Vapurism has come to Equestria and its up to a retired dragonborn to save another dimension from destruction
Vampires!
Creatures once thought to be fairy tales even amongst the legends of Equestria, have made their way into Equestria through the form of a infectious disease. With a new disease in circulation and two ponies infected, Princess Twilight Sparkle has no idea what to do. Meanwhile, the dragonborn has his own problems. Being retired and trying to raise a family, Jobesi doesn't want to come out of retirement, and doesn't hide his attitude towards the ponies. While his temper and disposition about her home annoy Twilight, his mind may hold the secrets to defeating the vampires and finding the cure. But if they don't learn to get along and work together... Its their neck
“Come on Twilight! Three lap race, move it!” shouted Rainbow Dash. The duo were on a race track on Twilight’s, or Princess Twilight’s, first speed trial. After weeks of grueling flight training, it was finally time to see just how fast Twilight could go. Dash was sporting her coach cap and whistle, hovering in place while Twilight got into position.
Newly inducted (and currently tired) Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped onto the starting line, her eyes full of determination. The purple princess crouched down on her hooves, raising her wings, ready to go at a moment’s notice. After training for so long, she was definitely ready to see what she could do.
Dash blew her whistle. “Alright Twi! You're gonna fly just as we practiced! Are you ready?” she shouted at the unicorn. Twilight simply nodded her head, trying to keep her focus. Dash raised her hoof. “Alright. Three...Two...One...GO!” She yelled, blowing her whistle.
Twilight launched forward beating her wings once with all she had... And immediately tripped onto her face.
“Ow,” Twilight groaned into the dirt.
Dash sighed and hovered over Twilight. “Come on Twi. Get up, its only three laps,” she encouraged.
Twilight got to her hooves and materialized a hairbrush, holding it with her violet glow. “Dash, we’ve been at it since this morning, can't we take a break?” Twilight pleaded, brushing the dirt out her hair.
Dash shook her head. “Come on Twi, what we’ve done so far is just a warm up. After this trial, you still have to do forty more wing push-ups, twenty speed races and my personal favorite; the trick race!” Dash shouted, flying around Twilight in circles while doing barrel rolls.
Twilight’s muscles tensed at the mention of the trick race. Dash had been this “enthusiastic” during all of their training sessions. While all the exercises had taught Twilight how to control her wings and fly a few meters without crashing, Dash’s want for speed was starting to wane on her. Twilight rubbed her aching muscles. “Seriously Dash, I’m starting to get cramps,” she whined, dematerializing the brush. “Just one break?”
Dash waved her hoof dismissively. “Oh, just walk it off. You're starting to sound like Rar-,” Dash started, but immediately stopped when she saw a dark object in the sky. Dash blocked the glare of sun with her hoof. “What is that?” she asked Twilight.
Twilight shifted her position next to Dash and materialized a telescope. She brought it up to her eye and zoomed in on the object. “I don't know. It kind of looks like a ball of cloth,” Twilight guessed curiously. Zooming in further, she noticed that the object was coming toward her and Dash, fast. “But its coming straight for us!” Twilight shouted, panicked.
“Pff,” Dash scoffed. “I’ll stop it in twenty seconds flat,” she boasted before flapping her wings once, speeding off so fast that her hat and whistle were still in hanging in the air. Dash flew toward the UFO at top speed, ignoring its velocity. As she rapidly got closer, she could start to make out a pair of white wings sticking out of the cloth, which she concluded was a cloak. Must be a pegasus. Whoever he is, he’s coming in rough. She thought as she got in the opposing pegasus’s flight path, ready to catch the speeding flyer.
The glint of eyes flashed from under the pegasus's hood at the sight of Dash and started to frantically flap his wings to stop, but he still slammed into Dash. The two tumbled in the air a few seconds before separating. Dash stared at the cloaked pegasi. “Whoa, are you okay?” She asked, worried. Dash had never seen anypony come in that rough.
The figure let out a feminine chuckle. “Haven't seen that face in a few months,” she said hoarsely.
Dash recognized that voice and scowled at the memory attached to it. “Gilda?” She asked with angry uncertainty.
Gilda lowered her hood, showing Dash her smug smile. “Nice to see you too, dweeb,” she croaked.
Dash would have returned the insult but noticed the condition Gilda was in. The feathers on her neck were blotched with black spots, her purple feathers on her head disheveled and uneven. All of her head feathers stuck close to her neck and face, her amber eyes bloodshot and sickly.
“Gilda...You look sick,” Dash said bluntly.
Gilda rolled her sickly eyes. “Yeah, no duh dweeb. Trust me, I wouldn't be back here if it wasn't-,”Gilda started coughing frantically, holding her stomach, her wings faltering .
you?!” Dash shouted, suddenly noticing the feathers falling from Gilda’s wings. “Oh my Dash caught Gilda by her hood and let her level with her own height. “Gilda what's wrong with gosh you’re molting!”
Gilda took a shaking breath. “I...need to see that princess dweeb, Twilight. I need to see her now,” she demanded.
Dash shook her head. “You need to tell me what's going on. What's wrong with you and why do you look so sick?”
Gilda’s body started shaking as her wings struggled to keep her in the air. “I... Don't... Know,” she croaked before falling into Dash’s arms.
“Oh my gosh,” Rainbow shrieked, catching her former friend. Rainbow caught Gilda by her hood, and was struggling to maintain their altitude. Sweat poured off her brow as she strained to lower herself and her cargo to the ground safely while struggling to hold Gilda’s hood in both of her hooves.. “Just hold on, feather-brain. I gotcha.”
Just as Dash lowered Gilda to the ground, Twilight came running. “I saw all of that through the scope! What happened?!” She shouted.
Dash wiped a bead of sweat off her brow and heaved the clammy gryphon onto her back. “Gilda’s sick! I don't know what's wrong with her,” she said frantically, turning herself for Twilight to see. Twilight quickly moved closer to them and extended her magic onto the sickly gryphon. As a wave of energy similar to a scanner extended onto Gilda’s body, Gilda moaned in pain, her entire body shaking as if she was cold.
Twilight’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “We need to get her to my lab, now,” Twilight ordered bluntly. Rainbow stared at Twilight skeptically before Twilight’s horn enveloped them in a purple field of energy. In a brilliant flash both mares and the sickly gryphon were in Twilight’s lab. Twilight quickly materialized a hospital bed and just as quickly levitated Gilda onto it.
Rainbow Dash watched Twilight’s movements in awe as she made numerous pieces of hospital equipment appear. Heartbeat monitors, life support machines; all the things that you’d find in an emergency room appeared in seconds. Since becoming the princess of magic, Twilight’s already amazing power had grown exponentially, and Dash had noticed. Twilight conjured up little things like brushes and pen-quills from time to time, but to see her make machines out of thin air was something to behold. But thats not why Rainbow Dash was surprised...
“Twilight, why aren't we at a hospital?!” Dash shouted.
Twilight placed a set of pads with wires attached to Gilda’s chest. The wires were attached to the heartbeat monitor next to the right of Gilda’s bed. Twilight sighed and materialized a clipboard and pen-quill. She looked to Dash with uncertainty in her eyes. “Dash, we can't go to a hospital yet,” she replied, jotting down some notes as she examined Gilda; from her featherless wings to her twitching talons. “Patient has contracted a currently...Unknown disease,” she noted with a shutter. “Wings have molted down to the skin. Spots similar to chicken-pox have appeared on her neck. Temperature is over a hundred and two and rising rapidly,-”
Rainbow questioningly. "And why not?"
Twilight stopped taking notes and slipped on an antibacterial mask from a nearby drawer. "I hate to admit it, but I don't know what she has. And as much as she needs a hospital, we can't have her spreading an unknown disease. I'm going to go upstairs and grab some books on diseases. You stay here and monitor her," Twilight ordered, materializing another mask. "Also, put this on, it'll keep you from catching whatever she has. Just take her temperature and write it down, along with any other changes, okay?"
Dash hovered in the air and slipped on the mask with her hooves. Whatever could bring down one of the toughest flyers she's known, she didn't want to catch. Twilight vanished in a flash, leaving Rainbow Dash with a very sick gryphon. Dash stepped closer to the patient, noticing Gilda's shivering. Dash gently patted Gilda's forehead and felt an amazing heat come from the spot. Gilda was burning up fast.
"Wow, you're burning up! Geez Gilda, what did you catch?" She asked her.
Gilda responded by seizing her body, all of her muscles randomly spasming. Grunts came out of her beak emphasizing her pain and giving Rainbow Dash even more reason to call for help.
Dash's eyes went wide as she watched her friend convulse in pain. "Twilight?!" She shouted to the ceiling. "Twilight I need you now!" The heartbeat monitor was going crazy, wires and pads were swinging everywhere. Dash shuffled on her hooves trying to think of what to do.
Twilight reappeared in bright flash, carrying a dozen books in her purple grasp. "What's wrong Dash? I think I've found the-," Twilight stopped when she saw Gilda spasming on her hospital bed . Twilight rushed over in a beat of her wings. "What happened?!" She shrieked.
Rainbow shook her head frantically. “I don't know! I just took her temperature and she started doing this!” Gilda’s beak started to foam, her ragged grunts becoming wet gurgles. Dash already knew the only thing she could do is hope that the seizure would stop soon.
The monitor suddenly flatlined, Gilda’s body falling still. Dash’s eyes watered at the sight of her friend. Twilight was completely stunned, not knowing what to do. Then as quickly as the noise and sadness came, Gilda took a deep breath, sitting straight up in the bed. “What...What happened?” She asked breathlessly.
“What?“ Twilight asked, stunned.
Dash didn’t share Twilight’s surprise and rushed to Gilda in a tight hug. “I thought you were a goner!” she said, hugging even tighter. Dash abruptly pulled away. “Ahem. I mean, of course you're okay. Never doubted it.” Gilda huffed rolled her eyes, but soon returned the gesture.
Twilight trotted around Gilda and Dash, staring at Gilda in stunned silence. “How is this even possible?! Your heartbeat stopped! The monitor isn’t even beeping!” she shouted, waving her hooves at the machine. Twilight abruptly noticed Gilda’s eyes. Instead of the proud amber they were not a few minutes ago, they were now a dark, glowing crimson, staring hungrily at Dash’s neck. “Dash, get away from her,” Twilight whispered to her friend.
Dash looked at Twilight as if she crazy. “What are you talking about, Twilight?” Dash questioned, not even noticing Gilda’s open beak. Before Twilight could utter another word, Gilda clamped down on Dash in a vice. Dash shrieked in surprise as Gilda slowly chewed at her neck. Thinking quickly, Twilight shot out a beam of magic at Gilda, knocking her off of the bed and releasing her grip on Dash.
Dash fell to the ground, clutching her neck. “What the buck is wrong with you?!” she screamed at the gryphon.
Gilda got back to her paws, smiling. “I don't know dweeb, but you and the Princess over there are looking tasty,” she said, hungrily. Without warning, Gilda rushed at the downed pegasus, letting out an eagle-like screech.
Twilight dashed toward her friend, putting up a domed shield around them both. Gilda smacked into the shield beak-first and bounced off, sprawling on the floor. Shaking her head, Gilda got back up and started banging on the dome. “Come on dweebs! Give me another taste!” She shouted at the fearful duo. With each knock on the field, a crack appeared, urging Twilight to put all her focus into maintaining the shield.
Dash rocked back and forth, gripping her wound. “What's wrong with her, Twilight?” she groaned.
Twilight flinched from another hit to the shield. “I don't know Dash, but I’m ending this now,” she groaned, her horn glowing a bright violet. In a single movement, the shield around them spread to both sides of the room, slowly surrounding Gilda until encasing her in a bubble.
Gilda punched at the shield, recoiling at its new strength. “Let me out of here, dweebs! Give me your juice!”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “She’s restrained....for now. That was too close; we need to send a letter to Celestia!” she said while shaking her head. What could have caused Gilda to do that? She wondered
“Uh, Twilight?” Dash said hoarsely.
Twilight looked down to her friend, her smile fading as she noticed the bite marks on Dash’s neck turn black.
Across the mountains, over the hills and through the forests of Skyrim, a herd deer roam. The life of a deer is a simple one; you graze, you run, you graze some more and then you sleep. A deer can always be sure that it will find something to eat, it can always be sure it’ll always be sure it’ll have somewhere to sleep.
The deer can not however, be sure when a crossbow bolt is flying straight for its brainstem.
The deer in question slumped down to the ground, scaring the rest of the herd. Over a hill to the east over a mile away, a crossbow is set down on a table next to a half eaten sweet-roll. “Ah, perfect shot,” said a raspy middle eastern voice. The owner of the voice reclined in his deck chair, folding his hands and resting them on his lap. The man sighed and tipped his straw hat over his eyes, sighing in pure relaxation. While wearing simple wool shirt, pants and barefoot, how could he not be.
“Jo!” shouted a feminine voice from inside the door behind him. “Jobesi, get in here please!” she ordered calmly.
Jobesi let out a lion-like growl and threw off his hat. “What is it woman?! Jobesi is hunting dinner!” He yelled back.
An arrow went straight through the wall and right between Jo’s feline ears. “And if husband doesn't get in here, Wife is going to make new holes in his head!”
Jobesi groaned and got out of his chair, taking one more glance at the forest wilderness just beyond his deck. Jo opened the door, only for a hand to clamp over one of his ears. “Ah!” He hissed. “What did I do?!” He whined.
The woman holding Jobesi’s ear was a few inches shorter than him, barely reaching his chest. Caramel skin glistened with sweat. Dark brown hair fell down to her shoulders, framing her face perfectly. She looked like any regular elven wife, wearing a simple house dress covered by a red apron. Her angry bright amber feline eyes said otherwise. “What is husband staring at?” She hissed, tilting her head.
Jobesi raised his hands defensively, not noticing how long he had been staring. “What is Darmia talking about? Jobesi is only admiring how... Angry she is,” he whimpered.
Darmia’s expression did not change. “Come with me,” she ordered, leading him down the stairs by his ear.
Jobesi’s house was like something out of a magazine. The wooden stairs and balcony they were on lead down to a grand dining hall. A long dinner table stretched in front of a fireplace, a deer’s stuffed head adorning the mantle. An identical staircase on the opposite side of the room stood above a set of doors that led to the kitchen Darmia was taking her husband to.
Inside the room was a domed stone stove coming from the left wall next to a wide wooden cabinet. On the floor was a mess of flour, unevenly chopped vegetables and a clear liquid that Jobesi suspected was melted moon sugar. The mess encompassed most of the floor and at the center of the chaos was pair of feline ears jutting from a pile of flour. “Uh...Oops,” the pile said innocently.
Darmia's grip loosened, allowing Jo to grab his own ears. "What happened?!"
The ears in the pile flattened, shifting away the mountain of flour to reveal the form of a little girl. To any human's eyes, she was about ten years old. Caramel skin like her mother's was covered in flour. Bright moon white eyes similar to her father's stared down at the mess.
Jo was nearing his temper. "Little one," he said, trying as hard as he could to keep his voice level. "Please explain to Papa what happened here.”
Knowing how bad her father’s temper could get, the girl struggled to get her words out. "I-I was trying to m-make moon bread. I chopped up all the veggies a-and then I tried to get some flour from the top shelf. A-And then the whole bag fell and- and," she trailed off as her father got closer, menacing look in his eye. When he stopped in front of her, she closed her eyes tight, in fear of being yelled at but instead got a gentle pat on her head.
Jobesi chuckled. "Help Papa clean this mess and you can go out and play," he said calmly. The little one smiled with relief but felt her father gently pinched her ear. "But if you ever try baking without Mama or Papa again Rinta, it'll be the training room for days," he warned.
Rinta smiled nervously and got to her feet, brushing the flour off her dress and immediately going for the broom behind her.
Jo let out a sigh as he went back to his wife. "Is this normal for all Ohme children? Doing whatever the hell they want and screwing the consequences?" He asked his wife.
Darmia glared at her husband. "This is how all khajiit children act. Haven't you ever been to the homelands?" She asked.
Jo bent backward and cracked his back. "Jobesi wouldn't know, he was born in Cyrodiil and you know that," he reminded. Jo smacked his gums. "Jobesi needs a drink," he announced going out the door and to the right.
Darmia sped after him. "Why is it that ever since you went into that retirement, all you do is shoot deer and drink all day?" She asked harshly as Jo opened a small door in the floor.
Jo stared at her and put his hand on his chest as if she had insulted him. “Jobesi does not shoot deer all day!” He retorted, insulted. Jo sometimes take our daughter horse riding, training and I also invent things, thank you very much," he said matter of factly, continuing his descent into the basement.
Darmia shook her head. "Oh you mean the same experiments I keep seeing around the house?" She hissed down the hole, picking up a stray potion bottle.
"Okay so you want me to pick up more, is that what Wife wants?" He asked carrying up a pair of blue bottles.
Darmia shook her head again. “Thats not at all what I’m saying,” she whined, blocking Jo’s way, glaring into his eyes angrily.
Jo’s eyebrow immediately went up. “Then what does Darmia want?” He asked glaring back.
Rinta skipped out the kitchen just in time to see her parents in the glaring contest. “Uh... Mama Papa, Rinta has cleaned up her mess!” she announced, hoping to get her parent’s attention. They continued glaring at each other a few more seconds before turning away with a huff. Jo looked back to his daughter, spotting her uneasiness about him and her mother. Jo looked down to his pair of wine bottles he was going to share and thought of a remedy for the situation.
With a grin, he shoved the bottles playfully into Darmia's arms. "Hold these," he said as he rush at his daughter with amazing speed. Rinta thought he was going to collide with her and shut her eyes tight, but instead he scooped her up by her legs. "Come family, Papa demands we all go to the deck!" He shouted jogging up the stairs. Watching her husband and daughter go up the stairs both in giggling fit, she frowned and set down a bottle before joining them.
Jo set Rinta on his former hunting chair and waited on Darmia. Shoving off the crossbow, Darmia took a seat across the small table from her daughter and set the bottles down. “What are we doing out here Jo?” She asked, annoyed.
Jo smiled and snapped his fingers. “First give Husband bottle,” he demanded.
With roll of her eye, Darmia lazily tossed him a single bottle. Jo caught it and used a claw to pop the cork. Excitement shown in his eyes, an excitement Darmia only saw went Jo was about to do magic. Darmia sighed. “Husband come now, is this another magic show? Lets go back inside, we’ve seen all your tricks,” she whined.
Jo shook his head as if he was disappointed. “Really now? You expect so little of the Dragon Born? Rinta, your mother is not to first to doubt me and sure won't be the last,” he quipped, opening the bottle. In a showfull swig, Jo filled his cheeks with his homemade drink. He held up his right hand and concentrated a bit of his will into his palm. His hand lit ablaze, the flame curling up into a ball.
Any normal person would either run in fear or stare in wonderment at this feat, but as this was Tamriel and Darmia’s hundredth time seeing the spell, she sat still with her arms crossed. Rinta however sat forward in interest. Jo held the flame close to his face, almost an inch away before letting loose the alcohol in his cheeks. The alcoholic drink combined with the magical flames and flowed into a liquid-like geyser of fire.
Rinta clapped in delight but Darmia’s attention was grabbed when fire started to curve like a stream of water into the air.
As the last of the drink came out of his mouth, Jobesi waved his hands above his head in continuous, fluid motion, moving the stream of fire with them. He smiled smugly at his wife. “Papa bets you’ve never seen anything like this before?”
Darmia’s jaw wanted to hit the ground. “Jobesi...How did you learn to do this?!” She yelled, waving at the flames flowing like water.
Jo held up a single hand and somehow kept the stream of fire stable and in the air. He cupped his ear as if he was hard of hearing. “Jobesi is sorry, what was that? He thinks it was the sound of Wife who had “seen all of Jobesi’s tricks” being amazed,” he quipped as continued the flow of fire above him.
Rinta giggled even harder as the fire danced. “Where did you learn to do that Papa?”
Jo stretch out his other hand, focusing more will into it to create a ball of lightning. He grinned and thrusted the lightning into the air, it collided with the flow of fire, creating a lighting funnel over the flames. “Same place I learn to do that my dear, in a book,” he hinted, winking. Jo was going to tell the whole story, but he caught himself. Something was in the air. A familiar smell. Sulfur, bile, and weird enough, sadness.
Rinta sniffed at the air. “Bleh. What's that smell papa?”
Jo tried to keep the spell going but was quickly losing focus. He stared up at the sky and snarled. “Trouble.”
Suddenly all the happiness from the show drained from the deck. The formerly clear sky above turned cloudy. The clouds themselves twisted into a dark purple. Jo stopped what he doing and stared up into the blackening clouds. The storm of magic that Jo was making quickly lost control and spinned out of control into a nearby tree, turning the whole pine tree to ash. A small hole appeared in the sky, quickly spreading into a gaping wound in the horizon.
“Darmia, get Rinta in the house,” Jo ordered sternly.
“But Jo-,” Darmia tried to argue but Jo abruptly pointed a finger to the door.
“I said get her in the house!” He snarled. Darmia wanted to argue but quickly grabbed her scared child by her waist and carried her inside. Jobesi stared up into the sky, waiting for whatever monster to appear. He might be only dressed in cotton clothing, but he absolutely ready for anything to come his way.
The hole in the sky peered into a blackened land full of burned trees and people of all races constantly being whipped by horned humanoid beasts. Finally, a face appeared in the opening of the portal, Jo recognizing it quickly. “Ah, lord Molag Bal,” he snarled into the sky, spitting the deadric lord’s name. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Due to him having no lips, Molag Bal could not smile, but if he could, he would have.“Dragonborn Jobesi Rhaja,” his deep terrifying voice thundered. Jobesi didn't even flinch. “Champion of my court, I call upon you for a service,” the daedric lord demanded.
Jo casually grabbed the remaining bottle off the table and popped it open. “Now there is where Jobesi needs to stop you lord Molag Bal,” Jo interrupted, taking a swig from bottle. “I already told you and the rest of the princes or princesses or whatever, that I was retired. And you all agreed to leave me be!”
The sky rumble, signaling Molag’s anger. “That agreement was with the rest of the lords who foolishly took that deal. I am the lord of domination and your soul belongs me!” He growled, pointing a gnarled hand out of the portal. “You are my property and you have the privilege of being called a “champion”!”
Jobesi’s ears flattened against his head. Not in fear, but in anger. Ever since declaring his retirement from action of any kind, everyone; from guild leaders he left in charge to daedric lords had never stopped asking for his help. Every single time they would get the same answer. “Well then. let me be very clear Molag; I don't care what dirty work you have for me and I’m not coming out of retirement for an old god like you!” He shouted into the sky. Jobesi focused his will into making the bottle float ing his hand. With the strength of a hundred men, he propelled the bottle straight into Molag Bag’s face.
Molag barely felt the bottle shatter against his face, but still, his anger flourished. Molag Bal roared into the ground below, his voice itself creating a tornado of pure magic at that tore straight into the ground, drilling into the earth. Jobesi wondered where it went but Molag Bal called his attention again.
“Find the source of my gift in the land of peace foolish cat and see to it that this mess is cleaned!” Molag Bal roared, holding his hand over Jo’s house.
Jo stared at the prince in confusion, but felt a rumbling below him. He looked over the deck railing. “WHAT IN THE GREAT MOONS?!” He shouted as he stared at the ground under his house was lifted up. The tornado that Molag Bal had released had torn its way under Jo’s house, carrying it into the newly opened portal to an unknown, yet colorful world.
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.
