In the dark of the night

Twilight woke up late the next morning. The late-night trip back from Canterlot had taken a lot out of her.

That... and finding out that one of the rulers of Equestria was a vampony, being asked to defend Equestria from some terrible evil then being told to truly think about her decision.

"Uuugh..." Twilight said, flopping face-first into her pillow. This was going to be a mess and she knew it.

"Aside from the other Elements of Harmony, do not speak of this to anypony." Luna's words ran through her head. Why would she need to talk about this with her friends? They wouldn't be turned into vamponies... would they?

A million scenario's ran through her mind. She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"Discord would be having a field day with my brain right now." Twilight mumbled into her pillow.

"Hey Twilight, you want some breakfast?" Spike said, breaking Twilight's storm of thoughts. Turning her head over to look, she saw the small dragon next to her bed with a tray.

Smells like pancakes.

She smiled at him as she sat up.

"Thanks Spike, its been a rough night." Twilight said tiredly.

"Everything go okay in Canterlot?" Spike asked.

"How did you know I was in Canterlot?" Twilight asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Well, for one... when you disappear in a flash when you open a letter from Princess Luna and return in one of her carriages. It's a pretty safe bet that you were in Canterlot." He said, smiling at his own deductive reasoning.

"Good logic." Twilight said with a slight smile.

"Two, You brought back a new book with Princess Luna's royal seal on it." The young dragon said as pointed at the small black book.

Twilight looked at it. The book before her held a large amount of ancient knowledge about a myth turned reality before her very eyes. Would she dare to venture into this dark world?

"Spike." Twilight said, still staring at the book.

"Yea?" Spike replied, giving Twilight a curious look.

"I need you to get one of my blank 300 page journals, quills and two ink wells. I have a lot of work to do." Twilight said, her eyes alight with the excitement that Spike had become used to seeing whenever Twilight was about to throw herself headlong into a project.

"You got it Twi!" Spike said, throwing her a salute as he scurried to get the materials.

"This is going to take a while." Twilight said with a sigh as she started on her breakfast.

The next three days passed with little happening in Twilight's life. She occasionally ventured out for a walk or to talk to one of her friends, always avoiding the subject of why she was locking herself in the library. Not that they ever asked. It wasn't too unusual for Twilight to lock herself in the library for days at a time with nopony seeing her when she worked on a project.

Most of the first day had been used to copy the book which Princess Luna had let her borrow. Though Spike had asked, Twilight kept the subject she was studying a secret, reasoning with him that the princesses had told her to discuss it with nopony... not even him. Spike had merely shrugged and went along his way. It wan't to far fetched that Twilight would be working on something confidential like that so he left it be. She had absorbed a lot of the information in doing so and had a pretty good base, she thought, of what it was to be a vampony.

Though it was a daunting thing, she still wanted to protect Equestria. She HAD to protect Equestria. She was the element of magic!

But why didn't Luna call upon ALL of the Elements of Harmony? again, the niggling voice in the back of her head asked her.

Twilight looked out her window. She knew her time was running out as the last vestiges of sunlight slowly slipped behind the horizon on the third day.

Soon...

Releasing a resigned sigh, Twilight went downstairs and prepared herself to hear the knock on the door of the Lunar Stallions that Luna would no doubt send to pick her up. She then remembered that she needed to return Luna's book to her. Returning upstairs, Twilight was startled to see Princess Luna herself materialize out of the shadows of her room.

The alicorn of the night looked at Twilight with a stoic expression.

"Have you made your choice, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight hesitated for an instant, taking a deep breath before looking the lunar princess in the eyes.

"I have. I accept your request. I will defend Equestria, with my life if necessary."

Luna closed her eyes and hung her head slightly before sighing and looking back at Twilight.

"Twilight, I must ask you to see something. It will be your last chance to refuse. If you do so, no ill will shall be kept between us."

Twilight looked at the princess, a confused expression on her face.

"What do you mean Princess?"

"If you will permit me, I will show you what the true curse of the vampony is." Luna said, halting before she continued.

"I wish to show you a memory, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight watched as a silent tear slipped from the princesses eye. She wondered to herself what she would see. What could make the queen of vamponies cry? Walking over to the lunar alicorn, Twilight placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"Show me Princess... I'm ready."

The princess looked at Twilight and slowly shook her head, tears still streaming down her face as the tip of her horn started to glow.

"No, Twilight Sparkle... you are not."

And with that, she touched their horns together, the memories of the princess flooding Twilight's brain.

Twilight looked upon Luna and a solid black unicorn mare. The room around her was a dark room with the exception of a fire crackling in the hearth and the moonlight filtering through the stained glass windows across from it. She couldn't help but notice how much younger Luna looked. The unicorn and luna's lips were moving but she could hear nothing except her own breathing.

"This is in the old castle. One hundred years before Nightmare Moon even came to be." Luna said, a bit of nostalgia showing through her voice. Twilight hadn't even noticed that she was standing beside her.

Jumping at the sudden sound of Luna's voice, Twilight started snapping her head back and forth, looking at the two Luna's. Twilight was confused.

"How are there-"

"Two of me? I'm here to watch this memory as well. This is how my sister saw everything."

"This is Celestia's memory?" Twilight asked, a bit of shock playing on her face.

"Yes... After I had agreed, Tia said that though she could not bear to lay down the blow, that she would be there to bid farewell to one of her dearest friends."

"Lay down the blow? W-what do you mean Princess?" Twilight implored before the princess silenced her with the raise of a hoof and gesturing towards the scene in front of them. Sadness thick in her voice as she spoke.

"Let us watch." Luna said as Twilight began to hear what the phantoms in front of her were saying.

"I can't do this! I just CAN'T!!!" The memory Luna said, hanging her head sobbing as the unicorn before her looked upon Luna with sympathetic eyes.

"I know what you are feeling Luna. I felt the same way with every one of my friends. My family. My... " the black unicorn stopped momentarily, tears beginning to trickle down her face.

"My love."

"You're my friend, m-my teacher! I- I... I can't... I WON'T kill you!"

Twilight's eyes went wide as she heard the words echo in her mind and realization struck her. The vampony that had turned Luna had asked her own student to kill her.

"Luna... please". Tears started to roll down the unicorn's face. "I want you to do this."

The memory Luna's breath was shaky as she looked up at the unicorn before her.

"I would rather die at your hooves than those of a vampony hunter... please." the unicorn whispered as she put a comforting hoof on Luna's shoulder.

Luna looked into the black unicorn's teal eyes, tears still flowing from them both as she quietly sobbed and stood up on her hind hooves. "I'm sorry."

The unicorn looked back at her and upon standing and stabilizing herself by putting a hoof on Luna's shoulder, smiled sadly. "So am I." and with that looked to Luna's right hoof.

A blade of dragons scale, enchanted by the unicorn herself was being held to Luna's hoof by magic. The blade had been in her possession for thousands of years. A gift from an old friend in the dragon lands, long gone now. She had enchanted it and carried it for all those years, the blade still gleaming brightly. She had given her beloved his death with that blade... just like she had delivered death to many of her friends, her children, all dead now except her.

Now, she had asked Luna to bring her own death with that very blade.

Luna shakily brought the blade up to the mares chest before looking up at her. The unicorn nodded and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Twilight saw only the unicorn before her. The sadness in her eyes and on her smile. She felt her hoof resting on the mares shoulder, she felt the blade in her magical grasp.

She was seeing through Luna's eyes. She was experiencing what Luna had all those years ago.

Almost in unison, Luna lunged forward as the mare before her leaned in. The blade sliding through her heart until the hilt was upon her chest. Luna's eyes screwed shut as she started quietly sobbing.

The unicorn mare took a sharp breath in and grimaced as her breathing became ragged. She clutched Luna's weeping form tightly before half-opening her eyes and steadying herself, raising Luna's chin to look into her eyes one last time. With a labored breath and a sad smile as tears streamed down her face, she whispered her final words to her student and friend.

"Thank you."

The mare slumped back onto Luna as her life-blood drained into a pool at their feet.

Luna cried out before she bit down onto the mares neck. Her fangs piercing the skin and allowing her to receive one last gift from her.

Her memories.

Even as Twilight went back to observing the scene before her, the memories of thousands of years flashed through her mind's eye.

Looking beside her to the real Luna, she saw the Princess of the Night silently crying. Her eyes still riveted on the scene in front of her.

Not even looking at Twilight, she spoke

"This was not the first time I had killed. My sister's and my ascension to power was not without bloodshed. Since that day though, I have killed nopony. That very blade is now hidden within Canterlot Castle. Should the day come when I wish to end my own life, I may ask you to do so for me Twilight Sparkle." Luna said, her voice somewhere between anguish and cold.

Twilight was horrified. She couldn't possibly kill Princess Luna! How could she even SAY something like that?!

"Why are you telling me this? Why are you showing me this?" She asked, tears streaming down her muzzle as she heard the dream Luna's cries of anguish.

"Because, Twilight Sparkle... the path of which I am offering you does have one curse. The curse of immortality. While it is possible for a vampony to be killed, they cannot die of any natural cause. If not killed, a vampony could conceivably live forever. This is why my sister and I have told you to consider carefully. The book I gave you has much knowledge of vampony attributes, but what that book holds, does no justice in how a vampony actually feels when they must kill their own friends or to watch as the steady march of time claims them." Luna said, still looking at the scene before her.

Twilight turned, tears slightly blurring her vision as she heard a familiar voice.

She died happy Luna. You gave her the final happiness she wished for.

It was Celestia's sad voice that echoed through the memory as it started to fade from view into black.

That voice still rang in Twilight's ears as she snapped out of her trance, looking into the eyes of the alicorn before her. Tears still streaming down both of their cheeks as Luna asked Twilight a final question.

"Do you still wish to accept, Twilight Sparkle, given what you have just seen?"

"I- I... Yes." Twilight said, wiping away her tears

"Why?"

Twilight steeled herself. "Because, if there is a power that can save Equestria, I will accept it. If it comes with a curse, so be it. I will not allow Equestria to fall to ruin because I was scared."

Luna closed her eyes and turned to the open balcony doors.

"So be it, Twilight Sparkle. Come, my sister awaits us at Canterlot Castle."

Twilight walked over to the princess of the night and stood beside her as the princesses magic started to encase them in an indigo glow. In a flash of bright light they were gone.

**about ten minutes later

Spike knocked on Twilight's door.

"Hey Twilight, what do you want for-" Spike stopped when he opened the door. Nopony was there.

"Supper. Huh... that's wier-" Any speech was cut of as Spike burped, and in a burst of green flame, appeared a message with Princess Luna's royal seal. It was addressed to... him?

Opening the letter, Spike read the small message within.

Dear Spike,

I have been called to Canterlot on a small matter. I should be back in a few days time.
Don't worry about me and put the "closed" sign on the library door. If you need anything,
head over to Pinkie Pie's house. I've already sent word to her and the cakes that you may be arriving.

Be good my Number One Assistant!

-Twilight Sparkle

"Meh, whatever. Spike said, packing a small bag and after putting the sign on the door, started strolling towards Sugarcube Corner.