Order of Eclipse

by Comrade Bagel Muffin

S.M.I.L.E. Agent Bon Bon

Lyra Harpstrings lay sprawled out on her bed softly snoring, despite the fact that only half an hour ago she had come face to face with a changeling. This wasn't to uncommon however given that everypony in town had many similar experiences, such as the local librarian's baby dragon assistant suddenly becoming an adult and destroying half the town. Or the time a great swarm of parasprites literally ate the half the town. Mostly the really bad stuff involved half the town being destroyed in some form or fashion. So really one lone changeling was rather boring to her, and after the initial shock, she got tired, drank a soda, said goodnight to her roommate who was far more shaken up, and went to bed. Bon Bon however was still wide awake. She sat on the couch watching a small dragon statue which sat on the mantle. The eyes glowed green as a stallion's voice came from it. "Agent Sweaty Drops are you sure that it was Changeling 184?"

"Absolutely commander I recognized him from the dossier. The hole marks on the horn were an exact match to Changeling 184. The entire town was in a panic so I had to use the Elements of Harmony as an indirect way of dealing with him. Rainbow Dash chased him down into the Everfree Forest."

"Even with Rainbow Dash chasing him down I doubt she can best 184. Typical he got away again. Alright I want a full report."

"I was monitoring the Whooves house; with a certain Screw Ball there I thought that there might be problems. Anyway 184 crashed into the Whooves lawn undisguised and practically dead. I was about to apprehend him until Amethyst the oldest adopted daughter opened the door. She screamed and a second later both Time Turner and Ditzy Doo were there. I had to return back to my hiding place I am absolutely certain that none of them saw me. Time Turner sent Dinky and Screw Ball up stairs, apart from Screw Ball pulling an analogue phone from her hat it was just a basic filly slumber party."

"With exception to 184's arrival, the fact that Screw Ball was a guest, the only guest, and that the party was at Time Turner's house."

"Well yes sir, however it seemed that 184's arrival was completely unexpected. Anyway after giving 184 an ample amount of food they said good-bye to their fillies and left with him. He was now disguised as his favorite persona while with the Whooves family, the nonexistent Stop Watch. When I arrived in town everything was in a panic; apparently 184 had flown into Ponyville completely undisguised. I found Lyra and did my best to blend in. And before long both of the Whooves arrived in town along with the Changeling. You know what happened next, Sir."

"Agent Sweetie Drops I want to make myself perfectly clear." The dragon statue's eyes glowed jade as smoke rolled out of its mouth. "I want the chaos spawn self designated Screw Ball to be eradicated, exterminated, obliterated, and killed, as in being put in a state of not being alive. Am I understood?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Agent Sweetie Drops am I understood? SMILE has deemed it to risky for the Whooves to interact with this Screw Ball, and we have deemed it an absolute necessity that she not come in contact with 184 or others of his caliber. This is the best way to insure that. You are to get rid of her."

"She's just a filly just barely older than a foal! SMILE does not kill colts and fillies!"

"Bonny what's wrong what was that about colts and fillies?" Lyra asked from upstairs.

"Nothing go back to sleep Ly I'll be up shortly."

"AM I understood Agent?"

"Sir please give me a week to find evidence that this is not the best option. Please for me?"

"Seven days Bon Bon after that I expect you to terminate the chaos spawn."

"Or implement the better option?"

"seven days."

***

"So her mom made a ton of muffins." Screw Ball said standing up on her chair. "I'm not exaggerating either, like the muffins were everywhere, and they were so good. Really I think it's a tragedy that she's a mail mare and not a baker."

"And that must be why she's given every pony muffins for the past six days?" Miss Cheerilee asked pouring a pack of brown sugar into her oatmeal.

"I do hope that she still has some left; I rather enjoy her coconut and banana muffins." Star Gazer took another bite out of the sweet red apple that Screw Ball had given him. "There always such a nice treat much like these apples. Where do you even get these?"

"Yakyakastan."

"Don't tell Apple Bloom or her sister, but these yaks grew just about the tastiest apples I've ever eaten." Star Gazer took another bite.

"You do realize, I'll have to tell them you said that, right?" Miss Cheerilee asked.

"What, why?"

"Because us Ponyville mares have to stick together." She gave him a mischievous smile. "My silence however can be bought, I'm not the element of loyalty after all."

"I will grade the trigonometry homework for three nights."

"Make it a whole week and not a day less." She took a sip of her oatmeal. "If you grade the trigonometry homework for a whole week, then your little apple comment stays between the three of us. Granny Smith will never have to know."

"You don't play fair Cheerilee." Star Gazer sprawled out on the table, and shot her in exaggerated stink eye.

"I played to win." She giggled and gave a triumphant little smile, and took another sip from her oatmeal.

"You two make a cute couple. So when are you going to get married?" Both teachers went red at Screwball's question. Miss Cheerilee choke on her oatmeal. While stargazer sat straight up and looked agape at Screw Ball. Who was giggling at her teachers reactions.

"Screw Ball, just promise me you won't make a love poison."

"Love poison?" Star Gazer look at miss Cheerilee confused. She just gave him a little look "oh," he said as revelation dawned on him "CMC."

"CMC."

"CMC?" Screw Ball asked a little upset that she wasn't in on the comment. "What's the CMC?"

"Let it go Screw Ball," Star Gazer said.

"It's the secret order of teachers that plots how to ruin weekends with homework isn't it?" She looked at the amused educators. "It is isn't it don't deny it I know it is."

"She knows too much." Miss Cheerilee gave Star Gazer an amused smile and got up. "I'll hold her down, you get ready to wipe her memories."

"Right" Star Gazer walked slowly and deliberately toward screwball.

"You'll never get my memories." Screw Ball giggled and was too caught up in the moment to feel her magic move.

"What? How?" Star Gazer froze in his tracks. Miss Cheerilee just stared stuck somewhere between confusion and concern.

"What?" Screw Ball's voice cracked with worry. "What? What's wrong? Why are you staring at me?"

"Screw Ball your propeller hat, it turned into tinfoil." Star Gazer took a step toward her. She recoiled and took a step back; eyes wide she started to shake.

"No it didn't. See?" She took her hat off. She froze as she stared at the wrinkled tinfoil hat with a propeller on it, not sure what to do; she started to shake. "See, propeller hat, same as always. See?"

"Screwball" miss Cheerilee took a step forward. Screw Ball started to back away like a frightened animal, from her two teachers, until her back was against the wall. "Screw Ball, what's wrong?" The little filly shook her head back and forth, tears streaming down eyes that were clinched shut.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." Star Gazer took another step. She shook her head okay. "Cheerilee and I won't force the point okay. So you can calm down. Is that better?" She shook her head up and down, tears still slipping out of her purple spiraling eyes. "There we go." He took another step toward her. She recoiled and pressed up against the wall.

"Screw Ball, it's okay we're not upset with you, but your scaring us." Cheerilee slowly cautiously made her way to the frightened filly. "You're alright, I agree with Star Gazer if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to, but if you do we'll listen. We're not just your teachers we're your friends to. Aren't we." She nodded. "There we won't press the point any further." She patted Screw Ball's head and put her hoof on the filly's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" Screw Ball shook her head. "Then we won't make. If you ever change your mind then we'll be ready to listen."

"And not be mad at me or hate? Or kick me out? Or send me away?"

"Screw Ball, I'm hurt that you could even think that about Cheerilee and I. Have we ever even hinted that we would do that to our favorite little screwball?" He slowly made his way up to her side making sure she still had an easy way out if she wanted. She shook her head

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

"That's alright," Star Gazer answered

"But the night after tonight, if you'd come over, maybe." He spiral eyes spun as she looked at her teachers.

"Okay that's not a problem Screw Ball. The night after tonight or whenever you want." Cheerilee rubbed the little filly's head and gave her a motherly smile. "Now why don't you go wash the tears streaks off of your face. Class will be starting soon and you don't want to upset your other friends do you?" She shook her head and walked to the restroom.

"Thank you," she whispered in a voice so quiet it wouldn't have even startled Fluttersy.

***

"Cheerilee, oh Ms. Sheerilee. Wake up." Cheerilee's eyes popped as she woke in her bed in a cold sweet. panic gave rise to fear when she found that she couldn't move her body. It was as if she was bound in bed by invisible chains. "I do hope you were having good dreams, its funner that way."

"What's going on why can't I move. Why am I whispering?"

"Both good questions." Her eyes shrank to pin pricks as the wall above her head board warped and twisted. Pale blue eyes glared down at her. She squeaked as the cloaked thing pulled itself free from her wall and half glided half slithered around the room, a thin trail of black smoke followed it in its wake. "Instinct. Ms. Sheerilee instinct." It slithered around her bedroom twisting and turning in the air all the while its pale blue gaze never left her petrified form. "Your kind has wonderfully acute instincts," it said coming to a rest at the foot of her bed. The black smoke started to pool around it. "Good as they both were they weren't the correct question, ask me the correct question."

"Who are you?"

"That's not the correct question. Ask again."

"What are you?"

"Better than the last but still incorrect. Ask again. Ask me the correct question; ask me the thing you dread to know most."

"Why are you here?"

"I am plotting, scheming, planning, waiting." It said as moved around the foot of her bed as a teacher in front of a blackboard.

"For what?"

"The end," it said as it raised its concealed arms. "The end of a world. I am here to begin and bring about an Apocalypse, an ending, a doomsday." It hovered and seemed to grow three times in size. "I am a finisher, a destroyer, an ender."

"A world? You're going to destroy a world?"

"Oh yes Ms. Cheerilee. I have discovered over the years how best to end a world. I don't need Bale Fire or the like to do such a thing. I need only kill one pony, griffon, zebra, or insert here, and thus I have ended their world. With just a single death I have way laid an entire universe, and I have way laid so many universes Ms. Cheerilee."

"You're here to kill me?" Cheerilee asked her voice drenched in dread and fear. The phantom laughed. The shadows danced to their master's laughter, and Cheerilee wished she could pull the covers over her face. Wished she could avert her eyes from this horror that was in front of her. Wished that its pale blue eyes would look at something anything but her. She felt like a little filly again all alone and in the dark, certain that there were monsters in her closet waiting to eat her. Now though the monster was real, was right in front of her.

"No dear Cheerilee, now why would you go and say something so silly as that." Shadows began to snake around her holding her down tight to the bed. She clinched her eyes shut. when she opened them again the shadows were gone, and the phantom continued. "Why would I waste my breath on you if I were just going to kill you? I'm here to give my victim a chance; to give them somepony on the outside that can help them, that is willing to help them. And guess what you're that lucky mare."

"No you can't mean your here for Star Gazer, he's done nothing wrong."

"Wrong on both counts. Besides I don't need to waste time or energy on him." The phantom's eyes glowed purple then red. "He'll be reliving his own worse nightmare tonight anyways."

"What's, going. On." Cheerilee felt as though she was rocking back and forth as her room began to vanish. She floated there in the dark helpless, and alone. Nopony to hold her to help her. Dad, Mom, neither of them were here they never were. Suddenly an orange light began to glow. She was watching a house burn. It was strange she was watching from the eyes of a little purple colt, but she was also watching the colt from whom she was watching the fire. "No Mommy!" she screamed the words from the colts mouth, felt the pain he felt. Cheerilee looked around it wasn't just his house hundreds, thousands of buildings where burning. And there was screaming not just from those outside screams were coming from the buildings. Worse from the colt's ears she knew one of those screams was coming from the building right in front of her. Everything came back into focus. "What was that?"

"Star Gazer's worse night," the phantom answered. "They were merciful on the medical reports. They said the cause of death was smoke, but we all know the truth, smoke doesn't cause that much screaming. Does it?"

"Why show me that?" Cheerilee asked already knowing the answer; she was just buying time till Luna would hear her pray and come to save her from the evil dream.

"I'm going to make him relive that. I'm going to make you relive that." He floated up to the foot of her bed. "Who do you not want to see harmed the most in this world?"

"My parents, The Princesses, my friends." All of them not a lie, though none of them were true, she knew that it knew that also.

"Not quite, tell me Cheerilee from whose mouth do you most dread to hear those screams come from?" The Phantom's pale heartless blue eyes bore into her soul. "Who do you want to protect the most from that fate?"

"Screw Ball."

"You have until the last stroke of midnight. The sign that this shall come to pass, after all, all apocalypses need signs, is this. You shall hear a great and terrible horn sound for every stroke of midnight." It laughed. "You should probably hop to it; you have five minutes."

Cheerilee's eyes wiped open, as she jumped out of her soaked bed. She ran down stairs where Star Gazer was asleep on the couch. "Wake up!" she yelled at him grabbing the blanket and pulling it off of him. "We have to hurry she's in danger."

"Cheerilee you had a nightmare go back to sleep," Star Gazer said rubbing his eyes.

"No I didn't," she insisted "I know what I saw I know what I heard. I know things I couldn't know if it were a dream."

"Like what?" he asked with a yawn. Cheerilee gulped and looked away.

"I know your mother died in the Great Hoofington Fire. I know you watched as your house burned down."

"How could you know that?"

"It showed me, the thing that said it was going to attack Screw Ball tonight made me watch it through your eyes, and made me watch you watch it." She couldn't look him in the eye. "It said you were going to relive that tonight. I think it intends to set her house ablaze. It gave me five minutes to stop it."

"If that's true we can't just go straight to her house." He jumped off of the couch. "It will just start the fire as soon as we get there." She looked back at him the second time he said 'we'.

"You're coming?"

"Of course, she's my student too, and I like that little screwball. We can't make it there in four minutes and stop whatever you saw from just starting the fire early. Where is the fire bell in this town?"

"It's in the school belfry." She looked out her window. "We can make it there in time."

"And everypony will beable to help if this thing cheats. Let's go." Cheerilee nodded and threw open the door. The two teachers galloping toward the small school house, and their best hope.

***

“Sorry kid, I just want you to know that I tried.” SMILE agent Sweetie trudged down the abandoned streets. The little hamlet may have been absurdly lively during the day, but now a mere five minutes till midnight it may as well have been a ghost town. The only ones that she passed were Berry, the town drunk, and her kid; she somehow managed to get custody of him, from the state. How she managed to do that I could never know. I would be a better parent then her. I’m never not sober, my house isn’t completely in shambles, I’m not normally out this late. At least I wouldn’t take my kid out on the town to do things that kids have no business doing. Like killing other kids. Her ears drooped, and her gaze dropped to the ground at her feet. “I may not be a good person, but I’d still be a good mom.” Stop thinking that way you’d be a great mom besides, I’m not killing a foal. This thing is a monster that looks like a filly to play on our base paternal instincts. It is a monster and in order for any colts or fillies to be safe this one must be destroyed. She cast a chance gaze at a hill overlooking her targets house. 184 “She’s just like him only she keeps her little filly disguise on 24/7. And since he’s here too.” SMILE agent Sweetie smiled, and chugged down a highly-concentrated invisibility potion.

Changer stood on the hill undisguised, as he had been told not to be disguised. He needn’t know why just that he was told, and so undisguised he stood at the top of a small grassy hill on the edge of a hamlet that he had, just a week earlier thrown into a panic. He smiled as a gentle night breeze blew in from the mountains. It helped to steel his nerves. He wasn’t happy that he was standing in the open it stood in glaring, obstinate disobedience to his every instinct. The breeze in his hair, and as it blew through his holes felt nice It somehow anchored him. “Changer like this. To stand outside and feel nice breeze in hair and through holes.” Agent Sweetie was close enough to hear the changeling talking to himself she bit her lip.

She was three seconds from apprehending the most elusive changeling in the history of the Agency. Two seconds she crouched down ready to jump him and roll them away from the town. One second a blood freezing laugh seemed wisped through the air; she got as low to the ground as she could as the laugh continued.

“Busy night, Changer?” The cloaked Phantasm rose from the shadowy earth; his eyes glowing muted blue. He watched the lone house on the very edge of the town as a vulture would eye a wounded dragon, eager for the feast. “I’ve been waiting for this for a while. I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into it.” A white smile appeared under the hood. “Changer, I have a few jobs that will require your attention throughout the night. No breaks.” The changeling looked down at the little cottage his green eyes glowing in the night.

“Changer not find this fun, will Changer?” he asked the floating phantasm. “This is will be very nasty mean to the little one, won’t it.”

“You needn’t worry.” The Phantom picked up a twig, and lit one end on fire. “The jobs I have for you are easy and actually quite gentle. You might even be able to pick up a quick snack.”

“What are you to need of me for this?” the changeling asked his phantom partner, not taking his sad gaze off of the little cottage.

“Don’t be so miserable about it. One way or another this is a mercy to her.” The phantom looked down on his partner. “Now, I need you to make a quick stop at the cave. Summon High Paladin Horn Head, and tell him I’ll be along shortly. Next, you’re going to play doctor, all the arrangements have already been made; just ask Horn Head who you’re impersonating. Make sure that those idiots don’t ruin everything. Then put on your best special services disguise. You know what to do. After that I’ll bring you some reinforcements; then all that remains is to repeal SMILE until around sunset tomorrow. After that you can take a nice long rest.” Changer nodded and vanished in a flash of green. “And just like that he’s already gone.” Bon Bon slowly moved in on the cloaked shadow. “Hello Bonie, enjoying a midnight walk, are we?” She froze.

“What are you?” she asked trying to buy time to figure out how to fight this new monster.

“Me, I’m about a hundred tiers above your pay grade. You know you shouldn’t go out on the town while invisible the gossips will eat you alive.”

“Why are you here.”

“I’m going to demonstrate to you how to properly do your job. So just please sit down, and take notes it will all be over shortly.” The ground shook as a deep low hum rolled through the air.

“What was that?”

“Every Apocalypse needs a sound track. He plays for a grand orchestra. I tried to get the trumpet section they’re to die for, but alas all seven of them were rehearsing tonight, go figure.” The horn sounded again shaking even the very stars of the sky.

Cheerilee and Star Gazer threw open the door to the Ponyville school house. The unearthly horn sounded again, the low hum coming from everywhere. “That’s the third one we need to hurry!” Cheerilee frantically threw open a draw at her desk.

“Don’t bother with the key!” Star Gazer grabbed at the tumblers with his magic pushing them all down; the door obediently unlocked. “Go!” Again, the horn sounded.

“There's that sound is again, what in Equestria is it?” Soarin asked as he looked out the window of the Ponyville hospital.

“I don’t know but it’s making my mane itch in all the wrong ways.” Rainbow Dash answered from her bed. “Dang it what a bad time to be out of commission. Stupid changeling the next time I see you, you are so getting a thrashing.” The horn sounded the fifth strike of midnight.

Screw Ball rolled over in her bed the only sound to be heard was her soft snoring, and the occasional incoherent babbles of her sleep talk. “Yes Mr. Gumdrop I’ll gladly save you from the cotton candy monsters. It’s my duty and pleasure.” The sixth stroke of midnight.

“That was the sixth one that thing is half way done we need to hurry!” Cheerilee looked up at Star Gazer who was fighting with the lock to the school house belfry.

“I’m trying but this lock is a whole lot harder than the last one!”

“Move down I’ll get it!” Cheerilee maneuvered around to the other side of the latter, and started climbing to the top.

“How will you do-“ Star Gazer began to ask until Cheerilee bashed against the wooden trap door Earth pony strength besting old rotted wood. The horn sounded again. “Never mind just hurry sound the bell!”

Screw Ball rolled over on her pillow, softly dreaming about flying cotton candy Angel bunnies and gum drop people. The horn sounded again though her house was still silent.

Cheerilee finally managed to get untangled from the latter and pull herself up into the belfry Star Gazer right behind her. She struck the bell with all her strength. The school house bell sounded in unison with the ninth stroke of midnight and the sounding of the other worldly horn.

“That’s the school house bell!” Rainbow Dash tried to move despite her bodies painful protests. “There’s a fire!”

“I don’t see any smoke.” Soarin scanned the horizon. “Still it never hurt to check, If there is a fire I’ll take care of it you need to stay put.”

“But-“

“No buts.” Soarin shot out of the window into the night sky as the horn sounded a tenth time.

“Bon Bon one question for you.” The phantom looked over his shoulder were black shadows held Bon Bon fast to the ground. “What happens when a house which has been soaking in a gas leak for the past two hours suddenly has an open flame introduced to it?” The horn heralded the eleventh stroke of midnight

“No.”

“The answer a really big boom.” A horrid white smile joined the two, faint glowing blue orbs under the hood of the burlap cloak. The burning twig vanished as the horn sounded for the final time.

Cheerilee and Star Gazer watched in horror as fire, smoke, and cotton candy rose from a lone corner of Ponyville.