//------------------------------// // Satin Falls // Story: Sanguinem // by BIGBLACKINTOSH //------------------------------// The chaotic sounds of hospital ponies filled the hallways of Ponyville hospital. Among the clicks of clipboards and the beeping of life support, was the often annoying sound of snoring. Nurse Redheart trotted by the room where the offending sound was coming from. Curious, she peered inside. Rainbow Dash laid spread across the hospital bed, her tongue hanging out and snoring like a bear. The scene would have been more comedic if not for the giant patch on her neck. Twilight sat next to Rainbow's bed, along with her mentor and fellow princess, Celestia. The elder princess patted her former student's back softy. "Please Twilight, don't blame yourself,” she consoled. Twilight sniffed and wiped away a tear. "How can I?" She struggled to say. "Dash wouldn't be in this bed if I had contacted you first,” she sobbed. Celestia gently patted Twilight’s shoulder. “It’s alright Twilight. Rainbow Dash is sedated and is stable for the moment. You were trying to protect others from an unknown disease. I understand that. But after so long with friends, I thought you’d know you can't do things on your own,” she said, disappointed. Twilight wiped away her tears and nodded. “I know,” she silently agreed. Twilight took a deep breath, and calmed herself. She needed to focus on getting Rainbow Dash better and that started with finding out where Gilda got this disease. “But now we have a chance to see if Gilda knows where she got this disease.” The two princesses exited Dash’s room and entered the next one. Inside, Gilda was strapped tightly to her hospital bed behind a magical barrier, struggling against her bonds. Two guards stood in front of the barrier, their bodies going stiff as soon as Celestia and Twilight entered the room. Twilight blushed, unused to the treatment. “Um, at ease you two,” she ordered nervously. She cleared her throat and walked closer to the shield. “Has she said anything yet?” “She was screaming about sap earlier but we were under strict orders to stay away from her,” The guard to the right reported sternly. “She eventually tired herself out. Hasn't said a word since.” Twilight nodded. When transferring Gilda and Dash to the hospital, Gilda did not stop demanding sap, ‘Sap’ being blood as she remembered. Twilight gave both guards a nod. “I’m going in there. Be ready to sedate her again,” she ordered, touching the shield with her horn. From the spot where her horn made contact, a hole in the shield spread until it was big enough for a pony. “Careful my student,” Celestia warned as Twilight and both of the guards went into the barrier. Gilda was strapped tightly to the bed’s binds, her claws and feet connected through a single chain. The trunk of the half of her body was strapped tightly to the bed frame. Her new red eyes tracked Twilight and her guards approaching her bed. Twilight shook her head and materialized a note-pad. “No Gilda, but I do have some questions,” she said as calmly as she could. “Question one: Why did you attack Rainbow Dash?” Gilda’s claw twitched slightly. “I smelled it on her. The sap. I- I heard it, screaming at me. I needed it, I needed it so bad,” she replied, her voice shaking. Twilight marked down her answer. “Question two: What is the ‘sap’ ?” Gilda’s feline paws twitched that time. “The sap is what I need, dweeb!” She shouted, trying to move. A guard tried to move towards Gilda but was stopped by Twilight’s wing.  “I can't give it to you if I don't know what it is, Gilda, help me,” Twilight pleaded. Gilda continued to hungrily stare at Twilight. “The sap. It-it looks like blood, smells like blood, but i-it isn't blood,” Gilda explained. “But the taste...Oh the taste,” she chanted, slowly rocking her body back and forth. “At first I thought it was disgusting. But then I started needing it, like right now. Give me your sap,” she shivered.  “You don't need all of it. Let me just take a drop.” Twilight shook her head, disappointed. “Where did you get this sap?” Gilda’s eyes were shut tight, trying to force out her answer. “Satin... Sap,” she managed to say before her eyes opened. Gilda’s mind was gone, all that remained were empty blood red globes looking for prey. All she could hear was the thumping of Twilight’s heart and the sap that she craved pumping through her veins. Gilda let out a ear tearing screech before ripping apart her chain linked bonds. Twilight put up a shield around her and her guards but was shattered by the pure might of Gilda’s blows. One of the guards attempted to tackle Gilda but instead gave her what she wanted. Gilda grabbed his helmet and ripped it off at his neck, smiling devilishly. Just before she could dig her beak into his neck, a golden aura wrapped around her entire body. Celestia threw Gilda against the wall with a cry. “You will not harm a soul in my presence!” she screamed, bounding Gilda’s limbs together one by one, resulting in looking as if she was in a straight jacket. She thrashed her head back and forth trying to move her body. “Give me sap! Feed me!” she roared over and over, growing quieter with each mantra. Twilight fawned over the helmetless guard, making sure he was okay. He shook his head in protest. “I am fine my princess. But that,” he hissed, pointing at Gilda. “Is a monster!” “Are you alright Twilight?” Celestia asked Twilight. Twilight stared at Gilda, shaking her head. “No, Princess Celestia. I’m so confused. And I have the feeling it’s only going to get worse,” she muttered ominously. Celestia nodded, understanding Twilight’s worry. “Unfortunately that is how it must be for now. I will have my honor guard and a team of doctors monitor Dash. For now go let the other elements know the situation,” she suggested. She then looked to Gilda, glaring at the pinned gryphon with malice. “You, in the meantime, are going to the Canterlot dungeons,” she hissed angrily, enveloping her, the guards and Gilda in a golden field, vanishing in an instant. Twilight sighed and picked herself up, dragging her hooves to the hospital door. Twilight turned right to Rainbow Dash’s room. She materialized her note pad and opened the door with her magic. Might as well take some last notes before I-. Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted with the thrashing  of bedsheets. Twilight looked up to see Rainbow flailing in her bed, throwing the sheets around her in a fit. “No! Get away from me! MOM!” She shouted, her eyes shut tight, kicking at the air desperately. Twilight quickly disabled the shield and glided to her friend. “Dash! Rainbow Dash, wake up!” She shouted into Dash’s ear. Twilight avoided a kick and noticed that Dash was sweating profusely. Despite Twilight’s plea, Rainbow Dash continued to thrash in the air as if she was fighting off a monster. Twilight tried to retrain Dash legs with magical bindings but couldn't get a grip on the terrified athlete. “No! Mom stop!” Rainbow wailed before sitting straight up. Her arms went slack, her entire body became stiff. The sounds that could be heard in the room was Rainbow’s rapid breaths. Twilight stared at her friend, recording her actions subconsciously. Is this a symptom of Gilda’s disease? They both sat there, still as stone for nearly ten minutes. Both mares were frightened beyond their wits, both not knowing what to do. Rainbow stared blankly at the dull green hospital wallpaper as she spoke. “They tried to eat me,” she said blankly. Twilight raised an eyebrow curiously. “Who tried to eat you?” She asked, concern making her speak slowly. “My mom... My dad... We were playing hide and seek. I hid behind the couch,” Rainbow explained, her voice became heavier, tears started pouring from her eyes. “When I looked to see if they were coming,” she sobbed. “Their throats had been ripped out Twi. They were zombies and they tried to eat me,” she bawled into her hooves. Twilight stopped taking mental notes and softly patted Rainbow’s back. “Its okay Rainbow. It was just a dream,” Twilight consoled. As she brought her hoof back to the floor, she noted that Rainbow’s skin was getting clammy, her breaths were getting shorter. Twilight stopped making mental notes and went back to consoling her friend. Rainbow’s frightened half to death and I’m taking notes,. She berated herself. Rainbow wiped away her tears and puffed up her chest, returned to her tough-girl demeanor. “So, did Gilda say why she bit me?” She asked as if her crying session never happened. Twilight smiled and materialized her note pad, flipping through her gathered comments. “Okay, so from what I’ve gathered so far, Gilda is under the influence of a substance she calls ‘satin sap’. She said that she smelled it on you when she attacked,” Twilight explained. “Okay, but why would she bite me? She knows I’m not made of syrup,” Dash said, staring at her arm. Twilight face-hoofed. “The sap is your blood Dash,” she groaned. Dash thought about what she had said and face-hoofed herself. “So what did she want with my blood? It can't taste that good.” “I think it has to do with the “sap” she was talking about. It was the only thing she had on her mind when I spoke to her. And I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think her wanting it increased her strength,” Twilight theorized, looking at her notes on Gilda’s behaviour. “Is that how she could break through your super strong shields?” “I don’t know.” Twilight huffed in frustration. “Ponies, or gryphons, shouldn't be this strong! I mean, she was dead not a few hours ago, you saw that,” Twilight shouted to the ceiling. “So...What does that mean for me?” Rainbow asked, rubbing the patch on her neck. “I mean, I got the Equestria game tryouts this week Twi!” Dash pleaded. Twilight stared at the patch with a curiosity and fear. “I’m sorry to say it Dash, I really am. But with that bite, we can't let you commute with other ponies outside of this room.” Gilda’s sudden transformation from a corspe to blood seeking fiend, crept into her mind. The thought of Rainbow dashing from pony to pony in search of blood as sustenance made her skin crawl. “Ugh,” Twilight groaned. “I’m getting annoyed of saying it, but this is a new disease that we know nothing about and if we can't find a cure...” Twilight let the thought hang in the air. Rainbow stared down at her hooves. “I’ll end up like Gilda,” she quickly figured. Twilight rested a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I promise Rainbow, I won't let that happen to you,” she said fiercely. What this disease was, she was not going to let it take her friend. Rainbow perked up and shook off Twilight’s hoof, giving the princess a playful shove. “Like I got any doubt Princess Egghead.” Without warning, a cracking noise filled the air. Twilight peered out of the window behind her and saw that the sky above Ponyville had turned a shade darker than her hair. “Starswirl’s beard,” she whispered. “What in the world is happening?” The room door slammed open and Spike skidded to a stop in front of Twilight, breathing heavily. “Twilight!” He huffed. “Have you seen the-,” he stopped as he raised his head, noticing both Twilight and Rainbow Dash were staring out of the window. “Never mind.” The dark cloud over the Ponyville spread across the sky, engulfing the entire atmosphere. With the sky boiling and ponies going absolutely nuts, Twilight could only assume one thing. “DISCORD!”   Discord suddenly appeared next to Twilight. “You called?” He asked in a whimsical tone. The draconis towered over Twilight, probably because he was floating on his back. He picked his teeth and noticed he and Twilight weren't alone. “Oh hello, Spike, Rainbow Dash,” he greeted “Feeling a bit under the weather?” He asked Rainbow Dash, to which she scowled back. Rainbow shivered, briefly remembering her nightmare. “Y-You could say that.” Twilight scowled at him and engulfed his exposed tooth in her purple aura and turned Discord towards the window. His normal sly smile slowly melted away at the sight of the sky. “That is a lot of chaos... Not my fault!” He claimed, materializing a bucket of popcorn. Twilight stomped her hoof. “The sky is purple, ponies are panicking, this screams chaos!” Discord scoffed and a paw to his chest. “Twilight, I’m insulted! You know that tone of behaviour is behind me. And besides, this is a  whole other tone of chaos all together,” He explained, munching on a handful of popcorn. Rainbow let out a hacking cough. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” She asked when she stopped. Discord munched on another handful of popcorn. “My dear, it means that this is in a whole other league than me sorry to say. But honestly, stormy purple? Please. It would have started raining sprinkles and chocolate milk before I turned the sky purple,” he reminded Dash. Twilight was going to comment on discord behavior but suddenly, ringing filled her ears. Her floppy ears perked up, something made her fur stand on end. The same was happening to her friends. Spike was anxiously biting his claws, Rainbow was shivering as if the room had dropped a few degrees.  What is-, she thought before the sound of lightning drew everyone’s attention. In the horizon, towards Cloudsdale, a hole opened in the sky. The ground started shaking under Twilight, almost knocking her down. “What the-,” Twilight attempted to say. A rumbling earthquake shook through the land, shaking everyone in Ponyville  to the ground. From the Carousel boutique to the trees of Sweet Apple Acres, the earth shook, knocking down everything in its wake. Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike fell to the ground, Twilight and Rainbow landing in a heap.  As they struggled to get up, Discord sat in the air, munching on his popcorn. “Having fun down there?” He laughed maniacally. Discord’s laugh abruptly stopped laughing as the sucking sound of the hole in the distance closing. Twilight got to hooves just in time to see the hole in the sky close and the earthquake stop with it. Twilight stared at the sky, shocked and confused. Spike grunted under Rainbow who was still too weak to get up.. “Ugh. What was that Twilight?” he asked “That was portal Spike and I think I saw something like it before,” Twilight pondered. Dash’s eyes opened wide, “The mirror!” She shouted on astonishment. Everyone in the room stared at her. Dash shrugged. “What? I can be smart too. Remember when you went to the human world Twi? The mirror made the same colors when you went through it. Maybe its the same kind of umm...” “Energy!” Twilight shouted. “Its extra-dimensional energy! That means that...” Twilight stopped her excited smile slowly turning into a look of worry. Spike tugged at her tail. “What's wrong Twi? What does that mean?” Twilight stared at the sky, trying not to show her friends her fear. Her fear of the impossibly powerful being that could have opened the portal. And even worse, what it could have sent through. *** About this time in Rainbow Falls, ponies would be buzzing like bees. The chaos of the Equestria Games try out ran high in the small town. Competitors coming in from all over Equestria would be coming into the small town, either to train early and get an edge, or just be first and enjoy the solitude. That was not the case for Rita. After showing up really early for the Equestria games tryouts, she thought she could just sit back and relax like her partners, Phobos and Tashi. The gryphon team was looking at a relaxing two week head start before the rest of competing teams. That was before a house dropped on top their hotel of course. Just before this happened, the gryphon team could be found on the green that would soon to be equestria games try-out grounds. Lounging on the green, the three gryphons stared at the sky blankly. Not one of the felines showed a tangible emotion, but within their eyes, they were swimming in pleasure. In their mind’s eye, they were acting out their wildest dreams. The white furred gryphon, Tashi, was zooming through the clouds wearing the first place medal for the Equestria games.  The big brown brute, Phobos, was chewing his way through a literal mountain of burritos. Don't ask, Phobos is weird... But Rita’s dream was different. She was sitting at grand banquet table. The table was filled with her favorite dishes, the chairs filled with her teammates, friends, family. All of them were hooping and hollering at her, thanking her for her service for the gryphon kingdom in the Equestria games.At the head of the table, a figure she didn't reconized hose up for a toast. “To Rita! Your country thanks you,” he said smoothly, his voice like butter on her ears. Rita’s white feathers showed a deep blush, she couldn't believe the attention  she was getting, but she knew that she deserved it all. Picking up a fork, Rita picked up her entire pound steak and took a huge bite out of it. That was when her dream went south. As she went in for another bite, she stopped and just stared at the steak in disbelief. What was once tender meat was now formation of maggots. As the larva squirmed, Rita felt something in her stomach wiggle and justly threw it up onto her plate, along with her fork full of larva. Rita raised her head to see everything had turned into a nightmare. Her friends and family had turned into skeletal husks, the food had changed into piles of various filth. Rita screamed and before she could run, the was grabbed from behind by what used to be her mother and father. “You waste what we give you and spit it out like garbage!?” The husk to her right said. “Maybe she just wants more?” The husk to her left suggested, grabbing the plate she had been using. The right husk wrenched her beak open and the left tilted the plate full of vomit and maggots into her throat. Just as the filth entered her mouth, Rita awoke and launched off the ground, and right onto her feet. She felt... strange. Rita had never had a dream like that before and never had she ever been able to launch onto her paws like that. Heck her eyes weren't even fully open yet!   Rita heard a terrifying scream near her and opened her eyes to see Phobos holding a pony by her neck. His coat had grown a shade too pale to possibly be alive and his eyes were... Feral. As if he had gone several days without eating and had found his first meal. Tashi was nowhere in sight and the whole town was even more chaotic than when they started doing Sap. A smoke plume rose from the cliff above them. Rita wondered what the smoke could be but brought her attention back to the gargles of the pony in Phobos’s grip. The pony in his iron claw kicked and thrashed with all her might but could not even make Phobos flinch. Phobos brought the pony to eye level, rubbing his beak over the lime green pony’s neck. “Mmm, all the sap I could want, in one meal,”  he growled. The pony struggled harder. “Please... let... me go,” she gargled. If this was any other day, Rita would have jumped in to help someone in trouble, especially if it was her teammate threatening someone. But now, the only thing she felt was hungry. She smelled the Sap, the thing that made her and her friends feel so relaxed, on this pony. Rita wanted to tear that defenseless pony apart to get the magic drink inside her. Phobos’s eyes turned a bloody shade of red and his beak closed in on the pony’s neck. Rita’s beak watered in anticipation.                         Suddenly a flash of light engulfed her vision and Rita found herself on her back, her chest burning. Literally, there was a fire on her chest! “Ah! Put it out! Put it out!” she shouted rolling in the grass. Tried as she might, she couldn't put out the white flames. Rita thrashed on her back, slow losing herself in the pain. Rita had a small hope that Phobos would help her but his sight was on something else. In the shadow of the sunset  stood a figure. Something that looked like a skinny, bipedal manticore. “You will let the choking horse go right now, or you will burn like your friend, vampire,” it hissed.