//------------------------------// // Undead Nightmare // Story: Embrace of the Night // by KingofBronies //------------------------------// Luna viewed the countless stars in her night sky as she flew. She thought of the very day her rage took her and she became the very monster known as Nightmare Moon. She wished not to return to that, yet she couldn't help, but think that it could be what was going through Twilight's mind. She wanted not her to worry about this all, she wanted it all to come together, but she knew not if it was possible. That's why she had to go on this journey, She had to find all there was to know about the dark gift so that she could aid her friend in need. She reached the house shortly not realizing how lost she was in thought almost skipping it. She landed in front of the door and knocked, she needed not hide her motives this time being she even spoke to her sister of it. Twilight answered the door she looked up at her alicorn friend with a curious look on her face. Probably wondering why she knocked instead of teleporting in like last time and why she had so much packed. "Twilight Sparkle, we have urgent news." The princess of the night spoke low enough to not disturb Spike. The currently light lavander colored pony was happy to see her friend again. She looked at her with a now even more curious look. She had no idea what this urgent news could mean. A trip perhaps?Would explain the saddle. She let her into her house. "Um, what is it Luna?" Twilight asked. She was a bit out of it just waking up and all. "Well, we have spoken to our sister. She has given us permission to go to the Emerald Quartz Hive. Tis the home to the Changlings." This news painted a look of shock on the unicorn's face. Changlings? What the hay was going on? They were mortal enemies of the princess and ponies in general. What was Luna thinking? She took a deep breath and sighed. What choice did she have, but to go along with her? "Why are we going there exacally?" The studious unicorn asked curious of her friend's intention. "We art to establish a mutual understanding with them so that they shall know not to attack us. A treaty if you will, Twilight Sparkle. We of course have different reason we shall explain on the way." Luna smiled assuringly. She knew the night princess only had good intentions and getting away from other ponies sounded like a good idea. So at the very least it would help her a bit. She really did need somepony to talk to about this and Luna was the only one that could know. She couldn't risk anyponyelse not even her closest friends. Twilight looked up at the astral mare. "I'll get my things and leave a letter, for the girls and Spike." "Very well, make haste Twilight. Let them know we will be sending update of our travels." Luna responded. The vampire pony trotted further into her dark home. She could see much better in the dark with her new found powers. Navigating as if it was still day. She levitated to herself a parchment and a quill and wrote: Dear everypony, I am going on a trip to the Emerald Quartz Hive with Luna. It's where the Changlings reside. Don't worry we will be sending you updates so that everypony doesn't have to worry. We are trying to make peace with them to prevent another attack. Sincerely yours, Twilight Sparkle She left the note on the table for Spike to see. She trotted around and found her saddlebag levitating ink, quills. and parchments with snacks. She also took her element of harmony Tiara and threw on her cloak. She wanted to keep it on her just in case the Changelings attacked. She strapped on her saddlebag and was ready to go. She would miss everypony and Spike, but she needed to learn what Luna had planned. The two trotted out the door and began to move toward the exit out of Ponyville. The astral princess levitated her map and opened it. Several places appeared on the map, but the most important were Canterlot and the Emerald Quartz Hive. The Hive was far East of Canterlot. The two were finally far enough from anypony. Twilight looked at Luna while they moved. The path was open with bushes and trees ever so often. The path they tread on was dark green in the time of day with a brown road they followed. “What exactly do you have planned?” The faithful student asked. “We plan on finding out what the Changelings know about this. Their powers art very much vampire like, with the exception of love instead of blood. If they know anything we must learn it so that we may better helpeth thee.” The night princess said with a look of worry. She was of course worried about Twilight, but also herself. This was no small feat approaching an enemy kingdom and asking for peace and knowledge. She had faith in her and Twilight’s combine might. “This is a big risk, Luna. I'm just glad we can at least get out of Ponyville. I was just so scared somepony would find out..about my power.” Twilight looked down. She disliked all off this hiding. She disliked lying to her friends. It bothered her, but she knew there was no use worrying about something that was done. What is done is done. Luna stopped for a moment. “What is it?” The unicorn asked. Several bushes shook as unruly looking ponies jump out in front of them. There were five stallions, two unicorns, two pegasi, and an earth pony. They had bandit like appearance, the pegasi were gray, the unicorn were both a dulled brown. The leader was the earth pony. He was was built with a black coat and an eye patch, with shaggy long and brown hair. He looked upon the two immortals with a piercing green eye and a dark grin. “Well what do we 'ave 'ear then lads?” The earth pony said roughly. “Looks like a couple of ladies that lost their way.” One of the unicorns spoke. “Um, boss. T-that's Princess Luna!” A pegasus pointed out. “Ah yes, Luna! You dumb mug that’s who we've been searchin' fer!” He knocked the pegasus on the head with his front hoof. “Fool! You dare to challenge us! We have powers you could never imagine!” The night princess glared. “I think you boys better move on before you get hurt now.” Twilight grinned. Her head was pulsing with her power. Dark thoughts of dismemberment and destruction plagued her mind. She couldn't control her emotions, she was scared, but she spoke so bravely even a little arrogant. Something was driving her.. “Who the hay is this girl!? Who does she think she is?!” The leader grew angry from the taunt. “I am Twilight Sparkle, royal student of Princess Celestia.” the lavender unicorn said with an arrogant smile. The team of bandits laughed at the faithful student. When their laughing stopped they just smiled. “Think yer so tough with your fancy teachin's? We ain't no ordinary bandits, just like you ain't not ordinary girl, lass.” The leader grinned. Bones cracked as the other ponies underwent a wicked transformation tearing their clothes. Their structures formed something more feral. Their fangs extended and their eyes dyed red with hunger. They were Vampires, but something was a bit different. Their skin was dried and wrinkle. Their flesh torn and degrading exposing bone. Decaying wings for the pegasi and crackled horns for the unicorn. “We sensed you Princess and you too young vampire.” They trotted around the two speaking with sinister tones. “We lured you, we hunger for your immortal blood..” A unicorn licked his fangs. “We born as mortal vampires will drain you dry and no longer fear the sun!” They hissed at the two. They were both trembling. It was horrifying the thought of being drained dry by the fiendish monstrosities that laid before them. A sound pulsed in Twilight's head. “Twilight Sparkle..Cowardice will not save you..Let your fear become your power! The cornered become lions do they not? I gift you the powers of nightmares! Exterminate these pests!” Twilight's eyes flared with red as her blood boiled. Her fangs extended with a malicious grin. She threw her saddle bag to the floor and stared into one of the pegasi's eyes. An endless shadow of nightmarish images cloaked the once terrifying Vampire causing him to paralyze in fear. He looked around noticing time itself had seemingly stopped. She trotted slowly step by step, hearing an amplified version of her walk. He looked at her only to notice her pupils glowed red and a mist of matching color seeped out of them. Her grin was wide and unsettling. His feelings of fear and helplessness came to him as tears rolled down his eyes. When she reached him she whispered. “Goodnight.” And sunk her teeth into his neck draining his blood before ripping out his jugular. She licked her lips of the flavor of blood as she looked at the other scared pegasus who tried to fly away. “And just where do you think your going?” She used her magic to grab hold of him and slam him to the ground. The other bandits tried to stop her, but Luna was holding them off. She stepped on top of the fallen pegasus and smirked darkly as he trembled trying to get away. “You won't be needing these.” the dark unicorn said as she ripped off his wings mercilessly with her fangs. She heard the screams of the now wingless pony and smashed her hoof onto the back of his neck executing him. A blood red aura swirled around, the young vampire pony. She began to scream aimlessly into the sky as if in pain. The alicorn gazed upon the nightmarish sight of her seemingly lost friend. What was happening? This grim feeling that covered her body causing her chest to tighten and caused her body to shiver. “Do you feel it Luna?” A voice echoed in the astral princesses mind. “You...What have you done to her!” She yelled. “Mearly given her the power to defeat those who threaten her. You should be grateful, you'd both be dead if I had not intervened.” She was right. What could even an alicorn do against five wicked vampires? She needed her power..She needed Nightmare Moon. But to be part of Twilight..That she would not allow! “Get out of Twilight Sparkle! We demand it!”Laughter echoed through her head. “You do not command me, fool! I cannot leave her as I cannot leave you! I am part of you, in your very blood! Now that she has your blood we are one!” Luna growled, but knew she had no choice, but to accept it. She was frustrated and the enemy was on assault. The two unicorns and the leader were left. A unicorn amplified the magic around its horn creating a magic blade swinging it at the alicorn which she dodged, but received a powerful buck from the earth pony to her mid section sending her tumbling. She raised from the ground her horn glowing with an angry look on her face. She took flight then took a powerful horn first dive through a unicorn's skull. She throws off the corpse to the ground. She notices the corpses being dragged towards Twilight as the body's very essence seemingly drains away. The second unicorn charge to avenge his fallen comrade. Luna retaliates by bucking it hard enough to shatter its skull. The leader charged enraged by his fallen allies deaths jumping and slamming his front hoof into the night princesses face sending her harshly into the ground. The sharps stones and rough dirt scared the night princess's body weakening her as she struggled to stand. “Stay down!” the earth pony yelled as he jumped and slammed four hoofed on her back. Blood spat from her mouth as her eyes widened. Her consciousness began to slip as she noticed the earth pony grin as he dropped down to her level. “Now, your blood its mine!” He readied his fangs to the dark alicorns neck, but was stopped by a serpent like monster snapping at his lower mid section. He let out a scream of agony as the now helpless leader was tossed into the are and devoured by the hellish beast. Luna looked up to see a horrifying image of her friend. Hell beasts come out of the dark aura as if it was a portal to the very source of horror. Twilight trotted closer to her friend as she levitated her with magic. “Go on Twilight..Take her power! Make us one again.” Nightmare Moon echoed in her mind. Twilight resisted screaming from the intense pain of her actions of refusal. Luna looked at her weakly. “Twilight..Snap out of it...You must not give in...” The dark red aura dissipated with a final scream as the vampire mare fell dropping Luna. “Noooo!” the dark voice called before fading into her consciousness. The battlefield was clear. No blood, no bodies. All was drained by Twilight's fear filled powers. The two laid on the field weakened, but victorious. Twilight rose first remembering the power she unleashed. She looked at the now unconscious Luna. She tried to mend her wounds with magic, but in her state she couldn't completely restore her. The unicorn's expression dimmed with sadness. All of this power she now had and she had no idea how to control it. She was scared it could come at anytime and hurt, or possibly kill Luna. The thought made her tear up as she began to sob over the darkness that was inside her. Nightmare Moon was now a part of her and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. She laid next to the fallen alicorn and rested. She awoke to the sizzling burn of her flesh in the sunlight with a yelp of pain. Sure she had fed, but the sun was still painful to her. The sunlight resistance spell had also worn off. Luna awoke to the noise. Luna casted the sun resistance spell on her again. Twilight sighed with the slow dismissal of the pain. “Thanks Luna.” She smiled the pain fading now feeling a warm, but not burning presence of the sun. “Twilight, what was that power yesterday? Nightmare Moon has never granted me powers like that before.” the night princess said in a concerned. “She took over me..I couldn't control her only feed her with my fear..All I could see was the fear I instilled on those vampire ponies and I couldn't stop her.. The power was just so overwhelming. It was so terrible, so evil..” The element of magic explained. Questions came of this new presence. Was this the power and terror Luna felt? The power of nightmares, to make the greatest of fears reality and to devour the bodies of the fallen and living alike. Such power was just insane. It was as if she was a true monster! “The dead we have devoured will forever become a part of you. Like any part they are your thralls to command and control.” The familiar voice echoed again. What? She thought. Could she control the ones she had killed, the ones she had absorbed? “She has become a part of you, but since thou art not as strong as us she can take further control of thee. We fear for thee Twilight, we wish to learn more of this horror that has befallen thee since your transformation so that we may aid you. We will do our best to protect thee from her treachery!” The alicorn vowed. More and more, her anger stacked mixed in with the fear that grew. She wanted to protect her new immortal friend, but she felt not strong enough without the power of Nightmare Moon. “How can you protect me? She nearly killed you during the attack.” Twilight said recalling the near consumption of her friend. “True, she refuses to give us power against thee in a wish to consume us and become whole at her full power. If she were to absorb us..all of Equestria could be in terrible danger. As Discord rained chaos she would bring forth living nightmares to all the land. Believe you us Twilight Sparkle, though thou hast grown stronger since your transformation and only a small amount of her blood flows through thee. She grows ever powerful from the being thou hast become the living nightmare know as a vampire.” Luna looked down. The lavender vampire was hurt by the words of her friend. She did not like the though of being called a living nightmare. She frown looking down. Luna looked at her friend noticing the error of which she spoke and came to her. “Twilight..We meant no ill words with what we spoke..” the astral pony spoke calmly to her friend putting a wing around her. “I am a monster though! Look at what I have become! I fed off the terror of those ponies!” She yelled trembling as tears began to well up in her eyes. Luna looked at her closest friend now tearing away. She brought her close into a embrace. “Twilight..Thou art no monster. Thou art our dearest friend and kindest pony we know. We bear the same mark of Nightmare Moon. Thou mayest be different now, with your new found powers, but thou art still Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Sparkle is no monster.” She smiled holding her close. “Thanks Princess.” She returned the smile not knowing what else to say. Her smile was genuine glad to hear that Luna though her not as a monster. She was happy that even through all of the chaos she still had a friend she could rely on. “Tis nothing Twilight, you were the one that did the same for us during Nightmare Night.” The night princess let her go from the embrace. “But another question.. What were those other vampires? Wasn't I the only one?” The vampire pony asked. “We do not know. Perhaps another lore of vampire pony. They came in search of our immortal blood. Possibly because they could not regenerate as you can without it. Your powers are different then theirs Twilight. I also assume you are more resilient to light. Though you do not explode into ash you do still suffer pain.. This is most confusing.” The night princess frowned in thought. “Hmmmm..I guess they were what they said, mortal vampires. Though there transformation seemed more vicious. Definatly created differently then I was and definatly not with immortal blood. I'm honestly very curious as to how these ponies were created.. Well we best go to the Emerald Quartz Cave and perhaps learn a thing or two.” The element of magic smiled. “Perhaps thou art right. We should get a move on. Let us be off!” Luna smiled with her friend. The lavender unicorn was excited. Sure she was still uneasy, but with all the new questions she wanted to answer it further motivated her to go to see the changelings. Luna was also happy to see her friend in high spirits especially considering the hell they just went through. The two trotted off following the road to Canterlot their next stop..