The Vampony Chronicles

The Vampony Chronicles
Chapter 7: P.S. Lady Celestia Have Mercy on Me

((A/N: Gore))

"Rarity!" I screamed as I dived off of the landing at the Manticore. I landed hard on its head, forcing its face down into the cold stone floor with a soft thud. I quickly ran over to my friend who was laying unconscious beneath the heavy door. "Rarity, wake up!" I said as I heaved the door out of the way. I cast a quick diagnostics spell on her. Thank Celestia she's alive! I thought as I cast a healing spell on her. "Please work..." I repeated as I cast.

"Ooooh... my head..." Rarity said as she woke up.

"Rarity!" I said hugging her. "I thought I lost you!"

"Twilight! Behind y-" I didn't hear the rest as a large golden paw slammed into us throwing us at the wall of the tower. I twisted us so that I'd hit first a split second before we impacted the hard stone bricks. We both fell to the floor as the Manticore turned towards us.

"Twilight!" Rarity said coughing. "Are you-" She cut off what she was saying as the the Manticore's stinger landed in her side with a sickening thud. "Twilight..."

"NO!" I screamed as I felt my blood run cold. The Manticore withdrew its stinger, letting Rarity slump to the ground, unmoving as it approached. "Rarity..."

What is thy course of action Twilight? Luna's voice echoed through my head.

"Wh-what?"

Will thou fight like the Vampony thou has become? Or will thou die, like the pony thou used to be? She said coldly. The Manticore is fast enough to keep up with thine speed and thy strength is less than thine opponents, but if you choose to fight I can give thee the knowledge of a spell that will enable thee to win. You can still save thy friend, but thou must win first.

"I..." The manticore took another step towards us, a predatory gleam in its eye. "I choose..." I looked down at Rarity and saw her chest move slightly. She's alive! "I will fight." I said.

Very well Twilight. Luna said and I felt a pressure on my mind. Use this knowledge wisely Twilight, for my Sister forbade the practice of the dark arts shortly after my banishment.

"I understand your higness." I said, and cast the spell, the magic feeling cold and dangerous in contrast to my usual spells.

An emerald spell circle flared to life around me, a black mist seeping out from around my hooves. The Manticore stopped, confused as to what was happening. The black mist congealed into two ebony blades, each about a foot long and as sharp and jagged as a broken window. The floated in the air, held there by my magic as I glared at the Manticore, anger rising within me.

"You have not won, you are going to die." I said coldly as I advanced past rarity towards the Manticore. "You attacked without provocation and I am going to be the last thing you see before entering Tartarus!" I yelled as I attacked, the obsidian blades singing a death toll as they arced through the air at the Manticore.

It swatted the first out of the way with the tip of its tail only to have the second blade remove its stinger in a spray of crimson blood. The beast roared in pain as the first blade came back around and dug into its side, the many points of the jagged blade tearing at flesh and hide, leaving a long crimson tear in the Manticore's side as its blood poured fourth, spreading across the ground beneath it and seeping between the stones.

I lept forth, the blades dragging long gouges through the hide of the beast as it tried to escape, one removing a wing and the other a leg as the infathomably sharp points and high speed cleaved bone. As it fell I jumped onto its back, and plunged the blades down, severing it's spine at the base of the neck.

It landed with a bone jarring thud, and I withdrew the blades, the crimson blood splattering my coat as I jumped back.

I did it again... I killed... I thought. "Rarity!" I gasped as the blades shattered, the black mist that formed them dissipating into the air. I ran to her, skidding to a halt beside her.

"Twi... light..." Rarity whispered.

"Oh by the moon... Hold on Rarity, I'll save you!" I said frantically. Luna! How do I save her?

The only way aside from holy magic, which I cannot help thou with, that thou has access to is to turn thy friend. Luna replied solemnly.

What? There must be another way! I replied as Rarity coughed again.

I... The only other way that I can help thee with Twilight is a Resurrection, and I will not perform that magic again. Luna replied. Necromancy is the only dark art that I forbid, as it destroys the natural balance of life and death.

If... if that's the only option then... I replied. "Rarity... The only way I can save you is to... turn you."

"Do it..." Rarity said weakly, "I don't... want to die..." She said, and I noticed the tears streaming from her eyes.

"I... I'm sorry." I said back as I brought my hoof to my mouth. "Celestia have mercy on me, and Luna forgive me." I said, silver tears falling as I took a mouthful of my own blood, then bit down on Rarity's neck, allowing her blood to mix with mine. Her blood tasted like a rose smells, with a delicate but full flavor that reminded me of the scents and elegance of upper Canterlot and Canterlot Castle, but with subtle undertones that seemed to remind me of the hard working people of Ponyville.

Her body went rigid and she gave a loud moan I felt something drain from me, as if something more than just blood was being transferred. I withdrew, swallowing the mixture of blood that was in my mouth and sat back, watching as the wound closed. What now? I asked Luna.

I am going to join thee in about two hours. Thy friend will survive now, take her up to the sanctuary, Ceres will assist Thee until I arrive. Thou fought well today Twilight, and thou has sired thy first fledgeling. Thou should be proud. Luna replied.

Rarity shuddered and panted a little before she opened her eyes as I lifted her up and laid her on my back. I could feel that she had reacted much the same as I had when Ceres had helped my body complete the change as I jumped up the inside of the tower, holding Rarity in place with my magic.

As I stepped into the sanctuary I heard Rarity gasp. "This place is... beautiful." she said weakly.

"I thought so too." I said, smiling tiredly as I undid our saddlebags with magic, and placed them on a patch of stone floor by the door, not wanting to stain the carpets with the blood they were soaked in.

"Wait, can you pass me my saddlebags?" she said.

"Why?" I asked, levitating them over to her. She opened one of the pouches and dug through them, withdrawing a small book with her teeth. I noticed some of the blood that had soaked the saddlebags had gotten on her mouth. "Rarity, you got a little... blood on your face."

She put the book down and, after thinking for a second, proceeded to lick it off. "I must say." She said when she was done as she looked at me and chuckled a little at my expression of disbelief, "I do taste rather exquisite."

"I-wha-what do you-I don't even..." I stuttered, causing her to laugh weakly. I facehoofed before picking her up with my magic again. "Come on, we're getting ourselves cleaned up."

"You're quite something too you know." She said as I set her back down on my back. "I don't think I've ever heard of a spell like that..."

"Rarity... please." I said with a sigh as we passed through the armory. "Can we not talk about that?"

"But why not? That was incredible." She said, glancing at the podium that Ceres resided in as we passed it.

"But I killed another living thing!" I exclaimed as we reached the bedroom and entered the washroom. "And I was forced to turn you into a vampony..."

"Twilight dear." She said as I climbed into the sizable bathtub and set her beside me before turning on the warm water. "You didn't do anything wrong. You protected both of us and saved my life."

"I know but-"

"Don't you but me." She said with a chuckle.

"I feel like a monster..." I muttered, looking down into the water which was already pink with blood.

"You are not a monster Twilight." Rarity said, nuzzling my side. "You are far from that. You are a kind pony with a big heart who hates the thought of harming others. If it wasn't for you Nightmare Moon would have plunged the world into eternal night. If it wern't for you, Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Mac, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo likely would have been killed by that Timberwolf." She said. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now."

"Rarity..."

"Twilight, you really are too hard on yourself." She said. "There are a lot worse ponies out there than you, trust me. Did you know Sweetie Belle is adopted?"

"Really?" I said, surprised.

"Yes. She's actually the daughter of one of my Aunts, and fortunately for us she looks enough like me and my parents no one asks any questions. My Aunt was a kind pony, actually she was a lot like you Twilight. Smart, kind, caring... One day she fell for a colt in Manehattan, and they got married. I don't know all the details but sometime while she was pregnant with Sweetie she found out that he had been sleeping with another mare. When she confronted him about it he beat her then walked out of the house. The next day he returned with divorce papers, and he somehow managed to take everything she had of value when he left. He then warned that if she told anypony he'd sue for custody of Sweetie." Rarity said, tears falling. "She came to my parents six years ago in tears pleading for them to adopt Sweetie when she was born. She said it was the only way to keep her out of that monster's hooves. Mom and Dad agreed, and when Sweetie was born they adopted her right away. My aunt then took that bastard to court for everything him and his girlfriend had. She managed to win back what she had lost and then some thanks to her neighbor's testimony, and he was locked up. She was so happy that she'd be able to raise Sweetie... "

"Then a week later she was found, poisoned, in her home. The culprit... that bitch of a girlfriend. She said it was revenge..." Rarity said, before breaking down sobbing against my side. I put a hoof around her, having shut off the water. "That." She said between sobs. "That is what a monster is. Someone who doesn't care about what happens to others so long as they get ahead. A monster is someone who can't see past their own greed and desires and will go so far as to harm others to satisfy those desires."

I hugged her as she cried on my shoulder, not quite sure what to say. "Rarity... I... I'm not entirely unfamiliar with stories like that. I heard them every now and then while watching the royal court." I said. "But Sweetie has you and your parents now, and she's happy isn't she?"

"She is. And I'm not about to tell her." Rarity said. "It isn't easy keeping that secret, but its for the best." She said, still sobbing a little. "I don't want anything to happen to her, she's lost so much without knowing it..."

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine." I said. "Now let's get ourselves cleaned up." I said splashing her with some of the water.

"Hey!" She said returning fire as I chuckled. I proceeded to douse her with a large sphere of water.

"Okay let's stop before we end up flooding the room." I said, giggling along with Rarity as I doused myself and started using my magic to remove the blood from my coat and mane.

Once we were clean I helped Rarity out of the bath and opened the drain, the ruby colored water swirling away.

"Before we get to work on those designs there's somepony I would like you to meet, as well as we have a few things to discuss." I said. "Follow me."

I led Rarity into Ceres's room, and beckoned for her to step up on the podium alongside me as I channeled some magic into the engraved spell. Ceres appeared a moment later.

"Huh? Oh hi Twilight!" She said as she appeared. "And who would this be? I'm Ceres, guardian of this sanctuary." She said with a smile.

"Hi Ceres, this is Rarity, she's a friend of mine and, due to unfortunate circumstances, a vampony now as well." I said.

"Pleased to meet you." Rarity said, giving a small curtsy.

"The pleasure is all mine." Ceres said, returning the gesture. "And what do you mean by unfortunate circumstances?"

"I ended up on the pointy end of a Manticore..." Rarity said.

"Ouch!" Ceres said flinching. "I know the feeling sadly. Is it still hanging about?"

"Well..." I started, not quite sure how to put it.

"Twilight here... solved... that particular problem..." Rarity filled in for me.

Ceres just stared for a moment. "Wow, not a week has gone by and already she's taken down a Manticore. I think that's a new record." She said with a chuckle. "And turned a fledgeling as well... yeesh."

I blushed a bit at that as Rarity spoke up again. "And wasn't there something about a timber wolf as well?"

"Rarity!" I exclaimed.

"Really? A Timberwolf? I don't want the details on that one." Ceres said.

"Trust me," I said, "I'm not about to give them."

"Well in any case you seem to be taking things pretty well." Ceres said. "Have you had a chat with Luna yet?"

"Yes, although only in my dreams." I said, earning an odd look from Rarity.

"Yeah, she tends to do that, it's annoying at times." Ceres replied, confusing Rarity further.

"Pardon my ignorance but what do you mean by that?" Rarity asked.

"Luna can communicate with ponies through their dreams." Ceres explained.

"Actually she's going to be showing up in around an hour or two." I said, which predictably threw Rarity into a panic.

"P-p-p-princess Luna is going to be here? I don't have anything to wear! And my mane!" She started before I put a hoof over her mouth.

"Relax, it is informal, and she knows you were almost killed by a Manticore." I said. "How are you feeling by the way?"

"A little stiff, and rather weak, but my body isn't on fire anymore so that is a good thing." Rarity said.

"Sounds good, I'll be around the tower if you need me, it's been a while since I've been called on and I have a feeling the attic needs a good bat cleaning." Ceres said, before floating through the ceiling, and I could hear the surprised squeaks of quite a few bats.

I simply shook my head and headed for the reading room. "Would you like a hoof Rarity?" I asked as she followed slowly.

"Oh I'll be fine once i reach one of those luxurious looking sofa's darling." She said.

"Okay, I'll be back soon, I'm just going to get rid of the manticore's body." I said.

"Er, actually Twilight?" Rarity said.

"Yes?"

"Can you cut off it's mane fur? I have an idea for a coat that would work wonderfully with that shade of red." She said.

"What is it with everypony wanting parts of the dead things..." I asked out loud.

"Manticore fur is extremely rare, and a coat with that for the collar and cuffs would sell for an unbelievable amount of bits." Rarity replied.

"Fine." I said with a sigh before exiting the sanctuary and hopping down to the blood covered stones below. What a mess... I thought before turning to the Manticore's body.

I fought back the nausea at the sight of the once proud creature. It lay motionless with huge bloody gashes in it's hide. It's fur and mane were matted with blood and it's eyes were lifeless. I had to sit down for a moment at the sight of it. I... I did that... I'm not just strong... I'm dangerous." I muttered, looking down at my hooves, guilt welling up inside me as I tried to blink back tears.

"That you are Twilight." I heard Ceres said as she floated down beside me. "You're dangerous to your enemies, that's for sure, but if this evening is any indication you are one of the best friends anypony could have."

"What do you mean?" I asked softly, Strange... everything looks pinkish... I thought as I tried to blink away the odd pinkish shade that everything had suddenly taken.

"Take it from somepony who's been around for a while and seen many others become vamponies. Most ponies wouldn't turn another even if it meant them dying. Most of them felt that it should only be Luna's choice as to who should be a vampony, others felt that if they did they would be giving up on what kept them thinking they were still ponies." She said as she used a spell to start removing the blood from the stones that made up the floor. "The few that did take on... apprentices per-say, they only did so after years of thinking about it, even though their friends who begged them to save them from death passed on in the meantime. You on the other hand, you made the decision to do what you had to to save your friend. I respect you for that, I know I'd never be able to." She said with a small smile.

"Why?" I asked, assisting with the removal of the blood.

"I just couldn't bring myself to it." She said. "Even when my husband was on his death bed I couldn't, fortunately though he understood." She said with a tinge of regret in her voice. "I saw what Veera, the one of us who turned on Luna with her small army of followers, became because of a thirst for power. It started when she found it fun to boss around her first fledgeling. Then she disappeared for a few years, and came back to wage war against the rest of us if we wouldn't join her in overthrowing Luna. She was stopped, and her army scattered, but the fear that some of us may end up like her stuck with us after that point."

"I... I can't imagine what that would have been like." I said, getting back to my hooves.

"It was horrible." Ceres said. "But we moved on, it was what we had to do, just like how you have to move on and accept what happened. You don't have to like it but you should at least accept the fact that you are now dangerous, and remember that fact when around others, lest you accidentally harm somepony." She said. "When I was freshly changed I, in anger, sent one of the palace cooks through a window with the rather revolting banana cream pie he had served me. He had a thing against me because of me proving that I was a better cook, so he mixed a bunch of garlic into the pie as well, hoping it would do something bad to me." She said chuckling. "I don't think he was expecting it to end up with him getting blown through a window with said pie though. The guards caught him fortunately." She said chuckling.

"That must have been quite the sight." I said as I walked over to the Manticore's body and began trimming the mane off with a simple hair cutting spell.

"As is that." Ceres said, staring at the Manticore. "I see Luna taught you the shadow blade spell." She said with a dry chuckle.

"Yeah." I said as I laid the soft fur in a bundle by the door. "Where should I put the body?" I asked.

"Just pop it down the chute that's just out those doors. It empties out somewhere down the cliff and the animals living down in the ravine will take care of it. Keep the stinger though, Manticore poison is a rare and useful ingredient in potions."

"Why does everypony want animal bits these days..." I muttered as I levitated the body of the Manticore outside and dropped it down the stone waste chute in the ground, wincing at each thud as it bounced it's way down and jumping back with a yelp as hundreds of bats shot out past me, disturbed by the Manticore's descent. I could hear Ceres laughing as she watched that happen and just simply walked past her, an indignant scowl on my face as I jumped back up the tower.