//------------------------------// // Entry One: Foal's Play // Story: Blood Runs Cold // by Philosophical Tree //------------------------------//         I got my cutie mark one day when playing with my sister. We lived with our parents on the outskirts of what would become the cosmopolitan empire of Manehattan. Back in those days, it was just starting to become a large city. Anyway, my sister and I were playing in the yard while mother cooked dinner. We were playing vampony hunter, oddly enough, and she was telling me that she, as the vampony, could survive in the sunlight because she didn’t burn, but sparkled. I didn’t understand her reasoning then, and I still don’t now, but she is completely false. Vamponies burn in the sunlight, turning to ash if they stay out too long. They do not sparkle, as I tried to tell her. It was to no avail, and so I was forced to take down a sparkly vampony. Of course, my technique was perfect. Find a place to hide, wait for the prey to grow close, distract, close for the kill.         Well, wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I had playfully tackled my sister, there was a flash of light on my flanks, and a wooden stake was proudly smiling at my from my coal grey rump. Alright, so I did describe myself in some detail. What are you going to do about it?         Anyway, my sister, still a blank flank herself, was giddy with excitement, but didn’t understand what it meant. I did though, and I was none too pleased about it. I mean, really? What colt wants to spend their life fighting, killing, running from monsters set on draining their own blood? Certainly not me at the time. Now it’s the only life I know. I can think of no other way to live. And I am content with that.         The reaction of my parents was surprising, though. I had expected them to be overjoyed that I had gotten my mark, but disappointed, perhaps angry that I was to slay vamponies. Instead, my father smiled at me when I told him of what I assumed it meant at supper that evening. After we had finished eating, he took me aside to his small study. I was apprehensive, but he alleviated my fears immediately.         “You have no idea how proud of you I am right now, Shade.” I was quite stunned. This was not what I was expecting.                  “Father, I don’t understand,” I replied quickly. “I thought you would be disappointed. I thought you would be angry that your son was destined to be a killer... a murderer.” At that point, my father stepped over and placed a hoof on my shoulder. I had turned my eyes to the floor, but brought them up to meet his at the contact.         “You are no murderer. You are no killer.” My father’s gaze was stern, but reassuring. “You will be a warrior, a champion of justice and light. What you don’t seem to understand is that vamponies... well, they lost their sense of what it means to truly be Equestrian long ago. They are cold, heartless monsters, set only on killing, hurting and destroying everything the light has to offer. They seek the darkness and shadows, they seek the destruction of life and light, and they will stop at nothing to see that goal achieved.         “But you, and you alone, have been tasked with fighting back against that darkness. There will be those who will stand alongside you, those who you will come to cherish, respect, and honor, but the duty and responsibility falls to you, son. The forces which move against us are powerful, and they gain strength everyday. A shadow is beginning to fall over the land, and if it does fall, then our world, our very way of life will fall with it. You must protect the light in this world. You must be the one who fights back, even if no one else fights with you. You, and you alone, will be the one who decides our fate, and the fate of all who live in this world.         “But you cannot sit back and let your calling pass you by. If you choose not to act, then the fate which we all fear will come to pass, and darkness and eternal night will cover the land. But if you choose to act, the forces which move against us will become weak, and fragile. They will not be ready for your interference, and so they will be unable to both defend against your assault and carry out their master plan. One or the other will fail, and thus, victory shall be achieved. But only if you act. Only if you decide that you will accept your destiny, and fulfill it to the utmost of your abilities.         “I will train you as best I can, but your natural talents will be the key to your victory. You possess the needed skills to fight the vampony threat. Only you will be able to decide if you will use that skill, or deny it.” He finished his long speech and sighed. I was still looking at him, but now tears had formed in my eyes. My father was right. I knew it, too. But even so...         “I’m afraid.” I told him. “What if I die while fighting them? What if I fail? What... what if something happens to you?” My father pulled me into a gentle hug and held me as I cried, my fears overwhelming me. I just couldn’t bear the thoughts of what might happen. As it happens, most of my fears were perfectly justified, as they did come to pass. But at that point, at that age, I had no idea of what was to come. I was terrified of the unknown, and my father knew it. He had felt pain like that before. He had been a royal guard, but was dismissed unjustly after an incident he did not commit. Years later, he was given royal pardon and an offer of promotion and return to his position in the guard, but had turned it down. At that point, his family and his new home meant much more to him than his old life. That was why he offered to train me, and that was why he knew my pain. “I understand. It’s scary, I know. But you have to be strong, Shade.” He said, trying his best to calm me down. “It’s still a long time before you’ll be old enough to begin fighting, so you have nothing to worry about. Now, come on. Dry your eyes.” He set me down gently and I wiped a hoof across my eyes, trying to calm myself down. “I think you need to sleep on this, alright? Come on.” With that, we walked out of the study. But the days that followed were none too pleasant. My sleep that night was fitful and uneasy. I had night terrors of vamponies throughout the night. But there was a constant, comforting presence with me through it all. I had no idea who it might be, but I wasn't complaining. After some time, it spoke to me. “Young one, do not fear. No matter what may happen, no matter who may abandon thee, we will always be with you, young one. Thou shalt be our champion. Thou shalt be the one who will liberate the night from the foul creatures that plague it. Thou shalt be my light. Do not fear. We are here. We are with you.” The voice calmed me, and the presence flew into my dreams and stayed with me throughout the night, banishing all the terrors and worries that plagued me. I slept calmly for the rest of the night. The next day, my training began. My father taught me well, not only in ways to fight, but in ways to become strong, to stay fit, and to control my emotions. There were many times that I knew I messed up, but my father kept at it, telling me that learning from my mistakes was the best kind of learning there was. And, looking back, he was right. I trained hard. I worked hard. And at the end of the day, I slept hard. Everything ached, but I still managed to drift off into a sleep plagued by nightmares. It wasn’t long before I felt it again. The presence that had comforted me the night before came back. It stayed with me again until the light of dawn appeared and I woke. I felt it leave me as my father called my name. And, as I rose to my hooves, feeling every muscle cry out in agony, I knew that it was going to be a long training session. This cycle continued for weeks. During the day, I would train under my father, honing what little skills I had and learning new ones. During the night, the presence would come into my dreams and sleep beside me, protecting me from my nightly dose of fear and pain. Although I enjoyed spending time with my father, I came to love the night most, as the presence was a constant source of comfort and love that never faded, even if I didn’t quite yet understand who it was. It was about seven weeks into my training when everything went to Tartarus. We had finished supper about an hour ago, and my sister and I were in the middle of a particularly intense game of checkers. I had three kings and three normal pieces and my sister had five kings. It’s funny how details like that burn into your mind. Anyway, I had just completed a rather difficult maneuver and secured the victory when there came a knock at the door. It was well past sunset, and most ponies tended to stay indoors after dark. Of course, there was no shortage of surprise, but my father rose and headed to the door. I followed a safe distance behind, my sister in tow. When my father opened the door, we found a rather weak looking pony standing behind it. Needless to say, we were all instantly concerned. “Are you alright?” My father asked. The pony raised its head, which had been facing the porch, and gazed at my father... If only I had known then what I know now, I could have saved them. The eyes. This is why you must always watch the eyes. We saw it, but we didn’t know what it meant, the red streaks in his pupils. We assumed it was just the way he was born. It was our first mistake. “Please, sir...” The pony gasped out, his voice laden with pain. “Would you be so kind to open your home to a lost soul for a night? I’ve not been well for days, and I need a place to rest.” My father nodded quickly and the pony stepped inside. I noticed he tended to shy away from light sources, but made no connection. My father led him upstairs to our loft, asking him about what had happened. By this time, my mother had hurried me and my sister away and into bed. My sleep was fitful again, but the presence came as always. There was something different about it this night. It seemed very urgent. “Rise, young one, and leave your dwelling immediately. You are in grave danger.” I woke with a start. The words of the presence had scared me a little, but I knew that it had a reason. So, against my better judgment, I left the house and headed out for a walk under the stars. It was a perfectly clear night, every constellation visible above me. I could name a good deal of them, but I was more focused on moving away from my house to think much on the stars. I did take in the beauty of what was around me, though. I think it was this night that made me truly realize that we ponies were so odd, sleeping during this time. It was so peaceful. Everything was at rest, and the world itself seemed to be asleep. It was a wonderful feeling, walking along the soft forest path behind our house and listening to the calm and quiet of the night. As I walked, I felt the presence again. It didn’t speak, but I knew that it was protecting me again. I knew that there were many dark creatures that roamed the night, vamponies included. The protection of my newfound friend would later prove to be invaluable. It was some time later that I finally decided to wander back to the house. The presence didn’t seem to mind, just rolling along for the trip. As I walked back, it slowly dawned on me that I had made a huge mistake. I had run away from danger... And left my family behind. My breath halted and my heart nearly stopped as I realized this. It took me a moment to shake the feeling of dread, but once I did, I galloped like I never had before. My family was in danger, and I had abandoned them. I finally reached the house. But upon seeing it, I knew that my worst fears had come true. The back door was slightly ajar, and there was a red stain on it. My heart sank, but I had to find out what had happened. I ducked inside the house, glancing around quickly. My father’s brief training had taught me to observe my surroundings, looking for any forms of ambush or cover. Luckily, the house was empty of all threats. Immediately I ran for my parents room. But before I reached the door I stopped dead. The door had been ripped off its hinges and cast aside, and where it had stood there was a large, red puddle on the floor. I felt my stomach churn, and I would have been sick right there if it wasn’t for the fact that I could see them. My parents. Dead. No, not dead. Torn apart. I ran. I ran away from the door, looking for the room I shared with my sister. Sure enough, that door had been ripped off too, and there were bloodstains everywhere. I felt the tears rising in my eyes, so I turned and ran back outside, into the cool of the night. I ran back into the forest, as far away from the house as I could. I wasn’t really looking where I was going, and the fact that I kept on crying doing my vision a favor, so I had no idea that I wasn’t alone until I crashed headlong into somepony else. I recovered quickly, gazing up at who I had hit. My initial reaction of fear turned to one of awe as I saw cool, comforting blue eyes staring from under an ethereal mane of stars. It was somepony I had only heard of, but never expected to see. It was Luna. “Peace, young one.” She said to me, lowering herself down to my level. I felt her nuzzle me gently, and, without thinking, I threw myself onto her, crying and trying to speak. Nothing coherent came out, but the princess didn’t seem to mind. I felt her lie down and set me gently next to her. The next thing I knew, one of her wings was gently laid across me. I’ve never experienced anything quite like that. Instantly my fears and sorrows melted away, as if even her wings were under some sort of spell. I dried my eyes and looked up at her. Her expression shared in my sorrow. “They’re gone... something killed them...” I finally managed. Luna nodded sadly, her eyes never leaving mine. “We know. It was us who told you to leave thy dwelling.” My eyes went wide. My first thought was why, but it was quickly replaced with so for seven weeks, in all my dreams, Princess Luna has been protecting me? I was so confused I couldn’t speak. Luna seemed to understand this, though, and she smiled sadly. “We have been with you since thou gained thy cutie mark. We know that it was thou that was chosen to be our champion. But we cannot begin to tell you just how sorry we are we could not save your family. We visited their dreams as well, but by the time they had awakened, it was too late.” She stopped, looking directly into the center of my eyes. It felt like she was trying to read my very soul with her gaze. “Thou does know what killed thy family, correct?” I started to shake my head, but stopped in mid-movement. I did know. It had been staring me in the face. “It was a vampony.” Luna nodded. That only added more questions. Luna seemed to sense this, and quickly cut me off before I could say another word. “Now is not the time. In due course, we shall answer all that thou wishes to know. For now, you need to rest. Sleep, young one. We will stay with you always. From now until the moon fails to rise.” It slowly dawned on my weary eyes just how tired I was, and how nice it was to be leaning against the warm body of the princess, safely tucked under her wing. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to take me. I felt something prod my forehead, and not a moment later fell into a deep dreamless sleep. The world around me, and all its pain and fear, vanished in a heartbeat. __________ When I awoke, the first thing that I noticed was that I was no longer in the forest. To the contrary, I was lying in a very large, very comfortable, and very plush bed in a foreign room. I gazed around with bleary eyes, taking in nothing of my surroundings. It was only after I shook my head to clear it that I noticed that I was not alone in the room. The other pony in the room spoke, and her voice made me realize just where I was. “So, thou art finally awake, we see?” A very fatigued Princess Luna inquired. I could tell that she had stayed up all night - like that was a surprise to anypony - but the fact that I was in her bed didn’t register for a moment. When it did, my eyes went wide and I tried to leap from the covers, but Luna’s magic held me down. She chuckled to herself and gently laid me back down, shaking her head. “Nay, young one, thou needs the bed more than we do. The coming nights will be most difficult for you, we fear.” Her statement confused me. “What do you mean, nights?” Luna shook her head again, still smiling her tired smile. “We mean that in order to be our champion of night, thou must adapt to the night as well as the day. Both shall be thy ally, but the night shall be thy mentor and caretaker. So sleep now.” Her horn glowed as she lowered it to my head. “When thou awakens, Silent Shade, we shall begin in earnest.” Her horn touched my forehead and immediately my eyes fell closed. I drifted off into the same dreamless sleep, and knew no more. __________ It was many hours later, when the sun had set across the sky and the moon had risen, that I awoke, still in the bed of Princess Luna. I rose quickly, looking around. This time, my head was clear, but the Princess was not there to greet me. I hopped out of the bed and finally took a look around the room. It was well furnished, as I expected, but that wasn't the real beauty of the room. As I looked up, my jaw fell open as I gazed at what was on the ceiling. It was obviously enchanted to reflect the sky outside, but there was something different about this enchantment. I had seen one such as this before, in the Manehattan Planetarium. This one was vastly different. The sky reflected show such detail, showed each star in the sky in all its full majesty, and, in the center of it all, the moon. The gem of the night sky. Luna’s pearl. It was truly a sight to see. I was so engrossed in the ceiling that I failed to notice that another had entered the room. It wasn’t until I heard her laugh that I turned to see the princess standing there, hiding a smile behind her hoof. “It seems thou likest our ceiling.” She said, stepping beside me. “We put so much into making it perfect. It’s a sight few are blessed enough to see.” She sighed, gazing up into the night she loved so much. “It pains us to no end that ponies choose to sleep during our night, but with the monsters that roam so freely under the light of our moon, we can understand them. That doesn’t take the pain away, but it helps lessen it.” I turned to look at her. There was an emotion on her face that I just couldn’t read. Was it pain? Sorrow? Anger? Or some combination thereof? It was hard to say, but no matter what I could think of, nothing seemed to match her emotion. I could only think of one thing to do. I turned and nudged her leg, and she lowered her head down, thinking that I needed something. But wasn’t she surprised when I hugged her, trying to console her. I didn’t think that it was very significant, but she thought otherwise. She sighed, and I could feel her smile. “Thank you, young one. That is very appreciated.” She said as I let go, watching her with a newfound smile. “And now, we have an offer to propose to you. We will train you to fulfil thy destiny, but there is a cost.” Her smile faded, and her tone took a tone for the very serious. I instantly felt nervous as she fixed her eyes directly on mine. “Thou must give up part of thy spirit, part of thy very soul, in order to properly fulfil thy destiny. Are thou willing to do this?” I paused, looking inside myself to find the answer. I didn’t really understand what Luna meant, give up a part of myself. But as my mind began to consider and weigh options, I realized that no matter what she meant, I had no choice but to accept. My family was gone, killed by a monster. I had nothing to go back to, and no future apart from a life of fighting. What Luna was offering me was a fighting chance. And not just any fighting chance, but to be the personal champion of the princess. Her chosen warrior. Her soldier.         “I don’t know what you mean, but I have nothing to lose. I’ll do it.” I watched Luna as I finished my statement. A smile graced her features again, but I noticed something change in her eyes. Where there had once been a gentle firmness there was now a sea of sorrows. Something was tormenting her. And whatever it was, the choice I had made had increased its intensity.         She was in great pain. And I think the sorrow she felt was now no longer her own. The sorrow she felt was in knowing what she would do to me.         And she hated herself for it.