"I'm going to meet somepony from Quarrel," Midnight said to himself, getting some drinks from the grocery store, "Hopefully, they won't see me as a monster, just because I'm a vampony."
After he took a few bottles of soda, he began to make his way to the coffee and get some Mocca Fix when he ran into somepony, both falling down and him losing his glasses.
"For Luna's sake, watch where you're going!"
"Midnight?" a familiar voice said to him as he put his glasses on.
In front of him was a blue stallion with a blue mane with a silver streak.
And Midnight's crimson eyes, fangs, and bat wings were out in the open.
"Sorry," Midnight said, looking away, "I guess now that you've seen me, I guess you'll want to run like everypony else."
"What? No."
"Just go. I drink ponies, that's all I'm good for."
"That's not true and you know it."
"Explain that to the blood on my coat and clothes."
"So? I've known you for several months."
"Yeah. Except the part about me being a bloodsucking murder machine that kills other ponies just to live."
"You're not a murderer."
"Just run," Midnight said, turning around, "I don't want to hurt you."
"I don't care."
"No. I want you to be safe from a monster like me."
"Midnight-"
"Just face it," Midnight said, sitting down on the floor, "The only reason you're friends with me is because of the fact that I digitally removed my fangs and changed my eyes from red to midnight in the picture."
"No, that has nothing to do with it."
"Go before I start killing."
"I'm sure Lotus wouldn't be scared of you either."
"Just admit that you're scared and run."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not."
"Please tell me how and why you're not scared of me," Midnight said, now getting up.
"Because you're a cool pony. I like talking to you and doing things with you. Plus, everything you know about those weird cars and all of those countries and their history, it's like yo-"
"I was there," Midnight quietly said as he looked down.
"What?"
"The wars, the genocides, the brainwashing," he balled his fists and gritted his teeth as he tried to hold back his tears, "I was there for it all. I've seen countries be formed and dissolved... languages born and died, their texts locked away from even time itself. I've seen the Griffons, the Yaks, the Dragons, Hippogriffs , and Kirin, all of it. I was there, but I couldn't help. I've seen kingdoms rise and fall. So don't say ⟨It's like you were there⟩, because I was there. Every time you or anypony else asks me about times bygone like that, it hurts to remember. But I do it for you guys, Speedy," he relaxed and took a few breaths, "I wish I could tell the others."
Speedy was left speechless.
"If you're going to stay, ask what the tartarus you want. I don't care, just as long as I don't have to physically relive it."
Speedy was still stunned.
"Well?"
"Any interesting stories about racing?" he finally asked after a few minutes.
"When?"
"Well... you seem to know so much about the Poniets, so did they do any racing with the Kirin?"
"I carteled thousands, millions even, over the Poniet-Kirin border, just so they could race and be with their friends and families."
"What were the races like?" Speedy asked, desperate to change the mood.
"Essentially the same as today, though the Poniet cars were under-powered with wooden frames and cloth body panels. They were poorly built, left huge plumes of smoke everywhere, and never topped 80 miles per hour. The fastest I would usually see was 65 miles per hour from a model called ⟨Maluch⟩. They were tiny, two-stroke, rear-engine, rear-wheel drive, twin-engined hatchbacks with a terrible acceleration. It took them 47 seconds to make it to 60 miles per hour. Still, there was laughing and fun. I even took a few Kirin east into the Poniet Union."
"Whoa."
"Yeah. I've seen some crazy things."
"Like what?"
"Experiments. Some of the tamer ones gave ponies extra hands, arms, fingers, legs, hooves, tails, or other things. Some didn't seem to mind it, but the scientists who tried to experiment on me died slow, painful deaths," he said, taking a sharp breath, "They wanted to make an artificial unicorn, so I threw them in a gas chamber and let it run on a low setting."
"...Ouch..."
"I tried to help ponies escape, but they would have rather died on an operating table than to escape with my help."
Midnight finally looked back up to see that his closest friend was still standing there, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, almost as if he wanted to hear more, but was too disgusted and shocked to ask.
"Well, it felt good being able to tell somepony."
Speedy tried to say something, but the words just didn't come out.
"And that's just the tame part."
"I... Why wouldn't they want your help?"
"Simple," Midnight replied, "I'm a vampony."
"Yet that didn't stop me from staying and talking to you in pony."
"Because you're an idiot."
"What?"
"Do you even know how much danger you're in right now!?" Midnight said, "I could drink all of your blood and literally eat your dead corpse!"
"Well you're my friend, so I'm staying here."
"You're willing to take the risk of me violently killing you?"
"Yes. You're not a monster because you're a vampony, you're my friend because I like you."
"Well, you're willing to stay."
"Hey, Lotus came to Hooflyn too. She should be at a convention tomorrow. I'm here for a four-day racing thing, and I couldn't get a hotel. Could I stay with you?"
"Sure. Just... don't go poking around through my things. I don't want you to get super unnerved."
"Well, if you're worried about Lotus, I can message her if she can meet us later."
"You'll be there?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks."
When the two finished at the grocery store, Midnight led Speedy to his house.
Several minutes later and two cars, a 1989 Yugo and a 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer SEL CVT AWC, were at a small, single-floor house. Speedy and Midnight went in almost immediately.
"Nice place," Speedy said.
Midnight's house was a decent-sized one. There was an open-concept kitchen/living room with several doors, each leading to the other few rooms of the house. The majority of it was decorated in a minimalist modern design, and there was an open laptop with the Quarrel program running on the coffee table.
"I still can't believe you're not worried about me ripping your throat out in the middle of the night."
"Well, of course not. You're my friend. Why would I be worried?"
"Again, I'm a vampony?" Midnight said as he threw off his jacket, showing a tattoo of an upside-down cross on his arm, right above his watch.
"So?" Speedy replied, somewhat annoyed.
"I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive me."
Speedy went and sat down on the couch as Midnight adjusted his ring.
"It's okay," he said.
"Yeah, shit like that does happen when you're as old as I am, and immortality doesn't help matters any," Midnight said, going and getting some drinks from the refrigerator, "Soda?"
"Mountain Dew."
"Got it," Midnight said, getting a bottle of Soda for Speedy and an IV bag of blood for himself, then going back to the couch with the drinks, "Here ya go."
Speedy took his drink and turned on the TV as Midnight violently tore into his IV bag, making a bloody mess everywhere.
"You... Really needed that... Didn't you?"
"I was worried."
"Don't be."
"Do you know... well, let's just say... I don't-"
"I get what you're trying to say, Midnight, but don't worry. Now, the race doesn't start until tomorrow."
"I have Netflix," Midnight said, opening the app on his TV, "Wanna watch something?"
"Do you have Trailer Park Boys?"
"You mind telling me how they manage to actually drive the shitmobile?" Midnight replied, starting the pilot of the series.
"I have no idea."
"I don't know why," Midnight said the TV connected to his fiber-optic internet service and began playing the first episode of the series, "But it's weird. I mean, I want you to scream and run, but at the same time, I'm glad you're not doing that. Nopony has ever stayed around me for more than a few minutes, let alone come to my house for a week."
"Well I'm not afraid," Speedy said, putting his hooves on the coffee table, "I think you're a pretty-cool dude. Plus, with how much we talk, I'm sure you wouldn't kill me."
The day was filled with the two of them enjoying each other's company.
"Hey," Midnight said at 4:30 in the afternoon, "Speedy, if you're gonna be here for a little longer after that car-thing, I want to show you something you might like."
"What?"
"Well, I can show you the first town I ever lived in around here before 1902. Surprisingly, it's an hour away at highway speeds, though I can usually cut the trip time roughly in half. Even more, it's still in decent shape. Eighty-five percent of the roads are capable of being driven, but wear your seatbelt."
"What's it like?"
Midnight began tapping his hoof on the floor before grabbing Speedy, "Follow me!"
Midnight took him to a building that looked like a small showroom that had a few Poniet cars and put Speedy in a modified Fiat 126p.
"Speedy, originally this car would hit 65 MPH top on 22 horsepower, but this has the engine from a 2014 Indian Chief Vintage," he said, starting the car and driving out, I've hit 130 with the twin-cyl that's in it now."
"Is it a good idea to leave that open?"
"It's okay," Midnight said, dismissively as he turned on the road, "I've killed anypony that tries anything in there... So far, I'm at sixty-ish."
Speedy took a sharp breath, "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope," Midnight said, giving Speedy a LG Revolution 4G, "I want you to record what I'm gonna do when we get to this town."
"Are there still ponies living in it?"
"It's been a ghost town for Luna-knows-how-long."
"Are you sure about this?"
"I accidentally filled my house with mustard gas several times in the past twelve years and only coughed a little bit."
What awaited them was something to remember that day for...
