From The Heart Of Darkness.

Byron Family Mansion, winter of 1730.

The old pendulum clock of the grand hall chimed twelve times and the night already covered the world in its spectral domain. Lord Byron was playing chess with his friend Hathor in front of the fireplace, the board dimly lit by the dim candlelight.

"And that's how things went down during the sign of the trade agreement with the buffalo tribe. I'm really glad you supported our new leader, now the nomads will have a better place to settle and the incomes for the Griffin Kingdom are assured."

The gryphon said cheerfully as he sipped his glass of wine. He gave a look at the board and with a movement captured the bishop of his friend. Lord Byron levitated his own glass and sipped the sweet liquid.

"I'm happy for that, if Thanathos had continued on the throne, war surely had broken out in just a few months more. But now that everything is at it should be, we can carry on with our business, I hope your proposal to help me get much of the wine market at Helios is still standing."

"Of course, your product is of the highest quality, we also have the support of the mayor of the city, remember that he is also a great admirer of your product."

They both laughed and emptied the last part of the bottle into their glasses.

"By the way." The gryphon said. "Do you think we could drink some of your special harvest?"

"Why of course, old friend, today is an occasion to celebrate."

Lord Byron took a small bell giving it a couple of shakes, a few moments later an earth pony entered into the room.

"Yes? Lord Byron, how can I help you?"

"Ah Rigar, just the pony I needed, please, could you go to the barriques and bring a couple of bottles of the special harvest?"

"Right away, Sir." Rigar said bowing his head.

Rigar took his scarf wrapping it around his neck. He left the house making his way towards the wine warehouse at the north of the property. With only an old oil lamp as a source of light, the stallion tried to keep a steady pace, something that was more easily said than done.

He could hear how the air whistled when passing through the trees, it seemed as if the air howled with a thousand voices at once. He kept walking but stopped dead in his tracks after a couple of minutes, he could almost swear that someone called his name and looked in all directions, his eyes only finding darkness. Fear began to get into his mind so he quickened his pace, but not enough for the lamp to fall down.

Upon arriving at the wineries, Rigar left the lamp on the floor and lifted the heavy door of the basement. He placed the lock on it and then took the lamp before he descended into the darkness of the place.  Once he had disappeared into the shed, the wind blew harder and someone or something unlocked the heavy door and closed it gently, Rigar didn't even noticed it.

When he reached his goal at the end of the cellar, Rigar left the lamp on a small table while filling his saddlebags with the bottles, he also took one bottle and opened it taking a few drinks to calm his nerves.  He was filling the second saddlebag when he managed to hear a soft chuckle behind him. He turned around but saw nothing, his nerves were at the edge and adrenaline ran all over his body.

He continued filling the bag when he heard the laugh again, only that this time it was louder and closer to him. He turned around again, no more than a couple of meters away from him, a beautiful mare of white fur and purple mane was standing with her glassy dark eyes fixed on him, she was wearing a gray dress that accentuated the curves of her body, something that despite his fear, Rigar couldn't avoid to notice.

"What... what are you doing here? Don't you know this is private property? "

There was no answer from her.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but you better go before I call the guards and..."

Rigar stopped talking as the mare began to reduce the distance between them. She pounced on him, they both fell to the ground and she hugged his neck and kissed him wildly. At first he try to get away from her, but it didn't take him long to give in to his instincts. The feel of her mouth coupled with the heat of her body only excited him more. He wrapped his arms around her and both began to let out sounds of euphoria and pleasure.

Minutes went by until he knew something was wrong, the warmth of the mare that at first he had felt had started to disappear, now what Rigar felt was a freezing cold. The atmosphere around him became even colder to the extent that he could see the steam from his breath.

The mare above him stopped moving, a moment later she sat up on his lap. Rigar saw with horror that her beautiful blue eyes had disappeared leaving only bloodied empty holes of a deep black color, he wanted to scream but she smiled and closed his mouth with a kiss.

Rigar could only watch in terror how her mouth turned into hideous jaws full of sharp fangs, the dress that covered the her body was torn apart when bones started pierce her skin in a bath of blood. The creature roared and dropped over the body of the earth pony making him scream in pain as he felt some of the bones enter into his flesh. Rigar couldn't do anything else, the creature roared again and sank his fangs into the neck of his victim ripping his throat.

***---***---***

Both friends heard the hoof steps of someone coming down the hall. The door of the hall was opened by a faint purple aura and a figure dressed in a black robe walked around to face them.

"Rigar, what took you...so long...?"

Lord Byron couldn't continue, the hooded figure smiled and gave two steps towards them.

"Who the hell are you? How did you evade the guards?"

Hathor was speechless, he saw emerge from the shadows a pair of huge amorphous creatures that chewed what appeared to be the remains of the guards. Both Byron and Hathor took their rifles and pointed towards the hooded figure who laughed and then discovered her face, Lord Byron felt a chill ran down his spine.

"S-Sparkle?" Lord Byron was trembling. "No, this cannot be... you are dead!"

The unicorn mare laughed insanely, she lifted one of her hooves and pointed towards them. The beasts at her side pounced on the gryphon and the unicorn. The silence of the night was cut by the screams of pain and the roars of beasts coming from the mansion. That night all the Byron Family and servitude were massacred without mercy.

***One Hundred Years Later***

"C'mon Braeburn, those boxes are not going to download themselves alone, you know?"

Said a beautiful pegasus mare of yellow fur and fiery mane that was carrying a couple of large boxes over her back.

"I'm on it honey, heavens, I know you're excited but could we rest a bit please?"

"Of course not, I want to sleep with a roof over my head tonight, it was a very long and decamped trip and we still have to put all this inside the house."

Braeburn let out a sigh and sign the delivery note of the moving company.

"Are you really going to live in this place?"

Asked a unicorn, boss of the small group of workers who stood outside the entrance of the mansion without daring to take another step towards it.

"Sure, this place was a bargain." Braeburn answered. "Why are your workers not moving a muscle?"

"They are afraid sir, do you not know the legend surrounding this mansion?"

"Don't tell me you believe in that old children's story." Spitfire said while walking towards her husband. "Pfft, a ghost who kills the entire family over a century ago? Ha, don't make me laugh."

She looked at the workers and shouted.

"Hey guys, if you hurry up and place everything inside the house in less than three hours, you will leave carrying a barrel of cider, special harvest of the Apple Family, what do you say?"

"Yes ma'am!" They all said in unison and left their fear aside, after all, the cider was well worth it.

Braeburn pondered the words of the boss of the group. He gave look at the big old mansion in front of him, something made him feel fear, but he could not make out what it was.