Many things had Shadow expected to see but not THIS, the ruins that stretched out before her made her both curious and sick at heart. Once upon a time a small town had existed here, a lake stretched out into the distance, the remnants of fields and orchards remained. It was like something preserved the place, a testament to whatever calamity had struck. Burn marks, craters, buildings looked like they had exploded outwards while others caved in or simply burned as they stood. Everything was made from stone for the most part so the markings were clear, he ushered her into the town and told her she could stay as long as she wanted and look around. When her curiosity was sated he would explain what happened.

Walking down the alleys Shadow's heart sank more and more, charred skeletons or piles of ash were all that remained of the inhabitants, was this Valkardians doing? Going into a building that was better preserved she found a skeleton that had a spear stuck in its rib-cage, fear sunk in as she kept looking at the skeleton. How had she missed it? Was she so struck with what had happened she failed to notice WHO had lived here? The skeletons were not of cave creatures, gryphon, yak or any of the other lifeforms she had learned about from her Master, no these were ponies. Not all the same though, rushing building to building and skeleton to skeleton to find out more she found that almost all were her own species.

Shadow had to know what happened, running down the alleys she yelled his name and got an answer, racing on she popped out into what had been the town square. A blasted fountain sat in the middle and Valkardian sat quietly on one of the remaining benches patiently. So many questions overwhelmed her but there was only one real question: "What happened?"

Standing and leading her towards one end of the town Valkardian began the story slowly. "Around a thousand six-hundred years ago or so Celestia, Luna and myself came to blows. You asked me once what had happened between us, (gesturing around him at the ruins) this was the aftermath that solidified out hostility. I was not the only one who sough to woo them, the two had begun to calm themselves CONSIDERABLY compared to their younger centuries. It was at this time I once again had anything to do with them, when one is immortal the "learning curve" is skewed heavily, life becomes cheap, very cheap and to them it was cheaper for a long time. When the pain and suffering sank in they began to mend their ways quite quickly, seeking to alleviate the misery of the world around them. Mind you they were a far short from being saints, none the less something about their sudden change got my attention."

"They even began to listen to me, taking some lessons here and there to heart like not being tyrants that had to control every waking moments of their subjects lives. A century wore on and we grew closer and closer, I became somewhat infatuated with them their change was so deep... Another suitor came along named Lord Star Steelshod, strange name... A true manipulator that one, would have made Celestia proud back in the day. He tried to gain their favor as well and I must admit he was better at it than I was, the real problem though in it all was those two sisters."

"Because of their sudden change of heart they had begun to shut their ears, eyes and minds to the harsh reality of the world, they only wanted to see the GOOD in other's and the world around them. Even to the point that it would bite them in the ass quite often but they wanted to distance themselves completely from their past and become "good" monarchs. When Steelshod succeeded in wooing them I had already warned them about who he really was, that it would be a mistake. Rather than listen however, they balked at me believing this was some ploy to save face after having lost to the "better stallion" as they put it. Catch was that Steelshod was no fool, he never kept his plans in writing, only in his head and even then magically protected himself from Luna's prying eyes."

"Still, where there is a will there is a way, through spies and magical manipulations I had learned enough to know his plans for them, I shared what I knew anyway with those two sisters but I was thrown out. Let it not be said that I am entirely black hearted, I did what I had to do and the day before their wedding I slew Steelshod. Understandably the two went into a rage and vowed revenge on me for my "despicable, cowardly act." Precautions had already been taken in my domain but... (he stopped to look around) It was not enough that time."

"This cave was well defended against brigands and other creatures but with the recent change of heart that Celestia and Luna had I made the mistake of not fortifying this place farther. Now I HAD suspected they were spying on me, rightly so... Yet I figured they would not exterminate a town of innocents to get back at me. This town's name was Moss Dell, around six hundred lived here and they were mostly bat pony, they had some dealings with me not much. They would pay me tribute for keeping them safe and all was well, governing themselves and frankly I stayed away from them for the most part."

"Somehow Celestia learned of this place and on the night of their vow against me the two gathered as many as they could and rushed here. Back then I did not have the spy grid I do now and let it never be said that Celestia and Luna are not deviously clever when they want to be... Despite my precautions they slipped around them and struck, the small force I had stationed here was overwhelmed quickly and they, well you can see what they did. No one was spared, every last inhabitant was put to the sword on the spot, some escaped, most did not. Those two well and truly outwitted me here and I made my own vow: That it would be the last time."

"After the massacre they could not find their way deeper though they tried. The road that lead to the other portal was their first attempt but a brave few destroyed the crystals after letting others escape cutting them off for good. The two had no choice but to turn back when a few days later they got word that I had counter attacked and wiped out several villages towns and a city. Turning their forces around they rushed back to the surface while I then pulled back. A stalemate ensued, they tried to send forces down this path several times and even tried other caves, all were wiped out and the entrances sealed. The last force to come here found the entrance above sealed off and a stone stele in its place that said: "Dare to invade my domain again and a bloody harvest shall be brought against you." They heeded the warning and left, since then... Silence."

He stopped and looked at her with a hard expression for a long moment. "Make no mistake Shadow that if you assume the worst of me, that I am black hearted you are right, I have slain the innocent and harvested them in the tens of thousands willingly and happily. Any who threaten mine are dealt with one way or another, I do not go seeking fights or power, content with what I have and willing to leave the world above alone." Watching her reaction change to fear he continued "I preserved this place with a great deal of magic, a silent tomb, a mausoleum to my mistake and a silent reminder. You are free to look around, we will stay another day, take advantage of it."

What could she say to that? She was terrified of him now, he had so easily admitted to wiping out populations happily for the sake of revenge, then again so had Celestia... Looking at him was like looking into the past when as he said "life was cheap, very cheap." Life meant little to him, then again he did not go seeking conflict. True, he had assassinated Steelshod but that made sense, he cared for the sisters greatly and would not allow someone to use them. She needed time to think, walking off and exploring more of the ruins her heart sunk more and more. What he said was true, not even the fillies or colts were spared, one had an arrow embedded in their skull, another was pinned in place on the floor, the force of the spear blow so strong it pierced the stone.

All this innocent life lost and they were not even "his" people, they were more like trading partners, he offered protection, they offered something in return. Bodies? No, she doubted that, they would have FLED back to the surface or called for help! Maybe they had? No, he had left them alone, they even governed themselves. Stumbling Shadow looked up to see she was in front of some kind of larger building, almost like an ancient government building with its pillars and large double doors.

The doors had long been blown inward by what she assumed was magic, it was definitely a government building, the large room held a large stone table that once seated three, the wall had a clear imprint of a bat pony, blasted to atoms and the outline left marked perfectly against the wall. Part of her was delighted that he had so quickly wrecked havoc on the sisters people for this, she had to stop though, SHE was one of them, a citizen of Equestria. Was the purpose of today to turn her against them? If so, it was working to a small degree. The place was perfectly preserved, no flesh though... Maybe he had preserved the place years later? That made sense, the Equestrians used this as a route for attack he said. So they KNEW what they had done and did not care... Like those who died here were beneath them.

Picking up a scroll and unfurling it she could not understand a word of it, whatever language they used was alien to her. Leaving the building she kept wandering, orchards, fields had all been thoroughly torched, occasionally a skeleton or simply a blood stain on rocks. Sitting on the lakes edge and looking out she wondered how many skeletons lay at the bottom, those who tried to flee over the waters to never make it. Why in the name of Tartarus did his murdering all those ponies bother her less and less? Why was she feeling more and more anger at the two Deity rulers and less for her master?

Valkardian walked calmly through the streets, visiting buildings and looking in, solemn reminders of his failure to take things seriously. It had been a problem of his, always brushing things off for a later date, even now he was guilty of it but this time it worked out. His little slave was off somewhere doing something, a wraith was following her quietly, unseen from the shadows so he would know if she was in danger. Rounding a bend he came to his destination, the graveyard. True, he had never really visited this place much when they were alive, in fact he had visited it quite often, even fought and killed here years after. Another little vow of his was to not allow "them" to set one foot in the town again, it held true, none had. All had been slain in the tunnels above, one bloody battle after another till finally he sealed it up and placed the marker outside. Walking up to a tunnel and reading the inscription he stepped forward with purpose and disappeared inside.

Shadow had stared into the lake for some time, tears streaming both in sadness and rage when she caught sight of Valkardian on the far end of the lake. Watching him walk through what appeared to be a graveyard before disappearing into a cave she stood and flew after him. Spying would probably get her in a tremendous amount of trouble but right now she had more questions and curiosity as to where he was going and that outweighed consequences. The graveyard was more stone tomb's that actual "graves" in the traditional sense, no dirt, no grave. So the townsponies had taken to carving stone coffins and placing them, the poorer appeared to have been stuffed in a hole and sealed inside with names and dates written on the marker. All of it was that weird script she could not make out.

Shadow glided down and walked as quietly as she could toward the cave entrance, slipping inside and following the tunnel down, steps were hewn from the rock and the walls held stone shelves with skeletal remains resting on them. These were catacombs, so her master was not harvesting their dead in return for protection, that much was obvious now. Winding her way down the sound of his voice made its way to her ears. It stopped and she carefully made her way farther down before stopping to listen.

Curious as ever, still unaware she was being followed he had been aware of her following him and entering the catacombs. Now she was hiding in the darkness listening for him. "You can stop spying on me and just enter the chamber Shadow. You might learn something." The sound of wings brushing against the stone meant she had jumped, the quiet sound of hooves slowly approached and she entered the room at a snails pace. "Master, I am sorry for spying on you..." Cutting her off he waved her over "You are too curious to know better, it is in your nature, now come here, I want to show you someone." Standing beside him in the soft glow of a small ball of light in the ceiling Shadow looked down at a finely carved sarcophagus.

The being carved into it looked much like a bat pony, hands folded over her chest. "Shadow, allow me to introduce you to the late Councilor Redfang. A vampire or "vampony" as you call them in your mythology. One of the last three rulers of Mossdell." Staring down Shadow wondered something. "Master, if you preserved the town, how come she is buried? I thought you left it as it was." Valkardian turned his head towards her "Because this one was one of the very few I knew, she did not die HERE either, she was wounded fatally during the attack and died shortly after the portal closed. Her last request to me was to be entombed here amongst her friends and family. This chamber houses her entire family." Looking around another question popped into her head "Arnt vamponies evil? Your evil but are vamponies really evil like the tales say?"

She was curious as ever he noted "Not always, tell me Shadow, which makes for a better story: The Vampony that saved the hamlet from hellhounds or the vampony that burned the village to the ground using hellhounds while draining their blood and turning them into thralls?"

"Oh... That makes sense." Shadow had to admit the later made for a better bedtime story to scare fillies and colts. He pointed at the sarcophagi "This one fits a bit of both, Redfang or "Blood Lilly" as she preferred to be called could do both. It is why she was elected to the council, a perfect combination of virtue and devilry, scared of nothing and not afraid of getting her hands dirty. We wrote each other back and forth for quite some time, she was over... Four hundred? Years old I think. She had burned villages to the ground, enslaved some, freed others. Then again when "youth" left her, she was born a vampony by the way she calmed down and decided to viciously protect those she cared about. She had lost most of her "mundane" friends in her battles, with few left she wanted to protect them. Life gained value almost overnight and she moved here and with her little ragtag band of marauders in tow they quickly built this place up from a hamlet into a town. Over the course of one-hundred and fifty some odd years it became a town."

"I guess you could say she was the first REAL "ruler" of the town, before her the other petty chiefs never bothered to plan expansion or anything, she turned it all around and organized their growth carefully. Luna speared her in the street as she left her home to see about the commotion, take this whichever way you wish Shadow... Either fortunately or UN-fortunately for her it was not a killing blow, Luna went off to kill some other unlucky inhabitant and a friend grabbed her and drug her away in the chaos. They managed to get her to my portal where precious few other survivors made it through and sent her along with them. She died before making it mind you but they decided to send her anyway... A touching though illogical act, none the less it did serve a purpose."

"Seeing her dead enraged me and within two days the first hamlets were burning and two days after that the first towns were being put to the sword. If Celestia and Luna were willing to forgo their "wise and motherly" ways then you can bet your ass I was out for blood." He placed a hand on the cold stone surface and stared "Shadow, as you leave this room and travel the town above, there is a large mansion with long dead flower beds out front and an iron gate. Two pillars are engraved with Blood Lillie's cutie mark, that was her home. Go inside and look around if you wish and learn something about her." As Shadow left the room which felt colder and colder a voice trailed after her "When you live as long as we have you will find friends are truly a rare and precious commodity."

Finding the mansion was easy, it was the only one with two pillars with a cutie mark on it of lilies, what a strange cutie mark for a creature of evil. Was she really evil or was it perspective? Shadow pondered this as she entered the building, it was damaged, scorch marks here and there, obviously someone had put up quite a bit of a fight. Each room was the opposite of what she expected of an evil vampony, instead of dark, dull, drab and creepy it was quite pleasant. Beautiful murals adorned the walls, none grisly like Valkardian's, elaborate tile-work adorned the floors with frescoes of stars, plants, forests, cave life and ponies.

Climbing the stairs she checked the bedrooms, things were indeed remarkably preserved. Checking a bookshelf she found only one of them in a quasi-early Equish. This town must have been destroyed long ago before Celestia set forth the Equestrian Standard. That would make this place more than... A thousand years old at least? Scanning it and replacing it she kept browsing, some had pictures carefully etched out. Buried in the back one was that made her heart stop, it had ponies in it in all manner of positions. Placing it back quickly she tried another room.

This room was special, very special, so special Shadow felt her blood run cold. It was a little fillies room. She almost tiphoofed around the room avoiding one side, refusing to even look. It was sickening, the curiosity to go there and look, knowing, the revulsion but still that powerful compulsion to go look. Taking a deep breath she turned and walked awkwardly towards it, scared to death of looking in. Staring down was an empty crib soaked with blood, clearly somepony had taken a sharp object and driven it down with tremendous force causing the center to buckle slightly. Shadow fled the room, not even the newborns were spared.

Perspective rushed over her as she sat on the steps outside the mansion sobbing, she knew with all her being she should NOT be crying over the death of evil monsters. But she was. This was just a bad dream, there was no way this was real. Monsters and villains did not have families, everypony knew that. They just existed, they existed to be hunted down by a valiant knight or hero and be cast down or slain. Evil did not have families or children, they did not marry, prosper and have lives. No, evil was sick and twisted, incapable of love or compassion, evil did not like nice things preferring the grotesque. Everything she had seen just shattered that, everything she had been taught as a filly was crashing down around her.

Blood Lilly loved reading, nature, family, friends and was married, she even had a baby. Nothing about that building spoke of evil or wrongdoing, the babies room was not grotesque at all, in fact Shadow wished she could have a room that beautiful for her own one day if that day ever came. Blood Lilly even liked... Adult activities, perhaps a little too much from how well worn that book was. These ponies had done NOTHING to ANYONE yet they had suffered extermination for it, by virtue they ASSOCIATED with someone ELSE occasionally. In return as retribution, tens of thousands had been reaped like a field of grain who also had nothing to do with the feud, they too had committed the same crime: Association. Maybe a little more, they had been EQUESTRIANS and it was Equestrians who perpetrated this crime. Thoughts and conflicting emotions swirled and pounded her head and she swore her soul hurt. Lifting her head from her hands Shadow did the only thing she could do, she screamed with all her might.