Darkness assailed everywhere as Basarab walked in the cave. Something that he had grown used to over the many years of his existence. Basarab used the same spell he used before to see in the dark. Shining stalactites and stalagmites were all to be seen as it continued on almost forever.

But just to be safe he used a spell that could meld his form into pure shadow and moved forward. Basarab felt hunger, the more he uses his powers the more hungrier he gets for unicorn energy. As he thinks about it, he hasn’t taken the energy from a unicorn in a while.

Basarab has many advantages if at all he would face vampires. He was the first and therefore the most powerful of all vampires. Basarab also didn’t require to feed off of blood, although he could, he chooses not to however. His spells are stronger than that of a vampire unicorn.

For many minutes he was a shadow on the dark walls. Word had spread around that this cave was inhabited by creatures. Basarab knew that they were Children of the Night. But these were not his brothers and sisters, these were Wilds. Those who betrayed Luna's laws and become more animalistic. They did however deserve to be shown mercy, Children of the Night or not.

As he travelled the walls and ceiling of the dripping cave. He could remember the nights he had spent with his Mother,

I was overjoyed when I figured out that Luna wanted me to be the one to make the decisions for the Shadow Garden. Princess Luna came to me on a beautiful and foggy night and we talked a top one of the turrets of the castle.

She said looking out at the rest of Shadow Garden,”I need some pony to control my children. To keep them together as a family, I shall still be the Mother. But while I am not here looking over my Children of the Night, I need someone to watch over them. I think that shall be thou.”

I could not feel my hooves. Over the many nights since my arrival in Shadow Garden Princess Luna certainly taken a like in me but I wasn’t expecting this. I looked up at my mother and her eyes peered right back at me. She wasn’t that taller than me but you could see the difference in height. I tore my gaze away from her and said looking out as I saw dozens of ponies going about their business.”Are you sure there isn’t anyone else?”

Princess Luna sighed heavily giving a slight grin,”Thou hath not be so modest. No one is ever more capable than thou. Since thine’s first night thou hath shown many improvements. I am even making thou my student.”

I did not say another word. It was all that was on my mind at the moment. She was correct in saying that my dark powers have grown since my first night. As her student just made me feel accepted. I looked up at the beautiful and shining moon that allowed my mane and eyes to glisten in the light.

I said,”I am honored to be your student, Mother.”

Luna smiled and said in a soothing voice,”This is good news. But thine’s name, Silverdawn. It does not strike fear or speak of nobility. From this day forward you shall be known as Dracula.”

Basarab snapped back into reality when heard voices in the caves. He advanced as a shadow on the wall. There was a small wooden door ahead of him and the voices sounded as if they were in there. The wooden door had the outline of a candle lighted inside.

Taking over the darkness of the door on his side he listened closely to the voices inside.

“When can we feast upon those ponies? I have been aching to devour a pony for many nights.”

“Patience we have to wait. Do you want to raise suspicion?”

There were two as far as Basarab could hear but to make sure he separated his shadowy form and reshaped on the other side, clinging to the shadows. He saw five total. Each one having similar characteristics as him but they looked to be smaller and weaker than he. Most ponies did but he has not seen another Child of the Night since he left Shadow Garden.

They were different, he has seen each of them before in Shadow Garden. But they weren’t the same ponies. Three were Werewolves, one Vampire, and a Phantom. The three Werewolves, did not possess equal strength to his. The Vampire did not possess the same magical attributes as him. And the Phantom was not as fast as their Mother.

Basarab stepped out of the shadows and revealed his shadowed form. The outline of the pony was there but his coat and mane were made of the night itself and his eyes glowed bright red and he said magically enhancing his voice to sound intimidating,”You are my brothers and sisters, Children of the Night. So you shall receive a choice. Either follow me and I shall help you on the path of redemption to heal your minds, or you will die not as my brothers or sisters but as sick and twisted forms of those whom I cherished as my family.”

They said nothing but stared at the shadowed pony with vengeful eyes. Basarab identified one as Nightblazer, the Phantom. Basarab stared at them and sighed heavily. They were not moving because they had thought he was bluffing, that he would never harm other Children of the Night. How wrong they were.

Basarab’s horn glowed with red magical energy and pointed it at his adversaries. They all screamed in horrible pain. Basarab used a spell that boiled their blood at an unbearable temperature. Basarab stood over them as they screamed horrible cries of pain, their coats began to change color to a red hue. Cuts began to form all around the ponies.

As this went on Basarab felt a single tear trickle down his cheek. Finally they stopped crying horribly and pools of blood came out from every hole and cut in their body. The blood was slowly pouring out of them and Basarab could not bear it. This gave him new found courage to find the darkness that poisoned his brothers and sisters and kill it. But he would need more help for this.

“Are you sure you two have to leave now? It is so early in the morning.”Spike said reluctantly as Twilight packed some things in her saddle bags. Twilight packed only food rations for a few days, a journal to write in, and a book or two for reference. Twilight could only imagine the amount of stuff Rarity would bring, given the opportunity she would pack the entire boutique. Twilight however told her to pack light.

Twilight finished packing and said,” Calm down Spike you have taken care of the library before. Only for a couple days.”

Spike sighed and said nothing to finish the argument. Twilight saw his face and said,”Oh fine we’ll wait to leave until this afternoon. Rarity probably still needs help packing, I’ll go check on her.”

Spike nodded in agreement and Twilight stepped out of the library. It was about nine o’clock in the morning and the sun was slowly rising in the east. Birds sung as they flew across the sky and Ponyville was busy as always.

As she walked the streets of Ponyville she remembered their conversation with Basarab and as that happened a feeling rose in her stomach. She knew in her gut that there was something important he wasn’t telling them. She couldn’t tell if it was his dark personality or the fact that he rolled up in Ponyville all of a sudden. It mixed with another feeling however, one that she had felt once she laid her eyes on him. Deep inside she could feel...something. She could not explain it but everything he did seemed to have a weight and a purpose behind it.

But Rarity had complete faith in this stallion and she trusted Rarity. As Twilight walked the streets passing by very few ponies and those that did had gloomy faces. Probably because Pinkie Pie was away and they needed some cheering up, but Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were away in Appleoosa to help Braeburn with his harvest.

Also as Twilight walked she remembered the nightmares given to her by the Princess Luna. They were dark and had traumatized her, Twilight saw things that changed the way she looked at ponies. Some included ponies dying and others included fighting and war, and even some ponies who she did not think were capable of such deeds. One of which was Pinkie Pie. Who could she trust anymore? Some of the nightmares involved her and some of her friends each one ending in the same way, death. And involved that song, every time she could hear Princess Luna herself silently whisper it in her mind. It was endless torture is what it was.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity she found herself at the door of Carousel Boutique. She opened it and found Rarity packing her saddle bag. Rarity looked over at her friend and said levitating some food down in her pack,”Are we ready to head out dear?”

Twilight always enjoyed Rarity’s turn a phrase, Rarity’s entire demeanor in fact made her seem like she wasn’t born in Ponyville but of that in Canterlot. Mostly a lighthearted tone that could calm a restless ocean. Twilight smirked and said,”We still have a couple hours till we head out.”

Rarity nodded and said casting her head downcast,”Have you found anything else? About you know…”

Twilight felt the air grow colder and she shivered. Memories flooded back of her nightmares and the lines repeating over and over again in her mind. Scratching and tearing at her sanity, like they were ripping her away from what she knew was real. Finally Twilight snapped herself out of the trance she was almost in and said,
“No nothing yet. These Children of the Night only seem to be mentioned in that poem Luna would sing in our nightmares.”

As if the mere mention of the word did this everytime. She looked over at Rarity and saw that it had the same effect. Rarity’s normal illuminating and upbeat demeanor was no longer there, what Twilight saw before her now was a fear struck pony. Even Rarity’s mane showed that she wasn’t taking as much care of it as she had in the past, it looked barely combed and not in its usual curls. Twilight couldn’t imagine how Rarity feels, a fashionista who would rather stay in her boutique all day than show herself off in this condition.

An awkward moment of silence ensued. Twilight had not known what they would do until the time came when they would leave but she knew it would involve silence. It would be good to have nothing but silence, for ahead of them is a dark journey indeed.

"Come little children I’ll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment.

Come little children the time’s come to play,
Here in my Garden of Shadows.

Follow sweet children children I’ll show thee the way,
Through all the pain and the sorrows.

Weep not poor children for life is this way,
Murdering beauty and passions.

Hush now dear children it must be this way,
To weary of life and deceptions.

Rest now my children for soon we’ll away,
Into the calm and the quiet.

Come little children I’ll take thee away,
Into a land of enchantment.

Come little children the time’s come to play,
Here in my Garden of Shadows."

Luna cannot remember a time where she didn’t sing that song and fly through the night. She had sang it the night before in hopes that her children would return. But as she thought her children were gone, not even normal ponies heard her call. Now instead of feeling unloved she felt isolated and forgotten. It was true that no pony really paid any attention to her except her sister Celestia.

It was a dry morning around ten o’clock, Luna wasn’t supposed to be up at this hour but she could not sleep. She had this feeling that something bad was going to happen, like Equestria itself was on the eve of battle. Luna had received this feeling before, when the three races fought on Equestria. And even in the times before that.

Luna looked around her room in Canterlot Castle and saw that besides the fact that the sun was shining through the balcony window, it was still dark in her room. Luna got out of her bed and stepped out onto the balcony. Luna looked out and saw a sprawling and glorious countryside. Over to one side she could see the horizon that the sun would be raised from by her sister. To the other side you could barely make it out but it was Ponyville.

Luna then had a flood of memories she had shared with her student Dracula. One in particular that she remembered.

I had flown in and to my surprise my children were not there to greet me like they normally were. I looked around and barely a soul was visible on the streets. I ran to the town square and there were some ponies that were bleeding on the steps and there were others tending them. I walked up to each of them and asked what had happened, they only looked up at me and said nothing but pointed into the settlement hall.

I stepped in and to my surprise there standing in the entrance were four of my strongest Children of the Night. Dracula of course was the strongest and stood there with a long jet black mane ,with his unicorn horn sticking out of his head, that contrasted well with his dark grey coat and bright red eyes. Dracula’s cutie mark was that of my own, but was blood stained. Then there was Marrok a jet black earth pony that had dark crimson red mane and tail, Marrok’s cutie mark were crossed swords telling anyone that looked at him knew he was a fighter and a killer.

Marrok was a werewolf. I had taken ponies of all three kinds of ponies and changed their powers. Vampires were the unicorns of my children, all of my children could use a small amount of magic but unicorns are more potent. Werewolves were the earth ponies because of earth ponies strong frame. And Phantoms were the pegasi, being faster than a child of the day. They all had great strength and could use a small amount of her magic but some had their own special abilities.

Dracula could absorb unicorn energy to make his spells equal to that of an Alicorn. Marrok with being able to transform into a wolf - pony hybrid but could also increase in strength as his wounds increased. To the left of Marrok was another one of my personal students, Night Dancer. Night Dancer was a Vampire her coat a platinum color and her mane a flowing luminescent bright white, her eyes were a bright golden color and her cutie mark a group of stars. Night Dancer could strengthen and expand her magical abilities depending upon how many stars were in the sky, making her a strong adversary in battle.

And finally but certainly not least was Riptide. Riptide had the same dark blue coat as mine and silver mane that shined in the moonlight. His cutie mark was a wave because he could control water even being a Phantom and not a Vampire. They all wore some type of armor, dark grey color with faded golden accents. Much like the royal guard would wear certain armor. They all turned to me and Dracula said in his fear inducing deep voice,”Welcome back Mother. You have caught us at a bad time.”

I responded with a smile,”Yeah, I could tell. How has this come to happen?”

Riptide was the one to answer me he explained in a pitch higher than Dracula's,”When we had awoken these strange creatures were found in the square. They looked like ponies but more insect like. I couldn’t make them out. We drove them back but not without a few casualties.”

“A direct action is needed. We cannot allow another attack to transpire.”Marrok said with a deep and a voice that could cut through stone. Marrok and Dracula were exact opposites in being that Marrok was brash and headstrong and Dracula being collected and a thinker but wasn’t afraid to kill. Dracula responded quickly,”No, we cannot afford an attack like that. We don’t even know where they came from. We need to send out a small group of scouts to find out their location and keep close eyes on them.”

I always enjoyed Dracula’s way of thinking. Normally Marrok would continue to argue with him but I was in the room and they appeared to have a healthy relationship while I was in the room. Marrok instead said in a less aggravated tone,”Perhaps you are right Dracula. Who shall lead this scouting band?”

Interrupting their little democratic session I said,”I do believe that thou shalt lead the scouting party. Thine’s strength is like no others. All four of thou should be part of the scouting party and probably a few others, might I suggest a small group of Phantoms.”

They all looked at me with heavy hearts. Each one having brighter eyes than the last. I knew what ran through their heads, they were fearful. They refused to show it because they were the leaders of their people. Riptide leader of the Phantoms, Marrok Alpha of the Werewolves, Night Dancer leader of the Vampires, and Dracula leader and right hand to me.

They were fearful, I could see it in their eyes. But as to what it was, I did not know. But Dracula was the first to speak in a cold tone,”We will gather the scouting party and return soon mother.”

I nodded and they left the building. I could sense their movements and they went to gather the party. I couldn’t help but feel angry, something was threatening the lives of my children. There is an old saying that said,”Hell hath no fury like a Mother scorned.” And without a shadow of a doubt I felt vengeful for the lives of my children that died to protect the location of Shadow Garden. The blood was only beginning to flow. I'd be damned if I let the location of this place be revealed and of the other settlements.