//------------------------------// // For What Purpose? // Story: Precious Blood // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// Dear Sis, How ya doing? It's been so long since you've last written. You should know Big Macintosh and Cheerilee had another foal, so things have been a lot busier here. They've named her Apple Blossom. You really should come see her. She's adorable. Big Mac's still trying to get me a husband, but I keep telling him I wanna stay on the farm. Unless I meet some pony nice, I don't think I'm ever getting married. If I do, I want you to be the mare of honor. That is, if you bother to show up to my wedding. I know you're busy working for that count, sis, but you haven't come to see us in ten years! Why don't you visit us anymore? I guess I should be glad you still write to me, but I miss talking with you face-to-face. If you are going to visit, you should hurry up, because Granny— "Hey, AJ!" Applejack quickly wiped away the drops of blood streaming down her cheeks and turned away from her desk to face the rainbow pegasus in the doorway. "Can I borrow a quill, ink and some paper?" Rainbow inquired. "I need to write a prank note for the master. I tried asking Twilight, but even with the charm on, she's become very…territorial." "Oh, yeah, sure," Applejack said mechanically as she put a quill, inkwell and parchment to the side. Rainbow flapped over to collect the items. As she picked them up, she caught sight of the open letter on the desk. Applejack hastily covered it with her hooves. "I can't believe after all these years," Rainbow said, shaking her head in pity, "you're still in contact with your family." "I," Applejack gulped, "just like to see how they're doing." The pegasus rolled her eyes. "AJ, you've been a vampire for twenty years now. You've got to leave your old life behind and move on." "Easy for you to say," Applejack spat, snapping her head around. "You didn't care when you left your family!" "They were gonna marry me off to an," she gagged, "old guy! I was running away anyway!" "Yeah," the earth pony snorted. "Admit it, Rainbow. You were happy to be changed!" "Of course, I admit it! It's better than being tied down to a rich old geezer. And there was no way I was gonna have all the blood drained from me!" "Yes, but you had a choice! You had nothing to lose!" She looked down at the letter and whispered, "I did." Rainbow's face fell, knowing she had gone too far. She gently put a hoof on the earth pony's shoulder. "Hey," she spoke softly. "I'm sorry. But…you know you can't hold onto them forever, right? They're not immortal like us." Applejack jerked her shoulder away and said in a quiet but firm voice, "Get out." Rainbow knew better than to linger, so she flew out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her, allowing Applejack to finish her third read-through of the letter: If you are going to visit, you should hurry up, because Granny Smith hasn't been feeling well lately. She was tending the sheep yesterday and fainted in the middle of the field. She's been in bed ever since. I don't wanna sound pessimistic, but you know how old Granny Smith is. I'm sure she will feel better if she sees you again. We'd all feel better if we could see you again. Love, Your Sister, Apple Bloom Applejack couldn't hold it back anymore. Her head fell into her hooves as blood started dripping from her eyes and onto the letter. "ARGH!" Her aunt's scream caused Fluttershy to look up from her book on etiquette in alarm. Starlight Glimmer was storming into the parlor in a fit of rage, glaring furiously at an opened envelope and letter hovering in front of her. "Of all the nerve!" she huffed. "And he calls himself a count!" "What's wrong, Auntie?" Fluttershy asked in concern. "This!" Starlight slammed the letter onto the table in front of her. Fluttershy leaned over to read it: My dear Lady Starlight Glimmer, Thank you for the invitation, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline, because… YOU STINK! Sincerely, Count Discord Fluttershy suppressed a chuckle. "Oh my." "I've never been so insulted in all my life!" Starlight exclaimed, falling backward into an easy chair. "Some pony! Get me a glass of water! Now!" Her voice must've been loud enough for the whole mansion to hear, for at that instant a dark blue pegasus mare with a white mane flew into the room carrying a glass of water on a tray. "Thank you, Night Glider," Starlight heaved as she took a sip. "That is the last time I write to such a rude, arrogant…" "Which one is Count Discord again?" Fluttershy couldn't help but ask. "That old recluse who lives in that enormous castle in the middle of the forest?" Night Glider questioned. "Isn't he the one who never leaves his home and is rumored to be…insane?" Fluttershy leaned forward in interest. "What do you mean?" "Well…no pony's actually every seen him, except for the servants he keeps. Some say he refuses to come out because he's a hideous monster, or that he has an enormous scar on his face, or that he…" "Nothing but silly rumors," Starlight said, waving her hoof dismissively. "The point is he's rich, of high station and has a splendid castle. I've been trying to get him to come to dinner for months, but after reading this letter, I'd rather marry my niece off to a baker!" "Well, look on the bright side," Night Glider snorted. "You'll be getting a lifetime supply of free bread." Fluttershy laughed along with her, until Starlight sent them a dangerous glare which made them hang their heads in silence. "Well," Starlight huffed, using her magic to tear up the letter, "there's still Lord Fancy Pants and Count Trenderhoof. I wouldn't trust you living with a mysterious recluse anyway, Fluttershy." Even though her words were harsh, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel relief that her aunt was rejecting a suitor for once. While she didn't believe the rumors Night Glider had told them, she didn't think the count would be good for her if he kept to himself most of the time. Besides, the woods frightened her, and she shivered at the idea of living deep within them. When the five vampire maidens entered their master's bedroom, he was sitting at the piano on the wall, leaning on his elbow and banging a single key with his eagle talon. "Uh…Master?" Applejack called. "It's time to go hunt." Discord paused for a moment, stared at them, and then returned to his one-note piece. "Ahem," Rarity coughed. "Master! It's time to…" "I heard you," he mumbled, still focused on the one piano key. "I'm not in the mood tonight." "Come on, Master!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We haven't eaten in three days!" "We're soooooooooo thirsty!" Pinkie Pie whined. "And I really don't want to draw blood from Spike again," Applejack said firmly, "so if you would just bring back a goat or something…" "What would be the point?" Discord groaned. He fell backward so that he was hanging upside-down from the piano bench. "Night in, night out, it's the same routine. I kill an animal in the forest, bring it back for you to drink, then we all get thirsty again and I have to kill another animal for you to drink, and then after a while I bite some pony for some reason, we have another mouth to feed, I kill more animals and for what?! What does it all amount to?" Rainbow put her hoof to her head. "Ugh, I hate it when he gets all existential on us!" "What's the point in us carrying on like this?" Discord continued as he held out his paw and claw to what, in his perspective, was the ceiling. "What is the purpose of our existence? Are we but another insignificant link in the world's food chain? Are we mere predators who prey on the weak? We drink their blood to survive, but to what end if we can never die?" "Ugh!" Pinkie moaned as she cradled her head. "All this philosophical thinking is making me dizzy!" "Let me talk to him," said a voice. The mares moved aside so the newly-changed unicorn could step forth. Twilight now looked in perfect health, though her lavender fur had become paler and her purple eyes had turned red. She no longer had bandages on her forelegs and her hair was combed and straight. She wore an eggplant gown that Rarity had made and the garlic charm around her neck. She tilted her head towards the door. The others nodded in understanding and stepped outside to give the two some privacy. Once the door was shut, Twilight looked sternly at Discord. "Master," she said slowly but firmly, "you know very well we can only go so long without blood. If I wasn't wearing this charm, I'd be going crazy right now. I'm not happy about drawing blood from Spike either, as that nearly killed me. Of course, I'm grateful that you saved my life, but Spike is too young to be losing so much blood and if we have to change him at his age…" "Don't lecture me, Twilight!" Discord snapped as he flipped around so that he was kneeling on the side of the bench. "I'm well aware of the consequences! I'm just…in a sore mood tonight." Twilight nodded. "Ah, yes. Rarity told me you were pining for a mate…" With the speed of a panther, he leapt onto the floor with stuck his finger into the mare's chest "I am not…ow!" He cried out as he accidentally touched the garlic pendant. After shaking his sizzled finger, he narrowed his eyes and repeated, "I am not pining for a mate!" "Then what's troubling you?" Discord sighed as a window appeared in the wall beside him. He walked over to it and leaned on his elbows to look up at the night sky. "I've been at this for a thousand years, Twilight," he moaned remorsefully, "and I still wonder why I was cursed with this life. Sometimes I think I might as well have burned in the sun like my mother intended. Some days I think of," he reached out his claw, "stepping out and just…ending it all." The unicorn was astonished at this confession. "Master," she said, slowly approaching him, "you mustn't talk like that. You do have a purpose in life." She placed her hoof on his back. "You've got us." He smiled slightly. "You're all good company, yes." He frowned again. "But…it's just not enough. Sometimes I think you all would've been better off had you never met me. At least three of you wouldn't have to share my fate!" "Hey. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to donate my blood. I knew I wouldn't last long, but that whatever happened to me couldn't be any worse than the life I was leaving behind. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie did too. And Rarity and Applejack might not even be alive if you hadn't…" "They'd be better off dead," Discord said gruffly as he walked away from the unicorn, making the window vanish. "They're barely even alive." Twilight watched her master pensively. "Maybe you do need a mate. You say you're looking for some meaning in your vampirism. Perhaps you'd find that meaning if you had an eternal companion. We're all loyal to you, but we can't give you love, can we? Not romantic love, anyway. After all, vampires can't simply choose their mate." Discord hung his head and whispered, "They are only destined for one. My former master told me. The moment you see them, you just…know." Twilight smiled as she touched his back again. "You'll find her someday. But neither of us will live to see that day unless you get us something to drink. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for us." She paused. "Unless of course, you'd prefer that we hunt for our own food…" Discord wheeled around in appalment and then narrowed his eyes at her. Twilight grinned in triumph, for she knew the reason Discord did all the hunting was so the five of them could be responsible for as few deaths as possible. "You're evil," he grunted in annoyance. She shrugged. "I'm a vampire now. What did you expect?"