//------------------------------//
// Through the Everfree Forest 
// Story: The Eternal Night Life. 
// by Midnight Starwriter 
//------------------------------//

As Firespark drags the knockout vampire through the woods hoping that anything won't attack her while she is doing this task. It's not easy, trying to be being aware of your surrounding and pulling a makeshift sled. The only thing that is helping her out in some way is the rain. By having the ground wet only made, pulling the sled a little bit easy. Firespark has to stop for a moment and look at what is happening in front of her. 

Snow was falling from the sky, and this was confusing the hell of her. Because she knows that the weather ponies, do not plan on having Winter to be coming in so soon. To her, she knows that there something else is at play trying to throw her off course. Firespark needs to proceed further to get out of this wicked forest. 

This Winter weather is just unnatural, but that's the nature of the Everfree forest. Firespark has been going through the woods for what seem like hours when she knows that Ponyville is not too far from the woods. She was getting tired and needed a break from putting this dead weight. Cold air is making harder for the mare to keep going. So she set up a campfire and check her surroundings just to be sure that nothing will be trying to eat them. Firespark has Fluttershy tied up just to make sure that she won't escape from her. The cold air is starting to make Firespark feel sleepy, but she knows if she did. There is no telling what might be at their hooves. The Sandman got better of her, and she starts to fall asleep, and she can no longer fight it. Her eyes begin to close, as she did this the last thing she sees is a tree moving closer to them, but she did think of it much and passed out.

Once Firespark did, Fluttershy wakes up after being knocked out. She looks around herself and notices the campfire, the snow, and a tree nearby, with apples hanging from it. She recognized the tree in front of her. This tree has the most delicious apples ever. Every time she has eaten one of these apples it only made feel younger, and every time she did. It disappears from her, just to get more. 

The apples hanging from the tree tempted her with its sweet aroma. She tries to move but she can't because she is bound to the sled. Fluttershy wanted those apples so badly she had to get herself out of the restraints and go for the apples. She began to chew way out of the ropes that are holding her down. Once she finally freed herself, and stretch herself out of being tied up for some hours. Fluttershy started to pick some of the apples from the tree. Once done with picking from the tree, it begins to vanish into thin air. She has gotten enough of them, she picked out a stick and began to roast some apples over the fire.

Firespark is barely waking up to Fluttershy's cooking of apples, and once she did. She gets up and then drawn her weapon out and looking at what Fluttershy is doing; then she just put it away.

"Evil Vampire what are you doing with that apple!?"

"Why I'm cooking it, silly hunter. Has nopony ever give you roasted apples. I don't have any condiments to add some flavor to these apples, but they'll taste fine on their own."
As she set there and rotating the apples, she had picked.

Firespark was confused by her actions and just sat across from the vampire not knowing what she is trying to pull.

"I just don't get it with you. You look like those bloodsuckers that I came across before, and here you are roasting apples. And not going around and trying to kill me!" 
She crosses her hooves, and she sets there.

Fluttershy looks at Firespark and tills her head a bit then looks at the apples and the back to her.

"Why would you think I'm one of those evil monsters. Actually, I'm a fruit vampire that prefers apples. I wouldn't dare try to harm a fellow pony. Have you already forget my story that I told to you? You're just like that one mare that I used to know. Also, I have a name, and it's Fluttershy, Hunter."

Firespark was taken back some by what she have just said to her.

"Well I lost some blood from being attacked by timberwolves, and I can all do is, focus on your movement. I barely pay attention to that sad story you made up. Because I only know one thing about vampires and they are evil. No matter how innocent they portray, themselves to be. By the way, my name is Firespark."
She looks away and crosses her arm.

"Well, Miss. Firespark you should learn that even if they're innocent or not. I still know who I am, and who I represent as an Element of Harmony. I'm not like those monsters you have fought before. But you are too quick to judge me like I was one. I've grown tired of these things, that you and others have been me calling by, a vampire, a monster, an evil being that only wants death for others. As for I, when coming across and meeting these evils things and then taking them down myself, shows that I'm not that weak. I know my place here."
As she takes a bite out of the apple and then looks back to Firespark.

Firespark wanted to continue arguing with Fluttershy; something made a noise in the bushes. They both know that it could be anything that wants to come and attack them. 

"Looks like our campfire get together is over here."
Firespark gets up and draws her weapon.

Fluttershy gets up and ready herself to fight whatever it might be rustling in those bushes. Finally, it jumped out from the bushes and attacked them head on. 

The beast was a manticore and is roaring loudly as it starts to swaps at them with its claws. Fluttershy uses the stare on the beast, and it starts to stop its attack on them. She starts to speak to the manticore. 

"Clam down you. Do you know who you are messing with?"
As she continues the stare on it.

The manticore sat down looking right at her like it is under her spell. Fluttershy came up to it with a smile on her face.

"Awww... Look at you. You're nothing more than just a juvenile aren't you? I bet you also hunger too? "
As she places a hoof on its chin and begins to scratching its chin.

"Purrr..."
The Manticore seems happy.

Fluttershy is petting the big manticore like a giant cat. Then something hit it with force and knocking it over. Fluttershy and Firespark are left in shock to what happened to the manticore. They noticed that some weird glowing light come struck down the beast. Then it finally got back up with its eyes glowing a crimson red. Fluttershy took a step back away from the manticore. 

The beast roar once again and this time it will not lesson to anything they say to it. Once they both find themselves fighting the monster, and they had no choice, but to face it. 

Firespark has her weapon ready to be used in this fight while Fluttershy had her hooves to use. They began to attack it with what they got. Fluttershy hit it with all of her might to the monster, but it just takes those hits and still going strong. Firespark uses her blade to attack the manticore to see if it does any effect to it. Once again it took the hit, but it was in pain this time by the assault, that Firespark did. 

The manticore swiped at one of them, but they are quick to get out of the way from its attacks. Fluttershy uses the stare on the manticore, and the effects have work in their favor. She speaks to Firespark.

"Firespark go in and knock it out but if it gets back up...." She lowers her head and sighs then back up. "You're going to have to take its life..."

Firespark nods then look to the manticore, and she starts to move in for a knockout blow towards it. She is giving everything she got, to knock out the beast by hitting in the back of the head. The sound that she made was a sicking crunch. The Manticore went down and landed face first, and it was out. 

After the fight with the beast, Fluttershy and Firespark pick their things from the camp and begin to leave the area. 

"Firespark, I hope you don't mind if we go back to my cottage to get some more supplies for this journey. I know how long it's going to get back. I really need these things for apple reason."

Firespark thought about the request and just goes with it. She couldn't help but feel like something isn't right with this. So she keeps her guard up. 

...

After much backtracking for the two, back to the cottage. Fluttershy told Firespark that she'd be right back. Firespark agreed and decided to stay in the living room of the place.

As she waited in the living room for Fluttershy getting whatever it, from her home. Firespark is looking around the room. Seeing if she actually did any changes to the place beside leaving it looked old and in ruins. "Nope, she didn't do nothing at all..." She says to herself.

She looks around some more, and somehow find a ball in the corner of the living room. Firespark went off and picked it up, then go back to the couch with the ball. She started to play with by bouncing the ball at the wall. She started to count how many she have been throwing. "1,2,3,4,5,6...." She counted "20,21,22,23..."

She is picking up the pace of doing this action. Firespark heard Fluttershy making her way back to the living room. So she stops playing with the ball and set it in her bag. 

They check one last time before heading out to the forest.

....

After traveling through the Everfree forest and without much of hitch getting out. 

Firespark jump in front Fluttershy. "I'm glad that we got out of the woods. Well, it looks like the sun is about to rise." As she turns away to look at where the sun is rising. Fluttershy had her cloak on, and she was looking at her hoof in the rising sun. She smiles at the warmth that its bring her. A sigh left her lips and looked towards Firespark, then move towards her. She placed her hoof onto Firespark, then she noticed this and looked towards as well.

"So we are going to meet up Twilight in Canterlot?" The bat pony ask. Firespark nods her head. "Yea, we sure are going too. The thing is Fluttershy is that we still have this journey to go through. But once we get to the train station. It's pretty much a one-way trip. Then from there, hopefully, things go well for you. You know what's bugging me right now is.... How can I say it..." As place her hoof on her chin.

"What is it, Firespark...?" Fluttershy takes a step back. "Well, you look like nothing like what you did earlier. I mean that you don't look like a vampire. You are just blowing my mind by doing that." She stated.

Fluttershy tilts head and then looks down, and sighs again. "If you must know only in dark places and at night I will look like a vampire. In the daylight, I will look just like my old self. The pony I once knew so well before my immortally. Now I'm just a shadow of my former self. So I stick to the night life for this reason... ~sighs~ Let's go now before anypony sees us."

Firespark nods her head in agreement with her, and they head off to the main part of Ponyville.