//------------------------------// // Blindsides // Story: Bloodsong // by Not_A_Hat //------------------------------// "I'm slightly surprised Auric didn't realize we were baiting him."   "Hmm?" I looked over to Octavia, leaning against a chimney. We'd followed the pony from the trapped apartment, floating above the concealing glare of the streetlamps until he'd entered a small, non-descript house in an outlying suburb. Now we were lurking on a nearby roof, watching. "Because he recognized me?"   "Yeah, well." She shrugged. "After you said you could 'feel' him, I expected him to bail."   "Oh, that." I shook my head. "He doesn't know I can. I usually take solo jobs, and my modus operandi is low-key. Very few ponies know my methods, and that skill… it's uncommon. I try to preserve the element of surprise." I looked back to the house we were watching. "How long do you think he'll be?"   "No idea." She chewed her lip. "I'm hoping he'll leave soon, but if he doesn't…" She checked the sky. "We can't do this all night, but I'd hate to bail now. We'll wait another hour and a half." She nodded sharply. "If he's not out by then, we'll call this a night and follow other leads."   "Sure," I agreed. "We can check who owns the place, take another tack."   "Mmm." She shivered in the early spring night and leaned up against me. I leaned back, ever so slightly, and settled in to wait.     "Here he comes." Octavia nudged me, and I peeped over the ridgepole. Across the street a door opened, spilling light for a moment, and the pony we'd tailed stepped out. Soft voices spoke, the door closed, and he set off, slowly vanishing into the night.   "Take us down, please."   I lifted her with a gentle breeze and a flap, wafting us softly to the street.   "What's the plan?" I looked at the house, curious about her approach. It was a single story tall, built in the same compact, blocky style as the rest of the neighborhood. It didn’t look like much, just another carbon-copy house in a run-of-the-mill suburb, but all our effort so far had cumulated here.   She smirked softly and produced Azure's card. "We're going in the front." She drew a deep breath and affected a gentle smile. Her precise posture relaxed an inch, and she ran a hoof through her mane, adjusting her fading curls. "How do I look?"   "Barely recognizable." I let my eyes wander over her again. She'd striped her mane and tail with lilac to match her eyes, before adding small ringlets and twists. When she stood like that, grinned just so, she looked much more open. Odd how it was that much more a mask. "Good, though."   "Thanks!" Even her voice had changed slightly. "Alright. Stay behind me, be conspicuous but unthreatening, and don't say more than absolutely needed." She leaned close, licking one hoof and patting down my mane. "If things go south, you're my ticket out. I'm relying on you." She grinned honestly for a moment, lilac eyes dancing fey through thick lashes, glimmering in the moonlight.   "I'm at your wing." I nodded firmly. "Let's do this."   "Right." She spun and trotted to the house, flicking her mane to settle it just so. I fell in at her shoulder, pacing measured, solid steps. She approached with concrete confidence, rapping firmly on the door and waiting easily.   After a few moments, it opened a crack. I could see a chain securing it. Bright lights inside illuminated a slender ice-pink unicorn with dark eyes and an ivory mane. She watched us flatly, flicking an ear.   "Yes?"   "Azure said you might talk to us." Octavia held out the card. "I'm sorry if this is irregular, but it's about Verdant Moss."   The pink pony's mouth made an 'o' at that, even as her brows crinkled. After a long moment of thought, she nodded slowly.   "Well, I might be willing to talk about that." She moved to loose the chain, but paused. "Although, if you don't mind?" Her horn charged and I tensed, but she didn't lower it yet. "A precaution against pretenses. Changelings, you see."   "Sure." Octavia shrugged insouciantly, though I didn't relax even as a soft wash of mist tingled over us.   "You're you, at least." The unicorn unlatched the door and let us in. I saw her cutie mark as we passed, a dial formed from faceted crystal. "This is quite irregular, but I've been interested in Verdant for a while now. I hope you can make it worth my while."   "Oh, we can certainly reach an agreement." Octavia was the very soul of confidence, and once again, I found myself marveling at the various and impressive skills she'd been displaying tonight. She'd walked us through each twist of intrigue as if each step was clear and obvious, navigating a veritable forest of obstacles with the deft aplomb of a professional.   We were led through a small, comfortable house, eventually ending in a study. Our mark raised the lights with a spell, revealing large windows framed by bookcases that snuggled around an expansive desk. A handful of chairs stood in attendance. Octavia skimmed the book titles as our host took a seat. I positioned myself by the door, yet near enough to intervene if the unicorn decided to make things personal.   "So, what are you looking for?" She steepled her hooves, peering at Octavia across the desk. "I'm sure it's not cheap."   "Information, actually." Octavia gave a disarming grin and swiped a pen from the inkwell. She leaned over, appropriating a sheet of blank paper, and lay out a few swift strokes. Her pendant leaped into focus, evoked by strong lines and suggested spaces. "On this." She spun the drawing, presenting it. "We have reason to believe you might know something about it, Miss Ruby."   This is Cracked Ruby? I wondered briefly how Octavia had deduced that, how much of a guess it had been. We'd been nowhere near certain of reaching more than a higher-level contact.   Cracked Ruby regarded the drawing, face unreadable as she rubbed her jaw.   "And what are you offering?" She looked up, neither accepting or denying.   "A contact who Verdant Moss is actually willing to talk to." Octavia leaned in, slightly insolent. "I hear your ponies have had a little… trouble persuading him."   "They said it was Batmane," Ruby sighed. "I'd have had… no, never mind." She thought for another long second. "Well, maybe we can work something out. Truth is, I don't need Verdant specifically. I just need his skills." She reached into her desk, rummaging around. "There are a lot of groups in this city, you know."   Octavia nodded easily.   "I've been looking at one in particular, because they've got something my boss wants." Ruby grinned slyly. "Procuring it will be challenging, but I enjoy that. I just need info first. Verdant tracks my ponies around corners, in the rain, at midnight, despite never having seen them. That's what I need – somepony who can case a joint without setting hoof inside." She pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it. "Now, if he can get me information on the ponies who use this sigil, we can negotiate." She lay it flat, showing us a drawing of a knotted feather.   I froze, muffling a gasp as remembrance rocked me. Memories of the day I'd fled Cloudsdale flashed in my mind: violence, family, escapes, and the first time I'd truly unleashed the Storm. I'd hoped to never see that knotted feather again.   I'd known that group might be in this city. I laid low and avoided attention for precisely that reason. But if we needed to investigate, come into contact with them…   I pushed the thought away and re-centered myself, trying to calm roiling emotion even as the weather in my mind took a turn for the worse. I focused on the ponies before me, hoping Ruby had missed my surprise.   "…and maybe we—" Octavia cut off with a sniff, gaze snapping to the door. "Silver, vampire!"   I heard steps in the hall and flicked my wings wide at her warning. My training pulled me into a low stance, curling my quillons to bring the edges to bear. Ruby jerked in surprise as the handle clicked over and the door slammed open. I stepped forwards, facing a shaggy neckbiter. Octavia leaped sideways, trying to cover her back and keep Ruby in view. I lunged.   "Wait, Azure said—" I blocked out Ruby's voice as the vampire bit for my throat. I knocked it back and pinned it against the wall, returning the blow even as I dodged. I felt movement beside me, the airflow revealing another one now the door was open, and curled a wing protectively around my vitals. The hit tossed me back into the room, and two earth pony nightwalkers stepped through the door. I twisted out of my tumble with a flap, landing before Octavia with a guarded stance.   "Stop!" Ruby screamed. Both vampires froze for a second before refocusing on Octavia.   "Through the window. Now!" I snapped as they charged us. I knocked one away, closing on the other as I pulled up my magic and accelerated. The fight was short, sharp, and brutal. I traded a telling blow to my ribs for a sure shot at its neck, breathing relief when it didn't immediately regenerate. These were lower-spec models, it seemed. Glass broke behind me. My opponent landed a few more blows before I left it oozing on the floor. The other was gone, along with my comrade. I spun, diving out the empty frame past Ruby's shocked stillness, tucking my wings in as shards scraped my back and legs. I saw two shapes locked in combat and dove.   One good kick, backed by the speed of a stooping hawk and the weight of an experienced fighter, sent the vampire flailing and bouncing across the lawn. Octavia recoiled, backing up against the house. Her collar was torn, necklace glittering dimly in the night.   "You okay?" I huffed.   "Got me good," she gasped. "I stopped... stopped healing at the end." She panted for air.   "It only lasts while you've got magic." I spread my wings. "Let's— sleet!" I felt more ponies converging on us swiftly. The were in the characteristic loose swarm nightwalkers used, instinctively cohesive but not actually ordered. "There’s more coming!"   "Can we fight?" She shifted her weight and winced. I saw dark smears on her forelegs.   "Yeah, I can probably take them in the open. They're much less powerful than the one I rescued you from. But it'll draw attention…" I paused as they slowed and began grouping together.   "What's happening?"   "Something odd." I seized her and dragged behind the bushes, near the corner of the house. "They're forming a protective group. They're directed, not led. That's no ordinary pack." I tensed as the one I'd blasted staggered to its hooves and limped towards us. When it got near, though, it simply snarled and menaced us.   "It's not…" Octavia let the thought trail off, narrowing her eyes. "They don't want to kill me." I hissed as she stepped out of concealment. The vampire, though, didn't attack. It simply locked its eyes on her necklace and snarled.   "Well, well, well!" A new voice sounded as the approaching group rounded the house. It was… Azure Mist? She stood in the center of the knot, with Cracked Ruby beside her. I groaned quietly, glad I wasn't the one who'd have to figure out what the intricacies we'd uncovered meant.   "Silver." Octavia pitched her words low, shivering and lowering her head as if she was afraid. Not a bit of it touched her voice. "Watch Azure. She feels dangerous."   I wrapped a zephyr around us, so only she would hear me speak.   "I know. I can't read her at all. She's trained."   "Ruby, what the hay?" Octavia layered scorn and derision in her voice, not breaking character once. "Do you normally treat your clients like this?"   "Clients? Please." Azure waved a hoof dismissively. "Ruby works for me, and I'm the one who chooses her jobs. And you, Miss Melody, are not somepony I expected to see again tonight."   "Sorry to disappoint." Octavia's voice broke, and a little worry crept into her stance. "Perhaps we can work this out amicably?"   "Oh, I'm sure we can." Azure pointed to the necklace. "I want you, and everything you have. Surrender, and I won't take it from your corpse." She shrugged. "As entertaining as that might be." Cold confidence sparkled in her eyes, unyielding triumph loaded her words.   "Silver, I want you to run. Get out of here." Octavia shifted nervously, performing to buy time. Her lips didn't move, but I heard her clearly.   "But—!"   "On my word, Silver! This isn't over yet. If they want me alive, I can still learn something."   "I can't promise you an extraction," I muttered harshly. "I can't even promise to tail you."   "Get Ziggy. Promise him my cooperation. He can track the necklace; Ruby's spell at the door must have dispelled the shroud! I won't abandon this yet."   "Don't risk this!" Syzygy and I were a potent team, but we'd be going in blind.   "Sorry, Silver. This is my run. I'm not so easy to kill, but I'm willing to bet my life for one more sniff of what's really going on with this bucking carcanet. Get gone!"   "Azure, she was with—" Ruby started speaking, and I gritted my teeth. I didn't like this at all. For a moment, I considered snatching Octavia and bailing, but she shot me a look so sharp it pinned my ears back. I huffed a breath and blasted off, fast enough to flatten the bushes and stagger her. Azure snapped off a spell. It traced me for a moment, but fizzled on my quillons.   "Abandon you?" I snarled into the night as I sliced the cold air, out of range and out of sight. "Abandon you too? Like my sister? Like my friends? Like my city?" I swerved, arrowing towards Syzygy's house as a knotted feather drifted through my mind. "Bloody hail, Octavia! If you're hurt…" As I flew, my thoughts started to spin, revoling more and more tightly. It slowly morphed into a mantra, a promise I sang as I powered on. If you’re hurt, I don’t know...     "Ziggy!" I slammed my hooves against his door, yelling.   "Silver!" I spun as he teleported in behind me. "Breathe!"   I paused, drawing a deep breath and composing my thoughts.   "I need you to track the necklace. Octavia and I traced it through a gem thief who was connected to the vampires. They've got her. She promised cooperation for your help with extraction and backup. The shroud should be gone. Quick!"   He nodded once. "Take me up." I lifted him off the pavement as his medallions swarmed in with crackling pops. "Three points north of east." He wasted no time.   I flapped once, and we were gone. ... I don’t know what if you’re hurt...     "She's in there?" I circled the mansion once. Returning to Azure's mansion had surprised me but made sense in hindsight. Where better to base things? The party we’d infiltrated was done, the guests long gone. The windows were dark and cold; even the debris and trash of a high-society function were all picked up. I wondered if they’d found my tie in the bushes, or my suit in the library. Not that it mattered now, I guess.   "Definitely." Syzygy floated beside me, the tracking spell gleaming near-invisible on his horn. "And she's still alive, by my readings."   "Alright." I pulled a touch of the Storm into the world, feeding it with the emotions crackling in my chest. Lightning walked my wings, snapping and spreading ozone in my wake.   "Wait!" Syzygy stopped me with a word. "She's moving again."   "Ziggy!" I glared at him, clenching my teeth in frustration. "Are we doing this or not?"   "Calm down, Silver." He gave me his infuriating smile. "Let's wait a bit. Once she's still for an hour or so, we can assume she's as alone as she'll be."   I grunted, aiming for a likely perch in one of the estate's trees. There were ponies patrolling the grounds, but they didn't have the slightest chance of surprising us.   "Anyways, maybe we should try something besides kicking down the front door." He shrugged.   "How so?" I tried to focus, tried to keep myself moving intentionally, instead of dissolving into instinct. The mantra revolved in my head. ...If you’re hurt, I don’t know...   "Well, maybe some subterfuge." He settled lightly on a broad branch, balancing easily as I released him from my air current. "Both of you are trying to avoid notice, correct? You for your own reasons, and her because of what she is."   "Yes." I jerked a nod.   "Then let's think this through." He glanced over at me. "Taking them by storm would be satisfying, sure, but it'll have the Guard down on us in minutes. You're willing to be strong for her; I can tell she's important to you. But tell me. Is she important enough you'll risk being weak for her?"   "Blech." I considered the mansion again.   Why should we limit ourselves to the obvious?   "Fine." I sighed. "Let's hash this out." ...know what I’ll do, to those who hurt you.