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.