Blooming Under Pressureby DiceChaptersThe BeginningThe Training FacilityIdentitiesMission OneThe BeginningGraduation. You’d think that this would be a pleasant day, but for Applebloom, there was nothing she wanted to do less than trot across that stage. “Blaaank flaaaank~” came a derisive whisper, and giggling floated through the room. Applebloom hung her head and tried to hide in her mane, while her two best friends growled back at the offender. “Hey! Shut your mouth, Tiara. Save your speech.” “Yeah, you don’t want to use up all your creativity in one go. You don’t have much to spare.” “Sweetie belle, Scootaloo, don’t encourage them,” Applebloom muttered, her friend’s defense just rubbing salt on her wounds. Her two friends, who’d once been members of the cutie mark crusaders along with her, both now sported shining marks on their own flanks. Applebloom was the only one left in the class with a bare hindquarter. “My wonderful class,” Cheerilee set her hooves upon the podium and began to speak, “I’ve been able to work with you since you were all little fillies, and you were just learning what the world was about…” And so the speeches came and went, going all too fast for poor Applebloom. Why oh WHY does my name have to be first?! Applebloom nearly groaned aloud when the presentation of the diplomas was announced. They called the first name. “Applebloom!” Applebloom gave in, walking up the steps to the stage like a prisoner would walk to a gallows. She nodded to the others in the audience, and shook Cheerilee’s hoof after taking her diploma, but she could still hear the murmur of the crowd. “Why’s she graduating?” Many of them muttered, “She’s no one! She’s a blank flank!” Each phrase and taunt made Applebloom wince, and she barely made it back to her seat. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to show the others that their words had made some impact. Instead, she held her chin high, glaring defiantly at the sun. She was determined to show the rest of them just how much potential she had. However, after the ceremony completed, and the ponies celebrated, many of her classmates surrounded her. “How do you feel now, blank flank?” they jeered, pushing her back and forth between them, “Feel special? You’ve got to be the only pony to ever graduate without getting a cutie mark! Haha blank flank!” “Let me go!” Applebloom pushed her way out of the crowd and over to the wall. The other ponies laughed and trotted off to find their waiting families. Applebloom bit her lip to fight back tears. Then, beside her, she heard a voice. “Miss… Applebloom, is it?” Applebloom looked up to see a dark blue colt in a sharply pressed suit. His eyes were silver, as was his mane and tail. “Yeah, that’s me. You want something?” She glared at him suspiciously. Who’s this guy?! She let her eyes trail to his hindquarter to see if his mark could give her some idea, but… The colt smirked, tilting his leg so she could see. His flank was blank as well. “Miss Applebloom, I’d appreciate it if you’d come with me.” He said, his low voice charming and smooth. Despite his friendly countenance, Applebloom got a strange feeling in her gut about this pony- she didn’t like it. “S-sorry, sir, but I’ve gotta get back to my farm now…” She began to canter off, but found her way blocked by two colts that were about twice the size of the first. “I’m sorry, Miss Applebloom, but you have no choice in this matter,” the blue colt came up behind her, his voice soft, “We are in need of ponies like you, so you will either work with us, or watch your sister die…” A lump caught in Applebloom’s throat. “ye-yessir…” “Good,” He moved back, “No need to pack your things. It will all be taken care of. You won’t need much where you’re going…” XX Applebloom followed the blue colt as he led her to a small black carriage. Once inside, the other two colts began pulling them at high speed to who knows where. “So,” Applebloom’s voice was cold and harsh- anyone who threatened her family would get no respect from her, “May I ask where you’re taking me? What am I being dragged into?” “You’re being ‘dragged’ into the Canterlot intelligence team,” The blue colt replied, his previously warm voice now dry, “On orders from the princess, so watch your tone of voice, kid.” “From the princess?!” Applebloom scoffed, “The princess would never kidnap someone from their graduation! She ain’t that kind of pony!!” “Did you ever consider,” the colt’s eyes gleamed angrily, “that maybe the princess has more issues to deal with than festivals and the latest harvest?! Princess Celestia not only has care for things going on in the bright colourful parts of the kingdom, but stuff on the grimy underside as well!” “Grimy underside? Of Equestria?! Oh please, enlighten me!” Applebloom gave a sarcastic laugh. The colt frowned and moved back into his seat. “That’s classified information that I can only give you if you agree to join the Force Team,” his voice was quiet once again, but his eyes were still blazing. Applebloom closed her mouth, her mind working overtime. All she wanted to do was go home again, but she got the feeling that this colt wasn’t going to let her go. Then, why give her a choice? “And if I do not agree to join this ‘force team’?” Applebloom said slowly. The colt’s reply was quick and harsh, “Then we kill you.” Applebloom had expected this, but she was still a little shocked at the readiness at which the colt proposed the measures. So she could die, or she could work for them, giving her the time to figure a better way out. “One last question, why did you choose me?” “That’s simple. You still don’t know who you are. We can use that to our advantage.” “I see,” Applebloom shook her head; so this was all because she still didn’t have her cutie mark. If only the girls knew what I’m getting into now… The Training FacilityA week. It had only been a week since her unfortunate kidnapping, and Apple Bloom was already ready to call it quits. She'd been dragged out to the middle of nowhere, to a low concrete building that was supposed to be the training facility. To her, it felt more like a concrete prison, the cool walls sucking in any semblance of happiness she'd had when she got here. Still, she had to admit, it wasn't necessarily all bad. She'd already learned some interesting things about Canterlot's history that had been conspicuously absent from Cheerilee's textbooks, along with several techniques in force team espionage. Her already strong flanks had been worked to the hoof by rigorous exercise, which was slowly progressing towards combat training. And three times a day she was fed a strict diet of measured portions, to ensure a healthy physique. All in all, they seemed to be trying to make her the strongest, the smartest, and the overall best pony possible. However, there was one little thought that continued to nag her, always at the edge of her brain. Where were all the other ponies? If this was a training facility, especially one of this size, why was she the only trainee? Whenever she ate, or went to the gym, or had a class, she was the only non-staff member present. So where was everypony else? Finally, she got the nerve to ask the one pony else who she actually trusted in this cold place, her history teacher. Her history teacher was a kind, older colt with streaks of grey in his navy blue mane and a soothing lavender coat, just slightly darker than Twilight Sparkle's. He'd sought out to comfort her as soon as she arrived, and had been generally friendlier than any other pony in this building. "Bookpage?" She asked cautiously, pushing the door to his classroom open with a gentle hoof. The colt looked up and smiled at Applebloom. "Ah, how can I help you, my little filly? Is there something wrong?" "Yeah, ah, kind of..." She trotted over to his desk and sat down, "How come I'm the only pony round these parts? not includin' all y'all teachers and such..?" He smiled softly, shutting the book he'd been reading. "Well, because all of the other students here are currently on missions. Something rather important came up, and we needed every last pony to help. They should be arriving back here.. oh I'd say tomorrow actually, if not earlier." "Oh wow..." She breathed, glad she'd asked. It would have been unsettling to suddenly have masses of other ponies appear from Celestia-knows-where... "Uh, how many of them are there..?" "Oh, not that many... about twenty other ponies, as long as we didn't suffer any losses in the mission." His voice sounded hopeful, and Applebloom sincerely wished that the mission had gone well... She didn't want to be in the middle of a grieving class. It was bad enough being the new pony. Suddenly, her heart sank. She was the new pony. Even though she'd learned so much, she'd still only been here a week. She felt like hiding in the tiny closet in her dormitory. It was being a blank-flank all over again, but in a completely new and terrible way. She was scared. These other ponies had already been on missions and seen things that'd probably make Rarity faint at the thought... She swallowed. "Well, uh... thanks for tellin' me, Bookpage... I'm'a.. gonna... head to my room now. Need to do some.. studyin'.." He smiled kindly, "Applebloom, there's nothing you need to worry about. All of these ponies were new and scared at some point, and most of them are a lot better than the schoolfillies you grew up with. Several are still fairly new themselves, so don't fret," His eyes sparkled mischievously, "I think you'll be a little surprised at how friendly they are." Applebloom frowned, unsure that these other ponies would be quite as enthusiatic as he seemed to believe they'd be. "Well, alright. I'll try an' stay sane 'bout it. Thanks again, Bookpage." He nodded, and she left without another word. The next morning, Applebloom only went to the cafeteria because her instructors would not be pleased if she skipped a meal- especially breakfast. She carefully peeked in one of the double doors, and practically melted in fear. There were several new ponies sitting at the tables, chatting and eating their breakfasts. The only upside was that they didn't seem upset- so whatever mission they'd been on must have gone well. Slowly, silently, she slipped into the room and over to the buffet, using as much stealth as she could. Her efforts were to no avail, however, as she ran into three ponies on her way over. They instantly stopped talking and stared down at her in surprise. She cowered slightly, bracing herself for what she was sure was going to be a verbal attack. Instead, one of the ponies, a forest-green mare, brightened. "Oh, hello!" Her ears perked up from her silky black mane, "I don't think I know you! Are you new here?" More than a little shocked, Applebloom nodded. Her eyes passed over the other ponie's flanks... and her heart dropped. All three had cutie marks. One of the two colts, about equivalent to a twig in diameter, tilted his head. "Definitely not. I recognize every pony I've seen before, and this pony is certainly not within that category." The last colt, rather stocky and muscular, just watched her with careful violet eyes. Applebloom nodded slightly, swallowing. "a-ah'm Applebloom..." The mare smiled, "Oh wow! That's such a pretty name... I'm Picklejuice, this is Terminal," She waved a hoof at the skinny colt, then turned and waved it at the bigger one, "And this is Kitten!" "H-hello" Applebloom squeaked, actually trying to withhold laughter. Kitten watched her, and smiled slightly. "It's ok to laugh.. I don't mind." He said in a low, smooth voice. Applebloom let out a chuckle or two, as did Picklejuice. Pickjuice tapped Kitten's dark grey flank with her hoof. "Don't worry about him. He's just a big softy, like his name. Welcome to the school!" Applebloom smiled sheepishly now, nodding. They all walked to the buffet together as Picklejuice serenaded her with friendly conversation. "So, blank-flank, huh?" Picklejuice nodded towards Applebloom's markless hindquarters. Applebloom was going to answer, but Picklejuice just plowed ahead by herself. "That's really cool! They say it takes a reeeally special kind of person to live this long and still have a blank flank! That's why they make up the special team. You're gonna be soooo popular here. Wow, it's so cool! We get to know the new blank flank! Isn't that so cool, Terminal?!" Terminal, seemingly used to her chatter, only nodded, letting her continue uninterrupted. "I mean, you get to do all the really cool stuff and go on the really cool missions! Man, I'm so jealous, I wish I was a blank flank! Hehehe! I've said it so many times it doesn't even sound like a word anymore! Blank flank! Blank flank! Blank flank!!!" Applebloom lowered her ears slightly to dampen the noise. Only Pinkie Pie seemed to rival this mare's conversational ability, and she feared what would happen should the two ever meet... IdentitiesOnce they sat down to eat, Applebloom started ignoring Picklejuice's constant stream of chatter. There was no way she was going to listen to all of that. Sweetiebelle was bad enough sometimes... but this mare didn't seem to have an off switch. So instead, Applebloom tuned out and looked over the three ponies she'd just met. First, there was the mare Picklejuice. Applebloom wasn't quite sure where she got the name, but it matched her dark green pelt quite nicely (along with her outgoing personality.) Picklejuice's cutiemark was.... a paintbrush? No, that didn't seem quite right. The brush was a little too flared and short to be a paintbrush. It reminded her more of the things rarity had used when she was putting makeup on the fillies for a school dance. So, a makeup brush maybe... not the cutie mark she expected on a mare named Picklejuice... especially not a mare named Picklejuice who also happened to be attending a facility for the training of what were essentially pony spies.... All and all Picklejuice looked like a nice mare (when her mouth was shut), something that was only slightly offset by her eerily neon green eyes, which shone out from her dark mane like two glowstick bracelets. Then there was terminal, the almost gaunt colt. He seemed to be, in a word, a nerd. His pelt was a light tawny brown, and his mane was a shock of orange and red. His cutie mark was, quite obviously, a computer terminal. He had a pair of old wire-framed glasses that were constantly sliding down his muzzle, and brown eyes behind them. Those eyes, however, seemed to be constantly fixed on Picklejuice, or some part of her. Most often on her eyes... or on her flanks. Applebloom knew infatuation when she saw it, and this was most definitely it, possibly more to the point of obsession. Picklejuice, on the other hand, seemed to be blissfully unaware of this and kept speaking without pause. Then, there was the last colt, Kitten. Though his name was amusing, this colt did not seem to be one to mess with. He was huge. But there seemed to be something a little... off about his bulk. It wasn't distributed correctly, or so it seemed. Most of it seemed to be in his upper back and chest, and he leaned forward when he walked, like he was permanently bent into a slouch. There were other strange bits about him as well, such as his ears. Ears weren't usually the first thing Applebloom noticed, but she had noticed that he'd been keeping his beneath his dark black mane. whenever she got a glimpse of them, they seemed to be tapered and long, but it was hard to tell. But it wasn't just his weight and ears... his eyes seemed a little off. He was always blinking or squinting slightly, like he had something unpleasant on his eyeball. When applebloom thought about it, she became quickly convinced that the colt was wearing contacts of some sort. It was the only thing that made complete sense. Applebloom's daze broke when she realized Picklejuice was saying her name. "Huhwhat? Sorry, ah was off in the clouds. What were yah sayin'?" PickleJuice rolled her eyes, "I was SAYING that you haven't told me anything about YOU! Where d'ya come from? How'd you get in here? I mean, it's a really hard application process, not to mention even finding out about it!" "Application process?" Applebloom repeated, a small spark of anger igniting in her heart, "Ah didn't get to apply at all! Ah was KIDNAPPED!" She hit her hoof against the table in frustration, and the three other ponies jumped a little. "Oh.." Picklejuice said quietly, her ears folding back. She seemed to at least have the decency to not talk excessively when someone was mad, "Yeah, we get a couple of those too. You usually only see that with the blank flanks... or with the ponies who wouldn't accept in any other way, but would be useful to the forces. You must be really special." "Special mah FLANK!" Applebloom raged, slamming her hoof down again, sending her fork across the room, "I don't give a buck about what they're doin' here! Ah just wanna go home!" Picklejuice seemed stunned into silence, and the colts lowered their heads. Applebloom took this as a chance to continue ranting. "I don't care what they do here! If they want properly loyal ponies workin' for WHATEVER the buck they be doin', they can pick them from the canterlot gaurd! Or the wonderbolt academy, maybe! Wherever there's somewhere with ponies who're already wantin' to do this pile of griffon crap! I just want to stay on mah farm! With mah sister an' brother, an' all the rest'a us apples! Ah ain't cut out for this! What?!" Applebloom finally snapped at Picklejuice, who'd been waving her hooves frantically. "Well, miss Applebloom, if you perhaps don't wish to continue, you could speak to me," Came the familiar cold voice of a colt. Applebloom swallowed and turned to face the blue colt, who was holding the fork she'd sent flying. He calmly set the utensil on the table beside her tray, and looked her in the eye. "Now, if you'd like to know, all of our 'kidnapped' agents have actually been recommended to us by current members of the Canterlot intelligence. Your integrity and intelligence was spoken highly of by our agent. You would disappoint them if you were to quit now. Please, our harsh methods of... procuring you were only to ensure your complete cooperation." "Complete cooperation..." Applebloom repeated dully. She still got a bad feeling from this colt... but she was starting to understand him a little more. "Well, in that case, may ah know who the agent who recommended me was?" He looked at her carefully, "If I do, will you swear yourself to secrecy on the identity of the agent? Even if you decide to return to your home in ponyville?" "Yessir." "..Then I will ask them about it. Until I get a definite answer, I expect you to go through with ALL of your training and assignments as usual." "..Yessir." Applebloom looked down. The colt nodded coolly, and trotted off. Picklejuice stared after him, amazed, then turned her gaze to Applebloom. "You know the director?!" She whispered. Applebloom's eyes widened. "Wait, what? THAT's the director?" "You didn't know?! He's in charge of EVERYTHING! He's the one who gets the orders from the princesses themselves, an' gives them to the rest of us! If HE was the one who came and picked you up, then you must be REALLY special!" Applebloom grimaced slightly. "Really special... Everyone keeps saying that, but I don't think it means what y'all think it means..." Mission One"...and so, you're now qualified to participate in rank 12 missions." "Wow.." Applebloom looked over the small badge. The badge was in the shape of a small paraspite, and seemed to be made of brass. Although she still wasn't happy about being dragged here in the first place, she still felt a spark of pride at this honour, "where'm ah supposed to put it?" Her history teacher smiled, "Most agents keep a sash tied to their bedposts, or hung on their walls. They put their pins there." "Alright.." She pinned it to her uniform shirt in the meantime, "So, you're sayin' the director sent me this?" "Yes," He set his hooves on his desk, "Apparently you're excelling in all of your courses; something he rewards. At least, that's what he told me. Personally, I think it's because we never have enough agents anyways." She nodded a little, the spark of pride still glowing despite his comment. It felt good to be praised, even if it came from an undesirable source. Heck, it just felt good to actually be working towards something again, like back in her filly days with Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, when they were looking for their marks. Applebloom's heart tightened a little as she realized they had no idea where she was right now. They must be worried sick... "Miss Applebloom?" The teacher's voice dragged her back to attention. "Yessir?" He nodded to the door. Applebloom frowned slightly, thinking he was telling her to leave. How rude! However, when she turned, she saw the director in the doorway, watching her with a cool gaze. "Oh! Hello!" She blinked, then quickly added, "Sir" "Hello, Miss Applebloom," He said in a neutral tone, "I trust you've just received your badge..?" "Yessir, thank you sir." She nodded a little, "It's an honour.." "The honour comes from how you use the badge, not the badge itself, " He shook his head, "Now, something's already come up, and I'd like to have you on the team as backup. You'll only be there to watch how things work and to call for help if something goes wrong. Understood?" "Y-Yessir!" Applebloom blinked, surprised. He was already sending her out? They must REALLY be short on agents.. "Good," He said, his mouth twisting as though the word pained him to say it, "We'll head out for Canterlot tomorrow morning. Be in the main at at 6am, sharp." *** " 'old shtill!" Picklejuice complained, setting her hoof on Applebloom's shoulder, " I cah't do anythng wfth you mvng ar'ownd!" "Sorry, it just tickles," Applebloom muttered, obediently falling still, "So what ah yah puttin' on there? Some kind'a royal thingy? Some important doohickey?" "Ah mrtini." "Ah what?" Picklejuice spat out the makeup brush, an amused expression on her face, "A martini, silly. And if you keep asking me questions I'm not gonna be able to do my job, and if I can't do my job, then we won't be disguised, and if we aren't disguised, we'll get caught. And if we get caught-" "Ok, ok, ah get it. You can git back t' work, then." Picklejuice giggled, and picked up the brush again, returning her gaze to Applebloom's flank. Applebloom carefully twisted her neck to watch her work. They'd reached Canterlot a couple of hours ago and received their debriefing. The CEO of Wonderbuilds- a prestigious construction company that built courses and equipment for the Wonderbolts- was holding a dinner party at his home for select dignitaries and company executives. They had received intel, however, that the CEO had been running an underground drug dealership from within his estate. The job was to find the stash of drugs and destroy it. Applebloom's job, specifically, was to stay in the party room and watch for trouble. "There, all done." Picklejuice spat out the brush again, "You look perfect!~" Applebloom stood and trotted over to the mirror, and turned a couple times. "Wow, Pickle! You did a right fine job! I look all kinds of spiffy now.." Applebloom's mane had been carefully styled and her coat brushed until it practically shone. She wore a simple evening gown, and on her flank was a picture of a thin, flared glass- complete with olive. "Well, it's what I do," Picklejuice smiled, fixing a couple of stray hairs in Applebloom's tail, "I'm not exactly a field agent, like you or kitten or terminal. I stay here and make sure all the ponies look just right for fooling the subjects. You're lucky that you don't need any sort of extreme makeover, though I could turn a colt into a filly if I wanted, or a bat pony into an earth pony!" She giggled as if at some secret joke. "Ah see now," Applebloom smiled, turning back to face towards her, "I was confused as t' why ah makeup pony would be ahn agent, but ah see now.." "Mmmmmhm!~ And that's the truth! Speaking of the truth, you'll want to not use your normal accent while at the party." Applebloom really couldn't see how truth and her accent were related, but she went with it,"Ok, ah suppose. I could try somethin' more Manehatten-ish, if yah want.." "Ah! Yes! That'd be perfect!" Picklejuice beamed,"Wonderful! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and do Kitten's makeup. Bye-bye!~" She bounded off to another room. Applebloom watched her go, a hint of a smile on her face. The room became very quiet,and Applebloom looked around. It was empty. No one here to see her leave. Ponyville wasn't too far from Canterlot. She could easily take the back way, and head straight to the train, and from there, home... ...but, for some reason, she didn't want to. It would be easy, yes, but it would always nag her. There was more of Equestria to see, and she'd never really had the chance to get away from home before. That, and something about seeing Equestria's dark side tempted her. It was new, almost unexplored. It was also curious that she'd never even heard mention of it before. No, she couldn't leave now. She was too drawn into it now. The door opened, cutting off her thoughts. A roguishly handsome colt with caramel, tawny skin and a bright mane of orange and red stepped in. Applebloom couldn't help but stare slightly, and her eyes wandered to his cutie mark. It was....A computer terminal? Hang on, this colt couldn't be... The colt smirked, "Something wrong, Applebloom?" His voice was a sweet tenor, so different from his normal lazy tones. Applebloom blinked, shocked. "Terminal?! Tha' cant b' you!" The colt laughed, "It is. You've just never seen me 'dress-up' before. Come on, it's time to go." Applebloom nodded, still in slight shock, and followed him out.In the hallway, Kitten was waiting. He looked as he usually did, except with slightly tidied hair and a nice suit. He nodded to Applebloom, who nodded back. "Alright, let's get into the carriage and I'll explain the situation." Terminal said silkily and led the way down the hotel stairs. Once inside the vehicle, Terminal sighed. "Ok, so here's how it goes. I'll be there as myself, and Kitten, you're there as my bodyguard. That should give you the excuse to stick around me the whole time. Applebloom, you're there as my plus one. You'll be going by the name Olive Martini, alright?" She nodded. "Sure... but, if yer gonna be there as you, who is 'you'?" He laughed slightly, "Well, I suppose you're new, so you wouldn't know. I'm the son of the current owner of Equestria's rising computer industry. It's a new company, of course, but already quite lucrative. This means, as heir to the company, I'm quite the important addition to these parties. It makes the perfect excuse to get in and check things out." "..Ah.." Applebloom said dumbly. She was CHOSEN to be an agent with people as important as this? She could hardly believe it... Yes, her sister was an element bearer, but those were often overlooked in everyday society.. You can't fix the economy with the friendship cannon, as the colloquial phrase went. In any case, there must have been something special to land her here... 'blank flank. That's how you're special- you don't know anything. Your future, your strengths. You're at a loss. and that's what makes you special- you're a failure.' Applebloom shook her head slightly to rid herself of the hounding thoughts. No, she was here for a reason- a reason OTHER than her blank flank... she hoped... They arrived at the dinner party not much later. It was easy getting in- Terminal did indeed seem as important as he'd mentioned previously. They accepted his invitation in, and welcomed all three into the room with great enthusiasm. Then, it was time to mingle for a bit and be seen. It wouldn't be right for Terminal and Kitten to run off right away. Terminal had to make a strong appearance first. Applebloom, a little freer in her movement, went to a strong source of conversation- the drink bar. She purchased a martini to help complete her image, and was happy to find that the one she'd purchased had some pleasing apple flavours. However, she only sipped at it every now and then, trying to keep as sober as she could for when things started happening. Soon enough, Terminal and Kitten slipped away from the crowd and went down one of the estate's lengthy hallways. Applebloom watched, but no one had noticed the escape. They were all too focused on the new arrivals- Fancy-Pants and his usual plus one- Fleur. Applebloom entertained herself with the thought of Rarity's face if she knew where she was, and how jealous she'd be. That small entertainment didn't last very long, however, and Applebloom soon began to grow bored. She looked at the door longingly, but the director had expressly told her earlier that she was NOT to leave the room for any reason. So, instead, she sipped her martini and listened to the conversations around her. "-New fashion line will be undeniably fabulous-" "-Absolutely cannot wait, my dear. She's simply devastated-" "-will have to bash his head in-" "-Can't wait to see the new products-" Applebloom's ears pricked- who was bashing who's head now? She moved a little closer to the source of the conversation and listened closer. "-if he doesn't bring the shipment tonight, I'm gonna have all sorts of blood on my hooves." The male voice said in hushed tones. Another male replied. "I know, but we can't do it in the middle of the party- people will talk. There's a nice quite place down the south hall we can talk it out it- nice and slow." "Yeah, I'm gonna bleed him nice and slow, sure. Look, there 'e is now..c'mon Break, let's go have a nice little chat." Applebloom's heart raced as she turned her head to watch the two colts head slowly to the door. One was a pale unicorn, and the other a disgruntled-looking pegasus. They approached the third colt who'd just entered the door, carrying a small satchel. The unicorn whispered in the newcomer's ear and they all started down the hallway opposite of where Kitten and Terminal were working. Applebloom swallowed. She was disobeying orders, but she couldn't let this just slip past her. She headed after the colts. After a while walking down the hall, she heard the voices from before, except louder. "-You bring this griffon shit! I asked fo' one thing and you bring me another! What am I supposed to do with this, Merril?!" A third voice spoke, weak, frightened, "I didn't have much of a choice! It was all I could sneak past the border gaurds- you know it's practically impossible to get Buzz through these days! So I got some of this new stuff, and I figured-" "-Yeah, yah figured. That's where yah went wrong, ya dipshit. yah ain't supposed t' bring us anythin' but Buzz." "But-" "-we did have specific orders for you." The unicorn said softly. There was a clicking noise, which Applebloom managed to recognize. The safety on a firearm had just been turned off. She swallowed. Now or never. "Excuse me, is there something wrong?" She stepped out from her spot around the corner. The gun turned to her and she barely had time to roll out of the way before the shots went off. She didn't think, she just reacted, bucking the gun out of the air where it had been held by unicorn magic, and rearing up and kicking the offender in the face. He crumpled to the floor just as the pegasus roared and charged her. "OOf!" The air whooshed out of Applebloom's lungs as she took a strong kick to the gut. She coughed and fell to one knee, a little dizzy. 'no, no... get up...' she urged herself as the pegasus aimed a kick at her head. She managed to fall out of the way, rolling onto her back and sending a powerful buck to his back legs. There was a snap, and the pegasus called out, steadying himself by flapping his wings. Applebloom started hearing startled voices from down the hall, and she knew the party attendees were coming to try and see what the commotion was. She knocked out the pegasus with a blow to his right cheek. The colt with the satchel cowered in a corner, watching her approach. "You. If ye don't want t' end up like them, help me drag these boys into one o' these rooms.." She rasped. It hurt to breath- it felt like something was digging into her lung. The colt nodded, and together they pulled the colts and the gun into a closet, just as people came around the corner. Applebloom held her breath as people passed by the door again and again. The pegasus was bleeding profusely from his nose, and Applebloom was worried that the blood may have made a trail to the door. However, if there was one, no one noticed it, and the disturbance was soon written off as the 'estate feline making a general ruckus'. Applebloom thanked whatever gods there were that most ponies had no idea what a firearm was, much less what one sounded like. She herself had only discovered them during training, and quickly became acquainted with their function. She'd just been about to come out into the hallway, when there was the sound of hoofsteps outside the door. She froze, then stepped back when the door open. Her heart leaped in relief when she saw Terminal and Kitten. "There you are! We've been looking all over. We heard the gun- what happened?" He looked at the three colts. She explained what she'd heard, her voice shaky. The adrenaline was unfamiliar to her system. She tried not to look down, where the colt's blood had gotten on her hooves. Terminal nodded to Kitten, who slapped a hoof across the last colt's head, dropping him. Applebloom jumped. "H-hey! He was cooperating!" "We can't take chances." Kitten muttered quietly, "We need to clean up and get out. Fast." "What about yer job?" "We already finished it. We'd just got back to the party when we hear the shots," Terminal sighed, holding a pad of gauze over the pegasus's nose. "Kitten, radio for a clean-up crew. Applebloom- hold this gauze down until he stops bleeding." "o-ok.." she swallowed, looking down. Her stomach turned at all the red. It wasn't like she hadn't seen blood before.. she'd fought plenty times before in school, and done plenty of damage... this was different.. this felt more cold.. cruel. She swallowed, holding the gauze in place. She winced as a particularly deep breath jostled her lung. Terminal went over to the third colt and searched through the satchel. He let out a whistle. "Kitten, this is some pretty strong stuff- this shouldn't have gotten past protocol..." "Is it local?" Kitten looked over, setting down his radio. "Nope- over border stuff. Looks Griffon-made." Terminal closed the bag, "If it made it this far, there's something else going on. I need you to call for an interrogation crew." "Alright. I'll start getting everypony out, too." "ok." Kitten headed out of the room. Not much later, the fire alarms started going off. "That should flush them out..." Terminal muttered, looking at Applebloom. "Come on- we need to get out, too. The cleanup crews will take care of this- we need to get this information to the director." Author's Note Sorry for the time delay before this chapter- It took me a while to figure out exactly how to write this how I wanted it. That, and this chapter is a little longer than the previous ones (thank goodness). I finally got it down- so what do you think?
The BeginningGraduation. You’d think that this would be a pleasant day, but for Applebloom, there was nothing she wanted to do less than trot across that stage. “Blaaank flaaaank~” came a derisive whisper, and giggling floated through the room. Applebloom hung her head and tried to hide in her mane, while her two best friends growled back at the offender. “Hey! Shut your mouth, Tiara. Save your speech.” “Yeah, you don’t want to use up all your creativity in one go. You don’t have much to spare.” “Sweetie belle, Scootaloo, don’t encourage them,” Applebloom muttered, her friend’s defense just rubbing salt on her wounds. Her two friends, who’d once been members of the cutie mark crusaders along with her, both now sported shining marks on their own flanks. Applebloom was the only one left in the class with a bare hindquarter. “My wonderful class,” Cheerilee set her hooves upon the podium and began to speak, “I’ve been able to work with you since you were all little fillies, and you were just learning what the world was about…” And so the speeches came and went, going all too fast for poor Applebloom. Why oh WHY does my name have to be first?! Applebloom nearly groaned aloud when the presentation of the diplomas was announced. They called the first name. “Applebloom!” Applebloom gave in, walking up the steps to the stage like a prisoner would walk to a gallows. She nodded to the others in the audience, and shook Cheerilee’s hoof after taking her diploma, but she could still hear the murmur of the crowd. “Why’s she graduating?” Many of them muttered, “She’s no one! She’s a blank flank!” Each phrase and taunt made Applebloom wince, and she barely made it back to her seat. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to show the others that their words had made some impact. Instead, she held her chin high, glaring defiantly at the sun. She was determined to show the rest of them just how much potential she had. However, after the ceremony completed, and the ponies celebrated, many of her classmates surrounded her. “How do you feel now, blank flank?” they jeered, pushing her back and forth between them, “Feel special? You’ve got to be the only pony to ever graduate without getting a cutie mark! Haha blank flank!” “Let me go!” Applebloom pushed her way out of the crowd and over to the wall. The other ponies laughed and trotted off to find their waiting families. Applebloom bit her lip to fight back tears. Then, beside her, she heard a voice. “Miss… Applebloom, is it?” Applebloom looked up to see a dark blue colt in a sharply pressed suit. His eyes were silver, as was his mane and tail. “Yeah, that’s me. You want something?” She glared at him suspiciously. Who’s this guy?! She let her eyes trail to his hindquarter to see if his mark could give her some idea, but… The colt smirked, tilting his leg so she could see. His flank was blank as well. “Miss Applebloom, I’d appreciate it if you’d come with me.” He said, his low voice charming and smooth. Despite his friendly countenance, Applebloom got a strange feeling in her gut about this pony- she didn’t like it. “S-sorry, sir, but I’ve gotta get back to my farm now…” She began to canter off, but found her way blocked by two colts that were about twice the size of the first. “I’m sorry, Miss Applebloom, but you have no choice in this matter,” the blue colt came up behind her, his voice soft, “We are in need of ponies like you, so you will either work with us, or watch your sister die…” A lump caught in Applebloom’s throat. “ye-yessir…” “Good,” He moved back, “No need to pack your things. It will all be taken care of. You won’t need much where you’re going…” XX Applebloom followed the blue colt as he led her to a small black carriage. Once inside, the other two colts began pulling them at high speed to who knows where. “So,” Applebloom’s voice was cold and harsh- anyone who threatened her family would get no respect from her, “May I ask where you’re taking me? What am I being dragged into?” “You’re being ‘dragged’ into the Canterlot intelligence team,” The blue colt replied, his previously warm voice now dry, “On orders from the princess, so watch your tone of voice, kid.” “From the princess?!” Applebloom scoffed, “The princess would never kidnap someone from their graduation! She ain’t that kind of pony!!” “Did you ever consider,” the colt’s eyes gleamed angrily, “that maybe the princess has more issues to deal with than festivals and the latest harvest?! Princess Celestia not only has care for things going on in the bright colourful parts of the kingdom, but stuff on the grimy underside as well!” “Grimy underside? Of Equestria?! Oh please, enlighten me!” Applebloom gave a sarcastic laugh. The colt frowned and moved back into his seat. “That’s classified information that I can only give you if you agree to join the Force Team,” his voice was quiet once again, but his eyes were still blazing. Applebloom closed her mouth, her mind working overtime. All she wanted to do was go home again, but she got the feeling that this colt wasn’t going to let her go. Then, why give her a choice? “And if I do not agree to join this ‘force team’?” Applebloom said slowly. The colt’s reply was quick and harsh, “Then we kill you.” Applebloom had expected this, but she was still a little shocked at the readiness at which the colt proposed the measures. So she could die, or she could work for them, giving her the time to figure a better way out. “One last question, why did you choose me?” “That’s simple. You still don’t know who you are. We can use that to our advantage.” “I see,” Applebloom shook her head; so this was all because she still didn’t have her cutie mark. If only the girls knew what I’m getting into now…
The Training FacilityA week. It had only been a week since her unfortunate kidnapping, and Apple Bloom was already ready to call it quits. She'd been dragged out to the middle of nowhere, to a low concrete building that was supposed to be the training facility. To her, it felt more like a concrete prison, the cool walls sucking in any semblance of happiness she'd had when she got here. Still, she had to admit, it wasn't necessarily all bad. She'd already learned some interesting things about Canterlot's history that had been conspicuously absent from Cheerilee's textbooks, along with several techniques in force team espionage. Her already strong flanks had been worked to the hoof by rigorous exercise, which was slowly progressing towards combat training. And three times a day she was fed a strict diet of measured portions, to ensure a healthy physique. All in all, they seemed to be trying to make her the strongest, the smartest, and the overall best pony possible. However, there was one little thought that continued to nag her, always at the edge of her brain. Where were all the other ponies? If this was a training facility, especially one of this size, why was she the only trainee? Whenever she ate, or went to the gym, or had a class, she was the only non-staff member present. So where was everypony else? Finally, she got the nerve to ask the one pony else who she actually trusted in this cold place, her history teacher. Her history teacher was a kind, older colt with streaks of grey in his navy blue mane and a soothing lavender coat, just slightly darker than Twilight Sparkle's. He'd sought out to comfort her as soon as she arrived, and had been generally friendlier than any other pony in this building. "Bookpage?" She asked cautiously, pushing the door to his classroom open with a gentle hoof. The colt looked up and smiled at Applebloom. "Ah, how can I help you, my little filly? Is there something wrong?" "Yeah, ah, kind of..." She trotted over to his desk and sat down, "How come I'm the only pony round these parts? not includin' all y'all teachers and such..?" He smiled softly, shutting the book he'd been reading. "Well, because all of the other students here are currently on missions. Something rather important came up, and we needed every last pony to help. They should be arriving back here.. oh I'd say tomorrow actually, if not earlier." "Oh wow..." She breathed, glad she'd asked. It would have been unsettling to suddenly have masses of other ponies appear from Celestia-knows-where... "Uh, how many of them are there..?" "Oh, not that many... about twenty other ponies, as long as we didn't suffer any losses in the mission." His voice sounded hopeful, and Applebloom sincerely wished that the mission had gone well... She didn't want to be in the middle of a grieving class. It was bad enough being the new pony. Suddenly, her heart sank. She was the new pony. Even though she'd learned so much, she'd still only been here a week. She felt like hiding in the tiny closet in her dormitory. It was being a blank-flank all over again, but in a completely new and terrible way. She was scared. These other ponies had already been on missions and seen things that'd probably make Rarity faint at the thought... She swallowed. "Well, uh... thanks for tellin' me, Bookpage... I'm'a.. gonna... head to my room now. Need to do some.. studyin'.." He smiled kindly, "Applebloom, there's nothing you need to worry about. All of these ponies were new and scared at some point, and most of them are a lot better than the schoolfillies you grew up with. Several are still fairly new themselves, so don't fret," His eyes sparkled mischievously, "I think you'll be a little surprised at how friendly they are." Applebloom frowned, unsure that these other ponies would be quite as enthusiatic as he seemed to believe they'd be. "Well, alright. I'll try an' stay sane 'bout it. Thanks again, Bookpage." He nodded, and she left without another word. The next morning, Applebloom only went to the cafeteria because her instructors would not be pleased if she skipped a meal- especially breakfast. She carefully peeked in one of the double doors, and practically melted in fear. There were several new ponies sitting at the tables, chatting and eating their breakfasts. The only upside was that they didn't seem upset- so whatever mission they'd been on must have gone well. Slowly, silently, she slipped into the room and over to the buffet, using as much stealth as she could. Her efforts were to no avail, however, as she ran into three ponies on her way over. They instantly stopped talking and stared down at her in surprise. She cowered slightly, bracing herself for what she was sure was going to be a verbal attack. Instead, one of the ponies, a forest-green mare, brightened. "Oh, hello!" Her ears perked up from her silky black mane, "I don't think I know you! Are you new here?" More than a little shocked, Applebloom nodded. Her eyes passed over the other ponie's flanks... and her heart dropped. All three had cutie marks. One of the two colts, about equivalent to a twig in diameter, tilted his head. "Definitely not. I recognize every pony I've seen before, and this pony is certainly not within that category." The last colt, rather stocky and muscular, just watched her with careful violet eyes. Applebloom nodded slightly, swallowing. "a-ah'm Applebloom..." The mare smiled, "Oh wow! That's such a pretty name... I'm Picklejuice, this is Terminal," She waved a hoof at the skinny colt, then turned and waved it at the bigger one, "And this is Kitten!" "H-hello" Applebloom squeaked, actually trying to withhold laughter. Kitten watched her, and smiled slightly. "It's ok to laugh.. I don't mind." He said in a low, smooth voice. Applebloom let out a chuckle or two, as did Picklejuice. Pickjuice tapped Kitten's dark grey flank with her hoof. "Don't worry about him. He's just a big softy, like his name. Welcome to the school!" Applebloom smiled sheepishly now, nodding. They all walked to the buffet together as Picklejuice serenaded her with friendly conversation. "So, blank-flank, huh?" Picklejuice nodded towards Applebloom's markless hindquarters. Applebloom was going to answer, but Picklejuice just plowed ahead by herself. "That's really cool! They say it takes a reeeally special kind of person to live this long and still have a blank flank! That's why they make up the special team. You're gonna be soooo popular here. Wow, it's so cool! We get to know the new blank flank! Isn't that so cool, Terminal?!" Terminal, seemingly used to her chatter, only nodded, letting her continue uninterrupted. "I mean, you get to do all the really cool stuff and go on the really cool missions! Man, I'm so jealous, I wish I was a blank flank! Hehehe! I've said it so many times it doesn't even sound like a word anymore! Blank flank! Blank flank! Blank flank!!!" Applebloom lowered her ears slightly to dampen the noise. Only Pinkie Pie seemed to rival this mare's conversational ability, and she feared what would happen should the two ever meet...
IdentitiesOnce they sat down to eat, Applebloom started ignoring Picklejuice's constant stream of chatter. There was no way she was going to listen to all of that. Sweetiebelle was bad enough sometimes... but this mare didn't seem to have an off switch. So instead, Applebloom tuned out and looked over the three ponies she'd just met. First, there was the mare Picklejuice. Applebloom wasn't quite sure where she got the name, but it matched her dark green pelt quite nicely (along with her outgoing personality.) Picklejuice's cutiemark was.... a paintbrush? No, that didn't seem quite right. The brush was a little too flared and short to be a paintbrush. It reminded her more of the things rarity had used when she was putting makeup on the fillies for a school dance. So, a makeup brush maybe... not the cutie mark she expected on a mare named Picklejuice... especially not a mare named Picklejuice who also happened to be attending a facility for the training of what were essentially pony spies.... All and all Picklejuice looked like a nice mare (when her mouth was shut), something that was only slightly offset by her eerily neon green eyes, which shone out from her dark mane like two glowstick bracelets. Then there was terminal, the almost gaunt colt. He seemed to be, in a word, a nerd. His pelt was a light tawny brown, and his mane was a shock of orange and red. His cutie mark was, quite obviously, a computer terminal. He had a pair of old wire-framed glasses that were constantly sliding down his muzzle, and brown eyes behind them. Those eyes, however, seemed to be constantly fixed on Picklejuice, or some part of her. Most often on her eyes... or on her flanks. Applebloom knew infatuation when she saw it, and this was most definitely it, possibly more to the point of obsession. Picklejuice, on the other hand, seemed to be blissfully unaware of this and kept speaking without pause. Then, there was the last colt, Kitten. Though his name was amusing, this colt did not seem to be one to mess with. He was huge. But there seemed to be something a little... off about his bulk. It wasn't distributed correctly, or so it seemed. Most of it seemed to be in his upper back and chest, and he leaned forward when he walked, like he was permanently bent into a slouch. There were other strange bits about him as well, such as his ears. Ears weren't usually the first thing Applebloom noticed, but she had noticed that he'd been keeping his beneath his dark black mane. whenever she got a glimpse of them, they seemed to be tapered and long, but it was hard to tell. But it wasn't just his weight and ears... his eyes seemed a little off. He was always blinking or squinting slightly, like he had something unpleasant on his eyeball. When applebloom thought about it, she became quickly convinced that the colt was wearing contacts of some sort. It was the only thing that made complete sense. Applebloom's daze broke when she realized Picklejuice was saying her name. "Huhwhat? Sorry, ah was off in the clouds. What were yah sayin'?" PickleJuice rolled her eyes, "I was SAYING that you haven't told me anything about YOU! Where d'ya come from? How'd you get in here? I mean, it's a really hard application process, not to mention even finding out about it!" "Application process?" Applebloom repeated, a small spark of anger igniting in her heart, "Ah didn't get to apply at all! Ah was KIDNAPPED!" She hit her hoof against the table in frustration, and the three other ponies jumped a little. "Oh.." Picklejuice said quietly, her ears folding back. She seemed to at least have the decency to not talk excessively when someone was mad, "Yeah, we get a couple of those too. You usually only see that with the blank flanks... or with the ponies who wouldn't accept in any other way, but would be useful to the forces. You must be really special." "Special mah FLANK!" Applebloom raged, slamming her hoof down again, sending her fork across the room, "I don't give a buck about what they're doin' here! Ah just wanna go home!" Picklejuice seemed stunned into silence, and the colts lowered their heads. Applebloom took this as a chance to continue ranting. "I don't care what they do here! If they want properly loyal ponies workin' for WHATEVER the buck they be doin', they can pick them from the canterlot gaurd! Or the wonderbolt academy, maybe! Wherever there's somewhere with ponies who're already wantin' to do this pile of griffon crap! I just want to stay on mah farm! With mah sister an' brother, an' all the rest'a us apples! Ah ain't cut out for this! What?!" Applebloom finally snapped at Picklejuice, who'd been waving her hooves frantically. "Well, miss Applebloom, if you perhaps don't wish to continue, you could speak to me," Came the familiar cold voice of a colt. Applebloom swallowed and turned to face the blue colt, who was holding the fork she'd sent flying. He calmly set the utensil on the table beside her tray, and looked her in the eye. "Now, if you'd like to know, all of our 'kidnapped' agents have actually been recommended to us by current members of the Canterlot intelligence. Your integrity and intelligence was spoken highly of by our agent. You would disappoint them if you were to quit now. Please, our harsh methods of... procuring you were only to ensure your complete cooperation." "Complete cooperation..." Applebloom repeated dully. She still got a bad feeling from this colt... but she was starting to understand him a little more. "Well, in that case, may ah know who the agent who recommended me was?" He looked at her carefully, "If I do, will you swear yourself to secrecy on the identity of the agent? Even if you decide to return to your home in ponyville?" "Yessir." "..Then I will ask them about it. Until I get a definite answer, I expect you to go through with ALL of your training and assignments as usual." "..Yessir." Applebloom looked down. The colt nodded coolly, and trotted off. Picklejuice stared after him, amazed, then turned her gaze to Applebloom. "You know the director?!" She whispered. Applebloom's eyes widened. "Wait, what? THAT's the director?" "You didn't know?! He's in charge of EVERYTHING! He's the one who gets the orders from the princesses themselves, an' gives them to the rest of us! If HE was the one who came and picked you up, then you must be REALLY special!" Applebloom grimaced slightly. "Really special... Everyone keeps saying that, but I don't think it means what y'all think it means..."
Mission One"...and so, you're now qualified to participate in rank 12 missions." "Wow.." Applebloom looked over the small badge. The badge was in the shape of a small paraspite, and seemed to be made of brass. Although she still wasn't happy about being dragged here in the first place, she still felt a spark of pride at this honour, "where'm ah supposed to put it?" Her history teacher smiled, "Most agents keep a sash tied to their bedposts, or hung on their walls. They put their pins there." "Alright.." She pinned it to her uniform shirt in the meantime, "So, you're sayin' the director sent me this?" "Yes," He set his hooves on his desk, "Apparently you're excelling in all of your courses; something he rewards. At least, that's what he told me. Personally, I think it's because we never have enough agents anyways." She nodded a little, the spark of pride still glowing despite his comment. It felt good to be praised, even if it came from an undesirable source. Heck, it just felt good to actually be working towards something again, like back in her filly days with Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell, when they were looking for their marks. Applebloom's heart tightened a little as she realized they had no idea where she was right now. They must be worried sick... "Miss Applebloom?" The teacher's voice dragged her back to attention. "Yessir?" He nodded to the door. Applebloom frowned slightly, thinking he was telling her to leave. How rude! However, when she turned, she saw the director in the doorway, watching her with a cool gaze. "Oh! Hello!" She blinked, then quickly added, "Sir" "Hello, Miss Applebloom," He said in a neutral tone, "I trust you've just received your badge..?" "Yessir, thank you sir." She nodded a little, "It's an honour.." "The honour comes from how you use the badge, not the badge itself, " He shook his head, "Now, something's already come up, and I'd like to have you on the team as backup. You'll only be there to watch how things work and to call for help if something goes wrong. Understood?" "Y-Yessir!" Applebloom blinked, surprised. He was already sending her out? They must REALLY be short on agents.. "Good," He said, his mouth twisting as though the word pained him to say it, "We'll head out for Canterlot tomorrow morning. Be in the main at at 6am, sharp." *** " 'old shtill!" Picklejuice complained, setting her hoof on Applebloom's shoulder, " I cah't do anythng wfth you mvng ar'ownd!" "Sorry, it just tickles," Applebloom muttered, obediently falling still, "So what ah yah puttin' on there? Some kind'a royal thingy? Some important doohickey?" "Ah mrtini." "Ah what?" Picklejuice spat out the makeup brush, an amused expression on her face, "A martini, silly. And if you keep asking me questions I'm not gonna be able to do my job, and if I can't do my job, then we won't be disguised, and if we aren't disguised, we'll get caught. And if we get caught-" "Ok, ok, ah get it. You can git back t' work, then." Picklejuice giggled, and picked up the brush again, returning her gaze to Applebloom's flank. Applebloom carefully twisted her neck to watch her work. They'd reached Canterlot a couple of hours ago and received their debriefing. The CEO of Wonderbuilds- a prestigious construction company that built courses and equipment for the Wonderbolts- was holding a dinner party at his home for select dignitaries and company executives. They had received intel, however, that the CEO had been running an underground drug dealership from within his estate. The job was to find the stash of drugs and destroy it. Applebloom's job, specifically, was to stay in the party room and watch for trouble. "There, all done." Picklejuice spat out the brush again, "You look perfect!~" Applebloom stood and trotted over to the mirror, and turned a couple times. "Wow, Pickle! You did a right fine job! I look all kinds of spiffy now.." Applebloom's mane had been carefully styled and her coat brushed until it practically shone. She wore a simple evening gown, and on her flank was a picture of a thin, flared glass- complete with olive. "Well, it's what I do," Picklejuice smiled, fixing a couple of stray hairs in Applebloom's tail, "I'm not exactly a field agent, like you or kitten or terminal. I stay here and make sure all the ponies look just right for fooling the subjects. You're lucky that you don't need any sort of extreme makeover, though I could turn a colt into a filly if I wanted, or a bat pony into an earth pony!" She giggled as if at some secret joke. "Ah see now," Applebloom smiled, turning back to face towards her, "I was confused as t' why ah makeup pony would be ahn agent, but ah see now.." "Mmmmmhm!~ And that's the truth! Speaking of the truth, you'll want to not use your normal accent while at the party." Applebloom really couldn't see how truth and her accent were related, but she went with it,"Ok, ah suppose. I could try somethin' more Manehatten-ish, if yah want.." "Ah! Yes! That'd be perfect!" Picklejuice beamed,"Wonderful! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and do Kitten's makeup. Bye-bye!~" She bounded off to another room. Applebloom watched her go, a hint of a smile on her face. The room became very quiet,and Applebloom looked around. It was empty. No one here to see her leave. Ponyville wasn't too far from Canterlot. She could easily take the back way, and head straight to the train, and from there, home... ...but, for some reason, she didn't want to. It would be easy, yes, but it would always nag her. There was more of Equestria to see, and she'd never really had the chance to get away from home before. That, and something about seeing Equestria's dark side tempted her. It was new, almost unexplored. It was also curious that she'd never even heard mention of it before. No, she couldn't leave now. She was too drawn into it now. The door opened, cutting off her thoughts. A roguishly handsome colt with caramel, tawny skin and a bright mane of orange and red stepped in. Applebloom couldn't help but stare slightly, and her eyes wandered to his cutie mark. It was....A computer terminal? Hang on, this colt couldn't be... The colt smirked, "Something wrong, Applebloom?" His voice was a sweet tenor, so different from his normal lazy tones. Applebloom blinked, shocked. "Terminal?! Tha' cant b' you!" The colt laughed, "It is. You've just never seen me 'dress-up' before. Come on, it's time to go." Applebloom nodded, still in slight shock, and followed him out.In the hallway, Kitten was waiting. He looked as he usually did, except with slightly tidied hair and a nice suit. He nodded to Applebloom, who nodded back. "Alright, let's get into the carriage and I'll explain the situation." Terminal said silkily and led the way down the hotel stairs. Once inside the vehicle, Terminal sighed. "Ok, so here's how it goes. I'll be there as myself, and Kitten, you're there as my bodyguard. That should give you the excuse to stick around me the whole time. Applebloom, you're there as my plus one. You'll be going by the name Olive Martini, alright?" She nodded. "Sure... but, if yer gonna be there as you, who is 'you'?" He laughed slightly, "Well, I suppose you're new, so you wouldn't know. I'm the son of the current owner of Equestria's rising computer industry. It's a new company, of course, but already quite lucrative. This means, as heir to the company, I'm quite the important addition to these parties. It makes the perfect excuse to get in and check things out." "..Ah.." Applebloom said dumbly. She was CHOSEN to be an agent with people as important as this? She could hardly believe it... Yes, her sister was an element bearer, but those were often overlooked in everyday society.. You can't fix the economy with the friendship cannon, as the colloquial phrase went. In any case, there must have been something special to land her here... 'blank flank. That's how you're special- you don't know anything. Your future, your strengths. You're at a loss. and that's what makes you special- you're a failure.' Applebloom shook her head slightly to rid herself of the hounding thoughts. No, she was here for a reason- a reason OTHER than her blank flank... she hoped... They arrived at the dinner party not much later. It was easy getting in- Terminal did indeed seem as important as he'd mentioned previously. They accepted his invitation in, and welcomed all three into the room with great enthusiasm. Then, it was time to mingle for a bit and be seen. It wouldn't be right for Terminal and Kitten to run off right away. Terminal had to make a strong appearance first. Applebloom, a little freer in her movement, went to a strong source of conversation- the drink bar. She purchased a martini to help complete her image, and was happy to find that the one she'd purchased had some pleasing apple flavours. However, she only sipped at it every now and then, trying to keep as sober as she could for when things started happening. Soon enough, Terminal and Kitten slipped away from the crowd and went down one of the estate's lengthy hallways. Applebloom watched, but no one had noticed the escape. They were all too focused on the new arrivals- Fancy-Pants and his usual plus one- Fleur. Applebloom entertained herself with the thought of Rarity's face if she knew where she was, and how jealous she'd be. That small entertainment didn't last very long, however, and Applebloom soon began to grow bored. She looked at the door longingly, but the director had expressly told her earlier that she was NOT to leave the room for any reason. So, instead, she sipped her martini and listened to the conversations around her. "-New fashion line will be undeniably fabulous-" "-Absolutely cannot wait, my dear. She's simply devastated-" "-will have to bash his head in-" "-Can't wait to see the new products-" Applebloom's ears pricked- who was bashing who's head now? She moved a little closer to the source of the conversation and listened closer. "-if he doesn't bring the shipment tonight, I'm gonna have all sorts of blood on my hooves." The male voice said in hushed tones. Another male replied. "I know, but we can't do it in the middle of the party- people will talk. There's a nice quite place down the south hall we can talk it out it- nice and slow." "Yeah, I'm gonna bleed him nice and slow, sure. Look, there 'e is now..c'mon Break, let's go have a nice little chat." Applebloom's heart raced as she turned her head to watch the two colts head slowly to the door. One was a pale unicorn, and the other a disgruntled-looking pegasus. They approached the third colt who'd just entered the door, carrying a small satchel. The unicorn whispered in the newcomer's ear and they all started down the hallway opposite of where Kitten and Terminal were working. Applebloom swallowed. She was disobeying orders, but she couldn't let this just slip past her. She headed after the colts. After a while walking down the hall, she heard the voices from before, except louder. "-You bring this griffon shit! I asked fo' one thing and you bring me another! What am I supposed to do with this, Merril?!" A third voice spoke, weak, frightened, "I didn't have much of a choice! It was all I could sneak past the border gaurds- you know it's practically impossible to get Buzz through these days! So I got some of this new stuff, and I figured-" "-Yeah, yah figured. That's where yah went wrong, ya dipshit. yah ain't supposed t' bring us anythin' but Buzz." "But-" "-we did have specific orders for you." The unicorn said softly. There was a clicking noise, which Applebloom managed to recognize. The safety on a firearm had just been turned off. She swallowed. Now or never. "Excuse me, is there something wrong?" She stepped out from her spot around the corner. The gun turned to her and she barely had time to roll out of the way before the shots went off. She didn't think, she just reacted, bucking the gun out of the air where it had been held by unicorn magic, and rearing up and kicking the offender in the face. He crumpled to the floor just as the pegasus roared and charged her. "OOf!" The air whooshed out of Applebloom's lungs as she took a strong kick to the gut. She coughed and fell to one knee, a little dizzy. 'no, no... get up...' she urged herself as the pegasus aimed a kick at her head. She managed to fall out of the way, rolling onto her back and sending a powerful buck to his back legs. There was a snap, and the pegasus called out, steadying himself by flapping his wings. Applebloom started hearing startled voices from down the hall, and she knew the party attendees were coming to try and see what the commotion was. She knocked out the pegasus with a blow to his right cheek. The colt with the satchel cowered in a corner, watching her approach. "You. If ye don't want t' end up like them, help me drag these boys into one o' these rooms.." She rasped. It hurt to breath- it felt like something was digging into her lung. The colt nodded, and together they pulled the colts and the gun into a closet, just as people came around the corner. Applebloom held her breath as people passed by the door again and again. The pegasus was bleeding profusely from his nose, and Applebloom was worried that the blood may have made a trail to the door. However, if there was one, no one noticed it, and the disturbance was soon written off as the 'estate feline making a general ruckus'. Applebloom thanked whatever gods there were that most ponies had no idea what a firearm was, much less what one sounded like. She herself had only discovered them during training, and quickly became acquainted with their function. She'd just been about to come out into the hallway, when there was the sound of hoofsteps outside the door. She froze, then stepped back when the door open. Her heart leaped in relief when she saw Terminal and Kitten. "There you are! We've been looking all over. We heard the gun- what happened?" He looked at the three colts. She explained what she'd heard, her voice shaky. The adrenaline was unfamiliar to her system. She tried not to look down, where the colt's blood had gotten on her hooves. Terminal nodded to Kitten, who slapped a hoof across the last colt's head, dropping him. Applebloom jumped. "H-hey! He was cooperating!" "We can't take chances." Kitten muttered quietly, "We need to clean up and get out. Fast." "What about yer job?" "We already finished it. We'd just got back to the party when we hear the shots," Terminal sighed, holding a pad of gauze over the pegasus's nose. "Kitten, radio for a clean-up crew. Applebloom- hold this gauze down until he stops bleeding." "o-ok.." she swallowed, looking down. Her stomach turned at all the red. It wasn't like she hadn't seen blood before.. she'd fought plenty times before in school, and done plenty of damage... this was different.. this felt more cold.. cruel. She swallowed, holding the gauze in place. She winced as a particularly deep breath jostled her lung. Terminal went over to the third colt and searched through the satchel. He let out a whistle. "Kitten, this is some pretty strong stuff- this shouldn't have gotten past protocol..." "Is it local?" Kitten looked over, setting down his radio. "Nope- over border stuff. Looks Griffon-made." Terminal closed the bag, "If it made it this far, there's something else going on. I need you to call for an interrogation crew." "Alright. I'll start getting everypony out, too." "ok." Kitten headed out of the room. Not much later, the fire alarms started going off. "That should flush them out..." Terminal muttered, looking at Applebloom. "Come on- we need to get out, too. The cleanup crews will take care of this- we need to get this information to the director." Author's Note Sorry for the time delay before this chapter- It took me a while to figure out exactly how to write this how I wanted it. That, and this chapter is a little longer than the previous ones (thank goodness). I finally got it down- so what do you think?
