Vampiricalby ToxicityChaptersPrologue - Bloody NightmaresChapter 1 - The NewcomerChapter 2 - The PartyChapter 3 - The End(?)Prologue - Bloody NightmaresVision blurry, Twilight Sparkle ran through the town of Ponyville, the town that she has called home, she would now give anything to get away from. Barely anything was visible due to the severe absence of light during the night time. She was only able to see things within a few meters of her. Her thoughts were scattered, she couldn't keep them all in one place, many words were appearing in her mind, run, escape, fangs, blood, and survive, to name a few. The biggest two in her mind however, were run and survive. The dark-blue, demonic pegasus was not too far behind, Twilight could hear him galloping towards her. She already knew her best chances were in the Everfree Forest, maybe she could lose him there... Twilight darted away from him as fast as she could, trying to find an exit. At this point, she realized she had run too deep into the forest, everything was unfamiliar to her... She galloped as quickly as her body allowed her to. She hoped the light of Luna's Moon would be around the next corner, and she could escape with enough time to return to the library and seal Spike and herself away. Twilight's panic was causing a large adrenaline rush, all of her senses heightened, she heard the twigs breaking under her feet, and the ones behind her as well. She reacted faster than she had before hand, but her senses weren't helping her get back out of the forest. The forest was becoming an everlasting maze, and her hopes of losing the pegasus in it began to diminish. She summoned all of her strength to keep herself running, remembering what she read in a book on survival situations, she ran in a zigzag pattern, trying to shake off the monster hunting her. She came to a river and stopped for a moment, What do I do?! What do I do?! Think Twilight, think! Twilight's mind rushed to find an escape route. She was stopped by the bank of the river, hoping for a moment to think, when she heard the sound of hoovesteps behind her. Without letting herself continue her thoughts, Twilight jumped across the rocks sticking up above the waters. She looked back, out of breath, figuring, and praying, that she stalled him a bit. The pegasus smirked and stretched out his wings. Twilight turned back to the forest and tried to return to her previous speed, but she was getting tired, and he knew it just as well as she did. Even if she was tired, she wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon, but fate had other plans. Being unable to see in front of her, Twilight smacked her hoof into a tree root that was extruding from the ground. Gasping from the pain, Twilight's last breath slipped out from under her, and her knees buckled beneath her. She forced herself to crawl into the surrounding trees, hoping she could rest for a moment. She looked at her left hoof, the blood was still flowing freely from it. She covered it with a leaf, it was stinging more than the time when she was stung by a few hundred bees. Twilight was praying that it wouldn't attract the pegasus. The forest had gone almost silent, she knew that meant he was near. She heard his bone-chilling laughter, though she couldn't identify from where it originated. She stood up and concentrated her attention and her remaining energy, she would do anything in her power to prevent what was about to happen, out of fear and rage, Twilight used focused bursts of a telekinesis spell and propelled it into the surrounding trees, hoping one would hit it's target and force him back. After she finished the burst of magic, the pegasus began to speak to Twilight, although he had not yet revealed himself. "I'm quite thirsty right now, and you are looking like quite delicious little treat..." Twilight wasn't sure whether to be complimented or disgusted from that comment. Twilight looked in all directions, hoping to get a clear picture of his location. "You see Twilight," The thought of him saying her name so nicely in the current situation disgusted her. "I'm your nightmare, I can sense your fear, and I can decide your fate, but I'm just not sure of what to choose, so I want your opinion, an eternity of suffering the same fate as me, or death from blood loss? Which would you like? Its your choice." She felt sickened by the both options, but she knew which would be smarter and safer, for her and her friends. "Death." She replied, the hatred of both options was seeping through her words. She scanned the area once again, this time, Twilight saw him, the blue pegasus, the demon tormenting her, the only mythical creature she was sure existed. Looking at him up close like this, she clearly saw the blood red eyes, the malicious smile, and his sharp white fangs. Twilight froze in fear, unable to react. "Eternal suffering it is. Welcome to my hell." He said coldly just before he lunged at her. ... Twilight sat straight up in her bed, tears filling her eyes. She sobbed, the pain feeling so real to her. Spike poked his head through the doorway, "Twilight? Are you OK?" He entered the room and looked at her, making sure to approach slowly. He sat on the bed next to her, "Another one of those nightmares?" He asked with the same care that he always had for her, the care of a best friend. She looked up at him and nodded slightly, her eyes still filled with tears, which were now beginning to stain her pillow. He put his claws gently on her back, "It's OK Twilight, you remember how you told me nightmares are just part of an over-arc...over-ak... uh...what's that word?" She thought for a second then replied to him, beginning to sob less. "O-Overactive?" She said with a sniff. Spike nodded, "Right, an overactive imagination?" She nodded, her tears beginning to dry up. "You just need to remember that lesson that you taught me, those nightmares can't hurt you, and they can never come true." She stopped crying completely and wiped her eyes with her hooves. "T-Thanks Spike." She stammered. "I needed t-that." He smiled happily, "That's what I'm here for, sister." Twilight smiled back. She yawned, tired now that she had calmed down. "Let's get some rest, we have to be awake to see the comet in it's full glory tomorrow." Spike yawned as well, still tired from just waking up. "I agree with you there." Twilight was about to lay her head down when she looked at her pillow again. "Maybe after changing my pillow sheets." She laughed slightly, and spike joined in too. Things will be better tomorrow, Twilight reminded herself. and you know it. Chapter 1 - The NewcomerTwilight read off her checklist, being very diligent, making sure not one item was missed, "Hmm, OK. First on the list... Lemonade." She turned her head to the table, there was a pitcher of freshly made lemonade with the perfect ratio of lemons, sugar, and ice-cubes in it, Twilight had done the calculations herself. "Next, Salads." She turned her head to the basket laying on the table next to the lemonade. After laying down her notepad, Twilight levitated the basket to her. She opened it to check it's contents, six regular salads with ranch dressing, and one with a few jewels in it, a gift to Spike from Rarity. Twilight closed the basket and moved it back by the lemonade, and picked up her list. "OK, finally, we have the main course, the sandwiches." She looked slightly to the left of the basket, a stack of four sandwiches high, with seven rows, enough for everypony to have four sandwiches, and split the extras if necessary. She checked each row to find that one sandwich was missing, "Spike!" She called. Spike hurried down the staircase. "Yeah, Twilight?" She began to ask the same thing she was asking herself, "Did you see the last-" She turned to spike, who had breadcrumbs all over his face. "Last what, Twilight?". Twilight giggled. "Nevermind, Spike." As the sun began to set, the two began their walk to the edge of the Everfree Forest, where Twilight and her friends had arranged a meeting to see the unnamed comet, which was just spotted only a few weeks ago. Twilight trotted through the streets of Ponyville with Spike sitting on her back, the picnic basket in hoof. While crossing a bridge, her vision went black for a split-second, and when it returned, the path in front of her was blood stained. She stopped dead in her tracks, This was from my nightmare... She snapped back to reality when Spike asked her why she stopped, she shook her head and put one hoof up to it. "Sorry Spike, I got a little dizzy." He dismissed the event as quickly as Twilight wished that she could. Twilight saw her friends waiting in the distance, sitting at the edge of the forest, they were all looking up at Rainbow Dash, who was showing her newest tricks before the comet came into view. Twilight approached her friends, "Hey everypony, I brought the food." Rainbow Dash landed, and everypony began to greet Twilight and Spike. "Howdy Twi, Howdy Spike." Applejack greeted them, her hat tilted backwards from looking upwards at Dash. Pinkie approached, wearing a popcorn bucket as a hat and 3-D glasses "Hey Twilight! Hey Spike! You guys ready to get this party started?!" They both nodded, they were quite ready, they had been anticipating this for a few weeks now. Rainbow Dash was next "What's up, Twilight? Sup spike?". Rarity was after her, Spike instantly smiled as she came near. "Hello Twilight. And hello there, Spikey-Wikey." Spike didn't speak, he was was mesmerized by her. Fluttershy approached slowly and quietly to them. "Oh, hi Twilight. Hi Spike.". After greeting them all back, they had unpacked the food and drink they brought along and distributed them evenly, again, all calculated by Twilight. Everypony dug in, enjoying every bite of the well prepared meal. Twilight finished the last bites of her food when she'd heard a Twig snap in the forest. She turned her head to where the sound originated. It was a few meters from them, but Twilight was the only one who noticed it. A few leaves on the tree above the border shook, then a dark blue pegasus flew up and out of the trees, and landed on the other side of the border. Twilight stared at him, Why does he look so familiar... Something about him... She looked at the ground for a moment, trying to think of where she had seen him before. After a few moments, her mind clicked. My nightmare... She looked back up, he had the same hair as the pony from her nightmare minus the bloody outline, his tail was the same in that sense, the only differences were his eyes, they weren't red, they were a golden-brown like color, and the fact that he didn't seem vicious. Something was odd about him though, his facial expression looked pained, as though he were starved for a thousand years. He continued on, walking towards Ponyville, and Twilight couldn't dismiss the fact that he looked so perfectly close to the Pony of her nightmares. Twilight was in deep thought when Rainbow Dash called her name, "Yo, Twilight!" She turned towards her friend. The group looked at her oddly, then Applejack spoke up, "Are ya OK, Sugar-cube? Y'all look like ya just seen a ghost!" Twilight shook her head, trying to shake off her thoughts. "Sorry, I thought I just saw someone." Applejack gave her a narrow-eyed look, obviously not buying Twilight's story, however, she was the only one who didn't. The group talked quietly among themselves until the comet came into view. Pinkie was the one to spot it, "Ooh! Look at that teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy speck of light up there! Is that it? I bet that's it!" They turned their attention to the comet, which was in a perfect location almost directly above them. Twilight however, was not paying attention to it, she was more worried about the pony that had just escaped her nightmares and walked directly into the town she lived in. After the comet passed, everyone returned to their homes and gone directly to sleep, with the exception of Twilight, that is. She remained awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if she had truly seen the pegasus, or if she was going certifiably insane. She thought about it again, No, he couldn't have been real...it was probably like at the bridge, I was just seeing things... She banished any further thoughts about it from her mind, and went to sleep. The next morning, Pinkie Pie came to Twilight's door with an stack of envelopes in her mouth, knowing Pinkie well, Twilight asked the almost obvious question, "Party Invite?" Pinkie nodded with a large grin on her face. Pinkie sat the envelopes down. "It's for a new pony in town!" Twilight's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened at the envelopes on the floor. Pinkie was in enough joy that her eyes were closed, so she didn't notice. "I think his name was Toxic-kitty or something..." She put a hoof up to her mouth, trying to recall the name. Twilight spoke slowly, she knew the real name well. "Toxicity..." Pinkie's eyes lit up, "Yeah! That was it!" The clock in Twilight's house tolled. Pinkie gasped, "Oh no! I had better get the rest of the invitations out! See ya later, Twilight!" Pinkie trotted away, humming a tune. Twilight closed the door, and stood completely still. Disbelief was the largest emotion she felt, If he's here...then Celestia save me. She took a moment to think again. If he's here, then Celestia save all of us! Chapter 2 - The PartyTwilight was remembering scenes from her nightmare on her way to the party, scenes of blood and gore, death, and fear. The scenes flashed through her mind like photographs in an album, then she saw him again. Trying to not look like she was going insane, she buried her thoughts, although all the events as of late were almost irrepressible. She continued on. Her vision and memory of the past and current moments were flashing before her like photos. She remembered walking up to the door, colored strobe lights visible from the windows, entering the party, then everything snapped back into reality. Twilight looked around the room until she spotted the dark blue pegasus, he was at the DJ table, where Pinkie and Vinyl Scratch were having a conversation. He was scanning the room, seemingly looking for someone, his eyes stopped on her. He stared for a moment, an expression of deep pain and worry was on his face, he then quickly turned his attention away from her. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy had already been up at the DJ table, Pinkie had also already introduced them to Toxicity. Pinkie noticed Twilight, standing at the side of the room, staring at Toxicity. She motioned for Twilight to join her at the DJ table with her hoof. Twilight reluctantly approached, hoping that Spike was correct when saying that nightmares can't come true. As she stepped up next to her, Pinkie began introducing Toxicity to Twilight. "Tox, this is one of my bestest most super fantastically amazing friend in the world, Twilight!" He turned around to look at her.. He stared at her for a moment, his expression was, once again, worried. He finally reacted again and gave a friendly smile. "...Nice to meet you, Twilight." He held out his hoof. She extended hers, bumping hooves with him. "...Nice to meet you too." She noticed the oddity of her voice, she sounded like Fluttershy when Twilight first met her. Twilight looked out at the party going on around her, Wow, I guess I've been so focused on...him, to even notice how many ponies are here, its like Pinkie invited all of Ponyville...Well...I guess I shouldn't really be surprised... Toxicity stared at her again, the expression of worry had returned to him. Unknown to Twilight, Toxicity was paying more attention to her than she had been to him. Her blood...She's a pureblooded pony...I could never forget that aroma... His mind felt like it was snapping in half. He shook his head, hoping he could shake the thoughts. My hunger...its getting to me again. He felt a numbing sensation in his skull. Pure blood... He paused, I haven't had pure blood in decades...It always tasted better... His eyes widened for a second, that wasn't him thinking that. He could feel the other side of him clawing at his mind, trying to get out, trying to take control of him. No! No! No! No! No! Why does she have to be a pureblood? I thought it was safe in this damn town! Toxicity's eyesight became a blue field, with red and yellow blobs where ponies once stood, his "other side" was using his enhanced vision, he could see heat signatures. His other side had control of it, it wanted control of him, and it had one goal. It wanted the blood of the element of magic. His mind racing, he looked for a quick route out of the party. He then spotted a clearing in the crowd, and started for it. He was trying to squeeze through the crowd as fast as he could, finally, after stepping through a hundred ponies, he was able to reach the door and step outside. Finally, I'm out of that situation... He turned around and looked through the door he just exited from. Twilight was following him, and she was already halfway through the crowd. You have got to be kidding me... *Moments Earlier* He doesn't actually seem that bad... Twilight thought to herself. In fact, he seems pretty nice. She felt a wave of relief come over her. I guess Spike was right, nightmares can't come true. She looked at him through the corner of her eye, he seemed conflicted about something. She turned her head slightly so she could see him better, then his eyes flashed a crimson red. Twilight looked ahead and froze, I didn't just see that. I. Did. Not. Just. See. That. Her eyes darted back to the same space he was just standing in. He was gone. She turned her head to the right, just in time to see him maneuvering through the crowd. That couldn't have really happened... She thought about it, Vampires don't exist, he's probably just feeling sick, and I'm probably just going insane. She tried to convince herself that he was just feeling sick, and that she was still seeing things. I should probably check on him. She started down the steps. *Current Time* Toxicity's ability to control himself was fading, he didn't have enough energy to fly away, if he tried, he would end up losing his control, which would end things a way that was not an option. He walked away to avoid suspicion, but Twilight was still following him. He began to uncontrollably flip between his enhanced and normal vision. He wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He became dizzy, causing him to almost fall over and catch himself on a building. Twilight caught up to him. "Oh my gosh. Are you OK?" She asked with concern. "I'm fine...just please...go away..." He replied quickly, hoping she would listen to his warning. "Are you sure, should I go get help?" She continued to ask. Toxicity knew he wasn't getting anywhere. He turned to her, showing his crimson eyes, "Please...for your own good...go..." Twilight's eyes widened, but she didn't budge. "What are you?" She questioned, her expression of concern now that of anger and fear. Toxicity was shaking, his head was throbbing, his vision swimming, and his hunger growing. "What are you?!" She demanded. Toxicity didn't respond, he only collapsed on the ground. Twilight slowly inched her way towards Toxicity, who was laying on the ground, not breathing or moving. "...Toxicity...?" No response. She stepped closer. "Hello?" Nothing. Twilight heard laughter behind her, she turned around, but no one was there, she turned back to look at Toxicity, who was also no longer there. Twilight looked in every direction, he was nowhere in sight. "I must be imagining things again, I probably just walked out here like a dunce," Twilight said with an unsure laugh. "I'm going to scare myself to death one of these times..." She heard a chillingly familiar laugh, and saw a shadow move in front of her. "No." Toxicity said, his red eyes showing through the blackness, his fangs present in a malicious smile. "That's my job." Chapter 3 - The End(?)Twilight had never before run as fast as she was now. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, she was too busy trying to survive. She galloped through the empty streets of Ponyville, passing buildings each second. She saw the bridge that led out of the town and to the everfree forest, Maybe I can at least lead him away from Ponyville. She kept the grim thought on her mind, she would be a sacrifice if necessary. As she darted over the bridge, a board snapped under her hoof, causing that hoof to fall in, she ripped it up and out, taking almost no time to do so. As she sped up, getting back to her original pace, a severe stinging sensation was interrupting her thoughts. Twilight looked down at her leg, still running, it was the same one that had just fallen, and it was now bleeding. Just great, She thought to herself. Now he has a new way to track me... Twilight darted into the forest, tearing through the leaves and shrubs in the area. Timberwolves howled in the areas around her. She was now in utter blackness, but she had known this part, this was the path her and her friends took to find the elements of harmony. If I only had my friends and the elements now... She reached the cliff, the same one she had almost died on, she had a new trick for getting down it now. She slid down the side, a large rock breaking off under her. Perfect. She forced her mind into holding the rock steady below her. As she and the rock slid of the edge, and a few moments later her telekinesis caught it. She lowered herself down to the bottom of the cliff, then stared upwards. Not-Toxicity jumped off the cliff and flew straight down at her, the same malicious smile she had seen moments ago. Or was it moments? Twilight couldn't tell anymore, and she didn't care anymore. She took off again, approaching the river. Oh great, Deja Vu, Twilight? The good thing about having her nightmare be of this situation was that Twilight knew the terrain much better now. She didn't have to stop to jump the rocks, she just hopped across. Once she reached the other side, she took off again, she knew what was behind her. She felt the same drag on her body, her energy diminishing. Twilight dashed ahead, using her remaining adrenaline to force herself to. Her vision became blurry, her adrenaline levels were like a desert, almost completely dry. She tripped on a rock, OK, that wasn't there last time. She tried to pull herself up, but the stinging in her leg had now become a sharp, almost stabbing pain. She needed time to regain some energy, so she pulled herself into a small circle of brush. Twilight knew what was coming next, but she had one more shot to save herself, and she was going to take it. She waited for the cue, she knew it would come, it had in her nightmare. She heard it, the insane laughter of her opponent. Twilight mustered all the magic she could, and converted it into a telekinesis spell, and forced everything around her backwards. She waited for a grunt, or some type of sound that her plan had worked, she didn't get anything. She felt a huge force slam into her side, Toxicity bucked and kicked her over. He then scolded her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You should know better, Twilight. You changed my glorious image, first of all, you were supposed to stop at the rocks. Secondly, you were supposed to use your magic in bursts." Twilight's eyes widened. How did he know that?! He chuckled. "Oh well, I guess I can work with this. It entertained me in the end." He showed himself, walking out slowly into the dim lighting. Twilight prepared for the end. As Toxicity approached, something unexpected happened, he froze, then pulled back suddenly, falling to the ground. "AGH!" Two different voices yelled in pain, one sounded dark, and full of hate, whilst the other was a somewhat lighter, more friendly voice. How she noticed the second voice's difference, while it was yelling, she had no idea. He shoved his hooves up to his temples, his pupils became small, fear in his expression. His eyes flashed back to the friendly golden-brown. "No! You can't! Stop! Get out of my head!" His eyes slowly faded back to the solid red, he was screaming in agony, both the dark voice and friendly voice were screaming at the same time. Toxicity or Not-Toxicity, Twilight wasn't sure anymore, stopped struggling with himself, and gave off a maniacal laugh. "Oh, is that right? You know you can't stop me." He stood again. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, taking the life of the poor, sweet, innocent Twilight Sparkle." He said in a sarcastically sweet voice. Twilight would've been furious, but she was too busy being confused. What the hell is going on? Toxicity smiled, as if something was funny. "Heh, it's quite amusing to see that bafoon attempt to fight me, he never has a chance, I am his better, after all. And trust me, you never had a chance either." The friendly voice was making Twilight sick. "Don't worry Twilight, you don't have to wonder what your fate is. As your nightmare has already shown, you never had a say to begin with." She thought for a moment, even though she was confused on how he knew her nightmare, she restrained that question and asked another. "So no matter what, I was going to die?" She asked, perhaps it was her final question. He seemed almost offended. "Oh my dear Twilight," He said, his face turning to a wry smile. "I was never going to kill you, no, no. I was going to change you, its much more fun to see somepony rip themselves apart in fear of hurting somepony else." He smiled, his fangs glaring with it. She stared at him with wide eyes, not able to bring another sentence to mind. "But hey, you may think of it this way, this may be the end, but it may also be seen as a beginning." He walked right next to her, staring down at her. He forced her over to the ground and stood over her, forcing her to remain on the ground. "The beginning of a living hell." He then lunged quickly at her. Twilight wanted to yell in agony, but she couldn't, everything turned black before she could. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything. Then the images started to flash before her eyes, images of her friends. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity. Her entire mortal life was flashing before her eyes. All the happy moments with her friends, and all the times they triumphed against all odds. Then the fact came to her mind, that if she became like...him...she would never again be able to be near her friends and keep them safe at the same time. Her thoughts only brought more pain to her. Twilight's mind blanked for a moment, and all the images disappeared. Her mind went blank once more, while her body went numb.
Prologue - Bloody NightmaresVision blurry, Twilight Sparkle ran through the town of Ponyville, the town that she has called home, she would now give anything to get away from. Barely anything was visible due to the severe absence of light during the night time. She was only able to see things within a few meters of her. Her thoughts were scattered, she couldn't keep them all in one place, many words were appearing in her mind, run, escape, fangs, blood, and survive, to name a few. The biggest two in her mind however, were run and survive. The dark-blue, demonic pegasus was not too far behind, Twilight could hear him galloping towards her. She already knew her best chances were in the Everfree Forest, maybe she could lose him there... Twilight darted away from him as fast as she could, trying to find an exit. At this point, she realized she had run too deep into the forest, everything was unfamiliar to her... She galloped as quickly as her body allowed her to. She hoped the light of Luna's Moon would be around the next corner, and she could escape with enough time to return to the library and seal Spike and herself away. Twilight's panic was causing a large adrenaline rush, all of her senses heightened, she heard the twigs breaking under her feet, and the ones behind her as well. She reacted faster than she had before hand, but her senses weren't helping her get back out of the forest. The forest was becoming an everlasting maze, and her hopes of losing the pegasus in it began to diminish. She summoned all of her strength to keep herself running, remembering what she read in a book on survival situations, she ran in a zigzag pattern, trying to shake off the monster hunting her. She came to a river and stopped for a moment, What do I do?! What do I do?! Think Twilight, think! Twilight's mind rushed to find an escape route. She was stopped by the bank of the river, hoping for a moment to think, when she heard the sound of hoovesteps behind her. Without letting herself continue her thoughts, Twilight jumped across the rocks sticking up above the waters. She looked back, out of breath, figuring, and praying, that she stalled him a bit. The pegasus smirked and stretched out his wings. Twilight turned back to the forest and tried to return to her previous speed, but she was getting tired, and he knew it just as well as she did. Even if she was tired, she wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon, but fate had other plans. Being unable to see in front of her, Twilight smacked her hoof into a tree root that was extruding from the ground. Gasping from the pain, Twilight's last breath slipped out from under her, and her knees buckled beneath her. She forced herself to crawl into the surrounding trees, hoping she could rest for a moment. She looked at her left hoof, the blood was still flowing freely from it. She covered it with a leaf, it was stinging more than the time when she was stung by a few hundred bees. Twilight was praying that it wouldn't attract the pegasus. The forest had gone almost silent, she knew that meant he was near. She heard his bone-chilling laughter, though she couldn't identify from where it originated. She stood up and concentrated her attention and her remaining energy, she would do anything in her power to prevent what was about to happen, out of fear and rage, Twilight used focused bursts of a telekinesis spell and propelled it into the surrounding trees, hoping one would hit it's target and force him back. After she finished the burst of magic, the pegasus began to speak to Twilight, although he had not yet revealed himself. "I'm quite thirsty right now, and you are looking like quite delicious little treat..." Twilight wasn't sure whether to be complimented or disgusted from that comment. Twilight looked in all directions, hoping to get a clear picture of his location. "You see Twilight," The thought of him saying her name so nicely in the current situation disgusted her. "I'm your nightmare, I can sense your fear, and I can decide your fate, but I'm just not sure of what to choose, so I want your opinion, an eternity of suffering the same fate as me, or death from blood loss? Which would you like? Its your choice." She felt sickened by the both options, but she knew which would be smarter and safer, for her and her friends. "Death." She replied, the hatred of both options was seeping through her words. She scanned the area once again, this time, Twilight saw him, the blue pegasus, the demon tormenting her, the only mythical creature she was sure existed. Looking at him up close like this, she clearly saw the blood red eyes, the malicious smile, and his sharp white fangs. Twilight froze in fear, unable to react. "Eternal suffering it is. Welcome to my hell." He said coldly just before he lunged at her. ... Twilight sat straight up in her bed, tears filling her eyes. She sobbed, the pain feeling so real to her. Spike poked his head through the doorway, "Twilight? Are you OK?" He entered the room and looked at her, making sure to approach slowly. He sat on the bed next to her, "Another one of those nightmares?" He asked with the same care that he always had for her, the care of a best friend. She looked up at him and nodded slightly, her eyes still filled with tears, which were now beginning to stain her pillow. He put his claws gently on her back, "It's OK Twilight, you remember how you told me nightmares are just part of an over-arc...over-ak... uh...what's that word?" She thought for a second then replied to him, beginning to sob less. "O-Overactive?" She said with a sniff. Spike nodded, "Right, an overactive imagination?" She nodded, her tears beginning to dry up. "You just need to remember that lesson that you taught me, those nightmares can't hurt you, and they can never come true." She stopped crying completely and wiped her eyes with her hooves. "T-Thanks Spike." She stammered. "I needed t-that." He smiled happily, "That's what I'm here for, sister." Twilight smiled back. She yawned, tired now that she had calmed down. "Let's get some rest, we have to be awake to see the comet in it's full glory tomorrow." Spike yawned as well, still tired from just waking up. "I agree with you there." Twilight was about to lay her head down when she looked at her pillow again. "Maybe after changing my pillow sheets." She laughed slightly, and spike joined in too. Things will be better tomorrow, Twilight reminded herself. and you know it.
Chapter 1 - The NewcomerTwilight read off her checklist, being very diligent, making sure not one item was missed, "Hmm, OK. First on the list... Lemonade." She turned her head to the table, there was a pitcher of freshly made lemonade with the perfect ratio of lemons, sugar, and ice-cubes in it, Twilight had done the calculations herself. "Next, Salads." She turned her head to the basket laying on the table next to the lemonade. After laying down her notepad, Twilight levitated the basket to her. She opened it to check it's contents, six regular salads with ranch dressing, and one with a few jewels in it, a gift to Spike from Rarity. Twilight closed the basket and moved it back by the lemonade, and picked up her list. "OK, finally, we have the main course, the sandwiches." She looked slightly to the left of the basket, a stack of four sandwiches high, with seven rows, enough for everypony to have four sandwiches, and split the extras if necessary. She checked each row to find that one sandwich was missing, "Spike!" She called. Spike hurried down the staircase. "Yeah, Twilight?" She began to ask the same thing she was asking herself, "Did you see the last-" She turned to spike, who had breadcrumbs all over his face. "Last what, Twilight?". Twilight giggled. "Nevermind, Spike." As the sun began to set, the two began their walk to the edge of the Everfree Forest, where Twilight and her friends had arranged a meeting to see the unnamed comet, which was just spotted only a few weeks ago. Twilight trotted through the streets of Ponyville with Spike sitting on her back, the picnic basket in hoof. While crossing a bridge, her vision went black for a split-second, and when it returned, the path in front of her was blood stained. She stopped dead in her tracks, This was from my nightmare... She snapped back to reality when Spike asked her why she stopped, she shook her head and put one hoof up to it. "Sorry Spike, I got a little dizzy." He dismissed the event as quickly as Twilight wished that she could. Twilight saw her friends waiting in the distance, sitting at the edge of the forest, they were all looking up at Rainbow Dash, who was showing her newest tricks before the comet came into view. Twilight approached her friends, "Hey everypony, I brought the food." Rainbow Dash landed, and everypony began to greet Twilight and Spike. "Howdy Twi, Howdy Spike." Applejack greeted them, her hat tilted backwards from looking upwards at Dash. Pinkie approached, wearing a popcorn bucket as a hat and 3-D glasses "Hey Twilight! Hey Spike! You guys ready to get this party started?!" They both nodded, they were quite ready, they had been anticipating this for a few weeks now. Rainbow Dash was next "What's up, Twilight? Sup spike?". Rarity was after her, Spike instantly smiled as she came near. "Hello Twilight. And hello there, Spikey-Wikey." Spike didn't speak, he was was mesmerized by her. Fluttershy approached slowly and quietly to them. "Oh, hi Twilight. Hi Spike.". After greeting them all back, they had unpacked the food and drink they brought along and distributed them evenly, again, all calculated by Twilight. Everypony dug in, enjoying every bite of the well prepared meal. Twilight finished the last bites of her food when she'd heard a Twig snap in the forest. She turned her head to where the sound originated. It was a few meters from them, but Twilight was the only one who noticed it. A few leaves on the tree above the border shook, then a dark blue pegasus flew up and out of the trees, and landed on the other side of the border. Twilight stared at him, Why does he look so familiar... Something about him... She looked at the ground for a moment, trying to think of where she had seen him before. After a few moments, her mind clicked. My nightmare... She looked back up, he had the same hair as the pony from her nightmare minus the bloody outline, his tail was the same in that sense, the only differences were his eyes, they weren't red, they were a golden-brown like color, and the fact that he didn't seem vicious. Something was odd about him though, his facial expression looked pained, as though he were starved for a thousand years. He continued on, walking towards Ponyville, and Twilight couldn't dismiss the fact that he looked so perfectly close to the Pony of her nightmares. Twilight was in deep thought when Rainbow Dash called her name, "Yo, Twilight!" She turned towards her friend. The group looked at her oddly, then Applejack spoke up, "Are ya OK, Sugar-cube? Y'all look like ya just seen a ghost!" Twilight shook her head, trying to shake off her thoughts. "Sorry, I thought I just saw someone." Applejack gave her a narrow-eyed look, obviously not buying Twilight's story, however, she was the only one who didn't. The group talked quietly among themselves until the comet came into view. Pinkie was the one to spot it, "Ooh! Look at that teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy speck of light up there! Is that it? I bet that's it!" They turned their attention to the comet, which was in a perfect location almost directly above them. Twilight however, was not paying attention to it, she was more worried about the pony that had just escaped her nightmares and walked directly into the town she lived in. After the comet passed, everyone returned to their homes and gone directly to sleep, with the exception of Twilight, that is. She remained awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if she had truly seen the pegasus, or if she was going certifiably insane. She thought about it again, No, he couldn't have been real...it was probably like at the bridge, I was just seeing things... She banished any further thoughts about it from her mind, and went to sleep. The next morning, Pinkie Pie came to Twilight's door with an stack of envelopes in her mouth, knowing Pinkie well, Twilight asked the almost obvious question, "Party Invite?" Pinkie nodded with a large grin on her face. Pinkie sat the envelopes down. "It's for a new pony in town!" Twilight's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened at the envelopes on the floor. Pinkie was in enough joy that her eyes were closed, so she didn't notice. "I think his name was Toxic-kitty or something..." She put a hoof up to her mouth, trying to recall the name. Twilight spoke slowly, she knew the real name well. "Toxicity..." Pinkie's eyes lit up, "Yeah! That was it!" The clock in Twilight's house tolled. Pinkie gasped, "Oh no! I had better get the rest of the invitations out! See ya later, Twilight!" Pinkie trotted away, humming a tune. Twilight closed the door, and stood completely still. Disbelief was the largest emotion she felt, If he's here...then Celestia save me. She took a moment to think again. If he's here, then Celestia save all of us!
Chapter 2 - The PartyTwilight was remembering scenes from her nightmare on her way to the party, scenes of blood and gore, death, and fear. The scenes flashed through her mind like photographs in an album, then she saw him again. Trying to not look like she was going insane, she buried her thoughts, although all the events as of late were almost irrepressible. She continued on. Her vision and memory of the past and current moments were flashing before her like photos. She remembered walking up to the door, colored strobe lights visible from the windows, entering the party, then everything snapped back into reality. Twilight looked around the room until she spotted the dark blue pegasus, he was at the DJ table, where Pinkie and Vinyl Scratch were having a conversation. He was scanning the room, seemingly looking for someone, his eyes stopped on her. He stared for a moment, an expression of deep pain and worry was on his face, he then quickly turned his attention away from her. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy had already been up at the DJ table, Pinkie had also already introduced them to Toxicity. Pinkie noticed Twilight, standing at the side of the room, staring at Toxicity. She motioned for Twilight to join her at the DJ table with her hoof. Twilight reluctantly approached, hoping that Spike was correct when saying that nightmares can't come true. As she stepped up next to her, Pinkie began introducing Toxicity to Twilight. "Tox, this is one of my bestest most super fantastically amazing friend in the world, Twilight!" He turned around to look at her.. He stared at her for a moment, his expression was, once again, worried. He finally reacted again and gave a friendly smile. "...Nice to meet you, Twilight." He held out his hoof. She extended hers, bumping hooves with him. "...Nice to meet you too." She noticed the oddity of her voice, she sounded like Fluttershy when Twilight first met her. Twilight looked out at the party going on around her, Wow, I guess I've been so focused on...him, to even notice how many ponies are here, its like Pinkie invited all of Ponyville...Well...I guess I shouldn't really be surprised... Toxicity stared at her again, the expression of worry had returned to him. Unknown to Twilight, Toxicity was paying more attention to her than she had been to him. Her blood...She's a pureblooded pony...I could never forget that aroma... His mind felt like it was snapping in half. He shook his head, hoping he could shake the thoughts. My hunger...its getting to me again. He felt a numbing sensation in his skull. Pure blood... He paused, I haven't had pure blood in decades...It always tasted better... His eyes widened for a second, that wasn't him thinking that. He could feel the other side of him clawing at his mind, trying to get out, trying to take control of him. No! No! No! No! No! Why does she have to be a pureblood? I thought it was safe in this damn town! Toxicity's eyesight became a blue field, with red and yellow blobs where ponies once stood, his "other side" was using his enhanced vision, he could see heat signatures. His other side had control of it, it wanted control of him, and it had one goal. It wanted the blood of the element of magic. His mind racing, he looked for a quick route out of the party. He then spotted a clearing in the crowd, and started for it. He was trying to squeeze through the crowd as fast as he could, finally, after stepping through a hundred ponies, he was able to reach the door and step outside. Finally, I'm out of that situation... He turned around and looked through the door he just exited from. Twilight was following him, and she was already halfway through the crowd. You have got to be kidding me... *Moments Earlier* He doesn't actually seem that bad... Twilight thought to herself. In fact, he seems pretty nice. She felt a wave of relief come over her. I guess Spike was right, nightmares can't come true. She looked at him through the corner of her eye, he seemed conflicted about something. She turned her head slightly so she could see him better, then his eyes flashed a crimson red. Twilight looked ahead and froze, I didn't just see that. I. Did. Not. Just. See. That. Her eyes darted back to the same space he was just standing in. He was gone. She turned her head to the right, just in time to see him maneuvering through the crowd. That couldn't have really happened... She thought about it, Vampires don't exist, he's probably just feeling sick, and I'm probably just going insane. She tried to convince herself that he was just feeling sick, and that she was still seeing things. I should probably check on him. She started down the steps. *Current Time* Toxicity's ability to control himself was fading, he didn't have enough energy to fly away, if he tried, he would end up losing his control, which would end things a way that was not an option. He walked away to avoid suspicion, but Twilight was still following him. He began to uncontrollably flip between his enhanced and normal vision. He wasn't going to be able to last much longer. He became dizzy, causing him to almost fall over and catch himself on a building. Twilight caught up to him. "Oh my gosh. Are you OK?" She asked with concern. "I'm fine...just please...go away..." He replied quickly, hoping she would listen to his warning. "Are you sure, should I go get help?" She continued to ask. Toxicity knew he wasn't getting anywhere. He turned to her, showing his crimson eyes, "Please...for your own good...go..." Twilight's eyes widened, but she didn't budge. "What are you?" She questioned, her expression of concern now that of anger and fear. Toxicity was shaking, his head was throbbing, his vision swimming, and his hunger growing. "What are you?!" She demanded. Toxicity didn't respond, he only collapsed on the ground. Twilight slowly inched her way towards Toxicity, who was laying on the ground, not breathing or moving. "...Toxicity...?" No response. She stepped closer. "Hello?" Nothing. Twilight heard laughter behind her, she turned around, but no one was there, she turned back to look at Toxicity, who was also no longer there. Twilight looked in every direction, he was nowhere in sight. "I must be imagining things again, I probably just walked out here like a dunce," Twilight said with an unsure laugh. "I'm going to scare myself to death one of these times..." She heard a chillingly familiar laugh, and saw a shadow move in front of her. "No." Toxicity said, his red eyes showing through the blackness, his fangs present in a malicious smile. "That's my job."
Chapter 3 - The End(?)Twilight had never before run as fast as she was now. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, she was too busy trying to survive. She galloped through the empty streets of Ponyville, passing buildings each second. She saw the bridge that led out of the town and to the everfree forest, Maybe I can at least lead him away from Ponyville. She kept the grim thought on her mind, she would be a sacrifice if necessary. As she darted over the bridge, a board snapped under her hoof, causing that hoof to fall in, she ripped it up and out, taking almost no time to do so. As she sped up, getting back to her original pace, a severe stinging sensation was interrupting her thoughts. Twilight looked down at her leg, still running, it was the same one that had just fallen, and it was now bleeding. Just great, She thought to herself. Now he has a new way to track me... Twilight darted into the forest, tearing through the leaves and shrubs in the area. Timberwolves howled in the areas around her. She was now in utter blackness, but she had known this part, this was the path her and her friends took to find the elements of harmony. If I only had my friends and the elements now... She reached the cliff, the same one she had almost died on, she had a new trick for getting down it now. She slid down the side, a large rock breaking off under her. Perfect. She forced her mind into holding the rock steady below her. As she and the rock slid of the edge, and a few moments later her telekinesis caught it. She lowered herself down to the bottom of the cliff, then stared upwards. Not-Toxicity jumped off the cliff and flew straight down at her, the same malicious smile she had seen moments ago. Or was it moments? Twilight couldn't tell anymore, and she didn't care anymore. She took off again, approaching the river. Oh great, Deja Vu, Twilight? The good thing about having her nightmare be of this situation was that Twilight knew the terrain much better now. She didn't have to stop to jump the rocks, she just hopped across. Once she reached the other side, she took off again, she knew what was behind her. She felt the same drag on her body, her energy diminishing. Twilight dashed ahead, using her remaining adrenaline to force herself to. Her vision became blurry, her adrenaline levels were like a desert, almost completely dry. She tripped on a rock, OK, that wasn't there last time. She tried to pull herself up, but the stinging in her leg had now become a sharp, almost stabbing pain. She needed time to regain some energy, so she pulled herself into a small circle of brush. Twilight knew what was coming next, but she had one more shot to save herself, and she was going to take it. She waited for the cue, she knew it would come, it had in her nightmare. She heard it, the insane laughter of her opponent. Twilight mustered all the magic she could, and converted it into a telekinesis spell, and forced everything around her backwards. She waited for a grunt, or some type of sound that her plan had worked, she didn't get anything. She felt a huge force slam into her side, Toxicity bucked and kicked her over. He then scolded her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You should know better, Twilight. You changed my glorious image, first of all, you were supposed to stop at the rocks. Secondly, you were supposed to use your magic in bursts." Twilight's eyes widened. How did he know that?! He chuckled. "Oh well, I guess I can work with this. It entertained me in the end." He showed himself, walking out slowly into the dim lighting. Twilight prepared for the end. As Toxicity approached, something unexpected happened, he froze, then pulled back suddenly, falling to the ground. "AGH!" Two different voices yelled in pain, one sounded dark, and full of hate, whilst the other was a somewhat lighter, more friendly voice. How she noticed the second voice's difference, while it was yelling, she had no idea. He shoved his hooves up to his temples, his pupils became small, fear in his expression. His eyes flashed back to the friendly golden-brown. "No! You can't! Stop! Get out of my head!" His eyes slowly faded back to the solid red, he was screaming in agony, both the dark voice and friendly voice were screaming at the same time. Toxicity or Not-Toxicity, Twilight wasn't sure anymore, stopped struggling with himself, and gave off a maniacal laugh. "Oh, is that right? You know you can't stop me." He stood again. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, taking the life of the poor, sweet, innocent Twilight Sparkle." He said in a sarcastically sweet voice. Twilight would've been furious, but she was too busy being confused. What the hell is going on? Toxicity smiled, as if something was funny. "Heh, it's quite amusing to see that bafoon attempt to fight me, he never has a chance, I am his better, after all. And trust me, you never had a chance either." The friendly voice was making Twilight sick. "Don't worry Twilight, you don't have to wonder what your fate is. As your nightmare has already shown, you never had a say to begin with." She thought for a moment, even though she was confused on how he knew her nightmare, she restrained that question and asked another. "So no matter what, I was going to die?" She asked, perhaps it was her final question. He seemed almost offended. "Oh my dear Twilight," He said, his face turning to a wry smile. "I was never going to kill you, no, no. I was going to change you, its much more fun to see somepony rip themselves apart in fear of hurting somepony else." He smiled, his fangs glaring with it. She stared at him with wide eyes, not able to bring another sentence to mind. "But hey, you may think of it this way, this may be the end, but it may also be seen as a beginning." He walked right next to her, staring down at her. He forced her over to the ground and stood over her, forcing her to remain on the ground. "The beginning of a living hell." He then lunged quickly at her. Twilight wanted to yell in agony, but she couldn't, everything turned black before she could. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything. Then the images started to flash before her eyes, images of her friends. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity. Her entire mortal life was flashing before her eyes. All the happy moments with her friends, and all the times they triumphed against all odds. Then the fact came to her mind, that if she became like...him...she would never again be able to be near her friends and keep them safe at the same time. Her thoughts only brought more pain to her. Twilight's mind blanked for a moment, and all the images disappeared. Her mind went blank once more, while her body went numb.
