Nicholas was sitting on the throne once again, deep in his thought. He let out a weary sigh and put his hoof to his forehead, furrowing his brows. He knew that ponies in his kingdom always meant troubles, no matter when or why they came to his domain. Now, with a few of them as his prisoners, he had to be extremely cautious not to let them escape lest his kingdom be discovered.
Unfortunately, the Vampire King had more problems than having ponies inside his kingdom of Vallaer. His newly-reborn kingdom needed information, resources, and power, among other different things. The king had already seen that the ancient spells that protected Vallaer fell long ago, and it meant the kingdom would be in a great danger if the protection and defenses were not addressed as soon as possible.
So, he ordered the royal magi to re-cast the spells, returning them to their full power. Once it was done, the whole city filled with a sense of security; one that could never be given even from the thickest and highest walls of the sturdiest and most durable material. No, the best protection could only be given by powerful magic. It was well-known that many inhabitants of Equestria couldn't wield magic as well as unicorns could; that fact meant those who were magic-less could do little to nothing to break a powerful magical shield. It would surely take an alicorn or two to break the protection or far more unicorns of the highest power.
However, even if the city was secure from outside intrusion, the problems on the inside remained. While vampires didn't necessarily need blood to survive, it gave them strength nothing else could provide. Without blood, they would weak, their strength — nonexistent, and they would be nothing but miserable. Survival and living are two different things, after all.
Having only four ponies to feed the whole kingdom would not solve the problem in the long run, unfortunately. The king had to find another source of blood, preferably non-sapient creatures. Unwanted attention would make everything harder for the vampires, especially at this time.
Nicholas sent a few vampires to look for the said creatures. Hopefully, they would return to the city with at least a small feline or canine. If the luck were on their side, they would bring a goat. It was well-known that goats didn't have the same level of sapience others possessed.
With his power yet to return to full, the Vampire King was still rather weak. He needed blood to restore his strength.
The doors to the throne room abruptly opened, revealing a vampire dressed in red robes embroidered with gold.
"Regele meu Nicholas," he spoke, bowing. "Este timpul pentru Luna Roșie."
"Într-adevăr," the king nodded, standing up. "Este timpul să începem ritualul."
Daring Do finally woke up, feeling much better than before. She let out a long yawn and sat upright, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. A few moments later, she stood up. Her nostrils flared slightly as she caught a pleasant smell of some kind. She turned in the direction of the smell and found some food on the nearby table. It was fresh pale-green lettuce, some black rye bread, a couple of daisies, along with a cup of apple juice. To her eyes, the food looked stale, somewhat lifeless. The adventurer frowned and cautiously sniffed the food. Finding no foul smell or anything even remotely off, she started eating. She chewed carefully, making sure that the food rolled on her tongue enough times for her to determine what the taste was and if something was off. She found out that the taste was almost the same, albeit it had something strange to it. A bit of metallic touch, she guessed.
Enjoying her small but fulfilling meal, she looked out of the window to see a rather bustling city. The streets were being swept, buildings were repaired, signs were cleaned. The ancient city was quickly coming back to life. She saw a vampire playing the violin out in the street. The notes were faint from such a distance but it was an uplifting, rhythmic song. The adventurer also noticed their king, Nicholas. He casually strolled through the streets, occasionally stopping to talk with different vampires. The mare wished she could hear what he was talking about but even if she could, she wouldn't understand a thing. She wondered if Nicholas would agree to teach her the language in some manner.
Downing a cup of juice, Daring Do started her morning routine by stretching and then exercising. She jumped, did squats and wing-ups. After the warm-up, she looked around her room; finally she had the time to fully inspect it. Every detail mattered, maybe she would find something interesting.
The shards of glass that she left the day before were thoroughly cleaned, the dust was nowhere to be seen either. The room had a middle-sized bed with a chest of drawers by it, a table by the wall, a small mirror on the said table, and a big window. The only door was leading into the castle's halls. Overall, the room was reasonably comfortable, even without the bathroom. Definitely not the worst place she'd been held at in her lifetime.
However, the adventurer did wish a bathroom was there. She walked to the door and knocked twice. In a few moments, a reply came.
"What is it?" a male voice with a hint of vampiric accent asked from the other side.
"I really need to use the bathroom," Daring Do said. She knew that the best way to escape was by asking to go to the bathroom since rarely anyone denied something so simple. If too foolish, those who escorted her to the bathroom would be knocked out by her and the last her capturers would see of her would be her tail disappearing behind the nearest corner.
"Step away from the door," the same voice replied. The adventurer complied, taking a few steps back. Moments later, metallic clicks sounded from inside the door, and it opened, revealing two guards. One of them said: "Unfold your wings and prepare for inspection."
The pegasus did as ordered, fully unfolding her wings and spreading them out. One of the guards stepped in and started inspecting her from head to hooves. He went through her mane, tail, and feathers thoroughly but carefully. While he was doing the inspection, the mare did nothing. She knew she'd be locked up in her new room if she did anything to the inspecting guard. In the end, she didn't want to waste her strength by trying to pull off an escape attempt right there and then. It didn't seem like Nicholas wanted her dead, and perhaps she would be able to escape later much easier.
"Ea este curată," that guard said. After receiving a nod from another guard, he turned back to the pegasus and ordered; "Come out of the room."
Daring Do exited her room. The door was closed behind her. One guard stood in front of her slightly to the left, while another took position behind her to the right;, both of them were at a reasonable distance. Not too far to let her escape but not too close to be unable to react to her actions.
"Follow me," the front guard said and started walking at a slow pace.
Daring Do took her time to take in the surroundings. The hall she was in was pretty bland save for gothic-styled decorations. At both ends of the hall, big doors stood, each protected by two guards. It was impossible to escape the hall by any way other than going back to the room and breaking through the glass. After her early attempt, Daring Do was sure it was reinforced.
They rounded the corner, coming to two doors. There were signs in the vampiric language above the doors but Daring Do couldn't understand them. While she had read many books on vampires, she had never laid her hooves on anything written in their native language. However, the possibility of learning it intrigued her and she couldn't wait to get some educational material for herself to finally learn the ancient language.
One of the guards stepped to the left door and knocked several times. After a few moments of silence, he returned to the adventurer.
"Left door," the guard said. "Don't forget to flush."
Daring Do nodded and entered the bathroom. It was clean and looked relatively new.
"At least they know what basic hygiene is..." she muttered. Many places she'd ever had time captured at would often be as smelly as the unclean toilet or rotting garbage pile. This time however, Daring Do was pleasantly surprised to see something good for a change.
There were simple sinks with small water tanks above them with a hose in each bottom. While so simple, it provided running water to clean the hooves after the deal is done. There was also a large mirror hanging on the wall above the sinks.
Daring Do walked further into the room and saw four booths. Two of them were marked with wings and hooves, and the other two were marked with horns.
"Some toilet rooms in the cities could use that," Daring Do commented as she walked into the booth for hornless vampires.
Inside, there was a hole in the floor and a small table with three toilet paper rolls, as well as a water hose in the wall. There were instructions written on the wall, unfortunately only in vampiric. Though, the instructions featured simple pictures.
"For an ancient civilization, this toilet is certainly advanced," Daring Do noted, looking at the instruction pictures.
The pictures depicted how the toilet paper should be used. Apparently, it can stick to hooves so that a vampire was able to clean themselves more easily. A water hose was an easier alternative, however.
After completing the deal, she used the flushing mechanism that basically just dropped a big amount of water into the hole in which vampires relieve themselves. Simple and yet rather effective. The water also had some kind of a pleasant smell to it, too.
While relieving, Daring Do did a quick look around. There were small holes in the walls for ventilation, and yet they were too small for even a foal to crawl through them. There was no exit besides the way she came through.
The pegasus washed her hooves and exited the toilet room. The guards were patiently waiting outside. Their faces displayed no emotions, rubies in their helmet glowed with a slight hum, and the guards were completely silent, waiting.
"Well, take me back." she sighed.
***
Daring Do was sitting on her bed, her camera in her hooves. While her clothes and flashlight were gone, the former dropped somewhere near the exit and most likely taken by vampires for themselves, her camera was still with her. The only thing that she had left with her, and the only proof that the vampire city still existed. She used her camera to get a photo through the window, capturing the panorama of the city and its inhabitants. The lighting conditions were far from ideal but it was better than nothing.
She decided to put the camera somewhere to not attract unwanted attention. Her room wasn't searched, and she was sure they would take the camera at least out of curiosity. Since the camera was rather fragile, she decided to put it in a drawer. Not the best place but surely better than just storing her camera out in the open. So, she pulled out one of the drawers and saw some paper along with two quills and an inkwell.
"Hm..." Daring Do tapped her chin. "I might use those."
She took the things she found and replaced it with her camera. One piece of paper had vampiric text and had a small red heart at the bottom. Everything else was completely blank. Putting the what seemed to be a love letter aside, Daring Do grabbed the blank pieces of paper.
"Might as well write a sketch," she muttered to herself, moving the paper to the table. She grabbed the inkwell and opened it. The ink inside was pretty much usable, surprisingly. She grabbed the quill and began to write what would be her next book.
In a few hours, someone knocked on the door. Hiding her sketches, Daring Do stood up from the chair. A small smudge of ink was on her hoof, which she couldn't erase before the door opened.
"His Majesty desireth to see thee," a guard said. "Come out of the room."
As before, Daring Do complied without question. Once again, she was surrounded by guards and led through the halls of the castle. This time, however, it was an entirely different route, which included staircases. It seemed like she would be taken to the very top of the castle. Halfway there, she felt reverberation, a distant sound of a musical instrument she couldn't yet recognize.
Soon, she came into a long hall, the music became louder. She finally recognized the instrument — it was the pipe organ. She could feel the vibrations in the air, traveling through the surroundings and through her own body.
The guards opened the doors leading to the next hall. Finally, the unknown song was loud and clear as Daring Do entered a grand hall. Many vampires were standing by either side of the red carpet that led from the doors to the large window at the end of the hall. The window showed snowy mountains and the regal moon above them. It was no regular moon — it was tinted red and surrounded with a reddish glow.
The choir started to sing, and Daring Do could do nothing but stare at the moon. It hypnotized her, making it impossible to look away; its light shone straight into her soul, penetrating it with ease, seeing her from the inside.
She didn't understand a word of what was sung but the emotions spoke well. The song was dark, haunting, and yet it was powerful. There was a hint of something else... Sadness, perhaps? These emotions expressed more than words ever could, it was something primal and at the same time very elaborate.
Standing there in awe, Daring Do continued to listen without moving or speaking, letting the song flow through her, empowering her, making goosebumps appear on her body.
Soon, the song ended, leaving the pegasus awestruck. Silence fell and yet she didn't move. The vampires seemingly didn't notice her, their eyes directed at the red moon. Afraid to make a sound, Daring Do remained still for a few long minutes, waiting for something to happen.
She heard clop of hooves from the other side of the hall. She turned her head and saw Nicholas coming to her. Unlike before, he was dressed in simple black robes with the lining of red silk, a hood over his head, and a decorated necklace resting on his chest.
"Good evening, Daring Do," he greeted the mare politely. "Come with me. Let us take a walk."
With a slight pause, the pegasus nodded and followed the king out of the hall.
"I presume thou hast many questions," he spoke, "What thou hast just witnessed is Luna Roșie. In thy language, The Red Moon. It is our sacred guide, our true mother. All of us were born under Luna Roșie, all of us are guided by its holy crimson light...
“Thou art a pony, thou shalt not understand it, unfortunately," he glanced at the adventurer. Her ears were turned directly to him. "Thou art interested in learning about us, art thou not?"
"Yes... yes I am," Daring Do replied with a hint of hesitation. "It is... the first chance to study an ancient culture firsthoof. Not by tablets, texts, but interacting with those living in it, born with it..." a dreamy look appeared on her face. "I... I must say that it's an honor."
"I am glad thou thinkest that way, adventurer," Nicholas nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. "Let us proceed, I shall show thee something thou shalt be very interested in."
In the Castle of Canterlot, Princess Luna was standing on the balcony, staring at the sky. High above, the moon was shining. It was not unusual if not for how the moon was colored — it was tinted with red. A faint memory made the sight familiar and yet the princess couldn't quite place it.
"It happened again, didn't it?" Celestia asked, coming from behind her sister. "The moon..."
"It did," Luna nodded, her eyes fixated on the moon. "I have no idea what it meaneth."
"Neither do I, sister," the solar alicorn nodded; a frown on her face. "It is something... something from the deep past… However... I can't remember. If it indeed is a memory, it is from times long gone, perhaps even before Discord."
"We shall understand it soon, hopefully," Luna said, turning away from the sight. "For now, we shall think. Perhaps, 'tis just an anomaly of sorts... once again, hopefully… Otherwise... it could mean anything."
Finally, Nicholas and Daring Do came to the library. The pegasus stopped, staring agape at the sight before her. Three floors, all having many, many shelves of books. The walls featured paintings of different people; ponies, vampires, and griffins alike were present on them. There were writings under the said pictures as well, describing who they all were. The ceiling of the library represented clear night sky; there were stars and their constellations, as well as the moon, which was, surprisingly, its original pale-yellow color. There was also a big window that showed the city. At that time, there were but a few vampires in the whole library. They greeted their king with polite nods, carrying on with their business.
"This is our temple. The temple of knowledge," Nicholas said. In a moment, a female winged vampire came out of the shadows. "Thou shalt have a guide to help thee navigate and study the knowledge stored in this great library," he gestured at the vampire. "Her name is Isabel."
"Salutări, majestatea voastră," Isabel said in vampiric while bowing to her king. "Hello to thee, Daring Do," the mare said to Daring Do with a voice that had a slight vampiric accent to it. The vampire was roughly a head taller than the adventurer, had white mane and tail, and pale-blue fur. Her vibrant blue eyes looked at the pegasus, expecting a reply.
"...Hello?" Daring Do hesitated to respond.
"I am sure you two shall get along just fine," Nicholas reassured. A small smile touching his lips; "I leave you two here, then. I have matters to attend to."
With that being said, he turned around and left, closing the door behind him. Daring Do carefully eyed Isabel.
"Don't worry, I don't bite," Isabel let out a soft laugh. "Well... Daring Do, I have heard thou camest here for knowledge. Our library hath it, and I think thou'lt find everything thou needst here. However, thou hast to learn Vampiric first. We have no books in Commonlang besides educational.
"Thou also mayst ask questions. Well, as long as they're not about something secret."
"...Alright then." Daring Do nodded.
"Goody!" Isabel smiled, showing her sharp teeth. Daring Do shuddered slightly. "Follow me, then; there's a private room where we shan't be bothered."
The two went to the second floor of the library. Few vampires that were there glanced at the adventurer with curiosity, trying not to stare outright. Daring Do felt a tingle running down her spine, a chill of fear crawling up her back. She had seen many creatures in her life, and most that opposed her were not that intelligent. However, vampires were a completely different story. She was completely sure they were as intelligent as ponies, maybe even more so. Dealing with them would be a huge problem.
"Here," Isabel said, and the two entered a small room. It had a wooden table, shelves with books, four armchairs, a fireplace, and a rather small window. The place looked cozy and comfortable to study at.
"This is my favorite place,” the vampire continued, “It's quiet here, perfect for reading books," she pulled out a book from under her wing and laid it on the table, "This is the book about Vampiric, written in Commonlang. The only one of few we actually have."
"Have there been any other ponies studying here?" Daring Do inquired.
"Only a few," Isabel replied. "Most of them were later turned into our kind. As for the rest... Thou shouldst ask the king about them… Anyway, let us start!" her cheerful attitude had a slip in demeanor, but returned to normal. "I shall first teach thee our alphabet and pronunciation. Thou shouldst learn the pronunciation carefully to be perfect in our language."
"Alright, let's get to it," Daring Do replied with enthusiasm. Even while technically being a prisoner, she still wanted to learn as much as possible about the vampires, and nothing would quench her thirst for such rare knowledge.
***
Meanwhile, Nicholas assembled a court in the dining hall of the castle. It featured another ten vampires, the most important ones in the city. They controlled almost every aspect of vampires' life, including economy, law enforcement, medicine, education, and other spheres of social life.
On that day, they were gathered by the king to celebrate the return of Vallaer, the ancient vampire country. A big feast was held at the castle, having many foods and drinks to offer to the guests, including a special one Nicholas was going to present some time later.
The vampires sat at the big rectangular table and had Nicholas at its head. The table was under a big weight of eatables, including lettuce, apples, hay, and even some cakes and pies baked for the occasion.
There were numerous stallion servants, each of them serving exactly one individual. They wore classical black tuxedoes and red bow-ties. Their hair was trimmed to perfection and slicked back.
Nicholas cleared his throat, and everyone turned to him. He stood up and began his speech.
"Welcome, dear guests, to the feast in the name of our great return!" he began, and immediately applauses followed. The king raised his hoof and everyone went silent. "As we all know, it hath been more than a millennium. The years passed us by as we lay lifelessly, waiting to be brought back to life. A day ago, I finally regenerated after my last battle, and I've risen again. Experiencing this was no pleasure, I assure you all. I thought I died, there was nothing but black and cold around me. I didn't feel anything at all, having only my own conscience. That condition almost drove me to insanity, and yet here I am standing before you with my mind clear. I overcame the difficulties and crawled out of my own grave…
"...So, it is not only a celebration of our return but of mine as well! In the name of it, we shall drink blood tonight. Fresh pony blood. Those who shall give it to us today have committed numerous crimes: theft, threat, cowardice. We shall now feed on the blood of the cowards. Unlike themselves, their blood is absolutely great. Let them in!"
Doors behind the king opened and four ponies walked in, flanked by the vampire guards. The ponies were expressionless, their eyes were gray and dull. They moved in a strange, string-puppet like way.
"Come closer," Nicholas ordered, and the ponies obeyed. "Caballeron, step forth before me," one stallion moved even closer. He turned to the vampires, and said, "As your king, I take the first taste."
Nicholas bit into Caballeron's neck and started sucking out the blood. The stallion was standing still, not making a sound. After a few seconds, the vampire pulled from him.
"I approve this taste. Now, we may feast!" the king declared.
Thunderous applause went through the air, and the feast began.
***
Sometime later, Daring Do finished the studying for the day, learning a few things about the language of the vampires. She discovered that their language, which they called Vampirilor, was based on the Old Equish, and thus was relatively easy to learn. She grew tired and was just sitting in an armchair, resting. Isabel was sitting nearby, watching the pony with interest.
"May I ask thee a few questions?" the vampire asked. After receiving a nod from Daring Do, Isabel asked her first question, "How is it on the outside? What hath changed in the hundreds of years?"
"Many things, I suppose," Daring Do replied calmly. "Some things were invented, language has changed a little, but nothing too major. I think it's not too different from what was even a millennium ago. I don't know the details, I'm mostly interested in ancient civilizations that existed before Equestria. There are some, I tell you that. Though, I admit, none of them were as advanced as vampires seem to be."
"Our king hath put much effort into developing our country." Isabel proudly replied. "I don't even know what we'd do without him."
"And keeping ponies prisoners is alright, too?" Daring Do sarcastically replied.
"We know who you ponies are," Isabel's cheerful tone diminished, her expression replaced with a frown. "We know how you treat the different. Were it not you who enslaved zebras because you thought they're unworthy of being anything else? Were it not you who sent hundreds of soldiers to destroy gryphons because they are carnivores?"
"It was a long time ago, zebras are now free," the adventurer replied. "As soon as princesses Celestia and Luna took the throne. In fact, Griffins are no longer our enemies, we have made allies out of them."
"If that is true, then it's good," Isabel said, making a small nod, the frown on her face fading. "But that doth not change the fact that numerous crimes were committed by thy kind."
"We have changed," Daring Do stated, looking straight into the eyes of the vampire.
"I hope so..."
Daring Do was in her room, sitting at the table and writing about her adventure. She was sure it would be the best of all her books ever written before. After her mostly dumb enemies, the vampires seemed to be much more interesting. In fact, she had previously received complaints about her villains being generic. Of course, she could do nothing to change it other than applying artistic liberty to some extent, but this time she didn't have to do it at all.
She had already finished her first chapter, in which she described the search for the ancient vampire civilization. She was working on describing her surprise when she saw vampires' return. She wished she could just ask Nicholas to share his thoughts about it but she understood that there was little chance he'd allow her writing down his own thoughts.
Each time she had to write about villains, she had to make assumptions in order for the book to feel more like an actual piece of fiction than her personal journal. While it was easy for the most part, it became very complicated with Nicholas. Apart from the information from the ancient books, there was nothing about him. Thus, she was unable to write about him much other than what she had seen with her own eyes. She was stuck in a writer's block trying to figure out how to write about the king and his subjects.
Someone started to knock the door; Daring Do quickly hid her papers in the table and jumped to her hooves, and immediately sat on her bed. Unfortunately, she knocked the chair off, sending it to the ground. It landed with a loud thud, making her flinch. Her eyes widened and her ears drooped, a realization coming to her that she had just compromised herself.
The door opened, revealing Vampire King Nicholas himself standing there with an inquisitive look on his face.
"Now now," he said slowly, stepping into the room. He glanced at the fallen chair, and then looked at the adventurer with interest. "It seemeth I've caught thee in the middle of something, haven't I?"
Daring Do stared at the floor. She knew it was a verbal trap for her.
"Tell me, then," the chair was lifted up and then placed the right way. The vampire continued; "What art thou hiding, Daring Do?"
"It's none of your business." she retorted through gritted teeth.
"Don't be so angry, now," Nicholas said softly. He went to the table, his eyes on the mare. "I've not done anything to thee... yet. And I hope I shan't find a reason to. What art thou hiding? Weapons, poison... sex toys that thou might have found in this very room?"
He laughed as he saw her cheeks flushed with red.
"I would prefer if it was the latter," Nicholas added, and much to his amusement, he saw the adventurer's face become bright crimson. "At least they are more or less harmless... Unless thou'rt intending to use them for something they weren't made for. Anyway, tell me, what is that thou'rt hiding from me? Thou canst not be silent forever."
"Look inside the table," she replied defeatedly. There was no use in fighting him at that moment, considering that the battle was lost from the beginning.
Nicholas opened one of the drawers in the table and saw the paper Daring Do failed to hide. He moved the paper to his face and took a closer look. His face was turned away from Daring's, and she didn't know what reaction the king had to her work.
"For a pegasus, thou hast a rather good penmanship," he complimented the mare, putting the papers back where they were. "So, thou'rt not only an adventurer but a writer? How interesting... I've never meet adventurers with an education before," he chuckled lightly. "Some came to me, yes... They came swinging their swords and spears, clanking their heavy armor, yelling curses and threats at me... And none of them could even read properly." he let out a short dry laugh. "So young and so foolish... Good thing thou dost not seem to be like them." he looked at her. "Otherwise, I doubt thou wouldst be here in this very room in the first place..." his eyes turned away for a moment and then returning to Daring Do as he continued continued: "So, what is it that thou'rt writing? It doth not seem just a journal. It is fiction... novel, perhaps?"
"Why do you care?" Daring Do asked and snorted with irritation. She didn't want Nicholas to know more than he already did.
"I'm trying to determine if it's some poorly-written trashy romance with awkwardly-executed, rushed sex scenes that lone stallions or mares in heat seem to like to write so much or it's something good. An epic adventure, perhaps?" Nicholas replied. "Thou seest, I like reading in my spare time. It's a passion of mine to discover and preserve written art. I have a large collection of books from all over the world, and I'm quite proud of it. I'm looking forward to expanding it, too. More than a thousand years have passed, a lot of books were surely written during that time."
Daring Do stared silently at the Vampire King.
"You can't just call my books trash," she said. "They are loved all over the world!"
"The quantity of followers doesn't always correspond with the quality of a product," Nicholas noted, putting a hoof up to emphasize his point; "But I shall give thy books a look when I get my hooves on them. Perhaps, they are quality and have a rightful place in my collection. We'll see in time.
"At any rate, I'm glad we had this little chat. Until we see each other again, Daring Do," the king nodded politely, turned around and left the room, finishing the conversation.
The king was in the dungeon, and his prey sat before him, chained. Caballeron looked at the vampire angrily, albeit with great fear behind his eyes. He was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he overall looked sick. However, in the face of everything, he tried to be strong. He held that dream of being brave, being strong like someone he once wanted to follow.
"Dost thou regret coming here, thief?" Nicholas asked. "It hath been quite a rough ride for thee this far."
"I have many powerful friends," the pony replied. "One day, they will break me free, and we will make sure you'll pay for what you've done to us!"
He found Nicholas' muzzle just a few centimeters away.
"Thy friends cannot save thee if thou'rt under twelve hooves of dirt dead!" Nicholas growled, and then raised his hoof to strike. However, after some hesitation, he put it down. "Thou'rt making me very... frustrated, thief. Thou makest me choose impulsive decisions..."
He stood up and walked away from the pony. He walked to the barred window and looked outside. He snorted and then inhaled.
"I was like thee once, a long time ago,." he looked back at the thief. "Foolish, showing bravery when in truth I feared," he exhaled slowly. "I purged it out of my mind, I purged that stupidity with fire! And now... Now I understand where it may lead. I shan't let my anger destroy thee here and now. I shan't grant thee this freedom to feel nothing, to be nothing, to have neither pain nor pleasure," he stomped. Nicholas started to turn to the exit of the cell, "My feelings are irrelevant. Thou art already being punished, and it's not my right to inflict more or free thee."
He turned to Caballeron, "Have fun trying to get thy 'powerful friends' here. If they get here, the only thing they shall find is damnation. And do not forget... thou shalt still be food for all of us."
With that being said, he exited. The chained pony could only follow the king with his eyes. Hopeless, dull eyes.
***
Nicholas silently went through the halls of his grand castle, receiving greetings and nods from the staff. He didn't answer, his mind occupied by different thoughts.
In truth, he was stressed beyond belief. While he was trying not to show it, his eyes betrayed his thoughts. More often than not he felt his eyelids growing heavy and his steps becoming less regal. With every step he took, mental tiredness grew on him.
He stopped midway and sighed tiredly. He looked around and saw a maid dusting off a window. He walked to her and looked at how she was working and flicked his tail slightly. It might be that he would find someone to help him relieve the stress in a pleasant way.
She was a peach-colored winged vampire with red mane and tail. Her bright pinkish-red eyes glanced at him for a second before returning to the window. She used her muzzle to hold the duster with which she worked. Nicholas observed the mare for some time before deciding to approach her directly.
"Hello, miss." he said to the mare in a soft tone, gaining her attention. "Mind if I divert thine attention from thy work? Surely 'tis not something to be done in a hurry."
"Yes, my king?" the maid replied, stopping her work and turning to the king.
"Tell me, what is thy name? Forgive me, but it hath been long since I saw anyone last. Shamefully, my mind is still not in the right shape, and I have a hard time remembering everyone." he admitted.
"I am Persica, Your Majesty," she reintroduced herself to the king, bowing slightly.
"What a beautiful name," the king complimented the mare, and her cheeks became slightly pink. "It suiteth thee. Not to mention that thine overall looks certainly deserve a stallion's attention,"
"Thou'rt too kind, my king..." Persica replied with her blush increasing. Nicholas allowing himself to move slightly closer to Persica.
"I do find thee appealing, miss Persica," Nicholas nodded, confirming his words. "But, to be honest, I'm very stressed as of late. Surely a company of such a lovely mare will help me out with my problem... if thou wantest to help me."
"I would love to accompany thee, my king," Persica let out a soft giggle, her blush increasing slightly as she enjoyed the attention from the king.
"Dear, thou canst be informal with me. Just call me Nicholas," the vampire king nuzzled the mare softly, breathing in her scent. "Let's go, then. I'd like to know thee more closely, dear Persica."
And the two went together, side by side. Nicholas carefully put one of his wings over the mare, covering her and pressing her closer to himself.
Daring Do was in the library of the Vallaer Castle. Isabel was sitting beside her, listening to the adventurer as she read simple sentences in Vampiric.
"I can certainly say thou improvest quickly," Isabel commented, a small smile on her face. "Thy skill at speaking Vampiric groweth very fast. How dost thou accomplish that?"
"Well, I've learned a couple of ancient languages already. I understand the pattern that this one is based on, and it makes everything rather easy," Daring Do explained. "I'd have a harder time if it was a completely new language. However, this language is based on Old Equish, and that fact makes it much easier to understand."
"I can certainly say that logic is something thou'rt good at," Isabel complimented. "Though, 'tis quite some time until thou'rt able to read books without a frequent help of a dictionary. Not even mentioning the fact that our dictionary might be outdated… anyways, It seemeth that is all for today, Daring Do. Is there something thou wouldst like to learn?"
"Well, yeah," Daring Do nodded. "Tell me more about king Nicholas. He seems to be... interesting, to say the least. Not to mention that he's a bit different from other vampires."
"Thine assumptions are correct. Nicholas is indeed a very interesting person," Isabel nodded. "But it is not my right to tell thee about him. Well, at least not what he'd like to keep private."
"Um, can you tell me just a bit about him? Is he not the one who founded your country?" the adventurer asked with curiosity.
"He is," the vampire mare nodded. "It hath happened a long time ago. Even before I was born, that is. Even before Equestria was founded, too. He is very old... not only that, he is also clever and wise. I doubt that anyone hath as much experience as him.
"Back to the topic at hoof. I'm not going to reveal much... since I simply don't know, but there's quite a tale to tell. So, he hath established our country about five hundred years prior to the Great Winter. Maybe even a thousand years before that... No one knoweth besides him. I know for sure that he helped the outcasts unite under his flag and create a new nation, the vampires. Back then, intertribal relationships were forbidden, and those to commit it would be banished out of their tribes forever. Nicholas helped those outcasts survive... And that's all I know…”
"...More information on this is stored in the Great Archives, but I doubt thou wouldst get access there in thy lifetime. It is the most sacred place we have, hidden deep within our city. As of now, only a few vampires are allowed access there, and there have never been any ponies in the whitelist... as far as I know."
"Alright, then," Daring Do slowly nodded, taking a mental note.
In her mind, she knew she had to get to those archives to find out the history of Nicholas, his kingdom, and the relationship between Vallaer and Equestria. The information might be proven useful, maybe even a key to defeating the Vampire King if such a time comes.