//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Restoring Life and Self // Story: My Vampire Companion // by kazamacat //------------------------------// Luna felt a scaly hand touch her forelimb. She blinked her eyes open. A young purple dragon stared at her. "Spike?" "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. She sighed. "I've certainly seen better nights. Tell me what has happened. Do you know?" Spike uneasily grimaced. "I know some. After Daybreaker took a bunch of our friends, Rainbow Dash and Coco went after her. Not long after that, the other vampires left. One of them told me they sensed their master was...scared about something. I uh...I still thought it was best to stay here for now." He showed her that he was holding his spiked collar from earlier in his other hand. "Since the Elements of Harmony couldn't bring Celestia back, I thought something with Suri's magic in it might help." The young dragon then held up an urn that had been resting by his feet on the ground. "I put the ashes of her hairpin in this urn too. We'll have to be careful of course. She might come back to life if it even works." Luna nodded sympathetically. "One step at a time. Such magic may indeed be what we actually need to bring back my sister. Good thinking, Spike. Come, we must find the others." She leaned down so that he could climb onto her back, which he did. The two set out, gliding on the currents of the night air, and Luna's instincts soon found a number of Rainbow Dash's friends and fledglings but no Rainbow Dash and no Daybreaker. Coco Pommel was being set down by a pair of bat ponies. Twilight Sparkle galloped up to the approaching pair as Luna landed nearby onto one of the city's streets. "Oh, Luna, thank goodness you're alright," she said with great relief. "Where is my sister?" Luna asked in a concerned voice. Coco Pommel pointed in a general direction. "We last saw her over there when Rainbow Dash was going to fight her some more." As if to further answer such a question, the night alicorn heard Daybreaker yell, "You'll pay for this!" with fury and vengeance fully intent in her words. Luna recognized the voice immediately. "I'll make a monster out of you worse than Suri Polomare ever could!" "No!" Luna uttered in a horrified realization of what the evil alicorn hoped to do. "We must make haste!" she told everyone around her. She summoned a large amount of magic into her horn and teleported the entire group to where she had heard her transformed sister's voice. In a flash, they all arrived at the same street where the pair had ended their battle. Furious orange flames burned up on the pavement, creating an ominous backdrop for the sight of a hunched over Rainbow Dash sitting by the fallen figure of a tall white alicorn. The fire seemed to stay in place and made no movement to the vulnerable vampires among the group. Celestia blinked her tired light magenta eyes where she rested on the pavement. Her fiery mane was gone though she was so weak, her restored mane did not have its usual ethereal wave. Rainbow Dash's bloodthirsty red eyes suddenly darted to the nearby life forms. Such eyes shifted side to side, scanning at the group intently with a fierce and wild purpose. She smelled their blood, and it smelled even more promising and delicious than it ever had. No...wait, she had some of this blood earlier that day—and there was her master there too, but still...so much life. So much fragile life. Life she could deny. Life she could snuff out. So easily. So soon. She could destroy Canterlot while she was at it, and that sounded like fun. Coco Pommel sensed the ever-increasing bloodlust in her fledgling all too well. "Rainbow Dash?" she asked nervously. The sky blue vampire growled at them as her body shook. She started to heave in place where she sat by Celestia. Her rainbow tail flicked in place. Coco was not the only pony to sense the danger. "Get away from her," Celestia warned the large from her weakened state. "Celestia, you are back..." Luna could not help saying at the realization. "No time for that, Sister. Get...away...from her...and her fledglings," Celestia struggled to say. She tried to lift her forelimb and point to where Daybreaker had thrown Loyalty, but she was far too weak and suddenly lost consciousness. "That ain't good," Applejack muttered uneasily. "Luna, should we...?" Twilight asked. "Rainbow Dash, my child speak to us," Luna implored, hoping she could still somehow salvage the situation. "DIE!" A very deep, monstrous voice replied. Two antlers suddenly sprung out of her head, and she started to laugh with new deepened voice. "Those are just like Discord's one antler," Rarity noticed in alarm. The transforming Rainbow Dash growled again. She at last stood though still hunched over. She suddenly swiped at her friends with a clawed hand in place of where her hoof should be. The hand had four fingers and one thumb. The claws were a dark, menacing blue, and her other hoof had already followed suit. The creature's barrel soon lengthened and thinned, once again reminding the group of Discord. But it wasn't Discord. It was a chaotic beast but still not him. "Ummm...maybe we should..." Spike uttered. He wanted to run, but like the others, he was glued in place watching the transformation. Rainbow Dash's tail become scaly like that of a serpent, as rainbow-cored fins sprang up along it. Pop pop pop pop! Ominous popping sounds could be heard as razor sharp dark blue spines took shape on her back. Her neck and face were losing saturation of her usual sky color, turning gray from where she had worn her necklace up. Much of the rest of her body remained the usual sky blue. She suddenly doubled in size, then doubled in size again. Numerous pairs of eyes stared up in awestruck horror at the new monster baring traces of Discord and Rainbow Dash in its form. Her colorful mane suddenly became rainbow-hued flames to add Daybreaker's influence to the mix in her new appearance. She stared down at them and sneered with a hungry, low, foreboding growl. Her scleras turned yellow, and her black circular pupils became thin slits, like that of a dragon. "No," Fluttershy uttered quietly in a small voice. "We just got her back," she added sadly. "No time to worry about that. What do we do now?" Rarity asked with pressing alarm. Twilight Sparkle gulped. "We be still. She hasn't attacked us despite what she said...I think she senses our friendship or Coco at the very least." The group did not have a chance to find out if that theory was correct. Much smaller growls caught the monster's attention, and she turned her large head to see that her fledglings had changed too. Many of them were snarling and baring their fangs with glowing red eyes. They looked ready to attack anything that moved, and the main thing moving at the moment was Rainbow Dash's large scaly tail. Some of the fledglings leapt for it only to be swatted away into the walls of nearby buildings. The strike was with enough force to crack the walls of the buildings they struck. Rainbow Dash let out a massive roar. The buildings of the Canterlot street shook, and even some of the windows shattered from the force. Ponies within began to awaken though they were utterly clueless about what was happening. The new chaotic monster swung her sharp claws at a group of the feral fledglings. Some had dodged clear, but one unfortunate creature was caught in her grip. She brought the fledgling closer, squeezing it tight, sniffing the delicious blood inside. Yes...delicious blood. Oh, how she did love the taste of blood. The fact that the creature was a vampire—one of her own fledglings at that—was irrelevant. It had life, a wish to kill her, and she could kill it instead—feast on it even—so she would. She bit the poor creature's head clean off. She took pleasure in such a thing with a wicked chuckle. She wanted more. Her attention was quickly drawn away by a high-pitched scream. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Coco had clamped an off-white hoof over Pinkie Pie's mouth, but it was too late. A large monster's gray face drew close to the pair, carefully studying them. It sniffed, forcing a small wind through their manes. Their only saving grace was that one of the feral fledglings leapt up and bit into the monster's hind legs, distracting it again. She growled before picking it off, then roaring at a tremendous volume into the fledgling, causing even more damage to the buildings. A massive wind blew around the pony. She proceeded to slam the fledgling into the pavement as punishment for attacking her. Coco gulped but turned to Pinkie Pie with a stern look. "They might be immortal, or we might be able to restore them and her with the Elements of Harmony. Suri's magic can restore life too—and we have that. We must focus on how to get that monster back into being Rainbow Dash. "I'm sure she's not intentionally protecting us, but that's what she's doing if we let them fight each other now and that means...you don't scream again. Got it? I know it's horrible to watch, but..." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "We need to do this for them." Pinkie Pie nodded meekly, and the hoof released her. Twilight Sparkle took the master vampire's words to heart and thought of the first solution that came to mind. "Coco's right. Where's Rainbow Dash's Element?" It was evident none of them knew. "Come on," Twilight said, trying to not vomit or cower into stillness. "We need to find it." The others agreed and began their search. Suddenly, the monster blew out a bout of fire just as Daybreaker had shown herself capable of, instantly incinerating several fledglings, many of whom were flying right at her neck. It struck some of the walls of nearby buildings as well. To make matters worse, the fire along the pavement by Celestia began to spread, like it had been waiting for approval from the wicked magic that originally cast it. The buildings were not empty, and the awakening ponies began to process the smell of smoke and the monstrous noises nearby, alarming them into something like a dragon attack. One such pony ran out screaming. She stopped upon the sight of Canterlot burning, a massive blue and gray monster, other ponies with wild looks...then she screamed all the more. "Aaaaaah!" The monster glanced over to her with interest but was quickly distracted by another feral bat pony in her face. Luna searched hard for a nearby fire hydrant. Upon her success, she bucked it open, then used her magic to direct the stream like a fire hose. Rainbow Dash's scaly tail suddenly swished and shoved many bodies, including her friends up against a wall of one of the buildings that was not burning. The impact was strong on all of them but one. Coco Pommel was able to recover, and she scrambled to find the necklace. She also took notice that not all of the other vampires had become wild. Some of the fledglings had started to try and disperse, even run back to the castle, but the monster released another roar that shook the walls of the nearby buildings. It was enough to shake the inside of her fledglings' own cores. As one vampire pony tried to run away, the beast's clawed hand clamped down on his tail. She growled before biting off the fledglings' back half. Coco heard bones crack in the process, but she remained focused on her goal. The monster sniffed, and its shoulders shook in a deep, growling laugh at the weak little thing she had killed. She had wanted to kill for so long. She wanted more. More kills. More destruction. More of that delicious taste such things granted to her. She used her long tail to again whack against several fledglings stuck in the street with her. It curled in and grabbed another fledgling that she quickly gobbled up. She blew out more fire onto yet another building. Luna darted quickly about to hose it down with her magic. This annoyed the monster who put an index claw and thumb together to flick Luna down into a curb on the sidewalk. Coco finally found the Loyalty necklace. It had been thrown by Daybreaker several buildings past where Celestia lay. The earth pony nervously looked around, trying to figure out how to put it back on the creature's neck. She ran her way up to two recovering bat ponies who did not seem feral. "I need your help. Get me to her neck, please. I am her master." They nodded without a word and carried the older vampire to the destination. Rainbow's red discordant eyes locked onto Coco's instantly, and she paused with a low growl. She did not try to kill her master—her companion. Coco nodded and gently tried to put the necklace on the creature. Upon contact, she received a shock shoving her and her escorts hurling through the air. The monster chuckled wickedly but offered no words, turning her attention back to the few remaining fledglings she had not yet killed. "What now?" one of the bat ponies asked Coco. "Take me to the others over there," Coco pointed to where she saw Twilight Sparkle helping Luna stand, surrounded by other friends. The two bat ponies complied. As Coco arrived, she addressed Twilight. "We need to try all of the Elements together again." "But it didn't work when we tried it without her!" Twilight argued. "I know, but this is different. This isn't Suri," Coco explained to her. "Indeed. The traces of Discord suggest a connection between this creature and the Elements," Luna added. "He was the last one struck by their power before Suri made Daybreaker." "Rainbow Dash and I just exchanged blood too. I think that will help this necklace's magic respond to me now," Coco added. She pulled a red rose out of her mane. "This too. It's special to the two of us. All of it together, and I think we can do it." "I vote we totally do that before Rainbow Dash starts killing us or you know—the other not-vampire ponies!" Pinkie Pie shrieked. The other friends nodded, deciding the urgent matter required no further discussion or debate. "I will distract it as best I can to keep it away from all of you," Luna offered. "Wait!" Spike told her, tugging at her mane. He then held up the urn of ashes and his collar to reminder. "We didn't need it for Daybreaker, but maybe..." Luna nodded. "Very well." She gulped. "Open the container." Spike did as she suggested, and then Suri's magic itself seemed to know exactly what to do. The ashes lifted out and flitted down into the air creating an assorted number of ashen stems, dancing in the air. The spikes of his collar tore off from the band, each creating a new tip for a new pin. The eerie pins surrounded Luna, and the night alicorn immediately understood they were to aid her. She accepted the help, fully aware that Suri Polomare might return as payment for such service. The night princess flew to face the beast and fired off distracting blasts of magic while dodging Rainbow's attempts to grab her or strike her. The pins encircling her sent out smaller zaps. The monster did land a few strikes, but Luna managed to recover, thanks to some healing magic from the ashen pins. Coco Pommel placed the red rose from her mane over the lightning bolt of the Loyalty necklace as she she held it. With her heart and mind, she sent it the deepest desire to have Rainbow Dash as Coco knew her—as her fledgling companion. She also wanted the fledglings cured. If she and Rainbow had to give up their own vampire status for that to happen, they would. They both knew it and had agreed on that point. The Elements of Harmony charged up yet again, this time all six of them, even Loyalty. Their rainbow ribbon formed and blasted straight for the creature. A huge white light engulfed her. Then the ribbon swam its way in the air to all the nearby fledglings, onto the surrounding streets of Canterlot to find every affected vampire it could. It cured the vampires Suri had made through Rainbow Dash. It put out any remaining fire. It even restored the buildings as they were from before the night's events. Its warm touch put Canterlot citizens at ease. The ribbon finally found Celestia and gave the fallen white alicorn strength. The pins that had been at Luna's command circled her once before flying down toward the ground. There, even Suri's body reshaped. The sorceress stood once more though all four of her legs quickly turned to stone before she could do anything else. When the light cleared, Rainbow Dash sat on the pavement, breathing and shuddering in place—as a pegasus. The others did not know if she was still a vampire and would find out soon. Coco ran up to her fledgling and embraced her yet again. She also put the Loyalty necklace on Rainbow Dash, knowing it would make the pegasus feel more safe. "Is it over?" a scared Fluttershy asked quietly. "Suri," Spike announced in a low voice at the sight of the maker. Rainbow Dash and Coco turned their heads to see what he meant. There stood the wicked earth pony mare sneering and struggling to move her legs to no avail. "Come on," she muttered in frustration. She seethed in place and realized the others were watching her. "Suri," Rainbow Dash quickly flew up to approach her. "Oh hi Rainbow Dash," Suri said while still focused on trying to move her legs. "I seem to be a little stuck at the moment." "Yeah, I can see that. Maybe you should stop, huh? We won. We beat you, alright? I told you this would happen," Rainbow said. Suri paused in her struggle and looked at the pegasus. She sighed, slightly annoyed. "That you did, my child." Coco snickered. "At long last, you are the one who is trapped." Suri snickered right back at her. "Yes, Coco, my dear. I am." "What are we going to do with her?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash and generally everyone else. Celestia stepped forward. "I do believe a place in Tartarus would be best." Rainbow Dash suddenly placed herself in front of Suri and facing the others as she maintained a hover. With a determined frown and protective voice, she said simply, "No." Celestia blinked, and her friends felt tense. There was an unspoken worry that Suri had regained control of her. Coco offered up a hoof. "While that sounds appealing, I must agree. That is most certainly not best." Luna blinked. "But...she must face consequences for her actions—even if her magic did help rectify things in the end. Undoubtedly part of her own vengeance against Daybreaker." "Fine. Then come up with something that isn't Tartarus," Rainbow said firmly. "What would you suggest?" Luna inquired. Rainbow gulped. "Let her go." "What?!" Twilight Sparkle shrieked. "Rainbow Dash, my love, you can't say just that alone," Coco hissed at her. She blinked. "Nor am I certain you can let her go. How will you undo that stone?" "Well...after we use the Elements of Harmony on her," Rainbow added in slight shame, "...let her go." "Explain yourself, please," Celestia requested with a hint of frustration while trying to be patient. Rainbow nervously tapped her forehooves together but nonetheless attempted to answer. "The Elements banished Nightmare Moon the first time but turned her back into Luna the second time. They turned Discord completely into stone, so...I-I think...that this is their way of showing us Suri is somewhere in between them on the evilness level. Maybe thanking her for help too. Maybe we can turn her a little more good and not so evil. Then we can let her go?" "I'm not sure that's really how they work, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "Nightmare Moon was a form that Luna took on, but she was so different, she even changed her name and appearance. Suri has not done that. They definitely didn't make Discord good ever." "Well then, let's try!" Rainbow pleaded with her. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?" "If only it were that simple," Coco said, staring sadly at the ground. "Rainbow Dash, why do you care so much? This mare used you to heck and gone," Applejack reminded the pegasus. "Because I like her in the little bit of not evil I've seen when I was with her, alright? I know she used me, but...I still don't want to see her in prison. And maybe if she umm...reforms...maybe we could be friends—and isn't friendship like the most powerful magic here in Equestria?" Rainbow pointed out. The others bowed their heads in a mix of shame and disappointment. "We'd like to believe that, yes," Twilight began, "but you have to understand—none of us saw that from her at all. She might try to use you again. We cannot possibly trust her." Suri sighed in agreement. "True enough. Rainbow Dash..." Rainbow turned to her. "What?" "Thanks," Suri replied with a warm smile. The stone holding Suri's hooves began to crack with a pink glow emitting from those cracks. Rainbow blinked. She felt a flutter of something in her heart, then saw her necklace pulse with a red glow. Suri's eyes widened in surprise at the sight. Soon, the stone broke away completely. The magic at work was not quite finished though. The glowing pink surrounded Suri's body and levitated her for a moment. It swirled before flowing into the mare's heart. In that moment, Suri felt a new connection to Rainbow Dash. A sky blue hoof gently stroked a brown and silver mane as a gentle vampire pecked a stallion on the cheek. Good luck, my prey. I hope things work out for you. The words echoed in Suri's head. Soon, the encounter Rainbow had with a white mare followed. They exchanged names, smiles, and Rainbow offered the mare affection, that the mare accepted. But I want you to live on more than I want those things. I'm mainly here for that drink...How about...I bite, then you get some rest, and when you wake up, this encounter will be a forgotten dream?...That's right...You're off to dream good dreams of all those wonderful places and ponies you know. Even the hesitance at hurting her friends and attempt to be gentle to Rarity at the end of their fight, when Rainbow was under Suri's control, could be felt. "What's happening?" Twilight asked in cofnusion. Celestia and Luna stared up at the sight. "She is changing," Celestia answered. "I do believe Rainbow Dash's wish is coming true—even without the aid of the other Elements," Luna added. The magic set Suri down to stand in place. The pink mare blinked and stared at her own body in amazement and wonder, then flexed her right forelimb. "Suri?" Rainbow asked. Suri hugged her immediately. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Thank you...for wanting to give me a chance." Rainbow hugged her back and waited for Suri to pull away. "So you're not mad?" "Mad? Mad at what?" Suri asked. "At me. That I m-made you good," Rainbow hesitated to answer. "That is what happened right?" Suri blinked and smiled pleasantly at her. "No, I'm not mad. I enter this pact at will. You did not force this change, Rainbow Dash. You offered up your wish and intent. For that, I really was grateful. I am accepting your wish to be friends, and Equestria itself will allow us to try. "I say we take advantage of it. I suppose the old me would be at least a little annoyed, but she was defeated like you said. Besides, such magic in me may wear off over time." Rainbow looked up at her with deeply worried magenta eyes. "Oh, my child, that does not mean I will suddenly turn evil or back to my old self. We are forever changing by our experiences through time," Suri told her. She gently stroked Rainbow's forelock, and Rainbow did not stop her. Rainbow gulped. "Then I hope you change for the better..." Suri nodded before she gave a small smile. "You're still a vampire you know," she suddenly announced. The Ponyville friends' jaws dropped as they looked at each other in shock. The news did not seem to be news to Rainbow Dash herself. Instead, she noted carefully, "But the bloodlust is...abated." "Until you are under threat by the likes of my former self or Daybreaker or Discord or any new villain on the horizon," Suri informed her. Rainbow nodded silently and seriously. "The same for you, Coco?" Suri asked the other mare. Coco nodded in reply without a word. "How is that possible? The Elements should have cured them like it did the others," Twilight uttered. She was perplexed. "My guess would be that they both took in the original potion I made, and neither of them even wanted a cure," Suri offered. "We exchanged blood too," Coco added. "That is why I was able to use Rainbow's Element in the first place after all. If it bent to our combined will of wishing to fix everything, it follows that..." "It would let us stay vampires," Rainbow realized aloud with a smile. "Awesome!" "No! Not Awesome! You shouldn't be a vampire," Applejack insisted. "You can still turn into some vicious monster at the drop of a hat now." "News flash! We live in Equestria! Magic can do that to anypony...dragons even," Rainbow told her indignantly. Spike nervously glanced at the pavement with a guilty look. "She is right," Luna told Applejack. "It seems that your main concern about hurting other ponies—who are not powerful enemies—has been addressed." "And fighting those powerful enemies?" Applejack pressed. "I can still control myself," Rainbow argued. "She did help us out with what happened to Spike," Pinkie Pie reminded her friend. Spike scratched the back of his head but said nothing. He only nodded. "Not the kind of enemy I was thinking of, but yeah, I see your point," Applejack conceded. "What of the mind magic concern?" Rarity asked Suri. The sorceress put a thoughtful hoof to her chin. "Well...it stands to reason that if their bloodlust is abated so is the risk to the mind magic. They are tied to each other." "I suppose having a vampire on the team could have some benefits if the power is under control like you say," Twilight considered. "It is," Rainbow insisted. "You girls know now, so you can help keep an eye on it—all of you can." "That is true as well," Celestia agreed. "All in all, I would say this outcome is acceptable at least." Luna chuckled. "And desirable no doubt for the two vampires themselves." Pinkie Pie raised hoof to catch everyone's attention. "Oh! Oh! Can more of us become vampires? I totally want to be one too with the update!" The others laughed, including Suri. "That...I cannot say at the moment. I imagine the princesses might not want anymore in Equestria." "I would definitely hesitate," Celestia agreed. "Some rules would be in order for certain—if we allowed it," Luna added. "I dunno Pinkie," Rainbow admitted with warm red eyes meeting her master's. "It kinda feels special with just me and Coco again." Pinkie Pie smiled at her. "Heehee, fair enough, but if you ever change your mind, you've got your first volunteer." "I would hope we would all agree to it," Rarity remarked, "if such a pursuit were allowed." "We shall say for the moment it is not," Celestia decided then and there. "Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie said to that with a salute. "Suri Polomare, we do command you to stay in Canterlot a bit longer," Celestia turned to the pink mare. "I wish to know the change in you better before letting you go for real." Suri sighed and smiled. "It's no Tartarus, and I suppose that is more than fair for my evil ways. Speaking of which—" The pink mare approached Coco Pommel. "I am sorry for the wrongs I committed against you as well." Coco stared at her for several seconds with a blank expression before finally saying, "Don't let Rainbow Dash down in giving you this chance—and I will forgive you." Suri nodded. "That is the plan, my child. Thank you." The ponies and Spike checked in on the former vampire fledglings and the rest of Canterlot. The Elements of Harmony had largely restored everything. The magical necklaces and crown were returned to their proper holding place. The group returned to Ponyville. That night, Rainbow Dash and Coco Pommel sat on a patch of grass, staring out into the starry moonlit night sky. "So you and Suri are going to be friends," Coco quietly noted to her fledgling. "I hope so," Rainbow replied with a slightly bashful stroke of the back of her mane. "You didn't like only her good, I suspect," Coco noted further. Rainbow chuckled and shrugged. "What can I say? She liked giving me new powers, and I liked having them and using them. That part was pretty cool—even if it was for all the wrong reasons. She had this twisted generosity in her. She tried to make me feel better if she saw I was down. She did like me, Coco." "My dear, that was manipulation," Coco informed her. The younger vampire shrugged. "I still liked it and appreciated it. I...I still like her—the new her." "Hmm," Coco replied to that. "The new her...we'll see I guess." Rainbow Dash rested her head on the earth pony mare's shoulder. "I like you more though. You stole me too but not as much of me. You made sure I knew I could leave if I wanted and never commanded me to hurt my friends." "I would have though, if I ever felt they threatened you," Coco admitted with a tinge of shame in her voice. Rainbow thoughtfully raised her eyebrows at that. "Maybe so, but I...can actually understand that. I would fight them too, if they were the ones being controlled like what happened to me." Coco pecked her on the forehead with a light kiss. "Good to know." She rested her head against Rainbow's. The two absorbed the moment in silence, enjoying each other's company. "I love you, Coco," Rainbow suddenly said. Coco blushed and smiled. "I love you too, Rainbow Dash." They did not know what all their future held, but they knew they wanted to spend it together as vampires, and that they could.