//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Welcome to the Club // Story: Rainbow in the Dark // by Raeligath //------------------------------// Trembling, Rainbow Dash stepped back from the counter, eyes transfixed on the limp, gaunt mass left behind. She blinked away tears, red dripping off of her face. “W-what was that?!” she whimpered. “What did I just do?” A voice drifted by her ear. It was a mare’s voice, deep, melodic, and deliberate, with a hint of the sinister. — Yes, child. Feed. Build your strength. — Rainbow whipped around, eyes wide and panting. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!” — Ohoh… That is adorable. Child, I speak to you through your mind. We are connected by the blood, an immortal bond… — Rainbow trotted over to the hallway door and looked up and down. “Hellooo? Anypony there?” — … seriously? I’m not actually physically there, dingus. I’m speaking to you telepathically. You know, straight into your head? — The pegasus mare blinked, utterly befuddled. “How, exactly? What’s going on? Why is everything going all weirdo freak show?!” — It’s only natural that you’re confused. It wasn’t until tonight that your new self manifested. — “Um… pretty sure I’m still myself. Still blue, still got the awesome mane—” — Only now, you have fangs and a thirst for blood. — Rainbow paused a moment, feeling around her mouth with her tongue again. She lapped up some lingering juice before halting with a deep shudder. “So… I just…” — Yes, child. Your first feeding. You did so well, sucking that creature dry. — “I think I’m gonna be sick,” said Rainbow, retching. — Do not be ashamed, child. You- — “Stop calling me that! You’re not my mom!” — I am your blood-mother. I am the one who made you this way, who granted you this gift. Now you, too, are a hunter of the night. A predator by moonlight. A vampire. — “... not gonna lie, so far feels like a pretty crummy gift. Any chance you saved the receipt?” Rainbow countered. — … Luna save me, this imbecile… Look, you’re a vampire now. Part of my clan, House Duskhallow. I made you this way, so I get to tell you what to do. I was trying to be nice, but if you’re going to act like a petulant child, there are other means by which I can make you cooperate. — “I dunno what ‘petal-ent’ means, but I’m no kid. I’m a grown mare with a life and a job. I don’t have time to be playing ‘bloodsucker’ with some mare who won’t even show her face.” Rainbow scoffed, wiping some lingering liquid off her snout. “This is pretty sick and a day late for a Nightmare Night prank, by the way. That poor bat…” — A… prank? You grew fangs and devoured the blood of a mortal creature, and you think this is just some sort of practical joke?! — Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Uh, duh? Vampires ain’t real. Either this is a joke, or I’ve got a super bad fever and you’re just imaginary.” — Are you still in denial?! What would it take for me to convince you that this is real? — The pegasus thought for a moment. “Hmm… how come I’ve never heard of a real vampire pony? How do I know I’m not dreaming? What’s your name, anyway?” — I’m sure you expected to trip me up here. However, ahem… The Princesses have kept vampires and other such ‘undesirables’ a secret to prevent mass panic. If you were dreaming, you would recognize my voice as that of somepony you’ve met before. My name, since you asked, is Faer- I mean, Countess Faerie Fire Von Duskhallow. You may call me ‘Fae’ for now. — “Yeesh, that’s a mouthful,” Rainbow muttered. She took a moment to ponder all of this. “Wouldn’t be the first time Celestia and Luna held something back… and I guess the rest of that makes sense.” She sighed and shook her head. “Alright, I’ll bite. Let’s say I’m actually a ‘vampire’ now. What does that mean for me? Besides the fangs and the, uh… that poor fuzzy little guy...” — Do not weep for lesser creatures, child. If they must die for you to survive, then so be it. — “That’s terrible!” — That’s carnivorism. Get used to it. — Rainbow opened her mouth for a rebuttal, but none came. “I… no, I can’t…” — You must, if you wish to survive. Do not be afraid of what you are, child. Embrace the predator within. — “Is there at least some way to like… not, erm, kill any creature? And still… you know, not starve?” — … technically, yes. But this tends to make things far more complicated. --- “I don’t care. I don’t ever wanna kill anything again.” She sniffled and wiped some leftover moisture off of her face, trying not to look at the red tinge this left on her hoof. “Assuming this is all real, I still want to be a good pony.” — Admirable, but perhaps misguided. Nevertheless, if it will help ease your transition into the night, I am willing to help you find less fragile sources of blood. — “... okay.” Rainbow took in a deep, drawn-out breath. She made her way down the hall to an open window and stared out, longingly, at the moon above. “What do I need to do?” The only response she heard was a deep, echoing cackle. Brisk, night wind flowed over and around the colorful pony as she soared through the air. The gentle chill, the wind through her feathers, and the kiss of moonlight filled her with a sense of much-needed serenity. The stars above and the silent world below felt all too natural. It was as if Luna herself was welcoming the pegasus into her domain. Rainbow wasn’t sure if she loved or hated that. — I’m going to assume that feeding on ponies at this point is out of the question for you. If a dead rodent bothered you so much, I can only imagine the depths of your reservations about feeding on sapient creatures. — “Right. There’s no way in hell I’m gonna hurt another pony just for this twisted stuff.” — Very well. If you wish to feed on a creature without killing it, and without decades of self-discipline, there’s a simple guideline you can follow; feed only on creatures your size or larger. — “... Sounds like you’re trying to pitch pony blood again. Still not happening.” — There’s a reason our mortal cousins are our preferred food source. But I can understand, you still very much relate to them. You’ve only been a creature of the night for a few hours. — “Just get to the point, lady,” Rainbow grumbled. — You’ll come around… for now, I’ve done some sniffing around and I believe I’ve located two potential sources for creatures neither sapient nor small. The first and likely more convenient is a place I ran across as I first arrived in Ponyville. Looks to me like some sort of miniature zoo on the outskirts of- — “Nope. Next!” — … why not?! This is as close to a meal served on a silver platter as you can come by! — Rainbow shook her head hard, in spite of the wind. “That’s Fluttershy’s place,” she growled, ”I’m not touching her animals, ever. What’s the other option?” — Interesting. Very interesting… well, failing that, you could always find your blood free-range. — “And what does that mean?” — The Everfree Forest. A terrifying place, so the legends go, full of many a creature surely suited for this… if you’re brave enough. — “Oh, is that all? Sure,” said Rainbow, a smile finally returning to her face. She banked towards the forest canopy, aiming to skim above the treeline. — So let me get this straight: you don’t want to kill or hurt common creatures or ponies, but you have absolutely no issues with just charging into a magical probably-cursed forest?! — “I’ve been in the Everfree loads o’ times. It’s no big deal.” — Huh. You might be less hopeless than I thought. — Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Thanks? I guess? ...whatever.” She found a gap in the trees and took the chance to dip down onto a branch. There she perched, scanning the forest floor for signs of movement. Unfortunately, the swaying trees made this more or less a fruitless effort. “Any tips, Fae?” she whispered. — Listen. Your ears are attuned to discern a pulse from the background noise. You want to find a slow pulse; the bigger the creature, the slower its heart will beat. Generally speaking, anyway. — Rainbow took another look at the underbrush, but saw nothing distinct. She then tried to close her eyes and focus on the sounds. The swishing leaves, gentle breeze… and then… Wump. Wump. “Whoa. Got somethin’. Sounds big. Bass-y too.” — Very good. Now follow the pulse. — Rainbow tilted her head left and right, focusing more and more intently. The sound came strongest when she looked somewhere toward the east, if her sense of direction was working properly. She hopped off of her perch and began gliding through the trees towards the source. — Now do be careful. There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. — “I’ve heard that line at least a thousand times in my life. I like to think I’ve learned the difference.” — Then I highly advise you to pipe down. The last thing a night hunter wants to do is wake up her prey. — The pegasus immediately shut her mouth, breathing through her nose. This proved to be a mistake as she neared her mark, as she was suddenly overwhelmed by a scent that could only be described as a wet dog dragged through the armpit of Tartarus. Rainbow started to yelp, covering her snout, but literally bit her tongue to stay quiet. “Oh sweet Celestia! I really hope that’s not a dead body…” — Why would there be a dead body all the way out here? — Rainbow glared at a point in the air she wished Fae was. “Iunno, you tell me, Countess,” she said. “I also heard about some missing ponies from Nightmare Night. Guess I’m hoping they didn’t do the stupid thing and get lost in Everfree.” — Oh, child… I wouldn’t worry about the missing ponies. — “What did you—” Rainbow caught herself as she heard a low growl through the next thicket. She then picked up again with her inside whisper voice. “What did you do to them?!” — Assuming we’re thinking of the same people, exactly the same as I did to you. Minus some loose ends we’ll need to trim at some point. — “You WHAT?!” Another growl followed by a dull roar carried into the night air. Rainbow dropped almost instantly, taking shelter within the bushes. She held her breath, noting that her heart would probably be pounding in her chest if not for recent circumstances. The sound of the animal’s pulse drew closer and closer, accented by a deep stomping gait. Whatever it was, it sniffed in the air, then growled once more. “Ohcrapohcrapohcrap…” — Relax, child. You are stronger, tougher, faster than before. There is little you should fear. — GROOOOAAAWWWRRR — Oh sweet Luna what was that?! — The would-be hunter barely had any time to react as a massive scorpion tail plunged downward into the bush. She jumped backward, a few of her tail hairs caught in the strike but nothing more. With another mighty roar, the beast lashed out with a paw the size of a pony’s head, cleaving the bush in half. Rainbow moved on instinct, taking off and seeking a way past the canopy in an effort to make distance. Above her was nothing but thicket and twisting branches, however, and it seemed the monster knew just how trapped she was. “Manticore,” Rainbow said to herself. “Great. Just perfect.” The leonine beast pounced into the air, flapping its leathery wings to aid its ascent. Rainbow, in turn, zipped below and behind the creature. She reached for its tail, aiming to grapple the creature to its knees. It thrashed and flailed, and eventually batted her away and into a tree. For all it hurt, she might as well have hit a cloud. Rainbow smirked, baring her fangs if only for effect, then charged back in. After a few more close calls from bites and claws, Rainbow felt herself fall into a rhythm. With each strike she evaded, she found a hint of an opening. Finally, she saw her chance; she catapulted herself forward, one hoof outstretched and aimed at the creature’s jaw. The creature toppled, rolling once and a half over. A smatter of blood landed across Rainbow’s hoof and cheek. She lapped up what she could, her eyes widening at the taste. “Wow…” she breathed. “Y-yeah, I’m down for more o’ that.” As the manticore began to get back to its paws, Rainbow locked eyes with it, and it froze. She hissed, fangs bared, and the monster growled in return. “You,” she growled. “Stop. Go back to sleep, and let me do my thing.” It blinked, then again, its eyes fluttering. Its eyelids grew heavy, and it collapsed with a warbling snore. Rainbow smiled as she tilted her head. “Uhh… that worked?! Hey, I’m not complaining, that whole thing was awesome!” — That was awesome! Where did you learn to fight like that? — “Eh, it comes natural,” said Rainbow, brushing dust and blood off her shoulder. “That, and years of getting on every-other-creature’s bad side.” — You will make an excellent Knight of Duskhallow one day. I have to admit, I am genuinely impressed. And you even managed to dip into more advanced vampiric powers. — “Yeah, uh… about that…” — If you lock eyes with a living creature, and your will is strong, you might just be able to overpower their mind, if only for a moment. — “Huh. Rad,” said Rainbow. “Y’know, I’m starting to like this vampire stuff. Weird.” She trotted over to the sleeping feline, then frowned. “Um… how am I supposed to, y’know, with all that mane in the way…” — Feeding from the neck is preferred for convenience. You can just listen for a pulse anywhere on the beast, then bite there. — The pegasus took a deep breath, shuddering with the passing of a gust of wind. “Whelp… here goes nothin’. Thank you, mister Manticore, for donating to the I-don’t-want-to-starve, fund!” Soon she found a spot halfway up the creature’s front leg where its pulse could be both heard and felt with a hoof. Instinct took over once more, and she sunk in her fangs. The blood flowed, and she felt her hunger finally subside after all this time.