Fangs and Wings and other Things

Chapters

Prologue
To fail
Perfection
There's more beneath the Surface
Making Amends
Inside
The Night's bride
Like a Bird in the Morning
Heart
Prelude
Setting things up

Prologue

The full moon shone brightly upon a blank spot in the woods, where a white pegasus stallion with long, black mane and tail stood on his hind legs, his eyes closed in complete and utter concentration. A light breeze was picking up and let the mass of hair wave in the air, creating a flow of darkness that swayed up and down.

Suddenly, the eyes of the pony shot open and he moved his right arm, throwing a small stone somewhere into the woods. It struck true and not even a second later, a few dozen sharp, wooden sticks, each one measuring the length of a pony's arm, came flying at him with amazing speed.

The snow white stallion ducked and evaded the encounter with the tip of half of the objects. He rolled to the side and swooped three other arrows out of the air and raised his wing to detour another one. Not a moment too early, he jumped from his position and a bolt buried itself into the ground, where he had been standing just a heartbeat ago.

He flew into the trees and jumped behind a bush. Immediately he saw himself confronted with a hundred whirling branches, some on the same level with his head, others with his chest and another ones with his knee cabs. Several rings had been wrapped around the trunks of the trees, set into a channel that had been carved into the bark, from which two spiky sticks from opposite sides emerged. The obstacles stood so close together that one could only fit through when having the right composure.

Left, right, duck, jump. The body of the pony danced through the wooden arms that grasped at him from everywhere. He moved through to the center and fell to his four-hoof-stance again. His deep brown eyes scanned every inch of his environment, every twist of the whirling branches, every falling leaf.

Suddenly he jumped forward, this time not evading the obstacles, but attacking as hard as he could. Left punch, duck, right kick, jump, roll to the side and double fist at the wood. He made his way through the whole area, not missing a single beat, when, out of nowhere, another arrow flew towards him and pierced his wing.

The shock from the pain made him hesitate and soon, he found himself tumbling through a field of whips and clubs, that beat the living hell out of him. When a massive trunk on two ropes swung down and hit him in the chest, he was just about able to cross his arms before him to prevent himself from major injuries.

The trunk slammed him against a boulder and left him there. When the trunk came swinging back another time, the once brown eyes of the white pegasus flashed red, and with a powerful smack, he struck the facing end of the lumber with his hoof. The wood, almost half a meter in diameter, burst from the brute force and was sent flying through the rest of the obstacle course.

The collision with the other trees shattered the instruments that had been set to the bark and cut a trail of destruction into it.

Panting, the frost-coated stallion eyed his wing and bit his teeth as he pulled out the stick with his mouth. He spit it down and crushed it with his foot.

Still not fast enough....

He felt the urge of his flesh and looked around, his nostrils widening as he took in the aroma of odors that lay in the wind. It wasn't far.

A pathetic attempt of a road sign dangled on two string under a pole, which read ''Welcome to Dodge Junction!''. The pony sniffed. Yes, this was a place were he could satisfy his hunger.

Walking through the empty main street of the western looking town, he spotted what he had sought for: a tavern. He walked up to the double opening door that was vertically divided, pushed one of the leaves inwards and walked in.

The gloomy atmosphere inside the bar made him wrinkle his nose from the foul scent of alcohol, sweat and, most likely, vomit. Sitting on almost a dozen tables were the customers of the saloon, all of them nearly sleeping over their drinks. The bartender rubbed a mug with his cloth forlornly and was seemingly glad that he didn't have to serve any of the ponies in the room.

As soon as he had stepped in, a silent signal went through the room, dragging all eyes on him. He was sure of everypony's attention as the pegasus walked to the counter. He sat down onto one of the nagged chairs. The bartender didn't even bother to serve him, he just stared into thin air, trying to ignore the new customer.

''Hey!'' One of the ponies, a caramel colored stallion with a brown western hat and an impressive mustache, had stood up and tottered over to the new one. He was reeking terribly of alcohol and couldn't focus his vision on one specific point. He seemed like a nice pony, but the drinks he had had had gotten the better of him.

''We dun like strangers 'round here! Where you frum?'' He was hardly understandable with his tongue always between his teeth.

''Where I come from does not matter.'' His voice was a deep, smooth growl. The other pony raised an eyebrow and then burst into a fit of laughter, what made his mustache bounce up and down. When he had could himself again, he smacked his hoof onto the back of the white pegasus and and then patted him on the shoulder,

''Yar right! Nothin' madders anymore.'' Another chuckle. ''But ya know, ya won't get eny drink here, anyways!'' he clapped his back again.

''See, that is where you are wrong.'' The voice of the pegasus had lost in noise.''I will be getting a drink here.''

In one clean move, he had grabbed the stick he had hidden under his wing and drove it into the hoof of the pony before him, nailing it onto the table. Before his opponent was able to scream, he had grasped him by his mustache and slammed his face into the counter. The pony fainted instantly.

Now every other pony in the room was on their feet and ready to attack. Against him stood fifteen ponies, if he counted right. After a short moment, the first two charged.

Raising to his hind legs, he waited for his opponents to close the distance. The two ponies came galloping in perfectly sychronized and when they were merely a step before him, the white pegasus stepped into action. He positioned himself between them, by placing his right leg forward and slammed his fist into the cheek of the pony on his left. Simultaneously, he kicked the pony in his back into his shoulder, sending him flying against one of the piles that held the roof.

The bartender had sought cover behind the bar and was cowering on the ground. The pegasus reached out for one of the glasses in the shelf next to the mirror and already saw the bulky earth pony that was making his way towards him. With a well timed turn, the glass landed on the neck of the attacker and the sharp edges dug themselves into the soft flesh.

Quicker than any eye could follow, he was standing right in the middle of the saloon, still on only two legs. Now he was facing three attackers at once, each coming from the same direction. The far right one raised on his hind legs as well, swinging his right hoof widely to punch the white stallion's face. Too wide. His arm was caught midway, as the pegasus wrapped his left arm around it, followed by a hard punch to the poor pony's chin, knocking him out. In the same move, he kicked the middle one under his head, letting his upper body rise and finished him off with another strike to his exposed chest. The ribs cracked and his body, after sliding a few meters, lay perfectly still.

The last one hesitated of the ferocity of his enemy's attacks. The pegasus took the opportunity and did a front flip over the shocked pony's head. While face-to-face, he wrapped his arms around the earth pony's neck and bent it in his way. The force of the white pegasus made the earth pony follow in his track, and when the black maned stallion reached the ground, he swung his prey over his shoulder and let him crash into the table before him.

At the sight of this monster of a pony, most of the customers had left the bar in a hurry. All of them, but one. This pony was the only one who hadn't risen from his seat when the fight had begun. Now he stood up and his face was a blank mask.

He had a dark brown coat, a lighter, sandy mane and an ace of spades as a cutie mark.

''Do you not want to run away like the others?''

The earth pony merely shook his head. He raised to his hind legs and kept perfect balance just as the pegasus before him. The only thing that separated them was the fact that the pegasus was about a head taller than the brown pony.

A quick strike by the pegasus started the fight. His fist aimed for the nose of his challenger, but was blocked with the back of a hoof. He could duck just in time to dodge the counter strike that followed. They parted.

A lunge, this time from both sides, brought them together again. White elbow met brown forearm as the two fighters clashed. When the earth pony saw his chance to land a hit on his opponent, he aimed his hoof at the exposed side under the arm, but was blocked by another hoof that held his in place. He pushed the pegasus' arm away, but was still connected with him at the meeting point of his wrist.

They stood before each other, eyes locked, and just breathed while the pegasus increased the pressure on the earth pony's hoof. There he saw his chance.

He pulled his arm to his chest, dragging the white pegasus along and lay his other hoof in the pit of his elbow. Seeing that his opponent hadn't expected that, he jumped over his shoulder, keeping the arm locked in his grip. The way the arm was held and because of the rotation that the front flip brought, the shoulder was sure to dislocate, as the joint was not intended to move that way.

When he landed he expected to hear the sharp snap of the joint, but somehow, there wasn't any sound at all. When he looked up, he saw a pair of fire red eyes staring down on him. The white pegasus had already known that trick and had countered the front with a back flip.

When the pegasus landed, he was standing slightly sideways to the earth pony, and because he was still holding the arm of his opponent, the earth pony was vulnerable to the loose fist of his opponent, which was now slamming into his face.

The brown pony tumbled against a pole and held against it, remaining on two legs, and spit a pinch of blood tainted saliva to the ground. He swiped his mouth clean and faced his enemy again.

They ran towards each other and wedged together in a blur of kicks and punches, every side catching one hit or another. After they had wrestled for several moments, they locked their arms and when neither of them was able to take control over the other, they rested.

''You are good. A shame I have to kill you.'' Again, the brown earth pony said nothing and simply stared into his opponents eyes.

After a long second, the pegasus let loose and was pushed away by the earth pony.

''Come on, hit me.'' The pegasus gestured at the pony before him, exposing his whole body to him. Not a heartbeat later, a brown hoof found its way into the solar plexus of the white stallion. He bent of the blow and was immediately greeted with a knee to his face. A set of well aimed strikes and punches later, he was sent flying into a nearby table.

Rising from the ruins of the wood, the white pegasus seemed to have lost any emotion that had ever lay within him. He swiped his mouth clean and patted the dust of his fur. Then he sighed.

''Still not strong enough.''

Suddenly, there he stood right in front of the brown pony. The immense force at which the hoof struck the rib cage of the earth pony was enough to not only throw him off his feet and into the shelf behind the bar, but also to dent his breastbone in a way that the ribs pierced the pony's lungs.

The sound of a gargling breath marked the end of the fight, as the slashed body of the unfortunate earth pony sunk to the ground. Then the white pegasus walked up to him and picked him up like it was nothing.

In the last moments of his life, the brown earth pony saw how two fangs emerged from the gum of the white pegasus, as well as a sudden sensation of sleepiness when he saw, on the brim of his vision, how the head of his last opponent came ever closer to his neck.

To fail

Hazel soared zig-zagging through the wooden labyrinth the trees of the Everfree Forest were forming. Successfully dodging the thick trunks that appeared in front of his face, he flew on ground level, leaving a small trail of whirling dirt and dust behind him. He tilted his body perpendicularly to the ground to avoid the danger of getting stuck between two especially close standing trees.

Diving into a narrow corkscrew, he broke the surface of branches and leaves and took a look back into the direction he just came from. The fact that he could neither spot the multi-spectral dot, nor the remarkable amount of energy that followed it, assured him that he was secure for the time being.

Despite the consequent darkness, he could see just as well as if it was the brightest of days.

This was already the third time they had come too close to him. It was notable how well they were keeping up with him, though it was obvious that he could outrun them with ease. The eternal night was to his advantage at this point because of the color of his body and because he never left any evidence of his existence.

That fact put him even more into a state of admiration for their persistence, as they had already managed to catch up to him twice. Up to this point, the interval between them coming too close and him calling it far enough was constantly decreasing.

Suddenly he felt how his left wing was falling a little limp and the force of gravity was tugging on him with double the power. He knew the signs now all too well. His body ached for relief.

But he wasn't at the end of his self-declared mission. Not yet had he found what he was searching. And before that, he wouldn't be able to show his face to Applejack.

Slowly gliding down in a spiral, his hooves set on the ground. Hazel stretched out the antennas of his mind and scanned his environment for the closest pony. Not that far away he sensed the only life-form that was suited for his kind of needs.

With a creak, the door to the small shed swung open and the tall figure of a white pegasus entered the only room in the tree. Hazel dove into the all-surrounding shadows and hid himself with perfection that came from decades of practice.

There he sat and waited for his victim to follow in as well.

Not long and the silhouette of a mid-sized mare took her steps into the dark shed. She walked over to the huge pot in the middle of the room and pulled out several glasses and other tubes out of the saddlebags that hung from her sides.

The pot had already been filled with water and from Hazel's point of view, he could see how the pony emptied three of the glasses into the brew. What came out seemed to be all but leaves and little straws, but as soon as she dipped a jellylike substance into the brew, the fluid began to effuse a soft, comfy green light that illuminated the whole room.

Masks, carved from a foreign kind of wood, with colorful paintings and strange expressions hung from the walls. A set of ingredients, from simple chamomile to leaves and grasses Hazel hadn't seen in any book ever, stapled finely in labeled glasses among other tools in high shelves that varied both in size and color.

The light from beneath set the face of the mare in a spooky sight, the shadows under her eyes large and the coloring of her fur gave the whole thing a surreal touch. What surprised Hazel the most were the black stripes on her otherwise white coat, which he had although caught a light glimpse off in the darkness before, but had turned it down as a mere trick of light.

From his place in the ever vanishing shadows he eyed the owner of the house carefully, and rummaged in his brain where he had seen such a strange pattern before. Then it hit him: This mare in front of him, with the Iroquois haircut and the rings around her neck and foreleg, was a zebra, inhabited in the great plains of Zebrahana, as he had read in one of the books in the Canterlot archives.

The zebra set the bags into one corner of her home and strolled back to the stew, her earrings and other attire jingling in the silence of the room. Suddenly she turned around and looked right into Hazel's direction. She squinted. It was impossible for her to see him, of that he was sure, but somehow this mare seemed to have a seventh sense, because she slowly started to walk into his direction.

''What is it that we have here, a late night guest, I have to fear?''. The uncommon stressing she put into her speech was the last indicator for Hazel that she was not from this realm. A grin appeared on his face and he revealed himself before her.

''A late night guest indeed, but not one you have to fear''. A quick moment of surprise let Zecora stumble back a few steps, then she tilted her head and slowly brought her face close to Hazel's. ''A handsome face that you have there, quite enticing for any mare.''

Her muzzle drew ever closer to his, already feeling his hot wet breath on her lips, as she took a last peek from under her nearly closed eyelids. Suddenly, the looks of pure terror were emblazoned on her face, as she saw the shining aureate glaze, that burned into her head.

''Why is it that you are here, in these woods, so dark and drear?'' With every word she spoke, Zecora took another step away from the golden-eyed menace in her home. Hazel followed slowly, taking one step for every two that she made. Zecora quickly came back to the wall, her gaze wildly flickering through the air in search for an escape.

''You are not normal, I see. Fewest ponies can manage to withstand my charm, but even in your case it is to no avail.'' Before she could react, Hazel had gripped Zecora's chin and raised her eyes to his, letting his Incubus-charm roll over her with merciless force.

The legs of the zebra gave in and surrendered herself to the hurricane of pleasure that unfurled throughout her whole body, starting in her head and downwards from there. ''Don't worry, you are going to enjoy this, I promise.'' Carried by this silken voice, she slipped into the gloomy realm of blissful unconsciousness and just let it go.

When he felt how the mare fell limp in his arms, Hazel's last thought dragged him to another mare and the sting of remorse made him grit his teeth. With a last look at the heavy breathing zebra, he sent one last word into the void of the night.

''Forgive me, beloved.''

The clopping of silver shod hooves on stony ground sent an echo through the now even darker halls of the beautiful Castle of Canterlot. The moon let the tainted glass shine in an unnatural light, and the shades that the flowed from the windows set the walls on the opposite site in a bizarre mixture of colors.

Luna had flipped a hood over her dark blue and violet maned head as she once again cursed the royal formalities of hoof-wear. The blue alicorn hurried through the hind parts of the castle, where most of the staff and several chambers that held all sorts of tools, which were used by said staff, to keep the castle perfectly clean, were located.

The princess rustled her wings and pulled the cloak she had swung over herself tighter to her body. Because of recent declares from the new ruler, all guards were to report her every move. The cloak she was now wearing was of almost pure shadows, a remnant of her youth, when she would not give anything about any instructions her sister gave her, and instead stroll through the city whenever she wanted to. The cloak hid her presence from any viewers, as long as they didn't look too closely.

Eventually, she arrived at the door she had sought for: the entrance to the Canterlot Dungeons. With a crime rate close to zero, and Hazel's excellent job, the prison was a mere decoration for visitors, as they had only held three prisoners in the time when Luna wasn't banished to the moon and none was ever imprisoned during that time, as her sister had told her. Now, however, they held a pony captivated.

Luna breathed deeply before she opened the door without a sound and slipped through it. Despite her abilities when it came to seeing through darkness, Luna lit her horn and illuminated the corridor ahead. The stairs winded down in clockwise route, and Luna began her descent into the far below cells.

She advanced further, only accompanied by the dull humming of her spell and the clapping of her horseshoes on the ground. Finally, she made it to the prisoner's wing, another long dark corridor, which, contrary to the castle, was built like a trefoil, with one room in the center, from which three sells stood in the rock of Mount Unicornia, and between the space of every room, there were four more rooms with eight cells each.

Luna stood in the central chamber and looked around. Her gaze wandered over the doors and the portals that led to the other chambers. She had been down here two times last week, but every time she would just walk back up to her room and rest. It was like something inside her was rebelling and forcing her to retreat whenever she came near Celestia's door.

But not this time. She would go to her sister's cell, break the door open and free her from her stasis, then unite with her and pulverize this rotten pile of scum that now sat on the throne.

The chambers with the cells were labeled with numbers and letters and Luna knew exactly where her sister was being held captive. She took of to the door on her right, which was called 'C'.

How fitting, C for Celestia. I have to keep in mind that I kick Amaimon's butt for that when all of this is over.

She grinned grimly and proceeded her walk into the dark.

When she had brought Celestia down here, she was under Amaimon's influence, as he had clouded her mind and made her a will-less slave of his, and it was only for her extreme skill of mind manipulation, that she could retrieve the tiny little splinter of memory, that led to her sister's prison.

The last door on the right, that was her goal. There, Celestia would lie on the ground, her hooves loosely on her side, her beautiful mane a mess of pink, cyan and feint yellow around her head and her wings covering her, as her eyes would be closed and she breathed in a steady rhythm.

At least Luna thought it would look like that. She had never seen the interior of the prison cell herself, as that was what fled her memory. She closed the door behind her and took the first step into the corridor.

The first two massive oak-wood doors, reinforced with thick metal bars, passed to both of her sides. Luna was determined to rescue her sister this time, she mustn't fail, she knew it. Setting her steps firmly onto the icy floor, she passed on.

The second pair of doors were to her flanks.

Poor sister. Hold on, I will soon be by your side and awaken you from your sleep.

She was halfway between the second and third doors when a sudden thought struck her.

I wonder, after all this time where she had brought both day and night, wouldn't it be better for her to rest for a while? So she can fully recover?

Luna's steps brought her past the third cells.

Now that I think about it, for a thousand years, she must have barely slept, her duties as the only ruler of Equestria in addition! Wouldn't it be heartless of me to disrupt her well earned sleep? It's not like I couldn't handle keeping the moon up for a little while.

The dark blue alicorn had arrived before the last cell on the right. It didn't differ from the others in points of looks, but Luna was so sure to find her sister behind it. She raised a hoof.

I've come this far, I have to free her now! Then, she will return, send the vampire into Tartarus, and bring the sun back, so there will be light again for all her subjects.

Luna faltered.

Her subjects. As long as she is there, I can never make them see how beautiful my night truly is. The fewest will acknowledge the wonders that lie behind the thousands of stars, or the soothing moon. You can't look directly into the sun without getting blinded, but the moon heals sorrow.

She withdrew her foreleg.

Now I can show them what beauty lies in my nights! They will see just how great it is to be nocturnal! And furthermore, I finally get to spend some time with them! I always envied her for how our subjects loved and respected her! Now I can get to enjoy their company, too!

With a last look at the door, Luna grinned and turned around, wishing her sister a wholesome sleep, and getting back up the way she came down here.

The door clunked shut as Luna arrived at back in the hind wing and closed the entrance to the prisoners' tract. She pulled the cloak back and sighed. Her gaze wandered over the ostentatious windows to her right and followed the lines where two shrapnel of tainted glass had been melted together.

''You tried it again, didn't you?''

Luna's heart nearly skipped a beat. She turned around, but couldn't see anything aside the wall and the empty corridor. Her gaze flickered and she tried to make sense of the voice she had just heard. Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her back, in between her wings, and immediately, said wings shot up.

Her left wing, however, was held down softly by a leather-gloved hand. Luna's sapphire eyes met blood red ones, as well as a dispraising shaking of a head as she looked into Amaimon's face. What was he doing here? How did he even know she was- Wait, if he had the same powers as his brother, then of course he would know.

Luna stuck her wings back to her back and straightened up. Even if she had been caught red handed, she could at least keep some dignity to herself. ''So what if I had?'' She raised her chin in a manner only royalty could do. He should know just how much she despised his presence. By the stars, she wanted to punch him for every hair that grew on his head! Every word he spoke raised the urge to kill in her. Oh, if only she wasn't so weak!

''Well, it wouldn't matter anyway, you can't reach her, might as hard as you tried.'' He turned around and waved a hand over his back, a clear gesture that he didn't care whatever she was doing. Luna clenched her teeth; this was a humiliation she had never had to experience before. ''Oh yeah? What makes you so sure about yourself?'' Luna shouted angrily at Amaimon's back.

Suddenly, he was right there in front of her face and stroked her cheek tenderly with one finger, tracing down the outlines of her cheekbone and ending up with a small snap at her chin. ''Because-'', he said, the whiff of a snicker in his voice, ''-you simply lack the willpower to do so.'' He turned around another time, tousling her hair with a slight breeze he produced, lightly spreading his own wings.

That was the last straw. Luna's horn flashed in a bright blue and her figure vanished. She reappeared from Amaimon's side and let her hoof fly into his face. Amaimon on his part simply grabbed it midway and pushed the blue alicorn back.

Gaining her balance again, Luna started for another punch. This time, she began swinging her hoof back and let it shoot forward, seemingly striking the air. When she was in the middle of the punch, her horn flashed again and she appeared in front of Amaimon, her hoof striking true this time.

He stumbled back and held his nose with one hand, pressing his thumb firmly against one hole, which oozed small drops of blood. Luna grinned. ''What about my willpower now?''

Before she could even form a straight thought, like a lance of pure ice, a mental spear pierced her mental wall, digging itself deep into her brain. Luna pushed as hard as she could, focusing her mind on one single thing, a song, or better, a lullaby her sister had often sung for her, ignoring Amaimon's fearsome presence.

The sweet tones of Celestia's voice floated through Luna's whole being, but the sting of the vampire's attack wouldn't fade. She clenched her teeth and shut her eyes, blinding out any environmental influence that may distract her.

Suddenly, the intensity of Amaimon's slamming against her mental walls ebbed down to a bearable degree. Luna wouldn't fall for it. Hazel had used this technique often to give her a false sense of security, but as soon as she had lowered her barrier, he had struck quickly and taken her out. Of course, that was only a light sparring; against Amaimon, she had to not make any mistakes.

With a sharp hiss, all the air in Luna's lungs fled her as she fell to the ground, her forehooves flailing in a weak attempt to achieve any lucky hits. Of course, luck wasn't on her side, as always. She felt a huge weight pressing on her chest, and for a moment, it was impossible for her to take breathe again. Panic built up in her and her focus was nonexistent.

In the beat of a heart, Luna was completely disarmed, lying on the ground, frozen to the floor, only able to move her eyes. Eventually her breath settled. Then, she felt him. Like a cool stream of water, Amaimon's being spread through Luna's mind. He was cold, smooth, but not unpleasant. More like a relaxing and revitalizing bath after a hot day.

With the might of his mind, Amaimon forced Luna to lie still, not able to use any magic. He strolled through Luna's memories, like a foal would go on an exploration-tour through the homely kitchen, scratching at points of her foalhood that seemed to waken his interest. The time when she had risen the moon for the first time without her sister's help, her nightly escapes into the forest and at last, the time with Hazel and her banishment to the moon afterwards.

When Amaimon saw the more delicate memories, his thoughts seemed become a bit tainted, like something had stung him, and immediately, he retreated. With an expression that showed not a single emotion, he looked down on her, his foot on her chest, as he towered over her, standing by her side.

''I admit, I underestimated your skills quite a bit. But what I meant was, that you can't free your sister, because I don't want you to, and because of that, you don't want to, either.'' Luna could only cough.

''See, I put a little trigger into your head when I sent you to lock her up, and whenever you come near that cell, you will lose any desire to see your sister. It's foolproof.''

With that, Amaimon set his heavy foot off her chest and started his way back wherever he was going to go. Luna lay there for a while, unable to stand up. It was hopeless, no matter how she looked at it, the vampire had won. Sobbing quietly, she let the feint light of her moon bath her in silver.

Perfection

Metal.

That was the first thing she tasted. The salty, metallic flavor of blood lay heavily on her tongue and filled all the sensing of her taste buds. She swallowed dryly, trying to get rid of it, but found herself unable to.

Vinyl set up and took in her surroundings. She was at home. Her apartment, that she shared with Octavia. She looked around. Nothing seemed to be out of place. The living room was orderly as always, of that, Tavi would be making sure, and she couldn't spot anything unusual aside from the constant lack of sunlight.

Now that she thought about it, how could she see so clearly in this pitch black room? It was night, about that, she had absolute certainty, but she could see as if it was the brightest of days. She looked closer and noticed another thing. Seemingly, her vision had become a lot sharper, since she could spot the fine cracks in Octavia's Chello-case, which stood at it's place in the corner next to the TV.

She stood up from the couch. Vinyl had to investigate further. Where had she been last night?

She snorted. Yeah, last night. As if there would be day and night. Vinyl looked over to the big clock on the wall. Half past six. Not that it would matter, but keeping track of time was reassuring and set a fix-point into the unsteady rhythm Vinyl had to live with now.

Seriously though, what had she done in the last few hours? Where had she been, and why did she taste blood? She explored the inside of her mouth for any wounds she may had, but found nothing. Shaking her head, she went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

She spotted her most desired good at once: a fresh can of energy drink. The sugary flavor of the fluid would hopefully wash away the disturbing taste as well as her tiredness. Greedily taking in gulp after gulp, she emptied the can, and with a little help of her telekinesis, threw it into the trash.

Stuffing back the burp that was about to escape from her mouth, she wandered back into the living room and turned on the TV. Testing screen on channel one. Testing screen on channel two. Testing screen on channel three. Testing screen on channel four. She gave up.

Vinyl let her head bend over the arm rest of the futon and stared at the ceiling. She traced the lines of wood from the beginning to the end, sighing in annoyance. Suddenly she felt something. An uncomfortable gurgle in her gut. The white unicorn stroked over her belly and took a concerned look at it.

From what it felt like, she would guess that there was something rising up in her stomach, and out of the blue, she felt sick. Sprinting up the stairs, she ripped the door to the bathroom open and set herself over the toilet seat.

Just a heartbeat later, the green liquid she had drunk earlier left her with an audible splash. After the first wave, Vinyl coughed and spit the rest of barf out, breathing heavily. What was going on?

She let herself fall next to the shower and tried to trace the last steps she had made back, after her sickness had subsided.

Her club came into her mind. Her performance on stage, the last song before her break. Then, her short stay in her break room. Tavi. And then-

Vinyl pouted. Her memories seemed to be a hazy mess of undistinguishable shreds of different emotions and sensations. A figure, tall, humanoid. The sleepiness she had felt. An indistinct conversation. Black. Celestia's buns, this whole thing was so confusing!

The sound of a door being opened ripped her from her deliberations. Vinyl's ears perked up. Obviously her vision was not the only thing that had gotten better. Wiping off the last leftovers from her muzzle, she got back up on her legs and walked down the stairs.

When she arrived in the first floor, she could already make out the faint scent of her roommate. The mischievous grin she always wore when Octavia was around, found its way onto her face and as quietly as she could, Vinyl sneaked into the kitchen.

Octavia was already rummaging around the sink, a bag of supplies shattered on the table. She had her hooves in the water, cleaning the few plates and cups that still had leftovers on them, and didn't pay attention to anything else.

Vinyl waited for the perfect chance and positioned herself directly behind the gray mare. She rose on her hind legs, her face in a grimace of glowing glee, but then dropped back down and instead brought her muzzle closely to Octavia's ear.

''Hey Tavi, what'cha doin'?'' She didn't want to damage her marefriend's hearing permanently, so Vinyl kept the volume slightly below her stage voice, which still served to scare Octavia quite nicely. She shrieked, shot up, and in one swift turn in midair, landed with her back on the ground.

She panted heavily and looked up at Vinyl in shock. ''Vinyl? What has gotten into you?'' She blinked. ''Vinyl?'' Her eyes widened. Octavia rocketed up and threw herself at Vinyl's neck, overwhelming her with a flood of hugs, inspecting looks and kisses.

Vinyl let it happen for a few moments, Octavia's breath and lips tickling her, and she simply enjoyed being close to her mate. Eventually, though, she held Tavi by the shoulders and grinned. ''Tavi, what's up with you? You act like you haven't seen me in weeks!''

The worried look on Octavia's face all but vanished and she stared at Vinyl. ''Not weeks, Vinyl, but days! Three, to be exact. After we talked in the break room, and after I came back from the basement, you were gone and not on stage. I've kept the club closed since, but you weren't at home, either. I searched all of Canterlot for you, but you were like swallowed by the earth!''

Vinyl's eyebrows shot up. Three days? She knew she was a heavy sleeper, but three days seemed too much even for her. But hadn't Tavi said she wasn't at home either? This made no sense.

''Vinyl, your eyes...'' Vinyl averted her gaze at Octavia, cocking an eyebrow.

''What's with 'em?''

''They are...red.''

Vinyl snorted with laughter. She held her belly and dropped to the floor, rolling left and right. After her snicker had stopped, she held her sides, which burned from exertion. ''Oh my Celestia, Tavi, of course they are! They've always been.'' She kept giggling to herself.

Octavia reached down and pulled Vinyl up again. She was now really close to Vinyl's face, checking on every little detail of her face. ''That's not it, silly! They have a different shade than they used to be...''

Octavia drew in even closer. Heavens, she looked delicious-

Wait, what? Vinyl shook her head and quickly backed away from the gray earth pony. She looked back at her. What had she been thinking? Delicious? Tavi had many things to her, like elegant, graceful, passionate, but delicious? That would be the first time Vinyl would describe her as delicious.

Vinyl glanced over Octavia's sleek figure. Her main, ink black, marvelous. Her coat, like gray marble, beautiful. Her neck, so soft, so tender, scrumptious.

Vinyl gasped. There, again! Why were only adjectives, that were fitting for food, coming into her mind when she saw her dream mare? What was wrong with her? She shook her head fiercely one more time and quickly turned around. She needed to clear her head on this, or she would go crazy!

She was already at the foot of the staircase when Tavi's sweet vocals caught up to her. ''Vinyl? Is everything alright with you? You seem so pale, even more than usual.'' Said mare turned over her shoulder and threw a quick reply down to the cellist. ''Everything's fine, don't worry. I'm just a bit confused, that's all. I'll take a quick shower, ya know, to cool my head.'' Octavia looked at the kitchen, then back at Vinyl. ''Ok, I'll be making dinner in the meantime.''

Vinyl pulled the door shut and readied a towel next to the shower. She stepped in and closed the curtains, then let the water flow.

An agonized scream broke through Vinyl's mouth as the water hit her coat and skin. She stumbled out of the shower and thereby ripped the curtains with her. The wet area burned as if it was on fire, and Vinyl rubbed over the darker spots, which only served to give her a bad sting in the hooves.

She grabbed the towel and rubbed the wetness away, then took a look at the handle in the shower. It couldn't have been of a colder temperature. She glanced at the still aching spots on her coat and could see a weak swelling of her skin, like from a burning or something.

What in the name of Celestia was going on here? She stood up and strolled over to the sink. One last test would bring certainty. She opened the faucet and let the water stream into the basin. Slowly, she brought her hoof closer and finally dove it under the stream. A sharp hiss and she immediately drew her hoof back. Rubbing it, she looked into the mirror.

For another time today, Vinyl was shocked. She knew with absolute assurance that she was leaning on the tub and looking at the polished glass surface of the mirror, yet, she couldn't make out her reflexion.

Vinyl sat down and stayed there for a while, too confused to do anything other than sit and wait.

''So that's why I never stood a chance!'' Rainbow threw her forelegs in the air, an expression of sudden realization spread widely over her whole face. She floated next to Twilight and Applejack, who both tried their best at keeping a pace fast enough to not lose time, and which they could hold for a longer time without growing too tired.

For almost a week, they had been chasing Hazel's tail, their wild hunt bringing them into all corners around Ponyville. During that time, Applejack had told Rainbow and Twilight what had happened, to which both of them had been standing with their jaws dropped.

As it seemed, Hazel chose at random where to fly next, and everytime they had gotten close enough, the moment they woke up, he was already miles away. But they kept on, too much was at bay, and they needed him.

''A Vampire! That is soo awesome! Can you believe it? All those tales about them, they are real!'' Rainbow was in her typical fanfilly mode, which actually only occurred when the subject was Daring Do. Applejack sighed. ''Yes, it's plenty amazing, but don'tchu forget, Rainbow, he's also mighty dangerous.''

Rainbow shook off Applejack's comment with a shrug. ''Yeah, yeah. So, why did he ran away in the first place?'' Her gaze wandered from Applejack to Twilight and back. ''What's it? Something happened?''

Twilight spoke to her, one eyebrow cocked inquisitively. ''No, it's just that Applejack has already told you twice, haven't you been listening?'' Rainbow blushed slightly and answered with a sheepish grin. ''Ya know, after the word 'Vampire', I might not listened quite as much you may think, hehe. Sorry.''

Twilight face-hoofed. ''Did you at least catch the part about him being an Incubus as well?''

''Yeah, but you didn't explain it entertaining enough, and I was to focused on the vampire part, so... What's an Incubus again?''

Twilight's pupil mode activated again. ''An Incubus is a lust demon, that gets it's strength through intercourse, and since Hazel is able to manipulate everypony's mind, it is very likely that he, well... with you...'' She made a vague gesture, whereupon Rainbow's eyes widened.

''You mean, I could have slept with my mentor and don't even remember?'' Rainbow floated in midair for a while, her face as blank as a sheet of paper. Suddenly, her expression dropped and she crossed her arms. ''Dang, I'd really like to know how big he is.''

Slowly, her head turned around and she focused Applejack. ''Wait a second; you know, don't you?'' Rainbow grinned from ear to ear, literally, and was met by Applejack's glare, shooting daggers at the pegasus.

''That ain't none of yer business.'' Applejack's voice could have been able to freeze a lake, but Rainbow only chuckled. ''So, he's that big?'' She poked Applejack's shoulder with an elbow. ''Come on, I know you can't lie, you two have already been rolling in the hay, haven't you?''

''Rainbow...'' Twilight signed her to stop, but Rainbow simply ignored her.

''Tell me, is he bigger than Big Mac?''

''Rainbow!''

''Bigger than a bowling pin?''

''Rainbow, I'm being serious, that's enough!''

''Oh my gosh, is he bigger than my arm?''

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks, unrealized by Rainbow, who flew a few meters past her friend. As soon as she noticed, she turned around and looked confusedly at the farmer pony. ''Applejack, what's wrong?'' She hovered down until she stood before the orange mare, tilting her head sideways.

Applejack had lowered her head, so the brim of her hat was covering her face, only leaving her mouth. Slowly, she raised her head again, and suddenly, Fluttershy's Stare looked only half as intimidating as it was before.

''Listen, Rainbow, Ah know ya handed my flank over ta me at that party, but I swear by Celestia, if ya keep this going, I'll beat you up until the rainbow's out of yer mane! Got that?''

Even Rainbow understood that this was the point where she had to draw the line. She let her friend and rival walk past her, then proceeded to walk beside her. She lay a wing onto Applejack's back and nudged her cheek with her forehead.

''Come on, Applejack. You know I love nothing more than teasing you- well except winning, but that's another story- and you gotta admit, this was an opportunity too perfect to let go to waste.'' Rainbow cuddled onto Applejack, which helped to let a defeated smile appear on her face.

The orange mare docked her back, and they both started bumping into each other as they walked down the muddy way, deep in the Everfree Forest. With each bump, their giggle grew louder, and soon, both laughed heartily.

Applejack caught her breath and walked closer to Rainbow, so Twilight couldn't hear what she was saying. ''It's not his size, it's how he uses it.'' She winked at Rainbow, who halfway shut her eyes and gave a knowing one-sided grin back at her. ''By the way, size doesn't mean evrything, but it sure helps a lot.'' Rainbow shot her an unbelieving look, but then nodded.

''Oh, and before Ah forget, between the two o' us, if ya try anything funny with him, then not even yer fancy hips an' hops can save ya from me.'' A dangerous smirk shone from Applejack's face, disabling any back-talking, and Rainbow nodded in comprehension.

''Umm, you guys, I really hate to interfere into your bonding, but seems like were getting company.'' Both mares looked back at Twilight, who was pointing her hoof at something in front of them. They followed her hoof and soon noticed the pair of yellow dots, that were glowing in the darkness ahead.

Dark beige coat. Long fangs from the lower jaw. Incredibly large lionesque paws. Sand colored and red wings. A blood red mane around the neck. And a scorpion tail. ''A Manticore!'' Twilight's voice was a mixture of fright, admiration and recognition.

''Y'all think it remembers us?'' A deafening roar from the creature shut her up and left their ears with a tingling. ''I don't think so, Applejack.'' Twilight looked at the Manticore. ''Let me try something.''

She closed her and aimed her horn at the beast before them. A few seconds went by, then the ears of the Manticore perked up and he looked around. He was obviously searching for something, telling by the way he let his gaze wander.

''Girls, I don't think this is the same Manticore we met during Nightmare Moon's attack. This one is a completely different specimen, and it's very confused and angry.'' Twilight gestured her friends to step back and set her horn aglow. ''Alright, big boy, time for you to take a nap.''

Suddenly, a hoof snapped at her horn and Twilight tumbled. Confusedly, she stared at Rainbow. ''Rainbow Dash, would you please explain to me what you did that for?'' Rainbow cocked her chin and held a hoof towards Twilight. ''I'd like to take care of this one. Ya know, since Hazel showed me my place at the party, I've been training day and night, and I kinda wanna know where I'm currently at.''

''Rainbow, this is no time to-'' The purple unicorn was cut off by an orange arm that was shoved into her face. ''Let her do it, sugarcube, I wanna see how she's doin'. Besides, why not lean back and enjoy the show?''

Twilight seemed all but fond of the idea, but she remained silent and held her objections to herself. With a nod, she gestured Rainbow to go ahead.

The actions, that went by in the next minute, were way too fast for Applejack to catch up on. She only saw how Rainbow jumped forward and how the Manticore roared. A second later, the beast was ripped backwards a few steps and fell to his belly, a trail of colors coming from behind it and flying back in front of his face.

Rainbow hovered in front of the Manticore's face after she had kicked his hind legs away. The monster growled and tried to hit her with one of his claw-provided paws, but the sky blue mare flipped to the side and evaded the unpleasant encounter. She stepped on the arm and with the momentum she gained from flapping her wings, landed an excellently placed punch right onto the Manticore's cheek.

She quickly retreated after the initial attack, just at the right moment before the sting of the tail hit the piece of ground she had just been standing on. The huge creature got on his feet again and tried to focus the pegasus. If only he could. Rainbow buzzed around him with a speed Applejack had never seen her move before. The rainbow colored tornado during Nightmare Moon's attack seemed like a casual stroll, compared to the multispectral hurricane that now engulfed the Manticore.

He tried to get rid of Rainbow by kicking the air with his hind legs, clawing through the hypnotizing storm around him, and stabbing around with his tail, hoping to land random hits. But everytime he had thrown a punch, Rainbow was to dive under the claws and immediately counter it with a buck, kick or punch of her own.

It was indeed the show of a lifetime, and had Hazel watched, Applejack was sure, he would be mighty proud of his student. Although, Applejack had to admit, her movement was impressive as such, but something was still missing, like a certain style and grace that often showed when Hazel moved.

She had once asked him to show her some forms, not really willing to perform on her own, but the pure looks of it had put her in awe. Flawless, like he was born for it, he had moved and danced. Rainbow truly was his student, her movements mimicking his to a rather large degree, but she still had some way to completion.

Rainbow seemed more than satisfied with her skills at the current state and steadied herself for the final blow. The Manticore looked worn out, he panted heavily and limped on one foreleg. Only now Applejack realized, that while Rainbow had engulfed him in this multicolored hurricane of her, she had been leaving her path every now and then and had struck the Manticore wherever he had shown an open spot.

Exploit every weakness. Hazel's words reverberated in her mind and she had to smile.

Now Rainbow strolled over to the beast- it almost looked casual- and jumped on top of his head, tickling his badly beaten snout with her tail. The Manticore anchored himself onto the ground and took precise aim with his tail. He struck. And fell. Rainbow had dodged the sharp sting by a hair's breadth.

With a winning grin, Rainbow came walking back to her friends. ''See? Told ya I can handle this pussy.'' Twilight nodded approvingly. ''Indeed a good idea, using the Manticore's own poison against him. How come?'' She quickly shook her head and raised her hoof in n apologetic manner. ''Not that I doubted you, I just didn't think of you as a strategist.''

Rainbow waved Twilight's comment off. ''Normally I'm not, but I'm a huge fan of Daring Do, and remember book 23, where she has to get across a guarded portal to prevent Auizothl from stealing the Fog-Crystal? She uses a blow gun and shoots them down with the paralytic poison of the Manticore, she had encountered earlier. The guards were sleeping two whole days!''

The three picked up their path again, with Applejack lightly behind, as the other two discussed over their books. She couldn't but let her thought's trail off. What would she do, when they had finally caught up to Hazel?

There's more beneath the Surface

Luna lay on her silken cushion, white and purple embroideries adorning the borders, and gazed into the open night sky through the window, while an artificial, cool breeze let the curtains sway. She blinked and tried to stifle a yawn, as another moment of tiredness took over her. Another failure at keeping herself up and awake, but creating a steady wind seemed like a fine idea. How had Celestia ever been able to keep things up this way? Not even a whole month had passed since she was permanently holding the moon up high, and she could already feel how much it was draining her.

Bit by bit, her head was slowly coming down to lie on the heavenly soft pillow, soon going to dwell in sweet slumber, until she- No! She had to stay awake, she had only awoken five hours ago, it wasn't time for her to sleep again yet. She got up. Maybe a walk in the Canterlot Gardens would help her regain her spirits.

Luna stepped through the gate that led to the wide areas of the famous Canterlot Gardens, a conglomeration of all types of both flora and fauna that existed in Equestria. Little daisies as sunflowers hung their heads low, and even the trees seemed to be mourning.

Not a single sound could be heard from the acorns that usually raced from branch to branch, not from the colorful toucans or parrots, that should be showing off the skill of their singing, it was mating season after all, or the dull stamping of deers on the ground. Every single living thing seemed to be hiding, or sleeping, or whatever.

The sun was more important than she had thought. How could she have been so blind back in the day, when she was possessed by Nightmare Moon? Eternal night? What level of stupidity had she reached there?

A stiff wind blew into her face and made her shiver for a moment. Nothing like the real thing. She began to walk down the path, that marked the usual tour-route for visitors, and soon came to the imposing fountain in the center.

She remembered how she used to plash in there when she was much younger, not much to the delight of her older sister, but what did she care in those simple days? She was the princess, everypony had to bow to her will, and if she pleased, she could have taken a swim in the fountain whenever she wanted. Luna chuckled. More from melancholy than from actual amusement.

''Erm, uh, Princess Luna, I, uh, didn't know your highness was here, um...'' Luna turned her head and looked at one of her guards, a pitch black pegasus in just as dark armory, and tilted her head. ''At ease, soldier.'' She waved her hoof dismissively and settled down at the border of the fountain, signing the guard to do so as well.

The stallion did as told by his princess, although the awkwardness was making him more than insecure. Who gets to talk with royalty face to face everyday? With the grace of a seal, he slumped down next to Luna, making sure to keep a good arm's length distance.

Luna looked up in the sky. Had there always been so few stars? ''Say, Sir Guard,''- Luna kept her gaze up in the open, ''-what is your name?'' The guard looked blankly at her. ''Cirrus, Cirrus Feather, second lieutenant of the second brigade under General Bright Wing.'' Luna lay her eyes back on him. ''A nice name, I like it.'' She gave him the sweetest smile she was able to utter, in an attempt to ease him and help him relax in her presence. She had never liked her guards or other subjects to cringe and writhe before her; the formalities that were expected from royalty were strict enough.

Eventually, Cirrus loosened up, as it came clear to him that Luna wouldn't scold him for his nap, although he still kept a polite distance.

''Lieutenant, may I call you by your name?''

''Your highness, you may call me whatever you want, you are the co-ruler of this land after all.''

''I know, but I would rather not do so without your permission.'' Luna winked.

Cirrus gaped in little surprise at the princess, but then shut his mouth and nodded thankfully towards her. ''Cirrus, I want you to be completely honest with me. Understood?'' She raised an eyebrow at him and waited for his answer.

Cirrus hesitated for a short moment of deliberation, then looked Luna straight in the eye and answered with firm voice. ''Certainly, your majesty.''

Luna breathed deeply and gained her spirits, clearing her mind and bracing herself for any reply Cirrus would give her. Her sapphire eyes shot open and what came out of Luna's mouth almost sounded like a plea. ''Lieutenant Cirrus, am I a bad princess?''

Cirrus blinked. Was she being serious? Was this some strange kind of testing his loyalty to the crown? Why would she do that? The way he saw it, he couldn't answer this question in the right way: If he said yes, then what would she do with him? On the other hoof, if he replied with no, then in her eyes, that would presumably be just a weak attempt at toadyism from his side.

Cirrus rubbed his chin with one hoof and tried to avoid as much eye contact as possible. He needed more time to figure this one out, so a distraction would be rather convenient right now.

''Why are you asking this, your highness?'' Not the smoothest thing that had ever left his mouth, but it should do. Luna dropped her sight. ''Because-'' Now her gaze was flickering throughout the whole garden, skipping over the branches as if she was following the path of an imaginary squirrel, then racing between the bushes, now keeping track with an invisible herd of deer and then she glistened into the sky, where sparrows and blackbirds, that only she was able to see, glided over the firmament.

''Because I was not strong enough to prevent you from all of this; from Amaimon's reign, the constant darkness or the suffering you certainly are having to endure. I'm so sorry, I tell you, I was neither strong enough to defeat him, nor to rescue my sister. It has gone all wrong and I was nowhere near fulfilling my duties-''

The rest of Luna's speech went by mostly unheard as Cirrus desperately tried to weasel out of this hairy situation, though he kept up remembering every fifth word, to at least have a chance of improvising should she ask more questions, which she surely would.

An idea came to his mind. It was absurd, and he had rejected it, had he had another option. What if this wasn't a test, but a real plea for honest commentary from his side. Princess Luna was well known for cunning and often intriguing behavior among the guards, but her sorrow seemed too real to be just another of her antics.

''Excuse me, your highness, but did you say suffering?'' As Cirrus went through the last few scraps of the conversation, this was the last full sentence he could remember in entirety. Luna halted in her speech and looked at him.

''Of course. I mean, it must be terrible for you to serve under such a tyrant. I can only imagine what you have to go through.'' Luna reached out and stroked Cirrus' shoulder with a hoof.

Cirrus frowned. What was she talking about? ''Your majesty, I don't mean to undermine your authority, but what do you mean by 'suffering'?''

''Well, the way I see it-'' the princess spoke, a little surprised, ''-he must be punishing you for any little mistake of yours. I despise every bone in this rotten sack of meat and rest assured, I will not give up until I find a way to get rid of him.'' Determination let Luna's eyes sparkle in the moonlight.

''Your Highness...'' Cirrus brushed her hoof off his shoulder, an amused smirk on his lips, as he stood up and looked the princess straight in the eye. ''I ensure you, the only thing we are suffering from at the moment are the bruises we get when we stutter over some obstacle we aren't able to see in the dark.''

Luna was aghast. ''But Amaimon is the embodiment of tyranny, he-''

''Princess, believe me, nothing is as bad as you might think it is. Look, for example, the celibacy you and your sister set upon the guard?''

''Yes, I remember well.'' Luna said, curious with a good measure of suspicion. ''My sister and I agreed on this so the guard could focus on their task and would not have to worry about a family that could be hurt by a vengeful pony who has had trouble with a guard.'' She raised an eyebrow. ''What is with it?''

Cirrus shrugged apologetically. ''Well, Amaimon declared it invalid.''

''What?!''

''He explained to us that one could not forbid love if it happened and that love was free.''

Luna gaped at the young guard's member. What she had heard was naïve and romantic, a starry-eyed ideology of a green fool. Cirrus and the rest of the guard would have to understand that to this rule, as well as to many others, there was a story behind it.

Before she and Celestia had set up this decree, there had been an attack rate on the beloved ones of guard stallions they both hadn't been able to ignore. Luna had seen the faces of many fierce stallions overrun with tears at the graves of wives, daughters and sons.

''Tell me more, how is he treating you?''

''Well, he rules strictly but fair. Sure, he was quite harsh to the common soldiers when he had tested their skills, but we all are disappointed when something doesn't meet our expectations. To the commanding officers, me and the others too, he has never yelled or done something that way. He asks with assertiveness, though not rudely.

Hard, but heartly, if you wanna put it simply.''

Luna couldn't believe what she was hearing. The arrogant dictator she knew and the just regent this guard had told her about should be one and the same person?

The irritation and incredulity, that the princess' face displayed so clearly, stopped Cirrus in his admiration he had talked himself into. With the cold fingers of embarrassment clawing down his back, he took a shy glance at the lunar princess.

''Oh, um, your grace, please don't think the wrong things about me. If I had the chance to overthrow him and bring you and princess Celestia back into reign, I would do so without a moment of hesitation. My loyalty still binds me to you, but at the moment, what can we do but bide time and wait for the right moment?''

She looked at him with a blank face. He was right. There was nothing they could do but wait. The thought of it and the following feeling of helplessness drilled into her gut like an ice-cold dagger. Without a doubt, they were powerless, why not accept it and do everything they could possibly do? The devil is in the detail after all. Maybe they could manage something, no matter how small, that then could help bring Amaimon's fall.

There was one thing she could do. Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer. If she wanted to defeat him, Luna had to find out everything there was about Amaimon. Eventually, she would find a weak point in his armor.

Luna stood up. ''Thank you, Officer Cirrus Feather, I shall keep your words and your name in mind.'' With that, she walked off, cantering lightly back towards the castle. Cirrus nodded, not knowing if he should be delighted or concerned.

''Your highness, maybe one last word.'' She only turned her head.

''It might not be of big importance, but when Amaimon annulled the celibacy, he vowed that if something was to happen to our families, us and you in particular, he would repay the guarantor tenfold.''

Luna nodded once again and finally trotted back inside the castle. Maybe Amaimon was more than what had met her eye; maybe he was not the villain she pictured him as.

And maybe she was becoming a greater fool than the one that could have held the speech about the celibacy. He had locked away her dear sister, hypnotized her and had burdened Equestria with never ending night. There was nothing good inside him and Luna better kept that in mind when thinking about him.

As she walked by the throne room, she could make out the feint sounds of music from the slightly opened door. She glanced through the slit and saw Amaimon with a violin clutched between his shoulder and chin, while his right drove the bow over the filigree cords of the instrument, once swift and strong and at other times delicate and tender, eliciting a bitter-sweet melody from it.

he tones that swathed around her spoke of grief, longing, desire and never dying hope. It touched a side in Luna she wasn't sure she had in her and for some reason, tears welled up at the corner of her eye sockets.

She turned away.

Perhaps, she had overlooked a side of him and there was more beneath the surface.

Leaning his back against the rough surface of a boulder in between a line of pine trees, Hazel sat on his haunches and looked up to the bright full moon. It never changed. The princess would keep the amount of light the moon spent at a maximum. An effort as kind-hearted as it was pathetic.

Not long, he swore to himself, then Hazel would march straight into Canterlot, call out Amaimon and grant him a quick, clean and painless death. He was his brother after all. He would restore order and peace in Equestria and, as soon as the deed was done, Hazel would go back to Ponyville and live with Applejack until-

Yeah, of course he would, why shouldn't he? There was a fat chance for it to happen like that.

Amaimon was incredibly strong, it already bordered to ridiculousness. Hazel would have to fight with more than all his strength if he wanted to survive the battle. But, like one of his mentors once had told him: ''Master yourself, master the enemy.''

And exactly that was what Hazel was currently up to. He wanted to find his inner beast, his hunger, his nemesis and he wanted to rip out its teeth and then lock it up in a cage, so that it might never harm anyone ever again.

Fighting against himself had always been a vain desire of his and when he had fought against the doppelgangers Luna had formed once upon a time, they had been just that: nothing but sound and smoke, vanishing into thin air at the lightest touch.

This time would be different. Hazel would have to face a side of himself he had denied with every inch of his body, until as of late. Since the moment he had fled from Sweet Apple Acres, the voice in his head had become louder, it had started to gain strength and the urging from his Rage, as he had named it for name-giving's sake, was wrecking his nerves. Rage seemed to be an appropriate name for it, since everything he could remember when it had occurred was this overwhelming feeling of all-consuming hatred. Hazel had to get rid of it once and for all.

He pressed his back harder against the rock, hesitating what was necessary for next step. Hazel had felt fear before, it would be foolish to daresay he hadn't, although when he was to face a promising opponent, he met him with respect. Fear put shackles on your limbs and froze you to the point where you couldn't move.

Respect, though, made you weary. Respect sharpened your senses, it let you see clearer, hear better, move swifter. Hazel could tell them apart with ease and what was letting beads of sweat form on his forehead was certainly not respect.

Damn it all! He had to put an end to this, else he would lose his sanity.

Taking another deep breath, Hazel tried to relax as much as he could and closed his eyes. The signals of his surroundings slowly blurred and ultimately vanished from his percipience. Almost imperceptibly, the clearing he sat on changed into the realm of his mind, into which he traveled ever so deep.

Swirls of magenta, cascades of copper and blurry stripes of wine through pitch black nothingness and the sound of wind howling made the inside of his most inner self. Hazel floated through the broken black and flew to where he supposed his enemy to be. Hazel could feel the Rage nearby and the dread he sensed only hardened his suspicions.

With a dull thud, he landed on nothing, bending his wings back to his body and looked around.
No trace so far.

Suddenly, the hairs on the outline of his ears caught a light breeze where none should be and Hazel turned his head. Not a moment too soon. When fangs like icicles snapped shut next to him, Hazel evaded the tips by the skin of his teeth. He rolled to the side and fastened his step, glaring at his opponent.

Hazel looked into a grimaced abomination of his own face, the spikes out the gums incredibly long elongated and eyes like drops of molten stone.

Dropping into a fighting stance, he mockingly raised a hoof and waved the Rage to try him. Only one blink and the beast was at him, fangs aiming at his throat. Hazel on his side reacted quickly and shot an uppercut at the Rage's chin, knocking its head back and bringing a few good steps of space between them.

The beast shook its head sideways and growled. It glared at Hazel and balanced again, its eyes scanning over him, trying to find a vulnerable point in Hazel's defense.

Again, the Rage rocketed forward, fangs bared and flying at Hazel's neck. Hazel, however, only raised a hoof and with a sickening wet clutch, the thing crashed into an invisible wall. Not a smile betrayed his grim mask as Hazel spoke down onto his enemy.

''My mind, my rules.''

The Rage got back to his hooves again, its snout awkwardly flat and a trickle of blood oozing from it. A heartbeat later, it appeared behind Hazel, arm ready to strike, only to crash into another wall, but instantly, the Rage redeemed itself. Starting a wild assault, it attacked him from all sides at once. At some point, Hazel trapped the beast against a wall and his hind leg, but this time, he added five other walls, setting the Rage into a cage.

It had scarcely enough room to breath, which wasn't actually a necessity, since they were inside Hazel's head. He stepped to eye's height, his expression cool and still like the surface of a mountain lake, set one leg back, gained drive with a spin of his arms and wings, spun twice around his axis and smacked the caged beast in its face.

The cage broke and the animal inside was sent flying over several meters, until it hit yet another wall, clinging to it and then slowly sliding off to the ground. Hazel watched idly as the thing that shared his every– now deformed- look got up again, its muzzle broken in several places, dented almost inward and a long bleeding gash on its cheek, right beneath the eye.

Like nothing had happened, the Rage stood up and its mouth began to shift a crackle, slowly forming back and the wound closing. It spat out.

''Weak!''

Its voice was a gnarl, a shout of white-hot rage, the elongated teeth a hindrance for its tongue, so that it also sounded like it was hissing.

Hazel just looked at the beast in cold apathy. He mustn't let himself get taunted, else this would become a disaster.

Then, he was gone. In what seemed like the fracture of a second, Hazel was gone, nonexistent, just not there. Seconds passed and nothing happened. Then with the sound of rolling thunder, Hazel's wings opened and his hoof struck the Rage's raised forearm with immense strength. Another blink and Hazel had vanished again, just to reappear in front of his opponent and letting the force of another collision between his leg and the Rage's trickle into nothingness, as it got blocked again.

Hazel hopped back a good leap away from the beast. Despite his effort, the Rage had seen its own blood a meek single time, when Hazel got him all caged up.

He was starting to sweat. He wasn't at the limits of his power yet, by far not, but closer than he had been in centuries.

If I had known, I would have come here ages ago. he thought with bitter amusement.

''Weak! Just like I said! Pitiful, insufficient, pathetic weakling!!'' Drool was flying off the lips and fangs of the Rage and it occurred to Hazel that it could not express itself in another way than yelling. It spat out.

Hazel kept his cool with an ease that came from centuries of practice. His eyes were half shut as he remained focused, knowing that his very sanity depended on it. Although, if he didn't finish it rather soon, all his concentration would be for nothing, as the Rage would adapt and grow in skill with every passing second. Maybe an adequate taunt could get things going.

''Weak you say, though I am the one that stands unharmed while you stain my brain with your blood.'' The Rage spat out another time. ''We can change that!''

Action was too much effort for Hazel to bear at the moment, so counter was the better option. He waited for his enemy to approach him and then knock it right in the weak spot. What he didn't reckon with was the unison of both strength and speed that the Rage displayed. Hazel had only time to raise another invisible wall as his arch enemy's front hoof struck it.

For a second, the two fighters made eye contact, Hazel seeing the hate, rage and fury in the Rage's blood-ruby like eyes and the Rage reading the stillness and absolute control of emotions in his cairngorm ones. Then, the eyelids of the Rage flickered and it increased the pressure on the wall. With horror did Hazel notice the small cracks that were forming mid air between them and the sound of glass cracking reverberated to his ears.

The second punch hit Hazel straight in the face, sending him flying a good set of steps away. He hit the ground; once, twice and lay still. His ear twitched and as he stood up, Hazel moved a hoof around his muzzle to see if any teeth got loose. To his relief, all of them were still in place. He spat out.

As Hazel got up, he was caught in the next barrage of hits. Three quick attacks that aimed at Hazel's muzzle were blocked by a shield that had been raised in the last second, only to be shattered as the fourth strike broke it and let Hazel cough. Next came a whirling kick at Hazel's back. This time, the shield didn't even protect him against the first hit. Hazel could feel his ribs crack and a moan of pain fled his mouth. The Rage wasted no time and slammed his shoulder into Hazel's face, knocking him up and finishing him off with a brutal kick with both hooves to the chest.

As he lay there, Hazel was sure now that at least a dozen ribs must have been broken, since he had difficulties to breath. He coughed and blood came flowing out his mouth. He couldn't move. He had lost.

Tack. Tack. Tack. Tack.

Hoofsteps were approaching at a steady pace, not fast, not slow, but energetic. ''See?'' The yell of the Rage reverberated through the black nothingness that was Hazel's mind. ''You are so weak. If you can't protect her from yourself, then how can you daresay acclaim yourself a protector against others?''

''I am-'' a fit of coughing intercepted with Hazel's attempt to form an answer. More blood seeped through his teeth. The pain was so bad. ''Because I love her.'' He managed to cough out. A small moment of reservation from the Rage made him look up.

For once, it seemed like calm had settled in with the Rage's expression. His lips tightened over his fangs, as much as they were able to, and the glowing of its eyes lessened. It stared at Hazel's broken figure, trying to make sense of it. In the next moment, however, the old habit was back and it snarled at him. ''I am part of you, your very being, your brain. Don't you think I hadn't figured out that much? Besides, we are one and you are obviously not fitting to take the spot of a protector. Any last words before I take control over our body?'' Its fangs lowered and came ever near Hazel's throat.

''Just,'' he spoke up, ''these ones: I'd rather rip out my own wings before I let a wicked abomination such as you take care of Applejack!''

Suddenly, the Rage shied away. Hazel recognized a dim light from behind him, but his spine was too severely damaged as he could try to turn his head. What he could do, though, was see the bafflement that displayed so openly on its face.

With the subtlety of a thunderstorm, the whole space of Hazel's mind was flooded in golden light that chased away even the last shadows that may had lingered within. Hazel painfully shut his eyes, but that only served little to ease the sting in them. The Rage, however, seemed to suffer more than him, judging from its roars and screams that now was everything Hazel could hear.

The Rage staggered and fell, still screeching like the beast it was and cowered low in a defensive stance, front legs crossed before its face and hind legs drawn tightly to its belly. The burning light faded soon after and left only a feint glow behind, but that glow seemed awfully lot like a form Hazel knew only too well.

Gleaming, shining, shimmering, like a goddess among the goddesses, she stood there bathed in the light of dawn and brighter than even Celestia might claim. There was no doubt. How could there? All these things Hazel saw as he lay his gaze upon the appearance that sent the Rage into cowering. The light had faded and the known darkness came prowling back into Hazel's minds, though not as deep as it had been before. It was like it too was aware of the power that mare in the middle of Hazel's mind emanated.

Frankly speaking, it was not exactly Applejack, easy telling from the brightly shining eyes and the gently twinkling mane and tail, but the whole thing was Applejack, like what made her stand out from others. This was what Hazel saw in her, and the Rage knew so too.

Calmly, almost casually, she strode forth until she stood right before it. The Rage looked up and was immediately greeted with a tender hoof to the nose. It stiffened, but didn't dare crouch away. Suddenly, the tip of its nose began to smolder and smoke was rising from the contact point. Surprisingly, even then it didn't back off, but rather showed an expression of comfort rather than pain. The glow that now ran from nose over face and then onwards soon covered its whole body in cold white light.

When Applejack's doppelganger removed her hoof, sadness straight down dripped off the Rage's face. It was floating now and expectantly waiting for her to continue, but Applejack just turned around towards Hazel and settled down in front of him. The lightning lowered her head and lay her lips tenderly onto Hazel's and he could feel how all his injuries vanished. Like warm water, all the pain was being washed away and replaced with relief.

Hazel stood up and so did Applejack and together they strode towards the Rage. She gestured and before it could do so much as raise an eyebrow, Hazel had built another cage and trapped it in there. Applejack touched the invisible walls and they turned white, sealing away the sight off the searing-with-anger demon inside as well as the look of betrayal in its blood-red eyes.

Hazel turned towards the spirit, but in just that moment, the figure vanished into the nothing where it had come from. He smiled.

There has been a time when I took care of my enemies myself. Good old times.

With a last look at the white cage, Hazel made a step and left the realm of his mind and back into the real world. His confidence was back. His strength was back. Hell, HE was back! With determination, Hazel flapped his wings and took off into the sky, his gaze already scanning the surrounding area for a multiprismatic trail.

He almost even didn't hear the thin voice saying You may have been weak, but without me, you are even weaker! This is far from over! You will come back to me, without me, you are nothing!

Author's Note

Don't worry I'm not dead, I just lost my virginity. Yes, it's true, my first time happened. I now have had wrighter's block, everyone. So after the second artist has let me down, the cover art will still be delayed till somewhere in mid August or something.

Making Amends

Twilight trotted before them, leading the way with sure steps and not a single look behind to her friends. There had been friendly chatter when they had begun their quest, but as the first week passed by, any conversation had died down quickly enough. The night had made them uneasy. It was still hard to get used to the darkness, and the memory of a sunrise was drifting further and further away. Twilight and her comrades were slowly drained of their laughter, and sometimes one or the other caught themselves responding too sharply to a question, almost snapping at their friends.

It was getting to them more than they wanted to admit. The feeling of discomfort was also being increased by their lack of sleep they had to deal with. More sleep meant to travel by a slower rate, and Hazel wasn't somepony easy to get as it was. Especially not when he didn't want anypony to follow him. But they were getting closer.

Twilight shuffled her hooves over the bumpy, moss-grown path between sentinel trees and tried to keep her two followers confident. An effort that was ridiculed as she staggered over a root growing out of the ground, and fell on her belly. Cursing, she stood up again. ''Bloody root. Next I see, I burn it down.''

''Twi, ya alright?'' asked Applejack, coming closer and raising a hoof to support her. Twilight knocked it away and bit her lip.

''Why yes, Applejack, I'm quite fine. No really, it couldn't be better. I mean, with the sun down, we don't have to care about sunburns anymore. Rainbow can fly without risking to get blinded by the morning sun and your coltfriend benefits of it the most. Why wouldn't I be alright?'' Twilight's voice almost toppled as she spat the words at Applejack.

At first, Applejack was surprised at the sudden verbal onslaught, but quickly, she went into the defense. ''Why looky here! Ah know there's hard times we're havin', but that ain't no reason to talk to your friend this way! Ah'm as tired as y'all are, and do ya see me complainin'?'' She was closing in on Twilight and soon their noses met. They glared at each other, showing their teeth and pressing their foreheads together.

Rainbow slipped her hooves in between them and shoved them off each other, not without earning herself a nasty look from Applejack. ''Now both of you calm down. Twilight, you've got no reason to nag at AJ. AJ, that could have been said better. Don't you guys see that this is slowing us down? I get that you're pissed, Twilight, but unless you got any miraculous plan on how we can stop Amaimon without Hazel's help, we gotta pull together on this one.''

Twilight grunted, but loosened up in time and let out an exhausted sigh. ''I can't believe I'm saying this. You are right, Rainbow. I'm sorry, Applejack, I shouldn't have flipped on you for no reason at all. Friends don't do that.'' She held out one hoof in an offer to hug her and Applejack willingly accepted the apology.

''It's quite alright, Twi, Ah ain't gonna blame you. Can we get this over with, though? Ah don't wanna waste any more time than we already have.'' She let go and smiled that almost motherly smile she had accustomed to lately. They walked on in silence once more.

Apart from themselves, the only thing that kept them company was the monotone sound of their hooves on the grassy ground. It was then that Twilight was developing a bad headache. The impact of her hooves on the ground traveled up through her legs, into her chest, her neck and ended at her head. The concussion caused her brain to be in motion and touch the inside of her skull, hence the headache. Also, her back was starting to hurt because of similar reasons. It was one of the rare times she was annoyed of the lack of stamina she possessed. She envied her friends.

With every step she took, the headache grew worse. It was like some smith had chosen her poor head as an anvil and was working with never ending eagerness to create a metal beauty as if his life depended on it. Needless to say, this wasn't much for Twilight's pleasure. Also did, every time she thought her body had accommodated to the pain, said pain increased. It was a vicious circle.

Step by step, she marched on, led her friends, ignored the hammering in her brain and kept sternly looking forward. Bunch of grass, rock, root, bunch of grass, rock, root, bunch of grass, rock, root. Twilight fell into a rhythm, repeating the five words over and over again like a dogma and tried to distract herself with it.

Suddenly, she stopped. She could take no more step. It was too hard. The pain in her head had reached incomparable intensity. She felt like she had impaled herself headfirst. It was too much to bear. She couldn't go on anymore.

''Um, Twilight? What's up?'' Rainbow asked from behind, but she couldn't answer. Twilight had clenched her teeth shut, she almost feared they would break. The headache had taken on a pulsating manner, and with every wave, it was growing. Twilight collapsed.

''Twilight!'' Rainbow and Applejack yelled in unison.

White coat. Broad chest. Wide wings. Pitch black hair. A stallion straight from a dream, nightmare or not, strolled from behind of a tree on the border of the small tray they had been walking. As soon as the two standing ponies caught sight of him, they froze. ''Hazel,'' whispered Applejack.

''Hazel!'' shouted Rainbow Dash. She came rushing at his neck, trying to pull him into a hug, but Hazel avoided the contact and was behind Rainbow, facing Twilight, in a heartbeat, and left Rainbow with a dumbfounded smile on her face.

He walked over to Twilight, looked down on her and shook his head. ''A tracking spell. I should have known.'' He knelt down and touched Twilight's horn with a hoof.

''Wha-'' grunted Twilight in a weak effort to form a question. It was immediately followed by a surprised yelp, as Hazel's hoof clicked against the bone on her forehead and a quick bolt shot through her body. A sensation of deep relaxation rolled from the tip of her horn over her whole body and took away all the unease and agony she had felt in the last days.

Hazel stood up and offered a hoof to help her up, and Twilight willingly accepted. He arched an eyebrow. ''I take it this was the first time you have ever used this spell?'' Hazel said in a calm tone. There always was something comforting in his voice. She nodded.

''Luna was the one to invent this specific tracking spell; a shame you had to pick it of all the others. It is true that it is the most precise, but it takes up far more energy, thus when you get near your target, the link kind of overloads your brain. You have had a strong headache, haven't you?'' Hazel looked at Twilight with a patronizing curl on his lips. Again she nodded.

With a turn, Hazel faced Applejack. She had advanced onto them as he had been speaking and stood now mere inches apart from him. Applejack looked at Hazel blankly. Hazel looked blankly at Applejack. Then, Applejack pulled one arm back and let it swing. Her hoof hit him straight in the face and made him avert his head. Silence. Another moment passed, then he looked up.

''I imagined you were angry. That one, I deserved.''

Another slap, now with the other hoof, let his head turn to one side.

''And this one probably too.'' He looked back at Applejack and tried to read her expression, but failed to do so. There simply was nothing that he could have possibly read.

''Whoa,'' shouted Rainbow, jumping quickly in between them. ''The hell, guys? AJ, first blood was mine! How could you? I was the one to get him his first bruise in a fight!'' She glared at her friend.

Applejack just stood there, looking past Rainbow at Hazel, still no movement in her expression. She nodded at Rainbow with her chin, gesturing him to tell Rainbow how things were standing. He pulled his lips up one side, looking sourly first at Applejack, then at his apprentice.

''There's that, Rainbow. I see, Applejack and Twilight have made you well aware that there has been events regarding my family, that escalated into a larger fight. As a consequence of which''- Hazel stopped and tilted his head apologetically- ''my brother hit me in the cheek. Technically, I'm unbeaten still, just not unwounded.'' He sighed.

Rainbow stood there, her mouth opening and closing, followed by a deep frown and finished up with an angry stomp on the ground. ''Celestia dang it! That bastard! Oh, he better watch his back,'' she grunted under her breath.

Hazel pulled up a hoof and waved it about. ''Rainbow, do remember that he is my very brother. He is in wrath, because he thinks that the extinction of all our races could have been averted, had I stood my ground and fought on. Of course, that is not so. The war was final. None could have survived,'' Hazel said, his voice trailing off the further the sentence went. ''And to be exact, in fact I am the bastard.''

Rainbow pouted and looked away. ''He's a foal of a nag nonetheless,'' she grunted, lowly under her breath.

Hazel looked at her, one corner of his mouth up and an eyebrow arched. ''I heard that.''

He set his sight back on Applejack and politely gave Rainbow a push, so she may move. The three steps it took him to reach her felt long. Longer than they should have felt.

Applejack still stood there, her face as blank as it had been the entire time. When Hazel reached her, she looked straight into his eyes, and turned around. ''We goin' home,'' was all she said. Her voice was just as monotone.

Hazel followed suit. It was better if he didn't ask any questions yet. An act of wisdom Twilight lacked.

''Wait, what? This is all you have to say?'' Her mouth gaped open and incomprehension was spread widely over her face. ''You were supposed to be a raging beast of a mare. You are supposed to yell at him! 'We goin' home' is all there is?''

Applejack spun around. The first emotion of this day -well, night- overtaking her in whole. Unfortunately for Twilight, it was anger. ''Oh really? Am Ah? Y'all would like that, wouldn't yer, Twi? This a thing between him and me, get it into yer head! I won't discuss this in front of you all, and Ah have thought better of yer, Twilight, than being the same blabbermouth as Rarity!''

Twilight took a step back. She hadn't reckoned with the force of Applejack's onslaught.

''Applejack, what is-''

''-the deal? Oh, Ah'll tell you what the deal is! It's that you-''

''Applejack!'' Hazel's booming yell rung their ear drums.

Applejack turned and looked startled at him.

Hazel walked over and pulled her in a tight embrace. ''Please,'' he said, laying his chin on her head. ''Don't say anything now you will regret later. Twilight is your friend. I know how angry you must be,'' Hazel spoke more quietly into her ear. He let go of her, but held one hoof still on her shoulder and his eyes gleamed wetly as he talked on. ''And you have every right to be angry, but only at me. They-'' Hazel waved his hoof at Twilight and Rainbow Dash ''-have taken it all on them as a matter of course to guide and protect you. I am the only one here who deserves being yelled at.''

Hazel kept his stand and waited for Applejack's response. When nothing followed, he inhaled deeply. ''See, the things I did are unforgivable. I lost control in order to save you, but ended up hurting you more than doing you any good. But I promise you, it will never happen again! I sealed it away to never return.''

Applejack pushed his hoof off. ''Ya think that's what Ah'm so mad about? This?'' She glared at him. ''Hazel Eyes, all the mares you've had in yer life and still, yer don't understand the littlest bit 'bout them. You didn't kill Granny Smith, Ah refuse to call that monster the same name as yours. The reason why Ah'm this mad is, 'cause you ran away!''

Hazel's mouth went dry. He opened and closed it a few times, seeking for words. ''But if I had not, I'd certainly hurt yo-''

''Ya hurt me way more by runnin' off with yer tail between yer legs. You are a coward! What's got a dead army to do with bravery, when you can't let me help you?'' Applejack stood there, tears already wallowing up, but she blinked and forced them away.

Hazel made a step towards her, but Applejack backed away from his touch.

''You left me. You ran away and hid, and that's far worse than any wound you or yer damn brother could have ever done to me.'' Again, she shied away from him, turning her back on him. Applejack stifled a sob and moved to walk. ''Let's go home.''

The dim light of the lantern, that stood as the lonely beacon in a dirty little alley somewhere in the lower ring of Canterlot, shone dully on the white unicorn mare with the electrifying blue mane. She walked as if she had had a good few too many shots, her front legs drawing a criss-cross on the cobblestone pavement. Her head hung low, she had lost her shades, and her eyes and throat burnt like hell, also was her back killing her.

It was already the third day after she had awoken, lacking the memory of the past five days before, and from there on it had gone from bad to worse. Vinyl was getting paranoid. She could hear every little sound around her, be it the buzzing of a mere bug, the gurgling sounds of the water in the pipes, or even Tavi's heart beat.

Whenever she had tried to eat or drink something, her belly rebelled against her, and rejected the food, and she had had to spew it out. She was plagued with fatigue, hunger, and nausea. She had tried going back to her job as a DJ; once. The moment she had set step on the stage, the bright neon lights had made her eyes sting, her beloved bass had almost perforated her ear drums and the stink from the sweaty bodies of her customers had finally driven her from her spot and into her rest room.

Vinyl had no explanation why this was happening, only one hazy piece of memory drifted through the cloudy mess that was her mind, weakened by her hunger and sickness. The silhouette of a tall person, two gleaming red dots were she assumed his head to be. What had it said? there is a way... out of your dilemma?... exchange for my gift... drink whenever you feel like it... you awake, you shall be my child.

It made so few sense. After her disastrous attempt at resuming with her work, and the following fail of getting nourishment with her beloved can of Monster, which she had given into the toilet soon after, Vinyl had fled the club and wandered the street in search of-

What actually?

What had she hoped to find here anyway? The more time passed by, the worse her state grew, physically and mentally. Vinyl set one step after the other, kept walking, only forward. Every step she took, her hearing numbed a little more, until she could only hear her own heartbeat, how it boomed in her head like the bass in the club. Her legs felt sore and so did her throat, it was raw, and Vinyl needed food desperately.

Suddenly, she collapsed and sunk to the ground.

Vinyl lay there, unable to move, unable to stand up, and listened to the ebb and flow of her breath. In and out the air went. In and out, in and out. At last, she closed her eyes and let her thoughts slip away, while the air went out of her lungs, but no fresh one filled them again. Her whole chest just felt too heavy, and actually, it felt better this way. The cobblestone floor somehow seemed so soft and cozy now, and her body was warm. She could nap for a while, and when Vinyl woke up, she would feel much better, she was sure. The light faded away, and darkness wrapped her in its arms, dragging Vinyl away from life, and she was fine with that.

With a burst, Vinyl's senses returned to her. Her lungs were burning, screaming for air. With a sharp gasp, Vinyl inhaled as much air as she could and her lungs inflated in a flash. She coughed heavily and sucked in more air, coughed again and then panted. When Vinyl's fit had resided to manageable degree, she looked up, her vision slowly returning to its former strength.

In front of her stood Amaimon in his whole menacing glory, cape flattering softly in a light breeze, slim fit vest and pants, black boots. He smiled down on Vinyl, retreating his hand from her mouth. She licked her lips and tasted the metallic, salty flavor of blood. Immediately, all the memories came back to her, how she lay on the couch in her rest room, her chin on Octavia's belly, the interruption, and then... him.

Vinyl's throat was sore, and when she spoke it was nothing more than a dry craw. ''Amaimon, you- How did you...''

Amaimon lay a finger over her mouth and shushed Vinyl. ''Shhhhh, it's alright,'' he told her, soothing, charming, calming. ''You may call me master from now on. I allowed you to become one of my own, and I am sure you understand the honor of being chosen.''

Vinyl nodded, her eyes fixed on him.

''I have watched you these past three days. You seem to not entirely grasp the concept yet, so I will take you under my wing, and teach you everything you need to know. Questions so far??"

''What about Tavi? Can she-''

''This is entirely about you,'' Amaimon intercepted harshly. ''It is important that you take this journey with no one but me at your side. As soon as you are done, you have all the time there is to spend with her. Remember: you made this deal to help her, but for now, you have to be on your own.''

Vinyl shoved her concerns aside, better not to upset him. He was her master now. The scholar does as he is told. Even so, Vinyl hoped her training wouldn't take so long. If it did help her secure her and Octavia's income and the blooming of the club, then who was she to refuse?

She got on her hooves again and followed close to Amaimon as they walked up all the way to Canterlot Castle.

Inside

Clank Clank Clank

The Rage raised a storm of strikes against the translucent walls of its prison. The spots where its fists met the surface flickered quickly, and a blurry hue of rainbow colors formed around the impact zone. It clawed and thrashed, punched and screamed and shouted for its turnkey.

After Alea had been gone, The Rage had switched into its natural form. Its long hair fell beneath its bottom, its brawny chest and abdomen were bare, just like the rest of its body. The long fangs almost surpassed his chiseled chin, and spittle flew from them as it cursed and growled.

Eventually, it settled down and sunk to the ground. Hitting the bottom wall with a fist, another clank sounded through the prison cell and The Rage grit its teeth. This had all gone so wrong for it. That fool of a man didn't understand what he had done. It was beyond its comprehension how Alea could be so blind and stupid to cage up his only drive and chance of survival.

Back then, when the war had raged, The Rage had been woken from its slumber. All the violence around it, the blood, the pain, the screams... And finally Alea's loss of Victoria. Long had it waited for a chance to break free, to show him what he truly was. A creature of power, of fury. It was in his blood to be at the top of the food chain, and for goodness sake, The Rage tried everything to secure him- them- that spot.

It was like Alea tried to defy it by all means. Had it just been for another man, The Rage wouldn't have bothered, but they were one, two souls in a body. Their fates were tied together, and any attempt at severing them was futile.

The Rage rubbed its tired eyes, and stroked the black mass of its hair back. The vampires had always been meant to be the unopposed leaders, any contradiction would have been stomped as soon as it would have come up. Rebellion meant death, it was the law of nature.

There was the other side, though. Alea was a creature of two races, and The Rage had always found it difficult to deal with the other side of him. The drive for copulation was a disgrace for him and his kind. It wasn't like the elemental strife for fresh blood that was the sign of dominance for the vampires, it was a filthy shabby desire for the pure sake of lust. Had it been to serve reproduction, then it wouldn't be morally objectionable to The Rage. A specimen as strong as Alea bringing his seed into the world and increasing the strength of the vampire race would have been a much appreciated thing to be done. But the intercourse rarely brought forth any offsprings.

All vampires were born with a deeper side that awoke when the time was ripe. A side that showed them, and everyone else, what they were, a side that represented their most private emotion. When it awoke, a vampire was complete. Apparently, the amount of vampiric blood in Alea was strong enough to bear with it the potential of awakening, and made vampires were able to access that most holy stance of superiority, too.

”Why? Why can't you see that you and me were supposed be together?” it asked into the still emptiness outside it's cage. “You cannot be whole without me, don't you understand? I am what keeps you fighting, the voice that keeps you courageous, the strength that crushes your fears. You abandoned me for the sake of an inferior life in the time you needed me most!”

The Rage bolted up and threw itself against its prison. The area around it glowed faintly, and it drew back and rammed the wall another time. Slamming its fist at the milky white shields, The Rage shouted Alea's name, knowing he wouldn't hear it, and even if he did, he would pretend not to.

It was hopeless. He would never listen to it. Alea was too convinced of himself in his deeds being the right choice. He had no idea that by his foolish acts of imprisoning it, he had damned Applejack's and his life to fall before his brother like flies to a storm. Even together with Princess Luna, they wouldn't be able to stand against him. The Rage was certain. In their fight, it had seen the glimmer in Amaimon's eye that signaled that he, too, had come close to his awakening.

If only it could find a way to persuade Alea. It had been so close to taking over control of their body and annihilating the threat, keeping both of them secure. Then, it would have retreated and harmonized with Alea, forming the bond that they were expected to hold together as one being.

But of course his stupidity had had to interfere. It was worse than weed. So close had The Rage come to guaranteeing the survival of Alea, itself and even the pitiful excuse of a life form Alea chose to call beloved. Only one single time, it wanted him to listen to his instincts, and not to his genitals. Incubi truly were a despicable race of vita demonico.

The Rage shot up again and focused all its anger and frustration on a spot in the wall in front of it. It's claws raked the hand-sized area, slashed, hit and struck. “Idiot! Shithead! Stupid, stupid, stupid dumbass!” It's namings for Alea grew more bloomy with every new title it came up with.

When its fist were leaving bloody stains on its prison cell, The Rage slumped into a corner, drew its knees to its chest, and covered its head with its hands. It sat there, still and quiet, only its hands softly shaking. There was nothing The Rage could do now except waiting for Alea to come to his senses. It only hoped that, by the time that happened, it wasn't already too late.

Amaimon folded his hands in his lap and closed his eyes. The quiet around him eased his traveling thoughts, and the night put his mind at peace. He sat in the crown hall on the throne that foremost belonged to Celestia, though he found it only fitting for him as the rightful ruler to sit there. The huge pillars, that lined up along the hall, created long shadows that fell onto the floor and gave the long red and gold carpet on the floor a rippled look like the coat of a zebra.

Concentrating on nothing but the feeling of his body, the fabric of the shirt on his skin, the soft pillows he was sitting on, the streams of air around him, he let his mind wander into the depths of itself, a head-long dive into his own consciousness. A long time later, or rather what seemed like a long time to him, he found himself in black space so vast, unlike any night or darkness he had ever seen. Meditation was nothing new to him, he had reached his inner self a hundred times and more, but the way there was always unsettling to Amaimon. He felt so powerless without his physical body. And he didn't like being powerless.

The spheres of his mind were as dark as his hair, only a sourceless light illuminated the area around him; how far, he couldn't tell. Distance was only relative in this realm.

After the draw with his brother, Amaimon had realized just how much had changed. A vampire's power stood in relation with his age. Himself being dormant for over four thousand years had increased his strength by several hundred times, and it was till a great challenge for him to lift up something as delicate as glass without instantly shattering it. He still had a great deal of getting used to his new strength before him, although his play on the violin was as fine as it had been before his slumber. A great way of practice.

Another thing had started since their fight. From time to time, Amaimon had been hearing voices, and it was not the voice of his thoughts, but something entirely different. He couldn't make out any words, just an all so faint cackle, a cacophony of short staccato sounds, like the laughter of a madman. The last three days it had grown on to him, and oftentimes he had caught himself sending his mind out to scan his environment, only to reveal that there was nothing out of order.

Amaimon was lightly disturbed, and feared that his annoyance could turn into a massive paranoia if he didn't find the source and eliminated it quickly.

Settling down for an uncertain time he would have to spend waiting, Amaimon stared into the open. There was little to stare at, though. He focused on one point, maybe three meters before him and tried to lock his gaze there. The space behind this point might have been blurred in his vision, had this been the physical world, but now he wasn't sure if he had kept looking at this imaginary point, or if his gaze had wandered off into the distance or closer to him.

Suddenly, Amaimon could hear the cackling again, just as weak of sound like in the real world, but it was definitely there. The fit of snickering was noticeable three times, then it fell silent again. A moment or two passed, then the sound repeated, nearer and louder this time. The third cascade of laughter seemed only a stone-toss away, somewhere right in front of Amaimon. After the fourth time, the chuckling didn't reappear after the usual time.

Amaimon sat there, cross-legged, and let the phenomenon play out around him. Without batting an eye, he waited until it was as close to as he would allow it, then, like a snake, his arm darted forward, grabbed something solid, and he jumped up.

Dangling in his outstretched arm, was a man with skin as pale as chalk, Amaimon's hand clutching around his neck, hair long past his bottom an black as sin, and a gaping mouth through which a set of two sharp fangs was visible. His eyes were wide open in surprise, and he held on to Amaimon's wrist.

In the calmest of voices, Amaimon asked, ”And who might you be?”

The man patted Amaimon's wrist, signing him that air was running thin, and he needed his throat unharmed if he was to answer. Inch by inch, he was let down, the pressure around his neck lessened, and his toes just so touched the ground. He coughed.

Suddenly, the frightened expression vanished from his face and a mixture of psychopathy and amusement took over. His arms fell and dangled to his sides, then, he threw his head back as far as the hand at his throat allowed, and a roaring laughter erupted from his mouth that raised Amaimon's hackles. He cackled on until Amaimon squeezed his hand again and cut off the man's voice and air supply, which turned his fit of laughter into a fit of coughing.

Amaimon let go off him and backed away a few steps. Sinking to his knees, the man rubbed his neck and spit out. “I- I am-” he snickered madly again. Amaimon put back a leg and let it slam into the mans shoulder, flipping him over onto his back, letting him grunt and grab his shoulder.

”I am you!” he shouted, rolling on his back and falling into his mad laughter again. He rolled around, all the while giggling, like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. Eventually, the man ceased to laugh and sat up, using his arms as support and looked up at Amaimon, smiling.

”You know, our brother is one hell of an angry bastard, so I figured you'd need some help,” he said, flashing his fangs.

Amaimon still looked coolly at him, trying to make something from the show act in front of him. He squinted and talked slowly. “So I have awoken. Interesting, I always wondered what my self was constructed from. Honestly, I had expected something else, but you'll do.” He scratched his chin.

”Wonderful!” The man clapped his hands, jolted to his feet and then did a cart-wheel to the side, bowing afterward. “Then I shall introduce yourself to you: Hello, you are mad, I am you.'' The man threw himself to the ground, holding his stomach and crying from laughter.

Walking over to the man on the ground, Amaimon breathed deeply and then grabbed the man by his neck again. The second time, he cut off his cackling and looked him deep into the eye. ''Listen to me. I don't have much for this nonsense. I want you to tell me exactly what you are, who you are and what you can do to help me to bring Alea to justice.''

Amaimon dropped him and he fell to one knee. “Ruin all the fun, why won't you?” he sighed and pouted. “What I am? Well basically, I am you, a part of your soul if you liked to call it that way. Who am I? Pretty much the same question, ain't it?”

”No, it isn't. The first question had the purpose of finding out what kind of thing I have to deal with here, what you think what you are. For the second question, I want to know your name.”

”What's it with you guys and names? Call me whatever you want, I am practically you, so whatever?”

Amaimon's expression didn't waver in the least. “When there is a name for something, we are able to understand. People fear what they can't comprehend, so we find descriptions. Once we can name something, know it. So, what is your name?''

The man ran his hand along his chin and drew a deliberative pout. Then he shrugged, “Since we're all mad here, call me 'Madness' “, and looked at Amaimon with a beaming smile.

Amaimon in his turn furrowed his brows. “ 'Madness'? An odd way to be naming oneself. Third question, answer it.''

That seemed to widen his smile even further. The Madness rubbed his palms against each other and performed a little dance. “Oh boy, the things I can help you do!'' He laughed and giggled not so quietly to himself.

”Ok, Ok, here's what we can do together: Once you accept you are insane, and by the way, dude, you seriously are, I can take over and make you do awesome things, such as exponentiating your power, shut down everything that let's you feel pain, and heal you faster than you can take damage. Doesn't that sound great to you?” The Madness reached out a hand at Amaimon.

”Call me what you want, I am not insane. As long as it's me, you are not going to take over my body. You do what I tell you to do and don't get in my way, clear?” he said and wiped the hand away with a hearty smack.

The Madness pulled a lip and looked hurt, but quick enough shrugged I off and turned his back at Amaion. “Whatever you say, boss. Just keep in mind that you cannot lie to yourself forever,” he grinned jovially. “Oh, and one more thing maybe. You really think you have a chance with that mare? You used to ride them into battle, not have them ride y-''

”Shut your dirty mouth!” Amaimon exploded. “You speak when I ask you! Now scuttle back to where you belong.''

With that, The Madness chuckled a last time before he dissipated into the black that surrounded them. In a moments notice he was gone, and Amaimon stood alone, and although The Madness was gone, he could still feel his presence, like a faint headache.

Finally, Alea wouldn't be able escape him anymore.

The Night's bride

Not a single animal dared to pear through the bushes, vines and lines of trees as the group of sullen ponies walked by in silence, Applejack leading the way with a firm look set forward and the other three following in single file behind her like ducklings following their mother.

The leaves were frozen in time as the four companions strode towards Ponyville, where their friends and family were surely already awaiting their return. They longed for the familiarity of their friends and the usual comfort that the homely atmosphere brought.

Now, however, there was only dim light, and practically no sound aside from their clopping hooves. The same quiet that had kept them company when they had been searching for Hazel was now following them every meter on their way. Like a wet cloth, the silence hung over them and unsettled their moods greatly.

From time to time, Twilight shot first Hazel, then Applejack a look, trying to make sense of the situation. As far as she knew, the source of the conflict had been the sudden appearance of Hazel's lost half-brother, who had attacked him and afterward Applejack. This had then triggered Hazel to snap and go all out berserk on Amaimon. The fierceness of the attack had forced him to retreat, and as a result, something must have happened to Celestia, affecting the diurnal rhythm.

In addition Hazel's state had caused him to believe that Granny Smith had tried to harm Applejack, which was the reason he killed her. After regaining his senses, Hazel had realized what he had done and fled. He seemed to have gotten control of him self again and was therefore ready to rejoin with their group. Applejack however seemed more furious about the fact that he had run away than about the loss of a family member, which quite frankly surprised Twilight, as she had thought there was nothing that mattered more to her orange friend than her family. That much she could observe, although it still lead her to no possible solution she could contribute.

Since then Applejack had not done so much as look at Hazel, which obviously plagued him. It was heartbreaking to watch him trot, his sight wandering from side to side, never focused, the corners of his mouth hanging lower than his mane, and his steps a dragging over the ground.

The fact that Hazel Eyes, a pony, well vampire-incubus-hybrid in the shape of a pony, who had not only played a major role in Sombra's fall, but was also far older than the princesses combined, lurched behind an ordinary earth pony was a curious sight. Although, ordinary was not quite the word Applejack could be described with. She was a bearer of one Element of Harmony, notably the Element of Honesty, a hard working mare who always put herself back in favor for others, and furthermore one of the most reliable ponies Twilight had ever had the pleasure to meet.

Still, the conflict gnawed their nerves raw. Twilight had thought once they found Hazel and took him back, the awkwardness and tension would simply dissipate, but that was not the case. Unspoken words of hurt and remorse threatened their companionship to shatter like a dropped mirror, making the very air frizzle with electricity.

They marched on, uncomfortableness in every move, until Rainbow closed up to Twilight and tried to whisper. “Actually it doesn't matter how loudly Imma tell you this, Hazel will be able to hear me anyway-” she looked at the stallion up front, noting that his mouth twitched slightly in a weak attempt of a smirk, “- but when do you think any of those two will make the first move?” she asked, syncing in with Twilight's pace.

Twilight shot her an annoyed side glance, but answered nonetheless. “It's not my business and neither should it be yours. They'll make amends when they think the time is ripe.” She kept marching, noticing that her reply hasn't satisfied Rainbow in the least. Rainbow's grimacing didn't help her ignoring the tense mood either, so she turned to her and whispered in the same manner: “if you are so keen on knowing, why don't you ask them yourself?”

Pulling her mouth to one side in a way of deliberating about Twilight's proposition, Rainbow tilted her head from one side to the other, until she finally shrugged and cantered past and towards Hazel.

”Hey, big guy,” she nudged his shoulder, “You know, I was wondering.”

”You were?” came the weak response. “I never thought you were able to do that.”

Rainbow pulled her forehead in a frown. “Hey, no need to get snappy!” They walked a few steps further. “As I was saying,” Rainbow tried to pick up the conversation again, “what is it with you two? I thought you were like peas in a pod, but you're like cat and dog now.” Rainbow awaited Hazel's reply that wouldn't come. She sighed. “Geez, I thought you understood mares, with the demon powers and stuff...”

At that, Hazel snorted. The sound took Rainbow unaware and she raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Don't make a fool of yourself, my dear Rainbow Dash, no stallion could ever dare say he understood mares. I can manipulate them, make them think and do what I want them to, but never was I able to understand them, that is a thing of the utmost impossibility.”

Rainbow let that thought pass through her mind and shrugged. “Anyway...” she drew the word out as long as possible. “Can't you and AJ just get along again? I know it's not that easy, but you two are meant for each other, even I can see that.” She paused, then added, “And I'm so totally not into that romance stuff!”

Hazel nodded and padded on, looking serenely at Applejack's swaying behind. She had kept her head up high for a long time already, and Hazel could easily make out the tense muscles on the back of her neck. Her steps were firm, determined, and the way she sternly looked forward made clear that she would never look back as long as they were on the road.

”I would have to apologize for everything that I've done wrong, including my lacking self-control, cowardice, and something else,” Hazel whispered back at Rainbow, who leaned in closer.

”Uh hu, so ya need some space? I mean for talking under four eyes and stuff?” Rainbow suggested. Her reward was a sly one-sided smirk from the stallion beside her. She tilted her head of the rare sight. “Something funny?”

”I was merely thinking the same thing,” he responded, some of his old charisma back.

”Hehe, great minds think alike, huh? So, you think you can do it soon?”

”Actually, I was considering doing it right now.”

”Um, right now, like in now right now?”

One fang peeked out from under Hazel's lip and he drew so close to Rainbow's ear, she could feel his warm breath on the hairs inside her ear cup. “Do take care of Twilight while Applejack and I are gone. Head for Ponyville, Twilight knows the way. Do not worry, we will catch up in time.”

”What do you mean-”

Before Rainbow was able to complete her question, Hazel had already bolted towards Applejack, dove under her, and lifted off the ground. Applejack nearly fell off his back from the suddenness of the assault, but quickly enough clutched onto Hazel, wrapping her front hooves around his neck, and hind legs around his waist.

With strong, eager flaps, Hazel climbed ever higher, leaving Twilight and Rainbow out of sight whilst barely feeling the weight of Applejack. It was so good to be in contact with her again after so long. Feeling her warmth, the sensation of her body on his, her scent of fresh ripe apples, it all seemed gone for far too long and the security of knowing it- her- back was incomparable to anything.

When the first moment of shock had passed by, Applejack dared to risk a glimpse, regretted her decision immediately, though. Traveling beneath her was an endless carped of green dots with widely varying shades, as was the tree population, reaching from embers to pines, oaks and birches, and linden to yews. Growing up right next to the Everfree Forest, Applejack had learned to pay the wildness its well deserved respect, though she had never dreamed it could hold such a floral diversity. However, the height was taking its toll, and Applejack's belly began rumbling in displeasure.

She leaned forward, as near to Hazel's ear as she could, which still left her mouth almost all of his neck's length away from it, and shouted against the wind, “Hazel, might you wanna bring us down? Ah ain't feelin' so well!”

Hazel shot her a blank look, saw the urgency in her expression and immediately decreased his speed, starting a descend in wide circles. The wind still twirled her mane hard, but she was too afraid to lose her hold if she reached up now to secure her hat. Also, she trusted Hazel enough to know how much that hat meant to her, and which speed was the best for them to reach their destination while keeping her hat safe on her head.

The closer they got to the ground, the more details Applejack could make out. A town left to the wilderness with rigged slate roofs, classic earth pony building style, and several ricks with nearby barns. The whole complex was overrun with greens, bushes and vines. It seemed to be a settlement of days long past, when the three tribes warred over the land that was now called Equestria. Today, all that was left were the mouldering arbors and rotting walls of wood, broken windows, and an atmosphere that sent shivers down anypony's spine.

Overgrown with vines, roots and young trees that emerged from the remains of other, long dead once green companions, the village was magnificent to look at, but at the same time an example for the power nature held. Not a single roof could be found that had not caved in, from time that had dissolved most of the beams that secured it, or the weight of the flora on top of it.

The two ponies landed where the market place had most likely been, an open square, encircled by large collapsed buildings, two or four throws of a stone apart, that must have been the town's hall and maybe a bank. It was hard to tell now, first because of the terrible state these buildings were in, and second because of the darkness the night brought with it. They could tell easily though, this village was much like Ponyville, only not quite as bright maybe.

Applejack climbed off Hazel's back and tapped a hoof to the ground, reassuring herself that she stood on solid ground again. With a few wide gazes, Applejack scanned her environment for any immediate danger, more out of habit then of actual necessity. Hazel would have sensed any living creature within miles, and Applejack highly doubted there was something in these woods that could present a serious problem for them, unless Amaimon had decided to go search for his half brother all on his own. That was just as unlikely, since Hazel would have to show up to rescue Celestia sooner or later, bound by his oath.

After her overview, Applejack focused on the white stallion in front of her, looking him over from hoof to head. His stance was loose, almost relaxed, and his look was firmly focused on herself, eyes of the same warm, strong brown they always were when he was looking at her. Hazel's tail swayed from one side to the other behind him, bored, as was his mane. He stood there with not a care in the world.

Applejack had thought a long time how she would approach this moment, all the time on her search. How should she put in words what she felt? How could she make him understand what was truly the source of her dismay? Would he be able to understand? All this, her mind was rambling about, re-phrasing, re-considering, re-writing it all over and over again. It was like she was caught in a maze of word and meaning, where the paths of those two entwined at one point, but as soon as she thought she had found the exit, the two could not be further apart.

There had been things she couldn't tell her friends, not because of a distrust; Applejack would lay her life into the hooves of her girls. But for the way how they would look at her afterwards, she was uncertain. Hazel was a child of darkness, and dark topics were to be discussed with dark ponies.

All this thinking had gotten to her. Applejack had grown frustrated and angry. She wanted to get it all off, to let it break loose, throw it all at him, and pray for all of Celestia's love that he understood. When he stood there in the moonlight so casually, gaze still locked on her, the last straw had ripped. Like a storm contained in a glass bottle where someone pulled the cork, all the crammed up aggression broke free and unloaded in a hurricane of ferocity, and rolled over her lover, threatening to wash him away and swallow him down until nothing remained of him.

”Hazel Eyes, how dare ya!” Applejack screamed at him, making his sensitive ears fold backwards. She set her stance a good few steps away from him and shouted her lungs out. “Ya know 'xactly that Ah ain't no friend friend of that flying business! Earth ponies shoulda be remainin' on the ground!”

Hazel underwent it with not so much as a light cringe of the noise Applejack was producing.

”Ah've held mahself back 'cause Ah didn't want Twalight and Rainbow to hear all this now. It ain't none of their business,” she yelled, quickly looking away, then back at Hazel. “And now this! After what you've done, what'n Equestria were ya thinking, comin' back like that, 'Oh, don'tcha worry, Ah've got it all figured out, it won't happen no more'!

”Listen up, Sucky, it don't work that way, you've gotta take responsibility for what ya do. You have a lot of compensation ta do.” Applejack sighed and took a short moment to collect her self, and started off with a sad tone in her voice.

”When Ah first met ya, ya had just come to Ponyville and ya were figurin' out what ta make of your new situation. The moment ya went through the door of the barn, Ah knew there was something about yer, though Ah couldn't quite put mah hoof on it. Ya were quiet and moody, and the we were excited and all ta know what ya would be like, since ya got from Canterlot. Honestly, Ah thought you'd be one of those stuck up, good-fer-nothin' royals. But you weren't.

”You had something about yer that made think, and then you told- showed- us, what and who ya really were. This story about yer past, where ya grew up, yer kin and all... that scared me. Ah was afraid when Ah went to bed at night. But then, Big Mac got that awful injury. I was so eaten up in bucking apples, that Ah only noticed when it was already too late. When Ah heard, though, ya were already there, lending a hoof. Ya helped mah brother, despite knowing him for so little time only, and because of that, Ah still have a brother to speak of.

”When ya... transferred mah blood to him, ya let me feel this warmth. Ya said that was what it had felt like being with this Victoria girl. That was love, right?” Applejack raised a hoof dismissively when Hazel opened his mouth for a response. “It was then that a was thinking about yer,the way ya acted, how ya moved.

”Applebloom liked you instantly, she has a good sense for these things, and Ah was beginnin' ta trust yer. Ah noticed how ya tried to get things rollin' again, with the salary from the apple sales in the market, the little reparations around the barn, and your work in the orchard.

”Although Ah was still a little scared, Ah saw that ya had a good heart, now matter what yer were. Ya were different from the other colts,” she snorted a halfhearted chuckle, “wonder why that is. Anyway, Ah was intrigued by you, and wanted to give it a chance, though Ah knew Ah most likely wouldn't have a chance, 'cause of your... duties... for the princesses, and your gone partner from before yer slumber.”

Applejack bit her lip, she couldn't look Hazel directly in the eye. Applejack chewed her lip in deliberation, mentally bracing herself for the next part. Piece by piece the memory of that one dreadful night came back like a macabre blood-seeped jigsaw puzzle, making her force her breath to stay slow and calm. The pictures that appeared before her inner eye still scared her to the point of trembling, but that was not for what had almost happened to her, but rather for a side of Hazel she was so terrified existed.

“And then, that night in the hay rick. Celestia dang it, Ah can still hear the backbone of that one colt snappin'. It all happened so fast. One second, Ah hold on to that hay bale, an' the next, Ah see a bunch o' corpses layin' around on the floor, and you were holding a poor guy 'gainst his throat. Ah was so scared, Hazel, so scared. That wasn't you, you are kind 'n gentle, that beast was a slaughtering animal with a mindset to kill, kill, and kill again.

”But Ah knew that there still must've been some part o' you in there, and thank Celestia Ah was right. That night, we shared a bed for tha first time, remember?” Applejack asked, feeling tears welling up, but she forced them back again. This of all times was by far the worst to cry. Her voice took on a bitter-sweet tone as she spoke on. “Ya shooed away tha bed dreams. Ah felt like tha time was right, so Ah confessed. Ah was so nervous, but Ah felt so confused, so helpless, and you were there, you were strong. Ah knew ya kept yer charm in check, but Ah felt drawn to you nonetheless.

"Ah would've never guessed there was something that felt as good as the love of yer famly, but now Ah know there is something equal. Havin' someone ya knew since the beginnin' of yer life, growin' up with yer kin an' all is the greatest luck in the whole world. But having somepony to know your most inner feelings, doing smoochy stuff in public without givin' a damn, and when ya see him it makes yer heart start jumpin'-” Applejack stopped abruptly. She stared into open space, miles beyond Hazel's face into the night sky, the with a fierce shake of her head resumed, collected.

”After only such a rather short time, Ah already had fallen in love with yer, cause Ah saw that you tried to be part of mah famly, regardless what the princess had told ya ta do. It was a whole new feelin' fer me, Hazel. Ah've had a crush or two already, like every lil' filly does, but Ah could've never imagined what havin' a real partner felt like. Ah trusted yer with all of mah heart, Ah would've done anything ta see the Hazel before the war an' before the stasis an' all that.”

All of Applejack's sorrow had flown out with her speech. What was left were the dull aches that a hurt heart caused, and she found herself willing to let the ears flow freely. It had all gone so wrong for the both of them. If she really was the reincarnation of Victoria, then why didn't things work out in their favor? Had so much gone lost over the generations, that the brightly shining light of faith Hazel had shared with Victoria faded to a dull glow? Why, only why had he fled her when they were supposed to overcome this new situation at each others side?

And still, Applejack did not allow herself the comfort of crying out, wallowing in self-pity has never helped anypony. With a look that could have torn apart anyone's heart, she asked Hazel, voice trembling of the strain to hold the hot tears back, “what do ya have ta say in yer defense?”

”I love you.”

That took the wind out of Applejack's sails. In complete bafflement, the orange farm mare stood with her jaws nearly hitting the ground and gazed at Hazel. It was like he had slapped her square across the face, and the only motion she was able to perform was a shocked opening and closing of her mouth.

Applejack blinked, twice, thrice, and then what seemed like another dozen times in quick succession, her ears meanwhile flapping around like a sparrow flapped its wings when it got caught in a stiff breeze. Finally, she inhaled, exhaled and repeated breathing slowly, carefully in and out, not too fast lest Applejack was going to hyperventilate.

At one point though, something caught in her throat which caused Applejack to cough wildly, jabbing her own chest a few times in the process, until she finally managed to cough something out that could have sounded like, “say what now?”

Hazel approached with a slowness like he had all the time in the world, giving Applejack chance to take note of every motion of his body. Only when he was a couple of meters away from her did little by little activate his charm. The subtle impression on her mind and perception made her lose her tension by a small degree, but just enough so to sooth her rioting mind and help her get her breath under control.

The way the moonlight shimmered off Hazel's coat pulled her in and mesmerized her until all the world around her blurred but for the shape of the beautiful destrier in front of her, who advanced oh so slowly towards her. In the back of her mind she had a feeling what he was trying to do, but right now, that didn't bother her so much at all. Applejack stood her ground and waited patiently for him to close the last few steps, and only when they were an arm's length apart did she give in and let him pull her into a warm embrace, shutting them both away from the rest of Equestria.

His wide frost-white wings wrapped around her as she pressed against him, resting her head on his shoulder, while Hazel lay his chin on top of her head, nestling in her mane after he had carefully brushed her hat off. There they sat, engulfed in each others warmth, excluded from the flow of time, and their minds connected into one, unifying them like no physical could ever manage.

At the slightest shift of Applejack, Hazel retracted his wings and exposed her to the coldness of the night. Shuddering, Applejack nestled a tiny bit closer to him, although soon enough she had accustomed to the chilly temperature. Applejack drew her head back from Hazel's shoulder and took a moment to take a look into the depth of his brown, deeply comforting, eyes in which lay so much affection for her, paired with shame, hope and affliction.

Hazel lowered his head and took in the scent of fresh ripe apples that always surrounded her like an aura. How much he had missed it. He hadn't been gone for that long of a time, but only a day apart from her, after he had allegedly believed that she was gone forever over a thousand years in wake, was making his heart ache. Having her back, even if she was infuriated and an irate Valkyrie, filled the gaping whole inside him when he had seen her cry as he left.

Caressing one cheek with his hoof, he pressed a tender kiss on her mouth, only for a second before he pulled back, feeling Applejack's intermittent breath on his lips, and kissed her another time.

Another precious moment was spent where they indulged in each others arms, holding close their dearest, savoring every passing second, cursing whenever another went by. Eventually, they parted, though only staying a hoofs stretch away from each other, too precious was the time together.

”Ya said it.”

”I did, and I mean it.”

”How can Ah be sure that you don't leave me again? Yer promised me once you'd stay by mah side, and we both now what turned outta be.”

Hazel looked down for a moment, then he fixated his look on Applejack. His chestnut brown eyes drank the entirety out of her emerald ones and formed an inseparable bond. With a voice so firm that not the least pint of doubt, insecurity or reluctance could find a way to slip in he spoke, “Because I want you to be my beloved for ever.”

When she remained silent, expecting him to elaborate further, Hazel continued. “I want to turn you into one of my kind. I want us to go through the ages side by side, with no one telling us what we can and cannot do. I want to spend the rest of the eternity with you, Applejack, and therefore you need to drink from me.”

Applejack's eyebrows shot upwards, she was beginning to understand. “Ya want me ta become a vampire?” A determined nod was her answer. “With all the stuff? Immortality, lust fer blood, sun allergy?” Another nod was given to her.

When Applejack did not continue interrogating him, Hazel spoke on. “Applejack, I have known you only for such a brief time, but in that few weeks I have lived more than in four thousand years before. It's bad luck that just now events are playing against us, but I will do my best and more if need be, so you and I can live together in peace.” He stopped, thought about what to say next and resumed. “Right now, your life and that of everypony else is in great danger. I don't want to lose you again, and therefore you need to become a child of the darkness.

”I showed you once what wonders the darkness holds, and with your new you would be able to enjoy them even more. More importantly, I would know you safer than now, because all your physical and mental treats would be enhanced, and with enough training your chances of survival would rise greatly. Be certain of it, Amaimon will without a doubt try to get to me in every way possible,” here he stopped, drawing Applejack's full attention on him, “which means he will try to hurt me through you.”

Applejack considered the arguments said, turning away from Hazel. A few heartbeats passed, the she turned around. “Ah'd have to watch how mah famly dies member by member,” she said, the emotional commotion not completely suppressed in her voice.

”Eventually.”

”Ah'd have to drink ponies' blood to not fall sleep?”

”Not if you do not want to, you can always drink from me.”

”Would Ah have yer other part, too?”

”I am not sure. Most probably.”

”And Ah'd live ferever? “

”You can still die by accident, a lightning stroke, drowning, or you could get killed. But your body will become way more resistant to most challenges you will encounter.”

”But if Ah keep it safe and cool, Ah'm gonna live ferever?”

”Yes.”

Applejack inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Her ongoing silence made Hazel queasy, he sensed that he was losing her, an emergency plan was in order. “You know,” he started, “you could see it as a kind of marriage, only without death of natural cause parting us.”

That struck Applejack. “Are yer... Are yer proposin' ta me?” The surprise was plainly written all over her face and Applejack stared at Hazel in disbelief, unable to cope. This suddenness threw her off guard, and for a moment she forgot to breath.

”In a way,” Hazel replied quickly. He walked over to Applejack and fixated her look on him. “I know these are dire times, even more for you than for me, and if I were to lose you, I don't know if I was going to be able to fulfill my oath-bound duties. So please,” Hazel pleaded. He grabbed Applejack by her shoulders and shut out the world once again with his wings, “become my bride. Don't put me through all of this pain again.” He pulled his front hooves and wings back and planted a kiss on her lips, as tender as a snowflake. “I love you, Applejack.”

Just when he wanted to withdraw his muzzle, Applejack bolted forward and threw herself at Hazel, toppling him over and landing on him. The kiss she returned was wild and passionate, as Applejack nestled her body against Hazel's and caused them both to pant heavily when they ultimately parted.

Applejack's eyes shimmered, whether from the moonlight or from potential tears Hazel was not able to tell doubtlessly, as she looked at Hazel and her mouth formed the words which were all he wanted to hear so badly. “Ah love yer too, Hazel Eyes.”

The two of them shared in another moment of closeness, but eventually, Hazel sat up and parted from Applejack. With a stiffness in his composure that had not been there a second ago, he spoke to her, solemnity in his voice, “You have made your decision? You are certain you are not going to regret in a few hours, days, or weeks what you have done?”

Applejack did not flinch one bit. “Ah'm as sure as can be. Ah want this 'cause Ah love ya, and also Ah'm really getting' sick of this darkness all the while. Ah am sure, now do it.”

”Are you really, completely and utterly sure?”

Applejack shot him a dead panning look. “Hazel, sugarcube, if ya go on like that, AH might r-consider. You gonna do it now or what?”

Hazel gulped down awkwardly.”Of course, sure.” He looked from left to right, screening what parts of his body he could see and pondered the possibilities.

”What're you waitin' for? Bite me already.”

Shooting her a side glance, Hazel continued his search. “Biting you won't result in your transformation.”

”Then what will?”

Hazel looked up. “Drinking my blood.”

With a shrug, Hazel let his fangs snap out and bit down on his right front hoof, piercing the first layers of his skin and then the first few, thin capillaries which dismissed the first drop of blood into his mouth. Tasting his own blood was something entirely new for Hazel. He had imagined it would be rather tasteless to him, since a reflection in a mirror only shows what falls upon it too, but the overwhelming flavor in his mouth almost let him gasp. It was like every drop of blood he had ever drunk had left a shade of a nuance in his body, fusing together into a unique mixture of taste. A flood of memories from all the times he had fed rushed towards him, and only with great effort was Hazel able to push it back and suppress it to concentrate on what he had to do.

When Hazel felt his vein punctuated, he retreated his fangs and gestured Applejack to come over.

The smell that wafted towards her made her stop dead in her track. A slow, yet steady crimson flow was coming from Hazel's foreleg, carmine droplets rolled along the downside and began to dribble down to the ground. The sight had something deeply unsettling, as drop after drop hit the grass and colored it red.

Step by step, Applejack forced herself to advance to him, yet she could hardly bear to look at it, let alone drink. Her stomach let out a rumbling sound that showed its displeasure, and Applejack once again halted, trying to chase her disgust away. Like so often, she did not succeed.

”Applejack, dear, I know this is very difficult for you,” Hazel said in the most soothing tone he could utter. “But would you kindly hurry up a little, the less blood goes to waste, the better.”

Applejack swallowed dryly and finally sat up before him. Carefully, she took the wounded leg into her own and tried to ignore the stench. A last help-seeking look into his deep eyes, and with a quick motion, Applejack sunk her mouth down on the blood stream.

She had thought the smell to be bad, but it was nothing in comparison to the taste. An awful metallic flavor spread through her entire mouth, covering her tongue and taste buds with a mask of salt and iron. The first few drops she gulped down were the worst. Her stomach rebelled and threatened to throw it all up again, but she willed it down, kept it there and took another lick at the slit in Hazel's arm.

After her first two mouthful of blood, she almost got used to it in a degree that allowed her to think the taste away. Lick after lick, Applejack tried her best to swallow as much as possible, until the overwhelming instinct of her guts was too much to withstand. With a cough, she drew away from Hazel's foreleg and swiped the leftover blood from her lips and chin.

On the verge of vomiting, Applejack scowled and then shook her head as if to shoo a nasty fly away.

Hazel pulled her to his chest and tenderly stroked her head, neck and back, while whispering softly to her, “Good, very good, Applejack. It's OK now, everything is alright. No, do not throw up, keep it in, keep it in. Just like that, yes, you are very strong.”

With every moment, the dreadful feeling subsided until the only thing that remained was the salty flavor the blood had left in her mouth. She tried to swallow it down along the rest, but the taste just persisted. She would be going to have to accustom to it.

”What,” she began weakly, “What am Ah gonna have ta do now?”

”First off, you will be needing rest, a lot of rest actually. The process will take two weeks, maybe three. It depends on the amount of blood you were able to swallow.” Hazel tucked her head tighter into his shoulder and kissed her crown, taking in the scent of her mane one more time.

”Second, your body will change drastically, as I have told you. Because of that, you will need tuition.” He could feel how she nodded.

After they had spent some time in each others company, Applejack motioned and Hazel released her. Inspecting her stature with a thorough look, Hazel sat up by himself-

And immediately, the world closed in around him.

Just before he hit the ground Hazel snapped a wing open and caught himself. In the blink of an eye, Applejack was by his side and made him sit down again.

”Whoa there, boy,you ain't tellin' me ya're alright,” she scolded, worried.

Turning his head from side to side, Hazel tried to shake the dizziness off. “I,” he started, then was interrupted by a wave of goosebumps. “I must have lost more blood than I had thought.” His eyes shot up. “Oh for the love of... I cannot bring us home at this rate.”

Applejack slapped the back of his head. “Darn right ya don't!” She followed up the smack with a kiss to his cheek. “You're almost like Dash, ya know? She stumbles into any kind of danger heads over heels without thinkin', too.”

Hazel smirked. “Yeah, she does that sometimes.”

Applejack shot him an incredulous look, that Hazel met with a heartfelt laughter. Soon, Applejack joined in and they just laughed until they both were panting. Applejack lay down and gestured Hazel to do the same beside her. When he did as he was told, Applejack drew his head onto her side, letting him hear her breath, her heartbeat.

”Ya know, Hazel, Ah think that was th' first time Ah ever heard yer laugh like that.”

Hazel thought about it for a while then answered, “You know, I think that was the first time I laughed like that since Luna's banishment.”

Applejack nuzzled his snout with her own. “Yer have a kind heart.”

Suppressing a snort, he replied, “Although I might have the lives of the whole population of Equestria on my shoulders? Twice?”

”Are you seriously throwin' in yer kill count at a time like this?” She rolled her eyes.

”Sorry,” Hazel apologized. “Wrong comment.”

A consensual kiss was exchanged. “No, yer have a kind heart alright. Ah knew when yer helped Big Mac. Ah mean, ya didn't know him at all, and still yer saved his life.” She quieted down for a moment. “Now that Ah think about it, ya were pretty late that day, weren't yer? Ya came back an hour before sunset, but that day, yer were at Sweet AA by sundown. Was there anythin' happening that day?”

Hazel chuckled awkwardly as he recalled he events. “What did you just say about wrong comments?” At her incomprehensible look, he added, “Let me say it like that: I was in no need of Sugarcube Corner's baked goods to taste the Rainbow.”

When understanding dawned on her, Applejack's face swapped to amusement, and a second later, she burst into a fit of laughter. The rupture caused Hazel to withdraw his head from Applejack's heaving side. As her laughter had died down to a mild snicker, she raised herself and patted Hazel on the shoulder.

”That was a good one. Celestia, it feels so good laughing again.”

Laugh and smile as much as you like, Applejack, Hazel thought. Keep the light in your heart, just like that. I don't want you to ever cry again, and I promise that I will make you smile like this to the end of time, so I can see it everyday.

Hazel felt the strength return to his limbs, and he had taken on Applejack to fly them both back to Ponyville, back home, but she refused and insisted they walked. Unwilling to steer up another argument, Hazel fell in a casual trot beside her, as the light of the moon guided their path.

Like a Bird in the Morning

The ground feels soft on my cheek. I don't think it has ever felt this soft before. The mixture of mud, sand, and dust is so comfortable to lie on. Maybe I should get rid of my mattress, with a ground as soft as this I think I really don't need a mattress. I could lie here a bit longer. It's starting to get warm. I like when it's warm. It almost feels like home. Then again, pretty much everywhere warm is pretty comfortable. Cold places are rarely like home, that is unless you grew up somewhere where it's always cold, in that case cold would probably feel like home to you.

I turn my head a little, I want to see what's around me. Weird, all I see is black. I don't remember closing my eyes. Weird again, I can't open my eyes. Uh! Why does my head hurt so badly all of a sudden? Why does my nose feel like I have a cold? Is that blood in my mouth?

I groan. Now there are voices. They're yelling and shouting. Why do I lie on the ground in the first place? I have to remember. Come on, brain, start thinking. What was the last memory? Little Big Horn, yeah, he challenged me... Yesterday. What next? Oh, I remember! Choice of weaponry! Of course there would be none, we are minotaurs of honor. In my head I can see the crowd gathering around Little Big Horn and me. They look excited. Well, if you patch a hulk of muscle against a wimp like me, you know the show's gonna be big.

After that, the warm up. Little Big Horn is an all out power house fighter. Not much brains, but he makes up for it in pure strength. He relies solely on the fact that I can't overpower him, and his massive right horn. He uses it too much, too often, there is my first chance to get him down. I heard once that he broke his left leg in a fight, and the wound didn't heal right afterward. I should definitely use that as an advantage.

Now I get the memory back. The fight started and Little Big Horn went right at me as he always does, trying to strangle me or break me down right where I stand. I dodged to the side and tried a lucky punch at his kidney, but the muscle was way too thick. He tried to hit me with a back hand, but I dodged again. I have to rely on my speed and agility if I want to leave this field unharmed. Little Big Horn shook his head and dashed for me again. You know what they say, twice is the charm. The next time I aimed low and tried to land a kick against his knee, therefore diving down and sitting on the ground.

What I forgot about was his second knee, which hit me right in the face. A bull such as Little Big Horn has an amazing amount of force in his leg, I can tell now. That must have been the moment when my lights went out and I made closer contact with this incredibly soft ground.

On second thought, this ground somehow doesn't seem that soft anymore, frankly. Also, there is something wet and sticky on my cheek, and if I were to be honest I would really like to get up now.

I groan again and try to stem against the not-so-soft-anymore ground, but the mud is clutching to me. I give up for now and rather concentrate on opening my eyes. All the strength I can muster at the moment goes into my eye lids. It might sound trivial, but when a three centner bull runs right into your face, you know you are going to have a hard time doing even that little a thing as flapping your lashes.

Finally I manage to crack open just a little bit and the incoming light creates an explosion before my retina. Through the narrow opening of my lid, the beams get fractured and all I see is a rainbow around a star in the center of my confined vision. Then, slowly, I force my eye fully open and take in my surroundings.

A crowd has formed a ring around a pit, limited by a few sticks in the bare earth, cheering me on to get up and fighting again. With some effort, I open my second eye and analyze the situation.

Although I lay on the ground and my head aches like a herd of buffaloes has stampeded over it- thank you oh so very much, Little Big Horn- the rest of my body seems to be unharmed, with only a few specks of mud here and there. My eyes adapt to the brightness of the bright shining moon and as my vision returns, so does my memory. The crowd is mainly consisting of the members of my platoon, all of them strong trustworthy bulls.

I look down over my body and pat off the dust that sticks to my aquamarine fur. The fight had to go on, I knew. Little Big Horn challenged me, and a challenge he shall have. I stretch my arm over my head and feel the stretching of sinew in my side, then repeat with the other side. I bow down to touch my hooves with the tips of my fingers and then bend backwards until I hear by backbone crack.

My head rolls over my shoulder belt, I look to the left, I look to the right, on the ground and up in the sky. Ultimately, I let my knuckles crack and shoot Little Big Horn a mocking smile. “'Sat all you got?” I ask, sliding back into my fighting stance.

I can see my taunt taking effect as a vein becomes visible on his forehead. He roars a battle cry and charges in for the next attack. Like a steam rolling train, Little Big Horn comes at me, head thrust forward, arms to the side, mind set to tackling me.

This time, I operate with more caution than last time. The moment when he is inches before me, I jump high, leap over his head, and squat down on his upper back. When the realization catches up to him, I catapult myself off him and the momentum makes him lose his balance. As Little Big Horn lands face-long in the mud, I land on both my hooves and roll over my shoulder, relieving my joints from the pressure for once, and second for extra style points.

As I look over to where Little Big Horn is lying, I hear the other bulls shouting cheers and laughing. I wave over and bow down, and they erupt in more laughter. This is how it's supposed to be, with me in the center and the applause rolling around me.

I hear a furious snort from behind me and catch sight of Little Big Horn who has gotten back on his hooves and now looks even more pissed than before. I could hardly believe it, if I didn't see it myself. His strong hands open and close, his shoulders and arms in spams of rage and his teeth bared to a wild snarl. I think I can even make out a popped capillary in his one eye.

”Mocking Jay!” he roars, smacking his fists against his chest. Okay, I admit, this was kinda intimidating. But if I show him, and most of all the crowd, that I'm starting to get second thoughts, my reputation is done for. I have a hypothesis that the angrier Little Big Horn gets, the stronger he becomes. In other words, I need to take him down soon enough, or I might get myself a big load of pain.

He charges forward one more time, a strategy that has proven successful as often as not and I feel the ground beneath my hooves shaking. He reaches his hands forward, wanting to grab me, to crush me. I make a quick dodge to his left side, which unfortunately goes not without Little Big Horn's notice. He tries a sweep to the side with his arms, and misses me only by a hairs width.

Now is the time frame in which I have to make my move. I dive into a roll and try to land a kick against his week knee.

Suddenly, a powerful hand clutches my outstretched leg and stops it inches before Little Big Horn's knee. I look at the and, trace the arm that connects to it upwards to the shoulder and look into two eyes. I can almost read them saying “Got you.” I smile an exculpatory smile and try to retract my leg. Not to mention, it doesn't work the way I would have liked it to work.

I am yanked upwards and dangle several feet in the air, getting a magnificent look at Little Big Horns bulky abdominal muscles. I wonder if it's too late to say a prayer.

Then, I feel like falling, followed by the feeling of getting all the air out of my lungs as I hit the ground Little Big Horn has smashed me in. Suddenly, my vision becomes blurry and I can't seem to be able to breath properly. I only notice how a hulking figure nears.

Have I mentioned that the ground feels rather soft? It's really quite comfortable, let me tell you.

As I get lifted up by two of the surrounding bulls, my daydream gets rudely interrupted. I feel my limp body being dragged out of the arena with the dull noise of the crowd all around me. I'm thankful for the darkness this time, that way they can't see my bleeding face. I hope.

A good few feet away from the the battleground, I regain my senses to a degree that allows me to see the world clearly again. Two of my comrades are pulling me towards one end of the camp, to a tent thrice as big as the ones you'd normally see here around. The dark brown tarpaulin consists of wool, leather, and cotton and stands at twice the height of any bull. Torches are set around it in a circle, giving what little light there was to take back the night. The tent is divided in three sections, two side tents and one big in between. Flags hang lifelessly from the tips.

The entrance gets lifted up and mounted on the tips of two spears as I half walk half and half crawl inside. Said inside is provided with a set of camp beds in four neat rows, a few pillars that hold swords, maces, spears, and other weaponry in one of the smaller side sections, armory such as breastplates, helmets, and chain vests in the other. The main section is equipped with stands full of maps of the surrounding area. The borders of the area displayed could surely not be reached in a days march.

A huge round desk is standing in the center of the room, behind it a minotaur with a bushy gray-black mustachio leaned over it, as he leans over yet another map. At the sound of the three of us entering the tent, he lifts his steel-gray eyes off the parchment and looks directly at me. The shudders his icy gaze is giving me makes want to go back and lay down on the warm, comfortable ground. I swallow dryly and wait for what is happening next.

With a short nod, the two minotaurs who helped me in leave the tent with a salute. I fold my hands before my belly and rock back and forth on my hooves. I try to ignore the freezing look the older bull is giving me and start to whistle. I look around, everywhere, anywhere, just not at him or I swear he would make me an icicle. As there is yet a reaction to retrieve from him, I try to initiate the conversation. “Nice weather we got, eh?”

”Mocking Jay, I swear by the horns of the Great Father Above,” he growls, his beard jumping up and down with every word. Admitted, it's not the way I had hoped he would pick up on the small talk, but at least we are talking now. “The next time you start a haggle with Iron Hide, I'll make sure it's the last time.”

”How am I to interpret this? I mean, it could mean that you ship him off to another platoon, or you gonna de-grade him, so he's my subordinate, or-”

”If your fists were only half as fast as your mouth,” the old bull intercepts, “you wouldn't have to be dragged off the sparring grounds half the time you get there.” His message is as clear as his chilling stare.

I gulp what response I had down and wait for him to talk on. He blinks, and only the slightest slither of warmth gets into his eyes. He looks down on his map again and snorts. “Come over here for a moment, I don't want you to freeze on the spot.”

”Yes, Commander.”

Cautiously, I walk over to the desk and look at the map. The desk is half a dozen steps in diameter, and the map already leaps over its edges. It displays a detailed bird's eye view on an area with a mountain ridge to the north-east, covering pretty much a quarter of the map to that side, and a bunch of circular forms that cling to it. At the opposite side of the mountain, several levels of what seems like a random accumulation of circles, rectangles, and squares take up the rest of the map almost to the boarders.

”Do you now what this is?” asks the Commander.

I shake my head and shrug. “A map?”

The commander sighs. “Yes, the piece of parchment in front of you is clearly and doubtlessly a map. But what can you see on the map? Do you have any idea of where this place is located?”

I take a sharper look and start to think. “It's not the typical type cities are built by minotaurs,” I begin. “The forms are too linear, no way this is one of our villages. The griffons don't build on the ground, so this must be a pony city.”

”Correct.” The commander nods his approval and points his finger at the center of the circles in the middle. “What you are seeing here is the capital of Equestria, Canterlot.”

I raise an eyebrow. ”Commander, not to be rude, but why are you showing me this? We're still at least a good three weeks away from the border of Equestria and we need to wait for the other tribes to join up with us.”

Chuckling in amusement, the Commander crosses his arms before his brawny chest. “Because I believe the reason for our quite singular day-night rhythm to be there. Something must have happened to the princesses, else we wouldn't be in this darkness.”

As I set to a retort, he hushes me with a raised finger. “I want you and some of the other bulls to form a squad and scout out the situation. Retrieve as much information as you can. I will pick your company myself.”

That startles me a bit. “Wow, wow, wow, one second please. Why me? I only got my battalion two weeks ago and I don't even know all their names so far. You really think I'm fitted for this mission?” A thought springs in my head. “Why not send Iron Hide? He's obviously cleverer and more experienced than me, also I hear that he's very very smart.” Is that the faint taste of vomit in the back of my throat?

”In ambushes, skirmishes, and battle tactics, yes. But that is not what is of need here. Do me a favor and never challenge him again while I am in office, I am sick of your childish banter. I assign you to this mission, and you better get along with your companions.” He raises a finger. “Confidence is useful, but humbleness is a virtue. Remember, pride goes before a fall.”

He dismisses me with a wave of his hand and I walk back to my tent.

That was unexpected.

Heart

The pale light of the moon shone faintly through the stained glass of the crown hall, projecting milky versions of the portrayed scenes on the crystal floor. The whole row left of the carpet was aligned with events of history long past and gave the scene in the great hall a ghostly allure.

Just to add up on the spooky atmosphere, silent notes floated around, long, drawn-out sighs from the strings of a violin, which came forth first deft and strong, then drifted off to the ceiling where their solemn sound dispensed into thin air.

Amaimon let the bow glide carefully over the horsehair strings, making sure he didn't rip them. He concentrated on his left hand, which held the fingerboard and pressed down the strings. Swiftly, he changed the position of his fingers, strung the strings with the bow and brought forth a high-pitched cry. Immediately, he let a deep note follow and created the sound of an agonized whimper.

He proceeded and played a harmonic flowing melody, which took up on the last two tones and extended them to a symphonic tale of high hopes, crushing disappointment, and heartbreaking grief.

When the tunes were gone in the archways of the ceiling, he started playing a simple gamut, repeating it over and over again, every time faster than the last until the room was filled with the squeaking sound of the waxed bow tugging the strings of the violin.

Eventually, Amaimon calmed and let the notes flow off to where their precursors went. He sat the bow down and tugged the strings with his fingers. The bell-like plings were held in a delicate manner, each picking up just when the last was about to fade.

Satisfied with the outcome, Amaimon set the violin and bow down and started for the entrance of the crown hall. Playing the violin was a wonderful practice for him. The older a vampire grew, the more powerful he became. When he had fallen into his stasis, Amaimon was well past a thousand years, but since his slumber had been so long, his strength, speed, and perception had grown by a huge degree. He had a hard time getting used to it at first, crushing pretty much everything he touched into splinters and shards.

If he wanted to make a single step, he found himself standing meters from the point he had stood only a second before. If he wanted to pick up a mere rock from the ground, the moment he closed his fingers around it, the rock burst to little bits. It had taken him quite some time to get accustomed to his new traits, therefore he had spent some more time in the cave of his awakening. Every little sound around him, be it the dribbling of a drop of water, gusts of wind and streams of air in the wing groves below Canterlot, or even his own breaths and footsteps, he could hear it so clearly.

There was a period of time where he had cowered on the ground of the cave, his hands covering his ears from the noise all around him. There was too much for him. Even the spare light in the cave had blinded him to the point where his eyes stung, his head had been aching, and he was at the point of suffocating from the smells that flooded over him.

Eventually though, Amaimon's body got used to it, and he ascended to the surface. Now he was the self-announced regent of this land and everyone who knew him payed him huge respect. The play on the violin helped him define his precision even more, with the fine manner this instrument was meant to be played, his fine motor skills had improved at an exponential rate.

Amaimon strolled over to the entrance of the throne room and, just as he reached the door frame, froze still in place. Three breaths later, a knocking was heard from the other side. He reached for the handle and pulled one of the leaves open, revealing a white unicorn guard in full armor standing in front of him. With a blank expression on his face the stallion saluted and reported, “Sir, you wanted to be informed when she wakes up. She is awake now.”

Amaimon nodded his approval and gestured the guard to lead the way. They passed through over a dozen hallways, took multiple turns, all the while being followed by the clopping of the guard's hooves on the polished floor.

They arrived in front of a simple door of thick oak wood, a carved shield atop the entrance with a spherical object that resembled a drop. It was questionable what fluid the drop consisted of, though.

The guard saluted again and positioned right next to the door, looking straight at the opposite wall. Amaimon took a last glance at the guard before sending his mind into the room behind the door. As he had expected, the cell was empty save for one pony, whose thoughts flashed from insecurity over confusion to panic. It was obvious that the poor thing was overwhelmed with her new form.

With a soft push, the door opened for Amaimon and he walked in, emanating an aura of calm and stillness to oppose Vinyl's fear. She was sitting in the center of the room, a handful of books scattered around her, as she helplessly flailed with her wings. She jumped up, her eyes wide with terror as she stretched her new assets, then flexed them back and jolted away.

She pressed her chest up against the wall, the leathery wings flapping wildly. Her breath came in short huffs, and she was sweating heavily. With a shove, she pushed herself away from the wall and came to lie on her back. A sudden burst from her wings extending sent her stumbling for ward and right into Amaimon's arms.

He wrapped one arm around her midsection and pressed her firmly to his chest while carefully setting one hand on her forehead. He closed his eyes, sent his mind into Vinyl's and the white mare went stiff. A moment later, she felt a cooling wave wash over her and shooed the fear and panic away. Everything fell into place, and she asked herself why she was so afraid in the first place.

Amaimon let her down where she spun around, twisting her neck to catch a glimpse on her wings. They were white like her fur, although very thin. The bones felt so light to her. It bordered to a miracle they didn't snap at the slightest motion. The second joint was so flexible, even though it only bent two ways. A membrane started an arm's length from where the wing erupted from her back, and spanned to the tip. It was as thin as a sheet of paper, yet it felt strong.

With an unsure look, Vinyl glanced up to Amaimon. The expression she saw on his face was emotionless, yet not cold or unfriendly but rather observant. She became aware of every hair on her body with him looking at her like this. Vinyl was unsure whether she should try and start a conversation or wait for him to say something.

As time went on and both of them remained silent, Amaimon started for the bed. He walked over in three long strides, sat down, folded his hands in his lap and fixated his red eyes on Vinyl. He took in a breath through his mouth, attempted to say something, changed his mind and just exhaled, blinking, smiling. He scratched his chin and then looked out of the only window.

”The moon is beautiful tonight, wouldn't you agree?”

The question surprised Vinyl, though she remembered his voice now. She turned her head to look out into the night and saw the moon. “Yeah,” she answered. “Pretty.”

”Although?” Amaimon asked, not turning his attention off the firmament.

”Although nothing. Why should there be an although?”

”It sounded like you were going to make a remark about something, or someone being more beautiful.”

Vinyl stared at him. How did he know? She remembered him being in her room at the nightclub shortly after Octavia had left, but how did he possibly know what she was thinking about saying?

”Because,” came the immediate response, “that is a skill you are going to develop soon, too.”

Vinyl's eyes went wide. “You can read my mind?”

Finally, Amaimon turned away from the moon and looked directly at her, the light creating shadows that covered half of his face. As he spoke, those shadows twisted and changed at every motion of his mouth, and his eyes shone like two fiery rubies.

"Vinyl Scratch,” he boomed, “I have chosen you to be my first steward. You will address me with “Master”, you will follow each and every order I give, you will learn the ways of your new nature, and you shall never regret anything you do.” He suddenly stood up and knelt before her, taking her cheeks in both hands and staring her dead in the eye. “Have you understood?”

A brief moment of fear washed over Vinyl's face, but she kept the eye contact, drawing courage from him. The way he looked at her, how he talked, his firm hands... it made her want to follow him to the edge of the world and beyond if he told her.

With grim determination, Vinyl nodded a single time, as she watched a smile appear on his face, the obscuring shadows making him look like a madman. She didn't care what he looked like, though. Maybe she was going to follow a madman, he filled her with courage, with a desire to get working. As she saw his smile widen and the sharp fangs poke out from under his upper lip, Vinyl was beaming inside.

As he was making for the door, turned before reaching for the knob. “Rest a while longer, Vinyl Scratch. When you feel ready, go to the gardens and wait there.”

Again, she nodded. “Yes, Master.”

The door closed and she sunk down on the bed, mind spinning and heart thumping.

The two door leaves of the great Canterlot library swung open as Amaimon pushed them in with ease. Like every other room in the castle, the light of the full moon shone through the windows on the floor. Rows of shelves were lined up over three stories, not counting the pair that was exclusively for the princesses.

As he walked soundlessly through the stacks of books, Amaimon noticed how quiet it was. Only the occasional rustling of his clothes or the stream of air when he breathed penetrated the silence in the library. Amaimon's eyes darted across the room, from cover to cover of the books to his left and right. He quickly skimmed over the titles. Judging from the subject, he was in the medical section, anatomy of the different races, healing powers of roots and berries, a catalog about poisons and cures.

He passed the rows of shelves and came to an open space in the center of the library, furnished with half a dozen round tables and six chairs to go with each. The tables and chairs were not the only things, though. In a symmetrical pattern, the tables stood around a huge globe.

And seated at the wooden ring sat a dark blue mare, her ethereal mane covering the one side of her beautiful face Amaimon could have seen. She was bent over a heavy tome, and he could feel her not even noticing him as he approached. Silently, he continued step after step until he stood right behind her.

”An interesting choice of literature.”

Luna's head snapped around, and Amaimon was met with a mouthful of her mane. As he pulled back and freed his mouth of hair that had stuck in there, Luna squinted suspiciously at him. Her mood had taken a swing for the bad. “What do you want?”

Forcing himself to keep the eye contact, Amaimon smiled awkwardly. “You look lovely tonight, my princess.” As soon as the words were out, he noticed how plump they sounded, so he added, “not that you wouldn't look lovely every other night, I mean in this light, as in any other light, you-”

He cut himself off. This was going into the completely wrong direction. He was making a fool out of himself, worst of all in front of Luna. He bit his tongue to hold it from any more ridiculous blathering, and consorted to simply looking at her. He was sure this was one of the most embarrassing moments of his entire life.

As the silence continued, Luna cocked an eyebrow inquisitively, ultimately tilting her head. Amaimon continued to stare at her wordlessly, his eyes meeting hers then quickly looking into another direction. Amaimon cursed the natural pale color of his skin, which only helped to empathize the reddish color his blush helped to accentuate his cheeks with.

”I’d ask you what is wrong,” Luna said, “but I do not care at all.” She turned back to her book, ignoring the vampire behind her. “Leave me, this book is more interesting than you could ever be.”

That drove a thorn through Amaimon’s heart. With imprisoning Celestia, he hadn’t done the best job of catching Luna’s eye in a good way. But she caught his eye, and how she did it… Amaimon couldn’t remember the last time he had seen somebody so beautiful.

The way her horn was carved spiraling elegantly to the tip, the way her head ended in her lean muzzle, those shining gentle eyes with the sensual long lashes, that gorgeous lean neck of hers, that mane like a thousand stars in an everlasting night, her majestic wings, her slender legs. There were so many things that mesmerized Amaimon in ways he never thought possible. He had to have her under all circumstances.

”I, uh,” Amaimon stuttered, “I wanted you to accompany me in a walk through the park.” He fidgeted his hands and tried desperately to hold the eye contact. Please don’t say no, please don’t say no, he thought, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Luna raised an eyebrow and tried to make something of the situation at hand. There was something about him, she just was not sure what exactly. His awkward demeanor, his drop of status when she was present.... It all lead down to only one single conclusion, but that was ridiculous. Luna rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned back to the book before her. “You will have to command me.”

Amaimon cringed. “I would rather refrain from doing so.”

”Then you will have to walk on your own,” Luna responded, her mind already caught in the the letters and sentences she was reading.

Amaimon clenched his fist and stared at his feet. Shudders ran over him and shook him where he stood. “Alright,” he said, quietly, almost a whisper only, ”I’ve tried being nice. You want to act like a child, then be it so.” The shivers stopped as suddenly as they had started. With a loud wap Amaimon slapped the book shut and forced Luna to look him in the eye. “Princess Luna, I command you to follow me on a walk in the Gardens.”

”Very well then,” Luna replied coldly as she stood up. “If that is what you wish.”

”It is,” Amaimon grunted back. He would not let her have the last word.

The pebbles and little stones crunched underneath Amaimon’s boots and Luna’s hooves as they strolled along a trail between the ornate bushes, tree lines and hedges that stood quietly and unmoving all around them. Silence was the third member of the little crowd, yet it talked the most.

Oh for the love of- Why won’t she take a hint? Amaimon thought, trying not to glance at Luna who walked only two steps behind him. This farce was growing worse by the second. I need to break the silence… But what should I say? OK, OK, I have all the time in the world. I should start with a compliment. Princess, your mane looks mesmerizing in this light. Yes, that should do.

”Princess,” Amaimon started, “your mane looks mesmerizing in this light.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “There is hardly any light to speak of.”

It was as if she had hit him in the guts. Amaimon held his composure as well as he possibly could. Alright, there goes that. He wrecked his brain in search of a continuation, but found his creativity barren. He must not give up just now, though. Come on, think. Oh, maybe…

”That might be so, but even with only this mere glow, your beauty manages to shine.” This ought to get to her!

”Mhm.”

Her deadpan retort made him stop dead in his tracks. He stood rooted to the ground, looked focused into the far distance of the pitch black night sky and let Luna walk on by. He saw that she didn’t even notice his sudden halt and walked another three steps before she turned to him.

Wordlessly, she slowed down and waited for him. Luna just watched his frozen form, her face an unwavering neutral mask.

”Listen.” It was only a whisper. “I can understand why you are behaving this way,” Amaimon said more loudly. “But I swear… If you don’t talk to me like anybody else-” Amaimon’s head snapped around “- I am going to make you regret it.”

Luna’s eye twitched as she suppressed the urge to blink and stared him in the eye. “Oh yes, try it. There’s not much you could do to make my life more miserable than it already is.”

”Shut your mouth!” Amaimon yelled. Despite the rather mild temperature, Luna felt a slight shiver. “I have been incredibly generous towards you. You were allowed to go anywhere inside the castle, you had but one duty and I never asked anything of you until now. It is about time you showed some thankfulness.”

”Thankfulness?” A shade fell on Luna’s face. “I should be thankful though I may see my former home turned into a prison that I may see every quadrant of? Thankful for you throwing my beloved sister into the dungeons like a high traitor? Thankful for you forcing me to let everypony’s world grow dark? Thankful for you to hurt and vow to kill my Hazel for something that is not his fault?” Luna looked down and inspected the silver armor on her hooves. “I guess I really should be thankful for that.”

Amaimon’s eyes began to glow red. “Cut the irony and talk directly,” he commanded her. The last one had stung. “When will you finally understand that I am not the villain in this? I do the things I do not without reason.”

”Of course you do,” Luna mumbled.

”Yes, indeed.” He closed the distance and knelt down in front of her to beat eye level with her. “Alea needs to be punished for his desertion, law wants it so. This land is weak against outward threats. The only defenses you have at the moment are Celestia, yourself and Alea. I have fought him on one occasion and proved his combat abilities. Combined with the two of you, he can hold even against man armies. But,” he raised a finger, ”he is not invincible, and therefore unreliable. What this land needs is a well-fortified army.”

”No, we don’t,” Luna replied snippily. “We live in a time of peace. That is thanks to Hazel’s strength. The last time there was almost war was when I let myself go and turn to my anger and wrath. Even then he stopped me. Now we are on the edge of war because you are wagering it upon us.” She fell silent and glared at him.

Amaimon looked back without faltering or doubt. “Now you are living in times of peace. But what happens when everybody forgets about your special weapon? What happens when your foes threat you once more? What when they figure his weaknesses? You need an army. A true army. I have inspected the conditions here and they are insufficient to my expectations. Therefore I need to restore them to be capable of their original purpose. As you probably know, this will take some time. I need to work all the time, but since I don’t react kindly to sunlight, I need you to keep the day away, so I can do what I must.”

”And imprisoning Celestia served which purpose?”

”I knew you and everybo- everypony else would not understand the necessary changes I had to make at first. So until I have everything arranged, she will stay where she is for her own safety.” He broke the eye contact and exhaled. “Will you try and see that I’m not a bad guy? I’m not without reason. All I ask of you is to cease this coldness. Princess Luna, do you not realise how much I’m drawn to you?”

As he brought his face closer to Luna’s, she jerked away. She assumed a battle stance on the spot and lit up her horn, expecting an attack. When the initial shock passed by, she looked incredulous at Amaimon. “What in the name of the Eternal Herd do you think you are doing?”

”I-” Amaimon began. “I- uh…”

Luna loosened a bit but kept the distance to the vampire. “Explain yourself! What was that just now?”

A red flush filled his face as he stuttered, “Princess Luna, wait. I- I was trying-” Amaimon broke and looked away, embarrassed.

”Spit it out,” Luna said slowly, daring.

Gritting his teeth, Amaimon clenched his fist tightly. “Princess Luna, I love you. There you have it.”

Luna went pale. She had been aware of his weird behavior, but she had not anticipated this to be the reason. She stumbled back one step. “What are you saying? Are you out of your mind?”

”The opposite, I have never been more clear.” He stood up and tried to approach her, but Luna backed away once more. “My entire life I have served in my father’s duty and I could not have been more happy about it. I had influence, others payed me their respect, father loved me. I’ve never had a companion because I found none of the admirers loveable. But you… You are something else entirely. Not only do you look beautiful on the outside, you have something that everybody else was lacking so far. You know how beautiful the night truly is.” Amaimon stared intensely at Luna and it was as if the sparkling of his red eyes burnt itself right into her brain.

Luna shivered. Her feeling of coldness had turned to downright freezing. She looked for a way to escape this hairy situation. “But,” she pressed out, “the vampire females sure knew to appreciate the night, did they not?”

”No,” Amaimon replied, “they did in fact not. They all saw it as something that was given, something so common. They had no eye for the true beauty of the night. Not you. You bring the night, you are the night!” He got closer to Luna. “Nobody appreciated your nights, right? This is why you became something else, was it not so?”

”’Tis true, yes,” she admitted hesitantly.

”But I am not like these ungrateful subjects that troubled you and drove you into despair. I can see what wonders your night holds. Don’t you see? We are destined for each other!” He clawed at his chest and sank to one knee. “Please, Princess Luna, make me the happiest man in this world.” When he saw her shocked and tensed to the point of snapping, he added, “I guess I could make arrangements to let your sister out of her cell. We’d need to compromise on the length of days, but with some effort it can be done. It will be done, for you.”

”Amaimon,” Luna said, still horrified. ”I cannot.”

”Surely you can! You only need to say-”

”I can’t!” Luna cut him off. “I love Hazel Eyes!” She shouted the words in Amaimon’s face.

A heartbeat of silence stood uninterrupted between them.

”I love him, not you, Amaimon. He is everything my heart wants. He may be a cold blooded killer, a ruthless executioner and a merciless soldier, but he is also kind of heart, he knows empathy, he is a romantic and also he possess skills in the bedroom you cannot hope to come remotely close.” Luna sighed sadly. “I know also that I’m never going to be together with, ever. But that doesn’t stop my heart beating for him. He was the first to value my nights unlike anypony else. I love him for that and I always will.”

Amaimon was a statue, unmoving, lifeless. Only the faint noise of his breath rustling gave away the signal he was still alive. The silence dragged on for seconds. Seconds filled with fear for Luna. Seconds in which her future circumstances would be decided upon. So she did the only thing she was able to: wait.

”Very well.” The sound of Amaimon’s voice seemed to resonate through the night air. It had a kind of booming, a pounding to it, that had not been there before. Before long, two armed guard ponies came trotting over two where he and Luna were standing. “Soldiers, escort her Highness to her chambers and make sure she stays there until I decide otherwise.” He turned to Luna and the glow in his eyes was dead. “Do not resist. Do not try to escape. Do not try any tricks. I will know. Good bye, your Highness.”

The guards took position on either side of Luna and made ready to leave. “Amaimon,” she called out to him, “this will not change anything! You can lock me away for as long as you want, I still only love Hazel!”

Back turned and making for the opposite entrance of the castle, he replied coldly, “I hope so. I am going to bring you his heart on a silver platter as soon as he dares to attack.”

Guts frozen solid, Luna let herself be half dragged to her room. Her fighting spirit had taken a heavy blow.

Prelude

“Ya know, it really is part his fault,” Rainbow Dash pointed out while lying on a shelf in the Golden Oaks library, two of her hooves lazily dangling downward. She observed the scene beneath her with relaxation, while everypony else was racking their brains.

The ponies had gathered an emergency assembly at Twilight’s, where they now sat in sitting bags on the floor. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity sat before the shelf Hazel had leaned his back against.

“Not helping, Rainbow,” retorted Twilight, who had her chin supported by one hoof while focusing on a point on the wooden floor. She looked up, directly at Hazel. “I get why you want to do this, but I’m afraid you won’t be given the reaction you are hoping for.”

Hazel had his wings prepped halfway open to soften the surface he was leaning against. He met Twilight’s gaze with unwavering determination. “Nonetheless do I have to try. That at least I owe them.” He shifted his weight and crossed his hooves behind his head.

“Actually,” Rainbow intercepted, “the least you could do is nothing.” She earned herself a mean look from Twilight.

“Not helping, Rainbow,” Twilight said, once again pondering their options.

“Is there an echo in here?” Rainbow asked boredly. She rolled to her back and used her belly as a drum, picking up the pace as she did.

“Rainbow Dash, don’t be so uncouth, these are serious matters we are dealing with here,” Rarity intervened. She looked at Hazel, hope and desperation mixing on her face and asked, “be honest, Hazel Eyes, what will happen if you cannot manage to defeat your brother?”

Looking at her, Hazel took a glance at everyone else, except for Applejack who slept upstairs in Twilight’s bed. The vampire’s blood was taking its toll. He sighed, met Rarity’s gaze and answered, “Eternal darkness, fascism, harsh punishment and law enforcement, a blood price maybe. Not all too well, it’d seem.”

Silence settled on the group. Then Twilight spoke up, “Alright, let’s go through this once more, maybe we can find a way to rally up the ponies of Ponyville without you speaking to all of them, as the source of our problems.”

“I seriously doubt that is possible with these circumstances at hoof,” Hazel threw in, “but I’m willing to hear any and all of your suggestions.”

“Why don’t we organize a giant party?” Pinkie asked enthusiastically, her tail and mane fluffed up to twice the size they had usually. “We’re gonna have cakes and pies and balloons and-” she gasped sharply “- we’ll need lots of streamers! Like, a whole lot of streamers! And music! We need music to get them in the right mood!”

“And that mood will be…?” Rainbow asked from above.

“I dunno, maybe something like ‘It’s only part my fault that the sun is gone and we are thrown into a world of eternal darkness, but don’t worry, I’m gonna make it aaaaaalright again’.” She stopped for a second and tapped her chin deliberately with her hoof. “I’ll need a big banner for that.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and smiled at her pink friend. “Pinkie, dear, I think we need something else than a party to get the Ponyvillains to join up and support us in our endeavour.”

Rainbow suddenly jumped up and glided down from her elevated spot to stand amidst the circle of ponies. She made sure all eyes were on her then said, “Let’s put this aside for short moment, OK? How about we focus on something you all seem to forget: how do we defeat Amaimon? Any plans?”

Looks were exchanged, but nopony uttered a word. “Thought so,” Rainbow smirked. “In that case, let’s make a battle plan to bring Amaimon down and Princess Celestia back!”

Rarity sighed in exasperation, Twilight put her hooves before her face, Fluttershy looked away and Pinkie was still thinking about a motto for the party. “I am sorry for popping your bubble, Rainbow Dash,” Hazel said to her in a neutral tone, “but as I said before, taking down my brother is a much harder task than we can deal with right now. The only one in this room who could stand a chance against him without dying on the spot is me. He’s way too mighty to handle and I am afraid you also lack the strength to withstand him.”

The smirk remained on Rainbow’s face as she looked Hazel straight in the eye and answered, “Don’t you underestimate us. We’ve been taking care of Equestria like a bajillion times already. Cause guess what, we are never alone aaand-” she put special emphasis on that word before waving her hoof at her friends “-we’ve got the Elements of Harmony!”

Hazel’s forehead was in deep furrows from the mention. “The Elements…. Yes that could work.” He tapped his chin and kept his gaze locked on Rainbow Dash. “If, and that is a big if, you actually land a shot on him.”

Rainbow descended into the middle of the thinkers’ circle and prepped her wings up so they seemed bigger and fluffier. “That’s why we need you, Hazel. You’ll need to hold him in place, while we fire the rainbow laser. Swish, baaaam and finito!” She mimicked the sound of an explosion and pointed her hoof at Hazel. “We free Celestia and everything’s gonna be back to normal.”

Twilight looked directly at Hazel and said, “As dumb as it may sound, but the simplicity of this plan is its effectiveness. Rainbow is right, the Elements of Harmony have served us many times in times of danger, let’s use them now, too.” When she saw Hazel nodding she asked, “One question remains, though. Why does Amaimon not come to us, doesn’t he know you’re here?”

“He does know indeed,” Hazel answered.

“Then why does he wait?”

“Because he’s raising an army.”

Twilight’s and everypony else’s eyes went wide. “An army?” it came in perfect sync. “Like the real deal? Not the Canterlot Guards but a real strike force?” Rainbow asked with a mix of awe, terror and admiration.

“Why would he raise an army now? Would it not make more sense to win the ponies of Canterlot over to his side?” Rarity asked, her face paler than usual.

Blank faced, Hazel shook his head. “Make no mistake, my brother has his ways of manipulating the crowd and bend them to his will without them noticing. They will follow his orders without a second thought, while being unaware of his manipulation. That process, however, is rather time consuming. First he’d have to introduce himself, make the ponies trust him until they are eventually his loyal minions.

“That would take him months or even a full year, if not more. He also knows that I, on my side, have had all the time to make myself familiar with this land’s strategic locations. I know it’s trade centers, the landscape, and its inhabitants. All these will help turn the tide of a war. And war is exactly what he wants.”

“W-war?” Fluttershy stammered, mortified.

“I’m afraid so. To truly conquer a country, you have to wipe away any last remains of the civilisation and culture that once lived there. It’s a type of psychology. All vampires are taught that way.” He paused and looked at every single face. Most of them had become pale, Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s specifically.

Twilight was the first to speak up. “Are you saying that he is going to kill every single pony in Canterlot?”

”Not per definition,” Hazel said, and continued speaking when he saw Twilight’s raised eyebrow. “There are two ways a vampire can transform another organism. Option one: A pony drinking a vampire's blood will become a vampire themself, like Applejack wanted to. Or option two: In a true vampire’s body, more precisely in his gums, there are glands which produce a unique secretion. Unique for vampires, mind you. As soon as it enters the bloodstream, it destroys the red blood particles, oxygen can no longer be transported and vital organs are failing. The organism dies.”

”And what room is there left for speculations?” Twilight asked.

”What?”

”You said ‘per definition’. I'm still waiting for the 'not dead per definition’ part”

”I’m coming to that now.” Once more he looked at each of the ponies in kind, cleared his throat and began. “While it is true that an organism in this unfortunate state, organ failure and all, has hardly any chance of survival, there is a method which makes just that possible. That’s where the secretion comes in. I myself have led quite a number of studies on this matter and have come to astonishing results. The secretion contains a certain strain of bacteria, which hijack the central nervous system. After an incubation period of five to eight days, they take over the host’s body, manifesting in the muscular tissue and sending little shocks of electricity into the bodies. Making. Them. Move.” The last words he stressed with special intensity.

Twilight gasped sharply. “Is that really possible?”

”How do you think that the vampires have built their empire? By themselves?” Hazel chuckled. “No. The empire of old was built on blood, slavery, and tears. Never has this land seen a more flourishing slave trade. Also,” he looked up at Twilight, a spark of his old confidence glimmering in his eye, almost small enough to go by unnoticed, “I have seen, tested, and also created those minions. I tell you, it is possible, and by now, I reckon at least a third of Canterlot is dying.”

”Aw yeah!” Rainbow cheered. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s pack, frickin’ zombies are waiting for a beatdown!”

”I would highly advise you not to do that,” Hazel gave back. He had stopped Rainbow from dashing out the door by catching her with a wing and forced her to sit down next to him.

Rainbow looked at him, puzzled. “Huh, wait, what just happened?” A look from Hazel was enough. “And why not? Zombies move slowly, they stink and rot and are perfect training dummies.”

”While it’s true they move slowly,” Hazel explained to her, “they are many, and they are relentless and strong.”

”Strong?” Rarity asked.

Hazel shot a glance at Twilight. “You know, don’t you?”

Twilight’s forehead was in wrinkles, then her eyes widened and she nodded. “Yes… I think.” Turning to face the whole group she said, “Our muscles are a lot stronger than we think. You see, when it came to dangerous situations ponies preferred flight over fight. There is a blockade in our brain to limit the maximum power of the muscles. Fear, anger and so on set free a boost of adrenaline. Adrenaline is able to temporarily disable this blockade.”

”Is there a possibility to unlock this thing on your own?” Rainbow asked. The further Twilight’s explanation went on, the brighter her eyes began to shine. She was smelling an opportunity here.

Twilight had also caught her drift. “No way, Rainbow. This blockade consists of neurotransmitters, in other words, chemical limitations. It’s there for the purpose of your own safety. Without it, the stress on our muscles would result in serious injury.”

Rainbow Dash scowled but let it pass without another another remark.

”Actually,” Hazel said, “there is a way to bypass it.” He made sure every pony listened and was able to follow. “Back in the days when the vampires conducted their experiments, we found out that by meditation, we were able to set the minds of our ‘projects’ into a state that caused them to undertake a cellular shift.” He gestured with his hooves to form a circle and then some. “Not only were they able to use their brain to its full extent, but the blockade was breached.”

Twilight had clung to his lips, but now she took her head between her hooves and looked at the floor, her mind racing. “But that is scientifically impossible! Even with hypnosis the mind is not able to actively influence the body in this kind of physical way!”

”That is correct,” Hazel retorted, “but I wasn’t talking about hypnosis. I said meditation.”

Rainbow heard an opportunity knocking. “Sooo… If I sat around long enough, I’d be able to do it?”

”Not a chance.” Hazel’s tone was stone cold. “While accessing your muscle’s full potential would give you the upper hand in almost any combat situation, it would leave you with permanent injury. You do not want that.” Hazel sighed and scratched his chin. “Also, you lack the experience in meditation; I would have to invade your mind, flick a metaphorical switch, and that would be the end of it.” When he saw Rainbow scowling again, he added, “and do not try to get somepony else to do it for you. This is serious.”

”Be that as it may,” Rarity jumped in, “we still need to tell everypony else what is going on. They have made their own assumptions already.” Her expression was grave, honest concern reflecting in her eyes.

Hazel nodded. “Indeed. From the top: I’m still convinced that I should give a speech to the townsfolk. Who else could explain the current situation better?”

”And I’m still convinced,” Twilight retorted, “doing this will result in the exact opposite from what you are hoping to accomplish.” Her eyebrows formed a sharp V as she consulted the depths of her brain for an alternative. “Look, I am aware of your rhetorical capabilities; however the ponies of Ponyville only have only now gotten accustomed to you being here. You may have their sympathy, but not their trust.”

Hazel groaned in resignation. “That is why I want to address them personally. If there is one of Applejack’s traits that has rubbed off on me, then it is being honest and straightforward.” Hazel opened his arms and exposed his unguarded chest and belly. “You are right, their trust is not something I have the honor of calling mine. However, a wise man once said, ‘trust is not given, it is earned’. I know, I’m asking a lot of you, but trust me on this one. I will take full responsibility for what comes afterward.”

Twilight sighed in exasperation, collected her thoughts and proposed, “Alright, everypony, listen up. Princess Celestia sent me here to learn about the Magic of Friendship. Being friends doesn’t mean agreeing in every point, rather the opposite is the case. But that doesn’t mean that differing opinions lead to friendships becoming undone, no,” she raised a hoof,” it means having to compromise.”

Her gaze shifted towards Hazel. “Hazel Eyes, I will let you speak to the ponies of Ponyville,” as she saw the spark of hope in his eyes, Twilight added, “under the condition, that I may prepare a speech in advance to give the ponies time to… brace themselves.”

Hazel pondered on that for a moment. His hoof supported the weight of his chin as he looked at Twilight, then Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy in turn, before fixing his piercing gaze onto Twilight again. “A compromise means each party involved loses,” following up on his cynical statement he said, ”but I will surrender to your condition.”

Like a stormcloud passing, the grim mood was lifted from the library. “I will schedule a town-wide gathering first thing in the morning-” Twilight stopped, then rephrased “-first thing leaving the house.” A blush crept up on her cheeks.

With heavy lids, Hazel commented, “Marvelous.” Then, “Now there is another thing I must needs ask of you, Twilight.”

”Sure,” Twilight answered, annoyance and tiredness audible in her voice, although she tried her best to hide it. “What else can I do?”

”I need you to lift off Celestia’s spell of me.”

Twilight was taken aback. Her eyes widened with surprise as she stammered, “What? Why? How could I-?”

“In order: Lift the spell Celestia has cast on me to disguise my true form. Because I cannot hope to win a fight against my brother when I’m not bipedal. And then thirdly, you’re going to figure it out; you always do.” His smirk left Twilight baffled.

Regaining her composure, Twilight called out, “Spike! I’ll need you to fetch some books for me! A lot of books! And brew up some tea if you would, please! A lot of tea!”

Setting things up

''That way?'' Twilight pointed her hoof over the tops of the trees that made the brim of the Everfree Forest. She turned her head back to Applejack, who was following closely by, narrowing her eyes so she could actually see her friend. The constant night had made her eyes accommodated to it, but anyhow, the smooth light that the moon dispensed was only a mild consolation for her loss of vision. Everything seemed more ominous, though Princess Luna must have had tried her best to make the darkness as comfortable as possible.

Applejack nodded. ''Yeah, he flew off as soon as he came to his senses. Can ya track him down?'' Her voice was still a bit hoarse but she hid the uproar of her emotions successfully. She had to. For Applebloom and Big Mac. And for herself.

''Maybe, if you can give me something that belonged to his body''. Twilight had turned to face the trees again, her mind already going through a bunch of methods to find a pony, or in this case, a vampire hybrid.

When she couldn't hear Applejack saying anything, she turned around. ''Applejack, what's wrong? Just bring me something like a hair or a feather.''

''That's just it-'' Applejack fidgeted with her hooves. ''-I don't really know if I have anything like that.'' Twilight looked at her in disbelief. ''That's ridiculous! Everypony loses a strain of hair once in a while. It is impossible he doesn't-'' She raised an eyebrow. ''-Is there?''

Applejack bit her lower lip. ''Ya know, he told me once. When we made him cook, Granny wanted him to wear this net, so none of his mane would get into the dough, but he just said, 'Ah don't need that, the reason ponies lose hair is because they decay; Ah'm immortal so Ah don't decay.' And now, well...''

Twilight stood there with her jaws dropped. What Applejack had told her made sense, but that put up a huge problem for them. Damn this stupid vampire stuff! Twilight scratched her chin with one hoof, a gesture she got used to when in thought. Maybe there were some leftovers on Granny Smith's bod-

Twilight shook her head. How dare she come up with something this disrespectful and morbid? Boy, this darkness was already getting on to her. ''There's one option'', Applejack's voice cut through Twilight's trail of thought and she looked curiously at the orange farmer. ''And that would be?''

After a moment of hesitation, Applejack bent her head sideways revealing the side of her neck to Twilight. Said unicorns eyes grew wide as she saw the tiny holes in the amber flesh. ''Ah thought that maybe there would be some leftovers inside the mark. If there is, it won't be much, but-''

''Applejack, that's fantastic! How did it feel? Did it hurt? Oh, I so need to record this!'' Twilight had drawn near to Applejack staring with her usual eagerness at the small wounds. ''Actually, it felt pretty nice, but let me save that for later, please. Just tell me if ya can work with it.''

Twilight took a closer look and set her horn aglow. The magical energy surged through Applejack's whole body and pulsated through her every limb, until it compressed itself and circled around her neck area. A strange sensation overcame her as she felt how her wounds opened up and, like a soft tug, something was ripped out of her.

She glanced at the glowing object caught in Twilight's levitation, which seemed like a tiny, transparent orb of water, she had to look twice to actually see the shift in the air. ''You were right, Applejack, there had been residues of his saliva in you. Glad I found all of it before it was lost in your body.''

Applejack squinted at the floating liquid in front of her face. ''Me too, but is it enough?'' Twilight levitated the saliva closer to herself, bringing it close to her eye. ''We'll find out.''

Twilight let the glassy drop float further away from her and closed her eyes. Then, when she had gone through every step of the spell, her horn glowed brighter and shot a lavender beam at the hardly visible drop. The light engulfed it let it sparkle like a little star, but then, all of a sudden, the thing exploded into a shimmering haze of droplets, that swished around in a misty, glimmeringfog, that came hovering around Twilight.

The stardust whirled around her and began to glow even brighter, making Applejack avert her gaze onto the ground. When she looked up, before her stood her friend in her usual appearance, safe for her light staggering. She held her hoof out to support Twilight and finally the unicorn got to her former balance. A confident smile made its way up her face.

''I know almost exactly where he is!''

Applejack pouted. ''Almost?'' The confident smirk on Twilight's face was replaced by an awkward flickering gaze to the side. ''It's more like a strong intuition. You know, like something inside you dragging you into a direction?''

Applejack was too impatient and was too uninterested to ask further questions. With a nod, she gestured Twilight to take the lead and the lavender mare did as told. Just when she had taken the first step, a multicolored streak blocked her any attempt of advancing into the direction of her destination.

''Whoa there, what are you guys up to? Don't tell me it's nothing, that shiny thing was visible all over the sky! So, what'cha planning?'' Rainbow Dash had fallen into her usual fighting stance, blocking Twilight's and Applejack's way.

Applejack exchanged a long look with Twilight, who nodded in a manner that implied that she didn't care anymore, Rainbow would find out sooner or later, so why should they delay anymore. Applejack cleared her throat. ''We gonna go and seek Hazel, ya can come along if ya want.''

Rainbow straightened herself at Applejack's words and tilted her head. ''Hazel's gone missing? What happened?'' Before she was able to give a reply, Applejack was cut off by Twilight, who dashed forward, leaving the two behind. ''We don't have time for that now, move your hooves I'll explain everything on the way!''

Applejack and Rainbow quickly tried to catch up with their friend. ''Hey, where are we going to anyways?''

''Ah've no idea, but Twilight will know.''

Amaimon's steps reverberated throughout the huge thrown room, as he furiously walked up and down. The guards had been more than disappointing, it was like they had never used a weapon! Those fools had been staggering around as if they were drunk and nearly impaled themselves on their spears. The pegasi hadn't been that bad, their flying skills at a remarkable level, the unicorns, however, were what had set him off the most.

All they knew was shielding magic, not a single one knew a combat spell, no fire, electricity or anything else that could imply damage. If only he had known that this army was in such a terrible state, he would have extended his plans far more. With the odds stacked like that, he had to start at point zero, but be it that way, at least he could form his subjects the way he wanted them to be.

Disgraceful disappointments.... Fine, we shall begin with step one: The source.

Amaimon walked through the huge door at one end of the room and stepped to the balcony a short way down the hallway. With the sound of wind from an ocean getting caught in the cavity under a cliff, Amaimon's wings flapped open and he took off into the eternal night he had brought over his new realm.

Three days. For three days there hasn't been sunlight anymore. Despite his seizure of power, he handled his presence as subtle as possible for now. He wasn't finished with planning and before that, he wouldn't engage on anything. He had always been the tactician, the strategist. His brother had always sprung into fights like a headless amateur, hell know how he ever managed to get out alive. No, headbutting into insecure situations was not his kind of style.

His sharp gaze traveled over the dully illuminated streets of the capital, his eyes scanning for a suitable life form. His attention was suddenly averted to a block-shaped house, flat roof, hardly any windows, with bright neon letters on the front that read 'Club Pon-3'. Bright floodlights flashed their light into the sky, the booming sound of loud electric music audible even up to where he was flying.

Amaimon dove down and looked closer.

The bass boomed through all of the building, letting the crowd on the dance-floor glide into a trance of exertion and ecstasy. The multicolored neon lights cut through the artificial fog that the machines were producing and gave the whole play an unreal touch.

Bobbing her head in the rhythm of the music, a white unicorn mare with blue hair of darker and lighter shades, that seemed like it would shoot bolts of electricity if one touched it, and a pair of purple sunglasses, stood at the turntables and let her hooves dance over the disks.

The owner of the nightclub worked her records with expertise ease as she rearranged her headphones and took a proofing look over the ponies before the heightened stage where her equipment was set up. Although there hadn't been sun in around three days now, for her, this was absolutely no reason to throw in the towel. It was rather a reason to cheer, since the ongoing night only drove more customers in, who were in search of distraction.

Vinyl Scratch, better known as DJ Pon-3, gave her disks another spin, the final before a short break. She would be back in no time, but keeping the house filled for three days straight took its price. She set down her precious headphones, which were a custom made product only for her, and walked down the stairs and through the door at the backside of the stage.

The small room behind the main hall of the club was sparely furnished, a worn out couch was set in one corner of the room, a low table next to it. This room served mostly for Vinyl to get a break from her job, when the music was getting too loud, even for her. She walked over to the small fridge that had been set up and levitated a bottle of cola out of the lower drawers. Vinyl lay down on the couch and took off her shades, rubbed her eyes and simply let her head sink into the pillow.

''Vinyl? Are you in there?'' The most melodic tones a voice could produce sounded into Vinyl's ears, coming from behind the door. ''Sure am, come in!'' The door opened and what stepped in was the mare of Vinyl's heart.

Sleek figure, well combed, jet black mane and a coat of the color of gray marble. The treble clef and the cute pink bow tie that hung around her neck finished off the image of the high class cellist, who was also Vinyl's club's manager.

''Hey, Tavi, wazzup? Anypony causing trouble?'' Vinyl only cracked one eye open, while hiding the smile that dared to curve her lips. She was in a bliss whenever Octavia was around, and by Celestia, she wanted it to never change. Octavia shook her head and walked over to her marefriend, settling down next to her on the brim of the sofa and sighed in exhaustion.

''No, that is not it, I just feel so tired. What is going on with the sun? We can't keep this up forever, you know? At one point, which will be soon, we have to close. Do you understand?'' Octavia looked deep into Vinyl's one, blood red eye, her concern showing greatly.

Vinyl set up and nuzzled the gray pony's neck. ''I know, Tavi, but look: All these ponies are gonna be so sad when we shut the club. You're right, the thing with the sun is as strange as it gets, but we have to distract them. Besides, have you seen how much we've been making for the last three days?''

Octavia stared back at her for a while, then raised a hoof and massaged her forehead. She stifled a yawn. ''Vinyl, I know that we made lots of profit in these past days, but we can impossibly keep this up much longer. I'm so tired...'' Her head began to lean forward and she caught herself just in time before she would fall over.

Vinyl snickered at her partner's poor condition and drew her into a tender embrace, whilst planting a soft peck onto her forehead. ''Ya know, there's one option how we can get you awake again.'' She had narrowed her eyelids in a quite seductive way and was now playfully nibbling at her ear.

Octavia raised an eyebrow at her mate's attempt, but was more than willing to take the offer. ''And what option would that be?''

Vinyl withdrew from her beloved's ear and locked her lips with those of Octavia. ''You tell me.''

The white unicorn lay Octavia onto her back and began placing one kiss after another over her neck, then her chest and made her way downwards over her belly. Octavia bit her lips and the soft humming from the beginning soon turned into a light moaning the deeper Vinyl reached.

Suddenly, the two lovers were interrupted by a beeping chime that came from behind Octavia's head. Vinyl stopped in her tracks and looked more than mildly disappointed at the gray pony. Said mare longed at the backside of her head, where she pulled out a wire, at the end a small microphone, and tucked it into her ear.

''Octavia here?''

''Yeah, um, Miss Melody, we've got a problem. The last two barrels cider were found to be spoiled and now we have no resources. What shall we do?''

The deep voice of one of the bar ponies echoed well audibly through Octavia's headphones. She sighed once again and looked down her body where Vinyl was still sitting, head resting on Octavia's belly, and looked up at her with a pleading expression.

The gray earth pony uttered an apologetic smile and tenderly stroked Vinyl's messy blue mane. ''I'm sorry, honey, but I guess we just have to save this for another occasion.'' Vinyl pouted and rubbed her cheek against the fur on Octavia's stomach.

The gray mare got up and turned around for a last time, once again smiling at her lover, before proceeding to walk out of the door.

Vinyl let her hoof draw small circles on the mattress of the sofa as she lay on her belly, keeping the warmth that had arisen from the contact with her marefriend tightly clutched to her.

Maybe she was right. Maybe she really needed a break.

Three days. Three days had gone by since the sun had refused to acclaim its former place in the sky, and Vinyl had done what every business mare would have done: Make themost of the situation. Since the first day without sunlight, Club Pon-3 hadn't closed its doors. And since then, Vinyl and her staff had only barely slept.

She drew in the pillow closer to her face and sniffed on it. Octavia's scent was still lingering inside the fabric.

''A beautiful gem you have there''. Vinyl's head snapped back when she heard the voice of an angel speak to her from the corner in her back. Anxiously, she turned around and instantly found the source of the sweet tones. Leaning in the corner of the room, right next to the door, a tall figure was standing, arms crossed and shifting his weight onto one foot, while the other was set against the wall.

Vinyl was too startled to respond to that. First, how did he, if this thing was a he, come into her room without her noticing it? The doorkeepers did one hell of a job keeping strange ponies out, and if this guy had slipped through, she would have to have a word with both of the stallions out at the entrance. Second, what was that thing?

''Uh..I-'', Was all she could manage to bring forth before the man walked around in the small room, straying over to the fridge and taking a look inside. Vinyl scratched her elbow forlornly, not letting the strange guy out of sight a single time.

Eventually, he stood up and walked on to Vinyl. He knelt down to come at eye level with Vinyl, though she still had to look up to him as he topped her by at least a head's length. Angling his right arm before his chest, he bowed slightly. ''But where are my manners? My name is Amaimon, self-determined leader of this country. May I know your name as well?''

The white unicorn gulped down and tried to suppress the uprising nervousness in her gut. Whatever this Amaimon was, Vinyl felt strangely attracted to him, wanting to fulfill every wish he would utter. She noticed his flashy red eyes, that soaked her in like a vortex, as well as the two triangular edges of two uncommonly long teeth sticking from beneath his upper lip.

She gasped. Long ago, when she was just a little filly, her parents had told her about the spooky things that lurked in the darkness. Of ghosts and werewolves and more. But they had always mentioned that vampires would be the most dangerous of them all, that they would creep into your room at night, steal you away, hypnotize you and then drink your blood.

Vinyl had always thought of them as good late night stories, but never had she thought that there could even be a spark of truth to them. The man standing before her proofed them real. Too real. She wanted to get away, but something inside her held her firmly in place. She urged her legs to move; without success.

Seeing that she was helplessly caught, she stared anxiously into those burning dots before her face and desperately tried her best to stand her mare. ''V-Vinyl Scratch.'' Her voice was shaking like she had just come out from a frozen lake.

the man smiled charmingly and nodded. ''A very uncommon name. I like it. Say, Vinyl, I couldn't but overhear the conversation you were having with that other girl and it occurred to me that you are having a problem in terms of keeping this- what did you call it?- club open.'' He stood up and walked back to the small fridge.

He picked up a black can with three neon-green stripes that looked like three sharp claws had dug into the metal. He sniffed on it and tossed it away, while rubbing his nose. ''What if I told you, that there is a way to help you out of your dilemma? A way, that, if you are willing to take my offer, allows you to keep this club going on and on and on? Interested?''

Like a thick mist, haziness shrouded around Vinyl's thoughts. Maybe it was the fatigue, or the lack of fresh air in this room, but Vinyl felt like she would collapse any second on the ground. She wouldn't tell Octavia, but she was at the limit of her strength, too. Now here she was, just barely trying not to fall down and sleep, and a creature of many horror-stories was standing right before her, offering her a way to keep on going.

''I...take...your offer.'' Her head was bobbing down and her lids felt like lead, but she had to maintain upright. Amaimon strolled back and once again knelt before her, raising her chin, so she would look into his eyes. ''Very well then. Only one last thing: In exchange for my gift, you are going to do me a favor, alright?''

The DJ could only nod, while the words that were clinging to her became more and more feint and soon faded away completely.

''Take a drink whenever you feel like it, and tell those who you have bitten to do so as well. And for now, good night, Vinyl Scratch, when you awake, you shall be my child....''