//------------------------------//
// Case File: Melissa Melody 
// Story: Outliers 
// by Masterweaver 
//------------------------------//




Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma, [Address Redacted for Privacy]
Caller: Edward Melody
Incident Type: Self-imposed Isolation
Subject(s): Melissa Melody
Subject Type(s): Unknown
Agent(s) Assigned: Leonard Harlow, Ray Stormcrow



"Type unknown?" Ray put down the paper and sighed. "Of course they're unknown, they've locked themselves away and haven't filled out the paperwork."

"It is a bit unusual." Leonard carefully levitated his mug and took a sip of coffee, before pushing the phone call transcript across the table. "According to this, the Edward fellow's her brother, and they're sharing a house. He should have at least some idea what she is now."

"Huh." Ray flicked his golden tail, reading it over. "'Locked herself in her room on pony day, haven't seen her since; moves at night, to get snacks and go to the bathroom--' Are we dealing with another religious fundamentalist or some sort of thestral?"

"The rep did ask about her beliefs. She was described as 'mildly' pro-choice, a bit of a health nut, but he didn't know what church she went to--only that she did go to a church." Leonard ran an orange-red hoof through his slicked-back black mane. "Going from that, I'd say she wasn't a fundamentalist before, but I don't know how devout she considered herself. Batpony's pretty likely."

Ray fixed his golden eyes on him. "You know how I feel about that word."

"I'm not switching till Rowling gives the okay."

The younger stallion rolled his eyes, looking down at the transcript. "Apparently her brother did make sure she knew about what was going on the moment he heard. Not sure how he could do that without seeing the girl. Going to have to clarify that."

Leonard brushed some dust off his suit and stood up. "No time like the present. It's less than an hour out by car." He gave Ray a wry grin. "You going to ride, or fly?"

"Boss chewed me out for handling the Bluemare incident without backup. So I guess I'm riding." Ray stood, flexing his feathery wings. "These things just make seatbelts terrible, though."

The unicorn's green eyes flicked toward him. "Yeah?"

"Have to keep them folded to sit in a car chair," he explained as they trotted down the hall. "The belt pins the primary tips, which feels kinda like somebody constantly pinching your fingernail, and the shoulder strap is just high enough to dig into the feathers at the joint."

"I've got a bench backseat," Leonard offered. "You could take the middle, stretch your wings--just don't block the rearview mirror."

"Right, you have that van. Sounds good." The pegasus glanced around the lobby as they entered, waving idly at the earth pony mare who was typing away behind the desk.

Leonard rose an eyebrow. "You ever going to ask that girl out?"

"What? Nah, Maggie's a coworker, and I'm still... trying to figure out if I'm attracted to ponies."

"At least you have a choice," the unicorn grumbled as they walked outside.

Ray's ears perked. "...uh, are things alright between you and Lindsey?"

"...we've been married for two decades," Leonard replied. "This is... a big bump, but we've agreed to keep at it. Still love each other, have to think of the kids, just..." He sighed. "Well, trying to figure out how we're supposed to be intimate is kind of difficult, and on top of that she's six months pregnant and we have no idea how all this is going to affect that."

Ray bit his lip, glancing around the parking lot as they clopped along. "...well. According to the hospital reports, most of the babies being born are still healthy. They just happen to be, you know, ponies."

"Yes, I've seen the reports. But just because the doctors say one thing... well, let's be honest, medical science is going to need a complete restructuring." Leonard focused on his shirt, carefully levitating his keys out of his pocket and unlocking his van. "Hope for the best, but... well, you know." He gestured toward the side door, tapping a button to make it slide open automatically.

"....Look, if you need to go to the hospital or anything, I'd be perfectly willing to look after your kids for a day or two."

"No, it's fine. Our oldest is responsible enough to keep an eye on his sisters."

Ray nodded, manuvering into the van. "Hey, just saying the offer's open."





Leonard rose a hoof and knocked firmly.

"There's a doorbell," Ray pointed out.

"Doorbells are for guests. Knocking is more... professional."

"Weird philosophy you've got there. What if the guy's in the back room and can't hear you?"

"I wait two minutes before I ring the doorbell."

Their conversation was cut short when the door opened, revealing a blue earth pony with a brown mane. "Hello?"

"Hello, sir. We're from the Magical Administration's General Incident Constabulary. We received a call about someone going through self-imposed isolation...?"

"Oh, yeah. My sister." He held out a hoof. "Edward Melody."

"Leonard Harlow." The unicorn took the hoof and nodded to his side. "This is my partner, Ray Stormcrow."

Edward rose an eyebrow. "Stormcrow."

"Well, we had to redo all the ID stuff anyway," Ray explained with a shrug. "Figured Stormcrow would be a cool name."

"Uh-huh. Well, come on in." The earth pony stepped back and waved them in. "Do you have a procedure for this, or something?"

"To be entirely honest," Leonard said as he walked into the home, "not as such. It took around a month for the president to organize all the paperwork and legal matters, and we've only really been running for about a week."

"We do have a general approach for cases of self-imposed isolation," Ray assured as he shut the door with a wing. "Agents like mister Harlow and I will try to talk with the subject, ensure they understand what happened and that it isn't their fault, and use our judgement to determine if they need psychological treatment or community support. Once we've convinced them to come out, we generally provide them with the relevant paperwork needed for their new identity."

"That seems... reasonable," Edward mused. "I've already told Melissa about the whole... thing I heard on the news. You're not part of the magic group that started this, are you?"

"Neither I nor Ray had any association with the Supernatural Prevention Team prior to the incident," Leonard replied with the ease of one who had been asked the question multiple times. "The Magical Administration does, admittedly, employ former members in departments like research and monitoring due to their expertise in the subject, but given how poorly the group handled themselves and the number of laws they broke in their operations it has been agreed that they are not allowed to seek employment in departments where they would be called upon to handle public or private incidents."

Edward nodded slowly. "Alright. I can see how that would work..."

"Incidentally, when you called us on the phone you said you hadn't seen her since the event," Ray interected. "But you also said you told her about the event. How exactly is that possible?"

"She's holed up in her bedroom, and we talk through the door," the pony explained with an annoyed frown. "I thought that would have been obvious."

"...oh." Ray brought a hoof to his face. "Sorry, I just... sometimes we need to clarify these things."

Edward quirked an eyebrow.

"My partner is... somewhat unusual, as you might have gathered," Leonard explained. "He was primarily hired due to his... knowledge of the show and associated culture."

"I see." Edward gave Ray a long look, but eventually dismissed his worries with a shrug. "So, uh, you want me to take you to her room?"

"It might be best, yes."

"...Right this way, then."





The blue pony led them down a hall to an ordinary door and, after a moment, knocked on it. "Melissa? The government people are here."

"Oh God, you actually called them?!"

Edward sighed. "Well what was I supposed to do, let you hide in your room for the rest of your life?"

"Would have been nice, yeah!"

Leonard cleared his throat. "Miss Melody, I can personally assure you we're not going to do anything you're uncomfortable with. We just need to ask a few questions, and then we'll be on our way."

The voice from the other side of the door gave a disbelieving snort. "You say that now, but--"

"We just want to help," Ray interrupted, gently maneuvering to stand opposite the other stallions. "If you absolutely insist, we'll leave."

For a moment, there was silence.

"...Eddy, can you... just go? I don't want to talk about... this in front of you."

The blue pony nodded, backing away. "Alright. I guess I'll leave you two to it then." He walked back toward the front room. "Let me know how it works out."

Ray and Leonard gave each other a look.	

"I've searched the internet, you know?" Melissa finally said. "Not just with google either. Literally every search engine I could find. And you know what? I haven't seen anybody else who..."

Her voice trailed off.

"...Okay. So, If... if I said... how would you react if I said... Chrysalis?"

Ray took a sharp intake of breath.

Leonard turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "That means something?"

"Oh, yeah." Ray rolled his shoulders. "Just for the record, how far are you into the show?"

"I think the last episode I watched was... the unicorn making dresses for her friends?"

"Wow. When we get back I'm going to have to start marking critical episodes for reference."

"I take it that chrysalis means something specific, then?"

Ray sighed, giving the door a look. "You want to tell him, Melissa, or should I?"

After a moment, she sighed. "It means I have an exoskeleton and holes in my legs."

Leonard frowned. "That's... not in the known pony types--"

"From what I understand that shouldn't be possible at all," Ray mused. "Changelings weren't even in the original casting matrix. But then again, the spell was big, there would have to be a few edge cases..."

"You're... not going to drag me off to be dissected, are you?"

Ray smirked at the door. "Not without your written permission in triplicate."

Leonard frowned.

"What? Do you know the paperwork we'd have to deal with?" The pegasus gave a melodramatic sigh. "Sometimes I think America wants to drown its government in red tape."

"In all seriousness," Leonard interjected, "the Magical Administration wants to operate with as much transparency as possible. In light of how poorly the Supernatural Prevention Team handled their actions, the president felt it would be best for us to be publicly scrutinized at every turn, in order to ensure we do not become the stereotypical paramilitary organization that led to this situation in the first place."

"Some converted individuals have been, well, dissected," Ray admitted. "But in every instance they had filed a request to donate their body to science, prior to their demise. Granted, we haven't had any changelings before, but that just means that how we handle this situation will be carefully monitored to ensure humane treatment."

"...do I really have a choice?" Melissa mumbled.

"Like we said, you can tell us to skedaddle, and that'll be it. But you know," Ray mused, "if you became a changeling, you might not be the only one out there..."

"...ugh, fine. You have... I don't know, veterinarians at your place, right?"

"We do have multidisciplinary cross-species professionals," Leonard confirmed.

"...Alright. Alright. I... I'm coming out. Just... don't freak out."

After a moment the door handle turned. A twisted horn cautiously poked out, followed by a ragged-maned head with slit eyes.

"'Sup," Ray said with a wave of his wing.

Leonard gave him a look.

"What?"





"So what's the prognosis, doctor Science?"

The labcoat-wearing woman sighed. "I have tuld vuu befure, mister Sturmcruw, it's Sienkiewicz." She lowered her clipboard, gesturing to the door she had just stepped out of. "Miss Meluduv appears tu be healziv, as far as I can tell. Her bluud samples have shuwn the same biuchemistriv as any uzer individual, su she shuuld be able tu eat whatever it was she was eating befure. She has functiunal fangs which can inject a mild paralevtic intu a subject, and initial analevsis suggests she is still technicalliv female. Beyund zat, zuugh..."

She gave a helpless shrug.

"...I can tell vu nuzing."

Edward stood up. "What do you mean, nothing?"

"Medicine is built upun a basic knuwledge uf ze budiv. Punies are actually mustliv unchanged frum ze human standard, aside from ze ubviuus differences and what has been cautiuusliv termed a magivascular sevstem. We knuw zis zanks tu ze individuals whu gave zere bodies tu science after ze transfurmatiun." The doctor waved toward the open door, through which they could see Melody sitting with a faint blush on the table. "Wiz zis une, zuugh, I have nuzing tu wurk wiz. I stuck her wiz a few needles here and zere, and gave her a zuruugh phevsical, but in urder tu learn anevzing mure I wuuld have tu cut her upen, which is ubviuusliv uut uf ze questiun, ur...."

"...or?" Leonard prompted.

"...Ur keep her under extended ubservatiun. If I'm hunest, Sturmcruw prubabliv has a better idea uf her medical state zen I du."

"I see. Thank you Wiesława, you've been very helpful."

"Vuu are must welcume, Leunard. If vuu excuse me..."

The three ponies watched Doctor Sienkiewicz walk away as Melissa stepped out of the examination room. "So. That's it? Stay in a cell or go under the knife?"

"Those aren't your only two options," Leonard stated flatly. "If you like, you could return home--we'd send some paperwork with you, of course, but that's only to ease the transition of citizenship from human to... other."

"But those are the only two options that let me figure out how I work."

"When Doctor Sienkiewicz mentioned extended observation, I doubt she meant for you to be confined," Leonard pointed out. "Most likely she intended for you to have regular checkups here, alongside keeping records of your life between checkups."

"I have a question," Ray cut in suddenly. "When did you get on a first-name basis with Doctor Science?"

"Wiesława and I have been old friends for quite some time. When the Administration needed a medical expert, I put forth her name."

"Okay, new question: How do I get on a first name basis with Doctor Science?"

"You could start by actually calling her Doctor Sienkiewicz."

"Excuse me," interjected Edward, "but I'd like to know what's going to happen to my sister."

"Eddy..."

"It's important!"

"Just... stop, Eddy. Just stop." Melissa sat down. "Can we just... not do this thing, where you worry about me?"

"You're my sister," the stallion insisted. "I'm supposed to worry about you!"

"I'm a grown woman, I can make my own decisions."

"But--"

Melissa glowered at her brother. Reluctantly, Edward backed away.

After a moment of silence, she sighed. "...Look. I... I just... Before all this, I was pretty normal. Now, I... I don't even know. I just... I don't..." She took a breath. "I... If. If I'm going to go through with this observation thing, I want... I want to be more than just a test subject. I want to... what do I have to do to join this organization?"

Ray and Leonard shared a look.

"...At the moment?" The unicorn turned back to her. "Apply for a job, go through a background check and some interviews, and then see where they place her."

Melissa blinked. "That's... surprisingly mundane."

Ray shrugged his wings. "Hey, you're the weirdest thing we've dealt with thus far. With any luck, that'll be an unbroken record."





"...hmmm. This is interesting. This... is very... very... interesting...."





"Ah well, I'll figure this out later. Time for noms."