Twilight could only stare at the two mares before her. But could she really call them mares?
They were not truly ponies. They were bat ponies, and it had been years... Oh, so many years since she had seen one.
"We're back." Fluttershy said.
Tears began to well in Twilight's eyes. She was beginning to wonder if she was asleep. Dreaming maybe? Maybe her sadness had brought Luna to finally give her a good dream.
But at the moment she didn't care whether this was a dream or an illusion. Two of her friends stood right in front of her.
She began to sob, grabbing hold of both of them and embracing them.
The felt so warm so real... by some magic they had come back to her. Maybe some bat pony magic... Fluttershy nor Rainbow had died.
"H-how are you here...?" Twilight asked, wiping away a tear and smiling.
"Well... I couldn't really live without Rainbow... I didn't realize for a while that I was immortal. I wasn't a full vampire... Until I bit her. She became one two."
It made sense in a way. They both no longer had gray streaks in their hair and Rainbow looked well alive and free of illness. Besides the fact that they had bat wings and crimson red eyes.
"So... you did run away and escape death?"
They both nodded. Fluttershy began to have tears in her eyes as well. As well as Rainbow was at hiding her emotions, she couldn't really hide them now.
"Twilight, we missed you so much... We waited fifteen years... I can't believe we waited so long..."
Something suddenly passed through Twilight's head.
The map.
The map had said that four were to meet up here. A friendship problem... That needed Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Rarity?
Where were Pinkie and Rarity? But the real question was... where was Applejack and why wasn't she called?
"The map!" Twilight gasped. "The map was summoning you both to come here! Pinkie and Rarity too, are they bat ponies as well? Oh I can't wait to tell Spike-"
"Pinkie and Rarity are dead Twilight." Rainbow said, Twilight could not read her friends expression or tone of voice. Rainbow did not seem happy or sad about it.
"B-but-"
"But they are still here. Didn't you see their thrones?" Fluttershy said.
"They were glowing... which is only when you sit upon them. Twilight they're in this room right now."
Twilight was shocked. She was unable to see the two mares standing beside Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy darling..." Rarity said, looking concerned. "I would like to speak with Twilight, and my husband."
"Rarity. It will scare her. Let me explain first." Fluttershy said to Rarity.
To Twilight it looked as if she was talking to nothing more than air.
"Sh-they're ghosts?"
Twilight suddenly began to be interested, curious. She looked as if she was going to call out, "Spike! Take a note please!"
"Oh dear heavens." Rarity sighed. "I must talk to her this instant!"
Without warning, Fluttershy shivered, feeling a strange mind away from it's body seem to pass through her. Her body shook then straightened, and she looked up at Twilight with the dark blue eyes of Rarity.
"Spirits, darling. I prefer spirits. Ghosts sounds well, ghastly. I assure you I'm not going to jump out at you and yell 'boo'."
The voice was still Fluttershy's but now sounded much more refined with Rarity's usual posh voice.
Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. "Rarity?"
"Oh, um, yes dear. Sorry Fluttershy... I didn't mean to be so rude. Possession is not very ladylike!"
Rainbow began to back away from her invisible foe, seeing as Pinkie was looking at her hungrily, hunkering down as if she was going to pounce on the bat pony like a cat.
Pinkie giggled and yelled "Roar!" As she leaped at Rainbow dash, who screamed and fell onto the ground as the spirit seemed to merge with her.
Twilight's attention now went to Rainbow Dash- Pinkie- Rainbow bat? Twilight didn't know what to call her.
"Hiya Twilight!" She giggled, jumping up and down and running over to her friend. Smothering her in a hug.
"I was feeling all sicky wicky without seeing you all happy and smily for a loooooooo-" She took in a deep breath, "-ooooooong time! Like really really! I was all sad and droopy because you were all sad and droopy and I just didn't like that so I had to make you all smily Twily again!"
She squeezed Twilight again. A wide grin spreading across her face anther light blue eyes glinting.
Twilight laughed a little, and the smile she had missed returned to her own face, making Pinkie sequel again. "See I made you all smily Twily again! Hehehe!"
"Pinkie, calm down darling!" Rarity huffed. "You're scaring the poor girl! Now ah, where is my Spike...? I wish to talk with him."
Twilight was too shocked to move, she only pointed down the hall and the possessed Fluttershy began to trot in that direction.
The other mare following her, and soon Twilight followed as well. She gulped and yelled "Wait!"
The two turned around to look at her, and Twilight took in a deep breath.
"Where is Applejack?"
Silence.
Pure silence filled the dark castle, it was almost always silent now, but this silence was more painful than any other.
Even Pinkie Pie, the loudest most obnoxious pony she had known, was quiet.
Rarity- or Fluttershy looked at her seriously, taking a step towards her.
"Applejack... has moved on. She wanted to meet her parents."
Rarity stepped closer.
"We know what it's like to feel loss. Applejack truly did die. She left us for paradise, and as much as I wish to be there as well... we couldn't leave you Twilight. Or our families."
Rarity turned her attention back to the door before them. The door that was very obviously to Spike.
Before Twilight could open the door herself- a light blue aura encased the door. Twilight looked at the batpony, and above her forehead appeared to be an invisible horn. as the light blue aura took the form of a horn that was not present.
Rarity took a step into the room, staring into a scaly awoken face.
The dragon smiled.
"Aah... you have returned to us? I knew you could not leave me forever my dear." He said.
Rarity began to sob.
"Spike. Oh my dear Spike..." She basically threw herself upon Spike, he chuckled.
"It's odd seeing you as such a ghastlycreature as you put it."
"Well, would you rather me look like your sister?"
They both looked at Twilight, and she blushed.
He laughed again. "Fair point. But I'm glad we can finally speak with our voices to one another. I've been seeing those little love letters you've been writing me."
She giggled in response. "I think I scared our little girl too once."
"She sent a letter to me thinking her apartment was haunted. I never thought of you as much of a prankster. That is their job."
He said, pointing towards Rainbow/Pinkie.
"Oh yeah! We do make a good team! Hehehe! Hey Rainbow maybe we should've- No? Okay, never mind..."
She said, her voice going from excited to sad as she looked down.
"Hey look at the bright side!" She grinned. "We're all together!"
"But I'm wondering what that friendship problem was that we had to solve?" Rarity asked.
Now, what every pony noticed, was that their cutiemarks began to glow, smaller versions of them glowing on their flanks. Except on Fluttershy's flank, was her pink bat's instead of butterflies, and atop that were Rarity's diamonds.
On Rainbow's her cutiemark was doing the same, but instead of a cloud was a white silhouette of a bat. Over that were the balloons from Pinkie.
Rarity began to cough, she lowered her face and when she rose up again her eyes were a bright red.
In Fluttershy's voice once again, the bat mare spoke.
"I think we've already solved it."