Chapter 11: The Signs
Daring Do was sitting in the room all alone, trying to enjoy her food. And yet, the image of Nicholas biting into raw meat appeared each time she tried to take a bite, making her gag. She had seen plenty of things, she had read about many more: sacrifices, prophecies of apocalypse, weird rituals; but seeing someone casually eat a bloody piece of meat did it for her. She didn't mind eating cooked meat, but the sight of raw meat with blood sent shivers down her spine.
For a long time, she sat in her chair, barely eating her food. The voices of Nicholas and Damu Msemaji spoke in the background, muffled by the door. Daring Do lost the track of time as she continued to nibble on the food, eating it bite by bite and chewing it slowly. She wondered what exactly the Zebrican Queen and the Vampired King discussed, what plans were being brewn. An alliance between a sun-filled Zebrica and a dark Vallaer seemed unlikely, but Daring Do was reasonably sure they would come to some sort of agreement. Damu Msemaji was an interesting person, and something about her didn't seem quite right. For some odd and unexplained reason, the crimson eyes of hers made the adventurous mare think of the vision Lună Roșie gave her. She could feel that the strange goddess of blood was behind this somehow, and it only meant one thing – Vallaer and Zebrica would unite for one cause or another. She didn't know what it meant, but she was certain it would leave its mark in the history of this world.
Daring Do didn't care much about politics, but they shaped the world. Through politics, countries were made and destroyed, forgotten and banished, built anew and reborn. Ruins of cities, forgotten scrolls of wisdom, many of the things she had seen during her lifetime heavily depended on the people, and the people united through politics, waged war through politics, and brought peace through politics once more. Even if she didn't know much about what exactly went through people's heads when they discussed various political decision, it was clear that they influenced the countries and the history itself. And one day, Equestria might be just an ancient ruin along with Vallaer, and both of them would be the object of study by the scholars of the future.
The door to the room opened, making the pegasus turn her head and break away from her thoughts. Zebrican Queen Damu Msemaji entered, but surprisingly, she was alone.
"King Nicholas departed on sudden but very important business," she explained after noticing the confused expression of the adventurer, "I shall take care of you until he returns. How was your meal?"
"Very tasty, thank you," Daring Do replied, although there was still quite some food left on her plate, "But... he left? I'm sorry, but that seems rude."
"I believe he is not the person to leave unless he absolutely had to," Damu Msemaji shook her head, "But I certainly do eagerly await his return. He had left at an unfortunate time... however, he did tell me that he would wish to see you well taken care of. You're welcome to feel yourself at home, within certain limits of course," she walked to one of the chairs and sat down at the table Daring Do occupied, "Now, I'm very interested in learning how you ended up with the Vampire King. Would you be so kind to share the story?"
For a moment, the adventurer hesitated. Should she do it? After all, Nicholas kept her at his side for a reasonably long time, forbidding her from leaving. But ever since, Daring Do wanted nothing more but to have someone to talk to who wasn't a vampire. And so, she felt the need to lay it all out before the Zebrican Queen. She told her everything: her research into vampires, her journey to their city, and the subsequent imprisonment by the Vampire King, along with all the mystical and downright creepy encounters with his goddess, Lună Roșie. By the end of her tale, Daring Do felt relieved that she could finally tell someone about everything she had been through. Of course, she was glad she had access to what otherwise was closed off from everyone else, but as all things, it came at a price, and this price was her freedom.
"Oh dear, oh dear... but I'm glad to see King Nicholas didn't mistreat you," Damu Msemaji replied, "My ancestors knew him well for his ire, and he's not very fond of ponies as whole. I suppose he saw something in you that made him let you live."
"He would... kill me otherwise?" Daring Do asked in a hushed tone with her ears down.
"He could very well do that, I'm afraid," the queen nodded her head with a frown, "But... you don't know the whole story behind it, do you? Come with me, I shall show you something."
Dami Msemaji led the adventurer through the castle to one of its furthest rooms. The door opened smoothly, and Daring Do was led into a round room. Around a quarter of it was taken by a table, a chair, and shelves with books along with drawing supplies. Most of the wall was covered in well-drawn portraits of different mares, and one portrait hung above them all – the portrait of a stallion. White fur, black mane, and crimson eyes.
"Is it... Nicholas' room?" Daring Do asked with interest as she inspected the various things scattered around the room in a chaotically organized mess.
"Not quite," the Zebrican Queen shook her head, "Look at the stallion's portrait closer."
Nodding, the pegasus stepped closer to the wall and looked at the portrait. The stallion looked much like Nicholas, albeit there were certain subtle differences. The color of his eyes was more towards the orange shades, and there was a dark round spot on the left iris. The manestyle was different from what Nicholas usually had, for it was free, allowing the mane to fall down his head, covering the sides of his neck. At the bottom of the drawing, a signature of some sort was placed. After squinting her eyes, Daring Do managed to figure out what was written. It was exactly one word written in beautiful cursive – Caerwyn.
"Caerwyn was the half-brother of Nicholas a long time ago," Damu Msemaji explained, "He was an artist, staying away from the politics of Vallaer, letting his older brother rule. He wasn't interested in political intrigues or struggles for power, he spent most of his time painting various things he laid his eyes on. Nevertheless, Caerwyn was appointed the Lord of the Cold Valley."
"Isn't the Cold Valley south of the Crystal Empire?" Daring Do asked with interest, "I don't think I read anything about a settlement there."
"Oh, but there was a small village of vampires," the zebra nodded slightly, "They lived not under the mountain but under the moon and stars. It was a peaceful, serene place where sun shone only a few hours a day, most of the time covered by the tall mountains surrounding the valley. Caerwyn helped build the settlement himself, often taking more work than he probably should have. But, as you can already guess, it didn't turn out to be a happy ending."
"Nicholas never said anything about having a brother," the pegasus said in a slightly confused tone, "I don't believe I saw any mention of him either..."
"Nicholas and Caerwyn had a somewhat strained and distant relationship," Damu Msemaji explained, her eyes looking at the portrait of the vampire, "Nicholas was more in favor of keeping Vallaer isolated from Equestria, but Caerwyn wanted the vampires to make amends with the ponies. You see, there was a conflict from before Equestria was created... I won't delve into details right now, but it resulted in vampires having to find a new home, which the Moon Mountains became. Or, as you call them, the Crystal Mountains."
She paused for a moment, taking a few steps towards the portrait wall.
"Caerwyn had a certain... affection for mares," her eyes wandered over the many portraits of various mares, "He was a polyamorous romantic, that stallion. All these mares you see were a part of his herd that spanned decades, and from all I know, he was very good to every single mare he ever had. He had many foals with them, and no one is sure how many of them there actually were. But what we do know for certain is that he raised them all throughout his life. But alas, the track of his children and grandchildren was lost. Who knows how many ponies have his blood now..."
"Sounds like... an affectionate stallion, yeah," Daring Do replied with a slight blush, trying to wrap her head around the fact that Nicholas' brother, by himself, probably made an entire village population. "And I suppose Nicholas had a problem with that?"
"Nicholas never tried to dictate whom Caerwyn should and shouldn't love, but he did have a problem with mingling with ponies," Damu Msemaji nodded, "Nevertheless, nothing would come of that disagreement, for Nicholas did love his brother despite it all. However, Caerwyn's actions brought down terrible consequences on him. As you can imagine, ponies didn't exactly want their mares to mingle with vampires either. Then king of Equestria, Cassius, was especially displeased with it. From what we know, it's possible Caerwyn wooed Cassius' own love interest."
"From what I studied, love did play a major role in certain historical conflicts," Daring Do pointed out, "I can't even begin to list all the troubles that happened because of it..."
"That is certainly true," the zebra let out a chuckle, "Love is as much a blessing as it is a curse. In any case, we don't know what exactly happened back then, but allegedly, a vampire went rogue and destroyed a small settlement, enabling Equestria to declare war on Vallaer. King Cassius assembled his forces and marched north, and the village in the Cold Valley was the first target. King Nicholas was gathering his own army and trying to block major entrances to the mountains, but a small force sent by Cassius infiltrated the mountain range in advance.
"The records are unclear, but the village in the Cold Valley was put to the torch, and Caerwyn was killed in the ensuing fighting. Most of his wives and foals managed to escape, but those who didn't were imprisoned, and... well, we don't have any records, but... King Cassius wasn't known for mercy, especially when it came to vampires."
Uneasy silence fell on the two as Daring Do looked at all the portraits on the walls. They were individually signed in the same cursive as the portrait of the stallion. Many happy eyes looked at her from the canvas, and it made her feel an ache somewhere deep inside. She had never seen war, but she had seen the fields of battle and ruined villages. Rusty weapons and armor, many bones lay under her hooves or in the ground. The terror might be gone, but its mark was forever etched into the old ruins.
In this moment, Daring Do felt pity for Nicholas. His long life might be a gift, but it came at a price, for he had to live with the memories of what went down so long ago. This, however, explained the initial distrust he had of her. Perhaps, his hatred had dimmed by his millenia-long imprisonment, but as all things do, it left its mark on him.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if you should be showing me this, your majesty," Daring Do said with uncertainty, "It's rather personal, and I don't know how he will react when he finds out I know this."
"When he will, tell him I showed you this," Damu Msemaji told her, "But I did so in the best interest of the world. There are certain things happening in the world... The return of Nightmare Moon a year ago. A few month back, Discord returned and almost gained dominion over Equestria like he did centuries ago. And now, there are rumbles from the North... Something is happening, something important, and I believe it would be best for Equestria to have the strongest possible allies in the coming future."
The whirlwinds of snow slowly faded away into silence as the ponies and the vampires entered the cave. Dark and gloomy, with barely a light to illuminate its stone steps, the cave opened its maw and dared the ponies to go deeper. Each step resonated along the cave, the echo appearing behind and in front of the group, making an impression that something was following them from behind and led them in front. The deeper they went into the cave, the less light there was, and soon the crimson moonlight disappeared entirely. Lighting their horns, Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity allowed the other ponies to see the stairway. The magical light caused interesting shadows to appear on the surface of the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, making them dance with each move. The ponies squinted their eyes, trying to see the end of the tunnel; alas, it remained in darkness which the magical light could not pierce. Surprisingly, however, the tunnel wasn't cold – ponies couldn't see their breaths. They could feel something strange, a low vibration at the edge of their hearing, a deep rumble that surrounded them. The unicorns felt their horns itching slightly as if electrified.
Vampire King Nicholas led them on, his mind deep in thought. The royalty of Equestria had never been so close to Vallaer before, and yet, there the princess was, walking alongside him into his domain. She wasn't afraid of him, although some tension was apparent. She did not come to wage war against his kind, she came in peace and unarmed. This made him question whether she knew the fate of her father. And if she did, why was she at peace with it?
For some time, the group walked in silence, only the sound of their hooves and breaths could be heard. Step by step, they descended deeper underground through the tunnel that seemed endless.
"I don't feel so good in here..." Fluttershy whispered mostly to herself while trying to stay as close as she could to the other ponies.
"Thou dost not need to be affeared," Nicholas tried to console her, "There are three hundred and seventy-five steps from the top to the bottom. Fifty-five, fifty-six..."
The pegasus nodded nervously, continuing the counting in her head as the group moved forward. Her heatbeat slowed down slightly and the tunnel didn't seem so endless anymore. Each step was ever so slightly different from the one before it: a nick there, a crack here. The steps would eventually end, she realized; all she had to do was count them until the three hundred and seventy-fifth one.
"I imagine you are not here by chance," Nicholas spoke again, glancing at Princess Luna.
"We're not," the alicorn nodded in confirmation, "Ever since I saw you that night, I thought about what it all meant. I wondered who you might be and what you want with us. Neither myself nor my sister were aware of vampires until very recently, and so we decided to investigate."
"Thou shalt certainly find the answers soon," the Vampire King replied with a nod after a small pause. Luna's comment about vampires left him somewhat confused, for he was certain she would remember them from her youth. Had no one told her about them? "Thou and thy company have come here willingly and in peace. I appreciate this gesture and I'm pleased to receive you. But speaking of thy sister... I see she is not present with us."
"She's busy at Canterlot, I'm afraid," Luna replied, omitting the details.
"...Very well, but I am curious; who are the six mares accompanying thee?" the Vampire King looked over the six. He was well-aware whom each of them were but decided to see what the Princess of the Night had to say about them, "Forgive me, but 'tis obvious they're not ambassadors."
"That they are not," the princess admitted, "But they are very important to Equestria, and my sister and I felt it was right to take them here. They might not be ambassadors, but they need to learn, and I believe this is a good opportunity for it."
Nicholas was silent for a few long moments as his crimson eyes shifted from one mare to another. Each of them were young, barely in their twenties; each of them held a distinctive posture and had a recognizable smell. The lavender unicorn's posture was slightly lower than the rest, signifying that she had carried plenty on her back, but it wasn't labor; a scent of books new and old accompanied her. The rainbow-maned pegasus was tense, and her toned body was ready to jump into action; her scent was that of fresh air and clouds. The orange earth pony had a similar lowered posture to Twilight Sparkle, but her body was stronger and bigger, built for farm work; scent of hay, apples, and sweat came from her. The white unicorn with a well-combed purple mane stood in a certain stance that showed the beauty of her body the best; the smell of perfume and fabric completed her. The timid cream-colored pegasus trailed almost in the very back of the group, trying not to look at the vampires — her posture was reserved and tight; her scent was the most confusing, being a mix of scents from different animals. The pink pony tailing the group bounced with her every step, her posture relaxed and even joyful; a scent of bakery and sugar followed her.
Each of these six ponies was distinct in their own way, be it their appearance or how they showed themselves to others. The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, each different and yet forming a whole. To Nicholas, it was obvious why they were together — they completed each other; strong in certain characteristics, they were weak in others.
"I can see that all of you are very interesting, I needed but a glance to understand it," Nicholas spoke to the group, "I am looking forward to getting to know you all better over a cup of... tea," he glanced at Luna, "Is tea still the beverage you ponies enjoy?"
"Why yes, we do still enjoy our tea," Luna nodded, "Centuries passed, and yet tea is all the same. But I wonder..." she looked at the Vampire King, "Have you been gone as well?"
"In a sense, I have," he nodded, "I'd like to discuss it all in private, if thou mayest. 'Tis a... difficult and complex topic. In any case, I'm pleased to invite you all inside to share a hearty meal with me. I believe you might be tired from your travels, too, and I'd like to accommodate."
"That would indeed be very lovely, thank you," Princess Luna had no choice but to agree. In certain legends, vampires valued laws of hospitality and the sacred Rule of Invitation. This proposition fit into these legends, and the alicorn felt it would be extremely insulting to refuse.
"The pleasure is all mine," Nicholas let a small smile appear on his face. No matter the history he had with ponies and their rulers, he wasn't about to let tired travelers to go hungry at his domain, "Anything... specific that thou and thy company prefer when it comes to food? Name it and I might be able to fulfill your requests."
"I have just one request for a snack, if I may," Luna spoke first, "Cookies. Any would do, but I prefer them with fine sugar."
"I... don't know," Twilight Sparkle said once the gaze of the vampire fell on her, "A, uh... some daisies?"
"Something light, please," Rarity requested. After a nod, Nicholas moved to the next pony.
"A whole cooked fish," Rainbow Dash said. Her friends looked at her with raised brows and surprised faces, "What? A great source of protein, every athlete needs that."
"Let's see how good yer apples are if there are any," Applejack was the next to suggest, "Ah'm not sure ya can grow 'em in such cold."
"Depends on the sort of apples. We do have one that can survive in harsh conditions," Nicholas replied. After seeing the sparkles of interest in her eyes, he added, "Thou art definitely a daughter of Apple Family, I can see that. 'Twill be an honor to present our apples to thee."
"We'll see how good they are," Applejack nodded, and the Vampire King looked at the next pony in the line of requests.
"Um... uh..." Fluttershy looked away, trying not to meet his eyes with hers, "Some... fruit?"
"Don't be afraid, I do care about thy preferences," Nicholas assured her, "Speak freely if thou mayst."
"Um... I like big, red apples. Or just big if, um, there are no red ones."
"Very well, I shall see what can be done," Nicholas nodded and turned to the last pony.
"Your favorite cake!" Pinkie Pie said without skipping a beat.
"My... favorite cake?" Nicholas blinked in confusion.
"Yup!" the mare nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm not very sure thou wouldst like my choice..." the Vampire King said carefully.
"We'll see!" Pinkie Pie replied just as joyfully.
"...Alright, then," Nicholas nodded after some hesitation, "I shall do my best to honor all your requests. The chefs at the castle shall begin at once," his medallion glowed for a moment, its light brightening the cave. Once it faded, the Vampire King continued, "We need to wait but an hour for the meals to be cooked. Until then, you are all welcome to explore the city at your leisure."
"Thank you, I'm personally very interested in the architecture..." Luna trailed off as the group entered the massive cavern that hosted the entire city of Vallaer. Dim it was, and yet sparkling with life as vampires studied, worked, and relaxed. Not many lights were placed in the city, leaving most of it in shadows, but a soft blue light from above bathed the city gently, allowing even ponies to see the majesty of the ancient buildings.
"How... how is this even possible?" Twilight Sparkle asked in awe, "A cavern this big... inside of a mountain!"
"Oh, it is a glorious sight indeed and a marvel of nature," Nicholas replied with a nod as his eyes looked over the whole cavern, "My reaction was akin to thine when I found this place... the place we vampires call home. It alloweth us to stretch our wings and be free while the sun doth not burn us. I know not why this place existeth, but 'tis of little importance. What mattereth to us is that it doth exist. It is our home, our domain, and our keep. Amidst this frozen wasteland where none live, this is our sanctuary. You ponies are walking on the hallowed ground, may you remember it," the Vampire King paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts, "So, since you are eager to explore, I shall have to assign guards to you."
"Is this necessary?" Princess Luna asked, furrowing her brows.
"Perhaps not, but some of us aren't too fond of thy kind, I'm afraid," the Vampire King replied, "My guards shall make sure none of you are harmed during the exploration of the city."
"Very well, then," the alicorn replied with a nod.
After Nicholas summoned the guards and instructed them, the ponies divided into three groups. Luna and Twilight went with the Vampire King, for they noticed the source of the magic they sensed – the obelisk in the center of the city. Rainbow Dash accompanied Fluttershy to the local forest; to the surprise of the shy pegasus, there was one further into the cave, and she expressed great desire in getting to know the local fauna. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie went together to explore the city as a whole, including its various businesses.
King Nicholas was deep in thought as he led the two ponies to the obelisk. It was apparent to him that the group needed to come here; the city was hidden well, and but a few ponies could even hope to reach it. Even during the War of Bloodlines, Equestrian Army couldn't find the city of Vallaer no matter how many times they sent their best scouts. The city remained safe during the conflict, but now, for some unknown reason, ponies were there again, with royalty no less.
The Vampire King furrowed his brows. First, Daring Do along with Caballeron and his group found the city. He rationalized it as the fact that the defenses, magical or otherwise, decayed with time. But now, it didn't seem like a coincidence anymore. Something was at play, and it seemed like Lună Roșie wanted him to listen to the signs of the coming future.
Question was, would he be able to decipher them correctly?
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9691459
And it's done!
If he didn't he may have killed her
. I'm so glad that he showed her mercy
.
And there's the King himself
.
Caerwyn....a friend of Nicholas
?
With Vampires, it hardly does...
.
Crystal Mountains
??? So...
.
That does make since, since this is an equine we're talking about, and the ones in our world do have herds
. Even if the ponies here in Equestria aren't exactly polyamorous, it wouldn't be surprising in the least of there were a few that were
.
Oooooh, shit
!!!
So...Cassius didn't even spare the youngsters
? I know that they were Vampires, but still...to go to that length...
.
A very DEEP mark
.
Oooooh, shit, now I know things will soon be going down
!!!
So...many...stairs...I doubt that Po would be able to get up that many...
!
Vampiric smell can be quite effective on sniffing ponies and vampires out, can't it
?
Very insulting indeed
.
Kind of been expecting that
.
Again, not surprising
!!!
Fluttershy's a real fruit lover huh
? I wonder why...
.
Just humor her Nicholas
.
Again, just humor him Luna
.
Only time will tell Nicholas...
.
Another great chapter Elu
! I wonder how the Main Six will be interacting with the Vampires
.
9703559
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/435528051279790092/594192658558353431/reference.gif
Thank you for your comment! And yes, we will soon see how the Mane Six will interact with them. Hopefully not their blood with vampire fangs, though.
9703661
Yeah, hopefully
. And let's also hope that RD doesn't pull the stunt she pulled with that last Vampire and get herself, and possibly the rest of her friends drained dry
.
9703661
I would like Nicholas and Luna ship them to be king and queen also more please maybe if Luna and Nicholas maried lunar and vampire guard will reform as one
9703661
And also more please
*Walking in a desert, about to die of dehydration*
Genie: You have one wish. Say it and I’ll grant it.
Me: Need... Chapter... From... Elu...
Genie: Seriously? You are about to die in a desert and you want a chapter from a fan fiction author??
Me: If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die happy reading another chapter from him
9743471
Heh, thank you! And I'm already working on the next chapter, although the progress is a bit slow.
9743471
Your wish is granted.
9743471
Pfft...snerk....HA HA HA HA.
Elu why do I sense a potential romance/ship between Daring and Nicholas?