//------------------------------// // Truth Hurts // Story: Twilight and Sunset of the Vampires // by Anonomis //------------------------------// Over the next ten years, Twilight grew up seeing less of the Canterlot nobility as they started moving away and into other well-off cities in droves and didn't mind at all as the city changed occupants to anyone that wished to live there. When she wasn't practicing and excelling with her magic; Twilight spent much of her time reading. She wanted to talk with her mom and headed to Luna’s room, not knowing where she was. “Mom? Are you in here? Huh, what's this?” Lying on Luna’s bed was a black book. Turning it over, Twilight found it not to contain any markings on the book’s jacket and was extremely curious as to its contents. Once she started reading; her expression changed from curiosity to that of horror. “How could mom keep something like this,” Twilight thought “Twilight? Oh, there you are. What's that you're reading,” Luna asked casually “You tell me. Did you know about this,” Twilight demanded, holding up a black book “I did. Why do you ask,” Luna questioned “This contains dark magic; including raising the dead. Could you resurrect my family?” “That's not possible,” Luna replied “Why not?” “Necromancery is best with a recently deceased body, for one thing. Secondly; from what I saw, they were drained of blood.” “What difference does that make,” Twilight pressed “A lot. Everypony needs blood in order to function. No blood equals no resurrection,” Luna finished “What about Daybreaker? I want the truth about that.” “As you wish. There's someone I need to find first,” Luna said, with a sigh “Wherever this pony is; I'm going too.” “Very well. Try to keep up,” Luna decided Luna led Twilight down the steps towards the dungeons before entering a room at the end of the hall that seemed to be bare of any life. “This is it? An empty room?” “No. There is still further to go. My friends prefer living down here,” Luna replied Using a simple burst of magic on the back wall; a large section of the brick swung inward revealing a landing and more steps. Once inside the area; the door closed, shutting off any light. “I can't see.” “Normally I wouldn't need this, but here's some light,” Luna said, lighting her horn “Why wouldn't you need light down here?” “You'll see you for yourself,” she replied vaguely As they headed further down, Twilight noticed a change in temperature and had a shiver running through her. Moments later they reached the bottom and saw a wooden door to the next room. Once inside, were greeted by the occupants. “Luna, welcome back. Who might you be; little one,” a voice asked in the darkness “T-Twilight Sparkle. What are you?” Using the light from her mother's horn; Twilight was able to see six creatures that stood taller than Luna. Looking closely; she saw that they seemed to be really emaciated as their skeleton was visible beneath the skin. Folded up wings completed the appearance and Twilight was scared of the sight. “Introductions are in order. These six are my guard,” Luna started “What about the Solar and Lunar guards,” Twilight interjected “They mainly guard the castle. We are her elite Midnight Guard. To answer your next question as to our species; we are thestrals,” one replied “We are immortal and do not require nourishment to survive.” “Twilight; allow me to introduce you to everyone. This is Dark Steel; the leader of the guard. Following him are Asmodeus, Gearog, Oros, Skar; and finally Azazel. I think an explanation is in order. Dark Steel; could you help out,” Luna asked “Of course,” he replied with a bow of his head With that decided; the three left the room and headed upstairs as Twilight trailed behind. Twilight noticed that once they were surrounded by the castle’s lights; Dark Steel seemed to disappear. Their final destination was a study closest to Luna’s bedroom. Waiting inside was a maid who proceeded to drop off a pot of hot coffee before leaving wordlessly. Once they were alone; Luna proceeded to silence the room and blow out all non-essential lights; causing Dark Steel to reemerge. “What did you need to talk about,” Twilight asked curiously, pouring herself a cup “History. There's somethings you must know,” Luna said “Such as the fact that I'm a vampire.” “How is that possible? I thought vampires were fiction and hated sunlight,” a shocked Twilight asked, trying not to choke on the drink “I'll get to those. First, you need to understand more about us,” Luna replied, holding up a hoof to stop any interruptions “What I'm going to show you are my memories from when I was younger. This spell must never be revealed to anyone else. Understand?” “Yes Princess Luna. I promise not to tell anyone,” Twilight replied “My parents names are completely forgotten to me; but I can remember they were the king and queen of Transylmaneia and powerful vampires,” Luna started “King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis were unicorns that gave birth to a pegasus filly. The six of us were instructed to watch over and guard her,” Dark Steel added Twilight watched as a filly Luna was helped packing her bag by an older stallion; completely covered in shadow as a mare joined them. “Come along, my little Moonlight. We have to leave soon,” Sombra said “Why do you always use that nickname,” the young Luna asked “It's a way of reminding you of your family, Luna. Vampire or not, I predict you will do great things in life,” Chrysalis added “Why can't I see them,” Twilight asked “Your parents; I mean.” “I've forgotten about their appearances over thousands of years,” Luna replied “Unfortunately; I'm not much help either. There wasn't an ability to take images back then to help,” Dark Steel said “The three of us, along with the guard headed to Equestria to meet with the rulers at the time; King Erik and Queen Lilith,” Luna continued “This was long before Canterlot was built and the original castle was located in the Everfree Forest,” Dark Steel added Woona (filly Luna) and her parents stood in front of three brightly colored unicorns. The male was green with blue hair with a cutie mark of a crown; while his mate was a dark pink with much lighter pink hair and tiara cutie mark. Standing behind the female was a white filly with pink hair. “Greetings. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting,” King Erik said “Of course. If we are able to forge a relationship between our races, that would be a momentous occasion,” Sombra replied “Who's this little one,” Queen Lilith asked curiously “L-L-Luna,” she answered nervously “It's nice to meet you. This is my daughter Celestia. She’s five years old,” Lilith replied “Hi Luna,” Celestia said shyly “Our meeting seemed to be going smoothly, as negotiations happened between my parents and the Equestrian royalty. Unfortunately; my parents were killed that night, right before me,” Luna said with tears starting to form “I’ll always remember that moment,” Dark Steel added “I wanted to take action, but knew I couldn't do anything.” Twilight watched as King Erik used a knife and stabbed Luna’s parents in the heart, before casually removing the blade with a smile on his face. "I'm sorry; Moonlight,” Sombra said with his last breath “We love you; Luna,” Chrysalis added “We're sorry you had to see that, but it's going to be impossible to change relations that easily. You will be adopted as Celestia’s younger sister. As for your ‘situation’; we will provide blood to you for nourishment,” King Erik said “The six of you thestrals will continue to guard Luna.” “Of course, my lord. Thank you for allowing us to continue to guard Luna,” Dark Steel replied with a bow “Over the years, I received two goblets of blood a month to keep me from getting hungry; despite having regular meals. Unfortunately, when I was thirteen things started to change. A tutor was summoned to teach Celestia and I magic. You'd know him as Star Swirl the Bearded,” Luna continued “Star Swirl’s my idol. I've read everything on him.” Twilight saw a yellow stallion with a grey mane and equally long grey beard approach the young Luna. After reading so much of his work, this was the first time of actually seeing Star Swirl. “Hello. My name is Star Swirl. What's yours,” Star Swirl asked “Luna,” she said simply “Your parents suggested we head to your room for privacy. I might be able to teach you differently than your sister,” he replied "You have a magical potential that is unlike anyone else. Celestia will someday take her place as ruler and have to raise the sun on a daily basis. You will join her by raising the moon.” “How is that possible? I'm a vampire for one thing. But the most important thing is that I'm a pegasus! I can't do that,” she exclaimed “That's why I said your potential is different. Luna; you are able to levitate objects, but you have to focus in order to do so . Once you start practicing, it will take you a while to have the influence over the moon itself,” he said turning to leave Twilight watched as Luna would stare intently at a book or candle before giving up. After a while; small success was seen as the object hovered slightly. “Five years of training later; I was finally able to keep up with Celestia. Her parents were happy when she raised the sun for the first time. That night, I was successful at lowering the sun and raising the moon for the first time when I began changing,” Luna said “What happened next truly was unforgettable. The six of us watched as Luna started to glow before she started screaming in pain,” Dark Steel said “My skull started splitting apart as my new horn started forcing its way out. I ended up collapsing as a pool of blood formed around my head in the process. Celestia and her parents seemed in shock at the sight of me gaining a horn.” “That's amazing. I'm glad you're alright,” Twilight said, hugging her mom “Why the transformation?” “I'd guess it had something to do with our personalities. Celestia seemed to be angelic so gaining her wings was graceful. Since I'm a vampire; gaining the horn would be torture,” Luna answered “What do you think a unicorn might face?” “I honestly don't know. It'll be just as bad as the horn; though,” Luna finished “Sorry, I had to ask. You mentioned one, so the other came to mind.” “It’s fine. After becoming an alicorn, I really started to change. My bloodlust seemed to occur more often, before I actually lost it. One night, I snuck out of my room and headed into the royal bedroom and towards one side of the bed. Placing one hoof over their muzzle; I turned their head to the side and proceeded to completely drain them of blood. In the process; Celestia slipped inside and watched it transpire.” “Luna! What are you doing,” Celestia demanded “Getting something to drink. What else,” Luna answered flatly “You just killed our parents,” Celestia said angrily “Your parents; not mine. Mine were murdered right in front of me. I'm just returning the favor.” “You…you killed them,” a shocked Twilight asked “I did. That also had the unforeseen consequence of bringing out a darkness in Celestia,” Luna replied “Daybreaker. I've heard the legends about it,” Twilight said “They aren't entirely true. This is the actual event that you'll see.” “Sister; this isn't you! I'm sorry for my actions that night! I wasn't in control of myself!” “Celestia is gone! I am Daybreaker! You will regret ever becoming my sister,” Celestia/Daybreaker roared “Don't make me do this! I love you!” “Love won't bring my parents back. You killed them,” Daybreaker replied “It's only fair I reunite you with your dead parents in Tartarus!” “What happened next,” Twilight asked “I shot a spell at her to paralyze her. After that, I completely drained Celestia of blood. Since she was the ruler of the sun, her blood made me invulnerable to the sun.” “Luna asked the six of us for a major favor afterwards. We had to destroy the castle,” Dark Steel added “And the holiday, Nightmare Night? What's the origin of that?” “According to the texts, Nightmare Moon defeated Daybreaker on the night of October 31st. As tribute to that victory; the holiday was named in my honor,” Luna answered “So, everything is a lie? What about that dream I told you about ten years ago,” a curious Twilight asked “I've been having it for years ever since my parents died.” “That brings me to the hardest part in the explanation. You mentioned seeing a creature with red eyes. That was me. In my bloodlust I attacked your parents and brother; draining them of blood before biting you. The intent was to kill you, but I decided to transfer a portion of my power.” “That means,” Twilight started “Yes. You have vampire blood in you. After I killed them; I decided it was best to adopt you, in order to give you a family. I'm sorry I lied to you over the years about your parents.” “I need some time to myself. This is a lot to take in,” Twilight said, leaving the room “Let her go. She deserves privacy right now,” Dark Steel said, putting a wing on Luna’s back “You're right. I did something that changed her life,” Luna replied During dinner that night, the room was completely silent as Twilight still seemed to be irritated by the news. Afterwards Luna returned to her room to read when the door opened to an unexpected visitor. “When were you going to tell me,” Twilight demanded “When you were ready. I wasn't in control when it happened. I'm sorry,” Luna said apologetically “Sorry can't bring my parents back from the dead. I'm going to leave Canterlot and head to Ponyville. Goodbye princess,” Twilight said with a hint of disgust in her voice “Before you leave; at least let me give something before you go. First, is a spell that will allow you to send letters here if you wish. Second and most importantly is the deed to Ponyville Library,” Luna said, sending a spell to Twilight’s horn “How'd you know about that?” “You've read everything in the castle, so it's only natural to believe you'd want to live in a library. And plus, the actual purpose for that trip was to secure the house for you. Unfortunately, it will need to be organized,” Luna replied as Twilight left Twilight grabbed the photo albums from her room and stuck them in a box. On Luna’s order; two guards followed Twilight to a carriage. As she climbed inside; the guards were hooked up to pull it. After a short flight, Twilight was left standing in front of the Ponyville Library. Inside was a sight of all the new books to read. “First thing is to get this organized,” she thought to herself, looking around Upon heading to the third floor, once Twilight opened one of the doors, she found layers of dust covering the room. After using her magic to summon a broom, she set to work cleaning up. “This place looks like it hasn't been touched in years.” Heading to the lower floors to clean posed a challenge; but was enough to get her mind off what Luna told her. Some time later, she heard an upstairs window open, signifying an unwanted guest. “Hey! Anyone here,” a voice called “Yes, there is. What can I do for you?” “Where's the Daring Doo books,” came the response “Why don't you come down and ask nicely?” The visitor emerged from the third floor and Twilight was finally able to see who she was talking to. Standing in front of here was a light blue pegasus with rainbow hair and Twilight guessed that her name was somehow related to her appearance. “Now, back to my question. Where are the Daring Doo books,” the pegasus demanded “Perhaps you could ask nicely? And would you mind introducing yourself? I'm Twilight Sparkle.” “Rainbow Dash. You probably figured that out,” Dash replied “I'm sorry, but I haven't seen any Daring Doo books. If you don't mind waiting a few days I'll have this organized.” “Alright. I'll see you again later in the week,” Dash said, before heading out the front door “By the way, you seem awfully familiar. You didn't happen to come from Canterlot; did you?” “Yes, I did. I am a former student to the princess. In fact, me being here was due to a disagreement we had.” Over the next three days, Twilight had both floors of books organized into subject and further separated into alphabetical order to make filing easier. For personal use, she found some quills that were left untouched and bought some scrolls and ink to use. Sitting in her room was a stack of books about Equestria’s history. Before she could take her frustrations out, a letter emerged in front of her, bearing the royal seal. ‘Don't try destroying the books. They are enchanted to prevent editing. -Your guardian and teacher; Princess Luna’ Undeterred; Twilight had started to write the word ‘Murderer’ under a picture of Luna, only to find the ink disappear afterwards. “Of course it would do that. Why didn't I see that coming,” Twilight asked out loud “She did that a long time ago,” a voice said, causing Twilight to jump “Sorry for the scare. I should have announced myself better.” “She sent you to take care of me? Which one are you?” “Asmodeus. Yes, Luna did send me to watch over you. I know what she did was wrong; but try to see it from her perspective,” he replied “See what? A murderer that kills without remorse? A ruler that took an innocent filly from her family and then proceeded to lie about it for ten years!?” Twilight proceeded to ignore any answer from her visitor and grabbed a scroll and started writing what could have been a letter to her family. ‘I'm sorry you had to die so long ago. Equestria’s Princess Luna was the vampire that attacked you that night. I lived with her afterwards until I found out the truth. I hope you can be at peace. -Your loving daughter and sister, Twilight Sparkle’ “Hey, Egghead! You home,” Dash yelled as Twilight headed outside “Please don't call me egghead. It's Twilight. And yes; the books are organized.” “Your house seems to be haunted. I just saw something upstairs. Sorry, I'm Pinkie Pie,” she said popping out of nowhere before disappearing Dash followed Twilight back inside as she went to retrieve the requested books. Twilight wrote down the list on a scroll to remind Rainbow to return them. “I'll bring these back soon,” Dash said carrying the stack of books The next day Twilight decided to head into town to actually get some food for the house when a pony bumped into her spilling a bag onto the ground. “I'm really sorry about that. The name's Applejack. Nice to meet you,” she said, helping clean up “Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for the help." “It's my fault, so I have to clean up. Granny Smith told to always clean up my messes,” Applejack added “You accompanied her to Canterlot a few times years ago.” “I did. Don't tell me that you were the filly next to the princess,” AJ replied “That was me. It must be a coincidence to meet up that day.” “Well, I have a few friends you might like to meet. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy,” AJ added “I've met Rainbow already along with Pinkie; but never seen Rarity or Fluttershy before." “I'll introduce you to them some time,” AJ decided “I look forward to it.” The next day, Applejack was waiting outside to pick Twilight up for the other introductions. They stopped at a cabin near the edge of the forest that contained multiple animals running around the outside. A yellow pegasus emerged whistling to herself. “Howdy Fluttershy. Thought I'd drop by to introduce you,” Applejack said “It's nice to meet you. I'm Twilight Sparkle.” “H-h-hi,” Fluttershy stammered “You'll get used to her shyness,” AJ replied The trip to the boutique resulted in Twilight meeting Rarity and having a dress made for herself; albeit reluctantly. She was glad to know there were five other girls that she become friends with; which took her mind off of the argument with her mom.