Fanged Feathers II: Black Midnightby Fanged RainbowChaptersAnother night, another problemBlack MidnightInto the castle.Back to PonyvilleAnother night, another problemRainbow Dash sighed. It had been what seemed like an eternity since her battle against her friend. She still could taste the blood on her lips. So sweet, yet so horrific. Rainbow Dash had been left, for the most part, alone in the coven's cavern. Two ponies, only known as Lyra and Bon Bon lay in the corner asleep. They had been like that for hours, and Rainbow Dash was getting bored with her instructions. "Keep an eye on them," Derpy's voice came in the cyan mare's head, "Or no blood for a month..." Rainbow Dash added with a sorrow huff. A glance over to Lyra and Bon Bon and Rainbow Dash realized she had a serious issue at hoof - They were gone! Rainbow Dash suddenly jumped up in panic, looking around the cave. They had left no sign of where they had left from. "Buck no..." Rainbow Dash muttered in anger, "They are so dead!" She roared after. Quickly soaring to one of the secret exits, Rainbow Dash pushed the exit button and the wall slid open, revealing one of Ponyville's alleyways. It was shaded well from the sun, and in a surprisingly good condition. The pale yellow painted walls protected Rainbow Dash from the sun as she pulled her hood up and took a sniff of the air. She immediately caught the scent she needed, Twilights. Returning the hood to cover her face Rainbow Dash burst into an unnatural sprint, her hooves alone taking her to Twilights new castle in a near-instant. Screeching to a halt Rainbow Dash opened the door, pulling her hood down and attempting to act as if her condition was just the myth is was supposed to be. Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash concerned, spotting her cyan coloured friend enter the chambers. "Hello, Rainbow," she exclaimed waving. "Heya, Twilight," Rainbow Dash replied, "Can I ask a favour of you?" "What is it, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, "Is this about that incident a few years ago? Is Applejack after you again?" "What? No!" Rainbow Dash stated in reply, her voice uneasy and filled with frustration. "I told you not to mention that," she added. "It's about our new bloods." "Lyra and Bon-Bon?" Twilight inquired. Rainbow Dash silently nodded in reply. "I need a tracking spell placed on them," Rainbow Dash stated. Twilight sighed. "Why?" "They...." Rainbow Dash trailed off, her throat drying out. "Escaped and are endangering the town?" Twilight guess, to which Rainbow Dash nodded again. Shaking her head Twilight groaned. Something was always going on, and it was starting to visibly get to her. "Okay." Twilight's horn began to glow with a purple aura, sparkling slightly as it reached into the surrounding magic fields. With a sudden gasp Twilight jolted back into her throne. Rubbing her sore horn she moaned in agony, writhing slightly. "E-Everfree. They're in the Everfree..." she stuttered. "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called in panic rushing to the Alicorn's side. "Are you okay?" "Yes... Just a slight overload." Twilight replied, wobbling as she got to her hooves. Rainbow Dash looked to her with a sceptical expression, which Twilight picked up on. "Maybe a bit more than slight." "You sure?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone unsure and concerned. "That looked painful." Applejack suddenly walked in. "Sounded it too." "Applejack?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in surprise. "Have you been listening on our entire conversation. "Nah. I just overheard that last part about the Everfree, then Twilight's little... Fit." Applejack replied looking Twilight over. "I may be no expert on magic but I'd recommend ya get some rest, princess." "I'm fine." Twilight replied, still struggling to stand. The other two didn't look convinced. "I'm gonna head out, then," Rainbow Dash stated, trotting out of the castle door, heading to the Everfree Forest. She pulled her hood up and took to the air when out of Applejack's view. She still didn't want her finding out again. Soon enough, Rainbow Dash stood at the eerie forests entrance, with a sigh she suddenly burst into her vampiric sprint, charging into the forest at neck-breaking speeds. As she sped through the forests she transformed, her fangs growing from her jaws an her eyes becoming slits. Her body became more muscular, if only slightly, too. The forest was silent, silent as silent can get, aside from the sound from the sound of Rainbow Dash's movement. Her hooves kicking up dust and soot as she slowed to a halt. She listened intently, listening in on the faintest of sounds. A mortal would never hear it. She couldn't quite either. Her ears twitched slightly, she picked up the sources and began to hover, slowly propelling herself towards the faint noise. It was talking. It was Lyra and Bon-Bon. Rainbow Dash came to a halt, resting in a tree above them. They were fighting a local Timberwolf. Even they could take that on, she thought. The Timberwolf snarled, detecting Rainbow Dash watching. It looked at the two new bloods in front of it, both were bloody, bruised and exhausted. Both were defenceless. It lunged at Lyra. Suddenly Rainbow Dash made her move, realising those she had to protect would die if she did not, and landed on the Timberwolf, breaking it's back in two with a loud cracking sound. The Timberwolf suddenly lay dead on the floor, Rainbow Dash standing on in in triumph. And in fury. "You two..." she spat. "You're coming with me, now." Lyra and Bon-Bon looked to eachother timidly, and bowed to Rainbow Dash. "Stand," she commanded. "Why did you even come out here?" "We... We were bored..." Lyra replied, cowering slightly. "Bored? That's it?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone indifferent, though her face displaying an utter rage. "Bored?" She repeated, her tone becoming one of absolute hatred, and anger. "With me. Now!" The two nodded, sorrowfully following after Rainbow Dash. They looked to each other and sighed. Suddenly Rainbow Dash stopped, hearing a growling sound nearby. Her ears twitched again, pinpointing the source of the sound. It was right above her. She looked up, squinting her eyes. She spotted a pony, but with a canine head, sharp claws, and a wolf-like tail. "A Lycan?" Author's Note So, the sequel is here! I'm sorry it took so long, but I've not felt like writing in a while, and have only just finally gotten back to it. As for those who also enjoyed my other story, The Vampony of Manehatten High, it will remain cancelled for the time being. At least until this story is finished. Black MidnightThe lycan swung down, hanging from her tail like a bat. Her blueish green canine eyes lined with Rainbow Dash's. She smiled, sizing the vampony up. "What's a vampyre trio like you doing here?" she asked, her eyes moving to Lyra and Bon-Bon. "Wouldn't you have brought a vampiric gryphon with you, with some new bloods here?" Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a howl in the distance. "My pack can smell you, vampony. You should leave. You don't wanna get hurt do you? Right? Say, I've never seen a vampony, or vampyre of any kind this closely before. What's it like? C-" Rainbow Dash placed her hoof over the Lycan's mouth, stopping her ramblings. "Shut it." Rainbow Dash ordered. The lycan nodded. Rainbow Dash took her hoof from the lycans mouth and sized her up. Her coat was a silvery yellow, while her mane was a messy black splotch of hair. Her long talon-like claws hung in her pawed hooves like razors. Perfect killing devices. Her tail was also black, like her mane, and quite messy in itself. Yet long, and surprisingly elegant in its sways. She chuckled, looking at the trio with a wide, toothy smile. "Why are you here, anyway?" the lycan asked, dropping down onto the floor, sniffing inquisitively at Rainbow Dash. The four hunters suddenly heard another, louder and more urgent sounding howl. "Follow me!" The lycan begged, rushing of excitedly into the thick, dark forests. Rainbow Dash sternly looked to the new bloods, frowning as she sighed, rolling her eyes. She began to chase after the lycan mare, silently gliding over the forest floors, her hooves never quite touching the ground as she sprinted. Lyra and Bon Bon pursued their elder, frowning as they realised that their decision to wander could have far more dire consequences that she thought. The lycan had rushed out of sight, taking an unannounced turn at some unknown point, leaving the three vamponies in the middle of the forrest - lost. "Where... did she go?" Rainbow dash asked herself, looking around her carefully. No sign of the wolf-mare... Lyra and Bob Bon slowed to a halt, Lyra falling over a root, landing on her face. Bon Bon worriedly turned to Lyra, checking her over for any injuries. Rinbow Dash didn't pay Lyra attention, more focused on finding where the trio were, without getting themselves in more trouble. Noticing a small streak of sunlight pushing down through the leaves Rainbow Dash grunted. It was still day, she wouldn't have a good time flying. Rainbow Dash slowly turned to the others in concern, finally checking Lyra over. It wasn't a serious injury, at least not for a vampony. A large gash tore down her leg, staining the floor in vampyric blood. That became Rainbow Dash's new concern. Something they could be tracked by, other than smell. Lyra's dripping blood would leave a trail straight to them, wherever they went! The wound would close, soon hopefully... Then Rainbow Dash's ears perked up, honing in on the sound of dampened hoofsteps. The Lycanthropic mare, or a new threat? Much to the vamponies relief, it was not any threatening - Just the silver furred mare. "What's going on?" she asked, looking at the trio, bouncing up and down energetically. Rainbow Dash replied with a sigh, and roll of her eyes. A twig cracked and the lycan let out a yelp, spinning around and growling defensively, her voice becoming coarse, or more so than it already was. She began to sniff the ground, flicking her tail. Her head raised up, pointing into the darkness with a growl. What had she found? Rainbow Dash wondered, gesturing for her two companions to fall behind her. They did. A deep, dark, grey furred form moved through the bushes, red eyes glaring at the trio of vamponies, yet ignoring the lycanthrope completely. Another one was stalking them from the top of the trees, watching them with hate-filled eyes of sapphire. They growled lightly, revealing themselves with a chilling confidence of victory. They snarled, jumping out at Rainbow Dash, only to meet with the cyan equine's hooves, rather painfully. The first fell backwards, holding his face protectively, while the other engaged the vampiric leader in vicious combat. Bloody claws dug into the rainbow maned fighter, and sharpened fangs sank into the lycan's neck. The lycan struggled for a moment, gasping in vain for air, and died... His limp body fell to the floor, a light smirk on his face. Rainbow Dash frowned, crushing the dead lycanthrope's skull with a powerful stomp of her hoof. Why the smirk though? Why could he be happy on his death bed? Rainbow Dash shook it of, carelessly. A sudden ear-piercing howl erupted from the other lycan, still alive despite the kick to the face. The strange, friendly lycan mare shut him up by throttling his neck with her own sharp canine jaws, killing him too. "This way," she exclaimed, heading down a shaded pathway - towards the castle ruins. Lyra and Bon-Bon glanced at each other, looking to Rainbow Dash for guidance. She nodded and the two followed after the stranger, with their leader. Rainbow Dash managed to keep up with the lycanthrope mare, this time. She followed through the shade, until she reached the clearing with her two companions. The canine mare stood in the sun, smiling as she flicked her tail forwards. She frowned suddenly, looking at the trio. "What's wrong?" she ask, tilting her head. She paused, holding a paw up to signal for no reply. Thinking... Thinking... She placed her paw to her face. "Right... Sunlight." The lycan stomped about in a circle, groaning as she attempted to think of some solution. Rainbow Dash glanced at her in bewilderment. "What about an umbrella?" Lyra suggested, pulling some leaves into a cover with her magic. "Shade!" Rainbow Dash nodded, sighing. She looked at the lycan mare and asked the one question that had been bugging her. "Who are you?" "Me?" the lycan replied, smirking. "I'm Black Midnight." Into the castle."Black... Midnight?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone soft, and puzzled. She thought back to a book she had overseen in the coven library - just across from where the Daring Do books were kept. Derpy had mentioned that name before, when talking about it. Why did it strike her as off. This wasn't the same Black Midnight she had heard off. This wasn't the furred she-demon her coven feared... It was a kind mare, with a protective heart. One who was willing to fight off her own kind to save others... A heroine. Almost... Rainbow Dash shook her head, returning to her senses. She looked over to Lyra, who was holding her the makeshift umbrella. She sighed, nodding as she took it in her jaws, following after Black Midnight calmly, her two unaware companions following suit. When they reached the castle it was, unsurprisingly, in a ruined state. Old stone blocks lay strewn across the floor in messy piles, while tattered banners swayed in the gusts of wind forcing itself through the smashed windows, violently. The cracks flood heaved and creaked as the four mares walked over them, threatening to give way and collapse at any second! Even the walls were starting to crumble as the silky, green overgrowth of the Everfree Forest pushed against it, causing the back wall to simply collapse without reason. The sound of the falling wall caused Black Midnight to jump in shock, having not expected the place to be quite as unstable as it was. Though the four ponies pushed on until the were safely inside a a dark, windowless room. They found it in the library, a simple secret passage behind one of the bookshelves. No trigger mechanism, or complicated trap door. It was just a simple hole behind the book case. And the room smelt of soaking, rotting mold. Vines along the walls withered away in the darkness as the four sat down, relaxing as best they could. They all sat in a circle as Lyra started a small fire, burning the illegible pages of an ink-stained book, which provided to group some warms, and a soft, flickering, glowing light source. The fire crackled and hissed as it danced in the darkness of the small, dank chamber, and it took all of Lyra's magic to keep it lit! "So..." Rainbow Dash started, glancing at Black Midnight. "Care to explain the situation to me? I came out here to get these two runaways, and now I'm muddled in some mess I don't understand." "It's a long story..." Midnight replied. "Though we have plenty of time before we can really leave without drawing suspicion, so I'll tell my tale..." The three vampires all turned their attention to the lycan, listening carefully to what she had to say. "It all started on a night of hunting. I was just a pup, and was joining my pack on my first hunt. We had chased down a Manticore, surrounding it in a small clearing. Dinner! I was so confident in our success that when a vampony arrived, I ignored it. So did my pack. Then... More arrived. And even more... We grew suspicions, as you could probably guess. They were attempting to steal our prey. And after an hour-long tussle, the dragged our dinner away. My father, our pack alpha, soon grew highly territorial, along with my pack, and forbade us contact with any outside the pack... Including my vampiric sister... A victim of the mare who's been a thorn in our side for a good few years now..." "And who's that?" Lyra asked curiously, staring at Black Midnight in search of an answer. "Derpy buckin' Hooves. Snatched up a good, strong looking pony I could have ate too. And the filly with her. Shame - I was starving to death at the time." Rainbow Dash looked on in horror, remembering back to the night she was turned. Derpy saved her and Scootaloo from the forest after she was attacked. Black Midnight had planned to eat them both! "Well, we're with Der-" Rainbow dash cut of Bon Bon quickly, frowning. "Enough talking you two. You don't want to say something stupid," as Rainbow Dash spoke, her voice became strict, harsh, and demanding. "You will not speak of the coven while outside it. That's a rule." Black Midnight chuckled at the group. "You vamponies have a strange pack system." "It's called a coven," Rainbow Dash corrected, frowning harshly, turning her head away. "Can you go and keep an eye on the time of day? We really need to be going home as soon as possible. It's important." Black Midnight sighed, nodding as she left the chamber, her furry paws thumping gently on the cold, stone brick flood as she left the three to themselves. There was little to do in the chambers but read, so both Lyra and Bon Bon had taken some books from an old, damp, cracked bookshelf. The books had been on mythology, and of official organisations from the past. One even caught Rainbow Dash's eye. She looked over the cover which displayed an ancient tome that represented the sun, and two silver swords over it. "The Silver Sun, Defenders of the Night?" She seemed to be intrigued. It was by no means a Daring Doo book - but it was something - and it was probably going to be useful. The book spoke of an old, secret order of monster hunters. They slew everything that would typically be seen as 'evil' to such narrow-minded ponies like the paladin's and priest's described in the book. Rainbow Dash scoffed at the book. It sounded insane! But... Was it true? She flipped through some more pages. The weaknesses of many creatures listed were given, including lycanthropes, the vampiric, and demons. "To defeat a lycan... A blade of pure silver, and a vial of Hydra venom will leave the lycan at your mercy - which you must not give," Rainbow Dash quoted, frowning slightly. She continued reading as her two companions glanced at her. "The vampiric are weak to the sun, and will slowly burn to cinders while in it. A wooden stake through the heart will kill - do not engage alone. Highly cunning, and dangerous." She closed the book, frowning. "We're keeping this. When we get back I'm placing it in the library under Derpy's place. No touching it." "Understood, Ma'am," the two replied in sync, returning to their books. Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the room again. Flapping her wings gently and taking off, looking towards the top of the bookshelf. She frown as she realized there wasn't a saddlebag, or any kind of bag, to store the book in. "Damn..." Rainbow Dash muttered, looking over what they had in the room. The leaf umbrellas! They could be fashioned into saddlebags, with a little magic. "Lyra!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking towards the pastel green unicorn, whom had jumped in shock and surprise. "I need a saddlebag made from the umbrellas... Now!" Lyra nodded, turning and quickly getting to work, sighing slightly. At least she had something to do... Bon Bon also sighed, throwing her book at the wall in sheer boredom. Then, the lycan returned. "It'll be night in about ten minutes. But... We have company." Back to PonyvilleTen long, boring minutes had past within the small, dank, secret chamber behind the bookshelf. Lyra had finished the makeshift saddlebag, and Rainbow Dash had packed three books. One for Lyra, one for Bon Bon, and one she thought Derpy would find invaluable. It wasn't particularly interesting - it wasn't Daring Doo - but it looked like something important. The trio got to their feet as they prepared to leave, smelling the scent of blood outside. The blood on Black Midnight's claws suggested what they were smelling. A victim, or attacker... Her next choice of words confirmed Rainbow Dash's suspicions. "They're out there. My pack." They had a fight on their hooves. An entire lycan pack verses another lycan and three vamponies. Not a particularly fair fight, but one they had no choice but to engage. And so Rainbow Dash pushed open the passage, jumping out, alert, she raised her rear hooves suddenly, feeling the muzzle of some unfortunate lycan colliding with them, yelping as they did. The other canine ponies soon pounced at her, only to hit the floor as Rainbow Dash rocketed in the sky in an instant. Lyra and Bon Bon were back to back, hooves raised defensively, and fangs bared. They stood ready, circled by a pair of lycanthropic stallions, who growled in hostility at the pair of vamponies. When they lunged at the pair of young vamponies, one was met with a pair of fangs in his neck, the other, meanwhile, had a hoof crushing his neck. He yelped in agony, dying under a pastel, green hoof. A sudden scamper and whimper gained the attention of the two new bloods, finding their leader annihilating her foes... "Remind me not to piss Rainbow Dash off," Lyra commented, gulping as she watched the blue pegasus drove away several more of the canine ponies. "I don't want to die right after being gifted immortality..." Bon Bon simply nodded, looking traumatized by the same sight. "Agreed." And so, the four mares began to trot towards the Everfree Forest, everything had gone eerily silent, the only sound to be heard being the crunching of dirt beneath the hooves of three ponies, and the gently flapping of feathered wings. Not a single other sound... Suddenly the near silence was broken by a low growl, and the snapping of a twig. A Timberwolf! The large, magical, wooden wolf blocked the group's path, towering over them all menacingly as it prepared to lunge. Its attack was sudden, charging forward with an ear-shattering howl. The three vamponies scattered when the beast came lumbering forward. Rainbow Dash flew up, Lyra scarpered to the left, and Bon Bon hurried right, all three being missed completely by the humongous, clumsy beast's rampaging attack. Black Midnight was just as lucky, jumping up and rolling over the beasts back, confusing it as the last target disappeared from its sight. The Timberwolf continued its blind charge, colliding with, - and knocking over - a large, twisted tree. It stammered, swaying on its feet as it attempted to regain alertness. But, unfortunately for the Timberwolf, by the time it had come back to its senses, Rainbow Dash had left the beast in sheer agony, coming down and slamming into its back, which shattered it completely. The rotten wood that made up the creature splintered and cracked, flying out in every direction. What was once the Timberwolf was now just a pile of snapped twigs and cracked logs. It was dead... Rainbow Dash stood over the corpse of the animal, panting slightly, out of shock more than anything else. Another twig snapped, getting her attention. It turned out to be Lyra sneaking back towards the scene. "I-Is it dead?" she asked, looking at the pile in confusion. "I... I've never seen a dead Timberwolf before. Can they even die?" "I'm pretty sure it's dead..." Bon Bon stated, sighing as she kicked one of the smaller logs away from her hooves. "Let's just hope we don't find anything else that wants to make us dinner. Honestly, I'd rather be the one eating." "Agreed," Rainbow Dash added, standing back to attention. "Come on, quicker we get to Ponyville, quicker we can eat." The two over vamponies grinned, licking their fangs at the thought of blood. Food! And so their trot through the Everfree Forest continued on, largely undisturbed by anything else but the eerie background - animals communicating. Mostly in was soft growls, chrips and squawks, being thrown threateningly at the small party of four as the continued to trot through the dark forests, though they were left alone, physically. The leaves crunched beneath Rainbow Dash's hooves, breaking the near-silence suddenly, only to replace it by the trotting off hooves across the leafy paths stretching down the forest floor. Ponyville was just ahead... And the sun was still down. The trio of vamponies reached the town, and quickly left for the cave beneath Derpy's house. But Black Midnight did not follow, instead, the lycanthropic mare returned to the Everfree Forest, leaving the vamponies to their bisuness. Rainbow Dash pushed the book she found onto a shelf, sighing slightly. She considered handing it to Twilight, but it just seemed like a bad idea, all things considered. So, instead, she sat back down and bit her teeth into a blood bag, enjoying the coppery taste of the filling, crimson liquid. It dripped from her fangs and the cyan pegasus let out a happy sigh of relief, filled by the bloody meal. "Not as fresh as from the tap... But not bad," she commented, frowning as she tossed the empty, plastic bag in a nearby bin. A knock came from above, suddenly, and the sound of several voices, including Derpy's. They got back just in time... So, as Derpy and Vinyl came down into the coven's cave, while the others returned to their own houses, Rainbow Dash smiled, hoping to entirely hide the earlier incident. Yet Derpy's eyes caught the new book instantly, despite it been on a distant shelf, and frowned. "Where did you get that book?"
Another night, another problemRainbow Dash sighed. It had been what seemed like an eternity since her battle against her friend. She still could taste the blood on her lips. So sweet, yet so horrific. Rainbow Dash had been left, for the most part, alone in the coven's cavern. Two ponies, only known as Lyra and Bon Bon lay in the corner asleep. They had been like that for hours, and Rainbow Dash was getting bored with her instructions. "Keep an eye on them," Derpy's voice came in the cyan mare's head, "Or no blood for a month..." Rainbow Dash added with a sorrow huff. A glance over to Lyra and Bon Bon and Rainbow Dash realized she had a serious issue at hoof - They were gone! Rainbow Dash suddenly jumped up in panic, looking around the cave. They had left no sign of where they had left from. "Buck no..." Rainbow Dash muttered in anger, "They are so dead!" She roared after. Quickly soaring to one of the secret exits, Rainbow Dash pushed the exit button and the wall slid open, revealing one of Ponyville's alleyways. It was shaded well from the sun, and in a surprisingly good condition. The pale yellow painted walls protected Rainbow Dash from the sun as she pulled her hood up and took a sniff of the air. She immediately caught the scent she needed, Twilights. Returning the hood to cover her face Rainbow Dash burst into an unnatural sprint, her hooves alone taking her to Twilights new castle in a near-instant. Screeching to a halt Rainbow Dash opened the door, pulling her hood down and attempting to act as if her condition was just the myth is was supposed to be. Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash concerned, spotting her cyan coloured friend enter the chambers. "Hello, Rainbow," she exclaimed waving. "Heya, Twilight," Rainbow Dash replied, "Can I ask a favour of you?" "What is it, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, "Is this about that incident a few years ago? Is Applejack after you again?" "What? No!" Rainbow Dash stated in reply, her voice uneasy and filled with frustration. "I told you not to mention that," she added. "It's about our new bloods." "Lyra and Bon-Bon?" Twilight inquired. Rainbow Dash silently nodded in reply. "I need a tracking spell placed on them," Rainbow Dash stated. Twilight sighed. "Why?" "They...." Rainbow Dash trailed off, her throat drying out. "Escaped and are endangering the town?" Twilight guess, to which Rainbow Dash nodded again. Shaking her head Twilight groaned. Something was always going on, and it was starting to visibly get to her. "Okay." Twilight's horn began to glow with a purple aura, sparkling slightly as it reached into the surrounding magic fields. With a sudden gasp Twilight jolted back into her throne. Rubbing her sore horn she moaned in agony, writhing slightly. "E-Everfree. They're in the Everfree..." she stuttered. "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called in panic rushing to the Alicorn's side. "Are you okay?" "Yes... Just a slight overload." Twilight replied, wobbling as she got to her hooves. Rainbow Dash looked to her with a sceptical expression, which Twilight picked up on. "Maybe a bit more than slight." "You sure?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone unsure and concerned. "That looked painful." Applejack suddenly walked in. "Sounded it too." "Applejack?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in surprise. "Have you been listening on our entire conversation. "Nah. I just overheard that last part about the Everfree, then Twilight's little... Fit." Applejack replied looking Twilight over. "I may be no expert on magic but I'd recommend ya get some rest, princess." "I'm fine." Twilight replied, still struggling to stand. The other two didn't look convinced. "I'm gonna head out, then," Rainbow Dash stated, trotting out of the castle door, heading to the Everfree Forest. She pulled her hood up and took to the air when out of Applejack's view. She still didn't want her finding out again. Soon enough, Rainbow Dash stood at the eerie forests entrance, with a sigh she suddenly burst into her vampiric sprint, charging into the forest at neck-breaking speeds. As she sped through the forests she transformed, her fangs growing from her jaws an her eyes becoming slits. Her body became more muscular, if only slightly, too. The forest was silent, silent as silent can get, aside from the sound from the sound of Rainbow Dash's movement. Her hooves kicking up dust and soot as she slowed to a halt. She listened intently, listening in on the faintest of sounds. A mortal would never hear it. She couldn't quite either. Her ears twitched slightly, she picked up the sources and began to hover, slowly propelling herself towards the faint noise. It was talking. It was Lyra and Bon-Bon. Rainbow Dash came to a halt, resting in a tree above them. They were fighting a local Timberwolf. Even they could take that on, she thought. The Timberwolf snarled, detecting Rainbow Dash watching. It looked at the two new bloods in front of it, both were bloody, bruised and exhausted. Both were defenceless. It lunged at Lyra. Suddenly Rainbow Dash made her move, realising those she had to protect would die if she did not, and landed on the Timberwolf, breaking it's back in two with a loud cracking sound. The Timberwolf suddenly lay dead on the floor, Rainbow Dash standing on in in triumph. And in fury. "You two..." she spat. "You're coming with me, now." Lyra and Bon-Bon looked to eachother timidly, and bowed to Rainbow Dash. "Stand," she commanded. "Why did you even come out here?" "We... We were bored..." Lyra replied, cowering slightly. "Bored? That's it?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone indifferent, though her face displaying an utter rage. "Bored?" She repeated, her tone becoming one of absolute hatred, and anger. "With me. Now!" The two nodded, sorrowfully following after Rainbow Dash. They looked to each other and sighed. Suddenly Rainbow Dash stopped, hearing a growling sound nearby. Her ears twitched again, pinpointing the source of the sound. It was right above her. She looked up, squinting her eyes. She spotted a pony, but with a canine head, sharp claws, and a wolf-like tail. "A Lycan?" Author's Note So, the sequel is here! I'm sorry it took so long, but I've not felt like writing in a while, and have only just finally gotten back to it. As for those who also enjoyed my other story, The Vampony of Manehatten High, it will remain cancelled for the time being. At least until this story is finished.
Black MidnightThe lycan swung down, hanging from her tail like a bat. Her blueish green canine eyes lined with Rainbow Dash's. She smiled, sizing the vampony up. "What's a vampyre trio like you doing here?" she asked, her eyes moving to Lyra and Bon-Bon. "Wouldn't you have brought a vampiric gryphon with you, with some new bloods here?" Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a howl in the distance. "My pack can smell you, vampony. You should leave. You don't wanna get hurt do you? Right? Say, I've never seen a vampony, or vampyre of any kind this closely before. What's it like? C-" Rainbow Dash placed her hoof over the Lycan's mouth, stopping her ramblings. "Shut it." Rainbow Dash ordered. The lycan nodded. Rainbow Dash took her hoof from the lycans mouth and sized her up. Her coat was a silvery yellow, while her mane was a messy black splotch of hair. Her long talon-like claws hung in her pawed hooves like razors. Perfect killing devices. Her tail was also black, like her mane, and quite messy in itself. Yet long, and surprisingly elegant in its sways. She chuckled, looking at the trio with a wide, toothy smile. "Why are you here, anyway?" the lycan asked, dropping down onto the floor, sniffing inquisitively at Rainbow Dash. The four hunters suddenly heard another, louder and more urgent sounding howl. "Follow me!" The lycan begged, rushing of excitedly into the thick, dark forests. Rainbow Dash sternly looked to the new bloods, frowning as she sighed, rolling her eyes. She began to chase after the lycan mare, silently gliding over the forest floors, her hooves never quite touching the ground as she sprinted. Lyra and Bon Bon pursued their elder, frowning as they realised that their decision to wander could have far more dire consequences that she thought. The lycan had rushed out of sight, taking an unannounced turn at some unknown point, leaving the three vamponies in the middle of the forrest - lost. "Where... did she go?" Rainbow dash asked herself, looking around her carefully. No sign of the wolf-mare... Lyra and Bob Bon slowed to a halt, Lyra falling over a root, landing on her face. Bon Bon worriedly turned to Lyra, checking her over for any injuries. Rinbow Dash didn't pay Lyra attention, more focused on finding where the trio were, without getting themselves in more trouble. Noticing a small streak of sunlight pushing down through the leaves Rainbow Dash grunted. It was still day, she wouldn't have a good time flying. Rainbow Dash slowly turned to the others in concern, finally checking Lyra over. It wasn't a serious injury, at least not for a vampony. A large gash tore down her leg, staining the floor in vampyric blood. That became Rainbow Dash's new concern. Something they could be tracked by, other than smell. Lyra's dripping blood would leave a trail straight to them, wherever they went! The wound would close, soon hopefully... Then Rainbow Dash's ears perked up, honing in on the sound of dampened hoofsteps. The Lycanthropic mare, or a new threat? Much to the vamponies relief, it was not any threatening - Just the silver furred mare. "What's going on?" she asked, looking at the trio, bouncing up and down energetically. Rainbow Dash replied with a sigh, and roll of her eyes. A twig cracked and the lycan let out a yelp, spinning around and growling defensively, her voice becoming coarse, or more so than it already was. She began to sniff the ground, flicking her tail. Her head raised up, pointing into the darkness with a growl. What had she found? Rainbow Dash wondered, gesturing for her two companions to fall behind her. They did. A deep, dark, grey furred form moved through the bushes, red eyes glaring at the trio of vamponies, yet ignoring the lycanthrope completely. Another one was stalking them from the top of the trees, watching them with hate-filled eyes of sapphire. They growled lightly, revealing themselves with a chilling confidence of victory. They snarled, jumping out at Rainbow Dash, only to meet with the cyan equine's hooves, rather painfully. The first fell backwards, holding his face protectively, while the other engaged the vampiric leader in vicious combat. Bloody claws dug into the rainbow maned fighter, and sharpened fangs sank into the lycan's neck. The lycan struggled for a moment, gasping in vain for air, and died... His limp body fell to the floor, a light smirk on his face. Rainbow Dash frowned, crushing the dead lycanthrope's skull with a powerful stomp of her hoof. Why the smirk though? Why could he be happy on his death bed? Rainbow Dash shook it of, carelessly. A sudden ear-piercing howl erupted from the other lycan, still alive despite the kick to the face. The strange, friendly lycan mare shut him up by throttling his neck with her own sharp canine jaws, killing him too. "This way," she exclaimed, heading down a shaded pathway - towards the castle ruins. Lyra and Bon-Bon glanced at each other, looking to Rainbow Dash for guidance. She nodded and the two followed after the stranger, with their leader. Rainbow Dash managed to keep up with the lycanthrope mare, this time. She followed through the shade, until she reached the clearing with her two companions. The canine mare stood in the sun, smiling as she flicked her tail forwards. She frowned suddenly, looking at the trio. "What's wrong?" she ask, tilting her head. She paused, holding a paw up to signal for no reply. Thinking... Thinking... She placed her paw to her face. "Right... Sunlight." The lycan stomped about in a circle, groaning as she attempted to think of some solution. Rainbow Dash glanced at her in bewilderment. "What about an umbrella?" Lyra suggested, pulling some leaves into a cover with her magic. "Shade!" Rainbow Dash nodded, sighing. She looked at the lycan mare and asked the one question that had been bugging her. "Who are you?" "Me?" the lycan replied, smirking. "I'm Black Midnight."
Into the castle."Black... Midnight?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone soft, and puzzled. She thought back to a book she had overseen in the coven library - just across from where the Daring Do books were kept. Derpy had mentioned that name before, when talking about it. Why did it strike her as off. This wasn't the same Black Midnight she had heard off. This wasn't the furred she-demon her coven feared... It was a kind mare, with a protective heart. One who was willing to fight off her own kind to save others... A heroine. Almost... Rainbow Dash shook her head, returning to her senses. She looked over to Lyra, who was holding her the makeshift umbrella. She sighed, nodding as she took it in her jaws, following after Black Midnight calmly, her two unaware companions following suit. When they reached the castle it was, unsurprisingly, in a ruined state. Old stone blocks lay strewn across the floor in messy piles, while tattered banners swayed in the gusts of wind forcing itself through the smashed windows, violently. The cracks flood heaved and creaked as the four mares walked over them, threatening to give way and collapse at any second! Even the walls were starting to crumble as the silky, green overgrowth of the Everfree Forest pushed against it, causing the back wall to simply collapse without reason. The sound of the falling wall caused Black Midnight to jump in shock, having not expected the place to be quite as unstable as it was. Though the four ponies pushed on until the were safely inside a a dark, windowless room. They found it in the library, a simple secret passage behind one of the bookshelves. No trigger mechanism, or complicated trap door. It was just a simple hole behind the book case. And the room smelt of soaking, rotting mold. Vines along the walls withered away in the darkness as the four sat down, relaxing as best they could. They all sat in a circle as Lyra started a small fire, burning the illegible pages of an ink-stained book, which provided to group some warms, and a soft, flickering, glowing light source. The fire crackled and hissed as it danced in the darkness of the small, dank chamber, and it took all of Lyra's magic to keep it lit! "So..." Rainbow Dash started, glancing at Black Midnight. "Care to explain the situation to me? I came out here to get these two runaways, and now I'm muddled in some mess I don't understand." "It's a long story..." Midnight replied. "Though we have plenty of time before we can really leave without drawing suspicion, so I'll tell my tale..." The three vampires all turned their attention to the lycan, listening carefully to what she had to say. "It all started on a night of hunting. I was just a pup, and was joining my pack on my first hunt. We had chased down a Manticore, surrounding it in a small clearing. Dinner! I was so confident in our success that when a vampony arrived, I ignored it. So did my pack. Then... More arrived. And even more... We grew suspicions, as you could probably guess. They were attempting to steal our prey. And after an hour-long tussle, the dragged our dinner away. My father, our pack alpha, soon grew highly territorial, along with my pack, and forbade us contact with any outside the pack... Including my vampiric sister... A victim of the mare who's been a thorn in our side for a good few years now..." "And who's that?" Lyra asked curiously, staring at Black Midnight in search of an answer. "Derpy buckin' Hooves. Snatched up a good, strong looking pony I could have ate too. And the filly with her. Shame - I was starving to death at the time." Rainbow Dash looked on in horror, remembering back to the night she was turned. Derpy saved her and Scootaloo from the forest after she was attacked. Black Midnight had planned to eat them both! "Well, we're with Der-" Rainbow dash cut of Bon Bon quickly, frowning. "Enough talking you two. You don't want to say something stupid," as Rainbow Dash spoke, her voice became strict, harsh, and demanding. "You will not speak of the coven while outside it. That's a rule." Black Midnight chuckled at the group. "You vamponies have a strange pack system." "It's called a coven," Rainbow Dash corrected, frowning harshly, turning her head away. "Can you go and keep an eye on the time of day? We really need to be going home as soon as possible. It's important." Black Midnight sighed, nodding as she left the chamber, her furry paws thumping gently on the cold, stone brick flood as she left the three to themselves. There was little to do in the chambers but read, so both Lyra and Bon Bon had taken some books from an old, damp, cracked bookshelf. The books had been on mythology, and of official organisations from the past. One even caught Rainbow Dash's eye. She looked over the cover which displayed an ancient tome that represented the sun, and two silver swords over it. "The Silver Sun, Defenders of the Night?" She seemed to be intrigued. It was by no means a Daring Doo book - but it was something - and it was probably going to be useful. The book spoke of an old, secret order of monster hunters. They slew everything that would typically be seen as 'evil' to such narrow-minded ponies like the paladin's and priest's described in the book. Rainbow Dash scoffed at the book. It sounded insane! But... Was it true? She flipped through some more pages. The weaknesses of many creatures listed were given, including lycanthropes, the vampiric, and demons. "To defeat a lycan... A blade of pure silver, and a vial of Hydra venom will leave the lycan at your mercy - which you must not give," Rainbow Dash quoted, frowning slightly. She continued reading as her two companions glanced at her. "The vampiric are weak to the sun, and will slowly burn to cinders while in it. A wooden stake through the heart will kill - do not engage alone. Highly cunning, and dangerous." She closed the book, frowning. "We're keeping this. When we get back I'm placing it in the library under Derpy's place. No touching it." "Understood, Ma'am," the two replied in sync, returning to their books. Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the room again. Flapping her wings gently and taking off, looking towards the top of the bookshelf. She frown as she realized there wasn't a saddlebag, or any kind of bag, to store the book in. "Damn..." Rainbow Dash muttered, looking over what they had in the room. The leaf umbrellas! They could be fashioned into saddlebags, with a little magic. "Lyra!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking towards the pastel green unicorn, whom had jumped in shock and surprise. "I need a saddlebag made from the umbrellas... Now!" Lyra nodded, turning and quickly getting to work, sighing slightly. At least she had something to do... Bon Bon also sighed, throwing her book at the wall in sheer boredom. Then, the lycan returned. "It'll be night in about ten minutes. But... We have company."
Back to PonyvilleTen long, boring minutes had past within the small, dank, secret chamber behind the bookshelf. Lyra had finished the makeshift saddlebag, and Rainbow Dash had packed three books. One for Lyra, one for Bon Bon, and one she thought Derpy would find invaluable. It wasn't particularly interesting - it wasn't Daring Doo - but it looked like something important. The trio got to their feet as they prepared to leave, smelling the scent of blood outside. The blood on Black Midnight's claws suggested what they were smelling. A victim, or attacker... Her next choice of words confirmed Rainbow Dash's suspicions. "They're out there. My pack." They had a fight on their hooves. An entire lycan pack verses another lycan and three vamponies. Not a particularly fair fight, but one they had no choice but to engage. And so Rainbow Dash pushed open the passage, jumping out, alert, she raised her rear hooves suddenly, feeling the muzzle of some unfortunate lycan colliding with them, yelping as they did. The other canine ponies soon pounced at her, only to hit the floor as Rainbow Dash rocketed in the sky in an instant. Lyra and Bon Bon were back to back, hooves raised defensively, and fangs bared. They stood ready, circled by a pair of lycanthropic stallions, who growled in hostility at the pair of vamponies. When they lunged at the pair of young vamponies, one was met with a pair of fangs in his neck, the other, meanwhile, had a hoof crushing his neck. He yelped in agony, dying under a pastel, green hoof. A sudden scamper and whimper gained the attention of the two new bloods, finding their leader annihilating her foes... "Remind me not to piss Rainbow Dash off," Lyra commented, gulping as she watched the blue pegasus drove away several more of the canine ponies. "I don't want to die right after being gifted immortality..." Bon Bon simply nodded, looking traumatized by the same sight. "Agreed." And so, the four mares began to trot towards the Everfree Forest, everything had gone eerily silent, the only sound to be heard being the crunching of dirt beneath the hooves of three ponies, and the gently flapping of feathered wings. Not a single other sound... Suddenly the near silence was broken by a low growl, and the snapping of a twig. A Timberwolf! The large, magical, wooden wolf blocked the group's path, towering over them all menacingly as it prepared to lunge. Its attack was sudden, charging forward with an ear-shattering howl. The three vamponies scattered when the beast came lumbering forward. Rainbow Dash flew up, Lyra scarpered to the left, and Bon Bon hurried right, all three being missed completely by the humongous, clumsy beast's rampaging attack. Black Midnight was just as lucky, jumping up and rolling over the beasts back, confusing it as the last target disappeared from its sight. The Timberwolf continued its blind charge, colliding with, - and knocking over - a large, twisted tree. It stammered, swaying on its feet as it attempted to regain alertness. But, unfortunately for the Timberwolf, by the time it had come back to its senses, Rainbow Dash had left the beast in sheer agony, coming down and slamming into its back, which shattered it completely. The rotten wood that made up the creature splintered and cracked, flying out in every direction. What was once the Timberwolf was now just a pile of snapped twigs and cracked logs. It was dead... Rainbow Dash stood over the corpse of the animal, panting slightly, out of shock more than anything else. Another twig snapped, getting her attention. It turned out to be Lyra sneaking back towards the scene. "I-Is it dead?" she asked, looking at the pile in confusion. "I... I've never seen a dead Timberwolf before. Can they even die?" "I'm pretty sure it's dead..." Bon Bon stated, sighing as she kicked one of the smaller logs away from her hooves. "Let's just hope we don't find anything else that wants to make us dinner. Honestly, I'd rather be the one eating." "Agreed," Rainbow Dash added, standing back to attention. "Come on, quicker we get to Ponyville, quicker we can eat." The two over vamponies grinned, licking their fangs at the thought of blood. Food! And so their trot through the Everfree Forest continued on, largely undisturbed by anything else but the eerie background - animals communicating. Mostly in was soft growls, chrips and squawks, being thrown threateningly at the small party of four as the continued to trot through the dark forests, though they were left alone, physically. The leaves crunched beneath Rainbow Dash's hooves, breaking the near-silence suddenly, only to replace it by the trotting off hooves across the leafy paths stretching down the forest floor. Ponyville was just ahead... And the sun was still down. The trio of vamponies reached the town, and quickly left for the cave beneath Derpy's house. But Black Midnight did not follow, instead, the lycanthropic mare returned to the Everfree Forest, leaving the vamponies to their bisuness. Rainbow Dash pushed the book she found onto a shelf, sighing slightly. She considered handing it to Twilight, but it just seemed like a bad idea, all things considered. So, instead, she sat back down and bit her teeth into a blood bag, enjoying the coppery taste of the filling, crimson liquid. It dripped from her fangs and the cyan pegasus let out a happy sigh of relief, filled by the bloody meal. "Not as fresh as from the tap... But not bad," she commented, frowning as she tossed the empty, plastic bag in a nearby bin. A knock came from above, suddenly, and the sound of several voices, including Derpy's. They got back just in time... So, as Derpy and Vinyl came down into the coven's cave, while the others returned to their own houses, Rainbow Dash smiled, hoping to entirely hide the earlier incident. Yet Derpy's eyes caught the new book instantly, despite it been on a distant shelf, and frowned. "Where did you get that book?"
