to do, Luna left the archives, letting everything else play out for itself.
