The Forgotten Queen

Chapter 5

Arboreal Forest, location unknown

The air was filled with the calls of crickets and the occasional howling of wolves. Luna’s moon hovered proudly in the sky, bathing its denizens in pale light. A creature, no not quite a creature…yes more like a huntress for she was hungry, prowled the night. She sniffed the air trying to gauge her surroundings, searching for her next meal. As she drew breath, tendrils of vapor escaped her mouth in angry puffs. A musky scent filled her nostrils, the smell of prey. All she desired was to sink her teeth into juicy, bloody flesh. Just thinking about it made her body quake with anticipation.

The prey was unaware of the huntress’s presence. It just stood there grazing in a small clearing, surrounded by tall evergreen trees. It was a beautiful white stag; if it weren’t on the menu the huntress would have almost found it an astonishing sight to behold. The forest floor was littered with old pine needles and plants in various states of decay, much to the annoyance of the huntress. She accidently stepped on a particularly dry and crunchy twig, alerting the grazing prey. The stag’s ears immediately perked up as he scanned the surrounding area for threats. Seeing none, he slowly but cautiously began to graze once more.

Carefully she bided her time, keeping her body low to the ground, creeping ever closer to her meal. For one fleeting moment the stag stared at the huntress, it was almost as if he knew she was there. With a powerful yet graceful leap the huntress used her claws to dig into the hapless herbivore rending flesh and bone. She reveled in the smell of blood and the taste of warm, fresh meat. Having gorged herself she sought to find a source of water to cleanse the blood and gore now covering her face. She found a small pond and proceeded to dunk her head in its waters. After shaking her head to dry it, she looked into the pond and saw her reflection. A cerulean furred muzzle full of sharp teeth and eyes that glowed like rubies stared back at her. She screamed, louder than she ever had in her entire life.

Trixie awoke covered in sweat, shrieking like a dying animal. At some point she had been placed in a sleeping bag. From what she could tell it was night time and directly across from her a roaring fire kept at bay the chilly evening air. She felt weak almost as if she had ran a hundred kilometers non-stop. While she was trying to get her bearings, Hoity trotted over with a canteen filled with water. He gently put a hoof around Trixie’s head so she could drink of water. The mare downed the water greedily, to quench her vast thirst.

“Slow down, you don’t want to choke.”

“Where…where am I and what happened?”

“We’re camped out in the plains, about two kilometers from the dig site. I had to carry you here because you were in rough shape after what happened.”

“I-I don’t understand the last thing I remember was when I…got shot. Everything went black after that. I thought I died.”

Hoity chuckled. “Yes you almost did, fortunately I was around to prevent that.”

“But I was shot in the neck there’s no way I could have survived and there should be a wound but my neck is fine.”

“That’s precisely why I need to have a talk with you. I had to make a difficult decision and what I did; you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life Trixie.”

Hoity fished out a small pocket mirror from a satchel lying near the fire. He handed it to Trixie and she saw her own reflect within. She seemed to look normal with the exception of her eyes. Instead of their original violet, they were the same deep red that Hoity’s were. She very nearly dropped the mirror in shock.

“My eyes, what happened to my eyes?!”

“Red eyes are the mark of a vampony, my dear. You best get used to them because they will stay that way for the rest of your life.”

“Hoity…you can’t be serious. A vampony?”

“I’m afraid I’m quite serious. This wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you about what I am; in fact I really hadn’t planned on telling you at all. However, the circumstances have changed. When Tyco shot you, it was a fatal wound. You would have bled out if I hadn’t given you…the gift.”

Trixie slumped over on the verge of tears. She was tired and very confused. All she wanted right now was some sense of normalcy to her chaotic life. Sensing her distress Hoity ran his hoof through her mane, in a gesture of comfort. He was surprised when she didn’t resist.

“You see Trixie, I’m a vampony myself and an ancient one at that. I have given very few ponies the gift and normally I hide my true nature from the world around me. When a vampony willing gives his blood and magic to another, the recipient inherits the gift. It was the only way to save you from death.”

A few tears ran down Trixie’s cheeks. “So…I’m a monster now?”

“You are only a monster if you choose to be. Besides with enough training you can suppress your beastly urges.”

“Is that why I had that strange dream?”

“Yes, we vamponies can transform into our beast form. It gives you bat wings, claws and sharp teeth for tearing your foes asunder. The dream you had was your beast aspect reaching out to you, an urge to kill and hunt if you will. It can turn lesser ponies into feral beasts, but it can be controlled with a proper amount of training.”

“I thought that vamponies drank blood and had fangs, like changelings. What about the whole sun thing, are we going to burn up if stay in it?”

“No, nothing like that. Over the centuries the true nature of vamponies has be greatly exaggerated and misunderstood. This is because we are a reclusive lot; it is to prevent panic amongst the public. The only thing that sets us apart from normal ponies is our eyes. Only vamponies have red eyes. We do not drink blood, but we can eat meat. The sun does not harm us any more than any normal pony. The fangs do not appear until you have transformed.”

“I still do not understand why I’m alive, even if I’m a vampony.”

“Vamponies have extreme healing abilities; as such it easily can heal the most grievous of wounds. It was the only way to stop the bleeding. For what it’s worth Trixie, I’m sorry that I had to do this to you. If there was any other way, I would have tried it in a heartbeat.”

Trixie looked at Hoity with a sad smile. “I know you tried your best to save me and honestly I’m touched that you would go that far to save my life. Still, I’m a bit nervous about this whole situation.”

“Trust me, you’ll get used to it…just takes some time that’s all. Here eat some of this stew; it’ll help you regain some of your strength. Loosing so much blood really takes it out of you.”

The bowl of dark brown stew that Hoity gave Trixie smelled wonderful. The mare ate a few spoon-fulls, finding it had a strange but delicious flavor. Almost instantaneously it warmed her up and she felt a lot more energetic.

“Hoity this stew is amazing, what’s in it?”

“Oh it’s just a little something I whipped up from our food supplies…along with a few improvised ingredients.”

“Improvised ingredients?”

“Umm yes it has potatoes, carrots and a bit of minotaur meat to give it some protein.”

Trixie’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. “You mean I just…ate meat?”

“Well of course you just ate meat, you’re a vampony now. As I stated before, we can digest animal proteins.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before I ate it…I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Hoity rubbed his temples. “Because you wouldn’t have eaten it if I told you what it was. Trixie I know that this is going to be a difficult transition but some things you are just going to have to accept. Eating meat is one of those things.”

Trixie scrunched up her nose. “Fine, I understand. Life altering events aside, how are we going to get out of here? We’re pretty far from Mintaka and we would die of exhaustion before we get there and then there’s the heat…”

“True and we can’t forget that the UTR considers us enemies of the state. Since I killed Tyco and his soldiers they’ll send more units to investigate and in the condition you’re in, fighting them off isn’t really an option. There is a way we can get back to Equestria but I’m going to have to use my magic.”

“Magic? That’s impossible, you’re an earth pony.”

“Oh I’m not talking about normal unicorn magic my dear. We need dark magic.”

Trixie felt the pit of her stomach go cold. “Dark…magic?”

“Indeed. Dark magic is a long forgotten arcane art. It can be used by anypony no matter what they are be it a unicorn, pegasus or earthpony. You see unlike normal magic, dark magic doesn’t need a horn to be channeled. It’s a lot like how the pegasai can manipulate weather or how earthponies can sometimes move earth and stone. Dark magic uses the very depths of space to draw its power…it is limitless.”

“If that’s true then why can’t I cast it?”

“You could cast dark magic, but you would need to know how to call upon it. Like normal magic it is affected by the will of the user, but it also draws strength from emotions. The greater the emotion, the stronger the casting. Unfortunately it is most powerful when the user opens themselves to negative emotions.”

“I see that is…unfortunate.”

Hoity sighed. “I should have known. Celestia has made her subjects soft over the centuries. I’ll teach you how to use it later but for now you need to prepare yourself.”

“Prepare myself for what exactly?”

“I’m going to cast a spell to teleport us back to Canterlot, more specifically my mansion. This requires a vast amount of concentration and magic on my part. Since I just infused part of my magic into your body, you’ll feel some rather unpleasant side effects.”

Trixie’s eyes widened. “I-I won’t get hurt right?”

“I can’t promise you that Trixie, I’m sorry. When dark magic is cast it tends to affect the emotional state of the living creatures nearby. Once we get back to Canterlot, you’re going to start feeling some pretty heavy emotions such as: lust, angry, jealousy and maybe even fear. It is in essence emotional feed-back from such a large expulsion of magic. I just want you to be prepared, that’s all.”

“What about you Hoity? Will you be ok?”

“I’ll be fine; after all I’ve been using dark magic for ages. If things do get out of control, then I’ll be there to help you get through it. I promise. Please…trust me.”

Trixie took hold of Hoity’s hoof. “Ok let’s just get this over with.”

Carousel Boutique, Ponyville

Iron Cross knocked on the door to the shop hoping he would find Rarity. Out of all of his equine friends he figured that she would be the best one to ask for advice. He was never very good at buying gifts…especially those intended for the fairer sex. Rather than hearing Rarity’s sing-song voice he heard hooves clopping against the floor. The door swung open mere seconds later to revel a flustered looking, scarlet coated filly with a fiery orange mane. She stared at Iron with shiny cyan eyes. Upon her flank was a needle and a spool of thread.

“Oh…umm hello sir can I help you?”

“Why yes I was wondering if Rarity was available?”

“Well about that you see…she went over to Ms. Fluttershy’s house about an hour ago. I’m just minding the shop for Ms. Rarity at the moment. My name’s Velvet Thread and I’m her new apprentice.”

“Ah that’s good news a pleasure to meet you Ms. Thread. My name is Iron Cross.”

Velvet looked at her hooves. “Y-you can just call me V-v-velvet if you want sir.”

Iron laughed. “Alright Velvet it is! Just to be fair you can call me Iron. Good luck with the shop, hopefully Rarity doesn’t give you too much trouble.”

“Umm, alright thank you. I hope you find her.”

“Don’t worry one way or another, I’ll find that elusive mare.”

Iron let out a huff of frustration, knowing that he had to journey the whole way across Ponyville just to get to Fluttershy’s cottage. Despite his annoyance he knew that it was a small price to pay in order to get the advice he sought. As he approached the cottage, Iron noticed that its door was blocked by Fluttershy’s white, fluffy guardian. Angel looked up at Iron crossing his arms, while thumping his foot against the ground.

“So we meet again Rabbit. Of course, you want your payment.”

Angel raised his eyebrow and put out his hand.

Iron reached into his saddlebag pulling out a carrot. “Here you are my furry friend. Now, may I go in?”

Swiping the carrot in front of him, Angel nodded and with a quick hop he opened the door for Iron.

Iron made his way inside finding Fluttershy and Rarity snuggled up on the couch enjoying a cup of tea. Sighing mentally he tapped Rarity on the shoulder.

“Hello ladies, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Rarity set her teacup aside. “Nonsense darling we were just enjoying each other’s company is all. Please have a seat.”

“I went over to the boutique earlier and the only pony there was some filly named Velvet.”

“Yes, I expect nothing less. She is my new apprentice, moved to Ponyville about two weeks ago. I agreed to let her live in the boutique, while she works for me since Sweetie lives in Manehatten now.”

“Indeed she was very courteous to me, although she’s quite the shy little creature.”

“Now, now Iron it’s not entirely her fault. She came from a rather rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Baltimare. In fact, when she first visited my boutique her mane looked like it had been through a hurricane. I couldn’t help but let her stay with me, but I was surprised to learn that she wanted to apply as my apprentice and what’s more is she is quite the able dress maker.”

“I meant no disrespect, she just reminded me of Fluttershy is all.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Um yes she does. Even I think so.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Naturally, being the element of generosity I couldn’t just leave her to rot out on the streets. And so what if she reminds me of you my love? I think it’s rather endearing.”

Fluttershy nuzzled Rarity’s cheek. “Oh Rarity you know I wasn’t trying to be mean. I think it’s kind of…nice.”

“Iron, darling what is the purpose of your visit? I know you didn’t come here just to enjoy sipping tea and swapping gossip.”

Iron ran a hoof through his mane. “I came here to ask you for some advice Rarity.”

“I truly am flattered that you came to me first darling, but you’re going to have to be more specific if you want my help.”

“Right…I guess I could tell you but, I think showing you might explain things a lot better.”

Iron reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small black box. He pulled off the lid, revealing a gold hair pin with an apple shaped ruby in the middle. Two emeralds in the shape of leaves sprouted from the top of it. Rarity gasped and Fluttershy’s eyes began to water.

“My…word Iron it’s beautiful.”

“I got it a week ago from one of the finest jewelry shops in Canterlot. It really helps when you’re an Equestrian national hero. The jeweler insisted that I not pay for it, honestly I felt really bad about it but what can you do?”

Fluttershy sniffed. “That’s so romantic; oh I know Applejack will love it!”

“I certainly hope so. She doesn’t normally want pretty things like this but I wanted it to be special this time. The only problem is I have no idea when to ask her the umm…you know, the question.”

Rarity gave Iron a quick hug. “Why do stallions always fret about such things? Applejack adores you darling; you have nothing to worry about.”

“I know she does, but what if she’s not ready? She cares so much about that farm. I honestly can’t see her wanting to settle down. I’d still help her but…”

Rarity stuck her hoof in his mouth. “Stop that talk this instant! You two already live together so why is that even an issue? Unless you mean...oh my word you want foals don’t you?”

“Eventually I do. That’s what scares me Rarity. I’m not sure if she wants any.”

Fluttershy hovered over to Iron and wrapped her wing around his torso. “It’s ok to be scared but even if Applejack says no the first time, she’ll say yes eventually. I know it and if she resists we’ll be there to talk some sense into her.”

Rarity levitated a cup of tea towards Iron. “Here darling drink some of this, it’ll make you feel better. I got it imported from Zebrica. It’s a blend of rose petals and mother’s milk. Funny thing is Zecora insisted that I try some, said it would help me relax. Hopefully it shall do the same for you.”

“Thank you, I appreciate the thought but coffee is my go to beverage.”

“Ah yes you and Applejack certainly love your coffee. I can’t stand the stuff myself, it is far too bitter. However, I must insist that you drink it darling it would be a waste of perfectly good tea otherwise.”

Taking a tentative sip, Iron found that the tea was surprisingly pleasant to drink. It’s not that he hated tea overall but it just wasn’t something he drank very often. The brew had a slight marshmallow flavor to it with hints of spiciness. Maybe he would make Applejack try some of this at some point. Oddly enough the tea had done the trick, he felt slightly more relaxed.

“Girls, I have an idea but I’d like to run it by you first.”

“Go on darling, we’re listening.”

“Applebloom is going to have some time off in a few days. She said that she would take care of the chores around the farm during that time. Mac is usually busy helping Twilight but he said he could pitch in as well. This would give Applejack some free time. Time that I was hoping I could treat her to a nice dinner. Do either of you know a decent restaurant I could take her to?”

Rarity’s eyes practically sparkled. “Oooohhh how romantic you’re going to propose after dinner! *squee* Never fear my good gentlecolt, for I know a few things about fine dining.”

“Umm…Rarity I don’t mean to be a bother but I don’t think Applejack likes fancy restaurants.”

“Hmm you may have point my love. Applejack may be a simple mare but I know she can be refined if she tries, why her cousins are the Oranges for Celestia’s sake! I know for certain that she stayed with them for a time.”

Fluttershy rubbed her chin in thought. “That’s true…but what if she doesn’t want to dress up or style her hair? Oh I know she just hates that. What should we do?”

“Leave the details to me love! I shall simply have to schedule a spa visit with her. On my honor she will see the light…even if it takes a bit of coercion.”

Iron snorted. “Ugghh women, I’ll never truly understand their wiles.”

“Hmm what was that darling?”

“Oh Nothing, just contemplating the nature of the universe.

“I see…well try not to strain yourself too hard, that’s bad for you complexion. Wrinkles are such a terrible thing to have!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”