//------------------------------// // Fur and Fangs // Story: You Call That A Costume? // by Eddy13 //------------------------------// Walking down the street, now increased by two, the Rainbooms looked in all the directions, hoping for a sign of their remaining friends. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no indication of the three they sought anywhere. "Oh," Sunset groaned for what felt like the tenth time this evening "Where could they possibly be?' "Are yah sure yer lookin' fer Rainbow, Pinkie, and Flutters?" Rarity asked in confusion "Yah act like yer huntin' fer wild beasts". "A fair description of them, actually" Sunset replied with a sigh. "Sorry, Sunset" Spike said apologetically "But I just can't pick up any of them. Even Rainbow Dash!" Sunset shook her head. "It's not your fault, Spike. They're somewhere. We just need to keeping looking". "Still, we need to find them soon" Twilight piped up while looking at her watch "It's already 10:55. We don't have much long before it's Midnight". She inwardly flinched at the word. The voice of her alter-ego seemed to be growing stronger the longer she was like this. She was afraid it wouldn't be long before it managed to start influencing her. Sunset, meanwhile, was speaking "I know, Twilight. If we don't find the others soon, we're all in for a rough time". "Why?" Applejack asked in bewilderment "Are we under curfew or something?" "Sort of" Sunset replied while letting a hiss pass through her teeth "It's technical". "Just know that it's essential to find them immediately!" Twilight emphasized before groaning "Of course, it would help if we knew where to look for them!" "Uh, how about up?" came a suggestion. "Huh?" Twilight asked in confusion. "Look!" Spike cried as he pointed a paw "Up there!" Turning in the direction Spike indicated, the rest of the group froze in shock. For hanging from the street lamp upside down by clawed feet, her bat wings wrapped around her and her long pink hair dangling downward, was a certain vampire bat. "Tha has tah be tha second biggest bat Ah've ever seen" Rarity said slackjawed. "That's no bat" Twilight said breathlessly "That's a friend!" "Yeah, it's Fluttershy!" Spike cried in excitement "Hey! Over here, Flutter-!" In a flash, a hand had clamped down over the dog's mouth. "Shh! Quiet!" Sunset whispered before letting go of Spike's muzzle "In case you forgot, she currently has the mindset of a vampire!" "Oh, sorry" Spike whispered with an embarrassed grin. "How in the world did Fluttershy end up like that?" Applejack asked in disbelief as she looked up at the transfigured girl. "It's a long story" Sunset said dismissively "The important thing is that we found her". "Yeah, what a lucky break to stumble onto her like this" Twilight said, anticipating that they were one step closer to returning to normal. "Yeah, now we just need to work on getting her down without her freaking out" Sunset added with a roll of her eyes. "Uh, is it just me or has she been offly quiet fer tha past few minutes fer a vampire?" Rarity had to ask. That comment caused Twilight and Sunset to pause for a moment. That was true. Fluttershy hadn't made any attempt to attack them or given any indication that she had seen them. Curious, they leaned in to get a better vantage point of the bat on the lamp post. Upon closer inspection, the group could see that Fluttershy's eyes were closed, and what sounded like soft snoring filled the air. "She's taking a nap" Sunset with realization before her face morphed into a grin and she turned back to the group excitedly "If we're quiet enough, maybe we can sneak up on her and grab her". "I'll ready a levitation spell to get her down" Twilight concurred. Walking on tippy-toes, the Rainbooms slowly approached the lamp post, doing their best not to wake up the giant bat dangling from it. Fluttershy stirred for a moment, to which Sunset held up her hand for everyone to stop. Fluttershy's wings twitched, her eyes fluttered, and her jaw smacked before emitting a screeching yawn before the bat resumed her sleep. Satisfied that she wouldn't wake up, Sunset motioned for everyone to resume moving. Closer and closer, they crept towards the lamp post and their target hanging from it. Once they were within three feet, Sunset gave a nod to Twilight, signaling her to be ready with her spell. Receiving the signal, Twilight raised her hand and began to focus, causing it to begin glowing with purple energy. Closer and closer the group came to the post. They were almost ready. Any second now and they would have her. Everyone's breath was held, sweat ran down their face. They were just about in range. "AAAAAHHH!!!" Suddenly, an ear-splitting, glass-shattering, blood-freezing shriek filled the air, causing the group to jump in shock while covering their ears in panic. Once it had subsided, three girls and a dog turned furious glares at a current proper lady. "Sorry!" Applejack said regretfully before she held up her hand while moaning "But I broke a nail!" Before Rarity could utter a word of reprimand, Sunset tapped on her shoulder and pointed upward, a nervous look on her face. Applejack's scream had awoken Fluttershy from her slumber, her eyes open wide as she looked around in shock for the source of the disturbance before they came down to rest on the group below, Instantly, the transformed Fluttershy could tell that they were the ones who disturbed her nap. In an instant, the bat's scarlet eyes narrowed into a dangerous leer as it stared down at the Rainbooms menacingly, its glistening fangs on prominent display in a feral sneer. "Uh, hey there" Sunset said nervously as she waved with a sheepish grin "Did you have a nice nap?" In response, Fluttershy let out an angry 'Hiss!' causing the five friends to jump backwards with a yell. In a flash, the bat unfurled her wings and leaped from her perch. Diving at the group, Fluttershy bared her fangs widely as she let loose a furious shriek. "Hit the dirt!" Sunset shouted, to which they all dropped to the ground leaving Fluttershy to fly harmlessly over them, if not really close to the ground. "Oh, great" Twilight groaned as they got to their feet "Now what do we do?" "I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Sunset said desperately "I believe Princess Twilight told me that she and her friends had something like this happen to them one time, but I can't remember the exact details!" "Well, yah know" Rarity piped in in a snarky manner "Yah wouldn' have tah think of somethin' if a certain someone didn' overreact like they did!" "Hey, my reaction was well-deserved!" Applejack cried defensively "Do you know how difficult it will be for the spa to touch up my cuticles?!" "Uh, excuse me" Sunset cut in "Yeah, in case you didn't remember, we're currently dealing with our friend who is currently flying somewhere over the city!" "Uh, not quite" Spike said anxiously "Incoming!" Sure enough, Fluttershy was coming right back towards the group. Quickly, the girls ducked as Fluttershy buzzed them again. "Looks like she really doesn' like her nap tah be disturbed" Rarity gasped as the girls stayed on their knees. As if to confirm the comment, Fluttershy flapped her wings, creating a powerful gust of wind. Before the Rainbooms could react, they were blown off the ground and sent flying before hitting a nearby wall with a 'crash!' and collapsing into a heap. "Oh" Sunset groaned from the top of the heap, Twilight underneath her, and Applejack and Rarity on the bottom "When Fluttershy gets mad, she really gets mad". "The next time, I think I'll prefer to fly using my own power" Twilight agreed, ignoring the chuckling voice in her head. "Why is it that cats are the only ones with nine lives?" Spike said as he climbed out of a trash can. "Oh, may head" Rarity shook off the blow she had received before turning her attention to Applejack "Applejack, can yah hear me? Say somethin'!" "Why yes, Dear" Applejack said in a daze "That dress is on sale". "Applejack, snap out of it" Rarity shook the girl by shoulders "We've got a problem on our hands!" "You can say that again" Twilight meeped as she and the others looked up. There, flying in front of them, an angry snarl on her face, was the vampire known as Fluttershy. "Oh, no!" Spike cried as he ducked back into the trash can "She's gonna eat us!" The girls braced themselves for Fluttershy's coming attack. Much to their shock, however, it never came. Looking up, they saw Fluttershy still glaring at them. Then, with an angry 'Hiss!', Fluttershy spun around and took off into the air, leaving the girls bewildered at the surprising action. "Uh, not that I'm complaining, but how come she didn't suck the blood out of us?" Spike asked, relief in his voice mixed with confusion. "Maybe she's more like Fluttershy than we think" Twilight said as the girls got up before she turned to their leader "What do you think, Sunset?" "I'm not really sure" Sunset replied before shaking her head as her eyes took on a look of determination "But I'm sure of one thing we need to do" she declared before pointing in Fluttershy's direction. "Follow that bat!" With that, the Rainbooms took off in the direction the vampire flown, determined to get their friend back. Unbeknownst to the group, in the shadows behind them were a pair of eerie yellow eyes, accompanied by a low growl. The Rainbooms raced down the street, attempting to keep up with the vampire bat flying overhead. "Hurry!" Sunset cried from the front "We can't lose sight of her! Oof!" she yelped as she end up tripping after getting a certain long hair under her feet "Oh, lousy beard!" "We got you, Sunset!" Twilight said as she and the others helped their leader up. "Thanks" Sunset replied before running ahead again "Now come on! She's pulling away from us!" "Hold on" Rarity said as she looked around at the area they were running through "Ah know this road" her eyes widened in realization as she cried "She's headin' fer Sweet Apple Acres!" True enough, Fluttershy was flying right towards the apple farm. The Rainbooms continued pursuing their transformed friend as she flew over the marker that indicated the property line of Sweet Apple Acres. Climbing over the fence (ignoring Applejack's objections), the Rainbooms ran through the apple groves as they watched the bat flying over head, looking a spooky inky-black silhouette. "How much farther is she going to go?" Spike asked out of breath as he did his best to keep up. "I don't know" Sunset replied "I just hope she decides to land soon!" Luckily, Sunset's wish was granted as the huge vampire bat began to descend and soon landed on the branch of a tall apple tree. Immediately, the wizard-like girl held out her arms in front to motion for everyone to stop and not get too close. Observing Fluttershy from a safe distance, the Rainbooms watched as the vampire relaxed her wings from her flight and looked around the tree she was in. Her feral face then split into a grin, her fangs dripping with saliva, as she reached up with her talons and plucked a big juicy apple from a branch above her. In a flash, a long tongue shot out of her mouth and wrapped around the apple, pulling it into her mouth before she chewed and swallowed it whole. A look of delight on her face, she reached up and plucked another apple before biting into it, devouring half of it in one bite. "Uh," Spike said as the Rainbooms continued to watch the strange behavior "What's with that?" "Of course!" Sunset said as the realization hit her "Even though she's a vampire now, Fluttershy's still a vegetarian! That's why she didn't suck our blood! She's basically a giant fruit bat!" "Whew!" Spike said at ease "Well, that's a relief!" "Speak fer yerself!" Rarity roared "Tha varmint's raidin' the apple grove!" "Uh, Rarity" Applejack said slowly "That 'varmint' as you call it is our friend!" "Friend or not, no way am Ah lettin' her eat tha apples Ah worked hard tah grow!" Rarity retaliated. Spike couldn't help but snicker while Sunset and Twilight rolled their eyes and sighed. Unfortunately, they were forced to hold Rarity back when she attempted to march out into the open to chase off Fluttershy. "Alright" Sunset said to the others "While she's eating, we need to come up with a plan to catch her". Unfortunately, before anyone could come up with suggestions, a low, vicious 'Grrr!' filled the air. "Uh, did you girls hear that?" Twilight meeped with wide eyes. "I kind of wish I didn't" Sunset replied. Suddenly, from out of the shadows leaped a huge, snarling black wolf. An interesting thing about it was that it was sporting a full head of rainbow-colored hair. "Aaah!" Applejack shrieked as she ducked behind Rarity, hands on the cowgirl's shoulders "It's that beast that chased us earlier!" "That 'beast' is Rainbow Dash!" Sunset shouted, her eyes wide with shock. "Wha-What's she doing here?!" Spike cried in fear. The answer to Spike's question came soon enough as Rainbow Dash immediately turned towards the sight of the giant bat in the tree, emitting a scary sounding growl as she bent her legs in preparation. "Wait" Sunset said in realization "RAINBOW! NO!" It was no use. In a flash, Rainbow leaped into the air and straight at the tree, muzzle open wide and her paws out. Fluttershy only had a moment to see the wolf coming before she was knocked out of the tree and knocked to the ground below, Rainbow pinning her wings under her paws as she loomed over her. "Rainbow, stop!" Twilight cried "What are you doing?!" Ignoring the question, Dash leered down at the bat underneath her with a vicious snarl. In response, Fluttershy let loose an angry 'Hiss!' before spitting seeds from her apple feast in Rainbow's eyes, causing the wolf to loosen her grip and allowing Fluttershy to knock her off with a swat of her wing before getting back to her feet, Rainbow instantly recovering and getting up in front of her. The bat and wolf stared off at each other like an old west showdown, both of them growling and snarling viciously. "Wh-What's going on?!" Spike shouted in disbelief as the group watched the sight "Why is Rainbow out to get Fluttershy?!" "Of course!" Sunset gasped in realization "Vampires and werewolves are natural enemies! The very sight of the other enrages them!" As Sunset spoke, Rainbow charged at Fluttershy. In an instant, Fluttershy leaped into the air before Rainbow reached her, then came back down and struck her in the head with her feet. Recovering from the blow she received, Rainbow swung at Fluttershy, who easily managed to avoid it by flying into the air. Fluttershy then made a noise that sounded like she was mocking the wolf, causing Rainbow to snarl in rage before she pounced forward and knocked Fluttershy back to the ground. Throwing Rainbow off herself with incredible strength, Fluttershy leaped back into the air and flew off. Narrowing her wolf eyes, Rainbow let out an 'Aroo!' before pursuing the bat through the line of trees. "Quick, after them!" Sunset instructed "We've got to stop them before they tear each other part!" With that, the Rainbooms took off after their animalistic friends. "How is it that all of our friends except us ended up being changed?" Applejack asked Rarity, who could only shrug while Sunset and Twilight shared an exasperated look. Flying into a clearing with Rainbow close behind, Fluttershy turned around to look at her pursuer. Narrowing her eyes, she charged at the wolf. Leaping up on her hind legs, Rainbow grabbed Fluttershy by her wings and hurled her to the side, sending her smashing into three apple trees which were reduced to splinters. Taking the offense, Rainbow leaped at the vampire, who was still in enough of a right mind to swat the werewolf away with her wing. Soaring through the air, Rainbow spun around so that she collided feet first to the side of a tree before using the momentum to spring forward, knocking the tree over in the process. Like a ballistic missile, Rainbow collided with Fluttershy, causing them both to roll like a ball and knock down a bunch of trees like bowling pins before Fluttershy managed to force the wolf off her. Standing in close quarters, the vampire and werewolf faced off, with Rainbow trying to swipe her claws at Fluttershy while Fluttershy tried to chomp Dash with her fangs, both avoiding the other's strikes. The two then grappled claws and talons as they pushed back and forth, and then spun in circles. It was almost like a dance. Eventually, the two broke the lock and ended up flying a good ten feet from each other. Staring off at each other from opposite ends of the grove, their eyes narrowed as they both charged forward. The Rainbooms ran through the grove to catch up with the dueling pair of monsters, Rarity taking in the sights of the knocked down trees around them as they ran. "Those two are goin' tah destroy the entire apple crop along with each other!" she cried in dismay. "The trail leads to that clearing!" Spike yelled as he pointed forward. "Alright, let's go!" Sunset instructed "We don't know what kind of horrible and savage things those two are doing to each other right now, but we have to stop them before they fight to the end!" Summoning all the courage they could, the Rainbooms charged forward into the clearing, ready to stop the vicious duel between friends turned mortal enemies...and were greeted with an unbelievable sight. Rainbow Dash was sitting on all fours, panting like a puppy, her paws wrapped around Fluttershy, who in turn had her wings wrapped around Rainbow while her talons gave the wolf a pleasant scratching. Most shockingly, however, the two were sharing affection nips, Rainbow chewing Fluttershy's ear while Fluttershy nibbled at Rainbow's neck without drawing blood. "You have got to be kidding me" Sunset said flatly as she took in the scene before her. "Did those two actually get turned on from fighting?" Spike asked in shock. "Either that, or they were having a very crazy courtship ritual" Twilight said monotonously. The pair of creatures continued to cuddle and nuzzle each other lovingly, not a sign of them wanting to tear the other to pieces. "Okay, let's get them out of here before they decide to try and lock fangs" Sunset declared as she walked up to the pair "Yo! Rainbow! Fluttershy! You're coming with us!" In response, the werewolf and bat shot Sunset an angry growl and hiss, causing her to back up before the two resumed their affection. "Okay" Sunset said slowly as the others came up behind her "How do we get them to come with us?" "Well, it's pretty clear that they're obsessed with each other" Twilight surmised "Ergo, if we can get one of them to follow us, the other should come too". "Okay, but how do we do that?" Sunset had to ask. "How about with these?" Applejack said as she held out an apple from one of the fallen trees "Fluttershy loves apples, so we can probably use these to attract her attention". "And then Rainbow will follow her" Sunset finished "Applejack, that's brilliant!" Taking the apple, Sunset approached the pair of creatures again. "Yoo-hoo!" she called out, getting their attention. Before they could snarl, Sunset held up the apple in front of Fluttershy, getting her attention. "Look what I got for you, Fluttershy. A nice juicy apple". Sure enough, Fluttershy was entranced by the sight of the apple and began to approach Sunset. "You want it?" the wizardly girl said like she was a lion tamer "Then you can have it!" Tossing the apple into the air, Fluttershy immediately caught it in her mouth and swallowed it whole. "Looky, Fluttershy" Twilight said as she stepped forward with a basket full of apples she had collected "A whole bushel of apples just for you". Entranced by the sight of the apples, Fluttershy began to approach the girls, who began to back up. And sure enough, Rainbow, refusing to be separated from her mate, followed. "Alright, it's working!" Sunset cheered as she tossed Fluttershy an apple. "Come on! Let's get out of here!" With that, the Rainbooms left the apple groves with their two beastly friends, but not before Rarity fired one last angry comment in regards to the apple carnage before her. "When those two are human again, they are gonna be workin' on my farm fer months!" "Okay" Sunset said as the group made it back to the street "That's two more down. Just one more friend to find and we can reverse this whole mess". "I can hardly wait" Twilight said with relief. However, a familiar annoying voice in her head spoke. "You don't really want to reverse the spell, do you? I mean, think of all the power and freedom you currently have. You wouldn't want to give that up to become a silly human again, would you?" As Twilight tried to ignore the voice, Sunset was speaking. "Alright, people" she was saying "We're almost done. All that's left is to find Pinkie Pie" she gulped as she looked out into the city "Or as she prefers at the moment, Pinkamena". Walking through a deserted street on the other side of town, Lyra and Bon Bon made their way back home. "Oh, man" Lyra was saying "That was quite a party, wasn't it, Bon Bon?" "Yeah" Bon Bon replied "Except that it was a little too long. Do you know how late it is now?" "Relax" Lyra said dismissively before pointing upward at the street lamps "We've still got enough light to get back home". At that moment, however, the street lamp above them instantly went out. "Huh, that's funny" Lyra said in bewilderment. "There's nothing funny about it!" Bon Bon cried. "Now, calm down" Lyra said soothingly "We've still got other street lamps". No sooner did she say that than another street lamp went out. Then another. And another. And another. Until eventually, all the lamps were out, leaving the pair in total darkness. "Any more comments you'd like to make?" Bon Bon snarked. "Alright, you made your point" Lyra sighed "But can we focus on getting home before you start with 'I told you so's'?" "Sounds reasonable" Bon Bon complied before looking around at the shadows surrounding them "There are times when I wish I really was a secret agent. The shadows would be second nature to me". "You seemed pretty natural to me the way you were moving around just now" Lyra said. Bon Bon froze. "Uh, Lyra, I haven't moved from this spot since the lights went out". Lyra paled. "But if you're standing still" she said while pointing "Then who is that walking towards me?" Sure enough, within the shadows came a mysterious silhouette that appeared to be drawing closer and closer to the pair. From within the shadows, Bon Bon could make out the outline of a cane in the person's hand. Also, shallow breathing could be heard as well, coming from every direction. In a panic, Lyra and Bon Bon backed away from the approaching figure, attempting to get as far away as they could. However, they soon felt the firmness of a wall press against their backs, leaving them unable to back away anymore as the figure before them stepped forward, finally allowing them to see their mysterious stalker. Lyra and Bon Bon's screams of fright then filled the night sky, accompanied by a terrible, high pitched laughter.