Blood Curse Hunters

by Rarity Belle

Chapter 12

It had all happened a couple days after Rarity had been sent to the hospital. A couple days that would have begun to reshape the entire future for Equestria and everypony living in it. Princess Luna wandered through the halls of Canterlot Castle with a worry on her mind that she never expected to have. A deep sigh was released through her nostrils while she kept herself away from the moonlight. “Something has to happen, that much is certain. Control is slipping away and you know that,” she mumbled to herself.

Even though she wandered through a deserted part of the castle, she was still paranoid that other ponies could be listening to her words. Words that were spoken to herself but said in a manner as if somepony else wandered right next to her. “What could be done, in order to secure yourself, but at the same time make sure they believe you too? Vamponies on the rise, wereponies pouring in by the dozen. Trouble is about to come and you know that,” the princess muttered to herself.

Her attention shifted away from the hall and to one of the many windows present. The moonlight was cast straight to the ground and the alicorn spread just one of her wings. When it came in contact with the moonlight, her horn coated itself in the magical aura. A spell was spoken to reveal the true wing she carried, or at least a morphed version of it.

Because in the light of the moon did it turn from blue feathers, to blue skin. On wing remained that of an alicorn, the other turned into that of a bat-pony. Luna sighed again before she nodded. A plan had been made and the batwing was tucked against her body, morphing back to its usual state. Conflicted was the word that best fitted the princess in the moment.

~~~~

The night was no longer as safe as everypony thought that it was, because about two weeks later, all hell would be breaking loose…

Luna sat once more atop her throne while the moonlight flooded the place whole. Her guards stood where they should moments before the doors opened with unseen and brute force. In the doorway stood a commander of the Lunar Army itself, dragging something behind him.

The princess was naturally surprised by what had happened and she could hardly believe it. The commander continued to drag it across the floor, only to end up throwing it in front of the princess. What was revealed was a blood covered body of a deceased earth pony stallion. The commander panted deep and streams of sweat and blood went over his entire body. Luna didn’t spoke a word, he would have come quick enough with his.

“For nearly two hours, for nearly two damned hours have I been battling that, monster,” he snapped at the princess. “This thing, this abomination of life and creation, is something that becomes a more increasing sight in the land, your highness. The terror that they can spread, you won’t believe. Something has to happen, if we want to ensure safety for all!”

Luna’s lips curled up in a grimace while she stood up from the throne. “Oh trust me, commander, I know exactly what is going on. I take it that you saw the fangs it carried?” the princess asked of him. The commander only gave a nod. Though to confirm it, Luna went down the steps and with her glass slipper, she moved the lips up, indeed revealing the elongated fangs.

There was no more doubt in her mind, whatever had attacked the commander, was a vampony. A creation gone wrong and one she still tried to find the one to blame for in fact. “Commander,” her attention shifted back to him, “what you found here, is called a vampony, half bat-pony and half immortal. Dreaded creatures forged in the fires of Tartarus. They have been forged for one purpose only: to imbed fear in the hearts of everypony.”

“I understand that, your highness, but it took me nearly two hours to kill it. And even then I had to check whether or not it was actually dead,” the commander returned. His posture became a bit more relaxed, though the words of the princess were everything but comforting to hear.

“I trust that you kept this to yourself? Only those present in this room know what you have done? And perhaps most important of all, where did you battle it out?” A series of questions that required answering by him.

The stallion saluted her as his racing heart had finally calmed down. But Luna began to roam around through the room. She began to just walk without aim, her glass slippers clopping soft against the stone. “Only the ponies in this room know what it is, numerous have seen me dragging it in though, I’m afraid. But I fought it in an unlikely place, just outside of Canterlot, in the mountain range itself. What could it have done there?”

A question was returned to her, one of which Luna wasn’t too fond on. But the princess gave just another nod with her head. “It has come from the pits of Tartarus, created by most likely an ancient being we have no concept of, a being like this is dreadful, but I fear their counterparts even more. Lycans, or wereponies are probably also going to rise. We, need to act fast in order to stop this menace,” countered Luna moments before their gaze met one another.

There wouldn’t have been any doubt in the matter. Something had to be done in order to stop the rising terror. The commander saluted her again before he left the room. Calm then washed over the princess who gave a deep exhale. “You foolish mare, you could have had everything you desired, but no... You choose to let them sail their own course. You are indirectly responsible for the actions that I have to take now.”

Luna’s attention slowly shifted back to the murdered pony and she had another look over him. All the signs were there, that much she could tell. Something had gone terribly wrong and it was up to her to clean up the mess. There where her sister would have used Twilight or somepony else to do so, Luna didn’t have that luxury. No, there had to be another way for her to clean the mess to come. “Starting from tomorrow night, the Night Guard shall be put back into control. Gone for just over a nine hundred years, finally re-established with the current threats glooming over the horizon before us. I’m sorry to say this, but it has to be done.”

Nopony would have argued with the princess, all of them knew that she was right. It would have been from that night onward, that the secret order would be brought back to life, protecting the innocent beings of Equestria while cleaning out the immortals. All because somepony had been stupid enough to do something that shouldn’t have been.

Luna’s eyes went back to the windows and she took the view outside to herself. “The world’s about to change, and Celestia won’t be standing at the helm for a change. No, this time it is going to be me that will be the face of the changes to come.”

The more she rambled on with her words, the more Luna couldn’t take herself serious any longer. All of her words were just stupid, out of place and definitely not worthy to be spoken by her. Everything that happened so far, could all have been blamed partially on her. “Oh Rarity, you foolish little mare, you make a mess of the world and I get to clean it up...” The truth, was a simple as that.

~~~~

While the weeks continued on, the Lunar Army couldn’t spare too many ponies in order to help with the re-establishing Night Guard, trouble would have been on the next corner and nopony could have realized it. Everything that could have happened, should have been prepared for. Which meant that a lot of recruitments should have been made. The threats of wereponies and vamponies was usually enough for each town to set up a center where officers and commanders could spend some time, recruiting all those wanted and able enough. Equestria would have been mobilized as if it had gone to war with another nation, problem was that that nation had already infiltrated their very home.

Though the entire thing was still in its early stages. Nightly raids didn’t seem to happen yet as both immortals kept themselves just to themselves. No true public occurrences happened, for which Luna was happy. If attacks happened, it would have been travelers that became the victims. They would have been foolish enough to travel in a convoy that wasn’t protected by a bat-pony.

Unfortunate as their death were, they also served as a reminder for the hell Equestrian night has been thrust in. The unfortunate victims of the night, would only have served as food for the dreaded creatures that roam around. But what could be done against the menace of them at that point? Trouble would have come either way, their numbers were few so finding them was an even more difficult thing. No, time would have decided as to how everything would have continued.

For nopony knew how it happened, but fiction had become reality. Not even princess Luna could have placed her hoof on a suspect that was the cause of it all. Because even her accusations, were just speculations. Everything that was known, could have changed in an instant.

~~~~

“And that is why the Night Guard is seeing the light of night again, Sweetie, to protect the innocent from the monsters that start to dwell through it. Worse than dragons and hydra’s, more deceptive than changelings, there are some true monsters out there,” finished Twilight. She had told the whole story as it was known to her, which wasn’t much to begin with.

Sweetie nodded in understanding to Twilight before she laid back down in the lawn chair again. It was a short story, she had to admit that, but also one that shed some light on a couple of thoughts. Perhaps, just a silly strain in her mind, she would have joined them once her magical abilities had grown stronger. Would Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have joined her too?

While Sweetie continued to bathe in the then late afternoon sun, Twilight got the faint idea that it was perhaps time to step up their game. Even though Sweetie’s shields were weak, she could still call on them. With the right amount of training over perhaps a week or three, she would be able to cast better shields than Twilight ever could have.

It was worth a shot, but one that also could have gone in the wrong direction very quickly. “Sweetie, I’ve been thinking, you’re growing fast, there’s no lying in that. And you can levitate items with exceptional precision, so I think that it is time for you to grow. To get a better understanding in the arcane arts,” said Twilight with a sure and determined voice. Time had come for Sweetie.

At first was there a mumble that didn’t make much sense to Twilight at all. But then Sweetie rose up again from the chair and she blinked a few times. She took away the glasses and had a much better look over Twilight. Had she truly said those words? “And, what do you want to train me in then?” Sweetie asked of the other unicorn.

Twilight’s lips curled up to a smile. Not a definitive answer yet, but she would be getting there. All in good time. “I want to train you in something that you’re going to need very hard with everything going on. I know that you’re an adventurous type of pony, so are your friends. Which has brought me to the conclusion to teach you how to save them, and save yourself. Silly question perhaps, but how are wars won, Sweetie?”

The question was indeed one that came out of nowhere for the young mare. A question on which she had to think hard about the very answer. Of course she wanted to say that the best way to win a war was to give a great offense, but it was Twilight she spoke against. One thing that Twilight never did, was attack without reason. Even when attacked herself, she wouldn’t have done it.

Which resulted in her face all the sudden starting to gleam. “No, you’re joking here, right?” Sweetie asked with disbelief. She couldn’t believe the direction in which Twilight was heading. The young unicorn had not even the faintest idea how hard the training would have been, but she would be ready for it. If she could have saved her friends, she would have done.

“I still haven’t heard the answer to my question, Sweetie.”

An exhale was given by the young mare before she nodded. “You’re right, the best way to win a war, is to have a good defense.”

“There’s your answer as in what I will train you next. We’ll start, the day after tomorrow.”

Comments

[cosmic flash]

So, Rarity no becoming queen and ruling the world is causing chaos that Luna has to deal with then?

[MasterC0re]

yay update!