The mare breathed her first new breath, the stale air of the coffin surging into her lungs as she gasped. Next, her eyes flicked open, although they didn't do much good given the abyssal, overwhelming blackness of the coffin absent of light.
"Beloved?" she groggily croaked out, not particularly worried about preserving the fresh air given her new… nature.
Her only answer was the crushing silence that you'd expect from within a grave.
"Beloved, are you there?" she questioned once more, a worried edge edging into the fringes of her tone.
Perhaps she awoke too early, so he was merely biding his time until she fell unconscious again? Shakily, one of her hooves drifted upwards towards her chest and felt around for the dull lub-dub of a pulse.
She couldn't feel it… and yet she moved. Perhaps she woke up earlier than her love expected, and he merely went out to get a nice meal for the two of them to share when she was supposed to wake up? Surely that was it?
Time slowly dragged on as she took to examining the features of the pine box as well as she could with no light to take her mind off the situation. She used a wingtip to delicately trace the intricate pattern playing across the inside of the lid… subtle though it might be.
It was entirely unlike the rare samples of the rune work by the yaks she'd seen sketches of, nor the subtle arcane inscriptions of the unicorns. This… work, however, was unlike anything she had ever seen or, well, felt in this case.
It actually made use of depth and layers in a way she's pretty sure she had never seen used, although to what end she couldn't quite determine. Not having a horn really does make such not exactly a pressing matter to learn.
Midnight's musings, however, couldn't distract her restless mind forever, and after the third round of "count the whorls," her mind eventually went back to her inevitable rescue. Indeed, even if her beloved was getting something he really, really should have been here by now.
Perhaps… something had happened.
Dread boiled up from deep in her gut, simmering over until she shouted: "Beloved, are you there?"
Once more, dead silence was her only response, and hunger deep within her made itself known with a stabbing ache.
She had to get out of here!
Her breathing sped up as she flipped around in the tight, dark confines of the tomb, sore legs kicking out in the all too meager room she had in a desperate attempt to free herself from the grave. The lid wouldn't budge due to the crushing weight of the dirt, the walls wouldn't budge, the bottom was solidly constructed, the top was definitely under hard, heavy earth. Digging up wouldn’t do anything other than damn her even more… Is this it? Is she to sit here until she starves?
A single, choking sob escaped her as the realization came over her. She began to feel a tad lightheaded in the choking blackness.
Maybe her love would save her, just in time.
The wet sobs came back in force as the weight of the situation came down on her like an avalanche.
Who was she kidding? Even if it wasn't hours like she felt like it had been, she was trapped, no two ways around it. She screamed, it was a hoarse, keening thing..
Perhaps it would be best for her to just empty her mind and let whatever happened just… happen? She did as her mother always told her and breathed deeply in, holding in for a few seconds and- she choked back another sob, throwing off her timing entirely.
Well, that wasn't going to-
"Hello? Anypony there?" a stallion's voice called out from above, muffled by the thick dirt and unfamiliar, but with concern evident in the tone.
"Ye-yes, hello! Down in here!" the trapped mare screamed, pounding her hooves against the top of the box.
There was the quite muted sound of hooves as the voice got closer, edging up closer "Here?" the voice shouted again, still muffled by the dirt. Still, it sounded a tad… off from where she was.
"No, no, over here!" she called back, swelling hope in her chest with each call.
There was a decent pause, just long enough to make her nearly slip into panic once more before the voice called back "Tell you what, you keep talking to me, so I know where you are, and I'll get you out, yeah? Perhaps tell me how you got down there?"
"I-I don't know," she lied through her teeth, although it was quite well disguised under her distress, "The last I was awake I was meeting with my," she paused to pick her next words carefully, "My love when I fell unconscious. When I next woke up, I was here, and he was gone, and it is so, so dark-" A shovel dug into the ground with a dull earthen shtick, and it sounded like it was directly above her!
"Go on, keep talking," her saviour said, the sound of the next shovel strike sinking into the dirt as punctuation.
"Well, we decided to meet out here at about an hour after sundown, and I was running late because my parents asked me to-" the shovel THUNKed against the wood of the casket, causing the bat pony to let out a surprised "Eek!"
"Ah, there we are!" the voice happily called, shovelling a few more scoops off to the side, "Give me a few moments to get the rest of it shovelled off." Time crept by slowly with each strike of the shovel against dirt, just a bit closer to freedom with each.
"There, we're clear enough. I'll lift, you push on three!" said Midnight's saviour. The bat pony nodded, then finding herself feeling rather dumb given the circumstances.
"One," he called, and she braced her hooves against the lid, "Two," her muscles tensed and she breathed deeply, "Three," she heaved mightily. The cover came free with a mighty crack, tipping off to the side followed by a soft crunch. Light and a cold wind flooded the coffin, making her cry out quietly and shut her eyes.
"Oh, bugger me, that came off easier than I thought, think it smacked one of my hooves," the stallion said, but say, that accent sounded a bit… off to the bat pony now that Midnight heard it more clearly.
Regardless, she flipped herself right around and bolted up, taking a deep breath of the fresh, cold air before finally opening her eyes, of course looking down to the ground not to blind herself again.
Dread wormed its way up through Midnight's throat as she saw the interior of the pine box, this time in daylight, averting her eyes.
Carefully, slowly she crawled her way out of the coffin and onto the ground, softly crunching snow underneath her hooves.
She slowly wiped the tears from her eyes with one of her forelimbs, soft dark blue fur providing a good enough substitute for a handkerchief for trying times like this.
From behind her, somepony cleared their throat, making her jump.
"Oh, sorry!" she turned around, freezing up. Her saviour wasn't one of her fellow bat ponies, no, it was one of the ponies from the south, an earth pony! He was of average build, a medium length blonde mane barely obscuring the worried gaze of his light yellow eyes.
"Lady, are you okay?" he questioned, snapping her out of her short reverie and making her shake her head to clear her thoughts as she took a few halting steps towards him.
The stallion visibly tensed as she closed, with the obviously quite distraught mare very much towering over him this close up. Letting out another sob, she leaned forward and wrapped her forelimbs around his neck, pulling him close. Everything came crashing down around her emotionally at once as she embraced him, mumbling, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," again and again as her tears matted his fur. She was so close that she could hear the gentle beating of his heart increase as she thrust herself into his personal space.The muffled thumping was comforting, in a way.
She felt his legs awkwardly wrap around her in return, cautiously patting her back. "There, there," he uneasily comforted, "You're out of there now, you're going to be fine. You're a bit cold, though, do you want something to wrap around you?"
She froze mid-sob in a much more metaphorical way, tensing up before stating, "No, no, I'm fine. I'm just naturally cold to the touch, Mom always said that I was internalizing all that heat or something like that."
After a few minutes more of the two of them holding there, she had calmed down, and he removed his legs from around her, the bat pony taking the cue to release her death grip on him and take a step back. "So," he said, forcing an uneasy smile onto his face as he once more cleared his throat, "What's your name?"
Oh. The pony probably thought Midnight was terribly rude, given he, well, saved her, and she hadn't even done the simple courtesy of giving him her name! "Pardon my lack of manners. The situation has thrown me a bit… off, to say the least," she explained, half hiding her face behind an outstretched wing, "You probably think I'm a bit of a mess. My name is Midnight Harmony, and it is a pleasure to meet you, although I wish it could be under better circumstances." Curtsy, Midnight, curtsy!
Perhaps a bit unsteadily, she put both her wings out from her sides and angled them almost like sails to show him the full span of their lightly coloured expanse as she crossed her forelegs and slowly brought them apart, dipping her head as her front half drew lower in turn.
He chuckled, shaking his head, "Let me guess, a noble's daughter?" he paused, although for nowhere near long enough for her to answer, "Anyhow, the name's Gold Boon, pleased to meet you too." He did not attempt to introduce himself adequately other than a slight nod, which made her feel all the sillier.
Midnight huffed, "No, a merchant's on my mother's side and a supply officer on my father's."
“Ah," he nodded sagely, looking somewhere off into the distance, past the dead tree he had found Midnight under, "You live around here, lass?"
"Oh, yeah," she said, "I'm from Hollowbrook. It should be around here somewhere, assuming I wasn't taken too far while I was out." Midnight knew she wasn't, she knew exactly where she was... but to say that would be suspicious, to say the least.
"Well, I'll be damned!" he said, "That's my next stop, I'm staying there over the day before heading south come nightfall."
"Nightfall? Isn’t it hard for southern ponies to see in the dark?" Midnight questioned, eyes drifting around the clearing surrounding the dead tree systematically, searching. At least it only appeared to be just beyond dawn; she was gone for perhaps seven hours at most. Surely her love left her something? It just wasn’t possible that he left her all alone without any explanation.
Gold Boon shrugged, "I can see well enough to navigate a well-kept road by lantern light. Besides, this trip kind of messed up my sleep schedule already. Need to be awake when prospective customers are, after all!" Chuckling heartily, he gestured off to the side with a hoof, "I was just taking a break from pulling my cart and then, well, I hear you calling!"
There, a small piece of parchment over by the base of the tree! "Ah, I see," she said, dragging her gaze reluctantly back over to him, "I trust you'll be heading into town shortly?
"Aye, probably will be in a few minutes," he said, nodding to himself, "I'd be off now, but I'm still trying to get over the shock of finding a bat pony in a coffin, like some old mare’s tale."
Despite the situation, she chuckled, shaking her head, "You take your rest, I'm going to go on a bit of a walk, stretch my legs and all, so I don't lag behind."
Rather than acknowledge her verbally, he nodded, and she took it as a clear dismissal, strutting off towards the note.
It was a short walk, but it felt like it took ages with the snow crunching underneath her hooves with each step. Was it going to be an explanation? Did somepony out him and make him have to flee? Was Midnight getting out on her own a vital part of the process he forgot to tell her about… and if so, what was going to happen to her since Gold Boon helped her?
Finally, Midnight made her way over to the tree, bending over and, glancing over at Gold Boon to make sure he was looking away, before darting her hoof out to grab the letter, quickly hiding it underneath her wing before slipping back behind the tree. She took a glance for any indication that Gold had seen her... only to see his back, letting her breathe a sigh of relief.
She bit her lip, drawing a bit of her blood as she carefully unfolded the parchment, revealing the soft, tranquil lines of her love's writing, eyes drinking in each word slowly. It read:
"Midnight, my love, I'm sorry,
I'm writing this with a little time to spare, so I'll be brief. Someone has recognized me, putting us both in danger if I'm to stay, although I have every bit of faith in your ability to adjust. I hope that you'll forgive me in due time, but I can not stay here for a moment longer, and my escort back to Canterlot has already arrived. I can not say when I'll be back, sadly, but I will come for you.
With love, Heart Weaver. "
The only reason she didn't cry is that she had already wept herself out, so she settled instead for holding the letter tight to her chest and closing her eyes. Who could have possibly found out?
Her love, the one she was going to stay by the side of for the rest of their days, the one who had talked her into this, was gone… and that was a fact she couldn't escape, no matter how much she wished it wasn't a fact.
Steeling herself, she opened her eyes once more and gazed out into the snowy forest, slipping the letter back under her wing.
Then she would wait for him… as long as needed.
With a false smile plastered across her face, she made her way back to Gold Boon, who just happened to be getting back up on his hooves. "Hey, you ready to go?" Midnight called out to him.
He nodded back, "Aye, you?"
Nodding in return, Midnight started back towards the road, Gold following soon behind and, soon enough, the way was showing through the trees… and Gold's cart off to the side of the cleared gravel road. "Aren't you afraid of your cart getting robbed?" Midnight asks, causing Gold to once again shrug.
"Eh, the road's not oft used often for trade, so you don't get any of the brigands, and this part of the north is pretty calm, not like the east," he explained pretty clearly. That makes… a lot of sense, at least, unlike the rest of this damnable situation.
It was a quick job for Gold to hook himself back up to the cart, although she had to deal with a sudden stab of pain from her gut. Ugh, she better get back to town soon and get something to eat; she couldn't see herself pestering Gold for something after he helped her so much already.
The two of them walked in deafening silence, the only sound for a good few minutes was the snow under their hooves.
"By the way," Midnight finally uneasily said, "I'd very much prefer if you didn't tell my parents about the little incident that happened out here."
"Not tell them, lass?" he incredulously replied, "You were kidnapped, buried, and almost killed!"
She sighed in return, shaking her head, "If they find out, I won't be leaving the town ever again to go on a walk, hunt," she couldn't help but notice he flinched slightly at the mention of hunting, "Or swim, or do anything!"
"You're asking me to leave whoever did this running free, lass, you understand that, right?" Gold said, looking off to the side of the road as they rounded another bend and making sure to not slide off the slightly too steep grading.
"I'm not asking for that… no, I wouldn't feel safe out here unless I knew whoever did this was long gone. Look," Midnight lied, "I know someone on the local guard, a lieutenant. I'll go to his office first thing tomorrow night and let him file a report for me on it. That way, they won't have to hear about it unless the ruffians get caught, and I get the peace of mind knowing that it is being looked into."
Gold's gaze drifted from Midnight and down towards the ground, before he eventually muttered, "I suppose that such would be acceptable, although I do trust that this isn't anything too common around these parts?" There was an edge of unease in his voice as well; perhaps he was trying to figure out if a potential trade route was worth it? She supposed that she couldn't fault him for being cautious.
"No, no, it is rather calm up here, serene even, most of the time," she assuaged him, and this time she told the truth, "The last attack on anyone out on the roads was… perhaps a year and a half ago, and even then, it turned out to be a quarrel over debts rather than actual banditry."
He nodded sagely, seemingly mollified by her answer, "You know, for someone who was out there with their lover, you sure haven't asked about your lover once."
Her breath caught for a moment before she responded, spinning an ever more complicated web of lies, "Ah, him? He already was headed back to town when I was attacked, I'm not exactly worried about him… although I expect he's worried about me." It was mostly true, at least, aside from the whole "attacked" part of it.
"Fair enough,” he said, not taking his gaze away from the path. Soon enough, they breached through the thick pine canopy, revealing the not so distant stone walled, snowy town of Hollowbrook and its surrounding farmland sitting in the middle of the plain, occasional jet of smoke rising from the chimneys.
From there, it was a short trot to the western gate, perhaps an extra ten minutes of hoof-work before they made their way over, which was still open, of course, not everypony had the luxury to work exclusively while it was dark out and it wasn't exactly close to noon yet.
"I suppose I'll see you around, Gold Boon? I'll make sure to buy something from you before you leave tomorrow as thanks," she said, smiling before realizing her mistake, "Actually, what do you sell, anyhow?" Midnight really hoped she wasn’t prying, she’d hate to offend someone who helped her so much.
"On this trip? Mostly odds and ends; tryin' to figure out what sells well up here for my guild," he said, giving her a smile, "Oh, and make sure you do that. I expect a pretty decent purchase given I saved your life, yes? Give your old pal Gold Boon a little love, eh?" He chuckled, and she did so in turn.
"Yeah, see you about," Midnight said, shaking her head as she left the strange earth pony trader to his work and, presumably soon enough, his rest.
She got naught more than ten steps before a stab of hunger pained her again, making her flinch. Ow, yeah, she had better get home soon, maybe if she was lucky they saved her dinner.
Midnight trotted quickly past the familiar cobble paths and stone houses, now well decorated in shining silver streamers and twinkling metal lanterns. She made a note to avoid the alehouses on her way through. After all, it was just about the right time for them to be kicking the lushes and drunkards out to close down. Perhaps a bit early at any other time of the year, but tomorrow was the Festival of Stars; if anything, they'd have plenty of time to get as sloshed as they wished tomorrow with the day off of work.
All too soon, her walk ended, and she came to her family home, the gray two-story townhouse standing alone with unlit windows… but the bedroom curtains were not yet drawn.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she slinked her way up to the entrance and knocked out the familiar pattern, knock-knock-knock-knock, pause, knock-knock! Of course, Midnight wouldn't have ordinarily knocked on her own home's door, but in her rush to meet her love earlier, she might have slightly kind of sort of forgotten her key. Oops.
"Coming!" called the voice of her brother, followed by the now more sharp sound of hooves against the wooden floors as he rushed over from the living room, followed by the distinct clink of the deadbolt coming undone.
The door opened to reveal her brother's frowning face, which made Midnight wince in turn. Oh, brother, here we go. "You're late," he just stated.
"Come on, little bro," she smirked, "It isn't that," she made sure to stretch the ‘that’ for emphasis, "I just got a little lost is all."
"A little lost," he repeated back to her.
"Yes," Midnight affirmed.
"In the woods?"
"Yes."
"The ones that you've been going out into since before I was born?"
"...I actually laid on top of a tree and fell asleep looking at the stars." she lied.
North Star shook his head and stepped to the side, permitting her to very awkwardly step into the house.
Without any ceremony, he shut the door behind her, switching the bolt over to lock it closed, and finally let her relax.
"Wow, thanks, I had lost track of time and-" Midnight began before he raised a hoof to her lips to silence her.
"Look, you've obviously been crying with how red your eyes are, and I know about your little… tryst with that foreign bat," North Star sighed, looking away to hide his still obvious disapproval.
Whatever tension Midnight had lost came back twofold, her hoof shooting its way up and holding his muzzle in place in turn. "Shhhh!" she hushed, "Do you know what mother or father would do if they heard?"
With merely a roll of his eyes, North Star reached up and brushed her hoof aside from his muzzle. "Calm down, calm down… I've known for months," he explained, "And you're still my sister; I'll support you no matter what, yeah?" She merely nodded, and he gestured to their living room, "Dad had to go back out for some final prep for tomorrow and Mom's in the study, do you want to talk to it?" Another hesitant nod from Midnight and the two of them strutted over, sitting down on the lounger together. "So, you want to tell your little brother what happened?" he asked, tone wilting a tad towards the end.
Wordlessly, she slipped the letter from against her side, passing it over to him. Also wordlessly, he read through it before quietly placing a gentle wing over her back. "Oh Midnight…" he trailed off, perhaps not quite sure of what to say.
"I… I think that I'm fine," she lied, "I cried my tears over the situation when I found the letter by our little meeting spot."
"That's good. I mean, that you've gotten it all out, not that this had happened in the first place and, wow, am I ever putting my hoof in my mouth here, eh?" Star stammered, both of them sharing a hearty chuckle, followed by the two of them falling into a comfortable silence as they shared a loving, familial embrace.
For a time, she closed her eyes and just let herself be lulled by the gentle beat of his heart.
"You know, you're a bit cold still. Perhaps you should get some food in you and get to bed?" Star asked, and almost on cue Midnight's aching stomach growled.
"Shush," she joked as her eyes lazily opened, "I think it is listening but forgot before you opened your big mouth."
He rolled his eyes, hopping off the couch and strolling over to the kitchen, with Midnight soon following. "You know, maybe if you weren't the size of two siege engines stacked together, you wouldn't need so much food?" he joked, causing her to playfully jab him in the foreleg.
"Hey, I'm not big, everyone else is just too small. Seriously, I'm not sure how you all manage to navigate when some of the snowfalls put more down than you are tall," Midnight said as they walked into the kitchen… revealing a wooden bowl with a plate across the top. "Porridge?"
"Yeah, plus a bit of rabbit that dad picked up from the market," North Star explained, shrugging, "Everypony else already ate, so it is all yours."
Licking her lips, Midnight simply said, "Don't mind if I do," as she grabbed the bowl, making her way over to the kitchen counter, "Oh, and North Star?"
She looked up to see him in the doorframe, about to leave the room. "Hmm?"
"Thanks," she said with mock embarrassment, making him grin.
"Pfft, what else does it mean to be a little brother?" he said, "I mean, aside from helping out your siblings just absolutely constantly?"
It was her turn to grin, "You mean aside from getting to hide behind your big sis whenever the other little foals picked on you?"
And so the horseshoe was on the other hoof, real embarrassment worked its way onto Star's muzzle with a scrunch, "Hey, those foals were mean! Hmmph, I'm going to bed. See you at dusk."
"See you at dusk," she replied as she was stuffing her face with an unusually large chunk of potato from the mostly cold porridge.
Without a further worry, she dug into the food, her mother's cooking by the taste of it, she always did absolutely love her thyme. Quite right, of course, although if she ever had a dissenting opinion, she wouldn't ever let her mother know; getting smacked on the muzzle with a spoon from across the room once was one time too many.
Soon enough, she was done, and she was on the way up her stairs to her shared room, creeping up to the door on her tippy-hooves, careful not to disturb him… and she nearly doubled over as another hunger pang struck her.
What? She just ate… didn't she? Whatever, her stomach was probably just a bit upset if anything, she'd just sleep it off like she usually did.
With a sigh, she slowly opened the pine door, which thankfully barely creaked, and made her way over to the bed, slipping under the old, slightly scratchy covers without complaint, settling her head down on the pillow stuffed with the feathers of a kill of hers a year or so back.
Yawning, she settled down, settling on the idea of going out and seeing if she could bag herself an elk, a bear, really anything for a better blanket at some point.
Midnight awoke, ravenous hunger gnawing at her from deep inside. No, in fact, hunger was too weak of a word to describe it: It was starvation, suddenly realized rather than creeping up. It was desire, of not only the body a deep, unnatural longing in her mind now awakened. It was, perhaps most of all, an unquenchable lust… mortal sin concentrated in her soul.
She breathed heavily, sharp slit eyes cutting through the darkness of the room, black curtains blocking out the last traces of the dying sunlight. It was early, too early for anypony in the household to be up.
Despite the pain, the longing for something unfamiliar, a rictus grin crept its way across her muzzle. She knew, despite knowing not what she desired, she'd seek it alone!
Effortlessly, she flicked the blankets off her bed and gracefully landed on the ground, hooves instinctively seeking the planks that would not creak under her landing.
She hissed, and it was not the hiss of one of the southern ponies, nor that of one of a bat pony; it was one of a real predator, one that needed flesh, needed blood, needed vigour, for what was life but the taking of it?
To exist is to exist because another does not, whether they are a beast, a plant, or something… else.
Lub-dub.
Her head whipped around, narrowing on the lax form of her brother, gentle breathing, telling her that he was asleep.
Lub-dub.
The hooves on the wood were as silent as death itself as she crept up, his heartbeat growing louder with each closing step.
Lub-dub.
Her shadow loomed over him, each disjointed, jerky movement bringing the two of them closer together.
Lub-dub.
Her fanged maw gaped open, rivulets of saliva running between the top of the bottom.
Lub-dub.
Her prey's eyes slowly drifted partially open, groggily asking, "Sis?"
Lub-dub.
She didn't even hesitate to sink her fangs deep into his neck with a wet shlink.
LUB-DUB!
His eyes shot open with a gasp, mouth open in a silent scream for just a moment before she pinned it back closed with crushing strength. She moaned around his neck, sweet, hot, delicious fluid running over her tongue.
LUB-DUB!
He struggled, but it was little effort for her to bowl him over onto his back and park herself on top of him. His hooves beat on her sides… but she could hardly feel it. No, all she could concentrate on was the taste. Her tongue licked over the twin punctures, and it was like nothing she ever tasted. She tasted the sweet-tang of panic, the spiciness of the betrayal, the afternoon late hickory taste of the fear, and the richness of the impurities… It was all, all too much.
LUB-dub!
She gulped down more of the delicious nectar. Her prey's body seized up, eyes still darting around the room even as the bat's limbs went stiff. The hickory and sweet-tang flavours increased in eminence.
Lub-dub.
North Star went almost limp in her grasp as Midnight's mind came back to her, horror welling up from deep within as even as she absentmindedly licked the blood from around her muzzle.
Lub-dub…
Midnight backpedalled away from her brother, jaw-dropping agape and tears welling up from her eyes once more. North Star, still, was frozen in place, limbs completely unable to move aside from his now drooping eyes.
Lub-dub…
She started breathing yet more heavily, gaze around the room, flipping between things erratically. Midnight threw her saddlebags on, stuffed them with her bit bag and as many of her belongings that her frantic gaze could find, threw on her cloak and fled from her home. Once again, she did not take her key.
Tears streamed down Midnight's face as she aimlessly marched down the street, hood pulled up tight against the cold and head down as she went. What the Tartarus was she doing? She had to go back, had to go help her brother. Her hooves carried her forward, regardless.
A deep, dark part of her mind couldn't help but ask, "Help with what?" Indeed, he was minutes, if not seconds, away from death when she left. There was no way she could stem the bleeding; the most she could have done was call her parents to the scene.
And let that be the last time they saw her brother? Scar them with the sight of the light fading from his eyes and the wails of her tearful apologies? No. She refused to ruin his... memory like that for them.
Her gaze caught a puddle as she passed, tear-stained face reflected in its surface. Midnight's eyes snapped away from her own image, disgust worming it's way up.
This was a nightmare, that's it! Midnight probably was still sleeping back home, and this was all but a dream brought on by her transformation. Steeling herself, she stopped, eyes shutting. Slowly, she brought one of her fangs to bear against the inside of her cheek, shuddering at the vile ease at which it cleaved through her own flesh. Stabbing pain blossomed as she did so, dark blood dripping onto the cobblestone below.
Another choked cry escaped her. Maybe, just maybe... she could pretend she was out all day and didn't see anything happen? Pretend that a rogue-
Midnight whinged at the mere idea. There's no way she could keep the truth from them; it'd tear her apart inside, and it'd destroy them anew when she broke. She couldn't even imagine how she'd respond if she had foals, and one of them committed fratricide.
Perhaps... perhaps if she just disappeared? Her gut soured as she squirmed. It would hurt her plenty, sure, but...
One family member dead and the other missing or one family member dead at the hooves of another? She knew which one would pain her more. It wouldn't hurt her parents as bad in the long run, and they were the ones that deserved to be happy. She had to find her love.
He'd know what to do, how to help her. Sure, she had never gone down south before and had hardly any idea of how to reach Canterlot, but what else could she do? It wasn't as if any line would adopt a vampire from a defunct line as their own, either, besides maybe as an eternal servant. Perhaps she might never see her family again if all went to plan, but she wouldn't hurt them any more than she already did.
A bit of hope flashed through her as she remembered Gold Boon. He was heading back down south soon. Perhaps... he would let her tag along? She would have to work on the way and pay him for the supplies, obviously no such thing as a free ride, but she would eventually get down there. Doubt crept forth as she thought of attacking him too. What if she couldn't help herself? She couldn't do that to him, either, especially after how he helped her.
Actually, Heart Weaver never snapped like that, right? Surely that means that it is quite possible to control oneself. Maybe it was because she hadn't fed recently? That, at least, was something she could manage. Not as if she had much of a choice, Midnight was reasonably sure she would be doomed in one manner or another if she travelled alone.
She shuffled her way through the winding streets between the now looming buildings, making her way to the small river that ran through the river. Sooner than she would have liked, she found her way to the shores.
Taking a deep breath, she dunked her head under the cold water, washing away both tear stains and blood alike. Several seconds later, she came back up and dried herself on the hood of her cloak. Though, the mare's eyes drifted across the river again and again to the places she would never return to. The smithy with the nice stallion that gave her her first job, cleaning up scraps. The warehouse she and her brother used to sneak into to move things around to mess with the owner. Even the haberdashery, where she met her love by pure coincidence.
She shook her head and tossed aside the momentary nostalgia like a husk... But she couldn't help but glance across the river at the familiar sights as she strolled slowly by the water's edge. Now, where was Gold Boon staying? He said he was heading back south come nightfall, right? Gold Boon was probably waking soon to prepare, so she didn't have too much time to spare. Now, he was probably heading out by the south-eastern gate, so she could just lurk around there, although that would create a far higher risk of her being seen, with everypony finally waking up around then. Hmmph. There were only a few places around that had room for a cart like his. Perhaps The Ol' Shadow, Journey's Middle or The Barley Pipe? She can only imagine that he'd grab a place somewhere between the gate they arrived through and the gate from which he was leaving. The only thing she could do to track him down was to go from business to business, checking for his cart.
With a measure of composure restored, she strode away from the river; Midnight had a much more subtle path than stomping her goliath self up and down the river by the river where everyone could see her, covered in a cloak or not. Instead, she took to the dingy side roads, not fully lit even during the day.
It might not have been the most familiar section of the city, but she pushed on, ignoring the discarded trash and broken glass around her hooves. Midnight also managed to shut out the sounds of rowdy thestrals either starting their drinking before sundown or had yet to stop from sunup, coming from a nearby pub, although it was travail. Were things always this grimy down this way? With each step through the shaded street, she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on the citizens sleeping on all sides of her with her mere presence, an outsider slinking through their ranks.
Somewhere, a cat yowled, and Midnight flinched, thinking for the briefest of moments that her parents had discovered the state of the room back home. The rational part of her mind insisted that there was no way she could hear something that far away and that it was too early anyhow... But there was still the part of her that could feel her mother's screams rattling her bones.
Noticing that she was coming up to Twelfth Street, Midnight knew she was near The Ol' Shadow. Now, this wasn't the route that she would typically take, but she quickly strode across the empty street, ducking into an alley on the other side nonetheless, careful to control her pace, fast, but not a proper run. She had learned from her brother that it's vital to look like you're busy, not like you're being chased.
She could very well be soon enough, she reminded herself, were she was to dawdle or even make one ill-timed mistake. Vampires generally enjoyed... some protection from what one might be typically be punished for, but for murder, especially without the backing of a powerful House? Not a snowball's chance in Tartarus.
"Now, what do we have 'ere?" a voice slurred from behind her, and Midnight froze. It was a mixed blessing, of a sort; on one hoof, she didn't have to worry about whoever this stallion recognized her; on the other... well, the drunken tinge was not comforting in the least. "I don' know what ya heard, but I own this here alley, nopony passes this way without paying the tax," the pony said.
Slowly, as to not agitate the pony any more than he already was, Midnight spun around to face him, merely asking, "Tax?" It was immediately apparent that he was a lush, pure and simple. The scent of booze was clear as crystal on his breath, and he had to lean against the building beside him to stand without tipping over.
"Oh, bugger, you're a mare? What'd they feed you to get you so damn big, dragons?" he joked, even though the jovial tone rang false, "Doesn't get you out of the tax, though. Pay up."
Midnight was reasonably sure she could toss him up onto a rooftop and leave him up there to sober up, yet, something about this whole... situation made her fur stand on end. Still, perhaps she better play along for now? "What, exactly, is the tax to use of this alley?" she questioned, looking him up and down for any hint of concealed danger, perhaps a knife, although she spotted none. A cursory look over her shoulder and towards the rooftops revealed no waiting assailants for her either. He was well and truly alone.
"Not much, lass, not much," the thestral muttered, although something felt off to Midnight as he spoke, a low, unfamiliar hum just on the edge of her hearing droned quietly, "See, I don' want any coin. Just... give me some thanks, yeah? I work hard to keep this place nice and clean."
Midnight glanced left at the pile of half-rotted, discarded wood, then glanced right at the shredded cloth that the stallion was presumably napping on until she disturbed him. "Right," she said, inadvertently drawing out the R as she suspiciously eyed him, "Thanks, I guess." The hum faded, and her blood froze in her veins. Was he a vampire too? Since her youth, she heard tales of the Line of Elder Shining Charm, how they could take your mind with a glance... was this what it felt like when you were resistant? Could there have been a House dancing her whole town on strings in the absence of others to stop them out here?
He harumphed, giving her a, "And don't you forget it!" as Midnight turned to leave, only breaking her line of sight towards the stallion when she had backed up far enough to head down the street.
"Well, he's bloody weird," Midnight mumbled to herself, now just... slightly turned around, having to quickly reorient herself on the way to The Ol' Shadow. She was perhaps two blocks away now, and the rest of the trip was, thankfully, relatively uneventful... but that only gave time for traitorous thoughts to fester. If he was a vampire, and in her mind, there was little doubt as to that fact, did he know that she was an outsider, a potential enemy, a foreigner in her own home? She shivered, all the more reason to flee before anything could come of it.
Finally, while staring at the old wooden siding of the building from the shadows of the alleyway, Midnight remembered that the staff there would likely recognize her from previous visits. Silently, Midnight cursed her choice of hangouts, and especially the times she kept on hitting on that cute stallion when he was behind the counter. A mournful sigh slipped from her before she shook herself free, having no time to waste on pointless reminiscing for simpler days long gone. Creeping up towards the building, she slinked around to the locked stalls attached to the side, presumably where merchants stored their carts when they were heading through. She honestly had never been in the stalls herself, but she's definitely seen plenty of travelling traders here. Plus, where else could they keep them? It wasn't as if the inn seemed like it had the budget for a huge basement and a hatch.
Now, she thought, as she stared at the lock, what the Tartarus did she do now?
She didn't know how to pick locks, for one. Second, while she could probably force the old looking, rusted thing, she didn't fancy the amount of noise it would make. Third... perhaps she could pull a trick her beloved had shown her?
As her beloved described, she took several deep, slow breaths in and out, mentally reaching inside for... something, she wasn't sure what. Midnight was told that it was something like when you actively try to use your innate magic for the first time, rather than just acting on it instinctively, but who remembers things from when they were that young?
Midnight focused, eyes shutting as she turned her gaze inward, feeling naught but a deep void that threatened to consume her. She felt like a hollow mare, a mere shell animated by a refusal to die more than a powerful predator of the night.
The mare frowned, eyes snapping open as she eyed up the lock with a mixture of disdain and anger as she backed up. Hmmph. Say, now that she thought of it, that roof was looking rather old...
Midnight's wings spread wide, and a pair of powerful flaps propelled her through the air, freezing as the roof creaked loudly as the old wood struggled against her weight.
Midnight held stock still, half expecting to hear the shuffling of hoofsteps or a shouted question, ears twitching every which way as an unsettled shiver crept its way up her spine as if a thousand eyes were staring out from every crack. Watching. Judging. Waiting to tell her parents exactly what she was up to so they can put together the pieces.
She took a deep breath to dispel the tension, eyes scanning over the roof before finally seeing what she was looking for: a small gap between the planks.
Each step stretched into eternity with every single near-deafening creak, treacherous ground threatening to give way from under her with every single stride. A shadow flitted at the corner of her gaze. Without hesitation, Midnight whipped around in a second, eyes locking forward. It was only a drape. It was a drape from a damnable open window caught in a breeze. For a few moments, relief washed through her until, at least, that Midnight noticed how she was standing. Her wings were unfurled, ready to propel her through the air. Her stance was low and wide, the energy of a bounce barely maintained. And, perhaps worst of all, her lips were split in an animalistic snarl, fangs bared.
She fell on her rump, care about noise long forgotten, as her jaw dropped open, and her nose scrunched up. Was she really ready to... Her thoughts trailed off into the ether as she attempted to block out the mere idea. What was wrong with her? This just wasn't her— the sound of grumbling and a few hoofsteps came from the building, barely on the edge of her hearing. Surging against the roof, she almost smashed her face against the planks in her haste; in response, heard the steps pause for a moment before getting faster, hooves shaking as she frantically looked around between four merchant carts she could spot from her vantage. No, no, no. She couldn't see everything. There had to be more than that, right?
What if it was there, just out of vision, what if she lost her chance- Without thinking, she pulled herself up and drew her a hoof back, bringing it down with a deafening crack.
The plank splintered and broke under her, snapping in two with a loud crack. A proper shout went up from the inside, then, as Midnight stuck her head properly inside to look around, spotting... nothing that looked even vaguely like Gold Boon's cart among the six in there.
Mumbling to herself to hurry, Midnight heard the heavy lock on the front door of the inn unlatch, withdrawing from below and dashing in the other direction, wings flaring once more as she made to hop down and- too fast!
She impacted the adjacent building hard as she underestimated the force of her launch, tumbling onto the ground with a cry, a pop resounding from the base of one of her wings as she dropped to the ground, saddlebags spilling some of their contents on the wayside. She stared back, eyes momentarily resting on her survival tools and the bag of silver coins. The almost entirely empty bag of coins, missing a myriad of what she swore she packed. Her thoughts drifted back to the pony she met in the alley earlier. Without further study, she stuffed everything back roughly and sprinted off, the calls of a stallion rapidly lost in the distance behind her as her long legs carried her through the back pathways. By far, she outpaced her pursuer as she disappeared, rushing back towards the way she came. He wasn't a vampire. Sure, she couldn't explain how he took her money, but there was no chance in Tartarus that a House would let a member fall on such hard times that they had to steal to survive; it just wouldn't project a strong image.
Soon enough, she was back at the alleyway where the mysterious pony was prior. Prior, meaning there was nopony there, naught but a few scraps of rubbish left behind. If she didn't have the moons for it, she wouldn't be able to pay her way, and if she wasn't able to pay her way...
The hostile stench of cheap booze burned her nostrils as she examined his resting spot, trying to find something, anything that told her where he went! She cursed to herself, barely catching a glimpse of a new looking hoofprint off to the side— that way.
Midnight stared hard at them, eyes struggling to pick the following hoofprints left by bits of mud stuck to his hooves... but they were present, albeit barely. Out from the alley, back onto eleventh, then the hoof prints disappeared down to the right. Odds are he didn't fly off, Midnight figured; he was far too drunk looking to actually get anywhere like that without being dumped into the river. So, odds are he was following the road, at the very least. What was down that way... He probably wasn't going to the clothier nearby, nor the smithery, but there was a pub! Was he-
Midnight hissed as she simmered over, her pace picking up into a gallop as she sprinted down the road, paranoia over being spotted forgotten as she ran through the early morning light. Blocks went by under her long stride, Midnight following along on her hunch, air screaming by her as her eyes darted down every side road, looking off the main path.
There. Down there, next street over, was the drunkard from earlier, stumbling down the road. Using a wing to brake, Midnight turned hard, careening towards the disgusting whelp with a wicked grin on her face. He barely had the time to let out a yelp as she barrelled into him, laying him out on his back, gagging him with a hoof as she dragged him over the cobblestone into the alleyway as he flailed.
"Where's my money? Where is it, where is it!" Midnight half-shouted, growling ferally as she threw him against the wall, knocking the air out of the comparatively small stallion. Coughing, he fought to get up, side against the wall as he stumbled to the side, only to have Midnight's foreleg crash into his neck, pinning him violently in place.
"Where is it?" she spat, snarl inches away from the terrified pony's face. The stallion's hooves shot up to Midnight's foreleg, a vain attempt to remove it, causing her to redouble the pressure... before a cold dread wormed up through the caldera of rage as he struggled dearly to get air. She could feel his windpipe deform under her forearm; were she to press just a bit harder, it would doubtlessly collapse. Nevermind merely hearing Midnight could feel his pulse, a frantic rap tap of adrenaline-fueled terror that only served to make her involuntarily drool as he struggled. Her fury fell silent as he writhed under her grip, and although she was not letting him go, Midnight let up enough to not suffocate him or tempt her further.
"Look," she said, much more quietly now, "I'm just asking for my money back. That's all I want." Was she really about to dash him over the stones? She glanced over his pathetic form, realizing that she could see his ribs on his heaving sides, and guilt came next. Odds are the poor bastard was trying to get his next meal; perhaps she could leave him a coin or two as an apology for the strangulation?
His eyes were still wide as she snapped out of her musing, sucking down large heaves of breath to replace the dead air. Midnight gave him time to recover, not rushing him before ultimately asking, "Please, just give me back what you took." Midnight suppressed a shiver. What would happen if he said no? Would she be able to hold herself back if she got angry again? She could almost taste his fragile little neck, fleshing tearing like paper and-
"I- I swear, it was her idea!" he half sobbed, and Midnight shifted to let the pressure off a bit more.
"Her's?" Midnight asked, keeping her tone level and quiet.
"Yeah, yeah, it was that unicorn's plan! She came to me first, you see, levitated the bits right out of your bag while I distracted ya, before givin' me my take," he hurriedly babbled, pinprick eyes gazing up at her as Midnight mulled it over.
"A unicorn," she mouthed, thinking it over. She had tales of them... and of the fact that almost every single one of them was capable of moving objects with their minds. It made too much sense to ignore; that had to have been the sound that she heard. She had been played like a damn fool. "And where's your portion of my money?"
Flinching, the stallion reached into one of the pockets on his tattered coat and spilled a pile of steel stars and a scant few silvered moons on the cobble. Blast. That was only perhaps a third of it, and Midnight doubted that he had time to spend any lest he stopped for food on his way over.
She scooped them up with a wing, maintaining eye contact the entire time, before dumping most of them back into her bag... and then she dropped a hoof-full of stars onto the ground back into his pocket. "There. Now show me where this unicorn is," the vampire said, forcing a less sinister smile.
While the stallion was looking between her and the pocket in disbelief, Midnight released him. As he slowly regained his bearings Midnight said, "Please, don't try to run. I'll leave you be after I find her."
"We met by a store nearby. I think the lass needed extra moons for an order? She didn't tell me too much, but she was staring at it all weird before I showed up," he said; Midnight's gentle ministrations seemed to have sobered him up somewhat, drunken tinge far less present. Now, where could she have been? There was only one store nearby that Midnight could think of that could have been open this late... she remembered that the ponies there cut down on the overlap between the two shifts to be open late into the night to catch more travellers plus late shift traffic. The name escaped her, but she knew the place!
"Show me," was her only response, in case she was wrong, a toss of her head pointing towards the entrance of the alley.
A quick fear-filled glance towards her, and he complied, trudging along in precisely the direction she thought with her not far behind... although not before she tossed the hood of her cloak back up, having fallen at some point during the scuffle.
The trip commenced, tense silence reigning between the two as he tossed the occasional glance her way as they hurried along, apparently eager to be rid of her as soon as possible. Her head was kept low, and soon enough, they were in sight of the shop.
Wait.
That was Gold Boon's cart out in front.
And there he was.
Talking with a unicorn mare.
