Bloodsong

by Not_A_Hat

Dim Night

I entered a short hallway, green and dim after the bright afternoon outside. I shrugged, settling my disguise comfortably in my mind, taking up the tired and bored demeanor of a courier running a routine trip.

I'm a messenger.

I trotted confidently to the inner door, wiping my hooves on the mat and stomping what grime I could from them.

No-one bothers a messenger.

I swaggered slightly, drawing attention to the saddlebags I wore. Carrying a piece of paper would help, but I could sell it even so. It just took charisma.

The inner door opened into a small lobby. An empty desk stood at one end, flanked by doors. I walked over and rang the bell, slouching against the counter, as if I had several important pieces of legitimate business to conduct.

It was all in the ears, really.

The secretary, a tawny-and-black tiercel, barely spared me a bored glance as he stepped out the right-side door. He cocked an eyebrow, however, which I took as a question.

"Got a delivery," I drawled, "for a Gilda Highwind."

"Down the left." The griffon cocked a thumb at the opposing door. "Hang a right at the end of the hall, watch the signs on the doors."

I nodded and walked off, not even waiting for him to turn away.

I skimmed the plaques as I passed. Broom closet, storage rooms… an armory?

I reached Gilda's and knocked once. A chair moved inside and it swung open.

"Octavia?" She gave me a bemused look.

"Call me Melody." I grinned conspiratorially. "Are you busy?"

"No, I’m…" She glanced back to her desk, covered in papers. "No."

"Studying?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to get a handle on this city." She sighed. "Important ponies, places, events, how it all works."

"Poorly." I shrugged and stepped inside. "Although it somehow manages." I swung the door shut. "I had a question. Would you be willing to, say, distract your uncle for a little?"

"What?" Confusion lined her brow.

"Long enough for me to get into his study? Maybe have a glance at those papers?"

"Ah." Her face cleared. "Hmm. You're not planning on stealing them, are you?"

"No, no." I dismissed the idea with a wave. "Nothing so… crude." I reached into my pack and drew out the scrolls. "I'll copy them."

"What are those?" She looked at the papers curiously.

"Spells, sort of." I grinned and fanned them. "One to muffle any casting. One to open locks, one to copy the letters, and one to send them off. It shouldn't take long."

"Clever." Interest sparked in her eyes, and I let my grin grow a fraction. That was likely fun-loving mischief, not actual scheming, but if it got me in, it would serve. "Alright, let me think." She pondered a long minute. "You need to be in his office, alone. We can get you in if you've got a cover story. He usually meets ponies in there, to hash out contracts. I might be able to draw him away… if I can come up with something needing his immediate attention."

"How about Silver?" I waved to the small, high window over her bed. "He's not far, and he'd play along. Step out and let him know what we're plotting, then come tell Auric he's spying or something."

"He'd buy that, yeah." She rubbed her beak, then nodded decisively. "I'm sure he would. If I 'spotted' Silver acting suspicious, Uncle would rush out. He's really fixated on Silver for some reason, and he was angry enough to chew iron and spit nails when he got back the other night."

"Heh." I remembered baiting him into the trapped apartment and eavesdropping on his rendezvous with Azure. "Okay. So… how about this." I flipped my mane back, straightened my stance, leveled my ears and pitched my voice for a sale. "Mister Auric Highwind, I have a business proposal for you. Could we discuss it in private?" I topped it off with a confident smile, gleaming with promised gold.

"That's…" She cocked her head. "How do you do that?"

"Project." I shrugged. "I know who I am. I just… tell you. Ears, tail, shoulders, voice, all of it says: I've got money and an important message, take me seriously."

"Neat." She shook her head. "Yeah, he'd buy that, I think." She drew in a deep breath and glanced at the door.

"We'd better move." I stepped back, leading her subtly. "Maybe, if we're lucky, I won't even be late for my performance with the symphony."

She nodded and moved past me, showing the way.

I followed behind as she took me through another hallway, heading upwards and further in, always skirting the edges of the building.

"Here." She motioned to another door, just as plain and unassuming as the rest. "His office. He'll be happy to see you; he hates paperwork." She grinned. "I'll look for Silver and be back quick. You'll need to move fast. Once I get him out, check the behind the files in the bottom-left drawer of the desk. I picked the lock, but—"

"I can manage. Sounds like a plan." I mirrored her mischievous grin, and rapped once on the door as she left, projecting confident poise even as my heart rate accelerated slightly. I didn't feel quite as composed as I looked, but that was part of the fun. The uncertainty was sharper, more vibrant with real stakes. The thrill of improvising, calmly, strongly, but above all deftly, would sell my act. I needed to be just right, and not too much.

"Hello?"

I stepped back as the door swung wide. Auric was big, stronger and more imposing than I'd expected, after seeing him from a distance. I let a wave of instinctive danger wash over me, acknowledging it and setting it aside. I smiled, all business, a professional smile promising money.

"Afternoon." I nodded firmly. "Nice to meet you, Auric Highwind. I'm Octavia Melody, and I have a proposition you might find interesting." I saw a spark of curiosity in his eyes, and relaxed ever so slightly on the inside. I had his attention now. I just needed to stall.

"Well." He grinned back, a predator's smile on his beak. "Then, let's hear it." He ushered me into a comfortably appointed office, a large desk on one side piled high with papers, placed so both the door and the tall windows were in its view. "Have a seat." He waved me to chairs opposite the desk. I sauntered over and sat carefully, ostentatiously keeping my mud-speckled hooves and saddlebags off the upholstery. I mentally aligned my half-prepared cover story, slotting excuses and reasoning into a dozen different scenarios. I knew business, even if this bluff was new. He sat across from me, and I began performing.

We traded formalities, carefully probing for information. I dropped hints about an imaginary escort I'd need for a fabricated convoy, pulling on experience of travel and nobility to convince. He smiled and probed harder, fishing for concrete details he could leverage to raise the price, extolling the ferocity and loyalty of his guards. I let him assume, baiting him into small conclusions, building those into long strands of fantasy he wouldn't suspect. Why should he? He suggested half of the contents; I just filled in the rest with small nods and smiles, spinning my tale out farther and farther as we talked.

It seemed mere moments later when somepony knocked on his study door. My heartbeat accelerated slightly. If this wasn't Gilda…

"Excuse me." He grinned apologetically, tail twitching in annoyance as he rose. I sat calmly, riding waves of suppressed emotion, even as I considered if diving through the windows would be a workable escape. He could fly, but surprise might even things.

He opened the door a crack, and I tried not to turn my ears towards his hushed conversation. He finally growled low and fierce, and a rebellious squawk responded. He turned back, catching my eye.

"I apologize, Miss Melody." He frowned. "Something's come up, but I hope to resolve it quickly. If you'd care to wait here?"

"Of course." I relaxed in my chair, showing myself completely at ease. He nodded and left.

I waited a long moment, listening to their claws click down the hallway before springing into action. I rose swiftly, reaching for the scrolls in my saddlebag even as I shifted my magic. My forehead prickled, and a horn-tip entered my field of vision.

I trotted over to his desk. Gilda mentioned the bottom-left drawer. Sure enough, it was locked. I sorted through the scrolls and began casting.

The first scroll was a muffling spell. Ziggy had included it, claiming any self-respecting Hunter would guard against magic. A cloud of mist wafted from the paper as I forced my clumsy magic through the sigils. It dispersed quickly, spreading to muffle nearby magic, smear it into the background signatures ever-present in a city like Canterlot. It couldn't erase the presence of magic but it could make it look farther away, enough to fool the average alarm spell.

Next, the unlocking spell. I flattened the parchment against the drawer and cast carefully. A glow touched the lock, and it began vibrating. I jumped in surprise, afraid it had malfunctioned, but the locked clicked over and the drawer popped open an inch.

I pulled the drawer wide and started searching. I swiveled my ears as I worked, trying to stay alert. I couldn't lower my guard. Gilda had said the letters were behind the folders, so I slid them forwards and reached down. Sure enough, I felt a slim bundle of envelopes. I drew them out and glanced them over. They were simply marked 'Auric' in flowing script.

I stopped myself from opening one. I didn't have time. If I grabbed wrong, we were out of luck, simple as that. I didn't have time for a proper search, with no idea how long Silver and Gilda could distract Auric, and I had to be gone before he returned. I spread the third scroll, stacking the letters on one half and rummaging through the school supplies I was still carrying for a notebook to fill the other.

My casting sent lines of light slithering across the scroll. I flicked the notebook open, finding neatly transcribed lines in unfamiliar writing. I nodded firmly. Good enough for now. I slipped the originals back in place and closed the drawer firmly. It latched solidly, locking again. A grin touched my lips; with luck, Auric might not realize what I'd done for several days. Just one more spell, to transport this to safety—

Clank!

My head snapped around as something hit the window, rattling down the panes with a glassy clatter and biting into the windowsill with a thunk. Momentary confusion hit me. A grappling hook? Why was there a grappling hook—

I shook my head, refocusing and returning to my project. I would complete this first. If I was caught red-hoofed, I'd be in trouble and lose this hard-won evidence. Under the spell, the magic scrolls and notebook all caught fire, a crisp purple flame quickly licking them up. They streamed into white ash, dissipating and wafting away in a nearly invisible twist of smoke. Everything should return to Syzygy.

Something whirred, and I remembered the grappling hook. I turned away, intending to leave. Why involve myself in something irrelevant to my goals? But just then, the whirring stopped. I glanced back to the window. There was a set of hooves on the sill.

"What the…" My voice trailed off as the slim forelegs tensed, hauling a dark-clad pony, adorned with a flowing cape and ominous black mask, up to the window. My jaw loosened, slowly falling lower and lower as simple telekinesis flipped open the inside latch, swinging the windows wide. The odd pony struck a pose, prancing on the ledge, even as they flung a hoof at me.

"Halt, Evildoer!"

"Ah…. Huh?" Immobilized by sheer ridiculousness, I shook my head to restart my brain. "Come again?" I cocked my head, trying to decide if this was a mare or stallion. The skintight suit had armor panels, obscuring the shape of their body and hiding their mane and tail. They were big, but even the color of their eyes were hidden behind that mask. The voice might have been deep for a mare, or high for a stallion.

"Dastardly dastard!" The intruder leaped from the window, landing lithely before me.

I almost retorted, but paused. Directly denying something was usually pointless, or even counter-productive. Better to play dumb.

"Who even are you?" I let a note of outrage slip into my voice. "And why are you breaking into Auric's office in the middle of the day?"

"Hah!" They struck another pose. I nearly facehoofed. "I am the chill down your spine. I am the deadly shadow. I am the night, I am!" They drew in the deep breath. "Batmane!"

"Uh… huh." Layering skeptical pity into my voice wasn't hard. "And the breaking and entering?"

"You still dissemble?" Their voice went slightly harder. "I know of you, Auric's vile comrade! You may think yourself dangerous, but I'm prepared for even one so evil! I could feel your magic clearly, that blood-drenched abomination sliding greasily across my mind." A horn pointed at me, suddenly a credible threat as real menace crept into their voice. "Vampire."

"Ah—!" I stumbled back, surprised, but they advanced.

"You think you belong in the night? You think being powerful lets you prey on ponies? Do not think I missed your actions; gathering minions, scraping together power, here in my town! You might hide yourself, but not your nature! There's no escaping the wrath of the Canterlot Crusader!"

"But I'm not—!" I stepped back again. In the last few moments I'd gone from tense, to relieved, to scornful. Now I was surprised, rapidly shifting to worried. I'd never expected a fight, but I could feel menace rolling off this pony. More, they knew my nature. How could they tell, what had the sensed to lead them here?

What could they actually do to me?

More importantly, how could I stop them?

I shoved my thoughts aside as aura gathered around their horn. I grit my teeth, clenching back a growl as a magic bolt sizzled out. I leaped sideways, spinning to keep them in sight, barely ducking under a blow as they followed the magic with a kick. I dodged frantically, diving away time and again as they rushed me.

Barely thinking, I instinctively searched for an advantage, a better way to dodge and run. I barely noticed my horn retracting as I threw a chair, leaped behind the desk, skidded on a rug, and launched myself at the bookshelves. That grappling hook whizzed past, snapping a cable taut just before my knees. I threw myself up even as my wings burst out. I flapped clumsily but over-corrected. Everything blurred past in a long, catastrophic arc as I flipped end-for-end and tumbled out the open window.

There was a yell behind me as I zipped past the frame, but I was beyond caring. Panic seized me as I remembered we were two stories up. But my training stepped in with the moves Silver had drilled into me. Don't flail, don't lock your joints, don't rush—

I caught myself, stopping my tumble moments before slamming into the next building, crumpling my wing brutally even as my four hooves crashed into dirt at nearly full speed.

Pain!

I gasped, unable to scream with the sudden, electric sharpness of it. I barely had strength to whimper, even as I struggled to my hooves, forcing abused body parts to obey even while they knit. I felt the bones in one leg shift, grating, even as mending muscles pulled my wing back into alignment, a flurry of broken feathers fluttering down as new ones replaced broken. I was stumbling, pushing myself into a broken trot, when something swished above me.

'Batmane', self-styled, made an elegant four point landing before me, a wing-shaped mechanism folding stiffly under their cloak.

I limped to a halt.

Again.

Again!

Again, I was outmatched, overpowered. My careful plans were throwing into disarray, scattered to the wind, and I was being attacked. I was being stabbed and hit, as if this was all right, as if it was normal!

I rebelled against the feeling, pushing it away with all my might. I was done feeling overwhelmed. I didn't like it. In fact, I hated it. It made me angry.

I wasn't a trained fighter; I'd never put the time in there, preferring to spend it with my music instead. But deep down inside me, something growled, and I reached for it. Part of me, somewhere, knew what it wanted to do. So I let it go.

My wings evaporated, a horn lancing from my head. Magic sizzled around me, crackling like heat-lightning in the afternoon air. I grinned as my last few injuries healed. I wasn't sure what my desperate reflexes had latched onto… but that white aura meant I was using Ziggy's magic, and he didn't do half-measures.

"Haaaa!"

Batmane's yell pulled my attention. A spell was racing up my opponent's horn, matching my own. My eyes widened as a dark aura lashed towards me, matching my own desperate shot. The spells collided with a loud crackle, roiling and boiling in mid-air. I groaned as a sudden burden slammed into my head like a speeding cart, slapping my horn and nearly throwing me backwards. I refused to budge, digging in my hooves and arching my back, gripping the dirt and throwing all my weight behind the spell. Streamers of wind lashed the dust, throwing debris around us in arcs as the two spells struggled for supremacy.

I narrowed my eyes and firmed my footing, but worry touched my mind. I'd give out first if this came down to endurance. I didn't have a real unicorn's reserves; I'd barely sipped enough blood to accomplish the job, to get me through the evening. I hadn't expected a horn-measuring contest against a masked nitwit.

A contest I was losing.

I gritted my teeth, as my magic begin drying up. My forehead itched as my horn shrank. I began losing my grip on the spell, straining more and more for control. I reached further and deeper into my unicorn magic, searching for the last shreds of power. My mane was whipping into my eyes, mud splattering into my coat as the spell inched my way. Down at the bottom of my reserves, I felt something different, a smooth, cool fragment of power. I didn't even think before seizing and yanking on it.

A sharp warmth surged out from my neck.

I instantly knew it was the necklace, even as I lost all control on the spell. The shock pulsed out, shivering through me like a struck gong, and everything slowed. The dark spell surged on as my magic vanished, but it oozed to a stop, decelerating before it hit me. My body was caught in inertia, frozen in time. I couldn't even look down at the carcanet, burning under my tightly-wrapped scarf. Even the light dimmed under the weight of moments.

For subjective seconds I simply stood, unmoving, unbreathing, caught in fractional time by an accidentally invoked power. I might have panicked, but it seemed impossible. My brain wasn't slowed, but feelings were, after all, things felt. I could barely feel the glacial beating of my heart.

Then the carcanet surged again, an ineffable ripple of power spreading invisibly from my throat. It skimmed my coat like static cling, crumpling the alley like a heatwave. In its passing, I saw stars.

Literally. The world was overlaid with speckles, glints, fragments, sparkles, shards, shattered glittering dust of pure light, shining, gleaming, dancing even in the afternoon sun. They clustered around me, swarming towards the spell, its glowing depths swirling with constellations. They lanced backwards, reaching towards my attacker's horn, spreading in snakes and rivulets, marking the coronal spill off that had raised the dust around us, nebulae of dirty clouds smeared with trailers of light.

I was seeing… magic? The structure of magic itself?

They weren't just stars, though. They were connected, each one linking into the next, forming shapes, asterisms, whole constellations, delineating clear boundaries on even the vaguest wisp of magic.

And just like that, I understood the spell I was facing. It was all laid clear before me, the structure of the magic, the careful reinforcement, the chaotic swirling induced by the clash, the flows propelling it, all hanging on that tiny cluster of sparkles.

A tingle touched my neck. I felt the carcanet's power begin to fade, the boundary that had rippled through me earlier returning. I had to act. A desperate plan sprang into shape. I had seen the shape of magic. I knew this spell, it's weakness laid bare. I lowered my horn, abandoning all my magic except what I could concentrate at its tip. The stars were fading as my movements accelerated, the spell regaining its speed as time normalized. I closed my eyes, feverishly grasping a fragment of what I had seen. I twisted my head just so, aiming for my memory of the lynchpin, the fragment supporting the whole thing.

This should be impossible. Nopony could see magic like that; nopony could hit it, even if they did.

I was doing it anyway.

The spell was on me. An electric shock raced down my horn. My teeth clenched and my head ached. A hot wind raced over me, but I opened my eyes and the spell was gone.

I stood, panting, even as the remnants of my horn crumbled to dust, suddenly exhausted of magic. I felt the same, ready to collapse where I stood. My opponent was in better shape, barely winded. Was it a ruse? Were they pretending confidence? I dismissed the thought. What did it matter? I steeled myself for the onslaught, unwilling to surrender.

I was a little surprised when it didn't come.

"You," Batmane said flatly, "are not Azure Mist."

"Really?" My voice was acerbic. "Although your costume leads me to question your intellect, I'm shocked you took so long to figure that out."

"My clothes—"

"Of course, you could have maybe asked me, and given me time to answer. Perhaps these concepts are too complex for an idiot who dresses up as a caped vigilante during the middle of the day, but a pony can wish, right?" A bitter frown slid onto my face. "Is it too much to ask for a civil discussion? A calm word or two before it devolves to blows? Just, just…!" I was lost for words, panting in anger and exhaustion until my true feelings finally wormed their way free. "I just wish ponies would stop hitting me!"

We both flinched as a bell buzzed nearby, obviously an alarm. I spun, eyes jerking to the open window above us.

"Drat." Batmane frowned. "He had alarms."

"The muffling spell wore off," I mumbled. "We were casting too close. I need to, I need—" I turned towards the back of the alley, where it swerved between buildings, and stumbled off.

"Hold!" The dark pony caught up to me quickly, long legs taking long steps. "Why do you possess that artifact? How are you a daywalker? What do you know about Azure?"

"I, ugh." I groaned, stopping and squeezing my eyes shut for a long moment before whirling and pointing a hoof at them. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but I don't see why I should tell you a single sleeting thing." I bit the words out firmly, making my intent clear. "I swear on the Blood of Stars I'm not Azure. I'm not working with Azure. I don't even know what Azure wants the carcanet for, or, or, Auric, or… gah!" I whirled in frustration, starting to march off again. "I don't have answers for you. You're more questions than you're worth, and I don't care anymore. I'm getting out of here, and if you're not going to finish what you started, then get lost."

"I, ah…" There was a confused mumble as the tall pony fell in behind me, which I ignored completely. "May I at least hear your name?"

"Melody Octave," I snapped instantly. "Now—"

"Very well, I will depart. But Miss Melody… as a vampire, you belong to the night." The serious tone made me hesitate. Solemn eyes, dark and deep, stared back from behind the mask. "The night, and all who dwell in it, are important to me. I am not done with you yet."

I shook my head dismissively. It only broke my line of sight for a split second, but in that time, Batmane vanished completely. I raised an eyebrow, but returned to my escape.

I flinched when, moments later, something dropped out of the sky before me.

"Silver." I gave him an exhausted smile. "Good to see you."

"Tavi, you look terrible… are you bleeding?" He stepped in close, before glancing at my eyes and stopping.

"Must have been the crash," I said flippantly, even as my posture dissolved. "Or maybe that last blast. Things got interesting." Adrenaline was suddenly wearing off, reality rushing back as the weirdness of my last encounter slowly eroded. "I sent the papers, though. Ziggy should have them."

"Good job." He nodded judiciously.

"Thanks." I could relax now. He would watch my back.

"You have a recital tonight, right?" He gave me an appraising look.

"Yeah. Blech." I rubbed my eyes, realized I was smearing mud on my face. "Gotta clean up."

"Let's get you home, then." He spread his wings. "I'll give you a lift."

"Thanks." I sighed, collapsing even as he spread his wings, wafting me into the air. I hung limply in his grasp, wondering if the flight would be long enough for a nap. "Wake me when we get there."

Comments

[Not_A_Hat]

6150364 Ahah, yeah. Matthew Swift was, in fact, the inspiration. I read those a little while ago and enjoyed them, although they're probably the most purple-prose I've ever seen in a published book. But they have a wonderful aesthetic, and are very imaginative.

[Vermilion and Sage]

Well that was fun! I'm sure you had room to embellish on exactly what the spell and counterspell were, but other than that this was quite a good read.

[paul]

Batman was great.
Although why does this dim knight remind me so much of this person:

?

[paul]

Oh, and thank you update !

[sjo3989]

good as always, thanks for the update!!

[The Letter J]

Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that the Batmane might be Luna?

And it's good to see this updating again.

[Not_A_Hat]

6201241 Hmm... I couldn't go too far into the technical details, because Octavia doesn't really know much magic. Or do you feel I should have put in less explanation? I'm not sure what you're getting at, i guess.

6201454 Entirely coincidence, I assure you! :P (No, srsly, I've never watched that.) Glad you're enjoying it!

6202580 Thanks, happy to be updating again!

6204648 Cannot-confirm-or-deny. But you know I enjoy twists.

[Vermilion and Sage]

6204818

Mostly in that every time the magic duel is referred to, the action is 'a spell'. I think in particular, the roughest part was:

And just like that, I understood the spell I was facing. It was all laid clear before me, the structure of the magic, the careful reinforcement, the chaotic swirling induced by the clash, the flows propelling it, all hanging on that tiny cluster of sparkles.

If she truly understood magic on an innate (rather than technical level) she'd at least know what was going at her, moreso than a spell of...spell.

I really don't mean to come off as rude, just trying to help out! I've been enjoying your story a great deal!

[Not_A_Hat]

6205617 Well, I appreciate the help, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Don't worry about criticizing me; I've gotten two pre-readers from people who enjoyed criticism, so keep it up and I might let you read ahead! :D

I'll have to make a note to revise this bit. I think what's unclear here is this: I didn't intend her to totally understand the meaning of the spell, just be able to see the structure of the power more clearly. In the show, we see one effect (aura) for just about every spell; this is supposed to be a more detailed sense of magic, but that's all it's supposed to be. There are advantages to that, though.

Consider if you could suddenly see the flow of electrical power. Through the walls, through your computer, through your car; you would be able to guess some things just by seeing how it moves (Destroy the fusebox, and you'll put something out of commission) but you wouldn't need to understand what it was actually doing.

That was more my intent. I'll have to re-read it and see if I can't make a few tweaks to clarify that.

[Hat]

6208919
Correct me if I'm wrong.
2.bp.blogspot.com/-I1amyM5uSt4/TlG9sr4SX8I/AAAAAAAAADk/vMmsvYgqIrc/s1600/matrix-code-neo.jpg

[Bad_Seed_72]

Batmane, huh? Well, that's an interesting twist in an already twists-and-turns kind of story. I approve. Now let's hope Octy sent the right papers...

[Not_A_Hat]

6217271 I love my twists! And I didn't even consider having her get the wrong papers... dang. To late; I've already drafted the next chapter.

I'm sure I'll find some way to upset your expectations, though. :P

[Ludicrous Lycan]

Batmane. I... Really. I'm not even gonna hedge a guess here. I know who that is. And I'm just beyond floored by how that turned out. I won't say who, spoilers can suck. But seriously? Only hint: You made her rediculous for this fic. But a silly 'her' is a funny 'her'. I look forward to the awkward and jarring reveal.