Blood Ponies

Chapter 3

Derpy Hooves flew haphazardly through her delivery route. Everywhere she went, ponies ducked for cover as the clumsy pegasus weaved by. Packages rained down on those unfortunate few who received deliveries from her. When she finally went on her lunch break, she chose the Sugarcube Corner as her pit stop site.

The bells on the door rang as Derpy stumbled into the shop, kicking a stray bucket off of her hoof as she did so. Pinkie Pie watched her carefully, smiling so that her teeth wouldn’t show.
“Well, hi there, Derpy,” said the pink pony cheerily. She was already getting used to sunlight again, and she felt good enough that the cheeriness was real. “How are you today?”
“Not too good,” answered the pegasus. Pinkie had to giggle at her voice; it was just so adorable. “I’ve been dropping everypony’s deliveries all over the place. Sometimes, I even drop the deliveries onto the ponies themselves!”
“Well come over here, and I’ll give you the usual,” smiled Pinkie, bringing a steaming plate of muffins to the counter. Derpy licked her lips and started towards the counter to pay, but slipped on a cupcake wrapper and whacked her flank off of a table.

The sight of it almost made Pinkie laugh, but Derpy’s tears were enough to dispel the humor; she was hurt. Pinkie rushed over to help her to the stool by the muffins.

“Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, but the sudden smell of blood made her thoughts go fuzzy.

“I think I cut my flank,” answered Derpy, sniffling as she talked.

“I – I can see that,” remarked Pinkie, gazing at the wound hungrily.

Suddenly, Pinkie turned and buried her fangs into her guest’s neck. The only thing that stopped her from feeding was Derpy’s shouts of pain.

“Ow!” squealed the pegasus. “Pinkie, that hurts! Get off!”

“Sorry,” apologized the pony. “I slipped too. I really need to clean in here.” She laughed nervously, looking at Derpy’s pained face. “Well, here, take your muffins. No charge this time.”

“Why are they free this time?” asked the teary-eyed pegasus.

“For the injury,” answered Pinkie.

“But I always get hurt,” replied Derpy. “Nobody ever gives me free stuff any other time.”

“Well, I just feel like it’s my fault is all.”

“But it isn’t,” started Derpy. “It’s-”

“Don’t you have a schedule to stick to?” smiled Pinkie, pointing to the wall clock. Derpy looked at it and sped out the door; her break was over.

  

Some time later, Steampunk walked in. She pushed up her tinted goggles as she entered, letting them rest in their customary place just under her hairline. She was muttering grumpily to herself.

“I knew those goggles weren’t just for show,” remarked Pinkie, surprised to see her friend out during the day. “Say, what’s wrong?”

Steampunk grunted. “Some ditzy pegasus with yellow eyes delivered a package to the shop,” she grumbled unhappily.

“Oh, you mean Derpy,” chirped Pinkie. “Why is it bad that she visited?”

“Have you seen her?” shouted Steampunk. “She tripped over a board and fell, breaking several plows in the process!”

“Oh, that’s okay,” comforted Pinkie. “Everypony knows you’re the best mechanic in Equestria. You can fix those plows right up, good as new!”

“That’s not the point,” whined Steampunk. “It’ll take me forever to get back on schedule now!” She stepped in the very same bucket that Derpy had kicked off her own hoof, and fell flat on her face. Pinkie couldn’t help herself; she burst into gales of laughter. At that point, Spike wandered in, looking slightly confused.

“Well, hello Spikey-wikey,” greeted Pinkie. “How are you?”

“I had the weirdest dream last night,” he answered. “I dreamed you all were eating something huge out in the Everfree Forest. It almost looked like a griffon.”

“That is pretty weird,” Pinkie said, winking at Steampunk.

“Tell me about it,” answered the mechanic.

  

Over in Canterlot, Luna and Celestia strolled through the streets, greeting everypony who passed by.

“Oh, Tia, I’m so glad to be back,” said Luna happily. “I felt so horrible those thousand years I was locked away.”

“Believe me, dear sister,” smiled Celestia. “I felt a hundred times worse. One should never have to lock up one's own family.” They walked on in silence for a while longer, until they reached the castle.

“Well,” started Luna. “I have to go bring up the moon. Goodnight, Tia.” With that, the black alicorn turned and flew up to her balcony. Smiling, Celestia walked up to her own room and snuggled under her covers. It was good to have her sister back.

  

Luna landed on her balcony and was startled by a sudden voice.

“Greetings, princess,” said Twilight, stepping out of the shadows and kneeling. “It is good to see you again.”

“Twilight Sparkle,” answered a surprised Luna. “How in Equestria did you get in here?” There was a different feel to this subject, one that seemed familiar.

“I teleported in,” replied Twilight with a grin. Luna saw her teeth and gasped. She suddenly knew where she knew this aura.

“Child,” gasped Luna. “You are a vampyre?” There was a touch of glee to her voice. It had been ages since any Equestrian citizen had been a child of the night, those who are favored by Luna herself.

“Yes, as are the rest of my friends,” replied Twilight. “I must ask a favor. Please don’t let Celestia know about this. I still wish to be her pupil.”

“But of course, child!” exclaimed Luna happily. “Oh, it has been so long since I have seen a vampire! It really is too bad that Blood Ruby turned evil. You know, vampyres used to exist alongside ponykind in peace, but a few bad eggs spoil the basket, I guess.”

“You knew Blood Ruby?” asked Twilight as she sat down.

“Goodness, yes, child!” exclaimed Luna as she brought the moon up and the sun down. “She was the first to receive the gift, and it came directly from me. From what I’ve read, she turned evil shortly after my…imprisonment. As such, the residents of Ponyville, then but a small village, had to destroy her. Quite a sad end, really.”

Twilight smiled thinly. “I think she’s the one who bit Fluttershy and started all this,” she said. “Fluttershy described her perfectly, and she had never even heard of the legend before.”

“Well,” thought Luna. “I do suppose her ghost could still be haunting the Everfree Forest.” She paused, looking at her subject. “Has anyone else seen her?”

“Not to my knowledge, no.” Twilight could remember no strange sightings in recent Ponyville history.

“Well then, I am afraid I know not what is going on,” Luna frowned.

“Just please don’t let Princess Celestia find out about this,” begged Twilight.

“Don’t let me find out about what?” came Celestia’s angry voice as she entered the bedroom.

  

Two winged ponies flew through the air above Equestria, each beat of their dragon-like wings propelling them through the darkening sky. The two landed upon a small cliff in the Everfree Forest.

“Apollyon,” said the mare. “What do you think will happen now?”

“Well, Lillith,” replied the stallion. “Now that we have resurrected Blood Ruby, we can sit and watch the carnage unfold.” The stallion was tall, dark gray with a dusting of black around his muzzle. His piercing eyes were bright red, with snakelike pupils. His hooves were black as midnight, and a pair of twisting horns rose from his mane of black and crimson.

“Ah, that’s always a great plan,” chuckled the mare in response. She was shorter than her counterpart, with sharp, gray eyes. Her pelt was orange as the pits of pony hell, the blood splatters that covered her having long since become a natural design on her pelt. A single, sharp unicorn horn rose from a mane of blonde and bright red. Her tail, by contrast, was blonde with a streak of blue through the middle.

The two had no cutie marks, their special talents far too horrible to deserve such a thing.

“Well, sister,” said Apollyon to the mare. “We should get some sleep.”

“Agreed,” nodded Lillith. “We will need to rest for the coming storm.”

Ω Ω Ω

“Princess!” exclaimed Twilight, panicking and backing up. “I, uh…what are you doing here?” Her flank hit the far wall as Celestia continued her advance.

“I got the feeling that something wasn’t right up here,” glared the princess. “Would you care to explain why you are trespassing in my sister’s bedroom?”

“I let her in,” Luna lied. “I sent for her privately.”

“Fair enough,” replied Celestia, relaxing a little. “But why do you wish to keep secrets from me, Twilight Sparkle?” She turned her piercing gaze back upon the unicorn, who was writhing in nervousness.

“You might as well tell her,” sighed Luna resignedly.

“Tell me what?” asked Celestia. She caught a glimpse of Twilight’s mouth as she licked her lips nervously. “Twilight,” Celestia said softly. “Open your mouth, please.” Twilight was trembling now, but did as she was told. Celestia nodded her head. “I thought so,” she mumbled.

“Princess, please let me remain your student,” begged Twilight. “Don’t throw me out because of this.”

“Dear child,” scolded Celestia. “Don’t you remember my first lesson? Do not judge something because of what it is. I know that this was not your doing, and if you wish, I can cure you right now. Either way, you will still be my faithful student.”

Twilight nodded, tears rimming her eyes. “I want to stay like this,” she said.

“Very well,” replied Celestia with a smile. “And tell your friends they have no need to worry, so long as they don’t cause too much trouble. Now get going.” Twilight smiled and teleported out of the castle, back to Ponyville.

Her friends were waiting for her, and they would be hungry.

  

Steampunk sat quietly behind her friends, who all talked amongst themselves. For the first time in a few days, Rarity was with them. Steampunk didn’t much care for the fashionista, as she had spent a full fifteen minutes degrading Steampunk’s clothing. Lucky for Rarity, the others noticed that Steampunk was gritting her teeth and that her gun was training upon Rarity’s forehead, so they stopped the unicorn’s rant. Now they were all waiting for Twilight to return.

“Where did she go?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“She said something about visiting Luna,” answered Pinkie Pie. “Steampunk also said that Twilight had been a little bothered by recent events.”

“Not so much that as how Princess Celestia would react to us all being vampyres,” corrected Steampunk. Rarity rolled her eyes.

“Oh please,” she scoffed. “That unicorn is always worried about something. She needs to learn to settle down.”

“Okay, I’ve just about enough of you,” snarled Steampunk, her eyes flaring angrily. “Do you criticize everything you see, or just those that are supposed to be your friends? I swear to Luna, you have not shut up since I met you!”

“Well,” replied Rarity, defiantly pressing her face to Steampunk’s. “I criticized you because you obviously need help dressing appropriately.”

Steampunk’s eyes widened. “Oh, that is so bucking it, you bitch,” she whispered. She tackled Rarity and punched her in the gut. Dash managed to pull her off of the outmatched unicorn.

“That is enough,” shouted Applejack. “Rar’, you know better that to act like this. Do we need to go through what happens when you act like a bitch?”

“No,” mumbled Rarity, who was still trying to catch her breath. “You don’t.”

“Good,” replied Applejack. “And Steampunk, sugar, ya can’t mind her. She’s a good pony, to be sure. Ya just gotta get to know her. Believe me; we all had problems with her at some point. You’ll get to likin’ her soon enough; trust me.”

“I don’t think that’s happening,” muttered Steampunk.

“If you would like,” said Rarity when the air returned to her lungs. “I can make you a jacket that will much better go with your hair. The current one is, well, it’s hideous. You really should burn it.”

“Take it back!” screamed Steampunk. Dash held her back before she could pummel the unicorn again. “Take it back, you stupid, self-righteous, criticizing whore! Take it back right bucking now!” Her gun had begun to whir menacingly, and an insane fire had filled Steampunk’s eyes. She meant to kill Rarity.

Rarity finally saw that she had pushed too far, and her eyes filled with fear. She stammered an apology, and Steampunk turned away, kicking dirt in her face before walking over to Pinkie. Everyone stared at her, amazed and frightened by the sudden change in the mechanic.

“What the hay was that about?” asked Dash. “I’ve never seen you get that angry before.”

“This jacket was my mother’s,” answered Steampunk, looking directly at Rarity. “She was the one person other than my own brother who loved me. She died protecting me when I was twelve. This is all I have to remember her sacrifice by.” Tears had begun to well in Steampunk’s eyes. Rarity looked at the ground.

“I’m so sorry darling, I truly had no idea,” she apologized. Steampunk knew that it was heartfelt. “Forgive me my insensitivity.”

“Just don’t ever say that again,” Steampunk replied. “We can be friends as long as you don’t ever say that or anything like it again.” Rarity nodded in response, relieved that this earth pony was on her side.

Ω Ω Ω

Chaos trotted through the strange town that he had gotten lost outside of, his radioactive-green eyes scanning everything curiously. His oddly shaped mohawk of vibrant red and cyan bobbed with every movement. His tail matched the colors of his mane, drawing glances from passersby. He saw a group of females in the distance, and grinned devilishly to himself, not caring that his teeth were showing.

He galloped over to the group and cleared his throat politely. He saw a familiar pony; Steampunk looked his way, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Chaos!” she shouted in surprise. “It’s been forever, man!”

Everypony else turned at the mention of the DJ’s name. He had risen to a level of small-time fame a few towns over, and even had a few fans in Ponyville, Dash being the biggest of them. The pegasus gasped and walked over to him.

“Um, hello,” the stallion replied in a slightly confused tone. “Where exactly am I, Steampunk? And who are these interesting mares?” Dash giggled at the last remark, drawing another curious glance from the newcomer.

“You’re in Ponyville, man,” laughed Steampunk. “And these are my friends. The one staring at you would be Rainbow Dash.” Chaos’s ears twitched. He had heard that name before.

“You wrote me all those letters,” he said to the pegasus. She blushed and muttered that it was no big deal. “Nonsense,” he replied. “Your notes actually helped me out a lot. It seemed you would write me one every time I was starting to give up on my music. I appreciate the gesture.” He chuckled as she blushed even harder.

“Thanks,” she muttered in response. Chaos nodded his head.

“Guys, this is D4rkh34rt, Chaos Darkheart by birth,” Steampunk said. “We met shortly before I came here, and were pretty good friends. Don’t worry, he’s cool. Show ‘em.” Chaos grinned, the corners of his mouth stretching almost impossibly wide. He did not possess a pair of fangs. Rather, all of his teeth were razor-sharp needles of bone.

“Kickass,” gasped Rainbow Dash in awe. “Wish I had teeth like that. Feeding would be so much more fun.”

“He’s a unique vampyre,” explained Steampunk. “He consumes flesh instead of just blood, so his teeth have adapted to fit their purpose.” Just then, Samuel’s voice boomed out.

“Steampunk!” he shouted. Steampunk turned pale and looked at everyone. “Would you kindly explain why Macintosh and I are now vampyres?” Samuel’s eyes reflected his confusion and anger as he advanced on his sister.

“Um, that was me an’ Twi’,” Applejack answered quietly. “The two of us also kinda…well, we had a snack. Only a few cups though, I swear!” Big Macintosh gazed at her thoughtfully.

“Yer very lucky that Granny Smith wasn’t around,” he said. “She’da durn well up’n died from fright if she had seen us.”

At that point, a small orange blur blasted into Chaos’s side, knocking him onto the ground. When he looked over, he saw a very dazed Scootaloo rubbing her head and looking at him.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I lost control of my flight path.” Chaos nodded at her, smiling. His ears twitched again as he heard the others talking carelessly; no one had noticed the filly’s entrance.

“Don’t worry, Mac,” Rainbow was saying. “You’ll like being a vampyre. Luna knows I do.”

A small gasp startled everyone. They turned and saw a now-standing Scootaloo staring wide-eyed at Dash. “You’re…what?” she asked.

“Uh, well,” Dash stuttered. “That is to say, well, I was-”

“I want to be one too!” Scootaloo blurted. Everypony stared at the small, orange filly.

“Uh, squirt,” mumbled Rainbow Dash. “I don’t know; you’re a bit young…”

“I don’t care!” the purple-maned pegasus suddenly shouted. “I want to be like you! Just like you!’

“Calm down, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “Dash’ll do it if it’s what y’all really want. Ain’t that right, Dash?” Dash looked at the ground and grumbled.

“So,” started the mohawked pony. “Has Steampunk finally grown a pair and fed yet?”

“Bite me,” retorted Steampunk, her ear flapping at the banter.

“Mmm, don’t tempt me, gorgeous,” grinned Chaos, clicking his needlepoint teeth playfully. Steampunk giggled, prompting Samuel to clear his throat menacingly.

After some time, the group decided to head into the forest, where it was at least shady. Along the way, Scootaloo broke away to go to school, drawing a relieved sigh from everypony.

“We finally can quit watchin’ what we say!” remarked Applejack.

“What exactly happened last night…?” asked Samuel in his usual eloquent manner, so different from Steampunk’s casual tone.

“Oh, uh…well…” the orange mare chuckled nervously. “We all got drunk…an’ we kinda…had an orgy…” Samuel and Big Mac stopped in their tracks, staring at her as Chaos collapsed in a fit of laughter.

She would spend all day explaining why it had happened.