//------------------------------// // 12 A new secret revealed // Story: Blood Curse Boutique // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// The moon was shining its wonderful and calming reddish light once more over the land. The red coloring illuminated not only the many pathways that would remain hidden during the day, but also penetrated into a window within the living room of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity found herself leaning against the windowsill that had the best view upon the rock high in the regions space. Her forelegs were crossed over one another as her head rested on top of them. The blue rimmed eyes just watched up into the skies. All while the echo in her head did its turn once more, whispering her name. “What is your deal? Why do you keep calling me like that?” she mumbled to herself in a wondering question. Almost as if she wanted to communicate with the voice that whispered to her. The magazine that contained her years awaited interview just laid down on the table and would be resting there until it would be picked up again. Without a warning that was given from any kind did Rarity suddenly drop herself off of the sill and turned her body around. The eyes fell on the front door of her boutique and the confusion became only greater. With a gentle charge of her horn she levitated her cloak up from the hatstand and dropped it over her body. While the pure black cloak began to cover her body once more, Rarity let out a sigh of feeling secure. The feeling that nothing in the world could possibly harm her. The truth of the situation was that she could still be harmed just as easily. The unicorn made her way over to the door and opened it with another charge of her horn. She went through the doorway and carefully scanned the nearby surrounding for any forms of life that could possibly be out in the night. But all she saw where the abandoned streets and the lights in the houses. Not a living soul dared to show itself at the time of night, or they were simply asleep in the warm havens of their beds and homes. The mare closed the door behind her before she started to trot in a slow pace at first. She appeared to be almost calm and enjoying her little walk in the darkness. But each step that was taken at the distance of a couple dozen meters she became faster and faster. All the way until she found herself just galloping with quiet hooves through the streets of Ponyville. With her body going on what seemed to be pure willpower managed Rarity to make her way over to the edge of the rustic town. The place and border where the plains began to stretch. She ran up to the nearest and highest hill. There she could see everything and only then her legs allowed themselves to come to an actual standstill. It was something that came much to the surprise of the unicorn herself. Yet much time to look at the sight that stretched before her wasn't given as her head moved itself downward. She had been held back by the confusion and anger that had built up from the moment when she lost control over her legs. But it was all released in one simple sentence. “What is going on with your legs!?” But the questioning had only just began. For it would get even more confusing as time progressed. One by one got each of her legs lifted up into the air and every single muscle in them got moved against her will. “No control again?” Rarity mumbled to herself. The mare rose her head back up again and looked around the darkened hillside. Where she expected to see the empty plains and hills had her eyes caught something that was completely different. For the blue eyes fell upon the ever so much feared Everfree Forest. “What in the name of Equestria can be found there, that can not be found here?” she thought outloud before her hooves began to move on their own again. “Not again,” she muttered to herself in an uncomfortable manner as her legs began to carry her once more. Each step she took, was one closer to the forest itself. It didn't matter what she did, she couldn't stop her hooves from bringing her over to the place. Rarity didn't even dare to call upon her magic for it was limited to a dozen spells at max. Most of them were only used in aid of her profession and she never thought that she would have much use for an high amount of spell usage on her line of work. Something that backfired quite the lot at the moment she found herself in. ~~~~                 The vampiric unicorn was brought only deeper and deeper into the dark woods. Much deeper than she ever had gone without or with somepony else. The trees all looked more frightening than they usually did under the lights of the reddish moon. But there was one thing that caught her attention more than anything else as she maneuvered herself through the forest. And that was the fact that none of the woods nightly predators showed themselves to her. She was perfectly out in the open and could be considered a meal ready to be taken away. Yet not even a single sound of anything was heard in her near surrounding. No manticores that were rampaging through the vegetation, no timberwolves who were howling against the moon. It almost seemed if those creatures - the fear of the Everfree themselves - were scared of the bloodred moon high on the skies. And on that thought did Rarity continue her ideas with. “What, could possibly upset those creatures by such a lot that they won’t even dare to come out?” the mare questioned herself while she glanced in every direction. From time to time she meant to saw something scary. But a few seconds afterward realized it was just a play of light that tricked her eyes. The further she came, the odder it got for her though. More silence and a lot less vegetation made their way to her. It almost seemed like that Rarity was the only being in that part of the woods. All of the trees slowly went under a transformation from what she could see. From their brown barks and trunks they went to scorched black. The ever so natural curving branches were straightened out and bold of their leaves. And at the end of them there were sharp tips ready to skewer any unwilling victim which were helped with or without magic. The horrifying images shot through the mind of Rarity and she released a shiver at them all. “Im-Impossible, right?” she mumbled up as she had one point firmly in her eyes. As if she waited for an answer that came from the tree itself did she kept her eyes on it. But as expected, there was only the silence of the woods. Her eyes tore themselves off of the branch and laid back on the road ahead. She would discover who was doing the deeds to her without a doubt, whether she would like it, was a question in and of itself. Not to mention that her thirst had returned. All the bits from Sweetie’s blood that weren't puked out, had been consumed by her body and used as its fuel. If the attacker wasn't standing to Rarity’s liking, the fight of life and death could begin. With her having the deadly advantage. ~~~~                 She kept being carried through the depth of the forest and had accepted the facts as they were. There was a thick fog which rose up just above her hooves. At first Rarity didn't make a true remark from it because it was just coming up to her ankles. Though the further she went, the thicker and higher it managed to crawl up. “Hmm? What do we have here..?” the mare mumbled to herself while her legs kept guiding her the way. She was almost swallowed up whole by the fog. In her mind she came up with all sorts of theories just what could be hiding in the fog. A band of changelings? A cult for Nightmare Moon? Queen Chrysalis herself? The ghostly remain of the unicorn king of the Crystal Empire after he was banished? Anything seemed possible in her eyes at that point. Under any normal circumstances would the unicorn have screamed in utter terror at such a thick mist. Though given what already happened to her, it was hardly normal to begin with. Rarity kept herself as silent as the grace as her hooves carried her only further into the fog. A fog that became so thick it was impossible to see further than ten hooves before her. Her hooves clopped against the ground in near silence while the eyes continued to look around. From time to time she gave a shake with her head in order to get the front curl of her mane out of her eyes. “Ugh, where am I going in the first place? What does live here that requires my attention anyway? And I am so going to wash my mane after this. All this fog, disastrous,” the mare spoke while she tried to stop her hooves from going any further. But for some reason, just like with her wings in the beginning, they couldn't stop. “Well all craziness on a stick.” ~~~~                 After some more trotting through the near never-ending fog had been done could Rarity hear a buzzing sound in her horn. The sound it created as if it was about to unleash a spell into the world. The blue eyes of the mare looked at the visible tip of her horn and noticed the aura around it. In her mind echoed the words of a tome that was unknown to her. A tome of magic that actually frightened her to the brink of death. “Hey, what are... stupid horn!” she yelled up to her horn in a vague attempt to stop it. But no matter what she did, nothing could stop the tomes in her mind and therefore the charging of her horn. The charge became more powerful while Rarity had lost all control over her own horn as well. It was something that frightened her even more then the condition she was forced to live in. If something could control her body to its will, it must have been a powerful creature. It was too late when the aura around her horn became only more and more. Rarity had truly lost all control over both her horn and legs. She didn't even knew to what. A thing that probably would have been for the better. Nevertheless, she feared just what would happen with her charged horn. In response she simply closed her eyes forcefully as the humming sound only increased. The horn coated itself deeper within its signature blue aura and with some more seconds that passed there a powerful blast fired. The beam of magic made its way through the fog like a warm knife would do that through butter. A blast that was strong and big enough to carve a whole tunnel through the thick, low hanging clouds. A perfect tunnel that would be leading Rarity to something, or someone perhaps. Her legs started to move again as the horn discharged itself. Rarity opened her eyes and she looked right down the tunnel. She knew her magic was responsible for it due to the small magical currents that sparked through the sides, a thing that happened every time she had fired a blast. The mare thought that the tunnel would close upon her within seconds. Yet much to her own surprise, the path remained clear. “Where are you leading me to..?” she questioned out loud but the way before her only existed out of the created path. ~~~~                 With the passage of some time there was a clearance that could be seen at the end of the tunnel. The eyes of the mare narrowed themselves down to inspect it better. Unfortunately there was not much that could be made out for the rest. With the only exception being that of a structure that appeared to be made out of some kind of dark colored stone. A structure that was also illuminated by the blood red coloring of the moon. Her hooves were turned up a notch and she began to gallop towards it. Rarity rushed through the last bits of the fog tunnel, towards the gaping opening and the structure that laid behind. When she did finally reached the plain where the dark stone structure stood on, she regained the much desired control over both her horn and legs again. The path behind her closed itself before Rarity turned her body over to it. For a couple more seconds the tunnel was visible, but then it was just a wall of thick fog. Something that appeared to have gone all around the site in a circular formation. She turned herself around once more and faced both the wall, the structure and the moon. But it was the structure that got most of her attention. A structure that could be labeled as a castle. A castle made out of dark colored stone that shone blood red under the light of the current moon. “W-What in the name of E-Equestria... N-Nightmare M-Moon?!” was all she could bring out. The fear for the being that wanted to bring eternal night twice upon the land had always been haunting the unicorn since their first encounter. Even when she got defeated before her very eyes had those fears still remained. For Rarity was among those who believed holy that Nightmare was not destroyed as a whole. She believed that somewhere deep in the shadows of the land or among the stars in space, the spirit of hatred still resided. Where it waited and looked upon the souls that were just waiting to meet the eternal night. And there she found herself standing before a castle that was hidden deep within the Everfree, the loss of control over her own body, the overall atmosphere. It all pointed out to the mare of darkness in her mind. Rarity’s fear for Nightmare Moon always had been around, even when she defeated it were the memories that were more than enough to scare her. It truly was one of the worst position that Rarity had found herself in by far. Probably she would be facing an ancient enemy who had been beaten by her and five others. And that victory was only barely. What could she possibly do on her own, with the exception to pray for a quick death? The unicorn made her way over to the front gate of the castle with both swift and care. Yet she was greeted by the a gaping hole without any guards in sight and the dark gray metal gate that hung there like it was nothing. But nothing seemed as it was, for it was threatening to rush down any moment. Her eyes went over the castle in a quick gaze and it reminded her to the castle in Canterlot to a certain extend. But with more towers and twisted corridors. Not willing to waste any more time outside she just took her chances and turned from standstill into a galloping pace within a split second. Rarity rushed passed the hanging gate and would found herself standing within the main hall of the immense castle.   Her eyes allowed themselves to fall upon the many doors that were leading to Celestia knows where. Staircases, hidden rooms, cellars, all of it was possible. But the hallway she found herself in was leading up to a set of giant doors. A set of doors which were illuminated by candles that hung against the wall. Their flames raging on like the anger that could be stored deep inside the body of a pony. Rarity inspected the doors a bit more, she took notice that they were encrusted with something. Something what appeared to be a set of vampiric fangs. Two teeth from the  upper jaw and two streams of blood that made their way down from the canines. She let out a deep gulp at the sight as she began to place her hooves carefully before each other. The action resulted in her sneaking more towards the ominous looking door. When she finally did reach it, the mare placed one of her ears against it with care. She tried if she could hear any form of noise that would have originated from the other side. The more she listened, the more the silence of the room behind it crawled up to her. It even came to a point that it almost choked her a bit. Rarity removed her ear from the door and turned herself around in order to leave again, for she had nothing to search there as nothing laid behind it. But just as she had taken the first steps did the dull screeches of the ancient doors echo through her ears. A screech that just made her turn around and watch the revelation to be made. And what her eyes caught were the door that swung open. They revealed the content that laid on the other side, on the inside. For the content of the very room were showing themselves before her. ~~~~                 A loud gulp left the unicorn as she slowly walked back to the open doors. Within her eyes she caught the empty - yet appeared to be – throne room of the dark stone castle. The entire room had a red tint to itself as well as some other colors which indicated that the light shone through the many windows had to be of stained glass. Her ice cold, sapphire blue eyes fell upon the room and Rarity took a deep note of the absence of almost everything and everypony. There were not a single guard to be seen, no furniture of any kind occupied the walls. There was almost nothing but emptiness. All with the exception a throne. A lonely throne at the end of the room. Rarity’s eyes went over the thing with a curious look in them and she came up with a horrifying conclusion. “Not the style of Nightmare Moon... Then who, or what... lives here..?” she spoke to herself before she shook her head. Nothing about the place made even the slightest bit of sense to her. The mare once again took careful steps forward, steps that would bring her further into the room and her eyes were caught by the thought confirming stained glass windows. Each of them were picturing a dark image of a vampony doing something heroic yet horrifying. It either being drinking from the neck of a mortal or flat out killing them. There were a couple images, a couple stained glass windows that were just vamponies posing in a natural. A portrait of them, was the first that came to Rarity’s mind. Mares and stallions alike, winged and wingless, some stood bipedal with nothing, others with a cane. All possible combinations could be found in them and she had to admit the wonderful style of them. The purple maned unicorn made her way over to the windows a bit more and she allowed her eyes to inspect each of them. She did something that was even for her doing considered as unusual. For she tried to identify the vamponies and their victims alike. Though no matter how long she looked at them, none could be recognized as the stories the staining's told were looking older than the banishment of princess Luna. “Where am I?” she asked herself out loud as she turned herself away from the window. But then there was a dark chuckle that filled up the room. The sudden chuckle scared the mare deeply and without a warning she let her horn charge itself up. Almost instantly it was coating itself within the blue aura and the ears twitched all the way. She tried to locate the mysterious speaker to the best of her ability. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, getting violent this soon?” a feminine sounding voice spoke in the same tone as the chuckle. “You have just so much to learn.” “Show yourself, Nightmare! I know it is you!” yelled Rarity while her eyes looked in every direction of the room. She tried to spot the figure that was making the sounds among the darkness. “Nightmare Moon? Nothing more than a foal compared to me, or so go the stories.” “Then, what do you desire of me? A humble pony... led here by unknown reasons,” said Rarity in a scared sounding voice. She hadn't even the slightest of clues who - or what - could possibly be speaking towards her. “Are those reasons truly that unknown as you think? Something obviously led you here, aren't you willing to find out what it was that lead you?” the voice spoke as it seemed to be moving itself from the ceiling over to the walls before it came from the floor. “Well, actually, no... I am not willing to know that. All that I wish to know is why I and who I am talking to at the moment. After that I will make my concerns about other things,” replied the unicorn. Her ears and eyes followed the voice to wherever it came from and went to. “So you wish to know who I am then..?” the voice said before it died down and another dark chuckle filled the room. Above the very throne, all the shadows started to collect themselves and slowly turned around one another. They created a vortex of shadows just like she once appeared in after Twilight and Rainbow had woken her up. ~~~~                 While Rarity watched over the sight that played out before her eyes, there were the urges to just run away that became higher and higher. But it was her curiosity that took liberty of the situation and she just wished to know just who was hidden among the mysterious shadows. Who the being was that had been talking to her. But if Rarity was ready for the answer, was a question of its own. Instead of taking an actual physical form that would have made a shape within the swirling shadows, there was nothing to be seen. With the exception of two bloodred rims that had crawled forward and stayed near the outer edge of the vortex. The rims fixed themselves upon the unicorn as the voice echoed once more through the room. “Come closer.” Rarity shivered a little bit but she did that was asked of her and came closer to the throne. She was unable to keep her eyes away from the vortex as the thought of it being Nightmare incognito was something that sounded quite plausible. For she was deceiving enough to pull up such a trick. “May I ask, who you are..?” she asked carefully and respectfully. She tried her best not to offend the thing and she let her horn slowly discharged itself. The voice spoke again, but it had an odd pleasure within its undertone. “The oldest of the vamponies. The elder queen... Shiva... Those are just some of the names I live under, all the vampiric ponies are loyal to me. Some more than others.” “I see... Shiva, you said?” Rarity replied with some nervousness in her voice. She found herself standing before the throne and gazed upon the vortex of shadows. “Shiva, one of my oldest names... I can live with you calling me that. You are a new one from what the scents tell me, aren't you?” the shadows spoke towards the mare as their eyes made contact with one another. To the question that was asked towards her to which Rarity could only reply in an agreeable manner. She didn't wish to seek trouble with the thing that spoke before her. “I am yes,” she spoke up towards the vortex. It was still one big mystery and she didn't truly believe the words about the being actually being a queen. If it was, it would be a self-claimed title. “Recently turned and yet... I didn't hear complains about you from any corner of the wind. No raging, no trouble. You are behaving as a good vampony should, living among the darkness, deceiving friends and family into believing your condition is caused by natural events. I applaud to you, lady Rarity.” “Why thank you, I suppose,” the mare said as she blinked a couple times in confusion to the words. Then there was something, something about the spoken words that caught her attention deeply. “Wait, how do you know my name to begin with? Or any of the things that are going on in my life for that matter.” Shiva’s eyes lowered themselves to the point the two sets would meet one another. Even though there weren't any facial expression, the eyes themselves still looked sternly. “I know the names of all the vamponies in the land and it is through the very shadows that my information is gathered,” the voice echoed once more. “So, t-there are more?” In her mind she made the connection that the one time slumber in the shadows, must have caused something to trigger inside of Shiva. That during her time within it, the information was sent out to this creature. It was the only actual logical explanation she could come up with so soon. It was to be considered a good thing that Rarity had sworn herself to never do it again and as the situation looked it wouldn't change that fact either. For no matter how sweet the words of this queen would get, she would never take the bait. The fashionista was too cunning for that. “A lot more than you think, but none live around your area, you are an exception. You live so close to Canterlot, so close to the princesses their home, the one who has turned you must have been terribly old of age.” “So, it is not a myth after all then?” Rarity dared to spoke up in a fearful tone. She knew that with the question and the answer would shatter centuries of folklore. “Vamponies have been alive since the dawn of time itself. But we never could live among the other races as we wanted. We just tried our best to hide in plain sight, and not end up in an ash pile,” spoke the voice calmly. “Five races of ponies do exist. Unicorn, pegasus, earth, alicorn and the batponies. Vamponies, are a mixture of the five created by the ancient soup of creation.” “I see, but what is the deal with the red moon then?” the unicorn asked curiously. Again it was a hard story to swallow and Rarity didn't saw it as the true truth. Unless she saw it with her own eyes, she would not believe it. But what was more importantly than the history lesson, was the answer upon her question and quite possibly the very reason she was there. ~~~~                 “That is what called you here, guided you here, to my home. A red moon is often called a Blood Moon in the vampiric tongue. It serves to a vampony as a guide, a guide to the castle. The fog you have been wandering through however, hides it from the rest of the mortal world. It can only be reached with the spell you fired to clear a path. If you don’t fire the spell, you will never reach it, you just appear on the other side of it. It helps me to identify new vamponies and make a note for them, so we know how strong our numbers are. And it has appeared, you are the first one on over a decade... I already began to wonder why everything was so quiet with each Blood Moon. We are a dying breed, lady Rarity. Most of our kin being reduced to ash in the Dark Ages. The first five hundred years after the banishment.” The unicorn gave nod in understanding as she still tried to actually process the words the vortex had spoken to her. There was still something that she thought about. Something that bothered her deeply. “C-Can I ask you for a, f-favor?” The blood red rims turned themselves over to the mare where they rested upon with a gentle stare. “That depends on what this favor of yours contents...” “Well, you said you were trying to do your best to hide your, our kind from the crowd, on which I will be working with without a problem, but I only have one problem. I know it is probably not possible to undo a transformation...” “It isn't possible, but do continue your story please,” the voice interrupted before going silent again. “As I thought... I can lie everything about the condition, rather well, except one thing. My irises. That is the only thing I can not hide nor lie about anymore sooner or later. Is it possible that you are in the possession of a spell that makes me able to switch between the two colors or that hides my new gotten one? Because I don’t think this blue will last forever,” the mare asked. “No they will not, after tonight, when the moon sets they return to their red coloring,” the voice spoke up. But then she fell in silence and a couple thoughtful moans left the vortex as the mare did her story before the voice filled the room again. “I admire you, lady Rarity. Only recently turned, having no experience with our kind at all. Yet you aren’t scared before me. Asking favors only minutes after knowing who I am. I almost would say you are a Mary Sue kind of character. What is it that drives you to hide yourself so deeply from the mortal ponies..?” Taken by utmost surprise of the words spoken, Rarity her pupils shot all over the place as she had not even the slightest of clue on how to reply to them. “N-Nothing M-Mary Sue on m-me... I, I just don’t want my family and friends to find out I am a, a vampony. And I do stand here before you in utter fear.” the unicorn soon managed to say in a voice filled with fear itself. A tone that made Shiva chuckle in utter delight. “Very well lady Rarity... I shall grant you your favor. But don’t think my generosity does much further,” she spoke with a somewhat sick joy in her voice. “More, more I don’t ask from you.” The bloodred rims disappeared from the vortex which in its turned swirled even faster under the sound of a dark and unknown mumbling. A mumbling done in a tongue unknown to the mare. Nothing had happened but Rarity knew, that could change any minute. ~~~~                 And if one speaks over the devil, it is said that he appears. The vortex started to surround itself with some red lightning which crawled its way up and out of the funnel as powerful lashes. Lashes that touched the ground under a loud static electric sound. Rarity let go another loud gulp and slight yelp while she just stood there. She prayed on not to get hit by any of them for her dear life. With her eyes she followed most of the lashes that hit the stone floor of the room but she didn't saw one that appeared right in front of her. One that hit her horn violently as it released its energy. Everything before her eyes turned to nothing but black as deep as her cloak and the power of the lash was more than enough to just knock her unconscious. Under a soft thud on the floor had Rarity fallen down on the stone floor while the lashes continued on. Her four hooves were visible while she laid on the ground. All because the fabric of her cloak had moved itself upwards.