> You cough as an ice cold stream of water continues to land on your face.
> “Enough!”
> A hand grips the cloth sack at the corner and pulls it off your face.
> You cough, sputter, and gasp for breath as anyone would.
> The eyes of your interrogator lock with yours as you are pushed to a sitting position.
> “Well, I must say your endurance rivals your stupidity.”
> You say nothing.
> There is nothing to say when you get caught.
> “Yet you say nothing, my terms are reasonable American. You cooperate with us and we can all go home.”
> In the Army, you had never dreamt about torture while in captivity.
> But, you were a spy now.
> Therefore, you didn’t exist.
> Meaning they could do anything to you they wanted.
> He pulls a chair up and sits down in front of you.
> “You are still very young, American.” He says as he lights a cigarette. “I would hate to cut your life short.”
> He takes a long drag on it and blows the smoke into your face.
> “Now, what was your mission here?”
> You may have surrendered your body, but you still controlled your mind.
> He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and inches the glowing ember towards your eye.
> “You can talk now and keep your sight.”
> This may be your first and last operation.
> You knew the risks going in, and you just lost the draw.
> Now the ember is so close you can feel the fluid in your eyes drying away.
“See you in hell.”
 
-       -       -
 
> Your eyes snap open and you inhale deeply.
> Except your right eye has that same feeling in it.
> That burning.
> It brought back a number of unpleasant memories.
> The torture.
> For almost a year, you were rotting away in that hellhole.
> Watching other prisoners just fall down dead from exhaustion, starvation or sickness.
> With the guards just watching and laughing.
> You exhale and then take another deep breath through your nose.
> You remember the day you were pulled out of your cell.
> You were so close to being dead.
> You couldn’t walk or breathe correctly, and your eye had become infected.
> They said you would be lucky to live until you got to Japan.
> Then they said you would be lucky to make it to the states.
> After that, they said you would be lucky to live past your thirties.
> You showed them how wrong they were.
> You were walking within two days.
> You were willing to risk the surgery to fix your eye, even if it did permanently blind you if it failed.
> You overcame what they did to you.
> You showed the CIA you were willing to do anything for your country.
> You showed them you were willing to do whatever it took.
> However, while the physical wounds healed, some never would.
> To this day, some wounds were still open.
> It was just part of the job though, so you kept going.
> “Something troubling you in your sleep Anonymous?” A gentle voice asked as the outside world came back into focus.
> You look towards the source of the question to see Luna sitting across from you.
“Oh! Luna, I was just…”
> Your mind fails to complete the sentence.
> “Studying the social structure and economy of Equestria.”
“…Yes.”
> “Are you alright Anonymous? I came into the room and found you asleep but, you were talking and kept making very pained expressions.”
“I’m fine Luna, don’t worry about me.”
> “If I expect you to help me save my home, what kind of pony would I be to not care for your well-being?”
“I told you I’m fine Luna. Now, I had some questions regarding the Equestrian economy-”
> “Why was that human pouring water on your face?”
> You stop, and a cold chill runs up your spine.
> You lock eyes with her a moment.
> “I only want to help.”   
“You can’t help. I appreciate the concern but, I really don’t want to talk about it.”
> “I can tell you haven’t talked to anyone about it.”
“There was never a need to talk about it. I’m fine.”
> “Are you Anonymous? Everything you experienced in that dream, I saw. I woke you up before you had to relive that…last bit…” The last part was said with a pained tone.
> She knew exactly what happened afterwards.
“It was just part of the job…” You pause when you remember the more seasoned SAD members telling you that on the way home when you broke down into tears.
> “But it is painful for you to have such memories.”
“It’s a sacrifice I made. My work before I was captured stopped a shipment of chemical weapons to a nationalist group in Egypt; they would have been used to kill countless civilians. I was willing to die from day one, torture and imprisonment was just the price I paid.” You exhale and feel a pit open in your stomach. “Not that any of it matters now.”
> Luna opens her mouth to say something but she remains silent.
“I always knew what I did was important, I just never knew it would literally amount to me saving the world…” You pause a moment. “…and failing.” You add bitterly.
> “You did your best, that’s all anyone can ask of you. Your only one person, you can'”
“Sorry, normally I can handle it but I’m just having a hard time adapting…”
> “There is no need to be sorry for having emotions Anonymous; I would be more concerned if you had none. Besides, I have my top scholars looking for a way to send you back home. I have the fullest confidence that they will find a way to send you back.”
“You think so?”
> She smiles. “I know so.”
> A knock comes on the library door.
> “Oh, before I forget.”
> A thick stack of books, papers, and scrolls is levitated before you.
> “All the information my aides could find on Rainbow Dash.”
“Any information regarding her missions?”
> “That would be this scroll I believe.”
> You untie the ribbon and roll it open.
> Black.
“It’s marked out.”
> “I trust that you know there is always a need for secrecy in this field.”
“She was just a courier though, and you said she was never deeply involved with operations.”
> She was hiding something from you.
“Do you have a personal file on her?”
> Another scroll is floated in front of you.
> You skim the words and find a word you recognize.
“She’s got a drinking problem?”
> “In recent years, yes.”
“Any reason why she would turn to alcohol?”
> “Not to my knowledge.”
“So she doesn’t have a past she’s trying to forget? She just likes to drown in the bottom of a bottle in her spare time?”
> “No one really knows why.”
> Okay, Luna.
“Well, I guess I have some reading to do. Thank you, Luna.”
> “It was no trouble, really.”
“Mind if I take a walk?”
> “I have no issue with it, just stay on the castle grounds.”
> You nod.
“What are you going to be doing while I am stretching my legs?”
> “Coordinating with my advisors. We may have picked up a lead on some possible activity affiliated with Discord, and by extension Doctor X.”
> Perfect.
“Alright, well if you would allow me my leave.”
> “Certainly Anonymous, please take as long as you need.”
> You walk to the small room you were given to sleep in and pull your armor on for warmth.
> Along with your facemask.
> The seasons here in Equestria apparently coincided with Earth’s.
> As you flash your badge to the guard, your boot creates an audible crunch on the snowy ground.
> Thankfully, Luna trusted you enough to not have one of her agents follow you.
> You had also concealed your combat knife with you in lieu of your sidearm.
> You had to conserve ammunition until you found some way to acquire more.
> But, that could wait.
> It was time to go have a chat with Rainbow Dash.
> The main gate of the castle was predictably, guarded by Celestia’s guards.
> You look at the ivy covered walls around them though.
> Approaching the wall you reach out and grab a vine.
> The thickness of the vines would be strong enough to hold you while you climbed over.
> You take a few steps backwards and take a run at the wall.
> With a jump, you latch on to a few thick vines.
> Scaling the wall was easy, and you were in town in no time at all.
> Luna, Celestia, and all their soldiers were none the wiser.
> You hadn’t received much in the way of suspicion in the last town.
> Well, in the last time you had protected them from a raiding party.
> Plus, returned their friends from captivity.
> The town itself was still bustling with activity, ponies walked in large groups around the town.
> Most of them dressed very sharply.
> Must be an upper-class kind of town.
> You start to walk down the sidewalk towards the group.
> Maybe they would know where you could find Rainbow Dash.
> “Oh my Celestia! What is that thing?” A hushed whisper comes from the group of nine or ten ponies.
“Good evening, have any of you seen a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane? Calls herself Rainbow Dash?”
> The group just stares at you.
“It talks…”
> And they burst out laughing.
> Rolling your eyes, you walk away.
> If you were Rainbow Dash, where would you go to drink and forget your troubles?
> Somewhere with strong drinks, loud music, and a crowd to get lost in.
> Sounded about right.
> Your walk of the sprawling city took you to the seedier part of town in less time than you expected.
> Approaching the brightly lit district, you hear a heavy thumping.
> Was that?
> Fuck. It is.
> You groan.
“Dubstep. Even in a completely different fucking dimension I can’t get away from it.”
> Fucking kids…
> You also notice that all eyes are on you.
> Scanning left and right are giant crowds of ponies staring at you.
> Then again, you were foreign in this land.
> You decide the best way to minimize the attention is to pay no mind to it.
> “Hey! Ape!”
> You continue walking towards the source of the music.
> “I’m talking to you!”
> Keep walking Anonymous…
> You hear hooves on the pavement behind you.
> Keep walk-
> One lands on your shoulder.
> “Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you!”
> You turn and see a group of ponies were now formed behind the one that was holding you back.
> He had to stand on his back legs since ponies were maybe about half as tall as you were, but he was trying his best to look intimidating.
“I’m not looking for trouble…”
> “Too bad, freak. You found it.”
“I would recommend you leave me alone.”
> “I don’t care, everyone in this district answers to us. Pay the tax, and we can all go on with our lives…”
> You grin a bit, the mask hiding your smile.
“If I refuse?”
> “We beat you within an inch of your life, and we throw you over the waterfall.”
“Do it.”
> The pony chuckles.
> “You heard him boys! Make him pay!”
> You immediately grab the leader, and twist the arm he had on your shoulder behind his back.
> Throwing him forward, you strike another pony.
> Assuming a defensive position, you notice your surrounded.
“We can all just walk away; we don’t have to do this.”
> “You just unleashed a world of hurt on yourself you damn dirty ape! Get him!”
> The first colt charges at you with a wooden club in his mouth.
> They were forced to fight with their mouths is they were earth ponies, magic if they were unicorns, or fly and fight if they were pegasi.
> You however, didn’t have that problem.
> As the pony rears his head back for a swing, you grab the club.
> The steel cap in your boot connects with his lower jaw and sends him tumbling to the sidewalk.
> With the club in hand, you block a metal rod that was being levitated by a unicorn almost hits your ribs.
> You push the bar away and punch the unicorn in the face, the loud crack of your hard knuckled tactical gloves doing their job once again.
> The leader of the group suddenly jumps on you and knocks you to the ground.
> He has a dagger brandished in his teeth.
> While holding him back with one arm, you reach for your knife.
> You press the tip of the blade against his chest.
> His struggle against your arm ceases and his eyes go wide.
“Drop the dagger, or I gut you right here in front of all these people.”
> The pony drops the dagger and begins to slowly inch his way off of you.
> He was too slow though, and got thrown to the side by your arm.
> Then you hear a rush of air and feel a blow across your chest.
> The unicorn, now with a black eye, rearmed herself and this time landed a hit.
“Fuck!”
> Your now pinned to the ground by three of the gang.
> “You thought you could come into my city and disrespect me?”
> The leader stands over you.
> “Kill him.”
> The unicorn raises the dagger.
> “Leave him alone!” A familiar voice shouts.
> Looking up from you, she is suddenly blindsided by a flash of cyan.
> “No one hurts my friends!”
> Seizing the moment, you grab one of the ponies and throw them away from you.
> Now standing, you look into the face of the leader once again.
> He rears up and tries to strike you with his front hooves.
> You grab one and kick his legs out from under him, while simultaneously pulling the hoof down.
> A loud crack is heard as the leader hits the pavement.
> For a moment a silence settles in.
> Rainbow stumbles her way over to you.
> You look down at the Pegasus before you.
> The smell of alcohol assaulted you as she opened her mouth.
> “Well Anon, you seem to have a knack for getting yourself into trouble. Why aren’t you in the castle?”
“I was looking for you, Rainbow. Come on, we need to go.”
> “Go? The party is in there though!”
“I think you have had enough partying for tonight.”
> “I just started though! I didn’t even get a drink down before a bar owner had me thrown out.”
> That was a lie.
> Was everyone a horrible liar here?
“Look Rainbow, I needed to talk to you and I would prefer if you were sober.”
> “Lighten up Anon! Come have a drink with me, you might even have fun!”
> You roll your eyes.
> “You know you want to.”
“Fine.”
> Thankfully, you didn’t enter the building with the blaring Dubstep.
> A bar down the street was the destination, with the entrance in an alleyway.
> Walking in, Rainbow was greeted with cheers and enthusiastic whistles.
> “I’m kinda well known here…”
“I can tell.”
> “Hey! Me and my friend here need the strongest drink you have!” She pauses a moment. “Make that two for each of us!”
> Thankfully, you sit at a booth in the corner of the room.
> The bartender stops when he sees you.
> While his mouth was carrying a tray, the look on his face said it all.
 “Don’t even.”
> He nods and places the drinks down and walks away.
> Rainbow immediately downs a glass.
> Then another.
> Then a third.
> She reaches for a fourth but you reach it before she can.
“What’s your rush Rainbow Dash?”
> “Rush?”
“You act like you’re in a hurry to get drunk.”
> “Not drunk, just buzzed.”
> You bring the glass to your face.
> Even through the facemask, you can smell the fumes from the drink.
> This was weak compared to what you drank back home.
> Rainbow Dash was only half your size though.
> “I don’t think you can drink through that mask.”
“No, I can’t.”
> You set the drink down and slide it to Rainbow Dash.
“I’m not particularly thirsty anyway.”
> She shrugs and downs the drink in a flash.
> “I need four more over here!”
> She looks back at you and starts to laugh.
> “Why do you wear that mask anyway?”
“It’s part of who I am.”
> Before she answers, she downs two of the drinks.
> She must have a pretty high tolerance.
“So Rainbow, you do this often?”
> “Whenever I feel like it. Mostly I’m alone though…”
“None of your friends ever come drinking with you?”
> That one seemed to sting.
> Two more drinks.
> “No…” Then she suddenly perks up. “Well Pinkie used to but well she’s always so busy now…”
> Another tray of drinks arrives.
> “I’m not leaving until you drink with me.”
> With a heavy sigh, you pull the mask off and lay it on the table.
> Rainbow downs a drink, and then pushes one towards you.
> You take a small sip and roll it around in your mouth.
> To you, mostly water.
> But still, it passed as booze.
> “You look better without the mask on.” Rainbow starts. “I mean, if you have it off you look more attractive. With it on you just look like a crazed killer.”
> You hope that’s the alcohol talking.
> You play it off and laugh.
“Can’t help it, it’s just an instinct to wear it.”
> Another drink.
> “Instinct is a convenient excuse.”
> Her tone though, was much darker than normal.
> Regret.
> She puts her hooves on the table and looks down.
> Now that psychology training would come in handy.
“Excuse? Mind explaining Rainbow?”
> “Just look at the Diamond Dogs, Celestia always said it was their instinct to attack us.”
> She sets another empty glass down.
> Still no slurring.
> Fuck Rainbow, do you even have a liver left to use?
“Maybe. So Rainbow, why do you drink exactly?”
> “Because it’s a good way to relieve stress, plus people say I’m more fun when I have had a few...” She pauses. “…and it helps me sleep at night.”
“You have trouble sleeping at night?”
> She nods, her expression becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation.
> “I’m just restless.”
> So were you.
“You know Rainbow, I have been a soldier for twenty years.”
> You smile a bit.
“Want to know what I learned?”
> She stares at you a moment in a sort of shocked silence.
“Regret is easy to spot.”
> She look down at the table.
> “Sometimes I just wish I could forget everything…” She says.
> A tear hits the table.
“Doing this to yourself won’t solve anything Rainbow Dash.”
> “It helps me forget…”
“But you remember the next morning.”
> She slams her hooves down on the table.
> Her eyes were full of tears now.
> Now, she just stared at you in resentment.
> You stare right back.
“I need your help Rainbow, I can’t save your home alone and thus far, I trust you more than anyone.”
> You stand.
“You have a choice now. You can sit here and drink yourself to death like a coward, or you can help me. If you need me, just come find me at the Castle. I’m staying with Luna’s outfit.” You pause a moment. “You should know where that is.”
> You walk away without another word.
> As you exit, two of Luna’s guards are waiting for you.
> So is Luna.
> “I told you to stay on castle grounds.”
“I had business to take care of.”
> She shoots you a curious glance but nods her head.
> You look back to see Rainbow hasn’t followed you.
> She may give up on herself, but you would still have a job to do regardless.
> You could only pray she picked the sensible thing to do.