The Enemy of my Enemy

Chapter 2

Asila's chambers were dim. Ripple and Kai stood at the entrance and stared into the room. Asila flung a stack of papers on her desk and gestured for them to come forward. Ripple approached Asila cautiously with Kai behind me. 

"This is your mission. If I hear of any fighting among you two, I'll personally punish you further," Asila muttered. Ripple looked at Asila with fearful eyes before turning his attention to the files. He opened it and began to skim the pages. 

"The... Arcane Alliance?" Kai asked, peeking over Ripple's shoulder to see. His wings fluttered uncomfortably. Asila only nodded. Ripple looked at the other pages. 

"What is it you want us to do?" Ripple asked as he closed the file gingerly. 

"The regular. Gather information and then detain them. My other agents have told me that they seem to be a pretty small group, not much bigger than this organization, but that's all we know. We have no clue who is in it, or anyone's abilities. So please, Ripple, be more cautious this time around," Asila said. Ripple grunted and grabbed the files. Using his magic, he placed it in a bag next to Asila's desk and strapped it over his flank. 

"Then we'll be off. We'll choose who'll come with us, then we'll leave," Ripple said and lead Kai out of the room. They walked down the corridors in silence. The only noise came from their hooves hitting the cement. Kai pushed open the Training Room doors and the others ran over. 

"Woah there! What happened?" Spotty asked. She poked her head over Hunter and BluFyre's shoulders. Pisces approached, his long dolphin-like tail lashing side to side. 

"Ripple, Kai, what did I tell you about fighting?" Pisces questioned, his eyes flaring with anger. In the back, Tae began to laugh. He shouldered his way through with Allie behind him. 

"Pisces, they always fight, can't really stop them. They're like...fire and ice!" Tae smirked and Ripple shot him 'the look'. Tae let out a nervous chuckle and he backed away. 

"Kai, choose who you wanna take," Ripple muttered and sat down, the fake grass pricking his skin uncomfortably. Ripple looked up with boredom as Kai glanced around the room, deciding who to pick, and nearly had a heart-attack. Staring straight at him was Star Chaser. She was perched right above the door, her amber eyes glinting with curiosity. He blinked at her as he tried to calm his heart. She gave him a toothy grin before landing silently on the grass beside Felicity and Moonlight. 

"Alright... I'll choose Alexander, Leo and Lucien..." Kai said. The three ponies looked at each other like this was the worst thing ever. 

"W-what are those looks for?!" Kai snapped. Lucien turned his eyes to Kai and gave him a sheepish smile. 

"W-well, you and Ripple are kinda hard to deal with sometimes..." Lucien began but Kai turned away and sat down. Ripple saw Serenity shifting towards him slowly but he averted his eyes. 

"Well, I guess I'll take Pinkie, of course, Toxy, and Allie," Ripple announced. Tae shot forward. 

"You're gonna take Allie and not me?!" Tae yelped, "I wanna be with Allie!" 

"Too bad," Ripple retorted. He turned to face the rest of the ponies that were watching in silence. 

"I want all of you to behave while I'm gone..." Ripple said. A small ripple of laughter shot through the gathered ponies. Ripple tilted his head in confusion. 

"Uh? Why'd you laugh?" he asked. 

"Because you're always the one misbehaving," Angel snorted. Ripple slowly blinked his eyes, his thoughts churning. Did he really misbehave that much? Surely not.... Ripple shook his head to clear his thoughts. 

"That's it, I'll show those that were chosen the file before we leave," Ripple announced and he slipped out of the room quickly. The large pony ran down the corridors and up the stairs. Floor 2... Floor 3... Floor 4... he opened the door and bolted through it. He ran for his room and shut the door quickly. Ripple's breathing was heavy and he felt emotions begin to flood over him. No WAY was he working with Kai! The only plus side was that he could be with Pinkie. Ripple padded over to the sliding glass door and sat down on the balcony that overlooked the city. It was quite peaceful now that the sun was setting. The sky was lit with oranges and yellows and reds that were already beginning to fade into black. Ripple turned his head as his door opened and a head poked in. Ripple relaxed once he realized it was just Pinkie. She walked over to Ripple and sat down beside him. Her small complex made Ripple have to look slightly down at her. She looked up and closed her eyes. 

"Ripple, don't worry," she said. He looked at her and flicked his ear. A slight breeze blew by and it ruffled their hair just a bit. 

"What do you mean?" he asked. 

"I mean, you'll be fine. If you and Kai start fighting, we'll all make sure we break it up, alright? I'm pretty sure Asila is sending you on this mission to help you grow as teammates," Pinkie replied quietly and she leaned against him. She emanated warmth and he enjoyed her touch through the cold breeze. 

"W-well I know that, it's just... we have a bad history. It's hard... just like Tae said, we're like fire and ice," Ripple sighed as he watched the sky grow even darker as the sun began to hide behind the horizon. Pinkie let out a chuckle. 

"That's history though, you gotta start looking into the future," Pinkie murmured. Ripple looked at her. The future. One of the only thoughts that popped into his mind was something entirely different than what she had been thinking. A family is what he wanted. Ripple nearly choked. The thought caught him completely off-guard. No way would Pinkie think that too... Ripple narrowed his eyes and shook his head aggressively to clear his head. Pinkie looked at him, her eyes filling with concern. 

"Are you okay?" she questioned. Ripple nodded. 

"Just.. uh.. thoughts," he whispered. Ripple pulled Pinkie closer and hugged her. 

"We should get going," he murmured. He didn't want to let go, but he had to. Pinkie smiled and kissed his cheek before heading inside. Ripple smiled and stood up. It was time to begin the mission, one of the biggest missions he'd see for a very.. very long time. 

A/N: yyayayayayay! I said I'd get this out tomorrow, but what the hell, I wrote this quick enough! I got some Bipple in, and next chapter they'll start their journey!!! Remember to vote, follow, add to your reading list, and enjoy!