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To Banish Darkness

by Brony19

Chapter 1: Caught Red-Hoofed


Caught Red-Hoofed

Sanguinare Vampiris, or more commanly known as the "Vampires Disease", is thought to have been wiped out by the powerful Warlocks of Equestria. While it is made out to be a bold tale of a group of dashing, fearless vampire hunters, all they are to me is a murderous gang of heartless creatures. Funny, given that's how they view me. Ponies may think that Vampires are little more than mythical creatures thought up to keep foals in bed at night, but there are still a few of us. I can't remember the last time I talked to a brother or sister of the night, but I know their out there. Somewhere.

But, on the other hoof, because our numbers are so thin, so are the Warlocks. Less of us mean less chance of going on an "epic quest to slay the demon and save the town" as they call it. Being unageing helps, too. Not immortal like the Goddesses, but we aren't going to keel over from old age. Heck, we don't even need a wooden stake or whatever they thought was the only way. We die just like everypony else, just not as quickly. The Warlocks are simply fond of burning ponies at the stake in front of a huge crowd. Good entertainment value, just not "family friendly" if you will.

Speaking of good entertainment value, I like to toy with my food. While rabbits aren't as fun as a pony, they make do. This little guy has quite a bit of energy for this time of night. Scurring this way and that, from one hiding spot to the other, thinking he can outrun me. Once he slowly emerges from his hiding place, I whisper, "Boo!" in his ear and chuckle as the small bundle of fun takes off like a bat out of hell. But, the thirst is getting harder and harder to resist. I better finish up my little game of hide and seek. Silently moving behind his hiding place, I wait for him to reveal his neck and thrust forward, sinking my fangs into his neck. I struggle not to chuckle as his legs tickle the underside of my belly while he fights a losing battle for life.

The tickling now gone, I begin to drink from the little guy. I had often heard ponies wonder if Vampires can taste. Well, duh, we're alive. We have tastebuds. What they don't know, is that meat, if they were capable of eating it, would be as close as you could get to being a Vampire without contracting the disease. Blood is where about 70% of the flavor in meat comes from. Some cultures, like the Griffons, know how to use the blood of an animal to enhance the already natural flavor. Things like dipping sauce for sandwitches and the like. For me, as long as the flow is smooth and the host disease-free, it will do just fine. Not that I would be able to contract another disease; it just taste funny if they have something.

My meal now empty of it's little amount of lifesource, I hide the body in a nearby bush, where somepony would have to walk by and smell it to know it was there. Last time I left a meal to be discovered, it wasn't a happy end for me. At least, would have been if they caught me. The thirst cuts through my meal quickly, however. Guess three rabbits aren't going to cut it tonight. Moving through the forest, I keep my eyes peeled and my ears alert for signs of a potental meal near me. It takes a few minutes, but I hear the snap of twig under... a hoof? Interesting; maybe lady fate favores me tonight.

I hug to the ground, creeping slowly after the pony that caused the sound. As I follow them, I kick myself for not noticing them before; compaired to the rest of the sleeping Everfree forest, this pony was on a metaphorical war path of snaping sticks and russling leaves. Even though, they still sounded like they were trying to be quite. Like they were trying to hide from somepony or find them. The sound of hoofbeats stop and I freeze in my hidingplace. Having a black coat and mane means there is no way the pony saw me, but they might feel like somepony is "watching them". They wouldn't be wrong.

Slowly, I raise my head above the brush that conceals me, hopeing to see what my pray looks like. Once my head is high enough, I can see that it is a unicorn. They have a purple coat and lavender mane with two lighter streaks spaning the length of both her mane and tail. They have a saddlebag on, but from here I can't tell what's in it. They seem to be looking around for something.

"She said there might be one around here..." They stranger I now know is a mare grumbles to herself.

This keeps getting more and more interesting. Just who exactly is she looking for? And in the Everyfree forest at this time of night? Well, as I've said before, I like to play with my food. I slowly and quietly exit from behind the bushes I was hiding behind and up behind the mare. While I do, I get a better look at her Cutie Mark; a lavender starburst surounded by five other white starbursts, one at each point of the main one. Something is nagging at me that I know this pony, but I write it off as confusing her for somepony else. Once I'm right behind her, I lean close to her ear before whispering,

"Looking for somepony?"

The mare lets out an adorable "eep!" and jumps forward, turning around so fast that she almost falls over. I can't help but laugh a little at such a grand paformance. The mare only glares at me while I laugh, speaking once I finished.

"And what would you be doing in the middle of the Everfree forest at night?" She askes. Not nearly as hostile as I thought she would, but more curious, almost hopeful.

"I could ask you the same. Sculking about like you were." I retort with a small smile.

"I was not sculking!" She says defensively. "I was... looking for somepony." She adds after a slight pause.

"So I gathered. Who are you looking for?" I ask in a innocent tone.

"I... don't think you've heard of them..." She says slowly.

"I don't know about that. I may not look it, but I've been around for a while. I know a lot of ponies." 134 years, to be exact. Like I said, unageing does wonders for life expetancy.

"Well..." She sighes, "Who am I kidding? You wouldn;t believe me even if I told you."

"Well, truth is stranger than fiction, as they say miss...?" I prompt for her.

"Twilight Sparkle. And you are?" She asks as well.

"My name isn't important." I offer her a grin.

"And why is that?" She asks while backing up a few paces. I see her muscles tense up while she does. Perfect.

"Even if I told you, it wouldn't matter much, seeing as how you are going to be dead in a moment." I let my fangs gleam in the moonlight once I finish my sentance. Realization spreads across her face once my fangs are expossed. She begins to shake, if only slightly, as I amble slowly over to her. "Hmm. This is usually the part when ponies r-" Something hits me in the head. '"Ow! What was that?" I look down to see a clove of garlic rolling around in the dirt. I look back up at Twilight, "Did you throw that at me?!"

Twilight only nods sheepishly in response, her saddlebag now open. Turns out, she has a lot more garlic where that came from.

"Really? That doesn't even do anything to a vampire! Why would you..." I trail off as I remember that she would have no way of knowing. Because the Warlocks had been the victors in our war, they wrote the books on how to fight us. And there was that ONE pony that was alergic to garlic...

"But... it's supposed to cause weakness in vampires..." Twilight says, mostly to herself.

"No, no. That was just one, and he was alergic. Hypotheticly, the only thing that would weaken a vampire would be something like a spell of paralisis or-" My mouth decides to stop working at that point. So does my legs as I fall sideways, all the while wondering what was going on. 'Why am I...' I remember saying something about a paralisis spell. To a unicorn. 'Right...' If I had been able to, I would have kicked myself for being so cocky.

Meanwhile, Twilight is literaly jumping up and down in joy, squeeing like a schoolfilly. "YES! I got one! A real vampire! Princess Luna will be so proud!" Twilight said while I notice I'm being lifted up in a soft lavender glow. Why would Princess Luna be happy with her? The crown stoped offering a reward for vampires decades ago. As Twilight carries me through the forest, I ponder on why the Princess would be so delighted with her. Then that nagging voice comes back, only much louder this time. 'Wait... that Cutie Mark...' I remember where I saw it before. It was a few years ago when Twilight Sparkle was announced as Luna's student. Everypony was talking about it, at the time.

'And now you're here prisoner.' Goddesses above, help me.

Wait a sec...

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