Vampires

Chapters

Prologue: The Dark Awakening
Chapter 1: Cooperation and Resistance
Chapter 2: A New Night
Chapter 3: Taking Action
Chapter 4: The Red Moon
Chapter 5: Blood Ties
Chapter 6: Involvement
Chapter 7: Call
Chapter 8: Past Decides
Chapter 9: Traveling
Chapter 10: Damu Msemaji
Chapter 11: The Signs
Chapter 12: Ponies and Vampires
Chapter 13: In Blood We Trust
Chapter 14: Truth and Denial
Chapter 15: Conflicts
Chapter 16: Children of the Moon

Prologue: The Dark Awakening

Author's Note

This is an edited chapter in case you are confused. Re-reading it will refresh your memory. While the changes aren't exactly substantial, I would still recommend reading through the chapter again. Before we start, here is the portrait of Nicholas that I have recently drawn:

Sânge Beznâ Onoare - Blood, Darkness, Honor.

Prologue: The Dark Awakening

~<<*>>~Prologue: The Dark Awakening~<<*>>~

Somewhere in the dark deep caves, where no pony ever dared to go, a monolithic door of black stone stood, untouched for a millennia. It was covered in dust being long-forgotten in the flow of time. The door was carved with ornaments and ancient symbols of arcane; They pulsed with power and age. Behind the door, there was a large room with carved black stone columns. In the center of the room stood a black coffin made of ebony wood. There was an ornament on the top of the coffin: a moon with unfolded black membrane wings. One word was written under the ornament, barely seen under the many layers of dust — Nicholas.

Glowing orange symbols started to appear on the coffin, illuminating the room ever so slightly in dim light. Absolute darkness of the room was pierced for the first time in centuries. The coffin walls creaked, someone or something was coming to life. The coffin's cap slightly rose and slid across the wood of the base silently as if it was hovering mere millimeters above it.

As the coffin opened, the light shone upon a pony-like being inside. It looked like a rather tall and yet slim stallion. His fur was short and pale-gray, almost white; it reflected the glow of the light, revealing itself to the world. His black mane was combed back and tied into a ponytail.

Sharp white fangs peeked out of the stallion's mouth, glistening in the light. His flanks were emblazoned with the mark of a full red moon with unfolded membrane wings, just like the carving on the coffin's top. His tail was almost as long as his hind legs and it was as black as his mane.

The stallion had his forelegs crossed on his chest, his head was propped with a soft white pillow with a silk cover. The stallion's large leather-like wings wrapped him like a cocoon; almost as if he was a bat himself, sleeping away in the homely darkness of the cave.

His eyes shot open; they were crimson red with black slit pupils. The eyes had a slight glow to them, a dim one but clearly seen in the dark of the room. The stallion inhaled slowly, breathing in deeply. He blinked once... twice... then exhaled; vapor escaping his mouth and soon dissipating into the air. His forelegs and hind legs tensed as senses came to him. Muscles under his skin started moving, it almost seemed painful for him.

The stallion slowly got up from the coffin and stood up on his four legs, revealing to be about two meters tall. He unfolded and stretched his wings, and they almost touched the walls of the room for how big their span was. He stretched out, feeling popping inside his joints. The stiffness of his limbs went away, the flexibility of his slender body returned with every slight movement he made.

The stallion turned to the door and closed his eyes, concentrating, knowing what to do as his memory came back to him. The door started to glow red and then suddenly shattered into pieces. They quickly turned to dust and covered the floor, joining older specks of dust.

Before leaving the room, one thought flashed in the stallion's mind.

Awakening, at last.

For the first time in thousands of years, this vampire was able to see the soothing moonlight. It engulfed him and brought the calm he so needed, healing his soul from the madness of isolation that was brought upon him so many years ago. Millenia of constant pain, perpetual loneliness, and insatiable hunger haunted him, awakening a feeling deep inside him that he almost forgot.

The vampire deeply inhaled the night's cool healing air. He closed his eyes and smiled as he tasted the air, taking in every scent that it could give him. A smell of wet ground and wood after the recent rain, many scents of different animals that inhabited the area, everything flooded him like a wave of the ocean crashing against the shore. He did not resist, enjoying the sensation of life once again.

He looked around. The place was more or less familiar, yet so much different from when he had seen it last. It was like everything was just slightly moved out of place, something was multiplied, something disappeared completely.All those subtle changes were subconsciously noticed by the vampire. However, the scenery as a whole was still the same. He began thinking of just how much time he spent underground, bound to his coffin. He wondered if decades or hundreds or even thousands of years passed since he disappeared. Losing the track of time is easy once you are completely isolated from the outside world, bound to a piece of wood deep underground.

"My name is Nicholas. The First Vampire... and I have come back," the vampire spoke confidently, reminding himself of whom and what he was. Hearing his own voice, remembering his name and hearing it, he gained confidence. With that confidence, anger gushed in as well. He remembered what had happened to him; he knew whom to blame for his long time of madness that seemed like it was never going to end.

He glared into the distance where he could see the city of Canterlot. Even in the dark of the night, it was the place where light never went off completely.The only place that had stayed the same through thousands of years, the only place the vampire recognized instantly.The view of the city brought anger to him. It flooded his veins, clouded his mind, intoxicated him in a very wrong and yet satisfying way.

"I HAVE COME BACK!" Nicholas bellowed in a fit of rage, standing on his hind legs. A bawl came upon the silence of the night like a thunderstorm, crashing against the serenity and calm, blowing it away with its sheer power and will. He didn't hold back, dark memories fresh inside his mind; all the years of pain, decades of being trapped between the world of struggling and the realm of eternal rest filled him with powerful emotions. In his mighty bawl, he expressed all his misery and hate that had built up inside him during the long years of torturous imprisonment.

Creatures of night hid from the terrifying vampire, fleeing away from him. He bared his sharp teeth in his powerful bawl, his eyes burned with red as they glared at Canterlot with blazing hatred. No wild beast would dare to challenge Nicholas on that night. They all knew whom to fear and whom to obey.

He calmed down and stood on his four legs. With his rage gone, the calm washed over him, reminding him of the deeds he had to do. He needed to suppress his emotions for a time being, remain calculated and thoughtful, mindful of himself and what surrounded him.

Nicholas unfolded his wings in preparation for his flight; using just one powerful flap, thrust himself into the air. His huge wings easily pushed the air, making him rise higher and higher until he was well above the clouds.

He knew where to go.

Nicholas glided across the sky, flying towards the mountain chain known as Crystal Mountains. It was far-off to the north, situated in an area uninhabited by ponies. It bordered the Frozen North, a dangerous wasteland of ice and frost; this land was completely uninhabitable and unfriendly to any and all visitors.

Feeling better than ever, Nicholas glided slowly, flapping his wings from time to time to keep the altitude. He basked in the soft glow of the moon, its soothing dim light helped him relax, helped him feel real, and most importantly — helped him feel alive. The moon's pale glow was as needed for a vampire as all creatures needed water. However, Nicholas was more than a vampire. Despite not needing moonlight to survive, he enjoyed it and felt better in it, much more so than in any other situation.

Catching his eye, a village that Nicholas didn't remember seeing before was situated below him, right near the Everfree Forest. He eyed the village carefully, descending so that he could take a better look; he observed it while staying unseen by the local population.

Nicholas could see that there were ponies in the streets, dressed in different costumes. He didn't understand why would they do that, though. He knew what masquerades were but he had never seen anything like this before. He wondered what it was until he saw a statue of Nightmare Moon, far into the forest of Everfree.

He landed silently, unnoticed by the townsfolk as they celebrated the Nightmare Night. The night was still young and the ponies were still celebrating it among themselves, enjoying the time together.

Nicholas walked up to the statue looked at the alicorn of nightmares with interest, eyeing the statue carefully. He walked around it, keeping his eyes on it, his steps soft and yet tense.

"So... what Luna feared most hath happened," Nicholas muttered to himself, something appearing in his eyes for just a moment, a glimpse of sadness. Facing the statue, he noticed how well-detailed it was. "Could it be..."

The Vampire King reached the statue with his hoof and touched it. The cold stone was unresponsive, nothing happened. Spending a few moments holding his hoof in place, he frowned but his posture relaxed slightly.

"Perhaps not," Nicholas retracted his hoof. One his ears twitched as he heard someone approaching from behind. He turned his head and saw glimpses of ponies appearing from behind the tree line. Looking at the statue for the last time, he silently took off into the night once again.

"Did you see that?" one of the ponies asked. Nicholas was already far from the group but he could still hear them. He hovered in the air, just above the trees, hidden by the leaves.

"See what?" another voice replied. The Vampire King recognized both voices as very young.

"The... uh..." the first pony stuttered, "that thing! it was like, a really big bat!"

Nicholas hissed slightly, his eyes narrowing. He landed on a tree top and observed the group from there. It consisted of a few foals dressed in different costumes.

"Stop being a sissy!" a third voice spoke. "Giant bats... Maybe that was, a, uhhh... Bat pegasus? Batasus? Begasus? One of those things, and you scared them away!"

Surprised by the mentioning of a certain kind of ponies, Nicholas continued to observe and listen, his attention turned fully towards the foals. He eyed them carefully, watching as they looked around but didn't notice him.

"I... I didn't think about that," the foal hung his head in shame. "Maybe we should leave?"

"I guess..." the second foal shrugged. "C'mon ponies, let's wait for a bit somewhere else."

The Vampire King watched them as they disappeared behind the trees. After they were gone, he unfolded his wings and took off once again.

It was well-known that the Crystal Mountains separated Frozen North from the rest of Equestria. Not much more was known about the mountain chain or what surrounded it, even less was known about the creatures that inhabited that mysterious territory. From snow ponies to ice giants, many myths arose about the inhabitants of the Crystal Mountains but any of them were yet to be proven true.

Nicholas was flying straight to the base of one of the mountains. There was not a single settlement in many kilometers, the railroad was far away as well. The place was isolated from the civilization, hidden from prying eyes even after so many years.

The moon began to set, the sky became brighter, stars faded one by one. The horizon tinted itself pink, with the sun slowly rising to take its position in the sky. Nicholas quickened his pace, not waiting for the sunlight to shine upon him.

Soon, he saw what he was looking for; it was an oval-shaped valley surrounded from all sides by high mountains, leaving only a narrow path for those who walk the ground to enter the valley. Secluded, it was a perfect place to hide from others.

There was a small entrance in one of the snowy mountains, barely noticeable from high above and almost completely unseen from the ground. Nicholas narrowed his eyes, seeing hoof marks on the snowy path that led to the cave. He landed and looked closer. Hoof marks were small, smaller than any vampire's could be.

"A pony is inside..." Nicholas thought and then proceeded to the cave's entrance. He stopped near it, pausing for a second before he moved inside, soon disappearing into the darkness of the empty cave.

His body was tense, his ears swiveling around, his eyes scanning the surroundings thoroughly as he inhaled the air, noticing a faint scent of a pony. He took another deep whiff. He could smell it, the unique scent each creature had. There was a faint scent of natural oil found on wings and so the Vampire King figured out that the pony was a pegasus. Another scent helped him to determine that he was looking for a mare. A smell of her pheromones told him that she had no fear. Instead, it was something else... Curiosity, perhaps? The Vampire King was surprised. The cave was dark, barely any light shone into it, it was silent, empty. And yet, the mare who ventured inside wasn't afraid.
He knew that an average pony was of little danger to him, but his powers were only in the process of returning. He must be very careful and not take any chances. He must be cautious and ready for anything. After all, he caught something foreign in the air, something he had never smelt before.

In the floor of the cave, steps were carved in, leading further into the mountain base. Nicholas slowly descended the stairs, his ears aimed forward. No sound was made as he moved, carefully placing his hooves, seemingly levitating above the ground ever so slightly. He continued to scan the area, now looking for ambushes and traps. The walls, ceiling, and the floor seemed undisturbed aside from the steps made by the unknown mare.

After descending for what seemed like an eternity, Nicholas finally came into a much larger cave. It was immense, astronomically gigantic, no eye could see the whole cavern from its entrance. The whole mountain that hosted the cavern was hollow; only giant stalactites and stalagmites could be seen, as well as a colossal hole high above, covered by tons of snow. Under a lot of pressure, the snow turned into ice through a very long process, years after years, decades after decades. The cave became brighter and brighter as the sunlight began to glow through layers of hardened snow, filling the cavern with a soft white, albeit slightly bluish, light.

Carved into the stone were buildings, towers, and a huge castle that stood above everything else in the cave. A dim light was visible, it shone from one of the windows of the said castle. The Vampire King looked there, seeing a shape moving around, but the distance made it hard for him to see the exact details of the intruder.

The road to the castle lay through two big opened gates. In front of the first gate stood a giant obelisk, pointing at the cavern's ceiling. A myriad of symbols was carved into it, reflecting any light that came upon them, making it seem to glow with a blue hue.

Nicholas didn't stay there for long, proceeding to go inside the castle to finally catch the unknown intruder.

The Vampire King hid in the shadows, closing in on the mare that he was searching for. He could hear the clop of hooves against the marble floor of the castle, he could see a scintillating light coming from ahead, but he had yet to see the mare in question. Her scents became more prominent the closer he got to her and yet a few of those scents were unrecognizable. The Vampire King was cautious not to reveal himself before he knew the trespasser and what she could do.

Old tapestries of dull dark-red color hanged down the ceiling, depicting the king of vampires himself and the motto of his kind: Sânge Beznâ Onoare. A depiction of a red moon was in every tapestry as well.

The gothic halls were empty, abandoned ages ago, but still intact. No cracks on the stone surface of the castle could be seen, all windows were still whole; the glass wasn’t shattered or even cracked. Overall, it seemed like the owners of the place suddenly vanished, leaving everything behind. Even a broom was left lying on the ground, covered in dust it used to swipe so many years ago.

Silently, Nicholas crept into the throne room. It was a hexagonal hall ten meters in height, supported by six decorated columns with continuous lines forming curves and sharp turns making round designs. Two windows were made on the further left and right panels, leaving the frontal one windowless. There, a throne of ebony wood stood proudly, its seat covered by a red pillow, big enough to host Nicholas in a lying position. Royal crest and the flag of the Vampire Kingdom adorned the stone wall. They looked like they were made yesterday, and yet they were covered in layers upon layers of dust.

The royal crest consisted of a shield with a winged red moon in its center, and four inscriptions, first three of which were Sânge, Beznâ, Onoare — written in a crimson red, while the forth — vampiri — was written in a darker red, all of the four inscriptions were written with great calligraphy skill, and utmost care was put into them.

A certain adventurous pegasus mare was there, examining the interior with fascination. She wore a warm wool coat that covered all of her body, a set of warm boots, and goggles, which were currently on her forehead, not obstructing her view. From under the hood of her coat, sand-colored fur could be seen, along with a pair of rosy eyes, and a strand of grayscale mane. A flashlight was attached to her shoulder, and a camera was hanging on a strap at her side.

"Amazing!" she spoke to herself, inspecting the royal crest, light from the flashlight illuminating it. Unbeknownst to her, the polished surface of the shield reflected the vampire behind her, "These must be..." she paused to think as her eyes went over the crest once again, "Over three thousand years old! And in such pristine condition!" Daring Do took a few photos, the flashes of her camera making the vampire stop and blink in confusion, "The museum won't believe that I found a city of vamponies!"

Nicholas frowned at something that the adventurer said. He kept moving behind the columns, staying in shadows, watching the pegasus closely and yet carefully, not revealing himself to her just yet. He could pounce at any moment but he decided to wait and see what would happen next without his intervention.

"Hm..." the pegasus walked to the throne and looked at it, "Where is the crown?"

"I took it," a Spanish-accented voice sounded from the entrance. Both ponies that were inside the throne room looked back and saw an earth pony stallion dressed in a similar outfit as her. His fur was pale brown in color, and a pair of green eyes looked at the pegasus triumphally. His hood was down, revealing bluish dark-gray mane. And lastly, there was a crown atop his head.. A huge victorious grin was spread across his face as he looked at the mare. At his side stood four muscular stallions, smug looks on their faces.

"Good thing that I found it before you did, Daring Do. It will auction for a cosmic amount that I will be spending the rest of my life without any need at all, as well as my children and grandchildren!" he paused, his eyes fixated on the pegasus. "See, I haven't forgotten what you did to me... And Ahuizotl will pay me a great fortune if I bring you to him in one piece."

"You again, Caballeron!" Daring Do growled, stomping, "That crown belongs here!"

"I believe it would, if those shiny, glowing... Wait, glowing?" Caballeron stared at the three rubies that the crown was adorned with. They were glowing in a crimson hue.

"The crown is mine," Nicholas proclaimed, stepping out of the shadows. His quiet, yet steel voice carried authority and power. The crown flew to his head and landed on top of it, the blood red glow darkening and intensifying, casting peculiar shadows on his face as his bright red eyes glared at Caballeron.

The castle's torches abruptly alighted; the chandelier in the center of the ceiling became lit as well, illuminating the hall and the throne room. The big double doors on the other end of the hallway closed shut, cutting the only known way out.

"In the name of Celestia..." Daring Do muttered, her eyes wide in shock. "The Vampony King..." she took a few steps back from the large figure of the vampire.

"Vampire king," Nicholas calmly corrected her, then turned to the five stallions, "Well, tomb raiders..." he glared at them but his voice was cold, freezing even, "This place belongs to me. This crown belongs to me."

The five gulped in unison; the giant vampire that was closing in on them, a menacing frown on his face. His steps were silent, seemingly relaxed, but still filled with malice. His ears were aimed directly at the stallions, ignoring Daring Do. Meanwhile, the mare looked around, hoping to see some kind of exit or something else that would help her.

"For I believe that you are no more than mere robbers, the punishment shall be severe," Nicholas's eyes flashed red, his blazing glare unceasing, "I could cut off one of your legs from each of you. However, this action may render you completely useless," he paused, letting his words fester in their minds, "All your legs shall remain in place while one of your friends will not."

A blood red lightning bolt shot from the crown and turned one of the four muscular stallions into ashes, leaving others stunned and shocked as a few drops of blood fell on the ground. The Vampire King inhaled loudly, a pleasant expression appearing on his face as the smell of fresh blood reached his nostrils.

"The rest of you shall stay in the dungeons for some time until I find some use for you," he declared his judgment. "And believe me when I say that death is not the worst thing that can happen to you."

In a flash of bright white light, the four remaining stallions disappeared in an instant, leaving only two ponies in the throne room.

"The only one left here is thee," Nicholas turned around, his eyes fixating on the pegasus. Daring Do was standing on her hind legs, barely holding a big halberd in her front hooves, using its rear end as a third stability point. The sharp point of the halberd was pointed in the direction of the vampire. However, such a position proved difficult to hold, and so the halberd began to shake as the mare struggled to keep herself stable.

"Thou canst not defend thyself against me," the vampire king said and the halberd was yanked from the mare by a bright-red aura, almost making her fall. However, she managed to land on her hooves and stabilize herself. Tossing it behind himself, Nicholas looked right into the eyes of the daring pegasus. Her eyes flashed with gray and grew duller. Her once more or less brave expression turned into one of complete fear. The king addressed the mare: "Tell me, pony, what art thou doing here, so far away from any settlement? Surely it is something important, and if it is somehow connected to this place..," he stepped closer, a curious expression on his face. "I would very much like to know."

"I... I..." Daring Do found herself deathly afraid of the vampire, frozen in place, unable to speak clearly. His eyes were enthralling, taking up all her vision. His inquisitive, interested look pierced her with such an ease, seeing her through without difficulty.

"Do not stutter, speak!" Nicholas bared his fangs, growling in irritation. He had no time to deal with sudden speech impediments.

"I am an adventurer... I was s-searching for relics. I b-bring them to museums so that everyone i-is be able to see them," Daring Do replied, her ears drooped as her eyes tried to break away from the gaze of the vampire. She was always brave and she couldn't understand why was she glued to her place, her body seemingly paralyzed.

"But didst thou not know that the things thou find'st at those places might belong to someone?" the vampire king asked, circling around her.

"I thought vamponies were extinct!"

"Vampires!" Nicholas corrected her angrily and loudly, making her fall on the floor from the sheer power of his voice as the word he so angrily shouted reverberated and echoed through the halls. "Do not call my kind like that. We are vampires!" he took a deep breath to calm down. He spoke in a few moments, his voice calmer: "We are not thy kind, even if we look mostly alike, and thou better learn it."

"Every s-single book that r-refers to you has name 'vampony'."

"Books that ponies have written are untrue, filled with lies," the king snorted, "Before coming here, thou shouldst have read books that my kind hath written."

Nicholas took his place on the throne, almost melting into the pillow. He sighed in relief, calming down completely.

"Well, what should I do with thee?" he asked tiredly once he was comfortable, "I cannot just let thee walk away."

"W-why?" Daring Do's eyes shrank to pinpricks. She still couldn't get her fear under control, her mind scared and confused.

"Thou hast crossed the borders of my kingdom," Nicholas explained it, some anger flashing in his eyes as he spoke, "And no pony doth it unless I say otherwise."

"B-but what have I done?" she took a step back, unfortunately stumbling on her own hoof and fell, breaking the flashlight. Without its bright light, the throne room became significantly darker, even with the chandelier illuminating it.

"You Trespassed," Nicholas replied. His menacingly glowing red eyes were fixated on the pegasus, seemingly trying to burn her to ashes. But the face of the vampire remained calm, his attitude collected.

"I had no idea that any vampires were still alive!" Daring Do said, her voice becoming less shaky as her fear transformed into wariness and curiosity. "This place was abandoned for longer than a millennium, and… I came here to see if it can be used as a museum."

"How many years have passed, then? Tell me, pony," Nicholas ordered, his powerful voice allowing no disobedience.

"Um, it is stated that two thousand one hundred thirty-three years ago the king of vampires Nicholas was defeated by the Royal Sisters, then all vampires suddenly disappeared... Wait, you are Nicholas!" she gulped nervously, realizing who was before her. Not just a king of vampires, but the king. It finally clicked in her mind, "Oh gosh, I was so stupid to come here..."

"Indeed thou wast, pony," Nicholas bared his fangs slightly, "Tell me, what dost thou know about me?"

"You... You are the Lord of Blood, the Deadly Shadow," Daring Do spoke fearfully, "Known among your kind as Întâiul."

"'Tis true what thou speakest," the vampire king nodded, "And dost thou know what I crave?"

"Blood..." the pegasus replied shakily. After a long moment, her pupils shrank to pinpricks, her heart skipped a beat. And she started to run away.

"Foolish decision," Nicholas stated, following Daring Do with his eyes, not even moving from his throne, "There is no way out of here unless I let thee go. All thou shalt do is hurt thyself."

But the mare continued to run for her life. As a last resort, she tried to break one of the windows in the hall. Unfortunately for her, the window remained unbroken, and only a painful thud was the result of her escape attempt. The pegasus groaned and fell to the ground.

"Told thee so," Nicholas chuckled in amusement at her actions, his voice carrying through the hall to her ears, "Thy attempts at escape are... amusing to me. Anyway, I am not planning to drink thy blood... yet."

"Ugh..." Daring Do groaned, standing up, "What, then? What waits for me? Slavery?"

"Slavery is disgusting!" Nicholas growled. He stopped for a few moments, calming down, "However… I shall find a use for thee either way. Until then, thou shalt stay in the dungeons. But worry not, thou shalt be placed in another cell, not with those stallions."

Daring Do was walking through the halls of the castle, Nicholas following her close behind. The vampire was like a shadow, keeping the same distance from the mare. He walked without making a noise, seemingly gliding across the floor as if he were a ghost. Daring Do didn’t turn around to check on him, sensing it that he was not going to leave her until she was in the dungeon. The pegasus wasn’t restricted, wasn’t locked, and yet she didn’t dare try to escape. As the two walked, certain doors opened before them, letting them through. There was only one path for the mare to take, no deviations allowed. Even if there was another way, she doubted her escape was possible at the moment.

She looked around, noticing different eye-catching things in the halls. Carved columns, arches, tapestries, painted walls, the castle was obviously well-decorated, time and effort was put into it. Daring Do remembered seeing and visiting the famous Canterlot Castle, and this one was at the very least an equal to it if not better. The contrast was apparent: Canterlot had a theme of warm colors like golden and white, while this castle had a darker theme, using shades of red and black. One of the most common imagery the mare could see there was a red moon; it was almost omnipresent. No matter which hall she was in, there was always an image of it somewhere, sometimes more than one.

Finally, they came to one of the lower floors of the castle. They were less decorated, simpler, and more practical. The dungeon was made of stone bricks, nothing covering them, be it paint or just simple plaster. However, it didn’t mean that the dungeon was poorly made. In fact, the bricks were of the same size, perfectly fitted together.

Daring Do didn’t have much more time to look around as she came to one of the cells. Without disobedience, the mare entered it, the door locking behind her. A short metal screech resonated through the dungeons, making both the vampire and the pegasus wince, the former more so.

“I shall leave thee here for now,” Nicholas said, “I hope thou likedst this small tour of this part of the castle. Thou shalt be staying here… for a while.”

With that being said, the Vampire King turned around and left the dungeons. Daring Do sighed and visibly relaxed, glad that the vampire was gone and she could think more clearly. Perhaps, she would even be able to escape.

***

After this long day, Nicholas went to his bedchambers. They were just like he remembered them: a single large bed stood near the window, a table was nearby, and a few bookshelves on the wall. The walls themselves were a nice dark shade of red, their color dominant in the room. There was a small detail not many would notice — a red disk hanged above his bed, the patterns on it representing the craters on the moon.

In the corner of the room, there was a wardrobe. Nicholas opened it, revealing a few sets of clothes, as well as a separate place for his ceremonial armor. The armor was almost purely cosmetic, not forged for fighting; it was a symbol of status. Carefully crafted from steel, forged by the masters of the art, it was fit only for the Vampire King. Its black, polished surface reflected the light well. The armor didn't restrict his movements but granted them more weight, making his steps heavier and louder as his hoof guards clicked again the marble floor of his castle.

After retrieving his armor, Nicholas went outside his castle and headed to the big obelisk that stood in front of the gates. As he came closer, it started to glow yellow. After reaching it, he touched the surface of the obelisk, the glow intensified, a beam of light shot straight into the ceiling, lighting the whole cavern.

"Awake, my subjects. The time hath come for us to rise once again."

Chapter 1: Cooperation and Resistance

Author's Note

Any English text in Vampiric will be written in red.

Chapter 1: Cooperation and Resistance

~<<*>>~Chapter 1: Cooperation and Resistance~<<*>>~

Far away from the city of vampires, the sun was rising above Equestria, a start to a new day. Princess Celestia was standing on the balcony, her horn glowing as she willed the sun to move across the sky, propelling it with her magic. Princess Luna was standing nearby, lowering the moon, guiding it below the horizon. The two sisters finished their morning routine soon and returned inside the castle.

Suddenly, their ears and tails twitched as a gust of wind blew past them. Their eyes widened as they stopped mid-step. A long moment of pause ensued, they looked backwards. Wordlessly, the two returned to the balcony and witnessed the last of the moon disappeared.

The moon was a sickly red, painting the horizon dark crimson. The sisters exchanged glances of worry and then continued watching the horizon. As the moon continued its way, the red glow’s hue slowly faded, only leaving the sky a pink tint. Soon, nothing indicated that there was an unusual occurrence. The princesses exchanged rapid glances once again and briskly retreated inside the castle.

They knew it, they remembered something like this had happened before, but they couldn't quite place it just yet. It was something from the past, left deep within their minds, on the verge of being forgotten; nothing but a distant memory, slowly fading into obscurity.

It was uncertain what that memory was about, but the princesses were sure it meant something far more than a simple colorful anomaly.

Daring Do was sitting idly in her cell when she saw a yellow beam shooting into the ceiling of the cavern. Dust fell from the ceiling as a rumbling and deep noise went through the entire cavern and all the buildings within. Vibrations traveled through the ground. Startled, she jumped from her place and dashed towards the only window the cell had. She could barely see it from the small window but she could make out Nicholas standing near the blackened obelisk she’d first seen when she first entered the cavern.

Her thoughts went over that moment. The excitement, the curiosity, it led her right to this very moment — sitting in a dusty, plain cell and awaiting the final judgement of the Vampire King. At the edge of her mind, Daring's sixth sense told her there would be a lot of trouble ahead for all of Equestria. It was apparent that this adventure of hers would not end up just in a new popular book. It would end in something bigger, something far greater than she would be able to figure out by herself.

Her eyes widened as shadows rose from the ground, turning into vampires. Multiple statues scattered around the city began to move, their stones cracking open to reveal more vampires. The city was beginning to fill with vampires, almost living like they had never died. The vampires were of a dull amount of colors, both fur and mane; black, shades of gray and red, dark or pale shades of other colors prevailed. Only a small amount of vampires had coats almost bright enough for them to be seen as lunar pegasi. They were the only known nocturnal kind of ponies that still inhabited Equestria.

The eyes of vampires were slightly glowing, the colors of red, yellow, orange, and green triumphed against other colors. Most vampires had membrane wings, but some had curved non-spiral horns, and even fewer vampires had neither wings nor horn, and none of them had both horn and wings. Daring Do instantly figured out that there were three kinds of vampires, much alike the existing pony tribes.

Her eyes shifted to Nicholas himself. He was standing proudly amidst his subjects, his head held high, and even from such a great distance, Daring Do swore she could see his eyes glowing. Soon, he started to speak in a language Daring Do didn't understand. Immediately, a desire to learn it came from the back of her judgement when she heard how many emotions the Vampire King expressed through the unknown language. He spoke with so much power, hope, and determination that the translation wasn't needed at all, for emotions was the language anyone could understand. His booming voice sent shivers down the mare's spine, making her ears twitch in the anticipation of something she didn't know. However, there was more to his words than just hope. His tone changed, lowering, adding a growl to it. There was something he said that was not directed at his own subjects. Daring Do’s ears lowered slightly as she listened. The words she couldn’t understand brought her a sense of fear, one that made the hair on her back stand up.

However, she was at no position to prevent anything from happening. There were hundreds of blood-drinkers out there, and she was just one pony with non-vampiric blood in her veins. Even if she got out, escaping the city itself would be a much bigger and dangerous challenge to take. Daring Do could do nothing but anxiously wait, hoping that whatever Nicholas had planned for her wouldn't put an end to her adventures and writing career.

Suddenly, the door to her cell opened. Daring Do swiftly turned around and saw a stallion in armor. His fur was dull gray and his mane was black. His orange eyes were looking at her without visible emotions. He wore polished steel armor of dark-red color. The helmet had horn-like spike which had a crimson gem in it. The gem was glowing, emitting an aura of sanguine. The mare's eyes shifted to the side and saw that a halberd was levitating near the stallion, engulfed in the same red aura.

Daring Do guessed that he came for her, and that he was a vampire guard. For a few moments, she thought about fighting him, but soon she noticed a few other guards right behind him. It would be unwise to fight, and besides, she had to save up her strength.

"His Majesty Nicholas requests thy presence, Daring Do," the guard spoke, his voice heavy with a foreign accent Daring hadn't heard before. "Step out of your cell."

She complied with the order, and the door was locked behind her once she exited. The guards flanked her and the first one led the way. The group ascended a stairway to come into one of the castle halls. Silently, they moved forward through the confusing pathway of stone halls, each looking not to different from the other. Daring Do had a feeling she was led through a complicated path so that she would have trouble escaping. She decided to look around to see if there was anything to note.

"Eyes front," The right guard commanded once she turned her head.

Soon they came to a hall, and it was filled with many vampires. The conversations had gone silent as soon as they laid eyes on her. They greeted her with glances or outright stares of interest, sending shivers down her spine, making her blood chill with ice-cold fear. When one of those vampires stepped in her direction, a guard stopped him.

"Regele are nevoie de ea în viață," the guard told the vampire. The latter nodded and continued doing whatever he was doing before he saw Daring Do.

The pegasus gulped, her eyes focused on the back of the head of the first guard. Even if she tried to fight her way through the castle, she would be quickly overwhelmed by the vampires. She had no chance of getting out of the castle alive, not even considering getting out of the cavern. So, she decided to wait. Maybe she would have another chance, or so she thought.

Finally, she arrived at the throne room. There was no one but Nicholas in there just like the last time. He looked at Daring Do with interest but remained silent until the group stopped just a few meters away from his throne. The first guard quickly reported to the king. Nicholas dismissed the guard, and he went off with a salute, leading the rest out of the throne room and closing the big doors behind themselves.

"Well," Nicholas spoke after a click sounded from the door. "How art thou, pony?"

"What do you need?" Daring Do replied with more aggression than she intended. She straightened her posture and looked into the red eyes of the king.

"Right to business, then," he nodded, looking back into Daring's own eyes as if challenging her to a silent stare contest, "But wouldst thou like a cup of tea first? I know you ponies like it very much."

"No," she huffed, her bravery returning and her mind filling with anger.

"Fine then, no... familiarities," Nicholas nodded slowly, "I have a few questions for thee, and I would like to hear answers to all of them."

"And what if I don't tell you?" Daring Do challenged him, plucking up more courage to surpass her fear.

"Let’s get this straight, thou hast no choice," Nicholas replied coldly, his gaze fixated on her. A moment later, he sighed wearily, "Either that, or I shall extract the answers by forceful means. Thou shalt tell me the answers, but it is thou who decideth how it will be done."

Daring Do recoiled slightly. His words weren't meaningless threats, there was something behind them that made her rethink her approach to the situation. Recollecting her thoughts and rethinking her situation, she slowly nodded.

"Thou madest the right choice," Nicholas nodded slightly in return, his crimson eyes still fixated on hers. After a small pause, he continued: "Very well… We met during rather… interesting circumstances. Allow me to introduce myself, then. I am Nicholas, the King of Vampires, the ruler of Vallaer. I’d like to know what thy name is.”

"My... name?" the mare was confused, expecting something different.

"Yes, indeed,” Nicholas nodded, “Thou art the first pony I’ve properly met since… a long time."

"Um... my name is Daring Do," the adventurer replied, nervously shifting in place. The strangely friendly-cold tone of the vampire king put her in a confusing position. She thought that perhaps it was his intent, but what was the reason?

She didn't like the situation in the slightest. She wasn't even bound by ropes, she was in no direct danger. There was no one else in the room but Nicholas. There were no guards, no one else in the room but her and him. He wasn't throwing words around, telling her his plan of whatever he wanted to do, he was a complete enigma.

"Pleased to meet thee formally, Daring Do," Nicholas nodded politely, his expression neutral. "My first question is, what year is it now?"

"Three thousand and first since the Foundation of Equestria," Daring Do replied.

"So, I was out for more than two thousand, then," he frowned slightly. His face smoothened soon, however. "I've heard thou talking that I was defeated two thousand one hundred thirty-three years ago. All of it confirms that the last time I was here the year was eight hundred sixty-eight since the Foundation."

"If you knew, why ask?"

"I tried to catch thee on a lie; It is but a simple thing, and yet many can't keep their lies consistent. Thou didst not lie, that is what I'm certain of," he paused and then explained; "The simple thing is, I abhor lies. In fact, liars I knew I executed personally. So, I ask thee to be honest with me for thy own sake. Honesty is one of a pony's characters your kind so values, is it not?" he asked rhetorically, and then, without giving her a chance to reply, said; "So, my next question. How large is Equestria nowadays and who is in charge of the country?"

"Equestria lies from the East to the West of Equus continent, from the Badlands to the Frozen North. Princesses Celestia and Luna are rulers," Daring Do answered without withholding anything. It was apparent that if not her, someone else would deliver the same information, and it could be any single pony in the land of Equestria.

"So, the Royal Sisters still live?" Nicholas looked surprised. He leaned in slightly, his eyes displaying more interest than before. "I remember them young... I wonder..." he paused. "But it is not for thy ears," he paused again. "Anyway, I think thou need'st to know — those two didn't defeat me. In fact, it was their father who I know lieth dead now."

"Their... father?" Daring Do was confused. "It is written that not much is known about their father, the last king of Equestria, but he didn't take part in any wars."

"Thy books are filled with filthy lies," Nicholas cringed, his nostrils flaring. "It seemeth like I shan't find true answers to most questions... Tell me, how old art thou?"

"Thirty-one."

"Then thou must know events of at least twenty years. Tell me the most important ones," he shifted on his throne, adjusting for a more comfortable position. "I feel like my return isn't the only thing that hath happened recently."

"Um, the first major event is the return of Princess Luna from her millennium imprisonment on the Moon," Daring Do answered. "Most considered her but a myth... The next important event is—"

"Tell me more about the first one," Nicholas cut her short, his ears now directly aimed at her. "Why was she imprisoned? What freed her? Why is she now a ruler alongside her sister?"

Daring Do proceeded to explain the events surrounding Nightmare Moon, her banishment to the Moon, and then her eventual return. Of course, she didn't forget to mention the Elements of Harmony.

"What are these elements?" Nicholas narrowed his eyes, leaning forward slightly once again. "I want to know everything about them."

So, Daring Do told what the Elements are, who had them at the moment, and how they’re used. She also told the king that she had no idea where the Elements were discovered. She told him it was during the reign of Discord, the spirit of chaos that the Vampire King turned out to be familiar with.

"'Tis surely interesting..." Nicholas tapped his chin in deep thought, "I shall find a use for it," he paused, his eyes looking to the left of Daring Do but soon returned to her, "For thy cooperation, thou shalt be provided with a normal room instead of a cell," before the pegasus could say anything, Nicholas raised his hoof, silencing her, "However, thou must remember, cooperation is always rewarded, and non-compliance, on the other hoof, bringeth... certain troubles," he let his words sink in, "For now, rest. I have more question for thee, but that cometh later."

Nicholas was sitting on his throne, his eyes looking at nothing in particular as his tail swished from side to side, his wings twitching slightly. His subjects woke up from their long slumber, everything there once was in the city was being re-established at a steady pace. Overall, the situation in the city was improving minute by minute as it began to fill with life again.

However, the king's thoughts weren't of his own subjects. He thought of the bigger picture that encompassed more than himself, his subjects, or vampires as a whole. Two thousand years had passed, and it meant that all connections he had created through years were forgotten. Perhaps, they were erased from the history entirely, especially with ponies reigning. He wanted to regain control of the situation and to find the truth about what happened in the world during his absence. To do it, he must find allies first. He also had to gather as much information as he could, of course.

So, Nicholas called for his best scouts. Three of them answered his call and stood before him. Each one looked absolutely identically to another — membrane wings, white furs, dark-brown manes, sharp green eyes. Their marks were different but had the same meaning — collecting information.

The best of the best, they were his elite. Their eyes were shining brightly, looking at the Vampire King, awaiting his orders. Standing stoically, they even breathed and blinked in unison, their postures identical and straight, their heads held high.

Nicholas recollected the names of the stallions. From left to right, they were Cloudburst, Thunder Cloud, and Moondust. Each had proven themselves in the years of service to their king as well as to the vampire nation as a whole. Disrupting assassination attempts, thwarting the moves of their enemies, performing sabotage deep inside enemy territories, assassinating high-value targets, the three were the masters of all things stealth. The Vampire King let himself form a proud smile, remembering how the stallions saved his life on quite a few occasions.

Their service was far from over, however. Nicholas had certain goals in mind, which had to be fulfilled in order to restore the vampire kingdom to its former ancient glory.

The orders were issued, the scouts took off to their destination, and it was now time to question the remaining prisoners. Nicholas was patiently waiting for the tomb raiders to be brought to him in the throne room.

Soon, the doors opened, revealing the four stallions being led by a squad of guards.

"Lasă-ne," Nicholas spoke. The guards bowed and left, closing the doors behind them. For a few moments, the silence reigned as the ponies and the vampire looked at each other. The silence was broken by the Vampire King: "I brought you here for one thing. I need information, as much as you can provide."

"We will tell you nothing!" Caballeron spoke, stepping forth. "You killed one of ours, and that cannot be forgiven!"

"Thou art brave, pony, to stand alone against me," Nicholas stood from his throne, his red eyes fixated on the tomb raider, looking him right in the eyes. "But also quite foolish... thief!"

Suddenly, the three muscular stallions that accompanied Caballeron were engulfed in the bright aura colored the crimson of Nicholas' eyes. The stallions were swiftly lifted up and levitated to the ceiling. The gems in the crown of the Vampire King were shining darkly yet brightly, adding to the glow of his eyes. The towering figure of Nicholas closed in on Caballeron as he stared wide-eyed at what was happening. Noticing the vampire walking closer and closer, the stallion stepped back fearfully, his ears flat against his head, and tail between his legs. He regretted his moment of bravado, for it was indeed foolish.

"I hate thieves, I despise them," Nicholas said with venom in his royal voice. "In fact, I think I should've just killed thee back then," he stepped closer to the pony while the other stallions screamed in fear, but their muzzles were quickly shut by magic, muting them. They moaned and groaned, trying to break free from the magical bonds with zero success.

"N-no, please don't!" Caballeron begged in fear, remembering how easy it was for the Vampire King to make one of the stallions disappear in an instant, leaving little behind.

"Of course I shan't kill thee," Nicholas's eyes flashed with hatred, "That would just be a mercy, only in life thou canst suffer."

A powerful telekinetic hit sent Caballeron flying across the room, hitting the closed doors. A painful crack sounded, the stallion groaned in pain as he fell to the floor with a loud thud. Soon after, he tried to get up, his limbs shaking and sweat running down his forehead.

"Thou hast given no proper respect to the crown, wretched thief!" Nicholas yelled angrily; he delivered another hit at the helpless pony, breaking his muzzle, making the blood seep from the nostrils, "How did thou dare to wear it like it meaneth nothing! Thou would've just sold it to someone who careth not for its history! To someone who would have placed it on a shelf and never used! I walked through storms of ice and tornadoes of fire with this crown atop my head! It hath history, and thou darest to think of it like 'tis but a big bag of gold!"

Caballeron was thrown across the room, hitting another wall. Whimpering, he fell, drops of mixed blood and tears streaming down his face.

"N-n-no, p-please, m-mercy!" he pleaded, his eyes looking at the Vampire King with terror. "I will d-do anyth-thing you w-want!"

"I would've respected thee more if thou fought'st back," Nicholas replied, calming down a little, but with sparks of hatred still present in his fiery eyes. "But thou art not only a thief but a coward!"

The pony was levitated into the air and closer to the king. Nicholas whispered into his ear: "And the blood of cowards hath much adrenaline... Delicious."

The vampire sank his fangs deep into the neck of the frightened stallion. Gulping loudly, he started sucking out blood, making Caballeron paler and paler with each mouthful of blood Nicholas consumed. The pony's weak attempts at resisting the vampire were unsuccessful. When it seemed like the unfortunate thief would die from the loss of blood, Nicholas let him go. With a thud, Caballeron fell on the hard marble floor, leaving a stain of blood in his wake.

"Finally..." Nicholas shivered in pleasure, blood dripping from his mouth, staining the marble floor with red. He licked his mouth clean, swallowing the remaining blood. "Thou hast given me something I haven't had in years..." he closed his eyes, savoring the taste for a few long moments. The pony was trembling on the floor, having no strength left. So, thou shalt be well-fed, thy health will be taken care of. Thy blood will regenerate... And thou shalt be served to me as a meal for the rest of thy worthless life. Most importantly, thou couldst have evaded that by answering my questions. However, I have a more... cooperative informer."

Caballeron weakly muttered something incoherently, more blood seeped, now from his mouth. His three companions were let go, and they fell on the floor.

"As for you three," Nicholas turned to other stallions. "You shall be meals for others. Looking at those muscles I see nothing but brute force. But to train yourselves, you must've been healthy. And a healthy pony is certainly more than a decent meal."

Meanwhile, Daring Do was in the new room that was given to her by the Vampire King. It wasn't exactly big or luxurious, but it was fairly comfortable compared to the dull and bland cell of the dungeon. At the very least, the room had a pleasant combination of different shades of blue and red that surprisingly went together quite well.

However, the adventurer didn't care for the comfortableness of the room. She cared more for herself and was figuring out her escape plan. While Nicholas had a use for her as of that moment, Daring Do was afraid that someday her usefulness to him would expire, as would her life. She feared that her dry, bloodless corpse would be thrown aside, a look of pure terror forever etched in her face.

Shaking off the dark thoughts, the pegasus decided to escape the cavern and bring the news to the Royal Sisters. Daring Do understood that she had no chances if she were to face Nicholas alone. Not to mention that she was surrounded by blood-suckers that would like to sink their fangs deep into her neck given the chance.

Daring Do still had her equipment with her, as well as her clothes. She had a hammer with a claw, and she used it to smash the window to the outside. Instantly after doing it, she flew outside the castle, her warm clothes tucked between her legs, then descended to the ground. While her fur's colors were surely pretty bright for a gray color of the stone, Daring Do escaped worse in her lifetime, her skill of stealth mastered by many trials she had to face.

So, she made her way to where she remembered the exit must be. She silently crept from stone to stone, from building to building. Fortunately for her, most vampires were in their homes, talking to each other, more focused on themselves than looking around and searching for the pegasus. A violin played beautiful music somewhere in the city, laughter sounded throughout the city. If Daring Do didn't know the city was filled with vampires, she would actually stop to enjoy the music and listen in to all the different conversations. If not for the pressing matters, she would certainly enjoy the lively feeling the ancient city gave off.

Fortunately for her, the guards didn't notice her as she passed them, but something was happening at the castle. Vampires were moving hastily there, the window of Daring's former room was already being fixed, guards started actively searching for her.

"Attention all citizens! A pegasus prisoner by the name Daring Do hath escaped the castle! Sand-colored fur, grayscale mane, bright violet eyes. She was dressed in warm clothes that are in color of her fur. Any citizen that seeth her must attempt a capture or call a nearby Royal Guard if they are unsure of their own capabilities." a powerful and loud voice sounded from the castle, instantly getting the attention of all vampires. "But remember, our king Nicholas wanteth her alive and unhurt!"

Daring Do however, couldn’t understand the words, but she recognized her name. She understood the meaning — the vampires were after her. Hastily, she moved to the exit, often looking around, being aware that any number of possible traps or ambushes could be already waiting for her around every corner.

As she reached the entrance to the grand cave, she went up the stairs. She was sweating and panting hard when she reached the top, finally stepping from the last step onto the solid and flat floor. Dull pain in her legs told her that descending the stairs was much easier than ascending them. She slowly walked to the exit, trying to control her breath and racing heartbeat, but something stopped her as she hit something with her muzzle. She blinked, then brought her hoof fourth, touching an invisible barrier. Her eyes widened in realization, but her thoughts were cut off when she heard a voice behind her.

"Daring Do."

The mare quickly turned around and saw Nicholas himself standing at the base of the stairway, grinning at her.

"Nothing is ever as easy as thou think'st," he said rather triumphantly, "Thousands of years have given me so much knowledge... some call it wisdom. I learned many tricks and traps, in one of which thou'st fallen," his grin widened slightly, "However, it was expected."

Daring Do growled at him, standing in a battle stance, throwing her clothes away to free herself from the burden. Her body stiffened as she snorted, her eyes looking straight at the Vampire King.

"So, thou wantest to fight?" Nicholas tilted his head. "This bravado is stupid and shall lead to nothing... but thy death."

"I've been through worse," Daring Do replied through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.

"Perhaps," Nicholas straightened, his grin diminishing, "However, there is no way out of here, not by this stairway. There are no hidden passages here. Thou art trapped."

"I always find a way."

"Thou dost not have to search for it, adventurer," Nicholas continued, "Thou hast the only way — going back here. It is not a way out of this cavern but a way out of a certain death. Thou dost not want to die of thirst or starvation up there, dost thou? Come down, thou shalt not be harmed."

"I've heard that too many times," she forced an exhale through her nostrils, "I will fight, even if it costs me my life."

"Thou art devoted to a great cause of preserving the past, Daring Do. Thy death would be such an immeasurable waste," Nicholas let out a sigh, "Thou art one of a few ponies I do not despise, for I see that thou hast this desire... The desire for knowledge and discoveries is inside thee. Thou canst be so much more if thou dost not sacrifice thyself for the sake of foolish stupidity.”

A pause ensued. Daring Do remained silent, looking at the Vampire King, waiting for his move.

"Thou thinkest I would hurt thee,” he continued; “No, and no one here would. Would I lie to thee? Hast thou not heard me telling thee that I despise lying? If thou comest down, thou shalt be unharmed unless thou provokest us," he let her digest the information once again before he continued, "There is a simple choice. Either thou comest down now... or later."

With that said, Nicholas left the adventurer alone to her thoughts.

Without a moment of wait, Daring Do started searching the cave for a possible secret exit. She knocked at the walls, expecting to find a hollow in the stone. She pressed various small rocks here and there. And yet, there was nothing. Neither the stone walls nor the invisible barrier budged. Her efforts were absolutely futile.

It seemed Nicholas wasn't lying to her when he said that there was no way out but returning to him. It was something Daring Do had to accept, unfortunately. She could not stay up there forever, not without food, and it would be easy to capture her. She was just a pegasus, and her flying abilities were nullified by the cave.

She slowly descended the stairs, her mind working like never before. If the vampire king didn't outright kill her, then she still had at least some chances to get out. She needed time to explore the cavern and maybe find an escape route. So, she had to bring Nicholas' guard down until he no longer cared about what she did in his kingdom. And only then she would have a good chance of escaping.

However, there was one problem. Nicholas would certainly be less willing to let her loose after her failed escape attempt. It was apparent that the Vampire King was not the one to be trifled with. Despite having been out for many centuries, he had not lost his grip on reality and he was just like he was described in the books; he was calm, collected, and thoughtful. A formidable opponent to the pony kind back in the day, that was what Daring Do knew for certain. How Nicholas acted in life proved it, at the very least.

She entered the cavern and immediately noticed many slit-pupil eyes fixated on her. Vampires surrounded her, and for a second she thought that she had made a wrong decision. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she frantically looked around, afraid to make the slightest wrong move. She had no escape, and there were way too many vampires for her to handle by herself.

In front of all vampires, their king stood. He looked at the adventurer with a victorious look on his face. His posture was relaxed, his eyes looking directly at the pegasus, expressing domination. A smile crept onto his face as he opened his maw to speak.

"Wise choice," he praised the mare without a trace of mocking in his tone, "Indeed wise. Come with me now, adventurer."

Daring Do followed Nicholas, often looking around to see if she was going to be jumped by other vampires. They silently watched her but stood still, without even the slightest movement. It chilled the pegasus to the bone, but she tried hard not to show it. The only thing that betrayed her was the amount of sweat rolling down her face.

"I am surprised it took thee so little time to make this decision," Nicholas spoke. "Others who found themselves in the same situation took much longer to decide. Some tried to fight, too. To say that it was stupid is to say nothing. While bravery is a trait I respect, bravado is something I can never understand. Only a fool will stand against hundreds of vampires all alone as if they are trying to impress someone. However, all they do is make themselves seen as unreasonable and, quite frankly, pathetic...Putting up a show for no reason is foolish. We have minds, and unlike wild animals, we can reason, come to an agreement. Surely there is an agreement that will fit both of us, is there not?"

Daring Do decided to stay silent. She looked straight ahead, trying not to even glance at the Vampire King. The gears in her mind were turning, trying to come up with something safe and yet reasonable to say.

"Thou art silent. Dost thou think I am some kind of a fool to not understand that thou hast surrendered only to try to escape some other day?" Nicholas asked with interest. Daring Do's ear twitched as she gulped almost involuntarily. There wasn't a hint of malice or aggression in the voice of the Vampire King. "You ponies are like books for infants. Simple and predictable. But worry not, thou shalt not find thyself bored to death here," he let out a chuckle. "Keeping thee for the sake of it will not be beneficial for any of us."

The two entered the castle, and the large gates closed behind them with a soft thud. There was no one around them but the vampire guards, who kept to their posts and didn't even glance at the two.

"I know these walls cannot keep thee here, and thou shalt not stay because of being locked up here," Nicholas said. "But thou shalt stay not because of restrictions but because of something thou canst find only here in this city...

“...Thou art an adventurer, seeker of knowledge and secrets; mystical, hidden artifacts, lost in time. All of that is what thou desirest, is it not?" he paused, letting Daring Do consume the information and think about it for a moment. Daring Do's ears were perked up at Nicholas’ words; "Only here thou shalt find anything and everything related to us vampires. If thou decidest to leave... Thou shalt not get thy hooves on any of our knowledge ever again as long as vampires are here. And we shall not be gone for a very long time, believe me. Surely even thy grandchildren won't be able to lay their hooves on our history and knowledge."

Obviously interested, the ears of Daring Do were turned to the Vampire King as she tried to resist asking questions.

"So, I shall give thee access to the Royal Library," Nicholas continued. "There, thou shalt find the most accurate description of our history, customs and traditions, and our everyday life. Is it not the reason thou camest here? If not, I shall surely be disappointed. Thou art not like those tomb raiders, art thou?"

Daring Do was still silent, resisting the urge to talk to him. A flash of disappointment crossed Nicholas' face as he opened the door to the guest room. The window had been repaired by the time the two entered.

"Try not to smash this window again. Each one is a work of art, it will be a shame if this one is lost forever."

With that being said, Daring Do entered her new "home", and the door closed behind her. Tired from the recent events, she flopped onto the bed. Surprisingly, it was cleaned of dust and was very soft. The adventurer sighed and slowly drifted into a more or less peaceful sleep.

Chapter 2: A New Night

~<<*>>~Chapter 2: A New Night~<<*>>~

Nicholas was sitting on the throne once again, deep in his thought. He let out a weary sigh and put his hoof to his forehead, furrowing his brows. He knew that ponies in his kingdom always meant troubles, no matter when or why they came to his domain. Now, with a few of them as his prisoners, he had to be extremely cautious not to let them escape lest his kingdom be discovered.

Unfortunately, the Vampire King had more problems than having ponies inside his kingdom of Vallaer. His newly-reborn kingdom needed information, resources, and power, among other different things. The king had already seen that the ancient spells that protected Vallaer fell long ago, and it meant the kingdom would be in a great danger if the protection and defenses were not addressed as soon as possible.

So, he ordered the royal magi to re-cast the spells, returning them to their full power. Once it was done, the whole city filled with a sense of security; one that could never be given even from the thickest and highest walls of the sturdiest and most durable material. No, the best protection could only be given by powerful magic. It was well-known that many inhabitants of Equestria couldn't wield magic as well as unicorns could; that fact meant those who were magic-less could do little to nothing to break a powerful magical shield. It would surely take an alicorn or two to break the protection or far more unicorns of the highest power.

However, even if the city was secure from outside intrusion, the problems on the inside remained. While vampires didn't necessarily need blood to survive, it gave them strength nothing else could provide. Without blood, they would weak, their strength — nonexistent, and they would be nothing but miserable. Survival and living are two different things, after all.

Having only four ponies to feed the whole kingdom would not solve the problem in the long run, unfortunately. The king had to find another source of blood, preferably non-sapient creatures. Unwanted attention would make everything harder for the vampires, especially at this time.

Nicholas sent a few vampires to look for the said creatures. Hopefully, they would return to the city with at least a small feline or canine. If the luck were on their side, they would bring a goat. It was well-known that goats didn't have the same level of sapience others possessed.

With his power yet to return to full, the Vampire King was still rather weak. He needed blood to restore his strength.

The doors to the throne room abruptly opened, revealing a vampire dressed in red robes embroidered with gold.

"Regele meu Nicholas," he spoke, bowing. "Este timpul pentru Luna Roșie."

"Într-adevăr," the king nodded, standing up. "Este timpul să începem ritualul."

Daring Do finally woke up, feeling much better than before. She let out a long yawn and sat upright, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. A few moments later, she stood up. Her nostrils flared slightly as she caught a pleasant smell of some kind. She turned in the direction of the smell and found some food on the nearby table. It was fresh pale-green lettuce, some black rye bread, a couple of daisies, along with a cup of apple juice. To her eyes, the food looked stale, somewhat lifeless. The adventurer frowned and cautiously sniffed the food. Finding no foul smell or anything even remotely off, she started eating. She chewed carefully, making sure that the food rolled on her tongue enough times for her to determine what the taste was and if something was off. She found out that the taste was almost the same, albeit it had something strange to it. A bit of metallic touch, she guessed.

Enjoying her small but fulfilling meal, she looked out of the window to see a rather bustling city. The streets were being swept, buildings were repaired, signs were cleaned. The ancient city was quickly coming back to life. She saw a vampire playing the violin out in the street. The notes were faint from such a distance but it was an uplifting, rhythmic song. The adventurer also noticed their king, Nicholas. He casually strolled through the streets, occasionally stopping to talk with different vampires. The mare wished she could hear what he was talking about but even if she could, she wouldn't understand a thing. She wondered if Nicholas would agree to teach her the language in some manner.

Downing a cup of juice, Daring Do started her morning routine by stretching and then exercising. She jumped, did squats and wing-ups. After the warm-up, she looked around her room; finally she had the time to fully inspect it. Every detail mattered, maybe she would find something interesting.

The shards of glass that she left the day before were thoroughly cleaned, the dust was nowhere to be seen either. The room had a middle-sized bed with a chest of drawers by it, a table by the wall, a small mirror on the said table, and a big window. The only door was leading into the castle's halls. Overall, the room was reasonably comfortable, even without the bathroom. Definitely not the worst place she'd been held at in her lifetime.

However, the adventurer did wish a bathroom was there. She walked to the door and knocked twice. In a few moments, a reply came.

"What is it?" a male voice with a hint of vampiric accent asked from the other side.

"I really need to use the bathroom," Daring Do said. She knew that the best way to escape was by asking to go to the bathroom since rarely anyone denied something so simple. If too foolish, those who escorted her to the bathroom would be knocked out by her and the last her capturers would see of her would be her tail disappearing behind the nearest corner.

"Step away from the door," the same voice replied. The adventurer complied, taking a few steps back. Moments later, metallic clicks sounded from inside the door, and it opened, revealing two guards. One of them said: "Unfold your wings and prepare for inspection."

The pegasus did as ordered, fully unfolding her wings and spreading them out. One of the guards stepped in and started inspecting her from head to hooves. He went through her mane, tail, and feathers thoroughly but carefully. While he was doing the inspection, the mare did nothing. She knew she'd be locked up in her new room if she did anything to the inspecting guard. In the end, she didn't want to waste her strength by trying to pull off an escape attempt right there and then. It didn't seem like Nicholas wanted her dead, and perhaps she would be able to escape later much easier.

"Ea este curată," that guard said. After receiving a nod from another guard, he turned back to the pegasus and ordered; "Come out of the room."

Daring Do exited her room. The door was closed behind her. One guard stood in front of her slightly to the left, while another took position behind her to the right;, both of them were at a reasonable distance. Not too far to let her escape but not too close to be unable to react to her actions.

"Follow me," the front guard said and started walking at a slow pace.

Daring Do took her time to take in the surroundings. The hall she was in was pretty bland save for gothic-styled decorations. At both ends of the hall, big doors stood, each protected by two guards. It was impossible to escape the hall by any way other than going back to the room and breaking through the glass. After her early attempt, Daring Do was sure it was reinforced.

They rounded the corner, coming to two doors. There were signs in the vampiric language above the doors but Daring Do couldn't understand them. While she had read many books on vampires, she had never laid her hooves on anything written in their native language. However, the possibility of learning it intrigued her and she couldn't wait to get some educational material for herself to finally learn the ancient language.

One of the guards stepped to the left door and knocked several times. After a few moments of silence, he returned to the adventurer.

"Left door," the guard said. "Don't forget to flush."

Daring Do nodded and entered the bathroom. It was clean and looked relatively new.

"At least they know what basic hygiene is..." she muttered. Many places she'd ever had time captured at would often be as smelly as the unclean toilet or rotting garbage pile. This time however, Daring Do was pleasantly surprised to see something good for a change.

There were simple sinks with small water tanks above them with a hose in each bottom. While so simple, it provided running water to clean the hooves after the deal is done. There was also a large mirror hanging on the wall above the sinks.

Daring Do walked further into the room and saw four booths. Two of them were marked with wings and hooves, and the other two were marked with horns.

"Some toilet rooms in the cities could use that," Daring Do commented as she walked into the booth for hornless vampires.

Inside, there was a hole in the floor and a small table with three toilet paper rolls, as well as a water hose in the wall. There were instructions written on the wall, unfortunately only in vampiric. Though, the instructions featured simple pictures.

"For an ancient civilization, this toilet is certainly advanced," Daring Do noted, looking at the instruction pictures.

The pictures depicted how the toilet paper should be used. Apparently, it can stick to hooves so that a vampire was able to clean themselves more easily. A water hose was an easier alternative, however.

After completing the deal, she used the flushing mechanism that basically just dropped a big amount of water into the hole in which vampires relieve themselves. Simple and yet rather effective. The water also had some kind of a pleasant smell to it, too.

While relieving, Daring Do did a quick look around. There were small holes in the walls for ventilation, and yet they were too small for even a foal to crawl through them. There was no exit besides the way she came through.

The pegasus washed her hooves and exited the toilet room. The guards were patiently waiting outside. Their faces displayed no emotions, rubies in their helmet glowed with a slight hum, and the guards were completely silent, waiting.

"Well, take me back." she sighed.

***

Daring Do was sitting on her bed, her camera in her hooves. While her clothes and flashlight were gone, the former dropped somewhere near the exit and most likely taken by vampires for themselves, her camera was still with her. The only thing that she had left with her, and the only proof that the vampire city still existed. She used her camera to get a photo through the window, capturing the panorama of the city and its inhabitants. The lighting conditions were far from ideal but it was better than nothing.

She decided to put the camera somewhere to not attract unwanted attention. Her room wasn't searched, and she was sure they would take the camera at least out of curiosity. Since the camera was rather fragile, she decided to put it in a drawer. Not the best place but surely better than just storing her camera out in the open. So, she pulled out one of the drawers and saw some paper along with two quills and an inkwell.

"Hm..." Daring Do tapped her chin. "I might use those."

She took the things she found and replaced it with her camera. One piece of paper had vampiric text and had a small red heart at the bottom. Everything else was completely blank. Putting the what seemed to be a love letter aside, Daring Do grabbed the blank pieces of paper.

"Might as well write a sketch," she muttered to herself, moving the paper to the table. She grabbed the inkwell and opened it. The ink inside was pretty much usable, surprisingly. She grabbed the quill and began to write what would be her next book.

In a few hours, someone knocked on the door. Hiding her sketches, Daring Do stood up from the chair. A small smudge of ink was on her hoof, which she couldn't erase before the door opened.

"His Majesty desireth to see thee," a guard said. "Come out of the room."

As before, Daring Do complied without question. Once again, she was surrounded by guards and led through the halls of the castle. This time, however, it was an entirely different route, which included staircases. It seemed like she would be taken to the very top of the castle. Halfway there, she felt reverberation, a distant sound of a musical instrument she couldn't yet recognize.

Soon, she came into a long hall, the music became louder. She finally recognized the instrument — it was the pipe organ. She could feel the vibrations in the air, traveling through the surroundings and through her own body.

The guards opened the doors leading to the next hall. Finally, the unknown song was loud and clear as Daring Do entered a grand hall. Many vampires were standing by either side of the red carpet that led from the doors to the large window at the end of the hall. The window showed snowy mountains and the regal moon above them. It was no regular moon — it was tinted red and surrounded with a reddish glow.

The choir started to sing, and Daring Do could do nothing but stare at the moon. It hypnotized her, making it impossible to look away; its light shone straight into her soul, penetrating it with ease, seeing her from the inside.

She didn't understand a word of what was sung but the emotions spoke well. The song was dark, haunting, and yet it was powerful. There was a hint of something else... Sadness, perhaps? These emotions expressed more than words ever could, it was something primal and at the same time very elaborate.

Standing there in awe, Daring Do continued to listen without moving or speaking, letting the song flow through her, empowering her, making goosebumps appear on her body.

Soon, the song ended, leaving the pegasus awestruck. Silence fell and yet she didn't move. The vampires seemingly didn't notice her, their eyes directed at the red moon. Afraid to make a sound, Daring Do remained still for a few long minutes, waiting for something to happen.

She heard clop of hooves from the other side of the hall. She turned her head and saw Nicholas coming to her. Unlike before, he was dressed in simple black robes with the lining of red silk, a hood over his head, and a decorated necklace resting on his chest.

"Good evening, Daring Do," he greeted the mare politely. "Come with me. Let us take a walk."

With a slight pause, the pegasus nodded and followed the king out of the hall.

"I presume thou hast many questions," he spoke, "What thou hast just witnessed is Luna Roșie. In thy language, The Red Moon. It is our sacred guide, our true mother. All of us were born under Luna Roșie, all of us are guided by its holy crimson light...

“Thou art a pony, thou shalt not understand it, unfortunately," he glanced at the adventurer. Her ears were turned directly to him. "Thou art interested in learning about us, art thou not?"

"Yes... yes I am," Daring Do replied with a hint of hesitation. "It is... the first chance to study an ancient culture firsthoof. Not by tablets, texts, but interacting with those living in it, born with it..." a dreamy look appeared on her face. "I... I must say that it's an honor."

"I am glad thou thinkest that way, adventurer," Nicholas nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. "Let us proceed, I shall show thee something thou shalt be very interested in."

In the Castle of Canterlot, Princess Luna was standing on the balcony, staring at the sky. High above, the moon was shining. It was not unusual if not for how the moon was colored — it was tinted with red. A faint memory made the sight familiar and yet the princess couldn't quite place it.

"It happened again, didn't it?" Celestia asked, coming from behind her sister. "The moon..."

"It did," Luna nodded, her eyes fixated on the moon. "I have no idea what it meaneth."

"Neither do I, sister," the solar alicorn nodded; a frown on her face. "It is something... something from the deep past… However... I can't remember. If it indeed is a memory, it is from times long gone, perhaps even before Discord."

"We shall understand it soon, hopefully," Luna said, turning away from the sight. "For now, we shall think. Perhaps, 'tis just an anomaly of sorts... once again, hopefully… Otherwise... it could mean anything."

Finally, Nicholas and Daring Do came to the library. The pegasus stopped, staring agape at the sight before her. Three floors, all having many, many shelves of books. The walls featured paintings of different people; ponies, vampires, and griffins alike were present on them. There were writings under the said pictures as well, describing who they all were. The ceiling of the library represented clear night sky; there were stars and their constellations, as well as the moon, which was, surprisingly, its original pale-yellow color. There was also a big window that showed the city. At that time, there were but a few vampires in the whole library. They greeted their king with polite nods, carrying on with their business.

"This is our temple. The temple of knowledge," Nicholas said. In a moment, a female winged vampire came out of the shadows. "Thou shalt have a guide to help thee navigate and study the knowledge stored in this great library," he gestured at the vampire. "Her name is Isabel."

"Salutări, majestatea voastră," Isabel said in vampiric while bowing to her king. "Hello to thee, Daring Do," the mare said to Daring Do with a voice that had a slight vampiric accent to it. The vampire was roughly a head taller than the adventurer, had white mane and tail, and pale-blue fur. Her vibrant blue eyes looked at the pegasus, expecting a reply.

"...Hello?" Daring Do hesitated to respond.

"I am sure you two shall get along just fine," Nicholas reassured. A small smile touching his lips; "I leave you two here, then. I have matters to attend to."

With that being said, he turned around and left, closing the door behind him. Daring Do carefully eyed Isabel.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," Isabel let out a soft laugh. "Well... Daring Do, I have heard thou camest here for knowledge. Our library hath it, and I think thou'lt find everything thou needst here. However, thou hast to learn Vampiric first. We have no books in Commonlang besides educational.

"Thou also mayst ask questions. Well, as long as they're not about something secret."

"...Alright then." Daring Do nodded.

"Goody!" Isabel smiled, showing her sharp teeth. Daring Do shuddered slightly. "Follow me, then; there's a private room where we shan't be bothered."

The two went to the second floor of the library. Few vampires that were there glanced at the adventurer with curiosity, trying not to stare outright. Daring Do felt a tingle running down her spine, a chill of fear crawling up her back. She had seen many creatures in her life, and most that opposed her were not that intelligent. However, vampires were a completely different story. She was completely sure they were as intelligent as ponies, maybe even more so. Dealing with them would be a huge problem.

"Here," Isabel said, and the two entered a small room. It had a wooden table, shelves with books, four armchairs, a fireplace, and a rather small window. The place looked cozy and comfortable to study at.

"This is my favorite place,” the vampire continued, “It's quiet here, perfect for reading books," she pulled out a book from under her wing and laid it on the table, "This is the book about Vampiric, written in Commonlang. The only one of few we actually have."

"Have there been any other ponies studying here?" Daring Do inquired.

"Only a few," Isabel replied. "Most of them were later turned into our kind. As for the rest... Thou shouldst ask the king about them… Anyway, let us start!" her cheerful attitude had a slip in demeanor, but returned to normal. "I shall first teach thee our alphabet and pronunciation. Thou shouldst learn the pronunciation carefully to be perfect in our language."

"Alright, let's get to it," Daring Do replied with enthusiasm. Even while technically being a prisoner, she still wanted to learn as much as possible about the vampires, and nothing would quench her thirst for such rare knowledge.

***

Meanwhile, Nicholas assembled a court in the dining hall of the castle. It featured another ten vampires, the most important ones in the city. They controlled almost every aspect of vampires' life, including economy, law enforcement, medicine, education, and other spheres of social life.

On that day, they were gathered by the king to celebrate the return of Vallaer, the ancient vampire country. A big feast was held at the castle, having many foods and drinks to offer to the guests, including a special one Nicholas was going to present some time later.

The vampires sat at the big rectangular table and had Nicholas at its head. The table was under a big weight of eatables, including lettuce, apples, hay, and even some cakes and pies baked for the occasion.

There were numerous stallion servants, each of them serving exactly one individual. They wore classical black tuxedoes and red bow-ties. Their hair was trimmed to perfection and slicked back.

Nicholas cleared his throat, and everyone turned to him. He stood up and began his speech.

"Welcome, dear guests, to the feast in the name of our great return!" he began, and immediately applauses followed. The king raised his hoof and everyone went silent. "As we all know, it hath been more than a millennium. The years passed us by as we lay lifelessly, waiting to be brought back to life. A day ago, I finally regenerated after my last battle, and I've risen again. Experiencing this was no pleasure, I assure you all. I thought I died, there was nothing but black and cold around me. I didn't feel anything at all, having only my own conscience. That condition almost drove me to insanity, and yet here I am standing before you with my mind clear. I overcame the difficulties and crawled out of my own grave…

"...So, it is not only a celebration of our return but of mine as well! In the name of it, we shall drink blood tonight. Fresh pony blood. Those who shall give it to us today have committed numerous crimes: theft, threat, cowardice. We shall now feed on the blood of the cowards. Unlike themselves, their blood is absolutely great. Let them in!"

Doors behind the king opened and four ponies walked in, flanked by the vampire guards. The ponies were expressionless, their eyes were gray and dull. They moved in a strange, string-puppet like way.

"Come closer," Nicholas ordered, and the ponies obeyed. "Caballeron, step forth before me," one stallion moved even closer. He turned to the vampires, and said, "As your king, I take the first taste."

Nicholas bit into Caballeron's neck and started sucking out the blood. The stallion was standing still, not making a sound. After a few seconds, the vampire pulled from him.

"I approve this taste. Now, we may feast!" the king declared.

Thunderous applause went through the air, and the feast began.

***

Sometime later, Daring Do finished the studying for the day, learning a few things about the language of the vampires. She discovered that their language, which they called Vampirilor, was based on the Old Equish, and thus was relatively easy to learn. She grew tired and was just sitting in an armchair, resting. Isabel was sitting nearby, watching the pony with interest.

"May I ask thee a few questions?" the vampire asked. After receiving a nod from Daring Do, Isabel asked her first question, "How is it on the outside? What hath changed in the hundreds of years?"

"Many things, I suppose," Daring Do replied calmly. "Some things were invented, language has changed a little, but nothing too major. I think it's not too different from what was even a millennium ago. I don't know the details, I'm mostly interested in ancient civilizations that existed before Equestria. There are some, I tell you that. Though, I admit, none of them were as advanced as vampires seem to be."

"Our king hath put much effort into developing our country." Isabel proudly replied. "I don't even know what we'd do without him."

"And keeping ponies prisoners is alright, too?" Daring Do sarcastically replied.

"We know who you ponies are," Isabel's cheerful tone diminished, her expression replaced with a frown. "We know how you treat the different. Were it not you who enslaved zebras because you thought they're unworthy of being anything else? Were it not you who sent hundreds of soldiers to destroy gryphons because they are carnivores?"

"It was a long time ago, zebras are now free," the adventurer replied. "As soon as princesses Celestia and Luna took the throne. In fact, Griffins are no longer our enemies, we have made allies out of them."

"If that is true, then it's good," Isabel said, making a small nod, the frown on her face fading. "But that doth not change the fact that numerous crimes were committed by thy kind."

"We have changed," Daring Do stated, looking straight into the eyes of the vampire.

"I hope so..."

Daring Do was in her room, sitting at the table and writing about her adventure. She was sure it would be the best of all her books ever written before. After her mostly dumb enemies, the vampires seemed to be much more interesting. In fact, she had previously received complaints about her villains being generic. Of course, she could do nothing to change it other than applying artistic liberty to some extent, but this time she didn't have to do it at all.

She had already finished her first chapter, in which she described the search for the ancient vampire civilization. She was working on describing her surprise when she saw vampires' return. She wished she could just ask Nicholas to share his thoughts about it but she understood that there was little chance he'd allow her writing down his own thoughts.

Each time she had to write about villains, she had to make assumptions in order for the book to feel more like an actual piece of fiction than her personal journal. While it was easy for the most part, it became very complicated with Nicholas. Apart from the information from the ancient books, there was nothing about him. Thus, she was unable to write about him much other than what she had seen with her own eyes. She was stuck in a writer's block trying to figure out how to write about the king and his subjects.

Someone started to knock the door; Daring Do quickly hid her papers in the table and jumped to her hooves, and immediately sat on her bed. Unfortunately, she knocked the chair off, sending it to the ground. It landed with a loud thud, making her flinch. Her eyes widened and her ears drooped, a realization coming to her that she had just compromised herself.

The door opened, revealing Vampire King Nicholas himself standing there with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Now now," he said slowly, stepping into the room. He glanced at the fallen chair, and then looked at the adventurer with interest. "It seemeth I've caught thee in the middle of something, haven't I?"

Daring Do stared at the floor. She knew it was a verbal trap for her.

"Tell me, then," the chair was lifted up and then placed the right way. The vampire continued; "What art thou hiding, Daring Do?"

"It's none of your business." she retorted through gritted teeth.

"Don't be so angry, now," Nicholas said softly. He went to the table, his eyes on the mare. "I've not done anything to thee... yet. And I hope I shan't find a reason to. What art thou hiding? Weapons, poison... sex toys that thou might have found in this very room?"

He laughed as he saw her cheeks flushed with red.

"I would prefer if it was the latter," Nicholas added, and much to his amusement, he saw the adventurer's face become bright crimson. "At least they are more or less harmless... Unless thou'rt intending to use them for something they weren't made for. Anyway, tell me, what is that thou'rt hiding from me? Thou canst not be silent forever."

"Look inside the table," she replied defeatedly. There was no use in fighting him at that moment, considering that the battle was lost from the beginning.

Nicholas opened one of the drawers in the table and saw the paper Daring Do failed to hide. He moved the paper to his face and took a closer look. His face was turned away from Daring's, and she didn't know what reaction the king had to her work.

"For a pegasus, thou hast a rather good penmanship," he complimented the mare, putting the papers back where they were. "So, thou'rt not only an adventurer but a writer? How interesting... I've never meet adventurers with an education before," he chuckled lightly. "Some came to me, yes... They came swinging their swords and spears, clanking their heavy armor, yelling curses and threats at me... And none of them could even read properly." he let out a short dry laugh. "So young and so foolish... Good thing thou dost not seem to be like them." he looked at her. "Otherwise, I doubt thou wouldst be here in this very room in the first place..." his eyes turned away for a moment and then returning to Daring Do as he continued continued: "So, what is it that thou'rt writing? It doth not seem just a journal. It is fiction... novel, perhaps?"

"Why do you care?" Daring Do asked and snorted with irritation. She didn't want Nicholas to know more than he already did.

"I'm trying to determine if it's some poorly-written trashy romance with awkwardly-executed, rushed sex scenes that lone stallions or mares in heat seem to like to write so much or it's something good. An epic adventure, perhaps?" Nicholas replied. "Thou seest, I like reading in my spare time. It's a passion of mine to discover and preserve written art. I have a large collection of books from all over the world, and I'm quite proud of it. I'm looking forward to expanding it, too. More than a thousand years have passed, a lot of books were surely written during that time."

Daring Do stared silently at the Vampire King.

"You can't just call my books trash," she said. "They are loved all over the world!"

"The quantity of followers doesn't always correspond with the quality of a product," Nicholas noted, putting a hoof up to emphasize his point; "But I shall give thy books a look when I get my hooves on them. Perhaps, they are quality and have a rightful place in my collection. We'll see in time.

"At any rate, I'm glad we had this little chat. Until we see each other again, Daring Do," the king nodded politely, turned around and left the room, finishing the conversation.

The king was in the dungeon, and his prey sat before him, chained. Caballeron looked at the vampire angrily, albeit with great fear behind his eyes. He was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he overall looked sick. However, in the face of everything, he tried to be strong. He held that dream of being brave, being strong like someone he once wanted to follow.

"Dost thou regret coming here, thief?" Nicholas asked. "It hath been quite a rough ride for thee this far."

"I have many powerful friends," the pony replied. "One day, they will break me free, and we will make sure you'll pay for what you've done to us!"

He found Nicholas' muzzle just a few centimeters away.

"Thy friends cannot save thee if thou'rt under twelve hooves of dirt dead!" Nicholas growled, and then raised his hoof to strike. However, after some hesitation, he put it down. "Thou'rt making me very... frustrated, thief. Thou makest me choose impulsive decisions..."

He stood up and walked away from the pony. He walked to the barred window and looked outside. He snorted and then inhaled.

"I was like thee once, a long time ago,." he looked back at the thief. "Foolish, showing bravery when in truth I feared," he exhaled slowly. "I purged it out of my mind, I purged that stupidity with fire! And now... Now I understand where it may lead. I shan't let my anger destroy thee here and now. I shan't grant thee this freedom to feel nothing, to be nothing, to have neither pain nor pleasure," he stomped. Nicholas started to turn to the exit of the cell, "My feelings are irrelevant. Thou art already being punished, and it's not my right to inflict more or free thee."

He turned to Caballeron, "Have fun trying to get thy 'powerful friends' here. If they get here, the only thing they shall find is damnation. And do not forget... thou shalt still be food for all of us."

With that being said, he exited. The chained pony could only follow the king with his eyes. Hopeless, dull eyes.

***

Nicholas silently went through the halls of his grand castle, receiving greetings and nods from the staff. He didn't answer, his mind occupied by different thoughts.

In truth, he was stressed beyond belief. While he was trying not to show it, his eyes betrayed his thoughts. More often than not he felt his eyelids growing heavy and his steps becoming less regal. With every step he took, mental tiredness grew on him.

He stopped midway and sighed tiredly. He looked around and saw a maid dusting off a window. He walked to her and looked at how she was working and flicked his tail slightly. It might be that he would find someone to help him relieve the stress in a pleasant way.

She was a peach-colored winged vampire with red mane and tail. Her bright pinkish-red eyes glanced at him for a second before returning to the window. She used her muzzle to hold the duster with which she worked. Nicholas observed the mare for some time before deciding to approach her directly.

"Hello, miss." he said to the mare in a soft tone, gaining her attention. "Mind if I divert thy attention from thy work? Surely 'tis not something to be done in a hurry."

"Yes, my king?" the maid replied, stopping her work and turning to the king.

"Tell me, what is thy name? Forgive me, but it hath been long since I saw anyone last. Shamefully, my mind is still not in the right shape, and I have a hard time remembering everyone." he admitted.

"I am Persica, Your Majesty," she reintroduced herself to the king, bowing slightly.

"What a beautiful name," the king complimented the mare, and her cheeks became slightly pink. "It suiteth thee. Not to mention that thy overall looks certainly deserve a stallion's attention,"
"Thou'rt too kind, my king..." Persica replied with her blush increasing. Nicholas allowing himself to move slightly closer to Persica.

"I do find thee appealing, miss Persica," Nicholas nodded, confirming his words. "But, to be honest, I'm very stressed as of late. Surely a company of such a lovely mare will help me out with my problem... if thou wantest to help me."

"I would love to accompany thee, my king," Persica let out a soft giggle, her blush increasing slightly as she enjoyed the attention from the king.

"Dear, thou canst be informal with me. Just call me Nicholas," the vampire king nuzzled the mare softly, breathing in her scent. "Let's go, then. I'd like to know thee more closely, dear Persica."

And the two went together, side by side. Nicholas carefully put one of his wings over the mare, covering her and pressing her closer to himself.

Daring Do was in the library of the Vallaer Castle. Isabel was sitting beside her, listening to the adventurer as she read simple sentences in Vampiric.

"I can certainly say thou improvest quickly," Isabel commented, a small smile on her face. "Thy skill at speaking Vampiric groweth very fast. How dost thou accomplish that?"

"Well, I've learned a couple of ancient languages already. I understand the pattern that this one is based on, and it makes everything rather easy," Daring Do explained. "I'd have a harder time if it was a completely new language. However, this language is based on Old Equish, and that fact makes it much easier to understand."

"I can certainly say that logic is something thou'rt good at," Isabel complimented. "Though, 'tis quite some time until thou'rt able to read books without a frequent help of a dictionary. Not even mentioning the fact that our dictionary might be outdated… anyways, It seemeth that is all for today, Daring Do. Is there something thou wouldst like to learn?"

"Well, yeah," Daring Do nodded. "Tell me more about king Nicholas. He seems to be... interesting, to say the least. Not to mention that he's a bit different from other vampires."

"Thy assumptions are correct. Nicholas is indeed a very interesting person," Isabel nodded. "But it is not my right to tell thee about him. Well, at least not what he'd like to keep private."

"Um, can you tell me just a bit about him? Is he not the one who founded your country?" the adventurer asked with curiosity.

"He is," the vampire mare nodded. "It hath happened a long time ago. Even before I was born, that is. Even before Equestria was founded, too. He is very old... not only that, he is also clever and wise. I doubt that anyone hath as much experience as him.

"Back to the topic at hoof. I'm not going to reveal much... since I simply don't know, but there's quite a tale to tell. So, he hath established our country about five hundred years prior to the Great Winter. Maybe even a thousand years before that... No one knoweth besides him. I know for sure that he helped the outcasts unite under his flag and create a new nation, the vampires. Back then, intertribal relationships were forbidden, and those to commit it would be banished out of their tribes forever. Nicholas helped those outcasts survive... And that's all I know…”

"...More information on this is stored in the Great Archives, but I doubt thou wouldst get access there in thy lifetime. It is the most sacred place we have, hidden deep within our city. As of now, only a few vampires are allowed access there, and there have never been any ponies in the whitelist... as far as I know."

"Alright, then," Daring Do slowly nodded, taking a mental note.

In her mind, she knew she had to get to those archives to find out the history of Nicholas, his kingdom, and the relationship between Vallaer and Equestria. The information might be proven useful, maybe even a key to defeating the Vampire King if such a time comes.

Chapter 3: Taking Action

~<<*>>~Chapter 3: Taking Action~<<*>>~

In the northern region of Equestria, snow was falling upon a guard-outpost in a substantial amounts. It layered the environment with a blanket of snow as the early winter fell upon them. The glacial wind was blowing from the Frozen North, bringing sub-zero temperatures and creating an arctic. The moon was in it’s perigee, caused the land around to be in a refulgent state. The coating of snow reflected the light, illuminating the surroundings with a ruby glow.
The moon was a sickly blood red tonight.

"Private!" The sergeant barked. The wings of the private shot forth preparing to launch. After giving him an envelope, the former commanded; "Fly to Canterlot and inform the princesses at once!"

"Yes, sir!" the pegasus saluted and initiated his take off. “I’ll get it done.”

His launch created a gust of cold wind to fly away; he’d disappear below the horizon given a short amount of time.

The rest of the stationed guards became ready; their weapons were drawn. They watched the moon with a steady gaze, barely blinking and not turning away for a moment. Their ears were swiveling around, trying to determine the source of a peculiar noise they could hear flying through the air.

A churning medley slowly faded in by a small crescendo, carried across the land by the perturbing wind; it unsettled the outpost and further reaches of Equestria. The cosmic orchestra played eerie sounds, sounding almost ethereal in nature. The guards desperately searched for the sound, trying to pinpoint the location. The pegasi circled the outpost, looking out for danger and the source of the abnormal melody. It seemed like the mountains themselves hummed the tune; causing a sweet but taunting timbre. No pony wanted to fly though or go on hoof through the daunting territory, bordering the Frozen North.

Later in the morning, when everyone was only waking up from a peaceful night, one particular unicorn was already on her hooves.

Twilight Sparkle was nervously pacing in the Golden Oak Library; with haste she packed quills, flash cards, and various reference books. Her dependable dragon assistant and friend Spike was standing nearby, watching her with worry in his eyes.

"Twilight ... calm down ... " Spike said with hesitance. Twilight muttered something to herself, searching the bookshelves.Spike watching her and stated, “It's just a test, not much to be worried about.”

"Just a test?" she turned to Spike, her eyes open wide. "Just a test?! Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of an exam, and you want me to calm down?!"

"Uh... yes?" Spike said, shielding himself with a bunch of pillows from the agitated mare.

Twilight stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes and making a deep and sharp inhale. The dragon, preparing for the inevitable, pulled the pillows closer and closed his eyes, silently praying.

"JUST A TEST?!" Twilight howled as the whole library lifted up in a magical outburst of frustration. After floating for a moment in the air, it plummeted to the ground smashing the dirt..

"Oof!" Spike yelped being bashed into the ceiling and the floor.

"No time to waste!" the unicorn searched for her bag that was thrown away during the explosion. She packed the rest with a brisked tempo, "Alright, it’s time for me to go. Look after the library for me and don’t even cavil!"

The unicorn teleported away without saying goodbye, leaving Spike completely alone. He looked around in dismay, seeing all the books lying around chaotically. He sighed with as much mirth as a mouse being eaten by a bat. He sat down for a moment, pressing his claws against his cheeks.

"Yeah ..."

Princess Celestia was in the throne room, a photo in her magical grasp. A frown was present on her face as she looked at the photo that depicted the red moon, brighter and redder than what she could see from Canterlot. A clopping of hooves sounded from the throne room door, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"You wanted to see me? To give me a test? I brought my own quills and plenty of paper to show my work!" Twilight quickly fired out her words. Stumbling and almost falling, she dropped a book from her saddlebags. Quickly picking it up, she said: "Sorry, sorry!"

"This is a different kind of test, Twilight," Celestia spoke, stepping down from her throne and helping her student to put the book where it belonged. "I need you to investigate something."

"I-investigate?" the unicorn stuttered with her ears drooped. "I, I haven't prepared for that..."

"There can be no preparation for something like this," the princess assured. "It is something even I can't understand. There is something at the edge of my mind, but ... it's out of my reach," she moved the photo to Twilight. "Take a look at this and tell me what you think."

"Hm ..." Twilight took the photo and squinted her eyes. "For once, the moon is red, but you've already noticed that..." she went silent for a few moments as she studied each millimeter of the photo. "I ... I'm afraid I can't say any- wait, I ... I think ... uh ..." she tapped her chin and then said in a slow voice, "N-no, I don't think so ..."

"Speak what's on your mind," Celestia said with curiosity. "It might help in uncovering this mystery."

"Well, there's an ancient legend ... It's probably nothing, but ... Nightmare Moon was also a legend," Twilight chuckled nervously before continuing "So, I remember reading something about the symbolism of the moon back when I was just a filly … One of the legends say that vampires are closely associated with the red moon."

"Vampires ..." the princess muttered, a frown slowly creeping on her face. "What do you know of them?"

"From the same legend; vampires look close to ponies but there is some difference between the two. I ... can't really put my tongue on it … The most important thing the legend said was that they supposedly ... drank blood," a shiver ran down her spine. "That's all I know ... sorry."

"I see," Celestia nodded. "However, this information is still not entirely reliable."

"You want me to go there and investigate?" Twilight asked with hesitation and interest.

"As I said, this is a different kind of test," the princess nodded. "One I'm certain you will pass," a small encouraging smile appeared on her face.

"How would I even begin?"

"You would join Shining Armor on the train station. He and his guards will be leaving for the Northern Equestria at nine in the evening if all follows the schedule."

"My brother will travel there?" Twilight asked, surprised by a fact.

"He will; your friends from Ponyville will join you as well. I have full confident in your success. And when you do succeed, I'll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies."

"But what if I fail?" the unicorn said with worry, looking away from the princess.

"You won't," Celestia assured.

"But if-"

"You won't!" the princess repeated with more intensity. "Now, go. There is no time to waste. I wish the best of luck to you Twilight."

Bowing, Twilight quickly departed from the throne room and sprinted through the halls of the castle, trying to reach the train station with posthaste. If time was counting down, she wouldn’t waste a single second. Questions and doubts needed to be cast aside for now.

***

Later that evening, Twilight Sparkle and her friends were boarding the train along with Shining Armor and the squad of the Royal Guards. Aside from them, there was no one on the train. Soon, it departed Canterlot, leaving for the northern reaches of Equestria.

"This looks ... weird," Rainbow Dash commented as the six ponies looked at the photo Twilight received. "I went to bed before the moonrise, so I didn't see that."

Everyone else nodded, having done the same as Rainbow Dash with the exception of Applejack. She frowned slightly, taking the photo into her own hooves and looking at it for a few long moments before speaking.

"Yesterday, Ah worked in the field. Big Mac hurt his leg, Ah had to do some work for him. So, Ah was plowing that field when Ah saw the moon rising. At first, everythin' was fine, and Ah was just finishing when the moon turned red all of sudden!" everyone looked at her. "Ah thought that Ah was just tired, so Ah went to bed ..."

"Hold on!" she raised her hoof and then added, "Ah ... Ah think it wasn't as red as the one on the photo."

"If the glow is magical in nature, it's possible that the closer you are to the one who cast it, the brighter the glow is. The photo was taken in Northern Equestria ... Could it mean that the source is there?" Twilight rubbed her chin, thinking of other ways of finding the origin of the mysterious glow.

"We're going there to see if it is," Shining Armor said, finally inserting his word. A deep frown of concern was on his face. "There are multiple reports from guard outposts all over Equestria except those that are in the south. So, I agree with Twilight."

"The moon is rising ..." one of the guards muttered but it was enough for everyone else to hear. Soon, the six bearers of the Elements were glued to the window to see the moonrise. Slowly but surely, it was going up to replace the sun.

Unfortunately, the moon disappeared behind a mountain, eliciting a collective groan from the ponies.

"It looked... fine," Fluttershy said slowly, unsure of her own words.

"I think so too, yeah," Rainbow Dash added, nodding.

"Maybe that night was special," Twilight suggested, a notebook in her magical grasp as she wrote something down on it. "I have already cross-referenced it in some books but didn't find anything. This day has been a completely normal day for hundreds of years. Maybe I should check the older records but I don't have the books for that yet."

"Look, the moon again!" Rarity exclaimed as she was the only one still looking at the window.

Everyone rushed in to take a look as well, and there it was, the moon. A very light tint of red was present, barely noticeable. The wind was blowing and it was snowing, making it hard to see, but it was obvious that the moon wasn't normal.

Suddenly, a shape darted across the moon, just above the horizon, disappearing in an instant.

"Did you see that?" Twilight put a hoof to the window.

"See ... what?" Rainbow Dash raised a brow, turning to the unicorn.

"It was ... something," Twilight said slowly, trying to figure out how to put it. "I... I saw something but it's not clear what it was."

Nicholas the Vampire King was in his personal study, writing something on a piece of paper that laid on the table in front of him. A faint light of a candle illuminated the table and the paper as he scribbled the notes, concentrated entirely on his work. When he moved the quill to refill it with ink, he heard knocking on the door.

"Intră," Nicholas said, his eyes turning to the door.

Soon, the door opened, and a vampire walked in. He was dressed in a cloak that had specks of snow on it.

"Garda Regală vine, majestatea voastră. Alte șase ponei cu ei," the vampire reported, straightening his posture in front of the king.

"Înţeleg ..." Nicholas replied with a nod, a frown appearing on his face. "Supraveghea le, raportați acțiunile al lor pentru mine."

"Se va face, regele meu," the vampire bowed with respect and left the king.

Nicholas stood up from his armchair, putting the quill down. With a deep sigh, he put out the fire on the candle, leaving the room in complete darkness. Turning to the exit, he left his work for later.

***

Daring Do was sitting in her room, writing for her new novel, describing her learning experiences in detail; she was writing about Isabel and what the adventurer thought about the vampire so far. A particular silence was in the room; only the scratching of the quill was heard. However, it was soon disturbed by a knock coming from the door.

The adventurer turned away from her work to face the door; when it opened, it revealed Nicholas. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a frown on his face.

"Adventurer, I need thee to tell me something," he said, walking closer to the pegasus and looking her in the eyes. "Is there anyone who would travel here in case thou goest missing?"

"No, I only work alone," Daring Do replied, not quite understanding why the Vampire King needed to know that. A few seconds after her reply, a realization began to dawn on her, but she decided to keep it to herself for now.

"I believe thee," Nicholas nodded, looking away into the window. "Perhaps it was the moon ... Daring Do ... The truth is, ponies are coming to nearby settlements. Not just any ponies, however... Royal Guards of Equestria, no less. And with them, six more ponies." he walked even closer to Daring Do and locked his eyes with hers. "Tell me... who are those six? The bearers of the Elements of Harmony, aren't they?"

"I ... I don't know ... maybe?" Daring Do replied with uncertainty. "I don't know too much about them. I've only heard bits and pieces, so ..."

"What dost thou know, then?" Nicholas continued to inquire, his inquisitive look seemingly penetrating the soul of the pegasus through her eyes.

"Well ... one of them, I think, is named Twilight Sparkle," the pegasus replied, fidgeting in place from the uncomfortable stare of the Vampire King, unable to break the eye contact. "She's a unicorn ... purple ... Uh, that's all I know, really. A-at least that's all I can remember."

"I see ..." Nicholas finally broke the stare, eliciting a silent sigh of relief from Daring Do. "I am grateful for thy cooperation, adventurer," he turned away to leave. "Thou shalt certainly be rewarded accordingly despite thy lack of knowledge on the matter. I shall see to it that more information is discovered about these bearers," he turned his head to look at the pegasus one last time before exiting the room. "We'll see each other again soon, Daring Do."

Some hours later, the train was finally coming to a stop, its wheel screeching slightly as the small station came closer and closer. The sun had completely set under the horizon, creating a still picture with the stars and moon shining coldly onto the snowy ground below. As the Red Moon rose higher and higher in the dark sky, the six bearers of the Elements and the squad of Royal Guards with Shining Armor as their captain disembarked the train to meet the chilly weather of Northern Equestria. A small mining settlement lay ahead of them, most of its lights turned off for the night. In truth, they were almost entirely unneeded — the moonlight reflected off the thin layer of snow flawlessly, illuminating the surroundings in just the right way, allowing everything to be seen almost like in broad daylight.

"Captain Shining Armor!" a pony in armor rushed to the group. "We were expecting you," he glanced at the moon and then straightened his posture for a salute. "Permission to report, captain?"

"Granted," Shining Armor nodded, giving the full attention to the local guard.

"Yes, sir! The situation at the settlement is normal and under control. The moon has been in this state for two nights counting from the previous one … However ... I suspect that it was a brighter red on the previous night."

"Thank you," Shining Armor nodded, frowning slightly. "Show us to the place we will be staying at."

"This way, captain," the guard saluted one last time and turned around, leading the way through a narrow path in the snow that led from the small train station to the settlement.

Unbeknownst to all of them, each and every move they made was watched closely. A vampire was hidden among the sparkling snow on the top of one of the numerous hills scattered across the Northern Equestria. Under a white cloak that was additionally covered in the show, he was practically invisible from a large distance. A few nearly silent clicks sounded as he adjusted the telescope, bringing the ponies into focus. With his gaze, he followed them as they made their way into the settlement.

The group of ponies walked in an almost perfect silence. Snow crunched under their hooves as they moved while the armor of the guards clanked quietly with each hoof step. Vapor escaped the nostrils of the ponies, quickly dissipating into the air. Rarity shivered slightly, tightening the scarf around her neck and adjusting the warm hat on her head. Captain Shining Armor was often looking around but kept the thoughts to himself. His sister was by his side, nervously glancing at him from time to time as if she had a question to ask. Applejack shifted her jacket slightly so that it covered more of her body. Pinkie Pie was bouncing along the other ponies, although her bounce was weaker than usual, something seemed to distract her from her usual high level of cheerfulness.

Rainbow Dash's ears twitched under her hat, and she stopped in her tracks. She sniffed the air and a frown appeared on her face. She took off the hat, letting her ears swivel freely.

"Is everything alright, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked, noticing the strange behavior of her friend.

"I dunno ..." the cyan pegasus tilted her head and scanned the area with uncertainty. "I feel ..." her ear twitched again. "Something, I guess."

The whole group stopped and began to survey the surroundings thoroughly. The vampire on the hill completely halted any movement as well, holding his breath and staring down at Rainbow Dash through the telescope. After a few long moments, everyone looked at the rainbow-maned pegasus with confusion.

"Nothing to report," one of the guards told Shining Armor, who nodded in response.

"Let's move and get to warmth," he said, glancing at Rainbow Dash and furrowing his brows. "We'll think about it all there."

After another session of studying, Isabel and Daring Do were on their way through the halls of the Castle of Vallaer. The latter had a certain hesitation in her steps, which didn't go unnoticed by the vampire mare.

"I am sure thou shalt leave a positive impression on His Majesty, thou'st already made quite some progress!" Isabel assured the pegasus with an encouraging smile appeared on her face. "I believe he will enjoy exchanging some simple phrases with thee."

"Y-yeah," Daring Do nodded, but her mind in a completely different place. Instead of thinking about the language, her thoughts were about the nearby ponies. She had no idea what the Vampire King had for them in store and if his plans took her into account. One way or another, the city would have new pony additions, alive... or dead.

"Art thou distracted?" the vampire asked her, the smile slightly diminishing. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, uh..." the pegasus stuttered as her mind tried to come up with an answer that would both satisfy the curiosity of Isabel and not reveal too much. Perhaps, the latter part of her thought was the solution. "It concerns His Majesty and me, I, uh, don't know if I can say."

"Alright," Isabel nodded in understanding. "Let us leave it at that, then."

Soon, the two reached the throne room. Without question, they were let in by the guards who opened the doors for the two. Nicholas the Vampire King was sitting on his throne, a necklace levitating in front of him as he gazed at it. He raised his eyes, shifting his gaze to the two, and, to be more precise, to Daring Do. Putting the necklace away, he diverted his attention to the pegasus and the vampire unicorn.

"Salutări, majestatea voastră," Daring Do spoke, bowing before the Vampire King.

"Noapte bună, Daring Do," Nicholas replied, a smile spreading on his face. "Poţi se ridica."

The pegasus rose, straightened herself, and assumed a more casual posture.

"I see thou art indeed learning, Daring Do," the vampire king commented with praise. "I am quite pleased with thy wording. The pronunciation could be better but it is not a big concern." he paused, turning his attention to the second vampire in the throne room. "Excelentă predare, Isabel."

"Sunt recunoscător, regele meu," she replied, gracefully bowing to her king.

"Lăsați-ne pentru moment, vă rog," Nicholas said next, gesturing with his hoof at the entrance. Isabel bowed once again and exited the throne room, leaving Daring Do alone with the Vampire King. After the doors closed behind the mare, the clopping of her hooves faded away so he returned his attention to the pegasus.

"It is obvious something is disturbing thy thoughts, adventurer," once again, he looked straight in the eyes, his gaze demanding answers. "Art thou concerned about the ponies?"

"Yes, I am," Daring Do nodded with uncertainty.

"Ah, I see," he nodded, going silent for a few moments. "I believe it is safe to assume that thou art worrying about my course of action. Fear not, they shall not be disturbed unless they disturb us … Unless, of course, they discover us and our kingdom. Then ... I cannot tell what consequences my nation and I shall face," he furrowed his brows as he looked deeper into Daring Do's eyes, captivating them almost hypnotically. "Speaking of discoveries ... I think I should have asked this question already. Perhaps, my mind is not as sharp as before ..." he lost his train of thought for a split second, but quickly continued as he regained his focus on the matter: "Nevertheless, the question is, how did thou find us, adventurer?" he rose slightly from the throne. "What were the clues thou wast following?"

"M-many old maps, hints in books ... It took me a few years to p-pinpoint the entrance," Daring Do explained, her voice stuttering as she found herself unable to look away from Nicholas' crimson gaze.

"A research, I see..." Nicholas tapped his chin, not breaking the eye contact. "I believe thou hast not brought it with thyself. Then, perhaps, it is still at thy home?"

"Yes, it is," the pegasus nodded, not breaking the eye contact either.

"Thou shalt draw a map and point towards the location of thy home," the Vampire King said in a commanding tone. "If it turneth out to be false, thou shalt face..." his face seemed to jump right in front of Daring Do's eyes. "Repercussions," he said, hissing out the last 's', his voice fading as his face reappeared back in its place, casting stupor on the pegasus. "Remember this, adventurer. For cooperation, thou shalt receive rewards. For disobedience, punishments shall be delivered accordingly," Nicholas leaned back on his throne, looking away from the pegasus and at one of the decorations present in the room. "Now, go. Thou hast work to be done."

Sitting by a big fireplace in one of the settlement's buildings, the bearers of the Elements were engaged in a lively conversation about the object of their investigation and Twilight's test. Unfortunately for them, Shining Armor and the other guards locked themselves up in the outpost, having their own plans to make, leaving the mares to themselves.

"Vampires?" Rainbow Dash snorted and stifled a laugh. "Twilight, out of all ponies, especially nerd ponies, you should know that vampires don't exist!"

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's all we have right now," Twilight replied with a huff and a slight frown. "But it's undeniable that all of us saw the red moon, which is closely associated with vampires!"

"What or who exactly are the vampires, darling?" Rarity asked with interest, her ears aimed at Twilight. "You haven't explained it to us yet."

"Well, they are creatures from the ancient folklore," the lavender unicorn adjusted her position for a more comfortable one. "Many legends point towards them as creatures who steal cattle, bring diseases, and, most importantly, drink the blood of the unfortunate victims," she opened her maw to continue but most of the ponies gasped. She raised her hoof before anyone could utter a word and said: "Now, calm down, girls, it's just a legend!" she waited for a moment and then cleared her throat, returning the hoof to its place. "They are almost completely feral but exhibit primitive beliefs. They hunt in packs like wolves, although they are much more stealthy in their approach to hunting. A bite from a vampire would turn anyone into their kind unless the victim's blood is sucked out completely."

"This is ... mildly uncomfortable," Rarity commented, grimacing. "I wish I haven't asked," she turned away to look at the fire, shivering.

"Tales of vampires are considered ancient discrimination against the lunar pegasi. To my knowledge, during the Dark Ages, especially during the Solar Inquisition, many of them were hunted down and ..." Twilight looked away and gulped. "I ... I don't really want to discuss it. And all of it led to the almost total extermination of lunar pegasi. They're recovering even now, but ... the history is history," she let out a deep sigh and then cleared her throat. "Anyways, perhaps there were vampires during the ancient times. The imagery associated with them, as I have previously said, is the red moon, which we can see clearly in the sky," she gestured at the window which had the perfect view of what she had just described. "So ... I wouldn't be so sure that they're extinct. It couldn't appear out of nowhere, after all. For now, I think we should focus on searching for more information about the vampires. I have brought quite a few books, and I think they'll help!"

Silence fell on the ponies as each of them thought deeply. Twilight moved a book to herself and opened it, soon engulfed in reading. Other ponies, not knowing what else to do at the moment, lay near the fireplace and stared at the flames, digesting the information. Mumbling something, the lavender unicorn brought the book closer only to dismiss something in the next second, flipping the page.

"So, where do we start?" Rainbow Dash stood up and groaned. "I don't want just to sit here and think. We need to do something if we want to complete Princess Celestia's task."

"We should be patient, Rainbow," Twilight said, not lifting her eyes from the book.

"By reading dusty old books?" the pegasus rolled her eyes. "If you want to do that, fine. I'm going to look for clues outside," she headed towards the exit, and soon the door behind her shut with a loud thud.

Outside, the storming weather calmed down. The sky was cleared, revealing the white moon turning blood-red. The snow was everywhere: in the streets, on the rooftops, covering the fields and hills, and it even hid the steps ponies made just around half an hour ago. Once again, the ears of the pegasus twitched suddenly, making her look around in search of something she didn't quite understand. As if the wind was making her ears itch but there wasn't even a slight breeze at the moment.

Inhaling the fresh air, Rainbow Dash took off into the sky, soon flying high above the settlement. Something was out there and she needed to find it. She didn't know what it was but it drew her in, called for her. It was somewhere nearby, just waiting to be found by her.

For a moment, she thought she saw something blink at the horizon. She squinted her eyes but could see nothing but snow. Groaning with dissatisfaction, the pegasus descended slightly and took a full circle around the settlement. At that time of night, everyone was already asleep not counting the night shift of the local guard. They didn't seem to notice or at the very least mind Rainbow Dash as she flew around them.

"Maybe Twilight is right..." she muttered to herself with even greater frustration. She could feel it, she could sense it, it was at the edge of her mind, and yet she couldn't understand what it was.

She looked at the bloody moon. The tint of the red showed through the thin elevated cloud cover. The moon seemingly taunted the pegasus, knowing that she would never be able to get to it. It remained out of reach, just like what Rainbow Dash felt twice. Without the faintest idea of what it could be, she could do nothing, but land and head back to her friends. Perhaps, all she needed was a good long sleep, then maybe her head would be clear again.

Chapter 4: The Red Moon

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 5: Blood Ties

Daring Do blinked groggily, coming to her senses and at the same time falling into the black, the image of the Red Moon flashing before her eyes, reminding her of the experience she had just gone through. The tunnel, the song, the blood, it was all inside her, etched into her memories for the rest of her life as an unforgettable memory. She let out a long and weary sigh as she tried to regain her thoughts once again, the taste of iron in her mouth distracting her. She tried to not think about it, fearing what she might discover.

"Thou art unwell, I'm afraid," a crystal-clear voice spoke above her. She turned her head and saw Nicholas, a worried expression was present on his face. Among the blur of the mist, his face was apparent and defined, a center of her attention. "The contact hath taken its toll..."

"W-wha..." Daring Do muttered before letting out a loud cough, spraying blood all over herself. Fortunately for her, she was too tired to react to it at all. She shut her eyes and coughed a few more times.

"Thou needest rest, adventurer," Nicholas replied, two guards rushing to the pegasus. "Lună Roșie hath taken some of thy blood and given something in return. Thou art... adjusting," he turned to the guards and issued an order, and soon the adventurer was carefully moved to a stretcher. Slowly and gently, the guards raised it above the ground, the body of the pegasus laying securely on the stretcher.

"I... I saw..." she tried to say but soon found her throat dry. She let out yet another cough, feeling a certain ache in her lungs, a burning sensation in her nostrils, and the same taste of iron in her maw.

"What thou hast seen is not for my ears," the Vampire King shook his head, replying to the pegasus. "I am not drawn to thee, the blood thou got is not mine to take. Lună Roșie decided that I do not need to know it yet, and so it must be that way for now, then."

Too tired to reply, Daring Do lay on the stretcher silently, closing her eyes, the echo of the choir still ringing in her ears. The images didn't leave her, going through her mind, and yet her thoughts were silent. The vision repeated again but only as a memory in the back of her mind, firmly placed into her now by the Red Moon. A perpetual reddish glow would remain in her eyes for the rest of her life. Perhaps, most wouldn't notice it due to the natural rosy color of her eyes, but it would remain there for all to see if they dared to look close enough.

Slowly, she was carried through the crowd of vampires, Nicholas following close behind. A few minutes were spent in silence as the vampires around them glanced at the pony, sometimes staring outright and exchanging whispers among themselves. However, they stood aside, not daring to approach. Once the group was far away from the main square, Daring Do spoke to the Vampire King, breaking the uneasy silence.

"W-what did... did you see?" she asked, feeling a sudden urge to know. A certain pull, perhaps, and she could not resist it even if she wanted.

"...I saw something..." Nicholas replied after a moment of hesitation, a brief frown passing his face. "Something that is now a part of my past," he turned around, looking at the obelisk that could still be seen from afar. The symbols on it were shining brightly as ever, seemingly pulsating, sending a certain message to the Vampire King. "It seemeth so close and yet so distant..." he looked away for a moment. "And I saw something else... something that might have already happened but I have no knowledge of it," he returned to Daring Do. "Rest, now. Lună Roșie might have been kind to thee, but thou art not one of us, thou dost not have Sângele Vechi al Lunii, not a single drop of it courses through thy body."

"Sângele... Vechi al L-lunii?" Daring Do asked, her ears slightly perking up as she turned her full attention to the Vampire King. Even in her weakened state, the desire for knowledge burned brighter than any fire. She could not let a single thing escape her attention, especially right after one of the most important moments of her life.

"Thou shalt find out what it is in time, adventurer," Nicholas replied vaguely, something flashing in his eyes. "For now, all thou needest is rest and healing. As for me... I have something to deal with right now. Once thou art safe, I shall depart and we shall meet again soon."

During the day, Princess Luna usually spent her time sleeping, resting from the night of work, for she was the protector of dreams. She was the one to guarantee that all ponies had their night peacefully, resting like they should. However, something kept her up, not allowing her to take her own sleep, to dream her own dreams. There was something that demanded her attention, called to her, wanted her to hear something very important, something that must not be ignored.

With a tired sigh and a slow blink of her eyes, the alicorn disregarded the blanket and stood up from her bed. Her ears perked up as she felt a rumble go through the air itself, reaching her and resonating with her. The darkened chambers of her bedroom were lit by a white light, and it seemed it emitted from the princess herself. Puzzled, she looked at her flank and saw that her mark, specifically the crescent moon, was glowing. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at it, not believing her own eyes. She had never seen such a thing occurring before, and it left her in a state of confusion and excitement at the same time.

Feeling a tingle in her ears, Luna flicked them. However, the tingle wasn't gone, and it was clear something else was causing it, something peculiar, and it was near, she felt. Reluctantly, she turned to where she felt the tingle was coming from and faced the doors to her balcony. A soft reddish glow could be seen from behind them, calling to her. Slowly, she made her way to them but stopped before opening. It was unclear whether it was friendly or wished her harm, and so she should probably refrain from opening the doors and discovering what lay behind them. However, the pull was too strong, her curiosity demanded her to go through with it. And so, she opened them.

Up in the sky, covering the sun itself, the Red Moon hovered, casting its red light onto the land below. With her eyes open wide, Luna slowly entered the balcony, the doors softly shutting behind her. Her mouth agape, the princess stared at what she believed to be hers. However, she felt something very different. The moon would not obey, she realized. Not today.

She looked down at the streets of Canterlot. Bustling like in the middle of the day, they were filled with ponies. She noticed that they seemingly ignored what was happening, a celestial event unseen in many years, possibly before either of the princesses was born.

"Sister?" Luna heard a voice behind her. She turned her head and saw Celestia, who bore a surprised look on her face. "What are you doing here at this time of day?"

"You... don't see?" the nightly princess replied with uncertainty.

"See what, Lu-Lu?" Celestia blinked in confusion.

Luna turned from Celestia back to the moon. There it was, covering the sun, casting the shade on everything in sight. And yet, it was unnoticed by the Princess of the Day. The nightly alicorn turned her gaze to her flank, which was still glowing.

"Sister..." Luna said slowly, trying to remain calm. "You might not believe me... But there's Lunar Eclipse."

"Is everything alright with you?" Celestia took a step closer. "Have you slept at all, Luna? It's a normal day today."

"N-normal day?" the princess was still puzzled and confused, turning to the moon and back to her sister. "This... this is not normal! The moon, it's... It's not listening!"

Celestia opened her maw to speak but froze in place. Everything stopped, silence took over the world, and only Princess Luna remained. She turned back to the moon, looking at it with great fear and wonder.

A soft song appeared in the air, penetrating the very soul of the nightly alicorn, warming her from the inside. Slowly, she calmed down and took a seat, her eyes fixated on the moon. And then, it spoke.

"Do not fret, Luna," it sang in a voice that was neither male nor female. "Thou art the moon, the stars, the night. Thou art the calm, the peace, and yet thou hast thunder and might. However... thou art lost without a half. To find the half, thou must discover who thou art."

"W-who are you?" Luna asked, stuttering.

"Thou knowest me as the Moon," it replied gently. "Thou wast born for the night, Luna. Thou must listen and think... perhaps, the truth is near. Do not fear, Luna, for thou art a half, and thou canst be complete if thou becomest you."

The eyes of the nightly alicorn opened wide. She was lying in her bed, drenched in sweat, a ringing noise in her ears. Slowly, she stood up from her bed. She glanced at her flank, looking at her mark. This time, it was normal, and yet she feared it would begin to glow suddenly yet again. She turned her gaze and looked at the doors to her balcony. They were slightly open, and sunlight shone through the crack. Slowly, Luna approached the doors and opened them bit by bit, letting more sunlight in. The sun was near the horizon, and it would soon be Luna's time to raise the moon.

It was her usual, peaceful, serene end of the day. And yet, she couldn't get a certain word out of her head.

"A... half..." she slowly said, looking at nothing in particular. "A half..."

The journey back to the castle was blurry and hazy for Daring Do. She faded in and out of the black, finding it hard to concentrate on anything at all as her vision shifted and distorted, and the moon hovered above her, always in the corner of her vision even with her eyes closed shut, almost as if Lună Roșie was beckoning her to bathe in Her blood again, to see more than she had already seen. Something whispered in her ears but she couldn't make out the words for they were spoken in a language she didn't have an idea of.

Thumping resonated inside her head as soft choir entered her ears, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was short-lived, however, and it disappeared once Daring Do was carried into the castle and the heavy doors closed behind her, cutting off the glow from the obelisk. Next, the pegasus was moved to a white hall. It was wide and open, big windows allowed the moonlight to shine from the outside. She was placed on a soft bed, Nicholas and the guards leaving her completely alone. For around a minute, the hall was absolutely empty and silent save for the soft cracking of the torches on the walls and the breath of Daring Do as she lay on the bed. Soon, however, three vampires appeared in her vision, moving silently as if they were ghosts, gliding across the floor. They wore elaborate red robes with golden embroidery, hoods concealing their faces. Two of them stood by her side while the last vampire took place behind the bed and revealed his face.

It was a unicorn stallion with slicked back white mane and a goatee of the same color, a contrast to the fur of black. His glowing blue eyes looked into the eyes of the pegasus in preparation. After a few long moments of silence, he opened his maw to speak. The words he spoke were foreign to Daring Do, and yet it seemed that she could understand them. He chanted, and the two other vampires repeated quietly, stretching the last vowel until the main vampire spoke again in something that resembled a song.

Mama noastră care ești luna,
Sfințească-se numele Tău.

He sang gently, his eyes looking deep into Daring Do's, and she could not break from his gaze even if she wanted to. There was something captivating, something enthralling, something in them that welcomed her. A certain warmth, perhaps. An inviting gesture, a promise of something she didn't know she needed.

Vie împărăția Ta,
Fie voia Ta, precum în cosmos așa și pe al nostru lume.

The vampire continued, and a pleasant, warm sensation spread through the body of the pegasus, making her wings twitch ever so slightly. She didn't notice how her own lips followed the movement of the lips of the vampire, almost singing the same words he sang.

Dă-ne sângele vindecător în seara asta,
Dă-ne-o nouă în seara asta - și ne iartă nouă greșalele noastre,
Pentru că apărăm noaptea în numele Tău.

The eyes of the pegasus began to close, and a reflection of the Red Moon could be seen in the eyes of the vampire above her, appearing more clearly with each passing moment. A soft glow began to spread across her body as she found herself light, weighing less than a feather, ready to fly up to the ceiling and beyond, into the sky of the night.

Ne izbăvește de rău, o Lună Roșie.

The vampire released a soft sigh, placing a hoof on the head of Daring Do, sending warmth through her body.

Amin.

And finally, the adventurer fell asleep, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. Her body relaxed, her breath became calm, deep, and steady. A certain relaxing ringing of a bell was left in the air as the vampire removed his hoof from her head and then proceeded to walk away from her bed, the other two following soon after, leaving the hall in silence.

The ponies were assembled in the local tavern, warming up next to the fireplace, resting from their trip and the subsequent rockslide. All of them were quietly sipping the warm tea or coffee, each of them thinking about what to do next. Returning was too dangerous and there were no other leads so far, not leaving them much choice. Rainbow Dash was the most agitated of the bunch; rocking from side to side, she waited, a frown on her face and a desire to act in her heart. Something or someone out there wanted to harm her friends, and she would be a traitor if she didn't at the very least try to help her friends.

Suddenly, the door to the outside opened, revealing Shining Armor. He quickly entered and closed the door behind them, a large bag hanging on his side. Without a word, he trotted to the rest of the ponies and sat, putting down the bag and untying it, revealing the sword from the museum.

"So, we have this clue Twilight and Rainbow found," Shining Armor said, putting down the sword and the pieces on the blade. "This is... certainly unusual."

"Curved handle, engravings..." the stallion muttered, inspecting the sword with his eyes. "A gem in the pommel... Unicorn design of the handle and crossguard, and just an old design overall, but... This is completely foreign," he touched the blade with his hoof. Suddenly, one of the three words inscribed on the unsharpened part of the blade started glowing. "What the?!" the stallion recoiled, retracting his hoof. The glow slowly ceased, leaving the inscription in its original state. "What is this..."

"Is everything alright?" Twilight asked with worry, looking at her brother.

"...Seems so," he replied with uncertainty. His horn glowed for a few seconds, encompassing the sword as a whole. "Doesn't look like it's dangerous. If we only knew what these writings are..."

"Let me take a look..." Twilight said, moving closer to the sword. Her friends followed her and soon they surrounded the sword and looked at it with suspicion. "I read a bit on old languages before, so I think I can figure out what these words mean. So, sange, bezna, onoare. The first word, sange, resembles 'sanguis', which is a word from Old Equish meaning 'blood'. Bezna... This is harder since I don't recognize this word at all. And onoare... It resembles 'honor' of Commonlang," she explained, studying the inscription with her eyes. "All of this might be a big stretch, however... But! I am certain it has something to do with vampires," she pointed at the pommel. "Look at this. If my assumption is correct, this is the red moon. From legends, that is the symbol of vampires. All of it points towards this sword being a weapon of a vampire."

The room went almost completely silent as ponies exchanged whispers. Twilight continued to inspect the sword while her brother furrowed his brows and looked outside. After a few long minutes, the silence was broken.

"So... It seems that we figured out what we're up against, right?" Rarity spoke in a hushed voice. "Vampires..."

"It's just a theory, I might be wrong," Twilight Sparkle raised her hoof. "But, here's what's interesting..." she looked at the inscriptions and then at her brother. "When Shining touched the blade, one of the three words glowed. Can you do this again?"

Shining Armor nodded and hesitantly touched the hilt of the sword. And indeed, one of the words glowed, the same one that glowed the first time the stallion touched the sword.

"Onoare, I see..." Twilight tapped her chin and then turned to her friends. "If that is 'honor', then it fits perfectly well since my brother is the captain of the Royal Guard," she made a small smile, confident in her discovery. "Alright... I think each of us should take turns touching the sword to see what words we get," true to her word, she put her hoof on the hilt. This time, another part of it glowed very faintly. "Sange? That's interesting..." a notebook appeared out of nowhere and Twilight wrote down the discoveries, adding a quick sketch of the sword to them as well.

Everyone took their turn, getting nothing or a subtle glow of one of the three words except 'beznâ', which remained completely blank. And finally, it was the turn of Rainbow Dash. With a bored expression on her face, she put the hoof on the hilt. To her surprise, everyone gasped, prompting her to look at the words. Sânge was glowing brightly, onoare along with beznâ were dim.

"In the name of Celestia..." Twilight Sparkle said with her eyes wide open and looked at Rainbow Dash. "Do... do you know anything about it."

"N-no?" the pegasus replied, unsure of her words, lifting her hoof from the weapon. "I mean, I did see the sword in my dream, but... that's all, really," she looked at everyone nervously, her ears flat on her head. "It's just a dream, right?"

"I would say the same if not for this!" Twilight exclaimed, gesturing at the sword. "I mean... If this happens, then..." she muttered, quickly scribing something in her notebook. "Rainbow Dash... you might be a vampire."

"Me? A vampire?" the pegasus recoiled. "I don't drink blood!"

"R-rainbow..." Rarity said all of sudden, levitating a small mirror to her. "Look..."

"What? Did I suddenly grow a pair of fangs or... something..." she stopped, looking at her reflection. To her utter bewilderment, her eyes were a deeper shade of red than before, and a soft glow of the same color complimented them. Rainbow Dash blinked a few times, hoping that it was just a trick, a figment of her imagination, and yet the glow was unceasing, her eyes remained red. She looked at the blade and saw that the inscription was still glowing.

"Now, before we do anything stupid..." Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath. "Rainbow, we know you're not a vampire," noticing the contradiction in her own words, she quickly added: "I mean, if you truly were one, we'd know already," she let out a long sigh. "Alright, everyone... We need to figure out what happened, okay?"

Everyone nodded slowly, still looking warily at their pegasus friend, who continued to stare into her own eyes for a few more moments before looking away.

"Alright, then..." Twilight continued. "Now... Rainbow, I think you do have a connection to vampires in some way or form. Assuming that sange is indeed blood, you might be a direct descendant of one of them. Though, I still need to figure out what bezna means..." she tapped her chin. "I don't think I have the slightest idea. But!" she raised her hoof. "If all three of these words are an attribute of character, then we need to find something that you have and we don't have," she paused to think for a few long moments. "So, sange is blood. Onoare is honor. Though, why blood? What does it exactly mean?" she paused yet again. "Does anyone have any thoughts?"

One by one, every single pony shook their heads, frowning. Twilight groaned in frustrating, knowing that she found a lead and yet it seemed to go nowhere because no one knew anything about it. However, her thoughts didn't cease and she proceeded to speak them freely.

"Well, let's just assume that blood means what it is — blood. It's an inherited thing, then," the gears in her head turning, she continued: "I have some of it, then, but from what I know, my family only consisted of unicorns most of the time. At least, in the last thousand years. So, maybe sange isn't being literal here... At any rate, hm... Bezna can be an attribute that is also hereditary and none of us but Rainbow has it. Or it can be a characteristic that only she has..."

"So, what does it all mean?" the pegasus huffed impatiently.

"It means that you have something that we don't," Twilight gestured at her. "And that could be... I don't even know," she tapped her chin and furrowed her brows. "The most prominent characteristic you have is loyalty. However, I don't think the sword is connected to the Elements of Harmony. Unless... bezna means loyalty, but I highly doubt it for reasons I can't explain right now..." she groaned again. "I need more information! We need to find something else, something that would explain at least a part of it or give a definite translation to at least one of the words!" she exhaled, calming down. "Now-"

Suddenly, the sword began to rattle and glow, an aura of crimson surrounding it. All three words shone brightly in red, illuminating the surroundings. Ponies exclaimed and jumped away from the sword as all its pieces began to come together. The rattle intensified, making ponies fold their ears, and then the sword moved upwards, every single bit of it coming together as the steel glowed bright red, almost white, emitting more heat than a furnace, forcing the ponies to take a few more steps back. The sword started spinning and propelled itself to the nearest window, melting the glass on its way through it, and a loud hissing sounded as the cold wind and snow collided with the hot drops of glass and the heated sword.

"Quick, after it!" Shining Armor was the first one to recollect his thoughts as he dashed to the exit, yelling orders to the guards outside. Soon, everyone was in the pursuit of the sword.

The six mares soon followed, bolting from their places and dashing outside the building to join the guards. The sword could still be visible as it glowed, flying through the air and scaring the local ponies away. The guards were close behind, galloping as fast as they could, trying to catch up with the ancient weapon.

"Everyone aside!" Shining Armor barked, announcing his presence to the ponies, making them get out of the way as the guards galloped through the streets. "Make way, make way!" he turned to the guards. "It's on two! Go, go, go!"

Without a word, the guards followed their captain, rounding a corner. Suddenly, they stopped, and the six mares managed to catch up with them in just a few seconds. And just like the guards, they stopped in their tracks.

In the middle of the street, a tall figure stood, easily as tall as Princess Celestia if not more. Dressed in a cloak, the figure had most of its features hidden, only large bat-like wings could be seen and the glowing red eyes under the hood. The sword was hanging in the air just in front of him, all the three words on it glowing brightly as ever. Ponies felt a chill running down their spine as the figure glanced at each of them, his gaze stopping for a few seconds on Rainbow Dash, looking deep into her eyes and infecting them with crimson, captivating them in a tight hold.

"It is..." she gasped. "You! In my dream!" she pointed at the figure and looked at her friends, her voice cracking in a mixture of fear and amazement. "That's him!"

The figure slightly recoiled from her words, breaking the eye contact. As if everyone was suddenly unfrozen, Shining Armor stepped forward.

"Put the weapon on the ground and reveal your face!" he commanded, unsheathing the sword that was at his side. "I'm counting to three! One!"

The figure unfolded its wings and took off, blasting everyone away with a powerful gust of wind, making the ponies stumble and almost fall. In a few moments, the figure was already near the clouds.

"After him, quick!" the captain ordered, and a few pegasi flew up, dashing towards the figure.

Before they could catch up, a lightning bolt appeared, blasting everyone's hearing and disorienting the pegasi, making them lose sight of the unknown stallion. Unfortunately for them, he managed to escape into the clouds, and they stemmed from the mountains and into Equestria, making it impossible to track him. The pegasi soon returned, landing near Shining Armor, who snorted in displeasure, looking at the sky. The clouds moved with the wind but there was nothing else, no suspicious movement.

"I want everyone to take the highest points of the village!" the stallion commanded. "Survey the skyline and the mountain range, report to me about anything even remotely suspicious. Carry out the order, stallions!"

Nicholas flew through the clouds back to Vallaer, many things on his mind. He felt it, he felt as if someone of his kin touched the sword. However, he knew for a fact that there were no vampires outside of the city. There couldn't possibly be, especially since he was the one to bring them all back. It irked him to no end how something like this could happen at this time, at the time of their return.

He furrowed his brows, looking at the moon. There it was, peeking from below the horizon, waiting for its time. However, he felt there was something he missed, something very important that Lună Roșie didn't tell him, didn't show him, and left him clueless. She dictated him to retrieve the sword, but was it an action that would lead to something... unexpected? Something that he wouldn't be able to predict or to prepare for? And that mare... The rainbow mane, the deep eyes of rosy color, there was something about her that he could sense but couldn't explain just yet. Was she the one who touched the sword? Was she the one who sent a signal to him, but if so, what signal was it? Did she send it knowingly or was it an accident?

There were questions Nicholas couldn't find the answers for. What he knew was that the mare saw him in her dreams. What did it mean? Was it connected to what Daring Do saw? After all, the two seemed connected or at the very least looked close to each other. Were they relatives? Was it a simple coincidence?

The Vampire King didn't believe in coincidences. If something happened, then it did so for a reason. Sometimes, the reason might not be discovered. Sometimes, it's on the surface. And sometimes, it's hidden deep inside the person who's searching for it. The long chain of events that caused everything to happen began long ago, long before vampires came in existence, and the chain will continue forever, leading to other things, most of which would remain unseen and unknown by most until they finally happen.

That mare, Daring Do, ponies as a whole played a part in a game Nicholas was in. Could Lună Roșie give him the answers he sought, perhaps? He had only one way to find out.

She might fulfill his curiosity.

***

Sometime later, he landed in his castle and proceeded to the throne room. Once he was inside it and no one was around, he pressed a sequence of different items: tugging on a chandelier, pressing on a few bricks around the room, and then tilting his throne slightly. A click sounded, and a door behind his throne opened. He entered it and traveled down a long stairway until he came to the very bottom, where the hall became bigger and bigger and led into a natural cave, a reddish glow and a sound of water stream were present like they always were, just like Nicholas remembered from a long time ago.

In the center of the cave, a tree stood, surrounded by a moat of blood. Looking like wounds, holes in the tree leaked blood, which proceeded to flow into the moat. Tangled in the branches of the tree, a crimson orb shone its light, illuminating the cave dimly. A large empty bowl stood in the front of the tree, a goblet in its center.

Slowly and hesitantly, Nicholas approached the bowl. It was made of stone and different words were carved into it, and some of those words were so old even he didn't know what they meant. He didn't know if he would ever find out or if he should even search for those words. Each secret had a reason to be one, he knew it very well. He knew how they beckoned so sweetly, how they wanted to be discovered. However, curiosity might lead to something he would later regret.

Despite what it might bring, he needed the answers. He needed to see what ponies would bring to his kind, whether it would help them or not. Lună Roșie was kind to him, he knew She could give him the answers if She so wanted. There was only one way to discover that.

The vampire picked up the goblet and put it in the moat, filling it with blood. Pouring the blood into the bowl, he put the goblet nearby. Reaching behind the bowl, he pulled out a simple straight-bladed knife with an old wooden handle. With one small slash, he opened a wound on his foreleg, letting blood drop into the bowl.

The blood boiled, filling the cave with sound. Nicholas waited patiently, his wound quickly healing, leaving not a scar. When the surface of the blood became smooth, he picked up the goblet again and put it in the bowl, letting the blood rush in. Finally, the vampire raised the goblet and drank from it, gulping down the liquid to the drop.

His heart skipped a beat, making him gasp and let the goblet fall back into the bowl, splashing some of the blood on him. He coughed, water filling his eyes. Once he recovered and blinked his eyes clean of tears, he looked up at the sphere.

Something jumped down from the top of the tree, landing behind Nicholas. He turned around swiftly, facing whatever it was. To his great surprise, what he saw was a pony or at least an equine shape. Entirely black, consuming all the light and giving none, it stood there, its rosy eyes penetrating his soul.

"Nicholas..." it spoke in a voice distinctively female. "Trebuie să asculți și să fii prudent, Regele Vampirilor," it paused, looking deep into his wide eyes. "Jumătățile de noapte se întâlnesc și devin complet," it paused again. "Ai grijă. Se pune pericolul."

Nicholas blinked, and the shape disappeared without a trace. The words he heard were confusing and unclear, leaving him wondering about their meaning, their significance, and importance to him and the vampires as a whole. However, he heard a word, something he knew would come one day or another, something that was destined to become a part of him, to complete him. It was unavoidable, and he knew he had to get it sooner or later.

A half.

Author's Note

The translation of the chant is this:

Our Mother who art the moon,
Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, in cosmos as in our world

Give us the healing blood tonight,
Give it to us tonight and forgive our mistakes,
For we defend the night in Thy name.

Save us from evil, o Red Moon.

Amen.

Yes, it is a changed Lord's Prayer. Translation is probably inaccurate but it's the best I could come up with without knowing Romanian.

I will give the translation to the last bit of what Nicholas heard. "Beware. Danger comes."

Chapter 6: Involvement

The Royal Pony Sisters were assembled in a private room of Canterlot Castle, a table in front of them. On the table, there were reports from Shining Armor and his squad of guards, letters from the six Bearers of the Elements, as well as detailed drawings made from descriptions and sketches that were done in the aftermath of the sudden appearance of Nicholas. There were four drawings in total: the strange sword, Nicholas from the front, side, and flying away into the sky. Princess Luna was examining the drawings with great interest, even if none of them showed anything that could be instantly recognized.

Silently, Celestia stood by her side, examining the reports, paying attention to each and every written word, trying to understand just what the ponies had encountered or whom, for that matter. Luna was especially fixated on the drawing of Nicholas, feeling that it was something that would help her in one way or another. A certain glimmer was present in her eyes, making them shine brighter. A light breeze of the wind entered the room, making the light from the torches flicker, casting peculiar moving shadows on the walls. Luna's ears perked up as a whisper entered her mind. She concentrated, furrowing her brows as she tried to understand what the words meant, what they conveyed, and what importance they had for her.

"It's unmistakable that vampires are involved," Celestia spoke, breaking the silence. "I think I remember something but I cannot grasp it..." she turned to Luna. "Any thoughts, sister?"

"Hmm..." she sounded, tapping her chin, the whisper disappearing. "Yes, there is something very familiar about all of this. It seems that the only possible explanation is that it happened while we were still very young," Luna put the drawings back on the table. "We don't have much to go on now," she looked at the drawing of Nicholas. "A tall equine figure, membrane wings, red eyes... it is something but it's not enough," she turned to the drawing of the sword. "The sword doesn't tell us much either. The shape of the handle is unusual but that's about it, not counting the inscriptions on the blade itself."

"I've searched the Royal Archives," Celestia added. "Nothing to be found there either. I believe that the information might've been erased but... I'm not sure," she frowned, a thought appearing in her head. "However... perhaps, there is a solution," she paused for a moment before speaking again. "Sister, I believe we might be able to find something in our old castle."

Luna froze in place, her eyes opening wide. Memories of Nightmare Moon flooded her mind, reminding her of what was done a thousand years ago. The shadows blocked the sun, taking over the mind of the alicorn, forcing her to fight her own sister. Enraged in blind hatred, Luna destroyed the castle, leaving it in ruins, leaving a dark presence inside it until the end of times. A thousand years had passed since then and yet Luna couldn't forget what was done, what she did, almost bringing the Eternal Night. Now she realized that the consequences of casting the world into darkness could be catastrophic, and everyone would be subjected to it: ponies, griffons, yaks, and many other nations throughout the world.

"Are you alright, Luna?" Celestia asked worriedly, breaking Luna out of her thoughts. "Maybe you need to lie down?"

"N-no, I'm fine," the nightly princess shook her head. "But you know what that castle means to both of us," she looked at her sister. "We have to go there, I understand it quite clearly, but I think you know how I feel about it."

"That makes the two of us, sister," Celestia nodded. "Remember, I have forgiven you. Sooner or later, we would have to confront that place, and... Perhaps, now it's the time," she looked away for a moment. "We shall travel alone. No need to bring anyone else into this just yet," she paused as she thought. "Do you remember our disguises?"

Luna nodded, igniting her horn. A few moments later, her figure shrunk to the normal size of a pony, her horn disappeared, her mane lost its ethereal touch, adopting a plain light-blue instead. Dark-blue freckles appeared on her face, and her mark changed to the full moon and four stars around it.

Celestia lit her horn as well, turning into a mare of normal size, her alabaster fur turning slightly pink, her mane becoming a simple pink one, and her wings disappeared. Her mark changed little, reversing the flames of the sun and turning them darker.

Nodding at each other, the rulers disappeared in a flash of bright white light.

Following the return of the sword, it was obvious that ponies would be on their guard, searching for Nicholas, and possibly even realizing that vampires still lived. It put the vampires in a dangerous situation, and everything would depend on their actions. If they attacked, they would be discovered and fought back by the ponies. If they did nothing, it would give ponies plenty of time to find them, for the entrance was not too far away from the mining settlement. It was not easy to discover, this much was true, but all secrets are unveiled once the time comes.

Nicholas sat in his room, wondering why Lună Roșie made him return the sword in such a hurry. Did it contain something more than he knew? In any case, it was done, and now ponies were aware of his presence, and if they were smart, they would figure out more than just him. Unfortunately, it was yet unknown.

And that mare... Nicholas couldn't get her out of his head. She claimed she had seen him in her dreams. Dreams belong to the night, which meant that Lună Roșie might've influenced that dream in which Nicholas appeared. He wondered just what was She planning for him, especially considering Her latest message. Danger was coming, and yet he knew nothing about it. Ponies were dangerous in their own right, but was there anything more to it? He felt there was, and yet he couldn't find anything solid to support his suspicion.

Someone knocked on the door to his room, to which he almost jumped. Deep in thought, he didn't hear anyone approaching.

"Intră," he said confidently, hiding the fact that he was startled by the sudden knocking. And so, the door opened, and a unicorn dressed in red robes entered, bowing to his king.

"Majestatea voastră, Daring Do este trează," the vampire reported. "Ți-ea cerut prezența."

"Foarte bine, Arkal," Nicholas replied with a slight smile, relieved by the news. "Ai facut bine."

"Mulțumesc, regele meu," Arkal bowed in gratitude, exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

The Vampire King decided to put off thinking for latter and go to Daring Do. Perhaps, it would give him something more, a different perspective or information he did not yet know. In any case, he had to keep an eye on her, for she knew much more than ponies did and should. It would be a good idea to protect such knowledge from outside influence. And perhaps, he would be able to plant doubts in her mind, making her rethink all that she knew before. Having an ally would be beneficial for both Nicholas and his kingdom, no matter how small such an ally seemed in the greater scheme of the world.

Everything grows from smaller things, after all.

***

Weakened, Daring Do lay on the soft bed, blinking slowly, unable to fall into sleep but not strong enough to stand up just yet. However, she was calm, and all the aches in her body were gone, replaced with a pleasant and warm feeling. She could even hear her own heart beating louder and louder, only to realize that it synchronized with the steps of Nicholas, who soon appeared in her field of vision.

"How art thou, adventurer?" he asked with genuine worry in his voice, his crimson eyes looking deep into hers.

"I feel... strange," she replied quietly. "Weak but... it doesn't hurt," she swallowed, finding it difficult to form sentences. "Will it go on for... long?"

"It shouldn't," Nicholas assured her.

"Am I turning... into a vampire?" Daring Do asked with curiosity and wariness.

"If that were the case, thou wouldst feel a certain craving I would not need to explain," the vampire shook his head. "Besides, the process of turning is very different from what thou art experiencing at this moment."

"W-what is that... process?" she asked with interest, silently cursing at the fact that she didn't have anything to write it down on now.

"Perhaps, I can explain it to thee since thou art so interested," Nicholas nodded. "But first... tell me, what dost thou expect to hear?"

"I..." she began warily, not knowing what to expect from the vampire. "Well, legends say... a vampire must bite the neck to turn a pony into, uh, another vampire."

"It is correct," the Vampire King nodded. "But there is more to it than thou knowest. Perhaps, such information is better to be discovered by thee personally," he paused for a moment. "I can say one thing, however... One cannot be turned into a vampire against their wishes," he furrowed his brows. "If such a thing is attempted... dire consequences for both of the participants shall follow, and the turned will be not a vampire but something else... We call it 'Fiara de Sânge'. The beast of blood... a truly terrifying thing, I must tell you," he suppressed a shudder as he finished.

"So... someone who is forcefully turned goes... mad?" Daring Do asked with hesitation.

"In simpler terms, yes, but there is more to it than that," Nicholas nodded. "Let's leave it at that, adventurer. It is not the matter I wish to discuss right now."

Nodding, the pegasus relaxed on her bed, letting out a long sigh. For a moment, she closed her eyes, only to reopen them and look at Nicholas.

"How long will I have to stay here?" she asked weakly.

"No more than another day at most, I believe," the Vampire King replied. "Thou art not the first to undergo the procedure and possibly not the last, Daring Do."

"What about... others?" she raised slightly, interested in what the vampire said. "What happened to them?"

Nicholas was silent for a few moments, his emotions well-hidden behind a calm mask. He turned away for a second, glancing at one of the windows. Unbeknownst to the adventurer, that window had a certain scratch in the corner. It was more than just damage to the glass, however. It was a mark only the Vampire King could recognize even after so many years. A smile touched his lips for just a moment, remembering the occasion, and then it quickly faded.

"History is not kind. By now, none of them are alive," he said quietly. "I held those ponies in high regard, they were truly one of us on the inside. But now... they are gone and they shall not return," he let out a silent sigh at the memory that appeared in his head. "Ponies do not live very long, I'm afraid. The Blood giveth them life, extending their time, and yet death taketh them all one day."

An uneasy silence fell upon the two as Daring Do found nothing to say in response, and Nicholas went deep into his thoughts and memories, his mask failing for just a moment, showing great fatigue as his figure slightly slouched, his ears drooping. However, he regained his composure shortly, straightening himself.

"Believe it or not, Daring Do, but we do not hate thy kind," Nicholas admitted, speaking more to himself than to the mare. "We have... certain history, and ponies were not kind to us in the days of our glory, and yet we must recognize that without each other, we cannot live," he looked into the eyes of the pegasus. "Vampires cannot live in the sun, and yet both flora and fauna require it. Ponies move the sun and let the rains come, preventing the plants from withering away," he paused for a moment, letting the words sink in. "There is always a balance. It is not absolute, it is not eternal, but it must be upheld or else the whole world will suffer terrible consequences."

Once again, Daring Do had nothing to say, but her ears were perked up, ready to listen to anything else the Vampire King had to say. Doubts entered the mind of the adventurer, and perhaps they would make her think about vampires more, for they were not simple bloodthirsty beasts legends portrayed. Just like Nicholas said, ponies and vampires had a history, and it was one filled to the brim with what Daring Do assumed was misunderstanding, maybe even hatred. Whatever it was, she might just be able to find out about it before something unfortunate happened. Perhaps, it would be wise to give them the benefit of the doubt after all.

"Talking with thee was very enlightening in its own right, adventurer," Nicholas finally said, breaking the silence. "However, I believe I must depart to fulfill my duties as the king. I hope thou shalt get well soon."

Disembarking the train in Ponyville, the disguised princesses looked around. No one paid them any mind, passing them and going onto the train. The sisters proceeded to go through the village to reach the entrance to the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous places in Equestria. However, they came prepared, each bearing saddlebags full of food, water, as well as some potions that might be needed in their journey. Celestia also had a longsword strapped to her, and Luna had a bow and a quill of arrows, not to mention an arming sword on the other saddlebag. Despite being armed, they didn't draw much if any attention as they made their way through Ponyville.

To Celestia, it seemed empty without the six Bearers of the Elements. Rainbow Dash wasn't sleeping on the clouds, Pinkie Pie wasn't happily serving customers at the Sugarcube corner, the apple fields were left all to Big Mac and Apple Bloom, the Carousel Boutique was closed for the time being, Spike the dragon was dusting off the books at the Oak Tree Library all by himself, and animals were roaming around without Fluttershy keeping an eye on them. Despite having many other ponies, it seemed like the life in the village stagnated, having nothing exciting happening, be it shenanigans of the six or something more. But hopefully, they would return soon.

Soon, the princesses came to the entrance. The forest was dark and deep, many dangers were hidden within, waiting for lone travelers and unsuspecting ponies to come near. Fortunately for the denizens of Ponyville, the creatures of the Everfree never left the forest for an unknown reason. They were particular beasts, something was keeping them inside, and they would grow weak if they dared to go too far away from the Everfree. However, the princesses were not safe from the dangers, for they were going into the very heart of the forest, to the abandoned ancient castle. The darkness of the nightmare spread, warping the forest and turning it from beauty and grace to gloom and wickedness.

Luna stopped for a moment, feeling an itch at the edge of her mind. The dark magic she left was calling to her, waiting to be reclaimed and used again. She managed to suppress it, for now, knowing that she could not allow it to control her. Such magic must either be subdued or destroyed, for it results in nothing but suffering for everyone.

Celestia sighed without saying a word, noticing the tension in her sister. However, they must go forward and find what they needed before it's too late, even if there was no guarantee that anything at all would be there in the castle. Perhaps, their journey would end up in vain with nothing to be found that would help them uncover the mystery of the unknown figure.

Slowly and cautiously, they walked through the forest, looking around often, ready to jump into action if the need arose. Fortunately for the two, the forest was calm and mostly silent, the beasts lurking within not daring to attack the princesses, staying far away and watching them instead. The forest still remembered them from its old days, bearing some form of respect after a millennium of being twisted and warped by the dark magic. Or maybe it was fear that they felt towards the two, knowing how much power they had and how destructive such power could be once unleashed. After all, the Everfree had been suffering the consequences for centuries and it didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon.

The sisters soon came to a river, which they crossed effortlessly with their wings and magic. The creatures of the Everfree didn't disturb them, allowing them to pass without a conflict. Even territorial timberwolves were at bay, only growling slightly when the princesses passed them. The mighty manticore didn't appear either, only hiding in the dark and watching the two silently.

After quite some time, Celestia and Luna finally came to the gorge that separated most of the Everfree from the castle.

"The Summer Palace, I remember it..." the solar alicorn said, letting out a soft sigh. "It used to be glorious. And now, it lies in ruins," she turned to her sister. "Are you ready?"

Silently, Luna nodded and flew over to the other side of the gorge. She could feel something in the back of her mind, something dark, perhaps even sinister. However, she managed to suppress it, concentrating on the task. She remembered that they were supposed to find something about the vampires or at the very least the figure that suddenly appeared, returning the legend to reality. It was not to be ignored, and both sisters felt that it was a warning for something bigger. After all, nothing returns from the void of time without a reason or a purpose, however vague that reason might be or however uncertain the purpose was. No matter what it was, why it was there, it was important, it was not to be overlooked and brushed aside.

The castle stood abandoned, winds easily blowing through the broken windows and holes in the walls. Empty and silent, it stood, its majesty lying in ruins. With time, the castle would turn into nothing but a pile of rocks, no longer similar to what stood there once before. Rains eroded the stone, winds bit into it, tearing chunks out of it like an angry wolf. The forest was doing everything possible to bring down the once royal castle, the center of all of Equestria. Kings and queens, princes and princesses came to it to meet the alicorn rulers. Now, however, it was nothing but a page of history, a distant memory in the minds of only a few.

Finally, the princesses entered the castle, making the massive oak doors creak under their weight, their hinges not oiled in what seemed like forever. The hall was dark, the torches unlit, the only light was coming from the broken roof above.

"Mind the traps, some of them might still work," Celestia warned as she looked at one of the torches. Luna nodded, her mind gathering the memories of the castle. With the memories of the layout, the memory of the battle followed, entering her mind.

She remembered how she tried to destroy her sister, madness overtaking her mind and taking all the control. Enraged, Luna became Nightmare Moon, and she was unrelenting, her magic breaking the stone, shattering what was there. The holes in the roof and the walls reminded Luna of it quite well.

She shook her head, trying to get the memories out of her head. It was not the time for such dark thoughts, she had to find answers to the vampires, she needed knowledge, information. She couldn't afford to dwell on a millennium-old memory for now.

"It's a dangerous place," Celestia said, looking around, a frown on her face. "Not how we remember it. Probably will never be that way again," she sighed deeply. "We better find what we need quickly. We must stay together, sister."

"We should," Luna nodded, and the two ventured deeper into the castle.

There were just a few possible places to find the needed information. The first one was the easiest to get to, the library. The second was the personal chambers of the sisters, which was the least likely place to find what the princesses needed. The third would be an ancient archive, on which the castle was originally built. Bearing knowledge from before the time of Equestria, the vault-like storage of knowledge was protected by powerful spells, and it was unknown if it was still intact after years of disrepair and ruin. It was rarely used, and so the memories of the entrance and of the vault overall were vague and mostly faded from the memory.

The clop of hooves echoed through the ancient halls, breaking the silence that reigned in the castle between the Nightmares and after the last significant event, which was the freeing of Luna. It was broken once again, and without the elements of harmony inside to suppress the darkness, it was given free reign over the castle. It was not noticeable with the naked eye but it made the sisters shiver, feeling the invisible pressure trying to squash them, subdue them, and control them. However, there was something else, something foreign, something that didn't belong even to Nightmare Moon.

Luna's ears twitched suddenly as she sensed something calling her. She turned her head and saw a door. Closed shut a moment ago, there was a crack between it and the wall as it opened slightly. The nightly alicorn stopped, listening closely. Without noticing what was happening, Celestia moved forward. The door opened wider, its hinges silent, and yet there was a whisper coming from behind, calling Luna.

Heeding the mysterious call, the princess stepped in the direction of the door, her curious gaze fixated on the opening. Her sister continued walking forward without turning back, seemingly distracted. A moment by moment, the distance between them grew, and the distance between Luna and the door became shorter and shorter as she made more steps towards it. Opening wider like a hungry maw, the door creaked, alerting Celestia. She turned around and saw how Luna was entering the unknown.

"Luna!" the solar alicorn exclaimed in fear, dashing towards her sister. And yet, the distance didn't shorten until Luna disappeared behind the door entirely, and it shut behind her. "Luna!" Celestia cried out, finally able to run up to the door. She bucked it with her hooves, tears streaming down her face. "Sister!" she bucked, and yet the door didn't budge. "Please, sister!" she took a few steps away from the door, igniting her horn, and sending a powerful ball of magic on the door. It exploded violently, scorching the wood and stone, and yet the door remained closed. "Lu-lu!" Celestia slouched and sat down, uncontrollably shaking and crying in despair, looking at the door. "P-please... Don't leave me... Not ag-gain, Lu-lu..." she hung her head in shame and let out a wailing, wordless cry.

***

Not hearing the pleading of her sister, Luna finally realized what happened. She looked back and saw nothing but a blank wall. Her eyes widened, a shocked expression rapidly appearing on her face. With nowhere else to go, she opened and closed her maw, not believing her eyes.

"Hello, dear," a painfully familiar voice spoke to the side of her. Luna swiftly turned around and then almost let out a scream. A figure larger than Celestia herself, black as night, Nightmare Moon stared at Luna with her slitted aqua eyes. "Missed me?"

Backpedalling, Luna soon hit a wall with her backside. Cornered, she cowered in fear of her dark alter-ego, a painful reminder of what happened so long ago. In flesh and blood, the true nightmare stood before the princess, grinning triumphantly.

"Well, well, well..." she said, lowering her head predatorily. "It seemeth the influence of the solar tyrant hath influenced thee, dear Luna," she snorted. "Thou hast forgotten the night, its true beauty, allowing it to be outshined by the damned sun!" she paused. "But dost not thou worry..." she chuckled. "The moon shall rise, and all who stand in its way shall either accept the night or perish like their sun," she opened her maw to continue speaking but something crackled to her side, diverting her attention. Luna looked in that direction as well and saw a sphere surrounded by red fire and sparks of light. Regaining her composure, Nightmare Moon said: "What is this thing?"

Without a warning, a lightning struck the mare, making her recoil in disorientation, stunned. The sphere began to fly away, and it didn't take Luna long to figure out that she had to follow it and quickly, for Nightmare Moon was not easily stopped.

"Thou shalt not run!" the Queen of the Night bellowed as Luna galloped down the hall, following the strange sphere. It was her only chance at getting out of there alive, and she could already hear the powerful sound of hooves hitting the floor behind her. Without a doubt, Nightmare Moon was not to be trifled with, and the only option right now was running away as quickly as possible.

Luna struggled to keep up with the sphere, and so she ran, a silent voice in her head telling where to go. She rounded a corner, coming to another long, seemingly infinite hall. She didn't dare stop, she didn't dare look back, for the Nightmare was waiting to grab her and drag her into the deepest darkness where she would be swallowed and then reemerge, but not like before. Never like before. Luna was the Princess of the Night, but not the Ruler of Darkness, for there was much more to the dark than just the night.

"Thou shalt not stop the darkness, Luna!" Nightmare Moon yelled from behind. "Thou shalt succumb to it, and it shall rule thee just like it should!"

Saving her breath, the princess galloped, panting heavily. The sphere kept ahead of her, guiding the way, and a helpful voice was inside her head, nudging her to a direction, showing her where to go. The halls were endless, the doorways led into more halls and corridors, and it seemed like there would be no destination, no goal. Luna began panicking, knowing that she wouldn't be able to outrun herself. Sooner or later, Nightmare Moon would catch her and then... She would rather not think about it.

Breaking through a door, Luna appeared in a large hall unlike those before. This one was so big it had to be supported by twice the amount of columns, holding the ceiling from collapsing into the inside. The sphere was hanging in the middle of it, illuminating it. On the farther end of the hall, a tall figure stood, clad in a cloak, only a pair of red eyes shining from below the hood, and a pair of big membrane wings on the sides. Luna stopped in her tracks, staring at the figure with cautious curiosity.

"Who are you?" she asked slowly and carefully, keeping her eyes on the stallion. Silently, he raised his pale foreleg and gestured at the sphere. Luna shifted her gaze and noticed that there was a small pedestal underneath the guiding light. Once she returned to where she had seen the figure last, she found it missing, nothing telling of its existence as if it wasn't there before.

Warily, Luna approached the pedestal. On it, a dusty book lay. Blowing off the layer of dust, the alicorn was finally able to make out the title. However, before she could read it, a voice appeared from behind.

"Thou thought thou couldst run away?" it said angrily, making Luna spin around and face Nightmare Moon, who was standing at the entrance to the hall. "Thou art mine!!" she proclaimed, slowly stepping towards the scared princess. However, something unexpected happened — the sphere pulsated, sending a wave of light at the Nightmare, making her take a step back and wince. "Argh!" she exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the intense light as another wave was sent her way.

Not taking any chances, Luna put the book in her saddlebags and ran to the exit. The doors opened without her touching them, letting her into a hall. In the middle of it, Celestia was sitting, tears rolling down her face and dropping on the floor, creating a small puddle.

"Tia?" Luna called quietly, but it was enough to get the attention of her sister. Her ears perked up and she turned her head to the nightly alicorn.

"L-lu-lu?" she sniffed, not believing her eyes. "S-sister?" she jumped on her hooves and rushed to her, almost crashing into her as she gave her a big hug. "You are here..." the tears of sadness were replaced by the tears of joy as Celestia hugged her sister tightly, afraid to let go.

"I don't know what it was, I'm so sorry..." the younger sister apologized, hugging back.

"No n-need to say sorry... Your presence is enough," Celestia assured her.

"And... you won't believe, but... it seems I found what we need," Luna said, pulling away from the hug, opening her saddlebag and pulling out the book she found. "Something happened, and I got this."

With the ability to look at the cover without worrying about danger, the sisters read the title together.

Beasts

It was quite a simple title, which was followed by a picture below. It showed a variety of creatures, including timberwolves, manticores, and finally and most importantly, equines with fangs — vampires.

"Alright, then," Celestia wiped her tears, standing up. "Let's study it back in Canterlot."

"Agreed," Luna nodded without hesitation, and the two finally headed towards the exit, both of them glad that they didn't have to spend any more time in the cursed castle.

Noticing something in the corner of her eyes, the nightly alicorn turned her head to the right, looking into another empty hall. At its end, the same cloaked figure stood, its red eyes glowing under the hood. Luna blinked, and it vanished into thin air. Deciding not to speak of it just yet, the princess quickened her pace, wishing nothing more than to get away from the old castle and never return.

Chapter 7: Call

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Chapter 8: Past Decides

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Chapter 9: Traveling

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Chapter 10: Damu Msemaji

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Chapter 11: The Signs

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Chapter 12: Ponies and Vampires

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Chapter 13: In Blood We Trust

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Chapter 14: Truth and Denial

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Chapter 15: Conflicts

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Chapter 16: Children of the Moon

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