Chapter Five
With dreary, bloodshot eyes, Solar stared at the bland ceiling above her. Tangled bedsheets wound themselves like the roots of a tree, most likely due to her tossing and turning. Frankly, she had never actually known how much she fidgeted, especially during her nightmares, since she hadn’t had covers on her beds for a good few years. It simply hadn’t seemed like a requirement when she was staying in the clocktower, in hindsight it could’ve been wise to invest in some. Still, it was too late to ponder that sort of thing now. Pulling herself up, she looked across the room to the wall-bound mirror. A dishevelled face looked back at her, to her surprise it had lighter fur than usual. Apparently feeding off of her own supply didn’t last as long as she had thought. That’ll be fine, it’s so slight that nopony will notice.
As she stared, she thought of the very reason for her current state. Fleet. He certainly hadn’t been the caring friend she’d originally thought, but the real question was what had changed? She knew he had mentioned following orders from Blueblood, something about being her ‘therapist’ or something. Considering her age at the time, he very well could’ve been crooked from the start, only acting friendly to get his paycheque. A child would have a hard time seeing past such a façade, even if said child was her. Unfortunately, her naivety had only been reinforced by the blunt phrasing of the ponies themselves. Guards wasted no words on formalities or manners and the scientists themselves had only stated facts, if they ever bothered to speak at all.
She sighed and shifted to start the day. Now mixing her last bunch of clothes and yesterday’s, Solar dressed before contemplating her appearance again. To her chagrin, her mane was completely rugged from the constant turning last night; brushing seemed to fix the problem, however, and soon the mane rested over her eye once again. Unsure of what to do about her now lightly bloodshot eyes, she decided that it would be best to simply cool them slightly and leave them to their own devices. Massaging some cold tap-water onto her eyelids provided just the sort of relief she wanted, feeling like she was pouring water on two heated coals. It was a shame it didn’t make any steam, she could’ve started her own sauna. That must be the polar opposite to my career so far. With a chuckle, she strolled back into her room and straightened it up. Sheets were uncurled, and curtains drawn back, giving the room a homelier feel.
A pang of hunger caught Solar off-guard during her descent of the stairs, granted she hadn’t eaten today but generally she could go for a while without a meal. She supposed that her new diet made her hungrier in general. Maybe a quick bowl of something before leaving. Luckily, she had the presence of mind to buy some cereal when she went to the store the other day, getting a box of ‘Oat Parcels’. Really, they just seemed like small bundles of hay but that was still pretty nice. As she ate, she looked through her arms, seeing the blood flowing through them with a gentle glow. My oh-so useful blood-vision. Complicated natural wiring carried each part of the liquid through the spiderweb of veins inside her. She ran her tongue over her fangs, feeling the sharp points of enamel. What was she? Why had they done this to her? They had made her feel as uncertain as a sheep in wolf’s clothing by doing it, meant to be dangerous but in reality, simply an outcast.
Gritting her teeth, her eyes stung slightly, and warm tears tried to begin their descent through her fur. Why me? Why did I deserve to become the monster? The Celestia damned monster! It just wasn’t fair. She hated feeling like this, like life had rolled a dice on her with all sides pointing to exile. Still, it would do no good for her to ruin herself before going out, she would hate for her new friends to see her with eyes red from crying.
With an exasperated push of her arm, she slid her bowl into the sink to be cleaned later and made her way to the door. She needed some new clothes as soon as possible. Even cleaning her current ones would be a temporary fix since they were worn and thin with use, since she had the bits, she should take the opportunity. One-hundred should be fine, but she’d take one-hundred and ten just in case.
An overcast but dry world met her eyes and she nervously thought about bringing an umbrella before realising that she didn’t actually have one. Just another thing she would never have thought to buy until the very situation that she needed it. Despite the slightly colder weather it seemed that the inhabitants of Ponyville were still going about their day, albeit in slightly thicker clothing. Solar couldn’t help but wonder where she would get the clothing from, it seemed almost as though Rarity was the only tailor in the entire town. They must have something in the market, if they can afford a shop that sells nothing but quills and sofas, they can surely afford a tailor.
Lo and behold she was right, a neat shop stood by the path with a sign reading ‘Needle Yarn’s Tailoring’. Fortunately, it actually sold plenty of clothing off-the-shelf rather than especially made outfits. Solar opened the door to find a warmly lit interior with homely wooden panelling on both the floor and walls, giving the store an almost rustic feel. The stallion behind the counter looked up from a book he was reading and gave her a small wave before returning to his pages. Looking between the different options for clothing, she found that there was a lot here that would actually suit her. White shirts and plain, comfortable tops were folded on shelves and different varieties of lower garments were resting on hangers.
Having made her choices, Solar brought out her pouch of bits and counted out the price. Apparently, it was quite the hit, costing her around ninety bits. To be fair, it is a lot… The stallion looked up from his book and took a double-take at the pile of folded clothes. “Are you… Buying these, miss?” He asked with a hint of shock. Solar had taken no chances, not wanting to run out of clothes again.
“Yeah, sorry there are so many, I just moved in and have… Well, no clothes. I decided it would be best to just buy a lot now, rather than have to worry later,” She explained, hoping that there wasn’t some badly labelled rule about a limit. “I can afford it, if you’re worried.”
“Not at all, it’s fine. I’ve just never had such an order before, Miss…” He waited slightly, and it took Solar a small while to realise he was implying for her to tell him her name.
“Oh, Eclipse. Solar Eclipse. Sorry, I’m awful with conversations,” She said with a smile. He nodded and began reading the labels on the items, totalling all the costs on the till. It took a while, but soon he was through the pile and he glanced between the clothes and Solar’s satchel.
“Miss Eclipse, I don’t think you’ll be able to take this home yourself, would you like me to arrange a teleport? You said you just moved in, didn’t you, so I can have them sent there. It will be an added cost of ten bits, though,” The cashier offered, Solar was glad that Ponyville offered the usual teleportation method, a lot of smaller towns and villages didn’t – It had simply become such a useful idea.
“Yes, please,” She replied, fiddling with her pouch to pull out the one-hundred bits before realising that it would simply be easier to pull out ten and give him the pouch. With ten bits now in her satchel, she handed him the small bag and he laid it on a scale which read a round one-hundred. It was quite the good concept, having the bag weighed and the number of bits calculated.
As she began to leave the stallion raised his voice to her again. “Say, Miss. Have you seen the Whitetail Woods yet? If you live nearby, I’d recommend taking a walk there, ponies say it’s the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen.” He nodded to her and gave her a small absent-minded wave before returning to his book.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Solar chuckled, opening the store door and stepping out onto the road. She decided that she should change into some new clothes as soon as she could, since wearing the same clothes as yesterday was beginning to bug her more and more. Before she could go, however, she felt a hand grab her shoulder. With a start, she jerked herself away and span to see Fluttershy, looking very surprised. Her hand was hovering in the air and her eyes were wide.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, I just… Um.” She stumbled over her words and her eyes darted around, a lock of hair falling over her face. Brushing it away, she met Solar’s eyes again. “I was… I just saw you were here and wanted to say hi.” Apparently, she lived up to her namesake, even to someone she knew. Behind the pegasus was a familiar brightly coloured mare who bounced over to lean on Fluttershy’s shoulder, surprising her.
“Hey, Solar! Fluttershy was just telling me about how there are too many animals at her cottage and I suggested that some ponies around here could take some as pets!” Pinkie began, taking no time for breaths between sentences, “So, I suggested how maybe you’d like to take one, since we caught sight of you. Not to mention we haven’t really gotten to know you, like, I mean really, really, really gotten to know you.”
Solar tried to keep a straight face as a few emotions came over her. For one, she was slightly irritated that her plan was interrupted, for another she wanted to laugh at the sheer energy that seemed to follow Pinkie wherever she went. But most of all, she was impressed with the speed of Pinkie’s speech. Fluttershy’s eyes had widened at Pinkie’s blunt request and she opened her mouth to speak but faltered. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Solar thought about the idea. “That depends, I don’t really know the first thing about looking after a pet. Not to mention I wouldn’t be too great at remembering to feed it.”
Fluttershy actually lit up slightly at this, and a smile returned to her lips. “Well, that’s not too big of an issue, a lot of my animals are capable of feeding themselves. If they can get outside, that is.” That did make things easier, but there was the problem of getting out. Solar locked the house tightly at night, closing every window and its corresponding latch carefully. Being a thief gives you cause for concern with theft, alright? If I can get in, so can they.
“I’m afraid that I close everything at night…” She replied, a twinge of disappointment in her voice to sympathise with Fluttershy. It didn’t really have the intended effect, however, as Fluttershy simply became more determined with her offer.
“Well, I have a few smart birds that could go the night without food. Some can go up to a few days, so overnight shouldn’t be an issue.” Her determination to home these creatures was admirable and her excitement rather wholesome. “If you just made sure a window was open at some point during the day, or that it goes out with you, it would be fine. I’m sure it’d remind you if you forgot.”
Well, Solar didn’t really have a leg to stand on at this point. If it fed itself, required almost no care and could fly then she didn’t exactly have an excuse. Nor did she have any reason to, though, having a pet could be fun. With a brief consideration she agreed to see the birds, but only after going home and changing. The idea of cleanliness still boiled at the back of her mind.
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Now wearing a nice black overshirt and a plain white baseball top with blue jeans, Solar felt much better. The clothes were comfortable, and she felt at home in them, a welcome change from the uncomfortable fabric of her previous outfits, stretched and rough from years of reuse. As the three of them walked along the path to Fluttershy’s cottage, Pinkie spoke up. “Say, Solar, when’s your birthday?”
Solar blinked and thought for a few seconds. When is my birthday? She actually didn’t know, she’d never celebrated it. It had to be some time around May since she vaguely remembered being confused when the doctors around her had begun scribbling ‘13’ instead of ‘12’ in boxes marked as ‘Age:’. It didn’t really matter when it was in the long term, so any date would do. She may as well keep it in May, though, since it would be easier to remember. Her next birthday would be her nineteenth, that could be a good date for it. “The nineteenth of May, I’ll be nineteen in… eight months.” That’s right, right?
Pinkie was overjoyed to hear that but then seemed to be lost in thought for a while, so Solar turned her attention to Fluttershy. “So, what birds do you have that meet the criteria, anyway?” She asked, hoping one would be a good fit for her. She would hate to end up with a parrot or something, something too vibrant could be annoying.
“Well, there’s Mr Beak, he’s a toucan. I found him a while ago with my friend, Treehugger. There’s Samantha, she’s a robin, but she can be a bit hard to keep track of. Uh, there’s Corvus, he’s a raven. He’s particularly clever, so he’d pretty much automate when you don’t do anything for him. Finally, there is Falc. He’s a, uh, a falcon. To be fair, he chose his name,” Rattled off Fluttershy, counting off her fingers for each candidate. As she racked her mind for any forgotten options, they came upon her cottage.
She opened the door and Pinkie bounced inside, followed by Solar. It was quite clear who the lucky few were, since they were out of their cages and perched around the room among the other animals. With each having their own piece of furniture they looked like some kind of display. Immediately, Solar saw who would be her choice. Mr Beak was too big, not to mention his colourful beak. Samantha was too small and seemed to be mostly red. Falc was a good size, but his brown palette was highlighted with bright yellow.
Corvus on the other hand, was a delightfully appealing specimen. His feathers were darker than the night and, unlike Falc, the un-feathered sections of his body were the same deathly black. As Solar reached the middle of the living room, he tilted his head at her, staring at her with an air of curiosity; it was not an unfriendly look, in fact, he was the only one who didn’t immediately fly or turn from Solar. Overtime she had discovered that most animals found her unsettling. They often ran from her or watched in suspicion, as though she was walking hand in hand with the grim reaper himself. Maybe I am.
The sound of flapping wings filled the air as Corvus swooped over to land neatly on Solar’s left shoulder. With a surprised look, she regarded the raven, wondering why he actually wanted to come near her – let alone land on her shoulder. Fluttershy was, predictably, enthralled by this, clasping her hands in excitement. “Oh, Solar! He likes you! You look like a matching pair, too, each with your dark grey wings.”
Solar chuckled, actually enjoying the idea of a pet now. “Yeah, I suppose we do. I’m surprised he has taken a liking to me, you may have noticed all the others left or hid,” She replied, glancing around the now abandoned spots in the room. Fluttershy suddenly seemed to notice as well, squeaking in horror and growing flustered.
“Oh my, where are they? They were all… Oh dear. I hope they can come back,” She managed, between breaths. “Why did they all run from you? My animals never do that.” Clearly, they’ve never met me, then.
“To be honest with you, I’m not sure. My whole life animals shied away from me and it seems like it’s only increased over time.” That wasn’t strictly true, actually. The effect had only begun after she had been altered, likely yet another ‘side effect’. Fluttershy’s face fell when she heard this. Her love of animals was such a key part of her world that she simply couldn’t imagine life without them, let alone how it would feel to be purposely avoided by them all.
She made eye-contact with Corvus, who was now finding a more comfortable position on Solar’s shoulder. “Corvus, you like Solar, don’t you? Why don’t the others?” Her concern was touching, although Solar was unsure how asking would help. With a chirp the raven gave some kind of answer and Fluttershy blinked in confusion. “He says that you are unnatural… What does that mean?” Another tweet from Corvus. “Well, that doesn’t make sense. She clearly isn’t, is she.”
Is she… Talking to him? Solar looked between the two, wondering if Fluttershy actually understood the bird. “Are you talking to him? Do you actually understand him?” She asked. Fluttershy nodded, beginning to walk to the door.
“I understand all my animals and they understand me. Well, actually they understand everypony, but they listen to me. In any case, I’m not sure why the animals don’t like you; Corvus says that you carry a sense of being dead. Like, they get the same feeling from you as a… body I suppose. But that’s impossible, since you’re clearly alive. He’s just as confused as we are since he understands you aren’t dead.” She sighed and looked around the cottage, taking in the empty birdhouses and cages. “I… I hate to be a bother, but I really need to get the animals back inside, if it gets dark and they aren’t, I don’t know what I’ll do. But it was nice seeing you, oh, and thank you so much for adopting Corvus.”
Solar nodded understandingly, glad for an excuse to head back home anyway. She wasn’t used to this much interaction and it was beginning to feel exhausting. As she walked out of the cottage, she found someone walking beside her, skipping along happily. Oh, that’s right. Pinkie Pie had been watching the entire ordeal from the door and was now side-by-side with Solar.
“Say, Solar, it’s kinda weird how the animals think you’re dead, huh.” She said, innocently looking down at her shoes while they walked. “Like, you aren’t, but they think you are. Weird, huh?” Her tone was strangely… Informed, as though she knew something Solar didn’t. Or she knew something Solar wouldn’t want her to. “Have you seen the White-tail Woods? They are meant to be quite fun, last time I was there I found a stick in the shape of a moon!” She laughed and turned away from Solar, winking as she walked down the path to town. How in Tartarus do you find a stick in the shape of a moon?
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As the door closed behind her, Solar slid down it. Corvus flew through the hall and perched on a table, occupying himself with preening. On the one hand, Solar did actually want to go for a walk to the woods. It was still light, and she felt like she needed to clear her head. On the other, so many ponies had suggested doing so that it felt like she was walking into a trap. Surely, they had no reason to, though? She had only just arrived, they couldn’t possibly have a reason to do something like that yet – besides, it would be good to bond with Corvus.
“Maybe I could get some practice in while I do,” She said to herself, picking up her bow. Despite how useful it had seemed, she hadn’t actually used it much. That being said, she hadn’t had a job for a while. Slinging it over her shoulder, she made her way down the path in her garden. Luckily, the property joined the woods on this side of the house; it was something she had noticed when gardening before.
Stepping into the trees was like walking into a painting, the tall pillars of wood bearing delightful shades of varying oranges. Rays of light cut through the leaves, the branches waving to Solar with a lethargic joy in the soft wind. Her tail and mane were pulled to her side slightly and the feeling of the wind rushing through them was wonderful. She felt almost afraid to open her wings, in case she was dragged off along the breeze. A worn path wound through the forest, splitting into separate routes; each intersection holding its own plethora of signs to point you around. Glancing at the first one she found, Solar was surprised to find her home actually had a name. Engraved into the woods were the words ‘Mahogany Hollow’, which was quite a fitting name considering the shade of the wood that made up the house’s details. Corvus soared from tree to tree, enjoying the walk just as much as she was.
Erratic shades of green formed the grassy banks of the path and a small stream ran alongside, crystal clear water shining like a river of glass. As she turned a corner in the path, Solar saw three makeshift shelters. If they could be called that. Sticks and logs were placed in cones and covered with leaves gathered from the floor, making a type of tepee. In the middle of the three structures was a small circle of pebbles with some burning twigs in the centre. Around this small campfire sat three fillies, all sitting on logs. Drawing closer, Solar heard two of them berating the third, mercilessly. Two of the three she recognised as Applejack and Rarity’s sisters, Applebloom and Sweetiebelle. The third was an orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail, who seemed to be the one under fire. All three were dressed in rather bedraggled school uniforms, much like Sweetiebelle was when Solar met her before.
“I thought I told you to get some firewood, didn’t I Scoot? The clue’s in the name! Fire-wood, not fire-sticks,” Applebloom scolded, her eyes narrowed at the pegasus. Sweetiebelle nodded along, a look of exasperation on her face. ‘Scoot’ looked angrily between the two, a defensive argument ready to go. Before she could, however, Sweetiebelle caught sight of Solar and waved.
“Solar, hey, over here!” She called out, a smile of recognition on her face. The others seemed confused, unsurprisingly, considering that they hadn’t met yet. Solar walked over and knelt beside the fire, Corvus coming down to land on her shoulder.
“Hey, is that a crow? He looks so cool! Why did he land on your shoulder? Is he yours?” Said the pegasus, her eyes wide with curiosity and her words tumbling over themselves.
“This is Scootaloo, Solar. I don’t think you’ve met Applebloom yet, either, she’s Applejack’s sister. Crusaders, Solar,” Sweetiebelle explained, introducing them all and giving Scootaloo a bit of side-eye for her outburst. It seemed these three were quite the trio by themselves. As for their camp-building skills, they could use some work.
“Well, Scootaloo, he isn’t a crow, but he is mine. His name is Corvus and he’s a raven, Pinkie suggested that I take a walk in the woods and I figured it would be a good opportunity to bond. I’m not sure how well that’s working but he seems to like me regardless. In fact, he was the only one who didn’t dislike me,” Solar said, with a little chuckle, feeling a little awkward talking to the filly. She wasn’t good with children. “Anyway, what on Equus are you all doing, and why in the name of Celestia are there clear attempts at makeshift shelters?”
Immediately the look of interest on Applebloom’s face turned to one of indignation. “What d’ya mean, attempts? These are professionally made tents!” She argued. Sweetiebelle looked back at the three piles and cringed slightly. Scootaloo didn’t look too thrilled with their constructions either.
“Well, they aren’t the most amazing things ever, Applebloom. I mean, I’ve had better shelter with some of Rarity’s hats,” Sweetie offered, bringing a sigh from the group. Solar raised an eyebrow, wondering why they were making the campsite at all. It was unusual to want to camp without any equipment.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you trying to camp in the woods without any camping gear or shelter?” She asked. Scootaloo piped up again, her face suddenly lit with hope.
“We were trying to get our cutiemarks in camping! But we couldn’t get the equipment from any of the others’ sisters and Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found. So, we decided we could try and get some from making the tents ourselves. Could you get us cutiemarks?” She demanded. Three pairs of optimistic eyes bored into Solar.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know much about them, but I do know you have to wait for them. But, if it makes you feel any better, they can appear at any time. So, just doing something you would consider normal could cause them to appear; I’m sure they will when the time is right,” She supposed, hoping to sedate their expectance for a while. Much to her chagrin, however, the faces of the three fell in unison.
“Not you too!” Sweetie said, exasperated. “We’ve been trying to get them for so, so long and everypony keeps saying to wait! We must be good at something, so if we do that thing, we’ll get them. I know it. The Cutie Mark Crusaders won’t fail!” Her defiance was something to be admired, as the others immediately rallied to her call, cheering on the Crusaders.
Apparently, they have a club. “Well, look, as I said they can appear at any time so-” Solar began before a particularly excited Applebloom cut her off.
“How did you get your cutiemark? What is it?” She asked, vehemently chasing down the topic. Solar was a little unsure of what to say here. On the one hand she couldn’t tell them everything, since the actual scenario would invalidate her façade. On the other, she could twist the truth into a reliable tale.
“Well, mine is actually based around,” don’t say deception, don’t say deception, “stealth. It looks like a moon behind a cloud with little rays of light around it. Meaning it is a literal solar eclipse, which is rather fitting, don’t you think?” She explained, creating the next batch of the story in her mind. “I actually got it at around… thirteen years old, I think. I’m not sure, to be honest. Anyway, it appeared while I was playing hide and seek with some of the kids in Canterlot. Apparently, hiding in the alleys and winning the game all the time was enough to trigger it.” There, perfect. The lie was almost fool-proof, not only lining up with her story so far but also making perfect sense given the nature of her mark.
“Huh, wow. Boring.” Scootaloo said promptly, yawning slightly as she did. Sweetiebelle looked tired too and Applebloom stared down at the forest floor, her brow knitted in contemplation. Suddenly Sweetie shot up with a cry of surprise.
“Solar? Is that… Is that a bow?” She said, in shock. Solar cringed inwardly, having forgotten she had the weapon; there wasn’t really a reason for her to have it. Bows were unanimous with hunting in Equestria, something that was gravely looked down upon and even outlawed in certain areas. That or combat, neither of which were very good reasons to have one in a friendly village.
“Yes, not for any creatures though. It was made as a present by a blacksmith in Canterlot, kind of a father figure. It’s a hobby of mine now, not that I’m any good with it.” She replied, easing the three’s worry. Some actually did use archery as a hobby or sport, so it didn’t seem odd for her to have it. Scootaloo actually seemed to admire the bow and Sweetiebelle cooed over the engraved designs. Feeling uncomfortable with the two staring at her back, Solar took the bow off and stood up; she held it out, each Crusader looking it over. Applebloom seemed content with its uses, Sweetiebelle its design and Scootaloo its sheer thrill factor. Despite having their question satisfied, it seemed the three still had another thing to ask. They all wanted to see Solar using the bow itself. I really hope I don’t mess this up.
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Soon, a crudely made firing range had been set up and Solar’s three audience members watched, earnestly awaiting her swift execution of each apple. Apparently, this wood attached to Sweet Apple Acres further down the path and the apple trees had slowly crept in, joining their wooden brothers in the area. According to an excited Applebloom, the three had been trying to devise cutiemark related plans in their clubhouse quite nearby when camping had sprung up as an option. She was very proud of the treehouse, going into detail about its appearance as Solar strung up an arrow.
Pulling back, Solar felt the taught bowstring gather power. Released, the arrow shot through the air, whistling and thudding into an apple with the precision of a surgeon. Solar had to admit, she had surprised herself with even hitting the apple, let along causing it to split down the centre – certainly, it endorsed the bow’s strength. A cheer from Scootaloo and Applebloom made her grin, while Sweetiebelle was content with a whoop. Having knocked out each target, Scootaloo piped up, asking if she could have a go. That was quickly turned down by not only Solar but her own two consorts too. Neither seemed to think it was a good idea to try the bow themselves and Solar didn’t want to be responsible for any injuries.
“Well, it was nice to see yah bow and all, but I think The Cutie Mark Crusaders have failed at camping. And, Scootaloo, we ain’t trying archery. Not just yet,” Applebloom declared, glancing back to the campsite with an air of regret. All three looked down with grim, thoughtful expressions. Suddenly, Sweetie clicked her fingers and cried out.
“I know! We should try Cutie Mark Crusaders Canoeing! You have that old one in the barn, don’t you Applebloom?” She said, looking for confirmation from her fellows. Applebloom nodded slowly, a grin forming on her face. Scootaloo jumped, pumping her fist and flapping her wings.
“Yeeeeeeess! I’ve wanted to try that canoe for ages! Please tell me Applejack will let us.” Her remark brought a brief moment of hesitation from Applebloom. Then the concerned look cleared, her mind made up. With a smile, she said one sentence that would put the idea deep into concrete.
“She doesn’t have to know.”
Solar watched as all three sprinted down the path, following each sign to Sweet Apple Acres with excitement. Those three are… Strange. Shaking her head, she continued her walk down the path, indulging in the sights and sounds of the woodlands. Corvus flew overhead, exploring the winding paths between trees with glee. As she walked, she began to notice something strange with each signpost. Slowly but surely a new label had appeared, pointing in several directions with a symbol that didn’t seem to fit. An engraving of a tree with a distorted and intimidating mouth marked the words ‘The Everfree Forest’. She remembered what Rarity had said about the forest, with its dangerous and deadly kaleidoscope of creatures. Despite that, however, she couldn’t help but feel attracted to it. The forest would surely be something to behold if it was as untamed as it seemed, not to mention, she was on the path to it already.
Not wanting to be another missing poster, Solar made sure not to venture too deep into the inky reaches of the forest’s treeline. The stark contrast between it and the Whitetail Woods was actually quite mindboggling, almost as if the sun simply refused to enter the forest either. Although, that clearly wasn’t the case as rays of light could be seen piercing the trees at uncanny intervals. As she felt the path change from worn dirt to coarse mud, she caught sight of something interesting further in. In the distance was a clear, tall structure made of decaying and dishevelled stone. The tower had a doppelganger further along beside it, but it was broken, and she couldn’t see much. Running forward, she spread her wings and flew above the trees. Soaring closer, she took note of a third centre tower, which was almost completely destroyed. It had a larger radius than the two on either side, implying it was far taller at one point. This was soon confirmed as she noticed the rest of the tower, lying in piles of stone bricks over the building. At some point the tower had collapsed over the rest of the edifice, speeding up the structure’s deterioration. With that being said, the place would have to be over a thousand years old in order to break down like this from sheer neglect.
Hovering down, she landed in the main hall of the massive building, looking around at the ancient, moth bitten rugs. High on the wall were two banners, each towering above matching thrones. Despite their ragged and torn appearance, Solar could make out what was depicted on each. To the left was a stylised embroidery of Celestia and to her right, Luna. She stared, shocked that this was once a royal castle.
Shaking out of her stupor, she decided to quickly check around the place before leaving. Picking a hallway at random, Solar began wondering along, feeling the eerie atmosphere send chills along her spine and the wind softly biting her. Corvus landed on her shoulder, snuggling into her mane for safety. Seeing his uncertainty, she questioned if she should keep going but decided that there couldn’t be much harm in doing so. As she turned the corner, she opened a door that barely held itself on its hinges to reveal a large open library. The centre of the library was in a bad state of disrepair and a few books looked beyond saving, but there was certainly a large amount of completely readable ones.
Looking between the spines of books, one caught her eye. It was bound in a dark leathery material and had a picture of a pair of fangs on its edge. Her eyes widened, and she yanked the book off the shelf, praying it was in good condition. It was yellowed slightly, but a majority of the water damage had been prevented by the cover. In damaged writing, the front read ‘Myths and Legends of Equus: Vampires’. She gasped, fumbling with the bindings of the book. “Sweet Celestia, there is no way, no way,” She whispered softly, pulling it open and reading.
Introduction
Now, to many the term vampire may bring to mind visions of bats or small parasitic creatures. This, however, is not the case when speaking in terms of mythology, for in this area of literature the term refers to dark creatures of the night. These foul beings, sometimes referred to as ‘vamponies’ are largely just like you and I in their outward appearance. But as you look for details you may begin to notice their inponane features. The most renown giveaway is the sharp fangs possessed by those turned to the disease. Another would be their insatiable lust for blood and aversion to sunlight.
A key feature of vampires is their tainted soul. Being so unclean, they were often described as having no reflection in mirrors. This was due to the belief of the silver, used in mirrors at the time, being too pure for the soul’s reflection. Eventually, this became an inability to use all reflective surfaces, but the origin is very interesting. In this book, you will find tales of the creatures from all corners of Equestria and beyond. Different regions contain different folklore regarding the monsters, so please, do enjoy.
Swallowing, Solar thought about the contents of the page. The aversion to sunlight wasn’t something she had noticed, although she was more comfortable in the dark. She hadn’t noticed a lack of reflections in mirrors but with that being said, there was the possibility that she simply hadn’t encountered a silver mirror yet. That seemed unlikely, though, as a lot of her targets had been exceedingly wealthy, so a silver mirror would be almost guaranteed at some point. She didn’t feel diseased, but cursed could be apt. The thirst for blood was true, that much she knew, in fact she was beginning to feel the ache in her teeth she was getting to know so well. With an angry sigh of frustration, she closed the book and shoved it into her satchel. It’s getting dark anyway, I should get back. Corvus hopped slightly away from her, chirping, with his head to one side.
She walked back down the corridors, returning to the throne room. The original building’s entrance was actually still accessible, so Solar decided to leave through that. As she stepped out onto the grass, she felt a slight bit of relief, free of the castle’s tense atmosphere. Looking up, she came face to face with the huge carved head of a wolf. The wooden contours stared into her with two yellow, glowing eyes. The orbs sat like a pair of tinted moons, each bearing down on her with silent contemplation. It’s… It’s seen me, right? Solar couldn’t help but whimper slightly at the sight and began to slowly back through the broken archway. With powerful, heaving movements, the creature kept up to her pace. She gulped and spread her wings, preparing to fly as soon as she could. With a snarl, the wolf lunged forwards and she leapt to the side, hitting the floor in a panic. Corvus flew up into the night, hovering well out of reach. Solar pulled herself up and launched of the ground, twisting round just in time to see the teeth of the wolf close around the air beneath her. Wasting no time, she darted away from the room and above the forest, ensuring that Corvus was following suite.
The wolf crashed through the trees beneath her for a while as she headed for the lights of Ponyville. Eventually it began to slow, until it stopped entirely; without the thing on her tail, she headed back home. While the castle had been a sight to see, the journey hadn’t been of much benefit. What in Tartarus was that thing?
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Leaning on the door, Solar tumbled into her house with an unsteady gait. Flying from The Everfree had been tiring and far more than she was used to. Quite simply, she hadn’t flown for so long so fast before. Looking back out at the now night sky, Solar felt pangs of hunger from her stomach and an ache from her wings. She hadn’t eaten in a while, something she had overlooked yet again; she would need some food. With a sigh, she held the door open for Corvus and closed it firmly behind him, locking each bolt into its corresponding slot.
“So much for a relaxing walk.” She said to herself, crossing the hall to the kitchen, trying not to hit her wings on anything. Corvus flew to a chair arm in front of her and tilted his head at her with an inquisitive chirp. “What? Ponies talk to themselves, Corvus. It’s normal. I think. I’m not insane, if that’s what you think.” She said, feigning irritation. Chuckling she walked through the doorway of the kitchen before pausing. “Although, do ponies talk to birds? Maybe I am insane after all.” An indignant chirp came from the other room and she shook her head in wonder. Fluttershy wasn’t kidding when she said he was smart.
Making a quick bowl of salad, Solar was surprised to see Corvus landing on the table top next to her. He watched intently as she chopped up the vegetables, his eyes following each move. Feeling mischievous, she flourished the knife, spinning it in the air before catching it and continuing on with her task. Corvus hopped back and looked her up and down, head tilted once again. She rolled her eyes and moved the food into a bowl, strolling back into the living room. With a sigh, she collapsed into an armchair and ate in silence, enjoying the taste of the meal.
Just as she finished, she felt a pang from her mouth as her fangs began to ache. She growled slightly and clamped her teeth down in annoyance. “Stupid, stupid things,” She muttered, leaving her bowl on the coffee table and running up the stairs. Slowing as she came to the bathroom, she began to roll her sleeve up in preparation; a surprised Corvus following in her wake. Small chirps of confusion and concern were lost to Solar’s preoccupied mind. Opening the holster on her belt, she slipped out her knife and considered her wrist for a good place to cut. The ideal position would be the exact same one as before, but she was beginning to fear that the scar would stop healing if she kept cutting it. Gritting her teeth, she cut above the last with a wince.
Her blood tasted nice, as expected, but it had certainly lost potency over time. Admittedly, she had been surprised that it had stopped the aching in the first place, since it was technically the same blood she already had. The idea that her body was beginning to realise this wasn’t one she had wished to entertain, but it seemed likely. All she hoped was that it would be enough to stop the aches in her fangs while she had nothing to feed on. But how long would it last? As she bandaged the wound with an absent mind, she noticed something in the mirror’s reflection. Corvus was perched on a towel rack, staring at her wound in silence. She paused her movement, briefly wondering if she should’ve locked him out. Turning to him, she swallowed and bit her lip. “You… You didn’t see anything, alright? I know it seems bad but if you say… chirp a thing to Fluttershy, it won’t end well for me. Ok?”
Corvus seemed to get the idea and Solar simply hoped he would keep his mindset. If her secret got out, she didn’t dare to think what would happen. For once, she had found a place where she could live without the fear of death around every corner. A place where ponies actually did like her for her. Not one where everyone acted nice just to accomplish some kind of checklist for obligation. Only showing any kind of kindness when it benefitted them. Heaving a sigh, she decided to go to bed. It was getting late, after all. Having pulled off her creased, muddy clothes, she laid back on the covers. She felt her bandaged wrist, pain running up her arm. What am I? Sweet Celestia, why did I have to be the monster? Tears threatened to run down her cheeks and she blinked them away, choosing instead to punch her pillow in exasperation. Exhaling, she focused on her situation. Overall, things were looking up. She had a house, friends, an unsteady but paying job and a good bank balance. It was just infuriating that all of this could have been so much easier.
Having turned off all the lights, she lifted her satchel onto the bed and pulled out the book she had taken earlier. Opening the book and pulling the cover over her, she turned on the lamp beside her bed, losing herself in the pages and stories it had to offer. Slowly but surely, she began to drift off.
Coming back from the shower had always been fairly uneventful. Some harsh words or shoves from megalomaniacal guards, the odd desire to sprint down the corridor. This time, however, she noticed that the usual entrance to her cell now had two doors. She hadn’t seen the addition at first, due to the featureless greyish-white theme of the building but there was certainly another door. To Solar’s surprise, the guards actually ushered her past the usual door and into the second, which lead into her cell through a brand-new entrance. Unsure of why the room needed another entrance closer to her bed, she sat down with a slight bit of annoyance. Being forcefully knocked out and waking up in the showers was bad enough, finding changes to the one place she owned was something else entirely.
Immediately she got her answer, though. A glass panel now divided the room, a few chairs placed on the other side. The setup made her uncomfortable, almost like she was some kind of exhibit at a circus or zoo. Something to be gawked at by those more fortunate. She knew why, of course. Her outburst with Fleet had likely made the glass seem necessary, something to keep the researchers safe. They weren’t in danger, she knew that; presumably, they themselves didn’t though. To her dismay, the entrance to the glass side opened to reveal Fleet himself, still alive and kicking, shadowed by two guards. She had to admit she was satisfied to see him wearing a neck cast, however, since it clearly meant she had done some damage.
A silent pantomime played out in front of her as Fleet seemed grow irritated with one of the guards, gesticulating wildly to some kind of podium which stood in the middle of the room. On the top was a button, which he pressed in irritation. All of a sudden, Solar could hear everything from the room. “-n’t care if it’s for my safety, I was told I would get payback,” He hissed, turning to her and sitting in one of the chairs. With a look back to the guards, he pointed to the door, meaningfully. One looked back between him and the exit with hesitation. The button was pressed again and Solar saw him yell silently at the two, who quickly left. She giggled, enjoying the view immensely. Another press and she could hear him clearing his throat. Clearly, he hadn’t forgotten their last meeting as he stared into her with two burning eyes.
“So, enjoy the taste, parasite?” He spat, his glare intensifying. Solar nodded with a smile, loving the fact that glass had to be put between them. His features stitched into a scowl and he pulled up his ever-present clipboard, flipping through the paper. “I’m sure you figured out you could heal with blood.” He continued, scanning the pages. “My fucking blood.” He added, under his breath. With a start, Solar looked down at her arm saw that, sure enough, her wound had healed to a scar. Fleet stood up and walked over to the glass, putting a hand against it and grimacing. “You know, they said I would be here for your quality of life but all they’re really concerned about is if you’re alive or not. I’m getting paid either way and you’re really making yourself hard to like.”
She rolled her eyes and walked up to the glass, putting her hand over his. “I know you hate me, everyone does. You’re no different and you never will be. I didn’t make myself hard to like, you just hate far too easily.” He was taken aback by her comment and he whipped his hand from the glass like someone had shocked it. “I certainly didn’t bite you because you were nice,” She continued. “Put yourself in my shoes, Fleet. Imagine fighting for your life every day, only to be imprisoned by the one person you thought had no reason to hate you.” She felt her eyes water slightly, but she bit her tongue, not wanting to cry in front of him.
“After all that surviving you have your oh-so little world taken by a wolf in sheep’s clothing simply because nopony would care. Because you were the one pony that fit the bill.” Her voice was wavering slightly as her mind flew back to her life before. She had a good friend, a home. A broken one, but a home nevertheless. Back then, she hadn’t had to be filled with needles on a daily basis. “Then imagine, after all of that, that those who took you performed painful treatments on you to answer some kind of twisted what-if scenario. And after that, that they decided to cut your arm open to see what would happen. You would snap too.”
Fleet cleared his throat, picking his words. “They say you have nothing, that this is an improvement. They say you wouldn’t’ve made it another day anyway.” He murmured, meeting her eyes. “An only child with single parent and no friends. No loved ones and no future. They say you’d killed for fun. Using a criminal for this type of thing makes sense. You have no excuse.” He picked up his clipboard, beginning to turn to the door.
Solar snapped. “Killed? Killed? I hadn’t killed, Fleet. I had stolen, yes, killed, no. I had a plan, I always had a plan. A plan for every situation and for every outcome. But then, oh no, then you lot cut a deal with somepony who had no right to do so, to do something I had no preparation for. And you fucked it all up.” Her eyes began to glow softly with a tinted red, staining the usual perfect blue. “You all decided that it was high time I lost it all. That my life was now something to be toyed with. I was written off and had everything, everything taken. My home? Sure. My life? Fuck it, why not, right? But my future? The one thing that wasn’t fucked? That’s… That is-” Her voice broke and she slid down the glass, tears rolling unchecked down her cheeks and sobs racking her body. It wasn’t fair, none of this was fair. She knew life wasn’t meant to be fair but this… This was absurd.
Fleet stared at the sobbing figure with a tinge of remorse. She was right, of course. He had never put himself in her shoes or considered the fact that she hadn’t done anything wrong. Quite simply, he had accepted the idea she was a criminal, broken beyond repair. Never had he thought of motive or reason. Shaking his head, he blinked and cleared his head. No, no. They had said she was a murderer and he had no reason to not believe them. Clearly, this street rat was trying to fill his mind with doubt. He wouldn’t let it work. Walking over to the door, he threw one last glace at the filly, who was now in the foetal position. Pressing the button, he sighed and opened the door, walking out into the hall.