Vampires, Punk Rock, and other Equestrian secrets

by Inkheart_tails

The showdown-part 2

As the Sandmare fell below her, Scarlet beamed and gave herself a small nod. It was done- that fall ought to kill her easily enough. Scarlet turned and began to descend, ready to pick up her finished prey.
However, she was soon proven wrong as she heard the distinctive glittery sound of magical levitation behind her. Stopping short and hovering midair, Scarlet looked behind her and let out a groan of frustration- the damn mare was floating. Scarlet hadn't known if the unicorn would be able to use magic this way; it was very rare. Too late Scarlet realized she should've planned for this.

I FUCKING HATE UNICORNS

Scarlet glared down at the Sandmare as her levitation brought her upward, waiting to just get it over with. The least she could do was float faster...

At last the Sandmare floated up to Scarlet’s level, a smug grin on her face as if she were asking “you didn't plan for THAT, did you?”. Scarlet gritted her teeth, her fangs bared threateningly as she seethed with pure unfiltered spite. “Oh, go fuck yourself!” Scarlet spat, flying right at the Sandmare and delivering a punch to her face. The Sandmare was just as unprepared for the punch as Scarlet had been for her magic, and was sent reeling backwards.

The Sandmare righted herself and faced Scarlet. The two mares simply hovered in the air and glared at one another for nearly a solid minute. Both had proven themselves to be a formidable foe to the other. Strategies, thoughts of the battle and getting the upper hoof rushed through their minds as their blood grew hot, the will to fight building to a boiling point.

Stupid, stupid little wimpy pretentious unicorns… , Scarlet thought.

Foolish simple pegasus, daring to challenge ME! The Sandmare thought.

The sacred silence and deep thought of the glare was broken by the Sandmare preparing a magical attack, which Scarlet had just enough time to dodge. Just like that, the battle was back in full swing. The Sandmare shot beam after beam at Scarlet as she maneuvered through the air and Scarlet repeatedly clashed with her in return.

Three clashes. Scarlet growled and got another hit in on the Sandmare’s face. Five clashes. Scarlet’s fur was darkened on her flank from a beam that hit its mark. At the tenth midair clash, Scarlet kicked the Sandmare full in the belly with both hind hooves but got punched in the face. Each successful attack caused more building fury, but failed to injure either pony enough to bring them to a halt- and so the battle raged on and on in the same repetitive fashion, appearing to be a perfect match of power. Facing each other full of rage and equally worn, it would be a while before they could take one another by surprise. With every clash and every beam of magic, they were still hardly deterred. It was in these conditions that Scarlet most easily grew weary- boredom was the thing that could be called her truest weakness. Scarlet was nearly tempted to just let the Sandmare hit her head-on - it would be more interesting that way at least. Growing progressively more annoyed, she at last broke the pattern and began to fly away.

The Sandmare paused, her face scrunched quizzically. What was this mare playing at? Intrigued and not nearly finished with her opponent, she had practically no choice but to pursue the fleeing batpony. Scarlet’s face, unseen by the Sandmare, lifted into a sly grin.

Meanwhile, to the audience of the battle, it wasn’t nearly as dull as it had seemed to Scarlet. Luna and Inkheart were now together at Rough Sketch’s side, watching as the vicious and powerful fighters raged on. Luna had left the dream realm to fight where she had a team to work with and could call upon more help, as it had become clear that the Sandmare had become too powerful in the dream world.

“ I suppose She has less power in the waking world as of now, but this is still rather impressive.” Luna commented. “Regardless, her opponent’s fighting capabilities are impressive. We could use her in the guard. I must go to join the fray and I suggest, Inkheart, that you do as well. You ought to leave Rough Sketch with a qualified nurse, and then I shall expect you by my side.” With that, Luna lifted off to join the battle, leaving Inkheart alone.

As Luna flew, there was really something entirely different on her mind.
A white batpony with black stripes in her mane…. Just like Sapphire.. But could it be?
Luna had played dumb, but she had her suspicions about the connection between Sapphire and this red-maned batpony. The two ponies were oddly alike, and she’d seen something like this before…. Of course, that was over a thousand years ago now. And it had been an entirely unique situation. The pony she had known before with such a condition had been a unicorn anyway- they weren’t the same pony even if they were similar. In fact, Luna thought, the two before her were probably just twins anyway. However…If they were not... The repetition of such a thing as two souls, one represented by red and one by blue, in the same body… Sapphire and her violent counterpart, Scarlet… Luna sighed to herself as the thoughts buzzed around in her mind. This was not the time to consider such things. It was foolish, absolutely foolish.

As Luna went into battle, Inkheart got to work pulling Sketch onto her back to bring him to the nurse. Inkheart grunted with the effort, marveling at his surprising weight. Damn… Sketch may look lean, but the weight of his impressive wingspan and finely-toned muscles makes lifting him a bit of a hassle…. Inkheart cut herself off in her mind. Ugh. She’d merely been admiring his strength, but now sounded like one of his stupid fangirly boyfriends. Glad she hadn’t said something that dumb out loud, Inkheart began to fly, low and gently, in search of a hospital. She was flying for a while before she spotted anything and Sketch’s weight began to drag on her. Maybe I ought to get more used to flying longer with weight on me, Inkheart mused. Inkheart finally spotted a sign for the hospital and sighed with relief. It was perfect timing. Encouraged by the closeness of her goal, it was almost as if Sketch’s weight was diminished by her determination as she sped forward and straight into the hospital.

“I’ve got a patient here!”, Inkheart shouted as soon as she entered. A couple of doctors looked over at her, surprised, but went back to their business. A white unicorn with a brown mane at the front desk kept her gaze on her, appearing bored.

“Waiting room’s right here. Take a seat please, ma’am.” The bored pony at the desk drawled as she pointed at a row of chairs.

“But he needs help right away! He’s been-” Inkheart started, but was cut off.
The unicorn was letting her hair down, then returning it to a messy bun with her magic “Look, he’s breathing, his limbs are intact, there’s no blood…”
Inkheart glared and stomped her hoof down with anger. This could end up a battle all in itself.

Meanwhile, Luna had gotten a lot closer to the fight. The pony fighting the sandmare really did look quite a lot like Sapphire. They must at least be related. The battle was hard to join, as the two ponies kept moving as if they were both fleeing from each other.
Scarlet slammed back into the Sandmare and this time gripped her again, this time with her hooves and wings together. The Sandmare gasped with surprise and struggled against her opponent’s strange move as they both began to fall very slowly. The Sandmare was forced to focus what remained of her magic on keeping them afloat instead of fighting back until she could shake Scarlet off. Scarlet grinned and giggled, and then made a move the Sandmare would never have expected- she bit into her neck.

The Sandmare screamed in surprise as Scarlet’s fangs broke through her skin, spilling her blood. The fear caused just enough of a spike in adrenaline that the Sandmare was able to break free. The Sandmare floated some distance away from Scarlet as she fell, reaching with a tentative hoof to check her neck. She brought it before her eyes covered in blood. Her own blood.The blood she hadn’t seen in hundreds of years… She hit the ground hard, still gasping in shock but having the wind further knocked out of her.
Behind her, Scarlet had already nearly caught up already. Scarlet crept up slowly on her prey to give it one last chance, her fangs gleaming brilliantly in the moonlight and her glowing red eyes at last noticed by her victim.

“M-monster! You… You can’t be real! Whose twisted dream is this?” the Sandmare scrambled to her hooves and backpedaled as fast as she could, her eyes wide with fear. “Who are you? What do you want? Surely Luna is catching up by now-” she tripped backwards and hit the ground, then, as if falling again had awakened her, she finally went back to floating with her magic.

“Who am I… Well, if you consider this a dream… Consider me a nightmare.” Scarlet replied, chuckling. As she said this, the Sandmare sped away through the air, making her give chase. NOW the battle was interesting… Her opponent finally understood the stakes.
The Sandmare didn’t get too far before Luna caught up with the both of them and promptly blasted her with her magic. Unprepared for the attack, the Sandmare was nearly knocked down again but managed to right herself.

“You don't understand!” The Sandmare shouted at Luna. “Your real enemy is behind me! It's a crazed monster!”

“The only monster I see is you!” Luna spat back, blasting her again.

“I had not wished to do this so early in the game, but you leave me no choice..” The Sandmare stopped and began charging her power. Luna looked on, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
Back at the hospital, Inkheart desperately struggled to regain the unicorn deskpony’s attention.

“Please, can I just bring him into a room or something? I've gotta get back out there and-”

“We've all got places to be, ma'am. I'm sure everypony else feels the same” the unicorn responded dismissively.

Inkheart sighed and started to slowly shuffle back to her waiting seat, Sketch’s weight on her back making her exhausted.

Back at the battle, the Sandmare released her magic and an enormous wave of power swept from her horn across Canterlot. Luna gasped and managed to block herself and Scarlet just in time, looking around to observe the effects. Ponies nearby that were on an evening stroll were hit by the wave and instantly collapsed, asleep. Small threads of magic reached towards the now sleeping ponies, changing their dreams and increasing the Sandmare’s power.

Back at the hospital, Inkheart paused and twitched her ears at the sound of powerful magic. Nearby ponies were gasping and looking out windows as it approached, some bracing themselves or putting up small barriers. Inkheart hid her head in her hooves and curled up with Sketch under her wings out of mere instinct, preparing for the spell’s impact.

She waited and counted. One…. Two… Three…

She kept her eyes closed tight. Four… Five….Six..?

Inkheart opened her eyes a little. A light green veil modified her view of her surroundings. Everypony around her had fallen asleep where they stood, except….

She dared to get up and turn around, searching for the source of what she identified as a green magical barrier. A tall grey unicorn mare with glasses and a black-and-green mane stood behind her, using her magic just to protect Inkheart and Sketch. By her uniform, Inkheart guessed that this unicorn was a nurse here.

The nurse stood still and expressionless, but not asleep despite undoubtedly getting hit by the magic wave. After a moment, the nurse shook her head, breaking her gaze into space. “You have an urgent patient, you said?”

Inkheart stared, still quivering with shock. “Y-yeah. He's right here.” Inkheart lifted her wings, revealing the pony underneath. “ He got electrocuted, he needs to be looked over and he needs a bed to rest in.”

The unicorn nurse’s horn glowed and she lifted Sketch onto her own back. Her light green magic field reminded Inkheart of what had just occurred- she hadn’t been protecting herself at all, and yet she was uneffected. “How did you… How did you stay awake?”

The nurse shrugged, almost an impressive feat with the weight on her back. She took off her glasses and carefully rubbed a smudge off of them before putting them back on. Her eyes were a brilliant blue-green when unconcealed by the glare of the glasses, a shade not too far from Inkheart’s own eyes. “Hard to explain.” She said dismissively after what appeared to be a lot of thought. She was acting so plain and casual despite the circumstances, and the true answer was impossible to find in her unexpressive gaze. “Would you like to come with me to get this pony an exam room?”

Inkheart sighed heavily. “Can you… Can you take care of him? I hate to leave you or him like this, but... there’s something I’ve gotta do right away.”

“It’s my job. Paperweight forgot, obviously.” She gestured to the unicorn at the front desk. “Good thing she’s not awake to yell at me for taking a patient without paperwork…”
Inkheart smiled broadly. “Oh, thank you! You’re the best!” She had an overwhelming urge to hug her savior. She was really cute. With a hasty goodbye, she lifted her wings and took off towards the battle once more.

At the battlefield, beams of magic were now clashing between Luna and the Sandmare- and, every second, the Sandmare’s beams were growing more triumphant with the power of new dreams. Now surrounded by a powerful forcefield, the Sandmare was regaining her confidence from her earlier fear. The vampire pony had vanished after her spell, and the Sandmare had no idea where she’d gone- but she didn’t care. She was back on top now, and the only pony who could stop her was now barely matching her blows. Finally, things will be as they should be... she thought to herself. Now she would claim her place as the princess of the night, as she was meant to.

Luna panted heavily, growing weary of the fight. Her opponent was growing stronger still, and yet she was completely alone. She didn’t know where her red-maned ally had gone, but she desperately hoped for her return. At that moment, however, she spotted something unbelievable out of the corner of her eye- The rookie pegasus who had been helping them earlier was back now, and headed straight towards the Sandmare! Luna couldn’t guess how she had escaped the spell, but she had another loyal ally at last. Her relief was only there for a moment before being replaced with terror as she thought further.The Sandmare was too strong for any of her guards to be any help now- at least, not safely, Luna realized.

Inkheart flew straight towards the yellow magic orb that was the Sandmare, full of determination. She’d had to leave combat, but now she wouldn't let Luna down. Nothing could stop her-

“No, stop! Inkheart, you cannot defeat her! You must run!” Luna shouted.

Inkheart stopped mid-flight, mere feet from the Sandmare. The suddenness of her stopping jolted her a bit. She spotted Luna, clearly struggling against the power of her adversary- and then, the villain was staring right at her, and had gotten even closer.

“Fly, young one!” Luna shouted, though her voice began to decline as she finished. It was too late. The Sandmare looked back at her with a wicked grin, knowing she had caught Luna now that her subject was at her mercy. “Do not hurt her…” Luna said at a mere desperate whisper.
The Sandmare grasped Inkheart in her magic. Inkheart stiffened with fear. It felt strong, and tingly, and like she had no more control. Ink struggled to escape, grunting with effort to so much as move a hoof. It was like trying to move through hardening concrete.

“Release her!” Luna shouted as her horn glowed threateningly.

“Surrender!” The Sandmare retorted.

“I shan’t!”

“Then she shall suffer for it”

Luna flinched as the Sandmare cast the spell on Inkheart, blasting her to try and take the magical focus off her subject. It was no use. She couldn't risk the safety of the whole kingdom for just one mare, no matter how she tried to rationalize it. The Sandmare's barrier protected her as she performed her spell, but was taken down slightly by Luna’s attack.

Inkheart screamed in agony. The magic had changed, and now it felt like a thousand needles stabbing her from all sides. It went on for nearly a whole minute, growing stronger every second. She was released for only a moment as the Sandmare had to briefly return her attention to Luna. Inkheart barely had the strength to levitate herself for a moment, looking back at her attacker. Inkheart was hardly conscious, she was in so much pain. Barely able to think, Inkheart was still overcome with rage. Inkheart lifted her hoof and struck the overextended Sandmare in the face with all the power she could muster.

The Sandmare stopped mid-spell, dodging the remains of Luna’s beam. Her shield had been down, and Inkheart’s hoof had struck her full-force. Howling with rage, she grabbed the Pegasus with her magic and threw her hard. Inkheart slammed against the trunk of a distant tree, falling unconscious.

“How dare you!” Luna screamed in rage and charged at the Sandmare with newfound fury.The Sandmare was taken by surprise, distracted by the opponent she’d just finished throwing. The two collided and fought hoof-to hoof.

Neither of them saw the batpony approaching from the shadows. As Scarlet got closer, she chuckled to herself. Two ponies, so powerful and refined, brought to trading blows like weak little fillies. It was hilarious. Sadly, it was time for this show to come to an end.

As the Sandmare threw a punch at Luna’s face much like the one she’d earlier received, she shrieked. A strong clamping sensation came down on her neck. Luna paused mid-combat, staring at the Sandmare with terror as blood spurted from her neck.

Luna quivered, her breath shaking. She watched transfixed as the pony behind the Sandmare revealed herself and got a better grip on her prey. The blood ran down Scarlet’s muzzle, standing out on her white fur like it would on snow. Luna’s eyes twitched between her, the wound, the glistening fangs- and then to the chaos caused by the bleeding pony, the innocent Pegasus flung against the tree on the ground…

Scarlet met Luna’s eyes as the last bit of life escaped the Sandmare. Not breaking the gaze, Scarlet ripped the Sandmare’s neck open, and blood spurted and flowed down the bodies of both ponies.

A little bit of blood splattered Luna's muzzle, but she didn't flinch.

“You didn't stop me.” Scarlet observed, smiling mischievously.

“I found it unnecessary ." Luna replied.

“Oh?” Scarlet raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“You are a vile beast. And you will find yourself brought to justice, one day. But her life was ready to end.” Luna said simply.

“Is that how you feel? How interesting, thinking you're the only one worthy to judge life. But I guess I've got no complaints.”

And with that, Scarlet and her prey vanished. Ponies around began waking, the spell vanishing with the death of the caster. Luna wiped the splattered blood from her face. It truly must be her…, Luna thought. Exhausted, she flew down and walked to pick up her subject from the tree where she lay. Luna prodded Inkheart with a gentle hoof. The Pegasus twitched slightly, and Luna sighed with relief. She was alive.

Luna lifted Inkheart onto her back, careful to not jostle any broken bones, and nonchalantly began using her magic to sweep up tree branches.

“We have fought well, my subject.”

It was time to clean up, and the next day nopony would know.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

6653508 Don't you mean Sapphire Shores? Also, where can I find that story?

[Inkheart_tails]

7018757
I don't mean Sapphire Shores, I mean Sapphire Song. She's an oc of mine and a major character in this story. But I can understand the confusion if you haven't been reading, which is a bit disappointing. Here is the other story I mentioned http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36388/My-Roommate-is-a-Vampire

[John bostock]

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