I woke up groggy as the train came to a stop. And while my vision was blurry, I at least noticed that my makeshift efforts at covering the windows were doing their job. For only a few stray sunbeams had managed come into the closed off space in the train car. A pleasant observation for once, but regardless I soon rubbed my eyes with back of my right forehoof and yawned. Then after my vision cleared I noticed Twilight was still sleeping. However what I also noticed was that she had and continued to partially drool all over the front of my chest.

A small awkward smile crawled up my face at the sight of this. And while I would have liked to leave her in such a state my right shoulder truly needed a stretch. So in turn I had attempted to shift in place but it appeared that she was having none of such movements. Because every time I tried to relocate myself she would just hug me closer thus foiling my efforts. Eventually I just let out a quiet groan of defeat and laid back down to clear my mind instead.

Then after a few minutes of this I started to hear voices coming from the other side of the train car. My ears soon perked up to listen, but I could seem not make out any words. ‘It seems Twilight’s friends are up and about,’ I thought and attempted to focus my hearing further. But the only thing I managed to decipher was the sound of hooves moving closer to us.

This however turned out to be quite unfortunate for us for mere moments later I heard an obnoxious, “WAKEY WAKEY MILK ‘N CAKEY!” before the curtain that separated the train car was quickly pulled aside.

I instantly let out an involuntary high pitched ear-splitting shriek in reply before I pulled the bed covers over me and Twilight. “What’s going on?!” Twilight blurted out having quickly snapped awake under the covers

I just grumbled before I said, “Pinkie Pie had pulled open the room separating curtain and flooded our space with sunlight…” I then rubbed my eyes and activated my armor while Twilight did the same. Afterwards we both took a deep breath before I pulled the blanket off of us.

Then in no time at all the sunlight from before slammed into us again and it felt as if somepony had placed a block of lead on my back. And from what I could see through my squinting eyes Twilight did not seem to be fairing any better. But after a few more groans we managed to gain the motivation required to drag ourselves out of bed.

Though soon to add the unpleasantness Applejack grinned when she saw us. “Aww the snugglebugs are still tired, heh heh heh,” she said and let out a low chuckle. Twilight merely glared at her in reply which only served to make Applejack chuckle harder while she continued packing up her possessions.

But this was all I could seem to see as the the light in the room was burning my eyes. I even had to put my left foreleg over them to alleviate it. For it took me ages for my vision to adjust before I could ever dream of attempting to put on my pack. I even had to shut down my armor’s suppression field to move properly with the increased feeling of weight.

However I soon realized that such things were only minor compared to what happened next. For when we departed the train car, the sunlight and feeling of added weight seemed to increase ten fold. And to say our state at the time was pathetic would have been a grand understatement. But at least with Celestia’s blood in me and Twilight we did not ignite like many others of our kind would have.

And though complaining rarely helped anypony I could not help but snarl out, “I really wish we were not in a hurry so we could wait for dusk again. This is horribly unpleasant.”

I was however soon told by Applejack to, as she put it, "Quit my belly achin'" and that the faster I moved the faster I could get out of the sun. This off hoof comment probably could have warranted a retort of some type but I was just not up for such a task.

Needless to say it took us the better part of several hours to reach the royal palace. This was mainly due to us being slowed down by Twilight and I needing to rest in some shade every half hour to prevent us from collapsing. And while our condition was not that unusual given the stories I have heard, what was odd during this was Spike kept insisting on sitting between me and Twilight. He even leered at me every time he thought I was not looking. I soon made a mental note and said in my mind, ‘Hmm, this may require a talk with him privately in the near future,’ but did not mention this to anypony.

Regardless though we eventually made it to the palace and I in turn decided to have us use the side lunar wing entrance as opposed to using the main front doors. We were already getting strange looks from the citizens while walking through the city. For Reaper Knights generally did not go out during the day and I did not like the increased attention. As such we slowly redirected ourselves to the path I used often.

Then upon arriving the lycan guards quickly saluted us and stepped aside. And just as quickly the doors behind them opened to a near pitch black space. Joy soon overtook me after we walked in and doors shut behind us. For the dreadful sunlight was gone and I was able to move easier again. In turn I reactivated my suppression field as Twilight did the same. I then stated to Twilight and her friends, “Please follow me, it may be hard for most of you to navigate in only blue torchlight.”

Afterwards we made our way through the lunar wing until we arrived at the entrance to Luna's night court meeting room. I then swung the two heavy obsidian stone doors open with a grunt of effort before we let ourselves in. And just as I remembered from so many times in the past the wall torches soon lit by themselves illuminating the room an eerie dark blue glow. A glow that also soon spread over the spanning obsidian table that dominated the area.

But regardless of such displays I slowly sat myself into one of side chairs around the table and placed my Book of Shadows in front of me. I then lower my armor on my left foreleg and bit down on it with one fang. A single drop of blood soon dripped from the wound and hit the seal of my tome. Then with practiced repetition my eyes and horn flashed light blue and I healed said wound. After which I just armored my leg up again, lowered my helm, and used my magic to flip through the pages of my tome.

This however then turned into a dead silence for a few minutes before Twilight spoke up, “Shouldn’t we tell the guards we’re here?”

A sly grin crept up my face in reply as I remained focused on my tome. “Do not worry, Princess Luna already knows we are here…she always does. She is probably informing her sister of our arrival as we speak,” I said before I found the alchemy circle I was looking for and closed my eyes.

And true to what I had just mentioned to Twilight within the hour both Luna and Celestia walked into the room. Luna then spoke first, “You wished for our audience, Blood Moon?”

I slowly opened my eyes and stated, “Indeed I have, princess. As you both know, the rogue solar channelers that attacked Ponyville left much of it in ruins. And while the houses and buildings can be rebuilt, as they have several times in the past, there is something that cannot. I have seen and also heard from Applejack that Sweet Apple Acres has been heavily damaged.” I stopped for a moment formulate my words and continued, “This orchard represents an important food resource to the kingdom and as well as to Ponyville itself. Short of replanting the majority of the trees there is no other way to repair the damage other than…this” and I turned my tome around and slid it to face them.

Celestia looked puzzled in response and stated, “An alchemy circle?”

I merely nodded and said, “Correct.”

Luna however was somewhat more suspect of such things and soon said, “What does thy incantation do?”

As such I looked at her and stated, “I designed it many moons ago to be an emergency method to rejuvenate crops destroyed by conflict. It is one of the only circles that I have created of which only a small few know about.”

Then not but a second later both Celestia’s and Luna’s eyes narrowed on me. For it did not take a scholar to know the gravity of what I had just said. For in all the years I have known them I had given up much of the knowledge that I acquired for the betterment of everypony. In turn if I kept something secret there was usually a hidden reason behind it. As such it was Celestia who decided to inquire, “Have you ever used this circle before?”

My eyes scrunched closed in mental pain from her words but I remained silent.

This act quickly displeased Luna before she bellowed out, “I order thee to answer us Blood Moon!”

In turn a single word slipped out of my mouth, “Once.”

Then without them commanding me further I opened my eyes and levitated a map of the Everfree forest out of my pack and unrolled it on the table. And there on a small section of the forest I pointed my left forehoof at an area called “The Unstable Crater”. “In case you were wondering Princess Celestia, this is the reason I once mysteriously appeared out of nowhere on your observatory roof burnt and throwing up. It is also the reason why I am usually reluctant to use portals to this day,” I said evenly.

Celestia’s eyes opened in shock and she swiftly blurted out, “You’re the cause of that crater?! Explain yourself!”

In reply I took a deep breath, faced the table again, and closed my eyes. “It happened a hundred years ago. I had researched and studied for years to come up with this circle. However, when it came to testing it, nopony had the free time, motivation, or desire to help in another one of my so called ‘crazy’ experiments.” I opened my eyes again, stared at the table, and continued, “Since nopony was willing to help, I foolishly decided to activate it myself. As such I picked an area that rarely anypony ever set hoof in.”

Images flashed through my mind along with a long forgotten feeling of terror. “By utilizing my blood and life force magic, I drew and activated the circle. However, the crystals I was using, along with the circle itself, all shattered when the circle’s outer ward fell. The immense amount of energy released began to distort the area and scorch me. But then in a blink of an eye strange black portals soon started opening up all over as well. And needless to say in my panicked desperation I jumped through one of them to escape, ” I stated as my voice became shaky and my eyes scrunched closed.

My forehooves then began to shake and tremble uncontrollably on the table. I ultimately had to place them on my book to dampen the sound. “The destination through the portal was pitch black and freezing cold. And just when I thought it could not get worse some awful multi-toned voice just yelled, 'You do not belong here!’ before it slammed into me. I was then violently cast out of that horrible realm and ended up on top of the royal palace,” I stated as I gritted my teeth.

Silence quickly reigned afterwards for a few seconds as I regained my thoughts. I then took a calming breath before I said, “I later discovered the circle collapsed in on itself. It ended up blasting a crater when its energies fully destabilized. Additionally the area remains unstable to this day. And while I have secretly tried to repair the damage I had done on many occasions I obviously was met with little success.”

But at this point my fear rapidly melted away as the proverbial gears in my head began to spin if you will. For I quickly snapped my eyes open, looked at the princesses, and said, “However, my awful folly did not deter me for long. I soon studied and strained to rework the circle. And it luckily did not take me too much time to locate the fatal flaw in the design. For I alone was not strong enough to work all the tasks the circle needed, nor powerful enough to control the protective ward.”

My eyes soon widened further remembering my notes and my voice became shaky again as I fumbled out, “I would need the help of three earth ponies tied to the land to convert my stored life force energy to pure growth energy. Also three unicorns to channel and focus the growth energy into the surrounding area. Then three pegesi to keep the unsteady weather at bay. Lastly, three powerful magic users to control the ward and wield three prismatic absorption crystals.”

I then squinted and held the sides of my head with my forehooves trying to hold back a migraine. For memories of that day flooded my mind and threatened to overwhelm me. However I eventually mastered myself enough to continue. “Although, back then I was never able find these fellow ponies and the circle remained forgotten until recently,” I croaked out.

Then without warning that horrible feeling of terror threatened to overwhelm me again as I began to relive what I happened that day. To say it was a harrowing experience would have been an understatement. For the plants in the area overgrew and rotted, over and over and over again. Even the black portal I jumped into also nearly pulled me to pieces when I escaped. Thankfully though, my flashbacks were slowly interrupted when Twilight placed her right forehoof on my left shoulder.

However even with this kind gesture it still took me a few minutes to calm down enough before I was able to say, “I would not dare ask to use this if there was a different method. This circle almost caused my demise. However, if used correctly it would be a valuable boon in the war against the rogue factions.”

In turn while Celestia and Luna both looked worried they also shared a similar half grin and half closed eyes expression. Celestia then cleared her throat before she stated, “We have seen that look before Blood Moon. We know why you want to do this and we'll help you. However what to you need of us?”

In response I let out a relieved sigh and said, “I require you, princess, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight to control the ward and hold the absorption crystals. I will also need the nine other volunteers, one of my orbs of stored life force from my alchemy lab and a box of energy sealing for the spent crystals. Lastly, I will need several sticks of crystallized magic chalk as my blood alone with not be strong enough to make the circle.”

I then gathered my thoughts again before adding, “Additionally each pony will need to sacrifice a few drops of blood in their respective ring to prevent instabilities. I will work out the greatest area of effectiveness and calculations while we gather the volunteers,”

Luna raised her eyebrows in response and looked legitimately impressed. “It appears you have had this planned out prior to our meeting,” She said and smiled before adding “We shall gather your reagents. Then when you are ready please send us a letter stating only ‘Orchard’ and we shall meet you at Ponyville. You are dismissed.”

After such dismissal I proceeded to take one of the deepest exhales of my life after both of them walked away. For getting grilled if you will in such a manner was taxing at the best of times. Though luckily before Luna had left I remember I made a promise to a certain rainbow colored pegasus. To which she merely whispered "I shall see what I can do," with a smile before I winked at Rainbow Dash. This of course caused a certain attention sponge to glow to with excitement before we made our exit as well.

Fortunately this time we waited until dusk to head back to the train station. And as I assumed it did not take us nearly as long to get there as our journey to the royal palace did. But this fact was truly the least of my concerns as my mind was far from easy. For all the mental capacity I had possessed was singularly focused on a certain alchemy circle. A circle that was as powerful as it was extremely dangerous if it had failed.

This horrid thought only seemed to amplify when I said in my mind, ‘No, it cannot fail this time. I have worked out all the problems from last time. The ward will hold.’ And as such Twilight had to shake me lightly to snap me out of my trance as we boarded the train. But unlike last time the pure feeling of dread did not abate even as I tried to occupy my mind by covering the windows again and moving the car separating curtain.

Needless to say Twilight must have easily sensed my growing uneasiness. For she did not even attempt to go to her own bed when we unarmored and turned in for the night. In turn her horn and eyes glowed for a few seconds and went back to normal. She then looked at me and stated, “I’ve warded our section to prevent any sound from escaping. Now what’s the real reason you’re helping Applejack?” as her eyes narrowed before raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

I could not help but chuckle at this. “It appears nothing gets past you or the other princesses I see. I never was a good liar. But if you wish to know the whole truth I shall need to explain myself first," I said as I sat down and stared at the floor of the train car. “When I first joined the royal guard there was a different general leading the royal army against the rogue factions. He was a wise leader that understood the importance of a balanced force. He often employed my kind and the lycans to aid him,” I stated as a small smile crept up my face. My smiled however quickly faded as I continued, “He was...captured though...in a major battle and has been missing in action for over a century. His main lieutenant and son named ‘Solar Burn’ took over in his absence.”

The very mentioning of that cur's name made my face began to contort in anger. “That...vile creature...did not deserve to be the offspring of such a great general. For in his first order he purged all vampires and lycans from his army and forced us to just guard the royal city. The leader of the Night Guards and Luna’s old general ‘Black Wing’ protested, but without Princess Luna’s influence her voice seemed to fall only on deaf ears. She took it harder than the rest of us and became increasingly reclusive,” I said as my voice took on a sorrowful and yet angry tone.

After a moment I took a deep breath and stated, “With that monster controlling the royal army, they would often obliterate towns and villages that had rogue factions occupying them. There were so many broken families and communities. My anger at this soon grew year after year as more innocents got hurt. Until finally in my rage I used my smithing skills and forged in secret my first suit of dark iron armor and the scythe I currently use.”

My eyes burned remembering my anger and animosity. “Dark iron possesses some unusual properties. It is normally created in areas of great magical conflict. It is extremely durable and highly enchantable. However, most importantly it has the unique ability of dampening most supernatural powers,” I stated as I began to rub my right forehoof on the black ring around my neck. “I developed a method to harness this property. I ultimately used an amplifying and a damping enchantment to create the first suppression field. As you may know most ponies are easily frightened by things they do not understand. With this I was able to suppress and disguise my true nature,” I said with a grin.

I then narrowed my eyes as old memories started coming back to me. “I began to sneak out at night to aid the destroyed towns. I also often employed the same circle I used to heal your friends. And though my acts were small, rumors started to spread of a helpful black knight,” I stated as the grin grew on my face before adding, “One of the other forgers named ‘Black Hammer’ eventually discovered my secret. And as a fellow vampire he too was sick of being stuck in the city. Additionally he hated what Solar Burn was doing as much as I and that instead of turning me in, he joined my efforts. This little pairing soon grew to include other angered vampires and lycans, along with most of the other forgers."

My grin then turned into a smile as I began to laugh for a few seconds. “We took on the name ‘Midnight Knights’ and we started to humiliate Solar Burn’s forces. While all they would do is destroy everything in sight, we would show up shortly after and help the citizens. He in turn could do little but seethe as he could not figure out who we were through the all black armor,” I said as I laughed again.

This laughter continued for a few more seconds before I shook my head and stated, “However, it could not last forever. For when Princess Luna returned she was somehow easily able to discover our secret and the jig was up if you will. Needless to say all of us were dragged before the royal court for judgment as we were technically breaking the law being a de facto force. But as all hope seemed lost, one of our seemly quieter recruits was revealed to be Black Wing herself.”

I paused for a moment at this point to fight back more laughter from remembering the look on Solar Burn’s face. “Instead of us receiving punishment, she requested, as Princess Luna had returned, that the Reaper Knights be remade. The princesses quickly agreed and Solar Burn became beyond furious. For not only did the ones that regularly embarrassed him get off without punishment, he lost almost all of his forge masters when we all joined the Reaper Knights,” I said as my built up laughter could no longer be contained.

However after I calmed myself down I closed my eyes and stated, “So to answer your original question, I do not care about protocol or resource assets. I do what I believe is right regardless of how big or small the task is. Even if I have to sacrifice every last drop of blood in my body to do it. For I will not stop, until all wrongs have been rectified.”

I then opened my eyes to see Twilight smiling at me. “I figured it was something like that,” she stated. And I positively beamed at her reaction. Though my prideful state did not last for long before she caught me off guard. For in a quick movement she reached up with her left forehoof and tilted my head up, exposing my neck. She then proceeded to lean over, and with her pointed tongue, lick from the base of my neck to where it met my jaw. The addition of her fangs grazing my fur instantly triggered a strange yearning in me.

“T-Twilight, do you believe this is wise? Your friends are in the other section of this train car. Surely they will hear us,” I stated trying to keep my crumbling focus.

She just lifted her head for a moment in response and stated, “No they won’t. The anti-sound ward remember?”. She then continued her delightful actions on my neck before she stopped again only to coo out, "And besides...we have a looong train ride ahead of us. I think we should use this time to...de-stress.

“I…umm…hmm, yes quite,” I replied and remembered she had placed that ward down before we started talking. But even regardless of this I was still somewhat shocked that Twilight would be so bold. Maybe it was the stress of everything or even the new predatory nature she had been imbued with her being one of my kind now. Either way though I would have been a fool to deny us this opportunity to, as Twlight put it, de-stress.

In turn I just whispered, “Please Twilight…do as you wish,” while my breathing began to quicken. For the growing yearning from before was becoming more unbearable by the second.

Needless to say Twilight took that invitation with great delight as she moved forward in such a way that I slid onto my back. She then climbed on top of me before my body began to shutter from the touch of her fangs on my neck. And without even the slightest hesitation I reached up with my right forehoof and gently pushed on the back of her head.

Then in response my eyes fluttered closed to the pleasurable pain as her fangs sunk in. And with what little thought I had retained I noted that my assumptions from before were correct. I was somehow becoming addicted to the feeling of her bite. However, at this point in time I could not have cared less.

And so she lapped at my blood for only a few moments before she removed her fangs and pulled me with her to my bed. She then laid on her back before I slid on top of her. After which we stared at each other face to face breathing heavily before she tilted her head up and exposed her neck to me. In turn I gazed upon such delights and hesitated only to channel my life force magic to heal my own bite wound. I then opened my mouth, turned my head to the side, and slowly sunk my fangs into her.

Twilight's body began to twitch from my bite in response before she pulled me closer. I then soon remembered the indescribably wondrous taste of her blood as it flowed down my throat. And such remembrance included a few surges of arcane energy that followed it. However, like her, I only allowed myself to lap for a few moments before I slowly pulled my fangs out. After which I used my final lick to channel a small amount of life force energy into her wound, healing it.

We then leaned into each other and began to passionately kiss. The taste of our bloods mingling together only served to enhance the sensation. But soon after her patience with such things slipped away. For within minutes she tossed me on my back and mounted me.

In turn her more than eager body quivered as I entered her. Her movements nearly harsh in nature but I again cared little. For as she moved I had grabbed hold of her flanks, and with great desire and need, increased the force of such thrusts.

And suffice to say our tryst continued for the better part of an hour. It also interestingly included her switching to positions I was unaware even existed. A small grin followed such actions as I thought, ‘It seems the fellow scholar has been reading more than her magic books…’ all while as we happily enjoyed each other's touch.

But like all good things in life this too had to eventually end. I was on top facing her at the time when she finally came. Her forehoof had also during this time scraped along my back causing me to go off as well. And before long I fell to the right side of her while both of us were breathing heavily. To which she then promptly reached over, pulled the covers over us, and fell asleep. And I could not help but be amazed at how fast she had passed out. It was usually a stereotypical off the hoof stallion trait to do such things. However, I did not ponder on that thought for long before I yawned and sleep took me as well.

Ultimately this more than welcomed blissful rest lasted right until I felt the train slow down. Then I woke up with a smile on my face. For it seemed that I have not slept this well in decades. But my pleasant contentedness seemed to only last for a minute or two when the train car came to a full stop. This was mainly because I could not hear any voices coming from the other side of the car. A strange nervousness soon began to take hold for some reason right before my eyes spotted the room separating curtain began to shift. Then without to slightest bit of grace it was ruthlessly yanked open thus assaulting us...again...with horrid sunlight. And again just like last time I let out a high pitched ear-splitting shriek and pulled the covers over me and Twilight.

Twilight instantly jolted awake and also again she stated in a panic, “What’s going on?!”

I however just growled out, “All right! This needs to end! NOW!” And right after we both armored up, I yanked the sheet off of us, and jumped out of bed. “What in Luna’s name is wrong with you, Pinkie Pie!?” I screeched.

However instead of getting the reaction I was expecting, Pinkie Pie merely tilted her head, squinted her eyes, and rubbed her ears with her forehooves. I then saw right next to her Applejack who's mouth moved as if she was saying something, but I heard no sound. This though was quickly proceeded by Twilight laughing nervously next to me. Her eyes and horn glowed then for a second right before the anti-sound ward she cast last night shut off with a small crackle.

Evidently it did not take long to realize what had happened. In turn I just sat down and ran my forehooves down my face before I could hear Applejack snickering. “Wanted some more quiet time with yer special friend there huh Twi?” She said with a knowing grin before she elbowed Rarity in the side.

Rarity's response though only added to the embarrassment as she said, “Now Applejack, it's impolite to ask a lady about her…” before she interrupted herself to put a forehoof in front of her mouth to stop herself from laughing. This was gleefully enhanced by Pinkie Pie's giggling next to her. Spike, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on the other hoof all shared the same look of confusion.

Rainbow Dash soon spoke up due to this and said, “What’s going on here?”

Twilight however just stuffed her face in her forehooves and groaned, “Ugh…nothing!”

But after several more awkward moments later we walked out of the train car. And as expected my body again felt heavy in the sunlight. This was ultimately the least of my soon to be worries though as I started to hear gasps all around me. For it seemed that several of the townsponies were waiting for our, or more specifically my, return.

This luckily was eventually somewhat mitigated when Twilight and her friends did their best at holding back the noisy mob. An act that I was truly grateful for. Regardless though we in turn were forced to wade our way through the chaos. Then after what seemed like an eternity we managed to arrive at Twilight’s Library. After which we had quickly entered and forcibly shut the door behind us before barring it.

Twilight then walked around and magically pulled the curtains closed on all the windows allowing my strength to begin to return. I merely lowered my helm in response before politely asking Spike to make more mint tea. However this was all I could process before my head began to throb. And at this point I felt like crawling into the dark basement and staying there for a few days. A plan that actually seemed best for my calculations and research. As such I had soon stated to Spike, “If it is not too much trouble may I please have my tea in the basement?”

He just grumbled, “Yeah…sure…whatever,” in reply and glared at me while trying to start the fireplace.

I in turn made note of such again but brushed it aside for now. Then as Twilight and her friends were talking, I excused myself, grabbed my pack, and walked into the basement. Afterwards I closed the door and soaked in the pitch black that was both quiet and soothing. Then, by using only the light of my eyes, I located a chalkboard and chalk. To which this was soon followed by me lowering my armor fully, picking up my tome, and biting my left foreleg.

Then with yet more practiced skill a single drop of my blood hit the tome’s seal right before my eyes and horn flashed light blue thus healing my leg again. Next I lit a candle and flipped through my tome with my magic, stopping at the page I needed. I then set my Book of Shadows on the floor next to me and I sat down. After which I began to work out my calculations on the chalkboard before muttering out, “This is going to be a long couple of weeks."

Finally, I am finished editing and re-writing this. I swear these chapters are getting longer and longer. There is just so much I wish to write in them that it is difficult to remove certain parts.