//------------------------------// // 10 A mare of grace, or a monster? // Story: Blood Curse Boutique // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// While the vampiric unicorn turned and twisted in her bed, the gift of sleep was not granted to her once again. And that just to add to the pile of unpleasant conditions drove the unstoppable thirst slowly but surely her to the edge of insanity, if not over it from time to time. Her eyes kept turning around her room and thus on everything that stood in there. In a mumble did the words left her mouth. Words that were meant for nopony else then herself. “I need it. Just, a glass... will do. N-No, hold yourself together Rarity, n-not tonight, not here, not with them.” All of them were spoken in an attempt to prevent her from losing her delicate inner balance even more. The unicorn just closed her eyes firmly on each other unto one another. Everything that she saw was just the utter darkness that were her own eyelids. It was her last resort in the ever so fainter becoming hope. A couple minutes had crawled by before her eyes opened up once again. To her it felt like if they saw some sort of lightning that shot through the curtains. The second time they opened there was something different about Rarity to be seen. Something that was different yet the same and oddly familiar to her for reasons that seemed to have been unknown. For it were the rims of her eyes that had returned to their warm, sapphire blue coloring for some unknown reason. But if one looked deeper within them there were still some hints of the red coloring to be seen. It was hidden deep within them for certain, but it was still visible. Which would have made the whole situation even more dangerous than that it already could have been. Rarity pushed the blankets from her body and released a forced sigh of utmost discomfort. Her eyes made a gentle blinking motion and she hoisted her upper body up right in her bed and she turned her head over to the window that was to be found on her left side. Her blue rims fell upon the reddish moon and just looked over it. Yet within her ears she thought to be hearing something. Something that very gently whispered her name was what echoed in them as she continued to stare over to rock of banishment. “What is it with the moon these days?” Rarity mumbled to herself in a soft tone and under another set of blinks. Something was off about the whole situation and the unicorn knew that all too well. Yet she could not pinpoint just what it could have been. In her mind alone would there have been too many variables to do that. She couldn’t come up with any logical explanation for that eerie, haunting color upon the face of the moon. Though much time to think about it was not granted to her either way. Her dreaded nature started to boil up within her once more. It managed to take over her mind without much of a struggle. All of the sudden she wanted to uncurl the wings from her body. But something deep inside of her, did enter the struggle to keep them firm around her belly and back. Rarity left her bed and rose up on her hindlegs. Her forelegs were brought over to her face. She released a couple, muffled growls of discomfort and disgust while she stood bipedal. With the moonlight the shone down right through the window, it created a shadow on the wall behind the unicorn that was uncomfortable to say the least. Next to a being that was formed from the utter darkness, there was also the purplish skin of the wings that could be seen clearly next to it. An amazing yet horrifying play of light would have unfold itself on the backwall of her room. Yet the struggle in her body had failed. Rarity had given into the more animalistic side of hers. The hooves of Rarity’s forelegs rubbed her face while she moved closer to the window sill. In her mind there was the venomous thought that began to haunt her. A thought that she couldn't stand out whatsoever. “You, don’t...dare,” she spoke to herself while she removed her forehooves from her eyes and allowed them to rest upon the windowsill. All the muscles in the forelegs were set tight as her breathing was forced to leave her in a heavy manner. Her eyes turned themselves up from the sill and glared over to the sight that there was to behold through the window. The rustic and peaceful front garden of her parents’ house was what fell within her eyes and the mare tried to think about all of the days the family had spent within it. But every single attempt to remain normal was done in absolute vain. She mouth opened with a slow motion and the fangs that were carried by her, could clearly be seen within the crimson light of the moon. The action was soon followed up by a soft yet dark sounding hiss that was aimed towards that same rock in the heavens. Mere seconds after the hiss did she shook her head a couple times. Rarity lowered her eyes to the sill itself and kept them there. “No, no, no, no! You will not take their blood, not of your own family!” the mare said against herself in a quiet tone. Almost right after the words got spoken did she push herself off from the sill. With a grown did she let her forehooves rest upon the black carpet that covered the floor of the room. The vampiric unicorn tried to get the thoughts out of her head the whole time. Yet every attempt she had tried seemed to have failed as soon as it started. Her eyes glared over to the white wallpaper of the room. She had the faint hope that the answer to her troubling mind could be presented upon it. The shape and size didn’t matter, as long as she got to see it. But it didn't matter what she did. Because through one way or the other would her primal instinct have kept the control of her mind. It would have remained in utter control until she had fed on the blood of the living. It didn’t care in the slightest of who or what it was. Rarity needed the red gold and she would get it. One way, or the other. As icing on the cake did the mare found herself in a house with three potential preys she could easily feed from. A chance that wouldn't occur to her anytime soon after it for certain. A chance like no other with an impossible guilt to come afterwards. The struggle for what was right and wrong, had never been weighing more down upon her shoulders then any time before in her life. The warm blue eyes lost their touch and they transformed into an ice cold stare within a matter of seconds. The magical blue aura had appeared around her horn to cast a spell into the physical world. With a simple nod of her head did the doorknob turned itself over and with another nudge it opened itself for her. Almost like a guard opening the door for a princess or a queen. ~~~~                 With a soft screech of the aged wood and hinges did the door open even further and Rarity made her way through it with care. Doing so had her ending up on the hallway that connected all the rooms on the second floor together. Her eyes turned over to her right and caught the empty hallway. The only interesting part was the window at the very end. No doors could be seen as her room was the last one to have been present there. Her eyes turned over to her left and there were a couple doors that could be seen. Doors that were accompanied with the stairs. They would have lead a pony down to another hall or up to the attic. All the candles were off for as far as she could see. That gave her the indicating that everypony in the house was at least to bed. If they would be sleeping however, was another question to be answered through the gears of time. Rarity made her way through the hall with a near sneaking pacing as her eyes turned over all of the doors to be seen. First she passed the bathroom but it was when she came by the second door that her pace came to an abrupt stop. Her hoof began to reach up for the doorknob in the depth of the night. Together with the sounds of a soft click and another screech got the door opened and allowed Rarity to gaze into the room itself. A room where the quiet and peaceful snoring of two ponies originated from. Two ponies that were deeply asleep if the sounds had to be judged correctly. The blue eyes of the unicorn slowly fell upon the bed that stood in the middle of the room. It was nothing special in her mind. It was just a standard twopony bed and it was from there, where the sounds came from. Rarity carefully stepped further into the room and closed the door behind her in silence. Then it were her eyes that laid themselves back upon the bed and she carefully sneaked up toward it.   It was the very bed where her very own parents laid peacefully asleep in. They were just unaware of what their beloved daughter had become with time. Let alone the facts of what she was capable of ever since. The ponies who had raised her since the moment she was born, were on the point of becoming her next and horrifying meal. The mouth of Rarity opened with a slow motion under a gentle and near silent hiss. Her eyes kept themselves fixed upon the two of them. But in her mind there was another argument that broke out. “I can’t do it. Not them, not my own parents. I am a mare of grace... not a monster,” she mumbled in a near inaudible whisper before she moved herself over to the side where her mother laid. ~~~~   Pearl looked ever so peaceful under the blankets of the bed. Her forelegs had wrapped themselves around the neck of her beloved Magnum while her purple mane ran wild over the pillow. The mare wasn't the kind of unicorn who liked to keep her mane together at night. She rather preferred it to be long, free and as pictured, wild. Much to the contrast of her oldest daughter who was the complete opposite. The noses of both lovers touched the other for a little bit while a smile stood on her face. She nuzzled him even in her sleep. It was a sight that truly was just priceless and spoke of true love between the two of them. Rarity rose a hoof with a slow and uncomfortable motion before it stroked the neck of her mother. The gaze in her eyes turned away from the cold expression it had gained. Instead it turned over to one of uncertainty that was mixed with madness. Her head lowered itself and soon enough, the fangs found themselves touching the neck of her mother. Yet instead of biting through its flesh, Rarity moved her lips back up over her fangs and gave it a kiss in a light and loving manner. “Thank you, for everything. And may you sleep well, mother,” she spoke with a soft tone after she had removed her lips from the kiss and moved them up to one of her ears. Pearl stirred a little bit from the cold kiss but only let out a light giggle before she nuzzled Magnum once more. As the sound took its turn into the ears of Rarity caused a smile to form itself. Though the very thought of draining her mother from her blood was both pleasing and haunting her mind at the same time. The mare shook her head a couple times before she left her mother and made her way over to the other side of the bed, to the side of her father. Rarity kissed the exposed side of the Magnum’s neck before another smile formed itself on her face. Though the same thoughts kept racing through her mind. “Thank you for everything, father, may you sleep well,” she spoke in a whisper. The mare turned herself over to the door and took the first steps to make her leave.   As she was making her retreat, her hoof landed on a faulty plank and it allowed a deep screech of the wood to take its turn through the room. Rarity’s eyes turned into the smallest size possible just before they closed themselves and she awaited the filly to rise up and ask for her doings at the hour. Silence followed up. Nothing but a deep and eerie silence was suddenly dominating in the room. Not even the snoring of her parents could be heard nor the wind that blew outside. The unicorn gathered all of her the courage to open her eyes again and looked over to the bed of her parents to witness the sights for herself. Rarity would have expected the two of them to rise up and look her right in the eyes before questioning just why she was there. But in reality did the both of them only stirred a little bit. It didn't stop Rarity from praying though. “Please stay asleep, please stay asleep,” she whispered without making any sounds. Luckily was her wish granted and the room filled itself with a sound she had been annoyed with for years on end. The terrible loud snoring of her father. Even to that day it was still a mystery for the mare of just how Pearl actually managed to sleep through it with peace. It was a question that had been within her mind for years and every time she visited her parents and heard the snoring, it rose back up in her mind. Yet she never asked them both out loud as it was unladylike. The unicorn let out a forced exhaled in a relieved manner before she made her way back to the hallway and closed the door behind her. If her heart was still beating normally, it would certainly be pounding deep within her throat. Even though her mind was in a two way struggle for almost all of the time she still managed to stay normal and potentially could have saved the lives of her parents without them even knowing it. But the thirst was still within her and needed to be lest by the spilling of blood. There simply wasn't any other way of stilling it with anything else. ~~~~                 In silence from her side had she turned her eyes over to the remaining door on the hallway. The door where the last soul in their family took its residence. “Sweetie,” the unicorn mumbled to herself before she walked up to the door. Slowly she moved a hoof up to the doorknob but a hesitation went through her body. One that didn't made her just grab it and open it. “No... I can’t, I can’t do this... not to her,” she spoke to herself. But a force greater than she ever could be just let her take the knob and turned it open. Rarity didn't just only feared for the life of her sister at that point, but also that of her own. Could she live with herself, after the horrid thoughts had become a reality? With the soft screech was the door opened and Rarity just remained standing in the opening. Her eyes gazed over the room of the filly that was her own sibling. Her blue rimmed eyes fell upon the countless toys and collections Sweetie had managed to build up in the few years she had lived already. The elder sister was as always, genuinely impressed by it all. Then her eyes fell upon the simple bed where she resided in. Her cute, soft and peaceful snoring filled itself within the ears of the mare who slowly took steps closer to the bed. A small sigh left her upon hearing the sounds while her wings - which were still spread out - gave a couple little flaps. Each flap that took place from them became the power of them greater. Each flap that was given with them caused her to become even lighter on her hooves then she was with the previous. It was with one powerful last flap that caused her to lose contact with the ground. Rarity found herself suspended in the air and had a gently look with the new perspective she had gained. However, there wasn't a single sound that originated from the wings as the sliced through the air. The eyes fell upon her sister once more and the stare she gave was deadly. She closed in the distance between herself and the bed before just she dropped herself onto it. Rarity landed on all four of her hooves while the mattress didn't even move one bit with her on top of it. The purple skinned wings had curled themselves back around her body. Yet her eyes were never taken off from the ball of fur below her. For right below her was the sleeping filly to be found. Her own flesh and blood, her beloved sister and kin. A pony she had loved the moment her green irises saw the world around her. But at the point in time, ready to become the meal of a monster. Rarity suddenly shook her head deeply as she tried her utmost best to keep her attention away from her sister. “No you foolish mare, you do not do it... Not from her, not from them. I don’t care how thirsty you are, I will not do it,” she muttered against herself in the almost inaudible tone. Then her eyes fell back on her sister and the dark nature rose right back in her as she opened her mouth. She was ready to strike down upon her helpless prey. “No,” she whispered to herself as her eyes were closed again with force. “I can’t... I can not take it from her, not from my sweet little sister.” But her body had other intentions as it began to lower her head. The gap between the fangs and the neck of Sweetie was only getting less and less distant. Rarity opened her eyes once more and tried to break herself loose from the hold but every attempt she tried was just nullified. Her primal nature had her in its grasp and wouldn't let her go. The only way to stop it, the only to stop the madness she had worked herself in, was to take it. A breeze of cold air left her nose with every forced exhale as it met the met the grayish mulberry and light grayish mane of Sweetie. In response to the air being blown through her mane, the filly only stirred a little bit but didn't moved out of her sleep. “Goodnight, my prey,” mumbled Rarity in a kind and pleasant tone while one of her forehooves made its way over to the neck of her sister. She wanted to stroke it in a sisterly manner do dearly. The hoof made contact with the warm coat of the filly who shivered a bit in response as the veins in her neck became visible due to the sudden change of temperature. The mare opened her mouth under the sound of a satisfied hiss while she let her eyes rest upon the neck and head area. The ears of Sweetie perked themselves as soon as they caught the hiss. It only resulted in her shivering deeply and in even more fear than she already was. “Change... changelings...” That one word was the only thing she managed to speak up through her nightly fears. With the sudden tones that entered her own ears, the unicorn mare was snapped back into the real reality and she rose her head back up. Keeping it, and thus her fangs, away from her beloved sister while she blinked again. The wings uncurled themselves while she gave a couple flaps with them once more. “No, no blood tonight... Then I rather starve a night then doing that,” whispered Rarity. It didn’t took long before the wings caused her to become airborne once more. Under the sounds of a light thud would she have landed back on all four of her hooves. The only thing she wanted, was to make her way out of the room. The unicorn wanted to just walk down the hallway and head back to her own room. Her horn coated itself once more in her magic she walked through the door and unto the hallway. With a nudge from her head was the door closed again in silence. She then let her eyes fell upon the stairs that were leading to the lower level of the house. With a slow blink she released the thought of going back to her room. Only to have walked up to the staircase itself. She needed to think, to rethink everything and keep herself at bay. The only place where she could have done that, was within the realms of the living room. There were nopony could have disturbed her until the morning. ~~~~                   Rarity made her descend from the stairs without much thought in her mind. She did continued to mutter deep in herself though. Once the last step was reached, she turned over to the kitchen and allowed her horn to charge itself up once more. But that time it only kept itself covered with the light. No spell was cast yet the light was enough for her to see among the darkness of the night. There she saw it with her own eyes. It reflected within the blue light of the unicorn her magic. The very wine cabinet that belonged to her parents. The glass doors of the cabinet got surrounded by the aura and it got opened with a great care. An unopened bottle of red wine was levitated out of it and brought over to the face of the vampiric unicorn. The mare read the label it had to see if it would suit her very taste. While some seconds had passed by, the unicorn gave her nod of approval to the bottle. She closed the cabinet again before she opened another door of another cabinet. That one held all of the tableware the family had. She needed a glass that was fit for such a delicate drink. Rarity took out a wine glass and closed the door of the cabinet without much troubles. Yet kept the sounds low for obvious reasons. She would have made her way over to the living room with a calm pace in her hooves. The normally always so life filled room was consumed by nothing but the darkness of the night. Not even the moon shone its light within it. As much as Rarity had embraced it, she couldn't help it but to feel a little uncomfortable in its presence. The candle next to a chair she had claimed as ‘hers’ over the course of time, got its little flame and thus removed some of the darkness out. The bottle and glass were placed on the table and she lowered down within the comforts of the chair. The lid of the bottle turned itself off of it. With one elegant move had the bottle poured some of its content into the glass. Only to be placed upright on the table once again. Rarity brought the glass to her lips but before she took a sip, she took a couple light sniffs from the wine. Soon enough there was a smile to be found on her face. A smile of an emotion she hadn’t felt during the night. A smile that was of nothing else but pure joy was formed by her lips. “Mom, your taste in wine never seem to fail you,” she spoke up before a gentle chuckle came. And then would Rarity have set the glass truly on her lips and took a light sip from the liquids. A sip that was taken with her feeling both victorious and defeated. ~~~~   “A meal right before you, three times no less, yet I couldn't do it... Not my family... I am not a monster. I may look like one, I may act like one from time to time, but you are not a monster,” she mumbled to herself after the glass had removed itself from her lips. But the more she went into with her sentence, the louder her speaking became. All the way up to the point it reached normal speaking levels. “Of course you’re not, sis,” a sweet and young but all too familiar voice echoed all of the sudden through the darkness. It was something that made her heart sink and placed the unicorn on edge almost right away and she wanted to know the fine details of it. “What? Who is there?” Rarity asked up before she caught a shadow that moved itself into the living room. From what her eyes caught, it came from the hallway and she already feared the worst possible thing. The vampiric mare set the glass back on the table while she assumed a more relaxed pose in her chair. Then the mysterious figure was to be revealed when it came into the light of that one single candle. It was revealing that it was nopony else then Sweetie Belle herself. The young filly wore a smile on her lips but a worried expression in her eyes. “What are you doing up so late, sis? Something troubling you again?” she asked while she trotted over to the sofa and managed to crawl up on it. It wasn’t the first time that Rarity was up that late in the night. She always did something like that if something troubled her. It was her way of dealing with the issues she had. Issues that nopony else should worry about. Upon the sight that played itself before her, Rarity had to do her best not to chuckle out loud. She couldn't hold herself as much as she thought though. For she released one in a soft manner while after a hoof was placed before her mouth. Sweetie didn't care about it and curled up around herself. Yet she kept her eyes fixed upon her bigger sister. She wanted to know what bothered her. And perhaps more important, what bothered her. The older unicorn allowed herself to let go a decent enough warm smile but for the most part it was just plain cold. She picked her glass up again and took another sip from it to hide it. Instead of setting it back on the table, she kept it levitating next to her before she made a verbal reply to her little sister. “Nothing all too serious to worry about, Sweetie. Just a couple things I need to get out of my head. But why are you up if I may ask?” the unicorn spoke up and questioned her younger sister. It was unusual for her to see Sweetie up in the middle of the night. Strange things had happened to her already, but her sister wandering around and about in the dead of night? That was a new one, even for her. She wanted to know what got her spooked, though she could place her hoof already upon it. The eyes of the filly came across the ones of Rarity and she shivered a little it while she remembered what happened. What caused her to wake up from her sleep. “I, I had a nightmare, sis. A terrible one. I could almost feel it. It felt so real. At first I was just playing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, but then everything went dark and a changeling pinned me down to the ground under the a scary hiss,” she spoke in a terrified voice. Rarity knew all too well that it was she who had caused of her sister’s nightmare and invited her to sit next to her for protection with a nudge of her head. Sweetie got the silent invitation almost right away and hopped off of the sofa, only to crawl into the chair her sister sat in. “Get some sleep here, Sweetie. You’ll need it,” said Rarity in a calm and sweet voice. She stroked a gentle hoof through the mane of her sister to comfort her. Sweetie moved a little bit over the mare and eventually found herself resting against the cold chest that she had. The young filly even smiled just before a deep and peaceful sigh left her and the eyes closed themselves, much to Rarity’s own surprise. Time didn't had to progress long before the sound of her snoring filled up the room, a sound that drove the mare back into her insanity. As horrible as it was, it had to be done. Even if it was just one or two swallows. She wanted and needed it just so badly. Rarity finished up her glass and set it back on the table. Her horn discharged itself and she lowered her head as her mouth opened itself and her fangs became visible once more. They were only an inch away from the neck of Sweetie Belle. With one single and small tear of blood that formed itself below her right eye, Rarity tried to stop herself with all of her physical force. But one quick movement of her head and all of her promises and dreams had been shattered into thousands of little pieces. For the fangs had sunken into the neck of her ever so beloved sister and pierced right through a vein. The little sister only let out a small gasp for air and tightened her hold against Rarity for more protection while the bloodflow was altering its course.