Chapter 2, the first to strike
Strike slowly made his way down the simple cobble road, trekking onwards. He was completely alone, the only traveller on the lonely road. Over head the moon was high and bright in the night sky, its monochrome light falling gently on his skin. He rolled his shoulders and pulled his travelling cloak back into a more comfortable position, readjusting the hood so it kept his face covered. Under his cloak his wings itched with a dull fire, unused to being kept folded in for so long. He ruffled them so that they would begin to ache, he hated the sensation.
There was no wind this night, and the only noise was the gently tapping sound of his hooves on the stones of the road. Strike liked nights like these, when the world was still and silent, perfectly tranquil and serene. He'd been on the road for at least three weeks now, and had yet to find some form of civilisation. The last town he'd been at was Black ford, on the north bank of the river Reach, and that was at least a month ago, maybe even more. Strike never stayed in a town for long, always picking up just enough supplies for the trip to the next town and heading on his way, constantly on the move, he preferred it that way.
Strike was no normal Pegasus, he was different. Ponies always go on about how everypony was different and unique in their special way, but Strike...he genuinely was different. Whilst other ponies natural had bright and colour full skin and manes and tails that where equally varied in colouration, Strike was all grey for head to hoof. His mane and tail where of medium length and relatively straight, save for the occasional flick. His skin was a sought of mute grey tone, like dull steel, but it was his eyes that stood out the most. They where a bright, vibrant violet, the only part of his body that actually had any pigmentation, and he hid them from sight.
It wasn't unusual for ponies to be born with violet eyes, in some places it was common place, but it was his iris colour in conjunction with his skin tone that set him apart. Strike was...not of the living, in the sense that you or i would describe, but that's not to say that he wasn't alive in some sense. His heart still performed a rhythmic beat within his chest, though slower than most ponies. He still drew his breath from the air around him, inhaling and exhaling in the same manner as everypony else, though his breaths where shallow and his chest barely moved. He still felt emotion, happiness and sadness, hatred and pain, love and loss, but they were more of a backdrop to life, they didn't play any important part in his life. No, Strike was still alive...but he kept a dark secret.
Strike was a vampire, a creature of the night, a blasphemy to life. His existence was paradoxical, what is dead cannot live, but Strike was still half alive. Ever since he first awoke into this new world of darkness he'd been different, an abnormality, he was only half dead. Within his heart the tattered remains of his soul clung to him like rags on a beggar, destroyed and malformed, but still there. He was different from other vampires in that he didn't need to feed on blood as they did; he wasn't that far into the darkness. Within his gums where short fangs that where useless to him, they where blunt and stunted and whenever they emerged they caused a blinding pain to shoot through his head, threatening to black him out. Whenever he tried to use them they couldn't pierce the skin, they only grazed against it, causing vicious gouges and cuts that did bleed, but didn't yield enough blood to sustain him. He still had a vampire's unholy strength however, and could lift objects far too heavy for normal ponies, and could gallop for miles and miles without tiring.
Being half dead did have its perks however, the limbo between the realms of the living and the dead wasn't completely empty. He still had a reflection that others could see, but it was faded and at times disappeared all together, whenever he looked in a mirror he could see through his own reflection, like it was an illusion. And every time he did look in a mirror the reflection had seemed to fade a little more, becoming even more transparent. He could still eat mortal food, and even taste it, a pleasure denied to other vampires, but his sense of taste was as faded as his reflection. He could only taste things faintly, and sometimes he couldn't taste anything at all. It was a torturous pain, being able to eat and sustain himself off normal sustenance, but being unable to truly enjoy it, which was a pain in its own right; in his mortal life he'd loved the feeling of warm food in his stomach. He could still face the sun as well, and walked with his head held high in its light, letting it run over him and warm his cold body.
But Strike tried not to think these things for any large amount of time, dwelling on the past never brought anything other than heart ache and a sense of keening loss. So he disregarded his current train of thought and focussed on the situation at hand, for instance, he had little slash next to no idea where he was, he had a map that he'd purchased in Black ford, but it seemed disproportionate and inaccurate. He'd been travelling west for months now, crossing plains, deserts, mountains and valleys. There was no sense of direction on where he travelled, no final goal or destination he was headed, he was just wandering.
In the previous century he'd travelled far from Equestria, out into the east and into the realm of Cathay. He'd seen the mythical cities of Kaln, Orune, and Nippon. He'd walked along the jade plaza of Kartorn and marvelled at the sun setting on the red sea, setting the waters on fire, and dabbled briefly in jade lotus, a powerful hallucinogen that induced waking dreams, he still had some in his flank pack. He'd trekked through the Steppes, across the ice peaks and even been to the ash lands. In the ash lands he'd crossed the great plains of ash and broken bone to climb to the peak of krenturas and stare into its fiery depths, watching the fires of the earth bubble and boil. He'd collected fire rubies, emerald, sapphires and diamonds. He'd seen dragons battle in the sky, filling the air with great glooms of blood red fire as the fought for supremacy. He'd even seen one of the legendary emperor dragons slumbering in its lair, the creatures' great body steaming from the internal fires in its heart.
He'd been into the far north to the roof of the world, where the snows never melted and winter reigned supreme. And at the peak of Tornuldal he'd watched Aurora Borealis dance in the night sky, filling it was rich colours of green, blue and gold. He'd been far south to the burning deserts of Araby, where the oceans of sand burned fiercely under his hooves and the sun had burned him mercilessly, turning his grey coat pink with sun burn. At night the deserts which burned so hot during the day became freezing cold, and caused him to shiver and shake under his cloak. At night he'd also be haunted by unquiet spirits, desert ghosts that the southern ponies called the djinn, whose eyes burned with blue fires and bones rattled together under the scraps of cloth that still clung to their withered frame. Their voices rattled like the dice of dead men, and under the silence of the desert night, he'd danced with the dead and learned their secrets.
It was the cities of Araby he had been most fascinated by though, with their domed architecture, strangely dressed denizens and exotic scents of food and spice. In Bel-Alide he'd visited the ancient palace of the desert princes, an ancient, massive building made up of countless courtyards, promenades and audience chambers. He'd visited the cities equally ancient city library, and read through scrolls filled with the tales of forgotten heroes and old gods, of beautiful princesses and powerful weapons. He'd also read through scrolls of magic, spells and enchantments that could be performed not only by unicorns, but by pegausi and earth ponies as well. He had one of the scrolls with him now, an aged old thing that contained the list of ingredients for a pleasure spell, which was designed to heighten the senses and it allowed him to feel real emotion and properly taste food, he only used it if he had enough spare bits, and even then sparingly, so that he didn't become overly dependent of it.
Now he was heading west, back to Equestria and his 'home'. After seeing the marvels of the east and south, he knew that Equestria would be dull by comparison. But he had the rest of eternity to watch the world go by, and it seemed a waste not to explore a world too large for a normal pony to see in its entirety. His list of sights was relatively short, the citadel and palace in Canterlot, the floating city of Cloudsdale, the harbour of Trottingham. However he knew not to dwell long within Equestria. To the rest of the world, Equestria was known as the black realm, a haven of all that was evil and dark. A land of darkness where ponies where forced to labour constantly in the light of day for their undead masters and spent their nights huddling in fear around house fires, terrified of the evil that prowled the night outside. Strike knew that the claims ponies made about the realm weren't farfetched, after all, he was from Equestria, and he was one of the feared undead.
He made his way over a low rise, and in the dark night before him the lights of a town flickered, a beacon of light in the sea of blackness. Strike considered the town, noting how the lights in the streets were few and far between. He unslung his flank pack from his side, opened it up, and rooted around inside, digging for his map. He pulled it out and opened it up, revealing an inflated image of Equestria. He laid it on the stones of the road and knelt down to study it, his hoof following the lines on its surface that represented roads. He followed one in particular, a small red line that he'd drawn on himself to mark his progress. "ponyville" he murmured under his breath as he followed the line "from here Canterlot is...five days trek to the...north, up in the mountains" he gave the other lines a cursory glance, to ensure he wasn't incorrect, and then he rolled up the map and stuck it back in his pack, which he slung over his shoulder.
"if it's this close to Canterlot..." he murmured, his hoof moving back to his right flank to feel his crossbow, that hung with reassuring weight against his side "then Luna must be nearby" he said the name with both disgust and reverence. The Alicorn princess Luna was the one responsible for his ascension into the ranks of the midnight aristocracy, and he still bore the mark of her fangs on his neck, though they where well hidden under a thick coat of mud and grey dying agents. Ever since his ascension Lunas mark had hung over him like the cloak around his shoulders, a constant reminder of what he was and how it became it. Since Luna was the one who had sired him, she was considered by other vampires as his mother in blood, and ultimately his owner. The mark she'd given him had been one of the underlying causes for his wander lust, filling him with the urge to run, to flee his affliction. He started down the hill and made his way through fields that where filled with ripe crops ready for harvest. On the outskirts he passed an abandoned school building, its roof was collapsed, the doors and windows boarded up and the sign outside that bore the school's name was scratched and illegible. He gave the building a glance as he passed, and when he did so he saw the frozen image of a purple earth mare staring at him with wide and frightened eyes before she squeaked and ducked out of sight. Strike simply shrugged and moved on towards the town, from the building the earth mare watched him go, unaware that he could smell the blood rushing through her veins.
Unsurprising for towns this close to the interior, there were no walls. And as Strike moved further into the settlement, the shadows of the buildings fell across him and cloaked him in darkness, his cloak and grey coat causing him to blend in with the shadows. The town was silent and not a single soul moved through the streets, giving the town an unsettling eeriness. He crossed empty roads and made his way down dark alleys, not once meeting another creature, not even the vermin in the gutters seemed to be present. For at least twenty minutes he wandered fruitlessly, his searching turning up nothing but sealed houses and dust. As he began to give up and move on to find a place to sleep for the night he heard a scream coming from the centre of town, and against his better he went to investigate
≤ΘΘΘ≥
Twilight screamed as the shadows took form, swirling and shifting and finally dissipating to reveal the forms of four vampires, each with the glow of bloodlust in their eyes. The fact that they took the shape of her former friends horrified Twilight even further, causing the overwhelming fear to drown her. The beast that now wore Rarities skin appeared before her, a smile on its face, her lips peeled back to reveal needle sharp fangs. The mare had retained her coat and white and expertly maintained purple mane and tail, but her eyes, once a deep blue, where now violet and shone with unspoken malicious intent. To her right emerged Applejack, to her left Pinkie pie, and at her back was Rainbow dash. They closed in on her, each with their fangs bared.
"Twilight sparkle, it's so good to see you again" the thing that wore Rarities skin said with Rarities voice.
"It's been far too long" said Applejack in her southern accent. Her emerald green eyes where now Violet, as where the other threes, their former colours replaced with deep violet.
"I'm hungry, let's cut the crap" Rainbow dash said. She kicked Twilight in the back of her right knee and she stumbled to the ground, the mocking laughter of her former friends ringing in her ears.
"Now now Rainbow dash, it's not very lady like to play with your food" Rarity said in a mocking tone. She focussed her magic and levitated twilight into the air, so her hooves where just about an inch off the ground. Rarity walked up to her and laid a hoof on her chest over her heart, feeling Twilights heart beat through her skin. She felt the erratic, fear filled pump of Twilights heart and smiled. Slowly, she lowered Twilight to her knees; she then pushed Twilights head back to bear her neck. A shiver of anticipation went through the assembled vampires and Rarity licked her lips, gazing hungrily at the unmarred flesh of Twilights neck. Twilight closed her eyes tight shut and held her breath, waiting for Rarity to sink her fangs into her neck. But before she felt anything though, there was a collective shout of surprise and the sound of a heavy punch and a shriek of pain, Rarities spell failed and Twilight slumped to the floor, opening her eyes.
A tall Stallion in a hooded travellers cloak stood over her, his hooves raised defensively. Twilight looked across to see Rarity reeling backwards shrieking as she held a hoof to her face, black blood was oozing from her crushed nose and surprise and hatred were her eyes. A wind blew up from nowhere as she screamed and it caught at the Stallions cloak, revealing a pair of grey wings, a flank pack and a heavy mechanical crossbow. Applejack snarled at leapt at the pegausi, moving faster the Twilights eyes could follow. 'he's doomed, there's no way he can fight them off' she thought, she wanted to scream at him to run, but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and she couldn't form the words. But the stallion spun around, faster than Applejack, a brought his hoof out, kicking her squarely in the face. There was a sickening crunch and the Stallion laughed as Applejack fell to the floor.
"WHY YOU LITTLE..." Rainbow roared and launched forwards, her wings giving her speed. The Stallion ducked down, dodging her attack as Rainbow dash shot over head and crashed into Rarity, who had just gotten up from the ground. The stallion picked Twilight up in one hoof, lifting her like she weighed nothing, and put her over his shoulder. Just as Rainbow dash got back up and launched herself at the pair of them the stranger opened his wings and leapt upwards, his legs beneath him. As Rainbow flew underneath them he kicked downwards. Pushing Dash into the ground and using her as a spring board to launch himself higher, his wings began to beat through the air and they rose up above the square and into the night sky.
"Are you ok?" he asked, his voice deep, Twilight managed a mute nod, still not sure what was going on. "Where's your home?" he asked, and Twilight pointed to the library, off towards the river, he nodded and turned in that direction. For a brief second Twilight felt her heart soar, and she felt like she wasn't going to die, but then she saw a bolt of blue rocket towards them and her heart sank again. She was going to die tonight, her and the mysterious stallion who'd just saved her life, it was unfair. The stallions must have seen Dash on their tail to, because his wings began to beat faster and he picked up speed, streaking through the sky, below them Twilights home got closer, maybe they would make it. They were so close, only twenty meters away. Twilight could see he was angling for her top most window, the only one in the whole building that wasn't boarded up.
Rainbow dash was on them before Twilight even knew it, slamming into the stallions back. "NOPONY IS FASTER THE ME YOU IDIOT!" she cried, laughing manically. She then grabbed on one of the stallions wings and slowly, mercilessly, twisted at it. There was a brutal snapping noise and the stallions' wing broke, causing him to shout out in pain.
Fifteen meters to go.
He spun round and kicked Rainbow dash in the face, sending blood flying with a sickening crunch. Rainbow dash yelped in pain.
Ten meters.
The stallion grabbed the heavy duty crossbow from his flank and took it in both his hooves; he flicked at a switch at the two arms that where folded into its sides sprang open and locked with a clicking sound, signalling it was ready to fire.
Five meters.
Twilight realised that they were going to smash through the glass in the window pane; she brought her hooves to her face to shield herself. The Stallion took a bead on Rainbow dashes chest and pulled the trigger, sending a bolt shooting out to take dash straight in the chest.
CRASH
As they smashed through the glass of the window a shrill, unnatural scream sounded out as Rainbow dash died. They hit the floor boards hard and Twilight screamed in pain and fear as the rolled across them, splinters of wood sticking into her coat. As they slid to a halt she looked up to see Rainbow dash following them through the window, but then she noticed the crossbow bolt in her chest. As Dash crossed the fresh hold into the building she began to crumble, and with an unearthly scream she dissipated into a cloud of dust that rolled over them, blanketing them in Rainbows remains. The stallion stood up, picked Twilight up from his shoulder and gently laid her on the floor before crossing over to one of the walls and pulling a heavy bookcase in front of the window, blocking off the way into the building.
"Who are you?" she asked the Stallion, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "What did you just do?" she gestured to the dust around her. The stranger checked the bookcase was firmly in place before turning to look at her, Twilight gasped and recoiled pressing herself into wall when she saw he had a pair of bright violet eyes.
"I'm Strike" he said, he knelt down and scooped up some of the fine dust "and i just saved your life"
