Love the Costume, Vinyl!

Chapters

I. Endless Sleep
II. New Beginnings
III. Entrancing Discovery
IV. Life
V. Death
VI. Rebirth
VII. Love
VIII. Spirited
IX. Crimson Moon
X. Unchained

I. Endless Sleep

Author's Note

Welcome, welcome! Firstly, I would like to thank you for being brave enough to click on this story (:D) and second, I would like to apologize for any spelling mistakes that I make. I have tried to look over my work to make sure I don't leave any in there, but I may miss some ._. so sorry about that.

Toodles!

-SkyLovesPie

I. Endless Sleep

My name is Melody Song, and I'll be your guide to this messed up story I call "My Life". It's bad in the beginning and it gets worse, just wait.

This whole thing is the fault of a couple of strangers, a glass of wine, and my own stupidity (which was not helped by the wine). It begins... I don't even know the year, because it wasn't marked accurately, so it could've been 1569 and they said it was 1596. But I think it was sometime during 1540, because that's the year marked on my tombstone. By the time I went back to read the day, it was worn away, and I still don't know when it was. But anyways, I lived in Manehatten my whole life. 1540 was the year I turned 21, and that meant I went out drinking a lot that year. Not a lot at one time, but in total it was a lot. And now I still follow that habit.. I'm on a liquid diet so I have to. This one night, I remember it very clearly...

It was almost winter, and I was freezing cold. I had worked all day at my family's musical-thingamabob shop. I can't remember the name of it, mostly because I tried very hard to repress the dreadful place from my mind, and evidently, it worked. I was walking to one of my favorite pubs to get some Merlot. The pub itself was a nice place, but the customers weren't always that way. A couple of stallions were sitting drunk at a table. After I had finished my glass of wine, one of them yelled at me, despite the fact he was right behind me.

"Hey, you there. Wanna make a bet?" I knew better sober, but I get intoxicated easily. Or did. Whatever.

"Sure," I slurred as I turned around. The memory is fuzzy, but I think that he was very burly, and he looked like he wasn't able to stand, due to how drunk he really was. He had a tan coat with white socks. His cutie mark was a shield adorned with a dragon's head. He had a black mane, cropped short so that it barely existed. His partner guffawed loudly, and then slumped over.

"I bet ten bits that you can't go to the graveyard at this moment and pour pig's blood on the graves," He, like his friend, laughed rather obnoxiously, then abruptly stopped.

"I bet ten bits that I can," Even slightly buzzed, I still was rather stupidly brave, and I couldn't resist a challenge, especially for money. I figured that he couldn't tell the difference between blood and wine in his current state, so I asked the barkeep for some more. I paid, then trotted out the door, the jug of wine floating in the air to my right. The graveyard was an old abandoned churchyard where the locals buried their loved ones (which is basically any old cemetery now that I think about it).

As I made my way down the streets, I kept hearing strange noises, like something was following me. I looked back, but saw nothing, and I figured it was just a wild animal. The noises resembled hoofsteps, only much quieter. I broke into a canter, and by the time I had reached the cemetery, I was out of breath (it was a long ways away). When I got there, I used my magic to tip over the jug of wine I had been carrying, spilling the dark red liquid over the mounds of dirt and splashing onto the mossy old grave markers.

I inhaled sharply as I turned around, due to a very loud noise from right behind me. This sudden intake of air caused me to drop the jug and it's contents, spilling everywhere and staining my hooves red. I didn't see anyone there, but I didn't think it was an animal anymore. Someone, or something had followed me here. The reason was a mystery to me, but I was sure it wasn't a pleasant reason. As my eyes scanned the darkness, I noticed a pale shape that stood out from the rest of the blackened street. A ghostly white figure approached me with the utmost speed and gracefulness I have ever witnessed. He had a black mane and a light gray muzzle, but the rest was pure white. He sauntered towards me slowly, a maniacal grin spreading ever so slowly across his muzzle. Once he was close enough, I saw the bright glow of his red eyes. Red eyes, I thought. Isn't that supposed to be for vampire ponies? I could see his teeth now, sharp pointed one-inch fangs glistening in the dark. As I gazed upon his otherworldly face, I realized that he was the hunter, I was the hunted. Predator and prey. That was when I decided to give running away a go. I galloped out of there, leaping over a massive fence, adrenaline pumping throughout my body now. My dress flailed behind me, and it caught on my hooves. I tripped, and fell. I felt his presence hovering above my vunerable figure. He smiled down at me and crooned something in another language. Then he switched to Equestrian.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you..." he said in a sickly sweet voice. He voice was so hypnotizing, so melodical, and yet, so dangerous. I was bewitched by this alluring creature. Slowly, he bowed his head down, and bit on my neck, his sharp fangs piercing my soft neck.

Even after he was long gone, the pain continued to spread. In the beginning, it wasn't bad. It was a little campfire's worth of heat, but it would get worse. The heat was concentrated in my neck, but it spread rapidly. It seemed that with each beat of my heart, every pulse, the fire spread and worsened. When it reached my heart, it started to get hotter. Mildly warm, then searing pain. I cried out in agony. I could see nothing, and I could hear nothing. All I could do was feel pain, and I wished many times for it to go away. But my wishes were ignored, evidently, as it got worse instead. As I burned, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I believe at some point I may have cried. Eventually, it faded. Slowly, I began to regain awareness of my surroundings. I was still in an abandoned part of town. Eventually, I felt reality fade away as I tried to grasp what was happening, yet I still fell into a deep sleep.

II. New Beginnings

I woke up on the ground with very little memory of what had happened. I vaguely remembered the pub and the ten bits (I would have to find that stallion later, and he'd better pay up). I got to my hooves, and stared at the ground. Dried blood was crusted onto the cobblestones of the street. My blood. It was dawn... but of what day? It couldn't be more than a day after the drunken dare, right? I hadn't the faintest idea.

My hunter was nowhere to be found. As the sun rose, I felt my skin becoming uncomfortably warm, then sizzling, like being fried alive. I dashed into the nearest abandoned house, burns forming under my coat. It was in the darkened building that I saw the faint red glow on the walls when I examined the peeling wallpaper. My mind flashed back to the stallion who had bit me, and my hoof automatically raised to where the bite should have been. But it wasn't there, no bump, not even in the slightest. Confused, I decided to explore this old house a bit more. Since I couldn't go outside, I would stay inside. Perhaps I would find a jacket and hat to wear and see if that helped. First, I looked through what appeared to be the kitchen. An old stove remained, along with several cabinets filled with assorted jars of various spices. I could pick out the individual aromas of each seasoning. Rosemary, Thyme, and... Ugh, Garlic. It smelled very bad.

I decided that was enough of the kitchen, time to move on to another room. As I wandered aimlessly through the living room, I saw dolls and various foal's toys.

"What happened here?" I wondered aloud as I came to the fireplace, where several bricks had been torn out of the walls and scorched all over. A tattered Hearthswarming Eve's stocking still hung above the fireplace, covered in ashes. Suddenly, a small gray mouse scurried out of a hole in the wooden wall surrounding the fireplace. It paused to stare at me, and then squeaked before it ran away.

I fastforwarded my story because it wasn't very exciting, so now we are outside in the darkness.

As my hooves clip-clopped on the old stone roads, I saw all the ponies in this part of town go inside as the sun went down. A small filly with a pale pink mane turned to look at me as I passed. She looked upwards to my face, and with a shriek, ran indoors. I walked past the old graveyard where I had drizzled wine on the graves. The jug that had contained the red liquid was still lying on the ground. As I walked down the street, I remembered how my hunter had been able to move impossibly fast. I checked that nopony was watching, then galloped as fast as I possibly could. I made it to the end of five blocks in five seconds, and I still wasn't tired. That was when I saw him. In the dark, he stood out like a fire amidst endless black. With a white mane, goldenrod coat, and blue eyes, he was the most recognizable thing on the street. On his flank was a moon, surrounded by stars.

Unaware of what I was doing, I crouched, preparing to spring. In the cold air, I smelled something so delicious that I decided it could not be natural. It was a combined flavor of honeysuckle, roses, orange blossoms, and a hint of freesia, plus others I couldn't identify. I sniffed the air again, and I found it's source- the pony right in front of me. This time, the tables were turned. I was hunting him.

I looked up at his face, and he wore one of shock.

"Who are you?" he asked, his shaky voice mirroring his expression.

"Melody Song. You?" I questioned as I slowly got out of my predatory position.

"Moonlight. Were you about to attack me?"

"Maybe." I said, embarrassed. I waited for the rush of blood to my cheeks, but it never came. As I looked up at him after thoroughly examining a crack in the road, he wore an orange tone on his face, signaling that he found it just as awkward as me.

"So, uh, can I buy you a drink or something?" he said after a long silence.

"I guess that would be okay..." my voice trailed off as I winced at how song-like my voice was now. After the incident with the graveyard, I had noticed minute changes in the way I did things, or how I looked. Unfortunately, when I looked in a broken mirror shard on the ground floor of the abandoned house I had explored, the was no reflection, which led me to the conclusion that all the myths about vampire ponies (commonly called vamponies) were true.

As we walked off to a pub that I had never heard of before, I noticed that my hoofsteps were quieter, and that I felt much more graceful than I ever had been in my first life. As we walked into the old wooden structure that couldn't possibly have passed a safety inspection in its history, Moonlight quietly asked me what I wanted.

"I'll let you pick, since I like most wines," I whispered back to him as we sat down at a table in the back. He ordered a sweet red dessert wine from a portly old stallion with a bright blue coat and an eye patch, and then he stared at me for a long minute.

"What are you doing?" I finally asked.

"Admiring your beauty," he said, blushing again. I tried to look as surprised as I felt. However, I still couldn't blush, which I hoped didn't make him think I was self-centered or anything.

"Oh," I squeaked. As soon as the wine came, he poured me a glass, then himself.

"So where are you from?" he inquired as I took a sip.

"I'm from Northern Manehatten. I've never been this far east before."

"What's it like up there?"

"The northern half is a lot busier than this. My parents own a music store up there, which is why I still live there."

"I'd like to visit Las Pegasus, but I've barely got ten bits to my name, let alone the hundred or so needed to get out there..." he half-whispered dreamily, lost in thought.

"I want to go to Canterlot, if I can escape from my horrible fate of a music store," We laughed in harmony, maybe for different reasons, but still the same, wonderful sound escaped from our mouths.

"Well, since your home sounds far away, you could, um," he stuttered, blushing for the third time that evening. "stay at my place."

"Er, sure," I mumbled awkwardly.

Author's Note

Welp, that's the end of another chapter. I know I said this in the comments already, but I really would love to hear any ideas you might have. What do you think is going to happen? This is Sky, signing off.

III. Entrancing Discovery

Clip, clop. This was the only sound that was audible, save for a lone owl hooting in the trees. As Moonlight and I walked to his house, we stared at the cobbled street, or the moon in the sky, or the old houses lining the road, or anything except each other, really. The awkward silence continued for the rest of the walk. It was now sometime around 9:00 at night, but I wasn't too sure.

"So, uh, this is it..." he said as we came upon a small free-standing house at the end of the road. All the other houses were either empty or closed up for the night, because not a one had a light on. Moonlight's house was not even really a house- it was more of a cottage or a shack. The old rotting wood panels probably used to be painted in a bright off-white colour, but the paint was peeling or faded so much that it was really impossible to tell. The tiled roof was a dull grey, and some shingles were missing or had fallen onto the dirt and grass. A few vines climbed up the side of the old building, but only one was in bloom. A wrought iron fence surrounded the house, where various weeds and plants grew.

"Charming," I half-lied through my teeth. It was interesting, but certainly not what I was used to. It was almost the exact opposite, really. I usually had at least three stories and a nice courtyard. While I wasn't the richest pony in town, I could afford a few luxuries to say the least.

"Would you like to come in?" he said as he held the door open for me. I walked in, floorboards creaking under my hooves. He flipped the light on, then closed the door.

Inside was nicer. A small brick fireplace was on the right side, surrounded by a duo of chairs and a small coffee table. On the mantle was a picture of a mare and stallion who I guessed to be his mother and father. In one corner, a table with two wooden chairs on either side was placed. In the other, a bed with a grey comforter was there, next to a window with a flower pot. In back of the room was a small hallway, probably leading to the bathroom.

"It looked smaller from the outside," I commented.

"Yeah, I guess it does," he replied awkwardly. For the next minute, we just stood there staring at the floor opposite each other and shifting our hooves about. Then he went down the hallway and came back with a blanket a bit later.

"I'll sleep in the armchairs, you can have the bed," he told me.

"Okaaaaay..." I muttered. When I turned to look at Moonlight, his face was a lovely shade of deep orange.

I crawled in between the thick, velvety sheets. Moonlight had said it was warm, and he wasn't lying. I had to cast a slight cooling spell to get comfortable. As soon as I was in it, I realized that it was a very large bed, big enough for two ponies at least, if you catch my drift. Within a few minutes of settling down, I heard small, whistling noises from the other side of the room, which I figured out were snores. An owl hooted outside the window, and this interrupted the uniformity of Moonlight's breaths.

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many sheep were counted (I got all the way to 587,962, if you're wondering), I couldn't fall asleep. I was wide awake the entire night, and I felt fine by the time Moonlight was up. I guess that's one of the worst parts, I thought to myself. Not being able to actually sleep... This thought wandered off into other pathways, each having a different outcome.

"Good morning," I called across the room as I heard the stirrings of Moonlight. He groaned before replying.

"Did you- did you sleep well?" he asked me as I got up, stuttering due to sleepiness.

"I- I, uh," I stuttered. It's not exactly like school prepares you to tell someone that you're a vampire... "Not really."

"Oh, how come?"

"Um..." I just sat there for a few minutes, trying to figure out how to tell him without lying. All the while, he was staring at me expectantly. For around half an hour more, we just stared at each other. As I looked at him, he got up from under his blanket and walked over to me, the old wooden floors creaking under his hooves as mine had done the night before.

Inside the house, his smell was almost intoxicating. I was utterly surprised that I was able to have relatively coherent thoughts. The honeysuckle and rose scent alone was mouth-watering, but there were flavors I hadn't realized before- freshly baked bread, old books (they actually smell quite nice), and something resembling sunshine. This, coupled with the enclosed space and the moisture seemingly amplifying the smell made it almost impossible not to lose control of myself. I wanted to drift along with the smell, I wanted to taste it, I wanted to... Snap out of it! I told myself. I would not harm Moonlight.

As he walked closer, he still stared at me, completely unaware of everything else. I was the same. Without realizing it, I got up onto my hooves and walked forward to meet him. He was only a little bit taller than I, and as such he bowed his head down fractionally. I reached my muzzle up to meet his, and we kissed. Then, all too soon, he pulled away. His sweet taste was still lingering in my mouth. Then, overwhelmed by how wrong it was, but how right it was, I began to cry. Moonlight put a hoof on my shoulder and pulled me closer, despite the fact that he didn't have the faintest clue as to why I was crying.

After I had stopped crying, he began to look at me inquisitively, because he was probably wondering why I had started crying. It was now that I noticed that my throat was beginning to heat up. Not physically, but it felt as if it might burst into flames in a few hours. I couldn't shake his wonderful smell off, and it was taunting me now. I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't hurt him in any way.

"I have a confession to- to make," I mumbled, still sniffing a little bit. He nodded to say go on. "I'm a- a-," I couldn't make the words come out. I used my magic to levitate my saddlebag over to me, then I dug through it to find a piece of paper and a quill. I wouldn't keep this from him anymore (it wasn't really that long that he had met me, so I kept it hidden for roughly twelve hours). On the paper, I wrote in big, scrawling letters,

I'm a vampire.

IV. Life

Author's Note

Just a warning, this is the (maybe) one chapter that does contain "cussing", but not really. In the context, it could be taken as such, but it's intended mostly to show feeling and emotion.

Now that that's out of the way, have fun, you brave people!
:pinkiecrazy:
/\ that's my new favorite emoticon.. >_<

IV. Life

Moonlight looked up at me. On his face were several emotions- shock, horror, interest, and many more.

"Please tell me you're joking," he whispered, tears blossoming in the corners of his eyes. "Please..." I could only shake my head solemnly.

"Oh Celestia..." he muttered, tears now streaking down his face as he stared up at the ceiling, eyes far away. I could feel my own tears starting to fade.

"So it's true... my poor Rose Bud..." Moonlight was now weeping uncontrollably. Then he stood up and faced the wall, pain shimmering in his eyes.

"Get out," he growled at me, not caring that it was broad daylight outside. When I didn't move, he wheeled on me. "NOW!" He roared in anger. I still didn't move. If I went outside, it would be the end of me, and my dreams. He walked up to me, and stuck his face in mine. He snarled, and I growled. It was a low, guttural, animalistic sound. I bared my fangs and stood up to face him. My whole body tensed, preparing for a fight. And I knew who the victor would be.

"Uh..." Anger had been replaced by another emotion- fear. He was afraid of me. For the first time in my life, someone was legitimately terrified of me. He was on the verge of tears again. I could hear his heart beating faster and faster. I didn't back down. Now, I wanted to kill. I was beginning to thirst, and water wasn't going to do the trick. He backed up fast, tripping over a box and squishing himself into the corner, ears back.

My advance was slow, as my hunter's had been. I smiled a manic smile, and walked forward. My slow, sauntering lope was as relaxed as I had been in days- after all, what could he do to me? As I shadowed over Moonlight, who was now cramped into a tight corner, I laughed. It wasn't a good, pure sound as it had been in the pub the night before, it was the laughter of a killer. I crouched, preparing to spring upon my friend-turned-food. Just as I leaped, a sound came from the door, breaking my concentration. I turned my head instinctively.

"Moonlight?" called a mare's voice. It was soft and sweet, and reminded me of many happy memories with my parents that had become gray around the edges. I pulled him to his feat, a tear on his cheek. He wiped it away, and walked to the door as normally as possible.

"Oh.. uh... Hi, Hurricane," he said as he opened the door to reveal a pale blue pegasus mare with a gray and blue mane, lying flat and combed to perfection.

"Hi!" She smiled. "Who's that?" Hurricane asked, pointing a hoof at me.

"Oh, that's uh, that's my... friend. Melody Song."

"It's nice to meet you," I said quietly, keeping my fangs hidden. I didn't know if I could trust her yet. I couldn't even trust Moonlight, but that was to be expected. I had barely known him for a day.

"Cool contact lenses... I haven't seen any that were so bright before!" she said, interested in me now. Contact lenses? I thought. Then I remembered that my eyes were red now.

"Oh, uh, thanks," I tried to grin.

"I'm his sister," she said. "Just to clarify." Hurricane flared her wings, and a light breeze kicked up outside.

"Do you want to go explore today?" Moonlight asked us, now not quite as awkward, realizing that I wouldn't attack while she was there. I guessed he would take advantage of this, and spend as much time with her as possible.

"I have an allergy to direct sunlight," I told him pointedly. He glared at me for a bit.

"Oh, that's fine! Are clouds okay, or can you only go out at night?" the pegasus asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but I think clouds are fine. It wouldn't be direct sunlight, so it should be good," I mumbled. "Why? Can you do something with clouds?"

"Just watch," she smiled. She turned around and walked to the edge of the driveway. Then she backed up, and galloped into the air. She was almost as fast as I was, and just as graceful, what with her spirals and other tricks. Her white-tipped wings were very large compared to her body, and the wingspan was easily larger than 15 feet, surprisingly. She soared above the clouds after a brief period of showing off, and began to circle. Hurricane spiraled faster and faster, and clouds began to follow her. Now I understood what she meant about clouds.

She was kicking up a hurricane.

"Holy-" I was cut off by a clap of thunder, or rather, her breaking the sound barrier.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Moonlight whispered to me, awed.

"Yea..." I continued to stare up at her, my mouth gaping open. As soon as she came back down, once it was sufficiently storming, she looked at me in terror. I realized that I still had my mouth open... and my fangs were visible.

Her face was a mask of calm, but her actions and eyes betrayed her. I could see the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Why did they both cry? Was there something unknown to me that saddened the siblings?

"You're a- you're a... a vampire," she finally said. A drop of liquid pride rolled down her cheek and fell to the stones on the path below out hooves. "You're not allergic to the sun. You're just a vampire." I closed my mouth, and stared at the ground. How had I been so careless? Sure, I was new to this second life, but that's no excuse. I closed my eyes, and hoped that I was still safe in my bed at home, that vampires weren't real, and this was all a horrid nightmare.

"Bite me." I opened my eyes to see that she bent her neck towards me, as if to donate her blood.

"What?"

"You heard me," she said. "Bite me. Turn me."

"I only changed recently, I haven't even fed yet," I protested.

"What the hell, Hurricane?" Moonlight interjected. "Why would you become one of... them? After Rose Bud? How could you?"

"I won't deny that what happened to Rose happened. But it's part of my quest for knowledge. I have to know what it's like," Hurricane whispered back to him.

"You want to become one of the eternal damned?" He nearly shouted.

"It's not your choice," she mumbled, trying to justify it with herself before rectifying it with her brother. "Come on, Melody. Let's go." And with that, she walked off, her tail held high, flicking Moonlight's nose as she went past. I shrugged to him and followed her. His face was a deep red-orange colour.

"Where are we going?" I asked Hurricane as she led me along a narrow pathway beside the cold grey waters of the Batlantic Ocean. The name of it had always baffled me, as I often fell asleep in History class when I was in school.

"It's a small cave I go to when I want to be alone," she said over her shoulder. The path was next to a short cliff which turned into a small sandy beach. Ordinarily, I imagined that it would normally be filled with ponies having fun. However, due to her hurricane, which was now making quite a mess of my mane and tail, I doubted anypony wanted to be out here. Anypony except Hurricane, that is.

"So uh, you really want me to, uh, turn you?" I stammered awkwardly.

"Yes," she said in a hushed whisper. Her wings, which were open, noticeably drooped. In the pouring rain, which was getting louder by the minute, I could barely see or hear Hurricane. As the path sloped downwards, we trudged on in the newly formed mud. My hooves were usually a light tan, but now they were a deep, rich brown, due to the caked-on wet dirt and clay. Hurricane called something that I couldn't make out.

"What?" I yelled back.

"Move faster! It's up ahead!" I began to canter as fast as I possibly could. I kept to a canter because I didn't want to overrun Hurricane with my vampiric speed, but she was faster than I, so I sped to a gallop. In the distance, I spotted a small opening that was just barely big enough for a pony to fit through. I could see Hurricane's blue coat inside and I galloped at full speed, ignoring the laws of physics as I went.

"It's nice, isn't it?" she said in a low voice. It did no good to whisper in here, because it echoed quite nicely, and Hurricane's voice was repeated around the chamber several times before dissipating. I lit up my horn right as I stepped inside, because I though it would be dark. Turns out, I didn't have to. Why? Because at least two dozen crystals of various colours were scattered around in the cave, illuminating the shadows. In the center, there was a large white crystal that demanded your attention. It's white light brightened as Hurricane walked by it.

"Woah..." I said in awe, unable to stop myself. Moss carpeted the floor, and vines hung from the ceiling. The crystal in the middle, as I got closer, was not really a crystal at all. It was actually a tree with pure white bark. Its flowers were very fragrant, and smelled like oranges and roses. The pale pink petals sat in heaps upon the floor, but there were still may blooms left on the tree. Small golden lights circled around the tree, and I realized they were fireflies. This place was amazing. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Hurricane's eyes lit up as she saw my smiling, yet still awed face.

"This is a small cave I found when I was just a little filly," she said. "I've always come here when I wanted to be inspired or be alone." Te cave didn't seem like something that belonged in my story. Here it was, so light and beautiful and pure, and then there was me. A creature of darkness, of blood, of death. My kind lurked in the shadows of cities, playing as beggars, homeless, orphans, and then, pouncing upon unsuspecting prey. Drinking their blood.

The thought made me thirst even more.

V. Death

It was warm, wet, and delicious. It was natural. It was right. I drank and drank, until I was sure I would burst. The sensation of feeding was so pleasant, so wonderful that I couldn't stop.

Hurricane groaned, and I woke up from my daydream. Thank Celestia, I hadn't actually been feeding from Hurricane. I knew that she wanted me to change her into what sort of deplorable creature I was, but I refused. I would not take an innocent mare's life the way mine had been.

"How long was I out?" she asked, jolting me from my thoughts and startling me.

"Two, three hours, tops." Another groan.

"Are you... thirsty yet?"

"No," I lied. I wanted to drink every last drop she had right then and there, but I restrained myself. "But if I get thirsty, I'll just hunt in the city. I won't create another abomination to nature." She raised an eyebrow, and stood up. She stretched her massive wings, and then folded them back up, yawning as she did.

"Abomination to nature?" Hurricane questioned, eyebrow still raised.

"We shouldn't exist. Infinite lifespans... that breaks the whole system."

"Yea... I guess so." She didn't sound convinced. "It stopped raining... want me to storm again?"

"Nah, I don't plan on going outside anytime soon." She shrugged.

"Suit yourself," she muttered under her breath. "I'm going for a fly." She turned towards the opening and galloped at full speed. Then, at the last minute, leaped out and spread her wings. They were tilted downwards at a fifteen degree angle, optimizing lift and increasing flight capabilities. My mind calculated this all in a second. I could hear her whoops of joy as she freed herself from the cave's ensnarement.

The hour she was gone passed slowly. It dragged on without ceasing once. Finally, after I had counted all the cracks in the walls at least three times over, Hurricane returned. Her delicious scent wafted in with the breeze before she did. The orange blossoms, the roses, the lilacs and lavender... it overwhelmed me. In such a cramped space and after an hour of no exposure to it, it was intoxicating. I shook off my blood-induced drunkeness, and welcomed her back.

"Uh... thanks?" she said, looking back at the entrance longingly. If I had to guess, I would say that she was in love. With flying.

"Say, I'm getting a bit... woozy. You just smell so good and I just..." I shuddered in revoltion at myself.

"Oh no, it's okay. You want a taste?" she asked, again leaning so that her neck was placed underneath my lips, for easy access.

"Um..." I was losing my willpower to say no. Something inside me- predatory instinct maybe- reared up and took over. I opened my mouth, and let my fangs show. I licked my lips, not exactly sure of what I was doing. What the buck am I doing? half of me shouted. Feed... feel her warm blood rush through you... the other half crooned. I decided that hunger won. I bit down upon her soft flesh, letting my new vampiric instincts take over. I pulled my fangs free of the wound, then returned my lips to her neck, suckling. It reminded me of when I was a foal and I would nurse. I sucked, and with every mouthful of blood, my thirst grew. I drank and drank, and even then I did not stop. When I'd had my fill, I returned to my normal sane state. I looked over Hurricane in horror, mostly of myself. I felt... rather sloshy and content. The hot, sticky blood had oozed down my throat, worsening the burn that had overcome me not a minute ago. I came back to reality and heard Hurricane's screams of pain. Automatically, I knew that the venom that had changed me was now slowly working through her veins. I have no clue where this knowledge came from, but I knew that it was true, that she was changing. Her wounded neck was healing rapidly. On the corner of my mouth, I felt a drop of blood escape, and I licked it away.

I don't know how long she screamed for. A day, two? I couldn't tell. After a while, she slowly stopped, and awoke. In the past couple of days (I think it was three), I had observed her change, her transformation. Her pale blue coat had paled even more so that it was just barely tinted blue. Her eyes had changed colours from cobalt blue to blood red. How fitting. I had watched her mouth especially. Her canines had lengthened to the same size as mine. Her smell still lingered, but it was no longer fresh.

"How many days?" she whispered.

"Maybe three?"

"How long did your take?"

"I don't know. Perhaps three, maybe less."

"Oh." She seemed disappointed. "I feel so... weird. Is this normal?"

"Can you describe weird?"

"There's this heat, this burn in my throat. I want to quench it so bad."

"Yeah, that's pretty normal. Welcome to the world of vampires," I muttered. Why did I have to give in? Why oh why? I looked outside. Luckily, it was raining.

"Remember: No sunlight, no garlic." I said. "And don't die," I added quickly.

"Gotcha," she replied, now excited by her second life.. "Shall we visit Moonlight?" Moonlight. I had forgotten the pale gold-colored stallion.

"We shall."

We trudged through the mud once more, but now Hurricane was galloping at top speed, evidently enjoying herself and her newfound speed. Once, a beam of light had peeked out from the clouds and landed on me, but I cantered away with minor blisters. And even those healed quickly.

"Is it always this fast?" Hurricane asked as she whizzed by for the millionth time.

"As far as I know," I said, bored.

"Awesome!" We kept galloping until we reached Moonlight's house. By then, she was tired of moving like 'an earth pony'. She used the same trick as before to take flight, running into the liftoff.

"Well, well. If it isn't the traitor and the demonic creature from the pits of Hell." called a familiar voice. "I'd welcome you back, but you're no longer welcome here, Hurricane." He spat the last words out. "Oh, and I can't forget Melody, or she'll bite me!" he mocked.

"Watch it. You're outnumbered, pretty boy," I growled, baring my fangs. Hurricane did the same, hissing, her fangs dripping with venom.

"It's the middle of the day. Ponies will see. You can't kill me without showing off your true colours, Dracula One and Dracula Two," he cackled. Strangely, I wanted to stop fighting, to be with him forever. I wanted to love. I shook off these feelings. He would not insult Hurricane, or me, unless he had a death wish.

"Do you want to die?" Hurricane growled, reading my mind.

"It can be arranged," I continued. He laughed, and brought up a flask of liquid. It wasn't garlic, I would've smelled it.

"Come closer and I'll splash you with this Holy water," he threatened. It was I who laughed now. He looked confused. "What's so funny, demon?"

"Surely you don't think that Holy Water, of all things, would kill us," I snickered. "Idiot." He sneered at me, and pulled something out from behind him, not taking his eyes off me or Hurricane, who was still crouching, prepared to feed upon her first victim, and also her brother. As I saw what Moonlight got out, my eyes widened in surprise.

He had a stake.

He was going to stake his own sister.

I lunged, knocking the stake out of his hooves. He began to cry, but fought all the same. He rolled out from underneath my hooves, then circled me, stake back in his grasp.

Evidently, he had forgotten one crucial rule when it comes to fights.

"You're forgetting something," I said as I nodded ever so slightly to Hurricane. He straightened.

"What?" He asked curiously, losing himself for just enough time. Hurricane sprang, hooves outstretched, fangs bared.

"Never let your enemy distract you," I said victoriously. Hurricane fought valiantly, and while Moonlight blocked the frenzied pegasus, she bit him on the leg, just above his canon bone. He screamed as she drank, filling herself as I had done before. I could hear her gulps of blood. Se was enjoying it as much as I had, based on her contented expression. His screams died off as he weakened from blood loss. I yanked Hurricane off of him, and put my lips to his wound. I pursed my lips, and sucked the venom out until his blood was clean. This time, I didn't forget my purpose. Then, I tore the bite marks open so that it looked like a scratch, maybe from a trowel or shears. I threw him over my back, and galloped to the hospital.

Author's Note

MWAHAHAHAHAHA
MAKE ALL OF THE PONIES VAMPIRIC MINIONS!! :pinkiecrazy:

Anyways, let me know how you liked it :D

VI. Rebirth

Hurricane and I burst through the double doors of the Manehatten Medical Center. Moonlight was still on my back, a trail of blood dripping down his leg and staining the white carpet in the lounge.

"Oh my!" said a nursemare, gasping at the sight of him. Moonlight was growing paler by the second. Hurricane, who was on my right, picked up his injured hoof to try and stop the blood. On the way here, she had managed to clean up her mouth, which had been bright red with his blood. I could feel Moonlight starting to sweat, probably going into shock. The next couple of minutes was a blur. Hurricane said something to the nursepony at the main desk, while other ponies stared at the injured stallion flung upon my back. From a hallway somewhere, a trio of doctors and some other nurseponies came with one of those wheeled stretchers. I laid Moonlight on it, and they dashed back down the hallway. I galloped after them, Hurricane on my hocks. Our hoofsteps echoed frantically in the white hall, mirroring our movements. We were passing several doors at a time now- one for common illnesses, one for surgery, even a biohazard ward. I didn't have time to stop and admire the scenery.

I didn't see the team that had collected Moonlight, and as I remembered his pallor and the bleeding, I subconsciously sped up to far faster than a normal pony. After a few seconds of that, we found them. They were still moving quite fast, grabbing a blood bag and hooking it up, attaching an IV, taking blood pressure, heart rate, and other things I didn't quite comprehend. They had put some sort of bandage on his wound, which was still dripping a little bit. They had picked him up, and with a few grunts, maneuvered him onto a bed. He was placed next to a large window with a nice view of flowerbeds, a slight breeze picking up as I watched. Moonlight was still sweating, but his colour was returning now, which made me feel a little better.

It had been a few days, and every day, Hurricane and I had gone to see Moonlight. He was recovering rapidly, which was a good sign, but the doctors wanted to keep him for a few more days. For 'Observation'. I still wasn't sure if I had sucked all the venom out, because he seemed to be using up blood bags quite rapidly, even though his wound was gone.

"Do you think I turned him?" Hurricane whispered to me sadly as we walked the empty streets for the third time that night. Somewhere off in the distance, an owl hooted.

"I doubt the venom would have had enough time to fully turn him, but he might be a little... different." It was then silent once again. "Are you getting thirsty?" A nod.

"Do you want to hunt?" Another nod. "Then we shall."

We trotted to the park, trying to appear nonchalant. I'm not sure if we succeeded. A couple of ponies were there, one was a small unicorn filly with a lovely lavender coat. As we trotted by, a buff green stallion was sitting on a bench, dressed in a fine suit, looking through a briefcase. A pegasus couple waved hello as we moved past them. In the night air, the smell of blood wasn't a potent as it was in the hospital.

After a while, I found my target-- an orange earth pony. She flicked her bright red mane with her hoof, and started walking away. Her flank bore a bowl of fruit, oddly enough.

"Can you go somewhere else?" I whispered to Hurricane, nudging my head in the mare's direction. She nodded, and went to find her own meal. Once Hurricane was gone, I turned to the mare.

"You really should be more careful, wandering alone out here in the dark. Cities aren't safe." She turned, startled by my voice. She stared at me uncomprehendingly. I smiled widely, showing off my fangs. She backed away, ears pinned. She would be an easy bite. I cackled, and ran towards her with vampiric speed, my hooves barely touching the ground. I circled her, and she turned in every direction to try and keep pace with my kiting. Finally, I leaped in the circle when her back was turned, and wrestled her to the cobbled path. She was strong, but not enough to fight me off. When I had her down, I opened my mouth and bit down hard on her neck, right where her jugular was. As I felt the warmth of the blood rushing down my throat, I drank faster, determined to have every last drop. While she still struggled to get me off, she weakened with each mouthful. I wouldn't be creating another vampire today. Eventually, the mare fell slack, and I pulled away. I wiped my mouth with my hoof, turned her over and set her on a nearby bench.

Prodding her with my hoof, I let myself droop as I realized what I had done. I had stolen the life of another pony, but instead of condemning her, I had killed her. I was a monster in pony form, a killer. The worst part was I had enjoyed every second of it. Every last drop was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. I felt rather sloshy, now that I thought about it. Cantering away, I rushed to find Hurricane.

The blue pegasus was still where I had left her, but now there was no one but her and her dead victim. On the ground, blood still dripping out of his neck, was a yellow stallion with a pale purple mane. His face was frozen in a silent scream.

VII. Love

"Unh..." groaned a voice from the bed beside me. I sat in a red velvet chair next to Moonlight's bed, where he was, evidently, waking up for the first time in a week. I looked up from my Equestria Daily to find him sitting up. "What happened?" The stallion's voice was slightly slurred, having not spoken since Hurricane bit him.

"...You don't remember?" I questioned, my brow furrowing.

"Not at all. Something with... Hurricane, and you, and..." Confusion crossed his face as he looked deep into his mind, attempting to fill in the void where the past week's events were. He rubbed his head with his hoof, mussing up his tangled forelock more so than before. Suddenly, shock took its spot upon his face. "She bit me?" he whispered quietly, just loud enough for me to hear. I nodded, both relieved and worried. Then, finally the question I had hoped he wouldn't think to ask.

"Did she turn me?"

Four little words. It shouldn't be enough to make me stiffen in anxiety. I should be fine with just four little words. But it was those words that did the trick. In truth, I couldn't answer one way or the other. We didn't know, and until the hospital released him, we wouldn't know for a while. For a minute or two, we just sat there, staring at each other. It hung in the air, the dread washing over me. He blinked his ice blue eyes, once, twice, thrice. Finally, I broke the silence.

"We don't know." It echoed around the room before dissipating.

"You... don't know?" he said, tilting his head, attempting to wrap his weakened mind around the words. "So she might have...? I might be...?" I could only lower my head to look at the floor. The right words to say were stuck in my throat, forming a lump and making it rather difficult to breathe. "Oh, Celestia..." Those were the same words he uttered when I told him about myself. He looked up at the tiled white ceiling, hooves in the air, as if to ask Why me?. I could see his tail twitching underneath the covers on his hospital bed. The smell of blood still lingered, but now it was diluted with disinfectants and... something more. It was familiar, but I just couldn't name it. Whatever it was, it was strongest around Moonlight. There was still the delicious flavor of blood in the air around him, but the other scent was stronger. For some reason, it was very unsettling.

"So, I might be, but I might not?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes. We know... even less than you do," I replied. "After all, we aren't you. Do you feel a burn in your throat?"

"Uhm... kind of?" His tone made it a question, which didn't help. "I feel a bit queasy, actually. Do you have water?" I pushed a button to call the nurse.

"Hurricane's outside. She thought it'd be better if I was here instead of her. She feels terrible. Are you up to visitors?" I asked. He nodded, and I went to get her.

"Oh, Melody, can I have that newspaper?" I levitated it to him on my way out. "Thanks." I closed the door, and trotted down the pristine white halls, with the floors so clean that I had a near-perfect image of myself staring back at me. I stopped for a minute, fixated on her beautiful, round eyes. I shook myself out of my stupor. I had to go get Hurricane. As I walked, I thought about how I hadn't been able to see myself in the mirror, yet in the floor I could. I got into a slight rhythm with my hoofsteps. Every time one clicked on the floor, I would move my other hooves accordingly. I worked rather well, and I got to the lobby relatively fast. Hurricane was pacing about nervously, and when she saw me she ran towards me.

"Is he okay? Does he want to talk? Is he mad at me? Does..."

"Whoa! Slow down, Hurricane. He's..." I shrugged. "Okay, that works. Yes, he wants to talk, and he doesn't remember what happened."

"Oh," she said quietly. The siblings seemed to share the habit of going extrordinarily quiet whenever the mood darkened in the slightest. "Did you tell him?" I nodded, and she groaned.

We walked back to his room in silence, save for the clip clop of our hooves. Her ears drooped slightly, and her expression was sad, and even her eyes had lost that sparkle. She truly was repentant. Her wings, perhaps one of the most important things about her, were unfolded and dragging along the ground.

"Your wings won't get dirty that way?" I asked. She looked up, somewhat startled and bewildered.

"Oh, I, uh..." she mumbled. She picked her wings up, and folded them. It was silence the rest of the way to his room.

When we stepped inside, he was sitting upright, water in hoof, staring off into space.

"Hem-hem," I coughed noisily. He jumped slightly and looked away from the wall. He met my gaze, and for a second, I thought he might cry. Again.

"Uh..." Hurricane whispered, very out of character. Her eyes flicked to the wall, to a painting, to the window, to her hooves. Anything except Moonlight. Her cheeks were flushed, as were his. She scratched the back of her with one hoof. "I'm sorry?"

"Um, okay," he mumbled. "Apology accepted. I guess. I don't really know anymore." Surprisingly, Hurricane cracked a small smile.

"This reminds me of that one time that we tied a balloon on Red Maple to try and help him fly, don't you think?"

He grinned. "Yeah, yeah I guess it does." For a brief moment, the pair shared a memory, obviously a fond and funny one, based on the giggles. "Oh, er, Melody? Can I talk to Hurricane? In private?"

"Oh, sure." I stepped out of the small room, and tried not to eavesdrop, but it was difficult with my increased hearing. Through the door, I heard them talking in hushed whispers.

"Hurricane- you know how water usually quenches thirst?" A pause.

"Yes..?" She didn't sound sure of this fact, though it's well proven.

"Well, this time, it didn't."

Author's Note

Time takes all but the memories of loves past.
-My brother in a 4th grade poetry competition

And to think that he got that from a video game...

Life is weird. But, ya know, I thought that was kinda fitting :I

Plot Twiiiist!
Or maybe not... O.o

VIII. Spirited

Moonlight, Hurricane and I stood in the crystal cave she'd showed me a few days ago. He was gasping and looking around at everything wide-eyed, as I had the first time I had set hoof here.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hurricane said as she sat down on the soft moss on the cave's floor. As I walked, it seemed to caress my hooves, massaging them with each step. It was the best thing I had felt since Moonlight had been discharged from the hospital. After the day he had woken up, he had refused visitors, and this meant that I'd had a lot of time to think, what with Hurricane's solemn silence. This left me to think uninterrupted about the last few words I had accidentally overheard.

The sibling's conversation had bounced around in my head over and over.

"You know how water usually quenches thirst?"

"Yes...?"

"Well, this time, it didn't."

It was like my head was stuck on rewind, the sentences entwined in my memory forever. The only thing I could draw from this was what I least wanted to believe. What I had tried to stop. What I feared, for some reason.

Part of me knew that if it was true, and why wouldn't it be, then there was no reason to dwell on it. No reason to fixate on the fact that, no matter what I did, nothing would change it. But the other part, the irrational part, loved him, yet I've known him for less than a month. It was highly improbable, but then again, not very long ago, had I been asked if vampires were real, I would've laughed it off. But that was true, so what else was there to believe?

He's a vampire.

This was all I could think. The only explanation.

"Melody, are you alright?" Moonlight asked, his pale form glowing with the light of the fireflies of the cavern.

"Huh?" I shook out of my thoughtful trance. "Oh, yeah, sure." He eyed me, and I knew he saw through my quick response.

"So, what do we know about... you know?"

"Well," I began. "We can run extremely fast, we drink blood, we don't show up in mirrors, and we can't go out in sunlight."

"Those were kind of obvious," he noted. "Anything else I should know?" Hurricane and I shook our heads in unison, resulting in a sigh from the light yellow stallion. "How many are there? Like, how many... you know?"

"I don't know. There's at least four, since a stallion I've never met turned me, then there's you two," I said, my voice rising in pitch unintentionally. There was a short silence, then Moonlight spoke.

"You never did tell us how you turned. Why not now?" I'm not sure what my expression was, but it probably wasn't good. I shrugged, then began recounting the pub and the ten bits, and how I ended up the way I was.

"...And now I'm sitting in this cave telling you about what happened." Hurricane's eyes were roughly the size of dinner plates. Her crimson eyes were fixed on me, unmoving and unblinking. It was quite creepy.

"Wow," she said in a hushed whisper, eyes still locked onto mine. "You've turned me, and you're not even a month old. Just, wow."

"You turned him, and you're barely a week old," I reminded her. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned a bit. Suddenly, the smell of blood wafted through the cave as Hurricane and I turned our heads in unison to a rustling sound near the cave's entrance.

"What are you staring at?" Moonlight asked dubiously. He didn't get a reply, because Hurricane and I sprung towards a deer that crossed in front of the circular entryway.

As we flew through the air, fangs bared and dripping with venom, I saw my reflection in the doe's widening pupils. She shrank away, but it was too late. She was already dead.

Three sets of hoofsteps echoed through the abandoned alleyway. Hurricane, Moonlight and I casually walked in the night, enjoying our little stroll. One thing was off, however. While Hurricane's eyes, as well as mine, glow blood red in the darkness, Moonlight's were a semi-purplish colour, and there was no ambient light surrounding them in an aura of red, or any colour for that matter. Yet, his eyes had previously been blue-- or had they? I couldn't remember.

It had been a day since my last meal, and I was thirsty again. I didn't know how often we needed to feed, but since Moonlight was in the hospital, I had fed every day, along with Hurricane, to protect other random ponies. Except for selected meals. Those were meant to be bitten, and savored. Meant to sustain us. I shook my head. I was still a pony, but with... different feeding habits. Yes, that's it.

Different was putting it mildly. We, the Vampiric trio that we were, were hardwired to kill- to feed upon every last drop of the life-giving crimson liquid known as blood. It was how we spread the gift-- or curse, depending on how you look at it. Throughout history, we've been credited as myths, stories to scare foals. To explain unfaithful husbands and wives. To make ordinary ponies feel as though they had manipulation or control over things they do not understand.

Yet, we could bless them with that knowledge. Give them power, and they would endure the pain if they were worthy.

All of these thoughts, tangent or not, ran through my mind as we walked. However, a strong scent brought me back to reality. It was originating from around the corner, extraordinarily potent for such a wide space as Luna's Night. But I recognized it in a heartbeat. As I smelled the luscious scent, the burn in my throat reignited. It burned with a lust for blood, a need, a want, to quench the flames. To sate the desire. To fill my body with the essential fluid. To strengthen me.

As we rounded the brick wall's corner, a grim scene came upon us. An alicorn was sprawled on the ground, wings bent at an odd angle, horn and coat smeared with red. The Princess of the Night gasped for air, and I saw her wound-- a knife was embedded in her brisket, sticking out and running with streams of crimson. Hurricane drew in a sharp breath and spoke rather fast.

"Princess Luna, are you alright?" she asked frantically, and quite stupidly. Yet the princess smiled.

"I *gasp* don't think... *gasp* anypony with... a knife... *gasp* in their chest *gasp* is alright," she choked out, blood pouring out of her maw.

I decided to act on instinct (other than to sate my bloodlust, that would wait.), and save the Princess. Filled with adrenaline, and levitated the injured navy blue pony and galloped faster than even my vampiric speed had allowed before towards the hospital. It was roughly five blocks away, but I made it there in less than a minute. A trail of blood splattered the stones as I ran. I didn't stop until I was in the emergency ward, and even then I kept moving with as much haste as possible.

"ATTENTION, EVERYPONY!" I shouted as loudly as possible. It worked effectively-- all the hospital staff turned our way. I watched as mixed emotions crossed their collective faces: Shock, hatred (potentially of me), curiosity, and many more.

Princess Luna gasped, and the staff shook out of their stupor and set to work, grabbing various bags filled with liquid, rolling a stretcher out, and hoisting her onto it. I made a mistake, in my shouting though.

A teenaged colt stared at me with humongous eyes, as well as his small group of friends. They had seen. They knew the secret that I had failed to keep.

They knew I was a Vampire.

I may as well have given up.

IX. Crimson Moon

I walked alone to the alley where, not 30 minutes ago, I had discovered Princess Luna, covered in blood. A group of muffled hoofsteps made me stop and turn around. I could feel heat radiating from behind me, as well as the delectable scent of sustenance. As I casually glanced towards my flank, I saw the colts from the hospital, trying to hide behind an abandoned cart, left to rot in the middle of a street.

"P-please d-don't hurt-t us," whimpered a pale yellow colt with a light green mane. He bore a tree on his quarters, and an unusually small pair of wings sprouted from his back, fluttering in the light breeze that blew through Manehatten's streets.

"Y-yeah, we d-don't-t want-t t-trouble, miss," said another, this time a cyan earth pony with a light grey mane. Upon his flank was a golden seashell. He shivered in the cold night air, but I couldn't feel the chill. "P-please." I narrowed my eyes at them. There were five of them in total, and four, including the two who had spoken, were cowering in fear, crouching to avoid being in my line of sight. It didn't matter of course. I had a feeling that, if I wanted to, I could easily smash the cart and drink them dry. But I didn't.

One of the five stood boldly in front of me, chest puffed out. The colt was large for how old he appeared to be, and the only unicorn in the group. He had a long black mane streaked with a small line of red, and brushed straight. His horn was roughly ten inches long, and came to a sharp point that could very likely cut a normal pony's flesh. His coat was a dark shade of grey. He didn't have a cutie mark, which I found odd. The strangest things about him were his tail and eyes. One eye was red and one was black, the likes of which I had never seen before. His tail, however, was highly unusual, if not an extreme rarity. It was long and snake-like, but it wasn't made entirely of hair. Most of it was flesh and bone. Only the last six inches or so had tail hair, which was fanned out. It was somewhat like a griffin's tail, actually.

He looked me straight in the eye, and I could see a ferocious determination blazing within. Of what, I wasn't sure. But he would do his very best to accomplish his goals, whether they were a date for prom or king of the world. A whimper echoed around the street as the four terrified colts shrank away once more.

"What do you want?" I asked him, my voice barely a whisper. I tried to be diplomatic. I really did. The only response I got was a growl. I rolled my eyes and fired up a shield spell. I hardly used any magic at all, when before the change it used to deplete me, and even then my shield was very flimsy. It once got shattered by a balloon.

"Nice." He whistled appreciatively. "But I can do better." My magic, which had been blue, was now a bright red. I sighed internally, adding it to Melody's List of Stuff Affected by Vampirism. His magic was black as the night, only somewhat transparent. He formed a complete bubble around the pair of us, trapping himself in with a vampire who could also use magic. Not the wisest choice.

I snickered, and suddenly, I burst out in guffaws that could be heard throughout the street. He stared at me, his head cocked in a questioning manner. He clearly did not expect this.

"Why are you laughing?" he yelled, furious. I was rolling on the ground now, tears streaming from my eyes. I shuddered with cries of hilarity. I myself did not know why I was laughing so hysterically, but I was beginning to get a stitch in my side. I stopped when I saw his horn charging up. I rolled away as he fired a bolt of magic at me, and I got up.

"I'll ask again before I attack-- what do you want?" I nearly shouted, trying to sound fierce. One of the ponies behind the cart had a tear glistening in his eye.

"I want you to tell me what you are, why you are what you are, and I want to destroy you." He was snarling at me, horn charging up again for another attack.

"Why do you want to destroy me if you don't know what I am?" I said, stalling for time.

"I know what you are, but they don't know your kind exist." He gestured to the scared colts behind the cart. "And I want to kill you because of what your species did to me, and my family."

"Wouldn't it be one or two ponies that did something to your family, not all of us collectively?" I asked, trying to reason with him to use logic. The burn in my throat was increasing by the second, and I was going to lose it soon. The moon was almost in the middle of the sky now, and I knew I had to hurry this up. If I was caught in the sunlight, it wouldn't be pretty.

"You're all the same." That one hit home.

"If we're all the same you'd be dead by now," I growled back. "I'm not a ruthless killer."

"Oh yeah? Then how about those three ponies in the park that were found dead this morning, no blood?" He took a step forward. "Are you trying to tell me that wasn't you handiwork?"

"Only one, and that would be a fate kinder than what happened to me."

"That I'd agree with."

And so we began out deadly dance, and only one of us would come out alive. I had a feeling it wouldn't be him.

Author's Note

Whoop! Another chapter-- Another cliffhanger, mwahaahhahaha! (I'm just following the example of every author ever.)

Well then, onwards to chapter X! (10 for you normal ponies.)

X. Unchained

Our hooves clopped on the street as we circled, feigning and dodging, rolling and slashing. The colt was a good fighter, but he had nothing on my speed and agility. We danced, dashing back and forth. He faked me out, then swiped at me with his hoof. It stung, but only fueled my anger. I sped up, nearing my limits. He spun around as I leapt overhead, he rolled under me, and so it went. As time went by, he slowed down due to weariness. We had been fighting all night, and the sun was rising. Soon, he would gain an edge, and I would be forced to run, cowering in fear from Celestia's Glory.

I whirled as he rolled to the side and crashed into his own force field. It shattered, shards of magic raining down before dissipating into the void from whence they came. He spun on his hocks, hooves in the air as he reared on me. I dashed underneath and flipped so I landed on his back. We both came crashing down, and I heard the sick crunch of bone as it cracked under our combined weight. He screamed, and it was equal parts rage, pain, and hatred all mixed into one hideous concoction.

My vampire side was raging wild now, and I could no longer contain or control it in the least. Time slowed down, and I heard each individual heartbeat, saw each wave of new blood flow through his veins. I could feel myself leaning in, going for the kill. The burn was demanding to be extinguished, and I gave in to temptation. The lust for blood, the need, the want-- it all came to me in an instant, and I bit down hard. My venom-coated fangs speared his jugular and blood rushed through the open gap in his neck. He screamed again, crying out for help, for somepony to assist him, to heal him. But nopony would come.

He was at my mercy, and I gulped mouthfuls of red down my throat. As it flooded my system, I grew stronger by the second, drinking more and more. He screamed until he simply fell limp, and even then I took ever increasing amounts, letting the haze wash over me, letting the predatory instinct come out to play. When I was full, I dropped him on the ground, where his head hit the stone with a disgusting crack. Blood was matted in my fur, on my face and hooves, and it spilled in the streets, flowing through the grooves in the cobble and sinking into every nook and cranny in the general area.

His four friends were watching with widened eyes, one had fainted, and another was trying to run away. I ran after him, catching up in a matter of a few seconds. I quickly disposed of him, snapping his neck with a simple movement of my forelegs. He dropped like a fly, dead on the road where he lay.

Another colt made a break for it while I was dealing with the other two, a pegasus and an earth pony. The pegasus' wings were much too small to carry him through the air and away, but he still tried to liftoff unsuccessfully. He was gone in an instant, leaving one more. I galloped after the young stallion, and the scent of fresh blood caught me and carried me with it, and I rode on the crimson wings of the wind. Soon, he too was gone, lying in the street.
Five, I thought. I killed-- no, murdered-- five colts. I'm a monster.

"He-- he was right. We are all the same." I had a good mind to let myself burn in the sun, but clouds obscured its beams of death. My burning would have to wait. The clop of hooves upon the stones made me turn around instinctually.

"Is this where you've been the whole time, Melody?" Hurricane asked me, eyeing the colts warily. She sniffed the air, and I could tell she was trying to decide whether or not to feed. "What have you been doing?!"

"He tried to kill me," I mumbled. It was partly the truth. But it wasn't all of it. "I could've died..."

"And that justifies killing the others... how, exactly?" I didn't have an answer. Her eyes were a maroon, instead of their normal bright red. She groaned before saying, "I'm getting thirsty... but this makes me a little less enthused about it."

Moonlight's eyes, for the first time I noticed, were in fact not at all red. Not even a pink, but they were still his normal blue. This observation made me wonder if he truly was a vampire, or it was all in his head. I didn't know if that was possible, but he hadn't fed at all since the transformation. Hurricane and I had fed quite a lot, and we hadn't been able to go for two days without a drink. But Moonlight wasn't even complaining about the thirst. This worried me, but I shrugged it off.

I slouched as we walked around the city. The clouds were still out, so we could mingle amongst the normal ponies without dying. Some still glanced up and happened to see our red eyes, but they just edged away. Some turned their heads in the other direction as we passed. Others thought nothing of it. Most didn't notice anything supernatural about our group. The occasional filly or colt would hide behind their dam's leg, but that was the most reaction we got from nearly everypony.

We walked in the general direction of the hospital, and eventually made our way there. It was very empty, the only pony there was the nurse at the reception desk.

"May I help you?" she asked. Her nameplate read Little Joy. Her mane was a beautiful pale pink. Her coat was exceptionally soft-looking, and a very lovely cream colour. She had a red star on the bridge of her muzzle. Her eyes were the same color as her star.

"How is the Princess?" I asked, hesitating at first. I wasn't sure who had seen what, and I decided to err on the side of caution. She blinked.

"The Princess?" she questioned.

"Yeah, Princess Luna? She was admitted to this hospital yesterday evening."

"Princess Luna has never visited this hospital for anything." She looked me straight in the eyes as she spoke, and I could see she believed her words, even if they weren't true.

"I know she's here," I said. "I'm the one who brought her in." Little Joy just rolled her eyes at me. With a dull sigh, like she'd been doing this all day, she said, "There's no Princess here, Luna, Celestia, or otherwise." Hurricane, who was to my right, shrugged and turned around and walked straight out of the lobby. Moonlight followed suit, and I trotted after them.

"Why do you suppose she would lie about Princess Luna being there?" I asked Moonlight and Hurricane after checking, double-checking, and triple-checking that we were at the right hospital. Indeed we were, and this just made it even more confusing.

"Security reasons? Maybe it's against regulations to say that a princess is at your hospital or something. Assassins could use that information, and reporters would bug you nonstop," Hurricane said without looking at me. "Who knows."

"I guess so." Something still bugged me, but it wasn't my place to interfere with the Princess' business anymore. As long she was safe, it didn't concern me.

I hadn't noticed where we were heading, but when we stopped I slammed into Hurricane after getting lost in my own thoughts.

"Sorry!" I mumbled. A grunt was my only response.

Author's Note

Yea, yea. I know I haven't done anything on this since... November? December? But I've been VERY busy with work and all. I have to go on a family trip here shortly, so expect nothing new for a while again... What can I say? I'm a slacker, but at least I'm a busy slacker. But does that make me a slacker at all, or am I something else entirely? Life mysteries... they make my brain hurt.