A bitter cold rain fell upon Crystal Sholes Park. The byproduct of the dark ominous storm that hovered in the skies above, growing and waiting to fully unleash its potential upon the world below. The torrent of water it was spewing out was just a warning, an omen of the nightmare, to scare off all those who dared be out tonight. Most headed its warning and remained indoors.
But one man did not fear the rain simply because there was little he had to fear now. He walked through the downpour as if it wasn’t even there, partly due to the hooded cloak he wore for protection. The cloak wasn’t a perfect tool for protection as it had seen better days. In fact that could be said of all his clothing. Yet for now, they were an adequate protection against the icy, stinging rain. They however, did not give the man an approachable appearance. Even in the dim light the park’s walkway lamps provided the cloak, heavy boots, and dark figure made the man seem like a demon. A far cry from what this man used to be, before the war. Once he was like a Prince, born and raised in a lifetime of prominence and fame. Much had been expected of him and he had always stridden to live up to those expiations. Now he was a stranger to that life lured away by the promise of power beyond his dreams and unending wealth. He had fallen from the grace and prosperity he had always known, but for him it was all worth it. All so that he could beat his longtime rival, and fill the envy within his soul. Time after time, when he thought he would finally accomplish his goals he would be passed over by the Matriarch, his own aunt, for a commoner. A man of peasant blood outranking him was just too much of an insult.
So he gave all that up, for a stronger life. But that left him in the place he was in now: on the losing side of a terrible war that tore a hole through society itself. It was a conflict of magic, between saints and sinners. And as in all conflicts before it, the overconfident lost. But all was not yet lost, as the man had contributed greatly to this war. He had hurt his enemy, hard. And while he was all that was left, he would walk away from it all content knowing his effects would last a life time. Still he knew he would not survive this war. So he made sure to leave one last seed in place. Now it was time for the last battle, and who better to give him a final fight than his greatest rival. Appearing from a nearby tree, the rival stepped out of the shadows and into the lights. His white cloak soaking wet from the storm but he still looked more dignified than the hooded man.
The rival lowered his hood and looked at the man with his light blue eyes, “Blueblood.”
Blueblood stopped walking, “Ah Shining Armor I am surprised to see you up and about.”
“You think I’d let you get away after what you did, let alone allow as simple storm to hold me back?” Shining Armor asked his expression cold and determined his voice unyielding in its firmness.
Blueblood chuckled, “No I knew this little thunderstorm wouldn’t deter you. You were always so resilient, such as I would expect from the last standing. What I am surprised about is that you’ve stepped away from your darling fiancé. I wonder…how is she doing since the last time I saw her? Shame about those legs…”
A lightning bolt flashed across the sky followed by a loud smack of thunder.
“Don’t push me Blueblood; you know exactly why I am here.” Shining Armor said.
That line made Blueblood turn around and lower his hood. His once handsome face was now mired in a sea of scars, his right eye removed and covered by a patch. His lips curled into a sinister smile, “There are many reasons as to why you would be here. Revenge for your fiancé, orders from that moon bitch, vengeance for your fellow comrades, or maybe you’re here for more personal reasons.”
“You killed Celestia, nearly destroyed the School, and lead Tirek’s forces including the Sinister Seven in an attack upon the capital!” Shining accused, “I am here to put an end to all of this.”
The smile vanished from Blueblood’s face, in its stead it was replaced by a look of determination, “You really think it’s going to be that easy?”
Shining’s face hardened, “No I know it won’t be that easy.
That made the smile return to Blueblood’s face, “Now that’s the pride I know you have.”
But Shining didn’t return the smile, instead he frowned. “Blueblood, don’t make me do this.” He told his rival.
“Too late Shining Armor, far too late.” Blueblood hissed.
And in an instant he struck. Blueblood threw his cape off his body, exposing it to the storm around him and fired a bolt of lightning at Shining Armor. Shining responded by raising his arms and formed a magenta pink shield. The lightning slammed into the shield and nearly knocked Shining off his feet. But he held his ground against Blueblood’s attack. Finding his footing, Shining charged, shield clinging to his left arm.
Undeterred Blueblood fired again. He began throwing bolt after bolt of bright white lightning bolts at his old rival. Shining blocked all of them, either by deflecting the attack with his shield or dodging. Shining was surprisingly nimble as he jumped, dived, and rolled out of the way of the attacks.
Quickly, Shining got to within feet of Blueblood and punched him hard in the face. Blueblood staggered back but recovered quickly. He swung his arm around and slammed Armor hard with a return shot to the chest. Shining coughed but felt little pain, he brought his shield to bear and backhanded it across Blueblood.
The magic shield hurt Blueblood, drawing blood from his mouth. Yet Blueblood was little phased. He charged up mana into his hand and then sent another bolt of lightning right into Shining Armor at point blank range. Unable to react in time, Shining took the bolt right to the chest and was propelled back.
He landed hard onto the other side of the park, smashing a bench as he came to a stop. Hurt but nowhere near beaten, Shining jumped to his feet and began to sending magenta mana bolts back at Blueblood.
Blueblood matched the attack by hitting each mana shot with lightning bolts from his own mana pool. Each magical attack slammed into each other with a concussive force that reverberated through Crystal Sholes Park like the thunder booming above. Shining Armor knew that he matched Blueblood in magical output; his only chance to win was to outlast the fallen prince.
Seeing the stalemate, Shining launched himself into the air and dove down on Blueblood, rain falling with him. Blueblood saw the attack and flew back just in time to avoid Shining’s shield slamming into him. Shining recovered and charged. Blueblood however launched backwards in an attempt to dodge. The two then channeled their mana into their feet, quickening their speed in an attempt to catch and strike each other.
Shining to the first hit, managing to get behind Blueblood and kick him in the back. But Blueblood got the second, smashing his fist into Shining’s jaw. He also got the third, sending a bolt of lightning into Shining’s chest. But Shining got the forth hit, using his shield to bust Blueblood’s torso.
To the outside viewer, unable to keep up with the two mages speed, the duo simply vanished into thin air only to rematerialize when one hit the other. One second they were in one spot, the next a completely different location. It was as if they were like the very bolts of lightning that was waiting above to come down and electrify the world below. Strike after strike, hit after hit the two went on with their battle using trees, benches, even park statues as platforms to hit, launch off of, or throw the other into. Shining managed to endue all of the battle, but he found little chances to get a chance to hit Blueblood.
He soon got an opportunity to strike close again. Blueblood repositioned himself to get a better angle to bring a hit on Shining. But when he landed, his footing was lost on a puddle of water and he slipped. Shining saw this chance and dove on his enemy. Blueblood managed to get on his feet, but it was too late.
The duo began to pummel each other with their fists and magic at close range. Blood began to drip of Shining’s mouth as Blueblood got two hits off, but Blueblood had a gash on his forehead that was forcing blood to drip over his eyes. Finally, Shining had Blueblood at his mercy.
With one magical strike from his last remaining mana, Shining blew Blueblood back with a massive force. Blueblood thought he could recover from this as he flew backwards, but his magical energy and his strength now failed him. He went flying backwards, slamming through tree after tree. The trunks shattered his bones before splintering into toothpicks, one broke every bone in his left leg, and another ripped his right off completely. Skin and cloth were torn from his flesh as he flew through tree after tree. Finally the force propelling Blueblood vanished and he slammed into one last tree trunk. He slid to the ground and slumped over at the base of the tree. Blood gushed from everywhere on Blueblood’s body as he lay, slowly dying.
He looked up and peered through his blood and the rain water slamming down on him to see Shining Armor approach. Blueblood, fallen prince and once powerful mage, now had no strength left to continue living. With his imminent death, he would be the last of the current to fall. He expected Shining to gloat about his victory. But what he saw was regret on the face of his rival and bester.
“Regret Shining Armor, unbecoming of you.” Blueblood hissed.
“You did not have to die Blueblood; you could’ve turned yourself over and ended this nonsense without spilling more blood.” Shinning answered.
Blueblood shook his head, “War doesn’t allow for us to be…sentimental…besides, what do you think it would’ve accomplished? At least now, we put our feud behind us.”
Shining seemed more hurt, “At least with your death, this damn thing’ll be over.” Then he turned to leave his once friend do die alone.
Blueblood chuckled, blood dripping from his mouth, “No Shining Armor, this has only just begun.” Then with one last blood filled breath, Blueblood passed away.
The Train Ride
Fifteen Years later…
The train jolted over the switches and shook all the passenger cars, awaking a sleeping Starlight Glimmer. While most of the other passengers in the car didn’t notice, Starlight grumbled slightly at the disruption. She knew it wasn’t the train’s fault, as this happened most of the time; however she had been on the train most of the morning and spent most of the night before packing. Simply put, she wanted to get some rest before she made it to her final destination.
While she had only managed to get a few moments rest, it still wasn’t enough and now she wasn’t in a good mood. Shifting in her seat she looked out at the world flying by. The green pastures she had once called home now looked like a blur as the train sped along the track. It was such a peaceful and idyllic life that was now going to be behind her as she began her new life as a mage. Well it wasn’t going to be a new life; she had been born with her magical powers. But she was able to put it to use only briefly back home, now she was going to get a chance to put them to real use. Only problem was it was going to take a day to get that chance.
Celestia’s School for the Gifted Magic, located in Canterlot right along the French Alps, was the most prestigious school for magic in the entire world. Only the top one percent of magic users was accepted there, especially considering that only twenty percent of the global population actually uses magic. So for Starlight, this was important enough to leave the only life she had ever known. Yet she was not unemotional to the past, and the green pastures reminded her of that. As they flew by, she promised herself that one day she would come back and make those green pastures proud.
Shifting in her seat, Starlight attempted to get comfortable again. But the conductor came over the train’s PA system.
“Attention passengers we’re now approaching Knappford Station, transfers are available to the Ffarquhar, Skarloey, Ballahoo, and Mainland trains. Reminder all these trains are guarantee connections and if missed your ticket will be fully refunded courtesy of the North Western Railway.” He told the passengers.
This is my stop, Starlight sighed and got up. She grabbed her backpack from under the seat and her two cases of luggage from the overhang and headed to the door just as train was pulling into Knappford.
As the train came to a stop and the doors opened, Starlight stepped out into a crowded station. It was during the height of rush hour so Starlight wasn’t that surprised as she made her way past passengers either departing the train or boarding it. She looked across the tracks and saw her second train, a high speed steamer, waiting on Platform Five. And she was on Platform Three. Making her way to a stairway that lead to a skyway that connected all the platforms, Starlight hoped that she had more than enough time to get to the platform before the train departed. She didn’t want to race, what with all the passengers and all, but she wanted to make it there in time.
Thankfully, she had more time than she realized. When she finally got onto the platform she handed her ticket to the conductor and boarded the train. Despite the exterior being a mixture of pink and white, the car’s interior was made up with very luxurious mahogany wood walls, white ceilings with gold outlining, and a dark emerald green carpet. It had all the trimmings of a luxury liner on rails. Starlight soon found a cabin booth completely empty of passengers, near the back of the train. It had two couches that matched the carpet color as well as two beige colored racks overhead that would hold the luggage. She placed her luggage onto the overhead and sat down on the seats. To her enjoyment they were very comfortable, and they should be as the cabin was going to be her cabin for the next twelve hours.
Flopping onto one the couches that faced the front of the train, Starlight got comfortable and began to once again get some sleep. However, as she felt the train slowly begin to move, she began to wonder about everything leading up to this point. It seemed like only yesterday that she had just found her magical talent. She had only been a small girl back then, living on her family’s farm near the coast of the Irish Sea, and when she discovered her powers she learned the consequences that came with them. Simply put Starlight Glimmer had the magical abilities of Time and Reality Manipulation, or Tempus Magic. Tempus Magic, and the Templars that control it, ranks second only to Runic Magic as the strongest and difficult form of magic there was. Which was why she didn’t take her magical ability lightly, and was why she had yet to commit herself to a codex.
That wasn’t rare for most first year students at Celestia’s Magical School, or CMS, but it was for Templars. Most Templars had already declared their preferred codex, or spell book, by the time they had begun training in magic, due to its unpredictability and dangers, and most found themselves gravitating towards the Aerugo Codex. However, Starlight’s personality didn’t fit well with Aerugo; in fact she wasn’t even sure what codex would fit her personality at all. She hoped she’d get the option to find out at CMS. And that was a long train ride away.
Starlight slept for a while, but by the time they had reached London, the train was now alive with commotion. Passengers were moving past one another as they were making her way towards the exits: all signs typical of arriving at a busy station.
Starlight sighed, “Bloody rush ‘our.”
When she was in high school, she had managed to make a living working on the railroads because it was the major employment zone growing up. That conditioned her to very regimental in the way she carried herself out. But the one thing that always bugged her beyond belief was rush hour: the hectic, uncontrolled atmosphere of passengers filing, running, or moving slowly through the stations to get to their trains angered her to know end. Especially on a railway that thrived on being Responsible, Reliable, and Really Useful. And that perfectionist atmosphere carried over into her scholastic life, where she even made class president three years in a row. Students often called her “The Great Dictator,” as while she wasn’t overly harsh on the body, she did demand a strict atmosphere.
Thankfully, those who knew her outside of the uniform could claim a different story. And it was that story that kept rebellions from propping up. Regardless however, Starlight felt a little peeved as she saw passengers race past her cabin in an unorganized manner. Her gaze shifted from inside the train and back to the outside window. The skyline of London dominated her view as the train pulled into the city at a considerably reduced speed than what it had been going at previously. It was a rather beautiful sight for such a sprawling city, though it certainly wasn’t the most impressive skyline Starlight had ever seen.
She had remembered seeing the skyscrapers of Manhattan in her distant childhood, and while those buildings made London look very short, New York just such a foreign place that she felt totally uncomfortable there. Her gaze then shifted to the skyline above. The last she saw of her home, grey skies loomed over head and unfortunately London was no different. Grey skies always brought a frown on Starlight Glimmer’s face, as they often were followed with rain and stormy showers. She hoped, as the train ducked under a bridge, that this wouldn’t be a forebear of bad tidings.
Starlight took one last glimpse at the sky above before the train ducked into a subway tunnel. This would be the last time she would see the England sky, as when the train would exit the tunnel two hours later she would be in France. Thankfully she had managed to already get her passport approved for travel back before she left for Knappford, so she wouldn’t have to deal with a conductor knocking and disturbing her. However, as the train pulled into the station, Starlight suddenly felt lonely. She had spent most of her day alone on the train, a great difference from the night before she spent surrounded by family. Earlier, she had wanted to be alone. Now, she actually wanted some company.
The train came to a complete stop and the conductor spoke over the train’s PA, “Once again Passengers welcome to St. Pancras International station. This will be our only stop in London so all passengers hoping to exit for an English train had best be getting off here. We will be having a crew and engine change at this station which we expect will be a short twenty five minutes. Passengers are free to walk around the platform at this time though you must be back onboard by the time the engineer calls for all aboard. Thank you for traveling and we hope you have a wonderful day.”
Starlight sighed and returned to resting. She was lonely. Her childhood friend, whom had been there when she first discovered her magic and made her first mistake with that magic, had already been accepted to CMS. He had been one of the only real people to get to know Starlight outside of school, as most only knew her in passing. Yet he was much smarter than Starlight, and his high aptitude allowed him early entrance into CMS and now he was probably her senior by at least a year.
Starlight wondered if she’ll see him again, she wondered if she’d make friends in her grade level. She wondered if she’d take the rest of this impossibly long journey alone. Deciding it was best to stretch her legs; Starlight got up and walked along the train car. Most of the cabins were now already full, except for hers. If there were any more passengers who were getting on, they probably already found a seat. After getting out any creaks or stiffness in her body developed by the already long train ride, Starlight returned to the cabin just in time to hear the conductor shout all aboard. Figuring she wasn’t likely to get a riding partner on the way down, Starlight returned to her cabin for the rest of the journey.
She sat down just as she felt the doors of the train close and the breaks slowly are released. But just before the train began to move, she heard a knock at her door. At first, Starlight figured it was the conductor doing a check for tickets, which slightly annoyed Starlight as she thought that problem was already taken care of. But upon looking at seeing who it was, Starlight was rather surprised. Standing in the door was a young woman, probably Starlight’s age, dressed in a heavy, black, baggy sweater and loose fitting grey jeans. She wore a large pair of square shaped glasses that were heavily taped up in the middle. The girl’s hair was also interesting. Unlike Starlight’s, which was mostly purple save for one stripe of aquamarine that ran through the middle of her hair, this girl’s hair was a myriad of colors. Most of it was a dark maroon but it was intermixed with hues of purple near the center. The girl’s eyes however, was what made Starlight shift; they were a deep, beautiful, and enticing shade of purple. Those eyes alone, made Starlight feel a level of attraction towards this girl.
“Excuse me,” She said with a thick American accent, “Is this booth taken? All the others are full.”
Starlight wasn’t sure what region of America this girl was from, but her accent sounded like she was from the Dakota regions. Much like the rest of the girl’s appearance, it had the tone of someone who was reserved and unsure of things.
“Uh, aye this one’s open, come on in.” Starlight answered, shifting in her seat.
The girl sighed and walked in, lugging three cases of luggage with her. Much like Starlight she had one backpack and two rolling suitcases, however these were a mixture of light purple and emerald green to Starlight’s black. At first, Starlight shifted to help the girl raise her rollers up to the rack above. But much to Starlight’s shock, she lifted them effortlessly up. Once the girl had them situated, she took her seat opposite of Starlight, keeping her legs together and hands over her knees clamped together. She also lowered her head and seemed to be taking deep breaths, as clearly she was not comfortable.
Starlight swallowed softly as she tucked her legs back up onto the seat, her eyes not leaving her new riding mate. She wasn’t sure why, but there was something interesting about this girl. She certainly didn’t look anything special, but then again Starlight could barely tell of the girl’s features anyway. Her clothes were so baggy that it was hard to make out what her figure was. But going off of facial features alone, this girl may be slightly nerdy but she was stunning. Right up Starlight’s alley. While she never had time, or even determination, to have a special someone back in high school or middle school Starlight knew one thing: she was gay. Oh sure many guys in High School tried to hit on her, some for power reasons others because Starlight did look beautiful, but all except one were turned away. The only one she actually dated was because they were good friends and wanted to see what happened if they took their relationship to a new level. Even though it did fail, despite them both claiming each other’s virginity, he and Starlight broke it off mutually as they just didn’t feel the spark of love.
Now women on the other hand, Starlight always felt the spark of love with. She wasn’t sure when it started, or if she was born gay, but she figured it was during her first summer camp when she changed in front of other girls for the first time. Since then, women have always been Starlight’s preference. And the one sitting next to her was very enticing.
As the train slid away from the station, an awkward silence took between the two of them. Starlight sifted in her seat, the awkward silence making her feel uncomfortable. So she decided to break the ice, “ye, uh, ye come in thru Heathrow?”
The girl nodded but didn’t answer.
“Ah,” Starlight said awkwardly, “Long flight?”
“Not too painful,” the other answered softly.
Starlight nodded, “Aye, plane’s can be a bit untrustworthy at times.”
The other nodded but again, she didn’t answer.
Starlight looked out the window, “Probably just abut to leave London Proper, hopefully tis train’ll arrive on time eh?”
Again, the girl didn’t respond.
Clearly small talk was getting her nowhere so Starlight reevaluated the situation. Her eyes glanced all around looking for some clue to draw out a conversation, maybe something just to lighten the awkwardness they both were in. If nothing else it might calm her companion down, as she was starting to shake slightly. Finally Starlight spotted something, a small keychain tucked in right near the girl’s luggage. She quickly recognized the emblem, a diamond shaped shield with the image of the sun and moon on it. Better yet, the colors of the emblem were sun yellow, ice white, and lunar blue; the colors of CMS.
“Are ye bound for Canterlot?” Starlight asked.
The girl nodded, still keeping her head down, “Yes.”
Starlight sighed with a smile, “Ah what a beautiful coincidence, so am I.”
The girl lifted up her head, stop shaking, and look at Starlight with a surprised look of interest, “Oh really! Are you going to Celestia’s Magic school too?”
Starlight nodded.
The girl’s expression brightened and she actually smiled, “Wow…so you must be a mage too huh?”
Starlight nodded, “Aye I am, are ye?”
The girl nodded, her expression improving, “Yes I am, um, are you a returning student?”
Starlight shook her head no, “Nah, I be a first year student haven’t actually seen the place yet.”
“Oh, what a coincidence this is my first year as well. I’m Moondancer,” the girl introduced.
“Starlight Glimmer,” Starlight responded, “Nice to meet ya. So would you mind telling me what kinda mage ye might be?”
Moondancer smiled as she leaned back in her seat, “Well I um…it’s kinda freaky.”
Starlight shook her head, “I don’t really mind, I’m curious.”
Moondancer shifted in her seat, but composed herself well, “Alright, well I’m a Lamia.”
Starlight’s eyes widened, So that’s why her eyes were so alluring. At first, Moondancer seemed to slink back, almost terrified that Starlight would take things horribly. So Starlight removed that fear by smiling, “Wait so does that mean you’re a vampire?"
Moondancer calmed down, “Yeah, I am actually.” And with that she brandished her fangs. Much like the vampires of legend, they were needle sharp eye teeth on her upper and lower jaw.
“Oh saint’s above! Those are sick!” Starlight beamed.
Moondancer laughed at the complement, “Thanks, that’s not something I hear a lot when I tell people about my vampiric blood.”
“Well tis not every day I meet me a vampire!” Starlight gleamed, “Were ye born a bludsucker or did ye inherit it?”
“Comes in the family,” Moondancer admitted, “the region of North Dakota I’m from generally has a lot of vampires.”
Starlight chuckled, “I kinda guessed ye’re from the America’s.”
Moondancer nodded, “And what about you, if I were to guess I’d say you were from Ireland?”
“Sodor actually,” Starlight answered, “But me family’s from Ireland.”
“Oh wow, so you’ve been on this train from the start eh?” Moondancer asked to which Starlight nodded. Moondancer sighed, “Wow I feel sorry for you.”
“Ah don’t be, been around trains all me life.” Starlight asked, “Kinda used to ‘em.”
Moondancer nodded as she felt the train shift slightly, “So can I ask what you are?”
“Alright I’ll give ya the courtesy,” Starlight answered, letting her feet slide to the floor, “I’m a Tempus mage.” Now it was Moondancer’s eyes to go wide. But unlike Starlight’s reaction, which was more of joyful shock, Moondancer’s reaction was that of pure shock. And Starlight knew exactly why, which got the girl to laugh slightly, “Aye I’m not definitely not something ye see every day.”
“You’re…you’re a Templar?” Moondancer stammered.
Starlight nodded with a smile.
“OH MY GOSH THAT IS SO AWESOME!” Moondancer screamed at the top of her lungs. She shot forward, her face beaming with such light and illumination with similar intensity of the sun. A massive, ecstatic gin was plastered on her face as she spoke to Starlight, “So you can….actually control time?”
Starlight chuckled, “’ell it’s not that clear cut. I actually am a Templar Dragoon, which means I have the ability to see multiple outcomes of any situation. Like in this situation, I could slip out of the timescape and see multiple realities where we never met, have met previously, are having sex, you’re trying to kill me, or never actually talk. Then I choose which one becomes the dominate choice or event that happens, mostly based on what I believe to be the logical outcome. It’s not a-hundred percent accurate but I make it work ya know, aside from the beam spells and shield spells most mages have.”
“Wow,” Moondancer awed with genuine enthusiasm, “That’s amazing. I mean I know time magic is the most difficult magic any mage could even think of being skilled in. Plus, I mean, to actually be able to pick which reality you wish to inhabit! It must take a lot of magical control! There’s been only forty Templar Dragoon’s in the history of Magedom! And I can’t believe I’m sitting next to one!”
“Easy lassie,” Starlight giggled, “Ye’ll talk ya self to death.”
Moondancer caught her breath and blushed, “Oh sorry.” She then pushed the brim of her glasses back up her nose, “I get that way sometimes. I’ve been studying magic for years and never thought I’d ever meet a Templar.”
“Well to be fair, I’ve been studying for years too and never thought I’d meet a vampire.” Starlight giggled, “What ya’d get bitten by a sucker when ye was little?”
Moondancer shifted, “No actually I’m a full blood Vampire Lady.”
Starlight Glimmer nodded, “Ah, so ya mum and pop are also…?”
“Vampires yeah, weren’t that bad of a childhood though I always had to come up with an excuse as to why I could never have playdates at my house.” Moondancer bemused.
“Aye, I can imagine,” Starlight chuckled, “So being a full blood that makes ya immune to the sun?”
Moondancer nodded, “I may get itchy if I stay out in the sun to long, but I think that’s more down to me just never having a need to be out in the sun at all. I also don’t need to ingest just blood, I can have regular human food but I do need to have at least three servings of blood.”
“Got a favorite type?” Starlight snickered.
“AB positive actually,” Moondancer giggled, “It reminds me of a thick merlot.”
Starlight giggled, “Really, then again wine’s not really my drink of choice. So what’s your bag of magic tricks?”
Moondancer sighed, “Well, what do you think most vampires do?”
“Besides sucking blood and transforming into bats for easier transportation,” Starlight shot back.
Moondancer snorted, “Alright I can suck blood, but I don’t transform into one bat more like a full flock. I also can drain the mana out of anyone within five feet of me, raise corpses up for a short time, and become invisible.”
“Wow,” Starlight answered impressed, “That’s bloody mental.”
“Right,” Moondancer agreed. Then she paused, took a deep breath, looked down, and took off her glasses. Instantly her once purple eyes turned red and she looked back at Starlight, “I also have the power to entice anyone and everyone to my will should I so choose.”
At that instant, Starlight felt a sudden rush of desire within her. Her gaze became lost within the redness of Moondancer’s eyes as the world around her seemed to melt away dramatically. But before she could do anything, or follow any command Moondancer gave, the vampire blinked and her power vanished. Instantly Starlight regained control of her senses, “Bloody hell. That was something Miss Moondancer.”
“It’s not as strong as my parents or as strong as a well-trained vampire lord or lady but I am getting there. And don’t worry you’re back under your full control, my power is temporary.” Moondancer answered putting her glasses back on.
“Are you sure?” Starlight asked shaking her head for a bit.
“I’m not a fan of brainwashing people against their will.” Moondancer answered.
“Well,” Starlight said, “That’s good to know.” She leaned back in her seat and looked out the window as she felt the train begin to descend deeper into the tunnel. Her ears slowly began to pop as the train slid into the Channel tunnel. She took a deep breath and relaxed, “Seems like we’ve entered the channel.”
Moondancer nodded, “Would seem so.” She then rubbed her ears in clear discomfort, “So, Miss Glimmer…”
“Starlight please dearie,” Starlight answered, “Miss Glimmer’s me mum.”
Moondancer blushed, “Alright sorry, Starlight, I was wondering what you’re codex was. I mean I’m sure it’s obvious because you’re a Templar most Templar’s take Aerugo but I just wanted to make sure without assuming you know.”
Starlight bit her lower lip and looked away, doing her best to hide her embarrassment. She coughed softly, “Ah well, um, Aye don’t actually have a codex yet.”
Moondancer nodded, “Well I mean yeah but you know which one you’re going to take?”
Starlight shook her head no, her heart starting to race at the situation. She completely expected Moondancer to explode or something. A mage with no codex choice at this stage of their life rarely achieved anything within their lives. Moondancer however, was once again frozen with shock. For a demon of the night that most men and women feared, Moondancer was very easily shocked. She defiantly had had her conceptions about the world well ingrained into her, at least from what Starlight could tell.
After a moment of silence, Moondancer snapped back to reality. “You…you don’t have a codex choice yet?”
Starlight grimaced, “Aye,”
“So you’re not sure what route you wanna take?” Moondancer asked again.
“Aye,”
“Don’t most Templars…?”
“…Take Aerugo yes they do. But I’ve never really gotten behind Aerugo; I’ve always found it to be too…malice for other people.”
Moondancer closed her mouth with an audible gasp, “So….do you have a choice for what codex you’re going to take?”
Starlight grimaced, “Not really. I’ve given it a lot of thought, but it’s not been an easy decision.”
“Well…” Moondancer said, “Um…wow that’s…gonna be a fun experience for you.”
“Why do ye say that?” Starlight asked.
“Seven Codex’s, seven starter classes you’re going to have to take, a chance to learn all there is about the starter magic for all of them?” Moondancer gushed, her emotions swinging wildly from shocked to ecstatic, “Oh I could only dream about how much you’d have to learn.”
Starlight giggled, “So I take it you’re Cupido?”
“Gulam actually,” Moondancer answered proudly, “I’ve always loved being a know-it-all.”
“Cupido would do that for ye just as well,” Starlight commented.
“True, but Cupido was always about putting yourself into a situation to make everyone want you. My magic is geared more towards me wanting everyone and or everything to follow. Call me a glutton really.” Moondancer answered.
Starlight nodded, “Aye, so I take you knows you’re class schedule yet?”
“No not really, I don’t think most students know theirs until their first full week.” Moondancer answered.
“Makes sense,” Starlight answered, “Ever seen CMS?”
“Once, when I was a little girl,” Moondancer answered, “And it was from very far away so I never got a chance to go inside the college itself.”
Starlight nodded, “Well let’s hope this college lives up to everything we hope it to be.” Before Moondancer could answer, Starlight felt the train begin to rise out of the tunnel. In no time at all, she began to feel the express slow. “Either we’re in France right now or just arriving at the Chunnel.”
Moondancer sighed, “Well regardless I’m gonna take a nap, can you wake me when we get out of the tunnel?”
Starlight nodded, “Aye, though I wouldn’t bank on it.”
“Why’s that?”
“Cuz I might catch a wink myself.” Starlight laughed.
The two girls laughed for a moment as the train once again pulled into a station. But in to time at all, they were asleep too.
