The pony sitting at the desk set down his quill in deep red magic, turning to look at them. He was—Twilight almost couldn’t look away.
Twilight Sparkle had met plenty of attractive stallions since visiting Ponyville—Applejack’s older brother was built like a house, and could actually pull one if he wanted to. But so many of the Ponyville locals were like that—rugged, unrefined, raw. This Regolith was an entirely different kind of attractive. In his bright red eyes, Twilight saw a depth of understanding she’d never imagined. In his laboratory there was evidence of an intellectual equal she had never yet encountered.
Rarity kicked her, and the spell was broken. The pony was still lean and brilliant and perfect—but there was something subtly wrong here too. Like hay that had been left in the sun just a little too long.
He didn’t seem to notice. “Thank you, Lady… oh.” His eyes settled on her wings. “Oh lord, I’m sorry. Alicorn. You care about this that much, Lady Rarity? You’ll demand your friend burn her life away, so she could open my lock?”
Rarity shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. We opened your door.” Though from the sound of her voice, Twilight could tell she hadn’t been expecting to find him in here. She also wasn’t aiming the crossbow at him, as she had with the vampires from before. There’s no way he wouldn’t catch the bolt out of the air. Just how powerful can a unicorn get after all these years?
“We can’t fight this pony,” Rarity whispered, her voice barely audible. “He’s older than Canterlot. Older than Celestia, even.”
“Surely your friend doesn’t need to be informed of this.” The pony rose, approaching slowly. His movements were as a smooth as a river of fresh blood. “Ponies are polite creatures. Dignified. Ordered. This is what sets us apart from the other creatures of Equus. They are mastered by their environment, we master it in turn.”
He stopped before her—taller than Twilight, despite being an alicorn. He wouldn’t have been taller than Celestia at least. Small comfort.
But despite what Rarity said, Twilight followed her eyes. She kept glancing at a glass case against the wall, under a spotlight gem. There was a tiny object resting on a velvety pillow. A little gold box.
“We’re here to make a deal,” Twilight said, her wings shuffling uneasily.
“W-we are?” Rarity’s eyes went up, and she turned to glare icicles at Twilight. “I don’t remember that part of our conversation.”
“A second time she impresses me,” Regolith said, his eyes lingering on Twilight far longer than was comfortable. She could see sharp fangs emerging from his lips. Rather than looking at her hips, or any of her other qualities—he was watching her neck. “An arrangement is a sensible way to order our world. Those who have give to those who do not have. Something of equal value must be offered in exchange. Tell me then, lady. What is worth so much to you that you would forfeit your life to come here?”
Rarity’s glare was all Twilight needed to know that she wasn’t supposed to answer. But Rarity’s plan was going to get her killed. Twilight could see the tension in this stallion’s muscles, and feel the power radiating from him. It reminded her a little of Luna, an enveloping darkness that stretched into voids unknown and unseen. But where Princess Luna made her feel the comfort of privacy and a good night’s rest, this pony provoked only dread. It was as though unseen creatures lurked around every corner, ready to pounce.
He was a predator, perhaps the oldest predator alive. Instead of breaking into his cache, they’d stumbled directly into the den.
“That,” Twilight said, pointing at the case. From the tension in Regolith’s body, she could tell that wasn’t what she was supposed to say. “N-not… not to change the world! But just for one. We want to cure one pony. That’s all.”
Regolith glared at them a moment longer. He stopped inches away from Twilight, his breath the sage and oil of an ancient tomb.
Then he looked away. “Lady Rarity—you have done my house no dishonor before today. I imagine the princess of the moon is… pleased, with your service. Is this not so?”
“It is,” Rarity said, stiffening. She didn’t retreat from him, even as he gazed down at her as he had done to Twilight. There was no distinction between what part of that hunger was predatory, and what kind might be… returned.
Celestia help me if he can sense that. Please don’t sense that. Twilight really needed to get out more.
“My friend is… new at this. She should not be here. You must forgive her for… everything.”
Then he laughed. Regolith retreated a few steps, walking straight over to the case. “You don’t know what this is, do you? You think I’ve been hoarding the secret to mortality restored, all this time? That Princess Celestia would not have heard?”
He didn’t give them a chance to answer. The glass slid open, and he removed the tiny gold box from inside, hurrying over with it in his magic.
“She may’ve been so absolute once, but the Imperatrix Solis has become a more practical ruler since her sister. She understands that eradicating darkness is an impossible standard. There can be… understanding. When deer live wild in the forest, they grow out of control—they devour the supply of young plants, and will strip the forest bare in time. Unless there are predators there. We make every member of the herd run quicker. We cull the weak and sickly before they devour resources better suited to those who contribute. If you think the same isn’t true for Equestria, you’re mistaken. Strength is not given, it is earned. Through pain, fear, and suffering.”
There is no way Princess Celestia lets you kill ponies to make the population stronger. Twilight almost spat that at him—there was some part of her that wanted to attack him right there. She resisted. “That isn’t the cure?”
“No,” Regolith answered. “Though it is an essential part of it.” He opened the box, lifting a tiny object from inside. A syringe, worked from pure gold, with a tiny glass window in the side. To Twilight’s shock, he lifted it straight to his neck, then pulled on the plunger until it was full. His blood was not red, but as black as ink, with little chunks floating within. He offered both—the box, and the syringe—to Rarity.
“W-what…”
“At a loss for words.” He smiled at them both. “We have needed this treatment so rarely that none is available for you. But the method is known—I’ll even share it with you. It’s on the lid of the box there, the underside.”
Twilight leaned to one side, lifting the lid all the way out and reading.
“To heal the ravaged soul the blood must find—a black root of Moly, powdered fine. Combine with mountain copper, deep below, until the ice has stopped its flow. What was destroyed by darkness is restored by the first touch of dawn.”
Of course it would be some stupid riddle, Twilight thought. Yet she’d just been allowed to read it. She felt dread, sudden and overwhelming. Did this mean—did this creature not intend to let them leave?
“It is not wise to feel such fear around a… predator,” Regolith said, his eyes as sharp as knives. “Calm yourself, new alicorn. Your blood has more life in it than any I have tasted in many years. It would be a… disservice for me to harm you. Celestia might never forgive me.”
“I don’t understand,” Rarity said, ignoring the exchange. This was her world, and there was no fear in her voice. “Why are you giving this to us?”
“Because the most valuable ingredient cannot be stolen.” He nodded to the vial. “No other’s blood will do, Lady Rarity. That is why Princess Celestia will never harm me. If I die, then so dies the hope for every pony… like me. I am the last of the four originators to survive. Stygian was lost before the war, Sombra devoured by the mist, Gaea Everfree fell in the Griffon Crusade. That leaves me.”
“She knows?” Rarity asked. “She knows about the—”
“She discovered it,” Regolith said, grinning as though this were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “And now perhaps you understand the terms of our arrangement. I must share under… certain conditions. But I must be paid.” His eyes narrowed. “This is an exchange, dear ladies. I expect to be given my due.”
He turned away, hurrying over to a shelf and lifting his pen again. He scribbled something on the sheet, then folded it, sealed with a wax stamp.
He returned a moment later, offering it to Twilight. “This is for you—no, Lady Rarity, that wouldn’t be polite for you to take it. You didn’t offer the exchange, your friend did. Inside is a name. A member of my court, to whom I have come to owe a debt. You will repay that debt on my behalf, whatever its nature. Who you choose to involve and how you choose to accomplish this task is yours to decide. But if you fail…” His eyes settled on Rarity. “I know who that vial is for.”
He sat back, and an icy silence settled in the room. He spoke no overt threats—no gruesome warnings. Just a simple statement of fact.
“We understand,” Rarity said, settling the vial back into the gold box and lowering it carefully into her case. “I assume… we will be permitted to leave here. The terms of our arrangement now concluded?”
“Indeed,” Regolith said, the wide, predator smile on his face. “And Princess Twilight, word of advice. We may be colleagues for many years to come. I suggest greater discretion in the future. I may be forgiving—but many of the other noble and great ones are not. Even I would have had… harsh words to speak with you… if you had damaged my door. But I can see you didn’t, and so you yourselves may leave just as intact. Good evening.”
And that was it. A polite nod, and he had returned to his work, barely even looking at them.
He doesn’t think there’s a thing we can do to hurt him. Twilight’s eyes lingered a moment more, and any of the otherworldly attraction she had briefly felt faded. Now she felt only disgust, wondering just how many lives this monster had taken.
But it would not be taking theirs tonight.
But one day I might take yours, Regolith. I was ignorant this time, unprepared. See how helpless I am next time. Twilight was an Alicorn, even if a new one. You know what would be even better than killing you? Finding a cure that doesn't need your blood. See if I don't.
But Sweetie Belle would have to come first.
The outside of Regolith’s vault was unchanged from their last visit, with one exception. It was not in an army of waiting soldiers—those had apparently been called off, though by some magic or a simple order given while they weren’t looking, it was hard to say.
No—the strange thing was Applejack standing there, staring at the vault door as though she’d just seen a ghost.
Rarity gasped as she saw her, tumbling rather ungracefully from the doorway onto the cavern floor with a squeak of shock. “Sweet Celestia!” She rose quickly, adjusting the case beside her—it alone had remained perfectly balanced in the air beside her. “A-Applejack dear…” She looked up at Twilight, who was still crawling through the opening herself.
Twilight landed on the ground beside her a second later, a little calmer—if only because she’d got a good look at Applejack in advance.
Curiously, the farmpony seemed to be watching her with almost the same expression as Rarity, as though she thought she was guilty of something but didn’t want to verbally ask for confirmation. That’s right, I didn’t tell you about Rarity. Probably a good thing. Maybe Applejack would’ve been forced to stop her if she knew. Or maybe she would’ve tried to convince her not to save their friend.
“What are you doing here, darling?” She glanced around fearfully—but didn’t seem nearly as on-edge as she had been with Twilight. We’ve been promised a safe trip out. Something tells me the vampire will honor it.
“I, uh… I came expectin’ something,” she said. “Somethin’ I wasn’t looking forward to.” Her eyes settled on Twilight again, and for once Twilight couldn’t read her expression. Whether incredible relief or fear for what might happen, Twilight couldn’t tell. “It didn’t happen, though.”
“O-oh. That’s rather… cryptic.” Rarity glanced to one side. “Twilight, I know you ended up in a well yesterday. But I wonder if perhaps you might, uh… return us to Ponyville? You wouldn’t mind the ride, would you Applejack?”
“Nope.” She stepped closer, brushing the grave-dirt from her hooves. “Not one lick.”
“Sure.” Twilight glanced one last time at the vault door as it closed, intricate gears emerging from their slots. An incredibly complex flower of machinery closed again, as though waiting for the next adventurer to visit. “Trip back. I won’t even put us in the well this time.” She settled the envelope close to her, making sure it was within reach.
Then they teleported. Twilight had hours to recover since her last magical fight—compared to all that, this was simple. She didn’t put them in the well, but in the basement of the Golden Oaks, where she’d inscribed a circle of runes in steel and hidden it under the floorboards.
There was a pop and a flash, and suddenly the three of them were standing beside the reference section.
“We’ll speak of this again later,” Rarity said to Twilight, with a tone of exasperated politeness. “I suspect I’ll need your help with… preparations.”
She didn’t wait, and ignored Applejack’s questioning looks. “I’m going to check on my sister. I trust you’ll bear her in mind.” She glanced once at the letter. Then she left, the door banging behind her.
For a few seconds there was silence, other than the sound of tired moaning and claws shuffling on the ceiling above them. Spike was probably not expecting them to reappear in the middle of the night.
“You knew,” Applejack said, as soon as Rarity had walked away.
Twilight nodded.
Applejack blinked, wiping away tears with the edge of one leg. She sniffed, clearing her throat. “You… you did a good thing, Twi. One of the best things a friend has ever done for me.” She turned, lowering her hat far enough that it covered her face. “Don’t know how you did it—but I don’t wanna know.”
“Sure.” Twilight wiped away a little moisture of her own. Relief washed over her. The weight of the slip of paper in her magic might’ve felt like lead, but at least she’d done one good thing tonight.
Applejack cleared her throat. “Be careful… with what you did. Don’t get in a habit of angerin’ fate.”
“What good is being a princess if I can’t use it to help my friends?”
Applejack chuckled. “Don’t know. Reckon I shouldn’t be tellin’ you what to do.” She turned away. “Take care, Twi. See ya tomorrow.” She left.
Left twilight alone with the sheet of paper, and its intricate seal. Twilight walked over to the single candle burning near the window, studying the seal.
It was red wax, because of course it would be. A tree was depicted there, encircled by a massive snake. She cut the seal, then flipped the sheet open under candlelight. Well, here we go. I have to do the dark bidding of some vampire, or Sweetie Belle dies. Please don’t make me do anything too evil.
Regolith hadn’t written anything, he’d drawn a cutie mark. She need not have worried that she didn’t recognize it.
Three pink butterflies.
Now, while the next chapter still isn't out, I will guess that Fluttershy, while indeed undead, is _not_ a vampire.
I honestly expect Flutters to simply look surprised, have some heart to heart, and then simply ask Twilight for help with her animals.
Obviously it'll be some epic quest, but still to help animals.
So, Fluttershy has a debt over one of the most powerful beings on the continent. I can't wait to hear how this happened...
oh god wat
O.O
Regolith mentioned "many" other "noble and great ones", implying that Equestria has more than a few immortals hidden about. Now that Twilight's confirmed her own immortality, she might want to have a long chat with Celestia and Luna. You know, a "please tell me all of the secrets of the world so I don't stumble into them blindly" talk.
9390579
Any creature you can speak to, you can owe money. So don't let your mouth write checks that your flank can't cash.
It would be hilarious if Rainbow Dash turns out to be the only "normal" pony. Her secret is that she's awesome.
Are you telling me Flutterbat was not just a phase?! It might be even amusing if she really has vampire blood in her - which might affect her relation to Rarity in the future.
9390726
She seems to have done fine so far. Lets see where it goes.
9390726
Don't be absurd. Twilight is incapable of anything but deferential groveling in Celestia's presence.
9390879
That episode may not have taken place yet. This story begins a few days after Twilight's ascension at the end of season three, and Bats takes places in the early middle of season four.
9391131
Are you saying this is your take on that episode? I am looking forward to reading it.
9390763
She has a chaos god at her beck and call. That debt's not going to be doing much in the ways of persuasion, even if it's from a powerful vampire.
9390882
Still, it's Celestia and Luna's fault if she messes anything up. I mean, "don't get in Rarity's way, she's a secret agent", or "vampires are real, try not to piss them off" seem like things a less cryptic ruler might tell the student they're grooming to rule beside them. It's completely in character for Celestia to... "forget" to mention these things, but at this point Twilight has every right to march up and give Tia a good dressing-down. She nearly got herself and Rarity both killed because Celestia couldn't be bothered to give some basic information; I'd be a little pissed off.
You said that you would be releasing this in chunks. DOes that mean this section is complete and it will be quite a while before the next section comes out?
Not entirely unsurprising, things that old tend to be, somewhat, reasonable, if approached with proper deference. Evidently, he never would have touched her, rather the door itself would have killed rarity, some lethal trap hidden in the enchantments.
9391352
Not as long as this time. This section is done, but the next one has been added to my formal writing schedule. I expect it to take 1-2 months for Fluttershy's chunk. (less if I get my other writing done early)
I have no idea about flutters, but I want to bet rainbow is either Mafia or a Windigo. Or nyancat.
I keep forgetting about this, re-discovering it, and enjoying it all over again. It's new every time. Good work.
I wonder how you'd react if you knew, Rarity, I wonder…
Well, seeing as Regolith called her a member of his court…
… Just how old is she? Is she even a vampire? Why does Regolith owe her a debt?
And what exactly was Flutterbat?The answer to Flutterbat was provided by Starscribe down in the comments.
9391329
To be fair, she seemed unaware that Applejack was the Pale Mare. Sure, Rarity is an agent, and that was probably going to come up, but I don't believe Celestia knew that the Boatman would send Twilight on a quest to stop her unknown suicide mission, which would put her on the path of discovering just what the hell Fluttershy's secret is.
Hmm, unless you're talking about astronomical twilight ― which I doubt, to say the least ― there's a capital missing.
9391390
9391013
Twilight accused imposter Cadance of being evil in front of Celestia.
*entering dramatic mode*
Do you quarrel with Twilight, sir? Ho, shall we duel with words? For I am prepared to lay down dignity and pride to defend her honor.
Too much?
9391553
At least it won't be a year this time >.>
This is becoming a very rich and full tapestry that's being weaved. Interesting to see what traits the other bearers have, if they have any.
A fic that involves Flutterbat huh?
That did not go as I was expecting.
Yeah, I thought he'd have been pissed about the door.
Hah!
Oh my. Stygian's return is going to have all sorts of interesting political ramifications for Regolith. Not so indispensible now, old boy...
In any case, Regolith proved to be refreshingly reasonable. It makes sense. One doesn't get to be one of Equestria's necessary evils without some measure of pragmatism and a distinct lack of mustache twirling.
As for the next arc... I figured the favor would be how you transitioned from one pony to the next, but somehow I didn't see this one coming. It'll certainly make for some very interesting teatime conversation. All the more so if Discord is stopping by for a visit.
9391555
And she accepted Celestia's reprimand without comment. Besides, that was six seasons ago. More recently, we have A Royal Problem and Horse Play.
Because of course fluttershy is a powerful fucking vampire, rarity is a vampire hunter, aj is deaths helper. When the hell did i step into the Town of Salem universe!?!? What's next? Rainbow Dash being a vigilante in the night!? Or maybe a GodFather for the mafia???
9392281
No, the last is Octavia. This is rather well-known. :D
I did have something of a similar reaction, but it's all there in the story's description anyway, so I'm not too surprised.
This is also going to be an intricate and clever way to ensure that all her friends will remain with her (foreeeeveeerrrrrrrr ) at some point, isn't it.
Not sure how Rarity would work, but there's a trend for everypony else.
I am hoping that Twilight can solve some of the issues they are having -- the depleting well of power from which Alicorns are formed, or perhaps the issue with the cure, though. I don't know how much of that would go up against actual (meta)physical law, or what could be fixed with enough knowledge, though.
9392250
Well, by the time Celestia reprimanded her, Twilight’s friends had already done so, so I don’t think she was in much of a mental state to do anything, really.
That being said... yeah, to be honest, I can’t think of an instance where Twilight went directly against Celestia knowing that she’s in her presence. If we remove the second caveat, in “Horse Play” Twilight did get frustrated at Celestia’s utter lack of acting skill. (I digress, but you’d think that a thousand year old princess heavily involved in politics would do better.)
Still, I do have this to say: while Twilight is and reverential in Celestia’s presence, with a side dish of idolization, it is not groveling. I’ve seen groveling, and Twilight still is far from that, and she’s not getting closer to it at all. Besides, you said she’s incapable of anything but deferential groveling, but that’s not true, is it? I wouldn’t exactly call her behavior in “Celestial Advice” deferential groveling.
9392417
Well, to me, it seems that if Octavia is in anyway related to a Mafia Godfather then it’d be as his daughter.
9392796
Give it time, they have a whole season left to Flanderize her further.
Take care, Twi. See ya tomorrow.” She left. Left twilight alone with the sheet of paper, and its intricate seal.
I’m a bit confused about why Celestia would need to keep Regolith around if all he’s good for in the long term is creating new vampires only for them to be cured eventually? Though it is nice to see world building or excessive combat scenes any day.
9392942
Any vampire can create another vampire, and there are already some significant number of them. If she'd been able to destroy him early, she probably would have. But he successfully evaded capture long enough that now there's an entire court of vampires under him, each of which can create more. Killing him would remove her ability to cure any of those ponies, and if even one of them escaped to hide somewhere, they could start the whole thing over again without a cure available.
9392976
Meaning that either she has to destroy/defang/unvamp all the vampires everywhere at once, and ideally implement a standing antivampire effect in Equestria's magic field to prevent accidental recreation, or (as mentioned) find an alternate cure.
I'm wondering if she'll hook Sweetie Belle up to every sensor and magical scan she can think of before administering the cure, to see if sufficient data can be collected to achieve any of these goals.
Hmm. Well, that's the Stare explained. And, uh, possibly where Ponyville vamps get their blood from, assuming that the hospital's not involved.
Unrelatedly, now taking bets on when the inevitable vampire / sparkly-twilight joke will take place. Or has that particular bit of pop culture thankfully fallen by the wayside?
9390500
Regolith implied that Equestria has many ancient creatures, including individual ponies, within it.
Regolith owes Fluttershy a favor.
It seems likely, then, that Fluttershy is ancient.
Fluttershy is one year older than Pinkie.
Pinkie is ancient.
Pinkie Pie = Pony Cthulhu confirmed.
I'm curious about the originators like Sombra and Gaea Everfree.
Was this mentioned before hand? It's been awhile.
9392818
And exactly what characteristic will they flanderize, if at all?
Regardless, we'll see, we'll see…
9391373
There's also that immortals are very reasonable...with other immortals (assuming they don't have a centuries-old grudge, of course). Just because he was willing to make a deal easily with Twilight, and forgive her rudeness (she is just a baby immortal after all) doesn't necessarily mean he'd give Rarity the same respect.
9393954
He'd give her exactly as much respect as he felt she deserved. And without Twilight's patronage, that would have been very little respect indeed.
9393946
Anxiety and deference. The same ones they've been Flanderizing for five seasons.
Based on what Regolith has told Twilight, it sounds like there are quite a lot of vampires hiding in plain sight, and apparently Flutters is an ancient vampire. Or she could be an equally ancient dryad, or something.
My headcanon for this story is that the "real" reason the Pillars showed Stygian the door was that he turned.
Somehow I knew the next one would be Fluttershy.
Good tale thus far!
Well, that could have gone a lot worse.
Also nice to know that Celestia isn’t quite as blind to all this stuff as it seemed. Even if she’s not as... proactive as Twilight is planning to be about figuring out a better solution. Either that or she’s already tried everything Twilight might... notwithstanding that Stygian may shake things up quite a bit in the future.
Here’s hoping I can actually follow the next arc as it comes out.