Chapter One
-Military Laboratory, Seven Thousand Years Ago-
"This is just unbelievable! I cannot believe how strong those two have gotten with such a short amount of time since their birth!" A Human Scientist said, in surprise, as he looked at the Simulation Data Sheet. His gaze went to the two winged equine-like girls below, the eldest wearing a white and gold body suit, while the youngest wore a navy blue and black one. "According to this latest data, they can already take on an Alpha Level together, and win!"
"Imagine what will happen when they grow up, matured, and have combat experience." A calm, and charming, voice spoke up, making the scientist turn around. Stepping out from the shadows, was a man wearing the Victorian Era Style clothing. His over coat, pants, and undershirt; were a deep sanguine crimson, the coat's tail reaching to the back of his knees. The vest, nearly knee high boots, and tie; were all a matching raven black color. The black accents brought out the crimson color even more, as he placed the black cane further in front of his frame, left hand placed on to its ruby jewel. "They may be strong enough to attack an Omega Level by then… I will have to be careful, when that happens. You may sic those two sweet things on me."
The scientist watched, as the sanguine dressed man moved the shoulder length silver hair a bit, revealing his snow white skin, blackened lips, and red eyes. When he was given a fanged grin, the scientist nervously shook his head. "O-Of course not, Lord Maximillian! Our government would never dare to endanger the very one who ensured our people's survival! With your assistance and willingness in our endeavor, House Fremont will not be touched by our forces."
"Do not blame me, if I do not believe you, Eric. I may not look it, but I have been around a very long time and know the Human Nature far better than you." The man stepped forward, moving the cane with his left hand and in time with his right foot, taking a spot at the observation window. "Tell me, how are my girls doing today? I wish for a full report on their current condition and situation."
"W-Well, after we engineered the first three types of Equis Test Subjects, and designed a single ruling class made up of all three, to help control them… These two were the only ones to survive the bonding process, but only because of your blood that was added to the process." He suddenly stopped, drawing Maximillian's attention. "If you do not mind me asking, my lord, but why these two?"
The question drew a quiet laugh from Maximillian. "Do you know what my full name, in German, mean, dear Eric?" He asked, the scientist shaking his head. "Maximillian Adelhelm Fremont… My surname, or House Name, means 'Guardian of Freedom'. While my name means, when put together, 'The Greatest Noble Protector'. When I was born, my parents foresaw great things in me." His gaze went back to the sisters, both having taken notice of him and waved excitedly. Maximillian smiled at them, and waved back. "Like my parents, when I saw those two, I foresaw great things from them as well."
"A shame, then." Erick's words earned a confused look from his well-dressed companion. "The higher ups, due to how well those two turned out, plan on having their growth rate increased and matured until they are perfect for breeding more of their kind… They fear making mistakes again, and plan on not messing with the current perfection."
The way he had said those words in a nonchalant manner, the total disregard for their lives, angered Maximillian. If a stare could kill, Eric's blood and limps would be scattered all over the observation room, his blood painting the very walls of the place. Though, the only signs of Maximillian's murderous intent, were his slightly extended claws and his hard stare. Those two were born from his blood, damn well his children and heir, yet Eric dared to say such things within his presence!
When Eric looked back up at Maximillian, he was met with a charming smile and excited look. "Well, Eric? Do continue, I wish for a full report on my dearest Agneta and Cecania."
"What do those names mean, if I may ask? Before I continue, of course, my lord… A Scientist's Curiosity." Eric asked, his curiosity being true.
"I named the eldest Agneta Ilyse Fremont, which means 'Pure Noble'. While the youngest was named 'Cecania Lenya Fremont', her name means 'Free Little Angel'." Maximillian answered, gently tapping his fingers against the cane's ruby.
Eric twitched a bit, due to the youngest one's name. "No offense, Lord Maximillian, but 'Cecania' is anything but a Little Angel." The silver haired man raised an eyebrow, before both watched the newest simulation start up. "Unlike Agneta, she is more prone to violence, has even attacked her guards a time or two. While her older sister is stronger, she is also more intelligent and manipulatively clever. She managed to get a full fifteen man armed escort to the library, and ensure that no one bothered her while there. But…"
"But?" Maximillian repeated.
"We haven't seen it in Agneta, thankfully, yet… But Cecania has gone berserk a few times, and gained a thirst for blood." Eric said, gaining his companion's full attention even more, with this development. "We call it 'Nightmare Mode', since her coat turns pitch black, she gains fangs, and her eyes become rather predatory." The scientist flipped through some of his paperwork, scanning for a certain incident report until he reached it. "AH, here we go. She managed to rip through the Emergency Response Troopers sent to contain her, then tear her way into the holding cells for the other Equis Test Subjects we had created. Those Cecania managed to bite, or drink from, soon gained bat-like features about them, very few growing violent and gaining the same thirst as her. We were forced to isolate all those who had that strange mutation, for fear of them going berserk as well, but they follow her every command… In Nightmare Mode or not."
"So, Agneta gained my ability to charm and keen intellect… While Cecania gained my savagery and thirst?" Maximillian summed up, rubbing his chin. "Interesting… I am guessing that is the full report?" Eric gave a nod. "Alright… By the way, I understand that there are many other projects besides Project Equis?"
"Oh, yes, there are, my lord! Project Centaur, Gargoyle, Gryphon, and Discord. The first two turned out to be complete failures, the only surviving test subjects becoming far too aggressive to handle. Project Gryphon is going steady, but the subjects require incentive to do anything they are told. While the last?" Eric suddenly became even more nervous, earning a raised brow from his companion. "The only surviving test subject is uncontrollable, and became unpredictable. His powers have gone to the lengths we cannot understand or calculate, and so he has been put into Level Ten Containment. A 'to only be released in dire need' type situation."
"So, the promising project, at this very moment, is Project Equis?" Maximillian asked.
Eric gave a nod, going through his paperwork and documents on the clipboard. "That is correct, Lord Maximillian. Once the acceleration process begins next week, we will be able to start introducing a Breeding Program with male test subjects from the other three types… There is no telling what we'll get from this, since their body chemistry has been so drastically changed from the original genetic coding." He suddenly looked to his pale companion, smiling up at him. "Thanks to you, my lord, we have solved our Vampire Problem! Soon, we will have nothing to worry about!"
"That is very true, Eric, nothing at all." Maximillian said, with a quiet chuckle, and walked towards the exit. Eric waved goodbye to him, but once he was outside? The Omega Level Vampire's expression became deathly serious, his red eyes narrowing. "Nothing at all." Maximillian's voice was deeper, almost echoing, while his fangs had grown longer than a normal vampire's length.
Later that night, the entire facility was quiet, the patrols doing their rounds while contractors were either working overtime or fast asleep. Everything was just another night at the facility, no threats were nearby, patrols were calling in all clears, and not even a cricket made a sound within the corridors. When the clock struck midnight, the moon at its peak, and the guards changing shifts…
He chose to strike.
The Main Research Laboratory suddenly exploded! Flames quickly spreading to other sections of the facility. Alarms started to blare, red lights flashing all over the facility. "Alert! Alert! All units, to your battle stations, we are under attack! I repeat, we are under attack! This is not a drill! Fire Crews, report to Laboratory Seven in full gear!" The intercoms shouted, trying to rouse all personnel from their beds.
In mere moments, Emergency Response Troopers were rushing to their posts throughout the facility. However, as they were rushing, the military and contractor barracks exploded! Followed by the Storage Facilities, then the Fuel and Ammo Depots! Chaos ensued after, wounded starting to pile up and none have seen their attackers yet. It became far worse, when the Medical Facility went up in a fiery inferno. The commanders began to panic, each strike was timed and precise. Their first attack was meant to alarm them, to create a challenge for the attackers. The next four were meant to wound and cripple them. While the last had been the most devastating blow out of their attack, to ensure a high body count. They soon figured out, through his tactics and knowledge of their facility, who it was they were facing at the moment… Along with the fact, they were too late to stop him from achieving his objective.
Within the Test Subject Holding Facility, which was too far away from the main facility to suffer any damage, a single squad of Emergency Response Troopers guarded the hallway leading to Humanity's last hope. They were well armed, trained, and ready to take on whatever was attacking the facility. Though, hearing the death screams of their comrades within the facility started to unnerve these troopers. They could hear metal tearing through body, rending flesh, blood spattering on the ground or walls, and sounds of jaws tearing into flesh.
The Troopers were shaking, even as the hallway lost power for a few moments, the backup generators coming online and turning the emergency lights on. They sorely wished it really hadn't done that.
Stepping from the darkness, like a specter of their demise, they witnessed a crimson clad knight, whose armor was decorated with black accents, slowly appear. The black blade, in his right hand, dripped with the blood of their comrades while his left hand held the decapitated head of another trooper. It did not help that they saw blood spatter, from his previous victims, staining his armor. The crowned, with an onyx jewel on the centered spike, Crusader's Great Helm stared at the Troopers in front of him.
"Are we going to do this the easy way, or how your friends chose to? You only have one chance to walk away." His voice echoed, right arm flexing and throwing off the blood on his blade. The Troopers began to flex their own arms, despite knowing this knight far surpassed what their training intended, and ready to pull the triggers to their assault rifles.
In a speed far too fast for them to comprehend, the Knight's body was incased within shadow. He had dropped the had on to the ground, and suddenly vanished from sight. The Troopers were all frozen, each one unable t move their bodies, but were wide eyed at what just happened. The Sergeant, who stood at their rear, strained his entire boy just so he could look back. There, standing at the door they were guarding, was the Crimson Knight's black cloak covered back. He managed to look down, and saw that the sword was drenched in fresh blood. These Troopers were not even close to being a match for an Omega Level Vampire.
The knight threw the blood off of his sword again, before starting to type the aces code on the door's key panel. "Pity." The moment Maximillian whispered that word, the Troopers all split apart from differing slicing arcs. Their blood sprayed all over the hallway, none were spared his blade's edge. The key panel turned green, allowing the doors to open, but Maximillian only had half a second to avoid beams of both solar and lunar energy. "If I had been an Alpha Class, or lower, that would have destroyed my head and heart." He said, looking back at the combat ready sisters. "Agneta, Cecania, is that how you say hello to your father?"
Their response wasn't voiced, but instead shown. Both sisters hugged the blood covered Vampire Knight, each whimpering apologetically to him. They knew why he had come for them, Maximillian never having told the scientists that is blood allowed a mental link between him and the sisters. He had informed them of their plan for the pair, and then what he planned to do instead. They agreed to help anyway possible, like the good daughters they are, but he could not contact them while in combat, he needed to concentrate. So, when the doors opened, they did not know who it was that opened them.
Their tight, and sudden, embrace told Maximillian all he needed to know. He returned their hug, one arm for each sister, and whispered his next words. "Now, now, my lovelies… It is time to get your children and leave this place for good. Isn't that right." His gaze went to a nearby, blinking, security camera. "Eric."
The scientist, deep within the spell Maximillian had placed on him moments before infiltrating the Holding Facility, typed away at the Test Subject Holding Facility's control consol. When his master asked the question, a wide and depraved grin appeared on Eric's face. "Y-Yes, my master." His tone was excited, the spell filling him with unbelievable pleasure for obeying Maximillian's commands, and pressed the "Release" key on screen.
Holding Cell after Holding Cell started to unlock, restraints releasing. The two sisters lead the test subjects to freedom, while Maximillian dealt with any possible opposition. When only three cells remained on lock down, Eric lifted a Trooper's blood pistol up, placing it against his temple.
Every bit of control his consciousness had mustered tried to fight the spell, but Maximillian's hold was far too strong for a normal mortal human. With a depraved, wide, happy, grin; Eric shouted his final words out loud. "Long Live King Fremont!" With that, a gunshot echoed throughout the hallway, just before a bomb's timer hit zero… Destroying all research data on Project Equis.
In a span of a thousand years, after this incident, both sides of the Human and Vampire forces wiped each other out. Those survivors of the Project Equis believed it was done at the hands of their newly dubbed diarchy, who strangely aged until they were mature adults, then stopped aging all together. To help erase the Equis Origins being that of being used as weapons, the Royal Sisters rewrote history and even changed their names to "Celestia" and "Luna" to help ensure that it was believed.
Within the following years of survival, only the Royal Sisters remembered their true origins, along with a mysterious third. Bu, like the two Warring Races that brought them into existence, he also disappeared without a trace to the populace. After another two thousand years, a strange curse started to appear, one where Equestrians started to feed off the blood of other Equestrians. Initially, the sisters feared it was his accidental doing, but found out he had absolutely nothing to do with it… His bloodline nowhere near these incidents. This curse left the Royal Sisters with only one option, they needed to contain it before their people repeat the mistakes of the "Forgotten Ones".
All the while, keeping their greatest threat and secret in check. Which came a lot easier, when the abnormal abilities given to Equestrians seeped into the scared lands. The unpredictable nature of this energy, which they named "Magic", was used to make life a lot easier for them. The over use of "magic" from the Equestrians, and the land around them, caused another strange occurrence
Marks started to appear on their upper thighs, when an Equestrian exhibited a special talent. Their childish designs made the Royal Sisters giggle a bit, finding them rather cute. Thus, the term "cutie mark" had been created.
And so, this leads us to the current situation of the present.
-Present Day, Couple of Miles from Ponyville-
Vinyl Scratch ran fast as the mare possibly could, heading straight for Ponyville. She was being chased by strangely cloaked ponies, wearing gray and brown colored clothing. Normally, something like this would not be a problem or her, five ponies are easy targets for this mare. Except… The sun had only just started setting, and these ponies knew who she is, along with what she is. Thy are now hell-bent on killing her, and Vinyl was not keen on dying a second time within her life time.
Granted, she hated what that bastard of a stallion did to her, and it took every bi of gathered willpower to escape his hold over her. For a while, she just wanted to die and stop feeding off of small animals and other ponies, but she also realized that her former Master was doing this to some other unfortunate soul. The mare, in good conscious, could not die just so another could take her place.
She swore to end him, before dying, two-hundred years ago. Her hunt was not easy, often running into her former Master's lackeys or his new 'children', instead of the Enclave's, as he called it, Lord. Vinyl made quite a few friends over the years, including a unicorn scientist from Canterlot, that wanted to help her. He was able to create a strange ointment that kept the sun's harmful rays from touching her, and magenta contacts to keep any pony from find out. The ointment gave her bleach white coat a pale cream color, but that was a price to pay for her to keep this kind of disguise.
That brought her to the mare's newest friend, Octavia Melody, an earth pony mare she had saved from another Beta Vampire. She suggested Vinyl take up a persona while in her disguise, to help keep her secret better. In which the unicorn mare adorned the guise of the silent "DJ PON-3", a Night Life Dubstep DJ. It helps, and Octavia lets Vinyl stay at her apartment.
Which brings her to the now, in which Vinyl was investigating rumors about a vampire not too far from Ponyville. She had wondered why Twilight and her friends had not gone after it, yet, until she ran square into a Vampire Hunter Trap. Now, she is trying to escape the highly trained killers, that cannot tell a good vampire from the bad ones.
Befroe she could reach the small country town; four more Hunters had cut her off! Counting the five behind her, it was obvious they did not want to underestimate the mare, and Vinyl did not know if she should feel honored or worried about that.
So, instead of rushing head on into them, the mare quickly banked right! This forced her to enter the Everfree Forest, but it also put those Hunters behind her again. Vinyl knew fighting was impossible, they could overwhelm her in seconds, so out running them was the best option for this situation. This is something she could do, her vampire abilities giving the her in-pony speed. However, in her mad dash to out run the Hunters, Vinyl did not notice the cloaked figure she cut off, accidently drawing his attention.
"Interesting…" The figured whispered, watching the mare dash off.
-Ponyville, Dusk-
Vinyl poked her head out from behind a tree, quickly scanning the small town. Her keen senses did not pick up anything abnormal about Ponyville, and the mare had lost the Hunters shortly after entering the Everfree Forest. She did not want to drop her guard, but Vinyl wanted to make sure those Hunters hadn't harmed Octavia. Vampire Hunters were so zealous about their duties, they would kill ponies for even associating with a vampire, with or without knowledge of it. The entirety of Ponyville was safe, since Twilight was a princess, but Octavia was still in danger of their wrath… Especially if they find the bite marks on her arm, the very reason why the earth pony mare always wears long sleeved shirts.
The chellist often offered to help Vinyl, when she absolutely needed pony blood. Animal blood often helped, but she still required another pony's blood. She was only a Beta Vampire, Alphas being the only ones able to survive on animal blood alone, but those lower than them needed it. So, to avoid accidently turning her into one or mistaken for a vampire, Vinyl drank what she needed from Octavia's forearm… Making sure the earth mare doesn't come into contact with her own blood shortly after.
Deciding it was worth the risk, to protect her best friend, Vinyl took a step outside of the forest's safety… Regretting that decision shortly afterwards.
Before she could even react to it, a silver orb had been shot towards the mare! The Vampire Power draining metal struck her right on the forehead, instantly negating all her powers and abilities the moment it came into contact with her skin. The orb actually repelled her entire body into the air, which caused further damage when Vinyl's head struck against a large tree trunk.
She quickly spat out blood, her own head bleeding from both impacts. Vinyl's vision started to blur and blacken, but she could see the gray cloaks coming out of hiding. Before she finally blacked out, a younger one suddenly yelled. "Got her!"