Feral

Author's Note: Thank you all for the support on this story! I am honestly quite surprised my first fic was so well received with only two chapters. Brohoof for everypony!!! I said I would give an author's note to warn about rather graphic material, so be warned: The first scene in this chapter contains VERY graphic and bloody depictions of battle, and the second to last scene is relatively bloody as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

15,023 years ago...

The heat was unbearable. It was midday. Anyone could tell by the position of the sun. Everything in the dry plains of Alon' Dar was being scorched by the heat. The brown shrubbery, the cold-blooded fauna that slithered along the cracked dirt, and the thousands of soldiers laying waste to each other was no exception. One could hear their battle for miles. The clashing of steel against steel was deafening. It was clearly not a siege, for there were no castles or forts in sight. This was an all-out blood bath between two factions. One faction was glistening in the sun as its rays shone upon their fine vestments of chainmail with steel plate helmets, boots, and shields. Also discernible were the white tunics which they wore. The symbol on the front of their tunics and shields was a large red mountain with an enormous eagle perched on top. Easily discernible as the symbol for Galia, the patron God of earth and sky. They were clearly knights. The other faction wore tunics and leg plates of layered leather. On their apparel was the symbol of a golden scorpion with it's pincers' wrapped around the sun. The symbol recognizable for Shi'vara, the patron god of sun and time. In the middle of this chaotic battle there were two knights who stood out above all the others. One was huge and wielded a large steel greatsword that looked at first glance like it could cleave a mountain in half. He also wore no helmet, had short brown hair and had the skin of a tiger draped over his shoulders. The other was shorter, had dirty blonde hair that came down to his back, and he wore no helmet as well. He chose to wield two shortswords with no hilts. One steel and one bronze. Akin to his eyes. One of which was brown, while the other a pale blue. The two warriors sat back to back as the battle raged around them, weapons at the ready. The shorter one finally spoke to his comrade in arms.

"The one who kills the least men buys the drinks at our next tavern stop. Deal?" The shorter one asked.

The larger one turned his head back slightly and gave a chilling smile.

"Deal."

With that, they rushed into battle. The shorter of them was quickly getting to work with his dual blades, speedily cutting through the Shi'vara worshiping warriors. Steel met steel as he parried each blow from one, while he quickly sliced the limbs off of another. Leather, flesh, and bone all gave way as the knight sliced through them like a hot knife through butter. Arms and legs. Heads and hands. All were cut away. Sometimes from two warriors at a time. The smaller knight was indeed a torrent of death, but as he had free time to look over to his friend, he knew he could not keep up with the body count.

The larger knight could have been thought of as a one man army. With every swing of his greatsword, three or four men were cleaved through. When one got too close, the large knight would just pick them up with one hand and throw them head first into the ground, right before crushing their skulls into a fine pulp under his boots. When one would try to run after engaging him, he would run after them and skewer them through the chest, yanking his mammoth blade upwards and splitting them in two as if he was using their spine as a straight edge.

Nothing could stop these seasoned killers. The opposing army didn't even stand a chance.

The battle raged on for two days and two nights before finally concluding. The Knights of Galia were victorious with at least eighty percent of their forces still intact. The remaining then continued traveling south until they found a city. The city of Undreal. It happened to be under the control of one of their churches, so the army got their fill of women and debauchery that evening. All except for two. They sat across from each other at a small wooden table. They were the only customers in the tavern they went to. The Brine Pit they called it. Not a very clever name for a city in which the export good was brine shrimp. Both knights had their signature weapons of war sheathed on their back. Crossed swords on one and a greatsword on the other. They got their drinks and sat down in silence for awhile until the short one once again spoke first.

"I am still angry that I have to buy these drinks." He said with a menacing scowl.

The larger one chuckled.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't make bets that you cannot win." He stated with a smile.

They both sat in silence once more. They occasionally took long drinks from their tankards. Nothing to fancy. Cheap mead. It was all they could afford really.

The short knight scoffed.

"Look at us. The Church of Galia's most highly skilled fighters, more so than our entire army, and here we are drinking cheap mead and wallowing in our sorrows. Why do you think that is friend?" he asked.

"Hey, if'n ya don't like it then git your arses outta m'tavern." the bartender who overheard the conversation told them.

The short knight waved his hand in apology.

"Most likely we're contemplating on our lives back home in Alawen. Our families. Our hopes and dreams. All the lives we've taken, both innocent and guilty." the large one named off.

"This I know, but why do you think we contemplate these things. Do you suppose we're sick of war?" the short knight asked with a hint of mischief.

"What are you getting at?" was the reply he received.

"How long have we been friends?"

"Since we were children. Why?"

The blonde knight looked into the eyes of the man he considered to be his brother.

"Let's abandon this pilgrimage."

The larger knight was shocked.

"You know the cost of leaving the war. We will be hunted and executed. What's worse is that our families would face the punishment meant for us if we are not found. You have your sister. I have my wife and two beautiful daughters. Think about what you're saying. Would you have them hanged?" the large one said with earnest concern.

The short blonde man slammed his mug down onto the table and shouted his response.

"Do you hear what you're saying brother?! You fear that the very church that we are fighting to uphold the ideals of would kill your family! Is that not reason enough to leave this gods forsaken war? We could take our families with us. No one in Alon' Dar itself is as skilled as we in the art of killing. They wouldn't dare cross us."

The knight noticed he was being eyed by the bartender with disdain. He calmly composed himself and spoke quietly,

"I'm sick of killing people the church deems worthy of death. The men we killed several morns ago did deserve their death, but they've had us kill women. Children even. All claiming it was necessary because they were heretics and we need to send Galia's message of peace throughout the land, and if we didn't do what they said we were just as dead as the ones at the ends of our blades. Does that seem like justice to you brother?" The fair-haired man looked into his eyes and pleaded with his own that the man he looked up to would answer something that helped put his mind at ease.

Said man let out a long sigh.

"We don't know how far the ripples of our actions carry in this life. What is convenient to some may make hardships for others. We have not even hit the age of thirty and I feel like I have witnessed enough bloodshed to last me several lifetimes. I know that despite all of the people we have killed, we are still good people ourselves, as is the message of our church. It is just blinded by its own presence to this message of peace, as is the King of Alawen. I know, deep in my heart brother that there is good in the message we have been spreading, even with the way we spread it. I know it with every fiber of my being." The large man said while staring at the ground. "If this is what you want brother, I will join you, but we will do this within the rules of the church and of the King. After this quest, we will ask for leave to return to Alawen. They are governed by law and honor to hear us in our plea for early retirement. I trust that once we do this, we and our families can live happily together until our last days. Peacefully." He gave a smile to his short friend as he sat there taking it all in. "Do you agree with me Lyre?"

Lyre sat there looking into his childhood friend's eyes. He finally gave a smirk.

"Damn you Marius, you always know what to say to make me feel better."

The two gave a ruckus laughter before finishing their drinks and departing from the tavern.

Just like any other early Saturday afternoon, Rarity was lying in her bed sleeping soundly. Her face mask firmly in place and a smile on her face as she dreamed peacefully. Rarity also happened to talk in her sleep. A lot.

"Ahh the aroma of...sweet honey and ginger. What a lovely fragrance Princess." she said lazily.

"Hnhnhn, why of course I'd love to design all your dresses from now on. All the jewels I want in Equestria? No, really, you're too kind. Hnhnhn." she laughed giddily in her sleep.

Her door then proceeded to be kicked open and a sweet little voice cracked while screaming her name,

"Rarity!" the little filly screamed to her sister but with no response. The fashionista was a heavy sleeper. The little filly jumped onto her bed and proceeded to shake her sister with her hooves.

"Rarity you have to wake up!" her little sister screamed frantically. That awoke her with a start, and she yanked her sleeping mask off.

"Habbuzawahwhozzat?" she said before cracking open her eyes. "Sweetie Belle. What in Equestria is wrong with you?" Rarity asked groggily.

Sweetie Belle looked at her sister with terrified eyes.

"There's a COFFIN in our kitchen!"

Rarity blinked.

All the memories of yesterday came back at once. Being taken by the dogs, the large coffin exploding, the dogs being swiftly killed, the girls showing up. After that she remembered waking in the hospital and talking to her new servant about the blood agreement that he had to follow to serve her. She put her hoof to her head and groaned.

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, just come with me. There is someone I'd like you to meet." She said with a smile.

The filly was still frantic. "Do you even HEAR what I'm saying?! There is a COFFIN. In. Our. Kitchen!" She once again said while coming closer to her sister's face with each word.

"I heard you. Just come with me Sweetie." she said while rolling off of her bed and over to her mirror to quickly brush her mane. She also checked her clock. One-thirty p.m. Sweetie Belle jumped off the bed and stayed firmly behind her sister while she led the way downstairs. When she reached downstairs she round the corner, and sure enough, there was a brown pony sized coffin with silver handles laying on her kitchen floor. She let out a quick breath before walking over to it, her sister watching nervously from the kitchen entryway, biting her lip. As Rarity approached the coffin, she tapped her hoof on the varnish twice, before talking to it.

"Are you in there?"

Sweetie Belle nearly hit the ceiling when a voice came from inside.

"Please do not tell me I have to get up at this ungodsly hour every day." stated the voice.

"You know, I offered to make you a bed. Did you steal this from the funeral home?" Rarity asked, appalled.

"Borrowed. I plan on returning it. The whole purpose is for the dead to use them anyway. Do I not get the privilege?" he asked.

"How did you even fit in there dear? It's less than half your size."

"One word: bats."

"Bats?"

"Yes...bats."

"Uh-huh." she deadpanned.

Rarity looked back to see her sister cowering on the wall, eyes wide as saucers. She trotted over to Sweetie and stroked her mane with her hoof as she smiled and comforted her.

"It's okay Sweetie. Don't be afraid. This is a friend of mine who is going to be staying with me for quite awhile. He's very nice and I'm sure you'll like him once you get the chance to know him darling." Her sister no longer looked scared out of her wits. More so she just looked puzzled now. Rarity turned to look at the coffin.

"Could you come out now please? I'd love to introduce you to my little sister," she said while still stroking her mane.

In that instant, she understood what he meant by bats.

The lid of the coffin burst open and a huge swarm of black bats with red eyes engulfed the kitchen. Between her sister's terrified shrieks and her own frustration, she could notice that even though they were frantically flying about, not a one ever knocked anything out of place or made a mess. The swarm of bats hit the kitchen ground in the center and started to meld together. Slowly but surely the black bats formed a body from the ground up until a yawning Marius stood in front of the two ponies.

"Why are you mortals so obsessed with waking when the sun is out? I find it exhausting, plus the night is so much more exquisitely beautiful."

"Monster!!!" Sweetie Belle latched onto her sister's leg for dear life. "Run Rarity, I'll protect you!"

She strained to pull her sister off.

"Just how do you plan to do that if you're holding onto my leg? I told you he is a friend and he won't hurt you!"

After several minutes of pulling the little filly trying to get her off, she finally got her to calm down. Rarity looked at Marius and was shocked, not because of the display of bats, but more so by the fact he was fully clothed.

Marius wore a long black coat with sleeves that came to his wrists, and the back came down to his calves. It was embroidered with silver and red thread along the edges and what looked like an odd symbol displayed all over the coat. It was an ankh that was a deep red and it had a luster coming off of the silver outline of the embroidery. The coat itself was made out of what looked like polyester and was open in the front which displayed his uncovered pale white chest. Other than the coat he wore a pair of pants that were booted on the end that were made out of the same material and was also embroidered with the same silver and red thread. Rarity recognized it instantly and realized that all of this material he used had been in the boutique's back closet, since she couldn't find a use for it. The ensemble was gaunt yet sturdy. Sleek yet stylish. She concluded that it was absolutely fabulous.

"Where...how did you find the time...what happened to me making you an outfit?" she managed out.

"Master, there will be no need for you to burden yourself for me. I can thoroughly take care of myself." he replied.

Rarity found herself abit jealous considering that the coat and pants ensemble would have taken her several evenings, yet it must have took him hours.

"Alright then, but you're lucky this material wasn't being used for anything Marius, and stop calling me master! Now, apologize to my sister immediately for scaring her. Such a boorish act in this household is not to go unpunished," she gave a ladylike *hmph* before turning her head from him. The entire time he could just smile.

When he looked at the now baffled little filly, she snapped out of her stupor and became scared again, trying to back away. He got down on one knee so to not tower over her and he looked into her eyes. She was put off by the fact that his eyes were a glowing blood red. Her gave her a stern look before speaking.

"I am sorry Sweetie Belle, for I truly did not mean to frighten you. My name is Marius and it is in my nature to be frightening for I am a vampire, so I am indeed a monster. Do not be scared by this, child. As a vampire I also have an undeniably strong sense of loyalty. As such, since your sister's blood was the first I tasted during my sleep, I am bound to serve as her protector and servant. I also have become somewhat fond of her and the ponies she is friends with, as I am sure that I will grow fond of you. I would never hurt or kill any of them or you, and I would never let anything harm you." He told her before putting his hand on her head and patting it lightly.

"You're a Vampony?" she asked him curiously.

"Vampire. That is what I am called, although from what I'm told the minor concepts are somewhat similar," he told her.

"That is so...cool!" Her voice cracked as she said with a huge smile before bombarding him with questions.

"Do you really drink blood? Do you poof into dust when you're in sunlight? Do you eat garlic? Do you even have to ask before entering somepony's house?" she asked.

"Now Sweetie. Stop pestering him." her sister told her.

"Awww, but I was just curious," she said before pouting.

The vampire gave a small smirk before he answered her.

"Yes, no, yes, and no," he replied

"Wow..." she said bewildered with a smile.

"I can't wait to tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. They won't believe that we have a vampo...er, vampire for a servant," she said enthusiastically.

"That reminds me Sweetie, why don't I cook lunch and you can go find them and have some fun today?" Rarity asked.

"Sure! Can I stay the night at Apple Bloom's too?"

Rarity pondered before answering, "I don't see why not. Mother and father aren't going to be back for a few days from their trip to Las Pegasus so...sure. Just make sure you stay out of trouble or Applejack will tell me. Understood Sweetie Belle?"

"Of course Rarity! You know that we would NEVER get into any trouble," she said with a huge smile.

Marius instantly recognized the mischievous tactic. Rarity just shrugged it off.

"Very well. You can stay with Apple Bloom tonight." she said. "Now let me make us lunch." Her guardian put his large arm in front of her to stop her.

"No. I insist that I be the one who makes you both lunch. I am your servant and it is my place to please you. I am also what you would call an incredible cook."

The cocky vampire got an annoyed look in return from his master.

"Fine, but DO NOT dirty my kitchen." She warned.

"Understood." The vampire said to his master.

'I'm guessing that they don't eat meat and enjoy eating flowers and other forms of flora. This should be fun. She can be a bit prude at times but she definitely means well. She knows the concept of respect, yet remains modest about her work. I'm liking her more by the minute. I would go find more of those dogs and tear them apart out of gratitude if she would relinquish her request for me not to kill. Then again, she said that they normally do not act this way. Maybe there is more to their actions than simple revenge. What could have drove them to be violent?' the vampire thought as he started cooking.

The meal he decided to cook, to Rarity's surprise was absolutely delicious. He made them each a diced daisy and watercress omelette with just a hint of rosemary. The vampire was shocked that they carried eggs, but then remembered that when he was a human and ate them, they were never fertilized. He also took three fresh oranges and with precision used his claws (which were thankfully clean) to slice the peals away and the oranges into pulp, which he poured from a bowl into the blender on the counter and made fresh squeezed orange juice. After their lunch, Sweetie Belle gave her farewells to her older sister and Marius before trotting out of the boutique and into the town square. When she left Marius met Opalescence. She promptly hissed at Marius.

She didn't expect him to hiss back much louder than her, bearing his fangs. She immediately tried to jump out of the window but found it closed and went face first into glass, sliding down the wall. After a little bit of consoling Opalescence was no longer trying to claw her way through the ground to get away from the creature. A little while after, Rarity noticed something as she was helping Marius wash the dishes that he dirtied cooking lunch.

"Marius, where did your wings go?" She asked while drying a plate.

"They're inside me."

She chuckled.

"You know darling I'm sure that if surprising ponies were a sport, you would no doubt be the best athlete ever to have lived." she joked.

The vampire gave a low chuckle as well. "Indeed you are right. Maybe I'll explain abit further. Since I don't need my internal organs, they can be damaged to any extent yet still heal, therefore it's a simple matter to take my wings and collapse them inside my body. Does that make sense?"

Rarity looked like she was going to be sick.

"Yes, that is rather interesting, but don't you feel any pain?"

Fully expecting an answer, all she got was a smile in return.

She shook her head and sighed.

"Well then, we should finish this up and go outside so I can give you the grand tour of Ponyville." She stated, and after they finished the dishes and tidied up, she packed a saddlebag and they went out to greet the late afternoon.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I wanted to share with you that last night, my friends and I had a bit of an escapade. We're not quite sure why, but it seems that my friend and the Element of Generosity Rarity was taken by Diamond Dogs and she was taken to Old Canterlot Castle. They were acting quite different than they normally do, for it seems they had the full intention of violating her and then taking her life. I'm not sure why but could there have been something clouding and/or corrupting their judgment? If so, you have my utmost support in investigating further. Also, during the process of the dogs (and I say this with great pain) torturing her, her blood woke something up inside of an old stone relic that they had found in the castle, This creature promptly took the life of her attackers just before we arrived. After rushing Rarity to the hospital, the creature told us that he called himself Marius and claimed that he used to be something called a human but he underwent a ritual that took his life and he now claims to be a 'Nosferatu or Vampire' as funny as that sounds. He said that since Rarity's blood was the first he tasted since he went to sleep he has to serve her and claims she is his master. He also says that he can do magic. The creature promised that he wouldn't hurt us and he actually has been quite friendly, but also very horrifying as well. By that, I mean that the things he talks of and claims that he has seen are horrible. He stayed with Rarity last night and we plan on having a surprise party hosted by Pinkie tonight at nine p.m. for him. I know it's a lot to ask with you being so busy with Royal duties and all, but could you possibly come and talk to him? The thing that makes me the most curious is that he claims to be over fifteen thousand years old, which by my calculations based on what you've told me and Equestrian history, is claiming that he is older than you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

"Ok Spike, go ahead and send it." Twilight told her number one assistant.

Spike then picked up the letter she wrote to the princess and whisked it away in a small gout of green fire.

"Do you think she's gunna freak out?" he asked.

"Spike! She is the Princess and ruler of Equestria. If anypony can stay rational in this situation it's her. Trust me." She firmly spoke. "I can't wait to ask Marius about Vampiric magic at the party tonight though. It sounds so interesting and mysterious. I would love to do a report on it!" She announced with a bright smile.

"Yeah. Whatever." he said in annoyance.

Twilight looked at him with a frown.

"Spike. What's wrong?"

He ground his teeth together in frustration.

"I wasn't able to save Rarity." He said plainly.

There was a long silence in the Ponyville library.

As Twilight was about to comfort him, he continued to speak

"Could you think of how hurt she would have been if Marius didn't wake up. She could have...she could have died Twilight. She could have died and I never would have been able to help her with work in the boutique or go gem hunting with her again or..."

He closed his eyes and bit his lip, then continued to speak with hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Now that thing Marius is with her and he was the one who saved her. I could have helped Twilight. I could have done something. I could..."

Spike found himself wrapped in a tight hug from the mare who he considered to be his older sister. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to feel other than jealousy and sorrow. He just decided to return the embrace and he wept.

He wept like he never had before.

After awhile he finally stopped the sobs escaping his body and managed to speak through sniffles.

"I...*sniff*... guess we better go and get stuff ready for the party...*sniff*."

Twilight put her hoof under his chin, raised his head, and gave him a warm smile.

"I know you care a lot for Rarity. Who knows, maybe one day you can grow up big and strong, then you can help Marius protect her. Maybe she could even return the feelings you have for her. You can't beat yourself up over something that could have happened when you need to be strong for her and show her you will be there for her no matter what trials she faces, Spike. If you really care about her, comfort her and be there for her in her times of need."

He stood there in silence, wiping his tears away.

"I suppose you're right Twi," he returned her smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she spoke softly. "Now let's go to Sugarcube Corner and help Pinkie with the party arrangements."

They both left the Library and headed toward downtown Ponyville, smiling the whole way.

The streets of the town square were lined with carts. Ponies hustling and bustling about as if they were frantic to get the next items on their grocery list. All that instantly stopped though, when they spotted the owner of Carousel Boutique calmly walking beside the giant Vampire with glowing red eyes that they had heard so many rumors about. Alot of them didn't believe the rumors at first, yet here he was in the flesh. As they walked, every single conversation stopped and all eyes in the town square were on them.

At first it was so quite you could hear a pin drop, then the whispering started.

"Look at him. He's huge." One mare whispered to another.

"Can you believe that Rarity is letting him stay with her?" a colt behind a stand asked his customer.

Rarity had to try her best to keep her composure. After all, screaming at them would be very unladylike. Marius just continued to walk, hands in his coat pockets and eyes closed.

"I heard that he threatened to eat her if she didn't let him stay there." said a mare with a carrot on her flank.

"Do you think he could eat one of us?" somepony asked her.

"I think that we should think about the safety of our children. We shouldn't let a real live Vampony or Vampire or whatever he is live here!"

"I heard that he stole a coffin from Mr. Waddle's Funeral Home." The whispering continued even as they bought their groceries at the stalls. Of course nopony would dare speak with the Creature of the Night that close to them. They waited for them to leave their stall before they continued speaking.

'After thousands of years, it's nice to know that the commoner's inane prattle about things they don't understand hasn't changed.' Marius thought.

Some eventually switched the topics of their speech, but Marius didn't notice as he was ambushed by a mint-green unicorn with a matching white and green mane that jumped right in front of him and his master. She looked up with sparkling eyes at him. Even standing on two legs, she would have only came up above his waistline slightly.

"Wow..." she said dreamily. "A real, live human! Well, kinda human anyway." She said with a large smile. His eyes narrowed at her.

"How do you even know about the human race?" he asked her.

"I studied all the old stuff about them in the Canterlot Library! They weren't even available until five years ago they were added from the Princess' private collections. They didn't have much, because everypony thought they were a made up species, but now I know they're real!" She jumped up and down clapping her hooves together.

"Lyra, I really don't think this is the right time to ask my friend about anything, what with all the people speaking bad things about him." Rarity tried to coax her but to no avail as she was being completely ignored.

"Can I see your hands?" She asked with a huge smile looking up at him with what would have been called puppy eyes.

He sighed in defeat.

"Very well." He pulled his hands from his coat and put them down in front of her. She noticed that they looked just like the drawings, only they were much more detailed and his nails were rather long and sharp. She extended her hoof to try and touch his hands, but first she looked up to him and asked if it was ok. He nodded.

To her surprise, they weren't warm, but in fact they were cold as ice. She didn't withdraw her hoof though, as she turned the hand and marveled at its glories.

"Are you quite finished?" Rarity asked her with a scowl. "I promise you can ask him whatever you want later, but we need to be going to Sugarcube Corner." She told her.

Lyra let the hand go, and sighed.

"Ok, but you'll promise to answer my questions about humans right?" She asked.

'I wonder, should I tell her the truth or spin a web of falsities that way I don't end up crushing her spirit?' he thought.

"Very well, but I cannot promise you will like everything you hear child." he told her.

"Ok. Thanks a bunch!" She said happily before trotting off to join a cream colored mare with three candies on her flank. Marius and Rarity then continued on down to Sugarcube Corner.

"I assume you do not need me to tell you the location of everything in Ponyville because you saw everything this morning while getting that coffin, correct?" Rarity asked.

He gave a small scoff.

"You are indeed very sharp witted Rarity. It is true that when I went to get the coffin I used this morning, after you fell asleep, I flew into the air and surveyed everything here in this town. It also helped that I read every single mind at the square who were whispering their rumors, and managed to get quite a good description of everything in town." He said with a smirk.

She was shocked enough to stop walking. He turned his head back to her, still smirking and hands shoved back into his coat.

"I thought I told you to refrain from mind reading!"

"Actually master Rarity, you told me to refrain from reading your mind or your friend's minds. You said nothing about other ponies."

"But that is... I meant...you..." Rarity was stammering for words, until she finally stopped and continued walking with another ladylike *hmph*.

"Very well. Let's just get to Sugarcube corner. I enjoy your company Marius as I am startring to consider you my friend, and I also am coming to terms with you being my servant, but it seems that you can give me larger headaches than Sweetie Belle does," she told him and laughed.

"I haven't seen the girls out, but considering you are new in town, they're probably at Sugarcube Corner working on a party for you," she said as she thought aloud.

She winced.

"A party that was probably a surprise," she said regretting that she told him about it.

The only response Marius could give was a small laugh.

As they finally reached the door to Sugarcube Corner, Marius stopped dead in his tracks.

He smelled something far off in the distance.

'I can smell blood. Fresh blood and it's similar to my master's, yet different. Similar, yet different?'

His eyes widened.

"Sweetie Belle..." he whispered.

"Did you say something Marius?" asked Rarity as she opened the door.

There was a loud messy sound that could have been interpreted as a melon exploding, followed by two perfectly diagonal trails of dark blood behind Marius as his huge black wings extended from underneath his coat to their full glory. The Vampire looked into Rarity's eyes with a deathly serious expression as she still stood in the doorway.

"Stay here."

With that, he rocketed hundreds of miles into the sky.

"Get back!" Scootaloo screamed while trying to intimidate the five snarling timberwolves. They circled the three fillies as if they were about to have a feeding frenzy.

"Stay awake Sweetie Belle! Ya have to stay awake." Apple Bloom said while frantically trying to use her untied bow to stop the bleeding from Sweetie's wound. The crusaders got together in the afternoon. They all decided it was time to go on a brave crusade through the Everfree Forest to try and get their potion making cutie mark from helping Zecora. They were on their way to her hut when out of the brush came five timberwolves, only instead of just chasing them like they normally would, they actually attacked them. As they circled the panicking fillies, one of them lunged and took a sizable chunk out of Sweetie's leg right below her left flank.

"Somepony please help!" Apple Bloom screamed as loud as she could muster. Scootaloo was still trying to seem intimidating to the wolves, and it was working for the time being since they weren't trying to snap at them anymore.

"Apple Bloom..." Sweetie squeaked out through her tears. "It hurts, but you need to run. Leave me before they get you too." She was almost on the verge of passing out from the pain.

"No Sweetie, we are not leaving you!" Scootaloo said firmly while her own tears were sliding down her face.

"Ah aint gunna leave ya neither." Apple Bloom told Sweetie as she lay in her front legs and lap. The bow out of her mane had proven useful to provide pressure on large chunk of missing flesh.

Sweetie Belle smiled at Apple Bloom.

"Aint isn't a word." she whispered.

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo smiled.

"What are you a dictionary?" Scootaloo said through her tears as she turned and looked into the worried eyes of her friends.

They knew they weren't going make it.

SLAM!

Something hit the ground with enough force kick up dust everywhere and simultaneously shake the whole forest. The girls were all dazed and closed their eyes on instinct. After a few seconds the dust settled and when they opened their eyes they all gasped as one.

There was a massive tree laying on the ground in front of them, size easily dwarfing any normal house in Ponyville. It crushed three timberwolves, which were now mostly scattered tree bark. On top of it was a large Vampire sitting down with his legs dangling midair and wide grin on his face. He looked at the girls, mouths agape and speechless. He noticed Sweetie Belle's leg.

"I really hope you and your sister aren't intentionally putting yourselves in harms way to give me something to do. It is a tad bit of an annoyance." he said while keeping that same chilling grin.

He jumped off of the tree he threw from the air and landed on his feet in front of the three fillies in awe. Sweetie Belle then snapped out of her stupor as she noticed something.

"Marius, behind you!" she screamed but it was too late. The remaining two wolves had been knocked away and hid behind the thick brush, as they did to get the drop on the crusaders. The girls watched in horror as one wolf jumped in the air and clamped down on Marius' neck, while the other sunk its teeth into the back of his knee. The wolves tore and chomped down on ice cold flesh They feared the worst, but were baffled when he didn't flinch or move a muscle. In fact, he was still grinning.

'Pests,' he thought.

The air suddenly became much colder.

Marius hardened his blood and then decided to try out animal acupuncture. His blood shot out of his body in several hundred spikes, skewering every inch of the wolves' bodies. As they hovered in the air, Marius retracted his blood back into his body, and what was once two timberwolves dropped to the ground with a *thud*.

The Vampire looked down at the three fillies. If he had a heart that wasn't cold and black, what he saw would have broke it. The one he guessed was Scootaloo from what he heard stood valiantly in front of her friends, despite the several cuts and bruises she had received from trying to keep the wolves at bay. The one who must have been Apple Bloom was sitting down, holding Sweetie Belle's upper body while she had one hoof on top of a cloth over the huge gash in Sweetie's leg. From how much blood she had lost, the vampire guessed that the wolf who attacked her tore out part of a major artery.

"You're Marius? That vampire or whatever that Sweetie was talking about?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes." he replied simply as he walked over to where Sweetie was laying. He motioned for Apple Bloom to take her bow off. She did, and immediately all the girls winced. Sweetie out of pain and the other two out of sympathy for their friend.

"Marius, can...can you help me?" asked the little injured filly through the frantic pants she was giving.

"Indeed I can child. Brace yourself."

The vampire kneeled down and took one hand out of his coat pocket and placed it gently on top of her leg. Once again the air became very cool, but not freezing. A dark red light coursed through her leg and into her wound, and the girls watched in awe as her flesh began to stitch back together. Sinew and muscle stretching and rejoining all under the ominous glow of red light, until eventually her wound was closed and her silky white coat once again covered the spot that was bitten. Sweetie Belle kept her eyes closed, but opened them in shock to find she didn't feel any more pain.

"That...was...AMAZING!!" Scootaloo yelled.

"That was magic, wasn't it? I thought only unicorns could do magic." Apple Bloom said happily, since she no longer had to fear for her friend.

"From what I've observed, unicorns use their horn to perform magic. What many of them don't realize is that with proper skill, you can use any part of your body as a conduit for magic, since all living and dead things in existence give off their own natural magical energy. What you witnessed was Vampiric magic. Are you okay Sweetie Belle?" He looked at her with concern.

To his shock she was crying. Her lower lip quivered, before she jumped at the kneeling Vampire and wrapped her hooves tightly around his neck. Marius had to put his hand on her back to keep from loosing her grip and falling back onto the dirt.

"Thank you so much. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't showed up. We'd probably be...be..." She buried her face into Marius' coat and let it all out.

The vampire had a shocked look on, until it changed into a genuine smile as he tapped her on the back.

"It will be alright, let it out." he said in a soft comforting voice.

After about a half hour of tear shedding, Sweetie Belle finally got down off of the kneeling vampire and wiped her snot away with a hoof. She jumped a little when she felt his fingers wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"See, I told you I'd never let anything hurt you." he whispered. "Not bad for a monster, huh?" He gave her a cocky smile.

She giggled as she sniffed and let him wipe her tears away.

"See, I told you he was cool." She told her Scootaloo and Apple Bloom who were sitting behind them, giggling.

Marius then led the crusaders out of the forest and back to Ponyville, the three of them telling him all about their adventures while he listened intently and happily as the sun sunk lower into the horizon.

It was a little after seven o'clock and Princess Celestia had just lowered the sun and was back in her chambers. After concluding the meeting with her nephew Blueblood discussing the severity of punishment for graffiti on historical monuments, she was finally able to sit down with a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate cake levitating beside her and relax while reading her mail.

"Ahh, a letter from my faithful student. I wonder if this is a friendship report." She said smiling.

She unfolded the scroll and started to read. The further down the letter she got, the wider her eyes and mouth became. She finally finished it and dropped the cake, the cup of tea, and the scroll on the ground and the cup shattered on the smooth granite floor. She then did something she hadn't done in a long time. She ran down the castle hallways and into her sister's room. She then flung the door open, pushing the two Lunar guards out of the way. Luna had her glasses on and was so startled that her magic flung the abacus she had across her bedroom. She then noticed Celestia's look of worry.

"Sister?! What is so important that you could not have bothered knocking?" She asked.

Celestia looked her younger sister dead in the eyes with a very serious expression.

"We need to get to Ponyville. Immediately."