Dusk greeted Echo's sleepy orange eyes. Accompanying her yawn was a satisfying stretch, the quilt from last night still hugging her physique in cosy embrace. She didn't know what time it was, but it was no doubt that Lullaby would still be asleep. Into the cramped kitchen, she poured herself a cup of pineapple juice. In her daze, about half of the carton went onto the table but she didn't even notice til she put her hoof in it. A sigh erupted from her throat, as Lullaby stomped clumsily down the stairs.
She went to speak but before she started, she let out a very loud yawn.
“Whatime izzit?” her friend asked.
“Beats me. You got any tissue paper? I, uh. Spilled this. Everywhere.”
Lullaby didn't look pleased.
“Over there,” she groaned, pointing with her hoof. “I swear, you have to be the clumsiest pony I've ever met.”
Echo chuckled quietly to herself, cleaning up.
“I'm sorry. I'm a bit sleepy, is all,” she replied. “Oh, and I think it's just past 2am.”
Lullaby batted her leaf green eyes and sighed.
“It's okay, but jeez, we slept for that long?”
 A timid knock made its way through the house. Baffled at how late it was, Echo answered it. Greeting her was Night Watch, one of the batpony guards in the town.
“This isn't a spot check. The mayor's requested a meeting for everyone at the town hall,” she sternly said. “Get you and your friend over there as soon as possible.”
Slightly befuddled, she turned over to Lullaby and explained the situation.
“Wonder what it could be?”
“I bet you it's linked to what the guard told me!”
“Echo, I thought we'd been through this! He was just giving you advice!”
“Hmph!”
With that, the pair exited, not saying a word for the whole walk.
 
---
 
Inside the spacious hall, dozens of batponies flapped around while another few dozen were sat down. Calamity was the only word to describe it. The mayor was nowhere to be seen, the panel at the far end of the hall was empty of a body. As they entered, Echo and Lullaby clutched at their ears, trying to drown out the din of the bats around them. They took some seats in the middle of the hall, seemingly everyone had avoided that space or was flying above it. Within a few moments, they noticed the curtain behind the panel reveal the mayor of Hollow Shades, Dusk Barron. The stallion was calm and collected amongst his kind despite the eruptions of curiosity from the townsponies. He flipped back his short white mane and batted his cold, violet eyes. As he tapped the microphone, he said only a single word with a soothing voice, like a mother calming her wailing child.
“Settle.”
Every batpony who had been yelling and clamouring before calmed down almost immediately. The hall became eerily quiet save for the buzzing of the microphone. Dusk shook his light blue coat, and proceeded.
“It's come to my attention that many of us in Hollow Shades are quite concerned with the royal guards doing random spot checks at all hours of the day. So I have gathered you all here to help you understand why this is happening.”
Echo nudged Lullaby and stuck her tongue out at her. She ignored her friend.
“In one of the neighbouring towns surrounding Canterlot, personal items have been disappearing without warning. In some cases, entire houses have been taken without a trace. Now, obviously these aren't simple robberies. When entire houses disappear, that's a cause for concern.”
He paused, gently taking a short breath and gazed across the crowd for a moment. Echo's pupils narrowed in realisation.
“So far this is contained only to that segment of Equestria, but alas Princess Celestia instructed the guard to be spread around the kingdom.”
Bats turned around to each other in confusion. Once more, the cacophonous uproar returned. Dusk Barron's hairs stood on the back of his neck.
“Please, everypony! Calm down for a moment! If you have any questions, I will relay you answers as soon as you all quieten down!”
Again, he commanded the crowd and they did as told. One batpony called out.
“What the hay is causing this?”
Then another.
“What kind of stuff is being taken?”
And once again.
“What if it starts happening here?!”
Echo sat there, quieter than Lullaby had ever seen her before. She had her head hung in deep thought. Lullaby whispered to her friend.
“What are you daydreaming about, oh great Starswirl the Bearded?”
Echo turned her head towards Lullaby and shook it slowly, then quickly. Echo's expression was that of complete terror.
“It's not just the homes.”
Lullaby raised a doubtful brow at her.
“I am telling you now!” she yelled. In her fear and anger, Echo got out of her seat and galloped out of the long hall. She knew the guard was talking about something completely different. Lullaby wouldn't have it though. Echo knew she had to find that guard again. Get him somehow to tell her everything he knows. If the mayor was going to keep everyone else in the dark, she wouldn't let him keep her in the same place. If Lullaby wasn't going to believe her, she'd have to prove it to her friend. And that's exactly what she'd do.
 
---
 
After that wholly pointless gathering, Dusk Barron returned to his quarters in the upper levels of the town hall. He couldn't tell them outright, just reveal a smaller part of the whole picture to satisfy those who would restlessly press for an answer. And so far, it had seemed to have worked. He couldn't help but notice one single mare though, who quickly rushed out of the building after he had finished speaking. Perhaps she was of a nervous disposition, desperate to protect her belongings. Not many batponies knew him personally, and so he was not concerned with whoever it was. Satisfied with his own conclusion, he started on an overdue letter to Princess Celestia. It contained few words.
'We can't hide the truth away for much longer.'
 
---
 
Much to the librarian's disdain, Echo had been up and down shelves upon shelves of books looking for something possibly related to these shady events. The library seemed a decent enough place to look for evidence, with piles of information she would surely find something. She was now at F in authors surnames, and peered at the title of one book by a Hearty Flora. The book was called Mysteries Of Equestria.
“Perfect!” she exclaimed.
The librarian glared at her, intense displease on her countenance. Echo had been there for almost the whole day after the meeting.
“Shh.”
She quickly silenced herself, batting her wings slowly to help her reach the ground. Approaching the librarian, she meekly asked if she could borrow it.
“Um... Sorry about earlier but, I'd like to take this one please.”
The librarian completely ignored her. Echo repeated herself, slightly louder.
“Shh!”
The librarian snatched the item from her hooves, stamped it and handed it back to her in one swift gesture. Echo was baffled at how quickly it happened.
“Th-thanks.”
“SHH!”
Echo left as quickly as she could. Fortunately for her, the library was not far from her own abode. The trot home took very little time luckily, the book tucked under her wing was incredibly thick and heavy. If she'd had to have carried it for much longer there'd be no doubt of her dropping the thing.  Upon entering the house, Echo lit a candle. The air felt... cool. She hadn't been home in a short while, but it seemed odd how chilly the house had been. It had only been one day and she didn't remember the house cooling like this before. Clambering up the stairs, she entered her bedroom with the book. She froze still at the sight.
 
---
 
Lullaby, for once, could not sleep. She had been puzzling over and over in her head what Mayor Barron had said. Her mind was restless. If Princess Celestia was concerned about small villages in her immediate area, fair enough. But Hollow Shades was so far displaced from the kingdom's capital that it almost seemed a waste of resources to send guards here. Especially when nothing had actually happened in any other settlement past there.
Abruptly, a loud slam came from downstairs and the clip-clops of hooves were getting closer to Lullaby's room and she screamed out of fear and shut her eyes tight.
“Who are you?! Get out of my house!” she bellowed as loud as she could.
“Lullaby.”
In front of her was Echo, her face white as a sheet.
“My entire bedroom is gone.”