//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Princess Celestia: Vampony Hunter 
// by Dr. John Trotson 
//------------------------------//

Prologue: Some may know Princess Celestia as the great and powerful ruler that had a great life. But the real question is, why haven't we heard all of it? You must be thinking to yourself, "But we have heard most of it! Isn't that enough?"
Sadly, no. Celestia's life was full of many things that someponies would only see in their nightmares, and, she kept a secret diary containing stories of her life from birth to her assassination, and what you are about you are about to read is the true story of 

Princess Celestia: Vampony hunter.

Part 1: Filly


Chapter 1 
"Birth,  was never really the beginning of all of this."- Celestia in a letter to her sister.

A young Celestia,  hidden inside a bush, watched her prey with like a hawk. The butterfly landed on a flower a few feet away; the net getting heavy in Celestia's glow of magic. She had to make her move now. She recalled this moment years later:
'I knew I had to catch that butterfly, it was a rare one; not yet in my collection. I lined up my net and dropped it down on the butterfly, and it caught it perfectly inside. I hopped from my hiding spot and bounded over to claim my catch, but when I lifted up the net I found the butterfly missing a wing. I looked around for it and found it a few feet away. I tried to attach it but being a young filly, I did not know that technique did not work. I simply sat there and watched it struggle. I brought out my jar and slid it in there as carefully as I could, then I brought it to my mother to see if she could "make it better", but sadly she shook her head and said, "It won't make it sweetie".'

Her mother took the now dead butterfly out to the gardens and dug a quick hole and buried the butterfly. This was Celestia's first experience of death, and sadly, more of it was to come.

II
Celestia was of course born of royalty and, while still small, was treated with upmost respect. She was greeted by servants and guards in her adventures through the castle, along with all of the three races of ponies.
Ponies were still not a united species yet, so they had to travel to the different colonies for royal greetings and other business. Celestia remembers those moments years later:
'Oh it was wonderful to see all of the different ponies out and about! The Pegasus ponies were so nice as to teach me how to fly and do amazing tricks but father would worry about me and forbid me from doing those type of moves in the castle. I would go as far to say that he was over reacting, but maybe accidentally knocking a 400 year old priceless chandelier wasn't such a good move...'

And the unicorn ponies were hired to teach her proper use of her magic.

'I never liked Ms, Frixenfroth, she was extremely boring'

And the earth ponies taught her how to work with plants.

' I was very fortunate to have help from one of the earth ponies, who was also a close friend of my mother, helped me with my garden out behind the castle. She was also expecting a little girl, and said I got to pick out the name.
Seeing as all of the names of her family had to do with apples, I decided on naming her, Apple Smith.'


III
9 months later Celestia's mother gave birth to Princess Luna. Celestia adored her little sister. They played around the castle gardens and around the castle. One time though, when they were playing hide and seek in the castle, Celestia was searching for her little sister and came across the slightly open dining hall  door and peeked inside.  It was dark inside, but she could make out 2 figures in there.
Her Father and a very grey looking pony were arguing about something about wages an costs. Celestia writes:

'The gray mare had a very strange look to him. His eyes seemed to be all black, I'm not sure if it was the lighting though. He was smaller than my father, then again, everypony is smaller than my father, but seemed to have a bigger stature over my father. He and my father were arguing about money and that my father owed him some. Though I knew my father could easy get it, he seemed like he was not handing it over anytime soon. The gray pony simply smiled and said, "I know you'll pay up in someway." And walked towards the door. I quickly transported away from the door and his behind some nearby curtains. 
He walked out and to my surprise, vanished. I looked around then I felt breathing on my left shoulder. I turn to see him smiling behind the curtain with me. I, of course, let out a scream and my father came running out.'

The pony lifted up Celestia and brought her from behind the curtain.
"Looks like we have an ease dropper," he said with an evil grin.
"Leave her be Barts," Celestia's father returned angrily.
Guards, having heard her scream, rushed to the scene. Measuring his odds, he put Celestia down and backed away.
"I'll get my payment one way or another, my king," he said, and with that he disappeared.
The guards looked at their king, unsure of what to do, until after several moments of silence  he  finally said,"I want every part of this castle looked over and watched tonight. Bluemane and Grunt, I want you to escort my daughter to her room and check on my wife."
The two guards nodded and took Celestia to her chambers.

'There was something about what he said that unnerved me that night. When I got to my room, Luna was in there, obviously bored after nopony came to "seek" her. I apologized and told her why I never came to to find her. Let's just say she didn't want to sleep that night. I told her it would be all right, but had trouble going to sleep that as well. I was too young to realize the size of the threat, and what it meant. I just hopes nothing bad would happen.'

Her hopes were diminished when the next morning a cry rang out through the kingdom,"THE QUEEN IS DEAD!"

End of chapter 1