A Bond Carved In Blood
Part 3: The Dream of Night
By: Major Frostwing
I awoke in a nightscape laying on the grass of a hill. "I know this dream." I sat up placing my hand against my forehead knowing how this dream plays out.
"Charles." I turned to see a woman she smiled sitting down next to me looking up at the moon. "How beautiful this night is." I looked over to her. How long has it been since it happened. "Don't you agree Charles?" She tilted her head smiling.
"I'm sorry Beth." I muttered placing my hands over my eyes. "I couldn't protect you from them." I felt her place her hand on my chest.
"That's right Charles." My blood froze as I looked to her she had blood pouring out of her eyes yet she was smiling widely. "You couldn't protect the sole thing that mattered to you." I sat up moving away from her. "You watched me die and didn't raise a finger to save me."
"That's not true I tried to save you I tried so hard." I felt the tears well up in my eyes trying not to cry.
"BUT IT WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" I flinched at her words she placed her hand around my neck lifting up a stake. "AND NOW YOU WILL SUFFER LIKE I HAVE!" She thrust the stake only for it to disappear.
"I am glad I am not to late." A female voice said walking towards us. "My sister told us about you Charles Bishop the man known as a vampire." I turned looking at her she was beyond stunning and for some reason I felt at ease when I saw her.
"Who are you?" I asked as Beth disappeared from the dream with a click.
"I am Princess Luna the princess of the night and princess Celestia's little sister." I adjusted myself standing in front of her.
"I am honored to meet the mother of the night's glory. I am Charles Bishop known as The Flame of Hatred, Unholy Protector, and the Blood of Night. I am the hero of the vampire hunt of 1884 and the source blood of the Bishop blood line." I knelt in front of her bowing my head low. "But I am nothing in the presence of our holy mother of night."
"Rise Charles Bishop I do not come to you as the night mother but as the Dream Watcher." Nodding I rose to my feet.
"I still thank you for the glory of the night without it my kind would have never been." She smiled to me.
"I am happy to see my night is loved so much. Now I must ask who was that woman?" I looked away when she asked me the question.
"That was Bethany Bishop my wife sadly she was staked many years ago and burned in the rays of that cursed sun." My fists clenched into fists. "I could only watch as she burned." Luna seemed sad at my tale. "Do not give me that look Princess Luna I avenged her death with the blood of those hunters."
"Was killing them the correct answer?" I looked to her shocked. I never once questioned my actions that day I did what I had to, to survive. "Is one death means for so much more?" I looked down realizing it indeed was wrong. "We have a breed here that went through the same thing as your kind. They remain hidden in plain sight feeding off of the love of others yet when they are found. Our subjects slaughter them saying that they are monsters." I nodded knowing how that feels.
"And what are they called?" she nodded.
"Changelings they take on another's physical form to replace them while they feed off of others." she crossed her arms content with her answer. "So will you become like them an unending cycle of slaughter?"
"Princess I have lived for 2000 years taking on many new names and identities and I haven't killed a human since that day I slaughtered those hunters." I turned my attention to the moon above us. "I was a leading authority on human vampire coexistence us Vampires helped the humans with our powers and in turn they would feed us willingly." I smiled to the moon. "I could never kill another human being."
"I see I will have a package sent to your home today it should allow you to keep to your word." Luna saw that the sun was rising in the dream world the rays of light hit me it was warm and didn't burn me. "I hope you can have a peaceful experience with the people of our world." She was about to fade when I grabbed her hand.
"Can you tell me where these changelings are I might be able to help with the problem." She giggled to me as she disappeared.
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A knock came on the lid of my casket waking me up from my sleep. "Charles a package came for you today." Twilight said as I moved the lid off of the casket. "It's from Princess Luna." I nodded looking over to see a large fridge that was already plugged in. "I can't seem to open it though so I have no idea what is inside." As I moved to the door to open it there was a note on it with a series of numbers on it.
"Do you know what these numbers are?" I asked pointing at the note.
"It's a point on a map weird thing is that the destination is inside of the Everfree forest." She shrugged walking up to me looking at the fridge. "So what's inside?" I opened the door seeing that there were blood packets inside.
"Now that is a very generous gift." I reached in pulling out one of the packets pulling off the seal on the end I placed the end in my mouth taking a rather large drink of the life liquid. I glanced back seeing Twilight she seemed to be shaking in fear.
"Is that... Blood?" I looked back into the fridge then back at her.
"Would you like a lie or the truth?" I asked her as I took another drink from the packet.
"The truth." She wasn't looking at me but instead at the packet in my hand.
"Yes it is blood but Princess Luna gave me medical blood from a hospital." I took another sip. "And from it's taste it has about a week left before it all goes bad and would have to be thrown away." I finished off the packet tossing it into a trash can sighing. "This will keep me tame so I don't need to source feed." She nodded still seeming to be shaken up. "This is how I lived in my world so you have nothing to fear. Though I could use some juice to cover up the sour flavor." She sighed at my pour attempt at a joke.
"You are unbelievable Charles." She shook her head walking up the stairs to her bed.
"Hey Twilight can you do me a quick favor?" She looked back at me confused. "Can you enchant a map to help me find this destination oh and can you put an ice enchantment on the inside of a bag?" She nodded taking one of her bags off of a hoof to her basement enchanting it before tossing it back to me.
"Are you going there tonight?" I nodded calmly placing a few packets inside of the bag. "That is a 2 day hike from here will you be safe while the sun is out?" I chuckled lightly.
"I am a very old vampire and have survived this long I will be alright." I slid the bag over my shoulder walking up the stairs after her. She pulled out a map of the Everfree it looked like more of a blob than a detailed map.
A glow surrounded her horn as a tiny point appeared on the map and a small arrow in the far left corner. "The point is your destination you are the arrow just moved towards the point. Be safe Charles." I nodded to her.
"Tomorrow night I will show you some vampire magic." Her eyes seemed to sparkle at the mere thought of learning something completely new. I walked out of the home just as the moon was rising. According to what Twilight said I needed to hurry. I took off in a mad sprint going faster and faster.
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I was running through the forest hearing every creature around me. They were predators like myself but they knew better than to attack me. I saw a hut which warranted me to stop. I looked over the hut carefully seeing that the light was on I walked up to the door looking at it wondering what could possibly be out here in this dangerous forest. I turned away from the door running off into the distance continuing to my destination. I arrived as a large clearing I looked around feeling the magic in the area. I reached into my bag pulling out the map seeing that I was where I needed to be I looked up taking a few steps forward that's when I saw the ripple of a barrier. I set my hand on the barrier feeling the resistance it presented.
"Odd." I said pressing against the barrier yet it wouldn't give. "Very odd." I pulled out one of my blood packets opening it up the blood spilled out in front of me. "I command thee to be my weapon to carve through my enemies without hesitation." The blood bubbled collecting into a sphere that rose into the air. The blood floated over spreading across a section of the barrier. "Allow me entry into thou's home." The blood seeped into the barrier shattering it in a section I walked forward through the opening. I saw a rather large castle in front of me but it had all the workings of a large bee hive. The blood floated over to me I sunk my teeth into the floating orb devouring it happily.
"Halt intruder." I heard someone yell I turned to see a man his skin was black almost insect like. "State your business or be killed." I sighed shaking my head.
"I would like to have a word with your source blood." I stated calmly he looked confused. "Your king or queen." I revised myself sighing again this was beginning to become problematic.
"And why should I let you anywhere near our queen intruder?" He raised a spear to me placing it against my throat.
"If you continue to point your weapon at me you better use it." My eyes flashed gold.
The guard twitched raising his weapon to me a sickly green glow surrounded the tip of his weapon. "Enough let him through." A voice echoed as the guard lowered his weapon. I moved past the guard with a smile going towards the throne room of the large castle. As I opened the door two spears stopped me a few of the insect like changelings stood before me horns glowing a sickly green.
"Nice welcoming party but a predator knows when it has no chance of victory." I walked under the spears moving past the magic using changelings to the throne. "And a glorious Evening to you. I am Charles Bishop." I placed my hand over my heart bowing to the queen. "I am known as The Flame of Hatred, Unholy Protector, and the Blood of Night. I am the hero of the vampire hunt of 1884 and the source blood of the Bishop blood line." The queen only glared at me.
"Kneel in the presence of our queen." One of the guards barked at me. I turned towards him my eyes glowing gold he took a step away.
"Enough leave us guards." The queen said with a booming voice. The guards hesitated for only a moment. The queen slammed her fist down on her throne they bowed leaving the throne room. "I am Chrysalis Queen of the changelings, I am known as The Brood Mother, and Mother." She stood walking towards me circling me examining everything about me as I did the same.
She wore a dark green dress at the ends it was frayed and torn she had wings insect like but had holes in them her skin was black and insect like she had a horn as well. Her hair was a sickly dark green that sported the same holes as her wings and dress. "A pleasure to meet you Queen Chrysalis I had a few things to discuss with you." She stopped in front of me she had a glare but I could still see the curiosity in her eyes. "It is about coexistence with the other creatures of this world." she struck me across the face seeming to be enraged by my words.
"Do you have any idea what my kind has suffered through being hunted down and slaughtered all because we are different from them." She raised her fist to strike me again. "What could you know of that pain." As the fist came I caught it my expression blank.
"My kind had a way to exchange info through our blood since you are close to what my kind is feeding would be a more direct way to prove it to you." She looked at me shocked as I undid my collar showing her my neck. "So feed off of me and I will prove my pain is worse than even yours." She hesitated but eventually walked to me sinking her teeth into my neck feeding off of my love after a few seconds she let go moving away from me.
"You have lived for so long knowing the pain of being hunted and killed yet... You became weak to want to compromise with those who hunted you." I sighed shaking my head.
"You fail to see the bigger picture."
"Pray-tell what is the bigger picture?"
"The safety of our children the love each of my kind can hold for one another. Even though we do not grow old and die we still lived on knowing that we could be killed for being what we are." I smiled looking at her. "I gave both of our race's peace of mind and happiness neither hunts the other down. Oppression still happened in some areas but it was handled safely and without death. I made our world better if a person was to die from a horrible wound or an accident they have the choice to be saved and continue to live on I helped make the world... Better than before. Won't you do the same?" I asked her extending my hand to her.
She listened to my words carefully before turning away from me. "I will speak with my subjects about this but for now, leave my home." I bowed to her as I left the castle. The sun was going to rise in an hour so I had to hurry back home. I took off running all the way back to the library.