> Crimson Tides
>  by CrimsonWalker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Rituals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day had gone by fast for Twilight. In one of her classes, she received a “B” on the group project for failing to work with the others. They weren’t too mad since the other members received a “C”. After that, it was a guest lecture on different forms of magic. The topics were of old magic, most of which is believed to be ineffective. There was a good number of students enjoying it. Three had stayed behind to ask a question, which seemed odd to her. She didn’t stick around to hear the question and made her way to the library to practice a few spells. 

When Twilight entered, it was quiet. The rain poured, and thunder drummed in the background. As she looked around there wasn’t a single pony near. She was a bit surprised, but it was of little concern to her and she made her way to the arcane rooms. They were designed to allow mages to practice spells with precautions already set up. The first room was occupied by the whispered voices she heard, so she went to the second one with a privacy spell to make sure she wasn’t disturbed by the sound, and she began her work. 

Lost in concentration, she didn’t notice the three unicorns that opened the door. There was a spell, Twilight lost hers and the feedback sent her into one of the walls. Slightly dazed, it took her a couple of seconds to gather the magic to trigger the alarm. Another spell flew towards her. Not wanting to be hit a second time, she hastily changed the magic into a shield and started to gather magic for a teleport. In magical duels, distance was a major factor and three on one weren’t good odds. The other two gathered their magic. The spell broke her shield, but it did what she wanted. Buy time. Twilight and one of the other unicorns released their magic. 

Twilight disappeared, only to be snapped back to the library into a hard, magical wall. She wasn't feeling great, but she wasn't injured. Standing on shaking legs Twilight looked up, noticing the spherical shield she was now trapped in. Runes glowed on the surface, which was unusual for a normal spell, and based on what she knew, these were a complex teleporting trap. One that should be beyond any of the colts’ understanding.

“Well, looks your spell worked. She’ll provide a great amount of energy, and we weaken Celestia too,” one of the unicorns commented, laughing at Twilight’s predicament. 

Twilight glared at the three unicorns. “Your spellcraft is good. Maybe you can regale the book you learned it from?”

“And spoil our fun, not a chance. You’re smart, Twilight, so time is not our friend.” The unicorns swiftly turned and walked away. The spherical shield followed, approaching Twilight’s tail.

“If you think I’m just going to follow you three to whatever fate you have in store, you’re wrong. I’m staying right here.” Twilight slammed her hoof down. She would not go with them. 

“You’ll follow,” the leader spoke, as though it were fact. As the shield touched Twilight, her coat stood straight up, and pain lurched across her. With no choice, Twilight jumped forward. Bolts of pain flashed through her and looking back at her dock, it was singed. Her tail was shorter.

One question down. A dozen more left. Twilight kept pace with the ponies. She wasn't happy, but this was better than being electrocuted. As they made their way out of the private room and through the library, Twilight tried to gather more information and ask more questions. Her questions were mostly unanswered, but inanimate objects passed through the shield with no problem. However, as soon as she lit her magic, the shield morphed, causing it to touch a different part of her body. It wasn’t pleasant the first or fourth time. She was barely standing after that. With a good understanding of its workings from the encounters, Twilight had an idea of how it’s cast but hadn’t seen a flaw. She had the whole picture, but the pieces were spread out. After a few minutes, the stallions stopped. They were near the restricted archives now. 

“Well, we’re here.” With a flash of his horn, a ring with rune’s etched into it was slipped onto Twilight’s horn. Twilight felt the ring as it shrunk to a snug fit, then dug itself into her horn. 

When she tried to blast the ring apart, she felt the twinkle of her magic’ before it turned. The gathered magic was forcibly ripped away into the ring. Tears rolled down the side of her face as she dropped to her rump. Teeth ground against each other as her anger simmered. 

“Lovely, the ring seems to be working at full capacity. Now, all we must do is drain the magic from her. Maybe after two more, we’ll have enough power.” The speaker allowed his grin to grow. 

“Seems to me the ring has a flaw. I have to use my magic for it to take it.”

“You’re not wrong, but we’re prepared.” He reached into his saddlebag and pulled a small vial out. Using his hooves, he poured the dust onto his hoof, before blowing it into Twilight’s face. The others immediately backed away from her. Twilight coughed. It took only a moment to realize what the dust is for. It numbed her mind and coaxed her into casting a spell. The spell grew in power, activating the ring.

Gritting her teeth, Twilight latched a hold onto her magic. She wasn't just going to allow them to drain her magic and kill her. As the tug of war began, Twilight felt at least five different magical signatures. Although she could only place one of them, they were starting to rip her magic away. Around her, she could see the pulses of magic. The ley lines below the surface; a pulsing book on the back self; runes carved into the floor; enchantments on the walls. If it actively used magic, she could see it.

Her head was lighter, she could see spots forming in her vision, tears freely flowed down her muzzle. However, the voices were the worst. They were asking to be let free. To claim her birthright. To topple the rule of the blinding princess. Her ears twitched as they tried to locate the sounds. It was from behind her. Then her vision sharpened; her muscles tensed as she whipped her head back, pulling her magic into her. 

For the three stallions, their mouths seemed to have passed the floor. They watched as something began to morph Twilight. It started with her eyes. Her pupils were shrinking into slits. 

It didn't last long. The ring shot four more tendrils at the magic and snaked around. With a yank, Twilight crashed to the floor. A thud was heard as Twilight exhaled a lungful of air. She currently couldn't breathe or groan in pain. The ring let loose a bit of energy as it popped off Twilight. It glowed white.

They watched as Twilight was thrown back first into the bookcase. When she hit the floor, her chest compressed with a sickening crack. Twilight laid on the floor, her lungs burned, and her pulse was slow. She could still hear the voices. Looking up, she saw the book of pulsing magic. It drew her towards it. Her eyes were distant; a light shined. Beyond he could feel peace, love, longing, and warmth. No. It won’t end here.

Around her, magic permeated the air. It weighed down on her. It felt wrong. The stallions were grinning. They didn’t seem to care that she was dying. That they killed her. All they cared about was the ring. 

“Well. That’s a surprise. I thought we’d have to trap two more.” His grin grew as he picked up the ring and tossed it inside the circle on the floor. It seemed to have burned his hoof. Each of them went to different triangles. They began to chant as a glowing circle surrounded the ring. The ring hummed with power, brimstone and sulfur permeated through the air. The outer circle was lit ablaze and traveling inward.

A summoning portal, Twilight thought through the haze of a myriad of injuries. She didn't have a lot of magic, but she still had her life.

“Let me, royal one,” the voices spoke again. Twilight nodded. 

The stallions finished their chant as a gate to Tartarus opened. Multiple beings wormed and clawed their way out. Twilight’s first spell went off. Four solid chains of magic attempted to pull the portal closed, trapping the smaller ones. It almost succeeded if not for the two big hands fought the closing portal to allow itself and three others in before the portal snapped completely closed. In total, about fifteen made it through. When the portal snapped, anything not completely on Equestria’s side was sliced cleanly through. Some lost hands and tails; others, wings; an unlucky one, head. The second spell formed multiple balls of energy that slammed into the demons. A few were able to defend or dodge. Others were taken out of the fight. 

Twilight felt blood splatter against her muzzle as claws scraped across her side. It tried to hit her horn, but Twilight pulsed her magic, pushing the clawed demon away.  The third spell lit the ground as glyphs appeared. Standing on top of the closed book, a fiend stood. He quickly went to work. Twilight breathed hard, physically, mentally, and magically exhausted. 

Twilight had no clue what was going on. After the second spell, a third spell had was cast without her even doing the matrix for it. It was an out worldly experience, but she didn’t mind the results. She knew she no chance of holding these many demons. The only thing keeping them in place was her barrier. Everything around her was moving so fast that she couldn't think. Only act. She guided the magic, but never reasoned or questioned what she was doing.

It was at this moment, one would say Tartarus broke loose, but it already had. Therefore, pandemonium broke out. Spells, claws, tails, and other weapons were thrown forth in a maelstrom of chaos and order. Some from the stallions, others from the pony fiend guarding the dying mare. The fiend moved fluidly through the fight as he moved Twilight to a safer spot, away from infinite attack vectors. Twilight wanted to protect the unicorn stallions that started this mess but quickly realized the demons were targeting them. The unicorn stallions weren’t much of a threat. When one of the demons got near the unicorn stallions, a bolt of magic hit them.

However, all things must end. All that remained in fighting condition were Twilight, the pony fiend, and two other demons. One was an imp. The other was the centaur. He had remained out of the fight, weakened while trying to keep the gateway open. The imp was currently whispering to one of the stallions that started this mess. 

With an in-equine growl, the stallion jumped towards Twilight. She rolled to the side, not realizing his plan. He stabbed the glowing red horn into Twilight’s side. The demon watched as the wound blacked and blood gushed from the wound. Twilight then felt as though somepony had stabbed her with molten metal. The stallion’s aim was not true, so Twilight’s heart was spared. He tried to get away. 

Twilight only reacted. Her teeth grabbed onto something; energy and life flowed into her gullet. With a flick of her head and a swallow, her horn glowed. The pain in her back and legs faded. Her chest no longer hurt as she drew each breath. However, the fires still raged in them. Six stars of magic formed around her. One large star surrounded by five smaller ones. Before anything else reacted, a matrix of runes burned the floor. 

From each point of these smaller six-pointed stars, a beam shot forth. Five demons struck six times were wiped away. The largest star struck the centaur looking creature, but unlike the others, he fought the spell, trying to scatter it. With a matrix of a spell, the two spells exploded, as he rode the energy through the rune matrix and teleported before it stripped him of his soul. All his magic was spent in causing the explosion. His soul splintered and scattered.

Twilight then collapsed, caught by the one remaining pony fiend. Looking over the room, he spotted two heavily breathing unicorns about twenty-five feet away. He thought about turning them into a succulent meal, but the one by him needed to be taken care of first. Laying down he wrapped the purple unicorn up in his wings. He gently brought her forth. 

“Hey… hey…” he softly spoke, pushing against the unicorn. “It's time to wake up.”

He waited a moment; her breathing was labored, and the heart was beating faster than normal. “Please…”

“Help me… the… the… fires… is…” Twilight choked out as she coughed blood. 

Another moment and the unicorn wasn't getting better. “Please…”

“Viam inveniam aut faciam…”

His jaw dropped, and his wings almost dropped Twilight as his mind short-circuited. That language has been dead for ten millennia, outside of his homeland. His turned as he heard the heavy boots, one set out of sync, thumping their way over the raging storm. Its wind howled as it whipped through the city. Rain pelted the rooftops and ponies equally. Most were soaked as though they just came out of the shower. With a spark of magic, he felt who was approached. 

The white alicorn and seven guards, but they aren’t the run-of-the-mill royal guards. Stronger, two unicorns, a thestral, two pegasi, and two wolf-like? But not the cursed kind. He questioned. He didn’t think Celestia employed the lunar pony races, or she could not know they were lunar. It was nearly impossible to tell them from looks alone. Smell easily gave it away.

He glanced at the one in his wing. “The others will survive, but you won’t. Only two magics could heal you. Both of which I can’t cast. The white one, Celestia could cast one of the magic’s, but then you’ll roast alive, and she’ll accomplish nothing. Adsentio.”

He smiled. As the door broke, he disappeared. His work complete. All he had to do was wait.
> Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia was currently relaxing in her study, about to enjoy the cake she was gifted. The cake appeared to be a simple white cake. As she was lifting the fork to stab her before dinner slice, she felt a wave of magic wash over her. The wave wasn’t a huge problem if it had any other magical signature. The magic was muted like it had many sources, but her student’s magic overpowered them. With this signature, the cake was gently precariously set down. Princess Celestia was out the balcony window, angled towards the guard barracks. Her cake fell to the floor from the gale of wind.

Princess Celestia pushed through the double doors of her magi division. They were tasked with the protection of the capital from the magical arts within and kept track of flares. Two ponies have slammed away, but they didn’t spill their paperwork. Beyond was a symphony of chaos. Everypony was carefully avoiding each other, barely, as wings came within centimeters of brushing horns and flanks. They weaved in and out of each others’ ways.

One of the leads caught the eye of Princess Celestia and made her way towards. “Princess Celestia, it would be best if we don’t disturb their activities. It’s a bit chaotic in here, and all reports are going through one hub.”

The navy blue unicorn lead Princesa Celestia to a room filled with the captains. Each of them, except one, was there. Shining Armor

“Lieutenant Shooting Star, where is Lieutenant Shining Armor?”

“None of us have seen him since he went home for dinner. We’ve sent messengers to his home and office, but they were both empty. His parents said he had a lot to catch up on at work, but the second in command said he had a very important family dinner.” Shooting Star replied.

“At the home, was my student present?”

“Um… we didn’t ask…” Shooting Star scratched the back of the neck. “We weren’t able to tell whose magic flared. It was a jumbled ball of strings. You’re usually attuned to such magic, do you know whose it was?”

“Yes. It was predominantly my student’s magic, and at least three others.”

Before she could speak more, a third voice interrupted. It was Captain Long Shot. “Princess, we seem to have another problem, the alarms for summoning magic triggered and its location seems to be centered on or near Canterlot’s School for Gifted Unicorns Advanced Spell library.”

“The Advanced Spell Library? Doesn’t Twilight usually go there after a large project?”

“She does, and had a large project due.” Princess Celestia answered while building a spell matrix. “Long Shot, I’ll see what we’re up against. Be ready to mobilize.”

In a flash, Princess Celestia was gone. A second later, a thunderous sound could be heard as Princess Celestia reappeared and skipped across the table, crashing into the back wall. With a pained groan and two high pitched screams, Princess Celestia extracted herself and the two stallions she bowled over. Above her, the paper was floating down like the winter’s first snow.

Princess Celestia stood up, her base good, but weakened. She let out a grunt as she shook the double vision away, and the Lunas.

“Princess?” Shooting Star asked.

“I am fine. Just a bit shook up.” It was then that Princess Celestia figured out what happened. Her teleport was snap rebounded. “Anypony hurt?”

“Yes,” groaned one of the ponies extracted from the wall.

Princess Celestia looked back at them, then to Long Shot. “Second thought, do an emergency recall. I want your full squad here in twenty. Full combat gear and readiness.”

Long Shot, a dual-toned sky blue pegasus looked very concerned. His jaw was wide open, as a fly flew in. His cutie mark was of an arrow in a bullseye. “Princess, are you sure we need all of Zulu in full gear? We’re not breaking an army or repelling a large scale invasion, so I hardly believe we’ll need everyone.”

He had hesitated in his asking, his wings shaking. Fear seemed present to all but Princess Celestia and Long Shot. The rest of the ponies seemed frozen, some remembering advanced combat training, where only one member of Zulu knocked the class unconscious, without any combat gear, and he was one in the room. From the rumors, he’s their leader and to be part of Zulu you had to draw blood from him. But that was only the first test. The final was to hold your own against Princess Celestia. Most that passed the initial test didn’t make it to the final test. The training had disabled at some point. It was also rumored that together, Zulu could defeat Princess Celestia.

“Yes, I am sure that they will do admirably. Although I was snapped back, I was able to confirm a few things.” Princess Celestia levitated a file over. “Take a look in here,  they are for your eyes only. You have twenty minutes to meet me at the southern gates.”

Grasping the file in his hooves, he gave a quick salute before shooting out the room. In the twenty-three minutes, it took to gather his team, and read the file, another two flares had happened.





Princess Celestia was tapping her hoof. She stood outside the southern gate. The more time he spent, the less time they had. Finally, the seven ponies arrived. Princess Celestia looked them over: Two earth ponies, three pegasi, and two unicorns. She recognized Quick Fix, Long Shot and Ruby Fire first. The earth ponies seemed comfortable with each other, though. One was silver coated, while the other was charcoal. The pegasi were twins Summer Breeze and Winter Chill. They weren’t full members yet if she remembered correctly. She could only tell them apart since Summer Breeze was a head shorter than Winter Chill. Each of the assembled gave Princess Celestia a salute. Once it dropped, Long Shot stepped forward, his bow sitting across his back, and quiver of arrows strapped to his hoof. “Sorry for the delay I had to grab these two since the other two are preoccupied with,” he began before yellow magic enveloped him.

In a flash, they were a block from the school. Princess Celestia wasted no time as she began galloping towards it. Other guards were starting to organize a perimeter.  The others quickly fell into a diamond formation, with medic Quick Fix in the middle. Long Shot was flying in the back, looking for ambushers, or far-out combatants.

Princess Celestia led the squad, turning quickly and leaping downstairs. It took only minutes for her to reach the correct room. The closest was one of the earth ponies. He was three minutes behind Celestia. The furthest was Long Shot, five minutes behind, as he called out, “Princess! Let us enter first. Your eyes don’t…”

When she did, she pivoted on one of her front hooves and sent her back hooves into the door. They glowed with magic, and the door was splintered as it exploded from the impact.

Celestia did hear a shout as she pivoted but paid no mind to it. The room was void of light, but she could see three, no two sets of glowing red eyes. With a spark of her magic, she bathed the room in light. She heard hissing from the sets of eyes belonging to injured demons. As she surveyed the room, the light went out. A void of black tentacles dispersed it.

“Foul creature, you will be cleansed.” Princess Celestia pivoted, taking the time to summon her maul. The black tentacles seemed to corral a prone form. They revived away from her magic as she arced the maul. A wave of magic was pushed out. The tentacles formed a barrier, but it shattered when the maul came down. The room lit back up, and shortly returned to darkness. Two lances silenced the breathing demons. The princess closed the gap between the tendrils and herself.

The tentacles then grabbed the wing of the princess and flung her into the west wall. They hadn’t moved from the prone form, which Celestia found odd. By this time, Amoux had arrived.

“Princess, you alright?”

“Yes. They just surprised me with their strength and quick movements. It’s odd they aren’t straying from where I first saw them.”

Amoux looked out into the room. There were four ponies. Three unicorns and an earth pony. However, one of the ponies smelled odd. Similar to Long Shot, but different. He could also smell blood; it was almost overpowering.

“At least one pony is injured. I smell too much blood.”

“The shadow magic needs to be dispersed first. It hides what it guards.”

Princess Celestia took to the air. From her higher point, she launched a ball of white magic. One of the tendrils formed a bat, knocking the magic away, but burning a lot of itself away. As suspected. Weak to solar celestial magic. 

The princess made her maul hum with the magic she infused. Amoux approached the tendrils. They watched him but didn’t attack. They seemed more concerned with the maul.

“Princess, I think you should wait. There’s something odd about these tendrils. Have they attacked you?”

The princess gave her wing a mighty flap. She heard the guard’s question but paid it no mind. This is shadow magic, the kind used by demons to mask themselves. They hurt her Student. Giving her wings a strong downward flap, Princess Celestia pushed off from the wall, towards the center of the tendrils. About ten feet from her target, she angled her wings, grabbing the shaft of her maul, somersaulting forward. The maul followed. With a mighty hit, the ground beneath the raised shield cracked. There was an explosion of light. A shattering of a shield. Bones breaking.

When the dust settled, Princess Celestia felt something wrestle the maul from her grip. With a flick near its shaft’s center, Princess Celestia felt the maul crack into her jaw, sending her cartwheeling into another wall. The maul was sent spinning in the opposite direction. Amoux was disoriented. The meeting of the shield and maul deafened and blinded him. The wind expelled from his chest as the maul hit his back. He whimpered.

“Amoux!” the charcoal earth pony screamed. Her eyes lit with a golden aura and saw the prone form of a lavender pony. Her side was charred along with the area around her. The earth pony’s sight of the lavender disappeared as tendrils obscured it. They flailed around, but she could see a pattern. They’re aiming for the princess. The earth pony knew Princess Celestia was still disoriented. “Princess Celestia! Raise a shield.”

The pegasi shot forward at the same time as the tendrils. Princess Celestia raised a hasty shield. The first two cracked the shield. The third broke the shield. The fourth and fifth penetrated the enchanted wall. They bored a hole through it.

Princess Celestia popped back, with two pegasi in her wings. “Stay back. Those tendrils will skewer you if take a direct hit.”

The Princess summoned a sword, gripped in her magic. Its white blade lit the room, unmasking the tendrils as they moved about. With fire in her eyes, she charged forward.

“Princess Celestia! RETREAT! Your magic is aggroing the tendrils.” The Princess didn’t. “Ruby, shield the tendrils. Her sword mustn’t strike what it guards.”

“What! Quick Fix, you’re…”

“I know, but trust me. The Princess’s path will be a terrible mistake.” He moved his hoof and a glowing chain unwrapped. Attached to the chain was a ball. Snapping the chain, he sent it towards Princess Celestia. Moving his hoof, it started to encircle her.

The Princess reached the tendrils. Seeing all of them strike at her, she teleported, wings flared. Her sword slashed the air, cracking a ruby barrier. The sword was deflected northward. Princess Celestia quickly moved it to thrust.

Unfortunately, the tendrils had other plans. They snaked around her wings, and with a twisting snap, Princess Celestia was thrown headfirst into the wall. She tried to use her wings to slow her momentum, but as soon as she did, pain knifed into them. She was rendered unconscious, head through the wall, and her majestic wings seemed to be at odd angles. The others gaped.

Quick Fix had his horn glowing as he rushed towards the swirling mass of tendrils. The charcoal earth pony tried to grab him, but she was knocked to the side. The tendrils watched his approach, preparing to turn him into shredded paper. They had enough of them. As his magic touched the form they guarded, they parted. He moved in closer. The light grew, tinting the area green.

“Ruby. Areal teleport. Medical hub, class 1 trama.”

Her magic glowed and they disappeared. “Long Shot. I’m checking on Amoux. The pegasi are looking over Princess Celestia.”

“Conditions of both?” Long Shot asked as he stepped out from a corner. He looked into the well-lit room.

“Glad the lights are back. As for Princess Celestia, she is out cold. She has at least a fractured jaw, and both wings are broken in multiple places. Quick Fix is needed here, not treating what injured Princess Celestia,” one of the pegasi angrily snapped.

“Judgements are due once we know the facts.” He turned towards Ruby, the lone unicorn. “Ruby, did you recognize the magic those tendrils were?”

“Princess Celestia called them shadow magic,” Amoux answered. He was still winded. “But something was off about them. They parted for Quick Fix, while any time the princess got close, she had been pushed away. As soon as the maul broke through and cracked the bones of whatever was being guarded, they moved more offensively.”

“It wasn’t offensive in nature. They were defensive. The struck out like a spear wall when Princess Celestia charged with her sword. When they threw her, I think they were trying to remove her mobility.”

“You’re right. I think they were defensive. They never attacked me.”

“Then how were you injured?” Long Shot asked. Amoux pointed to maul near him.

“That was tossed back. I was its path. Couldn’t avoid. Was deafened and blinded.”

“Ruby, your assessment?”

“The tendrils guarded Twilight. Unfortunately, I was only able to get them to Canterlot General. Something lingering here made teleporting a lot harder. Took about two hundred percent more magic than it usually does, and that was only half the range. The magic in those tendrils is impressive. It was able to withstand a strike from Princess Celestia’s maul and still toss her like a rag doll.”

While they talked back and forth, a shaft of light enveloped Princess Celestia. It calmed the pegasi as they watched the numerous injuries heal. Her wings snapped and reformed. He jaw set itself right. Her broken leg straightened. The cut in it glowed through the armor. Though, the magic could do nothing about the pounding headache she had.

“What are our orders?”

“To figure out what has transpired here. What happened to the shadow demon. Where my student is. Whether my student is alive or dead. Kill the shadow demon that injured me.”

“It wasn’t a demon, but a shadow construct. It seemed intent on keeping Twilight from being injured. And when you did, it though to disable you. See the wall? I think your armor would have been penetrated. You had a cut on your leg, Princess Celestia.” Ruby grinned.

“Well, then find whoever made that shadow construct. It was very powerful, and if given different commands, deadly. Each time it was hit, it used the magic to recharge itself. I realized that too late.

“Long Shot. I am sorry that I undermined your command. Each of your squad members has a specific role, and Zulu was created to oppose alicorn strength threats. I took the lead when I shouldn’t have. You seem to have more experience than me with the supernatural.”

Long Shot nodded. The earth ponies retreated to guard the loan unicorn. “With your student safe at Canterlot General, we will get onto the task of figuring out what has transpired. Once we are done, we will watch and protect your student. If the demons died here, there has to be a reason, because they wouldn’t stay.”

“I agree. As for the three others, take these three to the on-campus medical center. I will send a pair of paladins to complete the autopsy on the earth pony. Interview the two unicorns. See if they were the ones to do the summoning, and what they know of the earth pony.”

“Understood. Pegasi and Ebony, get a surgical room and chain the other two something that won’t move. Make sure they are alright and don’t have anything missing.”

In a flash, Princess Celestia was gone. Each one grabbed a remaining body and flew out. Long Shot glanced around, looking at the carnage. Why was Twilight in the middle? Based on what I can see, they were converging on somebody, but she was left in the middle.

“Long Shot, we may have a small problem.” Ruby intoned.

“What do you mean?”

“The present arcane circles. Two are for summoning. The one in the center and the one over here.” Ruby walked over. Around her, there wasn’t much. Just a bit of Twilight’s blood. “This smaller one is more concentrated and takes very specific individuals to cast. It also summons someone.

“However, the larger one I think opened a gate. There are three protection circles, too. And some incomplete ones. Since parts were damaged in the clash, I can’t tell where the gate was opened, or if it was to a specific location. Meaning we’re short one unicorn.”

Ruby continued to look around. In the center of the large summoning circle, Ruby levitated a ring up. It was intricately carved, runes etched into its surface and heavy with magic. Giving it a once over, it clattered loudly to the ground. “Long Shot, add another problem. We have a broken class black artifact. The Alicorn’s ring.”

“What’s the alicorn’s ring?” Amoux asked. He knew that black level artifacts were seeped in the darkest of magics, and corrupted its users.

“A set of four rings. One for each solar tribe. When putting on another pony, it forcefully drains all the magic out of its wearer, killing her,” Long Shot answered. “Wait. You said broken, Ruby?”

“Yes. Its enchantment is inert. I can sense the presence of six magics still in it, one of which from Twilight Sparkle. It’s also empty of magic, which means it was spent on something.”

“If it kills the wearer, and Twilight’s magic is on it, doesn’t that mean Twilight is dead?” 

“Most likely.”

“Then who was Quick Fix working on? Since we are suspecting demons and I know some can inhabit the body of the dead.”

“I didn’t see what he was working on, but it was ponyesque and lavender,” Amoux stated.

“Did anyone see her eyes?” Long Shot asked.

The remaining shook their heads. It clicked. Three protection circles. Incomplete circles. This was rushed and occurred after they drained Twilight. It also meant that demons could try to inhabit the body, and take the place of their current soul. If Twilight is dead, her body would be soulless. A prime target. Long Shot cursed. “Everyone, you secure this area, get your tails to Canterlot General. We may have a demon to put down where it could draw souls of the dying.”

“Should we alert the Princess?”

“We only have speculation. I want confirmation since if that is what we’re dealing with, only a cleanse works. Demons can split their souls up if they have a place for it. A dying soul is a shrinking soul, meaning there’s room.”

“Yes, sir. Good luck, and may Faust smile on you.”
> Reports
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Long Shot flew in, there were a plethora of patients. The standouts were unicorn doctors, with deep cuts. He quickly got the staff to tell him where Quick Fix was working. Deeper in the hospital, to the right of the magical wounds ward, he soon spotted Quick Fix and Twilight surrounded by a shield. Four more doctors were feeding their magic into the shield. Walking past the doctors, his wing flicked Quick’s horn. His magic stopped.

“Quick Fix,” he began, “You need to stop. We need to identify if this is truly Twilight Sparkle and not some demon inhabiting and feeding off her body and soul.”

“You know that hurts worse than breaking a wing, Long Shot,” Quick Fix retorted. He glared at the pegasus. “I know the procedure, and I’ve already done it. As of right now, I’m not sure. However, she’s doomed if I do nothing. If she is a demon-possessed pony, the barrier to the room will contain her. So, against your call, I am going to continue to heal the patient.”

“Patient, not pony. You know something’s not adding up.”

“Yes… Even a glancing blow from her maul has killed. This one, took a direct strike, near her heart. She’s still living. Most of the damage is to her ribs and skin, which is charred. Unusual unless it’s a vampire pony. Her heartbeat is also up, and when we tried to reduce with some medicine, it was filtered out, and had no effect.” 

Long Shot looked over Twilight, eyes glowing. Twilight had a few small cuts and scars here or there. Her skin was paler, and a glance at Quick told him he hadn’t realized that. The tendrils seemed concentrated near her abdomen and the wound on it. Long Shot pointed a wing, “What’s that?”

“A complication. It looks like a wound from a spear tip; however, I can’t confirm if that is what made it. These tendrils are blocking my view and my magic. The bleeding has stopped, but she’s still drained and will need a blood transfusion. Not to mention the stage four or worse magic exhaustion. Right now, the magical exhaustion is my main concern, but her magic profile has changed. Of those that matched her new profile, none lack solar magic, which means she'll need to recover it naturally. The next concern is her ribs. Celestia’s magic seemed to have severely affected them. The breaks aren’t good, but something’s not right. As I heal them, they break again, and I can’t set them. Everything I’ve tried to keep them from rebreaking fails.”

“Then maybe not worry about the breaks and remove the solar energy?” Long Shot posed.

“The solar magic doesn’t matter if the ribs are broken she’ll need surgery if they aren’t set correctly.”

“It’s an option you haven’t tried,” Long Shot pointed out. “Have you figured out what’s causing the breaks?”

“Foreign magic. However, if I try to remove it,” Quick Fix began to siphon magic away from the ribs. Unlike his previous attempts, two forms of magic were drawn away. One glowed brightly, the other seemed to remove the light. Like before, one of the tendrils slashed at the top of his horn. Long Shot interposed his wing, causing it to only mildly flick. It still broke Quick Fix’s containment spell, and the two magics repelled each other. Another grabbed the darker magic, returning it to Twilight. The bright magic dropped. Long Shot jumped away as it grazed his hoof.

Long Shot clenched. “Did the same thing happen as before?”

“No. Before there was only the darker magic, so how in Tartarus did you redirect the tendril!”

Long Shot tilted his head. “It’s easy.” 

Quick Fix watched as Long Shot guided the tendrils. They seemed to be at peace with him. His eyes were glowing too. Ah.

Looking back, the rib was healing itself. “Long Shot, your idea sounds perfect.”

Long Shot’s ear twitched in response. He concentrated on the tendrils and why they responded to him. When he looked towards the mirror, he found his answer. Behind him was a large ball of solar energy. “Yes, I’ve always been one. Don’t you think there’s a reason I don’t like Celestia accompanying us?”

“How long?”

“Long before you were born.”

“But I…”

“No, you couldn’t, and if you did, I would feed. If I didn’t kill you, you would only have vague memories.”

“Are the others…”

Long’s stance shifted. “Nope. We’ll have this conversation another day. Now please disperse that magic before I open your leg.”

The magic dispersed. “What does this mean for Twilight?”

“She’s part vampire, however, I found no external bite marks.” Long glanced at the hole near Twilight’s heart. “What would cause ridge marks?”

“Not many things. Diamond drill bits and alicorn.”

“So, she was stabbed with a unicorn’s horn. The wound is resistant to solar magic, she has stage four magical exhaustion, and there are traces of demonic magic in the wound. Someone was trying to infect her. Well, at least the plan failed.”

“What do you mean by 'infect'?”

“With the freely given horn of a unicorn and a drop of its blood, a demon pony can create spear to inject a piece of its soul into another pony. This causes the wound to heal slowly but makes it easier to take control. If it kills, the demon gains another thrall. Otherwise, the souls battle for control. The more magically drained the host, the easier it is to corrupt and take control of.”

As Long Shot explained, Quick Fix paled. There was one flaw in his demon-detecting spell. It returned inconclusive results if the demon or pony didn’t have control. If they are fighting, neither had control. “The demon’s plan worked. She’s infected. It’s one of the flaws of my spell. I never understood the underlying cause of its flaws, and with her weakened, how much time does she have?”

“Depends on her. A few specific types are more resilient to direct infections. Vampire, solar, and harmonic ponies are more resilient. We know for a fact she’s not solar, and we know she may be harmonic. Vampiric is still up in the air, but it doesn’t conflict with harmonic.

“If we can destroy the demon infecting her, she should recover with minimal changes. Demon infection changes the mind first. It could take about a day before we see conclusively who won. If vampirism is affecting her, it’ll take a day after the solar magic is removed to see the physical changes. Now, I will let you return to your work. The tendrils will only strike at you if you do something that impedes her recovery, or at least that was what they were imprinted to do.”

“You said part-vampire. What do you mean? Aren’t all vamponies the same?” Quick Fix asked.

Long Shot looked down on the pony. “Vampony does not equate to a vampire pony, and your misuse of that word will get you bitten. This is a promise. Vamponies are created when a vampire pony loses control and their self-image. Now, which blood am I grabbing?”

Long Shot walked towards one of the storage cases. Quick Fix’s eyes followed, his head down, mumbling, “A positive.”

After connecting the desired bag, Long Shot left. He told the members outside that he confirmed with Quick Fix that Twilight was still Twilight. Then he ordered them to figure out all that they could before midnight and return here for a meeting starting at half-past eight. He flew to Canterlot Castle and quickly made his way to Princess Celestia’s room. Outside were two solar paladins. He paused. Paladins?

As he approached, the solar guards nodded to him. “You are expected. Please enter.”

They opened the door. Princess Celestia was sitting on her balcony. A piece of cake laid on the floor. Its plate shattered. “Long Shot. I hope you bring news?”

“News, I do bring. Whether it’s good or bad is for you to decide. Twilight has been found.”

“Where?”

“It matters not as long as she is safe.”

“Was she injured?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure who did more damage. Currently, she’s getting help from Quick Fix. When she is back on her hooves, you may see her.”

“What do you mean? Only those cult fanatics injured her.”

“Her ribs weren’t broken by them, nor was her skin charred. They caused only two injuries, and one of them lost his life over it. They may also have psychological scars from they witnessed.” Long Shot looked at the princess wondering if she’d connect the dots. She was in thought, but he could see it. She didn’t believe that she injured her student. “It matters not who injured her, but she’ll have a long recovery. She is changing, and something may have warped her soul. Currently, Quick Fix is trying to expedite her recovery and slow the changes down so that we can prepare. My squad will protect her.”

“What injuries did the two cultists cause?” Celestia glanced at the guards outside. They were her most trustworthy ones. "If she needs protecting, would the two knights outside help?"

“Stage four magical exhaustion and demonic infection. Twilight has not lost, but we are not sure how long she can last.” Long Shot held up his wing stopping Celestia from speaking. "The typical treatment for this type of infect could easily kill her. We are trying to slow it down. As for the paladins, how do they view ponies that must consume the flesh of others?"

"They know that some creatures need it, and I've found them very trustworthy. They also seem to try to talk with others before making a decision."

Long Shot nodded. "Since I don't trust them, let me do a test. Each will inform one other knight and do an autopsy of the one dead pony. I would like them to report everything to myself or someone that I designate."

"That sounds fair, and I'm assuming there you believe this pony is important?"

"Yes... It wouldn't surprise me that Twilight killed him. If they burn his body, and Twilight is full vampire pony, she could ask for repayment of her destroyed kill."

“They will know this. We can't lose her,” Celestia stated firmly.

“Then may I use all the resources I can without repercussions?”

“Yes.”

“Very well, I’ll allow you to see her once she’s recovered enough.” Long Shot stretched his wings and set a ring on the table. With a glance, he flew out the balcony, and into the night.

“Be careful, vampire Long Shot.” Princess Celestia looked back into the room. On the table was a ring. The princess brought it close with her magic and started to examine it. Hmm, what do we have here?

The ring was a good-sized type horn. It had engravings and a faint aura of magic. As she started to pick at the traces of magic, her magic flared. She knew this ring. It drawled excess magic away from its user and stored it. However, somepony had modified it to drain all magic from the user. Once it was put on, it couldn’t be removed. And Twilight’s magic was in it.

Her magic flared as the ring was burned away. The floor, even with enchantments to withstand the heat of the sun started to buckle. She reigned in control, just as her door opened.

“Princess Celestia, are you well? We could feel the heat through the door.”

“I am, Knight Flashing Blade. Please come in with your partner and seal the room." The two knights entered. Princess Celestia offered a seat.

"Princess, what do we do about the vampire that just left?"

"Nothing. He hasn't broken my trust but hasn't told me who he is. He should not be tailed, persuaded, or impeded." 

"Understood. What task will you have us do?"

"Both of you will choose one knight with autopsy experience. Long Shot has requested an autopsy of one of the ponies found at the scene. They will perform it and report everything to Long Shot or who he designates. They will not destroy the body unless Long Shot approves it. If they aren’t given this warning, you will face their fate. If your chosen does, you face the same consequences.”

Celestia paused; the next part was more important. She leveled a gaze at both. They could feel her gaze bore into their own. “If they find Twilight Sparkle, no matter what they see, she is not to be hurt. If she gets in between one of you and somepony else, back away. Don’t attack her or the pony she’s guarding. Same if the reverse happens. Do you agree?”

“Yes, and we will get right on it.” Celestia closed the doors. She heard the guards run to relay the orders. O, Sister. Where did I go wrong? Do you blame me for what happened, or do you still control the dreams and have agents preparing for your return? Could I have helped you?

The moon was quiet. In three days, it would be full. In fifteen months, its shadow would disappear.





After leaving Twilight in the library, he flew towards one of his safe houses in Canterlot. He was about halfway there when his shadow form broke. It was easy for him to recover with his wings, but he flew right past a sentry.

The royal guard quickly sent up a signal for a dark magic-user. Once that was done, he sent a barrage of magical bolts at the dark magic use. None of his shots found their mark, but one alerted the squad a block away.

The flier screamed as a solar bolt hit his wing joint. Looking at the houses around, one stood out. Lighting his horn, he cast a spell on the window he was heading for and on the window of the house directly opposite glowed. He crashed through the window, his other wing
bending against a solid piece of oak furniture, bounced against the floor before resting inside the open closet. The occupants of the bed swiveled their ears, trying to figure out what that sound was. 

She looked around the room. It sounded like a hoofball or baseball, but her window wasn’t broken. A pulse of magic found no hoofball or baseball but did find a broken window and an
illusion of a not broken window. Cadance carefully used her connection to love to sense the intentions of whoever crashed into her house. The pony was scared, concerned, and in the closet. Her spell bounced back as she tried to go deeper. The feedback left her light-headed. You’re really scared and fairly powerful, too powerful that the guards in the house would only be in the way. 

Drawing on her magic, she eased her partner into sleep. Next, she got off the bed and approached the closet. Within her magic, a sword formed.  I can do this. 

Inside was a slumped unicorn stallion. Brightening her magic, she took a closer look. The first thing she noticed was the wings and horns. True alicorn stallions were nonexistent, but most demon ponies had wings and at least one horn. Add to the fact that most could feed on specific acts, she was worried. Levying the sword at his throat, she waited. 

And waited. 

And dropped the sword. She couldn't do it. She wasn't a warrior alicorn, like her sisters. Instead, she started to scan him and figure out if he was truly a demon pony or not. When her scan produced a false result, she didn’t relax. Okay. I have an injured pony with leather wings and a horn. If it is a demon pony, it will feed if I do anything with Shining Armor. Currently, it seems unresponsive. He also has several injuries including blade marks and a solar bolt burn near his wing joint. Based on the impact, he’s going to be out until the morning at least.  

Cadance began to form magical chains. She didn’t want him to do anything to the occupants of this house, but they fizzled. Her wards hadn’t triggered. He doesn’t intend for harm to come to any of them. What happened to you?

After a bit of consideration, she grabbed a couple of pillows and moved the pony onto his side. With that done, she cleaned up the room and fixed the window, and placed an opaque barrier on it, just in case. One other species had wings and a horn. Vampire ponies. I will not let harm come to him. I will not repeat what happened the last time I met a vampire pony.

Cadance shuddered at the memory. 

By the time the sun rose, and its light penetrated the room, Cadance awoke her partner “Shining, I know it’s early, but I want you to go to the class you are teaching early. Do you mind doing that?”

“Sure.” The stallion got up and made a simple toast breakfast. After that, he was gone. 

About ten minutes after Shining Armor left, there was a knock at the door. She answered it. "Lieutenant, what can I do for you?" 

“We're trying to gather information. Last night, a pony capable of shadow magic was flying in the area. One of the guards on patrol managed to hit him, and he reported seeing his wings lock up. He crashed, and your home and the one next door are the only ones we haven’t searched yet.”

“Well, you do see that home’s broken second-story window,” Cadance pointed to the home’s broken second-story window. "It looks like something much larger than a hoofball crashed through it."

“Huh… We missed that completely. Sorry for disturbing you.” Cadance waved them off and shut the door. The guards outside moved away. Cadance made her way into the kitchen where one of her guards was making a larger breakfast.

"Any guests I should know about and not tell the regular guards?" the pegasus cooking called out. She was light orange with a dark red mane. 

"Why do you ask?"

"Somepony entered unauthorized,” came the reply, “And it wasn't Shining Armor. Your second-story window." She finished breakfast and began to serve it.

"There is, but I don't want anybody going near him. He's currently severely injured, but very powerful."

"Fine. You're the boss. Will he want breakfast?"

"If he does, he'll get it himself. You may warn the other two, Amber Night, and make sure to pass on my warning." 

"Yes, Princess. Any others I should tell?"

"None. As for my plans, I'm meeting Twilight at the royal library." The pegasus nodded. They ate in silence. 





Above them, the pony in the closet had awoken and was listening carefully. For now, he returned to his resting. As it neared sunset, two ponies entered the room. The stallion in the closet awoke. Carefully, he peered out. One was the alicorn. The other was a light orange pegasus. She looked to be in good physical condition, but her heart rate was up. Something is stressing her. 

"Princess, why am I accompanying you without my armor, defensive enchantments and allies? There are eleven others assigned to you. Two are within the house." Amber Night questioned.

“I want to give a chance to show his trust. He’s in the closet, but I’m sure he’s moved. You’ll be walking in, and hopefully, he’ll accompany you out.” Amber moved her way towards the closet. Cadance watched and waited.

To Amber, the closet seemed small. Too small in fact. As she searched, her eyes moved over the stallion hiding just beyond her nose. Finding nothing she turned around and moved towards the exit. 

The stallion licked his lips. She looked very tasty, but he didn’t touch her. Amber stopped at the door.

"Misses Alicorn," he spoke in a sing-song voice, "what makes you so certain that I won't kill poor Amber?"

“Trust.”

“Amber, do you trust me and the Princess you guard?” he sneered, his eyes glared down at the pony prey, fangs fully on display. To him, Amber was a smaller pegasus, just larger than what the young vampire would be after her change if he remembered correctly. She had A positive blood and was very active. Although it looked like she didn’t have muscle, she had a good bit hidden under a layer of fat. If you were just smaller, you would be a perfect meal for the young vampire.

“Sometimes waivers, but she hasn’t let me down yet,” Amber stated. She shook like a leaf and laid down. She could feel the power of this pony. It kept her rooted where she was. She understood that he could have easily captured and maybe kill her before Princess Cadance realized. 

“That's good to hear. You may go now.” Amber tried to stand and succeeded. She turned around, trying to find the stallion, failing, and walked towards Cadance.

"Now, Cadance, why do you trust me? Or more accurately, what do you want?"

"Why would you think that?"

"I'm not chained to something. You dismissed your sword. The only ponies here are those that should be.”

Cadance sighed. She looked over him with her magic sight. He seemed drained, but not dangerously. "You’re right, and I made sure she knew what she was walking into before we came up.” 

The stallion looked towards Amber. “Did you willing accept this task knowing the two fates?”

“I understood what was asked, but I wasn’t completely willing. She asked each of us, and we knew that one of us should accompany her, otherwise she’d be gambling her own life.”

“Acceptable. Alicorn, at some point, you understand I’ll require a meal?”

“Yes.”

“Then speak about why you want my help.”

“Something has happened to Twilight. Last night she screamed out, in pain. We were supposed to meet today, but no one has seen her since she went to the library last night. The library is currently closed and guards are investigating something massive. There were too many solar guards.”

The stallion closed his eyes. He thought about her words. “All good information I didn’t know, but you haven’t said what my task is. Am I to determine what has happened to her? Where she is? Or something else?”

“Find and determine what happened to her. And then help her recover.”

“Two tasks, two payments. First is permission to feed on you. Second, we will discuss after I’ve accomplished the first and you bring a meal.”

“I accept your terms.”

The stallion perked at that. He walked towards the door. “You know something else. This is too easy to get a meal.”

“I can sense the connections of ponies. Twilight’s connection to me has nearly been shattered, and I’m holding it by a thread. Same as the connection to her brother. I believe something is attacking her soul.”

He nodded. “Soul magic is a forbidden art...”

“That you know…”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Why do you want me?”

“You would be able to combat the demon within her, vampire pony.” Cadance approached him, wings flared.

“Humph. That task will cost you a good bit and will be in others. Are you willing to pay?”

“Yes. Max of six over four years. You also get a scroll allowing you to use your soul magic.”

“Three years, and I get a choice among three. Max of two of them can be convicted of a crime. Pardons do not erase this. Also, a large sum of bits per week to pay for expenses. Now, be warned, if she has been corrupted by a demon, she will be killed.”

“I understand. Do we have an agreement that your payment will be a sum of bits, two ponies per year for three years and a scroll allowing you to use your soul magic? I choose three, you choose one. I also bring you a meal soon, which doesn’t count towards the two per year and you get to feed on me. In exchange, you will find Twilight and help her recover.”

“Then we have an accord. The guard is our witness to this contract, but our conversation will be locked.” With a pulse of magic, Amber collapsed. “They’ll think it was a changeling.”

“We will talk about your injuries and what caused them.” The stallion didn’t respond. He also wasn’t found as the guards searched for any foreign magic, which led them to the window. Something had broken it.

“Princess, something has magically exhausted specialist Amber Wings. Due to this, we’ve called extra in. Some are following that shadow while others stay with you.”

Cadance nodded. “I think she should be taken care of here, and have a specialist stop by.”

“It is safe here?” questioned the sergeant.

“For now. The changeling wouldn’t hit the same house twice.”

“Princess, if you don’t mind, we’re doubling your guards.”

“That’s fine with me. When will they arrive?” 

“By the next sundown.” The guards left her alone in her room. For now, she laid down. Nothing would hurt her. As the sun began to dip, somepony knocked on her door.

“Princess, it’s me, Rosy Heart. I’m the specialist called to oversee Amber’s recovery. May I come in?” The door opened for her.

“Nice to meet you. How is Amber?” 

“She’ll be fine. Exhaustion doesn’t kill. Currently, she’s sleeping, and I’ve checked for mind magic. It’s present but seems to have a locked memory of a contract. It’s also causing her to dream her darkest desires. Unsure why the pony that did this would want to know that, but the caster will be able to review them.”

Cadance paused. “What do you mean?”

“This isn’t a changeling’s doing. They wrap, hide, and replace their victims, not allow them to waltz out.” Rosy watched the princess and her movements. When Cadance turned her attention back, Rosy stated, “Your closet.”

“What do you mean?”

“The pony is who injured Amber is in your closet. Will she attack me?” 

“I don’t think so, due to his injuries. However, he will be feeding on me, at some point, after the sun sets. Would you like to meet him then?”

“Lovely, a vampire pony, at least class 2. Do you know that if he is as injured as to not attack me, and fed on a normal pony, he would kill without hesitation? You make your own choices, so
I’m not going to berate you over that. Do you know the name of the vampire pony?”

“Yes. No. Can they feed on lust?” The princess looked away. She wanted to draw him out and a meal does that very well. Had she made a hasty choice? No. Twilight is in danger. She would
move the sea and mountains for her. So would Celestia, so why hasn’t she said anything?

“Some of them. And I will be with you. I don’t want him overfeeding that he causes you harm. What is he doing for you?”

“Finding and helping Twilight.”

“Why can’t the unicorn doctors or Princess Celestia help?”

“Twilight’s connection to Princess Celestia is a dark grey. She did something to severely injure Twilight, and whatever did had the intention of killing. If Twilight feels threatened by Princess Celestia, Twilight will blast her. As for the doctors, they wouldn’t know much about fighting demons. The stallion on the other has, and recently. It is what injured him, and Twilight trusts him.”

“Alright. Well, I’ll go to the market. What kind of fish do you like?”

“Red Eye,” Cadance responded. “Also, some salmon and trout.”

Rosy looked at the alicorn. The last time the griffins were over and ate, they served salmon and trout. Cadance tried both on two separate nights and threw up the next day. “Really?”

“Yes.” The alicorn crossed her forehooves.

“As you are .” Rosy bowed and left, though she did catch the glare Cadance sent the closet door.
> Investigations p1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After leaving Princess Celestia’s quarters, Long Shot flew lazily and perched himself. He didn’t care what the paladins had to say, but he needed to know Celestia’s reaction to the ring. Above him, a pair of pegasi circled the castle, watching him. Celestia’s reaction was predictable. He flew off, noting the pegasi tracking him. With the night still young, and a stressful job looming, Long Shot banked towards the west. He didn’t try to lose his pursuers - he wanted them to follow him. He touched down near the nearby lake. It was large and had plenty of fish. Not many knew about it. 

“Would either of you care for some fresh grilled fish?” he asked coldly. No one responded. Taking out his bow, he pulled a specific arrow out. The arrow had a fine wire attached and the wire went to a reel. It didn’t take long, but he practiced his shots. Fish were much better than paper targets. He only missed three times and had three fish after his twentieth shot. Pulling out a small stove and grate, he prepared and grilled the fish.

The pegasi looked away. It wasn’t uncommon for them to eat fish, but these two must have a dislike for it. They weren’t comfortable around others eating it. About ten minutes later, after waiting for him to finish eating his fish, they looked back, and Long Shot was gone. They cursed and launched into the air. After searching for a bit, they gave up and returned to Canterlot. 

Long Shot watched them from the shadows he’d slipped into. Idiot commanders, he thought captiously. It’s known that I love fish. Why would you send two to tail me if they couldn’t stand someone eating fish?

Checking to make sure no one else was around, he opened the door and entered the base. Once the door closed, he let the illusion drop. His wings were leather, his coat darkened, his fangs extended, and his round eyes turned to slits. It didn’t take long for him to gather the appropriate provisions. They needed materials to deal with a very powerful demon spell caster or subdue a vampiric spell caster. Now, the questions if she is vampiric, who has slipped in? What are their plans? What class and type is she?

With the materials gathered, he went into his room and hung himself on the bar above the cloud bed. Just before the sun rose, he left, reapplying the illusion and taking the sac of items. The flight wasn’t bad, and there was a bit more guard activity than usual. Landing near one of the squads, he asked what the extra present presence was about. They were looking for a dark figure with leather wings. After a bit of prying, Long Shot learned a pair of solar-based magic bolts managed to bring him down, but they lost him in the commoner’s area. The guard didn’t want to admit it, but he also told Long Shot they weren’t stun-bolts, more like bolts used in duels. Not lethal, but more powerful than a stun. Interesting. 





At the hospital, Long Shot found the rest of his team. However, there were no solar guards. Looking towards Ebony, she pulled out a report. “The knight wanted me to give you his report. The body of the unicorn was burned. It had demonic taint and its soul was ripped out by something. As for wounds, there were two: His sliced horn at the base of the skull and the crushed neck.”

“Any bite marks? And the other knight?” Long Shot wrapped his wing around the report. Idly, he flipped through it. Only one thing stood out to him. The cause of death and the missing picture of the neck, near the jugular. He started to walk into the hospital and the rest followed. 

Arriving at the destination, Ebony continued. “I don’t know.  They made it hard for me to observe, and towards the end, Ruby called me away. She had trouble with shadow demon lurking in the bookcase. It was dispatched. As for other information, he is in a similar age group as the other two. All three seem to have similar classes but excelled in different fields. His was ancient magic and runes. His horn had been sliced off near the base. It occurred minutes before his death. The time of death places him inside the library, near the second flare.”

“Know which knights and their superior commander?” Long Shot posed. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected that some of the pictures were left out.

“Only about the knight who didn't give me her report. Sir Flashing Blade was the commander.”

Long Shot shook his head. Just what I needed. At least two insubordinate ponies.“Winter Chill and Summer Breeze, will you please go to the Church of Light and find which two knights were sent and their superior officers? Something is off with this report. I have a fairly large collection of photos, but none included the neck, and the bruising of the ribs indicates he was tossed aside. Thank you.”

They saluted and flew off. Long Shot rubbed his temples.

“Captain, is there something you know?” Amoux

“Partly. After I left you all, I spoke with Princess Celestia and asked her for two knights to help with the autopsy. The problem is that both knights were to be told directly to run anything by Quick Fix or I. This may have consequences for all three.” Long Shot turned to Ruby. “Ruby, firstly, what kind of trouble did you run into? Secondly, what were you able to find out about the three circles?”

“A shadow demon tried to take a book I had found. It acted oddly, to say the least, and never tried to finish us. Amoux and Ebony were finally able to dispel it, but it seemed to have engaged something in the book. I can't open it nor can I find a locking mechanism. It seemed nondescript at first, but I haven't taken a second look, and the circles were more interesting." Ruby paused. Amoux and Ebony nodded to Long Shot confirming what happened. Long Shot gestured for her to continue.

"The circles are based in old magic, with modern efficiency. The innermost was done quickly without the same neatness as the others. Together, they were designed to form into a gate, but there were a few flaws. We’re lucky that it formed a gate instead of completely collapsing and imploding. If that happened the Library would be a crater. However, the runes are too advanced and foreign for these students. I believe we’re looking for a fourth unicorn, one with a lot of knowledge on pre-NMM rune with tenth-century magic innovation. 

“The book I mentioned earlier was found away from the circles. Near it, I found the remnants of three spells close together. The spells were particular, to say the least. One dealt with bindings. Another was summoning. The third was powerful and used an unknown form of solar magic. It was burned into the walls. 

“Any idea to who the caster was?” Long Shot inquired.

“It may have been Twilight, but spells seem tainted.”

Nodding, he looked down at Quick Fix, curled in a chair. Nudging him awake, Quick Fix opened his eyes. He blinked once before they widened and he sat up quickly. “I haven’t missed the meeting, have I?” 

“You’re the last to give his report, and comment on anything that has been said.”

“So, good news: Twilight Sparkle is stable. However, she sustained a myriad of injuries along her back, barrel, and ribs. The rib damage was caused mostly by Celestia’s maul. Along the side were solar burns, third degree, and under that, a healed slash running the length of her barrel. The back injury is consistent with being thrown into a wall. The last injury is a puncture from a unicorn’s horn.

“As for her magic, it’s at stage four exhaustion, down from five. I had to extract solar magic from her since it was negatively affecting her health. That drained me and three of the eight doctors present. The final injury wasn’t physical. It was against her soul and is causing damages. I don’t know if the effects will be permanent or not.”

Long Shot looked at each of them. None of them could see the thread between each piece, but it was there. Winter spoke before him. “Both vampirism and demonic infection affect the soul. Both are hampered by solar magic. Both can break the limits of magic. Which is affecting her?”

The others were shocked, but considering their knowledge either had a strong case, and both couldn’t happen.

“Winter, you’re right, which means we’re going to have a problem if we can’t isolate which it is. The test for demonic influence is currently inconclusive. As soon as we saw the injury with the horn, Quick Fix casted it. What Quick may not recall is that the demonic influence test doesn’t work unless the soul is controlled. If forces are battling for control, it's inconclusive.”

“Now onto the possibility of vampirism. There is a very accurate test, but it involves drawing a blood sample. If it is positive, we have a rogue vampire. And Twilight will be mighty angry at who did the test. With her current condition considered, she would be inclined to kill you for drawing her blood. Do we have a volunteer or do we want to wait it out?”

Summer raised his hoof. “I don’t mind.”

“You understand and accept that if it is a positive result, she will most likely hunt, kill, and devour you?” Long Shot asked for confirmation he knew and understood the stakes. 

“Yes.”

“We should wait it out. What is your estimate on how long before Twilight recovers? Also, can we move Twilight out of the worst possible area to fight either form?” Ebony asked. 

“No. Her injuries are too great to safely move her. Best guess: six to twelve days. Otherwise, six months. I would like to know the condition of her soul first. And I have one more fact: I asked Long Shot to get me a bag of A positive for a blood transfusion. This helped her, and another doctor gave her one more after I fell asleep. This bag, however, was a mislabeled B negative bag. It didn’t affect her.”

“Since two have agreed to a course of action, we need to vote. We can let Summer Breeze draw the blood sample or wait for Twilight to recover a bit. Three days should be enough and I believe Long Shot knows someone with soul magic, even if it’s illegal.”

Long Shot looked around. He knew how the vote would go. “Thank you, Ruby, for drawing the vote, but we aren’t. I will wait for three days. We need constant eyes or ears on her. You will also make sure no one else enters without my or Quick Fix’s permission. You have my permission to tap up to three ponies for entrance into the squad. Groups are at least two current members and two possible members. Ebony, Quick Fix and I are leads.”

“That leaves you without current members,” Ruby commented.

“I’ll be fine with two knights.”

“Hey! What about us? We’re members, and...“ Summer Breeze insisted. 

“And you are leaving,” Long Shot interjected. “You carelessly endangered yourself trying to move Princess Celestia out of the way. If Quick Fix believed you could have succeeded, he would have told you to. The enchantment on the walls is twice as strong as your armors, and Celestia’s is solar saturated. The shadow spears you saw would have easily skewered you or marked you. You also lack judgment. The easy path is not always the best.”

The pair of pegasi looked towards the others. Their emotions were neutral. They turned back to Long Shot, angered. Summer spoke. “You can’t be serious. We’ve only had three missions with you all, while most get at least ten!”

“Then I have a question for each of you: Are all those here equestrian ponies?” Long Shot looked to Ruby. She nodded and her horn glowed.

“No,” Winter Chill answered. 

The other pegasus balked at that. “There’s no way Princess Celestia would allow…”

“Ruby.”

“Yes, sir.” A bubble formed around the male pegasus. No sound came from him. “Please continue.”

“I believe only two of you are equestrian: Ruby and Long Shot. I don’t know enough about the species outside, so I could not tell what each is.” Winter glanced at her brother. Although he couldn’t hear him, she knew he didn’t like her answer at all.

“Why do you believe that Quick Fix isn’t an equestrian pony while Long Shot is?” Ebony asked.

“Quick Fix parted the shadows, and was able to take a few hits from them.”

Ebony and Amoux looked to Long Shot. He nodded. Ruby lit her horn and the male pegasus was gone. “You were right about four of the five, however, even if Long Shot is considered equestrian pony, he’s not, at least to us.”

The pegasus’s eyes wandered, landing on the two wolf-like ponies. Ruby and Quick Fix looked normal. Long Shot had a pair of canines sticking out of his lip. She began to shake but got it under control. Her wings were extended and one could see lightning dancing across. “Your brother will be assigned to one of the lower squads. If you are willing to work, I am considering you for our squad.”

“What are each of you?” Trepidation permeated her question.

Long Shot gestured to Ebony and Amoux. “They are wolf ponies. I am a thestral pony.” 

Long Shot let that sink in and judged Winter’s reaction. She was shocked, but there wasn't any fear or hatred. Curiosity was briefly present. He continued, “There are two classifications of thestrals: One can eat any kind of animal meat, while the other can only eat fish and shellfish. I am of the animal eating kind. Both enjoy fruit very much, especially citrus.”

“In the vampire pony world, there are three main subspecies and three types. The three subspecies match the pony trips, but wings and a horn are not uncommon among the royal vampire ponies. The types are Shepard, Enchanter, and Hunter. All three will occasionally eat a whole pony, and all prefer meat over fruit and veggies. The difference between the types is how they go about acquiring the blood of others. Each subspecies has a preferred type. For the unicorn, it’s a pegasus. A magically exhausted vampire is a very hungry one. It’s your choice in the end, but what you’ve seen can’t be shared at all. You may ask us questions.”

“Does Princess Celestia know?”

“Not about Ebony or Amoux. She knows about me being one of the thestral species. She knows that I sometimes feed on the blood of others.”

“I have one final question: What’s the history between the vampire ponies and Equestria. I know about the Crusades, but not much more.”

Ebony and Amoux tensed, their teeth almost bared. “Equestria started them. You know the Heart’s Warming story goes. Well, the ponies were more violent towards all of the others. After Nightmare Moon’s banishment, it became much worse.”

“Winter Chill, the relationship is a strained one, one that forced the night tribes into hiding. The crusades didn’t just attack vampire ponies. They attacked all night tribes. However, Amoux did make a mistake. It was not Equestria that turned, but Princess Celestia. She started and finished the crusades, killing off the five major vampire pony clans. These clans worked with all the tribes and kept the peace between the night and day tribes of ponies.” 

“What was the straw that broke the camel’s back?”  Winter looked at the others. None seemed to have the answer. Long Shot was looking away, towards the western sky.

“We don’t know exactly, but Nightmare Moon is involved,” Quick Fix answered. “You’ll have time to make your decision, and we will hear it once this mission is done. Thank you for your assistance.”

Winter planted her hooves. There was more going than what they were letting on. Before she voiced her opinion, Long Shot guided her towards the door. He whispered, “Now is not the time to question orders or gather information. Your brother may be worried about you. Talk to him, but don’t share what you’ve learned. I’ll come by once we’re finished.”

”I want him to get a second chance. He’s usually ill-tempered when you intend to hurt Princess Celestia. Our conversation isn’t done. You know more than what you’re letting on.”

“It’s only the beginning. As for your brother, I will consider it. However, he has to realize Princess Celestia is not all-knowing. That she has and will make mistakes. If he doesn’t accept what’s happening, tell him that his actions were reckless. That you believe he isn’t fit for the squad. Nothing about what we’ve discussed. If he still sees no errors, then he doesn’t belong.”

“I’ll return once I’ve talked to him.”

“I won’t bar you, but you’ll be in the most danger. Please remember your other task. I rather you find them than Twilight.” 

The pegasus nodded and left. She found her brother and guided him home. 

“Long Shot and Quick Fix, it's time for you to rest. We’ll take it from here.”

“Thank you, Ruby. Wake me if the pegasi return.” The two found spots and laid down. Long Shot fluffed his wings stretching them over his mark and slept. As soon as Quick’s head touched the pillow, he fell asleep. 

Ruby lit her horn, multiple circles and barriers followed her as she sealed the wing. Only those that Quick or Long designated would be allowed through. A few doctors and nurses did run into them, but it didn’t take long to get them to stay away. Once Amoux returned, Ruby looked back at the book. She had mentioned it, but it must have slipped their minds. 

Looking at the book, she could tell it was old and worn. The book was bound with a strong leather twain. The book was also leather, but she hadn’t figured out what kind. It was careful work, but she figured out what it was. Pony hide.
> Investigations p2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ruby, what’s wrong?” Amoux asked, his nose up.

Ruby breathed in and out. In and out. Once her heart rate calmed, she addressed Amoux. “I got spooked. That book is made from cured pony hide, and it’s from a single pony.” 

Ruby took more time to calm down. Amoux and Ebony sat beside her. Ebony looked towards the sleeping ponies. The shout didn’t wake any of them, but Long Shot’s ear flicked. 

“He does that. I don’t know why, but it always happens. I’m unsure if he can hear us, but he seems to respond fast. So Ruby, the book?” 

“Right…” Ruby looked at the book. “One of you gets to pick up the book.”

Ebony picked up the book. Looking at it, she saw something. “Ruby, do you have some paper? I can see something on the cover.” 

Ruby gave her the paper and a pencil. Carefully, Ebony drew the symbol. Once she was done, it looked like a six-pointed starburst and a crescent moon. “Isn’t that similar to Twilight and Shining Armor’s mark?”

“Yes. So is this a family spellbook?” Amoux asked.

“Then why would it be bound in pony hide? That seems counter-intuitive. Cured pony hide is resistant to magical influence, including runes. It would take an extreme amount of magic. At least forty unicorns just to get one enchantment to stick. I found ten.”

“There’s a catch. One form of magic that’s very powerful and sticks to cured hides. May I see the book?” They turned towards the voice. Long Shot had his eyes on them. The golden eyes glowed, and he yawned, showing the long fangs, and other things. “Ebony, the book?”

Ruby grabbed some paper, quills, and ink well. Her research into magic did mention that pony hide could be enchanted with specific magic, but no one had attempted with confirmation. Ebony brought the book. She walked around him before giving the book. Leaving, she whispered, “pony slayer.”

Long Shot didn’t acknowledge that he heard her. She just knew. As for the book, it met his expectations. The cover was artistic and needed a vampire’s eyes to see. The mark denoted Clan of Moonlight. “This book is from one of the five major vampire clans. Houses Crescent Moon and Star Shooters were the most powerful clan, and guarded the sixth clan.”

“Sixth clan? As in Princess Celestia missed one!?” Ruby exclaimed.

“They were never in Equestria. House Star Shooters made sure of that while they lived. As for why the sixth clan was worse than anything Equestria has seen. Unlike the others, the sixth clan hunted whatever moved, with no pattern. To them, it mattered not that you were young, old, healthy, pony, vampire or other race. You wandered into their territory, you were considered prey, and prey is hunted and consumed, usually in pieces.” 

“Are they still around?” Ebony asked, her charcoal body shaking. 

“I don’t know, Ebony, and only a vampire pony would know where to check for them. It may be years before their seals break, or they’ve already broken, and are waiting for some poor explorer to bring them to Equestria.” Long Shot paused. While the sixth clan was important, it wasn’t the topic. He didn’t like talking about them, but they were apart of the vampire pony culture.

“You mentioned two houses. I thought vampire ponies always stayed within the family,” Ruby stated in between her note takings. "Also, how old aver the vampire clans? None of this is any of the historical texts I've read."

“Clans are made of one vampire pony house and multiple pony house names. The Crescents and Star Shooters had a close relationship and mixed. They had a symbiotic relationship. The vampires would protect the ponies while the ponies served as food. This changed near the same time as Nightmare Moon's rise." Long paused, trying to organize his thoughts. There was a lot of history to the vampire ponies, and Twilight would need to learn it, too, if she was vampiric. "However, we've gotten a bit off track. The important part is what happened during the Crusades. All the vampiric houses went into hiding. We have a few reports mostly about the five major clans: They were wiped out. Took roughly six hundred years for Celestia and Church of Light to accomplish."

“How does one open the book?” Ebony asked, for Ruby. The red-furred unicorn was busy with her notes.

“Only family members can. They dribble a bit of their blood onto it, and it opens.”

“Which were the vampire ponies?”

“We don’t know. What we do know is that Crescents were very good at making shields, while Star Shooters were more generalized, but always had stronger base magic. This, in turn, made their offensive magic more destructive, and binding magic more permanent.

“With the book and the presence of blood, we have to assume that a member is still at large. Also, Twilight is a member of this ancient vampire clan. As such, we are treating her as a royal pureblood. No pegasi or siblings, until after she’s been awake for some time.”

“Why restrict who can visit her?” Ruby asked.

“If her family is just regular ponies, then to a vampiric Twilight, they are food. Each of the three tribes can be turned into vampiric versions of themselves. The unicorns prefer pegasi. Pegasi prefer earth ponies. Earth ponies prefer unicorns. Siblings, especially older are also considered food since if they can’t defend themselves from their younger siblings, they don’t deserve to procreate. As to the parents, they may be able to stop Twilight from turning them into food, but they must not show weakness, even when the vampire opens a live pony up.”

“By opens a live pony, they?” Ruby asked.

“Do the same cuts as a coroner or pathologist does when doing an autopsy.”

Ruby’s quill broke. Quick Fix woke up. He looked at the others and stretched. “Just what I needed.”

“How much did you hear?” Long Shot looked over at the unicorn.

“Enough of it that you should inform Princess Celestia of a loose vampire. As to Twilight, her family records only go four hundred years back. The house books disappeared a thousand years ago.”

“How would a vampire look?” Ruby intoned. 

“Similar to Long Shot. They’ll have more pointed, tufted ears, long canines, either two or four depending on whether they are vampony or vampire pony respectively, and if a flyer, leather wings. They are usually larger than most ponies and have a wider chest and stance. Their magic will allow them to blend seamlessly into any shadow or dark backgrounds. Magic won’t detect them if they slip into the shadow Equestria. It that happens, you’re looking at class one.”

Long Shot blinked. He was exactly right, and Ebony and Amoux growled at him. They positioned themselves between Ruby and him. They were primed for attack.

“Ebony, Amoux, what has agitated you?” Ruby asked. She knew about their heritage, but never saw their true form… Until today. Ruby stepped around them, towards Long Shot. “Long Shot has worked with us for years, I’m sure we can give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Ebony and Amoux look at each other, then to Quick Fix and Ruby. Quick Fix was… They weren’t sure. Ruby looked worried but stood up towards Long Shot. As much as they didn’t like being lied to, they knew Long Shot had secrets, and vampire ponies and vamponies smelled the same. Like how Long Shot smelled.

Long Shot had his ears folded back, muzzle resting on his forelegs. He knew this day would come. Only Quick Fix truly knew his heritage, and only when it was necessary. Why did you have to say long canines? I like being able to pass myself off as a thestral. 

“Thank you, Ruby. However, they are right to be wary. They don’t know whether I’m a vampire pony or vampony. Quick Fix gave them the clue they were missing. Unfortunately for me, I keep to a more thestralian look. This means when I yawn, ponies that know about vampire ponies think I’m a vampony.” He spat the last word, his wings lightly fluffing. “Seems you all figured out I am vampiric out sooner than the last group. I will commend you on that. However, I'm a turned vampire pony, class one. Not a vampony. Only Princess Celestia knows this. It will stay that way, understood?”

“How long? Proof?” Ebony asked.

Long Shot checked the integrity of Ruby’s anti scrying methods. With them at an acceptable level, he let all his illusions drop. The wolf ponies circled him, prodding or sniffing here or there. He only growled when one pulled on his wing without permission. “Before Nightmare Moon. As for who turned me, a member of clan Crescents. This is why I recognize the book so easily, and why I stay in the back when Celestia joins us. I know you have questions, but we should answer them after Twilight awakens.” 

“Fine.” The others nodded their agreement. “However, you will answer one question first: How often must you hunt?”

“Once every five years. I have to feed every three months. My donors know that I’m thestral, but not vampiric. I haven’t turned anyone. Ebony and Amoux make your preparations  for combating a demon pony, with very strong healing.” Long Shot headed for the door. 

“Where are you heading?” Ebony growled. 

“Follow up a rumor of a pony evading guards after being hit three times. He crashed somewhere in the commoner’s district.” Long Shot walked out. He spread his wings and took to the air.
> Discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rosy rubbed her brow. So far she had visited six of the pegasus or griffin owned fish vendors, and her saddlebags were empty. The sun was nearly setting and she couldn’t go to any other city. There was one vendor left, but Ruby felt something off about him. She wasn’t sure what was off about the pegasus owner, but she still didn’t trust him. It had aggravated her many times since he had the best fish in town if you could find him. The vendor had exactly what she needed and gave her an extra four servings. She raised a brow at that. He waved her off.

As she entered the home, she spotted Cadance looking through a photo album. On the page was Twilight with her hooves on a stuffed bunny. Ruby sighed. Cadance is too trusting. “You sure you want to do this, even though he hasn’t provided anything?” 

“I am. He’s earned an olive branch, and he won’t hurt me.” Cadance closed the album. 

“Alright, then.” Rosy turned towards the others. As much as she didn’t want to send them away, she didn’t want to reveal who their guest was or pique their curiosity. “Why don’t you all take off for the night. I’m sure that Princess Cadance and I can handle anything a changeling could do.”

“Are you sure? The changeling seemed to have easily overpowered Amber, and that’s after getting through the wards.”

“I’m sure, but thank you for your concern.” Rosy grabbed a bag of bits and levitated over. “My treat for a stressful job. Enjoy yourselves.”

They accepted the bag and left. Rosy made her way upstairs. Cadance had already gone up.

“You need guards who are better trained, Cadance. That was too easy for Rosy to do.” The stallion was stretched lazily on the bed. His wings were stretched out a bit while Cadance looked them over.  She sat next to him, scrutinizing the wing with the hole. 

“I agree, and he didn’t influence them. Where will you be biting?” Rosy looked the stallion over. He was slightly larger than Princess Cadance. He had dull silver fur and his eyes were a pleasant amber. However, he looked scrawny, and his skin seemed tight. He also had several crisscrossing scars, recent ones too.

“Foreleg. It’s going to hurt more, but there’s less of a chance of me taking too much. As for how I look, I haven’t eaten anyone since arriving, and I sorely need to. I expended too much of my reserves in the fight that caused these injuries. Once I do, you'll think I’m a different pony.”

Rosy gulped. “Who will you murder?”

“No one. My kills are willing or had attacked me without provocation.” Sharp Point turned the alicorn. He pulled his wing away and folded it up. Cadance wanted to look at the wing more, but he glowered at her. “Now Cadance, I want to warn you, this bite will hurt. I also may break your foreleg. So which is your non-dominant hoof?”

Cadance froze at that. She pulled slightly away. “Okay. Would you break the bones in my hind?”

“I wouldn’t, which is why it’s the preferred place. However, I’m afraid that if I do bite there, I will try to draw from your magic shell. If I break that shell, I don’t think I could control myself, and I would try to claim you.”

“We don’t want that then. How long will it take to heal?” Rosy looked between Cadance and the stallion. 

“Three to five days. Are you done with the wing?” The stallion glared at the alicorn. Her feathers were brushing over it.

“Only one more question. What happened to your side there?” Cadance pointed at the pair of large burn marks. They looked more recent and didn’t want to heal. 

“Solar bolts. Someone overcharged and infused solar magic into their stun bolts. It's what caused me to lose control and the shadow magic from reforming. Otherwise, I most like could have slipped in unnoticed.”

“So the spell level?” Rosy asked, interested in who caused them.

“Upper end of duel strength, harder than a stun, but not combat magic,” he snapped. Cadance shifted her position and laid her right hoof over his forehooves. He coated it in thick saliva and extended his fangs.

Cadance felt the points of the fangs on her skin. She tensed, closing her eyes to count down until he bites. She never felt the bite. Cool air sent a shiver down the spine. Her eyes opened as his head was up. She watched his ears twitch and posture coiled like a spring. Whips of shadow gathered towards him.

“A guest is approaching the door.” Rosy was about to question him, but before she spoke, he continued. “A vampiric guest. Two others, non-vampiric, seem to be hanging back. Were you expecting visitors, and if not, shall I show him my fangs?” 

The stallion turned towards Cadance. Both mares were tensed. Cadance spoke first. “I was not. However, if Twilight’s soul is being affected, I’m one of the few that know about soul magic. Please greet whoever is at the door.”

He left. Cadance looked down at her hoof. The saliva was soaking in, and she lost feeling. She tried to follow him downstairs, but Rosy’s magic held her.

“Princess, you won’t be walking on that leg. You may fall and break it on the stairs. Let him take care of it. Vampires must have permission to enter a private home they don’t own.”

“Will you go help him?”

Rosy shook her head. “I won’t. If I do, then one of them will kill me. Especially if a fight breaks out. However, I will help you with the stairs.”

Flying through the air, Long Shot spotted Summer Breeze and Winter Chill. On the ground, two unicorns were following. Tilting his wing, Long Shot banked towards the pegasi, hovering a dozen yards in front. The pegasi flared their wings, stopping in front. He pointed down and the pegasi followed. On the ground, the three fliers landed in front of the unicorns. 

“Sewing Needle and Heartlight,” Long Shot greeted. Sewing Needle was a moderate sapphire blue with a silver mane and tail. Heartlight was white with a rusty red mane. 

“Greetings Captain Long Shot,” Heartlight and Sewing Needle bowed. Long Shot nodded and they rose. “Summer and Winter here said that you wanted to speak to us?”

“I did. I’m trying to determine where the communication between Princess Celestria’s wishes and the actions failed. Princess Celestia ordered specifically to ask me before destroying him. Also, in your report, Heartlight, there seem to be a few photos missing.”

“We were never told that. You’ll be looking for Bright Light or Flashing Blade. As for the photos, there are none missing. I double-checked your report.” Heartlight interjected. Long Shot watched them. Sewing Needle looked away, pawing the ground. He nodded and walked away, but Sewing Needle blocked his path.

“Yes, Sewing Needle?” he whispered. He held up his wing, blocking Heartlight’s sight of them. Sewing Needle pulled out her report and handed it to him.

“Flashing Blade said to give this to only you, or a pony you designated. He also said that the body isn’t to be burned unless you okayed it. I did challenge Heartlight, but he outranks me. I also had a family emergency that couldn’t wait nor saw any of your team members. I informed him where I was coming from, but he seemed enraged. He started the solar flare spell that consumed the body.”

“Thank you.” Long Shot wrapped his wing around the folder, hiding it from Hearlight’s view. “I may contact you again.”

Once away from both of the unicorns, the pegasi spread their wings. Long Shot held his other wing up, stopping them from taking off. A dark sphere enveloped all three. When the sphere was gone, so were the three pegasi. 

“Was that… ?” Sewing Needle questioned, as she petted her curled tail. He’s not the same...he’s not the same...

“Yes,” Heartlight set his hoof on her shoulder. They stayed there until she was ready to move. The two of them dashed towards Flashing Blade’s house. He would know what to do about a pegasus casting shadow magic.


  
*				* 				*
 


Long Shot perched himself on the ledge. He let the two recover and concentrated on the house in front. It’s wards blocked his sight, but not his tufted ears. Five heartbeats. One was labored, and another seemed quickened. 

“Captain, is something wrong?”

“Not sure. I know there should be more than five guards, but one’s injured.” He jumped to the ground The pegasi followed. 

Long Shot approached the door. Before he could make his door, the front door opened. Standing there was a gray coated unicorn stallion. In the night sky, the wings on his side blended in. His orange eyes stared at Long Shot. He knew that stallion.

The stallion in the door was coiled. As he looked at the pony, his eyes widened. He looked up at the pegasi. “You’re a pleasant surprise. Let me speak to the mistress and see if she knows you. What do you go by, since I’m sure she would not know the name I know you as. Finally, what’s your business for coming in the evening?”

Long Shot took a good look at the stallion in the door. He was larger than most but lanky. His amber eyes glowed in the night. Recognition dawned once he saw the flash four fangs. Long Shot watched the stallion slink back into the house, the door clicking shut. “Teacher... I go by Long Shot. As for my business, I have come to ask a favor of Princess Cadance. She is one of the few that can see souls, and we require that ability to look into the soul of Twilight Sparkle at Canterlot General Hospital.” 

The door to the house opened. A mare was in the doorway. “Princess Cadance seems to have a broken foreleg and won’t be able to come for at least a half a day. She does want to talk, so would you like to enjoy some grilled trout?”

Winter and Summer’s eyes widened. Rosy chuckled and closed the door once they were in. Winter had looked around, spotting another pegasus laying on the couch. In the dining area, Cadance set at the head of the table. To her right was the stallion that answered the door. He wasn’t as lanky now and seemed to have a full stomach. Long Shot narrowed his eyes. Giving the room a sniff, he could smell a hint of pony blood. His eyes widened in horror. He had fed on Princess Cadance’s foreleg and broke the bones.

Long Shot made a slight clicking noise as he sat next to the stallion. Long Hot heard a faint clicking in response. Leaning over he whispered, “Why?”

“To give me time to find a meal.”

“You’re lying. I’ve never seen you kill a meal.”

“Correct. You’ve never seen, but I do twice a year.” Winter took note of the two stallions talking. She only caught a few words, killing a meal.

“Long Shot,” Cadance called out, “I would like to see your vampiric form.”

Long Shot coughed. “I’m sorry, I think I misheard you. You want to see what?”

“Your undisguised form. I want to compare it to a vampire pony from my past.”

Long Shot looked at Princess Cadance. The princess’s eyes were unwavering. “Fine.”

Cadance noted that he was smaller than the other one but still larger than most earth ponies. His ears were pointed, and he had smaller fangs. His wings were smaller, but one could wrap up the pegasus mare beside him. Cadance nodded, and he reapplied the mask. Dinner was served and greatly enjoyed. Long Shot and Cadance had the most fish. Rosy had a salad. Summer and Winter split one. The final pony at the table only had two. Once the dinner was done, the three pegasi and the unicorn said goodbye to Cadance and Rosy. The unicorn left a note for Cadance, in her room.

Once outside, Long Shot tried to hit the unicorn’s neck. The pegasi both jumped into the air, trying to decide whether to help or retreat.

“Don’t worry, we’re just playing a game,” the unicorn called out, dodging a few more slashes. One of the close ones caused a shower of sparks at metal met metal. After that, he flash-stepped away. A sword floated next to him. “Long Shot, you know better than to use your wing blades.”

“Blades are fine when there’s an unconscious pony,” Long Shot responded. His ear flicked at that. He was still coiled. “You will explain.”

“Already planning to, but the pegasi are unknown to me.” He pointed towards the pegasi.

While they had been in their dance of blades, Winter spread her wings. With a powerful down flap, she tried to launch into the air. She yelped in pain and ger muzzle hit the cobblestone road and split out the coppery taste. A few pieces of her white tail floated down. With a sharp pull, Winter retrieved her tail and scowled her brother. 

He pointed a wing. “Watch. Something else besides them fighting is going on. Look at their expressions.”

“There isn’t time. They had whispered before dinner. About killing a meal.” Winter let that sink in as she spread her wings for a second takeoff. Summer shook his head, but before he could speak, Winter spoke. “Cadance’s leg is broken, and one of her guards was unconscious on the couch. We saw only Rosy, Cadance and the unnamed stallion in the house. He injured them. He wants to kill them, and Long Shot is in the way.”

“Then why hasn’t he swung his sword?”

Winter looked to the pair. Long Shot tried to halshua, but the unicorn never took advantage of any openings. When the weapons blizened, the unicorn flash stepped away. Long Shot’s wings were drooping. 

“What swo…” Winter looked again. A sword, barely visible, floated near the unicorn. She turned her head and the sword was gone. They were approaching.

“To answer your question, I was merely a defender in our dance. I had no reason to hurt the pupil. He was merely concerned, and we’ve established rules for sparing. I only drew it once his wing blades hit nearly their mark.” The unicorn moved the sword to the front, slowly swinging it. He watched the pegasi. 

Long Shot relaxed and withdrew the blades. “Sorry, it’s just that vampire ponies don’t feed from the front legs. If they do, they never break the leg.”

“Vampire ponies and feeding? What vampire pony fed and on who?”

“He’s the vampire pony.” Summer pointed at the plump unicorn. He seemed to be perfectly still, calm, and innocent looking.

“Let’s say you’re hypothetically right. Where did I misstep?”

“Cadance trusts you too much, and you aren’t on her guard detail. I know since they were the ones I chose just before being tapped for Zulu.”

“I could see that giving a vampire pony away. Name’s Sharp Point.” He held out his hoof and turned so the pegasi could see his cutie mark. It depicted a spear pointed upward. “As to your comment, Long Shot, you are right. However, there are specific reasons why one might. As for the leg, it was too numb. Cadance knew that a break could happen, and accepted anyway. How is Twilight doing? Is the hole completely healed, or is it blackened and slowly healing?”

That got the attention of the pegasi. They dived at the unicorn, but he wasn’t there. Long Shot answered. “It’s not healing but it slowly blackened. You can thank Princess Celestia for that. My team is preparing for both outcomes, but we would like your opinion.”

“Then why don’t we see her?” Sharp Point called out, about thirty paces from the pegasi. His horn glowed and two draconic wings of shadows materialized on his back. Giving them a few test flaps, he lifted off the ground. 

“Now, Sharp Point, I would like to know what you gave up in the trade?” Long Shot joined Sharp in the air. Summer and Winter weren’t far behind. 

The flight wasn’t long. Just an hour. Sharp weaved side to side but stayed on track. To the pegasi watching, he looked drunk. All four landed near and entered Sharp Point’s wing spell dissipated. His steps weren’t even but he kept pace. Just as they were getting to the wing, Ebony and Amoux growled. “Long Shot. Who is this unicorn you bring along? He smells of pony blood.”

The pony in question flicked his ears. “Name’s Sharp Point. You are wolven ponies. It’s nice to meet you.” He looked at the two, noting the partial form change. They were larger than the pegasi but smaller than Celestia’s sister. Have they been malnourished? Luna loved to play with them, but their size made it difficult for her to win. 

He approached them. Long Shot stood by. Ebony looked to her mate. They needn’t speak but knew what the other was going to do. Ebony jumped over the unicorn, her back facing Long Shot and the pegasi. “We’ll handle him.” 

“Ebony, Amoux, as much as I would love you to spare with Sharp Point here, he has a reason. Let him pass.” Long Shot moved past Ebony following Sharp Point. Quick Fix and Ruby let them pass. 

As Summer passed Quick Fix, he whispered, “Is Sharp Point alright? He was weaving in the flight and when we landed.”

Quick Fix watched Sharp Point as he moved through the hospital and towards Twilight. His steps were heavy, and he did move side to side. Even while he was casting, Quick Fix could tell something was off, but he wasn’t sure yet. He also didn’t want to disturb his casting.  

Looking to the right, he spotted Twilight. Good. She’s on her side. She also has a bag of blood attached. That’ll help her. After visually inspecting her, he drew on his magic. A ring formed at the base of Twilight, while a quill and clipboard formed near him. The ring traveled back and forth across Twilight. He took notes of the state of the transformations happening within. 

Once the ring was done, he dismissed it. Another page of notes was written. Twilight has some serious injuries that occurred after I left. They hampered both the demon and vampirism, but Twilight is still on track. The demon was currently trying to take her weakened heart, however, it was in a stronger position. 

“Hey, Doc, who injured Twilight? I’m finding traces of injuries to the connections of the heart. However, they aren’t the wounds of a demon. There were also traces of solar magic in her. And that’s outside the physical damage to her ribs and stomach.”

“Connections of the heart? What do you mean?”

“The soul isn’t made one thing, but one of the parts seems weakened. Heartstrings are the other name, and Princess Cadance can explain them better than I,” he noted. Looking back at his notes, he reformed the ring. It was smaller but phased through Twilight. He cautioned, “The damage is severe enough that if the demon finds it, he can pierce the heart, and we lose her, or it’ll be much harder to break.”

“How were they broken?” Long Shot asked. “Can they be repaired?”

“I can’t repair them. It was an act of betrayal, between her and a teacher. The best thing would be for her to form new bonds, but that doesn’t happen overnight.”

“Since you can see the soul, is she vampiric?” Quick Fix asked.

“Yes. That’s causing the demon within trouble, but Twilight doesn’t have a strong bond with it yet. If it’s strengthened, it could beat the demon. I don’t have a connection with her, so I couldn’t build the bridges she needs.” He continued to sway. The magic and meal were taking their toll.

“Who would you recommend?” Long Shot asked.

“Princess Cadance. She has a strong connection to Twilight, and I have the know-how to guide her to form the bridges.” He collapsed. The illusion broke, twice.