Celestia, you may raise the sun, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy the morning that comes with it...
I must have had the same thought every morning. Though most ponies would worship the days they did not have to wake up to an alarm clock, I found the rising of the sun to be a terrible experience any day of the week. Celestia’s blessing to the world in my eyes was unbearable. However, waking up to something, or someone, tended to mellow my mood and this morning was no exception.
As I blinked opened my eyes, I took care not to disturb the sleeping mare on my chest. From this angle all I could see was her black mane. I could smell the faint scent of pine coming from her hair as I felt her gentle breathing.
As I looked upon her smiling, I felt the over-analytic voice in my head (I knew him as Query) begin to question how a mare such as her could be with me. I was an average stallion with a below average talent and a habit of questioning everything around me, where she would often travel to exotic places spreading her lovely music and didn’t seem to have a care in the world. How somepony in metalworking managed to even meet such a creative and beautiful mare is nothing less than a fairy tale.
Well... unless there’s a story about a drunken stallion bumping into his best friend’s old roommate and hitting on her terribly, than I have to admit calling it a fairy tale may be an exaggeration. Still, the fact that she had found my poor attempts at courting amusing enough to give me a chance is no less of a miracle than one you often find in stories told to children.
My questioning of my life’s blessings was interrupted by the source of my doubts. As she began to stir, she turned her head toward me so that I could see her gray coat. I felt my heart soar as her deep purple eyes blinked open.
“Good morning my little songbird.” Her only reply to my teasing was to raise a hoof and place it on my cheek in a sleep deprived attempt at hitting me.
“Hmm... I told you... not to call me that... metal head” she muttered. I had to admit, she was absolutely adorable when she was annoyed. “Wha... what time is it?”
I felt the familiar surge of magic as I willed her alarm clock to move within my field of vision. “It’s about 9:30.” This news managed to wake up my marefriend pretty quickly.
“Oh no! I’m going to be late!” I coughed a bit as she pushed off my body and ran to the bathroom. Before I could even ask what could get her to move so fast, she had closed the door and started the shower. For a moment I considered walking in on her as she cleaned herself, but I decided it was too early in the morning to be pushing her buttons so much.
I picked up the alarm clock from where I had dropped it and returned it to its nightstand. After about ten minutes of internal turmoil on if it was worth dragging my plot out of bed, I finally won against my lazy thoughts and got up. I heard the door to the bathroom open as I planted my hooves on the ground.
I turned to see my marefriend step out, and I won’t deny she looked pretty hot with a wet mane. “So what’s got your cello strings all knotted up Tavi?”
Octavia rolled her eyes at me but she smiled just the same.“I have a friendly meeting with Vinyl today and I told her I would be there by ten. Could you dry my mane?”
My horn glowed as I leaned my head toward her. I have no idea how she managed before meeting me, but since we had become a couple I had become her personal hairdryer. Thankfully my talent with metal also came with good control of heat and fire. Within a few moments, Octavia’s mane had been completely dried.
“Well, have fun and watch out for Vinyl. She has a tendency to get a little crazy.”
“Oh please, you have about as much control during your ‘outings’ as she does.” Seems it was my turn to be poked fun at. Vinyl and I had been drinking buddies for about as long as I could remember, and since alcohol has a tendency to poke holes in my memory there wasn’t much left to recall. What I could tell you based on what I did have was that when the two of us were out on the town, something interesting was bound to happen.
“Alright, I get it. You’re more responsible and mature and all-around better than I am.” I had learned early on in our relationship that arguing with Octavia is impossible. As I ended my string of compliments, she surprised me with a kiss on my cheek.
“Well I wouldn’t want to disagree with you.” Octavia said slyly. As she turned away I felt my eyes gravitate toward her flanks, her treble clef adorned plot swaying side to side as she walked out of the room. Once I was free of her spell, I decided it would be worth cleaning myself up and stepped into the bathroom.
I felt Query begin to question my relationship once again, only this time instead of indulging his curiosity I shut him up fast, banishing him from my thoughts.
* * *
Once I had decided I looked good enough to be seen by others (which just meant I had gotten rid of my bed head), I stepped out onto the streets of Ponyville. Before I could join the other denizens of the town though, I had to win my daily battle with sunlight. I struggled to keep my eyes open against my eternal enemy for about ten minutes before my eyes finally adjusted.
Although I had taken my sweet time waking up, it seems the rest of the town had managed much better than I and were already going about their business. I stood there for a moment and watched in a strange sense of amazement as ponies of many different colors trotted off to do their daily tasks. However, my examination of the scene was interrupted by my stomach’s desire for food.
“Oh hush you.” I told my stomach. I was already late enough for work as is. Unfortunately, my hunger was not going to be so easily quieted. It let loose a few more growls before I finally gave into its demands. After a few moments of thought, I decided the best place to shut it up would be the marketplace.
The street Octavia’s house sat on was nowhere near as busy as this. Market street was filled with vendors, each one selling something different. Groups of ponies ran from stand to stand as the shop owners barked out advertisements. The buildings on the street were also stores in which you could buy many different things, though the insides of them were no less crowded.
Despite my urgency to feed myself and get to work, my claustrophobia got the better of me. Instead of heading straight to the baker’s shop, I found myself walking slowly through the crowds, doing my best not to let myself get engulfed in the chaos. As I neared my destination, I let my guard down, but I quickly realized my mistake as a group of ponies swept over me.
Of course I took the sudden crowding like the stallion I was and simply waited for them to pass... with my hooves covering my eyes and ears... and I was lying on the ground. Hey, it was still the most manly cowering you have ever seen in your life!
Anyways, with the stampede of ponies finally gone, I darted to the doors of Sugercube Corner, thanking all four princesses of Equestria under my breath. I still can’t believe that crazy librarian is a princess now. I was lucky to find that the store was not very busy and had only one other customer at the moment.
Although I could tell Pinkie Pie was trying her best to make the hooded stallion’s visit to the shop as enjoyable as possible, he clearly wasn’t in the mood. HIs brown cloak hid everything about him except his body shape, even hiding the color of his coat which made him all the more strange. Suddenly he seemed to have enough of Pinkie Pie as he slammed both of his forehooves on the counter.
“Enough!” His voice sounded raspy as if he needed a drink of water. “Just get me my piece of bread so I can get out of here!” Oddly enough, Pinkie Pie calmed down and handed him his order in a brown paper bag. At a second glance, I realized she wasn’t calm, but that she was terrified of the stallion. Grunting in what I suppose was satisfaction, he grabbed the bag in his mouth. Our eyes locked as he turned to leave.
I could now see why Pinkie had been so scared of this guy. His stare felt cold and void of life yet no matter how much it pained me I could not look away. My instincts were screaming at me, warning me that if I looked away now, I would die. It felt like an hour had gone by before the strange stallion looked away and walked out the door.
As soon as I was free of his gaze I slumped to the floor. My mind began to pick up the pieces of my shattered thoughts, however my rehabilitation was soon interrupted by a pink hoof poking my head.
I looked up to see Pinkie Pie back to her smiling self. Query poked his head out of his home in my head as he tried to figure out how she had been able to piece herself back together so fast. Already having to deal with voices coming from my stomach, I sent him away with the argument all of Ponyville made in cases like this: Just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
“You doing alright there Bronze? That guy sure was scary. I couldn’t even get him to smile!”
Really? Out of everything about the guy you thought that was his scariest feature? I just sighed in response as I stood back up. My stomach quickly reminded me of what I had come here for.
“Oh, your tummy is hungry for a donut isn’t he? Don’t worry tummy, I’ve got what you want!” Pinkie Pie bounced behind the counter and began to shuffle around, making a lot more noise than seemed possible. I tried to look over the counter to see what all the fuss was about but before I could get a glimpse she had finished packing my order.
“Here you go! That will be one bit please.” Once I had paid for the food and it was safely floating next to me, I turned to ask about what had happened but she was gone. I glanced to the side to see the doors to the kitchen swinging shut.
Yep, just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
Once outside the bakery, I began to shove Query back behind his door as well as quiet the selfish pony that sat in my stomach. Once I was satisfied that both sides were silenced, I finally felt peaceful enough to head to work. Thankfully I was the only metal smith in town so I didn’t have to worry about a boss yelling at me for being late.
Seemed like today was a good day to be my own boss, as here comes my ultimate distraction walking down the street.
“Hey Vinyl! What are you doing here? I thought you and Tavy had something today?”
The blue maned unicorn smiled at me in response. “We did, that was over an hour ago. Don’t tell me you slept in even more than usual.” I looked through the window of Sugercube Corner to check the time. It’s eleven thirty?! How is that possible? I left Octavia’s at ten! The cold eyed stallion came to mind but Vinyl interrupted my thoughts.
“So Octy told me you guys got busy last night. How was it?” I will admit I blushed a bit at Vinyl’s questioning but it didn’t last long.
“Vinyl, this isn’t the first time we’ve slept together. I’m sure I’ve told you about the other times after a few ciders.”
“Oh it was more than a few! And I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t been lying about it. Some of things you say when you drink make you sound crazier than Pinkie Pie.” She had me there, but that was why she was my best friend. Only a real friend would know the drunken habits of the other, and this friendship was a two-way street.
“Pfft, like you’re any better! I still remember that night you were so drunk you decided it would be fun to ride on top of your turntables.”
“And it was!”
“Really? Was it fun when you slammed into the wall head first?”
She put a hoof to her chin. “Oh, I don’t remember that part. I guess that explains where the hole in my wall came from.” After a brief pause in the conversation, both of us began laughing at ourselves.
“Say Bronze, me and the rest of the gang are planning on spending the summer solstice getting crazy. You in?”
Oh right! I had totally forgotten that the solstice was tomorrow. There was something I had to do that day, what was it... Oh!
“Sorry Vinyl, but I’m hanging out with Tavy tomorrow. Maybe I’ll catch up later that night.” Though I could tell Vinyl was bummed I couldn’t make it, she still put a smile on. Vinyl had been almost the entire reason I had met Octavia in the first place so she knew more about our relationship than anypony else.
“That’s a bummer, but I understand.” Vinyl began to leave but glanced back. “You two have fun!” she called back in a tone that would make any sentence sound like a sexual slur.
As she walked into the crowd of the market, I managed to shake off the redness that had come to my cheeks. I felt bad for not being able to join her and the rest of my friends for a day of drunken fun, but I had made a promise to Octavia and I wasn’t about to break it. After another check of the time, I decided no more dilly-dallying and headed straight to work.
* * *
I moaned as I entered my home, my head throbbing with pain after a long day of work. Many ponies loved having reflective metal decorations on their houses’ for the summer solstice. Unfortunately that meant five times the work for me as ponies ran in to get what they needed.
My house was the same design as Octavia’s home only with a lot less furniture and things hanging on the walls. Now that I think about, my house was barren in comparison to her’s. I suppose that was my fault as I prefered only having what I needed. I also never took pictures, therefore leaving nothing to hang on the walls.
I walked into the kitchen and proceeded to fill a bag with ice using my hooves and then grabbed some hard cider from the fridge. Once I was comfortable on my couch, I pressed the ice against my head.
I should probably explain why my head was in pain and not my hooves. You see, I was experiencing what we unicorns call “magical backlash.” When a unicorn uses too much power, it puts a strain on our brain. In most cases, the repercussions of this were nothing more than a headache. However, there had been cases where somepony had used so much magic that they needed medical attention.
I began to take large swigs of cider, which in tandem with my ice pack began to lighten the drum beating in my head. Query had thankfully not taken advantage of my weakened state to make me question the world’s motives as he normally did. Thank Celestia I thought, but a quick glance at my clock made me double back on my praise. I mean Luna.
With my thoughts clear, I decided it would be worth looking back on my day. It didn’t take long for me to remember the cold stallion from Sugercube Corner. What was up with him? Not only had he been strangely dressed, but he managed to scare Pinkie Pie of all ponies. And that stare... had it really locked me in place for almost an hour? Those eyes... I’ve seen them somewhere...
As I finished the bottle of cider, I realized that my ice pack was now leaking water all over my head. Feeling much better, I threw the bag of melted ice as well as the empty bottle into the trash can using what little magic I could. After a long yawn, I decided that going to bed buzzed couldn’t hurt and headed upstairs.
As I entered my bedroom I found that I had left my covers on the floor. I picked it up in my mouth and was about to drape it over the bed when my jaw dropped at what I saw outside my window.
Standing on the roof of the house across the street was the silhouette of a pony, the light of the near-full moon behind him keeping his identity a mystery. But what surprised me about the pony was not their strange choice of where to stand.
His eyes. They’re the same from the bake shop!
His stare was just the same as it had been earlier that morning, only now they seemed to glow a deep red. Although I felt some fear, I did not feel paralyzed as I had before and this fact alone made me question if my drunken mind was playing tricks on me.
I rubbed my eyes with one of my hooves in an attempt to dispel the illusion before me, and as far as I could tell it worked. Damn drunken mirages! Gonna give me a heart attack. Shaking off my shock, I reached down once again to grab my blanket but stopped an inch away. Although I was both drunk and tired, I knew this time I was not imagining things. Someone was in my room.
The next thing I knew I was picking myself up off the floor. My heartbeat was echoing in my ears as I slowly stood up. My whole body felt stiff and sore, but a stinging in my neck was the only thing that was noteworthy of my condition. I rubbed that spot in an attempt to alleviate the pain as I tried to remember what was going on.
Looking around my room, I found my blanket still on the floor and the window wide open. Once I had fixed both of these things with a bit of magic, I realized that something was on my hoof. I took it off my neck to see red staining my normally copper-colored coat. This surprised me but after running into the bathroom to check in the mirror I calmed down. Although there was no wound in sight, there was a bit of blood mixed into my coat and mane.
Suddenly the urge to sleep hit me and I had no defense against it. Shrugging off the weird events, I walked back into the other room and collapsed in my bed.
* * *
I don’t have dreams when I sleep, or at the very least I can never remember them. So when I suddenly found myself standing on the moon, I didn’t really know what was going on. How would I know it’s the moon? Well, other than the entire landscape around me being gray rock and the planet floating above me, I suppose it was easy to assume based on the only companion I had.
Walking toward me was the Princess of the Night herself. I had never seen her in person, or at least I thought I hadn’t. Berry Punch had thrown a Nightmare Night party and I had already had my share of the punch by the time Princess Luna arrived. Remembering how I tended to act when drunk, I suddenly forgot the fact I was on the moon and became more worried with what I may have said to the princess that night.
As she stopped before me, I blurted out my thoughts about as quickly as I could say them. “Sorry if I said anything to offend you last Nightmare Night! I tend to drink a lot and my friends say that I can say some stupid things when I’m drunk and if I accidentally hit on you I can assure I didn’t mean anything by it, not that you're not beautiful or anything but I have a marefriend and-!”
As I took a moment to catch my breath, I realized that Princess Luna was snickering behind her hoof at my awkward apology. It was obvious she wasn’t trying to be rude, but I guess my making a complete fool of myself wasn’t helping. The only reaction I could muster with half a lung full of air was “Wha...?”
She put her hoof down and smiled at me. “Do not worry Bronze Ember. We are not here to punish you for anything you may have done while inebriated.” I sighed with relief. “As a matter of fact, we found your attempts at courting to be quite amusing last we were in Ponyville.” I sucked back in my sigh as I blushed. I couldn’t believe I had tried to get with the princess, though I had to admit she was quite a sexy looking mare...
I quickly shook these thoughts from my head as Luna continued in a serious tone. “We are afraid our appearing here in your dreams is more than just to speak of your nightly habits. We have come to warn you of a danger that is partially our fault.” My ears perked up as I heard this, but before she could explain, Query came back and began filling my head with a million irrelevant questions such as ‘why are we on the moon?’ and ‘if this is a dream, could I wish to see Luna in lingerie?’
Fuck Query
I growled in anger as I hit my head against the surface of the moon, trying to silence the annoying bastard once and for all. After a few repetitions, I glanced back up to see Princess Luna looking at me like I had gone insane. To be honest, I would have agreed with her at this point.
“If you are done bashing your head into the moon, we will continue.” I nodded, not wanting to look anymore ridiculous. “Now, where shall we begin...” She looked down at the moon in an expression that combined thinking and concern. Seeing her like this made me realize just how serious she was.
“We suppose the best place to start is at the beginning.” As she said this her horn glowed a dark blue. A series of tablets appeared around us, each showing events happening on them. I stared in awe at the moving pictures and would have taken longer to study them, but Princess Luna diverted my attention to a single tablet. She began to narrate as I watched.
“You know of the story of the Mare and the Moon and our involvement in the tale. What you do not hear about in books is what happened to our royal guard after we were sealed away. You see, they weren’t just any other ponies like my sister’s guards. They were.. vamponies.”
I had heard of the many stories of vamponies just as every other foal. They were ponies turned to monster by dark magic, preying on those who were once their kin for their blood. They were immortal and were supposed to be powerful in both body and magic, but despite all their strengths they were known for many weaknesses as well. The sun, garlic, and light magic were only a few things that came to my mind. However, I had never heard anything about Luna’s guard being vamponies, though I had to admit it explained a lot about their appearance.
“We- no, I- created the vampony race using a spell I crafted. Though having to drink blood to fuel their new powers was seen as immoral, Equestria was different back then and the positives outweighed the negatives. For a time, the vamponies were a great help despite my sister’s dislike for them and the dark magic that created them.
“However, as time went on I began to see some of my guard change. Though most remained loyal, a few tried to go rogue. Celestia... was quick to get rid of them and criticize my work.” She paused, remembering a bad memory.
“When I returned after a thousand years of being trapped here, Celestia told me that she had hunted down every last one of my vamponies and ordered me not to create anymore. I had never seen my sister so furious, so I accepted her terms out of fear for her safety as well as my own.”
Our eyes met as she turned her head. “But she was wrong. Vamponies still roamed Equestria.” I followed her gaze as she looked to another of the moving images. “Of this I’m sure. Three vamponies still live, having stayed hidden for all these years.”
Query managed to burst out and ask the princess a question. “You mean there is one more vampony besides the ones that pull your carriage?”
“Oh, those are not vamponies.” I looked at her confused, waiting for an explanation. Thankfully she took notice. “Those two are my sister’s royal guard disguised using magic. It was something she suggested to make me feel better.
“Although you were wrong about who they were, you were right about two vamponies being my guards. Two of the vamponies in Equestria are still loyal to me, but they stay in hiding for fear of my sister discovering them. The other has taken the destruction of his kind at Celestia’s hooves poorly and now seeks her death. Unfortunately he is beyond reasoning, and I fear what he might do to the denizens of our empire.”
I thought over everything that the princess had told me, absorbing the information as to not forget it. Though Query was having a field day with all this info, I had to admit that one of his questions was bugging me as well.
“This is interesting and all, but why are you telling me this?” Not once had I heard why I needed to know about the vamponies. Considering how Luna was hiding the survivors’ existence from her sister of all ponies, I found it odd that she was so forthcoming of the information. I suddenly regretted bringing it up though as her expression changed to one of sadness. I thought I could see tears forming in her eyes as she looked to me.
“The reason you need to know of this is because this disloyal vampony has influenced your life once again, and I fear there is no simple way to fix the damage he has done.” If I had not been worried before, I was definitely worried now. Query finally broke free of his chains and ran rampant through my head, filling it with questions I desperately needed answered.
“What do you mean? What has he done? Am I in trouble?” I continued spitting questions out until Luna put a calm hoof on my shoulder. This gesture served to shove Query back into his hole and make me sit down. She gave me moment before speaking again as if she knew of my inner voice.
“This night, as you slumber away in your bed, a new blood flows through your veins. This is vampony blood, and in a normal situation I would travel to your town and administer a counter spell to neutralize it before it advanced too far. But you are a rare case.
“You see, part of the spell I used to create vamponies is to give them the ability to make fledglings by transferring their blood. These fledglings were just like any other vampony, except that they had to do everything their master commanded. It seemed foolproof at first, but it brought up a new complication as I found some ponies immune systems were able to fight off the blood like a virus. Such an immunity could have been used by a doctor to create a vaccine and at the time I could not allow such a thing to exist. So I added to the spell a special effect.”
Princess Luna turned away from me, unable to tell me this information to my face. “Any pony who has been given vampony blood and has not absorbed it into his body after twenty-four hours will be killed as the blood turns to poison.”
And in that moment, I managed to answer one of life’s greatest questions: can you faint in a dream?
I didn’t stay down for long though as the princess shoved me with one of her hooves. Once I was conscious(or subconscious, I’m not really sure), I looked back on what she had said so far and realized something. “Princess, you said that this vampony has ‘influenced my life once again’ but I’m pretty sure I would remember seeing a blood sucking pony no matter how much alcohol I take in.”
“That is just it my little pony.” I wonder if Celestia copyrighted that? “This vampony is not something you forget while drinking, rather he is the reason you drink to forget.”
I thought about what she said for a few seconds before I widened my eyes in realization. I felt sorrow and rage fill every part of my being as things fell into place. I gritted my teeth and shuttered, trying my best to hold back the tidal wave of emotions that threatened to take hold of my actions.
“N-no... it... it can’t... he was...” Princess Luna only nodded in response, but it was answer enough to finally release my built up emotion. I began stomping the ground around me, swinging at everything I could except the princess. I threw my hooves at the floating tablets to find they were made of a glass-like material. When I was finally calm enough to realize my own actions, shards of rainbow-esque colors littered the surface of the moon.
Luna took the pause in my actions to walk up to me, her face full of concern. “I know this must hurt you, but I must tell you one last thing before I go. Because of your immunity to the blood, you have a choice to make. You can either allow the blood to do its work and kill you or...
“... or I can use the ritual to turn you into a vampony, which will save your life. If I do this though, you will need to disappear so that the one who tried to turn you does not return.” I couldn’t believe this. These were my options? Either become a monster and leave everything I love or death?
Before I could give Princess Luna my answer, the ground began to shift below me. I heard her voice echo as wind blew through my mane. “I will meet you at midnight near the edge of Ponyville. There you must decide to either leave your life behind or die the pony you are.”
I jumped out of my bed, sweat rolling down my face. I gasped for air as I looked around my room looking for an attacker that did not exist. Once I was calm I spoke out loud, trying to collect my thoughts, but the only thing that I managed to say to the shadows was a list of obscenities.
Author's Note
Please comment with ways for me to improve on my writing!
Octavia looked at me with confusion and shock from her seat across the room. “I... I can’t believe this.” I had told her everything Luna told me, though I did not dare mention my dream to anypony else. The way Luna made it sound, if this vampony heard I might survive not only would I be in danger, but the ponies I cared about as well.
As Octavia tried to understand my situation, I looked into the roaring flames of her fireplace. She was taking the news about as well as I had when I woke up only an hour ago. Despite my lack of sleep, I felt wide awake. Amazing how awake someone can feel when they are told they are going to die.
“I-I don’t understand though, why do you want to choose death? Wouldn’t you rather live?” I sighed in response to Octavia’s questioning. I hoped that a simple answer would be enough to satisfy her.
“Because I don’t want to become a monster!” As I said this, I turned and gave her a cold stare. Unfortunately it did not stop her from continuing her interrogation so I quickly turned back to the fireplace.
“There is something more to this you aren’t telling me. Why?” Octavia was pushing me into a memory I had locked away long ago. I craved a drink to remove the flashbacks I was now having but I knew she would not let me move until I answered her questions.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I licked my lips as I felt the urge for alcohol become greater. My parchedness only served to fuel my anger with the situation.
“Please Bronze, I just want to help. Tell me-” Octavia’s voice cracked slightly as she continued to speak but I wasn’t paying attention. Please Luna, shut her up! She went on and on until her attempts at reasoning finally peeked my anger and unfortunately she was who I released it on.
“IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS SO JUST DROP IT, OKAY?!” As I finished yelling, I saw that Octavia had been crying and I realized that she had been during her entire monologue. Damn it, I’m so stupid! I mentally bashed myself with a variety of words as Octavia looked away sobbing.
If there was one weakness I hated having more than any, it was how I couldn’t stand seeing others cry. Thinking on my hooves, I grabbed a blanket from across the room and wrapped it around her. I then took the seat next to her and put a hoof around her, allowing her tears to stain my coat.
I took a deep breath to make sure I had calmed down before speaking. “I’m sorry I snapped at you Tavi, I really am.” The time between her sobs slowed as I continued. “It’s just, I have never spoken to anyone about my past because... well there’s nothing good to say. You deserve an explanation after my outburst though.” With my apology done, she finally looked up at me, those beautiful eyes still moist from tears.
I took my hoof off of her as I looked back to the fireplace, trying to think how to start this. It took awhile but I finally found a way to speak my mind. “You know that I tend to drink a lot and because of this my memory isn’t great. No matter how much I have tried though, the one thing I want to forget I never can. You see, I became an orphan at a very young age.”
Octavia could tell I was the one who needed a soft touch now. She place a hoof on my shoulder as she spoke. “I-I had no idea. What happened to your parents?”
I sighed before stepping into my darkest memories. “They were killed, and I saw the killer. Though he was the most terrifying pony I had ever seen, what I didn’t know at the time was that he was a vampony.
“I was only six years old at the time...”
* * *
My parents owned a small apartment in Manehatten. Though it wasn’t ideal for a family setting, they made up for it with getting me a variety of toys and games so I could try many things to get my cutie mark. They also did well to fill the four rooms we had with family mementos such as photos and souvenirs.
My parents had been the greatest people in my life. I loved everything about them, and since most ponies in Manehatten tended to be snobby, our location only served to make them seem more like saints in my eyes. My mother had been a unicorn, my father a pegasus so I got the best of both worlds. My mother would often take time from her busy work schedule to help me learn magic while my father every weekend would strap me to his back and fly me about the city.
The lights of the city at night are a beautiful sight to see, especially when you’re sitting on a cloud.
Though I can’t remember anything specific about my life before they died, I can recall the day itself in perfect detail. I remember it being around sundown. I was in my own room working with some toy tools thinking that my talent might be construction. I was doing a poor job and was about to give up when suddenly I heard glass break and something crash to the floor. I was easily scared back then so I rushed to find my parents only the door to my room wouldn’t open.
After about ten minutes though, I managed to push the door open wide enough to see into the living room. The first thing I saw was a stallion standing on the other side the door. I assumed he was my father and called out to him, but I soon found evidence to the contrary.
As the stallion turned I saw that his eyes were not gold like my father’s, but blood red. As he stared at me, I saw animalistic hunger behind those eyes and just that fact alone quickly shut me up. The wings at his sides which had made me mistake him for my father were not feathered like a normal pegasus but seemed to be made of thin skin. Although I expected him to say something, this pony seemed to want nothing more than to stare.
I then made the mistake of glancing down.
On the floor just within my field of vision were two ponies, both of their limbs in uncomfortable positions. Both lied in shattered glass but as far as I could tell neither were bleeding. I turned my head slightly to get a better look at the mare of the two and found I was looking at my mother.
I cried out to her but she did not move. I called out multiple times, desperate to see her get up. I would have continued screaming at my mother’s corpse but the stallion standing in the room took a step toward me. My eyes darted back to him as he stared me down, slowly making his way toward me. I had never been more afraid of anyone in my life.
Suddenly I heard a loud bang as someone called out. The stallion took one look in the direction of the noise and then darted out the broken window. Police swarmed my apartment. It didn’t take long for them to find me. Though they tried to comfort me I didn’t react to any of their offers to help. I quickly entered a depression that to this day I have never truly escaped from.
Within a day I had been sent to an orphanage outside of the city. I never spoke to any of the other children there. Even when I got my cutie mark I didn’t smile as it reminded me too much of my past. No one would adopt me with my neutral attitude but I didn’t care. I didn’t think I would ever be happy again. Soon after leaving the orphanage I began drinking, and after a few years of wandering around Equestria I found myself in Ponyville.
* * *
“... I would have continued on as I normally did but I soon met Vinyl Scratch. She managed to convince me that it wasn’t worth moping for the rest of my life and we became fast friends.” As I finished my story, silence settled in the room. You would think that after telling such an emotional tale I would be crying, but no tears came just like every other day since that vampony ruined my life. As Octavia embraced me, I found that she was more than willing to cry for the both of us.
“I had no idea your drinking was tied so such a tragedy. I now see why you did not want to tell anyone.” Before I could respond, I felt a something jolt through my body, starting from my heart and spreading outward. Octavia gasped as I fell to my side. “Oh my, are you alright?”
I sucked in air through my gritted teeth as I tried to sit back up. My ears were ringing and I could feel little beyond the pain that was now slowly receding throughout my body. What... the.. fuck?!
I remained in this crippled state for at least ten minutes before I was able to move again. By this time Octavia had lay me down on the couch and done her best to make me comfortable. I turned my head to see her sitting in front of the fireplace, gazing at me.
“Oh thank goodness!” Her embrace made it difficult to breathe. Thankfully it didn’t last long. “It looked like you had a heart attack!”
“W-what? How could I-” I stopped speaking when I found that it only increased the throbbing in my head.
Octavia handed me a glass of water which I accepted. “I guess it has something to do with the vampony bite.” I had not even thought about that but I suppose that her smarts is one of the many things I love about this mare. We sat there in silence for a few minutes as I continued to recover before she spoke up again.
“So you don’t want to become a vampony because a vampony has been the source of all sorrow in your life, correct?” I nodded my head. “Are you sure though? We’re talking about life and death!”
“Tavi, I will not become that monster, and that is my decision!” She took a second to process my answer before moving. She slid next to me and lied down, her body brushing against my own. Our faces were mere inches from each other.
“But Bronze, just because you become a vampony does not mean you become a monster. Princess Luna said that there were vamponies still loyal to her and I’d imagine that they are in no way as evil as this one that bit you.” Despite her reasonable argument, there was still a large part of me that feared becoming my worst nightmare that I couldn’t overcome.
“I-I’m sorry Octavia, but I can’t choose that life. Even if that is true, the potential to become something terrible is there. I can’t risk you getting hurt, by me or anyone else.”
Octavia had a sad look in her eyes as I spoke, but after a moment she smiled. “Alright, I’ll respect your choice.” She looked like she was about to say more but she was interrupted by the cutest yawn I had ever heard or seen.
“You better go up to bed Tavy, it’s been a long night.” I got up and led her to the stairs. As she began to climb, she turned around and looked at me with sleepy eyes.
“Why don’t you stay here until morning? You have been through a lot tonight.” Although I had been planning on being alone with my thoughts back home, I had no argument to get me out of cuddling for the night.
“Alright” I yawned.
* * *
I dragged my hooves through the dark streets of Ponyville as I followed Octavia. “Remind me again why we are up at this unholy hour?”
“Because of the summer solstice celebration. Don’t you remember last year’s?” I didn’t tell her but the truth was I didn’t remember last year’s celebration. What I did remember of the solstice was that I had spent the day quite intoxicated in a bar. It’s a good thing Celestia is coming to Ponyville this year instead of last year. Hitting on one princess drunk is embarrassing enough.
“I think I slept in last year.” I had spoken with an obvious amount of sarcasm and was expecting a response about my drinking habits, but Octavia surprised me by simply nodding. I realized that since our conversation only a few hours ago she had not given me a hard time about anything, but I had assumed prior to this that she was just tired. Now I could tell she was holding back her sly comments on purpose.
Before I could ask her about it we arrived at the center of town. A grand stage had been built for the princess to stand upon. I thought it was overkill to have such a thing just so that the princess could do her normal duty, but anypony I had told this to looked at me like I was insane so I kept my opinions to myself. Query finally woke up and turned my thoughts in the opposite direction, questioning the differences between this celebration and the one made for Princess Luna.
Unfortunately I was too tired to get rid of him so he was free to do what he does. How come she doesn’t get a huge pedestal to raise the moon on for Nightmare Night? Does this have something to do with the vamponies and their disagreements over them? I’d be pissed off if my subjects so obviously favored my sister over me. What about-
“Attention ponies of Ponyville!” The sudden announcement shook me from my daze. Looking around, I realized that I had followed Octavia to a spot a few feet from the stage. We were at the front of a crowd that watched the stage eagerly despite how early it was.
The announcement had come from a royal guard on stage. As the crowd quieted down, he continued. “I am proud to present to you one of the four pony princesses, the being who raises the sun, the-” I lost interest as the guard continued listing titles. We all know what Celestia is, just get her plot out here to raise the sun!
“-and the ruler of the empire of Equestria, Princess Celestia!” The crowd cheered as their princess took the stage. I wasn’t hooting and hollering like the rest of the crowd mind you, I just stomped one hoof on the ground until the noise stopped. Though Octavia did the same, she did so with an energy that put my attempt at applause to shame.
Celestia opened her mouth to speak, only it wasn’t her voice that was heard. Off to the side I watched an all too familiar mare walk up completely hammered.
The first thing I thought was why is Berry Punch drunk this early? She may as well have just set the record for how early to start drinking. Of course my second thought was whatever she is drinking, I’ll take two bottles of it.
“Hey there prinshess! You’re looking really cute today!” Oh good, now I’m not the only one to attempt getting with a princess. Although the rest of the crowd was staring at the town drunk in shock, I couldn’t help but snicker as Berry Punch tried to jump on stage.
She fell on her back laughing during her third attempt to climb up. Princess Celestia however was not amused by Berry Punch’s drunken fun. I heard muttering in the crowd as people guessed what would happen to her. More than once I heard “sent to the moon” but thankfully the princess was feeling more lenient than these ponies’ imaginations.
“Could somepony please take this mare home? It’s clear she has had a little too much to drink.” Despite Princess Celestia’s request, no one moved from their spots. I was surprised by how the town acted toward one of their fellow townies, but perhaps the presence of royalty had put them all on edge. I decided it would be worth getting my friend out of that situation plus I was starting to feel the effects of my claustrophobia kick in.
“Come on Berry” I told her as I grabbed her mane in my teeth. Normally doing such would hurt but the only thing Berry did was exclaim at my “sudden” appearance.
“Bronze! Why are you here? Vinyl told ush you had plans with that snobby mare of yours!”
I swear, if you sober up before I die I am going to get you back for that.
The crowd watch us as I took her away from the festival. I was already mad at how they had treat Berry, but now I could see their hateful stares for myself. Fine, I didn’t want to be part of your fucking sun celebration anyways.
Once we were out of sight I leaned Berry up against a wall so that she could work on standing. This is not how I pictured spending my last day alive. Once she was on her hooves I thought she would take a break but I was wrong. Before I could react Berry had wrapped her forehooves around me and was licking my cheek. The smell of alcohol on her breath was so strong that even a long-time drinker like me twinged in disgust.
“Berry, get off!” I tried to make her release me without hurting her but my attempts only seemed to strengthen her grip on my neck. I even tried some magic but it seemed that my lack of sleep was affecting my strength. Soon she had moved up to one of my ears and was biting down. Hard. “Damn it Berry! I am not in the mood for your drunken flirting!” I pushed harder against her but stopped when she used her hold on my ear to keep herself anchored.
I had just about given up on Berry ever letting go, but suddenly she turned light blue and had let go of me. I nursed my damaged ear as she floated away. Realizing that the sudden change in color had come from magic, I looked around for the source.
Vinyl Scratch stood a few feet away from us, her horn glowing. Though one would expect her to be smirking after seeing the drunken lovefest that had just happened, she actually seemed quite annoyed. This fact alone scared me as I had seen Vinyl get mad before and it often did not end well.
“Berry you idiot! You know Bronze is dating Octavia, even if you are completely drunk! Plus you made a complete fool of yourself in front of everyone, including Princess Celestia. And to top it off, not only were you trying to fuck everypony you saw, but you nearly tore Bronze’s ear off!” Berry’s only response was to kick at the field of magic that enveloped her as she mumbled something.
Vinyl sighed at our belligerent friend. “You alright Bronze?” I nodded still holding a hoof to my ear. Vinyl had not been over exaggerating about Berry tearing my ear off. Once she was safely a few yards away from anyone, Vinyl and I turned to see the sun rising.
After everything that had happened to me, I was starting to find it difficult to keep my curses to myself. “Ahh! Fucking sun in my eyes!” I shielded my eyes with a hoof as the crowd down the street cheered. I could hear Vinyl laughing at my unfortunate situation.
“Jeez Bronze, if the ponies in this town were anymore superstitious, they would think you were some kind of vampony.” Vinyl continued to giggle as I took in the irony of her joke.
The pain in my eyes and left ear was suddenly overtaken by a paralyzing jolt from my heart. The world around me seemed to disappear as I fell to the ground. Fuck... this again?! I could hear Vinyl Scratch calling to me but she sounded far away. My body, numb with pain, could feel very little though I thought I could feel myself being lifted and moved.
It felt like hours before I regained full consciousness, though it was actually about twenty minutes. As my senses returned the first thing I saw was three blurred ponies looking down at me worried. I could still feel dirt beneath me so I assumed I hadn’t moved very far. The faces came into focus to reveal Vinyl, Octavia, and a sober-looking Berry Punch.
I sat up as Vinyl began to speak. “What happened to you? You just suddenly fell over like you had too many drinks!” I sat there as I tried to come up with an answer but Octavia beat me to it.
“Bronze is photosensitive. That’s why he always has trouble adapting to the sunrise in the morning. The sudden change as the sun broke the horizon must have caused him to go into shock.” Oh, I was shocked alright, but not because of the sun. I looked at Octavia as I tried to figure out how she could have thought of such a perfect excuse.
Sweet Celestia I love this mare!
Although Vinyl did not look completely convinced, she begrudgingly accepted the excuse. Berry Punch didn’t do anything as she seemed to slip back into being a drunken fool. Thankfully she didn’t try biting anything else but I assumed it was because of Vinyl watching her closely.
“Well, if you’re alright now than I guess there isn’t much to worry about.” Vinyl Scratch turned to leave. “Come on Berry, we should get you back inside a bar where ponies expect you to be drunk. Have fun with Octy!” she pushed Berry with her head to get her moving as I turned to walk back to the sun celebration. However, both groups were interrupted.
“It’s alright Bronze, you go have fun with your friends.” Both Vinyl and I jumped around surprised at Octavia’s suggestion. I had thought that since this was my last day alive she would want to spend every minute with me. Octavia only smiled when I looked at her confused. “I want you to spend this day the way you want to, so go ahead and drink if you want.”
Before I could object Octavia pushed her lips into mine. The feeling of her lips pressed against my own was amazing. The sensation alone made me forget the world around me as I pushed back. It being as great as it was did not help alleviate the twinge of sadness I felt when she finally pulled away.
“Just come back by sundown alright?” I only managed to nod in response, still surprised by the sudden show of affection. As she walked away towards the fair, Vinyl was the one to break me from my trance as she tackled me in a hug.
“Alright! It’s time to get crazy!” Berry Punch cheered along with Vinyl, although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t in any language that existed. It started to become harder to breathe as Vinyl squeezed tighter around my neck. Ugh... what’s with people and hugging me today?
And so began the longest day of the year, and also the longest day of drinking ever! Once we returned to the bar that Berry Punch had stumbled out of, we found the rest of our drinking buddies. Though none of them knew that this was the last time they would ever see me, they would always drink like it was.
When we got kicked out of that bar, we went to another, and when we ran out of bars we went to Vinyl’s house and had a party of our own. I must have drank more than I ever had in my life, but it wasn’t like I needed to worry about alcohol poisoning. Though my memory of what happened is only relative at best, it was definitely the kind of party someone would want to go out on.
By the end of it all I had completely forgotten about my terrible situation. The ground felt like it was moving below me as I headed to Octavia’s house. Despite the grumbles that came from ponies I passed, I cheerfully greeted everyone I met. I even gave a few of them hugs.
Ya, I’m a silly drunk.
When I got to Octavia’s I tried to open the door with magic but everytime my magic field would grasp nothing but air. I finally gave up and used my head to open the door. Once I was inside I kicked the door closed with one of my hind hooves and ended up falling on my face.
Once I finished laughing at myself, I called out to Octavia, only no one answered. Through the drunken haze in my mind I managed to find that strange so I stood up. My search for my marefriend was stopped early though when I found a trail of Octavia’s sheet music leading upstairs. Query was just as drunk as I was so he had no way of questioning why they were here so I just began to pick them up sheet by sheet.
I followed the trail until I was standing in front of Octavia’s bed room. I saw an eerie light leaking through the cracks in the door but with my mouth full of music I couldn’t call out again. Following my drunken instincts, I opened the door without even a second thought as to what might be on the other side. What I saw made me drop the sheet music all over the floor.
Octavia was lying in bed, looking at me with the most sultry stare I had ever seen. The light of the candles assorted around the room only served to accentuate the curves of her body. But what really made it hard to look away was the purple striped stockings she was wearing.
Only two words managed to come to mind as I stared at my sexy marefriend. Holy Shit!
I don’t know how long I stood in the doorway with my jaw dropped, but it was long enough for some saliva to begin leaking from my mouth. Octavia must have been able to tell I was having a hard time thinking straight so she helped me out a bit.
“Why don’t you come in and close the door?” she said in a voice to match her stare. I snapped my jaw shut as I did what she asked. Once I was standing next to the bed she wrapped her forehooves around my neck so that she could whisper in my ear.
“Since this is your last day, we’re going to have to make up for all the time we will lose.” At the mention of time, what little part of my brain that was still my own allowed me to take a glance at her alarm clock. 7:30? Oh sweet Celestia...
Those were my last conscious thoughts before Octavia pulled me into the bed and I lost myself.
* * *
Octavia was lying in my hooves, her gentle breathing music to my ears. Despite us having slept together a maximum of three times, she had managed to find every sensitive spot on my body, and she made sure over the past few hours to use everyone. She had tired herself out though and had fallen asleep a few minutes after we stopped.
I know I have thought this many times before, but I love this mare!
Although I couldn’t be happier in that moment, my heart sank as I looked at the clock. I had only a half an hour left before Luna showed up, and after the day I had spent with those I cared about I was more conflicted about the matter than ever before.
Looking down at Octavia, I decided it would be best if I left her to sleep. I slipped out of bed and wrapped a blanket around her, using magic so as not to wake her. Once I was outside I decided I had a bit of time before the princess arrived and turned in the opposite direction to take a stroll.
I breathed in the night air as I looked up at the sky. The moon was full and what space it did not fill in the night sky was taken up by countless stars. I couldn’t help but be in awe at the amazing work Princess Luna had done. This is so much better than the sun. I had never truly understood my fascination with the night, but I assumed that it was just a side effect of my hatred toward sunlight.
Once I was done praising the princess, my mind wandered to my decision. This morning I had been so sure of myself, and since then my attitude toward vamponies had not changed. I still saw them as vile monsters and nothing was going to change that. However throughout the day my friends had brought up so many positive emotions that I now wondered if it was worth becoming something I feared for the chance I could return one day.
I know Princess Luna had said I would be forced to leave. I assumed it had something to do with her lesson on vampony fledglings, and I knew she was right. If I became a vampony, I doubt the one who had bit me would just leave me alone. It was this fact doubled with my hatred toward the race that fueled my choice for death.
But on the other hoof Princess Luna had never said I couldn’t kill him, though the idea of killing another pony, no matter how evil, scared me. The urge to kill is a slippery slope. Another issue I saw was Princess Celestia. If she discovered me, not only would she roast me on the spot, but she might punish those around me out of fear that the vampony blood had spread to them. If she found out that she had failed to kill vamponies off, I doubt she would let them slip by again.
A drop of water hit my muzzle and shook me from my daze. I looked up to see the stars and moon being blocked off by heavy storm clouds. It wasn’t long until it was raining very hard. I heard thunder all around me, and saw a few flashes of lightning to go with it.
Rain? That’s odd... The weather team had not scheduled a storm tonight, and even if they had it would never be one of this size. Such a storm could damage the town if left unchecked. I hoped that they knew what they were doing and continued walking, ignoring my now soaked coat.
Oddly enough, Query decided now of all times to pop out and say hi. Unfortunately for him there weren’t too many questions left unanswered so once they were gone he sulked and returned from whence he came. I smirked to myself a bit as I realized this was the first time ever I had truly beaten him at his own game. Just in time too...
I continued to struggle with my decision until I realized I had reached my designated meeting place. Just as I stopped at the entrance to town, I saw a flash of lightning go off in the distance. I wasn’t interested in it though, more the shadow of what I had seen when it had gone off. It had only been for a second but it was all I needed.
Princess Luna landed softly before me, her mane still flowing on an unnatural breeze despite the rain. Of course, Query took the arrival of the princess as an opportunity to ask more questions. How is her mane doing that? It doesn’t even look like rain is touching her! It seems my victory over him was short lived as I beat him back to clear my thoughts.
“Bronze Ember” Luna spoke quietly yet strong “The time has come for you to decide. If you do not choose before the final toll of midnight, then I’m afraid your choice will be made for you.” Of course she meant by then she wouldn’t be able to stop me from dying. After my walk through town I had finalized my decision, but before I could speak I was interrupted.
Bong!
I turned to look at the clock embedded high in the mayor’s office only to see what I already knew. It was now midnight. I didn’t care. I was in no rush to give the princess my answer as it would come either way.
Bong!
I glanced down from the clock tower to the street behind me. I felt my heart ache as I saw a grey pony standing at the other end of the street, an umbrella being held over her head by a saddle.
Bong!
Octavia stood there, watching me with a gaze that looked deep into my soul. Our eyes locked as we both stared at each other.
Bong!
I was about to turn away so that I would not have to see her cry, but before I could I saw her face of concern become a warm smile.
Bong!
I felt something in my heart snap and give way as my sight began to blur. Raising a hoof to my eyes, I realized what was blocking my vision. Am... am I... crying?
Bong!
A sudden wave of emotion swept over me as I realized what was happening. The sadness I had built up since that day all those years ago had finally been released.
Bong!
I was grateful for the rain as it hid my tears from Octavia. The rain could not hide my sobbing however, and Luna placed a hoof on my shoulder to help me. Unfortunately her kind gesture only served to bring more tears.
Bong!
Query came back, fueled by my surge of emotion. Instead of his bombardment though, he only gave me one question and it was all he needed. How could I have been so selfish?
Bong!
I hated vamponies for the things they had done to me, hated them more than anything in Equestria. But did I not care for my friends more?
Bong!
Does my love for Octavia not outshine the darkness in my past? Don’t they at least deserve for me to fight for them?
Bong!
“Alright” I said ending my sobbing. “I choose to live.”
Bong!
I looked up with red eyes to see Princess Luna smiling warmly at me. “Very well, then come with me.” She turned and began walking away. As I stood up to follow, another jolt tore through my body, this one causing me more pain than any other. Even after it was gone I could feel it had done its damage. I found it hard to breathe as a feeling of vertigo took over.
Was I too late? I thought to myself as I fell forward. I began to close my eyes and accept death only for my vision to be filled with midnight blue. As I felt myself be picked up off the ground, I felt my disabled lung start back up. The pain in my head receded as I landed softly on Princess Luna’s back. Although I no longer was floating, her aura still covered my body. I guessed it was the only thing keeping me alive at this point.
As the princess took off with me in tow, I glanced back to see Octavia watching me. I felt tears begin to form again but I blinked them away. No I thought No more tears. My life may have taken a turn for the worst, but I will not take it as I did as a child. This time I will face the darkness of this world head on as now I have something worth fighting for.
We entered the storm clouds above Ponyville and soon broke through the other side. I looked up to once again see the stars and moon shining brightly. A small smile broke across my face as I stared into the vastness of space.
I will return someday Octavia. I swear...
Author's Note
Please comment with ways I can improve my writing!
