Bloodsong

by Not_A_Hat

First published 18th of February, 2015

As a Hunter, Silver Lining has seen nearly everything. When he rescues a wounded mare from a vampire, though, he has little idea what he's getting into...

Silver Lining works as a Hunter, a freelance investigator and hired guard in Canterlot. Life has never been simple, but when what should have been a routine job throws him together with a newborn vampire, things quickly become much more complicated.

Warning! Contains straight shipping and original characters! :P

Coverart made in Krita. Editing by JBL. Pre-read by TheLetterJ to chapter four; Pre-read by Hat after.

New-born

I floated through the open window, settling on the floor with silent wings. The inside of the mansion was just as desolately opulent as the outside, and equally neglected. Rain had puddled on the floor here. The entire bedroom was layered in mold, but the door was open. I wrinkled my nose and flared my ears, straining for sound. Fatigue tugged at my senses but I knew my mark was in here.

I flapped my wings once and sped down the corridor in a flat glide. At least the hideout had nice wide halls. I curled my left pinions, swinging neatly around a corner. The whisper of my flight kicked up dust around me. I rocketed through an open arch, back-scooping as I found myself above a balcony. I landed owl quiet, shoeless hooves soft on moldering carpet. I flexed the blades in my wings as I folded them, careful the imped quillons didn't snag surrounding feathers.

Looking down to the floor below, I saw muddled hoofprints crisscrossing the dusty room. I frowned, trying to decipher what I was looking at. I'd traced the thief here in hopes of surprising him, but there were more than one set of tracks. I pondered for a moment, trying to decide if I needed to change my plan.

I flicked my wings open and floated off the balcony. I spread my senses wide, drawing on my magic to augment them. My hearing sharpened, my eyesight snapping into focus, and the world slowed as my flying senses came fully online. I frowned as a wisp of imaginary cloud floated across my vision, phantom rain tapping lightly in the back of my skull.

Already?

I tiredly pushed the Storm away, willing the illusions to fade. Eventually, they did. I breathed in relief and moved carefully across the room with the deliberate understatement of an enclosed speed-flyer. I canvassed the area as I went, drawing in every little breeze and zephyr, searching for signs of my prey.

Clink.

The noise was shockingly loud to my strained ears. I whipped my head around as a unicorn ghosted into the room, a cloud of golden medallions floating around his bright blue coat. His aura was practically invisible, the barest wisp of white curling off his short horn.

"Syzygy," I mouthed.

“Silver, my good sir,” he replied with a grin, bowing as if acknowledging a compliment, steel-gray mane flopping forward to hide his warm brown eyes. I glared back. This had just gotten complicated. I… severely disliked this Hunter. He wasn't nasty, mean, or even particularly unpleasant. He was an effective and professional mercenary, unfailingly polite with an unbreakable smile.

I considered him brutally effective, with a perfect mask of manners and the sort of smile that haunted my nightmares. I hated his unwavering attitude, and my dislike was compounded by the fact that, most of the time, he didn't even deserve my loathing. He just grated on my nerves. Tonight, though, I didn't have much choice. If I didn't at least acknowledge him, we'd have no way to cooperate, and that would be much more trouble.

"Why are you here?" My eyes narrowed. "Tracking a thief?" I'd been contracted to recover a stolen heirloom, a keepsake necklace. I'd been sleeplessly working on the case for days, and I was about to wrap it up. Now things were turning complicated, and that worried me.

"Silver, Silver Lining my friend!" Ziggy smiled pleasantly. "Fancy seeing you here!" Both of us were speaking below a whisper, barely audible mumbles. His eyes went deadly serious. "I'm after a nightwalker."

"Blech." I frowned. That was not what I wanted to hear. "A vampire, here? Really?"

"You've heard the news." It wasn't a question; he had an excellent idea of what my sources would be saying. I nodded. There had been attacks matching a nightwalker nearby.

"No confirmation, no deaths, no bounty yet. Is this for your 'research'?" I hissed.

"A scientist needs data." His swarm of weapons shifted as he smiled, almost a shrug. "Progress waits for nopony. But that's beside the point. Now that we've met, will one of us leave? Or will you work with me?"

I pondered that a moment. I really didn't like working with Syzygy, but he was, at least, reliable and professional. I nodded once, and he smiled. We could finish this together and sort it out later.

Thunder rumbled in my brain, and my head whipped around.

"Somepony's spellcasting." I looked to Syzygy, who smiled and shook his head.

"Not me. I've been prowling the house. But as you can see," he waved a hoof, indicating the confusion of tracks, "it's a guessing game at best."

"They're out back." The sound of rain rose in my ears as the magic increased. "That way, maybe five hundred meters." I pointed with a wingtip. "It could be our vampire, if their intrinsic magic is particularly strong."

"He knows I'm after him, and he's desperate. One day." Syzygy gave me an almost hungry smile. "One day I'll understand how you do that, Silver."

"Right." I rolled my eyes. "Don’t hold your breath. I did a fly-by, and there’s a big garden behind the house. Let's split up and come in from both sides. I'm looking for a necklace, a thin silver chain with an ornate opal pendant, an heirloom and maybe magic. If you happen to find it, I'd appreciate if you'd collect it for me. I will, of course, attempt to subdue any nightwalkers I find."

"Acceptable terms." He smiled. "Always a pleasure, Silver."

I nodded once, gathered my lagging focus, and threw myself into a glide for the nearest door. I heard him chuckle softly as he ghosted in another direction.

The hunt was on.

I snaked and curled through the corridors, wafting my way forward on a carefully maintained cushion of air. I'd studied this from owls, their long silent flaps and scooping dives. Vampires thought themselves dangerous, but I would be the predator here. I'd learned from the best.

Eventually, my path ended in an exit of sorts. A set of stained-glass doors had been shattered, leaving a twisted lacework of lead framing and a crunching carpet of multi-colored shards. I peered out carefully, trying to understand what I was heading into.

Ahead, I saw an overgrown, once beautiful garden. Untrimmed trees and scraggly hedges ran rampant across uncut grass. Weeds choked flowerbeds, blooming vigorously over the corpses of their cousins. Moonlight washed the scene, the night breeze stirring everything into gentle motion. I could hear small animals and smell rain-wet flowers. A cobblestone path crept into the undergrowth, quickly swallowed by profusion.

This hideout was perfect for a nightwalker. Cover from sunlight in the dilapidated house during the day, swapped for games of cat and mouse in the night garden.

Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. I grinned to myself as I flitted through the wreckage of the doors. Ziggy's target wasn't a complete idiot.

Clink.

Syzygy's signal was clear; he'd entered the garden to my left, and was starting to prowl. I hooted once in return. I instinctively disliked working with Ziggy, but I'd done it more than once.

I was careful to stay in the shadows. My maroon plumage was an advantage in the dark, but caution kept ponies alive. I floated from the canopy of one tree to another, searching for my prey.

The Storm strengthened in my mind, and I realized that I'd been hearing the rush of wind and dapple of rain in the background this whole time. I shrugged and let it stay. I'd been up for nearly twenty-four hours, with only a nap before that. It was difficult to deny my heritage when I was short on sleep. Besides, it might be useful in the hunt. I adjusted my course through the treetops as I heard another sleepy rumble of illusory thunder, hooting twice for Ziggy.

Clink, clink.

A grim smile spread across my face as I neared my prey on silent wings. Vampires were something of a conundrum for me. Hunting, true hunting, was an honest pleasure. I loved the thrill of the chase, the matching of minds and rush of victory. I'd worked as a freelance investigator, detective, and mercenary for years because I loved it, and nothing provided the same challenge as destroying a creature of the night.

Despite that, though, facing vampires always brought on a mixture of apprehension and disgust. Nightwalkers were atrocities. Real monsters, who would stop at nothing to sate bottomless, unreasoning, and bloody appetites. Every case I'd taken involving them sickened me, and fighting them was always a desperate scramble against death. One mistake meant an dirt nap or an eternity of insane servitude. I hadn't lost… yet. But I knew I wasn't invincible; just efficient, effective, and lucky. One day I'd meet somepony better, or my luck would fail.

Maybe today.

I pushed the thoughts aside. I didn't abandon a commission, especially not this close to the end. I wasn't specifically prepared for this, but Ziggy was. And despite my misgivings, he was a brutally effective fighter.

I landed in a tree as a clearing opened ahead, straining my eyes by starlight to see what we were up against. Two figures crouched side-by-side, blurry in the dim light. The vampire and the thief? Were they both vampires? A vampire keeping company with a normal pony was beyond unlikely, but the spellcasting... I searched for signs of the magic I was hearing. For the Storm to react, it would mean the spell was more than ordinary. Perhaps the necklace?

Something glinted between the two figures, and I hissed in surprise as the flash of spell-light revealed frightened violet eyes and rope. I hooted twice for Syzygy and launched myself into the air. That was no compatriot. I had no idea who'd stolen the pendant, or what the spell was for, but I was looking at a vampire and a captive. Around a bloodsucker, that could usually be shortened to 'snack'.

My stoop was perfectly accurate and silent. I dived at the vampire from his blind spot, hooves placed to crush his skull.

He heard me.

I flinched as his head whipped around moments before I impacted. Aim thrown off, I blasted into his shoulder, throwing him across the clearing. I recovered on touchdown, flaring my wings. The vampire tumbled to his hooves. I stole a glance at the captive. She was tied helpless, and a trickle of blood marked her graphite coat. Wide, scared eyes watched me.

Unable to help, I re-focused on my target. He moved lithely, with the power and grace of a feral predator. He slunk sideways for a second, probing my defenses, before leaping straight for me.

I moved a wing as if to block. As he drew near, I whirled, changing it to a slice and bringing my hidden blades to the fore. The vampire snarled as I lay lines of red across him, deep slices that cut to bone. I saw smoke rise as he healed, the magic that animated and drove his corpse forward sealing the wounds nearly as fast as I opened them.

I flinched at that. This one was strong.

More than that, I jumped in surprise as his horn sparked. A vampire who retained enough intelligence to cast magic was beyond rare. Most of them were completely mindless, with only a wily cunning and complete lack of fear raising them above natural predators. I'd assumed I'd been feeling the pendant or instinctive magic, the sort an earth pony or pegasus might have, boosted by the transformation.

I flapped a wing, rolling sideways in the air to dodge the magic bolts he was snapping off. I cursed Syzygy quietly, but I understood his holding back. He'd strike when I needed it most, or when he could assure victory. I knew it was logical, but he was a cold bastard. I blinked as the last of the vampire's magic washed over himself, bathing his body in a cold glow. For a second, I got a good look.

He was nearly completely transformed. His eyes were slit, his coat thick and rough. His mouth was splayed with fangs, almost comically large carnivore teeth in a mouth not made for them. As I watched, his horn melted away, replaced with a pair of dark, leathery wings.

I gulped. Was I dealing with a something more than a nightwalker? A vampire intelligent enough to control the transformation? That last spell might have been a buff. I was beginning to wonder about my 'thief', and who had hired me. I pushed the thoughts aside as he lunged again.

I dodged, barely. Even my accelerated senses had trouble following the attack. I lifted into the air, daring him to come after me. Fatigue surged again, and phantom rainfall swelled around me. Illusory clouds began gathering at the edge of my sight, somehow enhancing my vision instead of obscuring it. I grudgingly surrendered more to the Storm and felt the air in the clearing start to spin slowly as it began intruding into reality. That would call a harsh toll later, but for now, I needed power.

The vampire followed, lurching into the air with ungainly flaps. He was fast and powerful despite his clumsy movement. I danced around him, my quillons taking slice after slice before he managed to get in a blow. I hissed as his fangs sliced me. I shook it off and tried to fight on, but I felt a cold sting spread from the wound. Horror welled up as I realized I'd been poisoned.

I fluttered weakly to the ground, stumbling and falling on impact. The bloodsucker floated after, alighting gently. Suddenly desperate, I pulled hard on the Storm. I felt my head whirl as my drained magic reserves plummeted further. Wisps of cloud appeared in the air around me, barely enough to notice. The vampire strode forward, victorious, and I cursed.

"Ziggy, you splintered bastard of a timberwolf, GET OUT HERE!"

"Of course, friend!"

I spat as the blue unicorn pranced out of the treeline. The vampire whirled, eyes widening in shock as he realized I wasn't alone.

ZotZotZotZot!

Syzygy attacked immediately, his swarm of blades suddenly glowing red-hot as they flashed for the nightwalker. They impacted with a series of sizzling hisses, each leaving a trail of burned flesh on the vampire.

I ignored the fight, focusing on my own magic. I willed the Storm to fight the poison. The phantom rain was strong enough to feel drops tapping on my back, running down my coat, each imaginary rivulet carrying away a little of the vampire's icy power. I would not fall to the Night.

Finally, the numbness in my limbs started to fade. Still blocking out the fight, I stumbled over to the captive. She mumbled incoherently as I leaned over her, trying to understand what had been going on. The vampire had cast something on her. I was certain of that. I surveyed for pulsing sigils or glowing things. I was no magician, but it seemed that magic usually left noticeable marks.

There. The glint I'd seen earlier came again. It was a pendant on a thin silver chain, hanging around her neck, glowing redly. I leaned in, trying for a closer look.

It was smeared with blood. Beside it, a set of neat puncture wounds told at least part of the story. My blood ran cold as I guessed the depths of what happened. This was some sort of ritual magic. A ritual involving the most intelligent vampire I'd ever faced, and an enchanted amulet of unknown origin.

I was in over my head.

I gently nudged the mare, intending to move her so I could cut her bindings. As I did, her pupils narrowed. I gulped.

Had she turned?

I stepped back. For a second, her eyes focused on me.

"P-Please." She gasped, pain thickening her voice. "Help."

I froze at that, trying to think.

It was a truism that nightwalkers were vermin, infectious predators that needed to be put down as quickly as possible. It was all in the name; 'nightwalker'.

There were rumors though. I glanced at Syzygy's fight. The vampire was casting magic, spells clashing with spells. I shook my head. Nightwalkers, by definition, weren't intelligent. Still, there were stories that, rarely, a vampire could turn and retain their mind. Hunters who claimed to have faced them called them 'daywalkers' and usually displayed maiming wounds. Those who returned.

"P-Please!"

I gulped. Here was a dilemma. If this mare was turning into a vampire, saving her was impossible. If she was turning into a nightwalker, killing her now would be a kindness. I shook my head and pushed the thought away. She was talking.

She could be an invert. Like Scratch Despite the bite. The thought floated up in my mind, and I grasped it. Vampires were complicated, and there was no one-fits-all solution to their infection. This mare had been affected in some way. That was certain. Still, she wasn't turning normally. It would be wrong to deny her even a chance.

"Is she okay?" I turned. While I'd been thinking, Syzygy had finished his fight. A smoking corpse lay on the ground before him, and cheery splashes of blood adorned his blue coat.

"She'll be fine." I stepped forward, placing myself between him and the mare.

"Hey, relax!" He gave me a sunny smile. "None of this is mine!" He laughed, wiping a smear of blood off his cheek. "You, on the other hand, look like you've been bitten." His eyes narrowed as his grin widened.

"Just a scratch." I waved his concern away. "Nothing to worry about."

"Not worried about a vampire bite? Hmm." He eyed me again. "And that mare?"

"Like I said, she'll be fine."

"Right. Well, if you don't object, I'd like to check her." He stepped forward. My quillons sprang from my feathers, ozone hissing off the razor metal.

"Silver, Silver!" He stepped back. "Really, now. You know the protocol. Anypony with known contact to a nightwalker is presumed infected."

"I checked her." I grated. This probably wasn't a good idea. I'd probably regret it after a night's sleep. I could hopefully deal with it then. "I'm not letting you drag her off to your lab. For research," I spat.

"Again, I can't escape the feeling you've got the wrong idea about me." He relaxed and shrugged. "Well, if you say you've got it under control, I'll leave you to it. Here." One of his coins flickered towards me, bouncing off my hoof.

"What's this?"

"A sample of the vampire's blood. Of course, if you checked her, she's fine. But the lore I've recovered says the thrall of a newborn can be broken. If they drink the blood of the one who turned them." My eyes widened, and he laughed. "Really, Silver. Why are you shocked that I know about vampires? They're only my life's work." He grinned down at the corpse at his feet. "And now I have at least partial confirmation of daywalkers. I'm in your debt here, Silver. Let me know if I can ever repay you." His coins re-arranged, forming a crude rune. Power flashed from his horn, and he vanished with a crack, taking the corpse along.

"Magicians," I cursed, and turned back towards the mare. "Slimy, smiling, magicians."

---

Her heart stopped beating right before I landed.

"Sleet," I swore. "Hail and lightning." I'd flown as fast as I could, but 'the countryside' was a long way from downtown Canterlot. I might be fast, but even a strong flyer would be hard-pressed to carry a limp earth pony at top speed. I was shaking from exhaustion, and the Storm was really raging now. I'd be firmly out of commission tomorrow. I'd be lucky to recover inside of a week.

I carefully set her down, wincing as the thick mud of the alleyway soaked into her dapper gray coat. Still, if alleyway muck was the worst of her problems… I'd come to the back door, for obvious reasons. Even in the 'bad' parts of downtown, a stallion carrying an unconscious mare tended to attract guardsponies.

Thump-thump-thump.

I listened after knocking. Although I'd made up my mind to do whatever I could after hearing the mare's plea for help, the only real hope I had was 'maybe she's an invert'.

Come on, come on, I know you're home, I can hear your music—

My thought was cut off as the door flicked open a crack. I caught a glimpse of electric-blue mane, fuchsia shades, and white—sorry, pale yellow fur, before it slammed shut again.

"Viny!" I yelled, trying to penetrate the door and the noise. No response. "Vinyl, please!"

"Go away!" The reply was muffled, but it was enough. "We had an agreement, Silver!"

"It's not about me!" I allowed all the desperation I was feeling to creep into my voice. "It's… I don't know her name! She's hurt, Vinyl, and I think she's turning!"

"You idiot!" The door slammed open, and Vinyl Scratch gave me a scathing glare. "So you brought her here? Because you haven't caused me enough—" She cut off as she saw the mare laying in the mud. Her eyes flickered behind her shades, and she drew a short breath through her nose. "Fine." With a grunt, she levitated the dead mare. "I'm going to regret this, but come in."

"There's no protocol for this, you know?" I made weak excuses as I followed her into the tiny apartment. "I just saw her, and she needed help, and I don't know—"

"Start from the beginning." Scratch glared at me. "The very beginning, and tell me everything."

"Alright." I let out a shaky breath as Vinyl lay the corpse on the table in her kitchenette. She turned to the sink and started drawing water, searching for a clean dish cloth. "It started two days ago, when I got an urgent message from one of my contacts…"

---

"…and so I brought her here." I trailed off, unsure. I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "Sorry."

"You should be." Vinyl coughed. "But not for this. No, I understand."

"So, can you help her?" I gave a relieved smile.

"No." Vinyl shrugged. "You know it, vampirism is incurable."

"Then why—"

"I'm the same as you." She lowered her shades and peered over the lenses. "I'm not willing to give up on her just yet. There's a chance she's not a nightwalker."

"Is she an invert?"

"Good question, but I don't think so." Vinyl frowned. "I don't remember much of my… conversion. But the fact that she's been bitten isn't a good sign. I guess… there's the possibility she's a daywalker." She frowned. "But that… might be even worse."

I nodded slowly. We knew nothing about daywalkers, except that by all accounts they were even more dangerous than nightwalkers.

"Oh!" I pulled out the coin Syzygy had left me and dropped it on the table. "This is from the vampire who attacked her."

"Blech." Vinyl sniffed the blood-smeared coin, and spat. "That's a vampire, alright." She gave me a curious glance. "You said Syzygy gave you this?"

"Yeah. He seemed almost… I dunno. Nice."

"He's not so bad," Vinyl murmured, gazing into the distance. "For a Hunter."

"Wait, you know Ziggy?"

"Something wrong with that?" Her gaze pinned me.

"N-No! I mean, of course not." I frowned. "I just don't like the guy, that's all. I shouldn't let that affect me so much."

"Damn straight." She snorted. "Anyways, help me get her into the living room, and then we wait for dawn."

"She definitely won't rise before then?" I pushed my exhaustion down to heave the stiffening corpse onto my back and trotted out of the kitchen.

"Definitely."

"Oh, good." I gave a relieved sigh as I let her slide onto the couch. "Then, if you don't mind, I need to pass out for a while."

I didn't even catch Vinyl's reply as the Storm finally engulfed my mind.

---

I awoke to a battlefield.

"Oh, Silver." Vinyl grunted as she fended off a living corpse. "Nice of you to join us."

"Huh?" I said stupidly, watching as the gray mare hissed and spat. As I watched, Vinyl threw the new-born vampire across the wrecked room.

“Huh?” she mocked. “Stop gaping! Get up and help!”

“What? How? What happened?”

“It’s dawn. What do you think happened? She rose!” Vinyl gave me a scathing glance. “So far, she’s acting like a normal—” She grunted as the vampire dashed across the room. Her neatly trimmed mane was unkempt, and her coat was starting to thicken. Her violet eyes had darkened a shade, and her pupils were noticeably narrower.

I could see similar changes in Vinyl, although much less pronounced. She still had her unicorn magic, though, and more importantly, she was thinking. The new vampire wasn’t displaying any indication of personality or intelligence, which made me grimace.

“It’s a good thing I was watching. If I’d left you two alone, she’d have drained you dry. And judging by that cut on your foreleg, you’ve already lost a little.”

I looked down. My torn shoulder had been washed and bandaged.

“Thanks, Vinyl.”

“Don’t stand there thanking me! Help!” She pounded the vampire again. It steamed, healing, and stood back up. “Keep this thing down!”

“But she’s not—”

“Don’t give up yet!” Vinyl gritted. “I’ve still got to try something!”

“Okay!” I nodded, willing to trust her for now. “Leave her to me. I'll…” I drew in a deep breath, feeling every single ache and pain from yesterday roll back in, along with the beginnings of magic exhaustion. “I’ll keep her busy.”

“You do that.” Vinyl threw the mare at me and vanished into the kitchen. I took a stance, and the blue sky in my mind started to cloud.

“Sometimes I wish I’d gotten the eyes of my ancestors instead of the wings.” My mind started to rumble as the Storm rolled in.

Somewhat rested, I was better able to control it. I didn’t have the strength to banish it completely, but I could keep it from sapping all my energy at once. I doled out power in dribs and drabs, just enough to maintain an edge over my opponent.

It really wasn’t that hard. Despite her raw strength and ferocity, the vampire didn’t understand even the basics of fighting. Again and again she rushed me; again and again, I simply threw her back.

“Please, don’t get up.” I begged as I kicked her across the room. “I really don’t want to hurt you anymore.” I sighed as she healed and rose. She really was extremely powerful. “Vinyl! What’s keeping you?”

“This!” The unicorn zipped back into the room.

“The coin? What are you-” I grunted, deflecting another bite “-thinking?”

“If she’s not an invert, she’s probably thralled. If she’s a nightwalker, you wouldn’t be able to tell, but that sort of heavy mental magic can really be bad for a pony. If she can think at all—”

“Less talking, more acting!” I skipped into the air, flitting across the room.

“Fine, fine.” Vinyl steadied the coin in her aura. “If I’m right, we need to get this blood into her. It’ll break the thralling, and she might… I dunno. If it’s what’s making her crazy, then maybe she’ll be less crazy?”

“Sounds crazy. I’ll hold her.” The Storm was really pounding away in my head. I sighed. I’d be passing out again. Double doses of draining sickness, yay. My magic was incredibly useful. It was also incredibly demanding. I’d never found a sweet spot between ‘off’ and ‘full throttle’, so I tended to resist using it.

Well, that… and I held my trumps close, for obvious reasons.

“Here goes.” I accelerated, spreading my wings and leaning into a hairpin turn around the vampire. As I spun, I flared my feathers, pulling the air in the room after and around. With a shove and a twist, I ‘tied off’ the airflow and gave the Storm as much magic as I dared.

I backed away and watched as my rusty aura, shot through with streaks of ash, swirled into a tiny, localized tornado. It threw Vinyl’s furniture around, wavered, grabbed the vampire, and pinned her to the ceiling.

“Here goes nothing.” Vinyl strengthened her aura around the coin, waiting for just the right moment. When it came, she slipped it between our opponent’s snapping jaws.

For a moment, nothing happened. I tensed, ready to resume the fight. My heart sank as I realized that, if this didn’t work, our options were severely limited. We might have to—

I stopped myself angrily. I wouldn’t give up yet. As my localized tornado died down, the vampire settled to the floor. I was ready for an attack, but she just stood there. Slowly, something vicious and animal drained out of her eyes, and she started shaking.

“Are you alright?” Vinyl spoke softly, but the gray mare started at the words. Her eyes focused on Vinyl, then me, then started darting frantically around the room. I realized she was starting to hyperventilate and stepped forward, but she shied and spun.

“After her!” Vinyl yelled, as the mare dashed for the door. She didn’t even bother to open it; she just bulled through. If it had been latched, she’d have splintered the lock.

I reached it a split-second later, ready to give chase, but it was unnecessary. From just outside I heard a pained shriek, and she stumbled back in. I stepped back in surprise as she tumbled into the room, wincing as I realized what had happened.

It was dawn and yellow sunlight was washing across Canterlot. Vinyl’s front door didn’t get anything like full sun, but there was a broad band of gold at about head-height.

I locked the door and positioned myself before it. The newborn vampire had a band of smoking fur running across her muzzle. She’d stepped directly into the sunshine.

“Easy, easy there.” Vinyl gave a lighthearted chuckle. “Just... calm down a minute. Please?”

The gray mare spun frantically around again, searching the room for another escape. When she saw none, she froze, and with a slow, unstoppable momentum, dissolved into tears.

“Scratch, can I faint again?” I asked hesitantly.

"Fine," Vinyl gritted. "But I swear, Silver, if I need you awake, I'm kicking."

"Oh good, becau—"

The mist rolled in.

Author's Notes:

This story is primarily an adventure, although I plan to make that Romance tag earn its keep as well. Stick around if you like action, intrigue, and don't mind watching me try my hand at something new. This story will be from two different viewpoints, which will probably switch each chapter.

I do try to read all the comments I get, but I don't always respond unless it's a direct question. And I can't answer everything...

Rose Colored

The first thing I realized was that everything hurt.

As I returned to myself, the shapes around me slowly shifted from meaningless blocks of color into objects, forms with meaning. I was standing in a cramped room, furniture scattered around, dust filling the air.

"Are you alright?"

Two ponies stood before me. My eyes locked on the speaker, a light unicorn with an electric blue mane, then jerked to the other, a shabby rust-red pegasus, tail streaked with gray. Both of them looked tense, wary. Something strange hovered over them. Fear?

They were afraid… for me? Of me?

My breathing accelerated as fragments of memory chimed in my brain. My eyes darted around the room, bits and pieces jumping clear. I remembered blows, red rage, and a desperate need for something unnamable.

Suddenly, the pegasus jerked forward. My aches flared and I shied. He scared me on a visceral level, and the need to leave this enclosed space squeezed in on me. I spun, the idea of escape filling my mind.

"After her!" the unicorn yelled. Hooves pounded behind me as I surged for the door, slamming it open with my body. I stumbled out, the suddenly too-bright light piercing my eyes. Searing my eyes.

I shrieked at the sudden, stabbing pain. The sunbeam slashed across my face, and I whirled, tumbling back through the door. I couldn't even see, I didn't care that I'd just run, I only needed to be away from that awful light. My head whirled for a moment as I found my hooves. I heard the door swing shut, the lock click, and remembered why I'd been trying to run. I was trapped again.

I turned in place, forcing my eyes open as I scanned frantically for another exit.

"Easy, easy there." The unicorn gave a nervous chuckle. "Just calm down a minute. Please?"

Nothing, no way out. Unable to think, unable to act, my adrenaline melted into despair, and I slowly succumbed to tears.

"There, there."

Through the veil of misery, I felt a gentle hoof on my shoulder. I shuddered and tried to control myself. Why had I been so… volatile, flighty? I was better than this. I was strong, I was confident.

I was crying hysterically.

I sniffled and tried to calm my breathing. When I was a little more coherent, the unicorn offered me a box of tissues.

"Feeling better?" I nodded shallowly and blew my nose. "Here, drink this." She offered me a mug, and I suddenly realized just how parched my throat was. I was about to refuse, but I caught a whiff of the scent and grabbed it unconsciously. I took a shallow gulp before I could stop myself.

It was wonderful.

Hot chocolate? No, spiced wine? No… liquid moonlight, molten comfort. The drink soothed like a snug blanket on a rainy day, a good book by a fireplace. The mug was dry before I even realized. I licked my lips and regretfully handed it back.

"That help?"

I nodded. My vision suddenly cleared. The pegasus was snoring, curled up on the floor. The unicorn offered me a hoof, and I slowly stood. My legs shook, but the aches and pains I was feeling eased away.

"W-Who…?" I gave her a long look. "What?"

"Sorry, sorry." The unicorn smiled gently. "Where are my manners? Name's Vinyl Scratch, nice to meetcha." She held out a hoof, and I cautiously bumped it.

"What happened?" I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my head.

"I hoped you could tell me that." Vinyl frowned and gave me a searching look. "Do you remember anything?"

"No…" I tried my best to sound confused. In truth, I didn't remember much. Flashes of night, scraps of agony. But I wasn't going to give away anything. Not when I knew so little.

"Phooy." Vinyl gave me an uncomfortable glance, and silence fell.

"Um, what happened to me?" I opened my eyes wide, working to appear harmless. "The last thing I remember, I was digging through the basement for sheet music, and then… Here. And the sun." I shuddered, remembering. "Why did the sun hurt so much?"

"Um." Vinyl coughed. "There's… no easy…" She sighed. "Do you know anything about magic diseases?"

"Not much." I frowned, puzzled. "My brother got swooping cough once." I stopped, curious. "Why?"

"You've, um, got the symptoms of one." Vinyl gave me an earnest look. "I, uh, know the signs."

"Really?" I swallowed, shaken. What had these ponies done to me?

"Yeah, well. Sensitivity to sunlight. Strange mood swings. Memory loss at the onset, sometimes. Weird cravings. It happens to me too."

"Will I be alright?" I tried to gauge her, guess her intent. She was clearly nervous, but I didn't catch any obvious tells. She might not be lying.

"Maybe." She grimaced. "It's different for everypony. Mine's kinda mild. Yours seems a little more severe." She rose suddenly and moved further into the apartment, stepping around overturned furniture and absently shoving the sleeping pegasus out of the way. "Hey, you hungry? Want a sandwich or something?"

"No, I'm—" I glanced at the mug, discarded on the floor. A thick, rich smell wafted off it. "Do you have any more of that?"

"Not sure if that's a good idea." She gave me a cautious glance. "But… what the hay. Yeah, come on."

I glanced back at the door, apprehensive. I didn't want to stay here any longer than absolutely necessary. I still had no idea what was going on here, or who these ponies were. But she hadn't hurt me yet, and… I sighed, remembering that drink. Maybe I could get a little more information. Besides, the door was locked. She'd notice if I made a break for it immediately. I trotted slowly after.

She led me into a cramped kitchen. Through the opposite door, I glimpsed a tiny bedroom, piled high with black boxes and tangled with wires. I watched as she pulled sealed packages of spinach, bread, and tomatoes from the fridge, quickly assembling a pair of sandwiches. She produced a set of mugs, filling them from a dark bottle. She placed one before me and seated herself across the cramped table.

"What do you know about vampirism?"

I looked up, startled at the question. I wanted to sip that drink. I didn't normally like spinach much, but today it smelled great. The packages had been sealed. I'd already drunk whatever she'd given me last time.

"Not much." I hesitantly took a bite. "I usually ignore silly rumors and baseless gossip."

"Silly and baseless, huh?" Vinyl sighed. "If there's nothing behind them, then why do they keep coming up?"

"Ponies are fascinated by predators." I sipped the drink slowly. It was just as delicious the second time, and I tried to place the flavor. Vanilla? Rose? Cinnamon? "It's part of our mindset, our biology. We don't need to be scared of the dark anymore, but it's ingrained, so we make things up. Vampires are the ultimate pony predator. They're faster, stronger, more magical, and they might not even kill you. They're exciting, we're scratching an itch."

"You took Psych 101 huh?" Vinyl gave me a flat stare, and I couldn't help but feel slightly abashed. It hadn't been an exact quote. "Nah, well, that's not totally wrong, I guess. Let's try this, then. Did you know there are, on average, fifteen open missing pony cases in Canterlot City?"

"Huh?"

"Fer real." Vinyl took a bite of sandwich. "And that's just official investigations, what we know about. Could be lots more."

"Why are you—"

"Point is, there are definitely predators out there. And vampires? I have, heh, personal reasons to think there might be something to the rumor."

"What…what do you mean?" I was starting to feel bothered despite myself. I had no reason to trust anything this mare said. But somehow, the reassurance rang hollow.

In response, Vinyl curled her lip. It might have been a sneer, but she pointed to her teeth. Long, sharp teeth.

Fangs.

"Ulp!" I jerked away, disgusted. That looked wrong.

"Sorry." Vinyl shrugged. “Wish I had a way to let you down easy." She shuddered and seemed to twist, shrinking slightly. As I watched, her teeth flattened and faded into normal shapes. "Vampirism is a magical disease. It's transmitted by blood contact. You were attacked last night and—"

"—No, no, no…" I shook my head violently, trying to deny what she was saying. "No, that can't… this can't… You're wrong!"

"It's not easy." Vinyl shrugged. "But running from reality is a bad idea." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Look, I'm horrible at this. But you need to know."

"I’m not a vampire. I'm not sick," I spat. I reached for my mug and realized it was empty. Vinyl grimaced. "Look, I… I need to use the bathroom." I slid my chair back. I was done here.

"Over there." Vinyl pointed to the bedroom. "Take a right."

I hurried away, following her directions. Behind me, the table rattled like somepony had just slammed their head into it.

I stepped through the bedroom. It was dark, but a door just to the side let in a slice of light. I looked; sure enough, it was the bathroom. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the window. It was small, but I'd always been flexible. I stepped in and locked the door. Good. Things were looking up.

I unlatched the window and slid it open. Through the thin wall, I could hear Vinyl muttering recriminations to herself. I grinned wickedly. I had no idea what those two were up to, and I wasn't sticking around to find out. I poked my head out the window, and my smile faltered.

I was two stories up.

"Okay, okay." I took a deep breath. "You can do this, Octavia. You've got to get going." Thinking quickly, I twisted my head to look up. My grin returned when I saw the gutter, a heavy antique thing bolted firmly to the edge of the roof. I shouldered my way out, working carefully to maintain my balance.

By planting my hooves on the windowsill, steadying myself on the flashing above the window, and stretching to my limit, I just managed to hook a hoof on the gutter. I wobbled for a moment, and fear of falling flashed through me, but I forced myself to relax and managed to hold on. The fall probably wouldn't kill an earth pony, anyways.

Focusing intently on my hooves, I carefully shifted my weight and adjusted my grip. In a few moments, I had two hooves on the windowsill, and two on the gutter. My grip felt strange; I had a little trouble really grabbing the edge of the gutter, but I was too far to just draw back now. I gave one last breath and heaved myself slowly onto the roof.

It was tough, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. I inched my way upwards, scrambling and swinging, until I managed to hook a foreleg over the edge. After that, it was fairly simple to lever myself to safety.

Now, for a way back down…

I turned quickly, surveying the roof. There had to be one… Ahah! A fire escape! I trotted over, awkwardly climbing down the rickety ladder. The bottom didn't reach the street, probably to keep ponies from climbing up, but the drop was manageable. I tumbled in the mud but shook myself off and climbed to my hooves. As I slunk off into the shadows of the alley, I heard a voice above me.

"Hey, you alright in there? Hey. Hey!"

I grinned, turned the corner, and broke into a slow, deliberate trot.

---

By the time I reached my apartment at the university, I knew something was wrong.

The sun was too bright. Noises were too loud. More than that, though, once I'd escaped, I no longer had a concrete goal to focus on, and my rigid control was starting to break down.

I'd managed to keep myself moving, working steadily towards an attainable end for as long as I had one. Now that was gone, my thoughts wandered freely, little melodies of worry playing across my brain. I pondered what Vinyl Scratch had said, rewinding it again and again. Each time I denied it, but each denial was a little more feeble.

My door was in full sunlight.

I'd managed to stay in the shadows for most of my trip. Once or twice I'd stumbled into a sunbeam, but they'd never burned me like the first one. Now, however, I needed to subject myself to it fully.

I hesitantly extended a hoof. The sun was warm, much warmer than I expected, but it didn't hurt. I sighed in relief and slowly stepped out. I snagged the key from under the mat, unlocked my door, and stumbled into the dark, cool entryway. A small amount of tension melted from me, the simple ideas of 'home' and 'safe' giving me leave to relax.

Still, the feeling wrongness wouldn't leave.

I slipped into my bedroom, wary of disturbing my suitemate. Shimerelle wouldn't be awake yet, but she was a light sleeper.

First things first. I needed understanding.

I pulled out a notebook and pen, sat down at my desk, and started searching my memory.

Sheet music. I wrote that down. The beginning was quite clear; last… I stopped, and checked my clock and calendar. Last night, I'd been at my mother's estate. I'd been in the basement of the dilapidated mansion, searching for sheaves of music. Mom hadn't composed anything in recent years, but some of her old work was still around. We didn't have the money to maintain the grand old place, but the basement stayed dry.

I scribbled an outline. I'd arrived early in the afternoon. Everything had been normal. I'd set up a cot, unpacked my lamp, and gone spelunking. Times and actions suggested themselves easily, and my list grew. I'd been absorbed in the relics of the past, sorting through long-forgotten family keepsakes and documents, but I'd taken a break for supper. Dry granola and cold water. I'd been searching through a box of files when a noise upstairs disturbed me.

I remembered being bothered but decided to check. Old houses made noise, but my mind wouldn't rest easy. I'd taken my lamp, gone upstairs, and…

I frowned, drawing a blank. Things got hazy after that. I skipped ahead.

My next clear memory was standing in that awful little room, with 'Vinyl Scratch' and that red pegasus staring at me. I did a quick outline of my escape, ending with a few notes on what Vinyl had said.

Vampirism
Magical disease
Pointy teeth

I shuddered at the last one, and swallowed dryly. Screwing up my courage, I returned to searching the gap in my memories. When I woke up, I'd had an impression of conflict, violence. I remembered being thirsty, needing something badly.

That triggered a memory. Unbidden, a pair of eyes sprang to mind. In the mansion. They'd reflected my lamp, catlike, as I climbed the stairs. I'd seen them, and… Nothing.

Frustrated, I tried to grasp the feeling again. Need, hunger, desire. The feeling seemed familiar, somehow. Moonlight.

Ahah! I jotted that down and focused on the new thought.

Moonlight, trees, wind, night… the garden?

I frowned, picturing the overgrown, once-grand landscape behind the mansion. I'd loved it as a filly, a place of mystery and wildness. Picturing it in the moonlight, I remembered…

Pain. Helplessness.

I shuddered as a scene finally snapped clear. I'd been laying on the grass, and a deep shadow had swooped from the trees. There had been fighting, and I remembered something of that. There had been an indescribable weight around my neck, and a pain. I reached up to loosen my bowtie—

Clink.

I jumped in my seat, nearly spilling my inkwell, when my hoof touched something cold and hard.

That was not my bowtie.

I looked down. I was wearing a choker, on a thin silver chain. I was so used to wearing a collar that I hadn't even felt it before. It held an ornate setting with a shimmering opal, deep and dark, but brilliant with shattered rainbow sparks.

I remembered that.

A sudden welter of impressions slammed into me. Moonlight, yes. Pain, yes. Weight, pressure, force. I turned back to my paper, scribbling the fragments as fast as I could. At the end, I didn't have much more, but one thing was sure. I had been attacked. There had been a fight. Something strange had been done, to me. I swallowed again, and got up.

I paced back and forth, trying to sort out the impressions, seize comprehension. Eventually giving up, I took a deep breath and turned to my mirror. Alright; I wouldn't be getting anything more from my memory. Moving forward, there was more to confirm.

First, I raised my lip. Vinyl had claimed I had a magical disease. She called it vampirism and told me I had similar symptoms to herself. I sighed when I saw my teeth were normal. Unconsciously, I straightened the choker. It had slipped to the side, so I centered it. I paused.

Moving it had revealed… something.

I leaned in closer, brushing my coat. There were two white spots, hardly more than freckles, in my fur. I parted the hair slowly, unsure. My worries returned full force when I discovered two tiny scars, a few inches apart, directly over my jugular.

Vampire. I stood, breathing heavily, unsure. Just stories, right? But I'd seen Vinyl. Those teeth…

Magical disease. I pushed the murky folklore away and focused on that. Magical diseases were real. I had no idea how much I could trust Vinyl, but magical diseases were concrete, defined, understood.. somewhat. Spells with parasitic replicating factors, either natural or created, had been recorded since antiquity. Could there be truth behind the legends?

Unsure, I carefully reached around to unhook the choker. My hoof searched for the clasp, but found nothing. I frowned and spun the necklace, bringing the chain into view. It took me a full minute of spinning it around my neck before reality sunk in. There was no clasp.

I sighed and wrapped a scarf around my neck before continuing my inspection.

My teeth were normal. My face, where I'd been burned by the sunlight, seemed fine. I couldn't find any other marks or symptoms.

I was… okay?

Cautiously optimistic, I wrote a few more notes.

Sensitive to sunlight, noises?
Necklace

After, I chewed the end of my quill and stared at the paper before I shrugged and packed up. I'd need to be careful, watch myself more carefully. Maybe I could visit the university doctor, see if they could find anything unusual. Other than that, I should check out the mansion, look for clues as soon as possible. If I could find something concrete, evidence of a struggle, I could take it to somepony official, but for now, I didn't have much to go on. I knew Vinyl's address, but what would I say? She had confused me, but that was hardly a punishable offense. She had seemed pleasant enough.

Finally calm, I headed for the bathroom. For this morning, I could put it behind me. I had compiled, assessed, planned. I'd look into things later. For now, I'd return to my normal life. If something came up, I'd deal with it then.

My worries slowly faded as I took a quick shower and fell into my morning routine. Washed, brushed, and ready to re-start my day, I wandered into the kitchen and absentmindedly started making breakfast. The sandwich from earlier seemed distant, fading in the face of routine. I absently wondered what the delicious drink had been.

"Octavia?"

I jumped at the sudden noise, nearly dropping my toast. A creamy unicorn, baby-blue mane mussed from sleep, ambled out of the room next to mine.

"Shimerelle, good morning." I recovered my breakfast and took a bite. It crunched satisfyingly.

"You're back early." My suitemate yawned hugely. "Is that coffee I smell?"

"Help yourself." I waved at the pot.

"Thanks." Her dim aura snagged the pot. "You okay?" She peered at me owlishly in the dim light. "You look a little peaked."

"Um." I paused, thinking, before taking the easy route. "I think I am feeling a little under the weather."

"Aw, sorry." She poured a mug and slurped greedily. "Ahhh, much better. So, what's wrong? Not enough sleep? Drink too much?"

"Hah, no." I shrugged, carefully nonchalant. Acting was second-nature to me. "Maybe I got a cold. The basement is a little musty."

"Sure. Nice scarf." Suddenly, she twitched the curtains open. I flinched away from the sudden light, bumping her. She squeaked and fell. I watched, horrified, as she landed on her mug with a crunch.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't—"

"Ow, ow, ow!" she whimpered, climbing to her hooves. "Oh, that hurt. My coat, my coffee… Octavia, are you okay?"

She'd cut her leg. It wasn't much, just a scratch. I looked at the broken mug, handle snapped clean off, and the puddle of coffee, but my eyes were dragged back to a thin streak of red on her cream coat.

"Oh, I think I cut myself. Octavia?"

It smelled like roses. Cinnamon? Vanilla? I swallowed and tried to look away.

"Sorry." My voice was carefully level. "Like I said, I'm not feeling so good."

Sword sworn

"Ow!" I awoke, as Vinyl had promised, to a kick. "Stoppit!"

"Don't give me that." She frowned. "You've been dead to the world all day! I really could have used your help, but no, you just kept snoring."

"Look, Scratch, I'm not sure what you expected. I was up for nearly two days straight, with double-doses of magic exhaustion piled on top." I climbed to my hooves and stretched. The furniture scattered around the room had been tidied, and a glance at the clock told me I actually had slept most of the day. "I still feel pretty awful." I rustled my wings and shook myself. My muscles were sore, and my collection of bruises and bandaged shoulder ached. My throat was sandy, and I could feel a dull emptiness where my magic should be. I sighed. "So, how'd things go on your end? Where is she?" I looked around, leaning to peer into the kitchen. The mare I'd rescued was nowhere in sight.

"She, um." Vinyl paused, looking slightly ashamed.

"Yes?" I gave her an expectant look.

"Um, she sort of... "

"Spit it out."

"Sort of ran off...?"

"What."

"Totally not my fault! I was trying to explain things, help her recover a little. You know, ease her into the idea? Only I must have come on too strong, because she asked to use the bathroom, and then-- Poof!" She waved her hooves. "Gone! And you were asleep, and I didn't even get her name, and..." She buried her face in her hooves, groaning. "Sorry, Silver, I screwed up."

"Blech." I grimaced, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"Sorry for kicking you. Only, this has been really frustrating for me. She's out there alone, with no idea of what's coming, and I couldn't help but remember..." She trailed off, looking despondent. Gloom settled over the room as we both considered the implications.

"I need to talk to Syzygy,” I muttered. “And Intaglio, too."

"Silver..."

"Look, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I know you've got reasons to be wary of me, hay, wary of the Hunters. Just say the word, and I'll never darken your doorstep again."

"Unless it's really important again huh?" The lack of bitterness in her voice surprised me. "No, that's okay. I mean, the newborn saw me; I told her my name. I'm already involved. And... well, I enjoyed being your friend. Before. Nowadays, I ignore the Hunters and they ignore me. I'm not so worried anymore. Say, tell me..." She slipped her shades down her nose and gave me a piercing glare with her scarlet eyes. "You've been up for two days, frantically trying to finish a job, right? What happened this time?"

"Um." I coughed, embarrassed. This wasn't what I'd expected from Vinyl. Last time, we'd parted with hard words and harder feelings between us. I'd expected time to cool that, knew that despite our past differences we were still friendly, but still; frustration, disappointment, anger would have been par for the course. Instead, she was giving me concern and kindness.

"Well, see... my cloud house got towed."

"Huh?" She shoved her shades back up and smirked. "Towed? A house?"

"It's a pegasus thing, okay?" I waved a hoof defensively. "I was renting some airspace, over near the University, but you know I'm picky about the jobs I take." She nodded. "There wasn't much in my line of work coming up. All the jobs were for somepony posh or just needed hired muscle... Anyways, I got a li~ttle behind on my rent, so my landpony had it towed. If I want to move it out of the police zone, I need to pay my rent and the fine. And my rent keeps adding late fees."

"Your landpony's a louse," Vinyl snorted.

"Yeah, well. It was cheaper than renting on the ground." I shrugged. "Anyways, I bet this job was rigged from the start, but I should at least search for the pony who commissioned me. I'll be able to do that and get a message to Ziggy through my contacts. Then Intaglio needs to know what happened. This sort of thing, baiting a Hunter, that's the business of the whole organization, and the Chair’s gotta be in the loop."

"I guess." Vinyl scratched her head and sighed.

"Did you know they closed your case?" I asked. "They marked you 'vanished' and took down the reward."

"What?" She gave me a sharp glance. "When?"

"A few months, I thin—"

"And you didn't tell me?" I flinched at her sharp frown.

"I thought you'd—"

"Look, Silver." She raised a hoof and poked me in the chest. I took a step back. "Knowing there's no longer an organized group of mercenaries offering ten thousand bits for information leading to my capture is the sort of thing a mare might consider important. Okay?"

"Okay."

"This day just can't make up its mind." She rubbed her eyes and sighed, but I saw tension I hadn't even noticed lift off her. "Still, that's good news. Hay, that's great news. I need a drink." She spun, and I followed her into the kitchen. She set out two glasses and splashed dark red liquid into each, from two different bottles.

"Is that..."

"Brandy for you." She pushed one across the table. "And AB-positive for me." She took a sip. "I'm going to need more of this soon."

I sipped my brandy. I normally didn't drink right after getting up, but I normally didn't get up at sunset.

"This is good." I gave my glass a surprised look.

"Mine's better." She gave me a smug smile.

"I'll take your word on that." I glanced uneasily at her glass. "Where do you get that stuff, anyways?"

"What, the mighty Hunter can't unravel this mystery?"

"Sheesh, I was just curious." I paused. "You're not..."

"Hay no!" She slammed her glass down. "This is blood is one-hundred-percent consensual, fair trade certified, and organically harvested!"

"Organic?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Read the label." She reached into the fridge and dropped the dark glass bottle in front of me.

"Vinyl... this is a liquor bottle." I spun it so she could see. "Somepony sharpied out 'tequila' and penciled in 'blud'. They even spelled it wrong."

"Look, it's all good, okay?" She waved a hoof. "I don't do... that anymore. I'm reformed. You reformed me, remember?" She sighed. "Anyways, I'm almost out because I served our ungrateful waif about a pint of this stuff. It matches her pony type, so even though she was nearly dry, her magic should be good for at least a little while. After that, though, things will get tricky. Can you find her before that?"

"I'm... not sure." I frowned. "I have a rough description. Race, coat, mane, eyes, mark. But she's lost in the city, and investigative work takes time. I can't afford to hire anypony. Hay, I can't even tip my contacts." I groaned. "I gambled on this, Vinyl. I need to get Intaglio on my side and try to at least keep Syzygy quiet. If the other Hunters find out I've allowed a vampire loose, at the very least I'll be kicked out. Not even the boss will be able to stop them."

"I hear ya." She nodded sympathetically. "Well, I will say this: she's no nightwalker. She's different from an invert, though I don't know if I'd go so far as to start sticking myths and legends to her."

"Not like anypony can agree on what a 'daywalker' really is, besides dangerous."

"Right, well, here's the thing. If you don't find her, things might get tricky. But I will say there's a pretty good chance that if she starts to fade, she'll end up coming back."

"Oh... Because she rose here."

"Exactly." Vinyl stared into the distance. "Look, Silver... what happened between us, it was a while ago."

"Vinyl, I never intended—"

"No, and neither did I." She cut me off with a rap on the table. "But intentions are useless; it's actions we have to live with. And the long-and-short of it is, we both hurt each other, and I never really dealt with that." She sipped her drink. "I really liked being your friend, while it lasted. I hope we can try again, maybe with less secrets this time around. But taking another chance means... I guess what I'm trying to say is... Sorry." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry for not hearing you out. Sorry for not thinking things through. And, well, sorry for taking so long to say sorry."

"It's... that's... I forgive you," I mumbled awkwardly. "Sorry."

"You apologized last time, dumbass." She finished the last of her drink and grinned. "This day started sucky, but it's been looking up. I've got a club to be at. If you want to crash on my couch..." She turned serious for a second. "Actually, I'd really appreciate it if you stayed around until this is over. I'm not bad in a pinch, but if our mysterious waif comes back, having another pony for backup would help a lot."

"Sure." I grinned. "That... actually, that sounds really great. I'm in no mood to fly across the city just so I can fight my way through the paperwork needed to sleep in my own bed."

"Knock yourself out." She turned towards her bedroom, and I stumbled back to the couch, the brandy already filling my head with mist. I curled up on her battered red sofa, barely taking the time to pull the folded blanket off the back before drifting into sleep.

---

"He's gone, and he never left your payment."

"Blech." I grimaced at the plain words.

"You expected it?" The barkeep's gaze sharpened.

"Sort of." I was sitting on a bar stool, in the dim corner of a downtown dive, fishing cautiously for information. I eyed the pony behind the counter, a deep green unicorn with a carefully messy mane. Vagabond was one of the rumor-mongers and they-say farmers indispensable to the trade of a Hunter. He was good, but that didn't mean he was helpful. I paid him, but that didn't mean he worked for me.

I sighed and sipped my drink, filtered rainwater with a splash of lemon. No alcohol on the job.

The bar was empty, just me and the barkeep. Vagabond didn't even open until the middle of the afternoon, but he made exceptions for clients of his side-job.

"Something I should know?" There was an edge to his voice. "I pointed you towards this job. I vetted Sun Dew. If you know why he's missing…" He let the sentence trail off.

"Look… none of this is good news." I sagged a little. Vagabond pulled out a bottle and added a splash of lime to my water. "Alright, alright." I pulled the cup closer. "Here's the short version. From where I'm sitting, the whole thing looked like a trap."

"Oh." He frowned.

"I met up with Sun Dew, ironed out the details. He was looking for a necklace. He had some fancy tracing thing on it; seemed pretty straightforward. He wanted it back quick and quiet. I'm a flyer, somepony who could move quickly and triangulate locations, and wouldn't be afraid of confronting a thief. His widget led me around for most of two days. It was tiring but not hard. I pinned the location at sundown, a mansion out in the country. I scouted once, waited for dark, and went in. Things got… hairy."

"Details?"

"Not that I don't trust you, Vagabond… but this isn't over, and it could be delicate. Hunter business, you understand." I shifted uneasily. Vagabond didn't like being left out of the loop, and I wasn't any good at improvising or misdirection. "I'm taking this to Intaglio."

"Fine." He sighed. "So, Sun Dew set you up and defaulted?"

"That's what it looks like." I stirred my drink, listening to the ice clink. The small noise echoed, highlighting the empty room. "Hey, can you get me in touch with Syzygy?"

"Maybe." He frowned as I changed the topic. "Depends. That one is barely more social than you."

I sipped my drink, reflecting. 'Maybe' meant he could do it, with the right motivation. The problem was, I was flat broke. I was just glad that he didn't charge for a glass of water.

"I'll owe you one," I said finally. I didn't like handing out favors. I trusted Vagabond, but that was the problem: I trusted him to serve his own interest first, which usually meant his bottom line. Still, he had a certain sense of integrity, not least because he knew the Hunters were serious business. "A small one."

"Promises." He waved dismissively but sighed. "Fine, I'll put this on your tab." The back door opened, and he grinned. "Syzygy, nice to see you."

"Thanks, Vagabond." Syzygy took a seat next to me and counted a reasonable sum out to the barkeep, his blue coat bright in the gloom.

"Did you just—" I frowned at Vagabond.

"The best sort of deal is one where you get paid twice." He gave me a smug grin. "Anyways, I'll leave you two to your business."

"Could I get a drink, first?" Syzygy leaned on the counter. "A mug of cider."

"Certainly, certainly." Vagabond drew from the tap with smooth efficiency, nodded to us, and walked into the back.

"Sometimes I can't stand him." I flipped the coin Syzygy had given me onto the counter. "This is yours. It's an interesting piece of kit."

"Thanks. Nice to have it back; they don't make them anymore." His horn glowed dimly. "For a little security," he said when I glanced at it. "Not that I don't trust Vagabond, but…" He stopped casting and sipped his drink. "We're clear."

"So." I sighed. "Um."

"This is for you." He extracted a sheaf of papers from his saddlebags and laid them on the counter. "My notes on the analysis of the vampire."

"…Thanks." I skimmed the first page, glanced at the last page, and sighed. Technical reading was not my thing.

"Want a breakdown?" He flashed his trademark smile and sipped his cider.

"Please, if it's all the same to you." I tucked the papers under a wing.

"Well, I carted the corpse back to my lab and took a closer look. It's my standard to do a twenty-four hour observation on anything I recover. A vigil, if you will. It's a precaution I started after my first hunt, and yesterday, I was glad for it. At dawn precisely, the vampire rose."

"Again?" I couldn't keep the surprise from my voice.

"Again."

"But that would mean—"

"It wasn't the leader. Somepony was sending it power."

"But it was so… so…"

"Powerful? Intelligent? Yeah, I noticed too. It didn't take me long to subdue it again, with the precautions I had in place. Afterwards, I disassembled it. Slowly." He smiled. "It's not like any of the nightwalkers I've gone up against. It was something more. You know how, if a nest forms, there's one alpha that sort of sets the… character for the whole thing?"

I nodded. I'd never been unfortunate enough to go up against more than one nightwalker, but I knew the idea. If a nightwalker managed to spread the infection, its subordinates were bound by the thrall spell. They would serve the alpha as best as they could. If the alpha liked stealth, they were all stealthy. If it liked carnage…

"So, you think the alpha for this nightwalker was… intelligent."

"It's my best guess." He shrugged. "There's more in the writeup. I spent the whole day working on that, barely taking time to alert the Guard to check the mansion.”

“Good call.” I frowned. I should have done that; the Royal Guard tolerated the Hunters, but only as long as we played by their rules.

“Anyways,” he said, “I'm calling the thing a 'dusk walker'. You saw how much control it seemed to have over its magic? The thrall spell seems to degrade the abilities of the betas. It's not really noticeable with a normal nightwalker, but the betas are a little weaker. I think that each step in the chain lowers things a little more. It's hard to guess just how much, but if my guesses are right, then the one ruling this pony was—is, moderately intelligent. Capable of logical thought."

"Do you think it's an invert?"

"That's the best possibility, of course. Most inverts can't create thralls, but maybe there's one out there who could. Or there could be more to it. Maybe I'm one step closer to the center of the mystery."

"What mystery?"

"The mystery of vampires, of course." He gulped his cider. "Look, hasn't it ever bothered you? Where this all started?"

"Um." I sipped my water, thinking. "No, actually. No more than where timberwolves started, or the fae, or changelings, or… well, any of the nasty stuff I've seen."

"Pfah." For a second, contempt flashed in his eyes. "Silver… for such a good Hunter, you can be remarkably disappointing. Look, vampirism is a magical disease. A spell! Those don't just start. It takes will, by definition!"

"By definition? What about natural magic?" I frowned. "I'm no magician, Ziggy, but isn't some stuff just… the way things are?"

"Eh..." He frowned. "That’s… Hmm." He peered over the top of his glass. "Look, I'll try and condense ten years of magic theory into short words for you. Magic energy is natural. As far as we can tell, it's generated by life. Spells, however, are not. Organized magic reflects purpose, like any tool. All sorts of things float, but nothing is a 'boat' until somepony steps onto it. Spells are produced by will. Ah-ah!" He stopped me as I opened my mouth. "I didn't say intelligence, Silver. Will. Timberwolves have will, though they're not intelligent. Even poison joak has will. Behind each spell is a goal, even if it's as simple as 'fly'." He pointed to my wings. "Tools imply purpose. Somewhere, sometime, there was a purpose behind vampirism's creation."

"Somepony created that?" My jaw hung slack. "That's evil!"

"It's probably not that simple." He chuckled. "I really don't think somepony wanted what we have now. It's too… disorganized, loose. Whatever the purpose was, it's been lost. If it was working correctly, I'd be able infer purpose from the effect, and current effects are… pretty useless, actually. Vampirism doesn't help anypony, but on the large scale, it doesn't hurt us much either. It's not effective at anything. I'm certain it's changed between then and now. Maybe there was an accident; maybe it's poor design, maybe there was intelligence, but something went wrong. Or…" He gazed into the distance. "Maybe I’m wrong. Perhaps it's fulfilling its purpose exactly, and I simply don't have enough of the picture yet. Regardless, I'm convinced of one thing. Until I understand where this comes from, where it's going, I won't be able to stop it."

"Woah." I sat back, trying to fit a barrage of new ideas into my head. "You want to cure vampirism?"

"That would be nice." He smiled. "But let's be realistic. I'd settle for destroying it."

I sipped my water to hide a grimace. This was the sort of thing that convinced me Syzygy wasn't nearly as pleasant as he acted.

"O…kay. So. You think it's a daywalker?"

"I honestly hope not." He groaned slightly. "I've got nothing concrete on the beings which carry that title, but every legend and myth agrees; they're very bad news. I'm not nearly ready to face one yet."

"Hum." Implicit in that were the assumptions that, one, daywalkers were real, and two, one day he would be ready to face them.

"There's no blood on this."

"Huh?" I realized he was pointing to the the coin I'd returned.

"Was it useful?"

"Y-Yeah." I stopped, trying to recover my train of thought. I'd asked Vagabond to find Syzygy so I could talk to him about this, but now that we were actually face to face, I had no idea what to say. "Look, Ziggy. Can.. Can I trust you?"

"Now there's a leading question." He cocked an eyebrow. "What if I say yes, but lie? What if I say no, but I'm telling the truth?"

"Blech." I grimaced. "Okay, we’re both mercenaries. I'll be more direct. What's your price?"

"Information." The reply was instant. "You want my help? It's yours. Just tell me everything about the mare."

"Ooof." I puffed out a breath of air. "Yeah, you know."

"Of course I know." He tapped the coin. "No blood. Well, and your reaction the other night made it painfully obvious. So, let me in. Give me details."

I studied him for a moment, trying to gauge his character but not let my frustration show. I had trouble knowing when ponies were joking. Trying to read the intentions of somepony like Ziggy was frankly beyond me.

"Please!" I flinched at the intensity in his voice. "What do you want? Should I kneel? Plead? Silver, I'm deadly serious about this. Name your conditions, just let me know!" His brown eyes had gone wide, and he really did look ready to throw himself on the floor.

"Look… Ziggy." I turned away, so I didn't have to face his desperation. "I don't…" I stopped. I didn't really trust him. Part of that was, though, that I didn't trust myself to judge him. My eyes wandered across the counter, finally coming to rest on the coin. It really was interesting. I'd taken some time to examine it before coming, and maybe there was a way to ensure at least a little honesty here. "I don't know you very well, so here's what we'll do. I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you parts… with a little assurance. I want to make a wingpony pact with you."

"Support and protect, right?"

"It goes both ways." I shrugged. "You need my help in this, it's yours. But if I call on you, I'll expect your backup as well. It's an alliance, although I won't pretend we're comrades. That should assure you I'll tell you what you need, and it's promise enough my friends won't end up in your lab."

"What sort of monster do you take me for?" There was a flash of anger in his eyes, and for a moment, I felt abashed. I really had no evidence that Syzygy was anything more than a very pleasant pony. "Look, Silver. If you want to be my ally, I'll tell this to you straight. You have trust issues." He poked me with a hoof. "You think I'd stoop so low as to harm innocents?"

"I—"

"Don't say it. You drew blades to 'protect' her. You think I'd have given her any less of a chance than you did? Do you think our boss would punish you for taking a chance on a victim?" He stared at me, until I hung my head, ashamed. "If she's truly innocent, I'll swear." His voice returned to calm. "That's easy enough for me. But even if I swear, will you actually believe me? Can you bring yourself to trust the pony you see?" He gestured to himself.

"Swear…" I drew in a slow breath, steeling myself against his words. "Swear on your spathis."

"Ooooo." He gave me a long look. "And then you say something like this, and I remember why I'm afraid of you." I blinked, nonplussed. "How do you know that?" His voice turned sharp.

"This." I tapped the coin on the counter. "It's orichalcum, right? I have some idea of what that means."

"Then you have some idea what you're asking. My weapon is my life."

"I get that." I looked him in the eye. "And I realize it's a lot to ask. So, I'll put my cards on the table too." I flipped open a wing, and grabbed one of my quillons. With a quick yank, I pulled it from the quill it had been socketed in, and tossed it on the counter with a clank. It landed painted-side down, revealing golden metal on the bottom.

"Sssssilver…" Ziggy hissed, eyes going wide.

"And then you say something like this, and I remember why I'm scared of you." I gave him a flat stare. "Yes, I have one too. Very useful in this line of business, right? Conducts magic just as well as my feathers, so I can wear knives and still fly. Spell resistance; I've yet to find an enemy it won't cut. They even work on most shields. And as long as I keep my word, they'll always stay sharp."

"Fine." Syzygy gave me a nod. "Here's the conditions. As long as she's an innocent, I'll help you protect the mare. As long as you're not acting against the law or the Hunters or me, I promise you what support I can give."

"That… sounds fair." I thought for a moment. "As long as you don't spread the information, and use it to help ponies and not harm them, I'll pass on everything I can. As long as you're not acting against the law, the Hunters, myself, or my friends, I promise to support you when you call." Syzygy pondered a moment, and then nodded. We both placed hooves on our weapons.

"I so swear."

"I so swear."

A spark jumped from the quillon. Syzygy smiled, and my feelings of distrust came crashing back. What had I just gotten myself into?

"Now." His grin grew. "Maybe you can tell me why you were looking for me."

"Right." I sighed.

This wasn't going to be much fun at all.

Shadow walking

Vampire.

I pushed the door open and stepped into the mansion.

Am I really…?

I remembered the smell of Shimerelle's blood and the delicious, comforting drink Vinyl had served me.

Really…?

I'd made some half-hearted excuses to Shimerelle and escaped to class as fast as I could. Seeing her bleed… smelling her bleed had been profoundly unsettling. I wasn't bad with blood; or I'd never been bad with blood before. But near her, I couldn't stop myself from smelling it, wanting it. That had shaken me, the sudden, intense, alien craving. I wasn't used to struggling with impulses. Self-control was second nature.

I'd wandered through class in a daze, more worried than I cared to admit. My naturally cool demeanor had masked my internal turmoil, and I was reasonably confident I'd avoided attention. I hadn't really cleared my head until I'd gotten back to the apartment, done my homework, and practiced my cello.

Music always helped. I'd slept fairly well after that.

Now, I'd taken another step in my plan. My classes on Tuesday ended early, and I'd headed directly to the mansion afterwards.

I ambled through the house, taking notes and inspecting, trying to understand. I slowly re-created what I could, tracing the hints left behind, but being careful to minimize my own tracks.

My music search was as I'd left it. I glanced at the files I'd been rummaging, taking a second to return them to their places. I sighed, wondering about the music I'd sought, but resigned myself to finding it another day.

As I assembled pieces, a frown started to form on my face. I was no tracker, but with the amount of dirt and grime layering the house, I didn't need to be. There were four visible sets of hoofprints.

My own were obvious. The other three were a little more obscure.

One was clearly a pegasus. They started and stopped suddenly, even going so far as to leap from a balcony to the floor of the main hall. They were unshod, the hooves of somepony who didn’t walk much. Another set of prints, the most common, were also unshod but also obviously unkempt. The edges were cracked and rough. The last set had small, almost dainty shoes with a decorative edge.

There were no real signs of struggle until I reached the garden.

Even there, I didn't find much. A few broken branches, a patch or two of scraped dirt and a neat circle, carefully incised in the sod.

Not much at all.

I sighed, slumping in the shade of a tree and trying to think. I hadn't come here with any real expectations, but I'd hoped to find something concrete, something useful.

Finally, tired of moping and unable to jar any more ideas loose from my brain, I left.

"Octavia!"

I was trotting out the door, carefully closing it behind me, when my brother showed up.

"Summer?" I looked up, searching for him. He swooped in for a landing, gracefully settling on the walkway, a deep brown pegasus with a windswept sunset-gold mane. "Summer!" I galloped over and pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his dark wings around me and squeezed me back.

"It's good to see you, sis. But what are you doing here?"

"Well…" I drew a breath, about to tell him everything, but my feelings of trepidation gave me pause. If I started making ridiculous claims, he'd have trouble taking me seriously. Maybe jumping in the deep end wasn't a great choice. "I was looking for sheet music. Mom said she might have left some." I drew back. He wasn't wearing his armor, but I noticed the badge clipped to his chest. "Are you here on Royal Guard business? Don't you normally work in the city?"

"Normally, yeah." He shrugged. "But my boss asked me to check this place over since it's our house and land. Apparently there've been reports of something strange going on here, and he needed an opinion on whether to contact the Hunters. Are you okay? Did you notice anything?"

"Hunters?" I cued on the unfamiliar name. "Who are they?"

"Um…" He scratched his head. "It's… hard to explain."

"I'm all ears." I flicked one towards him, and he grinned.

"Alright, sure. Well, have you ever heard stories of strange things happening? Stuff that's wrong, but more than just normal wrong?"

"Like changeling attacks?"

"Yes, exactly. Something like a changeling attack. The Hunters are a group of, well, freelancers who deal with that sort of thing."

"And that's legal?" I frowned. "Shouldn't the Guard take care of it?"

"Well…" He coughed, slightly embarrassed. "Not to impugn the Guard, but most of us are pretty… normal. Sure, we get basic training, and a few of us can actually fight—" he grinned "—but specialists are specialists. And it's totally legal. They're organized and licensed; the boss worked it all out with Her Majesty, and half the time, we're the ones who hire them. They're almost auxiliary."

"…oh." My mind whirled. "Say, Summer. Have you heard anything about vampires?"

"Vampires?" He grimaced. "Look, sis, that's exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. The Guard keeps the peace. We deal with crimes of all sorts, but anything involving criminal magic gets handed off to a qualified detective, who usually goes to the Hunters if it's both magic and dangerous. We don't get many of those. Why?" His eyes sharpened. "Tavi, you are okay, right? Did you notice anything when you were here?"

"I might have heard some noises," I said meekly. "Upstairs. In the night."

"Really?" He leaned in, excited. "Tell me everything!"

"Um, there's not much to tell." I shrank back from his inquisitive gaze. Suddenly, the sunlight seemed a little too bright, his eyes a little too piercing. "I was in the basement, and I heard some noises. I thought it was just the house settling."

"Oh." He stepped back, slightly disappointed. "Well, I'll have a look myself. See you around!"

"Sure." I gave him another hug and turned down the pathway, lost in thought. I was halfway to the road when I realized what I'd done.

"I just lied to my brother." I stopped dead, realizing. “I trust my brother.” I almost turned back, but something stopped me. "I just lied to my brother, and I don’t even know why."

---

"Octavia?"

As usual when I was unsettled, I tried to find solace in my cello and the music I loved best.

"Hmm?" I looked up from my practice. "Shimerelle, how are you?"

"Oh, something crazy happened!" She bounced into my room like a ray of sunshine. "You know how I'm doing a project on unicorn flight, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I got permission to watch the pegasus phys ed; the basic one, where they play airball, and you wouldn't believe it, but there's a dragon in the class!"

"What?" I gave her a sharp look. "A dragon? Really?"

"Really!" Her green eyes went wide. "A dragon! He's really cool. He's got these ice-blue scales and huge wings, and he looks a lot like a pony, but you can tell he's not because of how he flies. He's not very good with the rules, though." She paused. "Have you been playing scales all afternoon?"

"The basics are important." I set down my bow. "And I did go for a walk." The mansion was a ways out of town.

"But you've been alooone?" She drew the word out, mincing closer on the tips of her hooves.

"Yes." I nodded hesitantly. I had a pretty good idea what she was about to suggest.

"You should come hang out with me! Some of us are going downtown for supper. Come along, it'll be fun!"

"Um." I glanced out the window. Normally, I'd have considered it seriously, but it looked so bright outside.

"Come on! Staying cooped up in here isn't good for you. You'll feel better if you spend some time with other ponies. Even I can see you've got a strange look in your eyes."

"My eyes look strange?"

"Nothing a little company won't fix!" She gave me a cheerful smile.

"Uh, right. I'll think about it." I set my cello on its stand and carefully pushed her out the door.

"Let me know if you're coming!" she called as I closed it.

"Sure," I mumbled, turning to my mirror. I leaned in close, trying to focus on my own eyes. When I realized what I was seeing, the surprise was oddly muted, as if my emotions had a blanket over them.

My pupils were slightly elliptical.

It wasn't much; just a little thinning. Still, they were noticeably narrower at the top and bottom than in the middle. I looked out the window again, at the too-harsh sunlight, and my mood dropped even lower. I turned despondently back to my cello. Music would help.

And for a while, it did. It wasn't until the sun was nearly set that I realized my notes were wobbling.

My bow squeaked, pulling me from my reverie. I frowned, pausing in the middle of my scales. I tried to firm my grip on my instrument, but I suddenly felt weak and unsteady. Moving carefully, I tenderly returned the cello to its stand.

I paced for a moment, trying to get a grip on what I was feeling. My legs were steady, but I felt quivery and uneasy. A gleam of setting sun shot through the curtains, and I shied away. I stumbled over to the mirror for another look at my eyes. They'd become even more slit, almost to the level of a cat's. I pulled my lip back, staring in muted horror at teeth that suddenly seemed more pointed and vicious than before.

Now shaking with real apprehension, I carefully walked over to my bed and collapsed. As I lay there, shivering under the weight of confusion and fear, I tried to think clearly. For the first time in years, though, calm, collected thought betrayed me. My mind kept spinning in circles. Something had happened; something was happening to me. I had no idea what it was, but it scared me. Every solution I considered seemed to darken with further consideration. I imagined fear, scorn, and revulsion in response to telling anypony. I couldn't even convince myself to tell my family; my mind just kept circling back around to that grim smile Vinyl had given me, and I'd push the idea away, beginning the cycle again.

Finally, I forced myself upright, and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. If I couldn't do anything worthwhile, I'd at least do something. I wanted to be moving, acting, even if it was just so I wasn't laying paralyzed.

I couldn't lift the glass.

Stymied, I nearly burst into tears. Ever since I'd learned to lift things as a foal, I'd taken the small magic of my hooves for granted. It was something you didn't think about, like getting your eyes to focus. I tapped the glass again and again, hoping it would be different, but nothing happened. I remembered the quavers in my notes, felt the unsteady rolling in my gut, and came to a frightening conclusion.

I was losing my magic.

I'd never been a particularly powerful pony. I had the strength, of course, and on occasion, I felt the flows of life that so entranced some earth ponies. Still, I'd never had much occasion for using my magic. It was just there.

I'd never realized just how much I depended on it. Without magic, I couldn't play my cello. I remembered the way the sun had seared me and shuddered, my apprehension and uncertainty returning with a crash. What would I do? Where would I go? Who could I trust?

I was actually sniffling, standing mutely by the sink, tapping a water glass ineffectually, when Shimerelle came home.

"I'm baaaack~!" she sang, pushing the door open. "Tavia? Hellooo?"

I froze. I couldn't let her see me like this. I couldn't let her ask questions; I couldn't face her care. I needed to hide, to run, to–

Part of me, a distant, calm, collected part, wanted me to pause and examine that train of thought. There was something off about it; something that didn't fit with the careful control I'd cultivated for so long. Whispered worries were pushed aside, though, as I heard dainty hoofsteps twinkle into the entryway. One doorway between us; I needed to be gone now.

Another part of me, a part that had teeth and shifty eyes, surged forward. Suddenly, my need crystallized into action. I stepped forwards, positioning myself directly next to the door. It swung open, shielding me from view, as Shimerelle stepped into the room. She reached for the lightswitch, and I realized with muted surprise that it had been pitch dark ever since the sun finished setting. I'd never even noticed.

I slit my eyes as the light flashed on. I moved with silent hoofsteps, casually stepping behind my roommate and walking out the door. She never looked back, never heard a sound. I slipped out the front door, even as she started towards my room.

I'd been right behind her, and she'd never even realized. I closed the door silently and set off into the night.

At first, I kept mainly to the university campus. It didn't take long for me to realize just how different things were for me today; even in the dark I saw clearly. It wasn't like the light of day. Instead, colors were more muted, and details seemed fuzzier. Yellow and blue were sharper than red and green, but I could still discern faces and coats for the most part.

As I wandered, I found myself slipping unconsciously around passerby. It was almost as if I could feel where their eyes and attention fell. I simply avoided their gaze, casually skirting the edges of their awareness. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hardly even noticed what I was up to until I slid right through a small clump of ponies, and none of them even paused in their conversation.

As I wandered, some of the tension slowly faded from me. I knew I had a problem. I knew I needed to face it. I also knew that, for now, there was nothing I could do, so I did my best to shelve it and get my emotions back on track. It was slow going, but I eventually stopped feeling quite so desperate.

Finally, I reached the edge of the college and looked out into the town. I still had no idea where I was going or what I was doing, but the urge to go and do were still strong, so I just kept walking.

The light was more textured between the buildings. Instead of the scattered illumination of windows and doors from the college, streetlights marked sharp circles of brightness, dividing the dark with crisp lines. I wove between them, sticking to the shadows.

It felt right, somehow.

I looked up, catching the moon as a cloud slipped past. It was getting late, but I didn't feel tired. A buzzing, twanging energy drove me onwards. I wound my way down from the high neighborhoods into the denser buildings near the bottom of the city. I took to the alleyways, reveling in the deeper darkness and high walls. A sense of purpose began to creep over me as I moved from shadow to shadow. My general feelings of discomfort began crystallizing into a goal beyond simply moving. I began glancing into doorways, peering up staircases and sweeping my gaze over the detritus that accumulates in the crevices of civilization. I was no longer simply drifting. I was searching for something, now.

I hardly realized what I was doing as I began edging closer and closer to the sounds of life. Before, I'd been avoiding ponies. I'd kept to quiet streets, slipping past the occasional pedestrian, seeking out a little solitude in the shadows. Now, though, I felt like what I sought, my elusive purpose, was nearer the brighter lit, more populated streets.

I quickly drifted towards downtown. Canterlot was a large city, and even on a weeknight, there were ponies up and about. I continued moving subtly, not so much stealthy as just casually on the edge of notice. As the amount of pedestrians increased, ponies moving from bar to restaurant and store to bar, a few of them started catching my eye. My gaze would skim past, before something in me caught, and I'd find myself watching them.

It might be something small. That one's limping. Or something larger. That one's nearly blind. Finally, though, as I worked my way from shadow to shadow up a larger street, heading towards an even tighter squeeze of bars and ponies, one grabbed my attention and held it firmly. She's bleeding.

Without even considering what I was doing, I started after her. She slowly led me away from the street, leaving most of the night-goers behind. Normally, tracing hoofsteps in a dark street would have made me uncomfortable, but now I only felt a slight thrill.

After a moment, that worried me enough to stop.

I paused in a shadow, letting my mind freewheel. My thoughts spun in circles, some of the desperation from before seeping back in. I'd smoothed it over with my walk, but… once I paused, I realized just how alien my actions and thoughts were. I'd been feeling stranger and stranger since yesterday, and now it was even affecting my attitudes and habits? Had I just been… stalking?

I almost turned back, about to slip back towards less inhabited streets, but a sudden movement caught my eye. I turned back to the pony I'd been watching to find her staring back at me.

Smiling.

I had no reactions for this. My thoughts were confused, my instincts a mess. I just stood stock-still, frozen, as she slowly walked over to me.

"My…" I had a half-registered impression of her, a jumble of dappled shadows and lamplight, as she paced up and leaned uncomfortably close. "You look simply delicious."

"That's funny." My voice was flat; I barely even listened to what I was saying. "I was thinking the same of you." She took a half-step back at that, hooves clicking loud on the cobblestones. Then her smile grew even wider. Some remnant of my discipline kept my eyes hooded, my stance firm. I was absolutely unsure of what to do here, but that was no reason to let it show.

After a moment of silence, her smell changed. The air wafting off her faded from warm and comforting to a fresh, living scent. It was wind off the forest, alien to the hard streets and stone walls of the city. Her smile grew even wider, stretching impossibly towards her ears as her eyes grew deeper and more lustrous.

"Hmmm…."

For a second, I thought she was speaking, but her voice just went on, quickly passing where a normal pony would need to draw breath. My ears twitched as I caught a faint, lilting tune just on edge of hearing. It swam on the edge of recognition, something I should understand but couldn't. I strained to catch it, trying to grasp the elusive sound, engrossed in curiosity.

I didn't even notice that she'd moved closer until something whirred past my nose and clanked into her head.

"Huh?" My attention returned as she gasped, falling backwards. For a second, her coat seemed to tear, revealing something underneath, a swirling green strangeness. She skittered back, looking behind me in surprise before awkwardly leaping to her hooves and clattering away. I looked down at the projectile. It was a simple iron horseshoe.

"Hey, you okay?" A gentle hoof shook me. I flinched, my bemused mind still awash with confusion.

"Sorry, I’m just–" I looked over at the interloper. My mind registered the green coat and sungleam eyes, recognition clicking into place and flooding me with renewed panic.

"-Lyra?" I gasped.

"Octavia?" She sounded nearly as surprised as me. I didn't give her time to think. I whirled, intending to be gone. A yank on my tail brought me up short. Unable to run, I nearly curled up into a ball, about to surrender to the conflict raging in my mind.

"Good grief." I felt a shoulder steady me and half-collapsed on it. "Never would have guessed it was you. You're in a bad way. Good thing one of us found you. Let's get you back to Vinyl."

Recognition surprised me again. But unable to escape, unable to argue, tired to death of feeling so lost, I snatched at the single thread of familiarity offered to me and nodded weakly.

"O-Okay."

---

"Feeling better?"

I stared morosely into my mug. Vinyl's kitchen was brightly lit, dusted with the detritus of a busy day. She sighed slowly, resting her chin on a hoof. Lyra sat next to me, calm eyes covering a hint of worry.

"Is this really…?" I lifted my eyes from the dark liquid to her face.

"Yeah." We sat in silence for another long moment until she slammed a hoof on the table, rattling it and making me jump. "Octavia, right?" Her voice was level, but her nostrils flared with suppressed frustration. I nodded slowly.

"First rule of being a bloodsucker. Always, always have some on hoof."

"I—"

"Quiet." She stared at me until I closed my mouth. "I'm giving this to you straight, because I won't... can't keep you here if you want to leave." Her eyes flicked to the door, and she shoved the bottle across the table at me. "Take it when you go. Half-cup in the morning, half in the evening, and most of the symptoms should stay… suppressed. Cravings, paranoia, photosensitivity. The longer you starve, the worse things will get. You were maybe half, two-thirds gone when Lyra found you." She lowered her shades, shooting me a piercing glare with her deep red eyes. "It gets worse. Trust me, you don't want to go farther. Did your magic start faltering?"

I nodded curtly.

"Yeah, okay. Don't let it go that far again. That's the beginning of the really bad stuff. If you need more, come find me." She huffed, and settled back into silence.

I sipped my drink again.

"Look, Vinyl—" Lyra broke the silence, moving to stand.

"I'm sorry." I composed my features, enunciating clearly. Both of them turned to me, and I drew a long, shuddering breath, despite my care. "I… sorry." I slumped again, unsure. I was comfortable with apologies, but this… actually being sorry, this was hard. "Thank you for your help. I’m sorry for... for the way I treated you."

"I—" Vinyl started.

"Vinyl." Lyra cut her off.

"I forgive you." She shot Lyra a glare. "Right, okay. Yeah, I was pissed when you disappeared like that, but…" Her features softened slightly. "I'm mad at myself, too, and it's unfair to let that out on you." She rubbed her eyes with a hoof, before holding it out to me. "Look, let's… just forget about it. We got off to a rocky start, I'm good at that. Call it quits, 'k?"

"Thank you," I said faintly, tapping her hoof with my own. "Really."

"You're very welcome." She gave me a firm nod. "This city is wild; we've got to look after each other. I'm just glad you didn't do something you'd regret." There was wry twist to her voice, but she shook her head and smiled. "I wish we had time to talk, but you're going to crash hard. You'd better get home soon."

"I'll take you." Lyra cut in. "I'm headed that way."

"We need to talk." I picked up the bottle, checking the stopper. "Can I—"

"Come back whenever." Vinyl waved a hoof. "I'm usually around during the day. Be careful, you two."

"Will do," Lyra replied.

---

We mostly walked back in silence. My mind was still spinning, and Lyra, from what little time we'd spent together, was a quiet sort. She showed me to my door but stopped me right before I slipped inside.

"Octavia, do you wear iron shoes?"

"No." I glanced at my lightly-shod hooves, uncertain why she was asking.

"Here." She slipped one of hers off, the same one she'd thrown earlier. "Keep this on you. Vinyl's good, but she really doesn't get some of this stuff. There's more to this life than just going through the motions. Right now you're ignorant, different, and unfortunately, weak." She sighed. "There's no kind way to say this, but the best way to sum up that description is prey. I doubt that Pict will go after you again, but… just in case. Get a set of iron shoes and wear them until you know why."

I hesitantly took the shoe. I stared for a moment, relief washing through me as I realized I could grasp it normally. I looked up after a moment, but that one act of normalcy seemed to unbind the strange muffling on my thoughts. I nearly staggered as a sudden clamor of reality exploded into my mind, a thousand reactions and emotions leaping to life, each vying for the attention it should have received hours ago. I staggered.

"Aaaaand there it goes." She gave me a warm smile and stepped in for a hug, which I shakily returned. "Get to bed, get some sleep. You'll feel miles better tomorrow."

"Right." I stumbled inside, feeling my way to my room. I barely took the time to kick off my shoes and slough off my scarf before collapsing. "Right…" I mumbled, even as sleep rolled in.

Fire and Flight

"Blech."

I stood outside a simple office. Intaglio, despite leading the entire Hunter organization, wasn't one for show.

The talk with Syzygy had been about as trying as I expected. He'd been spot-on with his accusations on trust. I'd always been something of a loner, preferring my own strength to that of others. Despite his oath, I couldn't put that aside so easily. I'd told him the basics of what happened. He'd laughed and laughed when he heard the victim had simply walked out on us, then pressed hard for details. I'd tried to balance his promised aid against keeping secrets that weren't really mine. In the end, we'd both been fairly dissatisfied, but he'd finished his drink with a smile and promised me that was the sign of a good compromise.

Now I just had to deal with the other bothersome meeting.

I grimaced again and walked through the door.

Inside, the place was just as sparse. A bare hallway led to a small sitting-room, with a well-used desk standing by a closed door. The furniture was comfortably utilitarian. A few magazines were scattered on a coffee table, and an antique grandfather clock ticked in the corner. The office was plain, but also welcoming and elegant.

"Afternoon," Intaglio's secretary, a lanky stallion, greeted me laconically. "Here to see the boss?"

"Yeah." I sighed, leaning against his desk.

"That bad?" He flipped a calendar open, scanning it quickly.

"Let's put it this way… I have bad news, worse news, and no payment."

"Ooof." His brow crinkled at that. "Head on in, he's not busy."

"Thanks." I rapped once on the inner door and pushed it open.

As he'd said, Intaglio was simply leaning back in his chair, his brass pipe glowing atop his desk. His eyes were closed, and for a moment I paused, unsure if he'd fallen asleep, the afternoon sunlight shimmering off his golden scales.

Bad enough my boss was a dragon. I didn't want to wake him in his lair.

"Silver." His eyes slit open, and a groping claw snagged his pipe. He breathed in slowly, the clean-burning camphor he smoked leaving a minty smell in the air.

"Afternoon, boss." I stepped up to his desk, pushing my frustration down. I didn't like being the bearer of bad news, but at least I knew Intaglio well enough that I could put his ferocious appearance aside.

"What's up?" He crossed his arms behind his head, looking down his snout at me. The black etching covering his scales seemed to shift as he moved. He looked something like a small, snaky minotaur, a muscular golden biped with a long, fanged snout. His eyes were as golden as his scales, and he stood tall. Even his desk was higher than normal.

"Bad, worse, or worst?"

"Hmm." He rubbed his snout, taking another drag on his pipe. "Start with the bad."

"I never got paid." I frowned.

"And it gets worse?" He grimaced. "Fine, start from the beginning."

"Sure." I sighed. Here we go again. I pulled up a cushion and settled in for another explanation. "Well, it seemed like an ordinary job at first…"

---

"Fewmets." He swore quietly. Detailing everything again had taken several hours, again. The sun was down, and his office was now lit by flickering candlelight. His golden bulk shifted in the shadows. He had lightbulbs in here, but I'd never seen them on. "A baited trap. And she's gone, whatever she is?"

"Yeah." I nodded slowly. "Sorry, boss. I didn't handle this well at all."

"Cry yourself to sleep." He waved my apology away. "You were tired, outmaneuvered, and underprepared. You know there's little enough room for regrets in this job. What else?"

"That's the long and the short of it. I think I've got Syzygy on my side, at least in the short term, but the victim… I've no idea where she is or what's going on. My friend—"

"The invert?"

"Yes," I sighed, "the invert, is putting together a search party."

"Without the Hunters." He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Look, Intaglio… You're practical."

"Mmm."

"You know we're not the only group in the city who sees the darker side of things."

"Ah, I see." He steepled his claws. "Look, Silver, you're free to do as you wish. But there's a reason the Hunters tend to be… chary… of the outliers. Many of them aren't the sort of people you want to work with."

"You know I feel the same about some Hunters," I sighed. "Too many of us carry this… elitist attitude, like we're the only ones allowed to be competent, or like taking money makes us righteous. It's horsefeathers, and you know it."

"Right, right." He rubbed a claw on his snout, sighing. "Just… be careful."

"Will do." I nodded. Awkward silence rolled in as he thought deeply for several long minutes.

"You have three days to find her and convince me she's not a threat." His eyes re-focused on me. "Any longer and the risks are too high. After that, I'll put up a description and reward myself. And I'll expect to be kept in the loop here. You know how much trouble a vampire can cause. If any of our divisive members hear you're playing with fire, the only way I can help at all is if I know what's going on."

"Sleet," I swore. "Fine. You're the boss. But I'll keep this under control."

"See you do." He gave me a long look, distaste pulling at his lip. "It's a nasty business. And I'll dig into the story on that necklace."

"Good." I sighed at that, the weight finally lifting off my neck. It was no longer just my problem. I nodded and started to stand.

"You know I hate to bring this up, but your dues are overdue." Intaglio's voice was flat. I paused, sighed, and sat back down. The rules left him little leeway, even for his friends.

"I was planning…" My voice petered off.

"Planning to pay them with this last job, huh?" He rolled his eyes at that. "Look, Silver. You're an exceptional Hunter. If you'd just swallow your pride, you'd be raking in bits."

"Right," I mumbled. Pride. That was it.

"Look, I've just got a job in. Check it out." He pulled a carbon-copy from the pile of paper on his desk and slid it towards me.

"I don't—"

"Please."

I picked up the paper and skimmed the relevant details quickly before dropping it like I'd burned a hoof.

"You can't be serious!"

"It's an easy job."

"But… teaching? You know I have reasons for taking low-profile jobs and avoiding attention. You want me in front of a class, in a public setting! I’m not even qualified!"

"You've got a flight instructor's license."

"Um, no?"

"You're a horrible liar." He smiled. "And I've got a copy on file."

"Intaglio!"

"Look, Silver… I need somepony I trust doing this one."

"What?" My train of thought ground to a halt, and I skimmed the paper again. Canterlot University was looking for a substitute instructor for five days of a phys-ed course. The situation wasn't exactly routine, but any sort of job could be submitted to the Hunter's agency, and we could pick whichever ones we wanted. There was nothing shady going on here. That I could see.

"Pay my dues." I narrowed my eyes at him. He leaned back in his chair, a wry look on his face.

"Fine." He smirked.

"Ah!" I gnashed my teeth. "Boss, I don't—"

"You agreed!" He leaned forward, grinning now. "Anyways, you're licensed. You can do this, I know it. And I'm helping you, right? With the vampire?" He shrugged. "Do this for me."

"Urgh." I rubbed my forehead and absently rolled my wings. I didn't like owing favors. "Alright, fine." I scooped up the paper.

"I'll have my secretary finish the paperwork tomorrow, so you can head right to the job. Remember to keep me in the loop." He leaned back as I turned for the door, drawing on his pipe in the dimly lit room.

"Right, right." I rubbed my eyes. "I'll get right on it."

---

I pondered the situation early the next morning as I lifted off at Vinyl's doorstep. She was still asleep, but she'd left me a note saying she'd managed to reconnect with the bitten mare, one Octavia Philharmonica, while I'd been dealing with the Hunter's organization last night. That was a good start. Better than I'd expected, really, but it was just the beginning of this snarl. Unraveling everything would be a big job.

At least I have something to report on that. I sighed as I considered today's job. Intaglio wants my help at the University but didn't tell me how. He trusts me… but doesn't want to say exactly what's going on here. I didn't like the conclusions I was drawing. It's obvious there's more here than meets the eye, but I have no idea what! The more I thought, the more my annoyance grew. This smells like politics. Bloody hail, Intaglio.

I was still mulling the situation over as I neared Canterlot University. It was a beautiful morning, and I let myself drift for a long moment, feeling the wind sift through my feathers. The school unrolled beneath me, buildings scattered on green grass, laced together with winding pathways. There was a certain chaotic energy to the whole ensemble, a subtle disorganization produced by the surge and ebb of expansion, constricted by the surrounding city. It gave the school a maze-like quality, confusing the eye.

I circled lazily, trying to spot the place I needed. Eventually, I recognized it from the map, a small building just to the side of the sports fields. I tucked my wings and dove, glorying in the exhilarating speed and freedom of flight.

I landed lightly, spreading the tips of my wings and breaking hard as I swooped in. A nearby pony jumped at my sudden appearance. I smiled and stepped towards him.

"Sorry. This is the athletics department, right? Can you point me towards…" I pulled out my paper, double-checking. "A professor Shacklebolt?"

"Offices are down the stairs, on the left." He pointed towards the door. "There's a directory at the end of the hall."

"Thanks." His curiosity faded as I turned away. I could blend in here well enough, as long as I kept my professional paranoia subtly hidden. The blades in my wings were invisible to the untrained eye, and with a beaten-up saddlebag, I didn't look much different from the average student.

"Excuse me." I knocked once on the open door and stepped into a messy office. "Professor Shacklebolt?"

"Yes?" An earth pony mare with a clipped yellow coat and neatly braided ochre mane looked up from her desk. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Silver Lining, from the Hunter's organization." I presented the contract, with a copy of my flight instructors' license.

"Oh. Oh!" She snagged the papers and flipped through them. "That was faster than I'd hoped." She paused as she perused my license. "And you're lifeguard certified. Even better! Can you start today?"

"Um." I paused, unsure. "Well, I don't…" I sighed. "Maybe? Sorry, but I'm not exactly sure what you need. I assume it's not tutoring. The boss asked me to apply. I've never really taken this sort of job before."

"Hmm." Her eyebrows crinkled. "That's a little unusual, but this is an unusual situation. And you seem qualified enough…" She checked the clock, stood, and ushered me out of the office. "We really did need somepony on short notice. Class is about to start, so let me show you what we're dealing with."

I trotted after as she took a twisty path through the small building. We exited on the side opposite to where I'd entered, stepping out onto the fields and cutting directly across to where a colorful group of pegasi were stretching.

"You know the rules for airball?" She shot me a searching look.

"I grew up in Cloudsdale," I replied flatly. She shrugged and nodded.

"Well, this is one of our basic classes. All students are required to take some sort of physical education; healthy minds in healthy bodies, all that. It's not very competitive or strict, but it's good exercise."

I grunted. A noncompetitive pegasi sport? Yeah, right.

"Anyways, this year's class is a little different— oh, there they go." She nodded as the flock took to the air, flitting and wheeling into teams. "Tell me what you think."

I frowned, focusing my attention on the players. The game started fairly normally. Two clouds were herded quickly into place as goals, a lump torn off one and compressed for a handy ball. The teams clashed at speed, bodies milling in clumps and flitting through the air as charges were made and deflected. Flying wedges crumpled against defensive walls, which in turn rushed into opposing airspace.

After a few minutes, I noticed something strange. One of the silhouettes wasn't quite… right.

"What is that?" I pointed towards the player. They had wider wings than their size suggested, and the edges were scalloped strangely.

"Our problem this year," Shacklebolt sighed. "That's Beau, the one and only dragon to enroll in Canterlot University."

"A… dragon." I groaned internally. Sleet, Intaglio. What have you pushed me into?

"Yes, the University takes all types. We draw from the Gifted Schools first and foremost, but any reasoning being with the proper recommendations is welcome. Beau passed the entrance exams with flying colors. He's a top honors student, which isn't surprising. He's likely older than most of the buildings at this school. I just wish he'd learned a little more self-control. Look."

I turned my gaze skywards again as the ref's whistle shrilled. I winced as a pegasus spiraled out of control, brushed away as a clearly offside dragon hurtled past the defensive line. Instead of grinding to a halt, though, the competition intensified. Fliers curved towards him; a defensive line formed and fell. Yells started drifting down. I frowned in consternation as the game began disintegrating.

"Not competitive, huh?"

"That's exactly the problem." Shacklebolt matched my frown. "This class is usually laid-back. But for some reason, one unruly student manages to do… this, almost every time." The rumble was quickly degenerating into a brawl as rules and finesse were tossed aside in favor of ferocious power-plays. "Our coach isn't dealing well with being unable to manage his class. It reflects negatively on his job, and I'm afraid he's caught some nasty words from the other teachers. He needs a break, and I aim to give him one. You won't need to run any games, just keep the students busy. Do flying drills; you're qualified." I nodded absently, focused on the game. Why would the coach allow this? Didn't anypony in the class listen?

"Hold that thought. I'll be back." I shucked off my saddlebags, flicking my wings wide and flashing into the game's airspace for a closer look. I was at altitude in a split-second, Shacklebolt small below, my contrail burning red in the cool air. I snapped to a stop above the game, eyes flickering from point-to-point as I measured and weighed the group dynamic. It had been a long time since I'd played airball, but it was integral to my childhood. I'd been pretty good, once, and an amateur in Cloudsdale was a serious player elsewhere.

There's the coach… I pegged him quickly and managed to divide the rest of the ponies by the team flags they wore. After a few moments, I started to realize what was really going on. I watched a little longer as Beau powered through the last of the defense and veritably shredded the goal. I grimaced as the attacking team jeered, prompting yells from the defense. This was a real mess, but maybe…

I hovered for a minute, lost in thought as I weighed obstacles and solutions. Could I do something about the underlying issue? The problem was fairly obvious to me, but the fix… well, it was bothersome. I could probably manage, but the attention it would draw… I groaned. I had good reasons for only taking low-profile jobs. Intaglio, may your wings rot! This was going to be uncomfortable, but I didn't really have a choice, not with the way I'd pushed him for favors.

I resigned myself, sighed, and dove.

"Right." I touched down gently by Shacklebolt. "Where'd you hire your teacher from? Pine Whisper Village?"

"Huh?" She gave me a perplexed look.

"Because he wasn't raised in a pegasus city."

"Fair Play is an excellent coach, who—"

"Who doesn't know the first thing about handling a herd of pegasi. This is about leadership, not teaching. Look, get them down here, and I'll see about sorting this out."

"Hmm." She gave me a searching look but waved to the coach. The herd was settling down now, and Fair Play blew a few short blasts on his whistle. The players slowly broke up, and he led them down. I winced.

When they had all landed, Shacklebolt trotted over. The ponies fell silent a moment as she raked a commanding gaze over them before drawing Fair Play aside.

"Fair, this is Silver Lining, a licensed flight instructor I managed to find on short notice. I'm planning to have him substitute for a few days, give you a breather."

Fair gave me a conflicted smile and raised a hoof. I tapped it with a polite nod.

"Do you mind if I take over your class for a few minutes to try something?" I tried to grin warmly, but it came out slightly sick.

"Shacklebolt?" The professor nodded. "Sure." He shook his head slowly. "I've tried everything here, short of academic suspension. I've never had a student like this."

"Can you do that?" I turned to Shacklebolt. "Why not throw him out?"

"This class is merely a formality, but… Everywhere else, he's a model student." The mare shrugged uncomfortably. "And it is required. If we did that, some of the other departments…"

"Bureaucracy." I groaned. "Alright." I nodded to them and stepped forward. "Beau!" I called. "A moment of your time?"

The dragon gave me a surprised look and stepped away from the pony he'd been talking with. As he ambled over, I got a good look at him. He was nothing at all like Intaglio. Instead of walking on two legs, he used four, and only stood a little taller than me. From a distance, he almost looked like a pony, with light-blue scales and sleek limbs. His eyes, though, were smaller, his teeth much larger. His wings were membranous instead of feathery, and his thick tail swung lithely behind. There was an air of subdued confidence about him, the absolute assurance of knowing his limits precisely – and not a shred of doubt any of us surpassed them. I shivered slightly and was suddenly glad I didn't have to fight him. I'd never fought a dragon and had no wish to try. Ever. I drew him away from the crowd and the teachers.

"Silver Lining." I offered him a hoof. "May all that glitters be yours."

"Beau," he rumbled. "But you know that." He grasped my hoof gently and shook it once. "May the wind always be at your back."

I nodded at the formality and let a little of the tension leave me. He was, at the very least, a polite dragon. Hopefully my knowledge of protocol would be enough to make this convincing.

"You are causing trouble here." Introductions aside, I cut right to the chase. "And I'll have you stop."

"Who do you command?" he snarled. I tried not to flinch.

"I'm nopony special." I waved away his insulted air. "This isn't an order, and I don't claim superiority to you." That would be pointless. "I'm offering you a deal."

"You'll duel me?" He laughed, blowing a ring of blue smoke from one nostril.

"No, no. This is an airball class." I pointed to the cloud-ball, floating gently overhead. "Play a game with me. What's it worth to you?"

"Hmm." He scratched his chin with a claw, and I tried not to let my worry show. This was a gamble, in more ways than one. Dragons had a tight code of honor, and I was subtly suborning that. His pride led him to ignore what ponies would consider authority. It wasn't surprising the coach had trouble 'controlling' the problem student, because dragons really only ever did whatever they felt like doing. If the rest of the class didn't follow him, it wouldn't be such a problem, but… "What are your terms?"

"One-on-one, get the ball into the opposing goal, touch airball. No personal attacks, no spells."

"A fierce fight." He smiled slightly, and I tossed my mane.

"I'm confident I can handle that."

He leaned in, drawing a deep breath through his nose. His eyes narrowed.

"Intaglio sent you."

I did flinch at that, surprise rocking me. Lightning singe you, boss! There it was again, politics. There was a deeper game going on here, and I'd just become a piece. Somepony you trust? Bile roiled in my throat, as I suddenly felt the ties of my situation tighten.

"Yes," I said flatly. "I work for him."

"Very well. If I win, you will work for me."

That… actually wasn't out of the question. I was a freelancer. Intaglio couldn't stop him from putting a legal job through the Association.

"Can you pay me?"

"I'm wealthy beyond dreams of avarice." He gave me a disgusted look. That probably wasn't hyperbole.

"I didn't mean to insult your hoard, Beau, but I don't work for free."

"Fine." He relaxed a little. "If I win, you will work for me. And, I will pay you as the Kings of Minoa rewarded their pony heroes." He smirked a little, but stopped as I caught the reference, my eyes widening in shock. He was, if I remembered correctly, offering me all the gold I could carry… every month. For a moment, I considered throwing the match.

"You take my meaning." I jerked back to reality as he gave me a cold, calculating look, the sharpest glance I'd seen on his face so far. "Silver Lining, you're remarkably learned for a mercenary."

"I read a lot." I swallowed, waving his suspicion away.

"Minotaur classics aren't exactly common." He pressed harder. "And the Travels of Kagl aren't available in Equestrian."

"If I win, I will bind you to one small promise whenever you play a pegasi game on this property." I pushed his suspicions away, driving back to our bargain. He stared at me a moment longer before letting the question drop. He thought for a moment, and shrugged.

"That seems fair enough." He offered me a claw, and I shook it. He stepped back and launched himself skywards. I turned back to the teachers.

"What was that about?" Fair Play was honestly curious, but Shacklebolt was frowning.

"I'm going to play him, one-on-one. If I win, I'll be able to sort this out. I think."

"Careful." The coach looked upwards, slightly apprehensive. "He's fast, and a strong flyer."

"I used to be pretty decent." I spread my wings and let my magic trickle out. I snagged a passing breeze and twisted it across the field, drawing the cloud ball to myself. The class went quiet at my casual control. "I hope I'm good enough."

"Well." Shacklebolt grinned. "This ought to be quite the show. Fair, referee?"

"Of course. Mind if I bring the class up, Silver?"

"…Sure." I crushed a twinge of annoyance at the idea of an audience. They'd be watching anyways, and I didn't have much choice here. "They can all take front-row seats. Actually, let me handle this." If I was going to be a leader here, might as well start now. I leaped into the air, hovering just above the herd, and drew in a deep breath.

"Class!" I pushed an air of command into my voice, and grabbed their attention. "I'm Silver Lining, a substitute teacher. Today, as a challenge, I'm going play Beau one-on-one. Everypony spread out and take a spot on the sidelines. Fair Play will ref." I soared skywards, letting them all play catch-up. The ball floated after, snared in my wake, and I stopped in a hover at the center of the airfield.

"Ready?" Beau gave me a toothy grin, and wicked nails sprang from his claws. I snapped into focus, the intimidation galvanizing me. Thunder crashed in my mind, and I nearly let the blades in my feathers curl into position.

"Give them a minute." I nodded at the spectators as I drew in a long breath, pushing the Storm back. This wasn't a fight. My life wasn't on the line here; just a job and some gold. A lot of gold, actually. Throwing the match flitted through my thoughts again, but I quelled the impulse. Intaglio couldn't actually touch me if I lost, but he had some idea what I was capable of. And if he really did know Beau, he also had some idea what my opponent was capable of. Not to mention what my opponent would do if he felt I’d cheated. I'd tied myself firmly with commitments to Intaglio and Vinyl. If I didn't give this my best, I might be rich, but I'd be in far deeper trouble later. Politics. Pfaw.

I gave Beau a once-over. Here in the sky, he was more intimidating, wings spread to full size. He moved with lithe power, maintaining his hover with tiny movements. I reached back to my instincts as I floated, focusing on the reflexes and training that I'd honed day after day in my childhood. It would have to be enough.

I gave the audience time to throw together rough bleachers, clouds quickly pummeled into comfortable shapes. Fair Play zipped over to us, and I passed him the ball, nodding to Beau. Since I'd challenged him, he got control. The dragon's grin widened as the ref placed the small cloud before him.

"I'm ready."

Fair Play retreated and raised his whistle. We tensed. He blew a shrill blast.

Beau rushed me.

I threw myself sideways, letting him swish past as he snagged the ball. I spun and rolled, zipping after him. The crowd roared as we accelerated, already moving faster than most of them could manage.

I gained on the dragon quickly. Strategy spooled through my mind as I neared him. This would quickly devolve into aerial maneuvering, but I needed to challenge his control of the ball now. He was fast, and his larger wings and tail meant better turning, but I was light enough to take the edge on acceleration. I just needed to use that before he outstripped me in a flat race.

I climbed, seizing height before power-diving. He heard me and swerved, losing momentum. Circling after, I followed him into a loop. His momentum forced a wider path, and I managed to tap his wing. He dropped the ball at my touch. Snagging it in my airflow, I swung high and rolled back towards his goal. He looped low, climbing behind.

I dove, hoping to bait him into a vertical weave. He pulled back for a straighter path, better for his speed to catch me. I flipped the dive into turn, climbing hard. He responded with a soaring spin, trying to keep me in reach.

The engagement intensified as we gained height. He was talented, and I was rusty, but I managed to keep up by dint of half-remembered strategy and ingrained reflex. The crowd roared as we traded the ball back and forth, offense and defense switching at an elegant maneuver or hairsbreadth miscalculation. I drowned myself in flight, blocking out the noise as my focus narrowed and sharpened. He threw me off with a floating leaf glide; I caught him with a hyperloop. He snagged the ball with a spiral climb; I stole it back with a snap dive.

The air became a physical thing, our speed gelling wind into a physical force. The Storm beckoned, promising to twist the breeze into my weapon, but I shunned it. The temptation was an old friend, but I didn't dare touch it with an audience, especially when they were pegasi.

Finally, I started to find the flow. My muscles warmed and my magic began moving freely, and I started pushing back towards his goal. He fought every step of the way, fiercely contesting every inch of airspace, but I drove downfield in loops and climbs. Every time he took control, he'd try to break away, and I used every trick I knew to keep up.

The game ended in a flash. He had tagged me, snatching the ball and swooping for a tight turn. I sliced the curve, using my height to power past him, barely managing to tap his tail. He fought to catch me. I snatched the ball and accelerated, vectoring straight for the goal. He nearly reached me, but I tucked my wings and dropped, using gravity to dodge straight into the cloud. I decelerated in a frigid blast of vapor, letting my innate magic drag me to a stop as I burst out the other side, trailing snakes of cloudstuff. He made a wide loop, finally pulling into a hover scant yards before me. I raised my empty hooves, showing I'd left the ball in his goal. He smiled.

"That," he panted roughly, "was an excellent game."

"Yeah." I grinned back, trying to catch my breath. It had been a lot of fun; I hadn't had a chance to do real trick flying in years. "You're a worthy opponent."

"I feel the same. As a mark of respect, I'll gift you my name. I am Beautiful Desolation. Keep it safe."

"Thank you." I saluted him with a wing, touched by his trust. He nodded, accepting the accolade.

"Just be glad, little pony, that you were wise enough to not duel me." His grin widened, and a tongue of flame licked towards me. Without even thinking, I let my quillons spring out, shredding it with a swipe of my wing. The orichalcum drank the magic. It didn't even warm my feathers. His eyes widened at the weapon.

"Bring it on, then, if you're hot enough." I regretted my hasty words instantly, ears flattening as I realized I'd just issued an actual challenge to a dragon. I had no illusions on my chances of surviving that fight

"Hah!" I relaxed at his laughter. He drew closer, lowering his voice a little. "Well, maybe I will. But not today. It seems Intaglio has found some interesting allies. Now, what small promise will you bind me to?" His mention of our bet focused me again.

"I'll show you. Let's get back to the class." I cocked an ear at the yelling behind us. "They seem impressed."

"As you will." He flapped once, soaring over the goal. I followed more leisurely.

The cheering redoubled as the students caught sight of us again. I winced at the attention, trying to mitigate my paranoia. They're not enemies. I flew well, but it was all legitimate. They don't know anything about me. Beau and I saluted them, wheeling in a synchronized flash of wings, and bowed to each other before I signaled the descent. The students leaped from their perches, fluttering to the ground where Shacklebolt still waited. I landed last, leading Beau over to her as Fair Play joined us.

"That was impressive." The earth pony nodded to me. "You're both excellent fliers."

"Thanks." I nodded to Beau. "We had a good game. Fair Play, can I borrow your whistle?"

He quirked an eyebrow, but looped the silver chain off his neck and passed it to me.

"You two may be wondering what the point of all that was." They gave hesitant nods. "Well, here's what was happening. I challenged Beau to a game, with a bet on the side. Since I won, he's bound to follow one small promise in any pegasi game he plays on University grounds. See this?" I held the whistle up to Beau.

"Yes."

"From now on, you are absolutely forbidden to fly higher than the one who's carrying the whistle. On your honor."

"On my honor." He nodded.

"There." I passed the whistle back. "That should take care of it."

"Huh?" Shacklebolt gave me a perplexed look.

"What?" Fair Play frowned quizzically.

"It's about herds." I sighed. "Even subconsciously, pegasi have a thing about heights." I nodded to Fair Play. "I saw it growing up in Cloudsdale. The pony who flies highest is in charge, even if they're not the one giving the orders. Everypony who flies lower acknowledges that, even just a little. That's what I saw in your game."

"So…" I could see the gears turn in Shacklebolt's head. She turned to Fair Play. "Wait. You don’t ref from above."

"Yeah." He was beginning to grasp the idea as well. "But that's never been a problem."

"And it wouldn't be if you were just dealing with ponies." I waved to Beau. "This guy, though, doesn't really acknowledge you as a superior." The serpent nodded. "Dragons are law to themselves, and the only reason he puts up with school rules at all is because there's an exchange going on. He follows the rules so he can attend. On the field, though, that breaks down. And the students, even if they don't think about it, realize that. So they follow his lead, instead of yours, because on some level, it looks like you're acknowledging that, saying 'I'm not in charge here.' Like I said, this is about leadership, not teaching."

"It's that simple?" Shacklebolt gave me a penetrating stare.

"Probably…?" I gave a weak grin. "I mean, that's what it looked like to me."

"No, I think he's right." Fair Play looked at the whistle again before giving Beau a long glance. In the distance, a bell rang. "Oh." He grinned. "And with that, I'm on vacation." He tossed me the whistle, and I caught it awkwardly.

"Huh?"

"You're hired." Shacklebolt gave me a wide smile. "Same time tomorrow."

"I look forward to learning from you." Beau nodded and turned away.

Oh, right. I'd signed up to do this all week.

Freeze to death, Intaglio. I resigned myself with a sigh and turned to follow the professor.

Rogues Gallery

I stepped out the door, trying not to wince at the harsh light. I felt the sun-warmed pavement under my hooves and glanced down, remembering Lyra's advice. I had a lot to accomplish today, and getting shod in iron was on the top of my list. Her comment on 'prey' had bothered me, and even a little reassurance would go a long way.

With another glance at the sun, I set off into the city.

I'd spent most of the night restless, despite exhaustion. My emotions, wound tight as the strings of my cello, refused to leave me at peace. I'd tossed and turned, the evening running through my mind again and again, each time highlighting how very little I knew about my situation. I would have loved some music, but didn't want to bother Shimerelle. She already felt I was acting strange. I tried to write a little, but couldn’t keep a tune straight, the notes jumbling whenever I lost focus. When I did get some sleep, it was broken by dark dreams. My alarm had almost been a relief.

Classes had slipped by, mostly ignored. I'd have to worry about my studies soon, but more pressing issues eclipsed that for now.

After a few minutes outside, the sun seemed less threatening. I'd carefully rationed myself a half-mug of… blood at breakfast, tucking the bottle deep into the the fridge and thoroughly cleaning the cup afterwards. I needed a preservation spell or a cooler for my room. Shimerelle respected my privacy, but leaving something so questionable in shared space felt dangerous. I didn't rely on chance if I could help it. Maybe Vinyl could suggest something. I stopped at the first farrier I saw.

---

Clonk.

I winced, the sound of my new shoes loud on the apartment door. I shifted my feet and waved my foreleg again, trying to adjust to the weight. I liked these iron shoes; there was a solidity to them, a reassuring quality to nearly carrying weapons.

"Hello?" Vinyl opened the door slowly, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Oh! Octavia." She stepped back, covering a yawn and motioning me inside. "Come on in. Sorry about the mess. I was playing clubs all last week - I disc-jockey - and, well. Haven't had time to tidy."

My eyes adjusted swiftly as I entered into the dim room. It was cluttered with paper and bits of electronics, flyers, magazines, and sound equipment sprinkled haphazardly on every flat surface. Some of it looked intriguingly powerful. Vinyl levitated a half-disassembled record player off a chair, motioning me to the empty couch as she made space.

"Have a seat. How can I help you?"

I took a moment to consider as I settled on the sofa, careful of my new shoes. I scrutinized her, but the question seemed entirely guileless.

"I had a few questions. Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, well." She waved a hoof. "Should've been up anyways. What's on your mind?"

"This. That. Everything." I smiled wryly, letting some exhaustion show. She grinned back sympathetically. "For starters, I'd appreciate a little more information. Details. What are we? What are we up against? How do we deal?"

"Hmmm." Vinyl rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. "Where to start…"

We sat in silence a few moments.

"Alright, vampires. You seem to have accepted that?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"Sort of." I bit my lip pensively. "I mean, I've accepted the whole… blood bit, and, well, yesterday was convincing. I don't…" I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "I don't really know. I won't run from reality, and some things are simply impossible to explain with what I thought I knew. I have to accept what I've seen, but honestly? I have no idea what I'm looking at."

"Right, fair enough. Here's the key point, the one lynchpin to the whole thing that every thread tangles around. You? Me?" She pointed to herself. "We're predators."

"Alright."

"That's the most important thing to know. It unifies all the rest. How you changed, what happened yesterday. Have you dosed yourself today?"

"Yes."

"Good. Don't forget. The really insidious part of the disease is how it affects your magic; it’s one step from the mind. You must've noticed your power fading. The infection eats it, uses it… somehow. There are advantages. You'll heal quickly, see very well in the dark, stuff like that. But the cost, well. The reason you kept getting worse? Your body can't make much magic. It needs an external source, now."

"So, the blood…?"

"That’s it. It's full of magic." She shrugged, frowning. "The mental changes, they reflect that. When you starve yourself, you become less and less stable. The less magic you have, the more powerful the urges become. Things can get pretty bad."

"You said it gets worse." I gave her a pointed look. "Personal experience?"

"Eh, hmm." She shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I hate to… yeah."

I studied her for a moment, curious. I wanted to ask but didn't dare. Just how far had she gone?

"I don't… It's not like I'm an expert on this, really. I can only tell you what I know, and that's maybe not the same for you."

"Why not?" I flicked my ears at her. "If you've been through this—"

"Ah, well…" She trailed off, staring at me uncertainly. "Look, vampirism for those like us isn't exactly a cut-and-dry thing. It's more a spectrum. Like, uh, allergies."

"Allergies?" I wrinkled my nose, perplexed.

"Right. When spring comes around, we don't all get stuffy noses and runny eyes. Some just get the sniffles, some get nothing at all. Real vampires, the ones that kill, are nothing like… us." She waved a hoof vaguely. "They're vicious machines. They don't think, they don't feel, they're bundles of hunger and hate. The disease destroys their magic completely, and their minds go with. There's no cure, not even blood. Putting them down like vicious timberwolves is the best we can do."

"But we're not like that." I paused. "Right?"

"Right." Vinyl nodded, trying for confidence.

"Why?"

"Well, for me… it's because I was never bitten." Vinyl looked into the distance, staring at things only she could see. "The disease is transmitted by bite or blood. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, got some blood splashed in my eyes." She lowered her shades, showing crimson irises. "They used to be blue. It's called an inverted transmission. I'd have gotten a similar effect by biting a vampire." She cracked a grin at that. "Less of a dose. Some of my magic survived, at least at first. How an invert develops is a toss-up, but the disease is weaker. We're less dangerous, and we usually dodge the really nasty parts. I've still got the hunger, but I've never burnt in the sun."

"So it's random. But," I rubbed a hoof along my neck, feeling for the scars, "I was bitten."

"And you're still sane."

I winced, mentally tacking a 'for now' to the end of her cautious reassurance.

"We don't know why. It's possible you are an invert, somehow. That's what I'd like to think, and if anypony asks, that's what I'm telling them." She leaned forward, staring hard. "Listen, Octavia, this one's important. If you're not an invert, you're the strangest sort of accident. We have no idea why you're okay after a bite, but if anypony who knows about vampires hears you've been bitten, there will be trouble."

I thought on that for a moment. The more I learned, the more I wondered why I'd never heard any of this taken seriously before. Still, I committed the warning to memory before continuing.

"You said 'we'?"

"Right, yeah. There are three more who know your secret."

I stifled a frown. If this was as strange as she hinted, I didn't want anypony holding it over me.

"Who?" I leaned forward, curious.

"Silver and Syzygy, the stallions who fought your attacker, and their boss Intaglio, the chair of the Hunter organization. He's a dragon." I thought for a minute, searching my memory of the attack. There had been ponies there, maybe.

"And I can trust them with this?"

"You don't have much choice, do you?" she asked. I frowned ruefully. "Still, Silver's honorable, if odd and a little inflexible. Intaglio can't always make his own decisions, but if he'd acted, we'd be knee-deep in Hunters. Besides, Silver promised to talk to him, and they go back. Syzygy… well, he's got a lot more to gain by being on your good side." She shrugged. "He's the closest thing to a vampire expert, and he's desperate to talk to you."

Now that was interesting. I wondered just how much my time was worth.

"Can we—" I started.

Click. Both of our heads snapped around, conversation forgotten as the door opened and a rust-red pegasus, one stripe of gray in a darker mane and tail, stepped through. He still looked shabby, but not nearly so exhausted.

"Silver." Vinyl raised a hoof in greeting.

"Hey, Vinyl." He nodded back. I suppressed a shiver as he turned to me. Why was I afraid of him? He didn't look threatening.

"Octavia, right?"

I nodded slowly. Uncomfortable silence filled the room. This pony was both unknown, and important. I couldn’t just let him leave. I needed to know if I could trust him with my secrets, and that meant understanding him. Even a little.

Alright. I drew a slow breath. I'll start this off.

"I'm told I should thank you," I said with forced calm. He winced as if struck. I flicked a glance at Vinyl, but her shades hid her eyes. "You saved me, right?" I kept my tone light, wondering at that flinch. I wanted to press… but should I?

"I…" He paused, drew a breath. "…Tried."

"What did Intaglio say?" Vinyl cut in.

"Oh, right." He frowned slightly. "He gave me three days. You're here, you're… okay?" He looked hard at me.

"Sort of." Vinyl answered. "She'll be better." I swallowed annoyance at her interference, but nodded.

"Alright, okay. That's enough for now. Look, Octavia—"

"You did save me, didn't you?" I stood despite my wariness, curious at his reactions, unable to resist prodding him slightly. He stiffened. "You were there." My voice was neutral. His reactions were telling, but how far should I take it?

"I didn't— I couldn't—"

"I should be thanking you." I stepped forwards, and he swayed. "Who knows what could have happened—"

"Stop," he hissed. "Don't do this. Yes, I… helped save your life. I was there, I acted. But count what you've lost. This is just the start, and it's all downhill." His eyes narrowed. "You're an anomaly. An intelligent, explosive, unpredictable, dangerous anomaly. I've already told two Hunters about you, mercenaries whose power genuinely scares me. One craves what you represent so badly he might murder for a hint, the other is so shackled by duty and conscience one false move could force his claw."

"I've met ponies who deal in intrigue." I worked just a touch of arrogance into my voice, sweeping my gaze across his face, ears, wings, hooves, gauging his reactions, backing off slightly. He might be exaggerating, but not half enough to discount his words. Still, something was strange about his attitude. It seemed genuine, but why…

"Intrigue? Heh," he scoffed dryly. "Intaglio won't bother with that; he'll just have somepony watch you, make sure you're harmless. Whatever that takes. Syzygy couldn't care less. He'll prance right up to you and ask. And smile. And ask. This isn't ‘intrigue’, the safe little game nobles play over tea and crumpets; you can't leave it behind or forget it. You'll never be anonymous again. Don't cheapen your thanks on me."

'Safe little game'? I suppressed a snicker. He'd clearly never been involved.

"Being unnoticed is no shield. If they're ignoring me, I'm doing it wrong." I stepped forwards again, fighting through instinct to lean closer, crowding him. "You don't want my thanks. Will you take responsibility then, Silver Lining?" I narrowed my eyes. "Will you watch me, monitor me? Keep things safe?" I curled a lip, showing a slightly feral smile. "Harmless?"

"You don't know what you're asking." He brushed me off, walking back out the door. "Vinyl, I'm going to pay my rent."

I relaxed slightly as he left, trying to understand the reaction, watching his shadow flick across the doorstep.

"He's not really like that." Vinyl rose, putting a hoof on my shoulder. "They're not like that. Not Intaglio, not Ziggy."

"No, I know." I shook my head, trying to jostle everything I'd seen into a meaningful pattern. "Half that was hyperbole. He seems honest, and I want to trust him. But why…"

Vinyl lowered her shades, peering at me. After a moment, I realized I was overthinking things. He hadn't been acting, he hadn't been lying, not really. He wasn't a performer. Some ponies could almost be taken at face value.

"He wanted me to dislike him." I frowned, chewing the thought over. What did that mean? "Maybe even blame him." I stared off into the sky. "Did he even realize? Why would he do that?"

"Search me." Vinyl shook her head slowly. "I've no idea."

"Me neither." I furrowed my brows, perplexed. "But now I'm curious."

---

"Where are we headed?" I looked at a nearby street-sign. "73rd street? You won't find lunch here." I glanced at the sun. "Or maybe it's supper now?" We’d left Vinyl’s flat soon after Silver, when her stomach started grumbling.

"This place is pretty low-key." She grinned at me. "Anyways, I only answered one of your questions, and you wanted details. I thought I could introduce you to some ponies I know. They like to hang out here. I'll get a bite to eat, introduce you to the scene. It'll be educational."

"The scene?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You've only met Lyra and me so far. Surely you don't think we're the only outliers?"

"Hmm." I rolled the word around in my brain. "I guess I didn't really consider it, but… other ponies like us. Outliers. The scene. Just how many vampires are there?"

"Inverts!" Vinyl shot me a glare. "Bloodsucker, if you're joking. Don't call anypony a vampire. Please. Ever."

"Oh."

"And anyways, outliers come in all sorts. Outcasts, mystics, oddballs, ponies who don't quite fit in for some reason. Strangeness tends show up from any direction. Inverts are rarer than most. Just… don't judge. Ah, here we are."

She stopped at an unobtrusive storefront, although it seemed closed. The windows were shuttered, the signs were blank, the door closed tight. She approached anyways. I saw a small bronze plaque, lettered in heavy gothic script, riveted where a knocker might go. It read 'Rogues Gallery'. She tapped once and led me in.

I saw a narrow hallway, lit with lamps despite the daylight outside. A thin minotaur in a suit was playing chess with a lightly-striped zebra; they both looked up as we entered.

"Vinyl." The minotaur nodded. "Been a while. Brought a friend?"

"Hey, Talus." She produced a hooffull of bits, setting them by the board. "Yup. This is Octavia. Can I get her a card?"

"Of course." He swiped a gilt card from a nearby box, slipping an ornate fountain pen from his pocket. "Last name, Octavia?"

"Philharmonica."

He printed carefully and passed the card over. It was simply a stylized symbol, possibly three linked wings, embossed in gold foil beside my name.

"Thanks for coming." He turned back to his game.

"Is this a private restaurant?" I muttered to Vinyl as she led me through the opposite door.

"You've heard of it?" She didn't bother lowering her voice as we stepped into a room with tables separated by low partitions, decorated with dark wood and dappled lamplight, deep colors on the walls. Ponies were scattered across the room, and pleasant conversation filled the air, low enough for privacy. A few customers leaned on a bar in the back. I liked it immediately.

"I've heard of the idea." I'd been in a few, but the feel here was different, more relaxed and friendly. "Something like halfway between a country club and a cafe?" They were usually quite exclusive.

"Yeah, that's about right." She led me confidently through the room, heading for a back corner. "I've invited you, so come whenever you like. If Talus isn't at the door, just show your card."

"Vinyl!" A voice cut in, rising above the susurrus. Lyra was waving at us from the booth. "Good to see you!"

I scanned the group, pulling up a pleasant smile as we chose places at a round table, circled with low couches. Lyra I knew, but there were a few others. It looked like they were playing cards.

"Hey, guys." Vinyl waved to the bar, and a waiter nodded back. "This is Octavia. She's the bloodsucker I had you searching for the other night. I thought you might like to meet her."

"Oh, this is the one?" A slender earth pony with a dark coat and stripe in his light-blue mane gave me an appraising glance. "I’m Verdant Moss, nice to meet you." He yawned hugely and flipped a card on the table.

"Thanks. Sorry if I kept you up." I nodded back. Despite his slight build, there was an air of solidity about him.

"I'm Boxwood." A tan unicorn, with a light-green stripe in her mane and mauve eyes, nodded to me.

"Hello." She had a feeling of wildness, like deep swift water.

"You know me," Lyra said. "And this is Skimmer." She waved to the chalk-blue pegasus stallion beside her, with white tips on his seafoam mane and wings. He seemed almost insubstantial in the lamplight, like he would evaporate.

"Hi." He grinned. "Any friend of Vinyl's is a friend of mine."

"The feeling’s mutual." I smiled back. "What's the game?"

"Hold'em," Verdant answered, shuffling carefully. "Buy-in's five bits." As he spoke, a casually uniformed waiter placed two tall, frosted glasses on the table.

"Today we have garden salad with strawberry vinaigrette, pesto linguine, and caramel shortcake,” he said. “Can I get either of you a plate?"

“Yeah, thanks. Hungry, Octavia?” Vinyl looked to me.

I paused, unsure.

"I paid at the door. You get whatever they're serving, but it's always good."

"Yes, please.” I smiled at the waiter. “That sounds delicious.” He left with a nod. I looked back at the game, considering. I didn’t want to seem an outsider here.

"Deal me in." I shook my purse from my mane, counting out five bits and passing them to Skimmer, who slid me a stack of chips.

"You play much?" Boxwood cut the deck.

"No." I accepted my cards, settling back into the couch. "But I'm a fast learner." Lyra smirked and started the ante.

"So, you all helped search for me?"

"Yeah, well… Vinyl asked." Skimmer shrugged.

"These are friends of mine," Vinyl added. "Octavia's new to the scene, guys. I thought maybe we could answer a few of her questions about what's normal."

"Like the Pict," I murmured, glancing at Lyra.

"Eat first." Verdant yawned again. "It's four in the afternoon, and this town is barely moving. I need a nap." He tossed in his cards. "Nothing in this hoof, anyways." None of the others batted an eyelash as he curled up in his seat, leaning on Boxwood, and closed his eyes. I blinked but pushed bemusement away. This was a different sort of gathering than I was used to, but it was… nice. Comfortable.

"So, Octavia, you're at school with Lyra, right?"

"Yes, actually." I widened my smile slightly, pushing a little vivacity into my voice as the betting came around again.

I kept my grin steady, trying to keep my interactions lively as my new acquaintances told jokes, raised and folded, asked and answered questions. Boxwood worked in printing, and Skimmer did landscaping. They were pleasant and had obviously known each other a long time. Verdant, it seemed, was the next newest member of this small clique, but I didn't learn much more.

The food came quickly, and it was delicious. I finished the round, losing half a bit, and dug in after carefully tucking my scarf out of the way. Wearing it continually was a little annoying, but I was still unsure on the necklace. I had no idea what it was, what to do about it. I bumped that higher up my list of priorities, adding a touch of dye for the white spots on my coat from the bite. I should really ask Vinyl about the necklace, but now didn’t seem a good time. Even if she knew something, the others probably wouldn’t. I was nearly done with my shortcake when Lyra leaned over.

"Octavia, you feeling okay?" she asked quietly, a playful smile on her face.

"Yes." I returned a nonplussed stare. "Why?"

"You're being so… friendly. It's weird."

"I'm trying to make friends," I shot back, sotto voce. "I do that by being friendly."

"But you're not… like this." She waved a hoof.

"Hey, now." I turned up the glare a little. "Says who?"

"Says everypony," she retorted. "Octavia Philharmonica, prim and proper, first cello, training to be the most precise conductor ever?"

"And how many of them actually know me? Look, Lyra, just because I usually enjoy the company of ponies less than my cello, doesn't mean I don't know how to make friends. This isn't an act; I genuinely like these ponies, and I want them to like me back. So I'm smiling, spending a little energy on a good first impression. Is that wrong?"

"No." She gave me a speculative glance. "No, I guess not. It's just… different."

"Everypony has facets. I'd never have expected to see you here." I waved at the restaurant. "On this… scene."

"Fair enough." She stared a moment longer, before leaning back. "Fair enough."

"So, tell me about the thing that attacked me." I raised a hoof. "I got iron shoes."

"Good." She leaned over and poked Verdant. "Hey, Mossy, get up."

"Huh?" The earth pony jolted upright, before slumping and rubbing his eyes. "Is it rush hour already?"

"Getting there." Lyra waved to me. "But Octy here—"

"Please don't call me that."

"—wanted to ask some questions. Thought I'd wake you."

"Hrmph." He poured himself a glass of water, downing half. "Right, I'm up."

"Alright, I’ll start. You guys let me know if I'm missing anything."

"Most of it," Skimmer groused. "We know next to nothing on the fae."

"Fae?" I asked.

"Ah, start with the background." Vinyl stacked the empty plates, shoving them to the table edge. "She's really new."

"The beginning it is, then," Lyra said. "Alright, so… you've been attacked once. It's something like this… All of the ponies here—"

"Except you." Boxwood poked her in the side.

"—except me, are a little different. You know Vinyl. Boxwood?"

"Werepony." She flicked an ear. "Once a month, I get sort of wooden. I feel like putting down roots and howling at the moon."

"I'm part… well, not really sure," Skimmer said. "Something aquatic, but I don't think it's mermare."

"And I'm a sorcerer." Verdant shrugged. My surprise had grown as they spoke one-by-one, but that made me curious. Sometimes, particularly powerful earth ponies had an especially deep connection to the earth. They could be found deep in the forest, living in the wildest places, communing with nature.

"A sorcerer? In a city?"

"Yeah, I don’t understand either." He frowned. "My sister talks to trees, but I just felt this… itch for paving stones and lamplight. There's so much life in this city, more than you'd guess." He yawned again but sat straighter, looking more energetic. "It's almost a part of me, now, the way it changes. Sorry for conking out on you; afternoon is the sleepiest time of day."

"Anyways," Lyra said, retaking control of the conversation, "That's just us. There are lots of outliers in Canterlot. Some are friendly, some… not so much. The one thing they all have is strange, unusual magic.”

"I see…" I paused, thinking over what they'd said and realized something. "No wonder I've never heard of this before, with how most ponies handle the unusual."

"Exactly." Lyra shrugged. "Shun, hide, forget. Most outliers keep to themselves, or if they can, simply bury what they are. Sometimes that works, but… strange magic attracts the wrong sort of attention. And some things are stranger things than us."

"Like the Pict."

"Yes, the Pict… and the other Fae. Also the changelings, vampires, dark mages, secret societies… with likely a half-dozen others we've never seen. On the other side are the Guard, the Hunters, and a few more. Did you know our university has a 'paranormal club'?" She snickered.

"Really?"

"Silly, right? Anyways… The other day, I said you were 'prey'. I didn't mean to be melodramatic, but inverts are a little notorious."

"The Hunters won't trust you," Vinyl interjected. "Not easily. We're too close to vampires. The Guard won't believe you, unless you reach the higher-ups, and even they are more suspicious and afraid than helpful. And that’s the good guys. Criminals would love to use you. The dark mages would do something horrible. Some secret societies might worship you, but I doubt you'd like their attention. Non-inquiline changelings attack on principle, and the fae are awful. The Pict…"

"They want to eat you, most likely." Lyra frowned into her glass. "The fae are a strange group, if they’re a group at all. We don't know much, but they're drawn to strange magic like ants to honey. The Pict disappear ponies."

I swallowed, trying to digest what I was hearing. It made a twisted sort of sense, a strange, hidden side to the city I knew, fragments of darkness and suspicion skittering around the edges of the light. Some hid themselves, hunting and hating the light; some saw the dark and stood against it, but in-between… I was starting to see a pattern emerging, and it worried me. In-between, the little ponies fought to stay alert, watch their backs, and avoid both sides. They didn't fit any group, so they'd started their own to just survive.

Now I was part of that, by no choice of my own.

"This… is going to be tricky, isn't it?" I looked up, sweeping a serious stare over the group. "Thank you. Really. I'm beginning to realize just how out of my depth I am here. Powerful, ignorant, and unprepared; you were right, Lyra. That makes me a prime target, doesn't it?" A bit more worry settled on me.

"Exactly." She sighed. "Vinyl here sort of skipped that step." The DJ winced but shrugged.

"I... lost myself," she admitted sheepishly. "By the time Silver pulled me out, I'd terrified half the town into avoiding me and the other half into marking me. Now I just lay low."

"Can I lay low?"

"You can try." Verdant Moss gave me a sympathetic smile. "Stay with other ponies, stay in the sun, safeguard your habits. Unfortunately, the fae can still find you. Carry iron; they hate that. Block their music if you can. You've survived once; I bet you'll do better next time. The Hunters—"

"We can deal with the Hunters." Vinyl waved that off.

"As you say. The mages might bother you if they catch on. The rest are probably scared of you, so don't let them know you're still getting up to speed."

"And the vampires?" I asked, touching my scarf.

"Who knows?" Skimmer shrugged. "We've never met one. They're erratic and dangerous, as only the truly insane are. They don't show up often, though, and they don't act purposefully."

"You should stick with us when you can." Lyra gave me a pointed stare. "We can help."

"Can you afford to foalsit me, though?" I gave a lopsided smile, and they exchanged uneasy glances. "You've all got jobs, lives, commitments, and you've already done more than I've a right to expect."

"Look, Octavia." Vinyl leaned over, putting a hoof on my withers. "You're right, we can't always be with you, even if you wanted that. But we are here for you. If you need help, ask, and we'll do what we can."

"Thanks." I drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. A little of the oppressive uncertainty, the anxiety and unease that had been clouding my mind ever since this began, drifted away. I wasn't through this yet, and I might never be, but at least I wasn't without recourse. "Thanks. Really. I think that's enough for now." I needed time to work through this. My mind strayed to my cello, and I suddenly wanted to be back in my room, filling the quiet apartment with music.

"Alright." Lyra gave me a grin. "You've got some idea how much you need to learn, at least. Just be careful. In the meantime, you have a few more bits to lose."

"Heh." I grinned as Skimmer picked up the cards. "Well, I've got to learn somehow."

---

"Good grief." Verdant swung the door shut behind us with a solid click. "And I thought I'd picked up the game fast." Vinyl and I had left with him, the others staying for a late supper.

"I said I'm a quick learner." I jingled my purse, heavier by six bits. It was night; we'd played and chatted for several hours. Streetlamps hid the stars, filling the street with shadows. "It's about observation, really."

"And a good poker face." Vinyl pulled her shades off her forehead, tucking them into her mane. "That flat stare you do. Seriously."

"Discipline is important to me."

She snorted.

"And my father is an actor."

"Ah."

"Well, it's been pleasant, but I need sleep." I stifled a yawn. Meeting new ponies, being friendly, was exhausting. I'd enjoyed it more than I expected, but I was still tired.

Verdant and Vinyl exchanged glances.

"We'll walk you home," he said.

"…If you like." I squelched a shred of annoyance, remembering what I’d learned. Though it grated, rebuffing the offer would be foolish.

We fell silent as we walked, my new shoes loud on the pavement. We passed a few ponies. Even in the middle of the week, the city didn't sleep.

For a while, I enjoyed the pleasant quiet, a simple companionship. I'd been forced to rely on Vinyl, gently urged into meeting Verdant Moss, Skimmer and Boxwood, but over the course of the evening, I'd started to really like them. They had a ready acceptance, a willingness to include me that I'd rarely felt at the high-class fete's and social events my job required. Shimerelle was great in her own way, but we didn’t really connect. Our interests were too different, and her friends were like her.

"Hold up." We paused as Vinyl stopped, raising her nose and sniffing the air. "You two smell that?"

"Not me." Verdant shook his head. “Octavia?” I sniffed a few times.

"No, I— Eugh!" I caught a hint of something cloying and fetid, like honeyed rot. "What is that?"

"Not sure." Vinyl glanced around. "But it's bad. Ten to one, it's after us."

"There are ponies following us," Verdant said quietly. "Or me, at least. They’ve been watching me all day. Didn't think it was a problem, but..."

"Worse and worse." Vinyl glanced at him. "If that’s their smell…"

"Don't think so." He shook his head. "They're probably normal, likely Cracked Ruby’s goons. She glimpsed what I can do, and won't leave me alone. Thinks I'd be perfect for knocking over a rich noble's house."

"Criminals?" I asked.

"Yeah, well. It wouldn’t be hard, but I don’t do that." He shrugged. "Point is, if that nasty's after us, and they're near—"

"They'll likely get involved." Vinyl frowned. "Can't have that, even if they are criminals. Can't attack them either, though. Too much noise."

"Right, with that at our backs..." I realized what she meant. We'd been scissored, without even realizing. "Can we run or split up?"

"Risky," Vinyl said. "We don’t even know what’s happening."

"We'd better deal with our tails first, get them out of here." Verdant glanced behind us. "Whatever you've smelled, I can't feel it moving. The others are walking a few streets back."

"How, though…" Vinyl rubbed her head.

"We could talk to them," I suggested. My companions frowned at me. "No, I'm serious. I didn’t mean nicely."

"I don't like threatening ponies," Verdant said. “It only makes them angry.”

"Well…" I thought for a minute. "Maybe… Maybe I have an idea. They have some knowledge about outliers, right?"

"They should." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"I won't hurt them!" As I spoke, I thought back on what I'd done yesterday, how I'd felt last night, and a plan crystallized. "Just... scare them. Quietly."

"Heh." Vinyl smirked. "That could work. Let's move; show the way, Mossy." Verdant nodded and turned.

The streets were empty, here. We easily slipped into the shadows, stealthily retracing our steps. Verdant soon motioned for us to stop, pointing at a corner. I cautiously peeked out. Ahead, a pegasus and a unicorn were standing with ears cocked, listening. I pulled back and drew a deep breath, thinking back to what I'd been doing, how I'd been moving yesterday, when the night had seemed so clear and I could simply feel where ponies looked. Slowly, my vision sharpened, edges and details springing into focus, colors shifting and dancing before firming up.

"Careful." Vinyl put a hoof on my withers, and I nearly jumped. "This can be done. I'll show you more, later. You're a fast learner, but… careful."

I nodded, remembering. This is how it had started. It had been so easy… I waited a second more, drawing deep, deliberate breaths, summoning all the discipline I'd practiced, day in and day out, binding myself with chains of habit. This wasn't me. I was performing. I would wear this persona for a time. I would do what I intended, no more, and when I was done, I'd be myself. Nodding again, I peeked around the corner. The ponies were still, but I read apprehension in the lines of their faces, the set of their ears. They hadn't heard us move; we’d been quiet enough. I could nearly feel their gazes, my fur prickling as I scanned the area.

He was staring there, she was watching that, if I slid through like so…

I skirted the edge of their attention, but didn't quite stay out of sight. The near one's eyes flicked towards me, catching the flip of my tail as I stepped into a doorway. A suggestion of movement.

"Hist!" She poked her companion, pointing. The streetlight would blind them just enough. I watched their eyes, my enhanced sight crisp in the night. They might see just an outline, a shadow… there. I stepped backwards, vanishing into the deeper black. When they moved towards me, putting the lamp-post between us, I leaped stealthily away.

It was child's play to lurk behind them. I waited, watching their stances, the tension growing in their steps. They would realize nothing was there, right about… now. I scooped up a pebble, silently flicking it down the street to tinkle off a windowpane. They jerked at the noise, juddering with surprise even as they realized the doorway was empty. They stiffened slightly.

Performance, acting, music; it was about emotion. I'd been studying emotion, how to build and use a mood, as soon as I'd started playing make-believe with my brother. My father had given us tips. Watch the ears. Take it slow. Less is more, but know what you're aiming for.

A few steps; another half-glimpse. They would fall into my narrative. If they remembered they'd been tailing us, it didn't show. I was telling them a story, built on flashes of movement and color.

Something's here. I scraped a hoof on the pavement, gone when they looked.

You're surrounded. I drew a sharp breath, melting away.

I'm hunting you. I let an eye gleam in the shadows, vanishing as they approached.

They followed me, with eyes and ears and cautious steps, but I never let them see, never let up on the idea of the horrid unknown, the stalking darkness. Slowly, they moved from tense to anxious, from anxious to worried, and finally, I started to see signs of panic.

"Come out!" The unicorn finally broke the silence, strain cracking his voice. "Who is it? Come out!"

I carefully lured them to the edge of an alley, not letting the mood break. I slipped in behind, ghosting carefully across the pavement in my heavy shoes, and leaned in close. They never realized I was there, even as I drew a silent breath. The light was behind me, but my shadow didn't pass them. I pitched my voice low, drawing in every ounce of training.

"I'm Batmane," I intoned, my breath touching the sensitive hair on their ears.

They shied and spun. I pulled back, scarf flapping dramatically. They caught my silhouette and froze.

I dropped flat, blinding them with light, and lurched into the alley. I flattened myself against the wall. Vanished. Invisible.

Two gasps rang out as their panic broke. two sets of hooves clattered into the darkness. They didn't scream. Quite.

I let a smile spread across my face as quiet chuckles rolled down the alley. Verdant and Vinyl stepped out, grinning widely.

"That," Vinyl said, "was hilarious. Not at all what I expected, but hilarious."

"Thanks." I drew a deep breath, focused on my core and blew away the act, letting the character I'd assumed shred and dissipate. I was myself again. The color faded from the world, edges fuzzed, and the strange pressure of gazes evaporated. "Now— Phaw!" I wrinkled my nose, tensing again as the smell returned twice as strong. "It's back!"

There was a clink in the alley. For a second, the tension I'd created, the narrative I'd enforced, whiplashed and wrapped me, the hunter again in the dark. Terror of the unknown crushed my breath.

"And it's near," Vinyl spat. "Ready, Moss?" Her voice changed as she spoke, coat thickening and muscles warping. Her teeth gleamed and her eyes slit.

"For anything." I felt a surge of earth current, a torrent of the warm living magic I knew so well, pour into him. It swelled and grew, eclipsing any draw I'd been near. He was strong. The same tingle of apprehension Silver gave rolled off both of them.

Violence came in a flash. It was almost a relief. A dark shape blurred past Vinyl, sidestepped Verdant, and leaped straight at me. My senses screamed danger, and I sprang backwards, fighting panic, but I was no longer the hunter. I tried not to shriek, scrabbling for footing as teeth slashed me, lines of pain burning my leg.

Vinyl dashed after, a heavy blow tossing the creature aside. It spun in midair, planting hooves on the wall, and dove at me. I shied and spun but its teeth gashed my neck, ripping my scarf.

Shadows flickered as Vinyl hammered it again. I heard a sickening crack. The scars on my neck stung, and specks were dancing in my eyes. I tried to run but a blow caught me, sending me tumbling. For a second, it stood over me and I saw it clearly, a twisted pony-shape, blood dripping from fanged jaws. Gleaming eyes pinned me. I could feel my mouth ache, teeth stretching as a terror turned to desperation. I needed to act, but I had no response to this. Indecision froze me. One wrong move could be my last.

Shink!

I flinched as earth current jolted through the pavement, a spike impaling the monster.

Shic! Zing!

More power; more steel. I gasped as it struggled frantically, trying to escape as needles lanced it, driving upwards from the sidewalk, curling and bending. They seemed almost alive as they threaded the thing's body, stitching into a deadly mesh of teeth. I stared blankly, still gripped by shock. It stilled in moments, hanging limply in the deadly trap.

"Aaaaah!" I whimpered as pain rushed in, adrenaline-dulled, but grievous.

"Shh." Vinyl dropped to the ground beside me, putting a hoof on me. "You'll be okay."

"It bit me and hit me and, and…" I lay still, fighting for control of my breathing, trying not to cry.

"You'll be okay." I felt a hoof caress my mane. "Look, you’re already healing."

Slowly, the pain faded and my panic dissipated. I hesitantly looked, marveling as my wounds visibly lessened. I mastered my emotions, breathing them into the cool night air as maiming cuts sealed shut without even a scar.

Suddenly, I was hungry.

"H-How did you do that?" I turned Verdant, who had one hoof squarely planted on the pavement before him.

"There's steel in the concrete here. I'm a sorcerer; I grow things." He relaxed, and some of the danger around him evaporated.

"Oh." I drew a shaky breath.

"You'll be fine." Vinyl lifted me to my feet. "It's hard, the first few times. Never been in a fight?"

"Not… not like that." I ironed the shakes out of my knees, firming my voice. "I've always, always talked to ponies." My position here had been worrying before, but now the menace I’d felt was beginning to weigh very heavily. I’d known I was threatened. Now I felt it.

"You can't reason with these." Verdant was standing before the corpse. "This, unless I miss my guess, is a vampire."

"Damn," Vinyl swore softly. “No wonder I didn’t recognize it; I’ve never smelt a nightwalker.” She glanced at me, her eyes flicking to the pendant bare on my neck. It glittered softly in the lamplight. "I think it was targeting you, Octavia. And idea why?"

"I know less than you." I carefully drew the remains of my scarf closer.

She stepped in, peering at my eyes. I stared back as her own slit pupils widened, returning to their normal shape.

"You need a dose." She looked back to the corpse. "And we need to deal with this." She drew a deep breath as the rest of her transformation faded. "Sorry, Octy, you're not getting home just yet. We need to visit Syzygy."

"Please don't call me that." I sighed, looking up at the moon.

My cello would have to wait.

Surge and Ebb

The city stretched across the mountain far below, spreading like a carpet.

I was lying on a handy cloud, surveying the checkerboard streets and tiny pedestrian specks below. Ponies moved unhurriedly to and fro, enjoying the afternoon sun. My attitude, though, was filled with rain, drops of worry tapping in the back of my mind.

Vinyl and Octavia were down there somewhere. I thought back to the gray mare, trying to figure out exactly what had happened in our talk. She'd tried to thank me… I think. Somehow, though, I'd ended up yelling at her.

I didn't want to yell at her. I didn't want to deal with her at all. I didn't regret saving her, but I sometimes wished life was a little simpler. If I could have been a little faster, a little stronger, maybe I could have arrived before… whatever it was had happened. She could be living a normal life. I could be comfortably scraping by, keeping my head low and out of trouble. I didn't want much from life. Something to eat, somewhere warm to sleep, and I'd be happy as a clam.

The last few days seemed determined to drag up years of my life better left alone. I felt responsible for her on some level, as ridiculous as that was. She'd demanded that of me, at the end. 'Take responsibility'. I sighed, trying to expel the sudden coldness in my stomach. Had she been sincere? I considered my father and everything he’d taught me, about war, poetry, life, and responsibility, pondering the rusting skills I'd so twisted to other ends. Dare I try to protect her? Would she even thank me for it?

Finally sick of chasing my own thoughts, I rolled off the cloud. My wings flicked wide as I leaned into a dive. I still had to pay my rent, and maybe even get my house back.

---

I stood at the counter in the Housing Airspace department and tried to keep the blades in my wings from opening. Staccato sleet hissed in my mind, tiny frozen pellets of frustration sliding down my spine.

I needed to complete Form 191-B. It was different from Form 191+B. However, it required Form 191+B, which in turn was dependent on Form B-191. The pony who could sign off on that, though, was out of town for the week. Instead, I could fill out Form 19-B-1, but that meant completing Form 191-B first.

I gritted my teeth, looking at an hour of wasted time chasing paper trails. The ponies here probably weren't trying to give me the runaround. Whoever had built this system, though, either wanted to kill me with paper cuts or loved a twisted sort of power-play.

"I'm done with this." I shuffled the papers together and carried them to the garbage. "No more for me for now. I'll sleep on Vinyl's couch for a week. Then I'll hire a lawyer, and then..." I crumpled the paper-pile satisfyingly and spiked it into the bin. "Well, then I guess I'll have to decide how much I like that house." I glanced around at the high wooden ceilings and polished mahogany counters. "Bureaucracy."

"Trouble?" a passing pegasus asked, snagging my attention. He had a deep brown coat, a windswept golden mane, and a faint smirk. One of his hooves was on the door as if to leave. "Have you tried form—"

I spat angrily in the bin.

He chuckled, and I couldn't help but smile.

"What's eating you, neighbor?"

"My house got towed." I put a hoof to my temple. "I've paid the rent, and I want to move it out of the holding zone. But! I need authorization, which means filling out the right form. That, however, requires seventeen pre-requisites, which each need authorization from nineteen independent entities. Or something like that." I glared at the wad of paper. "It's like trying to navigate a hailstorm with one wing clipped."

"Oh." He gave me a long look. "Hey, you got the receipt for your rent?"

"Uh." I glanced at the papers, before reaching into the garbage and rummaging for a minute. "Yeah, I should probably hold onto this one." I wiped a speck of spittle off.

"May I?" He held out a hoof. I cautiously passed it over.

"Looks alright…" He gave me another speculative glance. "You're Silver Lining?"

"Right, yeah." I pointed to my cutie mark, the thin gray outline of half a puffy cloud. "What's it to you?"

"Well, Silver, I'm Summer Swift." He produced a badge. "A Royal Guard. It just so happens, I sometimes work as a parking officer."

"What?"

"That means, perhaps unsurprisingly, that I have authorization to move your house. How do you feel about shortcutting all this? Let me give you a helping hoof."

My jaw slowly fell open. This was convenient. Perhaps too convenient, but I was in no mood to argue. I wanted my house back, and possession was nine-tenths.

"You can do that?"

"Yeah, well." He shrugged and produced a Guard’s badge. "I've got some discretion. The paperwork is a formality; I hate it too. The real power rests a little further down the chain." He reached over to the counter and snagged a pen, scribbling something on the back of the receipt. "If you know the system, you don't even need to cheat. I've signed your proof of payment. That means the proper owner can have an authorized pony move the house. I qualify. I've seen your ID." He pointed to my mark. "If it matches the mailbox, that's enough for me." He quirked an eyebrow. "Unless you're actually trying to break the law?"

"Um, no." My attitude shed clouds, frustration melting away as a glimpse of relief warmed me. Sunny blue appeared in my mind, with only a few stray wisps of annoyance remaining. "Thanks, Summer. It's nice to meet you."

"Same here, Silver. Let's go get your house." He glanced at the receipt again. "So, you're a Hunter. Keep you busy?"

"Heh." I chuckled. "Well, this week… things have been interesting."

---

"This where you want it?" Summer gave a final flip of his wings, expertly curling a zephyr away as the cloud-house drifted into place. It was nearly night. The lights were coming on in the city, sprinkling sparkles across the dim earth below.

"Yup." I swooped onto the front veranda, leaning out to peer at the airball field far beneath; we were over the college. "I've got a job here for a few more days, and they agreed to let me stay on the property while I work. I'll line up a proper airspace before I'm done. Thanks for the help." I raised a hoof, and he tapped it solidly. "I really appreciate it. Come in for a minute? Have a drink?"

"Don't mind if I do. I'm off the job."

As I pushed the door open, a small cascade of letters poured out.

"What the…" I scooped them up, skimming a few as I stepped in. Intaglio, Syzygy, Syzygy, Intaglio, Syzygy… this was all one day's mail? At the bottom I found a few lonely flyers, a back-dated bill, and some dead leaves. "Good grief." I sorted it quickly. Much of it was paperwork I'd already seen: the official piece of being hired by the University and Syzygy's report on the dusk-walker, in several envelopes. The last though, was much flatter and smaller. I slit it open.

If you need to find me, drop by.
-Syzygy.

On the back was a simple map, with a location circled. I frowned. I'd just talked with him yesterday, but… that was before I'd met Octavia.

Besides, I'd never seen his lab. He had the dusk-walker there.

"Hey, is this Cirrus Spirit?" Summer rummaged through my fridge, pulling out a half-empty six pack.

"Yeah, straight from the little bar by the weather factory. Pop 'em open." I smiled, gesturing for him to pass me one. "You from Cloudsdale?"

"No, but they make the best cloudwine."

"True, that." I popped my bottle open on the counter, stepping back onto the veranda to catch the last of the sunset. I sipped the drink. It tasted like home; light, sweet, and tangy. I settled down on the clouds, enjoying the clear sky and crisp air, my mindset matching the weather perfectly. Summer Swift sat beside me, sharing a companionable silence. I wanted to visit Syzygy, but I could relax for a bit.

---

Ding!

I stepped back, waiting. Syzygy's… place, whatever the location he'd marked on his map was, stood in a nice neighborhood. Far enough out-of-town for large houses, but near enough for the lawns to be manicured and the streets paved. It was low on the mountain and easy to navigate from the air, so I'd found it quickly.

I waited for a long minute, nearly ready to turn away. Maybe I'd left it too long. He could be asleep.

"Silver!" Just before I gave up, the door swished open. He grinned down at me, a half-dozen random implements orbiting his head. "Come in, come in! I didn't think you'd be here so soon, or so late!"

"Yeah, well." I shrugged. "Thought I'd take you up on your invitation."

"And I'm glad you did!" He ushered me into a dim foyer, closing the door as I looked around. It was lushly decorated, with knickknacks and bric-a-brac shoved into every corner, memorabilia and keepsakes layering the walls. "Things have been interesting to say the least. Come, come. Let me show you my lab!"

He led the way through the house, taking me swiftly through dark halls and past closed doors to a brightly-lit stairwell. I followed him down, watching closely as he fiddled with the things he was carrying. I spotted a stopwatch, a plant, a few vials, and a notebook.

"What's been happening?"

"This new specimen is fascinating. It's risen twice!"

"Really?" That was worrying, in several ways. "Wait, you killed it again?"

"Destructive testing." He led me into the lab proper. It was neat, almost compulsively so, with ordered glassware and measuring equipment marshaled on counters and tables. The array was eclectic and bewildering, with plants, old style crystals, newer electronics, notebooks, and metalwork mixed in cryptic arrangement.

It didn’t look evil. But then, neither did Syzygy, though I couldn’t judge him.

“And here’s my guest.” He led me over to a corner, where a startlingly secure enclosure stood, the vampire pacing inside. It had the characteristic dull, shaggy coat and slit eyes. Fangs distorted the jawline, giving it a predatory appearance.

He had a cell in his lab. Hmm. I looked around again, but the experiments and machines on display were impenetrable to me. His mention of ‘destructive testing’ floated back up in my mind.

“Have you heard of any of the Hunter factions moving? Intaglio promised to keep this quiet, but…”

“No, no. It’s early days, but you know how some of them will jump on anything. None of the more fractious elements have approached me, so I’d say what we’re involved in isn’t immediately obvious.”

“That’s good.”

“Perhaps. The smarter ones will bide their time. If somepony - or griffon - really wanted to hit Intaglio’s credibility, they’d play out plenty of rope before their noose showed up.”

I frowned, considering that. Distancing myself from the politics in the organization meant I didn’t usually have to worry about them, but this situation wasn’t giving me much leeway. I had some training on what leaders needed to contend with. Hopefully Intaglio could deal with it.

"Any leads on your guest’s identity?"

"No." He was silent for a moment. "No."

"Dang." I hadn't really expected any different.

"Still, I've learned… well, so much! I'd explain, but…" He quirked an eyebrow.

"If you can give it to me in non-jargon." I frowned back. "I'm not stupid, Ziggy, but I never studied unicorn magic."

"Right, right. Well, the biggest difference between this vampire and the corpses I've studied in the past, besides not being dead, is the strength of its… I hesitate to call it thaumology. It has a magic system of some sort, and that's fascinating in itself, but—"

Ding!

"More visitors?" He frowned and stepped over to a bench, where a fat slice of crystal was wired to an array of electronic components. He tapped something, and a flickering monochrome image appeared. "Hey, Silver." He waved me over.

"Yeah?" I leaned in to look.

"I know Vinyl, but is she…?" He pointed to a mare in the disheveled group on the screen, dirt and blood smearing her gray coat.

"That's Octavia. But I don't know him." I pointed to the last member, a slender brown earth pony. "They've been in a fight. And he's carrying… Is that a vampire?"

"We can hope!" He arranged the objects he'd been carrying, making one last note, and headed for the stairs. “Let’s go see.” I trailed behind, looking around the well-lit, well-organized, not obviously nefarious lab again, before heading up the stairs.

"Ziggy!" Vinyl smiled as he opened the door, shouldering her way in before he even greeted her. "And Silver. Can you two lend a hoof?"

"Sure, Scratch. What's all this?" He waved the group in, but I noticed that several of his medallions appeared behind him, wrapped in his nearly transparent aura. First and last, he was a professional.

"Long story, short version; we were attacked by a vampire, and it seemed to be targeting Octy—"

"Please don't call me that."

"—So we subdued it and brought it here. Also, you got anything red? Both of us could use a drop."

"Vinyl, Octavia, a vampire, and…?" He stared pointedly at the earth pony.

"Verdant Moss." The stallion nodded. "A friend of Vinyl's."

"He's cool, he's cool." Vinyl nudged Syzygy aside, heading for the stairs. "Come on, Ziggy. I want this corpse dealt with."

"Your caution is commendable." He shrugged easily, and followed her into the lab. "My cell, however, is occupied. I can adjust things, but it will take a minute."

"Cell?" She paused, staring back at him. "Why bother? Let's just stake it and dump it wherever you hide the bodies."

"Vinyl…" Syzygy sighed. "Despite what you and Silver might think, I'm not a serial killer. All corpses I recover undergo a full day's vigil, securely confined. After that, I make every attempt to identify them. When that fails, they're cremated. Though I sometimes dissect the interesting ones."

I watched Octavia's eyes flick back and forth as they conversed. Verdant Moss seemed to mainly tune out the conversation, staring intently at various random knickknacks as we passed.

"Besides, staking is rudimentary at best. Decapitation and disemboweling is much more thorough, although burning—"

"Does identification always fail?" Octavia cut in sharply, though her voice was light.

"If I may?" Syzygy turned to Verdant as we re-entered the lab. The earth pony allowed him to take the corpse, relaxing slightly as the weight lifted. "Miss Octavia, pony corpses are identified in two ways. Dental records," he gestured at the fangs, "and cutie mark." He motioned to the thick, drab, overgrown coat. Barely a splotch was visible on the flank. "The transformation, along with the damage and healing which usually occur after, often destroy any recognizable characteristics. I do my best, but I doubt even this poor soul's mother would recognize them now."

"Oh."

"Intaglio will scrape the missing pony files," I added. "Sometimes there are clues. Outbreaks in small towns usually have more closure. Vampires are pretty uncommon, though, and we come down hard."

"You can say that again." Vinyl gave me a wry grin. "Anyways, Ziggy, happy birthday." She nodded to the corpse. "Say, you got somewhere we can clean up a bit?"

"Bathroom's behind the thaumodolite." He pointed to a doorway half-obscured by an intricate machine, never taking his eyes from the corpse. Vinyl pushed Octavia gently towards it, giving her a reassuring nod. She left quickly.

"She doing okay?" I sidled closer to Vinyl, watching as Syzygy began rearranging the cell, slowly shoving the current occupant aside with a moveable panel.

"Better than I did." She leaned against me with a friendly sigh, and I could feel the tension in her neck. "She's a realist, so… She's not in denial, but she's smart and jumpy. Won't be led. Which is good, honestly."

"Mmm."

"She seems willing to trust us, but I'm not sure how to make that happen. You should talk to her, try and show your good side."

"Blech." I remembered how that ended earlier. "If you say so."

"Hey, don't be like that. You're personable, and ponies like you. Besides, I don't think she wants to dislike us. Give yourself a chance."

"Alright."

Syzygy finished his work, sealing the cell with sparkling spells and solid locks. The moving vampire prowled restlessly, its too-sharp eyes flicking across each of us in turn. The corpse, separated from it by an opaque wall, lay quiescent.

"Now, Vinyl." He turned to us. "You wanted a dose?"

"Yeah. For Octavia, really. I think she burns it faster than me."

"I don't have much. My inmates usually don't require sustenance. But I'll see what I can do." He moved away, quickly obscured by the furnishings in the lab.

"Right, well." Verdant turned to us. "You two can take it from here. I don't feel exactly welcome, so I'll be off. 'Night, Vinyl. Nice to meet you, Silver."

I nodded, and Vinyl gave him a farewell hug. He left, hooves quiet on the stairs.

"Tired?" I grinned at the DJ. "You seem extra touchy-feely." She stuck her tongue out at me but smiled back.

"It's been a rough few days." She grimaced. "And this…" She waved to the corpse. "It took a lot out of me. I haven't fought - seriously, you know - for a while."

I nodded.

"More than that, I don't want to seem weak, afraid. If I break down, who knows what she'll think?" She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "But yeah, I'm tired."

We sat in silence for a few minutes until Octavia returned. She looked a lot better, with all the blood and most of the dirt gone.

"Your turn." She nodded to Vinyl, who smiled at me, stood, and left.

The silence rolled back in.

"Why do you make me nervous?" She broke the silence, pinning me with a glance.

"I'm not…" I glanced at her. "You don't look nervous." I wasn't picking up any action cues from her. On anything.

"Well, yes. But I feel it. There's an aura of danger around you, and it's not a visual thing. I got the same feeling from Syzygy, and from Vinyl and Verdant Moss when they were fighting. It's interfering with my concentration." She shook her head, as if to clear it.

"Hmm." I tilted my head, pondering. "Probably a vampire thing? A sixth sense, maybe. Lesse…" I blanked my paranoia, consciously trying to still my scanning senses, cutting out my peripheral vision, dulling my awareness of the airflows around me, flattening my ears to quiet the ambient noise, and folding my wings firmly. "Better?"

"Somewhat." She narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Dampened my combat awareness." I relaxed, letting my instincts return. She frowned slightly. "Sorry." I shrugged. "Syzygy and I have been at this long enough we don't relax, even when we're relaxing. I'm not going to sit here blind and deaf to make you comfortable."

"Fair enough." She nodded slowly. "It's annoying, but I'll learn to adapt."

"Just don't block it out. Of all the things happening to you, sensing danger's the one most likely to keep you out of fights. Just for this, the advice should be 'listen to your instincts', despite how treacherous the rest of them might be."

"…Yeah."

"And it's really hard to learn. Took me nearly two years to start reading the atmosphere, and even that relies on conscious observation."

"Any tips?" She locked her eyes on mine, giving me her undivided attention.

I paused, unsettled for a moment. My mind flashed back to my own training and the tension I felt towards her, the strange mix of debt and avoidance, sprang back full force. I swallowed, but continued.

"Don't focus on it too much. Just keep checking periodically. Once you're used to that, check more often. When you check without meaning to, you know you're on the right path. If you're good enough, you'll pick up threats without even realizing it." As I spoke, Vinyl trotted up, casually joining our conversation.

"Hey, Ziggy still not back?" She pushed her mane out of her eyes with a much cleaner hoof.

"I think he's— Oh, speak of the Nightmare." I pointed as he returned, two graduated glass beakers in tow. They each held a measure of brilliant crimson. Both mares focused on them immediately.

"These are for you." He levitated one to each of them. Vinyl gulped some immediately while Octavia took a small sip. "Now, I had a few questions. You said that this vampire was targeting you?" He pointed to Octavia. "Specifically?"

"It seemed so." Octavia frowned. "It came after me three times, ignoring the others even when they attacked."

"It did retaliate," Vinyl added, "but only enough to disengage. That's unusual, right? I've never heard of them doing that."

"Yes, very strange." Syzygy made a note, looking at them sharply. "Did it speak? Use magic? Seem… I don't know, intelligent in any way?"

"Not really." Vinyl frowned. "More just, focused. And it smells, but…"

Syzygy sniffed the air and glanced at me. I shrugged, shaking my head.

"Both of you smelled - still smell this?" They nodded, Octavia curling her lip in disgust.

"It's vile." She sipped her drink. "Cloying decay. Like nothing I've smelled."

"Hmm." He turned to the cage, touching a control with his magic. Sigils shimmered. He pulled a lever on the far wall, and in the background, the noise of fans rose. The calm, purposeful air currents flowing through the entire room picked up, quickly refreshing the atmosphere.

"Vapor exhaust," he explained. "Since the lab is underground. Better?"

“Much.”

“Thanks.”

"Hmm." I frowned. Something in that description bothered me. "Vinyl, just how good is your sense of smell?"

"Decent." She took another gulp, beaker almost empty. "Much stronger when I turn. I've never been bothered by garlic, but a few smells really stick out."

"Either of you smelled rotting flesh before?" As soon as I asked the question, Vinyl looked slightly sick. Octavia shook her head.

"That's quite enough of that." Syzygy gave me a sharp look. "Either of you have a guess as to why it was targeting you?"

"I…" Octavia paused, seeming to struggle for a moment, before stripping off the ragged scarf she was wearing to reveal a familiar opal pendant. "I've had this since the attack. I've been wearing it since I can't find the clasp. The vampire struck for my neck several times; I thought it wanted to kill me at first, but now…"

"Didn’t somepony bait you with that, Silver?" Vinyl looked to me. "What do we know about it?"

"Bait?" Octavia's brow crinkled.

"Not much." I shrugged. "Intaglio's looking into it, but the basic info was just a vague description and a caution that it's old, valuable, and likely magical. Oh," I paused, "and stolen." Vinyl winced.

"What's this about bait?" Octavia tried again.

"If I may?" Syzygy leaned in, staring at the pendant. The gem scintillated in the brightly lit room, throwing sparkles of chromatic fire.

"I… fine." She turned, allowing him a closer look.

"Hmm, faint readings." His aura flickered across the gem. "Opal is soft, amorphous; getting a spell to hold would be difficult. But its magic content is much higher than average due to the hydration, and if the phenomenotation required flexibility—"

"Can you get it off?" Octavia cut into his jargon firmly.

"Huh?" He looked up, concentration broken. "Hmm." His aura flickered again, and he paused.

"What's the hang-up?" Vinyl's horn lit, but she stopped when he glared at her.

"Sorry, just trying to figure this out. Short answer, yes. Long answer, yes, but it's probably not a good idea. This pendant is magical, and it's interacting with you somehow, Octavia. Removing it's a gamble. I wouldn't bet on it being a good idea." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sorry." He sighed, but his grin widened. "This is fascinating, though." He turned to the vampires in the cage. "I've learned so much in the past few days." He paused, considering. "I've been sifting through everything about vampires for so long, and I think I'm finally starting to grasp some leads. The piece that keeps popping up, the only really coherent part of the spell, is the control aspect."

"Oh?" Octavia leaned forward, ears swiveling towards him.

"Yeah." He looked to her. "How much do you know about vampirism?"

"A little. Things applicable to me."

"This applies to the vampires I’ve seen before, nightwalkers, and also the new one. It acts differently, but simply seems more advanced. I’ve been calling it a dusk walker. Neither is very like an invert. Those,” he pointed to the cage, "have a sort of hierarchy, enforced by the spell. The first to be infected is the alpha, and any it bites are forced into submission. My sample size is small, but the effects are strong. When you rose, these two dosed you with its blood—"

"That's the one that bit me?" Octavia's eyes snapped to the dusk walker, then flicked back to us. "Dosed? Blood?"

"Yeah." Vinyl shifted uncomfortably. "You were incoherent, homicidal. Afterwards you came out of it and ran… straight into a sunbeam."

"Oh." Octavia rubbed her nose. "Yeah."

"Anyways, that blood likely broke the hierarchy you'd been forced into,” Syzygy said, “which should have removed the mental suppression. Afterwards, you regained your faculties."

"So if you could find his alpha?" She waved at dusk walker.

"I… don't think that would work." He frowned. "I've scanned Vinyl, and there are fundamental differences in her internal magic which explain her high functioning profile. It would be enlightening, I'm sure, but there seems to be a degradation in the spell each time it's transferred. Its faculties aren't suppressed, they're damaged. Still, there's a chance." He sighed. "I won't terminate it unless I'm forced to. I could guess, if I knew more about the transformation point, but I've got nothing to go on. Not like you."

"You spoke," I interjected, "minutes after you'd been bitten."

"So, this… spell. It's more than a disease?"

"I think so." Syzygy nodded. "And my current guess is that it's about control. Imagine an army of invincible, absolutely loyal soldiers."

"That's horrifying." Vinyl shuddered. "But… that's not what we've got."

"No." Syzygy sighed. "No, it's not. Monsters don't make good weapons. What we see is more like an explosive than a sword. It's devastating, but that alone dulls its effect. What's more, I've never seen any sort of intelligence behind the patterns. The cause of outbreaks have always been impossible to pinpoint. Before this." His eyes turned back to the pendant.

"Tell me what you meant by 'bait'." Octavia touched the necklace, brushing away his magic.

"Well, when I found you I was on a commission," I said. "That necklace was stolen and I was hired to retrieve it. The situation was passed to me by a contact. He vetted it for the Hunters, but it didn't go to the general board. Intaglio never saw it. I talked to the pony who'd lost it, one Sun Dew. It seemed legit. He gave me a tracker and I headed out. When I got there, I met up with Ziggy, who'd traced a vampire to the same place. We found you, and… well. Anyways, when I got back, Sun Dew had vanished."

"Hmm." She frowned, taking another sip from her nearly empty beaker. "And I just happened to be present…?"

"That's what it looked like to me. If you and Ziggy hadn't been there, I've no idea how it would have ended. Likely a much bigger, more noticeable mess. If somepony wanted a reaction, they’d have plenty to work with."

"So." She shot me a sharp glance. "Why you?"

"That's…" I paused, ears slowly flattening. "It wasn't necessarily me. It could have been aimed at the organization as a whole, or likely Intaglio."

"You don't really believe that." She finished her drink. All three of them stared at me for a long moment. I frantically sorted through my responses. Syzygy had some idea that my magic was odd, and Vinyl knew I was a lot more educated than my age and apparent background would suggest. Still, Intaglio had enemies. My feathers fluffed slightly as imagined air-pressure dropped, the Storm shifting quietly in the back of my mind.

"Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me." I tried to pass the joke off with a weak smile. "And I know the boss isn’t liked by everypony. Yes, the job was—"

I stopped as Octavia froze.

"Vinyl, I feel strange." There was an unusual harmonic in her calm voice.

"What? What's wrong?" Vinyl jerked to look. Octavia didn't shift an inch, although her eyes started to cross.

"I'm… tingly."

Vinyl's gaze snapped to Syzygy, eyes narrowing. She snatched up the beaker Octavia had been drinking from, and sniffed it once.

"This is unicorn blood!" The annoyance in her voice cut the air.

"Well, yes." Syzygy shrugged. "You were insistent and it's all I had," he waved to a small piece of gauze on his foreleg, "on hoof, as it were."

"You…" Vinyl's eyes drifted to her own empty glass, and a look of mild disgust crossed her face. "You could have warned me, at least! She's never tasted outside her ponytype!"

"But I gave you the same. In a blind trial, it's important the control—" He cut off, leaping backwards as a shard of white, nearly invisible magic leaped from Octavia's forehead, zipping across the room to break something fragile in the depths of the lab. "Excellent!"

"You, you… Gah!" Vinyl grabbed Octavia and started murmuring in her ear.

"Did you hurt her?" I leaned in on Syzygy, bringing a bladed wing to bear on his neck.

"No, no. She'll be fine." He brushed me away calmly, even as he manipulated something on the counter. "This recording will be invaluable, and although her surges may be disorienting, I was never dangerously strong."

I ducked behind a table as a ring of magic rippled overhead. I subconsciously tested the Storm, but its grumbles were quiet. I looked up as a chorus of clinks and chimes rang out.

"I am a talented multicaster, though," Syzygy said reflectively, as nearly every single piece of glass in the room started singing as it rose into the air.

"I hate you."

"Don't be that way, friend!" He leaped at me, throwing up a shield as the vibration increased. I jammed my hooves in my ears.

Moments later, we were covered in glass as everything exploded.

---

"I'm not helping you clean this up."

“Of course, of course.” Syzygy shook himself off and backed away, letting his shield dissolve. I shook shards of glass from my wings, slowly standing.

“Plbth!” Vinyl spat out a shard, brushing pieces from her coat and mane. “Syzygy, this is the most irresponsible, reckless, downright stupidest thing I’ve ever seen you do! If you ever try something like this again, I’ll personally kick you into next week! If she’s hurt…” She let the threat trail off, turning to the mare in question.

“Hehehe…” Octavia had a distant look in her eyes. The surges had stopped and she seemed calmer, but a few shards of glass were orbiting her erratically. As I watched, she brought one to her leg and made a shallow cut. She watched intently as it healed, giggling and bringing another piece to bear.

“Stop that!” Vinyl snatched the shard, but she simply replaced it from the mess on the floor.

“Is she going to be okay?” I moved closer, concerned.

“She’ll be fine!” Syzygy grinned.

“Yeah, probably.” Vinyl focused and lifted her entirely in her aura. “The magic is messing with her head; it was too much, too different, too fast.” She glared at Syzygy again. “I swear, Ziggy…”

“Come on, let’s get her out of here.” I lifted myself gently off the ground, careful of splinters, as I floated to the stairs.

“Yeah.” Vinyl fell in behind. “If she takes a dose and goes straight to bed, most of this should fade by morning.”

Suddenly, I felt very ready for bed. Tomorrow I had class, and students to attend to.

Oh yes. And a dragon. Can't forget the dragon.

---

"This. Is. Boring." The mint-green pegasus hovering before me crossed her forelegs, giving me a disapproving frown.

"Look… Greensward, right?" I sighed, turning my attention away from the drills I had most of the class flying in the air below.

"Yeah."

"Okay. It's like this. I'm not an entertainer. I'm your teacher. We're flying drills today, and tomorrow, and probably the day after that, because I'm taking this job seriously and the basics are important. We'll play a game after I have some idea how capable you are as a class, and I'm certain you can all work together as a team. And not a moment sooner."

"But I can do all this!" She waved in frustration, pointing to where the group was practicing formation flying in four-feather wedges. I'd decided to focus on coordination and awareness over physical capability. These ponies needed to get the rough-and-tumble sorted out of them, and forcing reliance on wingmates was a good way to start that.

"She can," Beau said. I looked to him, ice-blue wings folded as he sat on the cloud next to me. "Greensward's good."

"Alright…" I gave her a once-over. She was trim, with neatly kept wings. She took long, slow strokes, and hovered with the bare minimum of expended effort. I spread my wings, feeling the air around her, and nodded slowly. She was maintaining the flow smoothly. "What do you want to learn then?"

"What?"

"I'm not just letting you leave class," I explained patiently. "However, on Beau's recommendation, I can give you a little leeway like him."

"What's he learning?" She shot the dragon a curious glance.

"The finer points of working with cloudcrete," Beau replied. "Silver built his own home." He pointed upwards, where my abode drifted.

"I can't teach him anything athletic." I shrugged. "Our magic is too disparate."

"Teach her to sideslip."

I glanced at Beau.

"She can contrail. She should be strong enough."

"What's a sideslip?" Greensward glanced between us, confused.

"I'll show you." I stood, shaking out my wings. "Alright, Greensward. You ever been interested in trick flying?"

She nodded.

"Follow me." I glided off the cloud, grinning approval as she trailed my right wing, Beau fell in slightly below on my left. I made a few slow strokes, limbering up, before gathering my power.

"The real trick to fancy flying is magic control." I wrapped a breeze around us, using it to carry my voice to her. "You've got decent command over the air around you, and that's a good start. Your magic can do more than that. It reduces your weight, making it easier to get off the ground, and increases your reaction speed. With some practice, that can be controlled. If you're lighter, you can climb faster and turn tighter, but with more practice you can also do something like this."

I pulsed my power, accelerating as the surge rushed from my core and streamed off the tips of my feathers, forming a red-and-gray-streaked contrail. I heaved with one wing as it lit, tucking the other and rolling. When I came out of the maneuver, I was twenty feet straight left. I pulled into a hover as the trail faded, showing a square zig-zag.

"That's a sideslip. It's the beginning of super-maneuverability training, acrobatics past where just your wings can take you."

"You can teach me that?" She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the trail as it vanished.

"Yeah. If you can contrail, you're halfway there. It's less useful in airball, because even a slow formation can take on a lone flyer, but…" I shrugged. "You saw me use it against him." I pointed at Beau.

"And if the whole formation can do that?" She grinned.

"It takes intense discipline to do coordinated super-maneuvers in combat. There's a reason the Wonderbolts are elite." I grinned back. "It makes things pretty interesting, though."

"Teach me!"

"Give me a minute." I turned back to the class, surveying them. "Gotta keep these guys on track."

---

"Left two three four, right two three four, up two three four— Cut, cut!" Greensward and Beau broke step as I dove between them.

"Look, Greensward, this is important. Be delicate. Magic is about control." I waved at her smeared contrail. "If you can't tighten your focus, you'll never get it right. You've got power in here," I poked her barrel, "but if you don't feel it, you can't use it. Concentrate!"

She nodded, focusing. "But why are we dancing?"

"Because," I sighed, "it's about control. Dancing in flight takes precision and grace." I waltzed a few cubes, showing her crisp angles as I flashed from step to step. "Have you ever trained in dueling?"

"No."

"Then you need to learn to dance." I shrugged. "When you get it, you'll understand. Watch Beau, take it slow, and—"

"Heeeeeeey!"

"Huh?" I looked down. On the field far below, a cream-and-blue speck was waving at us. "Who's that?"

They shrugged.

"Great. Come on." I gave Beau a second's head start before I folded my wings and plummeted.

I landed easily, moments after the dragon. Greensward floated down carefully, unwilling to make as sudden a stop.

"You're not Fair Play!"

The speck was a cream-colored unicorn, wearing light-blue, neatly-stitched saddlebags to match her mane, and carrying a few instruments and a notebook in her aura.

"Correct." My voice was flat. "I'm Silver Lining, his substitute. And you are?"

"I’m Shimerelle!" She gave me a huge smile, pumping out a thousand watts of enthusiastic energy. I tried not to flinch but failed when Beau stepped entirely too close and gave her a long sniff. Her eyes popped wide, and her smile got even broader.

"Beau," I snapped, "Don't smell ponies. We don't like feeling delicious."

"But I’m so sweet!" She giggled and circled the dragon quickly, inspecting him. "Mister Beau, can I ask you some questions? How hot is your flame? Do you your scales absorb magic? Can I have one? How high do you fly? Can you cast—"

"She smells like magic," Beau mumbled.

"She's a unicorn, Beau." I snorted as she tried to pry one of his wings open, bubbling the whole time. Greensward watched, expression caught between annoyance and amazement.

"No, it's similar—" He cut off as Shimerelle poked him in the ribs with a hoof. "Would you stop?"

"But I’m curious!" She grinned at his annoyed snarl, leaning forward to peer into his mouth. "Do you shed teeth? Can I have your extras? Can you—"

Beau clammed up, shuffling inwards and mumbling something about ponies and cavities.

"Miss Shimerelle!" She snapped away from him, focusing on me again. "What are you doing here?" I glanced upwards, checking on my class. They were flying better.

"Oh, yes!" She bounced towards me. "I'm studying pegasus flight for my project, you see, and I saw your contrails. They were square! So, I wanted to know—"

"We were dancing." I cut her off before she could release another avalanche of inquisitiveness.

"Oh, fascinating! Can I watch?"

Silence fell for a moment. I blinked, waiting, but no more questions appeared. She was staring at me, wide-eyed and hopeful. I thought for a long minute, weighing this annoyance against being a 'good' teacher. Besides, I half-expected her to simply float up on bubbles of curiosity if I left her here.

"Can you fly?"

"Noooo…." Her smiled lessened slightly. "But! I can cloud walk if you bring me one."

"I can carry you up," I offered. Her eyes lit, and she started pulling instruments from her saddlebags. "Greensward, you ever seen a distance lift?"

"No."

"Alright, watch carefully, this will be educational. Miss Shimerelle—" I paused as she threw a hoof around my neck, hugging me tightly. "That won't be necessary." I detached her firmly and stepped back. "Stand there."

She nodded and started training measuring devices on me.

"This is the same technique used to carry a chariot," I continued. "If you learn to use your magic properly, however, you only need to be near the target." I spread my wings, gathering the surrounding air. I pushed a dab of power at Shimerelle to mark her before flapping. She lifted lightly on my breeze, giggling and taking notes. "It's how I controlled the cloud ball when I flew against Beau, leaving my hooves free. It’s part of lifeguard training."

We ascended slowly, past practicing groups of students. I stopped a few with blasts of my whistle, giving pointers and encouraging them to watch their leaders and cycle through positions. In a few minutes we were above the herd. Shimerelle cast her cloud walking spell, and I settled her carefully on the fluffy islet I'd been using to watch. She pranced for a moment before looking straight up.

"Is that a house? Is it yours? Can you see my house from there? Did you build it? Can I visit? Is it fluffy? Is—"

"Yes yes no idea yes no yes please stop talking."

She fell silent, grinning brightly and scribbling my answers on her pad. I sighed, relenting slightly.

"Sorry. You can ask questions, but I need to pay attention to my class, so please slow down. Beau, Greensward, take it from the top." They nodded and resumed their waltz.

"So!" Shimerelle smiled brightly, stepping lightly over to the edge of the cloud. "Tell me about pegasus dancing!"

"Well…" I thought back, skimming the histories I'd learned. "Back in the days of Pegastopolis…" I carefully watched my students, trying to split my attention three ways.

---

"…Imping is grafting a spare quill in place of a broken one." I spread a wing, pointing to one of my blades. Shimerelle leaned in close, sketching a quick outline of the socket. "Sometimes we use synthetic, but most save them from a molt— hold on a minute." I broke off my impromptu lecture, diving towards the dance. Class was nearly over, but I was still keeping a close eye on the drills.

"What?" Greensward was surly, perspiration running down her coat. Dancing was hard work, and I'd been pushing her.

"That. What you just did? That was it." I grinned. "You got a proper flit in that last step. Excellent work!"

"Really?" She grinned broadly.

"Really. Now do it again." Her grin dimmed slightly, but she firmed her stance and bowed to Beau as I soared back to the cloud.

"Sorry, where were we?"

"Griffons!"

"Well, I don't know what—" I paused. Shimerelle wasn't looking at me. She was pointing out past the airfield, over the University, where two lighter specks were approaching with long, swift strokes. "Oh."

My stomach sank as they grew nearer, and I recognized the leader, a big tiercel with black feathers and white fur.

"Bloody hail."

Shimerelle gave me a curious glance.

"Pardon my Prench. This is exactly the sort of attention I'd rather dodge. Please don't talk for a few minutes?" She nodded meekly, but started scribbling furiously as the griffons drew near, the second hanging back as the leader fell into a hover slightly above us.

"Silver." The lead griffon touched a claw to his neck.

"Auric." I returned the salute cordially. "What brings you here?"

"Whispers on the breeze." He shrugged. "Is this what Intaglio has you doing? A Hunter of your caliber?"

"Please don't patronize me." I sighed. This was going to be tiresome. "You know I respect and support the current chair."

"Don't you, though." He chuckled deeply. "Intensely."

"I have my reasons. Did you need something, or are you just trying to disrupt my class?" I bared my teeth at him.

"I had no idea you were such an adept instructor." He glanced at Greensward and Beau, waltzing careful cubes below. "The Steel Breeze can always use talented teachers."

"Stop wasting my time, Auric."

"Yes, yes. Of course. It's just so interesting to see you stepping outside your safe little rules. Makes me wonder." He peered at me intently.

I swallowed a retort, although my feathers bristled.

"Hah, well." He shrugged. "I guess my questions will wait. I just thought you might enjoy meeting the newest member of my squadron. This is my niece." He waved the second griffon forward. As I focused on her, my stomach lurched again. I tried to hide my shock behind a forced smile, and it might have worked.

"I'm Silver Lining. Nice to meet you, miss…?" I trailed off, pretending I didn't know her name.

"Gilda." Her brow curled in puzzlement, but she played along. "Gilda Highwind." She offered me a claw, which I shook carefully, taking the time to school my features.

"Enjoy Canterlot." I nodded and cocked an ear as a distant ringing sounded. "I'd love to stay and talk, but it's time for me to dismiss class." I waved to Auric, who grunted a frustrated farewell, and tumbled from the cloud. Beau folded his wings below me as I blasted my whistle, careful of his promise.

The herd assembled quickly on the ground. I complemented their improvement, smiled at Greensward, and watched them disperse. Finally, it was just me and Beau. I gave a long sigh and let myself relax as responsibility faded.

“What was that about?” He stared up at the departing griffons.

“Trouble,” I grumbled. “Part of why I never really wanted this job. He’s not exactly friendly to our boss.”

“And the other? Did you know her?”

“A lifetime ago, we were nearly friends.”

"Heeeeeeey!" A voice floated down, cutting our conversation.

I groaned. High on the cloud, a cream-and-blue speck was waving at me.

I flapped tiredly into the air, grumbling all the way.

I'd known this job wouldn’t be simple.

Quiet Melodies

I woke to a pounding headache.

It centered on my forehead, directly between my eyes. Half-awake, I rubbed it and paused. There was something there.

I rolled out of bed, scrambling towards my mirror. I parted my bangs, and the events of last night came crashing back, shattering the peaceful calm of sleep.

The Gallery. The attack. Verdant Moss and Vinyl. Violence. Syzygy.

I drew a deep breath and let out a long, shuddering sigh. On my forehead, barely an inch long, was a tiny gray nub of horn.

It will fade.

Vinyl had been clear on that. I shook myself, composing my emotions, and brushed my bangs carefully back over the nub.

The apartment was silent. I checked the clock. Shimerelle was gone, studying pegasus flight with the early P.E. class, and wouldn't be back until after noon at the earliest. I reveled in the solitude, wrapping the silence around me like a familiar symphony. My room was quiet. A soft breeze sighed through the windows, late spring warmth filling the bright space with calm and peace.

I took my time with my morning rituals, letting my headache dissipate as I enjoyed a warm shower and fluffy towel, before carefully combing my coat and mane. Afterwards, I felt almost normal. But despite it all, a familiar craving crawled in the back of my throat. I methodically prepared for the day, gathering what I'd want for lectures, but I knew what I needed. I stood in silence a moment longer before proceeding.

I opened the fridge, reaching into the back. The dark glass bottle sloshed quietly as I drew it out, barely a third left. I'd have to ask about getting more.

I drew a clean glass from the cupboard, pouring the deep crimson liquid carefully. I replaced the bottle and sat at the table. The breeze ruffled my mane, drying it.

For a long, quiet moment, I simply sat and stared at my breakfast.

The smell was still wonderful. Roses, vanilla, cinnamon, deep, earthy scents. This was earth pony blood. Life-essence, red and rich.

I sloshed the glass slightly, watching carnelian ripples rise up the sides and settle back into the impenetrable center.

I had Vinyl's assurance that there had been no violence involved.

I took a sip.

Warmth spread through me, life and peace simmering gently on my tongue. Calm and comfort trailed down my throat, spreading from my core as the blood slipped into my stomach.

I stared at the glass again. Revulsion rose, abhorrence and disgust at what I was doing warring against the wonderful sensation of consuming something so good.

I took another sip.

Visceral feelings warred quietly. Slowly, the disgust gave way to satisfaction, leaving only the deeper unquiet at just how easy it had been, just how quickly I'd succumbed to liking this.

The obvious alternative, though, was enough to keep me from pursuing that thought very far.

As I sipped, I contemplated.

My world was changing, and it was changing fast.

I liked change. The flow of music, the twist and reveal of a performance, the understated surge and ebb of the seasons and weather, all of it sat comfortably with me. But even more than I liked change, I liked control.

I wasn't a happy-go-lucky pony. I didn't gamble recklessly or thrill in risk. I calculated, measured, prepared… and then threw the dice. Last night, as the hunter, I'd moved in a position of strength, drawing the ponies tailing us into my flow, directing them to the end I'd wanted. As the hunted, I'd been forced to react, run, hide, fight, and I'd found myself severely wanting.

And then I'd met Syzygy.

Besides even the blood he'd given me, and the strange, crackling energy that it surged with, everything about him made me uneasy. It was like Silver, but worse. Discovering his intent was sheer simplicity, since he'd told us all, but that really answered nothing. He was a player, an excellent one. He'd carefully layered a sharp-edged persona over an uncomplicated, single-minded drive, just enough of the first to distract from the second, giving an excellent picture of completion. It was a masterful performance, and I was itching to uncover what he had hidden under that. I didn't buy his 'misunderstood' for a moment. How many ponies looked at the first, uncovered the second, and simply thought 'oh, that explains it'? How many of them really considered why he was so fascinated by vampires, when it was so interesting trying to guess what he'd do next?

My only consolation was that, as long as I played his game, the rules wouldn't change until he was ready. And it was quite obvious I was a big piece in his estimation, big enough to keep him playing along while I held his interest.

I'd have to be careful to keep it.

I sipped my… drink again, contemplating. I'd smelled his proffered glass, hadn't even considered thinking about it. Vinyl had accepted readily, and it had been good. Warm, which was pleasant. It had smelled more alive, vital, fresher. Oranges, lemon, mint, perhaps. I thought back to the whiff I'd gotten when Shimerelle had cut her leg, wondering. I'd been so caught up in the smell of life, I'd barely even noticed the higher notes—

A grimace crawled across my face, unchecked in the silent privacy of breakfast. Was I seriously thinking of ponies, friends, like I considered wine?

I gulped the dregs of the glass convulsively, moving quickly to wash the cup. I wiped my mouth, rinsing everything with splashes of clean water.

Magic. That was what I'd been contemplating.

After finishing the dose he'd given me, a tingling energy had crawled over my coat, scrambling from the tips of my hooves up to the center of my forehead. It had knocked my thoughts loose, a frantic effulgence of power demanding release. I remembered trying desperately to reduce it, lashing out with uncoordinated strength in ways I really didn't understand.

I had been casting spells.

Vinyl had grabbed me, urging calm and control, but the world had been distorted, like looking through warped lenses. The strangest things had demanded absolute attention, undivided focus. There had been a moment of music, and then shattering. I'd cut myself, and the healing had fascinated me, the purposeful reknitting of my skin and muscle thrumming with an amazing interplay of power.

I winced, recalling how I'd cut myself again and again, simply to watch the magic.

I'd stumbled home in something of a haze. My bed had been welcome, although I still felt restless. My sleep had been light, although refreshing enough.

Finally, my thoughts fell quiet as well. After a long, peaceful moment, I shrugged on my saddlebags and composed my feelings.

The apartment door closed quietly behind me.

Time to start the day.

---

"Miss Octavia?"

"Hmmm?" I looked up from my page of notes. A uniformed courier was proffering a letter. A few of my classmates gave me curious glances, but the lecturer was too enraptured with the wonders of ancient Minoa to notice what was happening in the back of his classroom. "Ah, yes." I signed, taking the envelope. It was signed 'Syzygy Stardust'. I frowned, considering. Couriers were exemplary, but this was more than a little odd.

Sighing quietly, I broke the seal and withdrew a simple sheet of notepaper. It was covered in sharp, exact writing.

Miss Octavia

Thank you for your help last night. I apologize for the deception, but your assistance was truly invaluable to my research! I would very much like a chance to speak with you at length, and perhaps attempt a few more experiments. I eagerly hope for your consent. However, I have a more urgent matter for your attention.

After comparing your story with Silver's, I've reached a worrying conclusion. He mentioned a 'tracker' for the necklace, and I feel whoever was behind your attack last night must have access to something similar. The specimen you retrieved is crude, much less capable than the dusk walker. It can be likened to a point-and-release weapon, judging by what I can glean from fragments of its magic system. It was aimed at you by somepony, and they had specific information on where you were at the time. Putting aside the questions these anomalous vampires raise, the inference somepony is tracking the necklace is obvious, although we can hope they don't know who holds it currently.

Needless to say, this is an urgent matter. Unfortunately, I can't conclude anything more concrete. Even after a simple scan, I found your artifact relatively easy to trace, although that was likely because I observed it actively interacting with you. I apologize for invading your privacy, but I leveraged that to notify you as quickly as possible. I hope I didn't interrupt an important lecture?

On the reverse, please find a short term enshrouding spell. I urge you to seek better protection as soon as reasonably possible, and I hereby offer my own services. With a more detailed examination, I may be able to produce a more permanent effect. Please call on me anytime. I think we can benefit each other greatly.

Wishing you safety and success in all you endeavor,
Syzygy Stardust, Hunter, Self-Styled Vampiricist, Thaumotrician M.D.

I stared at the letter for a long moment, reading and re-reading it. His conclusions seemed firm to me, and a little frustration welled up. I honestly should have seen this possibility myself. In retrospect, it was startlingly obvious. What were the chances we just happened to bump into a vampire that was hunting me? Of course it had been tracking us! If only Silver had mentioned the spell to me earlier… I gritted my teeth and shook my head. No, second-guessing did nothing for hindsight, and I was no magician.

I flipped the page over, and a precisely printed set of runes spread before me.

At least, I'd never been a magician before last night. Still, this was probably out of my league. I folded the letter carefully, filing it in my binder with the rest of my homework.

Maybe Vinyl could help.

---

I walked home slowly. After the letter, I'd been hard-pressed to focus on the rest of my classes, instead mulling over Syzygy and my predicament.

"Octy, hey, Octy!"

"Please." I stopped, turning to where a familiar unicorn rested on a nearby bench. We were close to my apartment. "Please. Stop. Calling me that."

"But hey, it's so much shorter than your full name!" Vinyl pushed her shades up on her head, grinning broadly and patting the seat next to her.

"Two syllables." I wandered over, slipping off my saddlebags and sitting down.

"And that's, like, fifty percent." She waved the discussion away. "Anyways, how're you holding up? Thought I'd check in, since we were all like 'you need help' yesterday."

"Not so well." I squished my eyes shut, trying to organize my thoughts. "Can I trust Syzygy? Why is he so… I don't know, cavalier? Why should I believe anything he says?"

"You can trust him to keep his word, at the very least." Vinyl gave me a serious stare. "It's very important to him. I joke about his personality, but don't take that too seriously. He's pulled things like that on me before, and I can say for certain he's actually very careful about not hurting patients; he takes his hippomedic oath seriously. Actually, I think it's something of a defense mechanism. The ponies who can't deal with him never come back, but those who stay realize he's not simply insane, because he really is very good at what he does. It's like an extreme trust filter."

"Extreme is right." I rubbed my forehead. The nub of horn was nearly gone. "Is he really a doctor?"

"Yeah. He studied thaumology or something, how magic works in your body and how to fix it when its broke. Where's all this coming from?"

I shuffled through my binder and pulled out the note. She studied it for a minute, before flipping it over.

"Oh. Well, hay."

"Can you cast it?"

"Let me try." She frowned, concentrating. After a moment, the runes glowed, and an itchy feeling crept over me.

"Ah, yuck." I shivered, trying to rid myself of the sensation. It faded slowly.

"Did it work?"

"It did something."

"Well, it ought to have some effect, but I’m not very unicorn right now. I usually go half-and-half with earth pony. Your type is pretty useful for lifting amps and going twenty hours without sleep. Maybe Lyra can help."

"What's with her, anyways?" I took the paper back, carefully folding it away. "Everypony said she's completely normal. How'd she end up with you guys? Is she secretly some sort of martial artist or necromancer or assassin or something lethal?"

"What?" Vinyl gave me a nonplussed stare. "No, Lyra's about as dangerous as a cinnamon roll. She's actually totally normal, as far as we can measure."

"Do you usually compare your friends to delicious sugary food?"

"Ehehe, well. Um. Anyways, it's not like we're some exclusive weirdo club, but there is something strange about her. None of us have any idea why, but she's stupid lucky."

"Good luck?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised she didn't sweep you clean at cards. Never, ever dice with her. She knows it, and even how it works, I think, but she won't talk about it."

"Huh. Poker's more about observation, though."

"When I had them searching for you, I expected her or Mossy to find you, really. It's a good thing it was her. For some reason, she absolutely terrifies the Pict.”

"Weird, I wonder—" I froze, as a sudden crushing pressure descended on me. It was worse than Silver or Syzygy, worse than the vampire we'd fought. Terror literally froze me in place.

"Dragon!" Vinyl yelped, scrambling backwards and tumbling off the end of the bench.

"Indeed." The voice was rolling and chill. I slowly cranked my head around, finally seeing an ice-blue form behind us. He might have passed as a pony from a distance, if I hadn't noticed the scales, claws, or teeth. He sniffed deeply, eyes narrowing. "A daylight corpse, consorting with the half living. No wonder I smelled familiar magic on that bubbly mare. Your kind was always fascinated by the carcanet. It seems lying in wait here was a good choice." He glanced back over his shoulder, towards… my apartment?

Wait, bubbly? Was he talking about Shimerelle? What did she have to do with this?

"I'm sorry?" I wound up my self-control, fighting past the chills racing across my coat. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage."

"Don't I just." He grinned, glacier-green eyes fierce. "I'll have my treasure back, little pony. One way or another, I'll know if it was you. Not even the dead can thieve from me with impunity."

"Treasure?" My confusion was real, although conflicting emotions helped keep my face calm. "I have no idea what—" I flinched as a shard of magic zipped past. The dragon watched impassively, even as it nearly skimmed him. I heard Vinyl shuffle behind the bench.

"Of course you don't." His voice took on a wry tinge. "Why, if I mentioned the blood of stars, you would claim it's just a phrase. As if any of your kind is a guileless innocent."

"I've never heard of—"

"I'm not playing games." He stepped forward, and hot breath pinned my ears back. When had he gotten so close? "I've been searching for long enough, and your very existence—"

"Beau, wait, please!"

"Silver?" The dragon's head snapped around, and a little of the pressure lifted from me. "You have a stake here?"

"She's a friend of mine." The pegasus swept in, alighting gently, though his stance was aggressive. A touch of relief warmed my emotions. "Both of them."

"You won't fight me."

"I would, as I value my honor. I wouldn't win." He spread his wings, and I saw glints in the feathers. "Still, let's not cheapen our actions, and talk for a moment."

"Words are worthless here." The dragon dismissed him completely, turning back to me.

"By your name, please wait!"

"You will invoke that so easily?" He snorted in frustration and stepped away from me. "Do not wear it out, Silver."

"I apologize." He bowed deeply. "Thank you for your patience. Before you act, please consider this. I'm friends with both of these mares, and consider them both good ponies. I don't know what they did to anger you, but surely it's not worth hurting them over."

"Your opinion is fiat." Beau pointed at us. "These two are undead, living corpses who steal life from others." He paused a beat. "You're not surprised."

"My word is worth gold." I winced as Silver raised his voice, but Beau didn't seem to notice. "Vinyl is honorable, doing harm to none, and Octavia is newborn as of this week! Even the meanest appraiser won't price a piece apart from its history. Are you any less?" He leaned forward challengingly.

"Newborn?" Beau's looked me over slowly, and stepped back. "Truly?"

"Truly." I nodded. Some of my initial reaction was fading, and the fact that we were talking now, instead of being attacked, assuaged it further. "I'll swear on whatever you ask, I had no hoof in robbing you." Keep it simple; that, at least, I could be certain of. "Do you hate what I am so much, you'd condemn me for something I had no say in?" A tinge of bitterness entered my voice. "I never asked to be like this!"

"Hmm." He considered my outburst, cocking his head.

"You were robbed?" Silver sounded horrified.

"Indeed." Beau snarled slightly. "Sometime over a year ago, a thief violated my hoard.”

“And you think I should know about it.” I was curious now. He knew something, and I’d love to know what.

“Well.” He considered me for a long moment. “Yes, unless you truly have no connection to the one who turned you. Much of what was taken was simply mundane jewels, but one was a piece above price, an ancient inheritance. Something the ones ponies call ‘daywalkers’ have always coveted.”

“This ‘carcanet’.” I tasted the word, wondering. “And it brought you here.”

“Indeed. I will have what is mine. And the clue I found..." He breathed a plume of flame. I winced, but it never reached me, curling to hang in the air. After a second, it shimmered and morphed, forming the image of a smudged rune-circle. "The thief was prepared beyond expectation and knew when I was absent. They escaped via teleportal. Truly pinpointing the destination was impossible, but they landed within a thousand leagues of here. This is the only place it could be hidden with any certainty until my scent faded."

"So you joined the University?" I tried not to sound incredulous, but Silver shot me a warning glance.

"Tearing the city apart stone-by-stone would be frowned upon." His lips curled upwards. "And slightly onerous. After my initial canvass failed, I decided to enjoy myself gainfully as I continued my search. There's always something to learn. The living dead were always my primary suspect, and apparently they now walk openly among ponies."

"Um." Silver paused, as Beau looked to him. "About that. Please don't spread their identity around."

"Hmmm?" Beau glanced at us again. "Why ever not? You claimed they are above reproach." He quirked an eyebrow.

"Reproach, yes. Unreasoning fear? No. They don't exactly 'walk openly'. Tell you what; how about I make it worth your while?"

"Intriguing. Continue."

"We'll help you with your search for the thief. These two have connections. I'm a Hunter, and I can ask my boss to look into it, if you give us some details."

"You'd work for me? Hah!" Beau threw his head back in a laugh. "You'd work for me, without even pay, and Intaglio, too! Truly, that's rich! Poetic, even! Hah!" After a moment guffawing, he calmed, seriously considering. "Well, I have little to lose, and it would at least be entertaining. Very well, I will keep your secret for now, and I may demand your assistance later."

"I will be bound by this." Silver bowed.

"See that you are." Beau stepped back further, spreading his wings. "I will watch you two corpses. Be careful, now." He flapped once, soaring away with surprising grace.

"Hah." I let out a long breath. "You can come out now, Vinyl. He's gone."

"Thanks for calling me." Silver stepped over to her as she shuffled to her hooves. "Good thing my home was in range of your spell."

"Huh?" I blinked for a moment, but remembered the shot that had whizzed past. "Oh, that's what that was. Good thinking, Vinyl."

"Thanks." She roughly dusted herself off. "Sorry I wasn't more use. I've got a 'thing' about dragons."

"It's fine."

"But why'd you go making promises, Silver?" She gave him an aggrieved stare. "Now I'm beholden to that lizard, on your word! Who knows what he'll ask?"

"He won't ask us to break the law." Silver shook his head. "And as for why? You heard him. Carcanet. It's archaic, but the word means 'necklace'." He pointed to my scarf, wrapped snugly even in the warm weather. "I'll give you three guesses on which stolen, magical, vampire-related artifact he's been searching for, and the first two don't count."

"Oh." I said.

"Oh." Vinyl echoed.

"Exactly." He paused, drawing in a deep breath. "I only wish he'd told us more. We need to go see Intaglio." Frustration crawled into his voice. "That slippery snake has some explaining to do."

---

Intaglio, surprisingly, was much less intimidating than Beau.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Octavia." He was taller and bulkier, standing on two feet to greet us. He had golden scales, shining in the afternoon sun streaming through the window in the small office, but he was also covered in a strange tracery of black lines, an angular, geometric pattern that seemed almost burned into his hide. I pondered the lack of wings for a moment, but dismissed it as he offered me a clawed hand.

"I'm glad we can meet like this." I smiled, letting him shake my hoof. "From what I've heard, it was the less likely outcome."

"Ah, well." He grinned and shrugged. "We've been fortunate. And you must be Silver's friend." He turned to Vinyl.

"Yes, this is the invert I've been working with." Silver waved her forward.

"Vinyl Scratch." She offered a hoof, clearly uneasy.

"A pleasure." Intaglio grinned again. "I can't help but feel I've seen you before. Have we met?"

"I think I'd remember something like that." Vinyl gave a nervous laugh, and Intaglio nodded absently, before shrugging and letting it drop.

"Anyways, what brings you three here?" He sat down at his desk again, leaning back in his chair as we took seats.

"Things are getting complicated." Silver leaned forward, suddenly serious as we got down to business. "A few days ago, you urged me into a job at the University. What you failed to mention was that one of the students was a dragon. A dragon you know, who could tell you'd sent me, who happens to be searching for a precious magical artifact related to vampires which he termed a 'carcanet'. This caused problems for them," he pointed to us, "and problems for me, Intaglio. It nearly came to blows, and there's no way that could have ended well. I need more information, and I need it now." He rapped a hoof on the arm of his chair, emphasizing. "Talk, Intaglio."

"I… Hmmm." Intaglio rubbed his eyes, grimacing. "Well, I'll start with an apology. I had no idea Beau was searching for something, but my actions did endanger you three. I'm sorry."

Silver nodded tersely, waving for him to continue.

"I'd hoped sending you would encourage him to come see me, simple as that. I also expected to stir up the other factions slightly, perhaps misdirect their attention. Your actions are unusual, Silver, but if they're unusual because of me, they may not notice her." He pointed to me. "You know a flat denial is much less likely to be accepted than subtle misdirection, as much as you dislike that tactic."

"You could have told me this." Silver's voice was accusing.

"Yes." Intaglio nodded slowly. "But it would have made your job harder. I couldn't guess their actions. What if you were questioned about my aims? You're a horrible liar. Better to frame you as pawn, keep the attention on me."

"Haaaaa." Silver sighed, acquiescing. "Fair enough. I can accept that. You’re the boss, I suppose. And if it had stopped there, I probably wouldn't even come like this. But. Beau knew things. He talked about the carcanet; he talked about vampires. He knows things, and you know him. Is there anything you're not telling us?"

"You think the carcanet is the necklace." Intaglio gave Silver a sharp stare.

"It fits." He shrugged. "Magical. Stolen. He claimed vampires were fascinated with it. Actually, scratch that. He claimed Octavia should be fascinated with it, and mostly ignored Vinyl."

"He called me a 'daylight corpse', and her a 'half alive'." I shook my head slowly. "I can't believe I was wearing this the whole time…" I loosened my scarf, and the necklace gleamed softly.

"Interesting…" Intaglio leaned closer.

"We cast that shroud spell right before," Vinyl added.

"He wouldn't track it with magic." Silver waved that away. "Dragons don't really do spells like unicorns. He would know his hoard by scent, but if it's been more than a year, that would fade."

"He's right." Intaglio shrugged. "Especially since this necklace isn't dragon magic. It's pony in origin, no doubt about it."

"How can you tell?" I watched closely as he considered his reply.

"It's not dragon, because I'd feel a resonance. Also, the effects are much too mild." He shrugged. "The design is a clue, but the way it's enchanted means it's either made by or for ponies."

"Or bloodsuckers," Vinyl interjected. "I guess we'd have to ask—"

"Syzygy." I sighed.

"Again, I'm sorry." Intaglio nodded to me. "I don't know any more about this. I've been around a while, but Beau and I are from vastly different backgrounds. Dragon histories are usually not written, and I've never had a chance to talk to him. It's the same for vampires. I didn't even know they existed until I left the griffons, what, a century and a half ago? If he's been involved with Equestrians for longer, he's got a completely different perspective. Still." He pulled out a sheet of paper and made a few notes. "I can ask questions, see if 'carcanet' comes up. There are other ageless around."

"Before that," Silver said, "look into jewel thieves. He said this was stolen over a year ago, by a pony who went to ground here. A prepared expert, who made a tactical entry and retreat."

"I'll check the fences," Intaglio muttered, brows furrowed. "But that was a while ago. Profiling might help; that sort of skill and backing aren't common. I wish we had more connections underground, but that's hard, working with high-profile legal mercenaries. Everything is third-claw at best. I could petition Celestia for help, but she would want details."

"She's likely watching Beau too." Silver frowned. "Hope we don't get caught up in that."

"So, wait a sec," Vinyl asked, "you need to talk to some jewel thieves?"

"It could help." Silver turned to her. "You know somepony?"

"Maybe." She frowned. "I don't think he'll be happy about it, but we might be able to convince him."

---

"Are. You. Serious."

"Unfortunately, Mossy, we are." Vinyl gave a firm nod.

We were standing just inside a broken-down apartment building, filled with… junk. Road signs, take-out boxes, discarded furniture, scrap iron, and chunks of paving stone were tossed about the room, as if somepony had swept up the detritus of a busy street, poured it in, and shaken well.

Grimy sunlight oozed through cracked windows, and the empty alleyway outside was empty of traffic, but in here, the discussion was just getting started.

"Look," Verdant Moss said, "I've been avoiding Cracked Ruby for weeks, for very good reasons. I don't want anything to do with her. She's not some two-bit player. She's a professional, and she doesn't take no for an answer. She wants my skills, and she'll leverage any hold she has over me to the fullest. What's this about, anyways?" He was pacing, full of energy, although he didn't look nervous or emotional. His brown coat shimmered in the scattered light, blue mane flashing as he stepped solidly back and forth.

"Well, there's this dragon." Vinyl flopped onto one of the less-destroyed couches. "Somepony stole a thing from him, and we're trying to find out who it could have been. There aren't many thieves in town with the skills and backing to pull something like that off."

"Why are you so jittery?" I asked, curious about his ceaseless twitches.

"Rush hour." He waved a hoof, swaying and turning. "Too much energy around. Can't stop myself. Some days it's better, some worse. On holidays, I dream electric and breathe parade music. Yeah, Cracked Ruby is your best bet. Even if she didn't do it, she'd know who could, maybe even who did. She won't tell you, though." He sighed, and turned. "Not without convincing. Which, of course, is where I come in. You need a bargaining chip."

"I…" Vinyl trailed off. "Yeah. Basically."

"You're a friend, Vinyl, but this isn't exactly a small favor." He frowned.

"What would make it worth your while?" I stepped forwards, taking the lead. Never start negotiations with an offer.

"Nothing. There's got to be some other way."

I shared a glance with Vinyl. She shrugged.

"Look, we don't even know what we're aiming for, here." Silver waved a wing, cutting through the discussion. "I mean, we came over with the idea: stolen jewel, jewel thief. Jewel thief, Cracked Ruby. Cracked Ruby, Verdant Moss. We haven't made any suggestions, we don't even know what you're thinking. You've obviously got some idea as to how you could get something out of Cracked Ruby, and you don't like it; fair enough. But we don't even have that. Why don't you tell us what you won't do, and we can think about it from there?"

"Right." Verdant paced a few more steps. "Okay. Well, Vinyl here wants info out of Ruby. Ruby's not stupid, though; she doesn't brag about her past heists, and she's careful to stay disconnected from crime in any meaningful way. Asking nicely won't work. Threatening her probably won't work. However, if I agreed to join, there's a chance she would pay me with information. If she didn't do it, she's got some idea who did, and even a refusal would tell us something."

"Hmm…" I rubbed my jaw, thinking. "Well, you're right. We can't ask that of you. But what about one of us?"

"Wouldn't work." He dismissed the idea with a flick of his ear. "Silver's a Hunter. If she wanted Vinyl, she'd have asked, but with that reputation…" He shrugged. "Probably too unpredictable. And you're simply too unknown. It won't happen."

"No, that's not how it works." I shook my head firmly. "You've said she's got a price. As long as it's negotiable, we can figure something out."

"I don't think—" Silver started, but I cut him off.

"Just hear me out. I know a little about negotiation, and it's not a simple either-or until all the cards are down. We can't dismiss this yet; we just need to go deeper. If we can find what she wants, we can offer her that. She's interested in you, Verdant, because of your skills. Sure, you're probably unique in the city, but there's a situation she wants those skills for, and a reason she cares about that situation. It's more than just 'wants you', and there's no point in limiting ourselves to that."

"You're saying we need to seize initiative, force a change." Silver gave me a piercing look.

"Exactly. Are we sure this is worthwhile?" I looked at them, reading their reactions. Silver was reserved, Vinyl uncertain, and Verdant was staring intently. "Well?"

"This necklace started things off," Silver said slowly. "And it's tied up with the dragons and vampires, somehow. If we don't know what we're dealing with, we'll regret it."

"I don't like waiting for Intaglio." Vinyl shook her head. "But when it comes right down to it, isn't this really your choice, Octavia?"

"My choice…" I mumbled, looking down. She was right, wasn't she? For days now, I'd been swept along, despite my best efforts at any sort of control. Running from Vinyl had worsened things, and I'd been a helpless against two attacks. But the necklace was important. And here, now, was a chance to learn something, take a meaningful action, step forwards and grasp the flow of events on my terms. If we could find out who had stolen it, maybe we could discover who had owned it, who had kicked this whole mess off.

I felt it around my neck, beneath the scarf. I still had no idea what it was doing to me. I wanted to know 'who', and I craved understanding on 'why'. Maybe Beau could tell me more, what this thing meant or did, but if he knew I had it… No, that came later. I did want this.

"We should do something." I looked up, deciding. "We need to at least talk to Cracked Ruby. I think we should proceed. Carefully. Let's try to discover something useful."

"Well, I'm with you." Vinyl grinned. "This sounds like fun."

"I'll help as I can," Verdant added. "As a friend."

We all looked to Silver, who was slowly scrunching his face tighter and tighter with frustration.

"I…" He blew out a breath. "We'll see. I'm not good at subtle, for the most part, but I do think we need to know."

"Well!" Verdant smiled widely. "This should be interesting! So, how do we start?"

"What do we know about her?" I looked to him. "Anything at all."

"Very little." He frowned. "The name, some of the ponies she employs, that's about it. Although…" He scratched an ear. "There is a rumor. They say that if you want to talk to her, you need to go through Azure Mist. I have no idea what you'd even say, though."

"Azure Mist, the socialite?" I flicked my ears forward. "She's not exactly low profile."

"There's bound to be some sort of protocol screen." Silver frowned. "Maybe my contacts…"

"Even if we knew how to get her to listen, those high-class types like to keep to themselves," Vinyl added. "The only place we could be sure of finding her would be at some hoity-toity get together."

"I could do it." They turned to me. "I can get into one of those parties, easily. If I knew what to say, I could sound things out."

"I'll need time to gather info," Silver said, "but I might be able to find out a little more about how this works."

"You can use my name," Verdant offered. "She'll listen if she thinks it came from me. Let me know before you make any moves, though. I've already got a lot on my plate."

"Right." Plans began to form in my mind, threads of action and knots of complication spiraling and winding as I traced my options, plots and schemes emerging as I considered variables and challenges. "This could work."

---

"Haaah."

"Long day, huh?" I glanced at Silver. He'd offered to walk me home. It wasn't dark, but night was near. Vinyl had bowed out as we left Verdant's house, and I'd spent most of the walk in slightly unsure silence.

"Yeah." He ruffled his wings, as the warmth of the day started to fade. "Students and a dragon. Vampires and a dragon. My boss, a dragon."

"Students?" I gave him a curious glance.

"Like I mentioned to Intaglio, I got… urged, into subbing for a class at the University. Beau, the dragon who threatened you, is a student there. Only one class in, and things are interesting."

"Where did you learn to deal with dragons? I was impressed with how you handled that, even if you were a bit… direct."

"Protocol lessons." He grimaced. "Dragons, griffins, zebras, minotaurs; being polite is important. That's about all I can do, though. Syzygy would have him paying you damages, and Intaglio would have stripped his wings off."

"Huh." I studied him again, wondering. "Where did you go to school?"

"I never have, not formally." He glanced away at that, clearly uncomfortable, and I let it drop.

"You've put a lot on the line for me."

"You're not thanking me again, are you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe a little." I smiled back. "I'm sincere, though. You're risking your reputation on me, aren't you? I've picked up that much."

"Yeah. A little. Look, Octavia." His face turned serious for a second. "Did you actually mean it, when you asked me to take responsibility?"

"Sort of." I chewed the idea over. "I seriously wanted to see your reaction, but… I never expected more than what I got."

"You're kinda like Syzygy." He laughed, lightly.

"I know." My voice was somber.

"No, I didn't mean—"

"You did, though." I smiled, not letting it sting. "And you're right. I wanted to know if I could trust you, what made you tick, and I wasn't very polite about it."

"So?"

"Huh?"

"What did you decide? Am I trustworthy?"

"Yes." I nodded slowly. "You're still strange to me, but you're a good pony."

"Thanks."

We fell into silence again. The streets were fairly empty as we climbed the mountain, downtown slowly yielding to the richer suburbs higher up. There was a bit more life as we reached the belt around the college, a jumble of bars and apartments and small, chintzy shops.

"I wish I could do that." He broke the silence with a sigh.

"Know you're a good pony?"

"Know others are trustworthy. I've got these rules, codes, and guidelines I follow. As long as I stick to them, I can stay hidden, fly under the clouds. That's all I ever do, because I'm too afraid to risk more."

I gave him a long look, trying to reconcile his willingness to go claw and hoof against a dragon with 'afraid'.

"We all do that, though." I looked up, contemplating, but the stars weren't out yet. "I've been kicked so far out of my comfort zone I can't smell it from here. Is your reputation so important to you?"

"No." He paused. "Or rather, it shouldn't be. When I saw you hurt, I made a decision. I won't regret that. I've been thinking it over, and I won't give in."

"Good pony, see?"

"Thanks."

As we neared my apartment, he slowed and stopped, holding back.

"Look, Octavia." His ears twitched nervously, and he paused.

"Yes?"

"I was pretty meh about helping you, earlier."

"That's not—"

"No, hear me out. I can't offer you much more than this, but I do want to take your offer."

"Huh?"

"Let me be responsible for you. At least a little. If you’re hurt, I’ll take it personally. If you need my strength, I'll be there for you. Not just as a friend, but as somepony who saved your life, who's willing to protect you."

"Like with Beau?" I remembered how he'd threatened to fight for us, and felt a touch of warmth.

"Like with Beau." He nodded. "If you need me, just call. I'll come quick." He smiled slightly, and spread his wings. "And I do mean quick."

"Thank you." I gave him a sincere smile, and a little of my stress faded. An offer like that meant a lot, especially with the honest resolve I saw in his eyes.

"You're welcome." He bowed, deep and formal. "Sleep well, Octavia Philharmonica."

I watched in silence as he winged slowly away, turning to my door only when he was out of sight.

The apartment was quiet.

I smiled quietly, thinking of my cello, threads of intrigue shimmering in my mind.

Maybe it was time for a little noise.

Author's Notes:

JBL's suggestion for the chapter title: "Chapter 8 – The Quiet Melody of the Quiet Silence Quietly Quieting."

I cut probably half the 'quiet's from this chapter.

Also, special thanks to Bad_Seed_72 who took the time to promote my story on their blog! Thank you very much. My stories seem to end up as sort of 'just give it a chance', (not sure what to do about this... have more popular ideas? :P ) so I really appreciate the help.

Old and New

"Here to pay your tab?" Vagabond grinned as he let me into his bar, tables empty as he cleaned and prepared for the day. "You're sure early."

"Hah hah." I took a seat and sighed. "Not unless you're calling in that favor. And I've got things to do later."

"Well, I'll let you off for today." He poured a glass of ice-water, carefully adding a twist of lemon. "What do you need, Silver?"

"I want to talk to a gem thief." I sipped my filtered rainwater. It tasted like sky and tropical sun. "Cracked Ruby. My… other sources claim that her gatekeeper is Azure Mist, but…"

"You want to know if that's right, and how to get inside?" He frowned, giving me his full attention.

"Yeah. Think you can manage?"

“Hmm.” He paused, considering. "Are you planning to bust her?" He gave me a wary look.

"No.” I shook my head slowly. “I won’t ask you to betray a contact. It's… a stepping stone. We just need to talk, I think."

He thought for a minute, organizing a few of the bottles behind the bar.

"Then I can try. You know there's no guarantee on this sort of thing, right?"

"Of course. Is there anything else I should know? How're… things?"

"Well…"

I listened with half an ear as he launched into a general overview of the Hunters, tidbits of gossip and rumor intended to intrigue me into asking more. There were some bits I'd expected, like rumors Syzygy had found another vampire, and speculation on Auric stirring up more trouble for Intaglio, but none if it seemed worth paying for.

"…so come back tomorrow, or early tonight, and I might have something for you. If, that is, you can pay me." He grinned brightly.

"Of course." I pulled out my wallet, and counted half his fee onto the counter. "I'll be back, then. I've gotta get to class."

"Hold up."

I waited as he swept the coins off the counter.

"Silver, there's a griffin looking for you." He gave me a sharp glance. "She's a Hunter, but I know how you are."

"White and brown? Sort of snappish? Auric's niece?"

"That's the one."

"Why would she…" I pondered that a minute. Gilda knew where I lived and worked, after yesterday.

"Said she wanted something private."

"Ah." I looked up. "Are you expecting her?"

"Any minute." He smirked. "Mind sticking around?"

"How much did she pay you?"

"Nothing, yet."

"You'd better not be gouging my friends, Vagabond."

"Yes, yes." He waved my concern away. "Anyways, you want to dodge her, leave now."

I sipped my water, contemplating. Finally, I sighed and nodded.

"I'll stick. Can you get me some breakfast, though?" I yawned. I really was here early.

"If you're okay with bar food?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Pfeh, whatever. Hay fries for breakfast, let's do this." I slumped in my seat as he heated a pan. A few minutes later, the bell rang at the door, and I rose to get it.

"Silver." Outside was a griffon, white feathers and tawny fur, clearly surprised to see me.

"Gilda." I grinned but couldn't hold it, the expression slipping. "Come in." I sighed. I snagged my glass off the counter, heading for a table further from the bar in hopes of finding a little privacy. "You were looking for me?"

"Yeah." She thought for a minute, gazing around the empty room, before turning to the bar. "Hey! Whatserface, get me whatever he's having!"

"It's Vagabond." The barkeep filled a pitcher of water and brought it over with an empty glass. "You want breakfast too?"

"Add it to my bill." She waved a claw dismissively. Vagabond rolled his eyes, and I gave him a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, Silver, I was looking for you. Hay, I've been looking for you, on and off, for four years now."

I swirled my glass, listening to the cubes clink, unsure how to respond.

"And really, at the end, I just want to ask you one question. Why, Silver? What was that all about? What happened that drove you, who has the strongest sense of justice I've ever seen, to abandon your friends and vanish? What happened to your father?"

I sat in silence, letting her questions trail off into space.

"You don't need to know."

"Don't give me that, Silver! I... We looked up to you, to your dad, and—"

"No, you really don't get it." I set my cup down with a thunk. "You, Gilda Highwind, Blade of the Steel Wind, niece of Auric Highwind, don't need to know."

"You don't trust me." She gave me a lidded glare. "After all we've been through?"

"We were children. And hardly best friends, even then. But it's less about you, and more about your uncle."

"Breakfast for two." Vagabond stepped over to the table, carrying two plates. "Hash browns and eggs; the best I could do on short notice."

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Get me some salt," Gilda snapped.

"Don't be a brat, Gilda." I gave her a sharp look. "You may not be picking on my sister, but I can still thrash you."

"Please?" she added, looking to our host. He nodded genially.

"What's with you and my uncle, anyways? I'm surprised you're not working for him, honestly. He's a good guy."

"Good enough, to his people." I shoveled a scoop of greasy food into my mouth. It was pretty good. "But I've never been much of a joiner. I'm in the Hunters because of Intaglio, and there's bad blood between the two of them. Auric can't stand how I won't just sell out. He's got the largest group of well-respected Hunters working for him, and he'd like nothing more than to sideline the rest of us. Unfortunately, there are a few who just won't be ignored. It's never been a problem for me, but recently…" I sighed. "Well, I've been pushed out of my comfort zone, and it's making me do things I'd normally never consider. That's gotta be worrying him."

"Why?" She chewed thoughtfully, turning over what I'd said.

"Good grief." I put down my fork. "He really hasn't told you anything, has he?"

"Well…" She got a defensive look on her face, before deflating. "No, not really."

"Okay, hmm." I thought for a moment, pondering how best to begin this. "It's something like this. The Hunter organization is powerful."

"Sure."

"No, really powerful. The Chair has basically got license to arm and train what amounts to a private army. That's not how it's used, but under a strict interpretation of the law, it could be read that way. Needless to say, the Princesses keep a close eye on it. Just holding the position gives more status than most the nobility have."

"So, Auric…?"

"He wants that. At least, I think that's what he wants." I shrugged. "I don't really know the old bird that well. But if he manages to gather enough support, or fragment Intaglio's, he might be able to take it, and he seems to be trying for that."

"So why you?"

Vagabond returned, passing her a salt-cellar, which she accepted brusquely.

I pondered her question for a moment, before taking a different tack.

"There's no official ranks in the Hunters."

"Sure."

"There are, however, records of how many jobs we've taken, how well we've done, and rumors. Lots and lots of rumors."

"Ah. No 'official', then, but lots of unofficial?"

"Exactly. And that counts for something. Those of us who are active and committed, it doesn't take long to get some sort of reputation. There are lots of well-respected Hunters. There are several organizations within the Hunters. Specialists, guilds, squads, what have you. Steel Breeze is the biggest one that's really well thought of, and to be honest, they're quite near where they'd need to be to unseat Intaglio. If they could just sway a few more unattached members, or remove a little of the big guy's backing…"

"Power plays." Her tail twitched in annoyance, the fluffy bob bristling. "Uncle Aury let me into his guild because of power plays."

I gave her a tight little smile.

"Pfeh!" She dropped her fork, as realization hit her. "He wanted to use me against you?"

"Didn't you see how he was watching, how careful he was to introduce us?" I sighed. "And you wonder I don't trust you."

"I… I didn't…" She picked at her food for a long moment. "This is stupid."

"Preach it!" I slammed my fork down, making her jump. "Yeah, it's stupid. All the bickering, infighting, jockeying for position, all of politics. One big pile of stupid. But I can't thrash all of them one by one and force them to play nice."

"Not like old times, huh?"

"Not at all." I sighed, counted out the bill with a tip, and pushed my chair back. "Speaking of playing nice, I've got a class to teach. I'll catch you around, Gilda. Take care."

"Silver!"

I paused, hoof on the door handle, looking back.

"We're not done with this."

"Oh, I know." I swung the door closed, ending the conversation. "Don't I just know it." I sighed, and took the high road.

---

I hovered just over head-height, looking down at my class as they finished assembling on the field. Once again, I’d had them running drills. They were improving, starting to work together as a team. Maybe I could start them on a game, next week. The weather might turn for the worse, but that could be a learning experience, too.

Still, I didn’t have to worry about it for a few more days.

"Dismissed!" I hollered. "See you all Monday!" The class started to break up. As they scattered, I followed Beau for a moment.

"Listen, Beau."

"Mmm?"

"No hard feelings, right?"

"We have a deal." He gave me a slightly puzzled look, before realizing. "Oh, grudges. No, I hold you no ill will."

"Good." I sighed.

"Don't think I missed your wordplay, though. You promised help 'finding the thief', not the carcanet." He chuckled. "Quite specifically."

"Eh, well." I shrugged helplessly. "Maybe if you told me more about your treasure…?"

"Oh-ho." He grinned. "Perhaps. I will consider it."

"Blech." I grimaced. "Look, Beau. I can't help you if you don't cooperate a little more."

"I know," he replied archly. "Why do you think, although I've taken your deal, I've yet to collect payment? Your help was not conditional to my acceptance. I will wait until I know more."

"Fair enough." I let him go as our paths parted. I stood for a long moment, chewing over his words, until light hoofsteps approached. I turned, finding Octavia. Her mane was elegantly coiffed, her gray coat shone gently.

"Were you following me?"

"I didn't want to interrupt you two." She looked to where Beau was turning a corner. "So, you really are a teacher?"

"For… three more days." I grinned. "It's the weekend at least. How about you? Don't you have class?"

"Fridays are light for me." She smiled back. "Anyways, I had a question. Do you own a suit?"

"Maybe…?" I racked my brain, trying to remember. "I can check. But why?"

"Well, you offered me your help." She looked down. "Sorry to ask so soon, but things are moving quick. Azure Mist is throwing a party tomorrow. I'm certain I can get an invite, but it's a plus-one. I could ask Vinyl, I guess. Normally I'd take my brother, but I wouldn't mind having somepony along who's in the know."

"You want my protection at a party." I wasn't sure what to make of this.

"Well… yes." Her ears flattened slightly. "I know it's a little strange, but I don't think this is going to just end with us asking nicely, and at the very least, I'd feel better knowing I had help at hoof if things go sour."

"I… um. Look, Octavia, if this is what you need, I can try. But I'm no society pony. I'll use the wrong fork, I'll drink the punch too fast, and if anypony talks to me, I'll probably say the wrong thing. I'm not a 'good date'."

"Oh, is that all?" She waved my worries away. "Leave the talking to me. You can be my bodyguard and play the strong, silent type."

"That might work." I shrugged but smiled. "If you want me there, I'll watch your back."

"Good!" She grinned. "Now, let's see about your suit."

---

"Is this really necessary?" I gave the clipper a wary look as it buzzed past my nose, glancing around the room. Even though Vinyl’s flat was full of clutter, I couldn’t spot a decent place to hide.

"Entirely." Octavia gave a firm nod. "Your suit is barely passable, but you've got to have a neat coat." She looked up from the garment she was carefully pressing. "Take it away, Vinyl."

"But I like my fur long." I tried to sound plaintive, but the unicorn just smirked.

"You, Silver Lining, have looked scruffy ever since I first saw you. This shag needs to come off. When was the last time you had a trim, anyways?" She pointed to my fluffy fetlocks. "You must shed like crazy."

"It keeps me warm and dry!"

"You're a pegasus; you don't get cold." She adjusted the clipper with her magic, and swung it near my shoulder. "And I've never seen a raindrop hit you. What's that you always say? You fly between them?"

"Bah." I surrendered with poor grace as she started in, working carefully around the base of my mane. Rust-red hair started to pile around my hooves.

"This is important, though." Octavia looked up. "If you're going to a nice party, you need to look nice. Your wings are immaculate, anyways. Why let the rest of your image suffer?"

"My wings are tools." I tried to spit out a hair as the flying cloud surrounded me.

"So is your coat." She wrinkled her eyebrows as she worried a particularly tough crease. "Your image is as much a weapon as any blade you might carry."

"Yeah, but I know how to use a blade." I hacked and shut my eyes. "I've been wearing them for years now."

"Wearing?" She turned, curious.

"Oh, she missed them." Vinyl smirked. "Show her, Silver."

I spread a wing obligingly, curling my quillons so they sprang free of the surrounding feathers, a dozen gleaming edges.

"What," Octavia asked slowly, "are those?"

"Wing blades," Vinyl answered glibly, even as she worked down my back.

"No, I've seen wing blades." Octavia shook her head. "They go on the leading edge, and you strike on a dash. My brother has a set."

"They're called quillons," I mumbled, trying to keep my mouth shut. "They're a specialist weapon. Don't see them much anymore. Takes years to learn." I flattened them, so only red-painted tops showed. "Used to be my father's. Can't beat them in close combat."

"Incredible." Octavia leaned in, inspecting my wing closely. "Have you had these on the whole time?"

"Yeah. It's a bit of a hassle to re-seat them after I molt, but worth it. Some of the reactions I've gotten are priceless. One second, it's a wing blow, but blink and you're ribbons."

"Don't they cause problems flying?"

"You'd think that. And most do, but these are special. Orichalcum channels magic nearly as well as natural feathers, so I can flex them, and they don't cut my speed more than a hair."

"They hurt like crazy," Vinyl muttered.

"Orichalcum?" Octavia frowned thoughtfully. "I feel like I've heard that."

"It's a type of bronze." I bit one, carefully un-socketing it and passing it to her. "Heavy on the copper, turns up in myths. We don't know how to make it anymore; it sort of heals itself, and there are rules on how to treat an orichalcum weapon to keep it true to you. I think it's got some sort of earth pony magic in it."

"Hmm." She turned the faux feather over in her hooves, inspecting it carefully, testing the razor edge. "Might be. Wonder what Verdant would make of this."

"Ask him about spatha."

"Oh!" She blinked in realization. "I did read about those. Didn't Commander Hurricane swear on his?"

"Yup." I accepted the blade back, replacing it. "They'll reject a dishonorable wielder. Anypony with an orichalcum weapon takes their oaths seriously or risks losing it. And they're worth having. There's no rule as to how you use them, though, just how you treat them. They're not some sort of magically 'good' weapon like the Elements, just excellent knives."

“I never even noticed them.” She paused, reflecting. “You could wear them anywhere.”

“I usually do.”

“Hmm.” She rubbed her chin. “Interesting. I hadn’t taken weapons into account, really, but if you wear these to the meeting, it changes things somewhat.” Her eyes went distant, dancing across unseen obstacles.

"There!" Vinyl finished her trim and stepped back. "Much neater! Now you just need a shower and a currycomb."

"Not bad." Octavia refocused to give me an appraising stare. "You almost look presentable."

"Thanks," I grumbled, shaking off. "Borrow your bathroom?"

"Go for it." Vinyl waved me on. "I'll sweep up, and then we can try teaching Octy something."

"Please don't call me that."

---

"I never thought I'd smell this pretty." I gave a wry smile as the two mares smirked at me from the table.

"What, don't like raspberry shampoo?" Vinyl sniffed, her grin growing. "It matches you well."

"Thanks." I snorted and sat down with them. "What's this?" I poked the mess of electronics spread before them.

"My synth." Vinyl started re-assembling pieces, snapping them together with practiced precision and startling speed into a flat black box, bristling with knobs and sliders.

"Music things?"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, Octavia, you ready for this?"

"What exactly are you two planning?" I looked back and forth between them.

"I want to teach Octavia a little more about being a bloodsucker, and I figured having a level head would be good." Vinyl grinned at me, floating the synth into her bedroom and levitating a dark bottle from her fridge.

"Woah, woah." I stopped her, grabbing the bottle before it reached the table. "You sure about this?"

"She's gotta learn sometime."

I looked to Octavia, who nodded hesitantly.

"She's right. And I do want to learn, prepare as much as I can."

I nodded slowly and released the bottle.

"This, Octavia, is unicorn blood." Vinyl produced glasses and poured for both of them. "I've told you little about how we use it for magic. I didn't mention, though, how you can draw different types of magic from different types of blood."

"Sort of obvious now." Octavia grinned wryly.

"Yeah, well." Vinyl smiled back. "Dunno if it would have changed much. You're not used to unicorn magic. Being suddenly flush caused most of your problems."

"It made everything sort of ripple." Octavia stared at the glass. "Distorted my perceptions."

"Right. Magic and mind, they go together. When I first tried earth pony blood, I was overwhelmed by how everything was so alive. Pegasus blood gave me jitters so bad I could barely focus."

"What was with the…" Octavia rubbed her head "…horn?"

"Oh, that's part of the changes. You'll need to learn about that." Vinyl smiled, and her teeth stretched for a moment. "Your body is more elastic, now. This is the first step. Take a sip." She nudged the cup closer to Octavia.

I watched as she gracefully lifted it, swallowing only the tiniest amount. Her face betrayed nothing as she calmly replaced the glass.

"There it is again." She frowned slightly, eyes turning inwards. "That tingling." She shivered. "And there's the weirdest…" Her eyes started to flick around the room, snapping from object to object randomly.

"Hold on, don't—" Vinyl cut off as Octavia drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and visibly calmed herself.

"Wooo." She took another small sip. "This is crazy."

"You're good." Vinyl grinned, obviously impressed. "Getting the hang of it that fast."

"It's like acting, a little." Octavia sounded distracted, but controlled. "Stepping outside yourself. Monitor, check, adjust, flow."

"Alright, stop there." Vinyl pulled the cup away from her. "Any more, and you're likely to start surging. Give yourself time to adjust to this."

We sat silently for a long moment. My eyes started to drift back to the neatly-pressed suit, my trimmed coat feeling odd and light.

"You're worried." Octavia was staring at me.

I met her bright violet eyes, and looked away. It felt like she was weighing me, like I was suddenly transparent.

"About the meeting with Azure?"

"Sort of." I rubbed my head, uncertain how to explain. "Not the meeting, per se, but—"

"He doesn't like talking to ponies." Vinyl chuckled. "Thinks he's bad at it, that they're all out to get him."

"Well, some of them are," I shot back. "Auric is."

"What's this about?" Octavia asked mildly. "Will it cause us problems?"

"Not you, I hope." I sighed.

"No, no." She leaned forward, waving an admonishing hoof. "That's no good. You offered to help me, don't back out like that. We're a team, right?"

"Uh." I paused at that. "I, uh, I guess we are." I blinked. For a moment, the events of the past few days spun around me, whirling into a vortex of impression and emotion. "Yeah."

"Pfff, listen to this lump." Vinyl thumped my wing. "Look, Silver, we've been in this together ever since you showed up at my door."

"Now." Octavia fixed me with an uncompromising stare. "Tell me about this Auric."

---

"So he's after you, because he's after Intaglio." She frowned pensively and accepted another small sip of blood from Vinyl.

"That’s… I hope so." I shifted uncomfortably.

"This is about your 'flying under the clouds', isn't it?" She passed back the glass.

"Gotta be more to it than that." Vinyl took a sip as well, pushing up her shades to give me a sharp glance. "You've been lying low for as long as I've known you, before you were even somepony the other Hunters would notice."

I looked down into my own cup of pineapple soda.

"Is this about why you thought there was a trap specifically for you?" Octavia asked. Vinyl looked to me, curious but slightly wary.

"… Yeah, maybe." I sighed. "When I left Cloudsdale, it was in a hurry. The whole thing is complicated, but I was frankly running. I've got no idea who the ponies after me were, but…"

"Why were they after you?" Octavia asked. The question was frank, but I hesitated.

"Silver, look at me." She tapped the table, and I gave her my attention. "Keep your secrets if you need to. I won't pretend I've got a claim on them. But." She grinned slightly. "You know some of mine, and you've given me something of yourself. Look." She leaned forwards, lilac eyes going intense, ears swiveling as she focused on me entirely. "You feel like you're unprepared to deal with this. I get that." She laughed darkly. "These days, I get it so hard it hurts. I can't face down a dragon, I could barely deal with a pair of thieves! Rich snobs fencing with words, though?" Her smile went a little vicious. "I can eat those alive." Her teeth sharpened slightly, and I laughed.

"Point is," she continued, "I don't want this to be a one-way street. You've offered me your protection? I'll take it, gladly. But don't be afraid to ask for mine. As I said, let me do the talking. I want to be there for you too."

"Sure. Heh." I grinned, letting a little of my apprehension lift. "Right."

"Team, remember?" Vinyl said.

"Team." I tasted the word, feeling their commitment buoy me up, like wind under my wings. "Yeah."

Behind the Scene

"Now," Vinyl asked, "how do you feel?"

"Interesting." I pushed my mane back, feeling for the tiny horn on my forehead. I picked up my nearly empty glass, smelling the remaining blood. It tickled my nose with pineapple and fresh-cut grass, lively and energetic scents. I felt almost antsy, tingles of power crawling over my skin. "Twitchy, ungrounded. Like I should start floating." I upended the drink, swishing the blood past my teeth before swallowing. I exhaled slowly, savoring the taste. It was delicious.

"Still in control?" Silver gave me a wary glance.

"Yes." My certainty surprised me. "Yes. It's powerful, but it's not overwhelming."

"Hold onto that." Vinyl took the glass, rinsing it carefully. "You're doing good. The next step will be interesting. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." I firmed my resolve, carefully monitoring my reactions.

"Okay. You’ll be learning some control. With enough magic, you can pick the one to draw on. Your natural magic will be easiest. Other pony types can come to the fore though, or you can draw on your vampire nature."

"Isn't that dangerous?" I remembered the strange mindset I'd fallen into, shifting uneasily.

"You’ll be fine." Vinyl stood, leading us into the living room, standing in the space cleared for Silver's clip. "It shouldn’t affect your mind strongly unless you're low on magic." She waved me over.

"What do I do?" I squared up, lifting my chin and flipping my mane back confidently.

"You've already done it." She grinned. "When you scared those schlubs the other day. Think back; what did you do?"

"Hmm." I tried to recall. "I focused on my feelings. I needed the to be able to feel their perceptions, like when I went… stalking."

"Start with that." Vinyl nodded. "It worked for you then, it can work again. Just repeat what you did and you’ll learn faster than trying to follow my advice."

"Okay." I drew in a deep breath and began to concentrate. I slowly pulled half-remembered sensations to the forefront, using my practice as an actor to fine-tune my stance and posture. Gradually, the colors in the room became muted, while the light grew brighter and edges sharper. I winced as my jaw throbbed, teeth shifting uncomfortably. My coat started itching and I nearly stopped, but wouldn’t break character.

I am the night. I smiled.

I dragged up my memories and impressions, focusing on what I wanted to be. As I did, I was careful to hold my performance mindset. This was me, but not totally. It was an aspect, a true character I set over myself for a time. When I finished, it would go.

Finally, the changes slowed and stopped. I relaxed, feeling my muscles move with unconscious power.

"That was pretty good." Vinyl looked past, to the kitchen’s clock. "Three minutes is a strong start. More practice will help, but take a look at yourself."

I turned, inspecting. My coat had thickened and roughened, nearly erasing my cutie mark. Its color had darkened, with a tinge of blue added. I lifted a leg, feeling strange muscles again. My hooves had thickened and toughened, growing wider and sharper.

"Here." Vinyl hovered a small mirror over. I leaned forwards, inspecting my face.

My pupils had gone slit, narrow lilac irises edging long black slashes. My features were more angular, sharp and predatory, and my ears had long, fluffy puffs on top from my longer coat. My mane was coarser, locks curling and jagging away from my careful brushing.

"I barely recognize myself." I paused, realizing my voice had changed, sounding higher and sweeter.

"You'll be stronger and faster like this." Vinyl's words were rougher, and I looked up to see her similarly changed. She smiled around her fangs. "Now reverse it."

I nodded and closed my eyes. It took longer to change back. I focused on my normal self, breathing slowly. After a long pause, I relaxed.

"It's gone?" I felt my forehead, where I'd had a stub of horn before.

"Yup, that's the first reason we're doing this." Vinyl nodded. "Once you've got this down, we can try drawing other pony types. Now, again."

I focused, settling in for practice. This, I understood. Careful repetition and rehearsal were key to learning nearly anything.

---

"Octavia, Octavia!"

"Mmmm?" I rolled over, rubbing sleep out of my eyes to see the clock. "Shimmerelle, what do you want? It's…" The time read nearly noon. I groaned, falling back into bed.

My roommate poked her nose through my door, smiling broadly.

"Silver Lining's here for you! How do you know him? Isn't he cool? What are you two doing?"

I shuffled the pillow over my head.

"Stop being enthusiastic, Shimmer, and go tell Silver I'll be out in a few minutes."

"K~!" She pattered away. I sighed, pushing back sleep. We hadn't even been very late last night. Vinyl had drilled me until I could switch with confidence, if not speed, before sending us home. I'd told Silver to come by in the afternoon so we could prepare for our mission. Then I'd gone to bed.

I'd expected to wake up at a reasonable time.

Cursing whatever was disturbing my sleep, I struggled out of bed. Running a brush through my mane barely made me presentable. I regarded my sleep-haggard face and remembered what I'd learned. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, calling up a touch of unicorn magic.

Trickles of energy threaded outwards from my forehead, energizing me gently. I sighed, feeling much more lively, and headed for the kitchen.

I found Silver sitting uncomfortably, a glass of water untouched on the table before him. Shimmerelle was directly across the table, staring at him intently.

"Morning." He nodded to me.

"Afternoon." I grinned, sitting next to my roommate.

"Sooooo…" Shimmerelle turned to me, leaning in close.

"We're going to a party," I said flatly, fending off her nose with one hoof. "One of my, as you say, 'social things’."

"Ooooh." She nodded, springing upright. "Have fun! I'm off to see a dog about a pony." She grinned back as she left, closing the door firmly.

"Gah." I rubbed my eyes again, wiping away the last vestiges of sleep. "Sorry about that. I didn't think this through. How do you know her, anyways?"

"She's auditing my class, or something." He gave a wry smile, launching into a story while I moved for the fridge. I'd missed breakfast, but I could make up for it with lunch.

---

"Hold still." I worried a particularly tough knot in his mane, working the brush slowly.

"Ow!" He flinched, pulling it away. "Why are we doing this? You said I looked okay last night."

"I said you looked 'almost presentable'. Not 'ready to socialize'." I sighed, retrieving the brush. "Why do you think I asked you over hours early? You need to brush, and I need to gauge if you can look far enough down your nose. Now, hold still."

---

I stepped back, examining my work. Silver shifted uncomfortably. I'd brushed his mane, and I’d managed to convince him to shine his coat with a currycomb. He glowed rust-red in the afternoon sun, an elegant wave in his darker mane. Even his wings were neater than usual.

He cleaned up fairly well. Now I needed him to stop acting so uneasy.

He watched my inspection, before drawing in a deep breath and snapping to attention. I quirked an eyebrow as he threw his head back and squared his chin, a cold veneer falling across his face, wingtips spread slightly.

"Not bad." I nodded. "If you don't need to talk, you could maybe get away with that."

"Good." He deflated, sighing slightly.

"If you could keep it up for three hours." I shrugged. "Still, it's a start. First, though, let's talk about obfuscation. How do you feel about that stripe in your mane and tail?" I pointed to the gray streak running through his deep red hair."

"I… don't know. Why? Obfuscation?" He moved closer, watching as I shuffled through the things on my vanity.

"One of your biggest worries is being noticed." I turned back with a small pot and a tiny highlight brush. "Clipping your coat and brushing your mane, combined with a change of posture and attitude, ought to fool just about anypony. But I was thinking maybe we could re-stripe your mane, to complete the effect."

"Yellow?" He glanced at the cosmetics. "Hmm."

"I'm planning on adding a stripe to mine." I shrugged. "I don't know if anonymity is possible, but it won't hurt to be less obvious."

"Fair enough." He nodded. "Let's see how it looks."

---

"We ready?" Silver appraised me as I stepped out of the bathroom, finally finished with my preparations.

I nodded, giving him a cautious smile. I'd added a purple streak to my mane, and donned a pair of round silver spectacles. He was wearing his suit, the crisp creases sharpening his profile even more, the yellow streak giving him an almost fierce countenance. He grinned and offered me his hoof.

"Then, milady, shall we?"

"Of course, milord." I grinned back, but paused. "Phooey, I forgot to schedule a cab." I sighed, looking down at my elegant blue dress, carefully picked for its high collar. The necklace barely made a lump beneath it. "I hate walking in these things. I hope we have time."

He shrugged, and we headed out the door. It was nearly suppertime, and the late spring sun was still bright above the horizon. He lifted off gently, hovering a moment.

"I could give you a lift," he offered hesitantly.

"What?" I looked up, perplexed. "How would that even work?"

"Hold still a moment." He leaned in to tap my shoulder. Suddenly, a sense of motion overcame me, gentle breezes swirling around the hem of my dress and ruffling my mane slightly, before I lifted gracefully off the ground.

"Eeep!" I froze, trying not to flail at the slight vertigo.

"You okay?" He watched me for a long minute as I marshalled my reactions, finally relaxing.

"Yeah." I looked down to the sidewalk, several inches below my hooves. "I think—" I stopped as we moved higher. His wings flapped slowly, and he never seemed to strain as we rose above the rooftops. "Woah." I breathed in amazement as unseen vistas spread before me. "This is wonderful."

"Like it?" A genuine grin flashed across his features, lighting them with joy.

"Yeah." The hem of my dress rippled in the breeze. "Do you think…" I paused, enjoying the cooler air, turning the thought over in my mind. "Do you think I could learn this?"

"Hmmm." He gave me a speculative glance. "No idea. Vinyl can't fly, even with pegasus blood. But you are different." He shrugged. "Maybe she could say." He looked back to the town. "Give me some directions, and tell me our plan."

"Head for the castle neighborhood." I gave him a minute to orient. He drew me near as we began moving until his near wing almost brushed me with each flap. "And the plan… well, it's nothing concrete. Getting in will be easy. You've got a codeword? Did your contacts come through for you? If not, we can maybe still work something out."

"I think so." He frowned. "Vagabond claimed Azure would respond to references of objects being 'enslaved', as a euphemism for stolen. He didn't have a known safe keyword, unfortunately."

"Hmm." I pondered that. "Well, we'll work from there. My plan isn't some convoluted sequence of predicted actions. It's like… broad strategies. We'll stick to those and build our tactics as we go."

"That, hmm." He paused, looking thoughtful as the wind rippled his mane. "That makes a lot of sense, actually."

"The important thing to remember is we've got surprise, anonymity, and initiative. As long as we're moving from a strong position and not reacting, We can control the flow, guide it to our ends."

"I see." He nodded. "You seem to have a good grip on tactics."

"Huh?" I gave him surprised look. Few enough really grasped my ideas on dealing with confrontation.

"It's like warfare." He rubbed his chin. "Interesting. I've never modeled politics like that, but can't for the life of me think why."

"Follow this street." I pointed. He nodded, taking my direction. "Anyways, the first steps I do have plans for. Originally, I'd planned to rely on publicity for safety. We'd go in high-profile and rely on that to mitigate backlash. Since I've got you, though, and you're armed, I'm willing to take a slightly riskier approach. We'll use the invite to get in, and then we'll do our best to avoid notice. I’ve got an idea to try, but I won’t know if it’ll work until we’re in. Laying low may not give an advantage here, but we might appreciate it later. The risk is being quietly dealt with, since we can’t take refuge in publicity."

"Hmm." He nodded slowly. "Alright. You're my wingleader here, so I'll follow your lead." He grimaced slightly, as if unsure.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really." He shook it away. "It just feels weird to say that."

"Team?" I chuckled softly.

"Right."

---

We floated in elegantly. He wafted us up the sidewalk with an impressive display of control, our hooves barely above the cobblestone path leading to Azure's mansion. Candle-lanterns marked our way, meticulously tended gardens weaving pleasant greenspace round the ornate building.

"I could get used to this." I grinned. "Just drifting places."

"Hire a chauffeur." He shrugged back. "You'll need quite a bit, though."

"And you're not even sweating."

"I really am that good." He quirked a smile as we alighted before the door.

“Welcome!” A uniformed pony stepped forwards and bowed. “Names, please?”

"Miss Melody and guest." I produced my invitation, giving him a haughty look.

He inspected the invite for a moment. "Enjoy yourself."

I swept through with a sniff. Silver fell into step at my side, and I felt a small warmth at his unflinching solidity. He easily assumed his facade, just as we’d practiced.

Inside, ponies were already mingling, sipping drinks and eating snacks. I saw Jet Set, Photo Finish and a half-dozen others. Moving with firm purpose and avoiding eye contact, I slowly started working my way through the crowd in the most discreet way I could.

It took minutes, but I managed to lead us circumspectly past. I paused at the back wall, looking around. After being reasonably sure we hadn't attracted attention I picked a nearby door, leading Silver through and closing it behind us.

"What now?" Silver relaxed slightly, and I shot him a sharp look.

"Don't break character yet," I hissed, before taking us further into the mansion. We passed servants and waiters, wearing simple white shirts and red ties. I nodded at that, glad I'd guessed right. I quickly found a secluded room, a library. I closed the door and turned to Silver.

"I hope you're not too attached to that suit." I stepped behind a bookshelf, unbuttoning my dress and slipping it off, revealing the crisp white shirt I was wearing underneath. "Lose the coat and vest." I opened my purse and dumped out a pair of red ties, tossing one over the top to him. "Put that on. Good thing I never liked this dress." I folded it and shoved it into the bookcase, before carefully fastening my tie over the necklace. When I saw him, we matched fairly well.

"We're posing as waiters?" He snugged his own tie up, slightly crooked.

"Exactly." I leaned in to straighten it, getting a whiff of his scent, ozone and clouds. "I think we did a good enough job avoiding attention on our entry. Feel free to act more normal. Just follow my lead and keep your temper under control." I collected his coat and vest, hiding them in the bookcase as well.

"Never liked that suit anyways." He gave me a tight smile and fell in behind as we left the room. I grinned back, appreciating his willingness to adapt, follow my lead. It was nice to simply be able to rely on him like this.

Back at the party, the atmosphere felt completely different. We were beneath attention now, erased by our uniforms as if we'd turned invisible.

"You can talk a little more freely now,” I muttered, nodding to the guests. “They’ll ignore servants. We're looking for Azure." I snagged a discarded tray of hors d'oeuvres and passed it to him. "But we’ll likely be waiting a bit. Hold this, and don't meet anypony's eyes."

I lead us in a careful dance of avoidance, staying just at the edge of attention. Not far enough away from anypony to seem distant, not close enough to actually attract eyes. I found a tray of drinks and balanced it on my back, smiling as Silver managed to nod pleasantly and offer a snack to a pony who got too close. He seemed much more relaxed.

"You almost seem to be enjoying this," I murmured.

"It's interesting. Different." He pitched his voice low, just below the bubble of small-talk. "I've never felt so alone in a crowd."

"If you look exactly like they expect, they'll never see you." I paused as a shiver of tension rippled his ears. "What?"

"There." He pointed with his chin. I followed with my eyes, spotting a huge, downy griffon, plumed in black and furred in white. "That's Auric."

"Hmm." I inspected the tiercel. "Good eye. I'll avoid him." A swirl in the crowd drew my attention, and I nudged him. "Here comes our mark, fashionably late to her own party." I smirked. "Grandstanding. Some just can't resist. We'll give it a few minutes, and then approach."

I waited as she settled in, carefully avoiding her path of greetings and social favors. When that finally petered out, I laid down my tray and moved closer.

Azure Mist was a light-blue unicorn with a seafoam mane and tail, darker at the tips. She wore a sparkly, elegant, minimal dress. I spotted crows feet around her eyes, cunningly concealed with touches of makeup and brushing, but she acted fresh. I watched as she talked and laughed for a moment, trying to gauge her. She was good enough that I couldn't spot obvious tells. Perhaps she was truly enjoying herself.

I moved in as she turned away, catching her attention and meeting her eyes.

"Good evening, Azure Mist." I straightened up, putting confidence in the set of my chin and angle of my eyes. I saw her hesitate, nearly double-take, as her instinct to dismiss servants was overtaken by the strangeness of my attitude.

"If there's a problem, take it to the maître d'." She frowned, wavering on taking us seriously.

"Oh, I would." I nodded. "Except this requires your attention. You see, recently something of mine has gone missing. I think it's been enslaved." An electric chill ran down my spine as I began the conversation, stepping out into the spotlight.

"Hmm." She sipped her drink, face impassive. "I guess the maître d' couldn't help with that." She inspected us again, eyes narrowing. "But even if I could, why should I?"

"Now, now." I grinned, confident, slightly brazen, energy dancing in my eyes. "Don't play coy. You know who can help. Surely there's some means of persuasion? We can be very persuasive." I mimed shaking a purse, leaning for a little pressure. "If only you're willing to negotiate."

"Negotiations." She mused. "Yes, perhaps." She put on a broad grin, though it didn't touch her eyes. "Can you tell me what hour we should meet at?"

I struggled not to pause, to keep my reactions suppressed. It was obviously a key phrase, exactly what I'd hoped to avoid.

"Midnight." I said the first thing which came to mind. Better the wrong move than none at all. I winced internally as her smile grew flat, a hard glint in her eye.

"Well, you're very persuasive. Perhaps we can move forwards from here." She reached to the purse at her neck, pulling out a slip of paper and handing it to me. "There's an apartment across from the intersection by the train station. Head to the second room on the third floor and give this to the pony there. Now, if you'll excuse me?" She turned away. I let her go, working to keep my emotions from showing as frantic frustration surged out of tension.

I looked back to Silver, who'd stayed stoic through the whole thing. He quirked an eyebrow, questioning. I shook my head slightly and picked my tray back up.

I glanced at the slip of paper before slipping it into a pocket. It was simply Azure's business card, with a flowing signature on one side and her mark, three wispy curls, on the reverse.

After a few long moments of thinking and careful walking, I frowned at my comrade.

"I'm pretty certain we flubbed that."

"How so?" His tone was neutral, curious.

"She shouldn't have shut us down that fast." I considered the card again. "And this appointment doesn't seem right. It should take time to set something up."

"Think it's a dead end?"

"That's likely." I sighed. "It could be a trap too; something she uses to deal with nosy customers."

"Hmm." He frowned. "Yeah, okay. So, what now?"

I pondered that.

"Chaos," I said finally. "We need to stir things up, uncover new options. If it's a dead end, we'll cut our losses and disengage, but if it's a trap, there really may be ponies connected to Ruby. We haven't lost the initiative yet, so we can try to work with this." I skimmed the room, considering. My eyes finally landed on Auric. "Hey, that griffon. Think we could use him?"

"Depends." Silver shifted uneasily. "He's fairly cautious, but he is driven."

"He's after you, right?" I glanced at him, assessing his reaction. He seemed reserved, but not worried.

"Yeah."

"Okay." I considered for a moment. "I'm going to try baiting him, try to draw him in." I moved, carefully positioning Silver near one of the snack tables in full profile. "Re-arrange things here, pretend to be busy. Don't look directly at him."

He nodded and started neatening the buffet, slowly adjusting things. I wandered towards the group Auric was standing with, centered around a small table. I circled them, looking for useful ideas. That pony was smoking; that one had an empty glass; another’s plate was near the edge…

I stepped forwards, unobtrusively replacing the finished drink with a fresh one. As I did, I tapped the cigar, spinning it neatly around.

As I backed away, the stallion reached for his smoke without looking. The tender part of his hoof touched the glowing end and he yelped, jerking back. The half-empty plate fell, scattering snacks. The group laughed, nodding to each other and splitting up over the mess. Auric scanned the room, skimming across various cliques. His eyes slid past Silver twice, and I wondered if he'd notice, before I saw his attention snap back and focus for a moment.

Hooked him, I thought, moving back to Silver and tapping his shoulder.

"He's noticed you. We're going to wander a few more minutes and leave."

"He'll follow us," he said calmly.

"Counting on it." I smiled. "Come on." I led him on a few more meandering circuits and out a side door. I sighed, feeling the tingle of tension subside slightly as we hit the cool night air. I liked performing, and the stakes were making this exciting. Playing from a strong hand was always interesting, and the chances of real chaos had kept me on edge better than any stimulant. Silver seemed to relax as well, shuffling his wings. He stripped off his tie and shirt, tossing them into a nearby bush as we left the garden unobtrusively.

I led him slowly down the street, keeping us easily visible. He flared his wingtips, nodding after a moment.

"He's behind us, in the air."

"Hmm." I focused, carefully shifting as Vinyl had taught me, just enough to sharpen the night slightly. As lanes of perception snapped into mind, my eyes locked on Silver. His awareness seemed to extend in every direction, a shifting mass that moved like… the wind. "You can feel him?"

"Yeah, somewhat. It’s not something many pegasi learn." He spread his wings more, and I saw his perception sharpen. "No promises, but the patterns match griffon flight."

"Good. Let's go. Try not to lose him."

We picked up the pace gradually, heading into the quickly darkening streets.

---

"What've we got?"

Silver landed lightly before me, near-silent with unconscious grace. He looked back at the apartment above us.

It hadn't been hard to find, down by the train-station. This neighborhood wasn't particularly exceptional in any way, just one of the many places ponies walked through on their journey to elsewhere. The building was new-ish, tucked into a niche and comfortably ignored.

"I only saw one pony, but I think he was talking to another. Looked like a fairly average brawler, not really the 'negotiating' type."

I pondered for a long moment, feeling threads of action and fragments of opportunity snap together in half-realized patterns, firming into a sort of plan. I made a decision and launched into it. "Okay. We're assuming it’s a trap. If it's not, we may have problems later, but…" I shrugged. "I don't think I'm wrong. Auric still up there?"

"Yup."

"Right. Here goes." I opened the outer door and walked into the entryway, a narrow hall with mailboxes on one side and an intercom on the other, buttons for each room neatly arranged. Dim lights showed a sliding grille at the end, through which was a neatly austere lobby with a few chairs and an empty counter off to one side. Silver followed, watching our backs even as he traced my movements with curious eyes. I inspected the locked gate, scanning the call buttons.

"It's Saturday night," I mused, before pressing buttons randomly, avoiding ones on the third floor. "Somepony's ordered takeout…" A jumble of voices called back before the latch on the grille simply clicked over. "…Right?" I grinned at him. He raised an eyebrow, impressed. I slid the gate open, propping it with a hoof before reaching to call the room we’d been sent to.

"Hello?" I spoke clearly into the mic, deepening my voice.

"Yeah?" The reply came moments later, abrupt.

"Azure sent us."

"Hold on, I'll be right down."

The lock didn't move this time. I nodded, and waved for Silver to follow. I slipped through the door, leaving it open a crack. I dashed to the counter and vaulted it, lowering myself to the floor. Silver joined me, pressing in to stay hidden, feathers warm against my side.

"Here comes Auric," he murmured, even as I heard the outer door open. I wished we could watch, but looking over the desk would surely betray us. The grille rattled back, and claws scratched cautiously on the wood floor as the griffon entered. I heard hoofsteps coming from the direction of the stairwell, and Auric’s claws moved towards them. Suddenly a door slammed open, and three sets of hooves emerged.

"So, Azure sent you." I heard a pony’s voice, dark with humor. "Well, we've got what you need."

"Huh?" The surprised squawk made me grin. "No, I—"

"Get 'im!"

A series of thumps and grunts rang out, mixed with sharp, deep screeches and tearing noises as we heard the ponies attack the griffon. I tried to keep from laughing with glee as the trap closed neatly on the wrong prey, missing us completely. The fight escalated quickly, and I hoped our cover wouldn’t be damaged.

"Hope he doesn't hurt them too much," Silver breathed. I looked at him curiously. He honestly expected one griffon to take on three ponies?

"Well." Auric's voice was barely winded, and my eyes widened in surprise. Apparently, he'd been right. "This was just sad." A few muffled groans answered him. "Tell your boss Auric Highwind is severely annoyed." There was the sound of stalking, and the outer door slammed shut.

"Ooof." There were scraping and limping noises as the ponies collected themselves. "Well, that was a clusterbuck."

"What the hay was that?" another snapped.

"That was the boss of the Steel Breeze group." There was a scratch of pain in the voice I'd talked to on the mic. "Auric Highwind's a Hunter, one of the big guys. We might be in trouble..." Their discussion faded as they slowly moved back up the stairs.

I sat for a minute, falling into thought. Silver shifted uncomfortably beside me, and I realized we didn't actually need to be crammed back here any longer. I awkwardly shuffled out. "Can you tell if Auric's left?"

"I felt him lift off outside the door, but I can't read farther from in here."

"Be less dangerous for a moment, will you?" I glanced at him. He grinned wryly and settled his wings back against his sides. I focused, trying to pay attention to the signals I'd been learning to listen to, trying to keep from constantly distracting me. "I don't feel him. He's either gone, or lurking, or… I dunno. Come on." I turned for the back. "Let's find a back door."

---

"How are you holding up?" I glanced at him, as he wafted us skywards.

"Fine." He set us lightly on the roof, where we had a vantage on the door. "And Auric's gone or gone to ground. Wonder what he's up to."

"Shouldn't be a problem." I stared at him for a long moment, wondering. It had been interesting working with him so far. He was clever and dependable. His backing gave me confidence I liked, reliable strength to lean on. "I must say, I've been appreciating this 'team' thing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I sighed, trying to center myself, process a little of what we'd just been through. "I love this. Intrigue, thinking in circles, it's exhilarating. But without your help, I’d never have taken such a direct approach. It's a good feeling, having you support me."

"I get that." He leaned out over the edge, dangerously far for a non-flyer, looking down at the door. "Comrades. Reliable partners. They're something I crave, but felt I shouldn’t reach for. Being thrown together like this though… I'm glad we can work with it."

"Mmm." I stepped up beside him, leaning on him to peer over the edge.

"Why are we waiting here?" he asked.

"We're watching for those thugs." I pondered for a minute, considering. "If they really felt threatened by what just happened, there's a good chance they’ll run to—" I cut off as a pony appeared, four stories below.

"Their boss, huh?" Silver grinned at me. "You, Octavia Philharmonica, have a mind like a corkscrew."

"And now we're the followers." I grinned back. "Honestly, I don't know why others think in lines and boxes. There's no need to limit yourself to the obvious."

Blindsides

"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.

Binding Ties

"Missed." Azure didn't sound too bothered, watching her bolt of magic dissipate in Silver’s wake. The vampires around her shifted uneasily while Cracked Ruby kept an eye on me.

I steadied myself from the backwash of Silver’s takeoff, forcing my mind back over my situation and goals as he escaped. I should still be undercover, whatever that was worth. I settled back into character, though it didn't take much acting to paste on a nervous grin and lay back my ears. I gave my opponents a wary stare and waited.

Azure locked her eyes on me, dismissing her guard with a wave. I could nearly feel her scrutiny as she inspected my wounds, assessing my obscured cutie mark and torn outfit.

"So." She stepped in close. "Where did you find this?" she asked, eyes focused on the carcanet.

"I... I bought it." I flinched back, rushing for a believable story. "From a pony on the street. It was cheap, I didn't know it was cursed!" I let the words spill out, trying for panic.

"Cursed?" Azure smirked. "Ah." She reached out and tapped the gem. "Interesting." She looked up, staring into my eyes.

"Wh-What?" I gathered up all the skills I'd practiced with Vinyl, seizing every ounce of control I had and willing myself to not change, while allowing real nervousness to creep into the set of my lips. I needed to regain whatever control I could in this situation. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't be doing that." Azure stepped back, her gaze turning curious. "Breathing, I mean."

"Please don't hurt me." I cowered slightly.

"Oh no, no fear of that." She laughed lightly. "You're far more valuable alive. But I'll have to ask you to come with me." She stomped once, and her entourage formed up again. I caught whiffs of that horrid sickly-sweet smell I was beginning to associate with nightwalkers, and worked to keep my face straight.

"Where?" I asked meekly. The complications here were growing, piling higher and higher as I got further into the situation, but her assurance of safety for the immediate future allowed me to relax slightly.

"Just follow." She gave me a predatory smile, indicating how little choice I had. "It's not too far."

---

"And here we are!" Azure turned at a familiar gate. Her coterie of vampires had dissolved into the shadows as we moved through the streets, but I could smell them around us, feel their eyes. I dragged my attention back to the present, firming up my self-control as my suppressed nature slithered in the back of my mind.

I really hadn't considered how poor of shape I was in when I'd asked Silver to leave.

Not that my wounds were debilitating. I had stopped healing towards the end of my scuffle, right before he'd broken it up, but I really only had scratches. The gash in my shoulder had sealed, and the slices on my legs were mostly closed. They were superficial, and even the pain was fairly muted. When I could get another dose, they should fix themselves.

No, what I hadn't really considered was just how badly I wanted blood.

I martialed concentration again. I needed to keep up the act, keep myself sane. I needed to learn everything I could before I went to pieces… or before my backup arrived. Because Silver would show up.

"Your house?" I gazed up at the mansion dumbly.

"Of course!" Azure pushed the gate open, beckoning me through. "I'll make sure you're comfortable, don't worry."

"Wait." I stopped, not moving until she looked back.

"Yes?"

"What's going on here? What do you want with me?"

"Why, I'm going to make you an offer." She grinned. "Tell me, Miss Melody. Have you ever wanted to be more?"

"More what?" I took a step, honestly curious.

"More everything." Azure turned, facing me fully. "Faster, stronger, richer, smarter, more beautiful. You could be very useful to me, and in return, I can give you everything you want."

"Sounds wonderful!" I smiled widely. "Perfect, in fact! It's only missing one thing."

"What's that?"

"The catch." My smile dissolved. "Tell you what. How about you just take this necklace and let me go?"

"Well, I could." She mused, rubbing her chin. "But I don't think you'd like the consequences, honestly."

"What would those be?" I stepped backwards.

"Hard to say." She shrugged. "You're already a little strange. An earth pony carrying the blood of stars? Still, maybe I should have mentioned. This isn't an offer I'll let you refuse."

Blood of stars. Beau had mentioned that.

"Hah." I layered derision into my voice. "And if I do?"

"That's fine." She smiled. Suddenly, her teeth looked a little sharper. "You're welcome to try." She narrowed her eyes, which gleamed catlike in the dark. "It's no problem." Suddenly, the menace I'd felt from her redoubled, from a flickering glow to a surging heat.

Vampire. I tried to keep my breath even as I realized what she was, what she meant. I shook my head slowly, affecting an unimpressed expression.

"I'm not feeling exactly motivated here, Azure. Maybe you could tell me a little more about what you'd need from me?" My stomach was sinking, even as my heart accelerated. I'd learned so little so far, but if she bit me, I'd have no way to conceal my secret. And if she was a vampire, a thinking vampire… what had Syzygy called them? Daywalkers? I was in deeper than I'd realized.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow. Come, I'll find you a room. Ruby, would you—" Azure turned to find her underling looking at the mansion skeptically. "What's wrong?"

"Somepony's in there." The thief nodded to the building. "Your wards are out of line."

"Hmm." Azure thought a moment. "Well, I'll go see. Take Miss Melody to the guest room, will you?" She nodded to me.

"Right." Cracked Ruby jerked her head, motioning me to follow. "Come along then."

We split, wending our ways through the paths of the garden. I kept my eyes down, trying to filter what I'd heard for useful information. Beau, at the very least, had been right: the vampires were interested in the necklace. More than that, Azure was a vampire, and an extremely dangerous one, unless I missed my guess.

For a long moment, I considered jumping my guide, pitting surprise and my animal instincts against the monsters I knew still surrounded us. I couldn't risk it, though. Even if she didn't escape — and as a thief, she had to be pretty good at that — I had no idea if I could overpower her. I'd yet to come out of a fight on top. Better to wait.

She took me in a side-door. I tried not to grin as we passed Silver's tie, still hanging in a bush. This was the same way we'd left the party, earlier this night.

As we stepped back inside, I heard raised voices and pricked my ears. The sound echoed in the stone halls, carrying around corners and through open doorways, but refused to resolve into words. I glanced forwards. Ruby was ignoring me. I cautiously loosened my control, by the slimmest hair. My senses started to sharpen. My nostrils flared.

Honey, lime, cedar—

Ruby was bleeding, scratched somewhere. Maybe a stray fragment of glass from the window I'd jumped through. I shook my head, trying to refocus. The dark corridors jumped into stark relief around me, splintered with light from the spell she was using in the dim mansion. I blinked, swiveling my ears, and finally managed to grasp a few words.

"…simply unacceptable, Azure!"

I knew that voice. I grinned slightly. It was Auric, the griffon we'd baited.

"Really, now. Surely they were no trouble?"

And that was Azure. Why were they meeting?

"That's not the point." The griffon's tone went harsh. "I know we can't be connected, not openly. But even the stupidest of your herd should be smarter than to attack a Hunter."

"I was told you were the one attacking."

"I was baited." There was a snarl there. "Somepony's sniffing around, and we can't make a mistake now. If either of us are to achieve our aims, it'll have to be together! You don't have a chance without me."

"And you, my dear, would be lost without my support." Azure laughed. "But really, don't make such a big deal out of this. Especially not so late at night. I need my beauty sleep, Auric. Let me rest in peace, or I'll…"

I lost the conversation as Ruby took me around yet another corner.

"Here." She finally stopped at a solid door, locked on the outside. She flicked it open and motioned me in. "Sleep well."

"Thanks, I guess." I gave her an insolent smile, pacing through with all the aplomb I could muster. Ruby stared for a long moment, before shaking her head quickly and slamming it closed. The lock clicked over, and I was alone.

I fumbled in the dark for a lightswitch, finally managing to locate it. Warm illumination pinched at my eyes, before they adjusted to reveal stone walls and bare floor. No windows. Not even a handle on the inside of the door.

There was, however, a comfortable bed, a small writing desk, and a shelf with a half-dozen books.

"Nice cell." I looked around, musing. "Now things get boring, I guess."

---

I wished, fervently, long and hard, that I could be bored. It felt like I’d spent hours in here, but I had no idea how to tell.

I turned, pacing back across my cell.

I just couldn’t get one thing out of my head. No matter how I tried, it filled my thoughts.

My throat itched. My teeth ached. My body felt alien, twitchy, bubbling with nervous energy. Even in the light the colors looked odd, shifted by my strange vision.

"Silver, you'd better get here quick."

I made another turn. My coat had thickened as I waited, my control eroding as I slipped further and further into starvation for rich, red, warm, blood.

"And you'd better bring me a bucking drink."

I froze, as I heard hoofsteps. Even through the thick door, they sounded clear. Two sets.

My eyes flicked around the room. Was it morning already? Where they coming for me? Would Azure find me like this? What would she think? What would she do?

Making a snap decision, I hit the lights and dove for the bed, burrowing beneath the covers. I slit my eyes and pulled the pillow over my head, forcing my breathing into a regular pattern. I could, at the very least, try to delay.

"Here." That was Ruby's voice. The door clicked open, and a rush of scents swirled into the room.

Ozone, rain-fresh air, a hint of pepper – his presence hit me like a physical blow. Silver!

Silver's blood!

He grunted once and stepped in. The door slammed shut. The lock snapped over. The hoofsteps receded. The light came on.

"Octavia?" His voice was low, hesitant.

"S-Stay there." I struggled with my emotions. I wanted to leap up, rush towards him, throw my hooves around him, and sink my teeth into his neck. "Please."

"What's wrong?" He didn't move. "Did they hurt you?"

"N-No. Just... stay there."

"Alright…" He stood for a long moment. "I did come for you."

"But they caught you, huh?" A dry laugh wracked me. "Gah. And I thought you were better than that."

"Well…" He chuckled softly. "Sort of, not really."

"What about Syzygy?" I grasped at straws, trying to distract myself. "Is he still out there?"

"Oh, yeah. He's waiting for us."

"What?" A fragment of puzzlement crept through my haze.

"He's waiting. He'll cover our escape."

I let that sink in a moment, before slowly pushing the pillow away.

"You have a plan."

"I do." He grinned. My eyes locked on him, on the flecks of blood and half-scabbed wounds sprinkled across his rusty coat. He looked delicious. "It doesn't even involve tearing this place down stone-by-stone."

"Hold on a second." I drew a deep breath, trying to regain a little control. I breathed in and out, slowly. I saw his gaze flick from my teeth, to my coat, to my eyes, and he whistled silently in understanding. He raised a hoof, nibbling at his horseshoe before pulling it off completely. I watched, trying to be disinterested, as his movements broke open a few cuts and scrapes.

"Is that a hollow shoe?" I tried to focus on the metal. He nodded, working to extract something from the interior.

"There!" He spat a coin on the floor. "Should do it."

"One bit?"

"No, this is orichalcum. It's part of Syzygy's spathis. He should be able to use this as an anchor—" there was a small flash and pop "—for a teleport spell." A scroll and a slim metal bottle appeared. He collected both and tossed me the flask. "That ought to help."

It sloshed as I caught it, my hoof snapping up before I even realized I needed to react. I popped the stopper. Mint, eucalyptus, a hint of rose, life.

"Ziggy's blood?" I took a long, shuddering drag on the bottle, feeling my emotions calm, my center begin reforming as energy sizzled through my body.

"Yeah. It's part of our plan."

"Plan." I gulped again, waves of relief rippling down my throat. "Tell me about that."

"Basically, I'm breaking you out." He rolled his wings, and I saw gaps in the feathers.

"Your quillons!"

"Oh?" He glanced back. "Right, start with that." He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. There was a series of sharp pops, and glittering shards of metal clattered to the floor around him. "Really, it hinges on Azure underestimating both of us." He grinned, and it was sharp. "We're off to a good start."

"How…" I trailed off, as he began picking up the blades, socketing them into his wings one-by-one.

"They're mine." He shrugged. "It's one of the things orichalcum is great for. You can't lose them, not really." There was another pop, and the coin on the floor vanished. "Ziggy uses it all the time."

"How did you get in?"

"I dropped hints about Beau." His smile wavered. "That… I have no idea how you do it, Octavia."

"Mmm?" I upended the bottle, wishing there was more. I no longer felt like sinking my fangs into his neck, but I didn't feel anywhere near sated, either.

"Acting. Misdirecting. Intrigue. Whatever it is you do to manipulate ponies."

"Intrigue," I said absently. I could feel my wounds finish knitting, the niggling pain finally gone. I focused, and my coat thinned and teeth shrunk. "Practice, mostly."

"It's hard." He shook his head. "I was certain she'd see right through me, sic her pet nightwalkers on me. I could barely keep my voice level."

I gave him a long look.

"Why'd you do it, then?"

"Huh?"

"Why not just come crashing in? You left your weapons behind, risked yourself on an unfamiliar skill. Why?"

"Didn't want to blow your cover." His eyes softened. "Didn't want to risk you getting caught in the confusion. This way, we can keep things low-key." He sighed. "I hope."

"Azure's a daywalker." I stood, shaking myself off. "She's working with Auric. We need to investigate 'the blood of stars'. It's connected to the necklace."

"Hmmm." He rubbed his chin. "Okay."

"First things first, though." I stared at the thick wooden door. "How are we getting out of here?"

"Magic," he replied, smirking and offering me the scroll Ziggy had sent.

“This is?” I accepted it hesitantly.

“Our key out. Literally, almost.”

I unrolled it, finding a series of interlocking rune-circles and strange clouds of sigils.

“It’s a spell?” I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“It’s an inscribed spell for opening locks.” He nodded. “It’s built for a pony who’s never practiced spellcasting. You’ve got the blood, and you’ve had some practice. Can you be a unicorn for now?”

“Hmm.” I examined the paper again. It seemed almost familiar somehow, as I pulled on the magic in the blood I’d just drunk. “Well, I can definitely try.”

---

The lock clicked over.

"You," I gasped, "had better find me another drink once we're out of here."

The horn on my head fizzled. It was longer this time. The scroll was a little tattered now, the sigils smoking and glowing with power. That had been simpler than I would have guessed, but it still wasn’t easy.

"Hold up." Silver held me back as I stepped towards the door. "I'm going first."

"What?"

"This isn't your run anymore." He gave me a sharp look. "I'll let you do the talking. In return, you let me take care of the vampires. Stay back, stay quiet."

I nodded once and did my best to fade into the shadows.

My best was pretty good.

We ghosted through the halls. Silver floated just over the floor, wings barely moving. For a few long minutes, I wondered if we'd get away clean.

Then there was a flash in the dark. Silver flicked his wings and vanished. A gleam of red contrail, streaked with gray, hung in the air. I blinked and nearly missed it. He struck something, carving a shadow from the wall, and shredding it with brutal strokes.

We both froze. He never took his eyes off the still form. The fight had been surprisingly silent, but we both waited for cries of alarm. Nothing.

He waved me after, and floated away. I followed, slightly shaken. I'd seen Vinyl and Verdant fight before, but this was on a different level. Not a moment of hesitation or a wasted movement. He was like pure ferocity, distilled and given wings.

Now, at least, I was fairly certain we could get away.

---

"Are we clear?" I glanced nervously back.

"You're good." Syzygy stepped out of the trees. "There's a watchpony headed this way, though. Come on, you two. I've got Vinyl waiting at the Gallery for us. We need to talk, and you…" He looked at me. "You need a little more fortification, I think."

"Yes." I nodded. "Yes, I'm very thirsty."

“She’s got blood. Hold on a sec.” He lowered his horn, and a tingling light skimmed me. “There. You should be shrouded again. We really need to get you a more permanent protection.”

"Meet you there, Ziggy." Silver looked to me. "Want a lift?"

"Yes." I felt a cool breeze buoy me up, and finally, finally managed to relax completely. "Thanks."

---

"Aaaaah." I finished the last of my glass, and sat it down with a satisfied sigh.

The Gallery wrapped us in warm shadows. It had to be nearly morning. I was deeply, deeply grateful I didn't have classes today. I needed hours and hours of sleep. Now that my craving was finally gone, I was nearly ready to nod off.

"Auric, Azure…" Vinyl muttered, resting her forehead on a hoof and staring at the table. "Gah."

"All right, I think that's enough." Silver sighed. "We're not going to get any farther on this tonight. We all need sleep. Let's see about—"

"Silver, hey." All of us stopped talking, looking up as a deep green unicorn with a carefully messy mane walked up.

"Vagabond?" Silver gave him a confused smile. "You're out late. What's up?"

"Sorry." The newcomer rubbed his head, looking sheepish. "I didn't mean to intrude, but…" He produced a slip of paper. "Gilda asked me to give this to you, when I saw you next. Didn't expect you to be here either." He shrugged and turned away. Silver watched him go, before unfolding the paper.

I watched as he read it, his expression shifting from curiosity to confusion, before he froze for a long second and sighed, worry clouding his face deeply.

"What is it?" I asked. He simply slid the paper over to me.

"Read it, all of you."

Instead, I took a deep breath and began reading aloud.

"Silver Lining. After our talk the other day, I've become wary of my uncle's motives." I looked up.

"Auric," he replied, to my unspoken question. I nodded.

"A cursory questioning revealed nothing. However, after a little dissembling, I snuck into his study and poked around. I didn't find much of interest, but there was a small, well-hidden cache of letters, between him and an unnamed correspondent, discussing something valuable and secretive. It's given me more questions than answers. Very little is clear, but I did find a strange sigil, which I've drawn below. If you know anything about it, I'd be grateful for your help. Signed, Gilda Highwind."

I looked down. At the bottom of the letter, hastily scribbled, was a knotted feather.

"Oh." My mind flashed back to Ruby's house, where she'd drawn nearly the same sign. Where I’d heard Silver gasp at just a glimpse of it. Now I could almost feel the waves of frustration rolling off him. "That's… interesting."

Silver sighed deeply and lay his head on the table.

"And I was hoping this would start getting less complicated one of these days."

Float or Fall

I drifted awake, and instantly wished I hadn’t.

I lay still, trying for more sleep, but my mind was in turmoil. Noon sun seeped through the blinds, unobscured by clouds. I tasted the air, listening to the weather outside and the Storm in my mind. It was a beautiful day. I groaned and rolled out of bed.

I considered last night's discoveries as I brushed my wings, scrutinizing them for damage as I prepared for what was left of the day.

I kept recalling the knotted feather as I pondered what had happened. I'd run from that for years, carefully shielding myself with habit. I had acted outside my carefully constructed boundaries – again – when I had rushed after Octavia, and that worried me. Sure, her surrender to Azure had been part, but my reaction…

Still, as I thought it over, again and again, I couldn't see myself doing anything different. Abandoning a comrade simply wasn't acceptable. If a Hunter had been in her situation, I could have left happily, trusting their skill to extricate themselves. However, Syzygy or Intaglio or Origami or any of the few I'd worked with wouldn't have allowed a situation where they needed my help for escape.

They'd have never relied on me, when the cards were down like that.

I chewed that idea over as I ate my oatmeal. I really wasn't sure how I felt about it. My new situation was creating liability after liability. Syzygy was closer to me than I'd ever been comfortable with. Octavia was a glaring weakness in any sort of fight, and Auric had me more in his sights than ever. But what could I do? Could I fade away again? Any path I saw led me closer to what I'd been running from. The feather whirled back to the forefront of my mind, and the whole thing restarted.

I quietly cleaned up, considering my next move. I was ready to go out, do something, but I really had no plans for today. I couldn't sleep now. Maybe I should visit Vinyl, see if one of her friends had a lead on the sigil. I moved to leave, but as I cleared the table a mess of paper came into view, leaning against the door just under the mail slit.

"What the…"

I inspected the top piece.

Supplementary form 1919-B, expedited procedure for retrieval of impounded…

"You've got to be kidding…"

…to be filled out in triplicate, no later than…

"No…"

An awful feeling clawed at my chest as I realized what had happened. The paperwork for my house was following me. Flashbacks of struggling against the bureaucracy flitted past, and I heaved a juddering sigh. I carefully gauged the depth of the heap, and came to a horrible realization.

There was more. It was growing.

"No, no, no! Sleet!"

I slumped, considering my options. The pressure of all the real problems I had to deal with rushed through my mind, until I finally made a decision. I hefted all the paperwork and gave my house a long, slow look. Possession was nine-tenths of the law, right? And even in the worst case… I didn't really like it that much.

I pushed the door open and marched outside, standing on the edge of my small porch.

Building another house could be fun.

I scraped up all my annoyance with petty hassles, stupid rules, and ridiculous procedures, and launched the entire bundle off with one strong heave.

"Hah!" I laughed, instantly feeling more cheerful as the stack shredded in its plummet, fluttering to pieces and spreading wide to drift past the field below. I watched for long moments, appreciating the changing shape and texture of the paper cloud as it dissolved into the distant buildings of the city.

Too bad the rest of my problems couldn't be fixed as easily.

I drew in a deep breath and launched myself off the edge, heading towards Vinyl's. I was already accomplishing things! Why stop now?

---

"Syzygy?" I blinked in surprise as Vinyl’s apartment door drifted open..

"Silver!" He gave me a pleasant smile. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"What—"

"Come in, come in!" He ushered me through, out of the sun. "We were just waiting for you. Did you get my letter?"

"Um, no." I glanced around Vinyl's dim living room, spotting her on the couch and Octavia in the recliner. "I don't, uh, maybe it got lost?"

"Well, no matter." Syzygy shrugged. "But it's good you came. We were about to get started!"

"What's going on here?" I stepped closer to Octavia, taking in the mug she was holding.

"He's calling in last night's favor." She waved the cup, and I realized it was filled with blood. "Already."

"I don't like making others wait." Syzygy smiled.

"What is it this time?" I eyed the mug, curious.

"Pegasus." Vinyl shrugged, holding up the bottle. "He wants to see if she has wings."

"What?" A bubble of curiosity rose to the surface of my confusion. "Do you think she will?"

"Dunno." The DJ shrugged. "I mean, I don't, but…"

"Only one way to find out." Octavia looked down into the mug for a long moment. "Ziggy, you set?"

"Almost." Syzygy adjusted something on the floor, and I realized that part of the surrounding mess was less musical than usual. Small measuring apparatus were scattered around, blending into the background jumble. "This would be much easier at my lab."

"Yeah, no." Vinyl shook her head. "We're doing this in a place where she feels at least a little more comfortable."

Octavia looked to me, smiling ever so slightly. I shrugged back. Vinyl might still be sore over Syzygy's last stunt, but I did agree somewhat. At the very least, giving in to the obsessive researcher's demands too easily seemed incautious.

"Here goes." Octavia raised the glass and sipped.

Syzygy glanced from one instrument to another, making notes and adjusting.

I looked on. Nothing happened.

"This could take a while." Vinyl scooted over, patting the couch beside her. "Come on, take a seat."

---

"This is strange." Octavia finished the last sip of blood with a small shiver.

"Please, explain." Syzygy produced a notebook and poised himself for notes.

"Jitters." She shivered again. "I feel like moving. And everything is… wobbly."

"Like it's speeding up and slowing down?" Vinyl leaned closer.

"Yes, that." Octavia nodded. "Sometimes you seem normal, but it's like a record spinning at different speeds. Sometimes you go slower." Her voice accelerated and slowed as she talked, the cadence of words moving at random speeds.

"You're flaring." I stepped closer. "Same as you did with unicorn magic, but it's all internal."

"Hmm." She moved to stand.

"Hold up, don't—" Vinyl held out a cautioning hoof, but it was too late. Octavia rose jerkily and took a long pace.

Her legs didn't react as expected. The first too-fast step overbalanced her. She stumbled for footing, but missed. She started to fall but suddenly accelerated, pushing herself completely into the air with an incautious lunge. I watched in surprise as she slowed half-way through her tumble, managing to unsteadily land on her hooves.

"Are you holding the magic back?" I recalled her ability to suppress unicorn magic.

"Mmm." She nodded.

"Try letting it out. This will be easier if you actually do have wings."

She nodded once, and concentrated for a minute.

"Oh, um…" A look of annoyance crossed her face as her teeth suddenly grew, her coat thickened, and her eyes slit. There was a twitch along her barrel, and small bat-like wings suddenly writhed out of her coat.

"Fascinating!" Syzygy stepped in, trying for a closer look until one wing sprang open, nearly clipping him in the face.

"Woah." Octavia wiggled her new limbs.

"Wait!" I tried to stop her, but again it was too late. They caught the air, and I felt her magic engage as she flapped. Suddenly, there was a small gale in the room, swirling around and knocking her over. She managed to adjust at the last second, turning her impromptu flip into a haphazard landing.

"Um." She stood for a long moment, unwilling to move.

"Here." I walked over and pressed gently on the joint of one wing, unlocking it and folding it back against her side. She worked the other until it slowly folded as well.

"So, you can't do this?" She turned to Vinyl, who was smirking quietly.

"No, I can't." Vinyl shrugged. "I'm not… I don't know how to explain it. My magic isn't broad enough?"

"It's about the amount you can express." Syzygy made a note, explaining in a distracted voice. "The difference between burst strength and stamina."

"So I'm stronger than Vinyl?" Octavia frowned.

"Maybe, but…" Syzygy sighed, lowering his notebook. "Magic isn't quite the same as muscles. Think of it like water. There's a fountain inside each of us, which feeds a pool. This flows through our bodies, carried by ley lines, to produce magic. Vampirism wrecks the fount and changes the ley lines, but the fundamentals are similar. Thing is, you're not limited by the size of your previous pool – you can always add more by drinking blood. However," he punctuated his point with a stab of his quill, "this doesn't mean you can actually cast stronger magic than before, because although your ley lines might change, they can't move magic faster. Somepony with broad ley lines can cast a lot of magic quickly, but if they don't have the power to draw from, it won't do them any good. You can have a lot of magic to draw from as a vampire, but if you can't actually express it, it won't help. Your pegasus magic is more advanced than Vinyl's because your ley lines carry it better, it seems. She simply doesn't have the breadth needed to grow wings."

"But!" Vinyl rose. "That's not an all-or-one thing. I'm much better at earth pony magic than pegasus; probably better than my natural unicorn magic, in some ways. If we're just talking how much I can use." She walked over to Octavia. "I think it might be because I'm an invert. We don't really get… the full package."

"I'd agree." Syzygy picked his notebook back up. "Now, can you suppress your vampire nature while still expressing pegasus magic?"

"I'll try." Octavia concentrated again and slowly shifted. Her eyes lost their slits, her coat thinned, and her teeth retracted. Slowly, her wings thickened and fluffed, producing soft grey plumes. They became proper pegasus wings, with long, narrow feathers.

"Excellent!" Syzygy tucked his notebook away and pulled the door open. "Let's see what you can do!"

"What?" Octavia gave him a puzzled smile.

"Come on, Silver! Let's see if she can fly!" Syzygy looked to me.

"I don't…" I paused. "That's going to be tricky, Ziggy."

"Psh, you're a flight instructor, right? That's why I wanted you here!"

"I've never taught foals, though." I frowned back at him.

"Do you think I can't learn?" Octavia gave me a challenging glare, and I sighed.

"I don't really know." I shrugged, musing. "Maybe the basics? It takes years to learn proper spellcasting or how to grow plants, as a unicorn or earth pony. Flying is no different."

"I'm not a foal." She carefully folded and unfolded her wings a few times. They were elegant, if a little on the small side. Maybe they would grow with more practice, like her horn had?

"Well… we can try, I guess." I nodded. A few falls wouldn't kill her, not with how she healed. "Alright, I'm game."

---

"It's… going to be a nice afternoon." Octavia looked around at the clear blue sky, dotted with puffs of cloud. "I can feel it."

"Mmm. Light winds, warm, low humidity. Should last into the week." I watched as Vinyl and Syzygy struggled up the fire escape. We'd decided that the nearest usable open space was on the roof, a flat, empty concrete square. As long as Octavia didn't fall over an edge, she should be safe enough practicing up here.

"Okay." Syzygy brought a swarm of instruments up with him. "Give me a few flaps!"

Octavia gave me a questioning look.

"Go for it." I shrugged. "You've got to start somewhere. Until you stop flaring, it's really about all you can do."

She nodded once and awkwardly spread her wings.

"Hold up." I stopped her, looking at her stance. "Bend your knees, and don't lock your wings open unless you're gliding." She adjusted, relaxing her stance somewhat. "Raise them to just above your ears, and sweep to just below your stomach. Do a few slow flaps, and then try it more quickly."

She nodded and took a few cautious flutters. Vinyl grinned, waiting. Syzygy measured her meticulously. Finally, she took one swift stroke.

I winced as her magic caught, nearly as powerful as an adults… but with all the control of a newborn. She yelped as it launched her into the air, cartwheeling. Her wings slammed shut, and she tumbled overhead for a long moment before she managed to center herself and pull a half-decent landing.

"Did you do gymnastics?" I raised an eyebrow at that. I'd half-expected her to come down on her ear.

"As a teenager." She drew a few gasping breaths. "I guess I remember some."

"That'll help."

"Ow." She shook a hoof. "That's… oh, there it goes." She tested it gingerly. "I guess I sprained it for a moment there." She spread her wings again, more cautiously.

I watched for several minutes, trying not to laugh as she managed to flip and tumble and jerk into the air several more times. Her magic was firming, though. Her fifth attempt was much less jerky, and by the twelfth, she was nearing stability.

"You've mostly stopped flaring, I think." I turned away from where she lay crumpled on the roof, annoyance on her face as she tried to fold her wings and stand simultaneously. "Hey, Ziggy, got what you need?"

"I think so." He checked his instruments again. "Why?"

"Octavia, here's a question." I turned back to the grey mare, who'd managed to right herself. She fluffed her wings, sneezing at the dust she raised. "I think you can at least learn to flutter. Do you want to practice the fast way, or the safe way?"

"Hmm." She considered, rubbing her chin. "Which one's more fun?" She gave me an impish grin.

"Oh, the fast way. Definitely." I spread my wings, grinning back. "Vinyl, Ziggy, we're going flying. Be back in a few hours!" I scooped her up in my flow, blasting skywards. She flattened her wings against her sides, looking down as Syzygy packed up and Vinyl waved, dwindling quickly behind.

I left a burning contrail, aiming for one of today’s few clouds. I circled it, checking it was unused, before I wafted her over.

"Woah!" She wobbled as I released her, landing with a soft poomf on the fluffy cumulus. "This… This is neat." She struggled upright, legs splayed for balance in the shifting surface. I alighted nearby, watching as she took wobbly steps, prancing and exploring the tiny island. She leaned over the edge, looking down, before pulling back quickly.

"Vertigo?"

"For a second." She leaned out again, more slowly.

"So, um." I rubbed an ear, considering. "You trust me to keep you safe, right?"

"Really?" She wrinkled her nose at me in consternation. "You're still asking that, after yesterday?"

"Good. Remember this. Nose down, small movements, full extension for a glide, but stay relaxed and don't lock up."

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. I grinned widely and pushed her over the edge.

"Eeeeee!" She flailed for a moment, surprise breaking her composure, before she vanished with a thin wail. I chuckled and leaped after her.

She flailed for a moment. I could feel the air jump and shudder as her wings flopped, spinning her left and right until her customary control re-asserted itself and she acted on my advice. She pulled her wings in firmly and relaxed, steadying her airstream. She actually closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, before making small adjustments to point her nose down. I dove below her, flitting left and right, carefully monitoring her movements as she began spreading her wings. Her airstream thickened and strengthened, reacting as she opened her span slowly. I saw her concentrate, begin to really feel the air as it rushed through her wings.

"Hold it there!" I called, as she reached half-extension. "Small movements, try and flex your feathers!" This was the real test, whether she could grasp the flow of magic consciously or if she would be constrained to relying on instinct – instinct she had never developed as a foal. I recalled doing this same exercise with my father, how I'd taught a few of my sister's friends. It was very much all-in, learning to run before you could walk. When it worked, though, the results were impressive.

She spun left and right, swooping and rolling, but never going into a tumble. I saw consternation cross her face as the ground neared. I moved in, scooping her up long before crashing became a concern. I didn’t want any alert citizens trying for a ‘rescue’.

"That was a good start." I pulled her close, slowing our fall with short, rapid strokes, wings blurring as I gradually bled away momentum. "Try again?"

"Yes please." She grinned. "Let's go higher!"

"Alright." I banked into a low loop, trying to save energy, before rocketing skywards again. "Remember—"

"Nose down, slow movements, full extension for a glide but stay relaxed and don't lock up." She spread her wings slightly, pulling against my airflow as we rose.

"Got it." I nodded, looking down on the diminished city. "Ready?"

"Go!" She spun, orienting. I dropped her again.

---

She was panting and a few of her feathers were loose when I finally wafted us back to the cloud. She had managed to turn a fall into a glide. It wasn't the most graceful recovery I'd ever seen, but it was serviceable.

"What's next?" She gave me a bright-eyed smile, prancing a small circle as I landed beside her.

"We're taking a break. And I need to know if you've got enough magic." I pointed to her wings. "You really shouldn't be losing feathers so easily." A long grey plume fell from her wing and I snagged it, tucking it behind my ear.

"Mmmm…" She inspected her wings. "I am feeling sort of thirsty. But let's take a break." She flopped down on the cloud, breath slowing from rough panting to more regular puffing. "So, can I do it?"

"I think you can." I lay down beside her, rolling to stare up into the broad arch of blue. "You were beginning to move your magic consciously. You can at least learn to flutter."

"So much to learn…" she muttered, spreading her wings and flapping slowly. "The more I learn, the more there is. Here and last night, more questions just keep coming up."

"Yeah."

"Like that sigil, the knotted feather. If Steel Breeze and the vampires both want something connected to it, and they're begrudgingly cooperating, we probably need to investigate it. Do you think we can get Intaglio onboard, scrounge up some other Hunters?"

"Intaglio will be willing, but he's solidly restrained by his job." I frowned. "I don't think others would be much help, honestly. It would be just your word against his. I mean, we could hire them, but that would mean official channels, and official attention. Not what we want, I think."

"Sure." She mused for a long moment. "That sigil, though. It meant something to you."

I didn't answer, simply mulling that over in my mind, considering the whole mess again.

"Silver."

"Mmm?"

"Talk to me."

"…I don't know what to say."

"Say what you're feeling."

We lay in silence a few moments longer, before Octavia rose, leaning over me to look down at my face, straight into my eyes.

"Silver."

"Yes?"

"I want you to trust me."

I thought over that for a while, simply turning the idea over in my mind. The whole mess of problems I was trying to sort through came whirling back to me. The feather loomed foremost.

"Look, Silver." She moved away, lying back down with a long sigh. "Just… trust me. Please?"

"Alright." I sighed as well, letting a little of my frustration evaporate. The image of paperwork scattering in the wind flashed back through my mind. A trouble shared was halved, after all, and she had a stake here. "Alright." I shaded my eyes, ordering my thoughts. "It's… a little difficult, though. Have you ever heard the legend about why there are three races of ponies?"

"Several versions."

"Well, here's what I was told." I sat up, drawing in a deep breath. She gave me a bemused look as I composed myself. "Before Luna, before Celestia, before Equestria, ponies had no magic." My voice took on a deeper tone as I remembered my father, how he'd told the story in his rolling voice. "There were only ponies. They were hunted by monsters. They struggled to find food and were at the mercy of the skies. They dwindled and dwindled, moving and hiding to survive."

"Until one day, they stumbled across a dragon." Octavia sat up, eyes twinkling as she interrupted my narrative. I nodded, letting her continue. "He rested in the center of a garden, guarding a well filled with stars, wrapped around a persimmon tree with six fruit, hard as crystal, and he had a hundred heads."

"But he didn't harm them." I took over again, at her nod. "He allowed them to live in his garden, and they were safe there. But they couldn't leave. Eventually, he made them an offer. He would give them three gifts, pieces of his power so they could survive, and in return, they would guard the well when he left." I offered the narrative back with a pause, but she shook her head slightly, so I continued. "They accepted. The first drank from the well, and found magic between the stars. She became the first unicorn. The second ate the leaves of the persimmon, and found magic in all living things. He became the first earth pony. The last breathed the smoke from the dragon’s hundred heads, and found magic in the air. She became the first pegasus." I sighed, flopping down again.

Silence reigned for a few more minutes.

"I've heard that," Octavia offered. "Or something like it, at least."

"Mmm. Here's a little extra, that may not be so commonly told. Some of that magic still persists. The old stuff, the wild stuff. The unicorn fished in the well and made a circlet from stars. The earth pony dug up the roots of the tree and made a circlet of the very blood of the earth. The pegasus seized the vapor in the air and twisted it into a ring of clouds. They each bequeathed these to their descendants."

"That's… I may have encountered it as well." Octavia frowned. "But that's about the founding of the old kingdoms, right? The rulers of the three tribes were supposedly descended from them."

"Well, yes." I sighed. "And, maybe not. My father, at least, believed that there was more to it. See, his magic… and mine, is a little weird."

"Aaah." Octavia mused for a moment. "Weird how?"

I felt the Storm in my mind, weighing the question.

"Weird in that I can do things a normal pegasus can't. I'm strong – although there are plenty stronger – but I'm also different. I don't claim any mythical inheritance. I mean, there's variation in magic already. Party ponies, or sorcerers like Verdant, or time-mages, or… you know. Cutie mark variation, or just being super powerful."

"What's it like?"

"It's like…" I tried to encapsulate the idea, struggling to fit it to words. "It's like there's a storm inside me."

"You've always struck me as even-tempered." She arched an eyebrow.

"No, no. Not emotionally. Magically. I don't even know how to explain it, really. But even in a blue sky like this, I can sometimes hear the rain. And if there's magic nearby, thunder booms. If I'm really down, I can feel sleet sliding down my coat. When I'm angry, lightning starts dancing. I can sort of… let it out, let it affect the world, but it's extremely draining. I don't even know. It's who I am; who my father was. And it's different. That's about all I know."

"You think that's why they're after you? The ones with the knotted feather?"

"I…" I mulled the question over. "Yeah, I do. I'm pretty certain they were after my father before he disappeared."

"Did they…"

"No idea." I rubbed my head. "I don't think so. He taught me everything I know, but not everything he knew. There were strange ponies around, bothering him, and he… left. I don't know what happened, but he disappeared. Later there were more, ones with that sigil, and… I sort of did the same. I ran out on my sister, left Cloudsdale. There was a dust up, and I think I convinced them to leave her alone. I came here, hoping against hope they'd follow, but trying to stay low-profile enough they couldn't find me."

"And now this."

"Now this."

"Hmm." Octavia thought it over for a long moment, before rising slowly. "Okay. Thank you, Silver."

"You're welcome." I rose, fluffing my wings. "Ready for another round? Or do you need to get some more… blood?"

"Blood, I think." She ran a hoof through her mane. "Then, we need to visit my parents."

"What?"

"I really should have talked to them days ago. My parents and my brother. If we're going any further with this, they have a right to know what's happened with me. Don't worry, I won't tell them any of your secrets."

"Octavia—"

"Hush." She swiped me with a wing. "What, Silver, did you think I was asking just to hear you talk? You're not the only pony who's allowed to help others. You're working with me on the carcanet. Did you think I wouldn't offer a hoof in return? We're in this together. One way or another. Let me risk a little for you." She grinned and, before I could even formulate a reply, leaped off the cloud.

"Hold up!" I dived after. "I haven't taught you how to land yet!"

---

"So!" Octavia threw the door to Vinyl's apartment open, wings vanished and an earth pony again. "Have you got ideas? Plans of attack? Leads? Anything?"

"No, I don't—" I stumbled in after, still trying to understand what she was getting at. "Look, can't we just stay away from this? Focus on the carcanet, and—"

"Lay low?" She whirled back to face me. "No, Silver, we can't. We've come up against this knotted feather twice now. Do you really think ignoring them will work?"

"…No." I finally acquiesced with a sigh. "No, I guess you're right. I just… I don't…"

"Don't know how to deal with them, after hiding for so long? Have no idea where to start on a problem that's seemed so huge and insoluble to you for so many years? Can't bring yourself to face what you're running from?"

"…Maybe." I sighed.

"Well, that's okay." Octavia leaned in close. "I'll help."

"Hey, Octy!" Vinyl stepped out of the kitchen. "What are you talking about? How'd it go?"

"This knotted feather thing. Pretty good, but I can barely glide so far. Please don't call me that."

"Oh yeah, that sigil." Vinyl scrunched her nose. "I was thinking, maybe Skimmer or one of the gang would have a lead. Maybe—"

"Ah!" Syzygy followed her into the room, picking up his instruments as he came. "You're back!"

"Yes." Octavia gave him annoyed look, and swatted at the nearest crystal. "Enough of that, Syzygy. We need to think about our next step, find out about this knotted feather sigil and come up with a plan."

"Oh, that." The unicorn lowered his tools. "They're called Primalis. They search for unusual or interesting magic. There's something less than a hundred in the city, and they have a meeting-place in the back of Buttered Crumpet's hotel."

We all stared at him for a long moment.

"What?" He gave us an innocent smile. "Was it something I said?"

"How…" I trailed off, trying to frame the question. "How do you know that, and why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Well, we all split up pretty quick last night. And I can't tell you too much. I gave my word, you see. But it's not so surprising I know something."

He floated a gold-and-white lacquered pin out of his saddlebags, in the shape of a knotted feather.

"I am a member, after all."

Loyalties

Silver’s reaction to the pin was violent and immediate, a boiling-over of the long suppressed emotions I’d glimpsed in the history he had just shared with me.

I felt his wings extend, the very air responding as his quillons snicked out. He flashed forward, radiating menace. Syzygy was just as fast, a constellation of golden medallions fizzling into existence between them. I gasped as the danger in the room doubled down, crushing me backwards a full step. My jaw ached as my remaining shreds of pegasus magic surged, pulling my darker nature behind.

"Hold!" Vinyl cut through the motion with a fierce word, freezing both of them. "Both of you, hold! If you fight in here, I will be very put out." Her voice roughened as she spoke, eyes slitting and a sharp edge curling up her horn. Neither moved, but they never took their eyes off each other.

For a long minute we stood in tableau, amid the cluttered mechanisms and furniture. Finally, Vinyl stepped between them, casually brushing medallions aside and blocking one of Silver's wings.

"Silver, stand down." She gave him a harsh look. "I don't know what that sigil means to you, but this is my house." They locked eyes for a moment longer. "Stand down," she reiterated. He slowly lowered his wings, partially retracting his blades.

"Hmm." Syzygy's smile hadn't faltered a hair during the whole thing. His weapon swarmed back, forming into a compact cluster just behind one ear. "Interesting. Silver, would you—"

"Let me." I drew in a deep breath, mastering my reactions and stepping forward to place a hoof on Silver's withers. He nodded fractionally, never taking his eyes off the unicorn. I moved forwards, keeping the lane between them clear. I didn't quite have the nerve to interpose myself like Vinyl. I scrutinized Syzygy's face and stance, letting him see me gauge him.

"Syzygy Stardust, I am starting to get royally fed up with your attitude." I narrowed my eyes, letting the slightest buzz of true frustration curl into my voice.

"Octavia, I don't—"

"Ah!" I raised a hoof, shushing him. "Do you have any idea how much trust is worth, Ziggy? You've been prancing around the edges of this situation, pushing a little, pulling a little, making trouble. And I'm calling you on it. I don't care that you have your own agenda. I've got one. Silver's got one. Vinyl might as well, but I don't honestly care. You'd better make a convincing argument for why we should put up with any more of it, or I'll step back and ask Silver to throw you out." I let him think over that for a moment, his ears swiveling forward as he looked from me to Vinyl to Silver, assessing if I could carry through on my threat.

"It's not what you think." He hesitated on the rejoinder. He wasn't sure. Well, neither was I, but no need to reveal that.

"Really?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Then why don't you tell me what I'm thinking?"

He mulled over that for a long moment.

"The truth is," I continued, "we don't actually need you. You've helped us, but it's always been at a cost, even when you didn't ask up-front. Frankly, Syzygy Stardust, I'm beginning to think you may be more trouble than you're worth. This isn't a job. We're not on a contract or a commission. We're forming a team here, and I'm giving you one chance to decide if you're in or out. To see if you're totally mercenary or if there's a single speck of consideration behind that oh-so polite façade you've set up."

"I…"

"Don't mistake me. This is a test of character. Your strength and slyness won't get you through. Think too long and you're out." I glanced at the others with the corner of my eyes, checking if they agreed. Vinyl was nodding, and Silver had a hard frown. We didn't really have a leader, in some ways, but I didn't think they'd disagree with this.

Syzygy blinked at my words, and I saw something behind his carefully cultivated act give slightly.

"Syzygy." Silver folded his wings. "You've fulfilled your terms. You've acted in good faith on the pact we made. Our alliance is over." He nodded and stepped back. The hovering medallions shivered gently.

That rocked the unicorn. His ears went stiff, a touch of desperation appearing as my threat started to close on him.

"Don't think I won't help eject you," Vinyl growled. "I may not be on your level, Ziggy, but I'm starting to get fed up with your style. Pony up or stop playing. We're not in this for kicks."

"For some of us, it's a matter of life and death." I stepped forwards, pressuring him. "Are you a liability, Ziggy? Are you for us or against us?"

"I can get you information." There was a nearly wheedling tone to his voice. "I can talk to Primalis, find out what's going on."

"But why," I repeated calmly, "should we trust you?"

"I… I…" He stepped back, looking away from my gaze. "I don't…" He chewed his lip, composure totally gone as he considered what I was saying.

None of us moved.

Finally, he drew in a deep breath, threw back his head, and banished his weapon.

"Silver Lining." He locked eyes with the pegasus, firming his stance and adopting an attitude of deference. "I swear by the Crown of Clouds that I'll follow your lead in this, working as your agent in word and spirit to defend you and yours."

"That's—" I started, but Silver stopped me with a touch.

"Good enough for me," he said. I turned to him, and he nodded slightly. "You want in, Ziggy? Well, you're in. I'd be lying if I said I trusted you, but there's no point in offering a second chance if it's not in good faith." Silver looked to me and Vinyl, and both of us relaxed slightly. "Here's your first task. Find out what you can from Primalis, and share. Keep your double-dealing to yourself, and as long as it doesn't burn us, we'll work around it. Can you accept that?”

“I…” Syzygy sighed, showing his surrender. I wondered how sincere it really was. “Yes, I’ll do what I can.”

“Alright, then.” Silver smiled. “We can work from here. You've got an agenda? Fine. I've been learning a lot about trust recently. If you want our help with it, you'll need to tell us, but for now... You were wondering what that sigil meant to me? Wanted to see my reaction? I’ll indulge your curiosity. It drove me out of my hometown, separated me from my sister and maybe even my father."

I stepped back, letting him draw closer to the unicorn. Vinyl joined them, as Silver started an even more abbreviated version of the brief history he'd given me earlier.

I guess he was with us.

For whatever that was worth.

---

"Feeling okay?" Silver gave me a long look as we paced up the narrow walk to my parents’ house. I'd told him I needed to do this, and I'd meant it, but I felt my hooves slowing as I neared.

"Yeah." I sighed. "I'm nervous, but… I think it's my new instincts again. When I considered this a few days ago, it was literally unthinkable. Vinyl mentioned mood effects, paranoia, and others. I'm more… balanced now, but I don't think it's totally gone."

"Well, it's sort of a big deal." He shrugged. "I mean, telling anypony this sort of thing."

"Silver, they're my parents." I rolled my eyes. "You noticed how well I cope, didn't you?" His continual surprise at my capability had shown.

"Sure."

"I got it from them. They're unflappable. You learned from your father? My mom drilled everything about dealing with high society ponies into me, and my dad polished it out with a full course on self-control and pony-watching. More than that, they love me." I sighed. "I just hope they don't start crying or worrying. If this wasn't so dangerous, I'd be tempted—" I shook the thought away. "No, I need to tell them. They deserve to know."

"Are you sure I should be here, though?" There was a hitch in his step, and I slowed.

"You can leave, if you like." I gave him a reassuring grin. "I can deal with this. But they're going to have questions, and you know a lot more than me. I'd appreciate the help."

"Ah." He sighed. "Alright. I'll just… watch your back, okay?"

"That sounds perfect." I stopped at the door and rapped once. After a few moments, we heard steps inside.

"Octavia?" My mom threw it open and looked out, half-moon glasses perched on her nose. Her mane was down, curling around her ears. "Why are you knocking?" She glanced past me and made a small 'o' of surprise. "You brought a friend!"

"It's not like that, mom." I sighed, relaxing even as I shrugged uncomfortably. Mom would be mom. "This is Silver Lining. The past week has been… crazy, and he's helped me with a bit of trouble. I need to talk to you and dad."

"Trouble?" Her brows narrowed at that, and I saw her reassess him. "Well, don't just stand out there. I'll make some tea. Your father's in the reading room, so go say hi."

"Of course." I stepped in and wrapped her in a hug. "Thanks."

She nuzzled me briefly and moved for the kitchen.

I could do this. I would do this.

---

"Bye, dad. Thanks again." I hugged my father goodbye. He nuzzled me and stood watching as we walked down the path.

"Feel better?" Silver paced me, scanning the surroundings with his usual watchfulness.

"Yes, I really do." A weight I'd been carrying, a fear of isolation and secrecy, was easing inside me. "Lots." It had been worrying me, more than I'd thought, how my family would react. It was the danger that finally pushed me into telling them. I couldn't forgive myself if I just disappeared one day, without even letting them know I'd been in trouble, but there had been more to it. "They're my parents. I love them. Even if I couldn't tell them everything, or really much of anything, I'm glad I did it."

"They believed you."

"Well, I did demonstrate." I giggled, remembering the twitch in my dad's ears as I'd slit my eyes, bared my fangs, how my mother’s eyes had widened in shock. "And, well, cure or no, I'm still me. For whatever reason. It's not a terminal disease by itself. All the complications are external."

"Mmm."

"I wish I could tell them more." I sighed. "This secrecy is annoying. I know it's useful, but it still irks me."

"You could have shown them your wings." He gave me a sly smile.

"My dad would have loved that." I considered how he enjoyed flying with my brother. "But that would have brought up the whole 'blood' thing."

"And that's not really comfortable." He nodded understandingly. "Maybe next time."

"Maybe!" I skipped for a step. "Mmm, next time. Yeah. After we deal with all of this."

"If we deal with all of this." His somber tone pulled me back.

"We will." I nodded firmly. "Syzygy's got a start, and you've got a lead too."

"Hmm?" He gave me a quizzical look.

"That griffon," I reminded him. "Gilda."

"Oh." He frowned. "Yeah. Hum."

"We should talk to her, at least. Maybe she can tell us a little more."

"That's a good idea." He mulled it over. "Actually, that's a great idea. We can't wait for Auric to reveal what's going on. We need to keep the initiative and act. I wonder if she's at Vagabond's. She should have some way for me to respond to her note."

"That's your contact?"

He nodded.

"We can check."

"Let's." He tensed and shot me a look. He wanted to fly. I nodded, grinning again, and we lifted off with a swish.

---

"So?"

I looked up as he came back to the table, balancing two glasses on his back.

"Vagabond says she should be here soon." He glanced back to the bartender, who I recognized as the pony who had given him the note in the Gallery. "Water?"

"Don't mind if I do." I accepted the glass and took a sip. It was cold and tasted of lime.

We sat in companionable silence, sipping our drinks. It really felt like a Sunday afternoon, a slice of normalcy, rest and repose. I was almost annoyed when the door opened and a white-and-tawny griffon stalked into the bar.

"Gilda!" Silver called, waving. A few of the patrons looked up, before returning to their conversations. She turned to us, nodded, and headed for the bar.

"She's a Hunter?" I gave her a nonplussed glance. I couldn't feel a shred of menace from her, not even the background wariness that Silver radiated.

"Yeah, well." He shrugged. "Not all Hunters are fighters."

"I guess." We fell back into silence as she collected her drink, something in a tall stone mug, and walked over.

"Silver." She nodded to him and turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "And you?"

"She's a friend." Silver gave her a reassuring nod. "Part of my… team."

"So much for being a loner." She gave him a flat look.

"Heh, well." He grimaced slightly. “Things have been changing fast for me this past week. But you know how I am about trust and comrades. She’s good."

I smiled at that, and Gilda nodded understandingly.

"She's helped me with a lead on that sigil you drew."

"You've got something?" Gilda leaned in, suddenly interested.

"Well, a little." Silver frowned. "That sigil is used by a group called Primalis. We don't know much about them or what they want."

"But we're interested." I sipped my water, drawing her focus. "They're connected to my situation, and we'd like to know more. Maybe we can help each other. Do you have any more details, something we could use to start investigating them?"

"Not really, no." She took a swallow of her drink, staring into her mug. "I just, I don't… I was only curious, really. Is it actually…"

"We don't know what it is,” Silver replied. "We have no idea how Auric's involved with Primalis. But for what it's worth, going by what I’ve seen here, they’re pretty low-key."

"But Primalis is involved with us." I nodded, carefully steering away from what we did know about Auric. "And we're curious. Anything could help. What do you remember from the letters? Have you noticed other tells?"

"No." Gilda slumped. "I just got a glance at them, really. Enough to think that something was off about the whole thing, more than just a little subterfuge. They were hidden, for one, tucked in a book. There wasn't a name on them, and… lots of little things."

"I wish we could see them." Silver slumped. "Any chance you could… no, that would never work."

"I could maybe get them again, for a moment," Gilda mused. "It was interesting, sneaking around."

"Some Hunters go in for covert stuff." Silver shrugged. "I worked with a unicorn named Origami once. She'd have copied the whole thing in a flash."

"There's a spell for that?" I looked up, an idea sparking.

"Yeah." He nodded "Too bad none of us are unicorns…" He trailed off, eyebrows crinkling as a mischievous smile touched my lips.

"Hmm." I nodded, quickly re-writing my expression with mild regret. "Hey, Gilda, it's okay. We'll keep looking, get back to you, okay?"

"Sure." She gave a subdued grin. "Anyways, Silver, how's your class been?"

"…Interesting." He rolled his eyes. "Did I tell you there was a dragon in my class? Yeah." He grinned as she cocked her head. "It's been interesting. Still, not all bad…"

I listened in with half an ear, trying to think out the idea I'd hit on. Auric would need to see ponies for his business, surely? I glanced at Gilda again. Maybe we could work with this, after a little planning.

She said she'd liked intrigue, right?

Maybe I could show her a trick or two, after I had some idea whether or not this would work.

---

"You're thinking of trying a run on Auric?" Silver let the door close behind us, waving farewell to Gilda as we left.

"Maybe." I frowned. "If I knew a little more about the whole thing, I'd say yes. But I haven't even met him. I mean, he doesn't know my face, and if I could get a scroll to copy stuff, maybe from Ziggy, perhaps we could find out where they're hidden or get Gilda to help us…"

"Might work." Silver frowned. "She's a fan of pranks, but I don't really want to draw her into anything… dangerous."

"She's an old friend?" I gave him a sideways glance. There'd been a companionable quality to their conversation, references to ponies and places that I didn't know.

"Yeah." He looked down. "From Cloudsdale, before…"

"Everything."

"Yeah."

I paused, looking up. Something strange was tickling the back of my ears, a twitchy, heavy feeling. "Hey, you feel that?"

"Mmm." He paused, assessing the sky. It was nearing sunset. "Feels like rain, which is odd."

"Is that what rain feels like?" I scratched an ear. "This pegasus thing is trippy."

"Yeah, but we shouldn't have any." His brow crinkled in puzzlement. "And it's not just rain, it's a thunderstorm." He turned, pointing behind us, to dark clouds rolling over tall buildings. "Look, it's moving in quick."

"That's definitely not on the weather schedule." I frowned. "What's the team up to?"

"No idea, but—" He cut off as lightning flashed in the distance, thunder rolling quietly. "Woah."

"What?"

"It's a thunderbird!"

"A what?"

"It's… you've got to see this. Come on!" He scooped me up, flashing skywards.

"Woah, hold on! Won't we get wet?"

"Rain happens to other ponies! And you've got to see this! I've never seen a thunderbird come through here! You won't regret it!"

I struggled for a moment, fighting to orient myself in the flow of air he had wrapped me in. He looked back, then carefully wafted me up next to him, before pouring on the speed. Canterlot shrunk behind us, the storm growing quickly. I watched in slight trepidation as he headed for the thickest, darkest part of the clouds. The sun was setting behind us, throwing golden rays into the gloom. He traced one, punching into the thunderheads with confidence, soaring around the tops of billowing towers and diving between the gaps in shifting columns.

"Oh!" I gasped as we entered the rain. I expected a wash of chilling drops, but instead they swished past us, forming a neat circle with Silver at the center. I could feel the air swirling past, curling into a ring of inviolate airspace that ushered water past us. "You really do fly between the raindrops." I grinned. "Is this part of your weird magic?"

"Heh, yeah." He nodded at me, before swooping upwards and inwards. I was lost now, completely detached from the ground as clouds boiled on all sides. Thunder crashed, shockingly near, and he swerved towards it. "Don't, uh, try this on your own. Most pegasi stay away from thunderbirds. They've never bothered me, though."

"Noted. Weird magic again."

"Maybe. I think it's something to do with my Storm, but— Look!" He pointed ahead, where another ring of air was mostly clear of clouds. "The eye!"

He veered, banking around the outside, skimming the edge but never actually touching it. I looked curiously into empty space, wondering.

"What are we—"

Lighting cracked and thunder roared, causing me to flinch. For a long, burning second, I saw something in the storm. It was outlined in the white glare, iced with violent light for a fractured moment. A viciously curved beak, elegantly huge wings, a tail streaming with vapor, and eyes; piercing, intelligent eyes that were locked on us, flecked with static and dusted with dewdrops.

Then it was gone, leaving only the impression of gigantic power and grace, a raptor half-real, half unstoppable force of nature. I was suddenly very, very glad Silver was with me. If that turned against us, I had no doubt it would be no less terrible than the entire storm concentrating on our destruction.

"Woah," I gasped, adrenaline and awe racing through my veins.

"Beautiful, huh?" He grinned to me, and I grinned back, nodding.

"Can… Will we see it again?"

"Can't stay too long." But he continued circling. "Don't want to wear out our welcome."

"Woah," I repeated. It bore saying. "This… Woah."

"It's interesting, you know?" He smiled contemplatively. "So many wonders in the world, and so few actually bother looking."

"Mmm." I relaxed, listening to the storm around us, trusting him to carry me safely through it. "You know, with all the things that's happened to me… not all of them are bad."

"No?"

"No."

Some things would always be worth looking at twice, storing up and hiding in my heart. I was sure that after all this was over, at the very least I’d be glad I'd seen this, been given the chance to fly.

No matter what I fought against, what troubles my condition brought me, I decided then and there I would never, ever regret reaching for the sky.

Grasp at Wisps

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?

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."

Distractions

I lifted off as the door closed behind Octavia and slowly circled Auric's office. I flew low, looking for a concealed perch, eventually hunkering down in the shade behind a nearby store sign.

As I waited, I watched the traffic trickling up and down the street. I kept my wings half-spread, feeling air wander over them, sensing the movement of anypony upwind. The breeze gently curled through nearby alleys and streets, clearly marking pedestrians and carts meandering in and out of my perception.

I pondered the situation, wondering what to expect, how to proceed. What could we do with more information? Would we learn anything about Azure? Could we act with what we had, even if this didn't pan out?

I tumbled the pieces through my head before frustration crowded them out. I didn't know how to plan from this, and I didn't need…

I paused, snatching at that thought. I didn't need to know, because? Because I'd nearly consigned the whole thing to Octavia. Was that really fair? I remembered pausing at her departure, my tinge of apprehension as she walked into the Steel Breeze building.

But then I remembered her look the other day, her easy offer of help. 'Us', she had said. My worry eased at that, how she willingly shared my troubles. Why shouldn't I leave it to her? The information we gained wouldn't be just my problem. I grinned, enjoying the feeling. I just needed to ensure her escape.

My thoughts derailed as I sensed air movement. I felt somepony slip into the windstream from a high window in the Steel Breeze building. I heard long wings snap, and leaned out of concealment to see who it was.

White feathers gleamed in the sunlight, tawny fur shining as Gilda did a small loop and soared, clearly searching. She wheeled and turned in an updraft. I leaned further, clearly visible to eagle eyes. She noticed quickly, turning and sliding towards me smoothly.

"Silver!" She grinned and landed by me, claws scoring the shingles. The sign extended above us, shading our meeting from the sun and anypony across the road, where Auric's building was. "Good, good. Hey, your friend has a plan." Her smile grew mischievous. "How do you feel about being bait?"

"Teamwork, huh?" I smiled back wryly. "Still, if I get to tease Auric, I don't mind. How's this going down?"

"Here's what she's up to…" Gilda lowered her voice and started explaining.

---

"La-de-da-de-da, I'm being sneaky…" I monotoned, pacing the edge of a roof, casually breaking cover. A half-blind pony would see me here. Auric, when he dashed out, spotted me instantly. He leaped skywards, throwing himself off the ground and curling gracefully onto my perch with a masterful scooping stroke. He came down with bent knees, ready to spring.

I flared my wings, pretending shock.

"Auric Highwind!" I gave him an exaggerated bow. "Wow, what a surprise!"

"Silver Lining." His voice was dark. "What the hay are you playing at? First you show up at Azure's party, and now you're spying on me? Leave politics to the big boys. You're out of your depth."

"Eh, maybe you're right." I shrugged. "Sure, I'm not much for politics. But why assume I'm spying on you? I could be watching—" I pointed randomly "—those guys, you know?"

"Clyde's boulder storage?" His doubt was clear. "Somehow, I have trouble buying that. Tell you what." His claws unsheathed. "I'll give you another chance since I'm feeling generous today. Why don't—"

"Look, look." I dismissed his posturing with a flat laugh. This was becoming annoying, and I was sick of talking. "If you're attacking, get on with it. I'll flatten you and then throw the book at you. The boss might not appreciate you starting fights." I primed my magic, curling my quillons to the fore. The Storm in my mind rolled, imaginary rain deepening to internal downpour. I pushed it back; using that would reveal too much.

"Your word against mine, flyboy." His wings tensed, black feathers vibrating. "Intaglio can try to throw me out of the Hunters, but my friends might object. I'm no maverick loner, after all. I won't hurt you, not much. It's all in self-defense!" His frustrated grimace slowly dissolved into a smirk. "I'm going to—"

I kicked him.

I pivoted on my forehooves, shoved with my wings, stretched my legs. He blocked with a wing and I felt roofing tear under his claws. He lurched and jumped to tumble off the edge. He twisted catlike, swooping low and looping back.

I was in the air when he cleared the roofline. I dashed, slicing at him in a bladed flurry. He rolled to evade. I looped high as he traced me and we accelerated with long flaps. The road whirled beneath, spinning through my awareness. I tried to shake him by dipping into an alley and bouncing over a wall.

He snarled as I dove. Ponies were watching, whistling and pointing. I grinned as coins passed between a few. Bystanders. Auric cut past, diving faster. I rolled away from his claws and spun upwards again. I yanked at the surrounding air, fighting for control against his ferocious wings. I snatched a breeze, streaming airflow around me as I climbed. Auric fought for height below.

I heard him yell, and jumped as his airstream writhed and knotted. An ethereal gleam touched his feathers and they shimmered blue in the afternoon sun. His snarl went savage. A faint contrail formed as he cast his own magic.

"Uncle!" A smaller shape zipped towards us. Gilda frowned in consternation. "What are you—" I hadn't seen her following, but Auric's use of magic was bothering her. She climbed, trying to stop him, but the spell propelled him too quickly.

If he wanted magic, I could reciprocate.

I leveled off overhead and traced a tight circle. Sparks crackled along my quillons as I flexed my magic. The tracing charge jumped from the ground, painting him, and his eyes went wide. I blinked. There was a sizzle and resounding crack as blue-hot lighting leaped from my hooves. Brightness flashed against my eyelids. I opened them at his yowl. Singed feathers floated around him, but he still came on, gaining speed. I glanced around. Pegasi were gathering. Guard armor glinted in the distance.

I dove to meet him, feeling my inner Storm snap and crackle in response to his spells. My blades curled like petals and flickered in the wind as we clashed. He couldn't dodge me completely, not at this speed. I felt his magic lash me with invisible blades. I bent them with a twist of power and slipped through with mere scratches, even as he deflected my slices with flashes of his claws.

I leveled off and paused, looking up. He loosed his magic, hovering midair and scowling with contempt.

"You're not bad," he admitted grudgingly.

"Expected an easy fight?" I smirked, throwing his assurance of superiority back at him. "How little you know me, Auric Highwind."

"I know—"

CHRRRRRRRRRRING~!

He flinched, glancing to his office, where the bell was sounding. His eyes narrowed and he looked back to me.

An alarm! I thought, letting my smirk grow. Gotta be her. Time to stall…

"Something bothering you?" I arrowed at him, spreading streaks of aura. He dashed sideways, but I matched him with a sideslip and landed solid blows on his chest. "Pay attention now; don't lose focus," I mocked him with a grin.

He snarled in frustration, his attention wavering. He tucked and dropped, but I looped into a power dive and reached for his tailfeathers. He spread and soared, nearly losing me with the sudden reversal, but I wrestled for the wind and slowed him enough to catch up.

For long moments, we were locked in stalemate.

He tried to escape, and I clung like a burr. If he slowed or broke away, I punished his lack of attention with a slice or a kick. He was looking ragged when the guards showed.

"The goldies are here, Auric!" I yelled gleefully. "It's been fun, but playtime's over."

He snarled and whirled, laying one last slash across my side. I blunted it with my wings, laughing as he left welts on my coat. I would have escaped even that if Octavia hadn't trimmed me. I disengaged with a dive, looping away from the alarm even as he dashed towards it. I dropped into the alleys, making high-speed corners to shake pursuit. I heard the guards swish overhead, scanning, but I was below the roofline, jinking and brushing brickwork, skimming walls with my pinions and long gone from the search area.

I turned a hard left, circling behind Steel Breeze HQ. I glimpsed a gray coat and heard hooves pounding pavement. I tucked, spun, and dropped, landing before Octavia. She flinched and shied, but steadied and drew a deep, calming breath upon seeing my face.

"Silver." She grinned unsteadily. "Good to see you."

"Tavi, you look terrible." I stepped closer, examining her scratches and cuts. I saw bruises too, but she mostly looked haggard, exhausted. I frowned at her blood-stained coat. "Are you okay?" I glanced at her face, and slit pupils gleamed back. I stepped away quickly. Of course. If her cuts weren't closing, she was doing well to stay this stable.

"Must have been the crash." Her knees wobbled, and she slumped slightly. "Or maybe that last blast. Things got interesting." I could see her concentration fray as stress and adrenaline began wearing off. "I sent the papers, though. Ziggy should have them."

"Good job." We had something to work with.

"Thanks." She smiled at my praise.

"You have a recital tonight, right?" I grimaced. She was in bad shape.

"Yeah. Blech." She rubbed her eyes with a hoof, and grimaced as she smeared mud on her face. "Gotta clean up."

"Let's get you home then." I spread my wings and called the wind. "I'll give you a lift."

"Thanks." She sighed and collapsed, even as I knotted a breeze to lift her off the ground. "Wake me when we get there," she mumbled, going completely limp and curling slightly.

"Really now." She didn't hear my wry murmur, or see my fond glance. "Just how much do you want me to spoil you?" But I moved gracefully, avoiding jostles and jerks as I wafted her skywards, and picking only the most comfortable breezes to carry us towards her house.

---

"Octavia." I nudged her with a gentle wingtip.

"Huh?" She gasped slightly on waking from her snooze, glancing around in confusion. I set her on the patch of grass outside her apartment door. "Whazzat?"

"We're there," I explained patiently. "And I wish you'd tell me what left you so bedraggled."

"Batmane," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Batmane." She shook her head and climbed to her hooves, brushing grass off her coat with quick switches of her tail.

"A vigilante?" I frowned. She nodded. "What were they like?"

"A unicorn, for one." She stepped quickly into the shade, glaring hatefully at the sun. "They — I couldn't tell if it was a mare or stallion — had some tricky gadgets, but seemed fairly… silly? They acted like a buffoon at times, but were more effective than I expected. Spellcasting and fighting, I would have been outmatched, except…" Her voice trailed off, and she raised a hoof to the carcanet hanging under her scarf. "Except for this and my… condition." She paused and drew a raspy breath. "Speaking of which, I'm dreadfully thirsty. Let's get inside." She slunk along the wall of the house, flowing carefully through the shade, avoiding even the tiniest sunbeam. She flung the door open and stepped through.

"Octavia?" I followed. Just how badly was she doing? She had burned her reserves last fight as well. I'd left her with Azure then, against my better judgement, and she'd survived. When I reached her, she had been starving.

Was there a threshold? Did the effects of privation appear immediately, or was there a delay even depleting her stored magic? Maybe she should drink more.

I followed as she made a beeline for the fridge.

"So, you fought Batmane?"

"Yes." Her voice was distracted. "I got the info, but they interfered before I escaped. I'm not sure how, or why, they found me. No, wait." The fridge door muffled her voice as she searched. "They seemed to mistake me for Azure. I wonder… Perhaps they planned to move against Auric, and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? If they knew Auric worked with a vampire—"

"—they might have stumbled on you and jumped to conclusions." I frowned. "That's possible. But you said they acted less competent than they were?"

"Yeah." She closed the fridge and glared at it. She swallowed hard, working her tongue behind her teeth. "Their words were ridiculous, almost comical. But the fight and that spell were no joke. Were they trying to be underestimated?"

"Could be." I shrugged. "That's a good strategy." I watched with growing worry as she started pacing, glancing at the fridge door and scratching her throat. She filled a glass with water and sipped it, scowling. Her pupils were strongly pronounced, and her coat looked thicker. "Octavia, what's wrong?"

"I don't have any left." She glanced at the fridge again. "I thought there was some in the bottle, but it's gone. Did Shimmerelle throw it out? I didn't even… I don't…" She drew in a shuddering breath and pinned me with a stare. "Gah!"

"What?" I leaned away as she slunk across the kitchen, flowing forwards to stand uncomfortably close.

"You're bleeding." Her eyes fixed on the welts Auric had left on barrel, hardly visible under my coat.

"Just a scratch." I moved to cover them with a wing. "Will you be okay, Octavia? You seem like you're in a bad way."

"Mmm." She circled me, her eyes skimming my wounds and fixing on my throat. Her voice was deepening, going raspy. "I don't know. I need blood. I can't concentrate, can't play. I need to perform." She rubbed her cut shoulder irritably. "I need this to heal, I need a shower, I…" She trailed off, leaning in. I inched back as she drew a long sniff. "You smell like the sky, Silver. Like wild wind and sunlight on clouds, and heat lighting in summer and ocean breezes, and mist rolling down mountain passes and—"

"You're making me uncomfortable, Octavia." I looked down through her disheveled mane. She stared up through her bangs, slit eyes locked on my own. There was a purple intensity there, a dangerous fixation. "I'm not sure—" I bumped against the wall, and realized I'd been scooted into a corner. She inched forwards. I shivered at her smile, teeth needle-sharp in the cool dimness.

"You smell wonderful." She slipped past, sliding around my guard and cornering me further. "Fresh and spicy."

"Octavia." I injected a touch of worry into my voice, trying to reach her. "Please, you're not acting like yourself."

"Silver, Silver." She laughed, displaying her fangs as she rubbed her throat. "I'm fine. I just need a drop of something red." Her gaze flicked to the fridge. "And I need it now, you see, because I have to be there for the orchestra." Her eyes went pleading, and she coughed. "I can't be in a group like that, not when I want to bite everypony. You see that, right?"

I gulped, as she widened her eyes innocently. The curl of her lips spoiled the effect slightly. "I'll get Vinyl to bring you some—" I cut off as she brushed my shoulder with a feather-light hoof.

"Silver, don't be silly." She traced the line of my neck, leaning in and lowering her voice. Her breath touched my mane, tingling the short hairs in my ears. "I don't have time. I need to clean up and get going. Please, can't I have a little of your blood?" I smelled her in turn, wild and warm and dangerous, tingles raced down my spine. "I don't need much, just a drop, a nibble, I'll—"

My feelings piled up, annoyance, desire, frustration, and a sick, twisted fear, until my patience finally snapped. I didn't want any part of this. It was wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Stop." I layered every ounce of command I possessed into that word, slamming it home like a javelin. She froze as I tensed, preparing a blow if she continued. I slipped away, watching her eyes swivel after as I moved away. "If you bite me like this, Octavia, you'll regret it."

She started trembling, and I wondered what was happening behind those lovely eyes. She bit her lip and shook her head slowly, bouncing on the tips of her hooves. She wavered as I poured menace at her, warning her clearly. Finally, something snapped, and she gave a shaky sigh, her tension escaping.

"Sorry." Her voice was small. "I didn't… I won't…"

"No, I mean…" I sighed, bothered by how small and scared she suddenly looked. I released my stance, letting her relax. She watched warily as I took slow steps to the counter. "I mean, even if I let you bite me, I think you'd regret it. Later." I opened random cupboards until I found cups. "I might have to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you." She flinched as I spread a wing, curling a quillon around to point at myself. "And I don't want to see you hurting." I raised a foreleg, pricking the inside of the joint so a drop of red welled through my thin fur.

I could feel her gaze intensify. I pressed the cup to the small wound, letting dribbles of red accumulate.

"Get me a bandage?" I asked. "Or maybe some tissue." There wasn't much blood in the cup; maybe a teaspoon or two. I'd lost more from nosebleeds. But I didn't want to cut deeper, and she didn't drink much, right? Seven or eight ounces cups.

She disappeared momentarily, returning with a gauze pad. I staunched the wound and passed her the cup.

"Here." I hobbled towards the door, tying the bandage. "That's all I can do. I'll send Vinyl over with a bottle, get you re-stocked or something."

I heard her murmur affirmation as I slipped out the door. I checked the sun, and spread my wings again.

"Sorry, Octavia." I glanced back as I lifted off. "Heavens help you. I wish I could do more." I turned towards Vinyl's. "I hope what we've learned is worth it."

---

"Oh-gosh-oh-gosh!" Vinyl zipped around her kitchen, rummaging through cupboards and drawers. "I don't think I have any! I told her I'd bring some, that I'd make sure she had enough, and then I didn't! If she's running low, she's liable to think about biting anypony, and, and—" She pranced in place a moment, panicking. I frowned at the excitable DJ.

"Tell me about it." I grimaced. "She was all 'let me bite you, Silver. Just a nibble, I promise, Silver.' It was a little… distracting."

Vinyl paused, a strange expression crossing her face. "She was? How'd you get away?"

"I gave her a few drops." I shrugged. "Not much, but it might be enough to—"

"Wait." Vinyl froze, turning slowly and staring straight at me. "You gave her some of your blood?"

"Just a taste." I furrowed my eyebrows. "I mean, I didn't want a deep cut. And even if she bit me, I don't think—"

"No, no, no!" Vinyl spun, redoubling her rummaging. "That's… no, Silver, just no!"

"What?" I frowned. "Sure, it was a little strange, but she was so insistent. She was cut. I couldn't just—"

"Silver Lining!" Vinyl barked. "Remember what you told us the other day? About your magic?"

"…Yes?"

"How it's strange?"

"Yes?" I had a sudden sinking feeling in my gut, as I realized where this was going.

"I've known your magic is different for a while, because every time I smelled you with a cut or a scrape, my nose would tingle and twitch. Do you remember what happened when Octavia drank some of Syzygy's blood, unprepared?"

"Uh." I considered the Storm, and considered her reaction to unicorn magic. "Sleet."

"Sleet, indeed. Ahah!" Vinyl finally unearthed an unglazed pint bottle, corked and wired. "I knew I had an emergency stash!" She blew on the bottom, revealing a preservation seal. "Still good. Look, Silver, you hang out here with Ziggy, and I'll run damage control on our bloodsucker. Later!" She scooped up a satchel and holstered the bottle as she zipped out the door.

"Blech." I watched her go, wondering just what I'd done.

"Don't sweat it." Syzygy's voice came from the next room, and I left the kitchen. Vinyl had set up a folding table in front of the beat-up couch, piling her electronics all around. Syzygy had dissected the notebook Octavia copied the letters into, spreading the manuscripts on it. He had a ball of twine, a pile of notecards, and a box of thumbtacks, and he was busily tracing connections, correlations, and guesses across a small constellation of paper. "If it's just a few drops, I don't think you'll cause any serious problems. I gave her at least a half-pint of mine before she started wrecking things."

"Two teaspoons, maybe." I sighed, frowning down at his work.

"It'll be fine. Like I said, don't sweat it." He grunted and slammed another thumbtack into a sheet. "Just, you know, careful around Vinyl. She might want a drop too."

"Think so?" I looked towards the door, uncomfortable about the idea. I hadn't considered that.

"Pff." Syzygy snorted in laughter. "It was a joke, but… you never know with that one."

"Heh." I shook my head. "Too true." I leaned in, examining his work. "How's the analysis coming? What do we know?"

"Not much." He sighed and snipped another length of twine, scribbling on a notecard even as he knotted the string to a pair of thumbtacks. "Auric was busy with at least three correspondents. Only one is definitely from Primalis. He's trading information, and they've got goals." He frowned. "I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the goals are. Or the identities of the other correspondents. I get the feeling he's a halfway point, a mover-and-shaker for somepony higher, that he's not really his own boss."

"A spy?" I suggested.

"Could be." Syzygy frowned. "Or rather, definitely, but not necessarily for a political party?" He shook his head. "He's spying, sure. But he may not be working for somepony we think of as needing spies."

"Well, he is a private eye."

Syzygy nodded. "We're all Hunters, right?"

"Mmm." I started tracing the strings. "How far back does this go?"

"At least five years," he mumbled, pinning another connection. "Maybe more. They didn't send many notes, so either there's another lane of communication, or they trust each other, or this isn't actually very important. I'd guess the first, since he did keep these. Probably for blackmail."

I nodded absently, tracing the connections he'd made to signal the conversation with Primalis. I zig-zagged from one note to another skimming and working my way back. Finally, a question bubbled up from the back of my brain. I'd been pondering it for a while, after the connection had surfaced, but I still wasn't sure if it was worth asking.

"What are the chances," I asked quietly, "that he was behind Primalis moving against my father?"

Syzygy didn't respond for a long moment, only our quiet breathing breaking the silence.

"…not sure," he finally grunted. "I don't know how high-up this contact of his is." He traced a string with a hoof. "But he's no grunt. They discuss an important artifact here, and Primalis doesn't play around with petty treasure. But that's after I joined. Looking back, there's some evidence Auric motivated them, that he set goals, at least for his contact. But there's very little indication of what those goals are." He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "There's got to be another communication channel. More letters, or a meeting spot, or… I dunno."

"Work it from the other end?" I suggested. "You said you'd investigate Primalis for us."

"Yeah." He sighed. "That's what it's going to have to be. There's a few clues here." He pointed to the letters. "Some indication that they were working out a deal. I think Auric wanted this artifact, and his contact was trying to buy it from the owner in Primalis." He frowned. "That I might be able to figure out. Just asking around." He yawned and pushed himself back from the table. "But that's something to consider later. You had supper?"

"No." I checked the clock. "I'm hungry. And I need a drink." I sighed. "And probably see about begging a healing spell as well. I've been put through the wringer over the past week, and I don't think it's going to get easier."

"Especially if you keep losing blood." He gave me an appraising stare. "Or giving it away." He smirked. "Why'd you do it, anyways? Was it those fierce purple eyes, or that elegantly coiffed mane?"

"I…" I turned towards the door, caught off guard. "I just didn't want to see her so desperate."

"Ah." Ziggy chuckled and followed me out, locking the door and teleporting the key back inside. "She means that much to you?"

I considered that for a long moment until he finally turned towards me and raised an eyebrow.

"Does she?"

"Maybe." I chewed my lip, considering how I'd felt when she walked into Auric's building. How she had smelled, leaning near me and grinning like a razor. Her glee in exploring the sky on new wings, like a filly, or how she had stared deep into my eyes and begged me for a little more trust, a little more of my heart. I recalled her slit eyes, wondering if I'd given her too much. "Maybe she does…?"

I frowned, as my feelings towards her suddenly jumped into stark clarity, a jumbled confusion thrown into stark relief by a flash of insight. Could I allow this? I suppressed a groan as my instincts rebelled, fighting a sudden sense of impending doom. I remembered slicing Vinyl to ribbons when we had fought, and the shredded remains of my home as I ran from Cloudsdale, from my childhood, sister, friends. I couldn’t even protect my family. How could I allow this?

"Well." Syzygy smiled, and for once, I didn't see a hint of mockery in it. "Well, well, well."

"This is trouble, isn't it?" I groaned quietly. "She's… I'm…" The weight of our situation crashed back onto me. The carcanet and the knotted feather swirled in my mind, stirring clouds in the Storm as worry and regret mixed into a seething knot of acid in my stomach.

"Yup!" Syzygy grinned. "But there was trouble before." He turned to me and shrugged. "Don't give up yet. It could be worth it."

His reassurance buoyed me. I remembered purple eyes and smelled spice on the warm breeze, and my feelings shifted again. In the short time since I’d met her, I’d been… happy. Not just content or pleased, but joyful. It had been a long time since I’d enjoyed anything as much as showing Octavia the sky, or following her as she cut through Auric and Azure’s schemes with deft grace.

I felt my trepidation waver, surrender to hope. Perhaps this time would be different. Her trust in me, my trust in her, already sliced through the obstacles surrounding us. This... didn’t change anything, right? I had pledged her my protection, and she had promised to stand with me. This was simply… more.

The Storm calmed. After a few moments, the revelation felt less like lightning and more like sunrise. It was better to know. We were searching for a path. We were already walking together, moving forward as comrades. I liked that. I wanted more. Perhaps, this time, things would be different. Even if I didn’t feel it, I couldn’t abandon this so easily. It was worth hoping for, searching for.

"Yeah… I guess it could be."

Circle of Song

Muted voices and the susurration of rustling paper surrounded me. I worked with quiet assurance, deftly arranging my music and adjusting my cello. I didn't actually need the sheets, since I'd memorized this arrangement.

Which was good. Outwardly, I was collected and rock-steady, but I was struggling to maintain that illusion. My actions from less than an hour ago replayed in my mind, and I worked again to conceal my cringing.

I had begged Silver to surrender a bite. Just a drop. I winced internally at the memory of my pleading, manipulative tone. Just a nibble. I kicked myself mentally. Something red. I gritted my teeth, glad they were no longer pointed. His blood sizzled on my tongue, and I tried not to groan.

A twist of power burned blue-hot in my mind, but I ignored it, struggling to keep it suppressed. I looked up, fixing my gaze on the conductor. I tested the tension of my bow. I plucked my cello strings, listening to its clear, true tone. I rearranged my music.

I'm thirsty, you see— I stomped the memory hard, drawing in a deep breath and trying to shove it away.

But it crept back, swirling around. I tried submerging myself in the surroundings, all careful preparation and choreographed formality. The audience rose in tiers around us, swirling to focus a multitude of eyes at our group. The orchestra was dwarfed by vaulted ceilings and sweeping walls. Plush covered every surface that wasn't gilt or marble or heavy, ornate wood, money lavished on each detail in extravagant layers. I breathed in deep, smelling high-society and Canterlot elite. Some might have even come for the music.

The surrounding musicians were giving me curious glances, sensing restlessness in the twitch of my tail and the set of my ears, though I worked to suppress them. I calmed myself again, focusing on my breathing, but the memories swished back, threatening my calm. I remembered how good Silver had smelled, how my throat had hurt. The pulsing in his neck, a barely visible surge and flow, replayed itself in my mind, and I struggled to prevent my teeth stretching.

"Stop." The vehemence in his voice slammed through me again, and my ears sank a hair. I had asked him for trust. Two, three times? I'd pushed him to include me, to think of me as a friend… and then I'd done this. I hadn't attacked him — not quite — but saying I hadn't considered it would be a lie. And if I’d bitten him, we would both be in trouble.

I arranged my music again. I pulled a few near-silent notes from my instrument.

His life had smelled delicious. Warm and powerful and exotic. Mountain snow and hot chocolate. Ice-melt and warm bread. I struggled, but the memory of the drop he had given me returned, and the power burned in my head like a tiny beacon. I could feel his pegasus magic curling across my coat like the west wind. It was suppressing my vampire nature, yes, but it also wanted to be free. I was struggling to not grow wings right then and there.

I drew in a deep breath, suppressing a shudder. I poised myself, pulling my mind together as the conductor stepped up, a hush falling over the audience as their attention finally had a focus, wandering gazes crystallizing into watching eyes. I raised my bow, feeling the music fall into place, finally pushing the wayward thoughts from my brain as training took over. I surrendered to the flow, throwing myself deep into the performance, running for the solace of something unchanging and powerful.

The conductor lowered his baton.

And there was music.

---

Afterwards I packed up slowly, but left quickly. I exchanged short pleasantries with my friends in the section before quietly extricating myself. Chords, notes, and rests fizzled in my mind, drowning memory as I analyzed the performance. My playing had been middling, although I allowed myself an excuse, given the distraction… I paused to squelch the thought. I shouldered my instrument and turned to leave.

"Octavia!"

I suppressed a sigh and paused, looking back up the aisles between the sections. I managed a small smile when I saw who was calling.

"Lyra." I waved her towards me. "Come on, let's go."

"Right, just—" She stepped around a gregarious percussionist, dodged an enthusiastic trombone player, and weaved in and out of the crowd as she danced down the steps. "Just a moment." She smiled brightly as she reached me.

"Lucky." I glanced up at the huge, ornate harp she performed on, still standing proud at the top of the stage. "Mine's not small enough to carry easily, or large enough to need a team." I grinned, balancing my cello case as I headed for the door.

"Eh, it's got its downsides." Lyra fell into step, and we worked our way towards the back. "I can't fit that monstrosity into my apartment. You can play the same cello here and at home, and not travel for practice."

"True." I pursed my lips. We slipped through the back rooms, trotting mostly-empty halls before the general exodus began. "What about the performance, though?"

"Oh, we did okay." Lyra grinned. I nodded and fell into the minutia of playing classical music. As we walked, I tried not to worry that my fridge was empty and my magic was squirming. We reached the exit quickly, and found the night outside was cool.

"You hungry?" Lyra stepped out and turned to me. The back of the music hall, like the front, was sprinkled with gardens and wound with small paths. Night hung over the dark greenspace like a heavy mist, the few streetlamps hovering over the shrubs and gravel and grass like lost fireflies.

"I…" I stopped, considering. "I'm not sure, but—"

"Octy!" Both of us jumped as a yell sounded. We turned, finding a slightly-frazzled DJ galloping along the path, goggles pushed up on her head and a satchel slung at her side. "I finally found you!"

"Vinyl?" I twitched as she skidded to a stop, sprinkling me with crushed granite. "Please don't call me that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Vinyl flipped her satchel open, fumbling and drawing out a rough ceramic bottle. "Took you long enough! It's good you left with Lyra, or I might have missed you completely. I've got what you need. How are you doing?"

"Oh." I flinched as memory avalanched through my brain, and I fought the impulse to curl up and whimper in shame and frustration. "Right." I drew a deep breath. "I, uh, Silver gave me a drop, and—" And the speck of heat, the power I'd kept bottled in the back of my brain, suddenly surged with my returned attention. I squeaked, bit my lip, and squirmed as heat writhed across my coat.

"Octavia, are you—"

"Is anypony watching?" I cut Lyra off brusquely, my tail twitching with repressed energy.

"What do you—"

"You're clear," Vinyl interjected.

I sighed, and finally, finally relaxed my hold on the power I'd borrowed. There was a dull poomf as wings burst from my sides, stretching, growing, reaching for the wind. My senses suddenly expanded, and I could feel the night air drifting past, measure its coolness and humidity. I shivered as unbound energy crackled through me, and it was all I could do to keep my hooves on the ground as Silver's sky filled my mind with wind and rain and deep, bright blue power.

"Holy hail that feels better." I sighed, drooping as hidden tension melted from my back and shoulders. "You have no idea how much I needed that."

"Yeah." Vinyl circled me slowly, inspecting my wings carefully. "And it looks like a good transformation. But can you change back?"

"I'm not sure." I nibbled my lip nervously. "It would be like squeezing into a dress two sizes too small. Even if I could, I wouldn't like it. I think if I had some earth pony magic, they might balance." I glanced at the bottle she had. "Is that…?"

"Pegasus." Vinyl frowned. "Sorry."

"Drat." I kicked the dirt, sagging a little more.

"But!" Vinyl grinned suddenly. "I need to visit my supplier, and I should take you along sooner rather than later. We could go now if you like?"

"Oh." That perked me up. It sounded interesting, and I'd been wondering about Vinyl's supplier. "But…" I glanced at Lyra. I didn't like ditching, and we had been leaving together.

"You can come too." Vinyl turned to her. "It won't be a problem, plus we should get some supper. We could jam after!"

"Jam?" I tasted the strange word.

"Improvise music." Lyra glanced back at the music hall. "It might be odd, right after performing, but I like working with Vinyl. It's fun."

"No, I think I get it." I felt the music swirling in my mind, with the memories and events of the day. "The more music I have, the more I want." I grinned. "And after today, I wouldn't mind a little more."

"Exactly." Lyra and Vinyl mirrored my grin. "So, we jam?"

"We jam." I nodded to them. "But first… supper."

"And a drink." Vinyl grinned wickedly.

---

"Vinyl?" I examined the street. "Where exactly is this supplier of yours?"

We had left the music hall casually enough, trotting easily off the university grounds and through the thin belt of satellite stores and apartments before plunging deep into downtown Canterlot. It was dark and the stars were coming out. The streets were quiet-ish on a weeknight, but some traffic trickled through.

The buildings around us now were more… ostentatious. Much of the city's administration happened at the palace, but everypony who wished they were official–lawyers, accountants, bankers, and the like–clustered in the narrow streets of the old downtown. Ponies had been pouring time and money into this part of the city for as long as the princess' had lived here. Maybe longer.

"The hospital." Vinyl gave me a bright grin in the streetlights. "Where else would I get blood?"

"No idea," I admitted easily. "Barber shops?"

"Blech." Vinyl pretended to retch. "Bleeding is barbaric. Nopony does that anymore, Octavia."

"Would you eat a leech?" Lyra interjected suddenly. "I mean, if it had bitten somepony, it might be like a crème-filled—"

"Ew!" Vinyl redoubled her gagging.

I tuned out their friendly bickering and hefted my cello higher, wishing I didn't have to carry it along. The strap rubbed against my new wings, and I didn't like how my new feathers were twisted and pulled.

I spread my wingtips, feeling magic flick across the feathers. For some reason, these wings felt more strongly attached, integral, than when I had drunk pegasus blood last time. The surrounding town suddenly sprang clear in my mind: the sharp edges of the buildings as the night wind licked around them; the eddies and swirls left behind by ponies pacing from one pool of light to another; the wind-shadows of streetlamps and benches that trapped litter and drifted dust devils across mostly empty streets. I blinked.

I could feel Vinyl and Lyra walking just ahead of me.

I could feel the walls on either side.

I could feel zephyrs and stray twists of air curling overhead through the night. I knew that if I spread my wings, I could flit from one to the next with a soft flap and flutter, slipping between the buildings like a thrown dart. These instincts called to me, and a soft rumble of thunder in the distance called softly.

"Octy?" Vinyl's voice cut through my reverie.

"Huh?" I jerked back and dropped a hoof’s length to the pavement, jarring my knees.

"You were floating." She gave me a bemused smile. "It didn't look safe."

"Sorry." I grinned sheepishly and folded my wings. "Silver's blood… I didn't have much of it, but it's been affecting me oddly, more strongly than I expected."

"Well, he is strong." Vinyl shrugged, but something shimmered behind her eyes as she smiled faintly. "But we're here." She waved grandly at a tall, blank wall with a small door, next to a dumpster. "I present Equestria General Care, Canterlot's second most prestigious hospital, where the very nearly best medical care is available at many times of day!" She swung the door wide, disappearing into a brightly lit corridor. Lyra and I shared a wry glance but followed easily enough.

"Vinyl?" I called, instinctively curling a breeze to carry my voice down the hall. She twitched and glanced back, grinning as she realized I was employing one of Silver's tricks. "Are you sure this is…" My voice trailed off as a non-descript pony, wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard, came around a corner. He made a note, nodded once to each of us, and continued as if nothing was strange.

"Heh." Lyra shrugged. "Silly of me to worry, huh?"

"Ridiculous, apparently." I shrugged and we trotted after our fearless leader. "Vinyl, what's going on here?"

"Well! Lots of places in Canterlot are 'weird'." Vinyl adjusted the sunglasses on her head and led us deeper into the antiseptic, nondescript depths of the building. "Lots of ponies get hurt. They need treatment, right? They're not all as… resilient as we are. Or as normal as Minty Fresh here." She waved to Lyra.

"Hey!" Lyra sputtered. "I'm not even related to—"

"Yeah, yeah." Vinyl waved her quiet, stopping at a door labeled 'Lab 17'. "Anyways, Octy—"

"Don't call me that."

"—some doctors are willing to see an unusual specimen. A few are even willing to recommend medicine, give treatment, perform surgery, and attempt other adventures that might not end with somepony six feet underground or split into a dozen different specimen jars. Many of them work here and receive their clientele through the backdoor at all hours of the night. But we're not here for them." She knocked on the door, listened for a dispirited mumble, and swished casually through.

We followed slowly. Inside, charts and posters adorned blank white hospital walls. Beakers, flasks, pills, and powders strained metal rack shelving, while every flat surface was sprinkled with curly glass piping and tubes of varicolored liquids. Nameless paraphernalia and gadgets filled the desks and counters to bursting and overflowed onto the floor. It felt like a fever dream of "SCIENCE!", a madpony's lair or special effects set.

"Is this for real?" I gazed about in consternation, half-convinced nopony could actually work here. I reached for a nearby flask, wondering at the mauve gas filling the top half.

"Don’t! Touch!" A figure surfaced from the confusing mess, slipping past stacks of textbooks and shouldering Vinyl aside to arrest my hoof. "Not that! Or that either!" They whirled to where Lyra was holding a cork, her eyes wide in the very picture of innocence as something blue bubbled on the table.

"Mares, I'd like to introduce you to my most reluctant friend, Change-Of-Heart!" Vinyl waved to the figure, who sighed in relief as we stepped away from the counters and lowered our hooves. She was small, shorter than any of us, and a mild shade of blue with a mane just lighter than fuchsia. "Or, as I like to call her, Changey!" Vinyl pulled the small mare into a hug, ignoring her protests and struggling. "Come on, Changey! You know I love you!"

"Gah, get off!" The smaller mare seemed to literally shift, slipping out of Vinyl's grasp with an impossible writhe and wriggle. "Stoppit, Vinyl!" She backed away, picking up a nearby bottle and waving it threateningly. "I mean it! I'll pour, um—" she paused to read the label "—sodium bicarbonate on you! I mean it!"

"That'll get a rise out of her," Lyra deadpanned. I snorted, and Change-Of-Heart seemed to recall our presence. She froze mid-gesticulation, before calmly replacing the jar.

"Vinyl," she said softly, "who are these ponies?"

"Ah, yes!" Vinyl shook her head and resumed her introductions. "These are my good friends! Lyra Heartstrings, the luckiest pony alive, and Octavia Philarmonica, who may very well be a daywalker! Say hi, mares!"

"Vinyl?" I questioned, suddenly tense. "Is that okay?"

"Oh, don't worry about Changey." Vinyl smirked. "She won't go spreading your secret. If she did, somepony might find out that Change-Of-Heart, best lab tech at Equestria General, isn't quite what she seems." She grinned at the smaller mare.

"Hmph." Change-Of-Heart grumped and pouted, pursing her lips and adjusting her lab coat. "You meanie, Vinyl! You're not supposed to tell ponies!"

"Aw, come on, Changey. Lyra's cool, you know I've wanted to bring her over before. And Octy—"

"Please don't—"

"—would need to meet you sooner or later anyways." Vinyl put on her most winning smile, which was only a little smug, and patted Change-Of-Heart on the head. "Don't be like that."

"Blech." Change-Of-Heart spat. "Don't patronize me, Vinyl. It's disgusting."

"What's this about?" I finally slid my cello off my back and stood it by the door, carefully distant from a pair of nondescript metal cylinders.

"In case you haven't guessed yet, Changey is my supplier." Vinyl shrugged. "We have a symbiosis. She saves me expired blood from the hospital blood bank, which is still good to drink."

"And in return?" Lyra gave the lab tech a curious glance.

"Love!" Viny glomped onto the smaller pony again.

"Blech!" Change-Of-Heart shoved her away. "I keep telling you, stop!"

"You're a changeling?" I gave the tech a sharp glance.

"Oooh." Change-Of-Heart grinned. "This one's sharp, Vinyl. She's going to cut herself one day."

"May already have." Vinyl shrugged. "But aren't you going to deny it?"

"Why bother?" Change-Of-Heart waved the idea away. "After all, you planned to introduce us." There was a spiral of green fire, and her blue coat and pink mane burned away to reveal a black-shelled bug with crystalline green eyes, speckled with yellow. She buzzed lacey wings and lit her horn, shoving Vinyl back as the unicorn made another enthusiastic grab for her. "And for the last time, stop feeling like that at me!" She planted one hoof firmly in Vinyl's face and shoved. "You know I don't like it!"

"Fiiiiine." Vinyl heaved an aggrieved sigh. "But you're adorable, you know that?"

"I don't want to be adorable," Change-Of-Heart snarled, before turning to us with a charming smile. "Sorry for the bother, you two, but would you please reign your friend in?"

"Vinyl," I drawled, "you're being embarrassing."

"Fiiiine!" Vinyl threw her hooves in the air and sat down. "Anyways, Changey, you know why I'm here."

"Yes, yes." The bug turned away, wandering into the lab's depths. I heard glassware shifting, cabinets opening and closing. The… feel of this lab was different from Syzygy's. His was just as packed, but still had an air of organization. I’d gotten the feeling the Hunter could find whatever he needed without even looking, but that was distinctly missing here. This place was just… messy. I shook my head, pushing the thought away.

Change-Of-Heart reappeared, carrying a small cardboard box which clinked glassily and gurgled liquidly. She placed it before Vinyl, but when the unicorn moved towards it, she pulled it away.

"Hey!" Vinyl pretended offense.

"Come on, you know how this works. I scratch your back, you scratch mine." The bug cocked her head, staring at the unicorn.

"Um." I stepped forwards. "Vinyl, what do you… trade?"

"Aw, don't worry about it, Oct—"

"—don't—"

"—avia, it's fine, I've got this." She drew herself up, and fixed Change-Of-Heart with a nasty glance. "This dumb roach is just being difficult."

"Hey, don't be so…" I paused as Change-Of-Heart smacked her lips.

"Not bad." She shrugged. "A little more vehemence, please."

"Filthy dung beetle?" Vinyl hazarded listlessly.

"Are you even trying?" the changeling retorted.

"I, uh, think you smell."

"Really!" Change-Of-Heart threw her hooves in the air. "It's really not that hard! Can't you at least try? For me, Vinyl?" She tipped her head cutely, and Vinyl groaned, making little grabby motions with one hoof.

"Um, excuse me?" I stepped forwards, now thoroughly confused. "What… What's going on here?"

"She's a deviation," Vinyl groaned. "A sport."

"Mutant," Change-Of-Heart agreed cheerfully. "Absolutely disgusting abomination, if you please." She grinned. "Please?"

"Um." I considered that for a moment. "You absolute abomination!" I tried to inject a touch of loathing.

"Ooo, that's a good one." Thin spirals of darker green crossed Change-Of-Heart's eyes. "Yes, that's the spirit."

"You don't feed on love?" I cocked my head. "That's why you're still in the city, even after all that…" I waved a hoof. "The other year? At the wedding?"

"Well, sort of." The bug drew herself up, taking on a lecturing tone. "As a matter of fact, I do feed on love. I just happen to have an… unusual idea of what love is." She smiled. "It's different for different ponies, you know. How it's expressed. Some like gifts, some like quality time, some like kind words. I happen to like—"

"Insults," Vinyl sighed. "It's all she'll take as payment. A heaping helping of disdain, topped off with a serving of abuse."

"You hurt her?" I asked, slightly horrified.

"No!" Vinyl recoiled at the idea.

"I wish," Change-Of-Heart sighed. "A few shoves would be nice. Maybe a light slap or two. Just a little pain is all I ask! Safe and sane, of course! It’s all in the expression, you see. Even if the emotion is there, kisses are just so bland. But this unicorn is convinced I'm 'adorable.'" She sighed. "It's not like I want much, is it?"

"Oh, I don't know. You seem awfully needy to me." I shrugged coldly. "As if something like you deserves that much attention." I sniffed and threw my nose in the air, giving Change-Of-Heart my best cold shoulder.

"Oooo." The changeling shivered and tiptoed closer, but I resolutely pushed her away. "I think I like this one, Vinyl." The DJ's lip wobbled at that.

Lyra sighed, and rubbed her forehead. I glanced at the box, reminding myself that I really did need the contents, and steeled myself, dredging through my mind for sneers, snubs, put-downs and jabs.

If this was the weirdest thing that happened all week, I might start getting bored.

---

"That… was strange." The door closed behind us. I looked back, the bottles jingling quietly in Vinyl's grasp as we walked into the street.

"This town is fascinating." Vinyl looked up at the sky. "No matter how deep you dive into the weirdness, it just keeps going deeper and deeper. You're only at the fringes, Octavia, but you're not staying there. Don't worry though. Ponies are the same, top to bottom, just as friendly and angry and hurting and joyful and alive, up and down the whole weird spectrum."

"Good to know." I adjusted my cello and spread my wings. I lifted off shakily, relying on half-imagined instincts to pull myself up by my feather-tips. "I'll meet you back at your apartment, okay? I'm going to get a little use out of these while I have them."

"You sure that's safe?" Lyra gave me a speculative glance.

"They're telling me it's fine." I pulled a few tight circles and spun to a stop, whirling precisely. "I've got these instincts… I dunno, I think since it's Silver's magic…"

"Could be." Vinyl shrugged. "Anyways, a crash won't kill you. Have fun!"

"Hey!" Lyra stopped me. "Pass me your cello. If you're going to be flitting about, get us some supper, alright?" She dug a few bits out of a purse and tossed them to me. I snagged them and tucked them away. "Head over to the Gallery and order takeout for three. They'll do you a box."

"Right." I let her take my instrument, swallowed a lump of nerves, and flapped once. I suppressed a giggle of delight as the night air knotted and flicked me skywards.

---

I was still laughing with delight as I touched down on the landing before Vinyl's door. The stars seemed to laugh with me, twinkling where they shone through the glow from the ground. I knocked once and stepped in, hefting the savory-smelling carton at my side. Inside, it was an oasis of light and warmth.

Vinyl had her synths set up, and Lyra was plucking strings on an oddly skeletal harp of some sort. My cello was leaning by the door. The furniture had been herded to one side of the small room, and speakers and mixers were arrayed around the two in a sort of musical nest. I heard a few brief bars of music as they turned towards me, a few multicolored lights flashing in time, briefly casting them in an otherworldly hues.

"Octavia!" Lyra grinned. "You got the grub?"

"Yup." I lifted the box, and she levitated it carefully over the cords and blinking boards. Vinyl took it and vanished for plates.

"Stew?" She sniffed once.

"Cream of turnip and celery soup with rosemary." I shook my wings out, losing a few feathers. I shucked my horseshoes, reveling in my suddenly light hooves, and pranced over to the beat-up old couch that leaned below the window. I slumped down, practically melting. "And cabbage salad with noodles. There's also chocolate pound cake with vanilla ice-cream for dessert, so we'd better eat." I rolled over, enjoying the feeling of stillness for a long, quiet moment.

"Have a good flight?" Vinyl called from the kitchen.

"It was great." I remembered the feeling of the wind beneath my wings. "You should see the city at night! It spreads in this glittering carpet of textured light and shade, rolling with wisps of fog and sweeping cloud, and it just sings with energy and life!" The memory tickled my mind, and I hummed a few bars.

"Oh?" Lyra paused from her tuning, and plucked a few strings, echoing the phrase back at me. "It sounds that good, does it?"

"It's wonderful," I assured her, scrabbling to my hooves and stepping for my cello. I uncased it with practiced movements and leaned back on my wings to draw the bow over the strings. I laid a few notes in the air, hanging them to catch the city lights. They sparkled and hummed before me, clear gems of sound. Lyra swiveled an ear and her grin widened. She plucked her electric harp, twisting my song through the nest of wires and mixers Vinyl had set up. It surged back, filling the room with power, wind under my wings, a rush of freedom.

"Hey, don't start without me!" Vinyl came back, passing out plates and bowls. "Anyways, eat first." She passed me a mug. I smelled cinnamon, apples, vanilla, warm cedar, and long autumn days. It was familiar magic, and I was suddenly starving. I lay my bow down and returned to the couch.

We all tucked into our food with gusto, exchanging small talk and pleasantries. I heard Silver and Syzygy had analyzed much of what we stole from Auric, but didn't know how to act on it. I filed that away for later investigation. Lyra and I tossed our performance at the orchestra back and forth, trading tips and analysis as best we could. I told them how the run on Auric had gone. At the end though, Vinyl put her spoon down and fixed me with a stare.

"But," she said, "what happened after?"

"A-After?" I hesitated, a spoonful of soup halfway to my lips. "What…" My voice trailed off, as I tried to hide a cringe and think up an excuse.

"You know what I mean." Vinyl grinned. "Afterwards, when Silver lifted you home. What went down there, Octy? He came back and said you were all like 'just one drop, Silver,' and stuff."

"I, um, I don't…" I fumbled and mumbled, feeling my face flush, poise broken, not even able to raise my customary objection to the nickname. I couldn't very well lie to them, but giving them a full explanation was absolutely out of the question. What could I say? I had pushed him into a corner, pleaded with him to let me bite him, and very nearly attacked him like a wild animal?

"Ah, give her a break, Vinyl." Lyra waved her spoon. "You've been under the influence, and it's bothered you just as much."

"I could have hurt him!" I said, suddenly overwhelmed. "What if I had bitten him? Then we'd both be infected, and, and…" I trailed off, breathing unsteadily as I remembered how completely out-of-control I'd been. I resisted the urge to curl up and hide my face.

"You? Hurt him?" Vinyl laughed. I gave her a confused look, turning to Lyra who just shook her head slowly.

"Listen, Octavia, that's probably the last thing you need to be worried about." Lyra shrugged. "Silver's tough, even tougher than he lets on to his enemies."

"But if I bit him?" I tried to keep my voice level.

"He'd be fine." Vinyl waved a hoof dismissively. "He's been bitten by nightwalkers before. He had a bite when he brought you in. I don't think you could turn him if you tried."

"Oh." A great sigh of relief whooshed out of my chest, and a knot of worry untied itself in my throat. Was it really that simple? But I remembered how I'd acted, and my face flushed. "That... That helps a little."

"Ahahaha, I knew you liked him!" Vinyl sipped from a bottle, shaped suspiciously like a laboratory flask, as she pointed and leered. "Come on, admit it!"

"I…" I paused, all my excuses, equivocation, and misdirection brushed away as her words totally floored me. "I… like him?" I murmured. Suddenly, my actions, feelings, even my thoughts snapped and re-formed, framed by those three words to take on a whole new meaning. "But that can't be right." I shook my head, trying to dislodge the idea. "No, that can't be right. I can't do that."

"For such a smart gal, you're not very good at this, are you?" Vinyl huffed and dismissed my rambling. "What's the matter? Why hold back?"

"B-But! He's saved my life. I'm relying on him for protection, and information, and so, so much. How can I ask him for more?" I squeezed my eyes shut. "It's not fair to him, and it's not like—"

"Aw, cut that!" Vinyl touched her keyboard, silencing me with a great, thrilling note. "You're allowed to have feelings, and don't ever tell yourself otherwise. You don't have to act on them, sure, but pretending they're not there isn't any good. And you know what? You're not the one who gets to decide whether it's fair or not. If you care about him, you'd better give him the chance to care about you. If you hold back because of what you think is 'fair’, you’re not doing him a favor."

"Don't be so hard on her!" Lyra bopped Vinyl on the head and swept our dishes up in her magic. "She didn't even realize it. Let her think, and let's have some music!"

Vinyl nodded and plunked a few keys on her synth. I shook my head clear and stood, picking up my cello and drawing out a few notes.

"Play that thing from earlier," Vinyl called.

"You mean…" I considered. "The sound of the city lights?"

"Yeah!" The DJ grinned and spun something, conjuring the phrase Lyra had plucked from her machine, roaring it at me again. I heard the city unroll beneath me, and I drew my bow across the strings.

Lyra hurried back to settle by her instrument. The clock chimed, late, but I ignored it. Notes throbbed in the air, flowing from my bow, to Lyra's strings, to Vinyl's keyboard in a circle of sound. We lifted each other higher, grasping at greater and greater heights until we soared on wings of sound, supported on silver strings and ivory keys. Outside, the city slipped into slumber, but in here there were friends, and good food, and…

Maybe I did like him, after all.

And there was music.