Applejack was not happy. As a member of the apple family, it went without saying that apples were one of the things she liked best in life and took great pride in growing. So when a bunch of vampire fruitbats show up, suck the juice from pretty much all the apples in the orchard and leave said fruit as little more tha dried up husks, it gave the farm girl plenty of reason to be mad.
"North." Applejack said flatly. "Could you keep your Duelist Arm trained on these varmints? I've put a lot of time into growing my prized apple. And I'm sure as heck not lettin' any of those winged rats sink their teeth into it! I'm gonna get Twilight. Maybe she'll find something to magic these pests away!"
"S-Sure thing lass!" Magnet North said nervously as he summoned his Duelist Arm. He personally thought all of this was a little bit overkill. But then again, would anyone in their right mind pick an argument with an angry Applejack? North didn't think so.
A few minutes later, Applejack showed up with the rest of the Main 6 in tow. She wanted to get rid of the bats, but Fluttershy wasn't exactly on board with Applejack's decision.
"Now Applejack," Fluttershy began. "I know it might seem like the bats are acting like pests right now. But they do help by leaving the seeds behind so you can grow some new trees!"
"Fluttershy. I know you like all critters. But I can't ignore the fact these bats are wrecking my livelihood." Applejack said bluntly. "Which is why I brought Twilight. Any luck finding a magical solution to my bat problem?"
"You're in luck! I found the spell we need on the way here!" Twilight said with a smile. "And we'll need Fluttershy's help to get all the bats to stay in one place. Think your stare will do the trick?" Fluttershy nodded in reply. "Alright then!" Fluttershy used her stare to get all the vampire fruitbats in one spot, and Twilight cast a spell to remove their ravenous thirst for fruit juice! However, Fluttershy was also caught in the spells path. But when Twilight cut off the spell, the Element of Kindness seemed only momentarily dazed. "You okay Fluttershy? I should've waited for you to get clear."
"I'm fine Twilight." Fluttershy said with her signature smile. "If you don't need my help, I'll be at my home for the rest of the day." And with that, Fluttershy flew off back to her cottage. All her animal friends greeted her happily. "Yes. It's very nice to see you all again too. I wonder how Ty's doing? I should probably get started on lunch since he'll be home soon."
"HYAH!" Tyrannus cried out as he swung his fists at Spike! The young dragon barely dodging Ty's swing! "Not bad Spike. Knowing how to avoid a hit is just as important as knowing when to tank one."
"Yeah. I get that." Spike said with a gulp. He then looked over to the other Elements of Heroism who were observing. "But did you guys really have to pit me against the heavy-hitter and tank of your team?! WHOA!" Spike just barely rolled out of the way from a thunder blast courtesy of Ty's cannon!
"Well, Ty's attacks have the biggest area of effect." Steel Edge answered. "Just watch out for the stomp."
"What stomp?!" Spike asked. He got his answer when Ty stomped one of his feet down and sent out a shockwave! ". . . Nevermind. So who's going to help me out with learning how to use my Duelist Arm? Burst or Inferno?"
"Both of us wield blasters." Burst said with a shrug. "Either one of us could teach you how to use your arm cannon. But the problem is we don't know if your arm cannon has more than one functionality. If my years of playing Metroid has taught me anything, it's that arm cannons are pretty modular in nature. So your Duelist Arm might have some hidden features we've yet to see."
"You're saying my arm cannon could be even cooler?!" Spike asked with enthusiasm in his eyes! "AWESOME!"
"Glad to hear you're excited to learn more about your Duelist Arm." Ty said with a smile. "But that's territory we'll have to explore some other time. I'd say we've gone through enough training for today. Fluttershy's probably getting lunch ready, and I'd hate to make her wait on me. See you all tomorrow!"
Ty headed home, and smiled when he saw Fluttershy setting some plates. "Hey there." He said as he wrapped his arms and wings around her. "Hope you weren't waiting too long for me."
"Not at all Ty." Fluttershy said with a loving smile as she kissed Ty. Then, for only a moment, Fluttershy felt an odd sensation in her head. "Nnnhh. . . "
"Fluttershy?" Ty immediately switched into his concerned boyfriend mode. "Are you alright? Is your head hurting?"
"No. . . not really." Fluttershy answered. "It really wasn't a painful feeling. Just strange. I'm sure that I'll feel much better after I have a bite to eat." Fluttershy then looked to the bowl of fruit laying on her kitchen counter. In specific, she was quite fixated on the apples.
"You really seem to be enjoying that apple." Tyrannus said with a small smile as he noticed Fluttershy scarfing down the fruit. "So did you do anything-" As Ty approached Fluttershy, he noticed her recoil and hold the apple in a possessive manner. "Uh, did you. . . do anything interesting today?"
Fluttershy blinked as she snapped out of her defensive posture. "Oh. Well, Applejack needed some help dealing with a colony of vampire fruitbats. I helped keep them in place while Twilight used a spell to remove their urges. So I guess it was just any other day."
"Uh huh." Tyrannus said with a slow nod. "Well, me and the guys were training Spike today." Why do I have the odd feeling that something's not quite right? Sure enough, the day came to an end. Tyrannus was sleeping soundly until he noticed something very important missing from his arms. Fluttershy wasn't in bed anymore. ". . . I hate being right."
Tyrannus got out of bed and noticed that one of the cottage's windows was open. "That. . . can't be good." He slipped on his shoes, and took to the air. Hoping to catch some trace of Fluttershy. That's when Tyrannus noticed a silhouette flying towards Sweet Apple Acres. "Looks like Fluttershy isn't the only one going out for a late night flight." Ty decided to follow the figure and soon landed in the nearby orchard. The figure he was tailing latched onto a tree, and plucked an apple from it. "Let's get a better look at you." Tyrannus powered up his magic to provide some light, and he was shocked at what he saw! The thing he was tailing was Fluttershy! Well, Fluttershy if her hair was bit more messy and she had pointed ears and bat wings, but Fluttershy nonetheless. The light he was shining making her hiss in response!
But considering her altered appearance, Tyrannus tried to think up of an appropriate name for her. Tyrannus was about to summon one of his Duelist Arms should she try and attack him. But to his surprise, Fluttershy actually seemed to recognize him as she glided down and latched onto his arm! Arms, legs, and wings wrapped around the Avatar of Tolerance's own arm and affectionately nuzzling against it.
"Well, it could be worse." Tyrannus said with a sigh. "She could've tried to take off with me." The mental image of Fluttershy in her current state trying to get off the ground with him in her clutches made Ty chuckle a bit. He then noticed the apple she'd been feasting on was sucked dry. "I guess I'll call you Flutterbat while you're like this." He then heard Flutterbat's stomach growl. "Still hungry?"
Flutterbat nodded, and looked to a tree in hunger. Licking her lips as she spotted the prized apple that Applejack had been growing for the fair. She made to fly towards it, but Tyrannus flicked her on the forehead!
"No!" Ty scolded! "Bad Flutterbat! Bad!" His scolding demeanor faded when he saw Flutterbat looking at him with tearful eyes. "I know you're hungry. But there's a better way to get food than raiding Applejack's home." Flutterbat tilted her head in confusion. "Just follow me." It's a good thign Barnyard Bargains is open late.
One quick trip to the store later, Ty was now carrying a massive bag filled to the brim with apple juice boxes. Flutterbat hung from her perch on Ty's arm and happily fed on the seemingly endless supply of fruit juice. "Now to see a certain bookworm about this mess." Ty muttered as he made his way to Twilight's library and knocked on the door. "Twilight? You up?"
"Ty?" Twilight answered with a yawn as she opened the door. "What is i-WHAT IS THAT THING LATCHED ONTO YOUR ARM?!"
"Oh." Ty looked down to Flutterbat who was too busy draining another juice box to notice Twilight's freak out. "This is Fluttershy. Or, Flutterbat considering her wings. Do you know what might've caused this?"
". . . I think I know what went wrong." Twilight said with a facepalm. "This is kinda my fault since Fluttershy was caught in the spell I was using to remove the urge to suck the juice from fruit. What was I thinking? The urge had to go somewhere, and Fluttershy was caught in the spell's path!"
"So. . . can you fix her?" Tyrannus asked hopefully. "Don't get me wrong, she's still cute. But I miss her being able to speak instead of hissing at everything."
"Yeah. Let me explain to Applejack." Twilight said with a sigh. "Maybe once we get Fluttershy back to her old self, we can find a way to relocate the vampire fruitbats once we get them back to normal too." One quick spell later, Fluttershy was back to normal. However, Applejack's prized apple didn't make it out unscathed as the vampire fruitbats immediately sucked it dry after having their urges restored!
"Applejack. I'm sorry the bats ruined your prize apple." Fluttershy said as she put a hand on Applejack's shoulder."
"It's fine sugarcube." Applejack said with a sigh. "Ah guess you would've gone for it too if you still had their urges in you. Plus, Ah guess having magic used on them was a little bit overkill. Care to help me come up with a better solution to my bat problem?"
Fluttershy nodded. "I would love to. But right now?" The shy Skyborn let out a yawn. "It's been a long night. And I've had enough excitement for now." Fluttershy headed home being carried on Tyrannus' back. "Ty?"
"What is it?" Tyrannus asked. He then noticed Fluttershy looking at him in a way he hadn't seen her look at him. "Fluttershy? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Let's just say I've got a different kind of thirst. . . " Fluttershy said with a blush as she nuzzled against Ty's neck. She then felt Tyrannus freeze in his tracks. "Oh. Too hot?" Silence. "I'll. . . take that as a yes."