Chapter one, the son of the sisterhood
Darkness, midnight, silence, death, these things are within all our hearts. No matter what we say, or what we do, we all have these fears, we all have these weaknesses. In the need to conquer these fears, the long lived royal princesses of Canterlot, Luna and Celestia, delved deep within the archives of ancient knowledge, searching for some key to conquer the death and darkness that we all meet at the end of our lives. For a hundred years the princesses searched through the archives of the royal palace, aided by the unicorns of the citadel, searching and searching for some sort of leverage over death. One day, deep within the bowels of the archives, they found something. It was an ancient tome, written on pony hide and drawn up with the blood of maiden fillies, and with it they found what they were searching for, the key to conquering death.
However, the gift of immortality came with a steep price, their souls, but the princesses where greedy for eternal life, and agreed without hesitation. When the princesses emerged from the depths they weren't the same creatures of serenity and light that had entered, but empty, soulless creatures of darkness and despair that shunned the light of day and consumed the life blood of the living. In the space of a single night the pair butchered their way through the royal palace and imparted to each of the nobles the blood kiss, transforming the once noble and virtuous ponies into undying creatures of the night, Vampires. The city of Canterlot followed soon after, and became a necropolis of the dead, the capital of the midnight aristocracy.
From Canterlot the princesses' new powers spread outwards, infecting the world of the living and shrouding it in darkness. In order to help them rule, Luna and Celestia took the most beautiful daughters of the realm and brought them to Canterlot, turning each one of them into a new, beautiful creature of darkness, the Lahmian sisters, who where only distinguishable from normal mares by their unearthly beauty and their violet eyes. With their new daughters, the princesses formed the sisterhood, and ruled Equestria with an iron hoof, suppressing all resistance and filling the lives of their subjects with fear. For over a thousand years they have ruled supreme, but all that is about to change. A prophecy has long told that from the darkness there shall rise a new hero, and he shall bring with him the light of day and bring light back to the darkness of Equestria. the common folk hold to this prophecy like drowning ponies holding to a raft, but it has been a thousand years since the prophecy was first told, and as the nights grow even darker and the flame of life gutters and begins to die, many are losing faith in their foretold hero.
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"NO!" he screamed, blood and tears running from his eyes "PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODDESS DON'T DO THIS!" the Vampire before him simply smiled, revealing ivory white fangs.
"And what if i do young one? Are you going to kill me?" the creature said, its breath smelt like roses, sweet, yet sickly at the same time. The...thing...placed a hoof under his chin and brought his head up so it could stare into his eyes. "so young, so full of life" the creature inhaled, breathing in his scent. "i can smell the blood in your veins, i can hear it calling to me, singing, it's a beautiful sound" the creature smiled again, and then leaned in and licked some of the blood from his cheek, its tongue lathering it up. He shuddered, revulsion screaming through every fibre of his being.
"GET OFF MY SON!" his father called out, though he was cut off by the sound of metal cracking against bone. He looked across the small, blood stained room and saw one of the creatures thralls whack his father across the back of his head, sending him sprawling. His mother screamed and tried to reach for her husband, but ropes bound her hooves together behind her back and left her helpless. He saw the back of his father's head was cracked open, shards of bone thrust out through the skin, and underneath he could see brain matter pulsing with blood. He opened his own mouth to scream, and scream he did, long and loud and full of anguish and hatred for the creature that had done this.
Princess Luna smiled maliciously, savouring the sounds of her victims scream. Such, emotion, such passion, this young pony was perhaps the most delicious prey she had ever had the pleasure of devouring. She grabbed his head and forced him to watch as his father twitched and spasamed, slowly dying. "Such a fragile thing isn't it?" she said, pulling at the young stallions hair and smiling when he winced "life, it's pathetic, its flames can be extinguished so easily" she nodded to one of her unicorn thralls and he stepped forward, raised a hatchet above his head and brought it smashing down on the dying stallions head, causing an explosion of blood, bone and brain. The lumps flew across the room and covered the walls with gore, Luna and her servants protected themselves with magic to avoid any of the vile substance, but they extended no such protection to their victims.
The young stallion shook and twisted in her grasp as his father's life blood and brains came spattering down on him, covering his blue coat in red and patches of pink and his blue and white striped mane in blotches of crimson. He screamed once more and then gagged and began to retch, Luna laughed. She let go of the stallion and he fell forward into his own vomit, his eyes large and unfocussed and his lips mouthing words she couldn't hear. The stallions' mother was screaming, high, loud and shrill, and Luna found it to be quiet annoying. "Now watch as i kill your mother" she whispered to the shivering stallion, as he began to mumble prayers under his breath.
"Goddess protect me, Goddess guide me, Goddess shield me"
That one sentence over and over, Luna smiled. Once she'd said those prayers as well, praying to a divine being who'd never answered, but she was more than the weak creature she had been, she was now a goddess in her own right. She stepped over him and crossed to the middle age mare, who knelt on both knees by her husband's corpse. The mare stared wide eyed at him, herself unfocussed and dazed, she'd retreated within herself, and would never come back out. Luna knelt before her and stared into her unseeing eyes, their pupils dilated and large. She held out a hoof to one of thralls, and he handed her a knife, large, heavy and vicious. Luna examined the blade, enjoying the way the moon light, which fell through the holes in the ceiling, played on its silver edge. "Make him watch" she said, gesturing to the stallion. At once two thralls stepped out from the shadows and grabbed the young stallion roughly, pulling up from the bile and onto his knees, one of them grabbed his mane and pulled it up, pulling his head up and forcing him to watch.
"Say goodbye to mummy" Luna said, and then she took the mare by one of her shoulders and slowly, cruelly dug the knife deep into her throat. The stallion, only moments ago unresponsive, now screamed again. Luna smiled as she listened to the scream, it made a perfect harmony for the gurgles of the dying mare, who was drowning in her own blood. The stallion shook and writhed in the grip of her thralls and then, much to her surprise, broke free. There was a loud snapping sound and the ropes that bound the stallions' hooves behind his back snapped in two, freeing his hooves. Faster then she realised was possible for a mortal pony, he spun to his right and buried his hoof in the gut of the first thrall. He doubled over, folding in on himself and as he did so the stallion brought his knee up and into the thralls face, causing his nose to break with a crunch of bone and a spray of blood. The other thralls shouted out in a collective gasp of surprise and came forward towards the stallion, knives and cudgels in their hooves. The stallion leapt forwards in his own attack, causing the thralls to flinch back, they hadn't expected any resistance.
The stallion brought his left hoof smashing into the face of a thrall on his right side, his body spinning. The thrall fell back in a shout of surprise and pain and a spray of blood, cursing as he fell onto his back. The stallion finished his spin by leaping into the air, and out of pure instinct, lashing out with his right leg, which connected with the side of another thralls face, who also collapsed. He landed and launched forward in a bull charge at another thrall, one of only three left standing. He feinted to the right and then rolled to the left, spinning around and wrapping his hooves around the unicorn mares' neck.
Luna watched on with curiosity as he used the momentum of his spin to wrench at the mares neck, and there was a horrendous crunching noise of splintering bone as he snapped the mares' neck. As the dead body began to collapse to the floor the second last thrall dashed forward, her cudgel raised and ready to strike. The newly dead corpse of the mare was half way towards the floor, and the stallion kicked at its rump with a blur of motion. The corpse was sent flying forwards and its unicorn horn took the thrall straight through the heart, killing her instantly and causing her cudgel to fly through the air. As the last of Lunas servants charged forward, slashing with his knife, the stallion caught the cudgel in mid air. He side stepped the thrall and brought the lump of wood slamming on the back of his opponents head, causing more brains and blood to go flying and give the walls a fresh coat of paint.
Luna was left alone in the room with the stallion, all her servants dead and bleeding out on the floor, the stallion had his back to her. Without any hesitation the stallion spun around to face her and leapt at her, the cudgel descending in an arc that threatened to smash her skull if it connected. She watched placidly as he descended, the cudgel with him, and then faster than the eye could comprehend, she moved. The stallion could only gasp in shock as one moment she was there, and then the next she was gone. "good, your fast i can see" A voice whispered in his ear, it was Lunas. He landed, spun and leapt once again at Luna, who gave him a mocking grin before easily side stepping his attack. By now his breathing was heavy, and he knew he couldn't keep up this rate of attack for long, he had to finish now, or he was surely done for. "good, and again" Luna said, appearing behind him. This time when he turned instead of leaping for her he threw the cudgel, which Luna dodged. But when she'd dodged she'd taken her focus off him for one second, and that was all he needed. As Luna turned back to face him she caught a glimpse of the stallions eyes, bright gold and alive with hatred, and then he slammed into her, sending them sprawling into the congealed pool of vomit.
"JUST DIE YOU UNHOLY BITCH!" he screamed with raw ferocity, punching at her. Luna rolled away and then leapt on top of him before he'd even recovered from his mad punch, straddling him and pinning him to the ground between her legs. He struggled, baring his teeth; Luna smiled and showed him her fangs. "I'LL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME? I'LL KILL YOU!" he growled "FUCKING VAMPIRES! YOU TREAT US LIKE WE'RE SCUM! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU AND ALL YOUR KIND!"
"You hate me? That's not nice" Luna said calmly, her superior unholy strength easily allowing her to overpower him. She leaned in and stared deep into his golden eyes, marvelling at how a creature such short lived could have such beautiful eyes, it was such a waste "you're a handsome creature, and fast as well, i'm impressed" she grinned maliciously "i'm going to give you a gift"
"What gift could you possibly give me that i could ever want!" the stallion growled, his breathing heavy as his previous exertions caught up with him, leaving him exhausted.
"oh, it's a very simple gift" she said, savouring the moment "it's just a little kiss" smiled as the stallions eyes widened as he understood the implication.
"No...No..." he whispered "no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!" He screamed, struggling against her grip uselessly.
"yes" Luna said, leaning in to his neck, her lips sliding back and her fangs protruding out from her gums, ivory white and needle sharp "and now...you're going to become the thing you loath the most" she whispered before she buried her fangs in his neck. The stallions' body instantly became limp, the fight leaving his body. He shuddered, both in pleasure and revulsion. Luna drank down the stallions' young blood, its rich taste filling her mouth. It ran down her throat in a warm red stream, filling her empty veins and arteries. As a creature of the undead, she had no need for mortal life; it was dark magic that flowed through her veins, not blood. Her heart was empty of emotion, she felt nothing. Not happiness, not sadness, not sex or passion, nor hatred and blood lust. Feeding on the blood of the living was the only release she had, and she shuddered in pleasure as she drank the young, vibrant blood of the stallion, it was rich with life. A low moan escaped her lips as it filled her body.
Beneath her the stallion could only feel a strange numbness as his life blood was taken from him, slowly draining out of him. From the numbness there were periodic lances of pleasure and pain in equal measure, which would course through his body and burn him from the inside out. His vision was growing dark, and within his chest he could feel his heart beat slow, its regular beat becoming slower and slower. His heart fire was guttering like a candle against the encroaching darkness of death, and it flickered and threatened to go out at any moment. Luna bit her fangs down a little deeper into his neck, and he felt such exquisite pleasure his heart hammered for a single beat in his chest as he gasped.
Eventually Luna retracted her fangs from his neck, her muzzle coming away red, wet and covered in blood. She stared down at the half conscious form of the stallion between her legs, the warm glow of his blood flowing through her body. The stallion stared up at her with wide, unfocussed eyes. She smiled slyly, raised her right hoof to her mouths, and bit into it, shuddering in pain as her fangs pierced into her veins and caused blood, noxious undead blood to fill her mouth. She lowered herself back down to the stallion and gently kissed him intimately, savouring the taste of blood on his lips. For a moment the remains of his resistance held firm, but then they were swept away under a tide of blood loss, exhaustion, and pleasure. She felt his mouth open to her, and then she spat the thick black blood into his mouth. He began struggle feebly, some part of his mind reminding him what was happening to him She quickly sat back up and covered his nose and mouth with her hooves, forcing him to swallow the blood, which he did, with a gulp and a gag.
Luna took the head of the stallion in both her hooves and gently laid her forehead against his, his breathing was hard and his chest heaved. He began to shiver slightly as the undead blood took its hold on his soul and began to change him, emptying him out and leaving his body as an empty shell. He shuddered one final time and fell still, his heart still within his chest and his eyes closed. All the while Luna held him firm, keeping him under her as the stallion slowly died and was reborn as a creature of the night. With a cough and a gasp the stallions' eyes opened, their once golden iris' now a deep greyish violet. The stallion stared at her with wide, confused eyes, his lips trying to mouth words but failing.
"You where once a weak creature of the living" she said, standing up off the stallion, whilst wiping her mouth clean. The stallion lay on the floor, his basic motor functions failing him; he was as helpless as a new born foal. "but with my gift you rise anew as member of the midnight aristocracy" she knelt down beside him and touched a lock of his mane, which previously blue and white, was now a deep grey. His skin was starting to darken to, the splotches of blood that covered him sinking into his skin and causing the grey to spread. "your old name has died with your old life, now i shall give you a new one" she placed a hoof on his chest, which rose and fell shallowly. "You are Strike and you are the son of my blood" the Stallions eyes closed, and he fell still, not even his chest moving as he breathed.
She stood up and made to leave, but as she reached the door she felt a hoof grab at her leg. She looked down and saw that one of her unicorn thralls was still alive, slowly be surely bleeding to death. "princess" the thrall whispered hoarsely, it was a mare "please don't leave me" Luna smiled and knelt down to the mare.
"don't be afraid my servant, i'm giving you one last task to perform for me"
"anything for you mistress, i am yours"
"in a few hours my son will truly awaken in this world as a member of the aristocracy, when that happens he will be hungry, and you will give him your blood, can you do that for me?"
"Of course mistress, i live to serve" and at that Luna smiled. She gently touched the mares' horn, and then she stood up and left the mare to her fate, to be devoured by her son whilst he was in his birth pangs. Outside the moon was high in the sky, the night smelt fresh and clean after the bloody stink of house. Luna opened her midnight black wings and took to the air, the house falling away beneath her. She gave the house a final glance and then flew towards Canterlot, pleased with tonights entertainments.
For hours afterwards not a single sound came from the house, it was a silent as the grave. Within not a single living thing moved, save for the abandoned slave who waited for Lunas progeny to awaken. Then, in the small hours of the morning, the stallion opened his eyes, sat up and looked around him. He had no idea where he was, or why he was here, and his stomach burned. There was a dragging noise and something grabbed at his right hoof, he looked to his right and saw that on the floor there lay a unicorn mare, slowly bleeding from a hole in her stomach, where another unicorn horn, this one just a stump, lay thrust inside her. At the sight of the blood he felt some sort of predatory instinct awake within him, a hunger to feed and consume. He reached out to her and pulled her closer with surprising ease, like she weighed nothing.
"The mistress commanded me to feed you" the mare said quietly, her voice faint. She bent her neck and exposed her throat to him, its white purple coat barely concealing the pulse beneath it. Without truly understanding what he was doing he leant forward, licking his lips. He opened his mouth revealing his teeth, and with a wet tearing sound a pair of stunted fangs burst forth from his gums, sending a mind numbing pain through his head. He could barely feel it however as he leaned in, he gently licked the mares throat, savouring the new taste of flesh on his tongue, and then he bit down, drinking his first meal of blood and sealing the blood kiss.
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Twilight's heart was thumping in her chest, her blood was coursing through her veins. She pressed herself against the wall of the building and leaned out around the corner, glancing down the street. She could see nothing, the coast looked clear. She slowly slid out and crept down the road, pressing close to the walls and sticking to the shadows. She looked around her, her heart still beating like a hammer. 'Please don't let them find me, mother of light please don't let them find me' then a shadow, darker than the ones around it, moved at the edge of her vision, it was too late.
Twilight reacted before she was truly conscious of what she was doing; abandoning all pretences of stealth and bolting like a hare. Twilight was young, but she ran with the speed all the speed she could muster, galloping down the alley way at full pelt. Her heart was going even faster than before, she could hear her pulse in her ears. "Oh sisters" a melodious voice called out from behind her "I've found one" Twilight squeaked and ran all the more faster, her legs a blur. Behind her the voice laughed, a graceful sound that seemed to flow, and then she could feel it give chase.
She turned right, and then left, and then right again, trying to shake off her pursuers in the maze of streets, but it was no use, the shadow was always behind her. She felt claws rake across the skin of her rump, creating shallow cuts that bled lightly and sent thin streams of blood flying out behind her. It served only to cause her to run faster "don't bother Twilight my dear" the voice said from behind her "you can't escape us" Twilight felt all form of sane thought leave her mind as pure bred survival instinct kicked in, adrenaline began to fill her up and push her beyond any boundaries she'd ever set herself. The world around her became a blur, she didn't pause to consider anything, only the need to survive.
She came around another curve and emerged out into the empty town square, lit up by the bright moonlight and abandoned and desolate in the middle of the night. Behind her the shadow seemed to fill up the alley way she'd just emerged from, sifting and seething at the alleys mouth. Twilight dashed towards the centre of the square, looking behind her at the alley. She glanced at the other alleys and streets that emerged out onto the square and saw that similar shadows blocked off her exit routes, walls of ink black darkness that rose from the earth like waves of shadow. In that one moment Twilight felt all hope leave her, and she stared on in mute horror as forms began to coalesce from the shadows.
Authors note: i'm not really sure where to take this, if anyponies got a suggestion, do pm me
