It was a clear, cloudless evening on Nightmare Night when two unicorns took their son and daughter for midnight stroll. The four of them had just left a party held by Jackpot and his wife for Twilight’s 5th birthday.
“Thank you mom; dad. Tonight was fun,” Twilight said hugging her parents
“You're very welcome. We're glad you had fun,” Velvet replied
“Happy birthday, Twily,” Shining added
Twilight Velvet and her husband Night Light shared a quick kiss as the other two looked away with Shining sticking his tongue out in disgust.
“It's natural to kiss somepony you love,” Velvet said
“When you're older, you'll probably have a marefriend of your own; Shining,” Night Light replied “And a coltfriend for Twilight.”
“Or even a coltfriend for Shining and a marefriend for Twilight. Either is a possibility,” Velvet corrected
“I'll race you home; Shiny,” Twilight said changing the subject as Shining Armor trailed behind
“Slow down a bit; Twily. You might run into something,” Shining warned
A quick breeze passed, causing Velvet to shiver momentarily. She stopped and tried to rub her fur in the hopes of warming up. Her husband noticed the situation and slowed to assist if needed.
“What is it dear,” Night Light questioned
“I don't know. All of a sudden, I had just gotten this chill running through me,” Velvet replied
“Are you alright,” he asked cautiously
“I should be. It was just a minor chill,” she said
Unbeknownst to them, the breeze belonged to a creature that seemed to be myth; the vampire. Luna quietly removed her concealment spell and licked her muzzle in anticipation of her feast as she hid in a nearby bush. All that was visible on her was a pair of blood red eyes; although a black cloak was used to further hide her appearance.
“Nightmare Night; what a fright. Give me something sweet to bite.”
“Alright, come on out here you jokers,” Night Light demanded “This isn't funny.”
“Nightmare Night; what a sight. Give me something sweet to bite. Or I'll give you quite the fright.”
To enunciate the phrase, Luna proceeded to make herself known to the family. Shining pushed his little sister behind him as their father stepped in front of everyone.
“Stay behind me; Twily,” Shining said with false bravado
“All of you keep behind me,” Night Light added defiantly
“Touching. This will make your deaths all the sweeter. I'll start with the oldest.”
With that; Luna grabbed Night Light and proceeded to bite him in the neck right in front of his family as a little blood spurted from the wound. Moments later, she let his limp body fall to the ground and decided to move on.
“That was good; but let's see how yours is.”
“Shining; take Twilight and get out of here,” Velvet ordered
“But mom,” Shining started
“Just go! I love you both,” Velvet said sadly
“Bye mom, we love you too,” Shining said “Let's go, Twily.”
"Bye mom. I love you," Twilight added
Velvet tried to have her children run from their attacker, only for her to be caught and subsequently drained. Luna placed the body next to the first, out of courtesy; although she didn't know why she didn't leave it alone.
“Shiny; what do we do,” Twilight asked as the two paused momentarily to catch their breath
“Just run. I'll protect you,” he replied as Luna grabbed him
“Brotherly love. How touching.”
“Let me go, beast. Twilight; I love you sis,” Shining said
Shining tried unsuccessfully to get away from his attacker and suffered the same fate as his parents. Luna calmly walked over to a visibly shaken Twilight and ran a hoof over the filly's cheek.
“Don't worry, it'll be over soon.”
“Please don't kill me,” Twilight begged “I'm too young to die.”
Luna proceeded to bend over and gently sink her fangs into Twilight’s neck.
“What am I doing? I have to save her,” Luna thought, as she removed her fangs
She bit her foreleg above the hoof and placed the wound on Twilight’s mouth, causing Twilight to lap at the blood out of instinct before passing out from fright. Once the task was completed; Luna immediately left.
“Must return to the castle. Nopony can know,” Luna said quietly to herself
With that; she flew back to the castle, keeping concealed and landed inside her room. After hiding the cloak and removing the blood from her muzzle; she looked over herself in a mirror and was glad to see her eyes returned to their normal cyan. Luna decided to head back into Canterlot to take a walk in order to cover her tracks.
“It's so easy to get lost on a nice night,” Luna said to herself
After a few minutes of wandering around aimlessly; Luna made her way towards Twilight’s family.
“Somepony get help! There's been an attack!”
A group of ponies emerged after hearing someone yelling. Many of them didn't seem to take too kindly to a rude awakening.
‘Who the buck is yelling!?’
‘In the name of Luna, shut up!’
“I am Princess Luna; and I require immediate assistance.”
‘Right away, princess!’
Once they realized it was the princess, they rushed to help. Three pale bodies were found along with a fourth laying on Luna’s back.
“Princess Luna? What do we do now,” a citizen asked
“Please have the bodies prepared for burial. I felt a pulse on the little filly and plan to bring her back to the castle.”
‘Very well. Sorry for the rudeness.’
“You are forgiven. None of you were aware of what happened.”
She trotted carefully so as not to wake Twilight; but the filly inevitably stirred and tried to hold on to Luna’s mane.
“Princess Luna? What happened,” Twilight asked
“I do not know what exactly happened. All I do know is that something attacked your family and killed them. May I please get your name, little one?”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle and I just celebrated my fifth birthday on Nightmare Night. Something black with red eyes attacked them. That's all I remember before I passed out,” she said “What's going to happen to my family?”
“They are going to be prepared for burial tomorrow. After that; we’ll have to see. I’d also like to wish you happy birthday; although I wish it was not under such circumstances.”
Once they arrived at the castle; Twilight was immediately placed into a room next to Luna’s but wanted someone to be with and stayed next to the princess.
“Can I please sleep with you? I don't want that creature to attack me,” Twilight asked
“Of course you can; Twilight. I promise nothing will hurt you,” Luna replied
The next morning, a maid entered the room to find Twilight cuddled up to Luna and quickly and quietly left so as not to disturb them.
“What are we going to do now,” Twilight asked
“Have breakfast for starters. Anything particular you would like,” Luna asked
“Chocolate chip haycakes if you don't mind. My mom would make them once a week as a treat.”
“Very well. Two plates of chocolate chip haycakes,” Luna said to a chef
After having breakfast, Luna brought Twilight to the Canterlot Cemetery for the funeral. Many of the residents turned out to pay their respects to the family.
“We're sorry to find out about your family,” Jackpot said hugging her
“You're welcome to join our family if you want,” Trixie added jokingly
“Thank you for the offer,” Twilight replied
“We are gathered here to mourn the passing of Night Light, his wife Twilight Velvet and their son Shining Armor. I see their daughter is in attendance. Would you like to say a few words,” the pastor asked, as Twilight shook her head
Twilight watched as a trio of unicorns lowered the caskets into the ground. She refused to budge as everyone else departed.
“Twilight; would you excuse me for a short time? I need to take care of some work,” Luna asked
“Go ahead, princess. I'm staying here.”
“Solar Flare, Quick Flash; would you two mind staying here until I return,” Luna asked, turning towards two guards
“Of course, Princess. It would be our pleasure to watch over miss Sparkle,” one guard answered
“Goodbye mom, dad, Shining. Thank you for taking care of me. I'll always love and miss you,” Twilight said before breaking down in tears
“If you need anything, we'll be here for you,” one of the guards said, hugging Twilight
“Thank you.”
A little while later, Luna quietly made her way back to the Cemetery to pick up Twilight.
“Twilight? I have something that might cheer you up,” Luna said
“What's that? You can bring my family back?”
“Unfortunately, that cannot be done. But you will have somepony to take care of you,” Luna replied
“Who?”
“Me. I have adopted you as my daughter, but I'd rather not say anything officially,” Luna said in a whisper
The two headed towards Twilight’s home, where a few of the castle’s unicorn maids joined them carrying boxes. Twilight immediately grabbed all photo albums and placed them in a single box. She also retrieved her Smarty Pants doll that her father gave her that year as a birthday gift.
“Is there anything else you want,” Luna asked
“No. This is everything,” Twilight replied
The maid levitated the box as everyone headed back to the castle. Twilight was given the same room that was turned down the previous night. A photo of her family was placed on a nearby nightstand along with Smarty Pants.
“Goodnight Princess Luna.”
“You can call me ‘mom’ if you'd like. Everyone here knows about me adopting you,” Luna said reassuringly
“Goodnight…mom,” Twilight said hesitantly, hugging her
“Goodnight Twilight. I apologize in advance if I don't answer a knock on my door. There is something I need to do,” Luna replied, kissing her forehead
Luna headed inside her room and proceeded to lock the door. Following that; she teleported into a room deep inside the castle. The room in question could be accessed by normal means of heading down the staircase past the dungeon; but she didn't need anyone following behind.
“Luna. What brings you here,” a voice called
“Dark Steel, my old friend. Can't I just come down here to see you?”
“I know you didn't come to talk,” Dark Steel said bluntly “What is it?”
“It happened again.”
“How bad,” he asked
“I attacked a family of four. The parents and eldest son were drained. I bit their daughter but changed my mind and gave her some of my blood.”
“Does she know what happened?”
“No. Her family was just buried earlier today. She will be told; just not now.”
“Very well. Be careful in your approach. She does not need to resent you,” Dark Steel said
“That's the second time you've killed a family and turned the daughter. What was the name again,” a second voice added
“I don't remember her name at the time, but I know whom you speak of.”
"Do you regret it? Killing innocent ponies,” another voice inquired
"Of course I do. Taking small amounts of blood isn't harmful; but actually letting my hunger get to the point of killing a pony is unnecessary. It's even worse when you're standing next to the only survivor of the attack,” Luna said as tears started to fall “There isn't a day when I wish I wasn't a vampire.”
“Unfortunately; you didn't have a choice in this lifestyle. All you can do is just be careful the incident doesn't happen a third time,” Dark Steel replied
“I certainly will try. I just hope someday Twilight could forgive me for my actions.”
"Don't push her into forgiveness. This will take time to adjust to," another warned
After their meeting, Luna returned to her room and unlocked the door. Waiting outside was Twilight curled up holding Smarty Pants. Luna proceeded to gently levitate her daughter to bed and fell asleep.
● TWILIGHT’S DREAM ●
‘I've killed your father right in front of you as he tried to protect you. Mommy died allowing you to escape. And your poor brother failed to protect you. What a waste,’ a red eyed demon taunted
‘No!’
The dream Twilight watched as her family was killed before the creature lunged towards her. Luna watched from the side; knowing that she caused this to happen.
● REAL WORLD ●
After seeing that, Twilight bolted upwards and ended up unintentionally rolling off the bed to the floor.
“It's only a dream. It's only a dream,” Twilight repeated to herself “It can't hurt you.”
“Twilight; are you alright,” Luna asked, looking down at her daughter
“Mom; you control dreams, right?”
“Guide ponies through them, to be a bit more correct,” Luna replied
“Could you help with mine?”
“I saw your dream; but I can't help. That was more of a recollection of what happened to your parents, combined with modifications from your subconscious. To put it simply; your mind created changes based on the real attack,” Luna explained
“Sorry.”
“It's perfectly acceptable. My student should be able to ask questions about the unknown,” Luna said
“You mean it,” Twilight asked as Luna nodded “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
The next morning Luna made sure her daughter had breakfast before anything else. Twilight chose to have a simple bowl of cereal to eat, while Luna wasn't hungry at the moment.
“How about we take a tour of the castle first? That way, you know your way around,” Luna suggested
“Okay. I do need to find my way around anyways.”
With Luna leading, Twilight was shown different parts of the castle. Bedroom areas were glanced over, due to their obvious nature. The throne room was interesting as Twilight got to sit in for a while, until a meeting came up.
“And in short; if we increase prices,” a noble said, droning on
“Mom has to listen to this? I don't know what he's talking about,” Twilight thought, before falling asleep
“Perhaps we all could use a break,” Luna suggested
After looking over at Twilight curled up next to the throne; Luna carried her back to her own room and had a guard posted outside.
“Would you mind watching her for me,” Luna asked
“Of course. When she wakes, where would you like me to bring her to,” the guard asked
“Depending on if she's hungry or not; perhaps the dining room. But regardless; I'll meet the two of you in the library,” Luna decided
A few hours later, Twilight woke up and was directed towards the library. Once inside; she was in awe at the sight.
“So many books! I could get my cutie mark in reading,” Twilight said excitedly
“I haven't heard of a reading cutie mark,” Luna replied
“Mom! This is yours?”
“It is. Is there anything you want to read about,” Luna asked curiously
“History, if you don't mind.”
Luna levitated a history book over to Twilight to read. Taking the book, she headed to find a comfortable place to start as Luna sat down next to her.
“Mom; who's this? Day…Break.”
“Daybreaker. An incident that happened thousands of years ago. Perhaps when you're older, I'll tell you about it,” Luna replied simply
“Ok,” a defeated Twilight said
The two spent the next few hours reading; with Twilight managing to finish the history section. She walked over and picked up a spell book out of curiosity.
“Mom; would you teach me how to do magic?”
“Of course. We'll start early tomorrow,” came the reply
“What about your court?”
“I'll move it to the night. My daughter is more important to me than ridiculous requests,” Luna answered
“Thank you mom.”
With that determined; the next morning a maid brought out haycakes for the two of them while a goblet was sent to Luna as well.
“Mom; what's that you're drinking?”
“This? It's a special beverage the maids give me at least twice a month as a treat. An adult you wouldn't like,” Luna lied
“What are we going to learn first?”
“The most basic of unicorn spells is levitation. Without that fundamental, it is difficult to learn anything else,” Luna said “When you're finished eating, we'll head out to the courtyard.”
As Luna led, Twilight felt herself getting anxious about having magic lessons. She wondered when her cutie mark would appear and couldn't wait.
“Twilight? Are you ready,” Luna asked
“Sorry mom. I was just lost in my thoughts.”
“I'm just glad you found your way back to the present. You will need absolute focus to complete this,” Luna said “Let's begin with a simple object.”
Twilight closed her eyes and subconsciously scrunched up her face as Luna placed a few apples on the ground in front of them.
“You need not close your eyes. It's easier to see what you're doing when they're open,” Luna suggested
With that, Twilight opened her eyes and began to concentrate on lifting the apple. The first effort caused the apple to lift slightly, only to roll to one side. Not wanting to give up, she forced the apple to upright itself in order to try again.
“Impressive. You managed to lift it on your first try,” Luna said hugging her
“But I failed.”
“Not exactly. Lifting the apple even slightly is progress. Besides; you were able to turn it upright, which is a feat on its own,” Luna replied
“Can I try again? I can do it this time.”
“Let's wait a little while before continuing. You need to rest a bit to recharge your energy,” she said
A defeated Twilight reluctantly returned to the castle for lunch as Luna headed to take care of a few impatient nobles that had waited a while.
● PRINCESS LUNA ●
“Princess Luna; is it wise to keep us waiting,” a noble asked rather rudely
“Your daughter isn't as important to Equestria as we are,” another added
“How dare you? What makes you think your problems are actually worth notice? The economy is doing fine as store owners have reported plenty of sales. When you have an actual problem that I need to hear, feel free to bring it to my attention. Until then, court is dismissed. Now be gone from the castle,” Luna demanded
“How dare us? How dare you, Princess! If it weren't for the nobles,” someone started
“Don't even start with that. The first nobles were nothing more than advisors. Perhaps I get rid of you and actually hold meetings with the real workers in Equestria. At least they know exactly what is going on and can suggest any changes that would be beneficial.”
After being demanded they leave; the nobles filed out of the room with a few muttering choice words under their breath. Luna sighed afterwards, having not needed to yell at them before.
● TWILIGHT SPARKLE ●
“Mom; are you alright?”
“Not really. I had to do something I'm not entirely proud of,” Luna replied
“I heard. I was outside waiting to surprise you before yelling at those meanies.”
“I'm sorry you had to hear that. The nerve to say that you are not important is ridiculous.”
“I do like that idea you have, mommy. Perhaps others would be better to talk to.”
“You really think so,” Luna asked as Twilight nodded “Very well. I'll start changing around the counsel.”
“Do you want to continue our lesson from earlier?”
“If you wish to practice on your own, you may. I need to start preparations to make a smooth transition,” Luna said
The two departed ways from the throne room as Luna returned to her room and Twilight headed towards the library. Wanting a challenge; Twilight removed a single book and placed it in front of her to lift.
“Come on, lift. If I can raise an apple, than I should be able to do this,” Twilight said straining
“It's not good to force yourself too hard,” a maid suggested as she entered
“Mom sent you here to check on me?”
“Yes she did. The princess didn't want you to get exhausted,” the maid replied
● LUNA ●
“Those overgrown foals need to be replaced. They have done nothing to help in Equestria and are only out for themselves. Everypony needs to have a say in what happens.”
Looking over reports from Ponyville; Luna was looking for businesses that seemed to be representative of everyone. The bakery and farm were popular as was a small boutique.
● TWILIGHT ●
A week of training later; Twilight was asked to her mother's room for a meeting.
“Twilight; how would you like to accompany me on a trip,” Luna asked
“Of course. Where are we going?”
“The nearby city of Ponyville. I wanted to look there for representatives,” Luna replied
“Sounds fun. I've never been anywhere else before. I did manage to make progress on levitating objects.”
“Oh, really? Would you show me?”
Luna set a couple books on the ground along with an empty teacup as a challenge. Twilight proceeded to lift the two books in her aura and float them effortlessly around the room. Both books were then lowered onto the cup with ease.
“Congratulations. You really have mastered levitation. That is also well deserved,” Luna said, motioning to her daughter's flank
“Oh my gosh! Is that my cutie mark!?”
“It is. Congratulations again,” Luna said, hugging her
After returning everything to its original places before they headed to the train station. Twilight found it hard to relax after finally gaining her cutie mark. Luna was able to sleep; having been up for quite some time. Almost an hour later the train arrived in Ponyville and Twilight was in awe at the sight.
“Princess Luna, welcome to Ponyville. I am Mayor Mare,” she said “What brings you here on such short notice?”
“Business. Perhaps we could talk in private,” Luna suggested
“Of course,” Mayor Mare said
“Go ahead and explore the town in the meantime, Twilight. I'll meet you by the library,” Luna said
● LUNA ●
“Alright Luna; what did you really come here for,” Mayor Mare asked directly
“You got me Vivian. I'm here to scout a place for Twilight to live. I turned her, like I did one other so long ago. She'll be living in Golden Oak Library; but it won't be for a while,” Luna replied
“What is the other reason,” the mayor asked
“I wanted to remove the rich nobles from power in Canterlot and replace them with average ponies. Their opinions mean more than anything.”
“I see. It does seem to be better to have a variety of opinions instead of just one,” the mayor mused “In the meantime, would you care for a drink?”
“I would, thank you.”
“The Cakes, Apple, and Belle families have the best reputation in town. Maybe they would help you out,” the mayor suggested
● TWILIGHT ●
Twilight took her time to enjoy the city. Having never left the stone buildings of Canterlot; the sight of simplicity was different
“This is amazing! These are so different from Canterlot.
“You're from the big city, huh? What brings a rich, spoiled pony like you to Ponyville,” a blue filly asked sarcastically
“I'm accompanying Princess Luna as her student here to Ponyville. She allowed me to explore the town while she and the mayor talked.”
After their chat, the filly left Twilight alone to continue her exploration of the town. Without knowing how, she made her way into the bakery.
“What can I get you dear,” Mrs. Cake asked sweetly
“A muffin; but I don't have any money.”
“It's not a problem. Your food has already been paid for,” Mrs. Cake replied
To Twilight’s surprise; Luna casually walked in as everyone bowed to her, out of respect. She was happy to see her mother arrive after wandering around so long.
“Princess Luna; it's an honor to have you here at our bakery,” Mr. Cake said
“Please rise, everypony. I thank you for the respect, but there is no need to bow,” Luna replied
Once finished with their meal, Twilight was led to the library while Luna carried on with her diplomatic meetings in private.
“This place is amazing! There's so many books to read.”
“Yes, it really is. Greetings, young one. I am Raven Inkwell; who might you be,” she asked curiously
“Twilight Sparkle. Student to Princess Luna.”
“It's nice to meet you. The Golden Oak Library has been my home for quite some time. I'm hoping to pass it to someone,” Raven said
After spending the day in Ponyville; Twilight and Luna headed back to deliver the news to the nobles about their loss of position. Nearly a month later, came the first meeting with the new counsel and Twilight had an odd feeling come over her. Sitting across from her was an orange filly and a bright pink one that seemed to be the epitome of the phrase ‘sugar rush’. Seeing these two made Twilight think about the future and what could happen.