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.