Chapter One: Awakening
Twilight Sparkle smiled as she smoothed out a map of the various major features of the moon on her desk, marking various locations with red ink. All around her stacks of books rose up lke multi-colored towers twice her height, and her telescope perched on a shelf, gleaming from a fresh coat of polish. Several books levitated around her head as she read from each one for a few seconds before moving on. “Spike!” She called out as the last one set down.
“Yeah Twilight?” The bay dragon asked as he made his way carefully around the towers of books, careful not to cause an avalanche.
“Can you bring me my copy of Ancient Lunar Landmarks please? I’m almost done marking everything I’ll be looking for during the red moon tonight.” Twilight asked as she circled another point on her map.
“You sure are exited for a full moon,” Spike replied as he quickly located the book Twilight needed.
“Spike, the red moon is one of the rarest lunar phenomenon in Equestria. It only appears when the levels of magic in the atmosphere reach a balance that takes nearly a thousand years to achieve. If I can make enough observations maybe I can publish my own book on the subject! Red Moon Observations and Theories By Twilight Sparkle. I just know Princess Celestia would put a copy in the royal library in Canterlot.” Twilight’s eyes went misty as she imagined scholars hundreds of years from now browsing through her book, learning new things every time.
“Earth to Twilight,” Spike waved his hand in front of his friend’s face until she snapped back to reality and levitated the book over onto her desk. “So, should I make one batch of my cookies or two?”
“As many as you want spike. Tonight is going to be incredible,” Twilight replied, still thinking about writing the book that would make her famous.
Spike’s own grin widened as he tried to think of the kind of cookies Rarity might like best. Maybe tonight would be the night he finally confessed his feelings for the beautiful unicorn.
…
As Princess Luna raised the moon up into the sky, Twilight and her friends were all gathered on the top of a small hill outside Ponyville. Pinkie Pie and Spike had managed to put together an impressive spread of sweets for the two dozen or so ponies who had gathered to watch the red moon. “Should be any second now,” Twilight said as she watched the moon slowly traverse the night sky. As it moved the celestial object’s surface slowly turned from white to orange and finally a deep red, casting dark crimson light over the landscape. “Amazing,” she smiled as she put her eye to the lens of her telescope, looking for any different features the unusual moon could reveal that she could put into her book.
“Looks kinda like a big apple,” Applejack remarked.
“It’s too bad this is a once in a lifetime occurrence; this light is giving me a dozen new design ideas,” Rarity added, her eyes half closed as she thought of how hew outfits would look under this red illumination.
“Maybe we could ask Princess Luna if she could do it again soon?” Spike suggested. “If you showed her a dress that looks good enough in the red moonlight…”
“Spike, I told you before that the red moon only appears when Equestria’s natural magical field reaches a certain balance. Upsetting that balance could have severe consequences,” Twilight said as she continued her observations of the moon, a quill jotting down anything important as she worked.
“Hmph, way to ruin the mood Twilight,” Spike huffed as he crunched down on one of his cookies.
“Oh my, the shadows look even deeper in this light,” Fluttershy shivered as she watched the dark patches under the trees move like giant skeletal hands, and a chill made its way down her spine. “Maybe I should have stayed home tonight.”
“Come on Fluttershy, it’s just a few shadows,” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Besides, any shadow monster that tries to hurt you’d have to answer to me!”
“None of my research gave any hints to monsters that come out under a red moon anyway,” Twilight said, adjusting one of the dials on her telescope to get a close-up view of a crater than had caught her eye.
“Oh, ok,” Fluttershy whispered, edging closer to Rainbow Dash as a sudden gust of frigid wind ruffled her mane, causing her to let out a squeak. “It feels like something’s watching me.”
“Just remember my song and giggle ‘em away!” Pinkie Pie smiled as she bounced around the snack blanket, nabbing a pair of frosting coated muffins. “Here eat this Fluttershy, Pinkie’s special triple chocolate coated sweet oat surprise. One bite and you’ll be too busy enjoying it to worry about anything!”
“Ok,” Fluttershy said, taking Pinkie’s offered treat. She took a small bite and managed a smile. “It’s really good.”
“See I told ya! One bite and you’re hooked!” The pink Earth pony grinned as she downed two of her treats in as many bites. This night was her best party yet this week.
….
The light of the red moon barely penetrated the thick canopy of the Everfree Forest, small spears of ruby striking clumps of vegetation and the hides of the creatures who made their home in the heart of the area. Ancient rock formations rose up alongside the ancient boughs of trees which had stood for centuries. The wind made strange sounds as it passed through the rocks, an almost groaning noise filling the air as if the land itself was in pain.
At the heart of the forest a small mountain of black rock reared up into the sky, the red moonlight making the stone appear to be alive with ripples of subtle motion. A pulsing crimson glow came from the mountain’s peak, where a gem as large as a carriage caught the light, drinking it in as the glow grew in intensity. A beam of light speared down into the mountain through a small opening in the rock, lancing down until it emerged into a massive underground chamber. Tattered and rotting tapestries hung on the walls, faded symbols barely visible where the fabric clung together. The glow from the gemstone filled the chamber, but it was all drawn toward four large stone sarcophagi in the center, one of which had been half shattered by a falling block of stone. Three surrounded a larger casket marked with fading runs, and upon each of the four was carved a symbol that glowed with the same light as the moon.
As the crimson moon glided directly over the mountain the red jewel sent down four pulses of blinding ruby magic which struck the stone tombs, causing the runes carved upon them to glow as bright as the sun for an instant. Slowly the lid of the central sarcophagus levitated up and slid away, coming to rest on the floor with a soft thud. A snow white unicorn rose from within, her scarlet mane glowing with the light of the moon above. “The Blood Moon has come again,” she spoke, her voice quiet yet it easily echoed around the ancient hall as she shook dust from her coat. She could feel the energy from the stone at the mountain peak, ready at last for her plan. “Awaken my eternal servants!” The unicorn commanded.
The lids of two intact sarcophagi soon were levitated away as two other ponies rose to their hooves, a dark red unicorn with a jet black mane and a deep blue Earth pony whose mane and tail shimmered in the light, red as arterial blood. Each had a black metal breastplate with a glowing ruby set in the center. They both bowed to the larger unicorn that stood over them. “Bound by blood, we serve you for eternity,” they intoned together.
“Night Shade, Blood Mane, we have much to do,” Red Moon hissed as she took in her throne room and the damages done by the passing of time. “A great many years have passed; Equestria will have changed. We must learn what has transpired since our imprisonment; we must restore our strength.” Looking up into the beam of magic from her Bloodstone, Red Moon smiled, her two sharp fangs glinting in the crimson light.
“I will search the area and learn what I can,” Night Shade said as she rose to her hooves. Her horn glowed a dark rose hue as she seemed to melt into the shadows and was gone in an instant.
As Night Shade vanished, Red Moon examined the shattered sarcophagus. Inside there was only a thick layer of dust and a rusted breastplate with a sapphire set into the center. “With Night Shadow gone, we must find a new pony to complete our circle,” she said as she flipped a hidden switch inside her sarcophagus, causing a section of stone to slide back and reveal an ancient book bound in manticore hide. Faded symbols glowed along the spine with black magical energy as the unicorn opened the lock with a spark from her horn. “In the meantime, there is still much preparation to undertake. I can sense my old foes still linger in this land. In time they will feel my awakening, but before that happens we must ensure that my trap cannot be overcome. For that, all four stones must be used. Blood Mane, you are my hunter. Find a Pegasus who can replace Night Shadow. Only then can we move forward.”
“As you command,” the Earth pony smiled as she opened one of the hidden passages that led to the outside. It took only a few minutes before she was walking under the shadowed canopy. The cool air was filled with the smells of rotting leaves, blossoming flowers and a thousand others. She could feel the echo of Nightshade’s passage, his shadow magic only tangible to her due to the centuries they had known each other. So much had changed; the trees were immense where they had before been only saplings in many cases, and the paths she had travelled were all gone. But for a pony who had made their living in the forests even before joining the ranks of the immortals and taking her new name, it was easy for Blood Mane to find her way.
After several hours of walking, she came to the edge of the forest. A path was visible a short distance away, leading presumably to a town. Breaking into a trop, Blood Mane kept note of how many things had changed since she had last been awake. Even the night air felt different, filled with memories of times she had missed. In the distance she could make out a castle built into the side of a mountain, filling the air with magic. “They must live there,” she said to herself. Lowering her gaze back to the ground, she saw the lights of a village on the other side of a river. “As good a place to start as any,” she smiled as the trotted forward. With luck she would find her first meal as well as a pony her mistress would be pleased with.
…
Night Shade moved with the shadows, her magic easily carrying her along as speeds most ponies could only dream of. Her ability was one of the reasons she had survived, for it had been her who had brought Red Moon herself back from death after the Defeat. She could sense the magic in the air. It was thick within Everfree, but its flow was chaotic and uncontrolled. To her shadow form’s eyes it appeared as a wild river, rapids of energy colliding and splitting off in sparks of power. Even after years of training before the Defeat it still took all her skill to navigate them. Spectral lips smiled as she leapt between two churning pools of power. Riding the rapids of magic was one of the most exhilarating experiences she had ever known, and with her immortality she would never stop exploring the magical rivers across the entire world.
The chaotic river of magic slowed and became calm as she approached the boundary of the forest. Night Shade allowed her body to become solid once again, her form seeping from the shadows of grasping branches as she cantered forward. Slowing her breathing, something she still did even though she did not need air, the unicorn reached out with her magic. She could feel the pulse of beating hearts nearby, hear the blood flowing through veins. Her hunger burned within her, and she cut her own lip as she closed in on them, the taste of her own blood fueling her desire. Somepony would die tonight, her first victim since the Defeat.
It took her only minutes to come upon a pair of Earth ponies walking down a path towards a town. They laughed as they walked, talking about the red moon and a party on a ridge nearby. Night Shade selected a tan coated mare with a bright blond mane. Her companion, a brown mare with a tangled yellow mane was a few steps ahead of her, and Night Shade slowly entered the ponies’ minds, clouding their senses as the shadows around her victim became thicker, slowing her hoof steps. As her mind-numbed friend moved further ahead Night Shade crept up on the two ponies, her steps making no sound at all. The confounded mare rounded a bend in the road as her companion struggled to lift her hooves from the shadows. With the speed of a serpent, Night Shade struck. Her charge knocked the pony onto her side, and a hoof to her throat kept her from crying out. Unable to sense any other hearbeats approaching, she leaned down. The roar of blood in the mare’s veins was music to Night Shade’s ears. “Make any noise and I’ll rip your throat out, understand?” She hissed. The terrified eyes of her prey told her the mare understood. “I’m new to this area, and I’m curious about your recent history. Tell me everything that’s happened around here and maybe I’ll consider letting you go.”
“A-All-right,” replied, doing her best to keep from shaking. “A year ago Nightmare Moon tried to create an eternal night but the Elements of Harmony stopped her and then an ursa minor tore the roof off my house and then my whole family got sick from baked bads and then-“
Nightshade focused as the pony rambled, seeing into her memories as she brought them up. The thought of eternal night intrigued her, but the mention of the Elements of Harmony made her shudder, remembering the last time she had felt their power. Six ponies in the nearby town of Ponyville had used them to stop Nightmare Moon. If they still possessed the Elements, Red Moon would want them at her feet.
After several minutes of the weeping pony babbling, Night Shade had learned all she needed to. “Thank you, you’ve been most helpful.”
“Please, let me go. You said you would,” the Earth pony begged.
“I said I would consider it. I have, and my answer is no,” Night Shade smiled as she leaned down and sank her fangs into the pony’s neck. She cried out briefly, her blood pumping down Night Shade’s throat, who closed her eyes in bliss as her hunger was sated. The hot liquid filled her with power and vitality. She could feel the aches in her bones from her long sleep vanish, and her magic surge as the life essence of the body before her was added to her own.
Slowly her victim’s heartbeat slowed, finally pumping its last. Night Shade rose from her lifeless victim, her muzzle streaked with crimson. With her magic at last at full strength, she pushed the rapidly cooling body into the shadows. It would be drawn into the vortex of Everfree and emerge somewhere within to be devoured by the predators which stalked the forest.
With the information she had learned, Night Shade was tempted to return to the crypt and tell her mistress what she had heard, but the lure of bringing back the Elements of Harmony themselves was too strong to ignore. Much of the night was still to come, and the vampire unicorn intended to enjoy every moment of it.