To Hear a Heart
====================================
Blood Drop shifted on the grass and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Her head hurt and she was hot beond reason. The sunlight seemed to be seeping through her eyes lids, making them burn. Every muscle in her body screamed with pain as she lay there, sprawled out in the middle of the clearing. Slowly, Drop opened an eye, only to cringe away from the early morning sun. She shielded her eyes with a hoof, making the brightness a little bit more tolerable. She opened her eyes more and glanced around the forest. I must have fallen asleep when I came out here to read and calm down last night after that nightmare woke me and Fracture up. Drop thought while getting shakily to her hooves.
Her ear twitched as she picked up the sound of a deer in the trees and the branches seemed especially creaky that morning too. Something bumped her fore hoof as she took a step toward the tree line in an attempt to head back home. The Legends of the Night book was laying in the grass, flipped open to the first page and the Curse. Drop straitened up when she remembered about the night before and how she had accidentally cast the spell written in the book. She shivered when she recalled how painful it was and how it felt like her heart had been stopping. I wonder what it did to me?
With shaky, flickering magic, Drop lifted the book off the ground and tucked it back under her wing cautiously. She needed to give it back to Parchment before some else bad happened. Destroying it also came to mind, but that might have been a bit too extreme. Besides, if the spell had any side-effects, Drop might need it later to figure out what had happened and/or how to fix it.
With her mind made up, Drop flicked open her wings and grabbed the book in her magic. Grunting from her aching muscles and uncomfortably hot skin, she rose into the sky and flew above the trees. The sun seemed to be too hot for early spring, and it hurt her eyes still. But despite the heat and her burning body, Drop flew surprisingly fast. Everything below her raced past in a blur, and before she knew it, she was above the town. She banked left and came to a spiraling halt on the edge of town
Her hooves made no noise as she landed on the street. Drop closed her wings and tucked the book under her one of them to hide it once again. She set off at a brisk trot to the library, not noticing the stares of the other ponies today. In fact, Drop felt quite confident for once as she made her way down the street. She was an alicorn for Moon's sake, one of the most powerful ponies in all of Nightingale, which was something to be proud of! It felt great to not worry about what other ponies thought about her breed, or that she was different. My kind rules over them. Queen Moonswirl is an alicorn, and they don't shun her. Princess Starfall is one too. They should be bowing before my very presents in the same area as them! She thought with conviction. Drop was so caught up in her newfound pride, that she didn't notice the weird thumping noises going in the background.
With her head held high, she came to a stop in front of the library's large stone doors. She pushed them open as she imagined Candy kneeling before her, begging for Drop forgiveness for all the horrible things the white filly had done to her over the years. Parchment jumped up as the doors were slammed open by the scarlet filly. No, I am a mare now.
"Oh, Blood Drop!" he exclaimed as she strode in. "Back again so soon?"
"Hello, Parchment!" Drop said, putting the book on the desk.
As soon as she set it down, Parchment snatched it off the desk with his magic. He looked at it with fear, then back up at Drop. "W-where did you find this at?" he demanded shakily.
Drop furrowed her brow. "Back there with a bunch of old books," she said, pointing to the dark area with a hoof. Her confidence had melted away the instant the dusty brown unicorn showed the concern he had over the book.
"Be honest with me now," Parchment said, examining its cover before looking over her. She avoided making eye contact with him for some reason. "Did you cast any strange spells from this book, Drop?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"Because it is very dangerous if you did, especially with the alicorn magic you posses." He stepped out from behind the desk. "Did you cast any spells?"
She shook her head. "No, I didn't," she lied, still avoiding his eyes. She was sure he would see that she was lying to him if she did. Drop noticed the book was once again locked shut when she stole a quick glance. "Look, I couldn't even get it open!" she pointed out.
Parchment set the book down and walked up to her cautiously, eyes narrowed and searching. He inhaled sharply when she saw his eyes wander to her flank. "Give me your hoof, Drop." He held out his hoof.
Drop stuck her fore hoof carefully and he took it. Almost instantly Parchment recoiled at the touch like she had swiped at him. He backed up right into his desk, looking like a cornered animal.
"Liar," He whispered with cold hatred as he finally met her eyes. "Leave at once! You are not welcome here!"
Blood Drop backed up fearfully as he pointed an accusing hoof at her. "Parchment, I-I don't understand what's going on!" she pleaded. The sound of something beating filled her ears as fear rose up in the back of her throat.
"Be gone, demon!" Parchment grabbed one of the torches in his blue magic and held it out in front of him. The noise got louder until Drop's ears were filled with the sound. He's gone insane! she thought, cowering away from the flames.
Drop turned tail and fled from the deranged stallion. She heard him yell something after her, but it was drowned out as the sound of a million thumping noises flooded her senses when she ran out of the library. She tired to block them out, but she just couldn't. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized what the sound was. I can hear everyone's heart beat! Drop thought with a sickening feeling, staring out into the sea of ponies. What has that spell done to me?
"Hey Drop," Polar's voice reached through the endless noise.
I can't let him see me like this! She thought franticly as the colt approached her. Drop took off in the other direction with lightning speed. She galloped past the buildings in a mad dash for her home. She didn't know what was happening, but she had to get away from everything! Her hooves flew over the cobblestones until she came to a screeching halt in front of her house. Drop yanked open the door, almost pulling it off its hinges with her magic, and bolted inside. There she was once again pressing her back up against the door, the only exception was that this time, Fracture was staring at her.
"Goodness, Blood Drop-" Fracture started.
"I know, I was out later than I was supposed to be," Drop Intercepted her guardian before she could say anymore. "I can't tell you why, but I fell asleep in the forest, and ever since I woke up, things have been very strange today."
Fracture shook her head. "Yes, that is a good point, but that's not the reason I said that." She gestured to Drop's blank flank. "You got your..ummm..cutie mark?"
Drop turned her head to look at the image that had appeared on her fur. Where a once vacant area was, now sat a bright red drop of blood forever imprinted on her flank. Just like my name.... she thought, also wondering if that's what set Parchment off. Maybe it had something to do with the...Curse?
Fracture gingerly touched Drop's shoulder as a form of comfort, but pulled it back with a shiver. "Great stars," she said. "Drop, you're freezing!"
"I feel fine though," Drop said looking over herself. It was true, she didn't feel cold. Come to think of it, she didn't feel warm either. She felt.....room temperature.
"I am getting you a blanket. Go to the kitchen and start making yourself some soup, I think you caught a cold or something." Fracture hurried into the living room to search for a blanket. It was the very first time the pegasus actually sounded concerned for her.
Drop followed the mare's orders just to make her feel better, and to keep her from asking any questions. She pulled a can out of the cabinet and poured the contense in a bowl. While she turned the oven on, Drop's throat started feeling dry. She looked in the fridge and pulled out a glass of juice and downed it in seconds. The drink did nothing to satisfy the burning that had started up. Drop poured herself another glass and again drained the cup with in a few moments. Her thirst just clawed at her throat now and her stomach growled loudly. Before she could pour a third cup, Fracture came into the room and lay a blanket on Drop's back.
Blood Drop went ridged as the sound of Fracture's heart beat echoed in her ears. Her previous nightmare rolled across her memory. The wonderful smell of the blood invaded her senses, making her mouth water. Her hunger gnawed at her belly when she thought of the gruesome scene she had witnessed in the dream. Drop no longer felt revolted at the idea of blood. In fact, It sounded.....good. Then something sharp slid against her teeth and pricked her lower lip, snapping Drop out of her thoughts. She needed to get away from Fracture at that exact moment before she did something she would regret.
"Ummmm, Fracture," Drop said, careful not to show her teeth. "I think I am going to lie down for a while. I'll eat later."
"Oh, ok." Fracture glanced at Drop with concern. "Just call if you start to feel worse or need anything."
Blood Drop nodded and trotted up the stairs and into her room. Throwing off her blanket as quickly as she could, Drop ran to the mirror and looked into it. This can't be happening! Drop stood in front of the mirror with horror. Set where two normal teeth would have been, two long, sharp fangs protruded from her gums. She knew exactly what the curse was now, and what her cutie mark meant.
========================================
The next morning, Drop awoke to agonizing hunger pangs and her throat burning. To make it worse, the mid-day sun streamed in through her windows, making her skin prickle with discomfort.
The night before she had told Fracture not to come into her room because she feared that she might catch what Drop had. Fracture had agreed without question to Drop's relief. She knew with Fracture out of harms way, her mind would be a little more at ease and able to deal with the current things happening. Take the thirst for blood as a good example.
Drop closed her thick curtains with her magic and moaned. Her new fangs had been unsheathed all night, and unable to retract them, she cloudn't leave the cottage safely without someone noticing them and her cutie mark. That also meant she couldn't find something to stop her throat from burning like it was on fire!
She had tried everything in hopes that her worst nightmares hadn't come true because of that stupid book. Not matter how hard she tried, Drop just couldn't find anything that told her it was just a virus. She had stopped trying to cast reversal spells when one of them just suceeded in almost blowing a hole in her wall. After that she had given up and faced the truth, she had the Curse of the Everlasting Night. In normal pony terms, she had been basicly killed and brought back to life by dark magic to become what Drop classified as a vampire. The strength, the speed, the fangs....the thirst, it all added up perfectly much to the red filly's fear. The only thing that was missing was the red eyes.
Drop let her head fall into her feather pillow and groaned. It was all too much for her to take it. She didn't want to hurt anypony. You should want to though, afer all they've done to you. Drop thought with anger, lifting her head. they teased me, shunned me, somepony even threatened to attack me at one point because of the fact they thought I was unnatural and that only ponies from the royal family can be alicorns!
She rose up from her bed and walked over to the full length mirrior she had in the far corner of her room and stared into it at herself. A mare stared back at her, tall and proud. It was not the same Blood Drop she had grown up seeing in the mirror. This one was different, this Drop would be pushed around or told she wasn't supposed to be alive. The old Drop was weak and scared, afraid to show them that she was worthy of being an alicorn. Not anymore though.
"You've been tortured all your life because of something you couldn't control." Drop told her reflection, her anger rising. "Heck, you aren't even Fracture's daughter! Nopony even knows where you came from!" She stamped her hoof on the floor, making the wood splinter beneath it. "They reject me for no reason, and they can! But if they didn't want to respect the old me, then they'll learn to fear the new me. It is their turn to run away, and my turn to shed some blood." But if I want to be strong, I must find blood, and I know exactly where to get it.....
Drop raised her head and sent out a tracking spell. Scarlet exploded from the tip of her horn in a ring, going out in every direction. In a moment, the location of her first victim ran through her thoughts like a map with the image of the pony. The picture faded as a fanged smile crept across Drop's face. Look's like it's time to pay Candy a well deserved visit......