Prologue: The Dark Awakening
In the dark caves deep beneath the earth, where no being ever went, a monolithic door of black stone stood, millennia of dust gathered on its surface. In the perfect darkness, in the absolute silence, the ornaments and ancient symbols of arcane were invisible, yet they pulsed with power. Past the dark door there was a large room with carved black stone columns. In the center of the room stood a coffin made of ebony wood. There was an ornament on the top of the coffin: a moon with unfolded black membrane wings. A motto was written underneath the ornament - Sânge Beznâ Onoare. And under the motto, a name was written - Nicholas.
High above the tons of stone and earth the moon shone, radiant in the night. It pulsed once, awash with red, a ripple of magic went through the land and deep into the ground, disturbing the ancient tomb. The deep rumble seemed to ring if one were to listen, and many symbols wrapped around the coffin lit with sharp orange light, illuminating the room. For the first time in many centuries, the perfect darkness was no more.
The buzz of powerful magic was the only sound that could be heard at first. The lid of the coffin rose in the air, mere millimeters above its base, then slid across and set itself down near the side of the coffin, barely disturbing the dust. The glow ceased, the room engulfed in darkness once again.
On the ceiling, a chandelier hung, a circle of wrought iron plated with silver, and six candles were on the circle equidistant from each other. They lit up all at once, a pale glow not unlike the moonlight.
The light revealed an equine being inside the coffin. Its body resembled that of a tall stallion, yet his tail was long and narrow and mostly hairless with only a brush of black at the end. His facial features were precise and angular, calm under the light as if asleep. His ears were big and ended in a sharp point each. His nostrils were closer to a slit compared to those of a regular pony. His flanks were emblazoned with the mark of a full red moon with unfolded membrane wings, just like the carving on the coffin's lid.
The stallion had his forelegs crossed on his chest, his head was propped with a soft white pillow with a silk cover. The stallion's large leather-like wings wrapped him like a cocoon; almost as if he was a bat himself, sleeping away in the homely darkness of the cave.
A heartbeat, a twitch, an inhalation, and his eyes shot open. They were deep crimson, and the pupils were not unlike those of a cat. There was a subtle glow to them, noticeable in the dark. The stallion breathed slowly and deeply, his eyes darting around as he took in his surroundings. Vapor escaped his nostrils, soon after dissipating into the still air, and he realized he was ever so slightly chilly. His forelegs and hind legs tensed as senses came to him.
The stallion slowly got up from the coffin and stood up on his four legs, revealing to be about two meters tall. He unfolded and stretched his wings, and they almost touched the walls of the room for how big their span was. He stretched out, reveling in feeling his body again, and the lingering stiffness went away, replaced with flexibility and smoothness he now so fondly remembered.
It was good to be alive again.
***
For the first time in thousands of years, Nicholas was able to see the soothing moonlight with his own eyes and not in his slumbering mind. It engulfed him and brought the calm he so needed, healing his soul from the madness of isolation that was brought upon him so many years ago. Despite the slumber, he still felt the centuries of near-constant pain as his body slowly healed, perpetual loneliness that only rarely was relieved, and a hunger he was not able to fulfill.
The vampire deeply inhaled the night's cool healing air. He closed his eyes and smiled as he tasted it, taking in every scent that it could give him. A smell of wet ground and wood after the recent rain, many scents of different animals that inhabited the area, everything flooded him like a wave of the ocean crashing against the shore. He did not resist, enjoying the sensation of life once again.
His eyes traced the blades of grass turning into fields, bark turning into trees and into forests. His memory of this place was different, yet it was still so much the same. In place of one oak, there were now many, and what was once a field to his right was a dense forest instead. He knew he spent a long time underground, yet only now did he realize how much time had passed since he last walked the world.
"My name is Nicholas. The First Vampire... and I have come back," the vampire spoke softly, quiet among the rustle of leaves and grass as a gust of wind blew gently. He reminded himself of who he was, of what he was. He never forgot and he knew he never would. His eyes shifted to the distant city of Canterlot visible from where he was. Anger gushed in - he knew whom to blame for the many years trapped in a healing slumber as his body and soul were put back together. He remember the painful magic that tore him apart, attempted to destroy him in his entirety. It did not succeed, and there he now stood, alive.
He glared at Canterlot, a city he hated with all his might. It changed little throughout the years, that much was clear even from the distance, and he doubted the people in it changed either. Many generations of them came and gone while he suffered. With anger, came hatred, revealing itself in an ugly, venomous expression on his face. It burned in the depths of his soul, flooded his veins with fire, intoxicated him in a very wrong and yet satisfying way.
"I HAVE COME BACK!" Nicholas bellowed, standing on his hind legs. A roar came upon the silence of the night like a thunderstorm, crashing against the serenity and calm, blowing it away with its sheer power and will. He didn't hold back, releasing all the dark memories, all the bottled up feelings he couldn't express in all the centuries of pain and misery when he was trapped between life and death.
Creatures of night hid from the terrifying vampire, fleeing away from him. He bared his sharp teeth in his powerful roar, his eyes burned with red as they glared at Canterlot with blazing hatred. No wild beast would dare to challenge Nicholas on that night.
Once it was over, silence descended again. With fire in his eyes, with renewed vigor in his body, Nicholas unfolded his wings and crouched. With one mighty, powerful flap, he thrust himself into the air.
Anger and hatred had their place, but he had to remind himself that he had a duty to fulfill. With one last look at Canterlot, he turned away from it and flew to the north.
***
Despite the lingering weakness in his body, Nicholas felt better than ever as he glided high in the sky, flapping his wings every so often to keep the altitude. He basked in the soft glow of the full moon, he enjoyed the feeling of chill air brushing past his body, and he took deep lungfuls of it, savoring the freshness of it that he hadn't felt in many years. He was alive, he was real, and nothing could take it away from him. He was not trapped anymore, and if he could help it, he would never be trapped ever again.
A village down below caught his eye, the relatively familiar scenery having changed since he had seen it last. It was at the edge of the infamous Everfree Forest, the population of which was well known to be wild and unpredictable, with the forest itself considered a cursed, dangerous place. Scholars from around the world couldn't make heads or tails of the forest in the past, and the existence of the village next to the forest made Nicholas wonder what might have been discovered since his time. Deep in the forest itself, he noticed some ruins - he decided to investigate them later.
The curious village seemed to be in the middle of celebration: fairy lights were hung between the houses, and lanterns made from pumpkin and in shapes of skulls were everywhere. The village was inhabited by ponies exclusively, it seemed, and all of them were dressed in different costumes. Some were unfamiliar to the vampire, but others were simpler: a lion or a bee or some other sort of animal, and sometimes he saw imitations of armor, and traditional sorcerer clothes like a cape and a wide-brimmed cone-shaped hat.
Nicholas wondered what the occasion was - considering the skulls, could it be the aftermath of a funeral? In his time, ponies dealt with death differently, but things could certainly change. He noted that there were decorative spiderwebs and toy spiders littered around as well. There were also strange round things hovering in the air, attached to the ground by strings. A stage was set up, where some local musicians were playing. He looked at the round things closer - a lot of them had interesting imagery, namely the side of a unicorn head combined with a crescent moon, painted back but with aqua split-pupil eyes. The other image was of an eye itself, and once more the pupil was clearly vertical, and the eye color was aqua.
Nicholas wished he could investigate further - as well as closer - but he didn't want to attract any attention even if it was possible he would be taken as someone wearing a costume himself. He huffed at the thought - his appearance was no costume.
He noticed a couple of ponies exiting the Everfree, and that revealed a path to him, one he decided to follow. Did the Everfree Forest become safer? There were no guards as far as he could see, and the path itself seemed well-tread. He followed it from above until he noticed a statue of an alicorn at the end of the path. He landed silently among the trees, unnoticed by the villagers. He looked around and, seeing no one was close, he gracefully leaped from the trees and landed in front of the statue, which was surrounded by bags of sweet-smelling foods in colorful wrappers, which he had not seen before even if the smell was somewhat familiar. He went around the statue, gazed at the features, and then something fell in place in his mind.
"Ah, so it hath happened..." he spoke softly, a note of sadness in his voice. He remembered Luna and he remembered her fears, and the statue's features very closely resembled hers to an uncanny degree, "Yet another life Cassius hath ruined."
Cassius, the King of Equestria and the father of Celestia and Luna, was not a person Nicholas would ever remember fondly, and he knew how much he favored the older daughter. It was, perhaps, a logical conclusion that Luna would succumb to the bitterness and jealousy she felt towards her sister with a father like him. Though, for her to be depicted as an alicorn raised some questions.
"Hm, could it be..." he muttered, reaching out to the statue. It seemed a bit too detailed, a bit too life-like.
He touched it and felt it, but it was just cold hard stone, unresponsive and entirely devoid of life.
"Perhaps not," Nicholas retracted his hoof. One his ears twitched as he heard someone approaching from behind. With one last look at the statue, he flew up and disappeared above the trees.
"Did you see that?" one of the ponies asked. Nicholas was already far from the group but he could still hear them. He was in the dense canopy, hidden by the leaves. The language seemed relatively the same, though it was odd.
"See what?" another voice replied.
"The... uh..." the first pony stuttered, "That thing! it was like, a really big bat!"
The group that came to the statue consisted of a few foals dressed in different costumes.
"Stop being a sissy!" a third voice spoke. "Giant bats... Maybe that was, a, uhhh... Bat pegasus? Batasus? Begasus? One of those things, and you scared them away!"
Nicholas frowned. Bat pegasi was a name he was familiar with, and hearing it from someone centuries into the future was surprising. The vampire continued his observation, thinking the foals would unknowingly reveal something more of interest to him.
"What if it was..." the second voice spoke again and paused for what was obviously a dramatic effect, "Nightmare Moon?"
The three foals shuddered at once.
"I-I think Princess Celestia wouldn't-"
Blood rushed to Nicholas' head and he didn't hear anything else. Celestia was still alive? How? He knew of exceptionally long-lived ponies, but none that lived past two hundred years, and it had been a lot longer than that since Celestia was around. Were Celestia and Luna both alicorns? Were both of them still alive? Celestia was a princess, was there a king or queen? He knew for a fact Cassius was dead, so it couldn't be him. Was there a son born to Equestrian throne who was now a king?
There were many questions that needed answering, but he still had a duty to fulfill.
***
The Crystal Mountains were an old mountain chain in the north of Equestria, named after the massive deposits of crystals. The mines that had previously brought prosperity and wealth to the ancient Crystal Empire were now abandoned after Sombra's Curse.
However, that was after Nicholas' time. The region was previously known as the Northern Mountains, barely populated due to its close proximity to the infamous Frozen North. Coincidentally, the population of then and now was relatively the same - with the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Heart gone, the region had grown colder and less hospitable, driving whoever remained away.
Nicholas flew up high and considered the changes in the mountains - they were taller, almost entirely covered in snow, and he could note a few entrances to the caves that were clearly artificial. However, the exact place many vampires considered home didn't seem disturbed, being away from major routes, and even the railroad - a curious invention Nicholas decided to investigate further into the future - was some distance away.
The sky brightened, the stars faded one by one, and the moon was now on a descent. It wouldn't be long until it was morning and then day. The horizon was tinted pink already, forcing Nicholas to quicken his pace lest direct sunlight shine upon him.
An oval-shaped valley lay in front of him, surrounded from all sides by tall mountains, leaving only a narrow and treacherous path for those who wished to enter the valley and didn't have wings. The valley was secluded from the rest of the region, and the relative richness of its resources remained undiscovered for centuries. It was the perfect place to lead a life in hiding.
Vampires, as nocturnal beings who couldn't tolerate the sun, tended to live in the caves, so there weren't many things built in the valley itself, and they had long since overgrown and rotted away, allowing nature to take its course.
There was a small entrance in one of the snowy mountains, barely noticeable from high above and almost completely unseen from the ground. Nicholas narrowed his eyes, noticing hoof marks in the snow leading to the cave entrance. He landed and looked closer. The marks were made by one person, and they were either a vampire child or not a vampire at all. Nicholas bent his head down and sniffed - it smelled like a pony.
The vampire swiftly proceeded to the cave's entrance, then quickly disappeared into the darkness.
His body was tense, his ears swiveling around, his eyes scanning the surroundings thoroughly as he inhaled the air, noticing the faint scent of the pony growing ever so slightly stronger, and more details revealed themselves to him. With a deep whiff, he could smell the natural oil found on the wings of pegasi, and another smell told him they were female in body. Vampires had a keener sense of smell than most, enough to even smell emotions. There was no fear, Nicholas knew, but curiosity and... determination, perhaps? Whoever ventured into the cave was confident and unafraid, which made them dangerous.
Nicholas knew a regular pony was not dangerous to him, for they were skittish, easily cowed, and generally closer to flighting away from the danger than fighting against it. However, he expected he would have more problems with this one, especially when he didn't yet have access to the majority of his powers and was weakened. There was something that made him even more cautious - a scent he had never smelt before. It was metallic in part, but also... somewhat rubbery, perhaps? There was something tingly about it as well, something that would make his hairs stand up as if brushed by a certain kind of brush.
First, he thought it was some kind of a weapon - the most likely explanation. He needed to make haste and find out what this pony was up to and stop them if it was malevolent.
In the floor of the cave, steps were carved in, leading further down into the mountain base. Nicholas slowly descended the stairs, his ears aimed forward. No sound was made as he moved, carefully placing his hooves, seemingly levitating above the ground ever so slightly. He continued to scan the area, now looking for ambushes and traps. The walls, ceiling, and the floor seemed undisturbed aside from the steps made by the unknown mare.
After descending for what seemed like an eternity, Nicholas finally came into a much larger cave. It was immense, astronomically gigantic, no eye could see the whole cavern from its entrance. The whole mountain that hosted the cavern was hollow; only giant stalactites and stalagmites could be seen, as well as a colossal hole high above, covered by tons of snow. Under a lot of pressure, the snow turned into ice through a very long process, years after years, decades after decades. The cave became brighter and brighter as the sunlight began to glow through layers of hardened snow, filling the cavern with a soft white, albeit slightly bluish, light.
Carved into the stone were buildings, towers, and a huge castle that stood above everything else in the cave. A dim light was visible, it shone from one of the windows of the said castle. The Vampire King looked there, seeing a shape moving around, but the distance made it hard for him to see the exact details of the intruder.
The road to the castle lay through two big opened gates. In front of the first gate stood a giant obelisk, pointing at the cavern's ceiling. A myriad of symbols was carved into it, reflecting any light that came upon them, making it seem to glow with a blue hue.
Nicholas didn't stay there for long, proceeding to go inside the castle to finally catch the unknown intruder.
The Vampire King hid in the shadows, closing in on the mare that he was searching for. He could hear the clop of hooves against the marble floor of the castle, he could see a scintillating light coming from ahead, but he had yet to see the mare in question. Her scents became more prominent the closer he got to her and yet a few of those scents were unrecognizable. The Vampire King was cautious not to reveal himself before he knew the trespasser and what she could do.
Old tapestries of dull dark-red color hanged down the ceiling, depicting the king of vampires himself and the motto of his kind: Sânge Beznâ Onoare. A depiction of a red moon was in every tapestry as well.
The gothic halls were empty, abandoned ages ago, but still intact. No cracks on the stone surface of the castle could be seen, all windows were still whole; the glass wasn’t shattered or even cracked. Overall, it seemed like the owners of the place suddenly vanished, leaving everything behind. Even a broom was left lying on the ground, covered in dust it used to swipe so many years ago.
Silently, Nicholas crept into the throne room. It was a hexagonal hall ten meters in height, supported by six decorated columns with continuous lines forming curves and sharp turns making round designs. Two windows were made on the further left and right panels, leaving the frontal one windowless. There, a throne of ebony wood stood proudly, its seat covered by a red pillow, big enough to host Nicholas in a lying position. Royal crest and the flag of the Vampire Kingdom adorned the stone wall. They looked like they were made yesterday, and yet they were covered in layers upon layers of dust.
The royal crest consisted of a shield with a winged red moon in its center, and four inscriptions, first three of which were Sânge, Beznâ, Onoare — written in a crimson red, while the forth — vampiri — was written in a darker red, all of the four inscriptions were written with great calligraphy skill, and utmost care was put into them.
A certain adventurous pegasus mare was there, examining the interior with fascination. She wore a warm wool coat that covered all of her body, a set of warm boots, and goggles, which were currently on her forehead, not obstructing her view. From under the hood of her coat, sand-colored fur could be seen, along with a pair of rosy eyes, and a strand of grayscale mane. A flashlight was attached to her shoulder, and a camera was hanging on a strap at her side.
"Amazing!" she spoke to herself, inspecting the royal crest, light from the flashlight illuminating it. Unbeknownst to her, the polished surface of the shield reflected the vampire behind her, "These must be..." she paused to think as her eyes went over the crest once again, "Over three thousand years old! And in such pristine condition!" Daring Do took a few photos, the flashes of her camera making the vampire stop and blink in confusion, "The museum won't believe that I found a city of vamponies!"
Nicholas frowned at something that the adventurer said. He kept moving behind the columns, staying in shadows, watching the pegasus closely and yet carefully, not revealing himself to her just yet. He could pounce at any moment but he decided to wait and see what would happen next without his intervention.
"Hm..." the pegasus walked to the throne and looked at it, "Where is the crown?"
"I took it," a Spanish-accented voice sounded from the entrance. Both ponies that were inside the throne room looked back and saw an earth pony stallion dressed in a similar outfit as her. His fur was pale brown in color, and a pair of green eyes looked at the pegasus triumphally. His hood was down, revealing bluish dark-gray mane. And lastly, there was a crown atop his head.. A huge victorious grin was spread across his face as he looked at the mare. At his side stood four muscular stallions, smug looks on their faces.
"Good thing that I found it before you did, Daring Do. It will auction for a cosmic amount that I will be spending the rest of my life without any need at all, as well as my children and grandchildren!" he paused, his eyes fixated on the pegasus. "See, I haven't forgotten what you did to me... And Ahuizotl will pay me a great fortune if I bring you to him in one piece."
"You again, Caballeron!" Daring Do growled, stomping, "That crown belongs here!"
"I believe it would, if those shiny, glowing... Wait, glowing?" Caballeron stared at the three rubies that the crown was adorned with. They were glowing in a crimson hue.
"The crown is mine," Nicholas proclaimed, stepping out of the shadows. His quiet, yet steel voice carried authority and power. The crown flew to his head and landed on top of it, the blood red glow darkening and intensifying, casting peculiar shadows on his face as his bright red eyes glared at Caballeron.
The castle's torches abruptly alighted; the chandelier in the center of the ceiling became lit as well, illuminating the hall and the throne room. The big double doors on the other end of the hallway closed shut, cutting the only known way out.
"In the name of Celestia..." Daring Do muttered, her eyes wide in shock. "The Vampony King..." she took a few steps back from the large figure of the vampire.
"Vampire king," Nicholas calmly corrected her, then turned to the five stallions, "Well, tomb raiders..." he glared at them but his voice was cold, freezing even, "This place belongs to me. This crown belongs to me."
The five gulped in unison; the giant vampire that was closing in on them, a menacing frown on his face. His steps were silent, seemingly relaxed, but still filled with malice. His ears were aimed directly at the stallions, ignoring Daring Do. Meanwhile, the mare looked around, hoping to see some kind of exit or something else that would help her.
"For I believe that you are no more than mere robbers, the punishment shall be severe," Nicholas's eyes flashed red, his blazing glare unceasing, "I could cut off one of your legs from each of you. However, this action may render you completely useless," he paused, letting his words fester in their minds, "All your legs shall remain in place while one of your friends will not."
A blood red lightning bolt shot from the crown and turned one of the four muscular stallions into ashes, leaving others stunned and shocked as a few drops of blood fell on the ground. The Vampire King inhaled loudly, a pleasant expression appearing on his face as the smell of fresh blood reached his nostrils.
"The rest of you shall stay in the dungeons for some time until I find some use for you," he declared his judgment. "And believe me when I say that death is not the worst thing that can happen to you."
In a flash of bright white light, the four remaining stallions disappeared in an instant, leaving only two ponies in the throne room.
"The only one left here is thee," Nicholas turned around, his eyes fixating on the pegasus. Daring Do was standing on her hind legs, barely holding a big halberd in her front hooves, using its rear end as a third stability point. The sharp point of the halberd was pointed in the direction of the vampire. However, such a position proved difficult to hold, and so the halberd began to shake as the mare struggled to keep herself stable.
"Thou canst not defend thyself against me," the vampire king said and the halberd was yanked from the mare by a bright-red aura, almost making her fall. However, she managed to land on her hooves and stabilize herself. Tossing it behind himself, Nicholas looked right into the eyes of the daring pegasus. Her eyes flashed with gray and grew duller. Her once more or less brave expression turned into one of complete fear. The king addressed the mare: "Tell me, pony, what art thou doing here, so far away from any settlement? Surely it is something important, and if it is somehow connected to this place..," he stepped closer, a curious expression on his face. "I would very much like to know."
"I... I..." Daring Do found herself deathly afraid of the vampire, frozen in place, unable to speak clearly. His eyes were enthralling, taking up all her vision. His inquisitive, interested look pierced her with such an ease, seeing her through without difficulty.
"Do not stutter, speak!" Nicholas bared his fangs, growling in irritation. He had no time to deal with sudden speech impediments.
"I am an adventurer... I was s-searching for relics. I b-bring them to museums so that everyone i-is be able to see them," Daring Do replied, her ears drooped as her eyes tried to break away from the gaze of the vampire. She was always brave and she couldn't understand why was she glued to her place, her body seemingly paralyzed.
"But didst thou not know that the things thou find'st at those places might belong to someone?" the vampire king asked, circling around her.
"I thought vamponies were extinct!"
"Vampires!" Nicholas corrected her angrily and loudly, making her fall on the floor from the sheer power of his voice as the word he so angrily shouted reverberated and echoed through the halls. "Do not call my kind like that. We are vampires!" he took a deep breath to calm down. He spoke in a few moments, his voice calmer: "We are not thy kind, even if we look mostly alike, and thou better learn it."
"Every s-single book that r-refers to you has name 'vampony'."
"Books that ponies have written are untrue, filled with lies," the king snorted, "Before coming here, thou shouldst have read books that my kind hath written."
Nicholas took his place on the throne, almost melting into the pillow. He sighed in relief, calming down completely.
"Well, what should I do with thee?" he asked tiredly once he was comfortable, "I cannot just let thee walk away."
"W-why?" Daring Do's eyes shrank to pinpricks. She still couldn't get her fear under control, her mind scared and confused.
"Thou hast crossed the borders of my kingdom," Nicholas explained it, some anger flashing in his eyes as he spoke, "And no pony doth it unless I say otherwise."
"B-but what have I done?" she took a step back, unfortunately stumbling on her own hoof and fell, breaking the flashlight. Without its bright light, the throne room became significantly darker, even with the chandelier illuminating it.
"Thou hast tresspassed," Nicholas replied. His menacingly glowing red eyes were fixated on the pegasus, seemingly trying to burn her to ashes. But the face of the vampire remained calm, his attitude collected.
"I had no idea that any vampires were still alive!" Daring Do said, her voice becoming less shaky as her fear transformed into wariness and curiosity. "This place was abandoned for longer than a millennium, and… I came here to see if it can be used as a museum."
"How many years have passed, then? Tell me, pony," Nicholas ordered, his powerful voice allowing no disobedience.
"Um, it is stated that two thousand five hundred thirty-three years ago the king of vampires Nicholas was defeated by the Royal Sisters, then all vampires suddenly disappeared... Wait, you are Nicholas!" she gulped nervously, realizing who was before her. Not just a king of vampires, but the king. It finally clicked in her mind, "Oh gosh, I was so stupid to come here..."
"Indeed thou wast, pony," Nicholas bared his fangs slightly, "Tell me, what dost thou know about me?"
"You... You are the Lord of Blood, the Deadly Shadow," Daring Do spoke fearfully, "Known among your kind as Întâiul."
"'Tis true what thou speakest," the vampire king nodded in satisfaction, "And dost thou know what I crave?"
"Blood..." the pegasus replied shakily. After a long moment, her pupils shrank to pinpricks, her heart skipped a beat. And she started to run away.
"Foolish decision," Nicholas stated, following Daring Do with his eyes, not even moving from his throne, "There is no way out of here unless I let thee go. All thou shalt do is hurt thyself."
But the mare continued to run for her life. As a last resort, she tried to break one of the windows in the hall. Unfortunately for her, the window remained unbroken, and only a painful thud was the result of her escape attempt. The pegasus groaned and fell to the ground.
"Told thee so," Nicholas chuckled in amusement at her actions, his voice carrying through the hall to her ears, "Thine attempts at escape are... amusing to me. Anyway, I am not planning to drink thy blood... yet."
"Ugh..." Daring Do groaned, standing up, "What, then? What waits for me? Slavery?"
"Slavery is disgusting!" Nicholas growled. He stopped for a few moments, calming down, "However… I shall find a use for thee either way. Until then, thou shalt stay in the dungeons. But worry not, thou shalt be placed in another cell, not with those stallions."
Daring Do was walking through the halls of the castle, Nicholas following her close behind. The vampire was like a shadow, keeping the same distance from the mare. He walked without making a noise, seemingly gliding across the floor as if he were a ghost. Daring Do didn’t turn around to check on him, sensing it that he was not going to leave her until she was in the dungeon. The pegasus wasn’t restricted, wasn’t locked, and yet she didn’t dare try to escape. As the two walked, certain doors opened before them, letting them through. There was only one path for the mare to take, no deviations allowed. Even if there was another way, she doubted her escape was possible at the moment.
She looked around, noticing different eye-catching things in the halls. Carved columns, arches, tapestries, painted walls, the castle was obviously well-decorated, time and effort was put into it. Daring Do remembered seeing and visiting the famous Canterlot Castle, and this one was at the very least an equal to it if not better. The contrast was apparent: Canterlot had a theme of warm colors like golden and white, while this castle had a darker theme, using shades of red and black. One of the most common imagery the mare could see there was a red moon; it was almost omnipresent. No matter which hall she was in, there was always an image of it somewhere, sometimes more than one.
Finally, they came to one of the lower floors of the castle. They were less decorated, simpler, and more practical. The dungeon was made of stone bricks, nothing covering them, be it paint or just simple plaster. However, it didn’t mean that the dungeon was poorly made. In fact, the bricks were of the same size, perfectly fitted together, and even time didn't make a ruin out of them.
Daring Do didn’t have much more time to look around as she came to one of the cells. Without disobedience, the mare entered it, the door locking behind her. A short metal screech resonated through the dungeons, making both the vampire and the pegasus wince, the former more so.
“I shall leave thee here for now,” Nicholas said, glancing at the rusty lock, the oil of which dried a long time ago, “I hope thou likedst this small tour of this part of the castle. Thou shalt be staying here… for a while.”
With that being said, the Vampire King turned around and left the dungeons. Daring Do sighed and visibly relaxed, glad that the vampire was gone and she could think more clearly. Perhaps, she would even be able to escape.
***
After this long day, Nicholas went to his bedchambers. They were just like he remembered them: a single large bed stood near the window, a table was nearby, and a few bookshelves on the wall. The walls themselves were a nice dark shade of red, their color dominant in the room. There was a small detail not many would notice — a red disk hanged above his bed, the patterns on it representing the craters on the moon.
In the corner of the room, there was a wardrobe. Nicholas opened it, revealing a few sets of clothes, as well as a separate place for his ceremonial armor. The armor was almost purely cosmetic, not forged for fighting; it was a symbol of status. Carefully crafted from steel, forged by the masters of the art, it was fit only for the Vampire King. Its black, polished surface reflected the light well. The armor didn't restrict his movements but granted them more weight, making his steps heavier and louder as his hoof guards clicked again the marble floor of his castle.
After retrieving his armor, Nicholas went outside his castle and headed to the big obelisk that stood in the center of the ancient city. The houses were abandoned and gloomy, and the streets were completely silent. Once a center of life, it would soon reemerge back into reality. As he came closer, the obelisk started to glow yellow, humming softly. After reaching it, he touched the surface of the obelisk, the glow intensified, a beam of light shot straight into the ceiling, lighting the whole cavern.
"Awake, my subjects. The time hath come for us to rise once again."
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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nice motto
I love it
I thought vampires don't have reflections.
8877753
It varies from folklore to folklore, really. Link shows it well.
8878154
I suppose that's true. Your interpretation can he quite different as well. After all vampires and werewolves ext. are fantasies
Oh crap
.
The King has returned...
This guy again...
.
Shit
!
Daring, unless you want to be sucked dry, you’ll answer him!
Dammit Daring!
Exactly!
Well, looks like he has his standards...
.