//------------------------------//
// High Paladin Golden Comet 
// Story: Order of Eclipse 
// by Comrade Bagel Muffin 
//------------------------------//

"High paladin Golden Comet, thank you for coming on such short notice." The phantom greeted the elderly unicorn, as he rose from the cavern floor to take a seat at the head of the table.
"I assumed it must have been urgent to your plans, if you had Changer summon me here."
"As a matter of fact this is a completely unforeseen complication," The phantom began. "I was getting all of the pieces into place. To get my plans for Screw Ball into motion. However, while I was about something shifted in the harmonic fields around the town."
"Shifted?" Golden Comet took a seat at the large meeting table. "Shifted how exactly."
"I don't know I've never felt a shift like this before." The phantom laughed. "Which I assure you is saying something. I would have assumed it was Twilight dabbling some new fangled thing, but I made sure she was in Canterlot visiting with her family for tonight." The elderly unicorn closed his eyes, running down the list of things that it could be. "The shift was small but began growing exponentially, grew enough to concern me. It must be a rune magic of some kind. A rune magic older than I am or just newly created. Either way I have no idea what it does or what it's purpose is."
"I take it that, that is where I come in?" the old unicorn asked. "If it's a rune magic that effected the whole town, and the shift it caused grew exponentially, then we're dealing with someone or something that has set up a massive network. If we assume that there would need to be forty runes to cause the shift to concern you." Golden grimaced and his normally soft features became hard and cold. "It could be possible that those things that came from the Bog are responsible."
"Another reason I'm asking you to do this. If it was the things that came from the Black Bogs it would be wise to approach with caution. Even if it isn't though what ever it is, it must be dealt with. I leave this in your capable hooves High Paladin Golden Comet." The phantom floated through the table. "I need to fetch Solaris and Lunaris. To aid in protecting Screw Ball."
"Why would she need protecting?"
"SMILE has already attempted to kill her once tonight. Fortunately, I blew up her house with her inside. That stalled them, but I have no doubt that they already know that she survived." The wall opened revealing the dark cave behind. "I expect at least one more attack until tomorrow night."
"I'll take over guard duty with Changer for tomorrow. Just to make sure that the adoption goes smoothly." A smile as white as the black unicorns mane and tail appeared in the void of the phantom's hood.
"Pony Hero Complex, I'm so glad not to be burdened. And That I can trust you to insure that all my hard work tonight has not been unnecessarily wasted. After all if she's not adopted I'd look like such the monster." The phantom faded all at once into the shadows of the cavern. His glowing pale blue eyes and white smile being the last to fade into nothingness.
"Pony Hero Complex he says" Golden chuckles mirthlessly to himself looking over the empty room. "No if that were the case I wouldn't have set that beast on you. I just want the pain to be worth it to her in the end." He sighed eyes downcast and empty as he tried to find the words to plead his case. He gave up. "I learned long ago that sometimes, in order to save a pony from a burning building, you have to let others burn. What ever god may be there, forgive me."

***
	
The Ponyville Hospital had returned to a state of near complete normalcy. The nurses and doctors choosing to ignore the operation they had done in the early parts of the morning. It wasn't usual for them to get anypony late at night except for maybe Berry Punch who would be lead in by one of or both of her two foals. They had never had a patient like that before, and they hoped they never would again.
Twistof Fate walked down the halls his cold unwelcoming glare and posture sending a very clear message. A message that the hospital staff and patients gladly respected, by avoiding him and staying out of his way. All but one pony seemed to respect the cold unfriendly atmosphere given off by the gray unicorn. The elderly Black unicorn beside him seemed more than willing to start a conversation with anyone, smiling and greeting each pony he passed. Much to Fate's annoyance.
The two of them arrived at 186. Cheerilee and Star Gazer both looked up at the two of them. as they walked through the doors into the hospital room. Their shock at seeing the Minister of Education walking into the room caused both of them to forget to shush them.
“Hello you two,” You two golden says with a smile his voice much louder than it should have been. Screw Ball begins to stir in the hospital bed.
“Ow, where am I?” She looked around the room. “I guess my house blowing up out of the blue wasn’t just a dream huh?” It took a moment for reality to return to the little pony who normally laughed in its face. “Then means. I’m getting a mom and dad!” She cheered and tried to sit up only to wince in pain.
“Screw Ball calm down a bit.” Both Cheerilee and Star Gazer said in unison helping the filly into a more comfortable and painless position. She grit her teeth as her parents to be helped her lay back down. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Not even the sudden shot of pain could make this day bad.
"Yes your getting adopted, unless Ms. Cheerilee and Mr. Gazer here realize that this an impulse and they should stop now and actually think it though." Fate said coldly both teachers glared at him. "I assumed not." He sighed "I've brought the paperwork." He passed them the briefcase. "This will take a while plenty of time for you two to realize the responsibilities of raising a filly."
"Responsibilities that both are more than capable of meeting I assure you Twistof." Golden Comet walked over to Screw Ball. "My name is Golden Comet I'm their boss." He nodded at Cheerilee and Star Gazer. "Would you mind answering a couple of questions for me, and Twistof here."
"My name is Twistof Fate or Mr. Fate," the gray pony said in annoyance.
"Of course Twisty." Twistof Fate's eye twitched a little at the oblivious minister's comment. "I'm going to help Mr. Gazer and Ms. Cheerilee fill out the paper work in record time." He patted her on the head. "Oh and if I'm not mistaken I asked around town, and was told this was your hat, Ms. Screwball." He pulled out a propeller hat. The propeller was spinning in a nonexistent breeze.
"You mean Ms. Ball?" Cheerilee corrected.
"No the paper work is quite clear Screwball's name is one word not two," The administrator answered as Screwball hugged her propeller hat to her chest.
"You don't even know her name?" Cheerilee shot a death glare at the Foal Services pony.
"Minister Golden Comet sir. Why are you here?" Star Gazer asked as he put Screwball's propeller hat on her head.
"Oh well that is a simple answer now isn't it? Two of my teachers galloped straight into a burning building to rescue a filly, and now they're trying to adopt the poor orphan, and so I've come to give my add in helping move the wheels of bureaucracy as fast as they can go." Both of the teachers just stared at him. "Not buying it huh. Well I suppose there was an ulterior motive. You see Mrs. Whooves has promised to bake me a marzipan muffin, and I can't say no to marzipan or Mrs. Whooves. It's just not in my ability."
"And?" Screwball asked her eyes spinning at their usual pace now.
"Ah she's a quick one isn't she?" Golden pated her head. "Well yes there is one other reason that I'm here. You see I've heard rumors that all those annoying aristocrats are going to try to make more work for me. They want me to go annually to every school and do an evaluation, so I thought that if I got started now by the time the bill was passed I would already have finished for the year and can relax and do my usual work." Both teachers immediately lost they're color. "So I'll be teaching your classes tomorrow and the day after to see if your on course or not. Consider this a pop quiz."
"A pop quiz they're going to pass because Mr. Star Gazer and Ms. Cheerilee are the best teachers in all of equestria, and even the whole world."	
"That's the go getter spirit I like to see."
"This is all very touching and so on, but we do have a lot of paper work to fill out, and interviews to give, so if you are finished can we get started?"
"Of course Twisty."
"I insist you call me Mr. Fate, Minister Golden Comet."
"Sure thing Twister. No let's get a look at that paper work shall we?" A white aura wrapped around the briefcase and brought it over to him. "Hm, yes this looks to be about the standard amount of paper work if we try hard, we should be finished by night fall." Golden immediately took over the entire adoption process leaving the Foal Services pony feeling like a fifth wheel. Which really was a good thing given that Changer had no idea how to actually do a lagediment adoption. Sometimes ponies made things so much harder than they needed to be. It was clear to him that Cheerilee and Star Gazer both loved Screwball and she loved the two of them back. Really what was the need for paperwork?
True to Golden Comet's words the whole process of adoption took the entire day. The process was both boring and tedious two words that Screwball had taken to mean nap time. Yet the every form and every sentence held her up most attention. If she was honest with herself the nearly ten hours of paper work were the most exciting and suspenseful hours of her life. Finally when it was over she passed out emotionally exhausted.
"I think that's the most attentive I've ever seen Screwball." Cheerilee stroked the sleeping filly's mane as Golden Comet walked Star Gazer through the last couple of papers. Since he and Cheerilee weren't married they both needed to fill out separate adoption forms.
"Of course it was, this is the most important thing to happen to her in her life to this point." Mr. Fate said as he walked up from the corner of the room. He had been so quite that Cheerilee had forgotten that he was even there. "And for her sake Ms. Cheerilee I hope that you and your stallion coworker know what you've just agreed to, and all that it entails." The harshness and coldness that she had come to expect in his voice was all, but gone leaving in their place a genuine concern for the sleeping filly that five minutes ago had become her daughter. Well not yet it would take three months for the papers to be filed, and inquiries to be made, but until any reason could be found that she shouldn't be the filly's mother she was in the eyes of the law the de facto mother of Screwball and Screwball was her de facto daughter.
"I know exactly what I've done, and I've never been happier or more sure that this was the right thing, in all my life." Cheerilee answered as she stroked the filly's no her filly's mane.