Fangs and Wings and other Things

by Kinetic Heat

Heart

The pale light of the moon shone faintly through the stained glass of the crown hall, projecting milky versions of the portrayed scenes on the crystal floor. The whole row left of the carpet was aligned with events of history long past and gave the scene in the great hall a ghostly allure.

Just to add up on the spooky atmosphere, silent notes floated around, long, drawn-out sighs from the strings of a violin, which came forth first deft and strong, then drifted off to the ceiling where their solemn sound dispensed into thin air.

Amaimon let the bow glide carefully over the horsehair strings, making sure he didn't rip them. He concentrated on his left hand, which held the fingerboard and pressed down the strings. Swiftly, he changed the position of his fingers, strung the strings with the bow and brought forth a high-pitched cry. Immediately, he let a deep note follow and created the sound of an agonized whimper.

He proceeded and played a harmonic flowing melody, which took up on the last two tones and extended them to a symphonic tale of high hopes, crushing disappointment, and heartbreaking grief.

When the tunes were gone in the archways of the ceiling, he started playing a simple gamut, repeating it over and over again, every time faster than the last until the room was filled with the squeaking sound of the waxed bow tugging the strings of the violin.

Eventually, Amaimon calmed and let the notes flow off to where their precursors went. He sat the bow down and tugged the strings with his fingers. The bell-like plings were held in a delicate manner, each picking up just when the last was about to fade.

Satisfied with the outcome, Amaimon set the violin and bow down and started for the entrance of the crown hall. Playing the violin was a wonderful practice for him. The older a vampire grew, the more powerful he became. When he had fallen into his stasis, Amaimon was well past a thousand years, but since his slumber had been so long, his strength, speed, and perception had grown by a huge degree. He had a hard time getting used to it at first, crushing pretty much everything he touched into splinters and shards.

If he wanted to make a single step, he found himself standing meters from the point he had stood only a second before. If he wanted to pick up a mere rock from the ground, the moment he closed his fingers around it, the rock burst to little bits. It had taken him quite some time to get accustomed to his new traits, therefore he had spent some more time in the cave of his awakening. Every little sound around him, be it the dribbling of a drop of water, gusts of wind and streams of air in the wing groves below Canterlot, or even his own breaths and footsteps, he could hear it so clearly.

There was a period of time where he had cowered on the ground of the cave, his hands covering his ears from the noise all around him. There was too much for him. Even the spare light in the cave had blinded him to the point where his eyes stung, his head had been aching, and he was at the point of suffocating from the smells that flooded over him.

Eventually though, Amaimon's body got used to it, and he ascended to the surface. Now he was the self-announced regent of this land and everyone who knew him payed him huge respect. The play on the violin helped him define his precision even more, with the fine manner this instrument was meant to be played, his fine motor skills had improved at an exponential rate.

Amaimon strolled over to the entrance of the throne room and, just as he reached the door frame, froze still in place. Three breaths later, a knocking was heard from the other side. He reached for the handle and pulled one of the leaves open, revealing a white unicorn guard in full armor standing in front of him. With a blank expression on his face the stallion saluted and reported, “Sir, you wanted to be informed when she wakes up. She is awake now.”

Amaimon nodded his approval and gestured the guard to lead the way. They passed through over a dozen hallways, took multiple turns, all the while being followed by the clopping of the guard's hooves on the polished floor.

They arrived in front of a simple door of thick oak wood, a carved shield atop the entrance with a spherical object that resembled a drop. It was questionable what fluid the drop consisted of, though.

The guard saluted again and positioned right next to the door, looking straight at the opposite wall. Amaimon took a last glance at the guard before sending his mind into the room behind the door. As he had expected, the cell was empty save for one pony, whose thoughts flashed from insecurity over confusion to panic. It was obvious that the poor thing was overwhelmed with her new form.

With a soft push, the door opened for Amaimon and he walked in, emanating an aura of calm and stillness to oppose Vinyl's fear. She was sitting in the center of the room, a handful of books scattered around her, as she helplessly flailed with her wings. She jumped up, her eyes wide with terror as she stretched her new assets, then flexed them back and jolted away.

She pressed her chest up against the wall, the leathery wings flapping wildly. Her breath came in short huffs, and she was sweating heavily. With a shove, she pushed herself away from the wall and came to lie on her back. A sudden burst from her wings extending sent her stumbling for ward and right into Amaimon's arms.

He wrapped one arm around her midsection and pressed her firmly to his chest while carefully setting one hand on her forehead. He closed his eyes, sent his mind into Vinyl's and the white mare went stiff. A moment later, she felt a cooling wave wash over her and shooed the fear and panic away. Everything fell into place, and she asked herself why she was so afraid in the first place.

Amaimon let her down where she spun around, twisting her neck to catch a glimpse on her wings. They were white like her fur, although very thin. The bones felt so light to her. It bordered to a miracle they didn't snap at the slightest motion. The second joint was so flexible, even though it only bent two ways. A membrane started an arm's length from where the wing erupted from her back, and spanned to the tip. It was as thin as a sheet of paper, yet it felt strong.

With an unsure look, Vinyl glanced up to Amaimon. The expression she saw on his face was emotionless, yet not cold or unfriendly but rather observant. She became aware of every hair on her body with him looking at her like this. Vinyl was unsure whether she should try and start a conversation or wait for him to say something.

As time went on and both of them remained silent, Amaimon started for the bed. He walked over in three long strides, sat down, folded his hands in his lap and fixated his red eyes on Vinyl. He took in a breath through his mouth, attempted to say something, changed his mind and just exhaled, blinking, smiling. He scratched his chin and then looked out of the only window.

”The moon is beautiful tonight, wouldn't you agree?”

The question surprised Vinyl, though she remembered his voice now. She turned her head to look out into the night and saw the moon. “Yeah,” she answered. “Pretty.”

”Although?” Amaimon asked, not turning his attention off the firmament.

”Although nothing. Why should there be an although?”

”It sounded like you were going to make a remark about something, or someone being more beautiful.”

Vinyl stared at him. How did he know? She remembered him being in her room at the nightclub shortly after Octavia had left, but how did he possibly know what she was thinking about saying?

”Because,” came the immediate response, “that is a skill you are going to develop soon, too.”

Vinyl's eyes went wide. “You can read my mind?”

Finally, Amaimon turned away from the moon and looked directly at her, the light creating shadows that covered half of his face. As he spoke, those shadows twisted and changed at every motion of his mouth, and his eyes shone like two fiery rubies.

"Vinyl Scratch,” he boomed, “I have chosen you to be my first steward. You will address me with “Master”, you will follow each and every order I give, you will learn the ways of your new nature, and you shall never regret anything you do.” He suddenly stood up and knelt before her, taking her cheeks in both hands and staring her dead in the eye. “Have you understood?”

A brief moment of fear washed over Vinyl's face, but she kept the eye contact, drawing courage from him. The way he looked at her, how he talked, his firm hands... it made her want to follow him to the edge of the world and beyond if he told her.

With grim determination, Vinyl nodded a single time, as she watched a smile appear on his face, the obscuring shadows making him look like a madman. She didn't care what he looked like, though. Maybe she was going to follow a madman, he filled her with courage, with a desire to get working. As she saw his smile widen and the sharp fangs poke out from under his upper lip, Vinyl was beaming inside.

As he was making for the door, turned before reaching for the knob. “Rest a while longer, Vinyl Scratch. When you feel ready, go to the gardens and wait there.”

Again, she nodded. “Yes, Master.”

The door closed and she sunk down on the bed, mind spinning and heart thumping.

---

The two door leaves of the great Canterlot library swung open as Amaimon pushed them in with ease. Like every other room in the castle, the light of the full moon shone through the windows on the floor. Rows of shelves were lined up over three stories, not counting the pair that was exclusively for the princesses.

As he walked soundlessly through the stacks of books, Amaimon noticed how quiet it was. Only the occasional rustling of his clothes or the stream of air when he breathed penetrated the silence in the library. Amaimon's eyes darted across the room, from cover to cover of the books to his left and right. He quickly skimmed over the titles. Judging from the subject, he was in the medical section, anatomy of the different races, healing powers of roots and berries, a catalog about poisons and cures.

He passed the rows of shelves and came to an open space in the center of the library, furnished with half a dozen round tables and six chairs to go with each. The tables and chairs were not the only things, though. In a symmetrical pattern, the tables stood around a huge globe.

And seated at the wooden ring sat a dark blue mare, her ethereal mane covering the one side of her beautiful face Amaimon could have seen. She was bent over a heavy tome, and he could feel her not even noticing him as he approached. Silently, he continued step after step until he stood right behind her.

”An interesting choice of literature.”

Luna's head snapped around, and Amaimon was met with a mouthful of her mane. As he pulled back and freed his mouth of hair that had stuck in there, Luna squinted suspiciously at him. Her mood had taken a swing for the bad. “What do you want?”

Forcing himself to keep the eye contact, Amaimon smiled awkwardly. “You look lovely tonight, my princess.” As soon as the words were out, he noticed how plump they sounded, so he added, “not that you wouldn't look lovely every other night, I mean in this light, as in any other light, you-”

He cut himself off. This was going into the completely wrong direction. He was making a fool out of himself, worst of all in front of Luna. He bit his tongue to hold it from any more ridiculous blathering, and consorted to simply looking at her. He was sure this was one of the most embarrassing moments of his entire life.

As the silence continued, Luna cocked an eyebrow inquisitively, ultimately tilting her head. Amaimon continued to stare at her wordlessly, his eyes meeting hers then quickly looking into another direction. Amaimon cursed the natural pale color of his skin, which only helped to empathize the reddish color his blush helped to accentuate his cheeks with.

”I’d ask you what is wrong,” Luna said, “but I do not care at all.” She turned back to her book, ignoring the vampire behind her. “Leave me, this book is more interesting than you could ever be.”

That drove a thorn through Amaimon’s heart. With imprisoning Celestia, he hadn’t done the best job of catching Luna’s eye in a good way. But she caught his eye, and how she did it… Amaimon couldn’t remember the last time he had seen somebody so beautiful.

The way her horn was carved spiraling elegantly to the tip, the way her head ended in her lean muzzle, those shining gentle eyes with the sensual long lashes, that gorgeous lean neck of hers, that mane like a thousand stars in an everlasting night, her majestic wings, her slender legs. There were so many things that mesmerized Amaimon in ways he never thought possible. He had to have her under all circumstances.

”I, uh,” Amaimon stuttered, “I wanted you to accompany me in a walk through the park.” He fidgeted his hands and tried desperately to hold the eye contact. Please don’t say no, please don’t say no, he thought, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Luna raised an eyebrow and tried to make something of the situation at hand. There was something about him, she just was not sure what exactly. His awkward demeanor, his drop of status when she was present.... It all lead down to only one single conclusion, but that was ridiculous. Luna rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned back to the book before her. “You will have to command me.”

Amaimon cringed. “I would rather refrain from doing so.”

”Then you will have to walk on your own,” Luna responded, her mind already caught in the the letters and sentences she was reading.

Amaimon clenched his fist and stared at his feet. Shudders ran over him and shook him where he stood. “Alright,” he said, quietly, almost a whisper only, ”I’ve tried being nice. You want to act like a child, then be it so.” The shivers stopped as suddenly as they had started. With a loud wap Amaimon slapped the book shut and forced Luna to look him in the eye. “Princess Luna, I command you to follow me on a walk in the Gardens.”

”Very well then,” Luna replied coldly as she stood up. “If that is what you wish.”

”It is,” Amaimon grunted back. He would not let her have the last word.

The pebbles and little stones crunched underneath Amaimon’s boots and Luna’s hooves as they strolled along a trail between the ornate bushes, tree lines and hedges that stood quietly and unmoving all around them. Silence was the third member of the little crowd, yet it talked the most.

Oh for the love of- Why won’t she take a hint? Amaimon thought, trying not to glance at Luna who walked only two steps behind him. This farce was growing worse by the second. I need to break the silence… But what should I say? OK, OK, I have all the time in the world. I should start with a compliment. Princess, your mane looks mesmerizing in this light. Yes, that should do.

”Princess,” Amaimon started, “your mane looks mesmerizing in this light.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “There is hardly any light to speak of.”

It was as if she had hit him in the guts. Amaimon held his composure as well as he possibly could. Alright, there goes that. He wrecked his brain in search of a continuation, but found his creativity barren. He must not give up just now, though. Come on, think. Oh, maybe…

”That might be so, but even with only this mere glow, your beauty manages to shine.” This ought to get to her!

”Mhm.”

Her deadpan retort made him stop dead in his tracks. He stood rooted to the ground, looked focused into the far distance of the pitch black night sky and let Luna walk on by. He saw that she didn’t even notice his sudden halt and walked another three steps before she turned to him.

Wordlessly, she slowed down and waited for him. Luna just watched his frozen form, her face an unwavering neutral mask.

”Listen.” It was only a whisper. “I can understand why you are behaving this way,” Amaimon said more loudly. “But I swear… If you don’t talk to me like anybody else-” Amaimon’s head snapped around “- I am going to make you regret it.”

Luna’s eye twitched as she suppressed the urge to blink and stared him in the eye. “Oh yes, try it. There’s not much you could do to make my life more miserable than it already is.”

”Shut your mouth!” Amaimon yelled. Despite the rather mild temperature, Luna felt a slight shiver. “I have been incredibly generous towards you. You were allowed to go anywhere inside the castle, you had but one duty and I never asked anything of you until now. It is about time you showed some thankfulness.”

”Thankfulness?” A shade fell on Luna’s face. “I should be thankful though I may see my former home turned into a prison that I may see every quadrant of? Thankful for you throwing my beloved sister into the dungeons like a high traitor? Thankful for you forcing me to let everypony’s world grow dark? Thankful for you to hurt and vow to kill my Hazel for something that is not his fault?” Luna looked down and inspected the silver armor on her hooves. “I guess I really should be thankful for that.”

Amaimon’s eyes began to glow red. “Cut the irony and talk directly,” he commanded her. The last one had stung. “When will you finally understand that I am not the villain in this? I do the things I do not without reason.”

”Of course you do,” Luna mumbled.

”Yes, indeed.” He closed the distance and knelt down in front of her to beat eye level with her. “Alea needs to be punished for his desertion, law wants it so. This land is weak against outward threats. The only defenses you have at the moment are Celestia, yourself and Alea. I have fought him on one occasion and proved his combat abilities. Combined with the two of you, he can hold even against man armies. But,” he raised a finger, ”he is not invincible, and therefore unreliable. What this land needs is a well-fortified army.”

”No, we don’t,” Luna replied snippily. “We live in a time of peace. That is thanks to Hazel’s strength. The last time there was almost war was when I let myself go and turn to my anger and wrath. Even then he stopped me. Now we are on the edge of war because you are wagering it upon us.” She fell silent and glared at him.

Amaimon looked back without faltering or doubt. “Now you are living in times of peace. But what happens when everybody forgets about your special weapon? What happens when your foes threat you once more? What when they figure his weaknesses? You need an army. A true army. I have inspected the conditions here and they are insufficient to my expectations. Therefore I need to restore them to be capable of their original purpose. As you probably know, this will take some time. I need to work all the time, but since I don’t react kindly to sunlight, I need you to keep the day away, so I can do what I must.”

”And imprisoning Celestia served which purpose?”

”I knew you and everybo- everypony else would not understand the necessary changes I had to make at first. So until I have everything arranged, she will stay where she is for her own safety.” He broke the eye contact and exhaled. “Will you try and see that I’m not a bad guy? I’m not without reason. All I ask of you is to cease this coldness. Princess Luna, do you not realise how much I’m drawn to you?”

As he brought his face closer to Luna’s, she jerked away. She assumed a battle stance on the spot and lit up her horn, expecting an attack. When the initial shock passed by, she looked incredulous at Amaimon. “What in the name of the Eternal Herd do you think you are doing?”

”I-” Amaimon began. “I- uh…”

Luna loosened a bit but kept the distance to the vampire. “Explain yourself! What was that just now?”

A red flush filled his face as he stuttered, “Princess Luna, wait. I- I was trying-” Amaimon broke and looked away, embarrassed.

”Spit it out,” Luna said slowly, daring.

Gritting his teeth, Amaimon clenched his fist tightly. “Princess Luna, I love you. There you have it.”

Luna went pale. She had been aware of his weird behavior, but she had not anticipated this to be the reason. She stumbled back one step. “What are you saying? Are you out of your mind?”

”The opposite, I have never been more clear.” He stood up and tried to approach her, but Luna backed away once more. “My entire life I have served in my father’s duty and I could not have been more happy about it. I had influence, others payed me their respect, father loved me. I’ve never had a companion because I found none of the admirers loveable. But you… You are something else entirely. Not only do you look beautiful on the outside, you have something that everybody else was lacking so far. You know how beautiful the night truly is.” Amaimon stared intensely at Luna and it was as if the sparkling of his red eyes burnt itself right into her brain.

Luna shivered. Her feeling of coldness had turned to downright freezing. She looked for a way to escape this hairy situation. “But,” she pressed out, “the vampire females sure knew to appreciate the night, did they not?”

”No,” Amaimon replied, “they did in fact not. They all saw it as something that was given, something so common. They had no eye for the true beauty of the night. Not you. You bring the night, you are the night!” He got closer to Luna. “Nobody appreciated your nights, right? This is why you became something else, was it not so?”

”’Tis true, yes,” she admitted hesitantly.

”But I am not like these ungrateful subjects that troubled you and drove you into despair. I can see what wonders your night holds. Don’t you see? We are destined for each other!” He clawed at his chest and sank to one knee. “Please, Princess Luna, make me the happiest man in this world.” When he saw her shocked and tensed to the point of snapping, he added, “I guess I could make arrangements to let your sister out of her cell. We’d need to compromise on the length of days, but with some effort it can be done. It will be done, for you.”

”Amaimon,” Luna said, still horrified. ”I cannot.”

”Surely you can! You only need to say-”

”I can’t!” Luna cut him off. “I love Hazel Eyes!” She shouted the words in Amaimon’s face.

A heartbeat of silence stood uninterrupted between them.

”I love him, not you, Amaimon. He is everything my heart wants. He may be a cold blooded killer, a ruthless executioner and a merciless soldier, but he is also kind of heart, he knows empathy, he is a romantic and also he possess skills in the bedroom you cannot hope to come remotely close.” Luna sighed sadly. “I know also that I’m never going to be together with, ever. But that doesn’t stop my heart beating for him. He was the first to value my nights unlike anypony else. I love him for that and I always will.”

Amaimon was a statue, unmoving, lifeless. Only the faint noise of his breath rustling gave away the signal he was still alive. The silence dragged on for seconds. Seconds filled with fear for Luna. Seconds in which her future circumstances would be decided upon. So she did the only thing she was able to: wait.

”Very well.” The sound of Amaimon’s voice seemed to resonate through the night air. It had a kind of booming, a pounding to it, that had not been there before. Before long, two armed guard ponies came trotting over two where he and Luna were standing. “Soldiers, escort her Highness to her chambers and make sure she stays there until I decide otherwise.” He turned to Luna and the glow in his eyes was dead. “Do not resist. Do not try to escape. Do not try any tricks. I will know. Good bye, your Highness.”

The guards took position on either side of Luna and made ready to leave. “Amaimon,” she called out to him, “this will not change anything! You can lock me away for as long as you want, I still only love Hazel!”

Back turned and making for the opposite entrance of the castle, he replied coldly, “I hope so. I am going to bring you his heart on a silver platter as soon as he dares to attack.”

Guts frozen solid, Luna let herself be half dragged to her room. Her fighting spirit had taken a heavy blow.

Comments

[Robipony]

Do you plan on continuing this story?

[Kinetic Heat]

7684174
Will do, because I owe you guys that much, but it doesn't feel as nice as a hobby as it did when I started, so... welp, time will tell.