Scarlet High

“Oh great, all of this Vampire stuff that’s been going on is already stressful enough, but my annual magic exam is coming up!” Twilight exclaimed after checking the mail the next day.

“Uh... what?” Vinyl asked.

“Every year, for the Canterlot University, They send someone to my school and they sit in my magic classes and evaluate me and by the time they leave I have to demonstrate either extraordinary skill or a unique spell.” Twilight groaned.

“I hear the AMS exams are coming up too.” Spike said.

“SHIT!” Twilight yelled.

“You don’t have any problems, you’re like better than Gandalf with magic.” Vinyl said.

“No I’m not, but normally I’d just show extraordinary master of magic... But apparently i’ve done that too much and I have to come up with a unique spell...” Twilight sighed.

“You could always use black magic.” Vinyl suggested.

“Vinyl, that’s like you transforming for a physical examination in gym.” Twilight said.

“Well then just don’t worry about it. Contrary to what you may think, you work best on the spot.” Spike said.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. That’s why you’re so good at duels and MMA.” Vinyl said.

“Hey when they come to sit in on the classes you should totally challenge that trixie bitch to a duel.” Spike said.

“No that’s just cruel. All she’ll do is levitate ropes at me and make fireworks. I’ll think of something.” Twilight sighed.

“So, I hear you have your Canterlot University Magic Evaluation coming up.” Celestia said, suddenly appearing next to them as they walked, making Spike let out a startled belch of fire.

“Don’t you have the same thing coming?” Twilight asked, unphased.

“I do.” Celestia replied.

“Hey wait a minute, I just remembered something.” Vinyl said. The three gave her a look that said ‘go on’. “Yesterday, you said you guys were like a thousand years old, and that Rarity was a bit older... Dash told us that Vampires only live for around two or three times longer than humans.” Vinyl explained.

“She didn’t tell you that feeding increases your lifespan. Blood is the life force of any living thing really, and you’re taking another’s into your body.” Celestia said.

“Wait, are we stealing other people’s lifespan?” Twilight asked.

“Not in the slightest. It’s actually healthy for the body to be low on blood every now and then, to flush out anything that could be in it and to make sure your body can get it’s bloodcount back to normal.” Celestia said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Wait, so if I drank the blood of someone who had like a sexually transmitted disease or something, it’d cure it?” Twilight asked.

“It’d cure most sicknesses actually, your saliva would get into their bloodstream. I guess if you look at it in the long run you’re extending their lifespan a bit.” Celestia said with a finger on her chin in thought.

“Is there a way to make someone live as long as I do?” Twilight asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Turning them.” Celestia replied. “And before you ask, it’s taboo but you can mix a Lycan and a Vampire. It normally kills the person though, and should never be done intentionally.” She warned, sensing the question.

“Well if she was thinking what I think she was thinking, couldn’t i just like get a tiny bit of vampire blood or something?” Vinyl asked.

“I don’t know, don’t try it on your own.” Celestia warned once again.

“Just a thought for the future, don’t worry.” Twilight said as the high school came into view.

“I hear the AMS exams are going to take the form of Duels.” Celestia said, getting back to their original topic.

“Is that so? Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone then.” Twilight said.

“Or perhaps four, we could always duel each other.” Celestia offered.

“I’ve got something else in mind.” Twilight said.

“Alright. I’ll see you after school for your lessons.” Celestia said.

“Why are you returning those?” Vinyl asked in Gym that day as Twilight signed in her rental pair of wings.

“I’m going to get ones like Dash’s.” Twilight said.

“Surgically attached?” Shining asked.

“Yeah.” Twilight replied.

“Well, knowing what you are now I know you can handle it easily... Good luck with your exams, it’s about that time of year isn’t it?” Shining said.

“Yeah. Hey, do the Lycans in MMA know about me?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, everyone in MMA is either a Lycan, Vampire or doesn’t have a problem with either. Why?” Shining replied.

“Because it wouldn’t feel right to have such an advantage without them at least knowing about it. Lycans are tough, but when I’m at 100% like I am now it would be really unfair.” Twilight said.

“You fought AJ while injured and she’s a Lycan, and you still kicked her ass.” Spike said.

“Yeah, you’d be scary if you went all out on anything. Actually, I’ve seen you go almost all out on something. They ended up imploding.” Vinyl said.

“When was this?” Shining asked.

“A couple Griffons thought it’d be a good idea to rob my Nightclub and see if I was there the other night. They were Rogue Lycans.” Vinyl said.

“Oh, alright then. Spare me the details, we’re still in the middle of Gym.” Shining said.

“Alright, we have a guest here today. We will be doing a series of duels for the next few days, this will be your exams not only for my class, but a specialized magic exam that our guests will be evaluation you with.Would anyone care to volunteer first?” Gandalf explained in AMS.

Silence.

“No? Alright then, would our guests have anyone they’d like to see first?” Gandalf asked the woman sitting in the corner. She looked like she was from Canterlot.

“I hear there is a Miss Twilight Sparkle here.” The woman said.

“Ah, looks like you’re up Twilight.” Gandalf said with a smile. Twilight got up and stepped onto the dueling stage. “Choose your dueling partner.” He continued.

“I’d like to fight you, Mister Grey.” Twilight said. The old man laughed and stood from his place sitting on the edge of the stage.

“Are you sure? I may be an old man, but you should know better than most that age with magic means a stronger opponent.” Gandalf said.

“I know, but I feel I can better show what I can do if I fight somebody that will really give me a challenge.” Twilight replied.

“Very well.” He said as the barrier went up around them. They both set up a series of advanced wards and Twilight racked her brain to try and think of something she could do that was unique. Gandalf didn’t give her much of a chance though, he clacked his staff on the floor and sent a massive wave of energy at her.

All of the energy was absorbed by her wards and was sent spinning around her as she thought. Gandalf grinned and pointed the tip of his staff at her and sent bolts of magical energy at he. The sheer magnitude of the energy being used was enough to drop the jaws of the students, the bolt could have blown half of the school into nothingness. It joined the shockwave swirling around Twilight.

“Might I ask exactly what you are doing?” Gandalf asked.

“I don’t have the reserves to go up against you outright, so I’m siphoning what you throw at me with my wards. I’m also structuring a spell on the spot.” Twilight said, still deep in thought. Gandalf grinned and made his way towards her. He poured a large amount of magical energy into his stave, making it glow, and swung it like a bat at the girl’s head. Without looking, Twilight caught the swing. One of her physical wards shattered, but Gandalf not only felt the energy from the stave being leached, but his own energy as well.

He laughed as he dropped the stave and jumped backwards.

“With all of that magical energy you could level the town. What are you planning?” Gandalf asked. Twilight answered by opening her eyes and the energies swirling around her all condensing in her hand like a ball. She proceeded to stretch it out and snap it in half, creating two long chunks of condensed magical energy. The magic soon formed into blades, one a light purple and the other a dark lavender, and she looked at Gandalf.

In preparation for what he assumed came next, he tripled his wards, and then tripled them again. She tossed him his stave and charged at him. She ended the duel with two strikes. The first blade cut straight through all of his wards like a hot knife through butter, but bounced off of his stave like a stick. The second strike from the other blade passed right through his stave as if it wasn't real, as well as his body. As it passed through, he felt his body weakening. It was as if a fast acting poison was paralyzing him, the blade it’s source.

“Oh my, that was strange to say the least.” Gandalf said from his place standing as Twilight dispelled the blades.

“That was very impressive.” The woman said.

“Would you mind explaining exactly what you did?” Gandalf asked. Twilight poked him on the forehead and the paralysis disappeared, but he was still weak.

“The first blade absorbed and scattered the energy of your wards and any spells you would have cast, while the second is a ghost of the first that sapped the energy from your nerves and muscles. I’m surprised it worked though, it’d be rather easy to counter if you knew how.” Twilight said.

“Yes well even so, you beat me and made me look like a child in comparison and that was completely on the spot.” Gandalf said, cracking his back and plopping down on his usual spot.

“If we were really fighting you would have one.” Twilight shrugged.

“Perhaps. Alright, who’s next. And if anyone asks to fight me I’m turning you into a pig.” Gandalf said.

(A/N before people bitch at me for OP-ness Gandalf is human and didn't know what she was doing so he couldn't effectively counter Twilight.)