//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Call // Story: Vampires // by Elu //------------------------------// Back in the personal study of the Canterlot Castle, the sisters were finally able to take a look at what they found in their old castle. This ancient book was dusty and yet pristine as if it was carefully preserved throughout the centuries. The pages were white, had no tears, and smelled of fresh ink; the accompanying pictures were bright and colorful, no smudges could be seen. Luna told her sister about what she saw and experienced in the castle. Neither of the two could find a reasonable explanation for the odd events. The castle had been staying abandoned for a millennium; so familiar, and yet changed in many ways. The sisters would have to uncover the mysteries someday and reclaim their castle. The two would not dare return to the castle anytime soon, however. Investigating the ancient halls was next to impossible, considering the fact that the plans of the castle were hidden somewhere deep within it. A veil of darkness encompassed the castle, wrapping around it like a cocoon; the longer one stayed in it, the more apparent it was. The site of the ancient battle between Nightmare Moon and Celestia was pulsating with great power; the faint trails of ancient magic that was unleashed on that fateful night were still there, a reminder not easily forgotten. The Night Eternal didn't come to Equestria, but the attempt left its mark. Now, that power no longer obeyed either of the princesses. Abandoned and empty places invited all sorts of things, and it was apparent something else was brought to the castle, something that wasn't there before. Carefully, Luna returned to the first page of the book. It was a simple list of contents: each kind of beasts was on its separate page or multiple pages. The list ranged from simple carnivorous animals to powerful monsters; some of them had but a few lines of text and no accompanying pictures, others had detailed descriptions and multiple illustrations from different artists. Thankfully for the princesses, the article on vampires was there, covering a few pages of text. Carefully, Luna flipped the pages until she came to the one she needed. The chapter opened with a picture of vampires: two of them, male and female, were crouching, and another one, a taller male, was standing behind them with his wings unfolded. Behind the third vampire, a stylized image of the moon was placed, painted red. The background of the image was a cloudless night sky full of stars. Verily, there is nothing so hideous as the monsters, so contrary to nature itself, known as vampires for they are the offspring of foul sorcery and devilry. They are rogues without virtue, conscience or scruple, true diabolic creations out of the depths of Tartarus, fit only for killing and slaughtering. There is no place amidst decent and honest folk for such as they. They look like us, but make no mistake, they are nothing but murderous beasts out for our blood. Creatures of the night's deepest darkness, they roam the land in search for living beings which they would tear to sherds to satisfy their savage urges. They shall stop at nothing to get what they want, taking mares, foals, and everyone else, exsanguinating them, leaving nothing but dry corpses in their wake. Even a single drop of blood can drive them crazy, and they would not stop until they get more. They surrendered themselves to the darkness, trading the goodwill we possess for powers untold. Invisibility, turning into other beasts of the night, and other monstrous abilities are readily available for them, aimed at inflicting pain and suffering upon others. Forsaking all the goodness, they set out to kill each and every one of us in a twisted crusade for blood. "This article is not very objective," the alicorn of the night commented, a frown on her face, "I can see more venom in those words that factual information that we might need." "I'm inclined to agree," Celestia made a small nod, "It seems similar to hate literature. Unfortunately, it's all we have right now, so we have no choice but to take it into account." Their infamous leader, Nikolas, is the foulest beast of them all. Deceivingly majestic and serene, he would not hesitate to show his true colors when it cometh to taking the blood. He had murdered many of our kind, tens if not hundreds or even more fell in his way, trying to stop him. Many a brave warrior set out to bring the end to the blood-thirsty savage, only for none of them to live to tell the tale. Vampires are truly the scourge of ponykind. It is well known that when a vampire inflicts pain, suffering, and death, he experienceth absolute ecstasy and bliss such as a devout and normal pony experienceth during sexual congress with their loving partner. This leadeth one to conclude that a vampire is a creature contrary to nature, an immoral and filthy degenerate, born of the blackest and most foul-smelling pit, since surely only true evil could derive bliss from suffering and pain. To strike them in kind, one must use garlic to poison them, silver to wound them, and the sunlight to incinerate them. That is the only way to kill a vampire. To ward them off, one must use garlic at the entrance to the house and surround it with a trail of salt half a hoof wide, two hooves distance from the walls of the house. Close the windows at night and open them wide during the day. If a vampire is slain, one must put their foul body in the sunlight to be burned into ashes, and those ashes are to be scattered far and wide. On the night after the death of the vampire, one must eat salt and garlic with a silver fork, and then encircle themselves with salt for the rest of the night. Vampires shall come, looking to get their revenge, but they shall be driven away. And Vallaer, where these infamous beings nestle, where they perform their loathsome practices, must be wiped from the surface of this earth, and all trace of it burned to the ground without hesitation and turned to ashes, which would then be buried in the farthest, most inhospitable land. "This... doesn't give us that much," Luna let out a sigh of frustration, "We now know how to fight vampires and what they can do, and while it might prove to be useful, we must find them first and see who they are by ourselves. Vampires have a king named Nikolas, and their capital is Vallaer, I assume. However, there is nothing here that would tell us where the vampires are and, frankly, there's nothing that tells us who they are either." "We might have an idea of their whereabouts, sister," Celestia said, furrowing her brows slightly, "Twilight and her friends traveled to a distant mining settlement, and the moon is much redder there. I believe vampires and their Vallaer should be nearby." "...That's a good point," the nightly alicorn nodded in agreement, "Should we travel there as well?" "We don't know what the vampires are planning, so we must be cautious," the Princess of the Day warned, "Only one of us should go there. Together, we are much stronger but both of us cannot afford going there. One has to stay here and watch over Equestria while the other investigates. Not to mention the upcoming wedding, at least one of us should stay to make sure all goes well." "I suppose so," Luna replied with a nod, "However, Shining Armor is away. Should we call him back for the preparations? And what about his sister?" "I believe your Night Guard can replace Shining Armor's squad for the time being," Celestia nodded to the proposition, "As for Twilight... She and her friends are balanced together. We cannot separate them without suffering negative consequences..." she tapped her chin, "I suppose I can call the six off for the wedding once most of the preparations are done." "But what if the vampires make a move exactly during the wedding?" the Princess of the Night asked, "We cannot guarantee that they don't know anything about it." "If they come here, we will be prepared," Celestia assured her sister, "Besides, I'm fairly certain you and your guards can manage anything coming your way." "Perhaps," Luna nodded slowly, some doubts remaining in her head. She looked away for a second and noticed something in the book. Right at the end of the page, a small crystal was visible, glowing slightly. She gestured at it and said, "Sister, look!" "A memory crystal..." Celestia immediately recognized it, "That's very interesting. Let's see what it holds," she said, lightly tapping on the crystal. The glowing hue became brighter, its red light shining on the faces of the two sisters. Sorrowful, forlorn, slow and gentle, a song filled the air with the soothing and yet firm whistles of the pipe organ and the many voices of a full choir. Soon, a powerful voice of a solo singer joined, singing in a language unknown to the princesses. They could feel the emotions in the song, and yet the words and their meaning were unknown to them. In awe, they listened, something appearing inside them, a certain feeling that resonated with the song. A few minutes passed and the song ended, allowing the princesses to break out from the sudden trance they found themselves in. "This voice... it seems familiar," Luna voiced her thoughts, "As if I've heard it before somewhere..." "I don't think it's familiar to me," Celestia slightly shook her head, a questioning look in her eyes aimed at her sister, "Are you sure?" "I think I am," the Princess of the Night nodded, "Unfortunately, I can't remember who has that voice nor when I heard it and... all the details are blurry," she looked at her sister with a determined look in her eyes, "I believe it is indeed I who must go to the north and investigate the vampires." Celestia opened her maw to speak. However, not a word was said as she decided to think more about the words she was going to say. After a few moments of thoughts, she slowly nodded, agreeing. The familiarity Luna had with vampires might prove to be useful. A shiver ran down Celestia's spine; a deep and unsettling feeling appeared in her mind. This decision could turn out badly for both of them, but it was apparent that they didn't have much choice when it came to this case. "I'll prepare to leave as soon as possible, then," Luna returned the nod, and soon disappeared from the study. Furrowing her brows, Celestia looked through the article about vampires once more, carefully taking in each and every word. However, it was apparent there was nothing more that could help the princesses uncover the mystery. Daring Do lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind detached from reality. The hall was silent, its white walls muffling the outside noise. She could hear her own pulse as the heart steadily pumped the blood through her body. Her chest slowly expanded and deflated as she breathed deeply. She was covered but by a thin bedsheet, and yet it was enough to warm her up in this cool hall of the castle. She suddenly gasped, her eyes widening in surprise as she felt herself falling. However, there was nothing. She rose slightly and looked around, slowly blinking in confusion, her ears swiveling. In a moment, she let out a sigh of relief, letting herself lay back and relax once again. And yet, there was something in the corner of her vision. She furrowed her brows and rose again, the silence of the hall disturbed by the rustling of the bedsheet. On the floor, a glowing red line appeared, pulsating to the beat of Daring Do's heart. Her ears twitched as she got up from the hospital bed and stood on the floor. Unbeknownst to the pegasus, her eyes started to glow, their usual rosy color changing to a shade closer to crimson. Her ears slightly turned as she heard a call. The voice was soft and gentle, urging her to follow the line. She needed to leave her fears behind and listen to the call, obey it. The voice assured her that there was no danger, nudging her forward. Staring ahead, a calm expression on her face, Daring Do slowly made her way to the exit from the hall. The doors opened before her, and only clopping of her hooves against the floor sounded as she went past. The guards glanced at her; noticing the color of her eyes, they turned away and didn't interfere. Daring Do proceeded to go through the halls until she exited the castle. Through the streets, the pegasus walked calmly and steadily, her eyes fixated on the obelisk in the center of the city. The vampires around her stepped away, letting her pass, looking at her with curiosity. They were exchanging whispers between themselves, but none dared to step in her way. But all Daring Do could hear was a soft voice singing in her ears, guiding her, leading the way. She didn't know why she needed to go there, but the call allowed no disobedience, urging her to follow it. Once she was near the obelisk, she stopped and set down. The pool of blood from before disappeared, revealing a stone canal. Daring Do swiftly bit her lip, a jolt of sharp pain shooting through her body. The taste of iron filled her mouth as a few drops of blood rolled down her jaw and fell in the canal. The red liquid quickly disappeared, leaving no trace behind. A soft rumble was heard, and the obelisk lit up its symbols, their color rosy. The vampires around the pegasus bowed to the obelisk, avoiding looking at it. A gust of wind rushed in, rustling Daring Do's mane. The energy in the obelisk pulsated, its light becoming stronger with each second; a low hum filled the air. An image above the monument appeared: the moon. A half of it was covered in red, and the other displayed a familiar pattern of dark spots that resembled a unicorn's face. Daring Do looked up, her eyes studying the image carefully. She could almost remember what it was, but that part of her memory was elusive. The words were on the tip of her tongue, and yet she couldn't say them. Her ears twitched as she heard someone coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Nicholas and a pair of unicorns dressed in red robes. The Vampire King looked at the image as it slowly faded away, a curious expression on his face. His eyes returned to the pegasus once the moon completely disappeared. By that time, Daring Do was looking around in confusion, her ears slightly drooped. A thin trail of blood was visible, flowing from her lower lip to the chin, staining her fur. "Very interesting..." Nicholas commented, startling the pegasus, "Fear not, adventurer. Now, thou art gifted with Her guidance like the rest of us." Daring Do looked at him but said nothing as the gears in her mind worked, processing the events. "Lună Roșie always chooses wisely. I believe thou hast a purpose now," the Vampire King continued, looking her in the eyes, the curious expression remaining on his face, "What purpose might that be... Tell me, what dost thou think about what was shown to thee?" "...I don't know what to say," Daring Do replied after a few moments of thinking, "It's really familiar but I... I can't figure out what it is... Moon, moon... Nightmare Moon!" "Nightmare Moon?" Nicholas raised a brow, leaning forward slightly, "Please, elaborate." "Well, uh... Before Luna returned, the moon had that pattern of dots... the pattern that the obelisk has just shown!" the pegasus replied, nervous excitement in her voice. The Vampire King silently nodded, digesting the information. His eyes looked at the base of the obelisk and then moved to its very peak, studying the fading symbols. Daring Do was fidgeting in place, not knowing what to do next, anxiously waiting for the vampire. He furrowed his brows for a few moments before his face smoothened and he looked at the pegasus once again. "Thou art very helpful, adventurer," Nicholas told her, a small smile on his face, "I believe I know what it meanth. I shall deal with it soon. As for thee, I suggest that thou shouldst rest." Hours later, Princess Luna and a squad of Night Guards were arriving at the mining settlement by train; it was already slowing down. The moon was peeking from below the horizon; its pale light was reflected by the white blanket of snow, making it spark like a myriad of stars. However, the sky above was full of tumultuous, dark and ragged clouds that came from the Frozen North. The alicorn surveyed the moon with scrutiny as she slowly raised it. And there it was, the redness started to appear on the grayish-yellow surface, coating the whole moon in a crimson hue. Luna exhaled heavily as the glow around her horn intensified; beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled, furrowing her brows, her body tensing up. In a few moments, she released a sharp exhale, the magical glow drastically decreasing. With a sigh of defeat, she watched as the moon rose higher and higher in the sky, its color remaining red, not backing down. "Is everything alright, your majesty?" one of the Night Guards asked, a worried expression on his face. "Thank you for your concern.... but I'm fine, commander Valor," Luna replied in a slightly strained voice, "Assemble the squad, prepare to move out. We are nearing our destination." "Right away, your majesty," the stallion saluted and marched off. The alicorn looked back at the moon. Its reflection in her eyes made the irides appear to have a crimson tint. A gentle whisper entered her ears, making them turn towards the moon. Despite the rhythmical pattering of the wheels, the voice was crystal clear. Luna flicked her ears and the voice disappeared, leaving her puzzled. She only knew one thing — it was a call, and it was meant for her. Nicholas stood on top of the mountain, staring off into the night. His cloak fluttered as the cold winds blew around him, almost pushing him away. And yet, he stood firmly, surveying the surroundings, sensing that something would come soon. As the wind whistled, the vampire could hear something else — a distant metallic rattle and a low hum. He turned his head and looked down with interest. In the distance, a train was arriving at the settlement he remembered taking his sword from. Despite being separated by a great distance, Nicholas felt as if he looked into someone's eyes, someone that unknowingly welcomed him. He blinked, his mind working on the strange feeling, trying to decipher it. He unfolded his wings and took off, making the specks of snow raise around him as his wings sent a powerful gust of air. The vampire flew close to the mountain, trying to stay in the shadows. His mind was clear, and his goal was simple — to find the one causing the disturbance in his mind. In truth, it was less of a disturbance and more like curiosity and wonder, and it was more than enough to pull him in. He glided above the snow effortlessly, his eyes fixated on the slowing train. Keeping low, Nicholas maneuvered around the smaller hills, his hooves almost touching the sparkling white blanket below him. Soon, he was close enough to the settlement to see that there were at least ten ponies disembarking the train. The inhabitants of the settlement, on the other hand, were absent from the streets. Nicholas landed near the outskirts, proceeding to make the rest of his way on hoof. The snow crunched softly under his steps as he walked through the streets, keeping to the shadows various buildings provided. Vapor escaped his nostrils as he breathed, quickly dissipating in the chilly air. In around a minute, he was able to see the ponies closer. He narrowed his eyes, noticing that all of them had bat-like wings and slit-pupil eyes; not to mention that they were dressed in armor. His eyes widened as another pony entered his view: tall, slender, an alicorn of dark-blue and a starlit mane. The beauty unlike any he had seen before in his life; the regality no monarch could stand close to. He straightened his posture, his crimson eyes following each her step. And then, she looked at him. Princess Luna stopped in her tracks, a small gasp escaped her mouth. There he was, the one she saw in the old castle, she was certain of it. The two stared into each-other's eyes, almost peeking into each other's souls, trying to find the answers both of them were searching for. And slowly, she approached him as if she were in trance, pulled towards him by an invisible but insistent force. It nudged her closer and closer to him, and she let her curiosity take control as she willingly made her way to him, many questions buzzing in her head like a disturbed hive of bees. Nicholas walked out of the shadows, softly stepping towards the alicorn, the same trance overtaking his mind. Soon, no more than a few meters separated the two, allowing them to hear each other breathe. Luna slightly narrowed her eyes, trying to see what was under the hood of the vampire's cloak. However, nothing but a pair of glowing crimson slit-pupil eyes could be seen. The two stood silently, studying each other with their eyes, taking in the features they could see. The alicorn could see that he was easily as tall as her sister if not taller; the gusts of wind revealed his pale-furred forelegs. "Who are you?" Luna asked, her cautious voice but a whisper. "Princess!" a couple of guards rushed to her, not giving the vampire a chance to reply. They unsheathed and pointed their weapons at him, assuming defensive stances. Nicholas' gaze shifted from one to another as he observed them silently. But soon, his eyes returned to the alicorn. He deeply inhaled the night's chilly air and then exhaled, the vapor rising from his nostrils. The guards stared at him, waiting for his next move; if they had any fear, it was hidden well behind their armor of steel. The snow swirled across the street as the wind whispered into the ears of those present. For a moment, the moon seemed to adopt a deeper shade of red. The stars twinkled, and the clouds softly glided across the night sky; the moon remained clearly visible, sending its light onto the ground below. "I am Nicholas," the vampire finally answered her question. A moment later, a thick veil of snow swiftly rose from the ground; the harsh wind blew into the faces of the guards, blocking their vision. Once the snow settled, Nicholas was nowhere in sight. Luna raised her head and looked at the moon. Its pale light shone on her face, and the crimson reflected in her eyes. A gentle voice congratulated her and disappeared. She released a soft sigh, wondering about the encounter. However, her line of thought was soon broken as one of the guards spoke. "Princess, should we search for him?" commander Valor addressed her, ready to act. "...No," Luna replied after a few moments of uncertainty, "He will show up again. And once he does, do not attack him unless provoked." "Forgive me, but are you sure, your majesty?" he asked for clarification, confusion evident in his voice. "I'm absolutely certain of it, commander," the alicorn assured him firmly, "Now, let's send Shining Armor's squad on their way and inform the Six of what had just happened. We have a lot to do..." Nicholas was flapping his wings, maneuvering around the buildings, knowing he had little time if the guards decided to pursue him. His heart beat steadily in his chest, pumping blood throughout his body, warming it up. He was close to exiting the settlement, about to disappear into the snowy wilderness. His ears twitched when he sensed someone coming from his left side. He turned his head, but it was too late — a cyan blur collided with him, knocking him from the air and sending him tumbling to the ground. "You won't get away this time, vamp!" a ruff female voice said, "Who the hell are you?" The vampire growled slightly, standing up. His hood was knocked off, revealing his face. He was finally able to take a look at the one who hit him — it was a pegasus mare of cyan fur and rainbow mane. The same mare he saw while retrieving the sword. She was looking at him with cautious interest and aggression, her body tensed and ready to jump into action. Warily, Nicholas straightened his posture and looked into her eyes. "What? You gonna be silent or are you going to speak?" the mare demanded, slightly shaking from the adrenaline. "Thou shalt know soon," Nicholas said, stretching his wings in preparation to take off. "Oh no you don-" before she could finish her sentence, a telekinetic blast hit her in the chest, knocking the air out of her lungs. She made a few desperate gasps, tears welling up in her eyes. When she was finally able to breathe and think clearly, the vampire was long gone, disappearing behind the hills. Rainbow Dash exhaled through her nostrils, scanning the surroundings with her eyes. Unable to see the vampire, she had to go back, discontent clearly visible on her face. "I'll get you..."