Ch.55

The night was calm and cool as Moonscar looked out over the balcony; Celestia had fallen asleep hours ago, unaware that her lover was taking a moment to ponder what was to come in the morning. It had not been easy in preparing for the long journey ahead, most of it was due to the nobles refusing to fight alongside savages; the buffalo of the great plains were not treated with respect by the other soldiers, and because of this little dilemma that the unicorn faced, she had to take action. Granted that she did not like having to beat one of the warlords to a bloody pulp, it did give her the results she needed for complete cooperation; however, Moonscar was not happy with the way things were going, and was now feeling doubtful of going to war.

Luna: "Moon? Are you feeling okay?"

Moonscar: "Luna!? Why are you up so late?"

Luna: "I was talking with my friends."

Moonscar: "Friends? What friends?"

Luna: "(Pulls on Moon's leg) I'll show you! Come with me!"

The young unicorn could not help but be confused by what the young princess was telling her; just what kind of ponies are up at such an hour talking to a little filly? The little alicorn lead the unicorn to the garden, and told her to wait while she got her friends; Moonscar watched as Luna went behind a bush and whispered to the one hiding behind it.

Luna: "Come on. Its okay, she won't run away. She's really nice."

Moonscar's eyes widen when she saw several dark shadows appear in every direction; hundreds of eyes glowed in the darkness, long pointy ears shot up from some of the bushes, and bat like wings spread out as some glided down from the trees. The young unicorn could even see the long sharp fangs from a few who took in the air that held her scent; these were no ordinary ponies, they were bat ponies, creatures of the night that could only be seen in books. Luna, being the princess of the night, had befriended these misunderstood beings; she had never told any pony about her little secret, making Moonscar the only pony to ever know.

Luna: "Moon! They want to help us!"

Moonscar: "...T-they do? Are y-you sure?"

Luna: "Yes! I've told them of what's been happening, and they said that they are suffering as well. You trust me right?"

Moonscar: "...(Sighs) I trust you Luna."

Luna: "(Looks at bat pony stallion) Initiate her as one of your own; give her the gift of your kind, and she will use it well."

The leader of these ponies, Bloodfang, nodded to the little princess, and gave his troop a call to signal the start of their ritual; a young stallion and two mares glided out of the trees, circling Moonscar, encasing her so that she could not escape. As fierce looking as they were, the three meant no harm to the young mare, and merely sniffed and touched with their noses; their actions were more primal than most, but it did serve a purpose in examining the one they were to initiate.

Moonscar: "(Nervous) Luna!?"

Luna: "It okay! This is normal! Just let them take a little bit of blood from you. I promise they won't hurt you."

Moonscar: "(Gulps) O-okay, Luna."

Crow (Stallion): "We will try to be gentle."

Gia (Mare): "It only hurts for a few seconds."

Fawn (Mare): "Please try not to move so much."

Moonscar: "Are you all going to bite me at the same time?"

Fawn: "(Nuzzles Moon's cheek) Oh no, Crow will go first. Gia and I will go after; it wouldn't be a good idea for us to take too much too soon."

Crow: "(Sniffs Moon's neck) Are you ready?"

Moonscar could only close her eyes as the young stallion took in her scent through his mouth; Crow's fangs grazed the neck of the young unicorn, causing Moonscar to shiver by their presence. She swallowed hard, bit her lip, and shook her head for the young stallion to proceed; Crow inhaled the young mare's scent, wrapped his soft lips around her neck and bit down, waiting for her to adjust to the sharp pain. Moonscar quivered as her blood was sucked out; it seemed to last forever, but in reality it was a short ten seconds, and would continue till the last of the trio had a taste of the young unicorn. Crow's bite might have hurt, but it did help Moonscar become familiar with the odd sensation, making the process easier when Fawn and Gia took their turns; Fawn went next, her fangs didn't hurt nearly as much as her brother's, and it was mostly due to her being the youngest one of three. Licking a few stray drops from the unicorn's neck, Fawn called for her sister Gia to take her fill; Moonscar began to feel weak from the blood that was taken, which made Gia sit her down before taking the last bite of the night.

Fawn: "Very healthy taste!"

Gia: "(Holds Moon and takes out vial) Are you alright? Here drink this, you'll feel better."

Moonscar: "(Groans) What is it?"

Gia: "Chocolate."

Fawn: "The sugar helps with blood loss; we never had unicorn before, so we may have taken a little too much."

Luna: "Moon? Can you stand?"

Moonscar: "Not really; I may need to sit here for awhile."

Bloodfang: "You will be a bit groggy in the morning, but it will pass.

Crow: "We want to help, little unicorn. You will need us to see at night; the beast brings darkness where it goes."

Moonscar: "Have you seen the beast?"

Gia: "Yes we have. It has killed many of our kind, and will continue till there is nothing. We trust Luna, and since she trust you, we have made you one of us."

Moonscar: "Will I turn into-"

Bloodfang: "No. You are now recognized as one of our own, all you need to do is call upon us when the time is right."

Moonscar: "How can I call upon you to help me fight?"

Bloodfang: "The ritual has given you the power of speech, it is a gift that only so few are given. It will come to you as naturally as breathing."

Was it really that simple? Looking at the tall dark figure whose eyes were crimson, whose were ears fully erect and aware of his surroundings, and whose large wings folded to his side; Moonscar couldn't help but feel scared looking at the unusual stallion that stood before her, but slowly she relaxed as the effects of the ritual began to wither. Breathing in through her nose, the young mare felt an odd twitch in her throat; it was as if she were trying to cough, the reflex was sure the same as any other fit, but the way it traveled out was new. The sound was low in the beginning, struggling to make it's way up, almost cracking like a lion learning how to roar for the first time; after a few attempts of blurting out short, scratchy, bleats, Moonscar took in one more breath, and let out a loud screech.

The sun was rising in the distance to greet the land of Equestria, only this time it was not Celestia who was controlling it, but her father; King Solaris had notice his daughter's constant working habits, and felt it best for his little princess to sleep in for the day. Celestia awoke with a surprise to the sun rising without her, but sighed in relief that somepony did her a favor; reaching over to kiss her love good morning, the alicorn gasped when she saw her lover with a few bandages that had not been there the night before.

Celestia: "What on earth!? Moon!? Honey what happened!?"

Moonscar: "(Groans) Its too early."

Celestia: "Too early!? What happened to your neck!? And you shoulder!? And your leg!?"

Moonscar: "(Grabs Celestia and holds her tightly)...(Yawns) I'll deal with it…..in the morning."

Celestia: "Moon!? Love!? Please wake up! Let me see your injuries!"

Moonscar: "(Nuzzles Celestia's head) Just let me hold you…...so beautiful."

Celestia: "(Blushes) Moon? You are a very heavy sleeper. (Sighs) I'm going to let you sleep, but we are going to discuss those injuries!"

Moonscar: "Okay love. (Kisses forehead) I'll see you in the morning."

Worried as she was about her lover's mysterious injuries, Celestia yielded for the moment, and cuddled up against the exhausted unicorn's warm body; for the moment she could enjoy having her near, knowing that she was resting at her side, and knowing that she would not have to leave her anytime soon. For the first time in a long time; the alicorn princess could lay beside the one she loved, free from her royal duties, and free from any judgmental eyes that followed her beloved. Only two days remained till they marched on towards the beast, only two days remained to where Celestia would be able to hold Moonscar the way she was now, only two days till the young unicorn had to face the creature that would destroy all of Equestria.