Chapters Everything is dark. The vibrations under me say that i am in a moving vehicle. I try to stand, but a shooting pain shocks up my side. There is something attached to the tips of my wings. I pull at them, trying to tuck them against my body. They snag, whatever is holding them has no plan on letting go anytime soon. I pull harder and the pain in my side comes back stronger this time. I yelp and go limp. My wings stretch back out and I hear a buzz. I lift my head towards the buzz, straining to see something, anything. There is a small red light. It looks like it is on some sort of box. All of a sudden the light changes to green and my wings pull taut, lifting me off of the ground painfully. There is a sound like a pop and a bright flash of light, a shocking pain throughout my whole body, a scream, and then darkness.
I scream and jump out of my bed. My whole body is covered with sweat and shaking. I try to slow my crazy breathing and calm down. It was just a dream. It was just the dream. Again. I take a deep breath and look at the clock. 6:00 am. My wings are tingling and I feel a tear roll down my cheek. I don't know why that dream gets to me like it does. I mean its just a dream.
I take another deep breath and head out into the living room. Early in the morning is the only time our house is quiet. I live here with two other mares who found me after my accident. No other pony gave me a second look. Can't blame them though. I walk towards the bathroom to clean up. A warm shower tends to help my shivers. I shower and make my way back to the living room. Everything is still quiet. I look at the clock again. 7:13 am. Normal ponies are still asleep at this hour. Me, well I think i'm going to go for a walk.
Once i'm in the cold air of the morning I smile. Its still dark out, but the sun is threatening to get up. No pony else is up yet, giving me the space I desire. Not like any pony would be talking to me anyways. They just tend to avoid me. I sigh again, my breath making a fog in the cool air. Ever since Vinyl and Octavia found me by the Everfree forest the ponies here have not liked me. The color of my mane and coat does not help. Or the colorlessness of my coat and mane I should say. Being the only black and white pony Equestria has seen does not help my popularity as you would think. The stories about me don't help either. I'm just a normal pony with an odd coat. I did not choose this.
I reach the bridge and stop, looking over the side. The turning river below is moving fast. Three years ago a pony fell off the bridge and died. Now mares keep their fillies and colts away from here. Its just too easy to slip right off into the grasp of the dark water below. I lean farther over the side. Sometimes I just want to... I slip. My wings shoot out to the sides of me and flap. I hover over the water, nearly inches. A roster crows, letting every one know the sun was about here. I can see the first rays peeking up over the horizon. My wings take me back up to the bridge and I quickly make my way back towards my house. I want to be there before too many ponies get up and start to walk around. I look at the ground as I walk to not make eye contact with the ponies I know are staring. Walking fast, going the long way around the center of town. I go out of my way to avoid the ponies around me. I run into some pony and land on my butt. In front of me is a big blue stallion. He glares at me before realizing who I am. I watch the look in his eyes change from annoyance to fear.
"I, i'm sorry! I was not, uh, looking where I was going. I promise it will never happen again!" He slurs out before running off. I sigh and stand up. Three sentences. It's a record. I take off, flying this time. I stay lower then the other pegasuses but higher then the houses. Is it a bad thing that the anger and frustration I saw in that stallion's eyes made me happy? I land at my house and walk inside. Music hits me right away. Vinyl is up. She is laying on the couch eating popcorn. Dub step is blasting from our speakers. She looks up and smiles at me.
"Hey! How was your walk?" She sits up, spilling the popcorn on her lap all over. She looks down. "Whoops. I'll pick that up!" I chuckle to myself. She smiles a wide smile at me.
"My walk was good. Thank you for asking." I start to pick up the popcorn and put it back into her now empty bowl. "Popcorn for breakfast?" I scold her, not like it would change anything. She smiles at me again, only this time her cheeks get a little red. Her horn glows blue and the rest of the popcorn floats up and lands back in the bowl.
"What can I say? Its yummy!" She shoves her face into the bowl and comes back up with a mouthful. I shake my head and walk to the kitchen. I grab some cereal and head back to my room. The second I walk into my room the chill I felt this morning comes back. I shiver for a second and turn on my little heater before flopping onto my bed. My cereal spills a little. At least there is no milk in it. I let my mind wonder a little. Back to when they found me. Back to my accident.
I feel a sting on my cheek and open my eyes a crack all I see is a bright white.
"VINYL! Don't hit her!" I hear a stern voice.
"Hey it worked! Wake up sleeping beauty!" Another voice. I open my eyes more. Color starts to mix with the white. Shapes start to form. I feel a hoof brush against my side. I cringe and open my eyes the rest of the way. I see clouds and trees over me. Two mares stand next to me. One is blue and white and the other is gray with purplish eyes.
"Can you talk?" The grey one says softly. I swallow and look at her fearfully.
"Who are you?" I speak, my voice scratchy and soft, almost as if I was loosing it. I see worry cross the grey pony's eyes and she looks over at her friend.
"This is Vinyl Scratch and i'm Octavia Melody. But please call us Vinyl and Octavia." The grey one, Octavia smiles at me. Vinyl sits back and points at Octavia.
"Or you can call her Tavi. I come with a lot of names. But Vinyl is fine, for now." Tavi glares at Vinyl and then sighs.
"Are you ok dear? Can you walk?" I look down at my hooves. Can I walk? I stand up and fall again. I whimper from the pain in my side and try again, this time managing to stay up. Stand, yes. Walk, I don't think so. I look at Tavi and see worry in her eyes again.
"Oh dear.. Uh, try putting your wings by your sides, not straight out." I look back at my wings. They were sticking straight out on either side of me. I slowly retract them. They feel stiff and sore. "Good! Now, can you walk?" I shake my head. "Uh, ok.. What's your name?" I freeze. My name? What is my name?
"Oh. Its Love Note. I think.." I say. I've heard that name before. I think that's my name. Tavi and Vinyl look happy at that.
"Ok good. Now, what are you doing here?" I look down and feel tears fall from my eyes.
"I... I don't know. I don't remember." The more I think the more I realize. "I don't remember anything."
I shower my body with sparkles. The aim for tonight was to be as glittery as possible and to leave as much of it as you can there. I smear the thick sparkly goo on my eye lids and in my mane and tail. I also trace the black upside down g clef and bass clef that make my cutie mark. The two notes form to make a heart. I plaster the silver goo on my mark till it shines. My mirror screams sexy at me. I head out and head towards the door. Tavi stops me.
"Going out again? I figure that means your not going to be home till late?" I pause.
"Yes." I try not to look her in the eyes but it never seems to work. Worry. I know I should tell her. She would understand. I need the money. But I cant tell her. She cant know, not yet. I push the door open and head out onto the street and head toward the town. This is the one time that the looks I get from the ponies around me is different. When they are too drunk or high to notice who it is. Or they just don't care.
The tips of my wings look more glittery then the rest of my wings because they are black. I try to fly smoothly so I don't loose the glitter as I fly. The building i'm looking for is easily found. It has to be. Its a club house. I push the door open and the smell of alcohol hits me right away. Flashing light and music envelope me as I make my way towards the back. I feel my heart start to beat faster as I walk.
Ponies all around me bump into me. None stop to glare or say sorry. They just continue in their crazy dancing. I reach the back door and escape into the back room. My band is already here. Griffin, our drummer, looks up from his magazine when I walk in. He looks me up and down.
"No clothes?" He asks. Not like I need cloths, being a pony, but the crowd likes it.
"Give me a second Griff." I walk over to the small closet in the corner and open it up. I grab my black mini skirt with buckles on it. I grab a shinny silver half shirt and some bracelets as well and slip them on. Our guitar player, Studs, looks up and smiles at me.
"Lookin good, princess." I glare at him. I hate it when he calls me that. He chuckles. "Cool down, tiger!" I sigh.
"Lets get out there." I snap at him and walk towards the doors to the stage. "We only have the ten minus." Griffin and Studs jump up and walk over with me. I push open the door and we make our way back into the lights and music. I quickly make it to my mic as the crown cheers. The club music starts to quiet and fades our completely as the club owner speaks thew the speakers.
"Alright every pony! The time you have been waiting for! Put it up for the Moonlight Dancers!" The ponies all start to cheer again and one pony screams out asking me to marry him. A sign goes up stating 'I lOVE YOU MOONLIGHT!' but is quickly put back down. The ponies behind him are not happy to have their view blocked. I open my mouth and close my eyes, allowing the music from my band envelop me as i do what I do best, sing.
The crowd goes wild after we finish our set with our famous song, Never Should Have Let You Down. I smile and walk back offstage. Once we make it threw the doors Griffin and Studs rap their arms around me and grabs a beer from one of the mares waiting for them.
"Time to party, huh Griffin?" Studs says, eyeing a pink and brown mare with pink ribbon in her hair. She looks way too young to be in this club and even worse in the bands back room. He slips his arm from around me and walks up to her. She smiles shyly at him and follows him off.
"Eh, Moonlight." Griffin says to me, using my stage name. "Do me a favor and don't give Studs a hard time. I saw the look in your eyes." The brown and black stallion turns and walks towards a blue mare. He looks back at me. "And who knows, maybe you will find a stallion that you like today." I huff. No way will I just pick some hot stallion to use for the night. Once I find my special somepony I plan on keeping him for the long run.
I turn and head toward the door back into the club. Maybe dancing will help my mood. The lights are bright and the music loud, like always. Ponies bump me from all angles, none say sorry. Thats one of the things I love about being here. No recognition. Even up on that stage, with all the lights on me, no pony realizes who it is up there. In the club, I am Moonlight not Love Note.
I make it near the center of the dance floor and start to dance. Ponies give me the room I need, just to save there own hooves. The bass is vibrating the floor under me and the lights make my white coat look rainbow. I loose myself to the music as I spin and stomp. I don't quit till I am covered in sweat and thirsty. I make my way back to the bar. The music is slightly quieter over here and its darker. The lights are too busy lighting the dance floor. I sit on the chair that is closest to the wall, it also happens to be the darkest here.
The bar tender sees me and walks over. I look up to see who it is tonight. I smile when I see the pretty purple and white mare.
"Hey Violet!" I say and smile at her. She has a yellow sparkly ribbon in her short purple mane.
"Hey hey Moonlight. I saw you perform, you were great! I was hoping that you would bring your pretty butt over here and get a drink. I've missed you." She says as she starts making my drink. That's what I love about her. She knows exactly what I want.
"Here I am, as you wished." She slides the drink to me. It was a pretty colored blue, my usual. I sip at it and watch her as she takes another ponies order and whisks it together like a pro. The movement next to me brings me back from my thoughts.
"You mind if I buy your drink?" I look over at the stallion next to me. He has a purple mohawk and a grey, well groomed coat, and the prettiest violet eyes I have seen. I sit up straighter.
"Depends. Is that all you want?" His eyes are full of humor as he chuckles.
"No. I also want to know your name. And maybe to get to know you a little, if you don't mind." I eye him. He seems genuine and I would not mind not having to buy this. It wont kill me to get to know him, not like I will ever see him again.
"Ok fine. But you also have to get my next drink." He is kinda cute..
"Perfect! My name is Electric Beat. You can call me Beat. In new in town." He holds his hoof out to me. I place my hoof on his and give it a quick shake.
"My name is Moonlight. I have lived here for as long as I can remember." I reply. He looks at me confused and eyes me. I feel my guard rise. But his eyeing is different. I see recognition flash across his face.
"Hey! You were the singer from earlier. Up on the stage. With the band, uhh, Moonlight Dancers?" I sigh inwardly. Great. A fan.
"Yup. That was my band." I sip at my drink again and rest my head on my hoof.
"You guys were really good tonight. But anyways, i'm sure you don't want to talk about that. What are you drinking?" I look up at Beat. He seemed sincere. Weird. I look back at my drink, trying to remember the name of it.
"Its a Blue Paradise." I reply and smile at him.
"Sounds yummy." He flags down Violet. "I would like a Black Cat, please." Violet gives me a confused look, probably wondering why I have not shewed him off yet. I have never hear of a Black Cat before.
"What are you getting?" I ask him as I take the last sip of my drink.
"Its called a Black Cat. Its not on the menu and you can only get it if you ask for it. One of perks of traveling, you get to know the secret drinks." Violet slides a black drink to Beat. It almost looks like oil. He slides it in front of me. "Want to try?" I rap my lips around the straw and take a sip. The drink feels good on my tongue. It taste like black raspberry and something else. The perfect amount of alcohol and flavor. I like it.
"Wow, that's amazing. I need to get me one of those." I start to wave Violet back over but Beat places his hoof on mine. I feel heat rush to my face.
"I'm buying your drink, remember?" He leaves his hoof on mine as he flags Violet back over to order another Black Cat. I stare at his grey hoof on my white one. I look up at Violets shocked face as she walks up. The heat returns to my face again. I pull my hoof away from his and sip at my drink again. Its getting late. I really should get home soon.
I look out of the corner of my eye and see Beat watching me. I blush a third time and look away. Why do I feel like this? I just met this stallion. I don't even know him! I hurry up and slurp up the rest of my drink and look at Beat. Hes hardly touched his. He smiles and slides his drink in between us.
"You want some more?" I go to sip from his, but pause. I have already drank two, but it is so good. A little more wont hurt. I take a small sip. He leans his face towards the drink at the same time and pauses. I freeze. He pulls back and motions for me to go first. I look back into his eyes. Boy is he cute. I stand up. This has gone enough. I cant think straight and i'm sure it is just the alcohol in me.
"Wait. Moonlight, when will I see you again?" Beat asks me. I look up at him. His eyes look sad.
"I don't know." I say and turn away. I make my way to the doors, feeling my head start to spin. I put my hoof on the door but look back before leaving. Beat was still sitting there, alone, looking at me. My stomach flips as I walk out into the cool air. Maybe the coldness of the night will cool down my face.
Why does my head hurt so badly? Oh yeah, last night. I smile at my ceiling. That perfectly strange stallion, Beat. I sit up slowly. Man does my head hurt really bad. I glance at the clock. 3:00 pm. Strange, usually I would have been awoken by Vinyl's music by now. I slowly get out of my bed. My head is throbbing. I need some milk.
I walk into the kitchen and see Tavi cleaning up. The air smells of bread. I walk over and sit at the table. Fresh baked bread lays on the counter, cooling. I flinch at the sharp sound of Tavi hitting a glass on another as she grabs it out. She pours milk into it and hands it over to me. I look up at her.
"Just thought you would need this, the state you were in last night." I flinch again, only this time at her harsh words. Was I really that drunk? How much alcohol is in a Black Cat? I sigh.
"I swear that's not a usual thing. I just got carried away." I look at the milk and sip at it. I hear Tavi sit down next to me.
"What were you doing last night, Love Note? You can tell me." I glance at her, the worry in her eyes like a knife in my soul.
"I work at the club.." I mutter to her. Tavi stands up and walks into the kitchen. She must be so disappointed in me right now. Tavi walks back up to me and places a piece of buttered toast in front of me.
"You did not want me to know? I don't care where you work, as long as you are safe. You might not care," Frustration comes into her soft voice, "But I do care about you." I look up at her, she is looking at me like a mother would a daughter. I hug her.
"I'm sorry Tavi. I would have told you sooner but I though you would not be happy with it." Tavi pushes me away from her slightly so she can look me in the eye.
"Love, I would be happy with anything you chose to do." She hugs me close again. We both jump as the door slams open.
"IM HOME BABY!" Vinyl trots in, her purple glasses shining. Tavi lets me go and walks up to Vinyl. She kisses her and asks how her day at the studio went. I finish my milk and toast, feeling better already. Tavi is not upset that I work at the club. I smile to myself.
"Hey, i'm going for a walk, ill be back soon." I say and head for the door. Tavi and Vinyl look at me.
"At 3?" Vinyl asks. I know what they both are thinking. I never leave the home till after dark. But today I feel different. Today i'm going to go to the center and pic up something nice. Maybe something for my next gig.
"Yes Vinyl, at 3. Ill be back soon." I leave them with that. The sun is warm on my back as I make my way towards the center. There are other ponies around and they stop to stare at me. I just try to ignore them but I feel the darkness and pain rise up in me again. I just need to make it to the center, and then I can go home. Slowly me head drops down and I find myself staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact.
I make it to the center and look up. Every pony is staring at me. I feel myself start to shake. Why do they do this to me? I turn and run away. I feel tears start to form in my eyes. I run into something and yelp, falling on my side. There is a big black and yellow stallion in front of me. He glares at me and puts his face right in front of me.
"Watch. Where. You. Are. Going!" He yells in my face. I smell alcohol on his breath. There are two other stallions and a mare with him. We are all alone. I don't even recognize where I am. The stallion chuckles.
"Look at this pathetic mare. She looks like a mouse that just got caught by a cat." He throws his head back and laughs. The others laugh with him. I start to stand back up but he quickly shoves me back over. There is a sharp pain in my side again. I try to scoot away but he grabs me by my tail and pulls me towards his friends. I feel fear rise up in me.
"LET ME GO!" I scream and start to kick at him. The other ponies don't wait a second and pounce on me. I yelp as they grab me roughly. They grab my saddle bag and rip it off and one of the stallions start to go threw it. I whimper.
"What should we do with her?" The mare asks the black and yellow stallion. I am shaking with fear.
"I don't know, boys, what her?" He calls over to the stallion going threw my bag and the one holding me down. They smile wickedly and both hoot with joy. I struggle more. The mare hits me in the gut hard, taking my breath away and leaving me curled up in a tight, painful ball. Tears are flowing from my eyes. The mare starts to make out with the black and yellow stallion as the two other stallions walk up to me. One of them, the blue and light yellow one, puts his noes in my mane and smells me.
"Mhmm she smells good, Rex." He says to the orange and white one, Rex. The blue and yellow one licks my neck. I feel a shiver go up my spine.
"You're freaking her out, Bright Sky." Rex chuckles and puts his hoof on my cheek, pushing my face into the ground. I scream again and push away. My screaming is cut short though, as Rex hits me. I curl up again and whimper. Bright sky grabs a piece of cloth and puts it in my mouth.
"No screaming, babe. We wouldn't want any trouble, would we?" He puts his hoof on my cheek softly. I push it off and glare at him. laughs again and grabs his beer bottle. Rex walks behind me and I kick out, hitting him in his chest. He growls and hits my gut.
"You little brat! Made me spill my beer." He hits me again. I cry out, barely audible threw the cloth. "You wanna play? Lets play, Sky, have at her." I watch sky walk up to me, lust in his eyes. I start to shake. I'm not going down without a fight. Sky strokes down my side towards my rump. I growl at him and jump up. My side screams with pain as I turn tail and run. My wings shoot out and I take to the sky. Something raps around my left wing and I get tugged back. I hit the ground hard and lay panting. Rex walks up to me with a rope in his mouth. I look at my wing and see a rope around it.
"You're dead now." He lifts his hoof up to hit me and I curl up to protect myself. I hear a thump next to me. The sound of a beer bottle breaking. Yells and growls. I crack my eyes open and look over. Rex is laying next to me, passed out. Sky is a little further back in no better condition. The mare runs past me. A purple and grey stallion chases after her till he reaches me and stops. I tuck my head under my wings and whimper. A hoof touches me softly.
"Its ok, your safe now." That voice, full of kindness. I look up at the familiar pony. Beat. He quickly takes the cloth from my mouth and helps me up. Relief rushes over me like a flood. Beat pulls me to him and gives me a gentle hug.
"Thank you." I whisper. "I was so scared." I start to cry again, from the relief. He looks at me worriedly.
"Are you ok? Did they hurt you?" He looks me up and down. "Here, can you fly? No of coarse not." He takes the rope from my sore wing and looks at it carefully. "Its not broken. Let me walk you home." He helps me walk back towards the center.
"I'm ok, really. I can walk myself home." I start to pull away from him. Beat stops me.
"There is no way I am letting you walk home alone." He looks me in the eye. I look right back. His eyes are magical.
"Ok. You can walk me home." He smiles at me. We turn and start to walk away. As soon as we reach the center ponies stop to stare. They look horrified. Probably wondering why this stallion was helping me, a freak. I look down. Beat pulls me closer.
"Its ok." I look up at him. He gives me a reassuring smile. He knows who I am?
"Why are you helping me?" I whisper, looking back down at the ground. Hes risking the view that the ponies here have on him by helping me. No pony else would have. He stops me and faces me.
"Because you needed help. Does not matter who you are or what you have done, if you need help, you should get it." He places his hoof on my cheek gently, not anything like how Sky or Rex did. "And I don't believe in ghost stories." We walk the rest of the way home in silence. Beat is the first pony other then Vinyl and Tavi to treat me like a real pony, not a monster. I stop at my door and look at him. We look into each others eyes. I don't want him to leave.
"Is some pony home?" Beat asks me, bringing me back from my thoughts. "I want to make sure you are safe and get help for you injuries." Both Vinyl and Tavi should be home, but I really don't want Beat to leave just yet.
"Um, I don't know. You can come in if you want." I say as casually as I can. He chuckles and I feel heat come to my face. "You can leave if they are home after." I quickly add.
"Inviting me in already? And on the second date?" He teases me. I blush even more.
"This is not a date. I just want to treat my rescuer to a drink." He shifts his weight. I feel myself hoping he says yes.
"I can come in for a couple minutes, but the drink will have to wait." I cant help but smile as I open the door to my house and let him in. Vinyl looks up from her place on the couch. I was hoping from the lack of music I heard from outside that she would have been with Tavi in their room. Vinyl looks Beat up and down and then me and jumps up.
"What happened?" She questions. "Who is this hunk?" Tavi walks out of her room and freezes. She sees the state I am in and runs to me.
"Love Note! What happened to you?" She completely ignores Beat and pulls me to the couch. "Vinyl, go get the first aid box." Vinyl stops eyeing Beat and runs off towards the bathroom.
"I ran into some trouble in the center, and Beat here helped me out." Tavi looks at Beat, and then hugs him. Beat looks shocked.
"Thank you for helping my Love Note." She comes back to me. "Ok, now tell me everything that happened."
I lay on my bed and replay the events of last night in my head. I told Tavi and Vinyl what happened and how Beat saved me. Beat did not stay long, even though Tavi insisted he stayed for dinner. I got 'all fixed up' by Vinyl and her magic. Luckily I was not hurt badly. My side still hurts some though. Oh, and I have a date. Like a real one. With Beat. I'm going to meet him at the club and get him that drink I promised. Tonight.
I smile and curl up with my pillow. I'm acting like a love struck filly. I think about that for a second. There is no way I am in love with this Stallion. I don't even know him that well. I wont mind getting to know him though. I smile again.
I jump out of bed and walk into the living room. Vinyl is once again laying on the couch only this time Tavi is with her. They are talking quietly to each other. I walk up to them.
"Hey Love Note." Vinyl says when she sees me. "I have something for you." She leans over the side of the couch and hands me a bag. It looks like a bag from the Carousel Boutique. Inside the bag a a pretty sparkly blue dress. There is a black bow wrapped around the midsection of the dress and small gems in the front of it. Its short, wont fall over my tail. Its beautiful.
"I love it! Thank you Vinyl!" I run over to her and give her a hug. "I'm going to go try it on." I say and run off back to my room. Its almost time when Beat was going to pick me up anyways. I slip the silky dress over my head. It falls perfectly on my body. I put some light blue eye shadow on and put the boots on my hind legs. I slip on two bracelets and look at myself in the mirror. The dress shined on me, a casual but fancy glow. Perfect for tonight.
I walk back out into the living room to show Vinyl and Tavi. They are not on the couch anymore so I figure that they must have gone back to their room. I start to head over towards their door when someone knocks on the front door. I stop and trot to the door and open it. Beat is standing outside waiting for me. His eyes widen when he sees me and he looks me up and down. I blush and wonder if it was too much.
"Wow, Love Note, you look, amazing!" He exclaims, making me blush even harder. He holds one hoof out for me to hold as he starts to lead me off.
"Thank you Beat." I reply to him. "So were heading back to the club?" Beat looks at me and smiles. I see a playful look in his eye.
"A date to the club? Not happening." We turn and head towards the center. "I'm taking you to the Silver Horseshoe for dinner and a desert after." The Silver Horseshoe is one of the most expensive restaurants in town. I have never been there before.
"Its too expensive. We can just go to the club." I argue and start to turn. Beat stops me.
"No its my treat. Don't worry about money, I have it covered." I feel my argumentative side rise up.
"I'm supposed to buy you a drink, remember?" Beat brushes the hair away from my face. My heart melts.
"You can just buy me a drink later." He starts to walk again. I follow him. Yes, I can just buy him a drink later. I have always wanted to go to the Silver Horseshoe. We walk side by side towards the center. Its getting dark out so there are not a lot of ponies out. I look up at Beat. His eyes seem to glow in the darkness. I don't know what it is about him, but I cant seem to shake this feeling I have for him. We make it to the restaurant and the door pony opens the door for us. Classical music is playing and a waitress walk up to us right away. She glances at me, unsure. I look down.
"Reservations for Beat and his friend." I look up at him and hes smiling at me. The waitress looks confused for a second but then goes to work to find our reservation.
"Follow me please." She turns and leads us to the back corner of the room. It happens to be the darkest spot in here. Beat pulls my chair out for me and I sit. He sits across from me and looks down at the menu. Our waitress walks up to take our order. I realize that I have not even looked at my menu.
"Could we get two casseroles and your finest white wine please?" The mare quickly writes down our orders and picks up our menus with her magic. "I hope you don't mind me ordering for you. Its what they make best here and it did not look like you were to interested in the menu to begin with." Beat smirks at me. I blush and sip at the water that our waitress brought me.
"I've never eaten here." I tell him. He places his hoof on mine. My stomach flips.
"I tend to dine at fancy places, as long as I can." I stair at his hoof on mine, barley hearing what hes saying. "Has any pony told you that you are beautiful?" I look up at Beat. His eyes are genuine. He called me beautiful.
"No," I whisper, "Only you." Me, beautiful? No pony thinks that. I'm not beautiful. I am colorless. How can he really think i'm beautiful?
"Well, Love Note, you are the most beautiful mare I have ever set eyes on." Beat leans over to me and places his hoof on my cheek. He looks me in the eyes with a look I have never seen before. He leans closer and I feel my heart jump.
"I.. Uh.." I mutter before Beat kisses me. His lips on mine were soft and kind. My heart soars. He pulls back for a second before kissing me again, this time with more passion. He leans back and I find myself wanting more. I look up at him dreamily. His eyes were on mine and he gives me a soft smile. I just got kissed. By Beat, this wonderfully strange stallion that I.. Wait. I don't even know him. This is the third time I have even seen him. I stand up.
"I need to use the bathroom." I say and turn away from him. I hurry off to the bathroom. How could I do this to myself. No pony wants me. He will realize that someday. I need to get some air.
The door pony opens the door as I rush out. Beat cant really like me. He cant really think that I am beautiful. I start to walk, not exactly sure where I am going. Why did I let this happen. I know that if I let myself get close to some pony I will just end up hurt. Tears start to fall from my eyes. My walking starts to slow. A noise behind me makes my ears flick back. I stop and look back, seeing nothing. Fear starts to fill me. I think about running back to the restaurant but that's towards the sound I heard. I start to trot forward, keeping my ears back.
I make it to the bridge and start to cross. At the top I freeze. There is a pony standing on the other side. I look back over my shoulder and see another pony at the other side. My fear spikes and I go to take off and fly away but for some reason my wings are bound to my sides. I look back and see a faint red glow around them. Some pony is using magic to keep me from flying. Both of the ponies start to walk towards me. I turn and run to the edge of the bridge and look down. The water looks blacker and more dangerous then before. I step back and see that the ponies are not running towards me. I close my eyes and jump.
I wake up cold and wet. I'm laying on a hard surface and feel raindrops on my coat. It looks like I am on some sort of building. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon. I stand, my body aching from the roof I slept on.
"What happened?" I ask myself as I walk over to the side of the building. There are a few ponies walking around below me. I don't remember how I got here. Jumping off the building, I spread my wings and soar towards my house. Maybe Tavi and Vinyl will know what happened. I land as I get close to the house. A brown mare is standing near the house next to mine. She looks up at me as I pass. We make eye contact and she quickly looks away. Her hoof kicks dirt and she looks at a rock like it was the most interesting rock she has ever seen.
I sigh as I pass her. Someday I will get her back. I pause as that though passes threw my my head. Where did that come from. I feel a pull in my spirit back towards the mare. I shake my head and walk into the house. Tavi was walking around the living room. She stops and looks up at me when I enter.
"Love Note!" She yells and runs to me. She throws her grey arms around me and holds me close. "We were so worried about you. Where were you last night?" She lets me go and looks me in the eyes. "We saw you leave and went to go find you but could not find you anywhere! Some pony told us that there was a bat pony out attacking others." She hugs me again. "I thought something happened to you." Her voice softens and shakes slightly.
"I took a walk." I say casually. I could not tell her that I had no idea what happened, she would not let me leave her sight again. "And fell asleep in the band room at the club. I'm sorry, it was supposed to be just a nap." I lie. "What was that about a bat pony?"
"A group of ponies were attacked not too far from the club last night. Two of the ponies clam that they had gotten bit. The mare was not too hurt, but the last one is in the hospital. Head injury." Tavi says and leads me over to the couch. We both sit.
"The bat pony bit them? That's strange.." I feel the same pull I felt before. I try to ignore it and concentrate on Tavi. Bat ponies don't make a habit of biting ponies. They usually leave us alone, for fear of the wrath of Luna. "Has Luna found him yet?" I ask Tavi.
"No. She clams that none of her guard was out. So if there really is a bat pony out there, its a rogue." A rogue? That's even more strange. "Luna advises us to stay inside at night until the bat pony is caught." She adds.
"Ok. Hopefully its caught soon." I lean back on the couch. I'm just glad that I did not get hurt last night. I sit up. Beat. What if he got hurt? I jump off the couch and run over to the door.
"Love Note! Where are you going?" I hear Tavi yell behind me. I open the door and run into... Beat. I look up at him from the ground and start laughing. Relief and embarrassment flood into me.
"Good morning to you to, Love Note." He holds out his hoof to me and helps me up. Tavi runs to the door and glares at me.
"Please give me some warning next time you plan on bolting out of the door. Hello Beat. Thank you for stopping her." I blush and walk back into the house.
"Where were you going anyways?" Beat asks me as he follows me into the house. I blush again.
"No where." I lie. He smirks at me. My heart flutters. "What are you doing here?" I ask quickly.
"I came to check on you." My heart starts to race. He came to check on me? That's really.., sweet. Tavi coughs.
"I'm going to go to the center. We need more flour. Behave you two while i'm gone." She says and heads out the door. I make my way to the couch while keeping my full attention on Beat. He follows me and sits right next to me. I feel myself shifting my weight to make myself closer to him. I turn my head to him and find my face just inches from him. Hes looking into my eyes with the same look I saw before. My heart starts to race as he puts his lips on mine. It was a tender kiss. A meaningful kiss. I kiss him back and he raps his hoof around my back, pulling me closer. I pull away from him and put my forehead on his.
"Behave you." I tease. Beat laughs and pulls me close again. I was practically sitting on his lap. Beat kisses me again, this time a quick and sweet. We look into each others eyes. I think i'm in love. The look in his eyes said the same thing.
"Beat, I think i'm in.." We both jump as the door open. I look over and see Vinyl standing at the door, wide eyed and mouth agape. I blush and jump off of Beat, who was also blushing. Vinyl looks between me and him and starts laughing. Like the type of laughing that leaves you on the floor in tears. I glance at Beat who looks just as confused as I feel. Vinyl picks herself off of the floor and walks over to Beat while wiping the tears from her face.
"You are a lucky stallion, Beat!" She says and slaps him on the back. "You hurt her you die." She whispers to him then smiles. Vinyl chuckles to herself and then walks back to her room. "I'll give you two some privacy." She calls back to us. I blush and look at Beat. Hes smiling at me. I sit back on the couch next to him. Beat casually slips his arm around me and pulls me closer. I cant help but smile and lay my head on his shoulder.
"Don't leave." I whisper to him. He looks down at me.
"I never plan to." He whispers back and kisses me again. I sigh happily and close my eyes. The taste of his mouth was still on my lips. I slowly fall asleep in his arms.
Darkness surrounds me. I'm laying on my belly on a cold, vibrating floor. I try to stand and fall wreathing from the pain in my side. I try again, slowly this time and make it. My side aches from the struggle. My wings are pulled out and attached to something. I pull softly, testing the strength of what bonds me. If I put my full strength in it maybe I can break free. I hear a buzz and look up at the red light. I jump into the air, ignoring the pain that stabs into my side. I use the leverage of one of my wings and flip. My wings pull and I hear a snap as I land back on the ground on my back. I yelp at the pain in my side. The red light turns green and I see a flash. There is the sound of a pop and then nothing. Back to darkness.
I stand again. I did it. I broke the bonds that hold me. My wings dangle next to me, the broken bonds still hold them. I tuck then to my sides as best as I could. they feel stiff, like they have been pulled out for a long time. The vibrations on the floor stop. A light turns on above me, blinding me. I squint against the light and try to see what is around me. There is a black stallion right in front of me. The blood drains from me as his horn glows red.
"Sleep." He whispers to me without even opening his mouth. A red glow surrounds me as I fall to the floor.
"Love, are you ok?" Some pony is shaking me. I open my eyes and see Beat. His eyes are worried. I get the worried eyes a lot.
"What? Uh, yeah. I'm fine." I mumble. Beat rubs my arm.
"You started shaking and whimpering in your sleep." He hugs me. I had the dream again, only this time it was different.
"I had a bad dream, but its ok now." I smile at him reassuringly. He smiles back. I love his smile. I cuddle up to him on the couch and sigh. When i'm with Beat it feels like nothing can get at me. Nothing can bring me down. Tavi walks inside with her saddle bag full. She places it on the counter and looks over at us.
"Beat, you really should be leaving soon. The sun will be going down soon and we should not be out late." I feel him shift his weight.
"Yeah." He looks down at me. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, ok?" He kisses me and gets up. "Bye Tavi, Love." He says and walks out. My side that was against him feels cold with out him here. Vinyl walks out of her room and sees Tavi.
"Hey Tavi. You should have seen Love and Beat earlier!" She laughs and I blush again. I quietly make my way to my room. Even with my nap and having that dream again, I am tired and think I will call it a night.
I enter my room and look around. Its cold in here. I turn on my heater and walk over to the window. The sun is going down and its getting dark. The moon is pecking over the horizon. I hope Beat made it home safe. A pony runs by my window and enters the house next door. I feel a pull in my spirit. A desire to go outside into the night. A desire for more pain. I blink. Where did that come from? I walk over to my mirror and freeze. My eyes are red, blood red. I feel a shiver go down my spine. Thoughts flow freely and my desire gets stronger. I lick my fangs and head towards my window. It opens easy, and I fly out into the night sky for another night of hunting.
There are not many ponies out tonight. The few I have seen have been in a too public area or have made it to their house before i had a chance to get them. Frustration rises up in me and I growl. My desire grows each second I have not found my prey. Movement behind me catches my eye. I dive into the darkness and watch. A pony flies by. Some pony from Luna's guard. I let him leave. Once he is far enough way I start my hunt again.
Noise below me draws I attention. A mare is running threw the street. Perfect. I dive and slam into the ground in front of her. She shrieks and turns on her heals. I chase after her, allowing the chase to draw on. She is running farther and farther from other ponies who could hear her screams. I jump on her back, slamming her into the ground.
"PLEASE PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" She screams at me. I slam her face into the ground and growl at her. She starts sobbing.
"It wont hurt too bad." I purr and pet her neck. I feel her heart beat under my hoof. She shies away from my touch. Her sobs shake her body. She looks young, just out of school. I put my head down towards her neck. Her eyes widen and she lets out a shrill scream. My ears flick back at the sound and I bite into her neck. The screaming stops abruptly. Her blood spills into her white coat and rushes into my mouth. She whimpers and I sigh. I see one of the guard flying towards us. I jump into the air and take off towards the Everfree forest.
I land in the shadows and watch the as the guard makes it to my prey. I feel anger envelope me. A red glow surrounds me. I hover in the air. A glow starts to surround the guard pony. The mare tries to warn him but it is too late. The red glow clenches around him and he falls to the ground. The mare looks at him for a second and screams again. I smile and fly back over. The mare sees me coming and tries to run. I ignore her and instead bite into the guard. His blood, like most stallions, taste better then the mare.
I notice the mare a second too late. She had grabbed a stick and as I turn to face her she hits me across the head with it.
Black nothingness surrounds me.
I awake once again to a hard, cold floor. At least this time i'm not wet. I crack my eyes open and squint in the light. It was dimly lit so my eyes got accustomed to the light fast. I sit up and take in my surroundings. It looks like i'm in a... Cell? I stand up, my legs shaky. How did I get here? I walk over to the bars locking me in and do my best to peek around the corner. There is a stair case but other then that nothing. I sigh and look around my cell. There is a little wooden bed and a small bared window above it. I jump on the bed. The window is still too high up. I jump into the air and hover, peering out the window. I could not see much, but it did not look like anywhere I know.
I land on the bed and sit, trying to think. The last thing I remember was looking out my window.. I scratch my head and wince. There is a lump on the side of my head and it hurts. How did I get that? I jump off the bed and walk over the the metal door holding me in.
"Hello?" I call out. My voice echoes. "Any pony there?" I hold my breath and listen. The faint sound of hooves on cement reaches my ears. YES! This thing will be all sorted out now. A pail yellow stallion in guard uniform rounds the corner and stops.
"Hey?" I ask. He jumps. I frown. "Can you let me out of here?" I sigh. Stupid stallion. Afraid of a little mare stuck in a cell. He looks over his shoulder and swallows.
"No." He says. My mouth drops open.
"Why NOT?" I snap. My head is starting to throb and i'm sick and tired of ever pony being afraid of me even though I have done nothing to make them that way. If they can except Zicora, then they can except me. The stallion jumps again at my harsh tone and starts to back away. "No wait. I'm sorry. I'm just cold and my head hurts and I just want to go home." A little whine enters my voice. "And I don't even know why i'm here in the first place." I let my head drop but keep my eyes on him. He stops backing up and looks at me confused but still not coming to let me out. I sigh.
"Please let me out." I look him straight in the eye putting all my effort to convince him with my voice. "I'm tired and.. Hungry." I add. A faint red glow surrounds his ears. His eyes glaze over as the glow flows into his ears.
"Anything you say, LoveNote." He says like he was drunk and walks over to my door. His horn glows red as he lifts the key up to my cell door. Strange, his magic should be a pail yellow like his coat. I look closer. His green eyes have a red glow to them. I step back from the door as he opens it. He stands as still as a statue holding the door open wide for me. I slowly walk by keeping my full attention on the stallion. He is freaking me out, acting all possessed like that. A shiver runs down my back as I fly up the stairs fast.
I land at the top of the stair case. I could turn left or right. I look back and forth. The noise of talking is coming from the left so I head that way. If there are ponies then they can help me get out. I trot down the hallway fast and come into a big open room. There are a bunch of desks and ponies working left and right. A few look up when I walk into the room.
"I need help out." I say making every pony look up at me. Fear enters their eyes and within a second I am surrounded by at least 10 ponies in uniform. All around me I see the glow of magic, all different colors. A blue and white one steps forward. His armor is different so i come to the conclusion that hes the caption. Perfect. He will get these ponies off of me.
"How did you get out of your cell?" He demands. The fear in his blue eyes show threw his confident demeanor. I sigh again. This is getting old.
"The stallion who was waiting for me to awake let me out. Now will you please show me the way out of this building?" I ask as nicely as I could. The purple and blue stallions magic next to him flickers. He leans over.
"Sunny let her out, Shining Armor? That does not sound like him." He whispers to the caption, Shining Armor.
"Go check on him." Shining Armor says to the stallion before turning back to me. "We can't let you go. You are subject in many attacks and a murder of one of the guard members." My mouth drops. Me subject in attacks and a murder ?
"That is stupid!" I yell at him, my legs spreading out some to stabilize me more. The magic around me glows brighter and Shining jumps slightly. "I'm not even big enough to hurt, much less kill, some pony from your guard!" I glare at him. Out of the corner of my eye I can see a few of the ponies around me take a step back. Shining glares right back.
"You used magic." He counters. I blink.
"I'm a PEGASUS you stupid unicorn! Pegasuses have no magic, in case you forgot!" I snap at him. Anger fills me and I start to shake. Shining takes a step towards me, his nose just inches from mine.
"Exactly. So how did you do it?" He snaps back. I can barley control myself. It was almost like I was fighting myself. Part of me said to jump this arrogant foal and the other part said to back off and cool down. I start panting and look down. The marble floor under me shines as if it was just polished. If I concentrate hard enough I could almost see my reflection. A red glow is coming off of the floor like it was reflecting my... eyes?
I smile. My fangs poke out over my lower lip. I snap my head back up and glare at Shining Armor. His eyes widen and he jumps back. I leap into the air and surround myself in a red glow. All around me the ponies shoot their magic at me. It was quiet beautiful from where I am, the magic hitting mine and exploding into a colorful ball. Each time I get hit by unicorn magic I feel my powers grow stronger.
Once the ponies around me used up their strength I land again. Shining was still standing his ground where other ponies scream and run out of the room. I glare at him and smirk. The glow around me comes close to my body and then shoots out, smashing into the ponies around me, knocking them back. I make it go around Shining Armor though, i'm not done with him. I concentrate my magic on him and hold him still. He struggles against my magic uselessly.
"How do I do it?" I ask his as I stroke his cheek bone. I put my mussel right up against his ear. "Like this." I say and bit into his neck.
"Stop.." He says breathlessly. I chuckle. His blood spills onto his white coat, staining it red. Red always was the best color. I lick it off and look into his blue eyes. He tries to struggle against the red magic glowing around his body. I release him and he falls to the floor.
"Don't worry Shining Armor. I wont kill you. I never meant to kill the other one, I just did not know what I could do yet." I put my mouth near his neck again and lick the rest of the blood off of his neck. His eyes flutter and then shut. I spread my wings and take off towards the ceiling made of glass. I send a bolt of magic into the glass and it shatters, glass bits falling to the ground below me. The sun was up and as I look around I notice that I was not in Ponyville anymore. I was in Canterlot. I shoot off in the direction back to Ponyville.
By the time I make it back home my wings were sore and the sun was almost down. I land on the bridge and look around. Desire flows threw me like a fire and I trot towards the center. There are ponies all around and they all freeze when they see me. Fear and panic enter their eyes and I let the magic flow out of me. A red glow fills the air and envelops the ponies around me. Their screams stop and they freeze where they are. I smile. One by one my magic enters their ears and they turn and stand in rows in front of me. More and more ponies show up as my magic reaches them and brings them over. I stand up straighter and smile, flashing my blood stained fangs.
"Welcome to the slaughter." I growl at them.
I separate the earth and pegasus ponies from the unicorn ponies and look over my catch. I've got all of the unicorn ponies I need to keep my power going and enough earth and pegasus ponies who are more, expendable , for fighting any pony who dares to appose me. I feel myself drawn towards a dark area just inside of the Everfree forest. I fly over and slowly walk into the forest. A black and red pony walks out to great me.
"Black Coal." I say. His name just popped into my head. He smiles at me, flashing his fangs.
"You have done well, Dark Soul." I smile at my new name. Its so perfect for me. "Our boss will be pleased. You are powerful." I automatically hold my head up higher. Yes, I am powerful. Powerful enough to take revenge on every pony who has wronged me.
"What do you want?" I snap at him. He looks at me in mock pain.
"What makes you think I want anything from you?" He coos at me. I growl at him. His eyes narrow. "I want you to give me some pony. Just one. An earth pony. Octavia." The name sounds familiar. She is just an earth pony. If he wants her then he can have her.
"What do you want her for?" I ask, cautiously. I don't trust Coal. He smiles an evil smile.
"She will be my pet. Every pony needs a pet and she will be perfect for me." I glare at him. "She has wronged me enough to deserve it." I let my guard down. She is just one earth pony.
"Ok, you can have this earth pony. But then you leave and stay gone." I say. He breaths out.
"Cold to your own kind." He chuckles. "As long as I have Octavia." He concludes. We both walk back to the center, not saying a word. I still don't trust or even like him. We make it back to the center and I hover just over Coals head.
"Go find her and then leave. Find me before you leave." I say to him before he walks off towards the earth ponies. I want to know why that name is so familiar to me. I feel a need for more blood fill me and I walk over to my unicorn group. I could just grab one from here, but then there is no fun of the hunt included. I pick a grey and blue stallion and make him follow me into the Everfree forest. I make my magic come away from him and I see his glazed over eyes return to normal. He looks around and makes eye contact with me.
"Run." I hiss at him. Hes gone within a second, running threw the underbrush of the forest. I fly up above the trees and listen for the sound of the stallion crashing threw the forest. I pin point the sound and dive threw the tree tops. is lam into the ground right in front of the stallion. He screams and falls back. I frown as he cowers in a ball at my feet.
"Giving up already? RUN!" I yell at him and rear up, coming down on him. He yelps and tightens his ball. I growl. "Get up!" I snap at him. He whimpers. I slash at his rump with my fangs. His warm blood spills onto my legs. He cries out and jumps up, taking off. I feel my heart pound faster as I run after him. I leap into the air and fly after him, dodging trees.
I reach him and grab his tail. I fly up above the tree line and look down. The stallion below me cries out in fear. I let go and listen to the stallion fall to the ground below. Slowly, I follow after him. He is laying on his side.
"You only got what you deserved." I hiss at him and sink my teeth into his neck. His eyes close and I stand up straight. Turning, I leave him and walk back to the center. I feel rejuvenated. I spot Coal the second I make it to the center. He had a pony standing next to him. She was grey with purple eyes. A short rope was tied around her neck with Coal on the other side. I land next to him.
"This is Octavia, I assume?" I say. She was looking straight ahead with glazed eyes. Red was mixing with the purple.
"Yes. Now please remove your spell." Coal says. I look at him closely. He looks strained.
"You tired to remove it yourself, but couldn't?" I ask, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. He glares at me.
"Yes. Now please remove your spell." He repeats. I like the look in his eyes. Frustration. I'm not powerful then him. I turn to Octavia and take my spell off of her. The red glow falls from her eyes and the glazed look leaves as she blinks. She looks at me.
"Love Note?" She asks. It feels like a knife stabs into my stomach. Coal jumps forward.
"Dark Soul." He says to me. I look up at him and the pain leaves. I glare at Octavia.
"My name is Dark Soul. I am giving you to Black Coal." I say to her. She looks from me to Coal and I see the blood drain from her face. She must recognize him.
"Coal." She says coldly. "What a, pleasure." Coal smiles and leans over to smell her hair. She jerks away from him. He frowns.
"Somethings never change." He growls and yanks her close to him by the rope. "But you are still as lovely as ever." He says and smells her mane. She has a disgusted look in her eyes.
"And you are still as fowl as ever." She growls at him. Anger flashes in his eyes and his horn glows red. Octavia smashes into the ground and I wince. Octavia stands again and wipes her lip. Blood comes off on her hoof.
"Shall we be leaving, my pet?" He asks and strokes her cheek. She glares at him.
"I'm not your pet." She growls and shoved his hoof away from her face. Coal hits her cheek and I look away. Why is this affecting me so much? I gave her to him and he can do what he wants to her. I go to turn away but something stops me. I hear a little cry from Octavia and I look back. Her shoulder had a cut in it. Blood was on her grey coat. The skin around the rope raw from being yanked. I bite my lip.
"I want you to stay here. Just for another day." I say to Coal. Octavia looks up at me.
"Love-" Octavia starts but stops when Coal hits her again.
"You said for me to leave right after I got my Octavia. I got her, and now I am leaving." He says. I stomp my hoof on the ground.
"You have two choices. Leave right now, without Octavia, or stay until I say you can leave, with Octavia." Coal glares at me.
"Fine. I'll stay. But I get to have Octavia with me while i'm here." I nod. Sounds fair. I turn and fly into the air. I let the ponies wonder while still under my spell. They will do as the usually did, but they will also listen to everything I tell them.
Beat.
I drop to the ground and clench my jaw against the pain in my stomach. That name. I look up and find myself in front of the group of earth ponies. I look threw the crowd. Nothing out of the ordinary. My eyes stop on a grey pony with a purple, messy, mohawk. His eyes meet mine. My heart jumps. His eyes were not glazed over and were still perfectly violet.
I push threw the ponies trying to reach this pony. I look around again but cant spot him. I jump into the air and scan the crowd. The stallion was gone. I feel my heart drop and a new desire take hold. A desire to be... Wanted.
I fly up and land on a roof and watch the ponies below me wandering around. The stallion, Beat i'm assuming, has yet to leave my head. I watch the ground, hoping to see him again. The need to find him is only growing every second. I leap into the air and fly over Ponyville, watching the ground. I land next to the house that Coal was staying in. I hesitate before entering.
"Hello?" I call out. I hear a bang come from the other room and Coal comes out. His eyes narrow when he sees me.
"What now?" He demands. I glare at him, anger rising up in me.
"Watch your tone." I say threw clenched teeth. "I came to see Octavia." I say and try to push past him. He stops me.
"Why? She belongs to me now." He snaps. I shove his hoof away from me and step past him.
"Because I said so." I snap back and push into the room. Octavia is tied up on a small bed. Her sides and arms red. Her blood staining the bed below her. One eye was swollen and her mouth bloodied. I gasp.
"Why did you do this to her?" I snap, anger filling me. Coal looks as me, shocked.
"She is my pet. I can do whatever I want to. What does it matter to you? She is just an earth pony!" I start to shake.
"I'm taking her back." I say and turn to the bed.
"You can't do that." Coal says coldly. I turn and look at him. His horn is glowing red. I summon up my power and let it surround me.
"You don't want to start this." I warn him. His eyes harden and he shoots his magic at me. His magic hits me and I smash threw the wall behind me. I jump up and growl as Coal follows me out. I jump into the air and harden the magic glow around me. Coal blasts a red beam at me again and I absorb it. I fly towards him, gaining speed right and collide into him, knocking him back. He rolls on his back and jumps back to his hooves fast. I shoot the magic around me at him and it hits him, flinging him back. He hits the wall behind him hard and falls to the ground.
"Are you done?" I ask, walking up to him, both of us panting hard.
"Never! " He yells and jumps off the ground at me. I hit the ground hard with him on top of me. He lifts his hoof up and smashes it into my face, making me taste blood. I blast him with magic, pushing him off of me into the air. I follow him up and fly above him, watching him flail. I hit him again with my magic, launching him into the ground. I land cautiously next to him and Coal does not move.
I reach my hoof down to check his pulse when I see his horn glow red. I blade of red magic slices into my hide making me yelp and jump back. Coal gets up, the glowing blade hovering in the air next to him. I feel my blood dripping down my side.
"You want to know your weakness?" Coal asks. "You don't go for the kill." He yells and jumps at me. I dodge the blade but was too slow to dodge Coals hoof as it smashes into my shoulder where the blade had cut me. I yelp and glare at him before flying into the air away from Coal. The blade follows me, it was like a dance with death. I was twisting and spinning in the air trying to dodge the blade as well as gather enough magic around me. I glance down to see if it was working. A faint red glow was surrounding Coal. I look back at the blade and move to the right. I was too slow, the blade cutting into my side. I yelp, trying to concentrate. I give my magic one last push and the glow around me tightens. The blade stops and falls apart into a shimmer of red. My own magic flickers and I fly to the ground, unsteady on my own hooves. I glance at Coal, laying still on the concrete ground. I used the same trick on him as I did the stallion from the guard.
Shakily, I walk back to the hole I made in the house and jump in. The air is cold as I walk up and start to untie Octavia. I summon up more magic to surround Octavia and heal her. I start to pant, my magic almost fully depleted. Slowly Octavia's wounds start to heal. I pull my magic off of her once she is back to good health.
"Love Note?" She asks quietly as she sits up and looks at me. A shiver runs down my spine.
"Dark Soul." I hiss and fly out the hole. I fly back over to Coal and sink my teeth into his neck. His blood taste fowl, but I feel the unicorn magic returning to me. I drink as little as possible and launch back into the sky. I watch the ponies below me walk casually threw the streets. Some are looking at books, some buying food. I freeze. A grey and purple stallion is walking threw the street.
Beat
I wince at the pain and I prepare to launch down. BAM! Something slams into my side and I fall down to the ground hard. I look up and see a white and blue stallion in armor on top of me. I smirk at him.
"You are the second stallion to have been on top of me today!" I tease. His eyes narrow.
"No fun and games, princess." Anger fills my eyes and I kick him off, jump to my hooves.
"Don't call me that." I look up and see a cloud of ponies from the guard flying over head. I find my magic that is flowing through every pony.
"It's over, Love Note." He growls at me.
"My name is Dark Soul! And its just begun." I smirk and change the magic in them once again. Every pegasus around me shoots into the sky and hits the guard ponies. Yells sound from all around us, making Shining Armor looks around him. All over the ponies under my spell attack the guard. Shining glares at me.
"You are willing to turn the ponies of Ponyville into murders?" He hisses at me. I flash him a smile, His eyes lock onto my fangs.
"They wont kill the guard. Just knock them out or trap them." I summon up some magic, it forms a tight glowing ball to my left. Shining glances at it and takes a stand. I launch the ball at him and he jumps out of the way, the ball just barely hitting his shoulder. It knocks him back and he runs at me, his horn glowing blue. He hits me onto my back and his magic follows close after. I roll back a few yards and stand back up. I jump into the air and speed back at him, my magic making a red arrow at the front of me. I slam into Shining Armor and he flies back. I follow close behind him and slam both my front hooves into him when he stops.
His horn glows once again, blasting me into the air. I do a few flips in the air before hovering above him. I look down just as another beam of magic hits me, making me fall to the ground. My cuts from the previous fight have reopened and I have a few new ones from the fall. My wing has a big cut near the base and it hurts like crazy.
I gather the magic in me again and slam it into him again, stronger this time. The air around us has a tint of red to it. Shining tries to stand, but I grab his tail and fly up into the sky fast. A blue glow surrounds me and tightens, making me cry out in pain. I drop Shining Armor go and we both fall to the ground.
We hit the ground hard and I try to stand but fall. I see Shining Armor struggle to stand. I try to muster up more magic but my energy falters. I try to stand again, painfully making it to my hooves where I stand, shaking. Blood is dripping from the side of my head but Shining looks no better. He is wobbly on his hooves, blood is staining his white coat, his mane is a mess.
I try again to bring my magic back up, a flickering red glow starts to appear. A blue beam slams me off my hooves and I fall painfully on my side. Shining walks over to me.
"You are sentenced to death." He says coldly and I watch his horn glow blue. I close my eyes, waiting for the final blow.
"WAIT!" My eyes fling open to the familiar voice. The grey and purple stallion runs up. "Please!" He has tears in his eyes. Shining Armor looks at him confused. Beat runs up to me and gently places his hoof on my cheek. He leans down and kisses me. The second his lips met mine I felt a pressure lift off of me. I close my eyes again and kiss him back. Slowly I fall into the numbing darkness.
This time I greet it with pleasure.
I open my eyes. Around me is a forest. The trees looks... weird. They have a blue hue to them. I stand up. As far as I can see its just this forest. I trot forward. No animals, no ponies.
"Hello?" I call out. Nothing. I look up. The sky above me is dark except for the stars. They are shining extra bright tonight. I jump into the air and fly above the tree tops. Still as far as I can see only trees. I land again. Where am I? A light flashes behind me and I turn. A white mare with a purple and black mane stands before me. Her eyes were as grey as mine. Sorrow filled them.
"My dear Love Note." She says softly and hugs me tight. Love is just emanating off of her. "How much I have missed you, my daughter." I freeze. Daughter. The mare lets me go and looks me up and down.
"Mom?" I ask carefully. Her eyes meet mine again. They fill with tears.
"Of coarse. They took your memories." I look her up and down. This was my mom. My mom was killed when I was little. Before my accident. That is all I remember from before then. It came to me in a dream.
"Mom." I whisper, my voice cracking. I grab her and pull her to me in a big hug. Tears flow freely from both of our eyes. "Mom." I say again. She hugs me tighter.
"Mom how?" I ask when we let go of each other. My mom, Day Dreamer, looks at me sadly.
"You are in the Moonlight Shadow forest. The time between life and death. Celestia and Luna allowed me to come back here and see you. To talk to you." She said. I snuggle up to her. She plays with my mane.
"I have missed you mom." I say quietly. She pauses and then goes on playing with my mane.
"I know, Love. I've missed you too. I have to ask you though, because I don't know how long we have here, have you found your sister?" She asks. I sit up and look at her. A sister?
"I didn't know I had a sister." I say sadly. Dreamers eyes drop.
"Her name is Electric Slide. Shes a dancer. She looks just like me, only with purple eyes. Honey, you have to find her for me." She says. A wind blows threw the forest. My moms eyes fill with worry. She jumps up and hugs me again.
"Love Note. I love you." She says. I hold her close.
"Mommy I don't want to leave you again!" I cry out. Tears fall from our eyes.
"Baby you have to. Your time is not yet here! You have a whole life ahead of you!"
"Don't make me go mommy." I whisper to her.
"Find Electric Slide. I love you." She whispers back. Everything around me starts to fade.
"I love you mom!" I yell to her as everything goes black.
I open my eyes and stair at the white ceiling overhead. A beeping comes to my ears and I look around. I'm in the hospital again. Beat is sitting in the chair next to me. I shift my weight. The bed creaks and Beats head shoots up. We make eye contact and he jumps over to my bed. Our lips meet in a loving kiss.
"I thought you were going to die." He says, his voice shaky. His eyes were red and puffy.
"Where you crying?" I ask softly. Beat blushes and wipes at his eyes. I smile. A nurse walks in a freezes. She quickly walks back out and then returns with a white and blue stallion. He was wearing the guards armor and looks pretty beat up. I frown.
"Dark Soul, you are under arrest." I look at him confused.
"I'm not Dark Soul. I'm Love Note. And who are you?" I look up at Beat. He bit his lip and walked over to the stallion.
"Can we talk somewhere else?" He asks him polity. The stallion gives a quick nod. They leave. I sit in silence staring at the ceiling. My whole body aches. I look over at the nurse.
"Uh, what happened? Why am I hear?" She looks at me confused and then walks out of the room. Thanks a lot. Beat and the stallion walk back in and Beat walks right back to me, placing his hoof on mine.
"I'm sorry, we seam to be having a problem with identity. We are looking for a mare that looks like you but has red eyes. Sorry for any problem I have caused." The stallion says stiffly before walking off. I look at Beat, confused.
"You were in an accident. There was a bat pony with the ability of magic out and Shining Armor is looking for her now." He kisses me again. "Don't worry though. You're safe now."
"I love you." I say to him. His eyes widen and a big smile comes to his face.
"I love you too."
The hospital released me four days after I woke up there. Both Tavi and Vinyl visited me there. Beat practically lived there with me. Now that I am home I plan on fulfilling my moms request. I need to find my sister. And the pony that did this to me, my mom, and her. My mom said 'They took your memories.' and I plan on finding out who 'They' are.
I start to throw some of my things into my saddle when Tavi walks into my room. She sees me stuffing things into my bag and her eyes drop.
"Leaving?" She asks quietly. I see Beat peek his head around Tavi. My heart drops.
"Yes. I need to find my sister." I have already told them about my vision when I almost died. "I was going to say good bye." Beat pushes past Tavi and walks up to me.
"If you are going, then I am going with you." He says firmly. I frown. I didn't tell then the other half of my plan.
"No, Beat. This is something I need to do alone." I say and look him in the eye.
"I told you that you would never be alone again. And I mean it. I am going with you." He stands his ground. I sigh.
"Ok Beat." I smile. "I actually wont mind you coming. The company will be good." He smiles. I look up at Tavi. Her eyes are sad.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. With my sister." I smile reassuringly at her. She smiles back.
"I know. This is something you have to do." She walks over to me and gives me a hug. "I'll miss you though. Both Vinyl and I. Beat, keep her safe for me." She adds. I stand and put my bag on my back. We head over to the door.
"I love you Tavi. Give Vinyl love for me." I hug her again and head out the door.
"I love you too, Love Note." Tavi calls out as we start to walk out. Beat and I walk side by side in silence as we head for his house. He gathered his stuff fast, being a traveler he did not have a lot of stuff. We walk to the edge of Ponyville and look back.
"We wont be back soon, will we?" Beat asks me, looking me straight in the eye.
"No." I respond. We walk off, our destination unknown.
Author's Note
BEFORE you freak out about the ending!!! This is the first book in a series. Yes! A series. I don't know when I will start on the next book, I want to finish my other book first. And I have to write another Cotton Candy book before Thanks giving. So give me some time. And thank you all for the reads.
Darkness. The floor under me is vibrating. My wings are pulled to the sides of me. I try to stand. Pain shoots threw my side. I pull on my wings even though I know what the out some will be. Pain. I pull again. More pain. I stop when I hear a buzz. I look up, trying to find the red light. Its not there. Instead, there is a completely black pony standing inches from my face. I scream and try to jump back. The things attached to my wings don't let me. pain shoots up my side again, stronger this time. The pony in front of me has no face. He reaches towards me and places his hoof on my face. I try to pull my head away but I cant. I cant move at all.
"You're time is now. Awake."
I open my eyes. I feel the familiar feeling of sweat on my coat. My body is shaking. I look around. I'm not in my room. Beat is sitting in a chair next to me. He is reading a book. He looks up and catches me staring at him.
"Love! You're awake." He jumps up, knocking the book onto the ground. "Thank god." He sighs. A nurse comes in. She starts to mess with the machine next to me.
"How are you feeling Love Note?" She asks me. I look up at her then back at Beat. How did I get hear? I try to think back. Date. Kiss. Run. Bridge. Jump.
"How did I get here?" I ask her. She looks over at Beat and smiles.
"Your friend here brought you here after you fell off of the bridge. You're lucky that he was there when he was." She says to me and walk out of the room. Beat brought me here?
"After you left the restaurant I followed you, thinking that there was something wrong. You went to the bridge. You looked completely freaked out and then you jumped." His voice fades off. He bites his lip and looks at me with confusion in his eyes. "Why did you jump?" He sounds hurt.
"I was being chased by some pony. They trapped me on the bridge and I could not use my wings. So I just jumped. I was scared.." Beat looks me in the eyes.
"Love Note, I was the one who was following you. I met you at the bridge and started to run to you because you looked freaked." I look away from him. He was the one who was chasing me? No, there were two.
"There was another pony on the other side of the bridge. He used magic on me. You are an earth pony, so you cant use magic. I thought I was trapped. I didn't realize the other pony was you." I say softly. Beat must have been so scared when he saw me jump. "I'm so sorry Beat." He places his hoof on my arm.
"Its ok, Love. Just don't go jumping off of bridges again." Beat leans closer to me. "I'll protect you." Maybe Beat really does like me. Maybe I can be wanted by some pony. A shooting pain stabs into me. It moves threw my entire body. I cry out and curl up. Beat jumps up and runs to the door. He yells something out the door and then runs back over to me. He says something to me as another pain shoots threw me. I close my eyes just as the nurse comes running over to me. I welcome the numbing darkness when it comes.
I had to stay in the hospital two more days after my episode. They had to make sure that I was ok before letting me go. I got out just in time to get ready for my next gig at the club. Beat stayed with me at the hospital the entire time. It was nice company.
I put on my purple eye shadow and put some purple sparkles on my legs and the tips of my wings. I leave my cutie mark alone this time. Vinyl and Tavi are both waiting for me in the living room. After my attack and scare they decided that I cant go anywhere alone. Tonight, they are going with me to the club.
"So, what exactly do you do at the club?" Vinyl ask me. I forgot that I hadn't told Tavi what I do there.
"I sing. With my band, the Moonlight Dancers." I reply casually as we reach the door. Vinyl looks happy with my answer.
"Hey I heard of them! That's you? You're getting kinda popular in the club." She exclaims.
"That's because they don't know me as Love Note there. I am Moonlight. Could you call me that when your there, please?" I ask. I don't want the ponies in the club to recognize the name. Vinyl and Tavi look at each other.
"Uh, yeah. Sure thing, Moonlight." I smile back at them. I can trust them to remember what to call me. We make it to the club and head in. They stay near the back as I make my way towards the band room. Griffin and Studs were not there yet. I walk over to my closet and pull out my almost black purple mini skirt and tank top. I slip a leather jacket over the top and put on tall socks. The jacket had unbuckled buckles on it. I look like a punk. Perfect.
The door opens behind me and I look back. There was a black and red stallion standing by the door. He smiles at me and I see fangs. Fear rises up in me and I look around. Griffin and Studs should be here soon.
"You cant be back here. You need to leave, right now." I hold my head up and stand my ground. Maybe if i'm firm, he will leave. He chuckles, shattering my confidence.
"Don't worry, sweetie, I wont hurt you. My boss would be very unhappy with me for that. I'm just here for the show." He turns and starts to walk out. "We will meet again soon, Love." I freeze at the use of my name. The stallion was gone. My breath comes back to me. I did not even know I was holding it. Griffin and Studs walk in and look at me.
"Looks like you just saw a ghost!" Studs walk up to me. "You ok, princess?" I shove him away.
"Why do you insist on calling me that?" I turn and sit on the couch. We have to go on stage soon. Studs jumps on the couch next to me.
"Because you don't like it, and i'm a butt." He admits. I smile and shake my head. That's true. He is a butt. Griffin slips on a leather jacket and some buckle bracelets and throws a jacket at Studs. He slides into it and hops up. Studs hair is done up in a mohawk and it looks like he put some clear gel on his cutie mark, a guitar. It stands out tonight. Maybe I should have put something on mine.
"Lets head out." Griffin says and heads to the stage door. I jump off the couch and follow him. I think about what the black and red stallion said. I'm just here for the show Its probably nothing, but I feel something in my stomach that just does not sit well with me. The second I make it to the stage I forget about everything and just let the music surround me.
The set went well. Great, actually. All of the ponies loved our newest song, Last Resort. I wrote it in the hospital. It went great even though we did not have a lot of practice on it. I walk onto the dance floor in search of my friends. They were still standing in the back of the crowd, right where I left them.
"Tavi, Vinyl!" I call to them and trot over. They were talking to each other and did not seem the hear me. "Tavi? Vinyl?" I say as I reach them. They both jump.
"Oh hey, Moonlight." Vinyl says carefully. Both of them eye me. "Why are you wearing colored contacts? They are kinda, well, freaky." Tavi leans close to me.
"They look so real.." She adds after Vinyl. I look at them confused. I'm not wearing colored contacts.
"I'm not wearing colored..." My voice trails off as I spot the black and red stallion standing behind them a distance. His red eyes were locked on mine. "I will be right back." I say quickly and push past them. I don't know why, but I feel a pull towards this stallion. He smiles at me, flashing his fangs and starts to walk towards the door of the club. I pause, feeling like I should not follow him. The pull towards him gets stronger and as I start to walk again it feels like i'm not even controlling my body.
I make it to the door and slip out. The stallion is no where to be seen. I step out farther and look around. The hair on my back stands up. I spin around and find myself face to face with the stallion.
"Perfect timing." He purrs at me. "My, or shall I now say our, boss will be very happy." He pulls a small mirror out of his saddle bag and faces it at me. I feel the blood drain from my face. My grey eyes were red. Blood red. I feel the tips of my wings tingle.
"What.." I whisper. This is....., perfect. I feel a smile come to my face. Fangs show from under my lifted lips. I feel a strange surge of energy coarse threw my veins. Thoughts flow into my brain. Now they will pay. Those ponies who judged me, hurt me. They will get what they deserve. The stallion leans over and puts his mouth near my ear.
"You know what to do, follow your thoughts." I feel a shiver vibrate threw my body. "This was what you were made for." He turns and walks away. Evil thoughts flow freely in my head. Thoughts of pain, death, revenge. The door to the club opens and I shoot into the air and hover over the two ponies below me. One is blue and white and the other is grey with purple eyes. I smile.
"Moonlight?" The grey one calls out. I feel a click in my spirit. That voice is familiar. "Where did she go?" I land on the roof of the building next to me. The two ponies say something to each other quietly and then start to walk away from the building. I try to think about the voice but my thoughts were quickly devoured by desire. I jump off of the building and open my wings. The wind feels good in my face.
I search the ground for something, some pony. The desire in my soul grows stronger. I feel myself growl. I spot 4 ponies hanging out in a dark ally. A smile grows on my face. I tuck my wings against my body and shoot towards them like a bullet. Right before I hit the ground I stretch my wings out and pull my hind leg up. I land with perfect aim, right in the center of the ponies. They all scream and jump back.
I glare at them all, one at a time, daring them to come at me. A black and yellow stallion steps froward.
"Who the HELL do you think you are?" He snaps at me. His voice sparks anger in me. I jump on him, hitting him in the jaw. He falls back, and I pounce on his neck. My fangs sink into his neck. I hear the other ponies scream and start to run off. Warm blood flows onto my tongue and I reluctantly jump off of him back into the air. Ill come back and finish him later. I speed off towards the other ponies. A blue and yellow stallion was in the lead and I fly straight into him. He yelps and hits the ground. I hear a crack as he hits and rolls. I turn towards the other two, a black and green mare and a orange and white stallion. The mare, a pegasus, takes to the sky and I follow her. I catch her right away by the tail and throw her onto the ground. She curls into a ball and whimpers. I look at the other stallion. He is staring at me wide eyed and shaking. I smile at him. His eyes lock onto my fangs and I see the blood drain from his face. I jump on him, knocking him to the ground, and sink my fangs into his warm neck.
His blood flows into my mouth and I feel my desire slowly fade. I leave the other two ponies alone, and take back to the sky. My thoughts slowly fade and I fly in silence. I land on a building and look out over the town. I feel myself ache for more. Not for more blood, but for destruction. My wings start to tingle again and I look back. The black on them seem to be spreading. Over half of my wing is black.
A stabbing pain shoots threw my side and I yelp. A name pops into my head, only for a second, before it was over taken by more thoughts of destruction. I try to think of the name again, and pain shoots into my side again. The harder I think the stronger the pain.
Beat.
I pass out from the pain.
