Fangs and Blood and other Things

by Kinetic Heat

The beginning of the end

Quick, hasty steps echoed through the gargantuan dome deep inside the mountain on whose edge the capital of the peaceful kingdom with it's graceful monarchic rulers was built. The steps became more eager as further as they came to the center.

''No... please..let me go... I didn't....do anything to...you...'' The weak voice of the white unicorn mare with the light pink mane with white accents, that had lost all it's flow and was now dragging over the sturdy floor just like her cracked hooves, frightfully squeaked from under a sack of cloth that muffled the sound even more .

''Shut up, lesser creature.'' Drops of spittle hit the badly abused face of the once beautiful model. Little streams of dried blood covered her swollen left eye, as well as the sides of her once so soft lips as the wretched being that had captured her one evening when she was taking a walk through the shimmering streets of Canterlot dragged her deeper down into the underground.

Tears streamed down her bruised cheeks as she remembered the last words she had spoken to her beloved Fancy Pants. ''I will be back in no time, my dear, I just need some fresh air. Would you kindly set up some tea? Yasmin is in order, what do you think?'' She had said. And then, after only a few moments into the city, a bony pair of hands wrapped a sturdy bag over her head and she lost consciousness due to the impact of a hard strike to the back of her head.

The next thing she could remember was the feeling of her feet being dragged over the surface of a stone floor. The whole left side of her face ached and she could only see half of her surroundings, that were, if she could have seen at all. The bag had been removed, but that didn't matter at all because where she was, light was absent. Pure blackness was around her, a never ending, impenetrable void of darkness.

She tried to stumble along her slave driver, who was relentlessly ripping on her mane. What had she done to deserve this? She had always been nice and gentle with the ponies around her; sure, she hasn't been the pony of many words, but she had never acted arrogantly or boastful, and if some gossip had escaped her, well that was totally normal, wasn't it?

Suddenly, she felt how the brute of a guide stopped and how she was tossed aside like a used towel and her limbs gave away under her as she tried to stand. The way down here had felt endless, the descent slowly, but constantly draining all of her spirits and strength, making her a defenseless object in the grasp of her master.

She could hear the disgusting voice of the creature that brought her down here say something that sounded like a question, but in a language she couldn't understand. It sounded harsh, fawning and yet had a ridiculous amount of growls in it. Suddenly, she heard scuffling steps coming towards her and in a last foolish attempt to escape, she tried to get on her hooves, pull the bag off her head and run for her life.

Sadly, the moment she was standing on shaky legs, a hand with long, thin fingers like the dried-out branches of a long dead tree, lay coldly around her alabaster neck, seemingly drawing her power out even more. She couldn't run, yet the thought of even trying to use magic in unreachable distance.

Her pointless struggling against the might that pushed her in an unknown direction only served to earn her another slap into her face, shattering what was left of her will to fight. She gave up and just let it happen, her mind already traveling to her beloved ones, a futile try to shield herself from the pain.

At once she was forced to her knees and the bag was removed. Her eyes grew wide as she took in her environment: A giant, subsurface hall of at least a few dozen meters in diameter, the ceiling approximately a hundred meters above her head, but that was just assuming, as the crystals that were embedded in the walls around her only illuminated the bottom a fifth of the cave. Never had Fleur thought that something this big would be laying under the city she was born and grown up in.

Her gaze wandered down from the invisible ceiling to the thing next to her. For the first time of her captivation, she saw who had snatched her so cruelly from her peaceful life. At the sight of the gruesome creature in front of her, words seemed to fail her. She dared not to breathe as she didn't want his fetid scent to catch itself in her nostrils.

As she turned her head in disgust, her look fell upon the gray, fearsome statue before her. It was almost three meters tall, resembling a creature of unknown origins, but not unlike a monkey, maybe a chimp, but its arms were shorter and slung around the upper part of its body, as well as its wings. It stood there with its legs firmly pressed together, its chin almost lay on its chest, its eyes indeterminable.

''Master, I have brought what you have demanded, fresh blood!'' Fleur didn't want to look at the filthy wretch to her left and kept staring at the statue, too frightened as to form a sober thought. Suddenly, two red dots flashed from the fave of the stone and a cold that chilled her to the spine washed over her. With horror she realized the complete palsy that had taken over her entire body, leaving her only able to stare at the monument before her eyes.

When a hand grasped her by her mane and mercilessly pulled back her head, a small part of her knew that it was over. The last thought that escaped her mind as the sharp splinter of a rock cut her neck open, spraying her crimson blood all over the stone before her, was simple, yet portentous.

Good bey, Fancy, I have always loved you.

And then, she was gone.

The fountain of deep red fluid that erupted from the deep wound in her throat continued to color the ground around the statue in its unique shade and as all of it had flown out, the wretched creature tossed her empty body a few meters away from the stone, the presence of the corpse a sheer insult to the event that was about to happen. Slowly he watched as the blood that clung all over his imprisoned lord vanished, being sucked and absorbed by him.

As all the blood had disappeared, he waited. And then he waited some more. And even more.

Crack.

His tiny eyes focused on the widening crack that had appeared on the rim of one wing.

Crack.

The crack spread over to the joint of the shoulder.

Crack.

Another crack, much larger than the first one, appeared straight over the crossed arms, spreading over the whole torso and with a burst, that raised a huge cloud of dust, the statue exploded.

The creature coughed, rubbed his eyes to free them from the small particles of rock and dust that had flown into it and then looked over to the spot where only seconds ago, the statue had been standing. At the sight of what was now standing there, the creature was awestruck of the sheer beauty.

Before him, his master knelt on the ground, his majestic, black, leathery wings shielding the form of his body from his servant. As he raised, his full presence flooded the cave. He was easily two meters tall, well built muscles as hard as cold steel visible under the sleeve of the purpure shirt he wore under the light chain armor. A set of thin metal plates covered his shoulders, chest and upper back, whilst not hindering his wings in their function. The lower part of his torso was covered in the gray of the chains of his armor, a solid belt holding his pants firmly to his waists, that were of a brown, leathery material, yet it didn't seem like it was tanned from the skin of any creature known to ponykind. Downward from his knees, a pair of rusty black boots with some metal plates added in the area around his ankles, calves and toes.

The creature wiggled over to his arising master, falling to his knees before him and almost kissing the floor. He waited in eager anticipation of the first words of his master.

''Servant! You have done good, the memories of this animal are fresh and uncorrupted.'' His voice was firm, yet soft. The servant rose his gaze to take a closer look. Although he had the body of a god, and if he hadn't known better, the creature would have easily mistaken him for an egghead than for a fearsome warrior. His whole appearance spoke of power, might and wisdom; if it hadn't been for the cold shimmer in his red eyes, the man before him could have easily been a philosopher or any other mental scientist.

None the less, this was his master and he was to follow every order, no matter his appearance. On second thought, though, this wasn't so unfortunate at all. If he could use his inconsiderable looks to his advantage, their enemies would probably not pay attention and could easily be overpowered.

Their enemies. Or better their enemy. Yes, he would suffer so much pain.

''Master,'' the feint echo of his screeching voice reverberating through the dome, ''We need to go, I have waited so long for this moment, please, don't torture me even more.'' He threw himself to his master's feet and started planting kisses all over said man's boots. The awoken lay a hand on his servant's shoulder, signing him to rise.

As he did, his head was merely at chest's height with his master's. The huge man towered above him, eying him curiously due to his plea. Suddenly he grinned brightly, flashing a pair of sharp, long fangs, and nodded approvingly.

''Yes, indeed, my departure is in great need.'' Tears welled up in the small black eyes of the disgusting thing as he would finally get his revenge. ''Then we shall lose no time, quick I will lead you to this son of whoremonger!''

His steps dragged him fast towards the only entrance to the cave, but when he noticed that his master didn't follow him, he turned around confusedly. ''Master, what is it? Aren't you coming for that filthy swine for what he has done?''

The lord had crossed his arms before his chest and stared at his servant with a blank face. Slowly he rose one finger and in a tone as cold as the arctic north he spoke to the minion. ''First: I am your master, as such I decide what to do. Second: it is unbecoming for anyone in my presence to speak in such a vulgar manner. And last: how do you even consider yourself to be thinking a disgrace like you would be allowed to follow me?''

The addressee froze in his step. What was he talking about? ''But, master, you told all those centuries ago that if I helped you getting powerful enough you would help me avenge the injustice that he brought over me! Over three thousand years I gathered all the hatred, fear and envy, in the world above us, manifested them into crystals and brought them to you so you could feast on their pain only to be rejected like a-''

''Silence!'' The voice of the just awoken vampire boomed through the dome, letting small rocks and debris gush from the ceiling. He walked over to his servant and stared at him, his glowing eyes seemingly piercing through his rotten soul and freezing him on the spot.

When he shook free of his stasis, he fell back a few steps, bending his knees and lifting his thin fists as a sort of cover. The sight was ridiculous to say the least. This small sign of rebellion only served to annoy his master even more and the foolish attempt of talking up was the last straw.

''I will not let you take away this moment from me! This wretched boy dishonored my sister! My whole family! And then he had the nerve to make a fool out of me in front of everyone in my village! I will not stand idly by while you-''

He didn't come to finish his sentence. He wouldn't come to finish anything. His skull cracked open and his spine shattered as he hit the wall after being grabbed by the neck, swung around like it was nothing and thrown against the nearest obstacle. The pulp that was left of his body slid down, leaving a sickly looking, almost black smearing on the wall until he hit the ground and a puddle formed around him.

The vampire wrinkled his nose of the awful stench that quickly filled the air. ''Well, I guess your sister was real bitch then.'' He walked over to the pile of flesh and ran a finger through the dark pool, holding the drop before his face and then quickly licked it up. Memories flooded his brain as he took in the single drop of his servant's blood.

Now knowing how to get out of his former prison, he ascended the long way up to the surface.

---

Celestia took a deep breath and strolled outside on her balcony, taking in the gorgeous sight of her sun melting into the horizon. It would only take a few more minutes and a whiff of her magic to make the radiant globe disappear beneath the long line in the far distance, giving away for her sisters reign.

She leaned over the balustrade and let her thoughts strive. She wandered back to the time where she and Luna had arrived in this world, when night and day had an unsteady rhythm, the ponies were haunted by uncertainty and fear of their chaotic ruler. She lasted in the moment of their first victory over the chaos as they defeated the chimera that had brought it over the land. Celestia liked to think of it as their first step into normality and peace.

Her mind went on and to the event that followed quickly after. Her victory over the dreaded king Sombra and the liberation of the Crystal Empire of his reign of terror. Though the king had managed to curse the kingdom to disappear with him, another evil was banned. She sighed of the battle that had raged almost a millennium ago. Hazel had been dancing through the rows of soldiers, mowing them down with his bare hooves, their losses ascending with every passing second. It had been a spectacle she hadn't been able to observe properly as she was to stand against the corrupted monarch amongst her sister, but the soldiers that she had overheard afterward had spoken of nothing else than the white and black Angel of Death that brought pain and suffer to their foes.

She smiled. Angel of Death was nowhere close to fitting him in any way; neither was he an angel nor was he a servant of death. He was Hazel Eyes, nothing else. He didn't long for a title, heck he didn't care about anything other then blood and more delicate things.

Oh how she desired these things right now. It were moments like these that she felt regret about sending him away. What was he doing right now, she wondered. How was his mission going? Had he found something he would give his life for? Had he even started? How she knew him he was most likely to sit in a dark cave, brooding over whatever crossed his mind.

She took a forlorn gaze on the blood red light that bathed the city below her in its luminosity, the reflections of the golden rooftops a breathtaking sight. Suddenly, although summer was just on its retreat, she felt a cold taking over her, like an arctic wind, a wave of chilliness washing over her.

She shook her head to free herself of the sudden attack and cleared her thoughts. What on earth has just happened? She didn't want to give it more thought than necessary, and just proceeded to walk inside again. It was time to give the sun the last push to slip it over the edge and Luna could take over the night, setting their realm at peaceful sleep.

As she arrived at the highest tower of the castle, Luna was already waiting for her. She nodded a quick welcome to her older sister and they both set their horns aglow. Combining their magical strengths, Celestia forced the sun to sink below the horizon and Luna assisted her. As soon as it had disappeared, Luna brought up everything inside her to help the moon climb over the other side of the now darkening sky. Celestia would have helped her with pleasure, but Luna refused her offer. She was back, and if she couldn't raise the moon on her own, she couldn't be considered the Princess of the Night, although stars set a big problem for her still. That is where she was thankful for the presence of her bid sister.

When Celestia had turned around and was on her way to her sleeping quarters, Luna took in the calming sight of the slowly falling asleep city and the ebbing of the lights in the windows, as well as the street lights that were lit up.

As her gaze wandered over the quiet streets, a little something caught her attention. It was just a faint dot in the distance, though it looked somewhat odd. It seemed to posses a pair of large wings, but the shape of its body was strange. But then again, it was dark and the thing was in far distance, and Luna didn't want to give it more thought than necessary. She turned around with a shrug and headed towards the chamber with the dreamscape, as it was not only her duty to bring out the night, but also was she in charge of providing her subjects with pleasant dreams.

---

Applejack snuggled tightly onto Hazel's chest, her mane, more scuffled and messier than usual, tickling his chin, while had lay one arm behind his head and the other wrapped around her shoulder, drawing her into a gentle embrace as he slowly stroked her arm up and down.

''Now, ain't that feelin' a lot better?'' she rubbed her cheek at the fur on his chest, and he rewarded her with a tender peck on her forehead, making her giggle ever so cutely. She leaned in on him again, enjoying his warmth and closeness as she closed her eyes.

Suddenly her head shot up and she looked at Hazel with a face like she had just remembered something awfully important. ''Oh, gosh! We need ta be careful, or someday somepony's gonna walk in on us, and Ah don't wanna give Applebloom 'the talk' yet. Ya hear me?''

Applejack's concern made Hazel laugh. With a sly smile he sat up and wrapped his arms around her again, dragging her with him as he lay back down, and whispered into her ear. ''You know, there are more places than the bedroom to have fun.'' Applejack blushed slightly from the meaning of his words, then took on a warm smile and rested her head on his chest. Yes this was exactly how she had imagined being in love, maybe even better.

Her peaceful slumber was roughly interrupted when her pillow shot up, almost throwing her out of the bed, and she struggled as Hazel rocketed up into a sitting position. With an annoyed frown she shot him an inquisitive look, questioning his strange behavior. Her annoyance quickly became concern as she saw his face.

Hazel wore a grimace of disbelief, realization and somehow, remorse had slipped into that mixture. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, then gulped and looked back at his mate. Said mare tilted her head and set herself in a more comfortable position on his lap.

''What's goin' on, sugarcube? Why the sudden change o' mood?'' She stroked his cheek with a hoof and ripped him out of his stasis. He took a few deep breaths before he signaled her to get off of him so he could stand up.

''Something is coming, something really big. I have to see myself.'' In a heartbeat, he was out of the room and she could hear the almost inaudible clops of his hooves on the wooden stairs down the hall. She quickly shook her head and drove a hoof over her head as a replacement for combing, then put on her hat and walked down the hall and the stairs as well. When she reached the base, she met up with the rest of her family, which had also gathered when Hazel had rushed past them.

They stepped out into the muggy air of the evening and saw the white pegasus gazing into the sky, the direction of his glare seemed to be towards Canterlot. Applejack and the others stood next to him, following his look, but couldn't make out anything.

''He is coming.'' Hazel's voice was a mere whisper, his eyes growing wide and his mouth opening in awe.

Then, he was there.

It took them a moment to realize that something was different. As they stood a couple of meters away from the door and watched the stars in the sky, another guest had arrived with not so much as the rustling of grass.

''Hallo, Bruder.'' With a sharp gasp, all eyes were on him. His huge, leathery wings just folded on his back as he smiled at them.

''Amaimon. It really is you.'' Hazel's tone was firm, yet Applejack could swear to have made out a small shiver in his voice. She looked from the monstrous figure to her partner, jaws dropped. ''Wait, Ah know that name! Who was Amaimon again.....'' With the realization, her jaws dropped even wider. ''Now wait just a goshdarn minute, this can't be... your brother?''

Hazel nodded at her. He turned to face the huge man and walked up close to him, just a couple of steps separating them.

''Brother, how did you manage to survive? I thought you and father and the others had died in the battle! Why haven't you come earlier? Where did you-'' Hazel was cut of by a hand being raised. As Amaimon lowered his arm again, he spoke with a scolding undertone. ''Schämst du dich deiner Muttersprache, oder wie soll ich diese barbarischen Laute, die da aus deiner Schnauze kommen, verstehen?''

Hazel fell silent for a moment, then opened his mouth again. ''Ich fürchte nach all den Jahren sind mir ein paar Begriffe abhanden gekommen, wenn du mir das vielleicht nachsehe-''

''Could ya please stahp yer fancy babbling and talk a word Ah can actually understand?'' For the second time, Hazel was cut off in the middle of a sentence, this time by the raspy voice of the elderly green mare behind him. He looked at her blankly, then back to his brother.

Amaimon just nodded and smiled knowingly at the white stallion in front of him. ''I was just teasing. I can understand and speak this language pretty well.'' He looked at the ponies behind Hazel, looking each one other carefully, then fixated his gaze back on his brother.

''A nice family you found there. I guess the orange one is your girlfriend?'' When Hazel nodded, he did so as well. Amaimon smiled straight into Hazel's face. ''Disgusting.''

Then, the fist hit the white pegasus. There was nothing Hazel could have done to prevent it. The fist of his brother hit him with a speed, he hadn't thought was possible and the force of a sledgehammer under his chin, catapulting him into the wall next to the door of the barn house. The only thought that escaped his shocked mind applied to his student.

Sorry, Rainbow, it seems you are not the one to put an end to my record....

Stars circled in his vision as he sat up and looked over his teeth. All of them were firmly in place, only a dull ache from the spot where Amaimon had punched him remained. That only meant one thing: He had held back; an assumption, that gave Hazel chills. He got up on his legs again, pushing the feeling aside and wanted to walk back towards his brother, but Amaimon was already at him, pressing an arm against Hazel's throat, cutting off his air supply and almost making him gag. Hazel tried to lift his arm and push back, but all he could accomplish was to look into his brother's eyes.

Now he could clearly see the madness in Amaimon's eyes, like a crushing maelstrom, the color in his eyes whirled in a black and red hurricane, drawing him into a world of no return. Hazel quickly looked away, a mistake he only realized when it was almost too late. The sound of metallic rattling let him open his eyes again to see how the giant in front of him raised a fist. Quickly, he stretched his head as far to the side as he could, evading the strike only by a hair's breadth, as the fist punctured the wall behind him.

Hazel had to get free of him as soon as possible. But how? Amaimon was holding him easily a meter up in the air by pressing him against the barn. Only held by the immense strength of the vampire, Hazel's mind was beginning to fade when no fresh air found it's way into his lungs. He drew his hind legs as close to his belly as he could, noticing in the corner of his vision that they were at perfect height with Amaimon's chest. He gave the strongest buck he was able to and managed to get his brother off of him, throwing him back like he was fired from a slingshot.

Finally able to breathe again, he fell to the ground, trying to stand up and looked over the scene. Applebloom had cowered behind Big Macintosh's leg, only her bow tie showing behind his knee cab. Granny Smith was yet to catch up with their movements and was staring in awe at the two brethren. When he felt a shoulder shoved under his arm, he looked up to see Applejack assisting him getting him up, her face in concern.

''You're weaker than I thought you would be. Pah, are now standing above proper training as well?'' Amaimon literally spit his words before Hazel's hooves. ''Amaimon, why did you do that? What has happened to you? I am your brother, not your foe, why do you attack me?'' Hazel's voice was still raspy, and sounded higher pitched than usual.

''Your brother?!'' Amaimon's face had turned from derision to cold hatred as he stared at him. ''The only thing we share is our father, whom you have left to die on the battlefield! You wanna know why I came back? I wanted revenge! You fled when the battle raged just because Victoria died! Well, surprise, brother, people die on the battlefield! You were our last hope! We believed in you! We needed you, and you had nothing better to do than run away like a little child! Well, surprise again, we lost the war! All of us were slaughtered.'' His outrage left him to breath heavily.

''And how did you manage to survive? '' Hazel looked blankly at his brother.

Amaimon chuckled. ''The same way you did, Alea. When the last of our kin fell, I swore an oath that I will avenge my beloved ones and punish the filthy crossbreed that caused their death. All of it was your fault and I am here to punish you! Cowards and freaks like you do not deserve to live.''

This time Hazel was prepared for his strike and ducked to the left side when Amaimon struck his right fist into his face. The arm closely gone by his cheek, he jumped into the air and simultaneously swung his leg at his opponent's head. Said vampire ducked, and used the momentum of the turn to smack his extended hand right into the pegasus' cheek.

Hazel tumbled away and rubbed over the aching side of his face. Truth be told, his attack was only a halfhearted attempt to hold his brother off of him. Suddenly he noticed the strange name Amaimon had addressed him with. He tilted his head and shot the vampire a curious look. ''Alea?''

Amaimon frowned and glared at Hazel. ''Yeah, don't you recognize your own name?'' He spit out.

Hazel looked back at the giant before him, baring his slowly emerging fangs. ''Brother, listen! My behavior was wrong, I know now. But please, you are here with me, don't fight with me. I couldn't feel more regret over my actions than I do, trust me, but holding onto long lost events is wrong! You cannot change the past, not even gods are able to do that! Won't you settle down? I bet you could stay here, all living things in this world are kind and nice to whomever they make contact with. Let go of your grudge, I beg you.''

For a moment, it looked like the lightly armored colossus actually thought about this opportunity, but then, when he raised his look at Hazel again, he laughed at him with a touch of madness that was impossible to oversee. ''You foul outflow of a whore! I'd rather rip off my wings than to make amends with the likes of you! First I will kill you, then these horses and then I will make this world mine, when all of it's inhabitants are going to be vampires just like me!''

This was the moment that Hazel realized that his brother had lost his mind. His whole being was driven by the urge of his revenge and he wouldn't stop until he had gotten it. There was no hope in trying to persuade him. Hazel straightened himself and glared firmly into his brother's glowing eyes. ''First: I am really sad about your view of things and your refuse to live together with me. Second: You will not turn a single pony into a vampire, heck you will go off in ashes and dust as soon as Celestia raises the sun again and third: If you dare to bring harm to any of these ponies behind me, then I will rip off your wings and stab you with your own fangs, got me?''

A fit of laughter broke free from the vampire's mouth as Hazel had ended his speech. Amaimon held his sides and, still snickering, looked back at him. ''You couldn't protect Victoria and you won't be able to protect her either!'' With a jump, faster than Hazel could follow, Amaimon was before Applejack and smacked his opened hand into her face. The strike sent Applejack flying against the same spot in the wall Hazel had hit, collapsing immediately.

When Hazel saw the little stream of blood that streamed down over Applejack's chin, his mind went blank. Suddenly he could hear a voice from inside him, a snarling monstrous voice that sounded more like a deep growl than an instrument to form words.

Let me out, I will slaughter him 'till nothing's left!

And Hazel, he let it out.

In a second, Hazel's fangs grew double their size, his wings extended and his eyes lost their pupils, becoming glowing red orbs in the sockets of Hazel's head. Not even a blink of an eye later he was over Amaimon, slamming a fist into his face. The impact made the vampire tumble backwards, where he caught another hit, this time a buck into his back, which sent him flying a few meters into the air.

He extended his wings and watched the white mass approach him with curiosity, then frowned as he noticed the changes on his brother. With the force of a train, Hazel's fist slammed into Amaimon's chest, sending him further into the sky, where he coughed and wiped his mouth clean of the blood that had oozed out. Hazel appeared from the side, but this time, Amaimon was able to grab him by his neck and hold him away.

He forced more pressure onto Hazel's throat, but the pegasus lay a hoof on top of his wrist and shot the other with immense strength at his elbow. The bone broke and Amaimon's limb was limply dangling off his upper arm. He clutched the other around the wound and quickly backed off of the monster before him.

The injured warrior took a closer look at his arm and analyzed his wound. The bones had been shattered in a complicated manner, little shards already scattered in the surrounding flesh. The sound of something zooming through the air made him look up and see his opponent flying with amazing speed towards him. He was able to reach out with his unharmed arm, but it was quickly shoved aside as Hazel whirled into his uninjured elbow and landed one of his hind legs onto his clavicle, breaking it as well and damaging several ribs under it, as well as denting the armor on his shoulder.

Amaimon crashed down on the ground, forming a little crater beneath him. Hazel landed a few steps away from him, ready to jump at his neck and landing the final blow, that would end Amaimon's life.

When the figure emerged from the hole in the grass, everything was like before Hazel's assault. His arm was in the right place and the only evidence that there had been an injury to his shoulder was the deformed metal plate, which he grabbed and threw away.

He grinned at the pony before him. ''Healing factor, didn't know I was able to do it, did you?'' He let his knuckles click and set a foot back, while raising his fists again. There he kept standing and awaited the knew attack. When he blinked, the clash began.

Only the outlines of their forms were visible as they flew over the whole place, the sounds of them punching each other echoing through the night air. Every here and there, their drive was interrupted when one struck the other especially hard, visible when a grimace attached to a badly deformed body stuck out of mid air, only to disappear a heartbeat later into a whirling mass of red, white and black.

Though the clash of the demons was second to none any other species could put up, not minotaurs, not dragons, heck not even Ursa Majors were able to fight at such brute, it was coming clear that Hazel slowly won the upper hand. That was due to the fact that Amaimon's healing factor was a double-edged sword. Yes, it was true that he could heal up from any minor or major injury, but it came with a price. Since healing meant to accelerate the speed at which his body recovered from a wound, it had to get this strength from somewhere. Simple put: You heal faster, you tire faster. And right now, that meant a huge disadvantage for him because the monster he had to fight simply didn't care about the scratches Amaimon got him.

Panting, he broke free from the pony, his body unharmed, but strained to it's limit. The white abomination before him bled from several spots, from lacerations in his face, over cuts and scratches on his chest where Amaimon had dug his claws into the soft flesh, to the cuts on his legs that oozed small streams of crimson blood.

He couldn't believe it; over three thousand years he had gained strength from the pain above him, only to vanquish this one foe he channeled all his hate in, and now he had to realize that he, who he thought would not be a problem, somehow managed to reach a mode where no pain mattered and power was an inexhaustible source. He didn't want to admit it, but he had to retreat. As he was taught eons ago, withdrawing from a hopeless situation to come back and finish what one has started was not cowardice or weakness.

''I shall come back, and then your life will end.'' He shouted at the pony that had still bared his teeth at him and gathered all his left energy to put it into his flying abilities. When the monster attacked him, he ducked, dug a hand into the ground and threw the dirt into Hazel's eyes, then, while his opponent was distracted he took off, shattering the sound barrier.

When the furious pegasus looked up, he couldn't make out his prey, only a flat scent of him was left in the air. Eyes still aglow and fangs grown to their fullest, the animal gazed around.

Applejack had got up from the slap that had thrown her against the wall of the barn when a wrinkled hoof carefully caressed her mane, gently waking her from her unconsciousness. She slowly opened her eyes, looking at her grandma who sat next to her, stroking her cheek where the hand of the vampire had hit her. Suddenly a headache she had never experienced in such a strong way took over her and she clenched her teeth in agony.

Crack.

The sound she heard so similar to a wet branch breaking, Applejack almost thought that Amaimon or Hazel had crashed into a nearby tree, but then she realized that it had been way too near for one of the nearby trees. She looked up and saw Granny Smith. Only, not her face.

Applejack gasped in shock as she saw the snapped and twisted neck of her beloved grandmother. Behind her stood the scary monster from her nightmares, speaking right into the elderly mare's ear.
''Don't you dare to touch her! I will kill everyone who brings harm to her...''

Granny Smith sunk to the ground, her whole body limp. Applejack watched in horror how she fell, then at the monster that looked like Hazel and back to Granny Smith's body. Just now she noticed how the monstrous twin of her partner slowly leaned over the corpse and started to bare his fangs, sinking them down on the twisted neck.

''What the hell do you think you're doin' ?!'' She jumped at the abomination and pushed him back. Grabbing him by his ears she shook his head wildly. ''Hazel, snap outta it! Ah know that ain't you! Hazel! Please, hear me! Hazel!'' She screamed into his face, not a moment stopping in her movement.

The red haze faded away as hoarse screams attacked his ears. He knew that voice. But it's sound was off, like a distorted echo of the voice he loved to hear so much. His senses came to rest and slowly he started to feel icky, like a swarm of razor blades was floating around his body. More of the bloody mist vanished and now he could see his mare shaking him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she had a reddening spot on one side of her face. What was going on?

''A...Applejack...What is...'' His voice failed him and he sunk down, slipping through Applejack's hooves. With an audible thud he fell down, his legs too weak to carry his weight, his several injuries only adding to the strain.

''Granny Smith, are ya alright?'' The weak, high pitched voice of Applebloom ripped Hazel from his dozing, making him shift his gaze to the young filly. He followed track with the direction she was staring at, only now seeing the green body a pony's length aside from him. His eyes widened at the sight of the twisted neck of the former matriarch of the Apple dynasty and he jolted back on his hooves, all pain forgotten. He looked from face to face, seeing the incomprehension, sadness and fear and knew that this was his doing.

''I am sorry...'' The last word had just left his lips as he swung himself high into the air, heading into the opposite direction the other vampire had flown off.

''HAZEL!!'' Applejack screamed at the top of her lungs, but it was already too late, Hazel was too far away. With a last glimpse at the quickly vanishing figure, Applejack collapsed and broke down in tears.

---

Celestia was slumbering before a glowing chimney, her head rested on a soft silken pillow, while she lay on the crimson carpet that had been hoof-stitched just for her.

What had Alea said? Him being defeated as soon as Celestia rose the sun? Well too bad he knew from the memories of the other white pony that had been sacrificed to grant his awakening, where she was to be found and what she looked like.

After the flight back to the place of his former prison, Amaimon had reached out with his mind and searched for the most powerful being in the city. He soon found the source of the almost painfully burning bright light in one of the towers in the castle.

Rising from the darkest shadow of the room he neared his sleeping prey, his steps not uttering a single sound. He was standing so closely to to the ruler that he could already see the light blue veins on her neck, and the sight made his fangs snap out.

His plan was simple: Kill the animal that raised the sun and then there would be no sun ever again.

Before he could sink his teeth into the soft flesh of Celestia's bare neck, however, a booming voice nearly threw him off his feet. ''I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT TO DO THAT!'' As his head turned around to see who had disturbed him in his moment of victory, Amaimon saw the smaller blue pony standing before him, it's composure not giving away if it intended to fight him.

He took on the most charming grin he could do and almost purred at the winged pony. ''And why wouldn't I, if I am allowed to ask, that is.''

''Because then she would die as well.'' A painful ache exploded in Amaimon's back, like fluid fire spreading all over the backside of his body. He jumped to the other side of the room and tried to catch a glimpse onto his back. The metal plates that had been to protect him had molten off and now a sweet scent of burnt flesh arouse from the leather that had still covered his skin from taking severe damage.

As he looked towards the two ponies again, he could see that the horn of the bigger one was glowing in a light yellow shine. It came to his mind that these animals were indeed able to channel energy into some sort of magic. Fine, be it that way, he could still deal with them like it was a walk on the park.

Driven into the corner of the room, he overlooked his chances. The room was big enough for him to at least use his wings to dodge those nasty spells, and the two of them didn't look like they were all too fast. He set up a grin and bowed to them.

''Interesting. So, if I kill one, the other would follow?''

''That is what I just said.''

''Well, then I have to take different measures. If I, for example, knock you'' He pointed his finger at Celestia, ''out, and kept you in an artificial coma, would that mean that, if I forced you'' He swung his finger onto Luna, ''to not lower the moon, that then there would be eternal night?''

''If you put it this way-''

''LUNA!''

Celestia's harsh voice cut off her sister as she wanted to respond the demon in front of them. She shot her older sister a confused look, but kept her mouth shut from then on.

''You have no chance, Amaimon.'' Celestia firmly glared at the man in her bedroom. ''We knew that you would come, when you were miles away. You should learn to suppress your demonic nature. Hazel mastered that skill centuries ago.''

''Who needs stealth when there is no equal?''

Celestia's eyes narrowed as she glared at the vampire. ''We'll see about that, Canterlot Castle is long since evacuated, we have all the space we need. Me and my sister are the rightful rulers of this realm and we will not tolerate your intentions!'' She slammed a hoof to the ground, the sound magically enforced, which served to hurt Amaimon's sensible ears.

As soon as Luna charged with her horn glowing in a dark blue shimmer, Amaimon stepped forward. There was no intermediate step when he appeared right in front of Celestia. His fist crushed into the side of her face and she collapsed on the ground. When Luna turned around, seeking for her lost opponent, she spotted him right there by her sister and he stared at her with these gruesome fireballs in his skull.

''How pathetic. And you call yourself rulers of this realm? Even a mutt would have put more of a fight. You, come here.''

Luna struggled with all of her might, but it was like her legs didn't obey her anymore. Step by step, she came closer to the monster in the black and red armor. She leaned up against it, but to no success. Like a black hole, his presence engulfed her and pulled her towards him. When he spoke, it she felt the word reverberate deep inside her.

''Und nun wirst du sie in das tiefste Verlies sperren, das es hier gibt. Du wirst sie dort einsperren, und dann wirst du einen Zauber wirken, der sie in ihrer Starre hält und du wirst ihre Magie unterdrücken. Des Weiteren wirst du den Mond nie wieder untergehen lassen. Und nun, Los!''

Luna levitated the limp body of her sister by her side, starting her journey into the deepest section of the Canterlot dungeons, like she was told. While stepping out, she could make out the faint sound of him speaking to himself again.

''All the space they needed? Ha, how impudent can one be? I'll show them what areal empire looks like. I think I will start off with the army and some confidants....''

---

A furious knock at the door jolted Twilight out of her fluffy pillows, a Starswirl the Bearded collector's edition, and she landed roughly on the floor at the side of her bed. Rubbing the backside of her aching head she traveled down the wooden stairs to the main entrance of the library.

''Who on earth is out on this time?'' She opened the door, her eyes still half shut and was nearly trampled over by an orange and yellow mass that rushed past her.

''Whoa, Applejack? What's going on with y-'' Twilight stopped when she saw that Applejack's eyes had the color of ripe cherries and the fur on her cheeks was tear-soaked.

''Applejack? What happened and why are you throwing me out of bed in the middle of the night?'' Applejack stared grimly at her, her gaze not once flattering. Her voice was hoarse when she answered. ''That's just it, it's almost noon, take a look at the clock.'' She pointed her hoof at the Ponyville Tower that stood barely visible near the town's hall.

True to Applejack's words, the clock hands showed that it was only a couple of minutes to high noon.

''That's wha Ah'm here,Twilight. Ah will tell ya evrything ya need to know, but the most important thing now is helping me find Hazel! Please, ya must have some fancy tracking spell! You must have...'' She stuttered. ''Ya must...''

Twilight walked over to her and drew her into a tight hug. Applejack kept crying into her friends shoulder as Twilight only stroked her mane carefully. Whatever it was that had put her friend in this misery, she would soon find out and meanwhile she concentrated on how she was going to solve the task of the tracking spell.

If I only had something that could get me a trace....

Comments

[Moongaze14]

Things are starting to get interesting.

[dj-pone3fan]

looks and sees "Complete" wait that's it ? ok i guess that means a sequel
but how could you end it like this

[Kinetic Heat]

4096063
Because I did And believe me, that's the most generous thing I could do, seeing how things develop in the future

[dj-pone3fan]

4096074
oh ok i can live with that

[SageBrony07]

Wow that was an interesting ending. I can't wait to read the sequel.

[Kinetic Heat]

4268641
Pssssssst, that, alongside others, is something I put into one big confession Hazel commits to Applejack in a later chapter. Again, patience is the key to everything

[Kamihate]

Hmmm, das ganze erinnert mich an eine Mischung aus Batman und Vampire Diaris und an Crocodile Dundee...
Wieso musste Fleur sterben
Ich hab sie und Fancy immer so geshippt.
Und wieso schreibst du mal deutsch ,wobei du Rechtschreibfehler hast und dann wieder englisch wo ich keine gefunden hab? Und jetzt mal ernsthaft, wie kann man Ponysex schreiben? Auserdem hatten manche Stellen so was klischeehaftes.
Ich mags trozdem.

[Kinetic Heat]

4509904 Um, kay, thanks, I guess. Now I understand Batman and Vampire Diaries, but why Mick? Hazel and Amaimon are speaking German from time to time because it was the common language of the demons. Fleur had to die because Dracula was sacrificed a fair maiden too. When you write a story like this, there are some stereotypes you just can't avoid, I'm sorry. And where did you find spelling errors? I thought my German to be flawless

[Kamihate]

4521019
Also Mick wegen dem "Sorry but the lady is not amused" am Anfang.
Genau das Gleiche hat Mick zu seinem Kumpel gesagt der die Frau anbaggern wollte. Und irgendwie erinnert mich das halt an Mick.Das Andere muss ich überlesen haben. Ich bin nicht die Beste wenn es um Englisch geht.Und" tieste" ist ein Wort , dass ich nicht kenne.
Oh und GARY SUE.