Monsters

By Sharpe Quill

Chapter 5: Complications

Belle stared at the young unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, for almost a full minute before responding. Her mind spun at that simple statement. Here for the monsters? Was this a confirmation of her suspicions? Surely nopony, especially not the princess, would send somepony on just a hypothesis and a few vague and unsubstantiated sightings.

And this unicorn mare was so young and by herself. Surely if it was a serious threat more than one pony would have been sent, or at least an older, more experienced pony. Why would the princess send this Twilight Sparkle by herself? Something about this seemed off, she just couldn’t quite put her hoof on it…

Belle glanced up from her musings. The young mare was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a slightly less confident smile. Belle coughed. “Um, sorry, Miss Sparkle, I’m just a little surprised. I didn’t expect anypony so soon.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, “well, while I’m originally from Canterlot, I actually live in Ponyville, so once I got the letter from the Princess it was a fairly short trot here. Besides, she said to meet you here in the morning, and I’m never tardy. Never.”

Belle shied away slightly. That last statement had come out a little forcefully. And it hadn’t answered her question either. In fact, Canterlot was closer to Dock than Ponyville was, although neither was very far away. It was the short amount of time it had taken for the mayor’s request to be processed. Belle had figured on at least a full day before it was even looked at. “Um, right, anyway,” she said hastily, “how exactly can I help you? I’ve got a good bit on my plate as it is….” She trailed off, hoping that the young unicorn would catch her implied displeasure.

She apparently didn’t. “Oh don’t worry. I’m here to help however I can.”

“Look, Miss Sparkle,” Belle said slowly, “I’m sure you have the best of intentions, but this is my town, and I don’t need some amateur unicorn from Canterlot showing up and disturbing me, taking my time away from my work.”

She hadn’t intended to be rude, but this meddling of the mayor’s was a new low in Belle’s tenure as captain.

The young mare looked somewhat taken aback by Belle’s bluntness, but she made a valiant attempt to rally. “I understand, Captain, I really do, but I, um, well, I was asked personally by the princess to do this and I won’t let her down. I promise I won’t get in your way, and I won’t do anything without your say-so. Is that acceptable?”

Belle put a hoof over her eyes. She didn’t want to deal with this right now, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She couldn’t deny a Royal Representative. Maybe she could pass the young mare off to Em, keep her busy and out of the way. “Very well, Miss Sparkle,” she said at last.

“Call me Twilight, please,” Twilight interrupted cheerfully.

Belle gave a slight cough. “Right, well, I’ll have Sergeant Emerald fill you in on the details. If you’ll excuse me just a minute...”

Leaving the slightly bemused unicorn sitting in her office, Belle ducked back into the main room of the Guard House. “Em,” she whispered, trying to make sure Twilight wouldn’t hear her, “Em, I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course, Belle,” Em whispered, not because she didn’t want Twilight to hear, but simply because that’s how she always talked. “What can I do?”

“I need you to keep Miss Sparkle in there busy for a little while.” She gestured to her office door. “I need to get some work done and I don’t want some tag along slowing me down. This is too important.”

Em shot a glance at the door. “Um, alright, I guess. Whatever you need, Belle.” After a moment she added, “How?”

Belle rolled her hoof vaguely in the air. “I don’t know, improvise. Stall. Whatever.”

“Um, I will, of course,” Em whispered thoughtfully, “but I doubt it will be for very long. You know how I am with this kind of thing.”

Belle grimaced. Em was right of course, this was going to take a while and she wouldn't be able to avoid Twilight forever. But even a small diversion might be helpful. "Do what you can, stall her for as long as possible. I'll think of something."

Em nodded and Belle raised her voice. "Miss Sparkle," she called, "if you could join us out here."

The young unicorn trotted out a moment later, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. "Yes, Captain?"

"I've asked Sergeant Emerald Grass here to help you with your inquiries and bring you up to speed on things." Belle gestured towards the large and sheepish-looking unicorn with a hoof.

Twilight looked slightly confused by this turn of events. "Um, well, alright," she said hesitantly. "But I was under the impression that I was supposed to stick with and assist you specifically."

"Right," said Belle quickly, "but I have some things to take care of before we can move. And to be perfectly frank, right now you would be more of a hindrance than help. This will give you the chance to catch up."

Twilight looked skeptical but nodded. "Well, alright. If you say so."

"Good," said Belle hurriedly, "I'm glad that's settled. Now, if you'll excuse me."

She hurried back into her office before Twilight could say a word. As she was shutting the door, she just heard Twilight whisper to Emerald, "Is she always like that?"

Belle couldn't help herself. She paused just long enough to hear her friend's response.

"Oh, you'll have to forgive the captain," the sergeant whispered back. "She's under a lot of pressure right now. It's been a difficult week so far."

"Oh," said Twilight thoughtfully. After a second, she asked, "And, the tinted glasses?"

Belle closed her office door then, confident in both her friend's ability to keep the young mare occupied, and in her discretion. Em was one of only a hooffull of other ponies who knew her secret and she wouldn't give it up. Belle forced her mind to focus on the task at hoof, pushing the intruding unicorn out of her mind. "One thing at a time," she mumbled to herself.

True to Em's word, a folder of papers lay on Belle's desk. Shuffling through them, Belle studied the report from Sergeant Oak. Apparently the patrol had found nothing concerning any unusual creatures, although they had found evidence of the smuggling that Brine had talked about. It wasn't much, and it didn't implicate anypony specifically, but it was a start. That would have to wait, however; Belle's focus was on the creature, creatures, and/or ponies responsible for their presence and for the fire, not to mention the deaths of those two fillies. The patrol, once it knew to look for them, had also found several possible entrances to the smuggler's tunnels in multiple warehouses, although they had all been sealed or blocked in some way.

Beneath Oak's report was a small stack of photos, the ones Belle had taken herself. Good, she had hoped they would be ready. She studied them carefully, searching for anything she might have missed when she had taken them. When she didn't find anything, she carefully stowed them in her saddlebags. Eris, the town veterinarian and resident animal expert, would hopefully be able to identify the creatures that had made them. But there was one stop she had to make first.

When she exited her office, she found the unicorn pair sitting on either side of Em's desk chatting like old friends. "And she pulled an eye-patch out of the chimney! My chimney! I couldn't believe it, but that's Pinkie Pie for you. I..." Twilight trailed off when she saw Belle exit her office. "Captain Belle," she said, her tone much more formal and business-like than it had been a moment ago, "Sergeant Emerald had just finished filling me in. I believe I'm up to speed. Where are we off to?"

Belle threw an incredulous look at Em but the large unicorn only shrugged and whispered, "She's a quick study, she caught up surprisingly fast."

Twilight beamed at the compliment, although she seemed to be trying to suppress it. Belle sighed. "I'm going out to follow up on a few things and I don't have time to babysit a filly. No offense."

The young mare seemed to wilt slightly at Belle's harsh words but rallied admirably. She drew herself up to her less than impressive full height. "As I said before, regardless of your personal feelings, Captain, I have been sent by Princess Celestia herself to assist you in this investigation, so that's what I'm going to do."

"I can't bother with this right now," Belle growled. She moved to the front door and started to open it. A nimbus of magical energy suddenly surrounded the door and gently but forcefully pushed it closed again. Belle rounded on the young unicorn, who suddenly looked nervous. "What do you think you're doing?" she snarled.

Em cleared her throat, loudly, which means the ponies in the next house could probably hear it, and glared at her. "Actually, Captain," she whispered, emphasizing the title, "that was me."

That made Belle stop short, literally sitting down on the floor in surprise. Em was her best friend, but she had always been a very quiet and submissive pony, Belle had hardly ever seen her so assertive. "W-what?" she stammered. "Why?"

"I'm sorry, Belle," Em whispered, once more in her usual, familiar voice, "but you need to stop for a moment. I know you're upset that others are interfering with your work, but I think Miss Twilight here can be of great assistance to you. We haven't talked for all that long, but I can already tell that she's incredibly smart and intuitive. You should let her help. You said yourself: you need all the help you can get."

"That's not quite what I said," grumbled Belle in a low voice. She didn't want to admit it but Em was right, she couldn't afford to turn aside any help just to ease her wounded pride, not when the lives of her ponies could be in danger. She sighed. "You're right, Em," she said. "Of course, you're right."

Turning to Twilight, Belle said, "My apologies, Miss Sparkle, I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."

Twilight, for her part, was looking very pensive, looking at Belle as though trying to figure out a puzzle. She roused, however, when Belle addressed her. "Hmm? Oh. Oh, think nothing of it, Captain, apology accepted. Now, how can I help?"

A still chastised Belle indicated the door. "Come on, we can talk on the way."

"Where are we going?" Twilight asked as she began to walk.

Belle grimaced slightly. "The hospital."

As they walked, Belle explained to Twilight about the wounded diamond dog she had found in the wreckage of the second fire. Despite only having about half an hour or so, while Belle had been going over the reports, to learn about the details, it turned out that Twilight not only remembered the information but understood its significance. Belle couldn’t help but be slightly impressed at her study skills.

“So you think this diamond dog was somehow involved?” Twilight asked as they trotted down the mostly empty streets of Dock towards the hospital.

Belle nodded. “It makes sense. He was at the scene of the second fire. And the door was locked from the inside; the only way he could have gotten in was through the tunnel. I’d bet bits to apples that he was involved in the smuggling. I’m hoping he can give me something to go on, ‘cause right now all I’ve got is supposition.”

“Fairly sound suppositions though,” said Twilight kindly.

They trotted on in silence for a few moments before Belle asked the question that had been bugging her since Twilight had first introduced herself. “Can I ask you something, Miss?”

“Please,” insisted Twilight, “just call me Twilight. And of course you can.”

“Well,” said Belle, choosing her words carefully, “you said that you were here to help me find my monsters. Now I can’t help but wonder why the princess would send an agent so quickly based solely on guesses and a hooffull of vague sightings, without solid evidence.”

Twilight looked aside for a moment before answering. “Well, I don’t know all of the specifics myself, to be honest. The princess sent me a message saying that there had been stories of strange sightings in Dock, rumors that some kind of unusual monsters were stalking the streets. She asked me to look into it and assist you personally in your investigations. And frankly, looking at what you’ve found so far, I’d say that your theories are sound.”

Belle digested that for a moment. The thought that the Princess herself had requested for Twilight to assist Belle specifically was both exciting and slightly unnerving. She pushed that thought aside. “But why you?” she asked. “You seem rather young to be asked to do this single-hoofedly.”

“Well,” said Twilight reservedly, “I don’t like to boast about it, but I’m actually Princess Celestia’s personal protégé; I have been since I was a little filly. This isn’t the first time she’s asked me to look into something unusual. Just last year she sent my friends and me to talk a sleeping dragon into moving so that he wouldn’t spoil the sky with his smoky snores.”

“I remember that,” Belle interrupted. “We heard that it was a special task force from Canterlot. That was you?”

“Me and my friends, yes,” Twilight acknowledged. “And I do have a pretty diverse range of spells. You see, magic itself is my special talent.”

Belle raised an eyebrow at that. “So I’m assuming you can handle yourself in a fight?”

Twilight stumbled slightly, apparently caught off guard by the question, but recovered quickly. “I’m… well I’m not great,” she said modestly, “but if it comes to fighting monsters, I won’t shy away.”

Belle shot her a skeptical glance, somewhat mitigated by the tinted glasses, but didn’t comment. It seemed unlikely that this small mare would be much of a fighter, let alone a special agent of the Crown. But if she really was the personal protégé of the princess, as well as having magic itself as her special talent, then it was possible that she could be formidable. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but Belle would feel better knowing exactly what to expect out of the young unicorn if it came to a fight.

They soon reached the hospital, no more inviting to Belle now than it had been two nights ago. Inside, they found Corporal Snowflake sitting in the hallway outside of a patient room.

“Corporal,” Belle said with a sharp salute, “report!”

Corporal Snowflake, a white pegasus with a red and orange mane and tail, tilted her head slightly so that her left ear was facing them. She saluted her captain and, casting a suspicious eye at Twilight, answered, “Captain, the diamond dog brought in yesterday was tended to by Doctor Lighthooves and Doctor Crystal. They were working off and on for most of the night, they only stopped about an hour ago. They were… elusive when I asked them about his status."

"Are either of them around?" Belle asked. "I'm going to want to speak with them."

"I know Dr. Lighthooves went home right after they wrapped up their treatment. I'm not sure about Dr. Crystal, she might still be here."

"Alright, Corporal. Head on back to the Guard House and report in with Sergeant Emerald, then get some rest. I'm going to want you back by this evening. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Snowflake saluted and, with another curious look at Twilight, trotted down the hallway.

Once the pegasus had disappeared from view, Belle stuck her head inside the room but could only see a curtain screen that supposedly hid the injured diamond dog.

When she ducked back out, she turned to Twilight. “Come on, let’s go find Dr. Crystal.”

As they made their way back to the front desk to ask the nurse on duty about the doctor, Belle decided to see what she could get from her unexpected companion. “Do you know anything about diamond dogs?”

“Some,” Twilight answered. “I’ve only interacted with them once, when a rather motley band kidnapped one of my friends. They weren’t the brightest lot, but afterwards I looked them up.” She began to list off facts as though reading them from mental notes. “They’re not indigenous to Equestria but they’ve been slowly becoming a larger presence, especially in the southern areas. Not much is known about their homeland or their culture since they tend to keep to themselves. They tend to travel and live in small groups, at least it is extremely rare for one to be seen alone. They eat gems mostly, although they have been known to eat meat. Their language is rather unusual, being a combination of vocal sounds and body posture, and is very different from Equestrian; they can learn Equestrian, although they seem to have some difficulty with our pronunciations.”

When they reached the front desk, Twilight took a breath while Belle inquired about Dr. Crystal. Once the nurse had departed to find her, Belle said, “You said they tend to move about in groups, well this one was by itself. Does that mean that there are others around?” She thought back to several nights ago, when she had seen a group of three Diamond Dogs in The Hole. Had the one she pulled from the wreckage been one of those three?

Twilight nodded. “It’s certainly possible, maybe even likely. Why do you ask?"

Belle shrugged. "I'm just trying to gather as much information as possible, anything could prove useful."

Twilight nodded sagely. After a minute of waiting in the silent entrance hall she commented, "Doesn't seem very busy for a hospital."

"Just the way I like it," said Belle, with no small amount of satisfied smugness.

Twilight grinned but was prevented from responding by the clip clopping of two sets of hooves. The nurse returned, followed by a tired looking elderly unicorn mare.

"Ah, Belle," said the doctor with a yawn, "hmm, pardon me. What can I do for you?"

"Dr. Crystal," Belle greeted with a polite nod. She gestured towards Twilight. "This is Miss Twilight Sparkle, sent from Canterlot, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your latest patient."

Dr. Crystal nodded wearily. “Of course, Belle. Nice to meet you, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight smiled. “Likewise, Doctor. And please, call me Twilight.”

Dr. Crystal returned her smile, albeit with more exhaustion. “If you both will accompany me, my office is down the blue corridor.”

Belle and Twilight followed the fatigued doctor along a different corridor than the one which contained the room of the diamond dog. They passed several open doorways but only saw two that were occupied with sick ponies.

Twilight had been right when she said that the hospital wasn’t very busy, and while a large reason for that was the peacefulness of the city, Belle knew that the biggest reason was not a lack of violence and accidents, it was a lack of ponies. Dock’s population had been declining over the last few years; there were simply fewer ponies to get sick, to have accidents, to get into fights. It was a sobering and somewhat depressing thought for Belle, who hated seeing the decline of the city that had been her home for her entire life.

Belle was so lost in her thoughts that she almost walked past the corridor which Twilight, and Dr. Crystal had turned down. She quickly hurried to catch up. Dr. Crystal didn’t even seem to have noticed, but Twilight gave her a strangely scrutinizing look. Why was she looking at her like that? Belle scowled back at her in annoyance. Twilight turned back without comment.

They reached the doctor’s office, and she showed Belle and Twilight to a seat. “So, ask away, Belle,” she said, sitting down behind her desk.

Belle cut right to the chase. “What can you tell me about the diamond dog that was brought in yesterday?”

"Let’s see," Dr. Crystal began, her horn lighting up in order to float a clipboard in front of her face, "he suffered serious burns over approximately 70% of his body, suffered terrible internal damage, including a punctured lung and four broken ribs. He has severe head trauma and most likely suffered a concussion. Several vertebrae were fractured. His left arm was broken in three places, his right in two; should he survive the next few days he will need months of physical therapy before he has full use of his hands. Both of his legs were absolutely shattered, he'll never walk again."

She paused for a breath and flipped the top-most page over. Belle's mouth dropped open slightly. That was a lot of information, and the doctor had read it all off quickly so that Belle felt like her head was spinning. A quick glance to her side showed that Twilight had been listening intently, easily taking it all in. Beside her floated a notepad and quill, a tiny inkpot on the ground at her hooves. Good, at least she was taking notes; Belle could always refer to them later if necessary. Maybe this intruding mare could prove helpful after all.

The doctor went on. "It goes on like that, I'm afraid. And I'm only mentioning the worst damages. Frankly it's amazing he survived at all. As it is, we were able to keep him alive and stabilize him as best we could, but he's not out of the woods yet. If he makes it through the next few days, he might pull through. But the extent of the damages is massive, I don't like his chances."

"Diamond dogs are incredibly resilient, from all accounts," Twilight put in.

Dr. Crystal nodded. "They'd have to be for him to have survived that."

"Is there any chance he could regain consciousness anytime soon?" Belle asked hopefully. But the doctor was shaking her head almost before she had finished.

"No, I'm sorry," the elderly unicorn said. "We had to cast our most potent sleep spell on him so we could work on him. It's designed for ponies, but I've no doubt he won't wake up for days. If he wakes up at all."

Belle frowned but nodded. "I understand, Doctor, thank you for your time."

She rose to go but paused when Twilight spoke up. "Did he have any deep lacerations, Doctor? Anything that stood out as being unusual?"

Belle turned back to the doctor with anticipation. Inwardly she was kicking herself; she should have thought to ask that question, knowing what Soil had found on the bodies of the two fillies.

The older mare frowned and looked down at her notes, scanning them hurriedly. "Now that you mention it," she said slowly, "I think there might have been something... ah yes, here it is. The patient's left hind leg had three deep lacerations in the lower leg. It might have just been damage from the falling debris, but the slashes seemed too clean, too straight. Odd, that."

She looked up curiously at Twilight, who finished writing with a bit of a flourish and quickly stowed her supplies back in her saddlebags. "Thank you, Doctor," she said brightly.

"Of course," Dr. Crystal said, a curious eyebrow still cocked at the slightly smug unicorn.

The two younger mares made their good-byes and trotted hurriedly down the hallways towards the exit. Belle paused in the entrance hall to request a message in case the diamond dog woke up.

“Where to now?” asked Twilight as they exited into the late morning sunlight.

“Now,” Belle said as she surreptitiously turned onto a road leading north, “I want to see somepony about identifying some tracks.”

Twilight hurried to catch up and walk alongside the captain. “What kind of tracks?”

“Animal tracks. I took some photos yesterday; hopefully I’ll be able to know what we’re dealing with. They’re in my saddlebags if you want to take a look.” She gestured with a nod to the bag riding outside her armor.

A glow enfolded the bag and it opened; three large pieces of paper floated out, similarly engulfed in magic. Twilight held them in front of her face as they walked, only half paying attention to where she was going.

“Hmm, well the tracks in these,” she held one page up higher than the others, “looks to be some kind of large cat. I’d say a lion, perhaps, but the size is wrong. And the shape just seems off somehow.”

Belle rolled her eyes at the obvious declaration but didn’t comment. Twilight didn’t seem to have noticed. “The other set look like a dragon’s.”

That caught Belle’s attention and she stopped short on the side of the road. Twilight walked past her for several steps before realizing. “Are you sure?” Belle asked. It had been a possibility that she had considered herself, but if somepony else came to the same conclusion, maybe there was more to it than just a guess.

“Well,” Twilight hedged, “perhaps not completely. But this photo here shows a mark very similar to a print left by a dragon’s left hind-foot. Not a fully grown dragon, obviously, but definitely larger than a baby dragon’s. Trust me on that one.” She smiled fondly but didn’t elaborate. “Anyway, perhaps an adolescent? Although again, something about it somehow seems off, I just can’t quite put my hoof on what though.”

Belle shook her head, and sighed as Twilight replaced the photos back into her saddlebag. A dragon in Dock; this whole mess just kept getting worse and worse.

Eris’ house and clinic was the northernmost building in Dock, truthfully not very far from Belle’s own house, with the forest beginning literally in her backyard. It was a quaint little building, two-storied, with a thatched roof. The first floor was Eris’ workplace where she cared for animals, mostly pets, while she actually lived on the second floor. It had a lovingly cared-for garden in the front, large un-shuttered windows facing the path, several pens in the back for her larger animal patients, and an overall welcoming aura. All around it was the very model of a pleasant place to live.

But Belle knew better.

Lovely as the house might be, and as sweet and kind as Eris was, Belle knew that her home was the lair of evil. Eris kept several pets, but prominent among them was a grey old cat which Belle had long ago realized was the embodiment of evil.

Miss Fluffles and Belle had become lifelong enemies the day they had met, although their antagonism of late had simmered into an uneasy case of avoid and let live. This was mostly due to the fact that Belle generally refused to go near Eris’ house. The old mare herself treated the evil-spawn as though it were still a kitten. It was the only thing she and Belle ever disagreed on.

And so it was with no small amount of trepidation that Belle approached the quaint clinic. Twilight noted her uneasiness. “Something the matter?”

Belle snorted and shook her head. “Let’s just say I’ve had some bad experiences here in the past.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow but didn’t pry further.

Belle steeled herself and stepped past the front gate of the pleasant picket fence. When she wasn't immediately maimed, she took heart and proceeded to the front door, opened it, and went it.

Which was of course when the Tartarus-spawn struck.

A heavy weight landed on Belle's shoulders and a set of vicious claws pierced the skin on the back of her neck, just above the edge of her barding. She reared and screamed in her surprise and pain, which, since she was still only halfway through the doorway, caused her to smash her head against the top edge of the frame. The blow stunned her and she collapsed to the floor, half inside and half outside. There was an angry hiss as the demon in cat form streaked away deeper into the house and was immediately lost from view.

Belle lay there, dazed, for a while. Annoying flashes kept impeding her vision so she shut her eyes. Much better. She was dimly aware of the sound of voices around her. She couldn't tell what they were saying or even what kind of tone they were in. It didn't seem important.

Her head hurt something fierce, and the slightest twitch made it worse, so she decided to just rest for a bit. The doorway seemed as good a place as any.

She had no idea how much time passed, it could have been a minute, it could have been an hour, when a soft but heavy cool weight was rested on her aching head. That soon eased the pain somewhat and she was opened her eyes cautiously. The flashes from before were replaced by the two concerned faces of Twilight and Eris.

Eris was an elderly earth pony mare, with more silver in her mane and tail than red anymore. She had blue fur that was unusually dark, and mismatched eyes, one green and one yellow. Her cutie mark was slightly unusual, given her profession; it was a single golden apple with a bite missing out of a top corner. She had lived in Dock for as long as Belle could remember, and she couldn't recall the elderly veterinarian ever saying a single cross word to anypony.

"I think she's coming around," Twilight practically shouted. "Are you alright, Captain?"

"Now, now," Eris said in an equally loud voice, "don't rush the poor dear. Just take it easy there, Belle, don't overexert yourself."

"Please stop shouting," Belle whined as the pounding in her head seemed to increase.

The two ponies before her looked at each other, apparently confused. "We aren't," said Twilight in a lower but still painfully loud voice. "We're practically whispering."

"Oh," Belle said, feeling foolish. Slowly the pounding subsided and she made a valiant effort to rise. Carefully, with Twilight supporting her, she managed to move to a nearby couch. She allowed herself to be carefully lowered onto it.

Eris appeared out of a side room, a tray loaded with tea and small cakes balanced on her back. Twilight generously levitated the tray onto a low table in front of the couch. Eris smiled at her gratefully before turning her attention to Belle. "How are you feeling? That was a nasty blow you took."

The pounding in Belle's head had finally lessened into a manageable ache. "I'll live," she grumbled. She added under her breath, "Blasted cat."

Eris tsked. "Now, now, the poor thing was simply resting on the lintel over the door, it gets nice and warm in the afternoon you see, and you simply surprised her. The poor dear is probably shaking with fright in a corner somewhere."

Shaking with laughter more likely. But Belle knew there was no point in arguing with Eris. She sighed and sat up. The pack of ice that had been placed on her head slipped off and fell onto the couch. Belle dutifully picked it up in her teeth and placed it on the table next to the tray.

Twilight finished pouring the tea and gently levitated a full cup and saucer in front of each of them. "Thank you, dear," Eris said before taking a slow sip.

Belle sat there, her tea untouched, waiting for the pain to fade enough for her to fully function. Twilight and Eris made small talk, the earth pony inquiring about Twilight's occupation and home (she was a librarian? Seriously?), and the unicorn asking about Eris' work, referencing one of her friends back in Ponyville, who was apparently in a similar line of work. Her concentration shifted in and out while the pounding in her head continued, dwindling painfully slowly. Finally, the pain receded enough for Belle to focus. She caught clearly the tail end of the other two mares' conversation.

"So, Eris," Twilight said cautiously, as though unsure if she should broach a topic, "that's a very interesting and unusual name, if you don't mind me saying."

Eris laughed, which seemed to put Twilight at ease again. "Tell me about it," the elderly earth pony said. "My parents were scholars; in fact my father taught history in Prance for a long time. They said that when they saw my unusual coloration, it just kind of popped into their heads." She shrugged. "I've come to quite like it actually. It's too bad so few ponies even realize its referential nature. Schools these days..."

She shook her head sadly. Twilight nodded her agreement. Belle felt lost. Eris' name was a little unusual, but Belle had never really thought about it. "What do you mean?" she asked, surprising the other two.

Eris gave a look that basically shouted 'that's exactly what I'm talking about.' Twilight giggled, but then answered Belle. "In ancient pony times, Eris was the name of the ponification of chaos and strife. She was a dark pony who caused chaos and destruction around her. Legend says that she caused the great Tori War over a perceived slight." Eris nodded in agreement.

Belle thought back to her history lessons, something she had long ago promised herself that she would never do. The name didn't sound familiar. "I thought Discord was the physical embodiment of chaos," she said, feeling rather proud of herself for actually using the word 'embodiment' in a sentence correctly.

Twilight gave a shudder but shook her head. "No, that's a common misconception because he was so well known for loving chaos and spreading it wherever he went. No, he is the Spirit of Disharmony, which, while closely linked with chaos, is different. While his actions have always been perceived as chaotic, he was mainly considered to be more of a trickster than actively evil. Eris, on the other hoof, was considered a truly malicious spirit."

Belle mulled this over in her head. When the legends of Discord had proven to be true the previous year, all of Equestria had suffered during the mad prankster’s temporary freedom. Ponyville had been hit the worst, but Dock hadn’t escaped unscathed. Belle still couldn’t look at a banana the same way. Somepony more malicious than Discord seemed implausible, and was a truly scary thought.

To cover her musings, she took a sip from the tea. It had lost most of its heat while she had recovered, but it was still delicious. She shook her head, almost imperceptibly. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about myths and legends, she had enough real monsters to worry about without adding mythical monsters to the mix.

Eris set her cup down slowly with a contented sigh. “How is your head, Belle?” she asked.

“Much better, thank you Eris,” she said, and she meant it. She’d probably have bump on her head to rival a unicorn, but she could at least think clearly again.

“Well,” Eris went on, “I doubt you came here with the intention of having tea, let alone a concussion, not that I haven’t enjoyed the visit. I so rarely have the opportunity to socialize anymore. How can I help you ladies?”

Belle carefully placed the teacup back onto its saucer. “Yes, actually. I was hoping you would take a look at these.” She reached into her saddlebags and withdrew the photos, placing them onto the table in front of Eris.

Eris leaned forward and spread out the photos on the table top. While she mulled over them, Twilight finished her tea and placed it back onto the table, surreptitiously taking a third cake as she did.

Belle waited patiently while Twilight chewed quietly. Eventually, Eris sat back, a puzzled expression on her face. “Hmm, I think I need to check something. I’ll be right back.”

She rose and slowly walked out of the room, leaving the two visitors alone around the small table. Twilight looked at Belle concernedly, “Are you sure you’re alright, Captain?” she asked.

Belle nodded tentatively and was happy to find that it didn’t cause a resurgence of pain. “I’ll be fine. But if you happen to see that cat, do everypony a favor and kick it.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled and giggled at the perceived joke.

Right. Joke…

“I take it you two have a history,” she said, amusement lacing her voice.

“You could say that,” Belle grumbled, “damn beast has had it in for me for as long as I can remember.” After a pause, she said, “You and Eris seemed to get along rather well.”

Twilight nodded. “She’s a sweet old mare. Reminds me of one of my friends back home. And she’s led such an interesting life.”

Belle started at that, they couldn’t have been talking for that long. “You’ve been talking for that long? How long was I out?”

“Um, a while,” Twilight said sheepishly. “To be honest I was starting to get worried, but Eris kept reassuring me that you’d be fine; I almost didn’t believe her until you started drinking your tea.”

Belle snorted softly, not in anger at Twilight but in frustration at the delay. She really wasn’t good at keeping track of time.

They settled into a quiet lull. However, Belle soon noticed that Twilight looked like she wanted to say something; she kept glancing at Belle and looking away. Finally, Belle got annoyed. “What?” she snapped. “Just say it.”

Twilight opened her mouth but hesitated. Then she said in a quiet voice, “Belle, what color are my eyes?”

Belle froze, her mouth hanging open. She had certainly not expected that. She tried to find a way out, but finally she gave up. “How long have you known?”

Twilight glanced aside and said in a low voice, “About ten seconds. I’m sorry, Captain, it’s not my place to pry. I just had a theory and couldn’t help but see if I was right.”

Belle sighed. “That’s alright, Miss Sparkle. It’s not something I let just anypony know, but so far you’re only the second to actually figure it out on your own.”

Twilight turned back to the earth pony, her curiosity prodding her on. “Is it complete?”

Belle nodded. “Yeah. The doctor called it a- achroma- er-"

"Achromatopsia?" suggested Twilight in a low voice.

Belle clicked her tongue once. "Yeah, that was it. Can’t see any color at all. Had a rather bad accident when I was just a filly, head trauma. It's been nothing but shades of grey ever since. All of the ponies I know, I can still remember their coloration so it’s not too big of a deal, but it’s difficult with strangers. Usually I get Em or my husband to describe them to me in secret. How did you know?”

Twilight smiled, not at all unwilling to explain her deduction. “The main clue was when you, er, accused me of closing the door. My magical aura is purple, Emerald’s is green. It was very unlikely that you could have mixed them up. Your tinted glasses were a pretty big hint too. Light sensitivity?”

Belle nodded. “Yeah. It’s not so bad when it’s overcast, and heck, I can practically see in the dark, which I’m not going to lie, is kind of cool. But on a particularly bright day, even with the glasses, it can be painful.”

The clever unicorn gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Belle rolled her eyes behind her glasses. "For what? You didn't cause it, and it happened a long time ago. I've learned to live with it."

Twilight shook her head. "No, I mean: sorry for bringing it up."

Belle shrugged. "Whatever. You figured it out on your own. I would appreciate it if you didn't go sharing it with others though. It's hard enough being a captain of the guard without everypony thinking I've got some kind of disability too."

"Of course," said Twilight. After a moment she added, "They're purple by the way. So is my coat. My mane and tail are a darker violet with a pink stripe in both."

Belle looked at the unicorn, mentally adding the colors as she remembered them. It was oddly fitting for the young mare. She inclined her head slightly. "Thank you, for keeping my secret."

Twilight returned the gesture, and started to speak but stopped short when they heard the light but slow thuds that announced Eris' return. The elderly earth pony appeared a moment later, a heavy volume balanced easily on her back. She slid it off onto the table, causing the dishes to rattle. It was an old book with a thick and faded cover. A layer of dust was still clinging valiantly to it in patches, although much of it blew into the air when the book hit the table. The cover read Burrdan Bock's Book of Beasts.

Twilight made an oddly appreciative sound when she saw the book. "Oh my, is that a first edition? You can't find anything below a fourth edition for sale anymore. I don't think even the Royal Canterlot Library has one. Leastways I could only ever find the second through ninth editions." She sounded so excited, making Belle smile. The captain herself was less than impressed. It was a book, period.

Eris chuckled at the unicorn's excitement. "Indeed it is," she said, her voice full of fond reminiscence. "My parents gave it to me when I was just a little filly, a present for when I got my cutie mark."

Carefully Eris opened the book to about a quarter of the way in and began leafing through the pages before settling on a spot. "The first set of prints definitely belongs to a big cat, most likely a lion, although I suppose it could be a manticore, considering its size. The second set, however, is much more unusual. At first I thought it might be a young dragon, but while the shape was right, something about it seemed off."

"That's exactly what I said!" Twilight exclaimed proudly.

Eris smiled at her. "You have a good eye, Twilight." Twilight looked slightly chagrined at the compliment. Belle rolled her eyes.

"It took me a while,” Eris continued, “but I finally figured it out. See, in the photograph, the toes' impression is deeper than the area of the heel. That means that the weight of the creature is forward, on the toes. See what I mean?"

Belle looked closely at the photo, and, now that she knew what to look for, could see what the old mare was saying. Twilight gave a sudden gasp of understanding. Belle, however, was still confused. "So what does that mean?" she asked.

"Dragons are bipedal almost exclusively until they reach full adulthood," explained Twilight quickly. "Young dragons can walk on all fours, but usually don't. A creature walking on two legs has its weight more on its heel than on its toes."

Belle caught on. "So whatever left this print stood on four legs rather than two," she exclaimed.

Twilight nodded. "Which, when taken with the size of the print, basically rules out a dragon."

Eris coughed gently and shook her head. "You youngsters, always in such a hurry," she grouched. "I was gonna get to that." But she had a small smile on her face as she said it.

Twilight grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, please go on, Eris," she said.

The old earth pony cleared her throat. "So anyway, knowing that, I consulted this here book. My first thought was a basilisk, but they tend to be a bit smaller than this print suggests. Besides, you would have found quite a few more prints than these. Basilisks have six legs, you see."

She paused to take a sip of her cold tea, wetting her dry throat. Belle thought back to the muddy ground that she had found the prints in. There truly had not been many prints like this one around the area, and even fewer clear prints, surely not enough for a six-legged beast.

Her throat suitably moistened, Eris continued, "So, there aren't many other creatures that would make a print like this. In fact, all things considered, this is pretty much the only solution." She gently placed her hoof on the open page, pointing at an entry.

Twilight was at a better angle so she read aloud: "Drake. A drake is a large, lizard-like creature, ranging in size from five to fifteen paces long, not including the tail which can be as long as the entire length of the body over again. A carnivorous beast, the drake is a surprisingly agile hunter, although it prefers to move in short bursts of speed, and, when not hunting, is generally slow. While no longer native to Equestria, pony encounters with these fearsome beasts have been reported as nearby as the Crystal Mountains; such encounters have rarely ended well for the ponies. Their primary means of attack is the claws on their forelegs, which are noticeably sharper than those on their hind legs. However, what sets them apart from other, similar predators, is their ability to produce short bursts of flame, similar to that of a dragon, albeit in smaller amounts, and not nearly as often. Due to this, and coupled with their overall appearance, it has long been thought that drakes are a close relative to the dragons. Dragons themselves refute this, however, citing their high intelligence compared to a drake's, which is no higher than any other animal.”

Twilight sat back on her haunches, her face screwed up in heavy thought. Belle, too, considered this new information. A drake made sense; the prints, the fires, even the vague sightings, everything fit. And yet something in Belle's mind kept nagging at her, something was off. For one thing, how did the cat fit into everything? And if the first fire had been caused by the drake breaking free of its cage, then what had caused the second fire? If it really was just a dumb beast, then why would it go back into the tunnels when the open forest had stretched out before it? Surely it would have sought freedom rather than returning into the city. There were too many questions again, and not enough answers.

"Does that help?" Eris asked, looking from one thoughtful pony to the other.

"It does," Belle said, still somewhat distracted with her thoughts. She roused quickly though, she needed to think, but this wasn't the place. "Thank you, Eris, you've been a great help."

The elderly mare smiled and nodded. "Anytime."

Belle and Twilight made their good-byes and slowly walked out of the veterinarian's home. Belle could have sworn she heard a low, hissing chuckle coming from underneath a dresser as they left, but she didn't see anything. To be safe, she kept looking all around, even up, wary of another attack from the demon.

Once they were safe again on the road outside, Belle finally relaxed a little. A quick glance to the side revealed Twilight still deep in thought, her eyes staring blankly ahead. "What is it?" Belle asked.

"I just can't help but wonder," Twilight said, almost half to herself. "Your report said that all the tracks in the woods were headed into the tunnel. Why would an animal willingly head back into the tunnels after escaping captivity when an obvious escape route was literally at its feet?"

Belle nodded, Twilight and she seemed to be on the same page. "I was thinking the exact same thing before."

"Did you think of any reasons?"

Belle considered the question. "There's really no way of knowing without more information," she said at last. “But I don’t like it, there’s more going on than we’re aware of. I’m sure of it.”

Twilight nodded. "I know," she sighed, "I feel like we're missing something obvious here."

Belle laughed. "Welcome to my world, Twilight."

Author's Notes:

Many thanks to my editor Expository Brony.

As always, MLP and its characters are © Hasbro and Lauren Faust respectively.

All OCs, however, are purely mine.