The moon hung low in the sky as the meeting commenced. Several days have passed since Hannibals letter and the Trio’s day off. Luna, Rune Shift, Acropolis, and Gumshoe sat around the captains table. Gumshoe, for once, was in his armor and could feel the uneasiness at the table. Nopony had a good plan for finding Hannibal, the best plan was to wait and hope to catch him in the act. Gumshoe was a good detective but even he couldn't catch a ghost. Documents about Hannibal and everypony involved littered the table. Luna’s gaze lingered on Spinneret's medical files. After her involvement in this case, as a failed attempt of misdirection, she had a mental breakdown and her brother checked her into Canterlot Medical. Acropolis insisted that the guard pay for her treatment and Luna had agreed. Her brother Burlap had since vanished into the underground, taking with him any chance of finding the pony called “Lifter” and Hannibal.

However more pressing matters lingered in their minds. The Lunar Guard is still small, still in its infancy, still immature, and Luna was concerned. She only had Acropolis and Rune Shift as true guards, all the others are just regular ponies in enchanted armor. They look the part, can sense each other, and are loyal to Luna, but the armor hasn't called to anypony since Rune. The robes in the armory silently searching for their hosts. Acropolis and Rune could feel its invisible tendrils spreading all over Canterlot and beyond. It made Acropolis shutter. However the set was still incomplete, there was a set of armor that she was missing.

“We need more.” Acropolis spoke up startling everypony but Luna.

“More?” Rune asked.

“More,” Acropolis stood up from the desk. “We need to fill out our upper ranks. Having a presence in every city will allow us to better track Hannibal and any other trouble that starts in Equestria.”

“Any suggestions?” Acropolis’ question fell on the quiet room. “Okay, the guard will switch in a hour. Sun up in thirty minutes. Standard meeting tomorrow, Rune, have the new shift rotations ready for distribution.” Acropolis sat back down in his chair, “Gumshoe, classify all Hannibal files, for now the case in stalled. Dismissed.” Gumshoe collected up the documents strewn about and quietly left. Acropolis leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply, he could feel sunrise coming, and the static growing. The orange twinge of Celestia’s sun starting to breach the horizon. Luna silently left the chamber as well, feeling she had very little to say to her subjects at this time. Rune and Acropolis sat quietly for several minutes. The air was thick, they hadn't really spent much time alone since they had arrived in Canterlot. These few moments at the end of the day was usually all the free time they had since they were doing four ponies worth of work.

“Good morning Acropolis,” Rune got up from the table, “try to get some sleep.” She smiled at him as he grunted in response.

Rune Shift had indulged herself some early morning reading in the Celestial gardens, or rather late night for her. This time of day the gardens gave a calming glitter as the sun began to awaken the flowers. She sat in a gazebo built after Discords integration, she liked the gazebo, it was built from different types of wood and each arch was done in a different style. As she read her book a rather large Celestial guard came into the garden pulling a peculiar carriage. Following behind him was a unicorn she recognized, but wished she hadn't.

“Make sure you pull it far enough in so the crowd can form over there.” Trixie gave a rather stern command. Rune had known about Trixie's shows but had never seen her perform. and since she had some time she figured she would stay and watch.

The show a big and flashy, like Trixie. Rune actually enjoyed most of it. She was truly talented in illusion magic, and even with a large crowd she could maintain several illusions and keep them all entertained, That was until she started her last set. Challenging ponies to best her at their skills. After some colorful public shaming Trixie ended her show and began cleaning up after the crowd had left.

"I am the great and powerful Trixie! No trash shall escape my grasp!" She boasted as she used her magic to clean trash left behind.

"Trixie." Rune voiced her presence startling Trixie.

"Gah! Oh its you, what brings you out in the sunlight?" Trixie spat.

"I wanted to take your challenge. I have a talent you cant master." Rune boasted clearly getting Trixies attention.

"What your silly "arcane" magic, psst, please." Trixie dismissed her claim.

"No, not that, My challenge, my skill you can not master." Rune could tell Trixie was still listing, "Respect." Trixie nearly fell on her face from shock. She really wasn't expecting that.

"What are you serious? Respect? HA!" Trixie laughed, "What a silly request. I am a special student of Celestia! Ponies have to respect me!"

"True." Rune boasted, "But, true respect is earned. Not handed out." Rune smiled at Trixie who was looking at her perplexedly.

"Your challenge isn't a skill I can duplicate, which is the point of the trick." Trixie went back to picking up trash.

"You like the attention, you want their respect, if you want to complete my challenge, come to the Lunar barracks." Rune's gauntlet thrown, she left Trixie alone on the garden to steep in her dismissed challenge. Rune saw her potential when they fought, and was planting the ground work to get Trixie into the Lunar guard. Even out of her armor she could hear the static, faintly, but present.

"You look tired." Acropolis commented to Rune as she took her seat at the briefing table. She hadnt slept much since she stayed up to talk with Trixie.

"Watched one of Trixie's shows, she’s pretty good." Rune confesses.

“Yeah at boasting maybe,” Acropolis, begins to sort through his papers. A few assaults, a mugging, and a noise complaint. Perfect, nothing of note. “I’ll have the men take the assaults and the mugging, well take the complaint. It’s from a fairly influential area of town, apparently.” His sarcasm was apparent even without the link. “And whomever is left, they get patrol.” They both got up from the table and went to the large windows, dipping their heads in prayer they offered their silent thoughts to the moon.

Luna’s horn dispelled its magic as she sat on the throne. Many ponies had lined up for night court hearings, desiring a more harsh verdict and quicker action. Luna was quickly becoming every ponies go-to princess if you wanted a result in a night. Of course this went both ways, no pony even tried to appeal after she drops a royal 'NO'. And to her surprise her first hearing tonight was a still groveling Grand Agora.

“Agora, it is a strange pleasure to see you after all that helmet business.” Luna’s tone was cold, she had lost what little faith she had held for him. And was not amused he had come into her court. “well, out with it.”

“Princess,” Agora bowed low, “I still feel awful about letting such a dangerous artifact slip through my hooves,” Even if I did let it go intentionally, “And wish to rekindle our previous agreement, artifacts for appraisals.” For soon everything you own will be an artifact. “I still have a unique skill set and rather, lets say, varied contacts.” Murders, thieves, rapists. “As tribute I bring this,” Cow, He motions for another stallion to bring in a form cloaked in cloth. Agora pulls off the cloth and Luna stands straight up, shocked.

“How did!?” Luna gasps.

“Found it in Detrot, estate sale, apparently they thought it was a rather novel piece.” Agora grinned at Luna’s expression.

“Do you actually know what that is?” Luna probed, her question filled with mistrust.

“Lunar Panzer Armor, 6 recorded to exist, one destroyed in the fall of Babylon, one destroyed in the Lunar Rebellion,” Agoras mention of the rebellion made some of the guards twitch, “3 Incomplete sets in various museums across Equestria, and this one,” He paused. “The last full set, restored leather, buckles, pads, perfect condition.” Agora smiled as Luna walked slowly down the stairs to his level.

“Agora, I do believe, if you keep brining me these artifacts you will fill a entire wing of my tower.” Luna smiled, this armor was one of the pieces she sought. Agora smiled, now once again in Luna’s favor.

Acropolis and Rune Shift stood in the center of the empty street, barley visible in the flickering street lamp. Their investigation into the noise complaint had turned into looking into multiple noise complaints. Apparently every pony on this block had heard screams, and shouts very late at night. Some even said that the shouts sounded like an animal being beaten.

“Well, this has certainly become more interesting.” Acropolis mused darkly as he looked at a map of the neighborhood he had.

“Yeah, several reports of screams, some supposedly not of pony origin.” Rune was searching the area with her magic trying to find a clue.

“Okay, so they hear the sounds here,” he pointed to the map, “and here,” he dragged his hoof across the map, “So, what would allow all of these homes to hear the same noise?”

“It would have to originate here.” Rune tapped in the middle of the map.

“That makes sense, but that’s almost where we are standing.” Acropolis had barely finished his sentence. When they both heard what sounded like a thousand cicadas all going off at once. It was short, faint, and resonated with pain. Followed shortly with a very echo-y and muffled scream. “Did you hear that?” Rune simply nodded. They stood in silence for a moment, then it happened again. Different length, but same voice. Extremely faint, like very far away, or an distant echo.

“Where is it coming from?” Rune looked around feeling into each house with her magic.

“Its an echo.” Acropolis said flatly, looking at the ground. He was standing on a sewer cover. “its echoing up through the sewer!” He thrust his wings into the cover ripping it from the ground. Without hesitation the pair jumped into the sewer system.

“Here, Hervorkommen und mir Licht.” Rune cast a light spell and two orbs appeared one followed Acropolis the other stuck with Rune. They followed the sewer down for a bit until they were directly in the middle of where ponies heard the shouts from. The voice screamed again. Acropolis shone his light on the wall revealing a small hatch, a hatch that had been recently unlocked. The voice echoed up from inside.

“Rune, I found a shaft here,” He stuck his head inside, “It goes a ways down.”

“Ill be right behind you.” She held open the hatch as he climbed in. The ladder was wet and cold, this chamber must fill up during wetter seasons. He came to the bottom of the shaft, before him was a rather strange door. It was a run off valve, but it was big enough for a full grown pony to pass through. Peeking through, Acropolis could see another level of the sewer, but here there was activity. There was a collection cage, primarily used to catch trash and debris that gets swept into the sewer, chained shut. He could see a small table and bed in the cage. Four colts were milling about, talking just out of Acropolis’s hearing range. In the low light he couldn’t ID any of them either, this was quickly becoming more and more sinister. The static in his mind began to grow. Rune silently lands next to him and stacks up with him on the valve.

“Four ponies.” Acropolis said as he spotted another figure in the cage, smaller, a mare he guessed from the shape. He instantly tensed up. “I think they have a mare locked in the collection cage. That might be the screaming.”

“Oh my, what do we do?” Rune was becoming more worried that they were going to have to fight these ponies, the static grew louder.

“Wait for now.” Acropolis went back to spying, the phantom noise in his ears ringing. One of the stallions had left while Acropolis was looking away. Two of them broke off and came closer to Acropolis so he could just make out their conversation.

“…Five months since…”

“…Great…capture…”

“…Lots…fun…”

“…Like when its struggles…”

“…clicks and…”

“…so much…beat it…”

“…take it…behind…leave it messy…”

“Animals” Rune said under her breath. Clearly these ponies had captured some pony else and had been taking turns beating and violating her. The thought if this sent Acropolis’s blood to a boil, the static in their heads buzzed feverishly.

Luna looked up to the moon feeling Acropolis’s building rage, and a noise just out of hearing.

“Hey fellas!” One of them hollered. “its awake again!”

It’s? What did they have in the cage? Acropolis hesitated, his curiosity peaking. He wanted to find out exactly what they were rescuing.

“Oh good, I could use a release!” The laugh he gave made Runes skin crawl. The pony near the cage unlocked it and grabbed the figure dragging it out into the light. There bound tightly with ropes was a yellow mare with a red mane. Hardly an 'it', Acropolis was about to move in.

“Don’t you dare look like that!” One of them hollered and struck the mare so hard she bounced off the floor when she hit. When she did hit she burst into blue flames revealing a changeling nymph.

What in the? Acropolis and Rune said silently together. Acropolis stared at the nymph changeling, bloodied, beaten, looking so sad. He must have been staring intently because she looked over at the door and made eye contact with him. Her Soft blue eyes were filled with pain. Help me, they begged. That moment froze in time, Acropolis locking eyes with a changeling, deep in Canterlots sewers, a victim of brutality, somepony that needed his protection. The static relished this moment. Were this scenario reversed it wouldn’t have been half as surprising.

“Acro they are going to,” Rune paused unable to find a nicer word for rape, “Do bad things to her!” Without warning Acropolis reared up and with both front hooves smashed the valve open. The static went silent.

“STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!” Acropolis clearly hadn’t lost his touch with the Canterlot royal voice. The three stallions looked surprised and barely moved trying to asses the new situation. “YOU HAVE VIOLATED LUNAR LAW! SURRENDER AND STAND TRIAL OR RESIST AND PERISH!” His voiced boomed through the tunnels rippling the water as his voice echoed through the system.

“Shhuilkkk.” the changeling pleaded. He didn’t know the language, but he got the message. Save me.

“Ah, Buck, it’s the Lunar guard!” One turned and tried to flee.

"Stein der Erde treffen die Himmel" The words left Rune's instantly.

He made it three steps only to be smashed into the ceiling by a rock spire shooting out of the water. Rune really has gotten better at casting those spells quickly. The spire retracted as his limp and broken body splashed into the water. The static in the back of her mind also fell silent.

“Mules!” Another shouted grabbing a bloody hammer and lunging at Acropolis swinging it wildly. Acropolis dodged his flails effortlessly. This stallion was clearly not trained into combat but he did have a powerful swing, maybe he was in the construction trade? The stallion swung deep, Acropolis blocked the blow with his wing. The metal clang it made startled the assailant, he was expecting to hit feathers not scales. Stepping forward Acropolis swung his wing forward. He once again made eye contact with the captive changeling, as his wing sunk deep into the attacker. The blood from his assailant dripped into the water as he flailed, speared to the wall by the wing.

“I told you to surrender.” Acropolis whispered as he lowered his wing to let the dying pony slide off into the water. The one stallion left looked down the tunnel and back at Rune, looked towards to the door and then to Acropolis. “And you, surrender or perish?” The question hung in the tunnel. Time seemed to stand still, Acropolis' bloody wing dripping into the water, Rune's horn alight, water splashing slightly around her from the magical charge, the last stallion's gaze shifting from guard to guard. To him they looked as monsters. He closed his eyes and thought hard on what to say next.

“DIE!” The remaining stallion hollered as his horn light up.

"Drehen Sie die Knochen und zerreißen ihn tot" Rune whispered.

The magic barely came to his horn when his head spun around completely with a sickening crack. In a reflex the twisted stallion spat out a mouthful of blood, took a step back, and fell into the water, dead. Acropolis and Rune stood for a minute looking at their work as the static in their minds slowly returned. Neither of them felt good about killing them but neither did they feel bad about it.

Luna looked up to the moon once more, saddened by the feeling she now felt through their link. She had hopped that the lunar guard would solve their problems with a more tempered approach. But then again, the Lunar Guard was a combat force, not primarily a police force.

“Are you okay?’ Acropolis said bending down and untying the now sobbing changeling. Once she was free she wrapped her forearms around Acropolis’s neck.

“Tshhissshkk shhsiskck hissshsts!” She sobbed deeply into Acropolis’s chest. He held his arms out unsure what to do with them. Rune came up to him and smiled a sad smile. Admitting the proper gesture, changeling or not, he lowered his arms and took the frightened nymph in his arms.  

“It’s okay, your safe now.” Acropolis whispered embracing the terrified changeling.

“Brigade, Thanks for coming.” Acropolis greeted him outside a quarantined hospital room. It wasn't strange for Acropolis to call for Brigade, what was strange was the guarded quarantine.

“Not a problem, I just came on shift anyway,” Brigade was in full regalia as usual, spear, shield, and everything that was standard issue. The golden armor of the Celesital guard made him look like he was made of light. “What’s going on?” as he asked Professor Fatuous came out of the room.

“So, Doc, how is she?” Acropolis asked.

“Unsure, she seems to be recovering, somewhat, but she is still asleep.” The doctor took off some rubber gloves he was wearing. Brigade noted the green blood on them. “But being held captive, brutally beaten, and" he lowered his voice, "raped for five months.” The Doc whistled, “that’s, that’s rough.”

“Chances of recovery?” Acropolis asked.

“Honestly, I know very little about her, she could get up tomorrow and be fine. Or never wake up at all.” He picked up his bag from outside the door. “Good day Acro, Brigade.” And with that the doctor quickly left them, whirring ans clicking down the hall.

“Acro, what is going on?” Brigade was really confused by this point.

“I need you to guard this room and the nymph inside,” Acropolis began to explain.

Did he just say nymph? Brigade was becoming more and more concerned.

“No pony besides me, Luna, Rune, and the Doc are allowed in. Got it?” Acropolis’s tone was serious.

“Why cant one of yours do this?”

“I need somepony I can trust completely. That, and this is, rather sensitive.” Acropolis looked up and down the hall. “If word gets out about this, we may have a riot on our hands.” Brigade was now even more confused. Acropolis led Brigade into the room. There in the middle was a changeling nymph hooked upto a variety of medical gizmos clearly of the good doctors design. She was bruised and swollen, whimpering in her sleep. Her wings buzzed softly ever once in a while. “Guard the door, or stay in here and guard her directly. Either way, this,” he paused as if trying to find the proper word, “victim needs to be kept out of the tabloids, and safe from any aggressors. Understood?”

“Yes sir.” Brigade gave a automatic response saluting.