Morning
I stood in the dark for what felt like ages. The hallway was vast and empty, cold as ice as I stood there waiting for Luna to come. It was just starting to dawn on me just how much like a labyrinth the castle was. A pony who didn't know where they were going could easily get lost for the rest of their life down in the lower recesses of the palace. I hadn't seen a single staircase since I'd arrived there the night before, and getting trapped on a floor far from anypony to ask for help was a real possibility. I silently pondered how long it might take to walk every inch of the castle, just as there was a bright flash of blue across the hall from me.
If I had a heart at the time, it may have skipped a beat upon seeing the alicorn. She materialized in the darkness across the hallway, staring directly at me. Her horn lit with a very dim sapphire light, letting her look me over. After a few seconds she blinked, meeting my eyes. Moments afterwards her face transformed into a mask of sadness. I wondered if I had done something wrong before she walked over to me, whispering.
“You poor thing… I'm so sorry this happened to you.” She said, her voice quieter than any normal pony could hear.
“W-what do you mean? This was an accident…” I stuttered, not knowing how to react.
The alicorn shook her head, her horn lighting. The door in front of us opened, revealing a dark study. She motioned for me to follow her, her eyes locked to the floor. The moment I was inside the door shut, leaving us alone in the circular room. The carpet in there was as deep blue as the sea, and the walls were entirely covered in bookshelves. She lit a single candle on the table in the center of the room, the blue flame bathing the study in an azure light. It was dim enough that it didn't bother me, but it was enough for her to see. The beautiful mare led me to the table, where she sat down across from me in one of the high-backed chairs. I took my own seat, worried about her. I could see a tear forming at the edge of her eye as she tried her best not to look at me.
“Your Highness… are you okay?” I asked, feeling guilt pushing down on my shoulders.
“No, little one. I'm not okay… it's not your fault though. It's mine.”
“But you didn't do anything.” I said, trying fruitlessly to sound somewhat upbeat.
Luna shook her head, hiding her face. “No, I did. It's my fault you're like this. You're like this because of me.”
“Princess, what...” I trailed off, blinking as realization washed over me.
I felt the consequences of my actions crash onto me with all the weight of the ocean. There was a reason that Luna was avoiding my gaze. There were a million reasons Celestia had told me not to come here, and ordered Twilight to never mention me to the moon princess.
“I'm so sorry.” Luna sobbed.
I wanted desperately to not believe what was happening. Everything pointed to this being correct though. The time Twilight had cited as being the first vampire recordings, Celestia pushing me away from Luna and the way she was reacting to me all made perfect sense. It also explained why Twilight hadn't found a cure for my condition yet. Luna had been the one to make the vampiric curse, over a thousand years ago.
“You made vampires?” I asked, still not wanting to believe.
Luna nodded, burying her head in her hooves. I didn't know how to feel. On one hoof, she was the cause of everything that had happened to me over the past year. On the other, she was the source of my eternal life. In my heart I knew that this curse had reaped far more suffering than it ever had happiness. I didn't know whether to thank her myself, or to curse her for the sake of every vampire before me that was turned into a creature of the night against their will. I was sure of one thing, though… the pony in front of me was crying, and felt no end of remorse for her actions.
“Your majesty, it's okay… you don't need to cry. I'm alright with what I am now.” I said, trying to console her. “I'm Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister. You might know her.”
She shook her head, her horn glowing. She took off her crown with magic, setting it on the table in front of me. The princess also removed her necklace, her shoes and anything else she had on her. Her mane went from glowing like the night sky to a simple blue. She looked at her crown, lines of tears running down her cheeks.
“I'm not royalty, to you… address me as Luna. We deserve no titles besides our names.”
I was a bit confused at her referring to herself as 'we', but I nodded. “Okay… just don't cry, okay? I don't want to make you feel bad.”
“We make ourselves feel bad.” She said miserably.
“You don't have to… if it makes you feel any better, I really don't mind being a vampire. It's a very… uh, interesting life.”
“You're too young to understand how bleak it all is.” She sniffed.
I shook my head, upset at her beating herself up. “I'm old enough to know that nopony should have to cry about something they did more than a thousand years ago! Especially if they're already really sorry about it!”
The princess was surprised at my yelling. She fell quiet, occassionally wiping her eyes. I felt like I had done something wrong, but I didn't want it to sound like I was taking back what I said. My eyes traced her crown, admiring the way the diamond moon glittered in the candlelight. All of her royal attire was of similar quality. Something had struck me as wrong when I'd shouted, like it wasn't right to raise my voice at her. Especially in her current state. Before I had too long to think about it, she spoke again.
“We were in a dark place… when we made the curse. There is nothing that I can say to make you understand how we felt or why. We coveted the acceptance that Celestia had. Out of spite, we made a curse that forced the ponies that reveled in her sun to bask in our moonlight.”
“Ponies didn't accept you…? You actually seem really nice, Luna.” I said, hoping that maybe a compliment might cheer her up.
“Ponies that knew us personally were fine… it was the way the masses treated our moon that was so frustrating. The moon is our creation, a representation of what we are. In the same way that Celestia's sun burns bright enough to burn the eyes and coat a pony in sweat, our soft aura invites a pony to enjoy our light with no fear of the heat. Yet… nopony does. Looking out at the streets, so few ponies enjoy our moonlight. They drown it with the unnatural lights given off by lamps, floodlights, nightlights. Like we aren't enough, compared to my sister. They always seek to emulate her light. Never ours...” She looked at her hooves, seeming defeated at the realizations.
I had nothing to say. Luna was right about everything she said. After a moment, she seemed to shift from saddened to enraged, her brow furrowing.
“So, we made the very first vampire. A prisoner destined for a life in a cell, we used her to perfect the curse. After that… a simple pony in a small village. They infected two more, then three, before leaving and finding the nearest city. It was nearly an epidemic before Celestia's royal guard stepped in. They figured out that the sunlight was our enemy… and from there, they would lash ponies to poles and leave them out until the sun came up. There was nothing we could do.”
The princess seemed furious, staring at her crown. “We made them to be our chosen ponies. Those that would bask in our presence in the night, and feed on those that only enjoyed the sun. For the longest time we considered them our children. Our heart belonged to every one of our fanged diciples.”
“Luna… sorry to interrupt you, but why do you keep saying 'we' and 'our'? Did somepony else do this too?” I asked, trying to turn her away from the topic that was making her angry.
“Ah, you're not aquainted with my split nature. When I say 'we' and am only referring to myself, I am also talking about Nightare Moon. She might not be physically with us… but she'll always be with me in here.” She said, pointing to her heart.
I looked at her, worried. “You mean… you always hear her, trying to make you do those bad things? Like making it only night, forever?”
“Yes, I do… it's part of who I am. Celestia has a small part of her that feels the exact same way about the sun. At some point or another, Twilight Sparkle will also develop one of them. It is simply a token of the celestial alicorns, in the same way that drinking blood is a constant whispering in your ear.”
“I don't think about it all the time.” I said defensively.
“You can't lie to us, Sweetie Belle. Luna sighed. “We know the feelings and emotions that drinking the blood of another pony sparks in you. The burn of intimacy and desperate need you feel are part of the curse. You crave the sensation of being pushed against a warm body, your teeth sunk into them while your hooves circle their back to pull them in closer.”
I froze up, looking at my hooves. She was once again correct beyond rebuttal. Of course the princess could be less blunt about it… but of course that would have left me curious about how much she knew. It was obvious at that point though. There was hardly a detail she didn't know about her own creation.
“I assume you also cry sometimes, out of joy, when you drink from your special somepony?”
I felt my chest tighten and set fire at her words. I knew it had been a simple guess on her part, but she was right. If it was dark enough that Apple Bloom didn't notice I would let my emotions run wild. That meant anything from me trying to get on top of her while I drank, to simply letting tears of gratitude and bliss flow. Seeing my reaction, she smiled and said.
“At least you have a very understanding partner, to let you drink from them. If you're wondering, we made the curse a bit more subtle than to rely on savage hunger. It's a psychological need just as much of a physical one. Much like a drug, you can grow dependent on a certan pony's blood. This can make a close relationship unbreakable… and it isn't suprising that you would have such a raw emotional response to feeding on them.”
What she was saying put my relationship with Apple Bloom in a very interesting context. I needed her a lot more than I ever did. I also felt less bad about the way I'd been acting lately around the farmhand. Despite how hard I tried to keep feeding time a very short and uneventful affair, I had been failing very miserably. My body was beginning to shake and shudder when her blood wet my lips, and the odd reactions I was having after a long time attached to her made a suprising amount of sense.
“I have a question.” I said, looking back up at her.
“Go ahead.”
“My intestines, my heart… they're both gone. Did the other organs go away too? Since I'm not growing anymore, I'd think the same thing would happen.”
“The entierety of the digestive organs are consumed by the stomach, including the liver and kidneys. The heart and every blood-carrying function is also removed. What remains is the stomach, the lungs, the reproductive organs, and the nervous system. Though most of their original functions are altered by the vampirism.”
“So I still have hormones?” I asked, confused. “What good do they do me?”
“Manipulation… There's an enormous release of them whenever you feed off of somepony multiple times. Especially if you already had an attraction towards them.”
I felt slightly cheated at that. I'd already been ready to try and date Apple Bloom before my change last year. Now that I was a vampire, I was practically scaring myself with how far I wanted to take our relationship. After hearing this from Luna, I was beginning to see why that was happening. It was all part of the way the curse worked.
“Is there anything else I should know about being a vampire?” I asked, wondering what other hidden details she had put in.
“As a means of self-preservation we incorperated a hoarding instinct that will normally only be active in the winter. It will make you want to keep any ponies you feed from at your side at all times, and very possessive of them. The world was very different thousands of years ago, so winters normally meant being holed up inside to escape the cold. It's meant to keep your food supply at your side, while also preventing others from stealing them away from you.”
“That isn't a very good thing to do with Scootaloo or Apple Bloom… they have things to do that don't involve me.” I said.
“Maybe so, but it was necessary back then for the survival of a vampire outside of a city. Out in the country the death of your host could have meant certain death for yourself, being many hundreds of miles from another living soul. Pushing an instinctual protectiveness on the vampire makes sure they keep their food supply secure in the harsher months.”
I had no idea what life was like so long ago, so I couldn't really argue with her. I looked back to her crown, thinking about why I was there. I'd come to ask her more about paths to immortality that weren't vampirism, but the more I spoke to her, the more that I wasn't sure about it. The lunar princess was more than knowlegable on the topic. If anything she was a master of magic… but a question was once again itching at the back of my mind.
“Is there a cure?” I asked, blinking at her.
“There is nothing left of what you originally were. Every cell that you have is that of a vampire. There isn't a single drop of blood in you that was uneffected. From your hooves to the tips of your ears. The only cure would be the searing embrace of the morning sun.”
“You made the curse though. You should know a way.” I said, feeling crestfallen.
“We made vampirism so there wasn't a way, Sweetie Belle.”
Her words marked a final nail in the coffin of my hopes for ever being a normal pony again. All that remained for me to do was putting it in the ground, so it could be buried in time. As if she could sense my sadness, she silently lit her horn and picked up her crown. I watched her levitate it over my head, then nestle it in my mane. Luna smiled, looking me over like she was taking a mental picture.
“We're both rulers of the night.” The alicorn said. “From now until the end of time.”
I couldn't help but feel reassured, letting myself smile. “Thanks Luna…I had some more things to ask you, if that's okay.”
“Of course, we have all day.” She replied.
I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. “I want my friends to live with me. They don't want to be vampires, though. We were wondering if there were other ways to live forever. Celestia already told us a few… not very good ways. One involved them becoming Changelings, and another was to go all over the world tracking down old artifacts.”
The princess sat back, looking deep in thought. After a minute of pondering my question she stood and walked over to one of her bookshelves, running one of her hooves over the spines of the books. After about a few seconds of searching she withdrew a handwritten journal. It was thick, with a leatherbound cover and pages that were an extremely dark shade of gold with age. She opened it, flipping through the pages with magic.
“This is a journal we kept secret from everypony back then. It contains many immortal creatures, and ways to become immortal. We used all of them as references for a myriad of spells, then later on we looked back at these when we made vampirism. Both of us are surprised the charms we put on this thing didn't wear off when we were on the moon… otherwise it may have been dust by the time we got back to it.”
“How old is that thing, anyways?” I asked, hearing the leather make odd cracking sounds when she shifted the book around.
“Three thousand, four hundred and fifty seven years old. From the time we had the pages made, bought the leather, and bound it together. The market was very hot that day… one of the very first times we had been to a real market, as opposed to a trading caravan, or ordering somepony else to go for us.”
“Why didn't you just do that?”
“Because. Celestia couldn't know… nopony could. Even before Nightare Moon existed I've kept secrets from my sister. She wouldn't understand my curiosity with magic she would quickly ban.”
“Why would she want to ban magic?” I asked, surprised.
“Not all magic… just certain studies she would slander with words like 'unnatural' or 'irresponsible'. Things like magic that effects the mind, or touches the souls of mortals. Such things are bad topics of discussion in any magical school these days, by Celestia's order. We want little more than to show them how much can be achieved with this 'forbidden' magic. After all, we made vampires and came up with a way to allow all plant life to use moonlight for photosynthesis. By her definitions on prohibitted sorcery, both of those things are taboo. One, understandably… though the other is actually very useful.”
“Why would you want to mess with somepony's head?”
“Primarily to expand the usefulness of the mind itself. Imagine for a moment you have a room with brown curtains, lime green carpet and neon pink wallpaper. You have no way of changing any of these colors. A simple way to fix the eyesore would be to place spells on the doors into the room that would switch the mind's perception of the colors to be something more pleasing. For example, have them all be earth tones and hues of red or orange. However, because this is altering somepony's perception of reality, possibly against their will, the magic is forbidden.”
“Well that seems pretty useful though… why would it be banned?” I puzzled.
“Because, it can be abused, as with all things. We could enchant a shackle to make a pony blind, deaf and mute in their own perception. In reality they could be shouting to the heavens while we had a strobe light and loud music blaring, they wouldn't register it. Of course the ban is still silly. We can use entirely legal magic to produce even better results. Borrowing from the last example, we could make a shackle that could prevent the vocal chords from moving, which would mute the pony. Then, have it create a shroud of light-absorbing shadow around their eyes. After that, have it create a skintight field that prevents sounds from entering the pony's ears. They are still blind, deaf and mute, and all done with totally legal magic.”
“Okay… but isn't doing that to somepony without their permission illegal anyways?” I pointed out.
“Yes. I'm just pointing out the foolishness of the exercise.” The princess said, returning her attention to her journal. “Now, to get back to what you asked. Are you comfortable speaking on your friends' behalf? We personally don't know what constitutes a a good way to exist indefinitely for them, so we need to rely on you to provide that definition.”
I really didn't like speaking for my own friends, especially for something so important. Both of them were sleeping though, and I couldn't go to get them. If Celestia or Twilight checked the room to find us all gone there would be a panic. I had little choice but to nod, hoping I would represent my friends well.
“Alright then. We wrote here, at the beginning of this journal, an index that specifies different types of immortality. We'll start with one of your friends at a time. Whom might the first be?”
“Um… her name is Scootaloo. She's a pegasus, taller than me. Really good flier, since she grew her wings in.”
“That's a nice name. Now, how would she prefer to stay exactly as she is forever, or change into something else first?”
“I don't think she minds either way. Celestia mentioned becoming a Changeling one time, and she didn't seem too bothered at the idea. She's pretty laid back… cool with whatever happens. I wish more ponies were like her.”
I heard the princess grumble something under her breath before speaking. “Is there anything that she greatly dislikes? Spiders, the dark, things like that?”
“Well, she can't swim at all. To this day she can't even stay floating. She doesn't make a big deal out of it, but we all notice that she always uses some kind of floating raft or stick to the shallows. I don't think she likes spiders or anything like that. I guess as long as she can fly she's alright.”
“That presents a very broad range of things for us to work with… how far are you all willing to travel for her?” The princess asked, flipping pages and marking them with magic.
“However far we can! The same with Apple Bloom. I guess we'd like it if we could complete the trip in under a year though… maybe two.”
“Would you prefer to hear the options that leave her unchanged, or the ones that change her, first?”
“Uh… the ones that change her, I suppose?” I shrugged.
The princess cleared her throat, flipping to a page near the beginning of her book. “First there is a species of ancient dragons that will transform any sentient being into a part of their own race if their scales are consumed over the course of a month. However in order to be accepted for this a pony would need to accept their spiritual teachings, and their very alien culture.”
“That sounds really interesting… can you tell me more?”
“Their culture is heavily based around the balance of nature. They are so particular in choosing ponies because they wish to maintain a small number in their species, so as to not distrupt the world around them. They are taught from birth that while considering the beliefs of other cultures are important to understanding them, theirs is the one that holds the most true for themselves, and in their eyes following any other belief is an inferior way of life for their species.”
“Seems sort of strict.” I commented.
“It is, though it isn't without reason. They live a sedentary life, unaging and undying. Instead of filling their years with knowlege like we do, they instead spend their lives in meditation and pondering the nature of life itself. They find incredible meaning in social interaction between each other. Most have very odd ideas of what defines a person, as well. From birth until adulthood is reached, most are bound to another member of their race, and only together do they form a 'person'.”
“I don't think that Scootaloo would like that very much… can I hear another?” I asked, using a hoof to play with the crown atop my head.
“Of course Sweetie. Another option would be to become a high-ranking Changeling. You said that Celestia mentioned this option to you. You would need to gain an immense amount of favor from Chrysalis if you're even going to consider this option.”
“What exactly would I have to do?”
“That really depends on her mood… though to start, you'd need to head far south. She makes her fortress deep in the swamplands there. I would assume you would get caught by a patrol before you actually made it anywhere near her. Then, the begging would have to start so that she doesn't turn your friends into bug food.”
“That doesn't sound like the best idea… keep going.”
She flipped the page, conjuring a glass of water and taking a sip before she continued. “We'll just start listing some that don't involve her changing her current form. First, there is always the eternal tome. It's a method of binding one's soul to a book that one must create with some part of themselves. Anything given to the book will not come back. So for example, if one made the cover of their eternity tome with a woven mat made of their own tail, the hair would never grow back. Either way, the part of your body given must cover at least a full page of the book. Once that is done, one must draw a symbol specific to themselves on the cover in their blood. Once that's done, and the number of pages inside are at least three-thousand one hundred and fourty one, the curse will be complete.”
“That sounds really… scary.” I said, looking at my tail. “What does it do, once that's done?”
“The moment the symbol is drawn, all of the memories that you have, from the time that you began to structure thought with words, will be written in the tome. The soul is also bound solely to the tome. The tome will never get any thicker no matter how much is written. Twice per year you must re-inscribe the symbol on the cover of the tome, or the book will open to anypony until the next year.”
“What's the matter with that…?” I asked, thinking that there was hardly a downside.
“You see, if a pony touches the Eternity Tome of somepony else, they will have access to everything about that pony for the duration they hold it in their hooves. In addition, they can write in the book. Even erase and replace things, if they so desired. They could re-write entire portions of a pony's life, without the creator of the book knowing. If they were so cruel, they could even tear out every page in it besides the last one, which is always blank. The instant the last page full of memories departed the book, the pony would lose all memory of themselves and the world around them. They would be like a newborn foal again. If another pony wrote on the last blank page of their tome, it will dictate a future action for the bearer of the book. This could be anything from leaping from a cliff, to tossing their own book into a fire and destroying themselves by immolation.”
“That… that's a lot of weaknesses all in one place.” I said, looking at all the bookshelves around us.
“Yes, but it is a good test of responsibility. So long as one bi-annually inscribes their symbol on their Eternity Tome then there is nothing to worry about. Nopony can open it, and it is indestructable. We just hope you don't mind missing a hoof, a mane, a tail, maybe a large portion of fur. We suppose the skin from the ears would do, if both were removed and stretched. Something from the creator's body would need to make up the cover.”
“I'll definitely keep that one in mind… you can keep going if there's more.” I grumbled, trying no to think about how anypony would look without ears.
“Plenty left, we assure you.” The princess said, taking another sip of water. “The second is an old way that was used before anypony knew about other methods. It involves taking the soul and storing it in a suitable object. Most often this would be some form of gemstone or metallic object, due to those conducting energy and magic better. This method simply lets the body continue to age until it rots. The end result is either a mummified husk of a pony, or a gemstone with a soul in it. The pony will be trapped in their own mind until they can reach out to another, or possess something around them. We once knew a necromancer that made a very intricate doll for himself, so that once his original body was gone, he might use that for a physical form. His soul would simply puppeteer it via magic.”
“That doesn't sound like a very good way to live… I'll pass. The book one sounds like a good one for Apple Bloom, though. She's really responsible… she'd always remember to take care of it. Scootaloo, though… she just wants us to stay together. I don't know what she really wants, other than that. I know that adventure makes her happy, though.” I mused.
“You don't need to make a decision for her today. At least not when you already have an idea for Apple Bloom. Now that you have an idea, we can start to teach you abou the specifics of this magic.”
“I barely know my basics… I tried teleporting the other day and ended up falling on my head from near the ceiling.”
The alicorn sighed, shaking her head. “In that case, we need to make sure you have elementary spells down before we build on them. You at least know the basic theory of magic, correct?”
“Yeah, I learned that in the first grade.” I said, feeling a bit sold short by the princess.
“Good. The frame of mind when casting a spell dictates everything. Emotion can help, but it can also hinder. Control is always preferable to chaos in most forms of magic.”
“What exceptions are there to that rule?” I asked.
“Draconequis magic.” The princess sighed, shaking her head. “May you never even glance such an afront to the mind. It hurts our head just thinking about it. Anyways, there is nothing better for a unicorn than practice. As much as it might bore you, we would like you to teleport yourself from one end of the room to the other until nightfall.”
“All day?!” I nearly shouted.
“Of course, we have all the time in the world don't we? We'll give you a special reward at the end, even. Something to refresh you after a long day of training.”
The princess tilted her head to the side, exposing her bare neck to me. I swallowed as I felt my mouth instinctively water, feeling like I was attempting to choke down a whole apple at once. The way she'd offered was as blunt as a sledgehammer, and I silently wondered what the alicorn tasted like. My mind wandered further, wondering how she might react while I drank. Would she talk like it was a normal encounter, or would she make things more flustering for me? I found myself licking my bottom lip before I could get a grip on myself again. Luna chuckled at my predictability, though I wasn't really guilty at my behaviour. It was a call to instinct she was blatantly taking advantage of, especially since I hadn't fed in nearly a week.
“Now that we have your attention… once you can stop squarely on all four hooves, we want you to land and orient yourself in a variety of different positions. Do this for us, and we'll give you a full stomach before you head off in the morning. Understood? After you've mastered that, we'll start to teach you about binding a soul to a body. You can start with mice.”
With that she turned her attention back to her book, leaving me to my practice. I lit my horn, vanishing into thin air and landing on my back across the room. It was going to be a very long day...
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Mm, delicious Apple pi.
Luna really ought to consider striking out on her own a little, start her own school. Maybe just outside Equestria's legal borders.
7459665
Oh goodness you caught that!
That was suprisingly fast. I'm impressed at your attention to detail.
7459710 The initial reference just kinda jumped out at me, and I was going to make a joke about AB... but then you went there anyway.