The Reaper

Chapters

Thanatos's Servant
Your Friendly and Loving Queen of the Damned
Finding It In Your Heart

Thanatos's Servant

Twilight Sparkle trotted down the spiraling staircase. Who knew Hell could be so pretty? The cavern she was in was actually quite nice, minerals sparkled and glistened in the reddish light that seemed to permeate everything. The staircase she was on was in the middle of the cave. Casting a glance around, Twilight gave a sigh of contentment. She felt... like she actually belonged. Since becoming a vampire, or alleged demon of the dark, she'd felt unrestful. Always needing to move. Always needing to hunt.

Denying the urges that were part of her nature wasn't what one would call comfortable. It hurt. Hopefully seeing Thanatos would help. After all, the demon queen was who had created vampires, or the disease. Rumor had it that Thanatos was a bipolar mess. She was the queen of the damned, and though she had started out caring and helpful, having to cast souls to torment for eternity probably wasn't easy on morality. If she's really a bipolar mess, we'll fit right in together. Twilight thought. Reaching the final landing on the stairs, Twilight stopped and pondered what direction she should take.

Many tunnels filled with red light branched off from the cave. If she listened closely, she could hear tortured screams. Twilight shivered. She was in the right place for certain.

A low growl made her whip her head around. A large wolf, covered in armor, was staring at her like she was a meal. Not today, pal. "I am here to seek audience with Thanatos," she stated coolly. The wolf laughed, a sound between barking and talking.

"You're here to talk to the queen? Not just anyone can see her, you know."

"I assure you, I am not just anyone. I am a demon too."

The wolf seemed taken back. "A demon? Well, what kind?" He grinned.

"A vampire."

The wolf howled and more guards stepped out from the shadows. They were smaller than their leader, but still bigger than her. "Take her to the Queen. It seems a wayward servant has found her way back." He paused, and then cackled. "Be nice! If the queen doesn't like her, we don't want dinner bruised." Twilight gulped. "Have fun," he whispered.

The guards roughly shoved her towards one of the tunnels. No light came from this one, and it sloped downwards. As they passed the threshold into the darkness, even Twilight's vampire eyes couldn't see anything. "No magic," one of her escorts growled, seemingly knowing what she was thinking. Continuing on, the tunnel dipped low into a ditch, and her hoof touched something wet. Bringing her foreleg to her face, she inspected it with her other senses. It smelled familiar. Blood... She stuck her tongue out and licked it. Pony blood...

One of the wolves barked at her. "Yes, yes, I'm coming,"

"So, little demon, what brings you here?" the smaller of the guards asked. His armor was gold, and contrasted nicely with his black coat. His lips pulled back to reveal a fangs much like Twilight's own.

"I couldn't control myself," she said stiffly.

"Hey, didn't we see a soul like that a few days ago?" the other, reddish wolf teased. "She was blue, and had puncture holes on her neck," the wolf grinned.

"I don't want to talk about it," Twilight said, even stiffer than before.

"Oh, no. Poor little vampy pony couldn't control herself? Accidentally sent a pony to Thanatos?"

"Stop it," she growled. "You have no idea of the power I wield," even as the words came out of Twilight's mouth, she was surprised. Insanity is getting to me. Instead of meeting me head on, she's being passive aggressive. "Sorry," she said quietly.

The black wolf looked her over. "You won't survive long with that attitude, kid. Everyone here is a demon too, and most are worst than us. You still have equinity." His red companion snorted.

"Her Majesty's palace approaches!" the red wolf howled. Twilight looked ahead; she could see now. More guard-wolves lined the walls of the castle. Black spires, crafted of obsidian, joined with the cavern roof. the blocks from which it was constructed were translucent, letting her see into the building. Fuzzy shapes moved beyond the wall. A pair of great gates blocked her from entering.

The black wolf barked, "A servant of Thanatos seeks audience with her!" Two wolves, of the same size as the first one that she met, jumped down.

"Name!"

"Nox, Captain!"

"You may pass," one of the wolves grunted.

Twilight sheepishly followed the wolves. Even though she was on equal or higher terms power-wise, she still felt skittish around them. Her prey instincts as an herbivore still lurked. Trotting behind the wolves, they continued into the castle.

It was grand, she'd give it that. But in a macabre way. Skulls of many large animals decorated the walls, while bloody weapons hung underneath them. Her hooves made a racket on the ground, contrasted to the nearly silent padding of the wolves. She noticed that their ruffs were bristling. Glancing around, she found the source of their aggression. Another demon, though this one was a griffin, approached them.

"Well, look at you two! Finally got something interesting to do!" she said, ruffling her feathers. Twilight noticed that her claws and talons were bloody.

"Somnum, go away!" Nox snarled.

The black griffin paused, and then continued, "Fine, but you still report to me." Swishing her lion-tail in their faces, she walked away.

"She's an ass," the red wolf snarled.

"Cruor, shut up! She's got good hearing, you know," Nox quickly yipped.

Generally ignoring the wolves, Twilight continued to inspect the castle. Her ears told her that down one of the hallways, creatures were eating, and it didn't sound like they were eating grass. Her nose told her that many inhabited the castle. Still leading her, the wolves continued to bicker.

Until, that is, they came to a set of doors emblazoned with thorns.

The black wolf, Nox, came up to her and said, "If you wish to continue breathing, bow as soon as you reach the end of the carpet. Don't look her in the eyes unless asked. And by any means, don't make any snarky comments about anything. She won't care if it's a joke," his yellow eyes burned with the intensity of his warning. "Good luck, kid."

Swallowing her fear down, she stepped into the throne room. The rug she was on was red, and detailed with thorns along the sides. She kept her eyes down, feeling the great magical presence ahead. Walking slowly down, she ruffled her wings, adjusting the appendages that wanted to act upon her fight or flight instinct. Reaching the end of the rug, she prostrated herself before the Queen.

"Rise," a cold voice said.

Standing up, but not looking at the queen, Twilight said, "I have come to seek audience with you, my Queen."

"So you have, but why?"

"I accidentally killed a pony, Your Majesty," the purple pony answered shakily.

"Oh, I know that. I passed judgement on her just hours before," the voice said, cold as winter. "She was most distressed." The Dark Queen laughed. "You gave her quite the scare," Thanatos paused, and then said, much kinder, "Look at me."

Twilight raised her eyes to the Queen of Death, and her breath caught in her throat. She could see why Nox had warned her. The Queen's appearance kept shifting, from an alicorn more beautiful than Celestia, to something uglier than what Opalescence drags into Rarity's shop occasionally.

"A vampire? I see, one of my children has made it back to me. You were not bitten by another vampony, but by the source of your blessing itself. And, you come seeking a way to redeem yourself," pausing at Twilight's shocked expression, Thanatos held an expression of amusement, "I keep up with the happenings of the world, you know."

"Yes, my queen, I come seeking a way to redeem myself from the evil I have committed."

"There is a way, but you won't like it," Thanatos grinned. "You can become a reaper of souls, one who heralds death."

"You mean, killing ponies?!" Twilight backed up. "I can't do that!"

"You're not just killing them, you're saving some of them from a worse demise than the one you gave Trixie."

Twilight's knees shook. "I-I suppose I could," Her eyes closed, "If it meant helping ponies, I could."

Thanatos clapped her hooves together and giggled, breaking her cold facade, "I guess Sleipnir gets his vacation after all!" She called forth Nox and Cruor, the wolf guards. "Take her to the Initiate Suite!"

The wolves pushed her down one of the adjacent halls in the room, much gentler than before. "Good job," Nox whispered in her ear.They swiftly trotted through the maze of hallways until arriving at the aforementioned room.

"Here you go, hope you don't get a pup on your first assignment!" barked Cruor.

"Your training will begin soon, and I suggest getting some rest," Nox warned. "It won't be easy, and you'll need all your energy."

Twilight stepped into the room and blinked with surprise. It was almost as big as her room in Canterlot! And filled with books too! Smiling, she walked over to the bed. Magically exhausted, she manually lifted the sheet. Sleep... I fear you and I won't be seeing each other all that often soon. Dragging her pillow into a proper position, the purple alicorn promptly fell asleep.

Your Friendly and Loving Queen of the Damned

Twilight woke up to a shiny glass ceiling. Whaa?... Oh. The events of the previous days came back to her. The familiar knot of pain, shame, and guilt coalesced in her abdomen. Trixie... I'm so sorry. I'll bring you back if I can. She thought in a melancholy manner until a nearby candle sputtered her out of regret. Spark candles! How clever! The sound of the sparks would wake you up... like a rooster! Swinging off her bed, she was greeted by a note.

I await you by the castle entrance. Finding your way there is the first test.

-Your friendly and loving Queen of the Damned

Twilight sighed at the note. By going into Thanatos's training, she would renounce Princess Celestia entirely. While many pony's thought Luna the solar princess's opposite, Thanatos was closer. The Queen of the Damned was often cruel, murderous, and malicious. About the only thing the two shared was a liking to pranks. Oh, and immense power.

Try as she might, Twilight could not help but feel a little resentful to her former mentor. As she had explained it, it was outside of the solar goddess's power to heal her protege. Twilight could go out in the sun, though. And she suspected she had Celestia to thank for it. Apparently vampires were weak to sunlight, they would die, lose their powers, or become incredibly weak just by coming into contact with the sun's rays. However, she was not. She had felt absolutely no difference anywhere in the light.

The lavender alicorn stretched her wings out, happily releasing the cramped and stiff muscles. Wings do not like to stay still. They like to move and feel the air moving through their feathers. Flapping them a little bit before settling them against her sides, Twilight cautiously peeked outside her door. Oh, no... What she saw took her breath away.

The hallway was PACKED with demons. All shapes and sizes. From a manticore to a parasprite, various spawn of Thanatos bustled into doors and adjacent hallways. Shouting and snapping at their brethren that got into the way, the castle's residents hurried along.

Oh, well, here goes! She put a hoof tentatively into the hallway, before drawing it back with a squeak. Maybe flying would be better... Little space to take off though. Twilight didn't exactly have the fine-motor skills that Rainbow Dash possessed, but she could at least try. Backing into her room, she breathed deeply before launching off. Careful not to disturb the numerous scrolls that were in her room, Twilight delicately flew out the door.

Apparently, not delicate enough. As soon as she was out the door, another flying pony smacked into her.

"Hey!" said the other pony indignantly.

"Sorry!" squealed Twilight automatically. "Are you okay?"

"I suppose," grumbled the voice, still obviously miffed about being run into. He raised his eyes to her face. "Oh, another vampony!" he said, obviously brightening a bit.

His latter comment defintely got Twilight's attention. "Another?" she coughed.

"Well, of course. Thought you were the only one?" He flew up with a flourish. "Well, think no more!" He grinned down at his bewildered new acquaintance. That is, until a griffin smacked into him.

"Watch it, glitters!" shrieked the brown griffin, swiping his vicious talons across his "attacker's" face. The vampony yelped and, once more, bowled into Twilight. He held his bleeding cheek, applying pressure to staunch what bleeding he could.

"Help, maybe?" said the bleeding pony dryly.

"I will, if you'd get off of me!"

"Oh! Sorry," said the other equine, freeing her from his body weight.

"Well, then, let's get you fixed up!" Maybe I can make a new friend... Twilight pulled the bleeding vampony into her room. She gestured for him to sit down. He was a light grey, with a wild white mane and tail, and his irises were blue. His cutie mark was a wind swirl, and his wings were also somewhat larger than those of a normal pegasus, though most certainly not as large as hers. "First things first, what is your name?"

"Aer. And you're an alicorn," he said, having noticed her horn.

Twilight winced. He had to bring that to attention. "Yes, I am. What of it?"

"Well, there's the obvious. You are magical. So can't you heal this with magic?" Aer complained.

"Of course I will!" Twilight scoffed, and true to her word, began a healing spell.

Healing was an interesting branch of magic. The magic doesn't actually do the healing, but encourages and speeds up the body's reaction to the wound or ailment. So, first,Twilight goaded the platelets into closing the scratch. Then, she summoned the white blood cells to the wound. They began to their work. Last, she convinced the body to heal the cut from the inside out. Soon, all that remained was a small white scar.

Aer looked impressed. "That... was fast! Thank you, my fair lady!"

Twilight blushed and looked away. "No problem!"

"May I be as bold as to inquire the fair lady's name?" Aer bowed, pushing her further.

Desperate for a cheer, and getting into the spirit of things, Twilight replied, "Of course you may, my audacious sir. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Aer choked on his words, whatever they were originally. "Twilight... Sparkle? The Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight backed away a bit. "Yes?"

Aer's ice blue eyes widened. "You're in training to be a Reaper! Cool! And," he said, dramatically pausing, "you should get going now," he pushed her towards the door. "Here, I'll help!" He barreled her out the door and into the mayhem in the hall.

Twilight eeped.

Thanatos tapped a hoof by the entrance. Where was she? Based on Twilight's history, whenever she was confronted by royalty, she'd throw her self across puddles to make sure that they didn't get wet. But then again, there was that "traffic" problem. Thanatos smirked, no, she did not envy the poor pony. Navigating those hallways was a nightmare.

The Queen of the Damned was an interesting character. She was privy, by way of souls, to much of the information in the world. She knew many secrets, both buried and fresh. The dead... The walls of her mind were painted with blood. Death was a bittersweet thing. Thanatos had to send creatures to be tortured or to euphoric existence until they were reborn. Did any of them deserve torture? The sins of the immortal were far greater. Sure, some of them needed to relearn their morals, but eternal damnation? Really?

In the eons of inequality, Thanatos's mind had suffered the consequences of her post.

Was it fair? Was it fair? What was fair? Should those who did not do much deserve to not do much in the afterlife? Or were they merely victims of circumstance? If they had been thrust in a time of war, of trouble, would the have acted differently? Would they have been remembered? Celebrated? Hailed? Would they have brought peace? Who knew? There was hardly a way to find out. Cast them into the world once more? What if they did great evil?

These questions had tortured the black alicorn for as long as she had held her post. She used to have a hard time sending the poor souls to their torment. But no longer.

The millennia of her station had rendered her indifferent.

It would not be long until she enjoyed it.

"Aer! I! Can! Fly! BY MYSELF!" Twilight shouted over the roar of the wind. This pegasus would give Rainbow Dash quite a run for her bits. He pushed her at such speeds that she was stuck and unable to move. Also, he was taking quite the unnecessary detour. Great, now I'm going to be late.

Aer grinned maniacally and said something she didn't quite catch.

Twilight sighed. Wait... I can teleport... TWILIGHT SPARKLE! YOU IDIOT! And with a poof of magic she was gone.

Aer came to a halt.

"Thanatos! I'm so sorry!" Twilight squealed.

Thanatos sighed. "It's quite alright, for now. But if you wish to remain whole and with your blood in your body, follow me."

The purple pony shuddered at the mental imaging. Curse her overly accurate mind! Thanatos was ruthless, so would she really inflict that much punishment on her? She wouldn't even have to make her bleed. The dark alicorn could just disturb her nerves and fool her body into believing she was in agony.

The darker aspects of magic. Magical beings merely needed to be creative. Magic was energy that was bound by your own strength and mind. Imagination, the most deadly thing in the world. Never mind power, you could be weak and defeat enemies many times stronger with imagination.

Ponies were magical creatures.

And that was why Pinkie could do what she could.

The pink Earth pony could twist reality as she so wished because of her imagination.

Thanatos began to lead her outside. Swallowing her fear, the vampony began to meekly trot after her new mentor. Oh, how I hope she'll be reasonable... thought the mage.

The great black doors opened, and the keening of the dead assaulted her ears. Gritting her teeth, Twilight stiffly walked out into the red light. Still, it was magnificent. The red light reflected of the glossy fortress, casting patches of condensed light around the landscape. But Twilight only had so long to inspect her surroundings, as Thanatos was impatient and soon took to the wing.

Oblivious, Twilight continued to stare around until the Queen said sarcastically, "Oh, waste all my time! It's not like we have important things to do!" Twilight yelped and looked upwards to where Thanatos hovered. "You have wings, so use them! Many dream of flight, but never achieve it, and you have been given a chance, so use it!" the Queen thundered.

"Y-Yes, my Queen," Twilight stammered. Spreading her great starry wings, the purple demon took off. The air was rather still, but not stagnant. Unusual... she mused.Balancing herself on the air currents, Twilight hovered at slightly below eye level with the Queen.

"I see you have been blessed," Thanatos remarked dryly, casting a critical eye over Twilight's feathers. "Never mind that, we have important business to attend," flashing an evil smile, the Queen flew off. Sighing, Twilight followed.

Thanatos drifted between the almost non-existent air-currents. A blessed? Oh, do I have quite the weapon at my disposal! The Queen of the Damned smiled, feeling the bliss of someone mad with power. I will bind her to me! She is nearly equal in power to many immortals. Thanatos paused, feeling actual wind flicker past her face and caressing her mane. She snorted in mild disgust. Aer...

"There you are!" a male voice cried out in delight.

Twilight gulped, and braced herself for the impending collision. Sure enough, it arrived at the expected time. Gasping as the wind was knocked out of her, she turned around in a fury. She bristled with the weight of her wrath. With her regained breath, she roared, "AER!!!"

Her assaulter looked at her, unabashed. "There you are!" he chattered with a happy tone. Were he not vampony, he would have scurried off to hide. "You ran off!" he accused.

"Because I had to!" Twilight retorted.

"Did not!" he answered, pouting.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Enough!" roared Thanatos. "Aer, you will be taking charge of Twilight's training for mastery of her vampire abilities. However, you are not to rile her up!" she hissed, furiously. "You may stay with us for now," she added, cold as winter's wind.

Aer brightened a bit at this, but soon withered under Twilight's maddened gaze. Her violet eyes flashed red before she calmed herself. "Very well," she said, curtly. Pumping her wings harder, she flew forwards to catch up with Thanatos, as the Queen had sped ahead.

It was not long before they reached their destination.

Unjudgement.

The place where the actions of the dead tipped them toward neither good, nor bad. Where they go when they did nothing of much consequence in their lives. Souls that came here were occasionally reborn, but they were way down on the waiting list. In their reborn lives, they were given a chance to be the hero, not the victim, and not the bystander.

The sea of souls wailed as their tormentor and Queen soared above them. Most of them had long forgotten their names and their lives. But not who kept them there. Thanatos landed, and her "subjects" scrambled desperately to get away from her.

However, one soul was denied such refuge. The Queen of the Damned grabbed her, sparing no care if she hurt her. The soul squealed.

Twilight and Aer zoomed to the Queen. They landed, keeping care to avoid the spirits who fled in desperation.

The Queen turned around and regarded the fledgling coldly. "Twilight, I believe you have... unfinished business." The Queen smirked fiendishly. "I have a gift for you." Thanatos set the being in front of her. "Have fun," she whispered.

Going over to Aer, she instructed, "After you're done, feed her. I want her to remain at full power. Shove it down her throat if you must."

Aer blinked. "What, or who, am I supposed to give to her?"

The black alicorn paused, thoughtful. Twilight would absolutely refuse blood if it was taken by force. "Your own. She'd starve herself if what she drinks if taken with violence." Seeing Aer's expression, she continued, "What? You've had worse wounds, even this morning. A little nick on the back of your hoof isn't anything." He was however, not pacified. Thanatos rolled her eyes, "She can cast a spell to dull the pain, if need be, too."

Twilight was hyperventilating. That... that nag! How dare she!?

For who cowered in front of her, not meeting her eyes, scared witless, was Trixie.

Heeeeyyy... I'm back.

Alright, friends, brace yourselves, a time of indecision is coming! I don't how long it will be until I update, it depends on whether or not I find some exquisite music. My writing actually depends on what I'm listening to.

Followers, I'll have to ask you about some things.

Finding It In Your Heart

Author's Note: This chapter will be gory later on, much more than I normally do.

Trixie cowered in front of her killer. As a new arrival, she still remembered her life. She still remembered who was responsible for her death. And as much as she wished to hit the murderer as hard as she could, she knew that such would be futile. She couldn't touch Twilight, literally. She was mist, vapor, ethereal, and she would pass right through her murderer, to her fury. But then again, very few meet their killer after the deed has been done.

The land of the dead was a frightful place. From her arrival, the blue spirit had been pushed, shoved, and herded into the Hells. She had been judged by the most venerable spirits of mortals. They had sent her to Unjudgement, where she would dwell until she was reborn, which might not be for millennia.

All she had left to do was to dwell upon her mistakes, all the things that she had done that she regretted.

The morose atmosphere was hardly a help to her regret. It weighed on her, and it forced her to remember. What else could she do? There was not much to do in the Land of the Dead, and her mind was not so disciplined as to stop brooding over her mistakes.

It could have very well been that only life she'd ever get, and she'd screwed it up with petty mistakes and petty fights. Oh, how she wished she could take it all back, how she wished she could amend her mistakes, how she wished she could clear all her grudges.

Trixie stood up and looked into the eyes of her slayer. In them, she could see that no pleasure had been received at her death. Only pain, sorrow, and regret.

Twilight took a step forward and a deep breath. She could that same vise around her chest, making it hard to breath, it squeezed her heart. Her lip trembled, and so did her legs, despite her best efforts. The vampire fell to her knees, head down. She expelled the breath she had been holding as a sob.

"T-Trixie! I'm so, so, sorry!" she choked out. Burying her head between her legs as though she was the powerless one, she wailed. "I tried to stop her! I did, but I was powerless. Powerless inside my own mind..." Twilight trailed off. "She gained control," she explained miserably. "Insanity..."

Trixie felt no mercy. "You're sorry? Well, it's my turn to apoligize, but that doesn't cut it! I'M DEAD! All because of YOU!" The once-entertainer screamed, fury and wrath alight in her eyes. "You are a TERRIBLE pony! Do you know what she did to me!? She provided a very nice explanation of who she was by TORTURING ME!" Trixie spat, shaking quite visibly. "And after that?!" she thundered, while Twilight looked at her with great guilt. "She basically ATE me!"

The vampire trembled and continued to cry, not even trying to defend herself.

"She held me down and DRANK MY BLOOD!" Trixie seethed. "All of my life gone!" Trixie's voice took on a much sadder and less mad tone. "All... my dreams gone. Everything I hoped for, unreachable. Anything I'd ever built, taken right out from under me..." the spirit whispered, voice hoarse. "I worked so hard, for so long, to build just that... that was all I had."

Twilight lifted her tear-streaked face to the former entertainer's. She was sure, well as sure as she could be with blurry eyes, that the spirit would be crying if she could. She gathered her strength and stood up on shaking limbs. The lavender demon walked over to the crying unicorn and lifted one her starry wings over her victim. while Trixie may not feel the feathers, she could at least feel the heat. And it was a comforting gesture.

Aer watched on with interest. His new student made no moves to defend herself, she simply stood, well cowered, there and took it. She did not deny the accusations, the assertions that she was an awful being. Twilight just cried and apologized, over and over.

She was pacifistic.

Aer mentally winced. Thanatos would be cruel and tough to her, until she broke and became like her master. Callous, crazy, flinty, merciless, bitter, inequine.

Evil.

This was what poor Twilight would become. She'd have no choice and no chance. His master was ruthless, and willing to go to any means to achieve her goals. What if ponies died? They would just make her kingdom stronger. She would care if mortals died, she was the Queen of Death! The Immortals were supposed to care and guide the short-lived, although that rule was often broken. Mortals were supposed to be under their protection.

When a god or goddess went mad, they were killed or banished. That was it, straight to the point, as there was almost no point trying to bring them back to their senses. They had to realize it on their own.And sometimes they were just too far gone to save, and at that point, the most merciful thing is to lay them to nonexistence, and let their tumultuous life be over.

The grey vampire watched the proceedings with renewed interest. A new development! Twilight was now trying to comfort the pony who had just been yelling at her and caused her to cry! Well, he supposed that someone needed to do it. And the guards and ghouls would certainly not do it. The blue unicorn had been murdered and thrust into the Underworld for blood's sake!

Trixie began to calm down. Sobbing was replaced by gulps for the air that she just couldn't get. While she wasn't really breathing, the familiar motion soothed her.

Meanwhile, Twilight was doing something very interesting. With her eyes and a hoof, she motioned for Aer to go farther away. He cocked his head, interested and confused. Twilight continued to motion for him to move away, but this time accompanied by her mouthing "Mare Stuff".

Aer blushed and scooted back. No matter the age, that stuff is awkward.

Twilight leaned into Trixie, "Trixie, listen!" she dropped her voice very low. The closure would help the once-entertainer keep her sanity. "I don't how, and I don't know when, but...

Will

Get

You

Out

Here," she whispered. "Someday, somehow, I will free you," Blushing at Aer's suspicious look at their whispering, and what he was implying, she said awkwardly, "Bye-gotta-go-stay-sane-good-luck," Trixie blinked, was the purple mare embarrassed?

Twilight groaned. She was never good in situations like this. Flustered, she trotted meekly over to Aer's side. "Can-we-go-now-please?"

"Sure... I was just waiting for you to stop having fun with your marefriend," he teased, none too subtle. Then, he smartly got the hay out of the danger zone.

Twilight scowled. Oh, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Bastard... Still, she followed him.

The grey vampire wasted no time in arriving at the place where he would train her. Piles of slag and a few black crystals, that was all there was. The rest of the floor was damp, musty clay. Perfect for training a powerful mage.

His wrathful charge landed a few feet from him, still glowering from his teasing. "You-!" she started. Aer nonchalantly trotted over to her, as Twilight seemed all too ready to continue her rant. "You insufferable-, oh, what's the point?" she slumped down in defeat. "I am in the hells. I abandoned my friends and family, my teachers, everypony."

"What else do I have?"

Aer felt bad for the poor pony, he truly did, but she was crying too much. She wouldn't last long if she was breaking down every five minutes; she needed to toughen up. But she wouldn't get better if he left her like this, so he walked over to her side. Lowering his body next to her, he copied what she'd done with Trixie, he hugged her with a wing. Twilight whimpered and snuggled against him.

He had not felt so awkward in a long time.

Should he snuggle her back? They'd just met, so that would be overstepping boundaries. Wouldn't it? Abandoning all reason, he hugged her.

Oh, Twilight, stop being such a baby! The vampire mare mentally berated herself for not being able to keep her emotions in check. What am I? A filly that just got dumped by her first coltfriend? Despite all her psychological abuse, she still continued to soak Aer's coat. She returned the hug gratefully. "D-did you have to *hic* leave your family?"

Aer's comforting smile melted from his face.

"No, I didn't. They left me, but that's Thanatos' and my fault," he sighed heavily, the all-too painful ghost of the past in his eyes. "I killed them. Because of her," he whispered.

"Now you have to understand, this was in the days where Thanatos really was a bitch," at her horrified, yet scoffing, expression, he added, "Many of the Immortals were. The banishment of the Moon Goddess had riled and disturbed them. Her Solar Sister became a tyrant from grief, and Thanatos, had one of her bad spells. She had taken to abducting young, but fully-mature, ponies.

She only did this to set terror upon the populace. She demanded sacrifices to stop demonizing ponies, some were given, but apparently not enough.

I was turned just when we thought it was safe..."

Aer trotted jovially through the woods. The attacks had stopped! The Dread-Queen must be sated! He could fully enjoy his freedom and wings now, with no fear of becoming one of her Dread-Slaves. His good mood could not be broken. He thought as he meandered his way back to his family's house.

The towns-ponies were throwing a celebration. Such a relief merited one! No more would they give up members of their families to slake the Dread-Queen's bloodlust! And it was very possible, very possible, that he would see Alitura! With all that cider, he might even get a kiss... Aer shivered with excitement. Alitura was a very pretty Earth pony whom he fancied. Many of the colts did. She was good at her job, too. She grew the most delicious peaches to be found!

The woods themselves seemed to rejoice at the Dread-Queens retreat. The birds sang loud and clear. Animals, even predators, rested side by side. Even the vegetation seemed to sigh with relief. Nothing could, or should go wrong.

So, of course it did.

As he approached the clearing where his family's little cabin stood, the birds stopped singing, the animals resumed their usual game of kill-or-be-killed, and the vegetation seemed more menacing that it should. Aer skittered nervously, what was wrong? The forest began to grow darker, and the metallic scent of blood reached his nose.

Fighting against his instincts to bolt, Aer nervously approached his home, no smoke came from the chimney... something was wrong, dreadfully wrong... And yet he continued to advance to the door, or where it should be.

Aer's heart skittered in his chest, seemingly wanting to go with his self-preservation instinct and common sense, to go away. He stuck his head into the humble little abode. No light pierced the unnatural blackness, and sound was muted, but he heard... rustling?

He rounded the corner into the kitchen.

"No..."

The Dread-Alicorn was in his home.

"Oh, another one to the party. Come take a seat, dear." The malicious spirit's maw opened, revealing a set of predator's teeth. "We were just discussing a few things."

Aer remained rooted to the spot, hyperventilating with fear, but he Dread-Queen just continued to smile. "Take a seat, dear..." This time the voice ordered him to obey, in its deceiving, silky tone. Aer walked with stiff legs over to where his father and little sister sat (mother had died three years previously), bound with the same kind of fear that he was.

"Now that we're all here. I suppose I should make my request known," the dark spirit continued. "I require another sacrifice, or I shall unleash my wolves of war on your lovely little town and friends." The thing grinned at this last statement, true pits of hellfire in her eyes.

So, she wanted more sacrifices? They'd already given too many good ponies to this witch!

"B-but, why us?" managed Aer, somehow breaking through the paralyzation.

Thanatos' eyes widened in surprise. This one had broken through her spell? He could make a fine servant, a fine servant indeed. But first she would have her fun. Sauntering up to him, she looked at his frightened, pale blue eyes. "How did you break through my spell?"

"I, uh, don't know!" he cried. There had been a spell on them? "Please, just leave us alone!" he pleaded. "We have done nothing to spite you!"

The Queen pondered his statements. He was too frightened to lie, that was for sure. So, he honestly didn't know how he'd broken her enchantment? Strange. They just wanted to continue with their dull, meaningless lives. And true, they had done nothing to spite her. So, why was she attacking them?

Random choice, and a stray feeling that she'd find something of worth.

A new idea lit the fire in her eyes, "Why don't you become my servant? I will leave your family and town alone, for the duration of your service, which is indefinite. You will become more powerful, and you will ensure the safety of your friends and family."

Aer blanched, and his paralyzed family grunted and squeaked to show how they disapproved.. B-become her servant? Like one of those bloodsucking monsters? He wanted to say no, to run away, but the Alicorn of Death wouldn't allow that. She wanted an answer now, and the answer he wanted to give would end in the deaths of his town, family, and friends. With no other choice, he replied, "I'll do it."

Thanatos purred with happiness. He was hers! Finally, not just another one to play with and toss away; a true servant, one with power, who would serve her! "Good choice," she extended her neck and touched her horn to his head. Piercing him a little to draw blood, she began the spell. The actual spellwork was complex, seeing that it altered quite a bit in the body. Too soon, though, Aer said good bye to his equinity.

He stiffened as the spell began to alter him. His head was thrown up as his teeth began to elongate with a flash of shadow. They grey pony's wings flew up in protest of their enlargement. Feathers were violently ripped off, flesh rent by growing bones. Aer tried desperately to yell, wail, shriek, anything to voice the pain that he was in. Thanatos stood by, with the look of a filly at their first magic show on her face because of his pain. The spell began to slow down, only minor changes were left. Aer slowly laid down and moaned.

Thanatos purred again and walked over to her Child. "Up, little one. We have business to attend." He moaned again and rolled over, mumbling something about five more minutes. "Up!" she snarled.

At the order of his master, Aer opened his eyes. With shaking legs he stood up, he tried to shake out his wings, but the poor appendages were too sore and in pain for him to anything. "First assignment: feed. You must be very hungry," his new master cooed. Aer groaned as he stomach whined.

"What do I eat?"

"You can eat everything that a normal equine could, but with the addition of meat and blood. Vegetation won't sustain you for as long. And you must drink blood at least once a week, or you'll die. However, as my servant, you will be fed every day, or every other day as punishment," Thanatos cackled at his expression. "Feed," she ordered.

Aer began to be aware of a delicious smell. Turning to where his family members stood, he stumbled towards them, looking for the oh-so-tantalizing smell. Stepping around them delicately, he inhaled. The smell was not behind them, nor to the sides. The smell was... coming from them? HIs eyes widened, pupils dilated at what that meant. "NO! I won't!"

Thanatos smirked wickedly. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice," she stepped closer. "You. Will. FEED," she growled.

Aer had no choice but to obey. Something, someone else was steering his body.

At the frightened eyes of his family, he managed to choke out, "Ru...n! I'm not... in... control!" BUt, the Queen had her way, for they could not flee.

He stalked towards them, reluctantly, but under his master's control. The new-born vampire smelled the all too alluring scent of blood, and his tongue snaked out to taste it. Growling contentedly, Aer lunged towards the small one. His breath ghosted over her neck before his teeth sank in. She screamed and thrashed, but to no avail, nothing could break the iron grip of the predator holding her. All too soon, she was empty. Aer dropped the lifeless husk of his sister to the floor.

Still hungry, the demon turned back towards the alpha member. He snarled, revealing his sharp, jagged teeth. Wasting no time for his next meal, he pounced towards the new prospect for food. The ever-wary patriarch skittered away from his attack, so instead of a solid hit, he grazed the neck of the bloodbag. The skin was torn away, revealing the luscious veins and arteries, bone and tissue. Now with more bloodlust than ever, Thanatos's servant knocked him down, fracturing the neck bones, and causing more blood to flow out. Viciously ripping the vertebrae out for better access, he feasted.

And the Queen of the Damned laughed.

Twilight looked shocked at his narration. But more so appalled at his emotionless expression. He must have told it so many times that it lost all meaning. "I'm so sorry," she said. The thought that Thanatos would do that... Twilight had thought the black alicorn was just a victim of circumstance, but that...

"Don't be," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "Many of the Immortals went insane, the banishment of one of their own was a momentous occasion, and it disturbed them deeply," he sighed. "But remember, Thanatos is a ruthless bitch."

"She promised no harm would come to them from her her, but that did not extend to ordering me to," he got that faraway look in his eyes again. "Someday, she will get her due payment,"

So a lot of emotional gush. Some of Aer's back story, (you know, for a comic relief guy, he has a depressing past) I got more graphic her, should I keep it up?