In the northern region of Equestria, snow was falling upon a guard-outpost in a substantial amounts. It layered the environment with a blanket of snow as the early winter fell upon them. The glacial wind was blowing from the Frozen North, bringing sub-zero temperatures and creating an arctic. The moon was in it’s perigee, caused the land around to be in a refulgent state. The coating of snow reflected the light, illuminating the surroundings with a ruby glow.
The moon was a sickly blood red tonight.
"Private!" The sergeant barked. The wings of the private shot forth preparing to launch. After giving him an envelope, the former commanded; "Fly to Canterlot and inform the princesses at once!"
"Yes, sir!" the pegasus saluted and initiated his take off. “I’ll get it done.”
His launch created a gust of cold wind to fly away; he’d disappear below the horizon given a short amount of time.
The rest of the stationed guards became ready; their weapons were drawn. They watched the moon with a steady gaze, barely blinking and not turning away for a moment. Their ears were swiveling around, trying to determine the source of a peculiar noise they could hear flying through the air.
A churning medley slowly faded in by a small crescendo, carried across the land by the perturbing wind; it unsettled the outpost and further reaches of Equestria. The cosmic orchestra played eerie sounds, sounding almost ethereal in nature. The guards desperately searched for the sound, trying to pinpoint the location. The pegasi circled the outpost, looking out for danger and the source of the abnormal melody. It seemed like the mountains themselves hummed the tune; causing a sweet but taunting timbre. No pony wanted to fly though or go on hoof through the daunting territory, bordering the Frozen North.
Later in the morning, when everyone was only waking up from a peaceful night, one particular unicorn was already on her hooves.
Twilight Sparkle was nervously pacing in the Golden Oak Library; with haste she packed quills, flash cards, and various reference books. Her dependable dragon assistant and friend Spike was standing nearby, watching her with worry in his eyes.
"Twilight ... calm down ... " Spike said with hesitance. Twilight muttered something to herself, searching the bookshelves.Spike watching her and stated, “It's just a test, not much to be worried about.”
"Just a test?" she turned to Spike, her eyes open wide. "Just a test?! Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of an exam, and you want me to calm down?!"
"Uh... yes?" Spike said, shielding himself with a bunch of pillows from the agitated mare.
Twilight stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes and making a deep and sharp inhale. The dragon, preparing for the inevitable, pulled the pillows closer and closed his eyes, silently praying.
"JUST A TEST?!" Twilight howled as the whole library lifted up in a magical outburst of frustration. After floating for a moment in the air, it plummeted to the ground smashing the dirt..
"Oof!" Spike yelped being bashed into the ceiling and the floor.
"No time to waste!" the unicorn searched for her bag that was thrown away during the explosion. She packed the rest with a brisked tempo, "Alright, it’s time for me to go. Look after the library for me and don’t even cavil!"
The unicorn teleported away without saying goodbye, leaving Spike completely alone. He looked around in dismay, seeing all the books lying around chaotically. He sighed with as much mirth as a mouse being eaten by a bat. He sat down for a moment, pressing his claws against his cheeks.
"Yeah ..."
Princess Celestia was in the throne room, a photo in her magical grasp. A frown was present on her face as she looked at the photo that depicted the red moon, brighter and redder than what she could see from Canterlot. A clopping of hooves sounded from the throne room door, breaking her out of her thoughts.
"You wanted to see me? To give me a test? I brought my own quills and plenty of paper to show my work!" Twilight quickly fired out her words. Stumbling and almost falling, she dropped a book from her saddlebags. Quickly picking it up, she said: "Sorry, sorry!"
"This is a different kind of test, Twilight," Celestia spoke, stepping down from her throne and helping her student to put the book where it belonged. "I need you to investigate something."
"I-investigate?" the unicorn stuttered with her ears drooped. "I, I haven't prepared for that..."
"There can be no preparation for something like this," the princess assured. "It is something even I can't understand. There is something at the edge of my mind, but ... it's out of my reach," she moved the photo to Twilight. "Take a look at this and tell me what you think."
"Hm ..." Twilight took the photo and squinted her eyes. "For once, the moon is red, but you've already noticed that..." she went silent for a few moments as she studied each millimeter of the photo. "I ... I'm afraid I can't say any- wait, I ... I think ... uh ..." she tapped her chin and then said in a slow voice, "N-no, I don't think so ..."
"Speak what's on your mind," Celestia said with curiosity. "It might help in uncovering this mystery."
"Well, there's an ancient legend ... It's probably nothing, but ... Nightmare Moon was also a legend," Twilight chuckled nervously before continuing "So, I remember reading something about the symbolism of the moon back when I was just a filly … One of the legends say that vampires are closely associated with the red moon."
"Vampires ..." the princess muttered, a frown slowly creeping on her face. "What do you know of them?"
"From the same legend; vampires look close to ponies but there is some difference between the two. I ... can't really put my tongue on it … The most important thing the legend said was that they supposedly ... drank blood," a shiver ran down her spine. "That's all I know ... sorry."
"I see," Celestia nodded. "However, this information is still not entirely reliable."
"You want me to go there and investigate?" Twilight asked with hesitation and interest.
"As I said, this is a different kind of test," the princess nodded. "One I'm certain you will pass," a small encouraging smile appeared on her face.
"How would I even begin?"
"You would join Shining Armor on the train station. He and his guards will be leaving for the Northern Equestria at nine in the evening if all follows the schedule."
"My brother will travel there?" Twilight asked, surprised by a fact.
"He will; your friends from Ponyville will join you as well. I have full confident in your success. And when you do succeed, I'll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies."
"But what if I fail?" the unicorn said with worry, looking away from the princess.
"You won't," Celestia assured.
"But if-"
"You won't!" the princess repeated with more intensity. "Now, go. There is no time to waste. I wish the best of luck to you Twilight."
Bowing, Twilight quickly departed from the throne room and sprinted through the halls of the castle, trying to reach the train station with posthaste. If time was counting down, she wouldn’t waste a single second. Questions and doubts needed to be cast aside for now.
***
Later that evening, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were boarding the train along with Shining Armor and the squad of the Royal Guards. Aside from them, there was no one on the train. Soon, it departed Canterlot, leaving for the northern reaches of Equestria.
"This looks ... weird," Rainbow Dash commented as the six ponies looked at the photo Twilight received. "I went to bed before the moonrise, so I didn't see that."
Everyone else nodded, having done the same as Rainbow Dash with the exception of Applejack. She frowned slightly, taking the photo into her own hooves and looking at it for a few long moments before speaking.
"Yesterday, Ah worked in the field. Big Mac hurt his leg, Ah had to do some work for him. So, Ah was plowing that field when Ah saw the moon rising. At first, everythin' was fine, and Ah was just finishing when the moon turned red all of sudden!" everyone looked at her. "Ah thought that Ah was just tired, so Ah went to bed ..."
"Hold on!" she raised her hoof and then added, "Ah ... Ah think it wasn't as red as the one on the photo."
"If the glow is magical in nature, it's possible that the closer you are to the one who cast it, the brighter the glow is. The photo was taken in Northern Equestria ... Could it mean that the source is there?" Twilight rubbed her chin, thinking of other ways of finding the origin of the mysterious glow.
"We're going there to see if it is," Shining Armor said, finally inserting his word. A deep frown of concern was on his face. "There are multiple reports from guard outposts all over Equestria except those that are in the south. So, I agree with Twilight."
"The moon is rising ..." one of the guards muttered but it was enough for everyone else to hear. Soon, the six bearers of the Elements were glued to the window to see the moonrise. Slowly but surely, it was going up to replace the sun.
Unfortunately, the moon disappeared behind a mountain, eliciting a collective groan from the ponies.
"It looked... fine," Fluttershy said slowly, unsure of her own words.
"I think so too, yeah," Rainbow Dash added, nodding.
"Maybe that night was special," Twilight suggested, a notebook in her magical grasp as she wrote something down on it. "I have already cross-referenced it in some books but didn't find anything. This day has been a completely normal day for hundreds of years. Maybe I should check the older records but I don't have the books for that yet."
"Look, the moon again!" Rarity exclaimed as she was the only one still looking at the window.
Everyone rushed in to take a look as well, and there it was, the moon. A very light tint of red was present, barely noticeable. The wind was blowing and it was snowing, making it hard to see, but it was obvious that the moon wasn't normal.
Suddenly, a shape darted across the moon, just above the horizon, disappearing in an instant.
"Did you see that?" Twilight put a hoof to the window.
"See ... what?" Rainbow Dash raised a brow, turning to the unicorn.
"It was ... something," Twilight said slowly, trying to figure out how to put it. "I... I saw something but it's not clear what it was."
Nicholas the Vampire King was in his personal study, writing something on a piece of paper that laid on the table in front of him. A faint light of a candle illuminated the table and the paper as he scribbled the notes, concentrated entirely on his work. When he moved the quill to refill it with ink, he heard knocking on the door.
"Intră," Nicholas said, his eyes turning to the door.
Soon, the door opened, and a vampire walked in. He was dressed in a cloak that had specks of snow on it.
"Garda Regală vine, majestatea voastră. Alte șase ponei cu ei," the vampire reported, straightening his posture in front of the king.
"Înţeleg ..." Nicholas replied with a nod, a frown appearing on his face. "Supraveghea le, raportați acțiunile al lor pentru mine."
"Se va face, regele meu," the vampire bowed with respect and left the king.
Nicholas stood up from his armchair, putting the quill down. With a deep sigh, he put out the fire on the candle, leaving the room in complete darkness. Turning to the exit, he left his work for later.
***
Daring Do was sitting in her room, writing for her new novel, describing her learning experiences in detail; she was writing about Isabel and what the adventurer thought about the vampire so far. A particular silence was in the room; only the scratching of the quill was heard. However, it was soon disturbed by a knock coming from the door.
The adventurer turned away from her work to face the door; when it opened, it revealed Nicholas. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a frown on his face.
"Adventurer, I need thee to tell me something," he said, walking closer to the pegasus and looking her in the eyes. "Is there anyone who would travel here in case thou goest missing?"
"No, I only work alone," Daring Do replied, not quite understanding why the Vampire King needed to know that. A few seconds after her reply, a realization began to dawn on her, but she decided to keep it to herself for now.
"I believe thee," Nicholas nodded, looking away into the window. "Perhaps it was the moon ... Daring Do ... The truth is, ponies are coming to nearby settlements. Not just any ponies, however... Royal Guards of Equestria, no less. And with them, six more ponies." he walked even closer to Daring Do and locked his eyes with hers. "Tell me... who are those six? The bearers of the Elements of Harmony, aren't they?"
"I ... I don't know ... maybe?" Daring Do replied with uncertainty. "I don't know too much about them. I've only heard bits and pieces, so ..."
"What dost thou know, then?" Nicholas continued to inquire, his inquisitive look seemingly penetrating the soul of the pegasus through her eyes.
"Well ... one of them, I think, is named Twilight Sparkle," the pegasus replied, fidgeting in place from the uncomfortable stare of the Vampire King, unable to break the eye contact. "She's a unicorn ... purple ... Uh, that's all I know, really. A-at least that's all I can remember."
"I see ..." Nicholas finally broke the stare, eliciting a silent sigh of relief from Daring Do. "I am grateful for thy cooperation, adventurer," he turned away to leave. "Thou shalt certainly be rewarded accordingly despite thy lack of knowledge on the matter. I shall see to it that more information is discovered about these bearers," he turned his head to look at the pegasus one last time before exiting the room. "We'll see each other again soon, Daring Do."
Some hours later, the train was finally coming to a stop, its wheel screeching slightly as the small station came closer and closer. The sun had completely set under the horizon, creating a still picture with the stars and moon shining coldly onto the snowy ground below. As the Red Moon rose higher and higher in the dark sky, the six bearers of the Elements and the squad of Royal Guards with Shining Armor as their captain disembarked the train to meet the chilly weather of Northern Equestria. A small mining settlement lay ahead of them, most of its lights turned off for the night. In truth, they were almost entirely unneeded — the moonlight reflected off the thin layer of snow flawlessly, illuminating the surroundings in just the right way, allowing everything to be seen almost like in broad daylight.
"Captain Shining Armor!" a pony in armor rushed to the group. "We were expecting you," he glanced at the moon and then straightened his posture for a salute. "Permission to report, captain?"
"Granted," Shining Armor nodded, giving the full attention to the local guard.
"Yes, sir! The situation at the settlement is normal and under control. The moon has been in this state for two nights counting from the previous one … However ... I suspect that it was a brighter red on the previous night."
"Thank you," Shining Armor nodded, frowning slightly. "Show us to the place we will be staying at."
"This way, captain," the guard saluted one last time and turned around, leading the way through a narrow path in the snow that led from the small train station to the settlement.
Unbeknownst to all of them, each and every move they made was watched closely. A vampire was hidden among the sparkling snow on the top of one of the numerous hills scattered across the Northern Equestria. Under a white cloak that was additionally covered in the show, he was practically invisible from a large distance. A few nearly silent clicks sounded as he adjusted the telescope, bringing the ponies into focus. With his gaze, he followed them as they made their way into the settlement.
The group of ponies walked in an almost perfect silence. Snow crunched under their hooves as they moved while the armor of the guards clanked quietly with each hoof step. Vapor escaped the nostrils of the ponies, quickly dissipating into the air. Rarity shivered slightly, tightening the scarf around her neck and adjusting the warm hat on her head. Captain Shining Armor was often looking around but kept the thoughts to himself. His sister was by his side, nervously glancing at him from time to time as if she had a question to ask. Applejack shifted her jacket slightly so that it covered more of her body. Pinkie Pie was bouncing along the other ponies, although her bounce was weaker than usual, something seemed to distract her from her usual high level of cheerfulness.
Rainbow Dash's ears twitched under her hat, and she stopped in her tracks. She sniffed the air and a frown appeared on her face. She took off the hat, letting her ears swivel freely.
"Is everything alright, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked, noticing the strange behavior of her friend.
"I dunno ..." the cyan pegasus tilted her head and scanned the area with uncertainty. "I feel ..." her ear twitched again. "Something, I guess."
The whole group stopped and began to survey the surroundings thoroughly. The vampire on the hill completely halted any movement as well, holding his breath and staring down at Rainbow Dash through the telescope. After a few long moments, everyone looked at the rainbow-maned pegasus with confusion.
"Nothing to report," one of the guards told Shining Armor, who nodded in response.
"Let's move and get to warmth," he said, glancing at Rainbow Dash and furrowing his brows. "We'll think about it all there."
After another session of studying, Isabel and Daring Do were on their way through the halls of the Castle of Vallaer. The latter had a certain hesitation in her steps, which didn't go unnoticed by the vampire mare.
"I am sure thou shalt leave a positive impression on His Majesty, thou'st already made quite some progress!" Isabel assured the pegasus with an encouraging smile appeared on her face. "I believe he will enjoy exchanging some simple phrases with thee."
"Y-yeah," Daring Do nodded, but her mind in a completely different place. Instead of thinking about the language, her thoughts were about the nearby ponies. She had no idea what the Vampire King had for them in store and if his plans took her into account. One way or another, the city would have new pony additions, alive... or dead.
"Art thou distracted?" the vampire asked her, the smile slightly diminishing. "Is something the matter?"
"Well, uh..." the pegasus stuttered as her mind tried to come up with an answer that would both satisfy the curiosity of Isabel and not reveal too much. Perhaps, the latter part of her thought was the solution. "It concerns His Majesty and me, I, uh, don't know if I can say."
"Alright," Isabel nodded in understanding. "Let us leave it at that, then."
Soon, the two reached the throne room. Without question, they were let in by the guards who opened the doors for the two. Nicholas the Vampire King was sitting on his throne, a necklace levitating in front of him as he gazed at it. He raised his eyes, shifting his gaze to the two, and, to be more precise, to Daring Do. Putting the necklace away, he diverted his attention to the pegasus and the vampire unicorn.
"Salutări, majestatea voastră," Daring Do spoke, bowing before the Vampire King.
"Noapte bună, Daring Do," Nicholas replied, a smile spreading on his face. "Poţi se ridica."
The pegasus rose, straightened herself, and assumed a more casual posture.
"I see thou art indeed learning, Daring Do," the vampire king commented with praise. "I am quite pleased with thy wording. The pronunciation could be better but it is not a big concern." he paused, turning his attention to the second vampire in the throne room. "Excelentă predare, Isabel."
"Sunt recunoscător, regele meu," she replied, gracefully bowing to her king.
"Lăsați-ne pentru moment, vă rog," Nicholas said next, gesturing with his hoof at the entrance. Isabel bowed once again and exited the throne room, leaving Daring Do alone with the Vampire King. After the doors closed behind the mare, the clopping of her hooves faded away so he returned his attention to the pegasus.
"It is obvious something is disturbing thy thoughts, adventurer," once again, he looked straight in the eyes, his gaze demanding answers. "Art thou concerned about the ponies?"
"Yes, I am," Daring Do nodded with uncertainty.
"Ah, I see," he nodded, going silent for a few moments. "I believe it is safe to assume that thou art worrying about my course of action. Fear not, they shall not be disturbed unless they disturb us … Unless, of course, they discover us and our kingdom. Then ... I cannot tell what consequences my nation and I shall face," he furrowed his brows as he looked deeper into Daring Do's eyes, captivating them almost hypnotically. "Speaking of discoveries ... I think I should have asked this question already. Perhaps, my mind is not as sharp as before ..." he lost his train of thought for a split second, but quickly continued as he regained his focus on the matter: "Nevertheless, the question is, how did thou find us, adventurer?" he rose slightly from the throne. "What were the clues thou wast following?"
"M-many old maps, hints in books ... It took me a few years to p-pinpoint the entrance," Daring Do explained, her voice stuttering as she found herself unable to look away from Nicholas' crimson gaze.
"A research, I see..." Nicholas tapped his chin, not breaking the eye contact. "I believe thou hast not brought it with thyself. Then, perhaps, it is still at thy home?"
"Yes, it is," the pegasus nodded, not breaking the eye contact either.
"Thou shalt draw a map and point towards the location of thy home," the Vampire King said in a commanding tone. "If it turneth out to be false, thou shalt face..." his face seemed to jump right in front of Daring Do's eyes. "Repercussions," he said, hissing out the last 's', his voice fading as his face reappeared back in its place, casting stupor on the pegasus. "Remember this, adventurer. For cooperation, thou shalt receive rewards. For disobedience, punishments shall be delivered accordingly," Nicholas leaned back on his throne, looking away from the pegasus and at one of the decorations present in the room. "Now, go. Thou hast work to be done."
Sitting by a big fireplace in one of the settlement's buildings, the bearers of the Elements were engaged in a lively conversation about the object of their investigation and Twilight's test. Unfortunately for them, Shining Armor and the other guards locked themselves up in the outpost, having their own plans to make, leaving the mares to themselves.
"Vampires?" Rainbow Dash snorted and stifled a laugh. "Twilight, out of all ponies, especially nerd ponies, you should know that vampires don't exist!"
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's all we have right now," Twilight replied with a huff and a slight frown. "But it's undeniable that all of us saw the red moon, which is closely associated with vampires!"
"What or who exactly are the vampires, darling?" Rarity asked with interest, her ears aimed at Twilight. "You haven't explained it to us yet."
"Well, they are creatures from the ancient folklore," the lavender unicorn adjusted her position for a more comfortable one. "Many legends point towards them as creatures who steal cattle, bring diseases, and, most importantly, drink the blood of the unfortunate victims," she opened her maw to continue but most of the ponies gasped. She raised her hoof before anyone could utter a word and said: "Now, calm down, girls, it's just a legend!" she waited for a moment and then cleared her throat, returning the hoof to its place. "They are almost completely feral but exhibit primitive beliefs. They hunt in packs like wolves, although they are much more stealthy in their approach to hunting. A bite from a vampire would turn anyone into their kind unless the victim's blood is sucked out completely."
"This is ... mildly uncomfortable," Rarity commented, grimacing. "I wish I haven't asked," she turned away to look at the fire, shivering.
"Tales of vampires are considered ancient discrimination against the lunar pegasi. To my knowledge, during the Dark Ages, especially during the Solar Inquisition, many of them were hunted down and ..." Twilight looked away and gulped. "I ... I don't really want to discuss it. And all of it led to the almost total extermination of lunar pegasi. They're recovering even now, but ... the history is history," she let out a deep sigh and then cleared her throat. "Anyways, perhaps there were vampires during the ancient times. The imagery associated with them, as I have previously said, is the red moon, which we can see clearly in the sky," she gestured at the window which had the perfect view of what she had just described. "So ... I wouldn't be so sure that they're extinct. It couldn't appear out of nowhere, after all. For now, I think we should focus on searching for more information about the vampires. I have brought quite a few books, and I think they'll help!"
Silence fell on the ponies as each of them thought deeply. Twilight moved a book to herself and opened it, soon engulfed in reading. Other ponies, not knowing what else to do at the moment, lay near the fireplace and stared at the flames, digesting the information. Mumbling something, the lavender unicorn brought the book closer only to dismiss something in the next second, flipping the page.
"So, where do we start?" Rainbow Dash stood up and groaned. "I don't want just to sit here and think. We need to do something if we want to complete Princess Celestia's task."
"We should be patient, Rainbow," Twilight said, not lifting her eyes from the book.
"By reading dusty old books?" the pegasus rolled her eyes. "If you want to do that, fine. I'm going to look for clues outside," she headed towards the exit, and soon the door behind her shut with a loud thud.
Outside, the storming weather calmed down. The sky was cleared, revealing the white moon turning blood-red. The snow was everywhere: in the streets, on the rooftops, covering the fields and hills, and it even hid the steps ponies made just around half an hour ago. Once again, the ears of the pegasus twitched suddenly, making her look around in search of something she didn't quite understand. As if the wind was making her ears itch but there wasn't even a slight breeze at the moment.
Inhaling the fresh air, Rainbow Dash took off into the sky, soon flying high above the settlement. Something was out there and she needed to find it. She didn't know what it was but it drew her in, called for her. It was somewhere nearby, just waiting to be found by her.
For a moment, she thought she saw something blink at the horizon. She squinted her eyes but could see nothing but snow. Groaning with dissatisfaction, the pegasus descended slightly and took a full circle around the settlement. At that time of night, everyone was already asleep not counting the night shift of the local guard. They didn't seem to notice or at the very least mind Rainbow Dash as she flew around them.
"Maybe Twilight is right..." she muttered to herself with even greater frustration. She could feel it, she could sense it, it was at the edge of her mind, and yet she couldn't understand what it was.
She looked at the bloody moon. The tint of the red showed through the thin elevated cloud cover. The moon seemingly taunted the pegasus, knowing that she would never be able to get to it. It remained out of reach, just like what Rainbow Dash felt twice. Without the faintest idea of what it could be, she could do nothing, but land and head back to her friends. Perhaps, all she needed was a good long sleep, then maybe her head would be clear again.