//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Children of the Moon // Story: Vampires // by Elu //------------------------------// Disoriented and confused, Nicholas plummeted through the air to the castle wall below, his body spinning, his wings flapping in a desperate attempt to stabilize his rapid descent. His muscles were stiff and unresponsive, refusing to listen to his mind's commands; in a few moments, he violently crashed on the stone floor of the castle walls, his body breaking on impact, twisting and bending. His pained form slid across the stone, leaving a trail of blood behind, and then stopped. His ceremonial clothes were now torn to rags, and many cuts and scratches covered his body. He couldn't hear the guards rushing to him, shouting in fear. His heart pumped slow. A void of black replaced his vision, absolute silence reigned supreme. Even in the darkest and most quiet room, one could hear their own heartbeat, the movement of their muscles and joints, and their very breath; nothing could be heard here, not even the ringing one gets in their own ears when the silence is deafening. There was not a scent nor a feeling left either – the void was absolute and impenetrable. Nicholas wondered if it was his end, and the end for his whole kind as well. Killed by none other than the daughter of a murderer he fought so many years ago. Was it all for naught? Where did he go wrong? But now, he caught himself on the thought – if he could think, then his demise had yet to come. Despite the empty void surrounding him and penetrating him, his presence was apparent, and his thoughts were swirling inside his mind. He remembered this void very well, for it was not the first time he experienced such nothingness. He remembered his younger years where life experience had yet to humble him and teach him important lessons he would not forget; perhaps he was naive, impulsive, and thirsting for action, action without planning. He refused to hide, announcing his presence and power to the world, seeking what he saw as justice for the misdeeds done upon him. He bit and struck for blood, fought tooth and nail for his beliefs; and one day, he was put down, hunted until he could neither run nor hide. Exhausted, he was cornered, and then spears pierced him and fire burned him. His fight was lost, for he did not fight it thoughtfully; arrogant and blind, he received his punishment and his first important lesson. Such was his first death, although it wasn't final, and thus he learned of his immortality, experiencing it in full for the first time in his life. In that dark void of nothingness, he could only wait and pray for resurrection, hoping Lună Roșie would forgive him for his foolishness and restore him to life. She agreed, for Nicholas learned his lesson and was ready to change his erroneous ways, he was ready to live and fight another day for higher causes. He remembered how his life was restored, and how he found himself buried in the dirt with a rotting box of wood around him and a brick in his maw. He got out and dug his way to freedom, and then he had to go, pushing down his urge to exact vengeance. His thoughts were disrupted when the darkness parted, allowing him to see his mistress, Lună Roșie, looking at him in all Her nightly glory as stars surrounded her. Spirit of Life, Goddess of Blood, She was before him once more like she always had when he required her help the most. He gazed back at Her, reaching out to Her, for She was the only one who could prevent his death and lead him on the right path. Her glow was strong, Her light was penetrating, exposing his very soul, the immortal soul of Her child. Now he stood before Her, his actions for Her to judge and guide, for the Pact he made could not be broken or disobeyed. He made a promise to Her as She did to him, and both must uphold it until the very end, no matter when and how that end would come. She was looking at him, an unspoken question hanging in the air. "She hath made her decision," Nicholas said, his voice but a hollow whisper coming out of seemingly nowhere. As he spoke, he couldn't feel his lips nor maw; he couldn't feel his breath at all. However, he learned to ignore such things when he was in this state – words needed no source other than his mind. Despite how quiet he was, he knew She could hear him very well, and so he continued: "I see her pain, but it hath blinded her, and now she cannot accept what came to pass. She will fight for her comfortable lie... and I must stand against it." "As thou hast always stood," Lună Roșie replied, her voice clear and serene, "And yet, it seemeth thou hast not learned the lesson. Lies aren't always followed out of malice or spite." "Lies are lies. Bigger or smaller, intentional or not, they are all the same," he argued, "I must fight them whenever and wherever I can." "Lies must be fought," She agreed calmly, "But 'tis important to know how to fight them. Otherwise, thou shalt only perpetuate the cycle that enableth them, Nicholas. Thou hast lived for many centuries, and yet thou needst a reminder... Remember how it all began." A certain, emotional silence came, and not a word was spoken for a while. Nicholas knew very well what She meant, for he was born out of the fight against lies and injustice that enabled them; he fought his entire life for his beliefs, rarely stopping to ask an important question: when will it end? However, despite this question nagging on his mind for years on end, begging for an answer, he never had any. His fight seemed eternal, and he lived enough to see generations come and go, and yet things barely changed. And so, the question hanged in the air for longer than it should have; however, Lună Roșie was always patient in teaching the lesson Her child must learn. The anger he had for Princess Luna subsided somewhat, bringing clarity to his mind. His flow of thoughts finally reached a conclusion. He could now see the fault, the failure of his actions – for years, vampires hid and fought, and yet no long-lasting victory was achieved. Injustice was done on them, and then they returned it in full... which then enabled the ponies to fight them yet again. Nicholas had to kill, and then the descendants or friends of the killed came for him in an unending cycle of vengeance. He could see the link clearly now: Cassius killed his brother, Nicholas killed Cassius, and now Luna, the son of the then King of Equestria wanted nothing less than his death. He didn't know if these events could've been avoided, but the future had yet to be decided. "I remember," he finally spoke, "And I understand. But the princess will not end it without a fight. I shall do what I must." "And I shall grant thee the strength to do it," Lună Roșie agreed, "Enough lives were lost, however. This cannot continue, for her sister will not forgive thee if thou endst the life of the princess of the night." "Dost thou recognize her title, then?" Nicholas asked carefully, "Doth she have any dominion over thy domain?" "She doth," Lună Roșie replied in confirmation, "Not like thou dost, but she doth. Her life is as important as thine, dear Nicholas." "Very well," he replied, hiding his doubts for now, "Then I shall ensure she doth not lose it. The night must be whole." With a gasp, he was suddenly awake, his body fully healed and filled with energy. A pair of guards were standing above him, looking at him with horror, and then surprise. "Regele meu!" one of them exclaimed, kneeling, "Tu-" Without a warning, Nicholas formed a shield of magic around him; a moment later, a blue bolt of electricity hit it from above, the impact shattering the eerie silence. The Vampire King quickly got on his hooves and pushed the guards away as Luna descended, her horn on fire, and her eyes filled with rage. She relentlessly pounded on his shield with bolts of energy, pushing the vampire back, and the air was filled with her unintelligible shouts and screams. Nicholas continued to retreat, keeping the shield up, and then noticed a squad of guards rushing in from behind him. "Nu!" he shouted at them, "Alicornul este al meu! Ea este prea puternică pentru oricare dintre voi!" The guards stopped in their tracks, uncertainty on their faces. Meanwhile, Luna continued to assault Nicholas, forcing him to step back with each new strike. She landed on the stone floor and continued her assault from a more stable position, sending a spell after spell at the Vampire King. "Pleci!" Nicholas shouted again, and the guards scattered, leaving the sight of the battle. A few moments later, a deep horn sounded across the city followed by a staccato pattern. And then the fight abruptly stopped; Luna stood, huffing, sparks dancing dangerously around her horn, and her eyes were looking straight into Nicholas'. This pause allowed the Vampire King to rest somewhat as well – the necklace was already quite warm, the glow of the gem inside it pulsating. "You... you have taken him away! My father!" she yelled, her voice coming out hoarse, "How dare you accuse him of warmongering?!" "'Tis not an accusation, princess..." he replied, breathing heavily, "This... is a fact. Perhaps thou'rt under a delusion thy father was a great ruler-" "He was!" Luna hurled a spell at Nicholas, who blocked it, allowing it to dissipate on his magical shield. "Perhaps to the ignorant," he countered unapologetically, his own anger growing again. A passing thought reminded him to stifle it, for it could not and would not change Luna's mind. However, this thought quickly died, replaced by pure emotions, "Or the willfully blind..." Unable to stand his words, Luna dashed forward, tearing off bricks from underneath her hooves and throwing them at the Vampire King. He continued to defend himself with no retaliation, stepping back as the stone shattered around him, and yet bringing him no harm. With a grunt, the princess tore off a merlon from the stone wall and hurled it at him with tremendous force; he used his magic to redirect the merlon, and it passed above his head. It shook the ground as it fell, cracking and shattering the bricks, raising a thick cloud of dust too. "Thou'rt strong in thine anger," Nicholas commented, straightening his posture, and his mind calmed slightly again, "It remindeth me of myself in my younger years... sometimes even these days if I am to be honest. I have seen it before, and now I recognize when someone is so consumed by sorrow and grief they refuse to see..." "Shut up!" Luna hollered and released a barrage of spells unto the Vampire King, forcing him into defense once again. However, his shield stood strong. "Fight, you coward!" she struck him with raw magic, ignoring all the spells she learned over her lifetime, "Fight!" "I haven't the desire to maim or kill thee... Princess Luna," he struggled to speak, focusing on maintaining the shield, "'Twould be a waste, for thine only mistake is rejecting the truth." "There is no truth to it!" she argued violently, "None! You're a liar!" "The first stage of acceptance..." he exhaled deeply, "Is denial." With a scream of unbridled rage, Luna threw another merlon at Nicholas, this time so quickly he had no time to redirect its trajectory; he maintained the shield instead, and the merlon shattered against it, sending dust and bricks and other debris flying everywhere. Through the dust, Princess Luna charged, her head down with her horn pointing straight at the chest of the Vampire King; Nicholas dodged to the side and used magic to send her flying into the castle wall, putting some distance between himself and the princess. She recovered quickly, jumping on her hooves, and sent the scattered bricks flying at the Vampire King. He dodged and blocked what he could, but a few did manage to hit him; all he could do was endure the pain. "Fight, damn you!" Luna screamed in hatred, continuing her assault without as much as a pause. "Thou'rt fighting for nothing, princess," he replied, huffing, "Thy fight won't accomplish anything!" "It will avenge my father!" "A murderer!" With a battle cry, the alicorn charged forward and tackled Nicholas, both of them flying off the wall and into the air. Chairs fells, a plate slipped from the table and shattered against the floor, and a candle stand tilted dangerously as ponies jumped from their seats and turned to the exit. The two guards by the doors took a step forward, blocking the way, and turned towards the six mares. A small pause in the chaos followed as both parties observed the situation. "Please calm yourselves," one of the guards spoke, his voice devoid of Vampiric accent, "We shall escort you to safety until the situation stabilizes. We wish you no harm." "Like hell we're going anywhere with you!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "Everyone, did you hear what the princess said? That vampire bastard killed her father!" "We're leaving this city!" Twilight Sparkle added, her horn glowing in preparation of casting spells if needed, "We will not stay!" "Only the king can grant you permission to enter or leave the city," the guard replied, taking a step forward, "Such is the law. Please, stand down and allow us to escort you to safety." "I'm tired of listening!" Rainbow Dash snarled and then took off, charging at the guard. Simultaneously, Twilight Sparkle shot a spell at the second guard. The first guard evaded the charge by stepping aside and then slammed the wooden pole of the halberd against the side of the pegasus, sending her to the ground. The second guard formed a shield in front of himself, blocking the spell. Without a pause, Twilight cast another spell, animating the plates and making them fly at the guards. A counterspell flew through the air, a bolt of electricity aimed at the unicorn; it was successfully blocked by her as she conjured up a shield. Her plates shattered against the plate armor of the guards, bringing them no harm. After tasing Rainbow Dash for good measure, the guards advanced against the rest of the ponies, sparks of electricity dancing on the tips of their weapons. With a yelp, Rarity threw a candle stand at them, only to have it miss; Applejack prepared herself for the battle, stiffening her body and readying her hind legs for bucking; Pinkie Pie was just standing there, unsure of what to do, her mane flat against her head; Fluttershy was simply cowering in the far end of the room, looking at the whole situation with horror in her eyes. Twilight threw two more spells at the guards, but they were blocked by magical shields of their own. A few more spells flew from her to the guards with counterspells returning to her, but all of them were blocked by the magical shields of the caster. Frustrated by the lack of effect, the unicorn grunted, stomping with her front hooves, and then exclaimed when her horn shone a blinding light; a sensation of power quickly rose inside her, and a wave of raw magic shot from the tip. The guards braced themselves for impact, keeping their shields up, but the raw magic penetrated the defense and knocked the vampires down to the ground. And just like that, the chaos was over and the guards lay defeated, groaning in pain as their limbs twitched helplessly. Realizing it was the perfect time to escape, the ponies quickly rushed to Rainbow Dash who was lying on the floor, still nursing her hurt side. "Rainbow, are you alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked with worry, kneeling. "Ugh... I think I cracked a rib..." the pained reply came from the pegasus as she struggled to stand up, "Let's just... get out of here..." The unicorn nodded, an expression of determination on her face. Princess Luna relied on her, she couldn't fail now. The quicker they could escape, the quicker Princess Celestia would learn about the situation, and the sooner an end will be put to it. However, despite what was going on, a question nagged her in the back of her mind – what did Luna see exactly? Did King Nicholas really kill her father? If he did, then why? And why would he accept his enemies into his castle? However, there was no time to find the answers. Twilight Sparkle pushed the doors open, and the six mares exited the dining hall with haste. If Twilight remembered correctly, the way to the exit would be pretty short. If they could just get there before more guards rushed at them, their escape would be easy. Thankfully, the hallway they had to go through first was devoid of guards. After a small pause, they determined the right path and went down the hallways with haste. "Look!" Rarity exclaimed, gesturing at one of the windows. The ponies stopped and turned their heads, and a collective gasp sounded: Luna and Nicholas were in the air, spells flying around as the princess tried to hit him. The Vampire King dodged and blocked her spells, but it was clear her unrelenting assault was wearing him out. "We must help her!" Rainbow Dash said, wincing in pain. "Princess told me we should get out of the city," Twilight replied quickly, her eyes following the princess as differently-colored arrows of energy shot from her horn. To the surprise of the unicorn, Nicholas seemed to be entirely focused on defense, taking no advantage of possible openings in Luna's assault, "She will be fine... I hope." "How in the hell did she tell you that?" the pegasus asked her, surprise in her voice. "Telepathy," the short reply came, "Now, come on girls, we have to get out of here!" With haste, they went through the hallway and down a staircase; the next hall, unfortunately, was packed with guards. They stood at the opposite end, magical shields blocking the whole corridor, and the tips of the halberds were aimed at the ponies. Bolts of electricity immediately flew in the direction of the six, and they barely managed to hide behind the wall. Armor clanked as guards advanced, leaving no time for ponies to think. Hastily, they went down the staircase further, deeper into the castle, hoping to find a way out sooner or later. Spells flew, shouts sounded, and the ponies could do nothing but hurry. Twilight looked back, casting shields when she could, protecting her friends from harm. New sounds appeared – clanking of armor from below. The guards were surrounding the mares, cutting their way out. The only path they could take was the closest hallway that was within their reach if they could move just a little bit faster; their only path, and the unknown one as well. Thankfully, they managed to get there in time and close the big double doors behind them; a deadbolt allowed them to lock the doors securely. A few moments later, the guards banged into it, trying to get in, but the doors held. "What do we do now?!" Rarity asked, panic in her voice. Twilight trotted to the closest window and looked through it; unfortunately, it was too high up from the ground to be of any use to anyone but Fluttershy, as Rainbow Dash was still in pain, forcing her to the ground. The only way was to go further down the hall. Silently agreeing, the group dashed to the next pair of doors. They opened effortlessly, allowing the ponies into the throne room. A dead end. As the dawn came closer, Daring Do and the vampires finally arrived at the mountains and slipped into the entryway. The body of the adventurer was tense, her thoughts focused – she had no idea if she arrived on time or if it was too late to change anything. Her heartbeat was elevated, and her breathing was deep; her eyes were open wide, trying to see through the darkness. The bluish light of the cavern could already be seen in the distance, and soon the chariot emerged into the city. Daring Do gasped when she saw two figures flying above the city, sparks and bolts of spells flying around them. The chariot trembled as the vampires picked up speed and took off, taking a long way around the aerial battle, hoping to avoid any stray projectiles or spells. "We will deliver thee to safety," one of the vampires told the pegasus, "This is what thou warnedst of, yes?" "I think so..." the adventurer replied with uncertainty, her eyes glued to the two figures. She quickly noticed that the white figure, Nicholas, wasn't offering much in terms of retaliation, "I... well, I saw... something bad, and..." "Ah, a vision from Lună Roșie?" the vampire quickly realized, "In this case, 'tis of utmost importance to deliver thee to safety and not engage with the fight. It appeareth King Nicholas had already issued such orders." "But... we should do something," Daring Do argued. "Perhaps, but 'twas only thee who hast seen the vision," the vampire nodded. After a few moments, he spoke again: "Very well, we shall land not too far away from the battle, and then thou canst do what thou deem necessary. I wish thee luck." The adventurer nodded nervously, a plan formulating inside her head. She had never expected to be in such a perilous situation, possibly in the middle of events leading up to another war between vampires and ponies, but now she couldn't simply stop. Her archeological efforts turned into something bigger, and fate itself offered her a chance to turn the tide of events bigger than her; to write not only about herself, but to change the very course of history. She was no longer just studying the past – she was making the future.