Shadowlandby mocandragon5ChaptersThe Quest Begins (Twilight)Inside Ponyville (Rarity)"Ascension" (Applejack)A Game of Cat and Mouse (Twilight)New Arrivals (Aspen)Leaving Home (Blackthorn)The Quest Begins (Twilight)It begun, many years ago. Ponyville was the first to fall, creatures of darkness flooded out of the Everfree forest. We barely got out. Sadly, Fluttershy was taken by surprise, living so close to the forest she wasn't expecting it. She is still alive, yes, but life might not be a good description of it. She shows what can happen to us if we let down our guard, and I hope I never have to see her again. We were driven back into major cities: Canterlot, Manehattan, et cetera. These cities were large enough to afford a guard force. Even now we are attacked weekly by a group of vampires, equuswolves, spirits or demonic creatures we have never seen before. Each attack, our force dwindles. Some become undead forces, or they just lose their life. Now, we must return our blows, show our determination. We will not lose now. We will not stand down. We will reclaim our land from these creatures. I remember the night we had decided upon our course of action. It was a night of the full moon, we were fighting off the newest assault of equuswolves. I was sitting in one of the many rooms of the castle, a group of older soldiers with me as we decided upon a course of action. Manehattan was falling, but we'd have to send help, through the deadly plains and woods; ravaged towns and fallen strongholds. I volunteered myself to lead the support group, my magic probably being able to fend off the majority of beasts. My remaining friends volunteered themselves as well, which I was glad about for a few mere moments before I thought of the multitude of possible occurrences which could negatively affect them. They were resolute, however. I gave in and we prepared to leave. I had packed various weapons to fight off the abominations: an iron cross, a bow with silver-tipped arrows to be given to Rainbow Dash and swords for various soldiers. I also packed many scrolls for recording discoveries and sending them back. We met up near the entrance: Myself, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. We then headed to join the battle against the encroaching wolves. Their number seemed to keep increasing, small groups joining in on the assault. Sadly, I had to bare witness to one guard being struck down and convulsions overtake his body as his form began to change. I ran up to him and knocked him to the ground with a heavy hit from a sword. Rainbow Dash turned to the wolf who had infected him, letting an arrow loose. It struck home. The wolf fell with a thud as its form changed to that of a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane. The gash was where she left it, but instead of normal scarlet ichor, it had a darker, more sinister tint. Rending my eyes from the shape, I barely managed to dodge a strike from another wolf, aided by a guard who thrust his sword out to block the strike. He then called another guard to strike the wolf down. Their numbers by now had stopped increasing, though I couldn't count how many wolves there were. The idea of sneaking out in the chaos crossed my mind, but no. Manehattan was about to fall and I couldn't let Canterlot go the same way. I delved deep inside me for powerful magicks to strike the horde down, despite being magical creatures they still felt the effects of magic but at a lesser level. I knocked down a few wolves, harming them but not killing them. Some guards swarmed upon the fallen wolves as my friends continued to work at getting rid of the beasts. Pinkie, even in this gloomy time, still used party cannons to fight her battles, the art of distraction being a useful one. Rarity following the distraction idea, using gems to distract the wolves. Rainbow was shooting wolves with her silver arrows and retrieving them from the corpses, their silver tips dripping in paranormal ichor. This carried on for a couple of hours, the sheer number of them making it a challenge. After the battle was done, I gathered up some of the soldiers, telling them of our mission. Within the hour, we left. The old train station was located just outside the new walls of the city, due to the creatures using it during the early days, before it was destroyed. We decided to look inside the old building, seeing if we could find any resources. We found discarded walking sticks on the ground, coats hung up, torn and broken glasses and other vision-aiding devices shattered, littered on the floor. We explored the ruined building for slightly longer, though we left quite quickly; worrying should one of the many corrupted creatures had made their home here. We followed the tracks, spotting some run down trains on our path. Sadly, it seemed we had forgotten our way in these lands, as we managed to find our way into Ponyville. We didn't realise it at the time, however. We did notice when we were all knocked down from behind, not noticing our new attackers. I was the last one awake, barely managing to sneak away, hiding in a bush near the track. My breath got caught in my throat as I examined our attackers. Their darker, paler coats. Their ragged wings sprouting from their backs. The crimson eyes which pierced through the dark and could cause fear in many the bravest knight. Those long curved fangs. It was at this point I realized we had stumbled our way to Ponyville, the vampire capital of Equestria, and all my allies were about to join their ranks. I almost collapsed with shock and fear. My friends; my remaining friends; were going to become my enemies if I didn't act quickly. In fact, I realised they hadn't been feasted on then and there. What would these vampires want with my friends, if not for food and fighters? It was this thought that kept me resolute; my friends were safe for now, and if I could find them quick enough then I could possibly save them from their fate. I would have to face Fluttershy again, but that was a sacrifice I had to make. I gripped on to my cross tighter. If any god did exist, or if Celestia is as divine as some think, I may be able to do this yet. Tonight, I risk my life for my friends. Inside Ponyville (Rarity)I had finally come to my senses after having been knocked out, looking around the room. The first thing I noticed is that these ruffians surely had an idea of irony. The building our group had been thrown into was the remains of my boutique, which I had spent years of blood, sweat and tears to keep in pristine condition. The next thing I saw was a group of ponies, no doubt our attackers, were sitting on the stage I used to show my brand new outfits. They were glancing around the room, so as one of them, a mare with rugged features, was about to turn her attention to me, I resumed the position I had found myself in. It was then I realised that the floor was covered in dirt, obviously they hadn't cared for the place since I left, and that my mane was in an appalling condition. Something must have caught one of our captor's interests, as I heard one of them coming in my general direction. "So one of them finally wakes up." Said a rather broken imitation of an upper class stallion with a Canterlot accent. I was expecting the stallion to grab me, but I heard someone behind me get picked up. "What do you want with me?" It was Rainbow Dash. Of course it was. Knowing my friend was in immediate danger, I used my magic to reach out for one of the mannequins dotted around the room and knock the ruffian behind me with it as if it were a bat in some kind of sport. Talking about bats, that what they were. Those wings, fangs and crimson red eyes reminded me of that time Fluttershy became, I called, 'Flutterbat', though something else was off about them. Their eyes had more than a mere basic comprehension behind them, also showed off by the fact they could talk. I watched as Rainbow was dropped to the floor, noticing they had taken out satchels and weapons with us. "Rainbow, darling. Wake up the others and I'll hold these vampires off." I told the pegasus, now sat on the ground next to a berserk bat wielding daggers in his mouth. I raised the mannequin once more, blocking off the vampire from Rainbow as she went around, rousing up the guards first and Pinkie Pie last. Soon enough, we were in another battle, though we were highly outnumbered, as vampires came in from the front door. There was no way we could win. We had barely any weapons apart from polystyrene bodies, and even then the best we could do was knock them out for a short while, and our spells, which only a few of us could use, were drastically weakened due to the fact these vampires had some magic resistance due to the magic of their being, as Twilight had told me once before. A few of us, a few of the guards more specifically, were killed in the battle, and the rest of us were dragged off, awake this time, as the vampires were saying something about their 'matriarch'. Knowing this was Ponyville, I did have a suspicion which did give me dread, as it would mean facing one of my friends whom we could not save. We were taken to the remains of Twilight's crystal castle, seeing many vampires along the way. On the path, I did notice some non-vampires which confused me, as surely vampires wish to feed and create more of them? This did make me question one other thing; Why hadn't we been transformed yet? Another thing which grabbed my attention, and actually gave me some hope, was a brief look at a certain mare from my past; a mare whom we had thought long dead. I could have sworn I saw Applejack, and I could have sworn she saw us, being dragged along. After being forced through the castle up to a set of old, rotting wooden doors; strange as this castle didn't have those doors last I was there and so they couldn't be old enough to be rotting, the guards opened the way to what they called the 'Throne Room'. On the other side was just as I had feared. Sitting on a grand throne, made of what seemed to be a corrupted form of the crystals which had been hewn together to form this castle, was the first vampire to enter this world those years ago. Sat upon the throne was a corrupted and twisted form of the once kind Fluttershy. She stared at us as we made our way further into the room, almost examining us, thinking about how much of a meal we would make. "Why have you come here?" the vampire, whom I shall refer to as 'Fluttershy' for simplicity's sake, asked us, having lost any hint of kindness in her voice. "Fluttershy, why have you done this to us?" I asked, taking a step forward. This was a mistake as I was instantly struck at by a guard. "I asked the first question." Fluttershy stated, "But I suppose I could answer your question. My citizens found you approaching our fair village with weapons drawn. You were obviously going to attack us. I didn't beleive it could be you, Rarity, as I had thought you would never stoop so low to try to kill a friend." "You are not Fluttershy." I merely stated in response. This thing had corrupted my friend and was now using her, as I had once been used by dark forces also. If Twilight were here, she may be able to redo what she had done the first time Fluttershy had become a bat, though I knew this was much worse. "Oh, really? Then why did you call me 'Fluttershy' then, if you truly beleive I am not her?" Fluttershy asked, a smirk forming on her face. Oh, how much I wanted to just knock that creature senseless. "Because she is in this room, but she is not listening." I replied. "What are you implying? And I do suggest you watch your tone, lest you want to become a slave for the perfect race." Fluttershy hissed. "Stooping to racism now? And slavery? You must have done a lot to stop Fluttershy from being able to stop you." I replied. "I am Fluttershy!" Fluttershy hissed, leaping out of her throne and commanding a guard to hand her a long, scythe-like weapon. "And if you are wanting to think of a smart reply again, perhaps you should get acquainted with the feeling of being our next meal." "Alright." I replied, backing up slightly. "Another question, if you don't mind. Why are you using slave labour, and not turning all those earth ponies out there into vampires?" "The are not worthy." Fluttershy replied. "Also, despite all of the great things being a vampire brings with it, our bodies do become rather frail, so is it surprising we use earth ponies to do our work?" "Why Applejack?" I asked. This caught the creature who claimed to be Fluttershy off guard. "What do you mean?" "Why keep Applejack as a mere slave? Surely one who was such a good friend to you in your imperfect state deserves to be elevated to be one as well, and not a slave?" Rarity asked. "I suppose you are right. And as it was your suggestion, you may watch her ascension." Fluttershy replied. "Thassra, go and bring in Applejack. She should be heading to the old town hall, if she is following her schedule." One of the three guards nodded and left via the window. "Any other questions, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, surprising me as this was the first time she used my name. "Not until Applejack arrives." I responded. "Alright. You, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie will wait here. The rest of you will be taken for physical examination. See whether you will be useful in labour, or as a meal." Another guard began dragging the soldiers away, leaving the three of us, a guard and Fluttershy in the room. Within a few moments, a voice came from outside the door. "I have brought Applejack, your highness." I am so sorry, Applejack. "Ascension" (Applejack)Author's Note Don't even think the narration is going to be country. Don't. The speech will, but not the narration. "Ascension" (Applejack) I couldn't believe it when I saw Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie being dragged by some of the guards towards her castle. The look on her face as she was dragged past made me shudder. After that happened, I just carried on with my duties, knowing fully well what could happen if these vampires caught you not doing your work. I pulled the cart behind me, full to the brim with apples, towards the old town hall. Luckily for me, I didn't have to go anywhere near that accursed castle for the rest of the week, just having to see Fluttershy in this state? All I can say is even after all these years, I still feel terrible. I travelled for a while, going back and forth between the town hall and various other places to pick up and move various materials, whether it be food, building materials or raw materials for weaponry. I don't want to work for these slavers, but I have no choice. They have my family, and even if I tried to run, I'd die. "Applejack. The matriarch wishes to see you." A stallion's voice came from behind me. I was petrified, my heart beat faster. The only reason she ever calls for someone is for some sort of punishment. "Come with me." The stallion spoke, placing a hand on my shoulder and twisting me around. The guard who was sent to escort me there was one of the main ones who acted directly from her will. Unlike the law enforcers, these were only sent for important reasons, as these were the ones who guarded her at all times. I nodded quietly and followed behind him. Various other ponies stopped to watch as I followed the guard, expressions of worry and fear for my safety on their faces. They probably thought the same I did. "Ah'll be fine." Was all I managed to say to one of them before my escort stopped and glared at me for a moment before carrying on. We finally arrived at the entrance to the throne room, in the ex-castle of Twilight, a mere shadow of what it once was. The guard spoke, saying "I have brought Applejack, your highness." "Bring her in." A voice from inside replied. It was the corrupted voice of Fluttershy. The doors opened, and what I saw inside was surprising. Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie were sitting on wooden chairs by one of the walls, and Fluttershy was there. "Come in, Applejack." Fluttershy said, eyeing me in the doorway. "I don't bite, wait, that's a lie, isn't it? And Thassra, get it set up." "Yes, your highness." My escort, Thassra, replied before walking down the corridor behind me. I swallowed hard and walked in. I cast a questioning glance at Rarity, but stopped when Fluttershy spoke again. "You may be wondering why you are here, Applejack." She said, rising from her throne and walking down to meet me. "You can thank Rarity for what is about to happe to you. She has reminded me of how you helped me in the time I was... imperfect. And she has convinced me to share my gift with you. Aren't you honoured?" My eyes widened as I heard her plans. Most here wouldn't have found this a punishment, but for me? It was. The worst kind. I looked at Rarity. "Now, my question, as I said earlier and now that Applejack is here," Rarity started, "I request we may have some last words, in private, together, before you allow her to... ascend." Fluttershy was obviously considering the proposal. "Alright, but you must stay in this room. You may go over there." She said, pointing out an empty corner of the room. Rarity and I walked over there. "I only suggested this to bring you up here." Rarity said. "I was thinking of a break out method." "Before we go onto that, what are y'all doing here? Y'all got out!" I replied. "We were supposed to be heading to Manehattan, thy are going to fall to an attack. We took the wrong train track and ended up here. Twilight has gone missing too." "Twilight was coming here? If they got their hands on her..." "They haven't. She wasn't with us when we became conscious." "Well? What's the plan?" "We will disrupt the ceremony and escape in the chaos. Pinkie's plan." "Better than nothin', ah guess." "Are you done over there?" Fluttershy called over, a hand of one of the guards grabbing Applejack, the same one, and dragged her to where there was a strange set up. Fluttershy was drinking down some strange liquid while one of the guards was lighting candles which were held in a circular pattern around a table. "Alright Applejack, just lie down on the table. It won't hurt... lethally." Fluttershy commanded. "Guards, hold back her friends." Rarity's eyes widened. The plan was ruined. I did as I was told, lying down on the table. Fluttershy leaned over me, lining her mouth up with my neck. She opened her mouth, revealing fangs and placed them around my neck. I tried my best to attack the vampire, but something was holding me down. The fangs sunk deep. The candles around the table extinguished one by one, fresh blood dripping out of the wound before it sealed up. I immediately felt the change. My heartbeat began to slow and a warm sensation began in my neck, slowly engulfing my entire body. Everything went black for seconds, before I reached up and grabbed Fluttershy's neck. "Ah'll... never... serve... you..." Was all I could muster before I felt pain racking through my body once more. Wings began to grow from my back, some of my teeth lengthening into fangs. My eyes began to turn into a shade of red as I felt strength leaving her body. This reduction in strength allowed Fluttershy to escape. "They always do that." She muttered. "Rise." I slid her legs over the side of the table and sat up. I looked at Fluttershy deep in the eyes. "Alright, Applejack, go and bring your friends to me." A Game of Cat and Mouse (Twilight)There. Ponyville, my old home. Vampires swarmed everywhere, making it difficult for me to make my way through. I still clutched the cross to my chest, hoping above all hope that it would help. I spotted a procession of ponies wearing cloaks, probably some sort of twisted religion, seeing the things they were carrying: /torches, a table and a goblet filled with a yellow liquid. I only knew the colour of the liquid as they spilt a slight bit. I followed them in the shadows, watching as they turned down a corner. I reached out with my magic and slowly removed the cloak from the back figure, only to find they were wearing a mask. That would be harder to deal with. I slipped my cloak on, tightening it around my neck. I created a copy of the mask, using illusion magic and I ripped their mask off, attacking the stallion. The others turned around, seeing one dressed just as they were being attacked by some random stallion. This was perhaps a bit too cruel, but I had to, to save my friends. The ones bearing the equipment continued and the rest came to my aide. This was risky as if they recognised him or his voice, they would have turned on me, luckily this seemed to be a secret organisation, with silence as a rule. The actual member was quickly dispatched before they continued on their march, to which I fell in step. The procession continued towards my old castle. It was dying, the lack of harmony in the area draining it as it tried to balance it out. We headed in, the ones who were bearing the candles, table and drink before were waiting for us before they opened a door I didn't remember from my time there. The door opened. The bearers headed in and we waited. What I saw? Fluttershy, even more corrupted than last time I saw her, as well as all of my other friends. They set up some strange ritual, and kept the door open so we could watch. Fluttershy commanded us to restrain my other friends. I followed them in and took it upon myself to restrain Rainbow Dash. Applejack lay down on the table and Fluttershy... She bit Applejack and I watched. I wanted not to, but I couldn't stop. Fluttershy commanded Applejack to 'Rise', which she did, and go to retrieve her friends. As Applejack approached us, in a new vampiric form, I released my grip on Rainbow, stabbed the cross into the vampire next to me and shouted "Run!". Rainbow started off confused before I lowered my hood and the mask faded. Then she understood. The vampire I had stabbed was holding Rarity, so she got free as well. Rainbow freed Pinkie Pie by punching her captor and then the four of us ran off, Applejack in pursuit. We made our way out as fast as possible, Pinkie and Rarity fighting those who tried to block us while Rainbow and I were taking down any pursuers. We stormed into the old carousel boutique, rummaging through boxes until we found weapons. We found a throwing spear, a lance, an axe and a longsword. Rainbow took the spear, Pinkie took the axe, I took the sword and Rarity took the lance. We then made our way up to Rarity's old bedroom before we flew out the window; Rainbow and I flying, Rainbow carrying Rarity and myself carrying Pinkie, Rarity and I using levitation spells to lighten the load. The vampires seemed distracted for a second before a few, including Applejack, took to the skies, and I could see Fluttershy leaving my old castle. We soon had to drop to the ground, the unladen vampires being faster than us, so we landed on the tracks one more and started sprinting, making sure we took the right turning this time. The vampires were surging behind us, and we had lost our bow, so we couldn't do much. Rarity and I took turns, casting weak spells to delay them. We continued this, the vampire hoardes slowly closing the gap. As we found our way to some mountains, the Foal Mountain, we heard something surprising. "Fire!" A volley of arrows rained down from the foothills of the mountain, striking down the vampires, not killing them but wounding them so that they blacked out. "Who did that?" Rainbow queried, asking what was on all of our minds. "Ponies, up here!" A slightly familiar voice said as a few deer crested over the rise. "Blackthorn?" I asked as we walked up the rise to the deer. "Yes. We barely managed to escape Thicket before the forest became overcome with evil." The deer, Blackthorn replied. "Come, leave these vampires to nature." "There is one I want to bring with us. You remember Applejack?" I replied. "Why yes I do. Is she one of them?" Blackthorn asked. "Yes, but I will make sure she stays restrained. I will try to bring her to her senses." I stated. Blackthorn sighed. "Alright. Follow me." We followed Blackthorn for what felt like an hour. We finally came to a camp in a hidden cave in the mountains, obviously the deer were uncomfortable here, but they obviously had to find some place to stay. "I will alert King Aspen as to your arrival. Wait here, and make sure your friend doesn't wake up." Blackthorn commanded before walking off towards the far side of the cavern. We finally took this opportunity to rest after our chase with the vampires. "You came in the nick of time, Twi." Rainbow said, referring to how I managed to break them free with not a moment to spare. "Rainbow is right, darling. You see we had a plan, but it didn't quite work, as you saw." Rarity added on. "I did what I had to, I couldn't leave you to that creature." I stated. Pinkie was the next to speak. "Well, I don't know how you got in and saved us, but ow we are here we can settle down and party!" Blackthorn returned, said to us that the king acknowledged our arrival and my demand, and then he showed us to a small area for us to rest. Author's Note Just so you know what the deers look like: Blackthorn: New Arrivals (Aspen)Author's Note Just so you know what the deers look like: King Aspen: Blackthorn: New Arrivals (Aspen) "So, you are saying while on guard duty, you spotted the ponies which aided us that time running from a swarm of vampires?" I asked Blackthorn after having him return from guard duty, "And you escorted them back, with one of said vampires?" "Yes, your highness." Blackthorn replied, his gaze as certain as ever. "They requested to return an unconscious vampire here to 'return her to her senses'. It is one of the mares who helped us." I was sat in thought for a few moments. These ponies had helped save our land once before, and they helped save me after I traded myself for my son. They had brought a creature of corruption to my hidden camp, though I suppose I owe them support. "Give them a place. I will speak to them in a moment." I decided, and Blackthorn nodded, going to report my decision. I could see them from here, awaiting the news. I hate being in debt. I continued my work on our map, marking the now-dead vampires with black crosses. After doing this, I made my way to where I saw Blackthorn guided the five new arrivals. "Welcome, ponies." I greeted them. The first one to speak was the one, if I remember correctly, named Twilight Sparkle. "Thank you, King Aspen, for welcoming us into your camp." She replied. "If you do not mind me asking, why were you passing by? Surely you all found a home for three whole years?" I questioned. It was rather suspicious. Twilight nodded slightly. "I understand your cautiousness. We are travelling towards Manehattan. The city has been under attack for days and if we do not aid them, the city will fall." I was surprised by this news, but I held my poker face. "How is one of your cities falling?" I asked, surely after three years, they would have built up powerful defences? "We were rather shocked by the news too, but even in Canterlot our forces are weakening, slowly. With every attack we lose many guards." Twilight replied, obvious sadness in her face. "I understand." Was the only way I could reply. "Tell me about your friend." I requested, pointing at the unconscious vampire. "She was with us when we helped you. She was only recently bitten, so I hope I can uncorrupt her mind. I may need bindings." Twilight explained, obviously set on her mission. "Fine, but you will hold her outside." I replied. "The sun will rise soon." She retorted, "If she gets exposed to sunlight, she will slowly die!" "What do you want me to do about it‽" I shouted, attracting the attention of some nearby deer. "I have worked hard to make a safe haven, and you want me to house a blood sucking, corrupted creature?" Twilight obviously bit back a retort. "I apologise, but I prioritise the lives of my kin first." I stated. "If you can imagine a compromise, I'll listen." Twilight sat in thought for a moment. "Could you help us make a covering of some sort, like a tarpaulin or a blanket?" "That sounds simple enough. I will see what I can do." I replied before returning back to my map. I called for some of the more creative types about weaving together a blanket. It took about three-quarters of an hour, then I gave the blanket made of vines to Twilight and left with her and her friends, to set up a covered area outside. We then used some freshly made rope to bind the vampire to a boulder. It was at this point Twilight began to heal her friend using some of our healer's salves, no doubt she asked them about healing an arrow wound. Luckily for her, keeping the arrow in there halted most of the blood flow. Twilight then woke her friend up, and the look in those crimson eyes was obvious. I raised my bow, to ensure she didn't try to break her bonds. Twilight and her friends then took turns to talk to her, talking about Applejack as though she were a different pony far away. Twilight then lit up her horn and lunged for Applejack's forehead. Both of them went limp, their eyes radiating a white aura. We waited, the others with bated breath. I knew this was important to them, and if she failed, Twilight was in danger, but for some reason I could not feel the tension. Minutes passed, and life slowly ebbed back into the two bodies, so I raised up my bow once more, aiming at the vampire. The first to move was Twilight, who had a second to retreat before Applejack came to. Applejack quickly hissed at Twilight before she began shaking her head. "W...What happened?" Applejack asked. "Where am ah?" "You are in the territory of the inhabitants of Thicket, miss Applejack. If you do not remember me, my name is King Aspen." I stated, stopping Twilight from explaining. "You are currently a vampire. I am sure you need no explanation?" "Ah'm a vampire?" Applejack questioned, seemingly just noticing her wings as she inhaled sharply. I used an arrow to cut through the back of the rope. "Ah remember now. One question, how am ah gonna leave?" Applejack asked. A good question, as vampires couldn't travel during the day, and these five would have to leave as soon as possible to reach Manehattan in time. "Twilight, was there not a cloak on the bed I let you rest on?" I remembered, suggesting it. It seemed large enough to fit over Applejack, probably not as her original self, but perhaps her thinner vampire self would fully fit under it. Twilight nodded, rushing back into the cave. "I do have something to speak to her about. I shall return in a moment." I said, heading into the cave. Leaving Home (Blackthorn)Author's Note Just so you know what the deers look like (Last reminder): King Aspen: Blackthorn: Leaving Home (Blackthorn) I watched as miss Sparkle rushed back into the cavern, a wide grin on her face. I can only assume she was successful in her endeavor. I was about to head outside when I came face-to-face with King Aspen. "I have a question for you Blackthorn," He began, "I wish to support miss Sparkle and her friends in defending their city, as we are stronger together. I wish to know whether or not you would be alright with going with them? You see, you are among our best fighters, and that is a skill that will be put to the test." This surprised me. I had never considered leaving behind my kin, but what my king said was right, we would have to stand together, in the end. I scanned the horizon, taking in every feature up until that point. Even in this darkness, nature tried its best to keep its beauty. I for one want nature to remain as luscious as it once was. I nodded. "I would be honoured." "Alright. I will alert miss Sparkle. Make sure you say your farewells and gather up all you need. Before you leave, you will be offered a meal." The King replied, a slight smile upon his face. He then headed towards the excited pony. I watched for a few more moments as Aspen explained my response to miss Sparkle, who in response lifted up a black cloak and walked in my direction. The pony was obviously quite happy with my decision as she approached, her smile ever so slightly larger. "Thank you, Blackthorn." Was the first thing she said. "I hope you thought through the dangers, but if you have, I welcome you to our group." I nodded. "I have, Miss Sparkle. I will do my best to protect our land and my kin, and as we are working towards a similar goal, I will aid you as much as I can. I suppose your friend is fine?" "Yes, she's recovering, but she has lost the vampire fame of mind. The only issue is going to be her blood need." Twilight replied. "And please, call me Twilight." "Alright. Your friend's heightened senses will probably allow her to hunt down some of the smaller wild animals." I stated. "As long as I needn't watch. Also, remind her to kill her prey. We don't need vammpiric rabbits running around. Just so you know, as well, you will receive a meal before we head off, made by our best cooks." "Thank you again, Blackthorn." Was the last thing she said before she headed off back to her friends. My first priority was to go to our barracks and take my bow out as well as a full quiver of arrows as well as my armour. From there, I headed to my private quarters, as I was one of the more important members, and stashed my important belongings including a map of Equestria and a map of the area. After packing everything I needed for my journey, I decided to try to find my new group. After looking around the various caverns, I deducted that they were still outside. I then headed to the most likely place Aspen would bring them to bind their friend, and there they were. Twilight was the first to notice my approach. After she called out my name, her friends turned to look at me. I assumed that Applejack was the one in the robe Twilight had taken earlier. "Girls, Blackthorn will be joining us on our journey." She explained. Perhaps due to having Applejack back to her senses, as Twilight had worded it, it had slipped her mind to tell her friends. "Your meals are ready. We will eat then we can leave." The girls were obviously happy with the news, unsurprising as they were probably unable to eat while being chased. "Applejack, you can find your food in the small forest down there." "Pardon?" The cloaked pony replied. "You are a vampire. Vampires do not eat normal food, they drink blood and that's it. You'll find some small animals down there. Don't forget to kill them first." I explained, once more. With that I lead the others inside, leaving a slightly distraught Applejack in her cloak. The meal consisted of green plants, mainly, with some oats for our pony visitors. I never quite understood why we kept a store of that food. Pinkie Pie was the first to finish, followed by Rainbow Dash, Twilight, myself and then Rarity. After I had finished, Applejack walked in the front, some blood still on her fangs. She was not looking quite so good, probably due to a sudden change from a vegetarian lifestyle. I motioned a cleaning gesture, and Applejack got the hint, wiping the blood off of her fangs with her forearm and sitting at the table with us. "I do apologise that you had to eat separately, but we are almost completely natural beings, we would never kill harmless creatures. The furthest we have come from our nature-centric life is our armour, which was gifted to us. We would not have a stock of freshly killed animals, and only the king and I know there is a vampire among us." I apologised. "It's alright, ah suppose. Ah'll just have to get used to it." She replied. "Well, while I was collecting my belongings, I had a quick look at my map of Equestria. The fastest way is off the tracks, unless you want to reach Fillydelphia first." I described. "There are no marked problems on the way there, except for some wild animals, probably, as we will be travelling into the wilderness." "It sounds like we have no choice. We must travel as quickly as possible, unless we risk arriving too late." Twilight said, and I understood her worries. If what I picked up on was true, we would have a few days left until the walls of the city would fall, especially as we move towards shorter days, so that the attacks can last longer. "Seems we know our path. Let's go."
The Quest Begins (Twilight)It begun, many years ago. Ponyville was the first to fall, creatures of darkness flooded out of the Everfree forest. We barely got out. Sadly, Fluttershy was taken by surprise, living so close to the forest she wasn't expecting it. She is still alive, yes, but life might not be a good description of it. She shows what can happen to us if we let down our guard, and I hope I never have to see her again. We were driven back into major cities: Canterlot, Manehattan, et cetera. These cities were large enough to afford a guard force. Even now we are attacked weekly by a group of vampires, equuswolves, spirits or demonic creatures we have never seen before. Each attack, our force dwindles. Some become undead forces, or they just lose their life. Now, we must return our blows, show our determination. We will not lose now. We will not stand down. We will reclaim our land from these creatures. I remember the night we had decided upon our course of action. It was a night of the full moon, we were fighting off the newest assault of equuswolves. I was sitting in one of the many rooms of the castle, a group of older soldiers with me as we decided upon a course of action. Manehattan was falling, but we'd have to send help, through the deadly plains and woods; ravaged towns and fallen strongholds. I volunteered myself to lead the support group, my magic probably being able to fend off the majority of beasts. My remaining friends volunteered themselves as well, which I was glad about for a few mere moments before I thought of the multitude of possible occurrences which could negatively affect them. They were resolute, however. I gave in and we prepared to leave. I had packed various weapons to fight off the abominations: an iron cross, a bow with silver-tipped arrows to be given to Rainbow Dash and swords for various soldiers. I also packed many scrolls for recording discoveries and sending them back. We met up near the entrance: Myself, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. We then headed to join the battle against the encroaching wolves. Their number seemed to keep increasing, small groups joining in on the assault. Sadly, I had to bare witness to one guard being struck down and convulsions overtake his body as his form began to change. I ran up to him and knocked him to the ground with a heavy hit from a sword. Rainbow Dash turned to the wolf who had infected him, letting an arrow loose. It struck home. The wolf fell with a thud as its form changed to that of a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane. The gash was where she left it, but instead of normal scarlet ichor, it had a darker, more sinister tint. Rending my eyes from the shape, I barely managed to dodge a strike from another wolf, aided by a guard who thrust his sword out to block the strike. He then called another guard to strike the wolf down. Their numbers by now had stopped increasing, though I couldn't count how many wolves there were. The idea of sneaking out in the chaos crossed my mind, but no. Manehattan was about to fall and I couldn't let Canterlot go the same way. I delved deep inside me for powerful magicks to strike the horde down, despite being magical creatures they still felt the effects of magic but at a lesser level. I knocked down a few wolves, harming them but not killing them. Some guards swarmed upon the fallen wolves as my friends continued to work at getting rid of the beasts. Pinkie, even in this gloomy time, still used party cannons to fight her battles, the art of distraction being a useful one. Rarity following the distraction idea, using gems to distract the wolves. Rainbow was shooting wolves with her silver arrows and retrieving them from the corpses, their silver tips dripping in paranormal ichor. This carried on for a couple of hours, the sheer number of them making it a challenge. After the battle was done, I gathered up some of the soldiers, telling them of our mission. Within the hour, we left. The old train station was located just outside the new walls of the city, due to the creatures using it during the early days, before it was destroyed. We decided to look inside the old building, seeing if we could find any resources. We found discarded walking sticks on the ground, coats hung up, torn and broken glasses and other vision-aiding devices shattered, littered on the floor. We explored the ruined building for slightly longer, though we left quite quickly; worrying should one of the many corrupted creatures had made their home here. We followed the tracks, spotting some run down trains on our path. Sadly, it seemed we had forgotten our way in these lands, as we managed to find our way into Ponyville. We didn't realise it at the time, however. We did notice when we were all knocked down from behind, not noticing our new attackers. I was the last one awake, barely managing to sneak away, hiding in a bush near the track. My breath got caught in my throat as I examined our attackers. Their darker, paler coats. Their ragged wings sprouting from their backs. The crimson eyes which pierced through the dark and could cause fear in many the bravest knight. Those long curved fangs. It was at this point I realized we had stumbled our way to Ponyville, the vampire capital of Equestria, and all my allies were about to join their ranks. I almost collapsed with shock and fear. My friends; my remaining friends; were going to become my enemies if I didn't act quickly. In fact, I realised they hadn't been feasted on then and there. What would these vampires want with my friends, if not for food and fighters? It was this thought that kept me resolute; my friends were safe for now, and if I could find them quick enough then I could possibly save them from their fate. I would have to face Fluttershy again, but that was a sacrifice I had to make. I gripped on to my cross tighter. If any god did exist, or if Celestia is as divine as some think, I may be able to do this yet. Tonight, I risk my life for my friends.
Inside Ponyville (Rarity)I had finally come to my senses after having been knocked out, looking around the room. The first thing I noticed is that these ruffians surely had an idea of irony. The building our group had been thrown into was the remains of my boutique, which I had spent years of blood, sweat and tears to keep in pristine condition. The next thing I saw was a group of ponies, no doubt our attackers, were sitting on the stage I used to show my brand new outfits. They were glancing around the room, so as one of them, a mare with rugged features, was about to turn her attention to me, I resumed the position I had found myself in. It was then I realised that the floor was covered in dirt, obviously they hadn't cared for the place since I left, and that my mane was in an appalling condition. Something must have caught one of our captor's interests, as I heard one of them coming in my general direction. "So one of them finally wakes up." Said a rather broken imitation of an upper class stallion with a Canterlot accent. I was expecting the stallion to grab me, but I heard someone behind me get picked up. "What do you want with me?" It was Rainbow Dash. Of course it was. Knowing my friend was in immediate danger, I used my magic to reach out for one of the mannequins dotted around the room and knock the ruffian behind me with it as if it were a bat in some kind of sport. Talking about bats, that what they were. Those wings, fangs and crimson red eyes reminded me of that time Fluttershy became, I called, 'Flutterbat', though something else was off about them. Their eyes had more than a mere basic comprehension behind them, also showed off by the fact they could talk. I watched as Rainbow was dropped to the floor, noticing they had taken out satchels and weapons with us. "Rainbow, darling. Wake up the others and I'll hold these vampires off." I told the pegasus, now sat on the ground next to a berserk bat wielding daggers in his mouth. I raised the mannequin once more, blocking off the vampire from Rainbow as she went around, rousing up the guards first and Pinkie Pie last. Soon enough, we were in another battle, though we were highly outnumbered, as vampires came in from the front door. There was no way we could win. We had barely any weapons apart from polystyrene bodies, and even then the best we could do was knock them out for a short while, and our spells, which only a few of us could use, were drastically weakened due to the fact these vampires had some magic resistance due to the magic of their being, as Twilight had told me once before. A few of us, a few of the guards more specifically, were killed in the battle, and the rest of us were dragged off, awake this time, as the vampires were saying something about their 'matriarch'. Knowing this was Ponyville, I did have a suspicion which did give me dread, as it would mean facing one of my friends whom we could not save. We were taken to the remains of Twilight's crystal castle, seeing many vampires along the way. On the path, I did notice some non-vampires which confused me, as surely vampires wish to feed and create more of them? This did make me question one other thing; Why hadn't we been transformed yet? Another thing which grabbed my attention, and actually gave me some hope, was a brief look at a certain mare from my past; a mare whom we had thought long dead. I could have sworn I saw Applejack, and I could have sworn she saw us, being dragged along. After being forced through the castle up to a set of old, rotting wooden doors; strange as this castle didn't have those doors last I was there and so they couldn't be old enough to be rotting, the guards opened the way to what they called the 'Throne Room'. On the other side was just as I had feared. Sitting on a grand throne, made of what seemed to be a corrupted form of the crystals which had been hewn together to form this castle, was the first vampire to enter this world those years ago. Sat upon the throne was a corrupted and twisted form of the once kind Fluttershy. She stared at us as we made our way further into the room, almost examining us, thinking about how much of a meal we would make. "Why have you come here?" the vampire, whom I shall refer to as 'Fluttershy' for simplicity's sake, asked us, having lost any hint of kindness in her voice. "Fluttershy, why have you done this to us?" I asked, taking a step forward. This was a mistake as I was instantly struck at by a guard. "I asked the first question." Fluttershy stated, "But I suppose I could answer your question. My citizens found you approaching our fair village with weapons drawn. You were obviously going to attack us. I didn't beleive it could be you, Rarity, as I had thought you would never stoop so low to try to kill a friend." "You are not Fluttershy." I merely stated in response. This thing had corrupted my friend and was now using her, as I had once been used by dark forces also. If Twilight were here, she may be able to redo what she had done the first time Fluttershy had become a bat, though I knew this was much worse. "Oh, really? Then why did you call me 'Fluttershy' then, if you truly beleive I am not her?" Fluttershy asked, a smirk forming on her face. Oh, how much I wanted to just knock that creature senseless. "Because she is in this room, but she is not listening." I replied. "What are you implying? And I do suggest you watch your tone, lest you want to become a slave for the perfect race." Fluttershy hissed. "Stooping to racism now? And slavery? You must have done a lot to stop Fluttershy from being able to stop you." I replied. "I am Fluttershy!" Fluttershy hissed, leaping out of her throne and commanding a guard to hand her a long, scythe-like weapon. "And if you are wanting to think of a smart reply again, perhaps you should get acquainted with the feeling of being our next meal." "Alright." I replied, backing up slightly. "Another question, if you don't mind. Why are you using slave labour, and not turning all those earth ponies out there into vampires?" "The are not worthy." Fluttershy replied. "Also, despite all of the great things being a vampire brings with it, our bodies do become rather frail, so is it surprising we use earth ponies to do our work?" "Why Applejack?" I asked. This caught the creature who claimed to be Fluttershy off guard. "What do you mean?" "Why keep Applejack as a mere slave? Surely one who was such a good friend to you in your imperfect state deserves to be elevated to be one as well, and not a slave?" Rarity asked. "I suppose you are right. And as it was your suggestion, you may watch her ascension." Fluttershy replied. "Thassra, go and bring in Applejack. She should be heading to the old town hall, if she is following her schedule." One of the three guards nodded and left via the window. "Any other questions, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, surprising me as this was the first time she used my name. "Not until Applejack arrives." I responded. "Alright. You, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie will wait here. The rest of you will be taken for physical examination. See whether you will be useful in labour, or as a meal." Another guard began dragging the soldiers away, leaving the three of us, a guard and Fluttershy in the room. Within a few moments, a voice came from outside the door. "I have brought Applejack, your highness." I am so sorry, Applejack.
"Ascension" (Applejack)Author's Note Don't even think the narration is going to be country. Don't. The speech will, but not the narration. "Ascension" (Applejack) I couldn't believe it when I saw Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie being dragged by some of the guards towards her castle. The look on her face as she was dragged past made me shudder. After that happened, I just carried on with my duties, knowing fully well what could happen if these vampires caught you not doing your work. I pulled the cart behind me, full to the brim with apples, towards the old town hall. Luckily for me, I didn't have to go anywhere near that accursed castle for the rest of the week, just having to see Fluttershy in this state? All I can say is even after all these years, I still feel terrible. I travelled for a while, going back and forth between the town hall and various other places to pick up and move various materials, whether it be food, building materials or raw materials for weaponry. I don't want to work for these slavers, but I have no choice. They have my family, and even if I tried to run, I'd die. "Applejack. The matriarch wishes to see you." A stallion's voice came from behind me. I was petrified, my heart beat faster. The only reason she ever calls for someone is for some sort of punishment. "Come with me." The stallion spoke, placing a hand on my shoulder and twisting me around. The guard who was sent to escort me there was one of the main ones who acted directly from her will. Unlike the law enforcers, these were only sent for important reasons, as these were the ones who guarded her at all times. I nodded quietly and followed behind him. Various other ponies stopped to watch as I followed the guard, expressions of worry and fear for my safety on their faces. They probably thought the same I did. "Ah'll be fine." Was all I managed to say to one of them before my escort stopped and glared at me for a moment before carrying on. We finally arrived at the entrance to the throne room, in the ex-castle of Twilight, a mere shadow of what it once was. The guard spoke, saying "I have brought Applejack, your highness." "Bring her in." A voice from inside replied. It was the corrupted voice of Fluttershy. The doors opened, and what I saw inside was surprising. Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie were sitting on wooden chairs by one of the walls, and Fluttershy was there. "Come in, Applejack." Fluttershy said, eyeing me in the doorway. "I don't bite, wait, that's a lie, isn't it? And Thassra, get it set up." "Yes, your highness." My escort, Thassra, replied before walking down the corridor behind me. I swallowed hard and walked in. I cast a questioning glance at Rarity, but stopped when Fluttershy spoke again. "You may be wondering why you are here, Applejack." She said, rising from her throne and walking down to meet me. "You can thank Rarity for what is about to happe to you. She has reminded me of how you helped me in the time I was... imperfect. And she has convinced me to share my gift with you. Aren't you honoured?" My eyes widened as I heard her plans. Most here wouldn't have found this a punishment, but for me? It was. The worst kind. I looked at Rarity. "Now, my question, as I said earlier and now that Applejack is here," Rarity started, "I request we may have some last words, in private, together, before you allow her to... ascend." Fluttershy was obviously considering the proposal. "Alright, but you must stay in this room. You may go over there." She said, pointing out an empty corner of the room. Rarity and I walked over there. "I only suggested this to bring you up here." Rarity said. "I was thinking of a break out method." "Before we go onto that, what are y'all doing here? Y'all got out!" I replied. "We were supposed to be heading to Manehattan, thy are going to fall to an attack. We took the wrong train track and ended up here. Twilight has gone missing too." "Twilight was coming here? If they got their hands on her..." "They haven't. She wasn't with us when we became conscious." "Well? What's the plan?" "We will disrupt the ceremony and escape in the chaos. Pinkie's plan." "Better than nothin', ah guess." "Are you done over there?" Fluttershy called over, a hand of one of the guards grabbing Applejack, the same one, and dragged her to where there was a strange set up. Fluttershy was drinking down some strange liquid while one of the guards was lighting candles which were held in a circular pattern around a table. "Alright Applejack, just lie down on the table. It won't hurt... lethally." Fluttershy commanded. "Guards, hold back her friends." Rarity's eyes widened. The plan was ruined. I did as I was told, lying down on the table. Fluttershy leaned over me, lining her mouth up with my neck. She opened her mouth, revealing fangs and placed them around my neck. I tried my best to attack the vampire, but something was holding me down. The fangs sunk deep. The candles around the table extinguished one by one, fresh blood dripping out of the wound before it sealed up. I immediately felt the change. My heartbeat began to slow and a warm sensation began in my neck, slowly engulfing my entire body. Everything went black for seconds, before I reached up and grabbed Fluttershy's neck. "Ah'll... never... serve... you..." Was all I could muster before I felt pain racking through my body once more. Wings began to grow from my back, some of my teeth lengthening into fangs. My eyes began to turn into a shade of red as I felt strength leaving her body. This reduction in strength allowed Fluttershy to escape. "They always do that." She muttered. "Rise." I slid her legs over the side of the table and sat up. I looked at Fluttershy deep in the eyes. "Alright, Applejack, go and bring your friends to me."
A Game of Cat and Mouse (Twilight)There. Ponyville, my old home. Vampires swarmed everywhere, making it difficult for me to make my way through. I still clutched the cross to my chest, hoping above all hope that it would help. I spotted a procession of ponies wearing cloaks, probably some sort of twisted religion, seeing the things they were carrying: /torches, a table and a goblet filled with a yellow liquid. I only knew the colour of the liquid as they spilt a slight bit. I followed them in the shadows, watching as they turned down a corner. I reached out with my magic and slowly removed the cloak from the back figure, only to find they were wearing a mask. That would be harder to deal with. I slipped my cloak on, tightening it around my neck. I created a copy of the mask, using illusion magic and I ripped their mask off, attacking the stallion. The others turned around, seeing one dressed just as they were being attacked by some random stallion. This was perhaps a bit too cruel, but I had to, to save my friends. The ones bearing the equipment continued and the rest came to my aide. This was risky as if they recognised him or his voice, they would have turned on me, luckily this seemed to be a secret organisation, with silence as a rule. The actual member was quickly dispatched before they continued on their march, to which I fell in step. The procession continued towards my old castle. It was dying, the lack of harmony in the area draining it as it tried to balance it out. We headed in, the ones who were bearing the candles, table and drink before were waiting for us before they opened a door I didn't remember from my time there. The door opened. The bearers headed in and we waited. What I saw? Fluttershy, even more corrupted than last time I saw her, as well as all of my other friends. They set up some strange ritual, and kept the door open so we could watch. Fluttershy commanded us to restrain my other friends. I followed them in and took it upon myself to restrain Rainbow Dash. Applejack lay down on the table and Fluttershy... She bit Applejack and I watched. I wanted not to, but I couldn't stop. Fluttershy commanded Applejack to 'Rise', which she did, and go to retrieve her friends. As Applejack approached us, in a new vampiric form, I released my grip on Rainbow, stabbed the cross into the vampire next to me and shouted "Run!". Rainbow started off confused before I lowered my hood and the mask faded. Then she understood. The vampire I had stabbed was holding Rarity, so she got free as well. Rainbow freed Pinkie Pie by punching her captor and then the four of us ran off, Applejack in pursuit. We made our way out as fast as possible, Pinkie and Rarity fighting those who tried to block us while Rainbow and I were taking down any pursuers. We stormed into the old carousel boutique, rummaging through boxes until we found weapons. We found a throwing spear, a lance, an axe and a longsword. Rainbow took the spear, Pinkie took the axe, I took the sword and Rarity took the lance. We then made our way up to Rarity's old bedroom before we flew out the window; Rainbow and I flying, Rainbow carrying Rarity and myself carrying Pinkie, Rarity and I using levitation spells to lighten the load. The vampires seemed distracted for a second before a few, including Applejack, took to the skies, and I could see Fluttershy leaving my old castle. We soon had to drop to the ground, the unladen vampires being faster than us, so we landed on the tracks one more and started sprinting, making sure we took the right turning this time. The vampires were surging behind us, and we had lost our bow, so we couldn't do much. Rarity and I took turns, casting weak spells to delay them. We continued this, the vampire hoardes slowly closing the gap. As we found our way to some mountains, the Foal Mountain, we heard something surprising. "Fire!" A volley of arrows rained down from the foothills of the mountain, striking down the vampires, not killing them but wounding them so that they blacked out. "Who did that?" Rainbow queried, asking what was on all of our minds. "Ponies, up here!" A slightly familiar voice said as a few deer crested over the rise. "Blackthorn?" I asked as we walked up the rise to the deer. "Yes. We barely managed to escape Thicket before the forest became overcome with evil." The deer, Blackthorn replied. "Come, leave these vampires to nature." "There is one I want to bring with us. You remember Applejack?" I replied. "Why yes I do. Is she one of them?" Blackthorn asked. "Yes, but I will make sure she stays restrained. I will try to bring her to her senses." I stated. Blackthorn sighed. "Alright. Follow me." We followed Blackthorn for what felt like an hour. We finally came to a camp in a hidden cave in the mountains, obviously the deer were uncomfortable here, but they obviously had to find some place to stay. "I will alert King Aspen as to your arrival. Wait here, and make sure your friend doesn't wake up." Blackthorn commanded before walking off towards the far side of the cavern. We finally took this opportunity to rest after our chase with the vampires. "You came in the nick of time, Twi." Rainbow said, referring to how I managed to break them free with not a moment to spare. "Rainbow is right, darling. You see we had a plan, but it didn't quite work, as you saw." Rarity added on. "I did what I had to, I couldn't leave you to that creature." I stated. Pinkie was the next to speak. "Well, I don't know how you got in and saved us, but ow we are here we can settle down and party!" Blackthorn returned, said to us that the king acknowledged our arrival and my demand, and then he showed us to a small area for us to rest. Author's Note Just so you know what the deers look like: Blackthorn:
New Arrivals (Aspen)Author's Note Just so you know what the deers look like: King Aspen: Blackthorn: New Arrivals (Aspen) "So, you are saying while on guard duty, you spotted the ponies which aided us that time running from a swarm of vampires?" I asked Blackthorn after having him return from guard duty, "And you escorted them back, with one of said vampires?" "Yes, your highness." Blackthorn replied, his gaze as certain as ever. "They requested to return an unconscious vampire here to 'return her to her senses'. It is one of the mares who helped us." I was sat in thought for a few moments. These ponies had helped save our land once before, and they helped save me after I traded myself for my son. They had brought a creature of corruption to my hidden camp, though I suppose I owe them support. "Give them a place. I will speak to them in a moment." I decided, and Blackthorn nodded, going to report my decision. I could see them from here, awaiting the news. I hate being in debt. I continued my work on our map, marking the now-dead vampires with black crosses. After doing this, I made my way to where I saw Blackthorn guided the five new arrivals. "Welcome, ponies." I greeted them. The first one to speak was the one, if I remember correctly, named Twilight Sparkle. "Thank you, King Aspen, for welcoming us into your camp." She replied. "If you do not mind me asking, why were you passing by? Surely you all found a home for three whole years?" I questioned. It was rather suspicious. Twilight nodded slightly. "I understand your cautiousness. We are travelling towards Manehattan. The city has been under attack for days and if we do not aid them, the city will fall." I was surprised by this news, but I held my poker face. "How is one of your cities falling?" I asked, surely after three years, they would have built up powerful defences? "We were rather shocked by the news too, but even in Canterlot our forces are weakening, slowly. With every attack we lose many guards." Twilight replied, obvious sadness in her face. "I understand." Was the only way I could reply. "Tell me about your friend." I requested, pointing at the unconscious vampire. "She was with us when we helped you. She was only recently bitten, so I hope I can uncorrupt her mind. I may need bindings." Twilight explained, obviously set on her mission. "Fine, but you will hold her outside." I replied. "The sun will rise soon." She retorted, "If she gets exposed to sunlight, she will slowly die!" "What do you want me to do about it‽" I shouted, attracting the attention of some nearby deer. "I have worked hard to make a safe haven, and you want me to house a blood sucking, corrupted creature?" Twilight obviously bit back a retort. "I apologise, but I prioritise the lives of my kin first." I stated. "If you can imagine a compromise, I'll listen." Twilight sat in thought for a moment. "Could you help us make a covering of some sort, like a tarpaulin or a blanket?" "That sounds simple enough. I will see what I can do." I replied before returning back to my map. I called for some of the more creative types about weaving together a blanket. It took about three-quarters of an hour, then I gave the blanket made of vines to Twilight and left with her and her friends, to set up a covered area outside. We then used some freshly made rope to bind the vampire to a boulder. It was at this point Twilight began to heal her friend using some of our healer's salves, no doubt she asked them about healing an arrow wound. Luckily for her, keeping the arrow in there halted most of the blood flow. Twilight then woke her friend up, and the look in those crimson eyes was obvious. I raised my bow, to ensure she didn't try to break her bonds. Twilight and her friends then took turns to talk to her, talking about Applejack as though she were a different pony far away. Twilight then lit up her horn and lunged for Applejack's forehead. Both of them went limp, their eyes radiating a white aura. We waited, the others with bated breath. I knew this was important to them, and if she failed, Twilight was in danger, but for some reason I could not feel the tension. Minutes passed, and life slowly ebbed back into the two bodies, so I raised up my bow once more, aiming at the vampire. The first to move was Twilight, who had a second to retreat before Applejack came to. Applejack quickly hissed at Twilight before she began shaking her head. "W...What happened?" Applejack asked. "Where am ah?" "You are in the territory of the inhabitants of Thicket, miss Applejack. If you do not remember me, my name is King Aspen." I stated, stopping Twilight from explaining. "You are currently a vampire. I am sure you need no explanation?" "Ah'm a vampire?" Applejack questioned, seemingly just noticing her wings as she inhaled sharply. I used an arrow to cut through the back of the rope. "Ah remember now. One question, how am ah gonna leave?" Applejack asked. A good question, as vampires couldn't travel during the day, and these five would have to leave as soon as possible to reach Manehattan in time. "Twilight, was there not a cloak on the bed I let you rest on?" I remembered, suggesting it. It seemed large enough to fit over Applejack, probably not as her original self, but perhaps her thinner vampire self would fully fit under it. Twilight nodded, rushing back into the cave. "I do have something to speak to her about. I shall return in a moment." I said, heading into the cave.
Leaving Home (Blackthorn)Author's Note Just so you know what the deers look like (Last reminder): King Aspen: Blackthorn: Leaving Home (Blackthorn) I watched as miss Sparkle rushed back into the cavern, a wide grin on her face. I can only assume she was successful in her endeavor. I was about to head outside when I came face-to-face with King Aspen. "I have a question for you Blackthorn," He began, "I wish to support miss Sparkle and her friends in defending their city, as we are stronger together. I wish to know whether or not you would be alright with going with them? You see, you are among our best fighters, and that is a skill that will be put to the test." This surprised me. I had never considered leaving behind my kin, but what my king said was right, we would have to stand together, in the end. I scanned the horizon, taking in every feature up until that point. Even in this darkness, nature tried its best to keep its beauty. I for one want nature to remain as luscious as it once was. I nodded. "I would be honoured." "Alright. I will alert miss Sparkle. Make sure you say your farewells and gather up all you need. Before you leave, you will be offered a meal." The King replied, a slight smile upon his face. He then headed towards the excited pony. I watched for a few more moments as Aspen explained my response to miss Sparkle, who in response lifted up a black cloak and walked in my direction. The pony was obviously quite happy with my decision as she approached, her smile ever so slightly larger. "Thank you, Blackthorn." Was the first thing she said. "I hope you thought through the dangers, but if you have, I welcome you to our group." I nodded. "I have, Miss Sparkle. I will do my best to protect our land and my kin, and as we are working towards a similar goal, I will aid you as much as I can. I suppose your friend is fine?" "Yes, she's recovering, but she has lost the vampire fame of mind. The only issue is going to be her blood need." Twilight replied. "And please, call me Twilight." "Alright. Your friend's heightened senses will probably allow her to hunt down some of the smaller wild animals." I stated. "As long as I needn't watch. Also, remind her to kill her prey. We don't need vammpiric rabbits running around. Just so you know, as well, you will receive a meal before we head off, made by our best cooks." "Thank you again, Blackthorn." Was the last thing she said before she headed off back to her friends. My first priority was to go to our barracks and take my bow out as well as a full quiver of arrows as well as my armour. From there, I headed to my private quarters, as I was one of the more important members, and stashed my important belongings including a map of Equestria and a map of the area. After packing everything I needed for my journey, I decided to try to find my new group. After looking around the various caverns, I deducted that they were still outside. I then headed to the most likely place Aspen would bring them to bind their friend, and there they were. Twilight was the first to notice my approach. After she called out my name, her friends turned to look at me. I assumed that Applejack was the one in the robe Twilight had taken earlier. "Girls, Blackthorn will be joining us on our journey." She explained. Perhaps due to having Applejack back to her senses, as Twilight had worded it, it had slipped her mind to tell her friends. "Your meals are ready. We will eat then we can leave." The girls were obviously happy with the news, unsurprising as they were probably unable to eat while being chased. "Applejack, you can find your food in the small forest down there." "Pardon?" The cloaked pony replied. "You are a vampire. Vampires do not eat normal food, they drink blood and that's it. You'll find some small animals down there. Don't forget to kill them first." I explained, once more. With that I lead the others inside, leaving a slightly distraught Applejack in her cloak. The meal consisted of green plants, mainly, with some oats for our pony visitors. I never quite understood why we kept a store of that food. Pinkie Pie was the first to finish, followed by Rainbow Dash, Twilight, myself and then Rarity. After I had finished, Applejack walked in the front, some blood still on her fangs. She was not looking quite so good, probably due to a sudden change from a vegetarian lifestyle. I motioned a cleaning gesture, and Applejack got the hint, wiping the blood off of her fangs with her forearm and sitting at the table with us. "I do apologise that you had to eat separately, but we are almost completely natural beings, we would never kill harmless creatures. The furthest we have come from our nature-centric life is our armour, which was gifted to us. We would not have a stock of freshly killed animals, and only the king and I know there is a vampire among us." I apologised. "It's alright, ah suppose. Ah'll just have to get used to it." She replied. "Well, while I was collecting my belongings, I had a quick look at my map of Equestria. The fastest way is off the tracks, unless you want to reach Fillydelphia first." I described. "There are no marked problems on the way there, except for some wild animals, probably, as we will be travelling into the wilderness." "It sounds like we have no choice. We must travel as quickly as possible, unless we risk arriving too late." Twilight said, and I understood her worries. If what I picked up on was true, we would have a few days left until the walls of the city would fall, especially as we move towards shorter days, so that the attacks can last longer. "Seems we know our path. Let's go."
