Stallions are from Mars [Halloween, RGRE]

>The Office of Special Operations wasn’t a secret to ponies born In the city like you, they just weren’t considered very interesting
>They were mysterious, yes, but their brief appearances in public painted them as little more than bureaucrats in nice clothes mopping up messes and doing paperwork for the crown - the last thing hip Canterlot ponies would care about
>In small towns like Ponyville their image was very different
>To Granny Apple for instance, the Office of Special Operations was actually the O.S.O, a shadowy organization rumored to be run by an extended royal family, hyper-intelligent Breezies, or lizardmares
>No matter who was in charge, their goal was usually the same: turn any mare who spoke poorly of the Zebras into a stallion, have them declared hysterical, and then lock them away in a “hospital”
>’Or they eat ya!’ as the youngest Apple thought
>You enjoy a chuckle at the absurdity of it all, but another blind and harrowing lurch of your carriage quickly knocks the fun out of you
>According to your pocket watch you’d been riding for over an hour, but It was getting hard to tell given you weren’t allowed to see where you were going after leaving the train
>It was worth noting that every curtain and entrance had been sealed shut to ensure your compliance
>At first you were happy that you wouldn’t have to ride over the big gorge, but now, as you climbed higher and higher into the void in your hot wooden box, you were starting to wonder if seeing a natural wonder from the safety of a rail was all that scary
>You can’t lie to yourself, their theatrics seem a bit silly, but the O.S.O is still a respected branch of government under direct control of the princesses
>Princess Celestia had personally requested that you tour the facility, and it wasn’t unlikely that Princess Celestia herself would receive a report of said tour...
>You swallow a lump in your throat and remind yourself that strife is what friends are for - and you were gifted with many
>Applejack and Rarity look up from what they’re doing and smile when they notice your gaze, reassuring you immensely
>They were ponies who’d proven themselves level-headed, reliable, and reasonably predictable in the past; good traits to have when waltzing into the unknown, and they were willing to take time out of their busy schedules to humor a jittery pony like you
>Pinkie Pie, as you learned later, had also come along
>You figured it out when the three of you tried to collect your things from the train and she came shrieking out of Rarity’s overhead compartment in a witch mask
>”You girls think they’re gonna show us the secret aliens?” she says, bouncing beside you. “Oh gosh I hope they show us the secret aliens.”
>”Ain’t no such thing,” Applejack retorts.
>”Is so! And where else would they have’em but way out here in a secret, alien-housing facility you’re not allowed to know about!? Huh!? Answer that one!”
>”That stuff’s fairytales, Pinkie. You really think they got aliens holed up somewhere and nopony said a word about it to anypony else, anywhere, ever? C’mon, sugarcube.”
>”That’s what the Mares in Black WANT you to think.” The masked pony huffs and turns to your other companion beseechingly. “Rarity believes me, don’t you? What do you think the aliens are gonna look like?”
>Rarity hums, flipping a page in her little red novel. “Oh, I don’t know… I suppose a Lady can only hope they’re tall. Some firm, square jaws wouldn’t hurt.”
>”Oooo, with lots of sharp teeth?”
>”Perhaps, as long as they’re white. Some baby blue eyes and firm legs would do as well. Spirited, bubbly – a romantic, preferably.”
>Applejack chuckles despite her pink friend’s confusion
>”Ya’ll are in different pumpkin patches,” she says. ”Ah’m partial to the sweet reserved aliens, m’self.”
>The witch flips up her mask so that her friends can properly see her pouting at them. “You girls aren’t even IN the pumpkin patch, that’s the problem! We are on a ride to a secret government base in the middle of nowhere. It’s probably crawling with mutated experiments and monsters, but all you ponies can talk about is rod! Where’s your Nightmare Night spirit?”
>”Darling please, it’s thirty days away.”
>”That’s no excuse!”
“I’m sorry everypony, I know this was short notice,” you interject, eager to move on. “I’m sure if we stay focused we can get back home by late tomorrow. I know you’ve been waiting to start decorating, Pinkie.”
>Pinkie, unflappable, waves a hoof. “Aw, you don’t have to apologize to me, Twilight. I did kinda’ break into your adventure. And a train.”
>”Ah’m not sure if ‘adventure’s the right word,” Applejack says. “What’d the princess say again? Somethin’ about safety?”
>You recite the words from the letter in your lap without looking
“ ‘To ensure that you and the other elements fully understand the great risks involved in your pursuit of peace and harmony, and in doing so become more wizened and stalwart defenders of Equestria.’ “
>Applejack scratches beneath her hat. “Yeah… all that.”
>”Does the Princess really think we need to meet with these whoever’s to keep Equestria safe?” Rarity asks. “Is she expecting something?”
“No, I… I doubt it’s anything that bad, really. Princess Celestia probably just wants to make sure that we aren’t caught off guard by anything important the average pony doesn’t know about, that’s all.” You turn to nudge Pinkie good-spiritedly. “Maybe dangerous, undiscovered animals? Maybe an alien or two?”
>Applejack scoffs. “Ah bet Pony Mary’s the janitor. All they need’s a mirror. That’s how they get her around to clean up all the puke.”
>”What!?” Pinkie exclaims, wounded. “Pony Mary would NEVER clean up puke! She eats souls!”
>”Those things ain’t exclusive.”
“W-well, whatever is waiting for us when we get there, I doubt there’s going to be any puking or soul-sucking,” you remind them. “This is probably just going to be a tour of an ordinary office building, maybe some warehouses. If there IS anything dangerous, I’m sure it’s under control and everything is completely safe.”
>The moment you finish speaking, the sunlight beating down on your little box from the outside vanishes, and the air grows cool and moist
>Rarity makes a little sound of surprise as the carriage shakes and then slows to a halt, leaving her and the rest of you squinting at each other in the darkness
>Time passes without any instruction from the outside, and eventually your companions begin to show signs of restlessness
>”Hello?” Rarity says softly, tapping on a shrouded window with her hoof. “Can you hear me? Are we allowed to leave?”
>Applejack reaches down to test the door nearest her and grunts when she finds it still locked ”Ain’t this nice.”
“Maybe we’re about to go through some sort of checkpoint?”
>”M-maybe we’re about to go through some sort of lizardmare heat ray that liquifies our bones for easy digestion.” Pinkie Pie, now trembling, yanks her mask back over her face and huddles in the corner. “Not the worst way to go out, but I’ll be honest girls, I was hoping for something less excruciating.”
>”Why aren’t they answering?” Rarity whispers
>With a huff, Applejack turns to try the door again but jumps back at the last moment when the curtain above it tears away to reveal the grinning face of a pony
>”What in––!?”
>”I apologize again for the all secrecy,” the mare you now recognized as your O.S.O chaperone says from outside. “If you’d like to step out, the door is unlatched. There isn’t much to see I’m afraid. Oh, and anything you’d like to keep should be taken with you. You won’t be coming back.”
>The four of you exchange silent looks
>After a moment of silent deliberation you step up to push open the door and lead the others outside, your hooves leaving padded rugging for hard, uneven ground
>Your party files out into what appears to be a dimly-lit cave, on one end of which was a sunlit tarp hanging over a slat in the rocks over a smooth path, and on the other of which was a much rougher path that lead deeper into the cavern
>As you examine your new surroundings, your chaperone moves out from behind the door of your vehicle, pushes it shut, and then trudges toward the rougher end of the path near you
>Her slacks, suit jacket, mane, tail, and sunglasses were all jet black, making her off-white coat stand out
>Although none of you had tried discussing something so impolite on the way, it was likely clear to all of you that the poor thing had been in some sort of horrible accident
>There were deep lines on her face where the fur no longer grew, and when she walked, her limbs wobbled and buckled beneath her like she was tied together with loose string
>If that wasn’t enough, it became very noticeable whenever she spoke that her jaw was misaligned or impaired somehow, giving her mouth an off-center quality
>Despite this, the scarred mare speaks almost perfectly
>“The entrance is further inside,” she says. “We’ll need to hoof it from here. Don’t worry, it won’t be much longer before you meet up with agent Sleepwell.”
“Wonderful,” you reply, turning to her as she passes. “Thank you for everything, miss, um…?”
>The black-clad mare slowly turns and smiles her mismatched, unsettling smile at you in the darkness
>”You can call me Miss T.”
>You shuffle, willing yourself to drum up some small talk with the crippled mare while your friends collected their sparse few belongings
“How long have you been working with the O.S.O?”
>”Ohhh, we’ve known each other since the very beginning. Since before the facility here was even built.”
“Really? That’s good… do you hold a high position in your department, then?
>”Who, me?” She tries to shrug amicably, but given her nature, her withers shake and rise out of sync. “Not really. They usually keep me locked up in the basement, but sometimes, if I make a fuss, they let me out for a while so I wont be naughty.”
>You laugh softly at her joke
”I’m sorry to hear that. You seem like a nice pony.”
>”Thanks, I try to come across that way.” The black glass abyss where the little mare’s eyes should be shifts subtly to stare into you. “You’re a nice pony too, Twilight. Even if we don't know each other for much longer, I hope we can still be friends.”
>Your chest swells at the mention of the “F’ word and you immediately draw closer up to her side, beaming brightly
>Once the others had sorted out their luggage and passed along yours, your group collected and began the trek onward - with you and your newest friend shambling at the head of the pack
>The farther you went, the darker it got, but your guide confidently leads the way without a care, taking you down passage after dark passage
>The five of you walked in relative silence for a while, enjoying the sights the cave had to offer, but unsurprisingly, the charm of the dank, eerie pit began to fade with time, and soon one of your friends spoke up
>”Pretty outa’ the way, ain’t it?” Applejack says, sidestepping a drippy part of the ceiling. “Guess that’s how ya’ll keep the milkmare from comin’ around.”
>”I’m afraid It’s better that way,” Miss T. says. “The O.S.O doesn’t like to draw attention to certain facilities for the greater good. It keeps everypony calm and happy and helps to avoid unfortunate circumstances.”
>”Oh yeah?” a voice bubbles up from behind you. “Any of those circumstances related to, oh, I dunno, just off the top of my head – BONE MELTING!?”
“Pinkie!”
>Miss T. lets out what you think is a hissy little laugh through her teeth, practically choking herself with giggles
>“I think Sleepy’s going to like you. You’ll have to ask her about all that stuff. I’m just a delivery mare. All I’m allowed to do is pull the carriage.”
>At first you took her words for granted, nodding along, but after a moment her statement hit you in a different light
“I… didn’t even notice. There’s nopony else with you, is there?”
>A shake of her head confirms it, and based on the murmuring behind you, your friends are catching on, too
“I was sure more of you would come after we met at the station. We were going for so long, uphill. Four of us and a cart... did you really pull us all the way here alone?”
>The well-dressed pony cuts left towards the cave wall without a word, and a wave of heat passes across your face
“O-oh but, I’m sorry, that isn’t to imply you’re – what I was trying to say was––”
>”Ah’d be on my last legs haulin’ that kinda’ load,” Applejack interjects on your behalf. “Me AND my best farmhoof, and you did it alone? You aren’t even sweatin’. You’re some athlete, ma’am, ‘specially given your, uh… condition.” She coughs into her hoof and quickly moves on. “How long did ya’ have to work here before you could manage somethin’ like that?”
>The willowy, broken-up little mare stuffs a foreleg into her suit pocket, produces a small, badge-like item, and presses it flat against the wall. ”Oh it’s nothing like that at all. There was no practice involved.”
>A sound like air rushing out of a canister fills the cave
>The solid rock she just touched suddenly divides cleanly down the middle and begins to slide apart
>As the wall separates, a rectangular platform set in a large black frame with a fence-like gate rises into view from underground and rumbles to a stop before her
>It was made of heavy metal instead of wood, but it was obviously some sort of lift, and it had more than enough room for several ponies to fit inside
>The fence in the lift clatters and shifts aside without further signal from your driver, inviting you in
>As it does, an artificial light springs to life from the gap, burning the image of Miss T’s ruined silhouette into your eyes
>A twisted pair of pearly white teeth flash from inside the dark mass of her face, her countenance inspiring a vague, primal unease within you
>“I guess you could say I’ve always been like this. Now, please, step inside. There’s lots of ponies waiting for you down below, and the facility is very big, so I’m sure they’d like to meet you right away.”
>She turns, four unsure faces staring back at you from the sleek glass in her shades
>As she examines each of you one by one, a cuffed hoof comes up to wipe at the sagging corner of her toothy mouth
>”Unless, of course, you’d like to stay here with me...”