• Published 7th Feb 2012
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Embracing the Darkness - BlueAzura



Twilight Sparkle is left with a scar that will permanently change the rest of her natural born life.

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Chapter 4

*I own nothing, but the experience and story*

*Ponies go to Hasbro*

Embracing the Darkness

By: BlueAzura

Chapter 4

The streets of Ponyville were empty. Not a single pony could be seen as far as the eye can see. They were all afraid. Afraid from a single unlikely source and the source in question, was quietly making her way towards a large tree. Twilight glanced from building to building, watching, as pony after pony quickly slammed their doors and windows as the unicorn drew near. She sighed. ‘I guess this is what I deserve…’ She pressed on, ignoring the cries of fear from the ponies around her. Twilight looked up and seeing the bright red door of her library, her face lit up. Setting off in a gallop, she quickly opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. “Whew…”

Surprise!

“AH!” Twilight screamed, covering her eyes from the sudden lights around her. When she opened them again, she saw that all of her friends were there, greeting her with a warm smile. She was stunned into silence.

After a few minutes, Applejack coughed softly. “Uh… you think we broke her?”

“It almost looks to be that way, darling” The snow-white unicorn leaned in.

“Oh no! If we broke Twilight, how are we going to explain to Black Snootie about this?” The party pony jumped in, waving a hoof in front of the unicorn’s face.

“She will probably… *meep* … get very angry.” The trembling Pegasus said, glancing around a corner from where she hid. “I think we were too loud to begin with…”

“Na! We were just too good at our surprise that’s all!” Rainbow Dash trotted to the side of the stunned Twilight. She began patting the unicorn’s head, while saying. “It’s okay, Twilight… I have that effect on most ponies.”

That seems to snap the unicorn out of her dazed expression, as she gazed into each of the ponies faces. “I don’t understand…”

Rarity gave a confused look. “Whatever do you mean, dear?”

“I… I thought you never wanted to see me anymore, now that I’m basically Nightmare’s goon.” The unicorn’s face fell at the thought.

The farm-pony gave a small chuckle. “Honesty, Twi, I thought you were the smarter one around here.” She continued. “Even though you’re joining Nightmare Moon now, we’ll never leave you, sugarcube.” She finished with a smile. “Because we’re your friends remember?” The ponies around gave a round of nods and agreements.

Twilight whipped a tear from her eyes, before saying. “I guess I overreacted a little bit, didn’t I?”

“A little bit? Dear, you can contest with Rainbow Dash with that sort of reaction.” The alabaster unicorn said with a smug grin, earning a ‘Hey’ from the Pegasus in question.

While the group was busy giggling, a small voice came from upstairs. “Hey guys, how long are you going to make me wait up here?” Twilight’s ear twitched, her eyes widening.

Pinkie Pie groaned in despair. “Aww! Spikey! You ruined it!” She turned her head in the direction of the stairs.

Following her gaze, Twilight turned to see a small purple dragon standing at the bottom, looking right at her. Green eyes met purple, as the dragon sputtered. “T-Twilight?”

“Spike!” The unicorn galloped towards the baby dragon, warping him in a tight hug. “I missed you sooo much!”

“I missed you too!” said the assistant, tears running down his face. “When the others arrived, I thought you were going to be with them…” He pulled away to stare into the unicorn’s eyes. “When you weren’t with them… I thought I lost you…” He couldn’t continue, as more tears ran down his face.

They remained in their tight hug for a few minutes, recollecting themselves. “Oh, Spike… I’m so sorry making you worry about me.” Twilight gave another hug. “But please, don’t cry… I’m never going to leave you.” She felt a sharp stab in her heart, realizing too late, that she has less than an hour before she had to leave again.

Seeing her friend stiffening, Applejack said, in a quiet voice. “Don’t you worry about Twilight, sugarcube.” She gave a forced smile. “I’m sure the Princess will let her visit from time to time, so you’ve got to stay strong for her ‘till then.”

The baby dragon gave a confused look. “Visit?” His eyes widening, looking back that the purple unicorn. “You mean you’re not staying?!”

Twilight gulped, steeling herself to give the news. “No, Spike… I’m afraid I won’t be staying here for much longer.” Spike was about to say something, but she interrupted him. “Nightmare Moon defeated us and to order to protect my friends, I gave myself in permanent servitude to her.”

The dragon gasped, looking from one pony to another, trying to see if it was a joke. Seeing the sad expressions in each of them, he sighed. “Do you know when you’ll be come back?”

Twilight slowly shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Spike…” She leaned in and gently nuzzled the side of his cheek. “But I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can.” She gave a gentle smile as she, reluctantly, pulled away from the hug.

The silence that followed lasted only a minute, when Pinkie Pie yelled. “Alrighty, everypony! We only have about twenty minutes to party, before Twilight has to leave! Let’s go! Chop-chop!” She bounced in place, while the other ponies stared at her in disbelief. “What?”

“Pinkie… I know you like to be fast, but come on! How do we set up and throw the party, when we only have twenty minutes to spare?!” The speedster, asked in amazement. “We barely had enough time to set up the first surprise!”

“I must agree with her, Pinkie.” Rarity chipped in. “We simply don’t have to time to prepare for the party, dear.”

The party pony’s face visibly fell, a small frown taking shape. But before any of her friends could comfort her, a giant grin popped back on her face. “OOOOH, I just had the best-est idea ever!” She began dancing and laughing on the spot, earning herself many blank stares.

“Uhh… care to share what this idea of yours, Pinkie?” Twilight asked, slightly fearing the mentality of her friend.

“Nnnope!” Pinkie cried out, honking the unicorn’s nose. “You’ll see it, after you come back!” She gasped. “It will be your surprise present!” The party pony then proceeds to bounce all over the room, while miraculously keeping everything intact.

“You… You are so random, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash laughed, while the other ponies quietly giggled.

Well… that’s one thing I’m not going to miss…’ Twilight thought, feeling a ghost of guilt, pass through her body. ‘I just don’t get you, Pinkie…’ Her thoughts were interrupted, when the butterscotch Pegasus tapped her shoulder.

Fluttershy squeaked slightly, when Twilight turned her attention towards her. “Umm… What are you going to do now… now that we only have a few minutes left?”

Realizing the current situation she was in, Twilight sighed. “I guess I’ll just pack the things I need…” She slowly made her way upstairs to her bedroom, her friends sadly watching her go. When she reached her room, her horn lit up and began levitating her things into a suitcase. Glancing into a mirror, she realized that she still had her element resting on her head. She lifted it slowly off, staring at the purple jewel the whole time. ‘I guess I don’t need you anymore…’ The crown gave a sad twirl, as it nestled into the suitcase. The case closed with a loud snap, as Twilight lifted it up into the air.

Twilight reemerged from her room to see her friends, quietly waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “So… this is really happening isn’t it?”

“Oh… don’t feel too bad, sugarcube.” The farm-pony said, giving her a soft smile. “I’m sure it’s not going to be all bad at that fancy castle.”

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Twilight was drawn in a tight embrace. Rarity smiled gently. “We’ll make sure to send you letters as much as we can, dear.”

Rainbow Dash was busy looking everywhere but the unicorn. “Y-you take care of yourself… Y-you got that, Twi? I won’t forgive you if you hurt yourself…” She sniffed and began rubbing her face, furiously with a hoof.

Then Fluttershy gave a gentle hug and said. “We’ll take good care of Spike while you’re gone, Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie, who long since calmed down, quickly said. “Make sure you tell us when you’re coming back, so I can prepare for you’re welcome back party!”

Twilight couldn’t help, but smile. “You got it, Pinkie.” She turned her attention towards a lone figure in the room, sitting quietly in a chair and looking out into the night sky. Her smile disappeared.

Twilight slowly began to move forward, only to stop, as the baby dragon said. “I guess this really isn’t a dream…” He turned to face her. “Isn’t it, Twilight?”

“No, this isn’t a dream, Spike.” She slowly shook her head. “As much as I want this to be a really bad dream…” She took a deep breath. “I’ll just have to be a strong mare and finish Nightmare’s training as quickly as possible.

Spike made a weak chuckle. “If the training involves reading a book, you’ll be back here in no time.” The pair quietly giggled at the joke. Spike stood up and closing the distances between the two, he gave the unicorn a tight hug. “I’ll miss you, Twilight.”

“I’ll miss you too little brother…” Twilight said. She leaned in and gave the assistant, a small peck on the cheek. “You be good to the others, alright?”

Spike nodded enthusiastically, but then frowned suddenly. “Just promise me that you’ll write soon, okay?”

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry, Spike, I plan on sending letters every day.” ‘If Nightmare Moon would even let me…’ She frowned, as she reluctantly pulled away.

The door to the library opened and the suitcase floated out, via magic. Twilight followed closely behind. The unicorn looked back, to see her friends staring miserably at the ground. She pressed her lips and closed her eyes briefly, trying to gather some courage. “When I said that you were the best thing to ever happen to me, I meant it.” She opened her eyes and smiled. “I’ll never forget the time we spent together.” With that, she turned and began trotting away, into the deserted streets of Ponyville.


The goddess of the night was impatient. She stood tall, quietly surveying the empty streets, she grunted. ‘What’s taking that unicorn so long?’ She was about to send one of her guards after her, but noticed the unicorn appearing around the corner. ‘Sigh… Better late than never…’ She paused. ‘Wait… when did I become so… forgiving?’ The alicorn briefly shook her head before saying. “Ah, Twilight Sparkle… I was wondering when you were going to show.”

Twilight flinched at the sight of the alicorn. “F-forgive me, Nightmare Moon, I was saying goodbye to my friends.” Having magic as her special talent, she sensed Nightmare Moon’s magic flare in anger. The magic briefly snarled at her before disappearing, causing the unicorn to shiver. ‘Best to not get on her bad side so soon…

There’s that feeling again…’ “Very well…” She said with a sigh. “Come! We are wasting my glorious night away!” Nightmare Moon spun on the spot and entered the carriage, followed by a very timid Twilight. As soon as the door closed, Nightmare lazily waved a hoof towards the guards, signaling them to move. The carriage lurched forward, causing the unicorn to nearly fall off her seat. Twilight took a glance out the window to see Ponyville, as it quickly shrank away. After a few minutes of flying, she let out a weak sigh.

Nightmare, who was watching the unicorn the whole time, leaned into the back of her seat and said. “You know… I’m surprised at you.”

Twilight jumped and stared at the alicorn. “S-surprised? Why are you surprised?”

The goddess eyed the Everfree Forest before she turned her head and answered. “I’m surprised you never asked me on what I did to you, back at the old castle.” She eyed the unicorn closely.

Twilight paled. “W-well… I didn’t really want to think about that too much…” The truth is she was burning with hundreds of questions, but was too afraid she might step out of line.

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “Do you truly believe you can lie to your queen that easily?” She smirked. “It’s not every day, when a pony is blessed with the powers of the night.”

It didn’t feel like a blessing, that’s for sure…’ She finally found enough courage and took a chance to ask. “So… are all the stories about vamponies true then?”

“Well… what can you tell me about vamponies, Twilight?”

The unicorn quickly cleared her throat, eager to share knowledge. “Well, for starters, I read that they can only move during the night.”

Nightmare shook her head. “That was merely a sad attempt, to make the ponies afraid of going out into the night.” She waved a hoof absentmindedly. “We can travel in both the day and night… However, we are weakened considerably, during the day.”

“Okay… How about a vampony can’t enter another pony’s home, without permission?” Twilight asked, soaking up all the information.

“That too, is false.” Nightmare rolled her eyes. “Another petty attempt to bring fear into the hearts of ponies, also before you ask, yes, we can enter ‘hallowed’ ground as well.”

“Right…” ‘Everything I’ve read in books so far has been a lie…’ “Does holy water actually work?” Twilight waited, expecting Nightmare Moon to claim that false as well.

“It isn’t really water, nor is it holy.” Nightmare turned to the window again. “It was created and used by my sister in order to weaken me.” The alicorn’s face made a scowl at the memory. “Ponies believed that since it came from a god, the liquid was holy. But no, it is merely the rays of the sun, turned into a liquid.”

“Liquid sunlight?” Twilight was in awe. “I never expected I’ll learn so many new things… D-do you sleep in a coffin?” She asked, in an excited tone.

Nightmare Moon’s lips twitched. ‘So now she’s interested in vamponies… what a strange mare…’ “I’ll tell you some other time, Twilight.”

“Oh…” Twilight pressed a hoof to her chin, trying to remember anything else about vamponies. Her cheeks grew red when she asked. “Do… Do ponies only change into vamponies when they’re v-virgins?” Nightmare stared at Twilight, with a face that screamed: "Are you kidding me?" The unicorn turned away, her face scarlet. “N-never mind…”

After a few minutes of silence, the alicorn collected herself and said. “N-no, ponies doesn’t have to be… that… in order to become a vampony.” She leaned back into her seat and said. “Although… There are certain things that must be done in order to become one.”

“Like… what kind of things?” Twilight asked, leaning in.

“It all really matters if I want one of my subjects to change or not. I am the very first to ever appear in this world… I was born a vampony and the only one who can convert others.” Twilight’s eyes widened at her statement. “The first thing that must be done is to cut out any forms of light, since the world of light is my sister’s realm. Second, I must make the connection, by biting and drinking their blood.” Nightmare Moon’s turquoise eyes met purple, as she said. “Lastly, the pony that is to transform, must drink the blood of another pony in order to be complete.”

Twilight was stunned. ‘So it’s true…’ Her eyes began to moisten. ‘Everything that happened at the ruins, matched perfectly with what she said.

The truth is… Twilight had been trying to convince herself over and over, that she was still a normal pony. She just couldn’t grasp the situation because it was just so unreal to her. Vamponies! For as long as she knew, vamponies were just fictional creatures. Creatures that for the most part, was used only for scary stories and such. She read countless books on the history of Equestria, only to find nothing remotely close to a real vampony. But with all of the overwhelming evidence against her now, she couldn’t deny it any longer. ‘I’m… I’m a monster now…

Nightmare Moon watched, as tears ran down the unicorn’s face. ‘At one point, you were trying find out everything that is to do with vamponies and now you cry before your queen.’ She turned away and said. “If it makes you feel any better, you don’t have to kill the pony you drink to transform.”

Twilight turned away, rubbing her face with a hoof. “I’m sorry, your highness, it’s just a little bit too much to take in.”

The alicorn nodded. “Fair enough…” She was about to continue, but was interrupted, when the carriage began to dip.

“We have arrived, my Queen.” The carriage was pulled onto the royal airstrip, stopping at the entrance of the castle.

Nightmare Moon exited and was greeted by another pony. “Welcome back to the castle, your highness, I take it your tasks has been completed?” The pony looked back at the carriage, to see Twilight exiting out of it. “Who’s that, your majesty?”

“This is Twilight Sparkle, Captain.” Nightmare pointed a hoof at the unicorn. “You are to escort her to one of the spare rooms in the castle and return to me at the throne room when you are finished here.” The alicorn swiftly entered the castle.

The captain of the guard faced the unicorn and said, in a curt voice. “Hello, Miss Sparkle, I am here to take you to your room.” He turned and began walking away.

Twilight took notes on the stallion as she followed. He was a tall Pegasus, with a navy blue coat, a somewhat messy-styled silver mane, and a large pair of black feathery wings. His cutie-mark was a large shield with a menacing red eye in the center.

As they were nearing the stairs to the upper floors, Twilight spoke. “Umm… Is it alright if I just sleep in my old room, in the royal library?”

The guard pony was taken aback. “You lived here before?”

Twilight shook her head. “Actually I’ve been living here since I was a filly and I used to be Princess Celestia’s personal student.” She flinched slightly at the last statement.

“Humm… very well.” He changed direction, moving towards a familiar ivory tower.

After several minutes of awkward silence, the guard asked. “Did you ever have your first drink yet?”

It was Twilight’s turn to be surprised. “I sorry, but w-what did you say?” ‘I could’ve sworn he said…

The guard stopped. “I asked if you completed your transformation yet, vampony.” He turned and faced her, waiting.

“N-no, I was only changed today.” Twilight leaned away. “W-who are you?” ‘And how do you know what I am?!

Instead of answering her, the pony turned and began walking again. Twilight followed behind the guard pony, taking very careful steps. After several more minutes of walking, they finally reached the large doors to the library.

The navy blue pony turned once more, to face Twilight. “You are to remain here until the Master decides to summon you.” He began walking away. “Your personal belongings will be delivered in the meantime… Have a good night, Miss Sparkle.”

Twilight watched him go, having more questions than answers. ‘What have I gotten myself into?