One Thousand Years Ago
A Unicorn walked down the halls of Canterlot Palace. His coat was gray and his mane was black with a matching goatee. His cutie mark was a sword circled by a dragon. His eyes were icy blue and he was wearing armor that signified that he was a member of Princess Luna’s Lunar Guard. Unlike the other two members of the Lunar Guard that followed behind him, his armor was black and silver instead of shades of blue, distinguishing him as Princess Luna’s Captain of the Guard. His name was Vlad Vanguard. He was from the Province of Trotsylania in the Arctic North, near the Crystal Empire. Years ago, he and his best friend Sombra were once students in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. They were both at top of their class, but Sombra went into politics and became an advisor to the Princesses. Vlad was a warrior.
His mind flashed back to the day he joined the Lunar Guard. He was hoofpicked by Princess Luna herself for his valor, his unmatchable combat skills, and his talent with magic. Perhaps the most important reason was that he favored the night over the day. Vlad saw the beauty in the starry sky and found solace in the somber silence of night. For him, it was a time for contemplation and reflection. Princess Luna noticed his appreciation and decided he would be a perfect candidate for her personal guard, and he was honored by her recognition.
He remembered how he was summoned to the Night Court to be offered the position by the princess herself. As a member of the Royal Guard, he had seen Princess Luna before, but this was the first time she spoke to him personally. She stood before him, staring at him with her teal eyes as he stood at attention. Being in her presence, he could see the beauty of the night embodied within her. The way she spoke, the way she walked, and the way she presented herself displayed the grace of the night.
Graceful, Vlad mused upon the word. Yes, that was the best was to describe the midnight blue Alicorn’s beauty. Princess Celestia’s was also beautiful and everypony agree upon that fact. However, the white Alicorn’s beauty would be best described as “radiant.” She could light up a room with her radiance and uplifting demeanor. Unfortunately, it was easy to overlook the beauty of the younger sister in her presence just like it was easy to forget the gentle moon compared to the brilliant sun. Now that Vlad was looking her in the eye, he could see her true beauty. When she offered him a position in her personal guard, he accepted without hesitation.
As Vlad quickly rose through the ranks, his devotion for the princess that he served grew. It started as mere respect for the Princess of the Night, but it grew into something more as the years passed by. Every time she would pass by, his heart would soar. When he was made captain, he would frequently meet in council with her. At first, it was a pleasure to be near his princess so often, but it became torture when he convinced himself that he could never be worthy of her. How could she ever have feelings for somepony as lowly as he? She was a princess; a goddess amongst mares. He was just a soldier.
One fateful day, his best friend and colleague Sombra fell to the way of darkness and took over the Crystal Empire. Sombra offered Vlad a chance to join in his conquest, but Princess Luna ordered him to lead his soldiers into battle against Sombra’s. It was at that moment when Vlad of Trotsylvania vowed to follow his princess, no matter what. Nothing would come before his princess, not even his own best friend. Vlad Vanguard personally led the charge against Sombra’s army of traitors as the Princesses faced the self-proclaimed king himself. For his strength and ferocity, he was called by many “the Dragon.”
Suddenly, the palace trembled, snapping him out of his thoughts. A surge of magic could be felt reverberating through the marble walls. The servants froze in place with terror and the guards stood at attention, anticipating an attack. The soldiers that were marching behind Vlad looked to him for orders.
“I shall protect Princess Luna! Thou rouse the Solar Guard and thou wake Princess Celestia! Secure the palace!” he ordered his aide-de-camps.
“Yes sir!” they shouted as they saluted before they ran off to carry out his orders. He then ran down the halls, headed to the chambers of Princess Luna. As the Unicorn ran, he wondered what possible threat could have descended upon the Royal Palace at midnight. Was it the Changelings? Could Sombra the Traitor have returned from his imprisonment within the ice in the Arctic North? No, it couldn’t be any of them, for the aura he felt was more powerful than any of them. He rounded a corner and raced to a large set of double doors that bore the symbol of the Princess of the Night. Using his magic, he opened the doors and ran inside the chambers of Princess Luna. His eyes quickly scanned the room and found the Alicorn on the balcony. He sighed with relief when he saw that his princess was safe.
“Your Highness,” he began as he approached the princess, but then frozen when he noticed that the Alicorn before him wasn’t Luna. She had an ethereal mane that resembled the night sky like Luna, but her coat was black. She also stood as tall as Princess Celestia and wore light blue armor. The captain took a combat stance and drew his sword, ready to battle this intruder. “Who art thou and what hast thou done with Princess Luna!?”
“Why, does thou not recognize your Princess?” the dark Alicorn asked as she turned to face the gray stallion. As she locked eyes with him, he saw that her teal eyes had slits like a dragon. She looked down at him with a smug look of superiority, yet her smirk was somewhat inviting. The way she looked at him with her half-lidded eyes and the small smile on her lips made it seem like she was pleased to see him. “Thou raise thine sword towards thine princess?”
“Thou… thou cannot be Princess Luna,” he said, unnerved by her seductive smile and her mocking tone. She chuckled as she approached him, swaying her hips as she gracefully walked towards him.
“Oh, but it is, Vlad,” she said with a honey-coated voice. It was Princess Luna’s voice, but she had never spoken to him in that tone before. She had always been professional and authoritative when addressing all of her subjects, even him. To hear her speak to him in such way was startling and his instincts told him that something was amiss, but her voice and appearance had him locked in place. “We assure thee, ‘tis us and so much more.”
“…More?” Vlad managed to utter. The Alicorn’s smirk grew into a grin, exposing her teeth and he could see that her teeth have become fangs.
“Yes…” she purred as she stood before him, staring into his eyes with her draconic bedroom-eyes. “We have become more than our sister’s shadow. More than the lesser princess. More than the forsaken Luna. We have become Nightmare Moon, the Queen of the Night. No longer will we be shunned and ignored by those sun-worshipping fools. Finally, we will be known. Finally, we will be appreciated. …Finally, we will be loved. ”
As she said that last sentence, Vlad Vanguard saw the dark Alicorn’s confidence shift to a forlorn look of loneliness and sorrow. She broke eye contact with the captain and looked down at the floor between them. It was at that moment that he could see past the dark visage of Nightmare Moon and see his Luna standing in front him. Something gripped at his heart as he saw the downcast expression of the powerful being before him. He knew that Luna was resentful that most ponies slept through her night and that they didn’t appreciate her night. It had pained him to see his princess suffer for their ingratitude over the years. As he saw Nightmare Moon’s sorrowful expression, he lowered his sword.
“We know how thou feel for us,” a silky voice broke Vlad away from his thoughts and brought him back to the present situation. After a brief moment, Nightmare Moon had regained her composure and was again looking Vlad in the eyes.
“I…” he started to speak, but shock had robbed him of the capability of speech. She chuckled at his surprise.
“Yes Vlad, we know of thine infatuation,” she told him with a pleased look on her voice. “And we confess that we shared thine amorous feelings. Now, we are offering thee an opportunity. We are giving thee a chance to stand by us as we bring about eternal night. We will build a glorious new kingdom and we want thee by our side forever. Will thou be our Prince of Darkness?”
Vlad heard her offer and knew it would be treason to accept it. He would be betraying Equestria and Princess Celestia. He would be just like Sombra; a traitor. In fact, his friend had offered him a very similar offer before he had enslaved the Crystal Empire. However, this was his Luna. The same mare for whom he had vowed to himself follow no matter what. He would choose her over his comrades, Princess Celestia, and even over all of the Kingdom of Equestria. Before, he had believed that he never had a chance to be with the princess that he loved so much and now he learned that she loved him back and wanted him to be with her forever! His sword fell from his hoof to the tiled floor with a clatter and simply said “Yes.”
Nightmare Moon smiled with both joy and triumph. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to give him a passionate kiss. Vlad’s heart leaped within his chest for joy and he wished that the moment would never end. Even though she had become a mare of darkness and was planning to bring about eternal night and to overthrow her sister, Vlad didn’t care; she was his and he was hers. He would go through Tartatus for her, and that’s what he was about to do. She broke the kiss and raised a hoof to cut herself with her long horn on her fetlock. She raised the bleeding limb to his face and he saw her blood running down her hoof.
“Drink,” she commanded Vlad. Without thinking he brought his lips to the wound and began to drink her blood. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth and he fought back nausea as he fulfilled his queen’s command. Nightmare Moon smiled lovingly as she watched him gulp down her blood. She pulled her hoof away from his mouth after she was convinced that he had enough. Vlad breathed deeply to steady himself and to suppress his queasiness. The black Alicorn’s horn glowed blue with her magic and Vlad’s body locked up. His lungs struggled to expand, his blood froze in his veins, and it felt as something was squeezing his heart. He collapsed to floor and started to convulsed. He would have screamed in agony if he had the breath to do so. He feebly looked up at her with pleading eyes, wishing for the pain to cease. As the gray stallion twitched on the floor, Nightmare Moon caressed his cheek and soothingly shushed him. “Ssshhh… All is well, dear valiant Vlad . We are simply infusing our blood with thine and bestowing the powers of darkness upon thee.”
The agony overwhelmed him, but he would endure it for his queen willed it. His vision darkened and his heartbeat slowed. As unconsciousness began to claim him, Nightmare Moon leaned down and gave him another kiss. She then heard the sound of the guards running through the halls. She knew that this moment was inevitable and she had to confront them and her sister sooner than later. At least Vlad had come to her before the impending battle as she had hoped.
“Rest now, Vlad,” she said to him. “When thou awaken, thou shalt be reborn as Dracula; the Dragon.” He wearily watched her as she walked towards the door, ready to build her kingdom.
She left, leaving him alone on the cold tile floor. Before the darkness claimed him, he licked the remaining blood on his lips and whispered, “…Blood is the life…”