//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Am I a mare, or a monster? // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// Another two months had passed. Shiva was generally accepted by the vampiric society as their new leader. Many things were left untouched though. For most were still going their own way and the mare didn't mind it. For her policy was something along the lines of ‘you screw up, you fix it.’ Though she had grown tired of one simple thing, a thing that she couldn't stand anymore. It was something that originated the day that arrived in the castle. The very fact that she had to hide in her coffin every day and crawling out at night.         “This is not a life for a queen, a queen shouldn't have to hide from the sunlight. A queen should be able to sit on her throne, visible to her subjects at any given moment,” she mumbled in herself. Rayne laid in a seductive pose on the steps of the throne where she appeared to be asleep. The muttering of her love had caused her eyes to open and focus before she rose up from her position and making her way up to Shiva. When she walked up to her, she gave her a small kiss on the cheek before giggling just a little bit.         “Care to tell just what is so funny, my love?” she replied. Her hoof stroked the cheek of the gray mare.         “Love, you are muttering over a feat that has been troubling us ever since the first vampony walked the earth. But don’t you happen to have some magic that can make the sun disappear, my little alicorn?” Rayne replied to her with a gentle giggle in her voice.         With a swift movement of Shiva was Rayne pulled onto the throne and placed besides her. The queen grinned a little in response to the words. “I am not an alicorn and you know that better than I do. Never have been and never will be. But there is a spell that might actually work. But first.” Her eyes closed themselves halfway what resulted in a rather seducing stare towards her love as Shiva’s hoof lovingly began to stroke her cheek. After which she allowed their lips to meet for a lustful but loving kiss.         Rayne couldn't and wouldn't do much else then return it in the same manner before carefully allowing her tongue to enter the mouth of her love who allowed it and they played a little bit together as the seconds turned slowly into minutes. Eventually their lips parted from one another as a string of saliva was still connecting them. Both mares were panting ever so lightly while a small blush occupied their cheeks before Shiva returned to her more formal state. “It is an illusion spell that, if done right, should let the moon always shine upon the castle. Nature shall build up a natural defense for us, meaning we never have to go to bed.” “Do it my love, allow us to walk in the day with the moon high. Allow our dreams to come true,” Rayne said to her as encouragement. Shiva gave a nod before she let Rayne remove herself from her throne after which she stood up herself and began to descend from the steps. The gray mare saw her chance nice and plopped right back in the throne. There she re-assumed a rather revealing pose. Her tail swayed gently back and forth, awaiting what would have come from Shiva. The queen took position in the middle of the room. There she rose on her hind legs and allowed her horn to charge itself to a level of power she had never gone before. Decades of living as a vampiric mare had also changed her magical aura into a very dark blue one. Her eyes closed themselves due to the power output. A couple seconds would have passed before she began to speak the spell through her mouth instead of her mind. The words that left her were said in a tongue truly unknown to Rayne. “Everto of nox noctis , tribuo mihi vires muto sol solis in luna procul dies, sino nox noctis eduro forever in meus amplexus area,” Shiva spoke in a loud enough voice. Rayne gently tilted her head at the spoken words. She didn't understood a single one of them. “Unicorns and their tongues,” she spoke before her eyes rolled a little bit backwards. Though she would have turned her attention back to her love. The magical aura around her horn only intensified before an enormous blast shot up into the ceiling. It went through it without making any form of damage. Shiva’s eyes shot open only to reveal the crimson red dots and the white eyes. Her pupils were just gone or consumed by the irises as she kept blasting the beam of magic into the air. Soon enough had the power of her horn began to decrease as she lowered herself on her hooves, smirking a little bit at the outcome of the spell. “The call is heard. Sun rise is soon,” she spoke under a soft panting. She was literally drained from every bit of magic she was still having in her body. “Come, my mare, we shall watch the night last.” Rayne removed herself from the throne with pleasure. She walked up to Shiva and together they went to one of the stained glass windows. One of many that had a view on the descending true moon. While they stood there, they placed their wings on the back of the other for a small hug. They both closed their eyes to await if the spell indeed worked, or if they would burn in the sun. The moment of truth came closer with any passing second. The true moon had disappeared behind the hills of the castle. The sun could arise on the other side any second now. Rayne forced her eyes shut tight. The fear of facing the true death crawled up in her. Yet Shiva stood there just so calm. She was ready to embrace the burning sun if it would make its appearance. ---   What rose up from the east, was not the sun. It was the heavenly body they always resided under that rose. Its white light fell faint into the throne room. One of Rayne her eyes opened themselves in order to witness the wonder. “No way. Unbe-fucking-lievable,” she brought forth. Upon hearing those words echoing through the room, the queen herself opened her eyes as well to witness the beauty of the everlasting night in the surrounding of the castle. “H-How did you..?” was all she managed to stumble out. Shiva allowed a chuckle to leave her mouth before she replied to the question asked. “Through a simple spell that I remember from long ago, a spell that bends the lights of reality through a shield. Make no mistake my mare, because past the shield, the moon reveals what it truly is,” she explained to Rayne. Her love nodded a little bit before her their attention was turned to the forest itself. Something in it was moving. The more they watched, the more it could be seen that a thick fog was setting itself up. Almost like a barrier to separate the castle from the forest. Both of the mares were watching in utter confusion. That was until Shiva puzzled the pieces together, the fog was the natural barrier she spoke about. Or at least, she hoped that that was it. Either way, no matter what it was, it was working. The castle became hidden for anypony outside of the illusional shield. It left the place open as a foggy plain. Ponies that were brave enough to wander through the thick fog would only be teleported by it to the other side. The only kind of ponies that could enter it, were the vamponies and batponies. But only if they drew an arcane pattern on either the ground or in the air with their horns. Doing so would have allowed a tunnel to be created through the fog. One that granted safe passage for those with the guts to enter.         “Its, its,” the gray mare managed to bring out.         “Beautiful, my mare.”         To that could Rayne only nod. Her red rimmed eyes kept watching the mist curiously. The fog that danced in the winds, made its way through the branches and leaves with elegance unseen. Which on their turn allowed them to sing their natural songs. It happened, it had actually happened that the vampiric kind was able to walk in the daylight. As long as they stayed under the shield that was created by their queen.