Chapter 19: The Times that Try Men's Souls: Act II
Celestia slept.
Celestia slept soundly. The rain pattered against the walls of her beautiful castle. Her warm fire crackled as it burnt. The room calm.
The night had never been so sweet, after a long day of politics she had grown weary and was eager to get to bed. She felt safe under the co-rule of her sister once again. It was nice to have nights off. Perhaps she should’ve taken them more often.
Her guards were standing guard, her ponies were all asleep in their beds, safe under the clouds and the Moon. She was happy. Everypony was safe another day.
The candles that gently lit the room were swaying, giving off a beautiful orange glow. The room smelled of fresh spring grass. All was calm.
...
The serpent then entered the Garden.
A slight draft seeped into the room. The fire flicked. Sparks lofted as the flames gently reacted to the shift in air pressure. The air grew colder.
A shadow appeared in the corner. The smallest change in lighting, an insignificant shift. Nothing to be worried about surely.
The mighty Princess slept on.
The candlelight illuminated the mighty Princesses figure. The warm light of the candlelight almost mirroring the warmth inside of her warm... beating heart.
The draft seemed to come from nowhere.
As time went on, the room grew darker. The air seemed colder. The fire was dying. Slowly fading to coals in the chimney. Then, in a small gust floated through the room. A candle went out, almost as if an invisible enemy had blown on it. Some sort of unseen threat.
Yet still, the Princess of the Sun slept.
One by one, the candles went out. Smoke rose from the candles that were once glowing lights in the night.
The dark pressed hard upon the sleeping Princess. Not all was well. The dreaming Princess could feel it. Choosing to ignore the gut feeling, the Princess slept on. Further sealing her fate.
The air pressure rose and rose, choking the flame in the fireplace. It’s golden light diminishing more and more every minute. Soon the once brilliant fireplace had been reduced to a few glowing embers.
The Mighty Princess stirred.
The night had grown cold. The darkness, become a cruel mistress to the Sun.
The eyes of the Sun opened. Revealing to her. Nothing.
The black pressed hard. The heavy darkness swayed her. The loud silence disturbed her.
Rising from her slumber, Celestia felt the coldness in the air.
A light shone from the tip of her great horn. The power of Celestia, even in the most minuscule light spell, was apparent. The light shined off of her horn, illuminating the room.
Taking up a candle, she set fire to the tip. Allowing the candle to give off its faint glow once again.
Upon placing the candle down. She returned to her grand bed. A sense of false security once again filling the Princess.
Then, as she closed her great eyes once again.
The candle blew out.
This time the Princess jumped from her nest.
Horn flared up ready to fight. No words said, just a horn. Ready to vanquish any great foes.
Standing in the darkness, there facing her. Was... Nothing.
Paranoia began to set in. A feeling that the Princess had never felt for thousands of years.
She could feel the presence in the room. An eternal darkness wanting to swallow the Sun whole. The light flaring from her horn began to falter. As she saw a great shadow. Much large than her own extend from her feet. The shadow moved unnaturally. It grew, morphed until eventually it reached the wall. Then continued to grow. Up to the ceiling.
As Celestias gaze turned to the ceiling. She the saw them.
Bats.
A whole cave full of them.
The looked down upon her with their little beady eyes. And jumped.
In the next few second, the air swirled with bats. The sounds of their squeaks filled the air as they flapped. They smacked her in the face, hit her hooves, flew into her hair, and everywhere in general.
She raised her great wings and using her magic opened the balcony doors.
Creating a large gust of wind, she cast the colony of bats from her chamber of slumber.
She chased them out onto the balcony and raised her wings once more to deter any of the wild beasts to re-enter the nest.
After watching the colony fly off and return to the darkness, she turned towards her chambers. Upon entering she closed the doors, all was once again well in the Kingdom of Equestria.
Then there was a tap on the balcony door. Then another. Then another.
The Princess turned once again towards the door. At the base of the glass doors, was a bat. Crawling on the ground.
*SMACK*
Another bat ran into the door.
Re-opening the door, she picked up the bats one by one. Placing them on the balcony rail. With a kind heart she cast a spell to heal the creatures of the wounds they had so clumsily gained. She then casted them off the balcony and into the night air.
As she watched them fall she saw them spread their wings and catch the air. Her gaze turned to the ground below. There, in the courtyard... She saw something that terrified and mortified her. There laying at the base of the castle walls. Was a body. The human’s body. He appeared dead. He lay limp and lifeless. His limbs hanging in all the wrong directions.
In shock she backtracked gravity and viewed the balcony opposite her. She saw signs of a struggle. The door on the balcony had been burst open and broken through. There was a red puddle in the center of the balcony.
She spread her wings to come to the aid of the fallen human. As she was going to call for the alarm to be raised. There came a brilliant blue shine from behind her. A beautiful song filled the air.
The Princess turned to face the source of the beautiful sound. She was met with the brilliant blue shine. The light emulated from one point in space. The Mighty Sun found herself unable to take her eyes off of the beautiful light.
Slowly the light swung back... and forth... and back... and forth. Celestia, in all her great power, could not help but fall under the spell. Her eyes grew lazy. Her wings grew heavy.
As the great Princesses wings fell, the greater the light shone. The blue light now covered the room. Her eyes affixed on the light. She was like a fly to a lightbulb. She took one step. Then another. Then another.
Her eyes grew heavy. Her legs weak. She kneel down in front of the blue magic that now filled the room.
The light willed Celestia to sleep. She would not be moved on her own. But it was alright. The Scarlett Queen had plenty of strength to carry her.
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Shining Armor patrolled the Halls. The Spring Summit had required the immediate double of the castle security. Any and all hoofs not working officially on shifts were either sleeping in preparation of the next shift or were on overtime.
He marched up and down the halls in the orderly fashion that he always did. He saluted his fellow guardsmen. For he wasn’t Captain of the Guard anymore, he was royalty of Equestria. That didn’t mean that his focus on security was any more diminished. He volunteered specifically for the task.
The night was quiet. Almost too quiet.
He thought of that damn human. Making a fool of him in front of his friends and family. Who did he think he was?
The thought that scared him even more was the fact that he and Shining’s own sister had been sharing a room.
...
What if they were sleeping together?
He shook his head as he perished the thought. That kind of thinking would drive him mad. Little Twily... Mating with that... Thing...
She had talked of one of these creatures since her return from the adventures of the Magic Mirror. Though, she didn’t seem to talk about it much around that... thing.
That got his mind onto another subject.
Flash Sentry. Why didn’t she go for that guy? She seemed to like him enough upon her return. It was proper for a Princess to court one of her soldiers. It was how he himself had met Cadence. Well. Other than the fact that she was Twily’s foal sitter.
I mean... Cadence wasn’t the entire fact that he joined the guard or anything. If thats what you were thinking.
He smiled as he thought of his beloved wife. Most likely asleep in their assigned chambers. How he longed to be there with her. But he must remained diligent. His guard was up and his eyes alert.
At least thats what he was thinking when he forgot to turn a corner.
“Oops.” He murmured to himself. “Married Stallion problems.”
He let himself get distracted. Maybe he was getting a little rusty.
Still... This hallways seemed strangely empty. He noticed at least two stations where guards should have been.
Typical... Captain Sunfire can’t even keep her own guards in order.
He ventured farther down the hallway and noted that it was getting rather dark. What happened to the torchlight? This was the third torch that was out.
Come to think of it. He hadn’t seen another guard for a while.
He began to get a bad feeling in his gut. Still he pressed on. The darker the hallway got, the less he felt at ease. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t guard laziness. Something was going on here. Where were all the guards?
Soon his horn was no longer enough to illuminate the entire hallway. He moved to the nearby janitors closet to retrieve a torch and some matches.
When he opened it. He was nearly shocked by surprise.
“Ah!” He shouted as several bodies fell out.
He had found the missing guards. Snores were rising from all of them as they slept.
Shining Armor, anger rising within him began barking at the unconscious soldiers...
“HOW DARE YOU BE SLEEPING ON DUTY YOU LAZY, INSIGNIFICANT WELPS?!” He shouted at the top of his lungs.
The guards slept on without even budging.
He stooped down close to them. Something about it wasn’t right. Nopony could sleep through his interpretation of the Royal Canterlot Voice.
Using one hoof he forced open the eyelids of the guards. His eye drooped down towards the floor as he slept on, still undisturbed. There was a strange sparkle emanating from the back of his retinas. An unnatural shine. Something out of place. An odd blueish glow coming from behind his eyes.
Suddenly, a scream came from the distance.
His horn took over. A pink aura flew from his horn involuntarily.
...
Cadence was in trouble.
...
The seasoned soldier sprinted down the halls as fast as he could. He felt the bond between Cadence’s horn and his own growing stronger. As he tore down the hallway. He noticed all the halls had gone dark. There wasn’t a soldier or torch in sight. What the hell was going on?
At last he saw the door where the pony who was on shift to guard his wife wasn’t.
Feeling the flicker in his horn fading he came charging straight into the door. Using his horn and the powerful magic of love he burst through the door sending shards of wood throughout the room.
As the door shattered. The world turned to slow motion as a dark hoof flew out of the darkness and connected with his jaw mid charge.
As the door went one way, Shining Armor flew another.
He was in a daze. All magic had been drained from him by the sheer force of the blow that had just been dealt. He couldn’t see anything in the dark.
He stood to face the darkness once again but was immediately struck down by a second colossal blow.
He collapsed against the wall, unable to fight.
“He- Help!” He shouted.
A beautiful voice came from the darkness.
“Now, now, now... I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”
A blue light erupted in front of his eyes illuminating the room for a second. There not ten feet away was his wife in the same unconscious state the guards were in.
Then he found his eyes affixed on the blue light.
The Scarlett Queen had claimed two more.
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Death shrugged.
...
My eyes fluttered open... My head hurt.
What had happened to me?
I was laying on the ground, facing the sky. The rain was flowing down my face. Mud covered my body. The water was ice cold, I could feel it through to my bones. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked as I watched the sky.
It slowly began to come back to me as I woke from the daze I was in. There was a bump. The vault had opened... Twilight was...
I squint as I try to recall what exactly had happened.
Twilight... and the amulets. Then there was a blur. A dark figure...
Then...
I looked up at the balcony high above.
This couldn’t be real. It had to be some sort of nightmare.
I sit up where I was standing.
*CRACK*
“AAH!” I cry out as my ribs protest and fall back into place.
I sit there and hold my side. The pain however, was short lived. I felt the pain fade as my side fell into its proper position.
I run my hands through my hair to counteract the insane headache that I had. I hadn’t felt this kind of pain since that one time I fought off three Timberwolves.
As I sat and contemplated I noticed there was something wrong with my shoulder. I couldn’t feel it for whatever reason, but it was severely out of socket.
I firmly grasped my shoulder and took a deep breath. Which for whatever reason provided me with a strange sensation. Yanking... Hard, I hear a pop and a crack as my arm falls into place. However, the sensation I had prepared for was nothing more than a tickle.
As lighting flared its ugly head once again overhead I figured it was time to head inside.
It was strange, I couldn’t put my finger on something. Deep down I felt something was amiss. That I should be scared. Yet another part of me wanted to get inside and figure out what I was doing on the ground in the middle of a storm. In fact. I don’t seem to recall much of what happened today.
I slowly stand up, but immediately drop to one knee as I notice the odd angle that my leg is sticking out at.
As I view the state of my mangled body I drop down and begin to hurl. What the hell is going on? Once, the feelings from my weak stomach subside, I reach down and take ahold of my clearly broken foot. I reach to my right, grab a stick and bite down on it as hard as I can. And begin to twist. I hear a crack, and the sound of fracturing bones, yet... There was no pain.
I spit out the stick and stand on my good foot. Slowly placing the broken one on the ground to test it with weight. Horrifyingly enough, I can stand.
I begin to shiver, my clothes were soaked through to the core. I quickly begin taking strides towards the door, eager to get away from the rain and cold.
As I enter the castle I notice how strangely bright it is in the castle. I can see even in the darkest corridor. Was there a new lighting system put in? They do actually make those. There’s an enchantment to make walls glow subtly and- nevermind, getting off topic.
Another thing I noticed, it was exceptionally quiet in the castle tonight, I could hear my footsteps echoing off the walls. I heard a rat scurrying through the halls ahead. In light that was no way sufficient enough to spot the thing. I spy the little mouse from 40 yards down the hallway. It was sitting behind a suit of armor nibbling on a piece of bread. How I knew it was bread? I could smell it. About a week old by the smell of it...
As my headache worsened I reached up and rubbed my temples. This doing no good, I run my hands down my face and rub the back of my neck. Thats when I got scared.
In the side of my neck, I felt two tiny holes. Holes that had since filled with scar tissue. I felt a chill run down my spine.
It all instantly came back to me. The bat, the vault, and the... and the... I couldn’t even begin to comprehend it. The vampire. But I’m still alive... And well... which means...
I began to run towards the study.
Much to my dismay the pillars and hallways rushed past me faster than I cared for. My body was regaining strength with every stride, the night grew brighter with every breath that I no longer needed to take. Every fiber of me wanted to deny it. I couldn’t admit to myself. Theres no other explanation.
“I can’t be a vampire,” I assured myself, “I don’t have fangs...”
The voice in the back of my head told me this was Equestria, where anything is possible.
The stairs rushed by as I leapt up them by 6 times each.
As I ran, another thought lurked in my mind.
Why am I alive? Why did she allow me to live? Who was she? Where did she even come from?
My cold skin crawled as I thought of those horrible red eyes. The sheer thought of them sent a shot of terror through my mind.
Soon I nearly ran smack into the door.
I rip open the door and run in shouting, “TWILIGHT?! TWILIGHT?!”
There is no answer from within.
I walk in very quietly.
A series of smells hit my nostrils all at once. It made me ponder whether this is how a Blood Hound’s sense of smell worked. It was scary.
The most notable of the smells was of blood. My blood.
The room looked like a scene out of CSI. There was a sign of a struggle. The shelves knocked over. The vault, still open. The glass door that I was thrown through was still smashed. Seeing that our assailant and Twilight weren’t present I turned to the vault.
Deciding to start there I move inside to begin surveying.
The Amulets gave off that familiar subtle glow. I had to shield my eyes. They weren’t adjusted to the brightness.
I ran my hands along them, feeling their power as my fingers ran across them. They all had stories. Then, I came upon an empty slot. The one missing amulet. The prodigal son. Wherefore art thou, Amulet?
“Why did she take you?” I say quietly to myself. “Why does she need you?”
With these questions in my mind, I turned to the wall where I was tossed like a rag doll. On the floor where I was sitting, was a few little red drops.
As I neared the liquid, I realized it was blood, my blood. My unnecessary breathing quickened. My nostrils flared. My eyes fixed on the red liquid. I almost couldn’t control myself. My hands began to shake.
Quickly, I turned away from the little red splotches on the ground and walked towards the door. Not wanting to see the vault any longer, I pulled the door shut and automatically the magical seal activated.
The Magic seal... That only Twilight can open.
A thought hit me.
That’s why she needed Twilight.
She used the trojan horse. Well... Trojan Bat I should say, to gain access to the vault. She used me to sneak her into the castle. Then once the ponies.. (and human) had gone to sleep. She struck. I just happened to wake up at the wrong time. And paid the consequences... But why would she need an Amulet? What was her intent?
Now that I had one piece of the puzzle, it was time to search for another clue as to where they might be.
I examined the door that I had been hurled through. The glass was shattered into large shards. Each piece was equally jagged. I stepped outside where the pouring rain had now been reduced to a calm drizzle.
Where I had been laying was almost clean. This would have been the most bloody part of the scene, provided I had shown up earlier. Streams of blood were running from where I had previously been laying. The rain had washed away most of the blood.
There was a red stain where I had lie. Shards of glass sticking up from the ground. I found myself with another question in my mind.
I reach around behind me to feel my back. At first I just felt the stitching and fabric of my clothes. But then, a few inches later, I found a tear. I followed the tear down.. Soon I felt something extruding from my back.
I grabbed hold of the foreign object and pulled... Hard... And quite quickly the strange dull, tingling sensation that should be pain struck me.
Soon, the object is free and I hold it in front of me to get a better look at it. Sure enough it’s a glass shard. It was long. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it before. On the tip of it, I noticed something intriguing. There was still blood on the end of it.
Whoever she was.. She messed up. She got sloppy. She didn’t mean to leave me alive. She just didn’t suck all of my blood. Doing so left me... “Alive” but with a terrible, terrible opportunity.
As I stared at the bloody shard, and at the streams of reddened water running off the deck, my hands began to shake, my legs began to get weak. Then fear struck my non-beating heart, I was thirsty.
I quickly ran to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and began throwing water into and onto my face.
This isn’t happening.
This isn’t happening.
I drank and drank water, to my horror, it did not good. My thirst wasn’t subsiding. My mind began to shift. I heard heartbeats, not my own. The smell of blood became stronger as my thirst did. I closed my eyes and listened. A floor down I heard a tiny heartbeat. Not a pony’s, a small rodent.
I looked up from the sink and into the mirror and nearly screamed. I wasn’t there. The room behind me was there, and the faucet was running. I had no reflection.
This realization sent the final bits of doubt out the window. I was a vampire.
I stumbled out of the bathroom and towards the door. Being driven by instinct. I felt a terrible urge... an urge that made me sick to my stomach. I NEEDED to feed.
As I stumbled out the door, I tripped on the first step down. After falling a few feet. This fall had bought me a little time, it knocked me into sense, at least for now, but the urge to feed was still there. I sat up quickly and noticed something beside me. Laying on the ground next to me, was a small purple feather.
I eye it for a minute, but soon.. I feel a terrible pain in my upper jaw.
“AH!” I shout as I feel my teeth warping and contorting.
Oh no.
Oh no.
Hands shaking, I reach up and feel my mouth. Where my canines had once been, were now two horrifying daggers. They were sharp. Sharper than the sharpest knife. I felt the animalistic urge to feed taking hold once again.
I pocketed the feather and hurried to my destination. It was my only chance.
As I wandered through the hallway I heard the ponies sleeping. I could feel their tiny, innocent... defenseless... heartbeats. I stopped in a hallway and put my ear against a door. I heard the ponies inside snoring. So cute. So helpless.
I felt my hand run down the door in search of the handle. I hear a *scrrrrrrrrtttttcchhh*. The snoring stops. I freeze up. Dead quiet. After a minute, the snoring resumes and I let out a small sigh.
I look at the door and see a demonic scratch mark down the side of the door. I look at my hands and see something that sent chills down my spine. My hand had been replaced by a claw. A gray. Cold. Dead. Sharp. Claw.
Scaring me back into my wits I resume my life or death mission.
By the time I reached the kitchen, my mind was nearly gone again. I storm into the back and towards the pantry.
“Hey! You can’t be in here!” says the night chef as he comes around the corner.
Not even hearing his words I shove him out of the way and unintentionally into the wall. Knocking him out cold.
Seeing the now unconscious chef pony. I heard his heartbeat. I could smell the blood coursing through his veins. One hand reached out towards his body. Eyes fixed on his neck.
I have to force my head away from him.
I reach the pantry doors and find something horrible.
“A lock!” I shout as I grasp my neck, thirst overbearing me.
In a desperate attempt I grab the lock and shake it.
The lock sheers off no problem.
For a moment I was stunned. I just stared at the broken lock in my hand/claw. Had I really just done that?
Quickly disregarding it, I threw it aside and opened the pantry doors.
I made my way to the back. Where most ponies don’t go. Talk about. Or know about. Carnivores are ponies too.
The meat locker.
The freezer opens up with no trouble. I see the butchers good work hanging from hooks.
As I look over the bloody meat hanging from the ceiling, was I really going to do this? Of course I was.
I chose the nearest meat item and sink my teeth in.
Quickly I drained the carcass of all blood. It wasn’t enough. The thirst was still there. Luckily, this was the Capital of Equestria, and the meat locker was well stocked for any kind of carnivorous creature. Minotaurs, Gryphons, etc.
I went to town on the whole freezer.
I slowly felt the thirst disappear. My mind returned to normal.
I took one last drink and something interesting happened.
Once I was content, I felt my fangs sink back into their original places. My mouth returned to normal, and my hand/claws were human again.
I came to understand the nature of Equestrian vampires. It seemed they.. well.. We could only drink when the curse told us to.
I ran my human-like hands through my hair again and breathed a sigh of relief. Something told me that the worst was over. For now.
Now a the next clue entered my thoughts, the library was my next stop.
I exited the locker and checked on the chef.
He was alive thankfully. I think he got away without a concussion. He’ll have one hell of a headache in the morning though.
Standing up I return to my mission.
I ran through the hallways at blinding speed. I will admit, when you don’t have an overwhelming urge to murder innocent ponies, vampirism was kinda cool.
Another thing I noticed as I ran through the hallways that should’ve crossed my mind a long time ago.
Where the hell are the guards?
I stormed into the Library and found the V section immediately.
Moving through the books faster than any human ever could I found the book.
“Vamponies: Fact or Fiction?”
The book contained reports of supposed “Vampony attacks” however none were ever helpful. Most just ended up being written off as a drunken mares tale.
Then I came upon a report where an entire town had disappeared overnight. Without a trace. No reason, no warning, just vanished.
After flipping through a few pages more I came across something interesting.
“The term Vampony came from a small country near the edge of the Crystal Empire. A small country that collapsed a long time ago called “Transyl-Mane-ia” (*ba-dn-tsst*) See “The Legend of the Scarlett Queen”
Shutting that book I run to the L section.
Within seconds I find the book. It was rather small. However, I open the Title page and there it reads, “The Legend of the Scarlett Queen: An Old Ponies Tale”
I had learned long ago that there was often more fact than fiction about old ponies tales.
I open the pages and begin to read.
“Once upon a time, in the beautiful kingdom of Transylmania... There was a good queen. She loved her ponies and they loved her. They lived in Harmony with their neighbors in Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Peace and Harmony ruled over the land. The Queen had a long red cloak that she would wear to mark herself with royalty. The citizens thus named her the Scarlett Queen. She was loyal, honest, and good. Until one day... Everything changed.
One day... the sky darkened... The dawn would not come. The ponies of Transylmania woke to the mysterious absence of the light. Some began to worry the day would never come again. They feared that it had become... an Endless Night.
The Scarlett Queen took it upon herself to find the answers for her little ponies. She had heard of a stallion who had great knowledge of the night. She had sent for the stallion.
When he arrived on her doorstep, the stallion was notably strange. His eyes were dulled from age, his mane was greyed. The thing that struck the queen most, was the shade of his eyes. They seemed to give off a yellow hue, one that she had not seen in all of her days.
She asked him many things, of the sky, of the day, of the night. He told her of a way to return the daylight, warning that the way would require... a sacrifice. Willing to do anything for her ponies, she listened. He, with a willing, crooked tooth smile, provided answers.
He told her of a place, an alter, a gateway to the heavens that would bring the return of the Sun. He then spoke of the sacrifice required. That it would require one Mare or Stallion to enter the chambers. Alone.
Many brave ponies stepped forward to volunteer. She looked over her ponies. The candidates that would serve best. She looked over them all. She knew these ponies by name, she loved them all equally and could not bear to see them go. The Scarlett Queen volunteered herself as a sacrifice.
The ponies mourned as their beloved queen, and a small entourage of soldiers, followed the Stallion into the wilderness, where they soon came upon the mysterious chamber in the mountains. The doors to the strange chamber opened, as if to greet her.
She told the guards that she must do this alone... As she stepped in, the Queen found herself shrouded in darkness. Her lantern’s light seemed to diminish the more time she spent in the chamber. The deeper she ventured. The less her party could see the light. Until at last, her soldiers soon lost sight of her long red cloak, they saw her lamp dropped to the ground and smashed.
They called her name. They shouted at the top of their lungs. But the Scarlett Queen no longer answered.
They turned to the stallion, who had led them there, but found him to be missing. They turned back into the dark abyss that had spread itself before them.
Then the soldiers heard a song, rising from the chamber.
A beautiful song, sung by the voice of their beloved Queen, calling them into the darkness. One by one the soldiers put down their weapons and their lanterns. Her voice was so beautiful. They could not resist the call. Into the darkness they bounded, one by one, eager to greet their Queen. All except one. One untrusting stallion stayed behind. He too was being swayed by the beautiful voice. He loved the Queen, but he had one fear that surpassed all. The Fear of the Dark.
As he too was about to join in the fun in the dark. He heard a cry from the bottom of the staircase. Then another, and another. The cries of surprise soon turned into screams of pain and terror as the sound of ripping flesh and cracking of bones rose up from the pit.
The young soldier was shocked in fear. He could not move. Yet he knew if he did not, that whatever monster was waiting at the bottom of the staircase would come for him too.
Then... The screams subsided. The night became quiet. An eerie calm filled the air. The young soldier, still frozen in fear. Heard small hoofsteps clopping against the marble staircase. Still he did not move. Knowing that certain death far surely upon him.
As the creature stepped into the doorway of the Ancient Chamber, the moonlight shined upon its face.
There, he saw the face of the Scarlett Queen, standing. Smiling at him, teeth stained yellow from the blood that was shed. The fur around her mouth was coated with blood. She stood there, smiling at him. Mocking him. All the while, humming a quiet, calm tune.
She then moved, not taking her eyes or demonic smile off of him, towards the soldier.
One hoof.
Then the other.
Then the other.
The closer the beautiful creature got. The less the soldier could look away. Her eyes were bewitching him. Her voice, soothed him, and yet terrified him.
As she bared down on him. All seemed lost. There was no hope. Then, a light shone on the horizon. The dark had finally been banished.*
*(See “Nightmare Moon”)*
As the light graced her fur, her body rejected it. The creatures skin burnt at the suns kiss. Letting out a hiss the creature retreated to the chamber that had claimed it... The heavy iron doors that unleashed the chains of Tartarus for a time, once again shut. The Queen disappeared, never to be heard of again.”
I close the book.
“Until now.” I whisper. I had no liable evidence of who the vampony was, it was just that feeling in your gut. And we all know what happened last time somepony disregarded an old ponies tale.
Closing the book. I now realized the true intent of the “Scarlett Queen”, or at least a small portion of it.
If I were a vampony, why would I come to Canterlot? For what purpose, and why now? Thousands of years later.
I sat and thought it over for the longest time.
I came up with a couple theories.
My first, involved sugar cookies and nachos, but that naturally wouldn’t be correct.
Then I began to think. If these ponies in Transylmania weren’t aware that the rulers of Equestria were the true reasons that the Sun and Moon circled overhead in the sky, then neither would the Scarlett Queen.
But what else didn’t make sense is why now that she came, and not sooner. What had changed? What had changed over one thousand years?
This question puzzled me for a time.
What if that stallion had something to do with it. The unnamed stallion that disappeared. Was there a third party involved?
What if the place that sealed her truly had answers. What if she learned of the Sun. What if she despised the Sun? What if she was afraid of it?
What had changed over one thousand years?
Luna came back.
I went running to the throne room. The halls were empty. The guards were gone. Missing. MIA.
As I ran I passed a hallway. I heard snoring. Loud snoring.
I stopped in a confusion and turned down the hallway. There on the ground was a troop of guards!
“Hey guys! Guys! Get up! There’s some serious sh- *buy some apples* going down!” I shout as I hear Applebloom from somewhere in my mind.
The guards don’t respond.
I run to them and stoop down beside them.
I open one of their eyes and take note of the subtle blue glow coming from the back of his eyes.
A spell.
I drop the guard realizing that it would be useless to attempt to wake him.
Looking up at the janitors closet that they had sprawled out of, I took note of the many utensils inside. Inside of them were matches, torches, and various cleaning supplies that you find in closets like that. Stepping inside I grab a broomstick.
In one swift motion I snap the broomstick into three pieces.
Stooping down I take three things from the guards. A knife, a belt, and sheath.
I ran down the hallway, sharpening the sticks as I ran. One by one I slip them into my belt.
Within a few seconds of finishing this task, I reach the throne room.
What I found inside, was something that struck fear into my heart.
I saw signs of a struggle. The throne had magic burns on it. One pillar was collapsed. Another had a chunk out of it.
The two guards that were on duty were unconscious in the corner.
They looked like hell, they must’ve fought hard.
I quickly run to them and assess them. The one on the right was breathing unsteadily. The one on the left seemed ok, he may have a concussion and/or a broken rib or two.
As I felt their bodies gently to check for broken bones, one of them stirred.
“Are you ok? What has happened here?” I ask
The soldier lets out a low moan. Once he is silent again, he opens his eyes weakly.
“Can you speak?” I ask quietly.
“P- P- Pardon me...” He whimpers. “I’m scared... It’s dark...”
“Oh... I’m sorry. Here let me get a light-” I start to move away from him.
“No! Don’t leave me!” He pleads.
“Ok... I won’t” I say quietly, “Can you tell me what happened?”
He takes a deep breath. “It all started with the bats...”
“Me and my friend Jet were on patrol in the throne room. The Princess was doing her nightly duty of protecting the dream realm. At first the night seemed to be on schedule. The storm was underway, the Princesses had successfully transitioned from day to night.” He said
He continued “Then something started to change. You know that feeling you get when something bad is about to happen? Well it began to happen. I felt like somepony was watching. I looked back to make sure the Princess wasn’t checking me out or anything.” He let out a weak chuckle. Stallions will be stallions.
“But sure enough she wasn’t and I returned to my duty. Pacing back and forth. Doing my rounds. Then I felt the strangest thing. It was like somepony had cracked a window. There was a strange draft that had entered the room. The air seemed to get colder. But seeing no immediate threat, I returned to my job. I typically don’t let the wind bother me and arg-” He stopped short.
“Are you ok?” I ask
“A-A- ACHOO!” He sneezed/
He lets out a laugh and says, “I’m better now. Feel like I have a broken bone or two and a concussion but better.”
“You were saying?” I asked.
“Well as I was saying... The draft. Well. The giant throne room doors creaked. Jet and I stopped immediately and took point as the entry was unannounced. The Princess who heard the noise joined the world of the conscious. But the door only opened a hair. Just enough for a little creature to fly in. A bat.”
“For a moment we all three just stopped and watched the tiny creature fly in. I asked the Princess if she had expected any mail of any sort as she tended to like bats. She said no. We watched it as it flew the ceiling and hung there. Jet and I looked at each other and shrugged because we didn’t know what to make of it. *cough* That’s when all Tartarus broke loose.”
“The doors flew open and I saw a dark red blur come streaking across the room. I lowered my spear to defend the Princess but not in time. I was hit by something with the force of at least 10 stallions. I was hurled into the wall. My friend Jet here...” He says while glancing at his unconscious friend. “Put up more of a fight than I did. It was then that I got a good look at the pony. The pony was in a red cloak and fought like the devil. My friend here ended up worse off than I did in the end.”
“One of the last things I saw before I was out was the Princess doing battle with the pony. I saw a blue light flash from under the pony in red’s cloak. Everything got really quiet... and that’s all I remember.” He says quietly.
...
I am very quiet.
She has Luna.
“Please tell me the Princess is ok.” Said the soldier.
I don’t reply.
“Sir... Don’t tell me that... that thing.. took the Princess.”
I don’t reply.
The soldier grows louder, “I swear to you if that thing has the Princess I’ll...” He tries to stand but winces in pain and falls.
“Hey don’t move, you need help.”
“I’ll get help when Tartarus freezes over and I’ll-!”
This pony clearly wasn’t calming down. One other thing I had thought of... She could hypnotize ponies with her soothing voice and vampiric eyes.... What if I could do the same?
I look the pony deep in the eye and send my gaze into his soul.
“Shhhhh...” I say in a very calm voice.
“I’ll- I’ll... I’ll...” He stammers.
I feel my gaze going further and further into his soul. I can feel his mind and body go under my control.
“Shhh... Goto sleep...” I say in a cooing voice.
“But I... The... Princess...”
“It’ll all be ok... Just sleep...” I say, my words working their way into his mind.
“I.. I...” He says as his eyes droop.
“Sleep...”
“I...” He finishes. He is now snoring.
I stand up and march up to the throne. I stand and look at it. Knowing now that I have no leads and the trail had gone cold.
“Damn it... Where are you Princess? Where’s Twilight? Where’s everypony?”
I kick the throne and put my hands in my pocket. My last lead had just gone dry. The only survivors that were of any use were either eternally in a trance or knocked out cold and badly wounded.
Then I feel something brush my fingers.
I grasp the object and pull it out my pocket.
A small purple feather.
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And with vampirism comes immortality. Atleast his immortality isn't earned just like that or given because he did something good.
I wonder how the princesses will react when they see him turn into a vampire next chapter. And how will he cope with the fact that he has to drink blood once in a while? Will Luna give him blood? Considering Nightmare Moon is partly vampire aswell. Meaning that she has the blood of a vampire in her?
"Wherefore" does not mean where. It means why.
I forsee epicness.
I also have to give you 10 goggle points for giving the human the same vmpire traits as appears in the Elder Scrolls games.
X10
I hope he doesn't sparkle...
a full Red Vamp-pony? it reminds me of Carmilla
3429376 I agree with you. I know nothing. Truthfully I'd keep it blank and let you find out what genre we are talking.
3429522 Fun fact: I actually knew this but in ye old Freshman English we had to read Romeo and Juliet so we would make fun of Shakespearian English
Vamponies...
Nice!?!
It's time to go on a "very enthusiastic walk"
Cookie if you can name the reference.
7838997 HELSING ULTIMATE ABRIDGED NOW WHERE"S MY COOKIE