The Eclipse Bureau

Chapters

1 - More Equal Than Others
3 - Interview, With a Vampire
4 - Canterlot Calling
2 - An Equestrian Weretimberwolf in Trottingham

1 - More Equal Than Others

The Unicorn trotted toward the church, and stopped at the doors with her ear perked up. A chilly night breeze flowed through her mane.

Preacher’s having fun in there, she thought, and looked at the banners by the door. Equal signs were crudely painted over the images of a sun. I daresay Celestia wouldn’t be too pleased if she saw this.

She stretched out her legs and took a deep breath as she recalled the plan.

Walk inside, get the leader’s attention, give them the ‘I’ve seen the light’ crap, get their guard down, Buck’s your uncle. Aye, we’ve got this.

She pushed open the doors with her magic, and was instantly assaulted by a barrage of rhetoric.

“It is not for the marks on our flanks to dictate how we live!” bellowed the Unicorn stallion from the altar. A mare stood next to him, trying her best to have the best sneer in the room. “Nor do they have the right to decide who is more deserving of power! True happiness lies where we can all live on equal standing! And soon, the whole world will know the joy of Equalhood by our hooves!”

The interior was brightly lit by the large candle sconces along the walls. The Unicorn was taken aback by how every pew was filled by Ponies of all ages and species, hanging on the preacher’s every word and letting out the occasional cheer. As she expected, everypony in attendance bore the same equal sign on their flanks.

Luna almighty, there are foals here.

“And what is this?” the preacher said. She looked up and frowned as she saw him looking right at her. “Do we have another who wishes to join the family?”

Her heart skipped a beat when, in perfect sync, every pair of eyes in the pews locked onto her. All those blank, glassy stares...

Keep to the plan, Ruby.

“Uh, yes!” she called back, in her natural Shireland brogue. “I want to know the joys of a life where everypony is the same! Hallelujah and et cetera!”

“A glorious evening!” he cried, and beckoned her to approach. “Tell us your name, sister.”

“Ruby Glow, brother,” she said, walking up the aisle to the altar. She locked eyes with the mare up there for a split-second, watching her reach into her jacket pocket. She sported an equal sign, but oddly enough, the stallion’s cutie mark was quite literally an open book.

“Dearest Ruby Glow,” he said, his voice echoing through the hall, “you have taken the first step toward the beautiful new world of Equalhood. Please, show us your cutie mark.”

Ruby lifted her legs out of the sleeves of her black leather trenchcoat, and used her magic to lift it off her body. Her namesake ruby fur was on full display, complimenting her red bedhead and frizzy tail. She raised an eyebrow as the crowd scowled and grumbled at her cutie mark - purple and pink streams of light circling a black eye.

“Not to worry, brothers and sisters,” the preacher said, his horn starting to glow, “young Ruby Glow will soon be free of her chains and be one with Equalhood.”

His magic aura wrapped around Ruby's cutie Mark and began to tug at it. He grunted and huffed, jerking his head back a few times. Ruby brushed a hoof on the floor and began to whistle a tune. After a particularly strong pull, he stopped and wiped his brow, letting go of the cutie mark. His eyes widened when he saw some white bars come down over Ruby's flank, fading away with a sound like a lock being fastened.

"There, um, seems to be some kind of spell on you, sister."

"Oh bugger, sorry about that," Ruby said, facehoofing. "Completely forgot I put on a Cutie Seal before I came 'round."

"A what, sorry?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Just this wee counter-curse that was developed not long after somepony else tried this very same 'equal mark cult' shite. Though I don't think Fiducia Compelus was involved back then, especially not combined with Cogeria and Persuadere. Bit of a historian, are we?"

Ruby didn't try to hide her satisfaction when the preacher's breathing quickened and he began to sweat more.

"H-how did you…?" he murmured.

"Not to brag but I like to think I'm good at recognising spells," Ruby boasted, then nodded to his flank. "Also, the good brother not practising what he preaches was a dead giveaway."

His horn glowed again, and Ruby found that her hooves were stuck to the floor, trapped in his aura. She looked up and saw his face contorted into a scowl that fit him disturbingly well.

“You think you’re the first? You think you’re clever?” he snarled, getting nose-to-nose with her. “I’ve had cops, royal guards and detectives sniffing about, getting far too close. And you know what I did with them?”

“I’m sure you’re dying to tell me,” Ruby snarked, then her head was magically forced to turn toward the crowd and their blank, wide smiles. “Ow.”

“They joined my family,” he went on. “I took everything away from them. Their cutie marks, their quirks, their personalities. And once I spread Equalhood across the Griffish Isles, I’ll move onto the Equestria mainland. Then nopony can lord their superior skills over mine. I’ll be the only Pony--no, the only creature left with any magical talent!”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “All this because you have a bit of an inferiority complex? Did you at least talk to a therapist? Because all this is a bit of a jump.”

The preacher sighed through his teeth. “Now, if you’ll be a dear and let my assistant hold you in place, we’ll give you a nice ring for your horn so we can begin your journey to Equalhood. And kindly keep quiet. Very quiet.”

The mare behind him reached into her pocket again and walked up. She and Ruby locked eyes once again, almost like one was daring the other to make a move. It was the mare who obliged, by lifting out an ominous black ring. For the first time, Ruby’s smarmy glare broke when she got a look at it. She swallowed.

“Is that…?”

The mare shifted without warning. Nopony had time to react.

“What the-?!” the preacher barked as the ring slipped onto his horn. “What is this?! You traitor!”

“Not quite,” the mare said, then with a wipe of magical light, standing in her place was a light green Changeling with violet eyes, wearing a trenchcoat similar to Ruby’s. “I’m more of a spy than a traitor. We’ve been on your tail for a little while now, Sealight.”

“What?!” he spluttered. “Wait, then where’s…?”

“Resting off a nasty bump on the noggin in a closet,” the Changeling answered. “She’ll be fine.”

“Oh, also,” Ruby added, poking her head out from behind, “you’re under arrest for the usage of outlawed spells without a permit.”

“Under arrest?!” he spat. “Who are you? Undercover cops? Royal Guards?”

“We’re not at liberty to tell you,” the Changeling said, passing Ruby her trenchcoat. “But you’ll wish you were dealing with the Guard.”

Sealight got a glimpse of the pin on both coats’ lapels–a black ring, with purple wave-like shapes looping around the band. The inside was yellow, with a blue crescent cut into it. He didn’t recognise the image, but at the moment, he didn’t care.

He grit his teeth hard enough to nearly crack them. “Well, as far as anypony besides us knows, I’m innocent!”

“So you won’t mind if we have our guys do a quick scan of your horn for what magic you’ve used recently?” Ruby asked, flexing her brow when she saw him pale. “Oh yeah, we have spells for spells now.”

The Changeling reached into her pocket and pulled out a little recording device, playing a small snippet of his rant from a few moments ago. “A vocal confession never hurt either.”

“What now, boyo?” Ruby grinned. “Gonna get your mates to have a go at us?”

“Slaves!” the preacher snapped. “Protect your master!”

Ruby faltered. “Crap.”

Without missing a beat, everypony in the pews got to their hooves in perfect sync. They began a perfect march to the altar, their hoofbeats echoing. Ruby and the Changeling exchanged glances; these were all brainwashed innocents, so there wasn’t much they could do in terms of offensive manoeuvres.

Just as the mob got close enough to climb up the platform, the two’s salvation came in the form of two falling angels--well, a Griffon and a Batpony dropping down from the rafters--creating a wide semi-circle. Both wore a trenchcoat, but the Griffon also sported a wide-brimmed hat.

“All of you, back up,” the Griffon ordered, pulling a crossbow from his back and waving it at the crowd. “This thing’s loaded, and I will use it.”

“And you do not want to know what I will do,” the Batpony added, her smooth voice carrying a Roamanian lilt.

“Halt! Hold your ground!” Sealight yelped, the Ponies obeying right away. Even he realised that casualties would just make things even messier for him.

“Alrighty,” Ruby said, using her magic to lift Sealight to her face, “where’re the cutie marks? I’m takin’ these folks home.”

“I’ll never talk,” he snarled. “You’ll never stop Equalhood. I’ll be back and–”

“It’s equality,” the Changeling interrupted. “Every time you say that stupid made-up word, I have to fight the urge to punch you in the mouth.”

Ruby simply dropped the preacher and her horn lit with an aura befitting her name. She closed her eyes, and through the darkness she saw figures shimmering with light. The dark blue silhouette of the preacher was slumped at her hooves, the Changeling a mossy green, the Griffon a steel grey matching his feathers, and the Batpony violet like her coat. The crowd of Ponies were all faded colours, pulses of black emanating from their flanks. As expected, their magic was weak and repressed.

She turned her head to each side, then halted as she looked up. A strong, rainbow-like cluster of magic was shimmering high above, desperate for attention. She smirked and cancelled the spell, opening their eyes.

“They’re up in the bell tower,” she reported. “I’ll go pick ‘em up. Tarsis, you wanna keep an eye on Chuckles?"

"Nothing would please me more," the Changeling remarked.

"Graham, Van, you two stay on crowd control.”

"Got it, boss," Graham said with a salute of his free talons. Vanessa gave a curt but eager nod.

“Wha–you found them?!” Sealight gasped. “How?!”

“Oh, I can see the magic from anycreature nearby," Ruby explained, then added with a taunting wiggle of her flanks, "It's my special talent."

Before Sealight could begin another rant, Ruby trotted through a back door and followed the signs to the tower. She headed for the stairs and, upon seeing just how high they spiralled up, elected to levitate herself up to the belfry. When she let herself go, her trenchcoat flapped in the chilly breeze and she allowed herself to shiver a little.

“Here, little cutie marks,” she muttered, looking around and tutting like she was trying to coax an animal to her. Using her horn as a torch, it didn’t take too long to find something that was rather out of place; in the corner, nestled out of the wind, was a large burlap sack. Undoing the rope holding it closed, she found a large pile of jars inside, each carrying a charming little picture floating inside. “Hiding them way up here. Very inconspicuous, if a bit dramatic. Alrighty, let’s get you all home.”

Grabbing hold of them, she lit her horn and, with a flash, was back into the main hall. Everything was in order, and Sealight was refreshingly quiet. And unconscious, upon further inspection. She looked at Tarsis with a raised eyebrow and the Changeling nodded toward Vanessa, who was licking her fangs with her eyelids contentedly lowered over her crimson irises.

“What?” the Batpony asked, catching her teammates’ stares. “I was thirsty, and he would not stop ranting. He is not dead,” she added quickly.

“As long as the perp’s not dead this time,” Ruby said, opening the sack and lifted out one of the jars and calling to the crowd, “Okay, who had a cutie mark of a fruit bowl?”

Nopony reacted.

“Any takers for a fruit bowl?” she tried again. “Still fresh, jar hasn’t been opened.”

No response.

“Going once,” she said, “going twice… oh bugger this, I have a better idea.”

Setting the jar back in, she lifted the sack high over her head with her magic. With a grunt, she slammed it down, causing an almighty shatter to pierce the relatively quiet air. The sack started to bulge desperately, and the mouth opened as bright cutie marks shot out into the air. Each one shot toward its respective owner and returned to their flanks, cancelling out the spells placed on them. Their colours returned to them, along with their senses.

“Where am I?” a stallion murmured.

“What am I doing in a church?” a mare demanded.

“Is that a Batpony? A real one?” a filly gasped. Vanessa brushed a hoof on the floor and quickly slid her tongue along her fangs to make sure they were clean.

“Whoa, that Griffon’s got a cool toy,” a colt chirped. Graham heard him and swiftly put his crossbow on his back.

Ruby and Tarsis shared knowing looks, and the Unicorn’s horn glowed. “Oi, over here!” she yelled, getting everypony in the crowd to look at her. Tarsis, Vanessa and Graham covered her eyes as a white flash lit up the room, sending the Ponies in a daze.

Using the confusion as cover, Tarsis took the form of a Pegasus and took to the podium.

“Attention, everypony,” she called. “Hello? Yes, hello, over here. I’d like to thank you all for participating in this community building exercise tonight. Princess Twilight will be very pleased with your enthusiasm.” She nodded toward the still passed-out Sealight. “We’re going to take this poor soul home--fell asleep, you see. Take care going home now.”

The crowd looked at each other, puzzled, but simply murmured amongst themselves as they made for the front door.

“Right then, let’s get Mister Personality into a cell,” Ruby said and pressed on her pin, causing purple magic to spit out into an oval-shaped portal. Vanessa was the first to stride into the purple haze. Graham hoisted Sealight over his shoulder, and Ruby swiped the black ring off the stallion’s horn before the Griffon passed through. She shot a small beam of magic at it, only for the onyx-like exterior to seemingly absorb it.

I knew it. But how could some nopony get this?

“Hey, what’s going on?” a mare asked. Ruby peered past the portal just as Tarsis’s legs vanished through it, and saw the mare the Changeling had knocked out and taken the form of before. “Where is everypony? And who are y--”

Ruby pocketed the ring and set off another white flash from her horn, sending the mare stumbling. “Group exercise, you got lost looking for the toilet,” she said hastily before hopping through the portal, closing it behind her.

3 - Interview, With a Vampire

“You let a civilian into our base?!” roared Flicker, leaning over her desk. “Without express permission?!”

The dragon glared daggers at Team Ruby, who sat across from her mahogany desk. Next to her nameplate were many scratch marks, old and new, from years of claws irritably scraping along it. Photos and certificates hung in frames on the wall behind her.

“It was an emergency situation,” Tarsis explained. “He was at the scene, and a DNA test proved that he is indeed related to the victim.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re risking by having him here?” Flicker growled. The signet ring on her finger looked ready to burst its band with how tight her fist was clenched. “The public isn’t supposed to know we exist! Or did you forget your first week of training already?”

“It may be a benefit, Director,” the Changeling tried. “With a familiar figure present, the victim might be more willing to cooperate.”

“And I’ll give ‘em both a flash on their way out the door,” Ruby added, tapping her horn. “Kid’ll be were-free, and they’ll be back to their normal lives like nothin’ happened.”

Flicker sighed and sat back in her chair, taking a sip of coffee from the “#1 ~~Mom~~ Boss” mug Ruby had gotten her a while ago. After a moment of tense silence, she finally shook her head.

“Fine, I’ll allow it,” she groaned, “but I want their memories wiped the second we’re done with them.”

Ruby nodded. “Rightyo.”

“In any case, well done on apprehending the weretimberwolf,” Flicker went on. “I’ve learned the overnight detoxification was a success, and the foal is awake and recovering well.”

“That is a relief,” Vanessa sighed.

“However, this raises an issue,” she continued. “Therianthropes don’t normally attack children.”

“You think this was a planned attack?” asked Graham, his front legs crossed as he sat back in his chair.

“It’s very plausible,” said Flicker. “And we still have to question Sealight. Originally, I was going to have Ruby and Tarsis do that, but we need to learn what happened to that foal. Tarsis, I want you to speak to her, and Ruby, you interrogate Sealight.”

Tarsis tilted her head. “Any reason for choosing us specifically?”

Flicker simply nodded toward Ruby.

“I have ways of making him talk…” the Unicorn snickered, rubbing her hooves together with a devious smirk.

“Point taken,” the Changeling said flatly.

“You can take one of your team with you,” Flicker said, “to assist you in some way.”

“I pick Vanessa!” Ruby grinned. “She can threaten to suck his blood if he doesn’t spill.”

The Batpony crossed her front legs and looked at the side. “Honestly, one time…”

“What?” Ruby tilted her head. “It might scare him.”

“As long as you don’t kill him,” Flicker interrupted, “I don’t care how you make him speak.”

“Shall we get started, then?” asked Tarsis, preparing to get off her seat.

Flicker lifted a pen and started focusing on a paper on her desk. “On your way.”

Team Ruby stood up and filed out of the office and into the hallway. The Eclipse Bureau HQ was built beneath the Harvest Moon Bookshop in Trottingham. A facility that stretched multiple floors below ground, each floor a labyrinth of hallways that was very easy to get lost in. In fact, the base was enchanted that way–anycreature without a pendant would be stuck in ever-changing blank corridors and no doubt left a quivering mess for an amused agent to come and rescue. Other creatures walked this way and that by them, all sporting the Eclipse sigil.

“Let’s get to work,” Ruby said. “C’mon, Van–we’ve got a cult leader to scare.”

“I’ve never seen you this eager for an assignment,” Tarsis pointed out. “What’s this about?”

“Remember that ring he tried to put on my horn?” asked Ruby in a hushed voice.

The Changeling blinked, then her eyes widened. “You want to know where he got it.”

“Exactamundo.”

“Question,” said Graham, raising a talon. “Why do I have to help question a kid?”

“You don’t have to,” Tarsis said, “but it couldn’t hurt.”

“Fillies like cute and fluffy things,” grinned Ruby.

Graham snapped his beak. “I am not cute and fluffy.”

“Make sure to be gentle when you give her a hug, won’t you?” Vanessa’s fangs bared in a smirk.

“Alright, alright,” Tarsis said before the Griffon could get a remark out. “Let’s get to work. We’ll meet up in the break room when we’re done.”

Ruby and Vanessa trotted out of the elevator onto floor B4, the second-lowest floor in the facility. Ahead of them was a burly Centaur sat behind a desk, guarding a pair of large indestructible doors. He looked up from his book as the two approached.

"How goes it, Sav?" greeted Ruby. "We're here to have a chat with Sealight."

"Least you're not being thrown in here for once, Ruby," Savvius remarked. "Yeah, boss told me you were on your way down. Just a second."

He got up from his desk and walked to the left door, his large hooves thumping on the tile floor. He took his sigil from his belt and held it up to a panel. A small light scanned the sigil, and the door's tumblers and locks clicked and whirred before it slowly split apart.

"We've certainly come a long way from simple keys, yes?" Vanessa commented as the two followed Savvius through.

"Ah, it's all still magic at the end of the day," said Ruby. "Princess Twilight just dolled it up a bit."

Inside was a large block of prison cells, the doors all armed to the teeth with magical locks and protective charms. Behind each one was someone, or something that once caused havoc around the Griffish Isles. The left hallway housed the sentient creatures, the right having the animalistic ones, all waiting to be thrown into some kind of dungeon. Usually Tartarus.

While following Savvius along hallways and up some flights of stairs, Vanessa couldn’t help but look over the rails with wonder. “How does this even work? Wouldn’t they breach the upper floors?”

“Must be spacial magic,” Ruby guessed. “Messing about with dimensions and shite like that. I heard the scientists got it off the phonebox downstairs.”

“In here,” said Savvius, holding his sigil up to another panel by a door. The aetherial chains crossing on the door retracted with an echoing clicking sound. “Let me know when you’re done and I’ll come get you.”

“Cheers, big lad.” Ruby entered the door, Vanessa skittering in as the door closed behind her.

“Oh, brilliant,” they heard a familiar voice groan. Sealight was laying across the cell’s cot, wearing a magic-blocking cone on his horn and a face like a slapped arse. “I heard I was getting a visitor, but it just had to be you.”

“Aww, I thought we were mates,” smirked Ruby. “Nice hornwear, by the way. Lot nicer than the one you tried to slap on me.”

“Did you come here to interrogate me or make fun of me?”

“Yes.”

The stallion sat up and crossed his front legs. “Take your time, then. I’m not exactly going anywhere.”

“Except for the dungeons,” Vanessa pointed out. Sealight snarled. “Sorry for feeding on you. If it helps, your blood was quite nice. Unicorn blood always has this tang to it.”

Sealight blinked. “Um… thanks?”

“Alrighty, to business.” Ruby’s horn glowed, and with a flash, a table and two chairs popped out of thin air. She and Vanessa took a seat across from Sealight, who stayed on his cot. “So, the cult thing. What was all that about?”

“So I could finally feel powerful,” Sealight answered flatly. “I thought the vocal confession made that clear.”

“See, that’s the problem,” Ruby said, leaning her hooves on the table. “I don’t buy the ‘inferiority complex’ story–bit of a stretch to start ripping out cutie marks just because you don’t feel special.”

“Well, that’s how it is,” Sealight said with a shrug.

“And also,” she went on, “only one Unicorn has publicly used Unmarking, and hasn’t disclosed the spell to anypony else. So how’d you figure out how to use it?”

Sealight put on the smallest smirk. “How do you know she didn’t show me how? Princess Twilight’s little success story may not be as grand as she says.”

“I know she didn’t because she developed the Cutie Seal charm, smartarse,” Ruby shot back.

“And we know who she keeps in contact with,” added Vanessa. “A cashier from Buckney wasn’t on the list.”

Sealight huffed through his nostrils. “Fine, you saw through my bluff.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Ruby chirped. “Though, you do have some fascination with Starlight, don’t you? Right down to studying her combinations of spells. What’s that all about?”

“Something wrong with admiring a talented spellcaster?”

“To the point you turn into a copycat cultist? Aye, that’s gonna raise some eyebrows.”

Sealight glared silently at her.

“Alright, let’s try something else.” Ruby reached into her coat and pulled out the black ring. Sealight tensed. She smirked. “Oh yeah, I’ve held onto it. And you know exactly what it is, don’t you?”

Sealight swallowed. “Um…”

“And you know that the only creatures capable of creating it are long gone, don’t you?”

A bead of sweat trickled down Sealight’s face. “Wait–”

“Where’d you get it?”

“Please, you don’t understand,” muttered Sealight. “If I talk, he’ll come for me…!”

“I think he’d have quite a time getting in here,” Vanessa commented. “Who is he, anyway?”

The stallion shook his head. “I-I can’t…!”

“Last chance, mate,” Ruby warned him.

“You may wish to talk now,” the Batpony added, her fangs gleaming. “She is losing her good mood.”

Sealight pursed his lips.

The mare shrugged and pocketed the ring. “Hard way it is. Hold him for a bit, would ya, Van?”

The Batpony swooped over the table and Sealight yelped as she grabbed him by the upper forelegs. “Hey! What’re you doing?!”

Ruby glowered at him, the stallion gasping at how all humour evaporated from her face. Her horn became coated in a purple smoke, the same that flowed from the ends of her eyes. Her pupils vanished and her sclera was a sickly green.

“Time for bad cop,” she said as the smoke struck the struggling Sealight.

Ruby could see a turquoise light filling a narrow rocky passage. She heard distant drips of condensation, and the echoing clops of hooves from below. She felt the rhythmic ache of a panicked heartbeat. But it wasn’t her heart.

“This doesn’t feel right at all,” she heard Sealight whisper. “I shouldn’t have come here. But if I back out, it might get even worse.”

Sealight entered a passageway into a large space. Ruby couldn’t see a thing past the glow of his horn, but she was certain it was some kind of cavern atrium.

“Uhh, hello?” Sealight called. His voice echoed. “I’m here…?”

“Come closer,” a voice said within the dark. A voice that didn’t sound like it belonged in this realm. She could feel Sealight’s fur bristling and the skin beneath it crawling. His urge to turn tail and bolt back the way he came. But he slowly walked forward.

“I got your letter,” Sealight said. “And thanks for the ferry money, but… what am I doing here?”

“You have dreams, do you not?” asked the voice. Sealight yelped as he saw a pair of eyes in the darkness, level with his own. Their white sclera were like lanterns, but they sported no pupils. “Dreams of power and respect. Dreams to rise above your station and show your worth to the world.”

Sealight swallowed. Ruby felt sweat trickle down his forehead. “W-what’re you…?”

“You have the knowledge and the will, but not the strength. I can give that to you. Your peers will bow at your hooves.”

Sealight’s heart swelled, but his breathing was still quick. He could feel that whoever this was, they could indeed give him the power they promised.

“What power is that?” he asked.

“You know there is a way to remove cutie marks from Ponies,” said the voice. “I will bestow that knowledge onto you. You need only combine this with your own abilities to bring Ponies to heel before you.”

“W-what’s the catch?” He wanted to look away from those ghostly eyes, but it was like they were watching him no matter where he turned his head. “This probably isn’t out of generosity.”

“Their cutie marks will be reserved for me to absorb their magical power.” The voice added an icy hiss that made Sealight back away a few steps. “You will bring them to me when your mission in converting the Griffish Isles is complete. The husks are yours to do with as you wish, but their cutie marks are mine.”

Ruby felt Sealight’s hooves itch, every bone in his body beg him to turn and run. Removing every single cutie mark from every single Pony in the Griffish Isles for… whatever this thing was? It was ridiculous! He couldn’t! He shouldn’t! But he stayed where he stood. The fear of facing a gruesome end before he even saw sunlight again kept him rooted to the ground. And, Celestia forgive him, the promise of all that power was just too tempting.

“Alright,” he finally said. “I’ll do it.”

“Excellent.” Without warning, a beam of pure darkness struck Sealight’s horn, evaporating the light. Ruby felt a sudden migraine, his head pulsing like it would explode any moment. She heard his screams echo through the cave, and she could tell he was in too deep for anypony to hear him. And then, the pain was gone as quickly as it arrived. His body was flushed and sweating, and his breaths were heavy.

“I… I know now,” he murmured. He stood up tall. “How to remove cutie marks…I can do it now…”

“This will also assist you.” He watched as a trail of darkness appeared before him, and circled around itself. It hardened into the black ring, that landed on Sealight’s hoof. He blasted it with some magic, which did nothing at all.

“This is… you’re…!” he breathed, and he looked at the eyes. He was resolute. He understood everything. “My master, I will carry out your will.”

Ruby was back in the cell. Her eyes and horn had returned to normal. Vanessa let go of Sealight, who was breathing heavily.

“Cheers, Sea,” she grinned. Her horn glowed, and the table and chairs vanished. “Got everything we need.”

“What did you…?” he whimpered. “What have you done?! He’s coming for me now! You have to protect me!”

“You’re plenty protected in here, mate,” said Ruby, and called for Savvius. After some minutes of Sealight’s unintelligible blubbering, the cell door opened and she and Vanessa trotted out. “I’ll come visit sometime!”

His panicked scream was cut off by the door slamming behind them, followed by the sound of ethereal chains.

“Let’s head to the break room,” sighed Ruby. “I really need a coffee.”

“Did you get what you needed?” asked the Batpony.

“I got my suspicions confirmed, and I hate it.”

4 - Canterlot Calling

Flicker twirled the black ring in her claws, looking deep in thought. Ruby watched quietly, taking a sip of coffee from a paper cup. She knew this was serious from how the Dragon’s eyes were fixed on the ring instead of rolling at everything that came out of the Unicorn’s mouth.

“Well, first things first,” Flicker finally said, looking at Team Ruby. “Did the filly give any information?”

“Not much,” answered Tarsis, taking a notebook from her coat pocket. “She was having a sleepover with friends, when she heard a noise in the back garden. She went to investigate, and was struck by a large creature lurking in the bushes. From then on, she went into convulsions in the evening once a month, then would wake up in her bed with no recollection of what happened.”

“S.M.I.L.E. has been getting similar stories from victims they’ve picked up.” Flicker raised a paper in her free hand. “Though, this is the first time a foal has been targeted. This very well could be a planned attack.”

“But from who?” asked Graham. “And why?”

“Well, we won’t get the answer from the wee’un or her dad,” Ruby said. “Already plonked them back home and gave ‘em the brain bleach.”

“And I did not feed on either of them,” added Vanessa defensively, responding to the glance Flicker gave her. “I do not feed on children. Their blood doesn’t smell ripe yet.”

A trail of smoke streamed from Flicker's nostrils as she took a deep sigh.

"I'll pass this information onto S.M.I.L.E. and see what they come up with," she decided. She held the ring back up. "Now, onto more urgent business. Do any of you know what this is?"

"Black crystal," answered Ruby without skipping a beat. "Absorbs almost every form of magic."

Flicker nodded. "Correct. The troubling part is, this isn't the kind of thing you can find on the black market. Only the Umbra can crystallise dark magic."

"The Umbra?" Graham repeated, his eyes widening. "I thought the Council of Friendship got rid of the last of them during the attack on Canterlot."

"They destroyed King Sombra's body," Flicker explained, "but the darkness simply went back into the aether. Just like when Nightmare Moon was ripped out of Princess Luna, and the Pony of Shadows was exorcised from Stygian."

"You can't destroy darkness," Tarsis said sagely.

"Right." Flicker leaned forward. "In fact, the Umbra are the reason Eclipse exists in the first place. We take care of supernatural matters and cults behind the scenes, yes, but the main crux of our organisation is to keep the Umbra from taking over Equestria. Or worse, Equus as a whole."

"We're fightin' a secret war," Ruby said, her fur bristling.

Flicker cocked an eyebrow. "Essentially, but try not to look so excited about it."

"But what does this have to do with the four of us?" asked Vanessa. "We stopped the crazy Pony and stole his evil ring. What else is there to it?"

Flicker sat back in her chair and took a deep breath, steepling her fingers. What put Team Ruby on edge was that she was doing it out of apprehension, instead of her usual frustration with the four of them.

"There's been… what sounds like an incident," she explained. "This same black crystal has been sighted on the mainland. Large clusters have been popping up, feeding on the very world itself. Animals and plants are being corrupted just by proxy, and there are some reports that sentient creatures are being affected."

"We never heard about this," Ruby said, exchanging concerned looks with her team.
"Before you four, only three creatures knew," Flicker went on. "Princess Twilight, S.M.I.L.E. Director Sweetie Drops, and myself. Twilight wanted this dealt with as quickly and quietly as possible."

"So where do we come in?" asked Tarsis.

"Now that you're finished with Sealight and the weretimberwolf, I have a new assignment for you four. But this one is… different."

"Different how?" asked Vanessa.

"Because this time, you really do have a choice." Flicker paused as the team looked at each other. "I've been keeping frequent contact with Princess Twilight ever since this started, but a situation caused me to send a team to the mainland to scout out Canterlot. The problem is I haven’t received a call from them since yesterday.”

"What’d they go over for?" asked Ruby. "Twilight run out of pudding again?"

Flicker glared even sharper daggers at her than usual. "They went over to retrieve some crucial intel from Princess Twilight. She believes the Umbra are growing in power once again, and are planning to bring all of Equestria under their rule."

Tarsis let out a quiet gasp. Graham’s eyes shot wide open. Vanessa’s hoof went over her mouth.

“We’re goin’,” Ruby declared, leaning her hooves on the desk.

“Hold on,” said Tarsis, gently pushing her back down. “We need to be smart about this. What exactly do you want us to do?” she asked Flicker.

“Travel to Canterlot and report on the situation,” said the Director. “I want to know every last detail, no matter how minor. Also, find and rescue our missing agents.”

“Who are we looking for?” asked Graham.

The Director opened a drawer and set a file down on the desk. “Team Snowshine.”

Tarsis opened it with her magic and her teammates leaned over to take a look. They saw four blown-up photos, each a profile of a missing agent, with their name underneath. A suave-looking Crystal Unicorn stallion with a light blue coat and a neatly combed white mane named Snowshine, a Zebra mare with her mane flowing down one side of her head named Ziria, a grinning Hippogriff named Storm Shot, and a mean-looking Diamond Dog named Arek.

“It must be serious if they’re the ones who’ve gone missing,” said Tarsis.

“Now you can see why I’m worried.” Flicker dragged a claw on her desk. “As I said, you’re not obligated to take this assignment, but it would really help.”

“I just said we’re goin’,” said Ruby, narrowing her eyes.

“We’re a team, remember?” remarked the Changeling. “We’re supposed to take group votes. But if you think we’re the ones for the job, we can at least try.”

“Might as well,” Graham agreed. “Sounds like we’ll see some action.”

“And it’s been a few decades since I was last in Canterlot,” added Vanessa.

“Very well then,” said Flicker, trying to hide the relief in her voice. “I’ll organise everything you’ll need. And for Celestia’s sake, be careful.”

The next day, the majority of Team Ruby was waiting in the apartment living room, with luggage propped by the door. Tarsis was busying herself with perfecting her disguise in the mirror. A non-assuming Earth Pony mare with a tan coat and green mane to match her fake ID.

“What’s taking her so long?” Tarsis grumbled, magically darkening her mane. “We’re going to miss the ferry.”

“Why’re we taking a ferry anyway?” asked Graham, adjusting his leather jacket. “Ruby’s a Unicorn–can’t she just teleport us?”

“She can’t remember Canterlot’s exact layout,” explained Tarsis. “Remember Manechester?”

The Griffon’s feathers ruffled. “Point taken.”

“Besides, it’s best she avoids using spells like long-range teleportation around the capital,” the Changeling went on. “The Umbra may have ways to detect high-frequency magic.”

“I much prefer the scenic route anyway,” added Vanessa, draped across the couch in a fetching pink sundress. “A nice cruise sounds lovely.”

“It’s just an overnight ferry to the mainland,” Tarsis reminded her. “You won’t have much to admire.”

Ruby’s door finally opened and the Unicorn stepped out, wheeling a suitcase behind her with her magic. Her ensemble consisted of a blue-and-yellow Haywaiian shirt, sunglasses, and a Buckfast Bugbears buckball cap.

“Alright, let’s boogie!” she said, pausing as she caught her teammates’ bewildered stares. “What?”

“What in Thorax's name are you wearing?” asked Tarsis.

“It’s a disguise, in’it?”

“There is such a thing as overkill,” Vanessa deadpanned.

“She’ll make a good distraction by making everycreature look at her funny,” Graham snorted.

“You look funny,” Ruby pouted.

“Alright, children,” Tarsis snarked, walking toward the door, “if we’re all done, we have a ferry to catch.”

The team grabbed their bags and exited the apartment. Ruby set a magical seal on the door to prevent burglars from trying to break in.

“Do I really need to haul yours as well?” asked Graham, carrying a briefcase in both talons and pulling a wheeled suitcase by his tail.

Vanessa raised her chin as she sauntered along. “I only packed the essentials, as Tarsis said. Besides, you’re a big strong Griffon.”

“We should take this time to get our stories straight,” Tarsis piped up, hoping to keep her teammates on track. “We’ll be undercover, so we need to be prepared for anycreature questioning our movements.”

“Don’t worry,” said Ruby, “I’ve got the perfect alibi for all of us.”

“Should we be worried?” asked Vanessa.

“Do we get to know what that alibi is?” asked Tarsis.

“We’re friends from the university goin’ on holiday.”

“That… might work, actually,” Graham said. “I think we can pass as students.”

“Will it?” Tarsis furrowed her brow at her partner. “What if they call the university for a background check?”

“Aye, because a rando on the street is gonna bother lookin’ up the number and givin’ the receptionist really vague descriptions of us,” Ruby said flatly.

“Ruby has a point, Tarsis,” Vanessa admitted. “For once.”

Tarsis cocked an eyebrow. “We’ll see. I’ll have a plan B in mind in case the passport checker doesn’t buy it.”

“You can stop making that face now,” grumbled Tarsis.

“I just wanna hear your plan B,” said Ruby, smirking at the Changeling. The four were settled in a small cabin on the ferry, which only had a pair of bunk beds.

“Don’t be a sore winner, Ruby,” Graham remarked from his bunk below the Unicorn.

“I suppose these beds will suffice,” sighed Vanessa, laying on her side on the bunk above Tarsis. “It is only for one night.”

“I thought vampires went about more at night?” asked Ruby.

The Batpony shrugged. “I need my beauty naps.”

"Don't get too comfortable," said Tarsis. "We'll be in Manehattan by lunchtime."

"What's the plan when we get there?" asked Graham."

"We head right to the station and get the next train. If things go to plan, we'll be in Canterlot by tomorrow evening."

"Aw, no sightseeing?" Ruby fake-whined, her head dangling off her bunk. "I wanted to get a funny pic at the Statue of Friendship."

She was met by an upside-down glare from the Changeling. "This isn't a holiday. Creatures' lives depend on us here."

"Plus, you seemed pretty gung ho about getting to Canterlot ASAP," Graham pointed out.

"Indeed," agreed Vanessa. "I've never seen you so worked up about a mission."

Ruby rolled onto her front and suddenly found it hard to focus on those suspecting stares from her teammates.

"I, um," she muttered, "I'm just worried about Twilight."

"When she went to make peace with Klugetown, you were more worried about the coffee machine running out of hot chocolate," Tarsis pointed out. "So what's this about?"

For the first time in what her teammates thought was her whole life, Ruby was reluctant to speak.

"I owe her, alright?" she said. "Like, a lot."

"Money?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow, but was taken aback by the look Ruby gave her.

"It's… a long story," she said, trailing her hoof on the bed. "Personal."

"You don't need to tell us now," Tarsis said gently, "but, y'know, we're a team. We trust each other."

"I will tell you," Ruby promised. "I'm just not ready yet."

Ruby was glad to see the sun peering from over the horizon. At least there was some form of normalcy despite what she'd learned. Tarsis and Graham were fast asleep, while Vanessa was reading a book inside. Ruby couldn't sleep, so she decided to get some fresh air.

She saw Manehattan slowly creeping into view, and behind it the mountain that housed Equestria's capital city. She couldn't see Canterlot, but when she looked in its direction, she got a feeling. A bad one. Enough to feel that soft buzz in her horn again.

She let out a yawn into her hoof, suddenly overcome with sleepiness. She decided to get a few winks in before the ferry docked. She took another look at the mountain before going back to her cabin.

I'll save you, Twilight. It's only fair, right? Since you saved me.

2 - An Equestrian Weretimberwolf in Trottingham

Shortly after the first defeat of King Sombra centuries ago, Princesses Celestia and Luna set up a number of organisations across Equestria to keep tabs on threats that may fly beneath their radar. One of which was the Eclipse Bureau - based in the Griffish Isles, Eclipse was composed of experts in the occult. Demonologists, paranormalists, hunters and sorcerers working in the shadows to keep the realm safe from threats the general populace were better off not knowing about.

When Princess Twilight Sparkle took the throne in the Sisters’ place, Eclipse’s efficiency only skyrocketed. For with the younger Alicorn’s new reign came an evolution of magic-based technology, thanks to her personal affinity for the sciences. This allowed the Bureau to pinpoint any anomalies anywhere in the world soon enough for them to be dealt with.

“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” Ruby yawned, watching the coffee machine fill a cup with steaming hot brew, followed by some milk and three teaspoons of sugar. “No more waiting for the kettle like a plebe.”

“Yes, it was utter torture,” Tarsis snarked from the sofa, using levitation to stir a spoon in her own mug.

Graham lifted a can of ColApple from the fridge, cracking it open with a talon. “The new tech beats having to head to the corner shop all the time.”

“I haven’t let technology change me,” Vanessa said with a shrug, sitting next to Tarsus and sipping a glass of blood. “If it isn’t broken, yes?”

Team Ruby was one of Eclipse’s many response units, operating from an unassuming apartment in the Cantersmith borough of Trottingham. While not the most delicate operatives, they still got results. Hence why they had yet to be discharged.

The four sat in the living room, enjoying their morning drinks. Tarsis blinked mid-sip, like something had popped into her head.

“Right, Flicker said she wants to speak with us first thing,” she said after swallowing. “Ruby, you got the potion?”

Ruby swallowed her coffee and nickered. “Crap, forgot to brew it. Sort it for us, would ya, Tar?”

“It’s your job, you get it.”

“Aw, but I’ve only just sat down!”

“Isn’t brewing the potion your responsibility?” asked Vanessa, holding her glass in her front hooves. “You’re the only one here who can brew it, after all.”

“She’s got you there, boss,” Graham agreed, knocking back a swig of cola. “You’re the most magic-y one.”

Ruby lifted her head back and groaned dramatically. She had got her there. She reluctantly got onto her hooves. “Fine, I’ll do it, because you all ganged up on me. I’ll be telling Flicker about this bullying in the workplace.”

“We’re not in the workplace,” Graham pointed out as she passed, getting a faceful of Ruby's tail.

“Very mature,” Tarsis said after her.

“That’s why you love me,” Ruby called back, crossing into the kitchen.

After another sip of her coffee, the cupboards glowed red and opened up. A collection of ingredients flew out to her, followed by a bowl, then a mortar and pestle. She wasn’t a fan of meticulously mixing the potion the old fashioned way, but like Tartarus was she going to relive the Blender Incident.

When she was done, she levitated a vial from the drying rack and poured the blue mixture inside, then carried it, the bowl and her mug over to the coffee table. “Shall we summon the demon queen?”

“We shall,” said Tarsis with a nod.

Ruby filled the bowl and zapped it with her horn before she sat back down on her chair. The four watched as a blue steam rose into the air, lingering in the centre of the room. A low, monotone beeping sound droned on and on.

“Aaaaany second,” Ruby murmured, tapping her hoof on the armrest.

Half a minute passed before the droning ceased, and a faint red blur came into view. “Hello? This is Director Flicker.”

“Alright, chief?” Ruby greeted, giving a lax salute. “Team Ruby reporting.”

“Ah yes, you’re coming into focus now,” the blur said, focusing to show the head of a red-scaled dragon in a black suit. “Team Ruby, hello. Well done on apprehending Sealight last night. Last thing we need is a copycat cult leader.”

“How is he doing?” Tarsis asked, getting a strange look from Graham. “I mean, is he in any condition to talk?”

“He’s still unconscious,” Flicker explained. “The physicists deduced he will be until at least tomorrow. They also reported an abnormally low amount of blood, as well as two puncture marks in his neck.”

Eyes wandered toward Vanessa, who innocently glanced up at the ceiling. Flicker sighed and pinched between her eyes.

“Well, he’s not dead or a ghoul,” she went on, “so it’s just a matter of waiting. In fact, that’s why I wanted to speak to you - Ruby, Tarsis; I want you two to interrogate him.”

“Us, ma’am?” Tarsis asked.

“He’s your catch,” said the Dragon, “and I doubt our regular tactics will get through to him if he’s as stubborn as your report says. Besides, you two are more than qualified.”

Ruby grinned. “I’ll be bad cop.”

Tarsis rolled her eyes. “Just let us know when he’s awake. We’ll be ready.”

“In the meantime,” Flicker said, “I have another assignment for you, regarding the attack in Princess Park last month. Our S.M.I.L.E. correspondents have narrowed down the suspect - we believe it to be a weretimberwolf.”

“Called it,” Graham chirped, raising a talon.

“Tonight is a full moon,” the dragon continued, “so I want you four to go to the park and see what you can find. If there is indeed a weretimberwolf, apprehend it. Alive if you can, and preferably with minimal property damage. And for Twilight’s sake, try to avoid any civilian casualties.”

“We only nearly killed Sealight,” Ruby remarked, her smirk dropping as she watched smoke blow out of Flicker’s nostrils. “We’ll sort it out.”

“Good, I'll expect your report tomorrow morning," the dragon said, before her image began to fade. "Flicker out."

With the conversation over, Ruby opened a window to let the smoke creep out of the apartment.

"Well, you all heard the boss," said Tarsis, after a sip. "We've got a weretimberwolf to hunt."

"I've been itching to give those new bolts a go." Graham rubbed his claws together with a smirk.

Vanessa tilted her head. "Did she not say to bring it in alive?"

"Relax, they're non-fatal."

"I suggest we prep ASAP," said Tarsis, "so we're not in a hurry out the door tonight. For once."

"And who's the one always locking the door behind us?" Ruby gave the Changeling a knowing smirk.

"You just make sure the anti-were charms are with you this time," grumbled Tarsis. "I'm not reliving Braystol anytime soon."

"Amen." The Unicorn hopped off her chair and trotted off through a door. “I’m still craving lettuce.”

Ruby's bedroom looked like a small tornado had gone through it. Which it had, once, and Tarsis loved teasing her about it. The bookshelf was a mish-mash of Daring Do novels, Power Ponies comics and worn tombs on dark magic and curses that were long overdue back at the Eclipse HQ’s library. On the wall was a poster of Star Swirl the Bearded that she got from a museum exhibit as a filly. Hanging next to it was a picture of her next to Princess Twilight Sparkle, both beaming like proper dorks, with the Alicorn’s signature in the corner.

She approached the unmade bed, her trenchcoat draped across it. She reached into the pocket and pulled out the black ring she got from Sealight. Pursing her lips, she struck it with another beam of magic. Still a ring and not a teacup.

Definitely wasn’t a fluke, she thought, putting it back in. I’ll see what Flicker makes of it later.

She went to her desk and grabbed her quill in her magic. She set out four sheets of paper and began scrawling magic circles onto them. The anti-were charms, once activated by a bit of magic, would keep the wearer safe from werecreature infection for twelve hours. More than enough time to capture a weretimberwolf. She took her time meticulously drawing every symbol, every curve, making sure they were perfect. A bead of sweat trickled down her face.

Just how Twilight showed you…

After what felt like hours, she released her magic and her quill dropped onto the desk. She rubbed a hoof on her horn, which almost throbbed from how hard she concentrated, but the four charms were complete. She lifted them in her magic and trotted out of the room. She could hear Graham tinkering with his crossbow behind his bedroom door. Vanessa was draped across the sofa, nose deep in a book. Tarsis had moved to an armchair, using levitation to flip through a folder of information about the weretimberwolf she’d requested a while back.

“Charms’re ready,” she reported, setting them on the kitchen counter. “Don’t let me forget ‘em.”

“Thanks, Ruby,” said Tarsis, not looking up from the notes. “Once Graham’s finished with whatever he’s doing, we’ll go over the game plan.”

“I wouldn’t stress it too much.” Ruby entered the kitchen area and used her magic to open a cupboard and retrieve a biscuit. She munched on it as she continued, “We’ve handled werecreaturesh before, and weretimberwolvesh’re ash bashic ash they come. Won’t be that bad.”

Ruby and Tarsis’s screams cut off when they bounced off the roof of the parked carriage and landed on the pavement. Something told the Unicorn it wouldn’t be that much better if they hadn’t been tossed clear across the two-way road.

“Won’t be that bad, will it?” Tarsis grumbled through her teeth.

Ruby got to her hooves and shook herself off. “Really? You’re doing this now?”

At sunset, the four had made their way to Princess Park, just a quick underground train ride from Cantersmith. They kept their coats tucked away, passing themselves off as civilians out for an evening constitutional. Once there, it was just a matter of acting casual until moonrise, when they donned construction worker uniforms and cleared out the park of civilians for "important repair work." The creature arrived about twenty minutes after midnight, and all they had to to was give Graham a clear shot to hit it with those special bolts of his. On the way there, he boasted that their tips were made of enchanted metal to pierce the werecreature's hide, and were even coated in a potion that would temporarily revert the victim back to normal.

The only issue was giving Graham a clear shot.

“It was such a simple plan,” Tarsis lamented as she peered past the carriage. “What in Tartarus happened?”

“I think it all started when Van went off her head when the thing turned up,” said Ruby, leaning above the Changeling’s head. They could see the weretimberwolf, its branches black and its eyes glowing red, its razor-twigged paws swatting at Vanessa. The Batpony kept darting around it in the air, hissing with pure hatred. Like a monster cat trying to catch a danger butterfly.

“I know vampires and therianthropes are natural enemies,” groaned Tarsis, “but she said she had a lid on this!”

“She also said she wouldn’t watch you sleep, but she kept that up for about a week after,” Ruby remarked, then added in a bad Roamanian accent, “I’ve never smelled Changeling blood before.”

“You two okay?” asked Graham as he perched on the carriage roof.

“A bit shaken,” Tarsis reported, “but we’ll live.”

“Van’s doing a good job keeping it busy, but it’s still far too aggressive.” The Griffon turned and looked at the two still fighting around the park. “These bolts won’t work unless I get a shot within a few metres, and there’s not much point if it just shakes them off before they can get working.”

“And I don’t think it’s gonna get tired anytime soon,” added Ruby. "Unless…"

"Unless…?" Tarsis repeated.

"Oi, Van!" the Unicorn called. "Pretend you're injured!"

"What?!" Her three teammates gawked at her.

"If it thinks you're hurt, it might stalk you for the kill!"

"And that'll give me time for a good shot!" added Graham, catching on. "Make it think it's won!"

"You're both insane," Tarsis muttered.

"C'mon Tar, I'm onto something here," Ruby muttered.

"It does make sense," admitted Graham.

"I am not letting this brute defeat me!" Vanessa spat.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You're pretending to lose! Just pretend it got a hit on you!"

The Batpony let out a defiant hiss.

Tarsis sighed and looked up at her. "You heard her, Vanessa--play possum. That's an order."

Vanessa bared her fangs in a scowl. "Do not make me have you regret this."

The Batpony swooped down toward the weretimberwolf, who swiped at her chest. Her fur was ruffled at best, but she let out a pained screech and awkwardly lowered to the ground. She stuck out a wing and twitched it to make it look broken. As expected, the monster began to slowly creep up to her, preparing for the killing blow.

"Oh, the pain," she said flatly. "Please spare me, mighty beast, for I have broken my wing or something."

Graham silently took to the sky, loading a bolt onto his crossbow. Tarsis took the form of a Pony-sized spider and quietly scuttled toward the beast.

"Limp!" Ruby mouthed, lifting a hoof off the ground. Vanessa rolled her eyes and began hobbling away from the weretimberwolf on one front leg.

The weretimberwolf snarled, its fangs bared as it hunkered down for the final pounce. Suddenly, it let out a howl of pain and started galloping wildly around the park. Tarsis was up next, shooting thick webs at the creature's paws to keep it pinned in place. That only served to make it more irate. But in minutes, it began to slow, its actions getting sloppier with fatigue. And when its head drooped and its eyes stopped glowing, the twigs began to fall off its body, along with the arrow.

"That did it," said Graham, stowing his crossbow. Tarsis scurried over and flashed back to her normal form. Vanessa trudged up, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Now let's see who our beasty is," said Ruby as she trotted up. The four watched as more and more branches fell off the creature, and the more its form shrunk, the more their faces fell.

Until they were left with looks of pure shock and horror as they stared at the ground.

"Sweet Boreas," breathed Graham, "it's a kid."

Laying limp in front of them was an Earth Pony filly, who looked old enough to only have recently gotten her cutie mark. Graham immediately cut the webbing with his talons and put his ear against her chest.

"Her breathing is steady," he sighed, feeling that lump in his throat fall back down. "She's just unconscious."

"Oh, thank Luna." Ruby wiped her forehead.

"I didn't know it was a foal," muttered Vanessa. "Such unacceptable behaviour…"

"As long as she's alive," Tarsis assured her. "Still, she'll get a full analysis at base."

"Stop!" The team looked around, and spotted a Pony approaching. "Please don't hurt my daughter!"

An older Earth Pony stallion skidded to a stop in front of them, his chest heaving from his heavy breaths. “I’m so sorry. Please don’t hurt her, she isn’t doing this on purpose. She’s got this disease and-”

“Whoa, slow down there, mate,” Ruby interrupted. “We’re not gonna hurt her.”

“Your daughter indeed has a disease, known as Therianthrophy,” explained Tarsis. “It’s contagious, so no doubt she caught it from another.”

“But… is there a cure?” asked the stallion, looking at the filly. “I don’t want her to live like this forever.”

“Our researchers have discovered a cure,” the Changeling went on. “We’re going to take her to our base and administer it, then monitor her for a few days.”

“Researchers? Base?” The stallion shook his head and got himself between the filly and Team Ruby. “No, I can’t. I can’t just let some strangers take her away. Especially when she’s so vulnerable.”

“I understand, sir, but-” Tarsis began, but Ruby held up her hoof to stop her.

“Look, mate, we don’t normally do this,” she said, “but since these’re special circumstances… we can let you come with us. You can see for yourself that your daughter’s in good hooves, and you can help her answer some questions about how she became a big raging beasty.”

The stallion looked at her with hopeful eyes, while her team just had faces of unsure surprise.

“We probably have to wipe your memory of you bein’ there when we’re done,” she added.

“I don’t care,” the stallion said sternly. He carefully hoisted the filly onto his back. “As long as my little girl is cured and safe.”

Ruby grinned and pressed the emblem on her coat, causing a portal to appear. “In that case, if you’ll just follow the nice Changeling, my good sir.”

“Flicker’s going to lose her mind when she finds out,” the Changeling pointed out.

“You let me worry about Ol’ Fireface,” Ruby assured her. “Let’s just get the kid fixed up, yeah?”

Tarsis was quiet for a moment, then she gave a curt nod. “Right.” She led the stallion through the portal, followed by Graham and Vanessa.

Hope Sealight’s up and about now, thought Ruby as she passed through. I’ve some questions for him.