The Vampony Chronicles

The Vampony Chronicles
Chapter 9: Act of Demon or Work of Celestia?

The rest of the evening, and the next morning's trot back to Ponyville, passed by uneventfully. I'll be honest though, I half expected a manticore or something to jump out of the forest and attack us on the way back.

"I just had a thought, but how am I going to break the fact that I’m a... well you know... to my sister..." Rarity said with a frown.

"Well, I could come in with you, to catch her if she tries to run..." I offered.

"No, I think I'll just lock the door, she seems the type to do as Applejack did."

We both enjoyed a good laugh before saying our goodbyes and going our respective ways. I opted not to try for the rooftop route this time, seeing as ponies were already out and about. I simply hid my fangs and trotted past the lot of them.

"Howdy Twi." I heard a familiar voice call from behind me.

I turned to see Applejack setting up her stand. "Hey Applejack." I greeted as I trotted over to her.

"Spike said you and Rares were headed off to the old castle yesterday, didn't expect ya'll to spend the night."

"Yes... well the phrase 'complications arose' puts it lightly..." I said, lowering my voice. "We were attacked by a manticore."

"Mother of Celestia..." Applejack swore after a moment.

"Yeah... she was hurt... bad... the only way I could save her without Celestia's help was to... well she's like me now." I practically whispered.

Applejack nodded slowly a few times. "Well now that two of the Elements are... ya know... Ah think we should tell the rest of our friends. After all, RD spotted ya crossin' the rooftops and Ah have my doubts that Rares can come up with as good of a lie on the spot."

"Yeah, so I've heard."

"How does Rares look now? Ah mean, she looked pretty damn fine before, but seeing what happened to you..." Applejack muttered sheepishly, blushing furiously.

I simply chuckled and replied, "I didn't pay all that much attention, and she's not like me fully, well not yet at least."

"Ah, well Ah'll be stoppin by the boutique for a visit later on, see how she's doin' an' all that."

"Yeah, and if you spot Sweetie Belle running scared through town, try to grab her, Rarity said she'd probably tell her sometime soon."

"Will do Twi'." Applejack said chuckling, as I trotted home.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I realized with sudden clarity that I was dreaming of being on the moon. I had, just a moment ago, been reading one of Starswirl's tomes about dark magic.

I looked around the silvery surface for any sign of Luna as I wandered around the craters and deserts of the lunar landscape, having a little too much fun with the reduced gravity. I soon came upon a figure in the distance, and I could make out wings and a horn on the pony.

I headed in that direction, slowing my approach to a trot rather than the bounding leaps I had been previously using. As I rounded a large boulder I froze in shock and fear as I realized that it was not Luna who was there, but the Nightmare. She hadn't seemed to have noticed me yet and was just gazing up into the sky above. I began to slowly back away from her, hoping to be able to get behind the boulder and escape.

"Equestria looks so different from up here doesn't it? It really puts things into perspective..." She said, without looking down. "Twilight right? Twilight Sparkle?" Her voice wasn't full of the hostile arrogance that she held during our last encounter.

I looked up, spotting the green and blue orb that was Equestria floating in the lunar sky.

"I used to think that nopony loved my night, that only the thieves and lawless thought well of the darkness." She continued, "Well, Luna did at least, I am merely an offshoot of her personality that was suppressed for so long she couldn't hold me back any more. Now that I escaped once, I know that my idea of how to help others enjoy my night is not a way they can enjoy." She sighed as she looked over at me, or rather past me. "Hello Luna."

"Nightmare? How is it that thou art sitting before me?" She said, her voice slightly shaky.

"Relax Luna, I am not here to harm you, or Twilight for that matter. I am actually trapped within Twilight's soul, well what's left of me is." She gave a dry chuckle, "When I cast that spell in desperation, when you and your friends fired the Elements at me, instead of just giving you vampirism, it transferred my consciousness as well. I thought I was back on the moon..." A single teardrop glistened as it fell to the lunar soil.

Luna seemed unsure of what to do and just stood there frozen.

"I don't wish to bring eternal night anymore, it is finally clear to me that that wouldn't work. Equestria does need balance of night and day after all. I just don't wish to be caged up any longer... I want to live my own life, not one poisoned by hatred." She was sobbing a little by now as the tears flowed freely, adding a darker tinge to the lunar soil beneath her as she cried. "I didn't think about the consequences..." She then collapsed, burying her head in her hooves as she cried.

I looked over to Luna again and then back to Nightmare Moon, pausing only a moment before walking over to the crying goddess. "Are you truly sorry for what you did?" I asked, stopping a foot away from her.

She looked up at me, her turquoise eyes glistening with tears. "I... Yes..." She said between sobs. "I never meant any harm... just, everypony was afraid of the night, and you were so depressed and lonely Luna... It infuriated me." She said. "At the time, the only way I could think of to get them to see the beauty of the night was to force them to..."

Luna was still speechless at this point, although it seemed the gears of thought were turning once more, as she was no longer frozen in place.

"When I returned and managed to trap Celestia, I thought I had finally won, but when you unlocked the Elements of Harmony's power and nearly destroyed me... I'm sorry for what I did to you; I could feel your emotions when you realized it upon the blessing coming to full effect. It made me finally think on how my plan would have affected Equestria. My idea of an eternal night would destroy everything... plants need the sun to grow, the planet needs it for warmth, and we need to eat something... and then when I realized what I had done to you Twilight..." She broke down sobbing again, unable to say another word. I could feel a hint of her emotions, I realized, and at that moment I knew that she was telling the truth.

I didn't even bother to look at the still shell shocked Luna this time as I lay down beside Nightmare Moon and nuzzled her side. "I forgive you for what you did to me." I said quietly as she froze in shock, looking back at me.

"Y-you do?" both she and Luna stammered out.

"I do. I know what it is like to be alone, for most of my life Spike was my only friend. I can feel your emotions slightly, and... well I know that you aren’t lying." I smiled as I looked into her draconic eyes. "There's a saying I read once, 'The villain is simply one who believe what they are doing is right, contrary to popular belief. One who is truly evil knows their actions are wrong and enjoys that fact.' You thought you were doing the right thing." I said.

"Starswirl said that didn't he?" Luna said walking over.

"Yes, he did." I replied smiling at her. "He wrote that shortly after the joining of the three tribes, based on how the tribes had been acting towards each other, and the Windigos that took enjoyment in freezing the land and destroying the life that existed there."

"Once again I am seeing examples of his wisdom long after his time..." Luna muttered. "Moon... I do not think I can forgive thee just yet, after all thou hast made me a monster in the eyes of Canterlot." Nightmare Moon's ears drooped at that, "However, I will say that I no longer consider thou to be an enemy, nor a demon. If thou can prove to me that thou no longer mean anypony harm, I may forgive thee, and possibly help release thy spirit from within Twilight. One thing I won't do however is tell my sister of this... however entertaining her reaction may be. Thine quote reminded me of another statement Starswirl said after he accidentally destroyed a good portion of the Whitetail Woods, 'It seems in both politics and magic, that the more power you have the larger your small mistakes are.' I shall be off now. I just came to warn you Twilight, that I believe Tia is growing suspicious. Apparently, Miss Dash spotted thee jumping off of a roof one night and the report of that made it into my Sister's hooves somehow. Miss Dash has no idea who it was gallivanting over the roofs, however thou may wish to be a touch more careful."

"Got it Luna." I said, bowing slightly. "Merry meet and merry part."

"Until we merry meet again." she said, smiling as she faded from view.

"So..." I said to Nightmare Moon.

"Before we talk any farther, I do not wish to be called Nightmare Moon any more..." She said, her tears nearly having stopped. "That name bears too many bad memories."

"Well... How about... Crescent Moon instead?" I asked. "Symbolizing how you are changing your ways?"

"That... Works perfectly actually." She said after thinking on it a moment. "Rather philosophical as well."

"I have read quite a lot of philosophy during my magic studies." I smiled, thinking back. "One of my instructors said that it was a good way to exercise you mind and stay open to new solutions on old problems. It really has helped me with my problem solving, that's for sure."

Crescent chuckled at that. "And here I remember Celestia telling Luna that philosophy was a waste of time. She is quite the philosopher you know, although what little she has written down has never made it into publication. It's a shame really."

The stars and the image of Equestria in the sky started to fade as we both chuckled.

"It appears you are waking up. I will try to contact you once you are awake, so don't be surprised if you suddenly hear my voice." She said. "If I can't make contact, talk to you tomorrow."

"Goodbye Crescent." I said as the dream faded.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I awoke to Spike shaking me. "Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie are here asking for you." He said. "I told them you were napping, but they seemed to think it was important. Also, Rarity stopped by and dropped off a new outfit for you, as well as a message that Sweetie is okay with what happened." He relayed quickly, indicating a package before heading for the door. "I'll stall em a little more, but Dash is getting impatient." He opened the door and headed downstairs.

Marebucking... can I not get a decent sleep after a stressful night? ...Crescent can you hear me? I thought as I opened the package, revealing a black zip up hoodie with a purple tribal design on it, and a pair of dark grey pants made of some kind of denim that was a snug fit and yet still stretchy. I pulled the hoodie on quickly with my magic as I got my response from Crescent.

Yes Twilight, I can, can you hear me?

Yes I can, good. Do your best to help me stay calm here when I head downstairs, I'll bring you up to speed quickly. I thought at her as I worked my way into the pants.

Got it. Crescent replied. Hey, I can see through your eyes now! I felt a bit of happiness leak over from her, as well as a bit of embarrassment.

Okaaay... anyhow, the other day, Dash spotted me jumping off from the rooftops, fortunately I was disguised. However, she reported it to Celestia from what Luna told us. This usually wouldn't be a problem, but if Pinkie picks up on a lie at all I'm screwed, she won't let it go from what I know of her. I don't want to tell Dash yet, she’ll probably accidentally drop the ball rather soon if I let her know. From what I've heard I'm willing to bet that Pinkie can keep a secret though, I heard about something called a 'Pinkie Pie Promise' before the fiasco at the Summer Sun Celebration. Knowing what I do about this town and her, that's probably means she can keep a secret. That's about all I can tell you right now. Thoughts? I asked Crescent as I opened the door to downstairs.

Keep it from Dash for sure then. If you can let, Pinkie I think you said it was, know that you want to keep it a secret without alerting Dash. Then you may be able to pull this off with a good ending on both sides, otherwise don't let her know now and tell her the truth later. Crescent replied after a moment's thought.

"... I know she was napping Spike, but come on, how long does it take a pony to roll out of bed!" I heard Rainbow say as I started off down the stairs.

"Ooh ooh!" Pinkie chimed in, "what if she spontaneously combusted?" The resounding silence told me that the other two were probably staring at her.

"What? It claims tens of ponies every year!" She said, with a serious tone.

"Pinkie Pie, you are so random." Dash said, facehoofing.

"You can say that again." I said, chuckling as I stepped down the stairs, double checking that my fangs were hidden.

"Finally." Dash said, getting a giggle out of Pinkie.

"If I'm really random Dashie, then you're as impatient as I am random." Pinkie said with another giggle.

"Hey!"

"Girls, please. Now what is so important that you had to wake me up Dash?" I asked as I sat down.

"Nice hoodie by the way, did Rarity make that?" Dash asked.

Steer her back to what she came here for, don't let her deviate from that and you should be able to stay out of suspicion. Keep her mind on something else. Crescent instructed me.

"Yes, now back on topic." I said.

"Right, sorry, it just looks cool." Dash rubbed the back of her head apologetically. "Anyhow, the other night I spotted a pony jumping across the rooftops. I was surprised that they were up there and really surprised when they jumped to the street off of a two story roof and kept going as if it was nothing." Dash said excitedly. "She had a black and blue tail and mane, which is all I could see of her, well that and her smile right before she bolted. She sounded Coltic, and get this, I think she had fangs."

Stay calm, your spell must have failed when you hid your Mane and Tail coloration. Deny that the pony had fangs and ask if the pony was a unicorn. Make a vampony joke to lighten the mood. You're doing great. Crescent said, which probably helped me stay calm more than anything.

"Come on Dash, fangs? Vamponies only exist in stories, besides it could have been an illusion spell if it was a Unicorn. I know a few that can swap around mane colours and patterns."

"Oooh! You have to try that on me Twi'." Pinkie cut in excitedly.

"Sure, how about a little later on, I'm still a little groggy from magic overuse." I said.

Check one of the goals off there. Crescent said, a bit of relief seeping across our link.

"My mane is fine as it is." Rainbow said smiling. "Anyhow, what do you think of what I saw?"

"Well..." I said, pausing for a moment. "I know of a spell or two that can slow a fall, however they are pretty difficult. Perhaps it was her special talent?"

"Yeah, perhaps." Rainbow said. "Anyhow, I gotta go, weather patrol and all that." Rainbow said before zipping out the door.

"And she say's I'm random." Pinkie said with a giggle. "So how about that spell Twilight? Ooh, how about you turn my mane blue and my tail pink!"

"Er... Pinkie your tail is already pink."

"Oh yeah..." she trailed off.

"Actually Pinkie, there is something that I want to tell you."

"Does it have something to do with you jumping across rooftops at night?" She asked, leaving me dumbstruck as Spike just stared.

"You... you saw me and didn't tell Rainbow?" I asked. Why wouldn't she...

"Well I consider it revenge for a prank she pulled on me last week, so how didja manage it anyhow?" Pinkie asked, smiling like usual.

"Promise not to freak out and run, as well as not tell any pony what I'm about to tell you?"

"I Pinkie Promise!" She said before going through some strange routine. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Ooookay then..." I muttered, deciding to ask Applejack about it later.

"Well, are you going to tell me?" She asked.

"Downstairs first, it's not something I want someone walking in on while I'm telling you." I said, heading for the basement door as I opened it with magic. I lit my horn to provide light as we descended the steps.

"Okie dokie loki." She said, bouncing after me.

Once we were down the stairs, and the door was shut behind us, Pinkie immediately started up again. "So what's the secret Twilight? Is it that you lead a second life as some kind of superhero or is it-"

I cut her off by placing a hoof over her mouth, to quiet her down as I sighed. "Pinkie, please, not now okay?" I smiled weakly at her. "This is important."

"Oh... Okay." She said with a small smile.

"Now do you promise you won't run screaming, freak out, or tell anypony?" I asked.

"I already Pinkie Pie Promised silly, and nopony from Ponyville will ever break a Pinkie Pie Promise." I raised an eyebrow at that.

"You'll have to explain that later, but for now I'll take your word on it." I said as I cut out the light spell and released the illusion on my fangs.

"Ooh that's a neat..." She said, her smile fading as I re-lit my horn. "trick..." Her voice suddenly became serious as she gained a worried look on her face. "Please tell me this is a trick..."

"Unfortunately, no..." As I said that, her mane seemed to deflate. "Please, let me explain..."

"I... okay, but once you’re done, I have something you should know about as well..." She said, looking up with a small smile.

"O-okay." I said. "Thanks for not bolting first, but how did... actually questions after. During our fight with Nightmare Moon, she managed to cast one of Luna's old spells thinking it would harm me enough to disrupt the Elements. Obviously, it failed to do that, but... to make a long story short it turned me into a vampony." I said. "I've spoken with Luna about it, and I won't turn into a ravenous bloodsucking monster, however I do still need to drink every now and then."

"Wait!" Pinkie cut in urgently. "What was the spell called?" Pinkie asked, grabbing my shoulders.

"Th-the Blessing of the Moon." I replied, surprised at the sudden contact.

"Oh thank Celestia!" Pinkie said, sounding much happier, her mane inflating again. "I was afraid I was going to have to hurt you..." She said hugging me.

"Pinkie... What?" I was shocked and confused.

"Well... okay look Twilight... Luna probably mentioned that Celestia made a version of the blessing herself right?" Pinkie said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"I think I see where you're going with this..." I said with a chuckle. "Let me guess..."

"Yeah, I'm one of the 'Sunblessed" She said, her eyes turning a golden color, as flames similar to those on Celestia's cutie mark appeared around her own. She also glowed slightly with a golden light as two wing-like appendages sprouted from her back. They appeared to be made of tendrils of golden energy and acted the same as if they were made from spider silk.

"You know, the way things have been going these past few days, I thought it would be Fluttershy who would end up being the receiver of Celestia's blessing." I said with a chuckle, causing Pinkie to giggle. We were probably both feeling a little giddy with relief at that moment.

"Nah, she's way too kind..." Pinkie said. "You know the story of why Luna created the Blessing of the Moon right?"

"Yeah, times were tough, ponies getting hurt, et cetera." I said, making a circular motion with my hoof.

"That saves me some time." She said. "Well Celestia's reasons were pretty much the same, besides the fact that she was a teeeeeensy bit jealous that Luna created a blessing like that without telling her." Pinkie giggled a little at that.

"Well, can you tell me the abilities that it gives you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I suppose." She said with a chuckle. "It gives us light magic, we're faster and have better reflexes, better self-healing, and we're a lot better at defence in general." She said. "I guess you could say while we can't hit hard, we can take a lot of damage, and hold out until the damage we've done racks up."

"That makes sense." I said. "Although, I have to ask what the price is."

"Well, we're really empathetic, which means we can sense the feelings of those around us-"

"Pinkie, I've lived in a library most of my life, I know what empathetic means."

"Oh yeah..." She said giggling. "Sorry, anyhow, we can also tell when something bad is about to happen. I get it through different twitches that my body does, I call it my 'Pinkie Sense' to those who don't know about me." She said. "It keeps ponies from finding out, and while I hate to lie..."

"I know the feeling. Oh yeah, Pinkie, I hate to break the news to you, but Rarity is a vampony too, my type, but a secondary to me." Pinkie raised an eyebrow at that.

"How'd that end up happening?" She asked.

"Manticore..." Was all I said, looking down.

"Ah... that's all I need to know." she said. "Spike told me you two were heading into the Everfree to visit the old castle for design ideas. At least she's fine now... well... almost." She said sheepishly.

"Yeah..." A small sob escaped my lips as guilt washed over me."I just..."

Pinkie hugged me, I could feel a few tears from her as well. "It'll be fine Twi, we're all friends. I know you wouldn't have done it if you didn't have to."

"The thing is... I had to kill the manticore to stop it, and that timberwolf too..." I sobbed, hugging myself to pinkie's soft pink coat and mane.

"I wondered who did that... I heard the howling, but by the time I got there... But I doubt you had no reason to."

"It would have gone after the Apple family. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were there too..."

"Twilight..." Pinkie said, leaning back to look me in the eyes. "Did you enjoy the fact that you killed it?"

"N-no." I stammered, shocked that she'd ask such a thing.

"Then you aren’t a monster. Even if you enjoyed the fight, as long as you regret the fact that you had to take a life you will never be a monster." Pinkie stated, her tone serious. "I know of a few Sunblessed like that, they will target anypony who even tries using dark magic and kill them, and they enjoy it." She said, her mane deflating a little. "Those are the real monsters."

"P-pinkie..."

"Besides, if you were a monster you wouldn't be an Element of Harmony." She said, cheering up and letting go of me.

"Thanks Pinkie." I said. "Don't worry about telling Applejack about what I am. She... knows."

Pinkie giggled. "You're blushing." she said, pointing with a hoof.

"I am not!"

"I heard that being bit by a Moonblessed felt good, but I didn't think that would happen." She snickered.

"Pinkie!"

"Aw c’mon Twi,' I'm just teasing." Pinkie said. "Besides, it’s nice not having to be so random and uppity for once." She said with a small smile.

"Huh?"

"You're probably the only pony in town who anywhere near understands what I've had to do. I put on the overly giggly filly act around town so I don't have to deal with ponies that are down in the dumps all the time. That's why I throw so many parties." She said. "If too many people are down in the dumps, or if I start feeling down, I get really bad... it's the downside to that empathy. I... get a little crazy."

"Well Pinkie, I'll be here for you for as long as I can." I said hugging her.

"Thanks Twilight. You have no idea how much that means to me. I-I haven't found anypony else I could tell, and sometimes... it's almost too much holding in a secret like that." She said hugging me back, I could feel a few tears on my shoulder that were fresh; I just smiled as I hugged my friend as she cried.

Twilight... Why is she crying? Crescent asked in my mind. And why aren't you trying to comfort her?

They're tears of joy... think of how I've felt these past few days keeping this secret... she's probably had to keep this secret for years. Now that she can finally speak openly about it to somepony who isn't a Sunblessed...

I think I get it... Crescent replied. She’s had to bottle that all up for so long behind the guise of being happy, random and, pardon the term, ditzy, that now that she can finally talk to somepony about it who can understand her... I could feel Crescents emotions as she realized this. I don't think I could have managed that...

Me neither...

She must have felt very alone... I... I need some time to think. Crescent said, cutting the thought link.

I couldn't help but think that there was somepony else in the room, aside from Pinkie, who could understand loneliness.

"Twilight?" Pinkie said, still hugging me tightly.

"Yes Pinkie?"

"Promise you'll stay in Ponyville, even though the Summer Sun Celebration is over?"

"I promise Pinkie." I said as I hugged her tighter. "I won't leave you."

She fell asleep on my shoulder after crying for a few minutes longer, sleeping peacefully as I carried her up to my room. I smiled as I laid her on my bed and tucked her in, before trotting to the balcony to look up at the moon, leaving a note for Pinkie and Spike taped to the bedpost.

I don't think Crescent is the only other pony who can relate either... I thought as I jumped down to street level, trotting towards Carousel Boutique.