//------------------------------//
// Grasp at Wisps 
// Story: Bloodsong 
// by Not_A_Hat 
//------------------------------//

Phweeeeee!
 
I watched as the formation of students below me pivoted and came about, making their way back up the field, gathering shreds of cloud as they moved.
 
What a mess, I thought.
 
The thunderbird had been exciting but had seriously disrupted the Canterlot weather system. My students were cleaning up the field and surrounding areas, corralling what vapor we could compact into the goals and bleachers. It wouldn't make a huge difference, but it might make somepony's job easier.
 
Besides, it was good practice for teamwork.
 
As they finished rolling up the last of the junk weather, I whistled for them to re-group. They were starting to look fairly cohesive. Maybe we should play a match tomorrow, so I could gauge their improvement, see if curtailing Beau had been enough to bring them all into line.
 
Today, though, I'd keep pushing them. I divided them into squads, setting more intricate and rigorous goals. They needed a challenge, but I didn't want to founder any weak fliers.
 
Finally, I pulled Greensward and Beau aside and set the class in motion. I watched for a long minute, looking for signs of annoyance or unruliness, but they all seemed willing to cooperate. I nodded, pleased.
 
"What are we doing today?" Greensward asked, looping lazy loops.
 
"Did you practice over the weekend?" I returned.
 
"Some!" She zigged a few haphazard zags, demonstrating. "I'm starting to get better."
 
"That's pretty good." I surveyed the jagged trail she left. "If you get that down, you'll have a real edge." I rubbed my jaw, considering. Starting her on the next level of agility training didn't seem wise, not when I was only a substitute. "How's your distance control?" I tore a lump of cloud off a nearby bleacher and offered it up. "Can you move this from over there?"
 
Her eyes narrowed, and she concentrated.
 
I felt a separate breeze start, brushing gently at my mane and tugging at the ball. I nodded slowly. Not bad, but it could use some work. "Today, we're playing kites."
 
"Kites?" she asked.
 
"Mmm. For distance control. I'll glide, you can tow me." I grinned. "I'll give you pointers, but I'll also make sure it's not too easy. It will train distance control, and if you ever want to carry another pony for lifeguarding or flight instruction, it's a good way to start learning."
 
"Okay." She nodded firmly.
 
I felt the breeze around me increase, and I relaxed as she turned and tugged me gently away. I motioned for Beau to follow as I drifted off, spreading my wings into a shallow glide as we picked up speed. I tugged on the air, swaying slightly, feeling Greensward adjust as I shifted my weight and varied my drag.
 
"So, Beau." I used the wind to carry my voice to the ice-blue dragon. He drifted alongside with slow flaps. "Have a good weekend?"
 
"Passable." He shrugged. "Yourself?"
 
"Heh." I smirked. "It was… exciting." I paused for a moment, thinking over the party, the chase, the rescue, what we'd learned about Auric and Azure.
 
"Your work?"
 
"Mmm." I nodded. "We were looking into the carcanet. Say," I began, as something leaped to the forefront of my mind, "could you tell me what you'd meant by 'blood of stars' when you, ah, threatened Octavia?"
 
"Hmm." He mused. "Just tell you?"
 
"Ah…" I stopped, considering. Of course he'd want payment of some sort. "Well, I might have some information on a daywalker, who I believe knows about the carcanet." I grinned. I'd given Azure half-truths on Beau, hints to keep her interested when I went in after Octavia. Perhaps I could reverse the strategy here.
 
"Interesting." His eyes narrowed. "Interesting enough, perhaps."
 
"Good!" I smiled. "So?"
 
"Hum." He rubbed his jaw. "I am slightly surprised you would ask, honestly. You seem to be classically educated."
 
"Sure." I shrugged. I'd learned a lot of eclectic things from my father. "But really, only in the pegasi traditions. Is this from unicorn history?" That would explain why neither Octavia or I cued on it.
 
"In a manner of speaking." He frowned. "It is connected to unicorns, yes, but perhaps it is not something they remember. Tell me, have you ever heard the story of the origin of pony magic?"
 
"I, uh." I considered my reply for a long moment. "Perhaps. There are several versions, however."
 
"Indeed." He drew in a long breath. "Stop me, then, if you have heard this. Long ago, there was a dragon named Ladon, who had one hundred heads. He lived in carefully tended garden, guarding a well filled with stars sleeping under an apple tree, which had six unripe fruit." He paused, looking to me.
 
I nodded for him to continue, mind racing.
 
"One day, three ponies arrived, tired and scared. They were all the same, and had no magic to defend against the cruel world. They begged Ladon for shelter. He looked them over, saw nothing of malice in them, and allowed them into his garden.
 
"Over time, they became friends, and Ladon thought to help them. He offered them power, if they promised to guard his tree when he no longer could. They readily agreed. For the first, Ladon drew the blood of stars from his well. The stallion drank half, becoming a unicorn, and fashioned the rest into a circlet. For the second, he squeezed the blood of the earth itself from the leaves of the apple tree. The mare drank half, becoming the first earth pony. She fashioned the rest into a circlet. For the last, he drew the blood of clouds from the very air. The stallion drank half, becoming the first pegasi. He fashioned the rest into a circlet."

"Interesting…" I repeated what I'd heard, silently working to commit it to memory. "And the carcanet? How does that relate to the 'blood of stars', and why do the vampires want it?"
 
"Really." He gave me a flat look. "As I said, 'he fashioned the remainder into a circlet'. There's no reason it must be for a head, not a neck."
 
"You mean the carcanet is… the regalia of Unicornia?" I wasn't sure if I should be skeptical or aghast.
 
"I am unsure." He shrugged. "However, the vampires seem to think so. And as for their interest… well, it is 'blood', after all. Perhaps they could make some use of it."
 
"I… hum." I mulled that over, trying to wrestle the facts into position, align them with my previous knowledge. The carcanet was, from what Syzygy said, quite powerful. But that wasn't actually evidence. "Say, Beau, how about the other two circlets?"
 
"No idea." He dismissed the question with a wave. "Blood of the earth and clouds? All I can say is I have never had them in my hoard."
 
"How would you—"
 
"I would know." He frowned. "Unless they're nothing like the carcanet."
 
"Mmm." I looked down, checking on my class, even as I adjusted the drag on Greensward. I needed to talk to the others about this, see if they had any better ideas.
 
If anypony knew anything about this, it would be Syzygy.
 
I resigned myself to visiting him after class, even as I started telling Beau dribs and drabs of what we'd learned about Azure.
 



 
"Silver!" Syzygy's customary smile greeted me when I knocked on his door. "I was just about to leave. Have you had lunch?"
 
"No." I moved back as he stepped out, closing the door. "Just finished class, really."
 
"Come with me? I'll treat you."
 
"Sure." I fell in beside him, and we walked off. Awkward silence slowly settled over us. "So, um." I coughed to break it. "I had a question about legends and vampires, something called 'blood of stars'."
 
"Shoot."
 
"Alright, then." I launched into what Beau had related.
 
"Hmm." After I finished, he considered for a long moment. "The blood of stars, earth, and clouds…"
 
I let him think as we walked. Eventually, he looked up again.
 
"The trick to using myths is to look beyond them, into the truth they're based on. Yesterday, I swore on the crown of clouds. You were raised traditionally, you know that's a serious oath." 
 
"The crown of the old pegasi leaders." I nodded. "You might as well have sworn on Commander Hurricane's grave."
 
"Right. But consider; the old crown of pegasi royalty, the crown of clouds. Your version of this myth has some differences from Beau's version, but they both mention power inherited, fragments of power shaped into circlets. Stars, earth, and clouds."
 
"Yeah." I nodded. "The traditional interpretation, you know, is that the circlets are symbols of power, the regalia of the old tribes inherited as positions of influence."
 
"Of course." He grinned. "And that interpretation makes sense… except, we've got the word of one vampire and one dragon saying there's a circlet — necklace — that's called 'the blood of stars'. Perhaps it's not so symbolic?"
 
"Ah…" I considered that as we walked. "Interesting." I mulled over the implications. "And Octavia said Azure was confused to find her wearing the carcanet. She didn't think it should be possible."
 
"Because Octavia's an earth pony."
 
"Yeah, I think so." I mulled that over. "Okay, hmmm. So, if Octavia really is wearing an ancient unicorn artifact—or even the regalia of the old unicorn royalty—what does that mean?"
 
"Nothing much useful, unfortunately." He sighed. "There are powers rumored to the old unicorn royalty. Princess Platinum could, supposedly, ask questions of the stars themselves. But winnowing the truth from the tales is going to be tricky."
 
"Still, it's a start." I pondered that for a while, considering. I'd told Syzygy an even shorter version of the personal history I'd related to Octavia. I had, however, held onto as much as I could about the nature of my magic. I'd told him and Vinyl that my magic was different, but they had probably guessed that already. I hadn't given any specifics on the Storm or how it worked.
 
If Azure had been the one to commission the carcanet's theft, she was likely the one to set the trap which caught Octavia. If so, she had likely been after me. If she really was after the powers of the old royalty… that would connect with what my father had believed about our powers. If mine really was inherited from the Commander Hurricane in some strange way, perhaps she had a use for it I'd never known.
 
So, was I connected to the myths too? If I explained to Syzygy, would he see connections I'd missed, reasons the vampires were interested? Was it worth it? He hadn't yet given us more than a promise. I pondered Azure, trying to assess just how much of a threat she was.
 
"Hey, Ziggy." A thought struck me.
 
"Mmm?"
 
"Just how long do vampires live, anyways? If Azure knows about these old things, do you think…?"
 
"I… huh." He paused, thinking. "I honestly have no idea. They heal extremely fast, and with a source of blood, they won't run out of magic. But aging isn't easily healed. Geriomancy is a complicated field. We can't extend life more than a small amount with magic, and the side effects…" He shrugged. "And old age doesn't really correlate with magic levels. But then, with all the ways the disease changes a pony, there's really no saying. Perhaps I could run a test or two on my guests. I suppose… I suppose she could be quite old." He frowned. "Ridiculously old, even. Vampires are mentioned in stories and histories under various names for as long as we have recorded history."
 
"Huh."
 
I let the silence settle back. It was slightly less awkward this time, filled with large, slowly drifting thoughts.
 



 
Later that afternoon, I loitered along one of the university paths, trying to look inconspicuous. It wasn't hard, but every time I felt eyes skim my newly trimmed coat, I wished for Octavia's self-assured confidence and poise.
 
I finally spotted her, trotting towards me. She grinned as she caught my eye, slowing as I turned and fell in beside her.
 
"Done with class?" We broke away from the suddenly-full sidewalk, cutting across the grass for a little more privacy.
 
"Indeed." She shifted her saddlebags, sighing and stretching in the sunlight. "Any luck with Beau?" she asked.
 
"Some," I admitted. "I also talked to Ziggy. We should really set up a regular meeting place, check in every day to make sure we're all on the same page. Like a team would."
 
"Because we are a team. We should meet for supper, at the Gallery."
 
"That could work."
 
"So, what have you learned?"
 
"The carcanet, according to Beau, may well be an important unicorn artifact…" She nodded and made attentive noises as I summarized my findings. When I finished, she thought for long moments.
 
"Can we check any of this?" she asked.
 
"We can look in the library, I guess?" I shrugged. I'd never been much for actual research. "Other than that, our only real bet would be somepony like Intaglio, or the Princesses, who've been around a long time. I don't know how far back we need to go, though."
 
"Did you ask Ziggy about scrolls?"
 
"Yeah." I nodded and produced a few scraps of parchment from my saddlebags. "He wrote these scrolls specifically so you can cast them, setting them up for power instead of finesse. There's shrouding, unlocking, copying, and transmission. If you've got enough magic, they should be usable, although… I watched you last time. It didn't look easy." I produced a bottle of blood. "He also sent this."
 
"That will help." She accepted the scrolls and the bottle. "Last time was hard, but it was doable." She shrugged. "It just took concentration." Her eyes narrowed. "Practice might be useful."
 
"I think they can be used more than once?" I glanced at her. "But be sure you've got the… reserves for it."
 
"Mmm." She nodded. "It's a good start. If I can get into Auric's office, I'll be able to work with this. Now we just need to scout the place and see about talking to Gilda."
 
"She'd be there," I offered. "At the Steel Breeze building, most likely. Wanna go?"
 
She pondered that for a moment, before nodding. "Let's."
 
I grinned, and she nodded back. I spread my wings and lifted her skywards.
 



 
We circled slowly over the city. I took the long route, staying away from more traveled downtown airspace, swinging high and wide over the suburbs and townhouses instead. We eventually reached the city edge, near the wide road that wound up the mountain, the part of the city where shipments arrived and departed.
 
As I lowered us, Octavia rolled up the scroll she'd been practicing on and tucked it away. Her horn was longer this time, prominent enough to extend past her bangs. It shrank and vanished as I watched.
 
"Here we are," I said. "Steel Breeze HQ."
 
We touched down in a broad, muddy street, lined on both sides with serious and unadorned buildings. Even in the middle of the afternoon, full wagons and busy ponies meandered up and down the road, casually going about their work.
 
"This is it?" She gave the building before us a skeptical look. It was a plain two-story business, unmarked by any personal touch or signs. It squatted between warehouses and inns, fitting into the transitory neighborhood quite well.
 
"This is the main office." I nodded. "They hire out to caravans often enough. If you're going to Zebrica, or moving something valuable, or you're just paranoid, they're the best in the business. Auric lives here. If Gilda's staying with him, she does too."
 
"Well." She gave the place another once-over, before glancing around the muddy street. Even in the middle of the afternoon, wagons were coming and going, ponies and others hurrying about their business. She thought for a minute, before whipping off her scarf and reversing it, hiding the pattern and exposing the plain backing. She re-wrapped it in a casual manner, with none of her careful style.
 
"Wait, are you—"
 
She held a hoof up to silence me and ran a hoof through her mane, artfully dishevelling it. She scuffed her hooves, grimacing as her iron shoes scraped the dirty cobblestone before daubing smears of mud on her saddlebags, just enough to make them look travel-worn. She stomped, splashing her fetlocks and spraying a few drops on me.
 
"No time like the present." She pulled out the bottle of blood Syzygy had sent, downing it with every indication of enjoyment. She tossed it to me and grinned, the slightly wild 'here-goes-nothing' grin I'd seen on her before she pulled me behind a counter, or surrendered to her enemies. "How do I look?"
 
"Like you've been on the road." I nodded, resigning myself with a sigh. "It should work, but after this…"
 
"Yeah." She nodded back, serious again. "After this, Auric will have my number."
 
"Hope it's worth it." I glanced around. "I'll… find somewhere to wait.
 
"Alright." She drew in a deep breath. "I'll find Gilda, work from there. Wish me luck." She spun and trotted up the doorsteps, not even looking back as she swung it open and slipped in. I watched her go, wondering at myself.
 
She was strong in her own way, fully capable and responsible.
 
I really shouldn't worry about her. She wouldn't be caught easily, and even if she was, Auric didn't know her. He had only ever seen her in disguise, and no matter what company he kept, there's no way he'd risk drawing attention by hurting her. Intaglio came down on Hunters who broke the law like a ton of bricks.
 
Anonymity, surprise, skill, planning: it all added up to her being safe… ish, at the very least.
 
So why was it so hard for me to lift off? Why did I keep glancing back at that door, and why couldn't I get her wild grin out of my mind?