Fluttershy let out a happy hum, nuzzling into the softest pillows in both worlds as the scent of wildflowers saturated her senses. It was everywhere. The covers wrapped around her, the mattress beneath her, the actual pillow under her head, and especially the bright yellow Pegasus held tightly in her forelegs. Her cheeks burned as she watched her double sleep, her long mane making a truly wild bed-head that made her heart flutter. Slowly, she unfolded one of her wings and draped it over her bedmate's barrel like a second blanket, the thick membrane lightly tickled by the Pegasus' soft feathers. Everything about Equestrian Fluttershy was soft, delicate like the wings of a butterfly, and just as beautiful. A fact that filled her with joy as well as shame when she considered what she herself was like.
Her eyes were harsh like a wild wolf and could strike pure fear into anyone unfortunate enough to see them. Her body wasn't soft. Instead, it was taut with thin, but very dense muscle that her thicker coat hid behind the illusion of fluff. And then their were her fangs, permanent weapons that could rip right through flesh as easily as a flaming knife through butter. Even if she wasn't a monster by her friend's standards, she knew from all her time studying animals what she was built to be. She was a hunter, a predator, a creature born with the need to kill to survive like a wolf or a bear. The thought of killing an animal to feed scared her and made her feel sick to her stomach, but she knew that it would come soon. Even vegetarians needed some kind of protein in their diet to function.
What will she think about me when that happens? she thought, gently brushing some of her double's mane out of her face. Will she abandon me? Will she be scared of me? No. No! I don't want that!
Small tears fell from the corners of her eyes as images of her double staring at her in terror before running away screaming entered her mind. She could almost taste the blood and viscera from her imagined kill, making her stomach twist both in disgust and shame. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she laid her head back down onto the pillow, resting her forehead against her double's as memories of the night before came to her, lulling her into a moment of blissful pain.
***
"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked over her salad.
Equestrian Fluttershy nodded, eyes locked onto her own dinner as a faint blush colored her cheeks.
"A-After this morning, I don't know if I can get to sleep by myself. And, well, we've slept next to each other before so..."
Equestrian Fluttershy's face turned redder than the tomatoes in her salad as she tried to find the nerve to continue. Her Thestral double wasn't any better, countless dirty thoughts running through her mind based on the possibilities presented. She mentally slapped herself as she locked eyes with the fidgeting Pegasus sitting across from her. She sported a blush that matched her host as she nodded in the affirmative.
"I don't mind," she smiled as she picked up her fork and speared a bundle of lettuce on her plate.
"R-Really?" Equestrian Fluttershy squeaked, eyes and smile wide.
She nodded, placing her forkful of food into her mouth.
"Th-Thank you," she mumbled, staring at her half-finished salad with a deep blush.
Fluttershy let out a small giggle through her mouthful at her double's antics. For the hundredth time, she fought the urge to fly over the dinning room table and snuggle the little Pegasus. It wasn't fair! Being that cute had to be against some sort of cosmic law!
As she swallowed her food, she flinched as a very slight pain filled her mouth. Using her tongue, she traced the sore area and mentally groaned. One of things she had to get used to when it came to her fangs was how they would occasionally poke her lower jaw if she bit down too hard. It wasn't unbearably painful, no more irritating than biting your tongue or cheek by mistake, but it was still annoying.
"Maybe," Equestrian Fluttershy whispered, pulling her attention away from her sore gums. "I can give you a massage before bed. To say thank you, I mean."
"Yes please," she smiled, powering through a flinch as her fangs jabbed into her lower gums again.
As soon as they finished their food, they practically ran up the stairs to get to the main bedroom. After an amazing message session, Fluttershy laid bonelessly on the bed as her double turned off the lights then pulled the covers over both of them. It was silent for a long time as the two ponies laid beside each other, one barely awake while the other sported a heavy blush. Nervously gnawing on her lower lip, Equestrian Fluttershy turned towards her panting double, not sure what she was going to do next. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about that for long, as the barely conscious Thestral pulled her into an gentle embrace, eliciting a small squeak from the shocked Pegasus. Slowly, she melded into the embrace as all the tension left her body as her world was dominated by the familiar scent of fog and pine while her bedmate happily drowned in wildflowers.
***
A soft smile decorated her muzzle as she stared at her sleeping bedmate's face. She wondered how something so perfect could stand to be near her. Her eyes trailed down her face to the graceful curve of her neck to the soft roundness of her shoulder. As she did, a gentle heat grew within her, starting at her chest and spreading towards her mouth. Her vision started to become hazy as the heat spread to her face, her jaw going slack as her breath came out in slow pants. A dull tingle surrounded her fangs as the heat slowly consumed her mind, her eyes lingering on the sleeping Pegasus' shoulder as her mouth opened a little further. Memories of what Equestrian Lyra tried to do the day before briefly flashed into the forefront of her mind, and a strong feeling that she couldn't identify came over her. She wanted to protect the mare in front of her. She wanted to be accepted by the mare, to be by her side always. But above all else, she wanted her double all to herself.
An alien instinct held her tightly as she moved her open mouth towards the sleeping Pegasus' exposed shoulder, her fangs glinting in the fragments of morning light that managed to slip past the curtains. A portion of her mind not in a warm fog knew that this was bad, that what she was doing wasn't normal, but that was blocked out by the instinct that had command of her senses. Just as her jaws hovered over their target, Equestrian Fluttershy moved, tapping her shoulder against the side of the Thestral's right fang. The shock of having such a sensitive part of her body struck knocked her out of her trance. A tall wave of guilt washed over her as she carefully pulled herself back from the Pegasus, eyes wide and on the verge of tears.
"W-What was that?" she muttered, stumbling out of the bed to put as much space between her and her double as possible. "Why was I-? What's wrong with me?!"
Tears fell as she registered what she was going to do, what she still wanted to do as she stared at her Equestrian doppelgänger. Slowly, the little Pegasus started to stir, eyes fluttering open slowly. Terrified, she forced herself to move as quickly and quietly into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom as she could. As she hid, she tried to make sense of the situation, but try as she might, she couldn't find an adequate explanation. One minute she was admiring her crush, the next, she was about to sink her fangs into her shoulder.
Is this a Thestral thing? she thought, panicking as she paced the bathroom. Are they cannibals?
A startled eep slipped past her lips as a soft knock came from the door.
"Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, grogginess present even while muffled by the door.
"Y-Yeah," she stammered, a slight hiss in her tone. "B-But I think it's going to be a while before I come out. Go ahead and have breakfast without me."
"Okay," she said, concern heavy in her tone.
Seconds later, she heard the soft clip-clop of her host's hoofsteps as she exited the room. Sighing, she decided to take advantage of her situation while she tried to figure out what she was going to do and grabbed the toothbrush she bought on the way back from the native Lyra's house yesterday. After she got the dental implement ready, she looked in the mirror and opened her mouth. What she saw made her drop her toothbrush in shock.
"D-Did they get bigger?" she gaped, staring at her now two inch long fangs.
***
If there were any bearable perks to Twilight's ascension, it was that it made the sight of an Alicorn less of a novelty in some places. Cadence smiled widely as she stepped out of the train onto the busy platform, taking a deep breath of the rural winter air as she walked. Not waisting any time, her horn gave off a discrete glow as she cast the right Tracking Spell for her personal mission. A light giggle made its way past her lips as she walked, letting the spell guide her towards the pony that needed her help. From what she could gather, the pony in question was massively crushing on somepony, but was equally indecisive in how to go about acting on their feelings. Using a scrying mirror, she found that the pony's crush felt the same way and was weakened by the same indecision. Cadence couldn't bear to watch such a thing go on. Without a second thought, she told Shining what she was doing, then teleported to the station closest to Ponyville that her magic would allow. As such, she was high on bits, but low on magic as she strolled through the snow-soaked streets of Ponyville's market district.
It seems like the pony's crush is nearby, she thought, scanning her surroundings. But who is it?
As casually as she could manage, she strolled towards the weaker pull her magic used to guide her. All the while, she scanned the crowd for any ponies showing the signs of being linked to the pony in question. A soft smile graced her muzzle as she saw what she was looking for. About ten feet away from her was a familiar bright yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. Unknown to her and the ponies surrounding her, a faint cornflower aura surrounded her. The same glow that would mark whoever her potential special somepony was to Cadence thanks to her spell. As she approached her, her smile shrunk as she took in the mare's condition.
Her gate was tense as she frantically looked through the crowd, eyes searching for something specific among the booths.
"Please," she muttered as Cadence closed in on her from behind. "Please tell me somepony has it."
"Has what?" she asked, now a foot away from her.
With a startled yelp, Equestrian Fluttershy spun to face the pony behind her.
"Oh, hi Princess Cadence," she said with a relieved sigh. "What brings you to Ponyville?"
"Hi Fluttershy," she chuckled, then with a faint smile added, "Nothing much. Just a bit of personal business."
"Oh, okay," she smiled, eyes quickly shifting between the Alicorn before her and the booths behind her. "Well, I don't want to hold you up."
As she said that, she gave the Princess a small bow and started to walk away.
"Actually," Cadence smiled, taking point at the Pegasus' left as she walked. "I was wondering something?"
"Yes?" she asked, dividing her focus between the Princess and the stalls.
"Has anything interesting happened to you recently?"
"Not really," she said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Are you sure?" she asked, a knowing smile growing on her face. "Maybe somepony interesting?"
Equestrian Fluttershy's face turned beet red, eyes now deliberately trying to look at anything other then the grinning Alicorn beside her.
"M-Maybe," she stammered.
Cadence smiled in victory, knowing how hard it was to get the shy Pegasus to admit certain things through her nerves. In a lot of ways, it made her worry about Fluttershy in regards to social circles, especially when it came to the pink Princess' domain. She had seen more than her fair share of wallflowers fall into lonely pits because of their fear and insecurities. Naturally, she tried to help them whenever she could, but sometimes it was too late. Despair and loneliness could push ponies to do some very dark things sometimes. Things even a Princess can't change.
"That's great," she cheered. "Need any pointers?"
"U-Um well," Equestrian Fluttershy stammered, momentarily staggered by the offer as she looked at Cadence. "I-If it isn't too much trouble."
"Nonsense," she said, waving off the mare's concerns with hoof. "So, are they nearby?" she asked, looking around.
"No," she sighed with a worried frown, again staring at the different stalls. "She's at my house right now."
"I see," Cadence frowned. "Any reason?"
"She can't handle bright lights and wasn't feeling well, so I came out here to get her something to help."
"Is she okay?" she asked, concerned.
Equestrian Fluttershy nodded, then said, "She was stuck in the bathroom all morning. I think she might've eaten something funny, so I was going to make her some Eel Liver Soup to help, but no pony seems to be selling any eel liver."
Cadence cringed at that.
While great at fixing stomach issues, Eel Liver Soup was not exactly renown for its taste. At best, it was compared to eating moldy carrots and at worst, it usually tasted the same coming back up as it did going down. Only heavily pregnant mares, Griffins, and Thestrals could stomach the brew enough to actually benefit from its effects.
"I guess it's out of season," she said, scanning the stalls. "Maybe I can help. I know a few healing spells and I was heading out that way anyways."
Equestrian Fluttershy beamed at that.
"Would you really? Thank you Princess!"
"No problem," she laughed. "And just Cadence is fine."
***
Fluttershy anxiously paced the living room, harsh pants rolling out of her muzzle. She didn't know what was happening to her. Since the incident in the bedroom, her mind continued to shift in and out of that warm haze that threatened to devour her mind. At the same time, she was flooded with energy that she didn't know what to do with. It was like she drank six espressos and a can of Red Bull as she frantically paced. The tingling around her lengthened fangs reminded her of what happened the last time the haze overwhelmed her as she tried to figure out what to do to protect her double.
It's too much, she thought, falling to the floor and curling into herself. I-I want to bite her. Why do I want to bite her?!
The haze started to cloud her mind again as she laid, her breathing hitching as she fought. With a growl, she brought her hoof to her mouth and bit down. A sharp pain shot through her, snapping her out of whatever spell had a hold of her. With her head mostly clear, she grinned in victory then pulled the limb out of her mouth. The pain from her fangs coming out of her flesh made her grimace, but she powered through it.
"N-Never," she panted, staggering to her hooves. "I'll never hurt her."
The haze started to come back as she limped her way towards the downstairs bathroom. She grimaced as the coppery taste of her own blood hit her tongue while she walked, the flavor making her physically sick. Her limp faded as the strange tingle that coated her fangs moved to her foreleg, slowly numbing the pain. Wanting back control, she raised the same limb to her mouth and bit into it again. The haze faded enough for her to know she was headed in the right direction as she staggered forward as quickly as she could. She hadn't even taken three steps before she had to turn her fangs onto herself again. By the time she made it to the bathroom, her right foreleg was covered with puncture wounds, the blood leaving a crimson trail from the living room to her current location. The taste of blood was heavy in her mouth, leaving her on the verge of dry heaving as she stared at herself in the mirror.
Her eyes were unfocused and looked feral to her. Her mane and coat were wilder then they normally were. And her fangs, fully visible in her panting maw and covered with a thin layer of blood. What she saw scared her, but also fascinated her at the same time. So much so that she barely noticed the sound of the front door opening or the sound of hooves on hardwood.
"Fluttershy?!" Equestrian Fluttershy screamed, following the red trail to the bathroom.
When she got there, a look of pure terror formed on her face. The Thestral in the bathroom gave her a similar look, only more drunkenly as she scrambled back.
"St-Stay back," she panted, fear lacing her tone as the smell of wildflowers choked her with her guilt. "I-I don't want to hurt you."
"Fluttershy?" Cadence asked as she came into view. "Is she okay?"
Before the Pegasus could respond, a fierce growl filled the room.
"Stay away from her!" Fluttershy snarled, her previously fearful poise replaced by tense aggression.
The small Thestral's eyes seemed to glow with fury as they locked with the shocked Princess'. Her still bloodied fangs glinted wickedly in the dim room like a pair of polished daggers as she slowly crept closer like a wolf ready to pounce.
"F-Fluttershy," her double said, fear and confusion covering her face as she tried to get the Thestral's attention. "C-Calm down pl-"
Before she could finish, Fluttershy's wings burst open and with a high pitched roar, flew over her scared host towards Cadence. Thinking fast, the Alicorn caught her attacker in her magic just as she was about to bring her fangs to her throat. Fluttershy thrashed wildly in Cadence's grip, desperate to tear into her. All the while The Princess of Love struggled to keep the flying mass of hooves and fangs restrained long enough cast her second spell.
"You can't have her!" Fluttershy snarled. "She's my everything! I won't let you take her!"
"I won't," she grunted, finally gathering enough of her magic for her next move. "But you need to calm down for a hot second."
As she said that, a light-blue heart drifted out of her horn and slammed into her attacker's chest. Suddenly, all the fury seemed to fade out of the captured Thestral as she stayed suspended in Cadence's magic. A sigh slipped past her lips as she went limp, relief taking the place of rage.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, red eyes heavy with guilt and fatigue as she stared at Cadence. "I don't know what came over me. Somethings wrong with me and I have no idea what it is!"
"I think I do," Cadence said, muzzle decorated by an understanding smile.
With that, she walked into the living room, one Fluttershy still held in her magic while the other followed on hoof. Once she took a seat on the sofa, she lowered her captive onto the sofa across from her and cancelled her Levitation Spell. The native Fluttershy quickly took a seat beside her double, placing a supportive hoof on top of her's.
"Okay," Cadence sighed. "From what Fluttershy told me, you come from another world, right?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Then I suppose it's safe to assume that you aren't usually a Thestral."
Again, she nodded in the affirmative.
"Well then," she sighed. "That explains everything."
"Huh?" both Fluttershys said in unison.
"You see," she smiled. "Thestral Magic is a bit more primal than Pegesi, Earth, and Unicorn Magic. It's largely focused on instinct and has a habit of manifesting violently if it's unnaturally restrained. This can lead to a Thestral mentally regressing to a wild animal until the problem is fixed or their magic is drained."
"Is that what you did to me?" Fluttershy asked.
She shook her head.
"All I did was reduce your anger and fear. If you keep suppressing your magic, you'll go back to the way you were in a few hours."
Fluttershy stared at Cadence, tears starting to build in the corners of her eyes. She remembered the fear in her double's eyes, the pain in her foreleg, and the rage that filled the world with red.
"I-I don't want that," she stammered, trembling.
"Is their something you can do?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, desperation heavy in her eyes.
"Actually, there is a way to fix this," she smiled.
"What?" they both said, again in unison.
"You see," she chuckled. "Thestrals have a custom called a Marking Ceremony. It's what they do when they find their special someponies."
"Okay?" Fluttershy said cautiously. "How does it work?"
"Well," she smiled. First, the Thestral gathers their magic into their fangs, holds their partner close, then injects some of it into them."
"They bite them!?" Fluttershy gasped.
She nodded.
"While they have a lot in common with Pegesi, the main focus for Thestral Magic is their fangs. Through them, they can paralyze threats as well as heal wounds by injecting magic into others. And since teeth are linked to a pony's skeletal structure, their magic also strengthens them in a way similar to Earth Pony Magic."
" But that's not really important here," she shrugged. "What is is that you're refusing to Mark Fluttershy. Why?"
Fluttershy gaped at Cadence for a moment, then said, "I don't want to hurt her! I thought something was trying to make me eat her or something!"
Cadence gave her and understanding nod then said, "I see. And now?"
"I-," she paused, then turned towards her double, a nervous gulp almost choking her when she met the Pegasus' gaze. "O-Only if she's okay with it," she said evenly, still locking eyes with her double. "I want to, but I don't want to hurt her."
A heavy silence filled the room as The Princess of Love and a nervous Thestral waited for the native Fluttershy to give her answer. Then, with a soft smile, she wrapped the scared Terran in her forelegs and in a voice just above a whisper said two words
"Do it."
Her shock didn't last long, as the smell of wildflowers summoned the mind numbing haze that plagued her the whole day. But this time was different. As she let the fog take hold of her a part of her seemed to guide the magic to her fangs in a more focused and steady stream. Then, with a faint hiss, she sank her fangs into her double's shoulder. A soft squeak was the only noise she made as the fangs penetrated her skin, but other then a slight pinch, she didn't feel any pain. What she felt was a gentle warmth fill her veins as she held her double closer. Fluttershy continued to let her magic control her, letting her instincts guide her actions. Soon, the small torrent of magic that had gushed from her fangs trickled down and she gently pulled herself free. Quickly, her fangs shrank back to their original length, and with a dizzy sigh, she slumped bonelessly into her double's forelegs. Lightheaded herself, Equestrian Fluttershy held her as gently as she could as she struggled to ignore the incredible warmth running through her.
"Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, stroking her double between her wings.
"I......I think so," she slurred, eyes unfocused and weary. "Just need to sit for a little while."
Cadence watched the whole exchange with a teary smile. This wasn't the first Marking Ceremony she had helped along, but it was the most beautiful one she had seen in a long time. So much so, that she refused to ruin the moment, even as one of the Fluttershy's Cutie Marks appeared next to two rapidly healing puncture marks on her shoulder. Nothing was more beautiful then blossoming love.