//------------------------------// // 4 - Canterlot Calling // Story: The Eclipse Bureau // by Unicorncob //------------------------------// 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.