//------------------------------// // Zebiu, Tramplevania // Story: Precious Blood // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// Tramplevania is a land situated in the Caprathian Mountains, filled with lush forests and sparkling rivers. During the day, it is quite peaceful. The smell of the oaks and beeches, the sound of the trickling streams, the clear blue skies and the sight of the sheep grazing in the fields are sure to please any passerby. Then night falls. The looming moon comes up in the sun's place, the rivers turn black, the vast forest becomes so dark that you can't see past the trees before you. Even if you have the eyes of a cat, fog often rolls in. Then you have the unpleasant feeling that you are being watched and that something is waiting for the right moment to jump out of the fog and put your time in this world to an end. You might shrug your shoulders and say it is your imagination, but in Tramplevania, that is never the case. This land is the home of the supernatural: witches, werewolves, ghosts, creatures that walk disguised in the daytime and lurk in the shadows at night. If you are out alone in the forest after dark, and you suddenly feel the hairs on your neck stand up, it is most likely one of these creatures is near. Frightful? Perhaps. But the reality is that most of these creatures are harmless. Witches are just equine citizens practicing old magic that doesn't require unicorn status and they often use it to help others. Although there will be the occasional witch with dark intentions, so it is best not to provoke one should this be the case. Werewolves are merely ponies who become wolves in the light of a full moon and are hardly ever aware of their transformation. In their wolf state, they carry all the instincts of a predator, so should you ever encounter one, simply lie face down on the ground and remain motionless and they will pass you over. Ghosts are poor lost souls and are usually non-violent. As they are transparent, they can have no physical contact with the living world. Should you see one, the best way to avoid conflict is to ignore it. The monsters you should be looking out for are the deadliest you will ever encounter: vampires. These undead creatures could kill you in a second, in whatever way they wish. Some will be quick and sink their teeth immediately in your neck. Others might have a bit of fun and throw you around a bit. Either way, there is no chance of survival should you ever come across a vampire. They survive on blood, and to them, you are just another meal. Unless you are equipped with a wooden stake or a string of garlic, you will either die on the spot or become one of them as a result of their bite. But there are those rare occasions when a vampire will spare a potential meal. Why? The answer varies, but one theory is that even though their hearts have stopped beating, parts of their living selves still remain. The town of Zebiu was a large yet rustic town up the side of the largest mountain in the Caprathians. Merchants often came to the city to trade, and thus the streets were always bustling with ponies trying to get their hooves on foreign goods during the day. The success of the market made many ponies fairly wealthy, but the wealthiest in Zebiu was a family who lived in a large, vibrant mansion in the town square. The lady of this house was Starlight Glimmer, a noblemare who took pride in her status and frowned on anything below her. She had in her care a young niece whom she had taken in as a filly when her parents had died. She was determined to mold her niece into a fine and eligible young lady so that she would one day marry either a wealthy bachelor or a stallion of noble birth. As she had recently turned twenty, that day would be coming soon. One day, Starlight received a letter that made her lips curl in excitement. "Fluttershy!" she called. When she got no answer, she frowned and called louder, "Fluttershy!" She turned to her maid. "Coco Pommel, where is my niece?" The cream-colored earth pony looked down at her hooves as if she was being punished. "I…I don't know, doamnă." "Well, find her!" The lady's voice was so sharp that it made the maid jump. She was just about to leave the hall when a yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane came rushing down the stairs. "Yes, Auntie Starlight?" she called softly. "Did you call me?" The pink unicorn glared at her. "What took you so long?" Fluttershy shrank back under her gaze. "Sorry, Auntie, but," she petted the wet white rabbit in her hooves, "I was giving Angel a bath and…" Starlight groaned as she put her hoof to her head. "How many times have I told you? A lady does not waste her time with animals!" Angel squeaked as Starlight used her magic to wrench him out of Fluttershy's grasp and fling him at Coco Pommel. "I said you could have a pet," the unicorn continued in her harsh tone, "but taking care of it is a job for the servants!" Fluttershy hung her head. "Sorry, Auntie, I thought…" "You thought?!" Starlight grunted. "Thinking is not a proper pastime for a lady either!" She turned sharply towards the maid. "Get that rodent out of here!" She sniffed the air and gagged. "And give him another bath!" Angel shook his paw at the unicorn, squeaking angrily as the maid carried him off. Starlight took a deep breath and put her smile back on. "Anyway," she said in a sweet voice, "I have some exciting news!" She held up the letter she'd been reading. "I just got word from the Count Trenderhoof, and he is anxious to meet you!" "Oh," Fluttershy uttered, her frown not wavering. "As you know, Count Trenderhoof owns a vast amount of land near Bullarest and has a fortune of seven hundred thousand! On top of that, he's rumored to be the handsomest stallion from miles around!" The pegasus bit her lip. "But…is he nice?" Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Nice? Didn't you hear a word I said? He's rich, he's of high station, and he's handsome. What could be nicer than that?" "I mean…is he kind?" "Kind?" Her aunt rolled her eyes as she folded up the letter. "You really need to get your priorities straight, dear. Anyway, he's planning a trip up to Zebiu in a few weeks and will be staying here as our guest, so you should start brushing up on your vocabulary. Remember, when conversing with a stallion, you have to sound smart enough to impress him but not too smart that you'll intimidate him." "But Auntie…" Fluttershy started to say. "That wasn't a suggestion, Fluttershy," Starlight said, giving her a warning glare. "Go to your room and recite from the dictionary." Her niece sighed and muttered, "Yes, Auntie." She trotted sulkily up the stairs as her aunt began listing aloud the things they needed to prepare for the Count's arrival. When she came to her room, Coco Pommel was dunking Angel in a soapy tub, both of them putting up quite a fight. "That's enough, Coco," Fluttershy said as she grabbed her bunny. "I can dry him off." "But domnişoară," the maid protested, "your aunt said…" "I know what she said. Just…don't tell her about this." Coco bowed and skittered out of the room. Fluttershy whispered gently as she stroked Angel's fur to calm him down. "Sorry about that, Angel, but you know how Auntie Starlight is." The bunny huffed in annoyance as she wrapped him in a towel. "I know, I know. I shouldn't let her tell me what to do, but what can I do? She's my guardian, and she only wants what's best for me." Angel glared at her, as if to say: Best for you or best for her? Fluttershy sighed as she rubbed him dry. "She just wants me taken care of. There aren't many other opportunities here for mares anyway." She hung her head. "She thinks Count Trenderhoof will be a good match for me." The rabbit stuck out his tongue and gagged. "Oh, Angel. Don't be rude. You haven't even met him yet." He crossed his paws and twitched his nose. "I know. I haven't either. Still, maybe he's nice." She smiled as she threw away the towel, lifted Angel up to her face and nuzzled his soft white fur. "Well, if I marry him, I hope he'll at least let me keep you so I won't be alone." He squeaked in satisfaction and put his paws around her face in a hug. "Well," Fluttershy said, rising up, "I better get to my vocabulary." She sat at her desk, opened the large dictionary and placed Angel on her lap. "Now, where did we leave off? Oh, yes. Pleasure: the condition or sensation induced by the experience or anticipation of what is felt to be good or desirable; a feeling of happy…satisfaction…enjoyment…delight…" She sighed sadly and glanced out the window. Her room was high up enough to get a view of the town square. Merchants were at their stalls selling their wares, fillies were throwing coins in the fountain, and a group of Romane ponies were playing music and dancing. This particularly made her smile. Her aunt often told her to stay away from the colorfully dressed vagabonds, but she loved watching them dance. Sometimes she imagined herself dancing with them, dressed in such vibrant, loose attire, not always having to wear a corset that made breathing difficult. They always looked so carefree, traveling from town to town, never having to conform to any social customs. She wondered if they married for love. Well, she had never had the chance to ask, but she envied their freedom all the same. She looked back at the word "pleasure." "If only I could have that, Angel," she sighed, petting her bunny. "If only for a moment." In the darkness of the forest, a tall, thin creature was slithering through the trees. As it found concealment behind one, its yellow eyes with red pupils glowered at a brown bear a few feet away. The creature crouched down low, concealing himself in the blackness of the shadows and the cape draped down his back. "That's right," he whispered in a deep, mesmerizing voice. "Come closer." The bear looked up and made eye contact with the creature, whose eyes had turned into colorful spirals. After a few seconds of staring, the bear's eyes changed to match his. "Come closer," he said again, holding out a claw resembling an eagle's and beckoning the bear with a bony yellow talon. The bear stepped forth slowly, showing no resistance to the creature calling him. Finally, the creature leapt out and pounced on the bear, sinking his teeth into its neck. The bear cried out as it snapped out of its trance, but it was too late. It sank to its knees as the blood was drained from it. Its eyes rolled back as it collapsed to the ground, never to rise again. The vampire couldn't deny the bear was delicious, but reminded himself that he couldn't be greedy. Once he was satisfied, he wiped the blood from his mouth and held out a lion's paw. A large burlap sack materialized out of thin air. He scooped the bear's bloody corpse into the bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Nothing personal, old fellow," he murmured. "But I've got four other mouths to feed." In the middle of the wood, he came upon an enormous black castle safely hidden by the tall oak trees. As he approached the gate, he saw a blue face in a window on the second floor. It disappeared as soon as it saw him coming. A few seconds later, the large double doors opened and the face reappeared. It was attached to the body of a pegasus mare with red-violet eyes and a vibrant rainbow mane. Even though she was clearly a mare, she wore maroon trousers and a puffy red shirt. She rushed to the approaching creature excitedly. "Master Discord! What'd you bring us?" She could see him better as he came into the light. He was a draconequus, a creature with a body made up of all sorts of animals: a deer antler and goat horn growing atop the gray head of a pony sitting on a long giraffe-like neck, a goat beard growing below his blood-stained fangs. His green dragon leg, goat leg, red snake tail and brown furred body were concealed beneath his white shirt, black trousers and cape. He towered ten feet over the pegasus, but she showed no fear as her attention was on the bag over his shoulder. She took a long whiff of the air. "Aw, man!" she exclaimed, licking her lips. "Smells good!" "Easy, Rainbow Dash," Discord said as he held the mare back with his paw. "You'll get your share in time." Rainbow Dash followed her master into the castle and down a long hall. When he came to large room with a grand staircase, he called out: "Dinnertime, ladies!" A door burst open and a pink, poofy-haired earth pony in a magenta gown whizzed into the room. A white unicorn with an elegantly curled purple mane appeared on the upstairs landing and clapped her hooves when she saw the burlap sack. "Ooh!" she squealed as she rushed down the stairs, taking care not to trip on her blue skirts. "Finally! I'm famished!" "What'd you bring us?!" the pink pony asked eagerly. "What'd you bring us?! Goat? Sheep? Lynx?" "Bear," Discord replied, putting down the sack. The pink mare licked her lips. "Mmm, my favorite!" The unicorn sniffed the air. "Oh, it smells divine!" "What are we waiting for?" Rainbow said, reaching for the bag's opening. "Let's dig in!" She cried out as the unicorn slapped her hoof away. "What was that for, Rarity?" the pegasus said as she rubbed her hoof. "We're supposed to share!" the pink pony said, narrowing her blue eyes. "Pinkie Pie's right," Rarity said, crossing her hooves. "Just because we're vampires doesn't mean we should be rude." "Yeah but…" Rainbow licked her lips as she stared at the bag, her red-violet eyes turning even redder. "I'm so thirsty!" "Patience, Rainbow," Discord said with a grin. "We have to make sure every pony gets their share." He glanced around. "Where is Applejack? This is supposed to be her job!" He put his paw and claw to his mouth as he called out, "Applejack!" After saying her name five more times, the pony rushed onto the upstairs landing. Applejack was an orange earth mare with a straw-colored mane. She wore a simple green gown like Pinkie's and Rarity's. "Where have you been?" Discord shouted accusingly. "Sorry, Master," Applejack called, leaning over the barrister. "I was with Twilight." Her face turned solemn. "She's gotten worse." The anger vanished from Discord's face. He was silent for a moment before he said: "Take me to her." "But what about dinner?" Rainbow demanded as Pinkie and Rarity followed their master up the stairs. "Rainbow!" the unicorn snapped, sending her a disappointed glare. The pegasus glanced back longingly at the sack. Then she sighed and joined the others. Applejack took them to a small windowless bedroom. Inside, a small purple dragon with green spines stood at a laced canopy bed, holding the hoof of a lavender unicorn mare. Her dark blue mane was disheveled, her cheeks were sunken in, her eyes were surrounded with wrinkles and her forelegs were covered in bandages. "I've tried everything," Applejack explained to her master. "I've tried blood transfusions, I've been giving her extra food, I even tried Zecora's all-natural remedy! But she's only gotten worse, Master." She looked gravely at the unicorn in the bed. "I think…we might've taken too much from her." Discord stepped slowly towards the bed. The dragon quickly let go of the unicorn's hoof and backed away. "Twilight?" Discord called softly. The unicorn lifted her eyelids as if they were giant boulders. Her half-opened purple eyes gazed up at the draconequus. "How are you feeling, Twilight?" "Light-headed," she breathed. Her voice was so quiet that the regularly trained ear couldn't pick it up. Fortunately, vampires were gifted with incredible hearing. The dragon, on the other hand, had to lean forward to hear. "Ah, yes," Discord nodded. "That is understandable, considering." "I'm sorry, Master," Twilight whispered. "I have failed you." "No, my dear," he replied calmly as he bent over to brush his claw against her cheek. "You've served your purpose well. You gave us all you could." "I just wanted…to know…" "And you shall." He leaned closer and whispered, "You've helped us in this life, now you can help us in the next." She looked up at him pleadingly. "Help me…" "Don't worry, dear Twilight," he said assuredly as he cupped her chin. "Your suffering will end soon." He glanced at the four mares in the doorway. Their faces dawned in realization at what he was about to do. Applejack gave the dragon a gentle push as they filed out of the room. As the door closed, they could see their master's head leaning towards Twilight's neck. They heard a small gasp and Rarity winced. The dragon put his claws to his mouth and looked up at the mares in horror. He shook his head pleadingly and tears came to his green reptilian eyes when Applejack returned his headshake. The door opened and Discord came out. His mouth was fresh with blood, which he began licking clean with his forked tongue. "Master," Rarity said in a shaky voice, "is she…?" Discord nodded. "Make sure she has something to drink tomorrow." All of them sighed in relief. Discord took out a key and turned the lock in the door. "No one is to disturb her until she is awake," he commanded coolly as he tucked the key back into his cape pocket. He glanced down at the dragon. "Especially you, Spike." The dragon nodded in understanding. Discord turned to the mares. "Someone has to go into town tomorrow. I'm sure you know what to get." The four nodded. "Master," Rainbow said cautiously, "if Twilight's going to be one of us now…where are we gonna get our extra blood?" "Well," Discord replied slowly, "there is now but one beating heart in this castle." They all turned to Spike, whose face became as pale as theirs. "No," Applejack said firmly, moving protectively in front of the dragon. "He's too young. He could barely handle giving blood to Twilight. And now that there are six of us, he can't possibly…" "I'll do it." The orange mare gaped at him. "Spike, you can't…" He boldly straightened up. "If giving up some of my blood is necessary for your survival, I'll do it." "Fortunately you won't need to tonight," Discord said as he walked down the hall. "Enjoy your bear, girls." They all watched as their master turned the corner. His manner was cool and collected, as if what he had just done had not affected him. Rarity cocked her head at this observation. "Can we drink now?" Rainbow asked impatiently. "Alright, alright," Applejack grumbled as she nudged Spike down the hall. "You scooch off to bed, Spike." "Right," the dragon squeaked as he ran towards his room. He knew better than to be around while they were feeding. "You think Twilight will be okay?" Rainbow questioned as they headed back downstairs. "Not every pony survives the transformation, and she didn't have a lot of blood left before…" "She'll be fine," Pinkie said cheerfully, though it was clear she was nervous too. "Twilight's a tough cookie! After all, she's survived all these months giving us blood!" "All this time she's been studying us," Applejack said in a cryptic tone, "now she's gonna be one of us." "It's strange," Rarity said. "What?" Rainbow asked. "Twilight being a vampire?" "No, it's just…didn't you notice how…detached the master was when he…?" "Oh yeah," Pinkie said, cocking her head in thought. "He did seem strangely calm about it." "Well, it's not the first time he's changed some pony," Rainbow said, gesturing to herself. "But we've known Twilight much longer than he knew any of us," Applejack reminded her. "Then again, she's been weak for a while. Maybe he's been preparing for it." "Yes, but I thought that maybe…" Rarity paused and shook her head. "Oh, never mind. It's silly." "Come on, Rarity!" Pinkie pressed. "Tell us!" "We won't judge," Applejack assured her. "Well…" Rarity stammered, "it's just…haven't you noticed the master's been awfully…distant, lately?" "What do ya mean?" Rainbow asked. "He's always keeping to himself." "I mean more than usual. He spends all day and all night in his room and only comes out to hunt. Then when he comes back with dinner, he goes straight to his room." "He does seem to spend a lot more time alone these days," Applejack reflected. "What's that got to do with Twilight?" "Well…I've been thinking…maybe the master is a bit…lonely." "Lonely?" Pinkie huffed. "How can he be lonely? He's got us!" "No, I mean he…oh, you wouldn't understand, Pinkie." "Go on, Rarity," Applejack urged. The unicorn sighed. "I was only thinking…with Twilight talking so much with the master…maybe she…that is…him and her…" The three of them widened their eyes and said, "Oh." Rarity shook her head. "Of course, I could be worrying over nothing. But…well, the master has been doing this for much longer than we have. He's sure to be getting tired after a thousand years. Maybe what he needs is to…settle down and…" "I doubt that's gonna happen, Rarity," Rainbow interjected. "I mean if the master did want to settle down, don't you think he would've picked one of us ages ago?" "It's not that simple, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, her voice cracking as she considered Rarity's theory. "You know he can't just pick any old female. There are rules…" Rainbow huffed in annoyance as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Whatever. Can you just do your thing so we can drink already? That blood's probably half dried up by now!" The orange mare glared at the pegasus as she dragged the sack containing the bear corpse toward the kitchen.